15 Ways To Lead A Brand New Great Life

Leading a brand new, great life is not as hard as you think – and you don’t have to bail on your current one to make it happen. All you really need is the desire and willingness to make it happen.

It is normal and natural to wish for “something more” in life and to feel frustrated that everything feels like “same old same old” yet you really don’t want to take drastic measures such as ditching your spouse or bailing on your kids to go live on a mountain top and meditate.

So what can you do? How can you take your current humdrum existence and turn it into a brand new great life for yourself?

Perspective, my friend (don’t worry, we’ll get to some exact how-to’s momentarily).  Suppose you went out the door today, and like you always do, you stop by the donut shop on your way to work even though you promised yourself you would focus on lowering your cholesterol. So there you are, walking out of the donut shop hoping your spouse doesn’t randomly drive by and see your culinary transgression, when a meteor falls brightly from the sky. The donut shop explodes and a shard of glass impales your leg. Flash forward, you’re being released from the emergency room with a bandaged leg thanking your lucky stars you are still alive and swearing you’ll never eat a donut again and that you’ll absolutely start writing that novel, something you’ve always dreamed of doing.

After an experience like this you’d suddenly have a bright new perspective and all those activities that felt humdrum yesterday would be brighter and bolder; food would taste better; that evening kiss with your spouse would be more sensual; your kids’ laughter would feel musical instead of too loud.

Being shaken up can shift everything for us. The good news is you don’t have to wait for a meteor to create a brand new life for yourself; you can shake yourself up with a few choices and over time you will be leading that new great life.

So let’s get started on making your life great, minus the meteor.

Sameness makes us stop noticing. Have you ever noticed that you don’t even see those photographs on the wall anymore? Go head, switch them around in a new order or put them on a whole new wall. Or move your favorite chair to a new location. Just one thing, do it now. Go ahead, we’ll wait.

Welcome back. Tomorrow morning do something entirely out of the ordinary from your usual routine. And I don’t mean switching from one cup of coffee to two. I mean, wake up and bounce on the end of your bed while singing Happy Birthday or Amazing Grace – whatever. It’s okay if your spouse thinks you’ve gone cuckoo – with any luck they’ll join in.

You know the saying, don’t sweat the small stuff – it’s all small stuff. Go back to our meteor. A near death experience always makes us realize we’ve been overly serious about things that don’t really matter. So, today, pick one thing which you are very serious about and laugh at it. I apologize now if laughing at your boss gets you fired. Hey, at least that would really shake things up, right?

Sit down right now and list 5 things you did yesterday that you like doing. Is it hard? Then you’re not doing enough things you like to do. Make another list – things you like to do and add 1 new thing a day for a week.

You can do things with love, or begrudgingly. Did your spouse tell you to mop the kitchen floor? Well, do it with love. Really. Force yourself to do this at least once a day and before you know it, you’ll actually be feeling better about those things you used to hate.

The single best way to feel more happy and fulfilled is to give to others. Go out of your way today and every day to help someone out – I mean watch for the opportunity and take it. Do this with your family and loved ones, and at least one stranger. This is one of the single best things you can do to have your life take on a shiny new meaning.

This is a personal favorite. Anywhere you are, the more public and humiliating a place the better, and just dance. No music needed. If you’re a parent and you can embarrass your kids by doing this, you get bonus points.

There’s a lot of do, do, do, in today’s society. So stop, really stop. Sit down in your newly moved favorite chair and breathe deeply for an entire minute. No TV, no book, just you and the air. Pausing to breathe every day will bring you back to the moment so you’ll enjoy everything more.

Living and thinking creatively is one of the biggest keys to having a life you love and are fulfilled by. So if you want to write, then write. This is the part where you actually have to take action and not just think about it. Using your creativity every day in some way will keep your mind fresh and actually does build a new life within your current existence.

Stop whining and start being grateful. Every day write down one thing you are really grateful for – and don’t list material possessions.

If you’re a health fanatic, eat junk. If you’re junk food addict, eat healthy. You can do anything for one day. Does eating different make you feel differently? Allow the experience to give you a little introspection.

