Month: December 2020

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How to Have a Happy New Year – Five Boosts 12/29/20

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on How to Have a Happy New Year – Five Boosts 12/29/20
Photo by Candice Picard on Unsplash

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 12/29/20

How to Maintain a Happy, Healthy Mindset

(NeuroGym | 2775 words)

To be joyful and happy:

  1. Let go of perfection
  2. Ask “How can I?” instead of “What if I fail?”
  3. Feel grateful, and receive graciously
  4. Focus on what you want to be, instead of what you want to have
  5. Smile for your health and happiness
  6. Be excited to give love

Note: This article is about the holidays, but applies to life in general.

Related: 10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Be Happier

5 Ways Being Vulnerable Can Make You Happier

(Caitlin Sinclair | The Self Improvement Blog | 1100 words)

A willingness to be vulnerable, rather than put up walls, improves your happiness.

  1. You accept your feelings
  2. Others feel more comfortable around you
  3. You catch your own self-tricks
  4. You stop destructive behaviors
  5. You’re okay with imperfection

Happiness Can Be a Choice

(Perry Gruber | Blisspot | 375 words)

Happiness is more about mindset than circumstances.

When you decide to be happy, it creates happiness.

Which then leads to better circumstances.

Related: Optimism and Pessimism are Self-Fulfilling

How to Spend Your Money For Maximum Happiness

(Gulnaz Khan | Popular Science | 2225 words)

Money can buy happiness if you spend it the right way.

Buying an expensive car doesn’t bring long-lasting joy. But there are other ways cash can make you more content:

  1. Use money to buy time.
  2. Invest in experiences.
  3. Spend on others.
  4. Focus on human connection.

I found this article in Greg Roth’s The Idea Enthusiast.

In 2021, Start Making the First Move

(Holly Riordan | Thought Catalog | 525 words)

Don’t wait for life to come to you.

Take action to improve your life. Be the one to initiate things.

In romance, career, friendship, or self-improvement, it’s up to you to take the first step.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

I work hard reviewing hundreds of articles a week to find five that contain the best advice on easy ways to improve your life.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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Five Boosts 12/22/20 – Staying Positive and Motivated

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Five Boosts 12/22/20 – Staying Positive and Motivated
Image by Derek Robinson from Pixabay

Before getting to the boosts, I have a favor to ask.

I’m always trying to make Five Boosts more useful.

You can assist by completing this two-minute survey.

I’d truly appreciate it.

And don’t forget to subscribe to get Five Boosts in your inbox every week, as well as your free copy of 24 Ways to Improve Your Life.

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 12/22/20

Optimism and Pessimism are Self-Fulfilling

(Steven Ray Marks | Self-Helping Yourself | 1150 words)

If you have an optimistic outlook, you’ll act in ways that make good things more likely to happen.

While if you have a pessimistic outlook, you’ll act to make bad things more likely to happen.

Not through anything mystical – because of psychology and choices.

Optimism leads to better results in love, career, personal interactions, resilience, achievements, and overall happiness.

Fostering an optimistic attitude will make your life much better.

What to Do When you Feel Unmotivated

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 825 words)

Sometimes it’s hard to start a task. To get that motivation, try:

  • Picture your life if you pick the path of doing things versus not doing things.
  • Get inspired by the motivation of others.
  • Just start, and let the motivation catch up to you.

Related: Disembarking from the Failboat

3 Psychologists Share Their Tips for Staying Positive Through the Winter

(Kaitlyn McInnis | Ladders | 925 words)

Short days, holidays alone, and being stuck at home can be tough.

To keep your mood up:

  • Take on a short-term project
  • Create a routine
  • Watch comedy shows
  • Spend time in nature
  • Don’t compare your happiness to others

Related: 7 Easy Strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder

6 Unconventional Ways to Build Focus, Resilience, and Calm in 2021

(Jory MacKay | Rescue Time | 2650 words)

While we hope things will get back to normal next year, there’s still a need to adapt to uncertainty.

  • Build an indifferent attitude toward what you can’t change
  • Deprioritize unproductive tasks
  • Find your ideal working habits and boundaries

I found this article in Greg Roth’s The Idea Enthusiast newsletter.

