Your Emotional Richter Scale

When there is an earthquake, scientist use a Richter Scale to gauge the intensity of the quake. With a little self awareness, you can access your own emotional Richter Scale to determine your life’s passion. When you feel emotional intensity over something, you’ve got the motivation to take action and pursue the activities and things you desire.

Action Doesn’t Always Equal Success

When you think you ought to, should, or need to do something, it’s not a desire, it’s an obligation. Often times you’ll encounter obstacles and difficulties, or resistance, while doing the “ought tos.” You can take all the right action, and still struggle. The reason is that you’re not pursuing your passion.
Think about what you want in your life. What would you do if there were no obstacles in the way of your success?
Make a list. Now, reflecting on your list, assign each item on your list a number between one and 100. The deeper, or more intense the emotion, the higher the number. When an item on your list scores an 80 or higher, you are getting closer to your true desire. A perfect 100, and you’ve identified your heart’s desire.
If you take action to achieve one of your goals, but you find difficulty, or great struggle, it’s an indication you are not pursuing a true desire. It will be easy to get discouraged and you probably won’t feel very driven. When you experience negative emotions or resistance, the action you should take is to stop taking action. change your course and go after something that offers you motivation and authentic personal growth. Let your emotions be your guide. Remember, the more intense the feeling, the more motivation you’ll feel.

Emotion Provides the Motivation

Let’s say that you put down financial freedom on your list. Is money really what you want? Or is it the freedom to spend time with your family? Or the release from the stress of a 60 hour a week job? It’s the feeling you’re after, the emotion. Emotion provides you with the motivation and drive. Go deeper, get out of your head, and into your heart.
Another indicator to determine if you are pursuing your heart’s desires is in the language you use. How do you describe your goals? What words do you use when you talk about them? If you follow your passions, you don’t let obstacles deter you. The action you take is focused and consistent. You don’t let lack of knowledge or experience dissuade you. When you feel motivation you won’t let anything stand in your way. And the results you get will reflect your level of true desire.
Our minds are programmed to resist change. The mind creates fear and throws obstacles up. Access your emotional Richter Scale and get in touch with your heart’s desire. Your life will be filled with rewards, abundance and joy when you let your emotions lead the way.

Article Source: http://www.article.directory4u.org

Daily Motivational Self Improvement to Achieve Your Goals

Becoming very successful in life and achieving all your dreams is not as easy as some people think it is. Success comes to you only from your own personal efforts and what you grow into - to BECOME - from the invisible force that is pushing you towards success in your goals.

So what is the unseen power that drives people forward every day to accomplish certain tasks and realize specific aspirations in life? The answer without any doubt is your ability to create daily motivation for yourself in your life.

Daily Motivation is the invisible force, the unseen power behind every individual's attempt for self-improvement. Many people can achieve small success in the short term, but do not know how to maintain the sustained effort that is required for a long-term goal in life.

Only learning the skill of being able to create daily motivation in your life will create the commitment in you to do what it takes to be supremely successful.

Most big goals will take you months or even few years to achieve what they desire. The most important thing here to be successful is constant self-improvement.

You need to have a high enthusiasm and always look for every self growth opportunity to develop yourself further in everything you do. This is where daily motivation plays an important role to drive you to become a better person day by day to reach for something that would make you triumphant in life.

So, how do you get motivated?

Motivation may come from the people around you -from your family, friends and colleagues at work... from people of long time ago who lived a colorful past but because of their works and writings left indelible impressions on present-day individuals.

Besides that, motivational self improvement ebooks, videos, camps and talks are helpful to inspire you in achieving success.

There are people who will share their past experiences and some useful tips for you to be successful. You must know that pursuing success does not solely depend on how much effort you put in but also how great is the desire to meet your objective.

Therefore, daily motivation is essential to boost your self confidence to continue working towards your success. A highly motivated person will always think positively and act accordingly in everything they do.

You must never lose sight of your goal or WHY you want to achieve that goal. See it, feel it, taste it, smell it, and act it out, to make the dream your daily reality in your mind first, then your actual life will catch up and motivate you to achieve your goals in real life. These basic daily motivation tips will help you in your journey.

As Helene Malmsio from the Free Daily Motivational Self Improvement website says "Successful people, those that enjoy an amazing quality of life and seem to attract the things they want, are different from unsuccessful, unhappy people.

They think differently, act differently, and play by an entirely different set of rules from the rest.

They get what they want because they have learned the daily motivational self improvement secrets. Only a handful of individuals actually achieve their dreams and goals, meaning only a handful know the answer everyone is looking for."

To ensure that you will live the life of a winner, make sure you get your hands onto the best inspiration and motivation training and support to design and achieve the life of your dreams!

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

The Seven Words Which Can Change Your Life

When you look into your future, what do you see? Do you have a clear vision of where your life is heading? If you know where it is you wish to go, odds are you will get there. However, if you have no idea of where it is you're going, it is certain that you will get there.

The great personal trainer Zig Ziglar put it this way: Zig said that he can take the most accurate archery expert in the world and inside of just a few minutes, he'd have anybody shooting arrows with much greater accuracy than the archer. Of course, he'd have to first blindfold the archer and spin him around three or four times so the guy would have no idea where the target was located.

Zig's point is, how can anybody possibly hit a target which they can't see. If you're hoping to get more out of life but you do not have a clear vision of what it is you want, how in the world do you expect to get there?

Some people call it goal setting while others refer to it as "keep your eyes on the prize". Regardless of how it's referenced, it is of critical importance to your long term success that you know where it is you wish to go.

Once you do have a clear vision of where you'd like to be, you can then reverse engineer the path to take in order to get there. It is always easier and more efficient to figure out where you're going and then work backwards on the steps necessary to get there.

Here, I'll give you a perfect example. I happened to be watching the 2008 summer Olympics hosted by Beijing, China. One of the events I caught was the marathon; a 26 mile run which concluded in the main track and field arena. After running 25.75 miles the runners entered the arena, did a full lap around the track and crossed the finish line. Crossing that finish line marked the conclusion of a 26 mile race.

Now, do you think the Olympic committee randomly picked a starting point at some distance from the arena and held out hope that the route chosen would somehow work out to 26 miles? Or, do you suppose they started at the finish line inside the arena, which included a single lap around the track, and worked their way backwards to find their precise starting point?

Obviously, mapping out a 26 mile marathon would've been impossible unless the Olympic committee started at the end and worked their way backwards to find the starting point. Let this serve as a metaphor for what you can do to reach your desired destinations in life.

It's also important to remind you that taking action to reach your envisioned target is key. Take action now, start today. What good is having your vision and reverse engineering the steps necessary to get there if those steps aren't actually taken.

You've read this article because you were promised 7 life changing words. Well, here they are: start now with the end in mind. If you do this, if you take action starting today, right now, with your ultimate vision in mind then you will have no choice but to achieve the life you desire and deserve. This I can promise you.

Article Source: http://www.happy-living-articles.com

Using the Right Tools and Personal Growth For Success

Many people are on the lookout for how to become a millionaire but they never get the proper resources or tools. 6M Profit Methods provides the best tools to put you in motion for total success. Three things can forge you into the success you have always dreamed about. These three things include personal growth, proper methods, and perseverance.

The Internet is the best tool and you can use it to your advantage. Don’t settle for a job you don’t enjoy getting up for and driving to everyday. You can have the freedom in your job and with your finances when you use the tools through http://www.MillionaireDesire.com. There is no reason to limit yourself anymore.

It isn’t common for personal growth to be included in methods of success on the Internet. Most likely this is why over 90% of online businesses fail every year. Your personal growth is an important factor to how to become a millionaire. You must know how you can combine your growth with the right, proven methods.

The internet is filled with gurus who claim to know how to become a millionaire. Scott Enterprises has proven to provide the easiest ways you can forge ahead into a six figure income with simple methods. The plans are laid out through easy steps. You don’t have to be an Internet expert to learn how you can create several streams of income online. These tools are proven because many people right now are enjoying their six figure status because they took the steps necessary by using the 6M Profit Methods.

Perseverance is what it is all about. Your attitude will make or break your business. You must be dedicated and committed to do everything the program through http://www.MillionaireDesire.com says you should. Follow through with your business and be entirely dedicated. The best part about it is that the steps provided are so easy to do that you won’t find it frustrating or lose interest.

Working toward the financial freedom you have always longed for is what Scott Enterprises has made it so easy to do. You don’t have to be limited anymore by the potential you are capable of achieving. Success is not limited. You put the limits on your success. It is all about changing your mindset. Believing is the key to your success. Don’t sit around anymore and think about your bills and debts. You attract the things your mind is focused on. Learn how to focus on the six figures and how to begin making it today.

