Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts

Monday, 15 January 2018

Showing Kindness and Compassion To Yourself and Others

Two things that come naturally to me and to most people around me are kindness and compassion. You can say the same thing and feel exactly the way I feel right now when you read this line Showing Kindness and Compassion To Yourself and Others.

Did that bring a smile on your face? It brings a smile all the time to me.




Showing Kindness and Compassion To Yourself and Others is an empowering feeling but many of us often don't feel the necessity to talk about it, preach about it or even express this wonderful emotion. The perception that these two words are for people who are innocent, ignorant or for someone who is weak at heart shows the self-centeredness and the narcissistic quality of a person.

It is a common challenge that we all face when it comes to expressing our emotions to others especially any form of love an affection to strangers. People tend to hide their emotions with the fear of being judged.

Understanding our challenges:

Here's an example. Let's say you have set out to achieve a goal and you are struggling with all the challenges, distractions and temptations that fills your day like the traffic on the road, the worthless news on the television, the negative people at your place of work, the caffeine/alcohol habits etc are all the things that you feel are not in your control and don't add any value to you either. It might be true, it might seem that for you to be focused on your goal could be impossible with all these daily noises around you and maybe they are in your way to stop you for moving forward, to make you spend on things that you will never use, to keep you restless, to suck you into the idea of being debt and to make you feel miserable.

Taking control of your situation compassionately could stir you in the right direction. You can acknowledge that the external factors that show up in your routine as distractions are unavoidable but understanding the problems we face can help us to move away from self-blaming and begin to help ourselves in a more compassionate and responsible way.




Every time we are kind and compassionate to ourselves and knowing that we being the victim is not always our fault, we can turn things around with a little bit of self-control, take responsibility for our actions and also be kind and compassionate along the way. Kindness is not about spending heaps of money on ourselves or our loved ones, but rather making sure we are addressing our emotional needs for real. I believe this is a fundamental principle of a healthy and a happy life.

To be a compassionate person, we have to accept the kind of person we are and embrace our good values. The very essence of being compassionate is the eagerness to show empathy, to feel and help others with their suffering. This feeling helps us to generate more positive thoughts, real emotions and acts as a starting point for developing happiness within ourselves.

So how can we develop a kind and compassionate mind?

It's going to take a lot of practice, but you will come around. Start with feeling compassionate for yourself every day. It might sound uncomfortable to imagine this. But try and tell yourself loud so you can hear yourself say at any point of your day, every day "I am a kind and compassionate person".




Create an environment that is quiet, where you are relaxed, pause, slow down and spend at least three minutes every day to take deep breaths and get your headspace. Think yourself to all the wonderful qualities you would like to have as a person who is kind, loving, compassionate and someone who is full of life.

Now, understand each emotion and find an opportunity to express that emotion. Imagine the kind person you are, feel it and do something as an act of kindness. Imagine the loving and compassionate person you are and feel it. See how your thoughts change, how your body reacts, what sensations you feel, how you see the world around you right when you feel these emotions. Take each quality and imagine being a person who thinks, feels and act with this quality.

What would this be like for yourself and others?






Siva

Entrepreneur

Founder: Life & Lifestyle Online

Website: http://www.lifeandlifestyleonline.com

Email: siva@lifeandlifestyleonline.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Siva_Kumar/2451510

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Wednesday, 27 December 2017

The Psychology of Habits - One of The Most Incredible Inspirational Talk...



If you're not a fun person when you're broke, you aren't going to be that much fun when you're rich! Money has a tendency to amplify the intrinsic nature of who you are - if you're an arsehole, well... money will give you the means and resources to be more of one!

Understand the psychology of habits and you will understand some of the most powerful driving forces in our lives. Did you find this useful? 

3 Steps for Successful Resolutions

Certain times of the year lend themselves to reviewing our lives, to taking time to look at where we've been, what we've achieved so far and where we want to go from here. Keeping life interesting and fulfilling can mean introducing some changes, which will often require planning in order that they be successfully implemented. Let's look at three steps for successful resolutions.


