Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman
Editor-in-Chief

Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more.

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera – they all offer bookmark synchronization. Internet Explorer users don’t have to be left out. There are several ways to sync your favorites, including an integrated method on Windows 8.

If you’re using Windows 7 or below, try placing your bookmarks folder in a cloud-storage folder or using Xmarks. Windows Live Mesh users should switch to another solution as soon as possible – Live Mesh is being shut down soon.

Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8

If you’re using Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, you’ll be happy to know that Internet Explorer now offers integrated favorites synchronization. This is enabled by default as long as you’re logging into Windows 8 with a Microsoft account.

To check this setting, use the PC settings app – press Windows Key+C, click Settings, and click Change PC settings to open it.

Select Sync your settings in the sidebar and ensure that the Browser slider is set to On.

Use SkyDrive, Dropbox, or Another Cloud Storage Service

If you’re not yet using Windows 8, you can use a trick to sync your browser’s settings with SkyDrive, Dropbox, or any other cloud storage client you have installed.

This trick relies on the fact that Internet Explorer stores your favorites in a folder. First, locate your Favorites folder – you’ll find it under C:\Users\NAME on your computer, where NAME is your Windows user account’s name.

Right-click the Favorites folder and select Properties. On the Location tab, click the Move button to move your Favorites folder elsewhere.

Select the cloud storage folder where you want to store your favorites. For example, if you want to synchronize them with SkyDrive, select the C:\Users\NAME\SkyDrive\Favorites folder.

Remember to create a subfolder in your cloud-storage folder or your favorites will spill out into your main SkyDrive folder, making it a cluttered mess.

Repeat this process on each computer you use to ensure that they’re all looking at the same SkyDrive (or Dropbox) folder. Your bookmarks will automatically sync between your computers.

Windows Live Mesh 2011

Windows Live Mesh once offered built-in, easy-to-use favorites synchronization. Unfortunately, Microsoft has now announced plans to shut down Windows Live Mesh on February 13, 2013.

If you still use Windows Live Mesh to synchronize favorites, files, and Microsoft Office settings, you should migrate to another solution as soon as possible.

Xmarks

Xmarks is a cross-browser synchronization tool that supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Install Xmarks and you’ll be able to synchronize your bookmarks between the IE browsers on all your computers – you can even sync them with any other browsers you use. Xmarks is free on the desktop, but the mobile app requires the paid, premium version of Xmarks.

Xmarks is a more integrated, easier-to-use solution that Internet Explorer users on Windows 7 and older versions of Windows will appreciate.

Are you an IE user? How do you sync your favorite websites between your computers and back them up online? Leave a comment and share any tips you have.

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Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek.
Read Full Bio »

If you’re moving from a Windows 7 PC to a new Windows 10 PC, you can easily move your Internet Explorer favorites with you. The below instructions will guide you through moving IE favorites onto Microsoft Edge, the faster, safer way to get things done on the internet.

Export your favorites to an HTM file

Follow the below instructions on Internet Explorer 11 on your Windows 7 PC:

In the Internet Explorer browser, select View favorites, feeds, and history, or select Alt + C to open Favorites.

Under the Add to favorites menu, select Import and export. .

Select Export to a file, and then select Next.

On the checklist of options, select Favorites, and then select Next.

Select the folder that you’d like to export your Favorites from, and then select Next.

Type or browse to the location where you’d like your file exported.

Select Export and then Finish.

Your Favorites will now appear in an htm file in the location you’ve specified.

You’ll need to be able to access this file on your Windows 10 PC, so send this file to yourself, either by emailing it, by saving it onto an external storage device, or by saving it to the cloud with a service like OneDrive. Learn more about how OneDrive can help you make the move at Move files off a Windows 7 PC with OneDrive.

Import your favorites into Microsoft Edge

Follow the below instructions on your new Windows 10 PC:

Locate the htm file that you exported from Internet Explorer.

In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more > Settings > Import or export > Import from file.

Choose the file from your PC and your favorites will be imported into Edge.

To view your imported favorites in Edge, go to Favorites .

Tip: To show your favorites in the Favorites Bar, select Settings andmore > Settings and turn on Show the favorites bar. Then select Favorites > and drag the ones you want into the Favorites bar folder.

Get more info about moving to Windows 10

If you’re considering a move to Windows 10, download the Guide to Windows 10 app to get the info you need to make a smooth transition, including personalized recommendations for your PC.

There are two ways to keep your favorites in sync between Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Learn both methods in this step-by-step guide.

Internet Explorer might be your web browser of choice. But, since Microsoft has been giving IE the cold shoulder, you may have started dabbling with Microsoft Edge in Windows 10, and you’re now bouncing back and forth between IE and Edge. There’s a problem, though: You continue to create favorites in both programs, but Microsoft doesn’t offer an obvious way to sync the favorites between its two browsers.

There are two ways to solve this issue: You can use a Registry hack to keep the favorites between IE and Edge in sync, or you can turn to Group Policy, especially if you want to deploy the setting throughout your organization.

How to use a Registry hack to sync favorites between IE and Edge

First, open Internet Explorer and make sure the existing favorites are the ones you want to sync; if not, then make any appropriate changes.

Next, open the Registry Editor through the regedit command. Navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft. Right-click the Microsoft folder. Select New and then choose Key. Name the key MicrosoftEdge. Press Enter (Figure A).

Figure A

Right-click the MicrosoftEdge folder. Select New and then choose Key. Name the key Main. Press Enter. Right-click the Main folder. Select New and then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. Replace the default name of New Value #1 with the string SyncFavoritesBetweenIEAndMicrosoftEdge. Press Enter. Double-click the new key. Change the Value Data from 0 to 1. Click OK (Figure B).

Figure B

Open Microsoft Edge and click the Hub icon to view your favorites and see if they’re now the same as their counterparts in Internet Explorer. If not, close the Favorites pane and click the Hub icon again. (I had to click the Hub icon twice to see the synced bookmarks.) The sync works both ways. Make a change to your favorites in IE, and it gets synced to Edge. Make a change in Edge, and it gets synced to IE.

If you ever want to turn off the syncing, open the Registry Editor. Navigate to the path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MicrosoftEdge\Main. Double-click on the key for SyncFavoritesBetweenIEAndMicrosoftEdge and change the Value Data to 0 (Figure C).

Figure C

How to use Group Policy to enable syncing favorites between IE and Edge

Instead of editing the Registry to enable the syncing, you can turn it on through Group Policy. That option is especially handy if you use GPOs at your organization and want to propagate this setting to your networked users and computers.

To make this change through your local Group Policy Editor, open the Run command and type gpedit.msc. Navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Edge. Double-click the setting for Keep Favorites In Sync Between Internet Explorer And Microsoft Edge. Select Enabled and then click OK (Figure D).

Figure D

Open Internet Explorer and make a change to your favorites. Open Microsoft Edge to confirm that the change has synced. Make a change in Edge and open IE to confirm the sync.

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Almost all major web browsers including Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera lets users sync their bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history across multiple computers. For some reason, Internet Explorer lacks this feature and there aren’t any good tools to do the same.

Fortunately, Microsoft has introduced Sync settings feature in Windows 8 and with the help of this feature, one can easily sync Internet Explorer browsing history and favorites across Windows 8 computes and tablets without the help of third-party tools and services. Complete the below mentioned steps to start syncing Internet Explorer browsing history and favorites.

Sync Internet Explorer history and favorites in Windows 8/8.1

NOTE: You must have Microsoft account to use sync feature in Windows 8. If don’t have one, you can switch your current local account to Microsoft account by following our how to switch from local account to Microsoft account in Windows 8 guide.

Step 1: Move your mouse cursor to the upper right corner of the screen to see the Charms bar, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings to open PC settings.

Step 2: On the left-hand side of PC settings, click on Sync your settings to see all sync related settings on the right-hand side.

Step 3: First, enable the option named Sync settings on this PC. Next, under Browser, turn on Settings and info like history and favorites. That’s it! If you don’t want to sync other Windows and account settings such as passwords, language preferences, and app settings simply turn them off.

Users who are experiencing issues with the sync feature can download and run the official troubleshooter to fix sync issues in Windows 8. You can also sync Windows and apps settings by following our how to sync Windows settings in Windows 8 guide.

Live Mesh from Microsoft went away in February. I have used this service from Microsoft to sync my IE favorites between four or five computers which I really love. With Microsoft dropping Live Mesh in favor of the new SkyDrive, I just had to find a new alternative way to sync my favorites between my myriad computers and screens.

This excellent video will show you how to set up this action to sync IE favorites using the new SkyDrive from Microsoft. This same tactic works on Windows 8 too.

Here’s a special tip for Vista users:

These instructions work great for Windows 7 and 8 systems, but do not work for Vista. I have, however, found a work around for Vista users. If you follow the video instructions and are using Vista, when you try to open favorites in Internet Explorer, you will get an error saying that the favorites/favorites folder is missing and your favorites will not show.

To solve this problem, open your SkyDrive folder for your favorites and copy all the files. Then create a new folder called favorites inside of the favorites folder and then paste inside all the favorites you have just copied. I know this seems redundant, but it works. Now open IE on a Vista machine and you can now see all your favorites in Internet Explorer.

If you are syncing to a Windows 7 and Vista machine and you are saving a favorite, you will see that you have the option to save your bookmark now in two locations the plain favorites folder and the favorites/favorites folder. Save your same URL in both and this way you can see your new bookmark on Vista and Windows 7 and 8.

You might want to know how to import Internet Explorer favorites to Edge after you’ve upgraded to Windows 10. Windows 10 comes with a new internet browser called Microsoft Edge. You’ll hear the name Microsoft Edge quite a lot as it is released to be the successor of Internet Explorer.

Switching to Windows 10 means getting used to a new way of doing things, so maybe you’re not entirely ready yet to add the experience of working with a new browser to your learning curve. If that’s the case, then you should know that Microsoft has also still included Internet Explorer as well in Windows 10. You just may need to look a little harder to find it, but it’s there. Please refer to my article about using Internet Explorer in Windows 10 if you’re interested.

What many people don’t realize though is that you can also use Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer together. You can use Microsoft Edge to get acquainted with Microsoft’s new browser and switch back to Internet Explorer whenever the need arises.

There’s one caveat though: Microsoft Edge doesn’t automatically import your Internet Explorer favorites.

Import Internet Explorer Favorites To Edge Easily

Getting acquainted to Microsoft Edge will be easier if you have access to your internet favorites. So here’s how to do it.

Launch your Microsoft Edge explorer by clicking the blue “e” icon on your Windows 10 taskbar.

Microsoft Edge will open with your default startpage. Now click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge and select “Settings” from the menu.

In the settings menu, select “Import favorites from another browser”.

Make sure that the checkbox next to Internet Explorer is checked and click import. If you have other browsers installed on your computer (for instance Mozilla FireFox or Google Chrome), you’ll have the option to import those favorites to Microsoft Edge as well.

Importing internet favorites to Microsoft Edge only takes a moment. Almost instantaneously you’ll see a notification that your favorites have been imported.

Shortly after that, the settings menu automatically reverts to the same status from the beginning, showing “Import favorites” again with the import button.

Of course you don’t have to do this over again, so simply click the three dots in the upper-right corner to close the settings menu.

To check your list of internet favorites in Microsoft Edge, click the hub icon in the upper-right corner (the hub gives access to your favorites, reading list, history and downloads).

Now you should see your Internet Explorer favorites imported to Edge. You’ll also notice that your Microsoft Edge favorites menu also contains a “Import favorites” link. Clicking this link will also take you to the settings menu where you can import your favorites from your other browsers, as described above.

Windows 10 Edge Favorites Will Not Synchronize With Internet Explorer

Please note that the steps above describe how to import Internet Explorer favorites to Edge. Importing is a one time and one way proposition. This means that your internet favorites will not automatically synchronize between Internet Explorer and Edge. If you create a new favorite in Edge, it will not automatically appear in your Internet Explorer favorites and also the other way around. If you want to keep your internet favorites in sync between browsers, you need to do so manually.

Another, slightly different synchronization issue, is that with Internet Explorer you can synchronize your internet favorites between computers (not browsers) via Microsoft Onedrive. This has the advantage that, no matter on what device you log on with your Microsoft account, you will always have your internet favorites following you on each device.

Unfortunately, with Microsoft Edge, up till now there is no such Onedrive synchronization of internet favorites.

I hope this article has helped you to import Internet Explorer favorites to Edge. Please take a brief moment and leave a short comment below, I’d appreciate it, thanks!

If you’ve enjoyed this article or found it useful, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know by clicking the Like (or Share) button below. Thank you!

Microsoft Edge suddenly synced favorites with my Internet Explorer, how can I undo?

Microsoft Edge synced favorites with my Internet Explorer. Now both edge and IE have the same favorites.
I don’t want my favorites synced between the two browsers. How can I undo this?

3 Answers

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Q&A currently supports the products listed in right-hand pane (more to be added later on)

You can reach the experts in the dedicated Microsoft Edge forum over here:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftedge/forum

(please don’t forget to mark helpful replies as answer)

I’d try asking for help over here in dedicated forums.

(please don’t forget to mark helpful replies as answer)

Which version of Microsoft Edge are you using? Please refer to the following methods to disable sync favorites between IE and Edge.

If you are using the legacy version of Microsoft Edge (EdgeHtml)

Use Microsoft Edge settings to disable Edge syncing.

Open Microsoft Edge browser, click the Settings and more menu and open the Settings option, in the General tab, turn off the Windows sync option.

Use Group Policy to disable syncing favorites between IE and Edge

Open the Run command and type gpedit.msc .

Navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Edge

Double-click the setting for Keep Favorites In Sync Between Internet Explorer And Microsoft Edge. Select Disabled and then click OK

Use a Registry to disable syncing favorites between IE and Edge

Open the Registry Editor.

Navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft .

Select the MicrosoftEdge folder(if not exist, right-click the Microsoft folder. Select New and then choose Key. Name the key MicrosoftEdge).

Select the SyncFavoritesBetweenIEAndMicrosoftEdge key in the Main folder. (If not exist, right-click the MicrosoftEdge folder. Select New and then choose Key. Name the key Main. Press Enter. Right-click the Main folder. Select New and then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. Replace the default name of New Value #1 with the string SyncFavoritesBetweenIEAndMicrosoftEdge.)

Double-click on the key for SyncFavoritesBetweenIEAndMicrosoftEdge and change the Value Data to 0.

If you are using the New Microsoft Edge (Chromium based)

Open Microsoft Edge browser, click the Settings and more menu and choose the Settings option, in the Profiles tab click the Sync option, then, turn off the favorites syncing.

Besides, to remove the useless website URL from the favorite, you could open the favorites list, right click the website and then click the Delete button to remove it.

Syncing Microsoft Edge favorites can become a problem every now and then. Learn how to troubleshoot and fix it if it happens to you.

Earlier, we covered How to Sync Edge Bookmarks Across Windows 10 Devices. This feature will be even more useful now that the Edge browser for iOS and Android has been released. Using your Microsoft account, you can access your favorites and other settings in Edge regardless of whether you’re on your phone, your tablet, or your main Windows 10 PC.

The feature is meant to work seamlessly as part of the Windows 10 sync feature. But in our experience, there are a few things that can go wrong. In this article, we’ll do a quick recap of how to sync Microsoft Edge favorites in Windows 10 and show you some tricks to make sure it works.

Update: This article is about the original legacy Edge browser that originally was included with Windows 10 — Not Edge based on Chromium. To make sure your favorites are syncing in the new version of Edge go to Settings > Profiles > Sync and turn on the Sync button.

The new version of Edge allows you to sync contacts from Settings > Profiles > Sync.

How to Sync Microsoft Edge Favorites in Windows 10

To start syncing your Favorites in Microsoft Edge, open Start > Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.

Toggle on Sync settings and Internet Explorer settings. You read that right—even though we are talking about Edge, it uses the same sync setting as Internet Explorer.

You can also enable this from within Microsoft Edge.

From Edge, open the more actions menu (…), click Settings, scroll down to Account then toggle on Sync your favorites, reading lists, top sites and other settings across your Windows Devices.

Syncing might not be immediate, so give it some time to take effect across all your devices. Microsoft says it can take up to 24 hours to sync all your favorites, reading lists, and passwords. So, patience is recommended.

What to Do If Your Favorites Won’t Sync in Windows 10

To Troubleshoot your Edge syncing issues, there are a few different fixes you can try.

Log in to your Microsoft Account

Your Microsoft account is the backbone of all the syncing functionality in Windows 10 and Edge. Start by making sure you are logged in to your Microsoft Account on all your devices.

Open Start > Settings > Accounts > Your info

Click sign in with a Microsoft account instead. (If you don’t see this option, it means you’re probably already logged in with a Microsoft account.)

Enter the email address of the account you want to use.

Click Next.

Enter your Microsoft Account password.

Enter the current Local account password used to sign in to the account

Click Next and you should be signed in to your account.

Restart your computer and see if it works.

Disable and Re-Enable Sync

If Edge was syncing before but stopped working, you can try disabling and re-enabling it.

Open Start > Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.

Toggle off Sync settings, restart your computer then toggle on again.

Log Out of Work or School Account

Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings. Check for this error message:

Sync is not available for your account. Contact your system administrator to resolve this.

If you see this, you likely need to remove a Work or School account attached to your machine. Users connected to a Windows Server Domain might need to log into a Local Account or Microsoft Account in order for Favorites syncing to work since this might not be allowed in an organization.

Open Start > Settings > Accounts > Access work or school. Select the current work or school account then click Disconnect. Restart your computer then try syncing again.

Restart SettingsSyncHost.exe Process

In some cases, the SettingsSyncHost.exe process itself might not be functioning properly. Restarting the process might be able to resolve the problem.

Press Windows key + X then choose Task Manager and go to Processes. Select the Host Process for Settings Synchronization. Click End task, restart your computer, let the process restart then wait while your Favorites resume syncing.

Choose an Alternate DNS Server

There can sometimes be latency issues with Microsoft’s own DNS servers handling syncing across your devices. We have seen issues with this in Microsoft’s own apps (e.g., updates don’t always download properly for Office for Mac). A solution to this problem is to switch to an alternative DNS server such as Google Public DNS or OpenDNS. For details, see our previous article on how to Add Google Public DNS to Your Windows PC.

Sounds like a few simple things to do right? Well, give them a try the next time you experience a problem with Favorites not syncing in Edge and let us know if it works.

If you use Safari on a Mac or on an iPad but also use Windows, you can make life a little easier by keeping your Safari bookmarks synced with your Windows browser. Here’s how to sync your bookmarks across devices between Safari and Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.

The key to this bookmarks syncing is the iCloud app, built into OS X and iOS and available for Windows.

Enable Bookmark Synchronization on a Mac

First we’ll make sure that you have iCloud syncing turned on for Safari in OS X.

