Taking tea may prevent weight gain caused by junk food, according to a new study.
Researchers found regular consumption of tea also suppressed damaging changes in the blood linked to fatty foods that can lead to type-2 diabetes, reports dailymail.co.uk.
They said the research on mice could signal another set of health benefits from tea if they are confirmed in trials on humans.
In the study some mice were given a high fat diet and others a normal diet. Each of these two groups were then split into smaller groups and given water, black tea or green tea for 14 weeks.
Both types of tea suppressed body weight gain and the build-up of belly fat linked to a fatty diet.
But black tea, which is used in most ordinary cuppas, also counteracted the harmful effects on the blood normally associated with a high-fat diet.
These included increases in cholesterol, high blood glucose and insulin resistance – a precursor to type-2 diabetes where the body does not efficiently use the insulin it produces.
Rising obesity levels in Western countries have resulted in many more people having insulin resistance.
Taking tea has already been linked to lowering the risk of heart disease, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Other research shows drinking tea on a regular basis for ten or more years may improve bone density.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Tea can prevent weight gain
Taking tea may prevent weight gain caused by junk food, according to a new study.
Researchers found regular consumption of tea also suppressed damaging changes in the blood linked to fatty foods that can lead to type-2 diabetes, reports dailymail.co.uk.
They said the research on mice could signal another set of health benefits from tea if they are confirmed in trials on humans.
In the study some mice were given a high fat diet and others a normal diet. Each of these two groups were then split into smaller groups and given water, black tea or green tea for 14 weeks.
Both types of tea suppressed body weight gain and the build-up of belly fat linked to a fatty diet.
But black tea, which is used in most ordinary cuppas, also counteracted the harmful effects on the blood normally associated with a high-fat diet.
These included increases in cholesterol, high blood glucose and insulin resistance – a precursor to type-2 diabetes where the body does not efficiently use the insulin it produces.
Rising obesity levels in Western countries have resulted in many more people having insulin resistance.
Taking tea has already been linked to lowering the risk of heart disease, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Other research shows drinking tea on a regular basis for ten or more years may improve bone density.
Researchers found regular consumption of tea also suppressed damaging changes in the blood linked to fatty foods that can lead to type-2 diabetes, reports dailymail.co.uk.
They said the research on mice could signal another set of health benefits from tea if they are confirmed in trials on humans.
In the study some mice were given a high fat diet and others a normal diet. Each of these two groups were then split into smaller groups and given water, black tea or green tea for 14 weeks.
Both types of tea suppressed body weight gain and the build-up of belly fat linked to a fatty diet.
But black tea, which is used in most ordinary cuppas, also counteracted the harmful effects on the blood normally associated with a high-fat diet.
These included increases in cholesterol, high blood glucose and insulin resistance – a precursor to type-2 diabetes where the body does not efficiently use the insulin it produces.
Rising obesity levels in Western countries have resulted in many more people having insulin resistance.
Taking tea has already been linked to lowering the risk of heart disease, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Other research shows drinking tea on a regular basis for ten or more years may improve bone density.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
GPS Navigation In India
Global positioning system (GPS) refers to a structured satellite constellation network comprising of around 24 satellites orbiting the earth’s atmosphere. GPS satellites are used for navigational, surveying, mapping, routing and time distribution purposes. GPS technology is a sophisticated as well as complicated form of satellite technology that uses a complex network of processors and servers to receive and transmit data to and from the earth. It is mainly integrated with GSM (Global System of Mobile Communications) data network protocol to locate and update data.
GPS gives you your position on earth. This is received in numbers-latitude and longitude. If you have a map and software along with it, you will easily know your position. GPS provides unequaled accuracy and flexibility of positioning for navigation, surveying and geographic information system to capture data.
A GPS device provides you with a route to reach the destination that you select. Only thing you need is a clear view of the sky for GPS to work, so it obvious that it won’t work inside a building, underground or even in forest.
Uses in India:
India has been using GPS technology since the early 90’s only to identify weather conditions, track traffic system, identify national borders etc. Now GPS is going mainstream, where more and more organizations are using GPS technology for making best use of their resources like transportation industry and the delivery services. It is also used widely in tourism and adventure sports purposes.
Driving in many Indian cities can be a nightmare experience for the uninformed and inexperienced traveler. With roads that don’t have any names, building blocks that don’t particularly follow a pattern, addresses that even the locals confused and traffic regulations that change overnight, finding the way around can be quite a task. Till now, printed maps, advice, tips from friends and directions from roadside dwellers have been the standard sources of information for travelers. However, with the development of in-car GPS navigation devices, no doubt these days will be over very soon. At this stage, a GPS product called Satguide added points of Interest (POI) to their maps to make landmarks easily identifiable. What’s more, you too can participate in making India more mappable by adding your address to their maps.
Car based GPS navigation systems are very popular these days in India for which Satnav Technologies is considered to be the pioneers of GPS systems in India. The modern navigation devices give drivers turn-by-turn directions while following a route. While using GPS navigation systems in car, all you have to do is, enter your destination address and the GPS system will plan a route for you using the maps it has access to. These are very helpful to people who travel for business and find themselves visiting unfamiliar destinations on a regular basis.
GPS navigation systems can be used anywhere in India. There is no subscription fee; only the GPS transmitting receiver set will cost you the money at the time of buying. A variety of GPS sets is available nowadays in the market. The easy availability of GPS navigation with mobile communication devices has made it very popular in India.
Conclusion:
Though vital developments have taken place in the field of GPS in last two decades in India, to make it more popular to the same extent will take more initiative and some time.
A country’s policies and basic infrastructure also play a very crucial role in developing a new technology like GPS. Recently the price of GPS devices has been dropped significantly. Hopefully, with the addition of numerous models in mobile phones, dropping prices and fair competition between the local as well as international GPS vendors will enhance the growth of GPS market in India.
GPS gives you your position on earth. This is received in numbers-latitude and longitude. If you have a map and software along with it, you will easily know your position. GPS provides unequaled accuracy and flexibility of positioning for navigation, surveying and geographic information system to capture data.
A GPS device provides you with a route to reach the destination that you select. Only thing you need is a clear view of the sky for GPS to work, so it obvious that it won’t work inside a building, underground or even in forest.
Uses in India:
India has been using GPS technology since the early 90’s only to identify weather conditions, track traffic system, identify national borders etc. Now GPS is going mainstream, where more and more organizations are using GPS technology for making best use of their resources like transportation industry and the delivery services. It is also used widely in tourism and adventure sports purposes.
Driving in many Indian cities can be a nightmare experience for the uninformed and inexperienced traveler. With roads that don’t have any names, building blocks that don’t particularly follow a pattern, addresses that even the locals confused and traffic regulations that change overnight, finding the way around can be quite a task. Till now, printed maps, advice, tips from friends and directions from roadside dwellers have been the standard sources of information for travelers. However, with the development of in-car GPS navigation devices, no doubt these days will be over very soon. At this stage, a GPS product called Satguide added points of Interest (POI) to their maps to make landmarks easily identifiable. What’s more, you too can participate in making India more mappable by adding your address to their maps.
