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20 Easy Ways to Reward Yourself for Reaching Your Goal

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When you set goals, it is easy to let them go when you don’t experience a reward. Taking small steps toward something bigger deserves special recognition, though, so rewarding yourself is essential.

When you treat yourself for seemingly small accomplishments, you will feel motivated to keep working hard. You will form new, beneficial habits that help you continue your success.

It is essential to choose rewards that won’t undo your hard work or set you back in any way. Choose ones related to your goal, if possible, and make sure you will look forward to the reward.

Twenty Easy Ways to Reward Yourself

Take a moment to give yourself a great, big congratulations.

reward1. Spend Time with Your Loved Ones

One of the best rewards in life is spending time with people that you love. Your loved one could be a close friend or a family member that you don’t see often enough. If you can’t physically be with them, make time for a video call or write them a note instead.

2. Spend Time Making Your Favorite Dishes or Try Some New Ones

Depending on your goals, you can make your favorite baked dishes or dinners. If those dishes aren’t allowed in your healthy eating regime, then find a few new ones to try. Remember to avoid undoing your progress or hinder your success, so trying new dishes might be necessary.

3. Take a Break from Everyday Life

Sometimes you need to get away from your daily environment. Going on a short road trip can give you the time that you need, or you could plan an entire weekend away from home. Another option is to spend a night at a bed-and-breakfast near your home.

Whatever you choose to do, make it something that will bring you joy and relaxation. When you are taking a break is the best time to visit national parks. Or, you can book a vacation somewhere you have always wanted to go.

4. Indulge in Flowers and Plants

Flowers and plants are a sure way to reduce stress in your life. When you have reached a goal, use this prize to bring happiness to your life.

You can buy yourself flowers or a plant for your home, or you can work outside in your garden. Plants also promote productivity and offer limitless benefits.

Another fun idea is to visit a botanical garden in your area. You can expect to see different flowers and plants that you can’t experience at your home.

5. Watch Something You Enjoy

Sometimes the best way to reward yourself is by watching something that you look forward to. You can turn on your favorite movie or a movie you have wanted to watch. With streaming services, you can likely find any movie you want.

If you have a favorite show, look for new episodes or catch up on ones you have missed. Another option that many people might not think about is online videos. If you enjoy videos, spend time watching ones that make you laugh, smile, or help you learn something.

6. Plan a Fun Night Out

Letting loose during a night out is the perfect way to treat yourself. Check out local events in your area and start planning a fun night out with your friends or partner. You can check for concerts, movies, a comedy show, or a karaoke event.

7. Read a Book While You Enjoy Your Favorite Beverage in Peace

Plan for at least a half-hour of uninterrupted time to enjoy your favorite beverage and read. If books aren’t for you, then you can choose your favorite magazine.

Another option is to spend this time drinking your morning coffee and coloring in an inspirational coloring book. If you can’t have this time alone at home, find a coffee shop or other quiet place to spend that time.

8. Sign Up for a Class or Seminar

The perfect way to reward yourself is by signing yourself up for a class or seminar. Not only will it be fun, but you will be learning at the same time. You can sign up for something to further your current skills or sign up for something entirely new.

If your goal is fitness-related, you could sign up for a lesson with a personal trainer. Other fun fitness options include yoga, palates, or a spinning class.

9. Set up a Personal Space at Home

You can treat yourself by setting up a personal sanctuary where you can enjoy your time. This space can be whatever you want it to be, as long as you have privacy and can relax.

If you already have a personal space, consider switching it up when you accomplish a goal. Giving the walls a fresh coat of paint or buying new décor can make all the difference.

10. Listen to Your Favorite Music

Turn on your favorite playlist and spend time enjoying the lyrics or the beat. If possible, find music that is motivating, energizing, relaxing, or uplifting. Let loose by singing and dancing around to make this experience even better.

pop meme11. Plan a Party or Game Night

If you like planning, then putting together a party or game night will be fun right from the start. Go all out and plan snacks, food, drinks, fun games, and anything else you want to have. Some fun games to play with friends include Charades or Pictionary, but consider your group before deciding.

12. Invest in Something Related to Your Goal

If you want your prize to relate to your goal, consider what you need to keep moving forward. For fitness goals, consider rewarding yourself by investing in a new sports bra or exercise shoes. You could also consider sunglasses designed for outdoor sports.

For healthy eating, consider rewarding yourself with a new blender for protein shakes and fruit smoothies. You could also invest in a food scale or something else that you often want.

If your goal is work-related, you could invest in a new planner targeted to your needs. If you want to go further, get some stickers or other embellishments to make your planner even better. Another idea for a work-related goal is to buy something new for your desk.

13. Do Something You Enjoy

Spend time working on your hobbies. If you like arts and crafts, choose a new project to start and work on it the next time you reach a goal.

Likewise, if you are into podcasts, spend time listening to your favorites or finding new ones to enjoy. Whatever your hobby is, set aside time to enjoy it as a prize.

14. Treat Yourself

Think of something that you would love to indulge in and choose that as your next reward. You could choose your favorite dessert or a meal out so that you don’t have to cook. If you love cold treats, treat yourself to a smoothie or milkshake instead.

15. Hire Someone for a Task You Don’t Enjoy or Don’t Have Time For

Think of the tasks you like least or don’t have time for and delegate them to someone else. You could hire a company to do these things for you, or you could hire someone you know that can get the job done. Consider hiring someone for lawn care, cleaning, or grocery shopping.

Not only is this a great way to reward yourself, but it will free up some of your time and energy. With that extra time, you can dedicate yourself to reaching your next goal.

16. Take an Entire Day Off

Everyone needs a chance to relax without thinking about anything work-related, chore-related, or child-related. You will likely have to plan this day ahead of time, which gives you a deadline for reaching your goal.

Once you have earned this reward, make sure you use it wisely. Do whatever you want to do, and try not to think about anyone else for the entire day.

You can see a movie while everyone else is at work and have the theater to yourself. Or, you can have a lazy day doing nothing at all. Start planning this day right now so that you can make sure it goes perfectly.

17. Spend Time Relaxing

No matter how busy life gets, take time to relax. Make time for a hot bath, a scented candle, and a good book or playlist. Try to turn off all social media during this time so that your relaxing time isn’t interrupted or wasted.

18. Get Pampered

Sometimes you need to get out of the house and let other people take care of you. Schedule a massage, a beauty treatment, or a hair appointment as a prize for reaching your goal. Even if you get a simple haircut, setting aside this time for yourself is beneficial.

19. Spend Time Outside

Spending time outside is something you are sure to anticipate excitedly. If you already spend lots of time outdoors, then plan something new as your prize.

You can go for a walk in a place you have never been or find a peaceful place to sit and reflect. Another option is to spend time gazing at the stars or basking in the sunshine. Whatever it is, choose something that will bring you happiness.

20. Visit a Place You Have Wanted to See

Make a list of all the places you want to see near your home or within driving distance. When you reach a goal, you can choose one of the places and take a trip to check it out. Think about museums, exhibitions, art galleries, or anything else you have always wanted to see.

rewardFinal Thoughts on Easy Ways to Reward Yourself for Reaching Your Goal

When you are working toward a goal, having something to look forward to can help you get there. Choose a reward for yourself that you look forward to and want to earn.

The prize you earn should be beneficial to you and bring you happiness in some way. Think it over as you decide which prize to give yourself so that it is meaningful to you.

5 Ways Gratitude Can Help You Focus on the Present

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Gratitude is a beautiful quality in a person. It points to an appreciative, kind, and virtuous emotional response to the fact that positive things are happening in your life, whether to you, around you, or for those you love. In other words, it’s the act of being deeply and sincerely thankful for something that you’re experiencing or have experienced. But did you know it can also help you focus on the present?

For many people, gratitude doesn’t come easily, and this is with good reason. The world is often skewed towards the negative, which distracts you from the many great things you can appreciate. Unfortunately, focusing on those negative things tends to disrupt your concentration on your daily life.

Why does this happen? Well, negativity begets negativity. When you focus on bad things, you’re not only inviting more of them, but you’re also thinking about possible bad futures and the effects of traumatic pasts. You’ll be stuck in these thought spirals that don’t allow you to be mindful or present, and in the long run, that can be bad for your mental health.

Gratitude can help with this problem. It’s a little surprising to imagine how being thankful and appreciative can so dramatically improve your life and its perspective, but it’s true! Being grateful can keep you grounded in the current time, so you don’t drift off to regrets of the past and worries of the future. Here are five ways gratitude can help you stay focused in the present moment.

1.    It Makes You Happier

focus on the presentGratitude has impressive effects on your long-term happiness and positive thinking. The simple act of gratitude journaling can completely change your life for the better. But how does it do this, and how does it connect you to the present moment?

The secret lies in hedonic adaptation. This refers to the psychological fact that you get used to and “resistant” to exposure to things that satisfy you hedonistically – or in other words, things that give you a material pleasure of some kind. Repeatedly gaining hedonic pleasure makes you enjoy those sources of happiness less over time.

