Do you want to be a wise person? I certainly do, and I believe you do too. Being wise is different from just being smart though. Here is a definition of wise from Dictionary.com:

having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.

And, to complement that, here is Wikipedia’s definition of wisdom:

Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgments and actions in keeping with this understanding.

As a comparison, here is a definition of smart from Dictionary.com:

having or showing quick intelligence or ready mental capability.

So, as you can see, being wise is more than just being smart. Being wise is about the ability to make the right assessment of a situation and, from there, to know what to do. It’s about making the right decision given the situation you are in.

From this understanding, it’s obvious that being wise is essential to live a full life. The wiser you are, the more likely you are to live a full life. Why? Because it helps you make the right decisions in life.

So the question is: how can we be wise?

Well, there could be other ways, but there is one that I believe is essential:

If you want to be wise, you must learn to see the big picture.

Yes, the big picture. It’s essential. Let me explain why.

Making the right decision depends on making the right assessment of a situation. But to make the right assessment, you need to understand the big picture. You need to understand the context of the situation and how everything fits in. Only then will you be able to assess the situation correctly and, from that, to make the right decision.

This, unfortunately, is not how many people live. Instead, they are so busy with the details of their lives that they can no longer see the big picture. As a result, they tend to just follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing. Or they just follow their natural inclinations. Obviously, this is not a good way to live.

I’m not going to go into details in this post, but here are a few things you can do to see the big picture:

1. Learn how the world works
   To see the big picture, you need to understand how the world works. This way you can see how your situation fits in the present world. Among others, it means learning about globalization, technologies, new trends, and the global economy.
2. Learn history
   While the point above deals only with the present world, you also need to see how the present world fits within the larger context of history. This will give you a deeper insight of your situation. Moreover, there are many events in history that you can learn something from.
3. Read biographies
   As I wrote in How to Learn About Life, a good way to learn about life is to learn from the lives of exceptional people. Through their biographies, you can see the big picture of their lives, along with their good and bad decisions. This will enrich your life and help you see your life in a new way.
4. Check your life map and patterns
   Talking about the big picture, you should also see the big picture of your own life. One way to do this is to create a life map. It helps you see how your life has been throughout the years. This, in turn, will help you make strategic decision for your life. You should also find patterns in your life such as your passions and things you care about. It will help you figure out the right direction to go to.
5. Have a regular “think time”
   While all the points above can help you see the big picture, it’s easy to lose sight of it because of one thing: busyness. Once you get busy with the details of your life, it’s easy to forget the big picture. So it’s important that you take time away from your busyness to connect again with the big picture. It can be in the form of reflection time, prayer, or whatever it is that works for you.

Do you have other ideas on being a wise person? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Photo by W Mustafeez

The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.
Moliere

If there are two ways to success, the first one is instant and the second one takes a long time, which one would you choose? I think most people will take the first one. After all, who doesn’t want to get a quick reward?

But there is a difference between achieving a quick success and a lasting success. If you just want a quick success, then sure, the first way the best way to go. However, if you want a lasting success, I believe you should choose the second way. It’s a slow way, but it’s the best way to grow. Here are two reasons why:

1. It prepares you for the responsibility

Being successful is nice, but it comes with a big responsibility. If you don’t have what it takes, you might seem successful on the outside, but you might not be ready on the inside.

Success could easily ruin your life if you are not ready for it. There are many people who are successful in one area of their lives, but messed up in the other areas. Perhaps they have family problems. Or they become arrogant. Or they feel empty inside.

Real success means being successful in all areas of your life, not just in one or two. There has to be a balance between all of them.

Growing slowly is good because it prepares you for the big responsibility that comes with success. You will be able to handle it and keep your life balanced.That’s how you can have a lasting success.

2. It prepares you for moments of crisis

Those who want a quick success often do more than what they can afford. They take excessive risks that will eventually hurt themselves and others. These people might seem successful in the beginning, but when the storm comes they won’t be able to withstand it.

Warren Buffett is a good example here. He grows his portfolio slowly over the years. He doesn’t do the “exotic” things many others do in the financial world. As a result, when the crisis struck, he was able to recover quickly. In fact, he used the opportunity to buy stocks on the cheap.

