The Unlimited (Unknown) Power of Belief

As a mother of 3 children I found this video very inspiring. It shows (scientific proven) ways to change a fixed (static) mindset into a growth (developing) mindset. 

Useful when you have children or as a teacher, and an unknown (maybe unlimited) potential for adults who learn to use it.


 

You can find more on this subject in "The Mindset All Successful People Have in Common" with a video from Carol Dweck herself.

How To Stay Focused: The Four Basic Requirements

Focusing is a lost skill, a casualty of the 21st century. People bury their noses in iDistracted and Distractdroid devices, practically salivating at the notifications which confirm their importance. Instead of commanding their day, they are controlled by their uncontrolled lust to be distracted.

And what purpose has distraction traditionally served? What result does it accomplish?

Escapism. Let’s escape from the reality of life, escape from the self-responsibility to pursue dreams, and escape from anything challenging. Distraction is the drug of choice of the 21st century, and supply is endless.

You may not be an alcoholic, but how much of your dissatisfaction is drowned with the web, Facebook, TV, text messaging, or video games? These things are not supposed to be core life activities, but enjoyable side trips. And they are much more fun as side trips.

Distraction Is The Plague, And Focus The Cure

Focus is power. It’s the ability to say I’m doing THIS and nothing else, and nobody is going to stop me. A focused mind is difficult to stop from doing exactly what it plans. In a free country like America, nobody wants to stop you anyways.

Who wants you to keep on the weight? Who wants your business to fail? Who wants you to be miserable? Who wants your dreams to go to waste? If there were positive answers for those, those people are your mortal enemies and I’m sure you avoid them anyways. Typical people won’t care, because we are all self-centered by nature. I care about getting my six-pack of beer.

There are certain subconscious thoughts and ideas you have that can make focusing extremely difficult, so what we need to do is pull those subconscious thoughts into the spotlight and address them.

There are four basic requirements for staying focused.

1. Accept that you may not succeed with the task at hand
Think about it. When you focus on something, you’re pouring all of your energy into it. Your brain will automatically label it as important. Focus is typically split up between several different tasks, ideas, and thoughts. So when you focus on a single cohesive idea, thought, or task, the brain says, “Whoa now, this task is getting special treatment. It must be important.”

It’s healthy to face failure and learn from it, rather than to bury it in other distractions, but it places more pressure on you to perform when you focus. Juggle six tasks at once, fail at one, and what happens? You keep going with your other five. Focus on one task and fail, and you have to face that failure. There’s nothing else to look at.

Sometimes, I hesitate to write. Before writing a story, I’ll consider how it might not turn out well or that I’m not as skilled as some of my favorite authors. The discomfort in potential failure pushes me back to burning time on Facebook, because there’s no pressure there. It’s easy, and fun, and a waste of my time.

To focus, give yourself a free pass on failing at the task. Make it ok to write a boring story, exercise with low energy, screw up your business launch, and embarrass yourself. If you only attempt things you’re 100% sure will end in success, you won’t do anything of significance.

2. Accept that you will not make progress in ALL other areas of your life (for the chosen time)
You have 50 areas of your life you know could be better, don’t you? And you want them done now! ALL OF THEM! Or you know that your reward if you succeed would be delayed significantly from the work (like writing a book).

The decision to focus is almost always slightly uncomfortable. Focus is commitment to a single task, and it can be very unsettling to commit to read your C++ book for your career when you know you need to get in shape too.

This is where Facebook rears its ugly blue and white head. “Hey, you don’t need to read your book or go to the gym, you have a new notification. Let’s just think about that in the background while we check this exciting, immediately rewarding message.”

I like to combat this tempting thought with another thought – whatever I do today is a projection for the rest of my life. If I spend 2 hours on Facebook today, I’m setting that standard for the rest of my days. But if I write 2,000 words today, I’ll have written more than 700,000 words per year at that pace. Did you know that the average novel length is 64,000 words? That means I could write TEN full books in a year! Even if I cut my pace in half to 1,000 words per day, it’s FIVE full books. It really hits home for me when I think about how much time it’d take me to write 1-2 thousand words – about two hours. So my choice is between trifling conversation on facebook and writing five books? Hmm…

This decision is what you need to make, and the next requirement is how you can make it.

3. Believe that your current task is worthy of #1 and #2
When a task is appealing enough that you’re willing to risk failure, and you’re willing to forego everything else for a time, it’s worthy of your full, unbroken attention.

Take a long-term view of your life to understand what is worth this honor. I would be so excited to have written one full-length book (five is fine, too), and that could easily happen with focused writing. What down-the-road reward makes you smile when you think about it? Is it your fit body in the mirror or on the beach? Is it having written a book? Is it having a clean house or going minimalist?

There are a number of different paths you can choose, and as I alluded to in this post, it is not about picking the BEST one. You could spend a lifetime trying to figure out whether to spend your time reading excellent books, working out, writing, volunteering, or anything else. Move forward and make progress in areas that matter to you. When you look at your six-pack, you’re not going to think, “I should have been learning Italian.” You’re going to think, “Wow, I have a six-pack… Maybe I’ll learn Italian now.”

