Archive for Uncategorized

Happiness Can Improve Your Health

December 17, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Today we look at the idea of happiness. It would take a lot more space than we have here to completely cover the subject. 

Today GenuLines zeroes in on how a happy attitude can be a boost for your health. 

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Happiness Can Improve Your Health

puzzle about happinessHappiness is an important ingredient in a healthy life. Studies find that happiness plays a big part in good health.
 
This ranges from living a healthy lifestyle to reducing chronic pain.
 
 
 
Happier people are about twice as likely to eat fresh vegetables than unhappy folks. This is a much healthier option than a diet high in processed foods.
 
Better eating habits translate into more energy. Keep in mind that negativity or sadness can drain the energy from your body
 
Boosts Immunity
Feeling happy also helps boost immunity. In one study researchers actually gave the cold virus to a group of people.
 
Those who said they’re happy were three times less likely to suffer cold symptoms!
 
Lessens Stress
If you’re happy, you’ll have a lot less to keep you up at night, to worry about, so you’ll end up with less stress. But that’s not all.
 
Happy people tend to report less stress even in stressful situations.
 
Protects Cardiovascular Health
Eating better and moving more combined with your happiness, also boosts cardiovascular health. You’re less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke. or other heart health and cardiovascular issues.
 
Increases Longevity
Eating right, exercising more and feeling great about life can mean living longer. One long-term longevity study tracked the lives of 32,000 people.
 
It’s not surprising that the happy people tended to live 14 percent longer.
 
Diminishes Pain
Happiness benefits extended to chronic pain sufferers, too. Happy people tend to deal better with their pain.
 
This extended to other illnesses as well.
 
When you’re happy, you’re more likely to eat right, drink enough water, and move. Don’t be surprised if being in better spirits means being more active.
 
Change your mindset and watch how you change your level of happiness. Your happiness has little to do with your circumstances.
 
It has everything to do with how you react to them.
 
JohnK 12-17-2019
 
stick man feeling happinessOverheard: ” The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet”
                                                    ~ J. Robert Oppenheimer
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer about happiness

The Power of Self-Belief

December 10, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Self-belief makes you unstoppable. Don’t believe it?
 
Allow GenuLines to offer you a little reminder of how this works.

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The Power of Self-Belief

You’ve heard it before. If you believe in yourself, there’s little to stop you in whatever your pursuits.
 
superman's self-belefIt gives you the power to push forward and to defy the odds. You’ll be able to handle any roadblocks that come your way.
 
And you’ll brush off the naysayers.
 
It gives you peace of mind when you stick to your self-belief. To keep that self-belief strong, you need to define your goals.
 
 
 
You wouldn’t expect a general to fight a war without a map. You too need a map to guide you on how to proceed.
 
Too many people skip this step and wonder why they aren’t getting anywhere. Goals are your guidance, but carrying through with them is only done when you believe that it’s possible.
 
This belief is the energy you need to take action.
 
It helps you to focus on getting your tasks completed. You’ll also build confidence when you have self-belief.
 
It’s a powerful tool that will attract others to your confidence.
 
They’ll follow your lead, and you’ll help show them what is possible. When you run into any stumbling blocks (and you will), that confidence will help you see them through.
 
You’ll know how to take alternative action when necessary. The people following you will respect that as well. Several forces will try to beat you down.
 
You may even find yourself letting it happen.
 
You need to get centered on why you started your journey in the first place. Use affirmations to reinforce your message.

Be consistent with your affirmations

Unfortunately, many of the negative forces are going to be from your family and friends. They will see it as helping you avoid mistakes.
 
Many people will succumb to this negative pressure and give up. One way to prevent this is to join groups of like-minded individuals.
 
These can be connections to your business. Or they can be groups that focus on self-help.
 
These organizations exist to try and push the negative forces out. It’s great to go to meetings and get encouragement from the group.
 
These associations can lead to friendships that help you encourage each other. You may even form business partnerships from these friendships.
 
It’s good to know that you have this kind of support. They understand when everyone else around you doesn’t.
 
Your self-belief will get a shot in the arm, too.
 
JohnK 12-10-2019
 
stick man feeling self-beliefOverheard:  “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit”
                                       ~E. E. Cummings
 
 
 
 
 
 

Article Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

 
 
 
 
disclaimer about self-belief
 

Make a List of Everything You Are Grateful For

December 3, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Business magnate Richard Branson says he’s “passionate about lists.” What’s on your lists?
 
