His blog stevepavlina.com is a dedicated destination for personal development articles.

I am one of his followers and hugely inspired by his writing and podcasts.

That’s why I decided to do a review post of his popular book Personal development for smart people.

Book, as expected is rich-content driven and though I can see that some of the part of the books actually already conveyed in his own blog (considering the blog has thousands of articles on personal development) . But that’s okey as book carries additional information on those  elements of personal transformation which are really helpful.

Steve shares his own story how he transformed himself over the years.

Steve devides the book into two main sections, namely..
 

• Fundamental principles
• practical application

In the first part- i.e fundmental principles, he writes about

Truth, Love, Power, Oneness,Authority, Courage and Intellgience

In the second half, he emphasizes on practical application covering elements such as

Habits, Career, money, Health, Relationships and Spirtiuality

Personal development for smart people,  is a book that can have a lasting impact on your life if you are looking for personal transformation, mainly because of the way Steve addresses the core elements of transformations at such a granular levels.

His insightful analysis about core principles create awareness within you and his practical advises instill actions insides you.

You will be more clear about your real purpose of life and about the set of  actions to bring upon a personal change and long lasting happiness.

Instead of revealing some more awesome features of the book, I leave it for you to go and checkout this outstanding piece of work by Steve Pavlina. You can also get it in Kindle format, if you are a digital reader like me

About Steve Pavlina and his blog: Steve Pavlina is one of the widely recognized personal development speaker and blogger. His website stevepavlina.com is hugley popular with thousands of articles published online. You can also listen to his podcasts

 We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them- Albert Einstein

Everyone faces problems. Sometimes simple and sometimes more complicated. Solving a problem is sometimes easy, sometimes difficult and many a times, seems impossible.

If you often find yourself in the situations where in, you are not able to resolve a problem effectively, then you need to revisit your approach towards problem solving.

This article will be more relevant to you and anyone who want to develop or enhance their problem solving skills. Note that problem solving not only require decision making ability and action taking, but it needs further efforts in other areas as well such as analyzing patterns and documenting the solution to avoid re-occurrence.

In this article, I am going through  life cycle of a ‘complex’ problem and we will see a step by step guide to solve it satisfactorily.

I have based this article not only upon my personal learning per se, but also collated information from learning from my friends, colleagues , corporate life, software engineering and of course by gathering information from various people who are good at problem solving.

So let’s begin with the problem itself.

So, you have a problem.

A problem which could be troubling you since quite sometime now, or a problem which has suddenly appeared in your life . It could be related to your work, family , health or related to any other sphere of your life.

What’s important here is the problem is for you. It’s now you who is responsible to address and resolve it.

What would be your approach? Wouldn’t it be nice if you were made aware of a checklist or a flowchart so that you can deal with the problem much effectively and bring upon more pleasant results.

Here we go.

Step 1: Accept that you have a problem

This is really important. Lots of people don’t accept that they have a problem. Note that knowing that they have a problem and accepting that , both are different things.Knowing about a problem will make you aware, where as accepting that you have a problem initiates an action towards it.

When you don’t accept a problem, there won’t be action from your side. When problem is not acted upon in timely manner, it often grows and multiplies.

Problem - Step by Step, I am attacking you

By denying that you don’t have that very problem, you are fooling anyone but yourself and allowing the problem to grow.

Step 2: Are there anyone else having the same problem and can they help you?

This is a step most of us underestimate. There are chances that some of your friends or colleagues or anyone for that matter could have experienced the similar problem that you are experiencing now.

Just ask them and most of the time, they might have already solved the problem and pass on the solution to you.

This might sound as common sense to ask someone’s help, but it works and saves your time and energy.

People don’t utilize this simple method.Rather , they push themselves hard to solve the problem themselves.

Step 3: Start with basics and fundamentals

People often resort to random guesswork when they face a problem. Upon not getting quick solution, they enter the panic zone too early and panic curtails their ability to explore other solutions and take the right action.

Instead, always start with basic investigations. Check that fundamentals are still right. Are there any clues that fundamentals are disturbed? It could be an issue with some vital parameters.

