الثلاثاء، 20 ديسمبر 2011

Anxiety

Introduction to Anxiety


Generalized anxiety disorder (or GAD) is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no obvious reasons for worry. People with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school. In people with GAD, the worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear, and dread. Eventually, the anxiety so dominates the person's thinking that it interferes with daily functioning, including work, school, social activities, and relationships.

What Are the Symptoms of GAD?


GAD affects the way a person thinks, but the anxiety can lead to physical symptoms, as well. Symptoms of GAD can include:
  • Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
  • An unrealistic view of problems
  • Restlessness or a feeling of being "edgy"
  • Irritability
  • Muscle tension
  • Headaches
  • Sweating
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Nausea
  • The need to go to the bathroom frequently
  • Tiredness
  • Trouble falling or staying asleep
  • Trembling
  • Being easily startled

How to make your life simple ?

  1. Make a list of your top 4-5 important things. What’s most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things.
  2. Evaluate your commitments. Look at everything you’ve got going on in your life. Everything, from work to home to civic to kids’ activities to hobbies to side businesses to other projects. Think about which of these really gives you value, which ones you love doing. Which of these are in line with the 4-5 most important things you listed above? Drop those that aren’t in line with those things. 
  3. Evaluate your time. How do you spend your day? What things do you do, from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep? Make a list, and evaluate whether they’re in line with your priorities. If not, eliminate the things that aren’t, and focus on what’s important. Redesign your day.
  4. Simplify work tasks. Our work day is made up of an endless list of work tasks. If you simply try to knock off all the tasks on your to-do list, you’ll never get everything done, and worse yet, you’ll never get the important stuff done. Focus on the essential tasks and eliminate the rest.
  5. Simplify home tasks. In that vein, think about all the stuff you do at home. Sometimes our home task list is just as long as our work list. And we’ll never get that done either. So focus on the most important, and try to find ways to eliminate the other tasks (automate, eliminate, delegate, or hire help).
  6. Learn to say no. This is actually one of the key habits for those trying to simplify their lives. If you can’t say no, you will take on too much.
  7. Limit your communications. Our lives these days are filled with a vast flow of communications: email, IM, cell phones, paper mail, Skype, Twitter, forums, and more. It can take up your whole day if you let it. Instead, put a limit on your communications: only do email at certain times of the day, for a certain number of minutes .Only do IM once a day, for a limited amount of time. Limit phone calls to certain times too. Same with any other communications. Set a schedule and stick to it.
  8. Limit your media consumption. This tip won’t be for everyone, so if media consumption is important to you, please skip it (as with any of the other tips). However, I believe that the media in our lives — TV, radio, Internet, magazines, etc. — can come to dominate our lives. Don’t let it. Simplify your life and your information consumption by limiting it.
  9. Purge your stuff. If you can devote a weekend to purging the stuff you don’t want, it feels seriously terrific. Get boxes and trash bags for the stuff you want to donate or toss.
  10. Get rid of the big items. There’s tons of little clutter in our lives, but if you start with the big items, you’ll simplify your life quickly and in a big way. Read more.
  11. Edit your rooms. One room at a time, go around the room and eliminate the unnecessary. Act as a newspaper editor, trying to leave only the minimum, and deleting everything else.
  12. Edit closets and drawers. Once you’ve gone through the main parts of your rooms, tackle the closets and drawers, one drawer or shelf at a time. 
  13. Simplify your wardrobe. Is your closet bursting full? Are your drawers so stuffed they can’t close . Simplify your wardrobe by getting rid of anything you don’t actually wear. Try creating a minimal wardrobe by focusing on simple styles and a few solid colors that all match each other.
  14. Simplify your computing life. If you have trouble with too many files and too much disorganization, consider online computing. It can simplify things greatly.
  15. Declutter your digital packrattery. If you are a digital packrat, and cannot seem to control your digital clutter, there is still hope for you.
  16. Create a simplicity statement. What do you want your simple life to look like? Write it out.
  17. Limit your buying habits. If you are a slave to materialism and consumerism, there are ways to escape it. I was there, and although I haven’t escaped these things entirely, I feel much freer of it all. If you can escape materialism, you can get into the habit of buying less. And that will mean less stuff, less spending, less freneticism. .
  18. Free up time. Find ways to free up time for the important stuff. That means eliminating the stuff you don’t like, cutting back on time wasters, and making room for what you want to do.
  19. Do what you love. Once you’ve freed up some time, be sure to spend that extra time doing things you love. Go back to your list of 4-5 important things. Do those, and nothing else.
  20. Spend time with people you love. Again, the list of 4-5 important things probably contains some of the people you love (if not, you may want to re-evaluate). Whether those people are a spouse, a partner, children, parents, other family, best friends, or whoever, find time to do things with them, talk to them, be intimate with them .

