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quarta-feira, dezembro 09, 2015
This Infographic Will Finally Teach You How To Be Mentally Strong
Do you feel like you lack mental strength?
I know I could use some more!
However, this infographic, published by James Altucher, showed me that I’m at least on the right track.
I bet you are too!
Even though you think you don’t know how to be mentally strong, I’m sure you’re doing at least a few of the 10 things James mentions right already.
One of them is relationships. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “You are the average of the five people around you.” Mentally strong people make sure they surround themselves with uplifting people.
Honesty is another big part of being mentally strong. Lying takes away energy and creates stress, which will burn you out in the long run.
Being mentally strong also means not making yourself the center of the universe. Focus on helping others and money will naturally become a byproduct of your actions.
James noticed he can ask any of his successful podcast guests what they’re reading lately and they all have immediate answers. Reading increases mental strength, because it lets you absorb an entire person’s life within a short time.
It’s hard to be mentally strong when you’re sick in bed, so health is another key factor for mental resilience. You don’t have to become a high performance athlete, but take good care of your body each day by eating well, sleeping enough and moving a lot, even if it’s just walking.
Mentally strong people are always curious. Even if they feel embarrassed, they will still ask questions, because they can’t stand not knowing. The more embarrassed they are to ask, the more important the question is.
Another part of mental strength is a strong memory. However, if you only listen, you’ll forget what you learned quite fast. You should take notes and then repeat what you learned to others, whether it’s just in conversation or you’re actually trying to teach them. Because when you educate others about what you learn, that’s when you truly remember.
If you are mentally strong you will constantly come up with new ideas. In part, your brain gets stronger because your idea muscle gets stronger. You can train it by exercising it every day. James suggests to simply jot down 10 ideas every day on a waiter’s pad. No matter if they’re good or bad, but come up with 10 ideas, because number 7, 8, 9 and 10 are the ones where your brain begins to sweat.
Mentally strong people don’t beat themselves up. You should give yourself permission to fail. To have lots of bad ideas. To take risks. Allow yourself to create and to just keep going, even when nothing seems to work. Persistence creates luck!
Lastly, being mentally strong means focusing only on today. The only predictor of a successful tomorrow is a successful today, James says. But when you’re stuck in a time machine in your head, regretting the past or dreaming about the future, you can’t focus on today. That’s why mentally strong people bring themselves back by simply asking: “What can I do to help others right now?”
Which of these things are you already doing right?
What could you do better at?
If you learned something new about how to be mentally strong, be sure to share this with your friends!
Featured photo credit: Greg Rakozy via unsplash.com
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I Live Off-The-Grid In A House-Bus
The first question people ask me when I tell them that I live off-the-grid in a house-bus/mud brick home is: What about wifi? Does that mean you don’t have the internet?
My answer is definitely no, I have the internet because I run my business from home. The internet and the TV are some of the few luxuries we have.
Everything else is fully self-sustainable and natural.
It is seriously exciting and so eye-opening, living like a hippie off-the-grid. Waking up when the sun comes up, to the sound of nature and hearing nothing but silence for miles.
Last year my partner and I made the shift. I wasn’t prepared for the move, but I did it anyway. What the shift has bought about is more than just downshifting externally, but internal downshifting.
I won’t lie, it’s been hard living off-the-grid, it does involve its fair share of work.
We don’t have free running electricity (we are getting solar soon), but right now we use a generator. So, if you want a cup of coffee you have to start the generator to turn on the electricity. You can’t have too many things plugged in at any one time, so make sure you are using your electricity wisely.
I light the fire in the winter around 3:00pm- 4:00pm because it’s so cold. Sometimes I chop the wood because it doesn’t fit into the fire.
My life is simple but it does involve work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I feel blessed now to be able to live the life that so many people yearn for, but it wasn’t easy. Here are three of my biggest lessons that I have learned by living off-the-grid in a house-bus.
1. Don’t try and fit your life into a perfect box
For the first six months I was constantly projecting myself into the past, comparing how things were and wondering why it wasn’t as easy as before. When I started to let this go, and I stopped trying to fit my life into a box of what I think it should be, I could allow my life to be exactly as it is and enjoy the present moment.
