Many people are engaged in a search for inner peace as they seek to escape our high pressure world. To find inner peace, it is helpful to take a look at your life and make some changes. Inner peace isn’t something to be added to your to-do list, rather it’s about finding the time to learn to relax and have time for you. Here are 7 Ways to Prepare You for Your Search for Inner Peace:1. Learn to SimplifyFigure out what is really necessary and what isn’t. For example, will the world come to an end if your bed isn’t made every day? Who walks into your bedroom to see it when you’re not there? If you can’t stand not to make your bed, invest in a duvet cover that hides the whole messy bed. Get a basket for mail and go through it one day a week instead of doing it every day. You’ll save time on this chore overall. Get an online banking service if you haven’t already and set your recurring bills up to pay automatically so you only have to do a quick check or change rather than entering every bill every time. If you can, invest in clothes that don’t have to be dry-cleaned. You won’t have to make so many trips to the dry cleaner and you’ll save money too. When I worked every day in an office and wore silk blouses or tops with my suits, I found that what needed to be cleaned every week were the tops. I discovered I could wash them in my washing machine on gentle cycle with cold water wash and put them out to dry once a week. I always had fresh silk tops (without that dry cleaning fluid smell) with no stress.
2. Write Down Your WorriesMake a list of everything that worries you and stream your worries into three columns on three separate sheets of paper— “likely to happen”, “unlikely to happen”, and “ridiculous”. Take the “unlikely” and “ridiculous” sheets and wad them up and throw them away. They don’t deserve your time and attention, as they are at least unlikely to happen. Now, take the “likely to happen” list and make a list of things you can do to minimize the likelihood that they will happen. Work that list of things into your list of goals and start working on them. Now forget about ALL your worries because you’ve discarded the unlikely and done everything you can to minimize the likely. 3. Get OrganizedLeave a white or blackboard in your kitchen for everyone in the family to write down items they need from the supermarket, drugstore, dry cleaning trips etc. Make one trip for all these errands, or get a delivery service. Assign someone to run the errand or place the web order as needed. Pick your work outfits on Sunday night and arrange the items in order in your closet, along with the appropriate shoes and accessories. Make a meal plan for the week and stick to it. If you know that you will eat out two nights during the week, be honest about that and put it on the list. You are more likely to stick to just two nights out if you do this rather than becoming stressed and end up eating out every night. Make a to-do list of anything and everything that needs to be done this week. Do it on your computer and just modify last week’s list to save time. Get up early enough to make sure you have your act together in the morning. 4. Include Recruiting HelpConsider using a grocery delivery service. Most areas have grocery stores that provide this service for a small fee. Recruit your family’s help. Figure out what chores the kids can do and make sure they complete them. This can include helping to prepare dinner or packing their own lunch. There are lots of recipes that are simple and safe enough for kids to assist. Make them responsible for their rooms and other assigned chores outside of their rooms; and no allowance if they fall down on the job. If you need freshly laundered shirts or blouses every week, send them out. If you can afford it, by all means hire a weekly or bi-weekly cleaning service and gardener. 5. Focus on Your ActivitiesWrite down all your activities and rank them based on how necessary or how much pleasure they give you. And then cut those activities down to a reasonable number. If you work full-time, this is probably two outside activities. If someone else’s activities are messing with your ability to find peace, write down their activities as well. If you find your children have more than two simultaneous extracurricular activities, it’s time to have them choose their favorites. This will be good training for their adult life when they will have to make these choices just as you are making them now. It also helps them to focus their energy into their chosen areas and to give them a sense of peace as well. 6. Turn off Your Cell PhonePDA and email when you get home from work and insist that others do also. Very little that happens in life needs your attention right now instead of the next morning. When people find out that you have times when you are unreachable, they will find a way to solve their own problems without disturbing you. For real emergencies, there is your land line. If you have become a social networking junkie, you must tear yourself away from the computer during off hours. If you don’t, you are giving your kids a terrible example to follow. If it’s not essential to your job to participate, start to limit yourself to one hour per week checking the social networking sites. 7. Abandon Toxic PeopleFigure out who the toxic people are and start to limit your exposure to them. This should include anyone who calls too often or talks too long. This can be tough because sometimes they are family members! Evaluate which people in your life make you feel “less than” when you are around them. You really have no use for them and if you are hanging on to these relationships it must be due to your own guilt or lack of self-esteem. So be brutal when evaluating who should stay and who should go! Then be a lot gentler as you start to pull away. Being around them may be tough, but it’s best to drift away slowly rather than to provoke a confrontation—this will help a lot with your search for inner peace. If the toxic person happens to be your boss or a co-worker you cannot escape, it’s time to make one of those extracurricular activities looking for a new job! Making changes in these seven areas will help in your search for inner peace. Once you have made some of these life changes, you will find yourself relaxing more and starting to enjoy your life. You will also have the time and space in your life to find inner peace from a spiritual perspective. from https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-search-for-your-inner-peace-requires-commitment/
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Failure and success are part of our lives. But it is challenging to accept your failures and bring yourself above it. Failure is mere a cornerstone to your success as they can often point the right path to follow. Failures of all types must be handled in the best way possible. But when life brings you down, you have to learn to face your failures and fears to prepare for success. Not sure if you can do it or not? Here are the best ways that can help you dust failures off yourself and get back to your routines easily: 1. Emotionally Motivating EnvironmentWhen you come across your fails, it is natural to feel hurt emotionally. 48% of people admit the negative impact of stress on the professional and personal life. Therefore, it is essential to come out of the emotional state and let yourself heal. No one is expecting you to recover right away. Take your time and find an emotionally motivating environment that gives you the power to take over your failures. During this phase, you are required to concentrate on whatever good you can find around you. An emotionally healing environment can reduce your stress and make the healing process faster. 2. Plan Your Next ActionsThe best way to reverse the negative impacts of failure is to move forward. Decide what you are going to do next. Your next actions should be productive enough to bring back the results that you wanted. If the effects of failure are irreversible, try to find another way that can help you succeed. Even if you haven’t prepared for the possibilities of encountering failure, there is still time to plan your actions and your approach to managing the current situation. It’ll give your mind a diversion and help you think your way through the failure you have encountered.
