Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the '80:20 Rule' states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio '80:20' is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management.
Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.
But there is more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.
Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration.
Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.
Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.
The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone's life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional and spiritual.
The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.
The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.
The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.
The career aspect involves school and work.
The emotional aspect involves appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting them.
The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning.
Thoroughly planning and having a set of things to do list for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life is not being giving enough attention is part of time management. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.
Personal time management should not be so daunting a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small.
A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities.
One of them is to review your goals whether it be immediate or long-term goals often.
A way to do this is to keep a list that is always accessible to you.
Always determine which task is necessary or not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced life style.
Each and everyone of us has a peek time and a time when we slow down, these are our natural cycles. We should be able to tell when to do the difficult tasks when we are the sharpest.
Learning to say "No". You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.
Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.
Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.
Don't procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.
Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.
Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.
These are the few steps you initially take in becoming a well rounded individual.
As the say personal time management is the art and science of building a better life.
From the moment you integrate into your life time management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.
Time Management | Bring To Your Personal Growth
Self Motivation and Its Importance
Self motivation is very important. There are several reasons for self motivation being so important in a person’s life. Everyone needs to be self motivated.
Who needs motivation? All of us do. In this world of tough competition, stress and hectic lifestyle, one surely requires a driving force to get going. It is very important to keep up the good work.
These days, with so many challenges and a lot of competition one needs to survive, self motivation works like confidence enhancer. It boosts once enthusiasm and provides energy to work.
Self motivation is known as the most important factor in your life. If you are looking for success in any area of your life, you need self motivation. Self motivation plays an important role in enhancing your self esteem. It cultivates a desire to do something in life. Experts in the past have believed and even proved that when self motivation is combined with self determination, one can easily move mountains and find water in deserts.
There are several things one can get motivated with. People get motivated by their strong belief in the almighty. They can even get motivated by an experience they have had or by any other factor. These things just encourage you to change your perspective in life. One can change in to a better person or a better business person with self motivation.
People usually go through happy and sad times in their lives. When thing go awry, you need to support yourself, your family and people around you. This needs a good amount of energy force in you. When providing support and encouragement to your family and friends, you need to be really strong.
Some people are lucky to have good support in the times of pathos. However, some are left alone and require a lot of courage to survive tough times. At such times, one need to get motivates or motivates oneself. Lack of self motivation at such times can be damaging and even complicate your life further.
Mentioned below are some strong reasons on why you require self motivation:
- Self motivation is extremely important when it comes to accepting challenges and opportunities in life.
- The force of self motivation helps in planning your life and easing the difficulties.
- Self motivation provides a new sense of purpose and direction to your life.
- Self motivation is important to provide enthusiasm in life.
- Self motivation lets you live a fulfilling life.
- You can empower and encourage yourself to face tough times and competition in life with the help of self motivation.
- Self motivations fill you with positive energy and boost your enthusiasm.
- Self motivation is important for your existence. It provides you an identity for yourself.
Motivation is a kind of driving force that encourages an individual to get going. It is a kind of boost to the self confidence, faith and inner conscience of a person. All of us look for some kind of motivation in life. It is almost impossible to face a competition, achieve success of accomplish a goal without motivation.
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Ask Yourself | A Preparation to Self-Improvement
Be all you can be, but it's not always in the Army. I often see myself as somewhat contented with my life the way things are, but of course it's hard to think of anything else when where are real issues to be discussed.
Still I aspire for something deeper and more meaningful.
So we're all pelted with problems. Honestly it shouldn't even bother or even hinder us to becoming all we ought to be. Aspirations as kids should continue to live within us, even though it would be short-lived or as long as we could hold on to the dream. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks… or can they?
1. What do I really want?
The question of the ages. So many things you want to do with your life and so little time to even go about during the day.
Find something that you are good at can help realize that small step towards improvement. Diligence is the key to know that it is worth it.
2. Should I really change?
Today's generation has taken another level of redefining 'self', or at least that's what the kids are saying. Having an army of teenage nieces and nephews has taught me that there are far worse things that they could have had than acne or maybe even promiscuity. So how does that fit into your lifestyle?
If history has taught us one thing, it's the life that we have gone through. Try to see if partying Seventies style wouldn't appeal to the younger generation, but dancing is part of partying. Watch them applaud after showing them how to really dance than break their bones in break-dancing.
