If you're like me and often have a gazillion browser tabs open as "reminders" of things you need to do or read, this nifty browser extension might be for you.
Category: Life Optimization
Be all you can be. No wait, that was the Army’s slogan, right? OK, how about this: make the most of your life.
This is some text!
Read on to find out just how to do just that by finding out more about each side of the life optimization triangle or scroll down for a full list of life optimization posts.
Emotional Health
The mind…it exerts a powerful Jedi-like force on your whole self. And just like the Force, it can be with you…or not. Emotional health is all about keeping those wheels turning and cogs meshing right upstairs with the ultimate goal of living a satisfied and content (or dare I say happy?) life.
Physical Health
If you ain’t got your health, you ain’t got nothing. It’s hard to fully enjoy life and all of the wonderful experiences it offers if you don’t feel good. So, you have to do all of those boring things like eat right and exercise. I know, I know…but you’ll thank me for it later.
Spiritual Health
Who are you, why are you here, and (to borrow a line from Monty Python) what is your quest? No matter what religion you belong to or if you observe no religion at all, spiritual health is all about building and maintaining a connection to something bigger than you are. It’s about discovering and developing your soul and finding meaning and place in this world. (Wow, this category sounds so “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy”, but I promise to try to keep it fun.)
Inspiration
Everyone occasionally needs a kick in the seat of the pants to go out and BE AWESOME! I hope these posts, snippets, and quotes do the job and inspire you to be amazed and amazing.
Getting Past My Fear of Flying
How I went from being afraid to fly to being a frequent flyer.
Why Do We Choose to Do Difficult Things for Fun?
What compels us to take up hobbies or pursuits that are sometimes difficult or even painful? It's a question my husband has asked me a few times about my desire to write stories, most often when I complain about how hard it can be. There are just times when characters don't come to life as … Continue reading Why Do We Choose to Do Difficult Things for Fun?
Lessons from Bill Walsh
I've been on a personal/professional development reading kick recently and I just finished reading The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership. Co-written by Bill Walsh and Steven Jamison, it's an interesting combination of football field-meets-boardroom. To be sure, there are many parallels between coaching a winning football team and a winning business … Continue reading Lessons from Bill Walsh
Quote: Leo Rosten on Writing
"The only reason for being a professional writer is that you can’t help it." ~Leo Rosten
Do you have the “right stuff”?
I just started reading Mary Roach's Packing for Mars today and came across this passage*: Here's the other thing that's changed since the heyday of space exploration. Crews aboard [space craft] are two to three times the size of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo crews, and the mission spans weeks or months, not days. This makes … Continue reading Do you have the “right stuff”?
Making Memories at Disney: Then and Now
OK, I admit it. When my husband first suggested that we buy our family annual passes to Disney for Christmas, the first thing I said was something like, "Are you crazy?" I mean, I don't know if you've checked the prices for Disney tickets lately but they are quite a hefty investment. So much so … Continue reading Making Memories at Disney: Then and Now
Chris Baty on Why We Try to Endure Difficult, Boring Books
We buy these difficult books because we feel that, while not very exciting, they are in some way good for us. It's sort of literature-as-bran-flakes philosophy. If something is dry and unpalatable, it must be doing something good for our constitutions. ~Chris Baty, No Plot, No Problem
What do exercise, veggies, and writing have in common?
I wrote up a little something on The Daily Post…I hope you’ll check it out. 🙂
Part of the mission that drives The Daily Post is to provide encouragement and inspiration to people who want to be more active writers, bloggers, and creators. We often provide tips on how to write or prompts on what to write, but today, let’s talk about why to write.
Science stands firmly in support of what many of us intuitively know: writing is good for you.
Studies have shown that just the act of putting words together to express yourself leads to several physical and mental health benefits, including:
- Improved mood and sense of well-being
- Decreased stress and anxiety levels
- Lower blood pressure
- Better memory and sleep
Writing has been shown to boost immune responses, speed post-surgical healing, and help cancer patients cope with their diagnosis and treatment. Writing has also been linked to improvements in managing chronic conditions such as asthma and arthritis.
A note about privacy: If you prefer to…
View original post 350 more words
Art and the Art of Noise
I came across an article in the October issue of Mental Floss (one of my fave magazines) about the role that ambient noise plays in fostering creativity. The article says this: According to a University of Chicago study, moderate noise helps creativity by slowing down the speed at which we process information. The lag keeps … Continue reading Art and the Art of Noise