Halastana Web

Do you have fun everyday? The kind of fun that Cyndi Lauper knew that girls wanted to have, although she chose to ignore the poor guys! The fun that makes you run out on a sunny day and play in the park, with or without children? Or that makes you crank up the stereo and go dancing through the house bellowing at the top of your lungs, despite the fact that dogs are howling outside? If you don’t do this on occasion you’re really missing out! In fact, you could be self-sabotaging your everyday goals by not incorporating fun into your daily existence. Yes, you read correctly, I did say daily!

I’m sure that you’ve heard the old adage about it taking three times the number of facial muscles to frown than to laugh, right? If you haven’t, it does take 43 muscles to frown and 17 muscles to laugh, but here are a few other facts about fun and laughter.

• Fun resulting in laughter activates the immune system

• Laughter boosts the number and activity level of killer cells. Those that attack viral infections and some cancer and tumor cells

• Laughter decreases stress hormones
• Laughter decreases epinephrine levels and decrease dopamine levels which are associated with high blood pressure
• Laughter relaxes muscles

The most startling tidbit is that we’re born with a sense of fun. Did you know that the average preschooler laughs or smiles about 400 times per day? By the time he or she grows up, the number decreases to a mere 15 times per day! That’s awful! Amazing how we allow ourselves to take something that comes naturally and suppress it due to daily environment, outside influences, or preconceptions. Just because preschoolers grow up into adults does not mean the fun has to disappear on the journey. Fun can and should, mature as well.

John and Raquel are parents of two very active preschoolers. They both work, him from home and her as an accountant outside of the home. They love their children, but one night when they got together with a neighboring family, they realized how serious their lives had become. They did their work, did the grocery shopping, took the kids to daycare, picked them up, did things together as a family, ate together, and had a nighttime ritual, but they did not really have F-U-N together. When John and Raquel witnessed how much laughter was present and how much less discord there was, they were intrigued. So they decided to get back to some of the fun things they used to do as a couple, to incorporate the family into what they could, and to find some things that the kids like. To start they began bike riding with the children, began making weekly outings to fun, but educational spots, started going dancing again, and began walking the neighborhood in the evenings for the exercise and the family time. The results were pretty dramatic, right from the start. They laughed and smiled more, bickered less, the children talked more (perhaps not a plus when you have two preschoolers), John and Raquel reconnected as a couple, and they reconnected as a family of four. The biggest surprise they found was mood elevation, and the positive affect their moods had on their careers. They vowed to keep fun in their lives and to keep it growing with the children.

John and Raquel learned firsthand how much of a positive affect fun had on both their family and work environments.

Whether you have a family or not, the next time someone interrupts your workflow with a joke, or you’re in a supreme funk, just allow some humor and fun into your day. Despite the fact that you may feel like you’re goofing off, in reality you’re merely taking steps towards success from the inside out. You’ll be nurturing your body, mind, and spirit with a natural high that does so much to promote great health and good feelings. And the best part…It’s even FREE!

Eva Gregory, master coach, speaker and author of The Feel Good Guide To Prosperity, http://www.feelgoodguide.com, has instructed thousands on the Laws of Attraction in person, on the radio and in dozens of teleconference training seminars and programs. She is the author of several books and e-books and has co-developed several telephone-based and internet-based training courses on the Laws of Attraction. Her most popular program to date is her Leading Edge Living One Year Success Program. (http://www.leadingedgecoaching.com/Living/index.shtml) Eva is regularly featured on radio and in the media and is a recognized authority on the Laws of Attraction. To learn more about her products and services, visit Leading Edge Coaching, http://www.leadingedgecoaching.com. NOTE: You’re welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to eva@coacheva.com.

Each of us has the power to be creative. It’s part of our natural make-up as human beings. The trouble is that, too often, we block our natural creativity and so make errors in thinking and give ourselves more problems than we should. Here are 7 ways to open up your natural creativity and keep the channels unblocked.

