Blog for Self Improvement

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and noticed midway that your mind is somewhere else and you have no idea what they just said? Or sat at your desk, hands on the computer keyboard and realized you've done nothing for the last ten minutes?

So often we allow our minds to be taken over by "unauthorized" thoughts, like a territory under foreign occupation. We live on auto-pilot, going through the motions of the day without fully enjoying or at least focusing on activities. Then, because our attention is so loosely tethered, we immediately react to external stimuli rather than making a conscious decision – responding reflexively to an email instead of concentrating on an important report. In reactive mode, we're less grounded and more vulnerable to stress.

To achieve flow, peak performance and productivity, I work with my clients to develop and train the "attention muscle:" the ability to be keenly aware and in control of what they're thinking, feeling and doing. Here are a few exercises, the mental equivalents of bicep curls, to beef up your focus and concentration.

DO A SPOT CHECK. Develop the habit of checking in on your mind and what it's thinking. Is it producing useful ideas for the presentation you're preparing, or preoccupied with your friend's snide comment last night? Probe around a bit to uncover any running commentary that might be creating anxiety - they may be so ingrained in your mental landscape that you don't notice they're there.

MAKE A 'WHAT'S ON MY MIND' LIST. The best way to get things off your mind is to put them down on paper. Sometimes this alone is enough to quiet the chatter. If you still can't stop ruminating, give yourself five minutes to scribble down all your stream-of-consciousness thoughts about a particular topic - why that snide comment annoyed you, what prompted it, how you could have responded, etc. Then tell your mind, "Okay, that's enough for now," and put it aside.

DETERMINE YOUR FOCUS. Now that you've got your full attention, decide where you want to direct it by setting mini-goals. Before making a phone call or writing an email, ask yourself: "What am I trying to achieve?" or create some urgency by seeing how many slides of your presentation you can do in 30 minutes. Train your attention to stay put. Okay, so that worked for five minutes but you keep getting distracted. First, notice when your mind wanders off and see if you can gently coax it back to the task at hand, without making a big deal of it - getting angry or critical usually doesn't work. (Just like it didn't when I was a child and my mother used to walk by the living room where I was (silently) practicing the piano and yell out, "Concentrate!")

Then, narrow even further your point of focus. Make a bullet point list of what you need to say in that company-wide email. In an endless conference call or meeting? Home in on each person when they speak and see if you can, without judgment, rate the qualities in their voice such as "warmth," "irritation," or "interest" on a scale of one to ten.

Developing your attention muscle is an iterative process not a one-time fix. The reward is that by devoting your full attention to the moment at hand, you will be able to delve deeper and gain greater satisfaction in everything you do.
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Peak performance specialist Renita T. Kalhorn is a Juilliard-trained pianist with a top-tier MBA and a first-degree martial arts black belt. Leveraging the power of "flow," she helps entrepreneurs and corporate professionals to achieve extreme focus and reach the top of their game at work. Claim your complimentary copy of "Find Your Flow! 21 Simple Strategies to Banish Tedium, Reduce Stress and Inspire Action" at

http://www.intheflowcoaching.com

When we look at a certain object, a painting for example – we won’t be able to appreciate what’s in it, what is painted and what else goes with it  if the painting is just an inch away from our face. But if we try to take it a little further, we’ll have a clearer vision of the whole art work.

We reach a point in our life when we are ready for change and a whole bunch of information that will help us unlock our self improvement power. Until then, something can be staring us right under our nose but we don’t see it.  The only time we think of unlocking our self improvement power is when everything got worst. Take the frog principle for example –

Try placing Frog A in a pot of boiling water. What happens? He twerps! He jumps off! Why? Because he is not able to tolerate sudden change in his environment – the water’s temperature. Then try Frog B: place him in a luke warm water, then turn the gas stove on. Wait til the water reaches a certain boiling point. Frog B then thinks “Ooh… it’s a bit warm in here”.

People are like Frog B in general. Today, Anna thinks Carl hates her. Tomorrow, Patrick walks up to her and told her he hates her. Anna stays the same and doesn’t mind her what her friends says. The next day, she learned that Kim and John also abhors her. Anna doesn’t realize at once the importance and the need for self improvement until the entire community hates her.

We learn our lessons when we experience pain. We finally see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and tough. When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our jeans and shirts would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth has fallen off. When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When our lungs have gone bad. When do we pray and ask for help? When we realize that we’re gonna die tomorrow.

The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self improvement power is when the whole world is crashing and falling apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change. But change becomes more painful when we ignore it.

Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to experience different turning points in our life – and we are all going to eventually unlock our self improvement power not because the world says so, not because our friends are nagging us, but because we realized its for our own good.

Happy people don’t just accept change, they embrace it. Now, you don’t have to feel a tremendous heat before realizing the need for self improvement.  Unlocking your self improvement power means unlocking yourself up in the cage of thought that “its just the way I am”. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear and resist change. Most of us program our minds like computers.

Jen repeatedly tells everyone that she doesn’t have the guts to be around groups of people. She heard her mom, her dad, her sister, her teacher tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jen believes. She believes its her story. And what happens? Every time a great crowd would troop over their house, in school, and in the community – she tends to step back, shy away and lock herself up in a room. Jen didn’t only believed in her story, she lived it.

Jen has to realize that she is not what she is in her story. Instead of having her story post around her face for everyone to remember, she has to have the spirit and show people “I am an important person and I should be treated accordingly!”

Self improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different point of view, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. Three sessions in a week at the gym would result to a healthier life, reading books instead of looking at porns will shape up a more profound knowledge, going out with friends and peers will help you take a step back from work and unwind.  And just when you are enjoying the whole process of unlocking your self improvement power, you’ll realize that you’re beginning to take things light and become happy.

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.

Affirmations are great tools that can help you overcome fear, build your confidence, develop an abundance mind-set and more.  The problem is that many people aren't sure exactly how to write effective affirmations.  Do they always have to be in present tense?  Can they contain "negative" words like can't, won't, not, and so on?

