Everyone has a friend who gets covered in mosquito bites and a friend who doesn’t get a single one. That’s because mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find people to bite, and some people smell better to them. We can change how we smell using perfume, soaps, our diet and so on, but which changes can stop us from being bitten by mosquitoes?

Continue Reading

The focus for today is:

Everyone wishes they had a superpower. Well, you’ve had a secret power since childhood; you don’t know how to use it yet. That’s the power of language. In a fascinating new book, “Magic Words: What To Say To Get Your Way," Prof. Jonah Berger of the Wharton School uses massive data sets and machine learning to tease out the “magic words” that can transform our lives.

As Berger delved into his research, he explored whether a single word or a subtle language change could significantly impact our outcomes. One notable experiment he highlights is the Harvard study in 1977, where researchers tested the persuasive power of the word "because."

The results were fascinating: simply using "because" followed by any reason significantly increased compliance. People were likelier to agree even when the reason was weak or irrelevant. This experiment demonstrated the power of specific words in shaping our decisions and eliciting desired responses.

Continue Reading

I believe my journey with Plant communication began with Mulberry—although it may have started before I could even imagine. Do we ever really know when a journey begins?

I wake with the sun, listening to the birds sing. I quickly grab my basket and sneak outside while the house is quiet. This is my private time of the day, a prized treasure when no one requires my attention. I prefer to spend this time with the Plants. Today, I gather Mulberries for breakfast. While I harvest, I process whatever is weighing on my Heart and any decisions that I need to make.

Sometimes, when I come out here, I am quite weary, exhausted though the day has just begun. Within moments of picking, my inner child comes out to play. I feel lighter and have more energy. Soon, I’m starting to see the solutions for my problems, or maybe that they aren’t problems at all but opportunities. I head back to the house with a full basket and calm Heart, ready to start my day.

Continue Reading

https://innerself.com/living/home-and-garden/28875-how-to-connect-with-trees-for-communication-and-healing.html

The focus for today is:
I remind myself often: "I can do it!"

By all the usual measurements, I was successful and living the American dream at full speed. I owned companies with revenues in the $30 to $50 million range before I turned thirty. I became highly skilled at buying, building, and selling businesses. I focused on helping people and creating social as well as financial profit. But my success came at a great cost to my health and rela­tionships and accelerated toward one moment and one choice: change or die.

I’ve mused for years on how the miracle that saved me also inspired me to do a total 180, to defy decades of “proven” business practices and discover, develop, and finally write about what I’ve come to call the Success Paradox.

Continue Reading

https://innerself.com/living/finance-and-careers/career-and-success/28870-the-three-principles-of-the-success-paradox.html

Microsoft and Google have recently made big investments in two of the

Hot yoga also known as Bikram yoga (more on that later) has gained significant popularity in recent years as a fairly ferocious form of exercise. It combines yoga poses and breathing exercises and is practised in a heated studio – with room temperatures close to 40°C.

This style of yoga is designed to replicate the environmental conditions of India and is typically practised for around 90 minutes, leaving students (and teachers) dripping in sweat come the end of class.

Practising hot yoga challenges the mind and places additional physiological strain on the body. It makes you very sweaty and increases your heart rate, which can feel pretty intense. Indeed, hot yoga can lead to dehydration and dizziness, especially if it’s your first time and you don’t begin the class hydrated.

Continue Reading

https://innerself.com/living/health/fitness-and-exercise/28872-is-hot-yoga-good-for-you-exploring-the-science-behind-the-sweat.html

When a hurricane hits land, the destruction can be visible for years or

The focus for today is:
I leave the past behind, and turn my attention to where I am going.