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ACHIEVE GREATNESS YOUR OWN WAY THE ART OF CURIOUS OBSERVATION
about personal development has been through observation, analysis, and reading. The first thing I do is look for trends among people I believe are better than me. I ask myself, “Is there one routine or habit they all do? Or, is there a principle or behavior they all swear by?” Usually, people outline the answers to these questions in their books, podcasts, and social media content. But if they don’t, this is where analysis comes into the introvert’s method. What I do is I identify the attributes I’d like to adopt from these people and then reverse engineer how they got there to find the trend. For example, you want to become as physically fit as someone. Exercise is one factor, but what exercises do they do? How long do they exercise? What is their diet like? Looking through the historical data that led a person to your desired attribute will allow you to create a blueprint for getting there yourself. This exact process led me to create a morning routine for myself. I started noticing that many successful people were all saying the same thing: they had a structured routine every morning when they woke up. The routine itself varied from person to person, but I realized that it was no coincidence that every person I respected was doing the same thing; it must be contributing to their success. I identified the attributes I wanted (their success, whatever form that took), looked back through the historical data, and found a common trend or behavior. Then, I started doing that behavior myself! This process has been fundamental in my growth and in what I’ve been able to accomplish.
If you’ve been reading my newsletters for a while now, you know I’m constantly trying to learn and grow as a human being. I want to be better than I was yesterday, every single day. For some people, this desire to grow and change can come from someone else’s influence, such as a role model or mentor. Sometimes, we come across people with qualities we want for ourselves. They could run a successful business, maybe they seem incredibly emotionally secure, or perhaps they have the body of our dreams. Whatever the reason, these people can guide our change, and by learning from them, we can evolve and become better.
on yourself. I advise anyone who wants to follow this method to absorb the information from your respected people in long form. What I mean by long form is you need to read their books, listen to their podcasts, or watch their YouTube videos. This is because social media clips like TikToks, Instagram Reels, or even Facebook videos are too short to learn enough about someone to identify their trends, behaviors, or routines. You don’t have to be a people person to grow. You can do it from afar as long as you stay curious and never lose the desire to improve.
But what if you don’t have a role model? Then you’re like me.
Sure, some people love having a mentor or role model to follow, but others, like myself, prefer to do things our own way. The tricky thing is, for people like me, we still need to see what “better” looks like in someone else to set that goalpost and work towards it. We just don’t need to idolize them or meet for coffee once a week. So, as someone who has always been curious about myself and my personal development but never had a traditional mentor or role model, I’ve learned to grow using what I call the “introvert’s method.” Essentially, everything I’ve learned
So, even if you don’t actively have a role model in your life, there are still effective ways to work
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One of the common challenges parents face with their young children is power struggles. When you ask your child to do something, and they refuse, you could spend countless hours and endless energy trying to get them to comply. Sometimes, the more persistent you are, the more resistant they can become. However, several strategies exist to avoid these arguments with your strong-willed kids. Here are two methods you can adapt to fit some common parenting scenarios. ASK CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS. Sometimes, kids don’t understand the consequences of their actions — they lack the appropriate problem-solving skills to help them understand why you’re making certain requests. Instead of telling them to do something, ask questions that make them think critically about the situation. If they leave their toys outside before a storm, ask what could happen to them and how they could prevent that. When your child understands that leaving toys out during a storm could damage them, they will realize that putting them away is a good idea. Remember, when children are forced to do something they don’t want to do, they will focus more on being angry at you rather than learning a lesson or new habit. Encouraging them to develop their own conclusions will help them better understand the impact of their decisions. OFFER CHOICES AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE. Giving your children choices helps them feel like they have some freedom over what they get to do. Sometimes children refuse to comply with requests because you’ve offered them no other option. If you want your child to clean their room, don’t demand that they do it. Ask what they want to start on first — make the bed, put away their toys, or hang up clothes. Providing alternatives and allowing them to make a choice will not only get the job done faster but will also increase their confidence in knowing you value their opinion. Navigating power struggles with children can be a challenging aspect of parenting. But implementing effective strategies can make a significant difference in maintaining harmony at home. So give these methods a try and watch as your relationship with your child grows.
