Monthly Archives: February 2015

Social Experiment

Here is a social experiment. This is the article from Metro News.

iheartyou

Try a little social experiment. Turn to the person sitting beside you on the train or bus and go through the 36-point exercise printed below. It could make you fall in love.

It apparently worked for Mandy Len Catron, a University of British Columbia writing teacher, who fell in love with a man after going through this very exercise and staring into his eyes for exactly four minutes.

The experiment was created more than 20 years ago by psychologist Arthur Aron, who says he successfully got strangers to fall in love by having them ask and answer a series of questions that gradually become more and more intimate. Len Catron recently wrote about her experience in the New York Times, detailing how she and an acquaintance recreated the experiment at a bar one night, and two hours later, were in love. Skeptical? Give these a try!

1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.

9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.

12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

14. Is there something that you’ve dreamt of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?

15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

16. What do you value most in a friendship?

17. What is your most treasured memory?

18. What is your most terrible memory?

19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?

20. What does friendship mean to you?

21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?

22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.

23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?

24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?

25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling …”

26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share …”

27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.

28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.

29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.

30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?

31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.

32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?

34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?

35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?

36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.

***Don’t forget to stare at each other for four minutes after***

4 Ways To Slow Your Life Down

 

Best-Beaches-In-Hawaii

We want immediacy — an instant message, an instant comment, an instant tick that will make our heads flip and our hearts whole. So, here is a proposal for everyone, myself included, on how to slow down and attempt a streamlined life.

1. Break away from social media.

Have a cut-off point in the evening to stop boredom-scrolling yourself into a panicked mess.

Seeing what people have done with their days when you may or may not have been watching back-to-back episodes of “Breaking Bad” all day long while nursing multiple cups of tea is not a great motivator to end your day on.

So, even though you may feel inclined to send future-proofing emails at 2 am, fuelled by faux social media pressure, it’s probably not the best idea.

Get ideas out of your head and onto some paper, close the book and then leave it for the morning. Besides, writing is easier with coffee in hand. And, you don’t want anymore caffeine at 2 am.

2. Put your phone on silent.

Simple, isn’t it?

Leave calls or emails on loud if necessary, but let the constant chirp of WhatsApp subside, let Snapchat silence and let Twitter snooze in a nest of quiet for a while.

When you’re trying to do something that requires your concentration, it’s near impossible when you get stuck watching your phone as it shimmies closer to the edge of the table with every message vibration. Stop unnecessarily challenging your attention. Just make it simple.

3. Be realistic.

While it may be fun to set challenging resolutions for the year ahead, be realistic with time frames.

It’s great to better yourself and carve new paths, but you can’t fill a bath with new skills and soak them all up like a sponge in one evening. (Although, someone should invent this. I would bulk order.) Things take time; don’t rush this and enjoy the time it takes to learn.

4. Try to stop comparing.

I could squash this paragraph full of clichés, but I’m going to try something designed to be constructive.

Accept moments for what they are — good or bad, exciting or mundane. If you don’t like something, try to change it. Don’t worry yourself with other people’s achievements, or compare yourself to how far someone the same age or younger than you has come.

Everyone falls; we just don’t run online to tell everyone about the day we cried until we were breathless, when we cared too much when we didn’t get the call or when we were crushed when we realized someone had moved on without us.

We’re all human; we all feel the same. It’s just scheduled at different times for different people.

And, in any case, you could be two days away from starting all over again — and starting fresh is fun.

It’s like getting a new textbook at school: It’s a bit scary, you feel pressured to use your best handwriting and keep everything neat in the beginning, but somewhere down the line, this ebbs away and things become more natural.

Mistakes happen, so we cross them out and we try again. Life isn’t a race; there is no agreed finish line or time in which to complete it. Slow down, enjoy small moments and try to stop comparing every small step you take to someone else’s stride.

article courtesy of Elite Daily

10 Life Lessons from Kermit

 

t1larg.kermit

Here are the top 10 quotes from Kermit to help you live a full life.

1. “Life is like a movie; write your own ending.”

The rest is unwritten. You can take charge of your life and write your own script.

2. “There are never enough comfort stops. The places you’re going to are never on the map.”

Go for what you want, not what you think you can get. And, on your way to what you want, you might stumble upon greatness.

3. “Be one of the people who made a difference in the world. Leave the world a little better for having been here.”

You can make a difference just by being you. Focus on ways you can help and ways you can give, instead of focusing on what you can get.

4. “Dreams are how we figure out where we want to go. Life is how we get there.”

Don’t forget to dream big, but allow life to unfold and give you what you need.

5. “Be thankful for the bad things in life. For they opened your eyes to the good things you weren’t paying attention to before.”

The happiest people in the world are thankful for what they do have on the way toward getting what they want.

6. “As long as I still believe, the dream is alive.”

Never ever give up on a dream, unless it leaves your heart. As long as you believe in it, your dream is possible.

7. “Maybe you don’t need the whole world to love you, you know. Maybe you just need one person.”

