Sarah Tan – Personal Development

Where are Your Habits Leading You?
by Jack Canfield

You are an accumulation of your habits. From how you get out of bed, how you shower, how you dress, how you walk, sit, and talk, how you respond to the world, how you act in front of others, and how you think; you’re living out your habits.

Habits are necessary.

They free up your mind so you can concentrate on how to survive day to day. You don’t have to think about how to drive your car so you can be on the lookout for danger while you are driving. You don’t have to think about how to walk so you can concentrate on where you’re going.

Unfortunately, habits can also keep you locked in self-destructive patterns, which will limit your success.

Is there something you want to accomplish in life that requires you to up-level your game? Whatever it is that you want to achieve, you will need to drop those bad habits that are lead to a dead-end and develop new ones that are in alignment with the life you want to live.

People don’t suddenly appear in the life they want to live… their habits play a large part in determining their outcome.

What are the habits you have that are keeping you from achieving your goals?

Really be honest with yourself here…

Are you always running late?
Do you return phone calls within 24 hours?
Do you get enough sleep?
Do you follow through on your promises?
Do you plan out your day?

Imagine what your life would be like if all your habits were their productive counterparts!

• What would your life be like if you ate healthy meals, exercised and got enough sleep?
• What if you saved your money, stopped using credit cards and paid cash for everything?
• What if you stopped procrastinating, overcame your fears, and began networking with people in your field?
• Would your life be different? I bet it would!

So, my suggested action step for you is to write down some productive habits you could adopt and visualize in your life. Step two is to ‘act as if’ you were living these new habits right now!

I’d like to help you get moving toward creating more successful habits, so I’d recommend you develop four of your new success habits each year, one for each quarter.

Once you pick the new habit you’re ready to adopt, next you’ll want to create a method that will support your new habit.

Here are some ideas… You could write it down on a card that you keep with you and read several times a day. You could make it a part of your daily visualization. You could also enlist the help of an accountability partner who has habits to change, or work with a personal coach who can keep you on track.

It’s important to make a 100% commitment to your new habit, so be specific about the steps that you’re willing to take in order to drop an old habit and adopt a new one. Don’t be vague about how you will change your habits. Spell it out for yourself so you can recognize situations that motivate you to act out your new habit.

Just developing four new habits a year will dramatically shift your life to be more in line with your vision. And the more in line it becomes, the easier the other habits are to replace because your perspective is shifting and you can see more clearly how your old habits aren’t serving you anymore.

Make the decision. Make the commitment. Then watch your new, positive life unfold!

I’ll see you in another two weeks in the next edition of Success Strategies. In the meantime, take the time to implement just one of the strategies discussed in today’s issue.

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Are you “stuck” in this area?
There’s still time to join me in transforming your life into the one you truly want at Breakthrough to Success. Over seven days of exercises, tutorials and experiential processes, you’ll be changed from the inside out — emerging with a new mindset, new success skills, a different outlook and a clear path of where you’re going…
and how to get there.

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Whatever your goals may be, staying motivated is essential in conquering these goals. Whether you are trying to lose weight or start your own business, staying inspired through the process may be a little harder as time goes by. It may not be hard to get motivated when you first begin, it’s carrying this inspiration beyond the first phase of your goal that may be hard. However, if you are dedicated to achieving your goal, read on for more tips on how to stay motivated.

Understand that reaching your goal will require hard work. If you are attempting to lose weight, and have signed on the help of a personal trainer but are feeling discouraged, push through these feelings. Remember that it took you a while to gain the weight in the first place, so it will take time to gradually lose the weight as well.

Keep your goal in mind. What is it that you want to conquer? If you have been trying so hard to achieve something for so long, you may start to lose sight of your ultimate goal. You simply get lost in the process. This is true for whatever your goal may be, if its work related or simply family oriented.

Maybe you thought that pregnancy first would be your priority once you reached your adult life. You’ve dreamt about a family for as long as you can remember, but you’re too busy for another responsibility. What do you do? Stay patient and really think about your priorities.

You may feel a bit discouraged when it seems like you’re not getting anything done right. However, stop this thought process and simply believe in your ability to achieve. If you do not believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you. After all, you will teach people how to feel and think about you.

When you are feeling like you have not accomplished anything, think about your successes. Track your progress and look at all the good things you have done. This will help you get out of your negative state of mind.

