Some of these friendships in the office will outlive the job; others will not. In either case, office friendships are a valuable part of any professional network and can be a boost to your career if managed in a professional manner. If mishandled they can do a tremendous amount of damage. What You Need To Know Beware oversharing Share with caution. Take the time to get to know your co-workers a bit before divulging personal information and stay appropriate and professional even with those you trust....

1. Take the stairs. Stairs are a great calorie-burner, and they also tone your legs and bum. Next time you’re facing the elevator-or-stairs dilemma, take the stairs. Walking up them will do the trick, but try going up at a job to increase your heart rate and burn a few extra calories. Next time you’re faced with an escalator ride, consider walking up instead of standing still on one step....

End showers with cold water – it may seem like a terrible idea at first, but warm showers will actually make you more relaxed and lethargic. If you get clean with warm water, but gradually go towards a colder temperature, you will easily wake up. For the final minute, try to have water as cold as you can stand. 2. No carbs for breakfast – if you eat a lot of carbohydrates for breakfast you are going to end up crashing within a few hours....

What we don’t seem to have is any meaning left in our world. By adopting a minimalist lifestyle, you can throw out what you don’t need in order to focus on what you do need. I know first hand how little we actually need to survive. I was fortunate enough to live in a van for four months while traveling throughout Australia. This experience taught me valuable lessons about what really matters and how little we really need all this stuff we surround ourselves with....

However, we are now far removed from the harsh conditions that molded us into who we are today, and quite simply put, these bodies were not made for sitting around in chairs all day, breathing stale air and pulling all-nighters with nothing but a coffee jug, salty or sugary snacks and a dim artificial light to keep us company. It is time for us to start reconnecting with nature, and a good old hike is a fun and simple way to do this....

“We won’t spam you,” he said. “It’s just to notify you when new items become available.” After I briefly explained how spam works, and that notifying me of the availability of new items not only constitutes spam, but pretty much defines it, the clerk smiled politely and said “no problem.” As he went into the back to run my card, I noticed a second clerk standing nearby. He’d overheard our little back-and-forth and was smiling wryly to himself....

1. Unclear Expectations Creating clear expectations is the foundation of being successful. We have all heard of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time Bound). As you define, communicate and carry out the clear expectations you will want to add one practice that will distinguish you from the rest. Include the three elements of quantity, quality, and pace. Rather than saying, “finish the work as soon as possible” say, “finish these “x” items, as measured or approved by “y”, at a pace of “z” elements each hour/day/week” This approach coupled with SMART goals sets up you and your organization for success....

Camera Phones That selfie you took at the beach? Thank NASA for it. This little camera was invented in the early 1990s by Eric Fossum who worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At the time, NASA was trying to miniaturize cameras that were placed on-board interplanetary spacecraft that would be lightweight while also maintaining high-quality images for scientific purposes. Fossum’s solution was called the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor Active Pixel Sensor (CMOS-APS)....

There are so many wonderful ways for a family to spend time together in the fall. The weather is getting a little bit cooler, but it is still warm enough to spend time outside together in the backyard or on the patio. Here are 8 fun ways to spend family time: 1. Backyard barbecue It’s still nice enough in most areas to spend time in the yard. Whether you are scraping the remaining weeds out of the garden, or just hanging out on the porch, there are still plenty of evenings where you can gather as a family in the backyard....

Here are eight things you can give up to have satisfying relationships at work and at home. 1. Release your idea that others’ role is to make you happy We often carry this assumption around. While we may have had a mother or a father there to make us happy as a child, as an adult it’s nobody’s role to make us happy. It’s our role to make ourselves happy....

1. You don’t listen. In familiar friendships, it is easy to fall into this trap. You’ve known this person for so long that you know what they are going to say before they say it. So, you interrupt constantly and miss important communication cues because of your assumptions. Over time, opportunities for misunderstandings and communication breakdowns will increase. The solution: Don’t assume you know what your friend is going to say....

Why shell out those hard earned dollars on costly beauty products when natural ones can be found right in anyone’s kitchen pantry? Here is a list of 8 fabulous ways to use household ingredients as part of a beauty regimen, for only a fraction of the price. 1. Brown Sugar The fine granules of brown sugar work great as an exfoliant. It can even be made into a body and face scrub by using equal parts of the brown sugar mixed with coconut, sesame (or olive) oil, with a bit of scented essential oil added for a more relaxing experience....

Finding work you are truly passionate about can feel a lot like falling in love. You become infatuated, excited, and you can feel yourself changing for the better. But what happens when you get used to it? New is now familiar, and that loving feeling is not as “sparkly” as it once was. In some cases, when relationships last for this long (with a person or a career) it can be difficult to tell if you still want to be in it for the long run....

Here are some of the best places to buy used goods online: 1. Sell This free site is easy to use and you don’t need to use a credit card to sign up. You will find the best deals on items you want and you can even set up a “Wish List” so you will be notified via email when items become available. All negotiations are private and sales are completed quickly and easily....

But you may have seen a few people who are able to handle conflict differently. They stay cool without stonewalling, With their guidance, hidden problems come to light. Innovative solutions develop to resolve issues that festered for years. These Conflict Masters even manage to turn a conflict into a pleasurable experience. How do they do it? They use the following 7 simple steps, and so can you. 1. Assume that others aren’t hell-bent on destroying all you hold dear....

Being mentally healthy isn’t based on whether or not you are always happy, always productive all the time. Having some negative thoughts and feelings are natural and part of being human. Instead, being mentally healthy is about healthy coping skills and strategies that you develop for the tough times. It’s not about who is strong and who is weak. According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness),[1] 1 in 5 U....

The new age philosophy is to be obsessed and insane about becoming successful. Today success is measured more by financial gain than anything else. Many Fortune 500 company CEO’s are self- proclaimed workaholics and YAHOO! CEO Marissa Mayer claims to work over 90 hours a week on 3-4 hours of sleep. Mayer’s success as a female engineer is notable and every bit worth aspiring to. Below are eight things we should never neglect when doing so....

1. They learn quickly Many people with a high IQ are successful. Their level of intelligence pushes them to do better than others. Although a healthy IQ doesn’t guarantee success, it sure does provide the cognitive ability to be adaptable and quick learners. 2. They have a more critical perspective of life They see the failings of the world better than other people. While you and I can just deal with it, adapt and move on, they remained bothered about the human condition and other people’s idiocy....

1. Prioritize Identify the channels that provide the most high value contacts for you. Do you get most of your quality contacts from introductions through specific people? Through attending certain events? Analyze past successes to determine which people and channels are best for you. If you’re just getting started, do some planning to determine the optimal channels for your industry and focus your efforts there. 2. Be intentional Identify specific people you want to meet....

1. ShapeChef ShapeChef is a great tool recently published by Wulfsoft. It provides templates, diagrams, graphics, and a huge set of icons for PowerPoint, and the collection keeps growing. The ShapeChef site gives you an idea of all that it has to offer. There are packages from individual to large organization, and the licenses never expire. ShapeChef adds a library pane to your PowerPoint window for quick access. The elements are organized into categories, or you can use the search feature to find what you want....