GenuLines suggests making a list that proclaims your gratitude.
 
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Make a List of Everything You Are Grateful For

You may forget the little things that you’re grateful for in your life. But, if you keep them in plain sight, it can help you reinforce your gratitude.
 
check listSo why not write them down, and keep them close by?
 
If you find yourself overwhelmed by negative feelings, refer to your list. It can serve as a way to reset your negativity.
 
Think of all the things you’re grateful for and start listing them. If you get stuck, think about the people in your life.
 
 
 
Who gives you happy thoughts?
 
List the aspects of what those people do to make you happy. If you love the way your spouse smiles at you, write that down.
 
It can be something simple, such as reading the newspaper on the train. The point is, no item is too small to add to the list.
 
Do you love the jokes that the server tells you when you get your cup of coffee and your muffin? That goes on the list, too.
 
Your list should never be complete as you will find new experiences and people to add to it. Each day, there is potential for people to make a small difference in your life.
 
But, remember that you make differences in other peoples’ lives as well.
 
Try to make those experiences more positive than negative. If people around you bring you down either avoid them or try to help them to be more positive. 
 
If you are the one bringing people down, you need to try and reverse this.
 
The list will be a big factor in helping you. Negative and bitter feelings stem from not appreciating your life and all the things in it.
 
That’s one reason why keeping a list is so important.
 
You can choose to write this list on a piece of paper, or keep it on an electronic device. It doesn’t matter how you store it, but you want it to be accessible.
 
Commit to reading it and make regular updates to it. Add to it as you find more things that you are grateful for in your life.
 
Maintaining this list could be the basis for a book that you write about appreciating your life. By publishing your list, you may help others do the same.
 
Reading your ideas might spark them to be grateful, too.
 
JohnK 12-3-2019
 
stick figure talking about listsOverheard: “Lists today are a way of trying to get through the day because we are losing a sense of time”
                                                ~David Viscott
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Article Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

 
 
 
 
disclaimer about lists

With Gratitude from GenuLines

November 28, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

 

Thank you GenuLines/Chi For Yourself community!

 

 

JohnK 11-28-2019

chiforyourself.com home

 

Learn the Facts Before Passing Judgment

November 26, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
 
Mark Twain once said, “facts are stubborn things.” And GenuLines knows that not checking the facts can kick you like a stubborn mule!
 
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Learn the Facts Before Passing Judgment

Adversity often occurs when people react without having all the facts. Sometimes, they’ll think they have the facts but they’ve learned the wrong information.
 
Avoiding these situations is a matter of getting the facts and making sure they”re correct.
When you have the facts on your side, you can present your argument.
 
Magnifying glass finds fact
 
Further, you will be less likely to make a judgment about a situation because the facts back it up. This will prevent you from getting yourself and others into any trouble.
 
The internet offers us a vast pool of information. But people tend to be too willing to trust any information they find.
 
They get a false sense of security, believing that the first search engine results are the best. That’s not always the case.
 
Search engine results change with time. You can get different results from one search to the next on the same search engine.
 
Look for a variety of sources that you believe carry authority.
 
For instance, when you look for medical advice, don’t stop at a site such as WebMD.com and call it quits. While this website may have qualified advice, it’s not the only source.
 
Another could be the Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA) website.
When you find other websites, look for sources that the articles cite.

Are they valid sources?

Check to make sure they’re from authoritative people.
 
Watch for red flags. Like blogs that make claims but don’t cite sources.
 
Anyone can create a blog, and have it published in minutes. They’re free to publish whatever they like.
 
That’s why readers must be critical of every source they treat as fact.
 
There’s nothing wrong with a blogger posting an obvious opinion piece. But, don’t accept the post as fact.
 
Treat it as a good starting point for your research.
 
You’ll hear people cite Wikipedia.org as a source for their facts. While that resource has gotten better at fact-checking, don’t lose sight that anyone can add and make changes to it.
 
Still, it does have some uses. At the end of most articles, there’s a wealth of resources and links that authors often include.
 
Use them for further research.
 
JohnK 11-26-2019
 
 
stick figure listening for factsOverheard: “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”
                            ~Arthur Conan Doyle (The Boscombe Valley Mystery)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Post image by Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

 
 
 
disclaimer about facts

Does Your To-Do List Work For You?

November 19, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
A to-do list can help keep order in your life. But does your list make the grade?
 
This GenuLines overview will help you get up to speed.
 