Women spend eight years of their life shopping!!!!

Women will spend more than eight years of their lives shopping, says a study.
While keeping their families fed and clothed -and indulging in a little retail therapy - the average woman will shop for an astonishing 25,184 hours and 53 minutes over a period of 63 years.
If the average expedition lasted the length of a full working day - from 9am to 5pm - that would be 3,148 days trudging around the shops, or just over eight-and-a-half years.
The poll of 3,000 women, conducted by GE Money, revealed they make an average of 301 shopping trips per year, lasting a total of 399 hours and 46 minutes.
Food shopping can take more than an hour to complete each time. With an average of 84 trips to stock the pantry over a year, that is 94 hours and 55 minutes in the supermarket.
Women also dedicate 90 trips a year to keeping up their appearances - shopping for clothes 30 times, shoes 15 times, accessories 18 times and toiletries 27 times.
A total of 100 hours and 48 minutes is spent hunting for the latest clothing bargains and fashion statements.
A further 40 hours and 30 minutes is spent shopping for footwear, and 29 hours and 31 minutes looking for accessories such as handbags, jewellery and scarves.
Even shopping for more mundane items such as deodorant, shower gel and razors takes women around 17 hours and 33 minutes over one year.
A further 19 trips, or 36 hours and 17 minutes, are used to buy gifts for friends and family.
The poll also showed women will go window shopping 51 times a year, spending 48 hours and 51 minutes just looking for their next purchase.
Stewart Macphail, of GE Money, said: "Women clearly dedicate a lot of time to making sure they find the best deals and the most suitable items for their needs.