You need to give to yourself with love, too. Take your vitamins, go for a walk, or call in sick and lie in bed with your spouse. Wealthy people always pay themselves first – and I’m not talking about money.

Fear stops us from being as much of ourselves as we can be. Yup, fear is scary. What are you afraid of? As they say, feel the fear and do it anyway. Moving through it brings you to the other side – which is always bright and shiny.

As human beings we tend to feel lousy about our lives when we perceive that things are out of our control. It can make us angry and depressed. So, take control of something. Cleaning clutter is good for reestablishing control so tackle that junk drawer or countertop or nightstand. The point is to pick one thing that is in your control and do it.

Do you have a dream? That one thing you’ve always wanted to do? Get your pilots license? Write a book? Grow the best hydrangeas in your neighborhood? Now is the time to take one of your dreams and start working toward it. Don’t pick something you can do in a day – make this something that will take you months to accomplish. You need to experience planning toward your dream, taking action, and then ultimately having it as part of your brand new shiny life.

I guarantee that if you use these ideas and ways to lead a brand new great life, within a few weeks, you will be. Yippee!

Sometimes what helps us to be successful in our professional lives is not such a great idea in our personal lives — competition is a quality that comes to mind. 10 Great Tips for Success in Both Life and Business

Featured photo credit: h.koppdelaney via photopin cc

Karen Daniels is an amazon top 10 selling author and multipassionate online expert who provides caffeinated creative services and online solutions to fearless entrepreneurs. Learn more about her services at KarenDaniels.com or on her writing/creativity blog at ZenCopy

View the original article here

12 Great Apps for Cooking a Thanksgiving Dinner

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Don’t Let Good Be The Enemy Of Great When It Comes To Working Out!

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Football Season Is Approaching Fast. Use These Tips To Throw A Great Football Party.

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Do You Know Where To Look For Great Deals at Labor Day Sales?

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Great cure but we lost the patient

The Journal of Neuroscience has a surprising case report of a patient who was treated with an implanted brain stimulator to treat severe movement side-effects from an extended period of taking antipsychotic drugs for behavioural problems.

This is the background to the case:

A 27-year-old woman with developmental delay and severe behavioural disturbance was treated with risperidone 6 mg/day from age 14. At age 20, she developed facial twitching, blinks, and truncal extension spasms, which persisted during both sitting and lying supine. By age 21, she was no longer able to walk due to the spasms. She became housebound and was forced to ambulate by crawling, to the extent that she developed post-traumatic cysts over both knees. She was unable to sit in a chair. She was forced to eat from a plate on the floor while kneeling because the extension spasms were too severe in other positions.

The movement problems were due to tardive dystonia – a problem where the brain’s automatic control of muscle tone stops working.

When you move, some muscles need to contract while others need to relax. This happens automatically but turns out to be a complex brain process that is mediated by important dopamine pathways in a deep brain area called the basal ganglia.

Antipsychotic medication was first widely used to treat the delusions and hallucinations of psychosis but is increasingly being used to treat ‘behavioural disturbance’ (normally meaning aggression) as it can be slightly sedating and reduces anxiety.

This medication works by blocking dopamine receptors but in high doses it can lead to temporary and, occasionally, permanent movement problems due to its effects on the dopamine-mediated movement pathways in the brain.

This most typically appears as tic-like movements called tardive dyskinesia, Parkinson’s-disease like stiffness, a form of restlessness called akithisia, or movement problems that affect muscle tone – which is what this patient had.

These severe symptoms were treated in similar way to one option for Parkinson’s disease – a deep brain stimulation device was inserted into the brain to send electrical pulses directly into the basal ganglia to help regulate the movement circuits.

It turns out that many studies have reported the results of putting brain implants in people to treat movement side effects from antipsychotic drugs.

It’s probably true to say that some people have been left with permanent movement problems from the days when large doses of antipsychotics were prescribed and the side-effects were poorly understood.

These days, one of a psychiatrist’s most important jobs is to avoid these unwanted effects.

From one perspective, no matter how the situation arose, patients deserve the best possible treatments, of which deep brain stimulation is certainly one.

