tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111911172024-03-20T11:09:09.588+07:00Personal DevelopmentMy never ending journey to become a better person...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-83310503560257709682007-07-09T22:55:00.000+07:002007-07-09T22:57:05.254+07:00An Odd Rule of SuccessWe often think of achieving success as moving from one point to another, from one of failure to success, like moving between two points on a map. This is not necessarily so, and the fact can be used to our advantage.<br /><br />When we want to achieve something we usually go about planning it in the same we plan a road journey. We start from point A and want to get to point B, with places to stop along the way. We mark our progress by how far we have moved along the route in whatever amount of time. Eventually we get to where we want to be.<br /><br />This analogy of achievement as a journey down a road can be useful. There’s some value in being able to chart our progress day by day or week by week. The length of time it takes us to achieve the goal will vary on how complex and large the goal is, but when we see ourselves moving along the road, even if only by small degrees, it can help to keep us motivated. It’s when we stop seeing progress that we tend to give up.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />But this simple road map to success—the straight line method of achievement—has its disadvantages, in that it doesn’t give a true picture of how we achieve things. In fact achieving things can be easier, or take less time than we think, and the road is not straight. In fact, achieving success is not a road at all. It’s something that is essentially non-spatial. We can’t plot from A to B because the distance to our goal is not constant.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Not always a straight line to success</span><br /><br />The reason is that when we move toward a goal, we can sometimes take three or four steps at a time, although when we first start to move toward our goal we might have to take five steps in order to move forward just one. Or sometimes we take one step and slide back four steps. :-)<br /><br />The good thing to know, and something which can really galvanize us to keep trying is that as we persist in trying to achieve our goals, the steps get easier, and that’s when we begin to take four steps for every one. One reason is that as we move toward our goal we get better at what we do. Things get easier. But another reason, and one which isn’t easily measurable, is that we begin to attract things to us that quicken our progress exponentially.<br /><br />This is especially true when the success isn’t measured in terms of being “the best”—a subjective measurement at best—but simply in terms of achieving something, like starting a successful business.<br /><br />Looking at success in this way, it might be useful to look at achievement not in terms of a journey, of moving down a road from A to B, but in terms of increasing the power of a magnet. If you’ve ever seen a powerful electromagnet in operation, you’ll know what I mean. Put it in the middle of a bunch of iron filings or metal tacks and increase the power slowly. At first just a few tacks are pulled in, but at some point the current reaches a certain power and suddenly all the tacks fly to the magnet and stick like glue.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Increase your power</span><br /><br />Your success can be looked at in the same way. When you begin an undertaking, your power is weak. Maybe you won’t even attract a single tack. But as you continue in your progress and your power increases, more and more tacks will be pulled in, until one day there’ll be such a rush that you’ll wonder how it happened.<br /><br />Seen from a human perspective, the tacks could be relationships, or reputation. As the number of relationships grows, your success increases—and not by single steps, but leaps and bounds. To me, this is a much better way of looking at success achievement. It shifts the perspective away from success as something you have to work towards to something that you attract to you. It means success is something that is within you and not out there.<br /><br />The next time you think of something you want to achieve, try to think of it not as a journey, but as an increase in your power. Then think of what you can do to start increasing your attraction. It might mean getting in touch with a certain group of people who have the contacts you need. It might mean starting to learn a new skill that is in demand. Think of success coming to you, and not something you have to chase. It makes the job of achieving success that much easier. (<a href="" target="blank"></a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-70631467213428313612007-07-09T22:53:00.000+07:002007-07-09T22:54:16.044+07:00Do You Operate in Fear or Faith?The greatest tool the enemy uses against us in life is fear, because fear keeps us from doing many of those things we would like to do in order to make our lives, and the lives of others, more complete and prosperous.<br /><br />Since we are born with only a few fears like the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises, all other fears are learned. The fear of failure, the fear of rejection, and even a fear of success are all learned fears and are really just lies from the devil.<br /><br />Naturally, God wants us to live abundant and prosperous lives, but the devil is not going to just step aside and watch while God outrageously prospers us. The devil’s whole purpose is to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10), and the best way he is able to do this is by causing us to doubt and fear.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />One important thing to understand is the fact that doubt always precedes fear. If the enemy can get us to doubt and give in to it, it will then grow into fear. And even though fear can sneak up on us fast, it doesn't have to paralyse us. It's then that our courage can get us through.<br /><br />How do we develop true courage? Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Truth, righteousness, preparation to share the gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God is the armor. Verse 16 says, “Above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy.”<br /><br />It's important to understand the power of faith in God's Word because fear is such a massive thought force competing for control of our minds. Just know, faith is much stronger. We can cancel out fear with faith because there is no force in this world more powerful than faith, and the most amazing things can happen as a result of it.<br /><br />Faith is a shield. When the devil’s lies come at us in the form of fear, we must know what God’s Word says concerning our circumstances in order to quench that fear.<br /><br />Unfortunately, too many Christians are ignorant of the power of faith, so they only operate in fear, which is the exact opposite. We cannot operate in a spirit of faith and a spirit of fear at the same time. We will flow in one or the other. We must oppose the spirit of fear and close the door on the devil so we may move forward with God’s plan for our lives.<br /><br />As Faith is our shield (our defense), God’s Word is our Sword (our offense). That means we must not only believe God’s Word, but we must also speak it.<br /><br />Our words are containers of power. When all hell is coming against us, we need to hold fast to the confession of our faith and say what the Word says in light of our situation instead of what the circumstances look like or how they make us feel.<br /><br />Not speaking the positive report of God’s Word is the reason why so many believers fall short of receiving God’s best and continue to live in fear. 2 Corinthians 4:13 says, “I believed, and therefore have I spoken.” By speaking negative words we are operating in fear and are in agreement with the devil. The door then remains open for him to produce the very conditions we are speaking. Instead, speak the promises of God in faith by getting into agreement with Him.<br /><br />Again, the greatest tool the enemy uses against us in life is fear, but we can quench the firey lies of the enemy by faith and eventually see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives. (<a href="" target="blank"></a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-48392712399801825082007-07-09T22:48:00.000+07:002007-07-09T22:52:18.109+07:00What’s Wrong With Being Afraid?The End of Fear?<br />Is there anything good about fear?<br /><br />Look at new age, spiritual, and self-improvement blogs, books, CDs, and seminars.<br />Fear is bad for your health, your relationships, your personal growth, and your spiritual development.<br /><br />Fear tells us to avoid and hide from every difficulty in our lives.<br />Fear tells us to do nothing when we should take action.<br />Fear tells us to attack when we should listen.<br /><br />We want to get rid of all the little fears that hold us back.<br />In fact, we want to get rid of fear altogether.<br /><br />Do you think that will ever happen?<br />Will fear disappear someday from the vocabulary of human emotions?<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />I hope not.<br />Let me explain.<br /><br />Many desires or feelings that are called negative, have a related, positive, aspect.<br /><br />Fear is one of these two-sided feelings.<br /><br />Ordinary fear is a great poison that weakens us, and leads us to live tiny lives.<br />It takes away our power to fly, and leaves us crawling on the ground.<br /><br />That’s not the kind of fear that I want in my life.<br /><br />Fear and Danger<br /><br />Where does fear come from, anyway?<br />It starts when I sense danger.<br />It starts when I sense a threat to me, or to something or someone that’s precious to me.<br /><br />Most of our everyday fears are triggered by psychological threats.<br />If you’re not physically threatened, but you feel afraid, the threat is psychological . You can feel threatened by a person, place, thing, or even an idea.<br /><br />A Sense of Danger<br /><br />Anyone ever heard of Spider Man?<br />One of his more interesting abilities is a Spider sense that warns him of danger.<br /><br />We each have a sense that tells us when things are dangerous.<br />But our sense of danger is often out of touch with reality.<br /><br />My sense of danger is colored and twisted by the stories that I tell myself about my past experiences.<br /><br />The mind takes one real danger, one bad experience, and uses it as evidence that something is dangerous forever.<br /><br />We’re masters at exaggerating danger.<br /><br />And, we’re quick to tell ourselves what we can’t do.<br />How often do we whisper to ourselves that an action is just too hard, or even impossible?<br /><br />Why am I so afraid to face a challenge, and do something unfamiliar and difficult?<br />In a somewhat misguided way, I’m trying to protect myself.<br /><br />If I don’t succeed, or even if it takes me a few times to succeed, I might damage some image, some story that I tell about how perfect I am, and that’s dangerous.<br /><br />The Guardian<br />Still, having a sense of danger, and acting on it, is a vital skill.<br />We need a sense of danger, a sense that listens for threats to what is truly precious.<br /><br />Follow me for a moment.<br />I don’t want a sense of danger that results in debilitating fear, or anger, or hatred.<br />I don’t want my beliefs about what’s precious to lead me to deny anyone’s humanity.<br /><br />I can love others that I disagree with.<br />But sometimes, in accepting others, my mind takes that acceptance and exaggerates it.<br />I slip into a mindset that says that it doesn’t really matter what I believe.<br />I start to become indifferent to things that used to matter to me.<br /><br />And if I don’t care, if something isn’t important to me, will I stand up and take action when it’s unpopular?<br /><br />We may deny it, but many of our actions are motivated by a blind desire to be accepted. And where does my desire to accept other people come from? Does it arise from a deep-felt recognition of each person’s humanity or do I accept others so they will accept me?<br /><br />Of course I want to get along with others. I want others to like me.<br />But if that’s the basis for my principles, if that’s the basis for deciding what’s important, then I’m in big trouble.<br /><br />And the world will suffer as a result.<br />I don’t believe that much good comes from blindly following any belief in a half-hearted way.<br /><br />I want to be passionate about my beliefs, so I have the energy and courage to do the right thing, even when it’s hard.<br /><br />I want to protect what’s precious in this world.<br />I want to be a guardian of this wonderful garden that we live in,<br /><br />I don’t want to be judge and jury of others.<br />I don’t want to condemn anyone.<br /><br />But I will stand up, gently and strongly, for what is precious.<br /><br />Transformation<br />Let’s get rid of the ordinary sort of fear, and cultivate its other side: a sense of danger.<br />Let’s develop a sense of danger that comes together with the feeling of being a calm, powerful, loving guardian of the world’s treasures.<br /><br />Exercise: Fear into Action<br />The next time you feel afraid of some danger:<br /><br /> 1. Ask yourself if there really is a danger to something precious.<br /> 2. If so, switch gears inside and let that feeling of fear change into a feeling of danger without fear, and without anger - a powerful awareness of what’s important.<br /> 3. Then connect that awareness to the feeling of being a calm, energetic guardian, and find a way to take action. (<a href="" target="blank"></a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-76077357087650683352007-07-09T22:46:00.000+07:002007-07-09T22:48:01.994+07:00Personal Development GrowthPersonal development used to be a course taught at business and vocational schools around the United States. <br /><br />It was long since held that self-improvement was an essential aspect of succeeding in a more and more competitive marketplace that left little room for those who would not be able to pull their own weight - usually because of self image problems. <br /><br />Personal growth was considered to be the antidote to the possibility of failure very often experienced by job changers, vocation changers, and those who might embark on a new career at a more advanced age than most of their competitors in the marketplace.<br /> <br />Personal development was said to be effective in combining an individual's innate wish for success with a change in the person's mode of viewing her- or himself and also the way the person is portraying her- or himself to others.