Let’s take analogy of doctor and his process of diagnosing a complex disease. A good doctor would always start with basic tests and go up further. Many a times, problems are found in basic tests itself. A timely treatment cures the disease.

Step 4: If basics are fine, then look for the trigger that caused the problem

Once you are certain that basic investigations didn’t reveal anything obvious, then you may look for triggers or clues that would have created the problem.

To find out the triggers, you need analyze the patterns with questions such as,

• Did I do anything different last week, last month or last year?
• Did I ignored a minor clue thinking that it might not be a big issue?
• Did anyone else did something different to a system over the period of few days or months.
• Is there any trail?

When you start comparing the standard behavior with changed behavior at granular levels, you will surely find a trigger or clue.

That’s nothing but the root cause of your whole problem.

Identifying the root cause is important than treating the problem itself. Because people often treat symptoms instead treating the root cause.

Now, since you have identified the root cause, it’s time to think about an appropriate solution.

Step 4: Look the problem from a various angles and come-up with an optimum solution

Coming up with effective solution doesn’t just requires an immediate action,but analyzing the impact of the solution.

• What happens after 1 week of your solution implemented, one year and so on.
• Is this the permanent solution?
• Will this solution affect other areas of your life adversely in any way?

Think about all these and once the solution seems appropriate, proceed to action.

Step 5: Take action

Take concrete action immediately. Don’t delay further. We already know that problem often multiplies itself if unattended.It’s only your timely action, that eliminates problem from the root and your goal should be to avoid the re-occurrence of the same problem.

Step 6: Document your problem solving process

Why you need to document ?

Because, by successfully diagnosing a problem and resolving it, you have found out a working way to resolve this particular problem.

Document the steps somewhere . Be it on paper, ipad , diary anywhere which is easily accessible.

Documenting creates a knowledge pool of working solutions for you. It enhances your wisdom. You gradually become a trusted source for expert advice.

Hope you enjoyed this lengthy article about whole life cycle of a problem and the steps that are involved in solving it successfully.

If you found value in it, please share this post with your friends and relatives.

Also, let me know what did you feel about this post by adding comments

Till next time, take care.

However, if you’re in luck, you’d stumble upon a really inspiring story, more often than not from someone who has proven himself or managed to pick himself up and conquer seemingly impossible feats.

Then you feel inspired. All charged up and ready to take on the world.

But, that doesn’t seem to be enough. You don’t actually get much work done and you are asking yourself, “Why can’t I be as great as them?”

The big problem with inspiration

Inspiration doesn’t last.

It makes people feel totally “hyped up” and motivated at one single point.

We also tend to forget that inspiration is everywhere, and free.

Inspiration doesn’t have to come automatically as if it’s some god-given sign that comes at the “right place and the right time”.

You can, and should always actively seek inspiration.

Don’t wait for it. Go for it.

You aren’t a superhero. You are human, like everyone else who needs to get their batteries charged now and then.

Here’s a little guide to get yourself re-inspired

1) Read up on your heroes repeatedly.

Emphasis on repeatedly. As I mentioned, inspiration doesn’t last.
Put in the effort to read up on the person you are inspired by.

By reading up again and again, you will be able to gain new insights and discover new things you previously missed.

2) Watch YouTube videos of inspiring people

Social media makes it extremely easy today to be inspired. It’s right at your computer, or mobile phone.
Just log on, and type in a few simple keywords. You can easily start with, “Inspiration”, and the results alone would overwhelm you.
It’s that easy. No excuses. Just go.
Then re-watch them whenever you feel like it.

3) Get live inspiration from an event

It’s always easy to read up or watch something really inspiring. However, nothing beats real live inspiration you can both see and feel.

I am break-dancer myself. As much as I love watching YouTube videos of the best dancers in the world, watching local dancers doing their thing in front of me inspires me the most.

Trust me, it’s that different when it comes to learning from books, and learning with your own senses.
And oh guess what? One event isn’t enough though. Keep going for’em!

