“How to Create the Ultimate Habit of Happiness” plus 5 more

How to Create the Ultimate Habit of Happiness
[Spoiler] Is This a Hack That Reveals Your Biggest Facebook Stalkers?
30s Tip: True Friendship isn’t About Being Inseparable
Improve Your Home Office Productivity With These 4 Timeless Quotes
5 Genetic Health Problems to Protect Yourself From
Top 20 TED Talks That Will Improve Your Productivity

How to Create the Ultimate Habit of Happiness

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST

Do you think happiness is a state that only a few can achieve?

I think Happiness is your birth right, it is available to each and every one of us.

But if this is true why does it elude so many?

It eludes so many of us because our habits don’t support a life of harmony and happiness. I have heard it said that our collective habits determine the quality of our lives, in that case we need to ensure that our habits are positive and help us work towards creating an overall habit of happiness

There are many constructive habits that will help bring us more joy

The Act of Gratitude
Any time you spend giving thanks and appreciating all that you have in life is time that will be misery free. It is very difficult to feel low or depressed when feeling grateful.
Doing what you love
Spending each day doing what you love will ensure a more meaningful life. According to Scott Dinsmore, of Live Your Ledgend, in his TEDX talk How to Find and Do Work You Love 80% of people work in jobs they don’t enjoy.
Exercise
Exercise has a multitude of benefits, health, well being, mood, increases energy and helps you to sleep better. Fit people are more productive and generally happier.
Living in the Moment
Practicing the art of mindfulness is another sure-fire way to be happier. Living in the moment eradicates any future worries or past regrets.
Helping others
Another tried and tested manner to create more happiness, giving is just as powerful as receiving. Those who live helping others have a greater sense of purpose and live more meaningful lives.
Nurturing Positive Thoughts
So many people forget that their thoughts are within their own control and allow negative thoughts to overtake their minds. If you want to live a happy and successful life you cannot afford a negative thought.
Smiling
Apparently smiling releases serotonin, a chemical that makes us happy. Smiling even when we don’t really feel it will have the same effect.

While we know that all of these things contribute to our overall happiness why are so many of us still going around miserable?

You probably already practice one if not more of these habits and maybe your overall level of happiness is still not where you would like it to be. If this is the case the missing ingredient is not what you do but how you do it. Are you giving these habits enough attention? Are you focusing on them with intensity and belief?

What I see is that most people focus on a positive habit for a short time and then decide either consciously or sub consciously it’s not working and give it up.

But if we were to have a plan and focus on the new habit intensely, what would happen then? Let’s take the habit of positive thinking and follow my habit method

1.Start with a plan
Decide what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.

2. Commit to 31 days
It is said to take between 21 and 31 days to form a new habit and make it part of your life. Commit to taking it on fully for at least a month

3. Use triggers to encourage the new habit
Have set times to check your thoughts. First thing in the morning, before bed, set reminders on your phone. Put positive affirmations around the house, reminding you to think positive thoughts each time you see them

4. Record the benefits
Remind yourself why you are doing it and what are the benefits for you and your life.

5. List the potential pitfalls
Why hasn't it worked before and what can you do to make it work this time? If there are people who drag you down avoid them, if the news depresses you, stop watching it.

6. Reward yourself
Reward yourself with your achievements, if you complete a week; make sure you acknowledge the greatness of what you have done. Do something nice for yourself or go somewhere to celebrate.

7. Think you can
You must believe that you can and you will form this new habit. Often we take on board a new habit, and deep inside we don't believe we will actually do it. Don't waste your own time – unless you really believe in yourself, don't bother. Wait until you are feeling more positive and confident in your abilities

Follow this Habit Method and bombard yourself with positive thoughts morning noon and night. Have a mantra or affirmation that you can say on waking and before sleeping, you can also use this for the times when you have a negative thoughts, replace the negative with your mantra.

If you follow this advice you will be happier at the end of a month – guaranteed. Remember we get what we focus on, so focus on happiness and positivity. No place for negativity excuses and blame.

Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses
George Washington Carver

Start next year by taking responsibility for your own future and make 2013 your best yet.

Featured photo credit: beautiful young woman opened her hands via Shutterstock

Ciara Conlon is a Productivity Coach and author of "Chaos to Control, a practical guide to getting things done". Subscribe to her blog here and receive a discount on her online course Get Set for Success, 7 Weeks to a Happier More Organized You and two free chapters from her book.

[Spoiler] Is This a Hack That Reveals Your Biggest Facebook Stalkers?