But still, you can’t help thinking it’s kind of a bleak situation where brain implants are needed to treat medication side-effects.

When used appropriately, antipsychotics can be a genuinely useful form of treatment but cases like these serve to remind us how far we have to go in developing safer psychiatric medications.

Link to locked Journal of Neuroscience case report.

View the original article here

9 great talks to watch for Video Games Day

playlist

Gamers, unite! Today, July 8, is officially known as Video Games Day. Whether you lose hours to your Xbox or stay glued to your smart phone to play, today is dedicated to all those games that rile you up and drive you crazy. These days, the most riveting video games use motion sensors, animation and artificial intelligence —  technologies that the creators of Pong probably couldn’t have imagined. The nine TED Talks below, organized by year, show not only the science behind, but also the evolution of, your favorite games. Grab some snacks, clear your schedule and embark on this epic video game adventure.

And a bonus talk from the year 2010: Gabe Zichermann’s “How gaming makes kids smarter.” Think all gamers are lazy and unmotivated? Gabe Zichermann explains why video games are actually making kids productive, problem-solvers in his TEDxKids@Brussels talk.

PS: TED has lots more talks on video games and gaming — this search will uncover them.

View the original article here

How to Have A Great Monday

If you work a typical 9-5 job, you’re almost guaranteed to hate Mondays, which makes sense being as how it’s the day you have to come back to work after a relaxing weekend. But you don’t have to be miserable at the start of every week, especially if you follow these four great tips to ensuring you have a better Monday.

One of the biggest changes you need to make if you want to stop hating Mondays is to stop complaining about the day with your co-workers. You may think you’re creating some solidarity with those in your office, but really all you’re doing is perpetuating misery.

Granted, for some of us, even a great Monday is still worse than all the other days of the week, but no matter what you do, Mondays will still be there, so you may as well make them as pleasant as possible.

So why is Monday considered the “beginning of the week” then?: Get the Most Out of Your Week by Starting it on Sunday

Featured photo credit: Coffee table in a garden via Shutterstock Jill Harness is a freelance writer, amateur chef, and a sucker for animals. She writes for a number of websites, including Rue The Day, InventorSpot, Oddee and Mental Floss. While not typing on her computer, Jill spends her time playing video games, cuddling with her dog and visiting Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo.

View the original article here

The Great Toilet Paper Debate: Over or Under?

Toilet paper might seem mundane, but upon closer inspection there are far more intricacies than one might imagine. Ever since 1879, the toilet paper roll has been a far more effective method of dispensing sheets than any other form. Of course, the ultimate debate is whether the roll should hang over or under. The ultimate decision is left up to you, but here are some of the benefits and disadvantages of each one.

As it would seem, the vast majority of people utilize the toilet paper that hangs over (coming in at 70%) with organized personality traits. The advantages to this “over” method seem clear compared with having the roll hang “under”. Whichever you choose, this is one of the preferences few people will hold against you.

SEE ALSO: 100 Life Hacks That Make Life Easier

Source: Original source – Over or Under: The Great Toilet Paper Debate

Featured photo credit: Toilet Paper via Shutterstock

View the original article here

Why you need to fail to have a great career

Business TEDx

At TEDxUW 2011, economics professor Larry Smith gave a memorable talk titled, “Why you will fail to have a great career.” Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great careerThe hilarious talk takes aim at people and the incredible excuses they dream up for not pursuing their passions, from “It’s too hard” to “But I value human relationships more than my work.” His talk was a call for people to get out of their own way and at least try.

At this year’s event, entrepreneur Michael Litt gave his reaction to Smith’s talk, titled, “Why you have to fail to have a great career.” His idea: that failure provides the ultimate experience needed for success — learning to get up and dust yourself off after a fall. Watch above to hear Litt’s candid telling of a time he failed professionally, big time. Since being posting on December 23, this talk has been watched more than 41,000 times — and with good reason.

View the original article here

How to Go from Mediocre to Great

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

If Systems Are So Great Why Don't They Work For Me?

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

New playlists: The quest to end poverty and Might you live a great deal longer?

TED playlists are collections of talks around a topic, built for you in a thoughtful sequence to illuminate ideas in context. This weekend, two new playlists are available: The quest to end poverty and Might you live a great deal longer?

