Enlightening Village

Avoiding Short Term Memory Loss

2009-01-22T05:32:00.002+07:00

Various names for memory loss are amnesia and dementia. One of our biggest fears as we age is losing our mental facilities, and how to deal with family members who are experiencing such memory loss. Short term memory loss can be triggered by stroke, circulation, Alzheimer’s as well as poor conductivity in the brain. However, take heart that memory loss is temporary and can be improved or avoided.

What is Short Term Memory?

Short-term memory refers to memories which last for a few minutes, and have gone through some amount of processing by the brain. It is usually of limited capacity, and absorbing new information causes the older information to be “forgotten”. Trying to communicate with those who have short term memory loss is frustrating.

Avoiding Short Term Memory Loss

1. Items can be maintained indefinitely in short-term memory by rehearsal: e.g. by repeating the information over and over again.

2. Repetition may also increase the probability that items in short-term memory will enter permanent storage in long-term memory.

3. Mental and physical exercises, your diet and nutritional supplements can help in avoiding short term memory loss.

4. Your body needs to have sufficient sleep in order to create links and connections in your memory. Hence, a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a day is recommended.

5. Your vision is an incredible resource for boosting your memory, with approximately 40% of the brain devoted to it. This is more than any other function of the brain!

6. Visit your doctor for regular blood tests, as they are indicators as to possible ailments and allows for your doctor to provide a cure through medications.

7. When your brain is deprived of the blood it needs, your memory health will be adversely affected. Cut down on the number of triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood, as these act as blockers.

8. In order to maintain the health of your mind, your brain needs nutrients such as folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. These support the neurotransmitters in your brain that allows you to pass on signals and information to where they should be.

9. These are 8 simply tips to avoiding short term memory loss. Do keep in mind that although aging affects memory loss, other factors such as health issues, alcohol and drug usage, smoking, and environmental toxins play an important part as well.

by: Greg Frost

What Makes Emotional Healing So Hard?

2009-01-05T16:08:00.002+07:00

When I was 5 years old our family moved to Starkville, Mississippi. My dad had secured a position as a research scientist at Miss. State Univ. that was simply too good to pass up.

Starkville was a small town like many other small towns across America. Life was slow and safe and predictable. All in all, not such a bad place to live.

For the next 12 years I was a Starkvillian. Like so many other young boys I spent most of my free time exploring the world from the comfort of a bicycle seat.

Life was full of adventures. Looking back now, it resembled a series of Norman Rockwell paintings.

But it wasn't always so idealistic. In fact, for over 20 years after leaving that small town I hated everything to do with Starkville. I called it a nightmare existence in a God-forsaken town.

So why do you suppose I hated it?

I Focused On The Negative

Like children everywhere, my wonder years consisted of good events, bad events, and many mediocre and neutral events. Good times that made me feel good. Bad times that made me feel bad. And many events stirred little emotional reaction at all.

However, my problem was that I discounted the good events, while elevating the bad ones.

The painful events on my past became like anchors - the pillars of the past. The defining moments of my life.

Certain events would happen, and rather than simply feeling the pain and moving on, I would suppress and repress those painful emotions.

Paradoxically, while I denied the feelings, I elevated the events. I would take a painful situation and make it much worse than it really was.

I Embellished My Past

How do you embellish a painful past? Intentionally exaggerate its stature and importance. Like a playwright constructing a play, I would add drama for the effect it created.

I would set the stage. Get the lighting just right. Play suspenseful music in the background. Create a prologue -

"The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent..."

Like one of those old Dragnet TV shows!

I built it up any way I could. I made it sacred.

And no matter what, I could *NOT* feel the feelings of those past events and let them go! I needed those unresolved emotions to breathe life into an otherwise-dead past.

I spent way too much of my time giving CPR to a corpse of the past. Ever given CPR? It'll wear you out! It's hard to do it for very long; it's just too much work.

Imagine doing it for decades.

I defined my life by those highly selective events of the past that were being kept alive ONLY by my emotional energy.