There are plenty of differing opinions on the right and wrong ways to write effective affirmations, but the bottom line is that an affirmation can be considered effective if it works for YOU!  The whole point of affirmations is to shift your thoughts and emotions to a more positive place so you feel more confident, happy, secure, abundant, or anything else you're trying to accomplish.

Take a look at the sample affirmations below for starters and feel free to use them if they resonate with you.  If not, try altering them slightly until they trigger the mind-set and emotional state you're trying to attain.

Affirmations for Healthy Weight and Body Image:

- Today I love my body fully, deeply and joyfully.

- My body has its own wisdom and I trust that wisdom completely.

- My body is simply a projection of my beliefs about myself.

- I am growing more beautiful and luminous day by day.

- I choose to see the divine perfection in every cell of my body.

- As I love myself, I allow others to love me too.

- Flaws are transformed by love and acceptance.

- Today I choose to honor my beauty, my strength and my uniqueness.

- I love the way I feel when I take good care of myself.

- Today my own well-being is my top priority.

Affirmations for Self-Confidence and Self-Belief:

- Fear is only a feeling; it cannot hold me back.

- I know that I can master anything if I do it enough times.

- Today I am willing to fail in order to succeed.

- I believe that I have the strength to make my dreams come true.

- I'm going to relax and have fun with this, no matter what the outcome may be.

- I'm proud of myself for even daring to try; many people won't even do that!

- Today I put my full trust in my inner guidance.

- I grow in strength with every forward step I take.

- I release my hesitation and make room for victory!

- With a solid plan and a belief in myself, there's nothing I can't do.

Affirmations for Abundance and Prosperity:

- I open to the flow of great abundance in all areas of my life.

- I always have more than enough of everything I need.

- Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

- Today I expand my awareness of the abundance all around me.

- I allow the universe to bless me in surprising and joyful ways.

- My grateful heart is a magnet that attracts more of everything I desire.

- Prosperity surrounds me, prosperity fills me, prosperity flows to me and through me.

- I exude passion, purpose and prosperity.

- I am always led to the people who need what I have to offer.

- As my commitment to help others grows, so does my wealth.

- My day is filled with limitless potential in joy, abundance and love.

Affirmations for Life Purpose:

- The better I know myself, the clearer my purpose becomes.

- My unique skills and talents can make a profound difference in the world.

- Today I follow my heart and discover my destiny.

- I am meant to do great things.

- I am limited only by my vision of what is possible.

- My purpose is to develop and share the best parts of myself with others.

- Today I present my love, passion, talent and joy as a gift to the world.

- I need not know the entire journey in order to take one step.

- I fulfill my life purpose by starting here, right now.

- My life purpose can be whatever I decide to make it.

Affirmations for Inner Peace:

- All is well, right here, right now.

- Peace begins with a conscious choice.

- Today I embrace simplicity, peace and solace.

- A peaceful heart makes for a peaceful life.

- I trust the universe to deliver my highest good in every situation.

- By becoming peace, I create peace in every experience.

- I am filled with the light of love, peace and joy.

- Peace comes when I let go of trying to control every tiny detail.

- Where peace dwells, fear cannot.

- Today my mission is to surrender and release.

Affirmations for Opportunity:

- Today I open my mind to the endless opportunities surrounding me.

- Opportunities are everywhere, if I choose to see them.

- I boldly act on great opportunities when I see them.

- My intuition leads me to the most lucrative opportunities.

- An opportunity is simply a possibility until I act on it.

- Some of the best opportunities are made, not found.

- Today I see each moment as a new opportunity to express my greatness.

- I expand my awareness of the hidden potential in each experience.

- Let each of my experiences today be a gateway to something even better.

- Each decision I make creates new opportunities.

Affirmations for Love:

- I am ready for a healthy, loving relationship.

- All of my relationships are meaningful and fulfilling.

- As I share my love with others the universe mirrors love back to me.

- I see everyone I meet as a soul mate.

- I trust the universe to know the type of partner who is perfect for me.

- Today I release fear and open my heart to true love.

- I am grateful for the people in my life.

- I am the perfect partner for my perfect partner.

- I deserve a loving, healthy relationship.

- I deserve to be loved and I allow myself to be loved.

Affirmations for Healing:

- I am strong and healthy.

- My energy and vitality are increasing every day.

- I open to the natural flow of wellness now.

- My inner guidance leads me to the right healing modalities for me.

- Abundant health and wellness are my birthright.

- Thank you for my strength, my health and my vitality.

- I am feeling stronger and better now.

- I love taking good care of myself.

- Today nurturing myself is my highest priority.

- Thank you for the opportunity to balance my mind, body and spirit.

Affirmations for Inner Clarity:

- Today I awaken to my higher wisdom.

- My inner voice guides me in every moment.

- I am centered, calm and clear.

- I always know the right actions to achieve my goals.

- When I know where I'm going, getting there is a cinch!

- Today I am completely tuned in to my inner wisdom.

- Harmony is always a sign that I am balanced from within.

- Thank you for showing me the way to my dreams.

- I trust my feelings and insights.

- I am detached and open to divine guidance.

Affirmations for Self-Love:

- I am filled with light, love and peace.

- I treat myself with kindness and respect.

- I don't have to be perfect; I just have to be me.

- I give myself permission to shine.

- I honor the best parts of myself and share them with others.

- I'm proud of all I have accomplished.

- Today I give myself permission to be greater than my fears.

- I love myself no matter what.

- I am my own best friend and cheerleader.

- Thank you for the qualities, traits and talents that make me so unique.

Sadly the world is a depressing and very frightening place for a great many people. They hold a view of a world that is full of hardship. They do not see challenges only obstacles which inevitably lead to failures. They fail to try and therefore are destined to fail. Their past failures, pains and disappointments continually haunt them and invariably lead them away from their goals and the type of life they yearn to live. It may be true that life can throw things in your way that will slow you down on your path to our desires but you must see these as challenges that you can overcome. They are lessons that make you stronger and wiser.