car accidents in Oman

Oman has one of the highest traffic accidents worldwide    
MUSCAT Oman has one of the highest traffic accidents worldwide. Nearly six thousand men, women and children have lost their lives in car crashes in Oman between 2000 and 2008. Seventy thousand have been injured some of them were disabled for life. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that worldwide more than 50 million people are injured or permanently disabled every year.
"I never wear seatbelts because they wrinkle my clothes," said a student. Many people think that wearing seatbelts is not cool, "However it only takes five seconds to fasten a seatbelt, and they can save your life," replied Nujaida Al Maskari, who was part of a group of thirteen students of the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) who held a public talk about Road Safety on 22 June at the University's campus.
The topic on road safety was chosen because earlier this year the students received a newsletter from the Omani Non-Governmental Association Salim and Salimah (www.salimandsalimah.org) who informed them that the death rate of Omanis involved in traffic accidents is higher than the death rate in any other country worldwide. "To learn more about the causes of this high rate of road accident deaths, the students began investigating the problem and visited the Traffic Safety Institute in Seeb," said Geraldine Walsh, English Lecturer at GUtech. Over the past years Oman's annual death rate from road crashes has doubled, according to the latest statistics published by Salim and Salimah.
Careless driving, over-speeding, bad driving, the use of mobile phones whilst driving and the lack of seatbelts are the main reasons for serious injuries and deaths on Omani roads, said the GUtech students.
According to a survey conducted at GUtech, 72 per cent of the students and staff know of someone who has died in a road accident and 75 per cent of GUtech drivers wear seatbelts. However, about 50 per cent talk on the phone whilst driving. "Using a mobile phone is like driving under the influence of alcohol. Many people need more information about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving," said Hamed Al Brashdi, GUtech student while adding: "Remember, do not call before you arrive."
Excessive speed and poor driving skills are involved in many car accidents. According to a study conducted by Salim and Salimah, most of the fatal crashes in Oman occur between Wednesday and Friday on 2-lane highways in the interior of the Sultanate. "Contrary to the popular belief, the largest category of individuals killed or injured in crashes are married Omani men between the ages of 26-50 years. The loss of breadwinners has far-reaching implications for the families. The widows and orphans left behind often have to rely on social funds to survive," said the study. "One of the main points which is always forgotten in vehicle crashes is post crash trauma, where a family member is lost. Here we need to recruit more professional social workers such as psychologists to help family members ease their mental suffering for their lost ones" said Dr. Talal Al Balushi, Director of Research at The Research Council during a discussion that followed the presentation.
According to the Royal Oman Police (ROP), 42 per cent of the dead and injured were children under the age of 25 years. Most of the child passengers were unrestrained and thrown through the window, around the car or crushed by the person holding them.
"We have to educate children and young people about road safety in Oman," said Sabra Al Busaidy, GUtech student. The students went on to list the different ways in which to increase public awareness including setting-up a website; producing a film that shows the risk of over-speeding and driver education programmes at high schools. In addition the students advised the driver: "Do not call until you arrive, focus on the road, wear seatbelts and remember your family is waiting for you."
WHO's global status report on road safety predicts that by 2030 the death from road crashes will rise to the fifth leading cause of death globally and that rate will double in low-medium income countries like Oman.

الخميس، 15 ديسمبر 2011

Best Smart Phones

Smartphones have become incredibly advanced, with multicore processors and cameras that almost make us want to abandon our point-and-shoot cameras for good..

HTC Rezound (Verizon Wireless)

While it may have a hefty build, the HTC Rezound's beautiful display, commendable performance, and multimedia-rich features make it a top phone for Verizon customers.
4 stars
Excellent
HTC Rezound (Verizon Wireless)

Apple iPhone 4S Editors' Choice - Apple iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S isn't the king of cell phones, but it's part of the royal family nonetheless. Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade.
4 stars
Excellent
Apple iPhone 4S

Motorola Droid Razr (Verizon Wireless) Editors' Choice - Motorola Droid Razr (Verizon Wireless)

With its razor-thin design, jam-packed features, and blazing speed, the Motorola Droid Razr is easily one of the year's top Android smartphones.
4 stars
Outstanding
Motorola Droid Razr (Verizon Wireless)

Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T) Editors' Choice - Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T)

With its dual-core processor, vibrant display, and great performance, the sleek and powerful Samsung Galaxy S II rises as AT&T's top Android smartphone.
4 stars
Excellent
Samsung Galaxy S II (AT&T)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus (unlocked)

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a big step forward for Android, but it's not the giant leap you may have been expecting. As impressive as it is, Ice Cream Sandwich can be messy, and without it, the Galaxy Nexus is just another Nexus device.

How to choose the right major ?

