Without looking, how many of the 10 Commandments can you name?

After you have had some time to come up with as many as you can, you can look at the full list here. How many did you get?

Now for question #2…how many of the ingredients can you name in the McDonald’s Big Mac hamburger?

Here’s the answer, did you get them all?

Did you know more Big Mac parts than Commandments? If so, you are not alone.

A survey by Kelton Research found that less than 60 percent of participants knew the commandment “thou shalt not kill,” but 80 percent could could name the Big Mac’s primary ingredient, two all-beef patties. 76 percent of respondents knew the popular burger has lettuce, 75 percent knew it has a sesame-seed bun, 66 percent special sauce, and 60 percent cheese, but just 45 percent could recall that God wants us to “honor thy father and mother.”

I am not really sure if this says more about American’s love for fast food or the power of a good jingle. Maybe people would remember the 10 commandments better if we somehow turned them into a song. Like this…

So what do you think? Does that help you remember the 10 commandments?

I watched that video twice before posting it today and I will say that it does have a toe-tapping tune. Only problem is that all I remember is the catchy way they counted to 10. Less than 20 percent of the song actually featured the actual commandments.

And I will have to check the Bible for confirmation, but I am questioning the accuracy of the song’s #8 “Don’t Steel.”

I don’t recall God having much of an issue with iron-carbon alloys.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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A similar thing happens in other aspects of our lives. In order to help, I will be offering 10 seconds of warning in a new segment called “Side Effects May Include…”.

When Smiling, Side Effects May Include…

– Chronic swelling of your date book.

– Mood balloons to the size of a rainbow.

– Reduction of unwanted stress.

– Unusual urge to sing Bruno Mars.

– Facial expressions becoming extremely contagious to others.

– Uncontrollable desire to “take on the world.”

– Plummeting of blood pressure.

– Strange tendency to become irresistible to others.

– Developing a Super Man-like immune system.

– Redness of face caused by embarrassment from all smiles you receive back.

– Unstoppable shrinkage of doubt.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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Questions We Asked –

Who Named The Days of The Week? – Fun fact: the week used to be 8 days long.

Where Did The Term Smack Dab Come From? – Learn about the term that dates all the way back to 1892.

Where Did The Custom of Getting on one Knee to Propose Marriage Come From? – It is a little hazy where the one-knee-proposal came from, but one thing seems to be clear…it has nothing to do with football.

Things We Learned –

What Has Made Jason Segel So Successful – We may never have heard of the actor if not for a little advice from Judd Apatow.

Why It Is So Hard To Take Your Own Advice – Here’s why we can identify other people’s problems, but at the same time be blinded by our own.

One Good Thing About Not Having Teeth – A real life example of a man whose glass is half full.

The Side Effects Of Comparing Ourselves To Others – Developing Muppet-its, chronic swelling of the ego & much more.

How To Make Something Less Scary – This is the cutest, strangest advice I’ve ever given.

Fun With Numbers –

5 Things We Can Learn From A TV Remote – We can learn quite a lot from an object that conveys power and is the source of many fights.

10 More Strange But True Facts – Did you know hippo milk is pink? Wait what…hippos produce milk?

$80 million Does Not Make Change Easier – Take it from this NBA star.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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Questions We Asked –

Why Do We Celebrate Independence Day With Fireworks? – This tradition is all thanks to one man.

Why Do Schools Have Summer Break? – Sorry farmers, it has little to do with you.

Why Do We Call Them the ‘Dog Days’ of Summer? – The answer is in the stars.

Where Did The Term “Nothing to Sneeze At” Come From? – It dates back to a time where there was a lot of sneezing going on.

Things We Learned –

One Way To Overcome An Obstacle – It seems simple, but it works.

One Reason Mark Cuban Has Been So Successful – It has to do with his ability to deal with the post above.

How 2 People Can Be Looking At The Same Thing But See Something Different – What do you see?

A New Term Called Unconscious Overclaiming – It explains why married couples can’t agree on who does more housework.

Why Setting Goals Might Not Be The Perfect Solution – Turns out there is a much better way to do things.