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST

Remember the days when there were lots of Facebook apps that supposedly helped you to identify which friends responds and comments on your posts the most. All of those apps were fake? However, we’ve discovered a technical way that may identify your most active Facebook stalkers. Here’s how it to do it -

#1 Open Facebook (Of course… otherwise what are we doing?)

#2 Right click on any white area of the web page, and press “View Page Source”, “Show Page Source”

or something similar to that. It’s worded slightly differently for different browsers.

#3 You will see a page full of code, but that doesn’t matter.

#4 Press Ctrl + F, for Mac users press Command + F and Search [orderedfriends]

#5 Afterwards you will see a series of numbers like “123456789″

#6 Type in the numbers after Facebook URL, e.g.

www.facebook.com/123456789

#7 Are these the people who your biggest Facebook Stalkers?

If you think this is too complicated and slow, we have found a website which can simplify all the work for you so that you don’t have to paste them in one at a time. However, the website is in Chinese, so here’s the full instructions about how to use it.

#Bonus 1 Go back to the page that full of programming codes.

#Bonus 2 Press Ctrl + A to select all and press Ctrl + C to copy the whole page

#Bonus 3 Go to: http://tw.piliapp.com/event/facebook-ordered-friends/

#Bonus 4 Go to the box where the red arrow pointing and press Ctrl + V to paste to whole page source on it

#Bonus 5 It will display all the friends

Do you think this hack can really reveal your Facebook stalkers? Try it out yourself and tell us what you find.

30s Tip: True Friendship isn’t About Being Inseparable

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 07:00 PM PST

True friendship isn’t about being inseparable, it’s being separated and nothing changes.

Improve Your Home Office Productivity With These 4 Timeless Quotes

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 02:00 PM PST

Quotes are a wonderful way to get inspiration for your day. At the same time, they provide us wisdom in a very compact form.

When it comes to productivity, there are lots of great quotes related to that topic. Although they play a very important role when inspiring and motivating us, the true value comes when you apply the wisdom in your real life.

Enter your home office.

You know that you'd like to be more productive in that environment, but you don't know how. If this is the case, then these quotes and the steps for applying them are for you.

Enjoy this wisdom and make sure to put the advice into action.

1. "If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, the rest of your day will be wonderful."

~Mark Twain

Do you have a difficult task that you seem to be putting off: Is it calling to clients or sending an e-mail to your customers?

Whatever the task is, you are not alone, since we all have those kinds of "frogs" on our list. However, some people take care of those tasks as soon as possible while some people postpone them until they are forced to do it.

Would you like to belong to the first group of people?

How to:

When you eat the frog first thing in the morning, your day goes much smoother than if you were to postpone the task until later part of the day.

In my situation, I deal with a task like this in 3 steps.

First, I'll just make a decision to take care of the task as soon as possible. Sometimes I'll decide to do the task next day first thing. This way I have more time to prepare for it mentally.

Then, I set the exact time when I will call that person or send that e-mail. This happens by marking the task in the calendar and also setting a reminder on my mobile phone. This way I don't have any excuses, like forgetting it.

Finally, I just get started with the task when the time is right. I take the first steps and then often I realize that I actually want to finish what I have just started.

For instance, if it's sending the e-mail, I start writing the message. After few lines of doing so, I want to finish the message at once and send it right away.

Alternatively, if it's a phone call, I prepare myself for the conversation by deciding what to say. In addition, I have a pen and paper (or other note taking equipment) ready, since I most likely have to write something down during the conversation.

After I have "eaten the frog," I feel much better since the task is now done and I don't have to think about it anymore.

2. To do two things at once is to do neither.

~Publius Syrus

When you work on too many things at the same time, you are unable to focus properly on any of them, and thus you're not making any real progress.

On the other hand, if you are putting your focus on the one thing at a time, you'll notice that you are getting much more done that way.

How to:

Try to remember those times when you worked on two things at the same time: What was the end result? Did you have to go back to your tasks and fix the errors since you weren't focusing enough?

Now listen to this: Would you like to save time and get things done faster? If so, then single-tasking is the answer.

If you're working on your computer and creating content for your blog, then following Facebook or Twitter updates at the same time are out of the question (except if you need those sites for research purposes).

Or, if you are preparing for the webinar presentation while talking to your wife, neither one will get your full attention.

On the other hand, if you move to an environment which is distraction-free (from electronic or other type of distraction), you'll realize that it's much easier to focus on your stuff and get your work done.

Finally, if your mind is running wild with ideas while you are doing the task, just write those thoughts down. Have a pen and paper with you while you work and "flush your mind" on a frequent basis so that it's clear of internal "blabber."

