Thursday, March 27, 2008
Ambition is the base – the foundation for success. I think mainly it is because success is not an accident. You won’t get it unless you admit that you want it unless you sit up and tell yourself that you got big goals and its time to go out and get them. You will still need discipline and patience but ambition is the engine that will help you keep your passion hot and get you where you want to go.
Is making money 1 of your goals? Why do you want the money? So you can spend it on things you like? Or are you thinking about using your money to help others? Success means thinking and feeling and knowing that you can help. I think that is what success really means. Seeing someone in need and knowing that you can share your strength.
If it’s all about you, why not consider about drawing a wide circle and include others in your success?
Is making money 1 of your goals? Why do you want the money? So you can spend it on things you like? Or are you thinking about using your money to help others? Success means thinking and feeling and knowing that you can help. I think that is what success really means. Seeing someone in need and knowing that you can share your strength.
If it’s all about you, why not consider about drawing a wide circle and include others in your success?
kAkA.hUnTeR
To deserve what you own, you need to invest time and energy in making it better.
Owning what we build drives us to build great things.
Owning what we build drives us to build great things.
spoke at : 3/27/2008 04:46:00 PM
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
You had a bad day at work and then one small thing happens - someone finished your favourite ice cream, your mobile phone battery dies on you or your boyfriend or girlfriend is late. It could be anything - but it triggers your anger and you let it out. And afterwards, you feel drained and exhausted but somehow, unrelieved. It is almost as if that little cup of rage inside you has not emptied itself out and will continue, quietly running over inside you.
This is not the way you manage anger. In fact, this is how you want to handle anger if you are set on being angry more than just occasionally.
Anger is a normal part of the spectrum of human emotions. It is not something is to repressed or denied. Nor it is something to be used as a weapon against another person. Anger is something to be acknowledge and channelled into appropriate actions. What we want to avoid when we get angry is saying or doing things that diminish the dignity of the other person or hurt them emotionally or physically.
But when you are angry, your tendency is to react and react quickly. Change that tendency. Instead, take a step back, take a deep breath and remember that the way you express your anger is always your choice. Instead of reacting to your anger as though it was a weather pattern - some kind of cyclone or monsoon that cannot be avoid - be proactive. Try to anticipate your anger and allow that awareness to influence your next steps.
Once you are done with that, try these 6 chill pill strategies to help yourself cool off.
1. Take anger off your to-do list
Stress at work is often an unavoidable reality with demanding clients, last minute assignments and conflicts with colleagues. But curb those anger speed bumps, by prioritising the important stuff and working systematically through the problems.
2. Speak softly but firmly... always
This helps you become a centre of calm so you are not triggering anyone else's anger and neither will you be helping fuel your own.
3. Learn to read your signs
Very few people go from zero to red-hot angry that fast. It is usually a sequence of events that triggers it. If you are aware of this and can track your signs, you can anticipate th rage and sidestep it by taking a deep breath and looking at it from a different perspective. Before you react, reflect.
4. Make your anger positive
Anger is positive when it seeks to change the action, not the person. If anger can be expressed and left at that, then it can achieve good. In his book "Light On Lift", author B. K. S. lyengar says: "Anger is out of control when it flares up in us like a fire that we have no control over and smoulders long after the fire is out."
5. Get daily body and soul time
Solitary time for strenuous physical exercise functions as a daily chill pill that helps you process your stress so that you can mange day-to-day anger triggers better.
6. Don't hold back your anger
Finally, instead of suppressing your anger and hatred, quietly acknowledge your anger and the reasons for it. We need to actively cultivate the antidotes to anger and hatred: patience and tolerance. Believing it or not, anger requires more energy than cultivating these 2 states. When you engage in the practice of patience and tolerance, you are engaged in combat with hatred and anger.
This is not the way you manage anger. In fact, this is how you want to handle anger if you are set on being angry more than just occasionally.
Anger is a normal part of the spectrum of human emotions. It is not something is to repressed or denied. Nor it is something to be used as a weapon against another person. Anger is something to be acknowledge and channelled into appropriate actions. What we want to avoid when we get angry is saying or doing things that diminish the dignity of the other person or hurt them emotionally or physically.
But when you are angry, your tendency is to react and react quickly. Change that tendency. Instead, take a step back, take a deep breath and remember that the way you express your anger is always your choice. Instead of reacting to your anger as though it was a weather pattern - some kind of cyclone or monsoon that cannot be avoid - be proactive. Try to anticipate your anger and allow that awareness to influence your next steps.
Once you are done with that, try these 6 chill pill strategies to help yourself cool off.
1. Take anger off your to-do list
Stress at work is often an unavoidable reality with demanding clients, last minute assignments and conflicts with colleagues. But curb those anger speed bumps, by prioritising the important stuff and working systematically through the problems.
2. Speak softly but firmly... always
This helps you become a centre of calm so you are not triggering anyone else's anger and neither will you be helping fuel your own.
3. Learn to read your signs
Very few people go from zero to red-hot angry that fast. It is usually a sequence of events that triggers it. If you are aware of this and can track your signs, you can anticipate th rage and sidestep it by taking a deep breath and looking at it from a different perspective. Before you react, reflect.
4. Make your anger positive
Anger is positive when it seeks to change the action, not the person. If anger can be expressed and left at that, then it can achieve good. In his book "Light On Lift", author B. K. S. lyengar says: "Anger is out of control when it flares up in us like a fire that we have no control over and smoulders long after the fire is out."
5. Get daily body and soul time
Solitary time for strenuous physical exercise functions as a daily chill pill that helps you process your stress so that you can mange day-to-day anger triggers better.
