10/Ten Inspirational steps to Kaizen your life
A warm welcome from my heart to all my readers, followers and listeners from all over the world, I miss all of you so much during the last absence because of some circumstances but it was out of my hand Thanks God we are now together can continue self-development series by applying our slogan Have courage, ignite your passion and be kind.
Today we will spotlight one of the most important Japanese philosophies which are Kaizen (kai) means to change (Zen) means good which means change for the better. Kaizen is the practice of improving yourself or a process by taking small, incremental, daily actions, which then forms habits that stick and, ultimately, makes you succeed. In order to reach sufficient self-development and effective change, we must implement kaizen (continuous improvement) in our daily life.
Let's start by illustrating the multi-benefits and useful gifts by applying The Japanese philosophy of kaizen, which encapsulates a culture of constant improvement, as the mighty genie both professionally and personally in the business world. Kaizen pushes people to take very small steps towards larger goals and aim for 1% improvement each day. Just as drops of water can erode stone by persistence, small actions will add up to become big changes in life and then lead to massive gains Let's assume together that you are a person who weighs 90 kilograms while your height is 170.
What do you need to reduce your weight to the ideal weight? First, that your body gets used to doing sports and getting rid of foods that cause obesity. But this will not come suddenly, but by taking and following small habits. It consists of walking for ten minutes a day and then increasing them the next day and then the next until you reach the end of the week, for example, you find yourself walking for a period of An hour. Then you move to the next stage, which is running for ten minutes and repeating the same process until you find yourself running at the end of the second week for an hour. And the situation is exactly the same with a healthy eating system. Then, in the meantime, you replace it with useful foods...until you find yourself at the end of the month you have lost the weight you need and continue like this until you reach your ideal weight. This is exactly the idea of kaizen. It is not important that your steps are fast as much as they are confident and fruitful and without putting obstacles for yourself. On the contrary, it motivates you and encourages you to reach your goal easily, with ease, perseverance, persistence and determination by taking care of every small and big. and the fact that I see that kaizen is A cumulative process that contains positive, fruitful habits with an amazing effect, such as caring for the small plant or the seed that we irrigate with water daily, which eventually leads to a large tree whose leaves are green, fruitful and useful.
Are you ready to kaizen your life? I will share ten inspirational steps to live a courageous and openhearted life:-
1- Ask yourself simple questions
When you have a goal, sometimes you are stuck on how can I reach it? It is because you see that goal from afar, and do not realize that it takes several steps to make it true. Now, change that mindset. Break down your goal and ask yourself questions like “What is the first thing I can do to make it?” or “Can I spend a few minutes a day doing…?” Stick to the concept that nothing comes easy, it needs goodwill, perseverance, and consistency to make your goal comes true. For example: Imagine that you are driving on a highway and suddenly feel thirsty. The first thing you think of is to park your car in a safe place, then search for a grocery or supermarket to buy a bottle of water to quench your thirst. If you do not find a bottle of water, your mind will search for other alternatives, and so on. What is required of you, just as you do not find an escape or an obstacle in your way to satisfy the instincts of the body such as hunger, thirst and reproduction, you must also satisfy the instincts of the soul from dreams and ambitions in various aspects of your life to sense the importance of your presence and your being and your effective good impact on this planet in fulfilling your mission to the fullest.
2- Develop standards for your life
What standards do you have within your life? Are there any areas of your life where you could implement systems or processes to increase the quality of your life? Bring your inner Telescope to magnify your way of perception and vision to empower yourself looking in a broader cycle, to identify professionally which side needs your interest more than the other for modification and developing Ex health side, career, family & relationship side, religious-spiritual side, etc. 3- Create a periodic process
Come up with an actionable process for a specific activity that is organized and repeatable. Examine whether the process is efficient by asking yourself if the process saves you time and if it accomplished your desired result. If not, change it. Do not stick to one fixed thing and keep innovating. Be flexible to cope with the rapid growth world, because our world is constantly changing
4- Prioritize your actions
Now you know the steps to achieve your goals, and have the processes set and ready. Now it’s time to decide on the order in which you’ll pursue them. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start with the action that will be easiest to implement and go from there. Go easy on yourself, but stay disciplined to consistently do the actions.
5- Start to build self-discipline
• Consistent ability to control your actions, feelings, and emotions. When it comes to your finances, it's your ability to stick to your plans and stay motivated to achieve success. It is very strongly connected to willpower which is the control of one's impulses and actions. All successes begin with self-discipline. It starts with you.” Dwayne Johnson
6- Develop good housekeeping with 5s
Could you be using your resources better? your time? your money? Are there any situations or people or groups that drain or sucks your positive energy and never add value to your life if so use the five (5S)
1-You must identify the most important than the less one
This includes any activity such as daily exaggerated viewing of news of accidents, wars, famines, useless programs, or depressing films. This is not a claim from me to separate from reality. Not at all, but it is smart to choose what affects you consciously and what you can control and what else and what you have no power over. In this situation, you only have to pray, and the best support you can provide to the world is to set an example Valid for those who are within or near your circle, and you put your contributions to those who come after you. And if they are people who affect you negatively, try to reduce sitting and talking with them or meeting them and occupy yourself instead of them with anything useful that raises and contributes to the level of different aspects of your life for the better. Apply this rule in all aspects and activities of your life. What you practice today becomes a part of you tomorrow, and it becomes and determines what you will become in the distant future and throughout life. Be careful!
2-Then organize every activity or action
that need to be taken in its sequence according to which one must be done now We continue together with the example of losing weight. If this person finds that his weight begins to affect the vital functions of the body. He should use his money and time immediately to restore his health. Instead of spending this part of the money on a trip. He should cancel it and prioritize his health. If he goes. With his friends to sit in a cafe, he takes this time to exercise beneficial for heart health and so on until he reaches his health to the ideal weight
3-Shine your life sides by removing everything unnecessary
Instead of sitting three or four hours watching depressing or depressing programs, replace these activities with investing the three hours in a more productive way by walking for an hour or going to the health club, and the second hour with reading an inspiring success story or the field in which you should develop yourself and the third hour sitting with yourself and evaluating the How far have you reached in achieving and developing your goals? The fourth hour is watching a movie, program, or series that gives you positive energy and feelings of optimism. This will enable you to focus on identifying any aspect of your life that needs modification and attention. Is it the aspect of your relationship with your parents and family? Is it the aspect of your relationship with loyal friends? Were you supportive and in contact with them, or were you preoccupied with them and neglected them? Is it the religious aspect and prayer and repair my relationship with God and be closer and more obedient to God?