An Internet Business with the proper methods is exactly what you need to achieve the status you have always wanted. The 6M Profit Methods gives you all of the tools and resources you need in order to know how to become a millionaire. People give up because they often seek out the wrong methods. When you learn how to combine your personal growth with the right methods you will learn amazing success. This will forge you into the status you have always dreamed of and an income potential with no limit.

Article Source: http://www.articlegalore.net

Resources To Support Personal Growth And Development In Life

What are some great resources to support personal growth and development? How do you maximize the use of resources to support personal growth and development? Also, where do you find these personal growth and development resources? Join me, as we take a look, and maximize the effectiveness of personal development.

Personal growth and development is all about developing and bettering yourself. This is the domain of mastership. Personal development is about mastering both your problems, finding solutions and also that of living an extraordinary life at the same time.

You need resources to support personal growth and development, and these can come in many forms. The main form of personal growth and development material is in the form of books, and seminars. Today, online is also a great way to get access to personal growth and development information.

This makes online a great way to find resources to support personal growth and development. Now that we know where we can find the information, it is time to consider how we can maximize it.

This is essential, considering that many people go from one area of personal development, to a totally different area, without consideration. It could be free tickets to a seminar, it could be a book that catches your eye, or the next craze in personal development.

All these become like the distractions which mediocre people perform. It is time to make use of resources to support personal growth and development. And the funny thing that comes up - is a goal setting system. After all, without effective goal setting, how are you to achieve anything, and this is same with personal growth and development.

We have all heard life coaches, and motivators speak about goal setting, but we forget to put that with our actual personal growth and development. We set goals to make a million, but forget the goal of building the confidence, that allows you to get into that meeting room, and start striking the deals.

There are many resources to support personal growth and development, and they can all help you. From your personal development journal, to your goal setting system, they can all help you keep track, and on course.

Knowing what you want is a prerequisite. In fact, knowing what you want is a must. If you want to achieve any worthy ideal, goal, ambition, you will need to know what it is, what it looks like.

Look at your own situation, what is your main goal? What do you want, not only materially, but also what you need, to be, to have. Then look at these great resources to support personal growth and development, and make use of them. You got the whole world in your hands!

Article Source: http://www.articles4meandu.com

How Fear Inhibits Self-Expression and Personal Growth

"The thing I fear most is fear, "said De Montaigne.

This sentiment is echoed by other great writers.

"Nothing is terrible except fear itself," said Francis Bacon.

"The only thing I am afraid of is fear," said the Duke of Wellington.

"Nothing is so much to be feared as fear," said Henry David Thoreau.

Fear is the ultimate limiting emotion. It overthrows reason. It paralyzes action.

In very rare times, in an emergency, fear may help us to act to save ourselves or someone else, but for the most part, it ruins all initiative, growth, and spontaneous right action.

Shakespeare commented that "Of all base passions, fear is the most accursed."

The number one fear most people have is of public speaking. Yet, this fear has no survival value at all. The worst that can happen is that you are not articulate and people disapprove of your ideas or your way of delivering them.

Fear is simply the nauseating sensation in your abdominal area that over-rides any good sense you might have about anything. If allowed to persist, the surge of adrenaline causes your body to break down at a cellular level. We call it stress, but that is only the name we give for a body that is taut with fear.

Yet when you examine the cause of any fear, it is usually nothing more than a highly-charged negative opinion.

Unfortunately, it is in those areas that we must grow that we feel the most fear. In fact, beyond the boundary of your fear is your next greatest opportunity.

The result of this fear is that we stay trapped in limiting realities--poor paying jobs that barely allow us to survive, relationships that whittle our self-esteem to mush, educational opportunities that could expand our perception and massively improve our lives.

The most ironic thing is that those who push themselves to deal with their fear--find nothing there.

Someone, for example, who is afraid to speak up will find when he or she does that nobody is shocked, appalled, or indignant. In fact, things seem to improve because of it.

Fear left unchecked can lead to all kinds of neurosis and inhibitions. An extreme fear, which has no basis in reality, leads to paranoia.

The whole thing about fear is that unless your life is being threatened, it makes things far worse than they need to be.

The aggressions of governments, the escalation of nuclear armaments, express individual fears magnified a thousand-fold.

And the reaction to fear is so extreme that something is actually created to fear.

On an individual level, fear is partially or completely debilitating. It is the misuse of the imagination to create horrible scenarios. As Michael Pritchard once said, "Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed."

Understanding that fear is a False Estimation About Reality is one step toward eliminating it. The final step is to do the thing that you fear, either all at once or through baby steps, and discovering that the monster in the closet was only your own imagination run amok.

Article Source: http://www.articlesdb.net

Meditation – A Waste of Time?

Many would say yes - meditation is a waste of time!

Time is one of the few commodities we cannot save or store. Everyone is allotted 24 hours in a day and most of us have busy lifestyles with little time to lose. It would appear spending ½ to one hour sitting perfectly still doing nothing might easily fall into the category of a useless activity devouring precious time.

A Zen practitioner meditates between 6 and 8 hours each day for 20 to 25 years before they permanently balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have 20 to 25 years to become “enlightened.” I can barely squeeze out an extra hour per day, let alone 6 to 8.
Why would anyone even consider meditation?
Well, let’s look at the benefits achieved through regular practice first. Then I will explain how to quickly enter into Zen-like states and meditate like the masters.

First the benefits:

• Regular practice actually sharpens the mind so you will achieve more in a shorter time period.
• Science has proven the mind/body connection exists. When achieving the Alpha, Theta and Delta brainwave states we actually reduce production of the stress hormone cortisol. Stress is now considered by many to be responsible for upwards of 95% of all human dis-ease.
• Allows for the body’s immune system to function efficiently.
• Reduces high blood pressure and cholesterol.
• You may experience a greater sense of closeness to Source. (God, Infinite Intelligence, etc.)
• Most problems experienced by humanity are created while in the Beta or thinking brain state. Therefore we cannot resolve them by staying in Beta; we need to go into deeper brainwave patterns.
• Meditation quiets the “noise” or constant self-talk in the mind; allowing for us to receive answers to problems, questions or situations.
• Meditation creates new neural pathways between the left and right hemispheres, balancing the brain. Through this process fear, phobias, anxiety and worry begin to dissipate.
• Reduces chronic pain.
• Increased longevity.
• An overall sense of well-being and harmony with everyone and everything.

Now let’s face it; that's quite a shopping list with compelling reasons why we should meditate. Unfortunately many are unwilling to trade time for the benefits. However if you do make the time, ultimately you develop laser sharp focus with even greater performance levels. In the end, you accomplish a great deal more in much less time.

Quickly Entering Into Zen-Like States

Okay, now that we know why meditation is beneficial, let’s look at how we can quicken the process to enjoy these fantastic benefits immediately instead of 25 years from now.

One of the first techniques I used was sound technology employing binaural beats which have been proven to balance the left and right hemispheres. The results are immediate. Within a few minutes of putting on the headphones your left and right hemispheres are balanced in a Zen-like state.

Basically you can meditate for 1 hour each day instead of 6 to 8. You also achieve the same results in much fewer than 20 to 25 years. Within weeks of using binaural beat technology I began experiencing profound shifts in my thinking, attitude and many would even say my appearance. I practiced daily for approximately two and a half years.

Then I began using monaural and isochronic tones which experts claim are about 900 times more effect than binaural beats for brainwave entrainment. I am particularly excited about the isochronic sound waves as I find they help me to easily cope with day to day stress. I especially like the positive changes I experience listening to the stronger of the two – isochronic.

So there you have it. Now you know why meditation is not a waste of time. You also have a few options to research if you decide to enjoy the benefits of meditation without wasting valuable time.

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

Breaking Your Habit of Smoking

If you are about to quit smoking you are going to be doing something that is not only healthy and one of the best things you can do for yourself, but, you are also about to do one of the hardest things a smoker can do. Giving up a crutch and not falling flat on your face is a great accomplishment. The increase in your health, the decrease in your risks for certain medical conditions, and the improved self esteem you will get from quitting smoking are only a few of the benefits of quitting smoking. But, quitting the habit of smoking can be difficult and confusing. Most don't know where to start on their journey.

The first thing you have to get in your mind is that you CAN quit this habit. Own your addiction; don't let the addiction own you. You need to realize that you don't need to smoke; you are smoking because of your addiction and the habit of smoking. Decide to quit and start getting prepared to quit.

A lot of smoking is due to a routine that the smoker has made for themselves. For example, if it is normal for you to smoke one pack of cigarettes a day, you are going to smoke a pack a day. It would be out of the ordinary for you to smoke much less than that a day. A smoker is not going to accidentally only smoke 3 cigarettes when for the past however many years they have been smoking a pack a day. Smokers fall into a routine of maybe smoking two cigarettes in the morning, 2 on the way to work, 2 when they get to work, 2 more at their first break, 3 or 4 at lunch, 2 more on their last break, 2 on the way home, 2 when they get home, 2 after dinner, and several before they go to bed. They stick to this routine day in and day out with no purposeful break in between.