6. Don't hold back your anger
Finally, instead of suppressing your anger and hatred, quietly acknowledge your anger and the reasons for it. We need to actively cultivate the antidotes to anger and hatred: patience and tolerance. Believing it or not, anger requires more energy than cultivating these 2 states. When you engage in the practice of patience and tolerance, you are engaged in combat with hatred and anger.
kAkA.hUnTeR
Soulful.
spoke at : 3/25/2008 05:53:00 PM
Monday, March 24, 2008
When you find yourself in a stressful situation (i.e. a closing that is coming up, an especially important negotiation) you may discover that your normal cool is replaced with panic. With practice, you can learn to handle these situations with grace and poise. Here are some points to consider:
1. Step back and see the big picture. Almost invariably, when you find yourself losing your cool it is because you fail to see things in perspective. Look back 10 years from where you have come. See the progress you have made. View your present situation as just another stepping stone in your long term progression. Ask yourself where you are going to be in 10 years. The stress you feel in your present circumstances will diminish when viewed in this context.
2. Review your goals. Hannah More wrote, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." Keep your eyes on the goal and you won't have time to lose your cool.
3. Realise that stress is caused by fear. Fear is not a thing. It is just a thought. It cannot stop you. Only you can stop you. So get out of your own way. Quit thinking fear thoughts. Start thinking success thoughts.
4. Give yourself a pep talk with phrases like these: Inch by inch, anything is a cinch. No pain no gain. It's always darkest before the don. Who am I doing this for? My family. Is their long-term success more important to me than this momentary stress that seems to be holding me back? Yes. Is there any other way? No. Then do it.
5. Do it now. Develop the habit of doing what you need to do when the thought comes to you. Don't put it off. Your habit of procrastination is really just another camouflaged form of fear. You must face it. Do it now.
The ability to exude grace under pressure is the result of passing through many positive and negative experiences in which you finally see that you can handle whatever gets thrown to you. Things are rarely all or nothing, make or break, do or die. Regardless of the outcome, the sun still comes up in the morning. Life teaches that things are never as good as they seem or as bad as you imagine. Even the failures often turn out to be the best answer in the long run.
There are good things in bad situations and bad things in good situations. There are just as few reasons to be overly excited about something as there are to be overly despondent. Wisdom dictates that you learn to be more even-tempered. Moderation in all things and from this comes grace.
Taken from "The Challenge" by Robert G. Allen.
1. Step back and see the big picture. Almost invariably, when you find yourself losing your cool it is because you fail to see things in perspective. Look back 10 years from where you have come. See the progress you have made. View your present situation as just another stepping stone in your long term progression. Ask yourself where you are going to be in 10 years. The stress you feel in your present circumstances will diminish when viewed in this context.
2. Review your goals. Hannah More wrote, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." Keep your eyes on the goal and you won't have time to lose your cool.
3. Realise that stress is caused by fear. Fear is not a thing. It is just a thought. It cannot stop you. Only you can stop you. So get out of your own way. Quit thinking fear thoughts. Start thinking success thoughts.
4. Give yourself a pep talk with phrases like these: Inch by inch, anything is a cinch. No pain no gain. It's always darkest before the don. Who am I doing this for? My family. Is their long-term success more important to me than this momentary stress that seems to be holding me back? Yes. Is there any other way? No. Then do it.
5. Do it now. Develop the habit of doing what you need to do when the thought comes to you. Don't put it off. Your habit of procrastination is really just another camouflaged form of fear. You must face it. Do it now.
The ability to exude grace under pressure is the result of passing through many positive and negative experiences in which you finally see that you can handle whatever gets thrown to you. Things are rarely all or nothing, make or break, do or die. Regardless of the outcome, the sun still comes up in the morning. Life teaches that things are never as good as they seem or as bad as you imagine. Even the failures often turn out to be the best answer in the long run.
There are good things in bad situations and bad things in good situations. There are just as few reasons to be overly excited about something as there are to be overly despondent. Wisdom dictates that you learn to be more even-tempered. Moderation in all things and from this comes grace.
Taken from "The Challenge" by Robert G. Allen.
kAkA.hUnTeR
Common sense plus action equals power.
spoke at : 3/24/2008 04:42:00 PM
Friday, March 21, 2008
Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. I rarely went to bed before midnight and almost always slept late. I usually did not start hitting my stride each day until late morning or early afternoon. But after a while I could not ignore the high correlation between productivity and rising early, even in my own life. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. And I also noticed a significant feeling of well-being. So wanting to maximise my productivity and discipline, I set out to become a habitual early riser. I promptly set my alarm clock for 6AM…
… and the next morning, I got up just before noon. Hmmm…
I tried again many more times, each time not getting very far with it. I figured I must have been born without the early riser gene. Lolx... Whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that blasted noise and go back to sleep. I tabled this habit for a number of years but eventually I came across some sleep research that showed me that I was going about this problem the wrong way. Once I applied those ideas, I was able to become an early riser quite consistently.
It is hard to become an early riser using the wrong strategy. But with the right strategy, it is relatively easy. The most common wrong strategy is this: You assume that if you are going to get up earlier, you better go to bed earlier. So you figure out how much sleep you are getting now and then just shift everything back a few hours. If you now sleep from midnight to 8am, you figure you will go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6am instead. Sounds very reasonable right? But it will usually fail. Hehe..
It seems there are two main schools of thought about sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same times every day. It is like having an alarm clock on both ends. You try to sleep the same hours each night. This seems practical for living in modern society. We need predictability in our schedules. And we need to ensure adequate rest.
