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Articles from Steve Gillman | Selfgrowth.com
- Setting Goals - The Important Factors - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2008 from Steve GillmanSetting goals sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Why is that? What makes it an effective practice, and when does it fail? It's all about how you do it, and later in this article you'll find six or seven tips on how to properly set goals. But first lets take a deeper look at the "motivation ...
Views: 974 - Opportunity Knocks Every Day - by Submitted on May 18, 2005 from Steve GillmanYou've heard people say that opportunity only knocks once. I say it knocks a thousand times, or at least it can. The problem is, we often don't listen, we don't see, or we don't want to work. The biggest problem, though, is that opportunity really isn't opportunity, if you're not ready for ...
Views: 971 - A Forty-Five-Second Meditation - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2005 from Steve GillmanIs Meditation Too Much Time And Trouble? If you haven't meditated before, you might think it's too much trouble to learn. If you do meditate, you know it can be difficult to find the time to do it consistently. So is there really a meditation you can learn right now that can be done in 45 ...
Views: 970 - A Sense Of Humor Increases Creativity - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2007 from Steve GillmanDoes a sense of humor make for a more creative mind? Perhaps. There are certainly many creative and intelligent people who also like to have a good laugh. Consider the following two examples. American physicist Richard Feynman was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, for his ...
Views: 968 - Creating a Metaphorical Understanding - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2009 from Steve GillmanCreating and using a metaphorical understanding is one of the primary ways we communicate a new idea. The process is very apparent with scientific knowledge. For example, we explain an atom using the metaphor of a little solar system in which the nucleus sits like the sun in the middle and the ...
Views: 965 - Following Hidden Trails - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2009 from Steve GillmanI am a follower of hidden trails. In fact, on at least half of the hiking trips I take lately, I'm off the trails altogether, bushwhacking into the unknown. What do you get for doing as Walt Whitman suggested, and taking the "road less traveled?" A bit of adventure. Here are some of the things ...
Views: 959 - Everything Happens For A Reason? - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2007 from Steve GillmanEverything happens for a reason? What nonsense! On the other hand, what a great idea! Whatever your religious or philosophical background, this is a belief that you can use, even if it isn't true. There is no way to prove that everything happens for a reason. In fact, when you think about some ...
Views: 940 - A Good Luck Exercise - by Submitted on Dec 29, 2007 from Steve GillmanWant more good luck in your life? Then why not look at what the research shows about lucky people? Better yet, why not do some simple exercises that train your mind in the habits of lucky people? To start with, the research shows (and yes there is a lot of "luck" research) that luckier people ...
Views: 938 - Problem Solving Strategies - Three Great Ones - by Submitted on Sep 17, 2007 from Steve GillmanYour problem solving strategies determine how effectively you deal with everything from creating new ideas to solving the routine problems of life and business. There are many specific techniques for solving problems, but a good strategy is a more general "plan of attack" that makes it all work. ...
Views: 937 - Three Easy Meditation Techniques - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2010 from Steve GillmanOf the easy meditation techniques that follow, the easiest by far is to use brainwave entrainment products. That is covered last, and requires buying a CD or an MP3 download. The first two are a couple of the most basic ways to meditate, and can be tried right now if the reader ...
Views: 930 - 7 Habits For Creative Ideas - by Submitted on Jul 03, 2007 from Steve GillmanTo generate great ideas, develop the 7 habits that follow. These are actions and thought patterns you can use to come up with many creative ideas and solutions. They'll work right now if you try them, but if you want to be a truly effective creative problem solver, make such techniques into ...
Views: 924 - Are There Lucky People? - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2008 from Steve GillmanMost of us know lucky people, those who seem to lived a charmed life. They may not even be all that smart, and yet they seem to almost stumble into good situations. Opportunities open up for them, things are "handed" to them. Perhaps they win in the stock market, find a dream job, or get married ...
