Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Are You The Odd One Out?

Everyone is looking for success and it is surely not that easy to achieve. It’s the thought that counts that help us get out of bed in the morning and keeps us up at night to pursue our passion. Most constantly work all their lives and would still not leave a single mark in history. So how then can we try to set ourselves apart? Is it purely hard work or doing something at the right time?

We strive day and night to find the answers to our questions. How did Bill Gates make it, how did Steve Jobs create his Apple empire? How can we replicate their success or create a new one for ourselves? These are just some of the questions we may ask ourselves from time to time. In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an inspiring journey into the minds of successful people in the world.

Journey of the successful

The book follows some of the most successful personalities from each area of history. The book follows how Bill Gates achieved his immense wealth, how the Beatles came to be the most popular band in history. He follows different factors that might have affected them, their culture, their birth month, their upbringing and struggles. The book repeatedly mentions the’10,000 hour rule’; the rule states that to succeed in any fielding practice is the key.

What makes the successful different?

In his book, Malcolm Gladwell refers to a select few as the ‘outliers’ – the best of the best, the successful and the rich. He explains to us how the elite are different from us and how we are missing out on understanding their success. He answers this by stating that we pay too much attention to their post-success lifestyle when instead we should focus on their past. Their upbringing, their education, their struggles, these are the things we should focus on, they bring us closer to them and give us a better understanding of them because we can see them in our shoes. This helps with decision making and boosts confidence in our abilities.

The book is a must-read for anyone that is wanting to succeed. The in-depth interview with Bill Gates provides readers with an insight into the mind of the richest man in the world, and is inspiring to young people everywhere.

Reading duration: 6 hours 56 mins

Get Outliers: The Story of Success from Amazon at $12.35.

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What You Can Learn From Over 5000 Years Ago That Will Help You Today

History is inevitable. The wisest are men who have learnt from their history. Human history is filled with a blend of good and bad moments; events that mark the creation of the present world and as we known it.History is not merely a reminder of crime and man’s dispute with others but also a garden of flowers with each flower possessing a unique fragrance; a space in mind where thousands of saints, artists, warriors, philosophers still live and preach their expertise.

In The Lessons of History, Will and Ariel Durant have described all the good factors about history,giving us a glimpse of human civilisation and the norms that connect us to our ancestors. It makes a relation between us and the people who lived thousands of years ago.

In this book, Durant gives a bird’s eye view of human civilisation. This book is a succession of the 10 volumes “History of Civilisation” and was first published in 1968, making it one of the most thought provoking books of the 20th century and is a must read for any history enthusiast.

As you go along the book, it unveils all the mysteries about human history and connects the species that are thousands of years apart from each other in an emotional yet attractive way. The writer has combined the concepts of social sciences, human psychology and economics in a creative way.

Why is history important?

History allows us to feel connected to our roots and develop a relationship with our ancestors. Only through history can we learn many different lessons necessary for our success and deliverance. History reveals the secrets and opens to us the doors of knowledge we seek every day.

History teaches us that society is a game of survival. The strong will rule and the weak will get oppressed by the forced rules implemented by the stronger society. However, certain events can bring the whole world together to fight and stand for the same cause. This sudden change in the behavior and needs of the entire world will be occurring because of the history and the lessons history has taught us.

Reading duration: 2 hours 38 minutes

GetThe Lessons of History from Amazon at $8.98

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Let Me Give You The Gift Of The Gab

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking. Ranking number 13 amongst other popular phobias, it is more common than the fear of clowns, needles, and darkness. We might not all suffer from this phobia, but I’m sure there are times we still feel nervous and anxious when we have to face a big crowd or give a speech in front of a large audience. Yet public speaking is almost one of the most useful delivery tools in our lives.

Remember the times you had to present at school, or pitch a project in class?All these require a form of public speaking. Eventually when you move on to working life, chances are you would still have to speak in front of an audience whether it be in board meetings, office seminars or external presentations where you might need to pitch a proposal to clients. Public speaking is an important asset that we should all strive to achieve no matter how big your fears may be.

Here is a selection of 5 books that will help you through the anxiety, to excel in the public speaking arena.

TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris J. Anderson

There is no denying that (almost) all TED speakers are talented public speakers, and the man behind the TED curtain, who has worked with all these inspiring TED speakers, Chris Anderson has definitely challenged the public speaking game for short talks since his takeover in the early 2000s. The book explains how powerful public speeches are achieved, and equips you to master your next great public speaking stint.

“There is no formula; no two talks should be the same” as Chris pointed out there is no cookie cutter solution to the best short talk. The core takeaway from this book is about how public speaking is merely a channel to transfer your ideas to your audience’s minds.

Reading Duration: 5hrs 57mins

Get TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking from Amazon at $9.24

Slide: ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte

Presentation slides/visual aids are one of the few elements that require professionals to think visually and leverage hard skills. But unlike verbal skills, effective visual expression is not actively taught in schools or business training programs.

This book is loaded with easy and practical examples of visual story development which can be used by anyone. It will not turn you into a designer overnight, but you will learn the basics of preparing visual aids for presentations. Be aware this is not a book for teaching you how to use keynote, but more of visual storytelling from a design perspective. Get hold of the book if you are someone who is constantly having to public speak, but has only one set of powerpoint templates.

