If you accept a job, a relationship, or a lifestyle that you merely tolerate -- but don't appreciate -- you’re putting other concerns ahead of your own happiness.
I've been a professional writer since I was 17, so nearly 24 years now. I’ve made my living with words, and have written a lot of them -- more than 10 million.
Contributors get noticed and attract new friends and opportunities easily, and contributing is much easier than you might assume
The prolific life has been characterized by abundant inventiveness and limitless creativity, and has been enshrouded in a veil of mystery - the sources of artistic inventiveness are too often viewed as out-of-reach for the average person.
Students, athletes and performing artists are often advised to imagine themselves performing successfully. But is that motivation influenced by what perspective they take when imagining their performance?
Psychological scientists have found that the size of different parts of people's brains correspond to their personalities; for example, conscientious people tend to have a bigger lateral prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in planning and controlling behavior.
If you want to make a difference in the world, the single most important thing you can do is consciously and deliberately choose to do work that you are passionate about.
It's hard to keep yourself going when you don’t feel the same excitement as you did in the beginning.
Too often we get stuck in inaction -- the quagmire of doubt and perfectionism and distractions and planning that stops us from moving forward.
Whether bloggers are writing to change the world, or just discussing a bad break-up, they may get an extra boost of motivation from traffic-measuring and interactive tools that help them feel more connected to and more influential in their communities.
When dreaming is believing: Dreams affect people's judgment, behavior
Just being in the same room as greatness can inspire you to new levels of the possible.
Whether it's sports, poker or the high-stakes world of business, there are those who always find a way to win when there's money on the table.
"Over the course of five years, I've managed to pay off over $35,000 in debt, quit my day job, and go from having nothing saved to fully funding my retirement accounts every year. In the process, I've developed a 14-point philosophy."
Worried you won't meet your goal? According to research, you'll be more likely to succeed if you make specific plans to implement it.
You might think that a loving partner helps keep you on track -- say, when you want to stick to your jogging or concentrate on your studies.
People are better able to exercise self-control when they choose goal-pursuit strategies that fit with their promotion or prevention focus.
Many of us are good at starting things — it’s the finishing that we need help with.
It’s the lack of starting that kills most tasks and projects.
The color red can affect how people function: Red means danger and commands us to stop in traffic.
Impulse and determination: Those two are probably the most important keywords of my life.
Members of a group or team will work harder when they're competing against a group with lower status than when pitted against a more highly ranked group.
What truly inspires individuals to perform at their very best?
When we're waiting in line or sitting in a boring meeting, time seems to slow down to a trickle. And when we get caught up in something completely engrossing - a gripping thriller, for example - we may lose sense of time altogether.
It seems contradictory to those who are used to sacrificing living for pursuing their goals … but cultivating mindfulness will help you achieve your goals and enjoy life more.
Sometimes immersing yourself in the creative world of people doing amazing things can bring unexpected results.
But when a task is presented as fun, researchers report in a new study, the same individuals often do worse than those who are less motivated to achieve.
Even the most motivated of us can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.
We all procrastinate. I put off writing this article by doing a bunch of smaller tasks, for example. They were less important and I knew it, but they were quick tasks and so easier than writing an article on a tough topic.
Research suggests that it is pro athlete's ability to manage his goals, as well as his skill, determination and motivation that makes him successful.