1. Open the System Preferences app.

2. Click iCloud.

3. Check the box for Safari if it isn’t already checked. If it already is checked, you’re done!

4. Click OK to confirm you want to merge your Safari bookmarks and Reading List with iCloud.

Enable Bookmark Synchronization on an iPad

The process is similar for enabling bookmark syncing on iOS.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap iCloud.

3. Toggle the Safari option on if it isn’t already on.

Enable Bookmark Synchronization in Windows

On your Windows PC, you’ll need to download and set up iCloud to sync your bookmarks with your Apple devices.

1. Download iCloud for Windows from Apple’s site..

2. Install iCloud using the installation wizard. You’ll be prompted to restart the computer to complete the installation.

3. Open the iCloud app. You can do this from the Start menu.

4. Sign in with your Apple ID.

5. Click the Options button next to Bookmarks.

6. Select the browsers you want to sync bookmarks with Safari.

7. Click OK.

8. Click Apply to finish setting up synchronization.

With the steps above completed, whenever you add or remove bookmarks on one device, they’ll be synced to your other devices and selected browsers. Note that iCloud won’t, however, sync between Safari and Firefox or Chrome on the Mac.

Marshall Gunnell
Marshall Gunnell
Writer

Marshall Gunnell is a writer with experience in the data storage industry. He worked at Synology, and most recently as CMO and technical staff writer at StorageReview. He’s currently an API/Software Technical Writer at LINE Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, runs ITEnterpriser, a data-storage and cybersecurity-focused online media, and plays with development, with his RAID calculator being his first public project. Read more.

Creating polls are a great way for gathering participant feedback from your Zoom meetings. Zoom allows you to create multiple-choice or single-answer polls and even see the live results. Here’s how to create polls for Zoom meetings.

Before we get started, there are a couple of requirements for creating polls for Zoom meetings. First, you (the host) need to be a licensed user. Second, you can only create polls for scheduled meetings or for instant meetings where you use your Personal Meeting ID (PMI).

For security reasons, we recommend only using your PMI for personal meetings, such as meetings with friends and family members.

Enable Polling for Zoom Meetings

You’ll need to enable the polling option before you’re able to create a poll. In your web browser, sign in to Zoom and select “Account Settings” under “Account Management” in the “Admin” group of the left-hand pane.

You’ll now be in the “Meeting” tab. Scroll down until you find the “Polling” option nearly halfway down the screen. Toggle the slider to the right to enable polling.

With Polling enabled, it’s time to create your poll.

Create a Poll

In the Zoom web portal, select the “Meetings” tab in the left-hand pane.

You can now schedule a new Zoom meeting, or select an already scheduled meeting from your meeting list. We’ll go ahead and select our scheduled meeting.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find a box with text saying you have not created a poll. Select “Add.”

The “Add A Poll” window will appear. The first step is to give your poll a name and decide if the answers will be anonymous or not. This means that when you see the results, you’ll only see that a “Guest” answered the question instead of the actual user.

Next, type your question (within 255 characters), select if it will be single or multiple-choice answer, then type the available answers. You can have up to 10 answers for each question.

You can add more questions to the poll by selecting “Add A Question” at the bottom of the window, and repeating the above process. Once you’re finished, select “Save.”

Now that you’ve created your poll, you can launch it during the Zoom meeting.

Start Your Poll During the Zoom Meeting

Once the Zoom meeting has started and you’re ready to launch the poll, select “Polls” found at the bottom of the meeting window.

The “Polls” window will appear. Review the questions and answers, then select “Launch Polling.”

You’ll be able to see the polling results in real time. Once everyone has voted, select “End Polling.”

You’ll now see the results of the poll. You can either share the results of the poll with the attendees or relaunch the polling.

If you’d like to go back and view the results later, select the meeting in the “Previous Meetings” tab in the web portal, select “Poll Report” next to the “Report type” option, and generate the report. You can then view the results from past meetings.

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Marshall Gunnell
Marshall Gunnell is a writer with experience in the data storage industry. He worked at Synology, and most recently as CMO and technical staff writer at StorageReview. He’s currently an API/Software Technical Writer at LINE Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, runs ITEnterpriser, a data-storage and cybersecurity-focused online media, and plays with development, with his RAID calculator being his first public project.
Read Full Bio »

You must have a licensed Zoom account such as your UTexas Zoom account.

The meeting must be in progress or scheduled.

How to Enable Polls:

Polls are enabled by default for UTexas licensed Zoom accounts

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal: https://utexas.zoom.us/
2. Go to Settings on the left side. (If you’re an account administrator, choose Account Management > Account Settings)

Navigate to the Polling option on the Meeting tab and verify that the setting is enabled.

How to Create a Poll before the Meeting:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal: https://utexas.zoom.us/
2. Go to the Meetings page and click on your scheduled meeting title to open the meeting management page.
3. Scroll to the bottom to find the Poll option. Click Add to begin creating the poll.
   1. Anonymous? (Optional) Check this box to keep the participant’s polling information anonymous during the meeting and in reports.
   2. Select whether you want the question to be single choice (participants can only choose one answer) or multiple choice question (participants can choose multiple answers).

   Type in the answers to your question and click Save at the bottom.

   If you would like to add a new question, click Add a Question to create a new question for that particular poll.

   You can add more polls by repeating Step 6.

   How to Create a Poll during the Meeting:

   1. Begin your Zoom meeting.
   2. Click Polling next to Screen Sharing.
   3. Click Edit will open up your default web browser where you can add additional polls or questions.
      1. Note: If your web browser opens to the meeting management page but it’s greyed out, make sure you aren’t signed into Zoom in another browser tab. If you are, close all Zoom browser tabs and try creating the poll again.

      Note: You can create a max of 25 polls per meeting.

      How to Launch a Poll:

      Start the scheduled Zoom meeting that has polling enabled.

      The participants in the meeting will now be prompted to answer the polling questions. The host will be able to see the results live.

      Once you would like to stop the poll, click End Poll.

      Downloading Poll Results after the Meeting:

      1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal: https://utexas.zoom.us/
      2. Choose Reports on the left navigation pane.
      3. Choose your report type (Registration or Poll) and time range then click Search.
      4. Select the available reports individually by clicking their check box, or select the checkbox in the header row to select all search results.
      5. Click Generate.
      6. You’ll be taken to your Report Queue. Click Download next to each report to download it as a CSV.

      The meeting must be either a scheduled meeting, or an instant meeting using your Personal Meeting ID.

      Polls can be created and edited in your web browser, but polls can only be launched from the desktop Zoom app for Windows, Mac, or Linux. These are the minimum app versions that support polling:

      • Windows Desktop Client Version 3.5.63382.0829 or higher
      • Mac Desktop Client Version 3.5.63439.0829 or higher
      • Linux Desktop Client version 2.0.70790.1031 or higher

      Creating polls is only available for licensed accounts. Basic (free) Zoom accounts can’t create polls but they can participate in polls during meetings.

      Creating polls are a great way for gathering participant feedback from your Zoom meetings. Zoom allows you to create multiple-choice or single-answer polls and even see the live results. Here’s how to create polls for Zoom meetings.

      Before we get started, there are a couple of requirements for creating polls for Zoom meetings. First, you (the host) need to be a licensed user. Second, you can only create polls for scheduled meetings or for instant meetings where you use your Personal Meeting ID (PMI).

      For security reasons, we recommend only using your PMI for personal meetings, such as meetings with friends and family members.

      Enable Polling for Zoom Meetings

      You’ll need to enable the polling option before you’re able to create a poll. In your web browser, sign in to Zoom and select “Account Settings” under “Account Management” in the “Admin” group of the left-hand pane.

      

      You’ll now be in the “Meeting” tab. Scroll down until you find the “Polling” option nearly halfway down the screen. Toggle the slider to the right to enable polling.

      

      With Polling enabled, it’s time to create your poll.

      Create a Poll

      In the Zoom web portal, select the “Meetings” tab in the left-hand pane.

      

      You can now schedule a new Zoom meeting, or select an already scheduled meeting from your meeting list. We’ll go ahead and select our scheduled meeting.

      

      Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find a box with text saying you have not created a poll. Select “Add.”

      

      The “Add A Poll” window will appear. The first step is to give your poll a name and decide if the answers will be anonymous or not. This means that when you see the results, you’ll only see that a “Guest” answered the question instead of the actual user.

      

      Next, type your question (within 255 characters), select if it will be single or multiple-choice answer, then type the available answers. You can have up to 10 answers for each question.

      

      You can add more questions to the poll by selecting “Add A Question” at the bottom of the window, and repeating the above process. Once you’re finished, select “Save.”

      

      Now that you’ve created your poll, you can launch it during the Zoom meeting.

      Start Your Poll During the Zoom Meeting

      Once the Zoom meeting has started and you’re ready to launch the poll, select “Polls” found at the bottom of the meeting window.

      

      The “Polls” window will appear. Review the questions and answers, then select “Launch Polling.”

      

      You’ll be able to see the polling results in real time. Once everyone has voted, select “End Polling.”

      

      You’ll now see the results of the poll. You can either share the results of the poll with the attendees or relaunch the polling.

      

      If you’d like to go back and view the results later, select the meeting in the “Previous Meetings” tab in the web portal, select “Poll Report” next to the “Report type” option, and generate the report. You can then view the results from past meetings.

      Polls are a great way to get students engaged in the class. They are also helpful in checking understanding of the content being discussed providing an opportunity for students to reflect and respond. Below are instructions on how to create, save and run zoom polls.

      This is a step-by-step guide to creating, saving, and running a poll during class or meetings. Poll reports are available after the Zoom session has ended and completed processing. Question choices are single or multiple-choice polling questions. Polls can be launched during class to gather responses from the students/participants. The final poll report is downloadable as a CSV file. Polls can also be conducted anonymously, if there is no need to collect student information with the poll results.

      Enable Polling for Zoom Meetings

      First step is to enable the polling option before you are able to create a poll. In your web browser, sign in to NDSU.Zoom.us and select Settings in the Personal section of the left-hand menu.

      

      Now you are in the Meeting tab. Scroll down until you find the Polling option nearly halfway down the screen – In Meeting (Basic) section. Toggle the slider to the right to enable polling.

      

      With Polling enabled, it’s time to create your poll.

      Create a Poll

      In the NDSU.Zoom.us web portal, select the Meetings tab in the left-hand menu.

      

      You can now schedule a new Zoom meeting, or select an already scheduled meeting from your meeting list. We’ll go ahead and select our scheduled meeting.

      

      Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find a box with text saying you have not created a poll. Select Add.

      

      The Add A Poll window will appear. The first step is to give your poll a name and decide if the answers will be anonymous or not. This means that when you see the results, you’ll only see that a Guest answered the question instead of the actual user.

      

      Next, type your question (within 255 characters), select if it will be single or multiple-choice answer, then type the available answers. You can have up to 10 answers for each question.

      Note: Ideas on type of polls to use in class as meetings – 3 Ways to Use Polls in Meetings

      

      You can add more questions to the poll by selecting Add A Question at the bottom of the window, and repeating the above process. Once you’re finished, select Save.

      

      When a Poll has been saved, you always have the opportunity to Edit the existing one and Add a new poll.

      You can create up to 25 polls in Zoom with a max of 10 questions for each poll.

      Now that you’ve created your poll, you can launch it during the Zoom meeting.

      Start Your Poll During the Zoom Meeting

      Once the Zoom meeting has started and you’re ready to launch the poll, select Polls found at the bottom of the meeting window.

      Note: You must be logged in as the Host, Co-Host or Alternative Host to start a Poll. More information on Zoom Meeting Roles

      

      The Polls window will appear. Review the questions and answers, then select Launch Polling.

      

      You’ll be able to see the polling results in real time. Once everyone has voted, select “End Polling.”

      

      You’ll now see the results of the poll. You can either share the results of the poll with the attendees or relaunch the polling.

      

      View Poll Results

      If you’d like to go back and view the results later, select the meeting in the Previous Meetings tab in the web portal, select Poll Report next to the Report type option, and generate the report. You can then view the results from past meetings.

      

      Poll Reports can be downloaded as CSV files. The file will display responses.

      

      See Also:

      Keywords:	Zoom, Zoom Polls, Poll, Polling, Poll Reports, Student engagement, feedback, ice-breakers, Save Zoom polls Suggest keywords	Doc ID:	105467
      Owner:	Lori S.	Group:	IT Knowledge Base
      Created:	2020-08-31 16:13 CDT	Updated:	2021-07-09 14:30 CDT
      Sites:	IT Knowledge Base
      Feedback:	7 1 Comment Suggest a new document

      Information Technology Division
      IT Help Desk Phone: +1 (701) 231-8685
      Administrative Calls Only: +1 (701) 231-7961 / Fax: (701) 231-8541
      Campus Address: Quentin Burdick Building 206
      Physical/delivery address: 1320 Albrecht Blvd, Fargo, ND 58102
      Mailing address: NDSU Dept. 4510 / PO Box 6050 / Fargo, ND 58108-6050

      Zoom polls are mini quizzes that you can present to your students during a class meeting. In a poll, you can include one or more multiple-choice-type questions. As your students respond to the questions, you’ll see a quick calculation of how many students selected each of the choices. You can present this information to your students; you can also download poll results as a data file. We recommend that you create your Zoom polls in advance of your meetings. This way, they are ready to be presented to students with only a click.

      Options for Creating a Zoom Poll

      You have two options for Zoom polls. Click each link below for details.

      Creating the Poll by Adding Questions One-by-One

      The first step is to schedule your Zoom meeting. If you want your meeting to be accessible to the students in your Blackboard course, then you should schedule the meeting directly through the Zoom Room link in your course.

      

      

      

      Note also that you can choose to make students’ responses anonymous by checking the option:

      

      

      

      

      

      1. Share Results: this will display the aggregated poll results immediately to the students in your meeting
      2. Re-launch Polling: this will start the poll over again

      Creating the Poll in a CSV file

      Your other option is to create the entire poll in a file on your computer and then upload the file to your Zoom meeting.

      The first step is to schedule your Zoom meeting. If you want your meeting to be accessible to the students in your Blackboard course, then you should schedule the meeting directly through the Zoom Room link in your course.
      Once your meeting is scheduled, you can edit the meeting details. When you edit the details, you will be given the option to add a poll.

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      1. Share Results: this will display the aggregated poll results immediately to the students in your meeting
      2. Re-launch Polling: this will start the poll over again

      How to View Polling Reports

      If you want to review the results of any polls that you launched during your Zoom meetings, you can find reports in your Zoom account.

      1. Log in to your Zoom account at https://hofstra.zoom.us.
         
         
      2. Click on the Reports link at the left. Then click the Meeting option.

      

      On the page that appears, select Poll Report at the top of the page. Edit the time range of the search and then click Search.

      You must click the Search button after selecting Poll Report. If you don’t, Zoom will generate Registration Reports instead.

      

      Click the Generate button that appears to the right of the desired meeting.

      If after clicking Generate you are asked to select a Registration Type, the wrong type of report was chosen or you forgot to click the Search button after selecting the report type. Go back to the previous step, make sure to click Poll Report and then click Search.

      It is a function that can start voting during the meeting and collect answers from participants.

      You can create multiple choice questions in advance for this vote.

      You can also download poll reports after the meeting.

      To use the voting function

      • The host user type must be Pro (Pro) or higher.
      • PC version 3.5.63382.0829 or higher, Mac version 3.5.63439.0829 or higher, Linux version 2.0.70790.1031 or higher
      • The voting feature is only available at scheduled meetings.
        Instant meetings do not have a voting feature.

      Note: Only the original meeting host can use the voting feature. If host privileges are delegated to another user, that user can not use the voting feature.

      Activate the Voting Function

      ■ Enable for all members in the organization

      To enable the poll feature for all members in your organization, enable the poll feature in your account settings.

      1. An account owner or administrator with Edit Account Settings permission signs in to the Zoom web portal and clicks Account Settings .
      2. Go to the Polling option on the Meetings tab and make sure the settings are enabled.
         If the setting is invalid, click the status toggle to enable it. When the confirmation dialog appears, select Turn on to confirm your changes. (Optional) If you want this setting to be mandatory for all users in your account, click the lock icon and click Lock to check the setting.

      Enable the voting function of members of a specific group

      To enable the voting feature for all members of a particular group, enable the voting feature in group management.

      1. An administrator with edit permissions for the user group signs in to the Zoom web portal and clicks Group Management.
      2. Click the name of the group and click the Settings tab.
      3. Go to the Voting option under “Meetings (Basic)” on the Meetings tab and make sure the settings are enabled.
         If the setting is invalid, click the status toggle to enable it. When the confirmation dialog appears, select Turn on to confirm your changes.
         Note: If the option is grayed out, it is locked at the account level and needs to be changed at that level.
      1. (Optional) If you want this setting to be mandatory for all users in this group, click the lock icon and click Lock to confirm the setting.

      ■ Enable the voting feature for your own use

      To enable Polling for your own use, enable polling in the meeting settings.

      1. Signed the Zoom web portal, [ setting of My Meetings , click the] case of the account administrator), or the Meeting Settings (in the case of account members).
      2. Go to the Polling option on the Meetings tab and make sure the settings are enabled.
         If the setting is invalid, click the status toggle to enable it. When the confirmation dialog appears, select Turn on to confirm your changes.
      1. Note: If the option is grayed out and can not be changed, you will need to contact your Zoom administrator as it is locked at the group or account level.

      Create a poll

      1. Go to the ” My Meetings ” page and click on a scheduled meeting.
         If there is no scheduled meeting, schedule the meeting.
      2. From the meeting manager, scroll to the bottom and click Add next to the Voting options to begin creating your poll.
      1. Enter the title and the first question.
         For questions, check Single Select or Multiple Select.
      2. Enter the answer for the question and click Save below.
      3. If you want to add a new question, click Add Question to create a new question for the poll.
      1. You can add the More Options poll by repeating step 2.Note: You can add up to 25 votes for one meeting.

      Start voting

      1. Launch a scheduled Zoom meeting with polling enabled.
      2. Select the Voting option in the menu bar.
      1. Select the vote to start.
      2. Click Launch Poll.
      1. Here, the participants in the meeting are asked to answer the voting questions.
         Participants will see a voting window similar to the one below.
      1. The participant selects an answer and submits it.
      2. The host can check the voting results on the fly.
      1. If you want the host to stop voting, you can end voting by clicking End Poll.
      2. If you want to share the poll results with the participants in the meeting, click Share Results.
         Click Resume Polling to resume voting. Participants can view the results of voting questions.
      1. Click Stop Sharing Results if you want to end sharing the poll results.

      Download Poll Results Report

      You can download the poll results report after the meeting.

      1. [ Report Go to].
      2. Select “Meeting”.
         If you held a webinar, select [Webinar].
      1. Select Voting Report.
      1. Adjust the date width to include the meeting date.
      2. Click Search.
      3. Select the relevant webinar (or meeting) and click Create CSV Report.
      4. The report is downloaded.You can get voting results in the following format:

      To identify the voters of the poll results

      Meeting preregistration is turned on.
      The participant’s name and email address will be displayed.