Car based GPS navigation systems are very popular these days in India for which Satnav Technologies is considered to be the pioneers of GPS systems in India. The modern navigation devices give drivers turn-by-turn directions while following a route. While using GPS navigation systems in car, all you have to do is, enter your destination address and the GPS system will plan a route for you using the maps it has access to. These are very helpful to people who travel for business and find themselves visiting unfamiliar destinations on a regular basis.
GPS navigation systems can be used anywhere in India. There is no subscription fee; only the GPS transmitting receiver set will cost you the money at the time of buying. A variety of GPS sets is available nowadays in the market. The easy availability of GPS navigation with mobile communication devices has made it very popular in India.
Conclusion:
Though vital developments have taken place in the field of GPS in last two decades in India, to make it more popular to the same extent will take more initiative and some time.
A country’s policies and basic infrastructure also play a very crucial role in developing a new technology like GPS. Recently the price of GPS devices has been dropped significantly. Hopefully, with the addition of numerous models in mobile phones, dropping prices and fair competition between the local as well as international GPS vendors will enhance the growth of GPS market in India.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Adding Value At Work
It is much easier to retain your job, gain promotion or conduct a successful appraisal if your colleagues and bosses recognise the value that you add, over and above your job description. Which is why a value added strategy constitutes an essential part of career management.
We are all capable of adding value in different ways, but a good value added strategy can be built around three simple qualities: Competency, Enthusiasm and Dependency.
It goes without saying that you need to be competent at your job. But merely having the ability to do the job is not enough to demonstrate value. Demonstrating competency in the workplace means being able to show that even when the tasks exceed those normally expected of you, you are able to carry them out successfully and effectively. It is not just having the skills to do the job, it is having a sufficiently wide range of skills to be able to cope with the unexpected. So to be seen as competent you may wish to engage in training, or gain experience, that allows you to expand your skill base beyond the bare minimum.
Dependency is an essential quality for fostering trust and confidence. A dependable team member is one who is there when they are needed, who can be relied upon to perform a task when required, particularly the less pleasant ones, and who is seen as supporting their managers and colleagues. Dependability is, logically, the single most important quality in making yourself indispensible at work.
Enthusiasm is the art of making other people feel positive because you are seen to be positive. An enthusiastic team member appears to be glad to be doing their job, is better placed to override obstacles and minimise conflict. People enjoy being around an enthusiastic person and enthusiasm will boost your standing in the eyes of your colleagues and bosses. It is hard to display enthusiasm externally unless you are enthusiastic internally. But even if you do not enjoy your job, it is possible, with the right support, to develop and demonstrate an enthusiasm for it.
Enthusiasm, Dependency and Competency. They are all small things. But as part of a structured value added strategy they can save your job, or get you a better one.
We are all capable of adding value in different ways, but a good value added strategy can be built around three simple qualities: Competency, Enthusiasm and Dependency.
It goes without saying that you need to be competent at your job. But merely having the ability to do the job is not enough to demonstrate value. Demonstrating competency in the workplace means being able to show that even when the tasks exceed those normally expected of you, you are able to carry them out successfully and effectively. It is not just having the skills to do the job, it is having a sufficiently wide range of skills to be able to cope with the unexpected. So to be seen as competent you may wish to engage in training, or gain experience, that allows you to expand your skill base beyond the bare minimum.
Dependency is an essential quality for fostering trust and confidence. A dependable team member is one who is there when they are needed, who can be relied upon to perform a task when required, particularly the less pleasant ones, and who is seen as supporting their managers and colleagues. Dependability is, logically, the single most important quality in making yourself indispensible at work.
Enthusiasm is the art of making other people feel positive because you are seen to be positive. An enthusiastic team member appears to be glad to be doing their job, is better placed to override obstacles and minimise conflict. People enjoy being around an enthusiastic person and enthusiasm will boost your standing in the eyes of your colleagues and bosses. It is hard to display enthusiasm externally unless you are enthusiastic internally. But even if you do not enjoy your job, it is possible, with the right support, to develop and demonstrate an enthusiasm for it.
Enthusiasm, Dependency and Competency. They are all small things. But as part of a structured value added strategy they can save your job, or get you a better one.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Sales vs Marketing
Sales and marketing are closely interlinked and are aimed at increasing revenue. As sales and marketing are closely intertwined, it becomes hard to realise the difference between the two. In small firms, one cannot come across much difference between sales and marketing. But bigger firms have made clear distinction between marketing and sales and they have specialised people handling them independently.
Well, how is that sales and marketing are different? In very simple words, sales can be termed as a process which focuses or targets on individuals or small groups. Marketing on the other hand targets a larger group or the general public.
Marketing includes research (identifying needs of the customer), development of products (producing innovative products) and promoting the product (through advertisements) and create awareness about the product among the consumers. As such marketing means generating leads or prospects. Once the product is out in the market, it is the task of the sales person to persuade the customer to buy the product. Well, sales means converting the leads or prospects into purchases and orders.
While marketing is aimed at longer terms, sales pertain to shorter goals. Marketing involves a longer process of building a name for a brand and pursuing the customer to buy it even if they do not need it. Where as sales only involve a short term process of finding the target consumer.
In concept also, sales and marketing have much difference. Sales only focuses on converting consumer demand match the products. But marketing targets on meeting the consumer demands.
Marketing can be called as a footboard for sales. It prepares the ground for a sales person to approach a consumer. Marketing as such is not direct and it uses various methods like advertising, brand marketing, public relations, direct mails and viral marketing for creating an awareness of the product. Sales are really interpersonal interactions. Sales involve one-on-one meetings, networking and calls.
Another difference that is seen between marketing and sales is that the former involves both micro and macro analysis focussing on strategic intentions. On the other hand, sales pertain to the challenges and relations with the customer.
Summary:
1.Sales target on individuals or small groups. Marketing on the other hand targets a larger group o the general public.
2.Marketing means generating leads or prospects. sales means converting the leads or prospects into purchases and orders.
3.Marketing involves a longer process of building a name for a brand and pursuing the customer to buy it even if they do not need it. Where as sales only involve a short term of finding the target consumer
Well, how is that sales and marketing are different? In very simple words, sales can be termed as a process which focuses or targets on individuals or small groups. Marketing on the other hand targets a larger group or the general public.
Marketing includes research (identifying needs of the customer), development of products (producing innovative products) and promoting the product (through advertisements) and create awareness about the product among the consumers. As such marketing means generating leads or prospects. Once the product is out in the market, it is the task of the sales person to persuade the customer to buy the product. Well, sales means converting the leads or prospects into purchases and orders.
