Practice mindfulness

You have probably met a large number of friends through just a handful of people. Those are your superconnectors. Rekindle those friendships and ask them if there is anyone you should meet.

Don’t be interesting. Be interested.

• Listen to people and ask them to tell you more. 
• When they mention something you have in common, point it out.
• Be enthusiastic and encouraging.

"Embracing new things often requires us to embrace our fears, however trivial they may seem. You deal with fear not by pretending it doesn’t exist, but by refusing to give it decision-making authority."

If the goal is meaningful, it will transform you. You’ll be more confident, mature, capable of seeing even bigger adventures, and empowered to pursue them.

A quest might end better than we imagine or disastrously. Either way, there’s always another adventure if we’re willing to pursue it.

In a fundamental sense, workplace happiness comes when:

• We enjoy doing the tasks assigned to us
• We feel right about the people we are working with
• We are happy with the financial benefits we get from the job
• We have the scope of improving our existing skills
• We feel respected and acknowledged at work

Happy employees are compulsory for a growing business.

A study on organizational success revealed that employees who feel happy in the workplace are 65% more energetic than employees who don’t. They are two times more productive and are more likely to sustain their jobs over a long period of time.

We are shaped and influenced by our surroundings at every moment of our lives, through our family, work, and the media.

The ideal framework for people to be happy is where everyone cares for each other. This is also a solid ground for children to thrive in.

It is naive to think that we will become happy if we continue being controlled by our selfish nature. Competition and achievement for personal gain do not lead to happiness.

Encourage close bonds of unity and love, as happiness lies therein.

Phenomena that happen outside of us don’t cause happiness. They might be correlated with happiness but it’s not a cause-and-effect relationship. 

The most important part is what happens in our brain between the external event (a good cup of coffee) and our state of happiness.

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

Systematic studies of learning styles have consistently found no evidence or very weak evidence to support the idea that matching the material to a student’s learning style is more effective.

There is no conclusive evidence that people preferentially use the left or right hemisphere.

Certain functions are processed more by one region of the brain than others, and this is known as lateralization. But we all use our entire brain equally.

Ways to give yourself a happiness boost:

• Choosing activities that fit our personality and interests, feel natural, are enjoyable and aligned with our values.
• Choosing meaningful and virtuous activities, instead of just going after pleasurable ones.
• Practicing forgiveness and gratitude.
• Trying to pursue a purpose.
• Committing to new habits by making an effort.
• Adding variety and diversity to our routine.

Researchers have come to explain the Flynn effect by means of the differences between centuries. Therefore, improvements in health and nutrition, as well as social changes, such as new mental habits, more demanding jobs or a more complex entertainment, are reasons that have led to the apparition of the effect.

The take-away taught by the discovery of the Flynn effect refers to the fact that the IQ is not something natural. Furthermore, the IQ can and has been shaped by the different environments and, mostly, by our education.