In the movie, "A League of Their Own," the baseball coach talked to his dispirited team, saying, "Of course it's hard. If it wasn't hard, everybody would do it!"
That's the way it is with success. It can be hard. But there are four sure-fire ways to achieve success at almost anything every time without failure.
4 Ways to Achieve Your Goals & Succeed Every Time Without Failure
1. Work hard.
There's no substitute for hard work. Simply put, there "ain't no free lunch."
When I look at highly successful people, I think, "It's no wonder they're doing so well. Look at everything they're doing."
Could the same thing be said about you? If someone were to follow you around for a week and painstakingly record everything you did to advance your career, would that person walk away with a long list of all the things you're doing to get ahead? Or would that person have a long list of the excuses you gave and the time you wasted?
Sometimes people fool themselves into thinking they're putting out a 100% effort … when in reality, they're not. For example, many people are out of work these days, and I've often heard them say, "I sent out 100 resumes, and I didn't get any response. I did everything I could."
One hundred percent effort means that you've exhausted every possible opportunity for reaching your goal. If you're looking for a job, 100 percent effort would include researching individual companies you want to work for, sending these companies personalized letters, calling to follow up, calling other people in the industry, and networking.
One hundred percent effort means telling a potential boss, "I'm sure you've got a lot of applicants here. But I believe so strongly in my ability to meet your needs, I'll work for you for 30 days with no pay. Let me prove to you my ability. In 30 days, evaluate my performance. If it's not up to par, let me go. But when I prove myself to you, I expect to be given the job and paid for the 30 days of work."
Now that's putting in 100% effort! And that's what you need to do to succeed in any area of life … because success is more often the result of hard work than the result of talent.
2. Practice endurance.
To many people, "endurance" is a nasty word. They would like to come by success the "easy" way. They want it to fall into their laps.
But that's an extremely rare occurrence. 99.99% of the time, success comes AFTER you "endure" awhile. And all the greats in every field of endeavor have learned how to "endure."
As professional tennis player Bjorn Borg noted, "My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories."
Could the same be said of you?
Or do people ... secretly behind your back ... say you bail out when things get a little tough? Do they say you give up way too easily or throw in the towel too quickly? Do they point out the fact that you seldom finish what you start?
If you answer "yes" to any of these latter questions, remember the words of John Quincy Adams. He noted, "Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." In other words, there's power in perseverance.
3. Keep on believing.
Believe in yourself. Believe in a power bigger than yourself. Believe in success. And believe you can be successful.
That's what Lee Iacocca, the former chairman of the Chrysler Corporation did. When the world told him to let his debt-ridden company die, Iacocca refused. He didn't wait for the economy to change or for a government bailout to rescue him.
Iacocca kept believing in himself, in his company, in his products, and in his workers. He pronounced, "So what do we do? Anything -- something. So long as we don't just sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late."
4. Stay committed.
Everything else being equal, commitment wins every time. So fight back any feelings of discouragement that might get in your way. Don't allow yourself to hang it up when things get rough.
If you're going to be successful, you've got to remember the letters M.I.H. It stands for... Make It Happen.
As you pursue your goals, as you strive towards excellence and success, follow these four points and you're sure to win. After all, most people don't fail. They just give up.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Improving the Quality of Your Life
Imagine if we could live our lives completely free of stress.
Now wake up and stop dreaming, because you can’t.
No matter what job you have, no matter where you live, you will have stress in your life. What causes you stress is different to what causes me stress. What you stress about is different to what I stress about. The amount of stress you can cope with is different to the levels I can cope with.
But…we all suffer with stress.
The chance of us living completely without worries or stress for the rest of our lives are as much as us finding out that Father Christmas really does exist.
Although, stress can never be avoided, we can reduce it, if we know what to do when it comes.
In the times or situations when you find yourself overwhelmed with problems, worries and stress, just remember what the famous Lao-tzu once said, “The journey to a thousand miles begins with a single step.’
Very simply put.
It is better that we tackle and finish our tasks one at a time rather than give up altogether.
Here are a few ways to be more efficient when dealing with stress and pressure:
1. Plan out your day’s work, in advance. Agree what you need to do and add a timeframe. Do your best to match the timeframe you’ve allotted for each task.
2. Prioritise your tasks. Consider the “must do” items only, write them down, and then schedule the necessary time for those activities.
3. Brush up on your delegation skills and start to delegate. People you know may have the skills needed to help you and relieve you from stress.
4. Limit distractions - some people work better with the radio blasting. If you’re one of them, then go for it. Just surround yourself with things that’ll help you with concentration and will inspire you to be more productive.
5. Know when to take a break. Go for a walk, take in some fresh air, do some exercise. Doing something different can refresh our bodies and minds and reenergize us to go back to work in top form.
Everyone has their breaking point and they are all at different levels. If you reach yours, this is in no way an indication of weakness. Just know that you have to surround yourselves with people who can give you the support that you need at the time you need it.
With your own personal strength and the right support system, stress no longer needs to be a scary word.
by Andrew Rondeau
Now wake up and stop dreaming, because you can’t.
No matter what job you have, no matter where you live, you will have stress in your life. What causes you stress is different to what causes me stress. What you stress about is different to what I stress about. The amount of stress you can cope with is different to the levels I can cope with.
But…we all suffer with stress.
The chance of us living completely without worries or stress for the rest of our lives are as much as us finding out that Father Christmas really does exist.
Although, stress can never be avoided, we can reduce it, if we know what to do when it comes.
In the times or situations when you find yourself overwhelmed with problems, worries and stress, just remember what the famous Lao-tzu once said, “The journey to a thousand miles begins with a single step.’
Very simply put.
It is better that we tackle and finish our tasks one at a time rather than give up altogether.
Here are a few ways to be more efficient when dealing with stress and pressure:
1. Plan out your day’s work, in advance. Agree what you need to do and add a timeframe. Do your best to match the timeframe you’ve allotted for each task.
2. Prioritise your tasks. Consider the “must do” items only, write them down, and then schedule the necessary time for those activities.
3. Brush up on your delegation skills and start to delegate. People you know may have the skills needed to help you and relieve you from stress.
4. Limit distractions - some people work better with the radio blasting. If you’re one of them, then go for it. Just surround yourself with things that’ll help you with concentration and will inspire you to be more productive.
5. Know when to take a break. Go for a walk, take in some fresh air, do some exercise. Doing something different can refresh our bodies and minds and reenergize us to go back to work in top form.
Everyone has their breaking point and they are all at different levels. If you reach yours, this is in no way an indication of weakness. Just know that you have to surround yourselves with people who can give you the support that you need at the time you need it.
With your own personal strength and the right support system, stress no longer needs to be a scary word.
by Andrew Rondeau
Discover your own brand
BRANDING, put simply, is a way of saying that something belongs to you. You own your body and your personality, so you are, in every sense of the word, your brand.
Brands carry values. These can be functional, expressive and central values.
Functional values are related to product performance. For example, Rolex watches deliver quality timekeeping, Coca-Cola refreshes and Singapore Airlines offers “a great way to fly”.
Expressive values focus on what the consumer wants. For instance, Harley-Davidson motorcycles epitomise freedom and adventure, while Tag Heuer watches convey youthfulness and athletic prowess.
Central values are the key to any product, and they permeate the very core of the consumer’s belief systems. For example, Virgin, through its founder Sir Richard Branson, conveys an image of irreverence and derring-do. Apple, through its iMac, iBook and iPod products, conveys iconic ownership status.
How, then, can you express yourself as a brand?
Functional values
Your functional values can be expressed through the way you work and the way you solve problems.
You can convey dependability and integrity by the way you carry out your duties and responsibilities at work, in the family and in society.
Punctuality, thoroughness and efficiency are manifestations of your functional values.
Expressive values
You can convey your expressive values through your attire, hobbies and adornments, such as the watches and jewellery you wear and the car you drive.
Your values are also revealed through the music you listen to, the books and magazines you read and the movies you watch.
These tell people about your personality, how you feel about yourself and how you want the world to see you.
Your expressive values can work for or against you, depending on the image you want to portray and the environment you are in. For example, trying to look Bohemian in a legal or accounting firm may affect your credibility as a professional.
Central values
Your central values are revealed in the way you treat your family, co-workers and friends. They are unveiled in times of crisis, in times of celebration and in times of achievement. They tell people what you really stand for in life.
All these values make up your personal brand. How you want to position yourself to others is entirely up to you. But your values must match your positioning, otherwise your “branding” lacks authenticity.
To have a more successful career and a more fulfilling personal life, try seeing yourself as a brand. Discover your own unique selling proposition and attract your share of people who appreciate you, are interested in working with you and who believe in you.
Article by Johnny Ong, the author of Don’t Try To Live Your Life In One Day! — 100 Ways To Living An Effective And Meaningful Life.
Brands carry values. These can be functional, expressive and central values.
Functional values are related to product performance. For example, Rolex watches deliver quality timekeeping, Coca-Cola refreshes and Singapore Airlines offers “a great way to fly”.
Expressive values focus on what the consumer wants. For instance, Harley-Davidson motorcycles epitomise freedom and adventure, while Tag Heuer watches convey youthfulness and athletic prowess.
Central values are the key to any product, and they permeate the very core of the consumer’s belief systems. For example, Virgin, through its founder Sir Richard Branson, conveys an image of irreverence and derring-do. Apple, through its iMac, iBook and iPod products, conveys iconic ownership status.
How, then, can you express yourself as a brand?
Functional values
Your functional values can be expressed through the way you work and the way you solve problems.
You can convey dependability and integrity by the way you carry out your duties and responsibilities at work, in the family and in society.
Punctuality, thoroughness and efficiency are manifestations of your functional values.
Expressive values
You can convey your expressive values through your attire, hobbies and adornments, such as the watches and jewellery you wear and the car you drive.
Your values are also revealed through the music you listen to, the books and magazines you read and the movies you watch.
These tell people about your personality, how you feel about yourself and how you want the world to see you.
Your expressive values can work for or against you, depending on the image you want to portray and the environment you are in. For example, trying to look Bohemian in a legal or accounting firm may affect your credibility as a professional.
Central values
Your central values are revealed in the way you treat your family, co-workers and friends. They are unveiled in times of crisis, in times of celebration and in times of achievement. They tell people what you really stand for in life.
All these values make up your personal brand. How you want to position yourself to others is entirely up to you. But your values must match your positioning, otherwise your “branding” lacks authenticity.
To have a more successful career and a more fulfilling personal life, try seeing yourself as a brand. Discover your own unique selling proposition and attract your share of people who appreciate you, are interested in working with you and who believe in you.
Article by Johnny Ong, the author of Don’t Try To Live Your Life In One Day! — 100 Ways To Living An Effective And Meaningful Life.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Motivation Quotes_Read it everyday...
