4 Tips to Unleash Your Inner Brilliance and Creativity

If you’ve often wondered if there’s a way to make yourself smarter and more creative, good news – there is! In fact, there are many different things you can do to enhance your creativity and increase your level of intelligence.

Never Stop Learning

If you have a life filled with learning new things, chances are your creativity and general intelligence will be higher, too. Taking a college class in something you’re interested in, or something you don’t know much about can help your mind expand in new directions.

Reading is also an important component of learning. Those who read a variety of things, from biographies and fiction to trade publications and newspapers, are more likely to have the creative areas of their brain stimulated. Reading on your own is always a positive thing, but you can also take a literature course at a local college or join a book club if you enjoy discussing what you’ve read with others.

Take Risks

It’s well-known that taking risks in your daily life can make you smarter and increase your creativity. When you get out of your comfort zone, you’re more likely to learn new things, interact with people who challenge your assumptions, and see problems from a different, more creative point of view. Consider getting a new, more challenging job, traveling somewhere you’ve never been before, applying to get a master’s degree in a new field of study, or taking a course in a language you don’t speak.

Go Somewhere New

It’s said that your environment can greatly affect your creativity and intelligence. If you’re in college or will be in the near future, consider studying abroad. The change in environment and all the little things associated with being in a completely foreign culture is a great way to expand your mind, making you smarter and more creative. If you can’t make such a bold move, think about moving to a different part of town, or taking a new job in a different city. The increase in your intelligence and creativity from such a small change could be surprising.

Take Good Care of Yourself

Sometimes, your brilliance and creativity will suffer because of your physical, mental, or emotional health. To achieve greater intelligence and creativity, it’s important to take care of your body. This means getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, exercising regularly, and eating food that is healthy and nourishing. If you have mental or emotional issues that are causing you problems, it’s important to address them with a licensed therapist or counselor who can help you deal with those issues. If your body and mind aren’t healthy, then it’s difficult to make yourself smarter or more creative.

Author’s bio

Terry Southerland is a career counselor and content contributor for thebestdegrees.org, a site featuring lists of accredited online degrees and specialty field endeavors such as early childhood education degree programs.

Symptoms of Low Self-Esteem

Understanding the symptoms of low self esteem is crucial to your success in life. If you are unaware of how your self esteem is achieved and the levels you should aim for you will be unable to utilise your true potential by having the determination you need to attain your planned dreams and visualisations.

The most common symptoms of low self esteem are:

1. Lack of ambition

To not have any ambition or enthusiasm in whatever you do in life is one of the worst symptoms of low self esteem. If you do not have any enthusiasm in your job you will find it difficult to gain promotion or better your prospects in your professional life. This will lead to frustration and aggression. Likewise lack of enthusiasm in any area of your life will only ensure you do not give your best and this will only bring sadness and unhappiness.

2. Negative behavior and attitude

Always seeing things negatively or having negative thoughts will prevent you from experiencing a favourable result in anything you attempt to do making everyday life an uphill struggle. Endeavour to rise above the negativity, find a solution, or support from a friend.

3. Lack of pride in your appearance

First impressions count so if you do not take pride in your appearance and not pay attention to your dress, tending to look untidy and disorganised, which is the image you are portraying to everyone around you. Your appearance often indicates what type of person you really are so if you tend to have an unbothered, uncared for style of dress then this is representative of your personality and character.

4. Unhealthy lifestyle

Another important symptom of low self esteem is the way you look after yourself: your diet and lifestyle. By not eating a sensible diet, lack of exercise and maybe excessive alcohol intake these are all contributory factors to an unhealthy lifestyle which can often be accompanied by ill health too. Feeling low in mood is often fuelled by eating comfort foods as a result and you are caught up in a catch 22 situation very easily.

5. Shyness

Being unable to speak to someone without experiencing blushing or just being unable to speak when you meet someone new are common problems which can be overcome. However, if you are a casualty of severe shyness where you experience panic attacks or emotional distress, it may be advisable to seek professional help.

6. Fear

Fear of failure is probably one of the most destructive feelings to experience but fear whether it is a phobia or just an everyday fear all need to be overcome to be able to live a fulfilling life. So learn how to handle and manage your fear. Find the ability within yourself to face each fear and analyse the situation by seeing fear as your protector and facing the dangers as they arise. Recognise the benefits of fear and work with them to free yourself.

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by Kathryn James
Check out http://www.positivity2prosperity.com for further details.