The quest to end poverty
Ending poverty sounds like a lofty goal, but the pursuit is crucial. Those who seek to end it — economists, philanthropists, activists — deliver eight talks full of fascinating ideas with real potential.

Might you live a great deal longer?
Whether we seek eternal youth or prolonged life, humans are obsessed with the fleeting nature of time — and of course, age. But today lifespans are indeed tangibly increasing. Here, five talks on the science of longer life.

View the original article here

Great moments in letter writing

A letter — be it handwritten or typed — feels like an unpremeditated revelation, a glimpse into the writer’s subconscious. Letters are, also, often rooted to the place where they were written: a cozy armchair, a backyard hammock, the corner desk of a classroom, a train. It’s this physical and temporal presence that enables a special kind of opening-up, even when the recipient is a stranger.

Hannah Brencher knows the letter’s power. Her organization, The World Needs More Love Letters, facilitates letter-writing between strangers. In today’s heartfelt talk, given during the New York leg of the TED Talent Search, Brencher explains how she found this unique calling. Because her family has always communicated by letter, when she found herself depressed after college, she did the only thing she could think of — she penned pages and left them in libraries and cafes where strangers could chance upon them. The idea snowballed into a global exchange.

“Most of these letters have been written by people who have never known themselves loved on a piece of paper,” says Brencher in her talk. “They’re the ones from my generation. We have grown up in a world that is paperless, and where some of our best conversations have happened upon a screen. We have learned to diary our pain onto Facebook and we speak swiftly in 140 characters or less. But what if it’s not about efficiency?”

Brencher’s talk deeply resonated when we posted it on the TED Talent Search website. One commenter declared, “Hannah is an anachronism, a much-needed reminder of our need to slow down and pay attention. Outstanding! I wonder if she needs a Nana…”

Before Twitter, before Facebook, before Gmail and AIM, there were ink and paper. There were people who dedicated time to writing correspondences, and then waited for a reply. After the jump, excerpts from five of the most delightful, beautiful or simply intimate letters we’ve come across.

1. William James, a psychologist and philosopher (and brother to the writer Henry James), penned a letter to his wife, Alice James, from Vienna on September 24, 1882:

Dear, perhaps the deepest impression I’ve got since I’ve been in Germany is that made on me by the indefatigable beavers of old wrinkled peasant women, striding like men through the streets, dragging their carts or lugging their baskets, minding their business, seeming to notice nothing, in the stream of luxury and vice, but belonging far away, to something better and purer. Their poor, old, ravaged and stiffened faces, their poor old bodies dried up with ceaseless toil, their patient souls make me weep.[…]All the mystery of womanhood seems incarnated in their ugly being—the Mothers! the Mothers! Ye are all one! Yes, Alice dear, what I love in you is only what these blessed old creatures have.

2. In 2009, after Barack Obama was elected for the first time, Bill Adler published a book of kids’ letters to their president. So much of the writing in this book is moving (or hilarious); one example comes from Kiana, a 12-year-old from Anderson, South Carolina.

As a Black female, I’m going to try to be the first woman president, and the first Black woman president at that—that is, if no one beats me to it.

3. In an 1897 editorial in New York’s Sun, journalist Francis Pharcellus Church (anonymously) replied to a concerned eight-year-old, who had written to ask whether Santa Claus exists. This letter has rightly become famous—and inescapable during the holidays, when it’s printed and posted every year.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. […]The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. […]Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

4. In 1882, several years before they married, the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud wrote to his fiancée, Martha Bernays, from Vienna:

If only I knew what you are doing now. Standing in the garden and gazing out into the deserted street? Ah, I am no longer passing by to press your hand, the magic carpet that carried me to you is town, the winged horses which gracious fairies used to send, even the fairies themselves, no longer arrive, magic hoods are no longer obtainable, the whole world is so prosaic, all it asks is: “What is it you want, my child? You shall have it in time.” “Patience” is its only magic word. And in saying so forgets how things get lost when we cannot have them then and there, when we have to pay for them with our own youth.