Views: 921 - Words Are The Roots Of War - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2008 from Steve GillmanThe roots of war? Perhaps they are many, but if we're talking about the killing of thousands, the bombing of countries and the large scale conflicts of the last five thousand years or so, one of the roots has to be our use of language. Here is an understanding of war you may not have heard ...
Views: 899 - The Real Secret Of Attraction - by Submitted on Sep 12, 2007 from Steve GillmanWhat is the secret of attraction? You probably know this has become one of the hottest new ideas in self improvement and spirituality. But it isn't a new idea. It is just the newest way to recycle an old idea. Old or new, the important questions are does it work as claimed, and why? A "Law" Of ...
Views: 893 - What Is Brain Fog? - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2008 from Steve GillmanYou may have heard the expression, or even had the experience, but what is brain fog? It is that state of mind when you can't quite focus or think clearly. As for how to cure it, that depends on the cause. There are two basic kinds of causes. Physical Causes Of Brain Fog A lack of sleep can ...
Views: 892 - How To Solve Problems - by Submitted on Mar 21, 2007 from Steve GillmanWouldn't it be great if you could solve problems more easily? You can. Problems you have at home, or problems from science, work, or business - you can use special techniques to help you find solutions to all of them. The following is one of the best. A Problem Solving Story I had written an ...
Views: 879 - Learn How To Meditate From Animals - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2005 from Steve GillmanYou can learn how to meditate from a book, but meditation is as much an art as a science, and arts especially are better taught by live teachers than by books. That is why meditation is often learned quicker and brought to a deeper level when the beginner has someone to model their practice on. ...
Views: 877 - Definition Of Atheism: Not A Belief - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2008 from Steve GillmanContrary to what many people think and many dictionaries suggest, atheism is not a belief. It is simply the lack of belief in "God " or gods. Before starting this article, I checked several dictionaries. In the first one, the definition of atheism given was, "The doctrine or belief that there is ...
Views: 871 - Your Creativity Quotient - How To Boost It - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2008 from Steve GillmanWe don't have a precisely-numbered measure of your "creativity quotient," yet, like we have for your intelligence quotient, or "IQ." But tests which do try to measure your creative ability generally look at three criteria. These are the quantity of your ideas, their originality, and the possible ...
Views: 866 - Our Top Cheap Travel Destination: Anaconda, Montana - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2007 from Steve GillmanLooking for cheap travel destinations is a habit we developed during leaner times. Necessary or not, it still means being able to do more for the money. We also continually discover that the cheaper places can be just as much fun. Anaconda, Montana is a great example of this. When we first ...
Views: 863(2 votes) - The Attitude of Gratitude - by Submitted on Nov 30, 2006 from Steve GillmanYes, it might feel great to win the lottery. Money, houses, travel - these are wonderful, but not enough by themselves. You need the right frame of mind to fully enjoy life. You need the attitude of gratitude. Be Grateful Life is better when you feel blessed, when you can look around and say ...
Views: 859 - Brain Training 101 - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2008 from Steve GillmanA little bit of brain training can go a long ways towards better thinking. There are easy techniques for better or more creative thinking, such as brainstorming or just getting a good night's sleep. The idea here, though, is to train your brain in new habits. It can take some work, but once good ...
Views: 858 - Pondering The Big Questions - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2007 from Steve GillmanDo you ever ponder the big questions, like "What is consciousness?" or "Why do we feel motivated to do good?" Doing so really takes no more brainpower than balancing your checkbook, and although you are more likely to be satisfied and certain with the result of the checkbook balancing, thinking ...
Views: 851 - A Simple Meditation For Beginners - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2008 from Steve GillmanA meditation for beginners doesn't have to be difficult. In fact it can be as simple as closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Now, you may have read that meditation is for relaxation. Others will say that relaxing is just an "extra" benefit, and that it is meant to make you more self ...
Views: 843 - A Memory System You Can Try Today - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2007 from Steve GillmanYou may have heard of the loci mnemonic or memory system. The general idea is to "place" the things that are to be memorized in predetermined locations in your imagination, so you can "find" them there later. The origin of this memory system is generally attributed to a story told by Cicero, an ...