When you become a goal orientated person you can expect to encounter resistance and obstacles on your journey to goal-achievement and personal success. The higher you set your sets and the more challenging the goal then the more obstacles seem to appear. These temporary set-backs test your character and your resolve to reach your goal. They sometimes act as barriers to slow us down but they always act as teachers.

There is always something to learn from resistance. Whether this resistance is external or internal it is showing you something in your own character or approach to your goal that needs altered or refined. Meeting these challenges and overcoming them will develop aspects of your character, strength your self-belief and helps to increase your resolve for the future.

However, do you find that the same obstacles keep showing up again and again? Is failure becoming a common occurrence? Then it is high time you re-evaluated your approach to goals and life in general. These recurring problems are most likely a strong indication of your personal inability to learn from your mistakes. These are merely temporary failures you are experiencing and you should view them as such. The conscious mind is obviously having trouble analysing the reasons behind the failures and keeps making the same mistakes but once you find out what you are doing wrong and learn the appropriate lesson you will not experience these same set-backs again.

If you are experiencing constant failures then you have reached a point where outside help is needed. It is obvious that you are unable to consciously work through the trouble by yourself. Therefore these failures and problems must stem from a subconscious block. This subconscious block is preventing you from learning your lesson and moving forward towards your goal. In a situation like this it is always advisable to seek professional help but this can be expensive, time-consuming and hard to find! However, you will find that hypnosis can be an invaluable tool. Either Hypnosis or Self Hypnosis can most definitely be used successfully and very effectively to dig up the very root of the problem and eliminate it permanently.

One extremely powerful benefit of using hypnosis is that it gives you the ability to train your mind to stay focused on a successful outcome. You can program any specific outcome you choose and keep yourself thinking positively about it throughout the day. You can also use hypnosis to eliminate self-sabotage patterns and remove the negative feelings and thoughts that are blocking you from success.

Here are some tips for using hypnosis as a means of conditioning you for success and goal achievement.

1. Start to Visualize. You can literally program yourself for success. You can, through mental rehearsal, program your subconscious mind with your desired outcome. By using self hypnosis to bring yourself into trance you can create the perfect mental environment for visualizing your goal as if it has already happened. See it, in your mind’s eye, as already being real. Imagine the scene as if you were seeing it through your own eyes. Experience all the wonderful feelings associated with that goal attainment. Let these feelings of joy and accomplishment well-up within you.

2. Develop Persistence. By accessing your subconscious mind you can change your inner personal traits to match those people who are successful. These are the people who never quit. Through hypnosis you can reprogram your subconscious mind to be persistent regardless of what obstacles you encounter. Using post hypnotic suggestions to develop an “iron will” and persistence will be invaluable in times of stress and disillusionment.

3. Think Positively. Your subconscious mind has a tendency to only replay past memories along with all the emotions associated with it. It offers these emotions to your consciousness in the form of doubts and fears for the presnt and especially the future. Through hypnosis you can totally eliminate them forever. Use self hypnosis tp program your subconscious mind to think positively and to always expect positive results.

4. Eliminate the Problem. It is inevitably that some problems will arise when you pursue worthwhile goals that are important to you. Life has a tendency of creating situations that reflect our inner beliefs and fears. In order to successfully create anything you need to deal with these issues. Through hypnosis you can solve these problems quickly and effectively. When you enter trance see yourself as already having successfully overcome the obstacle. You don't have to see how you did it or how you found out how to do it, you only need to see yourself at the other side, joyful and proud that you eliminated the problem for good and reached the other side. If this, in itself, is a problem for you, or you find it hard perform this mental exercise then seek the advice of a qualified hypnotherapist. A competent skilful hypnotherapist will easily and quickly find the root of your problem and just as easily remove it!

5. Prepare your path. Imagine yourself at the end result. Imagine that you have already met the right people and that you had been in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. Program your mind in this manner, through the power of self hypnosis, and your subconscious mind will pick up on any non-verbal clues in your relationships and environment and effortlessly guide you to the perform the correct and essential course of action that will lead you to your goal.

6. Develop unshakable faith in yourself and your objective. Use self hypnosis to convince your subconscious mind that your goal is, in fact, already a reality. Fake it till you make it – act as though your goal were already true. Fool your mind into believing the objective world around you is actually exactly like the world you have been visualizing and working to create. While in trance you will get so deeply involved in your visualization and the feelings it produces that, in that very moment, you believe it is already true. You will enjoy all the feelings that this imagined scene evokes and this will create your scence even faster.

If you follow these simple six steps and use them with the power of hypnosis or self hypnosis you will be catapulted towards your goal faster than you can possibly imagine!

Source: http://www.articlecube.com

Hypnosis products reviewed for free. Find out what really works. Self Hypnosis products tested & reviewed free. We find out what works so you don't have to!

Are you spending a lot of time and money on personal growth and development books, videos, courses and seminars? Do you find that despite everything you’ve done, nothing seems to take root inside you, that you’re just not moving forward fast enough? You need to find some way to accelerate your personal growth. Try these simple but powerful techniques…

Personal development tip: Slow Down to Speed up

You may be trying to move too fast. Everyone has their own learning style which includes different ways and different speeds of learning.

Some of the marketing for personal growth and development material suggests that you can get instant benefits from the material. The techniques may be good, but you might be a person who needs a bit more time for what you are learning to truly sink in a take route.

You might also be trying to achieve too much – perhaps you’re cramming in so much stuff that you’re mind is on overload.

Either way, a little patience may produce great rewards.

