Topics

16

Personal Management Skills / What are the top employability skills?

« on: September 16, 2019, 12:54:07 PM »

1. Communication. Depending on the job, communication means being clear about what you mean and what you want to achieve when you talk or write. ...
2. Teamwork. ...
3. Problem solving. ...
4. Initiative and enterprise. ...
5. Planning and organising. ...
6. Self-management. ...
7. Learning. ...
8. Technology.

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=employability+skills+training&rlz=1C1CHBD_enBD860BD860&oq=employibility+skill&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.9926j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

17

Benefits of Ethical Living / Benefits of Ethics in the Workplace:

« on: April 28, 2019, 11:29:13 AM »

1. Asset Protection and Assurance:
When your workers possess an ethical working environment and ethical behaviour in the workplace, your companies maintenance cost decreases to a remarkable extend because they are well aware of their duties and responsibilities towards the company. They also realise that they should not do any damage to any of the machines and equipment are given to them as they are very valuable for the company and doing damage to these things will be a wrong act, so automatically things will be taken care of and everything will work systematically.

2. Productivity will increase:
When the work staff and the workers value the work given to them and then they will do all the given work in time and achieve their set targets, this will greatly affect the sales and the productivity of the company. Due to this it is assured that you will have a group of people who will sail your business even in the worst of the downfall of the market, and keep the growth of the company and business consistent.

3. Team Work will develop:
When all the workers does their jobs in a responsible way, then a time comes when they have achieved the target way before the given deadline, then a question arises What Next? So the situation automatically bonds up all the individuals into a team. These individual now work as a team and work in the benefit of the company for which they will be getting or achieving their incentives.

4. Public Image and Brand Value Increases:
Yes if all the members of the company are dedicated to work as well as figure out there values and responsibility towards the environment, then it is for sure that the type of cleanliness and the disposal of the waste product of the company will be unbeatable in the market, hence resulting in attracting a bigger customer base due to the clean and quality of the services or products.

Moreover, increase in the public image and increase in the customer base is directly proportional to an increase in the brand value. In simpler words when you gain popularity amongst your customers you start to develop your company into a brand.

5. Adaptive to changes:
Workers with professional ethics in the workplace is definitely the master key to the lock of success. The team of understanding, trust worthy, reliable, motivate, concern and responsible people will defiantly adapt themselves into any kind of position and work they are filled with.

Moreover in general, it has been seen worldwide that in the digressive market conditions, if the company asks for any changes in the production or changes in the kind of work then the workers oppose.


6. Decision making and implementing is always easy:
Whenever there is a need to take a big decision then the best one made is by the advice of the employees of the company, and what will be better than every single employ respecting the decision and supporting the company to go ahead with their decision. This is the power of ethics in the employers who respect the decision of the company and let it go along with the flow. This is very rare in the big companies but where this scene happens; the company turns big brands over the night.

7. Trouble free working environment:
Generally, where everyone is unknown and moreover no one wants to know each other there are higher chances of great trouble and where there is a friendly, respectful and understanding environment between the employees there are fewer chances of least troubles from the employee’s end.

8. There is no one left negative:
When people are detached from one another and someone gets negative regarding the companies work then it has been seen that from that single negative employee many are affected.

9. Less Legal Issues:
When everything is systematic and functional and in addition your workers are cooperative and understanding then you won’t be facing any problems or legal obligations from the employee’s end, because all the workers are treated equally and all are well known with their duties which the job requires from them.


10. The company will Touch New level of Success:
When everything is so managed and systematic along with the understanding of the employees because of their strong ethics, the company will surely touch new heights of success and even the growth of your business will be assured.

Source: https://content.wisestep.com/importance-benefits-ethics-workplace

18

Benefits of Ethical Living / Most Important Ethical Terms and Principles:

« on: April 28, 2019, 11:26:57 AM »

Most Important Ethical Terms and Principles:
1. Values:
The values of a person can be defined as the acts and actions which we make in our daily life. The true values of a person are devotion, respect, hard work and love. These acts of values make a person more valuable. These values tell more about a person’s behaviour and responsive qualities which he can posses during work.