The second school says you should listen to your body’s needs and go to bed when you are tired and get up when you naturally wake up. This approach is rooted in biology. Our bodies should know how much rest we need so we should listen to them. Through trial and error, I found out for myself that both of these schools are suboptimal sleep patterns. Both of them are wrong if you care about productivity.
Here’s why:
If you sleep set hours, you will sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. If it is taking you more than five minutes to fall asleep each night, you are just not sleepy enough. You are wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep. Another problem is that you are assuming you need the same number of hours of sleep every night which is a false assumption. Your sleep needs vary from day to day. If you sleep based on what your body tells you, you will probably be sleeping more than you need. In many cases a lot more, like 10-15 hours more per week (the equivalent of a full waking day). A lot of people who sleep this way get 8+ hours of sleep per night which is usually too much. Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you are getting up at different times. This is because our natural rhythms are sometimes out of tune with the 24-hour clock, you may find that your sleep times begin to drift.
The optimal solution for me has been to combine both approaches. It is very simple and many early risers do this without even thinking about it. But it was a mental breakthrough for me nonetheless. LoLx.. The solution was to go to bed when I am sleepy (and only when I’m sleepy) and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time (7 days a week). So I always get up at the same time (in my case 6am) but I go to bed at different times every night.
I go to bed when I am too sleepy to stay up. My sleepiness test is that if I could not read a book for more than a page or two without drifting off, I am ready for bed. MOST of the time when I go to bed, I am asleep within like 3 minutes...? I lie down, get comfortable and immediately I am drifting off. Sometimes I go to bed at 9.30pm, other times I stay up until midnight. Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11pm. If I am not sleepy, I stay up until I cannot keep my eyes open any longer. Reading is an excellent activity to do during this time since it becomes obvious when I am too sleepy to read.
When my alarm goes off every morning, I turn it off, stretch for a couple seconds and sit up. I don’t think about it. I have learned that the longer it takes me to get up, the more likely I am to try to sleep in. So I try not to allow myself to have conversations in my head about the benefits of sleeping in once the alarm goes off. Even if I want to sleep in, I always get up right away.
After a few days of using this approach, I found that my sleep patterns settled into a natural rhythm. If I got too little sleep one night, I automatically be sleepier earlier and get more sleep the next night. And if I had lots of energy and wasn’t tired, I sleep less. My body learned when to knock me out because it knew I would always get up at the same time and that my wake-up time wasn’t negotiable.
A side effect was that on average, I slept about 90 minutes less per night but I actually felt more well-rested. I was sleeping almost the entire time I was in bed.
I read that most insomniacs are people who go to bed when they aren’t sleepy. If you aren't not sleepy and find yourself unable to fall asleep quickly, get up and stay awake for a while. Resist sleep until your body begins to release the hormones that rob you of consciousness. If you simply go to bed when you are sleepy and then get up at a fixed time, you might cure your insomnia. The first night you will stay up late but you will fall asleep right away. You may be tired that first day from getting up too early and getting only a few hours of sleep the whole night but you will slog through the day and will want to go to bed earlier that second night. After a few days, you will settle into a pattern of going to bed at roughly the same time and falling asleep right away.
So if you want to become an early riser (or just exert more control over your sleep patterns), then try this: Go to bed only when you are too sleepy to stay up and get up at a fixed time every morning.
Believe or not is up to you..
… and the next morning, I got up just before noon. Hmmm…
I tried again many more times, each time not getting very far with it. I figured I must have been born without the early riser gene. Lolx... Whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that blasted noise and go back to sleep. I tabled this habit for a number of years but eventually I came across some sleep research that showed me that I was going about this problem the wrong way. Once I applied those ideas, I was able to become an early riser quite consistently.
It is hard to become an early riser using the wrong strategy. But with the right strategy, it is relatively easy. The most common wrong strategy is this: You assume that if you are going to get up earlier, you better go to bed earlier. So you figure out how much sleep you are getting now and then just shift everything back a few hours. If you now sleep from midnight to 8am, you figure you will go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6am instead. Sounds very reasonable right? But it will usually fail. Hehe..
It seems there are two main schools of thought about sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same times every day. It is like having an alarm clock on both ends. You try to sleep the same hours each night. This seems practical for living in modern society. We need predictability in our schedules. And we need to ensure adequate rest.
The second school says you should listen to your body’s needs and go to bed when you are tired and get up when you naturally wake up. This approach is rooted in biology. Our bodies should know how much rest we need so we should listen to them. Through trial and error, I found out for myself that both of these schools are suboptimal sleep patterns. Both of them are wrong if you care about productivity.
Here’s why:
If you sleep set hours, you will sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. If it is taking you more than five minutes to fall asleep each night, you are just not sleepy enough. You are wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep. Another problem is that you are assuming you need the same number of hours of sleep every night which is a false assumption. Your sleep needs vary from day to day. If you sleep based on what your body tells you, you will probably be sleeping more than you need. In many cases a lot more, like 10-15 hours more per week (the equivalent of a full waking day). A lot of people who sleep this way get 8+ hours of sleep per night which is usually too much. Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you are getting up at different times. This is because our natural rhythms are sometimes out of tune with the 24-hour clock, you may find that your sleep times begin to drift.
The optimal solution for me has been to combine both approaches. It is very simple and many early risers do this without even thinking about it. But it was a mental breakthrough for me nonetheless. LoLx.. The solution was to go to bed when I am sleepy (and only when I’m sleepy) and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time (7 days a week). So I always get up at the same time (in my case 6am) but I go to bed at different times every night.
