A Timeless Truth

By Bob Proctor,

While going through my files I came across a blurb from Catholic Digest written by Mary Kinsolving which is as relevant today as it was many years ago when it was written.  Ms. Kinsolving tells a story of living in Manhattan where, as a child, her mother walked her to school four blocks away every morning and then walked home with her again in the afternoon.  One hard winter her mother came down with pneumonia and Mary had to go to school and return home by herself.  She states that on the way home the second day she fell on some ice while crossing the street and at that moment a car skidded towards her and came within inches of her before it stopped.  "The driver helped me up," she said, "and I managed to get home but didn't tell my mother because I didn't want her to worry."

The next morning the streets were even icier and when she came to her first cross street she was terrified and stated that she stood at the intersection for a long time.  Finally, an elderly woman came over to her and said, "I don't see very well.  May I hold your hand when I cross the street?"  She replied, "Oh, yes," and the elderly lady took her hand and "before long we were on the other side."  Then Mary Kinsolving walked a short distance and looked back to see how the woman was doing.  To her surprise, "She was crossing the street we had just crossed together and was walking by herself much faster than we had before."  Ms. Kinsolving then realized that the lady had pretended poor eyesight only to help her cross the street.  Much later in life she understood that she could overcome her own fears by helping someone else.

What marvelous advice from years gone past!  Take that approach to life and I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

12:55:00 - By Vincent 0

YOU’RE OKAY

BY Mark Manson

“Relax. You’re okay.”

I find myself wanting to write this at least five times a day in reply to reader emails.

I rarely do — or if I do, I’m sure to add some explanation or a few useful ideas.

But the point remains: what a lot of people now identify as “major life problems” are really the natural ebbs and flows of life. Sometimes you’re up and sometimes you’re down, and for some reason, we seem to have forgotten that that’s OK.

THE CONUNDRUM

Let’s say you have low self-esteem and a general self-loathing about yourself. You believe everything you do sucks and that you’re more or less screwed in life. Wanting to stop believing such things only serves as more evidence of how screwed up you are. After all, if you weren’t such a fuck up, you wouldn’t have to spend all day wishing you didn’t feel like a fuck up, would you?

It’s a Catch 22. In external aspects of one’s identity, desire is useful. Want to run faster? Set a goal, then go out and achieve it. Want to start a business? There are measurable benchmarks you can reach, you just have to want it enough.

But want to stop being anxious and stop procrastinating on those goals? Well, then wanting to stop being anxious about them is likely to just make you more anxious.

THE CHALLENGE OF SELF-ACCEPTANCE

Self-acceptance is the way out of the conundrum, but it’s counter-intuitive. Paradoxically, accepting that you’re just not a confident person and you’re always going to feel a little off around other people will begin to make you feel more comfortable and less anxious around others. You won’t judge yourself and you’ll then feel less judged by them as well.

Accepting that you have a tendency to get depressed and that some people are just happier than you and that’s fine will, ironically, make you a happier and more accepting person. After all, some of the most important people in history were depressives.

Many of us are inundated with so much information at all hours of the day that it’s easy to get a skewed vision of society. Everyone else is fit. Everyone else is happy. Everyoneelse is successful. Everyone else is getting dates and having sex. But for some reason,you’re not.

What sells TV time and what gets passed around the internet are the exceptional situations, the easy solutions, the magic pills for perfection. It’s human nature to always look for perfection or for something greater and better than ourselves. But when you’re presented with something greater and better than yourself over and over and over again, all hours of the day, all days of the week, it’s easy to internalize that there’s something wrong with you. Ironically, the self-help industry is a culprit here as well: you can eliminate all sadness and fear; you can be popular and loved by everyone; anyone can get rich and be successful and retire to a beach at age 35!

It’s just not true.

We’re all flawed creatures. And that’s OK.

I’ve come to accept that meeting new people is always going to take conscious effort for me. I’ve improved drastically in conquering my social anxiety over the years, but I’m just never going to be that naturally gregarious type who can talk to everyone in a room without thinking about it. That’s just not me.

