Jumpstart Your Dream Life

8 Reasons Why Smart, Hardworking People Don’t Reach Their Full Potential

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What does it mean to reach your potential?

We all have different definitions. For some, reaching their potential involves getting recognition for their work. For others, it means creating a balanced life where both work and personal life are equally satisfying.

And then there are others who wish to create something so great, so useful, that it gets used widely. They feel satisfied knowing they’re making the world a better place.

The equation seems simple. Work smart, work hard, and you’ll get what you want. When we see someone fall short of expectations, we assume they either didn’t try hard enough or made poor decisions.

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ProWritingAid: Grammar Check Your Writing, Improve Your Style, and Become a Better Writer

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Have you ever felt that you were just naturally good at something?

It didn’t matter whether you were a fresh beginner or a seasoned expert. You had practiced a skill, gotten the hang of it, and since then, kept doing things the same way. Maybe you were learning to swim, cook, or perform a task at work.

Then someone comes along and tries to help. They offer a suggestion, advice, or some insight. Being used to your way, you brush the person off.

But after awhile, you hit a roadblock. You start to realize that you don’t know everything. You try implementing the person’s advice. And it works!

You begin looking at things in a different light. Gradually, it dawns on you that there is a whole other level… one you had no idea existed.

This is what writing is like. Easy to learn but hard to master, writing often takes a second pair of eyes to help you figure out what you’re doing right, and what needs fixing.

Today, I’m going to discuss ProWritingAid, a popular online grammar checker and style editor. I’ll cover what it does, how to use it, and whether it’s right for you.

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How to Promote Your Writing

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Going viral can be a fluky process.

Once in awhile, you write a piece that seems so-so, which ends up popular with readers. But more often, you think an article is going to be a hit, only for it to be a dud. You pour hours of work into something you think is brilliant. And yet it goes by unnoticed and unappreciated.

All that wasted time and effort feels disappointing.

Why does it happen? How can something that seems promising end up going nowhere? Is there a way to keep that from happening?

Let’s dive in.

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How to Write a Full-Length Article

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Imagine it’s the start of a car race.

All the cars are lined up, people are cheering, and engines are roaring. Everyone’s waiting for the race to begin. The tension is high.

Bang! goes the pistol. The cars speed off, leaving only a cloud of fumes that dissipates into the sky. The drivers feel the adrenaline through their veins as they accelerate.

They know exactly what to do. Hopefully, that’s the feeling you get when you write, too. You sit down, open up a document, and start typing away furiously.

Except that’s probably not what happens.

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How to Never Run Out of Writing Ideas

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There’s nothing worse than the dreaded blank page.

Clean and pristine it may be, but an empty document isn’t exactly what you’re aiming for. So how do you go from having no idea, no thoughts, no words, to a fully fleshed out article?

To do so requires some effort. But before we go into that, let’s first talk about the legendary sourdough bread in San Francisco.

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How to Rewire Your Brain to Perform Difficult Tasks

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Why do some people accomplish so much, while others do hardly anything at all?

How is one person able to exercise, hold meetings, and finish numerous tasks before lunch, while someone else hasn’t gotten out of bed yet? How does someone work on their craft, day after day for years, while someone else can only daydream about getting started?

We all know what we should be doing. We should be learning. We should be staying healthy. We should be working on things that will pay dividends in the future.

But we don’t. You see, those things aren’t easy. In fact, they can be incredibly hard.

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5 Simple Ideas That Will Make Your Life 10x Easier

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In today’s time-starved society, sacrifices need to be made.

A million different things are vying for your attention. You only have so much time and energy to pursue a number of them. Anytime you’re presented with an activity, you have three options to choose from: start, stop, or continue.

The question is, which door do you walk through? At first glance, the answer may seem obvious. Start or continue the actions that give the greatest output, and drop everything else.

But in reality, your time ends up getting swallowed by all the little things. They take up precious hours that could have been put to better use. Maybe it means doing something unnecessary, enduring an unexpected hassle, or working on something that at first glance seemed simple.

When you find ways to get rid of those small annoyances, you can change your life in big ways. All of a sudden, it feels like your time has been freed up. It’s as if a burden has been lifted off your shoulders.

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Overthinking is Damaging Your Well-Being

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Imagine that it’s close to bedtime.

You’ve finished a long day of work, ate dinner, and watched TV. You get into bed and relax by doing some reading.

After a while, you realize it’s getting late and decide to call it a night. You reach over and turn off the light. It’s pitch dark now.

You know you should be falling asleep. And yet there you are, staring at the ceiling. Your mind is racing with all sorts of thoughts.

You think back to something you said and wonder if things came out wrong. You reflect on a past action that resulted in negative consequences. Then, you start to worry about all the things that could possibly go wrong.

With each passing thought, you feel yourself sinking into a low mood.

If this sounds like you, you may be suffering from overthinking.

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5 Types of Music That Will Increase Your Happiness, According to Science

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Music is the final touch to a setting.

Take any situation, put in music, and the ambience gets taken to another level. You notice this all the time in films. Music is used as a signal of impending danger, hope, or blissful tranquility.

Music alone can evoke powerful emotions. The reaction upon hearing a tune is almost instant. You might think back to a memorable time in your life or imagine a picturesque scenario.

It comes as little surprise that we turn to music as a quick way to boost our spirits. But what is it about upbeat music that makes us feel better? Do our minds and bodies change as a result from hearing certain songs?

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Adversity Reveals Your True Character

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There is a well-known fable from Aesop concerning an ant and a grasshopper. You may have heard of it:

One fine summer day, a grasshopper was hopping about, happily chirping along without a care in the world. An ant passed by, bearing a large ear of corn to its nest.

As the grasshopper continued singing and dancing, it watched the ant scurry back and forth, carrying large burdens on its back. The grasshopper couldn’t understand why the ant would toil on such a beautiful day.

The grasshopper teasingly asked the ant, “Why not come and sing with me, instead of working so hard?”

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