Brain training games claim to improve your memory, attention, and reasoning skills. Some even say they help prevent the onset of dementia. Problem is, they don’t really work. Have a look at the video below:
Author: Angela Wilcox
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Coping With Failure and Setbacks
Failure is hard to stomach, especially when when you put your heart and sole into something and it just doesn’t pan out. Lets face it, some things are just not meant to be, like that relationship, job, or business venture. Learning to cope with it all is a challenge and in this piece, I will give you tips, and steps you can take to help you brush off your setbacks.
1. Stop Dwelling
To dwell means to continue to relive the failure over and over again in your head. When we dwell, we have a tendency to focus too much on what could have been, instead of how we can correct the problem. Don’t get lost in your thoughts, and continue to internalize the issue you are dealing with. If it is worth saving, like a relationship, work with the person on how to move forward if it is what the two of you want. If it’s a setback with a new years resolution, brush yourself off, and pick up where you left off. Spend your time dwelling on a solution to the problem, then the problem itself and you will see a big difference in your attitude as a result.
2. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Self sabotaging isn’t going to help you out one bit so it’s best to stop beating yourself up right this minute. Remember, life is filled with instances of results, and outcomes, and that’s how you need to define failure. Failure isn’t necessarily permanent when it comes to goals and objectives. It just means that a particular way of doing something isn’t working. Failure is life’s mechanism to indicate to you that a different approach is needed. Moreover, blaming yourself for failing is just going to further exasperate you to the point where you are too upset to retry, which leads us to step number three…..
3. Learn to Accept
Years ago, I was involved in a business that I gave 100% to, with all my heart and soul. I sacrificed time with family, friends, and relationships just to make it work and in the end it just wasn’t meant to be. The business literally ran out of money, and to continue, it would require major financial investment. After a thorough analysis, it was just something my partners and I could no longer afford. We had to learn to accept what our limits were at that time, and in this case specifically, it was money. Sometimes in life, outcomes are out of our control.
We must learn to accept these outcomes, and move forward with a new plan. Once you learn to accept what the reality is, it will give you clarity, and peace of mind to accept new challenges in your life. You can only do this clarity once you learn to accept.
4. Seek Guidance
Failure is part of the human experience, and chances are your friends, family and those you most admire have failed many times in their lives. Seek the guidance of successful people, and ask them to tell a story of a time they failed miserably at something. Not only will this serve as a source of motivation for you, it will make your failures seem like nothing. Did you know that Col. Sanders, the man who famously founded Kentucky Fried Chicken, tried to sell his “secret recipe” to over 1,000 restaurants before one said ‘yes.’ Most impressive was he did this aged 62, and went door to door over a period of a few years until he could convince someone to buy his recipe. Now that is determination for you! Seek the guidance and advise of successful people who have failed at something. They will undoubtedly have a story to tell you.
5. Take the Focus Off of Yourself
We live in a ‘me, me, me’ generation. Lets face it, your problem more than likely isn’t as bad as the child who will go to sleep hungry this very night, because he doesn’t have enough food to eat. Yes this sounds a bit off key, but there are more other pressing issues in a world filled with injustice and inequality, that are waiting on people like you to help. Volunteer at a local homeless or animal shelter, or help your elderly neighbor with yard work. Visit your local ASPCA to inquire about how you can foster a pet, and do more than just give your money. Give your time. Take the focus off yourself and try and help people who have much more serious problems, than you might ever have in your life. This will help you take the focus off of yourself, and put into perspective how grateful you should be to have your life.
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How Do We Stop the Minds Chatter?
Sadhguru answers a question on why the mind seems to have a mind of its own! He looks at how terms such as “no-mind” and “stop the mind” have been used over the years, and asks why one would want to stop the mind – the product of millions of years of evolution. The problem, he reminds us, is not the mind, but that the mind is “telling its own story.” He describes how the powerful kriya, Shambhavi Mahamudra, is one big step towards changing this.
Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times.
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The Comprehensive Guide To Sticking To Your New Years Resolution
It’s that time of year again when millions of Americans, and people all over the world make their dreaded New Years resolution. Why dreaded? Studies show that the failure rate is high just after the first few months, as people return back old habits that set them back in terms of progress, before they quit all together.
