Everything should be easy - at least in your mind

Keeping things simple is always the best option to take, in today's busy world it could be so easy to fall into the trap of over complicating things. It doesn't matter what you are doing in life or what you are striving towards, taking the easy route is always by far the best and you will get there with a lot less stress and worry in tow.

Many things in life are made complicated to just confuse us. Take insurance for example - how many of us would pay over the minimum for our insurance if the terms in the policy were laid out clear enough for us to understand that we were being charged way over the minimum? Yet every year people buy policies that are filled with over complicated technical jargon and it ends up costing us dearly. But then if banks made things that simple they wouldn't benefit from the huge profits.

Keep it simple

Keeping your thoughts simple when planning anything or striving towards anything is always the best way to go about things, you can do this by making sure you have everything planned out in front of you.

Plan accordingly

The best way to plan everything and keep things easy is to set out goals; these should be short term, mid term and long-term goals. Think about what it is you wish to achieve and how you can get there without over complicating matters. The easier you make things for yourself in the planning stage the easier it will ultimately be to follow your goals until you reach them.

If there are two ways to reach a particular outcome study them through and decided which of these would be the easiest route to take. If you find that both ways will get you to where it is you wish to go then of course the easy option is the one you should choose. Give it some thought as to what deviances there could be along the way and decided what actions you would take if things didn't go exactly to plan.

By planning and thinking ahead about all the possibilities that could happen along the way and being prepared for them you are making life so much easier for yourself. Many times we do not think that the simplest option will be the best and will be the one we should work towards, however in most cases the easiest is always the best and will get you there.

If there are many choices and ways of doing something then they will need rationalizing and this can take some time particularly if there are lots of considerations to be taken, however by breaking it down into small parts you will find even the most complicated of subjects much easier to get through and find an answer for.

The main thing is to always remember that the simplest option or choice will always be by far the best to go about something, and by keeping things easy you will reach your goal with a lot less stress and aggravation.

Published under Self Improvement Help & Personal Development by icamm

The Art of Goal Setting

The basics of setting a goal are clearly known by top athletes, successful businessmen and women and all types of achievers in many fields. But why do they do it? Setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. They help you maintain focus on acquiring the required knowledge to help you plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life.

By setting clearly defined short term and long term goals for yourself you will be able to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully achieved those goals. Monitoring your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion and further help you realize your goals. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as a result, because you will be much more aware of your capabilities as you complete and achieve your goals.

The art of goal setting involves deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long-term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down the goals into the smaller and more manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals, as the longer you delay the harder it becomes to achieve your goals.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards you life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment and again improving your self-confidence.

Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. The only person holding you back from achieving your simplest goals is yourself. If there is any part of your behavior that is being a hindrance or puts your plans into disarray then you need to do what you can to eliminate the problem. You may need to visit the doctor or psychiatrist to control your emotions.

Education is key in achieving your goals. You may require certain skills or need a specific level of education in order to complete them, and you will therefore need to plan how you will acquire those skills or get the appropriate education.

Your family, future or otherwise should never be left out of your plans. If you are just starting out then you have to decide if and when you want to become a parent and plan your goals accordingly. If you already have a family, you should consider how your goals would affect them.

Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn, as failure to meet your financial goals will have a very negative effect on your self-esteem and your finances You must be able to create goals or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential.

Determining your physical capabilities should be another one of your priorities. But physical limitations should be conquered with proper planning.

The old saying 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' is only too true. When setting your goals, be conscious of having spare time – ‘fun time’ and enjoy yourself. You can achieve far more by being relaxed and happy than stressed and over worked.

To start achieving your lifetime goals, you may want to set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily. Create a to-do list for the day and continually review your plans, allowing for any changes.

The art of goal setting should not be so difficult once you are familiar with it.

How to be A Strong Negotiator?

Negotiation is a normal part of our lives. Everyday, we engage in negotiation when we try to convince the cab driver to drive a little faster and try to take a new route to your office, when we tell our teachers that we need another day's extension for the term paper that was due yesterday, when we ask our parents to increase our allowance, or when we tell the police officer that we were speeding for a very good reason and should be spared from being issued a ticket.