5. On a book tour in 1942, the writer Vladimir Nabokov wrote letters to his wife, Vera Nabokov. In November, on a stop in St. Paul, Minnesota, he wrote:

Yesterday after the trip into the country I went, having got awfully bored, to the cinema and came back on foot—I walked for more than an hour and went to bed around eight. On the way a lightning bolt of undefined inspiration ran right through me—a passionate desire to write, and to write in Russian. And yet I can’t. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t experienced this feeling can really understand its torment, its tragedy. English in this sense is an illusion and an ersatz. In my usual condition, i.e. busy with butterflies, translations, or academic writing, I myself don’t fully register the whole grief and bitterness of my situation.

I am healthy, eating plenty, taking my vitamins, and read the newspapers more than usual now that the news is getting rosier. St. Paul is a stupefyingly boring city, only owls at the hotel, a bar girl who looks like Dasha; but my apartment is charming.

View the original article here

Making the invisible visible: 6 great TED-Ed lessons animated by Andrew Park

An overwhelming majority of our experience is guided by forces that are invisible to the naked eye. While we can easily see other people, we cannot see their thoughts, nor their genetic structure. And while we can easily rest our eyes on matter, we cannot see gravity, atoms, energy, gases, electricity, or radio waves. Ditto for time.

For today’s TEDTalk – a rapid-fire examination of all that is more than meets the eye — animator Andrew Park of Cognitive Media has re-envisioned John Lloyd’s classic talk from TEDGlobal 2009 with images that will make you both think and chuckle.

After the jump, watch five more fascinating TED-Ed lessons animated by Park, plus Lloyd’s original talk.

Questions no one knows the answer to
TED’s curator Chris Anderson has long been fascinated by the quirky questions of existence. In this TED-Ed lesson, Anderson offers some puzzle pieces that no one is able to fit together.

How many universes are there?
One of the biggest questions Chris Anderson poses: if the sun can fit one million Earths inside it, and the sun is just a pinprick in the context of space—how many universes are there? Anderson explores the exciting possibilities.

Why can’t we see evidence of alien life?
With as many as 50 million potentially life-harboring planets just in the Milky Way—how is it possible that we have not yet come across any other signs of intelligent life? Chris Anderson poses many theories.

Just how small is an atom?
Everything is made up of atoms, which have a nucleus made up of protons and neutrons. In this TED-Ed lesson—narrated by Jonathan Bergmann—discover analogies that give a visceral sense of an atom’s scale. For example, if an atom were blown up to the size of a football stadium, the nucleus would be marble-sized. 

How to speed up chemical reactions (and get a date)
Why is the term chemistry so often used in reference to romance? Because the two work similarly. In this lesson, educator Aaron Sams shows how the same forces that create a chemical reaction can lead to a happy prom experience.

John Lloyd inventories the invisible
John Lloyd has been a fixture of British television for decades, producing series like QI, Blackadder, Spitting Image, and the BBC’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Here, watch his original talk on the invisibles things all around us, from TEDGlobal 2009.

View the original article here

8 great talks on war and peace

“Walls don’t work,” James Stavridis declared at TEDGlobal 2012. The first US Navy officer to hold the positions of Commander of the US European Command and of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Stavridis recalls 20th-century phenomena like trench warfare and the Berlin Wall. “Instead of building walls for security, we need to build bridges.”

In his brass-tacks talk, Stavridis lays down a vision of “open-source security,” which he defines as “connecting the international, the inter-agency, the private/public, and lashing it together with strategic communication.” The basic point: that to combat 21st-century threats like cybercrime, terrorism, trafficking and piracy, the military cannot work alone. Stavridis invokes the example of Wikipedia to make his point.

“Wikipedia is not created by 12 brilliant people locked in a room writing articles. Wikipedia every day is tens of thousands of people inputting information,” Stavridis says. “It’s the perfect image for the fundamental point that no one of us is as smart as all of us thinking together.”

Stavridis’ thoughts on security are surprising. After the jump, listen to 8 other TEDTalks that challenge you to think of war, peace and military life in new ways.

