When things go bad, as it sometimes happens;

When the long road of life you walk is full of challenges;

When your pockets are empty, and the credits are way too high;

You would love to smile, but the only thing you can is cry;

When your worries are letting you down;

Relax, if you think you need it – but never let yourself defeated.

Life is weird, with its ups and downs –

Never let a failure bring you down – Stand up and move forward.

When many people could have won, they stopped in front of the challenges.

Never give up, though you think you’re going too slow – next time you could overcome and win.

Very often success is closer than we think, though we see it far away from us, or sometimes

we don’t even see it.

So stay in the game, though you think it’s already over.

We all can use a little inspiration. I thought I’d share some of my favorite inspirational videos with you, hoping that it’ll help pick you up today. (Hollywood isn’t so far off from real life all the time.) Play these as needed.

WARNING: You might be inspired to greatness, so use with caution.

1. Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happiness”

Basically, if you see this movie and walk out of it feeling nothing, there is
something that is very wrong with you. This is my favorite scene,
powerful lesson!

2. Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky Balboa”

That statement just about told the story of Rocky Balboa’s whole life.
What an amazing piece of writing… very very inspirational indeed! I have
loved the Rocky films since I was a child and “Rocky Balboa” was the
perfect way to finish the story.

3. Christopher Walken in “Poolhall Junkies”

Memorized this monologue the first time I heard it. Christopher Walken is
the coolest guy ever.

4. Yoda teaches Luke Skywalker the force

“Do or Do not. There is no try.” — Brilliant!

5. 40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes edited by Matthew Belinkie

If it’s an inspiring speech, you betcha it has been said in the movies somewhere.

Have a favorite inspirational video? Share in the comments!

1. Allow yourself TO dream.




2. Make a decision about your dream. In order to do this you must…
   a. Invest in your dream.
   b. Let go of security.

POWER NOTE: Don’t ask anyone to support you until YOU are fully invested.

3. Expect delay. You have not learned what you need to know, or have not grown where you need to grow. Be patient and wait for it. (not to be confused with quitting or giving up)

POWER NOTE: Delay is not denial. It will never destroy the real purpose of your life.

4. There will be difficulty. You must be able to overcome two kinds of problems…
   a. Your circumstances.
   b. Your critics.




5. Expect to hit a dead end. This is where the miracle of your original mindset will come to light.




6. Recognize the deliverance. It is not the final destination or your goal that has brought you to where you are, it is what you have learned along the way, and the person you have become that has allowed your goal to become reality.

POWER NOTE: Everyone will experience a truly supernatural moment in their life… that is your second chance… don’t waste it.

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this happen within my own life, but what I do know is that it brings me great comfort knowing it is the truth.                                             image credit: petecarr

B orrow and share. Everyone wins! — from My Dollar Plan — “We borrowed a DVD from a friend instead of renting or buying and had a little snack from our own fridge! Way cheaper than using gas to drive to the theater/rental place, paying for a movie, and paying for a snack.”

C urb your consumerism! — from Billionaire Woman — “Have you ever watched how a child can play with a cardboard box for hours, and leave the toy that came in it by the wayside? How is it that children can enjoy themselves without a lot of “stuff”, but we as adults feel the need to reward ourselves by buying more stuff?”

D on’t let greed and deceit get the best of you. — from The Change Blog — “According to Stephen R. Covey, if you reach an admirable end through the wrong means it will ultimately turn to dust in your hands. I think it is possible to see much of the world’s current financial problems as stemming from people who wrongly believe the ends justify the means. My advice? It is fine to aspire to wealth, but don’t lose sight of the means to accomplishing it.”

E at out less. — from Zen Habits — “One of the biggest expenses in our daily lives is eating out — the average person spends well over $2,000 a year on eating out. Restaurants are expensive, including fast-food (not to mention the health hazards). It’s much cheaper to cook your own food. Our family creates a weekly menu, then we buy the groceries, and cook dinner (and lunch) each evening. Lately I’ve even been prepping it in the morning, so it’s a snap when we get home.”

F ind a better deal and actually SAVE the difference. — from The Wisdom Journal — “Regardless of what they sell, if you’ve switched companies for price reasons, save the difference. Think of phone companies, internet access, cell phones, credit cards, and others.”

G radually prepare yourself for a rainy day. — from Yin vs. Yang — “Even when things are going great, and you feel on top of the world, you must always be prepared for a change. If you take the time and patience to set yourself up properly, then when things do take a turn for the worse, you will be prepared to handle it. If you live above your means, then when the slightest change occurs, you will not be prepared to adapt. Financial flexibility is more important then keeping up with the Jones’.”

H ungry shopping. — from Zen Habits — “Every time that I have spent way more than I expected at the grocery store, it was because I went there hungry. When you shop hungry, everything looks good and you want to buy everything. After you get home and eat, you’ll probably find yourself wondering what you’re going to do with all of that food. And much of it inevitably spoils and goes bad. If you do nothing else, don’t shop hungry.”

I nvolve your friends. — from I Will Teach You to Be Rich — “Without this, you’ll have a tough time achieving your goals. For more people, the reason they fail to save money is not a lack of money-saving ideas — it’s themselves and their lack of discipline. By involving your friends, you eliminate that lack of discipline and give yourself automatic accountability and a built-in reason to win.”

