Monday, August 30, 2010

Importance Of Confidence

Confidence is to life, what testosterone is to a man, if not more. Life without confidence is like a racing car, running on a 100 cc engine. In true sense, dearth of self-belief can take away all the fun in the roller-coaster ride named life. You will never be able to touch the high points of life, if you are unable to find the self-reliance required for it. Confidence is something that is inculcated in you through your own efforts and unlike physical strength cannot be attained by brutish training. Confidence is related to your mental well-being and determines the actual course taken by your life.

Imagine a situation wherein you are supposed to hit the court to play an important basketball game and just when you are dressing for the impending match, someone tells you that your shooting hasn’t been too good recently? Though confident players would just ignore such a comment and move on, those who are low on confidence will be affected badly and their game will deteriorate further. The common conditions like stage-fright and nervousness also occur due to the lack of confidence. Not only in scholastic or professional life, but in personal life too, people who are low on confidence are seen to falter in future. In the following lines, there is a detailed information about the significance of self confidence in the various stages of life.

Significance Of Self Confidence In Life

Role Of Confidence During Education
In school and college life, confidence helps us in going ahead and choosing the subjects and sports that we prefer, instead of leaving us on the mercy of our own grades or teachers. Sometimes we are afraid of picking up something, in which we are not good enough. In such situations we need confidence to do things we are not accustomed to and improve in them. Confidence helps us in choosing what we want and not the least that we are eligible for. This is vital for enabling us to learn new things and becoming better at known things. Achieving pleasing results for newer things gives us a new high, further increasing our confidence levels. Confidence is also vital for coming out victorious during crucial times such as exams.

Role Of Confidence In Professional Life
In professional life, confidence is the key to success. Right from getting selected for a better job to winning the coveted promotion, confidence is your ticket to success. Important decisions regarding your career at a crucial phase can only be made if you have confidence in your self. Self confidence becomes more important for people who are self employed, run businesses and corporate houses as each decision of theirs affects multiple people and enterprises. Lack of confidence will lead to missed opportunities, remorse and even wrong decisions taken out of misguidance.

Significance Of Confidence
In personal life, confidence plays the role of a leader, friend, partner and protector. Right from your first baseball game to your marriage, everything depends on the amount of confidence you instill in yourself. A lot of young people suffer emotional stress and mental disorders due to the lack of self believe and eventually get detached from their surroundings. Remember, life is going to throw new challenges towards you at every turn and corner. If you lack confidence, you are bound to break and fall apart. Leading a successful life is a bigger challenge in today’s world than ever before. Confidence is like that steel back bone, which keeps you standing through all the whirlwinds in life.

Confidence is the growth hormone for an individual’s personality development. Without confidence, a person’s growth in his life; personal, professional and social remains stunted. If you wish to become a pioneer of sorts by leading your field of work, then confidence is the first weapon you need to have in your repertoire. Keep in mind that confidence can be yours, if you leave fear. Just stop worrying about failure and work towards you goals. Believing in yourself can be the key to success. Remember, winners do not do anything different from you, they just do the same things you do but in a different fashion. In simple words, you can say that they do the same things with confidence.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

How To Improve Your Social Skills

They say, a human being is a social animal, but the question is, does everyone possess social skills? Most of the people do not know the art of speaking. While some are just inept and incompetent, there are others who lack confidence and yet others who do not havep98 mannerism and etiquettes. Having sound social skills is extremely important in the present times, given to the fact that interaction and conversation forms the basis for everything we do. If you also face difficulty in interacting, remember, it is not the end of the world. You can improve your social skills by just putting in a little effort. However, you cannot be perfect overnight. It would take some time, but believe me; it would be worth the wait. Just focus on qualities listed below and who knows, from being ineffectual, you might just turn out to be the ‘apple’ of the social meets. In the following lines, we have provided tips on how to improve social skills, just for you.

Improving Social Skills

Be Yourself
Only when you are your own self do you feel comfortable. And it is when you are in utmost comfort that you indulge in free conversation and interaction. Do not change your inner self for anything in the world. Remember, humans have this innate quality of discovering whether a person is real or fake. In case you pretend to be someone you are not, trust me, you would be lonelier than ever before.