Afterwards, you can take a look at the list and do the stuff that you have been writing on your notes.

3. "The best thing to spend on your children is your time"

~Louise Hart

Your family is the most important thing you have. If you have children, make sure you spend enough time with them. This applies especially to the time when your children are small.

How to:

Make a decision to have a work schedule that you follow and let your children (and your spouse) to know about it.

When you finish working, be with your children 100%: Don't play around with your computer or do other stuff, just be fully present.

Play with your kids, go outside for a walk, and just spend quality time with them. Be truly interested what your children have to say and become a good listener.

You'll realize that time will fly fast and your children will grow up quickly. That's why you should spend more time with them when they are young.

Do it now while you have the chance!

4. "If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got."

~Lee Iacocca

Do you know what the most important part of your business is? Are you focusing on something that doesn't really move you towards your goals?

Whatever the case is, you need to figure out your essential tasks and focus on them 100%.

How to:

Set aside some time – an hour or two – and really give your business some careful thought: Figure out what the core tasks are which bring you the most important results in your business.

Then, list all of the tasks that you do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and figure out the ones to get rid of, the ones to delegate, or the ones to automate.

If possible, hire a coach who can lend an outsider's view to your business and who can tell you the strategies and tasks that you should be focusing on.

For me, hiring a coach has been a game-changer, as I have been able to find the right things to concentrate on.

Besides, having a person to whom I can pitch my ideas to has been very valuable, since he has been able to shoot down my crazy ideas (not all, but some of them), which would have otherwise taken me off track.

When you know your overall direction, it's much easier to put 100% on the right tasks – on a daily basis.

In Conclusion

Quotes are a great way of giving you more inspiration and motivation for your day.

At the same time, the true power of them is revealed when you put them into practice.

Make sure to take at least one of these quotes and implement it into your daily life. That way your home office productivity gets a boost and you will feel more confident in reaching your goals.

Featured photo credit: Young beautiful woman with white laptop in luxury room via Shutterstock

Timo Kiander, a.k.a. Productive Superdad, teaches WAHD superdad productivity for work at home dads. If you want to get more productive in your own life, grab 222 of his best Tips for Becoming a Productivity Superstar.

5 Genetic Health Problems to Protect Yourself From

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

There's a reason that your doctor asks for your family history, it's because you might be carrying a gene that could substantially increase your chances of suffering from a certain health problem yourself. Here are five of the most common genetic conditions to be on the lookout for, and a few suggestions for how you can prevent, detect, avoid, and treat them.

1.) Obesity

Yes, obesity is a disease, and it’s a scary one. You have things like high blood pressure and diabetes to worry about, in addition. Putting those with the genetic predisposal in even greater danger are environmental conditions. Poor diets, an abundance of cheap and quick fast food, and a lack of exercise are just three factors that we're battling in the fight against obesity.

2.) Alcoholism

It might seem like it doesn't belong here, but alcoholism is most definitely a disease—and one that parents can pass down to their children. The Betty Ford Institute shared a study done on adopted men, which found that when they had an alcoholic father, they were more like to be alcoholics than the men who didn't have alcoholic fathers—despite the fact that they were raised by another family!

Of course, environmental conditions play a huge factor here, as they do with obesity. Evidence shows, though, that alcoholism can and does run in your blood.

3.) Breast Cancer

According to livestrong.com, one in nine women stands a chance of getting breast cancer, and that's before you consider family history. The best solution is early detection. Self-exams and regular visits to your doctor for a physical and a mammogram are your safest bet.

4.) Heart Diseases

Do your parents or any relatives in your extended family deal with heart attacks or high blood pressure? If so, let your doctor know, because the same conditions could have been passed on to you. If you're more prone to any kind of heart complication whatsoever, dedicate some of your time and energy to living a heart healthy lifestyle. This means no nasty fast food habits and getting in some weights and cardio several times a week. You might have to work a little harder than most people to stay heart healthy, but you'll be glad you did—and so will the people who care about you.

5.) Acne

It may sound superficial compared to the previous conditions, but that doesn't make it any less damaging, both physically and emotionally. Not only can acne leave scars on your face, but it can leave them on your self-esteem, too; and studies have shown that you're more likely to have this skin condition if your parents did before you.

To help clear your skin, find the cleanser that's right for you. (Do you have oily skin? Dry skin? A combination?) If you wear make-up, then consider using an astringent after the cleanser, since cleanser can often miss a lot of the leftovers. Wash your pillowcases regularly and keep all make-up brushes and sponges clean. If your case is more severe, consult your dermatologist for something stronger.