This means boosts from pleasurable sources of temporary happiness, like eating a good meal, or even big milestones of significant achievement, like buying your first house or getting a job promotion, are feelings you’ll get used to. The more stimulus to a certain kind of pleasure you get, the less it affects you and matters to you in the long run.

Here are the benefits:

  • You’ll start becoming dissatisfied with your quality of life a few months after its improvement.
  • Specific sources of temporary happiness will require higher and higher levels of that source to continue creating happiness for you.
  • Chasing happiness based on hedonic whims is likely to be an impossible and unrewarding task.
  • You lose the ability to stay focused in the present moment when you’re focused on impossible aspirations for the sake of happiness.

So, how does gratitude change this? Well, it alters the source of your happiness. When happiness comes from within and from things that already exist around you, you don’t need to chase after more superficial forms of that feeling in hedonic activity and pursuit.

This is precisely why gratitude makes you happier! You don’t need to seek external happiness in an idea of an imagined, better future. Though you continue to work towards personal goals and aspirations, you also find joy in things you already have, which makes you happier and less likely to run into the problem of hedonic adaptation.

Better yet, unlike hedonic pleasure, gratitude grows in rewards over time. Studies have shown that the psychological boost from regular gratitude gets stronger when you practice such behavior! It’s a long-term benefit that you’ll carry with you throughout your life, and in fact, a few weeks of gratitude-focused thought can sustain you for several months. The effects of gratitude are long-lasting, so there’s no reason not to begin.

2.    It Helps You Focus On Positive Things

There is negativity in a lot of aspects of everyday life. When you see that negativity, your desire to escape it can be overwhelming. It can rip your focus away, making you ruminate on the past, catastrophize the future, and idealize other situations and imagined scenarios.

To stay focused in the present moment, you cannot keep your mind only negative. You need to learn to see positive things in your everyday life and mentally hone in on them. The understanding that good things are present all around you makes the present a much brighter place.

Gratitude helps to improve your positive thinking by shifting your focus towards the silver linings instead of the dark clouds. The brain works in such a way that the things you focus the most on are the things you are likely to attract more of and move towards. Gratitude keeps you present by challenging you to keep your eye on the positive over the negative, allowing you to view the great things you miss in life when you only see the glass half-empty.

Don’t feel bad if your brain focuses more on the bad for now, though! Learning to focus on and find good things in everyday life is a skill that takes time to build. This is because of negativity bias, which shows how human brains are wired against positive thinking. This is because the brain is designed to keep you alive, safe, and happy, so it needs to emphasize potential threats to your peace.

optimism-umbrella3.    It Makes You More Optimistic

Optimism refers to positive thinking regarding the future and upcoming events. Some people think that it means being unrealistic or too idealistic, but this is not necessarily the case. Optimism in its most helpful forms often entails a general positivity towards the future and a belief that, even if difficult times lie ahead, you will be capable of overcoming them.

Without optimism, you can’t stay in the present moment. You’ll forever be pondering the uncertainty of your future and can get caught in anxiety spirals about upcoming challenges. But with gratitude, your positive thinking is boosted significantly, which allows you to be at peace with the many possibilities that the future holds.

As previously mentioned, gratitude involves the ability to focus on good things in life. Of course, when you perceive your present as good, you can also believe in a good future up ahead. You are more likely to focus on potential good things than bad ones, after all.

4.    It Reduces Your Worst Fears

An inability to focus on the present is often rooted in fear. Fears of the future, of the past, and the uncertainty of the world can all remove your ability to stay focused. That’s why it’s important to overcome these fears and remain present, but that’s easier said than done.

Gratitude is a great way to help you reduce the worst of your fears. The extrapolations of your worries into catastrophes and imagined plights are often born out of fear of a lack of control. When you’re grateful, you learn to find beauty and silver linings in these types of moments.

In many cases, this kind of deep-rooted fear can’t survive in the heart of a grateful person. You can’t be afraid when you’re busy appreciating all the lovely things you can find in the world around you. Examples of fears that gratitude can help sate are:

  • Fear of failure or failing; gratitude can teach you to find the lessons in mistakes and errors.
  • The fear of scarcity. Gratitude is abundant in nature, teaching you to appreciate what you have, no matter how little of it there may be
  • Fear of losing control; gratitude teaches you to find wonder in the ride, even if you’re being dragged along for it.

5.    It Improves The Memories You Have

Memories can change over time. Though the facts surrounding them remain, the tint with which we view them can change. These tints can change the way you stay grounded. For example, negative memories can make you feel trapped and held down by them. Here is how gratitude helps to change this:

  • It makes bad memories into good lessons and experiences, reminding you how you can appreciate how far you’ve come as a person and how you’ve grown since then.
  • It corrects your rose-colored view of certain circumstances, preventing you from romanticizing negative aspects of your past; remember, gratitude does not mean blindly appreciating everything but knowing what you can and should appreciate.
  • It makes good memories fond things to hold onto, keeping them in the forefront of your mind and using them as examples of your strengths, how loved you are, and how capable you are.
  • It helps you process complex memories and find ways to learn from and be thankful for them in the long run, even if it takes you a while to understand them.
  • It’s capable of transforming negative memories into positive ones, according to research.
  • It helps you to view certain memories with more realistic ideas; for example, you may stop seeing a difficult family member as an evil monster but as a troubled and toxic individual who used their pain as an excuse to lash out.

focus on the presentFinal Thoughts On Some Ways Gratitude Can Help You Stay Focused In The Present Moment

People often don’t realize how much they’re missing out on by not being grateful! The good news is that you can start being grateful today and benefit tremendously from it. It may not come so easily at first. But like many things in life, gratitude is a skill that you can build upon and improve over time.

We’ve talked extensively about how gratitude keeps you mindful, but being grateful is good for your mind and body in so many more ways than just improving your focus. It’s good for your physical health, providing benefits to your heart, pain resistance, immunity, and longevity. Also, it is good for your mental health, as it aids in the reduction of symptoms of depression and anxiety and helps with stress management. It’s good for relationships, too, as when you’re grateful for others, they enjoy being around you even more and don’t feel unappreciated!

In other words, you should start learning the virtue of gratitude right now. You’ll see many, many ways that your life can be impacted for the better. Plus, you’ll be able to stay mindful and focus on the present, no matter what challenges it may hold.

3 Ways To Stop Stressing And Focus On The Big Picture

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Do you tend to obsess over minor details, or do you tend to zoom out and look at the broader perspective of a situation? Many people tend to focus on small things, which is often detrimental to seeing the big picture.

If you’re aiming for success, you’ll want to keep an eye on bigger things than the small issues you encounter every day. But how can you make that work? Here are three ways to stop stressing over small things and retain focus on the bigger picture in a further five steps.

3 Ways To Stop Stressing Over Small Things And See The Big Picture

Don’t be so hard on yourself! Relieve yourself of these worries.

big picture1.    Fight Negative Thoughts

Stressing out over small things usually involves a lot of negative thoughts that can compromise your rationality. So when a negative thinking comes into your mind, observe it nonjudgmentally, hear it out, and then challenge it. Is it realistic? Is it exaggerated? Or is it objective? What is a more likely and more positive outcome? Here are some tips for fighting negative thoughts:

·         Stop Overthinking

Start being aware of your thought processes. When you start to overthink something small, put into practice steps to stop that process. Step in and bring yourself back to earth, validating your concerns but focusing on moving to more positive and productive thoughts.

·         Reframe Worry

Worry comes from perception, and it’s how you view things that determine how you feel about them. If worrying over small things is a frequent problem for you, learning to reframe those thoughts is a helpful way to fight the negativity. Ask yourself if you stress over these tiny details is worthwhile, if it will matter in a week, or if what you fear is grounded in reality.

·         Reframe Fear

Fear is a powerful and all-consuming emotion. Address your fears over little things, find their roots, and then remind yourself of grounded, realistic facts that contradict your fear. Think about how fear isn’t an order – it’s a reminder to be cautious. So be careful, but move forward and prove that you’ve learned from the initial cause of your fear.

·         Focus On Solving Problems

When bad things arise – which they will – focus on the problem-solving aspect of them. Instead of drifting your thoughts into self-loathing, insecurity, anxiety, or other negative emotions, concentrate with all your effort on finding solutions and learning from your situation. You’ll find ways to resolve those challenges very quickly.

2.    Use Mindful Techniques To See The Big Picture

When you stress out over small things, it is usually because you’re drifting away from the present. Your focus is on the future, the past, and on things that don’t matter. Mindfulness, which is the act of staying focused in the current moment, can help you combat this. Here are some mindful techniques to use to stop stressing over small things:

·         Breathe Deeply

When you feel yourself start to stress out over small things, pause and draw deep breaths. Inhale deeply and exhale equally deeply, pausing in between and slowing your pace until you feel more relaxed. Do this a few times in a row, and then bring your attention back to the world around you. The small things likely won’t feel like such a big deal anymore.

