5 life lessons from world’s richest man: Bill Gates

If you're searching for a great role model of ultimate success, you can't find better than Bill Gates. Microsoft, the organization he established, made an entire industry. With a net worth of almost $80 billion, he is the wealthiest man on the planet. His charitable and humanitarian activities reach far and wide and have really made the world a better place.

What prompted Gates' success? Being an incredibly smart engineer and successful businessman, he certainly was in the perfect spot with the right idea for a product. Throughout the years, he has shown some traits and habits that led him towards a sustained success in his business and philanthropy. Bill has certainly laid out a long list of lessons for anyone looking for motivation or a guide to success. Whether you are searching for someone to invest in your company, paying off your mortgage, or even finding a new career, there are many lessons that we can learn from Bill Gates.

Here are some of the most desirable traits of Bill Gates, which anyone can develop.

1. Learn to say "no"

Gates received this advice from Warren Buffett, and it is very valuable for everyone. Regardless of how ambitious or eager you are, everyone has 24 hours in a day, and the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful is determined by the way they spend those 24 hours. Nobody knows the importance of saying "no" better than the richest man in the world, who, in an interview, repeated the words of his friend Warren Buffett: "You have to be good at saying no." He elaborated that saying no allows you to focus on the things that really make a difference.

2. Embrace your critics

"Embrace bad news to learn where you need the most improvement," Gates wrote about the importance of negative feedback in his 1999 book Business @ the Speed of Thought. Despite the fact that it's never pleasing to hear negative feedback, complaints and dissatisfaction allow you to learn and do better in future.

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest sources of learning," he wrote.

Certainly, there will be situations where some criticism will not be useful and you have to use your judgment to tell the difference. Keeping this in mind, the next time someone criticizes you, don't walk away or curse them. Stay, listen, thank them, and learn.

3. Be optimistic

It can be difficult to be optimistic in a world where lots of things seem to be going in the wrong direction. To be successful, one needs to believe in optimism, because without it, not a single person would ever start a business, invest in a new idea, or test a new product or market.

Bill Gates escalates the great value of optimism, and since his social work aims at some of the most depressing problems in our world, such as poverty, sex trafficking, lack of education, etc., he needs a lot of optimism.

"Optimism is often dismissed as false hope," he said in a Stanford commencement speech in 2013. "But there is also false hopelessness."

4. Be judgmental about your success

"Success is a lousy teacher, it seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose," Bill Gates wrote this in his book The Road Ahead.

A product which is a successful item today could wind up obsolete tomorrow, he explains. That is what exactly happens to old desktop computers and Windows operating systems.

You might find successes more pleasurable than failures, but failures teach you the most and give you the best chances to cultivate.

5. Measure your progress

In a letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates penciled some lessons from the history of the steam engine.

"You can achieve amazing progress if you set a clear goal and find a measure that will drive progress toward that goal," he wrote. "Finding the right goal and the right metric for tracking one's progress is surprisingly difficult."

Setting and achieving goals will become easier when you have a yardstick to measure your progress, and you have the best chance of success when you track the progress you're making toward your goals.

Bring Out Your Inner Confidence

For most people, confidence is crucial to achieving success. Without it most will flounder, despite their talents or strength. Highly talented musicians, athletes, and business people who, because they lack confidence, don't land the record deal, win their race, or start the business they've been dreaming of for years.

Simply put, they're held hostage by fear and this stems from a lack of confidence. The good news is that they can change.

Here's how you can find your inner confidence:

You Have Strong Values

Whether it's your disposition, experience, or some combination of the two, you've learned that truth is your religion.  You live by values which naturally flow from the inner confidence and core of who you are.  These values are the unshakable foundation from which you derive your sense of confidence.  Those who don't depend others to make determinations in life, are aware that truth comes from within and you use this fundamental truth to relate to the world, solve problems and set goals.

You Don't Depend On Others to Make Decisions

Reserving the right to make your own decisions maintains your autonomy and independence in a world full of potential choices. Others may not agree or understand your strong "pursuit of happiness", however there is no shame in following your instincts in discovering your path in life. Of course, it is important to be kind while asserting yourself, however it is not necessary to give into to an expectation that does not fit with what you desire.