I go to bed when I am too sleepy to stay up. My sleepiness test is that if I could not read a book for more than a page or two without drifting off, I am ready for bed. MOST of the time when I go to bed, I am asleep within like 3 minutes...? I lie down, get comfortable and immediately I am drifting off. Sometimes I go to bed at 9.30pm, other times I stay up until midnight. Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11pm. If I am not sleepy, I stay up until I cannot keep my eyes open any longer. Reading is an excellent activity to do during this time since it becomes obvious when I am too sleepy to read.
When my alarm goes off every morning, I turn it off, stretch for a couple seconds and sit up. I don’t think about it. I have learned that the longer it takes me to get up, the more likely I am to try to sleep in. So I try not to allow myself to have conversations in my head about the benefits of sleeping in once the alarm goes off. Even if I want to sleep in, I always get up right away.
After a few days of using this approach, I found that my sleep patterns settled into a natural rhythm. If I got too little sleep one night, I automatically be sleepier earlier and get more sleep the next night. And if I had lots of energy and wasn’t tired, I sleep less. My body learned when to knock me out because it knew I would always get up at the same time and that my wake-up time wasn’t negotiable.
A side effect was that on average, I slept about 90 minutes less per night but I actually felt more well-rested. I was sleeping almost the entire time I was in bed.
I read that most insomniacs are people who go to bed when they aren’t sleepy. If you aren't not sleepy and find yourself unable to fall asleep quickly, get up and stay awake for a while. Resist sleep until your body begins to release the hormones that rob you of consciousness. If you simply go to bed when you are sleepy and then get up at a fixed time, you might cure your insomnia. The first night you will stay up late but you will fall asleep right away. You may be tired that first day from getting up too early and getting only a few hours of sleep the whole night but you will slog through the day and will want to go to bed earlier that second night. After a few days, you will settle into a pattern of going to bed at roughly the same time and falling asleep right away.
So if you want to become an early riser (or just exert more control over your sleep patterns), then try this: Go to bed only when you are too sleepy to stay up and get up at a fixed time every morning.
Believe or not is up to you..
kAkA.hUnTeR
It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth and wisdom.
spoke at : 3/21/2008 08:49:00 PM
How to Rise Your Threshold of Risk?
What is a risk threshold? It is the level of risk that you can tolerate and still sleep at night. Some people can handle enormous amounts of risk and uncertainty and sleep soundly, confident in their ability to cope with their problems in the morning. Others toss and turn all night long.
Obviously, some people handle risk better than others. If you are serious about improving your situation, you have to learn to live with increasing levels of risk.
The most important step you can take toward gradually increasing your risk threshold is to understand what risk is.
Risk is a scary word until you understand it. Most people spend their lives running from risk. They assume that if they could be perfectly secure (without risk), they would be perfectly happy. Little wonder they are so frustrated! Because there is no way to be perfectly secure in a free-market society, those who risk the most are also free to reap the greatest rewards.
Contrast this with the Communist economic system, in which everyone's security is guaranteed (or where everyone is forced to be secure). One system has lines of people waiting to get in. The other system has lines of people waiting to get out. Is there any doubt which system you would rather live under? You will be a lot happier once you stop trying to be secure and start being thankful for the opportunity to risk.
Ask any successful person why they are so successful. They will answer in 2 words: good decision.
But how do you learn to make good decisions? One word: experience.
But how do you get experience? Two words: bad decisions.
The question is: are you willing to risk making enough bad decisions so that you can gain the experience necessary to be able to make good ones?
Obviously, some people handle risk better than others. If you are serious about improving your situation, you have to learn to live with increasing levels of risk.
The most important step you can take toward gradually increasing your risk threshold is to understand what risk is.
Risk is a scary word until you understand it. Most people spend their lives running from risk. They assume that if they could be perfectly secure (without risk), they would be perfectly happy. Little wonder they are so frustrated! Because there is no way to be perfectly secure in a free-market society, those who risk the most are also free to reap the greatest rewards.
Contrast this with the Communist economic system, in which everyone's security is guaranteed (or where everyone is forced to be secure). One system has lines of people waiting to get in. The other system has lines of people waiting to get out. Is there any doubt which system you would rather live under? You will be a lot happier once you stop trying to be secure and start being thankful for the opportunity to risk.
Ask any successful person why they are so successful. They will answer in 2 words: good decision.
But how do you learn to make good decisions? One word: experience.
But how do you get experience? Two words: bad decisions.
The question is: are you willing to risk making enough bad decisions so that you can gain the experience necessary to be able to make good ones?
kAkA.hUnTeR
It is indeed hard to learn sometimes, because of fear.
spoke at : 3/21/2008 03:04:00 PM
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A man found a cocoon of the Emperor moth and took it home to watch it emerge. One day, a small opening appeared and for several hours the moth struggled but couldn't seem to force its body past a certain point. Deciding something was wrong, the man took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of cocoon.
The moth emerged easily, its body large and swollen, the wings small and shriveled. He expected that in a few hours the wings would spread out in their natural beauty, but they did not. Instead of developing into a creature free to fly, the moth spent its life dragging around a swollen body and shriveled wings. The constricting cocoon and the struggle necessary to pass through the tiny opening are God's way of forcing fluid from the body into the wings.
The merciful snip was, in reality, cruel. Sometimes the struggle is exactly what we need.
The moth emerged easily, its body large and swollen, the wings small and shriveled. He expected that in a few hours the wings would spread out in their natural beauty, but they did not. Instead of developing into a creature free to fly, the moth spent its life dragging around a swollen body and shriveled wings. The constricting cocoon and the struggle necessary to pass through the tiny opening are God's way of forcing fluid from the body into the wings.