·         Meditation

Even a tiny bit of mindful meditation twice daily for just ten minutes each time can benefit you. Your stress levels will drop, and your positive thinking will increase dramatically when you take the time to meditate, stay present, and stop concerning yourself with little details.

·         Ground Yourself

When you focus on something small and start getting ahead of yourself with worry, quickly pause and do a grounding exercise. Focus on an option in the room, admire all its sensory details, or engage your senses by picking out things you can hear, smell, see and feel.

·         Schedule It

When you’re still getting used to using mindfulness techniques, it’s easy to forget about them. So schedule a few reminders that tell you to take a few moments to be mindful throughout the day. Before long, you’ll be naturally integrating this into your everyday life, and your view of big and small things will change with this habit.

3.    Rest Enough

Being stressed out over small things tends to happen more when you’re tired. Exhaustion can change how the brain works, making it hyper-fixate on all the wrong things that don’t matter. This is why getting enough rest is so crucial for reducing stress and promoting positive thinking. Here are some ways to do this:

·         Don’t Bring Work Home

Many people find their jobs very stressful, and if you work long hours, you may be even more tired from it. If you start extending your work hours by bringing things home to do, your brain can’t disconnect from the stressful environment. You may even begin to associate your home – meant to be a restful space – with work. Research dictates that you have to have a clear separation between work and personal life to reduce stress.

·         Sleep Enough

It would be best to sleep for at least eight hours a night to avoid overwhelmed or anxious feelings. Studies have found that sleeping sufficiently has positive effects on both your physical and mental state and feeling rested the next day means less stress to deal with overall and less fretting over little things.

·         Take Vacations

Most people get paid time away from work, depending on the country you’re in. But not everyone uses them all up, which is a shame! They’re holidays you get to take while still being paid; why shouldn’t you take them? Of course, taking these vacations is even more critical for stress because it helps prevent burnout and exhaustion from work. Burnout can significantly worsen your anxiety and make the small things seem much more significant.

life quote5 Ways To Retain Focus On The Big Picture

Are you doing these things to keep things in perspective?

1.    Devote Time To Thinking

To focus on the bigger picture, one must have the time to think about it. When you hurry to make decisions, it’s easy to focus on the wrong things or the details that grabbed your attention first. Of course, some decisions have no choice but to be made quickly, but if you can help it at all, it’s a good idea to schedule a specific time for thinking.

When you sit down and properly concentrate on thinking, you can think about the big picture more, considering:

  • What will matter from a long-term perspective
  • What won’t matter in a few weeks, or a few months, or even in a few years
  • The things aren’t worth focusing on

Don’t delve into overthinking – focus on analyzing things you haven’t yet thought of, weighing the possibilities, and then finally making a choice.

2.    Ask Yourself Difficult Questions

Questions that focus on the big picture are often difficult ones to ask. They’re ones you’d usually push to the back of your mind because they make your head spin with the vastness of them. But to begin focusing on the big picture, one must start to ask themselves these questions. Such big questions include:

  • What sort of legacy do you hope to leave behind?
  • What impact would you like to make on the world?
  • In twenty years, or when you’re old and gray, or at any far point in the future, where would you like to be?
  • What is on your bucket list, and why?
  • What actions should you take now to build your legacy?
  • How would you like to be remembered, and do your actions lend to that?

3.    Bounce Ideas Off A Friend

Big-picture ideas can be overwhelming, and they involve a lot of thought and concepts that you may not have begun to ponder. The only perspective you have in your life is your own, so if you want to get more ideas and points of view, it can be a good idea to grab a friend, family member, colleague, or other trusted person to discuss things with.

You can bounce ideas off of the person of your choice, understanding different ideas and concepts and inviting criticism, other perspectives, and new things to consider. All the suggestions a friend can give you may provide you with renewed insight into the big picture.

If you’re not entirely comfortable talking to someone else about your ideas, you can opt to speak to yourself by journaling, thinking, or even talking out loud to an inanimate object. Still, you’ll get the most benefit out of having someone with a different paradigm to bounce thoughts off of.

4.    Stop Imposing Limits

There are some limits in life. For example, you probably won’t grow wings overnight, and you likely can’t make yourself grow five more inches as an adult, for example. But aside from those obvious facts, it’s worth remembering that the sky can be the limit.

Instead of imposing limits on yourself, dare to dream and imagine things that seem out of reach. Asking yourself questions relating to these limits can grant further introspection and encourage you to keep your goals large and your mind open. For example, you might ask:

  • If I was featured on the newspaper’s front page, what would I want it to be for?
  • If I could do just about anything in the world, what is the first thing I would want to do?
  • How about if money was no object, how would I spend it?

5.    Make and Plan Towards Goals

Big-picture thinking can often come with big-picture goals. Creating goals to work towards gives you big achievement aspirations that keep your mind on the larger scale of imagination. Here are some tips for making productive and positive goals:

  • Pick goals that are specific so you can easily stick to them, pinpoint them, and abide by them.
  • Break larger goals down into smaller goals that you can work towards one by one.
  • Track your progress to see your improvements and how these efforts add up to your bigger picture.
  • Set deadlines for individuals goals and subgoals and focus your efforts on meeting them.
  • Identify actionable and workable steps towards your goals, and do something that moves you closer to them every day.

big pictureFinal Thoughts On Some Ways To Stop Stressing And Ways To Retain Focus On The Big Picture

It’s not always easy to stay focused on the big picture, but it’s certainly doable. By moving your focus to bigger things and relieving stress from smaller issues, you’ll be able to shift your paradigm into a more productive and effective view of the future.

9 Ways To Harness Discipline To Achieve Your Goals

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It’s tough to be disciplined! A lot of the discipline you may have had as a child probably came from the enforces of that discipline. For example, you obeyed rules to avoid getting scolded by parents and kept working on certain skills to appease your teachers.

Now that you’re an adult, you’re even more responsible for your own actions than before. No one’s around to tell you what to do, save for your boss, and that can make it harder to stick to a complex plan or a difficult journey.

Without the right tools, your lack of personal discipline can wind up derailing your desire for success. How can you improve your ability to stay on task and hold yourself accountable for reaching your ambitions? Here are 9 ways to harness discipline to achieve your goals.

1.    Stay Aware Of Your Purpose

Positive thinking alone isn’t enough. You’ll also have to keep your eyes on the prize – the second you lose sight of your goal, you’ll have lost your way as well.

disciplineHere are a few tips you can use to make sure you don’t lose track of your ultimate goal:

  • Ensure you have a clear understanding of your objectives and intentions
  • Track your progress on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis
  • Use tools like your phone or a journal to keep on track
  • Tailor each day so that its priorities move you closer to your final goal
  • Consistently and persistently monitor and analyze your progress
  • Have checkpoints and routines to ensure you stay on track

2.    Be Aware Of Your Weaknesses

If you find yourself struggling at any point, the solution isn’t to work harder – it’s to play smarter. Here are a few ways to go about it.

·         Acknowledge Your Struggles

Trying to dismiss them under the carpet of “I just need to work harder” will get you nowhere. Without really seeing what your roadblocks actually are, you won’t be able to create a proper game plan and address them accordingly.

·         Know Thyself

Self-awareness is the most important tool anyone can have in their arsenal. Developing self-awareness lets you better regulate and control your emotions and thoughts – crucial factors when dealing with something that will test your discipline.

·         Ask For Input

Cut to the chase and save yourself some effort by asking friends and family to highlight something about you that you can improve on. It’s important to be vulnerable and open – it can be really discouraging and hurtful to hear these things about yourself, but listening to what your loved ones have to say about you can be the eye-opener you had always needed.

·         Delegate Task

Instead of grinding through difficult tasks and burning yourself out in the process, consider properly distributing those tasks to those around you. Not only do you then more effectively leverage the resources available to you, but you also get to take advantage of the strengths of others, covering your own weaknesses!

3.    Exercise

You may be getting sick of hearing this just about everywhere you look, but it really cannot be understated. Exercise confers a lot of positive physical and mental benefits – including in areas of the self-discipline.

A study has shown that regular physical exercise over time helps:

  • Improve self-regulation skills
  • Increase emotional regulation
  • Encourage attendance to prior commitments
  • Reduce unnecessary spending
  • Lower perceived stress levels
  • Discourage unhealthy habits
  • Maintain better eating habits
  • Provide energy and focus needed for household chores

4.    Remove Temptation

Leaving your temptations in easy reach or sight doesn’t do anything to strengthen your discipline – instead, it actually makes it more likely you’ll end up slipping and giving in.

But for those who are already struggling, just saying “remove temptations” from your surroundings isn’t really detailed enough a set of instructions. So -how exactly can you go about doing this?