While marketing is aimed at longer terms, sales pertain to shorter goals. Marketing involves a longer process of building a name for a brand and pursuing the customer to buy it even if they do not need it. Where as sales only involve a short term process of finding the target consumer.
In concept also, sales and marketing have much difference. Sales only focuses on converting consumer demand match the products. But marketing targets on meeting the consumer demands.
Marketing can be called as a footboard for sales. It prepares the ground for a sales person to approach a consumer. Marketing as such is not direct and it uses various methods like advertising, brand marketing, public relations, direct mails and viral marketing for creating an awareness of the product. Sales are really interpersonal interactions. Sales involve one-on-one meetings, networking and calls.
Another difference that is seen between marketing and sales is that the former involves both micro and macro analysis focussing on strategic intentions. On the other hand, sales pertain to the challenges and relations with the customer.
Summary:
1.Sales target on individuals or small groups. Marketing on the other hand targets a larger group o the general public.
2.Marketing means generating leads or prospects. sales means converting the leads or prospects into purchases and orders.
3.Marketing involves a longer process of building a name for a brand and pursuing the customer to buy it even if they do not need it. Where as sales only involve a short term of finding the target consumer
Awaking Entrepreneur
There's a commonly held belief that one becomes an entrepreneur by going into business, or going out on one's own.
I don't subscribe to that belief.
In fact, not only don't I subscribe to that belief, but I hold strongly to the opposing belief--with overwhelming evidence to support my position--that to go into business, or out on one's own, in the belief that by so doing you'll be an entrepreneur will result in tragic consequences of the greatest magnitude. In short, it's a very, very bad idea
So then what exactly is an entrepreneur? Let me share my view with you, and then let me give you three exercises to do to help awaken the entrepreneur within you.
An entrepreneur is not a person, but a personality, the personality living inside of each and every person on the face of the earth, the personality who dreams. The entrepreneur inside of you, of me, of your friends, of your relatives of every shape, size and dimension, no matter what they do for a living, no matter how bold or how shy, no matter where they live or what their education may or may not be, the entrepreneur in each and every human being is the dreamer who sees life as it could be, not as it is. It's the dreamer who sees mountains where only flat land exists; who sees great buildings and cities and countries arising with enormous energy where no buildings or cities or countries live as of yet; who sees the sweet juice of opportunity around every corner, in every nook, cranny and claptrap yard, in every square or rounded inch of misery. To the entrepreneurial personality living in each and every human being, there is a life larger than life, a beauty larger than beauty, a promise larger than any promise could hope to be. The entrepreneur in each and every one of us is the inventor, the creator, a lunatic of the most profound dimensions, the inconsolable pursuer of the impossible who sees visions where others only see work.
The entrepreneur in you and in me is holy, truly holy, and not to be believed.
Which means that Walt Disney knew who his entrepreneur was, as did Sam Walton and Ray Kroc, as did Steve Jobs and Debby Fields, and yes, even as strange as it might seem to you, as did Einstein and Chopin and Rumi and every "imagineer" who ever dared climb a mountain that wasn't there, reach the summit, and hold up his hands and head and scream to those who didn't see him or her--or even the mountain--until they came into view, "I'm here!" And there was no "here" until they said it. And there was no "there" until all the others saw it. And there was no summit until they created it. And that's what the magic of your entrepreneurial soul does when you invite him or her to go climbing.
The First Exercise:
Stop thinking about what you want to do. Stop doing what you're doing. Go to a place, any place will do, where activity ceases, where there is no itinerary, no schedule, no agenda, no responsibility, no work of any kind, no expectation, no result you've set for yourself, no goals, no objectives, no action plans whatsoever. Go to such a place to empty your mind.
And that's the first exercise to awaken the entrepreneur in you: to empty your mind. To dream and to create, there needs to be both space and energy. The entrepreneur in us wants to play with the idea of things, without constraint. To write without purpose, to imagine without an end game, to live fully and completely in the moment of his or her experience, now. Not in the past nor in the future, but now.
To prepare yourself for this exercise, try sitting down where you are, closing the door, telling everyone who might bother you to give you ten minutes without a disturbance of any kind. Unplug the phone, turn off your computer, sit down, face a wall, close your eyes, place your hands in your lap, breath deeply and just stay there, just like that. You'll see immediately what I mean, and why that's important.
You must do this first exercise every single day!
The Second Exercise:
Get a blank piece of paper. You have nothing in mind. Sit with the blank piece of paper, and let whatever comes to mind go to the paper. Whether it be a sentence, or just three seemingly unrelated words. Whether it be an entire paragraph, a thought, a concern, a conclusion, let it write itself down. The key here is to let "It" speak. To let "It" say what "It" wants to say. To let "It" have the room to breath.
My saxophone teacher once said to me many years ago, "Michael, you don't make music; music finds you." You need to let "It" play its music. That's what the entrepreneur in you wants more than anything: to play "Its" music.
You'll be amazed what appears on the blank piece of paper as you do this second exercise.
Do it for only 10 minutes. Do it once a day. And save those pieces of paper, with the date on the top right hand corner. Save them in a box, or a file folder, and know that that box or file folder is a sacred place. Because your dreamer has created it. Your entrepreneur has become vulnerable. Your creator has expressed himself or herself, and you've been a witness to it.
The Third Exercise:
Maintaining an entrepreneurial journal is a daily process, and I highly recommend it. Buy yourself a journal, preferably with leather covers, a rich-looking journal, a journal that impresses you because it looks so rich, so permanent, so significant. Write in that journal what you learned that day. Write in that journal what you felt that day. Write in that journal anything that came to mind that day, as you sat with a blank piece of paper, as you sat in your chair facing the wall for ten minutes with absolutely no interruption at all, as you felt your feelings come up, your feelings of being blocked, your feelings of being ashamed, your feelings of excitement, your feelings of despair...whatever came up that day, record it, even though you may not think you're an accomplished writer--or even if you think you are. Your entrepreneurial journal is not about the writing; it's about the recording. This is your life, someone once said. This is your life, and if you don't take it seriously, who will? This is your third exercise, and it will feed your first exercise and your second exercise, and you will know it.
Believe me, you will know it.
I don't subscribe to that belief.
In fact, not only don't I subscribe to that belief, but I hold strongly to the opposing belief--with overwhelming evidence to support my position--that to go into business, or out on one's own, in the belief that by so doing you'll be an entrepreneur will result in tragic consequences of the greatest magnitude. In short, it's a very, very bad idea
So then what exactly is an entrepreneur? Let me share my view with you, and then let me give you three exercises to do to help awaken the entrepreneur within you.