J oin up with a volunteer program. — from The Simple Dollar — “It’s a great way to meet new people, get some exercise, and involve yourself in a positive project that can lift your spirit. It also comes without a cost to you and can provide a lot of entertainment and a fulfilling day when you’re in the right mindset.”

K eep your freezer full. — from Ririan Project — “This may sound counterintuitive, but it works. A stuffed freezer means your appliance doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the space cool. Think of it this way: It’s much more expensive to heat up a large, empty loft than it is a full apartment. The same applies to your freezer, just inverted.”

L earn to value simplicity. — from Pick The Brain — “If you feel happiness is directly related to material possessions, you are making a mistake. Happiness can be gained just through being content with a small amount of possessions. Our inner wealth is not just about what we have, but what we are content to live without.”

M ake one large trip instead of several small ones. — from Get Rich Slowly — “Each time you enter the grocery store is another chance to spend. By reducing the frequency of your trips, you’re not only avoiding temptation, but you’re also saving money on overhead (time and fuel).”

N ever top off. — from Ririan Project — “If you’ve been topping off your gas tank, all you’ve been doing is running the meter. True, a little bit of gas will trickle out, but it’s deceiving as it’s not anywhere as much as you would get under full pressure. In other words, you’re paying full price for hardly any fuel. Furthermore, your car just doesn’t need it. When she’s full, she’s full. Topping off only raises the price, so don’t do it.”

O rganize. — from The Digerati Life — “By being more organized, you’re bound to save good money. While the cheapest family has gone on to work things out like clockwork, I’ve unfortunately lost money to being disorganized. Disorganization can cause you to end up with late payments, lost coupons, late fees, forgotten checks, and so forth.”

P lan ahead. — from Zen Habits — “Sure, easy to say, hard to implement. But if you make it a habit to think ahead to things that are coming up in your life, you can save a lot of money. For example, if you think about where you’re going to get your meals when you go out to do errands, you can pack a lunch or dinner instead of eating out. If you pack a big container of iced water, you don’t need to buy expensive bottled water. If you know that a birthday is coming up, you can buy a gift on sale instead of spending more at the last minute.”

Q uit smoking. — from Zen Habits — “Not the easiest way to save, I know. It’s hard. But I did it, and so have many, many others. Not only will you save on cigarettes (which are expensive over the long run), but also associated costs (I used to buy a soda or beer to go with my cigarettes) … and of course the huge, long-term medical costs. In less than 2 years of not smoking, I’ve saved well more than $3,000.”

R edefine your definition of “rich”. — from Frugal Dad — “I remember sitting in a cubicle at my first professional job staring at a picture of an SUV I wanted to buy (and eventually did). Now, I sit in my office and look at the pictures of my kids, and just outside my window I can see the beater I drive sitting in the company parking lot. What a difference a decade makes! To sum things up, my definition of being rich is having enough money to meet my family’s basic needs, a few of our wants, and to be able to give some away to others.”

S top going to the mall. — from My Super-Charged Life — “Going to the mall is not entertainment! We used to go when we were bored. Of course, we usually ended up spending money while we were there. If you need clothes, then shop sales or go to stores that offer name-brands at a discount. You can save a ton on these items if you are a smart shopper. Dave Ramsey says, “Never pay retail!” We probably save $15 to $30 per month by staying away from the mall.”

T ime is money. Properly manage your time. — from LifeDev — “The fewer tasks you have, the less you have to do to organize them. Focus only on those tasks that give you the absolute most return on your time investment, and you will become more productive and have less to do. You will need only the simplest tools and system, and you will be much less stressed. I think that’s a winning combination. Focus always on simplifying, reducing, eliminating. And keep your focus on what’s important. Everything else is easy.”

U nplug your TV. — from The Simple Dollar — “One big way to save money is to watch less television. There are a lot of financial benefits to this: less exposure to guilt-inducing ads, more time to focus on other things in life, less electrical use, and so on. It’s great to unwind in the evening, but seek another hobby to do that.”

V isit the library — from Timeless Lessons — “Lots of people regard books as they do bottles of wine — as status objects, to be collected en masse. Well, a teetering bookshelf might make you feel like a smarty-pants, but it certainly won’t appreciate in value the way a stocked wine cellar does. Add this to the fact that you’ll probably only read them once, and all of a sudden books don’t seem like the wisest investment.”

W rite down your financial goal. — from Dumb Little Man — “A large goal is not likely to be achieved if you don’t write it down. Type it out, print it out in large font, and post it up on your refrigerator. What is your goal? A 50% reduction of your debt? Complete debt elimination in two years? Whatever it is, be specific and write it down, and don’t forget it.”

X plode your finances with a strong foundation. — from Getting Finances Done — “It’s easy for people to get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task of getting out of debt, paying off your house, and saving for retirement. But what most people don’t think about is that with a focused budget and a debt-reduction plan, there comes a point at which your debt and house are paid off and you’re already saving enough for a comfortable retirement. All of a sudden you’re in a position with no debt, no payments, and possibly thousands of dollars a month of disposable income. Overnight, your famine turns into a feast. That’s when life gets really fun.”

