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Tuesday, 3 April 2012
The Short but Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion
Mood:
 chatty
Topic: Inspirational
by Leo Babauta “The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” - Arnold Toynbee Following your passion can be a tough thing. But figuring out what that passion is can be even more elusive.
I’m lucky — I’ve found my passion, and I’m living it. I can testify that it’s the most wonderful thing, to be able to make a living doing what you love.
And so, in this little guide, I’d like to help you get started figuring out what you’d love doing. This turns out to be one of the most common problems of many Zen Habits readers — including many who recently responded to me on Twitter.
This will be the thing that will get you motivated to get out of bed in the morning, to cry out, “I’m alive! I’m feeling this, baby!”. And to scare your family members or anyone who happens to be in yelling distance as you do this.
This guide won’t be comprehensive, and it won’t find your passion for you. But it will help you in your journey to find it. Here’s how.
1. What are you good at? Unless you’re just starting out in life, you have some skills or talent, shown some kind of aptitude. Even if you are just starting out, you might have shown some talent when you were young, even as young as elementary school. Have you always been a good writer, speaker, drawer, organizer, builder, teacher, friend? Have you been good at ideas, connecting people, gardening, selling? Give this some thought. Take at least 30 minutes, going over this question — often we forget about things we’ve done well. Think back, as far as you can, to jobs, projects, hobbies. This could be your passion. Or you may have several things. Start a list of potential candidates.
2. What excites you? It may be something at work — a little part of your job that gets you excited. It could be something you do outside of work — a hobby, a side job, something you do as a volunteer or a parent or a spouse or a friend. It could be something you haven’t done in awhile. Again, think about this for 30 minutes, or 15 at the least. If you don’t, you’re probably shortchanging yourself. Add any answers to your list.
3. What do you read about? What have you spent hours reading about online? What magazines do you look forward to reading? What blogs do you follow? What section of the bookstore do you usually peruse? There may be many topics here — add them to the list.
4. What have you secretly dreamed of? You might have some ridiculous dream job you’ve always wanted to do — to be a novelist, an artist, a designer, an architect, a doctor, an entrepreneur, a programmer. But some fear, some self-doubt, has held you back, has led you to dismiss this idea. Maybe there are several. Add them to the list — no matter how unrealistic.
5. Learn, ask, take notes. OK, you have a list. Pick one thing from the list that excites you most. This is your first candidate. Now read up on it, talk to people who’ve been successful in the field (through their blogs, if they have them, or email). Make a list of notes of things you need to learn, need to improve on, skills you want to master, people to talk to. Study up on it, but don’t make yourself wait too long before diving into the next step.
6. Experiment, try. Here’s where the learning really takes place. If you haven’t been already, start to do the thing you’ve chosen. Maybe you already are, in which case you might be able to skip to the next step or choose a second candidate to try out. But if you haven’t been, start now — just do it. It can be in the privacy of your own home, but as quickly as possible, make it public however you can. This motivates you to improve, it gets you feedback, and your reputation will improve as you do. Pay attention to how you feel doing it — is it something you look forward to, that gets you excited, that you love to share?
7. Narrow things down. I recommend that you pick 3-5 things from your list, if it’s longer than that, and do steps 5 & 6 with them. This could take month, or perhaps you’ve already learned about and tried them all out. So now here’s what you need to ask yourself: which gets you the most excited? Which of these can produce something that people will pay for or get excited about? Which can you see yourself doing for years (even if it’s not a traditional career path)? Pick one, or two at the most, and focus on that. You’re going to do the next three steps with it: banish your fears, find the time, and make it into a career if possible. If it doesn’t work out, you can try the next thing on your list — there’s no shame in giving something a shot and failing, because it’ll teach you valuable lessons that will help you to be successful in the next attempt.
8. Banish your fears. This is the biggest obstacle for most people – self-doubt and fear of failure. You’re going to face it and banish it. First, acknowledge it rather than ignoring or denying it. Second, write it down, to externalize it. Third, feel it, and be OK with having it. Fourth, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” Usually it’s not catastrophic. Fifth, prepare yourself for doing it anyway, and then do it. Take small steps, as tiny as possible, and forget about what might happen — focus on what actually is happening, right now. And then celebrate your success, no matter how small.
9. Find the time. Don’t have the time to pursue this passion? Make the time, dammit! If this is a priority, you’ll make the time — rearrange your life until you have the time. This might mean waking earlier, or doing it after work or during lunch, or on weekends. It will probably mean canceling some commitments, simplifying your work routing or doing a lot of work in advance (like you’re going on a vacation). Do what it takes.