If your goal is to change your life, lose weight, break addiction, or stop a bad habit like smoking, or even drinking, these simple 5 steps below will help you stick to your New Years Resolution.
1. Set Realistic Goals
Hypothetically speaking, if your plan is to lose 100 pounds in two months, you know for sure that this is an unrealistic goal. Take baby steps, and start with a mini goal of something feasible like 3 pounds a week. As time goes on, challenge yourself incrementally, and modify your goals to challenge yourself accordingly.The same goes if you are trying to switch careers, or quit smoking. Take baby steps, and do not be discouraged when there are setbacks. Setbacks are outcomes, not total failures. Pick up the pieces where you left off after you assess what is wrong, and keep moving forward.
2. Make A Plan
Now that you have your goals written down, congratulations, you are on to step number two: Make A Plan. There is that old cliché saying ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,’ and it is true. You must now strategize to figure out how you are going to accomplish your goal. Buy yourself a notebook, and write down just how you plan to accomplish that goal. For example, if you are trying to stop smoking, write down and strategize just how you plan on doing that. Do you have triggers that make you smoke? Write down what they are, and create a written plan on how to avoid such triggers.
3. Take The Action
Your ready to move now. Sustainable change happens when you take consistent action to put your plan into motion. Most people will write down a goal, and make a plan, but forget this very critical and important third step. Setting a goal without taking the action is just a wish. True progress is measured only after you act. Get moving! ❤️
4. Stay Consistent
Change is instant once you decide. However, sustaining that change over a period of time is the real challenge. Forget about the worries of tomorrow, and rather focus on the now, focus on today. Stick to your plan making sure to check your progress at the end of every week. If you are not making any headway, change your plan until you get it right. It takes only 30 days or less of consistent conditioning to break any bad habit. Do not be discouraged or distracted.
5. Declare Your Goals To Friends and Family
Most people quit anything they try their hands at because there is no level of accountability. The interesting thing about us humans is that when we tell someone we are trying to change something about ourselves, they check in on us from time to time to make sure we are measuring up to expectations. Tell your friends, and tell the world for that matter about your goals for the new year. Start a Facebook page outlining your goals if you need to, and make it your mission to chronicle your journey along the way. Good friends, and family especially, will help motivate and encourage you along the way.
These are the 5 steps you can take today to leave the baggage, and setbacks of 2015 behind. Remember why you want to change. If you aren’t growing, you’re either dying or staying the same. Who doesn’t want to evolve anyways? Never quit, be patient, keep a steady hand and always record your progress.
Wishing you a Happy New Year.
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Forget Big Change, Start With a Tiny Habit
What if someone told you to floss only one tooth everyday? Or start the new year, not with grand resolutions, but with a simple challenge.. like ONE pushup a day? BJ Fogg shows us that the key to lasting change does not lie in planning big, monumental changes, but in thinking really, really small. Chosen by Fortune Magazine as one of “10 New Gurus You Should Know”, Fogg directs the Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University.
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The Power of Positive Thinking
Tony Robbins speaks about “The Seven-Day Mental Diet” by Emmet Fox is a powerful reminder that the stories in our minds create the stories in our lives. He recommends going on a 7 day mental diet from dwelling on negative thoughts. This is a great way to turn your negative thoughts into positive stories in your life.
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Moving From Change To Progress
Did you recently change a habit, and are now stuck with what to do next to condition the change? Move from change to progress by watching this instructional video by Tony Robbins.
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How To Break The Habit of Excessive Thinking
Eckhart explores the powerful addiction to thinking, offering a handful of ways to put a stop to thoughts and choose presence instead.
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A Beginners Guide to Meditation
Are you interested in meditation, but unsure of how to start a practice on your own? ABC anchor Dan Harris teams up with meditation expert Sharon Salzberg to walk you through the basics.
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Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: How To Stop Negative Thinking
When you change your thoughts, you change your life. Dwelling on negative thoughts is bad for you and your mental health. Here is an audio clip of Eckhart Tolle who reminds us to stay in the present, and focus on the now, not the how.