7 Excruciatingly Simple Tips on How to Work Less and Get More Done

---

• 7 Excruciatingly Simple Tips on How to Work Less and Get More Done
• 4 Things You Can Read to Slim Your Waistline
• True religion
• Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 10/3/2012
• Learning to focus on the positive
• 6 Superbugs to Watch Out For
• Teen Drinking & Driving Declines, But It's Still a Big Problem
• Vitamin D Doesn't Fight Off Colds
• 5 Body Postures That May Actually Boost Your Self-Esteem

7 Excruciatingly Simple Tips on How to Work Less and Get More Done Posted: 03 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT Work less. Do more. A preposterous suggestion, isn't it? What's even more preposterous is the idea of working more when you could work less. Many of these tips you may have heard of, but some of them you may not have. And if you've seen the tips before, have you applied them? Have you truly tried them out in your life and given them a chance? Most people haven't. That's the problem. There is no magic bullet to productivity. The shortcut to success is no shortcut at all. Let's start. Your ready? Single Task How many times have you tried to multitask only to discover that you haven't gotten anything done and are suddenly staring at fluffy kittens and cute puppies on YouTube? Not that I know anything about that though. Single tasking may be one of the most important things you can do to increase your productivity and happiness. When you focus your mind on one thing, it allows you to get into the zone and really tap into the creative genius of your mind. Eliminate Outside Distractions In order to single task and really increase your productivity it's imperative that you eliminate outside distractions. This might mean telling your friends, significant other, or even your dog to leave you alone for a certain amount of time. If you're not working from home, you have to train your coworkers to leave you alone so you can get more done, and have more time to relax after that. Or find a place where they can't find you. Do It Now Most people spend their time avoiding their high-value tasks. The tasks that matter most. They procrastinate until the deadline is clawing at them. I'm sure you're nothing like this, but just in case you have a friend or two that has trouble with procrastination, I recommend you stop thinking and jump into action. Imagine how good you will feel when the task is done. Getting things done is not all about feeling good and motivated, it's about getting them done. Easier said than done, right? The choice is always yours. Do you want to feel bad procrastinating or good having it done? Procrastination is not something done unto you. It is something you are doing, so why not procrastinate on procrastinating until you're done? Plan What I've found to be highly effective is simply writing down what I'm going to do the next day before I go to bed. A small to-do list if you may. I don't make my to do list large or complicated. I keep it to two or three high-value tasks. If you're working in a 9-to-5 job, then you can adapt this process any way you want. Maybe you write down what exactly you will do when you get to the office. It's up to you to discover what works best. Some people may start their day drinking coffee and chatting to their coworkers, but what would happen if you got all of the stuff done right away and then felt good for the rest of the day? Take Breaks Your brain can only do so much focused work. That is why it's so important that you take regular breaks, stretch out, and take a few deep breaths. 5 minutes is enough. If you have the opportunity, take a short walk outside and take in some fresh air. It will not only reinvigorate you, but also keep you focused when you start working again. It's not about working six hours straight ! and getti! ng "stuff" done, it's about doing high-quality work in the least amount of time possible, while keeping it enjoyable. Kitchen Timer This is one of my productivity secrets. I use a software program called Focus Booster App, which works for both Mac and Windows. You can use a regular kitchen timer, or your phone if you like. What's important is that you work under a mini-deadline, which in my case is 25 minutes. I work in 25 minute blocks. After each, I take a 5 minute break. Then I do another one. For those 25 minutes, I do nothing but work on one task. No checking email. No Facebook. Just doing the work. I can play after, but during that time, I get stuff done. Have Fun If you aren't having fun where you work, then make it fun, or do something else. You may be thinking that you're stuck there, and you need to pay the bills, or you may have another excuse. But the real truth of the matter is that you're scared about doing something else. Even though you may be bored out of your mind and hate your job, you don't want to leave, because it's familiar. In the end, it's up to you. What kind of life do you want to live? Imagine doing what you do now for 20 years. What kind of a life would you be living then? Is it one that you are excited about? If not, what are you waiting for? When you love what you do, you can't stop the increase in productivity. Written on 10/3/2012 by Henri Junttila. Henri is a freelance writer and the founder of Wake Up Cloud, where he helps people turn their passion into a thriving lifestyle business. When you feel ready to take action, get his free special ! report. Photo Credit: Martin Do you have a bucket list? Here are 101 things to do before you die. Includes a tutorial on how you can create your bucket list too! Read More @ Source

