"You can do it!"
When's the last time someone said that to you? In the daily grind, you might not always receive words of motivation from your managers because they get pushed to the wayside as calls and meetings pile up.
So, think of this list as your personal cheerleader. It's ready to help start your day right and make it one you're proud of.
Today, you'll succeed in connecting with that hard-to-reach prospect. Today, you'll close that complex deal. Today, you'll go from being a good manager to a great one.
Today is the day. So, grab your coffee and check out these quotes!
1. "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing -- that's why we recommend it daily." -Zig Ziglar
2. "Someday is not a day of the week." -Denise Brennan-Nelson
3. "Hire character. Train skill." -Peter Schutz
4. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." -Steve Jobs
5. "Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman -- not the attitude of the prospect." -W. Clement Stone
6. "Everyone lives by selling something." -Robert Louis Stevenson
7. "If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will." -Bob Hooey
8. "The golden rule for every businessman is this: Put yourself in your customer's place." -Orison Swett Marden
9. "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." -Napoleon Hill
10. "The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are. They are frank in admitting this and are willing to pay for such talents." -Antos Parrish
11. "Beware of monotony; it’s the mother of all the deadly sins." -Edith Wharton
12. "Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else." -J.M. Barrie
13. "Without a customer, you don’t have a business -- all you have is a hobby." -Don Peppers
14. "To be most effective in sales today, it's imperative to drop your 'sales' mentality and start working with your prospects as if they've already hired you." -Jill Konrath
15. "Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.' Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." -Mary Kay Ash
16. "It's not just about being better. It's about being different. You need to give people a reason to choose your business." -Tom Abbott
17. "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art." -Andy Warhol
18. "Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment." -Stephen Covey
Weeks can feel long and bog you down, and it can be tough to stay motivated. We’ve all been there and sometimes we just need a boost. I’ve got just the thing for you -- here are quotes for each weekday to keep you going while you work.
Monday is the day to set yourself up for success throughout the entire week. Check out these quotes about initiative to get you started on the right foot.
19. "Without hustle, talent will only carry you so far." -Gary Vaynerchuk
20. "Working hard for something we don't care about is called stressed; working hard for something we love is called passion." -Simon Sinek
21. "I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done." -Lucille Ball
22. "I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it." -Estée Lauder
23. "Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." -Og Mandino
You’re in the swing of things now. Here are a few quotes about overcoming challenges for some Tuesday inspiration.
24. "The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he’s dead." -Bette Davis
25. "Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." -Brian Tracy
26. "Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." -Joshua J. Marine
27. "Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning." -Robert Kiyosaki
28. "How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?" -Seth Godin
Whoa, you’re halfway there! Take a look at these quotes about perseverance for the motivation you need to work through the Wednesday afternoon slump.
29. "Energy and persistence conquer all things." -Benjamin Franklin
30. "Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th." -Julie Andrews
31. "Grit is that ‘extra something’ that separates the most successful people from the rest. It’s the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel in order to stick with our dreams until they become a reality." -Travis Bradberry
32. "Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have a striving good enough to be called a failure." -George Eliot
33. "The secret of joy in work is contained in one word -- excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it." -Pearl Buck
You’re in the final stretch of the week. These quotes about success are sure to power you through until the weekend.
34. "Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." -Dale Carnegie
35. "Action is the foundational key to all success." -Pablo Picasso
36. "The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity." -Ayn Rand
37. "Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil." -J. Paul Getty
38. "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." -Vince Lombardi
It’s Friday, or should I say Fri-yay! Pat yourself on the back for the hard work you’ve put in all week. Here are some determination quotes to help you cross the finish line.
39. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -Henry Ford
40. "It is your determination and persistence that will make you a successful person." -Kenneth J Hutchins
41. "You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them." -Shonda Rhimes
42. "Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way." -Abraham Lincoln
43. "Done is better than perfect." -Sheryl Sandberg
You make goals… but then you procrastinate.
You write a to-do list… but then you don’t follow through.
And this happens again and again and again. Seriously, what’s the problem?
Why are we so good at thinking of what to do but so terrible at actually doing those things?
The problem is you’re skipping an essential step. Here’s what it is…
Productivity systems rarely take emotions into account. And feelings are a fundamental and unavoidable part of why humans do what they do.
We can’t ignore our emotions. Because of the way our brains are structured, when thought and feelings compete, feelings almost always win.
And we can’t fight our feelings. Research shows this just makes them stronger.
Via The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking:
…when experimental subjects are told of an unhappy event, but then instructed to try not to feel sad about it, they end up feeling worse than people who are informed of the event, but given no instructions about how to feel. In another study, when patients who were suffering from panic disorders listened to relaxation tapes, their hearts beat faster than patients who listened to audiobooks with no explicitly ‘relaxing’ content. Bereaved people who make the most effort to avoid feeling grief, research suggests, take the longest to recover from their loss. Our efforts at mental suppression fail in the sexual arena, too: people instructed not to think about sex exhibit greater arousal, as measured by the electrical conductivity of their skin, than those not instructed to suppress such thoughts.