An entrepreneur is not a person, but a personality, the personality living inside of each and every person on the face of the earth, the personality who dreams. The entrepreneur inside of you, of me, of your friends, of your relatives of every shape, size and dimension, no matter what they do for a living, no matter how bold or how shy, no matter where they live or what their education may or may not be, the entrepreneur in each and every human being is the dreamer who sees life as it could be, not as it is. It's the dreamer who sees mountains where only flat land exists; who sees great buildings and cities and countries arising with enormous energy where no buildings or cities or countries live as of yet; who sees the sweet juice of opportunity around every corner, in every nook, cranny and claptrap yard, in every square or rounded inch of misery. To the entrepreneurial personality living in each and every human being, there is a life larger than life, a beauty larger than beauty, a promise larger than any promise could hope to be. The entrepreneur in each and every one of us is the inventor, the creator, a lunatic of the most profound dimensions, the inconsolable pursuer of the impossible who sees visions where others only see work.
The entrepreneur in you and in me is holy, truly holy, and not to be believed.
Which means that Walt Disney knew who his entrepreneur was, as did Sam Walton and Ray Kroc, as did Steve Jobs and Debby Fields, and yes, even as strange as it might seem to you, as did Einstein and Chopin and Rumi and every "imagineer" who ever dared climb a mountain that wasn't there, reach the summit, and hold up his hands and head and scream to those who didn't see him or her--or even the mountain--until they came into view, "I'm here!" And there was no "here" until they said it. And there was no "there" until all the others saw it. And there was no summit until they created it. And that's what the magic of your entrepreneurial soul does when you invite him or her to go climbing.
The First Exercise:
Stop thinking about what you want to do. Stop doing what you're doing. Go to a place, any place will do, where activity ceases, where there is no itinerary, no schedule, no agenda, no responsibility, no work of any kind, no expectation, no result you've set for yourself, no goals, no objectives, no action plans whatsoever. Go to such a place to empty your mind.
And that's the first exercise to awaken the entrepreneur in you: to empty your mind. To dream and to create, there needs to be both space and energy. The entrepreneur in us wants to play with the idea of things, without constraint. To write without purpose, to imagine without an end game, to live fully and completely in the moment of his or her experience, now. Not in the past nor in the future, but now.
To prepare yourself for this exercise, try sitting down where you are, closing the door, telling everyone who might bother you to give you ten minutes without a disturbance of any kind. Unplug the phone, turn off your computer, sit down, face a wall, close your eyes, place your hands in your lap, breath deeply and just stay there, just like that. You'll see immediately what I mean, and why that's important.
You must do this first exercise every single day!
The Second Exercise:
Get a blank piece of paper. You have nothing in mind. Sit with the blank piece of paper, and let whatever comes to mind go to the paper. Whether it be a sentence, or just three seemingly unrelated words. Whether it be an entire paragraph, a thought, a concern, a conclusion, let it write itself down. The key here is to let "It" speak. To let "It" say what "It" wants to say. To let "It" have the room to breath.
My saxophone teacher once said to me many years ago, "Michael, you don't make music; music finds you." You need to let "It" play its music. That's what the entrepreneur in you wants more than anything: to play "Its" music.
You'll be amazed what appears on the blank piece of paper as you do this second exercise.
Do it for only 10 minutes. Do it once a day. And save those pieces of paper, with the date on the top right hand corner. Save them in a box, or a file folder, and know that that box or file folder is a sacred place. Because your dreamer has created it. Your entrepreneur has become vulnerable. Your creator has expressed himself or herself, and you've been a witness to it.
The Third Exercise:
Maintaining an entrepreneurial journal is a daily process, and I highly recommend it. Buy yourself a journal, preferably with leather covers, a rich-looking journal, a journal that impresses you because it looks so rich, so permanent, so significant. Write in that journal what you learned that day. Write in that journal what you felt that day. Write in that journal anything that came to mind that day, as you sat with a blank piece of paper, as you sat in your chair facing the wall for ten minutes with absolutely no interruption at all, as you felt your feelings come up, your feelings of being blocked, your feelings of being ashamed, your feelings of excitement, your feelings of despair...whatever came up that day, record it, even though you may not think you're an accomplished writer--or even if you think you are. Your entrepreneurial journal is not about the writing; it's about the recording. This is your life, someone once said. This is your life, and if you don't take it seriously, who will? This is your third exercise, and it will feed your first exercise and your second exercise, and you will know it.
Believe me, you will know it.
Monday, December 20, 2010
A Thin Line Between Failure & Success
Most of the time, the difference between what makes something or someone a success instead of a failure is extremely narrow. You can walk a fine line between sheer success and utter failure. The thing is, the longer you walk that line, the larger the gap becomes. Let me give you a simple definition for both failure and success that you can easily use to assess what you are doing in your own life and help you get on the side of the line where you can get the most out of your existence.
What is failure?
Failure isn’t one occurrence. That would be an error. Failure is the accumulation of errors over a continuous period of time. For example, if you don’t clean your home one day, that’s not a failure. It might be an error. However, if you don’t clean your home 30 days in a row and your home is a big mess, then it’s no longer an error, but a failure. Usually, this is what causes people to experience failure whether it’s in their personal life or professional one. They repeat the same error day in and day out, and the sum of the errors just pile on until it’s a complete failure. You could eat junk food one day, but if you eat it every single day, then you suffer the consequences of such continuous errors with poor health and poor body image. What about if you put off doing a task for one day? What if you put it off every single day? I see this all too often in my line of work, where the accumulation of errors builds into failure, which then builds into disaster! Think about certain bad decisions or choices that you have been making in your life lately. Make the promise to yourself right now not to repeat this every day. One trait that I have noticed with high achievers, is that they are able to correct an error extremely quickly. If you want a chance to succeed, you need to learn from your errors and correct them FAST. The quicker you learn from your errors and avoid repeating them, the better you can avoid any failure, and the faster you can achieve success.
What is success?
On the opposite side of the spectrum, success is the accumulation of good decisions made continuously over a period of time. For example, if you work out one day, you won’t see any result or success. But if you work out every day for 5 months, you will see noticeable and measurable results, and that is real, tangible success. If you write one page a day for a year, you have a book. If you eat good healthy food every single day of your life, you will have a healthier body. Success is quite simply managing to accomplish good disciplines on a daily basis. The reason why the majority of people do not achieve a high level of success is the lack of consistency. They will eat well 3-4 days out of 7, and work out 1 or 2 days per week. They will complete their tasks 3 times out of 10. Mediocre consistency creates mediocre results. If you want to experience life on a whole other level of personal success, you need to be the most consistent person possible.
As you can see, the line between success and failure is very thin. Sometimes it’s not obvious that we are doing something that is wrong, so it’s crucial to have an open mind and be critical of oneself. But it’s the act of doing things a certain way over a period of time that widens the gap between success and failure so tremendously. The key here is to spot your errors early, learn from them, and fix them. Then, whatever you are doing that works, keep doing it every single day by developing the habit of consistency. This is an absolute sure-fire way to obtain massive amounts of success.
What is failure?
