Think Out of the Box: November 2013

Friday, 29 November 2013

Positive Attitude is Every Thing

See Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9EyV15yclE

Let me use an example to explain.

Say your bathroom was dirty and needed to cleaned. What thoughts enter your mind when you think about cleaning the bathroom. Do you think things like, 'ugh', 'gross', or, 'I have better things I could be doing'? Or do you think things like, 'I don't mind cleaning the bathroom', 'I love the end result of having a clean bathroom', 'I enjoy the lemon scents of the cleaners', or, 'this will be an opportunity to do a little bit of physical activity'?

The first set of responses is an example of a negative attitude. The second set of responses is an example of a positive attitude.

Most of us have thoughts or judgments about everything in our lives. The easiest way to tell if your thoughts are positive or negative about something is to ask yourself how you feel about it. Your thoughts lead to your feelings. And the easiest way to find out what thoughts are behind how you feel is to ask yourself why you feel that way.

Think about an upcoming event in your life, even if it's something simple like getting together with friends. How do you feel about that upcoming event? If you are feeling positive emotions like excitement, or hope, then you know you have positive thoughts about it. Positive thoughts mean you have a positive attitude about it.

On the other hand, if you are feeling scared or worried, then you know that you are having negative thoughts about that event and that your attitude toward it is negative.

These are some examples of how you can have a positive or negative attitude about specific things or events in your life, but what is a positive attitude in more general terms?

The average person has about 55,000 thoughts per day, which means that you potentially have around 55,000 positive or negative thoughts each day. If more of those thoughts are positive than negative, you could say that in general, you have a more positive than negative attitude.

Positive Attitude is Every Thing
Your Attitude Is Everything,

Positive Attitude Is Everything
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Regards,

Nidhi Jain [ MBA eComm]

Asst Project Manager [ eComm]

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Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Motivational Concepts

Motivation can be anything that arouses an organism toward action for a desired goal. Motivation can be the reason for the action or that which gives direction to an action.

In psychology, motivation refers to the initiation, direction, intensity, and persistence of behavior. Motivation is a temporal and dynamic state that should not be confused with personality or emotion. It involves having the desire and willingness to do something. A motivated person can be reaching for a long-term goal such as becoming a professional writer or a more short-term goal like learning how to spell a particular word. Personality invariably refers to more or less permanent characteristics of an individual's state of being (such as shy, extrovert, conscientious). As opposed to motivation, emotion refers to temporal states that do not immediately link to behavior (such as anger, grief, or happiness).

Motivation can be categorized according to whether it is a basic, instinctive drive, unlearned and common to all people and also animals, or a learned motivation that can be unique. The former type of motivation involves satisfying the needs of the physical body, and include hunger, thirst, shelter or safety, sexual activity, and so forth. The latter type includes achievement of goals, whether they be in terms of gaining knowledge, power, self-development, or a loving relationship. This latter type can be seen as satisfying the desires of the mind and spirit. Motivation is complex since human nature is complex. Yet, to understand what motivates people to act in certain ways enables people to live and work peaceably with one another.

Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Intrinsic motivation is based on taking pleasure in an activity rather than working towards an external reward. Intrinsic motivation has been studied since the early 1970s. Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities.[2] Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they:

Motivation is a word used to refer to the reason or reasons for engaging in a particular behavior, especially human behavior as studied in psychology and neuropsychology. It is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal directed behaviors. For instance: An individual has not eaten, he or she feels hungry, and as a response he or she eats and diminishes feelings of hunger. There are many approaches to motivation: physiological, behavioural, cognitive, and social.

Motivation may be rooted in a basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or for a desired object. Conceptually, motivation is related to, but distinct from, emotion.

These reasons may include basic needs such as food or a desired object, goal, state of being, or ideal. The motivation for a behavior may also be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism or morality. According to Geen,[1] motivation refers to the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of human behavior.
    attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as autonomy,
    believe they have the skill that will allow them to be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck),
    are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades.

Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome, which then contradicts intrinsic motivation. It is widely believed that motivation performs two functions. The first is often referred as to the energetic activation component of the motivation construct. The second is directed at a specific behaviour and makes reference to the orientation directional component. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades, and threat of punishment. Competition is in general extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not simply to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. A crowd cheering on the individual and trophies are also extrinsic incentives. The concept of motivation can be instilled in children at a very young age, by promoting and evoking interest in a certain book or novel. The idea is to have a discussion pertaining the book with young individuals, as well as to reward them.

Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to overjustification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. In one study demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were) rewarded with a ribbon and a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing with the drawing materials in subsequent observations than children who were assigned to an unexpected reward condition.[3] For those children who received no extrinsic reward, self-determination theory proposes that extrinsic motivation can be internalised by the individual if the task fits with their values and beliefs and therefore helps to fulfill their basic psychological needs.

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Regards,

Nidhi Jain [ MBA eComm]

Asst Project Manager [ eComm]

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You can make your life happier. It is a matter of choice.

You can make your life happier. It is a matter of choice.

"It is your attitude that makes you feel happy or unhappy."

We meet various situations every day, and some of them may not contribute to happiness. However, we can choose to keep thinking about the unhappy events, and we can choose to refuse to think about them, and instead, think about and relish the happy moments.

and we can do a lot to add happiness to our lives.

Tips for happiness in daily life:

1) Endeavor to change the way you look at things. Always look

at the bright side. The mind may drag you to think about

negativity and difficulties. Don't let it. Look at the good

and positive side of every situation.

2) Think about solutions, not about problems.

3) Listen to relaxing, uplifting music.

4) Watch funny comedies that make you laugh.

5) Each day, devote some time to reading a few pages of an

inspiring book or article.

6) Watch your thoughts. Whenever you catch yourself thinking

negative thoughts, start thinking of pleasant things.

7) Always look at what you have done and not at what you

haven't.

Sometimes you may begin the day with the desire to accomplish

.
All of us go through various situations and circumstances,
but we do not have to let them influence our reactions and
feelings.

If we let outer events influence our moods, we become their

slaves. We lose our freedom. We let our happiness be

determined by outer forces. On the other hand, we can free

ourselves from outer influences. We can choose to be happy,

If we let outer events influence our moods, we become their

slaves. We lose our freedom. We let our happiness be

determined by outer forces. On the other hand, we can free

ourselves from outer influences. We can choose to be happy,

and we can do a lot to add happiness to our lives.

Tips for happiness in daily life:

1) Endeavor to change the way you look at things. Always look

at the bright side. The mind may drag you to think about

negativity and difficulties. Don't let it. Look at the good

and positive side of every situation.

2) Think about solutions, not about problems.

3) Listen to relaxing, uplifting music.

4) Watch funny comedies that make you laugh.

5) Each day, devote some time to reading a few pages of an

inspiring book or article.

6) Watch your thoughts. Whenever you catch yourself thinking

negative thoughts, start thinking of pleasant things.

7) Always look at what you have done and not at what you

haven't.

Sometimes you may begin the day with the desire to accomplish

several objectives. At the end of the day you might feel

frustrated and unhappy, because you haven't been able to do

all of those things.

Look at what you have done, not at what you have not been able

to do. Often, even if you have accomplished a lot during the

day, you let yourself feel frustrated, because of small minor

tasks you didn't accomplish.

Sometimes, you spend all day successfully carrying out many

plans, but instead of feeling happy and satisfied, you look at

what was not accomplished and feel unhappy. It is unfair

toward yourself.

8) Each day do something good for yourself. It can be

something small, such buying a book, eating something you

love, watching your favorite program on TV, going to a movie,

or just having a stroll on the beach.

9) Each day do at least one act to make others happy.

This can be a kind word, helping your colleagues, stopping

your car at the crossroad to let people cross, giving your

seat in a bus to someone else, or giving a small present to

someone you love. The possibilities are infinite.

When you make someone happy, you become happy, and then people

try to make you happy.

10) Always expect happiness.

--

Regards,

Nidhi Jain [ MBA eComm]

Asst Project Manager [ eComm]

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Friday, 22 November 2013

Thinking Out of the Box

What is Thinking Out of the Box ?

Thinking out of the box is the mode of thought that dares to challenge conventional wisdom, it dares to question beliefs so deeply held by so many that they are considered almost sacred. Thinking out the box is an all too rare quality, but when applied it can bring revolutionary leaps in human progress. Even where the existing ways really are most appropriate, an "out of the box" critic can actually enhance their validity by forcing their proponents to justify them.
By contrast, thinking inside the box is following convention. doing what everyone else does just because that's the way it's always been done. Thinking in the box allows survival, but without innovation we cannot do much more than stand still and stagnate.