3. What's the bright side in all of this?
With so much is happening around us there seem to be no room for even considering that light at the end of the tunnel. We can still see it as something positive without undergoing so much scrutiny. And if it's a train at the end of the tunnel, take it for a ride and see what makes the world go round!
4. Am I comfortable with what I'm doing?
There's always the easy way and the right way when it comes to deciding what goes with which shoes, or purse, shirt and whatnot. It doesn't take a genius to see yourself as someone unique, or else we'll all be equally the same in everything we do. Variety brings in very interesting and exciting questions to be experimented.
5. Have I done enough for myself?
Have you, or is there something more you want to do? Discontentment in every aspect can be dangerous in large doses, but in small amounts you'll be able to see and do stuff you could never imagine doing.
6. Am I happy at where I am today?
It's an unfair question so let it be an answer! You love being a good and loving mom or dad to your kids, then take it up a notch! Your kids will love you forever. The same goes with everyday life!
7. Am I appealing to the opposite sex?
So maybe I don't have an answer to that, but that doesn't mean I can't try it, though. Whether you shape-up, change the way you wear your clothes or hair, or even your attitude towards people, you should always remember it will always be for your own benefit.
8. How much could I have?
I suppose in this case there is no such things on having things too much or too little, but it's more on how badly you really need it. I'd like to have lots of money, no denying that, but the question is that how much are you willing to work for it?
9. What motivates me?
What motivates you? It's an answer you have to find out for yourself. There are so many things that can make everyone happy, but to choose one of the may be the hardest part. It's not like you can't have one serving of your favorite food in a buffet and that's it. Just try it piece by piece.
10. What Really Makes You Tick?
So? What really makes you tick? You can be just about anything you always wanted to be, but to realize that attaining something that may seem very difficult is already giving up before you even start that journey. Always remember, that self-improvement is not just about the physical or philosophical change you have to undergo, but it's something that you really want.
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Power through the people
Have you come across a person who is so naturally friendly that when you put him inside a room of strangers, he'll be friends with almost everyone in no time? We call such a people-person, someone unbelievably nice and charismatic that he can charm anyone into doing anything.
A socially-empowered person achieves so much greatness, basically because of the people that catapult him to success. He earns the trust and all-out support of the people, whom he had helped before. He never runs out of help. He can do anything with the plethora of people behind him. All because he knows he maximizes his social potential!
See, if you know your social skills and you make use of them, you will reach self-empowerment. Self-empowerment is making a general overhaul in your life and turning yourself into a happier and more successful person.If you can be one of those people-persons, then I can't see any reason why you will not succeed. You just have to know how to start.
1. Be genuine.
Hypocrisy will just bring you all the way down. Be genuinely nice and interested to people. Once they perceive that you are Mr. Hypocrite with selfish intentions, you might as well say goodbye to self-empowerment.
2. Be the greatest listener that you can be.
To earn the love and trust of the people, listen to their problems and sympathize with them. Do not just hear them out, listen to them with your heart. Make eye contact when the person talks to you. Listen as if every word matters, and it does. Brownie points when they find out that there is a confidante in you.
3. Laugh out loud.
I do not mean that you force yourself to laugh for every joke cracked by someone, albeit you do not find it funny at all.This means finding humor in things and not being too darn serious. A person oozing with an awesome sense of humor attracts crowds and eventually, attracts success.
4. Don't forget yourself.
In the process of fluttering around like a social butterfly, you might forget yourself, allowing everyone to push you over. Remember, love and value yourself before anyone else. If you deem yourself respectable and worthy of affection, people will flock to you and not trample on you.
5. Do random acts of kindness.
You don't have to do a John Rockefeller and blow your savings to charity. Little acts of kindness matters the most, and this can be as simple as giving someone a surprise you-take-care card or helping an elderly cross the street. When we were kindergarten students, kindness was taught to us and greatly practiced. Now is the time to revive the good deeds and this time, let them stay for good.
6. Contact your old friends.
Sad how some friendships are destined to goodbye, but thanks to technology, you can do something about it. Relive the good old days by flipping your yearbook and look for the great people whom you want to communicate with again. Adding these old friends to your roster of support peers will surely make you feel good all over.
