Do you know anyone like this at work? I’m sure you do.
Originally posted on May 26, 2008 @ 10:05 am
Accepting Defeat: How to Deal With Defeat Like a Professional
Everyone fails. Michael Jordan, Oprah, you, me. Everyone. The difference between regular people and great people is how they deal with the defeat. In this post I want to look at how to deal with defeat like a professional.
See defeat as a positive
“Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus.” – Robert South.
This is not always easy to do but it is one of the most common things that famous, rich, great and successful people cite when asked about how they got to where they are. They all say they see defeat as a positive.
When you see defeats as a positive you are opening yourself up to the fact that you still have a lot to learn. It won’t drag you down and you will move on from the event to bigger and brighter futures.
See defeat as inevitable
“It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated…it is finished when it surrenders.” – Ben Stein
The next thing you need to do is realize that no matter who you are, what industry you are in and how good you are at what you do you are always going to experience some defeats. It might not happen every day but it will happen. No one in the world has lived their whole life without ever being defeated at what they do.
When you see it as being inevitable you are preparing yourself subtly for when it happens. This way you will not be surprised and you will be able to gather yourself quickly and effectively.
See defeat as a learning opportunity
“I learned much more from defeat than I ever learned from winning” – Anonymous
When asked how he got so good at boxing Muhammad Ali replied that for three seconds after making every mistake he thought about it, re did the move and then moved on. This is smart. [Read more…] about Accepting Defeat: How to Deal With Defeat Like a Professional
Originally posted on May 25, 2008 @ 3:04 am
Eureka! How to Have Eureka Moments Like Archimedes
Stepping into his bath to relax one day Archimedes saw the water level rise and suddenly realized that the volume of the displaced water was equal to that of the body part he submerged. He was now the first person in history to be able to calculate the volume of irregular objects. He was so excited he screamed out “EUREKA!” and ran down the street naked.
So how can we have a eureka moment like Archimedes?
Sudden understanding requires relaxation
photo credit: Cheekybikerboy
Nothing resembling a eureka moment ever came from a tight mind. All the great minds of the past had their sudden understandings when they were relaxed or when they had properly trained their mind to quiet down. In Archimedes’ case it probably had a lot to do with the warm bath. He had resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to do any work and was going to chill out in a bath. Eureka!
If you think about it it is quite logical. If your mind is tight you are focusing on forcing an idea to come about. Your mind will be full of thoughts like “I must think of an idea” or “I must have a eureka moment”. It won’t happen. If, however, your mind is quiet there is more room for new thoughts to come in or more space for you to notice a small thought that might otherwise sneak through.
Relaxation is not just a physical act. It is a mental one. This is important. You could by laying in a hammock by a pool in Hawaii and your mind would be going at a hundred miles an hour thinking about this and worrying about that. Relaxation has to take place in the mind for there to be enough space to be creative, inventive and original.
Sudden understanding requires lots of study (but not too much)
photo credit: Wonderlane
Many people think that people like Archimedes just had sudden realizations without doing any work before hand. However, it is important to understand that their sudden realizations were not really all that sudden.
If you think that Archimedes just got into a bath and had a spontaneous out of the blue realization about “volume” then you would be wrong. The man was a very smart and diligent physicist who spent his days mulling over problems just like this one.
If you want to have a eureka moment you need to do hours and hours of study in the given area. You need to know every angle, history, mechanic and so forth. Once you have this background information you will be more likely to have a breakthrough.
However, there is a danger. People who study too much often lack experience in their field. In Buddhist monasteries the teachers are very careful to ensure their students don’t put study over meditation because if they do they run the risk of over conceptualizing certain concepts or ideas and missing the point. Experience is very different from theoretical understanding.
Think of study as being like reading about an elephant. You can learn about its height, trunk, eyes, memory and so on. Now think of experience as being like actually going to the zoo and seeing an elephant. It is a very different thing and in most cases study pales in comparison.
Like Archimedes when he saw the water level rise you need to see your field in action if you want to be able to penetrate its nature and come up with something innovative.