You Know What You Want

Those who don't depend on others are self-reliant and are fully aware of their direction in life due to inner confidence. You have short and long term goals set that are realistic and attainable. You can often be labelled as stubborn, defiant, or bull-headed by family members and peers but you consider it to be inner confidence. However, because of a strong drive and sense of what is right for you; following your intuition rather than group consensus is all the direction you require. You staunchly express independent thinking in support of your own ideas and opinions.

You Are Informed

In knowing what you want, your thirst for knowledge helps you effortlessly move forward in life. Information is your life's light saber; illuminating the path in the presence of uncertainty or influence. Although these are not common experiences for those who don't depend on others, they are human experiences. Being informed keeps you well-rounded so the pressures of conformity can easily roll off and advocacy for self and others is one of your highly respected character traits.

You Are Seemingly Quiet

Quiet is not an accurate description, but that's how others may experience you, however you are most likely engaging in quiet observation. Observation is a necessary tool in figuring things out.  You stop, look and listen, while you observe your own as well as others' thoughts and actions in an attempt to determine how to authentically relate to the situation. You don't depend on the lead of others to fit in.

You are Okay With Making Mistakes

Those who don't depend on others typically don't seek validation so making a mistake is no big deal. You fully accept the learning curve in life.  As an independent person you have a "bring it on" attitude when it comes to figuring it out, knowing that mistakes lead to greater understanding. What's the worst that can happen, right? Some of this world's greatest entrepreneurs have confronted their deepest fears only to ultimately end up right where they belong — all because of inner confidence that carried them along.

You Don't Need a Plan

Because you are resolute in your values, have identified goals, are keen in observation, and at ease with learning as you go; you let these principles guide you in your journey. Your infinite wealth of positive and negative experience provides proof that it all works out, because sometimes climbing the counter for Cheerios results in a tumble. However, you understand that a tumble is a part of success. Not needing a plan allows you to benefit from the trial and error in life because independent people thrive on learning through action.

You Assume Responsibility

How would any of this be possible if you weren't a pro at taking responsibility? When self-reliant people don't depend on others, they don't point the finger, its just not an option. You assume ownership in all areas of your life, but you don't beat yourself up for not being perfect. When independent people take responsibility it's not just for all of the extrinsic stuff; they take responsibility for themselves as well, knowing that respect and trust in "thyself" is key.

Don't work hard for your Job

Many people have the preconception that Millennials are lazy. They think that the concept of "work" for Millennials is different: Millennials don't see 10-12 hour days at the office productive. They want to work from the coffee shop down the street, because they "feel" better there. They want to be judged only by results, not by the amount of time and effort they appear to have put into a project. This is a huge paradigm shift which members of older generations have difficulty making.

No matter if this stereotype is true or not, research is beginning to support this style of working – working hard does not automatically translate to productivity. Here are 6 reasons to explain why less may actually be more.

1. Working Long Hours Decreases Productivity

Working from "dawn to dusk" has been a norm for thousands of years. Yet it was until Henry Ford's study in 1926 that people's conception of work began to change.

Henry Ford discovered that by reducing the working hours to 8 and the working days to 5, workers would become more productive. His studies did not fall on deaf ears. His study contributed to laws regulating the number of working days and working hours. Employers were hence required to pay for overtime work.

More recent studies by the U.S. military show that losing sleep and working longer hours will adversely affect cognition – the ability to learn, think, and reason – over time. So, if you are one of those people who are used to working long after everyone else has left the office, you should be aware that your productivity and your ability to think and reason will be reduced accordingly as well.

2. Promotion is not based on the Number of Hours You Have Worked

The traditional thinking goes: "If I really work hard; if I stay late at the office every night; if I keep busy all day and don't "chat around the water cooler" like the others, my boss will notice that. Then, when an opening for a promotion comes, I'll be selected." If you think in this way, unfortunately, you may be misguided.

This is what your boss may be thinking: "Bob is a hard worker. I really appreciate his dedication to getting that project finished by the deadline. On the other hand, why is it taking him so many more hours? Jane seems to get the same types of projects completed during normal working hours, and hers are just as complete and of the same quality level."