PW Singer on military robots and the future of war
Does having robots and drones in the field change the parameters of war? Absolutely, says military analyst P.W. Singer in this powerful talk. Singer argues that robotic warfare lowers the bar for going to war, and points out that terrorists can easily harness the same technology. While Singer rung the warning bell on the perils of drone warfare back at TED2009, the topic is still being hotly debated, including in the piece “The Moral Hazard of Drones” on The New York Times’ Opinionator blog today.

Keith Nolan: Deaf in the military
Keith Nolan grew up fascinated by military history, but heard “no, no, no” every time he tried to enlist. Why? Because being deaf is an automatic disqualification. In this talk, given in sign language, Nolan recounts his long-term fight to fight for his country, making the case for why citizens with disabilities should be a part of the military.

Inge Missmahl brings peace to the minds of Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, a country of 30 million that has been through intense warfare and unrest, there are only two dozen psychiatrists. Jungian analyst Inge Missmahi explains her work in the country, helping to address their trauma and depression and promote national healing.

Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn … then lead
Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares the thoughts running through his head during a parachute jump, from “Why didn’t I go into banking?” to “What does it mean to be a leader?” The former commander of U.S. and International forces in Afghanistan explains at TED2011 that, over his decades in the military, he’s come to realize that good leaders let you fail, without letting you be a failure.

Thomas Barnett: Rethinking America’s military strategy
In a classic talk from TED2005, military strategist Thomas Barnett makes the bold statement that to win a war, we need to win the peace. He advocates splitting the US military into a two-tiered power capable not only of winning battles, but of preserving international calm.

Paul Collier’s new rules for rebuilding a broken nation
Economist Paul Collier explains that 40% of countries recovering from war fall back into conflict within 10 years. He lays out a three-part plan for post-conflict aid, which doesn’t focus on the political quick fix.

Samantha Power on a complicated hero
Journalist Samantha Power looks at why we as a culture do not pay attention to genocide. She tells the gripping story of Sergio Vieira de Mello, a UN diplomat who traveled to the world’s most broken countries and navigated the “lesser-evil terrain” of negotiating with dictators to help their people survive.

View the original article here

The Tiny Guide to Being a Great Dad

I am blessed with six wonderful children and a fantastic and lovely wife, and for this I am deeply grateful. But on a day like today, a lazy Sunday morning when my family is sleeping in and the soft light of the morning permeates the house, I reflect on what it’s like to be a dad.

Not just a dad … a great dad. This is a height I don’t always reach, but I believe I do inhabit that space sometimes. I’m a great dad, on my best days.

If you’re curious about my thoughts, as a dad of 19 years that has included countless sleepless nights, endless answering of questions, thousands of nursery rhymes sung and horsey rides given, hundreds of thousands of words read in children’s books, more than my share of wiping up spitup, poopie butts and much more … here is my offering to the world.

Don’t worry, it’s a fairly simple guide.

There are only three things you need to do to be a great dad:

1. Be there. If you’re in their lives, you rock. If you’re there when they scrape their knee, lose their first tooth, need someone to cry to, need help with their school project, want a partner for playing house or hide-and-seek … you are already being a great dad. Be there, when they need you, and when they don’t.

2. Love them. They will know you love them, if you love them fully. It will show in your smile, in your touch, in your good-morning hugs. But also tell them on a regular basis. Infuse all your dad actions with love.

3. Be present. It’s great to be in the same room with them, but as much as you can afford to, be fully present with them. Shut off the mobile device, close the laptop, turn off the TV, and really pay attention. Listen to their long fragmented stories. Really watch when they want to show off their new wizard or ninja move.

That’s it. That’s all you need to be a great dad. Well, there are some bonus moves, but those are just extensions of the above three.

If you want some specifics of how to do the above three rules, here are some ideas:

Sing with them.Run around with them.Make believe with them.Read to them daily.Dance with them.Tell them corny jokes.Paint with them.Make videos where they are the star.Set a healthy example by being active and eating well.Show them how to be independent.Teach them critical thinking, rather than just obedience.Teach them how to teach themselves.Don’t nag.Don’t be overprotective.Show them you’re proud of them.Let them make mistakes.When they get hurt, use that moment to teach them how to deal with pain.Show interest in what they’re interested in, and don’t make it seem trivial.Show them how to work passionately.Spend some quiet cuddly time with them.Make them pancakes with faces.Have Nerf dart gun fights.Play board games.Take them on hikes.Play sports with them.Show them how to use a knife.Be honest.Honor your commitments.Love your wife, and treat her with respect.Be compassionate to others, and them.Be happy with yourself.

