Self Pursuit Helping you grow, think, create and live a life of perpetual development.

Famous sociologist Sigmund Freud once commented that a person's name is one single context that is most easily forgotten by the human brain. Although the human mind has the ability to store many memories, there could be just some exceptions that some names just slipped our minds. The feeling can be most embarrassing and sometimes may even lead to possible misunderstandings between people. You don't feel good when people forget your name or addresses you by some funny or rude nicknames, like: " Hey you!"

Please do not push the fault on forgetfulness, laziness or simply cannot be bothered. It's considered rude and offensive in our present society and one can be misjudged to be ignorant and uncivilized for committing such blunder. Mastering the skills of remembering names give a person an upper hand during social gatherings and interactions with people. Comprising of the few factors, namely, visual, aural and strategic techniques, it is possible to enhance the different ways to remember names.

Some of the most effective’s methods are in fact, relatively simple and precise. Repetition is one of them. When a new name is being introduced to a person, he has to make sure the name is being verbalized out loudly so that he remembers it. Repeating the names creates strong signals to the brain that this piece of information is important and needs to be stored permanently. This highly effective method is especially beneficial for people who claim that they are forgetful.

Next method is to show genuine interest in the person's name and its variations, for example, if a person's name is David, you may want to ask how the person would like to be called. Dave, or David. Most likely the person will have positive impression of you when you display concern. Preferably you may want to inquire the meaning of the name and why the name was chosen. People will love to tell others the origin of their names and feel proud of it. Indirectly you have showed them that you care and ultimately it enhance your memory of remembering the person's name.

Dramatizing faces also helps in remembering faces and names. For example, David has a mole on his cheek and Lucy has a flat nose with a round shaped face. Associating facial features along with names helps in conceptualizing memory into a long term date store in the brain. To a certain extent this method can be interesting, memorable but yet can also be quite offensive if you remember by associating person's bad points with names. Thus keep it to yourself if you do it this way.

If you are a visual learner, the best way is to keep a small diary and note it down. This method is almost flawless and one can never forget unless you lose your diary. When a name is introduced to you, simply write down the name in your diary as your first step. This creates a great impression if that person sees you doing it. He or she will feel appreciated and happy. After writing down, take a few close look at the person's face and the name few times repeatedly. You will never forget anymore.

Negative energy has become a reality of our daily lives. It is almost unavoidable to prevent negative energies from entering our lives. One meets a depressed friend who pours out her sorrows to him. You just received a phone call that your loved ones had passed away. You are facing extreme stress from your boss at work and has difficulty paying your monthly bills. Negative energy is everywhere in our lives, ready to invade into our bodies and humans are often vulnerable to these invasions.

Since ancient times humans have tried to remove negative energies by means of carrying pendants, precious stones, chanting spells, burning incense and meditations to ward off the undesired force. But there are just times where the force gets so incredibly high and difficult that none of these may work. Probably one may need some new interventions to prevent the negative energies from spewing forth. The truth to how to removing negative energy is important to maintain a clear state of mind for oneself, as well to keep yourself in a vigilant state to rationalize and maintain your sanity.

One of the most effective methods of removing negative energies is to create a ritual circle for yourself. It will be good if you have incense blends or stones to go hand in hand with the ritual but not absolutely necessary. Find a quiet spot and position yourself in a comfortable position, preferably sitting down so you don't fall over. Imagine yourself as a vessel filled with 'dirty stuff' (negative energies) and waiting to be emptied off. From the very bottom of your feet, envision negative energies as black smoke that is slowly rising from your feet, passing through your organs and moving up to your upper body. Finally it reaches your neck, face and head. The smoke gradually moves out of the top of your head like a rooftop and disappears into thin air.

No one will feel yourself 'clean' and in a state of calmness and purity. It's time to fill this empty vessel with positive energies to replace the negative forces. In the same way the negative energies had left your body, envision white smoke slowly entering the top of your head and moving downwards into your body till it reaches your feet. Trust your intuitions and senses, if you think too much of white smoke has entered your body, release some of it back to Mother Earth. You will be able to feel it.

At this time you will be brimming with positive energies and feel peaceful and calm. One may wish to sit longer at the same spot to enjoy this moment and to think about your existing problems. Do not be surprise that now you can think and rationalize so much better and there will not feel any sense of grief when you think about depressing issues. Instead you find yourself even calmer and stronger to face up to your problems. Pamper yourself after the ritual with your favorite stuff. You will feel much better in no time.

