the contemporary shopping lifestyle

Sometimes in life it’s all about me, me, me and whether you’re the kind of person who fights that or is comfortable with that, we can all do with a reality check every now and then. A great way of shocking your system to make you realise what is important in life is to do something for someone else, whether that be a small act of kindness or a show of gratitude. And there’s no better time to start than right now.

Here are some great ways to do something good for someone today (in no particular order)

1. Say thank you
2. Tell someone how much you care about them
3. Hold a door open
4. Let someone out in traffic
5. Offer to carry someone’s bags
6. Offer to do a chore at home that you wouldn’t usually do
7. Plan a surprise meal for someone special
8. Tell someone you love them
9. Spend some time with someone, doing what they want to do
10. Pay for someone else’s shopping
11. Write them a letter
12. Create a video or photo slideshow for them
13. Offer someone a lift
14. Talk to someone
15. Smile at someone

I know this article is short but you don’t need to explain the idea of doing something good for someone, it just makes sense; we just need reminding every now and then.

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About the Author
My name is Ben and you can find more posts like this at my blog www.thenewhorizonsproject.co.uk. The New Horizons Project is a blog that focuses on positive thinking, success, and motivation with a sprinkling of unusual influences, including films, martial arts, eastern philosophies, and Buddhism. It will challenge you to see the world differently.

I was sitting at home last week watching television with my wife when we stumbled upon a show that she had enjoyed watching in the past, so we left it on. I wasn’t particular interested in the programme myself but the theme of this certain episode was the 7 deadly sins and this, as with most things nowadays, got me to thinking. How many of us live our lives unaware that we are committing one or more of these vices?

The 7 deadly sins, for those of you who aren’t clear on the background history, are a list of vices or sins used in early Christian teachings to help educate and inform all Christian followers of the immoral sins that the common man was prone to. There is, according to wikipedia, no listing in the bible of the these sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, but Pope Gregory I used them to great effect in the 6th century to make the followers of the Roman Catholic Church aware of the main mortal sins and vices that would bring eternal damnation in the after life. Nice!

It was Pope Gregory I who revised the list of 7 deadly sins to those that we know today. They are…

1. Lust – this is understood as obsessive or excessive thoughts and desires usually of a sexual nature.
2. Gluttony – is the over-indulgence or over-consumption to the point of waste.
3. Greed – this is similar to lust and gluttony but is primarily concerned with money and gaining material goods.
4. Sloth – is the often described as laziness or indifference but can be also linked to not using one’s talents or gifts.
5. Wrath – is the uncontrollable feelings of hatred and angry towards both ourselves as well as others.
6. Envy – like greed, envy is described as an insatiable desire for someone else’s material goods or success
7. Pride – this was known as the most serious of the sins listed by Pope Gregory I and was considered as the sin that would lead on to the other 6 deadly sins.

Just take a moment to look again at the list above and being honest with yourself, tick off the ones that you are guilty of. Do you over-indulge, are you greedy, always wanting more, do you misuse your talents in life, and are you envious of others around you? You might not commit these sins everyday of your life but you maybe guilty of being too greedy or full of pride at times.

Now as a Buddhist myself, I do not believe that committing these sins will bring we an eternity in the fires of hell but I do believe that by perpetrating some of these human natures I am bringing suffering not only upon myself but also causing others to suffer to. By being lustful, slothful, or envious of others I cause my self pain and misery that will restrict the happiness I can experience in my life. By being greedy, over-indulging, or angry towards others I cause others to feel pain and to understand suffering, which will minimise both their happiness as well as ultimately my own. Going through life unhappy and causing pain to others is clearly no way to live, so why is it that people spend their lives this way?

If you can associate with any of the sin or vices listed above and you want to remove them from your daily life then you can do so by focusing of one at a time. I have written about changing a habit in a month previously in my article, How to Focus your Enthusiam, and you can use the same technique here. For the next 30 days focus on one sin and everyday day try to concentrate on doing the opposite of that particular vice. You could try meditating on the positive things every morning, writing yourself little notes that you can refer back to throughout the day to motivate you. You could even write a positive statement and set it as your PC’s screen saver.

Here are some things to focus on.

1. Lust – rather than thinking about your sexual desires and urges focus on improving the quality of all of your relationship. Try spending more time with loved ones and simply enjoy their company. If you find this hard then try exercising or something else that will help you forget about your desires.
2. Gluttony – in the year of the Ethiopian famine in 1984 the European Union spent £256,000,000 on destroying 2 millions tons of wasted fruit and vegetables. Before you prepare the big meal or by that chocolate bar or piece of cake think about whether you really need it and whether you’ll actually eat it all. If you know that you always leave food after meals then prepare less. Focus on only eating and preparing what you need rather than what you want.
3. Greed – instead of thinking about obtaining lots of material goods and more money try focusing on giving to others. Root through your stuff and selling some of it on eBay or have a yard sale but rather than keeping the money for yourself or buying more stuff, give the money to a local charity or buy someone in need something that they can really use.
4. Sloth – rather than spending the month watching television or sitting in front of the computer wasting time needless surfing the internet for things your note interested in go and outside and get into nature, do some exercise, read a book, learning a new language, or write a story.
5. Wrath – if you are the kind of person who angers easily then focus on calming yourself or on trying to see the good side of people. Be more compassionate in everything you do for 30 days and see how much your mood improves. Read me article on compassion Compassion for Other – a lost necessity for more inspiration.
6. Envy – to help cure envy, so to speak, try to enjoy being happy for people’s success and celebrate with them on their achievements. A good dose of compassion is a great way to help overcome envy.
7. Pride – is something that many of us have too much of. To help overcome pride, try to focus on the magnitude of the world and universe around you. Notice how much of a small cog you are in the universe’s giant machine you actually are.

