"We must accept life for what it actually is -- a challenge to our quality without which we should never know of what stuff we are made, or grow to our full stature." -- Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist. America has enshrined the concept that we're all created equal into the very foundations of our culture. As such, there’s also “the American Way,” which has unwritten ground rules around certain benchmarks of education, work ethic, intelligence, and drive. However, these expectations of equality doesn’t mean we're all the same, though many people misinterpret it that way. Certainly, some people are unequal, in the sense their average is a notch above the mean. You probably fall into this class yourself, since you’re reading this article. I didn’t say that as an attempt at … [Read more...]
Kick up your productivity by getting out of your comfort zone
Take a look at yourself. Is your life the same every single day? If you feel like you're wasting your energy because you're unchallenged and uninspired, you're probably right. There's a good reason the saying "Grow or die" is a something of a cliché, because it verbalizes a deep-rooted truth about human nature: you need to keep to growing intellectually all the days of your life. If that sounds good to you, then use these tips to help you get growing. 1. Challenge yourself to learn something new every day. A lack of challenges is a real energy killer. How can you be anything but bored if you don't learn something new occasionally? Human knowledge is so vast and complex that there's always something new to be learned, so get to it. 2. Exercise your creativity. There's a reason a zeal to … [Read more...]
Create closure on things that bother you and eliminate frustrations
Isn't it amazing how much energy you can spend stewing about things? If you get too agitated, you might be completely unable to focus on other tasks. If that's the case, you're no good for anything until you can calmly address the issue. You need to learn to create closure on the things that bother you, so you can get on with life. Here's how. 1. Avoid energy vampires. Some people can drain your energy in five minutes flat. Stay away from people who constantly criticize you, who gossip and create drama, who are mean, or who are just incurably rude. 2. Be assertive in annoying situations. If don't state your needs in plain English, you're unlikely to get what you want. Being assertive isn't the same as being aggressive; be polite, and let the people around you know you're willing to help … [Read more...]