2. Morals:
Morals are the certain duties which he needs to do for the betterment of society. More over, these are certain duties which make the society work in a synchronized manner. These morals apply to every single human being of the society and they can’t be judged in a specific manner, because the things in moral are either right or wrong.

3. Integrity:
Integrity means to be always honest and sincere under any circumstances. When any individual shows integrity in a professional environment and his work, it means that the person can be trusted as well as he is an honest man to rely on. The person who is honest and sincere always sustains for a longer duration in the company as compared to others.

4. Character:
The character is one of the most important ethics which in short describes a person. It tells about your behaviour towards others and your reactions towards the different situations. A bad thinking mind can destroy your character and a positive and healthy mind always keep you with a good character.

5. Laws:
These are certain rules and regulation fixed by you yourself. These rules define you and put a limit to events that are dangerous for your life style. A man with rules always shapes up in the laws of the company and work accordingly in the best way possible, and a man with no rules always lands up in troubles. These laws give us the ability to differentiate between right and wrong.

6. Dedication:
This is also a person defining ethic. The stronger dedication in work, the greater the output and results. Dedication in work makes a man stronger for tough situations and he also becomes a key player in motivating the others during the hard times.

7. Accountability of responsibility:
The more a person is responsible in nature, the more efficiently and responsibly he will do the given task. Responsibility towards everything such as parents, family, society, nature, works, office, etc are certain things which not only should be kept in mind but also these must be followed by every human being for a healthier environment.
Source: https://content.wisestep.com/importance-benefits-ethics-workplace/

19

Dictionary / Types of Dictionaries

« on: June 20, 2018, 12:22:33 PM »

A dictionary, sometimes known as a wordbook, is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc.[1] or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, sometimes known as a lexicon.[1] It is a lexicographical product which shows inter-relationships among the data.[2]

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types.[3] There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.[4]

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.[5]

Although the first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times (these were bilingual dictionaries), the systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest themselves is a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta.[4] The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.[6]

20

Business Plan and Tools / Business plan apps

« on: May 06, 2018, 04:52:48 PM »

we don't have to be glued to our desk to create a business plan. There are several business plan mobile apps that will let us write a business plan anytime, anywhere right on our smartphone or tablet. Here are two worth checking out.

StartPad. Recognized by Entrepreneur and Forbes, StartPad is one of the top business plan apps available for the iPad. This app offers a wide range of business planning resources, such as strategic business planning tutorials, professionally made sample business plans, financial projections and other reports. Business plans created on StartPad can also be exported as high-resolution PDFs or printed out. The basic version of StartPad is free to download and use, but requires in-app purchases for additional features. Get StartPad from the Apple App Store.


Business Plan & Start Startup. Are you an Android user? Business Plan & Start Startup is the app for you. This app isn't just for creating a business plan, however. It also aims to do three things for entrepreneurs: help start a business the right way with a well-crafted business plan; keep them motivated and on track; and provide a community of fellow entrepreneurs, small business owners and experts to help guide users in creating their business plan and running their businesses. Business Plan & Start Startup can be downloaded from the Google Play marketplace

Source:https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6818-business-plan-tools.html

21

Inspiration Stories / Change Yourself to Change the World

« on: April 01, 2018, 01:42:11 PM »

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

Source: http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/stories.html

22

Quotations / Stress Management Principle

« on: March 31, 2018, 12:22:55 PM »

Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students.  As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question.  Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.

She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter.  It all depends on how long I hold it.  If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light.  If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little.  If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor.  In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water.  Think about them for a while and nothing happens.  Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little.  Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

The moral:  It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses and worries.  No matter what happens during the day, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down.  Don’t carry them through the night and into the next day with you.  If you still feel the weight of yesterday’s stress, it’s a strong sign that it’s time to put the glass down.
 
Source: http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/05/21/4-short-stories-change-the-way-you-think/

23

Use Social Media in Education / what is the use of Social Media in Education?

« on: July 18, 2017, 11:19:41 AM »

Connectivity

It’s the sole reason social media exists, so we can connect with friends, family members, our favourite shows and brands. There’s no reason why your organisation can’t do the same. Strengthen the connection with your students and their parents which will result in building a better relationship.