Resolution A's



- Achievable. For goals or changes to be actionable they need to be realistic. It's important that they stretch us enough so we keep on trying, but not be so daunting that we give up feeling exasperated, useless or completely deflated. Remember that a high-jumper only knows they've reached their limit when they fail, otherwise they keep on raising the bar. Make sure that you allow for training, coaching or support in areas where you're short of essential skills or knowledge.

- Application is about keeping on turning up. We have to regularly check in with our goals and maybe make a few sacrifices along the way. But it's also important to give ourselves rewards as encouragement and an acknowledgment of our efforts. Treat yourself to a relaxing bath or shower after a workout or training, enjoy a cosy night watching a film after an onerous piece of work. Reward yourself for the hard graft and determination you've displayed.

- Allow yourself to fail from time to time without beating yourself up. Be gentle with yourself. There's no need to be harsh if you slip up or don't immediately reach your target. Re-focus and start again, treating setbacks as minor events on the road to good results. We're all human and a mini-lapse doesn't need to signal the end of your aspirations.


Resolution B's



- Begin with the right mindset, but don't wait for all conditions to be perfect before you start. You don't need to wait for a new day, week or year - right now is as good a time as any. Set yourself some relevant tasks or actions every day. It may be to make a phone call, send an email, do 10 minutes exercise, cook a healthy meal. Find affirmations or phrases that keep you motivated and on track. You could say to yourself 'I am doing this', 'I am worth this', two examples of ways to talk positively to yourself and bolster your self-belief.

- Barriers to successful resolutions may typically be seen as having too little time, financial constraints, responsibilities like work, children, family or partners. Different factors may contrive to get in the way of you being free to pursue your goals but try to work around them. If now's not a good time to commit fully, why not break down your goals and identify the individual stepping-stones that will move you nearer, taking you in the right direction. Work on the one or two steps that you can accommodate right now.

- Blockages may well be an aspect of your own mindset, the negative self-talk that has perhaps accumulated over the years. Identify any stressors or situations that tend to trigger a negative response or divert you from your path. Then you can work to resolve those issues. Therapy can sometimes be useful when this happens, especially if it happens on a regular basis.


Resolution C's



- Check inside yourself to ensure that your goals are right for you, that they're yours and not someone else's. Do you really want to stop smoking, lose weight, get fitter, take your business to the next level? Doing things to please someone else can work for a time but is often difficult to sustain long-term or when the going gets tough.

- Commitment is sustained by belief and the desire to succeed. Setting mini-goals is often a great way to motivate you to maintain the effort. Then you can recognise each step as a positive result in its own right, leading you to the overall prize. Congratulate yourself at each milestone reached.

- Challenge yourself when you set goals and resolutions. It's best when your goals have a real resonance for you, when they stretch, motivate and inspire you, even on the tough or difficult days. That way you get to relish the sense of achievement every time you do well.

- Care for yourself well. When you're the most important person in your life others get the best of you too. When you look after yourself you're better equipped to support others. You're more positive, relaxed and less stressed. Yes, people and situations may need you to be there, to love and care for them, earn money, be supportive, but be sure to find a balance. Caring for yourself and your needs through supporting your goals and quality of life ensures that you're happier and healthier, emotionally, mentally and physically.

Then all that needs to happen is for you to set yourself some goals and resolutions. Why not start this positive process now!




Susan Leigh is a long established counsellor, hypnotherapist, writer and media contributor who works with clients to help with relationship conflict, stress management, assertiveness and confidence issues. She works with individual clients, couples and provides corporate workshops and support.

She's author of 3 books, 'Dealing with Stress, Managing its Impact', '101 Days of Inspiration #tipoftheday' and 'Dealing with Death, Coping with the Pain', all with easy to read sections, tips and ideas to help you feel more positive about your life.

To order a copy or for more information, help and free articles visit http://www.lifestyletherapy.net

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Susan_Leigh/399535

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Tuesday, 26 December 2017

Monday, 25 December 2017

What Are You Willing To Do To Have Impact?

Do you have a really powerful and vivid dream of the difference you'd like to make in the world, the impact you want to have? Or is your vision evolving?




Either way, whether or not that dream comes to life depends very much on the answer to these questions:

What are you willing to do to have impact? What are you willing to commit to?

When I was an undergrad in college, and really, from the time I was 10 years old, I wanted to be a doctor. When I applied to medical school and wasn't accepted, I was devastated, my dream shattered.

