Tag Archives: Pursuit of Happiness

What Can Affect Your Ability to Secure a Job Interview

Many people who are keen to get a new job or break into a specific career spend a lot of time focusing on things such as their interview skills. Of course, it is important to work on this, but one of the key things you need to do before you can put these interview skills to good use is to get an interview in the first place. Getting an interview is not always easy even if you have relevant skills and qualifications, so you have to do all you can to boost your chances of being selected.

There are various steps that you can take if you want to increase the chances of securing a job interview. It is important to remember that for many jobs you will face a lot of competition from others, so you need to do something that will make you stand out from the sea of other applicants. There are a few important things that can help you to do this, and we will look at some of these in this article.

Secure a Job Interview

What You Can Do

In order to increase your chances of securing a job interview, there are some simple yet effective steps that you need to consider. Some of these are:

Research What Is Needed

One of the things that you must do in order to boost your chances of getting an interview is to research the position thoroughly and look at what is needed. For some jobs, you may need particular skills and qualifications or specific experience. If you do not have these, you will be unlikely to get an interview. What you can do, however, is to work toward getting these qualifications and gaining the necessary skills so that you can boost your chances of success when future opportunities for the same type of position arise.

Have a Solid Resume

Another thing you need in order to secure a job interview is a solid resume, which is what will make the first impression on potential employers. You can get online help with your resume – you can even get tips for funny resumes. Your resume is your chance to show potential employers what you can offer and why you are the perfect candidate for the position. This will increase the chances of decision-makers selecting you for an interview rather than putting your resume in the rejection pile.

Gain Experience if Possible

Another of the things that you can do in order to boost your chances of getting an interview for the type of job you are interested in is to try and gain experience. You can do this in a variety of ways, and this even includes doing some voluntary work in your spare time to gain the necessary skills that are needed for the type of job you want.

These are a few of the things that you can do if you want to increase your chances of getting a job interview.

Did you get at least one useful idea from this content What Can Affect Your Ability to Secure a Job Interview? If yes, please consider sharing this article with your friends so that they can also have an “aha” moment. Thank you!

4 Checklist When Designing Your Garden at Home to Love

When you hear the word “garden”, the first picture that will come into mind is a collection of plants and flowers — a place where you can grow and culture different kinds of plants. However, when you think of a home garden, it’s more than that. It’s a place where you can express your creativity by turning your plant pots into a gallery display. It’s also an outdoor space where you can spend time with your family or have a place to relax at the end of a busy day.

If you have extra outdoor space, it truly is tempting to turn it into a garden. Especially now that we often stay indoors, it’s good to have a new hobby to keep us from going outside. Additionally, adding a few greens at home can be beneficial to yours and your family’s health. The oxygen it produces can clean the air you breathe. In this article, we will discuss the different things that you need to consider when designing your own garden.

Factors to Consider when Designing your Garden

There surely are a lot of garden ideas online. You can search for the different types of plants, pots, and decorations that you can use. However, before you go crazy putting them all in your cart, it’s best to consider some of these aspects to make sure you are not overdoing it. Let’s take a look at each of them.

1. Set a budget

Just like any home improvement or renovation, it’s necessary to set a specific budget for your garden. From the types of plants that you will keep to the types of equipment and interior decorations, you have to make sure that it’s something that you can afford. Be wise when it comes to comparing different prices and products.

When listing your budget, do not forget to add the maintenance cost. Plants are, after all, living things. Hence, they need constant care and maintenance. When picking a plant, make sure that your budget can also cover what’s needed to keep your plants alive.

2. Know about the different types of soil

Gardening is a combination of art and science. While falling in love with the aesthetic appeal of each plant, also consider the types of soil that you will use in the garden. Make sure that it will be compatible with the type of plants that you will keep. It’s important to know if your garden soil is clay or loam.

Before you put up your garden, you should also test your soil. You can get in touch with experts on planting to give you a hand on this. In that way, you can know how to take care of it, which plants can you keep, or if it needs improvement.

3. Consider different types of plants

Once you already know your budget and the type of soil in your garden, it’s time to select your plants. Again, aside from its beauty, make sure you know something about these plants such as their life span, sunlight needs, etc. Through this, you can plan ahead as to how you could grow and foster it.