4. Battle against distractions using weapons of time, location, and mindset
Once you have picked your task to focus on, get strategic with it. What time is best to read/write/exercise/learn karate? Where should you do it that will allow you to fully concentrate? What distractions could arise in this time and how will you react to them? Will you turn off your iDistractYou device or put it on silent?

Focus is inherently simple, but difficult too. Its simplicity can trick people into thinking it’s easy, but it takes strategy, dedication, and a commitment to see one thing through to the end at the cost of all other possibilities. The benefits, though, are among the most rewarding I have ever experienced.

The more rigid you are with your rules of focusing, the more skilled you will become at it. Sometimes people act like the world’s distractions are their boss. But remember, the world distracts you because it is not tuned in to you. Telemarketers don’t know you’re eating dinner (RIGHT?!). When your friend calls, she doesn’t know that you’re in the middle of something very important in your life. Call her back when you’re not in the zone.

Instant notifications are drugs that train you for a life of distraction.
Let people know that your focused time is important to you and your well-being, and any reasonable person will understand. Starting out, you can set aside just one hour per day to focus on a key area of your choice. If you say you don’t have time, I will punch your nose four times. You have time for the things that matter to you.

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10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day

When was the last time you read a book, or a substantial magazine article? Do your daily reading habits center around tweets, Facebook updates, or the directions on your instant oatmeal packet? If you’re one of countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are listed below.

1. Mental Stimulation
Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.

2. Stress Reduction
No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.

3. Knowledge
Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face.

Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you.



4. Vocabulary Expansion
This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even aid in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and more often) than those with smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events.

Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency.

5. Memory Improvement
When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough, every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that?

6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills
Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details provided and sorting them out to determine “whodunnit”.

That same ability to analyze details also comes in handy when it comes to critiquing the plot; determining whether it was a well-written piece, if the characters were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc. Should you ever have an opportunity to discuss the book with others, you’ll be able to state your opinions clearly, as you’ve taken the time to really consider all the aspects involved.

7. Improved Focus and Concentration
In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes stress levels to rise, and lowers our productivity.

When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work (i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public transit), and you’ll be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office.

8. Better Writing Skills
This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary: exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians influence one another, and painters use techniques established by previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others.

9. Tranquility
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good book, it’s possible that the subject you read about can bring about immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.

10. Free Entertainment
Though many of us like to buy books so we can annotate them and dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be quite pricey. For low-budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free. Libraries have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate their stock and constantly get new books, you’ll never run out of reading materials.

If you happen to live in an area that doesn’t have a local library, or if you’re mobility-impaired and can’t get to one easily, most libraries have their books available in PDF or ePub format so you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or your computer screen. There are also many sources online where you can download free e-books, so go hunting for something new to read!

There’s a reading genre for every literate person on the planet, and whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines, biographies, religious texts, young adult books, self-help guides, street lit, or romance novels, there’s something out there to capture your curiosity and imagination. Step away from your computer for a little while, crack open a book, and replenish your soul for a little while.

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5 Daily Rituals That Will Improve Your Health and Your Life

"The human soul can always use a new tradition. Sometimes we require them." 

~Pat Conroy~

I have daily rituals that help me think clear, improve my health and reduce stress. I'm betting that you have daily rituals too. The word ritual is usually associated to religious practices and ceremonies. But I promise that I'm not going to go there.

I'm more interested in the practical definition of ritual: A detailed method of procedure faithfully or regularly followed.

Daily rituals are powerful because over time they become deep-seeded habits. Do you wash your hands before you eat? Do you even have to think about it? You've probably practiced the ritual of washing your hands before you eat so many times that you now do it automatically with little thought. It is a habit.

The cool thing is that you can create new daily rituals and therefore new habits. You can also get rid of destructive rituals and habits.


A resource for you to check out is the book, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I've read the book and found it to be a useful tool for understanding and changing habits. Here's a video from Charles explaining how to break a habit.




You can also checkout this flowchart explaining how to break a habit and this flowchart explaining how to make a habit.

Establishing a new habit is the act of creating a new daily ritual that you practice over and over again. For better or worse, eventually you have a habit. Let's look at 5 Daily Rituals you can start today to create powerful habits that will lead to health, clean energy and reduced stress levels.

5 Daily Rituals for Health, Vitality and Longevity
1. How you start your day is a major influence on the rest of your day. One daily ritual that I've found increases my energy and helps wake me up is to drink a tall glass of cold water as soon as I wake up. 

I've found that drinking a glass of cold water first thing in the morning wakes up my mind, increases my energy, helps with digestion and ensures my body is getting all the benefits of drinking water.

Instead of running straight to the coffee pot in the morning to get a shot of caffeine have a glass of water. Soon you'll wake up reaching for your water glass without thinking about it and you'll be enjoying all the health benefits this new habit brings. I'm not suggesting you skip your coffee. Just make sure to have some fresh water first.