Community

There’s no better way to build a community when you literally have thousands of people ready to hear what you have to say. Social Media is a transparent way of reaching out to potential students and professionals who may want to become a part of your organisation.

Engagement

You want to be generating conversation, sharing relevant news and stories which will be key to promoting your institution. Another pro to this is that it can help increase student retention, you’re speaking their language and making an attempt to engage with their form of communication.

Parental Involvement

Parents get a better view of the institution, live updates and a closer connection to the place they are sending their children. Social media offers a transparency in which you can streamline engagement and start participating in meaningful personal dialogue with current and future students/parents.

Source: https://www.lancashirebusinessview.co.uk/use-social-media-education-89960

24

Achieving Goals / 10 Simple Tips to Help You Achieve Even Your Most Ambitious Goals

« on: July 09, 2017, 11:45:57 PM »

1. Make a Commitment
Goals require commitment and dedication. There’s no other way around it. If you are struggling with committing to a specific goal, go back and start the process over. You may not have identified the goal just right, or you may be lacking the necessary motivation to see it though.

2. Keep Track of Your Progress
Just as it’s important to put all of your goals down on paper, it’s equally important to track your progress. You can do this with a goal tracking worksheet, a goal management tool or a method of your own. The key is to regularly check-in on your goal progress and take note of where you are and where you need to go before your next check-in.

3. Break It Down
It’s good to have big and very ambitious goals, but many times, you can make them more attainable and realistic by breaking them down. A set of five smaller goals that will get you to your ambitious goal can be a lot more manageable and a lot less overwhelming.

4. Get Help
You may need external support to accomplish your goals, or maybe you are struggling with the commitment factor and need someone to hold you accountable. While your goals may be personal to you, that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. If you need help, support or just a cheerleader, ask someone your trust.

5. Be Willing to Revisit and Revise
Your regular goal check-in process is the perfect time to consider if the path you’re taking to accomplish your goals is valid. You may find that you have more clarity after you’ve outlined your goal. It’s okay to make changes and modifications, as long as they support what you set out to do.

6. Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Thinking about the big picture is important, especially with long-term goals. While there will be times when you’ll be so focused on working to move forward that you may not consider the end result, it’s necessary to take time to think about where you’re going. Envisioning your success can help keep you motivated.

7. Be Consistent
Consistency and routine can play an important role in reaching your goals. Be consistent when you have progress check-ins, how you track your advancement, and how and when you focus on your goals. The more routine you can make the process, the easier it will be to keep going.

8. Let Your Goals Grow Up
Life changes and so will your goals. You may have a few long-term goals that span the next few years, but if you consider them set in stone, you may miss out on modifying your plan to fit current business, lifestyle and societal changes. In order to keep your goals relevant and realistic, let them change and grow as you do the same.

9. Focus on Positive Thinking
As cliché as it may be, positive thinking can empower you to reach success. If you consistently think negatively, you may be sabotaging your entire goal process. Positive thinking and self-affirming mantras really can get you through the most challenging parts of reaching your goals.

10. Celebrate Every Success
You can’t expect yourself to work steadily toward a goal without any type of reward along the way. Not only is that bad for your morale, but it can diminish the power of the entire process. Take time to celebrate every success for every goal, no matter how big or small. It will build your confidence and commitment and make it easier to keep pushing to reach those large-scale future goals.

Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/tips-to-help-you-achieve-goals/

25

Achieving Goals / 5 Easy Steps To Help Reach Your Goals

« on: July 09, 2017, 11:44:12 PM »

1- Believe in yourself
If you read my posts you will often see this point come up. I cannot put enough emphasis on the fact you need to believe in yourself and in your abilities to achieve anything in life. Believing in yourself is the key to almost everything you will start. If you start a business not only you need to be in love with what you do, but you also need to believe in the fact it can work. It’s the stepping stone to any foundation. Most of us already do this for common things like cooking, driving a car or taking a class in University.

