Shape Up America

Positive Thinking

By admin | May 15, 2009

I came across this article on the power of positive thinking. This article is widely available but it would be a shame for me not to include it in shapeup archives as well. Here is the text of the article grabbed from successconsciousness.com including a link directly to source at the bottom of the page.

The Power of Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

Not everyone accepts or believes in positive thinking. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. Yet, it seems that many are becoming attracted to this subject, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it. This is a subject that is gaining popularity.

It is quite common to hear people say: “Think positive!”, to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective. How many people do you know, who stop to think what the power of positive thinking means?

The following story illustrates how this power works:
Allan applied for a new job, but as his self-esteem was low, and he considered himself as a failure and unworthy of success, he was sure that he was not going to get the job. He had a negative attitude towards himself, and believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than him. Allan manifested this attitude, due to his negative past experiences with job interviews.

His mind was filled with negative thoughts and fears concerning the job for the whole week before the job interview. He was sure he would be rejected. On the day of the interview he got up late, and to his horror he discovered that the shirt he had planned to wear was dirty, and the other one needed ironing. As it was already too late, he went out wearing a shirt full of wrinkles.

During the interview he was tense, displayed a negative attitude, worried about his shirt, and felt hungry because he did not have enough time to eat breakfast. All this distracted his mind and made it difficult for him to focus on the interview. His overall behavior made a bad impression, and consequently he materialized his fear and did not get the job.

Jim applied for the same job too, but approached the matter in a different way. He was sure that he was going to get the job. During the week preceding the interview he often visualized himself making a good impression and getting the job.

In the evening before the interview he prepared the clothes he was going to wear, and went to sleep a little earlier. On day of the interview he woke up earlier than usual, and had ample time to eat breakfast, and then to arrive to the interview before the scheduled time.

He got the job because he made a good impression. He had also of course, the proper qualifications for the job, but so had Allan.

What do we learn from these two stories? Is there any magic employed here? No, it is all natural. When the attitude is positive we entertain pleasant feelings and constructive images, and see in our mind’s eye what we really want to happen. This brings brightness to the eyes, more energy and happiness. The whole being broadcasts good will, happiness and success. Even the health is affected in a beneficial way. We walk tall and the voice is more powerful. Our body language shows the way you feel inside.

Positive and negative thinking are both contagious.
All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference, and through body language. People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts, and vice versa. Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive people and avoid negative ones? People are more disposed to help us if we are positive, and they dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.

Negative thoughts, words and attitude bring up negative and unhappy moods and actions. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration and disappointment.

Practical Instructions

In order to turn the mind toward the positive, inner work and training are required. Attitude and thoughts do not change overnight.

Read about this subject, think about its benefits and persuade yourself to try it. The power of thoughts is a mighty power that is always shaping our life. This shaping is usually done subconsciously, but it is possible to make the process a conscious one. Even if the idea seems strange give it a try, as you have nothing to lose, but only to gain. Ignore what others might say or think about you, if they discover that you are changing the way you think.

Always visualize only favorable and beneficial situations. Use positive words in your inner dialogues or when talking with others. Smile a little more, as this helps to think positively. Disregard any feelings of laziness or a desire to quit. If you persevere, you will transform the way your mind thinks.

Once a negative thought enters your mind, you have to be aware of it and endeavor to replace it with a constructive one. The negative thought will try again to enter your mind, and then you have to replace it again with a positive one. It is as if there are two pictures in front of you, and you choose to look at one of them and disregard the other. Persistence will eventually teach your mind to think positively and ignore negative thoughts.

In case you feel any inner resistance when replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, do not give up, but keep looking only at the beneficial, good and happy thoughts in your mind.

It does not matter what your circumstances are at the present moment. Think positively, expect only favorable results and situations, and circumstances will change accordingly. It may take some time for the changes to take place, but eventually they do.

Another method to employ is the repetition of affirmations. It is a method which resembles creative visualization, and which can be used in conjunction with it. It is the subject of another article on this website.

