Students Of Success

The start of a new year is traditionally a time to reflect on the previous year. It is also a time to establish new resolutions. Popular resolutions include losing weight, getting more fit, getting out of debt, and making more money.

Giving to others tends to be forgotten when creating resolutions. However, their impact on you and others can be more significant than pursuing the more common resolutions.

What are some resolutions related to giving that you can consider as you pursue your own? Consider the following examples:

Increase your financial giving to church and charities.

Increase your time donated to important causes.

Write and send an encouraging note at least weekly.

Smile and greet the first people you meet every morning.

Perform an act of kindness at least weekly.

Search the house for unused, unneeded items and donate them for others to use.

Increase the number of people you share your faith with.

Donate your blood multiple times during the year.

Determine your life purpose.

Your list needs to be unique to you. Use the above items only as a starting point in determining your own.

Be sure to set resolutions for yourself for the upcoming year that will help make a difference in the world. It will provide a special significance throughout the new year as you fulfill these important resolutions.

To learn more ways to give, go to www.everydaygiving.com/ezine.htm and sign up for the free Everyday Giving ezine. Be a philanthropist by giving everyday to others. Roger Carr is the founder of Everyday Giving. His life purpose is to help people help others.

Project Management Software

You may also want to make sure to choose project management software that has some type of reminder system for when deadlines are getting close. It is helpful if all individuals involved get reminder emails or some other kind of reminder before deadlines so that they are less likely to be missed. If there is a problem meeting the deadline it will be observed sooner rather than later if everyone is reminded that the deadline is coming up. Then they will be able to notify the appropriate individuals if there is a hold up that will make it nearly impossible to meet a deadline.

As you can see, there are a lot of other features that can be useful in project management package programs. Not every application will have all of the features listed above, but the better programs should have most, if not all, of these features. Employing the information above you can help to ascertain which programs might work out the best for your purposes, as not all of the features will necessarily be useful to everyone. In some cases you could do without some of them and have a larger number of applications to choose from. Besides just Using the list of features, you should also be sure to check out client reviews so that you can get a good idea of which programs are easier to use.

Project Management Software

You might also want to make sure to choose project management software that has some type of reminder system for when deadlines are approaching. It is useful if all individuals involved get reminder emails or some other type of reminder before deadlines so that they are less likely to be missed. If there is a problem meeting the deadline it will be identified sooner rather than later if everyone is reminded that the deadline is coming up. Then they will be able to notify the appropriate individuals if there is a hold up that will make it nearly impossible to meet a deadline.

As you can see, there are a lot of different features that can be helpful in project management software program applications. Not every program will have all of the features listed above, but the better applications should have most, if not all, of these features. Employing the information above you can help to observe which applications might work out the best for your purposes, as not all of the features will necessarily be functional to everyone. In some cases you could do without some of them and have a larger number of applications to choose from. Besides just Utilizing the list of features, you should also be sure to check out customer reviews so that you can get a good idea of which applications are easier to use.

A flourishing business depends on the effective management of staff. You can succeed in learning these skills. Having a intuitive skill for communicating with people may be a plus, but you can do some things that will make this procedure simple. Build relationships: Addressing co-workers by name can be a beginning. Talk to people; make eye contact as you are talking. Do be respectful, also pay attention to everything the other person says, even if you disagree or have another viewpoint. Acquiring the ability to listen is among the best things you may do to improve your human resource management skills. Show interest in what they can offer the team.

