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Browse every published article connected to Steve Gillman, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
Articles
Browse every published article connected to Steve Gillman, or search within this exact expert archive.
Yes, brainstorming can turn a paper clip into a house. More on that in a moment. First, a question. Have you ever had a brainstorming session where people sat around hesitating to contribute? If so, you can understand how important having the right frame of mind is. Members of the group need to ...
The following collection of real estate investing tips will probably have a few things that you already know. That's okay. There will be a few you haven't heard before as well, and in any case, we sometimes need to be reminded of what we know. 1. Find an agent with the right experience. When ...
What are critical thinking skills? They are the habits of thought that you cultivate for better decisions on what to believe and what to do. Critical thought is not about being able to argue well. That kind of thinking can be a trap. Unfortunately, some very intelligent people think that way, ...
What is frugality? The dictionary definition of frugal: "Practicing or marked by economy, as in the expenditure of money or the use of material resources." People think of it as simply being "cheap," in the fashion of Ebeneezer Scrooge. I see it as the practice of getting the most for one's ...
Is Meditation Too Much Time And Trouble? If you haven't meditated before, you might think it's too much trouble to learn. If you do meditate, you know it can be difficult to find the time to do it consistently. So is there really a meditation you can learn right now that can be done in 45 ...
"Thinking games" are games and exercises that help develop thinking skills and so boost your brainpower. While some brain games exercise memory, or test knowledge (usually trivia), the following require analysis, creativity and imagination. They can all be played alone in theory, but try to get ...
There are always little secrets that you can learn to help you in life. These are the "insider tips" that might improve your health, save you money, or give you more influence over others. Here are six of them you can put to use today. Highway Toll Secret The passes (such as E-ZPass) that ...
Haven't heard of evolutionary economics? It's not surprising. This is a new area of study that looks into the biological and evolutionary forces that shape our economic decisions. It is related to behavioral economics, another discipline you don't hear much about. The behavioral perspective is ...
Too much stress? You need a simple stress meditation. Of course, learning to meditate might intimidate you, and it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. A solution to both problems is a meditation you can learn right now, that will take a minute to do each day. An Easy Stress ...
In some ways travel writing online is similar to that in the print world. Readers still want the facts about a location, maybe an interesting perspective, and some useful advice. However, this doesn't mean you can just write the same article for both a magazine and a website. There are some ...
The following tent camping tips are meant primarily for those who are backpacking, although some will apply to a stay in a campground as well. Also, the tips here will be most useful for those who like to travel light when in the wilde ess. 1. Test it in the Yard You don’t want to find out that the roof leaks when you are two days away from the nearest road and a freezing rain is falling. Set it up in the yard and inspect it if you haven’t used the tent yet, or if has been stored for a long time. Turn on the hose and test it for leaks. 2.
There are hundreds of ways to make money online, but they each generally fall into one of the four basic approaches outlined below. In our own business, my wife and I have had the best luck with the last two, but each of us is different, and each of these approaches to making money has its advantages and disadvantages. Here’s is a quick look at those plusses and minuses. Employee If you can write, there is always a chance that you can get hired by a company that needs constant new content for their websites. You might also be hired as programmer or web-designer.
Backpacking with children can be a challenge, but it is a good way for kids to learn about the outdoors and develop independence and responsibility. It is also just a great way to have fun. That is, as long as you plan well. Here are four tips to help you out. 1. Generate Interest Forcing ...
I collect examples of creative ways to make money for my websites, and I recently found a fun one in a great little story I read. It was written by a man who had certain survival talents and decided to demonstrate them by being dumped in the middle of a large city with no money. By that evening he had a nice hotel room and some money in his pocket.
There are a lot of specific techniques for more creative thinking. You can combine concepts, tear ideas apart to find new ones, and do group brainstorming sessions. Those all work, but to have a naturally more creative mind you might also want to try meditation. Because meditation can clear your mind of some of the usual negative thoughts, it can open the way for more creative thinking.
What does it mean to live a creative life? It means looking for new and better ways to live from day to day and year to year, rather than going along on automatic or doing what everyone else around you is doing. It means applying that brainpower to more than just paying the bills and winning those video games - and more than even creative thinking or writing.
You have probably read enough tips on personal finances, and maybe you are still in debt and without a plan for the future. Well, here is simple six-step plan to get you going in the right direction. Of course, like the other tips you have heard, it will only help if you actually use it. 1. ...