Y ou should ride the bike. — from Positivity Blog — “Do it at least during the months with reasonably nice weather. If everything is within walking distance and you don’t have a bike then use your legs. These two options are a lot cheaper than riding the bus or driving a car. Plus, you get a good amount of cardiovascular exercise.”

Z ap the “easy street” mentality. — from Forever Change — “I think there is too much emphasis on the quick fix or the easy option in today’s society. For example taking diet pills to lose weight instead of the “hard option” — exercising and eating well…. money is sometimes being used as a substitute for hard work. Do you think there is an increasing expectation that you can get want you want by throwing money around instead of working hard and “earning” it?”

Well, here are some brief answers to ten of the most popular questions.

1. How Can I Find the Time to Meditate?

   
   The great thing about meditation is that it doesn’t really take all that much time. As soon as you pick up the basics, you can begin by practicing for five or ten minutes each day. You may want to sandwich a little quiet time between brushing your teeth and taking a shower. Or if you’re an early bird, you can enjoy the precious moments of stillness before the rest of the family wakes up.

   Whatever time slot works best for you, the most important thing is to meditate regularly — every day if possible, give or take a day here or there. The reason for this recommendation is not to turn you into an automaton, but rather to give you an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful benefits of meditation, such as reduced stress and greater focus.

2. I Can’t Sit on the Floor and Cross My Legs — Can I Meditate Lying Down Instead?

   
   Yes, absolutely. In fact, traditional meditation postures include sitting, standing, walking, lying down, and moving in particular patterns. Basically, any position that you can comfortably sustain is appropriate for meditation. Of course, lying down has its downside (so to speak): You’re more likely to fall asleep.

   So, you may have to make a special effort (without getting tense about it, that is) to stay alert and focused. Also, you’re better off lying on a mat or carpet, rather than on your bed — for obvious reasons!

3. What Should I Do about the Restlessness I Feel When I Try to Meditate?

   
   Everyone experiences agitation or discomfort in his or her meditation from time to time — or even often. In fact, meditation acts like a mirror that reflects you back to you. Believe it or not, that’s one of its virtues.

   When you stop your busy life for a few minutes and sit quietly, you may suddenly notice all the nervous energy and frenzied thinking that have been stressing you out all along. Welcome to the world of meditation! Though this process may not be an easy one, it has broad implications because it teaches you the resilience and peace of mind to accept unavoidable difficulties in every area of your life.

4. What Should I Do if I Keep Falling Asleep while I Meditate?

   
   Sleepiness is a common roadblock on the journey of meditation. Even the great meditators of the past reported struggling with sleep — and some of them devised extreme measures for staying awake, like tying their hair to the ceiling or meditating on the edge of a cliff. Talk about determination!

   Ordinary folks like you and me have the option of using gentler means to keep ourselves awake and alert while we meditate. You can try opening your eyes wide and sitting up as straight as possible to rouse your energy. If you still feel sleepy, splash some cold water on your face or try meditating while standing or walking.

5. How Can I Tell if I’m Meditating the Right Way?

   
   This question reflects the goal-oriented perfectionist in each of us, who monitors our activities to make sure we’re doing them right. The great thing about meditation is that you can’t do it wrong, short of not doing it at all.

   When you meditate, just set aside the perfectionist (as much as you can) and keep gently returning to your focus in the here and now. The experiences that may arise as you meditate — sleepiness, busy thoughts, physical discomfort, restlessness, deep emotion — don’t indicate that you’re going astray. Quite the contrary, they’re the grist for the mill of your meditation, the old habits and patterns that get transformed as you deepen your practice.

6. Can I Meditate while I’m Driving My Car or Sitting at My Computer?

   
   Although you can’t practice formal meditation while you’re engaged in ordinary activities, you can practice doing things meditatively. During your daily periods of silent meditation, you discover how to stay present as much as possible amidst the welter of distracting thoughts, emotions, and sensations.

   Then, when you slip behind the wheel of your car or sit down in front of your computer, you can apply at least some of the same mindful, attentive presence to negotiate rush hour traffic or prepare a report. You’ll find that you accomplish the activity with less effort and strain and enjoy yourself more.

7. Will Meditation Make Me Too Spaced Out to Succeed at Work or School?

   
   Many people still associate meditation with impractical alternative lifestyles and fear they may get morphed into a hippie or a navel-gazing yogi if they dare to sit quietly for a few minutes. The truth is, meditation actually teaches you how to focus your mind and minimize distractions so you can get things done more effectively.

   Besides, when you’re tense, you can’t do anything particularly well — and meditation helps you relax your body and reduce your stress so you can make better (and more enjoyable) use of your time.

8. Can Meditation Actually Improve My Health?

   
   As I already mentioned in the previous article on benefits of meditation, yes, it can. Researchers have published hundreds of studies investigating the health benefits of meditation, and the results consistently indicate that people who meditate regularly have better health than those who don’t.

   By bringing your mind and body into harmony and increasing your overall level of peace, relaxation, and well-being, regular meditation facilitates the release of life-enhancing chemicals into the bloodstream and bolsters the immune response.