Top 10 Motivation QuotesHere’s my top 10 favorite motivation quotes:
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” - Bruce Lee
“Time is the coin of life. Only you can determine how it will be spent.” - Carl Sandburg
“I get knocked down. But I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down.” - Chumbawamba
“Character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we spend our time.” - Elbert Green Hubbard
“When it’s time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived.” -Henry David Thoreau
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose– a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” - Mary Shelley
“There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.” - Tony Robbins
“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It’s great to be great, but its greater to be human.” - Will Rogers
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” - William B. Sprague
Anonymous
“Sometimes we are limited more by attitude than by opportunities.” - Anonymous
“A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.”- Anonymous
“Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character.” - Anonymous
“Attitude determines altitude.” - Anonymous
“Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.” - Anonymous
“Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?” - Anonymous
“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” - Anonymous
Brian Tracy
“Your attitude is an expression of your values,beliefs and expectations.” - Brain Tracy
“Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.” - Brain Tracy
“If you did not care at all what anyone else thought about you, what would you do differently or change in your life?” - Brain Tracy
“Make a game of finding something positive in every situation.Ninety-five percent of your emotions are determined by how you interpret events to yourself.” - Brain Tracy
“Whatever is expressed is impressed. Whatever you say to yourself, with emotion, generates thoughts, ideas and behaviors consistent with those words.” - Brain Tracy
Bruce Lee
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” - Bruce Lee
“As you think, so shall you become.” - Bruce Lee
“Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.” - Bruce Lee
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” - Bruce Lee
“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” - Bruce Lee
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successfull personality and duplicate it.” - Bruce Lee
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” - Bruce Lee
“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” - Bruce Lee
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” - Bruce Lee
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” - Bruce Lee
“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” - Bruce Lee
“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” - Bruce Lee
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” - Bruce Lee
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” - Bruce Lee
“Real living is living for others.” - Bruce Lee
“Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.” - Bruce Lee
“The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.” - Bruce Lee
Jim Rohn
“Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” - Jim Rohn
“Humans have the remarkable ability to get exactly what they must have. But there is a difference between a ‘must’ and ‘want.’” - Jim Rohn
“Motivation alone is not enough.If you have an idiot and you motivate him,now you have a motivated idiot.” - Jim Rohn
“My suggestion would be to walk away from the 90% who don’t and join the 10% who do.” - Jim Rohn
“The best motivating is self-motivating.The guy says,”I wish someone would come by and turn me on.”What if they don’t show up?You’ve got to have a better plan for your life.” - Jim Rohn
“When you know what you want,and you want it badly enough,you’ll find a way to get it.” - Jim Rohn
“Without a sense of urgency,dersire loses its value.” - Jim Rohn
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Do the thing we fear, and death of fear is certain.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A good indignation brings out all one’s powers.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A man is what he thinks about all day long.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A man’s growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Always do what you are afraid to do.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“As soon as there is life there is danger.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Beauty without expression is boring.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Each age, it is found, must write its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great ever achieved.” - Ralph Waldo Emwerson
“Ever artist was first an amateur.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tony Robbins
“Live with passion.” - Tony Robbins
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” - Tony Robbins quote
“It not knowing what to do, it’s doing what you know.” - Tony Robbins
“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” - Tony Robbins
“There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.” - Tony Robbins
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” - Tony Robbins
Zig Ziglar
“Positive thinking won’t let you do anything but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” - Zig Ziglar
“To respond is positive, to react is negative.” - Zig Ziglar
“Of all the “attitudes” we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing. - Zig Ziglar
When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen, in most cases,how you are going to be treated by others.” - Zig Ziglar
“You can disagree without being disagreeable.” - Zig Ziglar
“I’ve go to say “no” to the good to say “yes” to the best.” - Zig Ziglar
“You cannot tailor make the situations in life, but you can tailor make the attitudes to fit those situations before they arise.” - Zig Ziglar
More Motivation Quotes …Here’s some more motivation quotes:
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” - Albert Einstein
“Try not to be a person of success, but rather a person of virtue.” - Albert Einstein
“Change is not merely necessary to life - it is life.” - Alvin Toffler
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle
“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” - Arthur C. Clarke
“Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.” - Benjamin Disraeli
“Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.” - Charles Swindoll
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucius
“Don’t take yourself too seriously. And don’t be too serious about not taking yourself too seriously.” - Howard Ogden
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha
“Time is the coin of life. Only you can determine how it will be spent.” - Carl Sandburg
“Eagles come in all shapes and sizes, but you will recognize them chiefly by their attitudes.” - Charles Prestwich Scott
“To talk goodness is not good… only to do it is.” - Chinese proverb
“Don’t put a limit on what can be accomplished.” - Christopher Reeve
“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere. The pessimist sees only the red light. But the truly wise person is color blind.” - Dr. Albert Schweitzer
“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
“A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.” - Earl Nightingale
“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.” - Earl Nightingale
“Character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we spend our time.” - Elbert Green Hubbard
“Funny is an attitude.” - Flip Wilson
“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” - George Bernard Shaw
“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” - George S. Patton
“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.” - Hans Selye
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.” - Helen Adams Keller
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. Now put the foundation under them.” - Henry David Thoreau
“When it’s time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived.” -Henry David Thoreau
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” - Herm Albright
“It is not the position, but the disposition.” - J. E. Dinger
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” - John Wooden
“Words are plentiful; deeds are precious.” - Lech Walesa
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes.” - Marcel Proust
“The best way to cheer yourself up: Cheer everybody else up.” - Mark Twain
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose– a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” - Mary Shelley
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.” - Muhammad Ali
“A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.” - Oscar Wilde
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato
“He who hesitates is lost.” - Proverb
“Fortune favors the brave.” - Publius Terence
“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The best way out is always through.” - Robert Frost
“Always look at what you have left.Never look at what you have lost.” - Robert H. Schuller
“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” - Samuel Johnson
“The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we appear to be.” - Socrates
“Optimism means expecting the best, but confidence means knowing how to handle the worst. Never make a move if you are merely optimistic.” - The Zurich Axioms
“Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.” - Thomas Dewar
“. . . Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” - Victor E. Frankl
“Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.” - Voltaire
“Mental attitude is more important than mental capacity.” - Walter Dill Scott
“It’s great to be great, but its greater to be human.” - Will Rogers
“You cannot raise a man up by calling him down.” - William Boetcker
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” - William James
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” - William James
“The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity.” - Winston Churchill
“We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.” - Winston Churchill
“Kites rise highest against the wind; not with it.” - Winston Churchill
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” - Bruce Lee
“Time is the coin of life. Only you can determine how it will be spent.” - Carl Sandburg
“I get knocked down. But I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down.” - Chumbawamba
“Character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we spend our time.” - Elbert Green Hubbard
“When it’s time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived.” -Henry David Thoreau
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose– a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” - Mary Shelley
“There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.” - Tony Robbins
“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It’s great to be great, but its greater to be human.” - Will Rogers
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” - William B. Sprague
Anonymous
“Sometimes we are limited more by attitude than by opportunities.” - Anonymous
“A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.”- Anonymous
“Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character.” - Anonymous
“Attitude determines altitude.” - Anonymous
“Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.” - Anonymous
“Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?” - Anonymous
“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” - Anonymous
Brian Tracy
“Your attitude is an expression of your values,beliefs and expectations.” - Brain Tracy
“Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.” - Brain Tracy
“If you did not care at all what anyone else thought about you, what would you do differently or change in your life?” - Brain Tracy
“Make a game of finding something positive in every situation.Ninety-five percent of your emotions are determined by how you interpret events to yourself.” - Brain Tracy
“Whatever is expressed is impressed. Whatever you say to yourself, with emotion, generates thoughts, ideas and behaviors consistent with those words.” - Brain Tracy
Bruce Lee
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” - Bruce Lee
“As you think, so shall you become.” - Bruce Lee
“Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.” - Bruce Lee
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” - Bruce Lee
“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” - Bruce Lee
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successfull personality and duplicate it.” - Bruce Lee
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” - Bruce Lee
“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” - Bruce Lee
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” - Bruce Lee
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” - Bruce Lee
“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” - Bruce Lee
“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” - Bruce Lee
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” - Bruce Lee
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” - Bruce Lee
“Real living is living for others.” - Bruce Lee
“Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.” - Bruce Lee
“The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.” - Bruce Lee
Jim Rohn
“Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” - Jim Rohn
“Humans have the remarkable ability to get exactly what they must have. But there is a difference between a ‘must’ and ‘want.’” - Jim Rohn
“Motivation alone is not enough.If you have an idiot and you motivate him,now you have a motivated idiot.” - Jim Rohn
“My suggestion would be to walk away from the 90% who don’t and join the 10% who do.” - Jim Rohn
“The best motivating is self-motivating.The guy says,”I wish someone would come by and turn me on.”What if they don’t show up?You’ve got to have a better plan for your life.” - Jim Rohn
“When you know what you want,and you want it badly enough,you’ll find a way to get it.” - Jim Rohn
“Without a sense of urgency,dersire loses its value.” - Jim Rohn
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Do the thing we fear, and death of fear is certain.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A good indignation brings out all one’s powers.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A man is what he thinks about all day long.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A man’s growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Always do what you are afraid to do.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“As soon as there is life there is danger.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Beauty without expression is boring.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Each age, it is found, must write its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great ever achieved.” - Ralph Waldo Emwerson
“Ever artist was first an amateur.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tony Robbins
“Live with passion.” - Tony Robbins
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” - Tony Robbins quote
“It not knowing what to do, it’s doing what you know.” - Tony Robbins
“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” - Tony Robbins
“There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.” - Tony Robbins
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” - Tony Robbins
Zig Ziglar
“Positive thinking won’t let you do anything but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” - Zig Ziglar
“To respond is positive, to react is negative.” - Zig Ziglar
“Of all the “attitudes” we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing. - Zig Ziglar
When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen, in most cases,how you are going to be treated by others.” - Zig Ziglar
“You can disagree without being disagreeable.” - Zig Ziglar
“I’ve go to say “no” to the good to say “yes” to the best.” - Zig Ziglar
“You cannot tailor make the situations in life, but you can tailor make the attitudes to fit those situations before they arise.” - Zig Ziglar
More Motivation Quotes …Here’s some more motivation quotes:
“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” - Albert Einstein
“Try not to be a person of success, but rather a person of virtue.” - Albert Einstein
“Change is not merely necessary to life - it is life.” - Alvin Toffler
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle
“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” - Arthur C. Clarke
“Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.” - Benjamin Disraeli
“Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.” - Charles Swindoll
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucius
“Don’t take yourself too seriously. And don’t be too serious about not taking yourself too seriously.” - Howard Ogden
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha
“Time is the coin of life. Only you can determine how it will be spent.” - Carl Sandburg
“Eagles come in all shapes and sizes, but you will recognize them chiefly by their attitudes.” - Charles Prestwich Scott
“To talk goodness is not good… only to do it is.” - Chinese proverb
“Don’t put a limit on what can be accomplished.” - Christopher Reeve
“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere. The pessimist sees only the red light. But the truly wise person is color blind.” - Dr. Albert Schweitzer
“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
“A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.” - Earl Nightingale
“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.” - Earl Nightingale
“Character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we spend our time.” - Elbert Green Hubbard
“Funny is an attitude.” - Flip Wilson
“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” - George Bernard Shaw
“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” - George S. Patton
“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.” - Hans Selye
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.” - Helen Adams Keller
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. Now put the foundation under them.” - Henry David Thoreau
“When it’s time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived.” -Henry David Thoreau
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” - Herm Albright
“It is not the position, but the disposition.” - J. E. Dinger
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” - John Wooden
“Words are plentiful; deeds are precious.” - Lech Walesa
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes.” - Marcel Proust
“The best way to cheer yourself up: Cheer everybody else up.” - Mark Twain
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose– a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” - Mary Shelley
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.” - Muhammad Ali
“A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.” - Oscar Wilde
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato
“He who hesitates is lost.” - Proverb
“Fortune favors the brave.” - Publius Terence
“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The best way out is always through.” - Robert Frost
“Always look at what you have left.Never look at what you have lost.” - Robert H. Schuller
“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” - Samuel Johnson
“The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we appear to be.” - Socrates
“Optimism means expecting the best, but confidence means knowing how to handle the worst. Never make a move if you are merely optimistic.” - The Zurich Axioms
“Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.” - Thomas Dewar
“. . . Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” - Victor E. Frankl
“Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.” - Voltaire
“Mental attitude is more important than mental capacity.” - Walter Dill Scott
“It’s great to be great, but its greater to be human.” - Will Rogers
“You cannot raise a man up by calling him down.” - William Boetcker
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” - William James
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” - William James
“The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity.” - Winston Churchill
“We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.” - Winston Churchill
“Kites rise highest against the wind; not with it.” - Winston Churchill
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Your thoughts have brought you here
You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” - Above Life’s Turmoil
This principle was not easy for me to accept and I fought it for a long time. As miserable as my life was at the time I learned this concept, I was certain that there was no way that it was due to the thoughts that I had held.
