The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of clichés. - H.L. Mencken

The Socratic method is a very valuable tool in building self-confidence, as it makes people think.

Born 2500 years ago, Socrates is seen by many as the greatest of ancient philosophers. Noted for his ugliness, he never wore sandals or washed his cloak. An individual by today’s standards, but an annoying and frustrating man according to most who encountered him in his lifetime. Socrates taught his students in a manner that was beyond some of the conventions of the time. The Socratic method derives from the Socratic Dialogues of Plato, in which Socrates made people jump through intellectual hoops trying to defend a “truth.” He would ask a progression of seemingly innocent questions that ultimately led the respondent to a logical conclusion that was incompatible with that person’s originally stated belief.

Even though Socrates used his method more to shred people than to educate them, we can apply this technique in a kinder, gentler way, in order to build self-confidence.

These are the 5 steps of the Socratic method of inquiry:

1. Wonder. Pose a question.
2. Hypothesis. Suggest a plausible answer (a definition or definiens) from which some conceptually testable hypothetical propositions can be deduced.
3. Elenchus; “testing,” “refutation,” or “cross-examination.” Perform a thought experiment by imagining a case which conforms to the definiens but clearly fails to exemplify the definiendum, or vice versa. Such cases, if successful, are called counterexamples. If a counterexample is generated, return to step 2, otherwise go to step 4.
4. Accept the hypothesis as provisionally true. Return to step 3 if you can conceive any other case which may show the answer to be defective.
5. Act accordingly.

Before taking in any concept, belief or idea, filter them using the Socratic method.

What is self-confidence?

Self-confidence is an attitude which allows individuals to have positive yet realistic views of themselves and their situations. Self-confident people trust their own abilities, have a general sense of control in their lives, and believe that, within reason, they will be able to do what they wish, plan, and expect.

Having self-confidence does not mean that individuals will be able to do everything. Self-confident people have expectations that are realistic. Even when some of their expectations are not met, they continue to be positive and to accept themselves.

People who are not self-confident depend excessively on the approval of others in order to feel good about themselves. They tend to avoid taking risks because they fear failure. They generally do not expect to be successful. They often put themselves down and tend to discount or ignore compliments paid to them. By contrast, self-confident people are willing to risk the disapproval of others because they generally trust their own abilities. They tend to accept themselves; they don’t feel they have to conform in order to be accepted. Continue Reading �

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“Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” - Mark Twain

Climate change is widely recognized as the most serious environmental threat to our planet, and if we ignore it, it could have an increasing effect on weather patterns on a global scale.

The scientists studying these issues have become increasingly convinced that human actions are changing the world’s climate. As the demand for power in our homes and work increases, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into our atmosphere also rises - carbon dioxide is the main gas responsible for climate change.

Now, I’m sure that most of you know what a screen saver is. But what most of you are probably not aware of is the fact that a Windows PC running a screensaver consumes more energy than a Windows PC in “Sleep” mode - according to a statement from Dean DeWhitt, director of Microsoft’s Windows Kernel team. If that isn’t news material for you, then hear this: a screensaver-running PC consumes the same amount of electricity as a 100-watt lightbulb left on around the clock for one year. That is about $80 in power that releases about 1,350 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere (according to Microsoft). Not too friendly for the environment, is it?

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should turn off your screen saver. No! You could use the idle time time of your PC to help scientists investigate the approximations that have to be made in state-of-the-art climate models. What is a climate model and how do these investigations help?

“Climate models are numerical representations of various parts of the Earth’s climate system.

By running the model thousands of times (a ‘large ensemble’) we hope to find out how the model responds to slight tweaks to these approximations - slight enough to not make the approximations any less realistic. This will allow us to improve our understanding of how sensitive our models are to small changes and also to things like changes in carbon dioxide and the sulphur cycle. This will allow us to explore how climate may change in the next century under a wide range of different scenarios. In the past estimates of climate change have had to be made using one or, at best, a very small ensemble (tens rather than thousands!) of model runs. By using computers, we will be able to improve our understanding of, and confidence in, climate change predictions more than would ever be possible using the supercomputers currently available to scientists.”

What can you do? Download a small piece of software used by many distributed computing projects - BOINC - and then go to climateprediction.net and read the participation instructions. Instructions for running the BOINC software can be found by visiting this page.

The minimum requirements that your computer must meet are very low: 800Mhz CPU, 128MB RAM, 600MB free space, any type of internet connection; so anyone can participate.

Donating computing power, along with following the many other climate saving practices that are available, will have a very positive impact on the future look of the planet. I know this may seem a bit off the topic of self improvement, but what use is to improve ourselves if we destroy our planet?

The best part in donating computing power: it’s simple and doesn’t require any changes to be made in your lifestyle. Everyone’s invited!

Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. - Mark Twain

Food is a sensual experience that combines many senses. You taste with your taste buds, appreciate the texture of the food with touch of fingers or how it feels on your tongue, and savor the aroma. But before you do any of that you eat with your eyes, appraising what’s been presented: is it wholesome? Nourishing? Interesting? Fresh? Vibrant? Creative? Colorful? Artistic? Involving? Easy to approach? Requiring of special tools? Will it be satisfying? Will you want seconds? Thirds?

It is the job of the gourmet chef to experiment with the ingredients, to find new and innovative ways to serve old favorites, and, above all else, to create a pleasant dining experience for his guests.

One thing that I’ve noticed around me is the fact that a whole lot of people are eating just for the sake of it. There’s no pleasure involved and all that is pursued is a sense of fullness. And that, when you think about it, is a shame, because food can be so much more than a mean to getting fat…

Changing food status: from “plain” to “gourmet”

It is not that complicated at all. It is a psychologically known fact that we don’t pay much attention to what we eat, but to how we eat it; so it is relatively simple to improve the quality of a food by making some subtle arrangements and changes that don’t even have to change the actual food.

Learning how to enhance a meal in order to stimulate appetite and increase overall eating pleasure isn’t difficult, but it does require a willingness to experiment.

11 tips that make plain food taste great

• When eating, think of yourself as an explorer. Sample small portions of food and try to discover the flavors contained within them. Note the reactions that your body and spirit has to them. Consider even writing them down.
• Try to figure out the ingredients of the food that you’re eating – assuming you’re not the one who cooked it. Focusing on discovering the ingredients will make you more attuned to the smell, taste and texture of the food, so you will savor and enjoy them more than ever.
• Make your food visually appealing. Obviously, eye appeal is often the first step in eating.
• Make your mealtimes pleasant. A correct mealtime atmosphere is very important in order to make the food taste better. Set the table, add candles, a good wine, and put some fine, low-volume music on. Don’t keep this only for special occasions… Also, art can really add to the creation of the mood.
• Whenever possible, eat with family and friends. This can play an important part in enjoying your meal. Friends and family meals should be something to look forward to and provide an opportunity for conversation.
• For many decades, professional chefs have used a ‘secret’ technique to enhance the visual appeal of their dishes and baked goods. What mysterious ingredient gives their creations a richer look and a darker, more appetizing appearance? It is caramel color — manufactured by cooking corn syrup. Don’t be afraid to experiment with it yourself. An experiment with discolored food presented subjects with simple American cheese melted on toast. But instead of the usual intense orange/yellow color, it was a bright, neon turquoise. Most of the participants thought it tasted terrible and a few even refused to try the stuff.
• Adjust the lighting. Lighting is really an important accent. It adds texture and color and glow to the food. There’s not a lot of knowledge about what lighting can do and most people take it for granted – it’s either on or off. Experiment with it and you’ll notice that the food might actually start looking better that you would’ve imagined!
• Experiment with different garnishes. You can turn an abject failure into a passable entrée with some chopped parsley and a few edible flowers; and you can catapult a well-executed dessert from merely sublime to truly divine with spun sugar and a raspberry coulis. Small and efficient.
• Enjoy the smell of the food you’re eating in the way you enjoy the smell of good cologne or perfume, or a wonderful smell of flowers. Smell it with your nose and not your stomach. Unlike your heart, your stomach will lie to you.
• The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor. - Chinese Proverb
• Finally, the most important aspect: everything - the above tips - has to work together.

You know how going to a favorite restaurant just feels right, like the planets are in alignment when you eat there? Chances are it’s the result of more than great food. And chances are that you could replicate that feeling right in the comfort of your home by following the above tips.

Now, I know some people will say they just eat to live, not live to eat; but for me it is a shame to search everywhere for satisfaction and pleasant feelings while overlooking something with so great potential – especially something that we regularly do multiple times daily.

For me, food has always been about quality, not quantity, and the above tips produced a sensible shift regarding the quality of my meals.

Now, all there remains for me to say is: Bon apetit!

Picture source

Eyestrain is a common problem that most of us have experienced at least once. It is a well-known issue that mostly affects people working with video display terminals (VDTs).

Now, eyestrain means different things to different people. It can be experienced as burning, tightness, sharp pains, dull pains, watering, blurring, double vision, headaches, and other sensations, depending on the person. But as a rule of thumb, if you have any eye discomfort caused by viewing something, you can call it eyestrain.

Basically, eyestrain occurs when you over-use your eye muscles. Any muscle held in one position too long will strain – try to hold your left arm stretched horizontally for two hours and see what happens. When you concentrate on tasks such as reading, working at the computer or watching television for any length of time, your inner eye muscles tighten up causing your eyes to get irritated, dry and uncomfortable.