9. Do I Have to Give Up My Religious Beliefs in order to Meditate?

   
   Definitely not. You can apply the basic principles and techniques of meditation to any spiritual or religious tradition or orientation. In fact, many people find that meditation methods with Eastern roots actually deepen their connection to their own Western faith by supplementing prayer and belief with some direct experience of the love and presence of God.

   Meditation just involves pausing in your busy life, taking a few deep breaths, sitting quietly, and turning your attention inward. What you discover is not Zen or Sufi, but you — complete with all your beliefs, affiliations, and personality traits!

10. What Should I Do if My Family Doesn’t Support Me in My Meditation Practice?

    
    If your loved ones are openly antagonistic, you may need to meditate on the sly or with an established group or class outside your home. But if they’re merely resistant or tend to interrupt you at inopportune moments or demand your attention when you’re just about to get quiet, you may want to talk with them and explain your interest in meditation.

    Reassure them that you don’t love them any less just because you’re spending five or ten minutes in silence each day. After you’ve been practicing for a while, they may begin to notice that you’re more enjoyable to be around — more relaxed, more attentive, less distracted and stressed out — and their resistance may gradually melt away.

Now that you have the answers, I would like to share a very simple technique to get you started. As you sit and become relaxed and begin breathing you simply ask yourself “I wonder what my next thought will be?” then wait. When it finally shows up, label it “I am thinking about such and such” breath deeply and ask again. Breath — ask — breath — label — repeat. Easy as shampoo!

                                The A–Z Guide to Fine-Tuned Brain Performance

It’s simple, your brain is at the center of everything you do, all you feel and think, and every nuance of how you relate to people. It’s both the supercomputer that runs your complex life and the tender organ that houses your soul.

And while you may run, lift weights, or do yoga to keep your body in good condition, chances are you ignore your brain and trust it to do its job. Don’t! No matter what your age, mental exercise has a global, positive effect on the brain.

                                20 Strategies to Sleep Your Way to Success–Properly

Good sleep strategies are essential for anyone wishing to have restorative sleep and to feel totally energized day after day. There are literally hundreds of sleep strategies, some scientifically proven, some still anecdotal, and some just plain nonsense (those we’ll not bother to mention here).

The important thing is to not get too uptight about your sleep. A few nights of going with little sleep won’t ruin your life, so relax, and see what works for you.

                                Envy-Inspiring Living: How to Maximize Each Day

What is regrettable varies from person to person, and some of those things are beyond your control. But if you catch yourself trying to patch up your life, chances are you’ll find yourself regretting more of the things you didn’t do.

Read on to discover how to take control and live your life as you envision it — both through long-term goal-setting and by virtuous, daily living for an envy-inspiring life.

                                Peaceful Simplicity: 10 Refreshing Ways to Live in the Here and Now

Every once in a while we’re graced with a perfect moment. Our hearts are open wide and we’re filled with ease and joy. In this state, even our challenges can be seen as a gift.

But too often we’re overcome by stress, worry, and pressure. The pleasures of presence seem virtually unattainable. Luckily, there are many ways to get those moments back.

                                10 Chemical-Free Ways to Pick Yourself Back Up

While it certainly would be nice to be able to just call time out whenever you’re feeling a bit downhearted, in the real world we actually have to learn how to manage it effectively.

And while grave depression calls for medications, if all you need is some help rising above life’s little letdowns, try manipulating your mood with these chemical-free strategies.

                                10 Benefits of Meditation, and How to Do It

When expert Asian meditators began arriving in the West in the ’60s and early ’70s, researchers jumped at the opportunity to hook them up to EEGs and EKGs to test their unusual powers and abilities.

In this post, we’ll summarize ten of the most revealing meditation studies, covering a range of ailments and issues, from hypertension to depression. Ever wonder what meditation can really do for you? Read on, and find out!

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In this post, we’ll summarize ten of the most revealing meditation studies, covering a range of ailments and issues, from hypertension to depression. Ever wonder what meditation can really do for you? Read on, and find out!

1. Meditation Makes You Happier

   
   For thousands of years, monks and yogis in caves and monasteries have been claiming that meditation gives you a more positive outlook on life. But only recently have scientists been able to prove it.

   In a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers were able to determine that the regular practice of mindfulness meditation activates the left prefrontal cortex of the brain — the area associated with positive emotions.

   Subjects who were taught the technique had significantly greater left-prefrontal activation than a control group, not only immediately after their training but also four months later. In other words, they became happier as they meditated — and they stayed that way!

2. Meditators Have Lower Blood Pressure

   
   Everyone knows that meditation reduces stress, calms the body, and relaxes the mind. Numerous studies have corroborated this finding. But how does this overall relaxation translate into key physiological markers, such as blood pressure?

   In a pioneering study published in the British medical journal Lancet, 20 hypertension patients were taught yoga, breath meditation, muscle relaxation, and meditation concentration. At the end of 12 months their systolic blood pressure had fallen from 159.1 to 138.7 — an average of over 20 points!

   This and similar studies show that regular meditation can be an effective adjunct (or even alternative) to blood pressure medications for people with moderate hypertension — without the risky side effects!