Take a look at buddhist master Mingyur Rinpoche and how he made took a theoretical concept and made it experiential and came up with something quite innovative – using panic attacks as his meditation practice:
Sudden understanding requires new perspectives
The story of Archimedes and the bath occurred after he was given a crown by the king and asked to determine whether a dishonest goldsmith had used some silver instead of pure gold. The problem was he couldn’t damage the crown by melting it down and weighing it so he had to find some other way. He found that way when he had a bath and his perspective changed.
It is very difficult to have an understanding if your views and opinions are very solid and fixed. People who have great breakthrough moments are those people who are willing and able to think out of the square and look at different ways of doing things. This, of course, is a lot more difficult than you think. Human beings are accustomed to doings things a certain way and to think outside of that conceptual framework is extremely hard.
To look at a problem with a new perspective you can do things like:
- Set aside religious dogmas
- Talk to people from different backgrounds and cultures
- Work at a different time of the day
- Approach a problem using a new forumla
- Etc.
Of course you don’t have to do these things all the time – just change them when you are focussing on the problem you have at hand or change them occasionally to help you gradually shift your perspective.
Sudden understandings require a clear mind – meditate
One of the best ways to make your mind more “likely” to have a breaktrhough is by keeping it clear, healthy and well trained. The best way to do this is to meditate.
Meditation clears your head of a lot of thoughts and makes you more disciplined and open. When you have a lot of space in your head you are more receptive to certain ideas and new ideas seem to flow more easily.
It doesn’t matter what meditation you do the yogis and scientists all agree – it is good for your intelligence, creativity and your brain health. Perhaps try some simple breathing meditation. This will help you get out of the habit of “normal thinking” and put you in a frame of mind where eureka moments are more likely to occur.
Sudden understandings require patience
The last thing I want to talk about is the art of being patient. Every great idea in history was a result of weeks, months or years of work. If these people weren’t patient they would never have had their history altering moments. Like them, we need to be patient. Without patience our great potential will not have a chance to manifest – give yourself time!
Have you ever had a eureka moment?
Originally posted on May 23, 2008 @ 3:48 am
Foods That Make You Stressed, Anxious and Depressed
Last week we looked at foods that help you concentrate and today I want to take a look at foods that make you stressed, anxious and depressed. I am a firm believer that what you eat has a big impact on how “healthy” your mind is. If you have been feeling unusually stressed lately and aren’t sure why then maybe it has something to do with your diet.
Foods that make you stressed, anxious and depressed
1. Coffee
The first one on the list is going to be the most controversial but I am willing to argue my point. Coffee is one substance that makes you stress and sometimes even depressed.
The reason for this is simple and it has to do with the sugar and the caffeine that comes in coffee. When we drink a coffee we usually get a caffeine hit and a sugar rush. This picks us up for a few minutes or perhaps even an hour but then comes the inevitable low. The crash. This is when we start to get feelings of sadness and stress and we cannot figure out why we are feeling so bad.
Test it out for yourself. See how you feel before a coffee, immediately after a coffee and then about two hours after a coffee. You might be surprised.
2. Meat
When I started eating a vegetarian diet I was absolutely shocked at how happy and “light” I felt all the time. I decided that I was going to do some research in to the matter and see whether eating meat causes stress or depression and it turns out that many ancient medical practices believe that it does. Every time I eat meat now I feel heavy and quite sick.
Many people in the East will tell you that feeling depressed after eating meat is due to the negative karma that is accrued due to killing an animal. Some more modern science, however, tells us that it might be due to the damage meat can cause your insulin levels as well as several other systems in the body. Meat has been linked to cancer, diabetes and other serious illnesses. One study even showed that vegetarians are happier than meat eaters!
3. Alcohol
Alcohol has been shown to change the chemistry of the brain and make you more likely to experience long term depression. With alcohol we are not talking about a depression that lasts a little while – it is one that lasts a long time and usually leads you to your next drink. You then need to drink more than you used to to feel better and end up in a fast downward spiral. This is called tolerance and is a big part of why alcohol and any other drug is so addictive.
The sad thing is that people who are already feeling a bit depressed use alchohol to treat the depression. This just makes them feel even more depressed and doesn’t really get you anywhere.
