Improve Your Mind

by Peter Murphy

Staying focused is difficult for many of us. Some of us get side-tracked by the events of life going on around us. We allow ourselves to be pulled this way and that, sometimes not knowing where to go next. However, staying focused is primarily an issue of time allocation and programming that time. But it does take practice to make it a habit. Let’s look at some ways to stay focused until you succeed.

First and foremost, you need a set of well defined goals if you are to stay focused. It’s the key! And one way of doing that is to write down what you want to accomplish. As you’re sipping your coffee in the morning, jot down some things you want to accomplish that day.
Read the rest of this entry »

by Laura Interval

Your comfort zone is mental and physical. It’s the safe house for your body, mind, and soul. When you’re in your comfort zone, you know who you are, and you know what to expect. You are the expert, the master, and the king of your domain.

So wouldn’t it be great to stay in there forever? Just work your job, live with your family and friends, and spend the rest of your years in this great cozy zone?

Hm… great maybe. But more than likely you’ll begin to feel stale, stagnant, and unfulfilled. As much as you want to stay in one place, chances are your life wont let you.
Read the rest of this entry »

by Tom Horvath

Let’s define addiction as repeated involvement with anything, despite excessive costs, because of craving. That sounds similar to habit, with is also repeated involvement with something. What are the differences and similarities between addiction and habit?

Let’s start with some examples of what appear to be addiction. A college freshman ends up in the emergency room after his first binge but is not repeatedly involved with alcohol (although he may soon be). A medical patient on opiates for pain control does not crave the next injection for the “high,” but simply wants pain relief. A low stakes poker player has minor losses, but the pleasure of gambling in this manner, for this individual, outweighs the cost. This last example illustrates how addiction is highly dependent of the context in which it occurs. What is a minor expense for one individual might not be for another.
Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Margaret Paul

If you are waiting for a partner to come along to make you happy, you will probably remain stuck being unhappy. Discover the importance of making yourself happy now - and how to begin doing that - before meeting your partner.

Do you believe that you need a partner to be happy? My client, Adrienne, an attractive woman in her 50’s, has been married and divorced twice. She was unhappy in both marriages, but she still believes that she needs a partner to be happy. This belief continually leads her into inappropriate relationships with men who initially come on strong, only to turn out to be emotionally needy, just like her.
Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Margaret Paul

Does the fear of failure stop you from doing what you really want to do? Discover how failure is a wonderful learning opportunity rather than an indication of your inadequacy.

Failure! What do you feel when you think about failure? Inadequate? Unworthy? Unlovable? It is so sad that you might have learned to link failure to your value as a person.

Most people who are successful in their work and their relationships have experienced many failures along their road to success. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric bulb, is often quoted regarding failure:
Read the rest of this entry »

by Tommy Yan

If you’ve ever watched little children you know they are always curious, seeking excitement, adventure and even fearless when it comes to escaping boredom. But something happens to them as they journey into adulthood that robs them their spontaneity. They become adults and settle into patterns of expected behaviors.

Which isn’t all bad—but it isn’t all good…

They take residence inside comfort zones. They seldom have breakthrough ideas. And expanding the mind is replaced by an expanding waistline.
Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Margaret Paul

We are a pleasure seeking society. Most of us spend our energy seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. We hope that by doing this, we will feel happy. Yet deep, abiding happiness and joy elude so many people.

There is a huge difference between happiness and pleasure. Pleasure is a momentary feeling that comes from something external - a good meal, our stock going up, making love, and so on. Pleasure has to do with the positive experiences of our senses, and with good things happening. Pleasurable experiences can give us momentary feelings of happiness, but this happiness does not last long because it is dependent upon external events and experiences. We have to keep on having the good experiences - more food, more drugs or alcohol, more money, more sex, more things - in order to feel pleasure. As a result, many people become addicted to these external experiences, needing more and more to feel a short-lived feeling of happiness. Read the rest of this entry »

by Marci Shimoff

I once heard a revered sage speak. He took a question from a man dressed in a three-thousand-dollar suit, wearing classy shoes, and dripping with gold jewelry. The man asked, “What do I need to give up to experience true happiness and inner peace?”

The sage replied, “There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that you don’t have to give up any of your stuff. Poverty isn’t the way to happiness. The bad news is that you have to do something that may be even harder for you. You have to give up the way you think.”

Give up the way I think? Isn’t that like saying I have to stop breathing? Well, it’s not as hard as it may sound. From the research and interviews with unconditionally happy people I did for my book, Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out, I’ve learned some powerful techniques for changing the way we think — ways that allow our minds to support our happiness rather than sabotage it.
Read the rest of this entry »

by Marci Shimoff

To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness. —Robert Mueller, Former Assistant Secretary General to the United Nations

Forgiveness is one of the 21 core habits of unconditionally happy people I discovered through my research for my book, Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out. The reality is whether the trespass against you is big or small, you can’t be truly happy until you forgive.

I once had a neighbor who was always yelling about something. My garbage cans were too close to her driveway. People parked their cars in front of her house. The neighborhood dogs were digging in her garden.
Read the rest of this entry »

by Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

What if there was one choice you could make that would change everything in your life for the better? Actually, there is. It’s the choice to move out of judgment and into compassion for yourself and others.

Compassion is defined as a deep caring for the pain of others, often accompanied by a desire to help. There is nothing that feels more wonderful and comforting than experiencing another’s compassionate response to our painful feelings and experiences.

However, it’s interesting that compassion is never defined in terms of oneself. Yet, compassion is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves. In fact, when we give compassion to others but not to ourselves, we often end up feeling alone, worn out, and uncared for.
Read the rest of this entry »