The size of the plant is also an important factor. Yes, most of them start small, but some of them can actually grow taller than you. By doing enough research, you can estimate if you have enough room in your garden when a plant is full-grown. Remember, there’s a thin line that separates a garden and a forest, and that is plant density versus your available space.

4. Learn about your location’s rules and regulations

Even if the garden is within your property, it’s best to know if your state or municipality has rules about putting up fences or installing water pipes. You can start consulting the authorities about it even before you purchase anything for your garden. Through this as well, you will know what you can do and what you can’t.  In that way, your efforts will not go to waste.

Furthermore, you can ask or get inputs from your neighbors, especially if there will be any potential intrusion in their property. You wouldn’t want to have any negative encounters with them in the future. After all, plants should give people a piece of relaxation.

Start Gardening Today!

Above all these, it’s also necessary to consider the needs of your family. Make sure that the plants that you will decide to keep will have a positive impact on them as well.

Have you completed the checklist? It’s time to start your gardening plans today. We hope this article helps you in designing your garden at home. It’s a great way to be productive while also starting a new hobby. Visit storables.com to get some new garden ideas to inspire you.

Positive Words Research – 4 Checklist When Designing Your Garden at Home

Home Garden

Is It True That Video Games Can Make People Happy Today

Nowadays we spend more and more time in the digital world. In fact, our actual world is slowly turning into digital which brings a lot of positive changes to our daily life. However, there is still a stigma connected with video games. It is driven by the fear of a negative impact on the lives of both children and adults, and it does not matter if we are talking about violent scenarios or not.

Think about it: any anti-social actions of people who often play video games or even simply like them will most likely be justified by the industry.

From the other side, if we look back, our fear seems to be natural and does not look like something we have not seen before. Similar concerns were actual when rock music appeared or when the world was introduced to comic books. People are generally careful and in most cases defensive when they see some new tendency, especially among younger people.

Of course, some games, some music, and some books are not meant for all age groups, which leads us to an eternal question: Isn’t it important to have a balanced approach in every sphere?

To begin with, there are numerous proven benefits to playing video games regardless of their content. It looks like once a person focuses on a game, their stress level is dropping significantly, their mood improves and the level of confidence is growing.

The latter is connected with the fact that the joy of winning in any sphere inevitably leads to an increase in the feeling of self-worth. Young people and teenagers also enjoy the benefits of playing in a social and communicational sense. This includes both the feeling of relatedness and the need to interact with other people in some of the types.

Moreover, research shows that in a randomized sample of adults diagnosed with clinical depression those who started playing video games reported positive changes and the reduction of stress level, anger, and tension. What is more important is that those results were reflected in their heart rate variability and brain activity.

Similar research conducted with children had the same results: those kids who played on a moderate level showed better results in positive emotions, self-esteem, connections with family, and safe friendships than kids who were playing a lot or did not play at all. It looks like the wisdom of not overdoing works in every sphere regardless of age.

Also, now that we have more studies on the human brain, the scientific community started paying attention to what video games can actually do to assist people with adjusting to the fast-paced world we live in.

First of all, there is good news for action game lovers: they improve your swift reaction to unpredictable circumstances, strategic thinking, and multitasking. Besides, those who play in general are more likely to identify distractions, which helps them to return to their main tasks quicker and procrastinate less.

This leads us to the conclusion that people who do video games have better focus. Such a crazy hypothesis has been proven by the French cognitive neuroscientist Daphne Bavelier who has accidentally started researching this topic and the impact of gaming on our brain activity. In her study she had both gamers and nongamers watch sequences of letters that would rapidly appear on the screen at the same time.

The participants had to concentrate on one of the three pressing a button when numbers would come up and ignoring all the distractions. Their results and brain activity was recorded as they also had EEG headsets on. All the participants held their attention and focused on their sequences.

However, those who played video games had far better reactions and scores. Wouldn’t it be nice to do better at work and be able to focus on the meaningful thanks to the actual fun time spent with friends?

