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Communication - How to Listen With Curiosity

2008-10-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

By Melinda Elliott

I'll be honest - until a few years ago I thought I was right most of the time. And not just about my life, but about what was best for others. I was humbled when I finally I stepped back and really listened to other people's ideas - I realized that while my conclusions and solutions might be right for me, they often weren't right for them.

In my first coaching class we were taught to "stay in curiosity"; to simply ask questions without drawing conclusions or trying to guide others to "see it our way". This was a rude awakening for many of the students in the class - we'd come to coaching because we felt we had wisdom to share. What I learned was that people's thoughts, perceptions and conclusions often had no resemblance to my own, and what I thought was right for them was often flat out wrong.

Staying in curiosity isn't just for coaches. Staying in curiosity will help you be a better partner, parent, boss, co-worker or team member. Learning to stay open with others is powerful for both you and them - you have the benefit of learning about others, and they have the treat of being really listened to with respect and openness.

Try these 5 tips for staying in curiosity:
1. Don't assume that you know what the other person is thinking or feeling.
It's true that when you've known someone a long time you might have a good idea about what's going on with them. But what's key here is that you might not. You might have been making incorrect assumptions about them for years! And we all change, what was true about someone yesterday might not be true today.

2. Listen
So often when someone is talking to us we are mentally crafting our replies, evaluating what they are saying, or, sometimes, we might even be off composing our grocery list.

To really listen:

Keep your mind clear of opinions, answers and conclusions. Seek to discover what information the speaker is providing.

Stay neutral, don't shift your focus to your emotional response or start trying to figure out solutions.

Let the other person finish, don't interrupt or jump in with your thoughts.

3. Don't provide solutions or give advice
Ouch! We all love to provide our insights to others, especially when we think we can help. And we may even be right some of the time! However, the fact is that all of us are much more inspired by solutions we design ourselves than those provided by others. There's a great deal of value to be gained by going through the process of figuring out what to do; we learn more about ourselves, the situation we are in, and how to succeed when we seek our own solutions.

4. Avoid soothing
It can be uncomfortable to listen to other's hurts and problems; we want to make their sorrow go away. Sometimes we try to sooth others with statements like "Everything will be ok." Or we inadvertently invalidate other's feelings with comments like "I know you're sad your best friend moved away, but you'll find other friends." As hard as it is, it's a wonderful gift to someone to just be there for them when they're in pain, and listen to them work though it without trying to fix things or make the hurt go away.

5. Stay curious
As people talk to you, get curious about what they are experiencing. The best curious questions are short and simple and are directed at the speaker's current experience and feelings. Some examples of curious questions - "How do you feel about what she said?", "What's the most stressful aspect of this situation?" or "What's your biggest concern?" Notice that none of the questions attempt to lead the speaker to a solution, they just allow space for them to process their experience.

Staying open when listening to others isn't easy. I still find myself dishing out unasked for advice, or cutting people off when I think I know what they are going to say. But really being curious is a lovely gift to give to others, and you'll be surprised what you can learn when you aren't stuck in your own preconceptions.

Test your knowledge of curious questions below. Identify whether each question or comment is:
A) Disguised advice B) Curious C) Soothing
1. Are you sure you don't want to do it this way?
2. I know it was bad, but it will be better tomorrow!
3. How did you react when he said that to you?
4. Oh don't say that - you know it isn't true!
5. What is important about this?
6. Do you think you should tell your manager?

Answers: 1 A, 2 C, 3 B, 4 C, 5 B, 6 A

© Melinda Elliott 2008
Melinda Elliott is a certified Life Coach who works with people to achieve the life they want. Through coaching, Melinda can help you leverage your strengths, smash your roadblocks, and create the life you're dreaming of. For more information or to request a free Sample Session, visit http://www.melindaelliottcoaching.com
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Effective Communication - A Two Way Street

2008-10-31T05:22:00.001-07:00

By Michael Jeffreys

Effective communication involves several different aspects. Although verbal communication is the most common way that people correspond, there are many other specific characteristics involved in the interaction. Let's take listening, for instance. If someone is talking to another person, but the other person is distracted and isn't really 'hearing' what the speaker is saying, then communication is ineffective. Many people think that listening is simple, but it actually takes skill and practice in order to perfect it. No one is a born listener. A listener has to search for specific clues from a speaker. Verbal communication is often accentuated by body language, eye contact and paraphrasing and good listeners have to recognize when a speaker is using these characteristics to get their point across.

Sometimes body language says a lot more than words do when it comes to verbal communication. A person may claim to be listening to what someone is saying to them, but if the listener is bored or distracted while the other person is talking to them, then it will be quite obvious. The listener may appear to stare into space, not comment at appropriate times or may not even comment at all. However, being a good listener does not always involve commenting on what the speaker is saying. Sometimes it's not necessary for an individual to utter a single word in order to be considered an avid listener. In certain situations during verbal communication, the person speaking may be satisfied with the eye contact, head shakes, murmurs or the facial expressions of the listener. Body language is an essential part of communication and often determines the effectiveness of the verbal interaction.

Another extremely important aspect of verbal communication is eye contact. Eye contact is the perfect way to get someone's attention without using verbal communication. It's subtle yet effective. It doesn't matter if the people involved in the conversation are complete strangers, if the communication is to be effective; eye contact is a necessary part of the conversation. Without eye contact, two people can't connect on an emotional level, which makes the interaction useless. For example, how would a psychiatric patient feel if the psychiatrist never looked at them?

Paraphrasing is also essential during verbal communication. Paraphrasing is repeating what a person has just stated, although using a summarized version. The use of paraphrasing allows the speaker to accentuate specific and highly important portions of a conversation. It is often used to clarify direction or confirm agreement among all of the parties communicating. Paraphrasing is very useful to a listener, as well, because it allows the listener to key into specifically what the speaker believes are the most important portions of the topic they are discussing.

Communicating one's feelings is as much a learned skill as being a good listener. Some people have a difficult time properly expressing their feelings, which could adversely affect the verbal communication process by creating miscommunication and misunderstanding. No one is a mind reader. If a person only offers a listener partial information then there will undoubtedly be trouble at the end of the communication road.

There are two critical aspects to effective communication; properly expressing one's feeling to avoid misunderstandings and effective listening. If either of these keys to successful communication is missing, then the interaction won't go smoothly and there will be problems. Make sure that you are both a good listener and a good communicator.

Michael Jeffreys is the president of Seminars on DVD, a premiere provider of video based training for businesses and individuals, featuring renowned experts and speakers. Learn more at: http://www.SeminarsOnDVD.com
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Why Argue? Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

2008-10-31T05:20:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Jackie Black

A minor disagreement can get out of hand very quickly or a simple conversation can suddenly turn into a shouting match.

Why?
Because your fear of being abandoned, or disappointing your partner makes itself the primary consideration in the conversation.

Hearing another person's opinion or point of view can trigger the feeling of being invalidated, and for many people, it's a signal that ridicule, criticism or judgment is on the way!

Good communication is telling your truth about YOU to others and being congruent -- within yourself.
Being congruent is a process in which you value yourself; you take ownership of your thoughts and feelings, and your resources and choices; honor and express your deepest knowing about yourself and be sure that what you say and how you say it match what you are feeling.
vThere are three major reasons that men and women don't communicate effectively.

First and foremost, most people do not identify their feelings accurately.

Secondly, it is very difficult for most people to find the right words to express how they feel.

Lastly, if they do know how they feel and if they have a few words to accurately express how they feel, most lack the courage to let anybody know.

Does this sound like you or others you know? Identifying your feelings, finding the right words to express your feelings and mustering the courage to actually express your feelings to another person really isn't so complicated.

Don't avoid saying what is in your heart or on your mind to say.
Don't hide your worries because you don't want your partner to know that you are not in control.

Don't hide your hopes and dreams because you are afraid no one will share your excitement.

When you stay emotionally intelligent and emotionally available the lines of communication stay open. Create a safe and supportive place to tell each other the truth mindfully, responsibly and respectfully and always remember that the foundation of your relationship is built on good will and good intention.

Remember, only You can make it happen!

