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Archive for the ‘Quality of Life’ Category

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Why Positive People Always Win

In Mind-Body, Quality of Life on June 22, 2012 at 6:39 pm

This post credited to: Optimism Vs. Positivity: Why Positive People Always Win, by Mike Radivis at www.becomeunrestricted.com

Optimism Vs. Positivity. Huh? Wouldn’t that have to be Optimism Vs. Pessimism or Negativity Vs. Positivity? And aren’t optimism and positivity the same thing? No, and no. It’s really hard to realize that, because usually optimism and positivity are used as synonyms. Conversely, pessimism and negativity also aren’t the same. Let’s start with some…

Definitions

The following aren’t common definitions of the following terms, but I think they are rather useful and enlightening:

  • Optimism means that you expect a situation to have a definite good outcome.
  • Positivity means that you think any outcome of a situation can be used in a good way.
  • Pessimism means that you expect a situation to have a definite bad outcome.
  • Negativity means that you find a bad aspect of any outcome of a situation and focus on that.
  • Realism means that you have accurate expectations about the probability of good, neutral, or bad outcomes of a situation.
  • Indifference means that you don’t care about the outcome of a situation.
  • Neutrality means that you think the good and bad aspects of any outcome of a situation will balance out each other.

Note that these are pretty granular definitions as they all depend on a given situation; like doing a test, working on a project, or going to a party. In reality, people are optimists in some situations while they are pessimists in others. You can be optimistic about your career outlook and pessimistic about your weight, or the other way around.

Optimism, realism, and pessimism are about expectations. Positivity, negativity, indifference, and neutrality, on the other hand, are about perspective. Read the rest of this entry »

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Stand Up To Feel Better And Stay Lean!

In Food & Drink, Mind-Body, Quality of Life, Zowie Fun Facts on May 10, 2012 at 1:01 am

couchtater

This post credited to: Stand Up, Walk Around, Even Just For ’20 Minutes’, at NPR.org

If you’re sitting at a desk reading this article, take a minute and stand up. That’s the latest advice from New York Times Phys Ed columnist Gretchen Reynolds. In her new book, The First 20 Minutes, Reynolds details some of the surprisingly simple ways you can combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

Federal health guidelines recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise — such as walking or jogging — every single day. But new research shows that even regular exercisers may not be doing enough to counteract the health hazards of sitting down at a desk all day long.

More Health And Exercise Tips:

How Revving Up Your Heart Rate, Even A Bit, Pays Off

Getting your rate into your target zone can help you get more out of a workout.

Lighter Weights Can Still Make A Big Fitness Difference

You don’t have to lift heavy weights to build muscles. More reps with lighter weights works.

How To Eat Out Without Putting On The Pounds

A researcher says one secret to keeping the pounds off is eating slowly and savoring each bite.

Even A Little Exercise Can Help Your Heart

Even modest amounts of physical activity reduce the dangers of heart disease, a new study finds. Read the rest of this entry »

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What Happens Next – When We Die?

In Life, Mind-Body, Quality of Life on March 13, 2012 at 11:05 pm

What happens when we die? It is the most profound question humankind has yet to answer after over 12,000 years of civilization on planet Earth.

Just as everyone shares the common experience of birth, we all eventually face the certainty of death. Many believe it is not only the end of life, but the end of their existence as well. But is it?

Science is still gridlocked on the subject because there is no proof of an afterlife. But there is also no proof of a source of life either. Oddly enough, life may not be a thing at all and yet we all live and have a personal experience with this most enigmatic quality of existence.

NBC News sat down with medical doctor and author Deepak Chopra and posed that question to him as well. His book on the subject: Burden of Proof – Chopra’s Life After Death, offered some impressive answers from studies and personal experience as a physician.

So is it so much a matter of faith in an afterlife? Do we freely pass from the physical to a disembodied spiritual plane and then back to the physical in a new incarnation? Can we control the process of disengaging from our bodies when we no longer find them useful? Can we pass blissfully into an afterlife without the pain of body death.

I’ll continue to explore the research and the people who claim to have the facts in future posts, on not only what life truly is, but what happens next - when we die. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why Beautiful Women Can’t Get Dates

In Culture, Mind-Body, Quality of Life on February 16, 2012 at 12:00 am

This post credited in it’s entirety to: The Big Zowie

Is it truth or myth that beautiful women often stay home alone waiting for the rest of us to get up the nerve to call them?

Obviously we see women who are, or should be models, on the arm of  some equally dashing and handsome man. So we might assume beautiful people only attract each other.

The media and Hollywood is part of the problem here. Many movies and TV shows promote  beauty, fame and success all in the same package. But perception isn’t always reality for beautiful women in the real dating game.