4-Begin to prepare and train yourself to the next stage towards your goal As is the case for the weight example.. you move from one stage to another in an advanced way until this becomes your usual lifestyle. You always reach everything you aspire to achieve your dreams.
5-Sustain and grow your self-discipline
by evaluating and repeating the four previous steps You have now achieved your ideal weight. You will measure your weight every week. If you find it has increased again. Watch yourself what you ate? Did I exercise this week regularly and so on? Apply the example of weight steps to all aspects of your life, whether academically, professionally, in your relationship, or any dream you want to achieve, and you will find that it makes it easier for you to practice kaizen on a daily basis.
7- Make most of your time
If you look at your daily schedule, it seems impossible to make time for yourself to stop and do something to reach your goal. However, you will need time to take those small steps. Every night before you go to sleep, review your schedule for the next day and be realistic. Find a slot when you can take some time to do something to reach your dream, and discipline yourself. While keeping the daily achievements brochure that I talked about in the previous articles and podcasts, have the courage, ignite your passion, and be kind. You divide your time into 8 hours of sleep, not more, than the rest of the day 12 hours, from which three hours are deducted from the time of breakfast, lunch, dinner, showering and 8 hours for work, and the rest of the time how you invest it? PS (S1, 2, 3 review and apply) Practice what renews your energy and enthusiasm and contributes to your development. What do you do at the weekend? And beware of procrastinating and telling yourself tomorrow. Next month, the second week will. Believe me, this will never come!! Do not delay and say that “oh I can do it another day”. If not now, then when? Never procrastinate
8- Visualize daily
It is one of the most beautiful and creative steps, and really I do not know why the majority of people neglect to implement it. Some people object to a person living in daydreams, but I assure you that these daydreams in turn are the fuel that pushes you to the maximum of what you aspire to, so you should not live in it for long. And you use it intelligently and put it into action quickly. and on the amount of your dream, your effort, effort and action will come, then the cost of time and money, and you will, of course, get a result similar to their level. If, for example, your greatest ambition is to buy a bottle of water, you will only go to the grocery store, but if your ambition is to buy water, juice, types of food, clothes, etc.., you will go to a large hypermarket or mall to get everything you want. Keep in mind well that the soul gives you as much enthusiasm as you specify from the purpose!! Imagine your goal and how you can definitely achieve it with the small steps you take every day, always visualize this in your mind, especially when you start the day in the morning. Don't think about the challenges and hardships you may face in achieving this, if you can imagine it you can achieve it. And look at your goal as a fun process that makes you stronger and better every day. The pleasure of the journey exceeds the pleasure of reaching because during this journey your personality is formed and you get to know different people, so your maturity increases, your thinking shines, and you become wiser in making your decisions and achieving your impressive successes. Visualize your goal and how you can definitely achieve it in the small steps that you make. Every day, always picture this in your mind, especially when you start the day in the morning. Do not think about the challenges and hardships you may face in achieving it. See your goal as a fun process that makes you stronger and better every day. If you can imagine it you can achieve it.
The 5ive (5S) cycle in the 6th step
You have control over only three things in your life—the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take (your behavior) & How you use these three things, determines everything you experience. Jack Canfield
9-Keep track of your progress
The concept of kaizen is not a sudden, big change, but small changes that you consistently make daily. You can write down what you do towards your goal each day. Keeping track of your progress in a note achievement book will also allow you to make adjustments as needed. Kaizen is an ongoing process, so you will need to keep planning, working, and adjusting as you move forward (over the course of a week, a month, three months, and so on....) Before you read the article and after you read the article before you practice daily walking and after your body gets used to sports, every person is endowed by God with different talents and circumstances.
10- Eliminate surplus and waste
On your way to achieving your goal, you may find things that are unnecessary and time-consuming. Every once in a while, stop and evaluate how much value each activity adds to your life. If, for example, going to the language courses seems too tiring and ineffective to you, you may want to consider learning languages online that is more efficient for you. If you stay too much on Facebook just browsing online, you must cut off this useless time and replace it by committing to workout fitness your body.
These simple ways to practice kaizen will help you to achieve your goals and develop yourself. It may take a long time to achieve your desired result, but it well is worth the wait. Don't compare yourself to others, just compare yourself to yourself, Stop beating yourself up constantly because it causes feelings of inferiority and dissatisfaction, reduces your self-confidence and thinks pessimistically.
By practising kaizen, you can achieve your goal without being hard on yourself making progress more achievable and fun.
Have Courage ,ignite your passsion & be kind
Be kind (3rd text of Kholoud's Ali slogan)
A warm heartfelt greeting to all of my dear readers, listeners and followers from all over the world Today episode will be about the last sentence of the slogan "Have courage, ignite your passion and be kind." As we are used to together God willing, the article will be published in conjunction with the podcast episode.Let us quickly review and remember together the three episodes and the articles that have been past On courage, courage is the name of the first virtue because it enables us to perform all other virtues, it is one of the most important human virtues, and its benefits and how to overcome the illusion of fears by practising some simple effective methods and methods, Then we talked in the past two episodes about passion and how to ignite it and its positive and enjoyable effect on the quality of our life and our success, and we mentioned examples of prominent and successful people worldwide who have had tangible contributions. And whoever reads and follows us from today, can click on the link below to read the previous articles about the previous two texts for the slogan of possess the courage and ignite your passion, or Listen to it on the podcast and you will find their link here on My articles website and Facebook in Arabic and English versions in MY PODCAST album
We have explained in the previous article and podcast, two names of God’s Most Beautiful Names from (The 99 attributes names of Allah,) ( is Al Barei Majesty, and Al-Muṣawwir Majesty. I have used them to explain, clarify and answer a very important question of the essential questions that you must ask yourself, which is: Am I making a difference on this planet?
