10 Ways To ....

Sunday, January 2, 2011

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Friday, December 31, 2010

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Friday, May 23, 2008

10 Ways To Increase Your Self-Confidence

If you look at most successful people, you'll see that they all have one thing in common - self-confidence. Yes, some people are born with it but for most other people, it's a learned skill.

Here are my top suggestions to increase your confidence:

1. Work on your body language.

We've all been at places where someone quite ordinary strides into a room, makes eye contact and starts impressing the socks off everybody. Or where you think somebody's at least 6 feet tall because of their bearing and the way they carry themselves and then later you realize they're quite average.

Like it or not - first impressions do count. So stand tall and practise good posture. Imagine that you're being pulled by a string going all the way from your toes to the top of your head. And whenever you enter a room, don't walk in almost apologetically. Stride in, make eye contact and be the first to introduce yourself.

2. Get involved in a physical activity - walking, swimming, etc.

Any physical exercise like walking, running, dancing, etc. will make you feel better about yourself. Firstly, exercising releases all those good hormones and then your body image will improve the fitter you get.

3. Wear clothes that fit you correctly.

In the past, I've made the mistake of trying to disguise my body flaws by wearing baggy clothes. Have you? The truth is that wearing ill-fitting clothes only serves to accentuate the very areas you're trying to cover up. Those big, baggy T-shirts don't do any favours for most women. In fact, they make you look even bigger.

Sometimes we squeeze ourselves into a pair of jeans (in the correct size) but they look terrible because of the cut. It is much better to buy a larger size and be comfortable. It's the fit not the size that matters.

4. Be kind to yourself.

Think about the things you tell yourself when you make a mistake. Would you say those same things to your friends? Probably not. When we make mistakes, we are often very hard on ourselves. Yet we treat other people much, much better. Next time this happens, stop and start talking to yourself as you would talk to a friend.

5. Remind yourself often of your good qualities.

Do you know what your best qualities are? Are you kind and compassionate? Do you treat people fairly? Are you a friendly person? Do you like to help people?

Make a list of at least five good qualities and remind yourself of them daily, but especially when you're having a bad day.

6. Don't dwell on your past mistakes.

Recognise that the mistake does not define who you are. You can fail an exam without being a failure. Your relationship might have gone off in the ditch but that does not mean you are a failure.

Keep things in perspective. It just means that you failed the exam or that the relationship failed.

7. Surround yourself with supportive people.

The last thing you need when you feel down or less-than-fabulous is to be surrounded by naysayers and negative people telling you that "all men suck" or "it's impossible to get that job you're after".

Choose carefully who you share your heart with and surround yourself with people who will encourage and motivate people. If you don't have many of those in your life, then contact me and I will be your cheerleader!

8. Keep learning new skills

Aside from keeping your mind sharp (and preventing Alzheimer's), be a life-long learner. I'm not necessarily talking about formal education.

What's stopping you from learning a new language, taking a dance class, learning some new computer skills, taking up blogging, etc. Learning will improve your confidence by leaps and bounds.

9. Take the time to reach out to other people through community programmes, etc.

If ever you feel down, there's no better upper than helping other people. Volunteer your services at a children's orphanage or an old aged home.

My challenge to you is this - next time you eat out at a restaurant, instead of sending half your meal back to the kitchen, get a doggie bag and give it to the beggar on the nearest corner. His appreciation will melt the hardest of hearts.

10. Learn to stand up for yourself

Your soul dies a tiny little bit every time you keep quiet when you should speak up for yourself. Being a doormat is not attractive and will get you nowhere in the long run.

If haven't had much practice before, start with small things. Insist on low-fat milk in your coffee. Return the milk that went sour before the due date. Write a letter of complain if you get bad customer service. And only when you're feeling more confident, then tackle bigger issues like speaking to your boss about overloading you with work or your friends about relationship issues.

|3:50 AM|

10 Ways to Become a Millionaire

Every once in a while someone becomes an instant millionaire by getting lucky. They might inherit a bunch of dough, create a product instantly wins popularity contests, or hit the lotto. For most of us though, becoming a millionaire is hard work. It takes time, discipline and some patience.

But for those who are determined to retire young and retire rich, it can be done. And becoming a millionaire does not require a high income. While that helps, building wealth is ultimately the ability to manage your money properly.

Here are some tips to get you started today:

1. Reduce consumption and increase investments.
2. Create and stick to a budget.
3. Increase your financial IQ.
4. Make contributions into investment vehicles on a consistent basis.
5. Start a part-time business to increase income and take advantage of tax write-offs.
6. Surround yourself with like-minded people who believe and support your goals.
7. Find great CPAs and other trusted advisers.
8. Set short-term and long-term goals.
9. Make a commitment to become a millionaire.
10. Start now. Time is your friend when it comes to investing.