In a Dating Tips 24/7 article entitled Beautiful and Alone:

“… some of them are assumed to be very self-centered and, therefore, will only date certain types of men. They don’t want to be seen with the ordinary guys. In other words, if a man doesn’t have lots of money and a hot car, they shouldn’t even approach women like this.”

But according to the Hathor Legacy,  where they report on women’s issues and healthy role models, editor-in-chief Jennifer Kesler offers in her post Beautiful Girls Can’t Get Dates:

“I just wanted to let the guys who make these movies and shows know: this doesn’t often happen in real life. Actually, I’m not sure it ever does.”

Many of the top women in their field, who have it all: good looks, money, career and self-confidence, find they have real trouble attracting the right man, even when they are supposedly surrounded by them.

From a recent You Magazine article, Beautiful, Successful and alone:

“…this year, a surprising number of actresses will be taking the red carpet ride without a partner on their arm – Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellwegger, Sandra Bullock and Minnie Driver to name a few.

And although they might tumble in and out of attachments, Kylie Minogue, Geri Halliwell and Miranda Richardson all remain unmarried. These women are not, they admit, entirely happy about their solo status.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Valentine’s Day Top Romantic Movie Picks

In Food & Drink, Quality of Life, Relationships on February 14, 2012 at 10:28 pm

This post credited in it’s entirety to: The Big Zowie

Guys, if you’re reading this, you probably waited ’til the last minute to figure out something romantic to do on a budget for Valentine’s Day. You’re in good company though. According to Cosmopolitan Magazine’s 2010 Romance Survey, most men come up short in the romance department:

SHE SAID: Nearly 40% of women report that their boyfriends or husbands are “not very often” or “never” romantic
HE SAID: Meanwhile, 75% of men claim they are consistently romantic

It’s nothing to brag about boys. But at least we’re trying. So, you’re on a budget and you want to pull off a great last minute night ’0 romance.  This is the time when you need to turn to the professionals – the movie industry! Nothing can raise the snuggle-factor faster than a good old Hollywood romance movie. So whether by dumb luck, or terrific googling skills, you’ve come to the right place to pull your keester out of the fire.

Check out this list from (who else?)  Better Homes and Gardens, find someplace to download, rent, buy, or steal one of the following best picks from the people who know their mushy stuff. Their editorial staff is loaded with high class, opinionated women; an excellent source reference. Then send out for food, light a few candles and hit the couch with your honey for a great night of togetherness. Oh, and ahem, a card would be a smooth move too.

Here you go my brothers: Editors’ Picks: 30 Top Romantic Movies for Valentine’s Day - and may your evening go exactly as planned. Er, better.

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Study Proves Surprising Power Of Gratitude

In Mind-Body, Prosperity, Quality of Life on December 21, 2011 at 8:57 pm

power of giving
 
Thursday, in between the cheese ball appetizers and the pumpkin pie desserts, most of us will indulge in something proven to have powerful health benefits.

No, it’s not that extra serving of stuffing. It’s the expression of gratitude — the simple act of thanking God, thanking others or just counting your blessings. Saying thanks, it turns out, isn’t just pious or polite. It’s good for you.

But there’s a catch: You have to do it even when the calendar does not say “Thanksgiving.”

“It doesn’t really work if you do it only once a year,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside.

Practicing gratitude is like exercising, says Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis: Use it, and you won’t lose it, even when times are tough, as they are for many folks right now.

Lyubomirsky and Emmons are among researchers who have studied the power of gratitude and learned, for example, that:

•  People with high blood pressure not only lower their blood pressure, but feel less hostile and are more likely quit smoking and lose weight when they practice gratitude. In one study, patients just called a research hotline once a week to report on the things that made them grateful.

•  People who care for relatives with Alzheimer’s disease feel less stress and depression when they keep daily gratitude journals, listing the positive things in their lives.

•  Those who maintain a thankful attitude through life appear to have lower risks of several disorders, including depression, phobias, bulimia and alcoholism.

•  Most people can lift their mood simply by writing a letter of thanks to someone. Hand-deliver the letter, and the boost in happiness can last weeks or months. Read the rest of this entry »

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VIDEO: What Really Motivates Us!

In Mind-Body, Quality of Life on December 19, 2011 at 11:21 pm

what motivates us

From Daniel H. Pink, the author of the bestselling A Whole New Mind, comes a paradigm-shattering look at what truly motivates us and how we can use that knowledge to work smarter and live better.

