self improvement

Top 5 Ilchi Lee Quotes on Connecting to Your Higher Self

You’re reading Top 5 Ilchi Lee Quotes on Connecting to Your Higher Self, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Ilchi Lee is a meditation expert and New York Times bestselling author whose mind-body teachings are rooted in ancient Taoism. His teachings of Brain Education emphasize using the power of the brain to design the life you want, which starts by connecting within. In his newest book, Connect: How to Find Clarity and Expand Your Consciousness with Pineal Gland Meditation, Lee lays out simple solutions for everyday problems through meditation, personal development, and inner focus.

Use these 5 Ilchi Lee quotes to help you find that connection within to become the master of your life: 

“To connect with ourselves, we have to turn our focus inward.” 

When you look around yourself, what do you see? Objects, people, nature…these are characteristics of the visible world….

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Defining True Self-Care

You’re reading Defining True Self-Care, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Once
upon a time, the idea of self-care was a foreign concept. Then, it came into
our consciousness and quickly pervaded our waking thoughts. Now, people point
to everything they do for themselves as self-care. Doing so might be one
incredibly broad way of looking at it, but it doesn’t define what true
self-care is.

What Is Self-Care?

In
very general terms, self-care is an activity in which we take part to soothe
our mental, physical and emotional health. Proper self-care can improve our
moods and help ward off anxiety.

In
today’s society, self-care has become a vital part of many people’s lives. We
deal with a lot of stress on a daily basis. For instance, a whopping 69 percent of
Americans say
that the nation’s future causes them stress. And current events push people to
seek out self-care remedies. During the…

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5 Things To Be Proud Of When Fighting Depression (And How To Get Better)

You’re reading 5 Things To Be Proud Of When Fighting Depression (And How To Get Better), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

I have heard depression described as an angry black shadow that follows you wherever you go — and this is a description I agree with wholeheartedly.

https://unsplash.com/photos/VBWWscZtszY

I mean, if you take a second to think about it, it just makes sense. 

You are forever in its presence, constantly aware of it, but not often within its dark embrace. You feel it creeping away at the edge of your consciousness, but every time you turn to look at it, it disappears into nothingness.

Then it suddenly engulfs you at the slightest provocation, and you are rendered completely and utterly incapacitated.  

During these times it feels as if the world is ending. It feels as if no matter what you do in your lifetime,…

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The 15-minute Hack That Will Get You Where to You Want to Be – and Eradicate Regret

You’re reading The 15-minute Hack That Will Get You Where to You Want to Be – and Eradicate Regret, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Forward.

It’s the only direction we allow ourselves to look. With our eyes focused on the future, we must keep moving toward our goals and away from our old selves. We are told to let go of the past and just keep moving forward. “The past holds you back!”, they say. “The only thing you can change is the future.”

True enough.

But is it possible to create the best future without ever looking back?

While you’re often told to look at your past failures and learn from them, there’s another—more immediate—way to analyze the past and create a better future. 

Have ever taken a step back and considered your life?

For better or for worse, you thought, “How did I…

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The Surprising Connection Between Anxiety and Confidence

You’re reading The Surprising Connection Between Anxiety and Confidence, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

In today’s modern era, with always-on technology and ever-increasing job demands, many people are fighting a silent battle. The battle of feeling overwhelmed.

Our clients tell us they’re feeling anxious, stuck, and adrift. They struggle to process information and feel paralyzed when faced with important decisions. Once competent and productive, they say they have effectively lost control of their lives.

But they can get them back.

A Breakthrough Idea

In discussions about what we’d observed among our patients and clients, what emerged early on surprised us. People who were confident more of the time—that is, they were feeling more in charge of their lives—reported less anxiety and overwhelm, even when they were placed under highly challenging, pressured situations.

For us, this was a eureka moment. It wasn’t just that less anxious…

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How Discovering My Core Values Made Me a Better Entrepreneur

You’re reading How Discovering My Core Values Made Me a Better Entrepreneur, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

We live in a culture where more is always great.

More money, more power, more prestige, more everything.

But is it more always the answer?

I’m not going to tell you that having more it’s wrong.

It’s fantastic to have more of what actually matters to you.

Not in general like TV and even your favorite music videos tell you about.

I discovered this after closing a record-breaking contract for my new startup Astrogrowth.

I felt disconnected, and that’s how I solved it.

Keep reading to discover how you can have more of what matters.

From Zero to One Hundred

When I told some of my childhood friends that I turned down a big contract for my new startup, they all blamed me.