Copyright Dr. Jackie Black 2008
This article may be re-published with appropriate attribution to the author including name, web site, and email address.
If you like this article and would like to take advantage of more sage relationship advice, please click on the author link above where you can read Dr. Jackie's Extended Author Bio.
Dr. Jackie is the author of Meeting Your Match (http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~39827.aspx) - Cracking the Code to Successful Relationships written to support men and women who are committed to learning and practicing essential relationship success skills.
Dr. Jackie Black:http://www.drjackieblack.com/
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Virtual-Team Management

2008-10-31T05:16:00.000-07:00

By Richard Mclaughlin

Workplace Communication
As the example above should show, you have to contact every member of your team regularly. How often is regular? Often enough that they feel comfortable with you. Communication can be email, telephone, a face-to-face visit, or a text message on a cell phone. It can also be a hand written message delivered through office mail. I used to ask people in my company that were going to the country where my team members were to deliver something. Anything. A baseball cap with the company logo and something written in French, accompanied by a signed note.

Invent opportunities to get your team together.
This works best when it is the entire team, but if you can only do parts, make sure that the people that don't attend the first meeting do get to attend the second. I had 3 of a 5 person team traveling one seek and they were all passing through Munich. One of my team members worked in Munich. I sent the 4th person, from the UK, to Munich and had everyone stay for a one-day meeting that I could not attend. I was there by phone and videoconference, but was not able to be there in person. The team found this to be one of the most productive meetings, I suppose because they could easily mute me and talk "behind my back" before coming up with a collective answer. This also did wonders for the team building trust in each other.

At any meeting, encourage team members to share difficulties and successes. I always brought up that I am and American in France, I have language issues like they do. I told of operations that I had. I have physical problems like some did. Try very hard to make sure your team knows that you are not a faultless person, part of the trust that you gain will come from honest and open communication.

Keep everyone up to date and aware of what is expected of him or her. Don't let any of them feel they are 'remote'. An essential element of your communication plan is...

Regular conference calls
I hate conference calls. But they are important for the team. If you have a team spread across countries, keep up to date on the working hours and holidays in the different countries. In France, calling a meeting after 7 in the evening is bad. In Holland, calling a meeting after 5 is considered bad.

National holidays differ. Use Microsoft Outlook, they have a feature that lets you choose to list different country and religious holidays. Take extra care when dealing with religious holidays.

Learn when your team has their weekend. There are some countries that don't have the Saturday and Sunday weekend. I was part of a team that called a meeting every Friday afternoon. Certain people on that call (who attended every call) were on their weekend. When I was asked to host the call for a month I set it for Sunday afternoon. There were a lot of people that didn't want to attend the weekend call, but after that odd month we never had a Friday call again.

Publish a schedule of calls, make them at the same time and day so that your team can build a schedule around them. Conference calls need to be run like any other meetings but with stronger control. Have an agenda and stick to it. Don't let the conversation drift, be careful about people that are native language speakers and tend to talk a lot. Repeat in appropriate terms any comment that may be confusing to people who don't speak the main language of the call.

Use video conferencing when you can. There are new products that focus on the speaker; very useful. At the beginning and end of a video call make sure to go around the virtual table and ask everyone to speak. This gives everyone at least 2 chances to speak up.

Cultural Differences
Be very aware of cultural differences. Some cultures don't say no, or find it hard to say no. Different cultures have different expectations of the managers. Even when you have a common language, some things are understood differently in different parts of the world.

Conclusion
Building trust is the most important aspect of managing a virtual or remote team. Cultural differences will possibly bring up the greatest trust issues and you really have to work on these.

Make sure that you have developed a sense of rapport with each member of your team before a group meeting, if possible. I have twice been made manager of groups, and no one except me was aware of the change until we were in a group meeting. If this happens, make sure you are as short and to the point as you can be, and use that first meeting to schedule time with each person on your team before the meeting has ended.

Visit Richard McLaughlin (http://richardmclaughlin.biz/)
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

2008-10-31T05:07:00.000-07:00

Congress authorized the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be constructed in the Constitution Gardens of Washington, D.C., on July 1, 1980.

That fall a contest, open to United States citizens over eighteen, was announced to find a design for the memorial. A jury of eight anonymous artists voted on the 1,421 entries submitted. The winner was, then twenty-one year old college student, Maya Ying Lin of Ohio.

Ground was formally broken on March 26, 1982, with the life-sized sculpture of the servicemen, designed by Frederick Hart, being installed in the fall of 1984. Once it had been completed, President Ronald Regan formally accepted the memorial on behalf of the nation on November 11, 1984.

In 1979, when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Inc. decided to petition for a memorial, they set out four criteria: the monument had to be reflective and contemplative, it had to blend with its surrounding, it had to contain the names of all those who died or were missing, and finally it could make no political statement about the war.

The design Maya Ying Lin came up with did all those things. On the polished black granite of the monument are the 58,209 names of those who died during the war, listed in order from the first casualty to the last. Included in this number are the names of the 1,150 people who were not confirmed dead and were listed as missing and unaccounted for at the end of the war.

Those confirmed dead have a diamond placed by their name on the wall. Those who were reported missing bear a cross next to their name. If they return alive, a circle is placed around the cross to symbolize life. If their remains are returned or their death is confirmed, a diamond is placed around the cross.

Visitors leave thousands of mementos and flowers at the memorial each year as a remembrance to those who are gone or missing. Every night members of the National Park Service collect the mementos left and deliver them to the Smithsonian Museum who displays them on a rotating basis in the National History Museum.

Did you know?

Every Sunday morning the monument is cleaned by a different group of veterans.

The letters are 0.53 inches high, and were grit blasted in 0.038 inches.

The walls, bearing the names, are 246.75 feet long.

The granite used in the monument came from Bangalore, India, and was cut and fabricated in Barre, Vermont.

The Simple Life - How to Live It

2008-09-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

By Justin Lukasavige

Often times I meet with people who claim they are too busy to maintain their finances, search for a better career or even clean their own home. While I agree that paying a cleaning service $60 per month is a great idea if you could better use that time with family or make more money during that hour, you really do need to carve out the time to take charge of your life.

Take balancing your checkbook for example. In its simplest form, balancing a checkbook consumes minutes each day. If you use Quicken or Money it may take even less. The problem usually lies in the amount of time required to initially set up any system. So how do you find the time?

That just happens to be an easy answer; you don't find the time. You cannot make the time either. We all have the exact same 168 hours available each week. Making more time is impossible. The answer to this question lies in prioritizing.

Is it more important to watch a movie or TV when you come home from work, or to take a walk with your family or even develop your household budget for the first time? What about getting out of the rut you have been in for the past seven years and find a career you are passionate about? It all comes down to prioritizing.

Make a list of everything you want to do during your week. Make sure to include not only work on your finances, resume, job searches, cleaning, working, eating and driving, but also family time, exercise and personal development.

At the top of the list put the most important thing in your life and begin to work backwards. No time left at the end of the day for TV? You either have to reprioritize and put TV higher (hopefully not at the cost of something more important) or you don't get to watch TV.

It has literally been months since I have seen even thirty seconds worth of TV. I cannot tell you what is happening on the latest reality TV show, but I can tell you that I am passionate about what I do for a living. I also know exactly where every dollar of my family's income goes. Set your priorities straight and the rest will follow.

Justin Lukasavige is a Life Coach, and owner of Lukas Coaching. You can view more free articles, download free books, and become a member of the Reader's Group at no cost by visiting http://www.lukascoaching.com Career & Life Coaching

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Top Tips For Living a Happy Life

2008-09-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

By Paul Mcindoe

We all want to be happy in life but the daily grind, everyday worries and even the weather can get you down and cause you to lose track of what it's all about. However there are many things you can do to brighten up your days.

Here are some tips on how to make the most out of life.

Make more time for your friends and family:
Spending time with the people you care about can make you feel great and help you put things into perspective. Reminiscing about great times in the past or discussing future plans can really give you a boost.

Seize the Day:
The general feeling in the UK is that we work too hard and don't spend enough time doing other things. If you've always wanted to do a particular thing like write a novel or join your local theatre company then now is the time.

Look After Your Health:
Eat well, exercise and take care of your mind and body. There's nothing wrong with letting your hair down every once in a while and you'll enjoy these times even more if they are the exception rather than the rule.

Don't Get Stuck in a Rut:
It's easy to get bogged down and caught in a cycle of working, watching TV and sleeping, for example, but you don't have to settle for anything you don't want to.

Travel:
Seeing new places, experiencing new things and meeting new people can really help to broaden your horizons and give you a new happier perspective on life.

Set Yourself Goals:
No matter how difficult or unachievable you think they are, setting yourself targets in life and reaching them can give you an enormous confidence boost and also improve your overall happiness.

Think About Others:
Donating money to those less fortunate than you or spending time with them can be an incredibly positive experience that helps you really appreciate everything you have in your own life.

