Positive Motivation: Throw Yourself a Freakin’ Bone

“The best motivating is self-motivating. The guy says, ‘I wish someone would come by and turn me on.’ What if they don’t show up? You’ve got to have a better plan for your life.”

- Jim Rohn

Everyone likes a pat on the back every once in a while. And there’s no better time to get one than when you’re out of your comfort zone, challenging yourself to improve, anxious about whether you can succeed.

Most individuals approach changing their bad habits from a position of “pain”. They constantly nag themselves, berate themselves and expect nothing but perfection, no matter how much progress is made. Tools of the trade are guilt, doubt, shame and self-flogging.

Instead of celebrating the twenty pounds they’ve lost, they see the ten they still haven’t lost. Sound familiar? To people used to beating themselves up, it may seem like the best way to get motivated.

But consider this: if you attempted to motivate another person like that, how long do you think they’d stick around? How successful would they be?

Do It Differently This Time

Try to approach your goals from a position of “possibilities” instead. Find ways to use regular rewards to pat yourself on the back and give a word of encouragement.

Rather than focusing on what you do wrong, try paying more attention to what you do right. While straight talk and brutal honesty are often good for getting your butt moving, for sustained motivation, the positive approach will keep you from burning out.

Rewards create a feeling of doing something you want to do, not just what you’re forcing yourself to do. Even the smallest of rewards can work wonders as you travel from milestone to milestone, pound to pound, and mile to mile.

Here’s how to set up a good rewards system:

THE STEPS

Choose some benchmarks and reward levels. You can also reward yourself for levels of consistency.

Make the reward meaningful to you. As a reward, a new pair of shoes may not hold as much motivation as a simple night alone with a book. Then again, it might.

Do it! Choose two or three options from the Reward Roster below or come up with a few reward options of your own. It doesn’t take much. Sometimes, the best rewards are those you can’t buy.

Small is the new big. A lot of small rewards, used for meeting smaller goals, are more effective than relying solely on the bigger rewards that require more work and more time.

Don’t use food as a reward. Even good food. It’s just too much of a slippery slope. Don’t even mess with it.

Plan to celebrate. Figure out now how you’re going to celebrate reaching your health, fitness or nutrition goal. Involve other people, tell them about it. Create a celebration that you can anticipate and then keep it within sight all the time.

Be honest with yourself. Fudging the numbers mentally, or “borrowing” against the next reward hurts the cause of building a lifetime habit. Remember to keep your focus on building a habit, not just figuring out how to get the reward.

Here are some ideas for you. Choose your favorites and use them liberally.

REWARD ROSTER

Compliment yourself. Write down what you would say to anyone else who accomplished what you did.

Create a Trophy Scrapbook, where you keep mementos from your accomplishments.

Create an actual plaque or trophy.

Give yourself badges of honor for different levels of accomplishment.

Take a vacation or weekend getaway.

Take a day off from any goal activities.

Put $1 in a jar every time you meet a goal. When it gets to $50, treat yourself.

See a good movie.

Go for a spa treatment or massage.

Buy yourself a gift certificate.

Subscribe to a magazine you always wanted.

Go canoeing or do something outdoorsy.

Watch your favorite TV show.

Buy something for your hobby.

Read a funny book.

Make a grab bag of little prizes. When you reach a significant goal, reach in and get your reward!

Celebrate “100% Days”. If you reach 100% of your goals that day, choose two rewards.

Find some time to be by yourself.

Pay someone to do the yardwork or house cleaning this week.

To break a bad habit, you need positive motivation. Give yourself a little reward each day for moving off the couch and accomplishing something.

Have some of your own methods of rewarding yourself for all your hard work? Share in the comments.

Nokia 888...The future mobile phone

Now, you're not going to see this in stores any time soon. But if you'd like to get an idea of what Nokia thinks the future of communications will look like, take a look at the Nokia 888 communicator, a concept design that recently won Nokia's Benelux design contest. The bracelet-like 888 is envisioned to use a liquid battery, feature speech recognition, a flexible touch screen, and a touch sensitive body cover. A video showing off the device's potential features shows off close to a dozen functions, including an alarm clock, PDA, GPS, phone, push email receiver, digital wallet and, of course, jewelry. And, other than the "liquid battery," we can actually see this in the not-too-distant future. Just give us some full-color E-ink, flexible OLED displays and inkjet-printed circuit boards, and we're almost there.

for more information and pictures, click here

Push Pocket???

