Think of life like a road

There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

There are no shortcuts

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Hindsight has 20/20 vision

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

The secret here is to make a decision

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
· Get as many information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

Identify your options

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

Assess every option and trust yourself and make that decision

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.

Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

Time management is about getting results, not about being busy

Time management is basically about having clarity 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.

Time Management is not about a list of rules

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.

There is more to time management than meets the eye

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.

It all comes down to having balanced in your life

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.

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.

Planning is the key ingredient

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.

Its all in the basic steps

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 planner 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.

Personal time management is the key to 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.

What is intuition?

Ever wonder how animals know when a storm is coming? They sense that danger is present. You have that sense also and it is called intuition. Some people call it instinct.

Intuition is essentially instinct. It comes from past experiences. If you learned that a stove is hot as a child, then you will instinctively stay away from stoves when you notice they are hot. That is a simplified explanation that we all can relate to.

Another aspect of intuition is learned behavior

Here’s another simple explanation. Have you ever visited family or a friend on the land and found your senses are heighten as they point out the various aspects of farm life? Those lessons teach you to hear sounds and look for signs that you never knew existed before. It’s actually quite amazing.

With each new experience and learned behavior you acquire new skills. Every time you have choice in your life you don’t consciously run through everything that you know before you make a decision. However, what you do know, that information pertaining to the choice you are making gets processed unconsciously and generates a feeling of being right.

Intuition is seated in your feelings

Some say that they don’t use their intuition because it is based on feelings. Intuition may come across as a feeling but it is backed up by a lifetime of experience and learning. So, you really don’t just trust a feeling or a hunch you trust your experiences.

Always check in with your feelings. Your unconscious mind will always point you in the right direction. Your intuition can save your life in certain situations as well as enhance your life.

Goal setting is best when using your intuition

Use that same process to set your goals. When you identify a goal you want to achieve, use your instinct to decide how best to achieve it. Truly your intuition will show you the best way to proceed. When one path doesn’t pan out, your intuition will help you decide the next course of action.

One reason we don’t always achieve our goals is because we go with someone else’s intuition without checking in on our own thoughts and feelings first.

Intuition requires ongoing practice

Intuition has to be practiced just like anything else. The greatest challenge we have is recognizing that it is really intuition. Think about what goes through you mind if you have to walk down the street at night. You wouldn’t go into a dimly lit street without some trepidation. Why? You have learned that there is inherent danger in these places.

I couldn’t say it any clearer – Don’t be afraid to trust your intuition

Everyone is born with a ‘Life Purpose’

From birth you possess natural instincts and and express them naturally, and as you grow older you become conditioned in the way of the adults in your world. As a child, you don’t recognize the value of these instincts in your life at the time. But, as you grow older, you recognize that there is more to life than eating and sleeping. You reconnect with your natural instincts and your life purpose.

What is your life purpose?

As a child, you go to school and learn to prepare you for adult life. Learning the important literacy and numeracy skill sets necessary to live successfully throughout your adult life. This period of your life is seen as preparing you for the future. However, there is no subject in the curriculum called ‘Life Purpose.’

How do you identify your Life Purpose?

As you learn you grow from within which creates a certain yearning that there is more to life than what you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Thoughts begin to fill your heart and mind of a world beyond the four walls of your home and your school. Every sphere of influence in your life feeds into those yearnings: parental care, friends, church, school and life in general. It is as much about self-preservation as it is about the unseen influences in your life.

Each person develops a life purpose. Beyond what is expected of you in the early years, what you make of your life is up to you. All influences in your life (internal and external) feed into your ideals and slowly shape who you become. That’s your belief system.

You are taught right from wrong (values), however, there are other traits like intuition, logic, perseverance and bravery that are learned through experience. That experience comes through goals, failures and achievements.

As you slowy shape your life purpose, you will recognise that you are actually turning your inner yearnings in your life into tangible goals. Perhaps you want to help people in the medical sense. That desire can change into a goal to become a psychiatrist or a surgeon. It could even lead you to do mission work in a foreign country. The possibilities are endless.