Choosing a major in college is an important decision, and not one to take lightly—the choices you make now can effect the career choices you will have after graduation, so take advantage of the vast resources available to you. There are a variety of materials designed to help you when choosing a major in college so that when you graduate, you will feel confident that you made the right choices for your career.
Pick a College Major with the Right Information
I’ve been there—choosing a major in college can be overwhelming! CollegeView provides the information college students, or soon-to-be college students need to make knowledgeable choices about their careers. When the time comes for you to pick a college major, take some time to explore available resources and gain some important insight about choosing a major in college. rigester to receive additional information through your e-mail, or visit CollegeView’s Student Lounge to read about the experiences of other students and how they went about choosing a major in college.
When you take advantage of CollegeView’s resources, you will find information about a variety of schools and the majors they offer—thus helping you when choosing a major in college. If you are in the process of choosing a major in college, using these resources can help you make a wise and educated decision. Covering a variety of career fields, schools, and other important information, you are sure to find helpful information that will be useful in your decision-making process.
As we move forward, it is becoming more and more important to have a college degree under your belt—another reason to start thinking about choosing a major in college. As the job market becomes more competitive, companies are requiring more qualifications from their applicants—this is an important reason why you should go to college and pick a college major that suits your strengths, personality, and interests.
So why should you go to college? Because if you want to open up a wealth of opportunities for yourself as you begin your career, it is important that you make yourself as marketable as possible – by choosing a major in college that best suits you, as well as involving yourself in extra curricular activities, leadership roles, and more. Choosing a major in college will allow you to begin building your resume.
Consider these Aspects when Choosing a Major in College
As you begin looking into choosin a major in your college, please ask yourself a few questions before you pick a college major:
  • Do you work well with people and thrive in a busy, fast paced environment?
  • Do your strengths lie in computers and technology?
  • Is it imperative that you work in a field where you are able to help people?
  • Do you enjoy hands-on work?
  • Would you like to work outdoors?
  • Do you enjoy working with children?
  • Would you like to travel?
  • Do you want to live in a city or a rural area?
  • Would you like to work with animals?
  • and others…
My final piece of advice is to make this decision on your own. You are the one who has to live with these choices for the rest of your life, so make them count. Choosing a major in college that coincides with your beliefs, interests, and strengths is important. So, why should you go to college? I will simply say that with a college degree, you are vastly increasing your employability and

الخميس، 8 ديسمبر 2011

The life of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was born February 24, 1955, to two University of Wisconsin graduate students who gave him up for adoption. Smart but directionless, Jobs experimented with different pursuits before starting Apple Computers with Stephen Wozniak in the Jobs' family garage. Apple's revolutionary products, which include the iPod, iPhone and iPad, are now seen as dictating the evolution of modern technology.

Early Life

Steven Paul Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, to Joanne Simpson and Abdulfattah "John" Jandali, two University of Wisconsin graduate students who gave their unnamed son up for adoption. His father, Abdulfattah Jandali, was a Syrian political science professor and his mother, Joanne Simpson, worked as a speech therapist. Shortly after Steve was placed for adoption, his biological parents married and had another child, Mona Simpson. It was not until Jobs was 27 that he was able to uncover information on his biological parents.
As an infant, Steven was adopted by Clara and Paul Jobs and named Steven Paul Jobs. Clara worked as an accountant and Paul was a Coast Guard veteran and machinist. The family lived in Mountain View within California's Silicon Valley. As a boy, Jobs and his father would work on electronics in the family garage. Paul would show his son how to take apart and reconstruct electronics, a hobby which instilled confidence, tenacity, and mechanical prowess in young Jobs.
While Jobs has always been an intelligent and innovative thinker, his youth was riddled with frustrations over formal schooling. In elementary school he was a prankster whose fourth grade teacher needed to bribe him to study. Jobs tested so well, however, that administrators wanted to skip him ahead to high school—a proposal his parents declined.
After he did enroll in high school, Jobs spent his free time at Hewlett-Packard. It was there that he befriended computer club guru Steve Wozniak. Wozniak was a brilliant computer engineer, and the two developed great respect for one another.

Apple Computers

After high school, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Lacking direction, he dropped out of college after six months and spent the next 18 months dropping in on creative classes. Jobs later recounted how one course in calligraphy developed his love of typography.
In 1974, Jobs took a position as a video game designer with Atari. Several months later he left Atari to find spiritual enlightenment in India, traveling the continent and experimenting with psychedelic drugs. In 1976, when Jobs was just 21, he and Wozniak started Apple Computers. The duo started in the Jobs family garage, and funded their entrepreneurial venture after Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus and Wozniak sold his beloved scientific calculator.
Jobs and Wozniak are credited with revolutionizing the computer industry by democratizing the technology and making the machines smaller, cheaper, intuitive, and accessible to everyday consumers. The two conceived a series of user-friendly personal computers that they initially marketed for $666.66 each. Their first model, the Apple I, earned them $774,000. Three years after the release of their second model, the Apple II, sales increased 700 percent to $139 million dollars. In 1980, Apple Computer became a publically traded company with a market value of $1.2 billion on the very first day of trading. Jobs looked to marketing expert John Scully of Pepsi-Cola to help fill the role of Apple's President.

