Archive for the ‘Success’ Category

Listen and Look for Success

Friday, September 17th, 2010

Listen and look in every direction. Sometimes from the most unlikely and unexpected places, you will receive help or inspiration to take the first step into the unknown. As you take the first step forward, the next step may be more visible or you may encounter someone who may offer a suggestion or introduce you to someone that may make the next step so very apparent.
Utilize your own knowledge and creativity ingrained within you, while expecting more to come. Never be discouraged if you must call a halt in your progress due to unexpected roadblocks, emergencies or circumstances. Do what you must, or delegate if you can and sooner or later, you will most likely return to the project with more energy, insight and possible shortcuts with a better solution to reach your goal.

Additional Words of Wisdom: Remember to reach down to help others as you climb the ladder of success and you may find that you will rise even further than you may have ever imagined.

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Are You the Turtle or the Hare?

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Don’t ask what your mate can do for you! Instead ask what you can do to complement (not compliment or complicate) the “union”. In other words, list all the positive and negatives of each personality and analyze how the “union” will benefit–Remember, a negative may actually be a positive in many different situations. For instance, if you are an energetic go getter who is anxious to make your mark in the world; instead of being irritated with your slower, deliberate, calculating, longrange planning mate, be aware that the turtle actually won the race! If you are the dominant personality, it is really nice to have a mate who is supportive and offers encouragement instead of being jealous or competitive. Shared goals, opinions and struggles make life more interesting. Mutual respect, admiration and appreciation are necessary ingredients. Ideally, each person has special attributes and different interests that enhance the relationship. Allowing individual expression is the key to long-lasting associations. It is never a good idea to assume that your partnership will be like your parents, because your partner is not your parent!

When there are differences or disputes which may escalate and become heated, realize that this may be an opportunity to explore several unique options that will benefit both partners. Often we ignore or fail to recognize the special traits or talents that each person offers and may have to reorganize the individual responsibilities. Be willing to admit that you may be wrong sometimes in judging a situation without understanding all the facts and be willing to listen to another point of view and you can both become winners.

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End of the Rainbow and a Pot of Gold

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Throughout life, a lot of people are looking for their pot of gold and the end of the rainbow. For some, that pot of gold could be money. For others, it may be a job or a relationship. Everybody has their own idea of what that pot of gold is for us as an individual. Their journey of finding the pot of gold is never easy. You have to remember that there are tricky leprechauns out there. According to the old story, finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is as hard to find as the leprechauns who may be watching over it to keep you from getting it. Folklore says that leprechauns are almost impossible to catch, since they are well known for being cunning and fast and they can also hide very easily. Nonetheless, if you look hard and focus on them with your eye, they cannot move and trick you. This means that you have to confront the leprechauns you come across in your search for the pot of gold so that you control them, instead of them controlling you.

Some people think that after their working years, they will magically find their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, it is actually the journey, not the end result that contains the riches they are looking for. Finding their pot of gold could consist of picking up coins along the way.

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Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Believing in the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is a great perspective to have on life. The fact that you’re reading this might be a sign that you believe in it. You just have to be willing to reach for it and hope it may be true. This statement that was made long ago might have proven to be untrue to those who believed it, but for some reason didn’t ever make it to the end of the rainbow. Some may ridicule a person who would ever believe in such a thing to begin with. However, many have proven this old statement to be true and it is more that just a poetic statement that was made to raise our expectations by some guy. The gold can be anything that you consider to be valuable in your life. It is the value that is associated with your desire that turns something to gold. Your determination of value is what is important. Just as much as someone wants to change and goes through a sequence of events that makes them a more whole being, so does the journey to the end of the rainbow bring forth different changes to the explorer in their path to success. You may be thinking, ‘what is success’? It is a belief of conquest, a surmounting the odds to reach a desired goal or state of happiness.

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The Assets of Enthusiasm and Listening

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

A leader is defined as ‘a person who by force of example, talents, or qualities of leadership plays a directing role, wields commanding influence, or has a following in any realm or activity or thought. Leadership is the aspects of the personality that cause men and women to follow them. Three of the main characteristics of a leader are dedication, charisma, and enthusiasm. It is generally thought that every leader has a charisma that leads to change and success. Good leadership skills start with concern, vision, and mentorship. Also, good listening skills are required in order to understand people’s attitudes and motivators. By asking numerous open-ended questions, you can really get to know those around you. When you ask questions, you have an opportunity to listen, and when you listen, you can see others motivations, body language, and issues. It is also good to offer challenges and solutions to people you talk to, and give credit to those who give good, honest answers to your questions. Enthusiasm is also an important quality to have in life. Everyone around you needs to be encouraged and motivated. As a leader, you should always display a positive and energetic attitude. Another great quality in life and as a leader is that of awareness. It’s a good thing to try and be aware of non-verbals and look beyond the surface in life. It is a beneficial thing to be aware of when those around you are happy, frustrated, tired, or stressed.

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Identifying Your Unique Skills

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Everyone is some specialty on the inside of them. For instance, a boy likes to paint. There are a lot of qualities that are involved with becoming a good painter, but some education systems measure kid’s abilities by the standards of math, geography, science, or social studies. Another example is a girl that is interested in singing and wants to develop her singing gifts, but her school doesn’t help her in becoming a good singer. Instead, they attempt to get her to compete with other girls to be good in academics. Parthiv Patel and Sachin Tendulkar could not go to school, but became good players. Einstein wasn’t a great student, but still became a phenomenal scientist. These instances don’t mean that education systems are bad, but education systems should help to build on such skill more. In journalism, there are three important aspects that make a good journalist. When something interesting transpires a journalist should have the desire to learn, the curiosity to know the facts and ask necessary questions, and the ability to communicate and help others understand what they have learned.