7. Develop your personality.
Are you grouchy, grumpy and generally morose? Whoa, you can't go through life with those. Get rid of the bad traits and habits that perpetually hamper your growth. And really, who wants a grouchy friend anyway?
8. Be confident.
Be able to stride to the other corner of the room and introduce yourself to people with that winning smile of yours. Just remember: be confident, not arrogant.
9. Practice control.
When angry, don't snap at anyone. Never throw a tantrum. Stay calm and collected. Be adult enough to take control of situation and transform your anger into something more productive and passive. As soon as people think your anger goes to volcanic proportions easily, they will find it hard to come to you.
10. Keep nurturing your relationships.
Your relationship with your family, friends and significant others is too precious that you must not neglect it whatever happens. Go out and have fun with them. Do things together. Happiness will never fly from your side as long as the people who matter the most are close to you.
In the end, using people for self-empowerment means becoming a better and more lovable person. It's a win-win situation: the people know they can turn to you anytime and vice versa.
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Free Ebook | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a self help book written by Stephen R. Covey. It has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages since first publication, which was marked by the release of a 15th anniversary edition in 2004. The book lists seven principles that, if established as habits, are supposed to help a person achieve true interdependent effectiveness.
habit 1 - be proactive®
This is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. Self determination, choice, and the power to decide response to stimulus, conditions and circumstances
habit 2 - begin with the end in mind®
Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership - leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.
habit 3 - put first things first®
Covey calls this the habit of personal management. This is about organising and implementing activities in line with the aims established in habit 2. Covey says that habit 2 is the first, or mental creation; habit 3 is the second, or physical creation.
habit 4 - think win-win®
Covey calls this the habit of interpersonal leadership, necessary because achievements are largely dependent on co-operative efforts with others. He says that win-win is based on the assumption that there is plenty for everyone, and that success follows a co-operative approach more naturally than the confrontation of win-or-lose.
habit 5 - seek first to understand and then to be understood®
One of the great maxims of the modern age. This is Covey's habit of communication, and it's extremely powerful. Covey helps to explain this in his simple analogy 'diagnose before you prescribe'. Simple and effective, and essential for developing and maintaining positive relationships in all aspects of life. (See the associated sections on Empathy, Transactional Analysis, and the Johari Window.)
habit 6 - synergize®
Covey says this is the habit of creative co-operation - the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person's contribution.
habit 7 - sharpen the saw®
This is the habit of self renewal, says Covey, and it necessarily surrounds all the other habits, enabling and encouraging them to happen and grow. Covey interprets the self into four parts: the spiritual, mental, physical and the social/emotional, which all need feeding and developing.
Download free ebook The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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20 Character Building Quotations
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one. Henry David Thoreau
Be your character what it will, it will be known, and nobody will take it upon your word. Lord Chesterfield
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us. Thomas Paine
Nothing of character is really permanent but virtue and personal worth. Daniel Webster
The essential thing is not knowledge, but character. Joseph Le Conte
It requires less character to discover the faults of others, than to tolerate them. J. Petit Senn
A good name will shine forever. Proverb
A fair reputation is a plant, delicate in its nature, and by no means rapid in its growth. It will not shoot up in a night like the gourd of the prophet; but, like that gourd, it may perish in a night. Jeremy Taylor
Sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny. George Dana Boardman
Talents are best nurtured in solitude. Character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Our character is but the stamp on our souls of the free choices of good and evil we have made through life. John C. Geikie
Reputation is for time; character is for eternity. B. Gough
Character is a diamond that scratches every other stone. Cyrus A. Bartol
Talents are best nurtured in solitude, but character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Men best show their character in trifles, where they are not on their guard. It is in the simplest habits, that we often see the boundless egotism which pays no regard to the feelings of others and denies nothing to itself. Arthur Schopenhauer
Every man, as to character, is the creature of the age in which he lives. Very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of their times. Voltaire
Character and personal force are the only investments that are worth anything. Walt Whitman
Character is, for the most part, simply habit become fixed. C. H. Parkhurst
Let us not say, Every man is the architect of his own fortune; but let us say, Every man is the architect of his own character. George Dana Boardman
Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Source: Inspirational Quotes Dotcom
The Attitude of Champions
What makes a champion different from the average person? Do they have more skills or expertise? Are their circumstances perfect? Are they endowed with exceptional natural talents? Do they have more money or greater opportunities? Or, is it simply good luck? The answer is that none of these things by themselves can create a champion. In fact, most top performers have had to deal with challenges above and beyond the average. So, what makes the difference? Studies show again and again that the difference is the champion's attitude. True champions have a unique, positive outlook--an unfailing belief that focused, consistent effort will yield successful results. Here's an example from the world of baseball...