Your goals are the key to your life purpose

The goals that you choose to pursue are in direct relationship to your life purpose. Goals can be shaped by good and bad experiences in life. An abuse victim may set a goal to help other abuse victims by starting a program for recovery or sponsoring a child in a third world country. Positive experiences in your life can lead you to being whoever you desire to be. The sky is the limit.

Asking questions are the answer

If you are looking to take your life in a new direction, listen to your inner voice and consider your life’s purpose. What experiences and knowledge has shaped your life to date? What do you believe in strongly?

Use the answers to these questions to begin a life of your dreams so that you not only enhance your life but the life of others also.

Dont die with the music still inside you – Live your Life Purpose and make a difference in the world……

People have the misconception that only a select few are able to unleash a steady flow of creative genius. That is not true at all. The fact is, creativity is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to consistently deliver outstanding results in your life.

Practice is your key
Regular practice harnessing your creative thinking and your skill will develop in no time at all; and you will have mastered this important life skill.

How do you unleash your creative thinking I hear you ask? Well, the first thing is to become a human sponge and take in as much knowledge and learning you can uncover. Read everything available to you; and keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities of the universe. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know, and the more you will become aware of your potential. You will be amazed at the information that will come your way for you to take action on and use. This will, in a very short period of time add colour and richness into your life.

Focus on being creative each and every day
Focus on a creative activity everyday (even doodling is a creative activity), don’t let anything hinder you. Mindlessness may be a creative activity, but for people who are just starting out to unleash a little bit of creative thinking in their lives, it is helpful and encouraging to have concrete evidence, that what you are doing is achieving tangible results. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day, even take your camera out of its case and snap away. Its all develping your creativity gene.

Using your trusty journal
Keep a journal and make a point to write in it every day. Write by describing something with your five senses. Try to avoid vague adjectives like “marvelous,” “amazing,” and “delicious.” Before you know it, you’ll have built yourself a small portfolio, and you’ll be amazed at how you have advanced over the a short period of time. I can almost guarantee that you will like the new you. Pretty soon your new activities will become a part of you and you’ll be addicted to these creative exercises.

Discipline yourself
Sometimes, constraints are actually a good thing. Limitations discipline you to work within your means. It enables you to be more resourceful. Creative freedom is great, but the limitations of the real world enforce discipline.

Take a risk at something new
Try something new everyday and let your experiences broaden your perspective. Explore a new district in your neighbour hood. Spend an afternoon in a museum which you’ve never been before. Chat up someone on the bus. Open up to the people around you. As you take yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your zest for life. Think about it. When was the last time you did something for the first time? If it’s been a while, I tell you, you’ve been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could’ve added to your growth, emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Why don’t you try something new today? Not only will you learn, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to practice your storytelling skills and making you an interesting person to be around.

If you follow these steps pretty soon you’ll be living a life full of interesting adventures. Unleashing your creative self will bring about a new zest for living life.

Self Improvement and Your Success

Everything that happens to us happens for a purpose. And sometimes, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past troubles, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and your success in life.

A point in case is the movie Patch Adams – Its one great film on way you can improve yourself.

Hunter “patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts – he decided to seek for medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward. His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of sick people. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded, a schizophrenic and so on.

Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realized he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still wanted to become a doctor. He carried with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and personal success. He didn’t only improved himself, but also the life of the people around him and the quality of life.

Did he succeed? Yes he did.

When does self improvement become synonymous with success?

When you take action on the following tips:

• Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept YOU?
• When you see hunks and models on TV, think more on self improvement, not self pitying. Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.
• When people feel so down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.
• The world is a large place for lessons, not mistakes. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed at some point in your life. There’s always a next time. Make room for self improvement in your life.
• Take things slowly. Don’t expect change over night. Self improvement is a one day at a time process.
• Self improvement comes from your inner stability, personality development and dig this …. SUCCESS. It comes from self confidence, and self esteem.
• Set meaningful and achievable goals. Self improvement is being who you are – not someone else. It is simply being an improved and better YOU.
• Little things mean BIG to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.