What makes the difference here? Those who grow slowly take the time to build their foundation. They don’t hurry to build a big house. They are patient and use the time to build a strong foundation first. That’s why they can withstand the storm better than those who just want to quickly build the house.

***

So it’s up to you. What kind of success do you want? Do you want a quick success or a lasting success?

Photo by Vinoth Chandar

Back in January, I wrote a post announcing HabitMaster for iPhone and iPod touch. Now, after a couple of months of development, I’m glad to announce that HabitMaster is also available for iPad.

Better yet, you just need to buy it once to get the app on all your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. If you already bought HabitMaster before, all you need to do is downloading the latest free update to get the iPad version.

What Is HabitMaster?

HabitMaster is an app that helps you build positive habits in your life. It works by tracking how you keep the habits that you want to build. For each habit, you can see your current and longest streak. Your goal is simply to make your current streak as long as possible. Aim not to break the streak and you will automatically keep the habit.

Here are some screenshots of HabitMaster for iPad (you might want to turn on the option to display images if you read this through an email):

For more details and screenshots, please check it out on the App Store.

Click here to check out HabitMaster

Future Plan

Last week I wrote about the lessons I learned from The Power of Habit. Among others, it mentioned that a habit has three elements: cue (the thing that triggers you to do the habit), routine (the activity part of the habit), and reward (what you want to get from doing the habit). To make a new habit stick, you need to have a clear cue and a strong reward.

This gives me some ideas. I plan to strengthen the cue and reward parts of HabitMaster in the future. I do wish the app can help you develop good habits!

There is no question that habits are important parts of our lives. We do many things in our lives not from conscious decisions, but from habits. So understanding how habits work is essential.

For that reason, I was excited when I learned that there was a new book on this topic titled The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I bought the book through Kobo and read it. As it turns out, the book covers not just personal habits, but also organizational and social habits. Here, however, I will focus only on personal habits.

There are several things I learn from the book about how to break bad habits and develop good ones. Here they are:

1. Every habit consists of three elements

The three elements are cue, routine, and reward. Together they form a habit loop. Cue is the thing that triggers you to do the habit, routine is the activity part of the habit (the thing that you want to change if it’s a bad habit), and reward is what you want to get by doing the habit. Habit loop works like this: when the cue is there, you do the routine in order to get the reward.

2. To break a bad habit, you need to identify its elements and insert a new routine

You can’t really eliminate a bad habit. Instead, you replace it with something else. To do that, you need to keep the old cue and the old reward, but insert a new routine.

Let’s say you want to stop a smoking habit. First you need to understand the elements of the habit. The routine part is easy (it’s the activity that you want to change, which is smoking in this example), so your job is to identify the cue and the reward. What is it that triggers the habit? Is it a certain time of the day, a certain emotional state, or something else? And what is it that you want to get by doing the routine? Relaxation perhaps? Identifying the cue and the reward isn’t easy, so take the time to identify them. There is a detailed example in the book of how to do this.

Once you identify the cue and the reward, you need to find a new routine that can give you a similar reward. You might need to experiment with several routines before you can find the right one for you. Then you need to make a specific plan about what you will do when the cue is there. It might seem simple, but studies show that making a plan does make a difference.

3. To develop a good habit, make a craving out of specific cue and reward

Let’s say you want to develop an exercise habit. What you need to do is choosing a specific cue (like a certain time of the day or putting your running shoes nearby) and a specific reward (like the sense of accomplishment from tracking your running miles).

But that’s not enough. You also need to make a craving out of them because craving is what drives the habit loop. You do that by choosing a reward that appeals to you and allowing yourself to anticipate it. Think about that reward and how good it will be when you get it. Over time it will become a craving and the new habit will become automatic.

4. Willpower is the most important habit for individual success

There are some good habits that can start a chain reaction; once you master one such habits, it will affect other areas of your life as well. These habits are called keystone habits. Among them, studies show that willpower is the most important one. The ability to delay gratification for something better in the future will definitely have a positive impact on many areas of your life.

You can train your willpower by forcing yourself to do something that is good for you but you don’t feel like doing. For example, if you don’t have the habit of exercising than forcing yourself to exercise three times a week will train your willpower muscles. Over time, your willpower muscles will get stronger until willpower becomes a habit.