To break this habit will take hard work and determination. First you have to set the date you are going to quit smoking. After you have set your date you need to stick to it. On day 1 of quitting smoking you need to not smoke. If you think you are going to need the help of Nicotine Replacement Therapy such as nicotine gum, nicotine patches, or various other forms of NRT, you should plan ahead for that. Research and buy these things before Day 1 rolls around.

Make goals for yourself, for your first 24 hours without a cigarette come up with some kind of reward for your good behavior. A cigarette cannot be your reward. Follow up at the 48 hour mark, one week mark, and so on. Continue to reward yourself in some fashion as you go along. Make the rewards desirable so you will stay committed to the task of quitting.

Know that failure is possible. Failure is especially possible if you believe you will fail. Knowing that failure is possible is not like knowing you WILL fail. If you are aware that the possibility is there that you will fail will help you not feel discouraged if you do fail your first attempt. Because, after your first attempt to quit smoking you will know what your major triggers are, so the next time you try to quit you will be better prepared.

It takes a lot of smokers 2 separate attempts to quit before they are done smoking for good. They take what they learned in their first attempt and apply it to their second try. Most succeed on the second go around, but, others still need another attempt before they reach their goal.

It may take you only once, but, it may also take you several times. Each time you attempt to quit you should evaluate what you are doing and make sure you aren't repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Find out what is making you fail and work on that. Be prepared for those bumps in the road your next try so you can avoid them. Before you know it you will be smoke free, healthy, and happy.

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

How to Build Amazing Self Esteem

Whether we are entering into a challenging period of our life or enjoying a particularly successful time we are changing our opinion of ourselves constantly. Self esteem is measured through whether we feel positively or negatively about ourselves. Positive self esteem is our goal as we perform better in our life if we feel we are worthy of success.

The relationship we enjoy with our family effects our levels of self esteem. The relationship we have with our partner for instance has this effect. If we get on well with that person we feel that connection at work, and at home. This positive feeling is not felt by people that do not enjoy this good family relationships, which can leave a void period that effects how the person feels about themselves.

Those people who have a more challenging upbringing are prone to more swings in their self esteem, because the self esteem they feel is more fragile. Low self esteem can cause behaviourial problems and rebellion against authority. These types of people often feel a deep sense of injustice at life because they feel worthless inside. Often by increasing the worth they feel of themselves either by engaging them in a hobby or activity they can do successfully causes amazing results.

To actively improve your levels of self esteem you need to place your focus in an area of your life to which you have enjoyed some success. When you need a dose of confidence, simply find this piece of life you are confident about and apply that feeling of success. Use this feeling of empowerment and positivity to concentrate on developing other areas of your life, so you start developing your overall sense of achievement. This will increase self esteem to high levels.

Not that self esteem is not a ticket to allowing yourself to appear very over confident. Business people are often overly confident. Whether or not this confidence is genuine is open to debate, but nevertheless the individual themselves always know their true feelings. We cannot hide our true feelings for ourselves, so we must ensure we do all that we can to improve our levels of self esteem.

During adolescence self belief is an area of our lives that we debate fiercely. How teenagers feel about themselves can be a battleground of emotion. Young woman in particular are plagued by thoughts about their weight, what others think about them and all of these emotions impact on their feelings about themselves, and their self esteem. As a parent, the biggest challenge is working out whether the happy child is really happy and is not carrying inner turmoil around inside as their personal feelings towards themselves develop.

Self esteem is complicated because you can feel successful and confident about one area of your life whilst totally at sea in other. What is important is that you focus your attention on staying positive and working on those areas that need attention, so you are always moving forward and not allowing the negative feelings to take over and cause unhappiness to take a hold of you. Always remember that you ultimately have a choice about what you feel and what you think about.

Your aim should not be to increase self esteem is levels that are higher than others, but to create a level of self esteem and self worth that you can keep at a consistent level. Many acts of murder and assault are created when a person is dealt a blow to their self esteem or their respect is questionned. If you can develop a consistent level of self esteem you can control your actions in difficult circumstances.

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

Self Deception is Still Deception!

When I am hungry and go to the refrigerator for food, I usually know what I want, get it, prepare it, eat it, and feel satisfied. When I am avoiding something, I stand in front of my open refrigerator and mentally take inventory of the taste of each item, looking for a different kind of fix.

If I eat something then, I can't fill myself up, and keep going back for more.
I can't get enough, because food is not what I need. My problem isn't lack of food, it is something else. I just don't know what! I 'sorta, kinda' know that I am deceiving myself, but I would rather not think about it.

Eating is easier than considering something that might make me feel discouraged, ashamed, overwhelmed, angry, sad or frightened. If I let myself know what I am avoiding, I might even feel compelled to do something difficult or unpleasant to fix the problem.

Each of us has our own favorite way of avoiding unwanted information. Watching TV, smoking, alcohol abuse, surfing the Internet, overworking, shopping, gambling, (name your own if I missed it) are all convenient ways of fogging out. They provide temporary relief from facing some of the seemingly overwhelming challenges of life.

The trouble comes later; when those challenges are ignored, they grow and grow until they get too big to ignore. Drastic action may be required to fix something that needed only minor attention in the beginning, and sometimes the problem becomes unsolvable.

*The oil leak in the car that is ignored until the engine damage costs hundreds of dollars to repair;

*The manager who is too uncomfortable to talk to an employee who is doing sloppy work, until the employee alienates a valuable customer;

*The husband who doesn't have time to be with his wife until she has him served with divorce papers;

*The new business owner who doesn't want to think about how long it will take for her business to become profitable, until she can=t pay her bills and loses the business;

*And, tragically, the young woman who ignores her friends' pleas to see a doctor about a rapidly growing mole, and dies of cancer two years later.

Fortunately, we can learn to tune into important problems, before they get out of hand. It takes a little practice and determination, but you can learn to use your favorite self-deceiving behavior as a signal that something is wrong instead of as a way of avoiding (discounting) the truth.

Try these tips from The Integrity Course to protect yourself from the consequences of self deception.

"Use a habit that you would like to change as a signal that tells you that you are probably discounting something.

a. Each time you have an impulse to reach for a cigarette, eat when you are not hungry, drink another cup of coffee, or automatically turn on the TV, STOP!

b. Reflect on whether there is something you do not want to feel or think about, or if there is something else you really need or want. Often you will learn that your habit helps you to distract your attention from something about yourself or others, or your situation.

c. Decide what if anything you will do with the information you have discovered, and when you will take action, if you choose to do so.

d. Decide whether or not to eat, have the cigarette, watch TV, etc.

Caution! Any process of becoming more aware of yourself takes time. You developed your habits for reasons that once made perfectly good sense to you. Changing them is a decision only you can make.

Sometimes becoming aware of hidden truths is a joyful, refreshing process that allows you to take new risks and proceed in new directions, and sometimes it is painful and frightening experience. Avoid self criticism and congratulate yourself for every bit of progress you make."

I have learned to notice when I am taking inventory of my refrigerator, or going back over and over again for food that doesn't satisfy me. Sometimes I stop and follow my own instructions. Often I find that the problem I am avoiding is easily solved. Sometimes it is too big for me to deal with immediately, and I choose to eat anyhow, to comfort myself, and postpone problem solving to another day.

Article Source: http://www.largedirectory.info

Leadership Development

Leadership, what is it and what is the difference between being a manager and being a leader?. Definitions of leadership, there is not a single definition that everyone agrees on. Manfred Kets de Vries, a professor at INSEAD, says that leadership is a set of characteristics, behaviour patterns, personality attributes that makes certain individuals more effective in achieving a set goal or objective.

Another way of describing leadership is to say that, to get the best out of people, individuals, teams, organisations, they need to be led, guided, persuaded, motivated, inspired, to be committed, to do their best, to work together to achieve a common objective. This, rather than the pure management approach of being told, directed, ordered, and treated as subordinates.

True leaders are recognised as being the leader, and their followers accept that they need to be guided by that leader, but they do not feel that they are mere subordinates. A good example is the captain of a sports team - hockey, baseball, netball, cricket, soccer, football, athletics - these are individuals who have an individual role to play, yet find time and ways to motivate and encourage others to do their best, to use their own individual skills, knowledge and experience (scoring goals, defending, winning races, hitting home runs) whilst at the same time working together as a member of the team to achieve team objectives.

There are other ways of defining leadership, managers perform transactions, and leaders bring about transformations.

