PERSONAL HAPPINESS SPECIAL.................. What Are Your Happiness Strengths and Weaknesses?

What Are Your Happiness Strengths and Weaknesses?

To get happier, you need to develop a personalized, strategic plan.

Happiness is something nearly everyone wants more of. Perhaps we don’t feel it often enough or strongly enough, or it seems to slip through our fingers far too easily.

Many happiness seekers have read dozens of articles, yet they don’t feel much closer to creating the happiness they desire in their lives. If this sounds like you, don’t worry. Reading about the practices that increase happiness is a great first step. But the key that you may not have heard yet is this: To increase your happiness, you need a strategic plan for action.

Making a plan for optimizing happiness is more important than most people realize. But think about it: Would you bake a cake without a recipe? Would you fix your transmission without the car manual? Would you go on a journey into the wilderness without a map? We know, intuitively, that a plan or guide or map—some kind of tool—makes it much easier to effectively navigate new territory.

If long-term happiness is new territory for you, then you need some kind of plan that maps out a strategy for reaching your happiness goals.

How to make an effective happiness plan

The best way to make progress toward a happier life is by being strategic and focusing on the skills that you need to learn. As an example, consider math skills. Say you are great at addition but not so good at multiplication. It’s unlikely that practicing addition will make you better at multiplication. To get better at multiplication, you need to practice multiplication. And your math skills, as a whole, will not get much better until you practice multiplication.

The same logic holds for happiness. It turns out that happiness is not something we find, or reach, or become—we learn happiness skills, just as we would learn any other skill. Most likely you are already really good at some happiness skills and not so good at others. For example, you might already be great at gratitude, but not so good at empathy. By practicing gratitude, you are not likely to become more empathic. So your happiness skills, as a whole, will improve more if you spend your time practicing empathy, one of your weaknesses.

Some of the most effective mental health interventions rely on this well-supported and commonsensical idea that if we are poor at a particular cognitive, behavioral, or emotional skill, then we need to improve this skill to boost our mental health. For some reason, the field of positive psychology rarely makes use of this important insight. But it has been shown that turning your happiness weaknesses into strengths means you will have more skills and, as a result, greater happiness.

The field of learning science shows that personalized learning approaches far outperform one-size-fits-all approaches. A personalized approach can help you learn skills that you’re weak at, skills you’re excited about, and skills that build on each other in important ways. Personalized approaches result infaster, more fun, and more effective learning because they focus on your unique needs, interests, and abilities.

How do you figure out your happiness strengths and weaknesses? Consider how well you demonstrate the following skills in your daily life:

Positive thoughts about the self

·         Acceptance: The ability to accept yourself and your emotions non-judgmentally.

·         Positive self-views: The ability to see yourself as a good, worthwhile human being.

·         Clarity: The ability to understand what you value, how you feel, and who you are.

·         Positive reappraisal: The ability to change your thoughts in ways that help you experience longer-lasting, more intense, or more frequent positive emotion.


Positive thoughts about others

·         Rejection tolerance: The ability to perceive the actions of others as inclusive rather than rejecting.

·         Empathy: The ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes and see the world from their perspective.

·         Gratitude: The ability to be thankful for the experiences and people you have in your life.

·         Letting go: The ability to stop fretting and ruminating about negative interpersonal situations.


Positive behaviors involving the self

·         Planning: The ability to develop effective strategies and take actions that progress you towards your goals.

·         Growth mindset: The belief that your strengths can be developed through hard work and dedication.

·         Self-care: The ability to resist engaging in unhealthy behaviors (drugs, alcohol, shopping, or overeating) as a means to increase happiness.

·         Prioritizing positivity: The ability to make time for, and consistently schedule, activities that you enjoy.

.

Positive behaviors involving others

·         Kindness: The ability to be friendly, generous, and considerate of others.

·         Autonomy: The ability to resist the influence of others, make your own independent decisions, and take action based on your unique values.

·         Expressivity: The ability to easily communicate and share intimate aspects of yourself with others.

·         Assertiveness: The ability to stand up for yourself, speak up, and communicate your needs.

Once you know your happiness strengths and weaknesses, choose just one skill that you believe is a weakness for you. It may be obvious to you right away. If it’s not, think about whether you tend to have more difficulty with thoughts versus behaviors, or self- vs. other-related skills. Or, if you tend to be poor at all the skills focusing on positive thoughts about the self, start by focusing on one of those.

