Giving it a Go
I have been in aww of Jessica Watson and her achievement of sailing around the world solo at the age of 16. This has got me thinking as to what else are the youth of today up to. I have stumbled upon this video. If you have a few minutes to spare have a listen.
My point from this is that their personal achievements to get up and give it a go, in what they are passionate about are to be highly commended.
- How I apply this to my life is asking myself what is it that I want to do (dream of) that I have not yet done? This could be from fear of failure, fear of offending someone, or one of many things.
What I have chosen to do is acknowledge this fear, come up with a strategy to make my dream a reality and give it a go.
- If these kids can get up and play like that and Jessica Watson can sail around the world at 16, I know I can give it a go. The only thing stopping me is me!
I will leave this with what is it that you dream of and have not yet done? What or who is stopping you?
Lost Generation?
Which way do you want look at life?
It is all a matter of choice.
Motivation
Here is an interesting You Tube video I came accross to day. It speaks for its self!
Taking Control - Where do I begin?
Where do I begin to take control of my life?
Begin by recognising that whenever you take an action there will be a result. It may or may not be what you want but learning to look for what you can learn from the result of your actions is very powerful.
Think about something in your life that doesn’t seem to be working exactly as you’d like it yet and ask - what can I learn from this? And how can I use this learning to do something differently next time?
As you work on taking control of your life, it’s not unusual for a little self-doubt to begin to creep in.
This is completely normal so you can relax, after all if we were sure of every outcome before we took the action where would the fun be? It would be like going to the cinema and knowing the end to every film. So next time you find yourself doubting yourself or your abilities why not just take it as a sign that you are growing.
The fact that you’ve noticed yourself doubting yourself or your abilities is great because means that you can begin to work on turning this around now. As a first step just begin to ask yourself more empowering questions, such as: How could I use this doubt to help me move forward? How could you enjoy taking action today?
How do I control feeling overwhelmed, which leads me to procrastinate?
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A good thing or bad thing?
What do you think?
Defeat may be a stepping stone or a stumbling block according to the way you accept it.
After an accident left me paraplegic I had a choice to get on with my life despite the challenges or wallow in self pity. I chose to focus on what was good and what I could do. I have gone from strength to strength and my life has got better and better. When I talk to groups in my capacity as an Inspirational Speaker, people regularly feed back to me that I do more than a lot of others. I am truly happy despite challenges most can’t imagine.
I constantly see people who are physically fit and healthy yet I believe more disabled than me due to the way they think and what they believe.
Do you believe in yourself as much as you need to have the best life possible? If you don’t then what will you do about it starting today? If you do then how do you pass that ability on to others and help them improve their lives? Let me know by posting a comment below.
Andy Fleming
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Are You Moving Towards or Away?
If you think about your life the chances are that you are either moving towards something or away from something. You probably know people that are striving for a promotion (towards) or just trying to stop themselves being fired (away). Or maybe people that are trying to not be fat (away) while others are aiming for a flat stomach/big biceps (towards).
The interesting thing is that those who are moving toward their goals will find they have consistent results, while people moving away from something will find that their progress comes and goes. Someone moving away from poverty will see-saw between broke and being in the black, while someone moving towards prosperity will leave being broke well behind them.
If you are having inconsistent results and you find your motivation is there one day, but gone the next, then it may be time to take a close look at your values and goals. Once you have them all pointing towards you will be a lot closer to having consistent results!
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Listening - Part of Our Communication Needs!
I often wonder whether people are really truly understanding what I am communicating to them because it feels like they are there really only in body and not listening properly, to what I am communicating to them. They are not meeting my communication needs as I need them to listen properly.
Our communication experiences are enhanced when we understand what the communication needs of the people involved in the conversation are. One of these needs is active listening. Active listening means putting everything else out of your mind and acknowledging the other person with eye contact, facial gestures, words that confirm you understand, and perhaps even touch so they have feedback that you are listening properly and valuing what they have to say. Here are some of the reasons that active listening improves communication.
- When people notice how well you listen to them, they usually reciprocate and try to understand you better. They feel valued and therefore value you more.
- Communication improves, Relationships improve. Friendships develop and deepen.
- You receive more accurate information because communication is more effective. People explaining problems are more inclined to give you the whole story.
- People encouraged by your active listening often discover solutions to their own problems. The opportunity to talk things over is all many people need to see the issue in its proper perspective.
- You get on better with people. Active listening combined with empathy makes it easier to solve problems or at least reach a compromise.
- You can discover not only what people are saying, but why they are saying it. You learn more about what is really going on ‘between the lines’ through more effective communication
They all seem pretty good reasons to take the time to improve active listening skills and a small investment for our prize of better communication through meeting the conversation needs of whoever you are conversing with.
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The Secret About Getting More Done In Less Time
Perhaps one of the biggest secrets to achieve more in less time is applying the “80/20″ rule.
The “80/20” rule also known as the “Pareto Principle” or “The Vital Few” states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts, or alternatively, it can also mean 20% of your results will come from 80% of your efforts.