4 Things You Can Read to Slim Your Waistline Posted: 03 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT CREDIT: Maska82 | Dreamstime One of the most important things you can do to become slimmer and healthier doesn't have to do with depriving yourself. It doesn't even have to do with exercise (although that's certainly important). It has to do with a basic skill you learned long ago: Reading! That's right — reading can enrich your life in many ways, but today, we're going to talk about how it can slim your waistline. You don't have to settle in for a week to read a War and Peace length novel. You just need to focus on some very specific words that you'll find on the back of your favorite food products at the grocery store. I'm talking about reading food labels. And I'm not the only one. A study published in May in the journal Agricultural Economics found that women who read food labels were on average nearly nine pounds lighter— a difference of 1.5 body mass index points — , than women who didn't read labels. Of course, it's not enough just to read the label, you also have to know how to make the right decisions for your health and waistline. So, here are some tips to get you going. Sodium content: Sodium is a pretty big issue with prepackaged food. Most people focus so heavily on the fat, calorie and carbohydrate content that they skip over sodium completely. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, our total daily intake should be less than 2,300 milligrams. Fat content: Fat isn't all bad. In fact, our bodies need some fat to survive. So, instead of looking for foods that are completely fat free, opt for ones that include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (healthy) fats, instead of saturated (unhealthy) fats. Also, avoid anything that includes hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated fats. Those are trans fats. Calorie count: Many of us have tried at least one of those calorie-counter diets, so we're pretty familiar with reading this line. But it's not really necessary to get out your calculator. If one serving of something contains nearly one thousand calories or more, it's an indulgence that you may want to avoid. Serving size: The first thing you should do when reading any label is to take a look at the serving size. According to its label, there are two servings of soup in most packages of ramen noodles. If you plan to eat the whole thing for lunch, you've got to double everything, including sodium, fat and calories. Healthy Bites appears on MyHealthNewsDaily on Wednesdays. Deborah Herlax Enos is a certified nutritionist and a health coach and weight loss expert in the Seattle area with more than 20 years of experience. Read more tips on her blog, Health in a Hurry! Read More @ Source

True religion Posted: 03 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT If we immersed ourselves in a cartoon like world, true religion would teach us how to access our real, flesh and blood, human world, that is, how to wake up from the enchantment of the cartoon world.  Short of not waking up, what would be the point of a cartoon religion for us?  It would only keep us glued to the cartoon world. Turning now to the human world, if the true path of religion is supposed to show us what actually transcends our all-too-human world of birth and death—with a lot of suffering thrown in for good measure—what would be the ultimate benefit of a religion that didn't teach a proper path to the transcendent by which we might recognize it for ourselves in this life?  As I see it, there wouldn't be any benefit.    Any religion that doesn't lay out a path of the transcendent is almost meaningless.  I should add, that belief in a transcendent God is not the same thing as realizing the transcendent, directly, within ourselves by gnosis. Regrettably, there are some paths in Buddhism that don't begin to lead us to the transcendent, in the example of seated meditation.  Other such forms include chanting.  In truth, seated meditation or chanting really can't help us to see for ourselves what exactly transcends this corporeal body of birth and death. Read More @ Source

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 10/3/2012 Posted: 03 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT "The wise man takes great care to guard his thoughts. They are very subtle, very difficult to perceive and slip out of control at the tiniest opportunity. A well guarded mind brings happiness."   ~The Buddha Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Read More @ Source