The transactional manager influences others by appealing to self-interest, primarily through the exchange of rewards and services. The relationship between this type of manager and the follower is seen as a series of rational exchanges that enable each to reach their own goals. Transactional managers supply all the ideas and use rewards as their primary source of power. Followers comply with the leader when it’s in their own interest - the relationship continues as long as the reward is desirable to the follower, and both the manager and the follower see the exchange as a way of achieving their own ends.

The transformational leader inspires followers to not only perform as expected, but to exceed expectations - transformational leaders motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond immediate self-interest, where what is right and good becomes important - these leaders transform the needs, values, preferences and aspirations of followers. They do this so that the interests of the wider group replaces the self-interest of individuals within that group.

It’s interesting that research has shown that the way women leaders describe how they behave, lead, is in line with the transformational style, whereas most male leaders when describing themselves use words and phrases that describe the transactional style. There are exceptions of course, and in some situations the leader can by viewed differently by different groups. Many people in the UK would not describe Margaret Thatcher as transformational in style, but more likely they would use words such as dictatorial, domineering, riding roughshod over opponents, yet others, in her close team for example, describe her as charismatic, motivational, inspirational, kind, supportive.

We can see from this look at Leadership that there are different ways of describing what a leader does, and how, at least in some ways, this is different to how a manager behaves. Individuals recognised as leaders makes it obvious that there are great differences in the way in which certain leaders behave. On the surface there are great differences between the leadership style of Prime Minister Thatcher, and that of the Indian industrialist Rajiv Bajaj. Yet both are widely acknowledged as highly successful leaders. The common factor, it seems, is that all are able to persuade others to follow them, in order to achieve success in their particular field. They all have something that brings diverse people together, to work as a team, to aim for and work hard to achieve a common objective. It is, perhaps, a special talent, or characteristic, or personality trait, or set of circumstances that they find themselves in, or perhaps a combination of all of these. Perhaps leaders are born with this ability, perhaps it is something that can be, or has to be, learned.

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

Simple Steps To Improve Your Self Esteem

It is possible to change your self esteem. You can take conscious control of your thoughts and put positive interpretations onto present and remembered situations. Over time, this can improve your self esteem, causing you to become a more confident, positive person.

Begin by focusing on your strengths. We have all developed strengths through our education, training, work and life experience. All too often, however, we take these strengths for granted, not giving ourselves the credit we deserve. So get into the habit of writing down a few of your successes each day, and relating these to your individual strengths. Take responsibility for your actions and praise yourself when you do a job well! And don't worry that this might make you big-headed. Its all done in the privacy of your notebook and your thoughts. But paying attention to what you do well begins a momentum of actually building on your existing strengths, quite apart from giving yourself a confidence boost.

You should also spend a little time analyzing your weaknesses. Every one of us has gaps in our education, a tendency to procrastinate or to set off without proper preparation or some other "failure habit" that needs to be straightened out. There are some failings (principally physical limitations) we simply must accept, but many of our weaknesses can be worked around or eradicated. We have to be honest with ourselves about what we need to change and how much change is possible. But concentrate on small individual steps and little by little we will improve. Making time to praise yourself should be part of your end of day routine. You know that complimenting someone on a job well done reinforces that behavior (that's why it's a cornerstone of good child rearing) - well, it is just as important to praise ourselves as anyone else! It won't come naturally at first, but as with anything else, if you practice giving yourself a mental "pat on the back" each evening, you will soon find yourself in an upward spiral of improving behaviors and greater success.

It is essential to plan ahead, knowing what we need and want to get done. Achievements are what really improve our self esteem. Each and every one of us has the same time available to us this week. Seven days of twenty four hours each. It's up to us to find the best use of this time. The only sure thing is that however we spend our next week - we'll never get that time back. Making a plan gives us a far greater chance of using the time most effectively. Write down your week's goals along with a timeline to achieve them. Be sure to leave some slack in the system for the inevitable "firefighting" and hiccups that crop up. And be sure to build in some "me-time" where you can reassess your progress and even just chill out. Just don't try to change your entire world in one week - only set goals you have a reasonable chance of completing in the time you've allowed.

Encourage yourself by seeing your goal already achieved in your mind's eye. Develop a "can-do" attitude by celebrating each small goal you achieve as well as the major projects you've worked on for months or longer. Very soon, you'll see how an encouraging word can revitalize you. Be sure to encourage those around you, too. Family, friends and colleagues will always react positively to an appropriate word of praise or encouragement, offered at the right time.

Most of all, to boost your self esteem, you must value yourself. No-one else knows all the individual qualities that make you the special unique person you really are. No one else has seen all of the little kindnesses you've shown to help someone along. No one else has seen all the effort you put in to showing the world a happy face when really you're not feeling that great inside. No one else appreciates all the times you went the extra mile ... but you should pause now and again to remember, and give yourself a silent "Well Done. No-one else did that".

To summarize: your self-image affects how you interact with others and how you set and achieve goals. Your current level of self-esteem is mainly due to your unique personal experiences and relationships. But your self-esteem can be changed - by taking control of your thoughts and putting positive interpretations onto life situations you can improve your self esteem and become a more confident, positive person.

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

Best Tips on Self-Improvement

The undisputed, most important part of your life is you. And no one knows you better than yourself. The starting point to self improvement is self-awareness - understanding who you are. Everyone is always seeking to be a little more good and a little less bad. There is nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, it is considered healthy.

Begin by brainstorming a list that describes you, good, bad or indifferent. You may even have a friend or a group of friends to help you gain a less-biased opinion. Once you have the list, group together the descriptors by what you would like to improve upon or keep the same (even positive qualities merit change from time to time).

Next, before you take the first steps of your journey to a better you, first ask yourself if there is a need for change. Do the negatives outweigh the positives? Is there one thing you would like to be better at? Is the change a physical change or a mental change? Ask yourself the hard questions and be prepared to answer them.

Understand fully what you would like to improve. Write it down in front of you. Do not be afraid to do a little research either. Find others like you that are currently experiencing the same thing, or have already achieved their goal. It may even be beneficial to find others that have failed in their ventures of self-improvement to find out what they did wrong so you do not make the same mistakes they did.

Remember, change is a transformation over time. A building is not assembled with a snap of the fingers. It takes hundreds of thousands of baby steps in order to achieve. Self improvement is not dissimilar. Minor changes and adjustments towards a better you will eventually prove successful!

Article Source: http://www.jodee.biz/articles

3 Powerful Keys to Unlock the Law of Attraction

Three Simple Keys To Mastering the Law of Attraction!

Perhaps you have tried in vain to make the law of attraction work for you before. Maybe you have followed all the rules you were given yet still received little evidence that the law of attraction works. Well now it's time to apply three simple keys for getting everything you ever wanted through the law of attraction!

Unfortunately a great majority of people fail to use the law of attraction properly in their lives. They activate this great law unconsciously and even when they try to gain benefit from it they get little in return. Well there are three simple rules to follow if you wish to gain benefit from the law of attraction. First you must Be what you desire, then you must Do what you need to do to achieve it, before you can Have what it is you want!

The biggest trap that people find themselves in when they try to consciously direct the law of attraction happens when they try to change outside circumstances or people. You have no control over the world! The law of attraction is a powerful force but it cannot be used against another or to change anything but yourself! When you try to use the law of attraction to alter outer situations you create immense frustration and usually blame. This has terrible consquences!

The first law of attraction key is to Be the very thing you want. You must become at one with your desire. If you wish for a loving relationship then you must first become a loving partner. If you wish to own a successful business then you must first Be a successful business person. You do this first in your mind!

Whatever you keep in your mind will manifest in reality. The law of attraction can, and will, bring you anything you want but you must turn the first key!

Although it is common to want to change your environment or other people this is the wrong approach to the law of attraction. The first key states that you must first Be what you want. This means you cannot change anyone or anything but yourself!

Create a vision of what you want as though it were already yours. Convince yourself that you are the type of person who deserves to have it. Start to feel like you already have it by imagining you have it! Focus on the things you want. Never try to change things that you do not like. By trying to change the environment on other people you are thinking about what you do not want and the law of attraction will bring you more of it!

By allowing the world and other people to be fine the way they are you will begin to embrace the moment and unleash your true power to create through the law of attraction. You cannot change the world and you cannot change others but you can change yourself and have what want through the law of attraction. This is the very core of your unlimited power. When you change yourself internally the world around you begins to change as the world starts to reflect your changed beliefs, attitude, thoughts and feelings. This is how the law of attraction works! You get more of what you focus on - the law of attraction sees to that!

As you get more of what you focus on in life you should start to look for things to be grateful for! The law of attraction will then bring you more things to be grateful about!