      If preregistration is not enabled, the results are displayed but the users are displayed as “guests”.

      Related article
      How to enable co-hosts and make participants co-host
      Webinar Voting
      [Administrator] Meeting report
      Raise your hand at the webinar
      How Interpreters and Participants Use Language Interpretation Features at Meetings and Webins

      You can use the built-in Polling feature in Zoom to do both ad-hoc and pre-planned polls/surveys which can also function as a voting system.

      Creating a poll before your class

      to your Zoom account.
      1. To begin a poll, you need to either: a) create a new meeting, OR b) go to an existing meeting under the “Meetings” tab.
      2. Scroll to the bottom of the meeting invitation, click “Add” to begin creating the poll.

      4. Title the poll, enter question type (single or multiple choice), and click “Save.”

      

      Launching a poll

      1. Click “Polling” in the bottom toolbar.

      

      3. Participants in the meeting will be prompted to answer the polling questions. Once an answer has been submitted, the host will be able to see the live results.

      

      4. When finished with the poll, click “End Poll.”

      5. (Optional) To share polling results with meeting participants, Click “Share Results.”

      

      6. Click “Stop Sharing” to stop sharing poll results with meeting participants.

      

      Creating a poll during your class/meeting

      You can also create a poll by clicking Polling during the meeting.

      This will open up your default web browser where you can add additional polls or questions. Click “add a question” and then navigate to the page that will appear in your browser, where you can create a question to be used in your meeting.

      

      After your have created your question, follow the same instructions for launching and sharing a pre-planned poll:

      First, to get back into the meeting currently running, click Join Now to be directed back to your class.

      

      Next, click the polling icon in the bottom toolbar, which should bring up the newly-created question. Click Launch Poll.

      

      When students finish answering, click End Poll.

      

      Finally, you will have the option to Share Results from the poll, or Re-launch the question.

      The polling feature in Zoom allows you to create single choice or multiple choice polling questions for your meetings. You will be able to launch the poll during your meeting and gather the responses from your attendees. You also have the ability to download a report of polling after the meeting. Polls can also be conducted anonymously.

      When using polls in Zoom you will:

      1. Create a poll
      2. Launch a poll
      3. Download a report of poll results
      1. Enable anonymous responses: checking the “Anonymous?” box to make the poll anonymous will keep the student’s polling responses anonymous in the meeting and the reports.
      2. Single or Multiple Choice: select whether you want the question to be single choice (students can only choose one answer) or multiple choice (students can choose multiple answers).

      NOTE: You can only create a max of 25 polls for a single meeting.

      1. Start the scheduled Zoom meeting that has polling enabled.
      2. Select the “Polling” option from the menu bar.

      You can download a report of the poll results after the meeting. If registration was turned on and the poll was not anonymous, it will list the participants’ names and email addresses. If registration was not on, it will show the results, but list the users as “Guest”. If the poll was anonymous, it will show “anonymous” for the participants’ names and email addresses. Learn more .

      The polling feature for meetings and webinars allows you to ask multiple choice polling questions. You will be able to launch the poll during your meeting or webinar and gather the responses from your attendees to engage your audience and allow participant input. You also have the ability to download a report of polling results as a CSV file after the meeting/webinar.

      To turn on the polling feature, go to Polling for Meetings and scroll down to For Your Own Meetings.

      Note: If you are making a recording of the meeting, poll results do not appear in the recording. Please download the report for polling results.

      Requirements

      • To launch polling, the host must be using the Zoom Client for Meetings desktop application on PC, Mac, or Linux
      • The meeting or webinar must be scheduled – you cannot use polling in Instant Meetings
      • Only the original meeting or webinar host can use polling. If host control is transferred to another participant, the new host will not have polling ability
      • Attendees using the desktop application or the Zoom mobile app will be able to participate in polling, but those using a web browser (such as Chrome or Firefox) are unable to view or participate in polls.

      Accessing Poll Results

      If you are making a recording of the meeting, poll results do not appear in the recording. Follow the steps to download polling results.

      1. Go to zoom.umn.edu and Log In.
      2. Select Reports.
      3. Select Meeting or Webinar, depending on your needs.
         
      4. For Report Type, select Poll Report
         1. Enter a date range for results and click Search.
            
            

         

         Have you ever needed an icebreaker or wanted to take the pulse of your meeting audience? Polling is a popular Zoom Webinar feature that has now made its way to Zoom Video Meetings!

         Poll questions are a great way to get an audience engaged. Set aside a couple minutes for each poll in your meeting. These little breaks keep the content dynamic while giving everyone a chance to participate, and refocus. Just remember the golden rule – make this about them, not you. You should be able to say “By answering this question, you will benefit in the following way…”

         Before we get into suggested uses, head over to this support article to learn how to turn on this amazing feature: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/213756303-Polling-for-Meetings

         3 Examples of Useful Poll Questions

         1. Create an icebreaker and get the interaction started

         Ask a fun question about what’s for lunch, how’s the weather where they are, or what is their favorite sport. This may seem silly, but it’s a great way to break the ice and get people interacting. It also helps to get everyone to turn on their video.

         2. Let your audience pick the content

         If you’re giving a presentation, try letting your audience choose which content you’ll present. You’ll have to be ready to tweak your content to meet their needs – but your audience will be much more engaged. This can be a great idea for a quarterly update or all-hands meeting where you have a lot of information and a limited amount of time.

         Or if you’re a sales person presenting to a group of influencers and decision makers, you can tailor your presentation to their needs and top concerns. (Tip – build a “poll” slide into your presentation deck so you don’t forget to launch the poll.)

         3. Get input on the meeting

         Want to know what they thought about the meeting? Put up a quick poll with a scale that lets them rate the content and presentation. You’ll have instant feedback and know if you need to step up your game next time, or if you’re doing a great job. And your participants don’t need to worry as their responses are anonymous.

It’s irritating. Frustrating. Overwhelming. They say “Follow your dreams”, “Chase your passion”.

And you would. You really would. But there’s a problem. A huge problem.

You have no idea what your “passion” or “dream” is.

Once we know our passion then we can follow it with insane tenacity. The problem isn’t that people hold back from their passion. It’s that you have no clue what your passion is.

If you have no idea what your dream is you can’t follow it.

You read blogs, books, and get advice from anyone with a pulse. The truth isn’t you lack discipline, focus or commitment.

It’s much simpler than that… But also much scarier to admit.

The truth, is you have no idea what you want to do with your life…

So, what’s the solution?

It’s simple :). Go find your passion…. Now I’m starting to sound like those “gurus” aren’t I?

But don’t worry I won’t leave you hanging. Below I list 10 very specific ways you can begin the process to discover your passion and dreams.

1. Develop a 5 year vision

Open up a word document (or take out a piece of paper and pen), and grab a stopwatch. Set the timer for 8 minutes.

Imagine all of your dreams have come true over the last 5 years of your life. You have everything you ever wanted. You are going to write in extensive detail what your life is like:

What time do you wake up? What activities do you do? Who do you hang out with? How much money do you make? How do you make money? What do you eat? How do you feel? Write down everything that comes to mind!

Set the timer at 8 minutes. Go! Go! Go!

2. Read non-fiction self-help books and implement a major action.

Reading a great self-help book is incredibly powerful. But this comes with a caveat. It’s only powerful if you are able to adopt and implement the ideas you get from the book.

Read a full book (not just the first chapter!) and focus on taking away one major idea. Not 2, 5 or 20! Focus on getting one idea and then immediately implement it in your life. If you read 12 books per year and implement one idea per book you won’t recognize yourself a year from today.

3. Volunteer in your community.

Fat, lazy, boring people don’t tend to volunteer. You know who does volunteer- interesting and motivated people who love to give back.

The more you surround yourself with positive people the more likely you are to start believing in your own capabilities. Also, you might be shocked at how much you like the activity.

4. Start that hobby you’ve been wanting to begin.

We all have that hobby that we’ve been saying for years “I’m gonna start that.” But year after year keeps passing. Make today that day! There’s a reason you are drawn to this hobby. Just go for it!

5. Read an inspiring blog then take action.

Identify a blog that you love! Not “like” but “love”! Then read 5 posts that draw you in. Then immediately take action based on what you learn. There is a reason you are drawn to this content. By taking action you will start to open a floodgate to learn amazing things about yourself.

6. Send an email “questionnaire” to loved ones.

Send an email to all the people you love in your life. These are the people that know you best. The following works perfectly: “Hi (name here). I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, but I don’t know where to start. What do you think I would be amazing at?”

I have done this numerous times. You will be shocked! People that are around you all the time see your strengths and skills but since it’s not “normal conversation” it never comes up. Just make sure you send it to supportive, positive people who love you.

7. Ask and answer the question “What do I want to do?” with no limits.

Just sit back and ask yourself “What do I want to do with my life?” and hold nothing back. Don’t accept any excuses. Most likely that one thing that you say “Well I would love to ________ but I could never do that because _____________” is your thing.

8. Do things that scare you.

Choose something that scares you and go out and do it. When we face our fears we learn immense things about our character. It’s incredibly confidence building to attempt to do things that scare us. Also, very often the reason it scares us is because it means so much to us. The reason it means so much is because deep down in our core – we want it more than anything in the world!

9. Actively seek out “awkward situations.”

Have you ever attended a “community social event” and you didn’t know anyone. The great thing about attending awkward situations is that it gives us a wonderful opportunity to learn about ourselves. Because we feel uncomfortable we are highly aware of ourselves and those around us. It basically causes forced reflection. Which is always a great thing!

10. Always focus on learning.

In every single situation, no matter what happens, always ask yourself: What can I learn from this? What does this tell me about myself?

If you learn in every single situation… Just imagine how much clarity that would bring to your life.

Izzy is living, breathing proof you can pursue your dream. no matter how crazy it is. Izzy’s a former teacher who lives in Japan. He’s pursuing his childhood dream: to become a ninja. Check out The Ninja Tool Kit– resources, books and tools to inspire, encourage and educate you to follow your dreams.

When you decide to embrace a profound life change, it’s scary, because change is scary. But the only way to successfully deal with change is to master it, and once you do, launching your life forward will eventually come easily and naturally.

You can start with these seven mindset shifts:

1. Take time to define your vision and your passion.

There is no vision without seeing. So step out of your comfort zone. Experience, feel and taste what you are passionate about. Get out there and discover yourself, what you stand for and what you stand against. Then ask yourself what you want in life and why it’s important to you. Find what gets you fired up.

Your vision is about you and your desires, and it has to be complete, clear and brutally honest.

2. Become clear and very precise about what you want.

People are usually vague; they have only a pale vision of what they want. Try stopping and taking a break from the day-to-day race. Take a notebook, choose a quiet place and time, and write down what you specifically want to achieve and how you’ll know when you’ve achieved it.

Write down everything. Your brain will do what you want, but in order to get there, you need to be very specific about your mission. So start writing your dreams in full detail.

3. Continually reinforce your motivation.

Often you know precisely what you want, but after surfing the “go get it” wave for some time, you can start to lose momentum. That’s when you slow down and enter a slump. Sometimes you need to reach outside of yourself to pull the best out. Ask yourself: Who is impacted by my dream? Who stands to benefit from it?

Think of all your loved ones. How would they be influenced one year down the road after your dream is fulfilled? What about two years? You’re getting stronger, the benefits to your loved ones are growing and the impact on the community around you expands. Visualize how it all accumulates after five years. Ten years. Focus on that vision and feel the energy.

Return to this visualization exercise each time your motivation needs a boost.

4. Make a plan for achieving your dream and set a start date.

How will you get to your dream? What is the complete skills set you need? What new knowledge do you need to acquire? One of the simplest ways to create a roadmap for your journey toward your dream is to model the actions of the people who already succeeded what you wish to achieve.

Find those people. Interview them. Read about their journeys. Replicate their steps. Learn. When you start, you’ll hit the ground running.

5. Work on your beliefs.

Our beliefs are external (what we say aloud) and internal (what we feel deep in our hearts). The internal beliefs are the ones calling the shots about what you really feel about yourself, who you are and what you are capable of. Saying you’ll run a marathon when you don’t believe you’ll even be breathing after five miles is not a winning situation.

The good news is that beliefs can be rewritten through diligent internal work: meditations, daily affirmations, journaling, creative visualizations. Use whatever works for you.

Remember that beliefs drive perceptions, perceptions drive habits, and habits drive actions and success. You are who you think you are.

6. Embrace discipline.

If you want to master something, you have to work consistently and with discipline. That includes 1) consciously setting and following the daily habits we need to reach our goals, and 2) being keenly aware of distractions.

The habits you have right now are specifically geared to help you achieve everything you’ve already achieved. If you want something new, you have to change your habits. So what new habits can you set for yourself in the pursuit of your dream?

Discipline also means developing a distraction alarm. You need to be consistent not only in maintaining habits, but also in the conscious decision to achieve the right things and stay away from the unproductive ones. Multitasking is just a modern myth. The truth is that the most successful people are focused.

7. Decide each day to take three small steps toward your dream life.

By consistently making seemingly small actions, you plant seeds of achievement into your conscience. You start feeling the progress you’re making, and in time, these feelings grow into a belief and then into an attitude.

Finding your true self, or your authentic self, is the most important thing that you can do for your self-development, and for you to achieve real happiness, fulfilment, and wellbeing. Finding your true self is your biggest life solution. It is the master key that will unlock your full potential and purpose in all areas of your life, open you to wisdom, and guide the setting of your true life goals. I want you to get this key so that you will understand how it unlocks everything else I write about.

What is the true self?

What is the true self? It is the real you—your true nature and identity that is found at the deepest core of your being. It is more fundamental to who you are than your roles or the identities that you create, adopt, or have assigned to you by other people. It is the you that exists behind all of these, and even behind the psychological construct of your personality or ego.

Your true self is the source of your greatest passion, creative power, talents, wisdom, and love, and is experienced when you are most yourself. It can be found in the space between your thoughts. So busy and distracted are our minds with thoughts—some 50,000 per day—that we are often unconscious of our true self, and normally may only glimpse it at the time of a major life crisis, when we are facing our own mortality, or when we have a peak experience in which life is experienced with sudden ego-transcending intensity.

Finding your true self, as your ultimate identity, enables you to develop and direct your personality so that you can be more yourself, more alive, and live your full potential and true life purpose. By connecting you with your most fundamental state of being, which transcends the narrow identity of your ego-self, your true self also enables you to experience being more at one with life itself, and thus being more connected with others and the planet. Finding your true self is therefore essential for any meaningful self-development, as well as for authentic living in general.

4 ways of finding your true self

. Still your mind and place your attention on the space between your thoughts, becoming aware of the centre of your awareness that is beyond thought or feeling. Let everything go and expand into this centre. This is where your true self can be experienced. . Be mindful or conscious of your daily living experience, without being distracted by or attached to thoughts and emotions that can take you into a daydream or into unproductive states of mind. As you come back to centre, your true self is then more able to emerge so that you can live more authentically and respond with wisdom to your daily experience and life challenges. . Close your eyes, still your mind, and visualise yourself walking along a path to the centre of your mind, or climbing to the peak of a mountain that represents your highest perspective. Visualise your true self waiting there for you, personified as a wise teacher who is ready to guide you. The symbolism carries the deeper message.
1. Journal writing. After stilling your mind and setting an intention for a connection with your true self to be made, write down, on a piece of paper or in a journal, words or sentences that might express the qualities of your true self. Avoid writing down the qualities that other people want you to have, or the qualities you have adopted. What you have written down will bring you closer to finding your true self.

Staying present to your true self

Due to the demands of others, the stress of life events, or your own reactivity to unprocessed emotional triggers, you may not stay present in your true self, and as a result may drift back into your reactive ego. If this is the case, practise mindfulness states as described above, and consider if your boundaries need strengthening in a healthy way so that you can commit to your practice without other people or things overwhelming you. As you continue to practise connecting with your true self, you will gradually get better at staying present and building the connection. There are techniques to release the negative patterns that can take you out of your true self, but these will be addressed in another post.

Remember, finding your true self is key to finding your true life purpose and to gaining the best perspective on your life.

Next step: consider treating yourself to a Guidance Call to dive deeper into what has been discussed and how it relates to you overcoming your life challenges and turning the corner of your life.

Stop feeling confused and overwhelmed; this exercise will help you gain clarity.

A lot of people come to work with me because they feel stuck, and they want to change their life. But one of the first obstacles we run into is that when I ask them what they want their life to look like, they often don’t know.

Knowing what you want is the first and most important step in creating a better future. But how do you make this important decision? Trying to decide what you want in a world full of so many choices can seem overwhelming.

On the other hand, most people have a very good idea of what they don’t want in life. We look around and see all the terrible things happening in the world, and we realize we don’t want war, we don’t want poverty, we don’t want sickness.

We look at our own lives and think about the things that don’t feel right, such as the boss who nags, the spouse who isn’t supportive, the kids who don’t listen, or the empty checking account. You may have thoughts like: “I don’t want to be poor,” “I don’t want to work at this lousy job where no one appreciates me,” or “I don’t want to have to deal with the screaming kids who never listen.”

The good news is if you can identify what you don’t want, knowing what you do want is definitely within your reach. To perceive anything, there must be a contrast between the two states. To know that something is unwanted, we must know that something else is wanted instead. One serves as the reference point for the other.

For example, we could not identify the wanted state of happiness if we did not know what it was like to experience the unwanted state of being unhappy. The reason you can identify what you don’t want is that you are aware some other, preferable state exists, otherwise you wouldn’t know it was unwanted. You simply have to give more of your attention to the wanted state and give it some clarity.

Once you have identified what you don’t want, see if you can flip it over and find the contrasting wanted state. If you don’t want to live in the city, perhaps it is because you prefer a slower country pace. If you don’t want to work in a retail job, but you aren’t sure what kind of job you would like, write down as many details as you can about what you don’t like in retail. For example, “I don’t like retail because it’s exhausting to stand on my feet all day. Instead, I would like a job where I could spend more time at a desk.”

Once you have identified what you don’t want, ask yourself: What would I like to see instead?

Don’t want: I don’t want a spouse who doesn’t appreciate me.

Want: I want a spouse who adores me and treats me with respect.

Don’t want: I don’t want to work at this lousy job.

Want: I want a job that stimulates me intellectually and allows me to be creative.

Get as specific as possible. Once you have decided you want a job that is stimulating and creative, start thinking about other aspects of the job you would like, such as independence, a lot of interaction with coworkers, increased responsibility, a better salary. The more details you include, the more specific you can be in developing the plan and the steps necessary to achieve your goal.

A worksheet to help with this can be found here.

Deciding what you want today does not mean you can’t change your mind tomorrow. Often, we think we want something, but as we find out more about it, we change our minds. Consider this a success, not a failure. It doesn’t mean you don’t know what you want; it means you know you want something else instead.

Focus on that “something else instead,” and go in that direction. Deciding that you don’t want something that you thought you did, just means you are making a more informed decision with new data that wasn’t available to you before; it is not the same as giving up when things get difficult.

