Human consciousness is at the same time as being a form of awareness and sensitivity and also ignorance.The ordinary everyday consciousness that we have leaves out more than it takes in.And because of this, it leaves out things that are terribly important.It leaves out things that would if we did know them, allay our anxieties and fears and horrors. And if we could extend our awareness you see to include those things that we leave out we would have a deep interior piece because we would all know the one thing that you mustn’t know… what is profound, what is mysterious, what is in the depths.

Human Consciousness

Focus is vastly misunderstood.People only see it from a surface level and decided to leave it at that. Most people — especially those in the self-improvement space — see it as a once-in-a-while tool for deep work.In reality, focus is the entirety of our lives.

The Focus Matrix

You'd be surprised how much you can get done with 1 hour of uninterrupted focus.

Learning how to get into deep, focused work is an incredible way to introduce yourself to the power of harnessing attention.<ul><li>You can get 8 hours of work done in 2.</li><li>You can utilize the finite energy you have in the day.</li><li>You can make a habit out of making massive progress on your goals.</li></ul>

Harnessing Attention

<ul><li>Focus is conscious attention.</li><li>Consciousness is the essence of the human experience.</li><li>Attention is how we process information within the infinite realm of consciousness.</li><li>Focus is how you maneuver your attention to navigate reality towards optimal outcomes.</li></ul>

Conscious Attention

Focus: Your vision, purpose, hierarchy of goals (mission), and priority actions are focus anchors. These “anchors” must be cultivated, refined, and revisited to give you consistent intrinsic energy.Energy: You can expand, contract, narrow, or widen your focus on these specific entities to “tap in” to their level of energy. Experience: With accurate focus and an open energy channel, you conduct yourself from your direct conscious experience right now. That is, you anchor your focus to the present moment.

The Three Pillars: Focus, Energy And Experience

Focal contraction and expansion is how you live a life of meaning, enjoyment, and progress. It is an art form. No matter how “negative” the situation is to the untrained eye. All Is Mind.Narrow, unconscious focus leads to stress, anxiety, reactivity, and annoyance.When you find yourself projecting into the predictable future, it is easy to narrow your focus on a stressful upcoming situation and pull that future experience into your present experience.

Negative Focus

Open, unconscious focus leads to feeling lost and overwhelmed with where your life is headed.There are tasks, goals, and life outcomes that trigger thoughts, emotion, and experience unless caught by the watcher.Conscious focus — both narrow and open — help us live with more depth, love and appreciation.

Positive Focus

There is one thing that separates human beings the most from other species:Depth of focus.Expansion and contraction.Expansion being a large area of attention.Contraction being a small area of attention.Like a circle that gets larger and smaller depending on what you are directly conscious of.Focus is the most important skill that has flown under people’s noses.It isn’t tangible. It isn’t material. It is near impossible to pinpoint the exact state of your focus. You can’t quantify it.

Infinite Consciousness

The majority of the human population are asleep. Living out pre-programmed unconscious lives. Habitual actions, thought patterns, emotional reactions, and decisions that result in their direct experience in this present moment.Conscious living is another layer deeper. Through practice, you enjoy life in an entirely new dimension. You begin to see this world from another dimension.What is stopping people from tapping in to this new dimension?

Most People Are Living Like Zombies

Think of a visible iceberg. Imagine that iceberg as anything you were to come in contact with in reality. Infinite icebergs that create the fabric of reality.A thought, emotion, phone, glass, plant, computer, word, letter, design, social media profile, tattoo, keyboard, key, shirt, belt, button, room, cloud, chair, smell, or anything else you can become directly conscious of.This is how most people conduct their lives. They see what they see (or feel what they feel) and forget the rest. There is no depth. There is no understanding. There is no awareness of the interdependence of life itself.

The Visible Part Of The Iceberg

How do you dive deeper?Through conscious attention and awareness.Can you become aware of the EMF frequencies that your phone is emitting? I’m not asking you to see or feel them. I am asking you to become aware of them. Visualize them. Know that they are there. Let your curiosity take you on a learning spree. Understand how it impacts everything it touches.Can you become aware of the coffee that is in your hands? What is the chemical composure of the coffee? Whose hands were involved in the manufacturing process of the coffee? What about the glass that it is held in?