The other articles at this website, about the power of concentration, will power, self-discipline and peace of mind also contribute to the development of a positive mind, and are recommended for reading and practicing.

Source

Topics: General, Productivity | 2 Comments »

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rid of Laziness and Procrastination!

By admin | May 5, 2009

It’s a question we always ask ourselves…WHY AM I SO DAMN LAZY?!?! How do people who are afflicted with laziness heal themselves? Is there a cure? I don’t believe laziness and procrastination is always a bad thing but when it takes over, diminishes your productivity and stops your from enjoying life to it’s fullest, then it’s almost like paralysis.

It’s not always too late to limit the affects of both. It takes some initiative though, to read topics that can motivate a person to walk away from being someone useless to someone productive. In this article…we’ve listed many links to productive tips, motivational articles on how to get rid of laziness and procrastination. The only tough thing is for your lazy ass to make sometime to go through, read and try to implement in your life!

Laziness

Procrastination

Here is a much larger list of articles categorized by topic. Enjoy…

Self Improvement

Productivity

Health and Fitness

Food and Diet

Brain Power and Memory

Sleep

Articles, Research, Tips and Techniques on Improving Your Sleep

Video Documentaries About Sleep

Note: All these links are for informational purposes only, I simply collected as many articles related to sleep for my own reference.

Topics: General, Productivity | 6 Comments »

Testing using iphone

By admin | April 11, 2009

This is a test using iPhone wordpress app. Seems easy to use…maybe now I can post articles when taking a dump even.

Yeh!

Topics: General | 2 Comments »

13 Mental Fitness Exercises to Keep You Sharp

By admin | March 10, 2009

Found this great article on how to keep your brain shap. Below is a post of and link to the actual article.

1. Use Your Other Hand- Whenever basic tasks become second nature (requiring no concentration,) our brains fail to get any exercise. One way to give your brain a workout is to use your other hand for common tasks. If you’re right handed, try eating with your left hand. Brush your teeth with your other hand too. This might sound easy enough, but you’ll find yourself actually focusing on accomplishing these simple tasks. As a result, your mind gets a good workout.

2. Shop without a List- Sometimes, we make things a little too easy on ourselves. Shopping with a list of everything you need means you can mindlessly coast through the supermarket without lifting a mental muscle. Instead, why don’t you try hitting the store without that list in hand? At the very least, hide the list in a pocket and see how much of it you can remember.

3. Engage in Conversations Each Day- Between social networking and text messaging, does anyone actually have conversations anymore? It’s good to chat it up with friends because it causes you to focus on what others are saying and to instantly think of your response. This exercise works best when you get past meaningless conversation and into deep, insightful discussions.

4. Read New Books- If you usually read fiction, try reading a history book. If you usually read magazines, try picking up the business section of your newspaper. Reading new things expands your mind, giving you a great mental workout.

5. Exercise Your Body- Physical exercise doesn’t just make you big and strong; it also keeps your brain active. Studies show that regular exercise fights depression, reduces stress, and improves self-confidence. All of these things help your mind operate more efficiently.

6. Change Your Daily Routine- Remember what I said earlier about when things become second nature, your brain stops working? Keep your mind working by constantly shaking up your daily routine. Maybe you can take a different route to work. Or instead of coming home to relax every day after school, maybe you can join a club that meets weekly. Change it up!

7. Start a Project- Working on a project is good for a couple of reasons: a) It gives you a sense of purpose as you do something productive; b) More importantly, it forces you to focus on completing a large task over a long period of time. Whether you want to build a model car or write a book, a long-term project is essential for mental fitness.

8. Use Your Other Senses- The ultimate goal of mental fitness exercises is to stimulate all of your senses. There are several ways you can do this. For example, as you enjoy your meal, try identifying all of the ingredients as you chew. Or, try eating with your eyes closed without making a mess. If your senses are sharp, your mind will be too.

