Browse published articles attributed to Steve Gillman, with full-archive search.
You hear that to be more creative you need to think outside the box, but what is the box? It is your normal ways of thinking, and all the hidden assumptions you make. Imagine actually living in a box, and knowing the outside world only through the pictures and descriptions written on those four ...
What is thinking out of the box? It is getting outside the usual ways of looking at things (that's the box) to arrive at new and useful ideas. How do you do it? Here is one of the many ways. How To Get Your Thinking Out Of The Box One of the simplest techniques for "out of the box" thinking is ...
Setting 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 ...
Does 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 ...
I 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 ...
Creating 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 ...
Of 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 wishes. Meditating on the Breath The simplest, and often the first technique learned, is to release tensions and thoughts and concentrate on your breathing. You can do this in any comfortable position. The classic way is to sit with legs crossed, with each foot over the opposite thigh.
Everything 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 ...
Want 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 ...
Your 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. ...
To 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 ...
Most 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 ...
The 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 ...
You 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 ...
What 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 ...
Looking 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 ...
You 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. ...
Wouldn'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 ...
A 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 ...
Contrary 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 ...
Yes, 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 ...
We 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 ...
A 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 ...
Do 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 ...
You 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 ...
Too 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 ...
Here 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 ...
What 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 ...
The expressio "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 ...
A 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 - ...
How 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 ...
Our 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 ...
People use the expressio "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 ...
Good 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 ...
Are 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 neve 2. Sometimesn3. Ofte 4. Very ofte Are you ...
With 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 ...
Have 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 ...
Flip 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 ...
You 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 ...
What 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 ...
Do 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 ...
Backpacking 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 ...
There 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 ...
Sometimes 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 ...
Would 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 ...
Can 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 ...
Before we get into how to use meditatio 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 ...
Some 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 ...
Why 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 ...
How do you achieve a more consistent level of daily motivation? Use the following powerful techniques, beginning at the start of your day. 1. Start The Day Motivated Have a morning motivation routine. Experiment a bit and see what gets you going. If it has to be coffee, then so be it, although ...