Why not start each morning with a simple thought for the day? Hold it in mind to see what perspective it gives to the day's events. Here is one for each day of the week. Monday's Thought For The Day When you argue with a person, are you focused on the words? What's out there beyond the words? ...
If you ask an internet marketer who makes tens of thousands of dollars daily how to sell ebooks, he might lay out the following steps for you to follow. First, get a product to sell, whether your own or someone else's ebook. Price it high to increase its perceived value, and then offer it a discounted price that is still pretty expensive. After all you only need to sell 22 books per day to have $10,000 in sales each week if you have a $67 ebook. Pay at least a few hundred dollars to have a nice site built for you.
The real estate tips that follow are meant to help you avoid common and not-so-common mistakes. Buying a house or other property always involves some risk, but there are many ways to reduce those risks. 1. "As Is" Property Inspections Some sellers (including banks) specify that a property is sold "as is." Of course all properties are ultimately sold with no promises other than those made in writing. We take our chances. But if sellers won't allow an inspector into a property, walk away.
Why good luck quotes? Perhaps you don't believe in luck, but you can see that some people have more good things happen to them. Whether you choose to call that luck or not, here is what some famous people have to say about the phenomenon. Those who have succeeded at anything and don't mention ...
Most of us know lucky people, those who seem to lived a charmed life. They may not even be all that smart, and yet they seem to almost stumble into good situations. Opportunities open up for them, things are "handed" to them. Perhaps they win in the stock market, find a dream job, or get married ...
Do you ever ponder the big questions, like "What is consciousness?" or "Why do we feel motivated to do good?" Doing so really takes no more brainpower than balancing your checkbook, and although you are more likely to be satisfied and certain with the result of the checkbook balancing, thinking ...
To know how to tell when someone is lying, it helps to first look at the three basic types of lies. These are lies of omission, commission, and embellishment. What follows is a short description/definition of each, and some ways to detect each kind of lying. Lying By Omissio A lie of omission ...
Why look for easy meditation techniques? After all, doesn't good meditation practice take time and effort and self discipline? Perhaps, but before a person is ready to make that commitment he or she may want to have a little taste of what the results might be. In other words, start with one of ...
How do you achieve a more consistent level of daily motivation? Use the following powerful techniques, beginning at the start of your day. 1. Start The Day Motivated Have a morning motivation routine. Experiment a bit and see what gets you going. If it has to be coffee, then so be it, although ...
To generate great ideas, develop the 7 habits that follow. These are actions and thought patterns you can use to come up with many creative ideas and solutions. They'll work right now if you try them, but if you want to be a truly effective creative problem solver, make such techniques into ...
There are hundreds of money saving tips I could offer, and many of them might be useful in your particular situation. But there is a strategy for spending less which will make you far more secure than any number of tips on how to buy things for less can. That is what this article is ...
You may have heard of the loci mnemonic or memory system. The general idea is to "place" the things that are to be memorized in predetermined locations in your imagination, so you can "find" them there later. The origin of this memory system is generally attributed to a story told by Cicero, an ...
There are some jobs that could be considered money making opportunities. Movie star and professional football player come to mind. But if you don't have the talents necessary for those you won't likely get rich with a job. That leaves investing and starting a business as the best alte atives. Here's a quick look at one opportunity in each of these categories. Stock Investing I would like to start this out on a more hopeful note, but I have to point out one not-so-pleasant fact: Warren Buffet, widely considered the best investor of all time, lost 25 billion dollars last year.
The idea of a power nap isn't new. They used to be called catnaps. They consist of just a little bit of sleep in order to refresh you. There has been some research done more recently, though, and it shows that there is a right way and a wrong way. More precisely, there is a right length and a ...
Traditional walking meditation involves paying close attention to your breathing and every movement of your body as you walk back and forth or in a circle. It can be a refreshing change from sitting still to meditate. But now there is another way to meditate while walking, and it may be more suited to those who don’t want to take the time and effort to learn more traditional methods.
There is a lot to be said for dreaming up crazy ideas, and doing so is more than just a way to exercise your creativity (although it's very good for that purpose too). Sometimes a crazy idea is not as crazy as it first appears, and sometimes it is, but becomes something more useful with a bit of work. The story below provides a good example, and is followed by some tips on how to get more creative in your thinking and how to generate one crazy concept after another.
Sometimes it is just fun to create and share crazy ideas. For example, I recently read about one man's idea to give away free gas. The catch was that there were remote-controlled paintball guns with cameras on them, connected to a web site on the internet. People would pay to fire paintballs at ...