Babe Ruth is remembered as one of the greatest baseball hitters in history with 714 home runs. Yet, his averages show that his skill was not unsurpassed. His technique--although impressive--was not particularly unusual. The thing that made "the babe" so great was his tenacity and his willingness to keep trying. He would often swing so hard at the ball that a missed hit would send him sprawling to the ground. But, when he connected, watch out! Once when asked the question, "babe, what do you do when you get in a batting slump?" he replied, "I just keep going up there and keep swinging at them. If I strike out two or three times in a game or fail to get a hit for a week, why should I worry? Let the pitchers worry, they're the guys who're gonna suffer later on." What a great attitude!
Nearly forty years later, when Hank Aaron was about to break Babe Ruth's record, author Og Mandino called the office of the Atlanta Braves and asked, "I know that Hank has 710 home runs, and needs only five more to break Ruth's record, but I was wondering--how many lifetime strike-outs does he have?" The answer was 1,262 strike-outs. Imagine that! He was the best of the best, and still struck out almost twice as many times as he hit a home run.
The difference between a champion and the average person is that the champion keeps trying when the average person quits--his attitude drives him on. He refuses to consider the possibility of quitting because he is so totally convinced that success is imminent. I challenge you to adopt the attitude of a champion. Don't be afraid to fail, be afraid of missing opportunities when you don't even try.
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Source: Mindperk
Self Improvement - Journey of Discovery!
"The way you think, not only affects your own life, but others around you - it affects your world. You have the power to change the world you live in." - White Star
So who, you may ask, is White Star?
On face value, White Star is a character in the series of books The Blue Star Millennium and Quest for Genesis. Many readers,after viewing these books, have invariably asked the question "were these books channeled?"
Of course, that query begs another question, "What is channeling?"
Well, there are various possibilities, including the Channel being a vehicle for another entity to speak through them, or simply verbalizing their own subconscious thoughts. Hmmm, subconscious... Yes! But what about the super-conscious?
"There are several parts of your Essence living simultaneous lives. A part of you will always remain in the higher realms. This is your Higher Self, which is a spark of the Essence that permeates all of creation, and which is the Creator. You are all Sons and Daughters of this Essence, Co-creators of all that you see and experience."
Okay, from this point of view, isn't it possible that we are ALL capable of channeling these higher wisdoms? After all, isn't it just tapping into the higher force, the fountain of wisdom of which we are all a part? So why do so many of us choose to go to others to hear the messages?
Admittedly, in times of emotional trauma it's often comforting to go to others for guidance. Such experiences, perhaps, could be viewed as valuable stepping stones that eventually lead to the question "Are they any more capable of tapping into the source than you are?"
"Every individual has the potential to heal the planet and to help unify the people in co-operation and understanding. Every individual has the power of creative visualization. Each of you has the potential to use your power of thought to bring about change in your own environment. There is power in numbers and the more people who project positive thought-forms at the same time, the more powerful the effect. Now the future is in your hands. Put a little effort into creating the future that you desire, and you will achieve miraculous rewards. It is up to you!"
In that case, you may ask, why do we limit ourselves by incarnating on this physical plane at all? It is as though we have temporary amnesia of our true origins - our true divinity.
"You are on a wondrous journey of self-discovery. From the moment you separated from the Source you chose to go through certain experiences in order to learn and develop through these trials. It is not wise to seek the end of the journey prematurely. There is much to be gained along the way. Become engrossed in the excitement of your quest and you will suddenly realise that you are a Co-Creator in the Divine Plan. You create your own reality. You re-affirm your reality through your beliefs. If you dwell on the negative, you will manifest that negativity in your life. Similarly, if you concentrate on the positive, you re-affirm that reality, in your personal life, and throughout the universe."