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />NLP - neuro-linguistic programming is one of the favored tools of the personal development movement. Since it offers a wide variety of tools and techniques, this application itself promises success simply because of its superior adaptability to the needs of the person seeking personal development.<br /><br />For example, for those will simply performance anxiety<br />problems, a large number of exercises will make an accomplished introvert out of a phobic introvert who is sent into stammering or excessive sweating bits at the prospect of speaking in front of a crowd. For the person suffering from extreme anxiety the idea of meditation - well within the framework of NLP - will quite often yield amazing results.<br /><br />While traditionalists might scoff at the idea of personal development simply because it is such a subjective exercise, it is noteworthy that many people sear by it and attribute their business success to lessons learned and exercises attempted during a personal development seminar.<br /><br />Perhaps the most important aspect to remember when discussing personal development is the fact that it seeks to capitalize on a person's good intentions.<br /><br />These intentions may be the wish to succeed in business, the<br />innate need to be useful, or maybe just the wish to further the role of leadership a person has taken within a corporation or business. The goal is to draw out the good intentions and turn them into marketable objectives which the client will be able to realize and develop further, so as to ensure that her or his confidence will grow enough to pursue the next level of professional development.<br /><br />For those who are gifted with a go-get-it attitude, this need may be hard to understand, but suffice it to say that in a world where corporate success is hard won, and abilities have to be proven time and again, those who may suffer from a lack of self esteem have often found themselves relegated to the sidelines.<br /><br />If this is you, it is also important to understand that you do not have to be on the sidelines, but that you have everything it takes to make it up the ladder of success! (<a href="" target="blank"></a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-37073590972883886812007-07-09T22:43:00.000+07:002007-07-09T22:44:41.757+07:00The 5 Step Personal Development PlanPersonal development has become increasingly popular in today's busy world for everything from career improvement and weight loss to public speaking. While the methods and tools used to achieve the desired personal development outcome may vary from high priced seminars to moderately priced books, there are a number of simple steps that can be used to get you started on the right path to reach your own personal development goal, such as:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1) Identify the Cause</span><br /><br />A good starting point with personal development is to look at how you got to where you are right now. For example, if your area of personal development relates to weight loss then look at what lifestyle factors contributed to your weight problem to start with. Write down everything you can think of that contributed to the problem and then analyze how you can modify each factor to get the result you desire.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2) Goal Setting</span><br /><br />It is essential to have a clear goal in mind to achieve your own particular personal development requirements. Ask yourself exactly what it is that you wish to achieve and the more refined and clear your goal the more chance you will have of successfully attaining it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3) Make a Plan</span><br /><br />Once you have decided on your goal then formulate a plan that details the steps you will take to reach your goal. Use the details you uncovered when identifying the cause of the problem and expand on these to incorporate as much detail as possible on how you can achieve your personal development goal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4) Focus and Commitment</span><br /><br />Once you know your goal and have designed your plan you then need to focus on your goal and commit to the plan you have designed. Set aside a certain amount of time each day to work on your plan and do not allow general daily chores to distract you from what you need to do. Once you have become accustomed to working on your plan each day it will become a habit and therefore easier over time to stick too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5) Look for Inspiration</span><br /><br />It will be of great benefit to look for inspiration from others that have overcome the same personal development challenge as your own. This can be in the form of books, seminars, courses or even a person from your local community that you may be able to contact to get some tips or advice.<br /><br />Personal development is about identifying areas of your life that you wish to change for the better and having an attitude of continual self-improvement. No matter which area of your life you intend to improve by following the steps outlined above and committing to the plan you can be assured of achieving your goals and in doing so gain more confidence to not only achieve other personal development goals but do it quicker and easier each time. (<a href="" target="blank"></a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-5505255853794469522007-06-22T20:47:00.000+07:002007-06-22T20:49:44.028+07:00Gaining New SkillsWhen we consider learning a new skill, we often concentrate on how difficult it will be to get good, never mind become a master. We need a different set of thinking skills to help us move forward.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style:italic;">I could never do that.</span>"<br /><br />How often do we hear that phrase, either from people we know or from ourselves, spoken by a tiny—though often loud and vociferous—inner voice? I’m willing to bet that we hear it every day, and more from ourselves than we care to admit. That inner voice telling us that something is outside the range of our ability is heard every minute in some cases. In fact it’s heard so often that we stop hearing it, even though the effects can be disastrous for our self-confidence and our ability to gain it. We get so used to this voice telling us that we are useless or have no ability that it becomes like background noise. We are so used to it that we don’t recognize it’s there until it gives us a headache. And a permanent headache at that…<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The trouble is we can’t shut it off. Or can’t seem to…</span><br /><br />Where does this problem come from, this constantly underestimating our abilities to do things? One of the problems is that we forget what it is like to be a child. Even when we have children of our own, and we watch them going through their own learning experiences—sometimes struggling to learn, but more often learning effortlessly—we somehow can’t, or don’t, see the great truth that this can teach us.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Small beginnings</span><br /><br />Take reading, for instance. When a child learns to read, he begins by learning his ABC, or whatever script is used by his language. He learns the characters and that’s it. A thought such as: “It’s pointless learning these because I’ll never get good enough to read all those big, thick books I see on the library shelves.” And neither would his parents dream of putting a thick book in his hands and tell him that he should get on with learning to read and leave him to get on with it.<br /><br />A child learns the letters, and then some simple words, and then he progresses to reading more complicated texts. And if you’ve ever watched a child go through the stages of reading comprehension, you’ll have very likely witnessed a pretty amazing thing. It isn’t that children can learn to read, that they can learn abstract symbols and recognize that they can communicate concepts and ideas of objects (though that is pretty amazing). The thing that is amazing is the increase in the rate of learning once the child reaches a certain point. Once he gets in his stride, there’s no stopping him.<br /><br />What does this teach us? It teaches us that the early parts of any learning experience are always the most difficult, and that once we get over the initial hurdles the learning experience generally becomes easier. Once we have the basics in place, we can begin to make connections with all sorts of other information—and not always information within the same subject—and our growth can become exponential.<br /><br />This is just common sense, and yet adults forget this, and usually don’t remember it, even when they see children manifesting this ability to tackle a learning experience without problem. This is the key to learning anything, and the child knows it instinctively, or to be more accurate there are many things that the child does not “know” or care about, and therefore just isn’t hampered by them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Building blocks</span><br /><br />When a child begins to play with building blocks, he doesn’t think of the house he will eventually be able to build. He concentrates on balancing on block on top of another, or sticking two Lego bricks together. Only when he has mastered these basics does he move on. Until that time, he doesn’t care about the great models he will build, the great books he will read. He cares only about learning what he can learn at that moment, and enjoying it at that. Paradoxically, the less the child cares about getting better, the better he gets.<br /><br />The reason children can do this is because of their lack of thought—and more importantly their lack of worry. Here are three things to think about when you need to learn something new.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Children don’t think in terms of getting better</span><br /><br />For a child, simply doing in that moment is all there is. You can do the same. Now is all there is, and when you use the “now” effectively, you’ll find that the “tomorrow”, the future, is much more likely to be as the “now” guided it to be.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Children don’t think in terms of aims</span><br /><br />Children don’t think in terms of learning in order to do something bigger or more difficult.<br />For a child, the long journey ahead simply doesn’t exist. Adults often concentrate on thinking about the journey and how hard it is to reach the destination, instead of concentrating on now. Of course, we need to think of the destination and we need to think of improving ourselves. But to confuse the destination with the steps we take to reach it is a mistake.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Children aren’t bothered by learning the basics</span><br /><br />A child can sometimes concentrate for hours on doing a simple thing, and by doing that will master the basics that will lead to the rapid learning later on. Adults get bored if they have to do the same thing for more than five minutes. Learn to not expect rapid progress at the beginning of an undertaking. Learn the basics and the learning will be mch easier later on.<br /><br />So if you want to learn something—especially if you find yourself looking at the end result and feeling disheartened at the thought of ever being good enough—take some advice from a child. Start now. Enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about running. Learn to walk first. One day you’ll be running so fast you won’t even remember not being able to walk.<br /><br />Most kids—at least those under the age of 15—have never read Friedrich Nietzsche, but they know instinctively what he meant when he said: “He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.”<br /><br />They know instinctively that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step… and they don’t even care how long the journey is.<br /><br />What journey will you start today? Which “ABC” of which subject or skill will you begin today?<br /><br />Happy learning! (<a href="http://www.inspirationinsights.com/" target="blank">Inspiration Insights</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-42264552247716726882007-06-22T20:44:00.000+07:002007-06-22T20:46:00.272+07:00The foundations of Success"<span style="font-style:italic;">A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.</span>" David Brinkley<br /><br />It’s a common conception that successful people have had it easy. Successful people, or so we often think, have had opportunity handed to them on a plate, and all they had to do was pick it up and success was theirs. Then when we look around at our own lives and find that the same opportunities are lacking, we begin to believe that success is impossible, or so difficult that it would take years of work to achieve.<br /><br />It’s only when we look at the facts of the lives of many successful people that we see the opposite is true. Many successful people did not have easy lives, or certainly no easier than many other people. And many times we find that successful people had far from easy lives.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So what made the difference?</span><br /><br />The difference lies in the mindset of successful people. Instead of concentrating on what they don’t have, successful people will concentrate on what they do have—and use that to build something worthwhile. Taking this even further, we see that successful people often took the bad things that happened to them and used them as a basis to achieve something great. They took the bricks that were thrown at them and used them to build something.<br /><br />Life is full of chance, and true success means enjoying this fact—and making the most of the opportunities that life throws at you. It means taking those bricks that have been thrown at you and building something worthwhile with them. After all, a brick is a brick is a brick… and you can either leave those bricks in a pile to gather dust or you can dust off your trowel, mix some cement and get building.<br /><br />Today, analyze your situation and see what bricks lie at your feet. Then see what you could build with them. You might well have the materials for success right there. (<a href="http://www.inspirationinsights.com/" target="blank">Inspiration Insights</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-67272211857950769172007-06-22T20:42:00.000+07:002007-06-22T20:43:47.066+07:00Movement and The MindThe scientists seem to be getting an idea of something that any sportsman or practitioner of martial arts has always known: that exercise stimulates the brain. In short, exercise makes you smarter, brighter, faster…<br /><br />Scientists have always had an idea that this is so, but only now are they able to offer some sorts of proof, according to an article in Newsweek. Using the latest brain-scanning tools and the latest research in biochemistry, scientists have found that exercise affects the brain and mental development much more than previously realized.