Related: 10 Things to Do When you Feel Overwhelmed.

It’s Scientifically Impossible to Make It Through These 17 Wholesome Tumblr Posts Without Smiling

(Compiled by Kelly Martinez | BuzzFeed | 500 words)

Cute thoughts and encouragement that will brighten your day.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

I work hard reviewing hundreds of articles a week to find five that contain the best advice on easy ways to improve your life.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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Five Boosts 12/15/20 – Loving Failure And Ignorance

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Five Boosts 12/15/20 – Loving Failure And Ignorance
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Before getting to the boosts, I have a favor to ask.

I’m always trying to make Five Boosts more useful.

You can assist by completing this two-minute survey.

I’d truly appreciate it.

And don’t forget to subscribe to get Five Boosts in your inbox every week, as well as your free copy of 24 Ways to Improve Your Life.

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 12/15/20

Interview With the Millennial Money Woman

(Steven Ray Marks & Fiona | Self Helping Yourself | 1875 words)

The Millennial Money Woman (also known as Fiona) is a top personal finance blogger.

She gives easy, actionable advice on getting your money in order:

  • Start saving and investing early
  • Avoid common mistakes
  • Cut spending
  • Leverage opportunities the internet gives

Related: 13 Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Finances

10 Ways to Love Your Partner in a Meaningful Way

(Kimberly Brown | Purpose Fairy | 975 words)

Love is something you actively do. A bit of mindful effort keeps your relationship strong, which makes both you and your partner much happier.

Suggestions include:

  • Talk to each other daily
  • Build them up
  • Flirt
  • Be more give than taking
  • Love yourself

How to Cope With Feelings of Isolation During the Holidays

(Abby Moore | Mind Body Green | 675 words)

The holidays are especially difficult for those with pandemic-related mental health challenges.

I know it’s hard for me – I haven’t seen my mother and sister in nearly a year.

To feel a bit better, make a plan of joyful ways to spend the holiday.

Adapt traditions for quarantine, or create new ones.

Spend time outdoors, or volunteer. Charity is a great way to boost your mood.

Video chat with family. It’s not the real thing, but it’s better than nothing.

Selective Ignorance: Cultivating Intentional Knowledge in a Chaotic World

(Anne-Laure Le Cunff | Ness Labs | 1350 words)

The unlimited knowledge is at our fingertips is both a blessing and a curse.

What knowledge we consume and how we consume it can make us miserable or be a distraction.

Cultivate selective ignorance by limiting information sources that don’t provide value or enjoyment.

How to Overcome Failure and Use it as Motivation

(DJ Jeffries | Addicted 2 Success | 925 words)

Everybody fails sometimes. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Failure is an opportunity to learn and come out of it stronger.

To do this:

  • Understand what went wrong.
  • Look to friends for advice.
  • Listen to constructive feedback.
  • Keep moving forward.
  • Don’t be afraid of failure.

I always say: “If you failed but learned how to do better next time, you haven’t really failed.”

Related: Disembarking From the Failboat

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

I work hard reviewing hundreds of articles a week to find five that contain the best advice on easy ways to improve your life.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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Five Boosts 12/8/20 – Laziness for a Better Life

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Five Boosts 12/8/20 – Laziness for a Better Life
Image by AnnemarieDeloo from Pixabay

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 12/8/20

Take Control Over Your Own Life With Two Phrases

(Steven Ray Marks | Self-Helping Yourself | 975 words)

Whether you believe you have control over your life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You can build the mindset of controlling your life by changing two common phrases:

Instead of saying “I have to” say “I get to” or “I choose to.”

Instead of saying “I don’t have time for,” say “I have chosen not to prioritize.”

Remind yourself that your choices are your choices.

3 Habits for Creating a Better Work-Life Balance

(Thomas J Frank | 1975 words)

Picture your time/energy as four burners on a stove, representing work, health, relationship, and hobbies. The brighter one flame burns, the less gas available for the others.

