5 Recommendations for creating Deep Connections

Here is how I have formed the most deep connections in my life:
1. Tell The Truth.
Most of us talk on a surface level most of the time, and that’s fine for people with whom you don’t want to connect. But if you want to create real connections you have to say something real. This means you have to be honest. With yourself and with the other person. Being honest doesn’t mean being a jerk, but it does me showing up and saying what’s actually going on with you and the world you live in.
2. Ask good questions and then actually listen.
Learn to ask really good open ended questions and then listen closely to the answers.
Don’t just wait for your turn to talk. Take the time to really listen to what someone is saying. Take the time to reflect it back, to be clear on who this person is and what they care about.
Become a master at asking and listening and you will create powerful connections with those around you.
3. Spend extended periods of time with people.
We tend to interact with people in 10 – 30 minute chunks and that really isn’t enough time to get to know someone.
Instead make plans for a long slow hang*. When I say long and slow that’s what I mean. Shoot for spending 2 – 4 hours or more of relatively unstructured time with someone.
If you do this you’ll get to experience much more of who someone really is. You’ll begin to relax in their presence and that’s when the walls start to come down.
4. Do stuff for people.
Always be asking the question, “How can I help or how can I be of service?” Not directly but to yourself. Asking someone how to help them is nice, but it’s hard to answer.
Instead, if you notice a way to help, either just do it or offer it to them. Ask yourself, What would I like in this situation? What would help me if I was in there shoes? and offer to do that.
Deep connections are built on service. Not on horse trading.
5. Be continuously vulnerable.
The big key to deep connection is stepping into vulnerability again and again. When you’re vulnerable your connection ports are open, but when you’re guarded they’re not. So be open and vulnerable whenever possible.
Share what you’re scared of, what your hopes are, what you’re struggling with, your faults of character. And also listen to your friend’s problems and complaints without judgement or advice. Simply hear them, witness them, and hold them in your attention.
This is scary, but it’s also worth it. Step into vulnerability and your connections will deepen.

Two falcons.!!!

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.
Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.
The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, "May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem." So he cried out to his court, "Go and get a farmer."
In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, "Bring me the doer of this miracle."
The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, "How did you make the falcon fly?"
With head bowed, the farmer said to the king, " It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch of the tree where the bird was sitting."

Moral :-
We are all made to fly - to realize our incredible potential as human beings. But instead of doing that, we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, the mundane. So for the most part, our lives are mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling. So let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of flight..

Fear is one of the major blocking obstacles against your success. You tend to compromise with your circumstances and prefer to continue your status quo condition because you are afraid of making decisions. Since you lack in courage you cannot move forward in your life with liberty.

On the other hand successful people are those who take risks in life. Successful people understand that taking risks will lead them experience new horizons in their field, will give them more vision and more confidence,  give them wisdom and success by exposing them to more and more challenges and consequently help them achieve their dreams. Such people keep taking new risks in order to achieve what they want to achieve. Whenever there is a doubtful situation they take the next baby step in order to determine whether it is fine to move ahead. In case they fail, they take one step back and re-determine their direction using their analytical skills.

Taking care of your THOUGHTS...!!!

When surrounded by challenges, sometimes we all need a little extra nurturing, and that gentleness can come from loved ones, or just from ourselves. Also, enjoying the hot chocolate and the coffee, enjoying the cold drink and the ice cream, enjoying the brisk walk and the gym, enjoying the picnic and the party, enjoying the holiday - these are all things that help us replenish our energy and remain motivated to some extent when we've had a rough day.
 But remember that to remain constantly motivated you need to also take a look at the non-physical dimension of thoughts and feelings. Physical treatments, therapies and relaxation strategies will help you but they cannot change the way you think. Your thinking is the cause. And behind your thoughts, your beliefs are a deeper cause.
We need to pay much more attention to our thoughts and feelings, learn to manage them, learn to fill them with peace and calm, and then our personality will change for the better, as we restore our mental and then physical well-being and learn to remain motivated and fearless amidst challenges.
Remember no one else creates our thoughts and feelings, and they don't just happen, though it feels that way sometimes. When you learn to identify and assess the quality of your thoughts and feelings, you can begin to choose the ones you know are positive and that in turn keeps you motivated.
Also, remember there's virtually always something positive that can be found in the challenges we face. Bear in mind that the period of challenge is short and you will soon overcome the challenge. On a lighter note, spend a little time each day thinking of all the things you are looking forward to doing once you are free from these exams that life has to offer - though don't daydream for hours about this! Also, when you long for life without difficulties and challenges and you want to keep yourself motivated when faced with them, remind yourself that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. Challenges are not here to stay and while they are there, they bring about self empowerment.