Seek out help when you feel stuck. Humble yourself and know that it is ok to ask for help when you can not finish something on your own. This is applicable to the assembly of sleigh beds or the build up of your own business. When you need help, simply ask. Find someone who is qualified and seek out their help. This will help you avoid getting stuck and keep you moving forward and motivated.

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Executive coach and author Marshall Goldsmith wrote, “Feedback is a gift that only other can give.”  If that is so, why do so many people have trouble giving and receiving feedback?
Power is the culprit for much of the trouble we have giving and receiving feedback. When we give feedback we may really be trying to control people. Our resistance to receiving feedback is possibly a resistance to change. 

It can be very useful to clarify the reason for giving feedback before doling it out.  Here are five different types of feedback and suggestions for each. 

Evaluation Feedback: Evaluation Feedback is the most common that you will find in the workplace.It’s also the least helpful. The timeframe at which evaluation feedback comes is always at the end. The end of the performance year. After a week-long class is over. The end of a project.  True, we all need to be willing to rate ourselves, and the evaluation feedback will improve our performance next time.  But why not give and get feedback when we can learn from it real time?

Real-Time Performance Feedback: This type of feedback is usually given by someone whose success depends on you; for example your boss.  While it may be couched as an observation or something for you to think about, when someone shares performance feedback, they intend for you to change your behavior.

It is helpful to get clarifying information when you think that you are receiving performance feedback.  Try asking, “what exactly would you like me to stop or start doing?” Once you’ve gotten the feedback, make the change!

Fine-Tuning: Fine-tuning feedback generally comes from people who are satisfied with the overall job you are doing, but see some areas you could tweak to get even better. One of the best examples of fine-tuning feedback I ever received was from a course participant.  She told me she enjoyed my course and then asked if she could share some feedback.  She shared that when I nodded my head while listening to people in the audience, it made her feel as though I was rushing.  WOW!  This blew me away because I had no idea that my behavior was having this negative impact.

The key to giving fine-tuning feedback is to share the impact a behavior has on you or others.  The giver is not necessarily trying to control or change you. The person receiving the feedback has the chance to decide whether to change or not change, the person giving the feedback is merely sharing how they are impacted.

Feed-Forward: Goldsmith came up with this one years ago. It means giving someone suggestions in advance about how to behave rather than waiting for them to fail and beating them up afterward. For example, my husband had a presentation to give to the executive leadership committee at work, which was the first time he ever did anything like that.  His boss gave him great feed-forward about how to dress, when to speak, how much detail to go into, etc.

Slap Upside the Head: Two years ago, a colleague who is also a great friend sat me down and said, “You are making yourself and others miserable.  What’s going on?”

Only very good friends can give slap upside the head feedback.  It involves personal feedback that people share out of concern and caring. In his book, Who’s Got Your Back, Keith Ferrazzi gives some great examples of this feedback along with the assertion that we all desperately need people in our lives who care enough to give it.

A person giving slap upside the head feedback isn’t giving it with the intent of controlling you or even to change you because it matters to the person giving the feedback. The feedback is given because they understand your personal goals and see how your behavior is keeping you from reaching those goals.
Summary
If you are giving feedback:  think through what you want to achieve and give feedback that is appropriate.Remember that if you are not in a position of authority, evaluation feedback is not appropriate.  You can lead a horse to water . . .

Feedback Receivers: We all suffer from a lack of self-awareness at times and feedback is the only way we can learn what our blind spots are.   Even if you ultimately disagree with the feedback, accept it as a gift from the person giving it. If it’s evaluation or performance feedback, you have a chance to change in order to do better in the eyes of others.  If it’s fine-tuning or slap upside the head feedback, you have the choice to change or not.

Wendy Mack is a consultant, speaker, and change catalyst who specializes in helping leaders mobilize energy for change, For more articles and resources on leading and communicating change visit: www.WendyMack.com.

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Happiness is the archetypal point for leading a balanced and content life. You cannot think of living life totally if you spend majority of your day fretting about your life. Keeping delighted every time is the key to joy for life. Remember that staying content is no ordeal. It is fairly a quick task, provided you make an effort for the same. Let’s shed some light on easy measures that may help you keep hale and hearty.

Remain off from a bad mindset towards life. The golden rule to bring joy into your life is always to live your life positively. Attempt to stay upbeat about everything in your life. The more optimistic you remain, more likely you are to be happy. A constructive outlook helps prevent getting bogged down from the tensions and issues of life to a brilliant extent. This subsequently aids in living a joyful life.