I come from a small town in the South of…

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Do Self Affirmations Really Work? Not The Way You Think…

You’re reading Do Self Affirmations Really Work? Not The Way You Think…, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

“I am loved.”

“I am powerful.”

“I am disciplined and motivated.”

Feeling empowered yet?

We’ve all read about self affirmations. Supposedly, you can say something about yourself so much that you actually become who you’re claiming to be. 

Except… if you’re anything like me, it doesn’t work. 

You say good and happy and empowering stuff while looking in the mirror, but… crickets. 

You don’t feel any better. You don’t feel like you’re going to seize the day. You don’t feel like all of the stuff you’re claiming to be. 

Okay, okay. But this is a process, right? So you do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. Still nothing. Eventually, you give up the practice because it’s proven about as effective as patching a bullet…

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Try This Slightly Wacky Activity to Find Work You Love

You’re reading Try This Slightly Wacky Activity to Find Work You Love, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Ever felt that sudden rush? 

A vocation pops into your head: writer, politician, Ozzy Osbourne tribute act. And it’s like somebody’s flicked a switch.

You’ve finally got it. You know what you’re meant to do with your life. 

How long until you start to doubt yourself? A month? A week? Maybe even a day?

Then you’re back to feeling stuck and frustrated. 

Or maybe you’ve never even had that feeling. Perhaps you’re completely lost. And you’d give your left arm just to have an inkling, even if it turned out to be wrong. 

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. 

Finding your purpose is exhausting. 

It’s like yo-yoing between certainty and doubt, and you’re spinning with a hundred different emotions all the way up and down. 

So how can…

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Overcoming Challenges: A Message to my Younger Self

You’re reading Overcoming Challenges: A Message to my Younger Self, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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When I was younger – in my teens, I thought I would never grow old. Ages like 30, 40, and 50 seemed ancient and eons away. People with careers, marriages, and children seemed to be doing boring things. I was just a rudderless youth enjoying life and going through the motions of school, home, and friends. 

Yet with every birthday, the reality of growing older was dawning on me. As I matured, the responsibilities were adding up. Maybe at 12, I was carefree, but at fourteen, I felt much more was expected of me. I started noticing other young people like me excelling in academics and sports, and I felt pressured to do the same. 

Indeed, I could see that I needed to make a…

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Can Mindfulness Meditation Really Reduce Pain and Suffering?

You’re reading Can Mindfulness Meditation Really Reduce Pain and Suffering?, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

There are many scientifically-validated claims about meditation’s myriad benefits, but can it actually reduce chronic pain?

One study demonstrated a significant decrease in chronic pain-related suffering from 10 weeks of mindfulness meditation.

Another study found that meditation improves pain tolerance by 57%.

How is this possible? To make sense of these results, it helps to know the difference between pain and suffering.

Pain vs. Suffering

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami famously wrote, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

Many people don’t realize the key difference between pain and suffering. While pain is the physically uncomfortable stimulus, like a pinch on the arm, suffering is our emotional reaction to that pain.

Neuroscience has shown us recently that most of our suffering is caused by our response to pain, both anticipating its continuation and…

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6 Ways To Live A More Positive Life

You’re reading 6 Ways To Live A More Positive Life, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

In a world where a great deal of people believe that negative thinking is a more realistic approach to life than positive thinking, it’s no wonder that our lives have become so negative.

Try to tell somebody that is facing a major challenge they should reassess their values and that no matter what happens, it’s going to benefit their life and see how they react. 

It’s very unlikely that they’ll just agree and comply.

Yet, adversity is not only good because it adds uncertainty and surprise to our lives, which is the ingredient that makes life interesting, but it is also the best way for us to grow as human beings – challenges make us stronger persons.

Unfortunately, most people are completely unfamiliar with the concept of positivity…

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How to Deal with Criticism and Use it to your Advantage

You’re reading How to Deal with Criticism and Use it to your Advantage, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Receiving criticism is unpleasant.

Some of us get angry and defensive while others get
demotivated and start blaming themselves. There are very few people who take
criticism for what it is – and those are the truly secure ones.

So, why is criticism so hard to digest?

Criticism triggers feelings of shame. It hits a nerve and
makes us uncomfortable, forcing us to react in unsavory ways to conceal our shame.

Next time you’re criticized, don’t let it bog you down and
ruin your mood. Here are five smart ways to deal with criticism, take it in
your stride and use it to become a better person.

