Posts Tagged ‘Personal Development’

How To Create Goals That Will Lead To Success

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

What is the importance of these goals? These goals guide us to where we want to go which is why we need them. Without goals, we are basically wandering around in the darkness hoping that we reach the right place. A motivational tool that gives us the right boost of energy to work towards them is another purpose of goals.

If you ask any motivational speaker, one of the key points they will tell you to achieve success is to write down your goals. But wait, there’s more to this story. Just writing them down doesn’t give you that energy boost that you need to achieve success but there is a secret to goal setting.

The first thing you need to do is start dreaming again and these dreams doesn’t refer to the ones that you have when you sleep at night but rather the dreams you had when you were kids like living up in a mansion when you grow up. If you dream big but only reach half way, then that’s still half way farther than if you didn’t dream at all so you shouldn’t be afraid to dream big.

Ok, so let’s talk about your mansion. Writing down a mansion in your Goals list isn’t enough, is it? You also need to write down the details. Determine what kind of architecture it would be. Is a fairy tale type castle what you have in mind? Or maybe you’re thinking about an Italian Villa. How many bedrooms should it have? Having an indoor pool is a great idea as well.

In order for you to picture them clearly in your mind, you need to find images of some of the things that you want and this is another secret to goal setting. Unlike if you were just thinking about the word ‘mansion,’ doing this will give your goals a sense of realism. When you find pictures of indoor swimming pools or pictures of Italian Villas or anything that you desire, then you can try imagining yourself there.

If you are a car guy, then it’s likely you have a few cars on your list. Right now, you might drive a BMW, but that’s not enough. If you want to hit it big you have to dream big so add more BMWs, Porches, and even Ferraris if you want. The colors that you want and all the options that each car provides is what you need to know about. It will seem much more real if you get down with all the details.

Even though you can start with making a list of your goals, you still need to go farther. Getting into the details is a must. So is finding images. Try to imagine that you already own those items. Doing this will only help you in whatever venture you choose to go with.

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End Your Procrastination in 3 Easy Steps

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

One of the biggest mistakes people make is spending too much time looking for the big opportunity or the perfect timing to do something. The over-used axiom “Patience is a virtue” is irrefutable. But it is equally true that “he who hesitates is lost”. Seize the opportunity.

Patience and procrastination are cousins that look a whole lot alike and when people get them confused valuable time and opportunities are lost.

Patience is taking a well-calculated risk. Procrastination is avoiding risk.

Patience is learning what to do. Procrastination is learning what to do and not using what you learned.

Patience says, “This will be done by_____.” Procrastination says, “Eh…sooner or later.”

There are dozens of tips and techniques for overcoming procrastination and seizing opportunities. Here are three:

1. Take full advantage of momentum.

Building momentum is a lot easier when you first think of an idea or start on a task. Create some small steps that you can take immediately. These steps will help you measure your progress.

2. Create sense of last minute urgency.

Most people tend to finish a task at the very last minute. Haven’t you ever noticed that? Why does this happen? It happens because a task will expand to the time allotted for it.

A person can have two months to do something and finish it in two days. Of course it’s the last two days before it’s due! Last minute urgency creates an incredible amount of energy and drive.

3. Worry Less.

In the “Fog of Worry”, Earl Nightingale provided a good breakdown of what worries most people:

*40% of the things you worry about will never happen.

*30% of the things you worry about couldn’t be changed by all the worrying in the world.

*12% of your worries are needless worries about your health.

*10% of your worries are about petty, miscellaneous things.

*8% of your worries are about real and legitimate concerns.

In other words, 92% of your worrying is a complete waste of time.

In closing, here’s one last thing to keep in mind:

Keep in mind that opportunities don’t disappear they simply move on to next recipient. An opportunity that comes your way is probably an opportunity that someone else procrastinated or passed on. If you pass up on a good opportunity someone else will capitalize on it.