Be Responsible
One of the vital components of social interaction is to know that art of carrying yourself. It is very important for you to know what to do and how to behave in a social gathering. A person behaving in an undesirable and unacceptable manner is usually avoided by people. So, be responsible for your actions and act according to the situation.

Be Open & Approachable
Imagine talking to a person who is an absolute introvert or extrovert! Extremes of personality often turn off people. Ideally, you should have a fusion of both the characters. While being too shy and withdrawn is enough to repel people immediately, being too loud and outgoing would not do much good either. Just strike a delicate balance between both the personalities and you would be the ‘star’ of the social gathering.

Be Attentive
The art of listening is a stepping stone for conversation and interaction. Alas! Not many have it in them. If you would have attended a social gathering, you will know that everyone wants to talk, but no one is ready to listen. So, the trick is to be an attentive listener and people would definitely talk to you. Also, do not interrupt or chip in a piece of advice or suggestion just when the other person is in the middle of a subject.

Be Polite
Being humble and down-to-earth is an excellent way to break the ice. It sheds off all the apprehensions and nervousness and gives a good impression. It would speak miles about your manners, personality and confidence. Apart from being polite, it is also advisable to be diplomatic. While being honest and forthright definitely pays, sugar-coating the truth is very necessary at times.

Be Aware
It is very important to be aware and observant of people’s behavior. For instance, watch if the person you are talking to is comfortable with the specific topic. If he looks uncomfortable or is simply disinterested, just move on to the next topic. In case he/she is not interested in talking to you completely, the best bet would be to move out of the scene.

Be Cautious
It is advisable to keep your senses active. Do not shut your eyes, close your ears and numb your senses at the time of interacting. Keep a keen eye on who are your friends and who are your enemies. Do not confront everything to someone you have just met.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Mastering The Art Of Conversation

Have you ever found yourself wondering how some people effortlessly strike up conversations, be it at a date, or a social gathering? In fact, mastery of the art of conversation is regarded, as a sign of success. These are the people, who seem to relate to everyone; they seem to know exactly what to talk about, in front of whom, what kind of reaction to give and so on, while others just stare in awe and envy. Most people, who have mastered this art, keep in mind these tenets – people, irrespective of age, sex or race, love to talk about themselves. Most good conversations start with small talk, people want less to do with how much you know, and more to do with how much you care, people will be drawn to those who take a sincere interest in them, rather than those who try hard to gain the interest of others. With these tenets in mind, they flow from small talk to hard talk, and end up making many more friends in a day, than others seem to make in a lifetime. Read on to know how to effectively make powerful conversations with just about anybody.

How To Master The Art Of Conversation
Free Expression
Freely express yourself, whatever it may be. You may be sitting in a room, full of right wing conservative people, for whom the Communist Revolution was the dance of the Devil, but if you support the labor party, express it freely. Not only, will you strike up an interesting debate, you will perhaps also be regarded highly, for having had the courage to be different from the crowd. Since people don’t come across honesty very often, most of them welcome it, when they see it. Expressing one’s opinion in a positive, non-threatening, non-patronising manner is a quality that, most leaders swear by.

All Ears
Listening is also an integral and, often overlooked, part of making effective conversation. Many a times, people who are none the wiser about art of conversation misinterpret, what is spoken by others, ending up losing the friends, they have instead of making any new ones. If you listen to people with sincere interest you will understand the true meaning of what they are saying, rather than running the risk of opening it to all kinds of meanings, intended and unintended. It will lead to less misinterpretation and, consequently, less misunderstanding.

Benefit Of Doubt
Most people don’t really mean to harm anybody new with their words, even if it might seem like they’re trying to be offensive. So, give them the benefit of doubt for their words, even if they sound ambivalent. This gesture will prove that you give people respect for who they are and are not unnecessarily judgmental.

