philosophy Archives - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement

7 Ways To Be More Optimistic

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Dr Jason Selk

Optimism is absolutely essential for winning, meeting and exceeding goals, and feeling accomplished and fulfilled. It helps us deal with unexpected change, worries and stress, and inevitable disappointments. r

Why Being Generally Grateful is a Bad Idea

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Steve Houghton-Burnett

Everybody knows that you should be grateful for what you’ve got. We have all heard that we should develop an ‘attitude of gratitude’ but the problem is that we aren’t often told how to do that properly. Because we aren’t told how to, we try to be generally happier with our lot in life, which gives us the tiniest spike of happiness, but it’s often not enough to get us hooked on the gratitude habit.

In light of this, I started to ask myself the questions, why should we feel gratitude? What benefits are there to having a feeling of appreciation for the things that are in our lives?

A Powerful Way to Build Self Esteem

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Jerry Stocking

You probably know the famous quote by Descartes, “I think therefore I am.” He didn’t say it last week or a decade ago. He said it over 300 years ago. And for the most part we believe it. But is it true? Are you what you think or are you much more than that?

Need Some Great Advice? Ask Death

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Sky Abelar

Death is a subject that few are comfortable with. Yet, making death your best friend can enhance your life in ways you might not otherwise imagine.

One of the most effective practices recommended by traditional Toltec teachers, is called, “Using death as an adviser”. Deceased author of over ten books of Toltec wisdom, Carlos Castaneda said… r

Excellence: What It Is and How to Achieve It

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Irving Belateche

We’re taught that ancient literature is great art, but that it doesn’t have anything to do with living our lives. The truth is that literature which has stood the test of time is great art exactly because it is about living our lives.

The best of these ancient works attempted to answer one question: How should you live your life? And that makes sense. After people move on from the question, how are we going to find food and shelter, they finally have the time to ask, how should we live our lives? r

How and Why to Pick a Spiritual Practice

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Sophie Rose

In this age of technology and materialism, when many wonder what tomorrow will bring, the resurgence of spirituality is a normal phenomenon. For centuries, people have turned to religions or other belief systems for support and understanding. Yet it never resulted in a better world on a global level. r