It may be possible to restore memory function in Alzheimer's, preclinical study finds

New research reveals a new approach to Alzheimer's disease (AD) that may eventually make it possible to reverse memory loss, a hallmark of the disease in its late stages.

from Healthy Aging News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2HvkwHQ

New skin test detects prion infection before symptoms appear

Prions can infect both humans and animals, causing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, mad cow disease in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in elk and deer. The infectious, misfolded protein particles often go undetected as they destroy brain tissue, causing memory loss, mobility issues, and ultimately death. Preclinical detection of prions has proven difficult, but new research suggests skin samples hold early signs of prion disease that precede neurologic symptoms.

from Skin Care News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2FSsB75

How to Get Motivated to Go to Work Every Single Day

According to a recent Gallop poll, 85% of workers worldwide hate their jobs. These dissatisfied employees are described by Gallop as being emotionally disconnected from their workplaces, leaving a mere 15% who feel “engaged” by their jobs.((Gallop: The World's Broken Workplace)) These sobering statistics mean a huge number of people around the world are waking up each day dreading going to work. What is it that makes us so unhappy with our work? Why are so many of us feeling dissatisfied with and disconnected from our jobs, or worse, hating them? In this article, we will look into the reasons why so many of us dread to go to work, and how to get motivated to work.

Why Do You Hate What You Do?

There are a number of obvious factors that might contribute to hating one’s job, such as:

• toxic company culture
• unreasonable demands on time
• safety concerns
• lack of opportunity
• poor pay
• lack of respect
• bad leadership

And what about those of us who simply feel unsatisfied or bored with our work?

Choosing for the Wrong Reasons

J.T. O’Donnell, Founder and CEO of WorkItDaily.com, has been studying job dissatisfaction for over 15 years, and sees a common thread - our addiction to praise. She believes many of us are hard-wired to seek out the “fleeting rush of validation” from impressing others rather than lasting happiness . As a result, she believes many choose careers and job paths solely for the momentary payoff of being liked, respected or approved of, instead of focusing on what actually makes them happy. O’Donnell believes that in order for us feel passionate, engaged and happy in our jobs, we must first learn to focus on discovering and developing a more lasting intrinsic motivation for our work.

Our Primitive Brain: Short-Term Pleasure Motivator

The fact is that the vast majority of us need to work in order to earn a living. One might assume then that our basic drive to survive would be enough to motivate us each day, that some aspect of our primitive brain would kick in to push us out of bed and out the door. Unfortunately, the primitive brain is very much like an impatient child - it wants instant gratification, not some lofty long-term reward. When emotions regulated by our limbic brain get involved in a decision, we’re much more likely to go for the short-term feel-good decision over some future payoff that the primitive brain can’t see or feel. It’s the limbic brain that sets us up for our addiction to praise, and to other impulsive decisions in which we choose instant pleasure over future enduring happiness. For instance, if we wake up dreading our work day, and the option of staying home and playing hooky is on the table, our limbic brain will tell us how wonderful we’ll feel if we call in sick, completely disregarding that nagging future possibility of losing our job. So how do we override our animal brain long enough to cultivate the proper incentive, the intrinsic and lasting motivation to get up each day and head to work?

A Look at Motivation Styles

Luckily, our more primitive brains went on to develop the neocortex, that cognitive thinking part responsible for language, creativity, and executive functions. It’s this part of our brain which allows us to override the impulses of our limbic system and imagine the longer-term consequences of our actions and decisions. We then use these imagined future outcomes, as well as our other thoughts, as motivation in our day-to-day choices. But as we heard earlier from J.T. O’Donnell, not all motivation styles are particularly effective or even beneficial. For the best chance at cultivating lasting happiness and satisfaction in our lives, we need to create helpful, positive and effective self-motivation strategies that serve us well in both the short and long-term. One step is to first look at what makes for ineffective or unhealthy motivation styles. In the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), there are several ways in which we can identify and eliminate these types of self-motivation strategies, thus leaving room for us to adopt a new and more successful approach.