4. Fast food
A few months ago I was lucky enough to be the personal attendant of a very high Buddhist Lama when he visited Australia. During this special week we spent lots of time discussing buddhism and talking about all aspects of life. Every night we would go out for dinner and I would try to take him to places that only made clean and healthy food. After a while we got on to talking about fast food joints like Maccas, KFC and Burger King. He told me that if you want to get a serious disease and have a depressed mind you should eat them often.
I have always thought that these foods were bad. They are full of preservatives, salt, sugar, saturated fats and a host of other horrible chemicals. Think about all the antibiotics and hormones that KFC pump in to their meat before they lace it with salty bread crumbs and deep fry it. No wonder you feel heavy after you eat it.
Try and avoid these foods at lunch time if you are feeling stress and anxious and depressed. This will also distract you from your work because you will feel full and sick.
Conclusion
The best thing you can do for your health is eat a natural diet that has as little man-made foods as possible. A diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, raw milk, eggs and other natural things will leave you feeling lighter, happier and full of long lasting energy. Avoid foods that are overly processed and full of refined sugar, salt and saturated fats.
Does anyone have any experiences with food making them feel terrible?
top image: photo credit: cortnie dee.
Originally posted on May 22, 2008 @ 8:57 am
Printer Problems: A Video Guide to Dealing With Printer Stress
My most hated object in the office is the printer. They never seem to be working, always print things incorrectly and just generally drive me up the wall. I found a video on Youtube that made me think that perhaps I am going about printing my documents all wrong.
Watch this video if you have ever experienced some printing problems. It might just make your day…
Originally posted on May 20, 2008 @ 3:12 am
Tea Health: The Types, Problems and Health Benefits of Tea
I have decided to make every Monday “Healthy Work” day here at The Daily Mind.
Today we will be looking at all things “tea”. I want to tell you about the different types of tea, where it came from, the health benefits and problems associated with tea as well as a few tricks I learned about tea in India. If you drink tea everyday but don’t really know much about the effects it has on your body then this article is for you.
I am going to structure this article like this:
- History, origins and types of tea
- Tea health benefits
- Tea health problems
- Tips for healthier tea
- My favorite teas
A bit about the history, origins and types of tea
Tea origins
Tea is the most popular drink in the world. It has been drunk for thousands of years and is thought to have originated in China when some tea leaves fell into the Emperors water. Since that time tea has been used in many different ways and at some points in history it was so valuable that it was used as currency. It has been used by doctors to treat disease and is thought to improve longevity, vitality and general well-being.
Types of tea
Many people do not realize that tea comes in five main types:
- Green Tea
- Oolong Tea
- Black Tea; and
- White Tea
- Pu Erh Tea
All of these teas come from the same plant called the Camellia sinensis and are given different names only after certain cooking or preparation methods are carried out. Green Tea is pan fried or steamed to prevent the leaves from oxidizing or fermenting. Oolong Teas are the most expensive because they are semi-fermented and made in a more elaborate method. The color of this tea is usually a light yellow. Black Tea is the strongest tea of them all the the type we are most used to drinking in the west. It is fully fermented and has up to three times as much caffeine in it than the other teas. White tea is quite rare and is made from the white buds of the tea plant as opposed to the green tea leaves. It is a clear white color and much finer. Pu Erh Tea is chinese tea that has been fermented twice and then left to grow mold on it. It is said to have strong medical properties.
There are also herbal teas like you find in a Chinese Doctors Shop but these are not really teas as they are not usually made from tea leaves but other types of plants. There are now also some infused blends of tea where other flavors have been added.
The health benefits of drinking tea
photo credit: Jeff Weston
Scientists, doctors, mystics and even our grandparents all talk about the health benefits that come from drinking tea. Many of us have the general idea that tea is good for us but don’t really know what it specifically does. It is also good to know that different types of tea have different effects on the body. Here are some health benefits of tea:
1. Tea is an anti-cancer plant
The studies are now pretty clear – if you drink a lot of tea you are less likely to get cancer. And not just a little bit less likely, a lot! If you drink about four cups of tea a day you are up to 60% less likely to get cancer thanks to the antioxidants in tea leaves. That is an amazing statistic.
The studies have really only been done with Green Tea but others are currently underway. White Tea is supposed to be even more effective from a traditional point of view and there is some scientific evidence to support this fact. I personally would love to see more studies done on Oolong Tea as it has the added benefits of the mold growing on it.