10. How to make a living doing it. This doesn’t happen overnight. You need to do something, get good at it, be passionate about it. This could take months or years, but if you’re having fun, that’s what’s most important. When you get to the point where someone would pay you for it, then you’re golden — there are many ways to make a living at that point, including doing freelance or consulting work, making information products such as ebooks, writing a blog and selling advertising. In fact, I recommend you do a blog if you’re not already — it’ll help solidify your thinking, build a reputation, find people who are interested in what you do, demonstrate your knowledge and passion.
I told you this wouldn’t be easy. It’ll require a lot of reflection and soul-searching, at first, then a lot of courage and learning and experimentation, and finally a lot of commitment.
But it’s all worth it — every second, every ounce of courage and effort. Because in the end, you’ll have something that will transform your life in so many ways, will give you that reason to jump out of bed, will make you happy no matter how much you make.
I hope you follow this guide and find success, because I wish on you nothing less than finding your true passion. “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” - Confucius Source - dailygood.org
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Tuesday, 3 April 2012 01:20 MEST
Monday, 2 April 2012
NASA UFO Files Revealed On Science Channel Special
Mood:
 bright
Topic: UFO's & Aliens
Since the 1960s, when NASA astronauts first left the confines of Earth to begin exploration above and beyond our planet, their cameras have captured some amazing sights. Some of those moments will be revealed Tuesday night on "NASA's Unexplained Files," the final episode of the Science Channel's month-long "Are We Alone?" series. Spanning the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and space shuttle programs, astronauts saw unusual lights and objects, some considered unidentified flying objects or UFOs. Full Story from huffingtonpost.com
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Monday, 2 April 2012 01:37 MEST
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Dick Gregory Got Warning To Leave New York Night Before 9/11
Mood:
chatty
Topic: Conspiracy / Corruption
Appearing on the Alex Jones Show, civil rights icon Dick Gregory shared the story of how he was told to leave New York the night before 9/11, echoing similar warnings that were received on the eve of the attacks by other high profile figures. Full Story prisonplanet.com
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Sunday, 1 April 2012 01:26 MEST
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Getting the Dirt On Immunity, Evidence for Hygiene Hypothesis
Mood:
 happy
Topic: Health
Previous human studies have suggested that early life exposure to microbes (i.e., germs) is an important determinant of adulthood sensitivity to allergic and autoimmune diseases such as hay fever, asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. This concept of exposing people to germs at an early age (i.e., childhood) to build immunity is known as the hygiene hypothesis. Medical professionals have suggested that the hygiene hypothesis explains the global increase of allergic and autoimmune diseases in urban settings. It has also been suggested that the hypothesis explains the changes that have occurred in society and environmental exposures, such as giving antibiotics early in life. Full Story from sciencedaily.com
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Saturday, 31 March 2012 01:11 MEST
Friday, 30 March 2012
The mysteries of planet Mercury
Mood:
chatty
Topic: Space
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Friday, 30 March 2012 01:25 MEST
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Researchers in Ohio are studying the power of pee
Mood:
 a-ok
Topic: Strange but True
Researchers at Ohio University are studying a new energy source you can produce yourself. They’re studying the power of pee. It’s something everyone does, every day. Even though urine is nearly 99 percent water, there is a lot of hydrogen in the remaining one percent from an organic compound called urea. To break it down, if you could collect the urine from all 24,000 students at Ohio University, you could power 60 buildings every day. Researchers say there is still a lot of work to be done, but there are some applications of this new technology that could start paying off for businesses very soon. Until then, our “number one” power source will just keep going down the drain. Article Source - kshb.com
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Thursday, 29 March 2012 01:07 MEST
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Listening to Mozart doubles survival rates after a heart transplant
Mood:
bright
Topic: Alternative Health
Listening to Mozart improves the outlook for mice undergoing heart transplants, a study has found. Verdi had the same effect, increasing the time before the organs failed - but New Age music from Enya had no impact. Scientists traced the response to the spleen, where changes occurred to levels of immune system signalling molecules and cells. The Japanese researchers were unable to say whether music could influence organ rejection in humans. But they pointed out that music was known to reduce stress, enhance relaxation, distract from pain and improve the results of clinical therapy. Full Story from dailymail.co.uk
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Wednesday, 28 March 2012 01:42 MEST
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
10 Points About the Science of Spreading Good
Mood:
bright
Topic: Inspirational