I Was Giving My Power To The Past
Thoughts and feelings are the very source of your power. Your power - your ability and willingness to act - comes about because of the constant stream of your thoughts and feelings.
Thoughts and feelings are constantly and consistently springing forth into your consciousness.
A stream of thoughts. A stream of feelings. Together they are the source of your power.

If you're using those thoughts and feelings to hold onto the past, then you'll have less power available to you now. Power that could be used to heal your emotions instead becomes diverted into holding the past in place.

I Built My Past Into A Frankenstein's Monster

Out of that handful of painful events I created a backbone. From the backbone I grew a skeleton. Surrounding the skeleton I grew muscles and skin and internal organs. I gave it a heart. I gave it a voice.

All that growth required conscious effort on my part. I had to keep reminding myself of those painful events.

"I really was wronged."

"I really was shamed."

"I really was abused."

Building them up and fleshing them out took a lot of my power. But it was worth it. I got to feel like a victim. I got to hide in my self pity. I was entitled. Hey, I EARNED the right to engage in any errant behavior I chose!

I earned the right to blame, to struggle, to manipulate and punish anybody I wanted. I earned my righteous arrogance because of my embellished pain of the past.

I was powerless as a result, but that's okay. I earned the right to be weak by all the effort I was expending to try to keep the past alive.

***
I took the best of me and gave it to a past that didn't even exist.
***

It takes constant effort to keep the past alive. You can't just set it and forget it - like a thermostat on the wall. You have to keep remembering it. You have to keep using today's power to reinforce the imprisonment of yesterday's power.

We Invest In The Past

The past is over, yet so often our power remains trapped in the emotional investment we've made in certain painful events of that dead past.

The past is over.

But the very power we need to break free of those memories is instead being diverted into a much more sinister goal. We invest a lot of time and energy creating a Frankenstein's monster of the past, and it's become too big to handle.

The power you need to heal the past is instead being used to try to keep it alive. It becomes a tangled mess.

You can't heal the past until you get more power.

You can't get more power until you heal the past.

So what's the answer? First you heal a little bit, and you retrieve a little power. Then, in your empowered state you heal a little more and get back a little more power. It happens layer by layer.

And it all begins with a willingness to change.

Author Bio
Mark Ivar Myhre, The Emotional Healing Wizard, author of the highly acclaimed - Emotional Healing Quick Start Guide - what to do right now to feel better. Go to www.join-the-fun.com

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Make Success Simple

2009-01-05T16:02:00.001+07:00

There is a lot of power in words. They can strengthen and empower us. This article will help explain the Can’t and Won’t and how to gain the courage to do what may be difficult for many of us.
uccessful people understand the difference between can’t and won’t. There is a lot of power in words. They can strengthen and empower us. They can build an army or start a war. Think about the words you use to describe yourself, and what you are capable of. Do your words say victim or victor?

Think about the words can’t and won’t. How often do you say I can’t when you really mean won’t? Can’t means that you are physically not capable while won’t means that you are choosing not to.

I can't go up to a perfect stranger and introduce myself. Yes you can. You are physically capable of walking up to someone, sticking out your hand and saying “Hi, I'm Sharmen Lane, what's your name?” Many will say, “I can't do that.” Yes you can. You may have to dig deep and find the courage in you, but you are physically capable of it. uccessful people understand the difference between can’t and won’t. There is a lot of power in words. They can strengthen and empower us. They can build an army or start a war. Think about the words you use to describe yourself, and what you are capable of. Do your words say victim or victor?

Think about the words can’t and won’t. How often do you say I can’t when you really mean won’t? Can’t means that you are physically not capable while won’t means that you are choosing not to.

I can't go up to a perfect stranger and introduce myself. Yes you can. You are physically capable of walking up to someone, sticking out your hand and saying “Hi, I'm Sharmen Lane, what's your name?” Many will say, “I can't do that.” Yes you can. You may have to dig deep and find the courage in you, but you are physically capable of it.

In business or your personal life the words you use can make a powerful statement. I once had a woman in sales tell me she couldn’t walk in to potential client offices and ask them for business. That’s when it dawned on me that there is a tremendous difference between can’t and won’t. I responded to this woman with “You can’t. So you are telling me that you are not physically capable of walking to the door, sticking out your hand, grabbing the knob, turning it, pulling the door open and walking through the opening?’ Of course with resistance she replied with “Well, yes I can do THAT”. That is the difference between can’t and won’t.