2. Another ritual to practice first thing in the morning is to show gratitude. I keep a gratitude list in my journal. Usually my journal is on my nightstand and I can grab it as I go out to the kitchen for my glass of water.

There's no set number of things you have to write down. All you need to do is write one thing in your journal that you're thankful for. It could be as simple as being thankful that you woke up today.

I used to believe that I could just think about things I'm grateful for and that would be good enough. But the truth is that there is something more significant about actually writing these things down.

I've not made this an actual habit, yet. I have to make a conscious effort to write my gratitude list every morning. But taking that time in the morning to concentrate on what I'm grateful and happy about puts me in a more productive state of mind for the rest of the day. I also find that I appreciate my life more and it helps me realize that I'm surrounded by abundance.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” 

~Oprah Winfrey~

Sorry to sound a little new age with this gratitude stuff but I believe that I have to tell my mind what to focus on or else it finds things on its own... and what it finds is not always good. A cool site to checkout is Gratitude Log which is coined as "The Happiest Place on the Internet."

3. Get outside in the afternoon for a walk and some Vitamin D. This might sound crazy but I think you would actually do your body, mind and spirit more good by skipping lunch and taking a walk outside with fresh air and sunshine.

Lunch is one of those meals during the day that I feel is more of a ritual then it is a necessity. Do you have to eat lunch? I'm not convinced that you do.

If I follow my regular schedule of eating a high protein and fat breakfast I find that I'm usually not hungry until late afternoon around 5 o'clock. If I'm staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water my energy levels actually improve as the day progresses and I might even make it until 6pm, or later, before I'm actually hungry.

I hear from a lot of people that they feel sluggish after lunch. They might even need a nap! This is especially true for people who eat the typical sub sandwich for lunch with a bag of chips and a cola on the side.

Lunch or no lunch one thing is certain, we sit too much. I also think that most of us don't get enough natural Vitamin D from sunlight. Usually you're inside eating lunch during the part of the day where you can get the most Vitamin D from the sun.

I encourage you to try a new daily ritual. Get outside at lunch time. Take a walk. If you want to eat something take an apple or a handful of nuts with you along with a water bottle. I promise you it will be the best lunch ever and you'll have more energy for the second half of your day.

Bonus points if you grab a friend and have fun talking as you take your walk. Of course, everyone is different so test it out and see if it's right for you.

4. Practice mastery in an endeavor outside your normal work and obligations. I've had the goal to learn to play guitar for a while. I've dabbled and picked up some chords but I haven't really dedicated myself to practicing a little each day.

When I was practicing on a regular basis I felt a calm and presence that is hard to come by during "normal" daily activities. I get this same type of feeling playing sports or going to the gym. It comes from having a clear mind and focusing on one objective.


Think about something you've wanted to learn and go do it. It's exciting to learn new things and to become good at them. To learn more about practising mastery I encourage you to read Mastery by George Leonard.

"How do you best move toward mastery? To put it simply, you practice diligently, but you practice primarily for the sake of the practice itself." 

~George Leonard~

5. Turn off your phone, computer, laptop, tablet and TV at least 90 minutes before bed. This is another ritual that has been hard for me but I'm persisting.

When I practice the no screens before bed ritual I find that my body naturally winds down and I get sleepy. If I'm on the computer or reading on my phone my mind starts going and I could stay up until 2 am. This leads to not getting enough quality sleep and the next day my energy and productivity suffers.

Instead of staring at a screen that two hours before bed you could practice mastery in your new subject from ritual number four. You could spend that time reading a new book or writing in your journal. It could be a great opportunity to spend time with your family and loved ones. The possibilities are endless.

Good sleep is so important to our overall health and well-being that it deserves serious attention. Here's a great article from Mark Sisson on how light can impact your sleep.

"Blue light regulates our secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Exposed to blue light, we limit the production of melatonin, and we stay alert and awake; in the absence of blue light, melatonin production ramps up, and we get sleepy." Mark Sisson

Turn off those screens and immerse yourself in something "offline." Disconnect and let your mind wind down naturally. Sometimes deadlines and obligations get the best of us and we have to burn the midnight oil. But if you're able to make this ritual part of your normal day to day life it will pay dividends.

5.5. Here's a quick bonus ritual that you might want to try. Meditate or practice positive visualization for at least 5 minutes a day. It doesn't matter what part of the day you do this as long as you do it for at least five minutes every day.

I like to visualize the goals I have and picture what it will be like to achieve them. It's actually a lot of fun trying to see how bright and clear you can make the pictures in your mind. Take this five minutes and do some deep breathing as well.

Sometimes I find myself taking shallow breaths. This is especially true when I'm stressed out. Taking deep, mindful breaths can relieve stress, increase energy and boost your immune system. Check out this clip from NPR.

Going forward be mindful of the daily rituals that are part of your life. Have you consciously chosen these daily rituals? Do you have habits that have chosen you that you would like to change? It all starts with recognizing our current daily rituals and deciding which ones to keep and which ones to get rid of.

Make sure to share these ideas with your friends. Good ideas and good health are worth sharing.

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Drawing Your Dreams into Reality

Amazing how our brains works and how we can use our creative right side of the brain to make our dreams real. 

