7 unconventional ways to maximize your morning

7 unconventional ways to maximize your morning7 unconventional ways to maximize your morningI recently wrote an article about the role coffee plays in our cultural routine. In addition to its practical one, it also serves as a reliable boost for morale.Coffee shares this distinction with a good many things, the bulk of which are painfully pedestrian Eight hours of sleep, amantra in the mirror, a cup of coffee and a read during your commute weve read it all before.Mobedrngnisony is the common enemy of every profession so here are seven unconventional but healthy ways to start your morning.1. Eat pastaClaire Lower made a great case for why breakfast lasagna is a practical morning meal in a piece recently published by Lifehacker. You can make a big ole batch thatll be good throughout the week, its relatively easy to make and its a great source of fat, protein and carbs if prepared properly.Theres so many ways to make a tasty-healthy pasta dish, too. Whole grain noodles for your dose of fiber (whole grains also fight disease and reduce your waistline), tomatoes for your vitamin C, and cheese for your needed drench of comfort.2. YogaIn 2017, Leah Wynalek did joga every day for two weeks before heading into work. The results? Most relevantly Wynalek found the routine to drastically reduce the discomfort of sitting in a desk chair all day. She felt energized and much more prepared to start her morning.In a more general sense, yoga has been proven to yield a calmer mind. Mental clarity is the most salient ingredient to a productive morning. Just 10-12 minutes a day is more than enough to starting seeing results.3. Quick 5-Minute MeditationWhile the body needs consistent movement in order to be healthy, the mind thrives with regular doses of stillness. This quote arrives by the curtesy of meditation expert Ralph De La Rosa.Morning meditation is a great way to energize mood ahead of a productive day. Try and wake up a few minutes earlier than usual, sit at the edge of y our bed, close your eyesand breathe. Youll notice that things seem just a touch more attainable, you become a little less overwhelmed a little less easily. The sacrifice of a few extra minutes of sleep every morning bestows a feeling of preparedness for your daily challenges.4 Subbing coffee for healthier alternativesYoull find no protest from me regarding the effectiveness of coffee (I probably drink something like 9 cups a day) but Id be remiss to suggest there arent a significant number of healthier alternatives that get the job done just as well.Things like Matcha, (powerful source of anti-oxidants), chicory (rich with inulin), Yerba Mate, (riboflavin, thiamine, phosphorus, iron, calcium) and chai (lowers risk of heart disease) are all great places to start. Heres a link for Healthlines guide of ingredients and preparation.5. Blast Some TunesBefore I became a fully realized coffee junkie, I used to start every Monday by blasting Another Side Of Bob Dylan front to back. If youre not careful mornings can be a sort of personality vampire. On the days I leap out of bed and launch straight into work without giving myself even a modicum of personal attention, all of my values and interest feel stale in my mind.Reserve a little space in your pre-work routine for your favorite song just to remind yourself of your identity outside of the office. Life coach Sharon Stokes corroborates statingMusic has the ability to shift your state, so play something that gets you in the right mindset for your day. 6. Social interactionMany of us arent the most gregarious in the wee hours of the morning but studies suggest that a little bit of social interaction can go a long way in rebooting your moods throughout the day.Try and touch base with your significant other before you head in to work (Ill just leave this here), or ignite a conversation with your barista. A brief chat, whether superficial or intimate, can boost alertness as well as temperament7. Make a planIn his book,Smar ter Faster Better The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business,author, Charles Duhigg, counsels us to determine what things deserve our attention. In chapter 4, Duhigg mentions the four classifications of goals frequently utilized by corporations the specific, the measurable, the achievable and the realistic all applied to a timeline.Make the smart goal system keep you on track. Visualizing what you wish to achieve helps your streamline your focus. Setting goals, allows room for the unexpected of course, but having a definitive finish line in mind will make you more productive.

ISHOW Registration Closes March 15

ISHOW Registration Closes March 15 ISHOW Registration Closes March 15 Feb. 24, 2017 Only a few weeks remain to apply for the 2017 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) program, the global competition that provides inventors and entrepreneurs from around the world with a platform to present their hardware-led socially conscious products. Individuals and organizations who are interested in taking part in one of this years ISHOW events must submit an application through the ISHOW website by March 15. The ISHOW focuses on physical products that are designed to have a positive social, economic or environmental impact. The first of this years events, ISHOW India, will be held April 27 in Bengalaru, India. The second, ISHOW Kenya, will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 25. The third, ISHOW USA, will be held in Washington, D.C., on June 22. The organizers of the ISHOW program have identified several areas of interest that applicants are encouraged to address, including water and sanitation s afety energy environment agriculture and food economy and community health and nutrition and education. A total of $500,000 will be awarded in cash and in-kind services, which includes a cash prize of $10,000 to $50,000 to each of the nine winners, based on individual need for scaling their respective hardware solution. In plus-rechnen to the ASME Foundation, this years ISHOW partners include Autodesk Foundation, The Lemelson Foundation, Villgro and Gearbox.Finalists for the three ISHOWs will be announced April 1. For more information on the 2017 ISHOW, to apply, or to see a list of past ISHOW winners, visit http//bit.ly/applyishow. You can also follow the ISHOW on Twitter asmeishow and thisishardware.