So what does the unavoidable power of feelings mean for motivation?
In their book Switch, Chip and Dan Heath say that emotions are an essential part of executing any plan:
Focus on emotions. Knowing something isn’t enough to cause change. Make people (or yourself) feel something.
We need to think to plan but we need to feel to act.
So if you’ve got the thinking part out of the way – how do you rile up those emotions and get things done? Here are three steps:
When do we procrastinate the most? When we’re in a bad mood.
Via Temptation: Finding Self-Control in an Age of Excess:
So procrastination is a mood-management technique, albeit (like eating or taking drugs) a shortsighted one. But we’re most prone to it when we think it will actually help… Well, far and away the most procrastination occurred among the bad-mood students who believed their mood could be changed and who had access to fun distractions.
Meanwhile, research shows happiness increases productivity and makes you more successful.
What does the military teach recruits in order to mentally toughen them up? No, it’s not hand-to-hand combat.
It’s optimism. So how do you get optimistic if you’re not feeling it?
Monitor the progress you’re making and celebrate it. Harvard’s Teresa Amabile‘s research found that nothing is more motivating than progress.
Via The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work:
This pattern is what we call the progress principle: of all the positive events that influence inner work life, the single most powerful is progress in meaningful work; of all the negative events, the single most powerful is the opposite of progress—setbacks in the work. We consider this to be a fundamental management principle: facilitating progress is the most effective way for managers to influence inner work life.
(More on how to get happier here.)
Okay, so negativity isn’t making you procrastinate and holding you back. But what’s going to drive you forward?
2) Get Rewarded
Rewards feel good. Penalties feel bad. And that’s why they both can work well for motivating you.
Research shows that rewards are responsible for three-quarters of why you do things.
Via The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People:
Researchers find that perceived self-interest, the rewards one believes are at stake, is the most significant factor in predicting dedication and satisfaction toward work. It accounts for about 75 percent of personal motivation toward accomplishment. – Dickinson 1999
So treat yourself whenever you complete something on your to-do list. (Yes, this is how you train a dog but it will work for you too.)
Having trouble finding a reward awesome enough to get you off your butt? Try a “commitment device” instead:
Give your friend $100. If you get a task done by 5PM, you get your $100 back. If you don’t complete it, you lose the $100.
Your to-do list just got very emotional.
(More on how to stop procrastinating here.)
So you’re feeling positive and there are rewards (or penalties) in place. What else do you need? How about nagging, compliments and guilt?
Research shows peer pressure helps kids more than it hurts them.
(And face it, you’re still a big kid, you just have to pretend to be an adult most of the time — and it’s exhausting.)
Surround yourself with people you want to be and it’s far less taxing to do what you should be doing.
Via Charles Duhigg’s excellent book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business:
When people join groups where change seems possible, the potential for that change to occur becomes more real.
The Longevity Project, which studied over 1000 people from youth to death had this to say:
The groups you associate with often determine the type of person you become. For people who want improved health, association with other healthy people is usually the strongest and most direct path of change.
And the research on friendship confirms this. From my interview with Carlin Flora, author of Friendfluence:
Research shows over time, you develop the eating habits, health habits and even career aspirations of those around you. If you’re in a group of people who have really high goals for themselves you’ll take on that same sense of seriousness.
(More on the science of friendship here.)
So we’ve got all three methods going for us. How do we wrap this all together and get started?
Got today’s to-do list? Great. That means the most rational thing to do now isstop being rational. Get those emotions going:
You can do this. In fact, believing you can do this is actually the first step.
What’s one of the main things that stops people from becoming happier? Happiness isn’t part of how they see themselves so it’s harder to change.
Think of yourself as a motivated, productive person. Research shows how people feel about themselves has a huge effect on success.
Via The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People:
For most people studied, the first step toward improving their job performance had nothing to do with the job itself but instead with improving how they felt about themselves. In fact, for eight in ten people, self-image matters more in how they rate their job performance than does their actual job performance. – Gribble 2000
Still unsure if you’ll be able to beat the procrastination demon? Then skip right to #3, peer pressure.
Forward this post to at least two friends and start holding each other accountable.
Now you’ve got something outside of yourself that’s watching and motivating you. And everything is easier — and more fun — with friends.
Source: http://time.com/2933971/how-to-motivate-yourself-3-steps-backed-by-science/
Everybody has goals. Maybe you want to run that half marathon coming up in six months, or you want to finish up your degree and go for a promotion. Whatever you are working towards it is important to continually take steps towards success and find ways to improve yourself along the way.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. You might reach an unexpected roadblock, or a task you need to complete might be much more difficult than you expected. When this happens, it’s easy to get discouraged, and lose your motivation. It’s so important that you don’t let this happen. Every step that you take towards reaching a goal doesn’t just get you closer to accomplishing something. It’s also a step towards self improvement.
