The 73 Best Lessons I've Learned for Leadership Success in Business and Life

By Robin Sharma, author of the international bestseller "The Leader Who Had No Title".

1. You can really Lead Without a Title.

2. Knowing what to do and not doing it is the same as not knowing what to do.

3. Give away what you most wish to receive.

4. The antidote to stagnation is innovation.

5. The conversations you are most resisting are the conversations you most need to be having.

6. Leadership is no longer about position - but passion. It's no longer about image but impact. This is Leadership 2.0.

7. The bigger the dream, the more important to the team.

8. Visionaries see the "impossible" as the inevitable.

9. All great thinkers are initially ridiculed - and eventually revered.

10. The more you worry about being applauded by others and making money, the less you'll focus on doing the great work that will generate applause. And make you money.

11. To double your net worth, double your self-worth. Because you will never exceed the height of your self-image.

12. The more messes you allow into your life, the more messes will become a normal (and acceptable) part of your life.

13. The secret to genius is not genetics but daily practice married with relentless perseverance.

14. The best leaders lift people up versus tear people down.

15. The most precious resource for businesspeople is not their time. It's their energy. Manage it well.

16. The fears you run from run to you.

17. The most dangerous place is in your safety zone.

18. The more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.

19. Every moment in front of a customer is a gorgeous opportunity to live your values.

20. Be so good at what you do that no one else in the world can do what you do.

21. You'll never go wrong in doing what is right.

22. It generally takes about 10 years to become an overnight sensation.

23. Never leave the site of a strong idea without doing something to execute around it.

24. A strong foundation at home sets you up for a strong foundation at work.

25. Never miss a moment to encourage someone you work with.

26. Saying "I'll try" really means "I'm not really committed."

27. The secret of passion is purpose.

28. Do a few things at mastery versus many things at mediocrity.

29. To have the rewards that very few have, do the things that very few people are willing to do.

30. Go where no one's gone and leave a trail of excellence behind you.

31. Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.

32. Accept your teammates for what they are and inspire them to become all they can be.

33. To triple the growth of your organization, triple the growth of your people.

34. The best leaders are the most dedicated learners. Read great books daily. Investing in your self-development is the best investment you will ever make.

35. Other people's opinions of you are none of your business.

36. Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.

37. Measure your success by your inner scorecard versus an outer one.

38. Understand the acute difference between the cost of something and the value of something.

39. Nothing fails like success. Because when you are at the top, it's so easy to stop doing the very things that brought you to the top.

40. The best leaders blend courage with compassion.

41. The less you are like others, the less others will like you.

42. You'll never go wrong in doing what's right.

43. Excellence in one area is the beginning of excellence in every area.

44. The real reward for doing your best work is not the money you make but the leader you become.

45. Passion + production = performance.

46. The value of getting to your goals lives not in reaching the goal but what the talents/strengths/capabilities the journey reveals to you.

47. Stand for something. Or else you'll fall for anything.

48. Say "thank you" when you're grateful and "sorry" when you're wrong.

49. Make the work you are doing today better than the work you did yesterday.

50. Small daily - seemingly insignificant - improvements and innovations lead to staggering achievements over time.

51. Peak performers replace depletion with inspiration on a daily basis.

52. Take care of your relationships and the sales/money will take care of itself.

53. You can't be great if you don't feel great. Make exceptional health your #1 priority.

54. Doing the difficult things that you've never done awakens the talents you never knew you had.

55. As we each express our natural genius, we all elevate our world.
 

56. Your daily schedule reflects your deepest values.

57. People do business with people who make them feel special.

58. All things being equal, the primary competitive advantage of your business will be your ability to row Leaders Without Titles faster than your industry peers.