Failure isn’t one occurrence. That would be an error. Failure is the accumulation of errors over a continuous period of time. For example, if you don’t clean your home one day, that’s not a failure. It might be an error. However, if you don’t clean your home 30 days in a row and your home is a big mess, then it’s no longer an error, but a failure. Usually, this is what causes people to experience failure whether it’s in their personal life or professional one. They repeat the same error day in and day out, and the sum of the errors just pile on until it’s a complete failure. You could eat junk food one day, but if you eat it every single day, then you suffer the consequences of such continuous errors with poor health and poor body image. What about if you put off doing a task for one day? What if you put it off every single day? I see this all too often in my line of work, where the accumulation of errors builds into failure, which then builds into disaster! Think about certain bad decisions or choices that you have been making in your life lately. Make the promise to yourself right now not to repeat this every day. One trait that I have noticed with high achievers, is that they are able to correct an error extremely quickly. If you want a chance to succeed, you need to learn from your errors and correct them FAST. The quicker you learn from your errors and avoid repeating them, the better you can avoid any failure, and the faster you can achieve success.
What is success?
On the opposite side of the spectrum, success is the accumulation of good decisions made continuously over a period of time. For example, if you work out one day, you won’t see any result or success. But if you work out every day for 5 months, you will see noticeable and measurable results, and that is real, tangible success. If you write one page a day for a year, you have a book. If you eat good healthy food every single day of your life, you will have a healthier body. Success is quite simply managing to accomplish good disciplines on a daily basis. The reason why the majority of people do not achieve a high level of success is the lack of consistency. They will eat well 3-4 days out of 7, and work out 1 or 2 days per week. They will complete their tasks 3 times out of 10. Mediocre consistency creates mediocre results. If you want to experience life on a whole other level of personal success, you need to be the most consistent person possible.
As you can see, the line between success and failure is very thin. Sometimes it’s not obvious that we are doing something that is wrong, so it’s crucial to have an open mind and be critical of oneself. But it’s the act of doing things a certain way over a period of time that widens the gap between success and failure so tremendously. The key here is to spot your errors early, learn from them, and fix them. Then, whatever you are doing that works, keep doing it every single day by developing the habit of consistency. This is an absolute sure-fire way to obtain massive amounts of success.
How to Set Priorities in Your Life and Hold to Them
We live in a very busy culture, and sometimes you have to be careful in controlling what you do instead of letting what you do control you. In this article, I'll share tips in setting priorities in your life and holding to them.
Things You'll Need:
The desire to have the things that matter most to you have higher priority as a way of life
Instructions:
1. In setting priorities in your life, you first have to know your own values. This may be very clear to you or require some thought. A helpful exercise is trying to picture what you want your life to be like in five years. The things that are a priority to you in your mind do translate into your life when you focus on them.
2. Going to this process in my own life, probably the hardest stage is making decisions that get things that don't line up with your priorities out of your life. On their own, these may not even be bad things. Anything that pulls your focus however is going to distract you and slow you down from what you really want out of life.
3. If you're married or in a serious relationship, talk about your priorities so you can both be on the same page when it comes to your goals and dreams. If you're single, find someone in your life that will help hold you accountable to what you want. In the beginning, changing your life is a lot easier when you're not doing it alone.
4. Take action toward what you want out of lie. Focus on what you can do on a daily basis when it comes to improving yourself, including working on relationships. Over time, this makes a very big difference as opposed to procrastinating and waiting for some ideal circumstance to come along
Things You'll Need:
The desire to have the things that matter most to you have higher priority as a way of life
Instructions:
1. In setting priorities in your life, you first have to know your own values. This may be very clear to you or require some thought. A helpful exercise is trying to picture what you want your life to be like in five years. The things that are a priority to you in your mind do translate into your life when you focus on them.
2. Going to this process in my own life, probably the hardest stage is making decisions that get things that don't line up with your priorities out of your life. On their own, these may not even be bad things. Anything that pulls your focus however is going to distract you and slow you down from what you really want out of life.
3. If you're married or in a serious relationship, talk about your priorities so you can both be on the same page when it comes to your goals and dreams. If you're single, find someone in your life that will help hold you accountable to what you want. In the beginning, changing your life is a lot easier when you're not doing it alone.
4. Take action toward what you want out of lie. Focus on what you can do on a daily basis when it comes to improving yourself, including working on relationships. Over time, this makes a very big difference as opposed to procrastinating and waiting for some ideal circumstance to come along
Sachin Tendulkar scores 50th Test ton
Sachin Tendulkar today became the first batsman to score 50 centuries in Test cricket. The 37-year-old achieved the feat, and also passed 14,500 Test runs, as India battled to make South Africa bat again in the first Test in Centurion.
Tendulkar moved to 95 by driving Paul Harris for six, then edged towards 100, ultimately reaching the milestone in his 175th Test with a single off Dale Steyn.
Afterwards he dedicated the milestone to his father, who died in 1999. "It was his birthday yesterday and I wanted to do something in his honour," he said. "I also thank all the well-wishers and fans who have supported me throughout. Just keep supporting me like this and I will continue to perform. I was not chasing any record. I have never run behind records. But I am happy."
It was the second notable feat achieved by an Indian batsman after Rahul Dravid became the third man, after Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, to reach 12,000 runs in Test cricket.
Despite their heroics, though, India still finished day four on the brink of defeat. Needing 484 to make the Proteas bat again, India were 454 for eight when a storm came in to end play in the final over.
That they batted out the day was thanks to a partnership of 172 between Tendulkar and MS Dhoni (90) after India had slipped from 190 for two to 277 for six in the morning session.
The only highlight of the opening session for India came when Dravid reached his milestone in typically unspectacular fashion, with a single off Paul Harris in the 64th over. By that time, though, the nightwatchman Ishant Sharma had already fallen.
Dravid and Tendulkar then continued to frustrate the Proteas but when Dravid was caught behind off Morne Morkel for 43, he became the first of three to fall for 35 runs. VVS Laxman played an injudicious shot off Lonwabo Tsotsobe, edging to gully, before Suresh Raina offered catching practice to Harris at first slip.
That left them 277 for six at lunch and on the brink of defeat. But Dhoni launched an astonishing counter-attack with a flurry of strokes which made the pitch look as placid as it had when South Africa piled up 620 for four in their innings.
He began with a couple of drives of Tsotsobe for four, then dished out similar treatment to Morkel.
Tendulkar reached 50 by smashing Steyn through midwicket, but Dhoni was in dominant form, hitting three successive boundaries off Jacques Kallis and a single off Morkel to take him to his own half-century from 40 balls. The onslaught slowed thereafter and Tendulkar was lucky to survive a strong lbw appeal off Harris.
After tea, Tendulkar rushed into the 90s before displaying understandable signs of nerves. But he moved to 99 with two from an inside edge, then forced the next ball into the covers for the single he needed before raising his arms in the air to accept the congratulations of the crowd and the opposition.
That joy was curtailed for India, though, as Steyn produced a spiteful, lifting delivery to have Dhoni caught behind to end an exceptional partnership. Harbhajan Singh edged Harris to Kallis at slip in the next over, before the weather closed in to push the match into a fifth day.
