“Talk to me, show some pity
You touch me in many, many ways
But I’m shy can’t you see”

~Sonata arctica ”Shy”~

Have you given up many times because of your shyness? Have you ever lost opportunities because you were simply afraid to ask? About 80% of us would probably answer “yes” as a study shows. However, this fear of attracting attention can be healed by having a strong will and by understanding that it is impossible to succeed without the other’s help.
A shy person can be seen by others as boring, unfriendly or weak so why not change your attitude to prove them that you can be a great friend and a valuable workmate? Get out of your shell!
1. It might be hard at first but try to change your way of thinking into a positive one. Be relaxed and even if someone makes you feel uncomfortable try to start a conversation. (more…)

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‘Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought: “Make amends”
Pet Shop Boys ~Being Boring~

In life, you do things you don’t want to; things you may find useless, unpleasant, or just boring. You may also waste a lot of time when you’re say, taking the bus to school or work, or when you’re cooking or just don’t have what to do at work; and you probably sometimes feel like you just don’t have enough time to finish your work and really need to relax and unwind. The thing is that you have two problems which could solve each other! Sounds really weird, but filling these ‘gaps’ in your day to day time is really important, but mostly underestimated. Here’s what you can do.

1. Take an mp3 player (ipod) or a good book with you.

Photo by D T Photo
Or both! Put them in a small backpack or even in your pocket, it won’t really bother you. This way, whenever you’re don’t have anything really important to do, like cooking or just typing you can start listening to music. Whenever you’re in the bus, you can start reading, or during the lunch break after you’ve eaten. (more…)

Photo by j.lee43

Try to put me in a room
Distraction less
(Everything is everything)
Spare me from worse
In the studio, I would finally burn
(All the time is all you got)
Tempted to work
~Amy Winehouse~

In short procrastination is a habit if you will, a very bad habit, that consists in putting off something for the next day. Procrastination is to blame for most of our productivity problems and yet it seems that very few people actually do something about it. And this doesn’t solely apply to your personal life either, it just as well happens in your career as well, because chances have it you’ll behave the same way at work as well. Missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, overwhelm, resentment, and guilt are just a few consequences.

I’m pretty sure most of you’ve told yourselves at least once in your life I’ll do it tomorrow, I have the time or tomorrow’s another day. Ok, that’s true, but to paraphrase a common proverb, why put put for tomorrow, what you can do today? It’s safe to say that everybody knows that procrastination is hazardous, but what compels people, like you or myself, to do it? There’s a few reasons why people result to postponements like fear of the unknown, fear of change, perfectionism, fear of failure, disorganization and so on, but probably the most common reason is … laziness. That’s right folks laziness can really be a bugger, some go as far as saying it’s a terrible sickness, I personally think it’s all just a psychological issue.

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I’ll admit I’m wrong if you’d tell me
I’m so sick of fights I hate them
Lets start this again for real
Blink 182 ~ Always ~

Photo by fantasticks
Well we’ve all had our share of couple fights, for various reasons; some end peacefully, but in most cases the outcome is not good at all. So why not avoid these fights, when possible? The most concentrated way of putting this is: speak your mind but listen to his/her point of view too and release the negative energy without doing things you will most definetly regret afterwards. But since things are often much harder, I’m gonna try and put this in a simpler and detailed way. (more…)

“it’s just me and my puppy
together were so very happy
and a bit of world won’t bring us down
i’m looking on the bright side of things”
  ~Lissie~

A study made by the University of Yale shows that optimism can grow your life expectancy with at least seven years. Optimism decreases the effects stress has on people and improves their balance, both physically and mentally. And changing your mood is not difficult at all!
1. Chat! Gossip can prove to be very useful in some situations. Chatting with your friends and family helps you create a “social web”. Studies show that sociable people are more likely to live happily ever after. Phone chats have useful effects on brain activity and blood circulation. A long-lasting friendship can worth as much as not smoking or being active. It’s also important to meet your friends in person. Phone calls are useful, but not enough!
2. Dear diary…The benefits of keeping a diary are well-known. It’s important not only to talk about what makes you unhappy, but also about the good moments, even about the small pleasures of life. Studies show that the people who are grateful for everything that happens to them are more satisfied and tend to be physically stronger. You can write in your diary once a week or just from time to time. What is important is not to regard this as another duty.
3. Be generous! Generosity increases the level of happiness hormones. You don’t have to give valuable items, just make unplanned surprises to acquaintances and to strangers. Offer your bus seat or give some food to a hungry homeless man. You will feel much better about yourself and the others’ gratefulness will make you feel appreciated. “Generosity has therapeutical effects” as scientists often claim. So why not help yourself by helping the others?
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Photo by carf