Focus is the key

Another problem I come across from time to time is that people skip from one course to the next, trying out meditation one day, affirmations the next, some mind programming tapes the next…

Any good personal growth expert will tell you that focus is one of the keys to success. That’s true in the area of personal development as well. You need to carefully pick the area you are going to work on and the way you’re going to work on it. Stick with your chosen tool until you’ve achieved your objective.

Have a plan

… and you’ll find it hard to have focus without a plan! A plan will help you to understand where you’re going, how you’re going to get there and how long it’s going to take. Not having a plan means you’re wandering aimlessly hoping to get there somehow, sometime.

Help Other people to Help you

The other three ideas are all interrelated. This final tip is one that I particularly like and which can work very effectively on it’s own: Use other people to accelerate your personal growth by teaching them what you’re learning.

If you want to truly learn something, the best way to understand it and internalize it at the deepest level is to teach it to someone else. This could be a family member, a work colleague a friend, an audience… My personal favourite is writing articles:-)

If you don’t take advantage of this opportunity, you’ll miss out on the chance to make sure that you’ve really understood what you’ve been studying and you’ll miss out on a chance to add value to the lives of others. Remember: adding value to peoples’ lives is one of the fastest routes to success.

If you’re getting frustrated at the lack of progress in your personal growth program, it’s time to have a look at what you’re doing. Do you need to slow down, focus more or develop a plan? Can you find an opportunity to share your learnings with other people?

Would you like some more personal development tips?

About the Author: You can get a free e-course The success principle . Visit my website for more resources, articles, and support materials about success and personal growth here.

 Kevin John has spent many years helping businesses owners, aspiring business owners, and private individuals to develop the understanding and skills needed to achieve the success that they want.

Source: http://www.easyarticles.com

Most of us are regularly exposed to information offering get rich quick schemes and ways to make our fortune for little or even no effort. This is probably even more the case for students of Self Improvement than for most other people.

There may even be some people who have become rich as a result of such offers!

However, if you study the lives of successful and wealthy people you will be unlikely to find many, if any, that achieved their success with little effort. Most worked very hard for their success, and you'll find few, if any that didn't have one of the fundamental skills of self improvement and success - discipline..

It takes discipline to do the things you know you should do when you don't feel like doing them. It takes discipline to be able to follow your vision despite indifference or negative opinions of friends and family. It takes discipline to work on you dreams when you could be relaxing with friends or watching TV. It also takes discipline to search for and read the books, listen to the tapes, learn the skills, or get the training that can greatly enhance your progress towards your goals.

And there are countless other examples. If you desire success, you need goals and you need to make plans to reach them. But without the discipline to take the actions and to follow through, your dreams are likely to remain just that - dreams and nothing more.

Self Improvement Quote of the Day:

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose." - E.M. Gray

Garry Zancanaro is the founder of Self Improvement Directory, a website dedicated to Self Improvement and Personal Development, and to helping people live more successful and fulfilling lives by providing a directory of the highest quality Self Growth resources available. Includes many FREE eBooks and much more. Visit http://www.selfimprovementdirectory.com/index.html

I´d like to share a couple of effective ideas on how to increase your personal productivity.

I hope that you can get some good ideas out of it.

1. Think about a solution to a problem rather than complaining about it. Try to spend just 20% of your time devoted to a problem on dwelling and complaining about it and use 80% of the time to finding a solution. Many people do the complete opposite.

2. Focus on the future, don´t dwell on mistakes of the past. Yeah, there where mistakes and you might have regrets. But it´s over now and neither you or this is your past. This is now. Allow yourself to keep your eyes on the opportunities of today and of tomorrow.

3. Read one hour a day – If can´t find a free hour of time, then find small patches of time. I like to listen to audio books on personal development while riding the bus and doing the dishes. These small patches of time will quickly add up and increase your knowledge. Gaining knowledge through audiobooks will probably become even easier as the audiobook is really making a breakthrough. At least here in Sweden as it´s been named the Christmas-gift of the Year for 2006.

4. Communicate clearly – Avoid miscommunications. Be clear on what tasks your boss wants you to do, and in what order. If you´re the boss, communicate clearly what you want to have done. It might be useful to have the people in your team repeat back what´s been said. That way everyone is sure that they have the same interpretation of what is to be done before you get started. Then, while working, get continual feedback so you can readjust your plans if necessary and nip potential problems in the bud.

5. Keep at it until it´s done – When you really get into a task you will be more efficient and most likely do a better job. If you jump around between a lot of half-finished tasks you will lose time every time you start working at it again. It takes a number of minutes to get into what you were doing, what information and tools you need for the job and so on. Keeping at it until a task is completed will also boost your sense of self-esteem and, over time, strengthen your self-discipline.

6. Don´t beat yourself up – It´s normal to feel bad sometimes. And it´s useful to take with you lessons learned from your mistakes so you don´t keep repeating them over and over. But if you keep beating yourself up after those initial bad feelings it serves no-one. You will keep feeling like crap for no good reason and the people around you will also be affected in a negative way.

Then, why do we do it? Well, perhaps it´s just an old habit that we keep on doing to strengthen our sense of self. Maybe it´s a way to feel important and to get the care and attention of others. But in the end we are just wasting our time and our life with it.

7. Create small rewards for yourself – Some examples: promise to yourself an ice-cream after you have made 20 phone calls. Or, after reading three chapters for the next history-exam, taking a refreshing walk in the park. This might seem a bit too simple to work, but creating a small motivation for yourself can be surprisingly effective. And it will make you better at completing one task at a time and decrease the urge to constantly switch between a whole bunch of them.

8. Take a break – You won´t be effective if you don´t take a relaxing break once in while. If you keep on pushing and pushing through the work you´ll eventually lose your focus, start to underperform, make mistakes and feel stressed out all the time. Just taking a break and then returning can make the work feel a whole lot easier than it did just 10 minutes ago.

By: Henrik Edberg

Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Check out Henrik Edberg´s blog called Personal Development with The Positivity Blog ( www.positivityblog.com ). It covers topics such as social skills, productivity, wealth, health and how you can live a happier and more positive life.

