The 7 Rules of Highly Effective Habits This is a guest post by Barrie Davenport of Live Bold & Bloom. I have a coaching client who weighed over 400 lbs. She never exercised and ate a poor diet consisting of a lot of junk food and sweets. She didn’t socialize much because she was embarrassed about her appearance. Although she longed to go to Europe, she wouldn’t travel by plane because she couldn’t fit in the seat. But over the course of the last two years, she has . . . lost over 200 lbs. So what does this woman know that the rest of us don’t? How was she able to essentially turn her entire life around to become fit, healthy, attractive, organized, and wildly successful? I’ll get to that in a moment. But first, let me mention that my client has given me permission to write about her. My client’s name is Stephanie, and she did these remarkable things all by herself. Think about it — just changing your diet alone involves a series of mini-habits. So what does Stephanie know? Creating sustainable habits actually requires a skill set.
Rebalancing the Portfolio of Your Life | Innovation You Have you ever fantasized about your great escape? You know, the stressful job, the daily grind, the loveless marriage. What if you made a break for it and actually got all the way to the land of plenty only to find that it wasn’t what you really wanted? That’s exactly what I’ve done a couple times in my life before I learned that the same mindset that drives a person to have it all eventually stops them from having what they really want. I retired at twenty nine. I was exhausted. Seek: Creativity How: Aesthetic vision and artistic expressionExample: Keep a sketch book of creative ideas Seek: Discovery How: Psychological and spiritual explorationExample: Visit the holy places of a different religion Seek: Vitality How: Physical and emotional healthExample: Keep an appointment with yourself to meditate daily Seek: Prosperity How: Financial well beingExample: Actively manage your financial investments Seek: Capability Seek: Community Seek: Security Seek: Productivity
How Doing Nothing Can Help You Truly Live - Sharon Salzberg This article was originally published on The Huffington Post, May 4, 2010 When the retreat center I co-founded, the Insight Meditation Society, first opened, someone created a mock brochure describing a retreat there, with sayings like, “Come to IMS and have all the tea you could ever drink.” It also featured a wonderful made up motto for us: “It is better to do nothing than to waste your time.” Although that motto never made it into our official presentation, it actually was an accurate description of insight meditation, or mindfulness meditation. We come to meditation to learn how not to act out the habitual tendencies we generally live by, those actions that create suffering for ourselves and others, and get us into so much trouble. In our usual mind state, we are continually activating the process that in Buddhist terminology is known as “bhava,” which literally means “becoming.” Image from Flickr by jacme31, Creative Commons License
13 Things to Remember When Life Gets Rough We’ve all gone through hard times. And we all get through them. However, some get through them better than others. So what is their secret? Most of it has to do with attitude. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. About the Author Carol Morgan has a Ph.D. in communication and is a professor at Wright State University. Credits: Life hack
Learning to Learn: leveraging your circadian rhythm There are a few distinct, precious moments of heightened sensory elation that we can achieve through unique actions; whether that be hitting the sweet spot on your driver from the tee box, tossing that crumpled up piece of paper that started out as a great idea and delivering it perfectly into the waste basket 10 feet away, or something as simple as arriving at the perfect adjective when telling a story to a friend. Achieving a greater sense of cognitive ability when interacting with either the external environment around you or the internal synapses of your own brain is an equally satisfying accomplishment that many believe would lead to immediate success. There is no special formula for arriving at a heightened rate of learning, enhanced memory, or sudden talent for verbiage; however there is a proven internal process that you can utilize in order to maximize your work output, in channeling your Circadian Rhythm. Spend a few days tracking your levels of focus, energy, and hunger.
Alternative Sleep Cycles: 7-10 Hours Are Not Needed The average person requires 7-10 hours of sleep per night according to the National Sleep Foundation. But is it possible that using different sleep cycles, where the benefits of sleep are still achieved, we can sleep less? Much less? Most of us are familiar with what is called a monophasic sleep cycle. This cycle is used by most people as it’s what we hear about and learn the most. Fact is, there are 4 other sleep cycles that can provide all the benefits of sleep, while sleeping much less. Not only that but sleeping has always been something I wish I could do when I felt like it and not because I’m ‘supposed to.’ if I could spend less time lying awake at night trying to sleep, then great. The Monophasic cycle consists of various stages of sleep with REM (rapid eye movement) being the most important. The Byphasic cycle, also called the Siesta, is the most common of polyphasic cycles as it can be viewed as the most practical for people. How will you sleep?
The top 6 FAQs about facial recognition How facial recognition works. Via HowStuffWorks.com. With the FTC currently focusing on facial recognition, we figured it was a good time to provide answers to the 6 biggest questions about this technology and how it affects you. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. A stranger snaps a picture of you with his iPhone camera while you’re walking down the street on your way to work in the morning. Your face is your identity: you should have control over it. Sounds like science fiction? 1. When we talk about facial recognition, we’re really talking about two different applications: basic and advanced. Who IS this guy? Advanced facial recognition builds on these principles to answer the question, “Is this a particular face?” Facial recognition is alive and flourishing. SceneTap’s interface. Lots of mobile apps use facial recognition, too. Companies give two main reasons for using facial recognition technology: it helps with security, and it makes photo editing and sharing easier. 3. 4. 6. Is it cool?
6 Best Tips to Turn off Negative Thoughts How to Avoid Negative Thoughts How to stop negative thoughts How to Turn off Negative Thoughts Here are the best ways to avoid negative thoughts which looks like Negative Thoughts quotes. A1. A2. A3. A4. A5. A6. 20 Signs You’re Happier Than You Give Yourself Credit For Being happy can feel like a chore, especially when you're depressed, suffering from anxiety or stressed from life drama. Yet we keep trying, reaching, pining for that golden nugget to help us through the rough patches. The truth about happiness is that it’s not a destination. It’s an opportunity to be present and practice reaching joy in the moment. I've learned this truth firsthand from overcoming drug addiction, clinical depression and eating disorders, and from leaving a corporate career that suffocated my soul: Happiness is a choice we have to cultivate daily, moment by moment. Many of my life coaching clients express their dissatisfaction with where they are in life. When we can turn down the mind and drop to the heart, we can see many of us are actually doing a phenomenal job at navigating the treacherous trenches of our lives. Life is hard when you think it is, but consider the possibility that you’re doing so much better than you give yourself credit for. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.