Shaken By Life’s Beauty, Shaken

“You lethargic, waiting upon me,
waiting for the fire and I
attendant upon you, shaken by your beauty

Shaken by your beauty
Shaken.”

~William Carlos Williams

This morning I awoke, meditated in the quiet dark empty room, and then went to make my coffee.

The world outside is wet, and the raindrops patter upon the leaves of the lemon tree, with its bursts of bright yellow.

My kids and Eva asleep, at peace.

And as I drink my coffee I think of you, dear reader.

And I am struck by the beauty of this world, and the fragile human lives struggling to make their way within it.

And shaken.

The pain and stress and anger and sadness and loneliness and frustration and fear and cravings and irritations that we will experience today … they are made up. We can let them go as easily as they arise. They are unnecessary, if we realize that we’ve created them for no good reason.

Instead, see the beauty in every moment. In every person’s so human actions. In our own frailties and failures.

This world is a morning poem, and we have but to see it to be shaken by its beauty, over and over.

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The power of women: TEDxWomen organizers share their thoughts on talks past

TEDxWomen is just days away—on November 30 and December 1, the conference will take place in Washington, D.C. While it’s sold out, there are still many opportunities to watch. Over the weekend, webcasts will be streamed during more than 140 TEDxWomen events across the globe — from Abuja, Nigeria, to Warsaw, Poland. Head to the TEDxWomen website for a full list of these events >>

To get you in the spirit, the TEDx blog reached out to TEDxWomen organizers to get their insights on some of the classic TEDxWomen talks of years past. Below, watch the talks and hear organizers’ unique perspectives.

Madeleine Albright: On being a woman and a diplomat
This talk from Madeleine Albright — former UN ambassador, US Secretary of State and feminist hero — is notable for Albright’s frankness, wisdom and pin collection — which includes a snake she started wearing after Saddam Hussein called her “an unparalleled serpent.” In this talk from TEDWomen 2010, Albright stresses that it’s paramount for the progress of the world that women help women.

We asked TEDxWomen organizers: Does this message resonate with you?

“When more women are powerful, visionary and strategic leaders, then communities and organizations are more innovative, productive and successful. And when more women are leaders, we raise the aspirations of women and girls around the world. The bottom line really is that, just as Madeleine did for many people (not just women), shining a light on female leaders of all walks of life and industries means that we become catalysts for the education, development and advancement of courageous leaders everywhere. We hope to contribute the stories of women who lead, with the goal of changing our shared understanding of leadership.” — Nathalie Molina Nino of TEDxBarnardCollegeWomen, which will be held at the women’s college in New York City on December 1

Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders
At TEDWomen in 2010, Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg looked at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions — and offered three powerful pieces of advice to women. She addresses fear, self-doubt, work/life balance, and finding work that’s rewarding even after maternity leave. Overall, she voices her concern over the worldwide lack of women in leadership roles in corporate, political and other social settings, and questions traditional gender roles and perceptions of women leaders.

So we asked TEDxWomen organizers: What advice would you give to women leaders?

“Be authentic. Authenticity is always the key to leadership success.” —Dafna Michaelson Jene of TEDxCrestmoorParkWomen to be held in Denver, Colorado, on December 1

“Create your own girls’ clubs: investment, leadership, philanthropy, mentoring, specific interests. Link with others regionally. Scale out. Find ways to give away what you know to people who value you in original ways. Listen. Know yourself and be you.” —Kat Haber of TEDxHomerWomen, being held in Homer, Alaska, on December 1

Arianna Huffington: How to succeed? Get more sleep
After fainting from exhaustion at her desk — and suffering a broken cheekbone as well as a gash on her eye as a result — Arianna Huffington realized that sleep deprivation is a serious issue. “We women are going to lead the way in this new revolution, this new feminist issue,” she says in this talk from TEDxWomen 2011. “We are literally going to sleep our way to the top.”

So we asked TEDxWomen organizers: What stops you from getting enough sleep?

“Being an individual who has too many hobbies. Work, performances, sports training, volunteer work, club meetings, etc. keep me going non-stop.” —Uyanga Vladimir of TEDxUlaanbaatarWomen, taking place in Mongolia on December 2

“Most often, a snoring husband and evening meetings that leave my mind racing with ideas.” —Carrie Willar of TEDxABQWomen, being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 1

“Spending a great, enjoyable time with my laptop…for midnight brainstorms, reading, chatting, watching videos, sharing ideas, throwing out ideas.” —Deni Simeonova of TEDxMladostWomen, which will take place on Sofia, Bulgaria, on December 1

Tan Le: My immigration story
“How can I speak in 10 minutes about the bonds of women over three generations, about how the astonishing strength of those bonds took hold in the life of a four-year-old girl huddled with her young sister, her mother, and her grandmother for five days and nights in a small boat in the China Sea more than 30 years ago,” begins technologist Tan Le’s gripping talk from TEDxWomen 2011 on her search for identity and the women who helped her find it. In her talk, Tan describes how the strength, leadership, bravery, and resilience of the women in her family helped her to become who she is today. 

We asked TEDxWomen organizers: How have the women in your life helped you develop your sense of self?

“Throughout my life, other women have always made me aware of aspects of myself I didn’t know I had or were different than my own perceptions of myself. A recent example: one of the co-organizers of our event told me she doesn’t think I fit the definition of a ‘Type A’ person, with which I normally identify). It led to some interesting discussions as to why, and it comes down to the fact that deep down I am more collaborative vs. competitive.”—Deb Gerardi Kemper of TEDxShanghaiWomen, taking place in China on December 1

“My mom was essential to my life! She (and my dad) and my grandmom taught me how to treat others, how to be a fair person, to like books, conversations, and treat others equally.” —Ana Goelzer of TEDxLaçadorWomen, being held in Paim Porto Alegre, Brazil on December 1

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Dealing with Non-Constructive Criticism

The human ego is at once both an incredibly powerful and terribly fragile beast.

With a swift boost, it can will us over seemingly insurmountable obstacles that we would have otherwise struggled with. Yet with an equally as swift kick to the temple, it can drag us down into feelings of despair and self-pity, preventing us from achieving what’s important to us.

That’s why it’s important to keep a regular check on our ego, especially when it comes to unjust shcriticism.

Haven’t we all heard the tales of people criticized by friends, peers and maybe even overbearing parents to such an extent that they grew up believing themselves to be as worthless, weak or stupid as those around them had said they were.

If we hope to achieve anything in life, we must prevent criticism from holding us back to the point that even though we may see the opportunities that lay ahead, we don’t believe ourselves to be good enough, or strong enough, or smart enough to pursue them.

We’re not talking about utilizing constructive criticism, and using feedback to further improve a piece of work or, in some cases, a piece of ourselves.

Though some people don’t even handle that very well, what we’re really talking about here is the unfair, unjust, often harsh criticism that often takes the form of a personal attack. Though such attacks can be hurtful or otherwise detrimental, it is possible to handle them with the kind of care, which ensures that not only does our ego survive unharmed; our self-esteem can actually be bolstered by harsh words. All it takes it to look at these attacks with a different perspective and ask ourselves a couple of questions.

Is this really an attack, or are we taking constructive criticism too personally?

Let’s face it; there are a lot of people out there who just aren’t the world’s greatest communicators. They probably meant to give us some helpful advice or feedback from which we could actually use, but they went about it an altogether unhelpful fashion.

Or maybe they did mean to attack or insult us, and yet somewhere in their words, we can find a glimmer of truth. Give some thought to the underlying message of the ‘attack’ and see if you can’t glean something positive from it.