We all have our more sad days, when we’re feeling a bit weary and down. It can be something that got you upset recently, for some it’s a seasonal thing like winter blues or it just can spring out of nowhere. I think everybody can related to at least a few similar moments during their lives, and I’m not talking about depression here either, that’s the ultimate stage in what I call “feeling like crap.” Anyway, when it happens, we all need a lift up and a pat on the back, to help us get back to enjoying life. The following is a set of 7 suggestions you might want to consider when faced with such moments, that will undoubtedly, at least, make you feel better.

1. Listen to music. This always charges my batteries and gets me going on, no matter on. Personally I like to put a few favorite songs on queue and let them play, while I’m lying in the bed, perfectly calm (although I listen to some pretty hard stuff), trying to feel the music. I’m totally in the zone. It’s a whole Rainman experience, I know, but it does its job; you can try it too if you like, just play any kind of music that makes you feel good. I wouldn’t advise playing any depressing or mellow songs though, as they can end up causing more harm then good.
2. Party. A party is always a good idea to cure any kind of blues; round up your buds and hit the clubs for some action, dancing is always a good idea, while alcohol is clear not. It will only make you feel crappier. But hey even yet, why not plan your own party? You never need a good reason, other then having a good time, you don’t need to plan it too much either, don’t stress out, just go with the flow; call all your mates, tell them to bring some friends too and you’re on for a great night. Themed parties are the most fun, I’m a nut for luau parties, although I’ve never been at one. Damn it! (more…)

There are still many things we don’t know about our bodies, so in some cases it’s hard to say what makes us healthy or unhealthy. Still, it’s obvious that despite a good diet, and exercising and that kind of things, there are other factors which have to be taken into consideration. In fact, recent studies have made it clear that there has to be a balance between the body and the soul are at harmony. The five principles necesary to obtain this harmony are written below, and they are not as hard as you would expect.

1. Regenerate by sleeping

Photo by animefx
This is the first and most natural way of regenerating your energy and mantaining a mental balance, and it is the best way to help the body be prepared. Nowadays we sleep a whole lot less than ancient times; since the discovery of the light bulb, the time alocated to sleep has grown smaller and smaller. Among the effects of a long period of time with insufficient sleep are high amounts of sugar in the bloodstream, high arterial tension, higher colesterol level, neurosis and a general state of discomfort.

2. Use stress towards your advantage

Stress is one of the things that causes most damage to us, due to the constant go-go and insecurities, among others. Still, what if you could use this enemy towards your advantage? Sounds weird? Not really. Just think: if you could live your life in your bed, without doing anything, just sitting there, would it really fullfil your needs? You may be inclined to say it would, but if you thought about it really careful, you would realize that it won’t. Here’s what you have to do, in order to make stress your ally:

3. Set up a (very) loose routine

Routine is a two-way knife; it can either be helpful, in some cases, or it can make your life pretty unpleasant. As for myself, I’m the go with the flow and improvise kind of man; I’ve always been that way. But even so, I feel the need for some stability at some times.

4. Love 

Photo by Levana’s Cats =^..^=
Recent studies have shown that people who are in love don’t just feel better, they are better. The body works brilliantly and the brain has no problems. No need to talk about this… any kind of love will do!

5. Detach yourself from some things

Photo by Michael Mozzarella
After a long day, or just a stresful period, try to detach a bit from your problems; everybody has problems, but it’s up to you to deal with them in the best way you can. If you want to solve them, try to analyze the situation and be as objective as possible. If you just want to relax, then try to find a method to take your mind off them. Try to meditate, or jog, or do whatever you feel is good. Do what suits you best!