It’s important not to try to develop too many skills at once. If you focus on too many things, you’ll have a difficult time making progress on any of them. But if you feel up to it, you can choose one more skill that you think you would really enjoy practicing. Maybe you have been meaning to prioritize positive activities, and you would really love to spend more time doing fun things.

Once you have decided which skills to work on, think about how and when you will practice. Plan to practice building these skills at least a little bit every week for a few months—and see if you get a happiness boost.


By Tchiki Davis |

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_are_your_happiness_strengths_and_weaknesses?utm_source=GG+Newsletter+June+22+2016&utm_campaign=GG+Newsletter+June+22+2016+&utm_medium=email

BOOK SUMMARY 200 Power Cues

BOOK SUMMARY 200 Power Cues

·         Summary written by: Ryan Long

"Modern brain research puts us in touch with a far more powerful understanding of the way that humans communicate than we’ve had before. We are hard-wired to join up and communicate together through our unconscious minds. Our evolutionary past necessitated this confluence of communication, and we need to get in touch with it again in order to realize the full power of influence an individual can have over a group."

- Power Cues, page 231

For the past decade, my job has involved public speaking in a variety of forms. Over the years, I have picked up tips on nonverbal cues to improve my ability to deliver content but never so many aspects of communication and interaction all in one place. Speaking coach Nick Morgan talks about using what he calls power cues to make leadership more natural based on the way our brains read the subtleties of communication. Gesture, voice resonance and tonality, the amount of space you take up in a room, and storytelling can impact the influence you have over your audience.  It comes down to learning to control the nuances of the communication dance to make it a little more elegant. The best speakers make it look easy to engage on stage, show charisma and concern, and ignite their followers with passion. In Power Cues, Morgan gives you tools to dance the dance.

Each chapter covers one of Morgan’s power cues, brain research behind it, how you might apply it in your interactions with others, and field notes that sometimes serve as a more in depth look at implementation.

The Golden Egg

Your Body Speaks to Me

"We learn at a very early age that conversation is a pas de deux, a game that two (or more) people play that involves breathing, winking, nodding, eye contact, head tilts, hand gestures, and a whole series of subtle nonverbal signals that help both parties communicate the with one another."- Power Cues, page 153

One reason that our unconscious constantly reads the nonverbal cues of others goes back to the idea of fight or flight. While survival is no longer at stake, our brains still look for cues to identify friend or foe, who is in power, who is aligned with us, and who might be telling the truth versus lying. Unconsciously, we are always reading the people around us. Morgan identifies this reading as our gut feeling or intuition.

From the friend or foe perspective, friendly people will communicate with openness. They’ll have wide, open eyes, turn their torso toward you, and use smiles and nods. Conversely, someone that is disengaged communicates with crossed arms that block the torso or bodies turned slightly away. Moving nearer someone indicates friendliness or connection while moving away can indicate hostility or simply that it’s time to end the conversation.  People that are lying tend to turn slightly away to create distance. More subtly, liars may have their torso turned toward you but because they are trying to deceive you their legs and feet may show what is really happening and be turned away.

Gem #1

Show Me to the Stage

"Few of the places we speak have great sight lines, perfect acoustics, and comfortable seating for the audience. We’re usually working with less-than-prime conditions. So it helps to be ready for most of the possibilities. In other words, be ready to answer the question, 'how will I use this room to my advantage and work the crowd?' with minimal stress and uncertainty."- Power Cues, page 168

While only a fraction of communication happens from a stage, public speaking could be the most important arena for some of the greatest influence that you have in business. Morgan gives tips on how to prepare your message to connect with your audience. He identifies four areas to keep in mind: influence, mimicry,activity, and consistency. When you are asked to give a message, you have some automatic influence because you have been identified as an expert on your topic but it’s important to use your time to say what matters. There is power in pauses, silence, and well thought out talking points. Mimicry is the act of mirroring and getting your audience to mirror you. Giving the audience a word or phrase to repeat is a way to build mimicry into your message. Activity relates to the level of energy that you bring to the message and is often linked to how easy it will be to get your audience to mimic you and show their alignment. Consistency is controlling your emotions and energy throughout the message or conversation. If something unexpected happens, it’s important not to get flustered and let it throw off your words or body language. At the same time, you should consider when to let your passion and energy flare up. A bit of controlled inconsistency in that regard can have a huge impact.