Today, also, I seek the help of a name from the Most Beautiful Names of God, which is the Most Gentle, Most High. 31. Al-Lateef * The Subtle One, The Gracious, The One who is kind to His slaves and endows upon them. The reason behind this is that there are many calls from some people promoting on social media pages and some books, with the idea that you stop being nice and about being kind, but on the contrary, you should reveal your teeth to the world. Around you, if you want to win and win in the world of business, relationships and life... Indeed, I do not know why these people are trying to broadcast their negative vibrations and spread their toxins to others by depicting the universe as a battlefield ... so kindly, please everyone. Whenever some ideas and beliefs that we jump to embrace and then, discover that it is too late to think that they are contrary to our instinct and our truth, we must first think about them and ask ourselves whether they are compatible with the compass of the laws of the universe that God has set for us (Satan may have despaired to be worshipped on your land, but It is acceptable to be obeyed except for that of the deeds that you disobey, so beware, that I have left in you as soon as you hold fast to it, and you will never be deceived, the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Prophet. One of the minor sins and sins, which are lambs, “Beware,” meaning: Beware of obedience to Satan and falling into trivialities. Because it is still in the slave until it consumes him, and he does not know. The Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, told us about this Noble Hadith On the authority of Abdullah bin Omar, may God be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - said: A woman was tortured in a cat, she imprisoned her until she died, and then she entered the fire. Neither she fed her, nor did she feed her when she kept her, nor did she let her eat from the poppy of the earth.) Agreed upon. Narrator: Abdullah bin Abbas | Updated: Albani | Source: Sahih At-Targheeb Page or number: 40 | Summary of the updated ruling: It is correct The Holy Quran and the Sunnah are our way of life and our compass. Like the values that we called the North Pole Star because the values reflect your thinking, your actions and your personality. If you do not have values that you believe in and live for, then you are a hollow and distorted person from the inside and outside. So when you sit with one of them, listen to one of them, read one of them, or see one of them, before you admire and be astonished by him and imitate him, and repeat what he says and deeds. Ask yourself whether this person in word and deed, what he says, what he calls for, or what he promotes is in line with the approach of God and the two examples of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace The greatest creation. ?? Why? Because God said that you are of a great creation. The Messenger described the great creation. When you ask, you can simply get the answer and develop a sense of leadership? How will that happen to me? A: When you are able to consciously control your choices and thus in your decisions, then you take what is useful to you from this person or thing while preserving and protecting your instinct, the essence of your personality, your uniqueness and your distinguished contributions. A simple example: When you go to study some studies in a country...with the knowledge that this country differs in religion, culture and so on ... there are those who are affected and do the same things they do that are contrary to our values, morals and religion..and there are those who enjoy the leadership tendency and restrain their passions. He takes only what is useful to him and leaves what affects him negatively in the far world.
The hadith of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari: That the Prophet said: Like the righteous and abusive sitter, like the bearer of musk and the onion man, so the bearer of the musk can guide you or guide you. Buy it or wind it up, and a big blower either burns your clothes, or you wind up the foul. [1], agreed-upon Can this sitter be a negative media material, a program, a series, or a book..the better choice of whom to read, what to read, and when to read? It is a leading intelligence of the soul in the path of conquests and successes...or you watch or listen, etc...it is not a requirement that it be only a friend or a tangible person, it is possible that anything you receive without distinction, conscious and wisdom. In The Holy Quran Almighty said "Wisdom is given to whomever he wills ۚ And whoever provides wisdom, I will be given a great deal ۗ surah al-Baqara verse (269) You find yourself getting used to it and unconsciously practising what it says or does, and it becomes a distorted reproduction This has nothing to do with age or a prestigious position. But it has to do with what you put in your mind daily? What do you nourish your soul?
As the philosopher, Descartes said: The human mind is like a basket of apples, and this is like a person who has a basket full of apples, some of them are healthy and some of them are damaged, so there is no point in turning the apples while they are inside the basket to get out of what is damaged in it. The basket is made of apples, then we select the healthy apples and return them to the basket and remove the apples Damaged and thus you can be confident that all the apples that you put in the basket are healthy ones.))
Be aware that underestimating the impact of these matters has led many prominent people or others of all ages and cultures to the path of perdition, failure and loss in this world and the next. The Almighty said:(And on the day the oppressor bites on his hands, he says: I wish I had taken a path with the Messenger (27) O woe, I wish I had not taken so-and-so as a friend (28) He led me astray from the remembrance after he came to me, and the devil was to the human being abandoned (29). Surat Al-Furqan"Holy Quran". What is the meaning of the gentle name of God Almighty? He is the one who hastens to uncover the sorrow when resentment descends and soothes His servants in His destiny ... that the Highest does what He wants gently God is kind through His servants. He gives sustenance to whomever He pleases, and He is the Strong and Mighty (Surat 19 Al-Shura) And the Almighty said: My Lord is kind to whatever He wills ﴾[Yusuf: 100] And if we meditated together on the apparent or hidden kindness of God in ourselves and around us, we would never cease to praise and praise and praise the kind, the expert.
From God's hidden kindness, we can cite very few examples.
1 - It does not make you feel under the supervision of the angels that have been entrusted to you - from scribes, guardians, and others - and imagine if you have a special guard from people who accompany you in all your movements and transfers. You felt that you were a prisoner and tied, and you did not let that happen, and you felt God's kindness in you.
2 - You do not hear your breath hesitating throughout your day, nor the beating of your heart, and if you heard it, you would not have enjoyed your life, nor would an eye read for you. You do not hear the sounds of ants and understand the language of animals, birds or other creatures
3 - And that you do not see all the microbes and germs that are on you and on the things around you that can only be seen with the naked eye and the microscope .. Prophet Joseph, peace be upon him, summarizes his ordeal, affliction and his story in this word:﴿ My Lord is kind to what He wills Yusef: 100], [he wanted good with him while he did not know. Ibn al-Qayyim says, may God have mercy on him, and his gentle name includes his knowledge of subtle things and his delivery of mercy through hidden methods. This was a clarification and a brief definition of the name of Allah, the Most Gentle, Most High. But what is the meaning of kindness linguistically and in life in general? Kindness is about being friendly, generous, and considerate of others and yourself. Being nice does not mean being weak... You can be nice and still have limits, it is not a substitute for avoiding difficult situations or standing up for yourself. Kindness requires courage and strength, as it involves the desire to give and concern for another person. Why kindness is good Every kind act changes the way we see ourselves and others, as well as the way other people see us. Since our kindness positively affects others, we feel more compassion, confidence, benefit and control. We also find ourselves feeling appreciated and optimistic. Moreover, there is nothing as rewarding as giving back to others. Kindness and generosity can change the world. Moreover, one small act of empathy can have a huge impact on someone's life, including yours. One of the greatest blessings that God may bestow upon one of his servants is that he be blessed with soft temper and softness of the heart and the purity of his bed, so that he makes his words pleasant and smooth, penetrating into the hearts of those around him so that he does not harm anyone with his biting words and does not disturb anyone's sleep with the cruelty of what he gives.God Almighty said that( Had you been rough, hard-hearted, they would surely have scattered away from you.) (verse 159 of Surat Al-Imran)
Research shows that nicer people lead longer, healthier, and happier lives
Five benefits of practising the virtue of kindness
1- Kindness makes us happier When we do something nice for someone else, we feel good. Spiritually, many people feel that the reason for this is because it is the right thing to do, and so we are tapping into something deep and deep within us that says, `` This is what I am. “On a biochemical level, the good feeling we get is thought to be due to the elevated levels of the brain’s natural versions of morphine and heroin, which we know as endogenous opioids. They cause elevated levels of dopamine in the brain, so we get naturally high, often referred to as "Helper's High."