Banner helps make to-do lists

Does Your To-Do List Work For You?

picture of to-do list
 
The to-do list is a helpful tool. Something is satisfying about checking off an item when completed.
 
It can also be a reference when a boss wants to know employees’ progress. But, are you doing the right tasks to meet your longer-term goals?
 
 
 
That can leave you feeling as though you aren’t progressing.
 
Worse, you’ll be going through the motions of “doing something.” This will make the process of not getting anywhere that much more frustrating.
 
To-do lists are a good idea. But, you need to make sure they’re in-line with your goals.
 
You should consider taking a top-down approach to your tasks rather than bottom-up.

Start with your long-term goals

picture of to-do listWhere do you see yourself in a few years from now? If you can’t answer that question, you need to do some soul-searching.
 
Find what you want to accomplish at a high-level. Then, you can use that to break it down into granular tasks.
 
 
Finally, you use the mid-level tasks to help define the to-do list that you use daily. People put off setting long-term goals because the time frame seems so far in the future.
 
How can you be expected to know what’s going to happen five to ten years from now? It’s much easier to choose the shorter-term time frames.
 
You can measure what happens two weeks from now as it’s going to happen soon.

Commitment

picture of to-do listSome people believe that declaring a long term goal and chiseling it in stone commits them to it. Remember that circumstances can change, and goal adjusting may be called for.
 
Don’t be afraid to commit to your goals. You may want to create a few long-term goals.
 
 
As you’re working on what it will take to reach those goals, you can decide which path makes the most sense. You can take into account both feasibility and costs.
 
Some goals become unattainable for one reason or another, so prepare to change course. In fact, if you can project these possibilities, you can put them on your list of goals.
 
Set your goals and break them down into sub-tasks. Creating your to-do lists will become easier.
 
And, they’ll get you closer to accomplishing your goals.
 
JohnK 11-19-2019
chiforyourself.com home
 
stick figure talking about to-do listsOverheard:  “The best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb its routine”
                                             ~William H. Danforth
 
 

 

 

 

 

disclaimer to fit with to-do lists

 

 

Trust Your Choices To Work For You

November 12, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
You trust others, but in yourself, you’re not so sure. Are you in this camp?
 
Today GenuLines offers some ideas to help you turn this around.
 

Banner about trust

Trust Your Choices To Work For You

alligator and man with trustYou may have a difficult time trusting yourself. If so, you’re not alone.
 
Often, when you lose trust in others, you start to lose trust in yourself.
 
To help you overcome this problem, you need to focus on key aspects of trust. The first is to be mindful of your accomplishments.
 
 
 
Pass off your accomplishments as unimportant and they won’t be there to draw on when you need them. That’s sure to interrupt the process of trusting yourself. 
 

Trust your instincts

This feeling will put you on target if it comes from the deepest part of you. An instinct is something you feel strongly about and does not come only from experiences.
 
It comes from something internal that defies explanation. It’s part of that inner voice that is telling you what to do.
 
You need only listen. How many times have you said to yourself that you should have listened to your instincts?
 

Opening up to others

A funny thing happens when you let others into your life. You find that you become more trusting of yourself.
 
Don’t be afraid to need other people.
 
Draw from the strength of others to supplement what you know. It’ll unburden you from feeling as though you have to do everything yourself.
 
And it will open you to the possibilities of trusting yourself.
 

Filter out negative information

You’re bombarded with negativity throughout your life. You get it every day in the news, at work, and too often, at home.
 
The more you learn to focus on positivity in your life, the easier it will be to trust yourself. A good first step towards this goal is to avoid negative people.
 
Trusting yourself sometimes requires a leap of faith. Take some chances.
 

Risk

Sure, you want to take calculated risks. But you don’t want to over-analyze every decision you make.
 
That will only cause you to stagnate.
 
It’s true that not everything will work out the way you plan. But you’ll never know unless you try.
 
The good news is that when you’re ready to try, many of your decisions will work for you.
 
JohnK 11-12-2019
chiforyourself.com home
 
stick figure talking about trustOverheard: “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
                                 ~Ernest Hemingway
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Article image by skeeze from Pixabay

 
 
disclaimer to fit with trust

Can A Mentor Be A Positive Force In Your Life?

November 5, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Is it worth it to work with a mentor or life coach? There are differing opinions. Today

GenuLines looks at some considerations if you choose to go in this direction. 

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Can A Mentor Be A Positive Force In Your Life?

You’re going to get beaten down at certain points in your life. The negativity and competitiveness you encounter can be brutal.
 
