I have made the same mistake myself. This never fails to improve the situation. Even if it is not true, you can soften your criticism by saying things like “I have made the same mistake myself…” “In your situation I would have done the same thing, but…” The reason this works, is that it avoids us developing an air of superiority. What we are saying is yes, you have made a mistake, but you shouldn’t feel bad because others have done so too....

First, plan ahead. You can’t always predict your moods, but you can plan ahead so you start out with the right state of mind. If you wake up without a concrete plan for your day you can easily waft into checking e-mail and social networking sites before doing any actual work. This is the sort of time-sucking activity that can eat up half of your workday (if not all of it!...

All I wanted to do was exercise for 30 minutes, but I just couldn’t get myself to do it. I sat down, feeling defeated and overwhelmed. What was in my way? In the previous six weeks, I was inactive and my desire to be in great shape was not being fulfilled, but destroyed. Because of this, I realized that I wanted to cram all of the workouts I had missed into this one....

How to Explain DRM to Your Dad – [Wired]

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle Here I am, huddled up close to the wood burner, my only source of heat, sitting on an old recliner chair that was given to me, in a rented apartment with windows soaked with condensation. Outside it is cold, wet, and dreary, a typical English winter’s day. My business folded in July with substantial personal debt and I turned forty-four in August....

1. Be your best advocate The patient-provider interaction is undergoing an unprecedented change as information becomes increasingly accessible to the general public. You are the most important person in charge of your health; be proactive in taking care of yourself. Read books and search the Internet, however evaluate the source of any information. Realize that misinformation may be deliberate or unintentional. For rare conditions, you may become more educated than non-specialist providers who may have never encountered or experienced your diagnosis....

Due to our hectic lifestyles and multitasking schedules we’ve inadvertently lost the ability to remember things, but there is a saviour and few acknowledge the power of it. Sleep, alongside food and water, is one of the most essential parts of your life. An essential tool in recovery from a day’s worth of gruelling tasks, sleep has a sensationally brilliant effect on your memory storage and recalling abilities. We spend a third of our lives sleeping—by the age of 60 you would have slept a total of 20 years, so it’s important that you’re using that time effectively right?...

I’m not a fan of the traditional New Year’s Resolution. As a rule, they rarely lead to long-term change. Each year millions of people start a diet on January 1, all with the same objective – to lose their (excess) weight and fat forever. Both scientific research and those things behind our eyelids will tell us that (1) most people will maintain their new behaviours for less than a fortnight (some, less than a day!...

But let’s be realistic: how many of us really keep our resumes updated? Unless we’re actively hunting for a job, it just sits there gathering digital dust. And some of us just starting out might not have even begun putting a resume together at all. So what are you going to do when an unexpected job opportunity arises and you don’t have the luxury of spending a lot of time making it current?...

The problem is that if you don’t structure a personal appointment carefully, it becomes a waste of time. The purpose of an appointment with yourself is to gather information and make plans that go beyond solving the immediate crises of the day. Meditating and practicing Zen chants might be great, but your appointment needs to be run with a focus. What Should a Personal Appointment Cover? Your personal appointment should answer several key questions: Unstructured diary entries can give you an idea of your emotional state, but lack the structure necessary to really tackle these questions....

To make this fun, think of a few of your current or past friendships and try and figure out what kind of category they belong in the following list… Simple Friendships These friendships are based on only one type of interaction. Associate: This is the type of friend you’d have around one context like school, church, work, gym, or similar. The relationship revolves around that specific thing, and you barely ever talk about anything else....

Push-ups – you might not think much about push-ups, but try doing 100 or more in a single setting. These use your own body weight in order to help work your shoulders, chest, and even parts of your back 2. Dips – if you have a chair (or even with a bed or couch), you can put both arms on the seat and dip your body down to the ground....

Whether you’re on the run or just prefer not to watched by strangers, it’s handy to know how to minimise the amount of surveillance on your hotel room. What To Check You’ve seen spy movies, right? Time to start channelling your inner James Bond. Check within appliances and objects in the room, and behind picture frames, smoke detectors and power outlets. – Edward Snowden. Devices You Can Use Invest in a hidden camera detector, a bug guard and/ or portable jammers to combat hidden surveillance tech....

How to Take Perfect Lecture Notes – [wikiHow]

Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks [both Ph.D.] say that if you don’t want an argument, you can speak on unarguable terms. Now in the scenario of a breakup, no matter how you put it, things can turn sour. However, if you aren’t interested in hearing the excuses and defenses, speaking with this alternative viewpoint in mind can make things easier. Relationship Fix: How to Tell Difficult Truths So People Thank You – [GaiamCommunity]

About.com have put together another great collection of articles to help buyers in the used car market. How to Value a Used Car – [About.com] Private Party – The value a private individual can expect when selling to another private individual. Many consider private party values a baseline. Retail – The value a dealership or used car lot will assign to the vehicle. Used cars sold at “retail value” will often have been reconditioned, carry a warranty, or both....

Even as a tot, Missy had an innate fascination with the water. Fortunately, both she and her parents recognized this passion. Today, she is an Olympic Gold medalist swimmer. Her nickname? “Missy the Missile”. When you look at the bookends of Missy’s story, it seems obvious that she would achieve her Olympic goal. After all, if she always wanted to be a swimmer, she must have known that she would succeed, right?...

Because I love top 5 lists, here’s a concise summary of the more gripping effects chocolate has on the body: 1. Chocolate Contains Antioxidants Galore! One of the greatest things about chocolate is that it’s chock-full of antioxidants, which, if you didn’t know, help protect your body against the skin-damaging effects of free radicals. Because dark chocolate contains a higher level of natural cocoa, it’s by far the most beneficial type of chocolate....

Featured photo credit: Gizmodo via gizmodo.com

You don’t see it yet? Don’t worry. You will! Any one of us can be a hero. Let’s go even further. Any one of us can be a Super Hero. We just need to know how. The path is there but is hidden under the thick vines and thorns of false information and confusion. No problem. Follow me as we part the thorns and discover the true path hidden underneath....