2- Kindness is good for a healthy heart: Acts of kindness are often accompanied by emotional warmth. Emotional warmth produces the hormone oxytocin in the brain and throughout the body. Recently interestingly, its essential role in the cardiovascular system, as oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide into the blood vessels, which causes the blood vessels to widen (widen). This lowers blood pressure and thus oxytocin is known as a "heart-protective" hormone because it protects the heart (by lowering blood pressure). The key is that gentle actions can produce oxytocin, and thus kindness can be said to protect the heart
3- Kindness slows down Aging at the biochemical level is a combination of many things, but two reasons that speed up the process are free radicals and inflammation, both of which result from making unhealthy lifestyle choices, but fascinating research now shows that oxytocin (which we produce through emotional warmth) reduces levels of Free radicals and inflammation in the cardiovascular system thus slows down aging at the source. Incidentally, these two culprits also play a major role in heart disease, so that's also another reason why kindness is good for the heart There have also been suggestions in scientific journals for the strong relationship between compassion and vagus nerve activity. In addition to regulating heart rate, the vagus nerve controls levels of inflammation in the body. One study that used the "loving gentle compassion" meditation of Tibetan Buddhists found that kindness and compassion actually reduced inflammation in the body.
kindness genes
4- Kindness improves relationships
This is one of the most obvious points. We all know we love people who show us kindness. This is because kindness reduces the emotional distance between two people and thus we feel more "connected". It's something so powerful within us that it's actually a genetic thing. We deal with kindness, and our evolutionary ancestors had to learn to cooperate with one another. The stronger the emotional bonds within groups, the greater the chances of survival and thus "kindness genes" are etched into the human genome. On the authority of Al-Nu`man bin Bashir, may God be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: ((Like the believers in their affection, compassion, and sympathy, like the body, if a member complains about it, the rest of the body will call for it to stay up late and feverish)) (4). In this hadith: Promoting the rights of Muslims, encouraging their cooperation, and caressing each other.
5- Kindness is inspiring
5- Kindness is inspiring When we're kind, we inspire others to be kind and studies show that it actually creates a ripple effect that spreads outward to our boyfriends' friends - to 3 degrees of separation. Just as a pebble creates waves when it falls into a puddle, so acts of kindness flow outwards to touch other people's lives and inspire kindness everywhere the wave goes. A study reported that an unidentified 28-year-old entered a clinic and donated a kidney. This resulted in a "push forward" multiplier effect in which spouses or other family members of the kidney recipient donated one of their kidneys to another person in need. The "domino effect," as it was named in the New England Journal of Medicine, spanned the length and breadth of the United States of America, with 10 people receiving a new kidney as a result of that anonymous donor. (Source Dr David Hamilton) Surah Al-Ma'idah God Almighty aid that (and whoever saves it, it is as if he saved the whole of mankind)verse 32 In addition, people who volunteer tend to have fewer pains and aches. Giving help to others has twice as much public health as aspirin against heart disease. People 55 years of age or older who volunteer in two or more organizations have a 44 per cent lower risk of dying - after screening for all other contributing factors, including physical health, exercise, sex, habits like smoking, marital status, And many more. This is a stronger effect than exercising four times a week Kindness includes behaving and speaking in a way that is compassionate to others and with yourself.
There are many ways to be gentle and many opportunities to practice.
Kindness is perhaps a value that can add more satisfaction and strengthen your relationships Speak the truth in a gentle way when it helps the other person. Receiving accurate feedback in a gentle manner is an important issue in relationships. The courage to give and receive honest feedback is an essential component of growth and flexible thinking.
How to be nice, includes being kind to yourself. Do you treat yourself kindly? Do you talk to yourself kindly, kindly, and take care of yourself
(6 ways to develop your kindness trait)
1- Be kind to yourself. A common mistake many people make is to try to be kind to others while forgetting this about themselves. Part of this may stem from not accepting some aspects of yourself, but most of the time it comes from not knowing yourself well. Unfortunately, if you are not coherent enough on the inside, you risk that your kindness towards others will turn into a misleading kind of kindness as previously mentioned in the previous points, or it may lead to exhaustion and disappointment because you put everyone first. • Knowing yourself qualifies you to see what causes you pain and inner conflict. It also enables you to reconcile with your contradictions and gives you a space to work on what your qualities are not satisfied with. At the same time, knowing yourself helps prevent negative aspects from being focused on others, and thus enables you to treat them with love and compassion. [4] • Take the time to become more self-aware, using this awareness to be kinder to others and toward yourself (remembering that everyone has their own hidden flaw). This way, you will succeed in dealing with your inner anxiety rather than charging your tendency to hurt and hurt others.
• Don't think of the time you spend preoccupied with your needs as being selfish. On the contrary, it is considered a prerequisite that takes precedence over the ability to communicate with others and give them your time and effort, with great strength and awareness. Ask yourself: What does it mean for you to be kind to yourself? For many, being kinder to themselves includes observing negative and unhelpful thought patterns in their minds.
2- Caring about others sincerely and wishing the best for them and that you see in them the same desires, needs and aspirations that you feel within yourself. Kindness includes tenderness, resilience, patience, confidence, sincerity and gratitude. Piroverrucci believes that kindness revolves around "making less effort" because it frees us from being bound by a negative mentality and feelings such as discontent, jealousy, suspicion, and deception, [2] and kindness, in general, is a deep concern for all beings.
• No waiting for an exchange. The greatest of kindness is not expecting anything; It does not come with kindness that is associated with it and does not place conditions on anything that is said or done.