2. Being busy doesn’t mean you’re going places.
When I look back on my life before I moved off-the-grid, I was extremely busy with things that didn’t add value to my life, my relationships or myself. Now, I can see that life isn’t about doing more, having more, or being more, but being selective and grateful for the things that you do have. Doing or having more, isn’t better.
3. The relationships you have matter more than you think.
I spend large amounts of time by myself now, I couldn’t have done that before I moved here. My relationship with myself is the most important relationship that I have. It’s important that I nurture and look after me. When I’m happy my world is a pleasant place to be in, when I’m miserable, my world is miserable. The best thing you can do for yourself is look after the relationship that you have with yourself, become your own best friend, lover, and even coach.
Living off-the-grid didn’t create a simple life automatically; creating a simple life is about a mindset shift more than a move. What living off-the-grid has ultimately taught me, is that life is all about choice- at every moment we can choose how we want to live, feel, and be, in that moment.
My best advice for anyone thinking about moving off-the-grid is this…
It won’t be anything like what you imagine it to be, it will be better.
My life is perfect, I don’t pay rent or have a mortgage, and I don’t have huge stresses in my life. I understand the value of small things and see the interconnectedness of all things. I feel like I am always on holiday, always living what I want to do now and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Featured photo credit: Sarah Liddle/ I am the original owner of this image. via imcreator.com
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14 Fun Ways to Give Cash at Weddings, Parties and on Holidays
As Autumn leaves begin to pile up in the yard and the wind suddenly begins to blow cold, many people are beginning to think about preparing for the upcoming holidays and all the gatherings that are usually planned.
Every year, the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays and other holiday events are great opportunities for anyone to be creative and generous. Now is the time to prepare by making plans for your gift giving.
Whether you are attending a winter wedding, a birthday party, an office holiday or retirement party, or just getting ready for Christmas, here are 14 helpful ideas for fun ways to give cash:
1. Money tree
In recent years money trees have become very popular on the receiving tables at weddings or by the door at fundraisers. This is because they can be created just about any size and made out of a variety of materials. For a wedding, the tree can be decorated with the wedding colors by using ribbons, for instance. Some trees are quite large, while others are small enough to fit on a table. Guests are invited to roll up their bills and tie them to the tree. These trees are a simple and beautiful way to receive money.
photo credit: Shari’s Berries
2. Balloon money
If you are planning a birthday party for your child, one idea is to roll up and slip dollar bills (or larger bills) inside of balloons before you inflate them. The money is often hidden until the child discovers it, so it can be a fun surprise. This idea would work for adult parties as well.
3. Money jar
Giving a money jar is a traditional way to give a combination of coins and bills in a large jar. Just fill the jar with whatever amount you want. Tons of pennies make a fun gift. After you fill the jar you can decorate it by topping it off with colorful ribbons, beads, or yarn. It is a creative, yet simple way to give a combination of cash and coins.
4. Money cake
Here is an original idea that requires a little bit of time to put together. Just roll the bills and attach them individually to the center portion in a circular pattern. This would be really nice present for a birthday or graduation gift. Or, it could even be a clever wedding gift.
5. Money angels
You could make simple holiday angels out of folded money. The angel’s head can be made of an easter egg, or a foam ball. These angels can make perfect ornament gifts for anyone and they would look nice when hung on the tree.
6. Candy money
If you are a grandparent who wants to give money, here is a great idea. Take your rolled coins and wrap them in Christmas paper and twist and tie both ends with ribbon. This makes them look like giant candy rolls and they would be great gifts for grandkids to enjoy. You could also put them inside of Christmas stockings.
7. Money box
If you want to take a little time, you can cover a small box with money and then have a roll of money inside the box. This idea would work for dollar bills or larger ones. Covering the box makes the gift look very neat and attractive.
8. Pizza money
This idea could work well for a kid’s birthday party or even Christmas bonuses at work. Just spread the money in a circular pattern inside the pizza box and use a few coins to place on top. The pizza money could be a fun surprise at your party.