Also, keep in mind there is no final destination in life. Every time you obtain something you want, you have a new perspective from which to see other possibilities. Choosing something you want doesn’t mean you give up all other possibilities; it means you open the door to possibilities you didn’t know existed.

If you find yourself looking at your list of wants and saying, I don’t really believe I can have what I want, then you have a different issue about your expectations of the future. You act on what you expect, not what you want—so your expectations need to align with your wants, or you won’t be able to achieve them.

To work on changing your expectations, you may wish to check out my TEDx talk on exactly this topic or read my book Think Forward to Thrive, which is all about developing the skills you need to create a better future.

Vilhauer, Jennice (2014). Think Forward to Thrive: How to Use the Mind’s Power of Anticipation to Transcend Your Past and Transform Your Life. New World Library. Novato, CA.

During my second year at an arts conservatory, I took a detailed diagnostic test to determine the hemispheric dominance of my left and right brain.

People who tend to lean toward the left are logical, reality-based, practical, and intellectual, when people who tend to lean toward the right are artistic, intuitive, feeling, and imaginative.

On a horizontal linear scale from 1 to 10—1 being the farthest left and 10 being the farthest right—I tested 4.8. That means that I am basically balanced between both sides of my brain but lean .2 toward the left.

Recently, I found a website that had a computer image of a ballerina spinning on her toe. If you saw the dancer spin clockwise, your brain dominance leaned toward the right; if anti-clockwise, left.

A friend of mine (who was also in that class with me at arts school) had her four-year old son do the exercise. He was able to see the dancer go both ways, capable of switching at will.

When she asked him how, he said, “I don’t know, Mommy. I am not my mind.” Jeez! I just want to hug this enlightened boy!

When we identify with our mind it can be our worst enemy. It likes to cycle, obsess, tighten, and cut us off from experiencing our heart. It can prevent us from having real intimacy with others and ourselves.

The mind says it wants something, yet sometimes we categorize, intellectualize, and analyze all because we are afraid to actually feel, open, and come to intimately know that thing beating in the center of our chest.

I remember a night when I was sitting with my husband at our turquoise Moroccan table in our backyard, talking about how I desired to be physically closer to him.

Life stresses, including four miscarriages and three-failed In-Vitro fertilizations had caused us so much grief, strife, and tension that we were burnt out, disheartened, and shut down.

Yet, with all that talking, whining, and wishing we could be closer, it was easier for me to take the time to sit and talk about my needs than go up upstairs, cuddle with my husband, and create closeness.

My intellect was doing what it knew how to do best: prove and defend my needs and talk about them, rather than surrender, open, and feel.

All of us, regardless of where we test in the right/left brain hemisphere, have the ability to cultivate intuition.

When we take our attention off the chatter of our mind and put our intention onto developing our intuition, we learn to play with much subtler dimensions. Listening and moving from the heart instead of the intellect, we make wiser choices rather than smarter ones, which can serve us better in the end.

Of course, it is important to be educated and to understand principles through the intellect. When we were children, our elders taught us the importance of learning the alphabet, but when it came to writing our first “A,” we had to intuitively feel the curves of it as we used our pencil on wide-lined paper.

Intuition comes from a sensation, an expression or movement directly from the heart. This is how we are able to make our dreams come to fruition and create our lives in alignment with our callings.

In fact, our “callings” stem from intuition in the first place.

Here are three questions to ask yourself to step out of the intellect and boldly listen to your intuition:

1. What does my heart really want in this moment?

When I sit down to write, I begin with this simple question: “What do I really want to write right now, in this moment, straight from my heart?”

I follow that instinct and don’t worry about whether it fits in the context, if it is in the right correlating order, or if it’s systematically within the requirements. First I need to get the energy onto the paper, and then I can go back edit, delete, and tweak.

The intellect can come in later to make sense of it all. But first, we have opportunity to honor what the intuitive energy wants and listen to how it wants to come through.

So as you step into your work for the day try to follow where you are drawn, not because your mind says so, but because you intuit that’s the place to start.

2. What am I sensing right now?

Sensing is felt through the heart, the way a mother senses what her child needs.

Good parents are smart but also wise. They know intuitively when their children are coming up with excuses to not have to go to bed, are really hurt or faking it, or are in need of some extra love and care.

When we move from the heart intuitively we know what is most needed in the moment. We are guided and led, and we sense opportunity.

We are like loving parents when we nurture our dreams or desires, holding them closely to our chest.

3. What if it didn’t have to look exactly how I envision it in my mind?

When we do something, it rarely looks exactly like we envision it.

For example, each time I found out I was pregnant I created an image in my mind: I estimated the day the baby would be born. I planned to move the second trimester to a bigger house with a second bedroom.

I thought about names. I wondered if we could afford a nanny and even worried about which schools we would put our child in. The tremendous anxiety of being pregnant made my mind project way, way out into the future, keeping me from having to face the fear I felt within.

Losing the pregnancies crushed our hearts. It was hard to recover.

If I had remembered to ask myself: “What if it didn’t have to look like an exact replica of the vision I hold in my mind?” I may have been more capable of listening to my intuition.

My intellect was aware of a few things. I was almost 40. The odds of having a healthy pregnancy were getting lower and lower with passing time. The doctors told me I must do it now, that time was running out.

After the losses, when I had to let go of the vision I’d created in my mind and pay attention to what my heart and anxiety were really telling me, I came to a big realization:

I did not feel ready yet to be a mother. There were other things I wanted to do first with my life and my career. In fact, I was not 100% sure whether I wanted to have kids at all.

The whole pregnancy process was a blessing because I learned a great lesson. My mind was so fixated on the story of having a baby by forty that I overlooked the powerful message sent to me by my intuition:

For me personally, it was simply not the time.

If you’re not sure what’s right for you at this time, go within and ask yourself these questions. Then pay attention to what you hear when you really listen.

The more stuff you get, the less you understand what you really want.

When you realize that all those things you bought don’t make you happy, there is one question that crosses your minds: “What do I really want?”

Once you discover your true purpose in life, it will be easy for you to direct all plans towards it. Your days will become more organized and you’ll feel complete.

The question is: how do you discover that purpose? There are 10 methods that can help you get there and find what you really want.

1. Don’t buy everything you think you need

We devote important portions of our energy to maintain two vehicles, too much furniture in the apartment, and a closet full of clothes we hardly wear. Think about it: do you really need that new jacket when you already have a few you don’t wear that often?

If you do, then there is no question about it – go get it. If, on the other hand, you’re buying things to fill the emptiness you feel inside, you’re doing everything wrong. Try to realize where that gap comes from.

When we learn how to detach ourselves from material possessions, we will focus on our true needs.

2. Learn!

Instead of wasting time on Facebook and Twitter, we can use our online presence productively. There are many open sources of knowledge on the Internet. Some of the ones you can try are Coursera, OpenCourseWare, Ted, Khan Academy, and Livemocha.

If you don’t know what career path you want to direct yourself to, you can experiment with different online courses until you find your true calling.

3. Go back to your childhood dreams

What did you want to become when you were a kid? You probably didn’t think about fame and fortune then. You wanted friends, love, and a fun profession. If there is any space for achieving those goals, it’s time to do something about it.

4. Meditate

Meditation is possibly the best technique to help you discover your inner needs and wants. When you realize that meditation masters only teach you to sit in quiet, you might think it would be easy. Don’t expect to reach enlightenment after few meditative sessions.

If you’ve never tried this technique, you’ll be surprised how hard it is to quiet your mind. It will object. The most unnecessary thoughts will come to the surface and you’ll have to let them pass.

After many attempts and hard work that might take years, your mind will become calmer. That’s when you’ll be able to realize what you have deep inside.

5. Ask yourself: “Why am I unhappy?”

Do you feel beaten down by life? Why? Maybe you don’t like your job? Maybe you have friends that are sucking your energy away? Maybe your partner is not making you happy?

In order to figure out what you really want, you need to remove the obstacles that are preventing you from being happy. Make some changes and you’ll make room for a brighter future.

6. Accept help

Your ego has difficulties to accept a helping hand when you most need it. No matter what your goals for the future are, you will definitely need a supportive network of people who love you. Accept their assistance without any conditions.

7. Think about your problems and seek for a solution

Instead of thinking about where you want to be in a year, focus your attention on the problems that are burdening you right now. Can you do something to solve them? If yes, then do it. If the problems and solutions don’t depend on you, there is only one thing you’re left with: acceptance. It’s time to move on.

8. Be adventurous

Instead of spending your days in the usual routine, do something different. Book a ticket and visit the destination you always wanted to see. Not ready for a huge adventure? Then make small lifestyle changes, like meeting new people, reading a new type of literature, or watching weird movies.

It’s important to move away from your usual habits to discover new interests. Then, you’ll be closer to the ultimate realization.

9. Determine your main moral values

Take a piece of paper and write down everything you believe in. Do you possess all those characteristics? If not, you need to become that person you want to be.

10. Be a complete person

Do you act like another person when you’re at work, at home, and at parties? Do you behave differently when you’re alone, with friends, and with people you want to impress? All those masks hide your true self. That’s exactly why you can’t figure out what you really want.

You are the same person in every situation in life. All previous methods guide you to this one: connect the dots and don’t be afraid to let your true persona shine through.

You Can Always Be the Person You Want to Be

How many times have you wished for something really, really hard? When you finally got it, you felt the satisfaction for a day or two, but went back to your usual state of incompleteness right after?

Our wishes and thoughts are not always ours. They are imposed by society. We don’t really want all those perfumes, gadgets and shoes we see in online stores.

The way to personal accomplishment starts with identifying our true needs. Once we get that part covered, we can take real actions towards a brighter future.

Often, we get sucked into the flow, go along with what we’re told we should want, what it’s normal to want, and what it’s reasonable to want. When we start becoming more authentic and uncovering more of ourselves, getting rid of the “shoulds” and comparisons can leave a gaping hole.

This can be scary – uncertainty is a scary place – and it might feel like we’re floating, not able to grasp what it is we truly want in our lives. Expressing our wants feels wrong, like we might be too demanding of people. Going after our wants ourselves can be terrifying – what if we make a mistake?

Which leaves us asking: “I have a sense that there’s more I do want, but how do I access that? Where do I start?”

Everyone is different, so what works for one person might not work for another, and I don’t think there’s a solution that can cover everyone’s needs in this situation. I don’t have a definitive answer for this; I wish I did (it would make my life easier), however I do have a series of steps that have helped me work out what I actually want from a situation, and want to share in case you find them helpful too.

Knowing my instincts, trusting my instincts

Instincts are there for a reason – they’re important messages and should be heeded carefully. Sometimes, when we have a lot of beliefs, ‘shoulds’ and conflicting messages though, we might not feel much trust in our instincts. The key to this is knowing what kind of things push our buttons, and being able to honestly ask ourselves

– “Am I in a place where I can trust my instincts right now?”

– “What stresses or difficulties might I be facing that could mean other things are possibly interfering with my instincts?”

– “What part of me is telling myself I want this? What do I know about that part?”

– Where do feelings around this want show up in my body? Can I think of any other time that feeling showed up? What happened then?

Being aware of urgency

Related to instincts are urgency and/or desperation. When we feel that we desperately or urgently want – even need – to do something, there’s usually a story playing out underneath about what might happen, or what it might mean, if we don’t do, get or experience that thing.

– What do I know about myself that could be influencing this decision? (For example, do respond to stress by comfort buying or comfort eating, or conversely by denying myself things that I might genuinely want?)

– What do I know about myself that could lead me to rush into/avoid a decision?

– What is the story behind this want?

Priorities and values

If you have a long-term goal to pay off your credit card, but those shiny $300 shoes are calling to you, you might feel like you want the shiny shoes right now, but will that be the case in the long-term?

You go to a job interview and discover you’re going to be selling old ladies life insurance that you know will cost them a fortune and provide them with zero realistic cover. You’re down to your last $10 and they’ve just offered you the job. You want a job, and you want to be able to eat later this week, but you’re not sure if this is the job you want. Unless your values are aligned with swindling old ladies, you might feel the urge to take it, but you won’t want to – because it doesn’t fit in with your values.

– What are my priorities?

– How does this fit in with my values?

– How does this fit in with my needs?

Visualising

Visualising can give us distance from the emotional weight of our current situation and helps us look at life from a different perspective. By looking at the situation we’re in from the outside, we can get clarity that might otherwise be obscured by “shoulds”, apathy and internal conflict. Two types of visualisations can be useful: future self visualisations, and third-party visualisations.

– When I think of my best possible future self six months/one year ahead, how will I feel looking back on this?

– When I imagine someone who I consider a role model, what would they do in this situation?

Stop Planning

When we find it hard to know what we want – whether in a particular situation or in general – this can be because we are too busy. A cluttered mind leaves little space for exploration, and, consequently, we experience a frustrating blankness. Planning unstructured time frees our mind from the daily grind, the endless to-do lists and those good old “shoulds” and leaves us with… ourselves.

– When I make time to sit with myself, not planning anything, not deliberately doing anything, how does that feel?

– When I make time to sit with myself, not planning anything, what comes up for me? What do I notice about what comes up?

Unstructured time is hard – I find it challenging to shut down my brain and tell my task list to take it easy for a couple of hours. Sometimes, we have to do this several times over – for example every weekend, or two evenings a week – before we start to notice a difference.

How do you know what you really want? I’d love to hear your experiences.

Why do we seem to struggle so often to get what we think we want, only to be disappointed once it shows up? My experience suggests that most of us don’t have a clear picture of what we truly want and what it will do for us if we get it.

I have asked literally thousands of people the “what do you want” question. For the most part, people can list all kinds of things they want. Cars, houses, money, and toys of all sorts frequently come up. Relationships, kids, travel, adventure, and good health also make the most frequently cited list.

Consider completing the left hand column of the table which follows. I have labeled the left hand column “symbols” to represent the things people often focus on in their life pursuits. “If only I had (a certain amount of) money.” Or the right house, new car, better job, etc. The point here is to delineate as truthfully as you can, that which you find yourself focusing on in life, those things you want or want more of. These things go in the left hand column.

From here, spend a little time in reflection on the question, “Why do I want those things?” “What do I hope will be true if I have the (job, money, house, etc)?” A slightly more refined question would be, “what experience am I looking for”- if I only had the right car, house, money, etc, what would I then be experiencing?”

Take the money question for a moment. Most people I have worked with say they want more money. When I ask them why, or what more money would do for them, I usually hear what they could do with more money. Buy the house, car, etc frequently come out. However, I then ask them to think a bit more deeply on the question of experience. “What positive experience or experiences would you associate with having more money?”

From here, the answers become more interesting. “If I had more money, then I would experience . . .” Greater Freedom. Security. Peace of mind. Sense of power or accomplishment. Success.

If you were to answer the question yourself, what answers would you find? If you think about it and then place those experiences that you are seeking in the right hand column, it might look something like this:

In the example here, money is one answer to the question “What do you want?” If we ask what positive experience is associated with having enough money, we may find that the person wants greater freedom, security and peace of mind. We can then ask: “Do you know anyone with a lot of money who doesn’t have much freedom, security or peace of mind?” Howard Hughes would be a classic example of someone who had loads of cash and not much freedom, security or peace of mind.

Of course, you can always ask the question the other way around. “Do you know anyone who does not have much money and yet experiences freedom, security and peace of mind?” Mother Theresa would have been an example on this side of the coin.

And, just to keep it real, there are people with lots of money who are free, secure and at peace and those without money who aren’t free, secure and at peace. So the question becomes one of how do I produce that which I really want? which I want?

Eric Hoffer, the longshoreman philosopher is often quoted as having said: “You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy. Sometimes, he is quoted as saying, “You can never get enough of what you don’t really need.”

If I am after the experience of being secure, free and at peace, is there any amount of money (or house, or car, or perfect relationship) that will produce the experiences I seek?

The obvious implication here is “NO!”

So, what do I truly want and how do I produce it? Is it the symbols of life that I truly want or is it more likely to be the experiences found in the right hand column?

If you are like me, the answer is “BOTH!”

So, play with this a little. If what you want is freedom, peace of mind, security, a sense of fullness or completion, and you have freedom, peace of mind, security, and a sense of fullness or completion in your life, would it matter how much money you have?

Wait a minute. Is this a trick question?

Well, yes and no. What I have found is that the more I focus on the positive experiences I want out of life, not only do I tend to produce those more frequently, but also the easier it is to produce the “things” found on the left hand side of the equation. Strangely, focusing on money hasn’t made me any more secure or free, yet focusing on producing freedom and security has made it easier to create material success to go along with those inner qualities of success.

Again, have you ever really, really wanted something, worked hard on getting it, got it and then found you weren’t any happier? If so, my suggestion would be to spend more time focusing on creating what you really want–those items in the right hand column. After all, can you ever get enough of what you don’t really want?

In subsequent articles, we will explore how to produce more of what you truly want out of life.

I’d love to hear from you. Please do leave a comment here or drop me an email at Russell (at) russellbishop.com.

If you want more information on how you can apply this kind of reframing to your life and to your job, about a few simple steps that may wind up transforming your life, please download a free chapter from my new book, Workarounds That Work. You’ll be glad you did.

Throughout my life, I thought of myself as someone who felt too much. I was very gregarious and could easily be consumed by moments of joy and celebration. But when I was alone, I could be overtaken by angry, self-destructive voices that would dominate my mind.

By senior year of high school, I was spending many hours of the day crying, and had taken to pinching and punching myself until I was black and blue.

I felt I needed to gain more control over my emotional state, be more rational, have more perspective. Those were the kinds of things I was looking for when I first called my therapist, Marc Bregman, who invented a unique method of Archetypal Dreamwork.

Instead of learning how to manage my feelings, though, Marc taught me something totally different: how to feel them at all.

Normally, it’s taken for granted that we feel our feelings and know how we feel. We even believe we know how others are feeling. And yet, we can accept that how we actually feel in any given moment is often extremely complex, confusing, and difficult to communicate.

In fact, I would contend that we are usually in an avoidance reaction to our feelings rather than truly feeling them.

Why? Namely because feeling our feelings means allowing states of experience that are truly difficult: pain, fear, despair, or vulnerability. So we cling to our assumptions about our feelings and often confuse these ideas with how we truly feel.

We can spend our whole life cycling on this level of feeling, never letting ourselves be conscious of what is driving our emotional states underneath.

Yet, just as matter cannot be created or destroyed, the energy carried by these deeper feeling states do not leave our psyche simply because we want to deny they are there.

Instead, they fuel the myriad of negative behaviors that we are often trying to fix—totally numbing out, projecting our feelings onto others, blaming others for our feelings, or engaging in compulsive and self-destructive behaviors.

Furthermore, by keeping our deepest pains at bay, we also lose access to the sweetest and most joyful aspects of our hearts.

More than where you are from, how much money you have, what your family is like, or what knowledge you’ve gained, I believe that it is what you feel, what stirs you, what you love and what causes you pain that makes you you.