Everything we do involve convincing of some sort - whether it's with other people or with ourselves.

What does it mean to be an effective negotiator? Powerful negotiation means having strong persuasion skills. We must be able to successfully persuade others to take our side of a certain situation, whether verbally or subliminally.

Aside from being effective in persuasion, we must also be very good listeners. One effective way is by reading emotions through body language. After all, how else will we be able to win another person over if we don't first listen to what he or she is trying to say? Here are five things you should consider in order to turn your negotiation skills into powerful tools for persuasion.

1. Learn to listen
2. Know what you want and aim to get it
3. Be Organized
4. Do not Judge
5. Ask Question

About the Author:
Michael Lee is the author of How to be a Red Hot Persuasion Wizard... in 20 days or less, an ebook that reveals mind-altering persuasion techniques on how to tremendously enhance your relationships, create unlimited wealth, and get anything you want...just like magic. Get a sample chapter and highly-stimulating "Get What You Want" advice at: http://www.20daypersuasion.com. He is the Co-Founder of http://www.self-improvement-millionaires.com and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.

Discipline

Discipline is the key to how long your success will take. Gary Ryan Blairsums it up nicely:

"Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It requires you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results".

There are systems in place to discipline people who do wrong. Arriving late for work, driving to fast, stealing, and many other things often result in this type of discipline. Discipline imposed by authority is not the type being discussed here. Self-discipline would be the more precise term. Here is a working definition: Discipline is doing what you need to do when you would rather do what you want to do.

Discipline takes focus, commitment, motivation, and willpower. It is difficult to be disciplined when you don't know why you ought to be doing something. Applying discipline to firm and specific goals eventually results in success. If your goal is important enough then motivation will come quite easily. Less important goals, by their nature, call for more willpower to sustain successful discipline

Avoiding what is unpleasant, yet necessary, often creates more problems later. In effect, it compounds unnecessary failure. Setting up a self-imposed reward system is a good way to overcome this type of procrastination. For example, promise yourself you will not play your favorite video game until you have balanced your checkbook. In the long run, the discipline will pay bigger dividends than the initial reward.

Success is determined by your level of discipline. While discipline is not fun, nor is it easy; it is vital to achieving great things.

Five Keys to Effective Customer Service

The young couple wanted to buy a piano. They had $6000 in the bank, waiting to be spent. When a local piano store put up a huge banner saying, "inventory reduction -- huge savings," they knew their moment had come. With two young children in tow, they entered the large showroom and began browsing. There was only one other customer in the store and four or five sales people could be seen milling around. The couple tried to make eye contact with an employee but were unsuccessful. The sales people saw them, of course, but clearly thought this young couple was an unlikely prospect to purchase a quality piano -- especially with two young children who might leave unsightly fingerprints all over the showroom. The couple walked the entire length of the showroom, looking at various models, without help. Finally, one employee acknowledged them and, from a distance, said "let me know if you see anything you like," turned and walked away. The couple finally left in frustration, taking their $6,000 with them.

What if, instead of ignoring this couple, the sales people had tackled them and launched into a high-pressure sales pitch? The couple would probably still have walked out, equally disinchanted with the store. So, what is the solution? How do companies and their representatives find that magic place balance over-bearing and under-serving -- that elusive place where true customer service can be found?

Here are five simple keys that can help you improve your customer service skills:

1. Smile. A genuine smile means you are happy the customer is there and you are excited to provide them with exceptional service. It can make all of the difference in setting a positive tone.

2. Greeting. Ask, "How can I help You" and listen carefully. Customers will tell us how you can make them happy if we will just listen.

3. Focus on the Customer. Forget your problems, your commission, or your tired feet. Hone in on the customer's needs and use your knowledge and creativity to help them solve their problems. Give them your full attention and help them get what they want.

4. Make it easy to do business with you. Go out of your way to make the process easy and pleasant. Never use high pressure. Never try to sell things they don't want. Keep your store neat and organized.

5. Thank them. Express genuine appreciation for their visit to your store. Be gracious, whether they purchase or not. Treat people as if they were guests in your own home. Not only will they be more likely to return, but they will send their friends as well.

