Idioma:

Be happier!

Hello everyone! Hoy queremos compartir un artículo muy interesante de Kathy Caprino, empresaria y coach, sobre la felicidad. En él relata cómo a través de uno de sus conocidos descubrió cinco maneras de ser más feliz y alcanzar el éxito deseado.

Este es un texto bastante difícil, de modo que está especialmente recomendado para estudiantes avanzados de inglés.

5 Easy Steps to Accessing More Happiness and Boosting Your Success

Kathy CaprinoKathy Caprino is the Founder/President of Ellia Communications, Inc., and internationally recognized women’s career and personal growth coach. And this is an article about how through one of her clients she came up or discovered five useful ways to finding more happiness and becoming more successful.

One of the things I love most about my work is that my fascinating, knowledgeable clients teach me things I’m excited to learn. Recently a client shared with me the riveting TED talk by the world’s leading positive psychology expert and bestselling author Shawn Achor on The Happy Secret to Better Work. Shawn is the winner of over a dozen distinguished teaching awards at Harvard University, where he delivered lectures on positive psychology in the most popular class at Harvard, and has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. His TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with over 4 million views, and he has a new lecture airing on PBS called “The Happiness Advantage.”

 

When my client told me about the talk, I questioned whether there would be anything new that I hadn’t already heard about happiness in my training as a therapist, but wow, was I wrong. Throughout it, I laughed out loud (Shawn’s a hoot!), but then stopped in my tracks and pondered hard on how my own level of happiness and joy are impacting my success.

I reached out to Shawn to learn more about how our brains in “positive” mode versus negative, neutral or stressed actually give us an enormous advantage in life and work, and how we can influence our minds to embrace more happiness through our daily actions. This Happiness Advantage as Shawn calls it can be the difference between leading a fulfilling, joyful and successful life and living far beneath our potential (see his book The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work for more).

Shawn explained that our society’s most commonly held formulas for success are broken. Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we’ll be happy. We think, “If I can just find that great job, or win that next promotion, lose those ten pounds, or (fill in the blank), then happiness will follow.”

But Shawn’s extensive research and other recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this formula is completely backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn’t just an empty mantra. This discovery has been borne out repeatedly by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the world. Shawn now spends his time teaching, advising and lecturing at top organizations on how we can — in five easy steps — reprogram our brains to become more positive in order to gain a competitive edge at work and create more success, happiness and reward in our lives.

I asked Shawn what I wanted to know about happiness and success. Here are his answers:

What specifically impacts our happiness and how can we shift it? 

The three greatest predictors of happiness are optimism (the belief your behaviour will eventually matter), social connection, and how we perceive stress (as a challenge or as a threat). If we want to raise happiness we need to make both mind-set and behaviour shifts.

What are the five key steps that we can take each day to increase our experience of happiness?

1) Bring gratitude to mind: Write down three NEW things that you are grateful for each day
2) Journal: about a positive experience you’ve had recently for two minutes once a day
3) Exercise: Engage in 15 minutes of mindful cardio activity
4) Meditate: Watch your breath go in and out for two minutes a day and
5) Engage in a random, conscious act of kindness: Write a two-minute positive email thanking a friend or colleague, or compliment someone you admire on social media

Do these steps for 21 days, and you will begin to see a lasting shift in your mind-set towards more positivity.


Source Link: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-caprino/5-easy-steps-to-accessing_b_4380490.html

 

AT, IN & ON to express location

Hoy publicamos la continuación del post de la semana pasada sobre las preposiciones AT, IN y ON para expresiones de tiempo. En la publicación de este lunes, veremos cómo se usan para expresar una ubicación.

Este tema es un poco más complejo que el anterior pero ten paciencia, ¡todo se aprende!

Tabla resumen del uso de preposiciones de ubicación en inglés

Aquí tienes otra tabla-resumen. A veces, la diferencia de uso entre algunas de las preposiciones no es muy clara. La mejor manera, pues, de aprenderla es practicar tanto como sea posible.

AT IN ON
When we think of a place as a point (including at home; at school; at work; at university) – We have to get off the bus at the next stop. – Turn left at the traffic Lights – Who is that man standing at the door? – Let’s meet at Jenna’s house – I’ll be at work until 5.30  When we think of a place as an area – When we were in Italy we spent a few days in Venice – There were some people swimming in the pool  To talk about a position in contact with an area – I sat on the beach – You’ll find details of TV programmes on page seven – Have you seen the notice on the notice board?
To talk about an event with a number of people – We went to a concert at the National Concert Hall – The meeting took place at the company’s head office in Frankfurt For cars and taxis – Laura arrived in a taxi – Come on; get in the car! With means of transport (apart from cars and taxis) – The bus was very full. There were too many people on it.
For addresses – The party is at 367 Wood Avenue Normally with class; hospital; prison; court (in class; in hospital…) – Anna’s mother is in hospital With coast; road to; the outskirts of; the edge of; border; the way to/from; etc. – We stopped to buy some things in a shop on the way home – The town where you live? Is it on the coast or inland?
At the top (of) I at the bottom (of) I at the end (of) – Write your name at the top of the page – Jane’s house is at the other end of the street With people or things that form lines (in a line; in a row; in a queue) – When I go to the cinema; I like to sit in the front row For technology – He’s been on the phone for hours – I found out about it on Facebook
For the world; the sky; the country; the countryside – There isn’t a cloud in the sky With left/right – In Britain we drive on the left / on the left-hand side
For enclosed spaces – There’s no-one in the room – What have you got in your hand? – All the rooms in the hotel have air Conditioning – There is a TV in the corner of the room (* but we say at/on the corner of a street) With premises; farm; floor; island – The hotel is on a small island in the middle of a lake – She lives and works on a farm – Our office is on the first floor
In a book / in a paper (= newspaper) / in a magazine / in a letter – Have you seen this picture in today’s paper? On a menu / on a map / on a list – Here’s a shopping list. Don’t buy anything that’s not on the list!
At the front / at the back of a building / theatre / group of people… – The garden is at the back of the house – Let’s sit at the front (of the cinema) In the front / in the back of a car – I was sitting in the back of the car when we crashed On the front / on the back of a letter / piece of paper… – I wrote the date on the back of the photo