9. Money ornaments
If you are a creative person, you can find ways to place money inside just about any object. For example, if you give an ornament of a toy train engine, you can stuff a bill inside of it. You can also use the money itself as the gift by folding the bills and putting them inside a tiny box that looks like it holds chocolates, or simply fold the bills into star or tree shapes.
10. Money tree lot
If you are giving money to a group of people, here is another idea. Create a miniature Christmas tree lot in a box and fold up the bills (whatever amount you decide) so they stand up in the box. You might have to wrap them around cardboard so they stand up. Then you can decorate your large box, so that each little tree is a money gift. This would be a very original gift!
11. Money crayons
When you want to give money to a toddler or preschool child, you could just wrap the dollar bills around each crayon and tie with tape. This is a simple and neat way to please any kid.
12. Money card
Christmas cards or any other occasion cards are a good chance to use your creativity to come up with great ideas. If you make a card that shows a school bus, you could stuff a few bills inside the windows. It really depends on the object on your card. Money cards would work for any birthday, graduation, or special occasion.
13. Money plant
For this idea, you simply buy a small pot and after attaching the money in the center portion, you curl each bill so is looks like the shape of a leaf. The overall effects looks like a pretty green plant and makes a lovely gift.
Photo credit: Melanoma PA
14. Giant check
Every once in awhile an opportunity to give a large sum of money may come up. If the money gift is intended to be donated to a school or other organization, you could order a large check to be printed and have photos take with the recipient during the presentation.
If you want to make a large summed graduation gift, you could also have a large check printed and send it to the graduate inside a poster carton.
Or, if you are giving a wedding couple the money for the down payment on a house, or the honeymoon cruise, you could have a giant check printed up and carry it into the wedding reception, or roll it up in a poster carton to hand over to them personally.
Giving cash for presents is an easy way to solve your holiday or last minute gift shopping problems. Try to use some of the above ideas to make the occasion fun and exciting for those on the receiving end, and you’ve got your gift obligation covered!
Featured photo credit: Steven Depolo on flickr via flickr.com
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12 Amazing Ways We Seem To Stumble Onto Happiness
What makes you happy? Not what you think makes you happy — what truly makes you happy?
I asked myself that question, and I was amazed with how hard it was to come up with an answer immediately. I had to think about it seriously.
Unfortunately, many of us think of things and people when asked what makes us happy but, in fact, they don’t. Those are the things we think make us happy. We think of answers that sound good, but aren’t actually true.
Most of us are overthinkers. We try to analyze and overthink everything. We often forget to listen to that soft inner voice. That ever-present voice that always seem to have the right answers, but yet, we seldom listen to.
That soft voice that seem to be able to block out the noise, distractions, and other nonsensical things going on around us and get to the heart of the matter.
We all want to be happy, and many of us frankly have been searching in every little crevice and corner of our life, trying to find happiness. Some of us have traveled the world over, engaging in happiness seminars, happiness camps, reading happiness blogs and books. Yet, all we find are someone’s perception of what happiness is, and we are left high and dry.
The reason we try so hard to find happiness is because somehow we believe that happiness is something we find, and so we constantly search, hoping that one day we will accidentally bump into it.
Happiness is always around us, and all we have to do is open our hearts and minds to receive it. We cannot find happiness because it was never lost.
Below are 12 of the many ways you often stumble onto happiness.
1. You stumble onto happiness when you are overtaken with sudden joy.
You suddenly realize that this moment is all you have, and it instantly becomes precious, and for some reason you just become happy.
Something happens in your life, and it’s joyous and amazing and suddenly you realize how happy you are.
This could be the birth of a child or just meeting someone you haven’t seen in years, and all the great memories rush over you and for that moment you realize you are happy. That moment you are overcome with happiness and joy.
2. You stumble onto happiness when you realize how blessed you are.
The things you have taken for granted are brought before you, and you instantly see how much you have to be grateful for. You have taken things for granted, not realizing that there are others worst off than you. You complain about your life and in an instant things change and you realize you are blessed.