4) Conduct interviews

It is through interviews where you get gain the most personal insights and knowledge from a single source.
Simply out, doing an interview is like getting free mentoring.

I’ve done a few interviews on my own, and I got to ask the questions I personally want.
How inspiring is that?

5) Talk to elderly folks

It’s a sad fact in life that senior citizens don’t get the respect they deserve. They are ironically cast into a class of their own and supposedly unable to keep up with the times.

But when you do that, you’re actually missing out on the fact that elderly folks are people who lived longer and have seen the times!

They have real-life knowledge for a view on life that can definitely get you thinking.
Be inspired by that, because whatever that’s happening around you now, is thanks to them.

6) Talk to younger people

But…
…Talk to younger people too.

Young people have the energy to be the visionaries that break the rules and achieve things nobody has before.

I’m always surprised to watch young break-dancers improve way faster than the rest of us! That just inspires me to push myself forward!

7) Now, be the inspiration

Emulate your heroes.

Try out something different.

Take the steps on the path others have created.

When you feel it for yourself what actually works for you to achieve greatness in life, the inspiration would be overwhelming, so much so you definitely wouldn’t forget it.

And this is the part, you get to be the inspiration.

So don’t give up, push on and live it.

Remember the quote ” Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called present”.

Real integrity is dong the right thing, knowing that nobody is going to know that whether you did it or not

If you want to be a leader, you need to have respect, and if you want to have respect, you need to have integrity. If people can’t count on you to behave in an honorable manner, they are never going to trust you to lead them. In my life, I’ve seen it happen over and over again. The moment people see you behaving without integrity, they lose all faith in you, and everything becomes a power struggle.

Not terribly long ago, I was spacing out when I was spraying weeds on my lawn. Before I knew what was happening, I had also managed to spray my neighbor’s new garden bed, which adjoined my property. There was no one around, and I could have just quietly gone back indoors, but instead I went and explained the situation to my neighbor. She was surprised and of course irritated, but things got a lot better when I offered to replace the new plants she had just put in. When I planted the new plants later that afternoon, she came out and told me how much she appreciated what I had done, and our relationship is better than ever.

Can you imagine what would have happened if I didn’t mention the issue and she found out about it?

More recently, I was at work and realized that my team had made an error on a certain report that was due. The error could have been made by any one of us, but I took responsibility and committed myself to fixing it. To my surprise, several of my teammates, following my example, took on the unpaid overtime to help me fix the report. Leadership allows you to inspire others, especially when they know that you are not going to just pass the buck!

There are several examples in my own life of how integrity has helped me lead others. Leadership is a quality that all people should strive towards, and you will find that in many ways, it is easier than you think it is. Most of us know what is right; it’s just that doing the right thing is inconvenient. In many ways, it is not even hard. If you are willing to go that extra step, people are going to find you worth following.

Last week, at work, I realized that a co-worker had made an error on his work. Without his awareness, the issue was big enough that it could have gotten him fired. Now, this co-worker isn’t someone I knew very well, and he isn’t even in my department, but I knew that he was not exactly at fault. There were a number of problems in our system for what this error had occurred. I stepped in, explained how things had happened and worked towards ensuring it would never happen again. Today, I found out that this co-worker had requested a transfer to my team.

Whether you’re dealing with neighbors of Hampton’s homes or co-workers, if you follow a few simple principles associated with integrity, you’ll be on your path to a more successful life. If you want to be a leader, step in and act with integrity. It is not pleasant, and in many ways, it isn’t convenient at all, but it is always worth it!

About the author: Sam Marquit is a Professional Writer, Publisher & Editor. He writes at fmarquitv.tumblr.com

You can follow him on Twitter here

I just took an awesome shot. Focusing was the key

We all know that computers are powerful tools for multi-tasking.

But that same flexibility makes it all too easy to get distracted from your core tasks.If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably gotten carried away with checking on Twitter and e-mail or looking at funny videos about cats at a time when you intended to write a paper or crunch some numbers on a spreadsheet.

That’s because our computer screens by default are just begging for our attention, what with status icons, pop-up messages, and the ability to check into a site like Reddit.com just by typing “r” into a web browser bar.

