ditadinho: 11/19/15

quinta-feira, novembro 19, 2015

Real Confidence Isn’t Like What Most People Think Of

Real confidence isn’t just about a bright smile or your posture, it’s about your inner thoughts.

What is real confidence

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Why People Who Don’t Use Phones All the Time Lead A More Meaningful Life

Prepare yourself for a bit of a rant.

I spent much of January, 2011 in Costa Rica on a study abroad trip. I returned with many vivid memories, such as staring into a volcano, hiking down hundreds of stone steps to a stunning waterfall, zip lining through misty clouds above a breathtaking rain forest, and eating dinner at a cliff-side restaurant overlooking a starlit valley.

But perhaps my favorite memory, the one I miss the most, is the moment I locked my cell phone in the hotel safe—where it lurked for the rest of the trip.

Don’t get me wrong. Phones are useful. But somewhere along the way, people seem to have stopped viewing phones as a means to an end and started treating them like little rechargeable deities. I say “little”—these last few years phones have hit a growth spurt. Society needs to make up its mind. How can you expect me to wear skinny jeans when I’m trying to transport a phone that’s as big as my face? But I digress.

Anyway, assuming you’re like me, and you can spend an hour sans cell phone (without hyperventilating), let’s indulge in a playful little tribute to ourselves. Here is why the few of us who can survive an awkward pause without a cellphone conversation are wonderful.

1. We know how to have an actual conversation.

Don’t you love it when you’re telling a story and the listener pulls out their phone? Some would argue I’m just a bad story teller, but I choose to blame phone addicts. If you were talking to me and I turned to talk to someone else, you would be annoyed right? So how is it any different when you start reading a text? Why are the text thoughts more important than mine? I’m the one who cared enough to actually spend time with you. And don’t give me the classic line “Keep going, I’m still listening.” I’ll bet you are.

2. We can go on an actual vacation.

I love cruises. So much. And one of the many reasons is everybody leaves their phones in their rooms and tries to remember how to be a human being—at least while they’re on the ship.

Earlier this year, my wife and I went on a cruise that debarked in Cozumel. We hitched a ride to the nearest beach; and while I swam in the crystal clear water, bounced sky high on floating trampolines, and tried to conquer my crippling fear of marine life, my beautiful wife took advantage of the beach’s free wifi. Because apparently that’s a thing now. Free wifi. At the beach.

3. We can tell you who won the game.

I will never understand this. How can you spend big money on concert or sports tickets and waste the whole show looking at your phone? Explain that to me. I took a college class from the GM of a minor league baseball team. He explained a growing struggle in live sports is keeping people’s attention on the action instead of their phones. Hence all the wacky dance contests and t-shirt bombardments during timeouts.

4. We’re less stressed (according to research).

In a study conducted at the University of Missouri, Time Magazine reports students’ “blood pressure and heart rate increased” when their cell phones “started ringing across the room but they were unable to answer them.”

In a different study, “high mobile phone use was associated with sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression for the men and symptoms of depression for the women.”

And since many of us use our phones to browse through social media sites, I’ll give you one more. Elite Daily reports, “New research suggests people who don’t use Facebook are happier than the average person who uses the social networking site regularly.”

5. We don’t ruin movies for everyone around us.

Remember when the first “turn off your phones” reminder showed up in movie theaters? At the time, it didn’t seem that necessary. Now, the movie warm up routine is basically preview, “turn off your phone,” preview, “turn off your phone,” opening credits, “turn off your phone.” And it still doesn’t work! I was at one theater that encouraged people to install an app that puts your phone on “movie mode.” Are you kidding me? Your phone already has a built-in movie mode. It’s called “silent,” and it’s not hard to activate.

Confession Time

I may have come on strong in this post, so let me land this plane with a little humility and a dose of encouragement.

I’m a recovering cell phone addict. My particular app of choice was Clash of Clans. I would rearrange my entire schedule and mistreat the people around me in service to that game. But thanks to a five day cruise (I told you cruises were wonderful), I broke the habit. Then I went a step further. I’ve recently changed the settings on my phone’s work email account so it won’t sync unless I tell it to manually. This gives me access to my work emails when I want, instead of letting them constantly interrupt my evenings and weekends.

If you find yourself feeling shackled to your cell phone, consider the research and know that, at least in my case, life has been more fun ever since I took control (minus a few days of withdrawal).

Featured photo credit: View Apart via shutterstock.com

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7 Reasons Why People Who Draw Mind Maps Are More Hireable

As technology grows more powerful and outsourcing becomes the norm, creativity will become more valuable to employers. As you search for your next opportunity, look into further developing your mind-mapping skills. Mind-mapping is a drawing and writing technique many people use to define problems, organize ideas, and come up with new approaches.

Why spend time developing mind-mapping skills? Here are seven good reasons why people with mind-mapping skills tend to be more hireable than their peers:

1. They Generate Lots of Ideas

Using a mind map is a great way to generate a lot of ideas in a short amount of time. Ideas are the currency of the business world. If you bring ten ideas to a meeting, you will almost certainly stand out compared to everyone else.