3. Meditation Reduces Cholesterol Levels

   
   Although diet and heredity can certainly make you more susceptible to elevated cholesterol, research has shown that chronic stress plays an important role as well. So it makes good sense that practicing an effective stress-management technique like meditation would lower your cholesterol levels.

   Well, a recent study in the Journal of Human Stress proves that it does just that! Twenty-three subjects with hypercholesterolemia (just a fancy word for very high cholesterol!) were divided into two groups: 12 who practiced Transcendental Meditation for 13 months, and 11 who did not. Paired comparisons showed that the meditators’ cholesterol dropped nearly 30 points. By contrast, the control group’s cholesterol dropped only 5 points.

   Given that meditation is safe, cheap, and readily available, the results are impressive — and further evidence that mind and body are inextricably entwined!

4. Meditation Improves Your Overall Health

   
   If you wanted to prove that people who meditate are healthier overall than those who don’t, how would you design your experiment? Well, one ingenious researcher at Maharishi International University, set out to measure whether Transcendental Meditation practitioners spent less time in hospitals and doctors’ offices than a non-meditating control group.

   The study compared how often 2,000 regular participants in the TM program used medical insurance with how often a group of 600,000 non-meditators of the same insurance carrier used their insurance over a five-year period.

   Even factoring in the likelihood that the TM practitioners ate better, smoked less, exercised more, and favored uninsured alternative medical techniques, the evidence for the overall health benefits of meditation was undeniable. In every major medical treatment category, including cancer, infectious diseases, and mental illness, hospital admissions for the TM group were lower than the norm!

5. Meditators Live Longer and Age Better

   
   In another study researchers found that older people who practiced meditation had improved cognitive and behavioral abilities and lived longer than those who did not.

   Seventy-three residents of eight homes for the elderly, with an average age of 81, were randomly assigned to four different groups. One group received no treatment; the other three received one of three treatments that were quite similar in structure and expectations: Transcendental Meditation; mindfulness training in active distinction making (not to be confused with mindfulness meditation); and a relaxation (low mindfulness).

   After three years, the transcendental Meditation group had a survival rate of 100 percent, compared with 87.5 percent for the mindfulness training group and lower rates for the relaxation group and the non-meditating group.

   Not only will you live longer if you meditate, this study suggests, but your mind will stay sharper and you’ll be less prone to depression and other mental-health problems.

6. Meditation Helps Reverse Heart Disease

   
   Perhaps the most dramatic and persuasive study of the health benefits of meditation and related lifestyle changes appeared in 1998 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers found that meditation, coupled with a low-fat, whole-foods, vegetarian diet; aerobic exercise; smoking cessation; and group support; not only lowers your risk of “cardiac events,” but can actually reverse the ravages of coronary artery disease, the primary cause of heart attacks.

   Spurred by these findings, Dr. Ornish became a best-selling author, and his Lifestyle Modification Program has been adopted by hospitals and HMOs nationwide. At the core of his approach is the insight that love is the ultimate healer. “If you want to heal your heart,” he writes, “you have to open your heart.”

7. Meditation Makes You More Empathic

   
   Most meditators would agree that their practice has helped them see beyond their usual self-centered preoccupations and tune in to the feelings of others. But can meditation actually make you measurably more empathic?

   In a study reported in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, one researcher investigated the relationship between Zen meditation and the development of empathy in counselors. One group of 16 students was taught zazen; another group of 12 students volunteered to learn zazen but was not actually taught; and a third group consisted of 11 students who were opposed to learning meditation.

   In fact, the group that practiced zazen did improve significantly in empathic ability, while the two other groups did not. The results indicated that those who started out least empathic and those who were most “open to experience” improved the most.

8. Meditation Ranks with Chocolate as a Mood-Enhancer

   
   As every chocoholic knows, a single piece of the confection can lift you out of the doldrums and mellow your mood. But not everyone knows that the active ingredient in chocolate is a close cousin of the essential amino acid phenylalanine, which enhances production of the neurotransmitters that keep us happy.

   Well, the good news is that meditation boosts the body’s natural concentrations of phenyalanine — without the added calories. In a study published in Physiology and Behavior, researchers measured amino acid levels in 28 subjects, 15 of whom had practiced TM regularly for three to five years.

   During meditation, phenylalanine levels in the TM group rose an amazing 23 percent, compared with no change during relaxation for the control group. So the next time you’re tempted to reach for the chocolate, consider reaching for your meditation cushion instead!

9. Meditation Relieves Pain

   
   One of the best-documented clinical uses of meditation is the application of mindfulness for the alleviation of chronic pain. According to a report in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 90 chronic-pain patients who were trained in mindfulness meditation experienced significant reductions in present-moment pain, negative body image, and the inhibition of activity.

   At a 15-month follow-up, they were still doing better on all measures except present-moment pain, and the majority continued to meditate — not a surprising finding, given that chronic pain can be one of the most debilitating conditions imaginable, and one of the most difficult to treat.

   This one’s a sure thing: If you suffer from chronic pain, mindfulness meditation should be one of the first alternative treatment options you try!