If you are active on social media, you have seen a post suggesting that people start a jar of blessings. The idea is that whenever something good happens, you write the blessing down and put it in a jar. Then, at the end of the year you open the jar and reflect on the blessings of the past year. This is a great idea, but why not start a jar of accomplishments as well?
Every time you accomplish something that is related to your goals and improving yourself, write that down and put it in a jar. However, in this case you don’t wait until the end of the year to review your accomplishments. Instead, look them over whenever you are feeling discouraged.
Whatever you are trying to do to accomplish your goals, chances are there are other people doing the same. One thing that you can do to boost your motivation is to find these people and use them as a source of help and encouragement.
Of course, it goes without saying you should also reciprocate by being helpful and encouraging yourself. If you look online and in your community, you can probably find others who are trying to accomplish the same goals. If a group exists, join it. If it doesn’t, consider taking the steps required to create one.
“Surround yourself with people you can always learn something from. Always work with people that are better at their craft than you are.” –Tony Vincent
It can take over a year to train to run a half marathon. Finishing your college degree can take several years. If your only measurement of success is whether or not you achieve some big, final result, you may find it difficult to stay motivated.
This is why it is so important to set incremental goals within your bigger goals. If you want to make it to finishing your degree, you should take the time to celebrate each semester you successfully complete.
One of the great things about self improvement is that one action taken to improve yourself tends to boost your motivation, and increase your chances of successfully achieving your other goals. Learning new things is a great way to do this.
You can take online classes or sign up for education classes at your local community center. All that matters is that you are constantly learning something new and that you study effectively. You should never lose motivation when it comes to learning new things.
Take whatever you are trying to accomplish and write it down on a piece of paper. Then, figure out how to rewrite it as an affirmation. For example, if your goal is to finish your degree by the end of 2016.
You might write down “I want to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Human Services by December, 2016”. Then your affirmation would be “I will have my degree in Human Services by December, 2016”. The point is to write your goal, and then turn it into something that is a given.
Many successful people give some of the credit for their accomplishments to the fact that they meditate. Why not join them? Meditation is easy to do, and it requires no special training or education to get started.
Simply find a quiet place, close your eyes, focus on breathing in slowly and breathing out slowly, and then visualize yourself successfully reaching your goals.
Sometimes, we spend so much time focusing on the work of meeting our goals that we overburden ourselves, and we end up burning out.
While it is very important to work very hard, it is also important to take of yourself in the meantime. This means getting enough sleep, leaving time to interact with loved ones, and engaging in hobbies and other activities that we enjoy.
“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.” – Swami Vivekananda
If you want to stay motivated, read books that motivate and inspire you. These books could be inspirational biographies and autobiographies, self-help books, or even works of fiction that are uplifting to you.
Think about it. If you are like many people, you probably spend more than an hour each day watching television and surfing the internet. Why not dedicate 20 minutes each day to reading something that will keep you inspired?
People who continually find fault, place blame, and nit pick are toxic. They sap the emotional energy of the people around them, and the unfortunate thing is that they don’t even realize it.
If you have somebody continually draining your emotional reserves, do whatever you can to limit the amount of time you spend with them. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you get back to feeling motivated and ready to tackle your goals.
When it comes to motivation and inspiration, you really do get what you give. So, be encouraging when others tell you about their goals, and curb your own tendencies to complain or be a downer.
When you do this, you create positive energy within your inner circle. That uplifts everybody including you.
Source: https://addicted2success.com/motivation/10-remarkable-motivational-tips-for-self-improvement/
Motivation is what makes the world go round. It’s the pushing force behind every action and is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It’s highly important you learn to properly harness its energy, especially when you’re low on motivational juice.
Motivation is what makes the world go round. It’s the pushing force behind every action, to the point that almost every single thing in this earth is eventually the reflection of somebody’s passion, drive and determination. It’s one of the most powerful forces in the universe and it’s highly important you learn to properly harness its energy, especially when you’re low on fuel.
If you’ve lost the motivation you once had in your life, whether on a personal or professional level. It’s time refocus and reenergize so that you can accomplish your goals and dreams.
Here are 5 easy to follow tips on how you can do this today!
Without self-confidence, motivation is nothing. If you don’t believe in yourself and your abilities nothing is possible. You have to have “YES I CAN” attitude before you even think about getting re-energized and motivated.
In my experience success is the biggest motivator. As you achieve more success, your drive or motivation increases. And as you face more failure, your drive or motivation decreases.
For example take the scenario of Adam and Lisa who are both students studying for the same test. They both study very hard for the same amount of time and come test day both of them receive the same amount of time to attempt the test.
BUT, when they do get their results back Adam receives only 40% while Lisa receives a 92%.
This results in a significant impact on their drive and motivation. Lisa who did really well on the test will have more motivation to study for the next test, as she received positive reinforcement that studying helped to improve her grade. Adam on the other hand will have less motivation to study for the next test because even after studying very hard he still failed the test.