We all heard around the "pick pocket". Now there's a new trend called "push pocket".

A few days ago a new type of crime has surfaced in town. It goes something like this:- Somebody slips a hand-phone into your pocket,
sometimes it could be just a wallet with an identity card and a few ringgits.

A few minutes later, the ' owner ' comes up and confronts you, the ' thief ' . He makes a big commotion that you stole his stuff.

You, caught unaware, are then pulled aside by the ' owner ' for a settlement you are intimidated and threatened that if you do not pay
up the police will be brought in. If you pay up, this ' owner ' lets you go. If not, the police are brought in.

Another strange thing is that there always seems to be a ' witness ' to your ' theft ' .

I am told this often happens to foreigners at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or even at LRT trains. Given that you ' re ' guilty until proven innocent ' as far as the Malaysian police are concerned, I understand some poor people are in jail for these ' offences ' .

At the KLIA, the ' owner ' throws his hand-phone and wallet with the few ringgit notes into the luggage trolley of a just arrived passenger. The drama unfolds a few minutes later. The real culprit has easily convinced our Malaysian police to arrest the real victim (if he has not paid up the ' settlement ' demand). This is a very serious matter.

This is another form of extortionists operating in broad daylight. They are disgusting criminals who will do anything to rob and steal. The sickening part of the whole scenario is that unless you pay the "quoted settlement" money, they will put you in real trouble by calling the police.
The real culprit gets back his hand-phone and wallet but the real victim ( i.e. could be any one of us) is thrown into the police lock up and charged in court.

So do be very careful, otherwise you may end up as a "thief" as you have no way to prove your innocence.

Pass it on..... let more people be aware of such things around them.

A tips about pick pocket

Becoming Self-Taught

source: http://lifehack.org

Most of the skills I use to make a living are skills I’ve learned on my own: Web design,desktop publishing, marketing, personal productivity skills, even teaching! And most of what I know about science, politics, computers, art, guitar-playing, world history, writing, and a dozen other topics I’ve picked up outside of any formal education.

This is not to toot my own horn at all; if you stop to think about it, much of what you know how to do you’ve picked up on your own. But we rarely think about the process of becoming self-taught. This is too bad, because often we shy away from things we don’t know how to do without stopping to think about how we might learn it — in many cases, fairly easily.

The way you approach the world around you dictates to a great degree whether you will find learning something new easy or hard. Learning comes easily to people who have developed:

• Curiosity: Being curious means you look forward to learning new things and are troubled by gaps in your understanding of the world. New words and ideas are received as challenges and the work of understanding them is embraced. People who lack curiosity see learning new things as a chore — or worse, as beyond their capacities.
• Patience: Depending on the complexity of a topic, learning something new can take a long time. And it’s bound to be frustrating as you grapple with new terminologies, new models, and apparently irrelevant information. When you are learning something by yourself, there is nobody to control the flow of information, to make sure you move from basic knowledge to intermediate and finally advanced concepts. Patience with your topic, and more importantly with yourself is crucial — there’s no field of knowledge that someone in the world hasn’t managed to learn, starting from exactly where you are.
• A feeling for connectedness: This is the hardest talent to cultivate, and is where most people flounder when approaching a new topic. A new body of knowledge is always easiest to learn if you can figure out the way it connects to what you already know. For years I struggled with calculus in college until one day, my chemistry prof. demonstrated how to do half-life calculations using integrals. From then on, calculus came much easier, because I had made a connection between a concept I understood well (the chemistry of half-lifes) and a field I had always struggled in (higher maths). The more you look for and pay attention to the connections between different fields, the more readily your mind will be able to latch onto new concepts.

With a learning attitude in place, working your way into a new topic is simply a matter of research, practice, networking, and scheduling.

• Research: Of course, the most important step in learning something new is actually finding out stuff about it. I tend to go through three distinct phases when I’m teaching myself a new topic:
  1. Learning the basics: Start as all things start today: Google it! Somehow people managed to learn before Google ( I learned HTML when Altavista was the best we got!) but nowadays a well-formed search on Google will get you a wealth of information on any topic in seconds. Surfing Wikipedia articles is a great way to get a basic grounding in a new field, too — and usually the Wikipedia entry for your search term will be on the first page of your Google search.

     What I look for is basic information and then the work of experts — blogs by researchers in a field, forums about a topic, organizational websites, magazines. I subscribe to a bunch of RSS feeds to keep up with new material as it’s posted, I print out articles to read in-depth later, and I look for the names of top authors or top books in the field.