I’ve accepted that even though my relationship with my family has improved a lot in the past 10 years, it’s never going to be great. And that’s fine.

I’ve learned that commitment — romantic or otherwise — will always make me a little bit uncomfortable. I’ve worked hard and overcome a lot of my irrational fears surrounding it, but I’m just never going to feel completely at ease with it. And that’s OK too.

I’m OK.

I get a lot of emails from readers. And a lot of them, particularly the younger people, lament problems that are so completely normal and healthy that I sometimes don’t even know what to say to them.

Most people get depressed at some point in their lives. Most people get dumped at some point and struggle getting over their ex. Most people feel insecure about their sexuality at some point. Everyone has family problems. Many people grow up in abusive situations. Tons of people have low self-esteem and dependency issues. Almost everybody wishes they were more successful and more motivated.

These things suck but they’re not new. And they’re definitely not unique.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not an excuse to do nothing about your problems. It just means that you should stop trying to be perfect. You never will be. Emotional issues never completely go away.

There’s an old Buddhist adage: “You are already perfect as you are, yet you can always be better.”

Perfection is not some endpoint you achieve, but rather the process of improvement itself. No matter how much you improve yourself and your life, there will always be room for more growth and less suffering. There’s no final goal. The perfect self we all envision does not actually exist. As Gertrude Stein said, “There’s no there there.” It never ends. What changes is your acceptance of your place in the process.

“I suck at this, but that’s OK. As long as I’m working on it, it’s OK.”

Perfection is the process of improvement itself. Perfection is the innate drive for endless expansion, growth and completion. We’re already there and we’ve always been there. We’re okay. We can be better. But we’re okay.

12:30:00 - By Vincent 0

How Taking Baby Steps Made a Big Difference in My Life

Smart way to systematically achieve goals for health and happiness in life

By  - Jim Turk 

Have you ever been in a situation where you know there is a way to solve a problem and there are countless books and advice columns telling you what to do, but you just don’t know where to begin?

Countless.

Maybe THAT’S the problem. Everyone has an opinion about what you need to, but nobody tells you how to get there.

This situation became very personal to me when I was diagnosed with a progressive disease in 2008.

I had two choices, the way I saw it – figure out how to turn big, unrealistic goals into smaller, more manageable ones, or be overwhelmed and give up altogether.

I chose the former.

The questions I needed to answer were “how can I slow this thing down?” and “how can I improve my life despite my loss in abilities?”

Faced with such seemingly insurmountable goals was daunting, I admit.  What was I thinking?

I’ll tell you what I was thinking – Panic.  Concession.

It felt a little like that falling feeling you get when you first fall asleep.

But the stakes were high.  Much higher than I’ve had to deal with before.

Not only did my future depend on it but so did my legacy.  How my kids would remember me!

I HAD to figure out how to make some progress.

Still, when you get down to it, it’s just solving a problem.  The method I used wasn’t rocket science – it just takes discipline and patients.

Not a given when you are in a high-stress situation!

This isn’t unique to me, either – you could use the same method to make improvements in your life.

I won’t claim to know about other issues, but I bet you could, at least, make some progress.

Do you suffer from depression?

Have weight issues?

Looking for more balance?

I’ve even used this method to accomplish other goals, from changing my diet to writing this blog post.

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” ~ Henry Ford

Take the Goal and Break it Down

So how did I do it? What was my objective?  I needed a defined goal. My objective is and was not to get worse quite so fast.  Not very objective – more like subjective! To a point, but accomplishing a goal that you set for yourself is determined by you, anyway, isn’t it?

What I needed to do was to ask myself the right questions to help me break things down.

In other words, I needed things to be specific.

What are the major offenders that people talk about? ‘

I could find those on forums, blogs, support groups (in my case – but this could be things like networking or Church groups as well).

What does the research say?

No sense in reinventing the wheel, right?

