How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem – and that that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve. No leads.  No options.  No solutions. 

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain – large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you’re hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.

But rejoice! There might be some hope yet!

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to the problem. And, you must be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.

Number one; maybe the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral solving the problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.

Not trying to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain any stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.

Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have the words of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

Number three; try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that from them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.

Number four; although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, tried to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for chinks in the armor of that solution.

Number five; it pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem.

Number six; remember that old adage,” two heads are better than one.” That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you’re talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don’t have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better.

Number seven; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.

Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.

Here is one example.

Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind at the center. Now look at that word then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a tree of related words. This helps you build analogical skills, and fortify your creative processes.

So, next time you see a problem you think you can not solve, think again. The solution might just be staring you right in the face. All it takes is just a little creative thinking, some planning, and a whole lot of work.

Genuine Happiness Comes from Within

Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives. And then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so adorably sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?”  Then I pause and observed for awhile… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.

So, how does one become genuinely happy? Step 1 is to love yourself.

My theology professor once said that “loving means accepting.”  To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great ounce of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve your repertoire to recover from our mistakes.

Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”

When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else. But if you keep questioning life lit it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.

I believe that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, wining and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. Failure, in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder us from becoming happy.

How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that.

Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFLs. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.”, instead of looking at it all blank and murmur “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!” and then walk away.

Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best. So, how do you become genuinely happy?  Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success. So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. Its about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling your self “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.

When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults. You pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”.For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted. For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love ten folds back.

Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?”. I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted- “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Coz then you don’t just become happy… you become free.”
 

If only self improvement advice were free and scattered around everywhere, then there will be no problem regarding life, happiness and success. But then again, this is life. And it does not work that way.

What would you do if you are trapped in an environment that you do not want to be in?  What if you are sick and tired of your job?

What can we do to solve this dilemma?

It is possible to take inspired and motivated action to survive your present situation and live the life you always dreamed of.

It is not that easy though.  You will have to come out of your comfort zones to discover potentials and opportunities waiting for you.  You have to conquer your fear and take calculated risks. You have to stay focused and persevere despite the difficulties you will encounter.

Success does not come easy.  It takes heart, passion and time. Experience is also a factor. The learning you get everybody becomes your foundation. These are the things we do not need to pay for.

You have to work harder, dig deeper, and sacrifice more to attain your ambitions. But no, you do not have to hate the world and feel bad when you encounter difficult situation.  Just remember the Law of Attraction. If you hate the world, the world will hate you back.

What can you do? Below are some free advices to help you when facing difficult situations in life. They will also serve as your guide to improve yourself.

1. Learn to love your current situation.  See all the positive sides of life.  Be enthusiastic.  Love your boss, your coworkers, your family, your friends, and even strangers that you meet on the streets.
 
It may not be easy, but nothing is impossible with a strong will power. Just do not fall in love so much that you totally forget about your dreams. Love, but try to hold on to reality.

2. Balance is the key.  Dream and take some positive action to move you toward your goals. Take it one step at a time. 

While you are slowly starting on the long journey to success, be patient and be as enthusiastic as possible.  Do not hurry up too much that you totally forget how to enjoy life. Appreciate the beautiful things you will encounter on the journey.

One day, you will finally attain what you have always longed for.  But when that day comes, do not look down on those who belittled you. Forgive and forget.

3. Stay humble.  Do not criticize others when you see that you are becoming more successful than they are. Try to help them.  Inject your positive aura into their personalities.  When you give, you will yield back equal or greater rewards.

4. Are you ready to begin the journey?  Start it with the courage and desire to improve your life. Survive and go through it with persistence, enthusiasm, and positive thinking.  Finish it with a resounding bang of accomplishment and with the desire to help others succeed as well.

There are many other self improvement advice that will get as you get on with your daily life. Take note that you are not alone. There are others in much more difficult situations. That is why is there will be a shortage of free advice about self improvement you can get from other people who are only too happy to help.

I’m sure you have a bright idea hidden somewhere in the back of your mind that you just can’t wait to test out. Of course you’re not the only one with a bright idea. So what motivates you to churn those creative, or even inspiring juices to its utmost flavor?

 Here are some tips to make it through the week even if you’re just sitting in your favorite couch.

1. Take passionate action towards living your life by design. Talk is cheap. Action = deposits in the bank of a passionately authentic future. Without it, passion is void.
This is a perfect example where dreams are made of where you start by tinkering with your mind, then with your hands. And if the idea weakens, you can always go back to it later until you finish it.

2. Commit to yourself as well as those you love to create powerfully a life you can love. Instead of reacting, commit to creating from your heart and soul, out of love rather than fear. The American Dream will always be there, but a dream will still be a dream without motion. Be amazed as the transformation begins.