I’m going to present some handy cheap and free apps that can eliminate distractions from your workflow.

Isolator and Dropcloth

If you own a Mac laptop or desktop, Isolator will provide a badly needed element of quietude. Isolator works by darkening everything on your screen except the window you have active. You can choose just how dark you want your screen to go, and you’ll find yourself more focused and less inclined to absentmindedly stray from the task you’re working on. Dropcloth provides similar functionality for Windows.

WriteRoom and Darkroom

WriteRoom (Mac) and DarkRoom (Windows) are among a handful of minimalist text apps that have emerged in recent years as a response to the visual clutter and formatting nightmares of Microsoft Word.

Once you start a new document, all you will see is a black screen with a green blinking cursor, like with computers of old days. No mulch-colored buttons. No menus. No auto-formatting. Just you and the words.

Writers love penning first drafts in these programs, which offer focus and clarity that’s just not possible with more sophisticated word processors.

Mindful Browsing, LeechBlock, and StayFocused

I don’t know about you, but I find myself often checking into distracting websites almost without thinking about it.

I use Apple’s Safari browser, which shows a pretty panel of my most visited website homepages. It’s easy to click on those. Or to start typing the name of a favorite website, and have the browser auto-fill it. So to stop my almost instinctive visits to distracting websites,

I’ve installed the excellent Safari plugin “Mindful Browsing.” You can set it to completely block distracting websites, or to only allow access to them after you’ve clicked through a gateway screen. (This way you can still check Facebook if you need a genuine break or are using it for work.) Also check out LeechBlock for Firefox and StayFocused for Google Chrome.

Wunderlist

An excellent task manager not only helps you remember important things you need to do, it can also keep you more focused.

When you’ve broken down your day into a series of concrete actions you must take, you’ll find yourself being more productive. It’s simply easier to start a game of Angry Birds when you don’t know what you need to accomplish. It’s much harder when you see “Finish report for Mr. Davis” staring you in the face.

I recommend Wunderlist due to its availability on smartphones and through its website.

About author: Ashlee McCullen is a staff writer for ApronAddicts.com, a site about fashionable aprons and kitchen style.

People then strive to get a slim trim and a low fat body and start weight loss trainings that more often prove fruitless.

However there are exercises that can help you to lose the fat around the belly region without taking any drugs or medicines.

Not only do these help to reduce the belly fat but these exercises also strengthen the muscles. However most of the people cannot afford more than an hour for an exercise because of the busy work schedule, but these exercises can make your body better toned in less than 45 minutes of exercise and that too only 3 times a week.

First of all warm up with some mild exercises so that the body gets ready for the following exercises that will help to banish your belly with these amazing exercises.

Kneeling cable ab crunches

The best thing about this exercise is that you don’t have to spend hours on cardio machines which even after rigorous efforts does not give you the desired result.

This exercise can be done by attaching a rope handle to the top of a cable that is connected to a pulley system.

Then position your body in front of the pulley with the rope behind the back. Now curl your torso into a forward position with the arms remaining above the head while doing the crunch. Then return gradually to your original stance.

All this exercise takes is 15-20 minutes which includes 30-90 seconds of powerful exercise followed by low intensity recovery. At the end, a five minute cool-down gives you an effective and quick fat burning exercise.

Two exercises twice per week with three intervals per week will give the best results of this exercise.

Stability ball roll-outs

Place a mat on the floor and position your body in a kneeling stance. Place your clutched hands on the top of a medium sized ball. Support your abs and slowly lean forward rolling your hands over the ball. The ball moves away from your body while you lean over it, so keep your body in a straight line stretching your body as far as you can keep it in a perfect form. Now contracting the abdominal muscles pull your body back to the original position by reversing the forward movement.

Get into the upright posture and repeat this exercise for about 15-20 minutes to get a flatter belly with a reduction in the size.

