11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

Most people consider getting their bodies in better shape. But few people think about growing their intellect. However, a mind is a terrible thing to waste! 11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

Yes, it’s important to keep your body healthy and fit. But put the rest of your available exercise time toward building your intellect!

Try these techniques to build greater intellectual capacity:

1. Read. Reading is great. You can often find out more about a topic in a few hours of reading than you can in a lifetime of experimenting on your own. There are smart people that write books and condense their knowledge into a few hundred pages for the rest of the world to read. 11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

2. Debate. Debating with others forces you to consider every perspective and to organize your thoughts. You have to think on your feet and build persuasive arguments. Keep it friendly, though

3. Develop your memory. There are plenty of books and other resources on how to enhance your memory. All the knowledge in the world won’t help you if you can’t remember it. You’ll have less trouble finding your car keys, too. 11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

4. Develop your artistic talents. You can’t just cram a lot of facts into your head. There’s more to your intellectual growth than that. Work on your artistic talents, too.

5. Play a musical instrument. There’s nothing that serves as a good substitute for music. Pick an instrument that interests you and begin the process of mastering it.

6. Sleep enough and eat well. Your brain needs sleep and high-quality food. You already know that, but you’re probably not doing it. 11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

7. Spend time with intellectual people. Your peer group has been shown to affect your finances and career success. It only makes sense that your intellectual growth is impacted by the people you spend the most time with, too. Seek out open minded people with a curiosity of the world.

8. Learn a new language. This will really give your brain a workout and expose you to new culture, too. Consider the Japanese word “komorebi”. It means “the sunlight that filters through trees”. There isn’t a word in English that comes close. The fact that the Japanese even have a word like “komorebi” tells you something about their culture. 11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

9. Calculate in your head. Have you noticed that you can’t do calculations in your head as well as you used to? You can reverse that trend right now. Start at 1,743 and count backwards by 6’s. Too easy? Subtract by 27’s

10. Be minimalist. Too many responsibilities, activities, and possessions create a muddled mind. Cutting back will free up a lot of mental capacity for more meaningful things. Eliminate the non-essential from your life.

11. Follow your enthusiasm. It’s very challenging to do things that don’t interest you. There are plenty of ways to experience intellectual growth without making yourself miserable. Leverage your interests. 11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

You can continue to grow your intellect long after you’re unable to improve your physical abilities. A strong intellect is more valuable in today’s world. It’s the Bill Gates, Elon Musks, Warren Buffetts, and Jeff Bezos that rule the world, not the winner of the Olympic decathlon. Can you even name the last winner without cheating?

Building your intellect will enrich your life. It’s a never-ending process that you can begin today and reap the benefits from for the rest of your life.

11 Tips to Maximize Your Intellectual Growth

Why Happiness is So Important

Happiness has more importance than just feeling good. Happiness is also important to your health, longevity, success, and relationships.

The importance of happiness is often discounted in a culture obsessed with material success, but it’s hard to purchase something that will make you happy in the long-term. Why Happiness is So Important

Your happiness isn’t just important to you. It’s also important to your friends, family, and your employer.

Consider these ideas:

1. Happy people are healthier. Happier people get sick less frequently and less severely on the average. Happy people visit the hospital less frequently. A bad mood is bad for your immune system, too. Why Happiness is So Important

> Happy people are less likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Your physical and mental health are at greater risk when you’re not happy.

> Healthcare is very expensive. Happiness can be a great way to save a lot of money.

2. Happy people live longer. Several studies suggest that the happiest people live up to 10 years longer than those that are the least happy. Also, since happy people are healthier, they also tend to live longer, too. Happiness can do more to boost your lifespan than just about anything else. It’s free, too.

3. Happy people are more resistant to stress. Unhappy people are more easily overwhelmed when stressed. Happy people are better able to handle stress, and the effect that stress has on them is decreased. Being happy makes you more capable. Why Happiness is So Important

4. Happy people are more successful. It’s worth asking if successful people are successful because they’re happy. Or are they happy because they’re successful? It’s likely a little of both. Happy people are more productive, have better relationships, and handle stress better.

5. Happy people enjoy stronger relationships. Would you rather be around someone that was happy most of the time or someone that was not? Being happy can boost all of your relationships, including those with your partner, family, friends, and coworkers.

> Think about the happiest people you know. They tend to have great friendships and intimate relationships. They are close to their families, too. Why Happiness is So Important

> Unhappy people are often alone and have challenging relationships when they do have people in their lives.

6. Happy people get more done. Happy people are more productive and are better employees. Think about how much better you take care of your home when you’re happy versus those times you’re unhappy. If you have an open position at work, consider happiness as a factor when hiring.

7. Happy people have more friends. Of course, they have more friends. Happy people attract others. We enjoy being around people that are in a positive emotional state. We avoid those that aren’t. If you want to have more plans on the weekend, be happier! Why Happiness is So Important

8. Happy people are more creative. A happy mind is more open to new ideas and concepts. A happy person is more likely to have a useful creative idea than someone that is unhappy.

> If you’re struggling to find a solution to a problem, put yourself in a happy state first. You’ll be much more likely to find the answer you need.

We often postpone happiness for a later date. We decide that we’ll be happy after we finish school, buy a house, save a certain amount of money, or find the person of our dreams. This is a mistake. Being unhappy harms yourself and everyone else in your life. Why Happiness is So Important

Do yourself and everyone else in your life a huge favor and make your happiness a priority!