2. Tea boosts your brain
One of the notable effects of tea is that it helps you concentrate and focus. This is important for all of us who are sitting on a computer trying to stay on track with some really boring data analysis.
This effect is said to be due to the amino acid L-theanine which gets absorbed in your gut and travels in the blood to your brain. This results in a more awake you! The thing that is really cool about this is that tea doesn’t make you get all hyper like coffee does. It is a calming drink that wakes you up without over stimulating.
3. Tea helps you fight off illness
Tea is supposed to be a very strong immune booster. Those people who drink tea on a regular basis are supposed to be more immune to the cold or flu that is going around at work as well a some other minor health problems such as infections.
4. Tea beats stress
If you are reading this post at work then chances are you are pretty stressed. The good news is that a cup of tea helps you fight the physical signs of stress by reducing the stress hormone in your body. For more ways to beat stress at work head over to our stress section.
5. Tea can help you lose weight
Many studies have confirmed what the Chinese doctors have been telling us for centuries – tea boosts your metabolism and helps you lose weight. Drinking a few cups of green tea at work (without the sugar) can have a really good effect on your waistline.
The health problems associated with tea
Now that we have look at all the nice things tea can do it is a good idea to take a look at whether tea will cause your body any harm. Before making any decision about your health it is important to weigh up the pros and cons of the argument and then make a decision based upon good information. To rant on about the magical qualities of tea without talking about the potential drawbacks would be irresponsible.
1. Sleep problems
Many people (myself included) are very sensitive to the effects of caffeine. If I have a tea or a coffee within four or five hours of my bed time I will have a lot of trouble getting to sleep.
If you are having sleep problems already it might be a good idea to take a look at how many teas you are drinking. Many people do not realize that tea is quite high in caffeine and too much tea can affect how well you sleep. However, your sleeplessness might be caused by other things. Take a look at this post about stressed sleep.
2. Kidney damage
Some scientific studies have shown that the oxalates in tea can cause some kidney damage. However, this has only been shown in people who drink a lot of tea – a lot more than most of us drink.
Although there other drawbacks associated with tea none of them have been definitively proven by science. The main message is that excess is not a good idea. If you are drinking more than about four cups of tea a day you are more likely to have some negative effects.
Other tips for drinking healthier tea
Here are some other tips I have picked up about how to make sure your tea works well for your health.
1. Don’t add milk
Scientists have found that adding milk to your tea actually detracts from the health benefits. The article in New Scientist is here.
2. Get your tea from a clean area
One of the best things you can do if you are serious about your health is research where your tea comes from. I learned this trick in India and I think it makes a lot of sense. Pollution in the air and soil has a massive effect on how healthy your tea is – places like China and India have a lot of air pollution. Try to source your tea from remote provinces in China and India – places higher in altitude. As a general rule Chinese Green Tea’s grow in higher areas.
3. Don’t add sugar
Sugar is like a leech. It has so many negative effects on the body and you should avoid it at all costs. If you can cut out or reduce the amount of sugar that you put in your tea you will be doing your body a big favor.
My favorite tea
I thought I would show you my favorite tea. If you haven’t ever tried it I encourage you to give it a go.
Dilmah Green Tea for ethics
I always buy Dilmah if I can because they are one of the most ethical companies on the planet. I heard a lot of good things about Dilmah when I was in India and then again when I was in business school. Dilmah is a family owned company and is run very strictly by five pillars – Quality, Tradition, Ethics, the Customer and Integrity. They never put profit making before these pillars. And… the tea tastes excellent! They also put a lot of money into the local community, their workers and the medical community.
You can buy some Dilmah green tea here.
They make all types including fusions. My favorite is the Jasmine Infused Green Tea.
How much tea do you drink?
I would love to know how much tea the readers of The Daily Mind drink. I myself usually only have one or two cups a day because I find that too many more affects how well I sleep. That being said, I am a very big advocate of tea and would encourage everyone to start drinking more. Leave us a comment and tell us how many cups you drink and what type of tea is your favorite?
Originally posted on May 19, 2008 @ 10:17 am