Views: 833 - A Quick Lesson On How To Be Smarter - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2008 from Steve GillmanHere is the quick lesson on how to be smarter: Do something that has been shown to improve brain function until doing so becomes a habit. Then do another thing that boosts brainpower until that is a habit. Then eat something that is good for the brain. Then eat another brain food. With enough of ...
Views: 828(2 votes) - Real Genius - IQ Or Creativity? - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2008 from Steve GillmanWhat is real genius, and how do we cultivate it in ourselves? A common dictionary definition is, "Extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity." Some definitions refer to a high IQ as well, but that doesn't seem to be an important component. Both intellectual ...
Views: 828 - Stress Meditation - by Submitted on Dec 14, 2005 from Steve GillmanToo much stress? You need a simple stress meditation. Of course, learning to meditate might intimidate you, and it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. A solution to both problems is a meditation you can learn right now, that will take a minute to do each day. An Easy Stress ...
Views: 826 - Think Twice To Think Better - by Submitted on Dec 16, 2007 from Steve GillmanThe expression "think twice" is simply a reminder to fully consider things before assuming that your first conclusion is the correct one. It reminds me of the carpenter's rule: "measure twice, cut once." Measuring twice is a rule that prevents a lot of mistakes in carpentry. In intellectual ...
Views: 826 - How To Motivate Yourself - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2007 from Steve GillmanHow do you motivate yourself? What can you do when you need to get busy doing something and you just don't feel like doing it? Of course there are dozens of motivation techniques. Some, like certain NLP techniques, can get fairly complicated. The following, however, is a simple, yet powerful ...
Views: 820 - In Other Words? - by Submitted on Sep 14, 2007 from Steve GillmanPeople use the expression "in other words" because sometimes other words are necessary to better understand something. You probably use it yourself, but how often do you actually think about the words you are using, and the effect they may have? How often do you change the words you use in order ...
Views: 812 - How To Have Stronger Willpower - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2005 from Steve GillmanHave you ever wished you had stronger willpower? How can you make yourself stop doing things you don't want to do? There are ways, and the first thing to do is to redefine the concept of willpower. Self Awareness Instead Of Willpower It's hard to resist temptation sometimes, isn't it? That ...
Views: 809 - True Or False? - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2007 from Steve GillmanA myth is a lie - true or false? Actually, the most general definition of myth found in most dictionaries is something like, "A popular belief or story." In other words, it can be true or false. See if you can tell which are which with the following beliefs and myths. True or False - ...
Views: 808 - Good Metaphors - What They Do For Us - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2008 from Steve GillmanGood metaphors, apart from just sounding nice to the ears, do at least two other things. First, they make it easier to think about something. For example, if you were to try to explain to a first-time computer user that bits of electricity create binary code which then... well, I can't explain ...
Views: 805 - Travel Secret - Why Slow Is Better - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2007 from Steve GillmanOur top travel secret isn't really a secret at all, but it takes a while for some of us to learn and apply it. Here it is: Slow down. Slowing down and spending more time in each location is not only a secret of cheap travel, but in our experience, it means more fun. Slowing Down For Cheap ...
Views: 800(2 votes) - Four Good Luck Tips - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2008 from Steve GillmanYou can call it good luck, or cause and effect, or whatever you want. But you know that some people have more good things happen in their lives and more happy surprises. What you may not know is that there are things you can do to be more like them and so be luckier yourself. Here are a few tips ...
Views: 796 - Take This Good Luck Test - by Submitted on Jun 02, 2007 from Steve GillmanAre you a lucky person? Not sure? Let's find out. Answer the following questions as honestly as you can, and then tally your score according to the simple directions at the bottom of the test. In general, do good things happen to you? 1. Almost never 2. Sometimes 3. Often 4. Very often Are you ...