The merciful snip was, in reality, cruel. Sometimes the struggle is exactly what we need.
kAkA.hUnTeR
The Challenge.
spoke at : 3/20/2008 09:41:00 PM
The Secret of Being Organized
Do you ever feel like your life is out of control? Like you are drowning in details? Like you are never going to get your life together? It does not have to be that way. You can take some simple steps now to get on top of things and stay there.
In my opinion, the major reason why successful people always seem so "together" is they set specific written goals with realistic deadlines. This sends a message to their subconscious mind to automatically sort through the confusing detail of life and only notice that which advances them toward their objectives. Since they know what they want and when they want it, they don't have to agonize over every decision. This one habit simplifies their life and makes them seem so much more organized.
But just having goals is not enough. You have got to use your brain effectively. You have got to get your mind uncluttered.
Did you know that your conscious mind cannot effectively juggle more than five to ten thoughts at a time? If you do not want to feel overwhelmed, write down all the things you have to do. You will be surprised how much less confusing t is once you get the list down on paper. Most people call this a "to-do list". But, don't stop there.
You must prioritize your activities or you will fall into the trap of confusing activity with progress. Being busy often gives one the illusion that things are getting done. What usually happens is that the easy, enjoyable tasks get done while the difficult, unenjoyable and often important tasks get transferred from list to list. But when you prioritize and work first on your top priorities you move from the level of "getting things done" to a new level called "getting the right things done". And that is a quantum leap. Only then can you afford the luxury of working on less important matters.
And last, remember that whatever gets measured improves. Get in the habit or reviewing your progress on a regular basis.
How can you see if progress is being made unless you track it? Take time to look back and see how far you have cone. Perhaps you should even record your insights and experiences in a daily journal for review on a regular basis.
This simple approach won't work immediate miracles but with a few weeks practice, you will notice you are becoming more serene, calm and organized in a world that thrives on confusion and chaos.
Taken from "The Challenge" by Robert G. Allen.
In my opinion, the major reason why successful people always seem so "together" is they set specific written goals with realistic deadlines. This sends a message to their subconscious mind to automatically sort through the confusing detail of life and only notice that which advances them toward their objectives. Since they know what they want and when they want it, they don't have to agonize over every decision. This one habit simplifies their life and makes them seem so much more organized.
But just having goals is not enough. You have got to use your brain effectively. You have got to get your mind uncluttered.
Did you know that your conscious mind cannot effectively juggle more than five to ten thoughts at a time? If you do not want to feel overwhelmed, write down all the things you have to do. You will be surprised how much less confusing t is once you get the list down on paper. Most people call this a "to-do list". But, don't stop there.
You must prioritize your activities or you will fall into the trap of confusing activity with progress. Being busy often gives one the illusion that things are getting done. What usually happens is that the easy, enjoyable tasks get done while the difficult, unenjoyable and often important tasks get transferred from list to list. But when you prioritize and work first on your top priorities you move from the level of "getting things done" to a new level called "getting the right things done". And that is a quantum leap. Only then can you afford the luxury of working on less important matters.
And last, remember that whatever gets measured improves. Get in the habit or reviewing your progress on a regular basis.
How can you see if progress is being made unless you track it? Take time to look back and see how far you have cone. Perhaps you should even record your insights and experiences in a daily journal for review on a regular basis.
This simple approach won't work immediate miracles but with a few weeks practice, you will notice you are becoming more serene, calm and organized in a world that thrives on confusion and chaos.
Taken from "The Challenge" by Robert G. Allen.
kAkA.hUnTeR
Forging Ahead.
spoke at : 3/20/2008 05:04:00 PM
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Some years ago, 3 brothers left the farm to work in the city. They were all hired by the same company at the same pay. 3 years later, Jim was being paid $500/month, Frank was receiving $1000/month, but George was now making $1500.
Their father decided to visit the employer and find out the basis for the unequal pay. The employer listened to the confused father and said, "I will let the boys explain for themselves."
Jim was summoned to the supervisor's office and told, "Jim, I understand that Far East Importers has just brought in a large transport plane loaded with Japanese import goods. Will you please go over to the airport and get a cargo inventory?"
3 minutes later, Jim returned to the office. "The cargo was one thousand bolts of Japanese silk," Kim reported. "I got the information over the telephone from a member of the crew."
When Jim left, Frank, the $1000/month brother, was called. "Frank," said the supervisor, "I wish you to go out to the airport and get an inventory of the cargo plan which was just brought in by Far East Importers."
An hour later, Frank was back in the office with a list showing the plane carried 1000 bolts of Japanese silk, 500 transistor radios and 1000 hand-painted bamboo trays.
George, the $1500/month brother, was given identical instructions. Working hours were over and he finally returned. "The transport plane carried 1000 bolts of Japanese silk," he began. "It was on sale at $60 a bolt, so I took a 2 day option on the whole lot. I have wired a designer in New York offering the silk at $75 a bolt. I expect to have the order tomorrow. I also found $500 transistor radios, which I sold over the telephone at a profit of $2.30 each. There are 1000 bamboo trays but they were of poor quality so I didn't try to do anything with them."
When George left the office, the employer smiles. "You probably noticed," he said, "that Jim doesn't do what he is told, Frank does only what he is told, but George does without being told."
The future is full of promise for one who shows initiative.
Their father decided to visit the employer and find out the basis for the unequal pay. The employer listened to the confused father and said, "I will let the boys explain for themselves."