Making your first million dollars is the hardest, but it will never come if you don't take action. Continue to increase your financial literacy by subscribing and visiting financial websites, but don't get stuck in "analysis paralysis" mode. While the information on these websites, magazines and new related TV programs can be very valuable, the prescription to making money is actually very simple. It's just a matter of knowing the fundamentals and how to apply them.

|3:41 AM|

10 Ways To Get Unstuck Today!

Here is how to get your life, work or personal goals out of that rut...right now!

1. Clarify matters that remain unclear.

Are you stuck because you are in a mental fog? How can you possibly move forward with confidence if you don't know where you are headed? What exactly are you doing and what end result are you seeking? Resolve these issues!

2. Collaborate with someone.

Don't hesitate to reach out to people who can help you complete tasks, brainstorm or solve problems. Swallow your pride if you must; delegate what you can't do on your own and pay to receive this help if necessary! Whatever you do...get the help you need to get unstuck and make progress.

3. Ask for a deadline extension.

If you are working on other people's projects, ask for a deadline extension so you can "get yourself together!" Don't stress yourself unnecessarily because the project is due and you are experiencing "brain freeze." Ask for more time if you need it!

4. Fight the overwhelm factor.

Break down the task into bite-sized pieces and schedule specific days or periods of time to work on specific parts of the task. This will eliminate overwhelm, get you unstuck and make your work more enjoyable and manageable.

5. Conquer your personal fears and "just do it!"

Think about it...whatever happens after you deal with "your fear" is going to be much better than being paralyzed with fear and doing absolutely nothing with your life or about your work! So, why not take the worthwhile risk and go for what you really want?

6. Gather information about your area of focus.

Find out how others have successfully resolved the issues you are now facing and apply those principles to your situation. Knowledge liberates!

7. Know thyself and especially thy limits.

For example: if you feel that you have "bitten more than you can chew" be open and honest about it. If you feel that you have miscalculated the magnitude of the work involved in a project... inform the person who has assigned the task. They may offer a solution or ask you to work only on the specific areas you can handle.

8. Get some rest!

Are you stuck because you are tired and can't think straight? How many mistakes or miscalculations have you made as a result of fatigue? How many tasks seem insurmountable to a fatigued mind? Get some sleep and return to the task with fresh vigor!

9. Stop the struggle and get in the flow.

Sometimes it's important to be "stuck" and let life play out. It's important to learn and grow from the experience of what's happening and why it's happening at that moment. Who are you becoming as a result of being "stuck?" The life lessons are priceless!

10. Abandon ship.

As a last resort, if you are feeling miserable because you are "stuck" doing something you don't like, experiencing excessive stress over something you truly believe you can't do or make progress on...be kind to yourself and "dump" it!

|3:40 AM|

10 Ways To Make You Feel Happy

It is a known fact that our health is being effected by the degree of happiness we feel inside of us. We know that the happier we are, the healthier we become. The more we can avoid a stressful life and live happy the more disease resistant we are.

If we go through turbulent times in our lives most of us are able to find peace in the idea that bad times will pass eventually.

However it is important for us to realize that we have the power to change if we choose to.

If we want to feel happy our social environment is of course of the utmost importance. Therefore we must learn to be less judgmental about the people we care for and learn to accept them the way they are. After all we are all unique individuals.

So, make the decision to be a happy person and follow the self motivation tips here under. Use them as self motivation exercise in order to acquire the necessary self motivation skills, which will help you to become a much more happy and healthy person.

- Be Grateful

There is so much to be grateful for. Take some time each day to think about the things that are good in your life. Make a list of these things and look at it from time to time, so that you are regularly reminded.
Take some time to specially thank the cook for preparing you that wonderful dinner, thank the taxi driver or the friend who drove you home safely, thank the dustman for taking away your garbage, thank the mailman for bringing you your mail each day. By doing this you will make a shift and feel different inside.

- Laugh As Much As You Can

We all know the expression: Laughter is the best medicine. So, if you know a good joke, tell it to your friends and family. Also try to see the humor in some of your own funny habits. Believe me, we have some real peculiar ones.

- Exercise

Run, jog, go to the gym or do something that stimulates the endorphins in your body. By doing regular exercise you change your physiology, you change your body chemicals, which will make you feel different, so you start focusing on different things.

- Leave The News For What It Is

Are you one of these people who can not start the day without having to know what’s going on in the world? Let go of that urge. News is stressful. Over 99% of it is bad news. Believe me, you can do without it.