Keep your promises: Keeping your promises is fundamental. If you can’t deliver on what you promise, the fragile bond of trust is broken, and without trust people won’t give you their best. Each time you give a commitment or give your word on something, ensure that you can follow through or don’t bother giving your word at all. To be honest, when you can’t be counted upon, your team will not be there when they are most needed. Feedback is essential: Feedback must be a interactive process. Keeping an open mind regarding other people’s opinions is very important in effective people management. Being approachable and receptive proves that other people’s opinions are important to you, and they will value your opinions. Supporting conversation in addition encourages evolution of new ideas, ways of fulfilling goals, and improves the company dynamic. When team members have a voice, the project and its results will become important to each team member. Communicating is fundamental: Good communication is central to managing employees skilfully. Be approachable, listen intently to other people, encourage staff to express their ideas, and permit all of your employees a chance to speak. The team should be encouraged to communicate with one another as well as with you. The creative process relies a great deal on the interchange of ideas, and by listening to one another, it becomes simple to discover any issues before they could present problems, and measures can be put in place before matters get out of hand. A little time will be required, all the same the rewards are worth it. Through encouraging a good team dynamic and taking on board your team’s ideas, a thriving business can be yours.

Did you know that ‘Goal Setting’ is the secret to fulfilling ANY dream or desire you want in life?

Did you also know that SUPER Successful people use ‘Goals’ to attain the knowledge and wealth they have today?

Some of you reading this right now might agree and some of you might not.

That decision is yours to make.

The reason people find it too hard to achieve their goals is simple because they’ve set their Long-Term goals before setting Short-Term ones, or they just didn’t plan their goals out carefully.

Goal setting strategies are VERY important, especially for those who want to achieve Long-Term goals.

Well, your in luck because I’m going to share five ‘Goal Setting’ techniques to help you realize your TRUE goals today.

Your only requirement is to keep an open mind.

So, with that said, lets go to Technique #1.

Technique #1. Start with Short-Term goals.

Sometimes, people start with short-term goals unconsciously.

Why unconsciously?

Some of them may have considered the goals to be long-term at the time they planned them; and after achieving a goal, they realize that they are in fact, looking forward to a longer one.

Some are contented with their short-term goals, but after a while will realize that they also need to attain long-term ones.

Short-term goals seem to be our starting point for our Long Term ones.

They also motivate the person to plan for longer goals, which will usually take some time before achieving them in full.

Technique #2. Make sure you really want the goal.

By this, you have to ask yourself: “Do I really want this goal and will this goal give me a better life?”

Answering this ONE question will give you more passion and motivation to achieve your goal.

Some people often recall their past to find out Why and How they came up with such goal.

Technique #3. Speak up.

What I mean by this is you shouldn’t keep your goals to yourself only. By sharing your goals with other people it’ll help you get the support you may need in order to fulfill them.

The problem that usually occurs though is some people are just too shy to tell others about their goals for reasons like they are afraid they cannot achieve them in the end, or they lack the courage to speak their minds.

This is not a good habit to get into because when the time comes that you really need their support, you will have a difficult time getting it.

You’ll then be left to achieve your goals all by yourself.

Don’t make this mistake.

Technique #4. Write down your goals.

This strategy is critical and more advisable for those who have a long list of goals.

After writing them down in as much detail, it is advisable that you review them on a daily to weekly basis because this will encourage and motivate you to achieving them, plus, this will also keep that vision of your goal alive.

Technique #5. Stay on track and never give up.

Reviewing notes will help open your mind to see if you are on the right track. While on track, you may have to face challenges that might change your personality.

A person who is overconfident might suddenly feel depressed after finding out that he is going the wrong way in achieving his goal.

Thus this might lead to abandoning the goal.

Never be discouraged.

Facing obstacles is a test on how passionate one is to realizing his or her goals.

There you have it.

Give those a try and keep a visual picture in your mind everyday of you fulfilling that goal you desire so much.

Are YOU suffering from Depression,Stress,Anxiety,Migraines, Insomnia,Low Confidence and/or Low Self Esteem? Hypnosis Mania - Unmasking the Mysteries and Powers of Hypnotism! - REVEALS proven techniques on ‘How-To’ use Self-Hypnosis to overcome ANY obstacle or accomplish ANY goal you want in life. Go NOW to ==> www.hypnosis-mania.com

It is that time of year once more when many people are working on the goals they have set for themselves for the new year. It’s the same thing every year. The goals that people set for themselves are usually along the lines of, “I want to lose weight”, ” I want to quit smoking”, “I want to exercise more” etc. Newsletters and Magazines are full of articles on how to accomplish these things.