So is it all positive, love and light? You would be right in pointing out that there seems to be so much negativity in the world. How does this equate with the above metaphysics philosophy statements? Hmmm ... perhaps we should ask the White Star.
"Each of us has a negative aspect of ourselves, although most of us would prefer not to acknowledge that darker side. The darker side can be so powerful as to form its own identity. We keep it alive through feeding it on a constant diet of negative thoughts and emotions. It can reach a stage where it will fight for its very survival, as a separate entity. If its existence is threatened, the Dark Side will come out from the shadows to confront us. It will try and destroy us if we allow it to do so."
Whew! Okay, so if we're honest with ourselves, we all have the potential for the destructive negative side of our nature to gain the upper hand. If this happens, how do we conquer that negative aspect?
"You cannot fight your negative side. The more you deny it, the more you empower it. The ultimate test is to accept and recognize the negative aspect of your Being. As long as you deny it, it will have power over you. When you accept it, you love it into submission. By merging with it, you transform it."
So why, I hear many of you ask, would we come to the Earth in the first place. Why come to a world where duality exists, where positive and negative forces are in perpetual conflict?
"The physical plane holds the greatest lessons. It is the ultimate testing ground. When trapped in the physical form, you are forced to confront your main obstacles to spiritual development. If you are able to conquer these tests while in the physical body, you make the greatest progress spiritually."
"The choice is yours. The choice has always been yours. You can either use your power of thought to manifest unity and harmony in your life, or you can add to the discord by allowing negative thoughts to dominate. Which is it to be? It is your decision. The way you think, not only affects your own life, but others around you; it affects your loved ones; it affects your world. You have the power to change the world you live in."
White Star, as stated above, is a fictional character in a series of metaphysical books. The intention of making these mind, body, soul/spirit quotes available is to stimulate ideas in YOU, the reader, to help you discover your own power. The initial response to White Star quotes has been very positive and in recent times, many ezine, newsletter and magazine editors use these quotes as a supplement to their articles.
The quotes are excerpts from the new age spirituality books displayed on the web site www.1-inspirational-quote-book.com
The stories are fiction, written in an exciting and action packed format that is a medium for ideas to help bring about positive change in our world. Some view them as new age spirituality, others as simply inspirational. Regardless of personal beliefs, all have found them entertaining and enlightening. As one reader wrote "The story slowly engulfed me, drew me in until I was on my own journey, opening my mind, enticing me to read more. I ask, is this just a novel or a key to our future ...?
Unlike any other books, if you take the time to read and digest these thought provoking stories, I guarantee your outlook on life will never be the same - it will certainly change for the positive. As the White Star would say "You have the power to change the world you live in!"
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Author Bio:
Born November 30 in New Zealand, Gau-Ghan shares the same birthday as Mark Twain. And likewise, avid readers will stick with Gau-Ghan like paint to the picket fence in Huckleberry Finn. His stories on mind, body, soul and spirituality will challenge your view on life.
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Watch Out for that Positive Attitude!
I'm going to begin on a positive note, and with a couple of rather bold statements.
Each and every one of us possesses a positive attitude somewhere inside us.
If you're not tapping into your positive attitude right now, and don't know where it's hiding, this article is going to help you find it! And, let me reassure you right away, I'm not simply going to twitter on about putting a brave face on adversity and smiling through the pain. Telling yourself, over and over, that "I'm OK" is pretty meaningless if you're not. I'll leave those sorts of recommendations to others, but not before I point out why they usually do more harm than good.
In my view, a positive attitude is not much use when it's applied like make-up, or like paint over a fragile eggshell. A positive attitude is something deep down inside you - in the core of your being - and it's there to be used, actively and wisely, to make your life better.
If you've looked around much on the Internet, you'll know that there is a "wealth" of advice about the power of positive thinking. But I find myself feeling compelled to enclose "wealth" in inverted commas, because a lot of it is worthless (not all of it, of course) and some of it is rubbish!
Isn't "rubbish" being a bit harsh?
I have to confess, I did reflect on whether this statement was overly aggressive. I could have been more reticent and called it "questionable" or something like that. But I wanted to convey to you my personal frustration with any philosophy that is based on an avoidance of the truth. And I wanted to get your attention, because this is a critical statement:
Pretending something isn't happening does not make your life better!