3. Turn Your Mistakes Into Your LessonsFailures are the stepping stones to your success. Each failure you encounter brings you one step closer to success and, ultimately, points you the right way to success. It is crucial to learn from the mistakes you have made and never to repeat them. And failure holds the potential to teach you that. Mistakes that are responsible for your failure points towards the right way to complete a task. And this is what we need to succeed in our life. From now on, you do not require the direction of anyone as your mistakes are guiding you in the right way. 4. Mistakes Are Natural, Don’t Pity ThemWe all make mistakes. Most of the successful entrepreneurs of today have learned many lessons from their failures and became successful later on. There is nothing wrong with failing or making mistakes. Without learning the right way to perform tasks, it is obvious to fail multiple times. Therefore, remember to get yourself up from the pit of failures or mistakes and focus on what you are going to do next. Despite experiencing what failure feels like, do not fear to face it again. The way to success passes through multiple failures, and by learning the right way to perform operations, you can ensure you achieve the success that lasts long. 5. Find InspirationThere are a plethora of motivators in today’s world who focus on encouraging personnel to bring out their best. Seek inspiration from them. The internet has brought the entire world on a common platform, and it has become easier than ever to contact anyone from any corner of the globe. Search for a motivator who relates to your failures and current situation the most. Seek their support. You can also find motivation and inspiration around you from your friends and family. During your tough times, all you need is a shoulder to cry on as they can motivate you to move further and focus on the best aspects of your life. 6. Re-Evaluate and Plan for the BestWhat went wrong? The answer to this question can help you evaluate your actions and find the possible mistakes you made that caused your failure. For example, a startup owner launching their ride-hailing business can assess their efforts that precipitated the unexpected failure of their business idea. Whether they lacked in providing efficient services, or the application was not a fit, and many more can be the reason behind their failure. Similarly, you can find out the mistakes that occurred, or you did that contributed to your failure. This helps you understand the actions that attract failure and plan out your next steps accordingly to never let them happen again.
7. Expect the Best ResultsEven after failing multiple times, you must keep your hopes high. The fear of failure often causes a trauma that doesn’t let a person get over the failures they receive for their best efforts. But this is the time when you need to visualize your success. Without fearing the failures, you must plan to succeed by keeping the lessons you have learned from your mistakes. Expecting a tangible outcome for your efforts can help you keep your hopes high and alive. Visualize your success in your mind and plan for the actions you find are suitable for achieving it. The best way to fight your failures is by improving on the efforts and facing it head-on. Do not let failures affect your self-esteem. Keep your morals high, and do not lose self-confidence. By learning how to overcome these tough situations, you can achieve success and keep your failures at bay. A positive environment, motivators, and the ability to learn from your failures can help you reach the peak of success. from https://addicted2success.com/motivation/7-things-you-can-do-to-motivate-yourself-after-youve-experienced-failure/ We rarely find what we’re looking for in the places we expect to find them. Sometimes, when life gets us down, we look to our superiors for help. We barely notice that the guidance we are seeking may just be found in the most unexpected of places. The next time you go to your favorite bookstore, give the young adult section a chance. What you may have a hard time looking for in the business section, you just might find in a coming-of-age novel or in a science-fiction book about feuding interstellar families. Here are a few golden nuggets of wisdom I have dug up from years and years of reading young adult books:1. “I am what I am an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say. There’s some who’ll hold it against you but they’re not worth botherin’ with.” – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. RowlingYou don’t have to apologize for who you are. The world needs more of those who aren’t afraid to be true to themselves at all times. Yes, some people will look down on you for making choices they wouldn’t make themselves, but at the end of the day, it’s you who gets to make the choice about how to live your life. 2. “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get,” – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis CarrollWe tend to glorify the fast-paced life a little too much. We quickly go through the motions so that we can get more things done and achieve more goals. It’s easy to forget that, when we’re always rushing about, we get disconnected from the things that matter the most. It’s okay to want to achieve a lot of things. Just don’t forget to slow down and relax knowing you don’t have to be in a rush all the time. 3. “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” – To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper LeeTrue courage isn’t about puffing your chest. It shows up when you’d rather hide inside your room and stay there till the storm passes, but you step out and do what you have to do anyway. 