3. Recognize and embrace the thought that each moment is perfect regardless of its outcome. Every time you hit on something that may appear too extreme, why not give it a shot and see if it will work. You will be surprised to see of there are other ways to get the task done in time. If you are not pleased with the outcome, decide to use that moment to learn from and make the appropriate shift.

4. Dwell completely in a place of gratitude. Learn to utilize what you have in your hands and make use of it in the most constructive way. Slipping into neediness will become less of a habit when you repeatedly shift towards gratitude, away from poverty consciousness.

5. Use a Passion Formula of Recognize/Reevaluate/Restore in place of the Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda whirlwind. The former is based in increased knowledge and abundance while the latter focuses on scarcity and lack. As you face people or tasks that may seem harder than scaling the summit of the Himalayas, allow yourself to realize that the task is just as important as giving out orders to your subordinates. You would rather be richly passionate!

6. Keep humor at the forefront of thought, laughing at and with yourself when possible. You may find yourself quite entertaining when you loosen up! I am yet to see a comedian ever go hungry even though his jokes are as ‘old as great-grandma’. Life has so much to offer to allow you to mope around in self pity. Humor is very attractive, very passionate: life-giving.

7. Believe that you are the architect of your destiny. No one can take your passionate future from you except for you! Create your life authentically. As long as there’s still breath in your body, there is no end to how much you can accomplish in a lifetime. The concept of thinking big is all about enjoying your work, which would lead to celebrate a discovery that is born within your hands. Watch everything flow into place with perfect, passionate precision.

It’s interesting how people get swallowed up by something trivial as learning to use a computer, when nowadays the top computer companies are manufacturing software so simple to use that even the kids can do it. I don’t mean to be condescending, but that’s the idea of not having any positive thinking in your life-you’ll just end up as a dim bulb in a dark corner. So instead of subjecting yourself to what you will be doomed for, make your path by taking the first step with a positive attitude.

A definition accepted in most dictionaries for meditation is, continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature. This is in actual fact self reflection. Meditation can provide you with inner strength and help you to be much happier. 

Meditation doesn’t have to be difficult to do and can give you an instant feeling of calmness and relaxation.
This particular meditation technique is simple and very effective as it will only take you a few minutes to learn and will help you relax and forget about the stresses of everyday life.
 

Meditation generally involves one consciously discounting wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming and focusing the mind, while controlling the breathing, and sensory awareness.
There is one meditation anyone can do, and by doing it, one’s life force itself comes under control; ones senses turn off, and the mind becomes quiet. Then the peace and realization that comes from true meditation comes to the practitioner.

Meditation: how is it done?

You must be comfortable, so sit on a chair or on the floor with a soft mat or carpet underneath you.
Sit up straight with your spine in a line…do not slouch. When you feel completely relaxed, command your mind to be silent, your emotions to be still, keeping your body as relaxed as possible.
Beginners in this meditation usually silently say the word So with each inhalation and the word Ham with each exhalation.  As you do this meditation, actually imagine the air entering your nose and traveling all the way down into your lungs. This is one So.

As you exhale, you can imagine the air traveling out of the lungs, up to the nose and out of your body. This is one Ham.
Continue in this way, as long as you are comfortable, but no less than 5 minutes, and no longer than 20 minutes until the meditation feels natural to go longer.
Even spoken over and over, the syllables merge…so one is saying Sohamsoham…I am He, He am I…it is a prayer and a meditation mantra which are spiritually charged word or series of words used a meditation theme.
One feels closer to ones intuition, and one feels as if the world of material things is less important due to its overbearing insignificance when compared to the bliss one feels in meditation.
 Learn as much as you can about meditation so you too can start feeling better.

By Yardley Moore

There seem to be many different forms of Yoga and, for the
beginner, this can be confusing. Which form should he/she
choose? Exactly what are the benefits of each type of Yoga form?
Well, you can’t go far wrong with ‘Hatha Yoga’. It is very much
like normal Yoga, involving:

1. Stretches and poses.
2. Can bring relief from stress and anxiety.
3. It will help you to achieve greater levels of concentration.

4. For some individuals, it can also act as a cleanser for the
spirit.

Body Purification

Thanks to a fifteenth century Indian Yogi called Swatmarama,
Hatha Yoga will help you to think more clearly. Swatmarama found
a way for practitioners of Yoga to prepare their body for
purification and this was to be achieved chiefly through
meditation. Originally, this kind of Yoga was called ‘Shatkarma’
(’Hatha’ is a combination of ‘Ha’, meaning sun, and ‘tha’,
meaning moon).

