Solve Tough Problems with a Brain Reboot This is a guest post from Scott H. Young. I’ve spent a lot of time looking into different methods for solving problems and boosting my creativity. I’ve come to the conclusion that meditation isn’t just for the monks. You can use meditation for finding solutions to difficult problems, taking control of your emotions or rebooting your brain. Im not big into the fancy mantras and religious overtones often associated with meditation. How to Meditate Meditation isn’t hard to do, but it does require practice. Get into a position where you don’t feel discomfort but aren’t completely relaxed. This entire process of getting into a meditative state only takes me about five to ten minutes. There are a number of ways you can use practical meditation: Solving Tough Problems One of my favorite ways to use meditation is to tackle tough problems. Once you get into a meditative state, try to form a visual scene inside your head. About Scott Young:
Accept It and Move On No one is perfect. The world is not perfect. Nothing is perfect. Don’t expect perfection from yourself, others, or the world. My biggest problem, that I’m aware of, is that I dwell on the imperfections of myself and others. However, I have found that complaining also has unintentional consequences. Calm as a Monk: How Equanimity Can Save Your Sanity Post written by Leo Babauta . Follow me on Twitter . Reader Trina wrote in one of the comments: Leo, I admire the equanimity with which you deal with the more critical comments in your blog posts here and in other websites, especially the ones that begin with “You (or what you’re saying) is bogus/nonsense/idiotic” but whose arguments do not even prosper beyond the setting up of solid premises. For those who don’t know, “upeksa” or “equanimity” are basically one of the four “Sublime Attitudes” in Buddhism — also called “the Four Immeasurables,” or “the four sublime attitudes” (the others being loving-kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy). Trina brings up a great point about my attitude towards comments on Zen Habits and elsewhere, and about my attitude towards everyday life. I can respond with similar negativity , and thereby increase the animosity between myself and the commenter, and the general community. How can you develop equanimity? Learn to meditate, even just a little .
Building Suspense: How to Keep the Audience on the Edge of Their Seat As a screenwriter, the ability to craft dramatic suspense can turn your script from a basic, by the numbers story into something memorable, and the basis of a movie that people will remember. Film is a visceral art, and a thousand things have to go right in the execution of a story to make it resonate, but it all starts with the screenwriter. Without the basic foundation and the proper storytelling tools, your script might not make it past the first read. Evoke Emotion Create sympathetic characters that the audience likes and can relate to. 101 Conversation Starters People Love Below are 101 types of conversation starters to use on your first date, at a party, in business, with guys or girls, or on family and friends. The 101 great conversation openers are simple and effective. Do not be fooled. The most important point to remember when using any conversation starter is they aim to start the conversation. “Ice-breakers” break the ice; they don’t heat up the planet and make mother nature flourish. (Tweet this.) Conversation openers are not intended to make people laugh or get people to like you. What Makes a Great Conversation Starter? Watch this video for an amazing exercise you can do with me to create over 30 conversation starters that work for you The best conversation starters are situation-specific. ‘Ice-breakers’ break the ice; they don’t heat up the planet and make mother nature flourish. Here’s an exercise to help you develop excellent openers. Having done that, you already have 30 amazing conversation starters. “I’m [your first name].” Phew!
» Time Management #1: Why You Need to be Organised to be Creative BoDo: Business of Design online » Blog Archive Posted by: Mark McGuinness Category: Creative Coaching Bookmark on: del.icio.us Time Management for Creative People Manage the mundane – create the extraordinary By Mark McGuinness “Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.” So you start the day full of enthusiasm. Is this a familiar scenario for you? All of which is bad enough whatever your line of work. If you’re worried about the effect of all those interruptions, frustrations and distractions on your creative work, this series is for you. And that means being organised. There, I’ve said it. The film Amadeus dramatizes and romanticizes the divine origins of creative genius. This passage is taken from Tharp’s excellent book The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life, in which she argues that ‘routine is as much a part of the creative process as the lightning bolt of inspiration, maybe more’. Questions What is your attitude to organising your creative work?