·         Hide It Away

The saying “out of sight, out of mind” holds water here. A study has demonstrated that keeping unwanted temptations completely hidden makes it easier to resist them. So if you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake, shove those candy bars into a drawer – or better yet, ask someone to hide them for you.

·         Focus On The Long Term

It can be hard to realize how cheating a little bit here all adds up, especially if you can’t see it. As a result, this struggle to understand the collective, long-term impact of your actions is often one of the biggest hurdles to maintaining discipline. So before you drop another couple of dollars on that cute trinket, take a moment to consider just how often you’ve done this before – and just how much money you’ve lost that way over time.

·         Keep Your Eyes Peeled

An easy way to fall short of our goals is by not realizing what is happening in the here and now and correcting that behavior immediately. Keeping aware of what’s happening emotionally and mentally allows you to observe why you’re acting in a way that’s antagonistic towards your goal. This information can then go a long way to curbing all sorts of temptations at the very root.

5.    Know How To Track Progress

Saying you have to track your progress to stay on track is one thing. Knowing how to do it in a way that’s effective and helpful for you is another.

Here are a few tips and tricks you can try using to help you better track your path towards ultimate success:

  • Focus on the practical goals and steps you need to take
  • Create actionable statements and milestones you can achieve towards your goals
  • Be specific and realistic about how much resources you are dedicating to your goal
  • Decide and write down what you can use as proof to yourself that you’re heading in the right direction
  • Acknowledge you will fall and slip, and plan accordingly so you can get back on track quickly

believe you can6.    Use Intention Implementation

One of the first things you’ll learn in programming is “conditional statements” or “if-then” statements. This allows a programmer to specify and control how a program will behave when faced with certain conditions and circumstances.

While we’re not exactly computer programs, science has shown that the same basic principle can be applied to us too. In psychology, it’s called implementation intention – where instead of having a vague goal, you specify where and when you’ll actively carry out your goal.

In other words, if you want to achieve X, you’ll say, “I intend to do X when faced with Y.” Here are some examples to give you a better example of this:

  • For anger management, you can say, “When I’m angry, I will practice my breathing techniques.”
  • If saving money, you can say, “I will put away a quarter of my income into my savings every month.”
  • For training up your positive thinking mindset, you can say, “I shall practice mindfulness and gratitude whenever I am feeling down or depressed.”

7.    Reward Positive Behavior

People tend to forget that positive reinforcement isn’t just for our pets – it’s also for us!

Reinforcing wanted behavior through positive things like treats or validation can be a potent tool in helping us stay on track to our goals. But how do rewards actually help us?

·         It Produces Dopamine

Dopamine is an addictive, feel-good neurochemical that’s responsible for the positive high we get after exercising or partaking in something pleasurable. Train your brain into rewarding yourself for wanted behavior, and you’ll find it much easier to stay disciplined and on track to your goals and dreams!

·         It’s Better For Your Mental Health

Building yourself up and encouraging yourself is just as important as taking the time to examine yourself critically. Without this sort of positive encouragement or reward, your primary source of motivation will most likely be guilt and fear – and that can have all sorts of negative impacts on both your mental and physiological health.

·         It Retrains Your Brain

What has to be understood is that the discipline isn’t you trying to control yourself. Rather, more accurately, it is the act of retraining your brain. And for all the sophistication that is the human brain, some things are just easier to achieve if you can convince the more primal part of us that this is a good idea. And the fastest way to pull that off? Rewards, treats, and positive reinforcement.

8.    Work On Something You’re Passionate About

What is it that motivates and drives you to achieve your goals and aspirations? Very often, it is the passion that propels you forward – and it is this energy you’ll want to harness to your benefit.

Here are a few ways that passion can work hand-in-hand with discipline to push you closer to your desired finish line:

  • Inspiring you to jump into action
  • Creating a sense of fun and excitement that can be encouraging
  • Motivating you to keep pushing on

9.    Use The Power Of Three

It can be daunting to look at something and realize that you have no idea how to accomplish your goal. Where do you even begin?

Take Three Little Steps:

A good way of handling this is by breaking everything down into Three Action Steps – three small steps that you can achieve every day that will move you closer to your goal, one baby step at a time!

Here’s an example of how to pull this off. Let’s say you’re looking to feel happier about your size and want to drop 5 pounds to do so. Your Three Action Steps will probably then look something like this:

  • Get rid of all the sugary snacks and foods in your kitchen
  • Take at least 4000 steps every day
  • Clear out unwanted clothes and accessories to make room for future outfits

These may seem like small, insignificant, and limited tasks to do, but that’s the point. When they’re this small and easy to do, then it’s so much easier to achieve them every single day – and ultimately reach your desired goal!

disciplineFinal Thoughts On Some Ways To Harness Discipline To Achieve Your Goals

Self-discipline is a key ingredient in success. If you want to achieve your goals, you must harness that discipline from within and become intrinsically motivated. It’s tough, but if you do it well and do it right, it’s all worth it in the end!

5 Ways To Make A Real Difference To Change The World

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Lots of people want to make a difference in the world. But with difficulties related to self-preservation and a lack of understanding of what changing the world entails, otherwise positive intentions can yield few workable efforts.

It is always admirable to try and change the world for the better through good deeds, but it is vital to ensure that the results of those actions are more than just an ego boost for you. They have to be tangible and have precise results! Here are five ways to make a real difference to change the world.

1.    Know Yourself First

A lot of people try to do helpful or impactful things without actually liking what they’re doing. There’s nothing wrong with devoting yourself to tasks and projects in a selfless way, but you’re only human. At some point, trying to keep going in a strenuous effort that you’re not passionate about can lead to:

  • Feelings of resentment when your actions are not recognized in a way you feel is sufficient.
  • Quicker burnout or exhaustion because you don’t find joy in one you do
  • A notable “emptiness” that comes from a lack of purpose; you feel that you do so much but don’t feel fulfilled, which can make daily endeavors seem hopeless or worthless

So before you get started on making a difference, take personal inventory.

make a differenceAsk yourself these questions:

  • What are your desires?
  • Do some sorts of ideas come to you when you feel most inspired and optimistic?
  • What causes these ideas to get shot down, ignored, or not used?
  • What is it that you want to see in the world?
  • Do you ever need help?
  • What interests you?
  • What unique goals do you have?
  • Where do your strengths lie?
  • If you had one wish for others to help the people around you, what would it be? Is that attainable? If not, how can you do the next best thing?

When you ask yourself these questions, you open yourself up to your discussion, granting you new insight into both positive and negative varieties into your psyche. You may not get the answers right away, but when you do, they will be enlightening. And, chances are, they’ll help you see what sorts of altruistic efforts are ones that your temperament, preferences, strengths, and goals are most suited to.

2.    Participate In Charity Work to Make a Difference

Charity is probably one of the most obvious ways to make a difference in the world. It forms neutral links between your acts of kindness and generosity to happiness and positive thinking, too, which is always a bonus. Now that you’ve taken personal inventory of yourself, you likely know what kind of charity work is best suited for you. The next step is determining how you want to go about it and which charities are the best to support. Here are some ideas for how to do this:

·         Donate

If you have the extra cash to spare, donating is a quick and straightforward way to make a real difference to change the world. Many charities will have a much easier time getting the things they need if they have money to spend quickly. What if you don’t have the cash to donate? Well, you can donate time and effort, or you can donate old but usable items that you have.

·         Raise Money For Others

If you don’t personally have money to give out, you can assist in efforts or even organize events to raise money for good causes. Knowing how to market your money-raising efforts is essential, of course, but if you’re looking for a feasible way to make a difference, trying to raise that money is a good step.

·         Volunteer Remotely

Can’t go to volunteer in person? Lots of organizations offer ways to volunteer remotely, from a distance. You’ll get to do virtual tasks for that organization from the comfort of your own home, and you’ll still be making a difference by helping that group to run more smoothly!

3.    Be Kind To Others Every Day

Some people falsely believe that the only way to make a real difference is by going significant to massive scales. But that’s not the case! You can make a difference in the lives of those around you by performing acts of kindness or even just making an extra effort to be a good person to the people you run into every day. Here’s how!

·         Retain Courtesy

Common courtesy should be a bare minimum, but it can be lacking in the fast-paced, Internet-focused world of today. Being compassionate and performing small good deeds is a great way to remain courteous. Hold the door open for someone with many bags, offer up your seat on the train to someone who needs it, and be openly appreciative of others! These are all great ways to stay courteous. And, of course, you never know what someone is going through, and performing respectful and kind gestures can help uplift them.

·         Leave Kind Words

It’s easy to consume media and content without much thought, but don’t forget how good a creator may feel when you leave a kind comment for them. When watching YouTube videos, say something positive. When giving criticism to others, sandwich it with kindness and genuine praise. Devote some time every day to provide honest, compassionate statements to others from the heart, and you’ll make many people’s days brighter.

