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July 25, 2012 By Élan Leave a Comment

Welcome to DoGreat.net v2.0

Welcome to DoGreat.net, a blog about living better with a focus on happiness through service.

DoGreat.net is currently in a transitional phase: instead of personal development advice, we will be celebrating people and organizations that are doing great things. The first step in this transition is our partnership with Diasporas@MSP, a July 25 2012 conference that explored the role of Minnesota’s diaspora communities in philanthropy, giving, service, and leadership.

Please feel free to explore our older content and make sure to sign up for our newsletter to get updates after the transition. Just enter your email in the box below and hit “Subscribe”.

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July 6, 2012 By Élan 1 Comment

Brainstorming for focus

Brainstorming. Mind mapping. Idea generating. Thinking outside the box. We have a ton of buzzwords, but the idea is the same: How do you unlock all of the great ideas that are hiding in the depths of your brain?

An awesome example of a mind map

My life changed tremendously last summer. I moved back to the US from Malaysia with my Iranian fiancé in June. In July, we married. In September, I started three new jobs. Summer has returned and, once again, my life is full of change. I’ve joined the Executive Committee of an amazing nonprofit, I’m organizing a conference with the state department, I took on my first freelance client, and I quit my job in order to start a new position in a refugee immigration program. Professionally, I feel more focused than ever. Personally, I’m still trying to untangle some knots.

DoGreat is the biggest unsolved mystery in my life . The site developed from my love of nonprofits–especially innovative nonprofits. Much of my happiness has always come from service. I wanted to share that special kind of happiness by helping people match their passions with a nonprofit. DoGreat quickly devolved into a generic personal development site, but that was never my intention. I’ve finally started to return to my original focus: providing personal development-style posts with nonprofit attached to each one. I’ll also be profiling people and organizations who are doing great things. To get my focus back on track, it took loads of brainstorming. If you’re feeling a little stuck, here are some brainstorming strategies.

Brainstorming for success

Find like-minded (and brilliant) people. I cannot stress this enough. All of my good ideas come from conversations with brilliant people. I may have an inkling of an idea, but I’m usually unable to fully flesh it out until I get feedback from friends. Find a brainstorming partner in crime and bounce ideas back and forth with them. If you don’t want to use your friends and family, utilize the power of social media and find a friend through Twitter or Facebook. I’m dreadfully shy, but I’ve made so many life-changing connections through Twitter. You’d be crazy not to try it.

If you’re brainstorming alone, go for total seclusion. Get rid of all distractions. Bring a piece of a paper and a pen to someplace quiet and comfortable. There shouldn’t be any television, Facebook notifications, phone calls or emails to bother you. I always think I should brainstorm using my laptop, but I end up on Twitter.

Start writing and don’t stop until you’ve come up with some crazy ideas. If you’re brainstorming solo, you can write down insane ideas without worrying about judgement. Maybe there’s a bit of brilliance hidden in something wild. Get as many ideas out of your head and onto your paper as possible.

Review your notes later. Whether you did some free writing or made a mind map, go back to it the next day and see if you can glean anything new from your notes. You might be surprised how much a night of sleep can change your interpretation.

Bonus: Have a glass of wine. A litte bit of wine might relax you enough to let your wildest ideas come out. Too many glasses and you’ll be too relaxed to think straight, so limit yourself to one–just enough to loosen you up.

Ruminating is good for your brain

Don’t put it off; grab a notebook and go do some brainstorming now. Don’t wait for your brilliant idea to hit you in the middle of an email reply. Pull it out now and get started on your next big thing.

I’ll be at World Domination Summit in Portland this weekend. If you’re going, hit me up on Twitter so we can grow some big ideas together. Expect some conference-inspired blog posts this weekend. Next week, DoGreat will be back on track with happiness through service posts.

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June 11, 2012 By Élan 10 Comments

Reviving your imagination

This week I watched Avatar (yes, I’m three years behind.) It prompted me to think about imagination. The world of Pandora was so beautiful and filled with intricate details. If only I could imagine a world like that! I’d win a Pulitzer.

I thought back to my childhood. My best friend and I used to spend hours playing make believe. We’d explore our backyards, the creek behind her house, and the woods behind mine. We sewed our own costumes and developed elaborate backstories for our characters. We suffered through war, natural disasters, and scarcity of resources. We adventured into uncharted territory, not knowing what we would find ahead of us.

Avatar brought out my imagination and those playful feelings from my childhood. As I watched, I wished that I, too, could hop in some strange machine, close my eyes, and wake up in Pandora as a totally different species. I wanted a new land to explore.

photo: { pranav }

When the movie ended, I cried. I wasn’t crying about the movie; I was mourning my imagination. Avatar brought me back to those days of play, but it wasn’t the same. I’m an adult now–I can’t paint myself blue and run around in the woods acting out a story. Even if I could, would anyone join me? Probably not. Okay, definitely not.

