If you feel stuck in a rut and are currently searching for a path to self improvement and motivation, stick with this article to the end. James B. Allen the author, presents several ideas outlining a potentially life changing course towards self improvement and motivation without having to spend money on books, seminars or videos.
OK, Let's get started!
First off, get real and start taking responsibility for who you really are. It is only at the point when you start accepting responsibility for your life - both who you are and what you do - that you will start to realize that you have control over all aspects of your life. And when you realize that you are the captain, you can start steering your ship of life in any direction you choose.
Next, start improving you work habits and relationships, bit by bit. Before you start taking responsibility for your life, before you take the wheel, you may realize that you are stuck in a job, situation or relationship that is bringing you down. Like a ship without a captain, you are headed straight for a rocky coastline and certain disaster. Once you accept that you are in charge, you must break free of these habits. Start by asking yourself questions. "Why I am doing this job?",
"Why am I in this relationship?" If you don't like the answers, either prepare to jump ship or start sailing the vessel yourself.
Now begin surrounding yourself with others who are also on the path to self improvement and motivation. The fastest way to get to where you're going is to join like-minded adventurers on your quest. Even better is to find others who have already sailed the course ahead of you and are willing to serve as a guide. You must be proactive. If there is someone you know who has already become the kind of person you want to be, approach them and let them know. There's much you can learn from these people and most of them are willing to share.***
About the author: James B. Allen is the iconoclastic webmaster of PowerLivingPress.com. He invites you to explore his massive collection of powerful self improvement and motivation articles right now.
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Self Improvement and Motivation | Find Both Inside Yourself Today
The Secret Of Successful New Year's Resolutions
With the New Year rapidly approaching, your thoughts will be turning to your New Years Resolutions. It's the time of year when you set your sights on the next year and decide what you want to achieve.
Are you planning on stopping smoking? Getting fitter? Losing a bit of weight or getting a new job?
These are a few of the perennial favourite New Years resolutions, though obviously, there are a lot more possible New Years resolutions.
When setting a New Years resolution, most people don't really spend a lot of time thinking about what they really want to achieve. You've probably heard people say something like, "I ought to stop smoking this year" or "I really should lose a bit of weight".
If you set resolutions like that, then you are setting yourself up for failure. You don't really want to achieve them, you just feel guilty and that you should do them bfor whatever reason.
The trouble is, unless you have some motivation and desire to achieve your resolutions, then you are not going to achieve them. It is absolutely vital that you pick New Years resolutions that you really want to achieve and then follow through on them with action.
When many people set their New Years resolutions they almost expect something magical to happen on January 1st and the resolutions to happen without any effort at all. The trouble is, this doesn't happen. You have to take some sort of action to make your resolutions happen.
Before the New Year happens, sit and think about your New Years Resolutions. What do you want to achieve next year? When you know this, then you can spend some time working out an action plan to make sure you can achieve it. If you want to stop smoking, get some help whether this is a stop smoking CD or a visit to a clinical hypnotist or even nicotine patches. If you wnat to lose weight, sign up for an exercise class, get some hypnosis programs to help or start a diet.
Without action you will fail at your New Years resolution. You deserve to succeed at them! So let's summarise with a quick checklist:
1) Decide upon your New Years resolutions
2) Create an action plan to achieve them
3) Take regular and consistent action to achieving your resolutions
Through this simple plan you will achieve your New Years resolutions so much easier.***
Source: Ezine Articles
Image Credit: www.mentalhelp.net
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Don't Let the Holidays Derail Your Diet!
by GAIL M. DAVIS
Fall is upon us and it is that challenging season when our diets take the biggest hit! Between football games, Thanksgiving, office parties, Christmas Eve, Christmas day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, family gatherings, and New Year celebrations, the scale could show a whopping 10-15 pound gain!
Just because this is what usually happens, it is not what has to happen! There are several things that you can do to ensure that you do not end up with unwanted pounds when January 2nd, rolls around!
Most people believe that they have two choices when it comes to celebrating the holidays. One option is total deprivation. These people avoid all celebrations, or at the very least avoid the holiday food table. They feel sorry for themselves at office parties and get annoyed when their colleagues bring in holiday goodies to share.
The other option is the “blow out.” These people completely give up on their healthy eating for the month-long holiday season. They eat as though they will never again get the opportunity to enjoy such amazing food!