Gem #2

Let Me Hear You Say It

"People sort themselves out in terms of power very quickly after they meet, within minutes and unconsciously, and they signal that power relationship to each other with their low-frequency vocal patterns. It further shows that you can shift the pattern if you can come on strong at the end or even work on your vocal production to be powerful from the start."- Power Cues, page 126

One of the most interesting and unexpected parts of the book was how sound, frequency, and resonance could make a difference in leadership and communication. What Morgan called a thin, nasally voice sounds weak. A thicker, deeper voice is more acoustically pleasing; we want to listen to what that person has to say because we align the sound with power. Breathing is a big part of voice. Morgan says that most of us sit at a desk, which impedes proper breathing. If your shoulders rise and fall, you aren’t filling your lungs properly. Rather, stand up and take in a breath by expanding your belly outward and keeping your shoulders still. Contract your abdominals as you exhale, pushing the breath out. Practicing this type of breathing has health benefits and is the beginning of finding your leadership voice.

Morgan also reminds readers that eliminating speaking tics like over use of the catch phrase “you know” or lots of “ums” helps develop a strong leadership voice. Creating awareness of the tics is really the key. Videotaping yourself to count your own tics or having someone watch you speak and count or point out the tics are a couple of examples. If awareness isn’t enough, some people need the incentive of donating to charity each time they let an “um” slip through.

While I didn’t love the writing style of the author, I got a lot out of this book. Regardless of how much your daily life or occupation requires you to deliver messages to groups of people, we all constantly communicate with the people around us. There’s no doubt that you can benefit from learning what power cues will make your life as a leader easier and more natural

PERSONAL LIFE SPECIAL................ How to Produce Stunning Change in Your Life Immediately

How to Produce Stunning Change in Your Life Immediately

A productive list of practical techniques to bring real change to your life.

We all want positive change in our lives. We seek to succeed, and to break free from the doldrums of the everyday rat race. 

We also know that motivation can be fleeting. So how can we buckle down and shock ourselves into the change we need? 

I'm going to share seven ways to produce stunning change in your life immediately. 

1. Wake up 30 minutes earlier than you usually do.

I've just recently gotten into the rhythm of waking up at 5 a.m. While I'm not a morning person, getting up earlier helps me get a jump start on my day.

If you challenge yourself to get up just 30 minutes earlier it will help you kick start your day. It will also help you at night. You'll be that much more ready for sleep in the evening.

You'll also have gotten just a bit more accomplished throughout your day. This will alleviate any bedtime brain chatter/freak outs about the day ahead. 

2. If you can, meditate or nap during the day.  

I used to assume that if I got some rest during the day it would effect how quickly I would fall off to sleep at night. Of course, if you take a two-hour nap this will change the time you go to bed. That's also a pretty unrealistic request of any productive adult. 

Optimally, we're looking to reduce your stress throughout the day. That shouldn't take longer than a quick 20-minute respite.

Ducking into a conference room to close your eyes and enjoy some deep breathing can have a lasting effect. Download HeadSpace APP to help with guided meditation. 

3. Remove the distractions to your goals.

This morning I noticed a large bag of Doritos in our office cabinets. I joked with my colleague who brought the bag into the office, and then gently requested that he take it home.

I'm not some sort of health nut (well, maybe), but I know that if it's near me, I'll want to eat it. I love Doritos, but I also know that if I eat them, I'll feel horrible. By removing the temptation altogether, I've effected positive dietary change.  

4. Tackle big tasks one baby step at a time.

Big projects loom constantly. The more we think of the big deadline, or the volume of pages that need to be written, the more discouraged we become.

By breaking down big tasks into little ones, we break the inertia and move in a positive direction. Stock piling small wins will build our confidence and stoke the fires of production. 

5. Think about death more often. Yes, seriously. 

When we attempt to manage our time, and accomplish more in shorter periods of time we're forced into the position where we need to resolve that we won't waste time. This seems noble enough, except that it doesn't work.  

What does work is if we increase the scarcity of time.  We can do this effectively if we set serious time constraints. For example, challenging our minds to believe that this year is your last year on earth. How productive would you be then?

It's also a fun way to live your life. When you're deciding what to do next weekend for example, challenge yourself to imagine it's your last weekend on earth. Thought of something? Great. Do that.  

6. Choose better words.

Becoming more aware of the impact that your words have on those around you, and yourself, can be a powerful change agent. Opening a conversation with comments like "You look tired" or "You look good for your age" can destroy your rapport with friends and colleagues.