If it is constructive criticism, what can we gain from it?

Is there something we can learn? Something we can utilize to improve a project or a personal attribute?

If it’s merely an outright attack, why?

‘They’re just jealous’ often seems like a childish response to criticism, but half the time it’s actually a reasonable response. It isn’t uncommon for people to feel threatened by another’s success or happiness. Nor is it particularly unreasonable to suggest that some folks feel a certain resentment towards others because they struggle to understand a person’s motives or ambitions. Their view of the world struggles to comprehend that of another individual and they feel like they need to attack or demean that person until he or she comes around to their way of thinking. This is entirely unhealthy of course, but it happens.

You could try talking to your aggressor, not necessarily to win them over to your way of thinking, but at least to help them understand that your success, happiness, or way of life detracts nothing from theirs. They are free to do whatever makes them happy just as you are.

If that fails, it may simply be necessary to strengthen your resolve. You know in your heart and in the pit of your gut that what you’re doing is the right thing for you. Providing the only way you’re hurting this other person is in a manner made up entirely in their own mind, you can carry on safe in the knowledge that your ego and self-esteem remain balanced.

With that, you can safely overcome those insurmountable obstacles and seize those all-important opportunities remaining confident that you are indeed good enough as you are, yet always remaining willing to improve at the behest of fair, constructive criticism.

Featured photo credit:  Closeup of many fingers pointing at man via Shutterstock

Chris Skoyles is a writer, blogger and consultant with a passion for helping others achieve their creative goals. Chris can be found rambling about writing, music and creativity on Twitter or on his blog

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Life on Mars: A Q&A with aerospace engineer (and meme-magnet) Bobak Ferdowsi

Teen reporters Sadie Cruz and Nia Ashley conducted lots of interviews with speakers at the TEDYouth conference on November 17. Their Q&As will run on the TED Blog over the next few weeks.

The Flight Director of the Mars Curiosity Mission, Bobak Ferdowsi, is best known for landing a two-ton rover on Mars. But “Mohawk Guy,” as he’s called by his thousands of Internet followers, is also famed for representing the uniqueness of NASA.

He sat down with me the night before his TEDYouth talk to discuss Mars, his unexpected celebrity and how soon I can hope to report to the USS Enterprise.

Nia Ashley: So, you led a mission on Mars. That’s kind of awesome. Can you talk about that for a second?

Bobak Ferdowsi: I worked on the Mars Science Lab Curiosity Mission. It’s been about nine years for me. I ended up as Flight Director for crews and landing operations. I don’t know, it’s kind of the coolest thing I’ve ever done.

NA: What does a flight director do?

BF: Basically, we have this responsibility to make sure that the activities that we’re executing are safe for the spacecraft, to make sure we understand the consequences if something goes wrong. What are our outs? What are we going to do? And then I work with the team, both when they design the activity and when they execute the activity, to make sure that we have all those bases covered.

NA: What if you had dropped [the rover] and it had just bounced and flipped over on its back like a turtle?

BF: That would have been the end of the game, I guess. There’s no way to turn it back right side up once it’s on Mars.

NA: So, what is your typical day, now that the flight happened?

BF: Basically, activities fall into two categories. We have activities based on what happened the day before — like, we discovered a rock and we want to go investigate the rock. But we also have activities that we know we want to do in a month or so — like, we want to try drilling on Mars. So we want to understand: what are all the interactions that have to happen there? Part of what I’m working on right now is making sure those activities are all ready to go when the time comes.

NA: Why do you think that we on Earth are so obsessed with finding life on other planets?

BF: I think it’s such a natural human endeavor to understand: what is our place in the universe? We have this amazing planet, and all this amazing stuff going on around us, but where does that fit into the scheme of things? Other planets, they’re not so different from us, and you think, “What if there’s life? What if it’s like us? What might be different?”

 It’s hard because we have one data point: I live on the Earth. Arguably, we have a lot of data about that one point, but then you’re trying to understand: Would life [on other planets] be more intelligent than us? Does it ever really get past bacteria? What is it going to look like? It’s a slow process of scientific understanding.

NA: You are an Internet sensation. Do you appreciate the fact that you’ve made science cool? Or is it, “I have a job to do?”

BF: I love my job, so I focus on that, but I am excited about bringing attention to what I think is a really cool job. I love that people see me as looking different — which I actually don’t! This is what most engineers and scientists look like nowadays. The perception is dated, so it’s cool for kids to see that and to realize, you can be your own person. It takes all sorts of types and looks and everything else to get these missions to happen. We had 3,000 people on this project — a variety of backgrounds, both educationally and culturally and everything. And it’s cool that that’s been shown in a new light.

NA: What do you think is more likely: Martians or life on one of the Galilean moons, like Europa or Titan?

BF: Tough question. I’m a big fan of Europa. I love Mars, I think it’s really amazing, but we’ve been there and it doesn’t look like there’s life there.  Europa is kind of shrouded in mystery, like Mars was in the early days. Ice moon, very likely ocean in the center, it’s warmer, volcanic – and we know that life exists on the Earth at the very bottom of the ocean near these volcanic vents. So it seems like the possibility is there for life to exist.

NA: How close are we to Star Trek? Because that’s what I want.

BF: I think we’re a ways away from Star Trek. But one of the cool things about Star Trek that I loved, and I think it’s still true, is that we are increasingly moving towards international cooperation in all that we do. We’re not going to have warp drive, probably, or transporters anytime soon, but the idea that all these countries are coming together, it’s a planetary endeavor to explore space, I think we’re getting there pretty fast.

NA: If you could meet your teenage self today, what’s something that you would tell them?

BF: It gets better? No, you know, it’s so funny, but as a sort of nerdy person, you feel a little ostracized as a kid, and yet we’re living in this era now where it’s okay to be nerdy. In fact, it’s kind of more relevant and cool. It gives me hope. I would have told my teenage self that. Like, “Listen, in 10 years you’re going to love that you read all this sci-fi. In your room. Without any friends.”

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Curious about Bobak Ferdowsi’s favorite TED Talks? Check out his playlist, “On our home in the universe” >>

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The brain in numbers, colours and wow

An amazing picture by Dwayne Godwin and Jorge Cham from PhD Comics. Click for the full size image just published at the Scientific American site. Definitely worth seeing in its hi-res glory.

Link to full size image (via @CeliaHodent)

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On our must-see list: James Balog’s “Chasing Ice”

Photographer James Balog grew up skeptical about climate change. But in 2005, he headed to Iceland on assignment for National Geographic and found himself captivated by the spectacular beauty of the icy landscape and devastated by how it was quickly changing before his eyes. Balog had an idea: the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of 25 time-lapse cameras that would document Arctic glaciers as they melted over a period of three years.

At TEDGlobal 2009, Balog shared images from the survey. He explained what led him — an artist — to capture one of the most moving pieces of physical evidence pointing to climate change. He also shared that the project was being expanded, with 33 cameras continuing to capture the damage for a longer period of time.

In the new documentary, Chasing Ice, Balog gives far more of the story than he could in his 18-minute talk. The soaring footage — from the producer of The Cove — shows Balog and his team risking life and limb to set up their cameras, and reveals how they weather-proofed the equipment and made decisions about which scenes to capture.  Overall, the film depicts a man on a mission to make everyone on the planet more aware of the irreversible effects of their choices.