I would like to propose a third option and that is an obvious compromise. If you’ve been working hard to lose weight leading up to the holiday season, there’s no reason to go to extremes. You can still enjoy the festivities, and yes, the food and drink, without destroying all of your hard work! Make weight maintenance your holiday goal and take the necessary steps to achieve that success.
First of all, careful planning is imperative! Get a calendar for November and December and record all your special events. Each morning, review your calendar and mentally plan for the day. Nothing is as effective for weight loss as careful planning! Do not prepare for special events involving food by skipping meals. Instead, eat small, healthy meals prior to the event to keep your metabolism strong and your appetite in check. At the event, eat what you want but only small amounts! Eat slowly and savor each bite. Enjoy those special holiday foods that aren’t normally available.
Be careful when drinking. Alcohol will weaken your resolve and make it easier for you to make the wrong choices. Drink a glass of water between each drink, and consider cutting your drinks with club soda.
Amp up your workouts during the fall season! Add extra days of cardio to your weekly regime. Look for those special ways that you can burn more calories. Even standing burns more calories than sitting, so take advantage of your calorie-burning opportunities!
Finally, remind yourself often that the holidays are about friends and family. Enjoy your holidays without guilt, but make your holidays about your loved ones instead of about food. If you follow these simple steps, you can start the New Year as a happier, healthier you!
About the author:
Gail M. Davis is currently the webmaster of Easy Weight Loss Tips. She offers more quick weight loss tips on her website. Enjoy food and exercise logs, motivational inspiration, and healthy recipes by visiting her site today!
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How Do You Want Your Holidays to Be?
This is the season of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. Are you hoping for a peaceful month, a realistic budget, time to get everything done, good health, warm relationships, and a joyous holiday season? Or perhaps you have you own word or combination of words to describe what you want this month to be like.
How you approach this last month of the year will depend on your attitude. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, attitude is a way of acting, feeling, or thinking that indicates your opinion about something. Your attitude is like a mirror. It reflects what you choose to focus on.
Negatives do happen in life. However, it is well known that when you focus on negatives, it is harder to:
- Feel confident.
- Pursue goals.
- Be happy.
- Solve problems.
- Socialize and enjoy relationships.
The good news is that it is possible to recognize when negatives are happening in your life without letting yourself dwell on them. In order to do this, you have to first be aware that you are stewing about something. Once you are aware that you are getting stuck with negative thoughts, you have the opportunity to change what you are thinking to more positive thoughts such as things you are grateful for.
Positive Psychology research suggests that when you experience genuine positive emotions in a 3 to 1 ratio with negative emotions, you cross a psychological tipping point. This means at the point of three positive emotions for every negative emotion, you will function at your best. You will feel more confident and happier, pursue your goals, solve problems, and enjoy your relationships.
Keeping a positive frame of mind during stressful times is certainly something to strive for. During this holiday season, it is possible to be hopeful and more resilient by increasing your ability to overcome adversity and dealing with challenges confidently by:
- Knowing what you care about and value - what is important to you.
- Discovering ways to reduce the demands on your time and money so that you feel in control of these resources.
- Choosing to go to only a couple of stores, shop online, look for things that are "good enough" instead of running around trying to find the best.
- Talking with family members about how to simplify giving gifts and entertaining.
- Breaking more complex tasks into smaller parts that can be done one at a time.
- Being able to say "No" to requests that will drain you.
It is important to remember that you do have a choice in how you respond to events going on around you. Even though you cannot control outside circumstance, you can choose to have a curious and creative attitude as you approach the holidays. Choose to:
- Do the things that are meaningful and energize you rather than drain you.
- Choose to have at least three positive thoughts for every negative thought.
No matter what your circumstances are, let this be a time of hope and resilience that will take you into the months ahead.***
Source: PattenCoaching.Com
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3 Simple Motivation Tips for Your Goal Setting Activities
Goal setting is a proven and powerful tool that most successful people are using to achieve what they want in their life. Although that it is a proven tool, but still there are many people fail to achieve their goals. Why is this so? One of the most common reasons is because most people thought that goal setting is a magic wand, all they need to do is just to write down their goals, and everything will come true.
You know it very well that goal setting is not a magic wand. If you are not doing anything, nothing is going to happen. The most important part of goal setting is what you do after you have set your goals. It is what you do after that that will lead you to your goals. And most people are lack of action. The number one reason for the lack of action is the lack of motivation.