You Are What You Speak

Words have power. Despite reassurances of the old childhood rhyme, "sticks and stones will break your bones, but words can never hurt you," we all know words can hurt.
, most of us try to refrain from saying hurtful things, but we can take a step further on the path to enlightment by being conscious of all the words we use. To become conscious of one's speech means to become aware of the power of words and the energy behind them.
Speaking consciously is very effective in bringing about positive change. You can actually change your life for the better, by being more aware of the things you say. For instance, if you're constantly putting yourself down, "I'm fat, clumsy, unpopular, etc." then you will no doubt feel as such. However, if you stroke yourself with positive affirmations, "I'm fit, athletic, friendly..." you will feel more positive about yourself to aspire to such admirable qualities.
Having a positive attitude and being aware of our words is equally important when speaking to others. Everyone knows how draining it is to be around people who complain,or gossip all the time. However, we are drawn like magnets to cheerful people who are free with compliments or make us laugh.
Be conscious of your words and your intentions in speaking. Speak truthfully, so that you truly mean and feel what you say. Try to be fully aware of those that you are speaking to and the effect of your words on them, this way you will be less likely to speak negatively.

Reason behind QWERTY keyboards

Why is the keyboard layout Q-W-E-R-T-Y and not simply A-B-C-D-F? Why were computer keyboards designed in the current format not in a alphabetical order. Is there any specific reason or it's just some random convention we are following?
It hasn’t been done randomly or just for fun, it has a very distinct and purposeful reason behind it.
The current format of the keyboard was devised long back in 1870’s by a gentleman named Christopher Sholes for the then typewriter.
Though, it definitely was not the first format to come up, it didn’t take much time to switch to this one.
Starting with lexicographic order i.e. A-B-C-D-E-F, after various trials and errors and taking hundreds of cases, Christopher Sholes gradually reached the Q-W-E-R-T-Y. It was really well received (evident from the fact that we still use it).
When the typewriter was invented, it used a metal bar to hold the character alphabets and the other end of the bar was attached to a linkage carrying a carriage with the coated ink.
When a key was struck, it would emboss its character on the paper placed beneath the carriage. However, when an operator learned to type at a great speed, a certain flaw was noticed.
When two letters were struck in quick succession, the bars of the typewriter would entangle and get jammed.
Christopher Sholes found a way out. He proposed that the letters of frequently used letter pairs should be in different rows.
For example, ‘C-H’, ‘S-T’, ’T-H’, ‘W-H’ and more.
He also formulated that to speed up the typing process, there has to be a regular alternation between two hands. So observing thousands of words, he placed the letters in way that most words would make use of both hands.
He also observed that almost every word in the dictionary carries a vowel.
According to him, the most frequently used vowel was ‘A’ and the most frequently used letter (non-vowel) was ‘S’. So he placed ‘A’ and ‘S’ together and chose to keep less common letters like ‘Q’, ‘W’, ‘Z’, ‘X’, ‘C’ around these.
This was complemented by placing fairly common letters like ‘M’, ‘N’, ‘L’, ‘K’, ‘O’, ‘P’ at right extremes to create a perfect alternation between both the hands.
All these factors tested with thousands of trials gave us the format that we still use and perhaps would be using till eternity.

Top 10 Reasons for Morning Exercise

Top 10 Reasons for Morning Exercise

Haven’t made up your mind for a morning workout yet? No problem! We have good reasons for you that will make you jump out of your bed and get into your trainers.

Before we give you the morning exercise “benefit list” it is important to understand the long term benefits of physical activity. If we look around us, we will find that almost two third of the adult population is either obese or overweight. One of the major factors of obesity is lack of physical activity.

Exercise is not only helpful in weight reduction but it also saves you from diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. It also improves your bone density and enhances your muscle strength. Moreover, regular exercise keeps depression away from you. A set of stretching exercises help increase your flexibility and reduce your chances of injuries.

Now let’s focus on the benefits of early morning workout:

1.

If you want a consistent routine, then morning exercise is the best option for you. Researches show that 90% of the population with a regular exercise routine, are morning exercisers. Morning exercise enhances your ability to get up early and schedule your day ahead in a productive way.

2.

The morning workout will fill up your body with tremendous amount of energy. If the first thing you do in the morning is exercise,  you will feel less fatigued throughout the day, proven by the researchers at the University of Texas. Thus, you can follow that old saying, “early to bed and early to rise, makes the man healthy, wealthy and wise”.

3.

Morning exercise helps combat food cravings. An experiment conducted at Brigham Young University proved that women following a 45 minute workout routine in the morning had a lesser craving for food. Moreover, people who exercise in the morning tend to eat less and make healthier choices of food throughout the day.

4.

Morning exercise is very beneficial for a healthier brain. It has been proved by the researchers that morning exercise enhances your memory recall and other mental abilities. No need to rush for that “early morning cup of coffee”, a few minutes of exercise can substitute the “caffeine fix”. It has also been proven that your brain efficiency is increased and it lasts for almost 4 to 10 hours.

5.

When you exercise, your body’s performance to deliver oxygen and other nutrients is boosted, as a result the health of your organs and muscles is enhanced. Morning exercise also promotes cardiovascular health.

6.

Morning workout “jump starts” the rate of your metabolism and it remains elevated for 24 hours, as a result you burn more calories throughout the day. Studies reveal that the power of your body to burn fats is increased by 20%, if you exercise on an empty stomach.