Reading Duration: 6hrs 7mins

Get Slide: ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations from Amazon at $27.84

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Why is it that some people and organisations are more innovative and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers?

Speaking just seems to be more desirable than listening, so how then can we get people to listen to us? This book offers comparisons and cases to learn from, as Sinek uses the Golden Circle theory of placing WHY at the core, followed by WHAT and HOW, arguing that we’d be better off if we focus more on the WHY as the golden circle suggest, because “People don’t buy WHAT you do, but WHY you do it”.

An important aspect of public speaking is in the persuasiveness of your speech, so if you need some tips on sharpening your sales pitch, check this read.

If you want to be inspired in a few minutes and catch the core of the book, watch Sinek’s TED talk about Starting with WHY:

Reading Duration: 5hrs 17mins

Get Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action from Amazon at $10.23

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff

In the book Pitch Anything, Klaff argues that creating and presenting a great pitch is merely science, and describes how the brain makes decisions and responds to pitches with the back up of neuroscience. No matter whether you agree with his science method, some of his points are definitely solid, including setting the frame, great storytelling, and how to close a pitch. Expect this book to be your out-of-the-box read for an alternative view on pitching and public speaking.

Reading Duration: 4hrs 57mins

Get Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal from Amazon at $13.75

Do You Talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker by David Nihill

Humour can be one of the hardest-to-master elements in public speaking, to speak fluently and capturing the audience’s attention is already difficult, let alone adding humour into the equation.

In Do You Talk Funny, you can learn skills from comedians, and apply to your day-to-day speaking activities, levelling up your public speaking skills. Of course, what you say/tell is not the most important (because humans can only remember 7% of what others have said), Nihill also delivers advice on managing your crowd, time, the stage, interruptions, and the list goes on. Expect yourself to be a more effective and funny public speaker after a good read of this book!

Reading Duration: 4hrs 17mins

Get Do You Talk Funny? 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker from Amazon at $12.13

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Walk While You Work, You'll Be 10X Healthier

In a 2013 article in the New Yorker, writer Susan Orlean informed us that she works on a treadmill desk. For those who are unfamiliar, a treadmill desk is a set-up where you walk at a slow pace – usually not much faster than 2 mph – on a treadmill and using a tall standing desk at the same time.[1]

Orlean writes that the biggest problem with this set-up is that she has a constant compulsion to announce that she’s working on a treadmill desk.

Sitting silently kills us

But despite the impulse to virtue-signal to all your coworkers, friends, and family, walking while working in incredible for your health. Susan writes the real health risks of sitting more than 6 hours per day – and most Americans sit for more than 11 hours per day!

It’s not surprising that we sit so much: our lives are geared toward this stasis. Many of us have desks at work, and we spend a lot of our time there staring at computer screens, reading, writing, making calls, etc.

The net effect of this is that our muscles remain inactive for 70 to 80% of our waking hours. We burn fewer calories than we did 50 years ago. And, worst of all, there are serious health issues at risk. As Orlean notes, sitting can lead to cardiovascular problems, Type 2 diabetes, certain kinds of cancer, and depression.

Check out this infographic for all the health issues caused by sitting too much:

But, as Orlean notes,

“the thing with walking, though, is that it really does take a lot of time. When I ran, I could whip through five miles in forty-five minutes, but walking the same distance would take forever.”

We all have long workdays and home obligations that eat up our hours. This is where the treadmill desk is perfect! You can work up to walking for one or two hours, or even more, thus avoiding the potential health problems and helping you get more active and burn more calories throughout the day.

Don’t just sit there!

It’s not a must to get a treadmill, which can be somewhat expensive. A great alternative to get started is a standing desk, or a convertible desk that moves up and down for both standing and seated work. A shelf, countertop, or sturdy box could work as makeshift standing desks as well.

As you get started, alternate often. It can take a while to get used to physically active working. Work for 20 minutes standing, then sit for 20 minutes. Keep switching back and forth. Once this becomes easy, you can increase you standing time – but still make sure you take breaks! And when you can, take a little walk while you work, such as if you’re talking to customers, having a conference call, or listening to an audiobook.

It takes some getting used to, but give it a shot! Transition from sitting to standing, and from standing to walking. You too can avoid the chair trap and make small healthy and powerful changes to your work style.

Featured photo credit: Business Insider via youtube.com

Reference

[1] The New Yorker: The Walking Alive

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Amazing Paintings by Sergey Piskunov Sergey Piskunov born in...





















Amazing Paintings by Sergey Piskunov

Sergey Piskunov born in 1989 is a professional artist from Kiev, Ukraine. In the oil painting artist works since 2010.

I constantly experimenting with different styles. I didn’t compare the style of my art to a certain direction, but I had to admit that the basic styles in which I am working close to impressionism, expressionism, and realism.  

Artist website.


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posted by Margaret 

Amazing Paintings by Sergey Piskunov Sergey Piskunov born in... crss





















Amazing Paintings by Sergey Piskunov

Sergey Piskunov born in 1989 is a professional artist from Kiev, Ukraine. In the oil painting artist works since 2010.

I constantly experimenting with different styles. I didn’t compare the style of my art to a certain direction, but I had to admit that the basic styles in which I am working close to impressionism, expressionism, and realism.  

Artist website.


Receive art updates from our Twitter feed
posted by Margaret 

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