To sum up, there’s more to video games than meets the eye. Playing several sets of your favorite one alone or with your friends spending a wise amount of your time can bring a lot of positive influence. Your stress will be gone, and the muscle of focus trained. Video games ‘good for well-being’ says University of Oxford study.

Positive Words Research – Is it true that video games can make people happy?

Pursuit of Happiness: 10 Ways to Increase Your Overall Mood

The pursuit of happiness is a cornerstone of the American dream, outlined specifically for us in the Declaration of Independence. Yet some days, we find ourselves chasing the ever-fleeting mistress that is happiness and fail to catch her.

So on days when we cannot craft a genuine smile, why not just abide by the time-honored tradition of “fake it until you make it”? Science says no. By faking happiness, you can actually make your mood worse. In the work field, faking contentment can make you hate your job and can make you sick.

Psychologist Iris Mauss at UC Berkeley found that people who focus on improving their happiness tend to focus on obtaining personal gains, which can lead to a busy life with little beneficial social or intrapersonal interaction.

Dan Gilbert, a pioneer in the study of happiness, says that humans are driven by emotions and that “emotions (are) a compass that tells us what to do. A compass that is perpetually stuck on the north is worthless.” Meaning that if we are ALWAYS happy, (a.k.a. always stuck facing north), we will miss out on other important emotions and may not truly be able to cultivate the power and joy that comes from happiness.

Remember: all emotions are valid; make sure to feel them all!

What happiness is NOT

Happiness is a vague beast to tackle. For every individual person, a sense of joy can come from a multitude of places. There is so much variation in what happiness is to each individual. To get a grasp on how to best define it, we must look at what happiness it is not.

Happiness is not predictable

Contrary to popular belief, things are not as burdensome as you might anticipate them to be. By default, the great things that come to you do not always make you as happy as you’d like. Gilbert gives a great example. “Going blind will not make you as unhappy as you’d expect, and winning the lottery will not make you as happy as you expect.”
As reliable as we’d hope our brains are at predicting our future emotions and responses, it is well backed that they do not have this capability.

Happiness is not material

Even though a new outfit can make you feel better for a moment, this is what science likes to call “false happiness.” While at first, it may help you feel more confident and excited to take on new tasks, eventually that feeling will fade with the fabric you bought. Chasing money and material possessions lead to a temporary sense of happiness.

Happiness is not a destination

Life is about the journey, but the destination is not happiness. Enjoying the process is the important part to remember.
If you find yourself saying things like:

  • “Once I finish a project I will be happy”
  • “Once I make a million dollars, I will be happy”
  • or “Once I am married, I will be happy”, you have the wrong mentality.Happiness is not found outside yourself, it’s cultivated inside. Relying on an outside source to change your emotional status will not help you become happier.

If we can’t concretely define happiness for everyone, maybe we should focus the attention on how to create more of it for ourselves.

How to Increase Happiness

Creating a calm and productive life is the best way to cultivate joy for yourself. These are the top ten recommendations to increase happiness.

  1. Look for employment at a company that values its employees and their happiness.
  2. Invest in experiences – instead of investing in material goods, invest in memories.
  3. Focus on your relationships and making them succeed.
  4. Practice mindfulness.
  5. Practice gratitude – keep a running list of what you are thankful for.
  6. Help others.
  7. Exercise.
  8. Budget for happiness – use financial tweaks to save for experiences.
  9. Focus on posture.
  10. Eat healthily

 Though we are always striving for happiness, our tactics for getting there may not be as effective as we’d like. By understanding what happiness is, what it is not, and how to cultivate more of it in your life, you are bound to live a life full of joy, purpose, and laughter!

Author’s Bio

Avery T. Phillips is a freelance human being with too much to say. She loves nature and examining human interactions with the world. Comment or tweet her @a_taylorian with any questions or suggestions.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

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3 Simple Tips On How Nutrition Affects Your Happiness

When we feel good, and when our body is healthy, we’re happier. That’s pretty basic logic even children can grasp, so why do we struggle with proper nutrition so much?
A lot of it has to do with poor habits steeped in childhood (such as food insecurity). Also using food for comfort and the addictive nature of some foods are bad habits. Any type of addiction, including sugar addiction, can cause depression, mood swings, dependency, and much more. Addiction to sugar can also encourage binge eating disorder (BED). This is a type of eating disorder, as well as the night-eating syndrome (NES).

