Think About It

Have you ever just sat down and thought or pondered something? Nothing deep. Just a pure simple thought.

I'm getting ready to launch a new blog on makeup, skincare and mostly, nail polish. The name of the blog has to be catchy, explain in a few words what it is about and mostly, it has to have meaning. Meaning to me, then to my readers.

Titles were mulling around in my head. I had spent the evening researching other blogs and what they were called. Looking for inspiration, I found that other bloggers had done play on words, some has used their name in the title and many made the name something personal and close to them.

Without listing all the names that got me inspired, there were a lot (!) of them, many of them were giving me ideas. But it wasn't until I just sat on my bed, surrounded by the quiet and, let my mind wander that I came up with a few that have potential. There was no pressure to hurry up and come up with something. There was, actually, no right or wrong answer. It was just something that was going to be a pure creation out of my own thoughts.

My goal is to give an informative and fun blog about something I find fun: makeup. And my current addition...er, I mean fascination is with nail polish. I have lots and lots of ideas for the blog but, the most creative part was coming up with the name.

It wasn't necessary to get the name first and then the content. I allowed my creative side to just develop as the idea went along. Many times in the past, I felt I had to start off at the very beginning; coming up with a title and then the content. A year ago I had to write a paper for a class in Human Resources. Even though I knew what the subject was, I couldn't get past coming up with a title. I was stuck! After a considerable amount of whining, my husband told me to skip that part, just start writing! Well...duh! Sounds so easy, and it was. However, why in the world was I allowing myself to be stuck on doing the title first?

It seems that when I was a school kid, OK, that was a long time ago, however....when I was in school, the current way of teaching was to start at the beginning. Doesn't do much for creativity but, we were not being taught creativity. What would come if you ended up going to a liberal arts school. So, how completely stuffy was that thinking? Please, do tell me that education doesn't follow that train of thought anymore!!! Eeps!

And so, to those who feel they are not creative (yes, I thought I was, but I had to do it in a linear fashion), allow me to give you an alternative. What to create something? Start with where your first thought comes from. Is it a subject for a book? Is it an idea of a sweater you want to knit? Is it a room you want to decorate? If it involves creativity, give yourself permission to start wherever you want! Start at the beginning, if that suits you or, start at the end and then jump to the front. Doesn't matter...just start. And, we won't tell your teacher that you got out of line.

What are your current goals and where will you start?

43 Simple Ways To Simplify Your Life

Photo courtesy of Astrid Photography.

Post written by Sherri Kruger. Follow me on Twitter.

Simplicity. How can we make things simpler, more streamlined, or more efficient? Is this all just hype or is there actually something to this simplicity thing?

Reducing complexity in my life has reduced stress, increased free time, and top priorities are actually top priorities. When we simplify as much as we can we are better able to slow down and enjoy each moment as opposed to rushing through it. Here are a few ways you can simplify the various aspects of your life:

1. Turn off your cell phone.

2. Process email only twice a day.

3. Go to bed early.

4. Get rid of (or at least reduce) commitments that you do out of obligation.

5. Create a weekly meal plan.

6. Automate your finances.

7. Purge as much unneeded clutter as possible.

8. Keep your paper shredder on top of your recycling bin.

9. Add items you want to a wish list as you think of them.

10. Get a label maker or write labels out by hand.

11. Set your clothes out for the next day the night before.

12. Make your lunch for the next day the night before.

13. Make time to catch up with an old friend.

14. Just say no.

15. Ask for experiences not things for your birthday and Christmas this year.

16. Tell the truth.

17. Keep your list of addresses and phone numbers up to date.

18. Consolidate debt.

19. Create an organizing system that works for you.

20. Keep a bag for garbage in your car.

21. Cary a notebook and pen with you where ever you go.

22. Unsubscribe from emails, newsletters or RSS feeds that don’t provide value anymore.

23. Apologize immediately when you realize you’ve done wrong.

24. Enjoy the present moment as much as you can.

25. Take time to really see the little things in life.

26. Reduce the amount of TV you watch.

27. Get outside.

28. Create morning, daytime, and evening routines.

29. Ask for help.

30. Do things at home as much as possible (eat, date nights, entertain etc.).

31. Don’t get caught up in other people’s drama.

32. Let go of the self-imposed need to be perfect.

33. Focus on a simple, but healthy, eating plan.

34. Share responsibilities.

35. Reduce your wardrobe to a few versatile items.

36. Be positive.

37. Start a gratitude journal.

38. Finish old tasks before taking on new ones.

39. For every new item that enters your home set two free.

40. Want what you have not what you don’t.

41. Revisit what you carry with you in your purse or wallet.

42. Focus on one thing at a time.

43. Store new garbage bags at the bottom of your garbage can.

There are countless ways to simplify your life, these are but a few. I’d love to know what you’ve done to move towards a simpler life for yourself. Please share your ideas in the comments.

One Decision that Changes Everything

This guest post was written by Alex, author of Unleash Reality

.

• Money
• Success
• Freedom
• Happiness
• Glory

Mmmm. YUM. Sounds good doesn’t it?

And yet very few people ever live to become the success story they dream about.

Why?

Because all successful people have one excruciatingly simple thing in common.

And it’s the only thing that’s stopping you from being insanely, abundantly, super successful.

Taking Action

Successful people take action.

That’s it.

“Take action? Yeah, right!” It sounds too simple, doesn’t it?

Yeah, it does. But don’t be fooled. It is that simple. So before you stop reading this and go back to your blurry life of mediocrity, listen up.

Most people live in a complete daze. Actually, they don’t LIVE. They just ‘get by’ because they never take the necessary action to make things happen – to seek their dreams. Does this sound like someone you know?