1. Good deeds are contagious We naturally imitate the people around us, we adopt their ideas about appropriate behavior, and we feel what they feel. Acts of charity are no exception. In our 2010 generosity experiment, we showed that every extra dollar of giving in a game designed to measure altruism caused people who saw that giving to donate an extra twenty cents. 2. The network acts like a matching grant That same experiment showed that contagious generosity spreads up to three steps through the network (from person to person to person to person), and when we added up all the extra donations that resulted at every step, we found that an extra dollar in giving yielded three extra dollars by everyone else in the network. 3. Messages get amplified when they spread naturally People are bombarded by information and appeals every day, especially in our newly mobile and tech-centered society, so the effect of any one appeal to do a good deed may get lost. But don't underestimate the effect of a broadcasting strategy. Our research on get-out-the-vote appeals suggests that the indirect effect of a message on a person's friends is about three times larger than the direct effect on the person who received the message in the first place. The more you can get people to deliver the message naturally, the greater this multiplier effect will be. 4. Close friends matter more When we studied behaviors like obesity, smoking, and drinking, we found that spouses, siblings, and friends had an effect on each other's behavior, but next door neighbors did not. So any attempt to change people's behavior should probably focus on motivating these "strong ties" rather than broadcasting to a wide range of weak connections. 5. Our real world friends are online, too Although most relationships online are not strong (the average person on Facebook has 150 "friends"), we do tend to be connected to our closest friends online too. Therefore, it is possible to use online social networks to reach our real world friends to spread social good. If someone is suggesting friends to a person who could help spread the world, it is important to try to figure out which of his/her relationships are also likely face-to-face. We have done this using photo tags and frequency of communication online, both of which work relatively well. 6. Make good behavior visible… An experimental study of donations to an NPR pledge drive showed that people donate more when the caller was told about someone else's donation. 7.… but don't overdo it! That same study found that when callers heard about an extremely large donation, they opted not to donate at all themselves because they did not want to look "cheap." There is a sweet spot – too low, and it will drag down the average donation, too high and people will not donate at all. In that study they found that the message to optimize donations was one that revealed a donation size at the 90th percentile, in other words, a donation that was bigger than about 90 percent of all donations, but smaller than the other ten percent. 8. Centrality, interest, influence, and influence-ability are all important A natural implication of network science is that people with more friends and friends of friends are important because they are more "central" (a smaller number of steps from everyone else in the network). But, as we argue here, to maximize contagion, they must be 1) interested in spreading social good, 2) influential, and can persuade others, and 3) influence-able by their friends (they are persuadable). Without these other characteristics, even the most connected person won't be of any help. 9. Central actors can also help predict the future In our 2011 flu study we showed that people with more friends tend to be affected by things spreading through the network before other people (on average, they got the flu two weeks earlier than others). This means that central actors can also be used as bellwethers to monitor the progress of a social good campaign. 10. Realize your network power Everything we do ripples through our network. If you feel better because you did a good deed, this will have a positive effect on your friends, your friends' friends, and even your friends' friends' friends. Your own positive change can affect hundreds of people. And who wouldn't want to make his/her corner of the vast human social network a better place? by James Fowler Article Source - dailygood.org
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Tuesday, 27 March 2012 01:36 MEST
Monday, 26 March 2012
Mysterious UFOs Caught on camera in UK and France
Mood:
bright
Topic: UFO's & Aliens
A mysterious, flashing UFO was caught on video by UK Skywatch. What is it? The unidentified flying object, when lit, looks like any other star in the background of a time-lapse video of the night sky over the UK. But, unlike any other object nearby, this one flashes on and off at roughly one-minute intervals. Such behavior is commonly caught on tape by known aircraft making its way through the sky. But this UFO blinks on and off, flashing brilliantly for just a second at a time. Full Story from gather.com Meanwhile.....A strange, blue, quadrangle-shaped UFO was filmed over Volvic, France, expanding before zooming out of view. What is it? The unidentified flying object was caught looking out a window and, at first, seems to be a reflection. But soon the object begins to expand into quadrants and begin dancing through the sky. Evolving from a pair of blue lights, they eventually split and form a rectangular shape before dipping out of frame and out of view. Full Story from gather.com
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Monday, 26 March 2012 01:17 MEST
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Mute autistic man stuns experts with his amazing singing voice
Mood:
bright
Topic: Inspirational
A man with autism that has rendered him almost mute is about to release an album after he was found to have perfect pitch and an amazing singing voice. Kyle Coleman, 25, from Gwithian, Cornwall, was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and has only ever been able to say a few words. However, his talent was discovered after his mother Caroline took him to a music therapy session in 2009. Full Story from dailymail.co.uk
Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H
at 01:01 MEST
Updated: Sunday, 25 March 2012 02:59 MEST
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