Cable chops

Stand with your right shoulder close to a cable stack. Grasp the handle attached to highest pulley position over your right shoulder as your arms remain extended but slightly bent at the elbow. The knees should be slightly bent with hips pushed back slightly. Now start the exercise by contacting your abdomen starting from top and moving towards the bottom without changing the position of the elbows. Now bring your arms down reaching your body by using the abs to start the movement bringing your hands across your hip pocket on the left side. Slowly bring your hands back to the position where you started.

After performing for one side, switch to the other side of your body to complete the exercise.

I hope you enjoyed learning about simple belly reducing exercises.

About The Author: Kate Wilson is a blogger by profession. She is fond of reading, writing and traveling. Recently she read an article on  symptoms of asthma on the net. These days she is busy doing a research on eco friendly homes  for her next piece.

If you have a steady job in this shaky economy well good for you—you’re doing a whole lot better than the 12.8 million other Americans who are currently unemployed. But don’t let these figures terrorize you into thinking that you have to stay at a facility that makes you frown more than it makes you smile. Not sure if you actually hate your job or just in a professional slump? Check for the signs listed below and see if there’s anything you can do to modify the situation before abandoning ship.

You Struggle Getting Up in the Morning.  Some mornings are naturally rougher than others—maybe you had one too many at the company week-night happy hour. But if you’re consistently struggling getting up in the morning—maybe you drag your feet, moan about having to go into work, and are tempted to call in sick or request work-from-home days every other week—you could possibly hate your job.  If you’re contemplating quitting, you should definitely consider going on a vacation first. Your unhappiness may actually be the result of mental and or physical exhaustion. Use a good chunk of your vacation days during a time where there are a scarce number of federal holidays (basically January through October) and go somewhere exciting. Give yourself an opportunity to recharge.  When you come back, you should be refreshed and ready to do some work. If you’re still unhappy when you return, you should probably start scouring the classified section.

You Live for The Weekend. If it’s Monday morning and you’re already fantasizing about the joys of the weekend—perhaps you just stare at the clock on your computer— you may possibly hate your job. If you’re feeling unmotivated and unambitious, you could possibly just be bored with your typical, mundane routine. Try to stir things up and break up your routine. Go eat somewhere new. Take a walk outside. Talk with a co-worker you’ve never really spoken to. Anything to make the day seem “new” can help.

You’re the Office Casanova. This may seem strange, but a UK study suggests that people who flirt with co-workers are unsatisfied with work. Most of the surveyed men admitted to flirting out of boredom. Instead of risking getting into hot water with the HR department, ask your manager or boss to give you more challenging (or perhaps) different assignments.  You can even ask about maybe receiving some kind of extra education or attending a conference or seminar to learn more about your field—this can be super beneficial in getting you out of your rut.

That said, if you think you’ve exhausted all other options to try and rekindle your love and exciting for your job, then perhaps you really do hate your job and should definitely try to find a new one.

Minimalism and ipad go hand in hand

Confusing? In fact the definition of minimalism and simple living itself has various versions. And what an iPad got to do with minimalist living and simple lifestyle?

Mind you, this article is neither a review, nor about sharing the excitement that I am feeling currently by owning this new device, iPad. Rather,this post is about how a gadget can actually help you to organize your life and free you from your involvement in various scattered devices. This post is how a non-minimalist and super cool gadget, if used  in right way can amazingly simplify your life .

Why did I buy iPad when I already had a laptop and that too at a stage of life where i am limiting my expenses and releasing myself from burden of unwanted things which I never used?

That’s exactly the story which I am going to share with you in this article.

Buying an iPad was never a spontaneous decision.And I am not one of those who are ‘upgrade’ hungry. I am not addicted to latest versions. I am not bothered to upgrade and I don’t need a latest version just because it is cool to have one.

Here comes the real reason behind my purchase of iPad. Since long time, I wanted to centralize and digitize all the aspects of my life. In fact , some years ago I even tried creating an application of my own in Visual Basic (mind you, I am a mulch-lingual computer programmer). I had named that application as Digital Life (I know it’s really a cool name). Unfortunately, I couldn’t really take that application further.