There were too many other reasons why things had gone bad: my ex-spouse, the economy, a client who had wronged me, and on and on and on. Since I wasn’t responsible for my “bad luck,” then certainly my thoughts had nothing to do with it.
But I was wrong. Like the biblical Job who said, “the thing I feared most has come upon me,” I, too, had thought myself to the situation I was in.
Dr. Walter Doyle Staples, writing in Think Like a Winner! Says, “I credit one simple concept with getting me started on my journey into self-discovery. After a great deal of study and contemplation, I came to the conclusion that people have in their lives today exactly what they keep telling their mind they want.”
Like Dr. Staples, it was a moment of great illumination for me! The logical side of me said, “if you and you alone can think yourself into such a mess, then surely you and you alone can think yourself out of it.”
And that I did. It wasn’t overnight and it wasn’t easy, but it was a sure thing! And by accepting all of the responsibility for where I was, and all of the responsibility for where I was going, I experienced a tremendous joy and freedom. I knew in my knower that if I got myself into the predicament, I could get myself out.
Of course, I had some great inspiration along the way. And I will always remember Les Brown’s three steps to take during “hard time:”
Have Faith (didn’t Paul say, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for…”) Remind yourself: “No matter how hard it is or how hard it gets, I’m going to make it!” Have patience and engage in consistent action.
And that’s worth thinking about.
(excerpted from Day by Day with James Allen)
by Vic Johnson
This principle was not easy for me to accept and I fought it for a long time. As miserable as my life was at the time I learned this concept, I was certain that there was no way that it was due to the thoughts that I had held.
There were too many other reasons why things had gone bad: my ex-spouse, the economy, a client who had wronged me, and on and on and on. Since I wasn’t responsible for my “bad luck,” then certainly my thoughts had nothing to do with it.
But I was wrong. Like the biblical Job who said, “the thing I feared most has come upon me,” I, too, had thought myself to the situation I was in.
Dr. Walter Doyle Staples, writing in Think Like a Winner! Says, “I credit one simple concept with getting me started on my journey into self-discovery. After a great deal of study and contemplation, I came to the conclusion that people have in their lives today exactly what they keep telling their mind they want.”
Like Dr. Staples, it was a moment of great illumination for me! The logical side of me said, “if you and you alone can think yourself into such a mess, then surely you and you alone can think yourself out of it.”
And that I did. It wasn’t overnight and it wasn’t easy, but it was a sure thing! And by accepting all of the responsibility for where I was, and all of the responsibility for where I was going, I experienced a tremendous joy and freedom. I knew in my knower that if I got myself into the predicament, I could get myself out.
Of course, I had some great inspiration along the way. And I will always remember Les Brown’s three steps to take during “hard time:”
Have Faith (didn’t Paul say, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for…”) Remind yourself: “No matter how hard it is or how hard it gets, I’m going to make it!” Have patience and engage in consistent action.
And that’s worth thinking about.
(excerpted from Day by Day with James Allen)
by Vic Johnson
Procrastination : The Results Killer!
Anyone interested in getting better results, becoming more productive and ultimately more successful should probably take an honest look at the problem of procrastination.
Most people think procrastination is just an issue that involves putting things off that can be done later without much of a penalty. That idea just scratches the surface of the procrastination issue and is indicative of the denial people have about it.
Truthfully, procrastination is like an addiction because it is the symptom of a thinking problem and like any other addiction, its difficult to break!
The reality is this: Nothing marginalizes results more than procrastination because being productive and getting superior results is about completing tasks and projects in reduced time frames.
Obviously, if you can get more work done in less time, you will see results much faster. We are all guilty of procrastination to some extent, and there are two kinds:
1. Positive Procrastination. This is when you legitimately need some “mental percolation” time to gather your thoughts and get clear on what you need to do.
2. Negative Procrastination. This is based on some pretty flimsy excuses to avoid doing something, which will ultimately affect your results in negative ways.
Whereas Positive Procrastination can be beneficial, Negative Procrastination is something you need to overcome in order to be more effective and finish things faster. You can’t produce results until you start doing something. If you do nothing, that is exactly what you will get — nothing!
If you want to accelerate results, there is no room in your life or your business for Negative Procrastination. Show me a person who consistently gets less than stellar results, and I’ll show you a person who procrastinates. However, they probably won’t think of themselves as procrastinators because they have lots of seemingly good reasons for not doing things today.
You may find some of the following statements familiar. You have probably either heard them from other people, or you may have even believed one or more of them yourself. If you feel a personal kinship with these statements, I suggest that you give serious thought to the possibility that there might be a touch of procrastination in your own life. Consider the following statements:
1. “I can do it tomorrow.” This may be the most popular and frequently used justification for procrastination. The reason it’s so popular is because tomorrow sounds so close to today.
Waiting until tomorrow just doesn’t seem like that big a deal. Just waiting one more day won’t upset too many people, and there are surely many good reasons that can be created to justify the delay.
2. “I don’t have everything I need, so I’ll wait.” This is a very popular statement used to justify inaction and waiting. It is most often an excuse that salespeople use to avoid making telephone calls to prospects.
The truth is that you can always take some kind of action, regardless of the list of the things you think you need before you can start. All you have to do is be honest about it and look for what is possible to do today. Do not wait until you have everything you think you need before you start doing things.
3. “I can’t do it perfectly, so I’ll wait.” This excuse doesn’t make much sense if you ask yourself the question: Can we ever do anything perfectly? I think not.
How do you feel about this statement? Do you feel as though you have to be able to perform perfectly before you can be willing to act? If you do have this attitude, you are in serious trouble, because you will never be able to do anything perfectly.
4. “I don’t have time right now.” Why and how do we get the idea that we have to be able to finish something before we can work on it? Let me use a book-writing example to show you what I mean by this.
A non-fiction book is a collection of chapters. Each chapter is a collection of ideas about a specific topic. Each idea may have many sub-points. When I begin a book project, how many books would I complete if I believed I had to finish the entire book in one, continuous work session?
The answer is that I would never complete any book project if I believed this was necessary. The correct approach is to do what you can, when you can!
5. “Someone else can do it better.” This excuse is a silent one that people make to themselves privately. Some authors and psychologists say that procrastination is rooted in the fear of success. I’m not a psychologist, but I think it’s more likely people fear failure more than they fear success.
Let’s face it — people don’t want to look bad, and they are hesitant to put themselves in position where they might fail.
Procrastination is a tool that many people use because they falsely believe it will save them from failure. The truth is that procrastination usually guarantees failure.
Procrastination may be many things, but mostly it’s a bad habit. Someone once said, “Repetition strengthens and confirms.” Simply put, this means that the more you do something, the easier it gets!
I believe people learn how to procrastinate over a long period of time, and the more they do it, the easier it becomes. So, if you want better results and greater success, take a look at the issue of procrastination in your life.
Sit down today and make a list of all the things you need to do that you have not completed. How many are the result of procrastination? You might be surprised.
Tony Jeary, author of Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life
Most people think procrastination is just an issue that involves putting things off that can be done later without much of a penalty. That idea just scratches the surface of the procrastination issue and is indicative of the denial people have about it.
Truthfully, procrastination is like an addiction because it is the symptom of a thinking problem and like any other addiction, its difficult to break!
The reality is this: Nothing marginalizes results more than procrastination because being productive and getting superior results is about completing tasks and projects in reduced time frames.
Obviously, if you can get more work done in less time, you will see results much faster. We are all guilty of procrastination to some extent, and there are two kinds:
1. Positive Procrastination. This is when you legitimately need some “mental percolation” time to gather your thoughts and get clear on what you need to do.
2. Negative Procrastination. This is based on some pretty flimsy excuses to avoid doing something, which will ultimately affect your results in negative ways.
Whereas Positive Procrastination can be beneficial, Negative Procrastination is something you need to overcome in order to be more effective and finish things faster. You can’t produce results until you start doing something. If you do nothing, that is exactly what you will get — nothing!
If you want to accelerate results, there is no room in your life or your business for Negative Procrastination. Show me a person who consistently gets less than stellar results, and I’ll show you a person who procrastinates. However, they probably won’t think of themselves as procrastinators because they have lots of seemingly good reasons for not doing things today.
You may find some of the following statements familiar. You have probably either heard them from other people, or you may have even believed one or more of them yourself. If you feel a personal kinship with these statements, I suggest that you give serious thought to the possibility that there might be a touch of procrastination in your own life. Consider the following statements:
1. “I can do it tomorrow.” This may be the most popular and frequently used justification for procrastination. The reason it’s so popular is because tomorrow sounds so close to today.
Waiting until tomorrow just doesn’t seem like that big a deal. Just waiting one more day won’t upset too many people, and there are surely many good reasons that can be created to justify the delay.
2. “I don’t have everything I need, so I’ll wait.” This is a very popular statement used to justify inaction and waiting. It is most often an excuse that salespeople use to avoid making telephone calls to prospects.
The truth is that you can always take some kind of action, regardless of the list of the things you think you need before you can start. All you have to do is be honest about it and look for what is possible to do today. Do not wait until you have everything you think you need before you start doing things.
3. “I can’t do it perfectly, so I’ll wait.” This excuse doesn’t make much sense if you ask yourself the question: Can we ever do anything perfectly? I think not.
How do you feel about this statement? Do you feel as though you have to be able to perform perfectly before you can be willing to act? If you do have this attitude, you are in serious trouble, because you will never be able to do anything perfectly.
4. “I don’t have time right now.” Why and how do we get the idea that we have to be able to finish something before we can work on it? Let me use a book-writing example to show you what I mean by this.
A non-fiction book is a collection of chapters. Each chapter is a collection of ideas about a specific topic. Each idea may have many sub-points. When I begin a book project, how many books would I complete if I believed I had to finish the entire book in one, continuous work session?
The answer is that I would never complete any book project if I believed this was necessary. The correct approach is to do what you can, when you can!
5. “Someone else can do it better.” This excuse is a silent one that people make to themselves privately. Some authors and psychologists say that procrastination is rooted in the fear of success. I’m not a psychologist, but I think it’s more likely people fear failure more than they fear success.
Let’s face it — people don’t want to look bad, and they are hesitant to put themselves in position where they might fail.
Procrastination is a tool that many people use because they falsely believe it will save them from failure. The truth is that procrastination usually guarantees failure.
Procrastination may be many things, but mostly it’s a bad habit. Someone once said, “Repetition strengthens and confirms.” Simply put, this means that the more you do something, the easier it gets!
I believe people learn how to procrastinate over a long period of time, and the more they do it, the easier it becomes. So, if you want better results and greater success, take a look at the issue of procrastination in your life.
Sit down today and make a list of all the things you need to do that you have not completed. How many are the result of procrastination? You might be surprised.
Tony Jeary, author of Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life
Unleash your potential_Coaching
COACHING is said to be the second fastest growing profession after information technology.