1. It’s not all bad news for sweet lovers

Cacao, the ingredient in chocolate, releases the same endorphins we enjoy when we fall in love. Of course, addiction to endorphins is also possible, and it’s all about moderation. Still, when consumed in moderation, we’re able to alter our mood for the better.
Dark chocolate also comes with a myriad of potential health benefits. It’s a natural superfood antioxidant. Is good for heart health and cognitive function, and protects from free radicals. Aim for dark chocolate that’s at least 85%. The strength of the flavor and lack of dairy/sugar also helps keep you from over-eating.

2. Lack of proper nutrition and malnutrition is, unsurprisingly, linked to bad moods

Those with restrictive eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are known for having intense mood swings. This eating disorder includes purging but also covers any activity that removes calories to an excessive degree, such as exercising for hours.

It makes sense because our bodies are machines that require not just fuel, but the right fuel, to function properly. Lack of nutrition is linked to insomnia because the natural instinct to look for food trumps anything else, including the need for sleep. Radical changes in blood sugar levels can also impact a person’s mood. Malnutrition and lack of proper nutrition don’t make for a happy disposition.

3. False energy

Depending too much on false energy boosts such as caffeine, whether in soda or coffee, can also shift a person’s happiness position. We live in a culture where it’s not just accepted but encouraged by jokes and memes to be a monster before that morning cup of coffee.
However, needing caffeine – the most commonly used in the west – in order to function is a clear sign of dependency. If you think you’re addicted to caffeine, you likely suffer from at least moderate mood swings dependent on your intake. Try starting the morning with warm lemon water first and wait at least 30 minutes before consuming caffeine. Green and black tea, which contain caffeine but less than coffee, are a good alternative and come with health benefits.

For some, adopting a vegetarian lifestyle boosts their happiness quotient. That’s because they consider “kind eating” healthier for the planet. It’s not the right fit for everyone, but it highlights the importance of researching and knowing what’s in your food and how that impacts your happiness.

Author’s Bio:

Trevor is a freelance writer and recovering addict & alcoholic who’s been clean and sober for over 5 years. Since his recovery began, he has enjoyed using his talent for words to help spread treatment resources and addiction awareness. In his free time, you can find him working with recovering addicts or outside enjoying almost any type of fitness activity imaginable.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

proper nutrition

Magic Sparkles of Happiness: Exactly in This Moment

Chapter 1 ~ Exactly in this moment

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of the scenery – air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.” – Sylvia Plath

Exactly in this moment the other part of the Earth is sleeping. Millions of people are just sleeping, in this moment, in millions of beds. All of them are breathing, slowly, dreaming millions of dreams.

Exactly in this moment something fabulous is happening somewhere and I don’t know about it and cannot even picture it in my mind. I want, at least, to visualize this picture. Because I know that I will never see it for real.

Exactly in this moment tones of hair are being caressed by someone’s hand all around the world.

Exactly in this moment thousands of kids are given births by their mothers, and I will never see all these small, full of life babies.

Exactly in this moment billions of leaves stay up on trees. Billions of leaves are moving in the wind all around the world. Take a moment and picture this.

Exactly in this moment millions of hearts are just beating.

Now! Just Now! Now again! And now! And now! And now! Now! Now! Millions of them!
There are so much more than 10 hearts, so much more than 100 hearts, so much more than 1,000 hearts, and so much more than 10,000 hearts!
In this exact moment! It is so amazing! I will never see with my own eyes, in reality, all these constant beatings, all the hearts in the world beating in a certain moment in time. At least I can use my imagination to picture in my mind this process and is so majestic.
I just want to be so quiet as I can right now. Who knows, maybe when I am quiet, enough, I can hear the hearts beating.

Exactly in this moment so many kids are smiling.

They are just smiling right now. No matter what events are happening now in the world, there are these kids smiling, everywhere, who I will never see with my own eyes, but they are there, playing most probably.