3- Don't be kind in order to get what you want. Beware delusive kindness. Kindness is not a matter of "being self-righteous Personality / calculated generosity / outward etiquette. '' [3] Simply being nice to others because you think it will trick them into giving you what you want in life, or as a way to control them, is not kindness. Contempt, hiding our anger or frustration behind false banter. Finally, being a submissive person is not kindness. This behaviour is simply a matter of surrendering to the situation and relaxing about changing it or fear of "swinging the ship" so as not to cause yourself and the ship to drown.
4- Learn kindness from others. Think about the truly good people in your life and how their dealings with you make you feel; Does your heart carry a warm glow every time they cross your mind? It is likely that it happens because kindness remains, even when the toughest challenges are before you. When people find a way to love you as you are, it is impossible to forget such a trust with its assertion of your worth, and their kindness will be forever. Remember how much other people's kindness rejoices you. What in their kindness makes you feel special and cared for? Are there those Their actions Why can you find similar actions and values in your heart?
5- Be kind in the interest of your personal health. It has been proven that mental health and happiness lie in thinking more positively, and kindness is in turn a positive state of mind. Just as kindness in its essence means giving and openness to others, giving kindness also brings us back a sense of goodness and connectedness, which improves the health of our mental state. • As simple as it is, the ability to be kind in and of itself is a consistent and poignant reward that nurtures your self-esteem. [5]
6- Stop judging others. If you really want to be kind, then you have to completely stop judging others. Instead of spending your time criticizing others, work to be positive and compassionate. If you tend to think of people with contempt, wish that others would uplift them, or view those around you as needy or lacking knowledge, you will never learn true kindness. Stop judging people and realize that you do not have full knowledge of their circumstances and you will not have them unless you put them into their lives and lived them the way they lived.
Focus on your desire to help people instead of judging them because they could have been better than they are. • As long as you remain a judgmental person or a person prone to gossip or always blunt towards those around you, you will never be able to overcome those mental patterns and you will never be kind. • It is said that Harun al-Rashid came to him and a man came to him and said to him: “God sent someone who is better than you to someone who is worse than me. • Kindness and kindness means giving people a wider area of expectations that includes good thinking about them and their motives and accepting their mistakes instead of expecting perfection from them.
• Here are some daily practices to get rid of the judgement
1) Be optimistic: happiness, joy and gratitude are among the essence of kindness that qualifies you to see good in others and in the world, to cross the challenges, despair and cruelty that you witness and experience, and to renew your faith in humanity. Having an optimistic mindset ensures that acts of kindness are closely related to sincere joy and joy rather than being triggered without an inner desire or performance as a duty or service
2) Be present. , A good listener, the greatest thing that kindness gives to another person is your full presence in their presence; To listen carefully and be genuinely attentive. Organize your day differently and stop being known to be the always rushed person. Being present means being available, which you can only do by not being in a hurry and avoiding your appointments and your appointments crowding out one another.
3)Be friendly. Friendly people are kind because they expect the best from others. They talk to new people as simple as they talk to their friends; In a reassuring way that makes them feel comfortable.
4) Be polite. Politeness is not a sign of kindness in itself, but sincere politeness proves to those with whom you deal with your respect (your personal good behaviour) and your appreciation for them .. Pay attention to your words and do not let deadly bullets come out of your mouth. Bullets are not worthy of a gold-metal believer. The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: ((The believer is not obedient, not cursed, or obscene). Attribution of Ahmad. That is why God Almighty praised him for what he did not commend one of his prophets, so Almighty said: “And you have great morals.” Al-Bayhaqi narrated that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: ((I am sent to complete the honourable morals)) And he, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: There is nothing heavier in the balance than good manners. Narrated by the owners of Sunan He, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: Whoever loves you and brings you closer to me sitting on the Day of Resurrection will be of good character to you. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi. So beware of what pollutes your mouth, and make it nothing but a way out for always good
5) Be grateful: Truly kind people can easily express their gratitude. They never forget the value of anything and always thank people for their help. They know how and when to say “thank you,” and they truly mean it. They write thank you cards and are comfortable acknowledging that they have been helped. Thankful people also thank people for things like making their day bright instead of just being thankful for completing specific tasks. If you make repeating thanksgiving and admitting others' favours to you a habit, you will see for yourself increasing your inner ability to be kind. • If you are more attentive to all the kind actions people do for you, you will be more willing to initiate kind behaviour towards others, and you will be aware of how happy you are in the kindness of others, and you will feel more inclined to spread love. Be one of those who bring good to the world and those who want the world to be a better place to live by sharing their love and care. Inspire with your words, encourage, help, support, be happy, and do not despise the known anything; Do not belittle a kind word or a gentle smile, for you are a source of inspiration for someone, and a source of positivity for all people, as the colour of gold does and more. You do not know what will happen to your words that you throw inside souls if they are arrows that hurt and bleed, and if they are perfume, they will leave behind nothing but all beautiful.
Kindness is the most important characteristic of a person,
The Almighty said: (And write what they did before and their effects) Surah Yaseen Verse 12 The effects of goodness and the effects of evil, then a person dies and the effect of his work that he did in his life remains, and what he enacted in his life and became an example in him, which they were the reason to find in the state of their lives and after their death, and those deeds that arose from their words, deeds, and conditions, so every good one of the people did Because of the slave’s knowledge, teaching and advice, or commanding him to do good, or forbidding what is wrong, or knowledge he deposited with the educated, or in books that benefit in his life and after his death, or he did good, such as prayer, zakat, charity, or charity by word or deed (reform between Quarreling or helping a family to marry their daughter or whatever kind of charity it remains for you until the Day of Resurrection, so he is followed by others, or he works as a mosque, or a place that people accompanies, and the like, because it is one of the effects that write to him, as well as the work of evil.
Simple words capable of stripping the roots of sadness from the heart and healing its wounds, one word capable of making happiness calm the heart God Almighty says: (Have you not seen how Allah a good word, for example, a tree good and its origin fixed branch in the sky * pay off all the time with the permission of her Lord and God strikes parables for people so that they might remember), «Surah Ibrahim: verse 24». A good word is required in all fields and at the level of all relationships, for his saying - may God bless him and grant him peace -: “A good word is a charity,” (Al-Bukhari included), Kindness is the most important characteristic of a person, and it is one of the main beautiful traits that we remember in people.
ps
How do you spark your passion and nourish your soul ? and integrate your passion intellectually, emotionally and behaviorally into the astronomical orbit of our life cycle and our day
Dear readers, listeners and followers, warm greetings from the heart to all of you from all over the world today, God willing, we will complete the second part of Passion episode on my podcast and also published with the article on my website, Press the below My article to read any of the previous articles.
last week we had explained together the importance of igniting our passion by leading by famous examples such as Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook App, Michael Jordan NBA the famous international player on basketball, and Steve Jobs the innovator of Apple I phones, Moreover, we were wondered together about, How do you know what you are passionate about? How do you spark your passion and nourish your soul? and integrate your passion intellectually, emotionally and behaviorally into the astronomical orbit of our life cycle and our day As we said before, Finding what you are passionate about is a journey in itself Now, fasten your seatbelts and let's start our marvellous journey together, 1st ask yourself the big questions of our ideal existence Bring a pen and blanked paper in your notebook and began to answer, write everything comes to your mind,
Why am I here on this planet?