Travis Bradberry, co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and president at Talent Smart, suggests you start with "Is everything OK?" or just state "You look great." Bradberry stresses that some compliments don't need qualifiers. 

7. Get new friends.

It's true that you're the sum of the people you spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with positive people who are pushing themselves to bigger and better things, chances are you'll have a better time of effecting change in your own life. Harvard Business Review's Joseph Grenny says this can be a potent way to trick your brain into long lasting change. 

Bringing it all together. 

If you want deep, long-lasting, positive change in your life, you'll have to commit to at least a few of these suggestions. Why not try out one or two? You'll enjoy the results. 

BY CHRIS DESSI

http://www.inc.com/chris-dessi/how-to-produce-stunning-change-in-your-life-immediately.html?cid=em01016week25a

MANAGEMENT SPECIAL ...................Learning from the Persuasive Genius of Great Leaders

Learning from the Persuasive Genius of Great Leaders

 “Mike, I know you are a star player,” said the senior executive to his newest vice president. “But there’s something I want you to think about.” He placed a single sheet of paper on the table between them: a cartoon of two people in a boat. One is bailing furiously as water pours in through a hole in the bottom, while the other sits high up on the other end, saying, “Well, at least the hole isn’t in my end.” After a brief pause, the CEO continued, “This is what is actually happening when your group makes decisions without considering the impact on the company as a whole. I know you trimmed customer support expenses significantly last year. But now I hear we are losing customers because their experience is not up to par. Does that make good business sense to you?”

The particulars of this conversation are a composite of many examples I have seen of great leaders creating “lightbulb” moments. The executive in this story did not rely on facts alone to make his point. Instead, he offered a new frame for what those facts meant. In my 20 years as an executive coach and advisor, I’ve found that such “framing” is one of the common threads behind great leaders’ persuasive genius—both in formal presentations and one-on-one conversations.

Simply put, a frame is a lens for interpreting events, a way of making sense of complex, messy experiences, so we can communicate and take action.

As Gail Fairhurst wrote in The Power of Framing (Jossey-Bass, 2010), framing is “defining the situation here and now in ways that connect with others.” The good news is that it is a technique that anyone can learn.

First described by linguists such as George Lakoff, framing is referenced in a wide variety of contexts, such as problem solving, negotiations, mass communications, and political theory. Clay Christensen, Matt Marx, and Howard Stevenson wrote in Harvard Business Review that when groups share common frames or mental models, they are able to communicate and take action more quickly than those who have to review every detail of a situation or strategy. For example, if a team member says, “Let’s not get too academic about this,” the group is likely to cut the conversation short and move to a decision. Even a short phrase or a colorful image, such as, “Is the competition eating our lunch?” can activate an entire world in the listener’s mind. As Eric Ries has said, when the CEO of a lean startup tells her team it is time to “pivot,” the team recognizes a whole host of implied actions. Frame a negotiation as “win-win” rather than “win-lose” and you are likely to improve outcomes for all parties. Even more astonishing, the right frames can actually prime us to be more intelligent. Malcolm Gladwell wrote in Blink (Little, Brown, 2005) about Dutch researchers who found that thinking about yourself as a college professor for five minutes can improve your score in a game of Trivial Pursuit by 30 percent compared with your score if you picture yourself as a soccer hooligan for the same amount of time.

Yet as powerful as frames are, they can also create a box around our thinking—narrowing our options, limiting our perspective, and ignoring critical aspects of the situation. Because they simplify reality, frames inevitably highlight some factors and hide others. As conditions shift, those hidden factors may contain important clues about risks or new opportunities. For example, in my opening story, Mike was focused on cutting expenses, and within the frame of being a “star player,” his actions made perfect sense. But his boss recognized that Mike’s actions affected the customer experience, the key driver of the company’s success, and within this larger frame it became clear that Mike had to change course.

This is why great leaders look for empowering frames and communicate them explicitly, to ensure others understand their intent and interpret their actions through the new lens, rather than old frames. For example, I met one leader whose collaborative efforts had been a source of friction with his colleagues. According to their frames of “who owned what,” he had been “encroaching” on their territory. But when he proactively framed his actions as “sharing intelligence” about external competitive threats, his outreach was viewed as a valuable aid.

Leaders also need to be inclusive in their framing, describing a situation as neutrally as possible. If we ignore others’ frames or try to replace them, we are likely to spark conflict. Instead, a frame that describes our shared experience as a “third story” can be liberating. For example, a leader whose team had been in a conflict related to a change initiative opened a meeting by saying, “The way I see it, we are working on our airplane while we fly it. Does anyone else feel that way?” The entire team laughed in recognition, tensions were diffused, and real work could begin.