Let's look at this in a bit more detail...
Questionable advice (and a bit of rubbish!)
To clear the way for discussing a positive attitude that works, let's take a quick look at some recommended "positive thinking" that is flawed. You can find variations on each of these bullet-points all over the Internet, and you may even have heard one or two of them from your friends and others who would presume to have your best interests at heart.
- nothing is sufficiently important for you to get angry about it - just let things wash over you
- there's good in everyone if you look hard enough
- don't judge people
- always find forgiveness in your heart, no matter what the crime
- repeat positive affirmations every day and they will change your life
- don't read a newspaper or listen to the news on TV as it will only depress you
A better way (in fact, it's foolproof!)
I used to work for a man who would habitually classify people as "glass half-full" or "glass half-empty" types, according to how they would supposedly describe identical volumes of water. I'm sure you know how the "logic" runs: the person seeing a half-full glass sees an opportunity ahead, whereas the other is a defeatist who sees resources draining away to nothing. This always struck me as rather nonsensical. The truth is, you'd be perfectly correct in describing the situation either way, and the imagined vessel in the metaphor gives no clue as to whether you are likely to have more or less water in the future.
A person with a genuinely positive attitude looks beyond the "snapshot" situation, because he or she is always striving to bring the best out of whatever is going on in the real world. A genuinely positive attitude requires some understanding of a situation, so that informed choices can be made that give the best chance of a good outcome.
To have a positive attitude you first have to possess positive qualities that you can use effectively and in various ways depending on the circumstances in which you find yourself. The great news is that you already have these qualities, because they're a part of our basic human nature.
Using these qualities comes more naturally to some than others. That's partly because we're all unique and partly because our individual circumstances may have influenced (positively or negatively) our belief in our ability to affect our own lives. Certainly, if your self-esteem is low it is much harder to focus on the positive qualities that you possess, but help is at hand and that's one of the reasons I built this website!
A positive attitude can become a natural habit for you, even if you don't consider that you've ever had a positive attitude in the past. You can learn how to achieve this, not by some sort of "act of faith" like repeating a positive affirmation over and over, but by taking practical steps in the real world.
Quite simply, you need to cultivate a number of your qualities, bit by bit, day by day, and there's help at hand if you need some "how to" advice.
Here are five qualities I'd like to highlight for you. I chose these in particular because they each contribute significantly to a positive attitude and they're easy for you to remember because they all begin with a "C"!
Curiosity
Curiosity is what motivates us to find out about things, and if we find out about things we can make better decisions because those decisions have a sound foundation. Things usually become less frightening if we begin to understand them better, so allow and encourage your curiosity to let you try new approaches.
Creativity
We all have an imagination, and we can all put it to good effect in examining possible ways to bring about an improvement in our lives. If thinking about the future frightens you, it's likely that your imagination habitually looks for negative possibilities. You can re-train it to look for positives instead. Just start with some gentle experimentation, and find opportunities to say things like "I have an idea...", "what if we...", or even "erm... there must be a better way, so let's look for it together".
Courage
If we allow our fears to overwhelm our desires then we can find ourselves freezing to inactivity while mentally running away, both of which lower our confidence and diminish our self-esteem. Courage is the key to overriding those fears and living life to the full, and the more you use it the easier it gets to use it again because you accumulate evidence to suggest using your courage is the right thing to do. Living in fear is often worse than a painful consequence that may arise from taking a calculated risk. When you're used to using your courage you can actually find that the amount of pleasure you experience rises, even if you occasionally fail.
Here's a simple example: if you're so scared of a visit to the dentist that you put it off until your mouth is in agony then you might live through months of fear, apprehension and foreboding, and still end up with lots of pain at the end. Whereas, if you kept a regular dental appointment, all you'd have to endure is a little nervous anxiety on the day. Tapping into your courage is the same as tapping into a source of pleasure, so have a go today - you won't regret it.
I chose this example because I was well into my adult years here in the UK before I discovered that not all trips to the dentist needed to be painful. Actually, I don't think it was courage that was my problem, but if I had used some curiosity and creativity at an earlier age, I might have decided to try to locate a more competent dentist!