When it is time for promotion, your boss may also think: "Bob is such a hard worker. I know that he will work even harder with this promotion, but how many more hours can he work? Jane seems to manage time better and get more done in a shorter period of time. She can handle more responsibilities. Jane is the best pick."

The message is sad, but true – the number of hours you work is not important to your bosses.

3.  It is more important to Prioritise than to Execute

It seems that the more we work, the more chances we have to perform, and the more we will receive gratitude and thanks. Again, this is not necessarily true.

What happens may actually be this: People may just find you for all the unimportant tasks because you never refuse.

It is important to set priorities and say "no" to those requests that are just time-wasters. Turn people down assertively but appropriately. Say, "I'm sorry. I don't have the time to do that." As Warren Buffet once said: "The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say 'no' to almost everything."

4. Refusing to Succumb to "Down-Time" at Work Doesn't Make You More Admirable

We call these people "workaholics." They refuse to participate in "down-time" activities at work because they are either obsessively driven or they believe that it wastes the company's time. Besides, staying at one's desk "looks" better to bosses.

You may "brown bag" your lunch and eat at your desk. You may refuse invitations to take a break with others in the staff lounge. All of this does not make you admired. You are seen by co-workers as unfriendly and perhaps a "brown-noser".

Refusing to allow yourself some down time meaning you become less productive as the day wears on, and if there is really critical work for your afternoon, you will lack the energy to attack it well. Then you stay late or go home with work. It's a vicious cycle.

You will not be any less thought of if you take down time. Even the most successful minds of this world need to relax. For instance:

Winston Churchill took a nap every afternoon and no one was allowed to disturb that. He insisted that he had a much more productive work day because of it.

Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Reagan all took afternoon naps. Kennedy had lunch in bed and slept afterward.

John D. Rockefeller took a nap every day in his office.

A number of smart people take down time to engage in personal activities that are totally unrelated to work at all, just to put their brains on something else and because they have other interests. One executive had quite a portfolio with SEIS Investment, and used his downtime to study market trends and contemplate any new investments he might want to make. This was "fun" for him. Identify what is "fun" or relaxing for you and schedule some time in the middle of your workday for that.

Bottom line – having down-time isn't unproductive or makes you look "worse". It's the necessary activity (or lack of such) that your brain needs!

5. Doing Everything Yourself, and Putting in Long Hours to do that, Doesn't Breed Admiration

Every organization has these types of people. Their basic approach to tasks and projects is this:

·         To get something done right, they will need to do it all themselves.

·         They need to control every detail of a project from start to finish

·         They cannot trust others to complete their parts well and on time

·         Asking for help makes them look weak and less capable

·         If they do it all themselves, they will have more admiration and respect

·         If this sounds like you, understand that inability to delegate or micro-managing every detail of a project is two things: – exhausting and a real "negative" to subordinates, co-workers and to bosses.

Subordinates believe that you do not trust them. Co-workers believe that you are a "glory-seeker" and bosses believe that you are not executive material. If you are trying to impress everyone with your dedication to every detail of a project, understand that you are really getting the opposite!

6. Being a Perfectionist Means Long Hours without Reward

We all want our work to be right. And we want it to be approved of by our superiors. When we carry this to an extreme, however, this is what happens:

·         We continue to second-guess ourselves, creating our own stress

·         We continue to re-work, re-write, re-do because our attitude is that it can always be better

·         We believe that perfection is actually attainable, if we just put in more hours, work a bit longer and harder

·         A perfect work product means that we will have admiration and respect that will move us forward on our career ladder

The truth is this:

·         The more time we spend seeking perfection, the less productive we are

·         Superiors wonder what is taking so long and begin to wonder if the "job" is just too much for you

·         Perfection is a nice goal but is never really achieved. The goal is to complete a project that meets the goals of the project and the organization. Spending hours of time re-writing every sentence of a proposal or report; continuing to seek additional research to back up the great research you already have; these things are just unproductive and time-wasters.

What Your Employees Really Want From You

As the owner of your business, it's your job to figure out what your employees want and need from you in order to do their best work. You might think that it's all about promotions, raises, and time off— but those aren't the only factors keeping your employees around.

Your Employees Want a Mentor

One thing your employees really want (and need) is a mentor. Employees want to feel like they have someone they can confide in, someone they can learn from, someone who encourages them—someone to show them the ropes. It's an incredibly important part of career development and overall success.