Departure from Apple

However, the next several products from Apple suffered significant design flaws resulting in recalls and consumer disappointment. IBM suddenly surpassed Apple sales, and Apple had to compete with an IBM/PC dominated business world. In 1984 Apple released the Macintosh, marketing the computer as a piece of a counter culture lifestyle: romantic, youthful, creative. But despite positive sales and performance superior to IBM's PCs, the Macintosh was still not IBM compatible. Scully believed Jobs was hurting Apple, and executives began to phase him out.
In 1985, Jobs resigned as Apple's CEO to begin a new hardware and software company called NeXT, Inc. The following year Jobs purchased an animation company from George Lucas, which later became Pixar Animation Studios. Believing in Pixar's potential, Jobs initially invested $50 million of his own money into the company. Pixar Studios went on to produce wildly popular animation films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Pixar's films have netted $4 billion. The studio merged with Walt Disney in 2006, making Steve Jobs Disney's largest shareholder.

Reinventing Apple

Despite Pixar's success, NeXT, Inc. floundered in its attempts to sell its specialized operating system to mainstream America. Apple eventually bought the company in 1997 for $429 million. That same year, Jobs returned to his post as Apple's CEO.
Much like Steve Jobs instigated Apple's success in the 1970s, he is credited with revitalizing the company in the 1990s. With a new management team, altered stock options, and a self-imposed annual salary of $1 a year, Jobs put Apple back on track. His ingenious products such as the iMac, effective branding campaigns, and stylish designs caught the attention of consumers once again.

Pancreatic Cancer

In 2003, Jobs discovered he had a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare but operable form of pancreatic cancer. Instead of immediately opting for surgery, Jobs chose to alter his pescovegetarian diet while weighing Eastern treatment options. For nine months Jobs postponed surgery, making Apple's board of directors nervous. Executives feared that shareholders would pull their stocks if word got out that their CEO was ill. But in the end, Job's confidentiality took precedence over shareholder disclosure. In 2004, he had a successful surgery to remove the pancreatic tumor. True to form, in subsequent years Jobs disclosed little about his health.

Recent Innovations

Apple introduced such revolutionary products as the Macbook Air, iPod, and iPhone, all of which have dictated the evolution of modern technology. Almost immediately after Apple releases a new product, competitors scramble to produce comparable technologies. In 2007, Apple's quarterly reports were the company's most impressive statistics to date. Stocks were worth a record-breaking $199.99 a share, and the company boasted a staggering $1.58 billion dollar profit, an $18 billion dollar surplus in the bank, and zero debt.
In 2008, iTunes became the second biggest music retailer in America-second only to Wal-Mart. Half of Apple's current revenue comes from iTunes and iPod sales, with 200 million iPods sold and six billion songs downloaded. For these reasons, Apple has been rated No. 1 in America's Most Admired Companies, and No. 1 amongst Fortune 500 companies for returns to shareholders.

Personal Life

Early in 2009, reports circulated about Jobs' weight loss, some predicting his health issues had returned, which included a liver transplant. Jobs had responded to these concerns by stating he was dealing with a hormone imbalance. After nearly a year out of the spotlight, Steve Jobs delivered a keynote address at an invite-only Apple event September 9, 2009.
In respect to his personal life, Steve Jobs remained a private man who rarely discloses information about his family. What is known is Jobs fathered a daughter with girlfriend Chrisann Brennan when he was 23. Jobs denied paternity of his daughter Lisa in court documents, claiming he was sterile. Jobs did not initiate a relationship with his daughter until she was 7 but, when she was a teenager, she came to live with her father.
In the early 1990s, Jobs met Laurene Powell at Stanford business school, where Powell was an MBA student. They married on March 18, 1991, and lived together in Palo Alto, California, with their three children.