Reaching out to folks may also help bring in happiness. Loneliness could never make you cheerful. The more isolated you keep yourself, the sadder you’re going to feel. Go out and connect to people. You could begin initiating a connection with a family member or even a chum. Inform them how much you love and care for them. You need not be spending a great deal of time together to stay connected to folks. A straightforward message saying ‘take care’ will serve the purpose.

Be grateful about all you’ve been graced with. Many of us are likely to think of ourselves as victims or unfortunate souls who’ve just received life’s miseries. Feeling miserable as a result will only hinder you from finding genuine joy. Hence, you should look around and count your blessings. Be happy with what you’ve got, be it awesome parents, a house to come home to, proper meals etc. Be humble and be grateful to God for showering you with these presents and privileges. When you begin to appreciate all that you’ve, you will be much happier with your life.

Discover time for yourself and for things that you enjoy the most. Owing to the hectic schedules and the fast moving lives of today, finding time for oneself is fairly a task. However, it’s very vital to do so in case you want to live a cheerful life. Just chase any hobby of your liking. Merely devote a few time to the activity of your alternative, be it painting, photography or another. This will assist your delight meter swoop big.

Well, you could be all negative and brood over things in life, if it results in something fruitful. Nevertheless, this is not the circumstance as it will just invite unhappiness into your life. Simply make use of the provided tips and you’re all set to bring back happiness into your life like never before.

Here are a few more ways to know about Stop Smoking Naturally and Lower Back Pain. Also, get detailed information on Disability Education

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Nanette Geiger, Law of Attraction Expert , writes… …

Few of us walk around truly realizing how we feel in every moment. All of us understand being on automatic pilot and going through the drag of life. In fact, it can be very useful to automate our efforts. Especially if it includes finishing a repetitive project such as raking leaves or peeling potatoes. When you fall into the groove of a repetitive routine, the task can turn into a meditation. Provided you aren’t repeating a complaint or problem around in your mind, being truly present with a repetitive action can be incredibly calming and helpful. Relationship Attraction has never been more powerful with the discovery of the Law of Attraction.

Being on auto-pilot may be fine for repetitious kinds of tasks, but when it comes to meaningful creation, you want to hone in slightly more carefully to what is truly going on in your vibration. Starting some investigative work on your current vibration will assist you in seeing the areas you need to remove some resisting energy or static off the line. When you acquire a clear, uncluttered channel of energy, what you desire comes more smoothly and without the mixed bag of results you are accustomed to getting. For example, say you want a lover. You create a lover, but because you’re afraid of being fully emotionally committed, he lives half-way around the world. You may think you are emotionally capable, but if you are getting a mixed result, then you’re transmitting a mixed message. A Law of Attraction Coach can assist you in completely changing your outlook with expert life coaching.

Have a look at your firmly held beliefs. Question your inner dialog. Is it really true? Does clinging to that limiting belief help you? Can you find some of your self-sabotaging behaviors? Interestingly, most of the things we hold to be true concerning life aren’t true. They are beliefs we have inherited. Pose a question of yourself and then hone in to listen to a response. Your inner guide will allow you to see interesting insights if you’re willing to allow yourself to hear them. Law of Attraction Love Relationships are incredibly rewarding and fulfilling past your wildest dreams! Think of someone who is everything you have ever desired in a lover.

Life was originally designed for you to be a success, find happiness, and fulfilled. We all came in with perfectly untainted guiding systems pointing us in the direction of our joy and self-expression. Tune back in to your thoughts and feelings. Pick the highest and best thoughts and emotions possible. Create with a clear message and you will put yourself back in the creative cockpit of your life.

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Financial crisis, rapid changes in the office, new stricter and more stringent policies, higher premiums, rising cost of commodities, etc. all of which amount to more stress for people and further emphasizing the need for better and more effective stress management techniques or methods. There are generally two approaches which you can go about when aiming to relieve stress. There’s the personal (self-help) approach and then there’s the professionally aided approach conducted through stress management training.

If you are on the lookout for the best then none could probably be given as much of the factors that need to be considered falls on you. Your needs for example are different from other people, same as with the problems that you face, meaning; you will be needing a different approach and solution to your problem compared to other people.