1. Don’t Make Assumptions. When we assume, we often make an “ass” out of “u” and “me”. Assumptions are examples of lazy thinking. We simply don’t wait to get all the information we need to come to the right conclusions. There is the story of the customer at the bank who after cashing a cheque and turning to leave, returns and says: “Excuse me, I think you made a mistake.” The cashier responds, “I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do. You should have counted it. Once you walk away we are no longer responsible.” Whereupon the customer replies: “Well, okay. Thanks for the extra $20.”
Tip: When you feel yourself wanting to draw conclusions, just wait until you have all the information.

2. See Things From Other Points Of View. A truly open mind is willing to accept that, not only do other people have other just as valid points of view from theirs, but that these other points of view may be more valid. A story is told that the modernist painter Pablo Picasso was once traveling on a train across Spain when he got into conversation with a rich businessman who was dismissive of modern art. As evidence that modern art didn’t properly represent reality, he took out a photo of his wife from his wallet and said: “This is how my wife should look, not in some silly stylized representation.” Picasso took the photo, studied it for a few moments and asked: “This is your wife?” The businessman proudly nodded. “She’s very small,” observed Picasso wryly.
Tip: Don’t have a monopoly on how things are. Things aren’t always what they seem. Be ready to consider other points of view.

3. Avoid Yo-Yo Thinking. Some people tend to have a tendency to swing from a highly positive mood one minute to a highly negative one the next, all because of what they see in front of them. It’s like a yo-yo: up one minute, down the next. It’s far more healthy to stay neutral and not let emotions get the better of you.
Tip: Remember that things are rarely as good - or as bad - as you think they are.

4. Get Rid Of Lazy Thinking Habits. Habit can be a major stumbling block to clear thinking and another example of laziness. Try this experiment. Write down the Scottish surnames Macdonald, Macpherson, and Macdougall and ask someone to pronounce them. Now follow these with the word Machinery and see what happens. Most people are likely to mis-pronounce it. This is because we tend to think in habitual ways and don’t like what doesn’t fit.
Tip: Don’t think that, just because things happened in a certain way once before, that they will happen like that again.

5. Don’t Think Like An Old Person, Think Like A Child. Research shows that the number of synapses, or connections, in the brain is greater in a child of two than in an average adult. The reason for this is that, while a child of two has no limiting world view, as adults we do. It’s like a sculptor who starts off with a large block of clay, more than he needs, and then gradually removes the clay as he moulds his sculpture. If we use our brain like a child, accepting everything without judgment, we can actually halt and reverse the brain ageing process.
Tip: Don’t worry about the myth of age. With the right stimulus and a passion for learning, you can actually improve your brain’s powers.

6. See The Detail As Well As The Big Picture. You may know the poem by John Godfrey Saxe called “The Blind Men and the Elephant”. This tells how six blind men of Indostan go to see an elephant and each try to work out what it is from touching it. One blind man touches the tusk, another the trunk, another the tail, and so on. Of course, not being able to see the whole elephant, they come to wildly different conclusions.
Tip: Try to keep the big picture in front of you while looking at details. It will help to put everything in its proper place and context.

7. Think For Yourself. Taking time out to think is still frowned on in many organizations that prize activity over creativity. People who work in creativity-constrained organizations are likely to think the way they are supposed to think, or as others think, or as has always been the way to think. It’s like the blinkered thinking that Hans Christian Anderson describes in his story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. Everyone in the land refuses to see that the emperor is naked and has been duped into believing he is wearing a splendid costume for his coronation. Only a young boy who has been ill and not party to the cultural brainwashing can see the truth and cries out: “Look, everyone, the Emperor is wearing no clothes!”
Tip: Don’t let others tell you how to think. When others ask your opinion, tell it to them straight.

Once you make these 7 techniques part of your habitual thinking patterns, you will amaze yourself with how easy it is to come up with fresh, innovative and creative solutions to all of life’s problems.

(c) Eric Garner, ManageTrainLearn.com.

If you enjoyed this article, why not take our FREE 10-day Thinking Skills email course? It’ll give you tons of tips, tricks, and techniques to increase your thinking skills. Just send a blank email to thinkingskills@freeautobot.com. For tons of other great FREE learning resources, visit ManageTrainLearn and get the MTL learning experience!