***

These are some important ideas I learn from the book, but there are still many ideas there that I haven’t covered here. There are also stories in the book to illustrate the points it makes. All in all, I enjoyed reading the book.

But of course, the most important thing is to apply the ideas. Understanding them is one thing but actually applying them is a different thing. Building a willpower habit seems like a good start. What do you think?

Photo by kaibara87

Note: This is a guest post from Varsha Aditya of CaloriesAndMore.com

When eating healthfully seems like a chore, it’s often because we are slaves of our taste buds. Our tongues can be like little dictators in our body, demanding that everything have sugar, chocolate, oils, butter, cream…The list goes on. Why do we crave just those things that we’re supposed to eat in moderation? Why don’t healthy things like greens and steamed vegetables give us that “feel-good” feeling? And what’s the solution—is there actually a way to enjoy and love healthy foods without being a gourmet chef?

The answer is a resounding YES! Here are five simple things you can do to train your taste buds and savor the flavor of your vegetables:

1. Leave off the salt and spices. Most of what you read about making healthy food tasty is about covering it up with spices. It’s wonderful to know how to cook, and how to use a variety of spices, but it’s also a little like resigning yourself to the fact that steamed vegetables or salads are “tasteless” and that something must be done to them to make them palatable. This is actually so far from the truth! Every single real food—that is, unprocessed food—has a unique taste. If you think it’s tasteless, it’s because your taste buds are, well, spoiled.

What would you think of a wine or beer connoisseur who liberally mixed in a spoonful of sugar in his wine or beer before tasting it “to cover up the bitterness”? What about a coffee fanatic who adds sugar and cream liberally before trying out the latest organic flavor from the Andes mountains? You would never see that happen because those people have trained their taste buds to distinguish minor nuances in their drinks. They savor every flavor that comes through and delight in the experience of sensing something new.

2. Don’t overcook. Overcooking vegetables not only reduces the vitamin content, but also turns everything into an unappetizing mush. Cooked vegetables have the most flavor and are healthiest when their colors are the brightest—that is, lightly steamed. Texture and smell are an important part of flavor. Learn to appreciate the texture and feel of each vegetable along with the taste.

3. Eat vegetables in isolation. This is not a rule to be followed all the time. It’s just a suggestion to help you pay attention to the flavor of a vegetable in a way you might not have before. Eating carrots by themselves will make you aware of flavors in the carrot that you wouldn’t sense if they were mixed with other vegetables. You can try this even with vegetables that are never normally eaten in isolation, like lettuce. Contrary to popular belief, iceberg lettuce does have a flavor despite its high water content! Can you taste it?

4. Mentally separate flavors when eating salads or other dishes. When you do eat prepared dishes with many ingredients, see if you can identify the contribution each ingredient makes to the overall taste. Can you separate the olive oil from the potatoes and the rosemary from the carrots? Incidentally, this will not only increase your enjoyment of your food, it will also make you a better cook!

5. Close your eyes and guess the green. When you buy a mix of greens for a salad, like a Spring Mix which usually includes various kind of lettuce as well as greens like chard and arugula, try to learn the names of the different kinds of leaves. Learn each taste separately and then make it a game to identify the leaf with your eyes closed. There will definitely be some that you don’t like as much as others, but you may be surprised how many greens actually have a sweet crunchy flavor that’s enjoyable. Make a resolution to try the ones you don’t like a minimum of 5 times—many of my favorite foods were acquired tastes that I didn’t initially like at all.

***

Your taste buds are just receptors for various substances in your food. When you train your taste buds, you’re really training your mind. The five senses get stronger with practice and training and the sense of taste is no exception. It’s not just for gastronomic experts—training taste buds will help anyone struggling to eat healthy. What a delight it is when your food is not only good for you, but tastes good, too!

Varsha Aditya is a writer for the popular calorie counter website CaloriesAndMore.com which promotes healthy and sustainable weight loss without all the impossible rules of fad diets.  Visit us to find more articles about sustainable weight loss, and see how CaloriesAndMore.com can make healthy living easy and fun!