So what can Adam do? Well while he can’t change the past he can still change the future and he needs to get that perspective into focus. He needs to focus on success and envision being successful in the future. You can do the same. Whenever you lose motivation, cling on to your end goal and use it to drive you forward. Imagine yourself reaching success and harness its energy and positivity to keep going.
Sometimes all you need when you get stuck in a rut is a different vantage point. So just take a moment, step back and breathe.
Take a look at all the different aspects of your situation and answer these questions to yourself (I suggest you write these answers down):
This simple exercise should give you a good idea of where you are and where you need to be. It should help alleviate some of your stress and give you a starting platform to rebuild your motivation.
Finding motivation to complete or reach a very large goal is a lot harder than finding the motivation to achieve shorter smaller goals.
For example if you are used to waking up at 11:00 AM everyday it’s going to be very difficult to start waking up at 5:00 AM everyday going forward. You might be able to wake up early for a day or two but then your motivation will run out.
But if you start waking up 10 minutes earlier each day, and tomorrow you wake up at 10:50 AM and then 10:40AM and so on you will find that you will have more than enough motivation to keep going, And you will eventually reach a point where you will be waking up at 5:00 AM and will have reached your goal.
Organization is crucial to staying motivated because motivation is very linear. Your mind works best and is able to recharge itself the fastest, if it knows where, what, why and how it’s doing something. So try to plan and lay everything out so that your mind can make the right connections and help you remove the obstacles in your path; invigorating your motivation. Organization also really helps me to boost my productivity and positivity which are both factors towards your drive, which should also help.
As a final note all I can say is that motivation is that spark that allows you accomplish your biggest goals and realize your greatest dreams. And only YOU can bring it out.
You've probably heard about how outcomes — or at least attitudes — can change based on having a positive mindset versus a negative one. But what about adopting a growth mindset? Doing so means believing that you can develop strengths. In contrast, adhering to a fixed mindset means thinking talents are inborn gifts.
Let's take a look at why a growth mindset is such an advantageous trait for business leaders. Along the way, we'll go over actionable tips to use while developing yours.
A Growth Mindset Helps Us Learn From Setbacks
There are many misconceptions about what it means to have a growth mindset. For example, some people misunderstand and think it's all about constantly rewarding and praising effort. However, effort alone is not always a great thing, especially if it's unproductive. People who embrace the growth mindset know learning and progress are both just as important as effort.
That's why employees in leadership roles often exhibit this state of mind. Rather than getting bogged down by shortcomings, these individuals identify what they can learn from their experiences. They apply that collective knowledge and use it to avoid making the same mistakes later.
However, it's important to remember that the feelings of insecurity that often flare up when you're up against challenges could easily cause you to lapse back into a fixed mindset. Instead of listening to internal doubts, learn to tune into that inner dialogue and counteract it with statements that help you stay on track with stabilizing your growth mindset.
It Makes It Easier to Avoid Distractions
People who characteristically stay in growth mindsets also know they can make substantial gains through hard work and dedication. In contrast, an individual prone to the fixed mindset might lean too heavily on talent and believe it's possible to get by without commitment.
It's not hard to become distracted at work, but leaders who know that productive effort translates to success usually find it easier to avoid workplace drama or other situations that could compromise output. Even allowing a colleague to vent to you about something happening at work signifies that you're willing to engage with workplace drama.
As a leader, it's significantly more helpful to notice the internal unrest, come up with a plan for tackling it and stick to your chosen methods. A conflict-heavy workplace could increase employee turnover rates and hurt your bottom line. By nipping it in the bud, you're making the environment more beneficial for everyone, all while ensuring it's easiest to keep your head down and keep your focus on your goals.
Having a Growth Mindset Makes You Look for New Opportunities
Skilled business leaders are impressively flexible. They know how opportunities can become apparent after one productive chat at a networking event or a lecture at a three-day business conference. Being aware of what the growth mindset is and trying to develop it within yourself will cause you to seize opportune moments more than ever before, especially when doing so could take your business to a new level.
Fully realizing the benefits of a growth mindset also means looking for chances to improve yourself, often through continual education. Thanks to the internet, webinars and online courses abound, so you can build your knowledge even if in-person classes aren’t feasible. You may be a recognized expert in a certain subject, but it's always possible to learn new things, especially if you study previously learned information in a fresh way.
You’ll Be More Inspired By Others While in a Growth Mindset
Another hallmark characteristic of the growth mindset involves looking to others to better understand how to fuel your own initiatives. Far too often, people who maintain fixed mindsets get trapped by thinking they have to compete with others instead of applauding them.
At the other end of the spectrum, people who consciously do their best to stay in a growth mindset value the efforts and ideas of others while continuing work on their personal goals. An appreciation of collaboration helps you recognize that everyone in your organization is valuable and each one has notable things to offer.
Now that you know what a growth mindset is and how it could enhance your leadership skills, you're probably eager to start embodying it every day. Remember, changing your mindset in long-lasting ways takes work but can also be extremely rewarding.
