Check it out here!

It’s an art, really. How to “make lemons into lemonade”. The other day, I was faced with a situation which seemed almost impossible to find the “good” in. But with a little determination, and a bit of the right attitude, everything turned out just fine.

Next time you have a tough problem staring you in the face, find the SOLUTION hidden in the problem. It’s there…just keep looking, and you’ll find it. But trust me…it’s ALWAYS there.

2. Learn something new! - This may sound like an obvious tip, but it’s very often that the world around us presents us with the opportunity to learn, but we never take the time to do it. For example, do you know why the tension exists between the Shia and Sunni Muslims in the Middle East? You hear about it on the evening news every day…but take the time to investigate it! It may only take 10 or 15 minutes, but you’ll be smarter for it.

3. Solve a difficult puzzle - I have a particular suggestion for this…why not learn to solve the Rubix Cube? Maybe you used to know the solution, but time has dulled your memory. Well, re-learn it! The solution to the Cube involves algorithms and patterns, as well as spatial reasoning. In my opinion, this guy has created a top-notch video explaining the solution:

5. Fociz! - It’s another game…but this one’s online! AND FREE! It’s a great tool…check it out!

6. Eat healthy. - The most important part of intelligence is…your brain! And if your brain isn’t healthy, how can you expect your intelligence to improve? The proper food for your brain is like gasoline for your car…put in the wrong stuff, and you’ll be going nowhere fast. Be sure to eat a good breakfast. It’s something you hear all the time, because it’s true. You need the energy to get your mind working, and the morning is the best time to start filling up with gasoline!

7. Exercise - OK, so this one is a bit of a cheat. It goes along with eating healthy, but it’s so important, it needs its own number on this list! Exercising does more to improve intelligence than you could ever know. It allows you to take in more oxygen, trains your body to function at an optimal level, and clears your mind. The more you exercise, the more you are able to take in and absorb…both physically and mentally!

8. Minimize Mindless Tasks. - There are a lot of activities we do each day which don’t exactly require our full mental abilities. These include watching TV, showering, and anything else that you do on “autopilot”. Sometimes, this can even include driving, which is a little scary (have you ever been driving along, only to realize that you don’t remember your last couple of miles? Pretty scary, huh?). These are the types of activities which involve very little mental focus and concentration. And as with anything else, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Try to spend more time doing things that involve problem solving and focus, and less TV watching.

9. No calculators! - Math is not exactly fun…and the temptation to use that calculator for everyday math problems is always hard to ignore. But next time you can manage it, do the math yourself. Even better, if you can, do it in your head! The more you do this, the easier it will become, and your intelligence will become sharper and more adaptable because of it.

10. Sleep on it. - Sleep isn’t just for physical health. It’s a major factor in your mental health as well…so don’t ignore your sleep needs, if you want to be on top of your game mentally. Think about it…the last time you woke up groggy, how mentally sharp were you? Probably wouldn’t be ready to tackle that Rubix Cube that day, huh? Find your optimum sleep pattern, and stick to it.Follow these simple tips, and you’re well on your way to improved intelligence!

1. Optimize your sleep patterns: It’s tempting to just hit that snooze button and catch a few more Z’s, especially on a weekend. But in reality, those extra few minutes (or hours!) can actually do a lot of harm to your energy levels. You see, it takes your body some time to enter the truly restful portion of sleep. If you hit the snooze button to catch 15 more minutes, while it may feel good now, you’ll pay for it later. Those 15 minutes are nothing more than light rest, never reaching the rejuvenating part of sleep…and they’re playing havoc on your body clock - the main engine of your energy levels.

2. When you wake up, look directly at the sky: Just don’t look directly at the sun! For 30 seconds, look up to the sky and let the bright light of the day enter your eyes. This has the amazing effect of giving you an immediate energy boost AND signals your body clock that you are waking up now. This helps your body clock to set itself and prepare your body for the day ahead of you. Try this tomorrow morning - I’ve found that it can have the same effect of a cup of coffee!