This isn’t to say it will be easy. It may be difficult. It may require some extreme mental discipline, or having a talk with yourself to make you do something you previously “couldn’t”. I never said it was easy, and sometimes you will have to psych your self up and literally force yourself do it. But you can. As soon as you take responsibility and the empowering position you will be amazed at the things you can and will do.

The next time you hear yourself saying "I can’t…” stop for a moment and ask yourself, it is really that I can’t, that I’m physically not capable, or is it that I won’t? If you determine that you could but you choose not too then it’s wont. At that point you can choose to change your way of thinkingScience Articles, step up to the plate and do it!

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

The 10 Rules For Leaders

2008-11-24T16:03:00.001+07:00

1.The Leader must aspire for more than what they have!

What is the point of entering the internet marketing scene if you don’t want to improve you standard of living, make life long friends and grow as a person? If you don’t want these 3, then don’t bother. If you don’t have a dream of what you would like your life to be like, get 1! Dreams are the beginnings of success.

2.The leader must have a superior mindset to those that they lead!

Your affiliates learn directly from you. For this reason you must have the best possible mindset. If you are negative all the time how can you expect your downline to be productive? Be positive! Always look for new ways to better yourself and your team. Show them how exciting the industry really is, otherwise you will end up sad and broke!

3.The leader is responsible and admits when they have made a mistake!

When you spend all your money on PPC advertising, using the wrong keywords because you haven’t done your research and you don’t get anywhere, don’t go complaining to your sponsor because they told you to use PPC advertising! Look at yourself every time something doesn’t go as planned and ask “why did this happen the way it did and what can I do to fix this”? Take the blame and learn from it! Don’t pass the buck, hit the books! You will only be successful if you admit your faults and learn from them.

4.The leader is a decision maker!

If you see an opportunity, exploit it! To get anywhere in this industry you must make decisions. Don’t hold back because you are afraid to commit! You must be willing to take risks in this business, be that purchasing a product to help you or spending your time trying something new. Just because you are unsure doesn’t mean you should not take action. Do your research, ask your upline and if it is sound, go for it!

5.The leader puts those they lead first!

If you are selfish and won’t help your own team you wont make a single cent! Every day, go out of your way to help those in your downline! They are the ones that will bring you success, every time you help them, you are helping yourself. Sometimes we all get greedy and don’t want to share something because of fear that we will no longer benefit from it. This is the worst possible attitude to have! Share everything you learn. Treat your people as they deserve to be treated and this alone will skyrocket your profits.

6.The leader sets the example by leading the troops into battle!

Make no mistake about it, you are competing against a massive market. There are millions of people making money off the internet that don’t want to see you succeed. The onus is on you to make the decisions needed to get ahead. Show your people what you are doing and why you do it. They need to learn from experience so provide them with it! Every time you try something, let them know how it goes so they don’t waste their time and money!

7.The leader displays integrity and character!

If you do the dodgy, what sort of example are you setting to your people? If they see you doing something wrong and your benefiting from it, they will do it, and before we all know it, the industry is in disrepute and no one wants a part of it! Be truthful and don’t lie to someone when they ask you a question. If you don’t know, tell them you’ll find the answer and get back to them.

Make sure you show your personality. Don’t reply to an email with a one word answer. Get to know your people and interact, create a relationship! Without this you are simply a name on a screen. Once you start to build friendships you will be amazed to notice your profits growing!

8.The leader strives for success!

Don’t do anything by halves. If your not going to do it properly, don’t do it at all. If people see bad work they will pay no attention. You will waste your time and money unless you use all the tools you have to make the best possible product. NEVER give up! The second you put down tools and walk away, all your hard work is lost! The industry is a hard egg to crack, but once you crack it, it’s the best darn egg you’ll ever eat!

9.The leader strives for personal growth!