I can visualize them in my mind that they are smiling and playing. And some of them are actually laughing. So many children laughing, exactly while I’m writing these words! Exactly now! They are just laughing right now! Such a nerve for them to do this in every moment when there is so much sadness and grief in the world.

Therefore in the same moment pure happiness and deep grief always exist on Earth.

My present happiness depends on what part of the world I am directing my thoughts. My focus adds energy to the pure energy, the laughs of children or the grief of adults. I choose the awareness I am focusing on. Therefore should I focus only on the laughs or only on the grief?

It would be smart to choose to focus on the awareness that in every moment both actually exist. If I am insisting on focusing too much on grief, I neglect (being ignorant) of the happiness that exist in the same moment with the grief.

Should I focus only on the happiness, ignoring grief? No, because I would never understand and own compassion. But I understand and own gracefully compassion because I see with my right eye the grief and with my left eye the happiness. I am not ignorant of either one. And I will have more chances of bringing happiness where there is grief.

Exactly in this moment so many people are breathing.

All living humans are breathing now. Exactly now, people are taking air in their lungs and getting the air outside from their lungs back into the outside world! We are breathing the same air. All of us! On Earth!
I am so grateful trying to picture all these people breathing. Maybe I imagine kids playing with their breaths because they might think it’s funny.
A kid could ask his mother: “What is this, Mom?” And he shows to the mother how he is breathing. The mother smiles and says: “It’s called breathing, and we all do this. Our lungs help us do it. You will do this all your life, remember to do it with joy, and deeply.”
Well, maybe she doesn’t say the last part or maybe it crossed her mind but didn’t say it. Like it happens to me sometime and to you certainly now, because you read this words.

Exactly in this moment thousands of apples are being eaten.

Other thousands of apples are washed exactly now so that they can be eaten in few seconds from now. Hundreds of people are baking an apple pie exactly in this moment. Can you sense the smell of all these apple pies?
Can you picture the joy of each person waiting for the apple pie to be baked? Exactly in this moment other thousands of people of different ages are eating an apple pie that has baked before. They are enjoying every bite, they are biting from it now, and again, just now, they are doing it.
You cannot stop them from eating the apple pie. You cannot stop them from being happy doing it. And again they are biting from the apple pie just now, far away in the world, in which place you and I never know.

Exactly in this moment thousands of people are sneezing.

You can take your time when you want and say “Bless you” or “Good luck” to them whenever you have a free day.
But the time of a day will not be enough. I am kidding, don’t do that. Picture it! Whenever you say you are bored and don’t know what to do, you can just take some moments to say “Bless you” to all the people that are sneezing in every moment. You will never know which ones sneezed. All you know is that they do it, somewhere in the world.

Exactly in this moment…

… millions of animals of every kind, all around the world, are stretching their bodies and yawning. Little new born animals are yawning now. Pets like dogs and cats, from different houses are stretching happy and satisfied. Do birds stretch? I don’t know, maybe we should do a research on this.

Millions of people’s faces just smile exactly in this moment for whatever reason.

They smile with different cheeks, eyes and mouth. And when you think of it, in every moment of our life there will always be at least one million people smiling in the world. And you can never stop them from doing that, and you can never know which one smiled in which moment.
When someone else in another part of the world is reading this book exactly now, and wonders who is smiling now, and you are smiling now, then you could tell to that person that you are one of the million people that are smiling now.  Just that you don’t know who is reading this book now. So you will never know who thought of you right now.

Exactly in this moment millions of people are changing their clothes; are dressing to go somewhere. Exactly in this moment a lot of people are washing their bodies all around the world.

Millions of ladies are painting their nails exactly in this moment.

And you can be confident that all the colours are being used exactly now for the nail polish. I am sure that there is no colour that is not being used by a lady, somewhere, just now, painting with it her nails.

Thousands of men are shaving their face right now, very carefully. Other thousands of men and women are spraying perfume on their bodies just now. It smells so good.

Exactly in this moment millions of people are reading.

Some are reading a newspaper, some are reading a book, some are reading an article on the Internet, and some are reading a sign pointing for direction.

Millions of people are listening to millions of sounds exactly now.