Mindset more than inborn talent is the best predictor of success, science shows. And yes, you can change yours. Here's how.
What sets those who accomplish great things apart from those who fail to realize their ambitions? You might guess intelligence, appetite for risk, or even creativity. Those are all sensible-sounding suggestions, but that's not what science has found.
According to work by pioneering Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck and others, the best predictor of success in life is none of these usual suspects--it's your mindset. Those who achieve great things generally believe they can improve and grow as people. This is called a "growth mindset." Those who are frustrated in their attempts to realize their dreams tend to believe their abilities and talents are static, a.k.a. they have a "fixed mindset." (Read more about the science behind this insight here.)
All of which is fine and good, but raises one essential question. If up to now you've tended to view your abilities through the prism of the fixed mindset, is there anything you can do to change? Absolutely, according to a post on Dweck's website, which lays out steps for fighting back and learning to view your abilities as works in progress. Here they are in brief to get you started.
How does a mindset manifest itself? It controls the ways you talk to yourself in the privacy of your own head. Recognizing this fact is the first step to achieving a growth mindset. "As you approach a challenge, that voice might say to you, 'Are you sure you can do it? Maybe you don't have the talent' or 'What if you fail--you'll be a failure,'" the post explains, adding that, "As you hit a setback, the voice might say, 'This would have been a snap if you really had talent.'"
Pay attention to your thoughts and see if you frequently tell yourself anything similar. If so, you've spotted the fixed mindset at work, undermining your potential for success.
Now that you know what you're up against, the next step, according to Dweck, is recognizing that you aren't stuck with the thoughts you currently have. "How you interpret challenges, setbacks, and criticism is your choice," the post points out. "You can interpret them in a fixed mindset as signs that your fixed talents or abilities are lacking. Or you can interpret them in a growth mindset as signs that you need to ramp up your strategies and effort, stretch yourself, and expand your abilities."
When it comes to that limiting voice in your head, feel free to be as sassy as you like in response. Tell that voice exactly what's wrong with how it's framing situations, and actively reformulate your approach to challenges and setbacks to reflect a belief in personal growth. The post offers examples:
The fixed mindset says, "Are you sure you can do it? Maybe you don't have the talent."
The growth mindset answers, "I'm not sure I can do it now, but I think I can learn to with time and effort."
Fixed mindset: "What if you fail--you'll be a failure."
Growth mindset: "Most successful people had failures along the way."
Changing the script in your head is a huge step, but Dweck's site ends with a healthy reminder that the whole point of doing so is to change not just your thoughts, but your actions as well. Don't content yourself with a remodeled inner voice. Get out there and practice what you're preaching to yourself.
For a bonus fifth idea for creating the mindset necessary for success, you can check out this video of Dweck posted on the Brainwaves YouTube channel and recently featured on New York magazine's Science of Us blog. In the video, Dweck suggests that just three little letters can have a huge impact on your mindset.
"We've found that putting in certain phrases, like 'not yet' or 'yet,' can really boost students' motivation. So if a student says, 'I'm not a math person--yet' or 'I can't do this--yet,'" she explains, "it puts their fixed mindset statement into a growth mindset context of learning over time."
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Neuroscientists recently made a correlation between an increase of alpha brain waves—either through electrical stimulation or mindfulness and meditation—and the ability to reduce depressive symptoms and increase creative thinking.
Our various states of consciousness are directly connected to the ever-changing electrical, chemical, and architectural environment of the brain. Daily habits of behavior and thought processes have the ability to alter the architecture of brain structure and connectivity, as well as, the neurochemical and electrical neural oscillations of your mind.
In previous Psychology Today blog posts, I’ve written extensively about how neuroplasticity and neurogenesis (growth of new neurons) can alter the architectural connectivity between brain regions and increase brain volume, which directly impacts cognitive function.
I’ve also explored how the “neurochemicals of happiness”—such as endorphins, endocannabinoids, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin—can make us feel good when we do things like exercise and spend time with loved ones by changing the chemical environment of the brain.
In this blog post, I focus on the electrical environment of the brain and recent discoveries on how brain waves fine-tune our consciousness based on new findings that stimulating alpha waves can boost creativity and reduce depression.
What Are Brain Waves?
Your brain consists of billions of neurons in different regions that use electricity as a way to communicate with one another. When your synapses are firing in synchrony, they create unified combinations of millions of neurons marching in lockstep as a harmonized "neural network" that is linked to a specific state of consciousness, your thoughts, and your mood.
The combination of synchronized electrical activity in the brain is called a "brain wave" because of its cyclic and "wave-like" in nature. Brain waves can be detected using medical equipment, such as electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the oscillation of electricity levels in different areas on the scalp.
In 1924, a german physiologist and psychiatrist named Hans Berger recorded the first human EEG. Berger also invented the electroencephalogram and gave the device its name. This invention has been described as, "one of the most surprising, remarkable, and momentous developments in the history of clinical neurology."