They Want Transparency

Employees need to see what's happening at their organization, yet many companies are falling short. Do your best people understand company goals? Do they know how well the company is doing? Do they understand the organization's biggest challenges? If you're not keeping your people in the loop, your corporate transparency could use a little work.

Transparency is also important to your employees. Employees want to feel like they are "in the know" with everything that is going on with the company they work for—things like whether the goals from last quarter were met, what changes are on the horizon, what new products or services are being worked on, etc.

The key is to start small. Invite your employees to an all-team meeting where you let them in on a new product that's on the roadmap. Or talk about progress that has been made or a problem that you are working on fixing. Sharing little bits of information here and there with your employees is a great way to start building trust and loyalty among your team.

They Want Purpose

Purpose is also important to your employees. In addition to wanting to feel proud of the company they work for, your employees also want to feel like there is purpose in and behind the work they do. A good salary and job security aren't enough for employees anymore. Now more than ever, employees want to feel like the companies they work for aren't just in it for the money—that they actually care about customers and making the world a better place. And they want to help. It's why the term "social entrepreneurship" now exists in business vocabulary.

To help your employees feel like they have purpose, ask them what they are passionate about, then figure out how you can work it into their role. Develop a volunteer program for your company, or commit to donating a certain percentage of your profits to a cause (or multiple causes). When your employees feel like they have purpose, they stick around.

What to tell them

Every owner has a right to his or her own level of comfort in your transparency. The companies that are attracting the best talent are moving towards greater transparency because smart employees want to know what's going on in their businesses. Here are some items you should consider when presenting and discussing the company's finances with your employees:

1. State of the industry--A regular discussion of the industry and how it's performing provides good context for the employees as to how the company's numbers should be considered. Even though they hear economic indicators in the news, what these mean to your industry and their jobs is much more relevant to them. By providing them this overview, your numbers have a frame in which to fit.

2. What we do with profits--Somewhere in the media a misconception has been created about profits, that in some way they are bad or that there is a level that is too high. Part of this misconception comes from a lack of understanding of what owners do with the profits. Giving your employees some perspective about what's being reinvested, what's sustaining operations, what's retiring debt, and what's being distributed to shareholders in general terms provides them a clearer and probably very favorable picture.

3. What are we investing in--If you tell employees "One out of every four dollars of profit last year was reinvested in equipment, plant, and infrastructure," they will understand that the investment was needed to keep the business going and growing. Amounts aren't as important as context and ratios to demonstrate where the money is going.

4. Your relative financial strength--Everyone wants to know where their company fits compared to other companies. They could be companies of similar size, companies in the same industry or region, or even competitors--you choose. It's important to give a sense of performance in context.

5. How the company is performing against its budgets and forecasts--Decisions midyear are often made with an eye towards these performance indicators. Providing milestones and measures against those milestones helps.

You Want To Change - So Why Can't You?

People are often dumbfounded by the fact that they are unable to achieve success despite being very organized, going through a variety of different techniques and methods and having all the best intentions starting out, etc. What you may not read in many self-help resources however, is that you could be using the most effective techniques in the world and doing everything by the book, but if you're not completely honest with yourself, all this could go to waste.

So what do you need to be honest with yourself about? The two main issues that I've found to be holding people back from achieving their goals are

1.) The disconnect between their actions and their goals, as well as, brace yourself,

2.) The lack of desire and will to achieve their goals – even if you want it badly!

Misalignment of Actions and Goals

The disconnect between your actions and goals not only prevents you from achieving your goals but could also lead you down the path of wasting precious time and effort trying to achieving something that you couldn't care less about. This disconnect can manifest itself in two ways:

1. The right actions towards the wrong goal:

Have you ever found yourself setting a goal based on what others deem to be important as opposed to what you personally value, enjoy and find fulfilling? Unfortunately, if the goal isn't something that you personally place value on, then even taking the right actions towards it is rarely successful. It usually results in a conflict between what you really want to do, versus what you think you have to do – this conflict will leave you feeling demotivated and will pull you into a cycle of procrastination. If your goals comes from a 'have to or should do' – instead of a 'want to' – those are warning bells there already!

