Recreation—An Elusive Thing that You Have to Grab Hold of

In today’s hasty world, one thing that most of us have forgotten is that the human body needs to relax. We need to take time out for ourselves. Our bodies are more complicated than any machine man has ever devised. Even the best of machines requires to be energized in some way or the other and they need to rest if they have to work for a long time. But, with our own bodies—these amazing machines that nature has provided us with—we are completely laidback. We don’t realize the need of rest for our body machines. And therein lies a major problem.

 

Today, most people flinch at the prospect of rest. There is so much work everyone has taken up that resting seems like a taboo. It is something you should not speak of. It is something for the lazy people who can do nothing good in their lives… that’s the sorry impression we have about rest and recreation.

 

But this attitude can only take us faster to our graves. If our body doesn’t get the chance to recharge itself, how will it be able to continue functioning normally? How do you hope to make your body more productive the next day if you don’t rest today?

 

Rest is one thing; recreation is another. When we are resting, we are just shutting ourselves off from the world for a while. But when we are recreating, we do something that we enjoy. We enrich our minds when we recreate and at the same time our brain is happy because we are doing something that we love. It releases more endorphins and that’s the reason our entire body attains a state of natural felicity. This is a factor that can enhance our health in great measure.

 

However, the important thing is that recreation isn’t something that comes naturally to us. We have to take it. Like for hunger or thirst, we don’t have an instinct for recreation. That’s the reason we don’t ‘feel’ the need to recreate, but this is definitely something that we should do.

 

Whatever it is that we like to do—go for a walk, watch a movie, listen to a song, read a book, write something, talk with our friends, take the dog out, play with our children—we should do. We should spend time doing that for at least a few minutes every day. This makes our mind richer and our bodies fitter. If we want to make a well-oiled, productive machine out of our bodies, then we must not forget to give it its dose of recreation each day of our lives. 

 

5 Qualities You Should Imbibe Within Yourself to Be a Better Person

If you are looking at developing your personality, then there are some highly essential qualities that you should certainly not miss out on. In your quest for personal development, these traits can go a long way in making you successful.

 

Manage Your Time Well

 

People who respect time are the ones that get respect from others. Time is a limited resource—the richest person and the poorest person have the same amount of time to spend. You should understand this. The people who are successful are those who have managed their time well. Learn how to prioritize things and how to allocate the right amount of time for every task that you need to accomplish.

 

Always ‘Be There’ for People

 

You have to always be there for people around you. Help them in their times of difficulty. Even if you cannot help them materially, give them your personal support, some words of reassurance, whatever you can. And when you help people, don’t do it with a selfish intent. You will get reciprocation surely, but you shouldn’t do a good deed thinking about rewards.

 

Be Passionate about the Right Things

 

Humans are differentiated from animals because they can be passionate about things. You need to have a hobby, a special fondness for something, an activity that you zealously pursue. This could be anything from collecting stamps and reading to gardening and traveling. You should use this passion to develop yourself personally through knowledge and in a spiritual manner.

 

Focus on Your Work

 

You should be completely devoted to your profession. Your work is what defines you. It gives you an identity and a proper place in society. Hence, you owe your unstinting dedication to your work.

 

Realize that Life Is a Learning Process

 

Treat life like a learning process. There is so much that life teaches you, and you have to make sure that you learn all these lessons along the way. Even your failures enrich you, because they teach you what you should not do. A successful person isn’t one who doesn’t ever fail; a successful person is one who realizes his or her mistakes and then learns from them.

 

Cheering People Up: How to Do It

There are so many instances when you really want to go out and cheer someone up but you don’t know how. Then you feel limited and you let people vent out their sorrows. However, if you knew how to cheer them up, probably things would become very different. This skill—the skill of cheering people up—is a friendship sealer. You instantly make a bond with the person you are able to cheer up.

 

If you find it difficult to cheer people up, these are some of the ways you can go about it.

 

Start by separating them from the crowd. Find a situation or a place where you can be alone with them. Make them sit down. Sit down next to them. The very act of sitting down together is reassuring for people who are going through a rough time.