In terms of options you have plenty. You can choose from either online or offline stress management training courses that are being offered And as said, everything will depend on your preference. If you are more comfortable learning the techniques at home then you might want to take a look at online options. If you are a more of a hands on person, or you want to share or hear other people opinions, stories, or facts about stress then, offline training might be the one for you.

But regardless of these factors or the different methods that you will be using, the fact still remains that getting stress management training can be beneficial to you. Stress management training, with the use of highly interactive learning programs, teaches individuals a lot of different techniques that will help them improve their organizational skills, rationality when it comes to handling problems as well as relaxation techniques.

Stress management training aims at helping individuals suffering from too much stress as well as anxiety. Not only that, these training programs have also been known to help people get through addictions (alcohol, gambling, smoking etc.), depression, and other forms of physical or psychological ailments. The training can be taken in short courses, which can be started and finished within a week or so, or can also be a part of an on-going therapeutic activity for those who need it.

Covering areas ranging from effective time management, leadership and communication skills, assertiveness, and relaxation, stress management training can help you in becoming an effective individual. If you want more specific details about each of the trainings being given, try searching the web and you will surely be able to get a lot of relevant and useful information. So if you want to get rid of stress while accomplishing a whole lot more, learn more about stress management training as soon as you can. 

Looking for excellent tips on stress management training which could be help you to treat your anger problems fast? Be sure to visit http://www.managingstresssecrets.com and get your free 10-day mini-ecourse right now.

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Cautionary statements for medical and health aspects such as  heart attacks or seizures seem to be showing up all over our television of late.  TV and radio advertisements notify us what to do should we experience dizziness, passing out, numbness, and the like.  However, hardly ever will you witness an advertisement explaining common anxiety symptoms, which is especially inconsiderate considering so many us go through them and are very confused by them.

Having anxiety symptoms is exceptionally common in our modern culture, when we exposed to high pressure situations on a sporadic basis.  Whether it’s the despair that we’re lost in an uncharted location or we’re going to be late for a critical appointment or when the phone rings loudly, we all face anxiety at some point in our lives.  Thousands of people however may face anxiety symptoms for what appears to be no cause whatsoever, and might confuse them with the symptoms of getting a seizure or some alternate medical condition.  People who suffer from panic attacks frequently confuse these symptoms.

Anxiety disorder symptoms are obviously unique for everyone, and sometimes it’s apparent that they’re just having anxiety – right before speaking in public, when you’re about to be married, when you open your front door and see a couple of thugs standing there; these events might easily make any of us anxious and nervous!  However for most of us, anxiety symptoms may also include shallow breathing, heart contractions, vommiting, chest pains, irregular breathing, tingling or numbness in the fingers, face, or toes.  Stomach aches, and headaches are not unusual either.  You can see how these conditions could actually be confused with a heart attack or asthma or any number of other conditions.

If you get these anxiety symptoms on a frequent basis, and especially if they happen to happen for no reason, you should probably visit your doctor.  At the outset, you will want to rule out the chances of it being a heart attack or something that serious.  After that, he or she can prescribe medications or therapy that can help you live with the anxiety symptoms while simultaneously working with you to find out why you’re tense and anxious to begin with.  You might have some chemical imbalances in the brain or could need to incorporate a number of new positive techniques on how to process stressful situations so as to be able to reduce the start of a panic attack before it gets too severe.

I managed to overcome my panic disorder after years of hassle and dragging my family through the terror with me.  The cure I used was entirely natural, medication-free and didn’t require lengthy counseling – I’m happy to report that I’ve been free of anxiety for a number of years now, I only wish I had discovered it years sooner.

You can find out more about the program that saved my life at my how to cure anxiety blog.

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I am really getting the hang of visualisation. I’m currently on a steep learning curve and I seem to be able to see the big picture of how every little thing I am learning is coming together. I am on this momentum of success and it is simply rolling forward at great speed. So, I was thinking to myself about how I need to organise my insights and learning into a better place.

I’m currently using my diary, which is actually supposed to organise my time and project. It is known as the Rapid Planning Method by Tony Robbins. There isn’t enough space for me and it is not exactly the right place for me, even though there is space for journaling as well. In addition, it is too heavy for me to carry it around.

So, I started thinking about having a black journal. A book I have just read also mentioned getting a journal to record every learning point you gleam every day. Whatever action that you take, be it good or bad, write it down so that you can analyse it and do even better. The actual process of writing it down helps a lot as many of us are kinaesthetic in learning.