Ineffective Motivation Strategies

Essentially, we have two basic motivators for our choices and decisions. We are either choosing to move away from an imagined negative outcome, or to move towards an imagined positive outcome. While the avoidance of a negative outcome can be quite a powerful motivation for changing behaviors in the short-term (i.e. ‘if I eat this cake, I’ll get fat and no one will love me’ or ‘if I don’t go into work today, I’ll be fired’), they don’t tend to be very effective in the long-term. They also tend to create feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety and powerlessness. Unhelpful motivation strategies can be identified by paying attention to your inner dialogue in those situations in which you tend to have difficulty motivating yourself, or where you struggle with procrastination, avoidance, or fear of failure. In NLP, effective motivation strategies fall into one of the following four styles:((The iNLP Center: Lack of Motivation - Seven Causes and Seven Cures))

The Negative Motivator

This person procrastinates and only becomes motivated to take action after imagining some horrible consequence of waiting any longer. ‘If I don’t finish this report by Monday, I’ll be fired for sure.’

The Dictator

This person motivates themselves by issuing themselves ‘orders’ to act, usually in a stern, commanding, and often critical voice. They’ll use words like ‘must’, ‘should’ and ‘have to’. ‘Stop being lazy and get your act together - you have to finish this report on time.’

The "Overwhelmer"

People with this motivation style imagine the entire task or goal they are facing as one global mass of effort that must be accomplished all at once, instead of in manageable chunks. They then become overwhelmed and discouraged from even taking the first step. ‘I’m going to have to write a full report every Monday for the rest of my career. How am I going to do this every week?’

The "Gloomy Imagineer"

This person imagines themselves doing some unpleasant or overwhelming task, and hating it all the way through. They imagine only how bad they will feel throughout the process, rather than imagining any sort of positive outcome. ‘I hate writing these reports. I’m going to have use the weekend to finish it, and miss the game on Sunday. My weekend is going to be ruined.’ The problem with these motivation strategies is that they often fail, or backfire. The person may feel so overwhelmed by the task that they don’t even want to start it; they may subconsciously sabotage their efforts out of defiance or resistance; or they may complete the task, but end up feeling stressed and resentful as a result.

How to Create Good Motivation Strategies

If you’ve identified some of these negative or unhelpful motivation styles in yourself, congratulations! Now you can take steps to replace them with more effective, and far more pleasant, strategies. Here are some basic guidelines for creating the best motivation strategies, according to NLP:((NLP: What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Why Should you Learn it?))

1. Make Your Internal Dialogue Pleasant and Compelling

Be your own cheerleader, not dictator. Use positive words of possibility and encouragement such as ‘I can’, ‘I want’, ‘I desire’ and ‘I will’ instead of judging terms like should and have to. Include a mental or physical representation of the successfully completed task. Imagine the positive consequences associated with its completion.

2. Chunk it Down

In NLP, this means breaking a large and often overwhelming task down into smaller, more manageable steps.

3. Find Your Intrinsic Motivations

Finding work that truly satisfies us is not always easy. It can mean coming to sometimes painful realizations about our past motivations and compromises, and making changes accordingly. But making the effort to discover and develop more intrinsic motivations for going to work, such as personal fulfillment, meaning and passion, will serve us far better than any external pressures or expectations can.

Final Thoughts

Developing smart, effective, and positive motivation strategies can help us make good decisions that serve both our short and long-term happiness. If you’re finding it difficult to drag yourself out of bed in the morning because you dread going to work, and a change in career or workplace is not an option just yet, try taking a look at your internal dialogue and making changes to how you motivate yourself. You’ll be amazed at the results you can achieve when you become your own best supporter of your goals and dreams.

More Resources to Boost Your Motivation

• How to Get Motivated and Be Happy Every Day When You Wake Up
• What to Do When You Hate Your Job: Quick Guide to Decision Making
• What Motivates You And How to Always Stay Motivated
• How to Quit Your Job That You Hate and Start Doing What You Love
• How to Start Over and Reboot Your Life When It Seems Too Late
• There Is More to Life Than ____________

from Lifehack - Feed http://bit.ly/2AWkums

Should You Quit Your Job Without Another Job?