Dive Deeper: The Hidden Part Of The Iceberg

You can separate the coffee from the glass, the molecules from the liquid, and as you expand and contract your focus — you become more or less aware of infinity.Can you contract down to a valve in your heart, expand out to everything within your field of vision, and manipulate your focus to everything in between?You navigate, appreciate, and thrive in life by mastering your focus.

Mastering Your Focus

Two steps to happiness: Zoom in on what's important.Zoom out from everything else.

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

problemsolving

Problem Solving

How To Master Your Focus

<ul><li>He was the last famous Stoic of the ancient world</li><li>He was known for his physical frailty, due to chronic health problems, but also for his exceptional resilience</li><li>He repeatedly told himself that the goal of his life is not pleasure but action</li><li>As a young emperor, Marcus was ridiculed as a snob and a bore because at gladiator games they could see that he was reading legal documents and discussing them with his advisors.</li></ul>

Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius

For Stoics, the highest good is to act consistently in accord with reason and virtue.What matters in life isn't what happens to us but how we respond to it. Philosophy is really a way of life, how we choose to act.

The Stoic Goal of Life

<ul><li>The Stoics were concerned that their speech should not only be honest and simple but also appropriate to the needs of the hearer.</li><li>Correcting someone else's vices requires considerable tact; it is like pointing out that they have bad breath.</li><li>Stoics wanted to describe events in plain and simple terms.</li><li>This requires two main things: Conciseness and Objectiveivity.</li></ul>

How to Speak Wisely

The Stoics divided the day into three stages: The Stoic morning meditation, Mindfulness throughout the day, and Stoic evening reflectionBy deeply reflecting on our values each day and attempting to describe them concisely, we can develop a clearer sense of direction.

How to Live by Your Values

<ul><li>Nothing lasts forever</li><li>Fear of death does us more harm than death itself because it turns us into cowards</li><li>Death merely returns us to Nature</li><li>To a man of wisdom, death should be among the least feared thing in life.</li></ul>

How to Prepare for Death

When doing what feels pleasurable becomes more important than doing what's actually good for us or our loved ones... that's a recipe for disaster.Evaluate your habits and desires in terms of the bigger picture: how much do these pursuits actually contribute to your long-term happiness or sense of fulfillment in life?

How to Conquer Desire

Pain is just a sensation, in other words; what matters is how we choose to respond to it.Tell yourself that the pain won’t last long if it’s severe or that you’re capable of enduring much worse if the pain is chronic.

How to Tolerate Pain

Premeditation of adversity can be useful in confronting anger and other negative emotions, but its techniques are particularly suited to treat fear and anxiety.Fear is essentially a future-focused emotion, so it’s natural that we should counter it by addressing our thoughts concerning the future.

How to Relinquish Fear

<ul><li>The main antidote to anger for Marcus is the Stoic virtue of kindness.</li><li>If someone hates you, that's their problem. Your only concern is to avoid doing anything to deserve being hated.</li><li>Nothing lasts forever. If events will seem trivial in the future when we look back on them, then why should we care strongly about them now?</li></ul>

How to Conquer Anger

<ul><li>The Stoics wanted to develop a healthy sense of gratitude in life, unspoiled by attachment.</li><li>They practiced calmly imagining change and loss, like a river gently flowing past, carrying things away.</li><li>Don't fight what happens but try to accept and even embrace it.</li></ul>

How to Accept One's Fate

"This book is a wonderful introduction to one of history's greatest figures: Marcus Aurelius. His life and this book are a clear guide for those facing adversity, seeking tranquility and pursuing excellence." —Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and The Daily Stoic The life-changing principles of Stoicism taught through the story of its most famous proponent. Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was the last famous Stoic philosopher of the ancient world. The Meditations, his personal journal, survives to this day as one of the most loved self-help and spiritual classics of all time. In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, cognitive psychotherapist Donald Robertson weaves the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius together seamlessly to provide a compelling modern-day guide to the Stoic wisdom followed by countless individuals throughout the centuries as a path to achieving greater fulfillment and emotional resilience. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor takes readers on a transformative journey along with Marcus, following his progress from a young noble at the court of Hadrian—taken under the wing of some of the finest philosophers of his day—through to his reign as emperor of Rome at the height of its power. Robertson shows how Marcus used philosophical doctrines and therapeutic practices to build emotional resilience and endure tremendous adversity, and guides readers through applying the same methods to their own lives. Combining remarkable stories from Marcus’s life with insights from modern psychology and the enduring wisdom of his philosophy, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor puts a human face on Stoicism and offers a timeless and essential guide to handling the ethical and psychological challenges we face today.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