Those feelings of sadness made me realize how much I miss using my imagination. I can’t be the only “grown up” who feels this way. I refuse to accept that idea that it’s too late to bring my imagination back.

Imagination play for adults

After my imagination-mourning session, I was determined to figure out ways to utilize my imagination again and make it stronger than ever. Here’s what I came up with.

Writing is one of the best ways to let your imagination run wild. Fictions writers regularly create whole news worlds and allow their characters to explore them. It may be difficult to create a world from scratch if your imagination is out of practice, though. You can find writing exercises to improve your creativity and imagination abilities by Googling “creative writing exercises” or similar phrases. Don’t write? Try sketching or painting instead.

Video games are great for your imagination! Role-playing games are especially useful because you can explore a large world within the game–you aren’t limited to a tight storyline. If you don’t know where to start, try Skyrim.

Books and movies, like Avatar, excite you and engage your imagination. The only problem is that sad feeling at the end–when the book finishes and the movie is over. Still, books are particularly useful in reviving your imagination because you can fill in most of the details yourself. The Harry Potter of my imagination looked nothing like Daniel Radcliffe. I had created my own characters and my own setting while reading.

Live action role-playing games (LARPs) are something I know nothing about. It seems like a role-playing game acted out in the real world. Sort of like improvisational theater.

Historical reenactments are for you if you’d rather release your imagination in a historical environment instead of a fantasy world. Getting started with historical reenactments seems difficult, but may be worthwhile if you love a specific period in history.

Imagination exercises

Feel like your imagination is already too far gone for the play activities listed above? Fear not! There are so many exercises you can do to engage your creative side and activate your imagination. Here are some imagination exercises that don’t require a lot of time. Best of all, they’re fun!

Open up a magazine or Pinterest and find a picture that intrigues you. Ideally, there will be people in the photo you choose…but go ahead and get creative if you like. Invent your own backstory for the image. What lead up to it? And what’s going to happen next? You can write it out, paint it out, or sing it out. Whatever your art is, do that.
Inc. magazine suggested a role-playing exercise that you can do alone or in a group. First, pick a character–you can be anyone from Bill Gates to Batman. Then, brainstorm ideas as if you were that character. What are you going to do today? What would you ask the President? What’s on your grocery list? Pick a fun topic or two and go nuts.
Open your dictionary and find a word you don’t know. Make up your own definition for it. Bonus points if your definition is hilarious. If you don’t own a dictionary, you can find a word in Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day archive.
Pick a classified ad from the newspaper and write (or paint, or sing) the story behind it. Who is this person and why did they place the ad? This is one of my favorite exercises.

Try doing a mixture of these quick exercises and the play activities above and see what happens. I bet you’ll feel more creative and inspired within a couple weeks.

How do you keep your imagination healthy?

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May 29, 2012 By Élan 6 Comments

Yoga for beginners

Élan’s note: This post is part of a series of stress-management strategies in honor of May being Mental Health Month. The original post in the series is here.

Two months ago, I Googled the phrase “yoga for beginners.” I was right where you are now. ”Yoga is for hippies,” I thought. ”I’m not zen enough.” Still, I gave it a shot. First through online guides; then in actual classes. Only two months in and already yoga has changed me. I am zen. I don’t struggle with anxiety nearly as much, and I find myself waking up happier and with more motivation. I’m no yoga teacher, but I’ve gathered some helpful resources here for new yogis.

photo: Teecycle Tim
Beginner poses

I’d always advise starting yoga by going to classes to develop a solid foundation. A good instructor will make sure you’re doing the pose correctly. Unfortunately, sometimes we just don’t have the time or money to make it to a class. If that’s the cases, you can try DVDs or online guides.

About.com has a 30-Day Quick Start Yoga Guide that maps out your yoga routine for a month. I tried this and I was so sore after the first day that I couldn’t practice again for a week! My advice: go slow throughout your first week and don’t stretch too hard.
This article highlights 12 beginner yoga poses. It has pictures and descriptions.
Here’s a whole directory of poses (some beginner, some very advanced) performed by a man. My wonderful male readers, this might be the page for you.

Most poses labeled “restorative” will also be appropriate for beginners.