Learning to focus on the positive Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT There are always things that are getting worse. For example, over the past year, you probably know someone who has become unemployed or ill or both, and there's more carbon in the atmosphere inexorably heating up the planet. But if you don't recognize what's improving in your own life, then you feel stagnant, or declining. This breeds what researchers call "learned helplessness" – a dangerously slippery slope: in the original experiments on dogs, whose motivational neural systems are like our own in important ways, it was very easy to train them in helplessness but very, very hard to teach them later that they could actually walk a few steps to escape from painful electric shock. If you don't recognize what's getting better in the people around you, then you'll continue to feel disappointed – and they'll continue to feel criticized, not seen, and "why bother." If you don't see the positive trends in our world over the past several decades – such as the end of the Cold War, improved medical care and access to information, and a growing middle class in many third world countries – then you'll get swallowed up by all the bad news, and give up trying to make this world better. It's not that you're supposed to look through rose-colored glasses. The point is to see life as it is – including the ways it's improving. How? Be aware of little ways you move forward each day. Like getting to the bottom of a sink of dishes or to the end of a stack of emails. Knowing a little more when you go to bed than you did when you woke up. Earning a day's wages, or a thank you, or a nod of respect. Then consider a longer timeframe: How have you moved forward over the past twelve months? What have you grown, built, learned? What problematic things have you dropped? Check out "The Enlightened Brain" and other audio titles from Rick Hanson. See some of the many ways that your material circumstances are better than they were a year ago (no matter if they have worsened in other ways). Notice any shrubs that have grown, fences mended, new clothes acquired, more earning power, improved net worth. See how things have improved in your relationships. With whom do you feel friendlier or closer or more trusting today than a year ago? And what's gotten better in a different sense: stepping back from people who don't treat you that well? Recognize the sincere intentions, good efforts, and growing abilities in children you raise or teach, and in the people with whom you live and work. Consider our sweet, soft planet. Given your values, what's gotten better over the past 20 years? 50? 100? 1000? 10,000 years? Sure, we face unprecedented challenges. But all the major problems our ancestors had to solve were by definition unprecedented when they first appeared! Would you rather deal with our global issues today . . . or – looking farther and farther back in time – with the threat of thermonuclear war between America and the Soviet Union; with Dickensian levels of poverty and misery throughout the 19th century; with millennia of feudal lords, widespread slavery, and the abuse of women and children reaching back to the development of agriculture 10,000 years ago; or with pervasive hunger and pain and violence in hunter-gatherer bands in which, as Thomas Hobbes put it, life was usually "nasty, brutish, and short"? Personally, I'm tired of the widespread meme – "in these dark times" – however it gets expressed. It's ignorant, defeatist, and often used to further an agenda. Every time in human history has been dark in some regards – and bright in many others. In a hundred ways, daily life is better for the average person worldwide than it's ever been. We've got our work cut out for us. But to keep going we need to feel we're making headway. Take heart: zigging and zagging, three steps forward and two steps back, slowly but surely we can and will make our world a better place. Read More @ Source