 

Do not prod them too much. Do not ask about what’s going on. A very important aspect of cheering people up is that you have to give them enough time. They have to understand that you are with them. They need to trust you in order to start talking. If there is already a trust factor between you, this will be easier. If there isn’t, you should be prepared to give them up. Maybe they will not open out at all when you first meet them. Be ready to leave it at that.

 

Do not ask redundant questions like, “How are you feeling?”, “What do you plan to do now?”, etc. Such questions can only bring more misery to them. In fact, you should not ask questions at all. Be with them for a while. If they want to continue bring with you, then you should take this as a sign that they want to talk with you too.

 

A little physical touch of affection can help. It could be a comforting shoulder given to them to cry on or a reassuring pat on their hand. This can give people a lot of strength.

 

When they eventually talk, listen to them. Most people don’t want advice or suggestions when they are feeling low; they just want to let it all out. Be the ears they want to talk to.

 

Speak objectively. Do not linger too much on what has happened with them. Do not give examples from your own life. That would be just like adding salt to the injury; like freshening up their hurt. Instead, talk normally. Most people would love that. When we are going through a calamity, the most reassuring thing is the feeling that everything is getting back to normal.

 

You won’t be able to be a master at this act right from your first time. But life will give you many opportunities to cheer people up, to give them consolation. 

 

How to Be a Friend to Your Friends

What does being a friend mean to you? Does it just mean having some company for your nights out and for those movies and a few pairs of ears to listen to when you want to talk something? Or does it just mean having someone to help you when you need some money or some other kind of favor?

 

Most times, people say that they don’t have friends that they count on. If you think so as well, maybe you need to look within yourself first. 

 

Friendship is highly relative. You have to be a good friend to people first. It is only then that you get genuine friends who can stick with you through thick and thin. You cannot be a selfish slob and expect everyone around you to give you the shirt off their back when you need it.

 

Though we live in times that are characterized by great strides in scientific and technological progress—in times that are called as the ‘scientific age’ or the ‘computer age’—the basic human qualities such as friendship remain the same. The same age-old values still apply.

 

You need to think of your friends as human. Often, we lose sight of them when we are thinking too much about ourselves. Most people have a tendency of putting themselves at the center of attraction—they think that the world revolves around them and everything else apart from them is secondary. This is certainly not the way to approach friendship. You must realize that your friends are with you for the same reasons that you are with them. Give them first what you expect them to give you—a kind word, support, companionship and everything else that you need for yourself.

 

You don’t want to be a fair-weather friend either, because then that is what you will get for yourself. Fair-weather friends are those who are with you when the going is good and bail out on you when things begin getting rough. You have to pledge your support to your friends. Be with them in their lean times. Even if just stay with them when they are feeling low and don’t say a word, you may be able to give them enough courage.

 

This is what helps you grow a person as well. A person is known by the company they keep. When you are a good friend, you are likely to be surrounded by good friends as well. This develops you as a person and helps you grow. 

 

A Few Aspects of Personal Development that You Cannot Ignore

You must have given a lot of thought to ‘personal development’. A lot of people are talking about it, especially people in business who want to reach their next level of success. But what is personal development? Is it just about building yourself physically and mentally, or is there something more than that? Here we take a look at the different aspects of personal development.

 

One of the most relevant aspects of personal development is growing your personality. You have to strive for becoming a better individual in all respects. You have to develop virtues like patience, integrity, loyalty to people and your work, better commitment to your profession and relationships, love and affection for people around you and so on. It is not about developing just one trait—you need to work on the whole package!

 

When becoming better, you have to focus on the following five most important areas:

 

®   Your family

®   Your friends

®   Your work

®   Your passion

®   Your self

 

Improve relationships with your family members. For them, you should be someone they want to pin their hopes on, someone they can easily share their joys and sorrows with, someone dependable. You cannot achieve this overnight, but every moment of your existence, you should try to reinforce your relationship with the family, and this takes precedence over everything else when it comes to personal development.