This rule fits nicely with all aspects of our life. For instance:
- 20% of your clothes will be worn 80% of the time
- 80% of the world’s money is in the hands of 20% of the people
- 20% of companies within an industry will conduct 80% of the business of that industry
- 80% of motor vehicle accidents will be caused by 20% of motorists
As far as time management is concerned, applying this rule and its effect on your life will surely help you spend your time more wisely.
You will come to realise that all those little chores in your life and those that get in the way are often classified as “should-dos”. These can be annoying because these are the things that need to be done but have very little impact on your happiness, satisfaction or sense of achievement towards the goals you have set forth.
Delegate
Look for alternative ways to accomplish these little chores. You can hire someone to help you or if you are on a tight budget, you can always consider bartering - in exchange for the tasks you want done, you can offer other assistance while you are at it doing yours. Remember that you can also delegate most of the “should-dos”.
Batching
By grouping repetitive tasks together you will save the time it takes to set up and pack up for each task. For example:
- Instead of going to the shops to buy food 3 times per week go once and do one big shop.
- Do all your clothes washing once or twice a week only.
- When you cook a meal make extra to do another meal.
- Automate (direct debit) the payment of regular household bills: gas, electric, mobile …
Once you get rid of some of the “should-dos”, you can now channel the time saved towards the “valued” - tasks which you place more importance and adds value towards achieving your goals.
You will then come to realize that you will have an improved outlook on life, feel great about yourself and be motivated to get more accomplished.
Know what you want
Would you like to know what you really want? Do you feel that you need to have some kind of control? Like being in the driver’s seat, so that you will be able to drive to the “places” you want to go?
Here are some tips to help you realize what you really want:
- Make time for yourself. Use the time to reflect on where you are and what you want with your personal life, your relationship, your personal growth etc.
- Ask yourself which are the things in your current life that take most of your time and which the least. What are the reasons for the outcome?
- Do the things that you are passionate about. It will have the “staying” power. You will be able to last longer doing them and you might not want to stop.
- Fast forward to age 85. Have you accomplished what you have set for yourself? Have you made milestones accomplishments along the way? Did you make an impact on somebody’s life, relationship etc?
- You must be realistic with your goals. You must be able to feel good accomplishing one major task, instead of completing a series of them and still not feeling that sense of accomplishment.
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A Survey of Success
In 1953, Harvard University famously conducted a detailed survey of its graduating senior class. The questionnaire that each of the three thousand students filled out specifically asked that participants look deeply at their expectations of life.
In 1973 another questionnaire was completed by each of the two thousand remaining ex-students that were contactable. In many areas of life the results were quite predictable. In some, there were a number of surprises; however nothing had prepared the researchers for the shock they received when appraising the respondents’ net worth.
Shock Number One arrived in the form of a 97% to 3% split. Any one of the 3% (sixty people) selected on their own, had a net worth greater than the other 97% combined. Put in everyday language, any single one of these sixty people could have bought and sold the other 1940 individuals combined.
Shock Number Two was the realisation that these sixty people did not constitute the ‘cream’ of the graduating class. Their positions in their various classes at graduation turned out to bear no relation to their successes in life. It was not the geniuses who had succeeded financially.
Shock Number Three was that the 1953 survey unknowingly predicted this 97% to 3% split. The students of 1953 had predetermined their own success levels, and the information lay dormant for twenty years.
Before any further consideration of this amazing material, let us consider the following state of affairs in Australia: six of Australia’s ten wealthiest people do not have university educations; three of the remaining four failed university at their first attempts; the last graduated having taken five years to obtain a three year degree and none of the four with degrees actually use it directly in the production of their income. So, if you think that you aren’t academically inclined, you’re in the right company!
If you could find out a secret that would guarantee your success in everything you attempted, would you treat it like a valuable tool and commit yourself to using it, even if you did not understand how it could possibly work? If it was the silliest thing you ever heard of, but you knew that it worked well for others over extended periods of time, would you stick with it anyway?
So, What Was the Secret?
What was it that these sixty people had in common in 1953 that brought them enough wealth to live on happily ever after, even if they never worked again?
These people – and most successful people, for that matter – didn’t just think about what they wanted. Anybody can sit and consider what they would like to have happen in their future, but it takes a brave human being to actually commit it to paper and say to themselves, “this is what I am making a stand for in my life; this is what I want to do”. Essentially, the difference between a dream and a goal is the written word.
Time and again, sociological experiments have demonstrated that specific, challenging goals result in better performance than vague goals, no goals, or people simply trying to “do their best”.
Putting things down in black and white is the key. There is a magic that mobilises the brain when we set a goal on paper. In simple physics (which has nothing to do with the magic) when you write down a goal, it makes its first step into the physical plane. Before this time, your goal has existed purely in the esoteric thought patterns that rattle around inside your head. Consequently, writing down your goals is one of the most basic secrets of success, whether you like it or not.
If the secret to success is so simple, is there any reason why you shouldn’t start doing it today?