2. The wrong actions towards the right goal:

The process of assigning actions to specific goals can be influenced by a wide range of factors that you need to be aware of. Perhaps you don't have enough information on what the right steps to take may be? Perhaps you're afraid of the changes that may result from the actions? Alternatively, you may not be confident enough in your ability to carry out the necessary actions, or may even be unwilling to invest the effort into making a necessary change and therefore, either consciously or subconsciously, you end up prioritizing actions that are easy but not helpful to your goal.

Simply having your heart in the right place won't get you success. Likewise, doing all the right things half-heartedly isn't likely to do you much good. In order to achieve your goals you need to take the right actions with the right attitude. The only way you can achieve that is by making sure you've chosen goals that are inline with your personal values, as well as by selecting (and pursuing) actions based on their importance to your goal, as opposed to how easy/convenient they may be. Often, this requires us to be more honest with ourselves, even if we don't like what we hear.

Insufficient Desire to Achieve Specific Goals

It may be a painful realization to make, but if you find yourself unable to take action towards a goal, it's quite possible that your desire to achieve the goal simply isn't enough to motivate you into action! We've all heard/read about people who defy the odds to achieve their dreams; the reason that they were able to do so was that they were motivated enough by the end result to make a massive effort!

The sooner you're honest with yourself about what you really want, the less time you'll waste trying to achieve something that will never make you happy. As the saying goes, you can never get enough of what you don't really want; in other words, until you acknowledge your real desires, you'll keep pursing many different paths to no avail – nothing will ever seem fulfilling/motivating enough.

So how can you tell just how much you really want to achieve your goals? If you identify with some of the points below, you may want to re-assess your goals:

When an opportunity to cut corners presents itself, you take it.

If you really want to learn a new language for example, you would accept the challenges and invest in the benefits of delayed gratification, rather than cutting corners and seeking quick, short term solutions with immediate, and strictly short-term gratification such as only learning a couple of words that you know you'll need.

When things get difficult and require more effort, you give up.

For example, if your goal is to learn more about running your own business, but you can't bring yourself to read any books on the topic or to attend relevant seminars. You only find the energy and motivation to take action on the easy things.

When a situation becomes uncomfortable, you always look for a more convenient way out of it.

For example, if your goal is to work out more frequently but you can't increase your weekly exercises hours because you're not willing to experiment with different, potentially more effective forms of exercise. There is no cookie cutter to achieving your goals; you need to find the right recipe for you if the one you currently have tastes badly!

You don't re-adjust your plan

For example, if your goal is to wake up at 7am each day, but the next day, you hit the 'snooze' button. What most people do is give up after trying a few times. Instead of re-adjusting the plan until it works – which is what is often needed – most people won't get it right the first time.

It's important to differentiate between the quantitative focus of your goals (being more financially secure, etc.) and the qualitative experience that you seek to achieve from them. If you don't acknowledge the real WHY behind your goals, you won't feel motivated enough to stick with them. Find a WHY that is important enough to act as your metaphorical water-skis – it should launch you forward and keep you going even when you're struggling to stay up! Once you have found your WHY – the plan to get there is much easier!

Are You Ready To Be Honest With Yourself?

If you identify with some of the issues mentioned above, don't despair! The first step to solving a problem is diagnosing it correctly in order to fix it and learn from it. If goals were so easy to achieve, they wouldn't be called goals, but rather "to-dos" – achieving them isn't going to be easy, but if they're the right goals for you, you can count on the effort being completely worth it!

Body Language Secrets for a Powerful, Professional Image

The effective use of body language plays a key role in communication. Here are ten tips for powerful body language:

1. To boost your confidence, assume a power pose

Research shows that simply holding your body in expansive, "high-power" poses (leaning back with hands behind the head and feet up on a desk, or standing with legs and arms stretched wide open) for as little as two minutes stimulates higher levels of testosterone—the hormone linked to power and dominance—and lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

Try this when you're feeling tentative but want to appear confident. In addition to causing hormonal shifts in both males and females, these poses lead to increased feelings of power and a higher tolerance for risk. The study also found that people are more often influenced by how they feel about you than by what you're saying.

