It’s common sense. We all want to live a life filled with a sense of purpose, to be successful and to be happier. Oh, and getting better sleep along the way goes without saying!
So why don’t we get there? Why it that common sense isn’t always common practice?
Life gets in the way. Work gets in the way. We get in our OWN way!
Today we continue to explore “how and why” in this series on Personal Effectiveness. Give the articles below a read for an introduction to just a few of the topics that make up personal effectiveness:
(Remember, you can find these stories and every story curated in this Personal Effectiveness series on my ScoopIt! page.)
“Happiness is a lifelong pursuit of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. But while it could take years of persistence to deeply transform your life, there are scientifically-tested strategies that are shown to provide an immediate happiness boost. Such activities provide a modest increase in happiness but it lasts for weeks and months, and when practiced consistently over time, they become happiness habits, energizing you to live your dreams and passions.” >>> Full Article >>>
10 Years of Silence: How Long it Took Mozart, Picasso and Kobe Bryant to Be Successful
“How long does it take to become elite at your craft? And what do the people who master their goals do differently than the rest of us? That’s what John Hayes, a cognitive psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, wanted to know. For decades, Hayes has been investigating the role of effort, practice, and knowledge in top performers. He has studied the most talented creators in history — people like Mozart and Picasso — to determine how long it took them to become world class at their craft.” >>> Full Article >>>
Skimping on Sleep Can Stress Body and Brain
“The lion and calf shall lie down together,” Woody Allen once wrote, “but the calf won’t get much sleep.” That’s pretty much the connection between stress and sleep, researchers say, and NPR’s own numbers suggest the same thing. In our recent poll on stress in America, conducted in conjunction with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, about 70 percent of those who reported experiencing a great deal of stress in the previous month also said they had trouble sleeping.” >>> Full Article >>>
People Who Feel They Have a Purpose in Life Live Longer
“We know that happiness and social connection can have positive benefits on health. Now research suggests that having a sense of purpose or direction in life may also be beneficial. To find out if having a sense of purpose has an effect on aging and adult development, Patrick Hill, an assistant professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, looked at data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, which is funded by the National Institute on Aging.” >>> Full Article >>>
What have you read lately on the subject? What would you add to this list of articles?
Image Credit: “Playa Maya, Ko Phi Phi, Tailandia, 2013-08-19, DD 13” by Diego Delso – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://bit.ly/1td1aWN