All of these keys take work. None is convenient or automatic. But they will make a huge difference. Statistics show that a happy customer will tell three other people. Unfortunately, an unhappy customer will tell over 10. Exceptional customer service can make the difference between surviving and thriving in this competitive marketplace.

Personal Stress Management Tips

Stress seems to be one of the leading causes of problems for people everywhere today. With increasing demands and pressures of everyday living, men and women face more and more stress every day.

If you are having trouble dealing with stress, here are some quick personal stress management tips to help you out:

• Take a deep breath. When you’re in the middle of a stressful situation, remind yourself to take a deep breath in, count to ten, then exhale. When needed, repeat this several times to help you calm down.

• Be positive. Do you find yourself in a rotten mood when you’re stressed out? You’re not alone! Practice being positive, especially when you’re stressed out. Try it and see if it doesn’t help.

• Exercise often. Exercise is a great way to burn off steam in a productive manner. Get a membership at your local gym or take some aerobics classes to work off some of that pent-up energy that is causing you to feel stressed out.

• Delegate tasks to others. If you are having trouble coping and feeling overwhelmed because you take on too much at once, outsource some of that work. Simple tasks, like household chores, can be delegated to the family. Don’t try to do everything by yourself.

• Smile. A simple smile, even when you don’t feel like smiling, can make you feel one hundred percent better.

• Listen to music. Soft, gentle music can help calm and soothe even the most frazzled nerves. Try playing light Classical music the next time you feel stress creeping in.

These stress management tips will help you get a handle on things. Remember that in order to manage your stress, you have to take control of it as soon as you feel the least bit stressed. Don’t wait until you are totally overwhelmed.

How to be Happy?

The secret of how to be happy is based in the words – to be. It is all about being true to your own nature and honouring your dreams and aspirations. Happiness comes from within and you have the freedom to choose to be happy in any moment of your life. Happiness is not dependent on what is happening around you.
You have the freedom to think any thought you choose in any moment, if you give your Self permission to do so. The human mind is so creative and is connected to all that is, on the subtle levels of consciousness.
We have all heard of the Akashic Records, within which all knowledge is stored. There are two ways to gain knowledge: one is to look outside your Self – to go to school or university and be taught knowledge from another. The other way is to do some deep soul searching, where you use your passion and desire mixed with your powers of visualizing and creating with your mind's eye.
Using visualization, you start your energies vibrating at these frequencies, which sets up – let's say, a magnetic field – that draws your heart's desire to you in an effortless way. This is true happiness creating with source energy to manifest your most cherished desires.
This is a very powerful way to manifest, and it becomes possible when you are true to your Self and your own Nature; when you focus on what brings you joy and happiness. Know that happiness is the experience the universe gives you, when you align your energies with the Universal Life Force or the creator God.
Happiness is the experience you receive when you are flowing your energies in a life-supporting way, or when you are experiencing rapid evolution and spiritual and personal growth in your life.
There are many ways you can experience happiness – such as, through a relationship with another person, where you are both coming from a place of abundance and Self sufficiency. This is created through self-love and self-awareness, where you are complete within your Self and self-sufficient. You are then in a position to give to another unconditionally from a heart which is overflowing with Love and Joy.
You can also find happiness within your work. You can do this in any job just by choosing it, though it works best if you choose your own job, doing something which brings you joy and happiness; where you can be of service to others and have created a market for your service through positive, life-supporting marketing.
Having and bringing up children is another source of happiness, as the child’s creativity will mean there will never be a dull moment. A happy child will make for happy parents, and vice versa.
Choosing in a morning to have a loving gentle smile on one's face can make all the difference as to how people perceive you in the street and at work. Filling your mind with creative and positive ideas also helps to bring happiness into your life.
Happiness comes naturally when your energies are flowing from the love which is in your heart and you bring this love to all you are being and doing in your life. Meditation is one way to connect to this inner field of love – when you transcend your conscious mind into your feeling and emotions, and centre your consciousness on the heart centre rather than the head.
You can listen to these meditations relaxing in a chair with the eyes closed and feeling the loving words washing over you. Personal development is one of the best ways to maintain happiness throughout your life as you continue to grow and blossom into your own true nature.