Photo by Muffet

I recently finished reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It’s a well-written book and I enjoyed reading it. I learned many interesting things from the book, but here I’d like to focus on just one trait of Steve Jobs that pretty much describes his life: intensity.

Time and again, the book describes how intense Jobs was in whatever he did. When he thought that something was worth doing, he would throw his entire being into it. He would take it further than what other people would. In the words of one person who knew him, he would “carry it to the extreme”.

One example was his approach to food. He decided early on that he would be a vegetarian. And he did become a strict vegetarian. Only when he was ill did he relent a bit and incorporate eggs into his diet. He was so strict that it became an issue when he was ill because he wouldn’t consume the meal that’s necessary for his health.

Another example was his approach to product development. In this case, his intensity took the form of perfectionism. He simply didn’t tolerate any flaw. He would insist that everything must be done perfectly. For instance, when developing the first Mac he asked the button to be redesigned again and again. The designers protested, but Jobs said that it’s important to do things right.

Intensity is good; it can help you achieve things that are impossible otherwise. But you must keep it under control. Here are a few things I learn about intensity:

1. Find something you believe in

You can’t be intense on something you don’t believe in. The problem is, many people do things they don’t believe in because they are pursuing something else (for instance, money). Jobs focused on building great products above everything else. With a few exceptions, he always worked on something he believed in. That’s why he was able to do it intensely.

So find something you believe in. Don’t be satisfied with doing something just for the money, fame, or other external rewards. Doing what you believe in is the prerequisite to doing something great.

2. Throw your heart and soul into it

Once you find something you believe in, throw your heart and soul into it. Put your entire being into it. Aim to make it as good as you can. I know this is easier said than done, but it’s something that we all can learn.

3. Avoid distractions

Your energy is limited. So, if you want to be intense, you can’t do too many things. You should focus your energy on just a few things. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

Jobs repeatedly talked about the importance of focus. When he became the interim CEO of Apple in 1997, he dropped many projects that he thought were distracting. Instead, he focused the company’s energy on just a handful of key products. That turned out to be the right decision.

You should learn to say no even to seemingly good opportunities. Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do.

4. Be realistic

Though it’s good to be intense and aim for excellence, you should also be realistic. As Jobs once said, real artists ship. So make sure that you actually get things done.

5. Keep it balanced

Being intense is good, but being too intense is bad. Jobs tended to fall on the extreme side of it and as a result he hurt some people. I don’t think that’s good. While you need to be intense, you should also keep it balanced. Don’t be too intense on something that you sacrifice the other areas of your life (for example, your relationships).

***

Those are a few things I learn about intensity. What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Photo by gnuckx

Note: This is a guest post from Adrian Cunanan of ThinkARETÉ

I am a big fan of the modern day philosopher, Brian Johnson. He has created over 200 Philosopher’s Notes . Philosopher’s Notes are like Cliff Notes for Positive Psychology and Philosophy Books. His motto is “More Wisdom In Less Time.” In Brian’s book, A Philosopher’s Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, Vol. 1, he covers his 10 Principles for Optimal Living. These 10 principles are based on the common themes he found after reading over 200 books for self-development.

My favorite topic in the book is the chapter called “The Integrity Gap”. In this chapter, Brian introduces the reader to the Greek word Areté. This word translates to “virtue” or “excellence”. But it has a deeper meaning of “living to your highest human potential moment to moment”. He illustrates the concept of Areté by drawing a picture for the reader.

Imagine two parallel lines.

• The upper line represents what you are capable of being/doing in any moment.
• The lower line represents who/what you are actually being/doing in any given moment.
• If there is a gap between these two lines, this is called the Integrity Gap. This gap is filled with depression, anxiety and general icky feelings.

——————– Capable

<- Integrity Gap

——————– Actual

The challenge is to close this gap. If you can successfully bridge the gap then there is no room for negative feelings… There is only room for happiness! Often easier said than done, raise the line for who you actually are to the level of who you are capable of being and you have achieved Areté.

By applying this image to your daily life from moment to moment, we are able find true and sustainable happiness and to live the mantra “Be Your Greatest Self”.

Now that you know about the Integrity Gap and the need to close it in order to be happy, you may ask the question, “What can I do to close the Integrity Gap?” To find the answer we will turn to works of Positive Psychology.