Enjoy with Patti Dobrowolski's TedxRainier video!

How to Learn Any Skill Faster

Stop multitasking

“If only I could have learned Spanish three years ago…”

“If only I learned about investing when I was still in my early twenties…”

If only.

For many of us, there are more things we want to learn than we have time for. And as information becomes more readily accessible online, the number of things we want to learn has only increased. That means that the only variable we can actually control is the time we spend learning them.

Shortening the learning curve is a topic that’s been studied for many years, and this guide will cover the fundamental core principles of learning faster. Were these principles perfectly in place, you could leverage them to push yourself to learn faster and master any category of learning, including languages, business skills, musical instruments and more. To quote Tony Robbins: “One skill you want to master in this day and age we live in, if you want to have an extraordinary life, is the ability to learn rapidly.”

So, here are those principles:


1. Don’t reinvent the wheel
Why reinvent a wheel that’s already been created? The common tendency we all have when learning something new is trying to master it alone and underestimating the amount of time and effort that can be saved by getting help from someone who’s already learned it.

Think back to a time when you first learned how to speak a new language or obtain a new skill. You probably had a steep learning curve initially, but after a few years or even months of experimenting and making mistakes, you could design a short cut to help a friend avoid those same mistakes you made early on.

In order to achieve mastery faster, our first step should be to consult the top players in the field, and model the path they have already carved out for us. As Robbins puts it: “Many great leaders have proven that the fastest way to master any skill, strategy or goal in life is to model those who have already forged the path ahead. If you can find someone who is already getting the results that you want and take the same actions they are taking, you can get the same results.

“It doesn’t matter what your age, gender or background is,” Robbins continues. “Modelling gives you the capacity to fast track your dreams and achieve more in a much shorter period of time. In this day and age, it’s possible to retrieve almost any solution that’s out there in the form of books, blogs, training videos, consultants, someone in our network — the list goes on.”

To quote yet another wise individual, this time Pablo Picasso: “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.”

2. Deconstruct the skill
The next step to hacking the learning curve is to deconstruct the skill you see into its basic, fundamental components. Break down the parts and find the most important things to practice first. (See Pareto’s Principle, which describes a goal of generating 80 percent of results by putting in 20 percent of the effort.)

It turns out that this concept can apply to almost anything in life, including:

• Business (80 percent of sales comes from 20 percent of customers)
• Employee efficiency (80 percent of results comes from 20 percent of employees)
• Happiness (80 percent of happiness comes from 20 percent of relationships)
• Travel experiences (80 percent of our travels may be summed up from 20 percent of our highlight experiences)

Embracing this way of thinking only goes to show that very few things actually make a difference in any aspect of our lives, including learning. Our goal then, should be to separate the 20 percent of our learning materials that will give us 80 percent of the result.

As it turns out, fast-learning experts have already embraced this ideology, and have provided some concrete examples on how to do this effectively. In his TED talk, Josh Kaufman said he believed that you don’t need 10,000 hours in order to master a skill. Instead, the key is to embrace the first 20 hours, and learn the most important subset skills within that time frame to get the maximum amount of impact. Numerous studies in the fields of motor and cognitive skill acquisition have established that the first few hours of practicing a new skill always generate the most dramatic improvements in performance. (See Parkinson’s Law.)

3. Stop multitasking
Multitasking is a guilty pleasure we’ve all developed in the age of constant notifications and mobile applications. From checking our emails every ten minutes, to scrolling through our Instagram feed, to welcoming co-workers coming by our desk for a “five-minute break”: Multitasking can be one of the biggest hurdles preventing us from learning faster.

Think about your own computer. When you have 20-plus different tabs open on your browser, your computer begins to slow down and it takes longer to process every action afterwards. Studies have shown that when an individual gets distracted, it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to the task at hand. What’s more important to note is that a study by the University of California Irvine found that a worker applies himself or herself only 11 minutes before becoming distracted.

The same thing applies to our long-term focus. Many of us aren’t able to dedicate the six-to-12-plus months it takes to learn a skill because of the countless new projects, ideas, or hobbies that come our way. And when we decide to shift our focus to a new distraction, it’s much more difficult to find the same passion and drive to focus on the previous skill.

Once you have deconstructed the subset skills that will give you the maximum amount of results, focus solely on improving those skills and avoid learning anything else until you’ve mastered them.

4. Repeat, repeat, repeat
This is the part where most of us struggle, and what many of us don’t want to hear is the rule that mastering anything faster requires practice. Learning requires frequency of and persistence in performing the same skill over and over again, until you can do it subconsciously, without having to think about it.

The best performers in the world understand this “secret” to learning faster and become the best, yet rarely talk about its importance because of how unsexy it sounds.

Expert-level performance is primarily the result of expert-level practice, not due to innate talent. As K. Anders. Ericsson, a scientific researcher from Florida State University, elaborated in a paper: “People believe that because expert performance is qualitatively different from normal performance, the expert performer must be endowed with characteristics qualitatively different from those of normal adults. This view has discouraged scientists from systematically examining expert performers and accounting for their performance in terms of the laws and principles of general psychology.”