7.

Morning exercise gives you a sense of achievement, because you know you are taking good care of your body and mind. It keeps the stresses of your mind and you feel more relaxed throughout the day. When you exercise your body releases endorphins, a hormone associated with pleasure. This will help put you in a good mood throughout the day. Another stress relieving element of morning exercise is socializing. Yes! You can hit the gym with your best buddy or make new friends. Just unwind by sharing some juicy gossip while you work out.

8.

For people with a very busy schedule it is difficult to take out time for a workout routine in the middle of the day. Early morning exercise is the best option for them. All you need to do is to make daily exercise routine, your first priority and wake up 30 to 45 minutes earlier. Morning exercise will help you maintain a better “work-life” balance.

9.

It has been proven by researches that people who exercise on a daily basis not just enjoy quality sleep but also sleep for lesser hours. So instead of wasting your time sleeping, you can do something more productive.

10.

Early morning workout means no more sweating throughout the day. Just a workout routine followed by a shower and voila!…. You end up with tidy looking hair, nice smelling body and a natural glow  (which is actually the workout flush).

10 Bizarre Things Your Body does while You Sleep

Ever wondered what your body does when you fall asleep? While you are sleeping your body does a lot more than just dreaming and snoring. It is doing some things that might sound really bizarre. What’s that?? You will soon find out, but first just let us put you into deep, deep sleep (We are just asking you to imagine. Alright!).



Lie down and close your eyes and try to sleep. You have entered stage one of your sleep cycle. The scientists say that, there are four stages in a 90 minute sleep cycle. At this stage you are likely to wake up more easily because your muscles are not fully relaxed.







Now let’s begin our journey. Here are the 10 most bizarre things that are going to happen to your body while you are asleep.



1. Hypnagogic Jerk

So here you have it! The first bizarre thing that will happen to your body is the Hypnagogic Jerk. It will occur in the stage 1 of your sleep and can make your entire body shake. Now what happens is that, your body might misinterpret the sleep signals as falling and as a result, you might be awakened with a jolt. However, the scientists are still not very sure what actually causes the hypnagogic jerk. You can relax because it is completely harmless.



2. Temperature Drop

Now we take you to the stage two of your sleep cycle. You will spend half of the night at this stage and it’s not a very deep sleep. However, you will now become unaware of your surroundings. Your blood pressure and heart rate will slow down and there will be a drop in your body temperature also. Again, there is nothing to worry about as at this stage your vascular system is getting the rest it requires.



3. Hormone Production

Now you are falling into deepest sleep phase or shall we say that you have landed into stage 3 of your sleep cycle. At this stage your growth hormones get released. Growth hormones or HGH, regenerate the muscles, bone and almost every tissue of your body. Meanwhile, your blood sugar level will drop, that’s an indication that HGH is being released.



4. Your Breathing Stops. Yes!

You will spend 20% of your sleep cycle in this phase i.e. stage 3. It is where your muscles become completely relaxed and get loosen as a result the throat passage becomes narrow and your breathing slows down.

What’s more alarming is that 30% of the people stop breathing at this stage. You think it’s scary? There’s more scary stuff ahead.

You are more likely to snore at this stage if your nasal passage is blocked (reason could be a stuffy nose or trouble with your tonsils).



5. Sleep Talk

Another exciting thing that can happen during the stage 3 is that we might find you walking or talking while you are deep asleep. Sleep talking is actually a sleep disorder which occurs in 5% of the American population. Depression, illness and stress can also cause this condition. For most of the people, the session only lasts for about 30 seconds.



6. Bruxism

Not sure what Bruxism is? Clenching of teeth during sleep or Bruxism is very common in people who are under stress, or have a misaligned jaw. Many people discover this condition when they end up with sore muscles of the jaw or cracked teeth.



7. Your Height Increases

As we know that there are discs located in our spine which acts as a cushion for it. When we are in a standing position these discs are pressed down because of our body weight. While we sleep these discs get rehydrated and grow big as a result, there is an increase in our height. The doctors suggest sleeping in a fetal position in order to gain maximum height.



8. You Pass more Gas

Deep sleep results in the loosening of sphincter muscles, so you are likely to pass more gas while sleeping. Lucky for you that your sense of smell is reduced.



9. Sleep Paralysis

Now, as you move to the deepest stage of the sleep cycle or REM your arm and leg muscles will get paralyzed temporarily. The moment you wake up everything gets to normal. But there are situations when the paralysis lasts for a few seconds or even for a few minutes after you wake up. If you experience this situation do consult a physician as this could be indicating narcolepsy.



10. Your Eyes Twitch

While you are in the REM stage your eyes will constantly twitch i.e. they will move from side to side. The doctors are not very sure what causes this twitching but this is the phase where you will have most of your dreams. Here your 90 minute sleep cycle will get completed. If you take 8 hours sleep you will complete 5 sleep cycles. So you can wake up now!

This completes our list of 10 bizarre things your body does while you sleep