- Practice Time Management

One thing we all have in common is that we share the same amount of hours in a day and the same amount of days in a year and although we say it often enough, we don’t realize enough that time is far too valuable to waste.
Time Management is basically a list of rules. And the rules of it can help us to waste less time. First we have to set our goals, then we need to plan them, we have to make our To Do lists and we need to prioritize them.
If you use these basic skills you will be able to work through and finish your list on a daily basis, which will help you to experience feelings of happiness and contentment.

- Work Hard

Working hard creates enormous personal satisfaction. When you have finished certain tasks you will feel that you are capable to accomplish things. And that will help to have a sense of value about ourselves.

- Learn New Things

Learning is an enriching exercise. Try to learn something new each day. It will literally expand your world and it will create more opportunities for you in the long term. Use the internet, for instance. It can provide us with infinite amounts of information.

- Express Your Feelings

Learn to express what you feel. Learn to show affection and warmth to the people around you and in that let go of your fears. Remember that fear is our worst advisor and it’s bad for our health.

- Find Spiritual Connections

It would be good for you to find some sort of spiritual connection. By being in touch with spirituality on a regular basis you would foster deep inner peace. Part of this could be meditation, which is a great way to gain inner peace.

- Help Other People

Each individual feels energized, good and warm about himself after helping another person. Be a volunteer somewhere, be a practical or financial help to someone or see how you can otherwise contribute to society. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return.

I hope this article is of value to you and I hope you realize that these self motivation tips are the key to happiness. Therefore I recommend you to use these ways as self motivation exercise in order to obtain the necessary self motivation skills.

|3:38 AM|

10 Ways To Bring More Happiness Into Your Life

Aristotle (384BC- 322BC) once said, "Happiness depends on ourselves." And he was right, you know. Our thoughts pretty much decide what or how we are going to be. We control our thoughts (for the most part) so by altering our thought pattern we can determine our mindset and mood.

Did you know that being happy is also good for your health ? Studies have shown that being happy releases hormones called endorphins that help reduce pain and the stress we encounter in our daily lives. Stress is linked to illnesses like heart disease, cancer and stroke. Isn't all that reason enough to want to snatch al the happiness that we can?

Happiness is a state of being that we would all like to achieve every waking second of our lives, unfortunately, there are people for whom achieving happiness is difficult. However there are ways to achieve happiness that will work if applied the right way.

Anybody can be happy in his or her life, sometimes it is just a matter of deciding to be happy or allowing happiness to play a bigger role in your life. In this article we discuss 10 things you can do to bring more happiness into your life.

1) Love yourself. Loving yourself is not about egos or bragging about your achievements. Loving yourself means accepting who you are and acknowledging that you do have some flaws, and having the courage to fix those flaws.

2) Have a circle of close friends. Having a few close friends means you're not alone when you need some advice or someone to share a coffee or lunch with or go to the movies or the pub with. Maybe you could use a shoulder to cry on once in a while. Even happy people do occasionally get the blues.

3) Take care of your spiritual self. I am referring here to the state of a person's emotions. Are you in good spirits today? Feeling good about yourself is an excellent way to lift the spirits and be a happier person.

4) Use time wisely. Time is too precious and valuable to waste. After all, nobody really knows how much time they have to enjoy being alive. Make the best of each and every moment of each and every day. 'Don't Worry, Be Happy,' is how Bobby McFerrin put it in his song of the same name and that sums it up nicely.

5.Life is stressful enough without being constantly subjected to the bad news in the media. Get less stress in your life by teaching yourself not to react to the bad news on the TV or in the daily paper. If it didn't happen to you or someone close to you, it is not yours to worry about.

6.Find something to laugh about. Someone to tell you a joke or think of something that made you laugh. Being happy and laughing releases that feel good hormone endorphin into your bloodstream, reducing pain and giving you a natural high. Laughter really is the best medicine.

7.Express your feelings, love, anger, hate. Don't keep your frustrations bottled up inside you. Give them release through sharing them or working off bad feelings by going for a walk or a run. Once again endorphins are released in times of stress and working out or using relaxation techniques to rid yourself of this stress is better for health and happiness.

8. Working hard engenders a personal sense of satisfaction of a job well done, a task completed or a chore out of the way. Achievement gives us a wonderful sense of ourselves and increases our sense of self worth.

9. Challenge yourself to learn or try something new everyday. Learning broadens your horizons and brings a new feeling of pleasure in knowing that you have accomplished something you set out to do and you now have something new to share with others.

10. Avoid people with a negative mindset and places where you will be subjected to annoyances and stress. You have enough stress to deal with in your own life. You don't need to take on the stress of others as well.

|3:13 AM|