9. Expand Your Vocabulary- Learning new words doesn’t just make you sound smart in social settings, it keeps your mind fit as well. Try learning a new word every day.

10. Pay Attention to the Tiny Details- When you walk into a room, take notice of the little items that decorate the space. Likewise, when you meet someone, take note of their complete outfit down to the tiniest details. This constant attention to detail means your mind will always be working.

11. Ditch the Calculator- Again, stop making things so easy on yourself. Put your math skills to the test by ditching the calculator. Better yet, get rid of the pencil and paper too. Try solving complex math problems in your head with no help.

12. Play a Game- Who said video games rot your brain? Strategy based games, like Halo, can actually be highly effective at exercising your problem solving skills. Same thing goes for board games. Remember, mental fitness can be fun!

13. Try Multitasking- If you’ve seen the game show Distraction, you know how difficult it can be to perform the simplest tasks when there are other things pulling at your attention. Multitasking is like a full body workout for your brain.

Article Source.

Topics: Productivity | 5 Comments »

41 Lazy Habits that can mess you up

By admin | March 9, 2009

Laziness is the disease that all of us suffer from. Laziness is a lack of desire to do pretty much anything that benefits a human being in a positive manner. Laziness is the opposite of productivity.

Laziness is procrastination which is basically delaying doing things until they become absolutely necessary. Here are a short list of habits that you should avoid if you want to achieve self control and make your life worth living again.

Stop watching too much TV!
Limit Facebook
Forget about MySpace and 5 million other social networking sites
Stop wasting time on Digg and Reddit
Stop staying up late
Stop over eating
Eating late
Eating too early (Like 3AM!)
Skipping breakfast
Rushing your meals
Neglecting to brush teeth
Neglecting to floss
Using Google for everything!
Neglecting a good night’s rest
Eating fried food
Picking your nose
Farting and burping in public
Careless attitude
Getting to work late
Getting to class late
Sleeping at meetings and classrooms
Eating out everyday
Writing a blog once a month
Not taking shower daily
Not taking a crap regularly- Yea. Some people don’t even do this because they’re too damn lazy!
Not exercising
Leaving work until last minute
Browse the Internet aimlessly
Not taking shower regularly
Idling for long periods of time
Over eating
No exercise
Smoking
Eating fast food daily - Stop going to McDonald’s for breakfast/lunch and dinner. Watch Super Size Me to get an idea what it does to you in a matter of only few weeks!
Stop delegating - If you want a cup of water or the remote GO GET IT YOURSELF!
Stop driving and walk to short distances.
Stop finding shortcuts - Getting things done take time and effort. Taking shortcuts all the time is a lazy way out of doing hard work.
Don’t wait until the last minute in the morning before getting up and then have to rush to get ready for work or school.
Don’t leave anything until the last minute.
Not cleaning after yourself - There are so many people who use the bathroom but do not wash their hands after. Forget about #1, some people don’t even bother washing their hands after doing #2! Even worse than that, some people don’t even wash their arse when they take a dump. How disgusting can a person be if they don’t properly wash their arse or wipe properly?? This is sick and it bothers me.
Stop eating when not hungry!

I could go on but can’t think of anymore…I’m sure there are hundreds of other lazy habits that affects us negatively and create setbacks everyday.

Topics: Fitness, General | No Comments »

Power of Your Words

By admin | March 8, 2009

The thoughts, ideas and concepts framed using the power of certain words can bring about amazing results, as some words are extremely powerful. It can create a winning message and have an emotional influence over readers mind. The right words can not only increase your sales but also create many new potential buyers dramatically.

It is a proved fact that whether the words are written or spoken, they have enormous power. You can do some research to find the power words or phrases that capture your attention. Then note down these words in your diary. If it captured your attention, there are more chances that they will hold peoples attention and invoke reaction in them. When time comes you can use power of your words to stimulate interest and drive profits.

