Monday, April 27, 2009

What is Leadership? By Jayant Row


Leadership is an intangible skill that cannot be measured. It is a skill that is rare by virtue of it being a very difficult one to master. For every organization leadership is very crucial and can quite often make the difference between a good organization and an excellent one.

A good organization is one which is correctly staffed, correctly equipped and correctly funded. This combination itself can make a corporation into a successful one. But if an organization or corporation has to touch the heights of excellence and become a leader in its field it also needs to be correctly lead.

Leadership requires that problems are met with courage and inspiration rather than in a dominating or blustering manner which can only intimidate people. You need to show a true understanding of the problem and the circumstances that created it. You need to look for solutions first before you launch an inquiry into the reasons for the problem. This sort of handling of the situation is more likely to get you the full cooperation of all concerned, who will understand that they have a leader who understands the situation. A true leader will also introspect to see whether it is his own failure in not providing the correct inputs that have led to the problem or failure.

Leadership requires that you respect the inputs and expertise of each of your team members and involve them n each of the decisions you take without in any way undermining your authority. It should be clear to all your team members that even though each of them has been asked for their opinions, the final decision is yours as a leader. It should also be obvious to the team that you also take full responsibility for the decisions taken even though the inputs on which you base your decision have come from them.

Leadership requires that you wear your leadership mantle lightly and do not impose your will on others. Your team will respect you all the more if they can be sure that you will get down on the shop floor and work with them instead of just sitting in your office and giving orders. As a leader you must always be capable of executing any of the instructions that you give. Once you have this set of mind you will automatically understand the problems or difficulties that a junior staffer has to bring your ideas to fruition, and will probably accept a modification if it is so required.

Leadership means being totally involved in the task before you. This does not mean just the technical, commercial or financial aspects of it, but also in the human resources that you lead. Each and everyone of your team must feel that they have in their leader someone who will look after their well being and welfare in every way, without their having to make any requests. A leader ensures that his team members come to work on time, put in the maximum effort on the job and are also well compensated in time and money for the efforts that they put in.

Writing is a hobby which I have picked up again after being away from it for a couple of decades. Four decades actually while I was busy with a career as a civil engineer. Whether I will be successful and be able to earn some money from writing I do not know. But one thing is certain. The hours of the day go by quite easily when I am writing and reading, and that is how I would like the rest of my life to be. I write on almost any topic that interest me, and my articles are on view on the web. I can be contacted at anuch60@gmail.com

Friday, April 24, 2009

Time Management and Prioritizing By Dr. Raymond Comeau


While I was active on the Anthony Robbins Web Community Forums I was always amazed at seeing comments from some of the members complaining that Robbins was not spending time on his own site. After ten years, Tony had a grand total of two posts and he probably did not even write those himself.

What these complainers did not understand is that Tony's time is probably worth ten of thousands of dollars an hour. In case you did not know it the guy is worth in the neighborhood of a billion dollars. So, when you navigate in that stratosphere you have to prioritize your time. You have to concentrate on the major and forget the minor.

Being productive requires prioritizing the available time first and then it means being on focus. A definite objective needs to be established followed by a specific plan and finally, a controlled execution of the plan has to be directed.

The main roadblock to productivity is procrastination. In any major endeavor there will be some stumbling blocks and some major problems. That's when procrastination shows it ugly head. Taking the easy road is the natural thing to do, so, when facing a stone wall, the natural tendency is to be distracted and concentrate on matters that are not relevant to the progression of the project on hand.

Work does not necessarily mean productivity. I have coached many up and coming young lions who were committed to succeed in business or in their professional life. One of the major point that had to be stressed with these guys was that there is a huge difference between business and busy-ness. Fussing over which tie should be worn today is not productive time. Planning an important phone call that could result in a big contract is quality and productive time.

Time and energy are restricted assets. They must be well invested. To accomplish that productively we must take on two roles. We must be the director and the manager of our time. The director's role is to determine to road or path that will lead to the objective sought and the manager's job is to make sure that we stay on that path.

Lastly, if we want to be productive, we must concentrate on our sphere of influence and not on our sphere of concerns. This needs a bit of explaining. We are surrounded by things over which we have control, that's our sphere of influence and we are also surrounded with things over which we have no control and that our sphere of concerns.

Needless to say that whatever time spent worrying over our sphere of concerns or the things that we cannot change is a total waste of time and energy. To be really productive, we have to be disciplined which also means having control over our mind and the best way to exercise that discipline is by staying focus on what we can change and stop worrying over what can happen to us.

To succeed in any endeavor, we must be productive and to be productive we must be proactive in prioritizing, in managing procrastination and in exercising focus control. Time is money and the way that we use our time will determine the amount of money that we will earn. Simple application, huge results.