philosophy

Philosophy

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

books

Books

"This book is a wonderful introduction to one of history's greatest figures: Marcus Aurelius. His life and this book are a clear guide for those facing adversity, seeking tranquility and pursuing excellence." —Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and The Daily Stoic The life-changing principles of Stoicism taught through the story of its most famous proponent. Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was the last famous Stoic philosopher of the ancient world. The Meditations, his personal journal, survives to this day as one of the most loved self-help and spiritual classics of all time. In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, cognitive psychotherapist Donald Robertson weaves the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius together seamlessly to provide a compelling modern-day guide to the Stoic wisdom followed by countless individuals throughout the centuries as a path to achieving greater fulfillment and emotional resilience. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor takes readers on a transformative journey along with Marcus, following his progress from a young noble at the court of Hadrian—taken under the wing of some of the finest philosophers of his day—through to his reign as emperor of Rome at the height of its power. Robertson shows how Marcus used philosophical doctrines and therapeutic practices to build emotional resilience and endure tremendous adversity, and guides readers through applying the same methods to their own lives. Combining remarkable stories from Marcus’s life with insights from modern psychology and the enduring wisdom of his philosophy, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor puts a human face on Stoicism and offers a timeless and essential guide to handling the ethical and psychological challenges we face today.

Author of books on philosophy and psychotherapy, including Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, and the graphic novel Verissimus. I'm a philosopher and psychotherapist with a special interest in Stoicism and CBT. I was born in Scotland, but now live in Canada and Greece. 

Donald J. Robertson

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

That vague yearning for big change often leaves us swinging between two extremes:<ul><li>The fantasy of Change Everything! Fresh slate. ‘Better’ circumstances. Different self. Transforming the whole deal.</li><li>The default of Change Nothing. Too overwhelming. Too confusing. Don’t rock the boat. Deal with it later.</li></ul>

The vague yearning for a big change 

Try beginning with these 3 practices:<ul><li>Relax and let go of the need to know right now. See what happens when you get quiet and let the questions bake. Focus one whole month on simply slowing down and loosening the grip on needing to figure it all out asap.</li><li>Notice where you have enough. What is good and plenty, right here, right now? Savor that, and feel the sense of thanks wash through you. This helps reveal the elements of our lives that do matter to us.</li><li>Peek Beneath the Circumstances. Dig underneath the promise of the big change: What would it really be on behalf of? What would ideally get better? There’s something in the promise of big change that matters, that reflects our values.</li></ul>

Addressing the urge for a big change

I had a phone call the other day with a new client. A creative and accomplished lawyer looking thoughtfully at his next steps professionally and personally. When I asked him to boil down why he wants…

career

Career

communication

Communication

Having the Urge to Make a Big Life Change? Consider These 3 Things

From the earliest days, films use visual magic to create illusions and trickery. 
Special effects in film help to create elements that are unrealistic. Film first relied on practical effects, but now most of the effects are designed with a computer. Whereas visual effects were often seen as decoration, it is now becoming central to many blockbusters.

Visual effects in movies

Visual effects were created using in-camera effects, such as jump-cuts or superimpositions, miniatures, back projection, and matte paintings. <ul><li>A precursor of animation was by Briton Eadweard Maybridge, who photographed The Horse in Motion in 1878. He photographed frame by frame how a horse's hoofs were off the ground at the same time.</li><li>In 1902, magician George Melies developed the art of magical special effects that he perfected and used in later films.</li></ul>

How the earliest effects were produced

The optical printer was an important innovation in special effects photography. It was first used to make copies of films for distribution, but Linwood G. Dunn refined the design and showed that it could be used to combine images to create new illusions. Colour enabled matte techniques such as bluescreen and the sodium vapour process. The 1939 Wizard of Oz is considered the first colour film.

The optical printer and colour

The many new special effects developed during the 1950s increased the level of realism possibilities in science fiction films.  Forbidden Planet (1956) used matte paintings, animation, and miniature work to create alien lands. In The Ten Commandments (1956), the crowds in the Exodus scenes were multiplied with careful compositing. The Red Sea was a combination of travelling mattes and water tanks.