Although the normal resolutions are good and healthy for you, they make you focus on negative aspects of your life, essentially, what you should not be doing…smoking, eating badly, being lazy etc. The problem I see with these resolutions is that it makes people think negatively and feel guilty, especially when February rolls around and they realize that they were not able to keep up with their resolutions. By thinking negatively, we set ourselves up for failure.

I want to suggest something different to you. Let us not dwell on new year resolutions that go down the drain by February, let’s focus on something a little different. Positive thinking brings results. Results make us happy and content. When we are content and focused on positive things we will find that many negative aspects of our lives fall away on their own. It is as if the body says, “I don’t need these negative things in my life anymore” and voila, they drop away without effort.

My suggestion to you is that this year we dwell on positive things. Instead of dwelling on what we want to rid ourselves of this year, let us dwell on what positive things we want to see in our lives. Let us focus on our dreams and make them a reality in our lives.

Many people don’t give much time thinking about making their dreams come true. They are caught up in the rat race of life and a worldly way of thinking. My suggestion is that we focus on a more spiritual way of thinking. Let us take the time to think about what we really want in life and then focus on setting goals that will bring us closer to our dreams.

Yes, even when following your dreams, one must set goals or we will never accomplish that which we dream of. Don’t get caught up in wishful thinking but put some action behind your thoughts. The secret to realizing your dreams is to break your objective into small steps. Ask yourself, “What do I need to do in order to accomplish this goal?” then break it down into bite size pieces.

This week we drove from Hamburg to Munich because we had to check out our new apartment and see about my fianc©’s new job out there. It is a very long drive and if you drive fast and push your limits (which most people want to do) you can make the journey in 8 hours. BUT, if you don’t want to stress yourself out, you have to make sure you take time for breaks and stretching so it ends up taking between 10-12 hours, depending on traffic etc. Then you end up at the end of the journey relaxed. Tired still, but relaxed

Think of your dreams as your destination. It may not be right around the corner, most dreams aren’t, but if you have patience, and pace yourself you WILL arrive at your destination. The problem most people run into with goal setting is that we think we can accomplish it much faster if we push themselves to the limit. When we hit problems that will slow us down, we end up getting frustrated and often give up. If, we would relax and think clearly when we hit a roadblock to our dreams, we would be able to figure out alternative routes to our destination. Detours do not mean failure and stalled traffic does not mean that we must give up and forget about our destination. We will reach our goals if we relax, persevere and be willing to figure out alternatives to our situation. We don’t need to drive ourselves like maniacs in order to reach our destination. Life is not the autobahn!

Road plan to your dreams:
1.Figure out what you want the most in life. What is your dream?
2.Set small, realistic steps so you can clearly map out the way to your destination, your dream. Remember that you cannot swim the ocean.
3.Be prepared to take an alternative route if you run into roadblocks.
4.Don’t give up. You WILL reach your destination.

This new year, let us think about the positive things we want in our life. Take the time now, to think about what you really want and then set about making up your road plan. Wishful thinking won’t accomplish anything. Make plans and follow your dreams!

“Shoot for the moon, if you miss at least you will end up amongst the stars”- Author unknown

This article is bought to you by Sharron Myers

Sharron Myers has been a teacher of Spiritual Truth for over 30 years. She also is a Certified Aromatherapist and Personal Development Consultant. Be sure to check out her site: www.sharron-myers.com

To Live the Life You Want, Learn the Skills You Need
www.sharron-myers.com

New years resolutions. You promise yourself you’ll quit smoking, lose ten pounds, take that vacation or buy that dream car. Did you know that 93.5% of new years resolutions are never followed through on? Okay, I made up that statistic, but it’s believable, isn’t it? Time for some new ideas.