Dr. Raymond Comeau aka Shamou is the Author of ShamouBlog and Administrator of Personal Development for Personal Success Forums.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Memory Improvement - How the Loci System Helps By David Starks

There are many concepts that people use for memory improvement. There are many methods to choose from, but there is one that has been around since the test of time. The Loci method is so ancient that orators of the Greek and Roman countries used it for memorizing speeches and lists that were lengthy.

The word loci means location or place. So to use the Loci method requires you to remember places or locations. You would have to picture them in your head. It could be anywhere and it doesn't have to be somewhere that you are familiar with.

The Loci method is one of the mnemonic systems that is used for memory improvement. A mnemonic system is one that helps to improve the memory. When using this method, you can look at a park, house, backyard, kitchen, or anything that will help you to remember.

The Loci method works better when you have more than one thing that you need to implement for memory improvement. You should familiarize yourself with that place or location that you need to remember.

So if you need to remember a house, you may look at grass that surrounds the house. You may also look at the roof and if there is a gate, you can look at that also. In order to implement memory improvement techniques with the house, you would think about the grass that needs to be maintained and the roof that should remain sturdy.

Or, if you feel the grass needs to be cut, you will get the lawn mower and cut it. You don't want to have grass that is growing as tall as weeds. If you want, you can look at a garbage can and connect that with the house.

You want to know that the house is still there, so associating grass, the roof and the garbage can are ways that you can do that. You know that they will always be there so you can't miss their presence. Plus, you know that you will have to take action on them at some point and time, so you have no choice but to keep them in the forefront of your mind.

Sometimes, using this mnemonic method can be strange, but as long as it effects memory improvement in a positive way, then you would definitely benefit from it.

If you want to learn How To Improve Your Memory check out "Memory Improvement Techniques" at http://www.memory-improvement-techniques.com to get your memory in top-notch shape.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Relaxation Techniques, Anyone? The Top 3 Techniques to Calm the Mind By Outarow Chuong


If there's one disadvantage of existing in a fast-paced world, that is none other than your mind being constantly on a roll. Whether it's the stress of your job or the pressures of your home life which is constantly eating at you, it is high time to give your mind some time to rest and relax.

Fortunately, there are a lot of techniques which can be used to calm not just the mind, but the body as well. Remember that there is no one way which works for e everyone, so try these individual techniques and stick to the one which works best for you.

1. Guided imagery relaxation technique

As the name implies, this trick of relaxing the mind is performed by using images to guide you into a quiet, relaxing and soothing place.

The best way to do this is by lying down and allowing your senses to escape to somewhere calm and quite. Whether it's the soothing image of the gentle trickling of liquid in a waterfall, or the sound of the waves on a sandy white beach - you have the freedom to choose that guided imagery that will help calm you down.

2. Quiet ears relaxation technique

In this relaxation technique, what you will be doing is to lie down and allow your body to physically relax. Once you are in a relaxed state, close your eyes, place your hands behind your head and put your thumbs behind your ears so as to close the ear canal.

Don't worry if you will hear a high-pitched, rushing sound - that's a normal reaction. By tuning everything else out, you will be able to relax your mind and your body should follow suit.

3. White noise relaxation technique

When you turn the radio dial in such a way that the frequency is in between two radio stations, you will get what is called a white noise. For most people, white noise does have a masking effect which is likened to the soothing sound of the rain or the wind beneath the trees in a forest.

A lot of people find the white noise relaxation technique to be incredibly effective in calming their minds and bodies down.

Take your pick from these relaxation techniques as you escape to a world that is all your own, and allow both your mind and body to relax.

Outarow Chuong has been involved in alternative health since 1997, and is currently writing health articles related to anti wrinkle cream, and anti aging wrinkle cream.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Living Sober By Patrick Meninga


The whole key to living sober is to find a way to push yourself to keep growing in your recovery. This really is the secret to long term success in recovery because the number one enemy is complacency. After we have been sober for a while, avoiding the drink on a daily basis becomes automatic. This is what becomes dangerous because then we end up getting comfortable with our sobriety. We have to find a way to stay on our toes.

One way to do this is to focus on holistic growth. This means that we try to find new areas of our life in which we can grow. For example, you might push yourself to start exercising again, or to go back to college and finish a degree. Or you might try to quit smoking or lose weight. These are all examples of different ways that we can grow in our recovery. Are they critical for staying sober? No, none of them will have a direct impact on your sobriety. However, in the long run, they will all help you in terms of overcoming complacency, because you will constantly be challenging yourself to improve as a person. If you do not find a way to tap into this continuous growth then you run the risk of relapse.