59. Treat people well on your way up and they'll treat you well on your way down.

60. Success lies in a masterful consistency around a few fundamentals. It really is simple. Not easy. But simple.

61. The business (and person) who tries to be everything to everyone ends up being nothing to anyone.

62. One of the primary tactics for enduring winning is daily learning.

63. To have everything you want, help as many people as you can possibly find get everything they want.

64. Understand that a problem is only a problem if you choose to view it as a problem (vs. an opportunity).

65. Clarity precedes mastery. Craft clear and precise plans/goals/deliverables. And then block out all else.

66. The best in business spend far more time on learning than in leisure.

67. Lucky is where skill meets persistence.

68. The best Leaders Without a Title use their heads and listen to their hearts.

69. The things that are hardest to do are often the things that are the best to do.

70. Every single person in the world could be a genius at something, if they practiced it daily for at least ten years (as confirmed by the research of Anders Ericsson and others).

71. Daily exercise is an insurance policy against future illness. The best Leaders Without Titles are the fittest.

72. Education is the beginning of transformation. Dedicate yourself to daily learning via books/audios/seminars and coaching.

73. The quickest way to grow the sales of your business is to grow your people.

EATING FRUIT...

EATING FRUIT...

It's long but very informative
We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.
What is the correct way of eating fruits?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil....
So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.
But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!
KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.
Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer! Can u believe this?? For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
A serious note about heart attacks HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!) Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Sixty Uses For Salt

Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of uses other than simply seasoning your food. The following list will give you sixty uses of salt, many of which you probably didn't realize:

· Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.

· Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.

· Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.

· Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.

· Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting..

· Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

· Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.

· A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.

· Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.

· Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.

· Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.

· Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.

· Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.

· Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.

· Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.

· Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour

· Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.

· Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.

· Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.

· Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.

· Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.

· To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.

· Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.

· Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.

· Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.

· Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.

· Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

· A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.

· Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for awhile.

· A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea. ?

· Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.

· Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.

· Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.

· Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.

· Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.

· Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.

· Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.

· Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.

· Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.

· Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash..

· Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.

· Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.

· Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.

· Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains..

· Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.

·Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.

· Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.

· Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odor.

· A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee..

· Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.

· Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.

· Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.

· Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.

· A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.

· To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts alcohol.

· Salt and lemon juice? Removes mildew.

· Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.

· Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a better look.

· Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.

· If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.

Secret of Success.

A young man asked Socrates the secret of Success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. They met.

Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river.

When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The man struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until he started turning blue.

The young man struggled hard and finally managed to get out and the first
thing he did was to gasp and take deep breath. Socrates asked 'What you
wanted the most when you were there?' The man replied 'Air'.

Socrates said 'that's the secret to success. When you want success as
badly as you wanted air, you will get it. There is no other secret'

What parents should do everyday

There are volumes written on being a parent. But if I have to simplify it all down to 5 points, because no one likes to read a long post, here is the advice I would give to a mom.

Do these 5 concrete action items everyday. These are seemingly simple yet significant acts that will keep balance in your life.

1. Laugh out loud about something, anything, everyday. Don’t lose the joy of parenthood. Keep a positive attitude.

2. Give hugs and kisses to your spouse, everyday. Don’t forget that is your primary love relationship.

3. Get some fresh air, everyday. Go outside, breathe deeply, look up at the sky. That will give you a fresh perspective of life.

4. Talk to a friend, everyday. Maintaining friendships and having adult conversation keeps you sane.

5. Pray for your children, everyday. God will fill in the gaps where we lack in our human efforts.

Einstein’s Secret to Amazing Problem Solving (and 10 Specific Ways You Can Use It)

Einstein is quoted as having said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution.

This quote does illustrate an important point: before jumping right into solving a problem, we should step back and invest time and effort to improve our understanding of it. Here are 10 strategies you can use to see problems from many different perspectives and master what is the most important step in problem solving: clearly defining the problem in the first place!

The Problem Is To Know What the Problem Is

The definition of the problem will be the focal point of all your problem-solving efforts. As such, it makes sense to devote as much attention and dedication to problem definition as possible. What usually happens is that as soon as we have a problem to work on we’re so eager to get to solutions that we neglect spending any time refining it.

What most of us don’t realize — and what supposedly Einstein might have been alluding to — is that the quality of the solutions we come up with will be in direct proportion to the quality of the description of the problem we’re trying to solve. Not only will your solutions be more abundant and of higher quality, but they’ll be achieved much, much more easily. Most importantly, you’ll have the confidence to be tackling a worthwhile problem.