Most of us believe that the best way to motivate ourselves and others is with external rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That’s a mistake, Daniel H. Pink says in, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, his provocative and persuasive new book. The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life. He demonstrates that while carrots and sticks worked successfully in the twentieth century, that’s precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today’s challenges.

In Drive, he examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action. Along the way, he takes us to companies that are enlisting new approaches to motivation and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are pointing a bold way forward.

Drive is bursting with big ideas—the rare book that will change how you think and transform how you live.

Check out Dan Pink’s provacative whiteboard animated video on what really motivates us:

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Success And The Halo Effect

In Culture, Mind-Body, Quality of Life on December 12, 2011 at 6:48 pm

success-halo-effect

In ancient Greece, Helen of Troy, the instigator of the Trojan War, was the paragon of beauty, exuding a physical brilliance that would put Cindy Crawford to shame. Indeed, she was the toast of Athens, celebrated not for her kindness or her intellect, but for her physical perfection. But why did the Greek men find Helen, and other beautiful women, so intoxicating?

In an attempt to answer this question, the philosophers of the day devoted a great deal of time to this conundrum. Plato wrote of so-called “golden proportions,” in which, amongst other things, the width of an ideal face would be two-thirds its length, while a nose would be no longer than the distance between the eyes. Plato’s golden proportions, however, haven’t quite held up to the rigors of modern psychological and biological research — though there is credence in the ancient Greeks’ attempts to determine a fundamental symmetry that humans find attractive.

Symmetry is attractive to the human eye

Today, this symmetry has been scientifically proven to be inherently attractive to the human eye. It has been defined not with proportions, but rather with similarity between the left and right sides of the face Thus, the Greeks were only partially correct. By applying the stringent conditions of the scientific method, researchers now believe symmetry is the answer the Greeks were looking for.

Babies spend more time staring at pictures of symmetric individuals than they do at photos of asymmetric ones. Moreover, when several faces are averaged to create a composite — thus covering up the asymmetries that any one individual may have — a panel of judges deemed the composite more attractive than the individual pictures. Read the rest of this entry »

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World Population Hits 7 Billion This Year – Zowie!

In Mind-Body, Quality of Life, Zowie Fun Facts on October 27, 2011 at 12:34 am

A clock is ticking. Sometime late this year, the United Nations Population Division predicts that with about five babies born every second, the world will have 7 billion people.

Seven billion. It was fewer than 1 billion in 1800, 3 billion in 1960, and 6 billion as recently 1999.

The number keeps growing. The planet does not. Thomas Malthus famously predicted in 1798 that at some point, it would all be too much: starvation and disease would kill people more quickly than we can replace them.

But is this year’s milestone cause for worry? Or just the opposite — celebration?

“With the population still growing by about 80 million each year, it’s hard not to be alarmed,” writes Robert Kunzig, the author of National Geographic magazine’s January cover story, “7 Billion.” “Right now on Earth, water tables are falling, soil is eroding, glaciers are melting, and fish stocks are vanishing. Close to a billion people go hungry each day.”

A funny thing has happened on the way to the apocalypse, though. Yes, there is poverty more dire than most of us in America can imagine, but the growing population has not caused the world to collapse. Instead, we’ve conquered infectious diseases, learned how to grow more food, provided clean water even in crowded cities.

The much-discussed “population bomb” may yet go off, says Kunzig — but so far it has not. Read the rest of this entry »

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Steve Jobs An Old Fashioned Visionary

In Fun Technology, Genius, Quality of Life, Technology on October 6, 2011 at 4:52 pm

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died this week after a long battle with cancer, is rightfully being lauded as a visionary, a person who brought technology seamlessly into our lives and who could all but see the future in his development of new ideas that would change whole industries.

But for all the cutting-edge sleekness of the Apple he envisioned, there was something decidedly old-fashioned about him. At a time when corporate executives are being picketed by an encampment on Wall Street, Mr. Jobs stood apart. He was not some hired gun CEO looking to bump up the stock price a few points before unfurling a golden parachute. He was a captain of industry the likes of which we see far too little of in today’s America.

The average American business leader is about as admired as Congress these days, thanks in part to sky-high CEO compensation amid a dismal economy. Yet Mr. Jobs was beloved by the public, and not because of his good works or sparking personality. He didn’t pursue global philanthropy on the scale of his great technology contemporary, Bill Gates, and he was, by all accounts, not much fun to work for.

He was an intensely demanding micromanager who was known to humiliate subordinates who failed to live up to his expectations. He was nothing like the corporate leaders in whom most of our livelihoods are, at one level or another, entrusted. He did not go to business school and did not graduate from college. He believed, in a very un-P.C. way (so to speak), that he knew best, not the customer. Read the rest of this entry »

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