If someone has socked money into researching it, there’s probably data out there, and it would certainly be a legitimate place to look.

What does intuition tell me?

We are all experts at what we do, so isn’t it reasonable to assume that we have a good idea what we need to do and why we need to do it?

Don’t sell yourself short! If you think it’s right, it probably is, and that’s a good place to start.

Now, I had read a lot about nutrition and its impact on a whole host of health problems. I also had a secret obsession with it since my college days. That was an easy one.

Next, it was clear that exercise had a positive and well-documented impact on countless illnesses and tendency to increase the lifespan in healthy individuals. That one also seemed like a no-brainer.

Outlook seemed to influence many things.

There was a lot of evidence tying it to the immune system, and multiple studies showing that a positive attitude made people recover from surgery and illness faster, students less likely to get sick, and vaccines work better.

That, and it just seems to make you feel better. I can live with that!

Sleep is a big one. Even the CDC says we don’t get enough sleep.  We have this “full steam ahead,” multi-tasking lifestyle that makes it easy for things like sleep to take a back seat.

People that get enough high-quality sleep are less likely to have weight problems, are more attentive, and recover more quickly. I guess I’d better look at improving my sleep patterns, too.

Oh, and there’s stress reduction. There is a strong link between being stressed and being more likely to die of a heart attack. There are a number of measurable factors that are tied to it as well.

Factors like higher levels of “bad” cholesterol and slower wound healing in stressed out individuals.

That goes on the list, too.

Make your Mini-goals, Specific

The key, here, is that I broke the problem into smaller parts, which I could then address one at a time.

By working on small problems individually, measuring the results was pretty straightforward.

It would’ve been easy to become overwhelmed if I had addressed them all at once and there would have been no way to accomplish the goal “as a whole.”

Where would you start? What would your endpoint be?

So I took them on one at a time and made sure to have a final objective in mind. It needed to be something measurable.

For example, I couldn’t say, “I’ll ride my stationary bike more often.” That is pretty vague, and I’m not likely to follow through with it.

If I said, on the other hand, that “I will ride my bike three times a week for at least 15 minutes,” that’s easier to keep track of. If I can ride for a little longer – great! If I’m feeling extra strong and can bump up the resistance – terrific!

I’ve accomplished my goal, though, because I’ve blocked the time out on my calendar.

The results I’m seeking aren’t setting me up for failure since they’re not performance-based.  I’ve made that commitment and can use the time as productively as my body will allow.

Have I Created Attainable Goals

This is what breaking things down does.  It makes them achievable.

If I had stuck with that first, big goal, which was really just an emotional response to my diagnosis, I’d either be spinning my wheels or wasting away at an assisted living facility somewhere.

That wasn’t an option.

By breaking the problem down into smaller pieces, they were easier to address and much more likely to produce success.

For example – I knew that regular meditation had created promising results and had been shown in numerous research articles to improve one’s health, no matter what their situation.

It’s a little like rebooting your hard-drive or hitting the reset button.

But there is little chance that I would have successfully made that a part of my routine if I didn’t know the proper technique and tried to address dietary issues at the same time.

I was worried about finding time for it since my sleep schedule was all over the board, and I hadn’t figured out my routine for exercise.

One thing at a time.I took it on by itself enabling me to break that down into even more manageable pieces.

Projects are always bigger than we first imagine, right?

With meditation, I figured out the technique to use, what the proper environment should be, what time of day, and… voila!  (well, after a few days of trial and error)

Then, once that was established and part of my routine, I could move to something else. In my case, sleep patterns.

All of these things were part of that same goal I had originally made – just in smaller chunks.

That seemed to be the key to success – make the goals small enough and take them on one at a time so that achieving them is more likely.

“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” ~ Walt Disney

Am I Being Realistic About the Goals I’ve Set for Myself

How likely was I to achieve the goals I had set for myself?  That answer seemed to be rooted in the question as well.

