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‘Introverts love the world of ideas, we love to reflect and we thrive on deep relationships with a small number of people who become pillars in our life,’ says Lisa Petrilli in her article for 12most.com. Petrilli offers introverted business people tips on how to better use their ‘quiet strengths’. She believes that introverts have the ability to change the world and that the first step involves rethinking introversion. This means recognising and appreciating the inherent power of the preference. (more…)

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Imagine having limitless amounts of energy so that you can do all the things you want to do. Some people, like Judith Wills believe that ‘once you finally tap into life as you truly want to live it, you will find that energy really is infinite.’  She says that you don’t have to feel that you have just ‘so much’ energy that will allow you to do just ‘this many’ things and no more. Whatever positively stimulates, motivates or pleases you can energise you, too. (more…)

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Stress levels rise and fall during an average day. Stress is an inevitability when one is faced with uncertain events, uncommon situations or social interactions. When you’re doing something familiar, or involved with something you enjoy, your stress levels will typically fall again. Signs of situational stress include trembling, a racing heart, sweating, a dry mouth, dizziness, feeling faint, feeling paralysed and unable to function or feelings of needing to run away or act aggressively. These are signs of fear, anger or anxiety. (more…)

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Feeling less than rosy or downright miserable? The good news is that it is possible to change your capacity for happiness. University of California professor of psychology Sonja Lyubomirsky has pioneered a simple plan to increase our everyday quotients. Drawing on her research with thousands of men and women, she shares her findings in The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. The book explains that 40 percent of our capacity for happiness is within our power to change. (more…)

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A new book called 30 Lessons for Living by Karl Pillemer offers advice on how to live now in order to finish without any regrets. Pillemer is a professor of human development and a gerontologist. He compiled the book from interviews with older people who shared what they did right and wrong during their lives. The interviews were part of the Cornell Legacy Project. Jane Brody summarises their life lessons in an article that addresses career, marriage, parenting, happiness, regrets and ageing. (more…)

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Two-thirds of British citizens eat with their elbows on the table and a quarter burp during meals. The Guardian asked some leading experts on etiquette what they thought of this ‘parlous’ state of affairs. The newspaper interviewed social commentator Victoria Mather, former royal butler Paul Burrell, cookery writer Prue Leith and several others. The perspectives on table manners are as different as the personalities themselves. But for a living example of class, Paul Burrell looks to the Queen. (more…)

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We don’t need anyone to tell us how good it feels to be kind because this is something most of us inherently know. But for those who are yet to be convinced, research shows that the benefits of altruism filter all the way down into one’s nervous and cardiovascular systems, not to mention the positive effects on one’s emotional health. Kindness induces the release of dopamine and other natural versions of heroine and morphine. It would appear that altruism can facilitate a natural ‘high’. (more…)

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‘There are cycles of success, when things come to you and thrive, and cycles of failure, when they wither or disintegrate, and you have to let them go in order to make room for new things to arise,’ writes Eckhart Tolle in his book Practising the Power of Now. Suffering comes from holding on and not going with the natural flow of life. ‘Dissolution is needed for growth to happen,’ continues Tolle who believes that upwards cycles can’t exist without downward cycles. (more…)

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If you repeatedly find yourself giving instructions only to be let down time after time, perhaps you should consider how you’re delivering your commands. You may have a willing and capable assistant or employee who is simply not ‘getting you’ because your instructions are too vague. You may be facilitating insecurity and time-wasting as a result. Read on for some tips on how to prioritise according to Parkinson’s Law, how to set deadlines and how to delegate tasks more effectively. (more…)

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Steve Covey’s book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has taught people how to live more satisfying lives. One of the core habits is that of taking responsibility for your own life by being proactive: you are always free to choose your response. The others include beginning with the end in mind, putting first things first, thinking win-win, communicating, synergising and sharpening the saw. Moneyning.com applies these habits to frugality in 7 Habits of Highly Frugal People. (more…)