Communication
Few things can bring about positive change more quickly than good communication. If you struggle to put your own ideas and feelings into words, or you sometimes suffer from misunderstandings, then we can help. A positive attitude can be infectious, and it carries most readily through conversation. So try to find opportunities to speak with other people whom you think have a positive attitude, and you'll find it boosts your own!
Commitment
If you've got this far in this article, you've shown some commitment to making things better for yourself. Now you need to decide whether to go further and make real, sustainable improvements in your life by putting into practice what we've talked about here. Commitment can sound like a scary word, but it is actually your powerful ally. It will liberate you from feelings of self-doubt, because it will help you to bounce back, time after time on your road to improvement.
So, make some commitments now. Get off the pity-pot if you're on it, DO something actively to boost your self-esteem, and tap into that positive attitude deep down inside you by developing the core qualities I've listed above.
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Author: Alison Finch
This article has been reproduced with permission from
www.selfesteem4women.com
Motivation | The Heart Of Self Improvement
Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.
With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…
A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.
C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.
D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.
E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.
F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.
G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.
H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.
I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.
J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.
K – keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.
L – Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?
M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.
N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.
O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.
P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.
Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?
R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.
S – Stop procrastinating.
T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.
U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.
V – Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.
W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.
X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.
Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.
Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!
A Starter Guide To Self Improvement | Build Your Self Esteem
So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.
Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you. So which dart pins should you avoid?
Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment
Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned. Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is.
Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behavior
Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronizers, sluffers… all these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self esteem, as well as to your self improvement scheme.
Dart Pin #3: Changing Environment
You can’t be a green bug on a brown field. Changes challenge our paradigms. It tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will make life difficult for awhile, it may cause stress but it will help us find ways to improve our selves. Change will be there forever, we must be susceptible to it.
Dart Pin #4: Past Experience
It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson.
Dart Pin #5: Negative World View
Look at what you’re looking at. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations.
Dart Pin #6: Determination Theory
The way you are and your behavioral traits is said to be a mixed end product of your inherited traits (genetics), your upbringing (psychic), and your environmental surroundings such as your spouse, the company, the economy or your circle of friends. You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes.
Sometimes, you may want to wonder if some people are born leaders or positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building self esteem and drawing lines for self improvement is a choice, not a rule or a talent. God wouldn’t come down from heaven and tell you – “George, you may now have the permission to build self esteem and improve your self.”
In life, its hard to stay tough specially when things and people around you keep pulling you down. When we get to the battle field, we should choose the right luggage to bring and armors to use, and pick those that are bullet proof. Life’s options give us arrays of more options. Along the battle, we will get hit and bruised. And wearing a bullet proof armor ideally means ‘self change’. The kind of change which comes from within. Voluntarily. Armor or Self Change changes 3 things: our attitude, our behavior and our way of thinking.
Building self esteem will eventually lead to self improvement if we start to become responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do. Its like a flame that should gradually spread like a brush fire from inside and out. When we develop self esteem, we take control of our mission, values and discipline. Self esteem brings about self improvement, true assessment, and determination. So how do you start putting up the building blocks of self esteem? Be positive. Be contented and happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment. A positive way of living will help you build self esteem, your starter guide to self improvement.
Do It Right Now!
We are living in a time when literally anything is possible, at least for us in the privileged minority. Anybody really can be anything they want to be and do anything they want to do. That doesn’t mean that we’ll be handed everything we want on a plate, we’ll still have to work for it, but we certainly have more choices and more opportunities now than our parents or grandparents ever had. It's so easy to take for granted just how well off we are and to forget how grateful we should be.
The start of a New Year is one of the most popular times to make plans for the future, and many people make New Year Resolutions. Personally, I’ve never really known of anyone to have much success with them. One of the reasons for this is that these are often little more than wish lists and rarely backed up by plans or action. A strategy or plan of action based on you personal values and desires is more likely to be effective. If you need more help or inspiration there’s plenty of invaluable information available at the link below that can definitely help you to formulate and stick to your plans.
Anyone can achieve anything they want, if they believe they can achieve it, if they want it enough and if they are prepared to pay the price. It’s always a matter of choice; it’s up to you to decide what you really want. You too can achieve anything you want to achieve – if you confidently expect to succeed, and if you make plans and work at them.
Then the key is to take action - get started and take the first step and then keep going and you will success!
Source: Self Improvement Tips of the Day