Concentrate on the Present:
It may sound corny but living for today is one of the best ways to reduce worry and anxiety from your life and can make you happier as a result. Worrying about what may happen is wasted energy as none of us can predict the future.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone:
Every once in a while you might want to do something that would normally terrify you. Why? This can build up your self confidence and prove to yourself that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.

Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself:
Everyone makes mistakes; some more frequently than others. But punishing yourself for being human is not the way to go. View every mistake as a learning experience and look forward with a positive attitude.

Peace of mind can be just as important as happiness for many people and having savings in the bank or arranging a home insurance quote to ensure you're protected against unexpected events can give you less to worry about.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Mcindoe

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Friday Night in a Box

2008-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

By Steven Milbrandt

More Time is a paradox. Time is a constant. You cannot make more of it because it just is. Substituting what you do with your time is possible and advised because children grow and priorities change. One significant distinction is to prioritize time spend as a family. How this can be accomplished because of the "busy" schedules of modern life is often the question. The answer is not complicated, but will require lifestyle shifts and a person must be committed to make these changes and stick to them.

The fix it now mentality, a sort of "family night in a box" approach - just add water, let stand for thirty minutes, stir and serve (to borrow a cooking metaphor) is perhaps too simplistic, but as with cooking, if you make the right changes and follow a prescribed series of steps, you will see the desired results. More time with family and better, more quality time will be the results. "Family night in a box" is the possible and you can find time where you thought none existed.

First, family time can be built around one specific event among family members. For example, surfing has been used as a means to bring board enthusiasts together. It is through surfing that, because surfing is a male dominated sport, all involved have found a way to do something positive while spending time with their dads in particular. Many surfers say their fathers have either introduced them to the sport or have been a huge influence by being heavily involved. The first point here underscores a fundamental truth about time spent together as a family. It must be a specific time that you set aside to spend with your spouse and children. Regular Family Time helps us to remember that we are part of a special family unit; that we are loyal to each other, that we love and support each other; and that we want to celebrate each others birthdays and special events together.

However, it must also be remembered that everyone is an individual and we all have our own ways of doing things, goals and aspirations. Not only that but everyone you meet in your life you give a gift to. You either leave them wanting to be more like you or you show them a person they never want to be. Therefore treat everyone as the individual they are and respect these differences while endeavouring to develop and maintain a cohesive family time that is meaningful to all involved.

To better understand the apparent lack of family time today, it is important to consider some underlying reasons for this. Social, economic and technological change has altered the way in which families spend time together. Important changes include increases in maternal employment, part-time employment and the number of people living alone. The changes during this period have lead to a number of modifications of the traditional structure and nature of marriage. Marriage is still regarded as an important institution in certain parts of the world such as Vietnamese society. There, despite the influences of westernisation and western ideas few couples in Vietnam cohabitant before marriage. There are arguments on both sides of that debate, and that is beyond the scope of this article. It is merely pointed out that certain cultures have not yet adopted the free spirit attitudes typical of Europe and, to a lesser degree, North America. It is this have now, do quickly, and pack every possible thing into each hour and minute that has lead people to feel extreme stress and anxiety.

The speed at which most of the world progresses is at best troublesome and at worst alarming. Some have called this diminishing social capital. Social capital can be understood quite simply as networks of social relations characterized by norms of trust and reciprocity. The essence of social capital is quality social relations. So the question by extension than is how to build more social capital into our relationships with those closest to us - in short, the family unit?

Fortunately, this downward societal trend can be reversed, but it takes understanding and effort. "Family night in a box" as I have been calling it, begins with recognition that such a time is needed and entirely essential to both preserve and maintain the family structure in whatever form it takes. Family today does not necessarily mean a mother, father, 2.2 children and a pet. It might mean single mothers with five children struggling to make the bi-weekly cheque stretch far enough so as many possible needs are met. It might be a widower with two young boys or perhaps two people living together outside of marriage that are helping and leaning from each other along the way.

Family time must be nurtured regardless of what the family unit may look like. Here are some important things to consider with respect to how this can be accomplished. The ideas below, it should be pointed out, are not listed in order of importance. They are offered as a general guide. Take from these ideas what works for you and leave the rest. If you do some of these things you will at least be on your way to the "family night in a box" solution that was spoken about earlier. Here are some suggestions for developing a family time where perhaps none exists, or strengthening one that does. Some ideas are:

1. Set aside time each week. If you can, make it the same time from week to week. Children benefit from routine and will anticipate the time

2. Talk with your kids about limiting their activities outside activities to a predefined and reasonable number. By doing this they chose the one or two things they enjoy most, still maintain their independence and autonomy and can also divide time for family activities.

3. As a parent, put limits on your own activities so that you will have more of your own time to devote to your family.

4. Build a snowman. Winter activities are a great way to create a family together time. Memories that last a lifetime are made up of such spur of the moment fun times.

5. Protect your Family Time by eliminating any distractions like the phone, TV, radio, video games, or the computer.

6. Have a candlelight dinner every once in a while as a family. Such an atmosphere is not only calming, but can lead to great discussions and is a different experience from the usual dinner.

7. Make brunch for your bunch every Sunday. Set aide a day to break the regular routine and do things a little different.

8. Find a "Reading Tree" and claim it as your own to sit under with your children to read.

9. Friday night being the end of the workweek is one of the best times to focus on family. Have a games not or a family fun night of some type. Grab some fast food or make a quick healthy snack with vegetables and salad or perhaps crackers, cheese and soup and spend Friday night together.

10. Sledding. What could be more fun than zipping down the hill on a sled? Young kids may need an adult to go with them, but older ones just need a ride to the nearest park. This is another winter activity that you can do together as a family.

If you start to practice some or all of the above activities, "family night in a box", the quick and simple family time will become you reality. You can do it if you paradoxically "make the time". Make changes to your schedule and alter your plans. Soon what was a deliberate choice on your part will become a habit and you will never look back. Family time is essential. Make it a priority. Start today.

For more information, please visit the Marketplace section of http://www.learnherenow.com You will find additional articles on this website. Please check out our sister site at http://www.stevenmilbrandt.com Thank you. It is hoped you find this article both helpful and informative.

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How's Your Inner Game?

2008-09-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

By Lorraine Hamilton

Although by the time you are reading this it may all be over for him, I have just watched Andy Murray complete an extraordinary comeback in his 4th round match at Wimbledon against Richard Gasquet. Two sets and a service break down in the third it looked all but over for Murray, yet he dug deep and came back to win the match. Not only did it provide me with some of the most exciting tennis I have seen in many years, but also I was utterly transfixed watching the 'Inner Game' of the two men. This was in many ways much more a psychological battle than a physical one.

And it got me thinking again!

How much attention do we pay to our own Inner Game of Business? We have within us the power to become our business' greatest asset, or its downfall and it can be a simple case of how we talk to ourselves.

Our minds are incredibly powerful and ultimately obedient and once you understand how to feed and nurture them, great things grow. Wasn't it Henry Ford who famously said, 'Whether you believe you can or cannot, you are right.'

Your beliefs dictate your behaviour or action, and your behaviour or action dictates your success. Therefore what you believe about yourself and your business are directly related to your success.

So here are 5 ideas I want to share with you to Boost Your Inner Game:
Believe You Can, And You Will
You have a choice, you can either get your mind to work for you or against you. If you spend your time telling yourself why you won't succeed you will feed your negative inner voice or the 'devil on your shoulder'. Your negative inner voice is completely obedient and will agree with you wholeheartedly whilst bringing forward more evidence from your memory of reasons that you will not succeed. However, your positive inner voice or the 'angel' is equally as obedient and will generate the evidence to support your positive statements.

Give it a try! Tell yourself today is a rotten day - how does your negative inner voice react? Does it provide you with reasons that today will be rotten? It's too hot/cold? Sales are going to be down? Working for yourself is an uphill struggle?

Now tell yourself this is a great day - watch how your angel springs into action to support your new decision with examples of why today is great and filled with opportunity.

Excuses Are Not An Option
Most of suffer, at one time or another, with 'excusitis'. We can make excuses about our lack of success about pretty much anything - intelligence, health, upbringing, luck, age. The truth is that excusitis is, as coined by David J. Schwartz, the 'failure disease'. Challenge your excuses by taking a step back and looking to see if your excuse really is an obstacle that cannot be overcome in some way.

Feel The Fear, And Do It Anyway
Following on from the last point, our excuses are often developed to protect us from something that we fear. Fear is an opportunity to learn something new and is almost always cured by - ACTION. The thought of the fear is generally a lot more frightening than the actual fear itself and acting on it will reduce the fear. Continuing to act on it will remove it completely.