Chasing Ice premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and is currently playing in select cities. (See showtimes here.) If it’s not yet in your area, you fill out a petition to get the film in your local theater, or sign up to host your own screening. See Balog’s powerful TED Talk below.

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3 Simple Steps to Overcome Fear

Why do you get scared? Why are you afraid to pursue goals, dreams, ambitions, or personal challenges?

Fear can get in the way of some pretty remarkable achievements. It can keep you from getting married because you’re afraid of commitment, it can keep you from starting your own business because you’re afraid you won’t be able to support yourself or your family. Fear can even keep you from losing weight – what if the effort you put into it doesn’t produce the results you expect?

Fear can keep you from knocking off things on your Limitless list and living a life full of amazing experiences.

It’s important to recognize fear for what it really is. It’s simply the association of an event with a negative outcome. So for example if you have always thought about bungee jumping but have yet to do it, it is most likely due to the fixation on some sort of negative expectation of the event. Maybe possibly getting hurt for example.

If you have always wanted to start your own business you may be overly focused on not being able to make enough money to support yourself, or the hard work that it actually takes.

The same can be true if you have been struggling with your health and wellness. Often the fear of getting started, the hard work it takes, or the fear of not being able to keep the weight off can get in the way.

Trying to avoid fear or to convince yourself to have “no fear” is a mistake. Fear is not going anywhere anytime soon. It will always be there. But don’t spend too much time dwelling on it. Quickly recognize it, exchange pleasantries, and move on.

Plan: Here is a quote I try to live by “Counting on luck is counting on random chance; your odds are better when you plan and work.”

How fantastic is that? The best plan of attack when dealing with fear is to plan for it. What is the next big challenge you’ve been thinking about undertaking? Ask yourself why you are afraid and plan for it. When I left my job a few months ago to pursue coaching full-time my personal finances were a big concern.

Instead of concentrating on how much money you need to earn look instead at where you can cut what you’re currently spending.

Any memberships you don’t use?Cut cable?Sell some old stuff?Get rid of the car?Lower your insurance premiums?Buying coffee everyday? Busted :)Buy generic products instead of name brandsBrown bag a healthy lunch as opposed to going out all the time

Maybe your big challenge has nothing to do with money as a root fear. Start thinking about what is causing that fear in you. Address it and plan for it. Need some help figuring out a plan? Post in comments in I’ll help you out.

Focus on the positive outcomes: I touched on it earlier but it is important to repeat it. The negative expectations associated with any event are the heart of what keeps you from accomplishing that which you want most. Although it’s important to recognize those possible negative outcomes so that you can plan, once that step has been taken, it’s important to place your focus on the possible positive outcomes that you want to experience.

By concentrating on the good, you are much more likely to stay encouraged and motivated. A great way you can stay focused on the positive is to keep track. Keep an achievement journal each month. If weight loss is your goal, track your progress each week my taking body measurements, hopping on the scale, or getting a body fat test done.

Another great way to focus on the positive is to keep track of your behaviors. Are you acting in a manner that is getting you closer to your goals? Buying healthy groceries and avoiding the junk? Prepping healthy meals the night before so they are ready to roll the next day? Waking up a bit earlier to get in a 30-minute run?

Results are not always measurable right away but the behaviors that lead to those results are.

Review the log at the end of the month and see how you did? Where did you struggle and what might you be able to do this upcoming month to improve upon those things?

Practice, Practice, Practice: Most of us are not naturally remarkable at things right away. If you are one of those people… I hate you. Learning new skills takes practice. Like shooting a basketball, playing the guitar, or weight training – They are each difficult in their own way and it takes time to learn how to do them properly.

So practice being courageous by taking on smaller fears. Make a list of all the things that scare the heebie-jeebies out of you. Review the list and pick the one of them that freaks you out the least. Now go for it! Build upon that success and take on something that scares you a little bit more.

What you’re doing here is training your courage muscle. Just like weight training to build lean muscle or going on a run to prepare for a marathon, you’re training yourself to get stronger. How neat is that?

We’re all scared of something. Some of those fears are big, some are small, and some may even seem silly. Regardless they are real and probably not going anywhere anytime soon. So ask, what is something you can do right now that will get you one step closer to tackling your fear?

Take that step. Time is ticking…

Featured photo credit:  Mysterious woman pulls the blinds apart via Shutterstock

Justin is the crossfitting, paleo eating, skydiving, bungee jumping, philosopher leader of Limitless365. He's interested in doing more of what he loves and less of what he doesn't, and helping others to do the same. Pick up his FREE paleo nutrition guide.You can follow Justin on Twitter as @justinmiller06.

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Meet The New York City Food Marathon: 26.2 Dishes in 26 Locations in 24 Hours

Excess can sometimes be delicious.

Thanksgiving is a great example. The NYC Food Marathon, however, takes things to an entirely new level. Think of it as a 24-hour Thanksgiving on steroids: 26.2 iconic dishes in 26 locations, all hit by foot in 24 hours.

It’s one of the most insanely fun ways to spend a Saturday.

Which restaurants (and dishes) would you pick for a food marathon in your own city? Please let us know in the comments. Here are the ones we picked in NYC with the help of top chefs…

[The following is excerpted from The 4-Hour Chef.]

The 4-Hour Chef excerpt

Posted on November 21st, 2012

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30s Tip: Don’t Judge Your Ideas

Don’t judge your ideas until you have plenty to judge.

Featured photo credit:  antiquity railway via Shutterstock

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New TED Book: The Science of Optimism

The world may be a tough and tenuous place, but we humans tend to think that the future will be better than the past. Why? In the new TED ebook, The Science of Optimism: Why We’re Hard-Wired for Hope, author Tali Sharot expands on her earlier research into the optimism bias, and explores the many reasons why we are biologically predisposed to believe the best is yet to come. We imagine our kids will be a success or we’ll find true love and that great job — not because we are naturally positive creatures, but because of the way our frontal cortex communicates with subcortical regions deep in our brain. Not the stuff that pop songs are made of, but fascinating nonetheless. There’s another advantage to walking on the sunny side of the street. Optimism not only makes our lives easier and more pleasant, but can also breed success. “Optimism,” Tarot notes, “increases explorative behavior and innovation, which is why so many entrepreneurs are on the optimistic side.”

The Science of Optimism is available for the Kindle and Nook, as well as through the iBookstore. Or download the TED Books app for your iPad or iPhone, and get a subscription with a new TED Book every two weeks.

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Warning: Believing These 10 Famous Myths Might Be Making You Dumb

You want to improve your life.

You wouldn’t be reading Lifehack if you didn’t.

But you might be shooting yourself in the foot if you believe any of these growth-stunting famous myths.

You have this idea in your head, a script, of how your life is supposed to be. But it’s not happening that way.

And you hate that.

That’s because you’ve bought into the myth that life should be how you want it to be rather than accepting life as it is.

There’s nothing wrong with goals and forward motion in your life.

But your life is happening now. Engage it, learn from it, experience it.

Not experiencing your life because it’s not how you want it is making you dumb.

This myth, which is rampant in our American society, says that we should always be progressing forward in an upward, straight line.

However, this doesn’t leave much room for the normal bad habits and problems that we struggle with from time to time.

You see, life is much more like a spiral than a straight line. We move forward but eventually return to the same spot where those struggles keep popping up.

Instead of getting down on yourself about them, remember that you have been moving forward, it’s just that it’s the time on your path when you need to work on those issues again.

You’re moving up and around at the same time.

At least, that’s what the Self-Improvement sections of bookstores would have you believe.