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The latest research shows that muscles, when exercised, release chemicals including a protein called IGF-1 that travels through the bloodstream and into the brain. Once in the brain the protein causes other chemicals to be produced, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This chemical seems to lead to increased mental awareness. In other words, it helps you think better.<br /><br />Soon we may have proof that all those fitness instructors were right after all… and that getting more exercise, and giving more exercise to our children, has more benefits than just losing weight. (<a href="http://www.inspirationinsights.com/" target="blank">Inspiration Insights</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-53572897014061057262007-06-22T20:39:00.000+07:002007-06-22T20:41:21.178+07:00Refresh Your MemoryEver had the experience of remembering something but being unable to remember the exact sequence of events that comprised the memory? It’s something that a lot of us have experienced at one time or another. We remember the holiday, for instance, but sometimes find ourselves unable to remember exactly the chronology of the events. In short, we can remember the whole event but not which events came first, second and third within it.<br /><br />Now, researchers at the University of Lübeck may have hit upon an answer.<br /><br />It’s a widely held view that it’s during sleep that long-term memories are formed. During sleep, the brain replays the experiences of the previous day in order to save them to memory. But the new research seems to show that sleep not only helps us to make memories, but also helps the brain to remember in which order a particular series of events took place.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />If this is true, it might show getting a good night’s sleep does more than refresh the body and the mind on a shallow level. It might help the brain not only in remembering information, but also how to structure it.<br /><br />Being able to structure information is extremely helpful, or even essential, for people who work on complicated projects or are involved in project management. Being able to start work in the morning with the information learned during the previous day’s work structured in the mind in a way which enables us to make sense of it and use it effectively can be a huge boost to our ability to get things done. Some of the time we struggle to remember exactly how one piece of information works with another. If the findings of the research are true, it’s been getting a good night’s sleep could be one of the best things we can do to get our brains working at an optimum level. This would make projects run much more smoothly and save time.<br /><br />The research may also explain something else. I once worked with someone who slept hardly at all, and spent most of their waking hours in the office. That person could remember facts, but could never seem to get anything into a logical order. She had turned disorganization into an art form. If I’d known what the cure was, perhaps the company could have paid for some kind of sleep therapy… (<a href="http://www.inspirationinsights.com/" target="blank">Inspiration Insights</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-11512111460438059462007-06-22T20:30:00.000+07:002007-06-22T20:42:11.106+07:00Want Success? Get Some Sleep!Researchers in Germany have done a study which has significant implications to student’s performance in school and to adult’s success at work. The study shows that individuals taking a simple math test were three times more likely than their sleep-deprived counterparts to figure out a hidden rule for converting certain numbers into the right answer if they had eight hours of sleep.<br /><br />The study also shows that there is a strong correlation between adequate sleep and a person’s ability to be creative and to solve problems. Other biochemical studies of the brain have suggested that memories are restructured before they are stored. Creativity seems to also be enhanced in this process. This restructuring may be occurring to make problems easier to solve.<br /><br />According to researcher Jan Born of the University of Lubeck, during sleep the brain actively processes information learned during the day. Here is what Borg has to say about the benefits of sleep for long-term memory:<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><blockquote> “Brain cells seem to replay the memory during slow-wave sleep, often called deep sleep in stages of non-rapid eye movement. The replay makes the memory stronger. People who don’t get enough sleep have more trouble pulling up the memory when they need the information. I am absolutely convinced that sleep is necessary for long-term memory.”</blockquote><br /><br />Many college students have stayed up all night trying to study for an important exam. It turns out that this is one of the worst things that they can do. If you have an important activity the next day, be it an exam, a performance, a job interview, a sports event, or anything else that requires you to perform, the most important thing that you need to do in order to be well prepared is to get a good night of sleep the night before.<br /><br />According to Phyllis Zee, a sleep researcher at the Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, most Americans get less than the minimum seven hours of sleep per night. “People who don’t get enough sleep, which could include millions of Americans, may be setting themselves up for attention lapses”, she says.<br /><br />Findings presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Boston show that sleep may help boost the brain’s ability to remember recently learned information. Anyone who works in demanding jobs that require a strong reliance on memory and alertness should pay close attention to this research. In some professions, such as airline pilots, the amount of rest between work shifts is regulated. If you don’t get enough sleep you are more likely to make mistakes because you will have difficulty concentrating and recalling critical information when required.<br /><br />Steve Pavlina, a well know personal development blogger has done an experiment with polyphasic sleep which is a pattern of sleeping for about 20 minutes every four hours around the clock. Under this pattern a person only sleeps about 2 hours a day, which is much less than the 7-8 hours of sleep recommended by the experts. Here is what Steve had to say about the experiment:<br /><br /><blockquote> “Adapting to polyphasic sleep took many days, and I felt like a zombie the first week. At one point I just sat on the couch staring at a wall for 90 minutes, unable to form any thoughts. But eventually I was able to adapt, and it was one of the most unusual experiences of my life… By adapting to polyphasic sleep, you may gain some waking hours each day, but you sacrifice a lot of schedule flexibility… Eventually I abandoned the pattern and returned to monophasic sleep, mainly due to social reasons”</blockquote><br /><br />It is not clear from what Steve has reported whether there is any benefit from polyphasic sleep. As he said, you may gain some hours each day, but you lose your schedule flexibility. To me it is a dangerous experiment that could have an adverse effect on you health, so I would not recommend it.<br /><br />There is plenty of evidence that getting enough sleep is essential for success in any activity, from academics to sports, and beyond. If you are serious about being successful, don’t sacrifice your sleep just to gain a few extra hours each day. Don’t think of sleep as a waste of time. Think of it as an essential ingredient for your body’s health and for your success. (<a href="http://ww-success.com/" target="blank">WW-Success</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-8512784925103911242007-06-20T09:16:00.000+07:002007-06-20T09:20:00.629+07:00Success Secrets ExplainedHow do you define success? Is it having a lot of money? May be it is defined as being fulfilled in a relationship or family life. Everybody defines success differently, and there is nothing wrong with our own personal definition. Every one of us feels like we succeed in different ways.<br /><br />We can however put some broad definitions to the term success that would apply to most people.<br /><br />One of such definitions would be financial success. I define it as the ability to live a financially worry free life. For some people this might mean that they would be happy to make enough money to survive and others might want to have an extravagant life style. There isn’t really a right or wrong answer. It all depends on what is important to us.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />I think that even a better definition of success would be living as close to your true destiny as possible. Here are a few tips for discovering what your true destiny is.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Know your dreams.</span><br /><br />It isn’t enough to just have goals in life. We often know the direction we want to go to, but do not know where exactly that direction will bring us. Knowing exactly what you want is a key component in designing our destiny.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Live your dreams.</span><br /><br />Living your dreams is a must. All our happiness depends on how close we come to living our true desires. Think about it. Do you think you would be happier if you were to experience what you truly desire in your day to day life?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Take responsibility for your life.</span><br /><br />Part of being truly successful is being responsible for the way we act. We all know that things do not always workout the way we want them to. Sometimes we make mistakes. Admitting when we did make a mistake can do great things for us. This ability is crucial when learning anything. When we admit to a mistake we learn from it and are able to move on without hindering our progress. It is being stubborn that prevents us from learning the lessons we need to learn.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Let go of any hurt you might have experienced in the past.</span><br /><br />If there is one thing that holds us back in life, it is when we hold on to the past. We all experience terrible injustices at one time or another. There are times when we get hurt and go through what seems like incredible difficulties. The sooner we will develop the ability to let go of anything that happened in the past, the more our life will seem successful to us. The easier it will become.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Make a plan and stick with it.</span><br /><br />Goals are important, but so is action. We must have a plan and follow it to reach a desired destination. Action is of paramount importance. Without acting we will never be able to get anywhere. So make a plan, and follow it with abandon.<br /><br />Success will come to those who are able to act fearlessly in the face of adversities life troughs at us every day. (<a href="http://burstcreativity.com/" target="blank">Burst Creativity</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-26265571982119877102007-06-20T09:10:00.000+07:002007-06-20T09:14:49.411+07:00The Secret in Think and Grow RichNapoleon Hill’s classic book Think and Grow Rich is one of the most popular personal development works ever written. As mentioned in the book reviews page on this site, Think and Grow Rich has passed the test of time. Even though the book was written in the early 1900’s during the great depression, all of the concepts taught in the book are still valid and can be applied today by anyone seeking success.<br /><br />However, anyone who has read Think and Grow Rich must wonder if they really captured the secret which Napoleon Hill mentioned in the introduction of his book:<br /><br /><blockquote> “The secret was brought to my attention by Andrew Carnegie…he asked if I would be willing to spend twenty years of more, preparing myself to take it to the world, to men and women who, without the secret, might go through life as failures…this book contains the secret, after having been put to a practical test by thousands of people, in almost every walk of life….<br /><br /> The secret to which I refer has been mentioned no fewer than one hundred times throughout this book. It has not been directly named….those that are ready and searching for it may pick it up.”</blockquote><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The premise behind Think and Grow Rich is that those that are ready for the secret will recognize it in every chapter. Napoleon Hill leaves some clues to help you find the secret, such as the final words at the end of the introduction when he mentions that the secret may be recognized in this: All achievements and all earned riches start with an idea.<br /><br />If you have read Think and Grow Rich you can’t help but wonder if you captured the secret. After reading the book, you get the feeling that you may have gotten it, after all you felt you were ready and searching for it as Napoleon said you needed to be in order to capture it. But how do you know for sure? The secret is never revealed in plain English, so even though you learn a great deal from the concepts in the book, you are left with this feeling that you are not quite sure if you truly captured the secret, without which you will not duplicate the successes found by the many accomplished individuals mentioned in the book.<br /><br />If you read the book and you are still wondering about its secret, wonder no more. We will tell you how you can learn it, or at least confirm your understanding of the secret in Think and Grow Rich. But before we go there, let me introduce you to the person that will help you understand the secret.<br /><br />Brian Kim has read many personal development books, from Steven Covey to Tony Robbins to Zig Ziglar, and many others. Yet, he was always searching for the next book, the one that would give him the true formula for reaching success. Then he realized that all these books conditioned you to look at the principles of success as separate from one another. At this point Brian realized that he needed to look for the big picture, and felt that if he discovered the secret in Think and Grow Rich he could then make sense of everything he had read about self-improvement and goal attainment.