I Believe in Naps

Naps are good.

Some famous nappers down through history can’t be wrong:

-Albert Einstein took a twenty-minute post-lunch nap daily.

Other famous nap-takers include:

-Leonardo da Vinci

  -Napoleon Bonaparte

    -Winston Churchill

      -Thomas Edison

        -Ronald Reagan

      -John F. Kennedy

    -John D. Rockefeller

  -P Michael Biggs (who is he?)

Tip #30 from my new favorite book is Take a Nap

The book is The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle.

Daniel says … “Napping is good for the learning brain because it helps strengthen the connections formed during practice and prepare the brain for the next session.” 

Researchers at University of California, Berkeley, found that napping for ninety minutes improved memory scores by 10%, while skipping a nap made them decline by 10%. 

“You need sleep before learning, to prepare your brain, like a dry sponge, to absorb new information.” 

Dr. Matthew Walker

Lead Investigator

University of California-Berkeley

“Study on Napping”

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

 Order your copy of Little Book of Talent by clicking NOW!

To read more on Napping, follow these links

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/02/22/naps_boost_learning_capacity/

http://www.livescience.com/13125-sleep-naps-boost-memory.html

(This link states that there is a 20% increase in test scores after a nap compared to a 20% decrease in non-nappers)

Be Stupid

I've not lost my mind, nor am I making excuses for incompetence.  I’m promoting a principle I just learned from Daniel Coyle’s book The Little Book of Talent.  

He says – “Be willing to be stupid.

If we want to improve any skill, we have to skate on the edge of our abilities and see how far we can go, how much we can strain and still be effective.  In other words, be willing to be stupid and look stupid. 

Reach

Strain

Do the ridiculous

Wayne Gretzky, the famed hockey player, was famous for performing all kinds of antics in practice.  One might think he was the clumsiest of skaters, but what he was really doing was finding the edge of his limits.  He was testing the waters.  He was pushing his skill to the edge, and the edge kept expanding.  

Daniel says this:  “Feeling stupid is no fun.  Being willing to be stupid – being willing to risk the emotional pain of making mistakes – is absolutely essential.”

Risk the emotional pain …

Vital principle. 

 

Daniel makes a comment I want to implant into the minds of every person alive. 

“Mistakes are not really mistakes – they are the guideposts you use to get better.”

And another …

“Mistakes are not verdicts, but information.”

Chew on that for a while.

Order Now

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Top Five Blogs for "It's All about People"

(Click on each of these links to read each post_

1.  Integrity
May 22, 2012

2.  Genshai
March 15, 2012

3.  Empathy
May 1, 2012

4.  Can You See
June 5, 2012

5.  Namaste
March 29, 2012

Enjoy these at your leisure.


P Michael Biggs
Up-Words.net
Offering Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
One Word at a Time

Your Gold Mine

I own a gold mine.

You do too.

It’s located between your ears.  It’s your mind, and you own it free and clear.

What might the yield be from this gold mine of yours? 

It all starts with our thoughts and dreams. 

Do you have a focus, a destiny in mind?  Do you have a dream or passion that is bursting inside of you?

Most of us do.  We have these kinds of destinies within us.  Anybody can dream, but the few who dare to put feet and wings to their hopes and dreams are the ones who become reapers of the bounty of their own personal gold mine.

It is action that must accompany our dreams.  Action breathes life into dreams.

It defines where we go, and how far we go.

Action is the critical ingredient to mining gold.

We have to swing the pick-ax and man the shovel.

It’s not easy.  Never is.

But when we hit the vein of gold … oh my!

What a day to celebrate.

Russell Conwell tells a similar story in a little gem of a book called Acres of Diamonds.  It’s a book I try to read at least once each year. 

Remember, your gold mine is closer than you think.  It is inside of you. 

What do you want?

What is your passion?

If you could do anything in the world and be assured of success, what would you do?

Those are the compass points for your gold mine.

Keep digging.

Order your copy of "Acres of Diamonds" by clicking this link.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Come to the Positive

Come to the Positive

I learned a critical principle from Denis Waitley a long time ago that has become a practiced habit ever since.

Denis reminds us that we should always couch comments in their positive state. 

Avoid these:

Don’t throw him a high outside pitch.

Don’t forget to pick up the milk.

Don’t forget to go to the dry cleaners.

Use these instead:

Keep it low and inside.

Remember to pick up some milk.

Remember the dry cleaning.

Denis says it takes the brain 47% longer to process a negative comment compared to a positive positioning. 

This stuff works.  I know firsthand.

Daniel Coyle uses this same idea in his new book The Little Book of Talent. 

If a violinist is facing a difficult passage, she should tell herself “Nail that A-flat.”

Avoid the “Oh boy, I hope I don’t miss that A-flat.”

Daniel adds this point:  “Reach for what you want to accomplish, not away from what you want to avoid.”

Click here to order

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Power of Words II

Words have power - Watch this 1:46 video blog.  Thanks for sharing it with someone.

Click here to watch 

"The Power of Words II

P Michael Biggs
Up-Words.net
Offering Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
One Word at a Time

How to Get Better

Do you want to get better at whatever it is you do?

Here is one simple tip from my new favorite book by Daniel Coyle called The Little Book of Talent. 

“Look at every single performer who is

better than you and see what they’ve

got that you can use.”

That is practical borrowing. 

-Steve Jobs borrowed from Xerox.

-Babe Ruth borrowed from Shoeless Joe Jackson.

-Best Buy borrowed their Geek Squad idea from Apple’s Genius Bar.

“The Special Forces Group of the Green Berets borrowed from General Electric.  They went to GE’s offices for a period of time and followed their designated exec through their daily routine.  When they returned to their unit, the commanders noticed a significant boost in performance, communication, and leadership. 

“Up-and-coming chess players practice by replaying classic games, move by move. 

“Public speakers practice by re-giving great speeches, complete with original inflections.

“Some writers achieve this effect by retyping passages verbatim from great works.”  

(The Little Book of Talent – Daniel Coyle)

Imitation is the name of the game. 

That’s how we get better.

We look for the little things – the angle of the hand, the mouth shapes of a singer reaching those high notes, the body stance, and any other signals that we can apply to our own game to help us improve.

Imitate!

Get better.

 Order your copy of 

The Little Book of Talent 

by clicking here.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time