Coaching assists clients in understanding their behaviours, feelings and relationships. But how is it different from seeking therapy?
A person who requires therapy is usually unable to cope with the challenges they face and seek the help of a counsellor or therapist to illuminate the cause of their problem and aid them in their recovery.
The distinguishing factor of business or executive coaching from therapy is that it is a partnership between the company, the coach and the employee.
A coach becomes a trusted role model who helps individuals create visions, re-frame and challenge perspectives, examine current problems, generate new ideas and shape positive outcomes for themselves and the organisations they work in.
The role of the coach
When a company’s business objectives, vision and mission are integrated with the employees’ skills, the organisation and its employees both win.
This results in rising performance standards and accomplishments as individuals develop their leadership abilities and take on new initiatives. The individual experiences a sense of wholeness and balance as he meets his potential, which allows him to focus on his goals and lead a successful life.
While coaching is about partnership, a mentor provides guidance. His knowledge, experiences and key areas of expertise are benchmarks for a mentee’s development and growth.
The coach as a mentor is a powerful combination that enhances the collaborative process of partnering so the mentor is seen as a “trusted friend” who is truly invested in the mentee’s success. Examples of mentorship include that of Freddie Laker who mentored Richard Branson and Aristotle who mentored Alexander the Great.
Results of professional coaching can be measured when one assesses the increased productivity of an employee before and after coaching. The outcomes are evident in improved performance and decision-making skills.
The intangible and less easily measurable areas include improved relationships and building of networks with direct reports and management within the company.
As soft skills improve, less stress is felt and staff is less likely to burn out or feel unmotivated. With less employee turnover, a company is more likely to achieve its collective goals much faster.
Testimony of efficacy
The benefits received from coaching are many. These include increased monetary returns, improved job performance, higher productivity, better relationships with direct reports, bosses, peers and clients, and a marked increase in job satisfaction and organisational commitment, meaning that employees are less likely to quit.
Attaining fulfilment
In the words of Polish-born American academic and humorist Leo Rosten: “The purpose of life is to matter, to be productive, to make some difference that you have lived at all. Happiness in the ancient and noble version means self-fulfilment and is given to those who use to the fullest whatever talents God or luck or fate has bestowed upon them.”
Essentially, coaching is about growing self-leadership qualities and developing the potential to be one’s best. The practice of coaching continues to prove that focused attention produces desired results.
by Sabreena Andriesz, senior consultant of Training Edge International
Coaching assists clients in understanding their behaviours, feelings and relationships. But how is it different from seeking therapy?
A person who requires therapy is usually unable to cope with the challenges they face and seek the help of a counsellor or therapist to illuminate the cause of their problem and aid them in their recovery.
The distinguishing factor of business or executive coaching from therapy is that it is a partnership between the company, the coach and the employee.
A coach becomes a trusted role model who helps individuals create visions, re-frame and challenge perspectives, examine current problems, generate new ideas and shape positive outcomes for themselves and the organisations they work in.
The role of the coach
When a company’s business objectives, vision and mission are integrated with the employees’ skills, the organisation and its employees both win.
This results in rising performance standards and accomplishments as individuals develop their leadership abilities and take on new initiatives. The individual experiences a sense of wholeness and balance as he meets his potential, which allows him to focus on his goals and lead a successful life.
While coaching is about partnership, a mentor provides guidance. His knowledge, experiences and key areas of expertise are benchmarks for a mentee’s development and growth.
The coach as a mentor is a powerful combination that enhances the collaborative process of partnering so the mentor is seen as a “trusted friend” who is truly invested in the mentee’s success. Examples of mentorship include that of Freddie Laker who mentored Richard Branson and Aristotle who mentored Alexander the Great.
Results of professional coaching can be measured when one assesses the increased productivity of an employee before and after coaching. The outcomes are evident in improved performance and decision-making skills.
The intangible and less easily measurable areas include improved relationships and building of networks with direct reports and management within the company.
As soft skills improve, less stress is felt and staff is less likely to burn out or feel unmotivated. With less employee turnover, a company is more likely to achieve its collective goals much faster.
Testimony of efficacy
The benefits received from coaching are many. These include increased monetary returns, improved job performance, higher productivity, better relationships with direct reports, bosses, peers and clients, and a marked increase in job satisfaction and organisational commitment, meaning that employees are less likely to quit.
Attaining fulfilment
In the words of Polish-born American academic and humorist Leo Rosten: “The purpose of life is to matter, to be productive, to make some difference that you have lived at all. Happiness in the ancient and noble version means self-fulfilment and is given to those who use to the fullest whatever talents God or luck or fate has bestowed upon them.”
Essentially, coaching is about growing self-leadership qualities and developing the potential to be one’s best. The practice of coaching continues to prove that focused attention produces desired results.
by Sabreena Andriesz, senior consultant of Training Edge International
Tell the right tale
LIKE all communities, organisations have stories and histories.
Today’s organisations are witnessing a rise in stories as carriers of knowledge. Some employees share stories as a means of survival; others use stories to challenge, threaten, criticise or bring to the surface accounts of management neglect or lapses.
Why tell stories in organisations? Organisational culture is conveyed through storytelling, personal experience and observation. A corporate story can give people a sense of place that helps them to orientate themselves to the future.
Storytelling is a powerful means of reinforcing organisational values, integrating new hires and strengthening the culture. When done deliberately, stories in organisations teach people how to behave and how not to behave.
Employees can easily pick up on the differences between “what we say” and “what we really do”. At the individual level, it can hasten employee departures, and thus increase turnover.
To lessen cultural disconnects, pair new hires immediately with employees who have good attitudes. If you don’t, newcomers are socialised into the culture by people who have an attitude problem.
For instance, problem employees may stop by the new hire’s desk, telling him horror stories about the workplace, which leads to morale problems and increased turnover.
Stories are told to convey the history of the organisation through the eyes of the storyteller. Watch out who the storyteller is and what his agenda is.
Stories of successful leadership and stories of failure can tell how power works and does not work in the organisation. These often describe a person doing something and then getting rewarded or punished.
Stories may also say something about power in the organisation. When related as a personal story, it may be used to propagate the power of the storyteller. For example, if I talk about a conflict that I won, I am putting forward the idea that I am not a person to be crossed.
Stories in organisations often tell about the style and quality of the leadership there. The leadership story may also tell of the struggles and difficulties of the journey and how the leader led the people to “the promised land”.
These stories illustrate whether the leader acted in a controlling or collaborative way. The implication for future leaders is that they should follow the examples portrayed in the success stories.
Leaders, in some stories, need not be appointed managers. Empowering companies may tell stories about people from the lowest ranks stepping up to the plate.
For human resource (HR) practitioners, organisational storytelling is a useful tool to implement change and influence staff in the company.
Collecting stories which say something about an organisation, compiling the wisdom that others have contributed, and giving real shape and life to the corporate inheritance are important tasks for the HR department.
Without stories to learn from, the people who make up the current generation have no sense of where they belong.
Organisational storytelling is for anyone in an organisation who wants to drive positive organisational change and be effective at it.
Today’s organisations are witnessing a rise in stories as carriers of knowledge. Some employees share stories as a means of survival; others use stories to challenge, threaten, criticise or bring to the surface accounts of management neglect or lapses.
Why tell stories in organisations? Organisational culture is conveyed through storytelling, personal experience and observation. A corporate story can give people a sense of place that helps them to orientate themselves to the future.
Storytelling is a powerful means of reinforcing organisational values, integrating new hires and strengthening the culture. When done deliberately, stories in organisations teach people how to behave and how not to behave.
Employees can easily pick up on the differences between “what we say” and “what we really do”. At the individual level, it can hasten employee departures, and thus increase turnover.
To lessen cultural disconnects, pair new hires immediately with employees who have good attitudes. If you don’t, newcomers are socialised into the culture by people who have an attitude problem.
For instance, problem employees may stop by the new hire’s desk, telling him horror stories about the workplace, which leads to morale problems and increased turnover.
Stories are told to convey the history of the organisation through the eyes of the storyteller. Watch out who the storyteller is and what his agenda is.
Stories of successful leadership and stories of failure can tell how power works and does not work in the organisation. These often describe a person doing something and then getting rewarded or punished.
Stories may also say something about power in the organisation. When related as a personal story, it may be used to propagate the power of the storyteller. For example, if I talk about a conflict that I won, I am putting forward the idea that I am not a person to be crossed.
Stories in organisations often tell about the style and quality of the leadership there. The leadership story may also tell of the struggles and difficulties of the journey and how the leader led the people to “the promised land”.
These stories illustrate whether the leader acted in a controlling or collaborative way. The implication for future leaders is that they should follow the examples portrayed in the success stories.
Leaders, in some stories, need not be appointed managers. Empowering companies may tell stories about people from the lowest ranks stepping up to the plate.
For human resource (HR) practitioners, organisational storytelling is a useful tool to implement change and influence staff in the company.
Collecting stories which say something about an organisation, compiling the wisdom that others have contributed, and giving real shape and life to the corporate inheritance are important tasks for the HR department.
Without stories to learn from, the people who make up the current generation have no sense of where they belong.
Organisational storytelling is for anyone in an organisation who wants to drive positive organisational change and be effective at it.
A glimpse of wisdom from Robin Sharma
For one who has lost a job: “Crisis breeds opportunity. So this could be the beginning of an even better career.”
On the brink of losing their job: “Don’t put your attention on the potential job loss. Put all your attention on doing even better work. Focus on what’s good and find meaning in the work”
Companies struggling to stay afloat: “Now is not the time to bury your head in the sand. There’s never been a better time to stand out and develop/hire talent.”
Those in bad relationships: “Own your power. You have a lot more choices than you are recognising.”
“We don’t appreciate work until we arrive at our retirement party.” “Don’t postpone. You never know when is your last day.” “Problems are precious things as they introduce us to the dormant pockets of genius we didn’t know we had.”
“Lead Without Title”. “It’s a simple message – to be great at every touch point. You don’t need to have a title to be a leader. To be successful, whether you’re sweeping up or running a company, you must show leadership within your own role. And that applies to your home life as well,” Try to be brilliant at a few things"
“keep on dreaming” and “never forget the power of a good idea” - “Ideation without execution is nothing more than delusion.”
“If you look at any great business leader, they could have been accused of building castles in the air. Bill Gates started out having a vision of having a PC in every desk and every home. Google’s vision was to make information accessible to everyone. The Wright brothers’ plan to build a flying machine could have been perceived (then) as building castles in the air.
“Don’t be afraid to stretch beyond most people’s thinking. I don’t think we should set limits. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we dream too small, we live too small.”
by the world’s most popular leadership and performance coaches, Ugandan-born Canadian Indian Robin Sharma, Robin’s global consulting firm Sharma Leading International Inc
On the brink of losing their job: “Don’t put your attention on the potential job loss. Put all your attention on doing even better work. Focus on what’s good and find meaning in the work”
Companies struggling to stay afloat: “Now is not the time to bury your head in the sand. There’s never been a better time to stand out and develop/hire talent.”
Those in bad relationships: “Own your power. You have a lot more choices than you are recognising.”
“We don’t appreciate work until we arrive at our retirement party.” “Don’t postpone. You never know when is your last day.” “Problems are precious things as they introduce us to the dormant pockets of genius we didn’t know we had.”
“Lead Without Title”. “It’s a simple message – to be great at every touch point. You don’t need to have a title to be a leader. To be successful, whether you’re sweeping up or running a company, you must show leadership within your own role. And that applies to your home life as well,” Try to be brilliant at a few things"
“keep on dreaming” and “never forget the power of a good idea” - “Ideation without execution is nothing more than delusion.”
