#Happiness Isn’t the Absence of Negative Feelings + How to Handle Negative #Feedback | HBR #EQ #psychology #selfimprovement #selfhelp


Happiness feels intolerably elusive for many of us. Like fog, you can see it from afar, dense and full of shape. But upon approach, its particles loosen and suddenly it becomes out of reach, even though it’s all around you. We put so much emphasis on the pursuit of happiness, but if you stop and think about it, to pursue is to chase something without a guarantee of ever catching it. READ MORE: Happiness Isn’t the Absence of Negative Feelings | Harvard Business Review.

There’s no shortage of advice about how to react to negative feedback. Whether the critic is a boss or a co-worker, the same familiar guidance is consistently presented: Listen carefully, don’t get defensive, ask for time.

There’s nothing wrong with these three suggestions, of course. But at the moment when an unhappy colleague is telling you loudly that the project plan you created left out some obvious key components, or your boss is taking you to task for the stumbles you made in running an important meeting, it’s hard to recall these valid pointers, move them to the front of your mind, and actually act on them. READ MORE: How to Handle Negative Feedback | Harvard Business Review.

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35 #Habits That Make #Employees Extremely Valuable | Inc.com #business #workplaces #softskills #EQ


Every employer wants employees who contribute to the overall success of the company. Here’s how the best bring long-term ROI. READ MORE: 35 Habits That Make Employees Extremely Valuable | Inc.com.

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Top 10 Highly-Desired #Skills You Can Teach Yourself | LifeHacker #guides #selfimprovement


We’re all about do-it-yourself here at Lifehacker. But just because you don’t have the skills to do something doesn’t mean you can’t learn them. In the next installment of Lifehacker’s 10th anniversary celebration, we’re revisiting some guides we’ve written on learning some highly-desired skills. Guides listed:

  • Repair Just About Anything
  • Pick Up an Artistic Skill Like Illustration, Painting, or Photography
  • Learn to Defend Yourself
  • Improve Your Design Skills (or At Least Acquire a Sense of Style)
  • Pick Up Just About Any Subject You Missed In College
  • Build and Hack Electronic Hardware
  • Play a (New) Instrument
  • Cook Like a Pro
  • Become Fluent in a New Language
  • Make a Web Site, Create an App, or Just Learn to Code

READ: Top 10 Highly-Desired Skills You Can Teach Yourself | LifeHacker.

How Changing Your #Reading #Habits Can Transform Your #Health | Fast Company #books #wellness #psychology


Reading doesn’t just improve your knowledge, it can help fight depression, make you more confident, empathetic, and a better decision maker. READ MORE: How Changing Your Reading Habits Can Transform Your Health | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence #emotionalintelligence #EQ #psychology #softskills


Volunteering in a public library and changing workplaces from the corporate world to academia and back again over the past five years has exposed me to different organizational cultures. These experiences have provided insight into the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in your leaders and peers and how workplace culture influences your emotions and behaviour. I am really intrigued by emotional intelligence theory and believe in the value of understanding its application in our personal and work lives (supported by research). We can improve the way we interact with our peers and respond to conflict. Below, I have provided links to insightful articles on this topic for your enjoyment and professional development. I will continue to add articles to this post as I come across them in the news.

For Individuals

For Leaders

Want To Reduce Your Social Anxiety? Just Be Kind | Co.Exist #kindness #socialanxiety


In my experience volunteering is an especially rewarding act of kindness activity. 

Focusing on other people, and not yourself, helps take the pressure off. READ: Want To Reduce Your Social Anxiety? Just Be Kind | Co.Exist | ideas + impact.

43 #Free Career-Advancing #Courses You Can Take (And Actually Finish) This Summer | Mashable #skills #education #MOOCs


Yes, summer is the perfect time to relax and recharge. But, it’s also the perfect time to pick up a few new skills. Put that relaxed brain (and work schedule) to good use! How accomplished would you feel if, when September rolls around, you could open up your resume and add another skill to it? Very, we’re guessing.

Before you start stressing, know that we’re not asking you to sacrifice your summer nights to a droning professor. Instead, we’re suggesting devoting a few hours every week to advancing your career with an online class. (Online equals your couch and your sweats and an optional glass of wine.)

To make the process easier for you, we did two things. One, we only chose classes you can complete in less than 10 weeks (with some that can be completed in an hour). Two, we hand-curated this list to ensure it’s only courses that are valuable and interesting. The best part? All of them are free. So, without further ado, here are 43 classes you can sign up for today.

READ MORE: 43 free career-advancing courses you can take (and actually finish) this summer | Mashable

9-Year-Old Filipino Boy Got a Scholarship After This Photo Went Viral | Mashable #kindness


READ: 9-year-old Filipino boy got a scholarship after this photo went viral | Mashable

Caring Pepper Robot Hits the Market, Sells Out in a Minute | CNET #robots #empathy


The adorable Pepper robot unveiled a year ago by Japan-based mobile and telecommunications company SoftBank has finally been made available to consumers, and it’s been a roaring success.

According to CIO, the robot was launched on to the market at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 20. Within a minute, all 1,000 robots in the first wave had been snapped up by customers, going for 198,000 yen (around $1,610) apiece.

Pepper aims to act as a household companion. It is programmed to communicate with users, follow vocal commands, and, in what SoftBank claims is a first, read human emotions and react accordingly. Pepper is not built for physical tasks. The robot’s role is more emotional. READ MORE: Caring Pepper robot hits the market, sells out in a minute – CNET

Get Off The Computer And Complete This Italian Teacher’s #Summer Assignment. You Won’t Regret It. | HuffPost #lifestyle #reading


Get Off The Computer And Complete This Italian Teacher's Summer Assignment. You Won't Regret It.

This professor’s assignment is an inspiration and sounds like the most perfect summer ever!

A summer homework list assigned by Cesare Catà of Don Bosco High School in Fermo, a small town on the Adriatic Sea in northeastern Italy, is currently going viral across that country.

Instead of giving his students required reading assignments, Catà gave them a prescription for how to live an inspired life, telling them that in the next few months, they should take time to admire a sunrise, dream about the future and read, because reading is “the best form of rebellion you have.”

The Huffington Post interviewed Catà, who said he models his teaching methods on Mr. Keating, Robin Williams’ character in the 1989 film “Dead Poets Society.”

READ MORE AND THE ASSIGNMENT IN ENGLISH: Get Off The Computer And Complete This Italian Teacher’s Summer Assignment. You Won’t Regret It | HuffPost