4. “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Got that?” – The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Ann BrasharesIt’s easy to get hung up over a problem. You can spend all your energy looking for solutions, and if you don’t find the right solutions, you can waste away feeling bad for yourself. That in itself is the problem. You set yourself back simply by looking at things as problems to be solved. What if these things you call problems were opportunities? What if they were simply experiences of another sort? Or what if they were just moments in the past that are no longer here? Problems stop being problems when you are willing to look at them in a different way. 5. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eyes to see it path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” – Dune, Frank HerbertFear isn’t something to conquer. Fear isn’t even something to fear. It’s simply something that you must allow yourself to feel so that you can move on from it. Or more accurately, so that fear can move on from you. The only reason fear keeps hanging onto you is because you keep refusing to look it in the eye. And for as long as you keep doing that, you keep being a slave to that fear even when there’s no reason to be scared. 6. “Coming back to where you started is not the same as never learning.” – A Hat Full of Sky, Terry PratchettGoing back to square one can be one of the most heartbreaking things for someone with a goal. You give yourself fully into achieving your goal, only to realize you’ve been doing the entire thing wrong. You may need to start all over again, this time with much less enthusiasm than you had the first time. But this time you have a wealth of lessons learned from the mistakes you’ve made, and that’s something not even enthusiasm can compensate for. 7. “Nervous means you want to play. Scared means you don’t want to play.” – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman AlexieWhen it’s hard to make a decision, listen to your heart. It always knows what to do. You can endlessly weigh the pros and cons of a choice, but your heart instantly knows the right choice for you. You can tell what that choice is simply by observing your feelings. When you’re nervous but want to do it anyway, go for it. But when you’re totally dreading the idea of doing it, that’s when you know it’s not for you. 8. “You’ll never know where you’re going if you go about what-iffing like that.” – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald DahlWe can ask all the hypothetical questions we want, but at the end of the day, we don’t get anywhere being armchair philosophers. It’s okay to reflect on the things you want to happen in life. What’s not okay is if you’re just going to sit there and think about doing things instead of actually doing them. 9. “‘Atticus, he was real nice.’ ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.’” – To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper LeeIt’s about time we drop the idea that humans are savage animals. Aren’t you sick and tired of being deemed nothing more than a bag of flesh and bones with a brain that’s just slightly bigger than most primates? Humans are so much more than that. We have valuable talents and gifts to share with the rest of the world. We simply have to look beyond what the physical eyes can see so we can find them. 10. “I think you gotta be who you want to be until you are whoever it is you’re trying to become. Sometimes half of doing something is pretending that you can.” – Dumplin’ Julie MurphyIt’s not really what you do that matters, it’s who you’re being. When you’re being the person you want to become, you no longer have to worry about what to do. You just end up doing it naturally. You might feel like an impostor at first, as though you’ve stolen someone else’s identity. But the more you get used to being that person, the more it becomes easy for you to do the things she does. Remember, you can be whoever you want to be. You only have to choose to be that person every day until you no longer have to choose. Out of the 10 quotes above, which one is your favorite and why? Share your thoughts with us below! from https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/10-pieces-of-wisdom-you-can-find-in-popular-young-adult-novels/ Creative problem solving is a skill that is necessary for business leaders. Being able to devise creative solutions to difficult business problems will establish your credibility as an effective leader. Have you ever dealt with a business problem that just doesn’t seem to have an answer? Sometimes, especially when we’re in crisis mode, a problem presents itself that doesn’t seem to have a solution. Or maybe you have come up with some possible answers, but you just think that you can come up with something better. In order to become proficient at creative problem solving, it’s important to change your perspective. What can you do to shift your viewpoint, expand your thinking and come up with a creative solution? 1. Approach Every Situation Like It Is a ProjectMost professionals are used to doing this for actual projects, but you should consider doing this for day-to-day activities as well. Putting together a project plan gives you peace-of-mind because you will have a broad view of all the activities that are going on. The plan gives you a long-term view of issues before they arise. Also, if problems come up that you don’t anticipate, you are able to assess the impact on the entire project. What might appear to be a major issue if you are managing “on-the-fly” may not seem as significant to the overall scheme of the project if you are using a project plan. Planning gives you a high-level view of the issue that will help you to calmly assess your options. 2. An Important Aspect to Creative Problem Solving Is “Don’t Panic”Some positive self-talk will go a long way towards helping you find a good solution. Rather than thinking, “I don’t know what to do” rephrase the statement to something like, “I know there’s a better solution to this issue; I just haven’t come up with it yet.” Continue along this train of thought until you can say to yourself, “the answer is coming to me now.” The energy of this self-talk will attract new solutions and facilitate creative problem solving.