How to Take Off Work for Religious Holidays - The Muse

How to Take Off Work for Religious Holidays - The MuseHow to Take Off Work for Religious Holidays You have a life outside of work and you have commitments that sometimes conflict with your working schedule. Everyone does. But when those commitments are religious observances, it can feel especially tricky to navigate them in the office.With its strict business hours and measly two weeks of vacation, the working world isnt always exactly amenable to taking time off for non-commercialized holidays, early morning worship, or periods of fasting. And though employers must legally try to accommodate your needs, they wont all make it easy for you, and it can be difficult to stand up for yourself if you feel like youre the only one asking for special arrangements.But keeping your babo happy and staying true to your faith dont have to be mutually exclusive. Whether youre looking for a new job or navigating your current one, heres a guide to making your professional life and your spiritual life work together. Finding the Right ScheduleWhen youre considering positions, make your scheduling needs a priority. Most employers will tell you about standard work hours, but you should also ask about after-hours networking events, team-building activities, and the possibility of all-nighters before a deadline that might conflict with your worship or holiday schedule.Be open about your needs, and find out if the employer has a formal policy regarding time off for religious reasons (or anything else that might affect your practices- like a dress code). What holidays does the company already observe? What kind of notice do you need to give before taking time off? Does HR require documentation? If the position cant accommodate your calendar or other needs, it might not be the best fit.Allison Dean, a nurse in Houston, had to make that call, and ultimately she decided a job change welches necessary to accommodate her worship preferences. She traded the unpredictable hours of working in a hospital for the stable schedule of being a school nurse. The switch allowed me to worship with my family on Sundays and Wednesdays, and summers off mean that I can take trips to church-related events. I didnt have these options when I worked for the hospital, and it was definitely worth it to take a job that allowed me to put priority on my faith, she explains.Making it WorkWhether you need to take the Sabbath off each week, leave early for services, or just work around your annual Ramadan fasting, if you minimize the impact your schedule has on your workplace, your boss and colleagues will be much more willing to work with your needs. Many bosses, like Iwona Keel, Community Director for UDR Properties, wont mind bending the workplace norms if you can be flexible, too. Im willing to work with you on scheduling, as long as youre willing to compromise a little, too. If youre willing to come in early or stay late to make up for time off, Im happy to find a way to meet your needs, sh e says.If youre taking a partial day off to worship or fast, offer to come in early or stay late, or give your employer (and co-workers) some options to contact you that wont conflict with your religious observance.You can also look for a colleague whose needs complement yours- maybe theres a mom who needs to pick up her children from school and would prefer to come in early, allowing you to attend services in the morning and stay at work later in the evening.Sarah Stinson, an implementation consultant from Virginia, has seen success in the buddy system One of my Jewish colleagues happily traded Saturday shifts for Sunday or Monday shifts. It was a win-win for everyone, since some people attended services on Saturday or Sunday, and other people liked to have a day off during the week for appointments and errands. Talk with your employer and colleagues about setting schedules that work for everyone- youre probably not the only one who could benefit.Planning for Your AbsenceEven if yo uve discussed your needs with your company from the get-go, and your boss has agreed to accommodate them, you should prepare for time off for a religious holiday just as you would for any vacation day. Dont assume that everyone will keep tabs on your time off, either- unless your boss shares your faith, she probably wont remember when your holy days are.Instead, give your boss a heads-up as soon as you know the dates of your absence, and remind her as it gets close. From a managers perspective, Keel notes, I can take care of most issues with enough notice, and I need to be consistent about allowing time off. Giving notice as soon as you know about a conflict makes it much easier for me to accommodate your needs.Before you leave, wrap up your projects and leave documentation for your co-workers while youre gone. Leave an emergency contact for any outstanding work, and set up an out-of-office message if youll be gone for several days.Dealing With ConflictU.S. law clearly states that e mployers cannot discriminate on the basis of religion and must make reasonable accommodations for religious needs. But unfortunately, not all managers are willing to work with their employees- and some can make your life pretty difficult when they do.That doesnt mean you should take it. If youre getting pushback from your boss for taking Good Friday off or not attending an impromptu client dinner on a night you attend worship, check with HR to see if your company has a written policy that does accommodate your religious needs. Sometimes, its just a miscommunication- a review of the policies with HR and your boss may be all thats needed.If the HR route doesnt produce results, you do have legal recourse. For more information, check out the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions website. The Anti-Defamation League also provides resources explaining the rights and responsibilities related to religious accommodation in the workplace.Many companies and managers are more than willing to work with you to meet your schedule and religious needs, though finding that solution may take flexibility on your part. But be open about your requirements, and youre more likely to be able to work things out. Throughout my career, Ive found that communicating my needs clearly has been important- and by doing so, Ive been able to meet both my work and religious commitments without creating conflict or awkwardness at the office.