Problem Definition Tools and Strategies

The good news is that getting different perspectives and angles in order to clearly define a problem is a skill that can be learned and developed. As such, there are many strategies you can use to perfect it. Here are the 10 most effective ones I know.

1. Rephrase the Problem

When a Toyota executive asked employees to brainstorm “ways to increase their productivity”, all he got back were blank stares. When he rephrased his request as “ways to make their jobs easier”, he could barely keep up with the amount of suggestions.

Words carry strong implicit meaning and, as such, play a major role in how we perceive a problem. In the example above, ‘be productive’ might seem like a sacrifice you’re doing for the company, while ‘make your job easier’ may be more like something you’re doing for your own benefit, but from which the company also benefits. In the end, the problem is still the same, but the feelings — and the points of view — associated with each of them are vastly different.

Play freely with the problem statement, rewording it several times. For a methodic approach, take single words and substitute variations. ‘Increase sales’? Try replacing ‘increase’ with ‘attract’, ‘develop’, ‘extend’, ‘repeat’ and see how your perception of the problem changes. A rich vocabulary plays an important role here, so you may want to use a thesaurus or develop your vocabulary.

2. Expose and Challenge Assumptions

Every problem — no matter how apparently simple it may be — comes with a long list of assumptions attached. Many of these assumptions may be inaccurate and could make your problem statement inadequate or even misguided.

The first step to get rid of bad assumptions is to make them explicit. Write a list and expose as many assumptions as you can — especially those that may seem the most obvious and ‘untouchable’.

That, in itself, brings more clarity to the problem at hand. But go further and test each assumption for validity: think in ways that they might not be valid and their consequences. What you will find may surprise you: that many of those bad assumptions are self-imposed — with just a bit of scrutiny you are able to safely drop them.

For example, suppose you’re about to enter the restaurant business. One of your assumptions might be ‘restaurants have a menu’. While such an assumption may seem true at first, try challenging it and maybe you’ll find some very interesting business models (such as one restaurant in which customers bring dish ideas for the chef to cook, for example).

3. Chunk Up

Each problem is a small piece of a greater problem. In the same way that you can explore a problem laterally — such as by playing with words or challenging assumptions — you can also explore it at different “altitudes”.

If you feel you’re overwhelmed with details or looking at a problem too narrowly, look at it from a more general perspective. In order to make your problem more general, ask questions such as: “What’s this a part of?”, “What’s this an example of?” or “What’s the intention behind this?”.

For a detailed explanation of how this principle works, check the article Boost Your Brainstorm Effectiveness with the Why Habit.

Another approach that helps a lot in getting a more general view of a problem is replacing words in the problem statement with hypernyms. Hypernyms are words that have a broader meaning than the given word. (For example, a hypernym of ‘car’ is ‘vehicle’). A great, free tool for finding hypernyms for a given word is WordNet (just search for a word and click on the ‘S:’ label before the word definitions).

4. Chunk Down

If each problem is part of a greater problem, it also means that each problem is composed of many smaller problems. It turns out that decomposing a problem in many smaller problems — each of them more specific than the original — can also provide greater insights about it.

‘Chunking the problem down’ (making it more specific) is especially useful if you find the problem overwhelming or daunting.

Some of the typical questions you can ask to make a problem more specific are: “What are parts of this?” or “What are examples of this?”.

Just as in ‘chunking up’, word substitution can also come to great use here. The class of words that are useful here are hyponyms: words that are stricter in meaning than the given one. (E.g. two hyponyms of ‘car’ are ‘minivan’ and ‘limousine’). WordNet can also help you finding hyponyms.

5. Find Multiple Perspectives

Before rushing to solve a problem, always make sure you look at it from different perspectives. Looking at it with different eyes is a great way to have instant insight on new, overlooked directions.

For example, if you own a business and are trying to ‘increase sales’, try to view this problem from the point of view of, say, a customer. For example, from the customer’s viewpoint, this may be a matter of adding features to your product that one would be willing to pay more for.