·         Write Thank You Notes

In this modern, digital era, not everyone writes thank you notes anymore. But they’re a great way to provide tangible tokens of appreciation to the people in your life. Write these notes to friends, family, and loved ones, and also draft some simple “thank you”s for people who serve you every day, such as your usual barista, the mailman, or staff at your favorite place to shop. These simple acts of gratitude can go a long way, even if they’re only left online, say studies.

·         Listen To People

Listening to others is one of the best gifts you can give to them in terms of kindness. It can be tempting to want to jump in and resolve problems for others, but many times, people want to talk and vent. When someone requests your open ear and a shoulder to cry on, put aside all judgment and desire to “fix” things. Instead, retain your positive thinking and focus on empathy. Showing someone you “get” them can help them feel seen and understood, which always makes a difference in someone’s life.

woman surprises student

This kind woman raised the money to purchase a car for a deserving student.

4.    Share Your Own Story

You’ve lived an exciting life, endured hard times, healing from pain, and learned many lessons. The stories that you have to share could be valuable to those going through situations similar to your own. In some cases, that can even save their lives.

People want to feel hope. If you’ve been through suffering and have emerged stronger, wiser, and okay, you can inspire those who are currently suffering to keep pushing through without giving up. The details that you share can boost their positive thinking, especially details like:

  • What it felt like to heal
  • How your experiences have impacted you
  • What mistakes you made
  • What lessons you learned from your mistakes
  • How much better you are now
  • How the bad thoughts you had weren’t grounded in reality
  • The ways with which you overcame adversity

You can share your story in a public way, such as through books, content creation, blogs, and more, but you can also talk about your experiences with those around you. As long as you’re not invalidating the struggles with others, sharing your story can help people feel better, learn, and overcome.

It is not always easy to share your story, and it can take a fair amount of bravery and require a good deal of willing vulnerability. But that effort and courage will be worthwhile when you see how your story can give people something to hold onto in trying times!

5.    Start Small and Close

It is genuinely honorable to want to make a big difference globally, but striving for such lofty goals from the get-go may be overwhelming, and it may come with its fair share of mistakes. Practicing your methods of making a difference in small ways and gradually increasing your scope may be the best way to ensure positive results in your efforts. Here are some ways to do so:

·         Family

Have you ever heard the saying that charity begins at home? According to research, this statement is very much true! Treating your family with kindness first can be a significantly important stepping stone forward into bigger charitable or philanthropic efforts. This includes extended family, too!

·         Neighbors

Your neighbors and local community are part of the “home” your charity can begin at, too. Help your disabled or elderly neighbors with chores and work. Bake or cook for people you see regularly. Be thoughtful and friendly. Look out for the people around you. It all matters in extraordinary ways, and though it seems small, making a difference with those closest to you is a big deal!

·         Your Kids

We’ve already covered beginning kindness and making a difference with family, but there’s another way to do this that you may not have considered – by teaching your children to make a difference, too. Raising your kids to focus on selflessness and compassion makes a big difference in the world because you’re teaching future generations how to behave. When children learn the value of doing good deeds, they will carry on your lesson and legacy happily, continuing to make a difference in their own lives and ways!

·         Local Businesses

It’s often tempting to go to big chains for groceries, daily items, and general shopping purposes. These big chains are convenient, have name-brand value, and can typically afford lower prices. But if you can afford it, supporting your local businesses can be an excellent way to make a difference in your community and help small entrepreneurs stay afloat. Don’t forget that the landscape of a community is often defined by its businesses!

make a differenceFinal Thoughts On Some Ways To Make A Real Difference To Change The World

Selfless good deeds should be sustainable to the groups they’re meant to benefit and should be performed intelligently! If you’re unsure where to begin, find a local cause that you’re passionate about and start there!

7 Ways Past Competence Helps Boost Your Mental Resilience

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Mental resilience refers to someone’s psychological ability to handle stress, manage difficulties, and cope with crises. It can also be defined as someone’s ability to bounce back after facing the aforementioned challenges. Learning from your past competence or successes can help you boost that resiliency.

Whichever way you slice it, resilience is an essential trait for those trying to make their way in the world, protecting you from long-term effects and trauma. The things you’ve experienced can be a problem in your life for much longer if your mental resilience is low.

But that doesn’t mean that you’ll naturally have strong resilience right off the bat. For most, mental resilience is something that one must build over time. Somewhat ironically, this means it can be shaped by the experiences you have, including ones where you may have wished you were stronger!

Specifically, knowing that you have displayed moments of ability, strength, and courage in the past can help to improve your resilience even further in the future. How? Here are seven ways past competence helps boost your mental strength.

1.    Past Competence Helps You Learn To Walk Towards Fear

Franklin D. Roosevelt once stated the following:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

While this quote is applicable in just about any circumstance, experienced people can tell you that it is never more poignant than when you’re dealing with hardships and struggles. This is because:

competence·         It’s Familiar

Just the knowledge alone that you’ve dealt with mental hardship before (even if it’s completely different) can be comforting in and of itself. You standing right here is proof that you can and will live through another day – and nothing can take that away from you.

·         You’re Prepared

No two situations are ever the same, but the skills are transferable – as is the knowledge. Every single past hardship you have behind you is another tool to add to your toolbox, making it easier for you to tackle something head-on. You already know how to do this.

·         It Gets Easier

If you’ve ever wondered how professionals seem to be able to handle multiple things at once, this is why. As your familiarity with how you think and behave increases, it gets much easier to manage your mental state and issues while gaining competence day by day. In other words? Positive thinking just became a lot more viable to practice in the heat of the moment.

2.    You Don’t Ruminate

We could have always done better, which is a fact and an awareness that will forever haunt us. Of course, we rarely pull something off perfectly the first time and walk away with a positive outcome. We will inevitably fail, and the consequences will leave deep marks on our psyche.

As a result, many of us end up ruminating, where we wallow in our thoughts and flip it over and over again in our minds. As you can imagine, this is something that science has shown isn’t great for us in the long run. A study notes that self-focused rumination often results in:

  • Worsened negative moods
  • Increased sensitivity to negative commentary and situations
  • High tendency to delve deeper into negative memories

All in all, it sounds like a Catch-22 situation.

But here’s the thing – when you’ve dealt with something in the past and deal with it successfully, you can better deal with the pains of the present.

How? Learning from past experiences will have informed you what will happen to your mental state in any given situation and how it will unfold – and from there, you can prepare accordingly. This essentially increases your mental resilience in any case because you come into a situation with a game plan already ready.

For example, instead of contemplating for long periods, you are more likely to:

  • Acknowledge your mental state and health
  • Seek help from those around you
  • Have plans in place to handle a dip in your mental health
  • Care for yourself in the form of exercise and other routines
  • Practice gratitude for the positive things you have

3.    You Learn To Respond, Not React

Emotions and thoughts can be challenging to handle, no matter who you are. And when you’re dealing with them for the very first time, they can be overwhelming. Just where are these feelings coming from? What are you supposed to do about them? How can you make them go away?

Past experiences are really what’s necessary here. Not only do they inform you what has happened, but they also give you additional information you’ll need to parse and understand what is happening to you at any given time.

From there, you can focus on preemptively preventing future situations in the future.

Here are a few examples:

·         You Communicate Better

Dealing with something for the second or third time gives you headroom to be aware of what’s happening to you at any given moment. This experience makes it easier for you to put names to things and describe them – and by extension, process and deal with them better.

·         You Know Better

While it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be more positive in a bad situation, a study has shown that people who are already familiar with negative issues and thoughts are often better reacting to them. This often results in them being more resilient to hardships, as they’re less volatile in their responses to difficulties and issues.

·         You Cut To The Chase

After several failed relationships, you’ll learn how to quickly spot any potential issues and red flags that come up in a given situation. This allows you to cut out further heartbreak by addressing those problems as soon as possible so that they can be resolved without further development.

pop quote4.    You Know Catastrophes Aren’t Likely

Who can predict the future?

You can’t. So when things get bad, your mental health will likely take a pretty significant hit – and it often only gets worse from there. Even if you know better, it’s one thing to talk about positive thinking and another to practice.

As a result, depression is quick to follow – and with, catastrophizing. Science proves that a depressed person is more likely to catastrophize, which only makes things worse.

But with past experiences under your belt, you’re more likely to recognize when an unhealthy thought pattern is repeating itself – and from there, take steps to prevent yourself from spiraling. For example, you’re more likely to:

  • Counteract spiraling thoughts with logical, rational counterarguments
  • Be equipped with tools like a worry stone or a pendant to redirect nervous thoughts and energy
  • Have more awareness and control over your thoughts

As you can imagine, all this contributes significantly to an increase in mental resilience – and they all require that you have dealt with past experiences before to know better!

5.    You Are More Eager To Gain More Knowledge and Competence

Many of us are scared of failure. It hurts, and it can negatively shape the way we see ourselves. So it’s no surprise that many people avoid failing where they can and break down when they can’t.