I bet you feel like you can’t afford to leave your job. Maybe you’re right. But then again, maybe you aren’t. Regardless of what you believe right now, your current job just doesn’t cut it. Your boss is stressing you out or you’ve outgrown your role. The next logical step is to quit but you don’t know how to go about this. You cringe about the idea of sending your resignation letter to your boss. On the other end, you’re worried about how you’d cover your bills. So what happens? You let these thoughts roam your head each day without taking action – hoping that one day you’ll find the answer. I hate to break it to you but you’re playing the wrong game. The truth is that you quit your job without another one lined up isn’t easy. But by planning ahead, you’ll be better prepared to make the choice that’s best for you. If you’re done waiting for an answer–here’s how to know if quitting your job without another one lined up is the right choice for you.

1. Remember, You Only Need One Person’s Permission

I get it, leaving a secure job isn’t easy–especially when you’re earning a high income. When I was going through this phase, like most, I’d seek out validation from others. The problem was that I’d end up with mixed answers. My family worked for a single company most of their lives. So when I’d mention wanting to switch careers, I was being stared at as if I had a third eye. On the other end, some of my friends were supportive but questioned if my approach was the best option. The truth is that most of the world seeks certainty in everything they do. To some extent, this is smart but it comes at a price. That’s settling for good when you could have something greater. You want to quit your job due to reasons that have been roaming your mind for some time. So why should you seek permission from anyone else that’s not you? Instead, take everyone’s opinion with a grain of salt and decide on your own. To stay focused, make quitting your job as your goal to reach in the next 3–6 months. Data shows that you greatly increase your odds at achieving your goal writing it down.((Dominican Edu: Goals Research Summary)) Once you’re committed to quitting your job, you’ll be less dependent on other’s opinions.

2. Knock Fear by Changing Your View

Embrace your fear of the unknown. It’s crazy to know that some people are afraid more of public speaking than [death]. Let’s face it, leaving your job is scary. But this shouldn’t prevent you from taking action. Instead, change your perspective about leaving your job. For example, do a checklist comparison for staying and leaving your job. When you discover that you have more negatives on one end your fear becomes less relevant. Take my case, for example, a few months ago, I was afraid to launch my own Podcast. After months of shooting this idea down, I’d realized that fear of the unknown was what held me back. So, I started slow and eventually worked my way up to launching my own Podcast to the world. So why am I sharing this? To prove that fear is most likely holding you back from making a choice. Instead of ignoring your fear, embrace it. Start by creating a plan and work your way up from there. Take a look at this article if you want to learn how to conquer the fear of the unknown: 7 Ways to Overcome Your Fear of the Unknown And Get More Out of Life

3. Don’t Wait to Have a Complete Exit Strategy

Most people believe that they need a thorough plan to quit their job. But this is far from the truth. Do you know what’s more valuable than your job or money? Your health. Research shows that stressful jobs trigger your fight or flight response frequently.((Center for Disease Control and Prevention: STRESS...At Work)) Because this response is response triggers your body takes a toll – leading to long-term health issues. While a sustainable income is important, working at a stressful job is bad for your well being. But if you’re healthy, use this knowledge to create an exit strategy to leave your toxic job as fast as possible. Good enough is better than perfect. Besides your health, there are other reasons why you may need to quit as fast as possible:

You don’t have full control of your schedule.

There are jobs that are too demanding, especially if you’re in a senior level position. I’m a firm believer that we can always make time for anything, but a demanding job may be the exception. The problem with a demanding job is that on most days you have back-to-back meetings. Sure, you can cancel some meetings but you can’t predict this– making it challenging to set specific interview dates. If this is you, explore quitting to focus your attention on the job hunting process.

You can’t keep your job search confidential.

Although there are thousands of companies to choose from, you may work in a niche industry. Because of this, it would be difficult applying to new jobs without your boss finding out. If you have a great relationship with your boss, this won’t be an issue. But if your boss micromanages you, it may be better to leave your current role before applying to new ones.