“Positive psychologists seek “to find and nurture genius and talent”, and “to make normal life more fulfilling”,^[2] not simply to treat mental illness. The field is intended to complement, not to replace traditional psychology. It does not seek to deny the importance of studying how things go wrong, but rather to emphasize the importance of using the scientific method to determine how things go right.”
Quote from Wikipedia regarding Positive Psychology

Martin Seligman can find one possible answer to this question in the book “Authentic Happiness”. Martin Seligman is viewed by some as the father of Positive Psychology. Through scientific research and studying classic wisdom text, Martin Seligman was able to find that the path to happiness can be summed up in a few words: “Live with Virtue”. He proposes that we can start doing that by identifying our own virtues/strengths. He and his team of positive psychologist have devised a survey that can be used to identify an individual’s Signature Strengths. It is called the VIA Survey of Character Strengths. I completed the survey and got the following results as my Signature Strengths:

• Top Strength: Gratitude
  You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.
• Second Strength: Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness
  Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind.
• Third Strength: Kindness and generosity
  You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoy doing good deeds for others, even if you do not know them well.
• Fourth Strength: Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness
  You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.
• Fifth Strength: Love of learning
  You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums – anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn.

But identifying your virtues (aka Signature Strengths) is only half the process towards attaining higher levels of happiness in your life. Martin Seligman stated the entire process with a simple equation:

Happiness = Virtues In Action

To realize the full potential of your capacity to be happy, you must take these Signature Strengths and put them into action in your daily life.

So to answer the question “What can I do to close the Integrity Gap?” the answer is simple… “Live with Virtue”.

Adrian Cunanan is 50% Technologist and 50% Philanthropist based in New York, NY. He plays the roles of Network Operations Manager, CEO and Life Coach. Visit ThinkARETÉ to learn how this organization empowers individuals to realize their full potential.

Photo by chantrybee

Note: This is a guest post from Ryan Rivera of Calm Clinic

In today’s economy, millions of people are stuck at a job they do not find fulfilling. There simply aren’t many careers that bring joy and happiness to the average employee, and even if there were, the economy’s struggles make it much less likely that those jobs will be available.

However, when you find yourself at a job that doesn’t make you happy, you need to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of victimization. Many workers start to let their jobs become a chore, believing themselves powerless against the evils of their corporation.

Yet no matter how much you dislike your job, your boss, your coworkers, or your company, there are always ways that you can still make work fun for yourself, and look forward to getting to the office every day.

How to Make Work Fun

1. Be the Office Baker

Everyone loves cookies. You can make it your mission to become the office cookie maker, making cookies once a week and bringing them to the office. You can try out new recipes, alter old ones, and see how your coworkers react until you have come up with the perfect recipe.

2. Compete With Yourself

Friendly competition is always exciting, but rarely will you find other employees to compete with. Instead, compete with yourself. Take the tasks of your job and make a fun game out of them, trying to beat your efficiency and speed with each passing day.

3. Make a Game Out of Recurring Problems

Does someone mistreat you at work? Does a boss pick on you or a client call you names? Make a game out of that too. Come up with a bingo board or checklist of what you expect to happen during the week and check off each item that does. If you get a bingo or check off every item, treat yourself to something fun.

4. Make Positivity Lists

When you dislike your job, it’s not uncommon to see coworkers and bosses disrespecting you or not properly valuating your contributions. Sometimes that’s the case. Other times, however, your perception of your bosses, coworkers, etc., colors your interactions so that a harmless meeting will seem like a great affront.

It’s important to change that mindset. You can do that by doing your best to make a list of every positive thing to come out of every negative interaction. Write out every good thing you may have learned, what positive reasons the individual may have spoken with you, etc. Even if you are being mistreated, this exercise will help you learn to see the good in every extended interaction.

5. Plan Work-Sponsored Events

Workplace events are a useful way to bond with coworkers and create friendships at work. They’re also a useful way to get the company to pay for activities you wanted to do anyway. Organize the entire company together, see if the company will sponsor it as a team building exercise, and soon you’ll be creating more workplace friendships making an environment that promotes fun activities.