I believe that every human is connected to an eternal, infinite source, and it is our deepest feelings that connect us to this source. Through seeking the deepest parts of our hearts, we can learn what it means to manifest our true selves into the world.

To begin the journey of feeling of your feelings, try these steps:

Be open, be humble, and allow.

We often rely on our mind to interpret our inner feelings. Understand that our ideas about our feelings aren’t usually the whole story. Be curious and ask, what could be underneath this current emotional state?

Center your emotional experience in your body.

At the core, your feeling state is a physical experience happening in your body. Bringing your attention to where in your body you’re experiencing a feeling is a great way to deepen your visceral experience of it.

Don’t think about it too much.

It’s easy to get tangled trying to figure out what we feel by weighing various judgments, ideas, and experiences to determine what we should be feeling. What you feel doesn’t need any supporting evidence. It just is. Let it be.

Pay attention to your dreams.

Dreams, on a fundamental level, are felt experiences. They can be a tremendous help in mapping out your internal emotional landscape, especially the places we’d rather avoid. Try writing down your dreams and feeling into them rather than interpreting them. You may be surprised by what you uncover.

When I began following these steps, I had a number of dreams that showed me immersed in guilt for things, like being late to a meeting. By closing my eyes and concentrating on the image in the dream, I was able to attach the word guilt to a sinking, constricting feeling in my stomach.

This allowed me to become more aware of when I was feeling guilt in waking life. I didn’t realize it, but it was almost all the time. When I brought curiosity to those moments of guilt and understood there was probably a deeper feeling underneath, I began to feel fear, and eventually, desire.

In the past, being late to meet someone was my worst nightmare. The idea that someone might be agitated by something I did was excruciating.

I realized that all of this pressure I put on myself to please others was really driven by the deeper fear I had of truly being myself, regardless of what others thought of me. Once I was able to feel this fear, the guilt did not have as strong of a hold.

When I let myself feel how scary it would be to not be concerned with what others thought of me, I also began to feel how much I wanted this for myself. I’ve learned that feelings of desire, excitement, and exhilaration are often intertwined with feelings of fear.

Perhaps it sounds counterintuitive, but it is that same combination of feelings that prompts us to ride life-threatening rollercoasters or write soul-bearing love letters to the ones who have stolen our hearts.

We fear what we desire because we know how vulnerable we’d be if we actually got it. But until we let ourselves access the fear, we don’t have the opportunity to be courageous.

Now when I feel guilt come up I don’t get stuck there for hours but am instead able to access my fear much more quickly. I can let the fear run through my body and let it take the time it needs to transform into feelings of excitement or desire.

Through letting myself feel these things, it’s become much easier for me to decide what I want to do. Instead of making decisions based on what I think others may or may not like, I’m able to choose the things that scare me, and thus exhilarate me.

This is just a single example of a myriad of surface feelings I have learned to relate to deeper feelings within me. While I am very far from living out these lessons all the time, just knowing what these deeper states feel like has made a tremendous difference in my life.

I wake up everyday with curiosity as to what aspects of my felt experienced could be revealed next, and gratitude at the amazing journey that is exploring my inner self.

And it can all start with a simple exploration—what does it truly feel like to be you, in your body, in this place, right now?

It’s tough to innovate when you don’t know what your customers want.

The challenge is, customers don’t usually know what they want until they see it.

If you just ask customers what they want, this leads to incremental innovation. Incremental innovation is a series of small improvements to your existing product to make it better, faster, or cheaper.

But radical innovation is when you create something completely new, or solve a problem in a completely different way. And this takes exploring the art of the possible, and not getting stuck in the trap of limiting experiences.

In the book, The Four Lenses of Innovation: A Power Tool for Creative Thinking, Rowan Gibson reminds us how listening to your customers is necessary but insufficient if you want to create disruptive or radical innovation.

Customers Don’t Know What They Want Until You Show It to Them

People don’t always know what they want. But they know it when they see it. That’s what makes innovation so tough.

“However, innovating from the customer backward doesn’t just mean ‘listening to the voice of the customer.’ Of course it can be helpful to conduct market research, get customers to fill in a questionnaire, or run focus-group sessions. But merely asking customers what they want or need doesn’t always yield the most inspiring or unique customer insights. Why not? In an interview with Business Week in May 1998, Steve Jobs remarked: ‘It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.’”

We are Prisoners of Our Own Experience

If you want to innovate, you have to break out of the box. The problem is that our experience puts us back in the box.

“As we learned earlier in this book, all of us have a set of established patterns in our minds that give us a preconceived and very narrow understanding about what a particular product or service is, what it is meant to do, how exactly it does it, what it is supposed to look like, where its limitations are, and so on. Most people find it extremely difficult to see outside of these patterns and imagine how things could or should be different. The great American journalist Edward R. Murrow once said, ‘Everyone is a prisoner of his own experience.’ Management consultant Mohanbir Sawhney echoes these words when he writes, ‘to gain customer insights, we must understand that we are prisoners of what we know and what we believe.’”

Do You Want a Faster Horse or Something Completely Different?

We don’t want faster horses. We want something to solve our problem in a completely different way.

“We have probably all heard the famous quote attributed to Henry Ford: ‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’ Actually, research reveals no evidence that Ford ever uttered or wrote these words, but although this adage may be apocryphal it nonetheless makes a good point., and if Ford had asked such a question he probably would have received a very similar answer. That’s because people tend to respond this way when asked about what they want or what they need. They can quite easily tell you why they like or don’t like some existing thing, but they can rarely imagine or articulate a radically different solution. So customers usually say things like, ‘Make it faster,’ ‘Make it cheaper,’ or ‘Make it easier to buy or use,’ rather than, ‘What I want is something that solves my problem in a completely different way.’”

We Know What We Want, When We See It

The problem is we don’t know what that completely different way is, until we see it.

“Nobody, for example, told Apple they wanted a translucent desktop computer, a cool MP3 player, an online music store, a revolutionary smart phone, an App Store, or a tablet computer, but once Steve Jobs showed us these amazing things we realized we definitely wanted them–and needed them. Likewise, nobody was begging Google for a digital mapping service that would enable us to instantly find any spot on the planet, and then fly down to an address virtually and view it from the street. “

We Don’t Know What’s Possible

What do you want that doesn’t exist? It’s hard to imagine. But once it exists, it makes perfect sense. And that’s the challenge of radical or disruptive innovation.

“Did you know you needed TiVo, Netflix, or YouTube? Do you remember wishing somebody would invent Amazon.com, eBay, or PayPal? Were you dying for a social media platform like Facebook or for Spotify’s streaming music service, , or for Pandora’s personalized Internet radio? When did you tell yourself you needed a mobile phone for connecting with taxis, private cars, and rideshare services like (Uber)? Or a home thermostat that learns your behaviors (Nest)? Or a cool set of DJ headphones for listening to your iPod (Beats by Dre)? All of these innovations were design to address needs that most of us are not even aware of, which is why we were not articulating them. Or they gave us solutions we could never have imagined because we didn’t even know they were possible.”

If you want to improve something you’ve already got, ask people what they want.

If you want to change the game, don’t just ask people what they want–explore the art of the possible.

Innovate with your customers, but don’t wait for them to tell you what to do.

Apple CarPlay is quickly becoming a necessity for iPhone users. Car manufacturers know this as more and more makers have been adopting the feature, and offering the CarPlay functionality in their car’s display units as standard. If you have CarPlay enabled in your car and use the feature all the time, then we have got a useful tip that will allow you to take CarPlay screenshots.

Just like iPhone or any other Apple device for that matter, you can also take screenshot of what’s on your CarPlay screen. Once you have taken a CarPlay screenshot you can share it with others through your iPhone. The CarPlay screenshot feature can be super useful when you want to show someone what’s on your screen, be it your favorite playlist or a third-party application such as Google Maps.

Taking a CarPlay Screenshot

Taking a screenshot of CarPlay screen is super simple.

• To take CarPlay screenshot all you have to do is unlock your iPhone and take a screenshot on your iPhone by pressing the lock and volume up buttons simultaneously.
• On older iPhone you can press the lock button and home button together in order to take a screenshot.
• You can take screenshots on both the home screen and CarPlay applications.

When you take a screenshot on your iPhone, iOS checks if you are connected to CarPlay. When you are, it takes and saves two screenshots of what’s on your iPhone and what’s on your CarPlay screen at the same time. You can then delete the iPhone screenshot if you like by going to Photos app, while the CarPlay screenshot will also be found inside the Photos app.

So this is how you can quickly take CarPlay screenshots. Also, if you already had random screenshots saved in your photos library, now you know where those CarPlay screenshots came from.

As modern technology continues to advance, we have access to more and more at our fingertips. You’ll rarely find a person without their smartphone on them. With that said, the technology in our vehicles is advancing just as quickly. Automotive manufacturers such as General Motors have taken note of the craze of smartphones and have developed hands- free technological features in their vehicles accordingly. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were released in 2016 models by selected manufacturers. Now more than 200 vehicles are equipped with Apple CarPlay.

Apple CarPlay is a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in your vehicle. The main focus of CarPlay is to promote safe driving. When your iPhone is plugged in, you don’t have regular access to your phone. The only features you have available to you are the ones you see on your vehicle’s built-in display. You are able to have access but also focus on the road ahead.

The following features include maps, messages, phone, music/podcasts/ audiobooks. You can ask for directions, make phone calls, send and receive messages via Siri or listen to your own music.

CarPlay is extremely simple to set up and even easier to use. However, your vehicle must be compatible with Apple CarPlay. Click here to check if your vehicle is compatible.

How to Setup Apple CarPlay:

1. Plug in your iPhone via power cord to USB port in vehicle.
2. If your Apple CarPlay Home Screen doesn’t appear, select the CarPlay logo on your vehicle’s built-in display when connected.
3. When you select this option, the built-in screen should appear in comparison to a home screen of an iPhone with the same icons.
4. If you wish to have voice command available, Siri must be activated to do so.

Below we have a video demonstrating how to set up Apple CarPlay on a 2017 Buick LaCrosse.

There you have it! It’s as easy at that. Everything right at your fingertips with safety in mind.

Benj Edwards
Benj Edwards
Associate Editor

Benj Edwards is an Associate Editor for How-To Geek. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast. Read more.

Apple

If you use Apple CarPlay with your iPhone, you might be wondering how to change the order of the icons on your car’s infotainment screen. The solution is buried in the Settings app—we’ll walk you through how to set it up.

At this writing, you can only customize CarPlay on your iPhone, not the touch screen in your car. This is to prevent you from having an accident because you’re messing with the touch screen. Also, you can only customize CarPlay after you link your iPhone to a vehicle that supports it.

To get started, tap the Gear icon on your iPhone to open “Settings.”

Scroll down and tap “General.”

On the next screen, tap the vehicle for which you want to configure the CarPlay display. Each vehicle listed can support its own configuration of icons. If the vehicle you want isn’t on the list (and it’s compatible with CarPlay), you’ll need to link your iPhone to it first.

Tap “Customize” in the settings for your vehicle’s make.

Next, you’ll see a long list of CarPlay-compatible apps on your iPhone. Here, you can tap and hold any app to drag it and rearrange the order. The apps on the CarPlay display in your vehicle will reflect the order in which they appear in this list.

For example, let’s say you arrange the apps as shown in the image below on your iPhone.

The CarPlay display in your vehicle would then look similar to the arrangement shown in the image below. Of course, the appearance will vary based on the screen’s size and resolution.

If you want to remove an app icon from the CarPlay display, tap the red minus sign (-) next to it in the list on your iPhone. The app will move to the area at the bottom under “More Apps.” Apps that don’t have a red minus sign can’t be removed from the CarPlay screen.

To add an app from the “More Apps” section to the CarPlay display area, tap the green plus sign (+) next to it in the list on your iPhone.

If you ever mix everything up and want to reset the arrangement of the app icons to their default state, just tap “Reset” in the upper-right corner.

When you’re done configuring, you can exit “Settings,” and your chosen icon arrangement will be set. If your iPhone is linked to your vehicle, you should see the results instantly.

Otherwise, just link your vehicle to CarPlay, and you’ll then see the new arrangement the next time you use it. Drive safely!

• › How to Show Your Work Hours and Location in Google Calendar
• › You Can Finally Move WhatsApp Chats From iPhone to Android
• › How to Print Double-Sided on Windows 11
• › Samsung Galaxy Phones Are Getting Grammarly Installed by Default
• › How to Enable Cookies in Google Chrome

Benj Edwards
Benj Edwards is an Associate Editor for How-To Geek. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast.
Read Full Bio »

Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator.

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• Apple CarPlay
• Android Auto
• Navigation

Apple CarPlay isn’t so much an app as it is an interface you use to access certain features of your iPhone through your car’s infotainment system. It’s easy to customize CarPlay with apps and rearrange the apps on the CarPlay screen using an iPhone with iOS 14 or iOS 13.

What Comes With CarPlay?

CarPlay is controllable by Siri voice commands. Siri makes phone calls, reads your text messages, sends your dictated replies, and adds events to your calendar. CarPlay is also designed to work with each car’s available knobs, buttons, and touchscreen, and it includes an app for your car that takes you back to the home screen with a tap.

The CarPlay dashboard comes equipped with the iPhone, Music, Maps, Messages, and Calendar apps, and it supports additional apps you can opt to use with CarPlay.

One of the best parts of CarPlay is the opportunity to customize it.

Apps Compatible With CarPlay

Apple makes it easy to install apps: Select them on your iPhone, and they appear on your CarPlay screen. If you use more than eight apps, you can swipe to the next screen just as you do on your iPhone. Among the apps available for CarPlay are:

• Music Apps: You aren’t limited to Apple Music. CarPlay supports alternatives such as Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music. You can listen to your music no matter where it is located. You can also stream music from Radio Disney.
• Radio Apps: Sirius XM Radio, CBS Radio News, iHeartRadio, and Pandora allow you to listen to actual radio stations or create your own custom radio stations. Have a favorite local station? Check to see if it has an app. Many radio stations are moving into the App Store.
• PodCast Apps: If you are addicted to podcasts, you aren’t limited to the Apple Podcasts app. Some of the podcast player apps available are Overcast, Downcast, Pocket Casts, and Stitcher.
• News Apps: There are a few great apps for getting your news fix on your daily commute. NPR One is designed with the commuter in mind. The Stitcher podcast player does double duty as it stitches together news from several publishers, and the MLB app is a must-have for baseball fans.
• Audiobooks: In addition to audiobooks available through iBooks, you can also install the Audible or Audiobooks app.
• Messaging apps: Whether you prefer the Apple Messages app or WhatsApp Messenger, CarPlay has you covered.
• Navigation: In addition to Apple Maps, you can use Waze, Google Maps, or Sygic.

How to Customize the CarPlay Screen

You customize the CarPlay screen on the iPhone. It's easy to add and remove apps, and you can do it any time on your iPhone—even when you don't have CarPlay active. Here's how:

Tap General.

Tap CarPlay.

Select your car for settings specific to it.

Tap Customize.

Use the plus sign (+) or minus sign (–) to add or remove apps.

Tap and drag apps to change the order they appear on the CarPlay screen.

The next time your iPhone connects with CarPlay in your car, the changes transfer.

Hidden CarPlay Tricks and Secrets

Using CarPlay is straightforward. Turning it on is as easy as connecting your iPhone with your car, and the interface is similar to your smartphone. Here are a few hidden secrets buried in CarPlay you may not have run across.

Create a Radio Station

Create a radio station when you want to hear more music similar to the song you are listening to. Tap the button with the three dots in the Now Playing screen, and you can create a radio station from the current song.

Find Your Car

Find Your Car works with CarPlay. A setting for Maps allows your iPhone to remember where you parked your car. It works through GPS, so if you are in a parking garage, it might not register, but it can be a fantastic time (and feet) saver in a big parking lot. Turn it on by going to the iPhone Settings app, choosing Maps from the menu, and tapping next to Show Parked Location.

Avoid a Ticket

This feature can be easy to miss, but when you have the turn-by-turn directions turned on, the speed limit of your current location displays on the screen. It doesn't work with every street, but it encompasses most highways.

You’ve been hearing about this Apple CarPlay lately and wondering what it’s all about. Does it cost anything? Do you need to buy and install a radio or receiver to make it work? What new vehicles include it, and is it worth it? Can older vehicles still use CarPlay? We’ll break it all down.

Photo: Amee Reehal

Apple CarPlay is free and comes preinstalled in new vehicles. It integrates with the vehicle’s onboard system and accessible via the controls, usually a touch screen you find front and centre in the dash where you can view all the apps (more on that below).

Working with your iPhone (non-Mac users can use Android Auto), your phone becomes a part of the vehicle, offering a safer way to use your device.

Main Features

Once the iPhone is connected, and while driving, users have access to all the vitals like maps for directions, making calls by accessing the contact list, listen to music stored on the device, and send and receive messages.

The phone becomes a part of the car, and Siri is available onboard as well usually at the touch of a button, like on the steering wheel (depending on the vehicle layout).

So it’s both convenient but also a safer option so drivers can focus on the road — not fiddling with their phones.

What New Cars Come Equipped with CarPlay?

We test new cars professionally here at TractionLife.com. I remember the first automaker to introduce both CarPlay and Android Auto was GM (In North America, anyway). In particular, I recall the 2015 Chevy Colorado Diesel has being one of the first vehicles to offer it, as per GM’s press conference.

But today, with each new car release, we’re seeing nearly all new vehicles including both services. And those that haven’t, often tell us it’s coming in the next model year.

So it’s both convenient but also a safer option so drivers can focus on the road — not fiddling with their phones.

As we see it, CarPlay isn’t a premium product like the old days of paying $3500 and upwards for the “navigation package” with the touchscreen — both Apple and Google’s product will become the norm; simply, something we just need in our lives (like our phones).

Automakers understand this, hence, why majority of carmakers aren’t wasting time offering it. Nor charging extra to include it.

Once the iPhone is connected, and while driving, users have access to all the vitals like maps for directions, making calls by accessing the contact list, listen to music stored on the device, and send and receive messages. Photo: Pixelbay

Aftermarket Head Unit: Installing CarPlay on Older Vehicles

By older vehicles, we simply mean vehicles not equipped with Apple CarPlay – so, no, your 2016 BMW is not an old car (and if you own a bimmer, here’s our Apple CarPlay for BMW owners article).

Fortunately, you don’t need to be shopping for a new car to take advantage of CarPlay, but it’s going to cost you both money and time for the conversion. There are plenty of great aftermarket head units available hovering around the $400 range, going up to $1000 and beyond.

Apps: What Can You Use?

In addition to the common ones like Music and Maps, CarPlay supports others popular apps – from messaging to sports to whatever you’re into; all icons rearrangeable by accessing Settings on your phone. Here are 6 apps to check out if you’re planning a road trip.

A bonus: automakers realized if you can’t beat them, join them so the apps they’ve developed are supported in CarPlay, so there’s less need to toggle between the iPhone and vehicle’s interface. So, no need to use the car’s map and navigation system (and wasting 30-minutes inputting a street address) when Apple Maps is right there.

