While dropping my kids off at school this morning, I heard them arguing about musical instruments. For 5 minutes I listened to “you will have to play the recorder in your grade!” followed up by “no I won’t!”

Dumb arguments aren’t confined to kids. I once sat in a 2 hour meeting where two people argued over which shade of green to pick for a sidebar on a webpage.

I think before entering into any argument we need to ask ourselves 3 questions:

1. What do I get if I win?
2. What do I lose if I lose?
3. What is the cost of this argument?

I advised my kids: If the answer to questions one and two are nothing then say “okay” and talk about something else.

Costs can come in the form of wasted time & energy, hurt feelings and loss of respect (to name a few). Some arguments are worth having. Others do not benefit us in the least – and only cost us.

So if we’re going to argue, I’m going to make sure there is a benefit to winning or a loss to losing. Otherwise, you can have this win. I’ll save up for when we have something important to argue about.

Although I don’t get the opportunity to take many naps, I like mine to be quick and refreshing. I hate to sleep over an hour and wake up more tired than I was when I laid down. Twenty minutes is just about right for me.

Frequently, I use Pzizz generated naps to help me accomplish this. I’ve written before about Pzizz power nap software. Basically, the software generates a new relaxing soundtrack for you to listen to each time.

Before, you had to fire it up on a Mac or PC desktop and generate MP3s to download to your player. However, I found out today, they released a version for iPhone and iTouch.

At $2.99 in the app store it’s a great deal since their software is normally $20 and their stand alone device runs $60 (I think). Anyway, I bought a license today and tried it out. The settings were the same and it generated the same sounding pzizz nap as it’s big-brother.

The only difference was it played the nap in it’s own player I noticed there didn’t appear to be a fast forward or rewind (no extending naps by rewinding). But that’s a small issue compared with the strength of it generating a fresh new soundtrack every time.

If you own an iPhone or iTouch and would like to recharge your batteries more often, I recommend you give it a try. Pleasant dreams.

Stressful jobs, recession money woes and unrelenting pressure from family and social duties can turn even the most cheerful person into an anxious pessimist with little motivation. But positivity is all in your mind, and once you understand that your mood and your outlook on the life is something you can actually control, you’ll be more ready to tackle any challenges that life hurtles your way. Here are ten little tips that will help you turn negatives into positives, ultimately letting you lead a life with less worry.

1. Speak in the positive. Even if you have to convey a negative thought or emotion, say it in the positive. For example, instead of saying or thinking “I can’t get through this,” say, “I’m lost” or “I need help.” Speaking in the negative just reiterates your negative feelings.
2. Rethink obstacles. Try to view problems as something you can work through, instead of obstacles that prevent you from getting what you want. Just because your first plan of action didn’t work, doesn’t mean there isn’t another way.
3. Avoid ultimatums. The more pressure you put on yourself and other people, the more out of control you’ll feel. Ultimatums also tend to make small issues blow up into problems that cause more trouble than they’re worth.
4. Force yourself to smile or laugh. Release a little positive energy by smiling at someone or telling a joke.
5. Remember the things you’re good at. If your job is killing you, think of all the things you’re actually good at, like fly fishing, listening to others or painting.
6. Reach out to others. You don’t have to see a therapist to reap the benefits of talking about your problems. Friends and family can also give you another perspective on your problem that will help you get through the tough times.
7. Sleep on it. If you just can’t see around an obstacle, put it aside until after you get a good rest.
8. Start more sentences with “I can.” Try to turn as many “I can’ts” into “I cans” each day.
9. Reduce your stress level. Try to reduce your stress level by doing one positive thing each day, by giving yourself a little more free time, going to bed early, or visiting with friends.
10. Figure out how your problems will pan out in the long term. Will this problem still be a major issue in 3 weeks, 6 months, or one year? Gauge your reaction to problems by asking yourself how important and relevant they are to your life.

This post was contributed by Tara Miller, who writes about the online psychology degrees. She welcomes your feedback at TaraMillerr00 at yahoo.com