Rewrite your problem statement many times, each time using one of these different perspectives. How would your competition see this problem? Your employees? Your mom?

Also, imagine how people in various roles would frame the problem. How would a politician see it? A college professor? A nun? Try to find the differences and similarities on how the different roles would deal with your problem.

6. Use Effective Language Constructs

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for properly crafting the perfect problem statement, but there are some language constructs that always help making it more effective:

• Assume a myriad of solutions. An excellent way to start a problem statement is: “In what ways might I…”. This expression is much superior to “How can I…” as it hints that there’s a multitude of solutions, and not just one — or maybe none. As simple as this sounds, the feeling of expectancy helps your brain find solutions.
• Make it positive. Negative sentences require a lot more cognitive power to process and may slow you down — or even derail your train of thought. Positive statements also help you find the real goal behind the problem and, as such, are much more motivating.
  For example: instead of finding ways to ‘quit smoking’, you may find that ‘increase your energy’, ‘live longer’ and others are much more worthwhile goals.
• Frame your problem in the form of a question. Our brain loves questions. If the question is powerful and engaging, our brains will do everything within their reach to answer it. We just can’t help it: Our brains will start working on the problem immediately and keep working in the background, even when we’re not aware of it.
• If you’re still stuck, consider using the following formula for phrasing your problem statement:
  “In what ways (action) (object) (qualifier) (end result)?”
  Example: In what ways might I package (action) my book (object) more attractivelypeople will buy more of it (end result)? (qualifier) so

7. Make It Engaging

In addition to using effective language constructs, it’s important to come up with a problem statement that truly excites you so you’re in the best frame of mind for creatively tackling the problem. If the problem looks too dull for you, invest the time adding vigor to it while still keeping it genuine. Make it enticing. Your brain will thank (and reward) you later.

One thing is to ‘increase sales’ (boring), another one is ‘wow your customers’. One thing is ‘to create a personal development blog’, another completely different is to ‘empower readers to live fully’.

8. Reverse the Problem

One trick that usually helps when you’re stuck with a problem is turning it on its head.

If you want to win, find out what would make you lose. If you are struggling finding ways to ‘increase sales’, find ways to decrease them instead. Then, all you need to do is reverse your answers. ‘Make more sales calls’ may seem an evident way of increasing sales, but sometimes we only see these ‘obvious’ answers when we look at the problem from an opposite direction.

This seemingly convoluted method may not seem intuitive at first, but turning a problem on its head can uncover rather obvious solutions to the original problem.

9. Gather Facts

Investigate causes and circumstances of the problem. Probe details about it — such as its origins and causes. Especially if you have a problem that’s too vague, investigating facts is usually more productive than trying to solve it right away.

If, for example, the problem stated by your spouse is “You never listen to me”, the solution is not obvious. However, if the statement is “You don’t make enough eye contact when I’m talking to you,” then the solution is obvious and you can skip brainstorming altogether. (You’ll still need to work on the implementation, though!)

Ask yourself questions about the problem. What is not known about it? Can you draw a diagram of the problem? What are the problem boundaries? Be curious. Ask questions and gather facts. It is said that a well-defined problem is halfway to being solved: I would add that a perfectly-defined problem is not a problem anymore.

10. Problem-Solve Your Problem Statement

I know I risk getting into an infinite loop here, but as you may have noticed, getting the right perspective of a problem is, well, a problem in itself. As such, feel free to use any creative thinking technique you know to help. There are plenty to choose from:

You may want to give yourself an Idea Quota of problem statements. Or write a List of 100SCAMPER your problem definition. These are just some of dozen techniques you can try. problems to solve.

Of course, how much effort you invest in defining the problem in contrast to how much effort you invest in solving your actual problem is a hard balance to achieve, though one which is attainable with practice.

Personally, I don’t think that 55 minutes of defining a problem versus 5 minutes acting on it is usually a good proportion. The point is that we must be aware of how important problem defining is and correct our tendency to spend too little time on it.

In fact, when you start paying more attention to how you define your problems, you’ll probably find that it is usually much harder than solving them. But you’ll also find that the payoff is well worth the effort.