  2. Hitting the books:Once I have a good outline of a field of knowledge, I hit the library. I look up the key names and titles I came across online, and then scan the shelves around those titles for other books that look interesting. Then I go to the children’s section of the library and look up the same call numbers — a good overview for teens is probably going to be clearer, more concise, and more geared towards learning than many adult books.
  3. Long-term reference:While I’m reading my stack of books from the library, I start keeping my eyes out for books I will want to give a permanent place on my shelves. I check online and brick-and-mortar bookstores, but also search thrift stores, used bookstores, library book sales, garage sales, wherever I happen to find myself in the presence of books. My goal is a collection of reference manuals and top books that I will come back to either to answer thorny questions or to refresh my knowledge as I put new skills into practice. And to do this cheaply and quickly.
• Practice: Putting new knowledges into practice helps us develop better understandings now and remember more later. Although a lot of books offer exercises and self-tests, I prefer to jump right in and build something: a website, an essay, a desk, whatever. A great way to put any new body of knowledge into action is to start a blog on it — put it out there for the world to see and comment on. Just don’t lock your learning up in your head where a) nobody ever sees how much you know about something, and b) you never see how much you still don’t know.
• Network: One of the most powerful sources of knowledge and understanding in my life have been the social networks I have become embedded in over the years — the websites I write on, the listservs I belong to, the people I talk with and present alongside at conferences, my colleagues in the department where I studied and the department where I now teach, and so on. These networks are crucial to extending my knowledge in areas I am already involved, and for referring me to contacts in areas where I have no prior experience. Joining an email list, emailing someone working in the field, asking colleagues for recommendations, all are useful ways of getting a foothold in a new field. Networking also allows you to test your newly-acquired knowledge against others’ understandings, giving you a chance to grow and further develop.
• Schedule: For anything more complex than a simple overview, it pays to schedule time to commit to learning. Having the books on the shelf, the top websites bookmarked, and a string of contacts does no good if you don’t give yourself time to focus on reading, digesting, and implementing your knowledge. Give yourself a deadline, even if there is no externally imposed time limit, and work out a schedule to reach that deadline.

In a sense, even formal education is a form of self-guided learning — in the end, a teacher can only suggest and encourage a path to learning, at best cutting out some of the work of finding reliable sources to learn from. If you’re already working, or have a range of interests beside the purely academic, formal instruction may be too inconvenient or too expensive to undertake. That doesn’t men you have to set aside the possibility of learning, though; history is full of self-taught successes. At its best, even a formal education is meant to prepare you for a life of self-guided learning; with the power of the Internet and the mass media at our disposal, there’s really no reason not to follow your muse wherever it may lead.

11 Great Ways to Start Your Day

“Be pleasant until ten o’clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself.”

- Elbert Hubbard

Mornings… ugh… is there actually anyone who enjoys them? You may have heard that your mum’s friend’s neighbor’s sister is said to be a morning person, but do you actually know any of these mythical beasts in the flesh?

Some days it’s just really hard to get out of bed. There are the times when your head feels like lead and you just want to pull the covers over it and hide away.

But the way you spend your morning can add a certain flavor to the rest of your day. So, if the sound of the alarm clock is akin to fingernails on the blackboard then follow these steps. You’ll find your day gets off to a much better start so you don’t spend most of the morning battling through a fog.

AWAKEN YOUR BODY

1. Wake up at the same time

You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to face the morning if your body automatically wakes itself up. If you’re alarm clock dependent then you need to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Get into a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time — your body will thank you for it! Also try setting your stereo as an alarm you can lull yourself awake with your favorite tunes.

2. Take a shower

Most of you probably already do this, but if you normally shower at night consider a switch to the am. That blast of water is sure to wake you up, but don’t up the temperature too high or it’ll put you back to sleep!

3. Put on some music

Music therapy has been shown to reduce stress and have a positive effect on health. But you don’t need a therapist to enjoy some of the benefits music has to offer. Listening to music as you get ready and start your day will create positive energy and a soothing sense of peace (or a sense of fun, if you play party music).

Music can compliment other healthy lifestyle habits, adding a sense of peace to a yoga workout, putting a spring in your step on a morning walk, or stimulating your mind as you write in your journal.

4. Exercise

I know that when you’re trying to open your eyes exercise is probably the furthest thing from your mind, but if you get into the habit of exercising first thing you’ll be amazed at how alert you will feel, not just for the morning but the whole day. You don’t need to become a gym junkie either, drag your boy or flatmate out of bed and head out for a quick jog.