At the root of all our thoughts, emotions and behaviors is the communication between neurons. Brain waves are produced by synchronized electrical pulses from masses of neurons communicating with each other.
Brain waves are divided into five different bandwidths that are believed to create a spectrum of human consciousness. Our brain waves change throughout the day and are part of a feedback loop that is influenced by what we’re doing, thinking, and feeling emotionally at any given time—or while we sleep.
Delta waves (.5 to 3 Hz) are the slowest brain waves and occur primarily during our deepest state of dreamless sleep. Theta waves (3 to 8 Hz) occur during sleep but have also been observed in the deepest states of Zen meditation.
Alpha waves (8 to 12 Hz) are present when your brain is in an idling default-state typically created when you're daydreaming or consciously practicing mindfulness or meditation. Alpha waves can also be created by doing aerobic exercise.
Beta waves (12-30 Hz) typically dominate our normal waking states of consciousness and occur when attention is directed towards cognitive and other tasks. Beta is a ‘fast’ wave activity that is present when we are alert, attentive, focused, and engaged in problem solving or decision making. Depression and anxiety have also been linked to beta waves because they can lead to "rut-like" thinking patterns.
Gamma waves (25 to 100 Hz) typically hover around 40 Hz and are the fastest of the brain wave bandwiths. Gamma waves relate to simultaneous processing of information from different brain areas and have been associated with higher states of conscious perception.
Alpha Waves, Biofeedback, Meditation, and Mindfulness
Alpha waves took center stage in the early 1960s and 1970s with the creation of biofeedback, which is a technique used to consciously alter brain waves using direct feedback provided by an EEG type of device. Biofeedback is a type of neurofeedback typically used to teach practitioners how to create alpha brain waves.
When alpha oscillations are prominent, your sensory inputs tend to be minimized and your mind is generally clear of unwanted thoughts. When your brain shifts gears to focus on a specific thought—in either a positive or negative way—alpha oscillations tend to disappear and higher frequency oscillations begin running the show.
Alpha wave biofeedback has been shown to be a useful tool for treating anxiety and depression. Because alpha waves are linked with relaxed mental states, an increase in alpha wave activity is the goal of most biofeedback training. EEG can be used to provide moment-to-moment feedback when alpha waves increase or decrease.
Mindfulness training and meditation tend to produce noticeably more alpha waves without the use of technological machinery. Neuroscientists at Brown University are doing research on how the brain achieves "optimal inattention" by changing the synchronization of brain waves between different brain regions.
Their February 2015 study, “Attention Drives Synchronization of Alpha and Beta Rhythms between Right Inferior Frontal and Primary Sensory Neocortex,” was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The Brown researchers hope that teaching people how-to harness the “power to ignore” by creating an alpha brain state through mindfulness will enable anyone who suffers from chronic pain to reduce perceptions of pain and for people who have depression or anxiety to minimize their symptoms.
If you’d like to learn more about this research or how to alter brain wave synchronization, check out my Psychology Today Blog post, 5 Neuroscience Based Ways to Clear Your Mind.
Electrical Brain Stimulation Can Create Alpha Oscillations
A new study by the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine recently identified the first evidence that a low dose of electric current of 10-hertz can enhance the alpha brain wave activity and boosts creativity by 7.4% in healthy adults.
The April 2015 study, “Functional Role of Frontal Alpha Oscillations in Creativity,” was published in the journal Cortex. In a press release, Flavio Frohlich, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, cell biology and physiology, biomedical engineering, and neurology at UNC said,
This study is a proof-of-concept. We've provided the first evidence that specifically enhancing alpha oscillations is a causal trigger of a specific and complex behavior—in this case, creativity.
But our goal is to use this approach to help people with neurological and psychiatric illnesses. For instance, there is strong evidence that people with depression have impaired alpha oscillations. If we could enhance these brain activity patterns, then we could potentially help many people.
"The fact that we've managed to enhance creativity in a frequency-specific way—in a carefully-done double-blinded placebo-controlled study—doesn't mean that we can definitely treat people with depression," Frohlich cautioned. "But if people with depression are stuck in a thought pattern and fail to appropriately engage with reality, then we think it's possible that enhancing alpha oscillations could be a meaningful, noninvasive, and inexpensive treatment paradigm for them—similar to how it enhanced creativity in healthy participants."
How Do Synchronized Brain Waves Fine-Tune Consciousness?
In a breakthrough discovery, neuroscientists led by Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers at the VA Boston Healthcare System have identified a specific class of neurons—basal forebrain GABA parvalbumin neurons, or "PV neurons"—which trigger the creation of various brain waves that are linked to various states of consciousness.
The March 2015 study, "Cortically Projecting Basal Forebrain Parvalbumin Neurons Regulate Cortical Gamma Band Oscillations,” was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In a press release, co-senior author Robert W. McCarley, HMS professor of psychiatry and head of the Department of Psychiatry at Boston VA Medical Center said,
This is a move toward a unified theory of consciousness control. We've known that the basal forebrain is important in turning consciousness on and off in sleep and wake, but now we've found that these specific cells also play a key role in triggering the synchronized rhythms that characterize conscious thought, perception and problem solving.