The moment you are excited and you feel motivated, you will take a lot of action. And below are the 3 simple motivation tips for your goal setting activities…
1. Affirm your goals by telling yourself that you can achieve them. Imagine that every morning once you woke up, you look at the mirror and you tell yourself, “I can do it”. Do you think this will help to drive you? Of course it will. Affirming your goal is one of the best motivation tips that you can do easily and quickly.
2. Visualize the achievement of your goals each night before you sleep. By doing so, you will sink the vision or your goals into your subconscious mind. You are telling your subconscious mind that you have objectives to achieve in life and it will automatically help you to find ways to achieve them.
3. Another motivation tips for your goal setting activities that you can take instantly is by reminding yourself of your goals. You can do this by writing down your goals and paste the paper somewhere you can see often. The moment you see your goals, you are reminding yourself about your goals and you will feel driven to achieve them.
These are the 3 simple motivation tips that you can take for your goal setting activities. Remember, it is the motivation that makes you to take more action and it is the action that leads you toward your goals.***
Source: Goal Setting Activities
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Write Down Your Goals On Paper!
Having a goal sitting in your head may not help that much. Every book says that you need to write down your goals. First thinking about the goal is a good way to start but again, you need to write it down as soon as you think about it.
What is it that you want to accomplish?
Think about this in your mind and come up with the exact goal that you want to get. For example, let's look at a person who wants to earn 00 in the next 30 days online. Here is what he or she needs to do.
first step is to write down the goal of earning 00 in the next 30 days. So that's done. Good.
Next what you will want to do is to write how you are going to achieve this goal. You should figure out by now that you will want to find someone who has already done this before. Having a burning desire will also help you get to your goal.
Write down why you want to achieve this goal. For some, it is just having that extra income to help them pay for a car payment. For others, it may be that they want to save money. What ever your goals are, write down why you want to achieve them.
Another point to consider is to have complete faith in yourself and your desired goals. You need to have faith because if you don't, you may not achieve your goals at all. You may have written them down, but it means nothing if you kick out your belief of achieving this goal from your "belief" system that is sitting there somewhere in your head. You need to have faith that you can reach any goal that you set.
After you achieve a particular goal, don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back. Give yourself some sort of a reward. Once you achieve your first goal, you can accomplish any of your future goals in life. It should give you some sort of motivation to write more and more goals down.
Now, what would happen if you don't reach your goal? This can happen to anyone who sets goals. The best thing that you will need to do is to learn from this situation and think what you can do next time to achieve that goal.
If you fail once, try again. If you fail the second time, then try again until you reach your desired goal. But don't take the same action. Learn what you did wrong in the first trial and try something different.
When Barack Obama Talks About Change, He's Got You in Mind!
By Henry M. John
We live in exciting times! Barack Obama's victory signals that we're entering a period of change. Actually, people are hungry for change. Don't all those people standing in line to vote say something? They sure do!
He stood for change and that is probably what he's going to deliver. Some of the change won't be particularly pleasant, but let's hope for the first time we have a president who doesn't care if he doesn't get re-elected. Let's hope he just does what has to be done.
But what about change: have any of us really sat down and thought what it really means? A lot of people are afraid of change. Why? Primarily because they are afraid of the unknown.
Change is not something to be afraid of, it is to be embraced! If you remember that change is just another word for learning it should dispel any fear that you might have.
A world without change is a world where there is no progress. All of us have been stuck in a time-warp, happy to protect the status quo. It's done us a whole lot of no good too!
When Barack Obama talks about change, he also wants you to change. He doesn't want to be the only catalyst, he's expecting you to play your part too.
If change is just another word for learning, shouldn't we be taking a leaf from his book? If we were to exercise the same amount of self-discipline, determination and effort in our personal lives as he has demonstrated in his bid for the White House, what a huge difference that would make.
Let's take one part of our lives that far too many of us have seriously neglected: our health, and in particular our weight. If we really made an effort to lose weight - permanently, we would need to change, change our behaviour and learn new habits - new slim habits. What a difference we could make to our lives - and to the health and well-being of the nation. Isn't this the spirit of what Barack Obama wants us to do? Let's go for it!
About the author: Henry M John has a particular interest in changing behavior through learning new habits. Learn more about how to lose weight permanently by learning new habits. Visit http://www.slimhabit.com Image Credit: AllPosters Article Source: EzineArticles.Com |
5 Brilliant Rumi Quotes
With that thought in mind, I'd love to share five of Rumi's quotes that I believe are truly brilliant. They are my personal favorites and I've shared a few thoughts about why they speak so strongly to my heart - but don't take my word for it; ponder them yourself and let them speak to you. What insights do they hold for you?
"Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth."
This quote immediately moves me into that fabulous state of passion and joy that can only come from following your heart! Every time I read it I feel like kicking off my shoes, grabbing a notebook and pen and heading out to the back yard to write some poetry. Not that I write much poetry. Besides, it's winter here so my feet would get cold. But Rumi's words make me want to do it anyway.
"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy."
So many of us forget this simple wisdom in the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. We're so focused on what we have to do, need to do, almost forgot to do - that we end up living from our harried minds rather than the deeper place that makes everything so sacred.
Try an experiment yourself to feel the power in Rumi's words: Choose one task, big or small and do it from your soul. Take a walk and make a point of moving your body slowly and reverently. Brush your hair as if it were made of spun glass that might break if you tug too hard. Revel in the sensation of the brush bristles massaging your scalp and softening your hair. Even simple activities, when done in a conscious spiritual state, can awaken you in such profound ways that you'll never be the same.
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
Nowadays we are becoming more aware of the power of our own thoughts and the role they play in forming our physical reality, and this quote is very revealing in that context! Every time I read it I'm reminded that lack does not exist except in my own mind. Whatever I think I don't have enough of, I simply need to awaken to the ways I am blocking it from my perception. When I do that, suddenly it's all there right before my eyes, as it always was - if only I had been willing to see it. This can apply not only to love but money, good health, joy, inner peace, and so much more.
"The universe and the light of the stars come through me."
I don't think Rumi was bragging about his own greatness with this line, but rather sharing the insight that all of us "give birth" to our reality (our own universe, really) through our perceptions. He also may have been referring to inspiration - I've often said that written words "come through me" at times, especially when I'm "in the flow" and the words just come out with little editing on my part.
"Burdens are the foundations of ease and bitter things the forerunners of pleasure."
What a powerful message is contained in this gem! So often we resent the difficult moments in life and forget that they provide an important service for us. Not only do they lay a foundation and pave the way for better times later; they help us to become stronger, better people so we can appreciate those pleasant experiences when they arrive.
When I think back to some of the more difficult times I've had in life, I'm truly grateful for them now. They taught me a lot about myself and contributed greatly to the person I've become. I try hard to remember that when I find myself in tough situations these days - which makes them easier to bear.
In fact, that's what I love so much about quotes like Rumi's; they offer a moment of reprieve, a glimpse of grace, and a gentle reminder that the difficult moments will pass and the sun will shine once again. What more could we ask for? ***
Motivational Quotes by Zig Ziglar
A goal properly set is halfway reached.
Ability can take you the top, but it takes character to keep you there.
All of us perform better and more willingly when we know why we're doing what we have been told or asked to do.
Ambition, fueled by compassion, wisdom and integrity, is a powerful force for good that will turn the wheels of industry and open the doors of oppurtunity for you and countless others.
Are you a SNIOP? Someone who is Sensitive to the Negative Influence Of Others?
Attitude determines altitude.
Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, give him yours.
Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do the things you need to do when you need to them,and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do them!
Don't become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.
Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.
Everybody says they want to be free. Take the train off the tracks and it's free-but it can't go anywhere.
Happiness is not pleasure, it is victory.
If we don't start, it's certain we can't arrive.
If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.
If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere.
It is easy to get to the top after you get through the crowd at the bottom .
It's not the situation, but wheather we react (negative) or respond (positive) to the situation that's important.
I'ts not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life ;it is how you handle what happens to you.
About Zig Ziglar:
Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar (born 6 November 1926) is an American author, salesperson, and motivational speaker. Since 1970, his career has naturally moved from that of champion seller to master motivator. Ten of his 25 books have been best sellers. He is in constant demand as speaker and instructor to audiences of all kinds and sizes. An inspiration for the Living to Change Lives Foundation, he travels all over the world, delivering his messages of humor, hope and enthusiasm.
His latest book (as of 2007) is God's Way Is Still the Best Way.
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Self Motivation and Its Importance
Self motivation is very important. There are several reasons for self motivation being so important in a person’s life. Everyone needs to be self motivated.
Who needs motivation? All of us do. In this world of tough competition, stress and hectic lifestyle, one surely requires a driving force to get going. It is very important to keep up the good work.