2- Think about the process to reach your goal
Planning ahead is important, especially when you are trying to reach a specific goal. It’s very important to visualize each of the steps needed to reach your goals. Imagine yourself doing these steps, living each instant of them. This is a very easy way to plan ahead, it also helps you not forget anything along the way. By visualizing the steps you can see what you need to do to reach your goals. When the time arrives and you are living those steps, you will probably get a “déjà vue” and this comes from the fact you already imagined it. I usually do this before going to bed, which brings me to my third point.

3- Visualize your steps before going to bed
Yes, visualizing each steps before going to bed will not only help you reach you goals with less hurdles it will also make you dream about it. I often dream about my goals or my daily life, this gives me practice in what I am about to do. Did you know when you sleep your brain doesn’t know the difference between reality and fiction? This explains why your dreams can feel so true. It also explains why a nightmare can feel so real. Once we understand this concept you can see all the advantages of dreaming properly. I will write a post another post soon dedicated to this technique.

4- Strive, fight and stay positive
Your goals won’t happen overnight, they also won’t happen without work. You will have to overcome many obstacles before you reach your desired goal. There are always people who will work against you (if it’s not yourself doing so) or technical hurdles you will need to overcome. NEVER discourage yourself, always stay positive and focus on being a problem solver. Keep pushing and never discourage yourself even when you think everything is lost. No one has ever achieved anything without past failures or setbacks, try to stay positive.

5- Get backup, use your contacts and talk to people
Don’t be shy to talk to people about your new goals and how you plan to achieve them. Other people’s insight can be very important and can help skip a few steps. A teacher once told me that on a construction yard do they build new trucks and tools for each new construction? The answer is NO. The same concept applies to our life and experiences, you can use other peoples experiences to learn quicker and get by some of the steps. (In this example they are your tools) This can be true on tangibles goals like setting up a business, going back to school or building by yourself a shed in the backyard. Getting help is not only smart and quicker it will also show your friends and family that you want to learn and achieve your goals.

I want to point out one important thing about goal setting. I believe anything is possible and that everyone can reach their goals. Keep in mind some goals might not be possible to achieve. We need to be realistic in life, I understand this only applies to 1% of population, but common sense is important (after all, this is a blog for logical people 😉 ). Also if you set your goals too high you will be disappointed if you can’t reach them appropriately, so don’t be too greedy and make sure whatever your goal is, that deep down inside, that is what you really want.

Source: https://ineedmotivation.com/5-easy-steps-to-help-reach-your-goals/

26

Achieving Goals / 5 Tips to Achieve Your Goals

« on: July 09, 2017, 11:43:16 PM »

1. Build a daily practice to support your work
Create a daily (or weekly) practice where you consistently show up, take small actions and make positive choices to help you start to move towards your goals. Your actions will start to build on each other and you will start to see changes. Otherwise, it’s really easy to get overwhelmed by your big dreams and goals.

2. Know that it’s about the long haul
While it would be amazing to send a pitch to a magazine and have an editor immediately want to assign the story to you, that hardly ever happens. A vast majority of story ideas are generated in-house and then assigned to trusted freelancers that editors have worked with in the past. Greeeeeat. How do you become that trusted freelancer?
Instead, think of pitching like an audition. I recently received an assignment from another dream publication of mine after corresponding with the editor for two and a half months. I sent her a pitch which she didn’t assign but it was well-written and showed her I knew the publication and its target audience, which impressed her. She then invited me to send her more pitches and shared the specific sections of the magazine that she needed story ideas for.
Bottom line: take time to cultivate the relationship!

3. Do the work
I mean, simple right? Just don’t get in the way of your own success, right?
But this might also mean taking the extra step like doing research and pre-interviews for your pitches, even before you get an assignment (to show the editor that there’s a story there). It means writing and editing and editing and editing and editing your work because that first draft is almost always terrible.
I worked on countless drafts of the essay that I sold to The Washington Post in order to get it just right. My Scary Mommy essay languished in my drafts folder for months. When you’re starting out, there aren’t many shortcuts. But you get better at what you do when you do the work.