6 Superbugs to Watch Out For Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:00 AM PDT <strong>Introduction</strong> <p> Superbugs, also known as drug-resistant bacterial infections, can cause infections that are hard to treat. These clever germs have found ways to survive in the face of treatments with antibiotics, the drugs that usually kill bacteria.</p> <p> In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all bacterial infections in the world are slowly becoming resistant to antibiotic treatments. That&#39;s because disease-causing bacteria are living organisms that constantly evolve, enabling them to adapt to new environments. Antibiotic resistance develops over time &mdash; it can start from even a very small number of microbes within a population that have genes that allow them to continue to grow, despite the use of drugs that would normally kill them.</p> <p> Researchers suggest that some microbes are able to survive antibiotic treatments because they swap genes with each other, making them drug-resistant.&nbsp;</p> <p> In any case, the bacteria that survive an antibiotic treatment eventually outnumber the population of bacteria that are susceptible to the drug.</p> <p> Here are 6 superbugs that can be challenging to treat.</p> <strong>Klebsiella pneumoniae</strong> <p> <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em>bacteria can infect the lungs and lead to pneumonia. The bacteria can also infect wounds or surgical sites, or spread through the body via blood infections.</p> <p> Normally, Klebsiella bacteria can be found in <a>humans&#39;</a><a href="#_msocom_1" id="_anchor_1" name="_msoanchor_1" uage="JavaScript">[s1]</a>&nbsp;mouths, intestines and skin, and they cause no harm to people with healthy immune systems. But certain strains, like <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em>, can be dangerous for some people with weakened immune systems, particularly those in hospitals.</p> <p> One strain of the <a href="http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/1095-drug-resistant-bacteria-los-angeles.html">bacteria is also resistant to a number of antibiotics</a>, making the infection hard to treat. This type of <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em> produces an enzyme known as carbapenemase, which prevents antibiotics called carbapenems from killing the bacteria and treating the infection.</p> <p> To prevent spread of infection, the CDC recommends patients and hospital personnel follow strict hygiene procedures, such as hand-washing and wearing hospital gowns and gloves.</p> <strong>Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus </strong> <p> MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, is a strain of bacteria that&#39;s resistant to the antibiotics used to treat typical staph infections. The bacteria can spread by touching, as often occurs in hospitals.</p> <p> Once the bacteria enters the body, they can spread to bones, joints or major organs such as the lungs, heart or brain.</p> <p> The rate of <a href="http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2946-mrsa-infections-hospital-patients.html">MRSA infections in hospital patients has increased</a> in recent years, according to a recent study published in the August issue of the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Results showed that in 2003, an average of 21 out of every 1,000 hospital patients developed an infection. The number jumped up to 42 out of 1,000 patients in 2008.</p> <p> The best way to prevent the spread of MRSA is for health care workers and hospital visitors to keep their hands clean, according to the CDC.</p> <strong>Clostridium difficile</strong> <p> <em><a href="http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2352-deaths-stomach-flu-double-clostridium-difficile.html">Clostridium difficilebacteria</a></em>are found in the intestines. Healthy people who have enough &quot;good&quot; bacteria in their intestines may not get sick from a <em>C. diff</em> infection. But for people with weak immune systems, the germ can cause a number of symptoms, such as diarrhea or life-threatening inflammation of the colon.</p> <p> People who take antibiotics are at greater risk of <em>C. diff</em> infection, because antibiotics can kill the good germs in the intestines, leaving an imbalance.</p> <p> <em>C. difficile</em>can cause severe diarrhea, and the germ is linked to 14,000 American deaths each year, according to the CDC.</p> <p> Those most at risk are the elderly who take antibiotics, and <a>also those who get regular hospital care.</a><a href="#_msocom_2" id="_anchor_2" name="_msoanchor_2" uage="JavaScript">[s2]</a></p> <p> In about one in four patients, the infection may go away within two to three days after stopping antibiotic use, according to the CDC.&nbsp;Once the infection is gone, doctors generally prescribe another antibiotic for 10 days to make sure the infection doesn&#39;t return.</p> <strong>Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis</strong> <p> Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) is rare <a href="http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/755-tuberculosis-linked-to-lung-cancer.html">type of tuberculosis</a> that is resistant to a number of antibiotic drugs. This resistance leaves fewer treatment options available, which can increase the risk of death.</p> <p> Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs, but can spread to other organs. A person with TB releases the bacteria into the air when they cough or sneeze, and the germs can float for several hours. People who breathe in the air containing the bacteria can become infected.</p> <p> A total of 10,528 TB cases were reported in the U.S. in 2011, according to the CDC.&nbsp;</p> <p> <a>People who don&rsquo;t take their TB medications regularly </a><a href="#_msocom_3" id="_anchor_3" name="_msoanchor_3" uage="JavaScript">[s3]</a>&nbsp;are at greater risk of getting drug-resistant TB.</p> <strong>Drug-resistant Gonorrhea</strong> <p> Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by the bacteria <em>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</em>.</p> <p> Over time, gonorrhea bacteria have developed a resistance to antibiotics such as sulfonilamides, penicillin, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin, which are commonly prescribed to treat gonorrhea infections.</p> <p> Recently, the CDC stopped recommending the use of an <a href="http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2940-gonorrhea-treatment-changes.html">antibiotic called cefixime to treat gonorrhea</a>, because the drug was losing its effectiveness. Now, they recommend treating infections with a drug called ceftriaxone, along with either azithromycin or doxycycline, as the best way to reduce the risk of the bacteria becoming even more drug-resistant.</p> <p> In 2010, a total of 309,341 cases of gonorrhea were reported in the U.S. &mdash; a rate of about one case per 1,000 people, according to the CDC.</p> <strong>Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli</strong> <p> Escherichia coli are a large group of bacteria, and some normally live in the intestines of people and animals.</p> <p> Although some strains of the bacteria are harmless, others can make you sick. They can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia.</p> <p> One harmful strain is the <a href="http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2135-manganese-shiga-toxin-coli.html">Shiga toxin-producing <em>E. coli</em></a>, also known as STEC, which live in the guts of animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, deer and elk. Humans can become infected by eating contaminated food, drinking raw milk or contaminated water, coming in contact with cattle or with the feces of infected people.</p> <p> STEC are resistant to a number of classes of antibiotics. In fact, antibiotic treatment is generally discouraged because it may increase the risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a disorder that can destroy red blood cells, causing damage to the kidneys.</p> <p> An estimated 265,000 STEC infections occur yearly in the U.S., reports the CDC.</p> <p> Earlier this year, an outbreak of a particular strain of STEC, called <em>E. coli </em>O145, was identified in nine states. A total of 18 people were infected, four were hospitalized and one person in Louisiana died.</p> <p> To prevent STEC infections, the CDC recommends washing hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or preparing food, cooking meats thoroughly and avoiding drinking raw milk.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p> <em>Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/MyHealth_MHND">MyHealth_MHND</a>. Find us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MyHealthNewsDaily">Facebook</a>.</em></p> Read More @ Source