If you think you are perfect I suggest you go challenge god to a duel. Everyone can better themselves! There are so many resources on self improvement on the internet its not funny! Use all of these to your advantage. As you grow as a person, your business will follow suit. The way you react to situations, the way you converse with people, the way you look at something and the way you see yourself are all things you can improve to give yourself the “edge” in the industry!

10.The leader is the definition of persistence and determination!

When time get tough…and they will, it is the leader who pushes forward! The leader does not take “NO” for an answer. The leader is constantly moving forward and giving no ground to the enemy! Who is the enemy? FAILURE! Let failure retreat. The leader is determined to be successful and will not fail! Look at yourself in the mirror and ask “am I a leader”?

by: Thomas Wallace

Goal Setting

2008-11-24T15:58:00.002+07:00

Goal setting is something that many of us do or say we do. Being codependent setting goals can help you by helping you focus on yourself. Having a goal to focus on will help motivate you. Studies show that having a specific goal in mind and having it be more challenging led to a higher performance than having easy goals. It showed that people who write down their goals, have a plan in place and who take regular action are more positive and in sync with their true self.

It may have been a long time since you put your attention on yourself. Once you set your goal (or goals) that will provide you with a course to follow that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. Think of your goal as a destination.

There may be obstacles and struggles along the way, but that's where your desire for your goal and the persistence you might have to have come into play. The reason why you have your goal ( your 'why') will provide you the motivation and persistence that you might require. Your goals allow you to tap into a source of possibilities that allow you to accomplish your goals one step at a time.

he first thing you must do when planning goals is to write them down. They might change as you move toward them, but having something written down is an important step you must not skip. It will also let you see how far you've come. Ask yourself where you want to be in a year. If that seems too soon make it three years or five years.

The second thing that is important is to focus on them. Make your goal a part of all you do. Never let it slip from your mind. What you focus on expands. So having it foremost in your mind leads to action on your part. That will keep your energy from scattering all over the place.

If there are failures along the way just keep moving your feet. No one has ever made it to the top without failing sometimes, or even many many times. Failure teaches you lessons along the way. It makes you stronger and builds character.

Breaking your goals down into mini-goals makes them much more simple and effortless. Breaking it down even more into daily tasks helps you organize your time needed to begin and move forward. From that, create a step-by-step plan.

Use a journal to follow your goals and your progress. Always use positive statements and inspiring dialect. Write your goals and statements like they have already happened. Over time, you will start to believe them and that alone will motivate you. Visualize your success. Use all your sense when seeing your success in your imagination. Reward yourself when you reach each step. Acting 'as if' will help you attain your goals more quickly.

Finally, having gratitude for what you do have puts your attention onto the positive parts of your life. Stop reacting to what others want from you. Choose a path that is more focused on you and that is right for you. Expect good things to happen and they will. Along the way you'll gain new insight into yourself and your life.
by : Lori Klauser

Why Don't You Get Your Own Dream?

2008-03-27T17:41:00.002+07:00

What is the number one pre-requisite for success? Yes! It is a Dream

But what is a dream. Is it something that you see when you are asleep? No! We are not talking about that kind of a dream. This is the one that you will have to see while you are awake. Think about it! Today’s airplanes can fly at a speed that is much more than the speed of sound. But still every plane, how so ever advanced it might be still is made on the basic principle that Wright brothers had used more than hundred years ago, when they made the first plane that really flew.

Do you think it was easy for the Wright brothers? People laughed at them. They were not qualified engineers. But they had something that was really very important and that is the Power to see a Dream.

In 1961 when John F. Kennedy became the president of USA, he gave a dream. America will be on the moon before the end of the decade. And what was the result? In 1969, Neil Armstrong of the United States of America was the first man to land on moon. When JFK made that historic declaration, USSR was much ahead of USA in space technology. But, it was the dream of a man that won.

India has always been a huge country with diverse languages, culture and religion. Though this made India rich, this was also the greatest weakness that the British colonial rulers exploited. They employed one of the most successful colonial strategy ever used in the world, “Divide and Rule.” But there was a man called Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who united the entire country and shook the might of British Empire, with tools as simple as non-violence. Ultimately the empire where the ‘sun never used to set’ had to bow to a man with a dream.