Once you have started to practise gratitude for the things you have begin to form a picture of what you want. Make mental pictures of yourself already enjoying what you are currently desiring and the Law of Attraction will start the process of bringing it to you.

Although the first key is vitally important in your law of attraction work it is only one of three! The second key is just as important. You must be willing to take some form of action to help you get what you want. Once you take steps, no matter how small, to get what you want you will reinforce the power behind the law of attraction, Action is vital!

The third and final law of attraction key is to Have what you want. Just allow it to come to you and accept it when it arrives. This may sound like the easiest of the law of attraction keys but many people find it very difficult to accept things without a struggle. Be flexible enough to allow the law of attraction to deliver these things to you in a variety of ways. Regardless of how it now looks the law of attraction will see you get your end result!

The 3 Law of Attraction Keys;
1. Be - you must become one with your desire in your own mind.
2. Do - you need to take action to activate the law of attraction.
3. Have - accept what you want.

Article Source: http://www.indexed-articles.com

Coaching Can Help You Reach Your Goals

Coaching involves directing, instructing, and training individuals, organizations, or groups in order to improve skills or reach a goal. Coaching can be applied to sports, life, business, health, dating, and conflict, among others. This article focuses on business and life coaching.

A business coach is very much like a sports coach. A sports coach pushes an athlete to achieve optimum performance. The coach provides support and encouragement when the athlete is exhausted. The sports coach also teaches the athlete how to carry out moves the competition does not anticipate. Overall, a coach makes athletes focus on the game they are playing.

A business coach teaches business owners and executives how to improve their businesses through support, encouragement, and guidance. A coach may help the businessperson with sales, leadership, marketing, advertising, time management, teambuilding, communication, and/or business systems. Business coaching teaches how to increase profit more efficiently and effectively. Overall, the business coach shows business execs how to identify and overcome roadblocks in order to focus on their businesses and their profits.

A life coach helps people achieve their personal goals. The coach listens, gives feedback, and acts as a sounding board. Life coaching may focus on any of several areas such as time management, personal growth, relationships, health, spirituality, family, finances, or career building. Overall, life coaches help people improve their lives.

Unlike a consultant, who does the work for you, a coach teaches you how to do it yourself. Coaches may use many different methods and materials for doing this, including one-on-one meetings, self-coaching forms, group sessions, large seminars, telephone and email communications, motivational speakers, books, and innovative coaching tools such as games and interactive workbooks.

Coaching games can be powerful tools to help you learn clear, quality communication. Through the use of coaching cards, a coaching game allows each player to choose ways to participate, communicate, and share. In the light-hearted environment of game playing, participants feel safe, so they expose their true communication styles. Games stimulate thinking, cooperation, and discussion. Participants learn how effective their methods of communication are and how to make crucial improvements. This non-threatening teaching tool works well for individuals, groups, businesses, and organizations.

Individuals and organizations often turn to coaches when problems arise-a relationship ending or business profits declining, for example. Lately there is more and more recognition of the value of coaching when things are going well, also. Coaching can help sustain the momentum of good times, helping people and organizations move forward and reducing the likelihood of setbacks.

Whatever your goals, coaching can help you learn what you need to do to reach them. A good coach helps you overcome fear, procrastination and other obstacles to progress. While some people need to be inspired and validated in order to change, others need to be challenged to become avoid procrastination and stay on track. Whether you seek improvement in business or personal life, coaching provides the support you need to reach your goals.

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

How Much Happiness Do You want to Feel Every Day?

Happiness, joy and bliss are what so many seek but only a small number seem to find.

Why is that? Do you have or can you achieve the kind of happiness that will see you through ice, mud, snow or any other adversities in life?

It is easy, simple and uncomplicated to see people who you may think are happy but evidently are not. There is no need to review the record of unhappy people and circumstances. You do not need more misery, melancholy, gloom, sorrow or unhappiness and that is one of the keys.

You must be thinking happy thoughts to be happy. Yes! Yes! To be happy you have got to believe or feel happy!

Stop right now and smile, smile big, large, wide and gigantic! Hold that smile go look in the mirror and smile, smile again, once more, another time and yet again for another time.

As soon as you smile even if you are not happy it connects into the body mind connection. Your body feels a smile as happy!! Your body senses a smile as happy!!

So even if you are not in the best of cheer or have sunny feelings. Your body reads these as peak spirits, jubilant energy or feelings of bliss when you assume good postures.

Your attitudes are picked up by your subconsciousness. It sees them for what they are good, sunny, high-quality, superior, good, quality, beneficial, enjoyable and pleasant feelings.

You may be comparable or similar to many others who engage in online or offline marketing. You by even reading this are more than likely looking to develope your personal or individual wealth, health, and physical ability, skill, capability, capacity, or power.

One of the foundations which has been known for some time is to have the right, correct, accurate or proper attitude.

You must be able to perceive, envision, envisage, imagine, foresee, picture or appreciate yourself as happy, successful, in great health and having an abundance or wealth of Life.

The surest route, method, or approach to guarantee the goals you seek will be available for you is to start today and believe, have faith, trust and think you already are happy, healthy and wealthy.

You are already in possession of those qualities, attitudes and habits. Act, play or behave like what you want to become or grow to be like. What changes do you have to make or achieve?

Make those changes now? Within or inside of just 30 days you can change, adjust, alter, transform, or modify your attitude and feelings!

Invest in yourself now!! Adopt a Yes! Attitude! Get a clear picture of the amazing you!

Feel a deep love for yourself, feel gratitude for being you, and feel the joy, blessings and goodness that surrounds you all the time.

To enhance your efforts make it a habit to share your smile and happiness. Say mentally to all those you meet - I love you! Be aware, conscious, attentive or sensitive of the habitual thoughts you may have in daily routines of life.

Start, commence or begin now and make it a habit, practice or custom to repeat some positive affirmations such as:

I like myself, I love myself, I am good, I am kind, I am beautiful, I am happy, I am happy, I am well, I am healthy, I am powerful!

Remember or bear in mind that you have spent your whole Life building up your personality and attitudes.

You should also know that these habits and behaviors even if not optimal. Can now be changed with determined and focused effort to improve yourself.

What we do today is creating our future. Love yourself, love others and you will see all areas of your life improve.

Grab hold of a blessing today - Smile - Share Love - Share Peace and Happiness! Grab hold of the blessing and throw, fling, pitch or hurl it into the future!

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

Lifepath Unlimited - A Review of The Lifepath Unlimited Products

Ever heard the story of the four-minute mile? For years people believed that it is impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in 1954. Within one year, 37 runners broke the belief barrier. And the year after that, 300 other runners did the same thing. Belief in oneself is the most powerful directing force in human behavior. Do you know that your beliefs have the power to create as well as destroy? With belief, come value, attitude and finally success!

To indulge you with all of this, 'LifePath Unlimited' invites you to learn exactly how you can realistically discover your full potential and transform your personal and financial life for nothing less than the best. Find out how to achieve the results you deserve in your professional life by sending out the right "vibes". And how by understanding certain laws, you can attract the good things to happen with you, and a lot more with "LifePath Unlimited".

Create a new path for your life through Lifepath Unlimited Personal Development Products.

* Discovery:

Through the 'Discovery' Series Home Study Course, you get the opportunity to learn and be inspired from 14 enlightened Luminaries, best-selling authors, scientists, PhD's and globally recognized specialists in personal and prosperity development. They will reveal to you the secrets of abundance, prosperity and ultimate success and finally inspire you to unlock the unlimited possibilities that await you.

On Discovery, the 14 LifePath Unlimited Luminaries guide you through the eight essential paths of massive prosperity: The Path of Purpose, Power, Attraction, Results, Relationships, Wellness, Riches and eventually the Path of Liberation. With Discovery, you actually take your life to a new level with complimentary 56 Days to Destiny interactive website, workbook and journal.

* Breakthrough:

'Breakthrough', LifePath Unlimited's exclusive live event, is an "all inclusive" four-day event for two people held twice annually at gorgeous vacation get-away settings. Breakthrough presents you a variety of interactive presentations and activities covered by world class inspirational speakers and motivational trainers. You will be able to experience an unlimited transformational technology all the time. You shall learn to tap your potential and transform yourself with a Winner's Mindset, overcoming adversity. Breakthrough will help you convert your newfound passion and inspiration into realization of your dreams. Through an exclusive "Firewalk", you can learn to move beyond your most limiting beliefs.

* Destiny:

'Destiny' is a lavish five-day all inclusive event for two people held annually at exotic high-profile destinations around globe. 'Destiny' sets a new standard for life-changing events. Destiny will guide you to eliminate emotional baggage forever, help you open you up to and become more aware of new potential partners. Attendees at 'Destiny' will have the opportunity to learn from some of the most empowered, enlightened and successful individuals on the planet. Its gentle approach and focus on spiritual/emotional issues really can help accelerate personal growth. Destiny will lead you to realize the importance of setting goals and taking action towards achieving them.