Looking back on it later, I realized that I hadn't been willing to do what it took to be accepted into medical school. I was able, but not willing. I was busy exploring the refreshing freedom of making my own decisions. Not by partying, since that's not my style, but by deciding how I wanted to spend my time in many small ways. At the time, my choices and my vision did not mesh.

Your impact is like that too. Your impact will remain an idea, a dream, until you take action with choices that align with your vision. You have to be willing to make the effort, to do the work of impact.




That can sound like a slog, a pushing from behind. And sometimes, it may feel that way.

But what really pulls you forward is motivation, a commitment to your vision, and a willingness to take action in a way that is consistent with your vision.

That commitment to aligned action takes shape in two ways:

1. Define who you need to be in order to have the impact you want to have, then become that person.




You have hidden capacities that have not yet been fully brought to light. Your impact vision may now call these capacities forward.

For example, as an entrepreneur, you're already a leader. How is your impact vision going to require you to lead? For ideas, look around you. What leader models behavior that you'd like to adopt yourself? What skills do you want to learn that will help you lead?

By learning and practicing through modeling, you'll be able to grow into that person.

Impact isn't a spectator sport. You've got to step into the arena and start practicing.

It can seem like a daunting thing to just show up as someone else. Fortunately, it's not often accomplished by big leaps. Rather, it's something you choose, every day.

Which brings us to #2:

2. Decide how you want to show up, every day.




How you choose to behave in relation to yourself and others is a big indicator of your commitment to your impact vision. You may be wondering what that looks like for you. Here are a couple of examples to consider:

Are you compassionate? Do you care about people and show it by paying attention in your interactions?

Or are you dismissive? Do you show people that they are not worthy of your time in the way you rush around, barely pausing to glance at them?

This is the micro-level of impact. Your daily choices about how you show up do accumulate. They add up to become who you are.

How you show up affects your choice of actions.

And the actions you choose affect how you show up.




In this happy interrelationship, how you show up affects your attitude and changes how you act. When you act in a way that is aligned with how you want to show up, with the impact you want to have, you are being that person you need to be to have the impact you want to have and that inspires you further.

To have impact, when is the best time to put these changes into action? Right now!

Your impact vision without action is just a dream. It can never come to life.

You're a dreamer, a visionary. You've started a business, right?

That's not the whole equation, though, when it comes to impact. People who remain only dreamers stay stalled with an idea. That is not you. You want to have impact. You're also an action-taker.

Developing yourself to become the person who can have that impact is part of your action. You can take action every day, by showing up as the person who can have that impact.

Are you willing to do what it takes to have impact?





Ursula Jorch, MSc, MEd, mentors entrepreneurs starting their businesses and seasoned entrepreneurs in transition to create the business of their dreams. Her coaching programs provide knowledge, support, clarity, inspiration, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs to empower you to reach your goals. Start with a free guide and other valuable info at http://www.WorkAlchemy.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ursula_Jorch/1699443

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Sunday, 24 December 2017

How to Form The Culture Of Your Business Startup

Right from the very beginning of your business startup's formation, you have already begun to create its corporate culture. Whether you have taken an active role in shaping it or allowed it to organically develop, your corporate culture becomes a part of your business based on your behaviors, vision, and values of your brand. Creating a positive organizational culture can allow your business startup to thrive both internally with your employees and externally as they interface with your customer base.

Being proactive at the beginning of your business startups foundation can work to develop a culture that employees take pride in being a part of and also help to express your vision into the long term. Waiting until you are a more established business with a team of employees to worry about your corporate culture can have a negative impact on your business as you forget about the very ideals that make your business startup who it is. With a little bit of management and foresight now, you can craft a corporate culture that follows your business startup's vision, values, mission, and expected behaviors.




Find Your Purpose

Start by thinking about what the vision for your business really is. You need to think about where you where you are headed and where you want to go. Having some direction early on with your business startup will give you, as well as your employees, something to work towards and aim for. The decisions and choices you make should directly support your vision and allow you to drive your company well into the future.

Along with your vision, you need to create the values that your business startup stands for. This is an important step as this will carve out the ideals of your brand and expectations of your employees. Your employees are just as much a reflection of your business as you are and having values that they can live up to can bring a strong reputation and recognition to your company.