Gratitude is a Key to Happiness

Have you ever said thanks to god for anything? How was the feeling?

We feel much fulfilled while we say thank you because this makes us feel that we got something we needed. It also makes opposite person feel that what he or she gave to us is valuable.

God gave us this wonderful life and we should be thankful for the same. We pray to god for the things we want but we never say thanks for what we already have. Even if we say thanks it would be only once or twice. God gave us many gifts which we enjoy every day so we should be thankful every day.

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick

Think this way how will you feel when in a train you give your birth to someone standing and that person without saying thanks sits on your place. You will definitely feel bad that you gave your valuable place to someone who didn’t value it. I am not saying god will feel bad if you won’t say thanks but I am saying that you will feel good if you say thanks.

If you want to be happy then you have to release all your negative thinking by replacing it with positive thinking. Gratitude will remove all negative energy from your mind because you will start focusing on things you have instead of what you don’t have.

“Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude.” - Joseph Wood Krutch

All the self help author suggest you to practice gratitude daily and I am no exception to that. Gratitude is the first thing I do in the morning. I say thanks to god for my life, health, my wife, my parents, my friends, knowledge, strength, opportunities and many more things. I feel fulfilled while practicing Gratitude. I feel like I am the luckiest guy in the world that I have many reasons to celebrate every day of my life. Gratitude also helps me to focus on my goals. It makes me realize that if I can achieve what I have then I can definitely achieve my other goals. It gives me amazing confidence. Gratitude actually prepares you to fight against all the odds and makes you happy.

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

You can prepare your gratitude journal where you can write things for which you are thankful. Every day you can add your list. It is not that we should be thankful for big things or events in our life. Small things or events also give you immense happiness. I say thank you even when I get a place in a bus or train. I also write everyday in my gratitude journal. I have also kept reminders in my mobile which rings at every three hours and I start thinking of events or things or people I am thankful for. Promise yourself that you will think of five things you feel gratitude for and I guarantee that you will find ten things.

Start Gratitude today, say thanks to god, to universe and even to your parents. In search of things we don’t have with us we forget to enjoy things we have with us.

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

At the end I want to dedicate a poem from an unknown author.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

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by Samir Kunvaria
For more articles on self improvement please visit http://www.samirworld.com

The Facts About Confidence

Facing the world full of confidence is sometimes out of your league particularly if you have come up against or been compromised by adversity, in some form or other. If this is the case, learn how to get back on track by reminding yourself of the facts about confidence.

Failure

Sometimes you may be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone to take advantage of an opportunity but refrain for fear of the slightest chance of failure. You must not let this be a deterrent. Don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure by thinking you have to be perfect to take on a new venture. Accept that there may be setbacks but prepare yourself to tackle what lies ahead. As long as you are in a positive frame of mind it will be surprising what you can achieve. If any setbacks occur learn from them and move on.

Negativity

To be able to combat negative influences, you must understand what makes you tick. Learn where your weaknesses lie and strive to build on them because this is where any negative influence will strike. At the same time ensure you are aware of your strengths as this will empower you to overcome any negative influences when then arise.

Making Comparisons

Comparing yourself with others is a common problem that many people struggle to overcome. This develops if you focus too often on others whom you put on a pedestal, by looking through rose coloured spectacles at their lives, using your precious time when your concentration should be on your own life. In fact all too often when you are pre-occupied in doing this you tend to neglect seeing the good things you have in your life. So make sure you focus on yourself which will be far more constructive.

Unable to Cope

To admit being unable to cope with a situation is not a sign of weakness or failure. Everyone will face this predicament at some time in their life. Being able to ask for help from people you trust when you are overwhelmed by work, home or social demands only shows that you are human and normal.

Social Skills

Although new social situations can seem daunting, especially meeting strangers, making small talk is easier than you think. In doing so you will gain social skills that will enhance your life and give a boost to your confidence. In addition you will also acquire new acquaintances and obtain more knowledge maybe in new areas that have always interested you but have been unable to become involved.

Saying “No”

Learning how to say no can be a very difficult situation only if you allow it. Many people find it easier to say yes than no, purely for the fact that they feel they are letting someone down or because they think people will not like them. But this is not true. The ability to say no in the right situation commands respect from others and at the same time will alleviate the stress from your life.

These facts about confidence are reminders for you, should you feel your confidence levels need a boost. Taking a little time out of your busy day to reflect on your level of confidence could prove to be extremely worthwhile.