Think BIG
Set yourself big goals and stay focused on them, don't get bogged down in the petty details. Use positive language at every opportunity, to yourself, to your colleagues, your friends, customers, suppliers. Remember you are better than you think you are. Concentrate on your assets and victories. Practice 'Big Picture Thinking', stretch your vision as far as you can. It is possible. Remember to ask yourself, 'What's more important, X or Y?' whenever you need to get a clear perspective on something.

Snatch Victory From The Jaws Of Defeat
How do you do it? Persistence. Tenacity. Never giving up. The difference between those who fall and those who keep getting up is their attitude to 'failure'. Those who keep getting up recognise that they are in a learning process and take everything they can from every experience to learn and propel them forwards. Those who do not get up again believe they have failed.

Think about this. Have you succeeded in your ultimate goal yet? If not, then you are still learning how to achieve it. If you haven't done it before, how are you going to get there unless you learn how? What if we lacked such persistence as babies? We would never walk.

Ask anyone who you deem to be a success and ask them if it has been plain-sailing. Most successful people have overcome many obstacles to get to where they are and it is their attitude towards these obstacles that makes them stronger each time.

Andy Murray certainly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat yesterday.

Going back to Andy Murray's defeat of Richard Gasquet, he could easily have 'settled' for going out in straight sets, that was certainly on the cards, however he chose to believe that he could do it and overcame every obstacle that his opponent put in his way to win. Some of the shots that both men returned would have been deemed impossible in normal circumstances, but with the mental attitude and self-belief that they were exhibiting, the impossible was possible.

And it can be for you too.

Lorraine Hamilton is a Client Attraction Coach and knows first-hand how to build a successful, thriving company.

After years as a successful project engineer, Lorraine works exclusively with small business owners who want proven strategies to double or triple their revenue, remove unnecessary costs and not lose their mind while they grow their businesses.

Please contact her at lorraine@servicebusinessboost.com or visithttp://www.servicebusinessboost.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lorraine_Hamilton

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Emoticons and E-mail Shorthand

2008-09-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Emoticons and E-mail Shorthand Smileys are tiny pictures made from ordinary ASCII characters that are meant to be looked at with the head tilted to the left.

Smileys came about when e-mail correspondents felt the need to convey emotional content such as sarcasm, laughter and other feelings as part of their messages.

Without smileys, simple statements could easily be misinterpreted:
You're an idiot! :-)

Sometime during 1981, Scott Fahlman, who is now a Principle Research Scientist in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, devised a scheme for encoding and conveying one's feelings as small text "glyphs" to overcome this frustration.

Scott was the first to use smileys in electronic mail and in posts to BBS message boards and Internet newsgroups, as well as in personal e-mail.

The Emoticons
:-) – Humor
:-) (-: – Masking theatrical comments
:-T – Keeping a straight face (tight-lipped)
:-D – Said with a smile
:-> – Alternate happy face
:-) :-) :-) – Loud guffaw
:*) – Clowning around
:-? – Licking lips
%-} – Silly
:/) – Not funny
:-" – Pursing lips
:-r – Bleahhh (sticking tongue out)
:-f – Smirks
:-p – Smirks
:-1 – Smirks
:-, – Smirks
:-| – Disgusted
:-J – Tongue-in-cheek comments
:-! – Foot in mouth
:-$ – Put your money where your mouth is
:-D – Talks too much
:-I – Chewing on bone
%&$%& – You know what that means...
:-P – Shouting
:-y – Shouting
:-o – Shouting
:-( – Unhappy
:-c – Real unhappy
(:-& – Anger
(:^( – Broken nose
(:<) – Blabber mouth
?-( – Black eye
%-) – Broken glasses
:-b – Tongue stuck out
:-p – Left-handed tongue stuck out
> –-> –-(@ – A rose
||*( – Handshake offered
||*) – Handshake accepted
:-x – Kiss kiss
o= – A burning candle to start a flame
~= – Flaming message
-= – A doused candle to end a flame
|-<> – Kissy face
[] – Hug
(-_-) – Secret smile
'-) – Wink
;-) – Say no more; nudge, nudge
:-* – Oops! (Covering mouth with hand)
:-# – Censored
:-8 – Talking out both sides of your mouth
>:> – Leer
:-X – Not saying a word
(:-... – Heart-breaking message...
:-o – "Oh, noooooo!" (a la Mr. Bill)
#:-o – Same as previous
... –-... – S.O.S.
:-< – Forlorn
|-( – Late night messages
(:-$ – Ill
(:-( – Sad
%- – Hung over
:~/ – All mixed up
#-) – Another all-night partier
:-'| – With a cold
%+{ – Loser in a fight
( ) – You're kidding!
<:-O – Eeek!
:-C – Unbelieving (jaw dropped)
:-(*) – About to vomit

E-mail Shorthand2U2 – To You, Too AAMOF – As A Matter Of Fact
AFAIK – As Far As I Know
AFAIC – As Far As I'm Concerned
AFAICT – As Far As I Can Tell
AFK – Away From Keyboard
ASAP – As Soon As Possible
BAK – Back At Keyboard
BBL – Be Back Later
BITMT – But In The Meantime
BOT – Back On Topic
BRB – Be Right Back
BTW – By the way
C4N – Ciao For Now
CRS – Can't Remember "Stuff"
CU – See You
CUL(8R) – See You Later
CWOT – Complete Waste Of Time
CYA – See Ya
DIY – Do It Yourself
EOD – End Of Discussion
EZ – Easy
F2F – Face To Face
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
FBOW – For Better Or Worse
FOAF – Friend Of A Friend
FOCL – Falling Off Chair Laughing
FWIW – For What It's Worth
FYA – For Your Amusement
FYI – For Your Information
/ga – Go Ahead
GAL – Get A Life
GBTW – Get Back To Work
GFC – Going For Coffee
GFETE – Grinning From Ear To Ear
GMTA – Great minds think alike
GR&D – Grinning, Running & Ducking
GTG – Got To Go
GTGTTBR – Got To Go To The Bathroom
GTRM – Going To Read Mail
HAND – Have A Nice Day
HHOK – Ha Ha Only Kidding
HTH – Hope This Helps
IAC – In Any Case
IAE – In Any Event
IC – I See
IDGI – I Don't Get It
IMCO – In My Considered Opinion
IMHO – In my humble opinion
IMNSHO – in My Not So Humble Opinion
IMO – In My Opinion
IMPE – In My Personal Experience
IMVHO – In My Very Humble Opinion
IOW – In Other Words
IRL – In Real Life
ISP – Internet Service Provider
IYKWIM – If You Know What I Mean
JIC – Just In Case
J/K – Just kidding
KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
L8TR – Later
LD – Later dude
LOL – Laughing Out Loud
LTNS – Long Time No See
MorF – Male or Female, or person who asks that question
MTCW – My Two Cents Worth
NRN – No Reply Necessary
ONNA – Oh No, Not Again!
OTOH – On The Other Hand
OTTOMH – Off the top of my head
OIC – Oh I See
OTF – On The Floor
OLL – Online Love
PLS – Please
PU – That Stinks!
REHI – Hello Again (re-Hi!)
ROFL – Rolling On Floor Laughing
ROTF – Rolling On The Floor
ROTFL – Rolling On The Floor Laughing
RSN – Real Soon Now
RTDox – Read The Documentation/Directions
RTFM – Read The Frickin' Manual
RUOK – Are You OK?
SNAFU – Situation Normal; All Fouled Up
SO – Significant Other
SOL – Smiling Out Loud (or Sh*t Out of Luck)
TANSTAAFL – There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
TAFN – That's All For Now
TEOTWAWKI – The End Of The World As We Know It
THX – Thanks
TIA – Thanks In Advance
TLK2UL8R – Talk to you later
TMK – To My Knowledge
TOS – Terms Of Service
TPTB – The Powers That Be
TSWC – Tell Someone Who Cares
TTBOMK – To The Best Of My Knowledge
TTFN – Ta-Ta For Now
TTYL(8R) – Talk To You Later
TWIMC – To Whom It May Concern
Txs – Thanks
URL – Web Page Address
w/b – Welcome Back
w/o – Without
WRT – With Regard To
WTG – Way To Go
WU? – What's Up?
WWW – World Wide Web
WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get
Y2K – Year 2000
YGIAGAM – Your Guess Is As Good As Mine
YGWYPF – You Get What You Pay For
YMMV – Your Mileage May Vary
ZZZ – Sleeping

Copyright © http://www.coolquiz.com.

Creatives! You Can Be Organized!

2008-09-01T04:53:00.001-07:00

By Marcia Francois

Creative people need different ways to organise themselves because traditional methods won't work too well for them.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to organising; in fact, I believe that since each person is unique, each person's organising system should also be different.