One-Two-Three
Keep in mind the flow that a conversation is supposed to follow. The first part of is the small talks, which includes exchanging pleasantries, inquiring about family members and others. The second part will merge all small talk into the main topic or purpose of the conversation, be it business or sharing of personal views. In the third part, all these views, opinions and so on will flow into a satisfying end, acceptable to all parties involved. Follow this flowchart, to make effective conversations effortlessly.

How To Think Like A Millionaire

What separates extremely successful people from the unsuccessful ones is nothing but, their different thinking. Millionaires make millions not by some sheer stroke of good fortune, but by their superior thinking and strategic planning. If your goal is to retire as a millionaire, you will have to train your mind to think like the big shots. Unless you really learn what millionaires think and how they strategize, you will have trouble making heaps of money. This article brings you some valuable tips on how to think like a millionaire. Read on to know what it takes to have a millionaire’s mind.

Thinking Like A Millionaire

Think Long Term
Successful people have a tendency to think long term and invest in the future. Once a long term goal or objective has been visualized, you need to adjust your daily behavior accordingly to ensure that those goals are achieved well in time. People who have made astronomical sums of money have worked hard to climb the monetary ladder. You have to think of the long term consequences of the decision that you are taking at the moment and then take a final call.

Think Positive & Be Confident
Have you ever tried to find out how many skeptics have become millionaires? Just a handful! People who believe in themselves know how to take calculated risks and failures do not thwart their way. The biggest difference between successful and normal people is a positive thinking mind and a confident personality. Smart minds know when to hit the nail right on the head. Be a positive thinker and plan you strategies while calculating the risks.

Delay Gratification
The feeling of fulfillment doesn’t come easy to millionaires or they would have never made millions in the first place. Don’t allow yourself to gloat on the initial gains and feel gratified. Train your mind to ask for more. While you should not lose yourself in the quest of success or money, it is important that you don’t feel satiated with what you have achieved so far. Always remember that there are miles to go before you sleep!

Discipline Your Thought-Process
Thinking like a millionaire involves disciplining your mind and thought process. There are many people who think big, but very few who actually make it big. This is where disciplining your mind is factored in. A disciplined mind will delay gratification and keep you focused on your goals. A structured and well-organized thought process will help you to develop a futuristic perspective, just the way millionaires have it!

Decide The Limit
Your mind knows your limitations, although you are certainly not bound by them. Thinking like a millionaire doesn’t imply that you will have millions in your treasury in just a matter of days. Success will come hard and you will have to face testing situations. Think over where you want to set the limit and to what extent will you stretch yourself to realize your dreams. You don’t need to think like a millionaire to set your limit, as there are a few things that your own mind will tell you better.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

How To Get Rid Of Fear Of Rejection

The fear of rejection most commonly has its roots in childhood incidences. Comparisons and competition is fairly common among children and this result in one or other form of rejection. Most people have felt rejection and the way they tackle it after being snubbed determines if they would develop a fear of rejection. Most of the time the pain the person feels due to rejection conditions his or her mind where the person tends to withdraw into a shell fearing future rejection. They also tend to develop a reluctance to ask anything, even if it is for help, thinking that their advance will be rejected. This state of mind can harm the relationship that he or she has with other people. The person can become over dependent and may always look for loyalty signs in others. They tend to focus more and more on other people’s reaction to their actions that they tend to become paranoid and miserable. That is why it is very necessary that in order to maintain a stress free life the fear of rejection should be overcome. To know more read the article below for the various tips on getting rid of the fear of rejection.

Tips On Getting Rid Of The Fear Of Rejection

The fear of rejection leaves a very depressing mood. One way to counter it is to create happy thoughts. Happy thoughts build up the self-esteem, which in turn helps you to overcome the fear of rejection. When you create your own happiness, you will be less dependent on others and also develop a confident outlook.

Be optimistic. A cheerful disposition and positive outlook will help you create happy thoughts and a cheerful atmosphere that will uplift your spirits.

Cultivate hobbies. This is the best way to do things that you truly enjoy. Learn to appreciate things even if you are not interested in it. Indulging in hobbies will take your mind away from the problem.

