Why you should walk away from your problems

Why you should walk away from your problemsWhy you should walk away from your problemsbrde week, we stayed in Eze, a small medieval village in the French Riviera. Eze is perched on a hillside, roughly 420 meters (1,400 feet) above sea level. Near the entrance to our hotel, I bedrngnisiced a sign labeled theFriedrich Nietzsche Path.The German philosopher apparently stayed in the area in the 1880s and would frequently hike up the steep path from the seaside to the village. His inspirations for the third part of his masterpiece,Thus Spoke Zarathustra, supposedly came during these daily hikes.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreI decided to follow in Nietzsches footsteps and took the walk myself. My first thought? Nietzsche must have been one fit dude. Even though Im more physically fit now than Ive ever been, I was drenched in sweat by the time I climbed up the spectacularly steep path back to the village.Why did Nietzsche put himself through this intense climb every day? Setting aside the view (which isspectacular), Nietzsche knew a key to solving problems that most of us neglect.When were trying to tackle a thorny problem, we have a tendency to stare at it- literally. I find myself doing this often. As I try to come up with a title for a blog post or struggle with the right structure for a chapter in my book, Ill keep staring at my computer, and moving commas and sentences around asSisyphusrolls his eyes at me.But as Nietzsche writes, In order to see much, one must learn to look away from oneself. Put differently, a watched pot never boils. You often have to walk away from the problem- literally and metaphorically- for the answer to arrive.Consider, for example, the mathematician Andrew Wiles. In 1995, Wiles becamea celebrityafter proving Fermats Last Theorem- which had remained unsolvable for more than three centuries. When he got stuck working on the proof- w hich was often- Wiles would stop, let his mind relax, and go for a walk by the lake. Walking, heexplains, has a very good effect in that youre in this state of relaxation, but at the same time youre allowing the sub-conscious to work on you.Research supports Wiless intuition. Incubation periods- spending time away from a problem after you get stuck- boostsyour ability to solve the problem. When you walk away, your subconscious remainshard at work, consolidating memories and making associations.This is why a good footslog is part of many renowned scientists toolkit. Nikola Tesladreamed upthe alternating-current motor during a stroll through the Varosliget park in Budapest. To ponder difficult problems, Charles Darwinwalked downa gravel path called the Sandwalk near his home in Kent, kicking up stones along the way.The physicist Werner Heisenbergdevisedthe uncertainty principle during a late-night walk through his neighborhood park in Copenhagen. For two years, he had been frustrated that his equations could predict the momentum of a quantum particle, but not its position. One night, he had an epiphanyWhat if there was no problem with the equations? What if the uncertainty was actually inherent in the nature of quantum particles?In an age of high-tech instant gratification, walking can sound a bit underwhelming. But solutions to complex problems often come as a subtle whisper- not a big bang. To perceive the whisper, you must walk away from the problem and create space for interior silence to oppose contemporary chaos.The next time you feel stuck, just walk away (and leave your phone behind).If you keep walking with the question long enough, you will gradually walk into the answer.This article first appeared on OzanVarol.com.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekl y Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).

All those supplements and vitamins you take arent really doing anything

All those supplements and vitamins you take arent really doing anythingAll those supplements and vitamins you take arent really doing anythingMore than half of American adults take dietary supplements, but most dont really do much for your heart or fight against death. In fact, some might even harm you, according to new research.Dietary changes and even supplement intake like multivitamins and antioxidants dont do much for you, as a study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, took a larger look at vitamins and supplements, along with diets as well. In total, information gathered from nearly a million participants worldwide as researchers compared these dietary phenomenons to medical conditions like coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart attack, as well as death.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreParticipants were put through more than 270 trials which had participants t ake different supplements or try a different diet. Their data were compared to control groups.Supplements like omega-3 fatty acid supplements, which are often found in fish supplements, and a low-salt diet did show possible health benefits, according to analysis. But supplements containing both kalzium and vitamin D increased the risk of stroke.But the most stunning revelation was how supplements like multivitamins, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamins D, calcium and iron showed no increased or decreased risk of cardiovascular disease or early death.The panacea or magic bullet that people keep searching for in dietary supplements isnt there, said senior author of the study Erin D. Michos, M.D., M.H.S. People should focus on getting their nutrients from a heart-healthy diet, because the data increasingly show that the majority of healthy adults dont need to take supplements.

How to Pitch an Idea for a Film

How to Pitch an Idea for a FilmHow to Pitch an Idea for a FilmFilm and television writers sell their ideas to the studios through the process of pitching. A pitch is roughly a ten to twenty minute period in which a writer will express the concept or world of their idea, the characters that inhabit it, and the basic storyline of the movie or pilot episode. Its a nerve-wracking process because you simply dont know what type of reaction youre going to get until youve laid your idea (as well as your heart and soul) on the table for all to see. That said, coming up with an idea that will make an executive jump out of their chairs is hard enough. The last thing you want to do is kill a great idea because you blew the pitching process. Having been both a writer and a development executive, Ive been lucky enough to have seen both sides of the table. There are a number of common mistakes that will kill your project, or at least hurt its chances for success. So, here are five tips that will he lp you dramatically improve your next pitch meeting Be Prepared It amazes me the number of writers who come to a pitch meeting who are unprepared to pitch their own idea. They try to wing it by making stuff up in the meeting rather than having their idea fully fleshed out before entering the room. Take the time to understand your concept fully. Know the world you intend to create as well as the characters you plan to have inhabit that world. Be clear on why you chose unterstellung particular people. What makes them interesting? Why would an audience want to watch them? These are questions you should already know the answers to well before going in. Additionally, no one will judge you if you need to have a set of notes at your side when youre pitching. They can come in quite handy to make sure youre hitting all of your key points as well as not leaving out anything pertinent. Know Your Audience Where youre pitching is just as important as what youre pitching. Know the past pr ojects of the places youre pitching to. If the company youre meeting with is mainly known for its horror movies, chances are theyre not going to be all that receptive to your idea for a romantic comedy. If youre pitching to a network (broadcast or cable), know what else they have on air. You should familiarize yourself with their line up so you can have a better idea of the tone of their shows as well as the demographic they are targeting. Dont Oversell Depending on your idea, your pitch should be reasonably short and sweet. Keep it under fifteen minutes if possible saving the rest of the time to go over a few other details about your concept as well as to answer any questions that the potential buyers might have. Hit your target points concept, characters, story. Thats it. Anything mora than that and youre likely overselling your idea and boring your audience. Realize as well that more is not always better. If the executives like your idea, theyll make the deal no matter how mu ch swag you leave them. Be Respectful Few things annoy executives more than writers who are disrespectful (and obviously, vice versa but thats for another article). It can include anything from showing up late, being arrogant about the concept youre pitching, or ignoring, or worse, mocking projects they have developed in the past. Keep your opinions to yourself or at least until youre in the parking lot. Practice Your Pitch It technically falls under Be Prepared, but it deserves its own heading because there are so few writers who take the advice. Practice your pitch. Yes, this means create your pitch and then run it by a few friends, co-workers, relatives, the family pet, whomever. Its essential that you have a structured speech that will allow you to get out everything about your idea that you need to in a reasonable amount of time. By practicing, youll also be able to identify those areas where your pitch drags, gets confusing, or simply fails to sufficiently sell your concept. Find a group of friends that might be willing to give you some constructive criticism. Realize that if they cant follow your pitch, its highly unlikely an executive will either. Selling your ideas in Hollywood is no easy task. But if you follow the tips outlined above, your chances for success will greatly improve.