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Staying On Task - How to Be Better at Time Management

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

We all procrastinate from time to time. Usually a small dose of procrastination is harmless. However for others still it can spell disaster and mean the difference between getting things done and not. If this is the type of person you are it’s most likely as easy as fixing your time management skills. Fortunately this is a skill that most people can master easily. Cut down on your distractions and work hard to develop your skills. Here are some time management tips that anybody can use to help them increase their focus and productivity.

While mapping out your goals and your day is good, it is also good to be flexible. You have to be open to the unexpected, and it can be stressful to impose too much structure on your routine. It becomes more difficult to focus on the tasks you have to complete when you’re tense and uptight. Learn to let some things slide for the sake of your sanity. You can do this and still stay focused on your important objectives. What it does mean is that you don’t have to panic if something you planned to do in the morning has to be put off until the afternoon. In such cases, just go with the flow. Too much structure is not good for your productivity, or even your health!

Begin each day by making a list of the things you need to accomplish before you go to bed that night. After you’ve got them all on paper begin ordering the list by priority. You’ll want to put the items that need to be done first up top and those that can be fit in later near bottom. You can now use this organized list as a “to do” list. The feeling of satisfaction you get by completing a to do list at the end of the day cannot be compared to any other feeling. These lists will save you the time and frustration of wondering what you should do next, instead you can ask what’s next on the list.

Time management experts agree that one of the most important skills you need to learn to better manage your time is delegation. It’s hard to be efficient if you have to do everything yourself. If you delegate some of the less important but time consuming activities, you’ll have more time for truly important ones. This way your day will not be spent on hundreds of trivial tasks and you will be more productive and creative. If you spend too much time on trivial tasks, they can be a real distraction. Delegation is something that many people have difficulty with. If you make it a habit, though, it will soon feel perfectly normal.

You have a lot of options for management skills. Time management is possible no matter what your situation is now. All you have left to do now is begin making some new habits, good habits. You won’t ever have to worry about losing a day to daydreaming again and it won’t take to much time either.

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Crucial Details About Learning Better Time Management Skills

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Time management is an important skill that everyone could benefit from. Whether it is a working mother who has too many activities going on, or the average student trying to study for several exams at once, doing things in a timely manner is vital. Individuals who fret and worry about getting everything done, often find themselves suffering from health issues. Thankfully, there are several things to do which will make everything more manageable.

Making Changes

It is typical for people to find themselves scrambling to get things finished. However, doing this too often can lead to health issues like an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Luckily, there are several techniques that will eliminate these problems and make life a lot less hectic.

One particularly helpful skill is organization. Some individuals are naturally wired to be organized, but others find that they struggle with the technique. The fact is that making a list of thing that need to be done or creating a simple schedule will make things easier.

Carry around a pocket organizer or use an app that is easily downloaded to a mobile phone. When at home, use an online service or calendar to keep track of things. Use sticky notes to remember dates and special occasions.

Setting deadlines to get things done may also be helpful. Manage assignments by setting up scheduled study blocks. Work for one or two hours each day to get something done quickly and efficiently. Many people find that they work better when they have a set goal.

Time management is a vital skill to anyone who has a lot of tasks or activities to do each day. By implementing these techniques, things will get done in a more efficient manner. The best thing is that all the stress will be gone.

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Success - How Making Powerful Decisions Now Dictate the Results You Want Tomorrow

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Success isn’t something that can be achieved overnight. However, over time, anything can be accomplished. Most people are caught up in wishing, dreaming, and hoping that they will see a better tomorrow. They subconsciously believe that what they want cannot be obtained, and that their "dreams" will always be just that - dreams. Because of this faulty way of thinking, most people do not make it far in life.

By altering the way that you think about things you can alter your future. What you have believed whether in the past or in the present is what has brought you to your current reality. For example, consider the individual who is constantly told they will never achieve anything and believed what they were told. As a result that same person is more than likely in a low-paying job, living in a small apartment somewhere and struggling day to day.