“If you look at any great business leader, they could have been accused of building castles in the air. Bill Gates started out having a vision of having a PC in every desk and every home. Google’s vision was to make information accessible to everyone. The Wright brothers’ plan to build a flying machine could have been perceived (then) as building castles in the air.
“Don’t be afraid to stretch beyond most people’s thinking. I don’t think we should set limits. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we dream too small, we live too small.”
by the world’s most popular leadership and performance coaches, Ugandan-born Canadian Indian Robin Sharma, Robin’s global consulting firm Sharma Leading International Inc
Sunday, May 10, 2009
It pays to have fun at work!
IN the late 90s, I was invited to a debate between Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwestern Airlines and Jack Welch.
I became impressed with Herb Kelleher and his usage of fun to drive productivity. No whips or initiatives, or forced compliance to the cause, but a simple but unorthodox philosophy of levity to drive productivity at his airline.
Southwest’s former CEO often rode to work on his Harley and once settled a legal suit with an arm–wrestling match. And on occasions, Kelleher was known to dress up as Elvis Presley or a Bunny, just to keep his employees smiling and happy.
And smile they did, as Southwest built for itself a reputation as the nation’s most profitable airline, posting in 2000 sales of nearly US$5.7bil and a profit of US$603mil.
A few months later, I was given the responsibility to be the functional leader of a business. When I began my assignment, I met my new team and spent the first few days getting to know them and understanding their working styles.
They were hard-working and a technically talented team but there was low morale and extremely poor productivity. Everyone worked late hours but had minimal results. And everyone disliked their work.
Kelleher’s words on leveraging levity and fun to drive productivity kept ringing in my mind and even though it seemed illogical, I decided to test out his philosophy with my new team.
Every quarter, we closed the department over the weekend and had a retreat where we just had fun and started bonding as friends. We started having team lunches together as often as we could.
We developed an after lunch “crazy hour” ritual, where the team would do crazy things – like have everyone wear a straw on their shirt, or exercise together, or just play practical jokes on each other.
We started weekly team activities like Latin dancing or playing volleyball. Just as Kelleher had done with Southwest, as we had more fun together, interestingly, productivity in my team increased and our accomplishments began to multiply exponentially.
While many of the other departments used to stare at our “crazy” department initially, they soon were craving to “hang-out’ with us and join our quarterly retreat rituals.
Fun, instead of making us less productive, actually had the opposite effect of increasing our effectiveness.
There are numerous reasons why fun is important in the workplace.
Levity boosts our ability to think outside the box and enables us to generate innovative solutions necessary to solve problems. Fun is a great creativity booster. Research also indicates that while having fun, we develop new neural cells in areas devoted to learning and memory. Fun is also good for teaching.
Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher wrote about how learning in the classroom is enhanced by fun: “... Humour also works in the classroom. In fact, college students are more likely to recall a lecture when it is sprinkled with jokes.
Psychologist Randy Gardner’s fascinating research showed that when levity about relevant topics was injected into lectures, students scored an amazing 15% higher on exams than their non-humoured, bored-to-drooling peers.”
Fun is a critical element in employee retention. Employee turnover can easily cost over RM60,000 per person if you include severance pay, exit interviews, hiring costs and lost productivity while training the new hire.
Then add the indirect costs like loss of intellectual capital, decreased morale, increased employee stress and negative reputation.
A fun workplace is a cure for employee turnover. I remember after my department became a fun workplace, most of my employees did not want to miss work.
Not only did they have friends at work, they did not want to miss any fun “action” at work and they definitely were not sending out their resumes. Google, with its fun workplace, retains about 95% of their employees.
People are naturally attracted to fun. A recent survey of employees showed that humour displayed by their manager increases their loyalty (retention) and productivity.
Another survey by Ipsos had employees rate their managers’ sense of humour, along with the likelihood of them working in their current job a year from the date of the survey. The results were striking! They found that managers with better sense of humour were more likely to retain employees.
So how do you make your workplace fun? Think it’s something that only the multinational corporations can afford? It really doesn’t have to cost you as much as building Google’s extravagant facilities, a fancy swimming pool or a rock climbing wall.
It can be something as simple as fortnightly charades championships, breakfast potlucks or making fun at KPI at all meetings. Just providing an environment where people can lighten up is all it requires.
Too often fun doesn’t see the light of day, because we sentence fun to the bottom of priorities list. “Business first, fun last,” is our mantra. Taking our jobs seriously and ourselves lightly is the key to making fun of work.
At my previous office, one person signs up each day to blast a song daily in the afternoon when everyone needs a break and people get up and dance.
The Lego company has scooters for workers to ride around its business park. At Southwest Airlines, the crew have fun with their passengers. At Hakia, employees express themselves on blank canvases that hang on the walls. At Leaderonomics, we unwind by having fun contests amongst ourselves.
But what happens then if you’re not a “fun” person by nature? Not to worry, like everything else, it can be learnt. We don’t need to suddenly become a fun person, because play is something that we enjoyed unconsciously as a child.
All we need to do is to learn to give ourselves and others permission to have fun. As a leader, we need to build enablers for fun to thrive.
“You don’t have to have a team of comedy writers,” says David Summers of the American Management Association.
“Managers just need to give employees permission to be human, open to giving and receiving humour at work,” he says.
And therein is the secret to enabling fun to thrive in your workplace – embracing fun yourself and opening up your organisation to elements of fun, even occasionally allowing yourself to be the object of fun at the workplace.
A final thought – fun is important as it attracts new customers. People are attracted to organisations that are cool and fun.
I recall a big customer who ended up signing an exclusive multi-million deal with the company I was at a few years ago.
When I questioned him on why he signed up even though our performance was not near world-class, he replied quickly: “Your organisation is fun and it’s contagious. All your employees love their work and I bet in a few years you will become world-class.” He wasn’t wrong.
All being said, fun is a key tool to leverage in these recessionary times.
It improves communication, enhances creativity, builds trust and friendships in the organisation, and even has health benefits.
When people are having fun, they’re working harder, focused on your organisation, and are able to maintain their composure in a crisis. If your organisation is ready to catapult into the next level of business success, fun may just be your catalyst.
·Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics
I became impressed with Herb Kelleher and his usage of fun to drive productivity. No whips or initiatives, or forced compliance to the cause, but a simple but unorthodox philosophy of levity to drive productivity at his airline.
Southwest’s former CEO often rode to work on his Harley and once settled a legal suit with an arm–wrestling match. And on occasions, Kelleher was known to dress up as Elvis Presley or a Bunny, just to keep his employees smiling and happy.
And smile they did, as Southwest built for itself a reputation as the nation’s most profitable airline, posting in 2000 sales of nearly US$5.7bil and a profit of US$603mil.
A few months later, I was given the responsibility to be the functional leader of a business. When I began my assignment, I met my new team and spent the first few days getting to know them and understanding their working styles.
They were hard-working and a technically talented team but there was low morale and extremely poor productivity. Everyone worked late hours but had minimal results. And everyone disliked their work.
Kelleher’s words on leveraging levity and fun to drive productivity kept ringing in my mind and even though it seemed illogical, I decided to test out his philosophy with my new team.
Every quarter, we closed the department over the weekend and had a retreat where we just had fun and started bonding as friends. We started having team lunches together as often as we could.
We developed an after lunch “crazy hour” ritual, where the team would do crazy things – like have everyone wear a straw on their shirt, or exercise together, or just play practical jokes on each other.
We started weekly team activities like Latin dancing or playing volleyball. Just as Kelleher had done with Southwest, as we had more fun together, interestingly, productivity in my team increased and our accomplishments began to multiply exponentially.
While many of the other departments used to stare at our “crazy” department initially, they soon were craving to “hang-out’ with us and join our quarterly retreat rituals.
Fun, instead of making us less productive, actually had the opposite effect of increasing our effectiveness.
There are numerous reasons why fun is important in the workplace.
Levity boosts our ability to think outside the box and enables us to generate innovative solutions necessary to solve problems. Fun is a great creativity booster. Research also indicates that while having fun, we develop new neural cells in areas devoted to learning and memory. Fun is also good for teaching.
Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher wrote about how learning in the classroom is enhanced by fun: “... Humour also works in the classroom. In fact, college students are more likely to recall a lecture when it is sprinkled with jokes.
Psychologist Randy Gardner’s fascinating research showed that when levity about relevant topics was injected into lectures, students scored an amazing 15% higher on exams than their non-humoured, bored-to-drooling peers.”
Fun is a critical element in employee retention. Employee turnover can easily cost over RM60,000 per person if you include severance pay, exit interviews, hiring costs and lost productivity while training the new hire.
Then add the indirect costs like loss of intellectual capital, decreased morale, increased employee stress and negative reputation.
A fun workplace is a cure for employee turnover. I remember after my department became a fun workplace, most of my employees did not want to miss work.
Not only did they have friends at work, they did not want to miss any fun “action” at work and they definitely were not sending out their resumes. Google, with its fun workplace, retains about 95% of their employees.
People are naturally attracted to fun. A recent survey of employees showed that humour displayed by their manager increases their loyalty (retention) and productivity.
Another survey by Ipsos had employees rate their managers’ sense of humour, along with the likelihood of them working in their current job a year from the date of the survey. The results were striking! They found that managers with better sense of humour were more likely to retain employees.
So how do you make your workplace fun? Think it’s something that only the multinational corporations can afford? It really doesn’t have to cost you as much as building Google’s extravagant facilities, a fancy swimming pool or a rock climbing wall.
It can be something as simple as fortnightly charades championships, breakfast potlucks or making fun at KPI at all meetings. Just providing an environment where people can lighten up is all it requires.
Too often fun doesn’t see the light of day, because we sentence fun to the bottom of priorities list. “Business first, fun last,” is our mantra. Taking our jobs seriously and ourselves lightly is the key to making fun of work.
At my previous office, one person signs up each day to blast a song daily in the afternoon when everyone needs a break and people get up and dance.
The Lego company has scooters for workers to ride around its business park. At Southwest Airlines, the crew have fun with their passengers. At Hakia, employees express themselves on blank canvases that hang on the walls. At Leaderonomics, we unwind by having fun contests amongst ourselves.
But what happens then if you’re not a “fun” person by nature? Not to worry, like everything else, it can be learnt. We don’t need to suddenly become a fun person, because play is something that we enjoyed unconsciously as a child.
All we need to do is to learn to give ourselves and others permission to have fun. As a leader, we need to build enablers for fun to thrive.
“You don’t have to have a team of comedy writers,” says David Summers of the American Management Association.
“Managers just need to give employees permission to be human, open to giving and receiving humour at work,” he says.
And therein is the secret to enabling fun to thrive in your workplace – embracing fun yourself and opening up your organisation to elements of fun, even occasionally allowing yourself to be the object of fun at the workplace.
A final thought – fun is important as it attracts new customers. People are attracted to organisations that are cool and fun.
I recall a big customer who ended up signing an exclusive multi-million deal with the company I was at a few years ago.
When I questioned him on why he signed up even though our performance was not near world-class, he replied quickly: “Your organisation is fun and it’s contagious. All your employees love their work and I bet in a few years you will become world-class.” He wasn’t wrong.
All being said, fun is a key tool to leverage in these recessionary times.
It improves communication, enhances creativity, builds trust and friendships in the organisation, and even has health benefits.
When people are having fun, they’re working harder, focused on your organisation, and are able to maintain their composure in a crisis. If your organisation is ready to catapult into the next level of business success, fun may just be your catalyst.
·Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Adopt a positive attitude
IN most organisations, you often hear employees complaining about their superior’s unreasonable work delegation, their colleagues’ reluctant cooperation and the internal conflict between various departments. They complain about everyone except themselves.
WHO’S TO BLAME?
You cannot succeed by pushing away problems or shirking responsibility in today’s increasingly competitive and demanding workplace. You need to polish up your interpersonal communication skills and cultivate a positive, winning attitude towards your work.
In a day, people spend about seven hours sleeping, three to four hours watching their favourite TV programmes, doing household chores or enjoying some private time with siblings, spouses or their children, and another two to three hours relaxing and socialising with friends.
The rest of the time -— about 10 to 12 hours — is spent at the workplace. Almost 50 per cent of a person’s life revolve around the people he works with.
It makes sense to ensure that you enjoy your time at the workplace. To do so, you must foster amicable relations with your colleagues and superiors.
Dragging yourself to work every day, dreading interacting with your colleagues and avoiding your boss will get you nowhere. These latent stressors make you look negatively at your life and work.
To quote Confucius: “Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.” If you want your colleagues to be nice to you, you must first show them that you respect them. Change your attitude before you expect others to modify their behaviour towards you.
A positive attitude is a valuable asset because it is the first thing people notice about you. If you change your approach towards your job, your colleagues will take notice and appreciate a more competent and positive team player.
The right attitude is also a powerful tool that will drive you to achieve your goals and help you lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Your paper qualifications may play an important part in helping you get a good job but a positive approach ultimately brings you career success.
BE POSITIVE
Here are 10 tips on how to acquire a positive attitude:
● Strive to be happy. For every minute you get upset with somebody, you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.
● Treasure the people who are good to you and forgive those who hurt you.
● Practise turning negative thoughts into positive ones.
● Talk to yourself continuously in a positive manner and you will feel better, look more confident and achieve greater success.
● Treat as many people as you can with kindness and respect. Do this every day and you will stay upbeat and cheerful.
● Prepare yourself to accept changes in life. Read self-help books or attend talks on the subject.
● Set realistic and achievable goals to motivate yourself. Write them down and read them regularly to remind yourself.
● Read books, listen to CDs or watch videos on motivation and success.
● Attend motivational seminars or workshops regularly.
● Look after your health by getting adequate rest, eating sensibly and exercising regularly. You will feel better equipped to face new challenges that come your way.
Remember, the best person to ensure that you have a happy life and a successful career is yourself.
Article by Dr Candice Chia
WHO’S TO BLAME?
You cannot succeed by pushing away problems or shirking responsibility in today’s increasingly competitive and demanding workplace. You need to polish up your interpersonal communication skills and cultivate a positive, winning attitude towards your work.
In a day, people spend about seven hours sleeping, three to four hours watching their favourite TV programmes, doing household chores or enjoying some private time with siblings, spouses or their children, and another two to three hours relaxing and socialising with friends.
The rest of the time -— about 10 to 12 hours — is spent at the workplace. Almost 50 per cent of a person’s life revolve around the people he works with.
It makes sense to ensure that you enjoy your time at the workplace. To do so, you must foster amicable relations with your colleagues and superiors.
Dragging yourself to work every day, dreading interacting with your colleagues and avoiding your boss will get you nowhere. These latent stressors make you look negatively at your life and work.
To quote Confucius: “Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.” If you want your colleagues to be nice to you, you must first show them that you respect them. Change your attitude before you expect others to modify their behaviour towards you.
A positive attitude is a valuable asset because it is the first thing people notice about you. If you change your approach towards your job, your colleagues will take notice and appreciate a more competent and positive team player.
The right attitude is also a powerful tool that will drive you to achieve your goals and help you lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Your paper qualifications may play an important part in helping you get a good job but a positive approach ultimately brings you career success.
BE POSITIVE
Here are 10 tips on how to acquire a positive attitude:
● Strive to be happy. For every minute you get upset with somebody, you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.
● Treasure the people who are good to you and forgive those who hurt you.
● Practise turning negative thoughts into positive ones.
● Talk to yourself continuously in a positive manner and you will feel better, look more confident and achieve greater success.
● Treat as many people as you can with kindness and respect. Do this every day and you will stay upbeat and cheerful.
● Prepare yourself to accept changes in life. Read self-help books or attend talks on the subject.
● Set realistic and achievable goals to motivate yourself. Write them down and read them regularly to remind yourself.
● Read books, listen to CDs or watch videos on motivation and success.
● Attend motivational seminars or workshops regularly.
● Look after your health by getting adequate rest, eating sensibly and exercising regularly. You will feel better equipped to face new challenges that come your way.
Remember, the best person to ensure that you have a happy life and a successful career is yourself.
Article by Dr Candice Chia
Tell them why
IF A company is going to stay in business, it has to change, and that can be scary. Many people see change as threatening. To them, it is the destroyer of what is familiar and comfortable rather than the creator of what is new and exciting. Unfortunately, comfort can be the enemy of excellence. It can even lead to corporate death.
A navy aviator once told me that many pilots died because they stayed with their disabled aircraft too long. They preferred the familiarity of the cockpit to the unfamiliarity of the parachute, even though the cockpit had become a death trap and the parachute had become a ticket to life.
Many businesses have died because their people preferred the familiar but deadly old ways to the risky but rewarding new ways. Businesses must learn that to stand still is to perish.
Controlled change
The secret to successful change is to make it controlled change. If the change is well-planned and under control, the people affected will have a sense of stability amid change, and that can be reassuring.
One of the most important things that you as a manager or leader can do is to explain the reasons for the change. Change is easier to take when people can see a rationale behind it.
Another way of easing anxiety is to show how advance planning minimises risks. Let people know what to expect, step by step. No surprises, no alarm.
Rank-and-file employees need to know that management is fully behind the change. If they are learning to do things a new way, they need assurance that somebody up the management ladder won’t come by later and say: “That’s the wrong way.” Commend and recognise employees who master the new way.
Planned changes usually move through three stages: softening, reshaping and restabilising.
During the softening stage, employees have to unlearn old habits. During the reshaping phase, new ways must be implanted. During restabilisation, these new ways must become new habits.
You can smooth the way towards change through pilot projects that enable employees to go through trial runs before “going live”. You can also find people who are familiar with the new ways and let them model them for the rest of your people.
I have learnt, through consulting with companies implementing change, that the job is never finished.
Successful companies look for ways to institutionalise change. When a company’s people are oriented to change and educated in effective ways to bring it about, it is geared up for the future.
A navy aviator once told me that many pilots died because they stayed with their disabled aircraft too long. They preferred the familiarity of the cockpit to the unfamiliarity of the parachute, even though the cockpit had become a death trap and the parachute had become a ticket to life.
Many businesses have died because their people preferred the familiar but deadly old ways to the risky but rewarding new ways. Businesses must learn that to stand still is to perish.
Controlled change
The secret to successful change is to make it controlled change. If the change is well-planned and under control, the people affected will have a sense of stability amid change, and that can be reassuring.
One of the most important things that you as a manager or leader can do is to explain the reasons for the change. Change is easier to take when people can see a rationale behind it.
Another way of easing anxiety is to show how advance planning minimises risks. Let people know what to expect, step by step. No surprises, no alarm.
Rank-and-file employees need to know that management is fully behind the change. If they are learning to do things a new way, they need assurance that somebody up the management ladder won’t come by later and say: “That’s the wrong way.” Commend and recognise employees who master the new way.
Planned changes usually move through three stages: softening, reshaping and restabilising.
During the softening stage, employees have to unlearn old habits. During the reshaping phase, new ways must be implanted. During restabilisation, these new ways must become new habits.
You can smooth the way towards change through pilot projects that enable employees to go through trial runs before “going live”. You can also find people who are familiar with the new ways and let them model them for the rest of your people.
I have learnt, through consulting with companies implementing change, that the job is never finished.
Successful companies look for ways to institutionalise change. When a company’s people are oriented to change and educated in effective ways to bring it about, it is geared up for the future.
What kind of leader are you?
There are several different leadership styles to choose from. Whatever the model, it is never an easy process to implement or practise a particular style of leadership and get the intended results.
Leadership is both an art and a science. The one key element that all leaders should possess is the ability to communicate their vision and values to the people they are leading and to get their buy-in.
If you want your staff’s buy-in, you need to review your leadership style. Find out if it is an autocratic leadership style or a consultative one.
Autocratic
This style is based on a top-down approach. The leader is in a position of absolute power and he can implement whatever methods he wants to get things done.
Usually, in an autocratic leadership environment, there will not be much discussion about issues as people find that their voices do not carry weight in the problem-solving and decision-making aspects of their organisation.
An autocratic leader will be the driver of his people and without his leadership the organisation will not be able to function.
Autocratic leaders may appear to delegate power but at the same time retain a stranglehold on all those under them.
They also coach their people to do things the way they want them and adopt a “my way or the highway” working environment. An autocratic leader often inspires fear in his followers.
While these qualities seem negative, autocratic leadership is not necessarily always a bad style. In fact, there are some circumstances where autocratic leadership should be the preferred style.
One instance is when the organisation is new and the staff members are inexperienced. They look to their leaders to guide them in their work.
Another example where autocratic leadership might be needed is when an organisation’s people are disengaged and have no clear direction, and there is internal politicking that is disruptive and divisive.
In these circumstances, a powerful leader may be able to re-align the organisation in the right direction and whip people into shape by insisting that his directives are followed.
The downside is that an extended period of autocratic leadership can strain the relationship between the leader and his people who may become resentful at having to tow the line.
And when the leader becomes too autocratic, he may forget that he is dealing with humans and not machines. This can create a sense of dissonance in the work environment that will not be beneficial to the leader, the people and the organisation in the long run.
Take the cue from US President Dwight D. Eisenhower who said: “You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.”
Consultative
This style is probably the ideal one to cultivate in the long run. Management guru Kenneth Blanchard said: “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”
The very essence of consultative leadership is that the leader will have to develop the ability to influence people rather than impose his authority on them.
In consultative leadership, the leader involves his subordinates in the decision-making and problem-solving processes. This kind of leadership style portrays the leader as the servant of the people he is leading.
The people have the power to consult the leader and are able to make suggestions that they know will be taken seriously by the leader.
The consultative leadership style endorses empowerment rather than delegation. When a leader empowers, he is giving the person concerned the authority to do what is necessary. He may draw certain parameters for the person to work within and may require that he is kept informed of developments, but he will not micro-manage.
The consultative leader still needs to have a strong vision and a set of values that he must communicate to his people. But unlike the autocratic leader, he will administer a people-oriented management rather than a task-oriented one.
The consultative leader’s role will continuously involve the development of his people. He achieves this by being aware of the needs and wants of his people.
The only way he can get this information is by having constant dialogues with his staff to clarify their goals and aspirations. When they are engaged this way, they will be more prepared to buy into their leader’s vision and values.
A consultative leadership style lets a leader discover the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals under his authority. He is then in a position to bring out the best in them by working on their strengths and minimising their weaknesses.
US senator for North Carolina Elizabeth Dole once said: “What you always do before you make a decision is consult. The best public policy is made when you are listening to people who are going to be impacted. Then, once policy is determined, you call on them to help you sell it.”
Article by Daniel Theyagu
Leadership is both an art and a science. The one key element that all leaders should possess is the ability to communicate their vision and values to the people they are leading and to get their buy-in.
If you want your staff’s buy-in, you need to review your leadership style. Find out if it is an autocratic leadership style or a consultative one.
Autocratic
This style is based on a top-down approach. The leader is in a position of absolute power and he can implement whatever methods he wants to get things done.