2. To increase participation, look like you're listening

If you want people to speak up, don't multitask while they do. Avoid the temptation to check your text messages, check your watch, or check out how the other participants are reacting. Instead, focus on those who are speaking by turning your head and torso to face them directly and by making eye contact. Leaning forward, nodding, and tilting your head are other nonverbal ways to show you're engaged and paying attention. It's important to hear people. It's just as important to make sure they know you are listening.

3. To encourage collaboration, remove barriers

Physical obstructions are especially detrimental to collaborative efforts. Take away anything that blocks your view or forms a barrier between you and the rest of the team. Even during a coffee break, be aware that you may create a barrier by holding your cup and saucer in a way that seems deliberately to block your body or distance you from others. A senior executive told me he could evaluate his team's comfort by how high they held their coffee cups. It was his observation that the more insecure individuals felt, the higher they held their coffee. People with their hands held at waist level were more comfortable than those with hands chest high.

 4. To connect instantly with someone, shake hands

Touch is the most primitive and powerful nonverbal cue. Touching someone on the arm, hand, or shoulder for as little as 1/40 of a second creates a human bond. In the workplace, physical touch and warmth are established through the handshaking tradition, and this tactile contact makes a lasting and positive impression. A study showed that people are two times more likely to remember you if you shake hands with them. The researchers also found that people react to those with whom they shake hands by being more open and friendly.

5. To stimulate good feelings, smile

A genuine smile not only stimulates your own sense of well-being, it also tells those around you that you are approachable, cooperative, and trustworthy. A genuine smile comes on slowly, crinkles the eyes, lights up the face, and fades away slowly. Most importantly, smiling directly influences how other people respond to you. When you smile at someone, they almost always smile in return. And, because facial expressions trigger corresponding feelings, the smile you get back actually changes that person's emotional state in a positive way.

6. To show agreement, mirror expressions and postures

When clients or business colleagues unconsciously imitate your body language, it's their way of nonverbally saying that they like or agree with you. When you mirror other people with intent, it can be an important part of building rapport and nurturing feelings of mutuality. Mirroring starts by observing a person's facial and body gestures and then subtly letting your body take on similar expressions and postures. Doing so will make the other person feel understood and accepted.

 7. To improve your speech, use your hands

Brain imaging has shown that a region called Broca's area, which is important for speech production, is active not only when we're talking, but when we wave our hands. Since gesture is integrally linked to speech, gesturing as we talk can actually power up our thinking.

Experiment with this and you'll find that the physical act of gesturing helps you form clearer thoughts and speak in tighter sentences with more declarative language.

 8. To learn the truth, watch people's feet

When people try to control their body language, they focus primarily on facial expressions, body postures, and hand/arm gestures. Since the legs and feet are left unrehearsed, they are also where the truth can most often be found. Under stress, people will often display nervousness and anxiety through increased foot movements. Feet will fidget, shuffle, and wind around each other or around the furniture. Feet will stretch and curl to relieve tension, or even kick out in a miniaturized attempt to run away. Studies show that observers have greater success judging a person's real emotional state when they can see the entire body. You may not know it, but instinctively you've been reacting to foot gestures all your life.

 9. To sound authoritative, keep your voice down

Before a speech or important telephone call, allow your voice to relax into its optimal pitch by keeping your lips together and making the sounds "um hum, um hum, um hum." And if you are a female, watch that your voice doesn't rise at the ends of sentences as if you are asking a question or seeking approval. Instead, when stating your opinion, use the authoritative arc, in which your voice starts on one note, rises in pitch through the sentence and drops back down at the end.

10. To improve your memory, uncross your arms and legs

Body language researchers Allan and Barbara Pease report a fascinating finding from one of their studies: When a group of volunteers attended a lecture and sat with unfolded arms and legs, they remembered 38% more than a group that attended the same lecture and sat with folded arms and legs. To improve your retention, uncross your arms and legs. If you see your audience exhibiting defensive body language, change tactics, take a break, or get them to move—and don't try to persuade them until their bodies open up.

Believe It or Not, These Simple Things will make you Smarter

1.      Analyze your world

If you apply this habit and better understand your environment, not only will you become smarter in the process, you become more aware of the world around you.