4. Ask for help
I’m a pretty independent person and I don’t always like asking for help. For once, I decided to invest in myself by taking classes — an essay writing class and workshop on improving your pitches. I also joined a two-week writing group which helped get my creative juices flowing and forced me to make time to write.
Sometimes we can use classes and professional development as an excuse and a means to put off working towards our goals.But these classes were exactly what I needed in order to break through my plateau.
For example, the workshop on pitches pushed me to send out 8 well-developed and researched pitches or letters of intent within a month to 8 different publications — more than I’ve ever sent out. It forced me to dedicate time to marketing (which I hate) and showed me that I can come up with story ideas and write good pitches quickly.
Maybe it’s taking a class. Maybe it’s joining a mastermind group. Maybe it’s joining a writing group. It can be anything that challenges you and keeps you accountable.
By the way, those 8 pitches led to three assignment with new clients.

5. Follow-up
You might hate it but you should do it — follow-up. Oftentimes, people don’t read your first email or it ends up in spam. Instead of sitting by and wringing your hands hoping that a response will appear in your inbox, follow-up. But do it tactfully. There’s a fine line between circling back on something and being a stalker. It can also help you build the relationship.

Source: http://www.lovelifesurf.com/5-tips-to-achieve-your-goals/

27

Positive Thinking / 10 SIMPLE HABITS TO GROW A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

« on: July 09, 2017, 11:40:38 PM »

1. Keep a gratitude journal.

Sometimes one single event can ruin an entire day and an unpleasant interaction or experience at night can overshadow the enjoyable parts of our day. With this awareness that our mind tends to cling to the negative, we can intentionally focus on the good parts of our day to offset this imbalance. Try writing down 5 things that you feel grateful for every day and see how your attitude changes. Science has found that gratitude can significantly increase your happiness, and protect you from stress, negativity, anxiety and depression. Check out this list of 13 ways gratitude will significantly improve your life.

2. Reframe your challenges.

There are no dead ends, only re-directions. Although we might try, there are very few things in life that we have complete control over. We should not let uncontrollable occurrences from the outside turn our inner to mush. What we can control is the effort that we put in and when we give our full effort, there is no reason for regret. Have fun with challenges, embrace them as adventures instead of  attempting to resist an experience for growth. “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.” – Robert Kiyosaki

3. Get good at being rejected.

Rejection is a skill. Chalk every broken heart and failed job interview as practice because no one gets to slide through life without being rejected. Don’t let it harden you and don’t expect the worse. If you wait for bad things to happen, chances are it will or you’ll narrow in on the bad in the midst of the may good things you’ve missed along the way. When there are cracks in your heart, they let the sun in.

4. Use positive words to describe your life.

The words that we use have a lot more power than we think. How you talk about your life is how your life will be. Your mind hears what you say. If you describe your life as boring, busy,  mundane, chaotic, that is how you will percieve it and you will feel the effects in your body and mind. If you use the words simple, involved, familiar or lively, you will see your life in a whole different light and find more enjoyment in the way you chose to shape your life.

A study from US data suggests that having a positive attitude is not only has a direct effect on your happiness, it is also correlated with your earning wage.

5. Replace have with get.

Do you ever notice how many times we say that we have to do something?  I have to go to work. I have to go grocery shopping. I have to pay my rent. Now change this one little word to get and see what happens. I get to go to work. I get to go grocery shopping. Even, I get to pay my rent. Your attitude quickly changes from needing to fulfill obligations to being grateful for the things that we become accustomed to having:  a job to support you and your family, food on the table, and a roof over your head. Try to make this change when you are thinking to yourself and you may feel and appear happier and less stressed.

6. Don’t let yourself get dragged into other people’s complaints.

Your day was going pretty well and then you get to work and your co-worker can’t stop complaining about the cold weather. You didn’t really think about it before he/she brought it up and now you find yourself agreeing and joining in on the complaint-fest of how sick you are of this cold weather. In a month you’ll be pulled into complaints about how it’s too hot. Don’t fall into the trap. A study done at the Warsaw School of Social Psychology shows that complaining leads to lower moods and negative emotions, decreased life satisfaction and optimism, and emotional and motivational deficits.  You might find that your co-worker will complain less without the validation of someone else having the same complaint.