Don't let your potential genetic make-up startle you; just know that you might need to pay a little more attention to your health than other people might. Talk to your doctor, pay attention to your body, and you'll live a healthy life.

Featured photo credit: Senior woman using some medicines via Shutterstock

Top 20 TED Talks That Will Improve Your Productivity

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 09:00 AM PST

TED covers all the best ideas over large variety of topics. However, it is time consuming to go through every single video on TED.com to discover the videos that really county. To save you time, we went through the site and created a list of TED talks about productivity. This list contains videos that can inspire you in the many different aspects of your life and boost your productivity with some brand-new ideas. These videos are short, punchy and beneficial for you life.

#1. Richard St. John: “Success is a continuous journey”

Richard St. John told us that the road to success is not a one-way street, it is a continuous journey. He shows his own business ups and downs to illustrate his key message. “When you stop trying, you fail.”

#2. Eddie Obeng: Smart failure for a fast-changing world

The world is changing extremely rapidly at a speed that most people don’t realize. In this talk Eddie Obeng will show you how “smart failure” can help you to have better productivity in this fast changing era.

#3. Arianna Huffington: How to succeed? Get more sleep

Instead of reducing your sleeping time to get more done, Arianna Huffington urges us to shut our eyes and feel the power of a good night’s sleep – because it helps us to increase productivity and happiness.

#4. Paolo Cardini: Forget multitasking, Try Monotasking

People are trying to achieve more by doing everything at the same time. Thanks to the help of smartphones, they can text, talk, surf the internet and watch video simultaneously. Designer Paolo questions the effectiveness and efficiency of multitasking and makes a product to help you focus on “monotasking.”

#5. Ernesto Sirolli: Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!

Ernesto Sirolli suggests that the first step in helping others is to listen to them.

#6. Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are

Body language not only affects how other people see us, but it also changes how we see and understand ourselves. Amy Cuddy shows you how “power posing” can shape your confidence level.

#7. Margaret Heffernan: Dare to disagree

Most of us tend to avoid conflicts, but Margaret Heffernan disagrees with us. She shows us that a good disagreement is central to progress.

#8. Michael Norton: How to buy happiness

Michael Norton has intriguing research on how money can actually buy happiness. In his talk, he will show you how pro-social spending can be beneficial to you.

#9. Susan Cain: The power of introverts

We are living in a world where being social and outgoing are prized. Being introvert can be difficult and shameful. In Susan Cain’s talk, she shows you how introverts can be extraordinary talents and bring unique abilities to the world.

#10. Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

Psychologist Shawn Achor believe that happiness inspires productivity.

#11. Sheena Iyengar: How to make choosing easier

We all love customized experiences and options but when we are faced with 1000 options, we freeze up. In Sheena Iyengar’s research, she shows us how businesses can improve the overall experience of choosing.

#12. Daniel Goldstein: The battle between your present and future self

Daniel Goldstein created a tool that helps us to imagine the consequences from our decisions and helps us to make smarter choices.

#13. Nigel Marsh: How to make work-life balance work

Nigel Marsh lays out a perfect day, balanced between work and life and provides great encouragement to help make it happen.

#14. Caroline Casey: Looking past limits

Caroline Casey shows us her extraordinary life and how we can move beyond the limits we think we have.

#15. Jason Fried: Why work doesn’t happen at work

Jason Fried wants to show us the fact that the office isn’t the best place to do it. He also offers 3 suggestions on how to improve your working productivity.

#16. Jeff Bezos: What matters more than your talents

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos tell us that our character is reflected not in the gifts we’re endowed with at birth, but by our own choices we make in our life.

#17. Chip Conley: Measuring what makes life worthwhile

Chip Conley went in search of a business model based on his happiness after 2000. He learned that success comes from what you measure.

#18. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

Simon Sinek shows us a powerful, yet simple, model for inspirational leadership which can start with a golden circle and the killer question ”Why?”.

#19. Gary Vaynerchuk: Do what you love (no excuses!)

There are no excuses not to do what makes you feel good because the internet has made the formula for success much easier.

#20. Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors

Itay Talgam demonstrates unique leadership which is about creating perfect harmony without saying a single word.

#Bonus. Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

An epic video of Steve Jobs that urges us to pursue our dreams and show us how to overcome obstacles in our life – including death. If you haven’t watched this video yet, here’s the chance.

Featured photo credit: Christmas microphone via Shutterstock

Pages

A millionairey