Another way to tap into the secret of long term sobriety is to start working with other recovering alcoholics. This is one of the most powerful things you can do in your recovery because it is like having an automatic level of insurance against relapse. It is very difficult for someone to relapse if they are working with other alcoholics every day. The reason for this is that we help strengthen our own recovery by an immeasurable amount when we help others in recovery. Thus, this is one of the big secrets of living sober. Help others with sobriety and you will help yourself.

If you want to stay sober in the long run then you have to stay humble and remain teachable. There is always new stuff to learn in recovery about how to live a successful life in sobriety and if you are not open to learning new things then you will miss out on the type of information that could prevent you from relapsing some day. This is part of the natural ebb and flow process of living sober. You meet new challenges in sobriety but you also learn new things in order to help you overcome those challenges.

So what is the best route to find success in long term sobriety? Here are some suggestions for you to follow:

1) Help other alcoholics on a regular basis. Find a way to reach out that fits your life and your personality.

2) Push yourself to keep growing in recovery. What goals are you working on lately? If you don't have any then you should get some.

3) Remain teachable in recovery. Don't cut yourself off from gaining new knowledge about how to live sober. We are always learning more.

4) Find new paths to explore. Don't limit yourself to growth in one area (such as spiritual growth). Instead, seek to grow in many areas of your life. This will ensure that you do not stagnate in your recovery.

Follow these guidelines and you should stay active in your new life. Really this is the tip of the iceberg and there are many other facets to living sober in recovery.

Want to learn more about living sober? Visit

http://www.spiritualriver.com/

Monday, April 6, 2009

Why the World Desperately Needs You to Be As Creative As You Can Be By Dan Goodwin Platinum Quality Author


A common reason why many of us don't create more, is that we feel it's selfish to spend time just on ourselves, doing something we enjoy.

With all the other demands on us, and a seemingly endless list of chores and tasks constantly mounting up, it seems one of the last things we should be doing is something as indulgent as creating art.

Ever feel this way yourself?

The misconception we have, unfortunately, is that our creative time, and all that comes from it, has no purpose other than to make ourselves feel better.

With no other positive benefits whatsoever.

Because we have this misconception, it means we never really enjoy creating, even when do manage to find time, as we always have one eye on the clock, wondering how much longer this "selfishness" can continue, before we have to return to doing "more important" things, or to doing what we're "supposed" to be doing.

Again, how often do you relate to this scenario?

What we overlook is how far reaching an effect us creating actually has. And how influential we can be, in a positive way, to others around us, and other artists.

On the simplest level, when we create freely and enjoy exploring and experimenting with our art, we feel better about ourselves, and the world.

This positive glow can't help but radiate out into our immediate environment, our family, friends, and colleagues will all find us a happier person to be around, instead of an endlessly frustrated and resentful artist.

On another level, by creating regularly we send out a strong message to the world that this is OK, it's "allowed".

Say you went to a coffee shop once every weekend to spend some time writing. Say another person, a woman who used to write prolifically but has not put pen to paper in years, sees you each weekend, lost in your writing, as she sits drinking her coffee and pondering the world.

It might take a month, or 6 months, but eventually this lady can't resist or deny her urge to write any longer, and the next time you see her in the coffee shop, she too comes with pen and journal and begins a regular writing routine. Without even speaking to this woman, just your act of regularly showing up to create enabled her to give herself permission to do the same, after all these years. You've saved her writing life. And you can't place a value on that.

A third level we influence the world around us when we create, is through our art itself.

You no doubt have created work you're very proud of in the past, and are perfectly capable of creating equally rewarding art in the future. Others who see your work are inspired in a way you can't predict or imagine. And it's often the work you don't give much credit or value that can be a crucial inspiration to someone else.

I remember sharing some poems in an online writing community, written years apart to show how my writing had evolved. The early poem, that I placed very little worth in, actually had more positive comments, and touched more people, than the later, more sophisticated work that I was very proud of.

You can't predict or tell people - your audience - how to appreciate or interpret your work.

All you can do is show up and create, day after day, and get your art out into the world, piece by piece.

These three levels we've talked about - the happiness you get from creating radiating out to those around you, the motivation and permission other people get from seeing you consistently show up to create, and the inspiration people take from your art itself - are three compelling reasons why the world desperately needs you to be as creative as you can be.

Forget those misguided thoughts of creativity being selfish, and give yourself, and the world, just what it needs - you at your most wonderfully creative.

Ready to be more creative? Then sign up to "Create Create!" - Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin's free twice monthly ezine - today, and get your free copy of the "Explode Your Creativity!" Action Workbook. Just head over to http://www.coachcreative.com

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Top Tips and Useful Hints to Make Affirmations Really Work For You By Anne Marshall Platinum Quality Author


An affirmation is a positive statement created with the intention of enhancing your life in some way. If used properly they can be an invaluable tool in helping you to reach your highest potential. They are not effective however, if the rest of your day is spent engaging in depreciating thoughts or in negative self-talk.

