Tag: Anne-Laure Le Cunff

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Five Boosts To Get Back on Track

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Five Boosts To Get Back on Track
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 2/16/21

Today’s boosts are about getting back on track.

There was no Five Boosts last week. Monday night, my van was totaled by a hit-and-run driver. (I’m fine) I spent the rest of the week getting a rental car, cleaning out the wreckage, and working on a replacement, while launching my Excel business, and caring for the foster dogs that took over my life. Plus I got sick for a bit. (Not COVID, and I’m better now).

The good news is we’ve placed two of the dogs, and the one remaining is much less of a time burden.

Enough about me. On to the Boosts.

Reward Good Behavior Instead of Criticizing Bad Behavior

(Self-Helping Yourself | Steven Ray Marks | 1000 words)

If you want someone to improve or change, reward and encourage the desired behavior. Don’t punish or criticize bad behavior. Punishment just makes someone unhappy and gets them to dislike you. This is true for animals, employees, family, and yourself.

If you punish yourself for flaws or mistakes, it builds depression, anxiety, and self-hatred. To improve, instead celebrate your achievements and growth.

How to Motivate Yourself When Things Are Not Going Exactly The Way You Want

(Charles Vallena | The Inspiring Journal | 1000 words)

When things don’t go right, it’s easy to lose motivation. Which makes things go worse.

To keep your motivation:

  • Pause to gain more insight.
  • Process and analyze your emotions and thoughts.
  • Take a break.
  • Focus on what you can do.
  • Find motivation from your accomplishments.

Give Yourself Credit: The Essential Habit Behind Self-Esteem

(Steven Handel | The Emotion Machine | 675 words)

People obsess over their flaws, but ignore their accomplishments. 

To fight this, give yourself points for achievements – even minor ones.

Be an easy grader, giving yourself credit for minor things like brushing your teeth or gratitude.

Related: Optimism and Pessimism are Self-Fulfilling

Creative Burnout: When the Creativity Tap Runs Dry

(Anne-Laure Le Cunff | Ness Labs | 1800 words)

Creatives sometimes burnout. Recognize the signs, and how to overcome it.

Get support. Take a break. Do some self-reflection. Look at your past work for inspiration. Do the smallest piece of creative work to build momentum. And be kind to yourself.

Even better, avoid burnout by building the right habits, taking breaks, and skipping anxiety-inducing information sources.

Related: Disembarking From the Failboat

5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Goal-Setting

(Anouare Abdou | The Ladders | 850 words)

You will likely fail to achieve your goals if you make these mistakes:

  • No timeline.
  • No accountability.
  • Not being well-rounded.
  • Being too conceptual.
  • Trying to do too much.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Excel: Beginner to Rockstar

As I mentioned in the intro, I’m launching a new business.

Before switching to Self-Improvement and Weight Loss, I spent 20 years in Accounting and Finance for start-ups, rising to the level of CFO. Now I’m putting my expertise to use teaching Excel.

Could winning at Excel win your next job?

Or save you hundreds of hours as an entrepreneur?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to increase your Excel skills 100% or more in four weeks. You’ll be able to get twice as much done in half the time, amaze your boss and potential employers, and enjoy unparalleled job security.

Rockstar Excel Presents

Excel: Beginner to Rockstar Course

Starting March 18, 2021

Are you an entrepreneur who struggles to finish everything?

Are you an employee whose career is stuck in neutral?

Are you looking to become more efficient and organized?

Would you like to get more done in less time?

Mastering Excel could be the solution!

Imagine taking minutes to complete what used to take you hours. Picture what you could do with five extra hours a week. What if you never had to worry about layoffs, because your skills made you too valuable for your company to lose?

I want to rock Excel
and get my free Expense Tracker

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 for When You Struggle – 1/26/21

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Five Boosts for When You Struggle – 1/26/21
Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexels

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 1/26/21

Today’s Boosts are about when you struggle.

A personal note: Things have been tough for me lately.

We recently rescued a special needs dog with two puppies from a neglectful situation.

Photo by author

Caring for and cleaning up after three large, untrained, unhousebroken dogs, who need to be separated from the cat we’re already fostering, is extremely labor-intensive and time-consuming.

I’m already in crunchtime launching my new business, plus some other things haven’t been going right for me. The added exhaustion and sleep-deprivation make everything harder.

I always say it’s okay to admit you’re having difficulties, and you shouldn’t feel bad about feeling bad.

If you’re also struggling, here are some articles that may be helpful.