When I decided to look into remote viewing, I had the impression that it had some bizarre metaphysical and psychic associations. But, in reality, remote viewing is a natural and ‘taught’ method of probing remote locations in the past, present, and future. As I learned and experimented, one of the important things that I discovered is that you cannot accurately predict the future of any person or event. Of course, some would argue this point and I would probably agree that we can ’see’ the future. But, what I mean is, the future changes far too rapidly based on our experiences and directions for anyone to be truly accurate.

— My crystal ball … —

When you visit a psychic and ask them to tell you about your future, in some cases, they can be quite accurate. But, realize that your future is only accurate as long as you’re heading down the path chosen at the time of the reading. However, if you change your path, your entire future ‘rebuilds’ to accommodate your new direction and experiences.

After some work with a professional, and long-time-involved, remote viewer, I began to understand that the past, present, and future have already occurred. This is why, through remote viewing, we can meander around the strange worlds and times in which we live, and will live.

It may sound strange, but consider that one cannot see what might happen, but only what ‘has’ happened in the future. Indeed, the future is just as much based on your present existence as is your present based on the decisions and experiences of your past. You cannot change your past to alter your present, but you can change your present to adjust your future!

— I am stuck in a horrid future! —

On the contrary, you do have three choices! The first is to continue down the path you’re heading and just accept the consequences of what could potentially occur. The second is to make minor, short-term alterations in your life and hope for the best. However, the final choice is to pick a desired destination in the future, and work backward to define the future you want for yourself!

The first two choices work and they will get you there just the same. However, the third choice is the best option to take as you are dictating your future and defining how to get there. This might sound like a contradiction to everything I said earlier about the future ‘already happening’. But, many of us have been brought up to accept things as they are and believe that our futures are already ‘written in stone’.

Actually, even though a new future does ‘come into existence’ every time we make a decision or perform an action, it is not written in stone until it passes us by. At that point, you need to just accept that you are where you are because you allowed yourself to be there.

— What’s next? —

If you believe in visiting your psychic on a regular basis, by all means continue to do so if it makes you feel better. But, realize, that everything that they tell you of your future is only a glimpse of what could be based on what is currently happening in your life. You have the choice to change it, at will!

Take hold of your future and turn it into what you want it to be. Don’t just let it flounder about until it ends up someplace close to where you would like it to be. Pick a point in the future where you want to be, then plan backward to today to figure out how to get there. Once the plan is set and you’re in motion, go back to your psychic and see what they say!

About The Author

Edward B. Toupin is an author, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki master, remote viewer, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other things, he authors books and articles on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. For more information, e-mail Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his sites at http://www.toupin.com or http://www.make-life-great.com.

Every good salesman knows that you must believe in your product or else be able to do a good job of acting like you do. It’s no different whether you are marketing products, policies, revolutions, or people. Marketing is marketing. Overall image and believability is king. So how does that play out when you are trying to market yourself?

For the sake of consistency let’s say that you’re applying for a new job or a promotion at work. If you have high self-esteem, you probably aren’t reading this article. So we can also assume that you aren’t too sure of yourself. You wouldn’t be applying for the position if you didn’t think you could do it, but you’ve got insecurities about how you should go about presenting yourself to the powers that be. You aren’t a professional schmoozer and that’s not the image you want to put forth anyway. So how does the everyday person market themselves without coming across as too arrogant nor too shy?

Let’s start with believability. Nothing you do or say during the interview is going to matter if you don’t come across as believable. Your new boss has to trust you. Nobody hires someone that they can’t trust. How do you build trust? First of all, you have to tell the truth. There are a few people who can lie really well, but not many. Most people can tell on some subconscious level when they’re being lied to. You know when you get that gut feeling that they aren’t telling you the whole story. It’s the same way with most of us, so don’t lie during the interview. If you really believe in yourself, then no matter how nervous you are, the energy of open and truthfulness will show itself.

Second, you need to look them in the eye. Don’t stare down at your feet or gaze blankly at the cup of pens on their desk. Force yourself to make direct eye contact and to speak as naturally as you possibly can. It’s okay to look them straight in the eye while shaking hands and simply say, “Forgive me, I’m a bit nervous.” They will completely understand and say something reassuring. If they are so uppity that they look down at you for that, then you probably won’t enjoy working for them anyway. You want to like your boss and coworkers just as much as you like your job description and your paycheck. So, be open and honest throughout the interview process and remember that you are interviewing them as your future boss too. It’s not one sided, you are both meeting to determine if you will work well together.

