five simple ways to increase your intelligence

Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus. But if you never use your brain, or abuse it with harmful chemicals, your ability to think and learn will deteriorate.

Here are 5 simple ways anyone can squeeze a bit more productivity out of the old gray matter.

1. Minimize Television Watching - This is a hard sell. People love vegetating in front of the television, myself included more often than I’d like. The problem is watching television doesn’t use your mental capacity OR allow it to recharge. It’s like having the energy sapped out of a muscle without the health benefits of exercise.

Don’t you feel drained after a couple hours of TV? Your eyes are sore and tired from being focused on the light box for so long. You don’t even have the energy to read a book.

When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you’re too tired, listen to some music. When you’re with your friends or family, leave the tube off and have a conversation. All of these things use your mind more than television and allow you to relax.

2. Exercise - I used to think that I’d learn more by not exercising and using the time to read a book instead. But I realized that time spent exercising always leads to greater learning because it improves productivity during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you feel invigorated and can concentrate more easily.

3. Read Challenging Books - Many people like to read popular suspense fiction, but generally these books aren’t mentally stimulating. If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more precise, elegant English. Don’t be afraid to look up a word if you don’t know it, and don’t be afraid of dense passages. Take your time, re-read when necessary, and you’ll soon grow accustomed to the author’s style.

Once you get used to reading challenging books, I think you’ll find that you aren’t tempted to go back to page-turners. The challenge of learning new ideas is far more exciting than any tacky suspense-thriller.

4. Early to Bed, Early to Rise - Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep deprivation. You’ll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don’t sleep more than 8 hours. If you stay up late and compensate by sleeping late, you’ll wake up lethargic and have trouble focusing. In my experience the early morning hours are the most tranquil and productive. Waking up early gives you more productive hours and maximizes your mental acuity all day.

If you have the opportunity, take 10-20 minute naps when you are hit with a wave of drowsiness. Anything longer will make you lethargic, but a short nap will refresh you.

5. Take Time to Reflect - Often our lives get so hectic that we become overwhelmed without even realizing it. It becomes difficult to concentrate because nagging thoughts keep interrupting. Spending some time alone in reflection gives you a chance organize your thoughts and prioritize your responsibilities. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s important and what isn’t. The unimportant stuff won’t bother you anymore and your mind will feel less encumbered.

I’m not saying you need to sit on the floor cross-legged and chant ‘ommm’. Anything that allows a bit of prolonged solitude will do. One of my personal favorites is taking a solitary walk. Someone famous said, “All the best ideas occur while walking.” I think he was on to something. Experiment to find the activity that works best for you.

Conclusion - I hope you aren’t disappointed that none of the techniques I’ve proposed are revolutionary. But simple, unexciting answers are often the most valid. The challenge is having the will to adhere to them. If you succeed in following these 5 tips, you’ll be rewarded with increased mental acuity and retention of knowledge.

If you’re still hungry for more, check out the follow up post:

HOW YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE;

So you want to change your life? There is something bothering you that you want to deal away with for good. Or better still, there is something you want to achieve, a new job, a new business, etc. the problem is that there is something standing in your way! You have to overcome it if you want to succeed, but you are wondering how to go about it. Where to start from and all that!

Whatever you want to change in life, you should know this basic principle. Nothing in the universe changes and therefore don’t expect anything to change. You have to change. Don’t expect the grades to change, the prices to change, the people to change, the environment to change etc. expect and only expect you to change. The best way you can change anything in this universe is if you change.

To change your life, you must change the way you think. Perhaps you know the meaning behind the statement that
‘you are what you think about most of the time’.

Behind everything you do is a thought. Every behavior is motivated by a belief and every action is prompted by an attitude. Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

There are two ways people try to change there lives; through will power and through thoughts. The former is in majority of cases temporary and I will advise you to take on the latter.

Changing your life through will power involves things as these; I’ll say I’ll force my self to eat less, exercise more, drink less alcohol, quit being disorganized and late. The results are realized but they are only temporary. Sooner than later, you will ne back to the eating and drinking sprees. The change is thus temporary and stressful because you didn’t deal with the root cause of the problem. You eventually give up on all that and revert to your old patterns.

The better and easier way to change your life is by changing your auto pilot, the way you think. Change always starts in the mind. What the mind can believe and conceive it can achieve. Stop thinking immature thoughts which are self centered and self seeking. You actually achieve more in life when your focus is the betterment of
mankind.

‘You will never be a leader if you see others as stepping stones to get ahead. You will be a leader if you are ambitious for the salvation of all mankind. You can’t turn your back on your fellowmen; you have to be anxious to make them happy.’

Start thinking maturely; focus on others not your self. ‘When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. I became a man; I put childish ways behind me.

Work on your thinking machine and you will change your life. Reason, talk and think like a man. You become what you think about most of the time. You cannot become successful when all you think about all day long is failure. When you keep your mind preoccupied with negatives, that is what it will bring into existence. There fore think about positive things and always maintain a positive mental attitude.

Instead of focusing on the problems, focus on the solutions. And, life will only get better and better.
Get changing!!!

