10 Simple Truths Smart People Forget Email Some of the smartest people I know continuously struggle to get ahead because they forget to address a few simple truths that collectively govern our potential to make progress. So here’s a quick reminder: #1 – Education and intelligence accomplish nothing without action. It doesn’t matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in Quantum Physics, you can’t change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action. #2 – Happiness and success are two different things. I know an extremely savvy businesswoman who made almost a million dollars online last year. I also know a surfer who surfs almost all day, every day on the beach in front of our condo complex in San Diego. “What will make me happy?” #3 – Everyone runs their own business. No matter how you make a living or who you think you work for, you only work for one person, yourself. So how can you simultaneously save your time and increase your profit? is a good read on this topic. And that’s okay. Photo by: Alemdag
The 48 Laws of Power Background[edit] Greene initially formulated some of the ideas in The 48 Laws of Power while working as a writer in Hollywood and concluding that today's power elite shared similar traits with powerful figures throughout history.[5] In 1995, Greene worked as a writer at Fabrica, an art and media school, and met a book packager named Joost Elffers.[4][8] Greene pitched a book about power to Elffers and six months later, Elffers requested that Greene write a treatment.[4] Although Greene was unhappy in his current job, he was comfortable and saw the time needed to write a proper book proposal as too risky.[10] However, at the time Greene was rereading his favorite biography about Julius Caesar and took inspiration from Caesar's decision to cross the Rubicon River and fight Pompey, thus inciting the Great Roman Civil War.[10] Greene would follow Caesar's example and write the treatment, which later became The 48 Laws of Power.[10] He would note this as the turning point of his life.[10]
12 Ways to Get a Second Chance in Life Email “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” -Maria Robinson We all need second chances. We rarely get things right the first time. The only difference between an opportunity and an obstacle is attitude. 1. What’s done is done. The smartest, and oftentimes hardest, thing we can do in these kinds of situations is to be more tempered in our reactions. Every difficult moment in our lives is accompanied by an opportunity for personal growth and creativity. 2. Everything is a life lesson. Never forget to acknowledge the lesson, especially when things don’t go your way. 3. Negative thinking creates negative results. Every one of the other suggestions in this article is irrelevant if your mind is stuck in the gutter. 4. Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will. You are the only one who can directly control the outcome of your life. 5. Some forces are out of your control. 6. 7. is a great read on this topic. 8.
25 Beautifully Illustrated Thought-Provoking Questions A question that makes you think is worth asking… At the cusp of a new day, week, month, or year, most of us take a little time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. We ponder the successes, failures and standout events that are slowly scripting our life’s story. If you would like to maximize the benefits of self reflection, our new sister site, Thought Questions, is for you. Remember, these questions have no right or wrong answers. Here’s a sample of 25 recent thought questions posted on the site: Thought Questions is updated daily. Title photo by: Oberazzi For all other photo credits please refer to ThoughtQuestions.com Related 6 Questions that Will Save Your Relationships When you don't ask sincere questions and talk it out, there's a lot of important stuff that ends up never getting said. May 21, 2014 In "Life" 20 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Every Sunday July 24, 2008 In "Hacks" 40 Photo-Illustrated Questions to Refocus Your Mind
:zenhabits 60 Tiny Love Stories to Make You Smile Here’s a selection of 60 tiny love stories recently submitted to our sister site, Makes Me Think, that not only made us think, but warmed our hearts and made us smile too. We hope they do the same for you. Today, my 75-year-old grandpa who has been blind from cataracts for almost 15 years said to me, “Your grandma is just the most beautiful thing, isn’t she?” I paused for a second and said, “Yes she is. I bet you miss seeing that beauty on a daily basis.” And, of course, be sure to check out Makes Me Think for more thought-provoking love stories like these.Photo by: Patrick Related 25 Inspiring Stories to Make You Smile Here’s a selection of 25 short stories recently submitted to our sister site, Makes Me Think, that not only made us think, but made us smile too. July 11, 2011 In "Hacks" 60 Short Love Stories to Cheer You Up February 13, 2013 In "Happiness" 101 Short Stories that Will Leave You Smiling, Crying and Thinking
12 Things Happy People Do Differently post written by: Marc Chernoff Email by Jacob Sokol of Sensophy “I’d always believed that a life of quality, enjoyment, and wisdom were my human birthright and would be automatically bestowed upon me as time passed. Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. I want to honor and discuss each of these 12 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable. Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Jacob Sokol is committed to living an extraordinary life. Photo by: Aurelio Asiain If you enjoyed this article, check out our new best-selling book. And get inspiring life tips and quotes in your inbox (it's free)...