View the original article here

Incredibly Simple Steps to Living a Truly Great Life

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Love Hack: 14 Great Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

Valentine’s Day marks a day or fresh romance for some and also offers the opportunity for the rekindling of romance for those who’ve been in relationships for some time. With everyone having such busy lives in this day and age, coming up with creative and fresh date ideas is a challenge. There’s no reason why Lifehack can’t offer a “love hack” or two every once in a while, and today is a perfectly appropriate day to do so.

Rather than just suggest one or two “love hacks” on Valentine’s DAy, we’re going to serve up 14 of them for you. Plenty of choices for you to pick from so that you and your Valentine can have a great evening – and without having to invest a bunch of time in the planning in the process:

If you’re feeling brave – and vulnerability isn’t an issue for you – heading out to your local karaoke bar for a night of singing and dancing is not only a unique dating idea, but it’s also a way to relieve tension from the work week. You also get a chance to strut your stuff in front of your date – whether by sohwing off your pipes or bringing the camp to the forefront with every song you perform.

Going out to the movies isn’t exactly a novel idea, but what if you and your sweethear were to skip work and hit the theatre for a matinée? The movie will be less crowded, and you’ll feel as if you’re ahead of the game when it comes to Valentine’s Day plans.

Tea houses are gaining in popularity all over the world, so why not spend some time in one with your date in one? You can experiment with teas you’ve never had the chance to try before, and you won’t have to keep the drinking in check – as opposed to hitting the bar where you run the risk of drinking more than your fair share and not feeling “up” for work the next day.

The weather may not cooperate with everyone on this one, but if doesn’t mean it can’t be done. You can simply have it indoors under candlelight or spend it outdoors if the climate isn’t too cool. Regardless of where you have the picnic, it’s a classic date idea that can go over well no matter what you serve and when you serve it.

While there aren’t as many around as there used to be, there’s nothing quite like exploring a bookstore with your date. You can discover new books that might appeal to you and you may discover what books your date enjoys as well.

Another great bonding experience is hitting the rink with your date, whether it be the ice rink or roller rink. Even if you can’t skate very well, you’ll find that your date might be impressed with your willingness to go out and do something that you may not be all that great at.

This date idea is for those who are in a relationship where spending a night away from home could add some sprak into things. It’s like taking a mini-vacation without having to stray too far, allowing for a quick getaway and return to work the next day.

Laughter isn’t only the best medicine, it can also help spur on the romance. Going to a comedy show – be it standup, sketch or improv – is a great way to break the ice and have a great time in the process. Just make sure that you don’t sit in the front row – that area is right in the line of fire of those on stage.

If hte earlier idea of going to a tea house isn’t your cup of…well…tea, then perhaps a cocktail lounge is more your kind of thing. These lounges are typically quiet and dark, allowing for some privacy for you and your date – and you’ll also be able to hear each other better than in most bar-type settings.

Concerts are few and far between these days – espeically in my city – but you can always throw on a concert on television or on the Internet and enjoy one in the comfort of your own home. It’s less expensive, and you get to pick the artist you and your date would love to watch perform.

Again, this isn’t the most novel of ideas, but it’s something that is easy to do and can be done at home or in a movie theatre. It’s also not the least expensive option, but it’s one of the best options if you want to “love hack” your Valentine’s Day experience.

It’s said thst a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so why not take a cooking class to see if that’s the case? You learn a skill, get a meal out of it, and you both can bond over the preparation of a meal.

This is another great bonding experience, and it’s one that’ll do both your bodies some good. And it’s likely that the gym will be not as full as usual at this time of year – because (traditionally) the resolutions by so many have been abandoned by now.

