Words to Live by

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility comes from being superior to your former self.”― Ernest Hemingway

Thursday 5 March 2015

The 3 Habits Productive People Find Time for Every Day

To keep yourself productive, it's essential that you build habits to help you organize your day and get the most out of your time.
Here are three of the most powerful habits.

1. Become an early riser by going to bed early.

There was probably a period of time in your life where it was easy stay up late into the night (or early into the next morning) trying to get things done.
For me, however, that period was over a long time ago. Recently, I’ve come to realize that all eight-hour periods just aren’t created equally.
Going to bed at 10 pm and waking up around 6 am is EXPONENTIALLY better than going to bed at 3 am and waking up around 11 am, even though number of hours you sleep is the same. I’ve tested this over and over again, and the evidence is pretty clear: I don’t perform well if I stay up past 11 pm-ish.
Early risers really do have a distinct advantage when it comes to mental clarity, acuity and energy.
Simply put: waking up early works better than any other strategy for becoming more productive. But you have to make sure you get enough sleep to back it up. So get to bed!
I’ve had to give myself a bedtime and be my own parent by ruthlessly enforcing it. It was harder than it sounds, because I’ve been programmed to stay up late for so many years.




2. Start every day with an intention, focus or meditation.

Starting your day with  a clear idea of what you want to do changes EVERYTHING.
Have you ever had a day where as soon as you woke up, there were already missed calls, text messages and emails screaming for your attention? You felt like you were struggling to stay afloat before breakfast. Oh, that sounds like every day, you say? That needs so stop.
If you like, you can meditate. You know, cross-legged, a candle, with some nice music playing in your ridiculously expensive Beats headphones. But if that's too much, you can just "take 10."
Take 10 slow breaths, think about your main objectives for the day, then get moving. This seems too simple to have an effect, but it’s not. If you’re used to getting up already in battle mode, then you’ve probably forgotten how it feels to have a moment to yourself.
Take a few of those minutes back to refocus yourself. It really helps. You can also use that time to create a better to-do list.


3. Physical activity. Do it.

Working out is probably the highest-leverage tool in your arsenal. It predictably and reliably makes you feel  better and keeps you both physically and emotionally healthy, all year round.
To have the mental energy to take on the full calendar of to-do’s that people want from you, you have to be in the gym.
Period.
Training yourself physically not only gives you benchmarks to hit on a regular basis, but it also creates a predictable backbone in your daily life that you can count on, even if everything goes wrong. Mentally, that’s very comforting.


Trust me, I know that integrating these habits into your life won't be easy at first. But if you're not healthy, your business can't thrive anyway. Consider them a long-term investment in your business.

Sources
www.entrepreneur.com/article/239267 - Daniel DiPiazza
www.nadiyahvidsten.com
www.playingwiththeuniverse.com
www.dumblittleman.com

Monday 2 March 2015

Be Independent of the GOOD Opinion of Others.


Something I personally struggle with!!

It takes time and determination to unlearn our bad habits,

The stronger the determination the less time it takes!!!

Stay Focused and Stay on YOUR chosen path!

The Importance of Having A Personal Development Plan

A personal development plan provides a framework that will make individuals identify the areas of their strengths and weaknesses and come up with a guide that will optimize and capitalize on their existing skills and capabilities.

Development is a progressive process in one’s life time. It should not stop as long as there is a desire for it, and the need for it. Many individuals hold the principle that only when they cease to exist can make them stop working for their self-growth. Personal development may include procurement of new skills and knowledge depending on your goals.

When you make your own personal development plan, it can provide you with a self-reflection. One of the objectives of this endeavor is the assessment of your assets including your knowledge, skills, capabilities and other qualifications. You may touch the areas of strengths, weaknesses, and new sets of strengths. This self-evaluation gives you a clear awareness about your being.

It can set your path straight in terms of career. When you know which areas you would like to develop and have taken steps to enhance your assets or increase them, you may have clearer picture of where you are heading in the next 5 to 15 years. You will know which decision is the best for you and your future.

In fact, a personal development plan is geared toward progress in your personality and career. It will enhance your self-esteem and add up to your qualifications when you vie for higher position.

Several people experience personality crises. Some thought that they are lost and uncertain of where to go. By having goals in life, you are setting your direction. You will know what to do to follow such direction.

In planning and organizing your personal development, you will use your thinking faculty in making the decisions. By the time you have completed the personal development plan and achieved some of your targets, your ability to make wise decisions will be enhanced as well. As you gain more skills and knowledge, your decision-making ability becomes quicker and sharper.

There are also people who achieve a sense of balance in life by having the development plan. They are able to balance properly their time for work and play. Others who are family-oriented have managed to devote a portion of their time to their children and partner as well as to their career. It also saved them their marriage.

After completing the development plan, most people realized that they have become more responsible and have more positive perspectives in life. Regardless of their goals, they learned to appreciate more their life and have put more value to it than before.

Having a personal development plan is a wise investment in terms of money and time. No matter which angle you will analyze it, self-growth does not have liabilities. Should there be any, they are minor compared to the benefits you will gain from it. In today’s competitive time, having a development plan is a step recommended to everyone. It allows you to gain an edge in life.