Jim was summoned to the supervisor's office and told, "Jim, I understand that Far East Importers has just brought in a large transport plane loaded with Japanese import goods. Will you please go over to the airport and get a cargo inventory?"
3 minutes later, Jim returned to the office. "The cargo was one thousand bolts of Japanese silk," Kim reported. "I got the information over the telephone from a member of the crew."
When Jim left, Frank, the $1000/month brother, was called. "Frank," said the supervisor, "I wish you to go out to the airport and get an inventory of the cargo plan which was just brought in by Far East Importers."
An hour later, Frank was back in the office with a list showing the plane carried 1000 bolts of Japanese silk, 500 transistor radios and 1000 hand-painted bamboo trays.
George, the $1500/month brother, was given identical instructions. Working hours were over and he finally returned. "The transport plane carried 1000 bolts of Japanese silk," he began. "It was on sale at $60 a bolt, so I took a 2 day option on the whole lot. I have wired a designer in New York offering the silk at $75 a bolt. I expect to have the order tomorrow. I also found $500 transistor radios, which I sold over the telephone at a profit of $2.30 each. There are 1000 bamboo trays but they were of poor quality so I didn't try to do anything with them."
When George left the office, the employer smiles. "You probably noticed," he said, "that Jim doesn't do what he is told, Frank does only what he is told, but George does without being told."
The future is full of promise for one who shows initiative.
kAkA.hUnTeR
Anonymous.
spoke at : 3/18/2008 10:39:00 PM
Friday, March 14, 2008
“The path to success is filled with failure. People who live their best and truest lives understand that. They are not afraid to fail and not afraid of how they look to others.”
Michael Jordan
“Ex NBA player”
Every high achiever understands that the path to success travels through long fields of failure. But discipline and dedication matter more, in just about every field. And the biggest barrier for many people in reaching their dreams is fear of failure. Our culture emphasizes success to such a degree that we forget to teach about the necessary process of trying, failing, building strength from failure, learning lessons from failure and then try again.
The path to purpose, to becoming what you want is focusing on your own determination to get where you need to go. There is a level of thinking that keeps us from taking the risk to reach our challenging goals. Risk like – what will they think of me if I quit my job and go out on my own? Why try to write a book when nobody thinks I can pull it off? Won’t people think I’m crazy when I quit my job just to volunteer to help the sick and suffering in Africa? Won’t people think I’m crazy if I walk out of my comfortable life to go work with poor people? These are the questions that stand between most of us and our greatest potential.
Michael Jordon made so clear that to get to a place where you win, you need to take risks of doing new things, of investing your time and commitment and resources.
The rich might have money, the rulers might have power, the well-born might have connections but what everyone else has to level the field is risk – the choice to try something that might seem crazy, but to try it wholeheartedly, with discipline over time and without regard for how other people see you. Being different, challenging the old ways of doing things and proving that there is always a choice to make your own path of success will be threatening to people who lack the courage to make their own good fortune.
We can’t sit passively and be truly good and successful. Real goodness and success are expressed in action, not merely just thought. But what are the right actions we should be taking? Right action is the action that helps others reach their goals and live better lives. Virtue is what serves the people we live among and helps them live better, happier lives.
Michael Jordan
“Ex NBA player”
Every high achiever understands that the path to success travels through long fields of failure. But discipline and dedication matter more, in just about every field. And the biggest barrier for many people in reaching their dreams is fear of failure. Our culture emphasizes success to such a degree that we forget to teach about the necessary process of trying, failing, building strength from failure, learning lessons from failure and then try again.
The path to purpose, to becoming what you want is focusing on your own determination to get where you need to go. There is a level of thinking that keeps us from taking the risk to reach our challenging goals. Risk like – what will they think of me if I quit my job and go out on my own? Why try to write a book when nobody thinks I can pull it off? Won’t people think I’m crazy when I quit my job just to volunteer to help the sick and suffering in Africa? Won’t people think I’m crazy if I walk out of my comfortable life to go work with poor people? These are the questions that stand between most of us and our greatest potential.
Michael Jordon made so clear that to get to a place where you win, you need to take risks of doing new things, of investing your time and commitment and resources.
The rich might have money, the rulers might have power, the well-born might have connections but what everyone else has to level the field is risk – the choice to try something that might seem crazy, but to try it wholeheartedly, with discipline over time and without regard for how other people see you. Being different, challenging the old ways of doing things and proving that there is always a choice to make your own path of success will be threatening to people who lack the courage to make their own good fortune.
We can’t sit passively and be truly good and successful. Real goodness and success are expressed in action, not merely just thought. But what are the right actions we should be taking? Right action is the action that helps others reach their goals and live better lives. Virtue is what serves the people we live among and helps them live better, happier lives.
kAkA.hUnTeR
In the depth of winter I finally learnt that there was in me an invincible summer.
spoke at : 3/14/2008 04:32:00 PM
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Finding our purpose in life is an important goal and priority. Not just because it's something nice to do but also because much of our health, wellness and success depends upon it. This is one of a growing group of books showing that the dog-eat-dog mentality that has typified many inter-personal relationships and business ventures is neither necessary nor desirable. Competition is certainly no bad thing but ruthlessly trampling others is rarely likely to be of any benefit to anyone. This is a book that could easily have sprung from Eastern traditions of Karma and causality or the early days of the American self-help movement, quite correctly making a strong argument for the practicality of altruism. Yet this is not a self-help book in the normal sense of the term, for it inverts the normal idea that self-help is simply a matter of self-advancement at the expense of others. I am quite sure that the fundamental premise - that helping others is the most reliable path to helping yourself - is true, not just in business and personal life, but at more fundamental levels of the Universe.