3. Hold a Short Project Team Meeting with Everyone Who Is InvolvedI say short, because long, drawn-out meetings tend to quash creative thinking. Explain to the team what you are dealing with and ask for suggestions. Include every level of the team from managerial to administrative. If you don’t get a lot of viable solutions in the meeting, ask the meeting attendees to think about it and send you a follow-up email with their suggestions. 4. Bring in Someone Else Who Is Not Involved to Offer a Different PerspectiveThis is a good time to bring in your boss, who may have dealt with the problem before. Or it could be a colleague who doesn’t have experience in your area, but who has proven success at creative problem solving with other types of problems. Explain the problem in terms that someone who does not have your experience can understand and ask for their opinion. 5. To Access Creative Thinking and to Stimulate Creative Problem Solving, Take a Break from the ProblemNo matter what type of crisis you might be experiencing, find a way to get away from the location where the problem exists. If you have the luxury of time, take the weekend and really relax. Creative problem solving is a very creative process. Do something you enjoy, even if it’s for 20 minutes. Listen to some music you enjoy without distraction, take a walk outside, or do something recreational that completely takes your mind off of the problem. You might think this is slacking off when you should be working hard to resolve the issue, but actually, the time you spend away from the issue will open you up to new possibilities and is just as important as the time you spend working on it. 6. After You Have Gathered All Possible Solutions, Evaluate Them by Listing ThemThen make three columns next to the various solutions titled “issues, risks and rewards”. Have the project team fill out the various columns. Laying it out in this manner will help you identify the most attractive solution very quickly. It might be that the perfect solution is a combination of more than one solution. White-boarding the various scenarios makes the best pathway easier to identify.
7. Don’t Get DiscouragedRemember, you are the best person to make the decision in this particular situation because you have unique knowledge and you are the closest to the situation. So have the confidence that you will come up with the best possible solution! In this case, you should be rational and pay attention to everything. If you cannot cope with your problems or make a decision, just ask somebody to help you. It can be a stranger as well as your close friend. What do you think is the best method to creatively solve a problem? Share your thoughts and experience with us below!from https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-go-to-guide-for-creative-problem-solving/ If you need immediate help, try these ten tips over the next ten days and then observe how your life changes. Write down the changes in a personal notebook. Continue with what works and discard what doesn’t. Here are my 10 tips for instant motivation:1. Your self-motivation program starts the night beforeTry to get to bed early. If you are tired or sleepy throughout the day (even if it’s from boredom) remember that an hour of sleep before midnight is worth more than an hour of sleep after midnight. So rearrange your schedule to go to bed earlier. 2. Plan the next day the night beforeIn your personal motivation notebook, write down what you plan to do tomorrow. With each activity, make sure it is framed in a positive way. For example: Instead of “prepare monthly report” write down “prepare monthly report—knock my boss’s socks off.” You get the idea. At the end of your list write down “something great happens that I don’t know about.” 3. Reflect and visualise the things on your list prior to bedIt’s okay to feel this way—just put any fears or guilt about feeling this way out of your mind by refusing to give such thoughts energy. Keep concentrating on how great your list feels. Your self-motivation program is kicking in already. 4. Write down what has been causing you to lose motivation at the end of your daily planGo ahead and write them down, it doesn’t matter how big or complex they seem to be. Now it’s time for some well needed sleep. Just before falling asleep, tell yourself that you are going to gain new insight into the list of issues or problems you just wrote down.
5. Fall asleep to some music that concentrates on the higher music octavesThis will open up the higher centers of your mind and prepare your subconscious mind for problem solving. 6. You should lie in bed the next morning for a few minutesRead over your daily plan and once again, imagine how good it will feel when things go your way. Now get up and get ready for the day feeling very self-motivated. 7. Eat something for breakfast that has a decent amount of protein in itIf you are a coffee drinker, think about giving it up. Feeling nervous or jittery will definitely interfere with your self-motivation. Here’s a good tip: Don’t give it up cold turkey, that’s too hard. Instead, make every other cup you drink a cup of decaf. Pretty soon you won’t be able to taste (or feel) the difference. You will cut your caffeine consumption in half immediately. After about a month of this, you can start drinking decaf exclusively. If you are a heavy coffee drinker, you’ll find that you will now only want 1-2 cups per day and the detox process was painless. Eventually you won’t even want the decaf and you can substitute fruit juice or water. 8. Listen to uplifting music on the way to workYou should have music to start your day that makes you feel good. This is designed to open your energy centers and help you to think clearly. If you go to lunch later in your car, play some more of this type of music. Do not listen to the news or any talk shows on the way to work—the problems of the world are not yours to solve. Managing your day and being self-motivated is.