Finally, an empowering frame calls to mind the magnitude of a goal and gives it meaning. “I believe it will take us 300 years to get to full sustainability as a society,” said one CEO. “Our goal is to build a foundation for future generations.” This perspective gave his team the staying power to persist on a very difficult goal.

Every conversation, every communication, and every decision begins with a frame. When we provide a context that expands our thinking, includes others, and gives meaning to our efforts, we help spark creativity and insight in ourselves, our peers, and our leaders. Perhaps that explains the old Disney company joke encouraging its animators and designers to challenge a limiting frame:

“How many Imagineers does it take to change a lightbulb?”

“Does it have to be a lightbulb?” 

Elizabeth Doty is a former lab fellow of Harvard University’sEdmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and founder of Leadership Momentum, a consultancy that focuses on the practical challenges of keeping organizational commitments.

http://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Learning-from-the-Persuasive-Genius-of-Great-Leaders?gko=aa40d&utm_source=itw&utm_medium=20160623&utm_campaign=resp

BOOK SPECIAL ............Top 10 Books To Read Recommended By Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, And Elon Musk

Top 10 Books To Read Recommended By Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, And Elon Musk

1. Atlas Shrugged By Ayn Rand

Recommended by: Steve Jobs and Mark Cuban
Topic: Politics & Business
One-sentence summary: “Solve the world’s problem through entrepreneurial solutions.”

When Steve Wozniak was interviewed about what influenced Steve Jobs in the early days of building Apple, he mentioned that Atlas Shrugged was one of the books that Jobs used as his guide to life & business.

2. Competing Against Time By George Stalk

Recommended by: Tim Cook
Topic: Business, Economy, Productivity
One-sentence summary: “Time is now added to the other three critical factors in order to remain competitiveness in the market – money, productivity, and quality.”

Competing Against Time is a book that Tim Cook passes out everywhere and makes it a recommendation for all new hires at Apple to read.

3. Business Adventures By John Brooks

Recommended by: Warren Buffet and Bill Gates
Topic: Business & Finance
One-sentence summary: “A classic story about the American corporate and financial life.”

What do two of the richest men in the world have in common? They love the writings of John Brooks. Gates writes in his essay about Business Adventures: “Brooks eschews ‘listicles’ and doesn’t ‘boil his work down into pat how-to lessons or simplistic explanations for success.’ Instead, he tells entertaining stories replete with richly drawn characters, setting them during heightened moments within the world of commerce.”

Buffett’s classic sayings, such as “you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out,” fits right into the style of Brooks writing as well.

4. Influence By Robert Cialdini

Recommended by: Charlie Munger and Guy Kawasaki
Topic: Psychology, Persuasion, Marketing
One-sentence summary: “Science-backed methods to persuade just about anyone you want.”

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s partner in crime at Berkshire Hathaway, attributes Cialdini’s work as having a big influence on his thinking process. His published work of the 25 Cognitive Biases of humans was very much influenced by Cialdini’s work.

5. Life Is What You Make It By Peter Buffett

Recommended by: Bill Clinton
Topic: Life, Purpose, Autobiography
One-sentence summary: “Instead of taking the way of least resistance, choose the path to greatest satisfaction.”

This autobiography book by Peter Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son, shares the wisdom learned from his family and his experiences. Here’s how Ted Turner, Media Icon and the Founder of CNN, describes it: “With home-spun, heart-felt wisdom Peter Buffett ponders how to make a meaningful life, while making a living.”

6. The Happiness Hypothesis By Jonathan Haidt

Recommended by: Tony Hsieh
Topic: Happiness, Culture, Philosophy,
One-sentence summary: “Giving and serving are the way to happiness.”

“This is probably the book that’s made the biggest impact on my life over the past five years. The author examines the beliefs about happiness of different cultures, religions and philosophers from different periods, and then compares those beliefs with research that’s been done on the science of happiness. The book is thought-provoking and the concepts can be applied to business and to life.” – Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos)

7. The Four Agreements By Don Miguel Ruiz

Recommended by: Oprah Winfrey and Jack Dorsey
Topic: Spirituality, Life, Happiness
One-sentence summary: The book can be summarized in the following four precepts:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
4. Always Do Your Best

As Jack Dorsey is in the process of running two publicly traded companies, Twitter and Square, he’s forced to mature as a leader. Throughout his journey, he acknowledges The Four Agreement as guiding him in the right path.