New Ideas For New Years Resolutions

How about a resolution to do the things which make all your goals more achievable? You can’t make a lot of money if you don’t have the habits that lead to that. You can’t have better physical conditioning if you just start another exercise program and then quit. You have to change your mind before the rest will change. Here are some new ideas for that interior self improvement.

Kaizen For The New Year

Kaizen: “Japanese for continuous and incremental improvement, a business philosophy about working practices and efficiency.” What does this have to do with self improvement and new years resolutions?

First came the “continuous improvement” theories of efficiency expert W. Edwards Deming in the 30s and 40s. After the war his ideas were picked up by the Japanese and developed into “Kaizen,” a method for efficiently creating quality products through small and continuous changes. Guess what? This is perfect for accomplishing your personal goals, too.

Want to quit smoking? The kaizen way might be to stop smoking in your car, as the first small step. Then you could switch to a brand with less nicotine, stop smoking in the house, and so on.

Kaizen uses “small questions.” In factories this meant no more questions like “What are you going to do to improve the company profits this year?” That elicits fear more than creative ideas. A better question is, “What small change could we make in your department to reduce expenses or improve quality?” This approach was found to be far more productive.

For purposes of improving your life, this means asking small suggestive questions, like, “What could I do to free up five minutes for my meditation practice?” or “What small change could I make if I wanted to improve my relationships today?” Small questions dispell the fear, intimidation, and procrastination that come with facing the issue head-on.

Small questions, small comfortable changes, and continual progress - that’s kaizen. Imagine where you’d be if you had consciously made one small change in your life each week for the last few years. Better yet, imagine where you’ll be next year, if you start the process today.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” - Lao Tzu

Forget The Affirmations

Stand in front of that mirror if you want, repeating to yourself “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” If it doesn’t do what you hope, though, here’s a new idea (okay, an old idea renewed): Evidence is more convincing than affirmation. To that I add: What you look for, you find, and it changes your mind.

Prove this to yourself by watching for nice people for a few days, making a mental note each time you see one. It will change your experience of people in a positive way. Then, to test the idea further, watch for rude people for a few days, and you’ll see them all over. Do this exercise, and you’ll quickly come to understand that you experience the world not just according to what is there, but even more according to what you pay attention to.

To use this to motivate yourself towards positive change, find your successes. If your new years resolution is to exercise more, notice when you remember to park farther away from the store so you have to walk. Write it down even. Point out your successes to yourself, and you’ll start to have more of them. If you want to lose weight, note everytime you walk past the refrigerator without opening it. Focus on and remember any success. You can start doing this right now.

First things first. Resolve to change the habits in your mind. Isn’t that better than the typical new years resolutions?

Steve Gillman has been exploring new ideas for decades. Visit his site for invention ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and more. Get a free gift too: New Ideas ( www.999ideas.com )

Succeeding in the modern business world depends on the effective management of people. With a little effort you may succeed in improving in these skills. Having a spontaneous affinity for communicating with people and forging relationships can be a plus, but you can do many things to make this procedure simple. Relationship Building: Addressing employees by name is a beginning. Speak to people; get eye contact during a conversation. Do be respectful, and be sure to be attentive to what the other person says, even if you disagree or have a different point of view. Developing the ability to listen is among the most effective things you can do to develop your talent management skills. Be sure to receive any contributions from team members.

Live up to your word: Do not give promises you can not keep. If you can’t keep your promises, the fragile bond of trust is wrecked, and without trust employees will not perform at their best. Each time you give a commitment or give a promise, do be sure that you can deliver or it would really be more sensible not to give your word at all. To be frank, if your people can’t count on your word, you can be certain they will behave in a similar way. Encourage any comments: Feedback must be a mutual process. Human Resources management skills mean keeping an open mind to all feedback. If you are able to prove that you are approachable and open, you establish that other people’s views are important to you, and they should respect yours. Supporting discussion in addition opens doors to original ways of thinking, innovative ways of achieving goals, and develops the company in general. By giving the staff some input, every member of staff invests in the project’s outcome. Communication is the key: People management skills come down to the same thing — communication. Be accessible, listen attentively to your co-workers, be open-minded, and allow each of your staff to express themselves. Encourage staff not only to speak to you, but with each other. The creative process depends a great deal on the interchange of ideas, when the team members communicate effectively, it becomes easy to spot issues before they become a problem, and measures may be applied before things get out of hand. A little time and effort will be needed, but the dividends achieved far outbalance the effort. Through inspiring a good team dynamic and by listening to what your staff have to offer, you can have a successful business.