Y ahora, toca practicar.

Ahora, es momento de practicar con estos ejercicios (las soluciones están a continuación).

  1. Look at those people swimming … the river
  2. There’s something wrong with the car. We’d better stop … the next petrol station.
  3. There’s nobody living … that island.
  4. There was an accident … the crossroads this morning.
  5. I like that picture hanging … the wall … the kitchen.
  6. We went to the theatre last We had seats … the front row.
  7. I don’t have your address. Could you write it … the back of this card?
  8. San Francisco is … the west coast of the United States.
  9. What is the tallest Building … the world?
  10. I couldn’t hear the She spoke quietly and I was sitting … the back of the class.
  11. … the end of the street, there is a path leading to the river.
  12. I don’t like cities. I’d much prefer to live … the country.
  13. We walked to the restaurant, but we went home … a taxi.
  14. The exhibition … the Museum of Modern Art finishes on
  15. My parents live … a small village about 50 miles from

 


Here are the answers

  1. In
  2. At
  3. On
  4. At
  5. On/in
  6. In
  7. On
  8. On
  9. In
  10. At
  11. At
  12. In
  13. In
  14. At
  15. In

Exercises from R. Murphy (2012): English Grammar in Use, 4th Ed, Cambridge University Press

AT, IN & ON in time expressions

Nuestros alumnos de las academias de inglés l’Ametlla del Vallès y La Garriga suelen tener dudas a la hora de utilizar las preposiciones AT, IN y ON, conocidas como «time expressions».

Por eso el post de hoy lo dedicamos a este tema: veremos el uso de estas preposiciones en inglés.

Tabla resumen del uso de preposiciones en inglés

Primero, echa un vistazo a esta tabla-resumen. Aquí encontrarás los usos de las preposiciones ilustrados con ejemplos.

AT IN ON
With points of time – The class starts at 9 o’clock – The exam will be at the end of the lesson – I woke up at midnight With periods of time – My parents got married in 1983 – Her birthday is in April – America was discovered in the 15th century With particular dates – He was born on July 14th – Christmas Day is on the 25th of December
With mealtimes – Why don’t we meet at lunchtime? With parts of the day – Children go to school in the morning With days and the word “weekday(s)” – The shop is closed on Tuesdays – If you want to avoid the crowds; it’s best to come on a weekday
With the word “night” (but not a particular night) – My sister prefers to study at night because it’s quieter To say the period of time before something happens – Arnold will be in Argentina in 6 days’ time – I’ll be there in a moment With parts of days – They always have a meeting on Monday morning – Why don’t we go to the cinema on Saturday night?
With the words “weekend(s)”; “Christmas” (as a period of time) & “Easter” – My wife works at the weekends – Children in my country don’t go to school at Christmas – They usually have a walking holiday at Easter To say how long something takes – She did the exercises in just three minutes! With types of days – My parents got married on a sunny day in 1983
With the expressions “at the moment/at present” & “at the same time” – I’m sorry but Mr Jones is busy at the moment – Our telephones rang at the same time!

Y ahora, toca practicar.

Aquí tienes unas cuantas frases que debes completar con la preposición correcta. Al final del ejercicio encontrarás las soluciones para que puedas corregirlas.

  1. Mozart was born in Salzburg … 1756.
  2. I’ve been invited to a wedding … 14 February.
  3. Electricity prices are going up … October.
  4. … weekends, we often go for long walks in the country.
  5. I haven’t seen Kate for a few days. I last saw her … Tuesday.
  6. Jonathan is 63. He’ll be retiring from his job … two years’ time.
  7. There are usually a lot of parties … New Year’s Eve.
  8. I don’t like driving … night.
  9. My car is being repaired at the garage. It will be ready … two hours.
  10. My phone and the doorbell rang … the same time.
  11. My brother is an engineer, but he doesn’t have a job … the moment.
  12. Mary and David always go out for dinner … their wedding anniversary.
  13. It was a short book and easy to read. I read it … a day.
  14. … Saturday night I went to bed … midnight.
  15. We travelled overnight and arrived … 5 o’clock … the morning.
  16. The course begins … 7 January and ends sometime … April.
  17. I might not be at home … Tuesday morning, but I’ll be there … the afternoon.

 


Here are the answers

  1. in
  2. on
  3. in
  4. at
  5. on
  6. in
  7. on
  8. at
  9. in
  10. at
  11. at
  12. on
  13. in
  14. on/at
  15. at/in
  16. on/in
  17. on/in

Exercises from R. Murphy (2012): English Grammar in Use, 4th Ed, Cambridge University

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