10. Mindfulness Speeds the Healing of Psoriasis

    
    As a skin disease that’s measurably exacerbated by stress, psoriasis offers an excellent proving ground for the effectiveness of meditation in facilitating the healing of stress-related ailments.

    In a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers took 37 psoriasis patients who were about to undergo light treatment for their condition and randomly assigned them to one of two situations: a mindfulness meditation–based stress reduction intervention during treatments or a light treatment alone.

    The results were testimony to the potential value of meditation as an adjunct to just about any treatment regime: The patients who meditated not only responded better to light treatment than the non-meditating group, but their psoriasis cleared up four times faster!

A great way to get you started on your way to Zen-Land is to use mini-meditations. They require no fancy preparation or techniques, and you can do them anywhere in less than a minute — so they’re ideal mindfulness exercises whether you’re at home in a quiet room or in the midst of a busy day at work. Here’s the process (as explained by Brian Tanaka of DevYou):

1. Stop what you’re doing. Grab a minute for yourself, and mentally set aside what you’re doing. Remember: the whole exercise takes less than a minute, so you needn’t make a big deal about finding the perfect stopping point. It’s really more a pause than a stop, and you’ll be refreshed and able to start what you’re doing again in just a little bit.

2. Close your eyes. Let your eyelids close and relax.

3. Pay attention to your breath. The core of this exercise is awareness of your breath. You needn’t do anything special with it — just breathe normally, but do pay attention to the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body. If you’d like, you may breathe a bit slower and more deeply than you ordinarily do.

4. Count three full inhale-exhale cycles. Inhale and exhale. As you exhale, think to yourself: one. Inhale and exhale again, and think: two. Finally, inhale and exhale, and think: three.

5. Slowly open your eyes and resume what you were doing.

That’s it! Nice and simple. Try mini-meditations periodically throughout your day, and see for yourself if it’s helpful to you.

How can you keep from succumbing to blood-pressure-raising fury when you’re crammed behind the wheel? Well, if you’re one of those road warriors who drive with vengeance and anger in their hearts, you’re in luck: This article gives you ten helpful ideas to use to combat road rage.

With these tools, all you’ll need to do next time you get behind the wheel is fasten your seat belt, check your mirrors, put your hands at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions, and go!

1. Don’t Rush

   
   If you’re driving aggressively and getting hasty with everyone else on the road, chances are you feel that you’re in a rush. You didn’t allow yourself enough time and now time is your enemy.

   When your mind gets in a hurry, your body jump on the bandwagon. Everything escalates — heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension. You’re primed for action and all set to jump on whomever gets in your way. And you use anger to clear the way!

   Stop hurrying and start relaxing. Calculate how long it will take you to drive somewhere and add an extra 10 minutes for every 15 to 30 minutes of driving time. Or see if you can drive without looking at the time — before you put your key in the ignition, put your watch in your pocket.

2. Loosen Your Grip

   
   How hard do you hold the wheel when you drive? If you’re an aggressive driver, you’re probably using the “death grip.” Loosen your grip and you’ll be perplexed at how much more relaxed you feel while driving.

   Hold the steering wheel like you would hold a soft-boiled egg or a child’s hand — softly. The change in physical tension is immediate. The relaxation you experience in your hands travels up your arms into your shoulders and neck, and down into your lower back — throughout your entire body, just like that. Give it a try.

3. Focus on the Journey

   
   Aggressive drivers have tunnel vision. They’re centered on only one thing — where they’re going, the destination. If you’re an aggressive driver, if anybody gets between you and your destination, there’s hell to pay. You’re staring straight ahead. Your mind is way out front, down the road, around the next turn before you get there. You’re on a mission!

   If this sounds familiar, you’re missing the big picture: the journey. And life is all about the journey. Destinations come and go, but the journey is perpetual. Relax into the journey — look around at the people, scenery, and events that you’re passing, and you’ll probably be a whole lot less angry.

4. Be the Other Driver

   
   Are you one of those individuals who thunder past the little old man driving under the speed limit, shaking their fist and yelling for all the world to hear, “Get out of the way, you old fool!”?

   Well, consider this for a moment: One day, if you’re lucky and your road rage doesn’t kill you first, you’ll be that old guy. That’s right — that will be you, slumped down in the seat, white hair hardly visible above the wheel, staring straight ahead, oblivious to everything around you, and driving 30 in a 55-mph zone. Try to visualize yourself as the other driver. Put yourself in his shoes.

5. Take the “I” out of Driver

   
   Make driving more about the other guy: “I’ll slide over and let him pass. He’s in more of a hurry than I am.” “The way he’s driving, he must really be enjoying his day.” “Wow, what an furious fellow — I certainly wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.”

   Stay humble while driving. Don’t think of yourself as someone who’s entitled to special consideration out there on the highway. Don’t set yourself apart from the pack. Just be one of the bozos and relax.

6. Look on the Bright Side

   
   If you see another driver doing something that you consider “just plain ignorant,” that makes you a smarter driver, right? That’s good. If it takes you longer to get somewhere than you had planned, you end up having more time to relax and enjoy your own private thoughts along the way. That’s good.