Studying is not a difficult task to accomplish, but having to focus on studying can be quite a tedious process. Sadly, humans are not gifted to focus on studying the subjects that we do not like, but that does not mean that it's impossible. Here are some tips to help you focus in studying better.

Keep a strict timetable and make sure you follow it faithfully, or at least 90%. Do not make excuses for yourself. A timetable that is not adhered to strictly is as good as not having it at all. Draft out a lists of tasks to accomplish for the day and prioritize them, finishing the most important subjects followed by the least important materials. People will tend to put their focus on tasks that are extremely pressing and urgent. This is human nature. Next draft out a timeline together with a short term goal as well as a long term goal. What do you want to achieve in your field of study. If you are studying for exams, what grades do you want to score for each and every subject? Document everything down on a paper and paste it on an eye catchy corner in your room where you can see it every day while studying. Goals are in fact known as 'anticipated' rewards if you really work towards them without fail. One will get their just rewards after following your goals closely. Thus make this your motivation to help you focus in studying as this is one of the most lucrative ways to help you get started and be focused.

Weigh your consequences. What will likely happen if you do not study enough? One may likely to fail in an exam or get lousy grades. Or you may produce works which are poor in quality. But what's worse in not focusing in study is that you end up learning little or nothing at all from the books but just pure wasting of your precious time. It does not really matter what you are studying for, but most importantly one has to benefit from it. Knowledge has to be absorbed and remembered in the human minds to benefit us in the long run. This seemed like one of the ways to frighten and threaten yourself but it works to a certain extent. Humans are always of the unknown. While we venture in a journey from the known to the unknown, fears and doubts escalates and indirectly this creates a negative form of motivation for a person to focus more in studying so as to prevent the unknown outcome which most likely will be disastrous.

Reward yourself every time when you finish studying for a desired period of time set in your diary. This will help you to focus more and more for the subsequent sessions. Have your favorite snack, pamper yourself to movies, shopping or even a short nap can get yourself recharged and ready for the next battle with the books. As the saying goes, to recharge is to prepare yourself for a longer and more effective journey. Focusing in studying is possible and can be achieved without much pains and hassle. How to focus on studying? The answers are clear now.

From the first caveman to use a stone tool, problem solving has been part of the human experience. Our creative nature makes problem solving both enjoyable and necessary. No matter what career path you find yourself on, problems are bound to require solving. Sometimes problems seem daunting, confusing, or even unsolvable. However, when you break the problem down using problem solving techniques, you will find it must easier to tackle the problem.

Problem solving involves four basic steps:

Defining the Problem. It may sound obvious, but of course you can't solve a problem without defining it first! It is crucial to fully study the problem, so that you understand all of its aspects. Only with this understanding will you be able to generate an effective, comprehensive solution. Some tools and techniques for defining problems include root cause analysis, cause and effect diagrams, and systems diagrams.

Finding Alternatives. As you search for a solution to your problem, be sure to include all possible options. Be creative, and don't limit yourself by predefining characteristics that the solution must have. Don't rule anything out until you've analyzed it. It may turn out that you can combine different aspects of various solutions in order to create the one perfect solution that best meets your needs and solves the problem. Possible techniques include brainstorming, star bursting, and metaphorical thinking. If you are working in a group, take advantage of that fact by doing group brainstorming and bouncing ideas off one another.

Evaluating Options. If you're lucky, you will end up with several possible solutions to your problem. In order to choose between them, you will need to find some method of evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. Possible methods include pro and con lists, risk analysis, and impact analysis. If finances are a concern, you will also need to consider cost/benefit analysis, cash flow forecasting, and break-even analysis. You will also need to consider your (or your company's) value system. Even if a certain solution makes perfect sense financially, if it does not jibe with your value system it is not an acceptable solution.

Implementing Solutions. Once you have chosen a solution, you need to figure out how to implement it. Depending on the complexity of the solution, you may need to consult with multiple parties or individuals in order to produce a plan for implementation. If the solution is controversial, you will need to get support for it before implementation. Ways of getting support include using stakeholder analysis and influence maps to discover who the key players in the implementation project will be. Once these individuals are identified, you can begin working with them to plan and endorse the project.

Even after the solution is in place and the problem is solved, you will need to evaluate it and make sure it is successful. You can do this by testing it and listening carefully to feedback from users.