But on the flipside of the coin is the person who believes that what they want they can achieve because they believe in their own abilities. The view life positively and simply will not devote their time and energy to worry or self-doubt. Negative things that others say are disregarded and they focus themselves wholeheartedly to achieving what they want to accomplish.

Whether a person is successful or not is all based on what they truly believe in their innermost being. The good news is that beliefs can change and if you are someone that wants to change your present situation you can do so by beginning with the little decisions you make today. In this way you will alter your future but requires that you focus on the here and now and on how you live your life.

The first thing you should do is change your mind. Of course this may seem difficult in the beginning because the way we think is habitual. But your habit of negative thinking can be changed and the way to do this is to believe in yourself. Success can also be realized when you become more action-oriented.

To accomplish more you need to manage your time properly and the best way to do this is to create a daily list of things you need to do. Begin with those things you do not particularly enjoy doing because by starting with these one or two things you will benefit more.

Rather than waste your time and energy on things that will have little or no positive effects on your life rather deal with those things that will make the most difference. Over time you will begin to see the changes in your life. Because you are achieving the things you set out to accomplish your self-confidence will grow.

Everyone has dreams and those who are focused, who believe in their capabilities, these are the people that turn dreams into reality. Identify what you want and then focus yourself on working toward making it a reality. This is vital to success and once you have done this you will then be able to concentrate on taking the proper steps toward achieving the success you both want and deserve.

Dr. Shaun Stuto is a Chiropractor Missoula MT. As a Chiropractor Missoula MT Transformation Chiropractic is proud to offer patients the time and attention that they deserve. Call (406) 728-1250 to make an appointment.. This article, Success - How Making Powerful Decisions Now Dictate the Results You Want Tomorrow is released under a creative commons attribution license.

Daily 6/1 - An Explanation

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

Light’s focus is varied, very much like your mind’s ability to focus. Let’s explain. A flashlight isn’t very focused. Therefore it splashes light over a wide area. On the other hand, a laser has a high range of focus and can direct light to a single point. In order to accomplish anything, you want to have laser-like focus.

A laser can cut through steel. There’s no doubt that it’s focused. If there is anything you want to accomplish and the goal is important to you, create a laser-like focus. You will be able to cut through anything.

How can you have laser focus with a million things to do?

We have a tool that was taught to us, and it’s been a very simple and effective what to organize our lives. We’ll share it with you, and if you struggle with organizing your ideas and action items, your life will never be simpler then when you apply this powerful tool.

Have you heard the story about the pail and the rocks? There are rocks, pebbles and sand and a pail. All three fit in the 1 gallon bucket, but it seems as though there is way too much to get in there.

We’ll use the big rocks to represent our dreams for our lives. Our goals, if you will. The pebbles are the tasks that get us to that goal, but in and of themselves don’t have a huge impact on our lives. The sand is the busy work that is necessary for us to get through life. It keeps us busy, but has no impact at all on our big picture dreams.

96% of the population chooses to get the “little things out of the way.” They start to fill their buckets with the sand. Then when they have time, the pebbles go in, and soon, they find that there’s no room for the rocks. They feel as though they’ve gotten a lot done. Look at all that sand and all those pebbles! But it’s the big rocks that are going to change their lives. They get left on the sidelines.

You may remember that when you start to fill your bucket with the big rocks, it “appears” filled to the brim. Lots of areas are yet to be filled with pebbles. However, the illusion of being full continues, but yet there’s room for the sand. There is always enough room. Always. It’s a seemingly impossible achievement, but when organized in the right order, everything fits, perfectly.

Very few people organize their lives in this way. You could probably guess who they are. The people whose lives you admire are probably on the list. Their focus is on the 6 things that will have the biggest impact on their lives. This is the key. Being organized like this is not impossible, it’s not even difficult.

Take the challenge of organizing in this way, and in 30 days your life won’t even look the same. All you have to do is prioritize the 6 things that would have the biggest impact on your life and set out to do them before anything else.