9. Now you’re on the job and ready to face the daySuddenly your phone rings and a huge problem comes up that is unexpected and nowhere on your daily plan. What to do? Take a minute to jot down the problem in your personal notebook and do what you did the night before: i.e. “my best customer didn’t get their shipment on time—and I knocked my boss’s socks off by solving the problem.” Take a minute to feel how good it feels to have solved the problem. Now proceed to deal with the problem–you can do it because you’re self-motivated! As you go through your day and perform each item on your daily plan, check off each item as they are finished. 10. At the end of your day, do the steps outlined in steps 1-5 again, but add something to itAs you make your plan for the next day, add one more step. Feel how great it feels to have ticked off the items in your daily plan and tell yourself, “I’m the best and most qualified person on earth who could have accomplished this.” Now get busy planning your next day. Something else to consider, if your environment is cluttered and unorganized, you are going to find it difficult to follow this plan. If this is your situation, you need to spend the time it takes to clean your home, office or other workplace. Which step in of the 10-step plan for instant motivation resonated most with you and why? Share your thoughts with us below!from https://addicted2success.com/motivation/a-10-step-action-plan-for-instant-motivation/ Who am I? The ultimate question many of us try to answer. When I think of values, I think of Victor Hugo’s 1862 book, “Les’ Miserables”. In Hugo’s book, Jean Valjean, is used as a protagonist to highlight the power in redemptive love and compassion. Valjean goes into prison for stealing a loaf of bread, entering as a simple and decent man. His time in jail seems to have an unrepairable effect, where he emerges from the chain gang as a tough, bitter criminal who hates society for what it has done to him. When Valjean comes across Bishop M. Myriel, Valjean greets the bishop with hatred and abuse. Myriel however, becomes the first person in decades to treat Valjean with respect and compassion. The meeting with Myriel changes Valjean’s character forever, where Myriel promises to help Valjean to become an honest man. Once Valjean opens up, he becomes proof of redemptive love and compassion. Through hard work and a new vision to turn a derelict town into a flourishing manufacturing village, Valjean is taught the value of philanthropy. When he takes care of Cossette, he learns the value of love and compassion, where he passes it onto others. Becoming aware of what Valjean values has him become a person of clarity. Hardened by prison and rescued by kindness, Valjean is molded by his life experiences and encounters. This is all of us. What Les Miserables teaches us about our values is that they’re important to us. Learning and identifying them becomes a vital part of creating clarity in our lives, where we can be better decision-makers and find a life of fulfillment. Our values are what motivates us to get up in the morning. They’re the choices you make and why you behave the way you do. Examples of values can be wealth, success, health and friendship. For example, If you’re often working out at the gym, you value your health. Working out is not a value, it’s merely a symptom of the value. To understand our values, we have to understand what led us to behave how we behave. This is the starting point for understanding our motivators. Benefits of valuesAs mentioned, understanding our values is important to gain clarity in our lives and make better decisions suited to ourselves. Once understood, we can prioritise effectively, make decisions and changes that lead us to success and happiness in the areas of life we want to pursue. Why does prioritising matter?The decisions we make are often inconsistent. When we understand our values, our motivation to make consistent decisions are much higher because we know what’s important to us. Time is our most limited resource. You’re reading this right now, which means you’re consuming time on this topic. One way or another, you’re looking to maximise your life and you’re maximising your time with this book. Happiness. If we want to achieve happiness and success, understanding what we value is a sure-fire way of gaining clarity on our goals so we can prioritise and make consistent decisions, getting there faster. Explore your valuesOur values are like a compass within, helping us explore and navigate through life experiences and transitions. To explore our values, it takes self-reflection. Self-reflection is the process of understanding who you are, what you’re doing and why you think and act the way you do. We self-reflect all the time, mostly without knowing it. Any athlete would think about what areas of their respected sport they need to work on and what they’re doing wrong. Even business owners would stop and assess if they’re on the right track. These are all parts of self-reflection, and it’s no different to self-reflecting on our values. So how can we explore them?Exercise 1: BrainstormGet a piece of paper and write down ‘What’s Important To Me’, then circle it. Answer the question. To answer the question, it requires some thinking. If they’re long sentences you’re thinking of, encapsulate them into one or two words. For example; if you think about travelling, write down ‘life adventure’. If you think about going to the gym, write down ‘health’. If you want to make it to the top of your company, write down ‘career’. Think about the experiences