50 Ways to Get Your Life in Order

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of chaos in your life. As Albert Einstein once stated, “Three rules of work: out of clutter find simplicity, from discord find harmony, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

Unexpected challenges are what make us stronger, so don’t avoid them. Keep in mind the following 50 tips and you’ll be able to streamline your life and get back on track in the New Year.

1. Recycle old papers that are filling drawers in your house. If you’re anything like me, you have drawers overflowing with old receipts, junk mail, records, and notes to myself. Get rid of all of this. Invest in a paper shredder to reduce clutter and maintain privacy.
2. Mentally prepare yourself for change by visualizing your ideal self. Who do you admire the most? How do you envision yourself in the future? Who do you want to be? Visualize yourself to be that person.
3. Realize that unexpected events can be a good thing. As the Dalai Lama once said, “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”
4. Ask people you admire how they got where they are today. I’ve always admired my grandfather. Learning more about how he started up his business, dealt with difficulty throughout his life, and maintained grace throughout it all has helped me in my personal endeavors.
5. Cut back on alcohol, cigarettes and other vices. These can be crutches that cloud judgment. The money saved by not purchasing or cutting back on this type of material can then be put into something rewarding such as a vacation.
6. Remove elements of negativity from your life, be they people or a job you don’t want to do. If you have friends who are bringing you down, there’s no need to keep hanging out with them out of obligation. Cut your ties and cut your losses.
7. Start each day with a clear to-do list along with your cup of morning coffee. Knowing what you need to do in the day ahead helps keep you on track.
8. Clean your house from top to bottom and throw away anything outdated. Not only receipts, as mentioned above, but any old junk that should be donated to charity or sold in a garage sale.
9. Institute a clear filing system for your personal records. Investing in a simple filing cabinet and folders with labels is something you don’t need a personal secretary for and makes your life much easier when you are looking for a specific item.
10. Do your grocery shopping for the week on the day it’s most convenient. Make a list, budget, and get only what you need to save time and money.
11. Take a career test that will help you identify your strengths. If you are unhappy with your career but don’t even know where to begin in the process of moving on, this can be a good way to identify strengths and new possibilities.
12. Meet with a professional counselor if there are issues you need to discuss. Many people are struggling with dead weight from the past or emotional baggage that is holding them back. Deal with them and move on with professional assistance.
13. Go through cabinets and throw out expired medications or food items. The last time I did this, I found everything from 3-year-old curry powder to 5-year-old aspirin. Throw them out.
14. Make a clear diet plan with an emphasis on whole grains, fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet plan has a tremendous effect on your overall energy levels.
15. Add vitamin pills to your daily diet. Vitamin supplements can help reduce the possibility of cancer and osteoporosis, among other disorders.
16. Work out a clear exercise plan with an activity that you enjoy such as dancing or biking. My girlfriend loves yoga, and I am a soccer enthusiast. As long as it’s active, it counts.
17. Set appointments you’ve been putting off. It’s easy to put off going to the doctor or dentist until we are sick, but preventive care is extremely important in overall health levels.
18. Take up a mental exercise. Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or other word games along these lines are more than just a good way to pass time. They have been shown in studies to help improve overall mental capabilities.
19. Publish your own book. This is easier than ever before with Internet publishing. You can get your ideas out there and start making money from them. I’ve published my own eBook, The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People, check it out.
20. Make a reading list and join a book club. Most people state that they want to read more, but without an actual plan you may not make the time to do this. Joining a book club not only serves as a social activity but also keeps you up to date with your own reading list.
21. Spend time with yourself each day. Susan Taylor states that “spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.”