The notion 'thinking outside the box' is far more than just another management cliché. It is a very powerful concept worthy of deeper consideration in today's complex and rapidly changing world. Thinking outside the box is never easy, nor is it merely a reflection of mental brightness. To leave your psychological comfort zone and explore "solutions in the unknown world on the outside requires large measures of mental agility, boldness, and creativity – and/or an inspirational leader who makes life in the old box so uncomfortable that getting out is the only option. The future rests in those willing and able to do so.

Why Think Out of the Box?

Do we survive or thrive? If it ain't broke don't fix it runs the old adage. But evolution is based on the continued improvement of that which already works. From the very earliest forms of life that gained a foothold in a barren universe progress has come from doing things different than how they'd been done before. A common human tendency is to seek the acceptance and approval of our peers. Another is the desire to operate within our comfort zone. The first tendency means we tend to conform to popular opinion. Perhaps we feel safer in a crowd, are afraid of possible ridicule. Perhaps we once held contrary views, but have had these stifled by societal pressure. The second tendency means we simply accept what we are told because we are too lazy to think for ourselves. Add to those the conditioning to conform, be a good citizen etc etc etc...

And by following these tendencies we can survive the various trials of life. We can get a job, make enough to live, with perhaps enough left over for a yearly vacation. We'll certainly survive, but we'll be anonymous, and when our time on earth is finally done we'll leave behind nothing but the memories of a few loved ones. By thinking out of the box we give ourselves the chance to go beyond this bare existence and begin to fulfill the true potential of our earthly incarnation. Not everyone can be a Da Vinci or Einstein, but we can all try to maximize our own particular potential. Given the most precious gift of incarnation that is surely our most basic duty.

How to Think Out of the Box ?

Firstly, don't get in a rut. Avoid the comfort zone. Push yourself. Accept, and actively seek out new challenges. Take chances. Avoid routines, or if you end up with one, change it for change's sake. If you usually drink coffee at breakfast, try a cup of tea instead. If you normally take route A, try route B, or C, once in a while. Get into the habit of questioning and challenging established practice. Not all established practice is wrong, but where it is right, rising to a challenge will strengthen its claim to legitimacy. Is there a different way of doing this/that? Or rather how many different ways can you think of? Allow yourself freedom to brainstorm on a frequent and regular basis. In brainstorming phase accept everything that comes into your head, don't censor yourself. The wilder the idea, the better. Of course, brainstorming needs to be followed by rationalization, but at a later time. Keep a note of all your ideas, even the initially rejected ones. You never know when they might be useful.

Thinking out of the box is hard. It uses more energy and creates more stress than simply going with flow. Very few can comfortably operate out of the box 100% of the time. If we can employ that faculty 10% of the time we are probably doing better than 90% of the population. It follows that we need to judge very carefully which situations are worth making that extra effort for. Most times it's fine to drift along on auto-pilot, saving our out of the box thinking for things that matter to us most. All we can take from this world is experience, all else is illusion. We live each moment only once, so we might as well make the most of it. And we make the most of it not by accepting, but challenging accepted ways.

10 steps to Think Out of The Box

1 Be prepared for a big change.

To re-educate yourself and the way you think is almost a "lifestyle" change. Basically, you're re-inventing the wheel and you are the wheel. Indications that it might be time to change your way of thinking include:

- You're in a rut, you know you're in a rut, and no matter what you try, you fall back into the rut.
- You can't come up with a solution to a nagging problem. Finally, someone else does and the answer was an incredibly obvious one; it happens a lot.

2 Learn the terms.

If you're familiar with the terms, you'll be in a great position to do some research into out-of-the-box thinking. Some of the terminology for modes of "thinking outside of the box" are:

- Reframing
- Lateral thinking
- Process improvements.

3 Understand that, for a given problem, some people tend to come up with the more "creative" solutions.

The inability to do so does not reflect a person's intelligence. What it does indicate is that people with such solutions are the ones who are more willing, or need, to push themselves out of their comfort zone to get the answers they seek. Those who think outside of the box are usually:

- Willing to take new perspectives toward day-to-day work.
- Capable of thinking differently with an open mind, thinking about the substance of issues, and being receptive to doing things differently.
- Focused on the value of finding new ideas and acting on them.
- Ready to strive to create value in newer ways.
- Capable of listening to, supporting, nurturing and respecting others when they come up with new ideas.
- The driving force behind a lot of people who consistently think outside of the box is frustration. They don't feel that "enough" is being done, and that the "normal" way of thinking just isn't getting it done.

