Action Has to Come Before Motivation

We need to take small and effective actions to be the fuel of the motivation train! 

Action leads to Motivation.

People wait for motivation to strike, before they take action.

The feedback loop starts with Action, which motivates you, which leads to more action, which means you're more motivated to take action... :)

https://www.getflashnotes.com/podcast/meaningful-show/action-%e2%86%92-motivation/

Long Life Through Practicing Ikigai

I love how it seems like the Japanese have a word for everything.  And I'm even happier that English tends to grab onto foreign terms and make them our own!

This concept is deep and important to Japanese, and when you find your Ikigai, you have a greater chance of living a meaningful life.According to Japanese tradition, everyone has their own Ikigai, which is basically our existence.
It is a sense of purpose and feeling of wellbeing.Interestingly, it is often used by Japanese speakers to describe moments that bring happiness or to name something that brings joy to their life. In essence, it is the Japanese secret to a satisfying and fulfilling life.

What’s different with a routine and a habit?

Habits happen without us even thinking about them... they’re effortless...  like brushing your teeth or shampooing your beard (if you’re a bald man) or you’re hair if you’re not a bald man.  

 A Routine is a repeated action (or actions) that require a certain amount of effort.  

https://lifehacker.com/to-change-your-habits-first-change-your-routine-1842860611

Reading a book reduces mental stress

A thoroughly engaging speaker, Terry Small (otherwise known as The Brain Guy) has written in his newsletter about the calming effects of reading.  It doesn’t really matter what you’re reading, but it does have to be on the same topic.  

A University of Essex study* found that reading for just six minutes can reduce our stress levels by 68%.

Dr. Lewis, neuroscientist and lead researcher, states, "Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation."

It was found that reading slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and calms our minds

Jumping around and scanning news on a mobile device or computer can actually feel the opposite  to relaxing... leaving the information consumer feeling drained and stress.

So find a book or blog, and immerse yourself in a mother world for a few minutes a day.

https://www.terrysmall.com/

Midlife Crisis Academy

An article about how Middlescence (like adolescence for older people) can be managed in a positive way to make the last third of life positive and healthy.

Focus less on proving yourself and more on improving yourself.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_overcome_the_struggles_of_midlife?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center&utm_campaign=f4ffe34283-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_March_2020_Calendar&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5ae73e326e-f4ffe34283-64697031

How to reprogram our subconscious

A podcast featuring  author Bruce Lipton who says sometimes the reason it’s difficult to make lasting change in your life is because the thing you are trying to change contradicts the subconscious programming that you received very early on.

His discoveries have shown that a person’s perception, not genetic programming, is what spurs all action in the body: It’s actually our beliefs that select our genes, that then select our behavior.

Our conscience is dictating our genetic makeup!

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/podcast-habit-change-rewiring-your-subconscious-mind/

Three Lick Hacks to Help Adopt Tiny Changes

NPR, as part of their Life Kit podcast, interviews the author BJ Fogg, a behavior scientist at Stanford University and author of the new book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything.

We may have heard about the tiny tasks, but the author goes one further by associating them with, in the ways, with items that we may already do that will make the tiny change even easier!

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/25/809256398/tiny-habits-are-the-key-to-behavioral-change