5. Seek immediate feedback
In 1960, while they were still an unknown high school rock band, the Beatles went to Hamburg, Germany, to play in the local clubs. The group was underpaid. The acoustics were terrible. The audiences were unappreciative. So what did the Beatles get out of the Hamburg experience? Nonstop hours of playing time, practice and immediate feedback that forced them to get better. That’s the key difference that elevated the Beatles to the top, according to Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers. The band didn’t just practice in a garage for the sake of practicing; they strived to get in front of a live audience that would provide them immediate criticism and constructive feedback.

As the Beatles grew in skill, audiences demanded more performances — giving them more playing time. By 1962 they were playing eight hours per night, seven nights per week. By 1964, the year they burst on the international scene, the Beatles had played over 1,200 concerts together. By way of comparison, most bands today don’t play 1,200 times in their entire career. This is why at Rype, we’re solely focused on connecting you with native speaking tutors, who can give you immediate feedback during your lessons.

6. Go Long
Unfortunately, many of us give up before or during what Seth Godin calls “The Dip.”

Godin says that although it’s important to know when to quit, many potential winners don’t reach success because they quit before the dip. According to Godin, five reasons you might fail to become the best in the world include:

• You run out of time (and quit)
• You run out of money (and quit)
• You get scared (and quit)
• You’re not serious about it (and quit)
• You lose interest (and quit)

Psychologists have also studied what’s known as the transition cycle. This is the cycle of progress we go through whenever we’re experiencing change or a novel event, such as a tragedy or the opportunity to learn something new. There’s a sense of euphoria we all experience when we begin something new. That’s why we’re so addicted to seeing notifications on social media, because dopamine gets released each time.

Once the honeymoon phase fades away, we experience the “dip” and our progress begins to plateau or diminish. This is when most of us quit. The reason why this is important is that if you can predict that a dip is coming, when you’re learning anything new, it’s easier to fight through it. More importantly, the dip is there because those persistent enough to stick it out can ride the upward wave that is at the end of the tunnel.


So, to restate these points on how to hack the learning curve:

• Model an expert who’s been there, and don’t reinvent the wheel.
• Deconstruct the skills that will deliver 80 percent of results.
• Stop multitasking.
• Practice those reps, reps, reps! Then seek immediate feedback.
• Go long and don’t quit before or during the dip.

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Be yourself

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, 
night and day,
to make you everybody else
means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; 
and never stop fighting."

e.e. Cummings

The Mindset All Successful People Have in Common

More than any habit or talent, this particular way of thinking about the world will help you achieve your dreams.

What sets truly successful people apart from those who never realize their dreams? Is it a particular set of habits? An increased appetite for risk? Skill at networking? Plain old smarts? No doubt each of these factors plays a part in some people’s achievements, but perhaps underlying all of these differences is a particular and profoundly powerful mindset.

That’s the gist of several fascinating articles out recently; they argue the fundamental difference between the wildly successful and the merely mediocre is not any inborn characteristic or individual learned behaviour but how we think about skills and learning in general.

Can People Really Change?

Some folks, it seems, think that, basically, when it comes to skills and abilities, you get the hand you’re dealt, and that’s that. You are however smart you are, however hard working, and there’s little to nothing you can do to change these fundamental characteristics of your personality. That’s called a fixed mindset.

Other people know differently. Those with the opposite view, called a growth mindset, believe that with effort and perseverance, you can expand your intellect, broaden your skills, improve your character, and overcome obstacles. They see the key to getting ahead not as inherited talent or skill but good, old-fashioned hard work. Any guesses as to who ends up more successful?

If you haven’t guessed yet, achievers generally have a growth mindset, a fact proven in large part by the research of renowned Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. In a lengthy and fascinating article, PolicyMic recently delved into her findings in depth, but the basic takeaway is short and sweet: "It's all about your mindset. Successful people tend to focus on growth, solving problems, and self-improvement, while unsuccessful people think of their abilities as fixed assets and avoid challenges."



How to Get a Growth Mindset

Dweck may be a pioneer in this line of research, but she’s not the only scientist studying the profound effects of our mindset on success. Another recent study built on her work by polling high school students about their attitudes. Some students told the research team that they believed people fell into particular categories--some were geeks, for instance, others jocks--and that in general they’re unlikely to change over time. Others told the scientists that people generally adapt and grow.

What effect did the belief that people can change have on students? Though Dweck’s work suggests those with a growth mindset will be more successful in the long term, this recent study also found big effects in the short term. In short, those with a growth mindset had less stress and anxiety and more self-esteem, and they were in generally better physical health.

That’s even more compelling evidence you should strive for a growth mindset. But is it possible to change your outlook if you’ve previously been more of a believer that abilities are fixed? Yup, according to the same research team’s follow-up experiment. Simply telling the high school students in a single session that evidence shows people can change had large positive effects both physically and psychologically a year later, with no other follow-up.

"Our research shows that adolescents can learn to tell themselves a different story, a story in which people have the potential to change," the authors conclude.