You could be walking down the street, and you see someone in need and realize that this could have been you. You then suddenly realize how blessed you are, because you have more than enough. You are overcome with happiness.
3. You stumble onto happiness when you realize how much you are loved.
You have been with the same partner for a while and, like anything else, it becomes routine. You do the same things over and over again, and things become normal.
Then, you hear of someone getting a divorce and in that instant you are awoken by the gravity of how loved you are. At that moment, you become happy and emotional because you realize you have been happy all this time.
4. You stumble onto happiness when you realize that your children are safe from harm.
You sometimes think you haven’t been happy since your children were born. You were happy then. Here they are now — bundles of energy, and they get on your nerves and mess things up and you become tired and overworked.
Then, you take a moment just to sit and think and you realize your precious children are safe, secure and healthy, and you are overcome with happiness. You realize that you have been happy all along.
5. You stumble onto happiness when you realize you are happy with who you are.
You have struggled to find yourself and to know who you are for years. During your search, you realize that you are happy with who you are. All this time you’ve wasted trying to be someone else, and suddenly you realize that you are indeed very special. You are now happy in your skin. You were happy all along, but never knew it.
6. You stumble onto happiness when you realize how much you have to give.
You have never thought of helping or giving to any cause because you never thought you had anything to offer.
You decide to lend a helping hand to someone else and, low and below, you realize that you indeed have more to offer than you thought. You can, in fact, contribute to someone else’s life. You are happy because you now know you are more than enough.
7. You stumble onto happiness when you realize how kind you are.
You are busy with your life, and you do things for people, not always taking the things you do seriously. Then, one day someone sends you a thank you note for being kind, and you realize for the first time in a long time that you are indeed happy because you have the power of kindness.
8. You stumble onto happiness when you realize that you are patient.
You have been impatient — running from left to right for some time and not slowing down. You become agitated with everything that gets in your way.
Then, one day you are driving down the street, and someone needs to cross. Even though you are busy and late, you decide to allow them to pass. You now realize you can be patient, and it’s a great feeling. You are happy, even if for that split second, and it feels good.
9. You stumble onto happiness when you realize you are healthy.
You take your health for granted, not paying particular attention to your body until one day you hear of someone who is very ill. You realize that you have every reason to be happy because you are in great health. You have been happy all along, but never took the time to notice.
10. You stumble onto happiness when you realize you are safe.
You watch the news, and it suddenly dawns on you that you can go to bed without fear. There aren’t bombs dropping in your neighborhood, and you take a deep breath and realize you are happy. You are happy because you feel safe.
11. You stumble onto happiness when you realize that you are lucky to have a job.
You go to work every day and go through the routine without much thought. You might even complain about the job and your boss.
You run into someone who isn’t so lucky and you realize you are happy. In spite of all that is happening with the job, you are happy. You can pay your bills, you can support yourself, and that makes you happy.
12. You stumble onto happiness when you realize how much you have to be happy for.
You can always find something to be happy for. This list is endless, and if you take the time to look into your life, you will find so many reasons to be happy.
Many times, the simple path to being happy begins with you realizing that happiness is nothing to be found. It is a decision you make anytime you want to.
Do not allow yourself to keep stumbling into happiness. Start being happy every minute of the day, because happiness is everywhere in your life — you only have to decide that you want to be happy.
It takes nothing for you to be happy but for you to make that choice.
Featured photo credit: Mother and Children/Gagilas via imcreator.com
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Little Daily Habits That Will Make You A Better Manager
The mark of a good manager is always wanting to improve upon your management style. That means adopting little daily habits that will benefit your entire team. Here are a few of the top habits you can begin implementing today.
1. Say “Thank you” (and mean it)
As we rush through our lives, we often don’t really notice what people do for us. They may be colleagues, suppliers, or members of our team. But how often do we stop and say a heartfelt, sincere “Thank you” to those people?
Many organizations think that paying people is enough. Or that they get a bonus, so they’ll get their reward later. But think back to the last time someone said a proper “thank you” to you. Felt good, didn’t it? Especially if it was done right after the moment you did something they were pleased about, and they told you why they were pleased.