When I meant digitize my life ,I wanted to do things like below list

• Centralize all my various passwords at one place
• Keep record of my bank accounts
• Keep records of my assets and liabilities
• Keep records of my finances (investments and deposits)
• Digitize my professional records (This is no more required as LinkedIn works fine for me)
• Scan all my important documents and keep them in a central place. Believe me, I have tough time in finding important documents when they are really required (This is a new requirement)
• Keep record of important stuff like technical stuff and notes. I often write notes on a paper notepad and they get lost somewhere and not easily retrievable
• Capture instant ideas and store them for later viewing an actions. This one is big for me because, ideas are like bubbles on water. You need to capture them immediately and record them. You might not even remember what was this idea if you don’t document it somewhere. Papers are again bad in storing and retrieving information
• Read/write blog posts while i am on the move (This is a new requirement and believe me, a phone/ laptop didn’t meet this purpose)

Some of the requirements are my recent plans such as scanning and blogging were not in my original list when I was creating that app.

Enter the world of tablets and with iPad, I can say that most of the above requirements are met (I already found the suitable apps for my requirements and setting up things further).  I am writing this post from my iPad and is am typing faster than I type on my laptop, which is great stuff. I am using the app keeper for password management. Evernote for writing my blog posts. I use Flip board app for checking tweets and news related to blogging and technology. DocScan HD for scanning document and converting into PDF. I might use AudioMemos or Garageband for creating some audio files if I decide to do podcasts in future.

Other useful apps that I didn’t expect they even exist. They are Analytics for iPad, iSense and Mail chimp stats.

iBook and Kindle for iPad are great as well.

So far things have been great with iPad.

I am amused by the quality that Apple produces.

Price is a relative term. But creating a wonderful user experience is result of constant efforts towards innovation and research. Apple surely has put its heart in producing some of the finest products and iPad not an exception for that. I don’t think apple products are over priced. It’s only that their prices are over hyped.

Minimalism and iPad go hand in hand

Really.

Because iPad eliminates the need of multiple gadgets such as a laptop and desktop. It speeds up your productivity by offering rich apps. It makes typing a fun affair.

Only flip side to it is it can get you addicted if you chose to. And I don’t. Because as I said earlier, I am turning into a minimalist.

For me, minimalism is not stopping buying gadgets or things, it is reversing the habit of buying things which you don’t actually need. An iPad, in my experience so far, will help my life to become more organized and more manageable.

An iPad can manage your life digitally and it can be fun.

Over to you

What you feel about buying an iPad can simplify your life? Do you have an iPad and how are you using it primarily? I am eager to know

Love is in the air

When a woman wants you to help her carry in the groceries, she’ll say, “Wow, these bags are surprisingly heavy.” And if our response is anything other than, “Here, let me carry those in for you” then we’ve misunderstood.

But it’s common for us men to misunderstand because we don’t communicate like that. If we want someone to help us carry a grocery bag, we’ll say, “Hey, can you help me carry these in?” like any normal person would do. But when it comes to normal, from a male perspective, women can be baffling.

Why would a woman ever make an indirect request instead of just asking for help? There are a couple reasons for this.

Firstly, women don’t want to be a burden or appear needy (which is good because no one wants to have a partner who is needy or burdensome). So, she’ll do just fine carrying the groceries into the house by herself, she’d just prefer it if you were to help her.

Secondly, she doesn’t want you to do something that you don’t want to do. She doesn’t want to have to convince you to help her carry in the groceries. She wants you to want to help her. If she asks you directly, there’s no way for her to know if you’re just being obedient or if you’re happy to help the love of your life carry in the groceries that you’ll eat.

Get it? I think it makes a lot of sense. And in kind of a confusing way, but there’s a beauty to it.

Basically, don’t say, “Really? I wonder what’s in the bags that makes them so heavy? What did you get?”

Anyway, you get the point. Here area few of my favorite indirect requests:
•    From the couch: “Do we have any snacks?”
•    “Baby, the living room is getting messy.”
•    “The trash is full.”

Embrace the women in your life for who they are and don’t let their indirect requests prevent you from helping them out.