In this, past experience comes out king. Once you’ve been through the pain, you’re more likely to realize that it’s only temporary – there’s always a way through. What’s more important right now is to understand how you can start moving forward, and overcome this situation.

From there, you start asking questions like:

  • What resources can I pull from to help me?
  • Are any choices available to me at this moment?
  • What can I take away from this situation?

Because you already know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, you’re more likely to work on resolving and moving on. As you can imagine, this increases your mental resilience significantly, as your focus shifts from blame and guilt to growth and better understanding.

6.    You Know It Will Pass

A boon that can only be gotten from past experiences is the knowledge and awareness that this situation, too, shall pass – and now it’s backed by science!

Research shows that when people have had time to reflect upon past hurts and events are better at handling negative emotions in the present. This mental resiliency is mainly because:

  • You keep your gaze forward and are more focused on the long term
  • Knowing that there is an inevitable end is a source of comfort throughout a given situation
  • You view everything within the perspective of a longer timeline

7.    You Use Negativity To Move Forward

In the light of how negativity and the things it causes is bad, it can be easy to assume that you would want to purge negativity entirely. After all, isn’t it much better to be focused on the positive all the time? Isn’t that how you remain more resilient in times of duress?

The reality, however, isn’t so simple. Negativity may be largely unwanted, but it is also a tool you can use to propel yourself forward. This is because:

·         You Become More Appreciative

Without that sort of contrast and juxtaposition, it’s harder to be grateful about that silver lining – and that’s an important lesson you will carry with you, no matter where you go. Gratitude is a competence we must all learn to lean on more often!

·         It Guides Future Actions

Being informed by past events often leads to you acting differently – and usually for the better. This is often because you’re motivated to move away from what had gone wrong the last time and towards better behavior and actions that will help you this time.

·         It Teaches You How To Support

This may seem like a strange contradiction but think about it. How many people with the saddest pasts often end up being the brightest source of cheer and joy? Without truly understanding how you can be hurt and why you cannot reach deeply into someone’s soul and comfort them from inside out. And that knowledge is something you can only garner from past experience. Healing from hurt is an often-overlooked core competence.

Sure, it may have been a bad time. But without the reflection you would’ve gotten from past experiences, you would not be able to develop the resilience and understanding necessary to push yourself forward through future hardships.

competenceFinal Thoughts On Some Ways Past Competence Boosts Your Mental Resilience

Mental resilience is something that is built over time. The more you practice building that strength, the easier you will cope in future experiences. Allow your past competence to remind you of your capabilities and continue tomaked more memories of success. Your resilience will increase as a result!

Science Explains How Mastering Time Creates a Fulfilling Life

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Are you good at time-management? Many people discuss the benefits of having that trait, but few reach the point of mastery. It’s an unfortunate but fair fact. Time-management itself is already a complicated thing with many different factors involved, time mastery is even harder to grasp. Still, it plays an essential role in leading a fulfilling life.

The act of mastering time goes above and beyond time-management, though it is similar in theory. It sounds a little bit like science-fiction, but the concept is very grounded in reality. It means gaining the ability to use time in innovative, effective, and efficient ways without compromising on your need for rest, recreation, and other commitments.

An individual with mastery over time will be able to carve out sufficient space to spend with loved ones, indulge in hobbies, and rest and do nothing. Simultaneously, they will quickly complete and accomplish tasks on time, feel calm even when faced with many things to do at once, and dedicate the exact amount of time and focus necessary to individual jobs.

Does this sound good to you? It’s hard to deny the appeal of a skill set described this way! But is there a point? Given its complexities, is this something you want to do? Well, given that it can drastically improve your life, you may want to give it a shot. So, can mastering time help you lead a fulfilling life? Science says so, and here are eleven ways it does!

1.    You Feel Less Stressed Out

When you have a handle on time, you feel less stressed out by everyday tasks. This is because:fulfilling life

  • You aren’t always rushing to meet deadlines.
  • You have a handle on your tasks and complete them with enough time to spare.
  • You’re less likely to cut it down to the wire of deadlines as often.
  • You produce better work when you aren’t rushing, so you’re less likely to feel stressed out about getting in trouble.

Managing your time poorly means a lot of work winds up being left to the last minute, your priorities get out of order, and you become tenser in general. Studies indicate that time management has positive effects on stress levels.  Getting these things under control will lead to a more fulfilling life.

2.    You Become More Disciplined

Managing time requires the ability to stay focused, even when distractions and more enjoyable things pop up to grab your attention. You can have the world’s most carefully-planned schedule, and it would mean nothing at the end of the day if you immediately abandoned it.

Self-discipline is a formidable skill to learn, but it’s a crucial part of mastering time. Research indicates that the ability to successfully and independently complete tasks and overcome challenges, also known as self-efficacy, is directly related to positive and effective time management.

3.    You Are More Productive

Managing time doesn’t mean focusing on squeezing as much work as possible into your waking hours. It means achieving a healthy work-life balance to maintain your physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, and positive thinking.

People often overemphasize the importance of “the grind” and forget that proper time management means you wouldn’t need to “grind” constantly. Fear the downfall to your productivity? Don’t! Positive work-life balance is the centerpiece of productivity.

You cannot lead a fulfilling life if you feel exhausted all the time. There is no point or health value in overworking yourself. You’ll burn out, and your health may even suffer as a result! So learn to master time and give yourself breaks.

4.    You Have Better Quality In Work

This advice is a bit of a no-brainer. If you’re always in a rush to finish tasks and complete work, your life becomes a constant attempt to cobble together an acceptable form of the finished product. The all-nighter you pull because of procrastination results in you hurrying to complete your work while doing as little as possible, and you’ll be exhausted and not at your best throughout.

Mastering time allows for improved performance because it means you have the management skills necessary to allocate enough time to do each task with quality. Research shows that sufficient work-life balance and proper time management allow for better performance and quality in all work areas!

5.    You Have Better Self Control

We’ve talked about how mastering time makes your self-discipline improve. In a similar vein, it also helps with self-control. When you’re able to manage your time, you’re also able to ignore all sorts of temptation that distracts you from your schedule, as we said. But how does that apply to the rest of your life? Outside of deadline-oriented things, you’ll find these positive benefits:

  • An improved ability to make healthier decisions.
  • A higher chance of refraining from acting on any negative impulses.
  • A reduced tendency to cave into pressure, whether social or otherwise.
  • A higher level of patience, even in the face of temptation, to overcome hurdles and struggles.
  • Lower risk of developing harmful addictions.

fulfilling life6.    You Feel Happier and Lead a More Fulfilling Life

The subconscious strain caused by poor time management can do a real number on your positive thinking. You feel happier because you when you’re a master of time because you:

  • Enjoy improved quality of life from a healthy work-life balance.
  • Feel proud of your performance and achievements
  • Experience the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing good work on time
  • Don’t forget the tasks you have to do as often and don’t worry about missing them.
  • Accurately prioritize all the work you have to do in order.
  • React more calmly when dealing with everyday setbacks and unexpected struggles
  • Learn self-discipline that allows you to make healthy decisions you can be proud of in everyday life.

7.    You Don’t Procrastinate As Much

It goes without saying that those who fail to manage their time often fall victim to the unhealthy habit of procrastination. It’s a common misconception that procrastination has to do with laziness, but it’s an indication of another form of negative turmoil in reality. For example, procrastination may be caused by:

  • Feeling overwhelmed by a very large or complex task.
  • High levels of stress due to difficulty with work
  • Negative feelings towards the assigned or necessary task
  • A lack of understanding regarding the task at hand
  • Feeling unsure how to begin the task.
  • Excessive tiredness from insufficient rest or free time
  • A desire for perfection

Learning to master time reduces the risks of these setbacks. Studies have shown that time management skills can reduce the severity of procrastination, as they increase your positive thinking and allow you to manage your assignments better.

8.    You Focus Better

Focus and concentration don’t seem like the most essential factors in everyday life, but they involve a surprising number of critical functions. A good level of focus can help you:

  • Be clear on your goals and the desired result.
  • Identify details and notice smaller factors in tasks.
  • Produce higher quality work and perform better in all areas.
  • Enjoy better skill levels as you focus more closely on building specific skills.
  • Stop playing catch-up to other people because you’re focused on yourself.
  • Stay on the right path towards goals, even when it’s hard.

Studies have long indicated the positive value in concentration, and mastering time will allow you to dedicate the right amount to different endeavors. When each endeavor is granted sufficient time to improve, your focus builds, too.