If I had committed to running a marathon in two years – that wouldn’t have been realistic.

I was quickly losing strength in my legs and would be lucky to run across the street, let alone 26.2 miles.  That would be certainly an unachievable “goal.”

My objective, again, was not to move backward quite so fast. It wasn’t to live in denial and set myself up for failure!

Like a puzzle, I had to analyze the individual pieces and put them in the right places to create the bigger picture that I was going for – the ultimate goal.

Everything that I committed to, needed to be realistic.

If I promised myself, I’d do it, that’s half of the battle, but I needed to commit to things that I could actually do. That were possible.

Things like:

• Ride my stationary bike for at least 15 minutes, 4 times/week
• Do resistance training every 4-5 days
• Get to bed by 9:30 every night and get up by 6:00
• Eliminate refined carbohydrates from my diet
• Eat at least 4 servings of fruits and vegetables/day
• Meditate for at least 10 minutes/day

These were all defined and realistic.  I could confidently commit to doing those things.

But some things were not so easy to measure.

Even so, by committing to them, I was more self-aware. Not doing them or forgetting to do them wasn’t a failure – it just made me more cognizant of it the next time.

It really was another learning opportunity.

• Always look at the bright side when someone complains
• Always be positive when someone asks how I’m doing
• Don’t read into a perceived aggressive attitudes
• Always carry myself in a self-confident manner

These were all things that I knew would grow – like a puppy.

I may not see a change overnight, but I guarantee that the difference over the course of six months or a year would be profound.

One of my big goals, early on, was to improve my ability to speak.

Mine was going south in a hurry, and I would have gladly given up a lot of other things to be able to communicate effectively. Talk about motivation!

It turns out that this is one of those bigger, multi-faceted goals that I needed to address in parts.

Based on research and my experiences – how I felt – what did I know about it?  How would I address each area?

Stress is a huge factor. I could feel its effects almost instantly, and I knew it was a target.  But how would I deal with it?

Meditation, positivity, and going with the flow were all important factors, here.

Sleep certainly seemed to be an issue.  The more tired I was, the harder it was to speak clearly.

Then there’s confidence.

It was important that I increase my self-confidence.  This almost seemed to be self-perpetuating – it made things better or worse in a hurry.

So by breaking down the bigger picture, even when it seemed too vague, into smaller components, the overall goal was not as daunting.

I found that when I had them figured out and moved passed them, those small victories kept me motivated and worked towards the bigger goal.

More parts mean more victories!

Make Sure your Goals are Time-sensitive

If you don’t create milestones or a deadline, what’s the point?

Completion for me meant that I was doing it, or I wasn’t. That’s pretty easy to measure, isn’t it?

Because of the nature of my overall goal, I was really just looking to be doing the things that I hadn’t been or that I had at least been inconsistent about.

I have applied this method to other things, too – writing, for example.

Rather than simply saying that I should get a post in next Tuesday, I can tell myself that I need to complete 1,000 words (as Harleena talks about here) per day with the overall goal of having a draft together in three days.

That’s a manageable piece, and it’s time-sensitive, so it moves me towards my ultimate goal of having a rough draft ready in three days.

I can set the next set of goals (leading to a final draft ready for submission) when I complete the first.

Achievement of those smaller goals keeps me motivated and gives me a better idea of what’s realistic for the next set.  This is a learning process, after all.  Right?

Are there steps I can take to get to the end points that I’ve decided on? One thing’s for sure – there wouldn’t have been if my goal had simply been to “try and get better.”

Keeping the goals realistic helps you to make them time-sensitive. These all build on one another.

You can’t measure your progress on a goal unless it’s specific. You wouldn’t know where to start!

You can’t take action on something that’s impossible to achieve – that’s not realistic. Doing any of those things is pointless if you don’t give yourself a deadline!

You have to hold yourself to a cutoff date if you intend to get anything done.

That doesn’t mean pushing yourself so hard that you stress out about it – be realistic. Just make sure you have a deadline, so you follow through.