Let's look at four areas to organise yourself for success:
1. Attitude
There's a myth going around that creative people can't work in a structured environment. On the contrary, having a bit of structure in your life actually enables you to be even more creative and to do better work.

A few weeks ago, a client emailed to tell me how she's been energized and has been creating beautiful things again.

What was the difference in her life? We'd worked on organising her office space and within the order, she could be creative once again.

Stop telling yourself that you can't be organised; rather tell yourself that you organise yourself in non-traditional ways. And that's perfectly in order.

2. Schedule
Traditionally, we've all been told to work according to the clock. I'm telling you to work with your energy cycles; don't try to battle them.

If you know that you go through a bit of a slump around lunch time, maybe that's when you want to run errands or exercise to give yourself an energy boost.

If you design websites and you know that you're most creative at midnight, then design your websites at midnight ;) Who says you have to start working at 8am?

3. To-do list
Scrap the to-do list. Yes, you read that correctly. The to-do list may set you up for failure especially when you feel you're not getting things done.

Rather use an Eat the Frog list. This list helps you be more flexible so you only need to get the most important things done. My clients are always a bit shocked when I tell them, "the less you have on your list, the better it is". Just make sure those are important things on your list.

4. Workspace
When you can find your equipment and supplies easily, your valuable energy is used for actual creativity and not wasted on looking for things.

It's so important to have your workspace set up according to your organising style. Are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? Are you a paper or electronic person? Maybe the reason you can't seem to get your papers organised is because you're actually an electronic person.

I've had clients with very messy offices whose computers are perfectly organised, and vice versa. It's so important to play to your strengths.

If you join in on the Virtual Organising Seminar, we'll definitely be uncovering your unique organising style.

My challenge to you
Check your attitude and tell yourself you can get more productive once you organise according to your style.

Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who empowers small business owners and other busy professionals who want to make the most of their time. You'll get simple, practical organising and time management secrets to help you work less and enjoy life more! Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marcia_Francois

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Easy Tips For Organizing Electronic Files

2008-09-01T04:52:00.001-07:00

By Lynn Cressy

When it comes to organization, electronic files have to be dealt with like everything else. There are ways to keep these organized and save time as well. It will help to eliminate some of the time spent searching for the file that you need. Wasting time searching for an electronic file defeats the purpose of doing the task electronically in the first place and causes you more headache than if you had done it by hand.

Organizing electronic files can be done rather simply with techniques that involve little effort on your part. Time is all that you need to do this and it will, in turn, save you time later on since many areas of our lives are driven by the use of electronics.

The basics of organizing electronic files remains the same no matter what type of system you are using. The first thing you should remember is that computers do not organize information the way our minds do. It will be arranged by the application source or format that was used to create the file in question.

Second is remembering that we can use a name for the file that contains as many as 225 characters and can use a search on the computer to find them. This makes naming files properly a must. This will save time that is often wasted doing things that you have already done.

The third step is to use keywords to keep the files that you need in order. This makes it easy to find them in the search options. This will allow you to change them later if you need to.

Directories are the next step. Put files into designated directories that you made for each of them. Sub directories can be made for each program that you utilize during the time you are on your computer. If something is for work, you may designate one directory entitled "work" and another entitled "personal" if something is of a personal nature. The fewer directories the less you have to search. General directories that are broken into sub categories will save time.

Next are the folders. You can create different folders to keep your files in. The names of these folders should be something that helps you to remember the content of them.

Now that you know what to do with all the new files you create, it is time to put old files in the appropriate place which may take some time. You want to make sure you have the correct file in the correct place. This is simple; you move the files you still need to relevant folders and directories. Then you take the files that you no longer need and back them up to a flash drive, CD or even an online backup service. Once the file is backed up you can now delete them from the computer and you still have the backup copy if you need it in the future.

For ideas on keeping your home and office organized, download a free copy of the ebook "The Essential Guide to Organizing Your Home". Download it free here: Organizing Tips.

Lynn Cressy has a love for decorating and shopping for home decor. She owns a home decor web site and writes articles on home decorating and organizing your home and your life. http://www.lynnshomedecor.com/f/Opt-in_Pages.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynn_Cressy

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Home Organization Tips For Busy Moms

2008-09-01T04:50:00.000-07:00

By Jill Borash

Getting and keeping your home organized can save you time, stress and headaches. It does not have to be hard but it does require a bit of planning. And getting your kids involved in getting your home organized can not only help you but teach them valuable lessons as well. The trick is to make it fun both for you and for them.

Let's start with the basics: Set aside some home organizing time every day. Many different home organization tips books encourage this one. Keeping your home organized is going to require some specific dedicated time every day. Use this time to organize mail or to focus on a specific home organization project.

And while you are working on your home organization project, have your kids either working on their own home organizing project or have them help you with yours. This helps teach them good life lessons about staying organized and gives you some helping hands with your organizing projects as well.

Use some creativity to keep it fun and interesting for both you and your kids. Let's face it, most home organization tips and tricks are boring and dull. But you can make it fun if you just use a little imagination. Some ways that you can make home organization fun is by making it a game. Make it a contest to see who can get their room cleaned up and organized the quickest. Make sure there is a reward at the end that makes it worth it for your kids. To "test" how organized your kids' rooms are, ask them who can find you a pen or a specific kind of toy first.

For younger kids, you can incorporate imaginative play into home organization. Make getting and keeping their toys organized a way to teach them and have fun at the same time. So explain the noises that each of the toy animals makes as you put them in a specific drawer and explain that all of the animals "live" together in that drawer. Then do the same thing with the toy cars, etc.

As a working mom, one of the best home organization tips I ever learned was to plan out the meals for the week. This saves me so much time and headaches throughout the week. Every lunch and dinner is planned and sometimes even partially prepared by Sunday night. The part I like the most about this one is that it allows me to spend more time with my daughter because I am not trying to figure out what I need to make right before mealtime and whether or not I have the ingredients.

Need more free help getting your home organized? Get more free home organization tips at http://www.YourHomeIsOrganized.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jill_Borash

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Efficiency and Organization

2008-09-01T04:41:00.001-07:00

By Laura Wright

Working from home is a dream for many consumers today. The flexibility, control, and lower costs involved often means a greater amount of productivity in a smaller time frame. One of the challenges for the home worker is simple office organization.

When a home business is disorganized or cluttered it can make working sheer torture. Misplaced paperwork, products, or missing receipts can quickly cause frustration. Many home business owners have even hired relatively needless employees because they didn't consider the efficiency they can regain just by a deliberate arrangement of office space and assigned places for their supplies. Organization not only makes your job easier, it can save you much time, money, and effort.

Look at the overall picture when you start to organize your office space. How is your furniture placed? Is there adequate room for movement? If it is a smaller space, could it do with less furniture? How are your supplies currently placed? Is the trash can within reach of the desk? Is the telephone placed where the computer can be accessed if needed?

If you are manufacturing a product, are the items needed for assembly placed for easy access? For example, if you are making beaded jewelry and accessories, are all items needed placed near one another? Do you have lidded containers to separate and manage your beads? Are all necessary tools in one carrier?

When you are organizing your office space, you should go digital as much as possible. Digital documents are just as professional and can be transmitted more efficiently than print documents. Digitized documents are easily stored on compact discs, DVDs, or portable flash drives. Routine paperwork can be stored in template form and only printed out as you need it. Customer files can be digitized and stored with the help of a scanner. You can store original paperwork in an airtight plastic container in your closet or even your garage. A good spreadsheet program will assist you in creating order forms, records, and any inventory management you may need.

Instead of using a traditional planner that you must correct with liquid paper and pen, consider a desktop calendar on your computer. Entries and important events can simply be deleted or reentered. Many programs will offer auditory and visual alerts for important events. Even removing a simple desk blotter can free up space for desktop organizers or create more room for your keyboard and mouse.

If you have pictures or figures on your desk, you can purchase "floating" shelves and install them above the desk. You can place your personal items on the shelves as opposed to your desk.

Receipts are needed for tax purposes and their collection can seem daunting. A year's worth of receipts may take up a fair amount of space that could be used for other things. Consider purchasing a messenger bag at your local discount store if you collect your receipts. These can be suspended from a closet rod by a sturdy hanger and you can slip receipts into this. A messenger bag is the perfect size for plain brown mailing envelopes. These are used to separate them by month or by deduction. If you don't have spare closet space, consider slipping the bag beneath your desk or even under your bed.