I hope you’ve realized by now that being healthy doesn’t reffer to just the body; the mind and soul have to be healthy too, even more than the body. Try to find a way to be happy with yourself, that’s the first step. Then, appreciate what you have!

Photo by DreamValley
Most of us (if not all) have felt at some point that the routine of the daily life is suffocating and even further, we wanted to get away from it; and it’s not necessarily that what you do is boring, even a 
skydiver could feel caught up. But that’s not as easy as it seems, because vacation days are rare and it seems there never is enough time. But still, there are simple things you can do which can make all the difference in the world.

Learn new things. If you keep doing the same things it will be harder and harder to escape from the routine. Instead, try to learn something new everyday of your life; learn from everything, even the smallest of beings and remember that nature is an endless pool of knowledge. During the process of learning, try to apply some of the things you’ve learnt; and try to travel, visit new places, you definetly have some place you would want to visit, so go for it.

Of course, this would involve taking some chances. In fact, taking chances is the next important step in your victory over monotony in your life. Remember, the things which you don’t say are lost, so whenever you want to say something, say it. Hey, now if you want to swear a policeman or something, that wouldn’t be good. I’m talking about things such as telling a friend how much you appreciate him or her, asking that girl you can’t look enough at out, and that kind of things. You know better what you need to say, so quit sitting there, go out and do it!

Photo by Conundrum37
If things don’t go your way, just start from there. Don’t be upset because you made a mistake, learn from that and keep walking and don’t resign yourself with everything, believe in yourself and believe in the fact that you can do better. In fact, getting away from the daily routine means changing your life for the better, and if you truly believe that you can do that, you have already done half the job.

We all have to do things we would rather not do; some would say that’s just how life is. We use inner motivation to give us the momentum we need in order to solve whatever it is we are doing and achieve your target. You need it, otherwise it will practically going to be impossible to fulfill your goal. In order to obtain it, you need to understand that nobody is going to make a change in your life; you have to help yourself!You need to create and develop your own self motivation to give you the energy needed; this could be a very difficult task itself because there is nobody who could help you directly and you could think that you have absolutely no idea about this kind of thing. You would be surprised to find out just how easy it is; just read the following and try to apply them as much as possible.

1. Keep going even after you’ve made a mistake. We all make mistakes; some bigger than others. What makes the difference is that some learn from them, don’t make the same mistake again, and start from there. You have more to learn from your own mistakes than from any other thing.
2. Get out of your comfort zone and take risks. You need to get out there and explore possibilities and then start achieving your goals. Unfamiliar surroundings can inspire you as well as enhance your ability to achieve your goals and your self confidence. It will probably lead to making some mistakes too; if so, go to point 1.
3. Solve your problems instead of running away from them. Unless you are extremely good and lucky your road will not be smooth all the time. You’re going to have to solve problems and deal with frustrations and setbacks. Face them! and ASAP. It’s going to bring you great benefits in the long term and without solving your problems you’re not going to get anywhere.
4. Be happy and appreciate every moment. The journey can be just as good as the destination and even better. Think about life and what really it means to you, think about the past, take a moment to daydream. It will make you feel much better about your struggle. Besides happiness generates more positive energy within you; the energy will keep you optimistic and enthusiastic. Happy people are always more productive.
5. Care less about what people say. Bill Cosby said “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” and he was right on. Don’t ignore everybody, take their oppinions into consideration but keep in mind that your goal is not to please everybody.
6. Read the oppinions of an authority. Almost certainly you are going to feel stuck at a moment or another; even if not, it still is a good idea to try and improve yourself. Sometimes just reading or listening to inspirational materials can do the trick.
7. Reach for the sky, but be prepared. You should not limit yourself, instead you should try and live your dream. There are going to be problems, expect them, but keep in mind that you have the power to surpass them.
8. Finish what you start. Don’t leave things halfway done; you want to finish things, that’s why you start them in the first place.

Now whether you are trying to just learn for your next exam or starting a career, you need motivation. The list doesn’t stop here; there are so many other things you can do. In fact, please share some of your motivation tips and tricks with us! But by applying these 8 steps, you will most definetly see the results.