Saying “thank you” costs you nothing other than a couple of minutes. But the impact goes way beyond the moment. You’ll make them feel good, you’ll feel good, and they will now know that you value what they do. Got to be worth it, hasn’t it?
2. Have a 5-minute chat with someone on the team
If you have a team, chat to one of them about what they do, how they do it, or what motivates them. Ask them if they’d like to ask you anything. Don’t be critical of any reply you get.
This will give you a lot of information about real progress, help you understand the mood of the team, and get to know what really motivates the people in your team. It may not be what you think.
3. Delegate one task
Managers often try to do everything themselves. Your primary role is to guide the members of your team into learning how to do things themselves. If you don’t, that may explain why you always work late and miss deadlines.
Delegation means you have to train, inform, and support your team members — not just dump tasks on them.
4. Go home on time today
If you delegate, you can go home on time. Working late may seem like a way to show that you are committed and busy. But it doesn’t. Working late has been shown to increase your stress, along with making you less efficient and unpopular with your team. Unpopular? Yes, because committed people don’t like to go home before their boss. So, if you stay late, you are committing your team to stress, inefficiency, and resentment.
So, close your laptop, say a cheery “goodnight” to your team, and go home.
5. Reread that important email (before you send it)
It’s too easy to dash off an angry or rushed email, and live to regret it afterwards. So, next time, write it, wait 5 minutes, reread it, correct it, and then send it.
Also, check the replies. Do you really need to reply all? Probably not.
6. Share your goal
A team that has a clear goal works towards achieving that goal. You may have told your team what their goals were at your annual briefing, but it is unlikely they remember it now. If you want your team to focus their efforts towards achieving your goal, they need to be gently reminded of what it is.
You don’t have to make a big deal about it, but ask one person every day how the goal fits with what they’re doing.
7. Say “No” (nicely)
Don’t feel you have to bend over backwards in solving everyone’s problems for them. If you do, you will soon have a desk full of monkeys — problems your team has delegated to you!
If you say no just once a day, your team will learn that they should at least try and identify some possible solutions to the problem first.
8. Be courteous (take a deep breath)
Adopting the above daily habits will make your life easier. But, if you find yourself getting frustrated with someone or something, remember that politeness is way more effective than shouting. I know it, you know it. So, just do it.
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Tips for Finding a Good Dentist
Finding a good dentist can be as difficult as, or even more difficult than, finding a good doctor. It can be especially difficult for those of us who have extreme dental fears. At one time, going to a new dentist can be quite terrifying because of the techniques that dentists used to use. Today, there is little need for fear, because modern dentistry can be almost painless. But, before you can get any dental work done, you need to find a dentist. Here are some tips to help you find the best dentist for you and your family, including where to find a dentist and what to look for.
Where to find a dentist
The first thing you need to do is to start looking around for a dentist in your area. Most people start with Google.
“For example, if you live in Gainesville, VA you can search in Google “dentist in Gainesville VA” and see the results. Also, you can ask friends and family members who they recommend. Ask them about their experiences with their dentists, including how long office visits usually last, what treatments are offered, how long you will be stuck in the waiting room, if they deal with dental emergencies,and how billing is handled,” suggests Dr. Ahmed Ezze from Easy Dental Care.
Personal recommendations go a long way, so ask everyone you know who they trust with their oral hygiene.
If you are moving ask your current dentist to give some recommendations. Also, it’s a great idea to contact the American Dental Society to get references. Schedule a few consultations with dentists in the area to choose one you’re comfortable with. Pay attention to the nearest dental school clinic or hospital dental department, especially if it is affiliated with a major university.
What to look for in a dentist
Not all dentists offer the same services. For instance, some just deal with general dentistry, and don’t do any real amount of cosmetic dentistry. Here are some of the things to look for in a good dentist.
- Location – Obviously, one of the first things to look at is location. It is best to find a dentist that is near you, so you don’t have to travel for appointments. There are few things worse than having to drive for an hour or more after you have had any major dental work done and all you want to do is sleep.