To set the burners to the balance you want:

  • Create obligations
  • Remind yourself of what makes you happy
  • When you work, work with intensity

I found this article in Brandon Zhang’s newsletter.

What to do When You Have Too Many Ideas and Not Enough Time

(James Clear | 675 words)

Ideas are like rosebuds. They have potential to flourish into something wonderful, given time and energy.

However our time and energy are limited. If we try to pour them into all our good ideas, then none will succeed.

Like with a rose bush, we must prune ideas that are good but not great, so our best ideas have room to reach their potential.

The Benefits of Laziness

(Anne-Laure Le Cunff | Ness Labs | 1225 words)

Self-help gurus tell us to have contempt for the lazy. But laziness is often better than being busy for the sake of business.

  • Lazy solutions can be clever.
  • Lazy time allows the brain to think of less-obvious solutions.
  • Laziness allows the body and mind to recharge, manage stress, and avoid burnout.

40 One-Sentence Communication Tips

(Josh Spector | 525 words)

Reading this will help you write, speak, and express ideas better.

Some top ones:

  • The main character in any story is the person you tell it to.
  • The point of an argument isn’t to win.
  • Before you tell someone they’re wrong, tell them they might be right.
  • The more interested you are, the more interesting you’ll be.
  • It’s easy to win over a room that believes you have their best interests at heart.

I highly recommend Josh Spector’s For The Interested newsletter.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

I work hard reviewing hundreds of articles a week to find five that contain the best advice on easy ways to improve your life.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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Five Boosts 12/1/20 – Be Thankful for Imperfections

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Five Boosts 12/1/20 – Be Thankful for Imperfections
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 12/1/20

Before getting to this week’s boosts, I want to thank Lynn DeLong for her lovely review of The Weight Loss Habit. Please do check it out.

5 Reasons to Embrace Your Imperfections

(Josh Spector | For the Interested | 700 words)

Imperfections make us unique. They make our creations interesting and relatable. And give us room to grow.

Perfect is boring.

Moreover, there’s no such thing as perfect. It’s an unattainable standard. Chasing perfection is an excuse to avoid finishing our work.

Related: Perfectionism Paralysis Can be Beaten by Half-Assing It

The Power of Thankfulness: 5 Essential Tips

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 725 words)

Gratitude hugely increases your happiness.

  1. Think of three things to be thankful for today, and 3 people to be thankful for in life.
  2. Tell people you’re thankful for them.
  3. Think of 3 aspects of yourself you’re thankful for.
  4. Be thankful for things you take for granted.
  5. Start and end your day with thankfulness.

Delightful December Can Make You Happier

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 825 words)

Delightful December is a month-long challenge to dramatically improve your mood.

  1. Avoid posting anything negative on social media.
  2. Instead, every day in December, post:
  • Something you’re grateful for.
  • Something that made you happy.
  • Something you’re looking forward to.

5 Tools to Manage Anxiety When it Arises

(Kristina Hallett, PhD, ABPP | Mind Body Green | 875 words)

A certain amount of anxiety is normal. To manage it:

  1. Stop with the “what-ifs.”
  2. Return to the present moment.
  3. Engage your senses.
  4. Practice progressive muscle relaxation.
  5. Go for a walk.

What Successful People Know About Failure

(LaRae Quy | laraequy.com | 1300 words)

Everyone experiences failure. It’s naturally unpleasant, but it’s also an opportunity.

  1. Failure feeds the starving brain. Is this a challenge to keep pursuing, or should we shift focus to something else?
  2. Failure gives us humility.
  3. Failure leads to new discoveries.
  4. Failure gets our attention.

Bonus Boost

15 Ways to Avoid Gaining Weight Over the Holidays

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1750 words)

The holidays are an especially difficult time for those of us who struggle with weight.

Here are some tips to avoid common pitfalls, without relying on willpower. Including:

  • Skip less exciting dishes.
  • Serve yourself tiny portions.
  • Compliment people while declining their food.
  • Use a smaller plate.
  • Don’t sit or stand near food.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

I work hard reviewing hundreds of articles a week to find five that contain the best advice on easy ways to improve your life.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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