Here is the main point to organizing this way. If you pick six things your focus is already narrowed down. Once you identify those 6 items you turn up the energy and focus on the number one. Imagine this one goal is like a leaf, you are the magnifying glass, and the sun is your energy. How would you get through the leaf?

Place all of your focus and energy on a single purpose. The Daily 6/1 is that concept. Take 6 items, and focus on each of them one at a time. Once these items are complete, they’ll have the biggest impact on your life. The suns energy, when focused with the magnifying glass’ focus and the leaf disintegrates. Your energy, your focus, and the obstacles disintegrate. You’ve reached your goals.

For example, the six things (rocks) on my list are to get my master’s degree which I didn’t do in my 20s, start a new business, spend time with my family, write a book, lose weight, and meditate. And then there are my “pebbles” - donating to charities, volunteering, socializing, and finally “the sand;” paying bills, grocery shopping, cleaning the house. Get the idea?

Really, the bottom line is that I take a step, every day, towards my 6 items. I can work on my book. I can have lunch with my father, sister or friend. I can meditate for 5 minutes. I can even take 15 minutes to do a High Intensity workout. I can do one thing at a time, get them all done, and still be lucky enough to have time to go buy groceries, clean the house, or help out a friend. However, if I get caught up in cleaning the house and paying bills, I’ll never get to the calls I want to make to start my new business. However, making those calls will make a bigger impact on my life than cleaning the house ever will, and yet, why don’t I make it a priority? In the end, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

Get started with number 1 on your list. Do not think about number two; do not think about the sand or pebbles… just this one thing. Once you are done and it has been completed, simply move on to the next one giving no thought to any other task.

30 days later and your life won’t resemble what it does today all because of The Daily 6/1.

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Information On Developing Time Management Skills

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Managing your time and your schedule wisely takes a lot of skill and determination. For many people, this is incredibly difficult to do and procrastination tends to be a normal occurrence in their lives. However, there are things that you can do in order to improve your time management skills, and they may even be able to help you become more successful.

You may feel that you can get everything done by doing things when the timing feels right. However, for many people, this actually leads them to not getting anything done. Instead, you should try to set a good schedule for yourself.

Since people are creatures of habit, you need to turn a good work schedule into a habit. You will also need to break your bad habits, like procrastinating with all of your projects. This will not be easy, but if you take it slowly and really dedicate yourself, you might be able to get there.

Start out by making a list of goals. This list should help encourage you into keeping a schedule. If you know why a schedule is important to honor, then you may be more likely to make a serious effort when it comes to sticking to it.

You may be tempted to create a really strict schedule that is completely different from how you currently operate. However, this may lead to a lot of frustration, since large changes are the hardest to achieve. It may be better to make small changes that slowly add up to big changes, so you can stay motivated.

Like many things, time management skills take effort to develop. Create a schedule that you can stick to, and make sure that you also take regular breaks from your work. Eventually, it will get easier for you to manage your schedule effectively and reach your goals.

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Take Time To Relax For Better Time Management

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

It’s normal to want to work hard to achieve your goals, but it’s important to realize that your productivity will naturally decline the longer you work without taking a break. Even so, some people are tempted to continue to work even harder even when they are getting less and less stuff done.

Just like our body needs rest after exercise, your brain also needs rest and relaxation to perform at its best. Without proper rest, your concentration is affected and your performance suffers.

You might realize that rest and relaxation are good (even necessary), but you may be struggling to include them into your schedule. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

Use breaks. Contrary to what you might believe, you don’t have to take long breaks to rest your mind. Even a 5-minute break can be very helpful and give your mind the rest it needs. Use these small breaks to distract yourself from work and give your mind a chance to renew. You can do some light stretching, go for a walk, or just close your eyes.

Change your morning routine. One of the easiest ways to make time for rest and renewal is to make them a part of your morning routine. You can read something relaxing, do some light stretching, or find something you really enjoy doing.