Try to be as independent as possible. Depending on people will enhance your rejection phobia. Also, when you are independent you will also develop a better ability to take care of yourself. Being independent will also teach you to address your needs on your own. Don’t rely on your friends and family, so much that it hampers your growth and productivity. Self-sufficiency will ensure that you do not get helpless when you experience the signs of separation.

The fear of rejection can only be conquered steadily. You will have to go slow and adopt a systematic approach.

While expectation is good, don’t expect too much. Your focus should be on your actions rather than how people will react. The main fear of rejection stems from feeling of helplessness that stems from being unable to control the external outcomes.

Set goals that you can reach. If you are in a shaky relationship then it is better to end it before you start developing the symptoms of rejection phobia. While you are in the relationship it is better that, you be yourself rather than what others wish you to be.

Set an attitude where you give unconditionally. If you do not expect anything, the fear of rejection won’t be so profound.

Let your mistakes be your teacher. Find out how, when and where it all went wrong and then address the issue. When you know your mistakes, you will be better able to rectify them. Learning from mistakes will also teach you to be more careful later.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Fear Of Talking

Fear in any form can be terrifying and paralyzing, be it the fear of failure, fear of the unexpected or the fear of losing a loved one. Fear, in general, is unhealthy. However, if we are unable to control our fears, eventually they start taking complete control on us, thereby weakening us emotionally, mentally and physically as well. Hence, the best way to overcome our fear is by mastering it and preventing it from controlling us. The fear of talking, whether on the phone or in public, has become a common problem seen in most people nowadays. Not only does it stop the person from contacting loved ones, it also blocks work and business opportunities, causing anxiety and distress. The fear of talking results in delay in picking up important calls and delivering speeches in public. Does the problem sound similar to what you are facing? Looking for ways to overcome this problem? Scroll these lines to find tips on overcoming the fear of talking on the phone as well as in public.

Overcoming Fear Of Talking

Phone Calls

Make a note of all the conversation that you would be talking on the phone. Most people are scared about forgetting what they intend to say to the other person on the phone. The best way to deal with this is to write down all that you will speak. This would help ease all your worries.

Most people panic when they receive a rude phone call, as they do not know how to react to such calls. In such a case, ask your friend to behave like one of those people. He/she might enact the way your boss or the bill collector does. Practice your responses in order to better behave when the actual call rings.

If you are into a marketing job where you have to promote various products to strangers, it is natural to get anxious about the questions that the customers would pour in. Hence, gather all the possible knowledge about your product to speak confidently and answer the questions accordingly.

While making calls to an unknown person, some people fear that the person on the other end would respond negatively or start cross questioning. To overcome such a situation, prepare for the negative reaction in advance.

Always make a call when you feel comfortable rather than talking when the person feels better. Do not worry about the time that you would be calling, simply focus on your comfort level. For example, if you are a morning person, it is best to make calls in the morning rather than when you are dull.

Public Speaking

Always pick up a topic that you are comfortable with, such as sports, television, fashion or anything that interests you and puts you on the front. Gather all the possible extensive knowledge on that subject.

While speaking, always look at the audience and make eye contact. Though this is the basic rule of public speaking, it takes considerable time for a person to get adjusted. Many new speakers always look over the heads of the audience or at the floor or ceiling.

Never ever converse with the first friendly face that you find in a gathering. Try and make efforts to talk to everyone present. Eye contact plays a vital role here in keeping the audience glued to your talk.

Practice speaking by recording your speech in a small tape player and listening to it later on. Initially, you will be surprised to hear to your voice but with time, you will love to hear it.

While recording your voice, start looking into a mirror reflecting how you project yourself in front of the audience. This will give you an idea of what gestures and expressions you pose to your listeners and how you can work on them so as to improve.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Top 10 Tips For Enjoying a Successful Career, Marriage and Family Life