Am I making a difference?
Am I living life to the fullest?
Answer these questions, and you’ll know exactly who you are and why you’re here, By the way, I will help you People confused between values and passion,
Passions are what we want, Passion is your sense of energy for something, “Your passions are your internal energy source, the fire or determination you have for reaching some destination up ahead.
while values are who we are and what we stand for. Our core values are our North Star & compass. They can be ethical or moral values, political or religious values, social values. There are countless types of core values, so you will need to choose the ones that are right for you. But limiting your selection to two or three, helps you focus on your mission in life without becoming distracted. Here are some examples of core values from which you may wish to choose: Dependability, Reliability, Loyalty, Commitment Open-mindedness, Consistency, Honesty Efficiency, Innovation, Creativity Good humour, Compassion, Spirit of adventure Motivation, Positivity, Optimism Passion, Respect, Fitness Courage, Education, Perseverance Patriotism, Service to others, Environmentalism
we reach our peak connection with our souls and feel balanced in a consistent way when what we do is compatible with what we hold of core values, such as with our partner or career work or with our best friends if someone his core value to help other and volunteer then he works for a non-profit organization, he will feel as I have said above, also if someone his core value is education and he worked for teaching children or adults in school or college or any organization, he will feel also the same.
The imbalance and dissatisfaction arise only when we don't do what our souls call us to do, as it the foundation for our core value existence to fulfil our life purpose.
I will volunteer to answer you the first Question :)
Why am I here on this planet?
Not to go so far, our compass is our Holy Quran And prophet Muhammad peace and pray upon him,.
God said that I did not create the jinn and the humans except to worship Me (Al-Dhariyat – verse 56 { Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer, We will grant him a good life—and We will reward them according to the best of what they used to do.} God Almighty said: Whoever does righteousness, male or female, and he is a believer, he will let them live a good life, and we will give them their reward with the best of what they used to do. According to Islamic scientists Explanation. In a good life, there is more than one clarification [the first] that it is permissible livelihood; [second] Contentment and satisfaction [third] His succession to obedience, which leads to the pleasure of God Whoever does righteousness and is a believer, his life is good and easy, and whoever turns away from the remembrance of God and does not believe in his Lord or does a righteous deed, his life is hardship and there is no good in it In surat Taha Verse 124 But whoever turns away from My Reminder, for him is a confined life. And We will raise him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” Verse 125 He will say, “My Lord, why did You raise me blind, though I was seeing?” Verse 126 He will say, “Just as Our revelations came to you, and you forgot them, today you will be forgotten.” So it’s our own purpose and responsibility to live the fullest life we dream for in accordance with God's orders and Islamic concepts, If we try to separate life from religion or Gods direction, we will make like someone who separates an embryo from mother's uterus before even growth stage and it will be distorted life never relate to our innate nature that God created in us.
2nd question Am I making a difference?
I will help you in answering this question by illustrating two of
The 99 attributes names of Allah,
I will illustrate two of them now:
The first is Al Barei Majesty (13. Al-Bari’ which means * The Evolver, The Maker, The Creator who has the power to turn the entities.) He is the Creator, unlike the previous example, who astonished the minds and baffled the minds with what they see of his great power, the majestic verses and the marvellous work he did In the Holy Quran in surat AL Hashr verse 24 { He is God; the Creator, the Maker, the Designer. His are the Most Beautiful Names. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him. He is the Majestic, the Wise.}
The second one is Al-Muṣawwir Majesty
(The photographer) Which means * The Fashioner, The One who forms His creatures in different pictures.) He is the creator of the images of creatures, so he pictures and arranges them, and he gives everything its own image and a unique body that distinguishes it from others, for he is the one who depicted things as he wished. And dress her in beauty and perfection In the Holy Quran Suret Ghafir verse 64 { It is God who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure. And He designed you and designed you well, and He provided you with good things. Such is God, your Lord; so Blessed is God, Lord of the Worlds.} After all these clues about your uniqueness and innate purpose Are you still seeking or requiring validation from outside sources? Or are you waiting for people's acceptance? You are exceptional to God, you are the best of creatures, The angels prostrated to our prophet Adam, peace be upon him, In the Holy Quran Suret AL Baqarah verse 34 { And We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam.” They bowed down, except for Satan. He refused, was arrogant, and was one of the disbelievers.}
“You Are a Wonderful Phenomenon”
There are approximately 7.674 billion people on the planet, but only one of you. Down to your special DNA, your voiceprint, face print, fingerprints, the hallmarks from every other person in the world, You were born for a reason, designed for a purpose and meant to be here.
The third question, Do I live life to the fullest?
Embrace your personality and know that your dormant talents were given to you as a gift. Determine your uniqueness, and use your power to contribute it to the universe. If you really want the mountain.it will come to you Passion has the power to move mountains. You can amplify your passion by implementing the same tools successful people apply.