Usually, in an autocratic leadership environment, there will not be much discussion about issues as people find that their voices do not carry weight in the problem-solving and decision-making aspects of their organisation.
An autocratic leader will be the driver of his people and without his leadership the organisation will not be able to function.
Autocratic leaders may appear to delegate power but at the same time retain a stranglehold on all those under them.
They also coach their people to do things the way they want them and adopt a “my way or the highway” working environment. An autocratic leader often inspires fear in his followers.
While these qualities seem negative, autocratic leadership is not necessarily always a bad style. In fact, there are some circumstances where autocratic leadership should be the preferred style.
One instance is when the organisation is new and the staff members are inexperienced. They look to their leaders to guide them in their work.
Another example where autocratic leadership might be needed is when an organisation’s people are disengaged and have no clear direction, and there is internal politicking that is disruptive and divisive.
In these circumstances, a powerful leader may be able to re-align the organisation in the right direction and whip people into shape by insisting that his directives are followed.
The downside is that an extended period of autocratic leadership can strain the relationship between the leader and his people who may become resentful at having to tow the line.
And when the leader becomes too autocratic, he may forget that he is dealing with humans and not machines. This can create a sense of dissonance in the work environment that will not be beneficial to the leader, the people and the organisation in the long run.
Take the cue from US President Dwight D. Eisenhower who said: “You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.”
Consultative
This style is probably the ideal one to cultivate in the long run. Management guru Kenneth Blanchard said: “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”
The very essence of consultative leadership is that the leader will have to develop the ability to influence people rather than impose his authority on them.
In consultative leadership, the leader involves his subordinates in the decision-making and problem-solving processes. This kind of leadership style portrays the leader as the servant of the people he is leading.
The people have the power to consult the leader and are able to make suggestions that they know will be taken seriously by the leader.
The consultative leadership style endorses empowerment rather than delegation. When a leader empowers, he is giving the person concerned the authority to do what is necessary. He may draw certain parameters for the person to work within and may require that he is kept informed of developments, but he will not micro-manage.
The consultative leader still needs to have a strong vision and a set of values that he must communicate to his people. But unlike the autocratic leader, he will administer a people-oriented management rather than a task-oriented one.
The consultative leader’s role will continuously involve the development of his people. He achieves this by being aware of the needs and wants of his people.
The only way he can get this information is by having constant dialogues with his staff to clarify their goals and aspirations. When they are engaged this way, they will be more prepared to buy into their leader’s vision and values.
A consultative leadership style lets a leader discover the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals under his authority. He is then in a position to bring out the best in them by working on their strengths and minimising their weaknesses.
US senator for North Carolina Elizabeth Dole once said: “What you always do before you make a decision is consult. The best public policy is made when you are listening to people who are going to be impacted. Then, once policy is determined, you call on them to help you sell it.”
Article by Daniel Theyagu
The must-have worker
IF THE retrenchments today are telling us anything, it’s that nothing is assured. Statistics show the average worker moves at least six times throughout his career, so when it’s time to make the next big move – be sure it’s on your terms.
If you were to be knocked down by a bus tomorrow, would your office be able to run effectively without you? For the majority of us, the answer is ‘yes’. It can happen to any of us.
A negative solution might be to set up databases or secure information in such a way that only you can de-code, however, this only ensures that you are indispensable as a gatekeeper of information, rather than a generator of it.
However there are positive, constructive ways to become indispensable. The key is to ensure the right people in your company understand your value while you are still at the job rather than later when you are gone.
Maintaining strong relationships with clients is important for the account, the business and therefore you and your position in the company. They are such an integral part to any business, but are also hard to place a value on.
A client will take his business away if he doesn’t like or trust the people he has working for him. While a client’s details can be recorded in a database, this only tells a shallow story. It’s the knowledge and experience you can’t write about, such as a client’s preference to talk about sports before getting down to business, that can mean the difference between obtaining his trust and being out in the cold.
If you have strong relationships with your accounts, make sure your superiors know about it. Don’t be embarrassed about letting people know as the information provides your superiors with a gauge of how the account is progressing and provides them with
The peace of mind that everything is going well. They may also need to rely on your knowledge of the customer at contract negotiation time.
Identifying skill-gaps in the office and taking the initiative to train yourself and be officially credited not only looks good on your CV but on the company’s credentials as well. Being well versed on a topic will establish you as the ‘go-to’ person in the office and ensure you have a sphere of influence on topics that relate to everyone else in the organisation.
However, being the knowledge point can be a double-edged sword. If you do not manage this carefully you can be pigeonholed as a specialist in this field. So if the company changes direction or focus and your area of strength loses its value to the company, you will inevitably be de-valued with it.
The other challenge with being a specialist is the amount of time that is consumed by people who ask for advice. It’s important to formalise this. Add up all the ‘advisory time’ you contribute and have it included as part of your key performance ndicators.
Be vigilant of the company direction. If it is obvious that the company is heading in a clear direction, ensure that your skills and experience marry with that direction. If not, what can you do to ensure that you grow and evolve, thereby staying one step ahead of the company and those around you.
Be the innovator in the office. This may mean the uptake of new technology to ensure your job is done more efficiently (such as using Blackberrys to monitor emails while out of the office) or suggesting and championing a new business model such as remote working. Companies have to consistently try new things to achieve greater efficiencies. It is better to be at the driving edge of this rather than be one of the masses that are swept along with the company’s broom of change.
Know who the decision-makers are and establish close ties. If they see you as a sounding board, it is more difficult for you to be dislodged. However, once in this position, do not become complacent. The king can still be toppled and so will the empire he has built around him. You need to have a good grasp of the office and company climate. If your position is compromised, it is important to know who will obtain power, and re-establish your loyalties.
Ensure that your performance indicators and targets are measurable and obtainable and be sure that the right people get visibility when they are achieved.
It was Bertrand Russell who said, “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important”. Unfortunately we all have inflated ideas of our value ... it’s just everyone else who doesn’t see it. The challenge is to ensure those around you acknowledge your work’s importance and the best way is by showing how you help them succeed in their job.
Article contributed by Mastura Diana Jaffar, managing director of DBM Malaysia, which offers human resources solutions.
If you were to be knocked down by a bus tomorrow, would your office be able to run effectively without you? For the majority of us, the answer is ‘yes’. It can happen to any of us.
A negative solution might be to set up databases or secure information in such a way that only you can de-code, however, this only ensures that you are indispensable as a gatekeeper of information, rather than a generator of it.
However there are positive, constructive ways to become indispensable. The key is to ensure the right people in your company understand your value while you are still at the job rather than later when you are gone.
Maintaining strong relationships with clients is important for the account, the business and therefore you and your position in the company. They are such an integral part to any business, but are also hard to place a value on.
A client will take his business away if he doesn’t like or trust the people he has working for him. While a client’s details can be recorded in a database, this only tells a shallow story. It’s the knowledge and experience you can’t write about, such as a client’s preference to talk about sports before getting down to business, that can mean the difference between obtaining his trust and being out in the cold.
If you have strong relationships with your accounts, make sure your superiors know about it. Don’t be embarrassed about letting people know as the information provides your superiors with a gauge of how the account is progressing and provides them with
The peace of mind that everything is going well. They may also need to rely on your knowledge of the customer at contract negotiation time.
Identifying skill-gaps in the office and taking the initiative to train yourself and be officially credited not only looks good on your CV but on the company’s credentials as well. Being well versed on a topic will establish you as the ‘go-to’ person in the office and ensure you have a sphere of influence on topics that relate to everyone else in the organisation.
However, being the knowledge point can be a double-edged sword. If you do not manage this carefully you can be pigeonholed as a specialist in this field. So if the company changes direction or focus and your area of strength loses its value to the company, you will inevitably be de-valued with it.
The other challenge with being a specialist is the amount of time that is consumed by people who ask for advice. It’s important to formalise this. Add up all the ‘advisory time’ you contribute and have it included as part of your key performance ndicators.
Be vigilant of the company direction. If it is obvious that the company is heading in a clear direction, ensure that your skills and experience marry with that direction. If not, what can you do to ensure that you grow and evolve, thereby staying one step ahead of the company and those around you.
Be the innovator in the office. This may mean the uptake of new technology to ensure your job is done more efficiently (such as using Blackberrys to monitor emails while out of the office) or suggesting and championing a new business model such as remote working. Companies have to consistently try new things to achieve greater efficiencies. It is better to be at the driving edge of this rather than be one of the masses that are swept along with the company’s broom of change.
Know who the decision-makers are and establish close ties. If they see you as a sounding board, it is more difficult for you to be dislodged. However, once in this position, do not become complacent. The king can still be toppled and so will the empire he has built around him. You need to have a good grasp of the office and company climate. If your position is compromised, it is important to know who will obtain power, and re-establish your loyalties.
Ensure that your performance indicators and targets are measurable and obtainable and be sure that the right people get visibility when they are achieved.
It was Bertrand Russell who said, “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important”. Unfortunately we all have inflated ideas of our value ... it’s just everyone else who doesn’t see it. The challenge is to ensure those around you acknowledge your work’s importance and the best way is by showing how you help them succeed in their job.
Article contributed by Mastura Diana Jaffar, managing director of DBM Malaysia, which offers human resources solutions.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
The Causes of Money
Never Worry About Money Again
You must aim to reach the point where you have enough money so that you never have to worry about money again. The good news is that financial independence is easier to achieve today than it has ever been before. We live in the richest country at the richest time in all of human history. We are surrounded by more wealth and affluence than ever before. Your job is to get your fair share.
Financial Success Is Not An Accident
The Law of Cause and Effect applies to money as much as to any other subject. This law says that financial success is an effect. As such, it proceeds from certain, specific causes. When you identify these causes and implement them in your own life and activities, you will get the same effects that hundreds of thousands, and even millions of others have gotten. You can achieve whatever level of affluence you really want if you will just do what others have done before you to achieve the same results. And if you don't, you won't. It is as simple as that.
Your Beliefs Determine Your Success
There is perhaps no other area where universal laws are more in evidence than in the acquiring and keeping of money. In America today, there are several million men and women who have started with nothing, or deeply in debt, and achieved financial independence. Their attitudes and behaviors have been studied in great depth. We now know the keys to wealth creation better than ever before. And what we know is that your most cherished beliefs on the subject of money will be the primary determinants of how much you acquire and how much you keep over the course of your working lifetime.
Your Primary Aim in Life
Your primary aim in life should be the achievement of your own happiness. However, happiness is something that exists naturally in the absence of fears, doubts and negative emotions. One of the factors that most deprives you of happiness is worry about money. And, by the way, when we talk about money worries, we're not referring to your having too much. The problem is virtually always that people feel that they have too little money and their lives are suffering as a result.
Build a Financial Fortress
Perhaps the greatest single fear, the one that causes you more distress and unhappiness than anything else, is the fear of failure. In the area of money, you experience this as the fear of poverty and the fear of loss. Since one of the deepest needs of human nature is security, any threat to your security, real or imaginary, can cause you tremendous stress.
You can only free yourself from the fears of poverty and failure by achieving a specific level of financial worth and then by building a fortress around it so that you are safe and impregnable. This achievement of financial independence is a key responsibility of adult life. No one else will do it for you.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to implement the Law of Cause and Effect in your financial life:
First, begin today to implement the causes of financial success in our society. This requires that you spend less, save more, invest carefully and strive toward financial independence.
Second, study other people who are financially successful who have started from little or nothing. Find out what they did to become financially independent and discipline yourself to do the same things.