Yoga Gear

You don’t need much gear to practice yoga. I recommend purchasing three objects (mat, strap, blocks) and finding the rest of your gear around the house (loose clothing, a blanket, and a bolster aka pillows). Here’s what I’m working with:

My yoga mat is like this. You don’t need anything fancy in the beginning. It’s nice to have your own mat, both for hygienic reasons and so it can become your friend. I feel right and ready for yoga on my mat.
I love using a strap to stretch my legs. My hamstrings are so tight from running–using a strap helps me get a good stretch. I use this one.
These blocks are worth every dollar. Blocks are really useful for beginners who can’t quite stretch all the way without pulling something. I use them when doing certain kinds of lunges, standing straddle folds, and even bound angle pose.
If you have sensitive knees, a blanket will come in handy. You can put a blanket under your knees in any pose that requires your knees on the mat for an extended period of time.
Use a bolster to prop yourself up if you have a hard time keeping a straight back in some sitting poses. You don’t need an expensive yoga bolster right away; a firm pillow or two will do just fine.

Gaiam makes a nice Yoga for Beginners Kit that includes a mat, a strap, a block, and a yoga DVD for only $25.

Things to remember

Yoga shouldn’t hurt. If you find that a particular pose or stretch is painful, bring it down a notch. Use one of your props (like a block) to support yourself. Back off until the stress feels good, not painful. Remember that you don’t need to push yourself that hard–a little pushing every day is much better than a lot of pushing and a pulled muscle.

Make sure to breath when you’re practicing. Breathing is an incredibly important part of yoga. It’s like physical meditation, and your breath is just as important in yoga as it is in regular meditation. If you have to hold your breath to hold a pose, then you need to back off. Make sure you can breath deeply during your entire practice.

Even if you’re practicing at home, do shavasana at the end. Shavasana, also called corpse pose, is simply lying on your back and breathing deeply. Let yourself relax and enjoy shavasana for at least five solid minutes after your practice.

You don’t need to practice yoga for hours each day to see results. If you’re dealing with a lot of stress or having trouble falling asleep, try 30 minutes of restorative poses before you head to bed. My favorite relaxing pose: Lie on your back and pull your knees to your chest, then lean side to side, which gives your lower back a little massage.

If you don’t have a teacher to correct you, you can try to correct yourself. Practicing yoga in front of a mirror is a great way to observe your posture. If that’s not an option, prop up your smartphone or laptop and videotape yourself. Compare your positioning in the video to body positioning in online yoga-pose guides or yoga DVDs.

More resources

Are you ready for a mini slew of my favorite yoga resources? Here we go. Why You Should Try Yoga Today at Nerd Fitness. Yoga for Guys: Top 3 Reasons “A Little Stretching” is Everything We Need at MindBodyGreen. The Gaiam yoga section on Amazon.com for lots of cool yoga gear. Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar so you can learn from a master.

Finally, the most important link to share is the Africa Yoga Project. They’re changing lives through yoga. Let yoga begin to change your life, then consider helping the Africa Yoga Project change someone else’s life.

Have you tried yoga? What did you think?

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May 24, 2012 By Élan 5 Comments

How to start meditating

Élan’s note: This post is part of a series of stress-management strategies in honor of May being Mental Health Month. The original post in the series is here.

Meditation is a beast. By that, I mean that tuning out the world and sitting in silence is even more challenging than running a marathon. Our minds are wired to multitask: we’re connected to Twitter and Facebook via our smartphone with the TV on in the background while we’re cooking dinner. Oh, and there’s a load of laundry in the washing machine. Does this sound like you? I think it sounds like most of us.

Meditation is a great way to break that cycle of busyness. I found that starting to meditate was harder than starting to exercise or beginning to diet. There was a big payoff, though. I was less stressed and anxious. Studies have shown that people who meditate are calmer and happier than people who don’t meditate. Find a handful of spare minutes today and try meditation. Do the same thing tomorrow.

photo: tokyosucks
Begin meditating

Find comfort. You can’t be relaxed if you’re not comfortable. Wear loose clothing a find a way to sit that feels good. Most people sit cross legged on the floor, but sitting in a chair is fine too. If you’re on the floor, try sitting on a pillow. That will help keep your spine straight. Some people meditate lying down, but you must be careful not to fall asleep.

Avoid distractions. Make sure you’re seated somewhere without distractions. Turn off your cell phone and ask your family members or housemates not to bother you.

Focus on the breath. Close your eyes and think about your breathing. Feel the air go in and out of your nostrils. Feel your chest and belly expand as you breath in. You can also count the length of your inhale and exhale. Try to deepen your breathing.

Accept that your mind will wander. While you’re meditating, some random thoughts will surely sneak into your head. Accept that your mind is wandering and sweep those thoughts away. It’s easy to get frustrated, but don’t let it bother you. It’s natural for your mind to wander. The important thing is to bring it back to your focus right away.