Ponting has scored the second-most Test centuries, 39, while Wally Hammond, Geoffrey Boycott and Colin Cowdrey share the English record with 22.
Tendulkar moved to 95 by driving Paul Harris for six, then edged towards 100, ultimately reaching the milestone in his 175th Test with a single off Dale Steyn.
Afterwards he dedicated the milestone to his father, who died in 1999. "It was his birthday yesterday and I wanted to do something in his honour," he said. "I also thank all the well-wishers and fans who have supported me throughout. Just keep supporting me like this and I will continue to perform. I was not chasing any record. I have never run behind records. But I am happy."
It was the second notable feat achieved by an Indian batsman after Rahul Dravid became the third man, after Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, to reach 12,000 runs in Test cricket.
Despite their heroics, though, India still finished day four on the brink of defeat. Needing 484 to make the Proteas bat again, India were 454 for eight when a storm came in to end play in the final over.
That they batted out the day was thanks to a partnership of 172 between Tendulkar and MS Dhoni (90) after India had slipped from 190 for two to 277 for six in the morning session.
The only highlight of the opening session for India came when Dravid reached his milestone in typically unspectacular fashion, with a single off Paul Harris in the 64th over. By that time, though, the nightwatchman Ishant Sharma had already fallen.
Dravid and Tendulkar then continued to frustrate the Proteas but when Dravid was caught behind off Morne Morkel for 43, he became the first of three to fall for 35 runs. VVS Laxman played an injudicious shot off Lonwabo Tsotsobe, edging to gully, before Suresh Raina offered catching practice to Harris at first slip.
That left them 277 for six at lunch and on the brink of defeat. But Dhoni launched an astonishing counter-attack with a flurry of strokes which made the pitch look as placid as it had when South Africa piled up 620 for four in their innings.
He began with a couple of drives of Tsotsobe for four, then dished out similar treatment to Morkel.
Tendulkar reached 50 by smashing Steyn through midwicket, but Dhoni was in dominant form, hitting three successive boundaries off Jacques Kallis and a single off Morkel to take him to his own half-century from 40 balls. The onslaught slowed thereafter and Tendulkar was lucky to survive a strong lbw appeal off Harris.
After tea, Tendulkar rushed into the 90s before displaying understandable signs of nerves. But he moved to 99 with two from an inside edge, then forced the next ball into the covers for the single he needed before raising his arms in the air to accept the congratulations of the crowd and the opposition.
That joy was curtailed for India, though, as Steyn produced a spiteful, lifting delivery to have Dhoni caught behind to end an exceptional partnership. Harbhajan Singh edged Harris to Kallis at slip in the next over, before the weather closed in to push the match into a fifth day.
Ponting has scored the second-most Test centuries, 39, while Wally Hammond, Geoffrey Boycott and Colin Cowdrey share the English record with 22.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
How to Become an Entrepreneur
If the thought of being your own boss excites you, you might want to explore starting your own business. The path is not easy, however, so if you're intrigued by the idea, read on to learn how to become an entrepreneur.
In tough economic times, many people fantasize about being their own boss. While it can be incredibly rewarding, the path to becoming an entrepreneur is not easy. You need to determine if you are suited to the job, identify a product or service, brush up on your business skills, and get funding for your project.
Step 1: Decide if it's Right for You
Starting a new business takes a single minded focus, where most of your time and energy is put into the company. As it will be a huge life commitment, you should be sure that it's right for you before beginning the process.
Are you at a time in your life when the business can come first?
Does your family support you in your endeavor?
Are you comfortable with risk?
Do you have the energy to work long hours?
Are you highly motivated to succeed?
Step 2: Find Your Passion
You can't become an entrepreneur without a product or service to sell. You'll be putting most of your waking hours into this venture for the next several years, so make sure it's something you care deeply about. If you don't have an original product or service to offer, you may find a franchise that suits you. After you've selected a business, you should get a reality check on whether its viable.
Talk to potential customers to gauge whether or not there is a market for your idea.
In tough economic times, many people fantasize about being their own boss. While it can be incredibly rewarding, the path to becoming an entrepreneur is not easy. You need to determine if you are suited to the job, identify a product or service, brush up on your business skills, and get funding for your project.
Step 1: Decide if it's Right for You
Starting a new business takes a single minded focus, where most of your time and energy is put into the company. As it will be a huge life commitment, you should be sure that it's right for you before beginning the process.
Are you at a time in your life when the business can come first?
Does your family support you in your endeavor?
Are you comfortable with risk?
Do you have the energy to work long hours?
Are you highly motivated to succeed?
Step 2: Find Your Passion
You can't become an entrepreneur without a product or service to sell. You'll be putting most of your waking hours into this venture for the next several years, so make sure it's something you care deeply about. If you don't have an original product or service to offer, you may find a franchise that suits you. After you've selected a business, you should get a reality check on whether its viable.
Talk to potential customers to gauge whether or not there is a market for your idea.
How to bounce back after failure
One of the best learning tools that are available to us as human beings is also the same tool that we are most afraid of. It’s interesting how even the thought of failing at even the simplest task can prevent most people from even attempting that task. In the greater scope of achieving life goals, the fear of failure is an enormous hurdle for most people to jump. The truth is failure cannot be avoided forever. Those who attempt to flee from it their entire lives almost certainly miss great opportunities and even greater rewards.
I am a firm believer that your success may be depended upon how well and how quickly you can bounce back from failure. People bounce back from failure all the time but the difference between those who recover and manage, and those who recover and succeed, lies in the individual’s ability to recover quickly. The pain and disappointment of coming up short may send you into an emotional spiral filled with questions, doubts, and promises to yourself to never try again, but those normal reactions to failure usually subside. And when they do, your reaction to that failure will determine if you succeed.
Two Types of Failures:
There are two major ways to fail. One way is to make a mistake or judgment call that turns out to be wrong. This happens in sports constantly. The coach of a team may call the wrong play that cost his team the game. It is also prevalent in business. The CEO of a company may decide to launch a new product that he thinks will bring dramatic growth for the company, but instead the product may flop on the market and the company rushes to recover from the loss. You are making hundreds of decisions a day so inevitably some of those decisions are going to be wrong. This type of failure revolves around what you did wrong. That is hard for some people to take while others would rather have that burden on their shoulders so that they can improve for the next time.
The other type of failure is when you do everything right, put all of your efforts and energies into your pursuit of success, and even do everything to prevent something from going wrong, but in the end, you still come up short. These kinds of letdowns are particularly hard to handle because of the feelings of helplessness associated with them. However, some people take this type of failure as a cue that they are close to reaping their reward. They view it as a matter of time not a matter of their ability to perform what is needed to achieve what they want.
Although these failures are hard to take, they are not impossible to overcome. Everyone experiences these defeats and everyone handles them differently.