The reality is that happiness is a fleeting emotion just as all emotions are. The emotions that tend to be more constant are feelings of contentment and ease.

Happiness is great, but it’s not something we are going to experience all the time.

I wish you much happiness, but I also wish you wouldn’t put yourself under the pressure of thinking that something is wrong with you if you’re not happy. You’re just human.

Not so much.

Although the natural response to a crisis or even a fairly routine problem is to resist it, that behavior only drains your energy and reduces your ability to problem-solve effectively.

The best approach is to accept, rather than resist, what is happening.

This doesn’t mean that you are giving up. It just means that you are being realistic about what is in front of you.

It means that you are working within the crisis rather than against it. This is like walking downstream to cross a river rather than walking upstream against the current.

Resisting is a very natural, human response, but it’s dumb.

Learning to accept the bad with the good in our lives is smart.

For some reason, many of us will listen to that Inner Critic, that nasty voice in our heads, because we think it’s the only way that we’re going to get anything accomplished.

After all, if we weren’t hard on ourselves, how would we get anything done?

Perhaps we could try being nice. Not just to others, but to ourselves as well.

There are tons of motivational tips out there that focus on rewarding yourself rather than whipping yourself to accomplish goals.

Challenge the myth that your Inner Critic is right and try something new. And kinder.

You’ll be surprised at what a little kindness can do for you.

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!

Man up!

None of this namby-pamby self-compassion stuff! Don’t be a wimp!

Actually, research has shown that self-compassion isn’t wimpy.

Being kind and empathic to yourself results in a healthier, more productive life than being self-critical. And research also shows that self-compassion increases a stable sense of security and self-worth.

So next time you are being harsh with yourself, ask yourself if you would treat a friend that way.

It’s okay to treat yourself as you would your best friend.

“I just want life to get back to the way it was.”

I hear this a lot when people are in the middle of grief or another kind of crisis.

But the truth is, you won’t be the same person you were before the crisis happened.

And that’s okay.

You may find that you are more sensitive to others who are in crisis and more thoughtful about your own habits and behaviors.

While you won’t be exactly the same as you were before life’s storm blew your way, you might actually find that you’re a little better.

Our minds are constantly going.

Constantly.

It’s easy to listen to all of that chatter and, because it emanates from you and your mind, believe it.

However, your thoughts aren’t always true.

Your inner chatterbox may tell you that you’re a worthless piece of crap.

Just because you thought it doesn’t make it true. You’re not a worthless piece of crap.

Maybe you’re struggling right now, but we all struggle at times. It’s part of the human condition.

Don’t let your own irrational and unrealistic thoughts make you dumb. Cull out the productive, kind thoughts from those that are destructive and cruel.

You don’t have to believe everything you think.

What are you waiting for?

What happens if fill-in-the-blank never happens?

“When I retire my life would be better.”

Okay. Well, my friend Cathy retired and then she died several months later.

“My life would be better if I had more money.”

Maybe. But how much is enough? Will you let your life go by while you are vainly struggling and waiting for the mystical “more” to happen?

You get the idea.

Life is in front of you right now.

Don’t wait to live it.

Change is inevitable.

You know this but do you know it?

Have you taken it into your core and made change a regular part of your life, a routine?

You don’t have to like change, but you need to not resist it.

The myth that you can outrun change is making you dumb. Be smart and allow change to work its magic where it can.

Need to bounce back in life? Download my FREE ebook, Bounce Back! 5 keys to survive and thrive through life’s ups and downs.

Featured photo credit: the girl in the wood looks up via Shutterstock

Bobbi Emel, MFT, is a psychotherapist in Los Altos, Ca. who specializes in helping people face life's significant challenges and regain their resiliency. You can find her more of her writing about bouncing back in life at The Bounce Blog and follow her on Facebook and Twitter at @BobbiEmel.

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8 talks on the importance of listening, and how to do a much better job of it

Ernesto Sirolli learned a big lesson, thanks to a group of hippos.

In this hilarious talk from TEDxEQChCh, economic development expert Ernesto Sirolli recalls spending 1971 to 1977 in Africa working for an Italian NGO. The experience was a comedy of errors.

“Every single project we set up in Africa failed,” says Sirolli. “I was distraught. I thought — age 21 — that we Italians were good people and we were doing good work in Africa. Instead, everything we touched, we killed.”

Sirolli’s first project in Africa was teaching people in Zambia how to grow tomatoes, zucchini and other Italian favorites. He shares, “Instead of asking them why they were not growing anything, we simply said, ‘Thank God we’re here.’”

Sirolli and his fellow aid workers were thrilled to see the crops grow remarkably well. But, as harvesting time approached, they watched in horror as 200 hippos stormed out of a nearby river and ate everything in sight. All of a sudden, Sirolli understood why the locals hadn’t been interested in growing food.

Aid from Western countries tends to come in two forms, says Sirolli — paternalistic and patronizing. And yet after decades in international aid, he has seen that neither works. Instead, Sirolli champions a type of aid he calls “enterprise facilitation.”

“The first principle of aid is respect,” shares Sirolli. “You become a servant of the local passion, of local people who have a dream to become a better person. What you do is you shut up, you never arrive in a community with any ideas, and you sit with the local people … become friends. Find out what that person wants to do … You have to create a new profession — be the family doctor of enterprise, who sits with you in your house at the kitchen table and helps you find a way to transform your passion into a way to make a living.”

To hear more about why Sirolli believes the key to international aid is listening to local people with ideas, watch his passion-filled talk. And after the jump, watch seven other TED Talks that stress the importance of listening.

Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better
Human beings only retain about 25% of what they hear, shares sound consultant Julian Treasure at TEDGlobal 2011. In this fast-paced talk, Treasure gives five simple exercises to boost our ability to listen to each other, from seeking out three minutes of silence a day to taking time to savor the sound of a washer and dryer.

Evelyn Glennie: How to truly listen
Listening to music isn’t just about allowing sound waves to ripple through your ears. In this talk from TED2003, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie shares how listening is a full-bodied and brained activity.

Ethan Zuckerman: Listening to global voices
The internet does an impressive job of surrounding people with voices that sound a lot like their own. In this talk from TEDGlobal 2010, Ethan Zuckerman stresses the importance of listening to those from completely different backgrounds, living very different experiences, and gives advice on how anyone can open up their Twitter and Facebook feeds to get insights from across the globe.

Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn … then lead
Stanley McChrystal is a four-star general, the former commander of U.S. and International forces in Afghanistan. In this talk from TED2011, he explains that leadership is about far more than giving orders. According to McChrystal, it’s as much about listening and taking in knowledge from those under you.

Neil Harbisson: I listen to color
Artist Neil Harbisson is completely color blind. But at TEDGlobal 2012, he shares how he is able to experience color through a robotic eye that renders the palette of the world as sound. As Harbisson reveals, this amazing eye makes going to the supermarket “like going to a nightclub,” thanks to the different noises it creates.

Evan Williams on listening to Twitter users
When Twitter co-founder Evan Williams spoke at TED2009, the web service was new and growing fast. In this talk, he shows some of the fascinating ideas that can bubble up through the 140-character platform, as well as how they inspire a different type of sharing that requires a new type of listening.

Honor Harger: A history of the universe in sound
What does space sound like? In this talk from TEDSalon London Spring 2011, artist Honor Harger reveals what the sun, stars and planets sound like. But beyond that, she shares how she converts the radio waves emitted by celestial bodies into “the oldest song you’ll ever here.”