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” ~ Jim Rohn

Set your goals high but break them down into small pieces and give yourself time-frames.

Time frames that are short enough that you don’t lose interest and long enough that you aren’t overcome with anxiety.  That will make you not want to do it again.

Wrapping It Up

You need to set yourself up for success!

Just follow these rules – these “SMART” rules for success – and you can complete them.

SMART stands for –

• Specific
• Measurable
• Actionable
• Realistic
• Time Sensitive

I can honestly say that my life is a lot different because of SMART rules for success.

Over to you –

I would love to hear your stories and what you’ve done to achieve your goals and make a difference in your life!

SOURCE

17:35:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort zone Challenge summary, Eric's personal experiences from the challenge

Comfort zone Challenge summary, Eric's personal experiences from the challenge

15:05:00 - By Vincent 0

comfort zone challenge 21, howling in public

comfort zone challenge 21, howling in public

15:02:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort Zone Challenge 19, get rejected 10 times in a row

Comfort Zone Challenge 19, get rejected 10 times in a row

14:57:00 - By Vincent 0

comfort zone challenge 17, Sing that song for somebody

comfort zone challenge 17, Sing that song for somebody

14:49:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort Zone Challenge 16, getting something for free

Comfort Zone Challenge 16, getting something for free

14:46:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort Zone challenge 15, work out with a stranger

Comfort Zone challenge 15, work out / push ups with a stranger

14:43:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort zone challenge 14, telling people a joke

Comfort zone challenge 14, telling people a joke

14:40:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort zone challenge 13, dancing in public

Comfort zone challenge 13, dancing in public

14:36:00 - By Vincent 0

Crack Your Comfort Zone: Overcome Social Media Fears

By Kruse Control

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~Dale Carnegie

I was in Orlando last week speaking at a conference. I had a free morning so I asked the concierge where the best place to walk might be. He answered, “The Nature Walk.” That conjured up beautiful images in my imagination and I couldn’t wait to get going. The Florida Everglades are a natural wonder and for someone who grew up in Southern California, they are very intriguing.

I walked out and around the hotel’s golf course then onto the path and came upon a sign with information about the Nature Walk. It reminded people to watch out for ant hills along the way. “Ok”, I thought. I walked about a 1/2 mile further and the scenery was breathtaking. I saw beautiful birds and wondrous plants that can only be found in the Everglades. I took another turn and came upon a gorgeous clearing. I looked ahead a few feet and saw this sign:

When a hotel concierge describes something as a “Nature Walk”, one never really thinks about it being an exercise in food chain economics.For a moment, I thought about moving forward but then realized that these were REAL alligators, not the ones I’m used to seeing on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. So, I started to get scared because all the while I’d been on the lookout for those ant hills, an alligator could’ve been sauntering along getting ready to pounce. I scanned the area like the Terminator and high-tailed it for the golf course filled with the less-harmful animals.

Later that day after my speech, I walked the exhibit hall floor and met the most delightful car dealer and his Internet manager. They were from the South and were probably very comfortable with alligators in their midst. What they were apprehensive about was Social Media. They’d been hearing about it for awhile and knew they needed to find out more but it just wasn’t sitting too well with them for a myriad of reasons:

• Who is supposed to handle Social Media?
• How do we keep employees from saying the wrong things?
• What do we post?
• Where is the return on investment for Social Media?
• Why do we have to be on Social Media?

I got to thinking about how scary it must be for dealers (and most all business owners) who are new to Social Media. Those of us that adopted early and are in the trenches everyday don’t take enough time to realize how fearful this “open and connected” economy can be for someone new. What a metaphor that Nature Walk experience was for me.

The best way to face your Social Media fear is to crack out of your comfort zone, breakdown the components and load yourself with enough information so that you can make the right decisions:

• Spend 15 minutes everyday reading blogs that focus on Social Media marketing.
• Sites like CBT News offer short, information-packed videos that require a very small time commitment.
• Find people you trust or those that have credibility in the industry who can guide you without trying to sell you.