The essential connectedness that appears not just to be a characteristic of rare quantum interactions, but instead a feature of our day-to-day world, provides powerful support for this idea. Peter Temes explores an apparently simple idea: how do people perceive me, and how do I perceive them? And then the next step: how can I help others express their full potential? Aristotle and Lao Tzu both considered that happiness is not something lurking in some hidden corner of our minds, but is instead a result of doing good in the world.
This is an eminently practical book about finding your own power and for centering your relationships with other people. I had not previously read anything by Peter Temes, but I shall do so now. Highly recommended.
Hope you guys read the first book i recommended "Cashflow Quadrant" . Now together with this book, those who have not read yet, go to a nearby library and borrow them.
kAkA.hUnTeR
First was Cashflow Quadrant, now is The Power of Purpose.
spoke at : 3/12/2008 09:39:00 PM
Something to share..
“We all want to be our own heroes and hear our own stories. If you grasp this truth, you can use it to reach your goals.”
kAkA.hUnTeR
Happy Birthday.. Yip.
spoke at : 3/12/2008 06:15:00 PM
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Answer the following questions truthfully.
1. Even though the chips and salsa are delicious, you are down $500 in a poker game. How much more would you bet to get the $500 back?
a. More than $500
b. $500
c. $250
d. Nothing, stick with the nachos and eat your losses now
2. A friend who is good with number convinces you to invest $500 in a new hot stock. 1 year later, the value has risen 40%. Would you:
a. Hold it, hoping for more gains
b. Sell it, take your gains now
c. Buy more shares, as it could go higher
3. A month after you put most of your long term savings in stocks, the market, and your investments drops 30% in value. Would you:
a. Buy more shares after the price drop
b. Hold on and wait for the price to come back then sell
c. Sell immediately to avoid losing even more
4. For the past year, you have been busting your rump at a small company. As a thank you gesture, your boss offers you a bonus of $1000 cash or stock options worth $2000. The cash can be received immediately but the stock options cannot be redeemed for at least 4 months and during that time the price may sail or plummet. Which would you take:
a. $1000 cash bonus
b. Stock options currently worth $2000
5. You just received a $10 000 inheritance to invest. Would you:
a. Invest it all at once
b. Invest it gradually over time
Answers:
Question 1: A = 9 points, B = 5 points, C = 3 points, D = 1 point
Question 2: A = 3 points, B = 1 point, C = 4 points
Question 3: A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 1 point
Question 4: A = 1 point, B = 5 points
Question 5: A = 5 points, B = 1 point
Scoring:
If your score totaled 6 to 16 points, you may have the leanings of a more conserative investor. Your investment strategies should probably be more stable and predictable. This does not mean you will be able to avoid risk altogether but you should be careful in choosing those investments that will limit you worrying all night about possible losses in your portfolio.
If you scored between 17 to 27 points, you are probably willing to take more chances with your money to earn higher returns down the road. While not thrilled with the idea, you may be more comfortable with the idea of short term losses, that often follow the riskier investments you may be more likely to approach. To you, the extra reward is worth the extra risk.
1. Even though the chips and salsa are delicious, you are down $500 in a poker game. How much more would you bet to get the $500 back?
a. More than $500
b. $500
c. $250
d. Nothing, stick with the nachos and eat your losses now
2. A friend who is good with number convinces you to invest $500 in a new hot stock. 1 year later, the value has risen 40%. Would you:
a. Hold it, hoping for more gains
b. Sell it, take your gains now
c. Buy more shares, as it could go higher
3. A month after you put most of your long term savings in stocks, the market, and your investments drops 30% in value. Would you:
a. Buy more shares after the price drop
b. Hold on and wait for the price to come back then sell
c. Sell immediately to avoid losing even more
4. For the past year, you have been busting your rump at a small company. As a thank you gesture, your boss offers you a bonus of $1000 cash or stock options worth $2000. The cash can be received immediately but the stock options cannot be redeemed for at least 4 months and during that time the price may sail or plummet. Which would you take:
a. $1000 cash bonus
b. Stock options currently worth $2000
5. You just received a $10 000 inheritance to invest. Would you:
a. Invest it all at once
b. Invest it gradually over time
Answers:
Question 1: A = 9 points, B = 5 points, C = 3 points, D = 1 point
Question 2: A = 3 points, B = 1 point, C = 4 points
Question 3: A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 1 point
Question 4: A = 1 point, B = 5 points
Question 5: A = 5 points, B = 1 point
Scoring:
If your score totaled 6 to 16 points, you may have the leanings of a more conserative investor. Your investment strategies should probably be more stable and predictable. This does not mean you will be able to avoid risk altogether but you should be careful in choosing those investments that will limit you worrying all night about possible losses in your portfolio.
If you scored between 17 to 27 points, you are probably willing to take more chances with your money to earn higher returns down the road. While not thrilled with the idea, you may be more comfortable with the idea of short term losses, that often follow the riskier investments you may be more likely to approach. To you, the extra reward is worth the extra risk.
kAkA.hUnTeR
I will survive.
spoke at : 3/11/2008 05:07:00 PM
The Lame Investment
What are the odds?