These days, with so many challenges and a lot of competition one needs to survive, self motivation works like confidence enhancer. It boosts once enthusiasm and provides energy to work.
Self motivation is known as the most important factor in your life. If you are looking for success in any area of your life, you need self motivation. Self motivation plays an important role in enhancing your self esteem. It cultivates a desire to do something in life. Experts in the past have believed and even proved that when self motivation is combined with self determination, one can easily move mountains and find water in deserts.
There are several things one can get motivated with. People get motivated by their strong belief in the almighty. They can even get motivated by an experience they have had or by any other factor. These things just encourage you to change your perspective in life. One can change in to a better person or a better business person with self motivation.
People usually go through happy and sad times in their lives. When thing go awry, you need to support yourself, your family and people around you. This needs a good amount of energy force in you. When providing support and encouragement to your family and friends, you need to be really strong.
Some people are lucky to have good support in the times of pathos. However, some are left alone and require a lot of courage to survive tough times. At such times, one need to get motivates or motivates oneself. Lack of self motivation at such times can be damaging and even complicate your life further.
Mentioned below are some strong reasons on why you require self motivation:
- Self motivation is extremely important when it comes to accepting challenges and opportunities in life.
- The force of self motivation helps in planning your life and easing the difficulties.
- Self motivation provides a new sense of purpose and direction to your life.
- Self motivation is important to provide enthusiasm in life.
- Self motivation lets you live a fulfilling life.
- You can empower and encourage yourself to face tough times and competition in life with the help of self motivation.
- Self motivations fill you with positive energy and boost your enthusiasm.
- Self motivation is important for your existence. It provides you an identity for yourself.
Motivation is a kind of driving force that encourages an individual to get going. It is a kind of boost to the self confidence, faith and inner conscience of a person. All of us look for some kind of motivation in life. It is almost impossible to face a competition, achieve success of accomplish a goal without motivation.
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Happy for No Reason
"7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out" a book by Marci Shimoff
Marci Shimoff is no beginner to the world of writing, indeed her work with the hugely successful 'Chicken Soup' series is testament to that. In total she has six titles to her credit, and worldwide sales of over 13 million copies! Now that is not a shabby item to have on one's resume. This background alone should make Marci an expert on the subject of happiness. The Chicken Soup series are outstanding in their celebration of the human spirit.
Happy For No Reason explores a part of our psyche. If you take a step back, and think about all the people you interact with, and think about them. Some are eternally happy, and some are grumpy. Studies have shown that most of us reside in the grumpy part of the universe. Just think about all the people you know. How many are happy?
Marci Shimoff explores the many faceted aspects of happiness. Being rich may not buy happiness, buy maybe, happiness can make you rich? As the cartoon on page 32 explains, two guys around the Water Cooler and the caption reads "All I want is a chance to prove money can't make me happy."
Happiness and money are an interesting combination, and a friendship that often fails.
Marci takes a new approach, be happy first, and let the money arrive later.
In Happy For No Reason we get to meet members of what Marci Schimoff refers to as her Happy 100. The book is based on the thoughts and actions of 100 naturally happy people. This eclectic group covers the gamut from rich to poor, and each one has their own unique approach to happiness. This at first makes for a confusing read, there are what seem to be conflicting messages. However if you put it all into the idea-processor (brain), and mull it over for a while, the fog clears. There are some aspects that many of the Happy 100 have in common, and it is only the semantics that change.
Many have faced great adversity in their lives, but adversity is not the key. Adversity is merely the vehicle that created the environment for happiness. The real key is being positive. Having a positive attitude even under the most trying of circumstances is what all of these fine people have in common. Some do it through prayer, being thankful for what they do have, some do it through meditation, some merely revel in the world around them. And the holistic 7-step program at the heart of Happy for No Reason encompasses Happiness Habits for all areas of life: personal power, mind, heart, body, soul, purpose, and relationships.
Happy For No Reason is available from Amazon.
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Why not be an optimist today?
If you’ve placed second in a writing contest, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?
In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.
So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?
Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.
On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder’ as well.
Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:
Optimists expect the best
The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.
The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune---it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.
Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.
They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”
Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.
People respond positively to optimists
Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.
Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.
In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice.
When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher
Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.
They persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.
Optimists are healthier and live longer
Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.
Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.
So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.
Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life in the bright side?
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Ask Yourself | A Preparation to Self-Improvement
Be all you can be, but it's not always in the Army. I often see myself as somewhat contented with my life the way things are, but of course it's hard to think of anything else when where are real issues to be discussed.