gone by. Have you had children? Do you want children? Have you been wanting to do something for a long time, but haven’t found the time? Think of what inspires you and write it all down in one or two words. Exercise 2: Find The Top ValuesYou may have written down 5, 10, 15 or more values down which matter the most to you. Draw out the top 5. Read over each one and see what kind of feeling you have. Do any of them make you feel passionate or positive in a different way than others? Think about when you have taken action on these values and ask yourself if you live those out. You then should have the top 5 things that are important to you. Use your values to make decisionsIf you never sit down to think about what’s important to you, then you’re making decisions based on whatever information is in front of you. This can cause a lot of regret and pain in the future. Life is complex and we are often presented moments in our personal and professional lives where we’re required to make a decision without as much information we need. We assume that we need more knowledge about something to make a decision, but more often than not, we need a clear understanding of our values. from https://addicted2success.com/life/what-les-miserables-taught-me-about-our-values/ In today’s world, an overabundance of information and a large number of distractions is making it increasingly difficult to concentrate on performing the necessary tasks. In this article, I propose 7 simple methods that will train your ability to concentrate, while not taking you from your usual activities. 1. Plan and visualize several mission-critical tasks every dayMake it a part of your morning routine. From the entire array of tasks, select 1-3 of the most important, during which you need to give all your best. It’s necessary to train your focus on the most critical and essential tasks. The desire to do a large number of functions simultaneously lowers the concentration and quality of the work done. And to make this process more efficient, highlight not only these three tasks but also visualize them. Imagine how you will do it, what the result will be, what emotions you will experience. It will load your subconscious, and it will work on their implementation all day. 2. Find your peak hoursThe concentration of attention depends not only on your efforts but also on genetics. The productivity of the brain is mainly responsible for the biological clock. Your body has gaps when it works at its best. There are other periods when you feel weak and lack motivation. Observe yourself for several weeks, setting the most important tasks at different times of the day. Keep in mind that your productivity also changes during the week. Some days will seem more productive than all others. Celebrate such days and hours. Over time, you will receive a ready-made schedule for the most critical and complex cases requiring high concentration.
3. Train your attention just like musclesIt is possible to work non-stop on one task for more than an hour; for this, it is necessary to train this skill. Everything is similar to sports. At first, it seems impossible for a person to run a marathon, and after daily practice, he smoothly overcomes this distance. You can do the same with your brain. First, make your work cycle short, as, for example, in the well-known Pomodoro technique: 20 minutes of work, 5 minutes of rest. Over time, increase this limit by 1-2 minutes. Soon you will be able to work productively for an entire hour, devoting minimum time to rest. Keep in mind that you should focus on one thing. Constant switching of attention (the notorious multitasking), on the contrary, only weakens your focus. 4. Practice MindfulnessThe practice of mindfulness (or awareness) means nothing more than focusing on the current moment. And it’s not important what exactly you are focusing on right now: work, walk, talking with a loved one, a trip to public transport or even your breath. The keyword is concentration. Once you decide to practice mindfulness, you should forget about everything else; about the past and the future, and live in the present moment. Feel the surrounding smells, carefully listen to every word of your interlocutor, consider the chaotic pattern of asphalt at the trolleybus stop. Just focus on what you are doing at this moment. The unique charm of this method is that you can engage in mindfulness anywhere, anytime. 5. Practice meditationAnother method that directly affects the brain’s ability to concentrate on meditation. It’s confirmed by numerous studies, which showed that the constant practice of meditation significantly increases the amount of attention. In a 2010 Katherine MacLean study, 60 participants completed a 3-month meditation practice under the guidance of experienced mentors. Throughout their studies, they periodically tested for cognitive abilities. Scientists have found that almost all participants have learned to maintain concentration much longer. The subjects rechecked after five months. The improvements remained the same, especially for those participants who continued to meditate every day after the experiment. 6. ExercisePhysical activity has a similar effect, like meditation. In other experiments, scientists suggested that high school students solve problems associated with concentration in the normal state, after a 20-minute rest and after a 20-minute walk on a treadmill. Scientists also recorded the neuroelectric activity of the brain. As a result, it found that the walking group demonstrated the best performance. Both tests and EEG data confirmed this.