Next let’s look at your overall image. How do you market yourself as competent, dependable, intelligent, loyal, and an overall asset to the company? Start out by not applying for the job unless you are all of those things. The night before your interview, brainstorm a list of these types of qualities that a boss would want in an employee. Put yourself in your new boss’s shoes. What kind of traits would you be looking for? Then run yourself through a mock interview or even better, have a friend help you to rehearse. Ask yourself these questions…. Am I competent? Do I have the basic skills necessary to perform the job or am I going to need training? How quickly do I learn? Is this job going to require someone who is a quick self-learner? It’s okay to stretch a bit beyond your current knowledge base and to apply for things the will be a bit of a challenge. But you want to be honest and not claim on your resume nor in the interview that you’ve already mastered the skills if you haven’t. Continue through the list… are you dependable? What additional assets or talents beyond the basic ones listed on the job description would you be bringing to the company? Be prepared to tell the interviewer of those extra bonus skills that you’d be bringing to the position. Rehearse your answers to the imaginary questions so that when you do get into the interview you’ll have some ideas as to aspects of yourself you want to market to your new employer. By having your answers semi-prepared, you will have an easier time presenting yourself as an intelligent articulate person even if you’re scared to death once the real interview begins.

Finally, don’t underestimate your physical image. Be on time. Show up dressed in the appropriate outfit for the industry. Know the name of the company, the job title, and the interviewer. Familiarize yourself with where the bathroom is and go ahead of time. Don’t load up on a bunch of fluids or caffeine before hand. These things may sound silly, but there’s nothing worse then squirming in your chair when you’re trying to come across as casually self-confident. Monitor your speaking voice. Watch for cuss words and street slang. Pay attention to tone and inflection. Don’t allow a whiny voice nor a monotone droll to cost you the career of your dreams. Again, having a friend pre-rehearse these things with you can add tons of self-confidence when the real interview takes place.

If you really believe in yourself, then the marketing of yourself shouldn’t be all that difficult. Just practice what you want to say and how you want to say it. If you really do not believe in yourself, then you need to work on that first. If your goal is to create a happy wonderful life for yourself, then you are also interviewing them to see if they will fit into your version of ‘happily ever after.’ You’re looking for a boss that is comfortable and easy to work with. You want to love your job and to love your life. You are offering yourself the gift of a new job, a promotion, or a pay raise and you are showing the world why you deserve to have it.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

There was a CEO of a large company who had an interesting object on his desk. Over the course of many years the object had been the topic of numerous conversations by most employees and visitors who found themselves in his office. When I heard the story about the CEO and the strange object, I knew it had to be the topic of an article, because of how moved I was by the message.

The object on his desk was a hand-carved automobile made from wood that was similar to what you might see at a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. The car was about eight inches long and although quite detailed in design, obviously wasn’t professionally made. Someone had constructed this car for a specific purpose. The unique part of the car was that its wheels were not round, but rather square! That’s why it became the object of conversations: people were awestruck by the design and construction.

When asked about the unusual wheels, the CEO would say that the answer required an explanation. He said he actually looked forward to giving the explanation, because it gave him an opportunity to promote a message he believed was critical to being successful in today’s business world.

The CEO explained that one of the deadliest problems an organization can have is what he called “traditional,” “conventional,” or “habitual” thinking. The symptoms, he said, were when people in an organization applied a traditional way of thinking to solve problems, or even answer questions. He explained that individuals and teams cannot achieve more than they have in the past if they only apply the paradigm that got them where they are in the first place. “In order to move to the next level it’s necessary,” he said, “to apply a different set of rules and a different method of thinking.”

Then he gave an example of what he meant. In a team meeting, for example, when a “crazy” or “off the wall” idea is made its common for other team members to put down, dismiss, or even ridicule the suggestion. This is because they are using the traditional set of rules and thinking they have always used. And if this thinking process is allowed to continue, the net solution will likely be limited and possibly even ineffective.