I do have keep some of my thoughts in word document because I type faster than I write. Whenever I watch videos online to learn about something new, I will type at the side to remind myself of what I have learnt. However, I feel I need a better place to organise everything.

Hence, I kept thinking about a journal, but just did not have time to get it. I was also thinking of saving some money. So, to my extraordinary delight, I received a black journal from Tony Robbins for my Mastery University course. It was totally unexpected, but I was not surprised to actually get such an item because I am putting out my thoughts.

This makes me think that I really ought to revisit my goals very often, say them aloud and really want them. It’s February and a month has passed since I last wrote down my goals. I see myself getting closer to my goals.

Excuse me while I go and write my thoughts in my black journal of a right handy size.

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Anywhere you go, online or retail, there are countless articles and books claiming to help you beat your problems with anger management. These information sources provide lots of techniques for learning to tame your temper. The claim is that they can help you learn to gain control of your anger before you do or say something that worsens the situation.

The problem is that some of these resources aren’t particularly effective. Anyone can claim to be an anger management expert and offer advice. However, if they don’t have the credentials to back up their advice, you can’t be sure of their credibility. Naturally, this makes some people question the usefulness of anger management techniques in general.

The answer is both yes and no. Certain criteria must be in place before an anger management class can be considered effective. Basically, you must be committed to an investment of effort and time towards putting into practice your newly learned skills.

You don’t have a chance of being successful if you’re not prepared to change your behavior. It’s essential that you carry out the techniques you have been taught. It’s not enough that your friends and family want you to overcome your problems with anger management. Real change has to come from within. That requires that you deliberately choose to change your usual reaction to certain situations. You need to be determined to replace them with the healthier skills that you have learned.

Lots of professional associations and organizations specialize in psychological issues, including anger management. Through their work over the years, they have developed methods of learning new skills that can help people overcome their anger management issues. Take a look at the website of the American Psychological Association, for example. You’ll find a lot of information there that deals specifically with anger issues.

There are lots of case studies that document the success rates of individuals with different levels of anger management issues. The association has worked with these individuals using the strategies presented on their site. The results are documented and available for anyone who is interested.

There’s a common theme among both the non profit websites and the ones that provide online anger management classes. Most of the strategies that are recommended involve relaxation and breathing techniques. Also, it’s important to back away from the situation mentally so you can think things through logically before responding. You also have to change your cognitive thinking patterns.

If you’re willing to really follow these various anger management tips, you’ll have success. Training can actually be very effective. But only if you’re prepared to work hard and implement the techniques. The reward, however, is a more peaceful, healthy and happy life.

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Simply getting by at work is not going to last very long. By doing the bare minimum you cannot expect to get ahead, receive promotions or more importantly, receive those much needed raises. However, there are people who can help you set personal business goals and help motivate you through leadership mentoring. Look around you and take stock of what successful business men and women are doing to get ahead. They are not just sitting around waiting for an opportunity. They are making their own opportunities. You need a business coach to help you do the same thing.

Leadership mentoring is not the same thing as being a coach. Mentoring involves a one-on-one action between someone more knowledgeable about a subject or situation and him or her instructing another person. It is common for a business coach to be confused with a mentoring program but there are differences. A couch is there to guide you along the way and let you make your own decisions. The other is there to show you how to do something.

Many companies will bring in a coach consultant to help their employees when the business is beginning to flag. It is a way to help bring back the company into operating once again at a higher level of efficiency. You have probably heard of motivational camps where employees are brought in and play team games with one another. This creates and fosters a competitive atmosphere but lets employees bond with each other.

Business coaches can not perform miracles and should not be promising great achievements. Those who do may be operating under fraudulent means. This is to say that a coach should not make grand promises to up sales by fifty percent or have employees thinking that the coaching process will automatically result in advancements and promotions. This is simply not the case. Coaching people should be more about showing them that they can rely on themselves to make the necessary changes to help the business operate better.

Many corporations are now seeing the benefit of bringing in a motivational business coach to help their business improve. It does improve employee morale and it does work in helping to raise productivity. The coach must be adept at motivating a single person and at group mentoring situations as well. You can benefit from the coach by listening to what he or she has to say and implementing their life tips into your own life. Then you will see work as more of a career than just a nine-to-five job.

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