Still I aspire for something deeper and more meaningful.
So we're all pelted with problems. Honestly it shouldn't even bother or even hinder us to becoming all we ought to be. Aspirations as kids should continue to live within us, even though it would be short-lived or as long as we could hold on to the dream. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks… or can they?
1. What do I really want?
The question of the ages. So many things you want to do with your life and so little time to even go about during the day.
Find something that you are good at can help realize that small step towards improvement. Diligence is the key to know that it is worth it.
2. Should I really change?
Today's generation has taken another level of redefining 'self', or at least that's what the kids are saying. Having an army of teenage nieces and nephews has taught me that there are far worse things that they could have had than acne or maybe even promiscuity. So how does that fit into your lifestyle?
If history has taught us one thing, it's the life that we have gone through. Try to see if partying Seventies style wouldn't appeal to the younger generation, but dancing is part of partying. Watch them applaud after showing them how to really dance than break their bones in break-dancing.
3. What's the bright side in all of this?
With so much is happening around us there seem to be no room for even considering that light at the end of the tunnel. We can still see it as something positive without undergoing so much scrutiny. And if it's a train at the end of the tunnel, take it for a ride and see what makes the world go round!
4. Am I comfortable with what I'm doing?
There's always the easy way and the right way when it comes to deciding what goes with which shoes, or purse, shirt and whatnot. It doesn't take a genius to see yourself as someone unique, or else we'll all be equally the same in everything we do. Variety brings in very interesting and exciting questions to be experimented.
5. Have I done enough for myself?
Have you, or is there something more you want to do? Discontentment in every aspect can be dangerous in large doses, but in small amounts you'll be able to see and do stuff you could never imagine doing.
6. Am I happy at where I am today?
It's an unfair question so let it be an answer! You love being a good and loving mom or dad to your kids, then take it up a notch! Your kids will love you forever. The same goes with everyday life!
7. Am I appealing to the opposite sex?
So maybe I don't have an answer to that, but that doesn't mean I can't try it, though. Whether you shape-up, change the way you wear your clothes or hair, or even your attitude towards people, you should always remember it will always be for your own benefit.
8. How much could I have?
I suppose in this case there is no such things on having things too much or too little, but it's more on how badly you really need it. I'd like to have lots of money, no denying that, but the question is that how much are you willing to work for it?
9. What motivates me?
What motivates you? It's an answer you have to find out for yourself. There are so many things that can make everyone happy, but to choose one of the may be the hardest part. It's not like you can't have one serving of your favorite food in a buffet and that's it. Just try it piece by piece.
10. What Really Makes You Tick?
So? What really makes you tick? You can be just about anything you always wanted to be, but to realize that attaining something that may seem very difficult is already giving up before you even start that journey. Always remember, that self-improvement is not just about the physical or philosophical change you have to undergo, but it's something that you really want.
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Unleash Your Creative Thinking
People seem to have the misconception that only a select few are able to unleash a steady flow of creative genius. That is not true at all. The fact is, creativity is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to consistently give out great results. If you don't practice harnessing creative thinking, this skill will very much atrophy into inexistence. But keep working and this skill will soon come to you in a snap.
So how do you unleash your creative thinking? Well, the first thing is to become a human leech. No, we're not talking about just sucking the blood out of every living being available, we're saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning you can find. Read everything available -- good and bad, and keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities of the universe. The more you know, the more you'll want to know, and the more your faculty of wonder will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of color into your life.
Focus on a creative activity everyday. Yes, it's an effort. Even doodling is a creative activity. Don't let anything hinder you. Mindlessness may be a creative activity, but for people who are just starting out to unleash a little bit of creative thinking in their lives, it is helpful and encouraging to have concrete evidence, that, "hey, what I'm doing is getting somewhere." So why don't you try it. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Bring out your old camera and start snapping photos like crazy. Keep a journal and make a point to write in it religiously. Another cool idea is to write by describing something with your five senses. Try to avoid vague adjectives like "marvelous," "amazing," and "delicious." Before you know it, you'll have built yourself a tiny portfolio, and you'll be amazed at the growth you've undertaken after amassing all those works of art. Who knows, you might actually take to liking those things you do everyday. Pretty soon those things will become a part of you and you'll be addicted to these creative exercises.
