Live the Secrets of the Blue Zones for a Long, Happy Life

Live the Secrets of the Blue Zones for a Long, Happy Life

Photo Credit: Blue Zones A few months ago we shared bestselling author Dan Buettner’s video introducing some of the biggest secrets to why people living in “blue zone” have much higher than normal life expectancies. It was a promotion for his new four-part Netflix series, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones that we just finished watching. This post shares a few of the secrets from Buettner’s Netflix series. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and bestselling author who has found five “blue zones” in the world where people live…
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Strategies for When You Are Feeling SAD

Strategies for When You Are Feeling SAD

Many people in New England and other northern states struggle with increased feelings of sadness and depression beginning in November. The holidays can be a stressful time for many, but some of your symptoms are likely caused by seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression affecting people in very northern (and very southern) latitudes due to the reduced sunlight exposure from the shorter, colder days of the winter months. Symptoms include low mood, fatigue, loss of interest in activities, and changes in appetite or sleep. Here are some of our top strategies for when you…
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Personal Kaizen: The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier Life

Personal Kaizen: The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier Life

The second rule of our 10 Rules for Life is to take care of your body and mind. Personal Kaizen has several upcoming posts focused on longevity – the secret to living a longer, healthier life. We will summarize the new book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity and share our research on behaviors and habits to adopt for a long, happy life. Today’s post shares highlights from bestselling author Dan Buettner’s research into why people living in “blue zone” have much higher than normal life expectancies. He has a new Netflix series we will be watching this winter.…
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Marshmallows and the Benefit of Delayed Gratification

Marshmallows and the Benefit of Delayed Gratification

Imagine a 4-year-old child sitting down with treats in front of them — one marshmallow on one side of their plate and two on the other side. Beside the child is a bell. The child is asked whether she would prefer one marshmallow or two. Most children say, “Two!” The adult then says: “Here’s how we play the game. I am going to leave the room. While I’m gone, if you can wait for me to come back, then you get two marshmallows. If you don’t want to wait, ring the bell, but then you get one marshmallow, not two.”…
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Why a Sense of Humor Makes a Great Leader

Why a Sense of Humor Makes a Great Leader

It is likely that we've all heard the saying, "laughter is the best medicine" once or twice in our lifetime. But did you know that a sense of humor is thought to increase trust in a leader? This week the Personal Kaizen team shares a TedTalk by behavioral scientist, Jennifer Aaker, and corporate strategist, Naomi Bagdonas, where they discuss the power of humor. https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_aaker_and_naomi_bagdonas_why_great_leaders_take_humor_seriously Laughter and Leadership In the past, we've shared Colin Powell's 13 Rules for Leadership, where optimism is a powerful piece of being a great leader. As we learned today, humor and laughter are also major keys…
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New Lessons Learned From Another 3-Day Fast

New Lessons Learned From Another 3-Day Fast

Earlier this year I experienced my first 3-day fast and shared tips on fasting with the Personal Kaizen community. I recently needed to fast to prepare for a medical procedure so decided to turn this into my second 3-day fast. I did a few things differently and experienced different results. Here are some new lessons learned from my second 3-day fast. First, you may want to review our posts describing the concept of fasting and different ways to fast, the scientific benefits of a 3-day fast, tips on how to prepare for a fast, and my experience and video journal…
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How to Overcome a Negative Mindset

How to Overcome a Negative Mindset

As humans, we all experience negative thoughts that can easily lead to a negative mindset. The good news is, we don't have to get stuck there (as discussed during our brain hacks series.) This week the Personal Kaizen team shares a TedTalk by Alison Ledgerwood, a social psychologist at UC Davis, where she explains why our brains focus on the negatives and how to overcome a negative mindset. Please check it out below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XFLTDQ4JMk Tips to Overcome a Negative Mindset Overcoming the negative takes work and effort! Ledgerwood shares several tips to move past the negative: Spend a few minutes…
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5 Ways Stoic Philosophy Improves Your Mood and Attitude

5 Ways Stoic Philosophy Improves Your Mood and Attitude

Do you ever feel anxious and depressed? Do you sometimes struggle with the everyday challenges of life? You are not alone. We have recently identified ideas from Stoic philosophy that improves mood and will be inspiring to our followers. The Personal Kaizen community believes simple improvements in our health and mindset can significantly improve the quality of our life. Last week we shared some simple Meditations from Marcus Aurelius. Today we share 5 ways Stoic philosophy improves your mood and attitude and we share a few resources where you can learn more about Stoicism. Stoic Philosophy Zeno of CitiumPhoto Credit:…
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Why Chunking is Better than Multitasking

Why Chunking is Better than Multitasking

Elon Musk has been in the news lately for his attempt to buy Twitter for $44 Billion. Musk, who is already the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, was leading these negotiations while dealing with two other full-time jobs already. If you are one of the people who wonders how he gets all of his work done, Musk has found that chunking is better than multitasking. As a consultant for Lean East, I also have multiple clients and responsibilities I am supporting at the same time. Like Musk, I have learned techniques that help me accomplish higher-quality work and other…
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Morality and Becoming Worthy of Happiness

Morality and Becoming Worthy of Happiness

Check out our Personal Kaizen Motivational Monday quote! Please enjoy this quote from Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher and Enlightenment Thinker. During the Age of Enlightenment, he was versatile in the value of human happiness. "Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness."Immanuel Kant Our Personal Kaizen topic this week will be on the Lean East site and share the main takeaways from the book How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question. This is a book by Michael Schur, the creator of…
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