<br /><br />Brian then went on a mission to find the hidden secret in Think and Grow Rich. He read the book many time, took notes, ran through each clue given by Napoleon Hill, formed theories, honed it again and again, until he started to see common threads that gave rise to the principles of success of not only Think and Grow Rich, but also of all the other personal development books that he had read. This is when the hidden secret hit him. Here is how Brian describes it in his own words:<br /><br /><blockquote> “I saw the relationships and made the connections between the concepts and principles I read about and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The Hidden Secret appeared just like Napoleon Hill said it would…When I understood the Hidden Secret everything, I mean everything, I had read on self-improvement and goal achievement for over a decade made sense.”</blockquote><br /><br />Brian Kim describes in no uncertain terms the secret that Napoleon Hill mentioned in Think and Grow Rich in his eBook The Hidden Secret of Think and Grow Rich. Brian Kim’s The Hidden Secret of Think and Grow Rich is the companion book that you were looking for that will help you make sense of the message that Napoleon Hill wanted you to capture from his book.<br /><br />We have made arrangements with Brian Kim for the readers of Worldwide Success to have access to a special offer. If you buy Brian Kim’s The Hidden Secret of Think and Grow Rich eBook through this link you will also receive two special bonuses absolutely free of charge: A special report entitled “The Three Biggest Mistakes That People Make With The Hidden Secret” and a Hidden Secret Workbook that you can use to help you apply the Hidden Secret.<br /><br />If you are a Napoleon Hill fan, you will enjoy reading Brian Kim’s work.(<a href="http://ww-success.com/" target="blank">Worldwide Success</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-35374783920845025952007-06-20T09:05:00.000+07:002007-06-20T09:08:12.659+07:00A Process to SuccessThank you for visiting my website. You must of stumbled upon this website on your journey for personal development and I’m hoping I can help to make your search a success. After doing much research on my own personal development, I have come across what I like to call A Process to Success, if there was a secret to happiness I believe this process is it. I beleive if you follow this process you will have all the success you desire. My goal with this process was to simplify all of which I have gained durring my own study of personal development. If after reading this you are inspired to learn more I encourage you to check out the works that I have suggested.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 1 - Gratitude</span><br /><br />The first step to the process to success is to get into a positive mindset, and feeling the feelings of gratitude is the key to great success. Spend time each day to feel the feelings of gratitude and focus on appreciation of all things in your life. When you wake up feel grateful that you have been given another day. When you’re driving to work be grateful for the roads and the car that gets you there. When you arrive at work be grateful for your co-workers who enlighten your day and make your job easier. When you have your lunch be grateful for the food you have been given. As you exercise the feelings of gratitude it will become a part of you and your path to success will be a bright one. Many people tend to focus on the negative things in their life and thus they are given more negative things. When you put yourself into a feeling of gratitude you fill yourself with positive feelings and in return more positive things are attracted to you.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 2 - Thoughts</span><br /><br />Law of Attraction - you get what you think about; your thoughts determine your destiny. This law is simple, what you think in your mind will be created in your life. If you think negative thoughts more negative things will be brought to you. A classic example is when someone has a “Bad Day” or “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed”. They wake up in a negative mood, they stay in this mind set and throughout their day it continues that downward spiral. If you spend your time with the feelings of gratitude and focusing your thoughts on the positive you will see that more positive things are attracted to you. So when you find yourself in a negative mindset take a timeout and think of something that makes you feel good. Use your thoughts to create what you want. Thoughts become things. Create, do not compete for what is already created. You’re on your way to personal success!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 3 - Visualize</span><br /><br />The next step is very much connected to the last. Spend time in your leisure time to focus on the things you want. Close your eyes and visualize already having it. Feel the feelings of already having it. The Law of Attraction will begin the creative process of forming that thought into a thing, a reality. You’re subconscious will become more aware of opportunities that will bring you the things you think about. A popular technique in visualizing is to create a vision board. Click here to learm more about vision boards.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 4 - Faith</span><br /><br />Accept these thoughts and feelings as already being yours. I believe Martin Luther King Jr. said it best. “Take the first step of faith, you don’t have to see it you just have to take it”. Recognize doubt and reverse it with faith. If you think about it most inventors are not sure how they will come to make their invention yet they have faith and take that first step and beleive they chan acheive it, thus their invention becomes a reality.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 5 - Action</span><br /><br />Though thinking and visualizing of what you want are very important, without proper action the creative process can not be complete. Do every day all that can be done that day in an efficient manor. Do not try to cram all that you can into a day causing you to rush. Do each action efficiently and you will succeed. You can not act in the past or future so focus your actions in your preset space.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Step 6 - REPEAT!</span><br /><br />To really make this work for you, you have to keep doing it until it’s a subconscious act.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Summary</span></span><br /><br /> * Feel the feelings of gratitude.<br /> * Thoughts become things.- So it is in your best interest to have positive thoughts and to set positive goals.<br /> * Visualize and through the creative process it will materialize.<br /> * Have unwavering faith that it is already yours(<a href="http://www.aprocesstosuccess.com/" target="blank">A Process to Success</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-86035385092644210962007-06-20T04:11:00.000+07:002007-06-20T09:04:54.088+07:00Success is PersonalSuccess is a personal matter. This is true in many dimensions, such as: No one can define success for you; Only you can prioritize what is most important in your life; Only you can achieve your personal goals; Only you can decide to make a change towards achieving success. There is yet another dimension to this discussion, which is whether you should be public about your successes or whether you should keep them private. And I will add one more: should this site which is about success have a more personal touch?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Let’s review each of these dimensions in more detail:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">No one can define success for you</span><br /><br />The definition of success is a personal matter. In some cultures, especially in the western world, success is tied to money. On this site, we try to expand the definition of success to many aspects of life, including money, fitness, health, personal development, social responsibility, spiritual growth and ethics. But even this broad definition of success may not capture what is truly important to you. Don’t let anyone impose their definition of success on you, and don’t feel you have to live up to other people’s expectations of success.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Only you can prioritize what is most important in your life</span><br /><br />In the same way that no one can define success for you, only you can prioritize what is important in your life and what you should work on. For some people money is a priority. Others think family is more important. Other people think helping others is what matters the most. Others try to find a balance for all these things. What is most important to you? Do you have a clear definition of your priorities, and spend your time accordingly?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Only you can achieve your personal goals</span><br /><br />Once you have decided what is important to you, you need to decide how much effort you are willing to put towards achieving your goals. There are many sources of information on setting goals and achieving them, but at the end of the day, you are the only one who decides to pursue your goals.<br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Only you can decide to change in order to achieve success</span><br /> <br />Achieving success, even when defined in your own terms, many times requires changes. And changes are hard. You may have to change the way you think, the way you behave, the way you interact with others. Again, only you can decide to make the necessary changes to achieve whatever goals you have set for yourself.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Should your successes be public or should you keep them private?</span><br /><br />Donald Trump loves attention. He loves to brag about his successes and how much he has achieved in life. Warren Buffett on the other hand, likes to keep his successes private, despite of the fact that he is one of the most successful investors, and one of the richest persons on earth. Being public or private is a personal choice. But it is difficult to stay private when you reach a certain level of success. The public loves to know about the private lives of successful people, and has an unhealthy obsession with celebrities. If you are a very successful person, only you can decide how much of your success you want to publicize. If you can be a role model to others, I think it makes sense to share your story. But if you want publicity just to inflate your ego, some humbleness may do you good. (<a href="http://ww-success.com" target="blank">Worldwide Success</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-21924823637917015172007-06-20T04:04:00.000+07:002007-06-20T04:08:38.592+07:00Do You Have Low Self-Esteem?You know you have low self-esteem when you always feel unworthy, uncomfortable with whom you are and what you are doing and not fitting to where you are. Self-esteem means to have a view of yourself, of your body, your mind and your capabilities.<br /><br />Do not always question your worth and potential. This keeps you from succeeding in what you do. If you are not very self-confident, be aware of the fact that you are not alone in this position. There are many persons suffering from low self-esteem. It is important for you to give an honest answer to some questions to see how you think about yourself.<br /><br />Do you feel strange and nervous around other people? Do you consider yourself as on a lower level than the others mentally or physically? Do you think you are not as important as other members of the family, of an association you are part of, as your colleagues? If you see the things that way, this may destroy your self-esteem. Try to get feedback about your actions or attitudes from your family, co-workers –most likely you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how they see you. Very often people with low self-esteem try to please everyone else in order to feel fitting and more adequate, but they forget about their own needs. And it is exactly these own needs that you need to focus on in order to get a better self-esteem.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Other questions you need to find the answers to, are: Are you dissatisfied with your looks? Do you always try to look better? These questions more often apply to women and young people and usually have their origin in comments made by friends, schoolmates or family members. These comments make you think of particular qualities you did not know you had or point out something you never thought about. They might cause obsession for certain things, which can turn into serious problems. They can be linked to appearance, weight or certain characteristics.<br /><br />Do you often make jokes about yourself? Are you trying to make fun of yourself to make he others laugh? Many people with a low self-esteem talk about their weak points. They discuss these aspects of their personality rather than focusing on the positive. They express what bothers them instead of concentrating on all the other positive things they have. Today’s society brought us so far that even the most beautiful person strives for something better. So don’t worry that you are left alone with a problem like this. Try to see your good parts before you analyse the ones you do not like. If you see that you fall deeper and deeper in obsessions of any kind and you cannot help yourself any more, you might consider professional help. If others like you, why shouldn’t you like yourself? You need to feel comfortable in your own skin; you need to learn to live with yourself. Do not ignore low self-esteem but try to get over it. (<a href="http://www.digital-folders.com/betterliving/" target="blank">Better Living</a>)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-50317821350048597272007-06-18T02:24:00.000+07:002007-06-18T02:27:33.962+07:00Break The Unthinking HabitThe way the human mind works is filled with paradoxes. We think in order to solve problems, but then once the problems are solved we stop thinking about them because we feel there’s no need to think about them any longer. We file the problem away in a drawer labeled “solved”. It could be said that the whole reason we think about stuff is so that we can stop thinking about it. This can be a good thing… it also has its drawbacks<br /><br />Computer technology is an amazing thing. Tasks which once took up piles of brainpower can now, with the help of a few processors smaller than the size of a thumb nail, be completed with the push of a few buttons. Take flying an aircraft. To get that huge piece of metal from one point of the globe to another takes hundreds of calculations regarding speed, altitude and direction. Years ago it would have required the full-time attentions of a pilot and navigator, armed with paper maps and keen eye, and, if the flight was a long one, a good supply of coffee, no doubt.