2.    Stimulate your brain cells

While there is no known scientific evidence that shows that the squishing of your toes will stimulate your brain cells, there is evidence within the reflexology community that your big toe has a direct line to your brain. According to this system of belief, the rubbing of your big can help relax your brain and increase concentration.

3.    Be structured

Structure and routine can help you become smarter by creating strong healthy habits. For example, if you structure your day to read an article that helps you learn something new, over the course of a year you will have learned 365 new things. Imagine what this equates to over a lifetime. Add more books, articles or podcasts to your day and your knowledge and intellect will grow exponentially.

4.      Change your relationship to failure

Failure is a fact of life, but it is not who you are, nor is it permanent. You can follow this by not being afraid to try new things. Many don't try because they fear failure. The only way you can fail is if you give up. If things don't work out the way you expect, you have just learned a way of not doing it correctly – thus making you that much smarter. Keep trying and never give up.

5.      Get a different point of view

If you are presented with a problem, take the time to see how many ways there are to solve the issue. Sometimes the most obvious answer is not the best answer. By restructuring the problem you will increase your problem solving skills and in the process, become smarter.

6.      Limit daily choices

We are distracted by so many things during the day- ironically, for many Facebook is one of them- that our minds get cluttered and can render us less effective. Simplifying your life can give your brain room to grow and focus on things that can increase your intellect and add value to your life. See what you can do to limit your distractions and make your life simpler.

7.      Study widely

It's probably quite obvious that the more you learn the smarter you'll get. However, what many don't think about is how learning a variety of subjects opens up insights into the inter-workings and relationships different subjects have. For instance, if you are an artist and also study chemistry, you can understand how chemical compounds work together and perhaps create mastery because of your knowledge of how oils can be blended together. This type of study can give you the opportunity to look beyond the obvious and enter a world that only few dare to venture into.

8.    Become a student to become a master

You don't have to be the best or the greatest. Pick one area of your life you'd like to improve and become a student. Learn everything you can about the subject – and related subjects. Then make a plan and work as hard as you can to become the best you can at that subject or talent. Oh, and don't worry about failing. Like you learned from Edison, if you don't succeed the first time you will have grown smarter because you'll now know how not to do something the next time.

9.      Utilize cold temperatures

When your body, and brain, are flushed with fresh blood there is a mental and physical acuity that is gained for a short period of time that is like no other. You might want to trade in that comfortable warm bed for a cold awakening and see where your limits can take you.

10. Find the best place to work

Many geniuses have their one place where they think and work best. It may be a room or it could be an outside bench with a beautiful mountain or ocean view. By doing this, you give your mind an opportunity to reach levels you otherwise would not reach. Find that place that inspires you and allows your mind to grow and expand beyond its current capabilities.

Don't Let It Kill You: Turn Stress into friend

We all face stress at one time or another. But, have you ever imagined taking stress and turning it in your favour? Wouldn't it be great if you could cope with the all of the stressful challenges you're put through in life by using that stress to thrive?

Stress comes in different forms. Sometimes it's minor, like a flat tire or being late for work. Other times it's major, and is caused by life-changing events such as the death of a relative, a divorce, or a large personal loss. However, the best thing to do is not to over think things but to shift the way you handle stress and move forward. Check out these eight ways to turn stress into your friend:

1. Unplug yourself

Everything in our lives seems to keep us connected or holds us back. If you are stressed, all you need to do is unplug yourself from your daily routine and live your life. Get out of your house for a day, but leave behind your cell phone and don't check your email. Give yourself a break and see how it can do wonders in your life. Disconnecting yourself from all the daily activities you've been doing will give you time to're-charge' and be yourself.

2. Share

Stress can make you feel weak, and if you feel burnt out you need to talk about it. It can be with your partner, your parents, your boss, or anyone you are comfortable with. It's also been said that sharing a problem is like cutting it in half. Talking to your closest friends will help you with motivation and will generate ideas on how you can move forward. It will also clarify your problem and open doors for different opportunities that you may not have noticed before.

3. Sleep

In order to keep yourself healthy both physically and mentally, you need to get good sleep. Make sure you rest for at least 8 hours a day so that you can take the time to reflect and relax. There's no need to rush. A proper rest will also clear out any negative thoughts that have been bothering you as well.