If you rather sink your time and cash into lottery picks, good luck, you will need it. Consider the chance of each of these events happening:
- Drawing a pair in poker (4 to 3)
- Getting married (3 in 4)
- Cohabiting before marriage (9 in 20)
- Having quadruplets (1 in 900 000)
- Life on earth being destroyed by a meteorite over 50-year period (1 200 000)
- Being killed by a lightning bolt over 1-year period (1 in 3 400 000)
- Winning a lottery (single winner) (1 in 54 000 000)
kAkA.hUnTeR
We should seriously think about our goals.
spoke at : 3/11/2008 10:43:00 AM
Monday, March 10, 2008
"Whether it's Madden, Final Fantasy, or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you have to respect a game series with releases numbering in the double digits, because it's a milestone that so few franchises reach. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI is certainly a solid turn-based strategy game. The 11th game in the series does overhaul the basic gameplay mechanics, but the net effect of these changes is marginal. This is still a very dense, very slow, no-frills strategy game, but with a forgiving approach and enough time and patience, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI can still be quite satisfying.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI once again lets you experience ancient Chinese history as told in the famous novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The historical setting is a perfect fit for a strategy game, because without a strong central government at the end of the Han dynasty, China is essentially up for grabs. This sets the stage for seemingly endless conflict among hundreds of officers and factions vying for dominance. It's up to you to take control of a force and do whatever it takes to unify China, which is a nice way of saying that you have to kill or otherwise subjugate all of the other forces on the map."
kAkA.hUnTeR
Another year older. My turn soon.
spoke at : 3/10/2008 10:20:00 AM
All opportunities are disguised as problems
An expert was called in to fix a broken factory machine. With the superintendent looking on, the expert assessed the situation, spotted the problem, took out a hammer and tapped the machine twice in the same spot. The machine started right up. He informed the superintendent that his bill would be $250. The superintendent was furious. "$250! All you did was tap it with your hammer. I want an itemized statement of the charges on my desk by tomorrow morning!", he shouted.
The next day when the superintendent arrived for work, he found the following bill on his desk:
Tapping with a hammer - $1
Knowing where to tap - $249
Total - $250
If you know where to tap, it is easy. If you don't, it's one of the most difficult things in the world. The rich get richer because they know where to tap. The poor get poorer because they don't.
The next day when the superintendent arrived for work, he found the following bill on his desk:
Tapping with a hammer - $1
Knowing where to tap - $249
Total - $250
If you know where to tap, it is easy. If you don't, it's one of the most difficult things in the world. The rich get richer because they know where to tap. The poor get poorer because they don't.
kAkA.hUnTeR
The biggest room in the world is room for improvement.
spoke at : 3/10/2008 12:27:00 AM
Sunday, March 09, 2008
- Loves challenges.
- Adversity seems to make you stronger rather than weaker.
- When someone tells you no, you don't take it personally. You will try another way to get a yes.
- You are goal-orientated - You know where you are going.
- You don't look upon obstacles as permanent barriers but as temporary inconveniences.
- You don't make excuses. When given a job, you don't return until it is done.
- You are always thinking of new ways to do things better even if it means breaking with tradition.
- You are willing to put up with criticism since you realise that most criticism comes from negative thinkers.
- You are a positive thinker.
- You love to find the good in every bad situation.
Anyone can learn basic go-getter skills as described. And with practices, you will be surprised not only how much easier but how much more rewarding it is to be a positive, optimistic go-getter than to be a negative, pessimistic loser.
- Adversity seems to make you stronger rather than weaker.
- When someone tells you no, you don't take it personally. You will try another way to get a yes.
- You are goal-orientated - You know where you are going.
- You don't look upon obstacles as permanent barriers but as temporary inconveniences.
- You don't make excuses. When given a job, you don't return until it is done.
- You are always thinking of new ways to do things better even if it means breaking with tradition.
- You are willing to put up with criticism since you realise that most criticism comes from negative thinkers.
- You are a positive thinker.
- You love to find the good in every bad situation.
Anyone can learn basic go-getter skills as described. And with practices, you will be surprised not only how much easier but how much more rewarding it is to be a positive, optimistic go-getter than to be a negative, pessimistic loser.
kAkA.hUnTeR
Success is never ending, Failure is never final.
spoke at : 3/09/2008 11:41:00 PM
Friday, March 07, 2008
Make the leap from asking, “Who am I” and “What do I want?” to asking that most powerful question of all – “how do others see themselves and how can I help them feel stronger and more successful?”
kAkA.hUnTeR
I believe I can help others.
spoke at : 3/07/2008 11:02:00 AM
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
"Man, like the generous vine, supported lives;
The strength he gains is from the embrace he gives."
Alexander Pope
"An Essay on Man"
"Embrace" here means 2 things - the vine embraces the fruit that grows upon it (that's a great metaphor for people gaining strength from giving practical help to others); and the vine holds tight to some support, a stake or a rockface or a tree. In this second sense, "Embrace" means accepting support from others. It is talking about man being strong by giving help and taking help at the same time; by inspiring faith in others and by having faith in others.
When our ambition is put in service of helping others, when our insights is put in service of the spark of precious humanity in every man and woman we meet, then we all grow stronger from the embrace we give and our strength propels us upward.
The strength he gains is from the embrace he gives."
Alexander Pope
"An Essay on Man"
"Embrace" here means 2 things - the vine embraces the fruit that grows upon it (that's a great metaphor for people gaining strength from giving practical help to others); and the vine holds tight to some support, a stake or a rockface or a tree. In this second sense, "Embrace" means accepting support from others. It is talking about man being strong by giving help and taking help at the same time; by inspiring faith in others and by having faith in others.
When our ambition is put in service of helping others, when our insights is put in service of the spark of precious humanity in every man and woman we meet, then we all grow stronger from the embrace we give and our strength propels us upward.
kAkA.hUnTeR
This is so true.
spoke at : 3/04/2008 11:06:00 PM