Teen Drinking & Driving Declines, But It's Still a Big Problem Posted: 03 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT CREDIT: Katseyephoto | Dreamstime Teen drinking and driving rates have dropped by 54 percent over the last two decades, however, that still means that 1 million teens drank and drove in 2011, according to a new report. Among teen drivers who were involved in fatal crashes in 2010, 1 in 5 had some alcohol in their system, and 81 percent had blood alcohol levels over the legal limit for adults, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Binge drinking, which was defined as having at least five alcoholic drinks within a few hours, was reported by 85 percent of high school teens who noted drinking and driving in the past month. "We are moving in the right direction," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the CDC director. "But we must keep up the momentum," because 1 in 10 high school teens drinks and drives each month, endangering themselves and others. For the report, CDC researchers analyzed data gathered during the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys between 1991 and 2011. In these national surveys, high school students were asked if they had driven a vehicle after drinking alcohol at least during the previous 30 days. Drinking and driving rates were generally higher among males than females, and were highest among males age 18 and older. In this group, 18 percent reported drinking and driving in the past month. Parents' efforts to get involved in their teens' lives can help keep them safe, according to the report. Parents can model safe-driving behavior and use tools such as parent-teen driving agreements. Research has also shown that laws establishing a minimum legal drinking age, zero tolerance laws and a graduated driver-licensing system can protect teen drivers. Pass it on: Drinking and driving rates have dropped among teens, but large numbers still imbibe and then get behind the wheel. FollowMyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+. Read More @ Source

Vitamin D Doesn't Fight Off Colds Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT CREDIT: Vitamins photo via Shutterstock Although vitamin D boosts the immune system, taking large doses of the nutrient does not appear to ward off colds, a new study from New Zealand says. In the study, participants who took high doses of vitamin D supplements every month for more than a year were just as likely to catch colds as those who took a placebo. Taking vitamin D supplements also did not reduce the length of time participants were sick, the severity of their illness or the number of workdays they missed. The findings suggest vitamin D should join the list of therapies that researchers have deemed "ineffective for preventing or treating upper respiratory tract infections in healthy adults," Dr. Jeffrey Linder, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study. However, the study researchers noted that even the participants in their study who took a placebo had sufficient levels of the nutrient. People with a vitamin D deficiency may see more of a benefit from taking the vitamin, in terms of a reduced risk of colds, they said. "Further research is required to clarify whether there is benefit from supplementation in other populations and with other dosing regimens," the researchers said. The study and accompanying editorial will be published Wednesday (Oct. 3) in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Earlier studies suggested a link between low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of respiratory tract infections such as tuberculosis; however, whether the vitamin reduced the risk of colds was not clear. In the new study, 322 healthy adults were randomly assigned to receive either a high dose of vitamin D monthly for 18 months, or a placebo.  The vitamin D dose was 100,000 international units (IU) per month, which equates to 5 times the daily recommended allowance of 600 IUs a day for an adult.Participants were evaluated each month, and contacted the study researchers if they had cold symptoms. Samples from their noses were also tested for respiratory viruses. Those who took vitamin D had increased blood levels of the vitamin that stayed constant throughout the study. However, taking vitamins did not reduce the incidence or severity of colds in a meaningful way. There were 593 upper respiratory tract infections in the vitamin D group and 611 in the placebo group. People in the vitamin D group had an average of 3.7 upper respiratory tract infections per person over the study period, compared with 3.8 per person in the placebo group. It's not clear whether providing smaller, steady doses of vitamin D would have a different effect, the researchers said. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Otago in Christchurch, and was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. Pass it on: Vitamin D supplements do not appear to reduce the risk of colds. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+. Read More @ Source