30 Habits that Will Change your Life Developing good habits is the basic of personal development and growth. Everything we do is the result of a habit that was previously taught to us. Unfortunately, not all the habits that we have are good, that’s why we are constantly trying to improve. The following is a list of 30 practical habits that can make a huge difference in your life. You should treat this list as a reference, and implement just one habit per month. Health habits Exercise 30 minutes every day. Productivity habits Use an inbox system. Personal Development habits Read 1 book per week. Career habits Start a blog. What do you think? Update: A reader put together a downloadable copy of all these habits.
10 Habits You Must Quit to Be Happy Email When you quit doing the wrong things, you make more room for the things that make you happy. So starting today… 1. Quit procrastinating on your goals. Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it. The secret to getting ahead is simply getting started. 2. Stop blaming others for what you have or don’t have, or for what you feel or don’t feel. 3. If nothing ever changed there would be no sunrise the next morning. And don’t forget, however good or bad a situation is now, it will change. 4. If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can’t control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of frustration and misery. Some forces are out of your control, but you can control how you react to things. 5. Nothing will bring you down quicker than berating yourself. As Henry Ford once stated, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” 6. So stop worrying about the flaws you see in everyone else, and focus on yourself.
20 Things Life Is Too Short To Tolerate You don’t have to settle, it’s simply a choice you make every day. If you feel like you’re running in place there’s a good chance you’re tolerating things you shouldn’t be. It’s time to reclaim your life. Starting now, stop tolerating… People who bring you down. – Relationships should help you, not hurt you. Spend time with nice people who are smart, driven and likeminded.A work environment or career field you hate. – Don’t settle on the first or second career field you dabble in. And remember, you only live once, but if you live it right once is enough. Photo by: Anna Gay Related 12 Stressful Things to Stop Tolerating Needless tolerations can bleed you dry of energy and make it impossible for you to function effectively. March 5, 2012 In "Aspirations" 27 Stressful Things You Tolerate Too Often Life is to be enjoyed and appreciated, not endured and tolerated. October 12, 2014 In "Happiness" 26 Steps to Living a Life You Love
50 Things Everyone Should Know by Mark and Angel Self-reliance is a vital key to living a healthy, productive life. To be self-reliant one must master a basic set of skills, more or less making them a jack of all trades. While not totally comprehensive , here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Read the rest of the article
30 Life-Enhancing Things You Can Do in 30 Minutes or Less Many of us attempt to measure our happiness based on the duration of certain favorable experiences in our lives. The longer a favorable experience lasts, the happier we think we’ll be. But the truth is, life is simply a string of small, independent moments that are always changing. Thus, a few minutes well spent here and there can make a big difference in what we get out of life in the long-term. Here are 30 things you can do in 30 minutes or less that will have a positive emotional effect on you and those closest to you. Learn something new by starting a free course at one of the hundreds of online self-education resources bookmarked here: 12 Dozen Places To Educate Yourself Online For Free.Watch one of the thousands of educational videos streaming at TED.com, Academic Earth, or Khan Academy.Read an online book list and find a new book to grab next time you’re at the library. What simple life-enhancing activities do you participate in on a regular basis? Photo by: Rachel Sian Related
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Excerpt: 10 Conversations You Need to Have With Yourself: A Powerful Plan for Spiritual Growth and Self-Improvement Chapter 1 Embrace Hunger I will inspire myself to never be satisfied with superficiality and always hunger for depth. Everything in today's culture seems designed to satisfy some urge or whim. Simply stated, Americans will do anything to avoid being hungry. As a result, we lose our appetite for more important things. Dennis was married to Shirley for eleven years. When Shirley found out, she went ballistic. Then I had to explain to him, "I'm sorry, Dennis, but you just don't know yourself. Dennis took my words to heart. Our culture may tell you to indulge and satisfy your cravings, but I have a very different message: we all need to embrace hunger. Admit the truth to yourself sincerely and seriously in deep self-talk. I'm looking at my life, and I'm wondering why I find it so difficult to be disciplined. I have to stop rushing to fi ll every need. I have to learn to embrace hunger. Hunger is so much a part of our everyday lives. In Eden, Adam and Eve live in a beautiful garden.