The next step is to take action and experience Social Media yourself:

• Get a Facebook account and start lurking. You don’t have to interact but it’s oh so much better if you do.
• If Facebook isn’t your gig, then check out Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Linkedin. The concept of Social networking is the same on these sites so find that one that you feel good about and go for it.
• Spend 15 minutes everyday interacting with those you’re connected to.

Information is power. That sign on the path gave me information to make a considered decision. Social Media is nothing to be feared. It’s a way to connect and engage your customers at every level of the sales process. Once you’ve taken the few steps outside your comfort zone, you’ll start to see how valuable Social Media is to your business.

SOURCE

17:50:00 - By Vincent 0

comfort zone challenge 11, ask for the time and name to people without speaking to them

comfort zone challenge 11, ask for the time and name to people without speaking to them

14:27:00 - By Vincent 0

comfort zone challenge 10, asking people obnoxious stuff

comfort zone challenge 10, asking people obnoxious stuff

14:24:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort zone challenge 9. Selfies with 3 random people

Comfort zone challenge 9. Selfies with 3 random people

14:20:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort zone challenge 8, compliment people

Comfort zone challenge 8, compliment people

14:18:00 - By Vincent 0

comfort zone challenge 7, work out in public. Central London

comfort zone challenge 7, work out in public. Central London. Picadilly circus

14:16:00 - By Vincent 0

comfort zone challenge nr 6, making eye contact with strangers

Comfort Zone challenge nr 6. From London... (and therefore in the rain).... asking people a question.

14:13:00 - By Vincent 0

Comfort zone challenge nr 5, a high five with people in the street

Comfort zone challenge nr 5, high five, five people!

14:06:00 - By Vincent 0

12 Life-Changing Challenges You Can Try as 30-Day Projects

I stole this idea.

I'm sorry I stole the idea.

Steal it from me and make it your own.

Matt Cutts took to the stage in a TED conference and told all of us how to try something new for 30 days.

The inspiration came from the American humorist Morgan Spurlock and his starring role in the reality television series 30 Days. Good ideas go around, and this idea is the jumper cable to break the rut.

Let’s plug into the “why” of the whole thing first.

The Power of 30-Day Challenges

There is no psychological proof behind this time chunk. The “21-Day” habit forming spiel is a thumb-rule and a personal development myth. But I will quote the over-arching truth from James’ wonderful article:

The only way to get to Day 500 is to start with Day 1.

For me, 30-Day challenges are attractive because it is a trackable unit of time in our lives. Neither too long nor too short. In any dictionary, challenges can be a synonym for “focus”. Trying out 12 challenges in one year can teach you a lot about what you like and dislike…and yeah, even little things learnt would be worth it as the next year draws to a close. And I agree when Matt Cutts says,

There’s a few things I learned while doing these 30-day challenges. The first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable.

Having tried a few of these 30-Day challenges in 2015, I can put a seal of approval on their power. Consider this a personal manifesto of ideas. Steal away to make your own manifesto of 12 challenges.

1. Create Something

Stop reading now. Get over the information paralysis.

It is a new resolution of mine to read less and create more. Master the clock andmake time for your personal projects.  Side projects are the best “shortcut” to learn something new as they instantly reveal the gaps in your knowledge. For instance: If you are a programmer, use these coding project ideas to learn faster. And it’s not only geeky stuff – you can do anything with a smattering of skills.

Where can you find ideas for side projects?

• Ask for ideas on Quora.
• Trawl through sites like Etsy and Makerbase.
• Follow your industry on Twitter and Medium.
• Complete a novel in November with a NaNoWriMo push.
• Take a 30-Day GumRoad challenge and see what you can make.
• A community like Reddit with r/SideProject/ is a good place to start.
• Think of a problem around you. Work on the solution as a project.

Action Step: Think of side projects as “experiments”. Go crazy and don’t fear failure.