3. Exercise: It sounds cliche’ because it is. But it’s just as important! Our bodies have to move…they have to exert energy in order to produce energy. I’ve found that this one tip has been the most helpful in keeping me energized. Whenever I “slip” on my exercise routine, I feel it in my energy levels. I promise you - just try it for one week…you’ll find yourself with more energy than you can believe. It seems that it should be the other way around; exercise should make you more tired. While this may be the case initially, it will have the opposite effect over time. Just stick with it, and you’ll feel the difference.

4. Eat a good breakfast: This is another cliche’, but for good reason. A proper breakfast not only provides you with fuel for the rest of the day, it also keeps your appetite in check throughout the rest of the day, preventing you from “snacking” too often. In fact, if you’re trying to lose weight, this is one of the least used “tricks” for weight loss - a big, healthy breakfast! Just like your car, you need to fuel up before you can expect peak performance. And of course, the better your fuel in the morning, the better your engine will run throughout the day!

5. Become a “healthy optimist”: I’m not sure if this phrase has been coined before, but it’s what I call a person who is optimistic for the right reasons. You need to learn how to become an optimistic person, and surround yourself with optimism throughout the day. Nothing can drain your energy like pessimism, or a pessimistic person. Believe in your abilities, and prepare for any tasks that you may encounter today. It goes a long way to keeping your energy levels up there when you find yourself succeeding throughout the day.

6. Use caffeine with caution: A quick helping of caffeine every now and then is fine, but when your morning coffee becomes a necessity, you’re addicted. And you’re now relying on outside influences to give you energy, instead of creating energy from within. This teaches your system that you don’t need it to work for you, because you have something else that does its job. And as with anything else in life, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Create your own energy as the rule - and every now and then, give it a boost with some coffee or chocolate. Just be careful not to let it interfere with your sleep!

If you follow these simple tips, you’ll find yourself with more energy than you’ve had in a LONG time, and you’ll be able to get more done, and get more done PROPERLY. It’s incredible to feel the benefits of creating your own energy. You’ll never want to go back to any other way!

Further reading:

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/a-3-step-routine-for-creating-energy-that-lasts-all-day/

http://sheknows.com/about/look/1374.htm

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Jul/03/il/il03a.html

The tool is called PocketMod, and it’s a great, low-cost alternative to a PDA. In fact, it’s an an actual booklet. Made of paper. That you print out. And write on it with an actual pen.

Novel idea, huh?

You can customize the booklet with calendars, lined pages, checklists, and even Sudoku games! Then, you print out the booklet, fold it up, and stick it in your pocket. Just don’t forget to bring along a pen!

Jimmy V was a college basketball coach, including stints at Bucknell, John Hopkins, Iona, and NC State. He was mostly known as a great coach who was tough but fair…the kind of coach a player would die to play for.

But in 1992, Valvano was diagnosed with lung cancer. His prognosis wasn’t good.

In 1993, at the ESPN ESPY Awards, Jim was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. He approached the podium to thank the crowd, and ended up delivering one of the most inspirational speeches in history. He closed the speech with the following:

“Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. I thank you and God bless you all.”

Watch the entire speech - it’s less than 10 minutes out of your day, but it will give you a brand new outlook on life. And whenever you’re feeling like things are hopeless, come back and watch it again. It’s that powerful.

It’s a sad thing to learn that Jim Valvano passed away just 2 months after this speech. If you’ve ever seen an example of “never giving up”, he’s it.

But we all can benefit from using the old bean every now and then…practice, as with everything else in life, makes perfect. Just don’t expect to ever have a “perfect” memory. And if you do, please contact me to write about it on LCT!

Check out the “Link Method” for improving your memory in the video below, and then try to implement it yourself. I tried it, and it’s amazing. You’ll feel quicker and more alert after practicing this method…just watch.

“Top 100 Foods to Improve Your Productivity”.

The article does a fantastic job of detailing how 100 different foods can help you in this area. I never thought of food helping me with PRODUCTIVITY, but I just love learning something new every day. That’s the whole point of this blog, right? I’ll let the site do the explaining…but do yourself a favor and find some of the foods you like, and find out how they’ve been helping you all along!