You will need an adequate wastebasket for your office. Many advertised for typical home offices are good for occasional use, but if you are working at home, you will need a receptacle that is large enough for daily use. A compact shredder can also help reduce the size of your waste and some people recycle the shredded paper in the preparation for their own mulch.

Recycling unneeded paper, plastic, and glass is another good way to responsibly dispose of your office trash and is easier than you imagine. Separate containers for waste can be stored under your desk or in a closet. This allows you more time in your work area and less time traveling to other parts of the home. It will also reduce the amount of waste in your garbage can.

Filing cabinets can be tedious to have in a small office. Before you invest in these cabinets, be certain you need them. Is it mandatory for your organization or are you just looking for storage space? If storage is more your need than what a filing cabinet may offer, consider installing a large bookshelf.

Plastic organizing containers can be purchased in a variety of colors and sizes and most will fit on a wide bookshelf. Instead of having a standard cabinet that may have four drawers, a tall bookshelf may have six levels of shelves where you can place multiple organizers. If you use a large bookshelf, please ensure that is securely fastened to the wall to prevent tipping over.

Organizing your home office is an exercise well worth the effort and time involved. Having a well arranged space will help you fulfill your duties faster and make the overall work easier.

Laura Wright is a multi-published professional writer. She has held a variety of positions in the writing field. She currently instructs two web courses and maintains several web domains. She also works as a freelance provider and novelist. Her primary web site is: http://www.laurawrites.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Wright

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Why are most Glow-in-the-Dark items are green, and why do they glow?

2008-09-01T04:36:00.000-07:00

A phenomenon named phosphorescence is responsible for the light most Glow-in-the-Dark items emit.

Phosphorescence occurs when light absorbed by an object is slowly released and can be observed even after the light is removed. If not tampered with, the light the object emits is dim, and is always pale blue in color.

Chemists had a bright idea to spark interest in this phenomenon and to make it visually stimulating. They discovered that when they mixed fluorescent dye with the phosphorescent material, the object emitted a glowing, brighter green, or sometimes red, light.

The reason for this transformation is that fluorescent compounds absorb the light and rapidly emit it, giving the compounds a glowing appearance. This phenomenon occurs only in the constant presence of the original light source.

The phosphorescent material absorbs the light, and slowly emits a pale blue light, that in turn is absorbed by fluorescent dye. The light now emitted is green or red light, depending on the type of dye used.

The most commonly used phosphorescent material used is zinc sulfide mixed with copper, and the green fluorescent dye most likely is sodium fluorescein. The most likely source or red fluorescent dye is rhodamine. Paired together, the phosphorescent material and the fluorescent material produce a ghostly, glowing green or red light, and hours of enjoyment for young and for old alike.

Copyright © http://www.coolquiz.com.

6 Steps to Overcome Procrastination While Building Confidence

2008-07-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

By Bruno Logreco

Everyone procrastinates. It is a common fact, with more than 95% of the population freely admitting they will put off some task or challenge today that they feel they have time to complete tomorrow. The number of people who continually put off that exact same task for a second or even third day is a whopping 20%, making one-fifth of the population chronic procrastinators. If you are one of this large percentage, you probably have tons of good excuses why things can wait - whether it be how much time you actually have to how creative you feel, to how much motivation you can drum up. You put things off and you always have a good excuse.

Studies have been conducted for years on procrastination and the results of those individuals who repeatedly put off important tasks in their lives. Some studies go so far as to correlate procrastination to a person's innate fear of success, using it as a coping mechanism to combat anxiety that comes with starting any new task.

What happens is that, when faced with a challenging task, a procrastinator will look at their skillset, their confidence in their skillset, and their general measurement of success in completing the task. Many times, they find they have little or no confidence that they can be successful in completing the task at hand and they then proceed to put the task off for a number of days. A prime example is the annual New Year's Resolution - a challenging goal set by millions every year in an attempt to improve their quality of life. Subsequently, millions break their resolutions because they just can't make themselves complete the task.

Many times, individuals will simply make decisions without thinking ahead. Procrastinators are not afraid of becoming involved - they want to be part of multiple tasks, proving to themselves and those around them that they can be successful. But, this impulse to constantly be involved more often than not only makes things worse as they start putting things off, building upon their fears and doubts and dealing blow after blow to their confidence.

At this point, it takes very little in the way of distractions to trigger a procrastinator's innate response to a challenging task. Their anxiety continues to grow and they look for any excuse to put off their task and convince themselves it just isn't time to complete it yet.

With all of this negative self-talk, fear of failure, and complete lack of confidence, many people lose inspiration and motivation to do much of anything. They hope that the next day will be a better day and that they will feel what they think they need to be successful then instead of today. All that happens is that the cycle picks back up again where it left off and procrastination continues.

Are you born with the procrastination gene or is procrastination a learned behavior?

There are multiple theories on why so many people become chronic procrastinators and the truth could go either way. Regardless of whether you grew up in an environment where you were constantly controlled and not allowed to develop necessary life skills, or whether your family just puts things off a lot, you must learn to overcome procrastination. Below you will find 6 key steps to doing just that:

6 Steps To Overcome Procrastination:
1. Write out all of the challenges and tasks you've been putting off - this might include everything from projects at work, to losing weight, or work around the house. Write them all down.
2. For everything you're afraid to complete, ask yourself three quests: What am I afraid of? What outcome do I fear the most? What can I do to change the outcomes so that they will be in my favor?
3. Create a plan that will work - Break down all of the tasks you have to small chunks you can manage and then break them down even smaller into easily completable steps.
4. Think positively and ignore your negative self-talk.
5. Finish one task each day - Check off everything as you complete and don't expect too much of yourself.
6. Monitor your progress and continue building on your plans - Look for three keys to success here: Motivation, Confidence, and Self-Esteem.

When you break down your procrastination and approach it one step at a time, you can start to overcome the factors that have been making your life that much harder for so many years.

Take the first step towards breaking your procrastination habit while you build confidence and self esteem. Visit http://www.brunologreco.com today to learn how Master Life Coach, Toronto (http://www.brunologreco.com )native Bruno LoGreco could hep you with your procrastination.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruno_Logreco

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Why Procrastination is Your MORTAL ENEMY!

2008-07-31T15:57:00.001-07:00

By Gary Simpson

There are few conditions that can paralyze a person's future more than the disease of procrastination.

Procrastination is the paralysis of action for fear of making a mistake. It will ensure that whomever is afflicted with such a condition will live a life of inactivity and regret.

Millions, perhaps billions, of people are stricken with this condition. For them, the fear of failure outweighs the joy of success so strongly that they cannot start or finish any project.

Could you imagine how much further advanced this world would be if everybody were able to throw away the shackles of mediocrity and achieve what they were infinitely capable of doing? We would have cures for cancer, diabetes and the common cold to name just a few medical advances.

We would have also solved greenhouse gases, our dependence on fossil fuels, starvation in third world countries, war and so many other problems that affect the world.

Defeating procrastination involves four things:
1. knowing where you are
2. knowing where you want to be
3. knowing how to get from where you are to where you want to be
4. getting from where you are to where you want to be

Until you learn to get procrastination under control you will never achieve anything worthwhile with your life. That would be so sad.

Procrastination is your mortal enemy.
Succumbing to procrastination is surrendering your life to something far less than what you were ultimately designed for.

Isn't it time you discovered how to get on top of procrastination once and for all?

Gary Simpson operates the Turn Debt Into Wealth (http://www.turn-debt-into-wealth.com/wealth.html) website. To discover how to get on top of procrastination once and for all and become more successful than you ever thought possible go here: "How to Stop Wasting Your Life and Start Getting What You Want - A Guide to Help You Get to Where You Want to Be." (http://www.turn-debt-into-wealth.com/mind.html)Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Simpson

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

5 Great Ways To Overcome Procrastination At Home

2008-07-31T15:55:00.001-07:00

By Peter Murphy

If you procrastinate at home you may suffer some consequences from disgruntled family members who have to carry your share of the workload.

A worst-case scenario is that your procrastination and lack of motivation may carry over to other members of your family, resulting in absolutely nothing being done.

All the disorganization and clutter in your home will most likely result in chaos and disarray to the point you have no clean clothes to wear and can't find your books or briefcase.

However, all is not lost because you can learn how to overcome procrastination at home by following a few simple suggestions...

1. Make a list of tasks that must be done daily, weekly, monthly and so on. Then think about how each task can be simplified.

For example, the first thing you normally do when you get home is change into comfortable clothing.

You can eliminate one task right here by hanging up your clothes when you take them off instead of waiting until bedtime, when you most likely will throw them over the back of a chair.