By contrast, what is needed, the CEO explained, is divergent and sometimes “off the wall” thinking. He believed that even “crazy” ideas can sometimes lead to the best solutions. So, if a manager or team leader over-controls or puts down seemingly “off-the-wall” ideas, it not only stifles the coaching and communication process, but it also can limit the value of potential solutions.

The CEO had a favorite story he used to illustrate his point. It seems a manufacturing company had suffered high turnover for several years. The Director of Human Resources had calculated the cost of the unusually high turnover and presented it at a senior staff meeting. Although everyone in the meeting was aware of the problem, when confronted with the real cost of turnover, they immediately became concerned. One member of the senior staff asked, “So what can we do? These people don’t like our working conditions so they quit after a month or two. We can’t change the fact that we do repetitive assembly work. So we are stuck, unless we find a legal way to chain new employees to their table.”

Everyone got a good laugh from the comment. But it followed by an “off the wall” add-on by another person who said, “If new employees are walking off the job, then we need to hire people who can’t walk.” There was silence in the room for a full minute while the senior staff members considered if that last comment was relevant, or spoke of discrimination.

The silence was broken by still another executive who said, “If the people we currently hire end up not liking our working conditions and walk away, then maybe we ought to consider hiring people who are physically challenged in some way.”

There was one member of the senior staff who often tried to use his sense of humor to reduce tension in difficult situations. He must have felt the tension was too high because at this point he said, “Hiring people with physical challenges to work on our assembly line would be like trying to sell cars with square wheels.”

Once again there was silence in the room, which was followed by the Director of Human Resources who ignoring the previous comment said, “Right now we don’t have any active system in place to seek out physically challenged people. What do you think? Should we give it a try?”

The president of the manufacturing firm, who had remained quiet for this discussion, then spoke up. “I’m alarmed at these reoccurring costs of recruiting, replacing and training new employees. There is no doubt in my mind that these costs are a serious impact to our bottom line. If changing our hiring practices will help even in a small way, I’m in favor of it.”

With that comment, the HR director got a mandate to modify her methods of seeking applicants for the assembly line. Over the course of a year by making reasonable accommodation for physically challenged people, the HR director successfully hired and trained a number of employees.

Once again, a little less than two years later, the Director of Human Resources made a presentation at a senior staff meeting concerning employee turnover costs in the plant. This presentation, however, generated a much different response from the senior staff members. Her report first centered on how her department had actively recruited potential employees who were physically challenged. Then, she shocked everyone with the results of her efforts: employee turnover had been reduced from 40 percent per year to less than 5 percent in less than two years!

This is merely one of many examples the CEO used to help his visitors understand the importance of not restraining thinking during brainstorming. If the president of the manufacturing company had over-controlled his subordinates, or had criticized “crazy” ideas, then the discussion that led to a great solution would probably have never happened. That’s why the CEO had someone make an automobile with square wheels as a reminder to him and all his visitors that it is critical to create an organizational culture that not only listens to, but also rewards the volunteering of seemingly “crazy” ideas.

Leaders must understand that one of their most important responsibilities is to create an organizational climate wherein followers feel empowered to speak up and “dream the impossible dream.” Without that type of coaching and leadership, problems can only be solved with traditional or conventional beliefs. Issues can only be addressed with old or even worn out thinking.

That’s why the CEO treasured the hand-carved automobile with the square wheels on his desk. It was his reminder that coaching for creativity is an art that can drive profit and empowerment.

Richard L. Williams is a business consultant specializing in performance coaching, quality improvement, team development, and leadership development. Dr. Williams has conducted more than 6,000 workshops to more than 250,000 managers and executives worldwide.

To learn more about coaching for creativity and how it can help you organization, please contact Dr. Williams and the CMOE team toll free at (888)262-2499.

Personal time or relax time is often why people want to learn how they can squeeze an hour or so out of their busy day. Often though, personal time becomes television time. You may think that if you only have an hour left before going to bed, there’s not enough time to start something so you might as well just watch T.V.

That’s where you’re wrong. You plan your day (even if you don’t know it) by working from 9:00 to 5:00, commuting from 8:00 to 9:00 and 5:00 to 6:00. Having lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 and preparing and eating dinner from 6:00 to 7:00. Why can’t you plan what you’re going to do with the hour that’s left just for you before going to bed?