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Five ‘Evernote 5’ Improvements You Should Know

Evernote is a popular note-taking application that Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and BlackBerry users have been enjoying for a while now. The recent spike in popularity over the past year sparked the product to create a new update to their already successful application. If you just updated or contemplating the thought of updating to Evernote 5, here are the seven features you should know about Evernote 5 for Mac before getting started.

The first improvement of Evernote 5 that you will notice is the new interface. Evernote was smart in doing a nice redone without making it seem like they gutted out the old design entirely. Veteran users, like myself, find it easy to navigate around. The main change is the added left column. In this column, you are presented with quick access to your recent notes, access notebooks, tags, and more.

When focusing a bit on the improved interface, we also noticed a new way in viewing notebooks. In this more expanded view, we have the ability to see a dedicated page of all of our notebooks we have with us. You can see the name, number of notes within that specific notebook, all in a notebook-like design.

Of course, you can right-click for more features like sharing and settings options, all of which are also available by hovering your arrow over the specific notebook.

Evernote allows you to attach location to your notes in the application. When coupled with the fact that you can create notes using your mobile device, it may be considered more important than ever to see where your notes were taken. This is made possible in Evernote 5 with Atlas. The mapping feature presents your location-attached notes all on one page, categorized by location name.

If you’ve spent more time in a particular location or want to have a closer look within that region, Evernote 5 allows you to view these notes on a map. When viewing in map mode, the bottom center area of the screen allows you to zoom in/out of the map. The bottom left button allows you to go directly to your current location.

The Atlas feature is quite handy for individuals who use Evernote for to-do lists, travel note-taking, or any other type of note-taking that may make use of location in any way.

Applications like Dropbox have pushed the movement for a more digital lifestyle in document and digital sharing. Evernote has always allowed for notebook collaboration, however, Evernote 5 was truly the update that pushed for more of a focus on collaboration in notes and notebooks. Just like with the previous version, Evernote 5 has an icon that denotes whether or not a notebook is currently shared or not.

When clicking the satellite button at the top left region of Evernote allows you to view updates that have occurred within each shared folder. With names and all, you’ll be able to see who added what to the folder, when, and more. See something in the folder that’s missing? Evernote’s activity feed allows you to view who took the item out and when. Plus, there’s no need to keep Evernote running to receive these updates. When not in use, Evernote 5 sends these alerts to Notification Center.

All of these features are dealing with Evernote notes. You can still share notes with Evernote, with the same features. This is perfect if you have a document or a single piece of text you need to share without the need of creating a new notebook.

I am easily distracted when doing just about anything. Evernote 5 has found a way to help prevent this with their new editing view. By just going into full screen, Evernote 5 allows you to reduce the distractions around you and focus on the notes at hand. Of course, aside from this, all of your other editing features have stayed the same. You can still add in photos and other multimedia, check-lists, charts, and text formatting.

Finally, let’s go a bit into Evernote’s search improvements. If you are an active user, you need a better way to dig into your notes and Evernote makes this easy with their new “TypeAhead” search feature. Instead of having to search and hope to get results for what you want to search, Evernote 5 allows you to type and get  note titles in your results right away.

If you frequently search something, for example, if you did what I did and scanned restaurant menus that you frequent, you may want to add “restaurant menus” search as a shortcut on the lefthand side of your Evernote 5. This makes it a lot easier to refer back to in no time. If you want a more in-depth search, you have the ability to add a search option (search just tags, titled etc).

In what ways has Evernote 5 made you more excited to use the application? In what was has it made you more productive? Let us know in the comments below!

Emmanuel Banks is an editorial director for the Mountain View based startup, Teens in Tech, where he covers news in the startup world and tips for teen entrepreneurs. When Emmanuel isn't writing, he enjoys traveling and trying out new gadgets.

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How To Beat The Holiday Bah Humbug

To beat the holiday bah humbug you need to surround yourself with the things you love about the holidays. Once you’ve done that I’ll show you how to use them to make things better.

Write as many down as you can think of. Consider family gatherings, gifts exchanged, cookies enjoyed, stockings opened and holiday entertainment you love. Keep the list handy in your phone or a notebook in your purse or wallet.

When you begin to feel the holiday bah humbug or the stress of preparing for the holiday bring out your list and choose one memory. Fill your mind with that memory and envision yourself in it. See the people, the sights, the smells, and sounds of that memory. Now make the memory even bigger and brighter. Most likely you will feel yourself getting lighter and happier as you begin to relive that wonderful time.

Success, you’ve chased the bah humbug away. Repeat this step any time holiday stress begins to take over, choosing any memory you like.

Music has a powerful way of changing our mood. Use this playlist to accompany your holiday preparations. Hearing your favorite songs will get you singing along and help keep the bah humbug away. Don’t forget to explore some new holiday music as well. Pandora is a great place to create a radio station of your favorites and hear some new songs as well, as Pandora offers song suggestions based on your preferences.

There are so many good ones to choose from. Add some holiday show time to your schedule. We have family movie night once a week and as the holidays approach, we fill this slot with our holiday favorites.

Since you’ve seen these shows so many times, consider watching them while filling out your holiday cards or perform other holiday preparations. (I love to put on the Grinch Who Stole Christmas movie while we decorate the tree)

Don’t forget to treat yourself to some downtime during the holiday season as well. Schedule a massage, take a few baths, get your favorite seasonal beverage (eggnog or Candy Cane Lane tea anyone?).

Featured photo credit: Pretty blond girl wearing a christmas hat via Shutterstock

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A vision of Oliver Sacks

New York Magazine has a wonderful in-depth profile of Oliver Sacks illustrated with a simple but sublime photo portrait of the gracefully ageing neurologist.

Sacks has become much discussed in recent weeks due to the release of his new book Hallucinations.

There has been much coverage, but perhaps some of the best coverage has been Will Self’s review and an interview on NPR.

However, the profile in New York Magazine stands alone – both for its careful portraiture and brilliant writing. Highly recommended.

Link to Oliver Sacks profile.

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Elements That Make Up an Effective Weight Loss Program

Recent statistics show that one out of three people are trying to lose weight. People chose to lose weight for a wide variety of reasons. But the two most popular reasons are to look better and have more energy. Although these are good reasons to work on losing those extra pounds, I would still say that improving your health or maintaining it is the best and most important reason to lose weight.

If you’re looking for an effective weight loss program to help you reach your weight loss goals you’ll be interested in this article. There are many weight loss products and services out there, and you can easily get lost in the maze of choices and end up with a disappointing program. To help you in your search, I have listed four of the most important things to look for in a weight loss program:

1. Well-structured exercise routines. Regular exercise is a crucial component of successful weight loss and perhaps the best predictor of weight maintenance. Exercise makes it possible to create a calorie deficit as well as use up excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat. Therefore, no weight loss program will truly be beneficial without a well-structured exercise routine. The two most popular types of exercises for the purpose of weight loss are aerobic exercises and resistance exercises. Most fitness plans use a combination of these two types of exercises.

