Easy does it…

“I watched a friend set up beach chairs and an umbrella. He was grunting, groaning, trying with all his might to accomplish a simple task. After he finished, he looked around and clapped the sand off his hands.

“I’m pretty dumb,” he said. “It didn’t have to be that hard or that much work.”

Yes, life really can be easier. Relaxing and letting it unfold can seem too simple and easy at times. What if we really knew that it was okay to gently go about our lives, living and working and handling things at a relaxed pace? What if we knew it was okay to gently take care of ourselves, and that a force would be present to guide us and help us accomplish each task, each problem, in fact, all the parts of our lives?

Life experience truly has taught me that when I relax, I am so much more capable of experiencing great happi­ness as well as simple joys. Things get done, problems get solved, and my needs get met.

Gratitude Focus: We can be grateful for all the situations that teach and remind us that “easy does it” works.” via May 11.

…on improving yourself

"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for." ~ Socrates

10 Easy Ways to Lower your Lifespan

10 Easy Ways to Lower your Lifespan via ilovecharts: Continue reading “10 Easy Ways to Lower your Lifespan”

Dirty Little Secrets

Gossip is more than just idle chitchat. Why we love to spread rumors—and how to do it right…

via Dirty Little Secrets.

Getting More Out of Pinterest

Getting More Out of Pinterest [Infographic]

Go to the source if you’d like to read the article…

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Pinterest!

Chris Brogan cut through all the Pinterest crap with a great reminder this morning. He said…

It’s Never the Medium. It’s the People

We seek to connect with people. We want to reach them for whatever our goal might be. It’s our effort to connect with them in a meaningful way that benefits our mutual needs that should be the goal. It’s never about the delivery mechanism.

We want what we want. Can you listen to Dr. Stephen R. Covey on cassettes? Absolutely. But if I leave those cassettes in my car (well, if my car had a tape deck), then I’m out of luck, aren’t I? With Audible.com, I can download the audio file to whatever device I want, as often as I want. It’s not the medium. It’s the information.

The People Are the Goal

Who follows whom on Twitter isn’t all that interesting. What we do with those connections is why it matters. How we take our access and make something interesting happen-that is the goal.

Again, it’s not whether I follow you or not. It’s whether something I do can improve your business or goals, and it’s whether you can share something or introduce something, or riff on something, or whatever. It’s how we use the network to build a system. It’s how we make our platform shine to help others, to grow our business, and more. That’s the magic.

Is Pinterest The New Amazing Network?

It will be, for those who use it to build a relationship that goes beyond the pins. Any network is serviceable, if you learn how to interact and help people satisfy their needs.

Now, let’s make mix-tapes together, shall we? Let’s make songs of love: a love of doing better business by building stronger human relationships over whatever medium we want.

You in?

Source: Never Fall In Love With the Medium

No, I’m not into Pinterest. I’ve played with it, found a few shortcuts [like use the Pinterest extension from Shareaholic in Chrome], created a couple hundred pins. It’s fun, but it’s not as useful for me as Evernote! I thought I’d use Pinterest to share the infographics that I love [I’m a huge fan of infographics!] but I ran into a couple of shortcomings that make Pinterest less that useful for me…

Ask yourself this question: If a picture is worth a thousand words, which of the thousand words will I use to describe the picture so that it can be found by anyone, anywhere at any time. Pinterest doesn’t really give you the ability to describe or search for what you are looking for very well. Pinterest would be really cool if it had a powerful advanced search feature or better yet, visual search. As it is though, for me it’s just a cute little toy at the moment. Those words may come back to haunt me someday but for now, that’s my take…

Here’s a little riff I did comparing Pinterest and Evernote focusing on some of the features that are important to me. I’ll let you decide what works best for you…

http://youtu.be/UzGbEY3KiD8

Here are some of the best reads I’ve found on Pinterest lately:

It’s fun and cute, but not very useful to me…

http://storify.com/e1evation/am-i-the-only-one-that-doesn-t-love-pinterest

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Taking care of Yourself

Feelings (David Byrne album)
Image via Wikipedia

Anger, fear, sadness, betrayal a lot of emotions can run through us when we stop trying to change the other person and start focusing on taking care of ourselves. The good news is that we’re finally feeling our own feelings instead of trying to figure out what the other person feels.

Maybe all those feelings we’ve been avoiding aren’t the opposite of love. Those feelings could be an important step on the path to love.

Inventory Focus: Is there a relationship in your life right now that is bugging you? Are you willing to explore detachment as a means to improving the relationship and regaining your peace?

Source: December 30: Taking care of Yourself | Language of Letting Go

Recognizing Feelings

Notes in a Moleskine notebook
Image via Wikipedia

Take out a sheet of paper. On the top of it write, “If it was okay to feel whatever I’m feeling, and I wouldn’t be judged as bad or wrong, what would I be feeling?” Then write whatever comes to mind. You can also use the favorite standby of many people in discovering their feelings: writing or journaling. You can keep a diary, write letters you don’t intend to send, or just scribble thoughts onto a note pad. Watch and listen to yourself as an objective third person might.