7. Take time to relaxTo become a champion in weightlifting, you need to train a lot, eat a lot and relax a lot. Take away at least one component, and, at best, you will not achieve results, and at worst, you will get health problems from exhaustion. If you want to become a champion in concentration, this is the same for you. You cannot remain concentrated all the time. The more you work, the less you relax, the weaker your brain, and its ability to focus on something. Conversely, just 5 minutes of rest after an hour of work allows you to recharge the batteries and again move forward with high productivity. But only if the rest was right. You must completely switch from the current task to something else. If you have been sitting at a computer for an hour, do physical activity for the next 5 minutes – even if it is just a walk. from https://addicted2success.com/life/7-ways-you-can-increase-your-concentration-right-away/ James Allen once said “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you”. Mind Power is a fascinating topic and those that take the time to read and explore how their thoughts affect their actions and essentially, their life – can use this crucial information in changing or focusing their thoughts and beliefs in order to change their life. The basic premise is that our thoughts create our actions. This is true in all areas of our life – our mental health, our physical health, our beliefs and attitudes. Take the example of Stress. What is Stress?Stress is defined as the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. The stress can be from starting a new job, the loss of a loved one, having financial challenges in your life, taking care of a loved one that is unwell, being in an unhealthy relationship, etc. All these situations involve some kind of physical action, mental thought or emotional feeling that we experience. When this stress is not managed well, it can lead to serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. This is a good example as it simply shows how having a specific thought can end up leading to a physical condition. The power the mind – when used incorrectly, can lead to serious consequences. Your thoughts will manifest itself in your life. This is true whether you are paying attention to your thoughts or not. Placebo EffectA good example of this is the placebo effect. This term refers to the case where people are given placebos in clinical trials often experiencing the effects caused by the actual medication itself. They believe that they are taking the medication and thus they start to feel the effects of that medication. However, in reality, their placebo may have simply been a pill made of 100% sugar. This is a good illustration on how our thoughts create our reality and the power of the mind and how it can affect your physical well-being. Positive vs Negative AttitudeThere are more and more studies that have shown how mind power affects your health. Patients undergoing the same medical surgery, but with different attitudes, having dramatically different results. Patients with a positive attitude going into the surgery – often had a more successful recovery than those patients that went in with a negative attitude. This is another example of how our thoughts affect our physical health. Once again, Mind Power and its effect on how your body will heal. Learning to use the power of your mind is important and essential in order to live a good life. How Do You Use the Power of the mind?There are some simple steps/techniques that you need to focus on:
Be Clear and Specific with Your GoalYou want a job/business – what kind of job? Full time, part time? What hours do you want to work? What salary or profit do you want to make? Be specific. Saying a ‘lot of money’ is not being specific. Exactly how much do you want to make – 60 thousand? 100 thousand dollars? The more specific you are – the clearer the message is to your subconscious mind and the more likely you are going to attract the type of job/business that you desire. Remember, in order for Mind Power to work for you – you need to be clear and specific. Now it does not stop with simply the thought process. Take ActionLook out for opportunities – do not dismiss any small opportunity that comes your way. Be alert for these signs – and take action. Perhaps your friend mentions that he saw an opening in the paper for an interesting position, perhaps your old manager emails you to see how you’ve been – these could very well be the disguised opportunities. Be on alert so that you recognize them and take the action you need to do achieve your goal. We Can Do ThisYou don’t need a college or university degree to make this happen. This is simply working with the power of your mind so that you can achieve anything you set your mind to – big or small goals. It works – it’s been proven to work. Why not get on board and start making the changes you need to in order to live the best life possible? This is how mind power works and when you work with mind power correctly you begin to create the changes you want. Mind power works and it can work for you so work with your mind power every day. Apply mind power correctly and you’ll enjoy greater success. from https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-power-of-the-mind-how-to-use-it-successfully/ It’s excruciating when we know what’s killing us but we can’t do anything about it because as you know, it is not easy to pull the brake on a high way. According to Napoleon Hill, “remember this always – the best (and one might say the only) way in which old habits may be removed is to form new habits to counteract and replace the undesirable ones”. Meaning the desire to kill a habit is not all we need, rather, we need something to counter it. Therefore, before you think about getting rid of that habit, find another habit to replace it. Because it’s the emptiness we feel when we try to kill a habit that keeps pulling us back to it. So after making the decision to kill an old habit, and you’ve found a new one to take its place, here’s how you can easily get the new habit to take precedence;1. Add enthusiasm to itAfter defining the new habit that will take you to that place where you wish to be, to that height you wish to reach, that goal you desire to achieve, the next thing to do is to add enthusiasm to it. By adding enthusiasm, we can feel the emotions around having that goal come to pass, and dwell on them. Write down how it will feel at the end of the day when you’ve finally achieved that thing. Then start expressing the emotions. If you can’t feel and see yourself being happy with the result, chances are, you’re not going to want to do what you have to do.
2. Focus all your attention on itBefore anyone can truly focus their mind on anything, they have to remove that thing which is on the way. And the one thing on the way is that old habit. When the thought of doing that thing which you used to do comes, remind yourself that the old habit is not going to take you where you want and this new habit is going to bring you more joy and help you live better. So when the thought of the old habit comes around, remind yourself of this new habit and concentrate all your attention on it. 3. Think about the new habit more oftenSimilar to the second point, the more you think about the new habit, the more you feel inclined to do what you have to do, or get where you want to go. This is the part where using timed affirmations comes in handy. Write down your new habit and read or remind yourself of it morning, afternoon and night or as much as you can. While reminding yourself about this new habit, think about the end goal, because that’s what will make the new habit seem less stressful. 4. Don’t go looking backSometimes, we tell ourselves “we’re just going to take a look, and we won’t do anything”. The more you take a look, the more you realize how much you miss it and more prone to doing it “maybe just once”. So cut all ties with that old habit. Don’t keep any friends that still engage in that habit. Don’t be in the circle, avoid even talking to them when they’re performing that habit. The more you try the new habit the stronger you become, but the resistance to get back becomes weaker if you still pay attention to it.