2. Find a Mentor

Find someone who will challenge you.

Good mentors help to close the knowledge gap and make you see the things with new perspectives. The usefulness of mentors has come back into vogue thanks to the startup industry. But they have existed since Homer and Alexander. A good way to assess your needs for a mentor is to look at where you are in your life right now. And then seek someone who has already passed the paths you are on.

We have looked at a few tips to find mentors in your areas of interest. Use Twitter for your mentor search. Also, look into the tried and tested option of creating a mastermind group or a “creative circle” to fuel your self-improvement.

Find your Master Yoda with sites like:

• Score
• ACE Mentor Program
• MicroMentor

Action Step: Do your homework and create a presentable profile for yourself.

3. Connect Outside Social Media

Don’t be a part of every Facebook party.

Facebook is a relationship bunker. You can choose to stay underground or come up for air and connect with friends in the real world. In 2015, I used a prompt fromDaily Challenge to embark on just such an exercise. After culling my friend list to 100, I went on a spree of connecting with friends via phone, Google Hangouts, and some good old cappuccino. I gained a few more Facebook friends since then, but I haven’t fallen prey to Facebook depression.

I don’t advocate quitting Facebook. It helps to stay connected across distances. The problems arise only when you make it the core of your relationships.

Action Step: Your true friends don’t need Facebook to reach you.

4. Challenge Your Beliefs

Because false beliefs are limiting.

Instant knowledge hands us facts and figures with a click of the mouse, on the other hand it also breeds viral misconceptions. The wrong belief also leads to decision paralysis. The next year could be a good time to start questioning your beliefs. And check if they stand the scrutiny.

For example, a common belief is that startups are the playground of the young. It is a common myth perpetuated by Silicon Valley. Break the myth by looking at startup founders around your age and how they started. Maybe, this interactive infographiccan debunk the myth.

Google is yet to design a truth-checking algorithm, but there are many other ways to get the facts straight.

The web allows us to ask questions. Websites like ClearerThinking.org can help you gain some insights. And then there’s always TED Talks with inspiring tales like the video above.

Action Step: Spend a month spring cleaning your belief system.

5. Ditch a Bad Habit for 30-Days

Every New Years’ resolution is a thankless struggle to break bad habits.

There are apps by the dozen that come with the promise of changing your bad habits for good. You can use a 30-Day challenge to test a new way of living. Any success can give you the confidence to move ahead towards a long lasting makeover.

For January, I am trying a 30-Day flexibility challenge. Search Pinterest for similar infographics.

Here are some examples of public challenges you can take inspiration from and create your own. Tell us about them in the comments.

• 30 Day Fitness Challenge
• 30 Day Digital Journaling Challenge
• 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge

Action Step: Look around for 30-Day challenge ideas and make up your own challenges. Begin with the power of micro-habits.

6. Doodle & Draw

No drawing skills required.

Doodling is an under-appreciated adult activity. Sunni Brown, author and doodling advocate, calls it a problem solving tool. Neuroscience supports the brain-enhancing effects of doodling and drawing. To quote William Klemm, a professor of neuroscience at Texas A&M University:

This is a way to get your working memory to carry more.

Doodling has enabled me to disconnect from digital devices and give my brain a mindful boost. But digital doodling is a thing now with apps like Doodle Patternsand even tools like OneNote to name just a few.

Action Step: Try doodling for 30 days and see if it helps to liven up dull content and meetings.

7. Watch 30 Documentaries

The world watches television, few watch documentaries.

Thanks to the Internet, watching quality documentaries is a fun and inexpensive hobby. Watching the right ones can forge opinion, help gain an insight into an alien culture, and also destroy false beliefs. It can be a powerful parenting tool and help them to foster curiosity in their children.

This year, I went on a documentary watching spree to learn more about graphic design. Maybe, you also have an interest which could benefit from a documentary “binge-watch”.