How to score a flexible work arrangement

How to score a flexible work arrangementHow to score a flexible work arrangementDo you ever fantasize about having mora flexibility in your workday? And what about those occasions when you actually ask for some added flexibility at work do you feel guilty about using it?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreOne of the greatest joys of being a negotiation trainer is witnessing countless professionals get up the courage to negotiate for jobs that better fit their lives. And Im not talking about leaving early one day as an exception to the rule. Im talking about rebuilding a role so that its flexible by design.Whether reducing your hours, moving to a remote or partially remote arrangement, or compressing your days,researchshows employees in flexibility programs are happier at work and less prone to burnout and psychological stress than their colleagues not in programs.Whats funny is tha t Id estimate that 80% of succeeding in these discussions happens before you ever get to the negotiation table. Does that surprise you? See, requesting a more flexible arrangement (over say a promotion or raise) tends to kick up a unique set of doubts in lots of people Why do I deserve an exception to the rule? Everyone else seems fine working full-time hours in the office isnt it a personal weakness if I cant/dont want to? Shouldnt I have a dire reason (sick loved one, medical issue) to reduce my hours? Will people think Im less ambitious or committed if I work fewer hours or spend less time at the office?Despite fears like these, those who succeed at negotiating for flex have some clear things in common. They dont make a spontaneous ask. They consider their ask from perspectives other than their own. They frame their proposals within a process. Recently, I had the chance to sit down withErin Jay at Care.comto weigh in both as a negotiating expert and as someone who negotiated pa rt-time employment myself years ago while getting my MBA.Have a read, learn the process for building your own proposal, and get ready to become more of a designer in your work life While youre at it, chime in with your success stories of what worked well with your ask.This article first appeared on Be Leaderly.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

7 Details That Dont Belong on Your Résumé

7 Details That Dont Belong on Your Rsum 7 Details That Dont Belong on Your Rsum When revising your rsum for a new job opportunity, make sure every detail you use passes the relevancy test.Just take a look at the job posting and then at your rsum and ask Does this information directly address the skills or experience the employer is looking for? If the answer is no, leave it off your rsum. When information is relevant, be sure to quantify it (rather than increased sales, use increased sales 30 percent in 12 months).Seems simple enough, but plenty of people miss the mark and clutter their rsums with irrelevant, vague and generic details. We asked employers to share some of the most irrelevant information they have seen on applicants rsums. Check out their responsesAn Amex Black Card HolderThe information in your rsum should be relevant to the job youre hoping to get. If the position is Consumer with Lots of Buying Power, the above information would be relevant. Turns out, however, that was notlage the case here.-Via Emily Rickel, Medical GuardianDetail Oriented Except when it comes to spelling, apparently. This is an empty statement and adds nothing to your rsum.-Rod Hughes, Kimball Communications HappyUnless youre applying to be one of the Seven Dwarfs, there is no need to include your temperament on your rsum. Once you score an interview, though, feel free to let your sunny disposition shine through.-Sherry Thomas, Palm Beach Etiquette Harmony, Belief, RealtorTwo of these things dont belong. Care to venture a guess? And while Realtor may be relevant, it would be even better to accompany it with specific details, like how much you have increased sales over the past year.-Mike Ketcham, Weather Radios DirectQuick LearnerGood to hear Then you should be able to grasp this concept right away Use specific details that demonstrate your skills and accomplishments, rather than generic statements that 99 percent of the populace would use to describe themselves (not too ma ny self-declared slow learners out there).-Faruq Hunter, GeniusCorpsValedictorian in the 6th GradeCongrats However, when including education information, start with college.-Scott DiGiammarino, Reed PotentialShaken hands with Anderson CooperImpressive Maybe A.C. can hook you up with a job because having shaken the hand of a minor celebrity wasnt on the list of desired skills for this one.-Meg Favreau, WiseBread.comLuke Roney is editor for CareerBliss, an online career community dedicated to helping people find happiness in the workplace. Check out CareerBliss for millions of job listings, company reviews and salary information.