If you chose to eliminate television from your evenings, you could reclaim at least an hour to develop yourself personally. You could learn new skills that you’ve been putting off like a new language, painting, starting your own company. You could invest your time on reading books that will enable you to start a new hobby or plan the trip of a lifetime. By reading and learning for only one hour a day about things that interest you, you would spend 365 hours per year on becoming a specialist at what you truly love. Who needs to go to night classes with that?! By spending only one hour a day on yourself, you will open up endless possibilities, become a new and improved person who has a life outside of work and therefore does not depend on work to have a life.

Remember: Don’t be too busy making a living that you forget to live your life!

If you would like to learn more on this subject or how to manage your time more effectively, click on this link http://www.EffectiveTimeManagement.com
Copyright © 2005 EffectiveTimeManagement.com All rights reserved.

My name is Catherin Nellissen. I have been organising events and training for over 11 years. I have learned the hard way how important it is to stay on top of what’s happening and making sure that everyone working with me knows what to do in a timely matter. I believe that organization is the key to a successful career and life! Over the years, I have created templates that help me and the people that work with me keep on top of our busy workloads and reach our personal goals. I have decided to share my knowledge of time management, hoping to help other people take control of their busy lives and make sure they accomplish what their heart desires. Life’s too short - get organised!

Very shortly, in this paragraph, I’m going to share with you how to get just about anything you want. I usually try to keep things very simple and useable.

However, this is a very complex and sophisticated psychological principle, so I want you to be well prepared for what I’m about to say.

Take a deep breath. Are you ready?

OK.
Here’s the basic principle for how to get just about anything you want in life -

ASK!

“Oh man, c’mon! It can’t be that easy, can it?”

Oh yes it can!

You just have to know how to ask.

Here’s a suggestion. Go get the book, “The Aladdin Factor”, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the authors of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. It’s a great little how to book, all about the power and strength of asking.

To be able to access the power and strength of asking, we need to be able to do at least two things;

1) Eliminate any barriers to asking, and

2) Learn how to ask.

Barriers to Asking

Knowledge of asking - The Eagles once sang, “So many times it happens, that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key.” The first barrier to eliminate is simply ignorance about asking. This is one of those times where knowledge is power.

Permission to ask - Too many times we have this belief that it shows weakness to ask questions or to ask for something we want. For some reason, men seem to be genetically programmed to not be able to ask for help. Especially if it has to do with asking for directions. Here’s a quick joke - “Why does it take a million sperm cells to fertilize one egg? Because the stubborn little guys won’t stop and ask for directions!”

How to Ask

Ask for what you want, not for what you don’t want - Now that sounds awfully obvious, but stop and think about it for a minute. If you are asking your spouse to stop yelling at you, your focus (and their’s) is still on yelling. Asking to be spoken to in a more respectful, caring manner is not only asking for what you want, it’s offering a few suggestions as well.

Ask clearly - In order to ask clearly, you have to first be clear on what you want. One way to do this is to get a clear picture in your mind of what you want. A fun and easy way to do this is to create a movie in your imagination of exactly what it is you want. Add as much detail as you can. Asking clearly allows you to…….

Ask specifically - If what you want is more money, it’s fairly easy to get a clear picture of more money. But how much? I can hand you a dollar bill and you’ve got more money than before. I don’t believe that’s what you meant by more money, however.

Ask the right person - In a recent seminar on the BRAAVO Approach, a woman asked me an excellent question - “If I know what I want, but don’t know what actions to take, what do I do?”

Great question.

The good news is you don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Find someone who is doing or has done what you want to do, and then ask them a few questions, such as -

How do I get from where I am to where you are?
What are three things I must do?
What I three things must I avoid?

So here are some questions for your consideration -

If you could ask for anything you wanted, what would it be? Think in terms of relationships, career, financial, etc.
What’s stops you from asking for what you want?
Who do you know that asks well? What could you learn from them?
What have you not asked for in the past that you now regret?
How might your life be different if you had asked?