(excerpted and revised from my Polished, Planned & Prepared Program)

This is one of my favorite parts of the program. I love defining goals because I know that the simple act of writing them down increases the likelihood of actually achieving them by 70%!

Isn't that amazing?

So I wonder why more people don't do this? I do recognize that it does take time to really think about what it is that you want and when you'd like for those things to be a part of your life. But writing down your goals (and actually looking at them!) is the most powerful and fastest way for them to come true (like writing your Vivid Vision). And this e-lesson will help you define them in about an hour.

So let's have some fun. In your Vivid Vision, you imagined a whole bunch of things you want in your life. Whatever you wrote is in your mind's eye right now, so let's start working towards making them tangible things in your life. When you're done with this exercise, coupled with your Vivid Vision, you should feel an anticipation so great, it will spur you forward to making your dreams a reality.

Step 1:

Break your goals down into the following five categories:

1. Family goals

2. Social goals (including toy/adventure/fun goals)

3. Physical goals (including health and wellness goals)

4. Intellectual goals (including learning goals)

5. Spiritual goals (including contribution goals)

Step 2:

Grab a pen and set a timer for 5 minutes. Brainstorm anything and everything you can think of for each of these categories, giving each 5 minutes on the clock. Don't censor yourself; just keep writing until the timer goes off.

Keep asking yourself what it is that you want with the full belief that whatever that is, it is possible. Come from a place of expectation, that you deserve whatever it is that you really, really want.

One of my favorite motivational quotes is "what would I do if I knew I could not fail?" It's amazing what possibilities this opens up.

It's important to remember as you do this exercise that you don't need to know HOW any of these goals will come about.

Step 3:

Once you have completed brainstorming for each of the five categories, give a timeline to each of the goals you have written down.

Remember that a goal is a dream with a deadline.

Choose when you want to reach these goals: 1 year or less, 5 years or less, 10 years or less, etc.

Step 4:

Choose your most important one year goals in each category and write a paragraph about why you are committed to achieving each of these goals.

Know that if you have a big enough WHY, the HOW will come.

Once you are done, you should have 5 goals to shoot for over the next 12 months that are not only exciting to think about, but inspiring to know that achieving them is highly possible!

© 2007 Alicia M Forest and ClientAbundance.com

By: Alicia Forest

Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach™ and creator of "21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success System™, teaches coaches, consultants, and other solo professionals and online entrepreneurs how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit www.clientabundance.com/

What do you really want in life?

Most people don’t discover what they want in life until it’s time to die – and that’s a shame.

Most people spend the best years of their lives watching television or doing things they dislike. An author described humanity by saying, “Most people die at twenty and are buried at eighty.” Are you one of the living zombies?

What do you really want in life?

Some people struggle in answering such a question. When asked what they want or what their goals in life are, many are unsure. They dillydally in their decision, hardly giving any thought about what they want in life. People without definite goals are letting time pass them by. Are you one of these people?

If you are undecided about what you want out of life, do not worry. There are many ways of discovering your purpose in life.

To discover what you want in life, try looking deep into your heart. Oftentimes, people are ruled by logic. People live by what they think they should be or by what others like them to be. The discovery process is the perfect time to listen to your heart. What your heart desires comes from the whispers of your authentic self. Your authentic self is the real you.

Listen to your heart to be able to listen to your authentic self. What your heart says usually feels right. What your heart desires is what you usually love to do and this represents your passion. Anything done with passion is like play where the task is accomplished without hesitation. You pour out your very best and feel no pressure or resistance.

You will totally enjoy doing things that are your passion. Setbacks, difficulties, and obstacles will make it more challenging, but should not deter you from pursuing your goals. Naturally, there may be barriers that may prevent you from reaching your goal, but your heart’s desire will find ways to overcome these barriers so that you may ultimately get what you want in life. Remember this: the universe supports people who are pursuing their passion and those who are pursuing their destiny.

However, this does not mean that you don’t use your head. People are born with both the mind and heart. Your duty is to live your best life and be in harmony with your mind and heart. The poet Rumi wisely said, “Live completely in the head and you cannot feel the breath and rhythm of life. Live completely in the heart and you may find yourself acting like a love-struck fool with poor judgment and discipline. It’s all a fine balance - the head and heart must forge a lifetime partnership if one wants to live a beautiful life.”

Listen to your instinct. Part of human nature is the mysterious and spontaneous reaction on things. Often times, these are called instincts. Your authentic self communicates with you and guides you via instincts. Instincts are those gentle nudges that urge you to act and follow a certain path. Your role then is to listen attentively.

Often times, we listen to what others say and allow them to run our lives. Parents often do this to their children. “We come from a family of doctors, so my son must also be a doctor.” How often do we hear this from parents who have good intentions for their children? Parents unconsciously block the true expression of their child’s real self and calling. Friends and critics will discourage you and point out the impossibility of your dream. Before heeding their advice, evaluate the accomplishments of the critics. Did they achieve theirs dreams? Do they dream big at all?

Remember, it is your destiny that is in line, not theirs. It doesn’t mean, though, that you will not listen to what other people say. Hear them out just the same. But the final decision should be yours.

There is only one thing to remember: Every person, to live truly and greatly, must define how he wants to live and what his brightest life will look like. Listen to your instincts and follow your heart’s desire. You will never go wrong.

By: gocken

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Your Big Money Fast yourbigmoneyfast.com

Everyone needs a goal to achieve -- a golden carrot -- in order to truly succeed. Goals are what draw us ahead when times are tough. They are what help us overcome resistance and problems. The most important of these are personal development goals.

Here's the easy part: setting personal development goals for yourself. But the hard part is actually achieving those goals. One reason lots of people fail to reach their goals is that they made the mistake of setting blurry goals rather than crystal clear ones. Other people have a tendency to set a bunch of goals all at once. Still others choose target dates that are fuzzy or too far away.