Listen to your tone of voice and the words you use. What do you hear? Sadness, fear, anger, happiness? What is your body telling you? Is it tense and rigid with anger? Running with fear? Heavy with sadness and grief? Dancing with joy?

Talking to people in recovery helps too. Going to meetings helps. Once we feel safe, many of us find that we open up naturally and with ease to our feelings.

We are on a continual treasure hunt in recovery. One of the treasures we’re seeking is the emotional part of ourselves. We don’t have to do it perfectly. We need only be honest, open, and willing to try. Our emotions are there waiting to share themselves with us.

Today, I will watch myself and listen to myself as I go through my day. I will not judge myself for what I’m feeling; I will accept myself.

10 Ways to Be Your Wife’s Hero

Author: Bagande
Image via Wikipedia

At the mention of watching a chick flick, many husbands will make excuses as to why the couple should watch something else.  They simply do not want to watch the mushy, romantic films.  Many husbands wonder how their wives are so captivated by the emotional drama found in chick flicks.

Women watch chick flicks for the hero.  Just like how they loved fairy tales as little girls and dreamed of their very own prince.  Wives may gush about how wonderful the fictional hero is from their favorite movie, but they do not actually want that guy.  They want you, their husband. They want you to be their personal hero, the prince who sweeps them off their feet.

  • Be her rescuer and protectorAccording to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, one of a person’s greatest needs is the feeling of safety and security.  To be your wife’s hero, she wants you to be that person who makes her feel safe.  This role of rescuer/protector is easier than what the action movies make it out to be.  Simply be there.  If she falls down, help her back up.  If there is an insect or rodent, put it outside or kill it.  Be there when she is scared and be there to wipe away her tears.
  • Romance your wifeLove your wife and remind each other why you fell in love in the first place.  Let your wife know that she is lovely; her feminine heart needs to hear that.  Here are 10 Ways to Romance Your Wife.
  • Set the example as the spiritual leader in your houseBe the spiritual leader in your household for your wife and your kids.  Take the family to church and pray together.  As you and your wife grow closer to God, you will also grow closer to one another.
  • Support herEveryone faces battles of some form in life.  Be there to support your wife when she faces her battles.  You cannot always fight them for her, but you can stand by her.  Sometimes she may need her own personal hero to stand up for her.
  • Listen to her, but don’t try to fix the problemAs a husband, you will hear all about your wife’s problems and annoyances.  She shares these things with you to have someone listen.  You don’t need to fix her problems unless she asks you to.  Just listen.
  • Spend time togetherWomen get jealous of other women whose husbands spend a lot of time with them.  The material things long hours in the office can buy are nice, but ultimately your time is more valuable to your wife. It is also important to spend time together as a family when you have children.  Spending time together is essential to maintaining a healthy marriage and family.
  • Pay attention to detailWomen are more detail oriented than men.  Try to pay attention to little details.  Notice new haircuts, compliment new clothes, and learn facial expressions.  Dates are also very important.  Remember important occasions such as anniversaries and holidays.  Plan ahead for them in order to make reservations or find the perfect gift.
  • Give her a breakOnce you and your wife have children, the dynamics change some.  Your wife will occasionally just need a break and a chance to escape from everything.  Volunteer to watch the kids while she has a girls’ night or takes a nap.  Or arrange a sitter so the two of you have a chance to get away together for a date night.
  • Commit to your wifeIt is not just enough in a marriage to love your wife.  You need to commit to her to demonstrate that love.  The most important thing is to be there; do not be an absent husband.  When things get hard in life or your marriage, do not run.  Work through things together.  Overcoming obstacles together will strengthen your marriage.
  •  Appreciate herLet your wife know how thankful you are for her.  Take note of all the little things that she does and thank her for doing them.  Let her know how important she is to you.

…according to John Jantsch…

One of the most common questions I receive is “how do I get started blogging?” Some might find it a bit odd that I suggest a three step approach and the first two steps don’t have much to do with directly working on your own blog. No, I think you get started blogging by working on your blogging mindset and blogging presence. So, here’s my 3-step blogging start-up plan.”

Click here to read more…

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Lessons learned from 2009

Here’a a great post from Holly Green…

“2009 has come and gone, and many of us are taking a huge sigh of relief. Going through one of the worst recessions in U.S. history will certainly take the wind out of your sails. But we appear to have weathered the worst of the storm. And while the economy might not rebound with the speed and vigor we would like, it at least appears to be heading in the right direction again.

So what did we learn from the trials and tribulations of the past year? And how can we apply those lessons going forward? Here are 10 things I believe that leaders need to do differently to position their businesses for success in 2010.” Source: Blogging Innovation: 10 Lessons Learned from 2009 – Innovation blog articles, videos, and insights

Go to the source to read her ten lessons. My favorite?

“Get used to the likelihood there will be no normal anymore. The old business world that most of us knew and loved went away with the recession, and it’s not coming back. To adapt to today’s business realities, question all your beliefs and assumptions, get comfortable with uncertainty, and adjust your expectations. For most, the new ‘normal’ will be slow and sustained growth rather than a hockey-stick curve and it will continue to surprise us.” Source: Blogging Innovation: 10 Lessons Learned from 2009 – Innovation blog articles, videos, and insights

Which one is yours?

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