Ok! Let us not talk about these great people. Let’s talk about the chair you are sitting on, the table your computer is kept on, or the computer itself, or the house you are living in. All this must have been somebody’s dream. Somebody must have thought how the chair will look like, what it will be made of, what will be the upholstery, what will be the color etc. This thought is nothing but a dream. And than, he must have started making it and would have given it the material shape, as you see it now and that is the realization of the dream.

You are working in an organization owned by someone else. Whose dream is it? Is it your dream or someone else’s? Of course! It is the dream of your top boss. That is why he earns more money than anyone else in the organization. That is why he lives in a better house, drives a better car, and takes his family to vacation in exotic places. The point is simple. The person with a dream has success. The person with a dream is the winner. You are working for someone else’s dream? There is nothing wrong with it. But why don’t you get your own dream?

Now, here no one is asking you to quit your job. What I am simply asking you is to get a dream. You already have it in you, to make it big. Believe me. You have been born with talents and gifts that make you unique. All you will need to do is use them and fire them with passion that comes from a dream. Even in jobs that you are doing, you can become more successful than others and reach the top. However, it is possible if uses your talents, gives you a sense of purpose and you feel passionately about the work that you are doing. Opportunities are not there in the job, but the person who is doing it.

Passion comes when you feel intensely and emotionally about something. It gives you positive energy, courage to overcome hurdles and motivation in face of failures. Look around you and you will find that people who are successful have a passion towards what they are doing and feel very emotionally towards it. This why the dream must be something that is emotionally backed up with a strong desire to achieve it, and that will translate itself into passion.

Obsession is different from passion. Obsession is born out of fear, greed, and insecurity. People who are obsessed are the people who become workaholic and suffer from stress, ignore relationships, and practically do not live a life. These people are not successful, even if they amass a lot of wealth. On the other hand the people with passion are positive. They do everything with an unselfish sense of purpose. Obviously, when they work, they do it with love and a go-give attitude. They enjoy good relationships, are open minded, enjoys good health and are truly successful.

Each one us has been gifted with the power to dream and visualize. But then why is it that only twenty percent of the people in this world are successful. Why is it that twenty percent of the people in the world control eighty percent of its wealth?

It is because most of them out there do not have the faith in their dreams. They are scared of their dreams not coming true and so they bury it deep inside. They do jobs that they do not like, are self-centered and are doomed to a life of mediocrity. They have never been taught the Principles of Success, or they have not learned them. Unfortunately, most of the schools that should be the place to learn these principles are simply a place for assimilation of hard facts and information.

The size of your success will depend on the size of your dream. In turn you will allow yourself to see a dream that is as big as your faith. It is dream coupled with your faith that will give you passion and motivation. Once you have these two, you will automatically attract the knowledge and wisdom that will catapult you to success. You are reading this article means that you already have the desire. Fortunately now a large part of the knowledge is available freely at www.success-atttitude.com

However, there is no free lunch. Even if the resource is available free, you will have to pay for your success with hard work, persistence, and sacrifice. But the price that you pay for success is far less than the price that you pay for failure. As Zig Ziglar, the great inspirational speaker and author say “You enjoy the price of success; you pay the price of failure.”

by Vivek Ray

Building Your ''Dream Team''

2008-03-27T17:17:00.004+07:00

Many organisation is a strong as the team of people they put together. Each person brings with them a unique set of skills, knowledge, intelligences, attitude and …baggage. Bring a team together and the resource grows potentially to provide not just the individual set, but the huge benefits that interaction between people can create.

Organisations where people pool their knowledge, skills, imagination, ideas and experience have so much more resource to draw upon. If you unpick the elements that make any organisation successful one of the core reasons is the quality of the people within it and the way in which they inter-relate. .

Successful organisations offer regular opportunities for brainstorming, collective solution finding (rather than the usual problem solving), and explore the possibilities for unleashing creative interaction within the organisation and with the outside world. They encourage a professional curiosity and demand professional responsibility. For this to work well they must create a culture where development is celebrated as part of the journey rather than blame and failure being apportioned when things don’t work the first time.

So how can you create our “Dream Team?”