McCarley added that understanding the mechanism the brain uses to sync up for coherent, conscious thought may suggest potential therapies for disorders like schizophrenia, where the brain fails to form these characteristic waves.
"Our brains need a coherence of firing to organize perception and analysis of data from the world around us," McCarley said. Adding, "What we found is that the PV neurons in the basal forebrain fine tune cognition by putting into motion the oscillations required for higher thinking."
Using a technique called optogenetics, where cells are genetically altered with photosensitive switches, the researchers were able to turn the PV neurons on and off using laser light. When the PV neurons were switched on, the cortex of the animals showed more of the gamma activity typical of conscious states.
McCarley found that when the PV cells fire, they inhibit the PV receptor neurons in the cortex, which switches them all off at the same time. A beat later, the neurons in the cortex switch back on, firing all at once. When this process is repeated again and again, it creates a synchronized, pulsing rhythm, with all of the neurons firing in coordination like an orchestra playing the same note or the rhythmic pounding of drums in unison.
Conclusion: Fine-Tuning Brain Waves Through Mindfulness and Meditation Offers Broad Treatment Options
In closing, Flavio Frohlich said that he realizes some people might want to capitalize on his finding by trying to use artificial electrical stimulation to boost creativity in their everyday lives. However, he cautions against doing this saying,
We don't know if there are long-term safety concerns. We did a well-controlled, one-time study and found an acute effect. Also, I have strong ethical concerns about cognitive enhancement for healthy adults, just as sports fans might have concerns about athletic enhancement through the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Frohlich is focused on treating people with depression and other mental conditions, such as schizophrenia for which cognitive deficits during everyday life is a major problem. He said, "There are people that are cognitively impaired and need help, and sometimes there are no medications that help or the drugs have serious side effects. Helping these populations of people is why we do this kind of research."
Based on a broad range of recent findings, it seems that meditation and mindfulness training may be a cost effective and drug-free way to stimulate creative thinking while minimizing depressive symptoms and other mental conditions.
Source: PT
Once again, illiberalism has reared its ugly head: Last week, 50 people were murdered in the New Zealand city of Christchurch because of a callous ideology that prioritizes peoples' race and blood over their human rights and citizenship. This ideology, which is known as white supremacism, is the product of a worldview that differentiates between "us" and "them," and looks down upon the latter.
This analysis may sound trivial in light of the carnage caused by the Christchurch killer. But, unfortunately, this is what it comes down to. When someone is convinced that "we are better than the others" and then takes this thinking to its logical extreme, the "others" will have their human dignity trampled upon. They will be legally and socially disadvantaged, and possibly even murdered.
The politics of 'us' versus 'them'
The world today is full of political movements that have made this thinking part of their very identity. Take, for example, present day China under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. The country caters to the interest of the ethnic Han Chinese and emphasizes Confucianism at the expense of the country's 55 ethnic minorities. Similarly, India is governed by Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, for whom the country's 200 million Muslims are little more than parasites. In Russia, those in power blame the gay community for the country's economic woes. And in Turkey, the economic downturn is blamed on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's critics. The life of Israeli dissidents isn't much fun, either.
Alas, Europe has not been spared from this antagonistic ideology. Obvious examples include Germany's far-right populist party, the Alternative for Germany, and Austria's far-right Freedom Party. It does not end there, however. When British voters opted for Brexit in 2016, many did so to draw a line between "us" and "them." And many US citizens similarly look down upon Latin American immigrants, whom US President Donald Trump has made of habit of insulting. All this could make it easy to despair and lose hope in humanity.
But thinking in terms of "us" and "them" may also have something to do with geographical distance, and partially explain why we feel more empathy for some groups than for others. Even so, European Christians should be appalled when scores of Muslims are brutally slaughtered in New Zealand. And, similarly, Muslims should be outraged when Christians are persecuted in Muslim-majority countries.
Empathy, which is what makes us human, should not just be felt for followers of the same religion, but for all people, everywhere. Because they are humans, like us. Empathy is the link between reason and emotion, and creates a counterbalance to racist and religious extremism. Empathy is the foundation for a human coexistence built on dignity and protected by law.
Trying to turn back the clocks
It is this conviction that the humanist and enlightenment philosophy established in our political systems, namely that citizens of the world have certain unalienable rights — regardless of their skin color, their roots or religion. An Indian citizen is and Indian citizen, whether or not he or she is a Hindu or Muslim. An Israeli is an Israeli, whether or not he or she is a Jew, a Christian or Muslim. These rights transcend citizenship to any particular country. And anyone who questions this must be treated with the utmost suspicion. For they wish to undo everything we have achieved since enlightenment, and transform our world into a place marked by "the war of all against all," as Thomas Hobbes once wrote.