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by Kathryn James
For further information visit http://www.positivity2prosperity.com

Improve Confidence and Learn to Deal With Sarcasm

Some people regard sarcasm as a heightened level of wit and sophistication. And it is true that witty, quick thinking retorts are often highly amusing and entertaining to others. How many of us have wished that we could have thought of that snappy rejoinder half an hour before instead of when we were driving home in the car?

But sarcasm when both parties are not evenly matched can become a form of verbal abuse, a bit like a cat playing with a mouse, and equally unpleasant to watch. Dealing effectively with sarcasm can have several different approaches.

1. Ignore it.

Act a bit unworldly and treat the comments as if they were a valid remark. There is no sport in being sarcastic with someone who does not get the comments and they will give up trying if there is no reaction, if all that happens is a normal response that appears oblivious to the inferences being made. Treat the remarks like water off a ducks back.

2. Laugh at the comments.

By joining in, the remarks lose their offensiveness and laughter is often a great tool to defuse a tense situation. Being able to laugh at ourselves is an attractive quality and enables everyone around to comfortably join in with the humour too. You also show yourself as being confident enough to be able to relax and see the wit in the comments and the situation.

3. Retaliate if you can.

Retaliate if you feel you are quick enough, but be wary of joining in a fight unless you know that you can win. And these situations can sometimes become quite unpleasant. Does it really matter to you that much or is it better to let it go? Often by retaliating it can make the situation more difficult because the defence to sarcasm being nasty or cruel is often that the remark was meant as a joke. You can then appear to be excessively sensitive with no sense of humour. It is sometimes more embarrassing to pursue this line of conversation and better instead for you to pick one of the other options that I have outlined.

4. Consider why this person is behaving this way.

Are they genuinely regarding themselves as bright and witty, but becoming a little over the top, or are they trying to appear superior. Are they perhaps jealous or trying to score points and so becoming a verbal bully? Often low self-esteem and confidence levels are a factor when someone is trying to win a war of words. There can be an attempt to demonstrate their greater intellect by a putting others down mentality. You can reassure yourself that they are less confident than they are appearing and usually everyone around can see that this is the case. This behaviour is often an elaborate cover up.

By protecting yourself in the most appropriate way you can reinforce the true belief that this situation is not about you. You are in a situation caused by another person to amuse and entertain themselves and perhaps others. Allow yourself to keep control, protect your confidence levels and you will emerge stronger and more confident as a result.

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Susan Leigh is a Counsellor and Hypnotherapist who works with
- stressed individuals to promote confidence and self belief,
- couples in crisis to help improve communications and understanding
- with business clients to help support the health and motivation levels of individuals and teams

For more information see http://www.lifestyletherapy.net

212 Degrees

At 211 degrees, water is pretty darn hot.

But at 212, it’s boiling, and making steam.

Only one degree, but there is quite a difference. While hot water is a nice thing when you are taking a shower, boiling water has a lot more potential. You can use it to cook, or to run a steam engine.

I bet you are wondering what my point is. The point is, one degree made that difference. One, just one.

Take a look at your life right now. No matter where you are, or how happy you are with it, there is always room for that extra degree. The one that takes your from hot to steaming!!

Take a look at the results that you are getting out of life. Sit down and really think about it. What ways can you add that extra degree, and “Kick it up a notch” as Emerill would say?

You could:

• Spend 10 minutes each day focused on one thing – anything you want it to be. In a fifteen years, you’ll be a bonafide expert!
• Spend the last hour before bed planning the next day. You’ll wake up with confidence and a game plan, important ingredients for a great day!
• Read one book each month that is aimed towards improving some skill or talent.
• Spend one hour each week studying up on your career field or industry.
• Enroll in a free online or live course. These can be found using Google, at local schools, libraries, etc. Not only will you improve yourself, you’ll also be able to meet other likeminded people to share your passion with!!

There are so many little things that you can do to improve your skills, and therefore improve your self. There are many things in life that we waste time on, professional and personal development are NOT some of them. Take some time to nurture your talents and your techniques.

Before you know it, you’ll be boiling!!!

Jennifer Gibbs is a freelance professional who lives in South Georgia with her husband and her son. Though currently under construction (as of February ’05), be sure to add http://www.JenniferGibbs.com to your favorites! Soon, it’ll be a vital resource for freelance help, free online content, business articles & aids, and much, much more!!