Bouncing Back:
Change ‘Failure’ to ‘Setback’
The first way to prepare to bounce back from a failure is to change your perception of that failure. I suggest that you change the word failure to setback. Once you begin to look at your shortcoming as an event that knocked you back instead of one that knocked you down, you’ll begin to see that it is very possible to recover from the letdown. This also helps you acknowledge that bumps in the road are common but they are also manageable.
Avoid generalizing:
When we get frustrated we tend to generalize our situations and make broad statements that are not necessarily true. Saying “this always happens….” or “ I never….” are detrimental to your recovery process because what you are really doing is setting yourself up for another loss. Understanding that the setback that took place is a solitary event helps you recover quicker. Instead of generalizing your statements prepare yourself for the future by making saying what you want to happen.
Assess the damage:
Along with your change of perception should come a clarity of the situation. Assessing the damage is looking at what you have lost in the setback and determining how far you have been setback. To most people the feeling of failure usually makes the situation appear worse than it really is. Begin to take a good look at what has been lost and what has remained.
Collecting and Resetting:
Once you’ve gotten a good idea of what has been lost it is time to start picking up the pieces. Collecting and resetting is difficult if you have not yet prepared yourself to move forward. The resetting is not necessarily taking a step back but it is more like readjusting yourself so that you are in a better position to succeed.
Lot of livin’ to do:
An overwhelming majority of life’s failures are not life threatening. This means that life goes on even though you came up short. We sometimes overanalyze our setbacks to the point of making them larger than life. What you have to remember is that there is still a lot of livin’ to do and each second wishing and wondering about things happening differently, is a second wasted. A perspective that the setback that you’ve experienced is temporary helps aide the emotions that are associated with failure. Try to remember that even though you’ve experienced a setback, there are still many more opportunities ahead even if you do not see them right away.
Getting up and getting back out there is the only real way to live. Some of the most successful people in the world credit their success to a failure they’ve experienced. Bounce back from your failure and you might become one of them.
I am a firm believer that your success may be depended upon how well and how quickly you can bounce back from failure. People bounce back from failure all the time but the difference between those who recover and manage, and those who recover and succeed, lies in the individual’s ability to recover quickly. The pain and disappointment of coming up short may send you into an emotional spiral filled with questions, doubts, and promises to yourself to never try again, but those normal reactions to failure usually subside. And when they do, your reaction to that failure will determine if you succeed.
Two Types of Failures:
There are two major ways to fail. One way is to make a mistake or judgment call that turns out to be wrong. This happens in sports constantly. The coach of a team may call the wrong play that cost his team the game. It is also prevalent in business. The CEO of a company may decide to launch a new product that he thinks will bring dramatic growth for the company, but instead the product may flop on the market and the company rushes to recover from the loss. You are making hundreds of decisions a day so inevitably some of those decisions are going to be wrong. This type of failure revolves around what you did wrong. That is hard for some people to take while others would rather have that burden on their shoulders so that they can improve for the next time.
The other type of failure is when you do everything right, put all of your efforts and energies into your pursuit of success, and even do everything to prevent something from going wrong, but in the end, you still come up short. These kinds of letdowns are particularly hard to handle because of the feelings of helplessness associated with them. However, some people take this type of failure as a cue that they are close to reaping their reward. They view it as a matter of time not a matter of their ability to perform what is needed to achieve what they want.
Although these failures are hard to take, they are not impossible to overcome. Everyone experiences these defeats and everyone handles them differently.
Bouncing Back:
Change ‘Failure’ to ‘Setback’
The first way to prepare to bounce back from a failure is to change your perception of that failure. I suggest that you change the word failure to setback. Once you begin to look at your shortcoming as an event that knocked you back instead of one that knocked you down, you’ll begin to see that it is very possible to recover from the letdown. This also helps you acknowledge that bumps in the road are common but they are also manageable.
Avoid generalizing:
When we get frustrated we tend to generalize our situations and make broad statements that are not necessarily true. Saying “this always happens….” or “ I never….” are detrimental to your recovery process because what you are really doing is setting yourself up for another loss. Understanding that the setback that took place is a solitary event helps you recover quicker. Instead of generalizing your statements prepare yourself for the future by making saying what you want to happen.
Assess the damage:
Along with your change of perception should come a clarity of the situation. Assessing the damage is looking at what you have lost in the setback and determining how far you have been setback. To most people the feeling of failure usually makes the situation appear worse than it really is. Begin to take a good look at what has been lost and what has remained.
Collecting and Resetting:
Once you’ve gotten a good idea of what has been lost it is time to start picking up the pieces. Collecting and resetting is difficult if you have not yet prepared yourself to move forward. The resetting is not necessarily taking a step back but it is more like readjusting yourself so that you are in a better position to succeed.
Lot of livin’ to do:
An overwhelming majority of life’s failures are not life threatening. This means that life goes on even though you came up short. We sometimes overanalyze our setbacks to the point of making them larger than life. What you have to remember is that there is still a lot of livin’ to do and each second wishing and wondering about things happening differently, is a second wasted. A perspective that the setback that you’ve experienced is temporary helps aide the emotions that are associated with failure. Try to remember that even though you’ve experienced a setback, there are still many more opportunities ahead even if you do not see them right away.
Getting up and getting back out there is the only real way to live. Some of the most successful people in the world credit their success to a failure they’ve experienced. Bounce back from your failure and you might become one of them.
Active Listening
Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness, and on the quality of your relationships with others.
We listen to obtain information.
We listen to understand.
We listen for enjoyment.
We listen to learn.
Given all this listening we do, you would think we'd be good at it!
In fact most of us are not. Depending on the study being quoted, we remember between 25% and 50% of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, customers or spouse for 10 minutes, they pay attention to less than half of the conversation. This is dismal!
Turn it around and it reveals that when you are receiving directions or being presented with information, you aren't hearing the whole message either. You hope the important parts are captured in your 25-50%, but what if they're not?
Clearly, listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a better listener, you will improve your productivity, as well as your ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. What's more, you'll avoid conflict and misunderstandings. All of these are necessary for workplace success!
Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. By understanding your personal style of communicating, you will go a long way towards creating good and lasting impressions with others.
The way to become a better listener is to practice "active listening". This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, try to understand the complete message being sent.
In order to do this you must pay attention to the other person very carefully.
You cannot allow yourself to become distracted by whatever else may be going on around you, or by forming counter arguments that you'll make when the other person stops speaking. Nor can you allow yourself to get bored, and lose focus on what the other person is saying. All of these contribute to a lack of listening and understanding.
Tip: If you're finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say them – this will reinforce their message and help you stay focused.
To enhance your listening skills, you need to let the other person know that you are listening to what he or she is saying. To understand the importance of this, ask yourself if you've ever been engaged in a conversation when you wondered if the other person was listening to what you were saying. You wonder if your message is getting across, or if it's even worthwhile continuing to speak. It feels like talking to a brick wall and it's something you want to avoid.