If they can do it, so can you. You’ll be more successful for it.

If you like to know more about Carol Dwecks work, then have a look at her bestselling book: "Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential"



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5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making Any Decision

When confronted with multiple options, everyone has a different method for figuring out which is best. Some make pros and cons lists, others have a brainstorm with friends and family. Some leave it purely to fate. Whatever your method, it’s important to remember that every decision, big or small, is important.

Big decisions, like where to go to college, might determine your future career and where you live. Smaller choices, like deciding to play hooky from work to read in a café, have led to people finding their future spouse. While certain choices can turn out to be essentially arbitrary, some set us on a path that can be almost impossible to abandon. So there may be some pressure behind your next decision, but don’t melt down like a Dali clock just yet. There are a few questions to ask yourself before diving head first into your solution.

Is It True to Yourself, Not What Others Expect of You?
Holding yourself up to the expectations of others is a form of self-abuse, and there are few things sadder than seeing someone make their decisions based on what others want. While it may not always work out for you to be a musician or an author or an athlete or whatever it is you’re truly passionate about, giving it up merely because you’re told it’s unrealistic or because your parents would have put “Dr.” on your birth certificate if they’d had the choice isn’t fair to yourself. I’m scared to say “you only live once” because of how ridiculous it sounds, but seriously, Drake knows what he’s talking about.

It’s not just for big career decisions either. From what to have for dinner to what to wear, it’s ultimately your call. Now this isn’t necessarily a license to shout “YOLO” and order a Big Mac for dinner two weeks straight or to wear that ridiculous tuxedo shirt from your senior prom to work tomorrow. But you do need to realize that every choice you make is important and every choice you make is yours. Good outcome or bad outcome it’s going to be you that pays the price or reaps the rewards so take advice when you want it, but realize the power you have over your own life. Live the life you want, not the life others want for you.

Will It Take You From Your Friends?
There are times that you should be on your own, that you should flaunt your independence and your (partial) ability to find an apartment on your own and cook actual meals for yourself and do all that big kid stuff. But when you’re making decisions about where to work or study or take a long vacation, think about how it will affect your relationships — otherwise friendships can wane and loneliness can set in.

Now you’re likely thinking, that’s silly, Cody, I’m not some sociopath who will never be able to make new friends if I move around often. True, true, but here’s the thing: whether you’re jet setting for pleasure or constantly moving for work and school, you’re right that you’ll make new friends with a little effort. But after a while these super short-term relationships can become superficial, mere boredom busters without any of the depth that makes friendships worthwhile in the first place. It may sound cool to be able to hit up your “London/Hong Kong/New York/Duluth, Georgia/Spokane, Washington/Wherever friends” while you’re dropping in for a few months, but then you have to leave them too and make new ones. And, after a while, friendships can become more of a game than a genuine feeling. Trust me when I say you’ll pine for those late-night talks with your former best friend — and neither Skype nor a carousel of new acquaintances can replicate them.

Is It Making Anyone Happier? Who?
This question may seem unnecessarily hedonistic, but hear me out. Of course there are other factors to consider when making a decision, but if it’s not bettering someone’s life (whether it’s yours or not) then there may be a problem. For example, maybe you’re deciding between buying a new shirt and donating to charity? On the surface it sounds like a question of, Should I make myself happy or make someone else happy?, which, to me, is totally fair. Dig a little deeper though and ask yourself, Will this shirt actually make me happy? Or this car or this cupcake or this fill-in-the-blank? If yes, then by all means go for it. Your own happiness is extremely important. But perhaps it’s not so simple. Give it some thought.

What Was Your First Thought?
What was your gut reaction? What popped into your head within two seconds of thinking about your options? That first instinct isn’t always what you should go with, but it should provide the baseline for your future thinking. Compare other possibilities to your initial reaction. Oftentimes, it’s right on target. But sometimes misinformation or stereotypes can get in the way. Sometimes, the biggest obstacle to good decision-making is you.

Is Your Decision a Non-Decision?
I see a lot of guys in nice suits sitting on the Lexington Ave. subway headed down to the Financial District. They poke away at their iPhones, distracting their conscience with Temple Run or Angry Birds. Their trip downtown each day is a sort of non-decision decision – a decision to go through the motions and not think about what they’re doing. At one time each of these people made the decision that this is the type of life they wanted. And it’s tough to blame them. There are certainly a lot of benefits to a career in finance, and the more math-y among us surely enjoy it at least a little. But, based on conversations I’ve had, it seems that there’s been very little reflection on whether it’s what they really want to do and whether they still enjoy it. This, by no means, applies only to those in finance.

It’s a crippling thought to realize just how much power we have over own life, and often we respond to this by simply not making decision. We go through the motions, too afraid to really reflect on what we’ve done and what we want to do. Yet the only way we’ll be who we really want to be is through constant reflection.


If we actively think about and choose what we do, we’re ultimately choosing who we are. Whether we’re accepting a job we’re not so keen on or scrolling through Yelp! to decide on a coffee shop to read at, we’re actively crafting our identity. In the end, it’s your call. I suppose it’s something to think about. 