Empathy -- the ability to understand and be sensitive to others’ thoughts and lived experiences -- is one of the most important elements of any business. To illustrate, think about the top reasons great workers leave their jobs. Employees might not see a future for themselves at the company they’re leaving. They might also feel overloaded with work compared to their compensation level and benefits. And management might not even be listening to them.
These reasons, particularly the ones directly related to manager-employee relationships, all tie back to empathy. Consider that a 2018 survey from Businessolver found that 60 percent of employees polled said they would actually accept lower pay for the chance to work at an empathetic company.
This makes sense. Leaders who prioritize empathy are truly able to connect with their employees, clients and customers. Workers should feel heard and want to know that their experiences matter. Empathy helps leaders cultivate this environment -- and empathetic organizations deliver products and services that get to the heart of what their audiences want.
I believe so strongly in the power of empathy that it also became an integral part of my parenting philosophy. My wife, MJ, and I decided early on to raise our son and daughter with a founder’s mindset. We wanted them to grow up feeling capable and knew they would need a strong sense of empathy to connect with the people they wanted to serve.
There was some evidence for our parenting strategy. Children can start to feel empathy as early as 2 years old, according to an article in Parents magazine. An example would be a toddler noticing her classmate's distress and giving that unhappy child a hug.
So, MJ and I took every opportunity to cultivate empathy in our children. When people visited, we encouraged the kids to think about how to make them feel welcome. We shared details with our children about who the guests were, their relationships to us and their hobbies or career highlights. This provided material our children could draw from to start interesting conversations. The result? They could demonstrate respect for visitors and actively engage with them.
I see a direct correlation between those empathy-building exercises and the kids’ founding achievements today. Annie started a running program for children with autism, and Blake launched a biosciences company. Helping others is the principle that guided their vision and shaped their success.
I’ve also experienced the significance of empathy -- or a lack thereof -- in my own career. When Lehman Brothers failed in 2008, our venture capitalists requested a 40-person cut to our 120-person staff. No business owner wants to lay off a third of his or her employees, but market uncertainty demanded prompt action.
Some painful mistakes were made during these cuts, including my failure at that time to alert my loyal assistant to the situation -- she was on vacation --until she returned and found herself jobless. This was a result of my having lost focus on empathy and I've regretted my mistake ever since.
You don’t have to be a parent or child to hone a sense of empathy, however. Even business leaders who haven’t actively practiced empathy in their careers can still strengthen those instincts, and their businesses will improve as a result. Consider that in companies where leaders practice empathetic communication, employees respond more positively to critical feedback, according to this British Psychological Society study. When people don’t feel belittled, they’re more receptive to criticism and are motivated to improve. Here are some tips to help you practice empathy:
Emotional intelligence, or the ability to recognize and deal with emotions both in yourself and in others, has sparked a lot of cultural conversation recently. In fact, when True Ventures surveyed its portfolio of customers in 2017, it found that emotional intelligence was a must-have in those investors’ relationships with founders.
This means that inviting employees to discuss their emotions won’t seem so out of left field. The next time a meeting turns tense, diffuse the situation by acknowledging the tone in the room. Ask if anyone would like to share experiences, feedback or thoughts.
Without even knowing someone, you can likely gauge his or her mood just by examining nonverbal cues. The more you learn to key in on those actions, the better you’ll be able to empathize with others.
My wife and I taught Blake and Annie to always offer a firm handshake and look people in the eye. We wanted them to connect with people -- to discover their mindset and needs right away. You can do the same as a leader by really engaging in conversations with colleagues and employees.
You can learn a remarkable amount about people by paying attention to what they don’t say. Consider why they might not feel comfortable contributing to a conversation and whether their body language is negative. Are they fidgeting, sluggish or taking on a defensive posture? These cues may open up conversations about any stress they’re feeling related to a project or general unease that’s crept into the workplace. You can also adjust your body language to create a comfortable environment. Start by maintaining eye contact instead of gazing at your phone or laptop.
Remember when Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress last year? Simply observing his facial expressions and mannerisms during the hearings -- as well as those of other of the company’s executives -- offered clues into which questions and interrogators made him and his staff uncomfortable.
Observing and experimenting with your own body language can be fun. What signals are you sending by yawning, crossing your arms, not making eye contact or reaching for your phone during any lull in a conversation?
No matter what your schedule, search for chances to be more empathetic. When you walk into the break room and a junior associate is having a coffee, don’t just smile and move on. Ask how he’s doing, what he’s working on or what interests him about his projects. Notice how he reacts.
Research from Harvard Business School shows that businesses with hands-on startup leaders performed better than ones with aloof, distant bosses. In order for you to be hands-on, your employees must also trust you and feel comfortable when you’re around.
If you’re serious about building a sustainable, successful company, empathy is your linchpin. Without it, your venture will sink. Push more energy toward encouraging empathetic communication, and you’ll drive increased morale and performance -- and create a deeper sense of camaraderie at work.