Acknowledgement can be something as simple as a nod of the head or a simple "uh huh." You aren't necessarily agreeing with the person, you are simply indicating that you are listening. Using body language and other signs to acknowledge you are listening also reminds you to pay attention and not let your mind wander.
You should also try to respond to the speaker in a way that will both encourage him or her to continue speaking, so that you can get the information if you need. While nodding and "uh huhing" says you're interested, an occasional question or comment to recap what has been said communicates that you understand the message as well.
Becoming an Active Listener
There are five key elements of active listening. They all help you ensure that you hear the other person, and that the other person knows you are hearing what they say.
1. Pay attention.
Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message. Recognize that non-verbal communication also "speaks" loudly.
· Look at the speaker directly.
· Put aside distracting thoughts. Don't mentally prepare a rebuttal!
· Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
· "Listen" to the speaker's body language.
· Refrain from side conversations when listening in a group setting.
2. Show that you are listening.
Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
· Nod occasionally.
· Smile and use other facial expressions.
· Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting.
· Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.
3. Provide feedback.
Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.
· Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. "What I'm hearing is." and "Sounds like you are saying." are great ways to reflect back.
· Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you mean when you say." "Is this what you mean?"
· Summarize the speaker's comments periodically.
Tip: If you find yourself responding emotionally to what someone said, say so, and ask for more information: "I may not be understanding you correctly, and I find myself taking what you said personally. What I thought you just said is XXX; is that what you meant?".
4. Defer judgment.
Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message.
· Allow the speaker to finish.
· Don't interrupt with counter arguments.
5. Respond Appropriately.
Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You are gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting him or her down.
· Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
· Assert your opinions respectfully.
· Treat the other person, as he or she would want to be treated.
We listen to obtain information.
We listen to understand.
We listen for enjoyment.
We listen to learn.
Given all this listening we do, you would think we'd be good at it!
In fact most of us are not. Depending on the study being quoted, we remember between 25% and 50% of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, customers or spouse for 10 minutes, they pay attention to less than half of the conversation. This is dismal!
Turn it around and it reveals that when you are receiving directions or being presented with information, you aren't hearing the whole message either. You hope the important parts are captured in your 25-50%, but what if they're not?
Clearly, listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a better listener, you will improve your productivity, as well as your ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. What's more, you'll avoid conflict and misunderstandings. All of these are necessary for workplace success!
Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. By understanding your personal style of communicating, you will go a long way towards creating good and lasting impressions with others.
The way to become a better listener is to practice "active listening". This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, try to understand the complete message being sent.
In order to do this you must pay attention to the other person very carefully.
You cannot allow yourself to become distracted by whatever else may be going on around you, or by forming counter arguments that you'll make when the other person stops speaking. Nor can you allow yourself to get bored, and lose focus on what the other person is saying. All of these contribute to a lack of listening and understanding.
Tip: If you're finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say them – this will reinforce their message and help you stay focused.
To enhance your listening skills, you need to let the other person know that you are listening to what he or she is saying. To understand the importance of this, ask yourself if you've ever been engaged in a conversation when you wondered if the other person was listening to what you were saying. You wonder if your message is getting across, or if it's even worthwhile continuing to speak. It feels like talking to a brick wall and it's something you want to avoid.
Acknowledgement can be something as simple as a nod of the head or a simple "uh huh." You aren't necessarily agreeing with the person, you are simply indicating that you are listening. Using body language and other signs to acknowledge you are listening also reminds you to pay attention and not let your mind wander.
You should also try to respond to the speaker in a way that will both encourage him or her to continue speaking, so that you can get the information if you need. While nodding and "uh huhing" says you're interested, an occasional question or comment to recap what has been said communicates that you understand the message as well.
Becoming an Active Listener
There are five key elements of active listening. They all help you ensure that you hear the other person, and that the other person knows you are hearing what they say.
1. Pay attention.
Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message. Recognize that non-verbal communication also "speaks" loudly.
· Look at the speaker directly.
· Put aside distracting thoughts. Don't mentally prepare a rebuttal!
· Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
· "Listen" to the speaker's body language.
· Refrain from side conversations when listening in a group setting.
2. Show that you are listening.
Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
· Nod occasionally.
· Smile and use other facial expressions.
· Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting.
· Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.
3. Provide feedback.
Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.
· Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. "What I'm hearing is." and "Sounds like you are saying." are great ways to reflect back.
· Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you mean when you say." "Is this what you mean?"
· Summarize the speaker's comments periodically.
Tip: If you find yourself responding emotionally to what someone said, say so, and ask for more information: "I may not be understanding you correctly, and I find myself taking what you said personally. What I thought you just said is XXX; is that what you meant?".
4. Defer judgment.
Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message.
· Allow the speaker to finish.
· Don't interrupt with counter arguments.
5. Respond Appropriately.
Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You are gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting him or her down.
· Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
· Assert your opinions respectfully.
· Treat the other person, as he or she would want to be treated.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Three Easy and Direct Steps on How to Win at Life
Step 1
First, you need to decide on what you want to be in life. Many people focus on what the want to have and what they want to do. But this is not how you win in life. You need to focus on your inner self. You would first need to know what you would like to be. What kind of story do you want to leave behind? What kind of value, or service did you want to offer?
Step 2
When you know what you want to be. Then you have to take the small action steps in the present moment to be the person you want. This does not mean changing drastically overnight. This is a process, a step by step day to day internal searching for yourself. Spend time alone and listen to the silence, it will speak to you. You will feel it is right, instead of thinking it is right. Continue on your path of least resistance, and take on action steps that bring you the most joy in life.
Step 3
When you take small action steps that you really enjoy, you will begin to see enthusiasm around you. Remember that the enthusiasm around you is what you created. You create the life you desire, with every thought in action. When you are immersed in your being the doing will take care of the rest. Trust that the joy alone in being you is the act in of itself, to lead you to be a winner in life. Whatever brings you joy, you will find that your true self becomes evident, and you are winning in life.
First, you need to decide on what you want to be in life. Many people focus on what the want to have and what they want to do. But this is not how you win in life. You need to focus on your inner self. You would first need to know what you would like to be. What kind of story do you want to leave behind? What kind of value, or service did you want to offer?
Step 2
When you know what you want to be. Then you have to take the small action steps in the present moment to be the person you want. This does not mean changing drastically overnight. This is a process, a step by step day to day internal searching for yourself. Spend time alone and listen to the silence, it will speak to you. You will feel it is right, instead of thinking it is right. Continue on your path of least resistance, and take on action steps that bring you the most joy in life.
Step 3
When you take small action steps that you really enjoy, you will begin to see enthusiasm around you. Remember that the enthusiasm around you is what you created. You create the life you desire, with every thought in action. When you are immersed in your being the doing will take care of the rest. Trust that the joy alone in being you is the act in of itself, to lead you to be a winner in life. Whatever brings you joy, you will find that your true self becomes evident, and you are winning in life.
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