There is no magic solution, however creating the best team for your organisation is achievable with some thought and care and an open mind. Follow the 10 steps to achieve your “dream team.”

BUILDING YOUR DREAM TEAM

Step 1 Define your dream
Each organisation will need something rather different. You would not hire rugby players to play basketball for example. Remember one person’s dream is another’s nightmare. Be careful what you wish for as first thoughts are not always the most appropriate – think of Midas.

Take the time to consider:

What does your organisation need?
How do you know?

Step 2 Create The Vision
Think of a lighthouse providing a beacon of light to keep a ship on course and safe from harm whatever the weather and state of the sea. Your vision should sustain your organisation in good times and when things get rocky or through changes of personnel. All those involved with your organisation internally and externally should know what your vision is where you are ultimately aiming for and why.

Consider:
What do you want your organisation to look like in 2 or 5 or 10 years time?
What are the core values you want to live by?
What are your ultimate goals? – personal and corporate
How are you going to create that vision – by yourself or with others?
What elements are negotiable and which are set in stone?
Identify the people you need to involve to make your vision a reality.

Step 3 Create The Culture
It is important to create the right culture for your organisation, ensure that it matches your core values. Consider the reward system you have, does it encourage collaboration?

Collaboration between your team rather than cut-throat competition can provide long-term benefits for your organisation and your customers.

Successful organisations are built on a culture of development rather than blame. Where honest, constructive feedback is given regularly, leading to growth and change. People are encouraged to evaluate their own performance and that of their team, where they strive for excellence and have high expectations of themselves and others.

You must show by example and be consistent in approach.
Articulate your vision, purpose, core values to all involved - regularly, it should be an integral part of your organisations daily living rather than a dog eared poster somewhere in the reception area or on your notice board.

Step 4 Consider your existing situation:
AUDIT –

Where are you now?

What is your decision making process?

People – what are their current roles and responsibilities?

What are your lines of communication? - through the organisation both formal and informal and with your customers and other stakeholders.

Current performance – how do you know how well things are going and people are doing? Don’t forget to consider your own performance.

Be honest with yourself and encourage others to be professionally honest. Ask others from both within the organisation and outside.

Step 5 YOUR VISION vs. CURRENT SITUATION
Compare things as they are with how they would be if your dream was a reality. As yourself the following questions:

What needs to be put into place to achieve your goals?
How can you achieve those things?
Start with: What is going well?
How do you know?

Identify your strengths – celebrate, and protect them, share the best practice within your organisation and within your industry.

What are the areas which need to be changed / developed?

Remember if you always do what you have always done - nothing will change. It is possible to become very successful at failing

Step 6 Create Your Road Map
Consider your existing staff
Identify their current roles and responsibilities.
Think about their potential for professional growth and their training, coaching and mentoring needs to achieve that potential.

Create a ‘perfect team’ plan on paper
Consider the roles and responsibilities needed within your ‘Dream Team’ to deliver your goals

Map your existing staff onto your Perfect Dream Team Plan

Match skill set/ experience / future potential of existing staff
Identify what is needed in the short, medium and long term

Step 7 Appoint Future Staff
Be clear about what you need to bring your dream closer and the role each person is to play within your organisation both as an individual and as a team player.

Consider the type of people you want and think about how they will live your dream. Ask yourself the questions:

“Will they complement m ‘Dream Team’? – What impact will they have on existing staff?

What needs to be done to ensure maximum benefit from the team?

When you appoint new staff have:
Clear expectations and boundaries right from the outset.

A detailed person specification which includes the skills needed to interact positively with the rest of your team and with all stakeholders.

Make sure your advert reflects your needs and expectations.

Create an interview process which will ensure you have the opportunity to see the candidate in different situations e.g. watch the candidate relate to others.

Step 8 Induction and Training
All staff need on – going training to ensure that they continue to develop their professional curiosity. Maintaining your “Dream Team” is a continuous process, it requires nurturing and supporting. This can be supported very successfully through the training and development of:

Individual – new and existing staff
Departmental
Whole organisation
Use of mentors
Preparation for delegation / promotion

If you are introducing a different culture or approach induct all staff as if they were new to the organisation. Better still involve them in the creative process. It engages people and gives them a real sense of ownership and motivation if done well.