 

At the same time, you have to be a better friend as well. Be for them when they need you. Share their sorrows more than you share their joys. Help them in need but don’t make them depend on you so much that they lose their self-reliance. Show them the right path when needed and if a situation arises.

 

Work is what defines you. A lot of people are known by the work that they do. Be thoroughly professional at what you do. Think of every aspect. If you have a talent, use it for the better good of people. Don’t think about your work just in the monetary sense, because then it does not bring the kind of rewards you want.

 

Every person must have a passion. It could be anything that you love to do. Spend time on your passion; it gives you creative release. Improve upon it consistently. Let people know about your passion.

 

But the most vital aspect of personal development is to improve upon your ‘self’. Strive for becoming a better person each day. Imbibe a positive thinking approach even in the grimmest of difficulties and improve your behavior. Let people cite you as an example for all the good things that humankind is bestowed with.

 

Personal development comes through focusing on all these areas. Leave one of them, and the imbalance can be highly disadvantageous to your individual growth. 

 

A Questionnaire to Assess Your Relationship with Your Partner

Are you thinking about the real status of your relationship with your partner? Are you thinking about where you stand with them? Here is a questionnaire that can help.

 

1.  Do you think about your partner quite often, like once in every quarter hour?

2.  Do you plan ahead for special events in your partner’s life, such as during their birthdays, anniversaries and so on?

3.  Do you look forward to your partner’s company, whatever the occasion may be?

4.  Do you still like to do things they like and you don’t care for much? Would you, for example, go to the grocery store with them or watch a movie they want to watch even if you don’t want to?

5.  Is there still a good deal of conversation between you? Do you discuss daily matters and plan for the future in your conversations?

6.  Do you still want to know more about your partner, like you wanted to do in the early days of your relationship?

7.  What do you see reflected in the eyes of other people you know when they see you together? Do they still think you look good together?

 

If you have answered ‘yes’ to all 7 questions above, then you are on the right track with your relationship. In fact, it cannot get better. If you have 3-4 yesses, then you are performing fairly with your relationship, but you need to improve your act a little. However, if you have just 1-2 yesses or fewer, then you have to take things seriously and without any delay.

 

Relationships are a sum total of the shared experiences that you have. The above questions indicate how many such shared moments you have together. If you are trying to develop your relationship, then it is these shared moments that become important to you—it is these things that you shouldn’t abandon. 

 

Top 5 Relationship Killers that You Must Avoid

Relationships are made and broken all around us. At such times, we become apprehensive about our own relationships. We try to protect what we cherish the most. We try to look at ways and means how we can keep our relationship flame burning. However, at the same time, we don’t realize that there are things we may do that can destroy a beautiful relationship. Actually speaking, it is these things—which are mostly behavioral traits—that we need to avoid.

 

Possessiveness

 

It is good to be a little possessive about your partner, but if you are too much possessive, then it can only backfire. You shouldn’t, for example, hog all of their free time. You shouldn’t be jealous of the other people they move around with. Give them their life to live; if you are confident about them, you will always remain the most important person in their life.

 

Restrictions

 

Too often, in a relationship, we tend to make people act in the way we want them to act. We tell them to avoid doing certain things they like and do certain things they detest. This is restrictive behavior. If you put yourself in their place, you will find that this kind of behavior can be stifling. A time may come when your partner eventually snaps and walks out.

 

Asking for Change

 

You need to realize that your partner is a different person. They have been brought up in a different way from you and they have a personality that is different from yours. You shouldn’t want them to become like you; it is best if they remain the person they were when you first decided to have a relationship with them. Even if your partner is willing to change, it will be unacceptable to them as well as you.

 

Complacency

 

When you are in a relationship, you have certain obligations. You need to do a few special things keeping your partner in mind. It is not just about remembering their birthday and showering them with gifts, but you also have to give them a good ear when they want it, a shoulder to cry on when they are looking for one and a motivational word when they need it. You cannot let your relationship grow all by itself; it won’t.

