Surviving the worst moments of your life

After conquering their challenges characters are “reborn” with greater knowledge and power than before. They teamed up with friends to save others, and in the process saved themselves.

What this means for you: Take stock of what you accomplished. Enjoy it.

After all the lessons learned in the journey, characters can finally face their challenges. But sometimes even all the preparations aren’t enough and someone they help earlier in their journey unexpectedly comes to save the day.

What it means for you: Never pass up an opportunity to help someone else. You never know when they will return the favor.

Having a clear sense of structure in mind when you start writing is really helpful.

So make sure you generate an outline. Start by making a list of the various sections you think you’ll need in your writing project. You can reorder them later. After that, make a list of the more specific elements you need in each section.

Don't get stuck in the process of trying to find the perfect words. Start by drafting something.

Write down a bunch of sentences that relate to the outline you constructed. Then, you can go back and edit, to get rid of everything that doesn’t fit.

Our brains have two modes:

• focused mode, which we use when we’re doing things like learning something new, writing or working) and 
• diffuse mode, which is our more relaxed, daydreamy mode when we’re not thinking so hard.

The mind solves its stickiest problems while daydreaming—something you may have experienced while driving or taking a shower.

When you work on a task continuously, it’s easy to lose focus and get lost in the weeds. In contrast, following a brief intermission, picking up where you left off forces you to take a few seconds to think globally about what you’re ultimately trying to achieve. 

You think you'll excel, but considering the probability of success and feeling confident is not that easy.

Framing effects happen when the same thing looks different when the context change. If you're a good student in a mediocre class, you feel smarter than if you're a good student in an elite class.

When practicing a skill that you have forgotten, you may lack the confidence to pick it up again.

However, those doubts are exaggerated. Not remembering is normal, and relearning happens faster than you may expect. Yet, you may still lack self-confidence, which will undermine your self-image and motivation.

"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give."

• Reflect on what you appreciate and love about your partner, friends, or family members.
• Express your appreciation to them.
• Take the time to see how you can help someone out.
• Slow down for 3 minutes. Let your thoughts and body also slow down while you pay attention to life around you.
• Smile towards the people you meet.
• Make someone else happy. Give him or her a gift of some kind.
• Take fewer things for granted, like your food, the weather, or small gestures. It will inspire and motivate you.
• Take action and create the day you wish to have.
• Say yes to something new.
• Say no to a should that isn't that important.
• Take a 2-minute laugh-break.
• Do what you deep down think is the right thing.
• Stand still for a minute, close your eyes and simply enjoy the sun.

We see mistakes and failure as shameful things. And we usually identify with them:

If I fail a test, then I am a failure. If I make a mistake then I am a mistake.

It requires three things:

• Putting yourself in situations where you can make interesting mistakes.
• Having the self-confidence to admit to them.
• Being courageous about making changes.

Laughter increases dopamine in our brains, which is a chemical that elevates mood. 

The next time you're in a bad mood, try pulling up some Amy Schumer or an SNL digital short on YouTube.

Even mild exercise, about 40 percent of your max heart rate, can lift your mood.  Do activities that match your mood instead of trying to force yourself to do something you're just not feeling.

However needed it may be, people often view criticism as hurtful and feel attacked. And that puts them on the defensive, meaning they won’t be able to truly absorb what’s being criticized.

That’s why constructive criticism is a helpful skill to develop when dealing with other people. Knowing how to do it drastically affects how the message is received.

• Distance Yourself From the Situation to allow you to calm down. Do not react or take it personally. 
• Try to Understand Your Boss's Intentions. Is he's upset with your performance or exceptionally stressed or prone to say things he doesn't fully mean?
• Summarize the Criticism. Repeat back exactly what you think she's driving at. Try and word the criticism in a more positive light. "so you're saying I need to find a new work strategy so I can improve my performance?"

• Explain Your Perspective. The more specific you can be here, the better. 

• Engage in a Dialogue. Work together with your boss to hash out the unspoken details of the criticism.

• Suggest an Action Plan and make sure to follow it.
• Consider Giving Criticism of Your Own if the criticism is misdirected.  Tell your boss that his/her criticism was unwarranted or unhelpful, but suggest alternative strategies he/she can use in the future to make his/her criticism better.