But successful people…

They’re ALIVE. They make things happen because they take action.

They have that look in their eyes – undiluted determination and infinite appetite for possibility.

They live in constructive flow, always looking for a way – always taking the next logical step.

Productive Positivity

When you constructively move forward with a positive outlook on life, all of the self-induced barriers dissolve and you get out of your own way. Nothing feels impossible and you see potential and possibility in everything because you’re not limiting your focus with destructive negativity.

Successful people constantly live in a state of productive positivity. They don’t settle and they aren’t scared to fail. They try, and fail, and try again until they succeed. Because they know it’s possible, even if they haven’t yet figured out how.

Everything they do is soaked in a deep personal desire to move things forward.

They live for the feeling of accomplishment. You know this feeling…

It’s the feeling of complete immersion in what you’re doing – when you tickle your own brilliance and the distinction between ‘you’ and the task at hand blurs until it’s complete. It’s those moments when you’re taking action and constructively flowing with life

instead of aimlessly stumbling through it.

I know you’ve felt it. Maybe not often enough, but you have.

Ask Yourself

In every situation there is always a ‘most constructive’ path

to choose.

Whether you’re running a business, having a conversation, walking down the street and see someone you’d like to meet, or even just entertaining yourself by browsing online – there’s always a constructive path.

Ask yourself, “What can I do right now that will make me more successful in my own eyes?”

The interesting thing is that as you ask yourself this question, little electrochemical fireworks explode in your mind and illuminate your entire being with the feeling of what success will be like. Your mind automatically cycles through all the possible situations that will result from the different choices for an action that you take.

So ask yourself the question and think about what will help you move forward with your goals. Immerse yourself in thought. What is it that you really want? And what choice can you make right now that will help you get one step closer?

Momentum Builds

After awhile your mind will become trained to subconsciously think about success, so when you have a little time and are deciding what to do, that image of success that came up will poke its head into your plans and make you think twice about zoning out in front of the T.V.

Sure, sometimes it’ll be a small action like reading a book, but momentum builds and as you begin to feel the possibilities for success, you’ll stop limiting what you deem ‘possible’ and you start taking on bigger projects and more promising endeavors.

And as you do it more and more, it becomes less of a question and more of an overall state of being where all you will want to do is move forward towards success. And it feels really good. It brings purpose into your life.

And it doesn’t have to be just material success – deciding to read for pleasure, meditate, exercise, or spend time with a loved one are all valid decisions toward success. The definition of success, after all, is up to you.

But more than anything, success hinges on the simple act of making a decision to live – to absorb yourself in the process of going after your goals.

So make that decision…

And take action.

Alex writes about personal development and how to dive into reality on his site Unleash Reality

. You should check it out right now. And subscribe

too.

Boost your productivity with Hemingway’s hack

I have read many valuable "5 tips", "10 ways", "50 hacks" provided by productivity gurus to help you move forward when you have trouble being productive. To my surprise, none of these lists mentions an easy to grasp rule Ernest Hemingway applied to his writing process. His hack is perhaps too nonconformist to be part of the "getting things done" gospel…
The winner of the 1954 Nobel prize in Literature explains in simple words how to keep the momentum going and how to avoid writer’s block, a common affliction amongst authors. But his hack applies to any task related to an important goal. Here’s what you should do to avoid being stuck and maintain the flow state that maximizes productivity.

The quote :

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck. Always stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.

Ernest Hemingway

Roald Dahl’s comment :
Let’s see what another famous writer, Roald Dahl, has to say about Hemingway’s hack (excerpts) :
« I never come back to a blank page; I always finish about halfway through. Hemingway taught me the finest trick : “When you are going good, stop writing.” You don’t go on writing and writing until you come to the end of it, because when you do, then you say, well, where am I going to go next? You make yourself stop and you walk away. And you can’t wait to get back because you know what you want to say next. »

To summarize, Hemingway tells you :

Don’t finish your daily task if you want to keep the momentum going :

• Make finishing your task your « next task »
• Stop when you know what you will do to finish it
• Stop when you feel the drive to finish it
• Stop when you reach a creativity peak
• Stop thinking about it until the next day

The benefits. You :

• Avoid being stuck
• Keep the momentum going
• Start your day by the rewarding work of finishing a task
• Boost your self-confidence and motivation levels before starting the « next task »
• End your day on a high note
• Put your brain to purposeful rest when you stop working
• Allow you subconscious to work profitably on « it » = « the bigger picture » = your goal.

My comment
Of course if you want to get into the completion habit, you should start by finishing your daily task (related to an important goal), no matter how sloppily you do it. But often, if you limit yourself to this way of getting things done, you cannot help worrying about the poor quality of your work and feeling dissatisfied with it until the next day.

And this is not good for your self-esteem. What is not good for self-esteem is not good for motivation. And without boosting your motivation level you cannot get into the completion habit.

My experience
With some practice, you can go from don’t stop when you get stuck to avoid being stuck. In my 22-year career as a professional journalist I went through all the stages : I started by being a perfectionist , rereading and rewriting every sentence of an article, therefore getting stuck all the time. I moved on to practicing sloppy drafts whenever I was stuck and improving them afterwards. Until one day, when I stopped when I was "going good". Why ? Because it was a beautiful summer evening, because I wanted to listen to the Rolling Stones, because I knew exactly what to do to finish my article.

Since then, I always make myself stop when I know what I am going to do next ( and not when I want to listen to the Stones on a summer evening - which is what I dream of doing all the time). And I learned to apply this rule to other tasks, when I decide to clear up my wardrobe or to sort out my record collection for an easier access to my 325 Stones records (pretty obvious).

Written by: http://www.secondactive.com Tessa Ivascu