Step 9 Making Time For Team Building
A team will become a cohesive unit if it is given the opportunity to form a positive professional relationship. Would you simply put a collection of individuals together and by simply calling them a football team or a choir expect winning results or a balanced harmony? In both contexts they need time to understand each other, their ways of thinking, working and learning. To maximise their potential they need time and structured opportunities to recognise their collective strengths and accommodate their weaknesses. In exactly the same way as groups of singers learn to listen to one another, to harmonise and to adjust volume, pitch and tone by rehearsing on a regular basis or footballers learn which foot their team members favour and who is best equipped to take each position on the field, your team must learn to interact successfully with each other.

There are lots of ways of providing the opportunity for team building:

Tandem Time: ongoing - integral to the daily activities
Specific team building activities:
Training / Social
Ongoing development

I have always been incredibly impressed where the responsibility has been given in part to the team itself to create and run activities to enhance the team building opportunities. Offering a budget or in-house time even a relatively small one can pay real dividends.

Step 10 Creating And Maintaining Effective Communication
The continued development and success of your “Dream Team” is dependent on the ongoing articulation of your organisational vision, core purpose and goals. The importance of a shared understanding is of paramount importance.

To achieve this be aware of the importance of listening and being open to the feedback given verbally and in other ways by your team. Consider both the formal and informal communication within the organisation – across and through and with stakeholders.

Offer opportunities for everyone to have their say, and to feel that their views have been listened to and acknowledged. That does not mean that everyone has to get their own way, rather that they need to understand their position in relation to the shared vision and the needs of the organisation. The best teams value all contributions. It is often a chance remark which will trigger someone’s imagination leading to a creative solution.

The Benefits Of A Successful “Dream Team”
The benefits of having a highly effective team who work well together in the best interests of the organisation are far reaching. The cross fertilisation of ideas, the support mechanism which allows both the individual and the group to grow in confidence and competence are well documented. Having a pool of talented people who are capable of taking responsibility can be an enormous boon to the boss. One of the huge benefits if having a wonderful “Dream Team” is the opportunity to delegate. (See the article on Effective Delegation”)

Effective Delegation, Why delegate?
By delegating effectively it will leave the Senior Management of the organisation time to really lead into the future:

Delegation offers:
Leaders the time to plan strategically
The chance for a shared responsibility and work load
Truly distributed leadership
Progression/ succession development

What is delegation?
So often you hear busy bosses say “If you want anything done properly you have to do it yourself”, or “I’m overloaded” or “I haven’t got time to do what needs to be done let alone time to think!”. “I have no work life balance – no time to myself”

As a boss you have to make conscious decisions are you prepared to spend all your time fire fighting or do you want time to think strategically? Do you want to create a dependency model or a delegation framework.

Which one do you want?

Why does it fail so often?

Effective delegation will only happen if there are a number of elements in place. It requires thorough preparation before hand. You would not expect or indeed want a surgeon to operate unless they were well trained and knew what they were doing, had all the necessary equipment in a suitable, sterile environment.

Delegation requires the person who delegates to prepare the way, an investment of thought and time in the first instance will pay huge dividends in the medium and long term.

Preparing for delegation:
Set out clear parameters of each delegation: desired outcome, time scale, budget,
Be clear about roles & responsibilities – of them and others.

Accountability – what will they be accountable for? And to whom?

Parameters of authority for decision making – this is the area where delegation often crumbles. Consider the consequences if the person doing the job constantly has to pass things up the chain of command for even the simplest decision. Conversely if the person has no terms of reference and is left entirely on their own it can be overwhelming or they can easily take decisions that are well beyond those you expect.

Act as a resource to your team, offer to be at their disposal as a resource rather than being seen as the decision maker. Advice can be self- limiting, far better to ask the right question to further their thinking. It is now that having a culture of development really adds value to the process. Questions are then seen as supportive to the learning process rather as a way to limit and control.

Firstly and finally if you want to maintain a “Dream Team” which is constantly striving to improve and develop, you need to consider your own role in creating and managing the team.