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />But no longer. Now the main job for the pilot and his crew is to get the plane up in the air and bring it down safely. Between those two tasks—each needing a high skill requirement, I’m sure—the crew can simply monitor the computer systems which keep the plane on course. Everyone has heard the name for this system. It’s called autopilot. And we use it to describe the state of doing stuff without thinking.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Zombie walk</span><br /><br />In this way, the human brain is like that on-board computer system. Our brain automatically does much of the mundane work for us in our daily lives, and we often carry out tasks requiring some skill level without thinking about it. Everyone has had the experience—in fact I have it most mornings—of finding a cup of coffee ready-made for us without the recollection of going through every part of the process of making it. (And no, that doesn’t mean your partner did it for you :-) ) Somehow we filled the percolator with water, put in the coffee, let the machine do the job, poured our caffeine-shot into the cup and added the milk without realizing it. Sometimes we even drink the stuff without it making much mental impression, though with a decent strength brew that’s not something that happens too often. Driving a car is another example. Once we get good at it, we do much of the work without having to think about it at all, especially when the route is well-known one.<br /><br />All this shows us the amazing power of the brain, this ability to do stuff without us putting in effort at all. And it’s a good thing, in many cases, this doing things on autopilot. What’s the point of using up huge resources of brain power to do something when we can do it without thinking at all? Once we know how to solve a problem, or worked out how something works, we can forget about it, leaving our mind to concentrate on something else—usually another problem we need to solve. Eventually we rely on habit to do a lot of stuff. We just do it without thinking.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Snap out of it</span><br /><br />This way of thinking—or non-thinking to be more precise—does have its negative side. Although it’s fine for simple stuff like making the morning coffee or programming the DVD recorder—though that’s something I haven’t quite got the hang of yet—it can be a real drawback when it comes to dealing with larger areas of our life such as our finances, our relationships, our careers. These really do require constant attention, and just can’t be run using habit.<br /><br />If we don’t make an effort to break the habit of “set and forget” in these areas, what tends to happen is that we leave things to run on autopilot. We begin to treat these larger areas of our life in much the same way as making a cup of coffee. We turn it into a process, and do it the same way for years because it tastes OK. Then one day we wake up to find that whole areas of our life haven’t been attended to for months or even years. Our personal finances are in a mess. Our health isn’t too good. Our career has stagnated. Our business isn’t really doing as well as we want it to…<br /><br />We need to constantly look at these areas to make sure they are working optimally. We need to check which parts are in need of attention. We need to move away from the habit of solving something and forgetting about it, of working on autopilot—and into a habit of regular checking. Note that it’s regular checking, not constant checking. We don’t need to check these areas constantly, and neither do we need to become paranoid about them. We just need to check them once in a while to see where they are heading. If they are fine, we can forget them again—go back to autopilot. If not we can work on putting them on the right course—and then go back to autopilot with the new direction.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Make time to check your direction</span><br /><br />I’ve found that the best way to do this is to set a time to look at your life and have a set way to check each part to see what’s working and what isn’t—or at least isn’t working as well as it could. This takes some planning, but it’s well worth the effort, since the rewards are a constant improvement to the way we do things—and a way of meeting our goals. (You do set goals don’t you? :-) )<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Here’s how to do it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Divide and rule</span><br />The first thing to do is break down the areas of your life into segments. These may well overlap—and probably do—and an improvement in one will probably cause knock-on improvements in the others. But for this purpose to see them as clearly defined areas is fine. The four main areas that I like to look at are: finance, health, family and relationships, and business. You may have others, but for me these four are pretty much the main concerns.<br /><br />So first we have to choose which areas to focus on—and then which areas within those broad areas are the most important. An example of a broad area might be your finances. Within that area might be your mortgage, your credit card spending, and monthly bills that disappear from your bank account without you thinking about them. Another example of a broad area might be your relationships, with sub-areas being your relationship with your children, your partner, or your friends.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Choose how often</span><br />Overall, the thing to remember is that if you don’t look at something for a while, there will usually be a problem. To get into a habit of constantly checking our habits to see which ones are useful and which aren’t, we have to set a time. So once you’ve chosen the areas that need attention, set a time to have a good look at what is working in that area and what isn’t. In order to be able to do this you need to have set goals. If you don’t set goals, then you need to make this a priority. We can’t know whether or not we’re on course if we don’t know where we’re going.<br /><br />For me, I set goals at the beginning of each year. From these I set quarterly goals, which forces me to review these areas of my life every three months. I merge the review sessions with a planning session—the review sets the basis for the planning for the following three months. I set a specific date for the first quarterly session, and when that’s completed, I set the date for the next one. This setting a time to check our lives may seem at odds with emotional stuff like relationships, but relationships are formed through the things we do—the time we spend with a partner, our families, and our friends. If we don’t make a conscious effort to do those things, the emotional side can wither and die.<br /><br />But—as I’m sure you’re aware—setting a date is one thing, and actually keeping it is another… and doing the right thing on that date is something yet again… Which means the phrase to bear in mind is…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Be brutal, be brutal…</span><br />Honesty is a commendable quality, but it’s often lacking when we come to look at our own performance. We gloss over the failings and give ourselves a lot of room for maneuver. In short, we make excuses. Sometimes there are good excuses—things that just couldn’t be foreseen pop up out of nowhere to knock us off course—but much of the time we are being easy on ourselves. In these review sessions, that isn’t good enough. The whole point of having these sessions is to be honest.<br /><br />Remember the movie The Producers? In it there's a scene in which Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom go to see the director they’ve chosen to make the show a flop, and they find him wearing an evening gown he intends to wear at a dinner party. He asks for their opinion with the words: “Be brutal, be brutal, for heaven knows they will…”<br /><br />That’s what’s needed. Brutality… with yourself… How are you doing in the area of your life under scrutiny? How is it developing in relation to your goals? Your goals should set specific targets for achievement, even if the achievement is having more time off instead of working yourself into the ground every day. So if you’ve decided that you need to work on your family life, and have made a commitment to, say, go out with your family at least every other Sunday—even if only to a restaurant for coffee and ice-cream (though this maybe isn’t a good idea if you’re trying to lose weight)—then you can say categorically whether you’ve achieved it or not.<br /><br />This isn’t to say that you should beat yourself up over the fact that an area of your life isn’t going in exactly the right direction, or that you didn’t achieve a goal. Self-flagellation has always seemed hard work to me. This practice of taking stock is simply a tool—like those navigation instruments on aircraft—which enables you to check where you’re going and make changes as needed.<br /><br />But overall, this forcing yourself to look closely at areas of your life can be a real eye-opener. Things you thought were running smoothly aren’t running smoothly at all. Even worse, those things can be a real drain on resources. One area where this is often true is our finances. We have subscriptions to magazines that we never read. We’re members of clubs that we never use (especially the gym…). And so on… Taking a good look at our finances regularly and seeing which things are not “working”, or which are useless can really help to improve our lives. Simplification is one of the best things we can do…<br /><br />If an area of your life really is working, leave it alone. But more often than not—when you first begin to do this at least—you’ll find that a certain sub-area—or even a whole area—isn’t working too well at all. If at all… You probably thought it was working, because you were working on autopilot. But you were using autopilot for things which really shouldn’t be done on autopilot—like landing and taking off.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So that’s the problem!</span><br /><br />If you haven’t achieved something you set out to do, or if you find an area of your life isn’t moving in the direction you want it to, you need to ask yourself—with the same brutal honesty—why. And try to do it without blaming other people, no matter how difficult that may seem. What could you have done that you didn’t? Why did you not stick to that commitment you made?<br /><br />Many people will shy away from this kind of honesty with themselves. But without it our lives can easily veer off course—and we don’t realize it until it’s too late.<br /><br />Those on-board computer systems are the best technology available. But the pilot and navigator still have to check those systems once in a while to make sure the plane is on the right course. We should too. Autopilot is a great thing, but a good hard look at its processes once every now and again can do us a world of good—and make sure we really are on our way to the correct destination.<br /><br />Take a look at the main areas of your life and see which ones—if any—have been moving along on autopilot. You might be heading the right way. You might be a little off course and just need a fine adjustment. You might be way off course, and need a major adjustment in order to get where you want to go. But the thing to bear in mind is, if you don’t look, you won’t know.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-8977910891756393012007-06-18T02:23:00.000+07:002007-06-18T02:24:19.217+07:00Moving In The Right DirectionHere’s something which you might have had happen to you.<br /><br />You set out to achieve something, but then constantly feel that something is lacking in your life. Even when the goal is reached, the sense of satisfaction still eludes you. Even worse is when you set a goal but then can’t seem to find the motivation to move towards it. No matter how much you try, there just doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm for making progress. Then you start to question why you don’t have any motivation, and maybe begin to think that it’s just because you are lazy or lack drive.<br /><br />There might be some truth in that, though truly lazy people often are too lazy to even think that they might be lazy. :-) The problem is often not that you are lazy, but simply that the goal isn’t one that you really want to achieve. You might have chosen a goal that someone else wants to achieve.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The problem lies in the fact that you don’t know what you want. Or rather you don’t know what your values are—and therefore can’t choose what you want. Knowing your values is like knowing what kind of food you like. Once you know that, you can choose which restaurant you want to go to. If you don’t know which food you like, you might go to a restaurant that has been recommended to you, but then find that there’s nothing on the menu you want to eat.<br /><br />Once you know your values you can ignore goals and ambitions which don’t fit in with your values. If you like action and adventure, then setting a goal to pass an exam which will enable you to get a job in a safe but dull office job will be pointless. You simply won’t have the motivation to reach the goal, no matter how much energy and drive you have. Conversely if you like a life of quiet routine, then setting a goal to become a coastguard, a life out on the open sea in all weathers, probably isn’t going to do it for you.<br /><br />The bottom line is that if you have no idea what you want, it’s no wonder that you don’t have any motivation to achieve anything. Once you find what you want, you’ll find motivation easier to come by.<br /><br />Knowing what your values are means you can stop striving for things that don’t really matter. It’s a problem for many people, and one which leads nowhere.<br /><br />As Don Marquis finely put it:<br /><br />“<span style="font-style:italic;">Ours is a world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it.</span>”</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-49029633544837359562007-06-18T02:21:00.000+07:002007-06-18T02:22:35.066+07:00Chasing Personal DevelopmentWhat is personal development anyway? Why are we so keen in becoming personally developed? How do we measure this progress? I remember a story: some years ago, a new boss was appointed, he came and asked me what are my training needs. I said none and then he said to me very serious: “But you should think of your personal development”. Well, I replied that I considered myself to be personally very well developed, at least for the job I had to do (I did not like that guy at all, so I could not refrain from being sarcastic almost all the time). He insisted though to send to me a seminar of Philip Kotler, which I did not attend after all, as I quit my job and went on vacation by the time it took place.