Most of these problem solving steps are intuitive. With small problems, you probably go through all of these steps without even realizing it. However, if your problem is larger or involves a whole bunch of other people, you would do well to use these techniques.

At work, at home, and in everyday life, problems come up. Sometimes it can seem difficult or even impossible to solve them in a way that pleases everyone involved. However, if you go about it in a methodical way and use various proven techniques for problem solving, you will find that solutions for your problem are within your reach.

One of the most common problem solving techniques is brainstorming. By letting your mind open and your thoughts flow freely, you can generate an amazing number of ideas and possible solutions to your problem. During the brainstorming process, it is important not to judge any of the ideas. The time for judgment and analysis will come later. Right now, it is just important to put every idea out there and not interrupt the flow of ideas with negative assessments.

Once you have a list of ideas from your brainstorming session, you can sort them into categories using an affinity diagram. If you thought ahead, you would have written your brainstorming ideas on sticky notes, which are easy to move around and stick onto the various pages of the affinity diagram. Looking at your notes, start picking out common threads and topics. You will see that your seemingly disparate ideas actually have many similarities. Now that your material is organized, you can think in terms of categories and then work from there to develop a solution.

Another important technique is the root cause technique. When you are faced with a problem, you need to study it to make sure that what you see is in fact the entire problem, and not just a symptom of a larger problem. For example, let's say your problem is that sales are down. Rather than diving into an attempt to solve this problem by boosting sales, you should investigate the root causes to discover why sales are down. You may discover that your packaging has changed recently, or an ad campaign has just ended, or some other factor that contributed to or even caused the drop in sales. Armed with this additional information, you can now create and implement better, more wide-reaching solutions that address both the causes and effects of the problem.

Data gathering and analysis is also integral to effective problem solving. Not only must you gather facts and data about the problem and its effects, you must also make sure you fully understand the implications of the solution that you choose. Before you implement a solution, check to see if others have experienced the same problem. You may be able to benefit from their knowledge and experience.

You might not always have time to indulge in a lengthy brain storming session or problem analysis. If you have a time-sensitive problem, you will need to practice split second decision making techniques. Split second decision making has also been called "thin slicing," because when faced with a time crunch, you must take a thin slice of the problem's most important variables and use that to make your decision, rather than analyzing every possible facet of the problem.

Relaxation contributes to real health benefits like reduced stress, reduced blood pressure, lessened muscle tension, and relief from chronic pain. When you think about creating a relaxation program for yourself, the results will be very individual. It all depends on what works for you! When you are starting out, you should consider a mix of peaceful, fun activities, mental relaxation programs, and techniques for how to relax the body.

When it comes to physically relaxing the body, one method is to systematically relax each muscle in your body. This takes about 15 minutes, so you will need to find a quiet place where you can relax undisturbed for that amount of time. You will need to sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor. Examine your mind and see if you find any negative thoughts or points of tension. Before you begin relaxing your muscles, deal with these thoughts. Disarm them by putting them out of your mind, and do not let them interfere with your relaxation session.

Now, close your eyes and begin to control your breathing. Take slow, deep, even breaths and feel your body begin to relax. Bend wrist back, hold the tension for a moment, and relax. Repeat on the other wrist. Now make fists with both hands, hold, and relax. Bend your arms at the elbows and lift towards your shoulders, tightening your biceps muscles as you do so. Hold and relax.

Let's move to the upper body. Drop your head towards your chest and feel the stretch along the back of your neck. Hold and relax. Raise your shoulders in a shrug, hold, and relax. Hold a deep breath while you press your shoulder blades together by pulling your elbows back behind you. Hold and relax. Stretch your abs by pulling your belly button in towards your spine. Hold and relax. Arch your back away from the chair, hold, and relax.

Now for the legs and feet. Press both feet flat against the floor, hold, and relax. Raise each leg up in front of you, stretch the thigh, and relax. Place the feet on floor again and bend the toes up. Hold, and relax.

Slowly open your eyes, get up from your chair, and get on with your day with smooth, relaxed muscles!

When trying to relax the body or the mind, you may find it helpful to use guided imagery audio or scripts. These scripts will direct you in a program of thoughts that create a relaxing virtual experience, like lying on the beach or walking through a sunny meadow. Because of the mind-body connection, you will feel the physical benefits of these imagined activities.

If you enjoy testing and stretching the body and find this type of activity relaxing, you should also consider practicing yoga. Because of its delightful stretching maneuvers, yoga is great for muscle relaxation. It also requires poise and focus that lead you to clear your mind of everyday worries and stress-inducing thoughts. No matter what your athletic ability, you can find a yoga program that will challenge and relax you.