22. Practice breathing exercises or meditation. Stress can have an overarching effect on our overall productivity levels. When stressed, I personally forget to breathe at times. Take the time to take deep breaths and improve oxygen flow to the brain.
23. Speak and act with honesty. Are you able to stand by what you do and say? If not, it may be time to reexamine your own words and learn to articulate your thoughts in an open, honest way. This helps eliminate mistakes down the road.
24. Learn from past mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Usually, we make a lot of them during our lifetime. As long as they aren’t repeated too many times, and are looked at as a learning experience, they can in fact be a good thing in the long run.
25. Volunteer to help others in your community. Helping others is a rewarding way to get your own life together.
26. Take up a new language or hobby.
27. Read inspirational biographies. For new ideas, find out how others got their lives in order.
28. Talk to a stranger. Unplanned conversations can be surprisingly inspiring.
29. Reconnect with friends and relatives who live far away. Call those people you miss but keep putting off calling. With the Internet and Skype at your disposal, even an online chat can help you reconnect.
30. Change your toothbrush. It can be a hotbed of bacteria.
31. Take more naps. Sleep is often sadly underrated in its ability to boost energy, mood, and keep reaction times sharp.
32. Drink at least 6 cups of water per day. Staying hydrated helps keep energy levels up.
33. Organize your photo collection. Get both digital files and physical printouts in albums. If you’re anything like my family, your photographs could be sadly sitting tucked away in shoeboxes in the closet, taking up space.
34. Take an interest in art in your community. Visiting galleries can help introduce you to the artists in your community and help stimulate thinking.
35. Join a hobbyist club. My friend decided to learn more about building model airplanes and was so deeply into it that he recently obtained his commercial pilot’s license. You never know where a simple hobby can lead you in life.
36. Keep a calendar with commitments. Having a visual reminder in front of you can be extremely helpful. We are all different types of learners.
37. Don’t put off difficult conversations. Deal with problems directly and immediately. This will result in a much lower level of anxiety for all involved.
38. Make a list of priorities and do what makes you happy. If you have lost touch with your own priorities lately, it can be beneficial to take the time to sit and think about what actually makes you happy. Work toward achieving this as much as possible.
39. Spend more time outdoors. Nature has an ability to help soothe a troubled mind and clear your thoughts. Taking a walk in the woods or climbing a mountain, at any level of difficulty, gives a sense of pride and accomplishment.
40. Attend lectures. These could be science lectures or other types, but it’s helpful to keep up-to-date on what’s going on in the world and plan accordingly. Keeping the mind active helps you in all aspects of your daily life.
41. Take the time to stretch muscles. Get a massage to improve muscle tone and circulation, then use this new energy and apply it to your work routine.
42. Make laughter a priority. Hang out with some of your most entertaining friends for a good laugh, or simply sit back with some favorite old comedies. Laughter counts as exercise and has been shown to expand your life span.
43. Clear some time each day to do nothing. As a child, I remember that we had “free time” scheduled into our school activities every day. This could be used for reading, drawing, or simply staring into space if that’s what we felt like doing. What a novel idea, and one that keeps the brain at ease.
44. Schedule a much-needed vacation.
45. Learn new tips for entertaining. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to throw a great dinner party, and learning how to be a host or hostess with minimal effort can give a big boost to your confidence levels.
46. Throw out old clothing that doesn’t fit. Too many of us are squeezing into outdated clothes that are doing us no favors. Look and feel your best with clothes that are tailored to fit.
47. Live in the present, not the past. The past is over. Move on and enjoy every moment as it occurs. Take stock of what needs to be accomplished and move forward with this information.
48. Learn from past mistakes and move forward with your life. Get your life in order by looking forward, not back.
49. Get your car checked up. You go to the doctor to have your body checked up. Don’t wait until it is too late to perform maintenance on your car. I once got stuck on a road trip to Ipoh (Malaysia) as a result of this oversight, and it wasn’t pleasant.
50. Budget for possible home repairs. Set aside some money in the proverbial cookie jar to keep home maintenance within the realm of possibility in this coming year.