Honestly, that’s enough reason to connect your phone and save both time and headache.

Just some of the Apple CarPlay apps ready for action.

Using Waze with Apple CarPlay

Waze is a third-party app but worth special attention here because it’s become a popular inquiry with Apple fans using CarPlay. Formerly called FreeMap Israel, Waze Mobile was acquired by Google in 2013.

As the world’s largest community-based traffic navigation app that works on smartphones and tablet computers that have GPS support , many CarPlay users are looking to use the Waze app and functionality opposed to using the iPhone.

This past Fall, it was officially announced Waze updated its support of iOS and CarPlay , so users can access things like maps and such via Waze instead of the iPhone version. So there you have it.

While We’re At It, What is Android Auto?

CarPlay or Auto, new car buyers often get both as a bundle. Photo: Amee Reehal

Google’s OS can’t be left out. Android Auto is essentially the same as CarPlay but for Android users. So you’ll almost always hear both in the same breath, as automakers roll out both systems together.

Hence, new car buyers don’t choose which system they’d like; they simply get both which is great for resale and if you misplace your iPhone and your buddy busts out his new glossy Samsung Galaxy S (or whatever Android phone is cool trending these days) you’re still in business.

To learn more, DigitalTrends did a good piece on Android Auto here.

Or, check out our own piece on What is Android Auto here.

Finally, Is Apple CarPlay Worth It?

Short answer? Absolutely. Why wouldn’t it be, when you’ve got an iPhone already and simply need to connect it. And for whatever reason, if you’re not a fan, you can simply use your vehicle’s system, the old fashioned way.

Overall, both CarPlay and Android Auto offer a safer option for drivers, allowing them to keep their eyes on the road.

Add to that, it’s convenient to have access to all your apps integrated into the vehicle, especially when needing directions. Gone are the days of expensive navigation packages with lackluster features with often crappy onboard interfaces which to this day are remain lackluster.

The CarPlay (and Auto) interfaces aren’t spectacular, but maybe that’s the point: they just work. And look similar to your phone.

Plus, it’s free. No need for extra receivers or data plans. Just don’t forget your phone for the ride (we know that will never happen), sync it up and you’re good to go.

В Настройках в CarPlay можно изменить обои, включить режим фокусирования «За рулем», изменить внешний вид экрана CarPlay, включить или выключить предложения в приборной панели CarPlay, а также показать или скрыть обложку альбома.

Использование фокусирования «За рулем» с CarPlay

Фокусирование «За рулем» помогает не отвлекаться от дороги. Когда iPhone подключен к CarPlay и фокусирование «За рулем» включено, уведомления и текстовые сообщения ограничиваются или доставляются беззвучно.

Откройте приложение «Настройки» CarPlay, используя встроенные элементы управления автомобиля.

Примечание. Если на дисплее показана приборная панель CarPlay и в списке недавних приложений слева нет приложения «Настройки», коснитесь кнопки для просмотра страниц со всеми приложениями CarPlay, включая Настройки.

Откройте фокусирование «За рулем», затем выберите «Активация с CarPlay».

Если Вы получаете уведомление фокусирования «За рулем», когда Вы не за рулем (например, когда Вы на месте пассажира), Вы можете выключить это фокусирование: коснитесь уведомления, затем коснитесь «Я не за рулем».

Выбор оформления CarPlay

По умолчанию в большинстве автомобилей для CarPlay установлена темное оформление. Если Вы хотите, чтобы система CarPlay автоматически переключалась между темным и светлым оформлением, выполните описанные ниже действия.

Откройте приложение «Настройки» CarPlay, используя встроенные элементы управления автомобиля.

Выберите «Всегда темное».

Темное оформление оптимизировано для использования устройств в условиях низкой освещенности, например ночью.

Изменение обоев в CarPlay

Откройте «Настройки» в CarPlay, используя встроенные элементы управления автомобиля, выберите «Обои», затем выберите один из доступных вариантов.

Показ и скрытие предложений на приборной панели CarPlay

Откройте приложение «Настройки» CarPlay, используя встроенные элементы управления автомобиля, а затем включите или выключите предложения в CarPlay.

Показ или скрытие обложки альбома

Откройте приложение «Настройки» CarPlay, используя встроенные элементы управления автомобиля, а затем включите или выключите параметр «Показывать обложку альбома».

If you use Apple CarPlay with your iPhone, you might be wondering how to change the order of the icons on your car’s infotainment screen. The solution is buried in the Settings app—we’ll walk you through how to set it up.

At this writing, you can only customize CarPlay on your iPhone, not the touch screen in your car. This is to prevent you from having an accident because you’re messing with the touch screen. Also, you can only customize CarPlay after you link your iPhone to a vehicle that supports it.

To get started, tap the Gear icon on your iPhone to open “Settings.”

Scroll down and tap “General.”

On the next screen, tap the vehicle for which you want to configure the CarPlay display. Each vehicle listed can support its own configuration of icons. If the vehicle you want isn’t on the list (and it’s compatible with CarPlay), you’ll need to link your iPhone to it first.

Tap “Customize” in the settings for your vehicle’s make.

Next, you’ll see a long list of CarPlay-compatible apps on your iPhone. Here, you can tap and hold any app to drag it and rearrange the order. The apps on the CarPlay display in your vehicle will reflect the order in which they appear in this list.

For example, let’s say you arrange the apps as shown in the image below on your iPhone.

The CarPlay display in your vehicle would then look similar to the arrangement shown in the image below. Of course, the appearance will vary based on the screen’s size and resolution.

If you want to remove an app icon from the CarPlay display, tap the red minus sign (-) next to it in the list on your iPhone. The app will move to the area at the bottom under “More Apps.” Apps that don’t have a red minus sign can’t be removed from the CarPlay screen.

To add an app from the “More Apps” section to the CarPlay display area, tap the green plus sign (+) next to it in the list on your iPhone.

If you ever mix everything up and want to reset the arrangement of the app icons to their default state, just tap “Reset” in the upper-right corner.

When you’re done configuring, you can exit “Settings,” and your chosen icon arrangement will be set. If your iPhone is linked to your vehicle, you should see the results instantly.

Otherwise, just link your vehicle to CarPlay, and you’ll then see the new arrangement the next time you use it. Drive safely!

Justin Duino
Justin Duino
Managing Editor

Justin Duino is the Managing Editor at How-To Geek. He has spent the last decade writing about Android, smartphones, and other mobile technology. In addition to his written work, he has also been a regular guest commentator on CBS News and BBC World News and Radio to discuss current events in the technology industry. Read more.

Justin Duino

When it comes to CarPlay, Apple doesn’t let you modify much of the in-car infotainment system’s appearance. Thankfully, as long as you’re running iOS 14 or higher on your iPhone, you can change the CarPlay wallpaper. Here’s how.

Start by plugging your iPhone into your vehicle that includes CarPlay using a USB to Lightning cable (unless your car or truck supports wireless connections). Once CarPlay launches on your infotainment display, tap the App Grid button found in the bottom-left corner. This step is only necessary if viewing the overview screen or an open app.

Next, select the “Settings” app. You might have to swipe between home screens to locate the application.

From the Settings menu, tap the “Wallpaper” option.

You will now be presented with several wallpapers, which change in appearance when CarPlay is in dark or light mode. Choose one of the available wallpapers to see a live preview on your head unit.

Select the “Set” button if you like the wallpaper’s appearance. If not, tap the “Cancel” button and choose a different wallpaper.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, you can’t use your own photo as a wallpaper in CarPlay. But don’t worry, changing the wallpaper on CarPlay won’t alter your iPhone’s background.

• › How to Show Your Work Hours and Location in Google Calendar
• › You Can Finally Move WhatsApp Chats From iPhone to Android
• › How to Print Double-Sided on Windows 11
• › Samsung Galaxy Phones Are Getting Grammarly Installed by Default
• › How to Enable Cookies in Google Chrome

Justin Duino
Justin Duino is the Managing Editor at How-To Geek. He has spent the last decade writing about Android, smartphones, and other mobile technology. In addition to his written work, he has also been a regular guest commentator on CBS News and BBC World News and Radio to discuss current events in the technology industry.
Read Full Bio »

The CarPlay dashboard comes equipped with the iPhone, Music, Maps, Messages, and Calendar apps, and it supports additional apps you can opt to use with CarPlay. These apps give you a full range of features that go hand-in-hand with driving or—better yet—with hands-free with driving.

How to Customize the CarPlay Screen

You customize the CarPlay screen on the iPhone. It’s easy to add and remove apps, and you can do it any time on your iPhone—even when you don’t have CarPlay active. Here’s how:

Open the iPhone Settings app.

Tap General.

Tap CarPlay.

Select your car for settings specific to it.

Tap Customize.

Use the plus sign (+) or minus sign (–) to add or remove apps.

Tap and drag apps to change the order they appear on the CarPlay screen.

The next time your iPhone connects with CarPlay in your car, the changes transfer.

Hide or show suggestions in CarPlay Dashboard

Open Settings in CarPlay using your vehicle’s built-in controls, then turn Suggestions in CarPlay off or on.

Hide or show album art

Open Settings in CarPlay using your vehicle’s built-in controls, then turn Show Album Art off or on.

Note: You will need a Carplay module for this which you can find HERE

4. See what’s playing

With the Now Playing app, you can view full details on whatever audio is playing. If you currently have an audio app open, tap the audio graph icon (upper right corner) to access Now Playing. Alternatively, you can open the app from the home screen.

5. Create a radio station

Ever play a song and wish you could create a station that played nothing but similar tunes? Now you can. Any time you are listening to a song from Apple Music, you can create a radio station.

While in the Now Playing screen, click the three-dot menu to create your station.

6. Find your car

Never waste time wandering a parking lot in search of your car again. With its Show Parked Location feature, Apple CarPlay makes it easier to locate your vehicle.

To enable the feature, go into Settings and select Maps. Turn on Show Parked Location. Tap or click to learn how you never have to lose your car in a parking lot again with this clever trick.

7. Set up Do Not Disturb While Driving

Distracted driving is a huge no-no. To help you maintain focus on the road, CarPlay has an option that will prevent notifications from popping up. You can turn on the Do Not Disturb While Driving feature via the built-in controls on your console.

Go into Settings. Click Do Not Disturb While Driving and enable Activate with CarPlay. Once enabled, the feature will send an automatic reply to anyone who texts you.

8. View your calendar

Have a flurry of appointments scheduled for the day? Apple CarPlay makes it easy to keep up with your calendar. The operating system provides a multiview option that can display any upcoming engagements from your calendar.

A quick tap on an entry and you can view more information. You also have the option to initiate a phone call for your appointment if a number is attached to the event.

9. No link

With the iOS 13 update, your console no longer mirrors whatever app is open on your iPhone. Now, your passenger can open any app and it won’t affect what’s displayed on your dashboard. Tap or click to reveal nine essential iOS 13 tips and tricks you need to know.

10. Customize the screen

It’s easy to customize the screen icons in Apple CarPlay. You can hide or rearrange both default and third-party apps from the home screen. For this feature, you will need your iPhone.

Open Settings, tap General and select CarPlay. Next, tap the desired vehicle. The screen you observe is the same as is displayed on the car’s console. Press down on icons to move or hide them.

First, we should know what mindfulness is then we will learn about its benefits and disadvantages.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the way of living. A mindful person is aware of his/her thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. A mindful person is aware of his actions and he knows what he is doing what are his plans and also his emotions. He never gets over-emotional or hyperactive remains still in every situation.In our day-to-day life we face so many obstacles, heartbreaks, pressure and we are completely attached to problems and we don’t get the solutions to our problems on time and it gives us more stress. In today’s world technology helps us in many ways but cannot give us calmness, relaxation, and a stress-free environment. We need to take some time out of our busy schedule for getting connected with us which will help us to become aware and mindful.

How we can practice mindfulness?

For practicing mindfulness we need to learn meditation. As we all know for a healthy body we need to exercise the same way for keeping our mind healthy we need to meditate. Meditation helps our mind to calm and stress-free with meditation we are connected with our mind, body, and soul. Meditation provides deep clarity, pure thoughts, and makes us a more positive person. It’s a process of self-help and it helps us to become better people.

How to do mindfulness meditation?

1. At start do it for 5 – 10 minutes.

2. Increase the time as per your convenience.

3. Now select a place, switch off your cell phone sit comfortably on the floor, or on the chair.

4. Sit in the proper posture. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and focus on breathing.

5. Feel your breathing. Examine your own thoughts.

6. Don’t resist your thoughts just stay still and let them come and go. Don’t respond.

7. You should be consistent while doing it. In this way you are creating a new habit which will help you a lot in the future.

Benefits of Mindfulness

1. You will feel positive and your thinking process will change.

2. You will become more aware and you will become more understanding.

3. You will be kind to others and to yourself.

4. Your perspective towards life will change and people will notice it.

5. You memory and concentration will get better and you will notice this change in one week.

6. Your communication with other people will also get better and you will become confident.

7. Your skin will glow and become more radiant.

8. Your stress level will get reduce and you will feel more lighter and happier

9. You will feel more productive and become more creative.10. It will improve your mental, physical health also it will help you to manage your relationships.

Disadvantages of Mindfulness

1. As you become more aware of yourself you will become more independent and will least interested in other people’s interests.

2. Mindfulness makes people less creative.

3. With mindfulness comes anxiety and people start to feel disconnected from the world.

4. Mindfulness will make you lose connection with reality.

5. As a person starts to control their mind it will make them feel superior to others.

As we all know every coin has two sides. The same way mindfulness comes with some negative side effects but if a person can manage the negative effects then it will be the best option to live a stress-free life and become a self-aware, healthy, and productive person.

Becoming more aware of where you are and what you’re doing, without becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you.

• By Mindful Staff
• December 12, 2018

Mindfulness is a natural quality that we all have. It’s available to us in every moment if we take the time to appreciate it. When we practice mindfulness, we’re practicing the art of creating space for ourselves—space to think, space to breathe, space between ourselves and our reactions.

When we practice mindfulness, we’re practicing the art of creating space for ourselves—space to think, space to breathe, space between ourselves and our reactions.

1. You don’t need to buy anything. You can practice anywhere, there’s no need to go out and buy a special cushion or bench—all you need is to devote a little time and space to accessing your mindfulness skills every day.
2. There’s no way to quiet your mind. That’s not the goal here. There’s no bliss state or otherworldly communion. All you’re trying to do is pay attention to the present moment, without judgment. Sounds easy, right?
3. Your mind will wander. As you practice paying attention to what’s going on in your body and mind at the present moment, you’ll find that many thoughts arise. Your mind might drift to something that happened yesterday, meander to your to-do list—your mind will try to be anywhere but where you are. But the wandering mind isn’t something to fear, it’s part of human nature and it provides the magic moment for the essential piece of mindfulness practice—the piece that researchers believe leads tohealthier, more agile brains: the moment when you recognize that your mind has wandered. Because if you can notice that your mind has wandered, then you can consciously bring it back to the present moment. The more you do this, the more likely you are to be able to do it again and again. And that beats walking around on autopilot any day (ie: getting to your destination without remembering the drive, finding yourself with your hand in the bottom of a chip bag you only meant to snack a little from, etc.).
4. Your judgy brain will try to take over. The second part of the puzzle is the “without judgment” part. We’re all guilty of listening to the critic in our heads a little more than we should. (That critic has saved us from disaster quite a few times.) But, when we practice investigating our judgments and diffusing them, we can learn to choose how we look at things and react to them. When you practice mindfulness, try not to judge yourself for whatever thoughts pop up. Notice judgments arise, make a mental note of them (some people label them “thinking”), and let them pass, recognizing the sensations they might leave in your body, and letting those pass as well.
5. It’s all about returning your attention again and again to the present moment. It seems like our minds are wired to get carried away in thought. That’s why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the breath. We use the sensation of the breath as an anchor to the present moment. And every time we return to the breath, we reinforce our ability to do it again. Call it a bicep curl for your brain.

While mindfulness might seem simple, it’s not necessarily all that easy. The real work is to make time every day to just keep doing it. Here’s a short practice to get you started:

1. Take a seat. Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.
2. Set a time limit. If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as 5 or 10 minutes.
3. Notice your body. You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, in lotus posture, you can kneel—all are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.
4. Feel your breath. Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes out and as it goes in.
5. Notice when your mind has wandered. Inevitably, your attention will leave the sensations of the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing this—in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes—simply return your attention to the breath.
6. Be kind to your wandering mind. Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the content of the thoughts you find yourself lost in. Just come back.

That’s it! That’s the practice. You go away, you come back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible.

Read More

Mindfulness: How to Do It

Mindfulness meditation practice couldn’t be simpler: take a good seat, pay attention to the breath, and when your attention wanders, return. Read More

• Mindful Staff
• October 18, 2019

A 6-Minute Breathing Meditation To Cultivate Mindfulness

Reduce stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, cool yourself down when your temper flares, and sharpen your concentration skills. Read More

What if there was something that could give you a stronger, healthier brain, lower your stress, help protect you against anxiety and depression, give you a better sleep, and improve your mood – all without any side effects except a happier, healthier, calmer version of you? What if science could back it up its restorative, protective, healing powers with countless research studies? And what if this remarkable, restorative gem was in your hands right now, without any need for you to stand in queues, rely on the internet behaving itself, or demand that you swap your cash for a handful of magic beans.

Because it’s here. Well, technically, it never left, we did. It’s mindfulness. Far from being a gimmick or a fad, mindfulness is getting plenty of love and attention from all of the right corners, as in the ones in universities and research rooms.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings and sensations. The idea is to allow thoughts, feelings and sensations to come and go, without judgement or the need to do anything with them.

It involves a gentle acceptance of whatever comes into your awareness in the moment. It’s not so much about reaching an end goal, but about exploring your experience and expanding your awareness of your own inner world – the things that drive you, motivate you, get in your way, trip you up, keep you stuck. The more you practice mindfulness, the more you will come to understand how your thoughts, feelings or sensations influence each other, as well as your mood and the way you respond to the world.

What else can it do, aside from turning up the feelgoods, coz, you know, I can get that from bakeries.

Research has shown that mindfulness can change the physiology of the body and brain in ways that strengthen, heal and protect. There are so many benefits that stream from mindfulness, all proven through research. Here are some of them:

Lowers stress.
Mindfulness lowers the physiological markers of stress and improves the brain’s ability to manage stress. Mindfulness does this by increasing the connectivity in the area of the brain that is important to attention and executive control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex).

There are plenty of ways to practice mindfulness. Here are 13 of them.

Mindfulness can be tricky at first. Our minds are used to wandering, and we will often be tempted to fix on a thought or a feeling, judge it as good or bad, or work hard to analyse or change it. Sometimes this will be useful, but we also need to be able to sit with our experience and be fully in the moment, without being dragged away by thoughts or feelings that might do damage if they hold on for too long. The truth is, the only place we can fully be is here and now. Of course, it is important to plan for the future or reflect on the past, but it’s about balance.