The problems generated by eyestrain are numerous. The effects of eye discomfort have a direct impact on productivity, and articles in the Journal of the American Optometric Association suggest that eye discomfort can decrease the productivity of an individual by 4 to 9 percent.

The pain generated by eye discomfort has been estimated to cost United States employers as over $61 billion per year – as much as 3.5 hours of productive time are lost each week.

Also, suffering from eyestrain has a big impact on the personal life of an individual, as it results in low morale and other related issues.

However, the solution to solving eyestrain is very simple!

Relaxation techniques are used for, obviously, relaxation. But studies have shown that very few people know how to rest and relax their eyes effectively.

Eye relaxation exercises offer relief for dry eyes, reduce computer eye strain and treat other eye strain symptoms.

9 tips and exercises to pamper your eyes

1. Palming. A neat little exercise; here’s how to do it: while sitting comfortably, gently cup the palms of the hands over the closed eyelids and attempt to see “perfect black” in order to give the mind and the visual system as much rest as possible. Keep the position for ten minutes. This exercise does wonders for me! The refreshing effects are close to those of a good night’s sleep.
2. In places where you spend lots of time, avoid direct glare. Direct glare involves a light source shining directly into the eyes - ceiling lights, task lights, or bright windows. To determine the degree of direct glare, you can temporarily shield your eyes with a hand and notice whether you feel immediate relief. If you do, change your position or try blocking the glare.
3. When working with VDTs like computer monitors, tune the contrast. The words and numbers on screen are formed by fuzzy beams of light that are much harder to read than print on a page. To minimize the strain on your eyes, set the monitor contrast knob on high.
4. Close your eyes. Shutting your eyes for a few minutes or even several seconds will refocus them and ease the strain.
5. Blink often. Try to blink at least twice every ten seconds. Blinking helps clean and moisten the eyes, and eases tight eye muscles (those appear as a result of gazing for too long).
6. Splash water on closed eyes. Sprinkle cold water from a running tap on the closed eyes for a few seconds and allow it to dry on its own.
7. Play the remembering game. During the palming exercise – described at point #1 – try, without doing too much effort, to remember an object or an event in as many details and colors as possible. Involving the visual memory in the palming exercise leads to a much clearer perception of the objects in the immediate reality.
8. Practice meditation. The body is a system that acts as a whole. Your eyes cannot relax if another part of your body is under pressure.
9. If you are *still* using a CRT screen… switch to an LCD or oLED screen. It makes a huge difference in terms of eye strain.

By keeping these things in mind and doing the palming exercise a few times every day, in less than two weeks you will experience an increased productivity, a clearer mind, a better mood, less headaches and your boss (if you have one) will be happier.

“Start doing the thing to have energy to do the thing” - Bob Proctor

All of us have goals and dreams. And most of us even have full intentions of achieving them.

Why did I say “most of us” and not “all of us?” Because on the path that leads towards our dreams, we all reach a certain place where it becomes incredibly easy to do “the tradeoff” - trading what we want for what we already have. That is where only the ones with full intentions manage to keep their dreams.

For the ones with partial intentions, after doing the tradeoff, the dreams fade into the background, life moves on, and all of a sudden they find themselves saying “I wish I would have…”

And that is really sad when you think about it. A person loaded with potential, a story people want to hear, information people will pay for and benefit from, skills that could have made a difference… all that gone to waste.

How to safely pass the tradeoff spot without doing the tradeoff: the 40-second rule

When people are close to the “tradeoff spot” they see things out of perspective. All of a sudden the dreams they were after don’t seem to worth the effort and their current situation is seen as very comfortable.

Of course that these sudden shifts in perspective are nothing but dangerous, temporary illusions that should be dealt with carefully. The best way out of them: act on one of the things that doesn’t seem to be worth it, for 40 seconds. The short time limit will make the apparent sacrifice appear to be doable and acceptable, and chances are that by the time those 40 seconds are up you’ll be enjoying what you started and get it done!

I, for example, love reading. But there are days when my mind wanders off in some other places and the thought of reading a book isn’t so attractive anymore… In situations like that I simply pick up a book and read through it for 40 seconds (sometimes I even time that period on the clock). In more than 90% of the cases that I do so, I continue reading after the time limit expires. What’s more, in most cases the reason why I was avoiding it in the first place appears to have been very irrational afterwards.

Trading 40 seconds in exchange for a better future is probably the best deal you’ll ever make! And the best part: you can do it right now. Just get out there and for 40 seconds do something that can take you closer to your dream. Don’t worry if after the first try you stop… it doesn’t mean that you failed. Follow the 40-seconds rule again tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and so on… because:

“It’s the little things you do that can make a big difference. What are you attempting to accomplish? What little thing can you do today that will make you more effective? You are probably only one step away from greatness.” - Bob Proctor