The Secret Self Improvement Key

Do you want to diversify your self improvement? How do you describe your ideal self improvement? What are your desires and hopefulness? Have you tried a lot former to change your circumstances and improve your life without any successfulness? What pursuit were you taking?

There is a great way to admit the evolution you want to see in your life.

Work on your self improvement targets. Become an individual who deserves the greatness that you want to be in.

If you want better relationships, ask your self: Are you the individual who people would relish being around? If you want a better job, ask yourself: Do you have the skills and qualifications required for your desired job? If you want more money, ask: Do you have the needed wealthy and abundant personality mentality? Do you want better health, are you thinking in terms of a healthful life style?

You can’t be wealthy while you have negative thoughts and beliefs about abundance. Whatever you aim for, you must first become the alteration you wish to see. You must tune your self improvement and allow to receive the change you wish to see. Personality change starts from within your heart. Start living your life from the inside out. You must become the change.

Feed your mind with happy thoughts. Develop your self improvement everyday. Create personal goals and constantly work on yourself. Open your mind, learn and grow.

You are the secret self improvement key. Unlock the door to brighter self improvement: Change to see the greatest change! Wonderful life is a journey that needs a lot of patience along the way.

Be Positive

There is no doubt about it we live in the greatest country in the world. Individuals with no discernible advantage over the masses have created wealth for themselves and their families. Financial security is not the same as additional income, or a little extra money for shopping or money for a vacation if we're lucky. A positive mindset creates financial security or wealth creation finances college funds and second homes.

Most of us have the same choices available. Will we succeed in what we want for our lives or will we fail. Do not be completely surprised by the fact that people who think positive achieve more in life than their half-empty mentality counterparts.

The value of having a positive mindset is apparent when a mere employee transforms into wealthy CEO's and stay at home moms into industry icons, and there are many examples. If you have a positive mindset and you will attract positive thoughts and positive people. Think positive and you will not have negative thoughts or time to dwell on negative circumstances.

Losers are people who have not lived up to there potential as they possess a trait winners do not, negative thinking. How can one succeed if they continuously make negative statements about themselves and their prospects for the future?

People who have a positive mindset achieve positive results in their lives. Negative people say:

• I just don't have time

• I don't have any money to invest

• My family wouldn't like it

• Contact me early next year

• Sounds as if there is a risk involved

• I'll think about it

When a positive thinking person looks for a way, they find a way. There is no reward or riches without an investment. A positive person will always find time to improve his or her life.

We each of us has the power to walk a path that would be considered a positive mindset or live in an environment that breeds negativity.

We decide everyday which path to take, the path that will lead me to the things I want and desire or the path that takes me to the pity party. No one has a charmed life where everything goes right, no one lives the perfect life, and we all are faced with challenges and obstacles. A positive mindset helps us navigate the negative thoughts, circumstances and negative people that cross our paths daily.

We have the power to greet the world with enthusiastic energy or feelings of dread of defeat. A positive mindset helps you to enjoy life and every possibility, negativity affords us an excuse for failure, reasons why we fail to achieve.

Attitude is the difference between operating your life with a positive mindset or living with a passive or even dull demeanor. A person with a positive mindset feels that they have control of their future success. Negative thinking people feel that other people are in control of their future.

Build a positive mindset start today:

• Where ever you are look for positive people to mingle with or befriend

• Everyday look for an interesting idea

• Read motivational material and look for a concept that you feel is positive

• Talk to people about the positive value you learned that day

• Ask every person you have a conversation with a question

• Make a list of goals and objectives

• You are as you think

One of the most effective ways to create a positive mindset is through the practice of positive affirmations. Many books have written about positive affirmations by many successful authors. A tremendous variety of books, audio products and classes that focus on developing a positive mindset are widely available.

Here are some methods that may help you develop a more positive mindset.

• Some experts advise writing or typing out their affirmations up to 25 times per day

• A response column next to each affirmation my help get rid of any lingering negative thoughts

• Write in the first person (I will create wealth)

• I have created wealth

• She has created wealth

Positive affirmations can produce results for an individual or a couple. Some experts suggest stating your positive affirmations in front of a mirror.