   With this kind of logic you’ll be able to cope in a variety of circumstances. The next time you feel yourself on the verge of rage, ask yourself: “What good can possibly come from this?” When you come up with an answer, you can relax.

7. They Are Not the Enemy

   
   Rage is an emotion that people reserve for their true enemies. Enemies are those folks that you believe mean to harm you knowingly and intentionally. “That individual tried to hit me just now!” He’s out to get you — plain and simple. So, you protect yourself with rage.

   The point I’m trying to make is that those other drivers aren’t your enemies. They don’t even know you — they’re strangers. Truth is they’re not thinking at all about you — they’re thinking about themselves. There’s no grand conspiracy operating here! Granted, they may be a nuisance sometimes, but your enemy? Nah.

8. Stop Catastrophizing

   
   So that individual in front of you is slowing you down — it’s not the end of the world. So the guy in front of you doesn’t move as soon as the light changes to green — it’s not the end of the world. Or is it? Is your world that delicate and tenuous? Do you actually view the everyday hassles of driving as a series of unending catastrophes — sudden, unexpected events that cause great harm?

   Are they on par with finding out that you just lost most of your retirement money because of a major correction in the stock market? That your adorable little daughter wants to marry a drug dealer? Now, I grant you — those are catastrophes!

9. Stop Being So Rational

   
   I can hear you now. “What in the world is he thinking, pulling out in front of that other vehicle? He should know better than that. God, that’s dangerous.” Or, that old frustration: “Why can’t she pull over and get in the non-passing lane if she’s only going to go the speed limit? She’s not supposed to be in this lane. What an idiot!”

   The misjudgment here — which leads to your anger — is that you’re trying to understand why other people drive the way they do. My advice: Stop trying and just accept things as they are, not how you want them to be or think they should be.

   Driving behavior in humans is no more rational or logical than any other aspect of life. Why do people vote the way they do? Why do people eat the way they do? Why do people do drugs? Expect less and relax more.

10. Settle for Just Being Irritated

    
    Obviously no one’s talking about feeling nothing when you get frustrated while driving. The problem isn’t that you get angry; the problem is that you get too angry (experiencing rage).

    Why not settle for just being irritated or even mad? That way you’re still in control of your actions even though you’re certainly not a happy camper. After all, no one ever gets arrested for “road irritation,” or we’d probably all be in jail.

Everything is a matter of degree, and anger is no different. Why not tone it down and relax? Drive safely and enjoy your ride.

I’m not an American myself, but I really like the idea — spending time with our families and reflecting on the positives in our lives. We’ve all got our problems, so having a day to recognize the good things is important in my opinion.

Even if you are outside the United States, remember to take a moment to reflect on all of the blessings in your life. Even though life may be hard at times, there are always things to be grateful for.

I would like to thank Brett and Kate from The Art of Manliness blog for sharing this old film from 1950 called “A Day of Thanksgiving.” In it a dad explains to his kids, that there’s more to Thanksgiving than turkey. Enjoy.

B atch small tasks together. — from Pick The Brain — “Group up all of your small tasks (taking out the garbage, fixing a door hinge, organizing binders, etc.) and do them all at once. This can help speed things along since there will be fewer interruptions in your regular workflow.”

C lear the clutter, it hinders your productivity. — from Frugal Dad — “Trash what you don’t need. Get rid of the duplicates of the duplicates. And quickly delete those e-mails or attachments from your mother or your best friend that you “just have to forward.” Yeah, they’re funny, cute, and heartwarming, but they are cluttering up your life and your inbox!”

D on’t schedule every minute of your day. — from LifeDev — “Aim low. You have morning and evening routines, leave the middle of the day open for completing key tasks and other things that come up. Daily routines are supposed to make things easier, not more complicated. Micro managing every minute of your day does not work.”

E liminate all but the essential tasks. — from Zen Habits — “Take a few minutes to review your task and project lists, and see how much you can simplify them. Make it a challenge. See if you can cut it in half! If you’ve got 50 items, cut it down to 25. Then try to cut it even further a few days later. Simplify your list down to the barest of essentials, and you can eliminate the need for complex planning systems.”

F ocus on a single task. — from Life Clever — “Multi-tasking can be fun, and can be rewarding. You think you’re getting a lot done at once, killing two birds with one stone when all you’re really doing is dragging out both tasks longer. Spend some time on a single task or project and focus. When you’re doing one, ignore the other — allowing you to work more quickly and efficiently in the long run.”

G et pickier. — from 43 Folders — “You are the sole person in your life who gets to decide where your time and attention can go. Take that responsibility seriously by not wasting time on junk. You know in your heart what’s really important to you — does the current direction of your time and attention reflect that?”

H ang a sign. — from The Cranking Widgets Blog — “Open up your favorite word processor, increase the font size to 48 or something, and type “IF IT’S NOT AN EMERGENCY, EMAIL ME.” Now print that bad boy and tape it to the back of your chair, or pin it to the wall of your cube. Far from subtle, but this will definitely be effective (especially when combined with the others).”