As I’ve said in the past, the goal of LifeChangingTools is to learn together…so some (if not all) of these websites may be old news to you. But if not, take a moment and check them out today! Each one has the potential to change your life, even in a small way.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/ - This one came as a recommendation from the one and only Joe Vitale, and I absolutely love it. The idea: you sign up for a free account, select a number of topics that interest you, download a toolbar, and you will discover websites catered directly to your interests. I’ve only been using it for one day, and I’ve already found some incredible websites…some which I know will become regular visits of mine! It’s a great little tool…check it out!

http://www.happyneuron.com/- This website is to your brain as the gym is to your body. We all know how important exercising your muscles is for overall health and longevity. But the mind needs just as much attention, if you want to live a long life - and stay mentally sharp until the very end!

100 Great Tips to Improve Your Life - An incredible list from some incredible authors, full of some of the most Life-Changing tips you’ll ever come across. A great read for a rainy day…0r, even better, a sunny day.

http://www.sharethis.com/ - This is a great little website/tool for anyone who enjoys sharing websites with friends, family, or colleagues. Just download the toolbar, and whenever you find a website that you’d like to share with anyone, just click the button and you can send it along without ever leaving the page! A great productivity tool…

More links like this to come…and hopefully to change your life, even in the slightest ways.

But over time, I’ve learned to overcome - and defeat - overwhelm. I use these techniques every day, and especially during extremely busy times in my life. Life has a way of piling up problems on top of you…if you let it happen. Here’s how to prevent it from bringing you down.

Stop. When you start to feel overwhelmed, the best thing you can possibly do is stop everything you’re doing. Immediately. Why? Because when situations begin to pile up in your life, they have a way of commanding your attention all at once. Suddenly, each situation bears the same amount of importance in your mind. This will cause you to spread your efforts out among each situation/problem…and none of them will ever be solved completely. You can’t let this happen…so once you start to feel overwhelm coming on, stop. Then move on to the next step…

Breathe. This step is extremely important. For the next 2 to 3 minutes, do nothing but breathe. Close your eyes, if you want to. Don’t think about your problems…don’t consider which problems to tackle first. Just breathe. This action requires you to calm down. Don’t worry about wasting time…you’ll actually make up for the 2 to 3 minutes of quiet time later. In fact, you’ll make it up tenfold or more. So just breathe…don’t think about anything. Just relax. Then you can begin to tackle the problem.

Think. Here’s where you’re going to solve your problems. Now that you’ve cleared your mind and took a breather, it’s time to make your “plan of attack”. Understand that you’re being attacked by overwhelm…and don’t allow it to beat you. Take out a pad of paper and a pen. Begin to write down everything on your mind…all of the situations that are commanding your attention right now, all the problems, and any other ideas you may have. This is called a “Brain Dump”.

This list shouldn’t be a numbered list…just a bunch of phrases/ideas on a piece of paper. Once you get everything down, take another minute or two to breathe and read what you’ve written. Once you’re ready, look at each of the situations individually. Chances are, even though you shouldn’t have consciously ordered this list, the most pressing issues on your mind will be at the top of the list. But don’t worry about that…just take each item one at a time.

Look at each situation, and think about what you need to do to fix the problem or accomplish the goal. Make notes on that same sheet of paper. When you stop the exercise, you will have everything - all the problems and possible solutions - right in front of you. Take comfort in that…the hard work is over.

Now, you need to implement your solutions.

Start. Your solutions are there…now you need to begin to tackle the problems. One at a time. Attack one situation or problem, implement your solutions, and move on to the next one. This lets you move smoothly from one situation to the next, shrinking your “to-do” list with every one.

Using this method, I’m able to eliminate the worst part of overwhelm…fear. Fear of not knowing HOW to fix your situation. By putting the solutions right in front of your eyes, you don’t have to worry about forgetting them. It’s then as simple as following instructions, as opposed to just “making it up as you go”.

I use this method every day. If you try it, I promise that you’ll find that it does much more than just “help” with overwhelm. It literally defeats it. And that can be life changing.