Detach Yourself

“Don’t take criticism personally” – you’ve heard this
multiple times, but we agree, it can be extremely tough to not get…

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The Only Way to Start Being Happy

You’re reading The Only Way to Start Being Happy, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

We live in three different time spaces: the past, the future, and the present. We shuffle back and forth throughout our day, but we mostly live in the past and future. Most of our thoughts are consumed with yesterday or tomorrow. What if he never left me? What if I never took this job? Where am I going to be in five years? Will I still be doing what I do now? If not, how am I going to pay my bills? What if he never calls? What if I never find “the one”? And on it goes. Living in yesterday or tomorrow pulls us out of the present and keeps us is in a subtle fight or flight panic state. Basically, we are in…

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6 Reasons You Should Go Back to School

You’re reading 6 Reasons You Should Go Back to School, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

There is never a bad time to go back and further your education. There are many factors that should go into your decision, but age shouldn’t be one of them. Going back to school has numerous benefits to your career and allows you the opportunity for personal growth. If you’re on the fence about whether furthering your education might be right for you, consider the following. 

Higher Pay

Going back to school is an investment in your future. While college is expensive, you could end up with a much higher paycheck afterwards. Typically, jobs that require a college degree pay higher. This is also true if you get your masters degree or higher. The general rule is that the higher level of education you have, the…

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How to Conquer a Fear of Change

You’re reading How to Conquer a Fear of Change, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

How do you feel when something happens in your life and you can’t do anything about it? 

Powerless? Frustrated? Angry?

Maybe you got fired by text message, lost your savings overnight or became ill? 

We all have been in situations where we didn’t have control over what happened. There was nothing we could do, except to cope with our fear while trying to comprehend our new circumstances. 

But what about change that you initiate to achieve your goals or make your life better?

Oh, this is scary, too, although for another reason!

You know it, don’t you? The fear of the unknown, together with a pool of self-doubt filled with “what-ifs”, can effectively keep you running in place. (You will still be sweating, though!)

Should I marry this guy or shall we…

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5 Tips to Break Free from Negative Thoughts

You’re reading 5 Tips to Break Free from Negative Thoughts, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

We all get lost in thought from time to time, but
sometimes those thoughts feel downright overwhelming. If we don’t take specific
action to stop the thought loop, it can throw off our whole day. Whether you
suffer from anxiety, mild depression, or you just woke up in a funk,
mindfulness can help. Try one or all of these tips for yourself and see what a
difference mindfulness can make.

Become
an observer: Slow down
and notice what is arising. “Oh, that’s anger in my chest,” or “That’s anxiety
in my stomach.” Labeling the emotion gives you some space from the intensity of
the thoughts and feelings you’re experiencing, allowing you to observe them
instead of being hijacked by them.
Try
meditation: Even if
you’re not an experienced meditator, there are so many ways to dip your toe…

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7 Morning Rituals to Start Your Day Right

You’re reading 7 Morning Rituals to Start Your Day Right, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Most of our mornings start with a mad rush to be on time. But these out of control mornings lead to out of control days and, ultimately, a stressful life.  

The way out is to include a few self-care rituals in your morning routine. You’ll have to wake up just 10–30 minutes earlier each day. In return, you would get a host of benefits including a better mood and reduced anxiety. 

Start your day right with this schedule of 7 awesome morning rituals. 

Mondays are for Meditation

You’ve probably done this one before—We’ll be watching our breath as a form of meditation. It’s one of the oldest forms of meditation. 

Duration: 15 minutes

Benefits: Improves your concentration and attention span. 

Technique: Sit on your bed or a chair. Keep your back…

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Top 10 Career Books to Help You Do Purpose-Driven, Passion-fueled Work

You’re reading Top 10 Career Books to Help You Do Purpose-Driven, Passion-fueled Work, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Whether you’re new to the job market, or happen to be looking for a new path professionally, the following 10 career books will help you make that happen. These are the books you need to read in order to find and do work you love or take your career to the next level. 

1. Find Your Why by Simon Sinek

Do you know your WHY? Here’s mine: ”To inspire, empower, and educate people everywhere so that they can improve their lives and achieve their goals.” Every single thing I do in my career–my motivational speaking work, my writing, my podcast, and every one of my business ventures–revolves around my WHY.  And this first book on our list will teach you how to find…

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The Myth of the 4-Minute Mile: How to Shatter Barriers and Create Breakthrough Opportunities

You’re reading The Myth of the 4-Minute Mile: How to Shatter Barriers and Create Breakthrough Opportunities, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

The world we live in is becoming increasingly complex and uncertain. And with it, the conventional thinking of yesterday is no longer sufficient. Creating real, breakthrough opportunities requires a fundamental change in our thinking. As Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

There’s no better example of this than the myth of the four-minute mile.