I nbox Zero: Processing to zero. — from 43 Folders — “The truth is that you probably can take the average email inbox — even a relatively neglected one — from full to zero in about 20 minutes. It mostly depends on how much you really want to be done with it. The dirty little secret, of course, is that you don’t do it by responding to each of those emails but by ruthlessly processing them.”

J ust let go. — from Dumb Little Man — “This strategy is for those of us who feel that if we don’t answer all of our emails, or read all of our feeds, or check our blog stats, or see what’s happening on our favorite social sites, then somehow the world will fall apart. This might seem obvious, but again, I think many of us have a subconscious idea that something bad will happen if we don’t stay up to date. Try letting go for a day, and see what happens.”

K eep your technology quiet. — from Black Belt Productivity — “Your cell phone ringer (even on vibrate) doesn’t need to be on all of the time. You can turn off email notification on your computer as well. Become master over the nagging beeps and buzzes by creating some silence.”

L earn razor-sharp concentration. — from Lifehack — “Writing to-do lists and keeping a schedule may keep you organized, but does it really help you get more done? I believe that organization is important, but what you really need is focus. Being able to sit down and concentrate intensely on your work for a few hours. Even a half hour of focused effort can get more done than an entire day of distraction and multitasking.”

M otivate yourself through the action phase. — from Steve Pavlina — “When I set a goal that’s big enough and challenging enough, I never need to pump myself up with emotional rah-rah. I feel motivated to pursue the goal because my intellect is fully behind it. I just find myself doing what needs to be done.”

N apping your way to success. — from Steven Aitchison — “You may have already experienced a micronap without realising it. It’s those moments when you doze off for a few moments, 2-5 minutes, and wake up with a start. It may sound as if this wouldn’t help but it really does.”

O nly spend time on the things you CAN control. — from Success Soul — “Our impulsive thoughts always tend to waste our life-energy by focusing on things that we cannot control. Dwell more on what you can do rather than what you cannot. It’s not the circumstances that cause us to react in a certain way, it’s rather a certain way we choose to react to the circumstances that matters most to win against the odds.”

P rocess email in batches. — from Lifehacker — “Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies when it comes to email clutter. Sending “before I forget” messages on off hours, reading email when there’s no time to act on it, and having loose reading and responding schedules all contribute to that feeling of being under a high-volume waterfall.”

Q uit striving to be perfect. — from Illuminated Mind — “Perfection is an illusion. We strive for perfection because we have an image in our minds of what we should be, but what we are not. Realize that perfection and imperfection are a result of a conflict in your mind, they don’t exist in reality. You have to make mistakes in order to grow, don’t let perfectionism paralyze you. If you’re not failing, chances are you’re not trying hard enough.”

R ead books the smart way. — from Life Optimizer — “Reading books cover-to-cover consumes a lot of time, and even then you might not get what you need. More often than not, you will just get lost in the sea of details. So read books in smart way. Set a clear purpose before you read, learn the structure of the book, and go directly to the parts that meet your needs.”

S implify your online life. — from Web Worker Daily — “If we focus on simplifying our online lives, we can drastically reduce the amount of time we spend online, the amount of time we spend working, the amount of information we have to consume, and the amount of stuff we have to keep track of.”

T ake one bite of the elephant at a time. — from The Change Blog — “It’s important to know how long to run a race before you start. Starting off a marathon by sprinting isn’t going to get you to the finish line. Similarly, taking on every possible GTD, lifehack or to-do list upgrade at the same time isn’t a winning strategy.”

U se easy time tracking. — from Wisebread — “Whether it’s tracking freelance hours worked or time spent on your own projects, keeping track of how long you’ve been working is important. My solution for keeping the hours from slipping away is simple: An old fashioned kitchen timer.”

V isualized pain. — from Think Simple Now — “Close your eyes. Visualize the pain you would feel by not doing a task. Make it as real as possible, feel it with all senses. Intensify the feeling. Double the intensity several times if you can. After a few minutes, imagine the pleasure and freedom after you’ve completed the task (and are rewarded with the show). Again visualize and feel it with absolute intensity.”

W ake up early. — from Zen Habits — “Decide what you’d like to accomplish each morning, and build your morning routine around that. Like to exercise? Put that in there. Healthy breakfast? Go for it. Check email? Fine. The mornings are a fresh start, peaceful and free of ringing phones and constant email notifications. If you get your Most Important Things done in the morning, the rest of the day is just gravy.”

X pect to fail, if you fail to plan. — from Tools For Thought — “The most strategic time to think about the actions you need to take is not when you need to perform them, but beforehand, when you have perspective. When you execute from an inventory of predefined tasks, you can act rather than react, and your menu of options is much easier to prioritize.”

Y ou deserve a reward. — from Positivity Blog — “Create small rewards for yourself. This might seem a bit too simple to work, but creating a small motivation for yourself can be surprisingly effective. And it will make you better at completing one task at a time and decrease the urge to constantly switch between a whole bunch of them.”

Z apping tolerations. — from Motivate Thyself — “What do a messy desk, an overcrowded inbox and a “know-it-all” friend have in common? They are examples of tolerations or situations we put up with or don’t do anything about. The benefits of hitting the delete button on tolerances are many. You’ll raise your standard of living and become more effective, focused and balanced.”