Before we get into how to use meditatio CDs, we have to start with which kind to use. Some products are nothing more than relaxing music, or perhaps a guided meditation with a musical background. There is nothing wrong with these, but if you want a more powerful tool, you need to get CDs that ...
It used to be that meditatio CDs were just pleasant music and perhaps some “sounds of nature” thrown in. There is nothing wrong with that. They were relaxing and could help you get into a meditative state. But the newest recordings use more than just a light tune and the sound of rain or waves. The good ones now use embedded beats and pulses that lead your brainwaves into the desired state. These new brainwave entrainment technologies are powerful.
Why should you learn how to relax fast? Because stress is more than just unpleasant. It's also dangerous. Many diseases are now known to be caused by or made worse by stress, but you can do something about it. Just try these relaxation techniques today, and use them whenever you feel that ...
There are a lot very good reasons for developing a meditation practice. You are likely to be healthy both physically and mentally. You’ll have less stress. You might gain some insight into the workings of your own mind. Your friends may find that you are easier to be around. Then there are the spiritual goals. Some people use meditation as a form of prayer. For some it means learning to be in the moment, with the hope that this more natural and peaceful state of mind can be carried into everyday life and activities. Other find that meditation helps them to become more compassionate.
With the right work you can get smarter, but there are also things you can do to appear to be more intelligent, and you can use some of them right now. So if you want to impress your boss or your friends with your intelligence, try a few of the techniques below. Some of them may actually improve ...
Mindfulness exercises let you "tune in" to yourself. Distractions are let go, and your brain power is increased. The exercises help you think more clearly and concentrate better. The best news is that they are easier than you might think to learn. Easy Mindfulness Exercises Anytime you are ...
Setting goals sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Why is that? What makes it an effective practice, and when does it fail? It's all about how you do it, and later in this article you'll find six or seven tips on how to properly set goals. But first lets take a deeper look at the "motivation ...
Are you a lucky person? Not sure? Let's find out. Answer the following questions as honestly as you can, and then tally your score according to the simple directions at the bottom of the test. In general, do good things happen to you? 1. Almost neve 2. Sometimesn3. Ofte 4. Very ofte Are you ...
The very concept of retirement is flawed. It is based on several false premises. First is the premise that at a certain age you are no longer able to provide economic value. That is clearly nonsense as shown by the many millionaire entrepreneurs and business people in the sixties, seventies and eighties. Yes, we generally get weaker and lose some abilities as we age. But there are seventy-five year-old retirees playing tennis out there, and anyone who can still think and move two fingers can do what I’m doing for a living. Another false premise is the whole “golden years” idea.
All of us make financial mistakes, and research in the new fields of evolutionary economics and behavioral economics are starting to explain why. It will be good to have this knowledge someday. But in the meantime, here are ten of the more common money mistakes you may be making, so you can ...
Is there a "lie detector?" Most people have been lead to believe that this is what the polygraph is. But most scientists think the polygraph is less than scientific. Here's a quick look at the From the website of the American Polygraph Association: "A steady pace of improvements in techniques ...
Some of the more obvious signs of lying include different answers when you repeat a question, and hesitation in answering. You also can watch for eye movements that differ from the usual. Be careful with these individual signs, since shifty eyes may be normal for some people, even when telling the truth. Compare eye movements and other behaviors to their known tendencies. There are other signs of lying you can learn, but perhaps it is more useful to learn how to get the truth out of a person. That’s what the rest of the tips below cover. Motivation
What is the secret of attraction? You probably know this has become one of the hottest new ideas in self improvement and spirituality. But it isn't a new idea. It is just the newest way to recycle an old idea. Old or new, the important questions are does it work as claimed, and why? A "Law" Of ...
Of course there are opportunities during a recession, including those listed below. In fact, many "lucky people" will prosper in these tough economic times. If you want to be one of them, you have to start to think like them. To begin with, you might want to turn off the stream of bad news on ...
There are a thousand or more ways to make money, but they can be roughly classified into three categories. These are fast ways to make money, basic ways to pay the bills and long-term wealth-creation strategies involving building a business. Lets take a quick look at the three, based on the assumption that you are starting from a desperate position with no money. If that is not the case, you can skip ahead to the “paying the bills or “wealth creation” part.
What if self help books just help the self which creates your problems in the first place? I'll get back to that in a moment. First I want to say that many such books certainly can be helpful. A book on how to speak in front of a crowd can help with that, for example, and a book on how to eat or ...