Jumpstart Your Dream Life

5 Ideas on How to Never Run Out of Fresh Ideas

By

Coming up with ideas is a funny thing.

The harder you search for that gem of an insight, the more frustrating your efforts become. Yet there are times when a “Eureka!” moment seemingly pops out of nowhere. And of course, it happens just when you’re far, far away from your work desk.

So if forcing your way towards a great idea isn’t the answer, then what is?

The problem is that relying on intense concentration isn’t enough. Simply trying to think your way outside the box often leads nowhere. You’re stuck running in circles.

Instead, what you need is a trigger. Something that inspires you, something that forces you to think outside your current train of thought. Once you step outside that cycle, you can generate one creative idea, which leads to another, and so on.

[Read more…]

Before You Judge, Seek to Understand

By

Have you ever looked at something and thought, “That’s crazy!”?

Maybe someone paid exorbitant amounts of money to buy a jacket when you could have gotten something similar for a fraction of the price. Or a company launched a product that seemed so strange, so unlike anything you had seen before, that you wondered what they were thinking. To you, it seemed illogical, maybe even stupid.

But to them, it made perfect sense.

[Read more…]

8 Subtle Signs You’re Settling for Comfort Instead of Embracing the Unknown

By

Does it ever feel like you’re waiting?

Waiting for something to happen. Waiting for the fog to clear, so you can see what lies ahead. Waiting for the moment the pieces come together, culminating in the perfection you spent your entire life waiting for.

If you’re still waiting, here’s news: you’re wasting your time.

Waiting is dangerous. It gives the false illusion that if you’re patient enough, time will reward you with everything you hoped for. It causes you to sit there and let things fall into place rather than doing something yourself.

[Read more…]

Don’t Start From Scratch. Build On Others’ Successes

By

When you think of the word “innovation”, certain connotations pop up. Revolutionary. Progression. Success. A person perceived as innovative flies ahead of the pack, solving problems and creating solutions based on their ability to think outside the box.

But what about the word “imitation”? Does the word carry similar connotations as well? Does it have that positive ring?

Not so much.

In fact, when we think of a person who imitates, negative associations form in our minds. We use phrases such as “copycat”, “wannabe”, or a poor man’s version. Given a choice, who would pick imitation crab over real crab?

[Read more…]

How to Release Draining Relationships and Foster the Ones That Matter

By

How long does it take to predict whether or not a marriage will succeed? One year? Two years?

How about 15 minutes? In the 1970s, Dr. Gottman and Robert Levenson performed a series of studies on the difference between happy and unhappy couples. To do so, they videotaped couples attempting to resolve a conflict in their relationship for 15 minutes.

At the end, they reviewed the tapes and predicted which couples stayed together and which ended up divorced. Nine years later, they followed up with the couples. Their predictions were over 90 percent accurate.

[Read more…]

Were Our Ancestors Happier Than We Are Today?

By

Picture this: It’s the year 10,000 B.C. The sun is just rising.

You wake up to the sounds of rustling nearby. A few people sharpen their spears as they discuss the upcoming hunt. After downing a few gulps of water and some dried meat, you collect your supplies in a bag for the day.

You go out hiking with a few close relatives and friends to a berry patch. As you pick the ripest berries and place them in your basket, you overhear a funny story that your cousin shares about a conversation that morning. Laughter erupts.

The day carries on, dragging the sun along the sky. Beads of sweat accumulate on your forehead while your basket grows heavier. Finally, you hear a call from a fellow forager. It’s time to head back.

[Read more…]

5 Ways Travel Changes You As a Person

By

When you’ve been away for a while, everything feels so different after you return home again.

As you step out the front door and embark on your journey, you don’t know what to expect. Sure, you might have watched some videos and read about your chosen destination. You probably have an itinerary planned out. Maybe you joined a tour.

But until you’ve lived, breathed, and seen somewhere with your own eyes, nothing compares to experiencing it in person. Books may be useful for gaining insight and knowledge, but they don’t quite capture the vividness and emotions associated with a place.

[Read more…]

Focuster: Get Work Done Using To-Do Lists, Automated Scheduling, and Reminders

By

At any given moment, you have over a thousand choices at your fingertips.

You’re sitting at your desk. You can fire up your computer and browse websites endlessly. You can go outside and grab coffee along the way. Or, you can finally buckle down and finish the work that’s been sitting on your desk for a week.

We assume that having more choices is better. Yes, more choices mean you can decide the best option for yourself. It means greater control over your circumstances. But there comes a point when we suffer from too many choices. When it comes to productivity, too many choices becomes debilitating to getting our work done.

That’s why accomplishing more is about paring down choices. It means minimizing distractions so you can deep dive into your most important goals. When you focus on one task at a time, you make greater progress.

[Read more…]

You Only See the Tip of the Iceberg: Lessons on the Invisibility of Success

By

It’s believed that any dispute, big or small, can be settled through a game of rock-paper-scissors.

It’s simple, really. Like flipping a coin or drawing straws, rock-paper-scissors (otherwise known as RPS) is a fair decision-making method between various parties. There’s equal footing since everyone has the same, equally random chance of winning.

Or is it?

The $20 Million Auction Dilemma

In 2005, Takashi Hashiyama was in a bind. As CEO of the Japanese television manufacturer Maspro Denkoh, he decided to auction off the corporation’s collection of Impressionist paintings, including works by Cézanne, Picasso, and van Gogh.

Hashiyama contacted the two premier auction houses, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, for proposals. Although both auction houses provided extensive plans on how they would market the collection and maximize profits, Hashiyama still couldn’t pick. Finally, he asked the two houses to make a decision using rock-paper-scissors.

[Read more…]

6 Questions to Figure Out If You’re Living Up to Your Potential

By

The older we get, the more our dreams fade away.

It’s a sad fact of life, if not a very real one. Early on, you have an entire slew of things you want to accomplish. Enthusiasm, energy and excitement pump through your veins as you picture yourself reaching those achievements.

Yet those feelings gradually die down with time. For some aspirations, you might have set the benchmark incredibly high and then failed to get where you thought you’d be. Maybe you talked yourself out of even trying.

And when you did accomplish something, it didn’t live up to your expectations. Reaching a goal wasn’t the be-all-end-all you anticipated. Afterward, there was a void as you thought, “What next?”

Eventually, it becomes exhausting to keep trying (and often failing). You stop resisting to the pressures of everyday life and succumb to the routine. It’s comfortable. It’s safe.

But it’s also dangerous.

[Read more…]