Be mindful of others and their path in life

When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else has to do the same.

The world is a place where people with different values and attitudes to life do different things to you – and that is OK. Don’t expect your best friend to always like to do the same things as you at the same time. They have their own life to lead and experience.

There are no over night success stories.

We should always remember that there’s no such thing as an ‘over night success’. Its always a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have now, realizing that those are just one of the things you once wished for.

A very meaningful quote says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” We are all here to learn our lessons from life. Our teachers are our parents, siblings, school teachers, friends, colleagues,  neighbours, strangers and our own children.

When we open our door for self improvement, we increase our chances of achieving success.

Self Improvement is really the only way to your future success.

The Road To Becoming an Ideal Leader

At work, do you get frustrated because things don’t seem to be happening the way they were planned to turn out? Do you see people milling around with no clear direction therefore nothing seems to be finished on time? And in the daily hustle and bustle, do you feel that your goals remain just that – goals. Then maybe its time for you to stand up and do something about it.

Most people are content just to stand around listening for orders. And it isn’t unusual to adopt a follow-the-leader mentality. But maybe, somewhere inside of you, you feel the desire to make things happen – to be in the lead. Then maybe leadership is your true purpose in life.

Leaders are made – not born.

Some people believe that great leaders are made, not born. Yes, it may be true that some people are born with natural talents. However, without practice, without drive, without enthusiasm, and without experience, there can be no true development in leadership.

You must remember that good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their natural skills. This takes a commitment on their part to constantly improve in whatever endeavor they may choose.

First off, let us define leadership. To be a leader, one must be able to influence others to accomplish a goal, or an objective. That contributes to the organization and cohesion of a group.

Leadership is earnt over time

Contrary to what most people believe, leadership is not about power. It is not about harassing people or driving them using fear. It is about encouraging others towards the goals of the organization. It is putting everyone on the same page and helping them see the bigger picture of the organization. A leader is never boss.

People follow good leaders.

What do I mean by that statement? People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose. People will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going. Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, don’t follow me, I’m lost too? The same holds true for leadership. If you not know where you’re headed to, chances are people will not follow you at all.

First you must know the vision, the mission, goals and strategies of the organization. Having a clear sense of hierarchy, knowing who the key people are, who to talk to, and how the organization works is the only true way to show others that you know what you are doing.

Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It’s about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what you’re staff must be.

Studies have shown that the corner stones of good leadership is the trust and confidence your staff have of you. If they trust you they will bring the job in on time and on budget for you and for the organization every time. This the pay-off the win-win situation all round.

Trust and confidence is built on good relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics.

The way you deal with your people, and the relationships you build will lay the foundation for the strength of your group. The stronger your relationship, the stronger their trust and confidence is in your capabilities.

Once you have their trust and confidence, you may then proceed to communicate the goals and objectives you are planning to undertake.

Communication is the key ingredient

Communication is a very important key to good leadership. Without this you can not be a good leader. The wisdom and insight along with your knowledge and technical expertise must be clearly imparted to other people to have every one of your staff singing from the same song sheet.

You are a good leader when you can demonstrate you have good judgment. You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and actively seek out a solution quickly.

It is this judgment that your subordinates will come to rely upon. Therefore, good decision-making is vital to the success of your team and organizational goals.

Leaders are not do-it-all heroes. You should not claim to know everything, and you should not rely upon your knowledge and skills alone. Ask questions of your team members to help you recognize and take advantage of the skills and talents your staff have. When you become proficient at this skill you will see your team begin to work as one cohesive unit.

Remember being a leader takes a good deal of work and time. It is not learned overnight. Remember, also, that it is not just about you. It is about you and the people you serve.

So…. do you have the drive,desire and determination to be an outstanding leader? Do you have what it takes to work cooperatively with other people? You do! Then start today to be the leader you aspire to be.