 

Competition

 

Even within the staunchest of relationships, there is always an element of skepticism. You shouldn’t do anything to aggravate that feeling. For example, it is best not to be too friendly to other people if your partner is feeling threatened by them. Casual banter is all right, but you need to draw the line with your other people when you are in a relationship with someone.

 

The 7 Keys for Improving Relationships

Human life is full of moments with people. These are people we build relationships with. And relationships aren’t just confined to people who are actually related to us—we can have a relationship with anyone we interact with. And it is because of this ubiquitous nature of human relationships that we constantly strive to improve them. In fact, when we are improving our relationships with people, we are actually improving ourselves. If we are looking for personal development, this is one of the most concrete ways to go about it.

 

Whatever the type of relationship may be, however simple or however complex, its enhancement basically boils down to the following simple keys.

 

Commitment

 

For your relationship to blossom, commitment is an important prerequisite. You have to commit to the other person in terms of your thoughts, your words, your expressions and you have to show it to them by investing time in them and putting in the right efforts to grow your relationship.

 

Freedom

 

You shouldn’t bind the people you are in a relationship with. Just as you want your freedom, the other person wants their freedom too. Respect that and you will find the relationship going forward.

 

Respect

 

You need to respect the other person’s feelings and emotions, likes and dislikes, wants and desires and so on. Respect them for what they are, for what they stand for and do not expect them to change for you.

 

Support

 

Being in a relationship means supporting each other. You have to help them in their aspirations and in their joys and sorrows. This will only get back to you—if you support the person you have a relationship with, they are going to support you too.

 

Equality

 

No one is higher than the other when they have a relationship. At least, you shouldn’t harbor such feelings in your mind. If you are connected with a person for some reason, then you need to think of them as equal to you. You need them just as much as they need you.

 

Resolving Conflicts

 

It is not that everything will be hunky-dory always in your relationship. There will be conflicts. You will argue; you will have alterations. But, when you are fostering a relationship with someone, it is essential that you resolve all these conflicts with them in a constructive manner, without demeaning each other and through fruitful discussion.

 

Trust

 

If you want the people you are in a relationship with to trust you, then you need to trust them first. Trust is the foundation on which a relationship is built. 

 

7 Tips to Manage Your Time

Are you looking for ways to manage your time in a better way? Better time management leads to better personal development. So, if you are not looking for these methods yet, you should start looking for them now. Here are some tips to help you.

 

1.  Realize your potentials and capacities. This is a very important first step of time management. When you know your own capabilities, you get a good idea of how soon you can accomplish a particular task. Others may take a whole day for something you can do within an hour. So, understand your own potential first.

 

2.  Time things that you commonly do. If you have to regularly do a particular type of work, then check how much time you need to do that. When you manage your time, you can allot that much time for it later on.

 

3.  Always prioritize your work. Give priority to things that are more important, those that have an influence on other things that you do. If there is some task whose fulfillment will expedite another task, then do that task first. Proper prioritization can lead to better productivity.

 

4.  Keep proper time for every kind of activity—work, play and recreation. Keep some family time as well. If you only allot time for work, then your time management will backfire because you will be stressed out. You will then look for other kinds of things to do, and rebuff your own time management agenda.

 

5.  Always have some variety in your tasks. Don’t do the same things over and over again. Clockwork precision may sound good for time management but it actually isn’t. When things become boring, they may take longer to finish just because you may not stay motivated to do the same kinds of things repetitively. Variety is the spice of life.

 

6.  Plan ahead of deadlines. For all work that needs to be compulsorily completed within a particular period of time, you need to prepare a proper strategy. Plan on finishing all such work a little ahead of schedule. That takes care of all contingencies and helps you finish the jobs you have taken up.

 

7.  Keep all your watches and clocks five minutes ahead. Even if you consciously know that they are ahead, your subconscious mind will respond to the hands of the watch or clock and try to work faster. It happens—try it out!

 

Try these time management tips and see how you can add to their productivity. These are tips that can help you immensely in your personal development efforts.