Special effects during the 1950s 

<ul><li>Jason and the Argonauts (1963) depicts the infamous skeleton battle scene.</li><li>In 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the shots of spaceships were combined through hand-drawn rotoscoping and motion-control work, creating elements that combined precisely in the camera.</li><li>Hidden wires, mirror shots, and large-scale rotating sets helped set zero-gravity scenes.</li><li>A new technique termed slit-scan was used for the voyage through hallucinogenic scenery.</li></ul>

The 60s brought remarkable practical effects

<ul><li>The number of effects in Star Wars was staggering.</li><li>1973s Westworld was the first to use 2D computer animation.</li><li>Superman from 1978 used bluescreen and smart camerawork that took filmmaking to another level.</li><li>Visual effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull developed his own motion system and created an intentional "lens flare" to make shapes of flying saucers.</li></ul>

Advancements in special effects in the 70s

In the 80s, Blade Runner featured a futuristic city with flying cars and floating advertisements., Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan was the first film to feature a computer-generated scene. Immediately after, the first computer graphics elements were featured.

Visual effects in the 80s

<ul><li>The 90s opened up new possibilities using Computer-generated imagery. It was now possible to insert life-like imagery by creating photo-realistic images of science-fiction/fantasy characters, settings, and objects.</li><li>Motion capture technology featured in the 1990s, first seen in Total Recall (1990). Then Terminator 2:Judgment Day (1991) showed multiple visual effects shots.</li><li>Toy Story (1995) showed that the distinction between live-action films and animated films began to blur.</li></ul>

The 1990s opened up new possibilities

Visual effects in the 2000s revolved around trying to be more realistic and believable. <ul><li>Films like The Lord of The Rings infused an actor's performance onto a computer-generated creature. Other movies advanced this technology to new heights in facial and body motion capture.</li><li>The Mandalorian used a new virtual camera system, allowing film scenes in a virtual reality environment as if it is filmed with physical cameras.</li></ul>

2000s and beyond: Pushing the boundaries

movies

Movies & Shows

The Evolution of Visual Effects From 1878 til Today

Music has probably played an essential role in humans. Evidence shows that early man developed primitive flutes from animal bones and used stones and wood as percussion.
Surviving Greek notation has given scientists a clue to how the music of the early Greeks and later the Romans might have sounded. Instruments featured during these times include the trumpet as an instrument of announcement and the lyre as an integral player in the songs of poets.

Music of the Greek and Roman times

<ul>
<li>In the early part of the first century, the monasteries and abbeys across Europe became places where music was part of the lives of those devoted to God.</li>
<li>Early Christian music had its roots in the practices of the Hebrew people, and it became the basis for sacred music for centuries.</li>
<li>Pope Gregory (540-604 AD) is credited with developing the Gregorian Chant, characterised by the open, perfect fifth sound.</li>
</ul>

Early Christian music

During this time, music was practised by kings and paupers alike. The sound of this music becomes increasingly familiar due to the development of musical notation.
The written music that survived makes it possible to assemble an image of a vibrant culture. Throughout this period, music adopted more elaborate structures and devices that produced works of immense beauty. Important musical forms of this era include the motet, the sacred Mass, and the madrigal.

Music of the Medieval Period (500AD - mid 15th century)

Josquin des Pres is thought to be one of the early Renaissance composers and a great master of the polyphonic style, combining many voices to create complex musical textures. Palestrina, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd built on his ideas, composing stunning motets, masses, chanson and instrumental works.
Instruments like the bassoon and trombone gave rise to larger instrumental groupings, allowing composers more scope to explore their creative ideas.

Music of the Renaissance Period (1450 - 1600)

This period has many famous composers and pieces of Western Classical music known for their musical and instrumental developments. Italy, Germany, England and France dominated the musical landscape, influencing one another.
The most celebrated composers of the time are G F Handel, Bach, Vivaldi and Purcell. Instrumental music was composed along with vocal works. The preferred harmony is tonal, and the system of keys (major and minor) is used over modality. This allowed for more complex pieces.