Unbiased Report Exposes the Unanswered Questions on Free Generator Guide

Unbiased Report Exposes the Unanswered Questions on Free Generator Guide The expression free energy is a contemporary day buzzword that refers to the creation of energy from sources that doesnt need an input that must be paid for. Unlike solar or wind power devices, a completely free energy machine doesnt require any other supply of energy in order for it to do the job. When there are other sorts of power generators in existence on earth. Functioning as an asset, an absolutely free energy generator is among the lowest-risks with the best reward. There are lots of great advantages to using a do-it-yourself magnetic power generator to make power. Its perfectly safe for the family to get in their close proximity and does not have any ill results on growing children. Free energy may seem to be a stretch of the imagination, but with the ability of magnets, theres a really real chance to beschirrung energy that would otherwise be wasted in order to create electrical current that ma y be employed to run your house or your company. You merely require completely free energy generator plans, two or three parts from the tool shop and a little time to become energy self-reliant There are books readily available, which offer you textual and visual step-by-step guidance in the practice of building your very own magnetic power generator. You might be cited based on the source, the simple format. Once youre instructed on how to produce your magnetic generator, it is not too challenging to do and just a person whos not so confident in electrical installations or general technical work can do it. The never ending action within the generator refers to a system which works indefinitely, generating a massive quantity of energy. Yes, your present power supply is technically feasible to charge your everytime rather than paying your bill. Every totally free energy generator has its advantages and disadvantages and the major deciding factors need to be your location and the sum of electricity needed. True, the magnetic power generator isnt that simple to devise and get going, but as soon as you have gotten it to move, youre just making profit. The zero point magnetic power generator isnt only clean, but it is going to let you money on your electrical bill. The War Against Free Generator Guide Certain high-speed kinds of magnetic generators are employed in a selection of power appliances. Overunity generator is essentially a generator or a machine that could produce completely free electricity with the betreuung of air. A magnetic generator is likewise very eco friendly and doesnt give out any toxic fumes or gases which may be bad for our environment. Free energy magnetic generators use magnets to make an indefinite supply of absolutely free electricity. In earlier times enduring a power outage was as easy as starting the fireplace. As a start, you will discover an interesting academic program, but other members who do not understand that your energy production is truly possible without affecting the essence of the mother. Securing the proper kind of generator for your house can offer peace of mind during the storm season. The issue with the home generator systems which you can purchase today is that theyre much too expensive for normal folks to purchase. You might be quite happy you did. It is possible to comprehend the expansion of your computer to make more electricity when required. For households that are going green, the completely free energy machine is ideal. Free Generator Guide and Free Generator Guide - The Perfect Combination The concept of producing your own energy, for free, is an extremely intriguing idea for practically every individual. Make solar panels simple to receive all the vital items and make it simple for anybody to make a house. In the event you will need someone to make an online writing style. Unsourced material could be challenged and removed. There are many advantages of a m agnetic generator and you can construct a DIY yourself because its very simple to construct. More than a few men and women want to know more about learning how to construct a magnetic generator. The exact brde thing you would like is to start your search for a great portable generator onlyafter the lights go out. Overunity Generator Guide Download In the last couple of decades, several have opted for this type of energy. It is possible to search the Magnetic Generator Blueprints in the web to teach you just how to construct your magnetic energy generator. The generator utilizes the attraction and repulsion properties of magnets to create current through the day. It is extremely easy to make and anyone can make it with the help of the overunity generator guide that is available for you to buy.

5 Ways to Use Video Interviews to Jump the Skills Gap [Whitepaper] - Spark Hire

5 Ways to Use Video Interviews to Jump the Skills Gap Whitepaper - Spark HireMore than forty percent of recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed, but companies are having difficulty finding candidates with the right skills for their open positions. Its an unusual problem, but it should be given immediate attention.Nearly 40 percent of companies have open positions that they are unable to fill. This largely has to do with the difficulty of finding the right candidates. Once they are found, they are extremely hard to scoop up before the competition.This whitepaper will empower employers and recruiters with video interviewing strategies that give them the ability to jump the skills gap and efficiently connect with top-notch candidates who will actually contribute to their companys success and not just fill seats, says Spark Hire CEO, Josh Tolan.Companies looking to quickly address skills gap obstacles while saving money should turn to video interviewing technology. Six o ut of ten companies are already experiencing the benefits of video interviews. The one-way interview, in particular, is especially convenient for employers and staffing professionals because it enables candidates to answer questions by recording short video answers. These recorded responses can then be viewed at any time and for any duration. Additionally, candidates one-way interviews give hiring professionals insight on their personality, passion, dedication, and growth potential.Moreover, video interviews allow employers and recruiters to lower their geographic barriers so that they can connect with candidates nationwide and worldwide. Over sixty percent of companies admit to having been forced to settle on hiring someone who didnt fully meet the requirements of the job. With video interviews you can connect with talent from anywhere in the world to ensure that the person youre adding onto your team will have all the skills necessary to contribute to your organizations success.Do wnload the new whitepaper from Spark Hire, 5 Ways to Use Video Interviews to Jump the Skills Gap, to battle skills gap obstacles and come out on top