The best way to set your personal development goals is to clearly state what you want to achieve. For example, it is great if you want to lose weight, but you have to choose a clear target at the beginning. Pick how much weight you want to lose, and write down your goal. Choose an exact number of kilos or pounds, and make it an achievable goal, not a fantasy. Don't set yourself up for failure. Say you want to lose ten pounds. Write that down, and create a simple exercise and dieting plan that will propel you down the path to that goal.

The second step to meeting your challenge is in setting the parameters. You've already established that you want to lose ten pounds. You have an exercise and diet plan ready to go. Now, give yourself a time limit. Let's say that you want to lose those ten pounds in two months. Five pounds a month. About a pound a week. That seems easily manageable. So now, you know the number of pounds you'll lose, you have a realistic time frame in place and you know exactly how you'll go about achieving success.

So the first step is done. You have established a personal development goal, and are taking the path to achieving it.

Remember not to set personal development goals that are too high at first; they can become unreachable. If you set the bar too high and fail to succeed as planned, you may find yourself tempted to give up as a failure. Your self-esteem can be negatively impacted, and your broader view of life. So make sure to set achievable, realistic goals.

And when you work hard and reach your goal, don't forget to give yourself a reward! A reward makes your focus and commitment worth something else besides the great accomplishment itself. You don't have to spend a bunch of money or eat a giant cheesecake that will start you gaining weight again, for example. Why not take a rewarding walk in a park, have a glass of good wine, or take yourself out to a matinee movie? Reward yourself for sticking to your plan and meeting your goal.

Once you've achieved your first personal development goal, you'll be ready to take on another. Remember to set your next goal in the same manner as the first: achievable, clear, and with a time frame. And then, there's no turning back. Who knows where your life will be in 5 or 10 years from now? After accomplishing a series of small, doable goals, you might be amazed where you will end up. All it takes is setting and accomplishing that first, small goal, and you are on your way.

By: Wyatt Pottoe

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Author Wyatt Pottoe writes for a variety of well-known web sites, on family parenting and home garden subjects.
Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the Uber goal setting and planning article directory

It’s only human to put things off and most of us do. Even, highly successful people find ways to waste time, but procrastination and lack of planning are “time killers.” You can use the following principles for goal setting, in your place of work, or on your next home improvement project.

Another problem, with procrastination, is it can become a life style. Do you know someone who always puts anything off that they perceive as difficult? How successful is that person? Do you want to model yourself after that person?

You know the logical answers to all of those questions, so it’s time to take action. To make maximum use of time, it is wise to develop a system. If you take the following steps you will get much more accomplished and have some free time to enjoy your family, friends, and hobbies.

Plan everything for the following day and into the future. Life doesn’t always go according to a plan, but you can develop a template to avoid wasting time and you can plan free time to read, meditate, play, or socialize.

When you do your planning, make a list of priorities, and itemize them accordingly. Then, post it somewhere that you will refer to every day. You know your own life style, but here are some suggestions: In your place at the kitchen table, on your PC desktop, in your pocket, on your desk calendar, or on the PDA.

You get the idea – it has to be, “in your face.” It is amazing how many clients, I coach, that spend the first four hours of the day getting ready, but getting nothing done. Some business owners show up to work early, and walk around in circles, without a plan.

How many times does this happen to you, in a grocery store? If it happens at all, you need a list. You also need to organize, itemize, and prioritize your grocery list. This works the same way in all aspects of life. It comes down to the old saying about, “putting all your ducks in a row.”

Which brings me to the next key: Make sure all of the components needed for a project are ready and waiting. My Grandfather was a general contractor and I learned much about the sequence of events required to construct a building.

For one thing, roofing materials are not important, at the beginning of the project, but you cannot afford to forget the forms of the foundation, in the early stages of construction. This causes delays, waiting around, retracing steps, and possibly doing one, or more, tasks twice, all because you forgot a step.

The next key is to finish work that you perceive to be difficult first. When possible, put this before the tasks you like to do. You will feel like a prisoner released from your own jail.

Once you have your tasks cleared, use your free time wisely. If you know of something that will be a major priority tomorrow, take preemptive action whenever it is possible.

This carries into the last key: Go to bed early, and use solo time, in the morning, for quiet projects, when you need to concentrate. Reading, writing, and planning can be focused on, at this time, without any disruption. Later in the day, you will not be frustrated by daily interruptions because these “focusing tasks” are finished.

Many successful people take speed-reading courses, to stay current on the latest techniques in their field. What separates the successful from the not so successful? Knowledge, putting it to use, planning your time, and controlling the sequence of events, are the largest contributors to success.

© Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. www.yoga-teacher-training.org

By: Don Vaughn

Some people don't really know what it is they want. Many define what they want by stating what they don't want. The result, they get exactly what they don't want. Why because instead of focusing on what they do want they are focused on what they don't want. I recently discovered this while having a disciplinary discussion with our eleven year old daughter. The discussion was about her behavior and why it is wrong. What's funny about this is we had this exact same discussion less than sixty days prior.

During this discussion I realized that my daughter did not think she was doing anything wrong, she believed she was acting according to what was acceptable for an eleven year old. I had to think about this for a bit because she did not understand that it is not ok to misbehave. I got the idea to use an example and ask her what she thought about it.

I said, "A person robs a bank, is caught and goes to jail. As soon as that person gets out they rob another bank is caught and goes to jail again. Gets out robs yet another bank and goes to jail. What do you think about this?" "There's a problem," was her answer. Then I said to her, "You are the person robbing the bank". The look on her face was utter devastation. I then explained to her that when she misbehaves it's like the person robbing the bank. The robber did not want to go to jail but that is what he/she got, exactly what they didn't want. That's what you get every time you misbehave; you get everything that you don't want. The logic was inescapable.