Spread the Message

Once you have developed a vision strategy for your business startup, you need to be vocal about it. You can't expect your team to catch on if they are unaware of its evolution. Spread the message and allow yourself to be transparent about its meaning to you. Allowing yourself to be open and communicative about how your vision and values align with the success of your business startup can create the buzz your company needs to take it to the next level.

Hire According to Your Values

As you add to your team, you need to find the right fit when it comes to your company culture. You want to hire employees that display your brand values as it will be an easier transition into your corporate culture to respect and stand behind what your business stands for.

As you work to select employees to work at your business startup find out what your values mean to them. Look for ways that they already integrate these values into their daily life. A prospective employee that possess experience, as well as your core values, can be a valuable addition to your business startup as they can bring that positivity your corporate culture needs. You can count on them to spread your vision message to others as well as be contagious to other employees that may have not fully onboard with your company purpose.




Reward and Appreciate

It's always nice to offer your employees perks, but as a business startup, the funding may not be there to give a lot. Recognition of your team goes a long way especially for those that display your company values in the work that they do. Develop a reward system to appreciate those that are incorporating the vision of your business startup with customers or in their work responsibilities and choices they make on a day-to-day basis. This small act can boost your corporate culture and make your business startup a company that employee value and cherish.




Think About The Past

With a focus on the future it can be easy to forget about your past, but how your started and where you came from is the very foundation that shaped your business today. Think about your history and the hard work that took to get where your business startup is today. Allow your employees to also understand the story behind your company and what it took to get it to its beginning stages.

Your past is a significant part of the strength of your business and most likely is what you drew your values from. Your employees need to understand the motivation and drive that propelled your business startup forward. Be upfront about your history and embrace it with a furry as it is the sole reason you are in the position you are today. When your employees see your roots, this will impact how they feel about the company and the vision that you have created to take it into the future.




Focus Daily On Your Culture

It is not enough to create your vision and values and be done with your corporate culture. It needs constant cultivation to prevent it from going to the wayside and becoming negative in a blink of an eye. You have an amazing opportunity as a business startup to start your corporate culture from the ground up as it is much easier to manage then change.

Make it a part of your routine to enforce the vision and lead by your company values. With you focus on maintaining a corporate culture that employees enjoy being a part of, you will reap the benefits from their improved productivity and performance.

When you focus on your corporate culture from the beginning stages of your business startup, you can easily create an environment that is positive for all that work there. You will see behaviors that are in line with your core values and strength in your corporate vision. The work starts now but will be well worth your efforts.



More detailed information and useful advice can be found at http://www.Funded.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Pierre_Jean-Claude/335283

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Friday, 22 December 2017

Which Business Ventures Earn the Biggest Profits?

What was your business venture's net profit margin in the previous fiscal year? Was the projected revenue reached? Is cash-flow adequate and are you able to manage your accounts payable? Were you able to buy decent medical and dental insurance? Were you able to deposit $5K or more into your retirement account? Could you afford to take a vacation this year? If the answer to two or more of those questions is no, I respectfully suggest that you evaluate the future of your business or consulting venture.




If paying bills is often a stretch, if you can barely afford even the least costly health insurance, you infrequently (or never) pay into your retirement fund, if sales revenue has been lackluster for most of the past eight quarters, then it's time to make a change. Your best option may be to not just tweak your business model and engineer a pivot but to explore another type of venture altogether, one with greater profit-making potential.

Sageworks, a financial data service located in Raleigh, NC, analyzed the net profit margins of 16, 000 small businesses that earned less than $10 million between September 2014 and August 2015. The average net profit across all industries in that time period was 7.2%

Surprisingly, the list of top performers consists almost entirely of Solopreneur friendly service industries. Despite the challenges of selling services, especially intangible services to B2B or B2C clients, Sageworks' list demonstrates that it is possible to make money as a self-employed service provider.




While educational degrees and professional credentials pose a formidable barrier to entry for several of these high-yield businesses, others require only a much more attainable certification and license to do business, plus the right relationships to help you build a solid client list.

To enter and build your current business, you drew upon certain of your competencies, professional experiences and relationships and you may have developed additional skills over time. For example, all self-employed professionals must become proficient at sales. That is a skill you can transfer to another venture, such as real estate sales.