Fun With Numbers –

1 Guy Who Never Shows Up – I know him all too well.

5 Myths About Writer’s Block – There are lies we often associate with not being able to write.

5 Things We Can Learn From The Internet – BREAKING NEWS…we can learn a lot from the World Wide Web.

10 More Strange But True Facts – I can’t believe them either.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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2. NASA has a team that sniffs every piece of equipment that goes into space. This is to ensure that no items that could change the delicate balance of the climate of the International Space Station make it onto shuttles. Sounds like plot of Gravity 2. Starring George Cologney

3. Saint Nicholas, aka Santa Claus, is the patron saint of, pawnbrokers, thieves, sea travelers, and murderers. Wait, why do sea travelers get a saint?

4. Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, hated carrots. He was forced to chew them during recordings because no other vegetable could create the same crunching sound used in the cartoon. Seems like they could have had someone else chew the carrots to make the sound, but what do I know?

5. Mozart’s full name was Johann Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Thoephilus Mozart. Gesundheit!

6. Neither kilts, whiskey, bagpipes, or porridge was invented in Scotland. Apparently whatever country created that garbage was smart enough not to claim it.

7. Popsicles were originally called “epsicles” named after the tasty treat’s creator. I know what you are thinking but the creator was Frank Epperson, not Omar Epps.

8. Technically there are only 46 states in the United States. Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are all officially commonwealths. Sorry Puerto Rico.

9. You are more likely to be killed by an asteroid than by lightning. Yes, but no body will believe your family if that is how you die.

10. In 1945 a chicken named Mike had his head chopped off and went on to live for almost two years. He was fed and given water through an eye dropper. Sure…and I bet you are going to tell me he was killed by an asteroid.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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Questions We Asked –

Who Invented The 7th Inning Stretch? – The answer is much like a teenager caught in a lie, has many different stories.

Who Invented Punctuation? – See what punctuation was like in 840 BCE.

Who Do You Write Like? – Do you write like a famous author? Find out.

What is Brain Freeze? – Why do our brains hate ice cream??

Things We Learned –

One Simple Way To Increase Our Brainpower – It can be accomplished in two words.

What To Do Rather Than Say “I could do better than that” – One famous author learned this lesson thanks to his wife.

There Are A Lot Of People In This World Just Like Us – Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Full Proof Way To Avoid Hitting the Snooze Button – What do you value more: sleep or avoiding embarrassment?

Fun With Numbers –

5 Habit Traps To Avoid – See which arguments interfere with keeping a good habit.

5 Things To Do & 5 Things Not To Do – Do this, not that

6 Famous Quotes Reworked – See a modern twist on famous quotes.

7 Ways To Overcome The Fear Of ‘Putting Yourself Out There’ – Author Susan Cain helps us power through this disabling feeling.

8th Wonder Of The World – Learn about how the 7 Wonders of The World were chosen.

9-To-5 – Check out these very interesting results from a 2008 survey.

NBA Finals Breakdown –

This Feels One Sided #67 – See how accurate Bob & Matt were on their predictions.

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Do Not – Focus all your attention on chasing happiness

The science – The more value people place on happiness, the less happy they become.

Do – say “get to”

Do not – say “have to”

The science – Changing your attitude from from ‘forced’ to ‘able’ makes you more grateful. Gratitude brings out your best possible self.

Do – breathe

Do not – forget to breathe

The science –Breathing may just be the secret to a more productive mind.

Do – spend your money on trips

Do not – spend all your money on toys

The science – Spending money on experiences, instead of things, is more meaningful in the long run.

Do – share your positive experiences

Do not – keep your joy to yourself

The science – Talking about positive experiences leads to increased well-being and higher overall life satisfaction.

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Location is everything”

We all want a house near the beach, in the same neighborhood as the best schools, or close to friends & family.

But there is one location that is just as important, yet very hard to get to–there…as in “out there.”

Whether it is our dating life, our professional life, or our emotional life, we often hear about “putting ourselves out there.” “There” may not be on a map, but deep down we all know where it is. Its the conversation with the pretty woman at the party. Its the pitch meeting with potential investors. Its the difficult conversation with a loved one.

We know we have to put ourselves out there, but not often are we told how to do so.

Until now.

Author Susan Cain has put together a free eBook titled, The Power of Introverts, in which she covers many great topics including How To Overcome The Fear Of Putting Yourself Out There.