If you focus on the things you don't want, you are going to get what you focus on. Now that might seem like it's backwards but in reality that is exactly what many people do and they don't understand why they continually get the results they get. Your mind attracts to you that which is the center of your focus. If your focus is on what you don't want you will get that which you focus on. While the above example is a bit extreme the point is you attract to you what you think about. My daughter said she was always thinking about not getting into trouble, what did she get?

It is extremely important to be specific about what you want as well. It is not enough to say you want more money; you must be specific about the amount of more money you want. If you make $40,000 a year, your subconscious mind thinks that $40,001 is more money which it is and therefore you have reached your goal. Your efforts to get more fail because you're now thinking I don't want $40,001 I want more. If you want to lose weight, loosing 1 pound to your subconscious mind is achieving your goal, you lost weight.

Now you might be thinking "I want to make more money and in the back of your mind more money means $50,000 a year, but all you say is more money. See the difference? You must be specific and say next year I want to make $50,000 or I want to lose 20 pounds in three months. You must know exactly what it is you want or you will fail to get it.

How to make your dreams a reality.

You must know exactly what it is you want.

You must know every detail, how having what you want will make you feel. What having what you want will do for you, give you more status, more prestige, raise your standard of living. You must know every detail or you will stumble along the way and feel like a failure.

You must have a time frame in mind.

You need to set a date by which you expect to have gained the object of your focus. If you desire to fit those designer jeans by springtime and you need to lose 15 pounds, set a date by which you expect to have lost the weight. Then using a series of smaller goals, affirm to lose 1 to 2 pounds pre week by mapping out a diet to cut out 500 calories a day.

Your desire must be measurable.

First start out with the end result clearly in mind. You should start out with a series of smaller obtainable goals. Success with these smaller goals fuels your confidence towards achieving a larger goal. Then have something to gage your success by. Starting with the end result, work backwards in detail until you get to the starting point where you will set out to achieve you goal. This gives you the exact steps you need to take to achieve your goal. Each step should lead you closer to obtaining your desired result. This becomes your ruler, check to see if you are on course.

Always write out your goals.

Writing your goals out is another way to check if you have strayed from the course. It gives you something to follow. Write your goals out and read them daily. We have billions of thoughts per day and a goal is just another thought. Writing it down helps to keep that thought in mind instead of it being replaced by one of the other billions of thoughts. It also helps with your commitment to your goal. Seeing it daily reaffirms it in your mind.

Get a success partner.

One way to insure success with obtaining any goal is to have a partner. Someone who will encourage you and help you stay on course. It's important to have someone who will stand by you and not someone who will try to discourage you. Champions Evolution is a coaching service that helps people set goals and achieve them. They deal with confidence and self-esteem issues and they show you how to believe you can have what you want.

Evaluate your progress.

Are you making headway? If not, why not? Adjust your plan to meet your long-term goal. Are you meeting your weekly or monthly weight loss goals? If not, determine what might be the problem. Add another half hour of walking each week or cut out second helpings.

Challenge yourself through adversity. That means work hard, push yourself and feel a little discomfort if it means helping you reach your goals. Understand and acknowledge that change is not easy. If it were, you would have already achieved your goal. We tend to revert to previous behaviors when change gets difficult. Now is the time to develop new life behaviors.

You have a choice in what you get or don't get. You choose to have success or you choose to have failure. There is nothing in between the two except you. What you choose to think about will be what you get. Focus on failure and no amount of effort will bring you the success you desire. The thing to do is focus your mind on success.

Article Source: http://www.articlecube.com

(c) 2005 Don Vaughn ABOUT THE AUTHOR Don is a Personal Life and Confidence Coach with Champions Evolution. For a free 30-min consultation on how we can help you live a more successful and confident life, please visit www.championsevolution.com Or, for a copy of our free Self Analysis Test Questionnaire, please e-mail coach@championsevolution.com with 'Self Analysis Questionnaire' in the subject line. Submitted with Article Distributor.

Do you ever wonder why some people work very hard at a business but don't succeed?

On the other hand, you may know others who are very successful, and don't have to struggle.

There are certain things that all successful people have in common.

One of the most important is that they set goals. Goals are crucial to have, both short term ones and long term ones. These goals should be written down and referred to each day. See yourself as already achieving the goal when you decide upon it. When a person is very close to achieving their first goal they begin setting others. Your goals need to be very clear and precise. If you really have a burning desire then you will find it easy to set your goals and to work towards them.

Your goals should be ones that fill you with excitement and anticipation. Thinking about it and planning how you are going to achieve it should fill you with very positive feelings.

Successful people have clear visions of what they want to do and how they are going to get there. They are completely committed to what they plan to accomplish.

Another thing successful people have in common is a coach or a mentor. It's vital that you get training and support from someone who is already successful. If you are in network marketing then it should be your sponsor or someone else in the business. Learn how they became successful and do the same. Don't try and reinvent the wheel! If something is working for them why change anything? Remember that your success is there success. Be coachable and trainable and you will start to see results, if you take advice from the right people.

Remember also that you need to treat your business like a business. If you only have a couple of hours to spend due to other circumstances, then it will take you much longer to reach your dreams. Whatever time you do have to spend on your business, you need to be very focused. In other words, spend most of your time doing business building activities, which is finding new distributors and customers for your business.

Goals that we reach all start from a dream. Having a positive attitude and knowing that whatever we wish to achieve can be done makes all the difference.

By: Joanne Ott

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Joanne Ott is an entrepreneur from Canada. She has a home business and loves helping and working with others. Her web site is successwithjoanne.com

How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem – and that that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve. No leads. No options. No solutions.

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain – large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you're hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.

But rejoice! There might be some hope yet!

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to the problem. And, you must be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.

Number one; maybe the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral solving the problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.

Not trying to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain any stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.

Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have the words of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

Number three; try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that from them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.

Number four; although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, tried to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for chinks in the armor of that solution.

Number five; it pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem.