10 Tips to Look After Your Mental Health During a Crisis

(Rachel Stray | 1200 words)

When you go through a mental health crisis, keep it from spiraling out of control:

  • Create a daily routine.
  • Limit news consumption.
  • Keep a sleep pattern.
  • Keep your mind active.
  • Connect with others.

How to Bounce Back From Failure

(Michael Hyatt | 450 words)

Resilience is a choice. Inevitably things go wrong in life. To overcome adversity:

  1. Keep a written record of wins.
  2. Stay focused on objectives.
  3. Take care of your health.

Overcoming Learned Helplessness

(Anne-Laure Le Cunff | Ness Labs | 775 words)

When bad things repeatedly happen, you may start expecting them. Feeling helpless prevents you from succeeding, even if you otherwise could.

Get out of this trap by remembering:

  • Problems may have external causes and not be your own failures.
  • Problems may be temporary and solvable.
  • Problems may be specific to certain situations, and not apply to others.

Related: Optimism and Pessimism are Self-Fulfilling

How to Overcome Self-Doubt and Move Toward Your Goals

(Azubike Eze | Spirit Times | 1700 words)

Tactics to beat self-doubts, such as:

  • Ask what’s the worst that can happen.
  • Don’t wait to feel confident.
  • Look for opportunities to say yes.
  • Attribute success to your own merit.
  • Give yourself permission to be imperfect.

Here’s When Self-Improvement Becomes Ineffective

(Jasmine Rice | Addicted 2 Success | 950 words)

Sometimes self-improvement books, seminars, blogs, etc. become a toxic addiction instead of helping your life.

If you constantly chase self-improvement because you think you’re not good enough, instead of actually doing things that genuinely make life better, or actually living life, take a step back and be happy with who you are now.

Related: Don’t Challenge Yourself

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Excel: Beginner to Rockstar

As I mentioned in the intro, I’m launching a new business.

Before switching to Self-Improvement and Weight Loss, I spent 20 years in Accounting and Finance for start-ups, rising to the level of CFO. Now I’m putting my expertise to use teaching Excel.

Could winning at Excel win your next job?

Or save you hundreds of hours as an entrepreneur?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to increase your Excel skills 100% or more in four weeks. You’ll be able to get twice as much done in half the time, amaze your boss and potential employers, and enjoy unparalleled job security.

Rockstar Excel Presents

Excel: Beginner to Rockstar Course

Starting March 18, 2021

Are you an entrepreneur who struggles to finish everything?

Are you an employee whose career is stuck in neutral?

Are you looking to become more efficient and organized?

Would you like to get more done in less time?

Mastering Excel could be the solution!

Imagine taking minutes to complete what used to take you hours. Picture what you could do with five extra hours a week. What if you never had to worry about layoffs, because your skills made you too valuable for your company to lose?

I want to rock Excel
and get my free Expense Tracker

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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Memory, Happiness, And Confidence – Five Boosts 9/20/20

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Memory, Happiness, And Confidence – Five Boosts 9/20/20
Coins

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 9/20/20

2 Most Powerful Ways to Remember Everything You Learn

(Thomas Oppong | Entrepreneur’s Handbook | 900 words)

We forget 90% of what we learn. This is a normal, healthy function of the brain, filtering out useless information to save room for the important stuff. When there’s information you do want to remember, these techniques are helpful:

  1. Spacing – Relearning the information over time. That signals to your brain that it is something important to be retained.
  2. The 50/50 Rule – Spend half your time learning, and half your time sharing or explaining what you’ve learned.

Related: Accepting Your Memory is Unreliable Will Make You Happier

17 Incredibly Easy Ways to Save Money While Shopping

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1925 words)

A series of tips that can help you save hundreds of dollars a month without any effort, time-commitment, or sacrifice. Some highlights:

  • How to make razor cartridges last for months.
  • Don’t have brand loyalty.
  • Check the per-unit cost when shopping.
  • Use Instacart to compare grocery prices, even if you aren’t ordering from Instacart.
  • How to (legally) get eBooks and audiobooks for free.

7 Simple Habits to Overcome Nervousness

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | Subscribe | 1175 words)

If you allow nervousness to overcome you, you’ll perform poorly at whatever it is you’re nervous about. Instead:

  1. Prepare, if possible.
  2. Ask yourself what’s the worst that could realistically happen.
  3. Visualize in a positive way.
  4. Slow down and breathe with your belly.
  5. Pretend the person you’re meeting is already a friend.
  6. Remember people don’t think about you that much.
  7. Tell yourself you’re excited.