For centuries, runners had been attempting to run a mile in under four minutes. In the 1950s, the quest to break the barrier took on renewed importance, and a number of famous runners publicly and unsuccessfully attempted the challenge. Many of the newspapers of the day began to question whether humans would ever…

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How to Make Your Own Motivation

You’re reading How to Make Your Own Motivation, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

It’s that time of year when the days get shorter and people need a BOOST: to get to the gym, to put down that cookie, to stick to their plan!

How do you get up in the dark, when it’s cold? Sure you don’t WANT TO.

Gotta be honest, NO ONE WANTS TO at first.

Action precedes motivation!

One of my Favorite quotes of all time. What does it mean?

It means that we don’t MOVE out of the motivation we feel, we MOVE and then feel motivated. We ACT first. And honestly, motivation doesn’t even show up right then.

We DECIDE
We create a PLAN
We form habits
We see results
THEN motivation comes.

Most people assume it will happen the other way around.

What does it mean for us to feel motivated then?…

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7 Ways to Deal with Negative Thoughts

You’re reading 7 Ways to Deal with Negative Thoughts, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

To deal with negative thoughts we have to become mentally strong. Let’s accept the fact that it is not possible to avoid negative thoughts completely. Negative thoughts are the result of our insecurities in life. We cannot avoid negative thoughts but we can learn to deal with them effectively.

Reasons for negative thoughts vary from person to person. For some people it is because of their past failures, for some, it is because they have never tried it before, some cannot afford failures because they have responsibilities to meet after. One thing is clear that the root of negative thoughts is under-confidence in life.

Negative thoughts harm your body like a disease. It can make you sick and depressed. But with continuous effort and will power you…

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Why the Influence of Your Closest 5 are Key to Your Success

You’re reading Why the Influence of Your Closest 5 are Key to Your Success, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

When I first heard the saying ‘you become the
average of the 5 people you’re closest to’, I instantly knew there was a lot of
truth to it.

Thinking back at some of my earlier
friendships, I don’t remember ever thinking that my friendship with them would
influence the course of my life – but in hindsight, I can see that that’s
exactly what happened.
For good and for worse.

Now I’m of the opinion that the influence of
your friends has a subtle yet hugely powerful impact on your values, thoughts,
actions and behaviours.

As a consequence, our closest friends’
influence will impact our goals and achievements in life.
Scary but true.

I’ll share a story from my own life and more
importantly, give you my view on how you can…

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The 4 Skills of Highly Successful People That Nobody Talks About

You’re reading The 4 Skills of Highly Successful People That Nobody Talks About, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Modern businesses are acutely aware of the measure of success or failure. Ultimately, we’re all classified as one or the other and it’s fair to say most of us would prefer to be put in the “successful” group.

But how do you get there? Success can be measured by many metrics, and who’s to say how success should be defined? What you consider successful may not be the same for the engineer to your left or the accountant to your right. 

There are countless consultancy firms, 54,723, to be exact, eager to tell you what they think you should do to be successful. Business consulting didn’t become a 13 billion dollar industry for nothing. But what do they know about your success? 

Success is…

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Music for Language Learning: Best Practices

You’re reading Music for Language Learning: Best Practices, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Whether you’re studying for fun, or to pursue a career in trade, diplomacy or translation, learning a language can be one of the most challenging and one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do.

Several studies have pointed out that multilingual people earn more money, are open to greater career opportunities and can provide more value to the businesses they work in, whether at entry-level positions or as leaders. Multilingual people also rank higher than monolinguals on creativity tests and are more equipped than their counterparts to deal with the cultural diversity of our increasingly globalized world.

Especially if you’re learning a foreign language for the first time, or your target and source languages have little common ground, you should go out of your way to make…

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The ONE Secret Trick to Kill Negative Thinking Immediately

You’re reading The ONE Secret Trick to Kill Negative Thinking Immediately, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Do you ever have those bad days where your thoughts are just so negative all day long, everything feels like it’s too much for one person to handle. You obsessively question every decision you’ve ever made in your life, every small thing that has happened to you and basically just indulge in negative thinking to the point where you cry yourself asleep at night?  

Don’t worry, I have just the trick to help you overcome all your negative thinking – stop it dead in its tracks – and spend the rest of the day feeling positive and happy.

I still have bad days, but that’s ok, I used to have bad years.-notsalmon.com

I recently came across this quote on notsalmon.com and I thought it was just…

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