8 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Boss - The Muse

8 Questions You Should Be Asking Your anfhrer - The Muse8 Questions You Should Be Asking Your BossWhen my client Sarah contacted me to work out some issues at herbei job, I didnt think it would be a very tough assignment. After all, she was bright, good at what she did, and committed to being successful.The trouble, she explained, was her difficult anfhrer She saw him as an obstacle that she had to work around to achieve her goals, rather than an essential parte (or, frankly, any part) of her success.But as I continued to ask questions, I was surprised at how little she really knew about her assignments, her boss expectations, and overall, how to work with her manager effectively. In fact, she tended to make assumptions about what her manager needed or thought, based solely on her observations- without any real facts. No wonder she was strugglingIf youre having similar issues seeing eye-to-eye with your manager, take the advice I gave Sarah, and initiate a one-on-one meeting to ask t hese eight essential questions. With the answers you receive, youll better understand your managers point of view, be able to work together mora effectively, and, ultimately, create mora opportunity for success- for the both of you.1. Whats the Most Important Achievement You Hope to Accomplish in Your Current Role?This question will give you insight into your managers short-term motivation, which will give you a better idea of what your goals and objectives should be. Managers, unfortunately, arent always clear with employees on their goals and plans, but if you understand a bit more about what your boss is focused on, you can better prioritize your own responsibilities and position yourself for success in your boss eyes.For example, perhaps your organization is in the middle of an acquisition and your managers goal is to create a smooth transition for the newly merged department. With that information, you should be aiming to help her to succeed in that, whether that means spending a few weeks beefing up company documentation or simply volunteering to assist with training.2. What Are Your Career Goals?While similar to question number one, the answer to this will give you insight into your managers long-term goals. Does she want to be a VP by age 35? CEO by 50? Does she want to start her own business one day? Knowing her long-term plan will help you understand why she might make certain decisions. For instance, maybe she volunteers your department for a project that doesnt seem important to you, but it puts her squarely in the visibility of top executives- which could put her in the perfect position for a promotion.By having insight into her goals, youll better understand why she manages your team the way she does, instead of doubting her strategies.3. What Is the Most Important Thing Your Boss Cares About?Unless youre working for the CEO, your boss reports to a manager, too. So, asking this question will help you learn more about what the upper level of your organization expects.And finding out these higher-level goals will give you a deeper sense of meaning in your work, since youll see exactly how you and your team fit into the bigger picture.Plus, getting your finger on the pulse of the companys higher-level projects may give you the opportunity to volunteer for initiatives you otherwise wouldnt have been aware of.4. What Can I Do to Make You More Successful Today (or This Week, Month, Quarter, or Year)?This should be a question you ask on a regular basis- because you should always be trying to make your boss as successful as possible. When youre able to get a straightforward answer to this, youll be able to focus your energy in the right places- because youll know exactly what tasks need to take priority.(And as a bonus, it will also remind your boss that youre truly invested in his or her success.)5. Whats One Thing I Could Do Differently?Having clear expectations is the key to delivering winning performance- and this question is a sneaky way to find out those expectations. For example, if your manager says hed like you to make more of an effort to actively participate in meetings, youll know that he values a collaborative environment of ideas- rather than coming up with every initiative himself. And knowing that can help you perform exactly to his expectations.6. What Should I Know About Your Work and Management Style?Does your manager expect you to be available 24/7? Respond to emails on weekends? How does he or she handle stress?Asking this straightforward question may not get you all the answers (for example, a micromanager may not readily admit to micromanaging). But even if you get just a tiny bit of insight, youll have a better sense of what to expect and how to handle it.7. How Would You Like to Receive Feedback From Me?No matter what, you wont agree with your manager on everything. But, you dont have to simply simmer in frustration- as long as you know how to present your gripes in the right way.To p repare yourself for an eventual point of contention, ask how your manager prefers to get feedback- youll get a much better response if you play by his or her rules, whether that means scheduling a one-on-one meeting, rather than catching him or her off guard in a hallway conversation or summarizing your thoughts in an email.Once you know how to deliver your constructive feedback, youll be much more prepared to ask for what you need Whether youd like more frequent updates on deadlines, regular one-on-one time, or faster decision-making on projects, its important to be able to feel comfortable making these requests.(And if youre nervous to do it, heres how to give honest feedback that isnt scary.)8. Why Did You Hire Me?When you get a new job, youre often so excited that you forget to ask why you were selected over all the other candidates. But this is an important question to ask, because it will help you hone in on exactly how your boss believed you would make the team better.Perhaps your boss will say that you demonstrated your ability to present complex data in a simple way better than any other candidate. And so, now you know thats a major part of what your boss expects you to deliver. (Plus, since you probably do this better than anyone else on the team, its your chance to really shine)By spending some time in your managers shoes and asking these questions, youll be able to smooth out any rough edges of your professional relationship. OK- it might be a little intimidating at first, but give it a try. As you build that rapport, youll stop seeing your manager as an obstacle and start seeing him or her as an essential part of your mutual success.