Most of us have patterns of thought that are so habitual we are not even fully aware of them. In fact we may tell ourselves many times a day that life is unfair, or that we are unsafe, or that we don't deserve to be happy. We may be so unaware of this inner conversation that we don't even call these messages thoughts, they just appear as our reality. If your self-talk is predominantly negative it can quickly lead to feelings of depression, anxiety and insecurity and in short life begins to become a struggle.

In the same way you could say that any areas of your life where you currently feel blocked or are struggling probably hold limiting beliefs for you. So to create something better for yourself, the first step is to be able to shift your attention away from what isn't working and towards what you do want. Then you need to keep going until that new self-image or belief becomes your established inner template.

Here are my 5 top tips to help you come up with some really effective affirmations:

To be really useful, affirmations must be:

1. Specific, accurate & measurable

Make sure that the wording of your affirmation truly states what you want in specific (but not lengthy) terms When I ask people in my workshops what they most want in life, I often hear answers like, "I want to feel better". Whilst this maybe true it is not specific enough for the subconscious mind to be able to take action. So try asking yourself the question "How will I know when I have got what I want. What specifically will have changed?", then base your affirmation on your answer.

2. Personal

Keep your affirmations focused entirely on yourself. You are the only person you can change, so take ownership of your affirmations and begin each one with words such as "I am...", "I have..."

3. Positive

Always use positive language in your affirmations, this is because the subconscious mind cannot process a negative statement without first bringing to mind (and therefore reinforcing) the very thing that is to be avoided.

For example: Did you ever play that game at school when someone said to you "don't think of a white elephant"? What happened?

That's right, you always ended up thinking of the very thing you wanted to avoid, in this case a white elephant! In other words the mind has first of all got to call up the image before it can process the command to dismiss it.

This is really important to understand when we want to make some positive change for ourselves. It's all to easy to say "I won't do this" or "I'm not going to..." but in actual fact all you are doing is focusing your attention on what you actually want to stop doing or avoid.

The trick here is to keep your language completely positive and focus your attention completely on what you do want rather on what you are trying to avoid!

4. Stated in the present tense or even the past tense indicate achievement (not potential achievement)

This is important because you want your mind to know that the change has already happened. If you use the future tense such as "I will..." then what your subconscious mind hears is that you have no intention to achieve the change NOW, and the end result is that it just doesn't bother to take your instruction seriously. So if your affirmation is "I will loose weight," then that weight loss will always remain in the future!

5. Remain balanced and realistic

If you feel uncomfortable with your affirmation because it seems unrealistic and too far removed from how you actually feel in the present, then experiment with words that state your willingness to be, do or have this thing. For example, you could begin by affirming I am willing to..." or "I deserve..."

Here are a few examples to get you going:

• I am guided in making good choices
• The past is over and I release it easily.
• I choose thoughts that make me feel good.

Here are a few more useful hints to help you get the most from this exercise:
• Write your affirmation down, this makes them much harder to ignore, and the act of writing them out gives you another chance to consciously choose the very best for yourself.
• Use your own name within your affirmation so your subconscious mind recognised the authority and authenticity of the affirmation.
• Repeat your affirmation often. On average it is known to take about 21 days of repetition to bring about real change. Affirmations are a powerful tool for doing this.
• Create a routine or ritual for you affirmations, this will help you maintain a daily practice so that you affirmations become firmly imprinted in your mind.
• Make use of all of your senses As well as seeing yourself in a successful situation, imagine what it sounds like, what it feels like and smells like. The more sensory information you can include the more readily your subconscious mind will accept your affirmation as real.
• Feel the emotion. Adding the emotion of success to your visualization will make it even more effective.
• Expect to see or experience the change you desire.

Using affirmation as a tool for change does work. I see evidence of that everyday amongst my clients, but you need to use them, reading this article alone will do little for you; you must take action otherwise it becomes like looking at a map and expecting to arrive at your destination without making the effort to plan the route and actually start the car!

In other words without some effort and commitment on your part your destination will just remain a daydream.

Whatever your next steps in your journey, I wish you well. Remember that the most important step you can take is in recognising the need to change, every step that follows after that gets easier and easier!

Anne Marshall http://www.AnneLesleyMarshall.com is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Wellness Coach. This article is based on an extract from her popular e-course 'Engaging Your Inner Coach' http://www.enhancingvitality.com/inner-coach.html. She welcomes comments, feedback or questions about her articles or courses and can be contacted directly via her website.