4. Keep moving

Lying around while you are stressed out is only going to make you feel worse. You need to get up and move in order to reduce your stress level and keep yourself calm. Make a daily exercise routine or join a gym. You need to push yourself in order to achieve what you desire.

5. Focus

Stress drains your energy and destroys your desire to work. All you need to do is focus on different aspects of your problem and take your time to work through it. If stress gives you trouble, think about your life differently and concoct new ways on how you can deal with it. Focus on different issues that you are going through, make a checklist, and start finding ways on how you can solve them.

6. Accept that some things can't be changed

It's often best to accept the conventional wisdom that there's no way to change the past. The best thing to do is accept the fact that everything happens for a reason and that some things are unchangeable. Learn to stop wasting time and energy fretting over past mistakes. What's gone is never going to come back, so start living with what you have and seek new opportunities in life.

7. Develop a positive attitude

Hanging on to your mistakes and feeling guilty all the time creates negative energy that can decimate your confidence. If you are stressed because of the mistakes that you've made, you don't need to feel drained and frustrated. Seek help if you can't make things right alone. Develop a positive attitude and try to let go of negative emotional anchors that simply drag you down. Learn new skills and do things that make you happy.

8. Create a new perspective

Stress can help you see life differently. For example, if you had a divorce and are stressed out by loneliness, go to parties, make new friends, and try to find people who you can enjoy life with. Maybe you and your previous partner were not meant to be together, and chances are you can find your true north if you move on. Learn from your mistakes and improve yourself; success is not far away if you change and start seeing things differently.

"You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway." ― Steve Maraboli

Benefits of Working at a Start-up

Joining a start-up company is a no-brainer. The pros far outweigh the cons. Whether you're just graduating, or you've done your time "working for the man" now is the perfect time to make the jump.

Go work for a start-up company. Here are the reasons why:

Development opportunities

Start-ups offer new recruits greater opportunities to get stuck in and innovate than more established businesses. The start-up mentality encourages risk-taking, giving employees the freedom to prove themselves and grow – often much faster than in an environment structured by annual reviews.

Start-ups are often smaller teams so you can have a lot more impact and there's more responsibility you can grab, which isn't the case in a large company.

A chance to shine

Not only does working intimately with a small team allow graduates to observe and learn from their colleagues, it also ensures that their own contribution is noticed and rewarded.

Hiring is very hard so one of the things a start-up will do, almost automatically, is to look around the team and make a call as to whether anyone might want to take on a bit more responsibility or shift to a different role. You get to take on duties as and when they come, to expand your horizons professionally.

Dynamic environment

There's nothing like a new venture to create a dynamic, soulful working environment. By entering a young company at the early stages, new recruits get to help bring an idea to life, share the success of early triumphs and help the company achieve real, tangible growth. The best thing about working in a start-up is having the ability to make things happen. There is a great sense of adventure working in a start-up. Start-up life is a constant sense of excitement. You never know what's going to happen in six months' time.

Choosing your team

Since we spend more time at work than anywhere else, it is crucial to have a great professional – and ideally personal – chemistry with your colleagues. This is integral to a successful working life, yet often not given the weight it should be.

In a large organisation, new recruits are unlikely to even meet most of the people they'll spend their days with before they start, let alone go on to influence future hiring decisions. However, this is a key unique selling point start-ups can offer.

If you're part of a six or 10 person team, you're going to get a say on who's hired. You're probably going to have power, at least to veto, if not to make a hire. That's huge – that you get to choose who you sit next to, who you work with. You just don't get that in any other job.

Entrepreneurial training

Not only do start-up personnel get to help bring their boss's entrepreneurial idea to life, they get unrivalled business training to stand them in good stead if they want to start a venture of their own.

Of course working in a start-up won't be for everyone. Some people thrive working intensively with a small team, while others prefer the security of a large business and knowing what they're going to be doing every day. That's fine – the latter probably aren't suited to the start-up environment anyway – but prospective employees shouldn't be put off by assuming that start-up employment is unstable or risky.

The job market for start-up and early-stage companies is very strong. There's no shortage of opportunity. Top talent can pick and choose amongst a slew of start-ups eager to hire. The risk is low.