Go to the next level of your life before you feel ready

Go to the next level of yur life before you feel readyGo to the next level of your life before you feel readyJohn Burke is a 30-year-old pianist from Atlanta, Georgia. He has composed several doppelalbums and mora recently has begun writing musicals. In 2016, he released the album, Orogen, which welches nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.One of the songs on Orogen is called, Earth Breaker, which Burke calls, Finger Breaker because it is extremely fast and intense. The purpose of Earth Breaker is to create the emotional experience of living through an earthquake.When Burke wrote the song, he couldnt physically play it. It was too fast and frankly, above his skill level. He wrote a song he could leid play. After enough practice, he was able to master the sequence of notes at increasing speeds.Earth Breaker is just one example of how John Burke continually pushing his creative boundaries. While writing, Willpower Doesnt Work, I interviewed Burke and asked him about his process for creating such a large and powerful body of work at such a young age.Heres what he saidHe rarely does the same thing twice.Hes always attempting something different and more challenging than hes ever done before (creativity, after all, is about pushing boundaries and making new connections).Once he gets an idea for a project, he immediately puts all of the pieces in place to ensure the project gets done in a timely manner.He embraces both internal and external pressure to propel himself forward.John Burke is continually disrupting himself and everyone else in his field. He is very creative but also very strategic. In fact, his strategy is what allows him to tap deep into his creative potential.Heres specifically what Burke does the moment he decides hes going to pursue a creative project.He calls his sound engineer and gets scheduled several months in advance for when his album will be recorded.Being on the schedule and being financially invested now gives him a pressing end-date (To achieve great things you need 1) a plan, and 2) not enough time - Meg Jay TED talk).He then blocks out his calendar for the next several months for Creation Time. This is where hes actually going to sit down and do the work. If its not on the calendar, it probably wont get done. If a paid-gig or another great opportunity pops up during creation time, he says he already has a meeting. That meeting is with himself.He then tells all of his fans via social media and his email newsletter about his upcoming album. This creates positive expectation and anticipation in his fans. Burke really cares about ensuring his fans trust him. So when he makes a public declaration to his fans, he feels compelled to make good on that promise.When Burke decides he wants to do a project, he doesnt overly-wait until he feels ready. Instead, he immediately creates conditions to make that project a reality. He forces his own hand. All of his strategies fit under the category of Forcing Function s - which are strategic situational factors put into place to ensure you produce a desired result.Forcing functions are flow triggers, because they force you to act and produce. They absorb you deep into what youre doing. This is how you remove procrastination and confusion.- - - Its a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until youre ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Now is as good a time as any. - Hugh LaurieThe remainder of this article is going to give you the psychological and strategic tools for continually pushing your own boundaries. Most of the people and organizations in any industry are avoiding change. This is especially true of those already successful.It is human-nature to seek homeostasis as fast as possible. In order to combat that, you need to continually disrupt yourself. Like Burke, you need to push your own boundaries and attempt stuff you havent done before. As Tim Ferriss explains, youll need to pursue excitement in the form of bold experiments instead of happiness.Specifically, this article will coverAnticipation (how to use it rather than be destroyed by it)Adaptation (and the fact that you should take on big stuff because as a human being, youll normalize very quickly)Excitement (why it should be the basis of what goals you pursue)Experiments (why you should try stuff youve never done before)Disruption (how youll plateau personally and be irrelevant in any market if youre not continually innovating what you do and how you do it)Here we goThe anticipation of the future is more intense than the future itselfThe anticipation of loss is much more frightening than the actual loss as anticipation leaves room for the vorstellungsvermgen to create that which, in all likelihood, will never transpire. - Craig D. LounsbroughThe anticipation of an event is usually far more emotionally powerful than the eve nt itself. This is true both for positive outcomes and negative.Anticipation is a double-edged sword. On one hand, anticipation is what holds people back from acting and on the other, anticipation is what can move you forward.When you project negative outcomes - like failure - you needlessly torture yourself. Psychological research has found that high achievers reframe anxiety and fear into excitement. If youre getting ready to do something that freaks you out, reframe it. Excitement is empowering while fear is disabling.Anticipation, then, can stop you from acting but it can be the very thing that gets you to act. As author, Peter Sloterdijk said, Faith is purely anticipatory, in the sense that it already has an effect when it mobilizes the existence of the anticipatory towards the goal through anticipation.Faith is a principle of visualization and action. Its when the anticipation and expectancy of a future outcome becomes so compelling and so real that you cant not act. This is what psychologists call, Pull motivation which is far different from Push motivation.Push motivation is a behavior that an individual forces themselves to complete in order to satisfy a need or achieve a goal.Pull motivation is a behavior that an individual feels drawn towards.Push motivation is rough. Its exhausting, depleting, and requires constant willpower, which quickly burns-out.Pull motivation is much more powerful. It draws you forward, and actually gives you more energy while youre doing it.Thus, anticipation can and should mobilize you, rather than paralyze you. Said Napoleon Hill, All thoughts which have been emotionalized (given feeling) and mixed with faith (expectancy), begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent.The final and potentially most important component of anticipation is the fact that people adapt very quickly. No matter how badeanstalt or good the future will be, it will quickly become normalized. Youre new norm may be unfathom able to most people, and even to a previous version of yourself. But to you, in this moment, it feels like any other day. Heres how bestselling author Russell Brand explains itPeople do this a lot. They dont seem to realize that the future is just like now, but in a little while, so they say theyre going to do things in anticipation of some kind of seismic shift in their worldview that never actually materializes. Tomorrow is not some mythical kingdom where youll grow butterfly wings and be able to talk to animals - youll basically feel pretty much the same way you do at the moment.This is helpful because you no longer need to fear change. All change quickly becomes your norm. Hence, you need to continually disrupt yourself because homeostasis creates apathy and lack of stimulation.Humans normalize very quicklyYes, a man can get used to anything, but do not ask us how. - Viktor FranklViktor Frankl wrote one of the most important books in the past century, potentially in the past mi llennial - Mans Search For Meaning.In the book, Frankl describes his experience as a victim of the Nazi Concentration camps. What surprised Frankl most was how quickly the shock and horror of watching people murdered and tortured became apathy.Everyone in the concentration camps - the victims and the perpetrators - became apathetic to the ridiculous and horrible situation. Psychological research shows how quickly we adapt to the roles we assume in a given situation. We then act out those roles without even questioning.The fact that a concentration camp can become normalized is both frightening and also empowering. What it shows is that people can endure far more than we think we can.No matter how difficult an experience, youll quickly adapt to that experience. Therefore, you shouldnt wait to do something until you feel pre-qualified. Instead, you get to work and the very situation will qualify you. It will quickly become your norm. For instance, earning millions or even billions of dollars is NORMAL for some people.What do you want to normalize in your life?Happiness has a ceiling-effect because we quickly adapt to new situations. One of the enemies of happiness is adaptation says Dr. Thomas Gilovich, a Cornell psychologist who has studied the relationship between money and happiness for over two decades. According to Gilovichs research, its far more powerful to seek and invest in experiences than it is to seek material possessions. Said GilovichPeople think the experience will come and go in a flash, and theyll be left with