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The Art of Stress-Free Productivity: David Allen at TEDxClaremontColleges

Interesting TEDx video from the writer of "Getting Things Done", David Allen. 

This is one of the books I've read and used that made a difference!
Check it out:

A Practical Guide to Being Yourself

"Just Be Yourself, Honey.

That line moved me to tears in the première screening of Love Punch, a British comedy with Emma Thompson at the Toronto Film Festival 2014. Just be yourself, Emma Thompson was telling her daughter as the ultimate parting advice before she drives off to college to start a new era of life.

Just Be Yourself. It sounds simple, sweet, grounding and reassuring. Right? But what does it mean to be yourself? How can you be anyone but yourself when you possess one mind, one body, and if you choose to believe (as I do), one unique beautiful soul?

Sure, you can be a lesser version of yourself or the absolute best version, and you can switch it up given different circumstances, but they are all variations of who you are and how you feel at the time.

There is no one way to be yourself. There are many ways. Your outward demeanour stems from your internal compass. So perhaps a better way to look at it is how to always be true to the best version of yourself.

Being true to (the best version of) yourself is not a one time event. It is a constant decision you make every day, or even every hour. Sometimes you make good decisions. Sometimes you learn. Sometimes you are true to yourself. Sometimes you betray your true self.

Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up, don’t berate yourself, and don’t forget that it takes courage to be true to who you are in a world that is in such a hurry to measure you up and judge you at every turn. But also know this: whoever you are, you have got that courage. You can agree or argue with me on that – that doesn’t change the fact that deep down, you can muster the courage to be your true self if you make up your mind to do so.

6 Examples of Not Being True to Who You Are
Let’s start by defining what it’s like not being true to yourself. If you can relate to these, then think about other similar behaviors you exhibit that are clear signs you are not being true to yourself.

1. Laughing at something that’s not funny just to be polite: We've all done it at least once, but the more you do it, the harder it becomes to be genuine, because you have to act along with all else that follows that fake laugh. There is a reason you don’t naturally find something amusing about someone and being insincere is not a pretty thing.

2. Complimenting someone when you don’t mean it: Don’t flaunt empty praise just to be liked. The hurt you inflict when the truth comes out is far worse than any good a fake compliment could bring about. Be silent instead and hold your compliments for what you find real praise-worthy. Be true to your likes and dislikes.

3. Lying about something just to please others: Why do this? Keep silent instead. Or disagree politely. Never lie. One lie leads to another and before you know it, you are in a web of lies, and can’t remember them all to keep everything straight.

4. Acting happy when you are miserable, or vice versa, among others: You are not that good an actor and sooner or later, you’ll get fed up and be your (angry frustrated) self! There is a better way. How about limiting people and activities that cause you misery and surrounding yourself with only the people who make you happy?

5. Hiding your true opinion for the sake of popularity: Fitting in – it’s the worse disease and it starts in high school and seems to never end. Let it go. Fit in yourself. Don’t fit into some box. If you think differently, then so be it. Sometimes your opinions are popular, sometimes they are radical, other times they are conservative. Forget what’s in vogue today. Be true to your own values.

6. Forcing yourself to do things you don’t like, saying things you don’t mean, and going places you don’t care to go, in a relationship: Enough said! If you are doing that in your relationship, then, well, stop. It’s time to move on. It really is that easy because staying guarantees your future misery.

Lying isn’t you. Pretending is not you either. Making up nonsense and hiding your true self, none of that is you. These is not stuff that make up your identity. Your true self is made up of beautiful qualities. You can choose to shine a light on them, or hide them, but you are made of good stuff regardless.

10 Signs that You ARE Being True to Yourself

1. You feel good. Simple and pure.
2. You feel comfortable in your own skin.
3. Your inner voice goes quiet and stops badgering you.
4. You manage situations easier – no need to keep track of lies and pretences.
5. You don’t have to think hard to act a part. You innately know how to be yourself.
6. You are not trying to impress anyone.
7. You are not worried about being judged or singled out.
8. Your muscles relax, you breathe easy.
9. You concentrate better on the task at hand.
10. You make confident decisions without second guessing your every move.

"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken"

~Oscar Wilde~

May I point out the irony here?
Being true to yourself is what your heart and soul yearn for. Being true to yourself is the only way to achieve inner peace. Being true to yourself sets you free and floods you with joy and happiness.

If given the choice, you would not want to abandon your true self to be someone else – you would feel lost and confused being anyone else but yourself, no matter how wealthy, how “lucky” or how popular they may be. Of course there is no way to prove this, so would you want to bet your happiness on something you can never have? Would you want to give up your own well of joy and bliss by pining after an empty desire?