5 Body Postures That May Actually Boost Your Self-Esteem Posted: 02 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT "The body says what words cannot" – Martha Graham Wisdom tells us that the body is not worth as much as our inner being. However, it is our body that bridges the world into our soul. It is the means that nurtures our being not only by what our environment shows us. It is also affected by the way we choose to move and act our bodies. A study by the Ohio State University found that our posture can also affect how we think about ourselves. Try to be aware of your body posture in different environments: How do you sit up at the family dinner table? How do you stand while waiting for the bus? How is your body positioned in your usual work meetings?  Do you see any difference or any pattern?  Also remember to check out other important situations. These will reveal your attitudes. Find out where you can improve. Kellogg School of Management described these helpful postures as those that open up the body and take up space. It was reported that these positions activate a sense of power and produces behavioral changes in a person regardless of his role in an organization. Here are 5 body postures that will fire up your confidence and performance. Stand or Sit Up Straight (Done Always) Straighten up your back from shoulders to hips.  Do not slouch. Show up your chest. Shelley Moore shared in livestrong.com that sitting or standing up straight makes you get a good impression and look more attractive (such as making you taller and slimmer). Hence, in terms of appearance, it boosts your confidence. This is a common reminder from our parents and teachers back when we were kids. It makes a good bearing out of each one of us. It puts us on equal f! ooting w ith royalty. That's exactly what the posture wants to tell us. Arms Outstretched (Done Before/After Activity) Stretch out your arms like you want to hug someone and notice how you feel. In an interview, Professor Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School shared findings of her study that when we use expansive postures such as arms outstretched, we increase our confidence brought about by an increase in our level of testosterone. This hormone is found to increase levels of confidence. Postures that make us feel smaller physically, also make us feel smaller emotionally. Open up your body, mind and soul.  Do not get cloistered by limiting beliefs. Think about how you can do better.  Be willing to take on new challenges. Think big! Clenched Fists, Raised hands (Done Before/After Activity) Do it like you've got the power or you won with hard work. Oftentimes symbolizing rebellion, a clenched fist can also be used to fight against our own self-destructive habits. A joint study by the National University of Singapore and University of Chicago reported "that engaging in these bodily actions, which often result from an exertion of will-power, can serve as a non-conscious source to recruit will-power, facilitate self-control, and improve consumer well-being." Yes, you have the strength to make a change. You have the energy to say the right words.  Do what you gotta do, and do it now. Lean Forward (Done in Activity or While Listening to Someone) Curious face and shoulders. Ann Demarais co-author of First Impressions: What You Don't Know About How Others See You said that men and women use similar body language to show interest such as leaning forward. Stiffness may send the wrong message. While this body language ! is more to communicate interest, it makes us feel better that we get to show our engagement in the conversation. Outside of romantic relationships, you can also show interest in what someone is saying.  Burst out with confidence while someone is posing a challenge. Do not be intimidated. Hug  This can be done as an exercise of greeting or goodbye, especially to a loved one. Personal, warm and intimate. Dr. Paul Zak, neuroeconomics pioneer, shared that the human brain naturally produces oxytocin during breast-feeding, orgasm, holding hands, hugs, and many other intimate activities.  This hormone is also considered a 'major player' in the regulation of trust and morality. Hug personifies love, care or at the least, peaceful relationship.  It gives a feeling of support and encouragement. Doing this to your loved ones and intimate friends, gives tons of confidence in your emotional bank account.  Your body connects to your brain and emotions.  The techniques I have mentioned allow you to choose to reach the depths of your being. Start raising your self-esteem by the movements of your body. Shake a leg, come out of your shell and set yourself free! Written on 10/2/2012 by Rob Leonardo. Rob is launching the Manifesto of Confident People Series for his blog as a guiding principle for everyone who wants to improve and keep their self-confidence alive. Photo Credit: Beth Do you have a bucket list? Here are 101 things to do before you die. Includes a tutorial on how you can create your bucket list too! Read More @ Source

You are subscribed to email updates from BuddhaRocks ☸ To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610