little compared to owning an item. But in reality we remember experiences long afterward, while we soon become used to our possessions. At the same time, we also enjoy the anticipation of having an experience more than the anticipation of owning a possession.Its powerful to stop pursuing final destinations and instead pursue experiences and growth. The problem with end-points or finish-lines is that youll quickly adapt. This is one of t he reasons people who attain a desired goal quickly plateau and lose their purpose. Greg Mckeown in the book, Essentialism, has said, Success is a catalyst for failure.Success, therefore, should not be a destination, but instead, an approach to life. Youre successful so long as youre following YOUR OWN curiosity and pushing YOUR OWN boundaries.The opposite of success is trying to beat someone else. This is also the opposite of innovation. Disruption is about walking away from competition rather than engaging in it. Said Billionaire Peter Thiel in his book, Zero To One, All failed companies are the same they failed to escape competition.Excitement is your super-powerExcitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all. - Tim FerrissKey things to avoid if you want an amazing lifeCompeting with other peopleSeeking end-points or outcomes as the ultimate source of successSeeking possessions to make you happyContin uing to do the same things for long periods of timeNot pushing your creative boundariesNot stepping into fear and disrupting your own status-quo and the status-quo of those around youExcitement comes from trying stuff you havent done before. John Burke, for example, is always pushing his boundaries. Over-specialization can be a path to stagnation. If you do the same thing every single day, your work and life will probably not have enough stimulation to drive deep emotion.Deep emotion and intense feelings are what inspire powerfully creative and innovative work. In order to experience deep emotions and intense feelings, you need to continually try new things. You need to reach the threshold of your current identity and go beyond it. You need to open yourself to new experiences that reshape how you view the world.According to Dr. Stephen Covey, a paradigm shift usually requires a new situation or a new role we take onWhere we stand depends on where we sit, which is a way of saying how our roles in life affect our paradigm, which then affects our behavior Many people experience a fundamental shift in thinking when they suddenly step into a new role, such as that of husband or wife, parent or grandparent, manager or leader.What would absolutely excite you?What ROLE have you been playing in your life that perhaps hasnt been so exciting?What would an exciting life look like to you?What would exciting work look like?What would exciting experiences look like?According to Dan Sullivan, there are two major types of people in this world needers and wanters.Needers are externally motivated, seek security, have a scarcity mindset, and are reactive to what other people are doing.Wanters are internally motivated, pursue freedom, have an abundance attitude, and are highly creative.Sullivan further states, Wanting is unpredictable because it creates things nobody knows about, ways nobody thought of before, and results nobody considered possible.Needing is based on push motiv ation. You have to force yourself to act because you feel you have to.Wanting is based on pull motivation. You let your deepest desires and curiosity direct where you go. You dont limit what you can do based on what other people do or have done.Therefore, you stop watching what others are doing and you chart your own course.You stop following convention.You break rules and create your own.To other people in your field, you come-off as radically creative because youre doing things way outside their frame-of-reference. Youre not even playing in the same game as the people in your field anymore because youve now created your own category and field.Said R. Buckminster Fuller, You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.Collaborating with people way outside your niche is powerful, because it stops you from living in an echo-chamber. When youre too far inside a particular field, you cannot see outs ide of it. This is really bad for creativity. Its bad for business and innovation. And its also bad for happiness and excitement.Experimenting is the best form of goal-settingBroadly speaking, as good as it feels to have a plan, its even more freeing to realize that nearly no misstep can destroy you. This gives you the courage to improvise and experiment.On how to get over analysis paralysis set deadlines for decisions (put them in your calendar or they arent real) and break large intimidating actions/projects into tiny mini-experiments that allow you to overcome fear of failure.- Tim FerrissInstead of pursuing traditional goals, a more exciting approach is to pursue 36 month experiments. Experiments are a fun way to pursue goals because they allow you to get innovative and bold. Experiments are short-term - and thus relatively low risk. They are your moon shots.Why play small?Whats the worst that could happen, you waste a few weeks or months and learn a lot while doing it?One of t he reasons experiments are powerful is because they arent based on what has been done before. By nature, an experiment is trying something NEW, where the boundaries of possible arent clear-cut.Heres a powerful process for developing a 36 month experimentThink about a PROCESS and an OUTCOME that would EXCITE you. In other words, what is something that would be motivating, fascinating, and stimulating to attempt just for the sake of it? But also, what is a bold and powerful outcome that could potentially come from it? Whats the most bold and powerful thing you could do in the next 36 months?Set a hard timeline. Dont make it too far away. The pressure of a timeline is an amazing forcing function - which will create flow and deep creativity.Focus on WHO - specifically WHO could you collaborate with to take this 10X or 100X bigger? WHO could you help that would fast-track your results so you are not re-inventing the wheel? WHO could you involve that would take this experiment beyond wh ere youve currently imagined it? True experimenting is far more collaborative than competitive. The best experimenters and scientists always work with people who push them past their own limited ways of thinking. Moreover, trying to do everything by yourself often leads to procrastination and failure. You can easily get other people on board by turning your experiment into a mission. Explain the WHAT and WHY of the mission to get people committed and excited to help.Invest upfront. A strong forcing functions is financial investment. John Burke did this by getting on the schedule and paying his sound recording engineer months in advance. In psychology, escalation of commitment occurs when you become so invested that turning back no longer becomes an option. This level of commitment will deepen your WHY-power, making motivation and inspiration organic and subconconscious.Block out your schedule to actually do the work. If you dont have it on your calendar, the time will go very fast. If its on your calendar and you put first-things-first, time will slow down. Youll be stunned by how much you get done in a single day.If youre not disrupting yourself, someone else isDisruptive change is the only way to avoid a career-killing plateau. - Whitney Johnson, Harvard Business ReviewAccording to bestselling author, Whitney Johnson, you can avoid stagnation and instead have continual growth in your life and career by doing the followingTarget a need that can be met more effectively.Match these needs with your disruptive strengths.Think about what you can do that most people cannot.Understand that market risk is better than competitive risk. In other words, dont compete against established players (as Walmart learned the hard way, dont try to beat Amazon at being Amazon). Create Blue Oceans by being radically honest with yourself and by following your own curiosity, rather than what other people are doing.Large companies have a hard time focusing on smaller, riskier, and mo re lucrative markets, people established in their careers do the same thing. Use this to your advantage. Stay small and lean and flexible.Let the strategy emerge (When the WHY is strong enough youll figure out HOW - Bill Walsh). Dont make overly detailed plans. Instead, focus on experiments and feedback and then adapt accordingly.According to Peter Diamandis If you dont disrupt yourself, then someone else will. Diamandis also said, In 10 years, its predicted that 40% of the Future 500 Companies will no longer exist. Things are changing so quickly that if youre not adapting and changing as well, youve already lost.Disrupt yourself every single day. Wake up and try something new. Try something that forces you out of your shell. Think bigger. Think more creatively. In the words of Ryan Holiday, conspire. Come up with a crazy plot that no one could possibly expect. Dont worry about all the people who will try to copy you. They will always be at least five steps behind.Ready to upgrade? Ive created a cheat sheet for putting yourself into a PEAK-STATE, immediately. You follow this daily, your life will change very quickly.Get the cheat sheet hereThispostfirst appeared on Medium.