Here’s one more suggestion, and then I’ll wrap this up. Knowing what you now know, what would you like to ask for in your life? Take a moment to reflect and get specific about what you might want. Now, ask for something even bigger and greater than that.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

Achieving the really big goals and dreams always involves breaking it down into do-able little steps. Assuming that you’ve picked a goal or dream that you really love working at, then most of the steps are a delight to take. No matter how much you love your dream and no matter how much you love your work, there are going to be tasks along the way that you really don’t want to do. Those pieces of work that we hate doing can be the very ones that sabotage our success. How do you stay motivated during those parts of the journey?

1) Reward yourself. Let’s say that I want to lose twenty pounds. That’s not too much, but it’s still going to involve more days of self discipline that I feel like doing. So, I reward myself with a little treat every time I drop five pounds. I get to have one of my favorite fattening meals at the end of each five pound loss. Then I go back to my diet. At the end, I get to go on a shopping spree to buy new clothes. Come up with a reward that you can use to motivate yourself.

2) Do it for love of someone else. My teenage son proposed a deal that works for both of us. I don’t smoke cigarettes and he doesn’t experiment with drugs. Every time one of us is about to give in to temptation, our love for each other stops us. I can’t light up knowing that he might start doing drugs because I broke our deal. He hates the idea of me dying of cancer, so he never touches any kinds of drugs offered to him by his peers. The love of someone else can motivate you to do what you otherwise might not be able to do for yourself.

3) Trade work with someone else. I’ve watched my kids perfect this style of motivation. My son will offer to scrub out the showers if my daughter will do the dishes for him. Hiring someone to do the work you don’t want to do is actually a form of trade. Barter or pay someone else to do it for you, so that you can continue moving forward with your dreams.

4) Truly consider quitting. I’m not telling you to quit, but to really think about it. If you’ve got a goal or dream that means a lot to you and you’ve already invested a large part of yourself into making it happen, then what would quitting feel like? Is avoiding the difficult or distasteful task worth giving up on your goals and dreams? The love of your long-term goal can motivate you not to quit.

5) Share the misery. This reminds me of friends in college getting together to study for an upcoming test. Having friends along can make the experience more festive then it would have been if you were doing it alone. Is there a way to team up with a friend so that the work is easier or at least more enjoyable?

6) Just get it over with. One of my all time favorite quotes about getting past your inner blocks was written by Stuart Wilde in his book The Quickening, “Cut the shit and do the thing.” Yeah it’s a bit rough, but we all know those stoic tough people who simply roll up their sleeves and dive in know matter how much they may hate the task before them. Take on a soldier’s mindset and just get to work doing the ugly parts so you can move on to the more rewarding parts of making your dreams a reality.

7) Get training or education. Quite often, we don’t like doing something because deep down we don’t think we know how or that we are talented enough. So, get the education, do the research, learn the necessary skills, or whatever else it is that you need to do to get ready for taking that next step. Once you’ve properly trained yourself, then you might even be enthusiastic about taking that next step.

Take a running start at it. Think of riding your bike uphill. It doesn’t take kids very long to figure out that the best way to get that bicycle to the top of the steep hill is to build up a lot of speed before you even get to the base of the hill. You then let that momentum help to propel you most of the way up. Heck, with enough of a running start you can sometimes make it all the way up without any major struggles. If there is a way to pace yourself and reschedule the not so fun parts of accomplishing your goals until after you’ve completed a bunch of the cool parts, then do so. The highs of your mini successes will help inspire you to push past the parts that you are avoiding.

9) Figure out a different way to do it. This is the supreme way to avoid doing the task all together. Be creative, be smart, think outside the box. Is there any way to make your dream come true without having to actually do the specific duty that you’re wanting to avoid? Sometimes you can find another way. Other times, just knowing that there is definitely no other path to your dreams other than the one before you is enough to motivate you to just buck up and get through it.

What’s most important is not how you keep yourself motivated but that you keep the long-term benefits of your goals in mind. If you focus too much on avoiding the uncomfortable parts of accomplishing your goals, then you won’t accomplish much. Find a way to keep going and remember that all things come with a price. Pay the price so you can get on with enjoying the dream.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow’s Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, and parenting. Her books and articles have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. After years of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying working from home in her pajamas. To read more of her articles, sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, and get free previews of her books go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net

If you remember, last week we left off with:

“Yes Laramie had done the amazing. But then he did the unthinkable.”