If you have enjoyed this post please take the time to Digg It or submit it on Stumble Upon using the Share This link below.

About the Author
My name is Ben and you can find more posts like this at my blog www.thenewhorizonsproject.co.uk. The New Horizons Project is a blog that focuses on positive thinking, success, and motivation with a sprinkling of unusual influences, including films, martial arts, eastern philosophies, and Buddhism. It will challenge you to see the world differently.

There are few certainties in life, but along with death and taxes you can be sure that problems will also play a key role. They will be the cause of your greatest pain and your crowning achievements. How you deal with them defines your worldview, and how other people perceive you. People who excel at problem solving tend to see the world as rational and (ultimately) understandable. They may view their lives as goal driven and self-directed and are often seen by others as proactive, dependable and able to get things done. People who are not so good at problem solving tend to think the world is irrational, mysterious and may often view their lives as a product of capricious fate, or chance. It’s tempting to make the right and left-brain distinction here, however this is mistaken as good problem solving often involves both analytical and synthetic approaches that make use of both sides of the brain. It is also important to note that no-one is completely devoid of either characteristics and that many people are good at solving some kinds of problems but not so good at solving others. However, there are always things we can do to improve our ability to solve problems and below are 10 general tips that will help anyone hone this ability within themselves.

1. The Truth is out there. Perhaps the first and most important thing you can do to improve your problem solving skills is to come to the understanding that problems can be solved - by you! One of the most inspiring (and perhaps astonishing) aspects of this universe we live in is that it appears to be understandable by us. It needn’t have been this way! We could have been born into a chaotic and inexplicable universe, where anything can happen and where reasons and explanations have no utility. But as our long journey has a species on this planet has shown, we have the ability to examine the world and figure out what’s going on. Things cause other things to happen and we are able to gain access to those causes. It’s a truly amazing aspect of ourselves and our universe, but it’s a fact that given time and focus we are able to understand the world we find ourselves in.

2. The Devil is in the Details. Once you have the solid conviction that the problems you find yourself facing are amenable to conscious investigation, the next step is to get your hands dirty and deal with the intricacies of the issue. Just because we can solve problems, doesn’t mean it is easy! Our world might be understandable in the broad sense, but it sure isn’t simple to do so. Having a willingness to delve into the details of your problem is crucial and is often what separates the great from the average.

3. Cherche La Femme. This old saying from the detective novels of Raymond Chandler translates to ‘Follow the Woman’. It represents the understanding that many crimes are committed by men under the influence of lust, jealousy or love. Despite its sexist overtones it reflects the need in problem solving (as well as detective work) to focus in on key areas of the problem. Before you delve into the details you need to know where to start looking. Taking a broad, high-level overview of where you should start to focus your energies is key to good problem solving.

4. One Man’s Rubbish. Just because others have already examined something doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be re-examined. A willingness to cover old ground for that one key insight that others may have missed is the sign of a good problem solver. Get in the habit of testing out other people’s experience and conclusions. Verifying other people’s data, traditional knowledge and accepted wisdom is crucial if you are going to solve new and difficult problems.

5. Tried and Tested. You’re not the first to solve problems. Others have trodden this path before you. Along the way have been developed and documented many methodologies for formally approaching problem solving. Adopting one of these systems can give you a coherent and high-leverage toe hold in areas where you don’t have much experience.

6. The Answer is in The Network. Similar to adopting tried and tested methodologies, often someone somewhere has solved the exact same kind of problem you are dealing with now and your quickest route to success is to find them and ask then how they did it. Don’t forget to develop and exploit your network. All true seasoned problem solvers have extensive contacts in their field of expertise they can draw on. Develop and use yours to avoid re-inventing the wheel.

7. The Frame Problem. Don’t be afraid to step back from the problem when you feel you are getting nowhere. Re-examining your initial assumptions and exploring other areas of your high-level map of the problem can often yield insights that get you going again. Maybe it’s not cherche la Femme, but Cherche le Money!

8. It’s Over Here, Stupid. Similarly, don’t get too attached to your hypotheses about the problem. Your teacher is how things really are, and it’s easy to overlay your own expectations onto your problem and lose sight of what the problem is trying to tell you. Be prepared to drop your assumptions and start again. Pay close attention unexpected results and use them to question your position.

9. It’s Like… We are primarily visual creatures, and our mind works wonderfully with metaphors and images. Try to analogise the problem to something you already know a lot about. See if where the analogy works and where it breaks down. This can often give you insights into the problem and where your blind spots are.

10. Give it a Rest. If you get really stuck and don’t know what to do next, drop the problem! Do something completely unrelated and let your subconscious mind reboot and relax. It’s surprising how many of our best insights come when we are doing something completely different.

About the Author

Steve Munroe works as a technology consultant at IBM, He lives in the UK, runs, plays guitar and once, long ago did a PhD in computer science.

Steve is the author of the Blog: Work-Life Innovation, which explores ways of working smarter and living fuller. The blog focuses on working creatively in order to find the space both temporally and psychologically to be able to enjoy the really important things in life, which for Steve are: family, learning, travel, excitement, health and creativity.