7. Breathe.

Our breath is directly connected to our emotions. Have you noticed we hold our breath sometimes when we are concentrating on something? Can you feel your breath change when you are angry or anxious? Our breath changes depending on how we feel. The great news is that the connection goes the other way too. We can also change how we feel using our breath! Check out this infographic on the scientific benefits of breathing.

8. Notice the righteous in times of tragedy.

It’s hard to have hope and stay positive when hate and violence is all over the media. What we don’t see as much is that in every instance of natural disasters, war, traumatic experience, you will find people rising up, reaching out to each other and showing raw compassion and love. Hold onto the stories of modern day heroes and selflessness in the times of fear and devastation.

9. Have solutions when pointing out problems.

Being positive doesn’t mean that you have to be oblivious to problems. Positive people have constructive criticisms to improve conditions. If you are going to point out problems in people or situations, place just as much effort into suggesting solutions. Instead of pointing out all of the things that are wrong, offer ways to make it better.

10. Make someone else smile.

Who do you think about most of the time? If we answered honestly, most of us would say themselves. It’s good to hold ourselves accountable, take responsibility for our life roles, hygiene, food, etc. but set a goal for each day to make someone else smile. Think about someone else’s happiness and it will help us to realize our immense impact that our attitude and expression has on the people around us.

Source: http://www.fulfillmentdaily.com/10-habits-to-grow-a-positive-attitude/

28

Positive Thinking / How To Think Positive Everyday: 4 Simple Steps to a Happier Life

« on: July 09, 2017, 11:38:43 PM »

1. Negativity doesn’t work – Literally – Our subconcious brain can’t handle it
The other thing about negativity is that our brains can’t process negative words according to the latest studies. So when we hear phrase like “don’t smoke” or “don’t touch that,” our subconscious skips over these negative words and simply hears “smoke” or “touch that.” Our conscious mind can obviously process these words, but it’s the subconscious that makes a lot of our decisions without us realizing.
For young children, this can often be an issue because they haven’t learned to use their conscious minds to process those negative words and take control of the subconscious to make sure they follow instructions correctly. It’s no surprise why children decide that way if you look at the split between conscious and subconscious mind according to psychology:
Conscious mind versus subconscious mind
What this means for us is that we struggle to change our habits or thought patterns when we tell ourselves negative phrases, since only our conscious minds can take those in. We can make this much easier and let the subconscious do its job by using positively-framed phrases like “refrain from smoking” or “walk away from that.”
2. You’ll improve your outlook of the future
Positive thinking can actually improve our overall happiness. I’ve written about this before in terms of noting down things we’re grateful for on a regular basis and how that can improve our happiness.
A study at the University of North Carolina also showed that positive emotions are more likely to encourage people to plan ahead and think of actions they would like to take or activities they’d like to participate in the future. Negative emotions, on the other hand, led to participants being less inclined to think positively about their future.
3. You’ll be more healthy
Yep, positivity has shown to directly affect your physical health. Another study from the University of North Carolina used the ancient practice of loving-kindness meditation to test how cultivating positive feelings like love, compassion and goodwill towards others could affect the emotional and physical health of the participants.
Compared to the control group who did not participate in the meditation, the meditators showed increases in positive emotions like amusement, awe and gratitude during the research period. They also reported feeling more socially connected and closer to the people around them.
Physically, these participants showed improvements in vagal tone which is linked to cardiovascular health and a general indicator of physical well-being.
Cultivating the positivity habit – 4 things to start with
Now that we know how beneficial positivity can be to our health and happiness, let’s look at some ways of building a habit of being positive.
1. Prepare your environment
Leo Babauta always has great advice on building habits, and this is one of my favorites. The environment we try to build new habits in (or break old ones, even) has a huge effect on how successful we are. Environment in this case includes the people we spend time with and the messages we hear or tell ourselves, as well as our physical environment.
The trick here is to ensure your environment is as conducive to you continuing your new habit as possible. Here are some of Leo’s suggestions for how to achieve this:
Hang out with people who are doing the habit you want to do.If there are people around you who don’t do the habit you want to do, talk to them about what you’re trying to do, and ask for their help. Ask them to support you, and not rag on you all the time for changing.Join a supportive community online who are doing the things you want to do.Read blogs and books that inspire you to do the habit.Have reminders all around you.Create a public challenge for yourself, to create accountability.Have a habit partner you report to each day, and make a vow never to miss.
In terms of being positive, you could find a friend or family member to do this with to keep you accountable, or set a daily reminder so you don’t forget. Filling your work space with positive sayings or images could help, and reading books that encourage positive thinking will reinforce this.
2. Start smaller than you think – The “floss only 1 tooth” – approach
Another of my favorite pieces of advice from Leo’s blog Zen Habits is to make your habit so small that you can’t say no. If you do this to start with, you can focus more on building a habit, rather than on results or how big your habit is.
Here’s Leo’s explanation of why this works:
Another common habit that too few people actually do is flossing daily. So my advice is just floss one tooth the first night.