20 Little Things that Secretly Make You Unhappy

(Tanuj Sarva | Iynk | 1,725 words)

A list of mistakes you might be making that are sabotaging your happiness. Once you identify any that apply to you, some simple awareness can go a long way toward breaking the habit. These include:

  • Believing everyone should play by your rules.
  • Waiting for your dreams to come true to be happy.
  • Not making time for the right things.
  • Holding grudges.
  • Being a perfectionist.
  • Caring too much about what others think.
  • Playing the victim card.
  • Thinking you don’t deserve happiness.

3 Five Minute Confidence Boosters

(Anouare Abdou | The Ladders | 750 words)

To pump up your own confidence:

  1. Collect evidence of your skills and abilities.
  2. Visualize your future self, after you’ve achieved greater success.
  3. Use bridge thoughts to connect where you are now to where you want to be.

Bonus Boost

Why I Don’t Believe in Cheat Days

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 750 words)

A “cheat day” in a diet disrupts the habit-building process, and reinforces the notion that eating right is a burden while eating like a drunk grizzly bear is a celebration.

Needing a cheat day is a sign that your entire weight loss strategy is flawed.

Instead, you should build the lifelong habit of making good decisions about what you eat. And sometimes good decisions can include eating unhealthy things, as long as you do it in moderation.

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.

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Good Enough Grounding And Productivity – Five Boosts 9/6/20

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Good Enough Grounding And Productivity – Five Boosts 9/6/20
Photo by Morning Brew on Unsplash

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 9/6/20

From Productivity Wishfulness to Mindful Productivity

(Anne-Laure Le Cunff | Ness Labs | Subscribe | 1100 words)

Many productivity systems that promise to make you superhuman are just fantasy.

Some telltale signs are that they make unrealistic demands, promise unrealistic results, or are advocated by a guru-like personality.

Studying these can become a form of procrastination itself. Instead, focus on building a system that works for you individually, based on your own individual needs and tendencies.

Develop this system by identifying bottlenecks, making time for self-reflection, managing your information-diet, and learning by doing.

Related: Don’t challenge yourself!

I found this in Khe Hy’s Rad Reads newsletter.

13 Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Finances

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 2300 words)

Ways to improve your finances that take no ongoing willpower, effort, and minimal time-commitment. Some highlights:

  • Invest your money in index funds without paying attention to the stock market.
  • Don’t use a savings account
  • Max out your company sponsored 401k match
  • Get a rewards credit card, and pay it off every month
  • Don’t use debit cards
  • Set up automatic bill pay
  • Refinance your mortgage and student loans right now

Good Enough is Just Fine

(Lawrence Yeo | More to That | 1150 words)

There’s no such thing as perfection.

But perfectionists can hamper their efforts by endlessly chasing this quality that doesn’t exist. And thus they never release their work.

Instead of struggling for the unattainable 100% standard, aim for a “Good Enough” standard of 95%.

Related: Perfectionism Paralysis Can Be Beaten By Half-Assing It

Replacing Negative Thoughts With Positive Thoughts

(Barrie Davenport | Live Bold & Bloom | 2500 Words)

Remind yourself to regularly examine your thoughts. And when they are negative, try to replace them with positive thoughts.

For example, replace “I am helpless” with “I am powerful and in control of my own destiny.”

Replace “Nothing good ever happens to me” with “I am surrounded by an abundance of opportunities.”

Replace “I am so angry at that person” with “I respect and love myself enough to let go of anger and live in peace.”

7 Grounding Exercises For When You Feel Overwhelmed

(Steven Handel | The Emotion Machine | 1650 words)

When you find yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try grounding yourself in the present moment with these techniques:

  • Five Senses: What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you smell? What do you taste?
  • 10 Slow, Deep Breaths
  • Mindful Stretching: Yoga, Tai Chi, or just stretching while paying attention to your body.
  • Nature Bathing: Go outside and take a walk. Ideally in a forest or park, but if that’s not convenient, just getting outside is helpful. Or if you can’t get outside, watch a video of nature.
  • Spend Time With a Pet or Stuffed Animal
  • Feel-Good Smells
  • Sound Meditation: Take 30 seconds to listen to the world

Bonus Boost

Who’s to Blame For Your Weight

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 700 words)

Focusing on blame when it comes to weight is unhelpful. Blaming yourself is demotivating and unfair, because you may have been cursed with a lousy metabolism.

But saying you’re not to blame is also demotivating – that’s just making excuses.

Instead, focus on taking ownership. Your weight may not be your fault. But only you can take the necessary actions to improve it.

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.

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