In today's hectic, stressful world, finding time to relax can be difficult. However, it is important to make an effort to relax and unwind each day, so that you do not become overwhelmed by stress or develop stress-related health problems. Here are some ideas on how to relax.

As part of any relaxation technique, you will need to learn to control your breathing. Stress causes people to breathe in short, rapid bursts. By making an effort to breathe slowly and deeply, you can reduce your stress levels and enter a calm, more peaceful state.

Different people find different activities relaxing. Some people like to meditate, stretch out with a book, or take a nap. Others actually find physical activity relaxing, and like to practice yoga, take a leisurely walk, or play a round of golf to relax. Find out what kind of person you are, and what you consider relaxing. If you feel calm and refreshed when the activity is over, chances are you've found your personal relaxation activity.

If you don't have time to actually get out and do an activity, you can still take mental steps towards relaxing. For example, you can close your eyes and imagine yourself taking a cool, refreshing dip in the pool or doing whatever you find most relaxing. Even simply thinking happy thoughts can help ease tension in moments of stress and make you feel relaxed. You might think of your family or pet, or of a reward or something you are looking forward to doing once the stressful situation has passed.

Laughter is also a huge stress-buster, and a great way to bring things into perspective and make you feel a bit more relaxed. If you find yourself feeling stressed at work with some frequency, you might consider bookmarking some humorous websites on your computer so you can easily get a laugh at your desk.

Many people do not realize that multi tasking contributes to stress. Even if what you're doing is not complicated or important, the fact that you are doing more than one thing at a time puts an additional load on your brain, requires more energy, and can increase stress. In order to have a more relaxing day, slow down and take one thing at a time. Don't be in such a rush that you end up multitasking. Don't over schedule your day or overextend yourself so that you feel rushed and stressed all day long.

It is also important to set aside a time for relaxation each day. When you know you have this relaxation time to look forward to, you can use it as a reward to help you get through the rest of the day. However, this time should feel natural and never develop into just another "task" or appointment on the calendar that you have to get through each day. If you're not enjoying the relaxation time, you might as well not do it.

If you truly want to reduce your stress levels, you a mixture of these relaxation ideas and a commitment to lessening your workload are a great beginning.

Friends and family may come and go, but you're stuck with yourself your whole life! That's why it is so important to love yourself. Do the best that you can to live a life without regrets, follow your dreams, appreciate the good qualities you see in yourself, and never wish you were someone else. Here are some ways to love yourself better.

Believe in Yourself. In order to love yourself, you need to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Gain a realistic sense of your own abilities and then believe in your capacity to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. When you believe in yourself, you can set goals and accomplish them, an activity which contributes greatly to your sense of personal fulfillment and a life well led. Don't let negative suggestions or the doubtful opinions of others interfere with the reasonable goals you have set for yourself. Push on undeterred, until you have achieved what you know in your heart you are capable of.

Don't Compare Yourself to Others. Each individual is unique, with his or her own set of talents, skills, and qualities. There is no point in comparing yourself to others! You are you, and you can never be someone else. Embrace your own unique identity, and learn to love it. When you look at the accomplishments of others, be sure you do so with an eye for appreciating their unique identities. Don't belittle them because they are not as good as you, and don't belittle yourself because you are not as good as them. When you see someone who has skills or abilities you wish you had, don't envy them. Instead, look at them as a mentor. See how you can learn from their experiences and use this knowledge to improve your own skills or abilities. Love yourself enough to see the positive and always be willing to challenge yourself and strive for more.

Be Grateful. Whenever you find yourself feeling sorry for yourself or thinking you lack something, take stock of your life and be grateful for what you already have. Simply by being you, you possess and express many good qualities that are worth being thankful for. When you are grateful for what you already have, you will be in a position to grow even more. Use your native good qualities to help yourself and others. The good you do will boost your self-esteem and help you to find even more aspects of yourself worth loving.

Express Yourself. Use the talents you have to be creative and express yourself. In this process, you can learn a lot about yourself, and make huge strides towards loving yourself better. Don't worry about what others might think of your talents. If you are good at decorating, or painting, or volunteer work, indulge these gifts to your heart's content. If other people think you are being silly or frivolous, ignore them. In life, it is important to express goodness and joy, to help others, and to follow your heart. You can't allow the critical words of others to hinder you or limit your good expression of your natural talents.