Number six; remember that old adage," two heads are better than one." That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you're talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don't have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better.

Number seven; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.

Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.

Here is one example.

Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind at the center. Now look at that word then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a tree of related words. This helps you build analogical skills, and fortify your creative processes.

So, next time you see a problem you think you can not solve, think again. The solution might just be staring you right in the face. All it takes is just a little creative thinking, some planning, and a whole lot of work.

Until next time, keep reaching for your fullest potential!

By: LA

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LA is a free lance writer with a background in sports and medical who likes to write on a variety of topics that give consumers enough information to make an educated decision. Man in the mirror (For inspiration and motivation) mitm-la.blogspot.com Best Life (For health and fitness tips) bestlife-la.blogspot.com

by Kevin John

There are eight steps to success in life that are fundamental to your chances of success. Follow these steps and you will be able to achieve whatever you truly want. Some of the steps need you to work on developing yourself, in this article you are going to find out about the four steps that are critical to the way that you organise yourself and how you deal with people and your surroundings.

Applying the timeless principles embodied in the eight steps to success will have a tremendous impact on the results you can achieve in your life, whether you want to start a new business, loose weight, give up smoking, learn a new skill, get a promotion, pass an exam ...in fact any significant challenge you face in your life!

Personal planning and goal setting for success

Personal planning and goal setting are two of the core elements you need to be successful.

First you need to clearly know where you are going, what it is you want to achieve. Do you want to loose weight - if so how much and by when? Do you want to get a promotion - if so what is the new job you want and when do you want it by? Do you want to make more money - how much and by when?.

It's absolutely vital that you spend some time thinking about what is it you want and understanding how important it is to you. If you don't know the answers to these questions it would be a bit like setting out to go the supermarket without any idea where it is and what you are going to do when you get there. You wouldn't waste your time like that would you?

Try to imagine yourself having achieved your goal - what would the result look like, how would you feel - write down the answer to these questions.

Once you have a clear understanding of where you want to go, it's time to draw the map of how you're going to get there. In our supermarket example, if you didn't know where the store was you would draw a map. It's just the same with any destination you have in mind.

Start by looking at what you need to achieve to reach your goal - do you need to learn some new skills in order to get the job you want? If you want to loose weight, how much will you have to loose each week. If you want to make more money, what steps are you going to have to take.

Break your plan down into a few major goals and set dates for them. Does the plan look realistic, is it challenging but achievable? If not, you may need to rethink. If it does look challenging, that's fine - it's very important not to underestimate how much you can achieve!

Now starting with your first goal, break it down into small steps - each one should be something you know can do in a short space of time - hours, or at most a day or two.

Be proactive

Now you've got your plan you're already ahead of 95% of the population - take a moment to congratulate yourself. It's time to get going and take action. Be proactive, make sure you do what you said you were going to do and make sure you don't let opportunities pass you by.

So many people fall into the trap of setting themselves goals and then doing nothing - there's something they want to watch on television, their cat got ill.... How many times have you set New Year's resolutions that go nowhere!

The best laid plans of mice and men...

... often go astray! Expect the unexpected - very few people know all the answers when they draw up a plan so it's very likely that your goal setting will meet some unanticipated obstacles. Be prepared to be flexible and proactive, adjust your plan as you go along.

Whatever you do, don't loose sight of your overall goal - don't compromise on that unless you absolutely have to - and if you have to make a change maybe you'll need just a little bit more time to get there. Warning! Don't make a habit of making a change to your goal or you'll loose sight of it and end up back where you started - only more frustrated and more convinced that you can't do it.

The eight steps to success in life

There are eight steps to success in life, we've talked about the four steps you need to take to organise yourself towards achieving your goals - personal planning, goal setting for success, being proactive and being flexible. If you apply these timeless principles in your life, you can enjoy your share of success too! Learn more about the eight steps to success by visiting my website.

 
About the Author:

You can get a free, 5 part e-course "Achieving Your Dreams" for more useful tips on success. Discover more resources, articles, and support materials that will help you on your journey of personal growth.

Source: www.goarticles.com

Human error is often just a matter of thinking errors. These can include equating correlation with causation, over-generalization, and even under-generalization. To avoid making errors in your thinking, it can help to get in the habit of asking a few important questions. Start with the following.

Do I have enough information to make a decision here?

Over-estimating our knowledge is a common human error. After a few weeks study, we think we are ready to pick stocks to invest in, for example, when even those who have studied this area for years typically under-perform the market.

Am I over-generalizing here?

It may be true that avoiding debt is a good general rule. Avoid debt when going into business, though, and your business may fail before it can grow large enough to provide a livable income for you.

Am I under-generalizing?

We need to generalize. If I didn't have the general rule that "most email offers are junk," I would have to spend hours daily analyzing the merits of the various offers.

Are my emotions involved in this thinking process?

Emotions need to be involved at times, if for nothing more than motivation. To think clearly, though, you need to identify when emotions are pushing you - and in what direction. Anger might lead an article writer to waste time on a petty violation of a copyright, for example, when his time would be better spent writing something new.

What labels are involved, and how are they affecting my thinking?

You have to use words, but they come with their problems too. Thinking of someone as a "liberal" or "conservative" might cause you to miss the value in their arguments, due to the preconceived notions you have about people with these labels.

Am I applying the same rules to myself and others?

Double-standards are so common because they are so subtle in their development. A man thinks of those who are using illegal drugs as different, so it never occurs to him that his wine is a drug as well. He excuses this attitude by pointing out the legality, while never asking himself whether he would really give up cigarettes, alcohol or caffeine if they were made illegal.

Am I confusing correlation and causation?

Even scientists make this mistake regularly. Americans with higher salt intake are more likely to have high blood pressure - that is correlation. It does not mean that salt causes high blood pressure. If that were the case, the problem would be epidemic in Japan, where they eat several times more salt than in America. They also have a low incidence of high blood pressure.

This last thinking error can even lead us tow