When the power words are combined with the right message, you can get very good results. The difference of just few words can either pull in prospects or push them away. It is very important that you use the power of your words in headlines and content of your sales page because when the people visit your sales page you have about 10 seconds to grab their attention. If you cannot make it within that first 10 seconds, there is possibility that the visitor may leave your sales page.

10 ways to use power of your words to get amazing results:

Capture peoples attention.
Create a visual picture of the product.
Make your product description easy and understandable.
Invoke reaction in people.
Give reasonable solution to your prospects problem.
Offer hope for getting success.
Arouse the interest of the readers.
Motivate people to buy your products.
Cause an impact on the visitors.
Prove your creditability and Professionalism.

Finding the right words to communicate with your prospects is very much essential for the growth of your business, as it provides you with a powerful way to present the description of the opportunity or the products that you are promoting. Below are the 30 power words that you can use to increase your sales and sign ups:

Excellent, Reliable, Creative, Expert, Knowledge, Limited, Hidden, Special, Exciting, Important, Tested, Massive, FREE, Easy, Guaranteed, Magic, Secrets, Results, Discover, Confidential, Ultimate, Discount, Sale, Profitable, Urgent, Attention, Sensational, Successful, Powerful, Remarkable.

The reason why the word “FREE” continues to be one of the top selling words throughout the internet is that everyone loves to get something without spending anything. Some words are so powerful that they can elicit emotions and create visual pictures in your readers mind, sometimes to such an extent that they can induce people to laugh, to cry or even to buy.

Always use familiar words while sending a message to your business prospects, so that whatever message you want to put forth becomes clearer and easily understandable. Including the prospects name in your message, especially in the middle of the sentence, helps to boost the attention levels. If, people come to know that you have the right solution to their problems, automatically more and more prospects will be attracted towards you thereby making your online venture a successful one.

The author, Diego Norte, is the creator of the Glyphius software. Discover Copywriting Software That Improves Profitability Using Statistical Analysis To Mathematically Study Profitable Ads… 100% Guaranteed!
http://www.Glyphius.com

Topics: Fitness, General | No Comments »

Doctors’ Treatment Of Colds Are Being Tainted

By digg.com: Stories / Health / Popular | January 10, 2009

A two-year investigation conducted in five major cities has exposed a widespread campaign by the formidable Rest and Fluids industry to infiltrate thousands of doctors’ offices and dictate how they treat minor illnesses.

Topics: General | Comments Off

New Study: Autism Linked to Environment

By digg.com: Stories / Health / Popular | January 10, 2009

Research links soaring incidence of the mysterious neurological disorder to fetal and infant exposure to pesticides, viruses, household chemicals

Topics: General | Comments Off

Nut allergies — a Yuppie invention

By digg.com: Stories / Health / Popular | January 10, 2009

Unless you’re a character on “Heroes,” genes don’t mutate fast enough to have caused an 18% increase in childhood food allergies between 1997 and 2007. And genes certainly don’t cause 25% of parents to believe that their kids have food allergies, when 4% do. Yuppiedom does.

Topics: General | Comments Off

Cognitive vaccine: using Tetris to fight PTSD

By digg.com: Stories / Health / Popular | January 10, 2009

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychiatric condition that can play havoc with the lives of sufferers. Although we have some therapies for patients once it develops, being able to prevent the onset would be of great help. Could Tetris be the solution?

Topics: General | Comments Off

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Positive Thinking

Practical Instructions

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rid of Laziness and Procrastination!

Laziness

Procrastination

Self Improvement

Productivity

Health and Fitness

Food and Diet

Brain Power and Memory

Sleep

Articles, Research, Tips and Techniques on Improving Your Sleep

Video Documentaries About Sleep

Testing using iphone

13 Mental Fitness Exercises to Keep You Sharp

41 Lazy Habits that can mess you up

Power of Your Words

Doctors’ Treatment Of Colds Are Being Tainted

New Study: Autism Linked to Environment

Nut allergies — a Yuppie invention

Cognitive vaccine: using Tetris to fight PTSD