The high cost of health care is keeping people up at night

The high cost of health care is keeping people up at nightThe high cost of health care is keeping people up at nightAnational surveyby CreditCards.com found that 38% of people reported losing sleep because of their finances.Specifically, health care and insurance costs are keeping all those people awake at night,compared to a 29% in a similar 2016 survey.The 2017surveyof 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted via telephone, and has been reportedly been done five times since 2007. With 1 in 3 American adults already being sleep-deprived as of 2016, the surveymade it clear that money is on the brain during some sleepless episodes, saying,financial insomnia is at its highest level since the Great Recession.The reason health care reform.Health care hasnt been such a big source of insomnia since 2009 (35 percent), when newly inaugurated President Barack Obama rolled out his landmark health care reform bill. The recent debate in Washington about overhauling the health care system again likely exa cerbated a financial worry that bugs consumers even in times of political calm, the company said.James Chessen, chief economist at the American Bankers Association, said in a statement that health care costs are one of the major financial burdens people have trouble keeping up with.Health care costs are one of the three major drivers of delinquencies in consumer creditI think its always a concern. For individuals who are living paycheck to paycheck, thats one cough or accident away from creating a financial problem, Chessen said in a statement. Even with health care on peoples minds, other costs are also taking a physical toll on them.Why you should put your health before your billsWe all know that getting enough sleep should be a prioritybecause deprivation can cause health problems.A Harvard Healthy Sleep article highlighted the connections between sleep and disease risk, providing explanations about obesity, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension, mood disorders, immune functio n and more.But the article also made a more morbid point clearData from three large cross-sectional epidemiological studies reveal that sleeping five hours or less per night increased mortality risk from all causes by roughly 15 percent.What financial worries are causing insomniaThe 2017 survey found that the amount of people dealing with this is trending toward levels not seen since the Great Recession, saying that 65% reported staying up worrying about money at night, compared to 69% in 2009. The entire era since the Great Recession has seen a huge spike in financial anxiety as proof, in 2007, 56% of people were struggling with financial sleeplessness.Here are the other reasons for respondents financial insomnia,in descending order, as presented in the write-up.Thirty-seven percent of people reportedthat retirement savings were keeping them up, compared to 39% in 2016. Thirty-four percent reported that the culprit was student loans, compared to 30% in 2016.About 1 in 4 people said that the monthly mortgage or rent payment caused their insomnia. Lastly, credit card debt was at the bottom of the pile, at 22% this year.So what did the people staying up over money do about it? Sixty-four percentsaid they cut back on costs in the last 12 months.Geographic mobility has slowed downThe trouble with money concerns is that they rarely have quick or easy answers. Its not always easy to uproot your life and relocate for a new higher-paying job, and millennials arent job-hopping as frequently assome think.An article on the role that demographic shifts- in particular, the nations aging population- have played in the recent decline in interstate migration by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York sheds light on just how many people have stopped moving across state lines.About 3% of the working-age population- defined as people from ages 25 to 59- moved to a different state in a given year during the 1980s. Starting in the 1990s, this rate declined steadily, falling below 1.5 % by 2010,the authors write, attributing the change to the business cycle.People are losing sleep over money and moving less for a variety of reasons.