1. Set Your Family and Business Goals—I believe the first step to achieving anything important is to begin by identifying your goals. If you have not already done so, pull out a pad of paper and write down your career, marriage and family goals.
2. Get The Support From Your Spouse—The only way you are going to achieve these goals is with the support of your spouse. Just as it would be unwise to think you can build a successful business without the support of your business partner, you won’t build a successful marriage, family life and career without the support of your spouse.
3. Create Blocks of Time For Work and Family—One of the first things my wife and I did when we got married was to put together a work and family schedule. What started out 25 years ago as a simple schedule where we blocked out time for my career and for us to be together has transitioned to a plan for our entire family. We delineate blocks of time to spend time with each of the children and together as a family. This one tip has made a HUGE difference in my life.
4. Review Schedule with Family—After you and your spouse have negotiated the blocks of time you will allocate for your career, spend together and be with your children, then review the schedule with your children and get their buy-in. After you have discussed the schedule, establish the boundaries highlighted in the next three tips.
5. Make Sure Your Work Time is Respected—During the blocks of time you have allocated to work, you are not to be interrupted unless there is important reason. Of course, there will be exceptions when either your spouse or kids need to talk to you about something, but you must make those times the exceptions and not the norm.
6. Don’t Conduct Business During Family Time—This means not doing ANYTHING work related during family time. I respect and value my family time and therefore I rarely schedule calls or appointments during this time. My phone seldom rings during family time because everyone knows when I am with my family, I don’t answer my phone or respond to messages. I’ve set boundaries and people I associate with on a regular basis respect those boundaries.
7. Make Your Family Time, Family Time For Everyone—No texts, no emails, no phone calls! This applies to you and your family members. Make your family time a sacred time that is valued by everyone.
8. Be Present—When you are with your family, try to stop thinking about everything going on in your life and focus on your family. Resist the temptation to talk about your work and instead concentrate on topics of interest to your family. Use your time together to ask questions and discuss what is going on in their lives.
9. Dates with Kids—If you have children, let me encourage you to block out times to spend time with them on an individual basis. There is no better way to connect with someone than one-to-one. Whether it’s a bike ride, a one night camping trip, playing dolls, a cup of tea or whatever it is they enjoy doing, block out time each week to spend with each of your children.
10. Weekly Date With Spouse—This is the number one marriage tip I give to newlyweds. Every week for the past 25 years with a rare exception, my wife and I have a date. Our dates may be dinner at our favorite restaurant, a boat ride or a campfire on the beach cooking hot dogs. The key for us is blocking out time where we can focus on each other without any distractions. This allows us to catch up on everything going on in our lives and to show our love to each other.
I want to challenge you to take steps to improve the balance between the time spent pursuing your career, building your marriage and pouring into your children’s lives. Print out this lesson and discuss it with your spouse. I am convinced if you will implement these 10 tips, you will live a happier, more successful and fulfilling life.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Lessons from teachings of 24 Gurus

1. Spider: Try; try until you succeed Endeavour and Whole creation web design. Moreover, its Intricacy from nowhere - (spirit).

2. Earth: Teaches endurance, Patience bountiful and benevolent.

3. Space: Accommodative and open minded.

4. Fire: Provides awareness knowledge & warmth.

5. Air: Atmosphere unaffected by good or bad.

6. Water: Path of least resistance confrontation and overcomes obstacles.

7. Sun: No- discrimination, treat everyone the same and alike will not differentiate.

8. Moon: Reminds to use moment in time judiciously and wisely.

9. Ocean: Not bothered whenever overwhelming over powering things happen.

10. Python: Contentment what so ever contented satisfied at the moment.

11. Lone Bangle: Too many people too many noise.

12. Honeybees: Take the best in every situation - give the best.

13. Honey-gatherer: Allocate share with all – apportion appropriately.

14. Moth: Control over sense of sight – not to befall for attraction.

15. Fish: Control over sense of taste. Otherwise lured by the bait and trapped.

16. Deer: Control over sense of hearing – not to become prey and victim to vices.

17. Elephant: Control over sense of touch – known for reminiscence.

18. Arrow maker: As a Marker and pointer - aimer acknowledged for concentration.

19. Pigeons: Look before you leap- Do not jump to conclusion.

20. Dancer: Not to depend on others.

21. Snake: Enjoy your own company not to get deceived.

22. Osprey: No attachment/affection.

23. Child: Innocence –for blamelessness- incorruptibility.

24. Larva: You can become what you think – Metamorphosis.