Final Years

On October 5, 2011, Apple Inc. announced that co-founder Steve Jobs had died. He was 56 years old at the time of his death.

How to become a good student

It is important that every student, whether in elementary school ,high school or college; be aware of the basics of being a good student. These skills, of doing well in school, can be carried over to many other aspects of life.
This book is intended for those who are looking for some tips on improving their abilities, as a student and as a person. Implementing some of these ideas into academic life will surely help a student perform better in the classroom.
Hopefully everyone reading this work will learn something that they can do to become a better student and be more successful.
Qualities of a good student
Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. The qualities of the student are of great impact to determine the student's bright future and career. So, who is a good student? What are the qualities of a good student? Historically, the term ‘student’ refers to anyone who learns something. However, the recent definition of a “student” is mostly used to refer to anyone who attends school, college, or university.
Again, what are the good qualities of a student? The list below shows the qualities of a good student.
  1. Attitude: Basically, a good student possesses the ability and willingness to learn new subjects even if the subjects are not interesting.
  2. Academic skills: Acquiring academic skills is the most important quality of a good student. Ability to read comprehensively, to write effectively, to speak fluently, and to communicate clearly are the key areas in which a student must be proficient. Having a good command in all these areas will make a student to shine in the class.
  3. Ability: A good student has the ability to apply the results of his or her learning in to a creative way and achieve the goals.
  4. Perceptiveness: How well a student can interpret and perceive meanings from a conversation greatly determines the quality of a good. A good student always perceives right meaning from conversations, but an average student often misunderstands the original thoughts of a speaker or writer and derives a wrong conclusion.
  5. Self-Discipline: Discipline in managing the time is an important factor that every good student must possess. Often delaying the tasks, such as writing assignments, reading text books, etc, may negatively impact the ability of a student to achieve the goals.
  6. Understanding rather than memorizing concepts: Resolving any doubts by asking about them on the spot is always a good thing. Several surveys suggest students must understand the concepts rather than just memorize them. The memorized facts and theories will stay in student's memory until they leave school, college, or university. Once out of school, the students will totally forget the core concepts that they had learnt. Therefore, it is essential for a good student to understand the concepts

The International Information Systems Conference (iiSC) 2011

The International Information Systems Conference (iiSC) 2011 was held in the conference room in Sultan Qaboos university btween oct 11,2011 -oct 12,2011, and it was one of the many events organized by the information technology department in college of commerce and ecnomics.

The main objectives of the conference are to:

- Provide a forum to discuss the issues and challenges arising from IT/IS

adoption, as being faced by industry and government in Oman, and

other countries.

- Bring together IT/IS Researchers and practitioners to learn from and

share each other’s experiences.

- Promote research and collaboration in IT/IS by all stakeholders at local,

regional and international levels.



CONFERENCE TRACKS (TENTATIVE)

The conference would to invite papers on following tracks but not limited to:

- E-government issues and solutions

- E-commerce and E-business Challenges

- Knowledge Management & Business Intelligence

- Trends in Web technologies

- IS Security, Social Networking and Privacy

- Mobile Computing

- Trends in IS

- IS industrial applications

السبت، 22 أكتوبر 2011

S.T.O.P. – 4 Steps for Enjoying your Life

Enoying life is an art that onley few people are good at , here is an article written by  that i found  online describing 4 simple steps that would make you one of these people 