�<br /><br />I don’t say that chasing personal development is bad. Nor I say it is good. I think in this field there is neither bad nor good; it’s all about our desire to perfection ourselves, our desire to get liked by others, to be recognized as experts in our little corners of life. I read a bunch of so called motivational literature, some of the books were great, some others were offering patterns of living totally unsuitable with my way.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Do you know the old saying that “all roads lead to Rome”? Well, I figured out what it may be about: yes, all roads lead in the same place, but each one of us can take only one road at a time, so we spend our resources in finding out which is the best way for us, we spend our time in fears that we might have taken the wrong path, we waste our thoughts on assuming how the paths we rejected may have looked like. So, why bother? Since any of the roads leads to the same good old Rome, why trying to find the best one? They all are the best. And there are so many crossroads on the way, that instead of looking back, we would better focus on the next crossroad and leave everything that’s past behind. The crossroad I encounter in this very moment is all that matters. Now and only now I’m making the history.� You may say that there are situations in which you have no choice. I fully disagree with this. There is always a choice, we choose in any moment how we want our life to look like. What if I was attacked by thieves? My only choice to get alive would be to give them my wallet, wouldn’t it? No, I still see a few other choices here, such as joining their gang and becoming their leader in a couple of months. Or climbing the nearby tree, then jump on the roof of the nearby house, get down on the chimney and tell the people in the house that you are Santa Claus suffering from Alzheimer and this is why you came in May, without your gifts bag.�<br /><br />That’s my point, now focus on your next crossroad and drop me a message if you found this useful somehow for your personal development?</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-30011573720625633462007-06-18T02:19:00.000+07:002007-06-18T02:21:09.578+07:00Make Your Own FutureToday’s little light of inspiration comes from a quote by Alan Key. For those of you who don’t know who he is, it’s enough to say that he’s a pioneer in the technology field. And although the quote does relate mainly to technology, it can, like a lot of good sound bites, relate to many other areas too. The quote is one you might have already heard. But if not, here goes:<br /><br /> “<span style="font-style:italic;">The best way to predict the future is to create it.</span>”<br /><br />Essentially, the whole concept of the quote is one concerning the nature of time. We look at the future as this hazy amorphous mass somewhere “out there”. It’s a foreign country, the future, like the past as mentioned in the opening lines to the novel by LP Hartley, The Go-Between. “<span style="font-style:italic;">The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.</span>”<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />But hazy though the future may be, it’s form, especially on a personal level, will be dictated largely by what we do today. When we think of the future as something outside our control, we fall into the trap of thinking that what we get out of life is largely due to chance, that we “get what’s coming to us”, when actually we get the results in the future of what we made today.<br /><br />Thinking of the future as largely out of our control is to also fall into the trap of wasting time today. We think that a few minutes spent today will have little or no effect on what happens tomorrow, or next month, or next year. Actually, a few minutes spent today might make tomorrow better. And a few minutes spent tomorrow—which is now today :-) —might make the next day better too. And so it goes…<br /><br />We sometimes think that by doing nothing, we are somehow cheating time, and that we can wait for a better time to do the things we want to do. But the time will pass no matter what you do, so you may as well do it to move towards that better future you’re dreaming about. This is the basis of good time management.<br /><br />Think about it… What can you do today that will increase the chance of a better future for you and for others? Take just five minutes to think about it. Then do it. Go on, predict the future. The future is closer than you think.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-52292818125440812712007-06-18T02:15:00.000+07:002007-06-18T02:19:30.350+07:00Constant Personal DevelopmentConstantly improving our skills is hard work, but the rewards are greater than the effort. Here’s why training is important, and how you can get the best from it<br /><br />One of the things I learned from practicing martial arts was the concept of training in order to do things better. This seems like common sense—of course we train to do things better—but what can easily happen is that we keep doing the same training over and again, expecting to get better, when what we need is not just training, but constant improvement in our training.<br /><br />In the martial arts—especially in karate—this is done by structuring the training into a formal system that teaches the basics and then ever more complicated moves until the student acquires competency. Sometimes the movements being taught don’t seem—to the student at least—to have anything to do with the other moves. But then the student learns a more complicated move and finds that one of the basic moves is needed to complete a more complicated sequence.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />In Japanese, the moves are called kata, and mean literally “form”. It’s a way of keeping the student on his toes and ensuring he keeps moving forward. In some ways this relates to the concept of Kaizen—a concept used by Japanese companies (and now companies from many other countries) which teaches that small incremental improvements will eventually lead to a big improvement, or a market advantage.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sounds good… But how can we use this in our self-development?</span><br /><br />By understanding that this concept of constant improvement doesn’t only relate to martial arts or to company performance, that’s how.<br /><br />It can be used on a personal level as a way of inspiring you to achieve greater things, as a tool to increase your motivation and to help in keeping your personal development on track. This can encompass improvements in anything from your social skills, your career, your finances and even your relationships.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Goal achievement</span><br /><br />In the end, this boils down to goal achievement, and if we want to take goal achievement seriously, we have to embrace the concept of constant improvement. Even when no structured training program exists, this method can still work wonders. You just have to design your own training program or at least keep setting fresh goals in order to give you something to aim for. We are talking about self-development after all. :-)<br /><br />The big question is: <span style="font-style:italic;">where to begin?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Getting started</span><br /><br />Getting started on your training is the hardest part—and a big cause of this problem is that you simply don’t know where to start. Even if you know which area of your life you want to train—your finances, your relationships, whatever—it’s difficult to get started because of a paradox. You know what you want to train in, but you don’t know which areas within that subject you should concentrate on. So the end result is that you need to begin, but can’t because you don’t know where to. At this point you’re so incompetent you don’t know how incompetent you are.<br /><br />The only way round this dilemma is to take the simple solution—advice I’ve found to be sound in many situations. Just start. Just jump right in and start to train. This can mean finding a class in whatever subject interests you, or buying a book on the subject, or maybe just reading an article on a website—much like you’re doing now. If you’re training your mind—by learning how to invest money wisely, for instance—this will give you some idea of what you don’t know… and what you do. If you’re training in some physical discipline, such as martial arts, you’ll find what you can do and what you can’t. This enables you to pinpoint your weaknesses and work on them. You might have good balance, but have a body which is not supple. So you’ll need to do a lot of stretching to get the body in shape. You might be supple, but lack physical strength, so strength-improving exercises will be the way to go.<br /><br />It might be a case that you’re weak in all areas, but until you actually start the training, you just don’t know what it is that you don’t know.<br /><br />For instance, about a year ago I made the decision to learn how to earn money online. At that time I hadn’t a clue about how to do business online and so didn’t have any strong areas at all. I knew how to use a computer, sure, but most of the terms used on the Internet were utterly foreign to me. I didn’t even know how many ways there were to earn money online—and believe me there are a lot.<br /><br />But it was only after I started looking at the possibilities and began to learn a little bit—by buying a few ebooks, visiting forums and stuff—that I learned what it was I needed to know. I had to cut through a lot of garbage—and believe me there’s more garbage talked about earning money online than there are ways to earn money online—though until I’d experienced it I didn’t know how bad it actually was. Without it I couldn’t get to the real stuff. It showed me what I didn’t know but needed to in order to start moving forward.<br /><br />First I decided that my main business model would be to build websites for advertising and affiliate income. Once I’d decided that—the first part of my training—I could work on tailoring my training program to suit me. Then I began to look around only for those opportunities which fitted well with the approach I’d chosen.<br /><br />The first thing I did was join a forum where a lot of people who were already making money online discussed things. Through asking questions there I found a lot of good information, and that included the fact that you don’t need to be a computer whiz—a geek, if you like—to have an online business. Just a basic understanding is enough, especially in the beginning. Most of the stuff is a black box—you don’t need to know how it works… only that if you press a few buttons it does the job. Incidentally, this is one of the great benefits of just getting started with your training—you often find that you need to learn much less than you thought you did.<br /><br />Within a few months I knew how to build a website from scratch, load it onto a server and get it live. I also knew the basics of growing links to my sites in order to promote them, plus various other methods of website promotion such as article marketing. I built a few sites and within a few months the first few dollars had started to come in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Taking training further</span><br /><br />Once my small network of sites was up and running and bringing in at least some income, I looked around for ways I could train further. One of them was to join a membership site that taught advanced techniques for getting the most out of your websites—and how to build more sites which would bring in more income. This meant more work, and the rewards won’t be seen for a few months, but I’m keeping in mind that the rewards will be worth it.<br /><br />I also started this blog just a few weeks ago as an eventual alternative income stream to my network of smaller sites and a possible way of promoting some offline business ideas I have. (One of the things my constant training—and not only training as regards the web—has taught me is the importance of a diversified income) This blog is an absolute freshman on the scene, but it’s already seeing some traffic and is well-ranked in the search engines for some phrases. Maybe you got here by searching for one of them.<br /><br />The notable thing is that until just a few weeks ago I didn’t know a thing about blogs, and the reason for the half-decent start is that in order to get the thing up and running as quickly as possible and in a way which ensures the promotion is done properly I paid for… you guessed it… training.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Really, you can’t beat training…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Still training</span><br /><br />Although I know enough to move forward, I’m still learning. I still consider myself a beginner—and always will. There’s always something new to learn—another reason why constant training is important. I currently subscribe to two membership sites, both run by top notch people in the industry of online income. Every day I soak up some new knowledge which will help me expand my business or which shows further avenues for training. The next steps will be to hire some freelance staff to help me with my smaller sites, and to keep growing this blog. The fact that you’re reading this blog—you are reading it aren’t you?—shows I’m at least moving forward in that area…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Why constant training works</span><br /><br />The reason that constant training works is that as you get better, your life gets easier. This has a tendency to increase your motivation, which leads to the desire to train more, which increases motivation….<br /><br />chess setThe important point to remember is that you need to keep pushing yourself slightly beyond the boundaries of what you’re capable of. Doing stuff you can already do means your progress stops dead. If anything, it has a tendency to make you slip back, because you could lose motivation.<br /><br />As you keep moving through your training program, you keep raising the bar, so that what was once extremely difficult becomes easier and easier as time goes on. In my martial arts classes I remember first doing the basic moves and feeling as though my feet were glued to the floor. But after a few months those basic moves had become second nature and I didn’t have to think about them at all. They’d become a subconscious habit. The movements hadn’t changed; only my ability to perform them had.