It is almost certain that you have competencies that have lain dormant as you pursued the opportunities available to you at the time. Look over old resumes and remind yourself of previous job responsibilities and positions you held while serving on a not-for-profit board or committee.

Did you chair a finance committee or serve as a board treasurer? Were you responsible for preparing monthly financial statements at one or more places of employment? Those experiences could help you repackage yourself as an independent bookkeeper who works with small business clients. If billing and other administrative functions formed the core of one or more of your previous jobs, you may be able to bundle those services and present them as a high-profit business that you can operate from a desk in your bedroom.




Whichever of your skill sets that research shows has the potential to propel you into a new business venture, update and deepen that knowledge with a couple of courses at a community college, or with free online courses at Coursera or Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC). If you'd like to receive a certificate from the school that sponsors your course, it will cost less than $100. Check the list of high-profit businesses below and see how your skills and professional experiences might successfully be applied.


Business                                                                                   Net Profit Margin

Accounting / Bookkeeping                                                      18.4%

Real estate sales                                                                       15.2%

Lawyer's office                                                                        14.5%

Dentist's office                                                                         14.4%

Landlords                                                                                 14%

Health practitioners (chiropractors, etc)                                  13.3%

Physician's office                                                                     13%

Business or technical consulting                                              12%

Graphic and industrial design                                                  11.4%

Administrative services (billing, etc.)                                     11.3%

Architectural / structural engineering services                        11%

Real estate property services                                                   10.1%

(landscaping, cleaning, etc.).

Thanks for reading,

Kim



Kim L. Clark is an external strategy and marketing consultant who brings agile skills to the for-profit and not-for-profit organization leaders with whom she works. Please visit http://www.polishedprofessionalsboston.com to learn how your organization can achieve mission-critical goals when you call on Kim.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kim_L._Clark/647250

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Tuesday, 19 December 2017

A Healthier Attitude In Stressful Times



As human beings, we are continually faced with challenges, difficulties and temporary setbacks. They are an unavoidable aspect of being human. By learning how to manage stress and respond with a positive attitude to each challenge, we'll grow as a person and start moving forward in life. In fact, without those setbacks, we could not learn what you need to know and develop the qualities to where we are today.

It is natural to us to react emotionally when our expectations are frustrated in any way. When something we wanted and hoped for fails to materialize, we feel a temporary sense of disappointment and unhappiness.

The optimistic person, however, knows how to manage stress in difficult situations and soon moves beyond this disappointment. Responding quickly to the adverse event and interprets it as being temporary, the optimist responds with a positive attitude, knows how to manage stress and counter the negative feelings by immediately reframing the event to turn into a positive one. Whenever you have a difficulty, immediately reframe it, choose to view it as a challenge, and start moving forward. Challenge is inherently positive. It is something that makes you stronger and better.




The best way to maintain a positive attitude and manage stress is to turn it into an opportunity. When you are faced with a difficulty of any kind, faced with an unexpected opportunity. Neutralize any negative thoughts or emotions by speaking to yourself positively all the time.

You must learn to manage stress and survive above the difficulties in order to be a better person. Welcome each difficulty and then look into the situation to find the good in it. Start moving forward in life by keeping your thoughts on your goals, dreams, and on the person, you are working toward becoming. When things go wrong temporarily, resolve to maintain a positive attitude, be cheerful, and resist every temptation toward negativity and disappointment. View disappointment as an opportunity to grow stronger and wiser.

It's very easy to be dragged down by the stress and pressure of everyday life. Once you feel really down, it's even easier to stay there, beaten and tired, muddling from day-to-day. The choice to live your life with a more positive attitude is always the right choice. But it is a choice that will take work and time.




Focus on what you do have rather than what you could have, you can decrease the amount of time you spend wishing and increase the time you spend appreciating the things that are happening in your life. But sometimes, this can lead to the things in life becoming mundane and harder to appreciate. Shaking up this pattern should help you to break up the routine and see your life in a new light.

As human beings, stress is a part of life. It is inevitable. What's important is how we respond to those challenges in a different perspective.



Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rosemarie_Sumalinog_Gonzales/1972656

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