If you haven’t practised mindfulness before, try to replace any judgement you might have about whether or not you’re doing it properly, with acknowledgement that you are doing the very best you can in the moment. What’s important is that you are doing it. The rest will come with practice. The more you practice mindfulness, the easier it will become to stay present and focus your attention on where you want it, rather than on wherever your mind might take you.

Remember also that mindfulness is dose-related. The more you do it, the more you will benefit from it. The most important thing is to start, and to work towards a regular practice of at least twenty minutes each day. If twenty minutes is difficult to find, and sometimes it can be, try for two ten minute sessions. Here are some different ways to practice mindfulness:

This will make you ‘app-y’. (Oh yes, you’re right, that was bad.)

There are quite a few apps around that contain guided mindfulness sessions. Smiling Mind is a free one, developed by psychologists and health professionals and driven by research. Find out more about it, or download it here.

What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is becoming more aware of where you are and what you’re doing, without becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you. Mindfulness can help you find calm in the moment, appreciate yourself and the world around you, and help you react to stressful situations in more thoughtful, healthy ways.

Mindfulness is a natural quality that we all have. It’s available to us in every moment if we take the time to appreciate it. When we practice mindfulness, we’re practicing the art of creating space for ourselves: space to think, space to breathe, and space between ourselves and our reactions.

Some things to consider before practicing mindfulness:

You don’t need to buy anything. You can practice anywhere, there’s no need to go out and buy a special cushion or bench — all you need is to devote a little time and space to practicing your mindfulness skills everyday.

The more you do this, the more likely you are to be able to do it again and again. And that beats walking around on autopilot any day (like getting to your destination without remembering the drive, or finding yourself with your hand in the bottom of a chip bag you only meant to snack a little from).

When you practice mindfulness, try not to judge yourself for whatever thoughts pop up. Notice if judgments arise, make a mental note of them, and let them pass, recognizing the physical sensations they might leave in your body, and letting those pass as well.

While mindfulness might seem simple, it’s not necessarily all that easy. The real work is to make time every day to just keep doing it. Here’s a short practice to get you started:

How to practice Mindfulness

Take a seat. Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.

That’s it! That’s the practice. You go away, you come back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible.

Reviewed by Kaiser Permanente Clinical Ambassadors, including Mark Dreskin, MD, Sharon Smith, LPC, and/or David Kane, LCSW. September 2018.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.

Not all treatments or services described are covered benefits for Kaiser Permanente members or offered as services by Kaiser Permanente. For a list of covered benefits, please refer to your Evidence of Coverage, Summary Plan Description or other coverage documents. For recommended treatments, please consult with your health care provider.

This article was co-authored by Peggy Rios, PhD. Dr. Peggy Rios is a Counseling Psychologist based in Florida. With over 24 years of experience, Dr. Rios works with people struggling with psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression. She specializes in medical psychology, weaving together behavioral health programs informed by empowerment theory and trauma treatment. Dr. Rios uses integrated, evidence-based models to provide support and therapy for people with life-altering medical conditions. She holds an MS and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Rios is a licensed psychologist in the state of Florida.

There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 15 testimonials and 100% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 303,578 times.

Practicing mindfulness is about controlling the way you think about the world. You must learn to live in the present moment and how to focus your attention on only the matters you choose to focus on. Mindfulness involves observing the world around you without judgement. Experiencing emotion is not counter to the effective practice of mindfulness, in fact it is an important part of it. Learning to let those emotions go, however, is just as important.

At the end of the semester, it can be difficult to keep the stress of final assignments, projects, and exams at bay. However, it’s important to take a pause so these feelings don’t overwhelm you. Practicing mindfulness is one way you can lower your stress to finish strong. Not sure how to practice mindfulness? No worries, we’ve got you covered!

There are many different ways to practice mindfulness, but one of the most common and accessible is meditation. The great thing about meditation is that you don’t need any special equipment, just yourself and a short bit of time. There are also many different ways to meditate.

1. The most common includes finding a comfortable position, straightening out your spine, resting your hands and feet, relaxing your face, focusing on your breath, and allowing your mind to wander before bringing it back to the present.
2. For those who have difficulty letting their thoughts wander and want to target them somewhere, another method of meditation includes conducting a body scan. In a body scan, you follow the same first four steps mentioned previously, but instead of focusing on your breath, you focus on each part of your body from head to toe, acknowledging any sensations you feel.
3. And for those who aren’t a fan of sitting still, a third method of meditation includes taking a walk or pacing back and forth. As you walk, focus on the sensations, movements, and balance you feel in your body. And if your mind wanders, acknowledge and allow it to, and then bring your thoughts back to the movement of walking.

If you’re not one for mediation, don’t worry! There are many other ways to practice mindfulness, such as:

• Taking time before bed to wind down without looking at a screen
• Allowing yourself to become absorbed in a good book, song, or podcast
• Journaling or free writing
• Preparing and eating a meal without any distractions, noticing all smells, sounds, and tastes
• Taking a walk
• Doing one thing at a time as opposed to multitasking
• Ignoring your phone notifications for an hour

Whatever method you choose, remember that there is no right or wrong when it comes to practicing mindfulness. Simply choose a method that works for you and practice it as often as you’d like, whether that be daily, weekly, or just when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Provides information on mindfulness, how to practice it and how it can help with mental health problems.

What exercises can I try today?

Mindfulness exercises to try

Here are a few exercises you could try. You don’t need any special equipment:

• Mindful eating. This involves paying attention to the taste, sight and textures of what you eat. For example, when drinking a cup of tea or coffee you could focus on how hot and liquid it feels on your tongue, how sweet it tastes or watch the steam that it gives off.

• Mindful moving, walking or running. Notice the feeling of your body moving. You might notice the breeze against your skin, the feeling of your feet or hands against different textures on the ground or nearby surfaces, and the different smells that are around you.

• Body scan. This is where you move your attention slowly through different parts of the body, starting from the top of your head moving all the way down to the end of your toes. You could focus on feelings of warmth, tension, tingling or relaxation of different parts of your body.

• Mindful colouring and drawing. Focus on the colours and the sensation of your pencil against the paper, rather than trying to draw something in particular. You could use a mindfulness colouring book or download mindfulness colouring images.

• Mindful meditation. This involves sitting quietly and focusing on your breathing, your thoughts, sensations in your body and the things you can hear around you. Try to bring you focus back to the present if your mind starts to wander. Many people also find that yoga helps them to concentrate on their breathing and focus on the present moment. See our page on types of alternative and complementary therapy for more information meditation and yoga.

Different things work for different people, so if you don’t find one exercise useful, try another. You can also try adapting them so that they suit you and are easier to fit in with your daily life.

There’s an easy way and a hard way to practice mindfulness.

Posted September 30, 2015

THE BASICS

• What Is Mindfulness?
• Find a mindfulness-based therapist

Mindfulness is a paradox. It’s the easiest thing in the world and the hardest thing in the world. Let me explain.

Look at your right hand. See the shades of color in your skin? Notice the lines on your palm and the lines that separate the segments of your fingers? Easy to see, right? You just brought mindfulness to your right hand in this moment.

Now, consider the task of facing your deepest grief and sorrow. Or reflect on how it might be for you to bring your attention to extreme physical pain, hour after hour. Much more difficult to bring your curious and open mindfulness to deep and real suffering, isn’t it?

But, you can cultivate your mindfulness. Here are 5 tips to find success with your mindfulness practice, whether you are new to mindfulness or someone who has been experiencing some hiccups in your practice.

Tip #1: Start with the easy stuff.

In order to boost your motivation and self-efficacy, build your mindfulness “muscle” by more closely sensing the natural warmth in your chest, the coolness of one sip of water, and the weight of your left foot when you take a step. At your next meal, pay attention to the flavors of not only your first few bites (the easiest parts of a meal to be mindful of) but several bites later.

Tip #2: Don’t meditate for 1 hour a day.

The traditional meditation lore has sometimes implored people to commit to 45 minutes to 1 hour of mindful sitting per day. This is wonderful for those who have high self-regulation and prudence, but as these are the least common character strengths around the globe, many people are excluded. There are now a large number of studies that show people benefit from brief mindfulness practices. And, neuroscience is revealing that brief meditation practice can cause important changes in our brains.

In terms of time, there is no magic number. Instead, start with what you are willing to do to establish a routine — perhaps 5 minutes a day? Carve out the time, no matter how little, by linking it with something that will help you remember to do it — with a meal, as you get out of bed each morning, or before you start your car. Be consistent.

Tip #3: Practice ANY type of mindfulness you wish.

Go where your motivation is highest. I once created a regular mindfulness practice out of watching one of my sons play in the sandbox. Every day after he came home from school, we would go outside. He would sit in the sandbox and play and I would sit in a chair, alongside of him, quietly following my breathing and giving him undivided mindful attention. Actually, playing in a sandbox has been shown to be very hypnotic and absorbing in itself so perhaps my son was meditating while I was mindfully meditating as well!

The point here is don’t feel your practice MUST be a sitting meditation. Remember that the word “mindful” is an adverb that can describe any action you are taking. What are you most motivated to make a regular habit? Mindful walking each morning? Mindful eating of a snack in the evening? Or, mindful breathing outside as you overlook your backyard? Follow your motivation. But, do make note that there is a big difference between “going for a walk” and “mindful walking.”

THE BASICS

• What Is Mindfulness?
• Find a mindfulness-based therapist

Tip #4: Forgive yourself, repeatedly.

There’s a lot to be said about being compassionate and forgiving with yourself, especially when it comes to building in a new self-care practice like mindfulness. And, researchers in self-compassion have been having a field-day around the many benefits that come from self-compassion. Here’s the gist of it applied here:

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8 Resources to Help You Teach Mindfulness to Children

Children naturally move through the world with high degrees of curiosity and openness, two fundamental principles of mindfulness. As mindfulness teachers working

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7 Resources to Help You Find Your Voice As A Mindfulness Meditation Teacher

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10 Resources for How to Teach Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness

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20 Mindful Questions to Ask Yourself

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8 Sleep Meditations for a Good Night’s Rest

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Embrace Change and Strengthen Gratitude with 7 Meditations on Impermanence

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How to Recognize Spiritual Bypassing (Plus Three Steps to Prevent It)

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How to Explore the Gifts of Winter with Mindfulness Mindfulness during the winter season is fundamentally no different than mindfulness during any

These days as we are all learning to adapt to a new normal of staying indoors, I’ve been personally finding it difficult to focus on what is going right with the world instead of what is going wrong. I find myself sometimes getting sucked into hours of scrolling through my social media feed to read the latest news (which is mostly all terrible) or to feel more connected to friends and family. With all the unknowns of what the future holds, it’s easy to get stuck in negative feedback loops which ultimately breed stress in the body. And right now stress is the last thing we need if we want to boost our immune systems and keep a healthy mental state.

So in this blog post, I want to talk about how to train your brain through mindfulness practices to stay focused on the positive, lower stress, and keep yourself mentally healthy during this uncertain time we’re going through.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the ability to stay in the present moment and to focus your thoughts on what is happening in the here and now. It’s our ability to not think about the past or the future but to instead observe what is happening in the moment.

Why Should We Practice Mindfulness?

There have been many prominent teachers like Deepak Chopra or Eckhart Tolle and others who teach us about the power of mindfulness and why it’s so important to incorporate it into our daily practice. It has many proven benefits from reducing anxiety , depression and chronic pain to improving sleep and reducing stress . Mindfulness also helps us in achieving our goals such as weight-loss or starting a new project. And from a leadership perspective, mindfulness can help us stay centered in order to more effectively manage people or deal with external challenges. All in all, mindfulness is an important practice for us to cultivate to lead happy and meaningful lives.

But it’s not something that comes naturally for us especially with the many distractions that take our attention and focus elsewhere. Most of us are now addicted to our technology and have less ability to focus our attention for a long period of time. We constantly check our news feed, email or texts and are bombarded with information overload. The day goes by without us even checking in with ourselves, let alone spending time practicing mindfulness, which ironically ends up making us feel disconnected and unhappy. And when we do slow down we tend to feel guilty for doing so, like there’s some kind of rule that tells us we need to be busy in every given moment to be productive and make the most of each minute.

The result of this is we become much more susceptible to bad news, misinformation and anxiety which drag us down both mentally and physically. We end up being uncomfortable with just being with ourselves, we lose our connection to something bigger or to our inner power. We lose our ability to create our future consciously through focusing on what’s working for us right now.

Cultivating Mindfulness in our Daily Lives

Since breaking our addiction to technology is a much bigger task (and a topic for another blog), we need to build practices in our daily lives to bring ourselves back to what really matters. Although nothing beats a good mindfulness meditation it can sometimes be difficult to squeeze in a 20-30 minute meditation in our busy lives. Instead, we can build micro-practices throughout the day to focus our attention.

The news of abandoned or abused animals is no longer new. Despite being a common occurrence, many are on board in saving these poor creatures and giving them a safe home. The good news is that several people feel empathy for these animals. Some groups advocate for animal rights. Some of them are kind enough to start campaigns like selling an animal hat to fund conservation efforts. Others even travel to far-flung areas to save endangered animals and their habitat. Showing kindness to these animals need not be as grand as traveling to Rwanda to help save the mountain gorillas. In your simple way, you can show kindness to these creatures. Here are some ways to step up and get involved to save abused animals.

Start (or participate) in a fundraiser

Coordinate with your local animal rescue centers and shelters. Inquire if they need assistance with their upcoming fundraiser. If you cannot personally attend the fundraiser, share the news by posting it on social media. Help send out flyers and other promotional materials for the event.

If there are no organizations or fundraisers yet in your locality, you can start one. Ask your friends or relatives to join the fundraiser to help save abused animals. Social media can be a great tool to encourage other people to join. Several groups can provide support to your fundraisers, such as animal welfare advocates and environmentalists.

Aside from that, show support to animal activist groups by purchasing their products such as the animal hat from Covered. This will help add to their funds in raising awareness and saving threatened animals.

Lend a hand at a local farm animal sanctuary

Volunteer at some centers dedicated to rehabilitating and saving abandoned and abused farm animals like turkeys, ducks, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, cows, and horses. There are many ways to help these animal sanctuaries. You can also donate money for their general expenses or also give food, brushes, blankets, and other things they need to take care of these animals.

Adopt and bring home a pet from the shelter

Some unwanted pets are sent to animal shelters or left abandoned on the streets. If you are ready to be a carer of these animals, you can adopt one from your local animal shelter. These pets were left by their previous owners to fend for themselves. By adopting one, you can save these animals from loneliness or from being euthanized.

Report animal abuse and neglect

If you witness any animal abuse, immediately report it to a humane organization, local animal control, or local law enforcement. If an animal is in danger, inform the authorities so they can prioritize your report. Do not act on your own. Wait for the authorities to take care of the animal in a professional way.

There are many ways you can stand up for animals and their rights. If you have the heart for these little creatures, it is easy to come up with ways to save and help them.

At the mere mention of Sarah McLachlan and ASPCA, animal lovers everywhere get teary-eyed, weepy with emotion. Now, with that in mind, think how abused and abandoned animals must feel: terrified, hurt, alone, unloved, like there is no hope. Regardless of the varying levels of intensity of such feelings in these animals, they are all in need of caring humans like you. The good news is that there are ways you can help to take away or alleviate these sad and fearful feelings. Are you on board?

From starting an online fundraiser for shelter animals to taking in a homeless pet for a time, there is always a way for you to contribute. So get your thinking cap on and get your research started with these six ways to get involved in helping abused or abandoned animals:

1. Participate in (or start) a fundraiser

Check with local animal shelters and rescues to see if they need any assistance with upcoming fundraisers. If you cannot physically be there to participate in a fundraiser, spread the word by way of social media, email, flyers, or informing the local media. Do you or your child want to start an individual fundraiser to help abused or abandoned animals? There are websites specifically set-up as free fundraising pages for animals like PetCaring.com which lets you create an online fundraising platform to raise money for the animal care organization you choose to support.

2. Volunteer at a farm animal sanctuary

Organizations dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused and abandoned farm animals such as horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, and turkeys are almost always in need of several different forms of help: donate money for general expenses, give blankets and brushes, donate food and treats, volunteer to be a caretaker, volunteer to assist fundraising events, or sponsor a specific farm animal. Help farm animal sanctuaries spread the word of kindness and compassion!

3. Adopt a shelter pet

Unwanted pets are dropped off at animal shelters or abandoned on the streets to fend for themselves every day. If you’re ready for a new addition to your family, pets like these can really use your love. You will be saving an animal from a lifetime of loneliness and even from the possibility of being euthanized. Check out 10 Things You Need to Know Before Adopting Any Pet for important questions you should ask yourself first.

4. Foster abandoned animals

If you are not able or ready to adopt a pet, or you simply prefer to provide temporary housing for homeless animals, then consider fostering abused and abandoned pets that are living in your local animal shelters. Rescue organizations are also in need of foster pet parents. Doing so allows extra time for a pet to find a forever home, will help with socialization, and provides much-needed love. Maybe you have specialized training in an area of animal care that a foster animal can benefit from while living with you.

5. Care for feral cats

These cats were once someone’s pets before being abandoned or they’re the offspring of feral cat parents. To help, construct a homemade shelter and leave food and water out at a scheduled time daily in a location out of the way of the public and neighbor’s yards. Another way to get involved in helping feral cats is to become a Trap-Neuter-Return volunteer and caretaker. TNR improved the lives of these cats through population control and vaccinations against diseases. Read more about Trap-Neuter-Return here.

6. Report animal neglect and abuse

As a witness to animal abuse, report it to your local law enforcement, local animal control, or humane organization. If you truly believe an animal is in immediate danger, make this very clear to the officer so your report is made a priority. Whatever you do, do not take matters into your own hands. This can be a hard thing to do when an animal is in obvious distress, but you may end up putting yourself in a dangerous situation while trespassing.

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At the very thought of an animal getting abused, animal lovers get teary-eyed. If you have a pet, then you know the type of connection you have. Just think of the amount of money you have spent on your animals buying them high-quality food, toys, and top-notch medical treatment. However, some people lack that affectionate bond with them. As a matter of fact, some have even gone so far as to abuse animals. I’ve always wondered what to do if I see an animal being abused so decided to browse online for information. I found six things to do right now to help.

Hold a fundraiser.

That’s right! Fundraising is one of the most effective ways to help abused animals and you’ll have no problem networking with people. You can visit an animal shelter to get a list of upcoming fundraising campaigns in your area. If this seems like too much work, then simply skim the internet to find dedicated websites which have compiled a list of events in your area. You can even create your own campaign by utilizing self-serve sites like percaring.com which allow you to create an online fundraiser and collect money from those who resonate with your objective.

Volunteer at an animal sanctuary.

You can show your support by volunteering at a farm animal sanctuary near you. They are dedicated to rescuing abused farm animals like cows, pigs, horses, goats, chickens, and sheep. If you don’t have time in your busy schedule to volunteer, then donate some money for expenses like blankets, food, brushes, and additional caretakers. Do a search in Google to find some animal sanctuaries near you who can use extra money or volunteers.