<br /><br />It’s the same with any area of your life. When I first began to look at earning a living online I was so incompetent in the area it was unreal. I read an interview with an expert about website building and web promotion and for all practical purposes didn’t understand a word of it. For the most part it was as though the guy was speaking in a foreign language. What is an RSS feed? What does pinging mean? And how do you do it? And does it do you any good? Help!<br /><br />I can laugh now—well, shake my head at the craziness of it—but at the time I sort of held my head in my hands and the words just seemed to swim about on the page. I really was so incompetent I didn’t know how incompetent I was. Now I can hardly remember what it was like to NOT understand those terms. Now I can improve my understanding of the way the web works with less effort—which in turn means I can make my life in this area easier again…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Work on your weak points</span><br /><br />The whole point of training is to do in private what will help you in public.<br /><br />In order for you to do this, you need to work on your weak points. But before you work on your weak points, you need to know what they are, and the way to discover your weak points is to monitor your performance outside of the training. Your performance outside of training is not training—your performance is a way to see what needs to be improved.<br /><br />The martial art I studied was one-of-a-kind, a mixture of traditional Japanese karate and western boxing. It trained several kick-boxing champions (though not me among them, I must admit), and the reason it was so successful was that the instructors changed the system if they thought it could be improved. Whenever a fight was lost, the reasons were analyzed and the training changed to incorporate new techniques. Then those who competed at championship level trained hard with the new techniques, making it much less likely that they would lose the next time. The new techniques might be used rarely, but when a situation arose that needed that technique—and the situation almost certainly would arise at some point—the training already had it covered.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">It’s true that if you train hard you can fight easy. Or at least easier.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Training in one area makes<br />you better in other areas too</span><br /><br />Training doesn’t help you only in the area you train in. It improves other areas of your life. For instance, as part of my martial arts training, I learned how to do stretching exercises. This makes the muscles supple, which makes movement easier in everything you do. Walking is easier, climbing stairs is easier, which means you get less tired—which means more energy in general.<br /><br />Even if the training is in something intangible—such as improving your finances—it can still have beneficial effects, since the good feelings about your finances will seep into other areas of your life and make improvements there. If your finances are in better shape, you’ll probably feel better, which means you’ll do better in your job, which means more money, which means another improvement in your finances…<br /><br />In the end, training is never wasted. I no longer practice that martial art because I now live a long way from the place where it’s taught and I’d have to spend over a day traveling to get there… But that training is still with me, in an appreciation of what can be achieved by training… and the fact that I still do those stretching exercises…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Getting better has its rewards</span><br /><br />Training yourself in new skills will bring rewards—and often monetary rewards at that. The reason that people with expert knowledge can be paid so much is because they are paid for their knowledge and not their time. There’s an old story about a ships engineer who retires. The new engineer joins the crew and the ship sets sail. A few days at sea and the engines begin to make a terrible noise. Everyone spends days analyzing the engines but can’t find the problem. Eventually the old engineer is called out of retirement to see if he can help. He agrees, but says it will cost $10,000 to solve the problem. He comes on board ship and listens to the engines for a moment, then places a heavy kick to the control panel. The noise stops immediately. As he collects his $10,000, one of the crew says: “$10,000 for five minutes of your time is incredible.” And the old engineer replies: “I didn’t get paid $10,000 for five minutes of my time. I got paid $10,000 for knowing where to kick.”<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Training certainly pays, and you should always remember that…</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You are not alone</span><br /><br />Well, OK, you are… but not quite. You have to decide which areas you want to train… and you have to actually decide to do the training… and you have to do most of the work. In the end, your progress depends entirely on you.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">But the good news is that most things have already been worked out for you.</span><br /><br />My math teacher maintained that there were no real mathematicians anymore, and had a favorite saying when the class thought the subject was becoming too difficult. “We’re not mathematicians,” he would say decisively. “The ancient Greeks worked all this out and wrote it down. All we do is copy them.”<br /><br />Its advice I’ve always remembered, and in building my web skills, you could say that I’m doing that—though it’s less following the ancient Greeks and more following the modern geeks. :-)<br /><br />What it boils down to is that whatever area of your life you want to improve there are books you can read, courses you can go on, people you can pay to help you attain the knowledge you need. Most of the heavy lifting has already been done. In some cases all you need to do is ask and people will give advice, sometimes for the best possible price—free.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Start now… Because we shall<br />never see this day again…</span><br /><br />Getting started can be difficult, but once you start to do something it gets easier. You get into the habit, and it becomes difficult to stop. Once you begin, you find that it gets easier to keep going, especially when you start to see improvements and success—which you surely will. Bad habits are hard to break, but so are good habits. Make good habits of improving yourself and pretty soon you’ll find it difficult to not improve yourself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How to get going</span><br /><br />Choose an area of your life that you would like to improve—and then do something about it. Make a decision to work on that area for the next few months, or years if it’s a major area in need of major improvement.<br /><br />Find people who know what they are doing, and get advice. Libraries are full of it. The internet is full of it. The main thing is to just get moving.<br /><br />Once you’re moving you’ll see what it is you really need to do. You’ll know what it is you really lack. Then you can tailor the training to what you really need. But until you’re moving you can’t see where your weaknesses lie. Eventually you can move toward an area where the skill becomes part of your everyday life, something you can do with practically no effort. When you were a child and first began to learn to read, you probably struggled over a lot of the words. But after a while you became more fluent, until eventually reading just became second nature, enabling you to read without much effort at all, including words on a computer screen—a training program which, for instance, enabled you to read this article.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">You’ve been through training before. Why not do it again?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">And again…</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-50745630198881388652007-06-17T20:07:00.000+07:002007-06-17T20:09:14.329+07:00Your Will Power"<span style="font-style:italic;">A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.</span>"<br /> Lao-tzu<br /><br /> Break things up and take smaller bites. If you continually take the big bite and can't swallow you will not get anywhere. Any thing you wish to accomplish will be easier if you break it into it's smaller components and take them on one at a time. Sounds simple and it is. However it requires effort, awareness and control to accomplish.<br /><br />You are not your thoughts. That's a comment I have made to you before. However, for the 'real you' to shine through you need to have command of your thoughts.<br /><br />The collection of your thoughts and their strength and ability to manifest what the real you desires, is called your will.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Will is your personal power. Your will is the collection of your thoughts. Your thoughts if you have a strong will, enable you to manifest what you desire.<br /><br />To put it bluntly, you get what you want if you use your will. Many people have not developed their will. In fact many people create situations that weaken their will.<br /><br />One of the easiest and simplest ways to strengthen your will is to set and attain a goal.<br /><br />Boring you say, we have already covered this! Let's go a little deeper.<br /><br />Everytime you have a thought that goes along the lines of -<br /><br />"I will do ..."<br /><br />"I am going to..."<br /><br />you are actually setting a goal. In other words anytime you say to yourself I am going to do something no matter how small that something is, you are goal setting.<br /><br />It's like making an appointment with yourself.<br /><br />"Next week I will..."<br /><br />The question to ask yourself is do you do it? Do you keep the appointment?<br /><br />It's interesting to observe that most people keep appointments with others yet break the appointment they make with themselves. This is an indicator of your self respect.<br /><br />It's your thoughts that create your goals and targets whether you consciously have a part in them or not.<br /><br />Remember we have already covered that the average person has 50,000 thoughts per day. That's about 2 thoughts per second. Most people are only aware of a few of their thoughts.<br /><br />Here's the important bit. Everytime you do NOT follow through and attain your goal you are weakening your personal power.<br /><br />Everytime that you follow through you are strengthening it.<br /><br />The first thing to do is to be conscious of what you promise yourself and other people. Don't promise too much.<br /><br />I know, I am an advocate of shooting high when it comes to goal setting. However if you consciously examine your thoughts I believe that you will find you are promising too much.<br /><br />You need to focus on less to achieve more.<br /><br />Here's are some easy examples,<br /><br />1. A gentleman I know wants to exercise more. He has trouble exercising once per week and he has many late nights. He sets himself a target of a grueling workout every morning before work. It never happens but he continues to set this goal.<br /><br />2. A salesman I met believes that he can earn a fortune selling his product. He has a small established client base and has trouble making cold calls. Everyday he promises himself that he will make 30 phone calls. His best day so far is two.<br /><br />3. I have a client that is disorganized, he has hundreds of small jobs to do. They are not high on his list of priorities and they never seem to get done. He promises himself everyday that he will clean up. He never has time.<br /><br />All three scenario's have a multitude of solutions but we are only discussing the thought process and how it effects your will.<br /><br />In all three examples the people are disempowered. In order to build strength of will you need to start with a smaller target and work on achieving it.<br /><br />One gym workout per week in the afternoon for a period of time. Four phone calls per day, everyday. One small task from your low priority list per day.<br /><br />Build a habit and look for consistency. Strengthen your will. One small step at a time. Then look to the sky to achieve your dream.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-60564196632709224462007-06-17T20:02:00.000+07:002007-06-17T20:05:59.014+07:007 Great Ways To Reduce Stress ImmediatelyStress Management.<br /><br />Here are <span style="font-weight:bold;">7 great ways</span> to reduce stress immediately. (and one extra special one at the end)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Breath slowly and deeply.</span><br /><br />Often shallow fast breathing causes unnecessary stress. This is one of the easiest stress management techniques around.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Do less.</span><br /><br />It easier than you think to eliminate all the useless things from your life. This frees up time and energy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Take care of your body with exercise.</span><br /><br />Go for a walk now. Play some tennis with your friend or just kick a ball with your kids.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Take a break.</span><br /><br />Time out from what you are doing has enormous benefits. A short break is refreshing and can give you a new perspective. Take 5 minutes now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Learn to meditate.</span><br /><br />This is a stress management marvel. It relaxes your body and mind.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. Reduce noise.</span><br /><br />Turn off the radio and television, even the noise from a computer has an impact. Sit in silence now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Get distracted.</span><br /><br />Distract yourself with something you love. Go to the movies or do the gardening.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-67311509149625656152007-06-17T19:59:00.000+07:002007-06-17T20:02:10.744+07:005 Time Management TechniquesI am often asked about time management techniques. People often tell me that they don't have time for themselves, in fact they just don't have time. I am often asked how do I get more time for myself?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The answer is simple.