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There is a thin line between enjoyment and addiction. When you go a little overboard with enjoyment then it leads to addiction. There is nothing morbid about enjoying something. The classic sign of addiction is denial and is often hard to notice. It is very important to observe the signs of addiction in order to […]

The post Know The Difference Between Addiction and Enjoyment! appeared first on Self Help Zone.

When researching my recent post build self confidence, I came across other articles and blogs on this theme. But as I discussed in my post, some of the tips and steps suggested elsewhere are somewhat dubious.

With a title 7 Smart Ways to Build Self Confidence, I thought Mohamed Tohami in Lost-Media.net may buck the trend.  Well, the result is very mixed. Here are his “smart ways”:-

Building self confidence? dadjanda (Flickr.com)

1 Travel

2. Walk on Fire

3. Express yourself

4. Join a Toastmasters Chapter

5. Learn one new skill every year (at least)

6. Break a Record!

7. Study Self Confidence.

I think the last item is somewhat ironic as by studying self confidence you will have to wade through a swamp of contradictory advice! You’ll most likely end up confused rather than more confident.

Skills to Build Self Confidence

As ever, amongst the bizarre ideas – fire walking, camping in the desert! – comes an odd gem. Building skills is often overlooked. However, as a foundation for great self confidence there is nothing better.

We tend to forget we have many skills. As a child we learn to walk and talk. We start to dress ourselves and communicate more meaningfully. Once we start school it becomes an uphill slog – as soon as we learn to write we have to start sitting tests and exams. I have three daughters in their early twenties who seem to have been doing nothing but exams for as long as I can remember!

But we learn skills. Unfortunately we seldom give ourselves credit for what we can do. As part of my reflection in my daily journal, I reinforce to myself how skilled and how wonderful I am. No one but me reads this, so I can (and should) be as boastful as I like. With low self esteem and/or self confidence there is a tendency to downplay our achievements – so make them shine here.

Learn New Skills

I think Mohamed has an excellent point with his “point 5”, learning a new skill. he says:-

Increase your skill set regularly. Every year you should at least have acquired a new skill. With a powerful skill-set under your belt, you will be confident in your ability to get things done. You’ll have more experience and you’ll gain more confidence in your ability to deal with different life situations.

For the past three months I have been learning mindfulness – which is in itself a skill which can help self confidence. If you are interested I can strongly recommend the site I have been using to learn from Get Some Headspace.  You can try it out for ten sessions for free. I will write more about mindfulness in a later post.

Are you familiar with the mid-afternoon slump? You know, the fog that rolls in sometime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., without so much as a warning, destroying your will to do anything except curl up in a ball under your desk. You’re not alone. The afternoon slump is a real, biological phenomenon that lots of people experience every single day. In fact, it’s a sign your internal clock—fluctuations in energy and body temperature regulated by our circadian rhythms—is running on time.

Clear away the haze with a few body-and-brain-boosting tricks—none of which involve pumping yourself full of caffeine or sugar.

But that doesn’t mean the slump has to keep you down. Clear away the haze with a few body-and-brain-boosting tricks—none of which involve pumping yourself full of caffeine or sugar—so you can go forth into the world with a fresh mind.

1. Stretch

Stretching for even 20 seconds can have a huge effect on your energy levels—particularly if you’ve been sitting at a desk for hours. Stand up and reach down to touch your toes; bring your hands together and reach above your head; imagine yourself as a cat to deepen your stretch. Just kidding. (Sort of—if you’ve got a good imagination and like cats, it might help.)

2. Close your eyes for two full minutes

It’s hard to truly comprehend how much time we spend with our eyes widened by the glaring light of our phones, TVs, and computers. Not only is it physically straining, it’s also mentally draining. Place your hands over your eyes for two minutes, and relish the time you have to sit still and be with yourself.

3. Tidy up

When you create an uplifted environment for yourself, your mind and body follow suit. Take a few minutes to clean up your desk, wash a few dishes, or straighten up your coffee table.

4. Call a loved one and tell them why they matter

It’s always worthwhile to extend yourself to others, so pick up the phone and feel your heart swell. It’ll make their day better; it’ll make your day better.

5. Take a walk

There’s nothing like fresh air to perk you up when you’re feeling hazy. And if you spend your days in an office building, the air can get pretty stale. Get up and get out—even if you’ve only got five minutes to spare. It’ll get your blood flowing, your muscles moving, and will offer your mind a fresh start.

This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of Mindful magazine.

The post 5 Ways to Beat the Afternoon Slump appeared first on Mindful.

As you may have known, your brain works in a complicated manner. The left portion of your brain controls the actions and movement of the right part of your body while the right portion of your brain controls that movement of the left part of your body. Thus, it may be possible that the side…

Update 5: South African carrier Comair has become the latest airline to ground its 737 MAX 8s.

After facing criticism for saying it would keep its Boeing 737 MAX 8 in operation (the airline just received delivery of its first 737 MAX late last month), it has apparently decided to temporarily not schedule flights using the plane. It’s reportedly in talks with Boeing.

Here is the statement the airline released a few hours ago saying it would continue to monitor the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Our sympathies are with those affected by the heartbreaking tragedy of the Ethiopian Airlines flight. Comair will continue to monitor the various investigations by the relevant authorities and are in close contact with both Boeing and the SACAA regarding the MAX 8 Aircraft. pic.twitter.com/3iEWGzxMqc

— kulula (@kulula) March 11, 2019

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Update 4: The FAA, which is monitoring the investigation into the crash of Ethiopian Air flight ET302, is now looking into an incident involving another Boeing 737, which is a generation prior to the 737 MAX, after United Airlines flight 1168 reported engine trouble during a turbulent landing in Houston. The flight declared an emergency as it was coming in for a landing when it suddenly began experiencing engine trouble.