Music of the Baroque Period (1600-1760)

Haydn and Mozart dominate the musical landscape of this period. Composers moved away from the polyphonic towards the homophonic, writing music that was simple and measured.
A key development is that of the Piano that replaced the Baroque harpsichord. Chamber music and orchestral music was a central quality of this era. The orchestra was firmly established and included the clarinets, trombones, and timpani. Opera became a fully-developed musical form of entertainment.

The Classical Period (1730 - 1820)

Beethoven made a notable change into the Romantic Era. His genius shaped the Romantic period by redefining many of the established musical conventions.
The era saw developments in the quality and range of instruments as composers allowed their deepest emotions and dreams to shape their music. Debussy and Ravel are key composers of this movement and composed extensively for the piano.

The Romantic Period (1780 - 1880)

Introduction and the brief history of music. Get to know the music periods and history of medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic era music. Through the history of music, we find increasing evidence of its key role in sacred and secular settings.

history

History

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Brief History of Music: An Introduction

It is a philosophical system that concentrates on separating the things you can control from the things you cannot control and then teaches you to introduce in your daily routine habits that help you focus most of your energy on the things that are under your control.

A Simplified Definition Of Stoicism

Part of the stoic practice is related to meditating on the certainty of death and finding freedom is it instead of being overwhelmed by it.
Thinking about death highlights the short duration of life; this practice gives us a sense of urgency to pursue the things that are important to us. Without this sense of urgency that happens when we think about death, it becomes easy for us to postpone things, to push them for an undefined "tomorrow" until it's too late.

Memento Mori

Death for example is outside of your control and it happens to everyone.
But you can control the way you relate to it: instead of viewing it as a moment of immense sadness, make it a great catalyzing help.

Thinking About Sad Moments: An Empowering Practice

Think about how you relate to the emotions you don't want to feel and that you try to avoid: sadness or anger for example.
But these negative emotions are going to come up and when you identify them as bad and try to refuse them with all your energy, what happens is that you give them even more power.

What You Resist Tends To Persist

Seeking out artistic cues to catalyze emotions that previously you've tried to avoid will help you to relate differently to events like death. Because most likely what you're horrified about is not so much death, but the way you're emotionally relating to the concept of death. 
Watching films that are scary, sad or depressive, and then contrasting that with something that is on the opposite end of the spectrum will help you understand that these moments of sadness are transient and that you can switch them off and on with cues in your environment.

Evoking Sad Emotions Deliberately

Tim on embracing and reflecting on one's mortality. SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

Tim on embracing and reflecting on one's mortality. | Take 10 seconds and sign up for my free "5-Bullet Friday" newsletter: https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/​ Each Friday, you’ll get a short email from me with five things I've discovered that week, sending you off to your weekend with fun and useful things to ponder and try. 🙌

SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW
 
About Tim Ferriss:
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running.

Connect with Tim Ferriss:
Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ 
Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/
Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 under 40.” He is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. The Observer and other media have called Tim “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, which is the first business/interview podcast to exceed 100 million downloads. It has now exceeded 800 million downloads. 

Listen to The Tim Ferriss Show podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast
Sign up for Tim's "5-Bullet Friday" free email newsletter with 1.5M+ subscribers: https://tim.blog/friday 


Tim Ferriss

Life Is Short: How to Add a Sense of Urgency | Tim Ferriss

<ol>
<li>Surround yourself with nature. Nature makes us feel good and improves our health. It helps as a buffer against the stress we deal with on a daily basis. If nature is inaccessible, looking at photos of nature helps, as well as listening to birds and rain.</li>
<li>Create opportunities for awe. It gives us the feeling of ceding control of our inner voice. We are less self-focused.</li>
<li>Declutter. When we see the order in our environment it gives us a comforting feeling because it makes life easier to navigate.</li>
</ol>

Optimizing your environment for a calmer mind

<ol>
<li>Shifting our perspective </li>
<li>Talking to others to get support; and</li>
<li>Changing the environment around us </li>
</ol>
The first two work in moments of distress and allow us to make smarter choices, while the third is something that we can proactively do. How we think and how we feel are embedded in our physical spaces.

3 main ways we can turn down the chatter in our heads

According to the psychologist, Ethan Kross, one of the biggest contributors to our happiness is the voice inside our heads. Our inner voice analyzes every situation we're in, reflects on the past and the possible future, and plays a part in telling us who we are.
Our own voices can either bring us down and ruminate on negative emotions or otherwise.

