Pat Green - Dixie Lullaby

How to Turn Dreams into Reality

1. Tell someone else what your hopes and dreams are - and what you plan on doing to get you there. State your plans and goals out loud to someone else as it helps you commit to persevering.

2. Put it on your calendar and carve out some time to invest in your dreams – every day, if possible.

3. Start with something small so you don’t feel overwhelmed. It’s also motivating to see yourself succeed (and that becomes more likely if you start with baby steps.)

4. Leave reminders everywhere to motivate you to “keep going”.

5. When you feel like giving up – just stop and focus on “right now”. Doing that will stop you thinking up a whole book of excuses!

Ventis secundis, tene cursum
Translation: "Go even against the flow."

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The Benefits of Doing Less

1. You accomplish more. No, you don’t get more done (you’re doing less, after all), but if you do less and focus on the important stuff, you actually achieve better results, and more meaningful accomplishments.

2. You have less anxiety. When you let go of the distractions and the non-essential, you free yourself from the fear that you need to do these things. You learn that your world doesn’t fall apart when you let them go.

3. You enjoy life more. Taking time to really focus on an important task, or enjoy the little things, rather than rushing through them, is much more enjoyable.

4. You create time. When you do less, all of a sudden you have free time! You can use that doing things you really want to do!



Avaritia facit bardos

Translation: "Greed makes you stupid."




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Envy on Facebook May Trigger Depression

In a new study, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that Facebook use can lead to symptoms of depression if the social networking site triggers feelings of envy among its users.

Margaret Duffy, Ph.D., a professor and chair of strategic communication at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, said how Facebook users use the site makes a difference in how they respond to it.

“Facebook can be a fun and healthy activity if users take advantage of the site to stay connected with family and old friends and to share interesting and important aspects of their lives,” Duffy said.

“However, if Facebook is used to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship, things that cause envy among users, use of the site can lead to feelings of depression.”

In the study, Duffy and Dr. Edson Tandoc, an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, surveyed young Facebook users and found that some of those who engage in “surveillance use” of Facebook also experience symptoms of depression.

However, those who use the site simply to stay connected do not suffer negative effects.

Surveillance use of Facebook occurs when users browse the website to see how their friends are doing compared with their own lives.

The researchers found that Facebook postings about things such as expensive vacations, new houses or cars, or happy relationships can evoke feelings of envy among surveillance users. They say that these feelings of envy can then lead to Facebook users experiencing symptoms of depression.

“We found that if Facebook users experience envy of the activities and lifestyles of their friends on Facebook, they are much more likely to report feelings of depression,” Duffy said.

“Facebook can be a very positive resource for many people, but if it is used as a way to size up one’s own accomplishments against others, it can have a negative effect. It is important for Facebook users to be aware of these risks so they can avoid this kind of behavior when using Facebook.”

“Social media literacy is important,” Tandoc said.

“Based on our study, as well as on what others have previously found, using Facebook can exert positive effects on well-being. But when it triggers envy among users, that’s a different story.

“Users should be self-aware that positive self-presentation is an important motivation in using social media, so it is to be expected that many users would only post positive things about themselves. This self-awareness, hopefully, can lessen feelings of envy.”

Source: University of Missouri-Columbia/EurekAlert

Reference
Nauert, R. (2015). Envy on Facebook May Trigger Depression. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 4, 2015, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2015/02/04/envy-on-facebook-may-trigger-depression/80764.html