4. Answer These Questions to Create a Plan

So how’s an un-detailed game plan different from a thorough one? It doesn’t take long to make. It’s a simple checklist of questions that will help you transition out of your current job. First, decide if leaving your job is a definite decision. Mingling with this idea will only prolong the process from taking action. Instead, be decisive to start creating a plan. If you know that you have skills that are in demand, estimate how long it would take you to find a new job. For most people, this would take anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Knowing this you could predict how much you’d need to save and the number of job applications you’d need to send. If you’re a stay at home spouse who can afford to quit without saving money you have an advantage, for most this isn’t the case. Here are some questions you need to answer before quitting:

• How long can you cover your expenses?
• What will you do in the next 3 to 6 months if you quit today?
• What type of job do you want to transition to?
• How have you invested in yourself these past 3 months?

These questions will prepare you to be productive for when you do leave your job. More importantly, these questions will help you find a job you love. Often times, people quit their jobs only to jump back into a similar one and put themselves in the same scenario.

5. Risk Everything to Find Your Zen

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”–Annie Dillard

It might seem trivial to dedicate a lot of your energy transitioning out of a job you hate, but it’s time well spent. Aside from health issues, working in a job you’re miserable in is a waste of your time. You won’t grow to your full potential and won’t live a happy life. Data shows that on average that you’ll spend 4,805 days working and 368 days socializing.((Huff Post: We've Broken Down Your Entire Life Into Years Spent Doing Tasks)) If this doesn’t scare you to not procrastinate in leaving a career you hate, nothing will. That’s why it’s important to surround yourself with amazing people who’ll push you to grow. Listen to podcasts, read books, and network with people at higher levels than you. Doing all these activities will help you put your life in perspective. The more you invest in growing, the more confident you’ll become. Once you’re confident you’ll value yourself more and tolerate less a job you hate.

Have the Courage to Improve Your Career

Should you quit your job without having another lined up? That’s a question that only you can answer. But I bet that deep down you already know what’s the best choice. The good news is that you now have a mini blueprint for how to transition out of career your hate. Don’t wait to have another job lined up if you don’t need to, but plan accordingly. Remember, you don’t need anyone’s permission nor a complete strategy to take this leap of faith. Leaving a job even with another one lined up is never easy but worth doing. Imagine waking up each morning and feeling excited to start your day–the crazy part is that it’s Monday. While most need coffee to get them through the day you’re energized without it. You’re working in an interesting job and couldn’t be happier. Is this a Utopian dream? Of course not. You simply created an effective strategy and took action. The world is yours for the taking, now go get your dream job.

More Resources to Inspire You for a Fulfilling Career

• How to Start Over and Reboot Your Life When It Seems Too Late
• How to Get Motivated and Be Happy Every Day When You Wake Up
• 10 Reasons Why Following Your Passion Is More Important Than Money
• How to Quit Your Job That You Hate and Start Doing What You Love

from Lifehack - Feed http://bit.ly/2RLBPt7

Instead of Selling Her $1.7 Million Home, Woman is Giving It Away to the Winner of a Letter-Writing Contest

You now have an opportunity to live in this breathtaking $1.7 million home simply by writing a $25 letter to Alla Wagner about why you want to live there.

The post Instead of Selling Her $1.7 Million Home, Woman is Giving It Away to the Winner of a Letter-Writing Contest appeared first on Good News Network.

from Good News Network http://bit.ly/2RIBsPK

When I Was Alone at the Hospital at 4AM, a Lyft Driver Restored My Faith in Humanity

I had not slept in days, and when I was released from the hospital at 4AM, I was anticipating an awkward drive home – but I was pleasantly surprised.

The post When I Was Alone at the Hospital at 4AM, a Lyft Driver Restored My Faith in Humanity appeared first on Good News Network.

from Good News Network http://bit.ly/2CvLmcY

Early prediction of Alzheimer's progression: Blood protein

Scientists have shown that a protein found in the blood can be used to precisely monitor disease progression of Alzheimer's long before first clinical signs appear. This blood marker offers new possibilities for testing therapies.

from Healthy Aging News -- ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/2AU9fLC