2. Once you have made your task list, prioritize each list.

It could go something like this:
(1) talk and listen to your children and/or spouse to learn about their day;
(2) get dinner started (you already know what cook because previously you made menus and shopped for food;
(3) make some time to talk to family members while dinner is cooking;
(4) immediately after dinner clear the table and load the dishwasher instead of waiting;
(5) do other necessary chores such as laundry while helping children with homework. This list is an example only; your list may be entirely different. The important thing is to get it done.

3. Prevention is the key to having less to do around the house. Put mats down around all entrances to prevent dirt from being tracked into the house, thus making vacuuming easier.

Some other preventive measures you can take now to lighten your load and help you overcome procrastination at home are so simple you'll wonder why you didn't think of them sooner.

4. Ask family members to break all habits that result in messes, and minimize those that can't be helped. Become aware of the messes around the house and analyze the reason for them.

You can coat some surfaces with a sealant to keep them looking shiny and new and make cleaning easier.

If you have surfaces that can't be cleaned such as a wall with flat latex paint, you can repaint with a cleanable paint or cover it with a washable wallpaper. Seal off crevices and cracks that let dust and pests get into your home.

5. Other tips include avoiding high-low carpet patterns and embossed floor tile; it collects dirt and is hard to clean.

Indoor-outdoor carpet also shows every piece of lint or dirt that gets on it (and it really doesn't add much fashion to your floor anyway).

Elaborately textured ceilings and walls collect dust and cobwebs and should be avoided.

Other elements to avoid include unfinished wood that shows stains, dark colors on floors, furniture and countertops, and large collections that have to be moved around to clean.

With a little forethought and ingenuity, you can teach yourself and family members to simplify your lives and learn how to overcome procrastination at home.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/special.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Murphy

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Time Management - Are You Too Busy To Make Money?

2008-07-31T15:51:00.000-07:00

By Kenneth Darryl Brown

Are you too busy to make money? Perhaps, you might think that is an odd question to ask. However, it is a simple question to answer. Are you moving forward in business or just constantly moving?

Time management can be a critical issue for successful entrepreneurs. Time is a finite resource. There is only twenty-four hours in a day. One can not turn back the clock. To be successful in business, entrepreneurs must become a good time manager. No one can get back an hour, 45 minutes, 30 minutes or one minute and redo it! You can not turn back time!

Recently, during a coaching session, I asked this question to one of my clients. I asked him about his priorities? He responded, "Directing employees and keeping them on track, follow-up on emails and telephone calls, completing projects and generating revenue."

What constitutes busy work here?

I was surprised. I expected that he would have first said, "Sales, sales and more sales! "

Instead, generating revenue was his last response! I wondered, if is it his last priority too? Perhaps, it is not a fair question. Many times, it is unintentional. Business owners do not decide to be unproductive with their time.

Sometimes, entrepreneurs are more reactive than proactive. They react to what comes first to their desk!
Read and respond to their emails.

Take a telephone call.

Listen to their voice mail.

Counsel an employee.

Complete administrative tasks.

Attend a networking event.

Conduct prospect research.

Add a page to their website.

Create a new sales brochure.

All these things take entrepreneurs off their focus! They should stop reacting and start being more proactive. Entrepreneurs should know their priorities, have a daily action plan, work it and never stray from it! Business owners should conduct their non-revenue and administrative duties and responsibilities during non-money hours! Perhaps, during the hours of 9:00 to 10:00am, 2:00 to 3:00pm and 5:00 to 6:00pm one can complete all your administrative duties.

Unfortunately, his focus on is the other activities that do not directly contribute to the bottom line of his business. It is interesting that was one of his main concerns was time management! His own response validated his concern. Most of his time was focused on non-revenue generating activities.

Every entrepreneur's priorities should be activities that generate new business, sales and profitability. That is revenue generating activities. These are activities that will generate business and sales! In business, someone has to sell something to stay in business! A business owner can not remain in business unless she is making a profit! Who is accountable for the success of a company? The sales team might be responsible for sales but, ultimately it is the business owner who is accountable. The buck stops with the entrepreneur and nobody else! She still has to pay the bills, whether a sale was made or not!

I remember my experience with as a financial planner in the 1980s. One of the training managers asked me what my job was. I quickly responded, "I show couples how to save for retirement, build an education fund for their children and investment portfolio on stocks and bonds." He shouted back, "Wrong! You are in sales and the sooner you realize that, the better off you will be!"

He was right! I was in sales! It was a lesson that I will never forget. Yes, I still am in the sales business! In fact, most business owners and entrepreneurs are in sales! Whether they like it or not! What did Alec Baldwin's character say in the movie, "Glen Gary Glen Ross"? "A B C: Always be closing! Always be closing! Always be closing!"

We all have the same amount of time in a day. Some people just do more with it then others! How are you leveraging your time to get more accomplished? The average person might judge her time based on the hours spent. However, an entrepreneur should analyze her day based on results, sales and new business! What is your time management system? Is it profitable for you?

Helpful Tips and Hints:

Evaluate your current situation.

Create your own time management system.

List your top priorities everyday before your day starts and grade them: A, B or C.

Focus on your A priorities.

Focus on your activities that will bring more sales, new business and profits.

Accomplish your work in 2 hour time blocks.

Define your money hours. (These are the best hours where you can connect with your prospects and clients face to face or on the telephone.)

Focus your revenue activities during your money hours.

Do all your administrative activities during your non-money hours.

Seek to become a better manager of your business time.

Kenneth Darryl Brown is President and CEO of E3 Capital Resources, LLC (E3C), a business development company that specializes in business success systems, leadership, sales, communication and technology. Ken is a passionate entrepreneur and coach. He embraces the servant leadership philosophy and serves as a catalyst for free enterprise, small business and economic development. Ken works with growth-oriented companies in technology, health care, manufacturing, financial and business services industries. E3C stands for Entrepreneurship, Empowerment, Evolution, Connect, Collaborate and Create.... as in greater opportunities for all entrepreneurs worldwide!

Check out the company website: http://www.BetterSalesandProfitsNow.com Ken's Business Community website: http://www.my-business-community.com and Ken's Podcast: http://www.E3C.podOmatic.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_Darryl_Brown

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Where did the dollar sign come from?

2008-07-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

It is only appropriate that an Irish immigrant to the United States be the one credited with originating the dollar sign. Oliver Pollock sailed the high seas at the age of twenty-three, and settled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This young entrepreneur rapidly established himself as a wealthy and influential West Indies trader.

Pollock moved his operation to Louisiana, where he amassed even more wealth as a trader, and as a plantation owner. His success enabled him to provide supplies to the Patriots’ cause in the Revolutionary War, and to maintain close contact and a degree of influence with Congress. Pollock’s success allowed him easily to purchase military supplies to support "the cause," as the Spanish Empire had an outpost in New Orleans, Louisiana. In his dealings with the Spaniards, Pollock used their currency, the peso.

In true Spanish tradition, Pollock used an abbreviation for pesos, yet his penmanship made the abbreviation appear to be the transposition of the letters "p" and "s."

Prior to 1775, the fledgling nations monetary system was in disarray, and needed to be revamped. By 1775, Congress decided to rectify the situation by backing all of its legal tender with the most commonly circulated coins that were, coincidentally, Spanish coins minted in the New World. Americans then began trading with "Spanish milled dollars," later termed "dollars," as Americans shed the "pounds" that were the vestiges of British rule.

Congressman Robert Morris, to whom Pollock addressed his billing records, perpetuated the use of the dollar sign, and was the first high government official to give his blessing to the "s" with the two lines through it.

The appearance of the dollar sign in print, in a 1797 book by Chauncey Lee, signified the acceptance of the dollar as a purely American symbol, much as is the bald eagle. And, no, the dollar sign formed by placing the letter "U" over the letter "S" is not an abbreviation for Uncle Sam, as some have suggested!

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A Time to Work and A Time to Play!

2008-06-30T18:32:00.001-07:00

By Ronnie Nijmeh

There are very few aspects in life that require as much balance as juggling the nine to five work schedule plus your relationship, kids, home, and personal lives. Whether you are single, married with children, or married without children each of these situations has their own individual challenges when it comes to balancing the work-life load. Utilizing work-life balance affirmations will help you to master the demands of the work environment while still maintaining a healthy "play" life.

The Single Life
If you're single, you may be making the erroneous conclusion that work is the definition of your life achievements. The argument for this conclusion is that you live alone, therefore there is no one to appreciate whether you make your bed in the morning, or pick up your dirty clothes. So, you may define your own worth in how successful you are in the work environment. This translates into long hours at the office, with your "play" time consisting of making contacts at after-hour business socials.