So many people chase fame and fortune and gather Facebook friends in an effort to be seen and appreciated. All you need is one love, and it can come from one person – maybe even yourself.

8. “Every journey begins with a single hop.”

Your dreams may feel intimidating, and you may be wondering how you will get there. One step forward is all you need to take. Each step will reveal the next best right action.

9. “Just because you haven’t found your talent yet doesn’t mean you won’t.”

Everyone has a purpose and passion in life. If you haven’t yet found yours, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist; it just means you are still discovering. Enjoy the journey of exploration.

10. “Always be yourself. Never take yourself too seriously. And, beware of advice from experts, pigs and members of Parliament.”

The best advice in the world comes from your own heart. Always trust yourself.

 

article courtesy of Elite Daily

Simple Ways to Fake Until You Make It

 

mad_men_cast (1)

1. Dress the part.

I understand that in high school you got to wear whatever ridiculous outfits you liked to wear, but you’re not in high school anymore. This isn’t to say that you weren’t being judged back in high school because you were, but now you actually care that you’re being judged.

Depending what part you plan on playing, you’re going to need clothes that fit in with whatever group of individuals you plan on fitting in with.

Keep your personal flare to your socks, underwear or PJs. Looking the part isn’t as expensive as most people think. You can always find a sale, go to a more upscale thrift store, or shop online for great deals on the right outfits.

The fact is that you need to look the part in order to play the part; otherwise, you won’t be believable.

2. Smile.

There are two reasons for this. One: when you smile, it makes people feel more comfortable around you. You seem less of a threat and more trustworthy — makes networking much easier. Two: it’ll make you feel better.

Science has proven that even forcing yourself to smile lightens your mood. It also helps you relieve stress. I understand that it may be difficult to smile in the situation you’re in, but suck it up and pretend you’re happy until you’re happy.

3. Talk like you know what you’re talking about — if you don’t know what you’re talking about, then keep your mouth shut.

As a general rule, it’s always better to avoid sounding like an idiot than to try to impress people with your knowledge. If you find yourself in a conversation on a topic you know nothing about, then keep mum.

However, when you do have something valuable to add, be sure to speak up. Even slipping in a good point on the rare occasion will make people think you’re a smart guy/gal — as long as you don’t slip up too often and say something stupid.

4. Walk like you own the place.

Stand up straight. Pull back your shoulders. Raise your chin. And then take a deep breath and relax your core.

Walking up straight literally changes your body’s hormones, making you more confident, happier and less risk-averse. Check out Amy Cuddy’s wonderful Ted Talk for more information.

5. Eat healthy and exercise regularly.

Your clothes won’t be enough to impress people. Successful people often have a certain glow about them, as if their happiness/confidence were seeping through their pores.

Since you’re not quite there yet in your life, you’re going to have to find a way to look the part. The best way is to stay as healthy as you can.

Successful people tend to eat healthier and exercise more often than the rest of the world. You may find it difficult to find time with your busy schedule, but you have to find time. It’ll not only help your career, but help you be happy with your life.

6. Get your beauty sleep.

Never underestimate the significance of a great night’s sleep. If you don’t understand the importance of sleeping, then you should really look into it — information on the subject is readily attainable.

Getting great sleep regularly will make you feel less fatigued, will put you in a better overall mood, allow for better focus and more productivity, as well as keep you looking slimmer and healthier.

I highly recommend getting an amazing mattress. It can be pricey, but it’s a necessary investment — especially considering that you spend more time sleeping than you do any other activity.

You can always find a great deal on a mattress if you look for it. I got myself a memory foam mattress off Amazon for under $300 — including shipping.

7. Stay informed on worldly events.

When you meet new people, you’re more often than not going to get stuck with small talk. I don’t know about you, but I hate small talk. However, if you know enough about what’s going on in your industry, your city, your country, the world, then small talk can become a lot less painful.

Plus, if you can put in your two cents on a wide array of topics, you’re more likely to make contacts who will want to stay in touch with you.

8. Be well read — you need to keep a fine-tuned vocabulary.

I’m sorry, but slang isn’t acceptable. Not until you get comfortable enough around people where you start to create your own sort of slang and inside jokes. If you want people to respect you then you need to speak with authority.

You need to speak in a way so that people think you’re as smart as you really are, if not smarter. People feel more comfortable around people who “speak the same language.” Assuming you’re looking to enter the big leagues, you’re going to have to talk the talk.

9. Party like a rockstar, but only when people are looking.

Everyone enjoys a good party, but partying regularly is not only expensive… it’s tiring. If you can’t afford bottles at the club then don’t max out your credit card doing so. (Hell, even if you can afford it, don’t do it.)

You’re going to need to go out to events and parties in order to build your network, but be smart about it. Keep up appearances, but always give your work and health priority.

You have a goal in mind — so make sure you only do what helps your cause. Party like an animal when you need to, but when no one is looking, snuggle up on your couch and watch some Netflix.

article courtesy of Elite Daily