Social Skydiving: The Art of Talking to Strangers I’ve travelled all over the world, from New York to Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro to Tokyo. I’ve had the privilege of working with brilliant minds. A few years ago I learned French, and mastered the language well enough to speak in horrible slang with a fully authentic accent. But the single most exhilarating thing I’ve ever done was to make a habit of talking to strangers. Nothing has changed my world view, and my life, more than taking the risk of saying “Hi” to people I don’t know on a regular basis. How to Become a Social Skydiver I can’t help but geek out on almost everything I do. Figure out what you want. How to Approach People I prefer to keep my conversations fairly organic. What you say isn’t nearly as important as how you say it. If you’ve never done this before, you may get brushed off several, even dozens of times until you get really comfortable being yourself in front of other people. That’s okay. What I’ve Learned from Talking to Strangers People don’t bite. One Approach a Day
Infinite Being - Twelve Principles for the New Reality Twelve Principles for the New Reality by Owen Waters The New Reality brings with it a new vista of awareness. Such knowledge empowers you to awaken to your newly expanded potential and manifest it with ease. Here are some basic principles of the universe, as seen from the expanded vista of New Reality consciousness. In this, the ultimate reality is recognized as universal consciousness, which is the formative essence behind all that exists within the universe. Here are twelve principles which describe the New Reality awareness. 1. The universe exists within the consciousness of Infinite Being. 2. Creation is holographic in nature, meaning that the one can be found within the all. While you are a part of the consciousness of Infinite Being, you are also Infinite Being itself. Therefore we are, each one of us, Infinite Being. 3. Your overall purpose in life is to experience it from one individual, unique point of view. 4. Free will fills in all the details. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
How to Deal With Negative Emotions The advantage of the emotions is that they lead us astray.– Oscar Wilde A while back I read a book called Real-Time Relationships, by Stefan Molyneux. It’s a book about creating relationships that are healthy, enjoyable, loving, and virtuous. This article is not a review of the book, so I’ll avoid any comments on its read-worthiness as a whole. The Real-Time Relationship (RTR) is based on two core principles, designed to liberate both you and others in your communication with each other: 1. Molyneux’s point is that so much of the negative communication in relationships arises because we treat feelings as facts, and tend to skip over the thoughts that underly those feelings. So let’s say one day Alice says to her husband Bob: You’re so lazy! This is an example of communicating a conclusion — that Bob is lazy — rather than communicating just her thoughts and feelings. Alice calling Bob “lazy” bypasses these possibilities. RTR’ing Yourself Thoughts precede emotions.
How do you figure out what it is that you want? So many women have no idea what they want or just haven’t taken the time to seriously think about it… They aim for nothing and hit it with amazing accuracy. The first and very important step to achieving all your goals is actually having a clear picture of what they are. Once you are clear, you can start to take action in the direction of your goals and fashion a plan that will get you there. So let me ask you… Are you someone who just can’t decide from the millions of choices available to you? Have you sat down to write out your goals, but just draw a blank? Do you set and achieve goals in one area of your life but fall short in others? Are you someone who has no idea where to start? Well let me share with you some hints to make this process quick, easy and relatively painless… Step #1 – Divide your goals into the 5 key areas in your life: Money and Material PossessionsRelationships and PartnersHealth and Weight LossCareer and BusinessPersonal Development and Spirituality. For example: chieve.
10 Positive Habits To Develop Here are 10 positive habits that you can consider incorporating into your routine. Quite often we get so caught up in day-to-day activities that we get distracted from thinking about and developing little positive habits that could make the difference between having an okay day and an upbeat, positive day. Some of them may seem so simple and obvious that we don't even think of implementing them regularly. Start the day with a positive mind-set. These 10 positive habits can be incorporated into your routine at whatever intervals are comfortable for you. <div class="statcounter"> </div>
The Manager's Cheat Sheet: 101 Common-Sense Rules for Leaders Updated: June 16, 2009 Management is all about connecting with the people on your team. So how do you effectively manage a team? Body Language Like it or not, your body speaks volumes, even when you are silent. 1. Meeting Deadlines No one will be happy if your team has to rush around at the last minute to complete a project. 11. Getting Along with Employees A happy office is a productive one. 21. Manage Yourself Being a good manager isn't just about what you can encourage other people to do, it's also about managing your own performance. 32. Boosting Productivity Getting the most out of your day can be difficult with a busy schedule, but you can use these tips to help you maximize your time in order to be better available to employees. 44. Managing Finances and Resources Whether you're a business owner or a manager, staying on top of tangible items is vital to success. 56. Communicating with Clients 67. Keep Up with Change 76. Resolving Problems 84. Go Above and Beyond 93. Related Articles