Taking the time to step back from the day and think about where you and your date are going – whether you have been together for a while or are just getting to know each other better – is something to consider. You can even do this in conjunction with any of the above suggestions so that you can start building for the future right away.

Whether you’re into Valentine’s Day or not, these date ideas are worth keeping handy so you can mix it up when you’re planning your next date with that special someone.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

(Photo credit: Valentine Hearts via Shutterstock)

View the original article here

A Great Way to Get Some New Cooking Skills

Last summer, I became one of the early adopters of Google+. Having fully immersed myself in other social media platforms, I was curious to see how this new one would play out. For those of you unfamiliar with the platform, Google+ is a social media platform that enables interactions, similar to Facebook, but it allows you to sort and aggregate the people you follow, in order to selectively send information that is appropriate for those “circles” (e.g. You might want to send BFFs and acquaintances different sets of information via the same platform).

The other interesting addition that Google made was the inclusion of Hangouts – a real-time, live-video interface with up to 10 people. Early last summer, my thoughts were … that’s kind of cool, but I had not made any connections as to how it might change the way I interact professionally on the web.

Needless to say, when I was approached by Joe Saad, the founder of ChefHangout.com with a proposition to join the inaugural group of chefs in a series of online cooking classes using Hangouts; I was intrigued. Our first interactions were, of course via Google Hangout, and I began to see how this platform could enable wider connectedness with those interested in what I do for a living, but also a new way of conveying information and a new model of learning!

Until now, I’ve been using social media as a tool to connect with community, and to promote things that are going on with my business (in that order). I’ve been observing how different brands interact on social media — seen the contests, the Wwitter chats, and thought it was interesting, but really the same model of engagement we’ve been used to all along, just on a social media platform, and sometimes it can seem forced. The thing that really attracted me to the idea of using Hangouts as a learning tool, is that while it is a very new way of interacting, it feels genuine and more personal.

I do a lot of gluten and grain-free cooking and baking – customizing gluten-free recipes. On the gluten-free baking front, seeing subtle differences in consistency is critical for success – and with gluten-free baking experts being so far-flung, getting that first-hand perspective has been all but impossible unless you are in the same city! In this area, the addition of as little as 2 tablespoons extra liquid, or a difference in oven temperature of 25 degrees can make or break your recipe! Its certainly not the end of the world, but definitely not an experience that encourages you to try baking again anytime soon. And that is my ultimate goal. While I cook for other people for a living, I am really passionate about democratizing food.

For me personally, the appeal of this new approach to learning is that it is truly interactive and there are no limits to who can join. I can be in a Hangout with someone on the other side of the country, with them cooking along with me, step-by-step. If they have questions about the caramelization of their onions, or the texture of their gluten-free bread dough, we can see what’s happening on-the-spot, and adjust as we go.

You learn by cooking along with the instructor. Many people are kinesthetic learners, and need to physically go through the motions in order to learn.Classes are small. Google Hangouts are limited to 10 people, so there will never be more than 9 other people in your class, meaning you have a chance to ask questions as you go.You get dinner (or cake!) at the end of the class. Classes are real-time, and because you are cooking along with the instructor, you will end up with something new that you have created, and you have dinner ready.

Food is a uniting force, and sharing a meal with family or friends is the ultimate bonding experience. Many of us however, are separated by geography and don’t have that many opportunities in a year to share that time together. Part of the appeal for me, was the fact that ChefHangout.com is virtual, meaning friends from across the globe can all sign up for the same class. They can learn something new together, I can bow out of the Hangout at the end of the class, and they can continue to talk over a meal!

There is no doubt that food unites and there is nothing that can replace the way we used to learn how to cook – at the stove, with a mentor guiding us through; this comes pretty close to that.

Its early days for this new venture, but I’m excited by the prospects because this is a totally new way of learning and communicating about food! I encourage you to check out ChefHangout.com – there are 24 chefs in total involved with the launch, so there’s sure to be something that piques your taste buds!

(Photo credit: Assortment of Fresh Vegetables via Shutterstock)

Disclaimer: I am not being paid or compensated to endorse Google+ or any Google products. I do receive monetary compensation for cooking classes I conduct through chefhangout.com.

View the original article here