6. Decorate Your Desk

Most companies will let you decorate your desk with fun little trinkets, or something that you can use to cheer you up during a tough day. Take advantage of it, because these fun trinkets can give you the boost you need to make your workplace less stressful.

7. Create Art Based On Work

If you find your work causes you anxiety and stress, try to turn that into something creative. Turn it into inspiration for art, whether you enjoy painting, drawing, sculpting, etc. Art is a very effective outlet for workplace stress, and a good way to turn something negative (anxiety at work) into something positive (an art piece).

8. Plan Events Immediately After Work

Holding a grudge against your workplace is another reason that people become a slave to their workplace anxiety. You can counter this by never giving yourself an opportunity to hold a grudge. Schedule fun little activities with friends and family for the moment you get off work, so even after a hard day you don’t have time to sit and be distracted by negative thoughts.

9. Bike To and From Work

Finally, consider biking to work. Exercise is known to boost the chemicals in your brain that create a good mood, and the energy you burn biking will also allow your body to experience less tension. After work when you bike home, the stress you felt from your job will simply melt away under the exertion of biking.

***

The key thing to remember is that even the worst work workplace environment can be turned into a fun place, provided you use your creativity and show a willingness to change your mindset. You don’t have to love your coworkers, your bosses, or the tasks you complete at work. But you should always find ways to focus on your own happiness, looking at work as a tool to create happiness rather than something that’s hurting it. Find a way to make work fun for you, and you’ll find that your job quickly becomes a place you live.

Ryan Rivera is a staunch proponent of creating a stress free world. He writes about anxiety and panic attacks at www.calmclinic.com.

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

Note: This is a guest post from Tony Schober of CoachCalorie.com

If you were to study all the healthy people in the world, you would begin to notice some character traits and lifestyle behaviors that many of them all share in common. More than likely, your own life could be greatly improved by incorporating all or just a few of these habits.

1. They Eat Whole Foods

If it’s not found that way in nature, they more than likely don’t eat it. Healthy people understand that food is nourishment for the body. They eat for fuel – not for pleasure. They find other ways to make themselves happy other than eating. Healthy people avoid processed foods and artificial sweeteners. They drink water and forget about the sugary drinks.

2. They Live an Active Lifestyle

Healthy people tend to live an active lifestyle. Exercise is usually a staple in their lives. They spend less time in front of a TV, and more time out and about accomplishing things and living life. The difference between being on your feet all day and sitting behind a computer can add up to hundreds of calories a day. Compound that number over a year, or a lifetime, and we are talking about tens or even hundreds of pounds of excess body weight.

3. They Manage Stress Well

Stress is a big aging factor. Some would even argue that it’s the #1 factor that influences your health. So many people eat right and work out, but totally throw their mental health out the door. Healthy people don’t sweat the small stuff. They ask themselves if this situation is going to matter a year from now, and if it won’t, they let it go.

4. They Surround Themselves with Other Healthy People

We are highly influenced by the people closest to us. Surrounding yourself with healthy people tends to make you healthy by association. Not only are you motivated and inspired by your healthy friends, but there’s also a sense of social pressure to be healthy yourself when you’re around them. Who says social pressure has to be a bad thing?

5. They Work at a Job They Enjoy

Does your job make you miserable? Healthy people have a job that makes them happy. We’ve all heard the saying that if you work a job you enjoy, you’ll never work a day in your life. Happiness and health are highly correlated. Healthy people tend to be happy. Not only do healthy people tend to like their jobs, but they tend to live for them. They look forward to getting up every day and living their life to the fullest.

6. They Work on Building Self-Confidence

People with self-confidence look healthy, and they carry themselves well. Healthy people have confidence in self. They don’t worry about what other people think. They project a healthy, youthful personality. They surround themselves with positive people that pick them up instead of tear them down, and they go about their days as if they can accomplish anything.

7. They Make Fitness a Priority

Healthy people never say they don’t have time to workout. Regardless of how busy they are, they find a way to make it work. Being healthy makes them happy, and being happy makes you healthy. Just 30 minutes a day of exercise can add years to your life. It makes you look and feel younger and healthier. There are thousands of reasons for why you can’t work out. They put the excuses away and focus on reasons for why they should.

