We love learning how to be more creative. Creativity remains one of the most highly valued assets in the workplace. Companies are pushing recruiters and HR staff harder than ever to find candidates who can think differently. Businesses want problems solved more efficiently and more quickly, and creative thinking is arguably the most effective way to conquer problems. Despite all this, how does creativity as a skill (and the fostering of it) remain so utterly elusive?...

Research Background Psychologist-researcher Gary Lupyan conducted an experiment where 20 volunteers were shown objects, in a supermarket, and were asked to remember them. Half of them were told to repeat the objects, for example, banana, and the other half remained silent. In the end, the result shown that self-directed speech aided people to find the objects faster, by 50 to 100 milliseconds, compared to the silent ones. This personal experience actually made him conduct this experiment....

The Science Behind Self-Control People have been fascinated with the neuroscience of self-control since the famous “Marshmallow Test” of the 19060s[2]. In this test, children were given a marshmallow and told that if they avoided eating it for fifteen minutes, they would get a second one. Some were able to wait, while others ate the first marshmallow right away. Scientists assumed the frontal cortex of the brain played the biggest role in this ability to sacrifice short-term satisfaction for long-term fulfillment....

To ‘fake it’ isn’t necessarily a lapse in authenticity It isn’t that you have to make false claims or lie, it’s not about being superficial. It’s actually a matter of attitude. A way of living your reality in a way that manifests your deepest desires. The notion of positive thinking and the power of the mind to influence our lives is not a new idea. There is a long history of how happiness is a right and should be endorsed as a state of mind that can alter our physical reality....

Although my kids are super healthy, I sometimes need to call the doctor. Sometimes I call (yes I do) because my husband insists, even though I think it’s fine. He hasn’t been a parent as long as me (he’s my second husband for those of you scratching your heads). Life and sickness come and go quickly! If he says call, I call, because even if I think things are fine, maybe his gut is working better than mine or maybe he just needs to be reassured by our trusted pediatrician....

What if… What if I forget the words when I stand up there? What if I go completely blank? What if I totally suck? What if I look or sound stupid? What if they hate me? What if I’m not pretty enough? Cool enough? Smart enough? Qualified enough? Experienced enough? Talented enough? Thin enough? What if they see through my act? What if they discover what I’m really like? What if they find out about my issues?...

Oh, how things have changed in 10 years! Today’s 3D printers can be used to manufacture anything from automatic weapons to food items. Some of them are smaller than ink printers and cheaper than an iPhone, too. And with all these innovations, it’s fair to say 3D printing is changing the world in a major way. Read on below to see 7 major examples of how the future will be different thanks to 3D printing!...

Procrastinating. Having a sense of entitlement. Settling into your job description. Avoiding office politics. Not being a team player. Not dressing the part. Failing to network. Erin focuses this article onto young workers – as many of those mistakes are coming from inexperience. In particular, failing to network. Many people (included me in the past) think networking and engaging new contacts are only critical for getting a job. It is one of the benefits, but it also gives you ways to get know more about your industry, or latest trends outside of your business and company....

When it comes to natural protein, your two main choices are meat or fish. Each are composed of unique vitamins and minerals that can enhance your muscle recovery and performance during intense training sessions. No one really thinks about interchanging the two. Most people generally lean towards choosing meat over fish, as it is tends to receive more attention by the media. So what does fish have that meat doesn’t?...

Part of the human experience Money means different things to different people. Or different things for the same people at different stages of their journey – stress, anxiety, freedom, choices, arguments, happiness, sadness, motivation, sleepless nights, elation and sadly things like crime, violence, deception, manipulation and even marital breakdown. Like it or not, money is a necessary part of the human experience; something which needs to be negotiated and managed virtually every day of our lives....

1. Cultivate gratitude for what you have (rather than focusing on what you don’t) An unfortunate side effect of the way our brains have evolved is that we are drawn to focus more on the negative than the positive. This has been necessary for our survival, but a biased focus on the negative in our daily life can dramatically affect our experience of life and our mood. Luckily for us, thought patterns are like habits and we can gradually change them....

Watch my interview with Rachael and learn her small life hacks that will change your life.

Need a Reliable Contractor? Head on over to Angie’s List where their tagline says it all: “Home service contractors reviewed and rated by real homeowners like you!” Trouble Keeping Track of Passwords? Check out these two informative and useful articles. 10 Free Ways to Track All Your Passwords How to Create Strong Passwords You’ll Remember Need to Write a Business Plan but Have No Money for Business Planning Software? Go to the U....

Are you tired, avoiding someone, or shy? Maybe you lack solid social or conversational skills. Perhaps you don’t know anyone who’ll be at the gathering or you’re wary of conflict. Whatever the reason, it’s much easier to overcome once you know what it is. Be Social: Some “Get in the Social Mood” Strategies Energy fixes – You’re tired. That’s completely understandable. Most of us can relate to that “feeling so tired, you just want to go home and be left alone” state....

A recent study conducted by the Centre for Music in the Brain at Aarhus University, found that music can improve the quality of sleep for adults with sleep disorders. Music affects the brain in many wonderful ways and relaxing music can help bring the brain into a state of meditation that allows you to drift off more easily. So why not try this for yourself? Yellow Brick Cinema has a variety of relaxing music for sleep that you can listen to that aims to play for 8 hours allowing the music to easily make its way into your subconscious and improving overall sleep quality....

Winter (December, January, February) Winter is a season full of special challenges. With the holidays of December and the cold weather, many people struggle to make progress. Make the most of this time by implementing the following principles: Review The Past Year’s Accomplishments. Completing an Annual Review in December is a practice that many of the most productive people in the world practice. This practice will help you capture insights on goals achieved and ideas to help you become more productive in the coming year....

According to some estimates, more than eighty five percent of internet users have purchased something on the internet at least once and half the number of internet users shop online regularly. That means, the online market is big and is ever expanding. So, why not set up an ecommerce website if you have something to sell? While setting up an ecommerce website may seem like a daunting task at first, with all the tools and services readily available in the market, it really is easy setting up any kind of website on the internet....

You desperately want to find time for you, and for improving your work, your skills, for observation, for growth, but there’s now white space left on your calendar. It doesn’t take long, before you start to feel tired and inefficient because of your current situation. Yet, you don’t want to stop – in order not to break the momentum. But is this “forced” momentum really worth it and is it actually doing you more harm than good?...

The key to a good motivational speech is to have a great story that gives the audience inspiration to do more. Many of these stories are based on events in the speaker’s life. When they tell a great story, the audience will be moved to act in some way that will benefit themselves and others. Not all of the motivational speakers that are hired for meetings have a good story to tell....

Harland David Sanders was born in 1890, and did not start selling fried chicken until 1930. But when he finally sold his business at the age of 75, he set a path for one of the largest fast food chains in the entire world. So what were his business secrets? Here are five important secrets which any businessman can learn from the colonel, both in starting a business and maintaining it afterwards....