Practice these habits to ignite your personal passion Perhaps, There are more than thirty or forty methods, and possibly more than that, but as much as possible I focused on the seven most effective and useful methods that have really great results :-
Seven Ways to ignite your passion
1- Stop complaining and replace it with gratitude
According to my personal experience several studies and researches, also all scientific articles about this topic. If you want to destroy the habit of complaining? One word is gratitude. Shift your focus on all of the negative things you may be faced with in life, cultivate a habit of gratitude. You can start by keeping a gratitude journal. Write down five things that you are thankful for each and every day—but don’t just focus on the good things only. Write five things you don’t like or annoyed you but you have learned from it because It’s important to also be thankful for the unexpected things in life because that is what shapes us into who we are, almost like blessings in disguise. So challenge yourself to change your attitude and remember to be thankful for all that you have. In the Holy Quran in Surat Ibrahim Verse 7 Almighty said { And when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks, I will grant you increase; but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is severe.”}
2- Recharge your knowledge and generate opportunities
Recharge your knowledge by trying new things, If you want something different, you have to be willing to try new things. When you combine your capabilities and talents, you will take your passion to a whole new level and empower your skills, Luck is everywhere but you have to put all your effort, hard work to achieve your goals and dreams. Be obsessed with learning new skills, interest and ideas. Ideas can be found anywhere such as reading a new book, listening to a new podcast, recognize new people perhaps by the time turn to good friends, learn a new sport.new cook recipe. anything that will impact your mood in a positive way As the scientist Dr Mustafa Mahmoud said You do not travel when you change your place..but you will have travelled when you expand your culture, enrich your passion and renew your soul ... so beating your heart for a woman, your friendship with a man or your reading of a book is real travels, a new birth for you, and a new history of your life and your thinking. - Mustafa Mahmoud
3- Avoid vampires
In fact, I called them vampires Energy suckers, solar energy suckers, positive energy suckers they are toxic ones, ran away fast as soon as possible as you can, if you will lose, try to lose fast. Ask yourself about people you spend most of your time with. Do these people motivate, encourage and inspire you? Are they passionate and love what they do? Or Are they are negative people that are professional complainers & specialized vampires, toxic, & energy suckers Instead of that, Surround yourself with passionate people Passion is contagious. Network and connect with other like-minded people who have the same interest and values, hobbies, Some places to connect with others are Social Media, Networking Groups, and Live Events. If you are a BIG dreamer on a mission to create more Freedom and success in your life, RUN really FAST from those types of people. Surround yourself with a support group that empowers you, lifts you up, and believes what you believe.
4- (Release your four happy hormones)
press on your chemical messengers in your brain There are four main hormones that are primarily responsible for creating those feel-good emotions and sensations. The moderate our feelings of well-being and are influenced by our stress levels, self-care, and lifestyle choices. Here are the main happiness chemicals in your body:
• Dopamine Pleasure – Motivational role in the brain’s reward system
• Serotonin Mood stabiliser – wellbeing, happiness
• Endorphins Primarily helps one deal with stress and reduce feelings of pain
• Oxytocin Bonding – Love and trust Dopamine This hormone drives your brain’s reward chemical. It is released when you are doing something pleasurable. This could be eating a great meal, listening to inspiring music, getting a massage, or completing a physical exercise workout.
The release of dopamine gives feelings of well-being and motivates you to seek things you enjoy and do well. We know Dopamine is a trigger when you do something well. Make sure you regularly incorporate things you enjoy and do well, into your life. Kicking a goal of achieving a target or accomplishing a task will all give you a hit of dopamine and tell your brain you’ve done a good job. Another way is to do something kind for someone. Volunteering on a regular basis will also give you a regular hit of dopamine that will help make you feel good. .
Serotonin is naturally triggered by regular things we can do each day – going for a walk in the sunshine, getting a good night’s sleep, spending time in nature or self-care activities that reduce stress levels. increase your levels of Serotonin. Getting out into the sunlight is one way. Everybody feels better on a sunny day. Work on developing your belief in your own worth. Everyone has wins and losses. If you focus on your losses, you will depress your serotonin. Build the habit of focusing on your wins – whether large or small. Exercise is another way to increase serotonin levels. A brisk walk of just 10 minutes will do wonders for your mood, so why not continue for longer? Twenty to forty minutes will give you incredible heart and health benefits too. Serotonin stabilises our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness. Additionally, it helps decrease our worries and concerns and is associated with learning and memory Research has also found that consuming food higher in tryptophan increases serotonin. Foods that are high in tryptophan include chicken, eggs, cheese, fish, peanuts, pumpkin, sesame seeds, milk, and turkey.
Endorphins are produced by the central nervous system to help us deal with physical pain. They are released in response to pain or stress, but they’re also released during other activities, like eating, exercise, or sex. They release a brief euphoria that covers the pain. Athletes frequently speak about an ‘endorphin high’ they get when they push their body to the point of real discomfort or pain. To release endorphins, exercise is again the way. The exercise ‘high’ is a real thing. However, there are also other ways to get an endorphin release – a good old belly laugh or a stretch. However, there are also other ways to get endorphins - laughing, watching a movie or a comedy show - stretching or lying exercises. You can stimulate the release of endorphins in these ways.
Oxytocin is often called ‘the love hormone. Extensive research has linked oxytocin release to life satisfaction levels. It appears to play a larger role in women’s physiology and happiness than men’s. Oxytocin is mainly correlated with a loving touch and close relationships. This hormone provides a multiple hit, by stimulating serotonin and dopamine while lowering anxiety.
Oxytocin is released by giving and receiving love in all its forms. Take care of yourself with a holistic yoga class, massage, meditation or listening to music. Have a meaningful conversation with family or friends or cook for those you care about. Give your pet a hug or be intimate with someone special. Happiness is within your control. So even if your natural tendency is to be more down than up, you can make a choice that will help you experience a brighter, happier life.
All the above four happy hormones effect is According to the scientific article research that has been published on Parkinson's Australian organization website & magazine https://www.parkinsonsnsw.org.au/four-happy-hormones
5-Maximize your strengths.
Narrow Focusing on your weakness, because it sucks your positive outlook. Each of us is born with a distinctive ability. What’s yours? • What are you good at? • What do you enjoy doing? • What gives you energy or motivates you Work out how to use your strengths more In maximizing your strengths, you can use the acronym BEST as a guide. • Be clear – Identify your strengths and where and when to use them. • Examine – How can you apply your strengths better? • Specialize – Focus on your speciality strengths and learn to improve them. • Transfer – Share your strength with others. In sharing you will find out the areas you are missing and be able to work on them more Example: For example, there is a person who cannot draw and innovate but is very skilled in colouring. He can incorporate this skill on some drawings and book covers, sell them and benefit from them, or in many other things for decoration. Or a person very skilled in negotiating, but not skilled in technical information. He can arrive at a suitable price during the completion of the buying and selling process and win the customer There is a person who is very skilled in the field of research but lacks the skill of effective social communication. He can use his skill in conducting research and reach research that explains how to communicate effectively. Spend the majority of time doing what brings you enjoyment. Delegate or outsource the things which give you less satisfaction. This enables you more time to what gives you the most pleasure
6- Record and keep Achievement Journal
keeping a journal is actually an excellent goal-setting tool. It can help you figure out a direction for your life, and then guide you where you want to go. A journal you use for that purpose – recording, revising, and recommitting yourself to your goals – becomes a log of your successes, observations, achievements, problem-solving skills, and best ideas that you can refer back to again and again.