Use tools to assist your practice

Try guided meditation. Sometimes it helps to have someone talk you through a meditation session. This site has a ton of free guided meditations. If you want a high-quality recording, try Deepak Chopra’s The Soul of Healing Meditations CD.

Gaze at an object. Your eyes can be open or closed during meditation. If your eyes are open, it’s helpful to focus your gaze on a single object. A candle is commonly used for this purpose.

Read about meditation. When you start to feel bored with meditation, reading a book about it can enthuse you again. The book Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zin is a great book about the importance of meditation and mindfulness in daily life. I’d also recommend The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh. It changed my way of thinking and living.

Practice regularly and feel the results

The tools and practices I’ve listed are just a handful of ways to begin meditating. Experiment with different styles of meditation until you find a method that helps you clear your mind. How you meditate is not important. What is important is the fact that you have decided to make meditation a part of your daily life.

Whether you meditate for 5 minutes or 50 minutes, the key is to meditate daily. Once you find your meditation groove, try meditating twice per day. It is difficult at first, but stick with it and I promise your results will be worth it.

What was your first meditation session like? Were you squirming around or did you feel relaxed?

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May 15, 2012 By Élan 3 Comments

It’s time to change

Élan’s note: This post is part of a series of stress-management strategies in honor of May being Mental Health Month. The original post in the series is here.

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn

You’re stressed. You accept quick fixes, like a carton of ice cream or a new pair of shoes, but don’t deal directly with the causes of your stress. In the long run, these quick fixes harm rather than help. Shopping feels great until your credit card bill arrives. Ice cream tastes great until you step on the scale and see that you’ve gained five pounds. Those quick fixes help for a minute, but there are better strategies for dealing with stress. Ultimately, you need change.

Too often, we try to deal with stress by waiting it out and using those mildly harmful quick fixes in the meantime. Eventually, we have to make some changes–there’s only so much stress a person can take. Here are some ways to make real changes in your life so the real you can begin to blossom.

photo: porschelinn
Target the cause of your stress

The first step toward a less stressful life is identifying the cause of your stress. Often, you will find a multitude of causes. Begin by selecting one. Trying to change every stressful aspect of your life at one time won’t work. It will just add to your stress level. Once you’ve selected a cause of stress to target, start making small changes. It’s easier to set many small goals than it is to set one big goal. The same is true for life changes. Make small changes that will help you feel better and lead to bigger changes. Goal setting is a big part of this.

Here are some examples of small changes for someone who hates their job:

Set a goal of applying for a certain amount of new jobs each week.
Find at least one new person to network with each week. Search company websites and LinkedIn to find someone who has your dream job, then ask them for an informational interview. Repeat.
Pick up new skills to beef up your resume. It’s especially great if you can do this at your current job.
Find ways to make your job more enjoyable. Is there anything you like about your current job? Do more of that.

Brainstorm a list of small changes you could make that would relieve your stress (at least a little bit) and could lead to a big change. Then begin implementing those small changes one by one. If you need help coming up with a game plan to tackle something that is stressing you out, email me and I’ll be glad to help.

Say “no”

A cause of stress for many people is having too much on their plate. Too many deadlines, too many meetings, too many obligations and responsibilities. Now is the time to start saying no. You don’t have to be mean about it. A simple “I’m sorry, but I just don’t have the time and energy right now” is a perfectly fine (and polite) way to say no. Spending some of your time and energy on others is great, but you deserve to have personal time too. Saying no more often will also naturally weed out people in your life who aren’t important to you, allowing you to spend more time with the people who are.

Saying no gives you the chance to say yes to some things you’ve always wanted to do. Always wanted to try yoga? Say yes. Want a hot bath after work? Say yes. Try something new that interest you and enjoy every moment of the experience.

Change your habits

Habits are great things to change because once you get over the initial difficulty, they become ingrained. Changing habits, especially those related to health and wellness, can drastically impact your stress level. But don’t overdo it: pick one habit at a time to change. If you try to makeover every aspect of your life all at once, you will fail.

It’s easier to start by creating a good habit than by eliminating a bad one. Instead of cutting out all the sweets and junk food from your diet, trying adding some servings of fruits and vegetables. Then, start replacing the junk food with the good food. If that approach doesn’t work for you, you can go cold turkey and eliminate everything from day one. I used that method to cut soda from my diet and it went well for me, though I still caved occasionally at first. Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up. Just start again. Leo Babauta has a great cheatsheet for changing habits if you’re having trouble.

You may not be able to change everything that is causing you stress, but you can change something.

What part of your life are you changing right now?

I’m trying to improve my health by getting fit. My diet is okay, but I don’t exercise nearly enough. In the past three months, I’ve started running and taken up yoga. It’s helped decrease my stress and made me happier all around. How about you?

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