Here’s more from the AP:

Flight 1168 was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members when engine trouble began late Sunday as the plane neared George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The Boeing 737-900 was traveling from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
One passenger told Houston media outlets that he heard a loud bang, felt a strong vibration and saw a flash of light.

Another passenger says he saw flames coming from the engine, but a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman says emergency responders found no evidence of fire or smoke.

The FAA has been in contact with the State Department following the Ethiopian Air crash, and plans to join National Transportation Safety Board in assisting Ethiopian authorities in investigation of crash. The union said flight attendants working for American Air won’t be compelled to work on the 737s if they feel “unsafe”.

Meanwhile, a former FAA official warned during an appearance on CNN that travelers should be wary about flying on 737 MAX 8s.

"I've never, ever done this. I've never said that, 'hey, it's unsafe to fly a particular model' but in this case, I'm going to have to go there… So yeah I would watch for that airplane," – fmr. FAA Safety Inspector @David_Soucie on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. https://t.co/PgcNELgjxm pic.twitter.com/qGKSt4WCru

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) March 11, 2019

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Update 3: The flight attendants union has asked the FAA to investigate the Boeing 737 MAX 8, saying it’s important to address these safety concerns after the second crash in 5 months.

• *FLIGHT ATTENDANTS UNION ASKS FAA TO INVESTIGATE BOEING 737 MAX
• *ASSN OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SEEKS ACTION AFTER SECOND MAX CRASH
• *AFA: VITAL TO ADDRESS CREW, PASSENGER CONCERNS AFTER MAX CRASH

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Update 2: Boeing fell to its lows of the session after the open, with shares of the aerospace company and Dow component down 13%, its largest intraday drop since 2001. Concerns about the safety of Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 are weighing on shares of airlines and Boeing suppliers more broadly as well.

Boeing has almost single-handedly dragged the Dow deep into the red, with Dow futures down 270 points while the S&P and Nasdaq remained in positive territory.

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Update: Indonesia’s Transport Ministry will order the temporary grounding of all 737s while it carries out safety inspections, Reuters reported.

Reuters: #Indonesia's transport ministry says to temporarily ground #Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft while it undertakes inspections

— Vincent Lee (@Rover829) March 11, 2019

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In a sign that more details about the crash could soon be known, Ethiopian State TV says it has recovered both ‘black boxes’ from flight ET302, which contains important data that could shed some light on what caused the crash. Included in the data is a cockpit recording which could shed some light on what pilots were saying and doing in the plane’s final moments.

Reuters: #Ethiopia State TV says black box from #EthiopianAirlines flight that crashed Sunday has been recovered

— Vincent Lee (@Rover829) March 11, 2019

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This could be the first major breakthrough in the investigation, and could reveal whether reported “abrupt dives” due to faults in the plane’s flight-monitoring system, which was suspected of causing the Lion Air crash, were to blame.

As of 8:50 am ET, Boeing shares had dropped 11% in premarket to their lowest level of the day, dragging Dow futures down with them.

With Boeing headed for its biggest drop in at least eleven years, Dow futures are down 200 points while the S&P and Nasdaq look set for a higher open.

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Boeing ADRs traded on Germany’s Tradegate exchange in Stuttgart slumped more than 9% early Monday as Chinese and Ethiopian airlines grounded their fleets of Boeing 737 MAX 8s as experts question the plane’s safety after an unprecedented series of crashes. Meanwhile, Boeing opened more than 10% lower in the US premarket, weighing heavily on Dow futures, which were off by triple digits.

While some airlines opted not to ground their fleets following Sunday’s devastating crash, where an Ethiopian Airlines flight dropped out of the sky six minutes after takeoff, killing everyone on board – including nearly 160 passengers and crew (including 8 Americans) – the fact that the Ethiopian Air crash happened so soon after a similar crash involving a 737 operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air has raised questions about the model’s safety.

On Monday (local time, late Sunday in New York), China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China said all Chinese airlines must suspend their use of the 737 MAX 8 by 10 am London Time.

The CAAC said flights would not resume until Boeing had proven that no design flaw contributed to the crashes. China’s regulator said it would notify airlines as to when flights could resume, after it has heard back from Boeing and the FAA.

“Given that two accidents both involved newly delivered Boeing 737-8 planes and happened during take-off phase, they have some degree of similarity,” the CAAC said. It added that it has a “zero tolerance” policy for safety risks.

Chinese airlines have a total of 96 737 MAX 8 jets in service, the state company regulator said on Weibo, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

Meanwhile, after initially insisting that its fleet of 737s would remain in the air, Ethiopian Airlines backtracked on Monday and grounded its 737s until further notice as an “extra safety precaution.” The investigation into Sunday’s crash is just getting started, while the probe into the Lion Air crash has yet to produce a conclusive finding.

Cayman Airlines, the British overseas carrier, said it would ground its 737s, though most of the major airlines around the world have not grounded their planes.

Here’s a breakdown of 737 orders/deliveries showing which airlines are most reliant on the narrow-body jet (No. 1 is US-based Southwest), courtesy of Bloomberg:

Flight ET302, the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed on Sunday, was the second 737 MAX 8 to suddenly crash, killing everybody on board, within five months. In late October, the crew of a Lion Air flight reported technical problems with the plane before it suddenly dropped into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia. The two crashes were eerily similar, in that both occurred just minutes after taking off.

The 737 line is Boeing’s cash cow, and the aerospace company has roughly 5,000 737s on back order – so making material redesigns for safety purposes could be hugely problematic for the company’s production, and possibly lead to a flurry of cancelled orders. Already, 350 of the planes are in service around the world.

By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge

The post FAA Investigating Houston Incident Involving Another Boeing 737 appeared first on The Mind Unleashed.