8. They Smile

Smiling projects happiness, which is directly correlated with your health. Try smiling at a stranger and watch the contagiousness of happiness for yourself. Not only do you get a smile back, but it makes you feel good about yourself. You just made someone’s day better. Healthy people understand the link between happiness and health, and they tend to walk around with smiles on their face, or laughter in their hearts.

9. They Do Everything In Moderation

Exceptionally healthy people don’t withhold anything from their lives. They leave the door open to any and all experiences – but they don’t overdo it. Even healthy people aren’t perfect. They might miss a workout, or they might have a bad meal every once in a while. They understand there’s more to life than just trying to be healthy. So they have a piece of cake every once in a while. So what – it makes them happy, and that’s part of what being healthy is all about.

10. They Practice Preventative Maintenance

Healthy people don’t wait for problems to come to them – they go after problems. Regular checkups are the norm for healthy people. People that live long and healthy lives catch problems before they become so big that they destroy their lives. They discover them early and then take action to prevent them from happening again in the future. Their health is a priority, and they don’t bury their heads in the sand hoping for the best. They take action.

***

Do you consider yourself a healthy person? How many of these habits are incorporated into your life? What habits have you noticed of exceptionally healthy people?

Tony Schober is a health & fitness blogger, and the founder of CoachCalorie.com. Stop by the blog and check out his best 43 fitness tips. If you’re having difficulty losing weight to get healthy, your problem probably lies in one of these 10 reasons you’re not losing weight.

Photo by Elvire.R.

Note: This is a guest post from Amber Smith of How to Get Up Early

A lot of people find it difficult to wake up early in the morning, and indeed it takes much effort to become an early riser when you are used to be a night owl. When it comes to waking up early, it turns out to be very rewarding. These five reasons to get up early in the morning can give you needed motivation to become an early riser.

1. Health improvement

First of all, early rising is a fundamental part of healthy living. Human body was designed to function in harmony with nature. We are supposed to get up when the sun rises and go to sleep when the sun goes down. But how often we forget about that and stay up all night or sleep until noon. All these are bad habits that affect our health on a daily basis. We should remember about the Mother Nature’s original plan and wake up early.

Of course, it is not easy to make drastic changes in your sleep schedule, and it can be stressful too. So, you should start waking up a little earlier every day. Making it a routine and never sleeping in will help you succeed. This way you will be able to build a strong habit of getting up early.

2. Time management

Start getting up early every day and soon you will notice that you have turned into a totally different person, more confident and productive. Along with the right morning routine, early rising will pay you back with an energy boost for the rest of the day. Get out of bed as soon as the alarm rings. Avoid the snooze button, now it is your worst enemy. Always have time to take a contrast shower, if for some reason you are being late, make sure to at least wash up alternating warm and cold water. Have your morning coffee and head to work. Now you are ready for new achievements.

3. Dreams come true

Everyone has something he always wanted to do but never had time for. By waking up early you can find a few hours of free time to fulfill your dreams. You can start learning foreign languages, writing your own blog, or practicing your hobby from high school that you never had time for. Remember how fun and joyful it can be to do something for yourself.

4. Live today

Now think of the things that you need to do but you set aside until the last moment. These things can also be done during the morning hours. Put on a few extra pounds and plan to join the gym tomorrow? But how often does tomorrow turn into never? Spend your morning working out and soon you will be back in shape. If you don’t like the idea of joining the gym, find something you would like more. Get a dog and walk him out every morning. Walking in fresh air is very good for your health too.

If you have kids and never have time for cleaning, spend your morning hours on that while the kids are still asleep. Don’t set aside these routine things, do them today and you will have less to worry about.

5. Everything counts

Think of every single thing you get out of waking up early even if it’s a little one. Do you like to drive to work avoiding morning traffic? Or maybe you enjoy watching the sunrise? The best morning coffee in a city can be a real reward for coffee lovers. There are so many great things around us. Just wake up early not to miss them!

This is a guest post by Amber Smith. Amber is the owner of the site www.howtogetupearly.com.  HowToGetUpEarly is about offering all kind of solutions for waking up early by providing original tips and innovative products.

Photo by SashaW