Before bed. You can also spend ten or fifteen minutes before bed doing something relaxing. Take a bath. Read. Do some stretches. Pick an activity that you enjoy and that puts your mind in a quiet. Avoid reading or television. Both activities can activate your brain and prevent you from getting a restful sleep.

Make time for exercise. Exercise helps your mind relax and releases stress toxins. Exercise can also increase your ability to focus and concentrate, making it easier for you to make the most of your time.

Do something fun. You’ve probably heard that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It’s important to make time to do things you enjoy. It can be a hobby, or a walk in nature, or reading a good book. As long as you enjoy it, that’s all that matters.

Make time. Most people can’t find time for rest and relaxation because their schedule is already full. The answer is to MAKE time by scheduling 30 minutes for fun right into your calendar. Creating this type of ‘relaxation appointment’ is a good way to remind yourself to do it.

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How To Manage Your Time By Using Lists

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Making lists works in various ways. Writers use them for “top 10″ posts, people make lists for grocery shopping, and we all use them for chores lists.

What about business intentions? They can be mapped out using lists as well and on a weekly basis you can track your productivity metrics based on items you completed.

Time is precious and these days there are plenty of distractions jockeying for your priority. Your offline business needs online support or your online business requires growth but where do lists come in?

If you’re going to take the time to make a list of $120 worth of food to keep in your refrigerator then your business warrants similar attention. Prior to sitting down to work online, decide what you’re going to accomplish. It should take you five minutes to figure out what you NEED to do and then jot it down on paper.

A look at what making lists will help you accomplish:

Reduce casual surfing. Focus on high priorities. Boost discipline. Keep you accountable. …make sense to you now?

Take Action

Take out paper and pen and shut off your monitor. Number your sheet 1-through-3 and jot down the top 3 things you need to do to grow your business today. You will still encounter distractions at every turn but this time commit. Frame your mind to block out the distractions until you have all the items checked off your to do list. Realize that you can reward yourself with casual online surfing afterward. Just work your online business first and relax later. You can do it.

Best wishes to you in this technique. Practice it each and every day before you set out about your daily tasks. Then look back at what you’ve accomplished over a couple weeks’ time and compare it to the trailing month!

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Acquiring Good Time Management Skill For Success

Friday, December 31st, 2010

Learning good time management tactics is an essential part of experiencing success in any area of life. If you want to do well in an endeavor you must first know how to schedule and complete the necessary tasks. When setting and meeting your goals, maintaining close relationships or working to lower your stress levels, you will certainly have need of this skill.

There is a definite limit on the number of things that any individual can accomplish in a given day. Your goal then is not to inundate yourself with tasks and learn how to complete them all, but instead to learn how to prioritize the tasks that will bring the most vital results. When you are able to do this you can then being to eliminate areas of waste.

One example of how this is done is by streamlining the daily schedule. If an individual not only works but goes to school as well, the amount of minutes or hours that are spent spent in travel can be optimized by choosing to commute via the train rather than drive by car. The priority of this individual is education and a good work life. Minutes spent in traffic offers no real contribution towards either goal. Taking the train however enables the student extra time for study, or the worker extra minutes to network via technical devices or finish up a project using a laptop or PDA.

For most people however, the areas of mismanagement that should be eliminated are more entertainment oriented than travel related. It is often a good idea to take stock of how many minutes or hours are actually applying to activities that are purely of entertainment value. While these may often come in mere five to ten minute increments, they certainly serve to add up.

For example, it is typical for some people to check in to social networking sites several times per day. The amount of minutes spent in each visit may be minimal. Adding these minimal increments up over the course of the day however, may result in an hour or more of wasted time.

The most important of steps in learning time management tactics is discovering the true value of focus. Many individuals will commit their time to the right goal-oriented activities, but will not lend their focus. Discovering how to invest clear and undivided attention into those endeavors that will create the results that you are seeking will carry you on the swiftest route towards the measure of success that you desire.

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