9.    You Balance Work and Life Better

We’ve already discussed how beneficial a healthy work-life balance is, but let’s get into the nitty-gritty details of why this is such a positive result from mastering time. Your life will be more fulfilling because you:

  • Spend more time with loved ones
  • Get enough time to recharge.
  • Can devote time to your hobbies
  • Can engage in a healthy social life
  • Don’t miss important personal and familial events.
  • Remember your values and what truly matters to you.
  • Understand the genuine value of time

10. Things Become Simpler

Mastering time is one of those things that seems like a no-brainer. Obviously, it’s easier said than done, but the reason it’s so obviously useful even to the most stubborn people is because it makes everything so much simpler. You:

  • Know how to schedule and spend your time
  • Can take control of your time
  • Don’t need to worry about missing things or coming up short.
  • Have easily organized plans, goals, to-do lists, and more

This simplicity of mastering time is impressively straightforward. Studies have shown that time-management skills, and all the other sub-skills that must be honed with it, make you happier because everything is more manageable.

11. You’re Able To Do More With Less

One of the fantastic things that happen when you learn to master time is that you suddenly realize that you can do even more with less time and effort. That’s why we refer to it as “mastering” time – you truly do gain a new sort of power over it.

Time management that is effective and positive helps with accomplishments by improving progress, streamlining your approach, and giving you a timely schedule to stick to. The concentration that you can from such efforts also adds to the quality of the result. You learn to match tasks to time blocks. You figure out how to prioritize, and you know to use all the time you have effectively and efficiently. Ten minutes in between meetings can be valuable, and it can free up lots more time later that will let you focus on more significant tasks.

It doesn’t seem like a lot at first but think of it this way. If you were to save one hour per workday by better managing time, you’d wind up saving a whopping 250 hours! With those hours, you can embark on more demanding projects, set time aside for rest, and dedicate more to bigger and more complex endeavors.

pop memeFinal Thoughts On Some Ways To Lead A Fulfilling Life, According To Science

Mastering time doesn’t have to be an impossible goal. It will allow you to enjoy a better quality of life, improved happiness and positive thinking, and better performance and efficiency in your responsibilities.

By understanding how mastering time helps you lead a fulfilling life, you’ll get a good glimpse into what life can be like when you’re not weighed down by stress, procrastination, and deadline anxiety. It’s hard to come up with any argument that suggests you shouldn’t give it a try!

9 Ways That Anger Can Help Someone Succeed In Life

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Anger is often viewed negatively. It’s considered unproductive, unprofessional, and even incorrect to feel any anger at all. But in reality, anger is a crucial component of the entire emotional spectrum, and the emotion comes up for a reason. Listening to anger and allowing yourself to experience it can be powerful. In fact, it might even help you to succeed in life.

Too often, we learn that all emotion is terrible to have, but that isn’t true. Anger, among other feelings, can be mighty. But does that power translate to real life and real-world applications? Can anger help you succeed in life? Research says so! Here are nine ways that it does this.

1.    Anger Can Grant You The Insight You Need to Succeed in Life

succeed in lifeAnger doesn’t have to be unconstructive. It can give you insight into yourself if you allow it to teach you those lessons. The trouble, of course, is that not everyone wants to gain that insight. But those who do can.

Research shows that an outburst of anger can give individuals a deeper look at their flaws, giving them insight into themselves and how they can change. Essentially, if you get better at noticing your anger and finding its roots, it can teach you a lot about your genuine emotions, how you can manage them, and what you can do to avoid similar future issues.

2.    Anger Is Good For Relationships

This probably sounds a little confusing, as you’ll know that fighting and anger in relationships, especially when it bleeds into resentment, is very detrimental to the survival of that partnership.

However, studies into interpersonal conflict have revealed that the act of hiding anger is far more detrimental to relationships than the act of openly expressing that anger. This is because:

  • Repressing negative emotions only makes them stronger
  • A lack of communication regarding anger is a reflection of poor communication within the relationship
  • Not getting angry can mean no one knows that they’ve done something that bothers the other
  • Hiding anger can lead to a build-up of resentment and negativity that can be easily reversed

Of course, there are some rules to this. You can’t just storm into a partner’s room and start screaming at them and accusing them of things and call it a positive display of anger. Instead, express your anger directly and honestly, and then work together to find a solution. This will strengthen your relationship in the long run. And if healthy relationships are part of your picture of success, learn to use that anger constructively!

3.    Anger Stops You From Overthinking

If you’ve ever sat down and ruminated about the options you face on your journey to success, you’ll likely be familiar with the terrifying and anxiety-inducing occurrence of overthinking. This kind of thought makes it tough to make decisions and saps out your positive thinking.

But when you’re in a rage, your ability to overthink at all is often greatly reduced. Your brain becomes hardwired into impulses. Why is this a good thing? Consider:

  • You don’t think – you can do, and you can make leaps and choose things that you would usually be too afraid to do.
  • You’re able to gain the momentum to lurch forward and keep moving without worrying too much about what may happen next.
  • You don’t second-guess or question yourself, and you become sure of yourself for a quick moment.

Of course, there’s a limit to this. It would be best if you didn’t always make impulsive decisions in your life, and when you can, it’s always best to double-check the things you do in a rage to ensure there’s no carelessness at play. But that high-energy, highly motivated, unafraid power that comes with rage can be the push you need to stop overthinking and to go for it.

4.    Anger Motivates You To Beat The Odds And Succeed In Life

Suppose something in your life you want for yourself. Using anger constructively can give you a powerful boost towards it. You have undoubtedly heard of people who “succeed out of spite,” so to speak. These individuals take their anger and use it to motivate them, making it a positive force for their lives. You can do that, too, provided that your anger is the kind you would like to act on.

When you’re angry, you’re more likely to want to move closer to your goals, even when you face hurdles and challenges. That anger can be the driving force to push past all the problems you face. Studies have even shown that seeing angry faces mean you are more likely to want things you are exposed to. So if you need more motivation to go after success, you may find it in anger.

5.    Anger Is A Survival Instinct

Emotions occur for a reason. They seem irrational on the surface, but they’re impulses created by the body in times of stress when you need to protect yourself. This means there’s a purpose for them – and anger is often a part of a survival instinct, a primitive fight-or-flight designed to keep you safe.

But why does this matter to success? Well, fight-or-flight doesn’t only occur in extreme danger. It can also happen when you’re stressed out, facing adversity, or trying to fight to keep your goals alive. If anger comes up as a response to this, you can use it productively to help you succeed in life by:

·         Regaining Control

Anger removes feelings of helplessness and confusion, channeling your focus so you can maintain control and feel in charge when things look rough. Show your fury and communicate it, and you can control the road up ahead.

·         Protect Your Emotions

It would be best if you didn’t repress how you feel, but anger can help to temper the most significant sting of negative emotions. In the time of your offense, you can process your feelings without feeling the worst of their pain and keep moving forward.

·         Let It End and Calm

When your anger finally ebbs away, and you are safe again, the feeling of calm that follows can be cathartic. Now is the time to reflect, think, and pick yourself back up again and push on once you’re relaxed.

spot a narcissist6.    Anger Can Be Used In Negotiations

Anger, as a display of emotion, seems like it has no place whatsoever in level-headed negotiations. But according to studies, anger can have positive effects on the angry person’s outcomes in such interactions, gaining them more extensive concessions and resulting in fever demands. This may be because it’s tough to ask things of someone you perceive as angry, as they can be intimidating.

However, anger in itself shouldn’t be the entire strategy in a negotiation. It’s not going to work if all you do is enter a meeting space and start yelling or behaving irrationally and emotionally. Instead, this works best when:

  • Your anger is justified, and you can articulate that fact to the other parties.
  • The other parties have limited options or are in a position where they are at a disadvantage or in lower places.
  • You use your anger in a constructive, powerful way without behaving like you’ve lost control of yourself.
  • Your goal with your anger is to receive fair treatment or to “get even” for something that you deserve to get even for

7.    Anger Can Psyche You Up

Many people seem to understand the benefits of constructively used anger naturally, and studies have found that many know how to harness such feelings when they need to. For example, if you need to confront someone or stand up for yourself, you are likely to know that you can draw from your anger for energy and confidence.

Success and chasing success involve many moments that can be overwhelming and frightening. Learning to use righteous and constructive anger to psyche yourself up for challenges is a great way to train yourself to meet them head-on.

8.    Anger Makes You Optimistic

It’s a little strange to imagine that being angry can somehow be good for your positive thinking, but research supports this concept! Studies have found that if you experience anger as a response to difficult events or trauma, you are more likely to have an optimistic view of the future beyond those events.

This is somewhat related to the positive effects of anger on motivation, and we previously mentioned that spite in anger is great for empowering you to move forward. But it’s really about more than just that! Being angry means you want to fight for things to be better because you know you deserve better than this, and that makes you have a more positive perspective of the future to come.

And, of course, the crux of this is that optimism is essential for success in life. If you think you’re going to fail, then you likely will, but if you think you can succeed, you have a higher chance of putting in the effort necessary to do so.