Tip: Creativity does not happen by accident. You can can develop your creative skills by reviewing 30 tips to become more creative.

2. They Can Push The Boundaries Of Normal Solutions

As you develop your career, it is important to know when and how to push boundaries. When you use a mind map at work, you free yourself from the constraint of spreadsheets and other traditional business tools. This makes you more valuable as a worker. Of course, you also need the ability to implement your good ideas.

3. They Know How To Run A Creative Meeting

As you develop your skill with mind maps, you will be able to lead others in mind map sessions. The ability to run such a session shows that you have the ability to draw creative ideas from other people and collaborate. Managing conflict to come up with creative solutions is valuable because most people are simply overwhelmed by conflict.

Resource: Running a creative meeting will feel overwhelming unless you master basic meeting habits.

4. They Know How To Use Specialized Apps

As a knowledge worker or creative professional, your ability to use complex, sophisticated applications matters. Most companies will assume that you are proficient at using Microsoft Office. Which skill sets will help you stand out, then? One approach is to specialize in mind mapping software such as MindJet or Xmind.

5. They Understand How To Define A Problem Well

Writing a mind map is an excellent way to define a problem. This is an under-appreciated skill in the office. At first glance, the problem may appear simple such as “the customer is upset.” A mind map will help the company to understand all aspects of the problem and come up with a better solution.

Tip: To take your problem solving skills to the next level, learn the art of complex problem solving.

6. They Build Project Momentum Quickly

More and more work activities are becoming projects, whether it involves producing a product, launching an event, or improving a process. Good momentum is vital to the launch of any project. Using a mind map to define the problem, develop alternative solutions, and set project milestones is a great way to start work on a project.

Tip: To become even better at managing projects, read 10 books to become a better project manager.

7. They Use Mind Mapping To Learn New Skills

Mind mapping has been used by highly successful students in various fields for years. Why? Mind maps are a great way to improve memory and boost learning. In a job interview, demonstrating your ability to learn quickly matters because you will have a lot to learn as a new hire. In that case, you can mention how creating a mind map has helped you to learn new skills faster with less effort.

Tip: Read 10 Things Quick Learners Do Differently To Pick Up Anything to further develop your learning skills.

Featured photo credit: dizain via shutterstock.com

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Studies Show That Video Games Are Actually Good For Us

For a very long time, computer and video games were considered a bad influence and a distraction by parents for their children. However, a number of studies discovered that playing such games can actually be good for both the young and old. Here are the reasons:

1. It helps slow down aging process

It was found that people aged 50 and older who still played video games, had a stabilized or improved mental state, according to the study, “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Training Using a Visual Speed of Processing Intervention in Middle Aged and Older Adults”, which was done by Fredric D. Wolinsky and his team, “World of Warcraft” is a complex video game that will require you to use a lot of your mental energy. Through this, you’ll be exercising your brain, which is beneficial for you, particularly when you get older.

2. It can be your stress and pain reliever

According to the American Pain Society, both adults and children who are still in the process of recovery, following major and painful major procedures, experienced less pain when they were playing video games as their brains were more focused on other things, instead of the pain they were feeling. Playing video games is also believed to relieve anxiety, improve mood, and promote relaxation.

3. It boosts physical activity

When you are playing Xbox 360 Kinect or Nintendo Wii, you will be encouraged to get off the couch to play properly. Studies conducted at the University of Rochester have discovered that teens who play sports-related video games will be inspired to play the sport in real life.

4. It enhances your social skills

According to the research done by Linda A. Jackson and her fellow experts at the Michigan State University’s, “Information Technology Use and Creativity: Findings From the Children and Technology Project”, children who engage in games that are pro-social and friendly tend to have a more positive outlook.

5. It enhances your memory

Several researchers from the University of Iowa reported in the journal PLOS One a study that involved several adults who were asked to play a certain video game involving memory. After playing for a total of 10 hours, the participants were able to gain three years of “cognitive reserve,” showing that playing such games can increase mental and memory ability.

6. It improves physical therapy engagement

One of the challenges of physical therapy is getting the patient to fully participate. Belinda Lange, an ICT research scientist, was able to come up with a video game called “Jewel Mine” that enabled patients to participate more in their physical therapies.

7. It makes you a better employee

The University of Colorado Denver Business School discovered that utilizing video games for on the job training has created employees that performed their jobs better and were able to store info longer, compared to those employees who used more passive teaching strategies.

8. It keeps families closer

One of the best benefits of playing video games is quality time with the family. According to Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life, little girls who played video games with their parents were closer to their families and had better mental health, compared to those who play on their own or even with friends.

As you can see, video games can give you so many benefits. It should not be considered as a bad influence, just as long as you have the right control. It doesn’t mean you should use up all your time playing. It’s all about balance.

Featured photo credit: Video Games/Steven Andrew via flickr.com

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