‘Hatha Yoga’ is similar to ‘Raji Yoga’ where it is believed
that practitioners can gain total control over the spirit, body
and mind. With practice, you should be able to focus your energy
into your whole body. In fact, because these two forms of Yoga
are so closely related, they are often talked about simply as
‘Yoga’. The point of all this is that Hatha Yoga can help you to
eliminate physical and/or mental problems by directing your
energy to the areas that need the most assistance. What more
could you ask for?

A major benefit of Hatha Yoga is the ability to get relief from
many different aches and pains that may be afflicting your body,
particularly in the head and neck area. After developing your
skills further, you will learn how best to relax your body as
you will have a greater understanding about how your body works.
By releasing energy that has been suppressed for a long period
of time, you will become happier and enjoy a range of health
benefits. Also, your inner self will not be neglected either and
you will have a far greater facility for getting in touch with
your feelings. This combination of physical AND mental benefits
makes Hatha Yoga extremely popular to most sections of the
population.

Breathing is a major part of Hatha Yoga and allows you to focus
your energy on the correct parts of the body that need
assistance. Higher, more esoteric, benefits can also be reached
by working on the breath. Pranayama is the name given to these
kind of breathing techniques and (combined with postures called
asanas and meditation) can help you to balance the positive and
negative forces in your life. As a result, you will find your
mind becoming clearer and access to your subconscious will
become much easier.

So, Hatha Yoga is a very physical form of Yoga, but one that,
perhaps, provides the greatest benefits, especially to
beginners. Although it is a physical form, the mental and
spiritual benefits are also considerable and so it is a good
‘all-rounder’ if you are undecided.

About the Author: Yardley Moore invites you to discover more
about the great benefits of Yoga by visiting
http://www.YourYogaTips.com where you will find lots of
information and advice for the Yoga enthusiast.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=215613&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

If you cannot enroll for a speed reading program, don’t worry. You can learn speed reading at home too! It’s easy and fun.

Develop Your Own Speed Reading Program

The basic step to learning speed reading is to determine what your current reading speed is. How to do that? Well, take a book or magazine. Select the page you want to read. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes time period. Before that, do not forget to choose a quiet corner of your home. Begin to read at your normal speed. Do not try to speed read. Avoid being conscious and read freely. When your timer goes off, mark the page where you stopped to know how much you have read. Now, count the number of words you read during this time. You are now aware of your current reading speed.

Thereafter, set the timer again for the same time period. Begin to read from where you stopped. Do not read the same matter again. This time, you have to read in speed. In the beginning, you will have to consciously make an effort to do speed reading. Read as speedily as you can. And remember, you have to understand what you are reading. Try to retain as much information as you can. Comprehension and reading have to go simultaneously. As the timer goes off, mark the page where you stopped. Count the number of words you read during the set time. Did the word count increase? It may not be a drastic increase, but don’t lose heart. A slight improvement is also appreciable.

Repeat the process once again. Do this everyday. You only need to spare 15-20 minutes daily for your home speed reading program. When your speed gets considerably higher, observe whether you feel tensed or relaxed while reading in speed. Next time, try to keep yourself relaxed while speed reading. Remember, it is possible to achieve amazing speed along with a good comprehension. The brain has tremendous power. You only need to learn to use it.

Practice Is The Key

One of the keys to developing speed reading skill is regular practice. Besides this, you need to have patience and will power to achieve it. You simply cannot get admirable results overnight. And remember; read only that fast that you can understand the matter you are reading. Simply increasing the speed is useless. Reading and comprehension are like a pair of shoes. You just cannot wear one shoe.

So, start your speed reading program from today itself. Good luck!

Spiritual growth in the modern world, a world defined by power, money, and influence is a mammoth undertaking. The modern conveniences we take for granted such as home computers and electronics, gadgets, and tools, in addition to the entertainment we expect through television, magazines, and the web have conditioned us to confine our attention mostly to physical needs and wants. As a direct result of these influences, our concepts of self-worth and self-meaning are muddled, and our spiritual needs are being increasingly neglected. How can we strike a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives?

To grow spiritually is to requires us to be introspective, to look inside ourselves.

Spiritual growth requires that this introspection extends further than simply recalling the things that have occurred in recent days, weeks, or even months. It is neccessary to look closely and to take notice of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically reviewing your experiences, the decisions you took, the relationships you have, and the things you involve yourself in provide useful insights into your life goals, on the positive traits you need to maintain and the bad traits you have to discard. Additionally this periodic introspection gives you clues on how to act, how to react, and ultimately how you should conduct yourself in any given situation you may find yourself in. As with any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.

To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.

Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.

To grow spiritually is to search for meaning.

Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to—a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.

To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections.

Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.

Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K – keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.
L – Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?

M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S – Stop procrastinating.

T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V – Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!