4 Learn what inhibits your ability to change.

The following characteristics lessen your ability to make a positive change in your thinking methods:

- Negative attitude.
- Fear of failure, perfectionism.
- Executive stress, or other stress.
- Following rules, hidebound to black and white thinking (not flexible, unable to perceive the value in gray areas).
- Making assumptions – about others, about the world, about the expectations you feel weighing on you, about your own abilities.
- Over-reliance on logic, along with assuming you have an accurate grasp of what is logical.

5 Challenge assumptions.

Just because it has always been that way, doesn't mean that it has to continue to be that way. In fact, by expecting things to never change, you're setting yourself up for a lot of pain and unhappiness when things – and people – do change around you, without taking you along. Ways to challenge assumptions include:

- Ask questions. Don't ignore your questions; give them free rein.
- Stop jumping to hasty conclusions. Haste makes waste and can leave you in hot water. Reflect over things until the better answer arrives.
- Look at something a different way, literally. Perhaps you've been hammering out a new design for something at work. You've been looking at this design for weeks, always in the same position. Try shifting it. Turn the design upside down, or take it out into the sunshine under the trees, or project it into the ceiling and have all of your co-workers lie in the floor to observe it. You'll be amazed at what a position change can do for assumptions and perspective.

6 Break free of dull routine.

Doing the same thing, day in and day out, will dull even the smartest person's mind. Find ways of minimizing routine in your life, while still embracing ritual – the two approaches are very different in result. Ritual is about daily or regular activities that center you, keep you well (such as exercise or yoga), and give you a sense of place and identity. Routine is about the things that cause you to fall into a rut, respond without thinking, and that often feel imposed upon you from elsewhere.

- Change it up, occasionally. Do things differently. Instead of photocopying all the documents first thing in the morning, email them around to everyone and tell them the copier's broken. Next morning, email everything again, telling everyone how well yesterday went and that you've decided to do it like this from now on.
- Change your appearance and clothes. Many a rut is given a swift kick when you treat yourself to a new look. It's a start, and a really fun one at that.
- Walk a different way to work, catch a bus instead of driving, bring your lunch in instead of eating out (or vice versa), go home early for a change.

7 Brainstorm.

Brainstorming can do amazing things to help you think outside-the-box. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

- Think of vague keywords like "coffee" and follow whatever this leads to next in your mind, and take it as far as you can go; this can lead to interesting ideas. For example: "Coffee" -> "Milk" -> "Spilled" -> "Unspillable milk and coffee container".

- Do brain teasers, puzzles, psychometric tests, etc., and challenge your brain to new ways of doing and seeing things.
- If you hated math, English or science, try it again; this time make yourself do it well. Force your mind to think down different pathways.
- Learn a new language, a new way of keeping inventory, a new way to be a great boss or lover.
- Write poems. Poems can spark your creative thinking.
- Visualize work or home solutions through drawing pictures rather than writing things down.

8 Think laterally.

It can be really beneficial to learn about how people do it in other walks of life. Whether you're a CEO, an engineer, a stay-at-home mom, or a teacher, there are ways of thinking laterally that can benefit what you're doing.

- Read about processes and solutions in industries different from the one you're working in. Chances are there are some amazing answers for you to uncover and apply to your situation.
- The same goes for cross-disciplinary studies. Instead of staying within your own expertise, branch out and investigate what other disciplines are doing in areas or topics that interest you. There may be some surprising connections worth uncovering and adapting.
- Sit down and talk with others who know nothing about what you're doing but are willing listeners. Explain your situation and challenges and ask for their thoughts on solutions.

Preeti Bagad [BE(CS)]

SW Engineer Cum Blogger

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Thursday, 21 November 2013

Reduce Stress by Eliminating Negative Self-Talk

Positive Thinking: Reduce Stress by Eliminating Negative Self-Talk

Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic — and it may even affect your health.
Indeed, some studies show that personality traits like optimism and pessimism can affect many areas of your health and well-being. The positive thinking that typically comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management. And effective stress management is associated with many health benefits. If you tend to be pessimistic, don't despair — you can learn positive thinking skills. Here's how.

Understanding positive thinking and self-talk

Positive thinking doesn't mean that you keep your head in the sand and ignore life's less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach the unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.

Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.

If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.