—————————————————————– —————

And now lets continue:

Laramie’s irresponsible activities soon destroyed the business he had worked so hard to build.

During the summer and the following couple years I would go to visit Millie, and occasionally all of our family would go over or they would come visit us. While I was at their house I could see Mary was very torn up over Laramie’s activities.

Eventually Laramie felt he needed to start over and he and the entire family left town, I assume to invade another relative’s home in another state and town. That was the last time I saw or heard from Millie for many years until we both by chance signed up for the same college in North Dakota 4 years later.

As the tornado that was Laramie and his family blew out of town, Laramie left 3 cleaning contracts for barber shops to my father. We always needed the extra money so every night my father and I would clean barbershops.

A new adventure, a new chapter, and a new beginning.

The barbershops had a distinctive odor, a mixture of smoke, hair crme, aftershave, and cut hair. Every night my father and I would clean the barbershops and we soon fell into a routine. When I walked in the door I would empty ashtrays and change the sand, straighten magazines, dust shelves and chairs and start on the mirrors.

My father would sweep the floor and then the last thing was to mop ourselves out the front door. The mop was the heavy work so my father always did that and I got to just watch as we finished up and then locked up the front doors. The owners had trusted my father with a key to their shops.

I did not get paid for my work, nor did I even expect to. But dad would usually take me over to the Sheridan Inn or another restaurant after we finished for a cup of hot chocolate while he drank coffee. That time with him was payment enough.

Occasionally we would find money on the floor, a dime or so, and I was instructed to always lay it up on the counter since it did not belong to us. I even remember a couple occasions when the barbers had left the cash register unlocked with money in it and dad called to announce it to them. The owners had rushed down and secured the money.

Two of the barbershops were next to bars. The White Barbershop was next to one bar that was very active on the first of each month. We had to go out the back door behind the barbershop to dump the trash.

But there was always something very disturbing behind the barber shop that I had to step over, very disturbing indeed.

You can read all the chapters of “How To Be an Entrepreneur” by going to http://salessuccessmagazin e.com. These stories are copyrighted by Timothy L. Drobnick Sr. 1995 thru 2005. Any person using this article must publish it without modification and include authors bio and links.

Find out how a little smile on our face can make a big difference to our daily routines:

Smile, as an act has much potential in it. It is not that everybody does not like to smile - but it is that they do not realize the value of a Smile. Either they are busy in their own world of worries that they can not smile or it is that it do not come in-built with their nature.

Smile is a natural gift for people who keep smiling always. To have a smiling face means “no ill feelings”. To maintain the purity of life as we were born, smile is very essential in our lives.

Smile can build a bundle of joy to you. It enhances happiness in our lives. It is that one necessary thing that we do not forget “to be happy”. And, to be happy keep those smiles going on.

Smile should always mean natural happiness. If you are not in-built with this quality, adopt this as a hobby. I assure you that you will definitely feel much better than earlier.

Smile can make you free of your apprehensions. A little smile on your face can make a huge difference for the people around you. Even if someone is feeling vexed, they can forget about their problems at least for a while by seeing a cute little smile on your face.

Smile can give way to a lot of good things in life. It can build good relations around you. The very moment, someone looks at you, they can understand what kind of a person you are and about your nature. I feel it is a very great tool to reduce stress.

I would like to quote a few things which I have personally come across:

Smile in Joy & in Pain; Smile when sorrow pours like Rain; Because, Smile has a healing touch!! (This really works out!!)

Keep Smiling that is the best thing one can give it to others. (This is a personal compliment received by me from an elderly person)

We take birth in this life for a very short period. So, make every moment of your life a memorable one. Give happiness to others and you will definitely receive the same. We do see many ups and downs in this life - but we can make a change in this lifestyle only if we strongly believe that we are born for happiness. And Smile is the first and foremost step towards achieving happiness.

Hakoona Matata! (Don’t worry, Be Happy)

Keep Smiling!!!

Roopa Sushil