The book Promise me Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purposeis heart-warming, breathtakingly beautiful and wonderfully written by former Vice President of USA Joe Biden. He has breached the personal boundary of his life and revealed all his secrets to readers, allowing them to connect to the spirituality and emotion of this book. Promise me Dad is a spiritual, emotional and motivational journey that leads to the personal barricade of Joe Biden’s life....

There might be several reasons why you are different or considered unique. Maybe you have a different sense of fashion, you are a vegan, you have no family or you have a big family, you are a yogi, you don’t eat pizza, you had cosmetic surgery back when you were young, or you are debt free. Some people won’t understand until you reach out to them, but how do you start the process?...

There is research being done on the delicate balance between being passive and aggressive. Ultimately the “assertive you” will boil down to knowing your self worth and practicing the behaviors of being more assertive. There are many strategies for being more assertive. In this post I would like to share some of the small, specific things you can start doing today to be more assertive without turning into an aggressive butthole....

Glen at LifeDev mentions that even this small gesture starts makes coming back to the task more productive. You are instantly thrown into the task without the opportunity to dawdle. As you sit away from the task, your brain is thinking about it, preparing. You’ve already begun. Such a small idea really makes it harder to procrastinate – you may even want to come back from your break sooner. Prepare For Your Next Task Before You Take a Break – [LifeDev]

Cinnamon is one of the most delicious fragrances of the Season! Although cinnamon is available throughout the year, the aromatic, deliciously sweet and warm taste of the spice make it the perfect spice to use during the fall and winter months. The spice is readily available and used both inside and outside our kitchen. It is such a commonly used spice, we may give little thought to its origin and history....

1. You have signs of an underlying condition You should also see a doctor if your pain is so severe that it prevents you from living your life. Or you suffer from these symptoms: Nausea that doesn’t go away Black, tarry stool or bright red bloody streaks Severe diarrhea or constipation Chest pain Unexplained weight loss 2. Proactively investigate serious symptoms There are several conditions which can have similar symptoms to gas....

So when I learned she had a follow-up to The Happiness Project, I jumped at the chance to give it a read. Today marks the launch of that book, Happier at Home, and while my initial curiosity was all about whether or not there would much of her previous work reappearing within its pages, that isn’t the case. Instead, the author builds upon her previous book, and as result she makes both books all the more accessible to a wider audience....

One of the most frustrating examples of this is the reliance on Netflix customer ratings on movies and TV series to determine if something is even worth watching. I don’t know about you, but I prefer not to be beholden to the personal, emotion-driven user reviews when trying to decide if I want to press play or ‘add to queue’. Usually, a Google search for more professional reviews is a better gauge of this, instead of accepting the opinion of Netflix reviewers and eagerly watch a film only to be severely disappointed by the supposedly “must-see” movie....

But you can overcome writer’s block in just a few easy steps. 1. Do Some Research If you’re spending much time at all on your writing (or other creative pursuits), you probably have a particular project in mind. If you’re having a hard time finding a place to start or a way to move forward, research may be the key. I routinely write about a few specific subjects and, equally routinely, I feel like I have nothing to say on those topics....

Currently a web and smart phone app, dosIQ allows users to take pictures of their food, follow one another and use dietary tags (think paleo, primal, low carb) in order to be held accountable by the other members. Hoping to change their own diet and habits, creators Jason Nunnelley and Jaythan Johnson sought a solution that could help everyone in their own dietary quest. Anyone in search of a way to hold themselves accountable from a dietary perspective, should utilize this great app....

You can, of course, rely on the friend, business or conference that you’re travelling for. They might find you an amazing rate on a room. Then again, they might choose the most expensive hotel in town — the one with the ‘special rate’ about $100 over normal costs. Even if you’re pretty sure that you’ll go with someone else’s recommendations, it’s worth looking into housing options on your own. You might consider using these tools to find a few better options....

So, is Tylenol safe? This leads women to the often-asked question: can you take Tylenol (the brand name for the over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer known as acetaminophen) while pregnant? Customary advice says that Tylenol is the safest over-the-counter drug women can take during pregnancy for relieving pain symptoms. It is generally preferred over the use of ibuprofen or aspirin, which are cited to have caused birth defects when taken during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester....

Best Intentions What jobs are in now? What are we expecting? What paper or toner do we need to order? Is something big about to break loose for our top client demanding all of our equipment all day? We’d plan the day out by the job and by the hour. I would walk up front to my behemoths of toner and fire and would start the first runs of the day....

Wait For Miracles Or Change Today? When we encounter difficulties or are not satisfied with current situation, we often have hopes that something or someone will swoop in and save us, soon or some days in future. But in reality, rarely ever happens. What really occurs is that negative upon negative begins to pile up on us, and that beautiful goal, that wondrous light that we wanted to reach, is further away....

When it comes to etiquette for job seekers though, some things are a little less blatant. For example, don’t block your caller ID or call the employer over and over without leaving a message. Most companies have caller ID these days and they may not answer calls from blocked numbers or appreciate being called non-stop by a job applicant. For more useful communication tips for job seekers, don’t miss this useful article on Career Rocketeer....

Thanks Anne for the tip! I don’t know if the fruit alphabet works for chronic insomnia, and it definitely won’t conquor sleeplessness induced by three cups of coffee before bed. Where it’s proven to work is those occasions where your body is exhausted and ready to sleep, but your brain is running all over the house, pants on fire, frantic with anger, worry, or plain old excitement… Cure for Insomnia: The Fruit Alphabet – [I Had an Idea This Morning]

You confound leadership. When asked what you want, you reply, “Make an impact, work in a place with purpose, free food, and bean bags.” Yet for some reason you’re still not happy. There’s a missing piece. “Entitled is the big one,” motivational speaker and author Simon Sinek says in his recent Inside Quest interview on Millennials in the workplace.[1] A speaker for modern leadership, he goes on to explain why new Millennials confound old methods and what can be done about it....

Today that’s all changed. Word processing and desktop publishing software are everywhere, and offer dozens (if not hundreds) of fonts ranging from the simple and elegant to the downright bizarre. Style sheets on the web and easily accessible styling options in our desktop software allow us to easily create section headings, pull-quotes, bulleted lists, and text columns — giving us the potential to greatly enhance the layout and delivery of information....

By keeping these simple tips in mind you will be able to set up a nice home office that will be a steady step for you to establish and increase your productivity. Vishal P. Rao runs the Work at Home Forum, an online community of those who work from home.

Developing Positive Patterns – [via tip at lifehack dot org]