There is considerable wisdom in the old adage "All work and no play makes Jack - or Jill - a dull boy" (or girl, of course). We all must balance both our work and their play life with positive work-life balance affirmations. For example: "I enjoy spending quality time with myself apart from work." or "My job reflects that I am an intelligent, passionate person." or "I choose to invest time in the things I like to do."

Married without Children
A working couple with no children may lead to many nights such as the following: A king size bed with two very intense individuals, each with a laptop and a myriad of paperwork scattered next to them, and one of the many late night shows playing in the background. These individuals need positive work-life balance affirmations in order for them not to lose focus on each other, nor themselves. For example: "I appreciate the fact that my spouse and I both have careers." or "I appreciate the time we have as a family and I actively seek out more time for just us." or "I am enriched by both my work and my play."

Married with Children
Finally, there is the challenge of balancing work with a family with children. It is a balance of not only work and the life of the family; but also balancing their own personal time in the mix. Their positive work-life balance affirmations might be as follows: "I choose to set work aside and spend time with my family free from thoughts of work." or "I cherish the quiet moments with the love of my life." or "I appreciate the opportunity to be with my loving family." or "I love spending my time off playing with my children."

A list of positive affirmations to help you achieve your goal for work-life balance is below:

I keep work and play in a healthy balance.

I deserve to spend time relaxing.

I deserve to spend time enjoying my family.

I have a balanced life.

I cherish the time I have to enjoy my spouse.

I enjoy my work and the excellent job that I do.

I enjoy my time to play with my children.

Ronnie Nijmeh is an accomplished author, speaker and coach. He is the president and founder of ACQYR.com, a inspirational resource where you can download free wallpapers (http://www.acqyr.com/Wallpapers/), read powerful affirmations, inspirational articles and much more. Learn more about ACQYR's free affirmations (http://www.acqyr.com/Positive_Affirmations/).
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronnie_Nijmeh

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

How's Your Wheel Of Life?

2008-06-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

By Olena Gill

Do you feel stressed or overwhelmed in your life? Are you juggling many balls in the air, with many external demands on your time and energy? Do you feel burned out? Is your life out of control? If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, there’s a good chance that there is a need to examine and balance the priorities in your life.

Balance – now that’s easier said than done, especially in this fast-paced mode of living that most of us are in. Yet we crave that balance desperately. So just how do we create the work-life balance? Well, let’s try a simple exercise.

1. Think of your life as a wheel. On a sheet of paper draw a circle. You are in the center. Every area and aspect of your life is represented by a spoke, each which extend as a line radiating from that center. Name those areas – they can be any category in your life – e.g. relationships, finances, health, job or career, security, personal development, recreation, energy, family and friends.

2. Go around the wheel and rate each spoke from 1 to 10 (with 1 being low and 10 being great) based on how you feel at this moment about that particular area in your life.

3. Mark each spoke with a dot representing your rating, with 10 at the outer edge of the circle and 1 close to the center.

4. Now connect all the dots and take a close at the picture that emerges. How does your Wheel of Life actually look?

The first step to creating the balance is to ascertain which areas are lacking. Your completed picture will show you on which areas you focus versus those that are being neglected.

The second step is deciding what actions you could take towards strengthening those areas in need of attention. For example, if you rated yourself low on the Recreation aspect, what could you do to infuse more play-time and fun into your life? Perhaps it will involve scheduling non-negotiable time for yourself, for example, 30 minutes twice a week. Or perhaps it’s about taking a walk, or planning an outing with your children or friends – time devoted solely to fun and enjoyment.

Finally, it’s all a matter of applying your actions. The steps need not be huge. But just like your car’s gas tank, your inner energy reserve needs to be replenished. If it becomes depleted, you won’t function as well, and may burn out. Balancing your life provides this replenishment.

So, go ahead and implement the changes in your life. Seek support from others around you. And the result? A more balanced and effective you.

Olena Gill is a life and business coach and owner of Indigo-Crystal Coaching Services in Errington, BC. She assists people in re-balancing in both personal and business envioronments and is the author of several forthcoming books on personal development. You may contact her at http://www.indigocrystalcoach.com.
Copyright 2005
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Olena_Gill

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

5 Tips for Balancing Work and Home

2008-06-30T18:28:00.001-07:00

By John Parks

Most people understand how difficult it can be to balance their work and home lives once they get married and have children. Somehow it seems that work life or home life is always encroaching on the other and causing problems at work, at home, and many times both. However the following five tips are great options to help with balancing work and home.

Make a Schedule
The best thing to do when trying to balance work and home is to make a schedule. Know how much time you have and schedule your work time and your home time. Then, you will know when you need to schedule work and home events. This will make your life significantly easier and you will know which activities fit into which time frame. Just make sure you stick to your schedule.

Share Responsibilities
Many times work and home responsibilities can become overwhelming because one spouse is handling more of the responsibilities than the other. So, learn to share responsibilities at home and each spouse can be responsible for their work. Also, older children should have some home responsibilities as well to help parents balance work and home.

Leave Work at Work
Balancing home and work can be difficult because it is so easy to take work home. If you really want to balance work and home then you will always leave work at work and keep home a sacred place for family and home activities.

Dedicate Weekends to Home Activities
A great way to keep home and work separate is to always focus on home activities during weekends, or at least on days off from work if you happen to work on weekends. When certain days are home days and other days are work days then it makes balancing work and home considerably easier.

Plan
The best way to balance work and home is to always make a plan. There are tons of tips that will help you, but there is nothing like making a plan and then following the plan to really balance work and home. It might be difficult, but if you have it planned out and follow the plan you will be surprised how easy you can find a balance.

SearchArticles.net features thousands of how-to articles and tips on working from home. For more work from home tips, visit http://www.searcharticles.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Parks

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.

Balance: Entreprenurial or Workaholic?

2008-06-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

By Lee Down

A workaholic is someone who has no identity beyond their work. Life is about so much more than what you do. It is about the relationships you develop and nurture. It is about social impact in your community. It is about the growth and learning you experience. It is about living passionately.

We are creative by our very nature, it's in our genes. Applied intelligence equals creativity. Intelligence takes on many forms. So this creates a new question:
Where is your definition of a workaholic more likely? One living in passion or one living in isolation and fear?

The True Entrepreneur is one that I witness their values, passion, and whole way of being aligned with what they do. In this way, the entrepreneur is just being. The business, the vocation, the passion, the purpose, the values, interests, etc. are all a part of who the individual is.

Externally, I don't think anyone could casually observe a difference between a workaholic and this entrepreneur. However, the individual knows. Deep down inside, the answer is known and typically the individual will turn away from acknowledging that truth and rationalize sticking to their tried and true behavior. The tried and true is comfortable. To admit the truth requires change and change is uncomfortable.

Many people welcome change in their external environment and consider themselves capable and open to change. Unfortunately, for most the relationship to the inner self is one of fear; there's a whole can of worms that gets opened when we start doing the inner work. Knowing this, on a gut level, our subconscious quickly reverts to the tried and true. It's hard work to change.

The good news though, is that many entrepreneurs have the ability to see what is happening around them. This ability is what makes entrepreneurs visionary go-getters. However, this does not exempt entrepreneurs from getting caught-up in their business to the detriment of a well-balanced life.

A well-balanced life is more powerful than the hard work that you put into a business. A well-balanced life feeds the brain, the spirit, the emotions, and the body. In creating the space for relationship, recreation, and rest, the benefits experienced will offer stronger focus, greater creativity (beneficial for problem-solving and decision-making), greater self-esteem, and mental/emotional/physical health. Knowing this, choices are made.

If incorporating a well-balanced life would allow you to achieve the same amount of output in 60 hours versus the 80 hours of perseverance, which would you choose?

The other thing entrepreneurs have difficulty with is learning when to say, "No." and when to say, "That's enough." Always after a new conquest, a new experience, a new peak, and new challenges, an entrepreneur can get all that energy too caught up in the business arena. This will lead to the very thing you fear. Instead, split this energy to have a well-balanced life. Achievement will be far richer in the relationship arena and the personal growth arena.

The experience of Life can be incredibly rich, just don't get so caught up in riches that you neglect your Whole Life.

Lee Down is a professionally trained Coach committed to the awakening and development of the human spirit. One Man Can (http://www.onemancan.ca/) wants to inspire and empower your life, your relationships, and your world.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Down

For more information and support for creating more time for yourself and what’s important to you, visit http://www.GalileoLS.com/consult.html for a free coaching consultation.