Article Source: http://www.ezx-articles.com

Loving Yourself Now and Forever

There are many successful people out there who are living their life as
they want to. They are working hard doing what they absolutely love
to do. The most successful people are those who work toward the
things they are passionate about and love. There are many reasons
for this. The more you love what you do the harder you are going to
work at it because you will be enjoying your work.

If you feel like you are bored with your life or not doing what you
should be doing with it then it is time to make a change. There may
be obstacles or fears holding you back from accomplishing the goals
you have set forth in your life. It is time to get past the obstacles and
make your dreams happen.

Many people are not quite sure what their true passion is. They want to
work toward being successful as they see many other people but they
just are not sure what it is that they can do. Finding your passion is
possible and it will take some deep searching within yourself. Your
passion may be right in front of you and you do not even realize it.
Every passion has the capability of making money. It is just seeing
the angle you need to take to make it happen. You should not sit
around and avoid your passion because you do not think you could
financially survive on it because you can.

You will find your real passion within.
You can learn many techniques that will help you find your true
passion and learn ways you can go about making them a reality. You
can work toward your passions and make them a reality.
With a little help you will know yourself well enough to know
exactly what your true passion is. You will know what you need to do
to make your dreams a reality by using your passion and becoming a
successful person.
Finding your passion and loving yourself is a beautiful combination.
This is a combination that can give you a long happy life!

Article Directory: http://www.everyonesarticles.com

Self Help: Why Most Self-Help Books, Motivational Products and Inspirational Systems Fail

Prior to working as a writer and editor for an online self-help superstore, I spent quite a few years working in the role of Operational Manager in the publishing department of one of Europe's largest mail order retailers. Essentially, my job was to guarantee things happened to schedule, to budget and to the standard established in our many service level agreements. To that end, it was my remit to review our operational processes and radically improve them.
What you may ask has this got to do with self-help books, motivation products and inspirational systems?
Well, it was during this time that I learned about paradigms. And paradigms are critical to why most self-help books, motivation products and inspirational systems fail.
So, what exactly is a paradigm. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a paradigm as: a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them.
In other words, a paradigm is a habitually-ingrained way of experiencing something.
Paradigms evolve for one very simple reason: people like to feel comfortable. We like the familiar. We like to stroll along that well-worn path and know that all is right with the world. When we go to bed at the end of the day, we want everything to be the same, nothing out of place, when we get up the next day and trudge into the shower. We like our routines. No news is good news, right?
Self improvement books, motivation products and inspirational systems are by their very nature paradigms. Even that brand new self-help book, motivation CD or inspirational DVD, fresh off the shelf, represents a paradigm that's just waiting to happen. To be fair, it's pretty much unavoidable, as these products are designed to encourage you to look at things in a brand new way. In the process, you will without doubt lose some of your own inhibiting and potentially destructive paradigms, but you will simply swap them for another array of paradigms, ones which are just as prone to making it difficult (maybe even impossible) to engage with new problems and confront unprecedented situations.
Click Here for instant access to the best self help products and downloads
Luckily, during my pre-writer/editor days, I also learned how to tackle and overcome paradigms.
The key is not to become reliant upon any single solution. In order to survive, the modern business cannot afford to cling slavishly to the tried-and-tested. Instead, a suite of solutions is always kept on hand, a bristling box of problem-busting apparatus.
Likewise, the contemporary seeker of self-improvement cannot afford to become reliant on a single solution or to simply swap one paradigm for another. A selection of solutions is required, mixed-and-matched according to the particular set of problems or issues that need dealing with at any given point in time.
The self improvement marketplace is a wonderful thing, jam-packed with amazing personal development books, motivation products and inspirational systems. But why stop with one? Try them all and build a paradigm-proof toolbox for happiness and success.
At The Happiness Superstore we’ll help you decide exactly what Best Self-Help Product for you is...

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

How to draw a financial freedom plan for yourself

Financial stress is a widespread topic around the dinner table all over our country! Millions of people are caught in credit card obligations with mounting interest rates and mortgage payments! Devoid of a financial freedom plan, we might lose every thing.

What can we you to reduce this stress? Since most of us don’t have a rich daddy to salvage us from our financial jumble, we have to devise a financial freedom plan.

Evidently, we need a financial freedom plan and here are some points that can really help you to alleviate your financial stress. Let’s get started with becoming debt free as follow:

1) Get organized. Before starting any financial freedom plan, observe exactly how bad your debt really is. Are you at the point of bankruptcy or just need to reduce preventable spending?

2) Throwing all those bills in a drawer, forgetting they exist doesn’t count as a financial freedom plan. Every month, they just keep showing up in our mailboxes again.

3) If you don’t at least make the minimum payment every month on your credit cards, you will soon have a more serious problem. Next thing you know, you will see those extra charges for late payments adding up and then your interest rate will go sky high! Not to mention your credit will be destroyed!

4) Gather all your regular bills, mortgages, credit card statements, and any other debts. Find a working pen and notebook. On the top of the page, write FINANCIAL FREEDOM PLAN.

5) List all your regular monthly bills on one side. Also average out your other household and gasoline expenses. Take yearly expenses and divide by 12 to determine cost per month.

6) If you do this type of consolidation as part of your financial freedom plan, close out those cards as soon as the balances have been paid. It is better not to keep them around and be tempted to start using them again. There will be a small fee for doing balance transfers, but it will be worth it discontinue accumulating interest and lower your monthly payments.

When it comes to your credit card debt, add all balances up to see exactly what you owe. Have you considered the possibility of doing balance transfers to a new card with a 0% internet rate for 12 or 15 months? Consolidating several credit card balances in this way could save you tons of money and reduce your stress.

You may have to cut your spending to only things that are necessary. Of course, you have to put gas in your vehicle, but you don’t have to stop for fast food on the way. Although you won’t starve, you may have to quit eating steaks once a week for awhile. One-pot meals and leftovers can save you some money. Check out websites where they offer free recipes for the budget conscious consumer. You can eat healthy and hardy for less!

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

How to Find Out What You Require For Personal Development

How do you make out that which personal development program suits you best from the loads of development programs that are there in the market these days?

If you don't select a program that's targeted to match your need you will not only end up wasting your time but also your hard earned money. The choice is difficult to make because even if you are searching for free material or a paid program the choices these days can be overwhelming.

Even before you start searching for available options the important thing over here is in understanding your requirement i.e. what are you looking to improve in self growth. Self improvement can be of many types. For example, you may be interested in knowing about what motivates you, you may have desire to be a successful network marketer, or you may have desire to learn to art of attracting people. All self development programs focus on specialized areas and all three examples that I mentioned above are very much different in their aim so it's very likely that all will require a different course.

I always find it easy to get the answers of some thoughtful questions which help me decide that what it is that I am looking or interested for.
A good starting point in this exercise can be to understand what you desire to achieve or get by going for a personal development and also understanding yourself first.

Consider the following questions which can help you in selecting:

* Are there any people who are expert on this subject and whose work I follow keenly or I do not prefer to follow at all? Answers to these particular questions will help reduce the number of options that you have.

* What kind of learner do I believe I am? An accepted way to group it is as follows: auditory learner, tactile or kinesthetic learner or a visual learner. If you are identifying the best method of learning for yourself, you will not go for a course in personal development that does not have or support your style of learning. You can get a lot more information about learning methods on various websites. You may even find websites that will provide methods to help you figure out the best way of learning for yourself.

* Am I searching for a paid or free course? Do you have sufficient budget and have an idea about your maximum and minimum money that you can spend on the course for personal development?

* Have I ever tried any self study type course or projects before? Many people who do such courses never complete it, leave it halfway, or never use the knowledge gained in their practical life. If you think that you are a very discipline person who does not fit in the above examples then a home program for study may be a good option. However, if you don't think that this will be a best course then look for a course that you can attend personally.

* Are there any special beliefs that I follow which could influence my choice of a program for personality development? There are certain self improvement programs that are oriented towards some specific beliefs. For example, suppose you are one of the devout Christian then programs that are based around reincarnation can be offensive to you. It makes great sense to select a course that is in line with beliefs of yours or is at least neutral.

* When I am through with the course, what is there that I would want to improve and get better?

* What amount of time do I need to use or spend of this course? There is no point in going for a course for which you cannot give the right amount of time.

Answers of the above mentioned questions should definitely provide you a very good starting point to understand that what is it that you are searching for in a course for self development. Because in the end, only you can say or understand that what you require at any given point of time, so don't make your decisions based on pushy sales people that are just focused on making sale to you.