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">First and foremost</span>, there is no such thing as you having less time than anyone else. We are all allocated the same number of minutes in a day. It's a question of what is most important to you. I hear people say "<span style="font-style:italic;">I haven't got time to do ...</span>" That's an incorrect statement. You do have time. The fact is that you have placed another task higher in order of importance.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Here are some things you can do to free up your available time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Priority.</span> Give priority to what's important. Decide what's important and what's not. Do that which is important first. When you have finished then you can start on the unimportant tasks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Say NO.</span> When people ask you to do something say NO. You can't do everything. For some people it's very hard to say "NO" to other people. You might feel obligated to do something or you might be unable to say no. You need to examine why you do this and what is your 'true' motivator.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Delegate.</span> If you are able to delegate something, do so. Delegation will free up an enormous amount of time. This includes paying someone to do something. Ie: If you pay someone to mow the lawn you get more time to spend with your family on the weekend. If you run a business this is especially important otherwise you will not be able to grow.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Handle Things Once Only.</span> If you pick something up and start to think about it - finish the job now. Don't put it down just to pick it up again later. An example is tidying up. If you pick something up, put it away in its proper place NOT on the table out of harms way where it needs to be handled again later. Doubling up wastes time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Make Yourself A Priority.</span> This is the big one when it comes to time management techniques. I can't give you a short answer here. If you are constantly putting others ahead of yourself. If you find yourself doing tasks for others ahead of your own, you need to examine your belief systems and your self esteem.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-76160875719566916532007-06-17T19:55:00.000+07:002007-06-17T19:58:44.947+07:0010 Great Tips For Your Personal Development<span style="font-weight:bold;">Make A Personal Development Plan.</span><br /><br />Personal development is a very broad topic and can encompass anything that involves your transformation as a person. It means becoming the best you can be and reaching towards your potential. When you become a 'better' person than you were yesterday (this does not mean better than another person) your life and it's circumstances improve. This is usually achieved by looking internally and then changing the way you act externally.<br /><br />When it comes to doing something planning what you intend to do is essential. Writing down what you want is the first step. It's no different when it comes to your personal development. Plan for it. Keep it brief and monitor what happens. Write down the results in a diary. Writing down what you want and what you get clarifies your thought process and cements your intention. You are allowed to change or adjust your plan whenever you wish. If there is no success as you follow the steps in your plan that's your signal to review what you have done or to adjust your plan.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Here are 10 things to consider in your personal development plan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Start Now</span><br />Do something about your personal development plan today. It's going to take some time to achieve lasting change so you need to start now. You can build on what you do today, tomorrow.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Small Steps</span><br />To make a plan you need to include steps. Break a large goal into it's smallest components. Keep the end result in mind as you focus on the smaller bite sized steps.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Learn From Other People</span><br />You can gain from the success of other people and you can learn from their mistakes. Your own experience is a harsh teacher so learn from the mistakes of others. If you can find a mentor or coach your task will be easier. Read as many books as you can. If you can't afford to buy books or don't want to spend the money borrow them from the library.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Welcome Change</span><br />The world is changing all the time. Even if you do nothing you will change by default as the world turns. There is no escape from this. If people and ideas didn't change we would all still be living in caves. Your personal development plan needs to include how you are going to change, what action will you take? Only action leads to results.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Take Responsibility</span><br />You are responsible for your own progress. You are responsible for what you are today and where you are today. That means it's your job to initiate the steps involved in your own personal development. If you don’t bother no one else will. It also means you own the result and no one else is to blame.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. Be Grateful & Recognize Your Worth</span><br />Focus on what you already have. Think about how others benefit from what you do. If you improve yourself, those benefits will increase. Your personal development is for others as well as for you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Think About Your Intention.</span><br />Whatever you intend eventually becomes your reality. Find your true intention before you resolve to do something and make sure you really want what you say you want. If your goal and your intention are not aligned then you’ll think up lots of excuses and all sorts of situations to prevent your progress.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">8. Challenge Yourself.</span><br />Your goal/s needs to be just out of reach. If your reach for an impossible target you are setting yourself up for a failure. If you stick to what’s easy you’re denying yourself the satisfaction of achievement and only minimal change will occur.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9. Do What You Like</span><br />Its no good doing things that you don't like. Pick methods that appeal to you. Pick people to help you that you like. Make sure you are following your heart but don't run from the hard issues. They need to be addressed one day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10. Keep Going & Never Give Up</span><br />Life works in cycles and moves to a rhythm.You will have up and downs. When you hit a slow point or things don't seem to be moving, don't give up, keep going. There is no such thing as continual rapid advancement and that means your personal development plan needs to be achievable and balanced. Find your rhythm and go with the flow. There’s no such thing as finished self-development. You can go on learning, changing and renewing for all of your life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Here are two great personal development options.</span><br /><br />1. <span style="font-style:italic;">The Key To Life Manual</span> shows you how to address the root cause of all your problems. It explains exactly what to do on a path of personal development. <br /><br />2. <span style="font-style:italic;">Life Coaching</span> is the ultimate in personal development. Have an expert guide you through the process step by step. Find the solution to any problem or set back.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11191117.post-56990730563446738652007-06-17T19:49:00.000+07:002007-06-17T19:51:31.570+07:00Happiness - Be Happy and WholeWhere is your focus? For most people the answer to this question lies in the outside world. Your external focus leads to unhappiness and a continual search for an elusive and indefinable state of being. The outside world or the world around you is a mirror of yourself, your attitudes, beliefs and thoughts. The key to shaping and changing your situation is to focus on changing yourself. Look within.<br /><br />Often people are searching for happiness. It is expressed as (.....) will make me happy. I will be happy when(.....). It is often material possessions and/or a soul mate that people believe will fulfill their desire and make them whole. The focus in both cases is external. Before you can form loving and intimate relationships you need to take care of and love yourself. You earn as much as your inner worth dictates, you are treated the way your beliefs allow and the perfect partner cannot be found until you acknowledge that you are perfect because your partner reflects you.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Your soul chooses to manifest into the physical body you have today, to create, express and experience. To be happy and whole you need to<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Express and nurture yourself.</span><br /><br />As a human being you need to express yourself. Expression means doing what you want to do, what you feel you have to do and showing the world who you are as an individual. This is often cloaked in an emotional cloud. Your path can be obscured by the powerful 'should' word. People often spend lifetimes doing what they should do as expressed by the wishes of their parents or society. "What will my parents think if I am the singer in a rock and roll band instead of a lawyer or doctor". Find what you want to do as expressed by your soul. This is how you find your power.<br /><br />Living a life that denies expression and your inner feelings means that you are not nurturing yourself and that you are suppressing your feelings. Suppression gives away your power. When you give your power to others it enables them to have undue influence over you. When people have too much power and influence over you and subconsciously you are not doing what you want, you feel helpless and victimized. This causes you to be frightened and angry. Anger is a symptom of your loss of power.<br /><br />The easiest way to suppress feelings is to medicate. Drugs including alcohol and the use of food are popular methods employed. Emptiness, boredom and disease are the results of this process. Not doing what you want means you are not nurturing yourself this again may manifest in the abuse of food, alcohol or sex. The substance or behavior becomes a substitute for nurturing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Love yourself and accept yourself as you are.</span><br /><br />You need to accept yourself and to love yourself as you are today. All of us have thoughts and feelings and everyone has, or has had, what they consider 'bad' thoughts. We have all done things that we are ashamed of.<br /><br />There is both positive and negative in you. This is also known as light and dark. You must acknowledge and accept your dark side to become whole. No matter what you have done in the past you can change your behavior today. It is pointless to wallow in your feelings of guilt as this is based on the assumption that what you did was wrong. Your behavior always has a positive intent for you, at the time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Acknowledgment of your dark side brings light.</span><br /><br />Here is an exercise I read in a Louise Hay book. Stand in front of the mirror, look at yourself and say "(your name), I love and accept you just the way you are." Do this everyday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Set boundaries and live within them.</span><br /><br />Boundaries are what defines your world. Many people don't have them because<br /><br />1. They have not thought about, what they want.<br />2. They have defined boundaries but fail to live within them.<br /><br />You need to define what is acceptable and what is not, then you need to live by this.<br /><br />Here is a simple example. You work for a grumpy boss. He is rude and raises his voice to you. This happens regularly and it is not important for this example how you respond. You are unhappy and express this with negative talk to your peers. Why are you unhappy? You do not live within your boundary. You understand that this is not acceptable behavior. Your boss continues because he can.<br /><br />Expressing to him in a calm manner, that you do not accept and will not put up with this behavior is setting a boundary. To live within, is to take action. He may stop or you may leave and work somewhere else.<br /><br />Not living within your boundaries is a major source of unhappiness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Take responsibility for yourself and your actions.</span><br /><br />The world around you is a mirror. It's a mirror of everything that you think and believe. These thoughts and beliefs are what have built your world. What you think and expect, you get. The choices that are made moment to moment in what you think and how you behave creates your world. Look around you, into your mirror and note what you wish to change. Turn the focus within and find what this is reflecting in you. Change this aspect of you. Your world will change.<br /><br />Blaming others and circumstance for your situation means you are not taking responsibility and ownership of and for yourself. Again the focus is on the external. This denial of ownership leads to a victim mentality and allows you to let the world roll by and circumstance to guide you. You will feel helpless as a result.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Don't try to change the mirror. Change yourself.</span><br /><br />You radiate with an energy and vibrate to a certain frequency. This vibration is set by the thoughts and beliefs you have, coupled with the emotions that surround you. Your vibration attracts like vibrations. This happens all the time with out you even thinking about the process. You will change when you change something in yourself and you become a different person. Your world changes automatically because it is a reflection of you.<br /><br />This is a great indictor for you and needs to be embraced and cherished. It is a simple process but not always easy.<br /><br />To take ownership means to acknowledge that you are responsible for who you are and what you have around you. You have a choice in everything you do.<br /><br />You can change your whole life with these four simple points.<br /><br />Love and acceptance. The expression of who you are. Living within your boundaries and ownership of your life. This is about your direction and needs. Be assertive, you will no longer feel helpless and you will regain control.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0