Think out of the box -- or don't. Sometimes, constraints are actually a good thing. Limitations discipline you to work within your means. It enables you to be more resourceful. Creative freedom is great, but limitations enforce discipline.
Try something new everyday and let your experiences broaden your perspective. Explore a new district in your neighborhood. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you've never been before. Chat up someone on the bus. Open up to the people around you. As you thrust yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your zest for life. Think about it. When was the last time you did something for the first time? If it's been a while, I tell you, you've been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could've added to your growth, emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. Why don't you try bungee jumping today? Not only will you learn, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to practice your storytelling skills and making you the life of the party.
Embrace insanity. No, not to the point of practically admitting yourself into the mental ward. As John Russell once said, "Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting." Exactly! Every creative thought was once deemed insanity by other "normal" people at one time or another. Luckily, that didn't stop the creative geniuses from standing by them. The thing is, sanity or being normal confines people to think... well, normally. Withink limits. Creativity is essentially breaking through barriers. Yes, this includes the bizzarre and the downright strange. I'm not saying that you yourself should develop a creative personality. That might go haywire. An example of a creative personality would be George Washington, who often rode into battle naked, or James Joyce, who wrote "Dubliners" with beetle juice for an intense fear of ink, or Albert Einstein, who thought his cat was a spy sent by his rival (or in thinking creatively in this case, the term could probably be "archnemesis.") It's important that your creativity doesn't get you detached from the real world completely.
I hope this article has inspired you to start thinking beyond your "limits." If you follow these steps pretty soon you'll be living a life full of interesting adventures. Unleashing your creative thinking will bring about a new zest for living life.
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Live Your Own Life
Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make
Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.
Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?
There are no guarantees.
You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.
Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.
Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.
Take the risk: decide.
Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid.
Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
1. Get as many information as you can about your situation.
You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.
2. Identify and create options.
What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.
3. Weigh the pros and cons of every option.
Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.
4. Trust yourself and make that decision.
Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.
Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.***
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Life Mapping: A Vision of Success
Success is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.
Origin: Who you are
A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior highschool student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.
Destination: A vision of who you want to be
“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.
Vehicle: Your Mission
A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.
Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude
Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.
Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives
Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.
Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes
The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly. ***
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Free Ebook | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a self help book written by Stephen R. Covey. It has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages since first publication, which was marked by the release of a 15th anniversary edition in 2004. The book lists seven principles that, if established as habits, are supposed to help a person achieve true interdependent effectiveness.
habit 1 - be proactive®
This is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. Self determination, choice, and the power to decide response to stimulus, conditions and circumstances
habit 2 - begin with the end in mind®
Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership - leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.
habit 3 - put first things first®
Covey calls this the habit of personal management. This is about organising and implementing activities in line with the aims established in habit 2. Covey says that habit 2 is the first, or mental creation; habit 3 is the second, or physical creation.
habit 4 - think win-win®
Covey calls this the habit of interpersonal leadership, necessary because achievements are largely dependent on co-operative efforts with others. He says that win-win is based on the assumption that there is plenty for everyone, and that success follows a co-operative approach more naturally than the confrontation of win-or-lose.
habit 5 - seek first to understand and then to be understood®
One of the great maxims of the modern age. This is Covey's habit of communication, and it's extremely powerful. Covey helps to explain this in his simple analogy 'diagnose before you prescribe'. Simple and effective, and essential for developing and maintaining positive relationships in all aspects of life. (See the associated sections on Empathy, Transactional Analysis, and the Johari Window.)
habit 6 - synergize®
Covey says this is the habit of creative co-operation - the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person's contribution.
habit 7 - sharpen the saw®
This is the habit of self renewal, says Covey, and it necessarily surrounds all the other habits, enabling and encouraging them to happen and grow. Covey interprets the self into four parts: the spiritual, mental, physical and the social/emotional, which all need feeding and developing.
Download free ebook The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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How to be Genuinely Happy
Genuine Happiness Comes from Within
Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives. And then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so adorably sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?” Then I pause and observed for awhile… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.
So, how does one become genuinely happy? Step 1 is to love yourself.
My theology professor once said that “loving means accepting.” To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great ounce of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve your repertoire to recover from our mistakes.
Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”
When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else. But if you keep questioning life lit it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.
I believe that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, wining and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. Failure, in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder us from becoming happy.
How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that.
Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFLs. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.”, instead of looking at it all blank and murmur “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!” and then walk away.
Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best. So, how do you become genuinely happy? Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success. So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. Its about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling your self “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.
When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults. You pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”.For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted. For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love ten folds back.
Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?”. I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted- “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Coz then you don’t just become happy… you become free.” (^^^^^)
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The Road to Intuition
Have you had that experience when all of a sudden you just had this huge hunch that something is about to happen, and to your surprise, that intuition was eventually translated to reality?
When you feel strongly about something without logical basis to it, that's called intuition. It comes in three impressions: clairvoyance or "the third eye", sensing clearly and feeling through listening.
Clairvoyance is when your eye goes beyond what it can see. This is when you know what is happening somewhere.
Sensing clearly is basically what we refer to as "hunch" or "gut feel." This is the time when you are overwhelmed with a feeling and you can't explain it and all you can say is "I just know."
On the other hand, feeling through listening or clairaudience is being able to "listen" between the lines. Intuition also happens at times when a certain sound, whatever it is - be it a car's honk or a bird's twitting - ushers in an intense feeling.
They say only a number of people are gifted with intuition. Astrologers even insist that people born under the Scorpio or Pisces signs are naturally intuitive it almost borders on E.S.P. But studies have been sprouting left and right that proclaim that anyone can develop intuition.
Why the need to develop intuition, you ask? Why not let your emotional and psychological state as it is? First and foremost, intuition promotes good communication. It makes you more sensitive to the people around you; it often keeps you from hurting those you love because you are intuitive enough to understand them. Intuition also makes you far more creative than ever. Intuition means releasing more creative juices for any means of expression. Lastly, intuition has a healing power. This healing power is not in the physical sense, but in delving deep into your soul to eradicate some negative energy buried in it.
With that being said, are you ready to develop your intuition? Here are some ways to unlock this gift:
1. Hypnosis
Oh yes, get yourself hypnotized. Hypnosis is not limited to watching a pendulum move back and forth. Perform self-hypnosis or you can avail of hypnotic programs that can strengthen your intuition.
2. Meditation
Meditating means finding peace in yourself. If your mind and heart are cluttered with too many baggage and hurt, you wouldn't be able to quiet down that part of you that could eventually initiate intuition. There are so many ways to meditate: take a yoga class, or just simply practice some breathing that could bring you straight to Zen.
3. Think positive!
A worry-free, fear-free state could do so much to improve your intuitive ability. By staying positive, you attract good energy that would be able to easily recognize imminent feelings and events.
4. Just let go.
What does this mean? If you are on the brink of making a huge decision, let go of all the inhibitions and head to a quiet place where you could find out where the letting go has brought you. Sometimes you just have to listen to the voice within you, and that voice wouldn't come out unless you let go.
5. Never expect.
After letting go of the inhibitions and all those things that stop you from thinking and feeling clearly, never expect for an answer right away. Never expect that the "hunch" would fall on your lap immediately. Give it a little time then you'd just get surprised that -- wham! -- now you have your answer.
6. Believe in your first impressions.
When you see someone for the first time and think that he is a bit too arrogant for your taste, chances are that impression actually holds true. Most of the time, first impressions are brought by intuition.
7. Stay happy!
See? All you need to be intuitive is to stay happy! Happiness attracts immense power and such power includes intuition. In tapping your intuition, your motivation must be happiness and contentment. Given that premise, intuition will fall to you easily.
Intuition is helpful, because sometimes it leads you to something that cannot be achieved otherwise. A lot of lives have been saved by intuition alone. Decisions are easier done if armed by this gift. Develop intuition now and reap benefits you have never imagined.
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Every Problem has a Solution
Your Guide to Creative Problem Solving
How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem – and that that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve. No leads. No options. No solutions.
Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain – large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you're hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.
But rejoice! There might be some hope yet!
With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.
First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to the problem. And, you must be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.
Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.
Number one; maybe the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral solving the problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.
Not trying to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain any stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.
Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have the words of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.
Number three; try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that from them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.
Number four; although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, tried to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for chinks in the armor of that solution.
Number five; it pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem.
Number six; remember that old adage," two heads are better than one." That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you're talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.
You don't have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better.
Number seven; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.
Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.
Here is one example.
Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind at the center. Now look at that word then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a tree of related words. This helps you build analogical skills, and fortify your creative processes.
So, next time you see a problem you think you can not solve, think again. The solution might just be staring you right in the face. All it takes is just a little creative thinking, some planning, and a whole lot of work.