The voice inside our heads

A new book offers tools to help you avoid being overwhelmed by negative thoughts and feelings.

health

Health

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Calm a Distressed Mind by Changing Your Environment

Whether it’s emotional, philosophical, interpersonal, or professional growth, people are not growing at the same pace.Some people move light years if you don't talk to them for a couple of months, while others stay more or less the same for 3, 4, 5 years or longer.

The Pace of Growth is Personal

By staying challenged you do not slip into the dangerous comfort zone. You can stay challenged by:<ul><li>Doing anything that you don't know how to do.</li><li>Doing more than you have time for.</li></ul>This makes your brain cells work in creative ways for you to figure out new things and how to incorporate them into your life.

Stay Challenged

It's always better to have an audacious goal. If your goals are mediocre and small, you will slip into distractions and routine work.

Big Goals

Typical, run-of-the-mill bosses cannot be a good guide or teacher. You have to work towards finding your Mentor.A CEO of a big company is not going to come and chat with you in your cubicle about how you can get to where they are now. It's your job to seek them out.

Find the right Mentor

Spend time with friends who motivate you and bring out your best behavior and habits, rather than those who lull you into being mediocre and are just fun to have a drink with.

Friends Who Motivate

Nowadays TV shows, movies, and other media are more about quick action and fast engagement.Pure reading, which requires world-building, time and patience is a lost art. To truly harness the power of reading, do not fill your mind with junk, but with quality books.

Harness your Willpower

Fear holds us back. We don't ask for a raise in fear of losing our job. We don't have a tough conversation due to fear of conflict. The culprit is our fear of failure.Once we get comfortable with failing, and use it as a learning experience, we can deal with life and grow exponentially.

Fear of Failure

A growth strategy that broadens our world is to just move on. We limit ourselves, in our small shell. We curb ourselves by doing one thing our entire lifetime. We need to move on and experience more of life. We need to quit what's holding us back and impeding our growth.

Move On

General ways to grow yourself. Kinda general, but good reminders non-the-less.

If you're like me, then you tend to spend some (probably too much) of your time thinking about all the ways that you can improve and grow yourself. You think about the dietary changes you can try, the challenges you can put your body through, the best investment decisions you can make, if there are ways to improve your sleep.

habits

Habits

timemanagement

Time Management

How to Create Professional Growth

In our increasingly isolated social structures, being able to effectively self-promote yourself is a huge advantage.
But boasting or blowing one’s own trumpet is not a skill that is considered an attractive quality. Taking pride in your professional skills and highlighting your accomplishments should not be taboo, but a normal part of your professional life.

Effective Self-Promotion

Self-promotion is the act of shining a light on your work and accomplishments. 
If we don’t invest time and energy in ‘self-selling', we run the risk of being obscure or getting lost in the crowd.

Demonstrating Your Value

No one has the time to notice your hard work by themselves.
Rather than doing nothing and being out of sight and out of mind, one can set aside some time to self-promote and let others know what you are up to.

Start A Self-Promoting Habit

<ul>
<li>Like any new skill, one has to learn and develop self-promotion muscles. </li>
<li>E-mail is a great way to share your project updates, accomplishments and even small wins. </li>
<li>One can volunteer as a mentor to the younger colleagues. </li>
<li>It is a good idea to keep a list of your accomplishments and achievements, as it also helps you in your self-appraisal.</li>
<li>A digital presence, like LinkedIn, ensures that your up-to-date skills and expertise are out there for everyone to see. </li>
<li>Be a storyteller and promote your story to others, letting them be part of the process.</li>
</ul>

The Self-Promotion Skill

Many of us instinctively hate the idea of blowing our own trumpets. Yet it's important to understand how best to highlight our skills – especially now.

teamwork

Teamwork

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

Why self-promotion doesn't have to be taboo

<ul>
<li>Equality has to do with giving everyone the exact same resources.</li>
<li>Equity involves distributing resources based on the needs of the recipients.</li>
</ul>

Equity And Equality

Equality is about dividing resources in matching amounts, and equity focuses more on dividing resources proportionally to achieve a fair outcome for those involved.
Recognizing this difference is important in just about every sphere of life: public health, politics, education, racial justice, and more.

Recognizing The Difference Between Equity And Equality

The dictionary definition of ‘equity’ seems similar to that of ‘equality,’ but there’s an important distinction between the two.