Millions of hands are robbing their eyes right now.

And also right now millions of people are watching millions of beautiful pictures. And they are smiling.

Millions of people are friendly with each other exactly in this moment. They are serving someone with something.

Exactly in this moment the warm wind is caressing millions of faces.

The world is in continuous movement.

The world changes and then re-changes again doing the same things like before. This rhythm of doing the same things all over again, in different moments of time, is changed from time to time, with new things that appear into the world. These new things, these innovations soon become old things. The life, the complexity, the joy and the abundance increases.

“The happiness of our life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)

Homework 1:

The above chapter is an exercise which everyone can do. The exercise has the goal to increase your happy consciousness to a wider level of awareness.

Therefore, make your own personalized exercise by replacing the following magic sparkles with your own words:

EXACTLY IN THIS MOMENT *****************

Remember that these affirmations are presenting to you the reality and are meant to increase your joyful awareness, meaning to increase your ease, serenity, love, gratitude, contentment and your feeling of being positively amazed by the world in which you too are living. Therefore please choose beautiful and mesmerizing pictures for your mind.

BE confident that, someone is reading this book, just now, and that someone is definitely thinking of you. They are definitely thinking of one aspect related to you (either your smile, hair, hands…). When you smile and you think of all the people that are smiling all around the world, and when that someone smiles and thinks of all the people that are smiling all around the world, then that someone is thinking at you, just now, and you are connected in a beautiful spiritual circle, without knowing it.

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” – Anne Frank

Author’s word

This book contains positive affirmations that make you feel happy. I recommend you to read throughout the chapters, taking each sentence, one by one. The sentences are arranged in a certain serene flow but can also be read separately.

The writing of this book has begun with my daily writings. I had some blissful, full of love, mesmerizing days when I just felt that I want to connect my own being with positive, high and strong words. Then connect myself with everything around me, connect my consciousness with the reality outside me. In this state I began to write this book.

Books by the same author:
Hortensio and the Magic Stories
Leader versus Manager

exactly

Top 7 Self-Awareness Exercises For Happiness And Success

While most people are familiar with the term “self-awareness”, how many really know what it means? And even more importantly, how many people understand how vital possessing self-awareness is to live a successful, happy life? The truth is that success in life, whether it be an emotional success, material success or career success is largely a product of how we respond to the various external dilemmas or situations we find ourselves in.  Having a persistent loop of negative or irrational thoughts running through your head can lead to a variety of destructive habits, that if left unchecked, could send your life away off course, or into a dark downward spiral.

Fortunately, self-awareness allows you to identify any thought patterns and recognize the problems they’re causing you in your day-to-life.  As a result, you’ll suddenly find yourself much more at ease while at the same time making smarter decisions that will lead to greater success in life.

Here are some exercises to improve your self-awareness:

1) Verbalize Your Feelings

All too often, people reduce their emotional state to one of two choices, “sad” or “happy”.  However, emotions are more complicated than that and if not properly understood, have the power to seriously mess with your behavior and physical health.

Articulating your thoughts and feelings is a form of therapy for your mind.  It stops your thoughts from racing around in chaos and allows you to step back and calmly assess what’s bothering you, why it’s bothering you, and what you can or can’t do about it.

The real beauty of doing this, though, isn’t that you’ll necessarily discover a solution right away, but rather that it eliminates the ‘monster in the closet’ feeling caused by a restless mind.  Developing an emotional vocabulary allows you to objectively examine your thoughts and feelings in the same way you might examine your car that’s having an issue.  You can calmly look at it and assess what’s wrong without being stressed, emotionally confused or depressed.

2)  Go Three Levels Deep

If you’re about to make a decision, you want to ask yourself why.  This will start to clarify things for you and you can then go a level deeper and ask “why” to your first answer.  Do it again to your second answer and then you’ll have a solid foundation for your reasoning which will allow you to feel more confident about what you end up doing.

Knowing and understanding your reasons for doing things is a big part of self-awareness.  It makes you cognizant of your own behavior and allows you to give a thoughtful response if you have to justify it to yourself or anyone else.