Of course, that seems so ridiculous most people laugh. But I’m totally serious: if you start out exceedingly small, you won’t say no. You’ll feel crazy if you don’t do it. And so you’ll actually do it!

That’s the point. Actually doing the habit is much more important than how much you do.
Right now I’m just taking note of one great moment I noticed, at the end of each day. Sometimes it only takes a few words to share this, sometimes it’s two sentences. I’ve incorporated it into my daily practice of sharing what I got done with the Buffer team, so it’s easy to remember and easy to do.
Starting small has helped me to incorporate the practice into every day so it’s becoming a habit, without worrying about what a big task it is.
3. Take note of 1 positive moment every day
Noticing the positive things that happen in your everyday life has been proven to be a successful method of increasing your positive thinking. This doesn’t just happen when you’re doing the exercise: the effects can actually last much longer.
A study of 90 undergraduate students had one half of them write about positive experiences for three consecutive days. The second half wrote about control topics that didn’t affect their emotions. After three months, the study found that the students who had written about positive experiences still had better mood levels and fewer illnesses. If your best ideas and reflections of positive moments always happen in the shower like they do for me, not to worry, you can take notes there too with something like Acqua notes:
Shower paper notepad and pen
One activity that’s often said to improve positivity is to write down (or share with someone) three things you’re grateful for at the end of each day.
4. Try to Meditate – 2 minutes is enough
Meditating is beneficial for the body and mind. It not only improves mindfulness and positive thinking while you’re doing it, but it has been shown to decrease illness and improve mindfulness and feelings of purpose in life up to three months after being practiced daily for a short period.
Starting small works for meditating, as well. Leo Babauta recommends just 2 minutes to start with, which is easy to do and helpful in developing a strong habit. After establishing the habit for several weeks, you can slowly increase the length of your meditation sessions to an amount that gives you the most benefit.

Source: https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-be-more-positive-to-build-a-habit-of-positivity-for-better-emotional-and-physical-health

29

Positive Thinking / 7 Practical Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset

« on: July 09, 2017, 11:36:37 PM »

1. Start the day with positive affirmation.
How you start the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Have you ever woken up late, panicked, and then felt like nothing good happened the rest of the day? This is likely because you started out the day with a negative emotion and a pessimistic view that carried into every other event you experienced. Instead of letting this dominate you, start your day with positive affirmations. Talk to yourself in the mirror, even if you feel silly, with statements like, “Today will be a good day” or “I’m going to be awesome today.” You’ll be amazed how much your day improves.

2. Focus on the good things, however small.
Almost invariably, you’re going to encounter obstacles throughout the day—there’s no such thing as a perfect day. When you encounter such a challenge, focus on the benefits, no matter how slight or unimportant they seem. For example, if you get stuck in traffic, think about how you now have time to listen to the rest of your favorite podcast. If the store is out of the food you want to prepare, think about the thrill of trying something new.

3. Find humor in bad situations.
Allow yourself to experience humor in even the darkest or most trying situations. Remind yourself that this situation will probably make for a good story later and try to crack a joke about it. Say you’re laid off; imagine the most absurd way you could spend your last day, or the most ridiculous job you could pursue next—like kangaroo handler or bubblegum sculptor.