THE MIRACLE OF FORGIVENESS (Part 1)

There is no doubt that some one at a given time in your life did something bad to you. Almost everyone on this planet has been hurt, has been cheated, betrayed, abused, disregarded etc. what hurts most is that the person you least expect to do that is definitely the one who does it!
But don’t lie in self pity. You don’t have to curdle in self denial because of the past hurts. You have to get over it. You have to move on. You have to move forward.

Forgiveness takes courage. The weak can not forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Forgiveness is not an emotion, it is a decision. You have to want to forgive, decide to forgive, and make a personal effort to forgive.

I remember how I harbored past hurt in my heart. People had betrayed my trust; from closest friend to brothers to parents. It was not an easy situation. The world had zeroed down on me. I hated every living creature. I hated everyone. I hated life.

For about two solid years, I lived in solitude. I was a recluse. I was all alone. This just aggravated the situation. The more I stayed alone, the more unforgiving I became. I wasted my precious time dwelling on the negatives. I can not do that any more. And I wouldn’t want you to walk down that road.

I found out the secret to a long and joyful life. The secret is making the effort to forgive every one for whatever things they do unto me. Forgiveness, I now know, is, me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me. Forgiveness is the best thing you will ever do for your self. When you do something bad, don’t you have to forgive your self?

Because there is so much waiting for you, so much you have to do and accomplish in this short earthly life, why bother your life with so much luggage. May you know from this moment on that, if you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Therefore, take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears. You will reach greater heights.

Never does the human soul appear as strong as when it foregoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury. My dear friend, every one has been hurt at some point in life, and many more are to be hurt. You are therefore not the first; neither will you be the last. Get over the past hurts and look to the future with hope. There is a future to fight for. Why carry the extra weight of unforgiveness.

If you say the Lord’s Prayer daily, and yet you are not willing to forgive, then you might as well be saying the prayer in vain. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. You there fore have to forgive if you want to be forgiven. And unless you are perfect, you also hurt other people in your speech, conduct, and failure to do certain things.

Lastly, by harboring envy, rath, and unforgiveness, you are enslaving your self. You are sending yourself to a lifetime sentence of suffering in the confines of your own mind, body and soul. Let your self loose.
Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and realizing that the prisoner was you.

GET FORGIVING! FORGIVE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU ARE HURT

Watch out for part two; practical steps, how to forgive

INTEGRITY

Be a Person Who Practices Non-Situational Integrity

Integrity, a standard of personal morality and ethics, is not relative to the situation you happen to find yourself in and doesn't sell out to expediency. Its short supply is getting even shorter, but without it, leadership is a façade. Learning to see through exteriors is a critical development in the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Sadly, most people continue to be taken in by big talk and media popularity, flashy or bizarre looks, and expensive possessions. They move through most of their years convinced that the externals are what count, and are thus doomed to live shallow lives.
Men and women who rely on their looks or status to feel good about themselves inevitably do everything they can to enhance the impression they make – and do correspondingly little to develop their inner value and personal growth. The paradox is that the people who try hardest to impress are often the least impressive. Puffing to appear powerful is an attempt to hide insecurity.


In the Roman Empires' final corrupt years, status was conveyed by the number of carved statues of the gods displayed in people's courtyards. As in every business, the Roman statue industry had good and bad sculptors and merchants. As the empire became ever more greedy and narcissistic, the bad got away with as much as they could. Sculptors became adept at using wax to hide cracks and chips in marble and most people couldn't discern the difference in quality.

Statues began to weep or melt under the scrutiny of sunlight or heat in foyers. For statues of authentic fine quality, carved by reputable artists, people had to go to the artisan marketplace in the Roman Quad and look for booths with signs declaring sine cera, which translates in English to mean, without wax. We, too, look for the real thing in friends, products, and services. In people, we value sincerity, from the words, sine cera, more than almost any other virtue. We expect it from our leaders, which we are not getting in our political, media, business and sports' heroes for the most part. We must demand it of ourselves.

Integrity that strengthens an inner value system is the real human bottom line. Commitment to a life of integrity in every situation demonstrates that your word is more valuable than a surety bond. It means you don't base your decisions on being politically correct. You do what's right, not fashionable. You know that truth is absolute, not a device for manipulating others. And you win in the long run, when the stakes are highest.

If I were writing a single commandment for leadership it would be,

"You shall conduct yourself in such a manner as to set an example worthy of imitation by your children and subordinates."

In simpler terms, if they shouldn't be doing it, neither should you.

‘When mom told me, "clean up your room," and I would inspect the condition of our garage and their room at times! When she told me about the vices of drinking and wild parties, I would watch from the upstairs balcony, the way their guests behaved at their adult functions’.

It's too bad some of our political and business leaders don't understand that

"What you are speaks so loudly that no one really pays attention to what you say."

But it is even more true that if what you are matches what you say, your life will speak forcefully indeed.
It's hardly a secret that learning ethical standards begins at home. A child's first inklings of a sense of right and wrong come from almost imperceptible signals received long before he or she reaches the age of rational thought about morality.