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BOOST PRODUCTIVITY WITH ACTIVE LISTENING
3 Tips for Enhanced Understanding
To effectively absorb information from other people, you must do more than just hear them. You must be fully present in the conversation, ask questions, and listen to the other person. Don’t just respond, but actually understand the message they’re trying to convey. This is called active listening, and it increases your comprehension of whatever you’re listening to, whether that’s a video, podcast, or person in front of you. This increased understanding, in turn, creates higher productivity levels, influence, persuasion, and negotiation.
video or in-person conversation), put your phone away, and ignore any noises or side conversations. You may have to actively strain to do these things at first, but keeping your focus engaged will become easier over time. TIP NO. 2: ASK QUESTIONS As you’re listening to someone else speaking, push yourself to think of an open-ended question that will prompt the other person to elaborate and go into more detail or that you can research yourself later (if it’s a podcast or video). Doing this forces your brain to synthesize what you’ve heard to generate a question, resulting in more information about the subject. TIP NO. 3: REFLECT ON WHAT WAS SAID After someone else has spoken, take a moment to paraphrase what they said. For in-person conversations, say this paraphrased version back to them to ensure you’ve accurately understood their message. For videos or podcasts, take a moment to pause the content and say the paraphrased version back to yourself or write it down.
So, how do you improve your listening skills? Is it even possible?
Absolutely! But it does take a bit of work. Luckily, getting started is easy, and you can try out these three active listening tips in the next conversation you have, podcast you listen to, or video you watch. TIP NO. 1: PAY ATTENTION You must direct all your attention to them to actively listen to someone or something. Keep your eyes on them directly (if it is a EVERYTHING- SEASONED DINNER ROLLS
BALLOT CORNUCOPIA CRANBERRY DISTRICTS
MAIZE PILGRIM POLITICS RAKING
SHOPPING STUFFING THANKSGIVING VETERAN
Inspired by RealSimple.com
INGREDIENTS • Cooking spray
• 1 tbsp honey • 2 tbsp everything bagel seasoning
• 20 frozen dinner rolls • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS 1. Coat a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and arrange frozen rolls in the pan to thaw according to package instructions. 2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Then, melt butter and honey together in the microwave or on the stove. Once the rolls thaw, brush butter mixture over the rolls and sprinkle seasoning on top. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden, and serve these tasty rolls straight out of the oven!
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404-418-8244 | WWW.BRAUNSLAW.COM 3175 SATELLITE BOULEVARD, SUITE 330 DULUTH, GEORGIA 30096
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How to Innovate Your Way to Personal Growth
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Say Goodbye to Power Struggles With Kids!
Our Clients Say It Best
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Become a Better Listener Today
Everything-Seasoned Dinner Rolls
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Explore the Instinctual Call of Crisp Autumn Leaf Piles
THE SCIENCE BEHIND WHY DOGS AND HUMANS CAN’T RESIST LEAF PILES
IRRESISTIBLE SEASONAL SCENTS Our sense of smell doesn’t even come close to dogs’ incredible scent skills. While we have 5 million scent receptors, dogs have anywhere between 125–300 million! This means they can smell countless other scents we can’t, and autumn may bring some exciting aromas your dog hasn’t experienced in a while. The result? They’ll dive right into a leaf pile and get sniffing! MARKING TERRITORY Another scent factor could be your dog wanting to claim a particular leaf pile. We already know dogs use their scents
Whether it’s your boisterous toddler or rowdy pup, a perfect pile of autumn leaves might be too good to resist! You probably remember the days when you also jumped into a crunchy orange leaf pile without a second thought. But why do humans and dogs love jumping into huge piles of leaves? The main (and most obvious answer) is because it’s fun! For kids, dogs, and even some adults, jumping and rolling around in the fall leaves is a satisfying form of play that releases energy. While this may be the simple reason for humans, there are a few more reasons your canine companion can’t resist a tower of leaves.
to mark territory, and rolling in a beloved pile of leaves is a way to infuse their scent. After diving head first into some leaves, they leave their scent behind so other animals can smell them and know that the leaf pile has already been claimed!
INSTINCT TO DIG Digging is a dog’s favorite pastime that dates back to their wolf ancestors. Just as natural as sniffing and barking, digging is an ingrained behavior for dogs, and they want to follow their instincts the moment they see a leaf pile. Whether they’re digging in to rest in the cool leaves or demolishing the pile entirely, your dog is just doing what dogs have always done.
Whatever the case, jumping into a pile of leaves is completely normal — and fun! — for both humans and dogs.
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