9.    Anger Can Reduce Violence

Admittedly, this concept sounds very, very strange. Doesn’t a lot of anger come from violence, after all? While that’s not wrong, it’s also not a very nuanced way of looking at the topic. Consider:

  • Is anger a surefire lead-up to violence, or is violence merely more likely to come from instances of anger as a rare result of them?
  • When people can’t express their anger, are they sure to be peaceful. Or are they more likely to jump directly to violence when they snap?
  • Does anger, expressed positively and with critical thought, allow attention to be drawn to subjects that deserve justice – and doesn’t the anger then fade once the issue is addressed?

Together, these factors paint a picture that, when used well, anger can reduce violence or lower its risks. It is a strong and powerful social signal that is hard to ignore and that on its own is enough to reduce the chances of a violent outcome. So if you have difficulty with anger management, instead of repressing those feelings, you can use your anger to motivate you to succeed in life.

succeed in lifeFinal Thoughts On How Anger Can Help You Succeed In Life

Anger, when used constructively, is a fantastic tool to add to your arsenal of weapons that push you towards success. However, there’s a limit to how productive anger can be. If you feel that your anger is becoming unproductive, it’s time to stop and reflect on it and see what can be done to get it back to reasonable levels.

9 Ways Empathy Helps With Inner Growth

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Empathy can be best defined as the trait or skill of understanding, sharing, recognizing, and even feeling the emotions, thoughts, and experiences of those around you or those who you see. It is often a crucial skill in developing healthy relationships, moral or ethical decision-making, prosocial behavior, and compassionate attitudes.

Simply put, empathy denotes an ability to walk in the shoes of another person. It can be a complex trait to develop, and some people may believe that empathy is harmful. After all, feeling the pain of others can become tiring. But in moderation, this skill is a fantastic way to improve yourself while helping others. Here are nine ways empathy helps with inner growth.

1.    Empathy Reduces Stress

You may have noticed people who are empathetic seem to experience less stress. Considering how research has shown that stress accuses all sorts of diseases, it raises the question – how does empathy help?

  • It teaches emotional regulation skills.
  • Relating to others in positive ways teaches
  • It engages in our ability to control and handle our emotions in a healthy manner.
  • It helps us recognize where and when we may be feeling stressed or emotional, thanks to observing and empathizing with our loved ones.

As you can imagine, this helps you become an emotionally more stable person in the long run – indeed a fundamental thing to any future growth and maturation you wish to experience!

empathy2.    It Improves Your Ability To Communicate

Communication isn’t as simple as an exchange of words. After all, think about the many times you find yourself constantly misunderstood, no matter how hard you try. As it turns out, empathy can teach you how to express yourself better! This outcome is because:

  • You learn how to see, feel, and think from the other person’s perspective.
  • You’ll better understand how your words and thoughts may be interpreted by others.
  • You can tailor your expression of your thoughts and emotions to the individual you’re communicating with, so they can understand you better.
  • You can limit misunderstandings and miscommunications by seeing how the other person would process information from their point of view.

Indeed, you may notice that all of these positive benefits first require you to listen better and understand the other person before you can explain yourself in a way that truly resonates with them. This is why empathy is so important!

3.    It’s Good For General Survival

Historically speaking, being social creatures is the critical reason for our species’ continued survival – and despite how much has changed socially, this hasn’t changed on a fundamental level! Empathy allows us to:

  • Pick up on nonverbal cues that indicate something is amiss
  • Tune in immediately to a situation the second someone starts acting strangely
  • React appropriately to a life-threatening situation you haven’t seen yet, just from the behavior of others in the area
  • Pay attention to abnormal atmospheres or facial features that suggest something is wrong

These examples may sound dramatic, but they can be applicable in all sorts of places – from recognizing when a bar fight is about to erupt to paying attention to a loved one who seems to be quieter than usual.

No matter which way you slice it, empathy may be the critical thing that saves you or your loved one’s life.

4.    It’s Good For Your Health

How are empathy and your physical health related to each other? They’re more intimately intertwined than you might think. Various studies have shown a positive correlation between the ability to handle stress – a source of many health issues – and high levels of empathy.

This is because of empathy:

  • It encourages us to form close bonds that form the basis of our support network.
  • Teaches us how to form healthy coping mechanisms when trying to manage stress.
  • It assists us in paying attention to our bodies as an extension of learning how to observe those around us.
  • Reduces depression and anxiety levels as we communicate and empathize with our loved ones.
  • It helps us create healthy boundaries so we can avoid picking up second-hand stress and negative emotions.
  • Encourages positive thinking and mindsets via reconnecting to the world around us.

This ultimately leads to a better psychological and physiological state, resulting in a much better health and immune system. Not to mention, it’s easier to take care of yourself when you’re mentally and emotionally more stable and healthy!

5.    It Can Guide Your Moral Compass

Normally, we learn empathy and emotional regulation in childhood – something that research has shown is important for our development. But that doesn’t mean our journey stops there!

As we grow older and meet new people, we must continue to learn and adapt to the changing world around us – and in this aspect, empathy is an essential tool. For example, it:

  • It helps us re-evaluate our core values and morals
  • Shapes and guides how we care for others and how we expect to be cared for
  • It shows us how to take care of those around us
  • Encourages us to strive for a better understanding of those we love

In other words, empathy can actually help us reshape our foundational understanding of the world and our relationship with it. This is important, as it can lead to us growing both mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as we strive to meet the needs of our loved ones!

pop meme6.    It Connects You To Others

Ever found yourself just sitting there, unsure as to how to respond to someone else? Empathy is actually a vital and helpful tool in this regard!

How so? Research has shown that empathy is responsible for helping us better understand and respond to a loved one’s actions – both in the present and for potential future actions. Here are a few ways how it mentally preps you and encourages you to form positive relationships:

  • It helps us feel and better understand what the other person is experiencing.
  • Teaches us how to reciprocate and make the other person feel seen and heard.
  • It assists us in forming and nurturing intimate bonds where both sides can feel safe and vulnerable.
  • It encourages us to listen to those around us truly and really take the time to be there for them.

The final result? We end up learning not just about experiences we couldn’t otherwise have possibly gotten on our own, but also will likely end up with a close and personal relationship with the other person!

Over time, you will likely find that this sort of behavior cultivates deep, intimate connections that can bring you a sense of peace and stability – an incredibly vital foundation for any further inner growth you wish to achieve.

7.    It Helps Prosocial Behavior

We are only human, so it’s natural to want close, intimate, and meaningful bonds. In fact, it is hardwired into our very DNA – we wouldn’t have gotten this far without that desire to bond with those around us, after all.

As you can imagine, this means that the ability to empathize is crucial. This is because it:

  • It teaches us how to become more compassionate and caring
  • It’s crucial to our ability to communicate and connect with others
  • It encourages us to care for and help each other
  • Assists us in being kind and understanding to others around us
  • It tries to make us see things from a different point of view

From there, we then learn how to adjust our behavior and actions to ensure we are doing our best to love and care for those around us. This can then ultimately lead us to create the relationships so fundamental to our emotional and mental wellbeing!

8.    It Fights Burnout

There is some irony in how, in an increasingly connected world, we feel even more lonely. And with that loneliness comes all sorts of mental health struggles and burnout as we struggle with work on our own. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

A study has shown that those workers who are empathetic actually deal with less burnout – something you might find interesting! Here’s how empathy can help you achieve these outcomes:

  • It guides us in how we can communicate with those around us.
  • Assists in the development of soft skills that are crucial to handling conflicts with others.
  • It teaches us how to ensure both sides feel seen and heard.
  • It helps us connect and form meaningful relationships with others.
  • Encourages us to create social networks that can inversely support us in our times of need.
  • Promotes positive thinking as we pull from the experiences of others around us.

With the development of better communication and conflict-management skills, you may find yourself becoming a more emotionally mature and understanding person as you rise against the challenges life throws at you. And it’s all thanks to empathy!

9.    It Improves Your Work

With just how helpful it is when you’re trying to both listen and to be heard, it’s no wonder that empathy forms a core aspect of communication – a vital skill in any team-based work. But there’s more to this than just better communication. Empathy also helps:

  • Negotiating with others to create a solution that meets everyone’s needs and desires
  • Encourages teamwork when trouble-shooting issues
  • Creates an environment of respect and trust
  • It makes people feel valued and involved in any project
  • It makes for a smoother transition and workflow, as you are already paying attention and anticipating the quirks and workstyles of those around you

As you can imagine, these aspects are all super helpful when you’re working on any team-based project. And these skills are transferable too! You can just as easily apply these positive benefits to both your work and your personal life and watch your relationships become better for it!

empathyFinal Thoughts On Some Ways Empathy Helps With Inner Growth

Empathy is a valuable trait, yet it may seem like it is rapidly declining in today’s world. This can seem discouraging, and some may even worry that being empathetic may open them up to feelings of pain and discomfort.

The lucky truth is that this is not the case. Empathy is crucial for your inner growth and can actually make you stronger, healthier, and more resilient. If you struggle with developing empathy for others, you can speak to a mental health professional for help.

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