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

Self-Growth Tips & How to Think with a Positive Attitude?

Many have the desire to be rich, and it is quite natural. However, there are only a few who will experience this wonderful feeling of having enough wealth to be financial free. We often work hard believing we have made it in life only to end up disoriented and discouraged.

Did you know that the secret to owning your destiny is in you? Yes, it is…a little self improvement and a change of your mindset, can change a lot of things that seem static in your life. Self help books are a great way to help you in this.

Self help books are written by people, who have been there, made mistakes, learned a few important lessons and gathered lots of wealth in the process. The concept behind self help books is to help you in developing a passion-driven purpose that will excite you and offer strategies on how you can achieve this. Self help books are written in a clear, readable format. No jargon here. These books are easy to understand guidelines that will introduce you to the Internet business, which is a fast growing, easy way to make money online.

There are many things you can do to make money online. What’s more, internet business gives you the freedom to work from home. A good self help book can teach you how to set up your own business step by step and change your mindset from hopelessness to success.

Once you start reading self help books, you will realize that you can achieve anything. It will teach you how to optimize your potential. They give you ideas of services you could offer online and get paid for it. Whatever your passion, find a self help book that focuses on that.

Admitting to our weaknesses is often hard. With a self help book however, you learn to evaluate yourself, how to use your strengths and keep your weaknesses from sabotaging your success. You are able to not only set but also achieve goals.

Self help books help you to combat your fears, which is the biggest hindrance to achieving your dreams and ambitions. There are books that build your self confidence. This in turn will make others believe in you and that in itself is a mark of success. Self help books are easily available at bookstands, but for rare finds which contain loads of valuable information, you can often find them right on the internet.

A big advantage of buying your self help books online is that you are likely to get them at discounted prices or even for free even.

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10 Ways to De-Stress

Stress is a normal part of life and is necessary for survival. A little stress can be a motivating force in achieving results, deadlines and outcomes both personally and professionally. Most high achievers believe that they thrive on stressful situations as it forces them to make decisions that contribute to their overall success. But when is stress too much to cope with?

Stress becomes too much when the stress is greater than our individual coping mechanisms and we can no deal with situations effectively. It is during this time when people become overwhelmed that they say things like their getting stressed, they are stressed out or stressed to the max. Below are some strategies that can assist with coping with high stress situations and facilitate the de-stressing process.

1. BE POSITIVE

Avoid stress heads as they will not only frustrate you but add to your anxiety.
You are what you think- your thoughts control your life and your attitude can make or break you. So surround yourself with positive people who will inspire and motivate you.

2. GET BACK TO NATURE

Whether it's taking a nature trek, walking along the beach or watching the stars, make sure you take the time to recharge. Nature is a source of strength and balance.

"The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration." - Claude Monet
"The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. INDULGE YOURSELF

You work hard; you deserve to treat yourself to the occasional pampering. A relaxing full body massage will release all the stress from all your extremities. The euphoric feeling can also be achieved by handing over your visa card to the shop assistant, when undertaking retail therapy.

4. SELF ASSURANCE

Believing in your talents is important driver and will see you surpass your own expectation.

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self- confidence is preparation." Arthur Ashe

5. LAUGHTER THE BEST MEDICINE

Laughter is the best natural stress remedy; it releases endorphins, the bodys' natural pain killers and produces a general sense of well being.

"Laugh at your problems; everybody else does." unknown

6. DON'T BOTTLE IT UP

Every time you share your frustrations you release its power over you. A problem shared is a problem halved. The burden is never as heavy when shared by another.

If you do not subscribe to talking to others then write down all your frustrations and give them to a friend not directly involved in your stress. They may be able to offer an objective point of view.

7. SOAK YOUR TROUBLES AWAY

A soothing, hot bath and can improve physiological processes such as circulation. As the tense muscles relax, so does your entire body, as well as your overstressed mind.

Relax with candles, calming music in the background and don't forget the glass of wine.

8. DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

A sure way to forget your stress is to take a night out with friends. Dancing is good for the mind, not just the body. It can help with stress relief because it provides a way for the body to release tension and pent-up frustration.

9. DON'T BURN THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS

The only candle you should be burning is the one under the oil burner. Not only will the essential oils assist with calming you but also with sleeping. One of the best regimens for dealing with stress is well within our reach yet almost always taken for granted; getting enough sleep. We don't call it "beauty sleep" for nothing. Make sure you get at least 8 hours sleep every night and keep to a sleep routine if you can.

10. EXERCISE, EAT WELL AND REMEMBER TO BREATH!

Exercise is a way of redirecting negative emotions. Through exercise stress hormones like cortisol are decreased and natural happy hormones like endorphins are released giving your body and mind a natural high. Exercise usually involves a change of scenery, whether it's a gym, dojo or outdoor setting, all of which can be relaxing.

The benefits of eating well not only help with your overall health and longevity it can also assist with your weight loss goals. When we look better we feel better.

Breathing and meditation techniques can assist in managing your stress. Having a personal mantra which redirects your negative energy into a positive state of mind can be used as a part of this technique.

These activities provide calming and relaxing sensory input for stress relief and can be selected according to lifestyle and preference.

Remember, the most important priority is you!

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Choose To Amply Your Happiness

Individuals can decide to be constantly happy in spite of their current circumstances in life. You can either resolve to let the circumstances make you depressed or you may let it inspire you to overcome the challenges.

If you want to live stress free, you had better find that ability to be joyful which is instinctive in all of us. All babies giggle at no particular reason. Why is it then that as we age, more people get more morose and don’t seem to be able to appreciate the good things in their life. Why is it that as we get older we let external factors influence our mood?

I encourage you to use the following strategies to rediscover happiness:

• Concentrate on the positive view of life. Keep in mind that everyone has problems no matter what their status is. You can however choose how you react to these situations. Scrutinize people and situations to see the good side in them.

• What is it that you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the opportunity? Take the first step in achieving your dreams. You can enroll in a college course. Remain motivated and use your drive to reach your goal.

• Do you have a gift that you're keeping from the world? If you truly believe that this is your purpose in life, then by all means pursue it.

• In those instances when you're extremely stressed, there are many things that you can do to keep yourself from falling into the pit of depression. Contact a close friend. Pour out your feelings. You will find that after a effective talk, a burden would be lifted. Will yourself to be happy.

• Make a list of positive aspects in your life you should be grateful for. Sometimes, you’re so focused on your dilemma that you might forget to look at the big picture. Take stock of what you have achieved and consider whatever problems you have right now as tiny hurdles. Think about your family. Your family life may not be ideal but you do have them and you can still change things. Be thankful as well for your career.

• Other efficient way to reduce the heaviness of your emotions is to write it down. Keep a journal for your emotions and thoughts. Plenty of times, reading through them will let you decide on the best path to take.

If you have a tendency to view life with pessimism, then you will have to exert more effort to achieve happiness. Nothing can prevent you from putting happiness as the center of your life. It’s a choice that you must take. Self-pity is a habit that takes a lot of discipline to get rid of. As soon as you sense negativity seeping in, learn to identify it, grab it by the neck, and replace your thoughts with positive ones. From this point forward, choose to be happy.

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Success Personal Growth

We all want to be successful and enjoy our lives, but not everyone in life is successful. Most people want to be winners, but unfortunately many remain where they stand. A lot of people ask what the secret to success and personal growth is. Is there any formula for success in life? What is the key to success and personal growth?

The magic formula for success does not exist. Success and personal growth are a sum of goals and strategic actions to achieve these goals. Success is not a chance, but a choice.

In order for us to succeed in life, we need to know right steps that need to be taken for success and personal growth; we need to develop strong self-management skills.

Here are some practical tips for success and personal growth:

1. Set your goal, know exactly what you want. Some people set goals that are too general. Be as specific as possible about what your desired result is. The clearer goal is, the shorter the path to success. It’s like keywords that you type in to a search engine to find something. If you try searching for 'web site' in Google, there are millions of results. To make your search more effective, you have to be more specific. The same applies to your goals.

2. Positive mental attitude. Catch and eliminate negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. Things we do not like, things we do not want cause negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. Negative thoughts prevent you from achieving success, happiness and your goals. If you have thoughts about what you do not want each day, there are chances that it will happen to you. You need to align your thoughts with your goals.

3. Focus on your goal every day. Think of your goals, think of desired end result and visualize your desired end result in vivid details. It is important to have positive thoughts, feelings and emotions when you think of your goal. It's the Universal law that what we concentrate on becomes real. Focus on achievement, success, energy, confidence and joy.

4. Confidence. When you are confident, you become a magnet to success. Self-confidence is the key to success in all areas of life.

5. Take actions. This is essential step for success. Think of all the things you must do to achieve your goal. Just start doing them no matter how big or small they might be. Every inch you move forward gets you closer to your goal.