One good activity you can do to learn what your special skills are is to read the morning newspaper for about ten minutes and just focus on the headlines to see if anything interests you. Daily or once a week read today’s or older newspapers and take note of the news that interests you the most and when you get online, bookmark these topics and organize them into categories. Do this for one year.

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Special Skills and Interests

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Every personal growth plan should involve activities that are made to uncover, clarify, and build on an individual’s personal strengths and unique interests. Personal development programs will be most effective when building on existing strengths, passions, and special skills, instead of focusing on personal weaknesses.

Personal interests and life’s passions are the things that an individual likes to do. These are the things you have a natural tendency to be drawn towards. Your individual interests and passions are things you’ve done since you were a kid. They may have taken on different forms, but sometimes they still have an underlying common thread. Your life’s passions, whether they are affiliated with work or pleasure, are the activities which can define your life’s purpose. Your personal strengths or signature strengths are those unique skills and abilities that enable you to excel at something. Personal strengths are the special abilities you have that are usually closely connected with your life’s passions. Those that are most successful in their work are probably implementing their unique personal strengths in their job.

Below are some activities that will assist you in taking an inventory of your personal interests and passions. After you’ve done this, your personal development plan should be centered on implementing your passions in every part of your life. To do this: reflect on your life’s hobbies and favorite activities, consider activities that energize you, and consider what activities you do to avoid doing something you dislike.

Once you have identified your special interests and/or skills, you can explore whether or not you might need to develop a more complete understanding by further education or experience in that area in order to benefit from that knowledge. You may find that your life can be enriched by sharing, competing, teaching or using it to entertain or acquire a particular job or promotion.

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Starting Your Own Business

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Starting your own business is a rewarding, but demanding career and life decision. It requires a lot of your time and dedication. It’s wise to start living your work until it is established and begins to rise. There are numerous opinions about how to start a business. Some people recommend researching and having a detailed business plan, while others suggest just jumping in to something you’re passionate about and attempting to make money from it. Nonetheless, below are a few tips to help you start your own business.

First, begin with your idea, and it doesn’t have to be a brand new invention or new product. A lot of successful small businesses have discovered a way to provide an existing service or product in a more efficient way or have customized an existing product or service in response to needs or demand. Second, draw out a business plan. This doesn’t have to be long and complicated, but include research into things such as how much you can charge for your product/services, how much it will cost to provide it, and the number of your potential customers. The plan should also include an evaluation of your competitors with information about the number of competitors, how strong they are, their location, and how you will compete. The plan should also include data concerning the requirements to enter the market and government regulations that have to be met. Third, your business plan will need a section on financing. You will have to know the costs to start and run your business.

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Non-Monetary Rewards

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

It has been found that people are motivated when they are treated with respect, told what they’re doing right, there’s a clear communication of goals, ideas are listened to fairly, and a person is given as much independence as possible to solve problems their own way. It has also been found that intelligent people are motivated by learning new things and having a feeling of pride from being a part of something that is bigger than them.

People tend to respond positively to personal rewards as well as monetary ones. It’s important to understand how to motivate people with rapport building questions that foster clear expectations, counter negativity in the workplace, and give people the language to voice criticism and feedback without damaging morale. People like non-monetary rewards because most people value personal satisfaction over money. Studies have consistently shown that workers value non-monetary rewards as the most important aspects of job satisfaction, motivation, and employee retention. It is good to make efforts to apply the non-monetary rewards that people value the most, in order to prevent causing the people around you to feel disrespected and demotivated. It has been said that a gentleman is someone who shows great caring for other people and respect can be defined as the willingness to show consideration for others. The easiest and most important way to express respect is with real words and acts of caring. In a practical way, that can translate into making people feel like they’re a part of decisions that have an effect on their lives, so they feel like they’re a part of things instead of feeling controlled.

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Monetary Rewards vs. Personal Rewards

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Similar to when a kid is given a candy bar and a hug after cleaning their room, rewards and recognition can serve as powerful methods for employee motivation and increased production. Many kinds of rewards and recognition have direct costs associated with them, such as cash bonuses and stock rewards, as well as number company-funded benefits, like car allowances, paid parking, and gift certificates. Other kinds of rewards and recognition can be less tangible, but still effective, nonetheless. These non-monetary rewards include formal and informal acknowledgement, assignment of more pleasant tasks, opportunities for training, and an increase in influence in decision-making. These kinds of rewards can be very significant to employees and a big motivator for improving performance.

A reward has been defined as ‘something that increases the frequency of an employee action’. This definition focuses on an obvious desired outcome of rewards and recognition to improve performance. Non-monetary recognition can be extremely motivating, serving to create confidence and satisfaction. Another important goal is increased employee retention. An ASTD report on retention research revealed that regular employee recognition is a key factor in retaining good workers. To accomplish desired goals, rewards systems should be closely aligned to organizational strategies. For example, a company focused on a product differentiation strategy could design their reward practices to cultivate innovation to provide special products or services, while a company focused on a cost decreasing strategy might focus on rewards for ideas to decrease costs and employee stock awards to cultivate a continuous cost reduction emphasis.

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