- Office Hours – These days, not all dentists work a typical nine-to-five day. This is because there are so many people who work irregular hours, and they may not be able to get for appointments during regular business hours. Look for a dentist who works within your schedule so you always know that you will be able to get an appointment when you need one.
- Payments – It is particularly important that you ask about how billing is done. Make sure that the dentist accepts your insurance carrier. It is also good if they will offer a variety of payment options, including checks, credit cards, and payment plans.
- Your Fears – Some dentists actually advertise that they specialize in dealing with patients who have dental fears. If you are one of these patients, this is something that you definitely need to look into. You also need to know that your dentist is going to be willing to answer questions and make sure that you are comfortable with any procedures that they need to do.
- Qualifications – In addition to knowing where they attended dental school, there are other professional qualifications you need to look for. The staff should be more than willing to answer any questions you have about office hygiene, infection control, etc. You can also get a lot of information from your local dental society.
- Emergency Care – It is extremely important to find a dentist that offers after-hours emergency care. After all, not all dental emergencies are going to happen during regular business hours. You don’t want a dentist who is simply going to refer you to the emergency room at the local hospital. You want to know that your dentist is going to be there when you really need them.
Featured photo credit: Kawaii Tooth/Jenn and Tony Bot via flickr.com
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FBI Agent Teaches Us How to Develop Will Power
When I saw that an FBI agent was talking about will power; I knew I had to pay attention. I’ve worked with the FBI several times during my career with the US Army Special Forces and have the utmost respect for them. FBI agents are smart, tough, and get things done.
Former FBI Agent LaRae Quy gives us 5 of her secrets to developing will power. Will power is one of those things that are hard to define, but you know it when you see it. You can call it determination, drive, resolve, self-discipline, self-control, or mental toughness. It’s really about taking the hard right instead of the easy wrong. It’s about gutting it out when the going gets tough and you could quit, but don’t.
1. Keep an eye on your goal.
You have to know what is important to you and keep that foremost in your mind. In the self-help niche, it’s know as the goal behind the goal. You might want to lose 10 pounds, but the goal behind the goal is to look more attractive to your partner. When Agent Quy faced a tough test in the FBI Academy, her goal behind the goal was becoming a FBI agent.
2. Avoid shortcuts.
She talks about cutting corners during a race in the Academy and learning a solid lesson after being caught. Cutting corners on an investigation can cause a bad guy to go free. In some of the Special Forces missions I conducted, cutting corners could have resulted in death. Will power is the ability to ignore short term temptations to meet long term goals.
3. Train your brain.
Agent Quy talks about how mediation can aid will power.
“Control your thoughts so you can choose your focal point.”
Another way to do this is through the use of “muscle memory.” Train at something for long enough with perfect technique and eventually your body will be able to perform it without you thinking about it. This will strengthen your will power so that you can focus on what is important.
4. Practice persistence.
FBI agents can’t quit. Agent Quy learned that back in the Academy. Her mantra was, “I will not quit. If I get knocked down, I will get up and keep at it. No matter how many times. I have what it takes to make it.”
5. Change your mindset—as often as necessary.
She talks about how the FBI has a limit on how long they can work a particular tip. If an agent can’t find validate it within 90 days, it is closed. Will power gave her the ability to keep on, digging, investigating, keeping an open mind in order to determine if it is a valid threat or not. I have always used the terms “improvise,” “adapt,” and “overcome.” In the Special Forces, we had the same concerns; using will power to tell yourself you are going to do whatever it takes to make it happen will give you the ability to get things done you never thought possible.
You can use will power too.
As an FBI agent for over 24 years, LaRae Quy first used will power to make it through the Academy and then throughout her FBI career. I used will power in my life to pass the Special Forces Qualification Course, complete successful missions throughout the world, and become the writer and self help coach I am now.
Through will power, you can get you what you want for yourself too. Will power applied appropriately will help you eat right, exercise regularly, avoid drugs and alcohol, save for retirement, stop procrastinating, and achieve all sorts of noble goals.
Featured photo credit: CONVAR1615 via flickr.com
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