5. Stretch

A simple five minute, full-body stretch will give you a natural jumpstart, gently raising your heart rate so that your body feels awake and ready to handle the day’s challenges. In addition, unlike coffee, stretching improves the strength and flexibility of your muscles so that you’ll be more energetic hours, days, and even months down the road.

Start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your feet, then gently rotate each ankle, circling three or four times clockwise and then counter-clockwise to explore your full range of motion. Slowly work your way all the up from your feet to the top of your head, tensing each muscle group for a count of five and then releasing it, and giving every joint a few soft rotations. This should take you about five to seven minutes.

When you’re done your whole body will be humming with endorphins, the naturally mood-elevating hormones that your system uses to reward itself for exercising, so you’ll feel great as you head into the next part of your morning routine!

JOURNALING FOR YOUR MIND

6. Journaling

Now that you’re body is ready to face any challenges your day throws at you, it’s time to rev up your brain. Recent scientific research has shown that writing on a regular increases happiness, relaxation and feelings of positivity, so try making this fun and easy practice a part of your morning routine.

Here are a few examples of the kinds of journaling topics that might make a great addition to your morning routine. Try writing about one of your favorite moments of achievement, recalling as many details as possible. Be vivid not only about how good it felt to reach a goal, but note the sounds, sights, even the smells of that moment! This kind of intense recall of a triumph will help you remember that success is in your grasp.

You can also write about things that don’t make you feel successful at all. If there’s an issue in your life that you’re upset about or is bothering you, try writing about it. Get yourself to write down any positive aspects about it: if you can discover something you’ve learned in the struggle, you’ll feel more upbeat and hopeful about finding a solution to your problem.

Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg for journaling topics: when it comes to what to write about, the sky’s the limit. Taking just ten or fifteen minutes to write about anything in the morning will help you wake up your brain by pumping it full of upbeat energy, so just have fun with it!

FUEL FOR ENERGY

7. Eat a balanced breakfast

I can’t say this enough, having a nice light breakfast in the morning is the best way to increase energy levels and hasten the body and it’s burning of fat cells. Instead of focusing on toast and jam, why not try the healthier option of grapes and plain acidophilus yogurt. Grapes have amazing antioxidant properties and the live bacteria (don’t freak out — it’s a good thing) in the yogurt supports the digestive system.

8. Drink green tea or some coffee

Sipping a warm cup of tea is a soothing activity that will help you prepare for the day ahead and feel nurtured. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, so it’s a delicious and healthy lifestyle choice. Now about coffee, ok, so you’re not supposed to be dependent on caffeine to get you through the morning, but never have I read that a cup a day is bad for you! If you’re having a bad morning, then that magic mug of java may just give your brain that extra kick it needs.

9. Try to drink 2 glasses of water before you leave

During the day, if you can, try to drink a few bottles of water, and at the end of the day drink another 2-4 glasses with dinner, etc. This may seem like a lot at first, but your body actually does need 8-10 glasses of water to stay correctly hydrated. You may have to use the restroom more than usual when you first start. This is only temporary! As your body gets used to having all the water it needs, it will absorb into your system and your restroom visits will return to normal.

ENJOY YOUR MORNINGS

10. Think of it as extra social time

Embrace the period before you start work as extra time you have to yourself so don’t waste it staying in bed to the last possible minute! Meet up with your best friend for breakfast at a local cafe, sit at the dining room table and enjoy breakfast with your partner or read a chapter or two of your book.

11. Take a different route to work/uni/school

A change is as good as a holiday and even a small change like taking a different route can make you feel refreshed. By going an alternative way than your normal route you take away some of the monotony you associate with the journey. Even better, try a different mode of transport whether it be bus, walking, cycling or catching a ride with someone else.

Everyone has a morning routine, and whether it’s a leisurely soak in the tub or a frenzied dash for the bus, the way you spend your first half hour sets the tone for the rest of the day. With that in mind, get things started right with this simple morning routine. Try one or several steps, and experiment until you find what suits you.

Breaking News:Accident @ Bt. Beruang

This morning as early as 7am when i was passing by the Bukit Beruang traffic light, there's an accident happen which involve a van and a Proton Waja. The accident cause a heavy traffic jam which it was the busiest time for the Bukit Beruang residents to go to work and schooling.It seems like the accident didn't cause any injuries for the drivers. So drive safely...