Motivations 4U

  Great leaders, geniuses, and generations of teenagers have kept journals to record their experiences and sort through their thoughts and feelings. A journal can have many purposes. It may help you to lose weight, heal emotionally, or manage your career. Maybe you’ve wanted to start a journal of your own, but something keeps holding you back. You might find it difficult to squeeze another task into your busy days or you may have doubts about your writing abilities.   The truth is that there’s no single formula for journaling success. Use these tips to help you develop your own individual style so you can start a journal and stick with it.   Finding Your Time to Journal:   Designate a time. Blocking out the same time each day for journaling may help you to create a steady habit. It could be first thing in the morning or the last thing you do before bed. Carry it around. On the other hand, maybe you prefer to write when inspiration

 Meditation can be calming, but it can also be disturbing. A recent study confirmed what many practitioners already knew. Mindfulness creates a wide range of experiences.   More than 25% of adults who meditate regularly reported having an unpleasant experience related to their practice, according to research led by the University College London. Fearfulness and distorted emotions and thoughts were more common among men and participants who used a deconstructive approach.   Before you give up your cushion, it may help to compare meditation to therapy. You often feel worse before you make a breakthrough, but the process is still worthwhile.   To put it another way, you have to tear apart your kitchen to renovate it. In the same way, your mind might seem messier temporarily, but you’re still making progress.   Be prepared for the challenges on the path to mindfulness. Take a look at these common mental and physical obstacles to meditation and what to do about them.   Men

  Meditation can be an effective way to reduce stress, achieve clarity, and attain a mentally calm state. It allows you to view the world from a perspective that isn’t tainted by your personal beliefs and past experiences.   Meditation is simple but challenging to do well. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few tricks up your sleeve. There are several things you can do to enhance your meditation practice and receive greater benefits.   Try these ideas for ways to enhance your meditation practice:   Be consistent. Have a time and place where you meditate each day. If you want to maximize your skill at meditation, make it a permanent part of your schedule, like brushing your teeth. You always brush your teeth at the same time each day. Do the same with your meditation practice. ●       If possible, have a meditation-specific location where you meditate. This can be a spare room or a corner of the house that you can set aside for your practice. Ma

   In life, there are good days and days with an opportunity to enhance my circumstances. I look forward to both because they serve as growth opportunities.   Being outside of my comfort zone is a little unsettling but I am brave. I know that I am adaptable and creative. Those attributes bring comfort. I can get through it. I have a 100% success rate of surviving this far!!   Newness in any aspect of my life provides the opportunity to observe. Sitting still and taking in all that is happening around me allows me to adjust to norms. It gives me the chance to understand what I am involved in and decide my next course of action.   I am sometimes uncomfortable when I am required to manage competing for financial obligations. But I stay cool, consider what would be the wisest option, and then stick with my plan. If I make a mistake I learn. I either win or learn. But if I don't make a decision or I try to stay in my comfort zone I don't learn, and I don't grow.

You may know that low levels of the brain's chemical serotonin are often associated with depression . However, it's been difficult for scientists to measure its natural fluctuations. A recent study provides the first glimpse at monitoring Serotonin in humans in real-time.   Several patients scheduled for brain surgery without full anesthesia volunteered to have a special microelectrode inserted during their procedure. The device tracked their serotonin levels while they performed a psychological test following the movement of a random dot.   In addition to providing a breakthrough in measuring Serotonin, this study by neuroscientists at University College London produced several other important findings. It confirmed Serotonin's involvement in a wide range of cognitive functions and showed how it affects different parts of the brain.   These findings could help create more effective treatments for many conditions, including depression and Parkinson's Disease.

The average person avoids challenges like he’s avoiding the plague. Struggling isn’t enjoyable, so it’s natural to avoid it as much as possible. There’s an issue with this strategy: There’s a lot to be gained from struggling.   There are many aspects to humans that are anti-fragile, meaning that stress makes them stronger.   For example:   ●       Exercise is a stressor that delivers positive benefits. ●       Being hot or cold, within reason, is good for your health. ●       Fasting is beneficial. Struggling is similar in that it makes you better than you were before the struggle.   Benefits of struggling:   You learn a lot about yourself when you struggle. You don’t learn a lot about yourself while you’re watching a movie for the fifth time from your couch. When life is easy, you have a natural tendency to coast. Any struggle is a test of your will, ingenuity, and perseverance. It’s a chance to learn how to use failure. Struggles often end in “fail

  The ups and downs of life are what make it worthwhile and fulfilling. Where I am now shows me that each obstacle presented before me to date is now a faint image in my past.   Goals and dreams fill my mind and heart. I see myself with more in the future, but I avoid complaining about where I am.   I am proud of my accomplishments. They show that hard work and dedication pay off in the end. They also prove that I am stronger than I think at times. My decision to keep pushing is all it takes to release added strength and drive.   Although I am limited in my spending ability, I still feel blessed by what I have. It is much more than others who are suffering as I enjoy a home-cooked meal.   Thinking of the plight of others reminds me to be grateful. It teaches me to put aside selfish and material ambitions in favor of opportunities to lend a helping hand. Being in a position to provide outreach offers real fulfillment.   I know that there is a reason for my current