Here are Cain’s seven ideas to help us all power through this disabling feeling:

1. Know that you’re in good company.

We think we are alone in our fear of stepping out of our comfort zone. To quote Veggie Tales, we “couldn’t be more wronger.” Nearly everyone shares this fear. As Cain points out, Charles Darwin waited 34 years before he published his book that humans evolved from monkeys. Experts feel that this holdup was due to his fear that others would judge his heretical theory. Scholars call this “Darwin’s Delay.”

2. When it comes to social media, think self-expression, not self-promotion.

I like to blog but I hate to tweet. “Who am I to think that others care what I have to say,” is a common thought I have when contemplating a post to Twitter. Why do I think about that a 140 character tweet, but not a 500 word blog post. To me, tweeting feels like self-promotion but somehow I have convinced myself that blogging is self-expression. Cain points out that in order to put ourselves out there in social media we need to think in terms of self-expression and not self-promotion. We need to make social media feel more like a creative project and less like an exercise in self-disclosure.

3. Coffee will deliver you from self-doubt.

Since I am not a coffee drinker I will have to let Cain explain this one. She says, coffee “gets you excited about new ideas and helps you ignore the chorus of judgers inside your head. It propels your thinking and helps you make connections between seemingly unrelated things.”

4. Train yourself to associate idea generation with pleasure.

When we think of “putting ourselves out there” we think of an uncomfortable situation. The awkwardness of a first conversation or the sweat-causing feeling of sharing your ideas with a superior. Cain explains that one way she tricks herself into believing that sharing her ideas is a good thing is by working at a cozy café table and indulging in a chocolate muffin. This habit might not be the best for her diet, but it has a much more powerful benefit. It allows her to associate writing and idea generation with happy thoughts.

5. Work alone (or “alone together”— for example, sitting by yourself in a coffee shop or library).

I completely agree with this one. I do some of my best writing at the library. I see others reading or writing and I feel like part of a community. A community that won’t bother me. This allows me to drop my guard and focus on my work.

6. Work at night when your cortisol levels are lower.

Cain says that “Cortisol is a stress hormone, and it peaks in the morning and steadily dissipates through out the day. For some of us, these peaks and falls are especially pronounced. Indeed, creativity researchers believe that a relaxed brain, a brain that is not in the grip of anxiety or blocked by other psychological barriers, is a more creative brain.”

7. Strengthen your backbone and, therefore, your confidence in small steps.

If there was a waffling Olympics I would probably win Gold, or maybe Bronze, actually make that Silver…I just can’t decide. I struggle to take a firm stance on topics. I never realized it, but this plays into my inability to put myself out there. How can I express myself if I don’t know where I stand. Luckily, this is something that can be changed. Cain says the best way to strengthen our backbone is to “get in the habit of asking yourself where you stand on various questions. When you have firm opinions or a strong sense of right or wrong on a given question, savor the feeling. It doesn’t matter what kind of question — it can be how to organize the dishwasher.”

To read more & get your free copy of The Power of Introverts HERE.

Photo credit: Flickr

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1. Life is like a box of crocodiles, it doesn’t want to be put in a box.

2. It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never won at Fantasy Football.

3. A penny saved is just the beginning. Pretty much everything costs more than a penny.

4. With great Instagram filters comes great responsibility.

5. When the going gets tough, the tough ask for help.

6. You miss 100% of the vacations, you spend looking at your phone.

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Questions We Asked –

Who Named The Months? – It wasn’t Homer Simpson.

Can A Puppy Make Us A Better Noticer? – Learn the most adorable way to increase your luck.

How Did The Stop Sign Get Its Shape? – In the early years of the automobile, the streets were a chaotic place. Enter the stop sign.

What Are They Saying In The “Circle of Life”? – It sort of sounds like NAAA-SATAINYA-BADDABEACHYBADDA. But that can’t be right, can it?

Things We Learned –

The Real Reason Steph Curry Won The MVP – It is more than being an awesome shooter.

The Curse of Knowledge – Not everyone knows what we know. Ya know?

How to Find Your True Calling – Author Tom Morkes explains that it just takes a few simple steps.

Life is Tough – Get a helmet.

How to Respond to a Letdown – Do we experience a no and think no forever? Or do we experience a no and think no for now.

What David Letterman Taught Me About Blogging – I doubt Letterman ever blogs, but we can still learn from him.

Professions We Know A Lot Better Now –

Dentistry – The guys from This Feels One Sided break it all down and even talk a little bit about rap music along the way.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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