Not being successful is simple. Success and personal growth require hard work on yourself.

Some people want to achieve financial success and others may want to find a real love or improve existing relationship. This 5 -steps formula for success can produce a real success for you in any area of your life. You just need to master these steps for success and personal growth to start attracting success into your life!

My best wishes for your success and personal growth,

Susan Gray

Article Source: http://www.new.citynewslive.com

Successful Time Control Skills

One of the most sound time organization methods is that of goal setting. Goals provide many with an important source of needed motivation, as they give you something to specifically aim for. Whether you set a long-term goal, such as improving the organization of your time in general, or a short-term goal, such as showing up for work on time, goals are important. However, make sure that the time organization goals you do set for yourself are realistic.

Creating daily to do lists is another one of the many ways that you can go about making better use of your time. In fact, after time has passed, you may not even need to use a daily to do list. For the time being, a to do list can help make sure that you stay focused and on task. It can also help create a new routine for yourself, one where you are better aware of your time and what must be done.

In addition to creating a simple to do list, you are also urged to prioritize. In fact, prioritizing combined with daily to do lists is the best form of time organization. Whether your to do list is for the home or work, take a close look at all of the tasks you need to complete. Which tasks are more important? To reduce stress, add those with the most urgency to the top of your to do list.

Another sound time organization method is one that is very easy, but many people have a hard time doing it. This time organization method is just saying no. It is important to remember that there are only a limited number of hours in the day. No matter how much time and effort you put into staying focused and on task, there are still some things that you may not get accomplished. That is why you should never take on more than you reasonably believe that you can manage.

If you do find yourself saying yes to completing an extra project at work or taking on too many responsibilities at home, it is important to remember that you can ask for help. In fact, knowing when to ask for help is an important component of time organization. You can ask your friends, children, or romantic partner for help around the house. You may also want to call upon the services of a professional housecleaner. In the workplace, consider outsourcing your work to another employee, if you are able to do so without getting into trouble.

Staying ordered is another easy, yet effective and sound time organization method. In fact, did you know that time organization and organization go hand in hand? They do. If you are ordered, you will spend less time searching for lost or misplaced items or other important work documents. The more ordered you are at both home and work, the easier it will be for you to manage your time.

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Reality Creation Secrets - How To Do Meditation

A lot of people have been wondering how to do meditation for different reasons, mostly to des-stress. Today's world is fast paced and filled with activities that put too much stress in our minds and bodies. It affects how we think and feel and thereby affecting our perception and even our relationships with other people. We feel irritable, discontent, tired, and distressed. It's time to understand ourselves. To refresh, regenerate and repossess our once happy outlook in life. Our bodies are our temple and we need to take care and relax, take time to meditate! This simple exercise that is perceived by others as merely breathing actually helps in making us feel calm and be more focused in our everyday routine. It helps us achieve that peaceful aura that some of us may have already forgotten. Now if you're wondering how to do meditaion, let's first take a look at how the process of transformation form the cranky you to the more positive and happy you had come about.
Generations and centuries have proven that the practice of mediation is very much rampant. Various religions have attached this practice for them to keep focus on their beliefs and remain healthy, physically and spiritually. They have learned how to do meditation in order to discipline their minds to go to a "happy place" wherein they need to fix their attention on solitary reference point. The word itself is actually of an Indo-European origin, "med," when transcribed to English would "to measure or gauge." Also, a Latin term, "meditation" would define it as "contemplation".
There are many forms on how to do meditation know all through out the world. The more popular term that is used to do meditate is the "mantra" or the sound that is used by people who meditate as a sort of technique to help them focus. Some try to focus on thinking about a single object with closed eyes; this is called "mandala." Even though there are different techniques used, the phases on how to do meditation remain the same, relax the mind first and then, relax the body.
The first thing you need to remember on how to do meditation is to relax all your active muscles in the arms, legs and other parts of your body that are often used. This is followed by slow breathing and then a slow function on the other systems of the body. The last to follow is the relaxation of the way you think. In this way, you try to eradicate everything that bothers you at the moment and keeps you restless, stressed and awake. Once you have achieved this, your have finally reached your altered state, or transcendence. Afterwards, you would feel revived, optimistic, and ready to take on anything.
Some simple steps on how to do meditation are as follows:
A quiet and comfortable place is appropriate foe this type of exercise, or you can try closing your eyes if you cannot find a place for it at that moment, but if you must, find a secluded place for you to have a little privacy.
Find a position that you are comfortable with. Sit down and relax.
Take long deep breaths and close your eyes. Begin to erase the thoughts from your mind.
Think about a single thing or place that would make you happy and peaceful. It would help to say the word again and again in your mind to strengthen the visualization process. Try to say the word in a fixed rhythm and get into it.
If you feel distracted, don't. Let everything flow out of you as you think about that single thing. Do this for about 10 to 30 minutes, but do not worry about the time.
You will know when it's time to stop when you already feel relaxed and anxiety free. You can now open your eyes slowly.
There are several misconceptions on how to do meditation, one is falling asleep. This means that you have to focus on improving your posture. In contrast, meditation actually has the power to keep you awake and revived after the whole process. Achieving this exercise takes time to finally get to the point of complete renewal so don't rush. Take your time.

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Dealing With Stressful Times

Anyone who has ever taken a yoga class will tell you that perhaps the most important as well as the most enjoyable posture is the final relaxation pose at the end of class which is known as Shavasana. Shavasana, which translates to "corpse pose" is a time when the body and mind quiet and the door to stillness, peace and inner healing is opened. The benefits of Shavasana are many including reduced stress, deep relaxation, balanced emotions, lower blood pressure, helpful for insomnia and leaves the practitioner feeling renewed and refreshed as if they have had a min-vacation for body and mind. And I would be remiss if I didn't say Shavasana just feels good! It is here - in this deep state of relaxation, where natural healing on all levels can occur.

"The stresses of modern civilization are a strain on the nerves for which Shavasana is the best antidote." BKS Iyengar in Light on Yoga.

To experience shavasana come onto your back - preferably on the floor but a firm bed can work as well. Your legs should be approximately hip width apart, allowing your feet to drop to the sides. Bring your arms to 45 o your body with the palms facing up and your head neck and spine into one line. Let your breath deepen and feel the support of the floor under you - releasing into it. Draw your consciousness deep inside. Remain here for ten to twenty minutes. To come out of the posture take a few deep breaths and then begin to wiggle your fingers and toes. Gently roll your head from side to side. Feel free to stretch your body in anyway that might feel good to you now. Then roll to your right side into a fetal position. Rest here for a moment. Then very slowly press up to a seated position with the help of your right and left hands. Sit for a moment with your eyes closed and then slowly open your eyes looking down at the floor. Before beginning shavasana, please read the rest of this article for helpful tips to enrich your experience.

The more relaxed your body is the quieter your mind can become. To deepen your experience of Shavasana, I have listed a few suggestions for deepening your comfort, quieting your mind and for addressing special challenges.

For deepening your comfort:

Eye Pillows: Placing an eye pillow over your eyes is soothing, helps to relax the muscles around your eyes, and sends a strong message to your brain to relax. Eye pillows can also be placed on your forehead or into your hands, which gives a feeling of grounding and relaxation.

Blankets: Essentially anywhere your body touches the floor is a candidate for support and as a result will help you relax. You might wish to experiment with the following suggestions:

Arms: Place folded blankets under the length of your arms.

Back: Fold a blanket the length of your spine and place a second blanket horizontally across one end of the blanket making a letter "T". Sit a the edge of the vertical blanket so that when you lay back your sacrum (the bony part of your spine between your hips) is on the floor, your lower back and spine on the blanket, and your head supported by the horizontal blanket.

Heels: Slightly rolled blanket can be placed under your Achilles tendons.

Suggestions for special challenges in Shavasana:

Lower back challenges: Place a rolled blanket, pillow or bolster under your knees.

Neck challenges: Place a folded blanket under your head or a rolled towel under your neck.

Pregnancy: Raise your torso by placing a bolster, pillows or two to three folded blankets under your back and be sure to support your head with another folded blanket. (If you are using blankets under your back should run the length of your spine from your lower back to the tip of your head) Another option is lay on your right side in fetal position with a folded blanket between your knees. Place a folded blanket under your head for support.

For an agitated/active mind: Place a yoga block or a thick book behind your head and put a sandbag on it so that 1/3 of the sandbag is on your forehead. This helps to quiet your mind. Also focus on making your exhalations longer than your inhalations. (Note: a homemade sandbag can be made by filling a soft pillow case with rice approximately 1/4 way and tying it off.)

You may also wish to place a blanket over you, as you body will cool down when relaxed.

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