Views: 795 - In Favor Of Flip-Flopping Politicians - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2008 from Steve GillmanFlip flopping refers to changing ones position on an issue. The public generally dislikes politicians who flip flop on their positions, in part because they assume that it is done dishonestly for political reasons alone, and in part because they simple like to know what a candidate for public ...
Views: 791 - Creative Problem Solving With Inflection - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2007 from Steve GillmanWould you like to have more creative problem solving ability? How would you like to be the one who always has a creative solution? There are dozens of techniques that can help, starting with this simple one based on word inflection. It will work in all areas, from business to science to everyday ...
Views: 786 - Do Self Help Books Help? - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2009 from Steve GillmanWhat if self help books just help the self which creates your problems in the first place? I'll get back to that in a moment. First I want to say that many such books certainly can be helpful. A book on how to speak in front of a crowd can help with that, for example, and a book on how to eat or ...
Views: 786 - Don't Take Advice From Successful People - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2005 from Steve GillmanDo you know what the problem is with asking successful people for advice? They don't always know why they are successful - but they'll give you all the reasons you want. I once watched an 100-year-old man explain that smoking every day was the secret to his longevity. It would be great to know ...
Views: 782 - How To Get Smarter Or Look Smarter - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2008 from Steve GillmanWith the right work you can get smarter, but there are also things you can do to appear to be more intelligent, and you can use some of them right now. So if you want to impress your boss or your friends with your intelligence, try a few of the techniques below. Some of them may actually improve ...
Views: 782 - Crazy Ideas Can Be Valuable - by Submitted on Aug 30, 2008 from Steve GillmanSometimes it is just fun to create and share crazy ideas. For example, I recently read about one man's idea to give away free gas. The catch was that there were remote-controlled paintball guns with cameras on them, connected to a web site on the internet. People would pay to fire paintballs at ...
Views: 780 - What If You Had Concentration Power? - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2005 from Steve GillmanCan You Learn Better Concentration? Imagine how much more productive you would be if you could have total concentration whenever you wished. The good news is you can learn how to concentrate better. In fact, you can do so right now. Concentration Is Automatic When you start working on ...
Views: 780 - Meditation CDs - How To Use Them - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2008 from Steve GillmanBefore we get into how to use meditation CDs, we have to start with which kind to use. Some products are nothing more than relaxing music, or perhaps a guided meditation with a musical background. There is nothing wrong with these, but if you want a more powerful tool, you need to get CDs that ...
Views: 777 - Learn To Budget Money A New Way - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2008 from Steve GillmanSome lucky people don't need to learn to budget money in the traditional way. They simply and naturally spend less than they make, and invest the difference for the future. There is no need to allocate "x" amount each month for this or that category if your "outgo" is always less than your ...
Views: 774 - Six Little Secrets - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2007 from Steve GillmanThere are always little secrets that you can learn to help you in life. These are the "insider tips" that might improve your health, save you money, or give you more influence over others. Here are six of them you can put to use today. Highway Toll Secret The passes (such as E-ZPass) that ...
Views: 768 - 4 Tips for Backpacking with Children - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2008 from Steve GillmanBackpacking with children can be a challenge, but it is a good way for kids to learn about the outdoors and develop independence and responsibility. It is also just a great way to have fun. That is, as long as you plan well. Here are four tips to help you out. 1. Generate Interest Forcing ...
Views: 765 - How To Relax Fast - by Submitted on Jan 02, 2006 from Steve GillmanWhy should you learn how to relax fast? Because stress is more than just unpleasant. It's also dangerous. Many diseases are now known to be caused by or made worse by stress, but you can do something about it. Just try these relaxation techniques today, and use them whenever you feel that ...
Views: 763 - Six Real Estate Investing Tips - by Submitted on Dec 10, 2007 from Steve GillmanThe following collection of real estate investing tips will probably have a few things that you already know. That's okay. There will be a few you haven't heard before as well, and in any case, we sometimes need to be reminded of what we know. 1. Find an agent with the right experience. When ...
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