2. Healthy food plans. It goes without saying that healthy eating is important if you are trying to lose weight, since your weight is largely determined by the number of calories that you take in each day minus what your body uses. If you are a typical 21st century individual, your diet is comprised of mostly of high-calorie, nutrient-deficient processed foods, and your physical activity is very minimal. This means that you’re loading yourself up with a lot of calories and use only very little, causing a steady weight gain. In order for a weight loss program to be effective, it will need to include a diet plan that helps you cut calories by promoting low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods, including whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

3. Realistic and sustainable methods. There are a lot of programs out there that can help you lose weight; but a lot of them employ strategies that are very restrictive and would be impossible to maintain for the rest of your life. These restrictive approaches to weight loss may seem very promising, but most people who use them never really finish the whole program because of overwhelm and discouragement and many even gain weight back after quitting. It’s important that you look for a weight loss program that you know you can do for the rest of your life. As a basic rule, don’t choose a program that totally restricts you from eating certain types of food or requires you to do punishing, unrealistic workout regimens.

4. Safety. No one wants to achieve their ideal weight but end up with other health problems as a result. Rapid weight loss can lead to serious consequences that include malnutrition, formation of gallstones, fatigue, and a general feeling of ill-health. According to experts, losing 1 to 2 lbs. per week is a sensible and safe rate of weight loss. Additionally, programs that don’t require you to purchase any pills or supplements are generally safer compared to others that do. Real food is best.

Featured photo credit:  Girl trying dress in looking in mirror cheerful and happy via Shutterstock

I am Kara Heissman. I have seen over the years how the quality of people's lives are reduced by their inability to find solutions for certain difficulties in their lives. With the great want to help, I have decided to share my experiences, knowledge and insights with the aim to help everyone live the life that they deserve--happy, healthy and fulfilled. I have my own self-improvement blog contentedlife.org but I have also written for various sites within the same subject area. My writings mainly revolve around stress, self esteem and health and fitness.

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Plug n’ play cosmic dust brain t-shirt

The Imaginary Foundation do an amazing t-shirt of someone plugging in a huge cosmic dust covered brain. It’s available in guys and gals styles but sadly doesn’t come with any cosmic dust to make your own accessories.

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How To Destress In 5 Minutes

In this post, we’ll take a look at an easy yet powerful form of meditation, that you can use to destress in a matter of minutes. What’s more, you don’t need any previous meditative experience; all it takes is an open mind and some motivation to practice.

You probably already know that meditation is physically and mentally calming, but it’s also emotionally soothing. That makes meditation most pleasant and revitalizing.

Before we get to the mediation, let’s examine the nature of stress first.

When the mind is speeding from one thought to the next like a jet, and the physical body feels intensely alive, that’s a common type of stress. So, is it a pleasant or unpleasant mental state? To answer that question, I suggest you tune in to your bodily sensations next time you are under stress. That way, you will know for yourself.

Stress is generally triggered by heavy workloads and tight schedules. For example, you have to cover for a colleague at the office who has called in sick, which doubles your workload. Another scenario would be a deadline that moved up.

Ultimately, thinking is the cause of stress. The sheer thought of a heavy workload or a tight schedule, can give rise to a sense of panic. With this knowledge, it’s quite easy to see that destressing is fundamentally about not thinking. In other words, the most effective way to relieve stress is by taking a break from thinking.

Guided meditation does not involve thinking. Instead, you work with plain awareness. When you meditate, you give relaxed attention to your meditation object. That’s it!

The mind calms down the moment awareness takes the place of thinking. In this context awareness, attention, and mindfulness mean the same thing, they all point to a state of mind that is free from thought.

Guided meditation is one of the easiest meditation techniques available. What is more, it’s as fun as it is powerful. All you have to do is press play, close your eyes, and follow the voice instructions.

Meditation downloads can be found by searching for guided meditation in any search engine.

Meditate in a quiet room where you won’t be disturbed. That makes it easier to relax and concentrate. It’s also a good idea to switch off the sound on your cell phone.Meditate lying down on your back. It’s natural to relax the body while lying down. Remember that a relaxed body makes for a relaxed mind and vice versa, so make yourself as comfortable as possible. If there is nowhere to lie down, sitting on a chair will do just fine.Meditating with your eyes closed makes it easier to stay focused. Moreover, darkness has a calming effect on the mind. So if you like, you can switch off the lights in the room.Always give relaxed attention to your meditation object, trying too hard only increases physical and mental tension.Meditate 1-2 times per day for a minimum of 5 minutes per session.It’s better to do multiple 5-minute meditations with short breaks, than a long session. In the beginning, the mind quickly gets tired since it’s not used to giving its continuous attention for extended periods of time.Meditate in the morning while you’re still in bed. That gives you a fresh start of the day. Likewise, you can improve the quality of your sleep by doing a session before going to bed at night.

A final note. The more you practice, the deeper the meditation takes you, making the destressing more effective. The soothing and calming effects also become more pronounced with experience. In short, you have everything to gain by establishing a regular meditation practice.

Good luck!

Feel free to share your experiences of destressing in the comments…

Featured photo credit:  morning meditation via Shutterstock

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How to Optimize Gmail to Make it Your Most Effective Business Tool

This weeks Lifehack Lesson is all about configuring Gmail to make it super-useful for business. There is a whole plethora of plugins out there that you add to Gmail, but not many sites will explain why they are effective and how to set it up in a way that you can use almost straight away. If you use Gmail for your business correspondence, customer support and need some great ways to make it more efficient, then this is the lesson for you.

This Lesson is written by Trevor Dobrygoski and explains some of the tools that can be used, how they can work together. The actual guts of the lesson will give you a step by step guide and includes tutorial videos on how to set up these tools into your Gmail, and some good ideas of what configurations to set up top optimize your work flow. Here’s an excerpt from the lesson

Gmail is one of the most popular web-based email apps on the web for both personal and business. When using a Google email account for business, the needs are very different than the needs of someone using Gmail for personal reasons.

Many companies have adopted Google email as their email provider of choice. When this happens, the email account will have the company’s domain name, not @gmail.com at the end. This is what’s referred to as a Google Apps account.

The main differences are Google Apps accounts have some limitations. Not with the apps themselves. The limitation might come from the IT department who wouldn’t want you to use your work Google Account to subscribe to YouTube videos. While the accounts can have limitations imposed, upgrades can also be added to make the Google email account more of a tool.

Here’s a rundown of the tools this Lesson will cover and we will help you to get them all working together. The detailed tasks will help you set them up and configure them to get you up and running and there are plenty of videos to help you install and configure each one of the tools.

Labels are how Gmail helps you sort your emails. They are kind of like the folder system other email apps use. They will help you separate emails into groups to make them easier to find later.

Gmail’s filters are the equivalent of the Rules system in other email programs use. Not only are there plenty of choices for choose what emails to filter, there are also a lot of different options for what to do with the incoming email after it’s found…..

This lesson is free for the next 7 days for you to try out. If you like Lifehack Lessons, it only costs $4.99 per month to get access to all the lessons.

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Hey, It’s Okay to Cut Your Client List! 5 Ways to Say Goodbye

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from David Neagle. The Million Dollar Income Acceleration Mentor and author of The Millions Within, teaches entrepreneurs and commission-based sales professionals how to quantum leap their current incomes past the 7-figure income level, often in less than 12 months. As a world-class speaker, sales trainer, and success-mindset mentor to some of the globe’s top CEOs, David also privately mentors big decision-makers in their pursuit of quantum success and peace of mind. Did you like this article? Tweet this: “It’s Okay To Cut Your Client List! 5 Ways To Say Goodbye #Neagle”

Most companies’ biggest concern is finding – and keeping – clients and customers. This makes sense: Without customers, there’s nothing for businesses to do.

But what happens when you’re no longer worried about acquiring more business? What should you do when you have too much business, and too many customers, for your resources to handle? It’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem. How do you solve it?