Enjoying your life is simply a matter of the way that you feel. There is a common belief that happiness comes
about as a result of having certain things (money, material goods, relationships, etc.), but in all actuality, whether or not you are enjoying your life has always boiled down to the simple question of how you feel about your life.
No amount of of money will help you to enjoy life if you are miserable on the inside. No relationship will define or complete you when a relationship – by definition – involves two or more people. No cache of toys and treasures will make you happy if you believe that you must have toys and treasures to be happy.
Bob over at Every, Every Minute started  The Desiderata Project where bloggers choose a passage from Desiderata and expand upon the concept in a blog post. I chose the following passage as a reminder that enjoying the actual journey of life is more important than not having happiness until that journey has been completed:
“Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.”
In order to provide a simple formula that people can use on a daily basis to enjoy their lives rather than constantly focusing on the future, I have used the acronym S.T.O.P.
S – Stop
There is a simple truth of the human existence, and that is that most people simply do not take the time to STOP and think about all of the things that they have in their lives to be grateful for, and they also do not pat themselves on the back for having those things as a result of their own efforts.
You can completely discount things like fancy cars, tropical vacations, beautiful homes, and trinkets and baubles. Try being grateful for the basics before you start worrying about a higher level.
Do you have a roof over your head? Are you able to read and communicate with others? Do you have enough food to survive? Before you go thinking that those things are not worthy of your gratitude, consider the fact that there are millions – millions – of people in the world who live outside, cannot read or write, or who will die from malnutrition.
From that perspective, just being alive with a full belly and a roof over your head suddenly seems like a gift, doesn’t it?
T – Take Action
Assuming that you can see the wisdom of stopping on a daily basis to be grateful for the little things in life, now ask yourself what you can do to give back every day. This isn’t a matter of starting some altruistic foundation, of tithing 10% of your income, or even of constantly focusing on the needs of others.
You can keep it much simpler than all of that, yet still put forth an effort every day to give back. How many times have we all heard that “the little things” are what matter most – especially in relationships?
Every single day, do one thing that is completely selfless. Stand at the entrance to the grocery store holding the door for a full 30 seconds as you see that elderly person using a walker heading in your direction. Pick up your neighbor’s newspaper off of the sidewalk and take it up to their door. Give a knock just to hand it over and say “Hi’ before moving on with your day. Wash the dish that someone else left in the sink even thought it isn’t your responsibility.
The possibilities are obviously endless, but the point is that these type of acts will usually take less than 5 minutes of your life, but they will make you feel great! Yesterday at the grocery store I saw a lady juggling cans and she didn’t have a cart to put them in. I  had a cart, but I didn’t have as many things as she did, so I took my stuff out of the cart and gave it to her. She was SO grateful, and I felt like a million bucks for having made the effort.
O – Organize
Sometimes the best times in our lives are completely “off the cuff” and we didn’t even know that we were going to be taking part in those activities. On the other hand, by making sure that you have time for those activities, you open up a slot for your life to pop something wonderful in there.
Every day, arrange your schedule and your responsibilities so that you have 30 or 60 minutes when you will have no responsibilities whatsoever. This is not exercise time, or time to run errands, or even a scheduled nap or meditation. This time is blank. Make no plans for it whatsoever. If you get to that point in your day and you don’t have anything better to do, then you can decide if you want to exercise, nap, run errands, etc.
The point is that no matter what you do with those 30 or 60 minutes, you send yourself the message that your life is about you. For at least 30 or 60 minutes you are going to do something that has absolutely nothing to do with anyone but yourself. Try it for a few days. Trust me, it is a freeing experience!
P – Participate
The final step in this process is participation, and this is meant as proactive participation in your life, not reactive. Almost all of us go through life with a huge pile of things that we feel we should do, but how many of those things are conscious efforts to actually participate in the process of life, rather than just going with the flow?
Regardless of what it may seem like from an outside point of view (job, family, spouse, etc.), your entire life is made up of things that you do because you want to do them. Not all things are as enjoyable as other things, but you are participating in the creative process of your life every single moment of every single day by the things that choose to do.
So ask yourself every day: “How can I proactively participate in the creation of my life today in a way that will make me feel good?”
Again, refer to the fact that most of the things that we do are reactive to our environment, and that environment is rarely there simply for our amusement, or to make us feel good. So what can you do today – and every day – that will make you feel good? After all, that is the goal, isn’t it?
In order to remember how to enjoy your life, simply S.T.O.P. Take personal responsibility for your own level of happiness every single day.