When it comes to loving yourself, having a good self image is vital. While the physical body is not the source of your identity, it does play a role in how you interact with the world. Your feelings about your body can help or hinder your quest to love yourself better.

Eat Healthy. When thinking about the body, the most important thing to remember is that the body is a vessel for your mind. Your thoughts, qualities, skills, and talents find expression with the aid of the body. Therefore, in order to express yourself to the fullest, you need to keep your body in top shape. A big part of this is eating healthy. While you don't want to become obsessed with food, you should make a point of regularly eating healthy foods and not overindulging in sweets or fast food. The goal here is not to be supermodel thin or have a bodybuilder's physique, but simply to stay healthy. Eating right can make a huge difference in your energy levels and overall health. When your body feels good, you will be happier and free to focus on the tasks and activities that constitute your life purpose.

Dress Well. If you love yourself , show it by taking care with your appearance. Again, the point is not to develop an obsession with looks, but rather to express your self-confidence and self-esteem through the body. If you don't take the time to present yourself well to others, people will assume that you are not worth their time either. If you dress well, groom yourself well, and walk with poise and confidence, people will realize that you respect yourself. They will be drawn to your confidence and eager to learn about the qualities that make you unique. Even if you don't love your body yet, caring for it well will put you on the right track towards improved body image, and you will love yourself better as a result.

Exercise. Getting exercise is important because it boosts your energy levels and improves your health. Taking the time to exercise each day is a great opportunity to set and achieve goals, which builds your self-confidence. You can use affirmations while exercising in order to help yourself understand that you do have energy vitality, and strength. Once you tap these inner reserves through physical exercise, you can also begin to express them in other areas of your life.

Love Your Body. In reality, no one's body is perfect. Fortunately, it doesn't need to be. By learning to love your body as an extension of your mind and spirit, you can make great progress towards loving yourself better. When you seek to improve your body, don't look at the process as eliminating hated aspects like a fat tummy or toneless arms. Instead, look at it as a positive experience of self-improvement. Focus on creating a positive quality, like a flat stomach or strong arms. In this way you are adding to your good qualities, building yourself up rather than picking at negatives and accepting the idea that there is something "bad" in your identity that needs removal.

Everyone agrees that self-confidence is extremely valuable and even indispensable when it comes to growing your career and living a contented life. However, sometimes advice about increasing self-confidence can seem vague or difficult to put into practice. If you're tired of struggling on your own to feel good about yourself and improve your self-confidence, you should consider using a regimen of self-confidence exercises. By using these exercises, you will give the process structure.

Getting to Know Yourself. In this exercise, you will need a piece of paper divided into four sections. Begin by listing your skills in the first section. What are you good at? These could be professional skills like writing, computer programming, mechanics, organizing, etc., as well as informal activities like cooking, decorating, or playing a sport. Next, list your qualities. These should be things like intelligence, grace, friendliness, humor, energy, and so on. Now compare your skills and qualities. Can you see how the two are related, and how each quality is expressed in a skill? Express gratitude for your qualities, and see if you can think of any more skills that would be a good match for your qualities. Working towards developing these skills will help improve your self-confidence. If you've thought of any skills you would like to develop, write them down in the third section of your paper. This section is for your ambitions, so also write down any other goals you can think of. In the last section of the paper, write down what you see as your problem areas, or areas where you lack confidence. Go back to your qualities, and see if you can imagine how you might use the wonderful qualities you naturally possess to improve these problem areas and build up your confidence. Keep this sheet of paper and use it to chart your personal growth and progress towards achieving your goals and eliminating your problem areas.

Daily Pep Talk. This exercise helps to make sure that you keep your spirits up and begin each day ready and willing to focus on the positive. In order to create your personalized pep talk, list your strengths and good qualities as well as any achievements you are proud of. From this list, create a series of affirmations, like "I am a warm, happy individual who expresses joy, loyalty, and humor." You can also create affirmations by reversing negative thoughts about yourself. For example, if you think that you lack energy and inspiration and hate getting out of bed in the morning, your affirmation might be, "I can joyously meet each morning with expectations of good. I have a purpose in life and each day builds towards this purpose. I am loved and needed and my activities today are important to myself and others." Remember, the purpose of the pep talk is to reinforce your confidence in your good qualities and reverse any negative ideas you have about yourself. Be sure to cover both of these aspects in your pep talk. With daily practice, you will be well on your way to building more self-confidence.