One amusing way to frame the problem is through the scope of a break-up in a romantic relationship. Some of the same “rules” apply to breaking up with customers. After all, the relationship between a company and its customers is just that: a relationship. As we all know, relationships don’t always work out. Here are a few phrases that might ring true:

1.  “You’re too needy.” Overly needy people aren’t just draining in the dating world. As clients, they can actually cost you a lot in time, energy, and productivity. Needy or unproductive clients are the ones who are rarely satisfied with a product or service, despite the quality; they’re the ones who will always find something wrong. The costs of working with someone like this can sometimes outweigh the benefits of even having him as a customer!

2.  “It’s not you, it’s me.” When you realize you have a very unproductive, needy customer, realize that by letting him go, you can probably solve both your problem and your client’s. Chances are if a client is never satisfied with what you offer, it just isn’t “meant to be.” If he’s constantly acting dissatisfied, realize you’re probably not the best business for his needs. Let him find a business that better fits him, because it isn’t yours. (If you love them, set them free!)

3.  “We can still be friends.” You don’t want to alienate a former or potential client by telling him the business equivalent of “this isn’t working,” and brushing him off. Just like at the end of a romantic relationship with someone you care a great deal for, treat the client with respect. Keep available a list of businesses that offer services similar to yours. When you’re dealing with a customer who’s costing you more than he’s worth, be prepared to offer him another option. Present it in a way that shows you’re looking out for his best interests – and not just turning him away.

4.  “I’m out of your league.” Don’t be afraid to be selective! This will help you find your ideal clients and reach them more effectively. In other words, it’s more valuable to invest more time and energy in a few ideal clients than in several unproductive ones. First, though, determine who your ideal client base is. You can do this by looking at your current set of clients and asking some questions. “Who are our best clients? What beliefs/values/needs do they have?” This, along with practical factors, like the ability of the client to pay, will help you develop a set of criteria that you can use to determine your “A-list” clients. Once you have that A-list, maintain it by really focusing on those clients’ needs and how you can best meet them. Treat them like a significant other you’d like to keep!

5.  “I know you want me.” When you need to let clients go because of resource limitations, you want to maintain an image of being in high demand, rather than sending the message that, well, you’re unable to expand as a company. How do you do that? Really, the best solution is to avoid the short-on-resources situation in the first place! It’s a very preventable issue. Take time to form the vision of where you want your company to go, and then implement strategies and plans so when an influx of business comes, you’ll be prepared to handle it. Sometimes, there really is enough love to go around.

Breaking up is hard to do, and the business world is no exception. Focus on the benefits that can be gained by letting go of an unproductive customer. Proceed with caution (don’t break any hearts!), and your relations with clients can stay positive – even if you have to move on.

Featured photo credit:  Two tiny miniature figurines via Shutterstock

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What talks have resonated most with you? Tweet TED’s billionth video view

One billion. That’s a thousand millions. In other words, the number of seconds contained in 31 and a half years. The population of the continent of Africa, as of 2011. The number of inches that would stretch halfway across the Earth. And the number of users of Facebook hit in October.

Our curator Chris Anderson says of this milestone, “The spread of TED Talks across languages and borders suggests that intellectual curiosity is demonstrably alive and well.  Maybe the Internet isn’t dumbing us down after all.”

To mark this event, we’d love to hear from you. Below, two hashtags currently gaining steam on Twitter: #TEDBillion and #topTED.

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With this hashtag, share the TED Talk that has just never quite gotten out of your head. Has a TED Talk ever changed your life? Have you seen a TED Talk impact a community or individual? What’s the one talk you want everyone to watch next?

My personal fav, a fellow public health nerd: Elizabeth Pisani: Sex, drugs and HIV -- let's get rational #TEDBillion ted.com/talks/elizabet…

—
Mubnii Morshed (@mubnii) November 13, 2012

My top one : ) Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story bit.ly/pCzi6 #TEDBillion

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(@anagoelzer) November 13, 2012

2 #TEDBillion talks that remain with me - 1) #JJAbrams (the first one I ever saw) and 2) #SirKenRobinson (schools/creativity?) #watch

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Jon Gill (@OnTheSuperFly) November 13, 2012

Most powerful TED Talk I've seen: "What if your student comes at you with scissors?" by @DenaSimmons youtu.be/BmvOh8jx6ro #TEDBillion

—
John Cary (@johncary) November 13, 2012

Karen Armstrong - Charter for Compassion. My first ever @TEDTalks video. on.ted.com/gExF #TEDBillion

—
Imandeep Kaur (@ImmyKaur) November 13, 2012

@TEDchris The one by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, "why we have too few women leaders." #TEDBillion #LoveTedTalks

—
Renee Deserae (@Renee_Deserae) November 13, 2012

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With this hashtag, talk about our newly launched Playlists section. Is there a topic playlist that’s calling your name? Or is one of our guest-curated playlists piquing your interest? You can make a playlist of your own by giving speakers names or, as always, share your favorite talk.

RTing so I can watch later :) “@mashable: Bill Gates: 13 Talks That Expanded My Worldview on.mash.to/TXEqda #TOPTED”

—
Gabrielle Scrimshaw (@GabScrimshaw) November 13, 2012

#TopTED Favorite music: Andrew Bird, Imogen Heap, and of course Reggie Watts

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Matthew Makeshift (@MatthewTonner) November 13, 2012

Been watching the TED playlist "How to Live With Robots" for the past 35 minutes. The ultimate procrastination. ted.com/playlists/17/h… #topTED

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Kate Torgovnick (@TheKateBook) November 13, 2012

Reggie Watts: The 10 Talks That Most Boggled My Mind dlvr.it/2TMFHK #Uncategorized #reggiewatts #topted

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Bert Fentress (@GeekInfoNow) November 13, 2012

have seen some, looks like good set, will watch rest! Bill Gates: 13 Talks That Expanded My Worldview on.mash.to/TXEqda #TOPTED

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Blair MacIntyre (@blairmacintyre) November 13, 2012

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The 4-Hour Chef Cinematic Trailer – Plus $2,500 Video Competition

For The 4-Hour Chef, I want to do things differently. The above cinematic trailer is more playful than the intense 4-Hour Body trailer, and the storytelling takes a completely different approach. Today also marks the launch of the official 4-Hour Chef site, which has photos, book outlines, and more.

In total, we now have four trailer experiments:

- 1 min 13 seconds – above
- 30 seconds
- 15 seconds
- 8 seconds (created solely to see reader requests in feedback)

The trailers were directed, edited, and animated by the incredible Adam Patch. The music (except the 8-second version) was created and mixed by Luis Dubuc. Special thanks to the entire ChefSteps team for letting us use their Mr. Wizard-like food lab in Seattle.

What do you think of the full-length trailer? For a rare change, I ask that you don’t tell me here…

Please let me know in the video comments on YouTube! For a host of reasons, I only have 24 hours left to make the video “pop” on YouTube, and comments are extremely helpful for this, as are traffic and views.

Please take 30 seconds to share your thoughts here and help a brother out!

[First, from the lawyers: All the below is void where prohibited, you have to be at least 18 years of age, Drow elves get a -3 handicap, etc...]

Do you think you could create a trailer for The 4-Hour Chef?

Well, I’m putting $2,500 USD up for grabs, as well as a 60-minute conversation with me (if you like) and being showcased on this blog to 1.2 million monthly readers.