Courtsy

Mark Foo

You don't have an email id ??

A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft.

The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.

"You are employed." He said." Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."

The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."

I'm sorry", said the HR manager, "If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."

The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital.

He repeated the Operation three times, and returned home with $60.

The man realized that he can survive by this Way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later , the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US .

He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance.

He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, "I don't have an email". The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!"

The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"

Moral of the story:

M1 - Internet is not the solution to your life.
M2 - If you don't have Internet, and work hard, you can still be a millionaire.
M3 - If you received this message by email, you are closer to being an office boy, than a millionaire. .........

Thought for today

We must take responsibility for our decisions, and avoid blaming others.

Advice is great, but not at the expense of our self-reliance.

Be open to listening to everyone today. But, make up your own mind.

8 cues to happiness

Having lived a reasonably contented life, I was musing over what a person should strive for to achieve happiness. I drew up a list of a few essentials which I put forward for the readers' appraisal.

1. First and foremost is GOOD HEALTH. If you do not enjoy good health you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct from your happiness.

2. Second, a HEALTHY BANK BALANCE. It need not run into crores but should be enough to provide for creature comforts and something to spare for recreation, like eating out, going to the pictures, travelling or going on holidays on the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be only demoralizing. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one's own eyes.

3. Third, a HOME OF YOUR OWN. Rented premises can never give you the snug feeling of a nest which is yours for keeps that a home provides: if it has a garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, cultivate a sense of kinship with them.

4. Fourth, an UNDERSTANDING COMPANION, be it your spouse or a friend. If there are too many misunderstandings, they will rob you of your peace of mind. It is better to be divorced than to bicker all the time.

5. Fifth, LACK OF ENVY towards those who have done better than you in life; risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can be very corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.

6. Sixth, DO NOT ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE to descend on you for gup-shup. By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-mongering.

7. Seventh, CULTIVATE SOME HOBBIES which can bring you a sense of fulfilment, such as gardening, reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music. Going to clubs or parties to get free drinks or to meet celebrities is criminal waste of time.

8. Eighth, every morning and evening, devote 15 minutes to INTROSPECTION. In the morning, 10 minutes should be spent on stilling the mind and then five in listing things you have to do that day. In the evening, five minutes to still the mind again, and ten to go over what you had undertaken to do.

THE TAIL

There is a story about a princess who had a small eye problem that she felt was really bad. Being the king's daughter, she was rather spoiled and kept crying all the time. When the doctors wanted to apply medicine, she would invariably refuse any medical treatment and kept touching the sore spot on her eye. In this way it became worse and worse, until finally the king proclaimed a large reward for whoever could cure his daughter. After some time, a man arrived who claimed to be a famous physician, but actually was not even a doctor.

He declared that he could definitely cure the princess and was admitted to her chamber. After he had examined her, he exclaimed, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" "What is it?" the princess inquired. The doctor said, "There is nothing much wrong with your eye, but there is something else that is really serious." The princess was alarmed and asked, "What on earth is so serious?" He hesitated and said, "It is really bad. I shouldn't tell you about it." No matter how much she insisted, he refused to tell her, saying that he could not speak without the king's permission.

When the king arrived, the doctor was still reluctant to reveal his findings. Finally the king commanded, "Tell us what is wrong. Whatever it is, you have to tell us!" At last the doctor said, "Well, the eye will get better within a few days - that is no problem. The big problem is that the princess will grow a tail, which will become at least nine fathoms long. It may start growing very soon. If she can detect the first moment it appears, I might be able to prevent it from growing." At this news everyone was deeply concerned. And the princess, what did she do? She stayed in bed, day and night, directing all her attention to detecting when the tail might appear. Thus, after a few days, her eye got well.

This shows how we usually react. We focus on our little problem and it becomes the center around which everything else revolves.

WelCome

Dear Friends
Hello and Welcome to my new blog. From today onwards I am going to post good musings, paras, thoughts, quotable quotes etc. on this blog. Please note that this posts are collected by me from different sites, portals i.e. they never belongs to me so with unwritten permission of known unknown authors I am going to share this knowledge with many of the peoples.

I am very thankful to all those unknown authors for permitting me to publish there valuable thoughts and last but not least in my opinion knowledge and thoughts should not have "copyright" stamp over them because life of knowledge and thoughts which does not have copyright lasts for very long period like Bible, Holy Quaran, Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta, Vedas etc.

** Prabodh