8. Self-Reliance By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recommended by: Barack Obama
Topic: Individualism, non-conformity and independence
One-sentence summary: “Hold on to your own convictions, despite what society and other people want you to believe.”

Self-Reliance is what put Ralph Waldo Emerson on the map as one of the most influential poets and philosophers of the 19th century. President Obama referenced this essay as one of the most significant books to him in an email to Jon Meacham from the New York Times, and even referenced the importance of self-reliance in his 2008 election victory speech.

9. Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin By Walter Isaacson

Recommended by: Elon Musk
Topic: Autobiography, Entrepreneurship, Benjamin Franklin
One-sentence summary: “The rise of Benjamin Franklin from the bottom to the top.”

Elon Musk, the Co-Founder of Paypal, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX, has said that Ben Franklin is one of his heroes, and likely sees Franklin as the type of American he himself would like to be and become: a combination of statesman, inventor, and businessman.

“You can see how [Franklin] was an entrepreneur. He started from nothing. He was just a runaway kid.” -Elon Musk

10. The Remains Of The Day By Kazuo Ishiguro

Recommended by: Jeff Bezos
Topic: History, World War II, Life & Regret
One-sentence summary: “A compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world postwar England.”

“Before reading it, I didn’t think a perfect novel was possible. I’m always interested in things that seem to be impossible, but are then achieved.” -Jeff Bezos

http://www.lifehack.org/402603/top-10-books-to-read-recommended-by-barack-obama-steve-jobs-and-elon-musk?ref=mail&mtype=daily_newsletter&mid=20160601_customized&uid=687414&email=drmsriram%40yahoo.com&action=click

PERSONAL HABITS SPECIAL ...................10 Morning Habits of Mentally Strong People

10 Morning Habits of Mentally Strong People

How you start your day determines how tough you really are.

 You don't need to act physically tough to appear mentally strong.

A mindset that is mentally strong understands the importance of consistency and following a pattern to attain those goals that will mark them for success.

Our mornings are important and you can attain only so much during the day, by getting started right. Here are 10 things mentally people do every morning.

1. They meditate.

From Russell Simmons to Oprah Winfrey, meditating seems to be a morning ritual. Meditation helps you find your rhythm and be in touch with your inner self.

2. They assess their emotions.

Mental strength is not about suppressing your emotions, but actually knowing how to deal with them and being aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

Mentally strong people assess their emotions and know what thoughts and feelings help them become the best they can be.

3. They practice positive self-talk.

Before going out to face a world of busy-ness, they regulate their inner drive by assuring themselves of how great they are and what they can accomplish.

Mentally strong people use phrases like "I am great" and "I will be super today." Such practice gets their minds to be positive and stay focused on being the best they can be.

4. They reach out.

They reach out to those they care about and practice love. Love helps you realize self-compassion and the need to be connected with others who surround you.

5. They set healthy boundaries.

Reaching out doesn't mean they give out their power. They know they have to be responsible for how they think, feel, and behave. And setting healthy boundaries is one way they can maintain their identity.

6. They set goals.

They know what they want to accomplish for the day. They don't dilly-dally. Rather, they are clear and focused on how they will spend their day.

By setting goals during the morning, they can organize their thoughts and prepare mentally for the day's activities.

7. They exercise.

Exercising and working out helps them build their minds and remain physically fit. This is an opportunity to task themselves and know if they can maintain a routine and improve their personalities as well.

8. They challenge themselves to become better.

They want to know what they need to work on and what could be holding them back from growth.

Mentally strong people do not want to be stuck. Rather, they are constantly looking for opportunities to become a better version of themselves.

9. They embrace joyful moments.

They know they can benefit from the unlimited powers of their mind only if they practice expansive thinking. Mentally strong people are not so hard on themselves.

If it is reading a book that makes them happy, they do it. If it is listening to particular kind of music that excites them, they do it.

They don't limit their reach for being happy. Rather, they are always willing to embrace joyful moments.

10. They hope for the best.

There is only so much you can do. That is why mentally strong people look for the best in what they will face during the day.

They do not want to be brought down by energy-stealers. Rather, they focus on the amazing possibilities that the day will offer them.

BY CASEY IMAFIDON

http://www.inc.com/casey-imafidon/mentally-strong-people-do-these-10-things-every-morning.html?cid=em01016week25a