4. Turn failures into lessons.
You aren’t perfect. You’re going to make mistakes and experience failure in multiple contexts, at multiple jobs and with multiple people. Instead of focusing on how you failed, think about what you’re going to do next time—turn your failure into a lesson. Conceptualize this in concrete rules. For example, you could come up with three new rules for managing projects as a result.

5. Transform negative self-talk into positive self-talk.
Negative self-talk can creep up easily and is often hard to notice. You might think I’m so bad at this or I shouldn’t have tried that. But these thoughts turn into internalized feelings and might cement your conceptions of yourself. When you catch yourself doing this, stop and replace those negative messages with positive ones. For example, I’m so bad at this becomes Once I get more practice, I’ll be way better at this. I shouldn’t have tried becomes That didn’t work out as planned—maybe next time.

6. Focus on the present.
I’m talking about the present—not today, not this hour, only this exact moment. You might be getting chewed out by your boss, but what in this exact moment is happening that’s so bad? Forget the comment he made five minutes ago. Forget what he might say five minutes from now. Focus on this one, individual moment. In most situations, you’ll find it’s not as bad as you imagine it to be. Most sources of negativity stem from a memory of a recent event or the exaggerated imagination of a potential future event. Stay in the present moment.

7. Find positive friends, mentors and co-workers.
When you surround yourself with positive people, you’ll hear positive outlooks, positive stories and positive affirmations. Their positive words will sink in and affect your own line of thinking, which then affects your words and similarly contributes to the group. Finding positive people to fill up your life can be difficult, but you need to eliminate the negativity in your life before it consumes you. Do what you can to improve the positivity of others, and let their positivity affect you the same way.

Source: http://www.success.com/article/7-practical-tips-to-achieve-a-positive-mindset

30

Positive Thinking / 10 Tips to Overcome Negative Thoughts: Positive Thinking Made Easy

« on: July 09, 2017, 11:35:25 PM »

1. Meditate or do yoga.

One of the first things I did was head to a yoga class. It took my focus away from my thoughts and brought my attention to my breath. Yoga is also very relaxing, which helped ease my mind. Yoga helped me stay present to my experience so instead of jumping to what could happen, it brought me back to the now—the only moment, the most important moment.

2. Smile.

I didn’t do much of this during the weekend, so I literally had to bring myself in front of a mirror and force myself to smile. It really does help change your mood and relieve stress. I also felt lighter because it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown.

3. Surround yourself with positive people.

I called a friend who I knew could give me constructive yet loving feedback. When you’re stuck in a negative spiral, talk to people who can put things into perspective and won’t feed your negative thinking.

4. Change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive.

For example, instead of thinking, “We are going to have a hard time adjusting to our living situation,” think, “We will face some challenges in our living situation, but we will come up with solutions that we will both be happy with.”

5. Don’t play the victim. You create your life—take responsibility.

The way I was thinking and acting, you would think I was stuck. Even if our living situation becomes unbearable, there is always a way out. I will always have the choice to make change happen, if need be.

6. Help someone.

Take the focus away from you and do something nice for another person. I decided to make a tray of food and donate it to the Salvation Army. It took my mind off of things and I felt better for helping someone else.

7. Remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward.

It’s easy to dwell on your mistakes. I felt terrible that I acted this way and that I wasted our weekend. The only thing I can do now is learn from my mistakes and move forward. I definitely don’t want to have a weekend like that again.

8. Sing.

I don’t remember lyrics very well and it’s probably the reason that I don’t enjoy singing, but every time I do sing I always feel better. When we sing, we show our feelings and this provides an amazing stress relief.

9. List five things that you are grateful for right now.

Being grateful helps appreciate what you already have. Here’s my list: my cats, health, a six-week trip to Asia, a new yoga class that I’ll be teaching, and for my mom’s biopsy coming out clean.

10. Read positive quotes.

I like to place Post-It notes with positive quotes on my computer, fridge door, and mirror as reminders to stay positive. Also, I’d like to share with you a quote by an unknown author that was shared in a meditation class that I attended:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

Source: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-tips-to-overcome-negative-thoughts-positive-thinking-made-easy/