If nothing seems to be working for you, it may be time for a mentor.
 
mentor giving adviceMentors view your life from an outsider’s perspective. They can suggest changes to make while encouraging you for what you’re doing right.
 
A good mentor can (and should) be sensitive to how he or she presents your critique. They can also give you the encouragement that helps restore your self-belief.
 
The intention is to reignite the spark that has been missing in your life. When you get that back, there’ll be no stopping you.
 
 
Choosing your mentor
You want to be selective in choosing your potential candidates. Ask good questions.
 
Get critiques from anyone who’s used the mentors you are considering. Get the terms of the agreement in writing.
 
And make sure you include accountability on the part of the mentor you choose. 
 
Of course, you need to be accountable to the mentor, as well. It’s great to have a mentor give you advice.
 
But, if you don’t take it, you’re wasting your time and money.
 
Be aware that the help he or she provides is likely to put you outside your comfort zone. You’ll be doing tasks that you never imagined you would.
 
You’ll find this both scary and exciting. And your results may surprise you.

If it doesn’t work

Then again you may not get the results the mentor suggested you would. This is where holding them accountable comes into play.
 
If you’re meeting your end of the deal, you should be critical when you aren’t making progress. Your agreement should come with milestones, and you deliver payment based on them.
 
If you pay everything up front, you lose the accountability factor. A good mentor would be willing to accept payment based on milestones.
 
They know they can deliver.
 
You can use a mentor for more than guiding your career. It can be for personal reasons as well.
 
Life coaching is a growing field, though some question its effectiveness. 
 
The call is yours. 
 
JohnK 11-5-2019
 
 
stick figure talking about mentorsOverheard: “My mentor said, ‘Let’s go do it,’ not ‘You go do it.’ How powerful when someone says, ‘Let’s!’”
                                    ~ Jim Rohn 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
 
 

 

 
 
 
disclaimer to fit with mentors
 

Next Chi For Yourself: When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough

October 31, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

 

Our guest on the next Chi For Yourself is Dr. Stuart Eisendrath, author of WHEN ANTIDEPRESSANTS AREN’T ENOUGH: Harnessing The Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression.

You can listen in today as I record the show, but it won’t be available on the ChiForYourself.com Start Page. 

Instead, we’re going to use the Chi For Yourself Facebook Community page. Join us today at 1 pm Eastern, 10 am Pacific time at the Chi For Yourself Facebook Community page.

 

Possessions: Do They Have a Hold On Your Life?

October 29, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Collecting possessions is a part of life. It’s hard to deny.
 
Or, avoid for that matter.
 
GenuLines invites you to read on and to gauge the importance of your possessions.
 
 
Banner about possessions
 

Possessions: Do They Have a Hold On Your Life?

You spend a good chunk of your time protecting your possessions. You worked hard for them, so you want to make sure no one takes them from you.
 
picture of possessionsThe problem is, you may be putting too much emphasis on them.
 
Consider that when you take your last breath those articles are no longer yours.
 
 
 
So you could say they never really belonged to you anyway.
 
You may be thinking of passing on your possessions to your offspring. But consider the cost of acquiring those material items.
 
And I’m not just talking about financial costs.
 
Ask yourself if you’re stepping on other peoples’ toes while chasing those things. Your relationships are much more important than your possessions.
 
Suppose you somehow lost some material item you valued.
 
Let’s say you misplaced it, or it was stolen. Most likely you can replace it.
 
Inconvenient? Yes. But it’s not the end of the world.
 
The death of a family member is something else again. Don’t take loved ones for granted.
 
The memories they give you are possessions of the priceless type.
 
There are other ways to lose those close to you. Your busy work schedule can alienate family members.
 
Your spouse may decide to move on. And your kids may grow to resent you.
 
Focusing on material possessions can affect your friendships, too. Many of these friendships took a long time to develop.
 
But, you can lose them in no time if you prioritize your possessions.
 
Your attitude about money calls for the same kind of mindfulness. But, you don’t want to make it your life’s purpose
 
You can always make money somehow.
 
Friendships? Not always the case.
 
If you find you’re too focused on obtaining money and possessions, take a step back. Think about what your family and friends mean to you.
 
You’ll find they’re priceless.
 
JohnK 10-29-2019
 
stick figure talking about possessionsOverheard:  “An object in possession seldom retains the same charms which it had when it was longed for”

                                            ~Pliny The Younger

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Image by C.M. Zijderveld from Pixabay

 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer to describe possessions
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