Maybe you're asking yourself what kind of model you are for future generations, remembering that people are either honest or dishonest, that integrity is all or nothing, and that, children can't be fooled in such basic matters. They learn by example.

To remind myself of my responsibility to live without wax, with sincerity and integrity, I took a few lines from Edgar A. Guest's poem, "Sermons We See" to apply to my own life:

I'd rather watch a winner, than hear one any day.
I'd rather have one walk with me, than merely show the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear.
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear.
And the best of all the coaches are the ones who live their deeds.
For to see the truth in action, is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it, if you'll let me see it done.
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true.
But, I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do.
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give.
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
I'd rather watch a winner, than hear one any day.

Hey, politician, business leader, musician, television actor, sports star. Hey mom, hey dad. Don't tell me how to live. Show me by your actions. You're my role models.
Action Idea: When you talk to others, beginning right now, don't try to impress them by talking about your accomplishments. Let your actions speak for you. Ask more questions.

QUOTES

"The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot
understand." Robert Vallett

"Anybody can become angry - that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy." Aristotle

FREEDOM

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -- The Declaration of Independenc

"In order to live free and happily you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice." -- Richard Bach
Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it! (letter to Abigail Adams, April 26, 1777) -- John Adams

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." -- Thomas Paine

ENTREPRENEURISM

"Entrepreneurial leadership requires the ability to move quickly when opportunity presents itself." -- Brian Tracy
"Kids ought to have two bicycles, one to ride and one to rent." -- Jim Rohn
"Entrepreneurs have two basic assets: their creativity and their relationships." -- Mark Victor Hansen
"When everyone is looking for gold, it´s a good time to be in the pick and shovel business." -- Mark Twain

ENTHUSIASM

"Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can be aroused by two things: first, an idea which takes the imagination by storm; and second, a definite, intelligible plan for carrying that idea into action." -- Arnold Toynbee

"Enthusiasm is the best protection in any situation. Wholeheartedness is contagious. Give yourself, if you wish to get others." -- David Seabury

"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." -- Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

"One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life." -- Edward B. Butler

"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotion know what it means to want to escape from these things." Emily Dickinson

"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth." Benjamin Disraeli

"One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets go, one soon loses control of the head too." Nietzsche

"When you develop your ability to balance your emotions, unexpected problems won't knock you off balance as easily, and you'll return more quickly to a positive outlook." Peggy McColl

"Vocabulary enables us to interpret and to express. If you have a limited vocabulary, you will also have a limited vision and a limited future.." Jim Rohn

SUCCESS/FAILURE

Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become.

Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.

Don't take the casual approach to life. Casualness leads to casualties.
Success is the study of the obvious. Everyone should take Obvious I and Obvious II in school.

It's too bad failures don't give seminars. Wouldn't that be valuable? If you meet a guy who has messed up his life for forty years, you've just got to say, "John, if I bring my journal and promise to take good notes, would you spend a day with me?"

Success is not so much what we have as it is what we are.

Success is 20% skills and 80% strategy. You might know how to read, but more importantly, what's your plan to read?

Average people look for ways of getting away with it; successful people look for ways of getting on with it.

"It's okay to send flowers, but don't let the flowers do all the talking. Flowers have a limited vocabulary. About the best flowers can say is that you remembered. But your words tell the rest." Jim Rohn

"Words do two major things: They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness." Jim Rohn

"The two great words of antiquity are behold and beware. Behold the possibilities and beware the temptations." Jim Rohn

Are You a Bucket-Filler or a Dipper?

You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.

A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.

When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady's skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. "Bright Eyes" across the table says, "You upset that glass of chocolate milk." I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake ("Red pencil" mentality!)

Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied ? emptied many times because people don't really think about what are doing. When a person's bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, "That is a pretty tie you have," and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill our own ... we lose a little.

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfilment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds "fakey," or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is "brown-nosing."

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone's life in order to fill their bucket.

welcome

hello world!!!!! welcome to this site!!!!!!!!!!
i know very many people who, wake up very tired and the prospect of facing another day being very hard. they welcome their days with a cry and end them with a grin!!!
well, i know this because i have been there, i have faced not all, but some of it. and i know what it means to wake up with no guts for the day!
now, if you are there, if you are the one am talking about, brace yourself and cry no further. here is home.
this site is dedicated to people like you, people who want to get better in their day to day lives. people who want to live satisfied lives. may this be my contribution to you.
this site has poems, reflections and stories aimed at motivating and lifting you for success. helping you build the esteem, and positive mental attitude, which are key to your success.
i believe that wealth, is every man's ultimate desire. to me, wealth is a state of mental, physical, financial, social, psychological, and spiritual stability and wellness. any man who lacks any of that, whatever the amount of money he has accumulated, is not wealthy!
what good is it to have alot of money yet you use it for your medication? what good is it to have alot of money yet you dont sleep at night? you have no peace!
well, at this site we believe that you can be rich in all the aspects of life and yet be comfortable, and better still, not miss the prospect of heaven!
it all starts with the mind. if you can train the mind to think positively, then you can create anything you want, and you can enjoy all you desire, so long as you dont hurt others.