One important way the companies are discovering to save money is by trimming the time it takes to complete average jobs. Employment Verification is routinely one of the biggest hassles that human resources employees face on a regular basis. Between inaccurate information and companies unwilling to return phone calls or answer emails, an average human resources employee can spend up to eight hours, out of a forty hour week, chasing down the employment verifications, in order to keep the hiring process running smoothly. This amounts to about twenty percent of an employee’s time. Any potential savings in this area are sure to be welcomed by managers across the country.

It’s as easy as entering applicant information, company information (including email or fax number), and the information to be verified, most likely dates of hire and separation, supervisor, reason for leaving, salary, and last position held. The next step is the best part: simply wait. VeraTrack sends a notification to the previous company via fax or email, and the other company goes online using a unique code to log in and complete the verification. Voila!

Many companies are moving to this type of Employment Verification because it is much quicker and you are able to verify many more jobs and applicants than if you were to either call or fax all the employers on a resume. This method is also very popular because it will keep the previous employment information confidential and safe. So save your company time and effort. Signing up for this revolutionary way of doing Employment Verification can make sure you are getting the best candidates and also do it quickly.

At this time of year, everyone is discussing the ever elusive New Year’s Resolution. If we simplify this concept and break it down, we are essentially talking about change. Real change is not easy. In fact, without the essential elements, it can be a frustrating and disheartening process. However, if we understand what it takes to effect change in our lives, we can set ourselves up for success!

Why is change so difficult? In order to answer this question, we must look into human nature a bit more deeply. First, humans are creatures of habit and are generally resistant to new ways of thinking about and/or doing things. So, from a neuro-biological stand point, change requires us to rewire our brains in order to alter our thoughts and behavior. Second, this process requires time and discipline. On average it takes about six weeks to form a new habit. Given the fast paced nature of our daily lives and our need for immediate gratification, six weeks may feel like six years. This feeling may cause us to abandon our goal prematurely. Third, as part of the process, a person will encounter an uncomfortable period of adjustment. To see this through, three essential elements must be present: 1) vision 2) perseverance 3) motivation. Maintaining vision, perseverance, and motivation is not easy because along the journey of change we encounter obstacles both internal and external. These obstacles serve to test our resolve. Such obstacles include: fear, denial, procrastination, rationalization, blame and external influence (ie the friend who says “oh come on one dessert won’t hurt your diet”).

If our vision or motivation is not compelling enough, we are bound to fall into these traps. Fourth, this process of change requires support. If you want to be successful, you should not go it alone. It is important to get the right amount of support as well as the right kind of support during this time. The bigger the goal, the more support is required. Sometimes the difference between success or failure is the kind of support one receives. Having that special person to speak with during times of ambivalence or doubt will remind you why you set the goal in the first place and how far you have come. With this support, you will have renewed sense of faith and resolve; thereby bringing you closer to attaining your goal.

Although change can be uncomfortable and difficult, the pay off is worth it. By understanding the process of change, we can apply the necessary elements to our process, which as a result, will virtually guarantee our success.

I would love to hear about your New Year’s Resolutions and process of change. Please send your responses to peggy@simplycoaching.net.

Peggy Tsatsoulis, MA CAGS- is a highly sought after Professional Life Coach and Certified Psychologist with over ten years of experience. She has been dedicated to working with individuals to improve the quality of their lives, and her focus has been on bringing out the best in others. For more information and resources, or to sign up for a free consultation please visit http://www.simplycoaching.net.