Here’s how it works:

- Create a video trailer for the book that’s between 15-90 seconds long. See The 4-Hour Chef website for content ideas.
- You must have the URL “www.fourhourchef.com” at the end for at least 2 seconds.
- You must include the Amazon link for The 4-Hour Chef (this one, but you can use your affiliate code) in the video description.
- You *cannot* use any of the footage from my trailer EXCEPT the last book shot and URL screen.
- You can use the music from my trailer or your own. For custom music, I’ve used the service AudioDraft successfully in the past. It can be had for a few hundred dollars, and I have no affiliation.

Then:

1) Upload the video to YouTube with the name “The 4-Hour Chef trailer – [your name] Submission”
2) Share via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, and anywhere else you can. Rack up as many views as humanly possible.
3) Repeat Step 2 until 5pm EST on Saturday, November 24th. BUT NOTE: Advertising on Google, Facebook, YouTube disqualifies you and is not permitted.

Last:

- At 5pm EST on Saturday, November 24th, I will review all submissions with a team of judges.
- The best video with the most views wins the cash, phone call, and exposure for the creator. “Best” is determined by how well the video sells the book, with bonus points for creativity. That part is subjective, of course, but it’s fairer than pure view counts, which can sometimes be gamed. So, high view count is critical, but it’s not all that matters.

I will showcase the winning video in a dedicated post with links to the people (or company) who created it. This blog has more than a million monthly readers, many of whom are media and CEOs.

I’m super excited to see what you all create! Good luck!

Posted on November 8th, 2012

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TEDxYouthDay teens answer the question: What’s a dream you commit to making real?

At TED, we’re constantly impressed by the accomplishments of young innovators. With talks like Adora Svitak’s “What adults can learn from kids,” 12-year-old Amy O’Toole assisting Beau Lotto in “Science is for everyone: kids included,” and Thomas Suarez, who was developing apps before he could drive, we can’t help but be hopeful for the future. That is why we are thrilled to announce the third anniversary of TEDxYouthDay, a series of independently-organized TEDx events designed to empower and inspire teens and kids worldwide.

This Saturday and Sunday more than 100 TEDx events will participate in TEDxYouthDay, with youth conferences going down in 42 countries — including Egypt, Spain, India, Hong Kong, Brazil, Taiwan and the United States. A whopping 26 of these TEDxYouthDay events will be livestreamed through the TEDxYouthDay website. Additionally, more than 100 youth leaders — some as young as 11-years-old – have volunteered to report on these events, and will be writing, photographing and tweeting from events across the globe. You can follow their reporting on Twitter live on the 17th and 18th by following the hashtag #TEDxYouth.

TED will also be participating in the fun with TEDYouth in New York City, a free, day-long event for high school students. More than 20 scientists, designers, technologists, explorers, artists and performers will dazzle participants with mind-shifting stories as well as incredible lessons on what they do best. (While the in-person event is fully booked, TEDYouth will also be livestreamed for FREE on Nov. 17, from 1 to 6pm EST, and interpreted into Spanish and Arabic. Sign up for a livestream reminder notification here.)

This year’s TEDxYouthDay theme is “Dream Big…Then Do It!” For the past month, youth from around the world have been sharing their big ideas for a better world. Here, some selections from the TEDxYouthDay photo campaign, for which young people completed the sentence, “A dream that I commit to making real is…” The breadth, depth, and creativity of these answers have astonished us — like the answer above from Instagram user shenjustshen – and we can’t wait to see what these dreamers will accomplish.

Also from Instagram user shenjustshen, a TEDxYouthDay participant writes that her dream is “to show the world that there is no such thing as perfection in art.”

A participant from TEDxYouth@DiscoveryCollege says he hopes to be the first man on Mars and Pluto.

TEDxYouthDay reporter Serena Chao shares her dream, to stay true to herself.

A TEDxParkCityDaySchool team member shares his dream, “Finding a enjoyable and successful job.”

Instagram user sritahereje says she commits to the “spread of creative messages.”

A participant of TEDxYouth@DiscoveryCollege shares her dream: “To prove everyone wrong.”

TEDxYouthDay Reporter Jahbari Wallace aims high with his dream, filling in the sentence with the words “doing the right thing in every situation.”

A TEDxParkCityDaySchool team members share her dream “to help stop starvation.”

This weekend, join us as we celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments and drive of our youth to keep this world an ever-incredible place. Settle down, make yourself a sandwich, and stay glued to the TEDxYouthDay website, where TEDxYouthDay events will be livestreaming throughout Saturday and Sunday.

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How to Beat the Dark-Days Blues

If you’re one of the many people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD), you probably weren’t celebrating your free “extra” hour when you made the Daylight Savings switch recently. Instead, you were probably wondering how to cope now that we’re in the days of waking up in the dark and coming home from work in the dark.

Even if you don’t suffer from SAD, plenty of us start to feel draggy and lackluster after enough gray days and early nights. So what can you do to combat the gloom?

Here are some ways to beat the dark-days blues:

When you don’t feel your physical best, it can be even harder to feel emotionally well. Help your mood by keeping yourself in good health. Get enough sleep at night, make sure to eat healthy, balanced meals, and find a regular exercise plan that works for you. Also keep yourself protected against seasonal illness by getting a flu shot, washing your hands frequently, and keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer at your desk to avoid office germs.

Make sure the rooms in your house are properly lit. If there are any dim spots, consider adding another table or floor lamp. At work, if your overall office environment is dark, get a lamp for your desk to make your personal area brighter.

Whenever the weather permits, spend some time outside. Take your dogs for a walk, play a game with your kids, or just enjoy sitting in the fresh air for a little while. Even if the day is overcast, outdoor light can still make you feel better—not to mention the fact that just getting out into nature after being stuck indoors can cheer you up, too.

There’s a reason we feel brought down by the cold months, apart from the monotony of gray skies and long evenings. Human beings absorb vitamin D through exposure to UV-B rays found in sunlight—and when we’re not getting as much sunlight every day, it can result in feelings of depression and lack of energy.

Light boxes mimic the light you’d receive from the sun, which can affect the chemicals in your brain that regulate mood. Just sitting a few feet away from a light box for half an hour each day can help improve SAD symptoms. (Check with your health care provider for specific instructions, as they often advise you do light therapy during certain periods of the day.) Light boxes can be a little pricey, but if they can improve your daily mood and energy levels over the long, dark months, it’s worth it.

Melatonin is believed to help treat the symptoms of SAD by regulating your sleep-wake cycle, which can be disrupted when daylight hours get shorter. (Again, you may need to take melatonin at specific points of the day for it to be most effective, so check with your physician.) Vitamin D supplements can also help replenish the nutrients you’re no longer getting from sunlight.

I know; it may feel like the last thing you want to do when you’re feeling blah, but regular physical activity can actually give you more energy by getting you up off the couch and moving. It’s also a great way to work out some negative emotions. Try something fun and peppy like Zumba to lift your mood, something calming like yoga to relieve stress and center your thoughts, or something like kick boxing to release pent-up anger and frustration.

Not only does it slow you down and make you feel more groggy, but also (as anyone who’s nursed a breakup over a bottle of wine can tell you) alcohol can just enhance your negative feelings and make you feel even worse.

The symptoms of SAD are very similar to the symptoms of depression, so if your mood continues to worsen or you start to have thoughts of hopelessness or suicide, seek professional help immediately. You may need to be put on medication to help regulate your moods and might also benefit from counseling.

If you’re in doubt whether you should seek help or not? Always opt for “yes.”

Featured photo credit: Cracked land and the lightning via Shutterstock

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