3)  Desensitize Yourself To Visceral Reactions

Ever know anyone who’s constantly in a hyper-emotional state where everything is either the greatest thing ever or the worst thing ever?

These people have little to no self-awareness and live their lives going from one knee-jerk reaction to the next.

Self-awareness reduces the impact of visceral reactions.  It puts you in a state of mind where you don’t get overwhelmed by a rush of emotion and can objectively assess a situation and respond in a rational, constructive way.

So when an upsetting situation occurs – or when you think about a particular type of upsetting situation – stay calm and ask yourself why you’re having this response.  This lets you assess what’s happening and reduces or eliminates the feeling that you have no emotional control.  From there you can objectively think about what your best response, or non-response, would be.

4)  Think About What You’re Saying To Yourself

Whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re always thinking.  If that thinking turns into an endless loop of negative self-talk, the consequences can be quite destructive.

So during a tough or stressful situation, be mindful of the types of thoughts that go through your head.  Likewise, keep tabs on what you’re saying to yourself when things are going well.  Self-awareness allows us to monitor the negative or positive feedback loops that our minds create so we can then make the adjustments we need to feel happier and stay productive.

The key is to talk to yourself in a way that helps you to be motivated and challenges you, while at the same time staying away from self-talk that’s irrational or catastrophic in nature.

5)  Question Your View Point

It might not sound therapeutic, but thinking over a viewpoint that goes against what you believe can actually have tremendous mental health benefits.  If you do find flaws in your reasoning, then you’ll be wiser for it.  However, if your beliefs hold up, then you’ll have now battle-tested them and feel that much more confident.

Additionally, playing devil’s advocate is a workout for your mind as processing and making sense of contrasting information actually sparks new neural pathways.

6)  Practice Reflection

It’s one thing to have a negative, erratic thought or two, but if these types of thoughts are constantly swirling through your mind you’re going to have a tough time finding consistent happiness and success.  By reflecting on your thought process you can determine how strong or weak your level of self-awareness is.  Do this by setting daily, or even hourly, milestones for yourself where you look back and evaluate your thoughts for the given time period.  From there you can assess how well you’ve done and determine what your goal(s) should be for tomorrow.

7)  Meditate

A cornerstone for developing one’s self-awareness, meditation is the process of focusing on a simple or mundane task (ex. focusing on your breathing) that allows you to pay attention to the thoughts going through your mind.  As you progress, you’ll get better and better at blocking out or extinguishing negative/ obsessive thoughts which will immensely improve your happiness and concentration.

Conclusion

If you chronically feel like you have little or no control of what’s happening around you, or struggle not to fall into destructive funks, constructive self-talk can significantly improve your mindset and life.  By applying and sticking to the exercises listed above, you’ll be surprised at just how quickly you reap the benefits both mentally and physically, while at the same time, unlocking levels of success you never before thought possible.

Self-Awareness Exercises For Happiness And Success
Daniela-Mcvicker

About the Author: Daniela McVicker is an author, psychologist, and freelance blogger. She believes that success depends on knowing the ideas that allow you to manage and master the universe of information. You can follow Daniela on Twitter or add her on Facebook

PLUVIOPHILE meaning, etymology, synonyms & antonyms

Pluviophile meaning: pluviophile is called someone that is a lover of rain. A soul who finds peace of mind during rainy days.

The above pictures were created by Serenity. Serenity also wrote a beautiful inspiring poem for the positive word pluviophile, called Positively Peaceful Pluviophile

PLUVIOPHILE

~ the meaning of the positive word pluviophile~

(n.) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days

pluviophile

Positive Words Research – PLUVIOPHILE definition – meaning | Dictionary Positive Words

Get inspired with more beautiful words from our list of beautiful words.

pluviophile-2

DREAM meaning, etymology, synonyms & antonyms

DREAM
~ the meaning of the positive word dream ~

A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occurs involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

~ Wikipedia

To have a deep aspiration or hope. To conceive as possible; imagine. Imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake. A cherished desire, having a daydream; indulging in a fantasy.

~ TheFreeDictionary

Positive Words Research – DREAM definition – meaning | Dictionary Positive Words

Happy Dream