Psychologists have found that people are distracted from the task at hand nearly half the time, and this daydreaming consistently makes them less happy.
Read more, here.
Psychologists have found that people are distracted from the task at hand nearly half the time, and this daydreaming consistently makes them less happy.
Read more, here.
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This is a pretty interesting article; I'm fascinated by many elements of psychology and learning about ways one could move past habitual patterns of thinking and become as Matthew Kelly describes in his book, "The Rhythm of Life", the "best version of ourself".
This is just a small example of something I think many people (not just athletes and performers) encounter periodically, if not on a daily basis.
Read more about it here.
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"How positively you see others is linked to how happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable you are."
Read the rest of this great article here.
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By looking to find someone else to blame, we are failing to deal with our own mind.
When we look at most conflict in the world and through our day to day interactions, we begin to notice how blame can easily get shifted off our shoulders and onto others'. It's convenient to point a finger in order to protect our sense of self. We don't want to be proven wrong, attacked, or taken advantage of.
I was thinking of metaphors for what the action of blame is like in life and came up with this: You're playing Monopoly and it's late in the game and you find yourself going to jail once again. You're relieved because you don't have to face the row of hotels in front of you for the time being; there's a sense of comfort and safety, but you know you have to face the board eventually. Part of the fun is seeing how we're able to get out paying rent on those properties. If we never left jail, the game would be endless and grow stale.
Blame is like that. We face many adversaries day to day and often habitually retreat to our safety zone of, "I didn't do anything wrong here. This person/event has made my day really difficult." Stepping out of that comfort zone, we can see that beyond the "drama" there's an undercurrent of good things happening all around us at any given moment. We may "land on a property with a hotel" in life, but inevitably we always shake it off with a laugh; and if not a laugh, we grow wiser for the experience. By pointing a finger, we've completely ruled out 50% of the problem: our perspective.
Being honest in my own experience, I find that in unpleasant circumstances, I quickly place blame on another person for causing this thing to happen. There is a definite sense of ignorance and lack of trust in the situation. A common pattern in my life is that of withdrawing from challenges (not wanting to "rock the boat", per se) and using so much energy to fight what has crossed paths with me.
It's upleasant to be afraid. We all work to address our fear in ways that have to do with: "I don't want to be afraid right now. I'm in this meeting and have to talk and feel embarrassed and anxious. I need to get rid of the things that scare me because I want to be able to perform."
You have to start with the basics: dealing with what's presented to you in a mindful manner; working with things as they come up. You cannot run way from fear or you'll never get past it. If you go toward it, if you have a genuine interest in it, as unpleasant as it may be, you can move through that to fearlessness. If you can catch yourself in the act of blame, if you can see it, then you can do something about it.
It's really that simple.
(Photo Credit: momo.echz)
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A fascinating documentary about the effect of intention, thoughts, emotions and music on water.
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When we deal with today only, seemingly impossible projects become manageable. Conflicts that would have consumed all of our attention can be addressed for a reasonable amount of time if we recognize that they may not have to be resolved completely and at once. And "just for today," we can make small changes in our actions and attitudes, explore new possibilities and take a few tiny risks, all of which can help us to move forward in a positive direction.
You can begin by trying to adopt one or two of the suggestions below. It doesn't, matter which ones we choose; they can all help us put this one day to use and learn that managing a single day can be the beginning of a new and better life:
Photo Credit: sakis.da
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It's a month of new beginnings in many ways.
What happens during the year? We lose our connection between the mind and body. During the days leading up to the New Year we examine all the negative aspects of our life: "Something needs to change, I can't live like this anymore." This pattern of thinking is typically negative towards ourselves or rolled off as humorous neglect.
You might say, "I'm going to make some changes in my life". That's fantastic. Taking control and stepping in a positive, healthy direction feels natural, it feels right. The mind wants it and the body needs it. However, we inevitably lose the fire of the resolution. External factors get in the way of precious time and commitments we set out to engage in. It happens every year and every day and fools us again and again.
Why is this? It happens because of the intensity and speed of life that we have created. The mind constantly seeks out the next thing to do. We rarely find comfort in being still and listening to the needs of our body and mind's interest. There is more to life than increasing it's speed. Just because others around us are moving a mile a minute, we don't have to contribute. We don't have to add to the rush.
As soon as we start to see that we spend so much of our life and energy avoiding being present, being honest emotionally, being fully known, we can start to feel what's underneath it all. And what's under it might be tenderness, vulnerability, and the connection to basic goodness of our life and that of others.
For me, that's the fire of the true new year's resolution. A synonym for "resolution" is single-mindedness. I don't want to be so single-minded to complete a task that I lose focus of the other needs of myself (mind and body) and others. A more appropriate suggestion that I'll offer in place of that term is a new year's awareness. Instead of making a list of things that I'd like to do, to be done at some point throughout the year, I'm going to attend to the present moment and become aware of the needs I actually need to fulfill, rather than the needs my mind tells me should be done to satisfy or gain the approval of others.
"Everybody wake up, if you're living with your eyes closed."
- Dave Matthews Band, "Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives)"
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Last week at a Berklee Fusion Magazine meeting, the hosts of Correspondence, a weekly radio show on the BIRN, introduced us to a charity/awareness walk taking place in Boston on October 24th. It's called the GuluWalk.
Dozens of cities around the world will gather to walk, discuss, and hear speeches from people promoting global awareness, specifically to the needs of children in Northern Uganda. You can read more about the conflict on this page.
My decision to participate in the walk works in solidarity with my ever-growing interest in becoming a global citizen and awakened individual. I hope that with the help and involvement of other people in my school and community, we can all start to really understand what it means to live again.
Check out our team page here: GuluWalk Team Page. You can get further details on how to sponsor us or even walk if you live in the Boston area.
Peace.
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Yesterday in the library I was at the desk having what I thought was "normal volume" conversation with a co-worker. A student walked past the desk on the way out and with a hint of hesitancy said, "you guys are being really loud. That's all we can hear in the reading room."
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I was eating dinner in a cafe near Berklee a while back and noted how great an idea it was for them to play a silent film on the television screens around the bar area. With all the noise from the kitchen and patrons, extraneous volume from a program or game would have made the environment too rowdy.
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The last day of the week has always been associated with a "day of rest". Some cultures and religions count Sunday as the beginning of the week and a day to gather and spend time with God through prayer and reflection.
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"Everything in moderation, including moderation."
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I see it everyday. Drivers in Boston getting irritated and impatient at all hours on the streets. Today I even heard, "are you serious?" yelled out the window of one motorist.
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Every day is the first day of your life.
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You've seen it in movies and TV where a group of people are locked into an isolated area and are forced to get along and work with each other. That got me thinking:
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Yesterday afternoon I got a headache and immediately took some aspirin. In the meantime, I was sitting through my work shift under what felt like really bright lights.
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The confirmed world's oldest man passed away today at age 113. It made me realize how much history this man lived through. I bet he would say the world is the same, but people have lost their focus.
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What if you sold your TV tomorrow?
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