But you can also include topics that you care about, such as what you want to accomplish in your days, such as going to the barbershop or shopping. Keeping a journal forces you to commit your goals to writing. When you write down your goals you turn vague desires into well-articulated targets you can clearly see and aim for. • identify all your assets and their locations, so your spouse or children can get to them in an emergency • index your favourite recipes, quotations, images, etc. • record the good deeds you’ve done and the blessings you’ve received Keeping a journal takes about 5 to 30 minutes a day – well worth. It will help you make better plans and accomplish more with your time.
7- Finding and following up with a role model life coach or mentor Now once you’ve taken the time to identify what gifts, talents and experiences once sparked within you, your next move is to place yourself in situations where you can accelerate your learning and explore everything your passion has to offer. At this point, mentors/ life coaches become invaluable resources because in most cases they’ve already walked the road you are embarking on and now possess the essential expertise needed to point you in the right direction towards more opportunities for growth, resources They Will encourage and empower your personal development • Will help you to identify and achieve career goals • will help you to identify and correct gaps in generic skills and knowledge • will help you to increase your confidence • will help you in developing and maintaining a broader perspective on career options and opportunities • they will save you money –costs – time- energy-they will give you all they had passed by avoiding you to suffer and paid the price from your years and ages
Some of us didn't think about our passions a lot. Some people spend their day doing what they think they're supposed to do to Like Robotic, runs through the approach of movements to life. Others, especially people who feel lost, and depressed, can lose touch with their souls. sometimes even without realizing it,.but without passion, we lose a big part of ourselves. When we lose our passion, we lose contact with our defining souls. Our Life force disappears.
But what is more important than emotions? It is the goal of our life. I think we all have a passion. but more than that we have a purpose for being here. As I said at the beginning of the podcast. We did not put on this earth to Struggle, or even survive. We are endowed with one unique power, and that uniqueness is ours. it is the root of our existence.
Next episode In Sha Allah, we will discuss the last sentence of the slogan be kind.
Last but not least, to all my readers, listeners, followers from all over the world, wishing you to become the best version of yourselves, pray all your dreams to come true. So, don’t forget to have courage, ignite your passion and be kind.
Time is what we want most ,but what we use worst !
10 ways to boost energy in your daily routine
1. Be smarter about your online time. Every online break doesn't have to be about checking social networks and fulfilling your daily ration of cute animal pics. The web is also full of great learning resources, such as online courses, intriguing TED talks, and vocabulary-building tools. Replace a few minutes of skateboarding dogs with something more mentally nourishing, suggest several responders.
2. Write down what you learn. It doesn't have to be pretty or long, but building a few minutes to reflect in writing about what you learned into each day is sure to boost your brainpower. "Write 400 words a day on things that you learned," suggests yoga teacher Claudia Azula Altucher. Mike Xie, a research associate at Bayside Biosciences, agrees. "Write about what you've learned," he advises.
3. Make a 'did' list. A big part of intelligence is confidence and happiness, so boost both by pausing to list not the things you have yet to do, but all the things you've already accomplished. The idea of a "done list" is recommended by famed VC Marc Andreessen as well as Azula Altucher. "Make an I DID list to show all the things you, in fact, accomplished," she suggests.
4. Get out the Scrabble board. Board games and puzzles aren't just fun; they can also be a great way to work out your brain. "Play games (Scrabble, bridge, chess, Go, Battleship, Connect Four, doesn't matter)," suggests Xie (for a ninja-level brain boost try to play without looking at the board to exercise your working memory). "Play Scrabble with no help from hints or books," concurs Altucher.
5. Have smart friends. It can be rough on your self-esteem, but hanging out with folks who are more clever than you is one of the fastest ways to learn. "Keep a smart company. Remember your IQ is the average of five closest people you hang out with," Saurabh Shah, an account manager at Symphony Teleca, writes. "Surround yourself with smarter people," agrees developer Manas J. Saloi. "I try to spend as much time as I can with my tech leads. I have never had a problem accepting that I am an average coder at best and there are many things I am yet to learn ... Always be humble and be willing to learn."
6. Read a lot. OK, this is not a shocker, but it was the most common response, so though it might be a less-than-surprising answer, reading definitely seems essential. Opinions vary on what's the best brain-boosting reading material, with suggestions ranging from developing a daily newspaper habit to picking up a variety of fiction and nonfiction, but everyone seems to agree that quantity is important. Read a lot.
7. Explain it to others. "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough," Albert Einstein said. The Quora posters agree. Make sure you've really learned what you think you have learned and that the information is well and truly stuck in your memory by trying to teach it to others. "Make sure you can explain it to someone else," Xie says simply. Student Jon Packles elaborates on this idea: "For everything you learn — big or small — stick with it for at least as long as it takes you to be able to explain it to a friend. It's fairly easy to learn new information. Being able to retain that information and teach others is far more valuable."
8. Do random new things. Shane Parrish, the keeper of the consistently fascinating Farnam Street blog, tells the story of Steve Jobs' youthful calligraphy class in his response on Quora. After dropping out of school, the future Apple founder had a lot of time on his hands and wandered into a calligraphy course. It seemed irrelevant at the time, but the design skills he learned were later baked into the first Macs. The takeaway: you never know what will be useful ahead of time. You just need to try new things and wait to see how they connect with the rest of your experiences later on. "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future," Parrish quotes Jobs as saying. To have dots to connect, you need to be willing to try new things — even if they don't seem immediately useful or productive.
9. Learn a new language. No, you don't need to become quickly fluent or jaunt off to a foreign country to master the language of your choosing. You can work away steadily from the comfort of your desk and still reap the mental rewards. "Learn a new language. There are a lot of free sites for that. UseLivemocha or Busuu," Saloi says. (Personally, I'm a big fan of Memrise once you have the basic mechanics of a new language down.)
10. Take some downtime. It's no surprise that dedicated meditator Altucher recommends giving yourself space for your brain to process what it's learned — "sit in silence daily," she writes — but she's not the only responder who stresses the need to take some downtime from mental stimulation. Spend some time just thinking, suggests retired cop, Rick Bruno. He pauses the interior chatter while exercising. "I think about things while I run (almost every day)," he reports.