Action Step: Try sites like Documentary Heaven, Documentary Tube, Culture Unplugged, Sprword, SnagFilms, Viewster , and also do a search for the word “documentary” on YouTube to see what comes up. There are also enoughdocumentary related articles on MakeUseOf to fill an entire month.

8. Discover Your City

Every city has its hidden gems.

The web not only helps you discover all the cool happenings around you, but can also give you the chance to re-discover your city. And fall in love with it again.Explore your city with Google Maps right now. Think of it as a treasure hunt.

One of my 30-Day goals is to go on a photo mission with the EyeEm camera app and document city life across its span. I am also looking forward to socially connecting with friends across the city and asking their opinion about the nooks and crannies that deserve a look.

You can take to the pedestrian walks and over bridges with these social guide apps too:

• Field Trip
• TimeOut
• Jauntful

Action Step: Combine your city tour with the emerging trend of micro-adventures.

9. Reclaim an Hour for Yourself Every Day

The end result of good prioritization.

Not surprisingly, this could be the most difficult challenge to accomplish over 30 days. Experts and evidence points to the dangers of workaholism. Taking time to day dream, meditate, or just lie and read are unfortunate victims of our busy lives. Psychologists have shown that daydreaming has productive benefits.

If you’re trying to solve a complex problem, then you need to give yourself a real break, to let the mind incubate the problem all by itself. We shouldn’t be so afraid to actually take some time off.

But learning how to manage our calendars is one way of stealing that hour. You canuse Google Calendar smartly to schedule an hour of free time every day. Add buffer minutes to every appointment on the calendar. These “extra” times offset the feeling of rush and also add to your free time if you manage to finish your tasks early.

Action Step: Shut off your digital devices when you have your hour.

10. Go for a Walk

Walk for better brain health.

Walking is the easiest way to kick off an exercise routine. Apart from the cardiovascular benefits, walking keeps our brain healthy. Researchers from Stanford also found that walking is one of the simplest ways to boost creativity.

Walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.

The Mayo Clinic has a 12-week walking schedule that gets you off the couch. But you can start with any 30-Day walking challenge too and lose the pounds. A simple Google search reveals charts and programs that take you towards a simple daily fitness habit.

Action Tip: Find a companion to walk along with you. Try to start a walking group in your locality.

11. Do Something That Scares You Every Day

Step outside your comfort zone.

I have a scary list. It’s on Trello. The list is a collection of activities which will prod me out of my comfort zone. Public speaking is Number One. Make your own list. Maybe, like me, you will bypass the first, but achieve a few (e.g. facing a fear of water) that are down the list.

Trello helps me break down each goal into its smallest steps and break any resistance that blocks progress. Even one tiny step forward outside the comfort zone is a stride towards confidence.

Action Step: Take ideas from sites like Comfort Zone Crusher and Challenge Tribewhen you can’t make up your own list. But the easiest way is to do the exact opposite of what you think is comfortable or easy.

12. Combine Your Challenges

You can be multi-passionate.

Some personal development goals can be connected. From the above list, I can set out to find a mentor for a specific creative project. Or, I can combine learning the skills of street photography while discovering a city. Combining your challenges is a way to find out what interests you more than anything else.

Multipotentialites can also find their one true calling by mixing and mashing these different life experiments.

Action Step: Swing by Puttylike for an introduction to the multipotentialite community.

Tell Us Your 30-Day Challenges for the New Year

A few years back, Matt Cutts listed his own set of challenges. Your own file of challenges could be a combination of the fun and the practical. It could be 12 productivity habits or 12 learning goals. Reveal a bit of your personal manifesto below.

Does the idea of a 30-Day challenges enthuse you? Have you ever tried a time-constrained personal improvement challenge? What tips and ideas will you throw out there for us?

Image Credit: athlete hurdling by Stefan Schurr via Shutterstock, JD Hancock (Flickr); Lightspring viaShutterstock; Makaule via Shutterstock; Cartoonresource via Shutterstock

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18:55:00 - By Vincent 0