Are you ready?

Are you ready?

Like most of you, I’ve gone through the public school system and learned English, Math, Social Studies, Science, P.E. and conformity. That in itself wasn’t a bad thing during the industrial age when industry required many workers that demonstrated conformity and careful following of instructions. The work was monotonous, but people were able to earn a comfortable living mass-producing widgets. Thus the educational system was tailored to produce pre-programmed ‘cogs’ ready to follow a set of instructions input by management.

“Sit down, shut up and conform with the rules.”

As is with most large systems burdened by bureaucracy, our educational system has been slow to evolve and has fallen behind in understanding what is currently in demand by society. Unfortunately, the idea of conformity and ‘going with the flow’ has become a de facto rule in making a living for oneself. Parents encourage us to stay in school, graduate and find a stable, well paying job. Peers calculate your success depending on the size your employer. [click to continue…]

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Do you crave praise from others?

Do you crave praise from others?

This post is part of the Guest Post Giveaway at the blog Unready and Willing. If you think articles about writing or personal development (or personal development for writers) sounds like a good fit for your blog, please take a look at the Guest Post Giveaway page and see if any of the articles spark your interest.

Why should you endeavor to overcome the want of praise? Isn’t it a good thing to be loved and celebrated for the things you do?

There’s nothing wrong with praise itself, but the want of praise is an entirely different matter. If you fall into the trap of constantly seeking approval, validation, and recognition from other people as the primary way to determine your self-value, you lose the ability to generate your own self-value, and you will continue to rely on other people to buoy your self-esteem. The reliance on external praise can grow to the point that whenever someone praises you, even in the smallest way, you feel a rush of elation, the feeling that “someone out there values my existence.”

Unfortunately, if this external praise is all you have, the high will always wear off. The people who applaud you can only clap their hands for so long and the awards and trophies you’ve received are destined to gather dust. No matter how great your achievements may be there will always be a time when the flood of praise will run to a trickle, and then be gone. [click to continue…]

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How to Relieve Stress When Life Hands You Lemons

February 2, 2010

We’ve all had those days when everything seems to go wrong. Mismatching socks, hair that doesn’t want to stay down/up, spilling your morning coffee, forgetting a meeting that started 30 minutes ago, traffic lights that turn red at the first sight of you, and much more. Such days usually only last a day and after [...]

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Are Men Really From Mars and Women Really From Venus?

January 21, 2010

I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying “men are from Mars, women are from Venus,” and probably have thought so at some point when frustrated by the other sex. But are men and women really all that different and mysterious?

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A Proven Way to Boost Brain Performance in 30 Minutes

January 19, 2010

You’ve heard the hype: ’supplements’ that boost brain performance, games that improve your IQ, toys for toddlers that’ll make them the next Mozart.  Although some companies may claim an extreme brain boost at an extreme price, the verdict is still out on if the products offer a real boost to brain performance apart from the [...]

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Help for Haiti

January 18, 2010

Haiti Earthquake News Updates

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What’s a Good Opening Pickup Line?

January 11, 2010

Happy 2010 & the start of a new decade! Since this post marks the start of a new year, I thought I’d do something a bit lighthearted and fun, yet still valuable. Have you ever wondered what to say to that attractive girl/guy (whom you’d like to meet) standing in line behind you? Would saying [...]

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How To Work The Room at a Networking Event

January 5, 2010

This is a guest post by Srinivas Rao, a personal development blogger at The Skool of Life where he writes about personal development and spirituality, and ties it all together through his love for surfing. He also runs a surfing blog called Stoked for Life.
One of the things that I’ve done a good amount of [...]

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How to Improve Your Odds of Achieving Your New Years Resolution

December 28, 2009

January 1st is fast approaching. Have you thought about your resolution for the coming year?
Even though most of us are full of broken New Year’s resolution commitments, every year we tell ourselves that we will commit ourselves to one thing or another. I have to admit; I don’t even remember what my resolutions from past [...]

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6 Important Elements of an Intimate Relationship

December 23, 2009

In the previous post on relationships, we explored the human need to belong and how to satisfy that need, and today, we’ll talk a bit about relationships and how casual ones differ from more intimate connections.  Before we get any further, you might have some questions about the definition of ‘intimate.’ Although ‘intimate’ can also [...]

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