Tag Archives: pickthebrain

4 Ways to Unlock Yourself from Chronic Frustration

There have been many times in my life when I thought I was angry, only to discover that it was really frustration. Frustration, at its core is wanting something to be other than it is: A different time; a different place; a different color; a different job; a different feeling; a different person. It doesn’t matter what it is, you just want it to be different. Continue reading

The Art of Listening

This is what I intend to cover briefly today — listening. It seems most are talking, some are hearing but only very few are listening. Listening is an art. It is easy to listen to the subject matter when you are interested in the topic. But sometimes, for example, at work, it can be a great deal more important to listen attentively even when you are not interested in the subject matter. Your performance, your decisions, your job may well depend on it. Continue reading

What to Answer When They Ask What You Want to Be

When I was five years old, my parents asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told them I wanted to be a butterfly. It did not seem to be the answer they were looking for.

But I quickly caught on. The next time they asked me that question, in junior high, I knew what I wanted to be– a crusading investigative reporter ala Woodward and Bernstein, or a humor columnist like Art Buchwald, or a theater critic such as John Simon. They told me those jobs were already taken and that journalism was a dead end. Continue reading

Recharge Your Life – Go Green!

Did you know that most modern hunter-gatherers spend only 20 or so hours a week working? The Zhun people of Africa, for example, spend most of their time hanging out, socializing and generally enjoying life, while those of us running the rat race in industrialized nations work an average of 44 hours a week. Granted, it’s an extreme, but it does make you think about how living a sustainable or “green” life can be more fulfilling. While you might not want to drop your job and ditch your family to join a nomadic tribe, there are other ways to incorporate green practices into the life you lead. Continue reading

Can Meditating Make You Smarter?

But meditation was great!

My mind could see inside the golden ball in my brain. Millions of sparks flew about in it. These sparks were busy rebuilding my brain cells. All my old patterns of intellectual thinking were disappearing. Awareness was growing along with the golden ball.

The ball of sparks became bigger and bigger until it encompassed my entire brain before proceeding down my spinal cord to work on it too. Continue reading

Are You Postponing Your Life Until Tomorrow? 8 Ways to Start Living NOW

There is nothing worse than looking back at life with regret. But if we keep walking the road of constant procrastination, this outcome is guaranteed.

It’s not too late to make the necessary changes.

Start living now. Continue reading