Why Happiness is So Important

7 Advantages You Gain by Accepting Change

Change is always happening. There used to be dinosaurs, and now there aren’t. Television used to be in black and white. The internet came along. Your great-great-grandparents were once alive, and now they’re not. You’ve gotten taller and older since your childhood.

There have been a lot of changes, and there are only more coming! Who knows what the changes will be, but they will be here soon enough. Most importantly, they’re going to happen with or without your consent.

You can fight against these changes, or you can embrace them and figure out a way to make the most of them.

Consider these advantages of change:

1. More time. Making the most of the change happening in your life will also lead to making the most of your time. If you make the most of your time, you’re likely to end up with more free time, too. So, why waste time resisting change?

2. Less misery. Fighting the inevitable is an exercise in futility. There are some things that can’t be stopped. You can’t stop the tide from coming in or going back out. There are plenty of changes in your life that you simply can’t do anything about.

> Fighting change is ultimately a losing battle. Fighting a losing battle results in misery, while going with the flow produces less stress and gives you a chance to make something good come of it.

3. Greater progress. When you accept the change in your life and make the most of it, there’s the possibility that you can lift your life to another level. You’ll certainly make more progress by accepting change than by attempting to fight it. Change provides new opportunities and choices.

4. Resilience. The most successful species on the planet are those that are most accommodating to change. The most successful people are also better at managing change than others. When you can accept change, you are much more resilient to stress.

5. More control. Fighting change only demonstrates your lack of control over your life. By accepting change, you can adapt and make good use of the change. You prove to yourself that you have control over your life, regardless of what happens.

> Change provides the opportunity to see just how much control you can exercise. You can always steer your own ship regardless of the direction of the wind.

6. More opportunities. Change paralyzes some people. These people miss out on many of the opportunities that life has to offer. Accepting change allows you to get busy living your life again. There are always opportunities available to those that are paying attention and ready to take action.

7. Confidence. When you are resilient and are able to manage change, you develop confidence. This confidence allows you to believe that you can handle anything life has to offer.

The only things that are inevitable are death and change. Once you’re dead, you can stop worrying about change. Until then, it will benefit you to accept change and take full advantage of it.

Those who resist change ultimately suffer greatly. Don’t be someone that suffers. Be someone that embraces change and all the benefits that change can provide.

5 Effective Strategies for Dealing With Your Weaknesses

Do you have any weaknesses? We all do, but some of us do a poor job of dealing with them. Others appear to have no weaknesses, because their weaknesses are never exposed. Your weaknesses can be a big drag on your life, or they can have minimal impact. It depends on the weakness and how you address it. 5 Effective Strategies for Dealing With Your Weaknesses

A weakness doesn’t have to be a hindrance! Use these techniques to deal with weaknesses strategically:

1. Decide if your weakness is relevant. Not all weaknesses are worthy of addressing. If you’re a terrible athlete, but have no interest in playing sports, why work on your athleticism? Everyone has weaknesses, but not everyone has weaknesses that matter to them. 5 Effective Strategies for Dealing With Your Weaknesses

> Consider your life and your goals. Do your weaknesses get in the way of either? If not, don’t worry about them! You are very fortunate!

2. Work around your weakness. In many cases, it’s possible to work around your weaknesses. If you’re terrible on the phone, utilize email. Are you someone that can’t think on your feet while giving a speech? Be over-prepared and use extensive visual aids. If you’re too short to reach the top shelf, buy a ladder or put everything you need on the lower shelves. 5 Effective Strategies for Dealing With Your Weaknesses

> Adjust the situation or environment to avoid your weaknesses.

3. Focus on your strength. The most successful people are great at working around their weaknesses and maximizing their strengths. If you can build a life that relies heavily on your strengths, you’re going to be a very successful person.

> Build your strengths. If you’re going to get the most out of this strategy, you can’t just rely on your strengths. You have to take the next step to develop your strengths even further. Develop a plan for becoming even better at the things you already do well.

4. Delegate. There might be things that you’re not good at, but you probably know people that are good at those things. Is there some task at work you’re terrible at performing? Find someone else to do it for you.s. 5 Effective Strategies for Dealing With Your Weaknesses

> Are you terrible at cleaning your house? Hire a cleaning service.

> Can’t do your taxes well? Hire an accountant.

> Can’t stand to wash the dishes? Get your kids to do it.

> Terrible at dealing with strangers? Have your coworker give tours to the visitors.

> Think about the people that are great in the areas in which you struggle. Utilize them.

5. Strengthen your area of weakness. This is the last resort. If your weakness is standing in your way and there’s no other way to address the issue, then you’ll have to get busy. This isn’t an optimal situation. It’s very challenging to become great at something you lack talent for and/or despise doing. 5 Effective Strategies for Dealing With Your Weaknesses

> Focus on being good enough. Avoid trying to be in the top 1% at this skill. Decide how good you need to be and make a plan for reaching that level of expertise.

> Get expert advice. Read books. Hire a coach. Take a class. Whatever the issue is, you’re going to be better off with some expert help!

Not all weaknesses need to be addressed. If you suffer from sea sickness, but have no desire to be on a boat, why spend time dealing with it? Many weaknesses can be avoided with some planning. Others can be managed through delegation.

Ideally, you’d be able to leverage your strengths and simply avoid your weaknesses altogether. However, this isn’t always possible. There are times that it’s necessary to work on your weaknesses, but you can avoid doing more work than necessary. Weaknesses are extremely difficult to transform into strengths.

Focus on building your strengths, design your life around those, and enjoy the success you deserve! 5 Effective Strategies for Dealing With Your Weaknesses