You must aim to reach the point where you have enough money so that you never have to worry about money again. The good news is that financial independence is easier to achieve today than it has ever been before. We live in the richest country at the richest time in all of human history. We are surrounded by more wealth and affluence than ever before. Your job is to get your fair share.
Financial Success Is Not An Accident
The Law of Cause and Effect applies to money as much as to any other subject. This law says that financial success is an effect. As such, it proceeds from certain, specific causes. When you identify these causes and implement them in your own life and activities, you will get the same effects that hundreds of thousands, and even millions of others have gotten. You can achieve whatever level of affluence you really want if you will just do what others have done before you to achieve the same results. And if you don't, you won't. It is as simple as that.
Your Beliefs Determine Your Success
There is perhaps no other area where universal laws are more in evidence than in the acquiring and keeping of money. In America today, there are several million men and women who have started with nothing, or deeply in debt, and achieved financial independence. Their attitudes and behaviors have been studied in great depth. We now know the keys to wealth creation better than ever before. And what we know is that your most cherished beliefs on the subject of money will be the primary determinants of how much you acquire and how much you keep over the course of your working lifetime.
Your Primary Aim in Life
Your primary aim in life should be the achievement of your own happiness. However, happiness is something that exists naturally in the absence of fears, doubts and negative emotions. One of the factors that most deprives you of happiness is worry about money. And, by the way, when we talk about money worries, we're not referring to your having too much. The problem is virtually always that people feel that they have too little money and their lives are suffering as a result.
Build a Financial Fortress
Perhaps the greatest single fear, the one that causes you more distress and unhappiness than anything else, is the fear of failure. In the area of money, you experience this as the fear of poverty and the fear of loss. Since one of the deepest needs of human nature is security, any threat to your security, real or imaginary, can cause you tremendous stress.
You can only free yourself from the fears of poverty and failure by achieving a specific level of financial worth and then by building a fortress around it so that you are safe and impregnable. This achievement of financial independence is a key responsibility of adult life. No one else will do it for you.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to implement the Law of Cause and Effect in your financial life:
First, begin today to implement the causes of financial success in our society. This requires that you spend less, save more, invest carefully and strive toward financial independence.
Second, study other people who are financially successful who have started from little or nothing. Find out what they did to become financially independent and discipline yourself to do the same things.
The Determinant of Your Success
Perhaps the most powerful single factor in your financial success is your beliefs about yourself and money. We call this the Law of Belief. It says simply this: Whatever you believe, with feeling, becomes your reality.
What Successful People Believe
Whatever you intensely believe becomes your reality. That we have a tendency to block out any information coming in to us that is inconsistent with our reality. What we've discovered is that successful people absolutely believe that they have the ability to succeed. And they will not entertain, think about, or talk about the possibilities that they'll fail. They do not even consider the possibility of failure.
Positive Thinking Versus Positive Knowing
You always act in a matter consistent with your beliefs. The most important belief system you can build is a prosperity consciousness where you absolutely believe that you are going achieve your financial goals. We call this positive knowing versus positive thinking. Positive thinking can sometimes be wishing or hoping. But positive knowing is when you absolutely know that no matter what, you will be successful.
The Foundation of Willpower
Another principle related to your beliefs is willpower. We know that willpower is essential to any success. Willpower is based on confidence. It's based on conviction. It's based on faith. It's based on your belief in your ability to triumph over all obstacles. And you can develop willpower by persistence, by working on your goals, by reading the biographies of successful people, by listening to audio programs, by reading books about people who've achieved success. The more information you take into your mind consistent with success, the more likely it is that you will develop the willpower to push you through the obstacles and difficulties you will experience.
Beat the Odds on Success
Remember that success is rare. Only one person in one hundred becomes wealthy in the course of a lifetime. Only five percent achieve financial independence. That means that the odds against you are 19-to-1. The only way that you're going to achieve your financial goals is if you get really serious. To succeed, you must get serious. You must get busy. You must get active. You must get going. Remember, everything counts.
Resolve to Achieve Greatly
Self-mastery, self-control, self-discipline are essential for anyone who wants to achieve greatly. And control over your thoughts is the hardest exercise in self-mastery that you will ever engage in. See if you can talk and think about only what you desire and not talk or think about anything that you don't want for 24 hours. Then you'll see what you're really made of. It's a hard thing to do but with practice, you can reach the point where you are thinking about your goals and desires most of the time. Then, your whole life will change for the better.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to build a belief system consistent with the financial success you desire:
First, continually repeat to yourself the words, pictures and thoughts consistent with your dreams and goals. Whatever you repeat often enough, over and over, becomes a new belief.
Second, set a goal for yourself to think and talk only about the things that you want for the next 24 hours. This will be one of the hardest things you ever do. But if you can keep your mind on what you want and off of what you don't want for 24 hours, you can begin to change your entire future.
What Successful People Believe
Whatever you intensely believe becomes your reality. That we have a tendency to block out any information coming in to us that is inconsistent with our reality. What we've discovered is that successful people absolutely believe that they have the ability to succeed. And they will not entertain, think about, or talk about the possibilities that they'll fail. They do not even consider the possibility of failure.
Positive Thinking Versus Positive Knowing
You always act in a matter consistent with your beliefs. The most important belief system you can build is a prosperity consciousness where you absolutely believe that you are going achieve your financial goals. We call this positive knowing versus positive thinking. Positive thinking can sometimes be wishing or hoping. But positive knowing is when you absolutely know that no matter what, you will be successful.
The Foundation of Willpower
Another principle related to your beliefs is willpower. We know that willpower is essential to any success. Willpower is based on confidence. It's based on conviction. It's based on faith. It's based on your belief in your ability to triumph over all obstacles. And you can develop willpower by persistence, by working on your goals, by reading the biographies of successful people, by listening to audio programs, by reading books about people who've achieved success. The more information you take into your mind consistent with success, the more likely it is that you will develop the willpower to push you through the obstacles and difficulties you will experience.
Beat the Odds on Success
Remember that success is rare. Only one person in one hundred becomes wealthy in the course of a lifetime. Only five percent achieve financial independence. That means that the odds against you are 19-to-1. The only way that you're going to achieve your financial goals is if you get really serious. To succeed, you must get serious. You must get busy. You must get active. You must get going. Remember, everything counts.
Resolve to Achieve Greatly
Self-mastery, self-control, self-discipline are essential for anyone who wants to achieve greatly. And control over your thoughts is the hardest exercise in self-mastery that you will ever engage in. See if you can talk and think about only what you desire and not talk or think about anything that you don't want for 24 hours. Then you'll see what you're really made of. It's a hard thing to do but with practice, you can reach the point where you are thinking about your goals and desires most of the time. Then, your whole life will change for the better.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to build a belief system consistent with the financial success you desire:
First, continually repeat to yourself the words, pictures and thoughts consistent with your dreams and goals. Whatever you repeat often enough, over and over, becomes a new belief.
Second, set a goal for yourself to think and talk only about the things that you want for the next 24 hours. This will be one of the hardest things you ever do. But if you can keep your mind on what you want and off of what you don't want for 24 hours, you can begin to change your entire future.
You Deserve to Be Happy
Achieving your own happiness is the best measure of how well you are living your life and enjoying your relationships. You can learn how to be happier and more fulfilled in everything you do.
Everyone is Different
Happiness in life is like a smorgasbord. If 100 people went to a smorgasbord and each put food on their plate in the quantity and mix that each felt would be most pleasing to him, every plate would be different. Even a husband and wife would go up to the smorgasbord and come back with plates that looked completely different. Happiness is the same way. Each person requires a particular combination of those ingredients to feel the very best about himself or herself.
Listen to Your Heart
And your mix is changing continually. If you went to the same smorgasbord every day for a year, you probably would come back with a different plateful of food each time. Each day-sometimes each hour-only you can tell what it takes to make you happy. Therefore, the only way to judge whether a job, a relationship, an investment, or any decision, is right for you is to get in touch with your feelings and listen to your heart.
Be True to Yourself
You're true to yourself only when you follow your inner light, when you listen to what Ralph Waldo Emerson called the "still, small voice within." You're being the very best person you can be only when you have the courage and the fortitude to allow your definition of happiness, whatever it may be, to be the guiding light of every part of your life.
There Are No Limits
A very important point on the subject of happiness is whether or not you feel that you "deserve" to be happy.
Accept the notion that you deserve all the happiness you can honestly attain through the application of your talents and abilities. The more you like and respect yourself, the more deserving you will feel of the good things in life. And the more deserving you feel, the more likely you will attain and hold on to the happiness you are working toward.
Make Happiness Your Key Measure
You should make happiness the organizing principle of your life. Compare every possible action and decision you make against your standard of happiness to see whether that action would make you happier or unhappier. Soon, you will discover that almost all of the problems in your life come from choices that you have made - or are currently making - that do not contribute to your happiness.
Pay the Price
Of course, there are countless times when you will have to do little things that don't make you happy along the way toward those larger things that make you very happy indeed. We call this paying the price of success in advance. You must pay your dues. Sometimes these interim steps don't make you happy directly, but the happiness you achieve from attaining your goal will be so great that it totally overwhelms the temporary inconveniences and dissatisfactions you have to endure in order to get there.
Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, accept that you deserve all the joy and happiness you can possibly achieve through your own efforts.
Second, make your own happiness the chief organizing principle of your life and judge everything against that standard.
Third, be willing to work hard and pay the price for the satisfaction and rewards you desire. Always go the extra mile and your success will be assured
Everyone is Different
Happiness in life is like a smorgasbord. If 100 people went to a smorgasbord and each put food on their plate in the quantity and mix that each felt would be most pleasing to him, every plate would be different. Even a husband and wife would go up to the smorgasbord and come back with plates that looked completely different. Happiness is the same way. Each person requires a particular combination of those ingredients to feel the very best about himself or herself.
Listen to Your Heart
And your mix is changing continually. If you went to the same smorgasbord every day for a year, you probably would come back with a different plateful of food each time. Each day-sometimes each hour-only you can tell what it takes to make you happy. Therefore, the only way to judge whether a job, a relationship, an investment, or any decision, is right for you is to get in touch with your feelings and listen to your heart.
Be True to Yourself
You're true to yourself only when you follow your inner light, when you listen to what Ralph Waldo Emerson called the "still, small voice within." You're being the very best person you can be only when you have the courage and the fortitude to allow your definition of happiness, whatever it may be, to be the guiding light of every part of your life.
There Are No Limits
A very important point on the subject of happiness is whether or not you feel that you "deserve" to be happy.
Accept the notion that you deserve all the happiness you can honestly attain through the application of your talents and abilities. The more you like and respect yourself, the more deserving you will feel of the good things in life. And the more deserving you feel, the more likely you will attain and hold on to the happiness you are working toward.
Make Happiness Your Key Measure
You should make happiness the organizing principle of your life. Compare every possible action and decision you make against your standard of happiness to see whether that action would make you happier or unhappier. Soon, you will discover that almost all of the problems in your life come from choices that you have made - or are currently making - that do not contribute to your happiness.
Pay the Price
Of course, there are countless times when you will have to do little things that don't make you happy along the way toward those larger things that make you very happy indeed. We call this paying the price of success in advance. You must pay your dues. Sometimes these interim steps don't make you happy directly, but the happiness you achieve from attaining your goal will be so great that it totally overwhelms the temporary inconveniences and dissatisfactions you have to endure in order to get there.
Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, accept that you deserve all the joy and happiness you can possibly achieve through your own efforts.
Second, make your own happiness the chief organizing principle of your life and judge everything against that standard.
Third, be willing to work hard and pay the price for the satisfaction and rewards you desire. Always go the extra mile and your success will be assured
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