Adopt a pet from a shelter.

Some people either drop their pets off at shelters or leave them on the streets to fend for themselves. Usually street animals don’t survive very long. They and shelter animals can use a safe home. If you are serious about helping an animal, then visit a pet shelter to explore your options. Local shelters will have dogs and cats which you can pick up, but make sure you know what to expect when you adopt an animal. Take some time and conduct research online making sure you are ready for the job. When you adopt, you’ll have complete control of the pet including all legal responsibility. If you are not ready for a long-term commitment, then consider the option of fostering an animal.

Foster abandoned animals.

When you foster, you are providing a temporary home to the pet while the shelter still has legal responsibility of the animal. They’ll even check in and pay visits to ensure that everything is going smoothly. Many times people who are not completely sure about how the animal will fit in will foster before they adopt. If things get too tough you can send the animal back to the shelter so that they can find another solution.

Report animal abuse.

Over the years, many agencies have established themselves to handle animal abuse. These agencies are branches of law enforcement and have the power to arrest and charge those committing abuse. If you see animal abuse taking place, report the person so you can put a stop to it. If you don’t then it will likely continue and become even more serious. Take action and put a stop to animal abuse by contacting your local authority.

Plan ahead by assigning a guardian for your pets.

One way to protect your own animals from abuse is to have a guardian in place in case something happens to you. For example, if you own a cat there are many protection plans available for them such as the cat guardians plan. With this plan, your cat will be safe in the event of your untimely death, and Cat’s Protection will bring the cat to one of their branches or adoption centers until they can find them a loving new home.

When there is no protection or no one assigned to take care of your pets they may end up fending for themselves on the streets or in a shelter where there is a likelihood of them being euthanized due to over-crowded conditions.

Guest post: If you love animals, the thought of someone abusing or abandoning their pet might bring tears to your eyes. How could anyone do something like that to an innocent animal? At Emotional Pet Support, we know that pets play an incredibly important role in our health and wellbeing, offering loads of unconditional love and support every day. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to help neglected pets. Check out the resources below to learn more.

Launch Your Own Non-Profit

Non-profit companies can have a huge impact on the lives of pets across the country. Think about starting up one of your own.

• Determine what you want to do, like opening a rescue facility or pet food bank.
• Consider forming an LLC to shield yourself from potential lawsuits against your business.
• If you need funding, try launching a crowdfunding campaign.
• Hire non-profit staff to help you run your new company.

Support Rescue Groups

If you’re looking for ways to offer support for other non-profits, consider donating to a charity or volunteering at a local organization.

• Volunteer at an animal shelter during your spare time. old towels, unopened dog food, and cleaning supplies.
• Consider organizing a local fundraiser for a rescue group in your city.
• Donate to animal charities like Best Friends Animal Society.
• Help promote rescue groups on social media.

Adopt a Pet from a Shelter

Adopting a shelter pet is a great way to help an abandoned pet. Just make sure you prepare yourself for this big responsibility.

your home before bringing home your new pet.
• If you have pets already, prepare them for a smooth introduction.
• It’s not uncommon for shelter dogs to experience anxiety in a new home, so do what you can to create a calming space for your new pup.
• You can always foster an abandoned pet if you’re not ready to adopt your own animal.

Few things are more rewarding than helping innocent pets that have been hurt or abandoned. If you’re looking for ways to make a difference, consider starting a non-profit charity, supporting your local rescue groups, or adopting a pet yourself.

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Dealing with a “No Pet” Policy? Qualify Your Emotional Support Animal!

Animals provide comfort for so many psychological and emotional symptoms! Emotional Pet Support (EPS) can help provide information and assistance to avoid exclusion from housing and travel due to your disability. This means HOA’s, co-ops, landlords and property managers cannot discriminate against a person with an approved Emotional Support Animal with a qualified ESA letter. Landlords cannot prevent the person and their ESA from obtaining the housing that is needed—even in “No Pet” situations.

PSD Letter for Flying with a Psychiatric Service Dog

Psychiatric service dogs assist individuals that have mental health disabilities. PSDs are allowed to fly in the cabin of airplanes free of charge and have access rights to places open to the public. A PSD must be trained to perform tasks relating to a disability. PSDs perform an incredible variety of tasks including things like providing tactile stimulation to provide comfort during periods of crisis, reminding their handlers to take medication and interrupting harmful behaviors.

Are you interested in seeing if you qualify for a psychiatric service dog (PSD)? can connect you with a licensed healthcare professional that can evaluate whether you have a qualifying condition for a PSD and issue a PSD letter on signed letterhead.

10 Ways You Can Help Abused and Abandoned Animals

As animal lovers, we hate to believe that anyone would want to hurt an animal. But unfortunately animal cruelty is much more prevalent than it should be. Far too many animals fall victim to abuse and abandonment and no animal should have to endure cruelty and live in fear. All animals deserve to be loved and nurtured, and the good news is that there are ways you can help those poor pets that are mistreated.

Here are some ways you can try to make a difference in the lives of animals that are abused and abandoned. With just a bit of effort and care, we can help to care for those animals that others have left behind.

1. Foster

Fostering a dog or cat may be the ideal situation if you love animals but aren’t able to make the commitment to own one of your own. It allows the pet to be loved and cared for, in a nurturing environment, while arrangements are made to find them a forever home. Here’s some information to get you started if you think you’d like to foster a pet someday.

2. Adopt

There is an abundance of animals that are in need of a forever home. The sad reality is that if not adopted, some of these pets may go on to be euthanised. By adopting a pet you could be giving an animal a second chance at life. You’re opening your home to them, and in return you’ll be rewarded with unconditional level. A good place to start is to pay a visit to your local shelters.

3. Volunteer

There’s no shortage of volunteer options available. You can volunteer at the local shelter and either work with the animals, or help with administrative work in the office or at a farm animal sanctuary. When we think of abandoned pets, we often think of cats and dogs, however farm animals like ducks, goats, chickens, cows, and pigs also need rescue and rehabilitation sometimes!

4. Donate

If you love animals but simply have no time to volunteer, foster, or adopt a pet of your own, then donations to your local animal rescue are always appreciated. These can be used to buy food, supplies, and pay for vet bills amongst other things. Don’t think that money is the only option for a donation, either! Many places will accept used items like leashes, pet beds, and toys for instance. You could always also donate pet food. Here are some pet rescues, if you think making a donation is the right way for you to help out.

5. Hold a fundraiser

We often don’t think of hosting fundraisers as they can be a lot of work, and a lot of the time people don’t think that they’ll raise much money. In reality, however, any amount raised for abused and abandoned animals is beneficial. Even if just one animal is saved from your fundraising efforts, it’s considered a win. Keep it simple; hold a garage or bake sale, and donate the proceeds to a local rescue group or shelter.

6. Advocacy

Animals cannot speak for themselves, so it’s up to us humans to speak for them. You can start and sign petitions aimed at laws that protect chained animals or animals in puppy mills. Support organisations like Oscars Law and Voiceless that work tirelessly on behalf of animals around Australia. Laws can vary between municipalities, so educate yourself as to who represents the government where you live. If possible, speak at local government meetings and directly to policy makers so as to encourage strict anti-cruelty laws.

7. Raise awareness

While lobbying politicians, you can also write letters to the editor and start a social media campaign to bring awareness to the cause. The more people who support you, the more likely there can be lasting and effective change. You never know how many people are out there with the same beliefs as you who just don’t know how to start acting on them. Which takes us to our next point…

8. Lead by example

Love your pets and show that love to others. This means lots of hugs and kisses. Make sure you get your pet spayed or neutered so that you’re not adding to the population of abandoned animals. If your pet is sick, take it to a vet and don’t assume it will get better on its own. Be the change you want to see.

9. Report any misconduct

If you see an animal who has been mistreated or is in danger, report it as soon as possible. This is difficult for some people as it may mean reporting on a friend or neighbour, but it is necessary. Cruelty to animals is illegal, and letting it slide is dangerous.

10. Know signs of animal abuse

By knowing what signs to look out for, you can make a significant difference in the lives of abused animals. Here are some things that could indicate that animal abuse is present:

• An animal being chained outside for most of the day, especially with no shelter, food, or water;
• An animal looking emaciated from lack of food or water;
• Visible wounds or the appearance of being in poor condition;
• If there seems to be too many animals on one property, and that they are not receiving adequate care;
• An animal displaying abnormal behavior that suggests mistreatment;
• An owner displaying violence towards an animal, including during discipline;
• An animal appearing lost or abandoned.

If you identify one or more of these signs, you need to report the situation to the correct authorities. Familiarise yourself with the groups in your area that deal with abused animals. You can contact your local branch of a charity that prevents cruelty to animals, for a start. They can initiate an inspection, either with their own inspectors or through the police if necessary. If the animal is not properly cared for, the appropriate action will be taken. Make sure to note details when you notice suspicious behaviour, as it could prove vital to the investigations.

/All animals are beautiful creatures that deserve and demand our love and respect. We should all do whatever we can to make sure that they’re treated properly and humanely.

Rescued animals often come from difficult backgrounds of abuse, neglect, or both and, as a result, sometimes exhibit erratic behaviors in their new homes. These behaviors can come as a surprise to pet owners and can leave the animal’s adopted family feeling ill-equipped and unprepared.

Dr. Lori Teller, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that when trying to rehabilitate an animal that has been abused, finding the right regimen can feel like a game of blind go-fetch.

“Many pets are adopted with no information about their past history,” Teller said. “Some of these pets may not have been physically abused but may have been inappropriately socialized as puppies or kittens. Others may have suffered from neglect, isolation, or physical abuse.”

In many cases, an animal’s behavioral problems can lead to excessive punishment in their new homes, which leads to a worsening of those behaviors and can create a vicious cycle.

“Some of these inappropriate behaviors may include inappropriate elimination (having accidents in the house or not using the litter box); inappropriate vocalizing (howling, crying, or non-stop barking); destruction of property; attacking or biting people, whether known or unknown to the pet; hiding when others are around; or shaking and trembling when approached by people,” Teller said.

Canine PTSD has yet to become an official term; however, research from Tufts University’s Cummings Behavior Clinic shows that dogs and humans have similar chemical and behavioral responses to trauma. Researchers have also found that dogs abandoned after the 2011 Japanese earthquake had higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, than abandoned dogs that had not lived through a similar kind of trauma.

“No one can correct past abuse, so we need to focus on ways to alleviate the animal’s anxiety or fear and find ways to help the pet enjoy life,” Teller said. “The long-term effects of abuse are not as well studied in animals, nor is there a way to know if an animal is suffering from traumatic brain injury. It can take a long time for a pet to recover from the effects of abuse, so patience and persistence are key.”

While animals that have been previously abused may be more of a challenge to care for because of problematic behaviors and increased anxiety, there are steps pet owners can take to ensure a happier and healthier pet.

“The most important thing that an owner can do is consult with their veterinarian about how to best help the new pet. The veterinarian can help customize an appropriate plan to manage the pet’s return to a happier quality of life,” Teller explained.

“One thing to consider is to take it slow while the animal gets used to people (and other pets) in the household. This may mean sitting in the same room without talking to or approaching the pet, although you could toss out some treats at strategic times,” she said. “Other things include providing proper nutrition and fresh water on a regular schedule; communicating in a confidently quiet voice; providing a safe place to relax; taking the dog on brief outings, such as a ride in the car or for a short walk in a quiet area; and providing environmental enrichment without overwhelming the pet.”

In addition, pharmacology-based treatments for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders for pets have become increasingly popular.

“Supplements or medications may be warranted to help alleviate anxiety or fear and to make it easier for the pet to learn new behaviors and build confidence,” Teller said. “A veterinarian can determine which supplements or medications would be best for each individual case. It will be important for a management plan to be in place, in addition to administering supplements or medications.”

Although it is impossible to rewrite a pet’s past, owners can improve the narrative of their four-legged friends by being understanding, consistent, and compassionate. With the right steps, it is very possible to create a much happier and brighter future for our pets.

Every state has laws prohibiting animal cruelty and all of them contain felony provisions. However, a law is only as good as its enforcement and that’s why animals rely on you to protect them by reporting animal abuse.

Defining cruelty

Most reported animal cruelty comes in the form of neglect, with direct violence occurring less. Often times, it can be difficult to gauge whether or not you’ve witnessed animal cruelty—the following examples may help you categorize suspected cruelty you do see.

Neglect

Neglect, or a failure to provide basic needs for an animal, makes up the vast majority of cruelty cases that animal control officers respond to. Neglect often includes hoarding, lack of shelter or veterinary care, tethering and abandonment, as well as other forms of abuse.

Direct abuse

It can be very upsetting to see someone beating or physically attacking an animal, but it’s important not to turn away. It’s crucial to involve law enforcement quickly, as violence toward animals is often part of a larger pattern of violence that can include people as well.

Reporting abuse

If you witness suspected cruelty to animals, call your local animal control agency as soon as possible or dial 9-1-1 if you’re unfamiliar with local organizations. If you make a report of alleged animal cruelty, the responding agency is required to investigate.

If your area lacks the proper animal welfare agency and your local authorities are not equipped to deal with animal cruelty cases, you can also contact us.

Be sure to document the case as well as you can with dates, times, specific details and, if possible, footage and photographs from a cell phone. All of these things can help appropriate agencies during any investigation they may do of the suspected cruelty.

Hoarding

Hoarding behavior often victimizes animals. Sufferers of a hoarding disorder may impose severe neglect on animals by housing far more than they are able to adequately take care of. Contact your local animal control agency if you find out about animal hoarding. Some animal hoarding situations can be more difficult than others to solve.

Lack of veterinary care

Untreated wounds are a red flag that demand immediate attention; emaciation, scabs and hair loss can also be a sign of untreated diseases. If you can, alert the owner to the animal’s condition and alert local authorities of suspected neglect as soon as possible.

Inadequate shelter

In extreme heat or cold, temperatures can be deadly. It can seem daunting or unnecessary to report neglect for inadequate sheltering, but conditions can change quickly, causing suffering or even death of the animal. Contact a local animal control agency immediately if you see an animal in inadequate shelter and document the incident with a cell phone camera if possible.

Chained dogs

Dogs who are tethered continuously suffer tremendously, both from social isolation and exposure to predators and the elements.

Abandonment

A startling number of animals die every year when people move out of their residences and simply leave the animals behind. Sometimes an abandoned dog’s barking or cat’s howling can alert the neighbors, but it’s wise to keep an eye on a recently vacated home, especially if the former residents moved suddenly. Companion animals kept in cages or tanks are often overlooked upon a resident’s sudden passing and may suffer neglect as well. If you find or know of abandoned animals, contact your local animal control agency immediately.

Pets left in cars

Time is of the essence when reporting pets left in parked cars. Even if the outside temperature seems cool, these animals could be minutes away from death or irreversible organ damage. If you cannot locate the owner immediately, don’t be afraid to call local authorities, detailing your location and the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle the animal is inside.

Beating and physical abuse

If you witness direct physical violence to an animal, report the incident immediately to authorities. If you decide to intervene in any way, use your best judgement and do not become physically involved in the situation; remember, even well-intentioned actions could compromise the process of investigation into suspected abuse.

Animal fighting and organized cruelty

Organized cruelty, such as dogfighting, cockfighting and other bloodsports, is illegal in all 50 states and is linked to other criminal activities such as human violence, gambling and drug distribution. If you hear about or witness events like these, immediately report them to the local authorities and the HSUS.

These are just common examples of animal cruelty. Even if a case doesn’t fit neatly into these categories, take action if something feels off. In many cases, you may be the only chance an animal has at escaping cruelty or neglect.

We never know where disasters will strike or when animals may be in need of urgent rescue, but we know we must be ready. Your support makes this lifesaving work possible.

Our work

What role does the HSUS play in local animal abuse and neglect cases?

We’re fighting to:

• Promote public education.
• Advise local agencies and provide monetary grants to assist in specific local cases.
• Direct intervention and rescue in large-scale cruelty cases.
• Conduct regular investigations into institutionalized cruelty within agribusiness.
• Lobby to strengthen animal protection laws.
• Offer rewards for information leading to an animal cruelty or animal fighting conviction.

With each case the HSUS initiates, we assist not only in the rescue, handling and rehoming of animals, but also in the subsequent prosecution of each case.

Training for law enforcement

The HSUS also provides specialized training, assistance and resources to animal welfare agencies, law enforcement and prosecutors around the country on issues involving animal cruelty and animal fighting. We provide educational materials, online courses, operations guidelines and other expertise.

Sign up to receive our exclusive e-book full of training techniques, problem-solving and important information about caring for your pet.

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Ohio Animal Welfare Laws allow the Humane Society of Summit County to rescue only abused, abandoned, or neglected animals. Our Humane Officers are available from 7am to 7pm, Monday through Friday, except holidays. Please consult your local animal control agency regarding healthy stray animals and vicious animals. We are prohibited from handling wildlife.

Please contact your local police department if you find an abused, abandoned, or neglected animal when a HSSC Humane Officer is not available.

How to Help Abused, Abandoned, or Neglected Animals

Call the cruelty hotline at (330) 405-0620. Our Humane Officers are on the road throughout the day so, please leave a message and wait for a return phone call. An officer will be paged once you have left a message. The Humane Officer must speak with the reporting party before assistance can be provided. Leave your name, call back number, type of animal, and nature of the problem.

HSSC Investigation Process

The animal must be confined to the owner’s property – either chained, fenced, or in the residence for Humane Officers to investigate animal abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Physical abuse is an exception to confinement.

To file animal cruelty charges on physical abuse, our Humane Officers will need the assistance of the reporting party. Successful prosecution requires at least one witness to the abuse or a video. Humane Officers must also speak with the reporting party. Please do not email reports of animal abuse, abandonment, or neglect.

To investigate a report of animal abuse, abandonment, or neglect, our Humane Officers need the following information:

• The name and phone number of the reporting party.
• The address where the animal(s) is located.
• What the problem is and when it was noticed.
• If possible, the name of the owner of the animal(s) or of the person committing the act of cruelty.

In some cases, Humane Officers will work to educate the current owner on proper animal care and Ohio’s Animal Welfare Laws to improve the quality of life so the animal may remain in its home. If remediation is not successful, or if the animal requires immediate medical attention, our Humane Officers will often seize the animal, provide veterinary treatment, and file animal cruelty charges in one of the three municipal courts in Summit County.

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• October 8, 2021

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• September 1, 2021

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• August 25, 2021

What Each Major Religion Says About Animal Rights

• November 15, 2019

There’s Nothing “Humane” About Killing Pigs in Gas Chambers

• November 12, 2019

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Sentient Media.

Sentient Media is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, tax ID 83-0804345.

18 Bartol Street #1150, San Francisco, CA 94133

Join Our Newsletter

Three times a week, we’ll bring you round-ups, media digests, and stories about farmed animal lives in relation to Big Ag, culture, the environment, and justice.