5. Have mini goals for the day, week and monthThe more visible it seems that we’re moving toward a course, the more determined and motivated they become. And that’s why you should set mini-goals that will help you feel that you’re making progress. Because if you don’t feel you’re making progress, then there’d be more reasons to go back to the old habit. Let’s say you want to form the habit of reading a book. Set little goals such as, read 2 pages every day, 10 pages at the end of the week and 40 pages at the end of the month. This way if you feel demotivated on the third day, you’d realize you’re 70% there which will force you to do more. As you repeatedly perform these acts, with time, you won’t have to consciously remind yourself that you have to perform them rather, your body will force you every time to carry them out without stress. from https://addicted2success.com/life/5-simple-hacks-to-help-you-develop-the-habit-that-will-transform-your-life/ Twelve years ago, I flew to Turkey to meet with a potential client who had specifically told me not to bother boarding the plane. My boss dropped the trip in my lap just days before I had to show up because he wasn’t able to close the deal himself. Even though the client said he wasn’t going to work with us and I shouldn’t waste my time, I flew to meet him, made a great pitch, created a genuine connection with him—and got him to sign an agreement to work with my company. It ended up being a seven-figure win for my company. There are plenty of lessons to take from that story, but the biggest one for me is the power of travel. Whether you’re making a personal connection, decompressing on a vacation or getting inspiration from a journey, getting outside of your office and your home town can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your business’ bottom line. As an international vacation concierge, I not only professionally plan unforgettable vacations for clients but I also have personal knowledge when it comes to the benefits of those getaways. Here are 6 ways your next trip can make you a spectacularly successful businessperson:1. It will enhance your problem-solving skillsWhether you’re in Paris trying to figure out if you can walk from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower or you’re desperate to figure out what’s on the menu at a restaurant in Tokyo, you’ll be flexing parts of your brain that you don’t usually. Maybe you have to get creative when you’re trying to speak to locals who don’t speak English or you’ve rented a car and you’re driving on the “wrong” side of the road. You’ll sharpen your problem-solving skills and they’ll translate well when you’re trying to handle tough problems at work once you head back home. 2. You could get some business inspirationWe all know that people live very differently in other parts of the world, but seeing is believing. Traveling abroad might help you notice a product in a store that gives you an idea about something that could be brought to the states. You might also believe that your product would be great for another country, but then find out it’s not. This is the story of Melinda and Bill Gates pre-wedding trip to Africa that inspired them for their philanthropic work at their foundation.
3. You’ll get rechargedResearch shows that there are extensive emotional, physical, and mental health benefits when it comes to international travel in particular. So settle in for a longer plane ride. Despite the bad news you’ve been hearing about the Coronavirus, studies show that travel can actually enhance your immune system by exposing you to new and different environments. Travel also reduces stress and when done right, can help you make friends or even business associates that can last a lifetime. If you’re feeling burnt out at work, it might be time to pack a suitcase. 4. It can improve your networking skillsWhen you get out of your comfort zone at home, you won’t be able to stick to your daily routines and have a circle of people you know you can lean on. You’ll have to start leaning on others for help. You’ll be asking strangers for directions to the train station, recommendations on good places to eat and even suggestions for fun things to do while you’re in town. All of this can enhance your ability to communicate and work with others, particularly if you tend to keep to your desk and leave your office door shut. 5. You’ll rekindle your inner childSo many times, we forget about our passions outside of work as we are tied up in our jobs. We forget about the times we danced through the night at a club, spent an entire afternoon painting or used to completely lose track of time reading French philosophy and Russian literature. Jump on the opportunity to learn how to dance the Tango in Buenos Aires, take a language class while you’re visiting Sicily, take a French pastry class in Nice or just read things just for fun while you’re on vacation. You’ll not only feel that excitement again, but you’ll be a more interesting person when you return to the office. You’ll have something more than sightseeing and the strength of the dollar to talk about when you’re at your next client dinner or board meeting.
6. You’ll realign with your prioritiesSlowing down allows you to appreciate what matters to you. You might realize that your fancy sports car doesn’t mean as much to you as waking up early for the sunrise and being able to enjoy an amazing cup of coffee before heading out the door. That might mean that the new client you took on isn’t worth all the time and energy that you thought they were or that promotion you’re gunning for is the wrong one. I’m not saying that vacations will make you lazy, but they could make you more innovative and help you figure out how to work smarter, not harder. After all, someone’s got to pay for your next trip to Bangkok to try some amazing street food or your next scenic drive on Highway number 1. Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled too? Share it with us below!from https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/6-ways-traveling-will-make-you-a-better-entrepreneur/ |
ABOUT USHi I am Stacy Klein. I like swimming and i enjoy being organized and strive to become more efficient every day. Archives
November 2020
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