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Five Things Successful People Do Before They Go To Bed

The time before going to bed is critical to ensure that one closes out the day that has passed, plans for the day ahead, but it is also critical that the mind is calmed so that one has a restful sleep. Too many successful executives get this wrong. One can only burn the candle at both ends for so long before it will mean that they are not as productive as they should be at work, and not as happy as they should be overall. Based on research and conversation with successful executives on the topic, here are the five things that successful people do before they go to sleep:

1. Spend Time with Family
Successful executive often have a difficult time drawing the line between work and personal life, simply picking work back up upon arrival at home. The time to decompress with family is essential. As David Brooks points out, a happy marriage (and by extension a happy family) is more important than a good job to one’s well being. I must admit that I was also struck by Alex Blumberg’s thoughts during episode four of the excellent Startup podcast entitled, “Startups are Risky Business“, in which he describes how he was overcome with emotion in reading Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, and learning for the first time the lesson intended for parents: you only have so much time before your children will be independent of you. Make the most of your time with them.

2. Read 
Successful people read prodigiously. The reading should not always be about topics related to work, mind you. Reading fiction or non-fiction in fields not directly related to your own may also have the added benefit of providing unusual and less obvious insights to take to work, as so much innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines. Ultimately, though, simply reading for enjoyment is a key way to relax. A study by the National Institutes of Health suggests that reading tablets or eReaders may be disruptive to sleep because of the light that is emitted by such platforms. Old fashioned books and magazines are the better option before going to bed.

3. Plan in Order to Relax the Mind
It may seem counter-intuitive that thinking about one’s plans will help calm the mind, but having a well documented plan means that you can rest knowing that the plan will be there when you awaken. Here is how it is done:

• Create a list of what was accomplished in the prior day
• Note what was not accomplished, and what should be to dos for the day ahead
• Note new to dos for the day ahead

Many people have difficulty drifting off to sleep at night because the still have the day’s events playing in their heads, and they are concerned about the day ahead. Reduce these concerns with some well timed planning. According to Business Insider, American Express AXP CEO Kenneth Chenault “likes to write down the top three things he wants to accomplish the next day. This helps him prioritize first thing the next morning.

4. Turn Off the Cellphone and Other Computing 
The sounds emitted by mobile phones, computers, and tablets are needless distractions when you are drifting off to sleep. Quell that issue by turning them all off. This will allow you to focus on one thing at a time, whether it is your family, reading, or planning. In fact, it is during these times of relative quiet when new ideas may come. Barry Gordon, who is a professor of neurology and cognitive science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine noted in Scientific American that “Although thoughts appear to “pop” into awareness before bedtime, their cognitive precursors have probably been simmering for a while. Once those preconscious thoughts gather sufficient strength, the full spotlight of consciousness beams down on them. The mind’s freewheeling friskiness is only partly under our control, so shutting our mind off before we sleep is not possible.” By having fewer distractions at the end of the day, these ideas may surface. It is useful to have a notepad and a pen on your night stand (as opposed to your phone or tablet) to note these ideas when they occur to you. 

5. Get Seven Hours of Sleep
There has been new sleep research that suggests that seven hours sleep may be better than the eight that your mother condoned. Whatever the number, though, getting enough sleep is crucial to ensure maximum memory and brain performance in the day ahead. You might ask, ,”I thought the topic related to activities before sleeping, not while sleeping.” Planning the amount of time one sleeps is of critical importance, so working back from wake-up times to ensure that seven hours is achieved is optimal.

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5 Ways To Manifest Your Reality With The Power of Visualization

Actor Jim Carrey is famous for parking his car on Mulholland Drive every night before anybody knew about him, and visualizing becoming the Hollywood star that he inevitably became. He even wrote himself a ten million dollar check for a movie deal, and dated it five years from that very day. Can you guess what eventually happened? Not long before that date came along, he secured ten million dollars to star in the movie Dumb and Dumber.





The power of visualization has been instrumental in turning dreams into reality for not only folks like Jim Carrey, but elite and successful people in every field: professional athletes, business CEO’s, speakers, singers, and performers.

Replaying the mental vision and image of where or who you would like to be is the key catalyst in swinging your vision from a mere day-dream into reality!

Remarkably, science has also demonstrated that your brain cannot tell the difference between a visualized image and reality. A Harvard study taught two groups a simple 5-fingered piano melody; one group physically practiced the melody for 2 hours a day over 5 days. The other group merely visualized playing the melody. As you can probably guess, the new neurological wiring that took place were almost identical between the two groups.


Here are 5 ways you can begin to use visualization to start living the dream:



1. When visualizing your dreams, involve all your senses:
Touch, sound, sight, even smell and taste. Involve your emotions, laugh, smile, and celebrate the victory.



2. Take on different perspectives:
See yourself accomplishing your goals beginning with your own 1st person lens, then 2nd and 3rd person, be in the crowd and look upon yourself succeeding in your dream.



3. Begin to live as if you have succeeded in your goal:
Begin to dress, talk, and look like the person you want to be.



4. Use self-talk and affirmations together with your visualizations:
As with taking on the different perspectives with the mental images, likewise in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, say the things that would like to be said about you as if you have already achieved your goal.



5. Put together a dream collage: 
This can be physical on a cork-board, posted on your desk or wall, or compiled on your computer. Use words that describe the person that you desire to become, pictures of the victories that you desire to experience.

Be sure to look at these images on a daily basis.

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