No room for ego.
The best leaders do not need to be the best at everything. They have the confidence to employ the most gifted and talented people they can find. They have the skill to identify good people and to help them grow. Moreover they create a team where one person’s success builds the success of the team. Model the behaviours and attitudes you want to encourage.

Give credit where it is due
Be generous in your praise where it is deserved. Acknowledge others ideas and contributions and take time to thank people for their contribution. Often a heartfelt thank you is worth a fortune, however thanks must be heart felt and genuine, paying lip service will very quickly backfire.

Celebrate success
We all respond well to positive reinforcement. If people know what success looks and feels like, they are much more likely to reproduce the conditions which make it happen. Think of successful dog trainers. They only reward good behaviour, but look for small increments – if these are rewarded behaviours are quickly changed for the better.

A celebration can take many forms, involve your team in determining how they would like their success to be recognised. Going through the motions will be quickly exposed for being false.

Rewards in line with core values
Think about your organisation’s core values with your team, consider the needs of your organisation and those of your team. The ideal is to create a win- win situation where the individual has a vested interest in the organisation and their colleague’s success.

by Gina Gardiner

Optimism vs. Pessimism

2008-01-15T16:15:00.000+07:00

Some people see the glass as half empty. Others see it as half full. But is it really as simple as that? Is it possible to be a bit of both? What are the advantages and disadvantages to both? Maybe there is more to both mind-sets.

When you think about it, most people tend to be an optimist sometimes and a pessimist other times. Ironically, a lot of times things turn out how the people tend to feel about them. If a person feels like something will go well or feels optimistic about it, it usually seems to go well. The same is true of the reverse. When someone feels like something will go badly, it tends to do just that.

So why is this?
Henry Ford once said, "If you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right!" Does this mean that what we think about, whether positive or negative, tends to happen? The only answer that I can really give to that is yes, but very basically. We cannot simply think things into existence, no matter how optimistic we are, if that is all we do. And when it comes down to it, that's not really optimism, but delusion.

But then is there any real difference between pessimism and optimism if, when it comes down to it, the results aren't any different? The short answer is yes, with an added but.

Pessimism will tend to lead to bad outcomes, whether it is because you just think things will turn out poorly and thus do not take any action, or because the pessimism will color your actions and choices and as a result you tend to do things that will make the result what you expected, the bad outcome.

Now where the but comes in with optimism is that the mere act of thinking either optimistically or pessimistically will for the most part produce not much difference in outcome, with perhaps a slight edge to the optimist. However, when you add positive, productive action to that optimism, this is when truly amazing things can happen. You can be as optimistic as you want that you will find a way to get the money for that new car or new house, but unless you are including the productive action that helps to push things to that end, you will never get there. The difference between only thinking optimistically and thinking optimistically while acting in a productive manner is kind of like saying to an empty fireplace "Give me warmth and then I will put some wood in you".

I once knew a woman who always said, "I would rather expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised on the rare occasion when good happens than be disappointed all the time". This pessimistic attitude of hers has brought her nothing but misery and strife, and yet she still thinks it has nothing to do with her. She does not realize that her pessimism is coloring her entire life and making the bad things she expects to happen actually happen. My response to her was always, "I would much prefer to expect the best and enjoy what life gives me than to constantly worry about how bad things are." For a long time, we had the same results. Then I realized that I needed to do my part and put positive, productive action behind my thoughts. And while I am not where I want to be yet, I have moved much closer to it and have been much happier along the way.

So I would say to you: be optimistic! Expect the best out of life! Expecting the best out of life is better than being miserably pessimistic. Above all though my optimistic friend, don't forget to do your part to not just think but also act optimistically.

Making Your New Years Resolutions a Reality

2008-01-15T16:09:00.000+07:00

What’s your New Years Resolution?

Loose Weight?

Get in shape?

Quit Smoking?

Spend more time with the family?

Get your finances in order?

Get a better job?

Whatever it is, you can make it happen. All you need is a plan. You need to identify your goals, create your plan and execute it.

Identify Your Goals
What are your goals? You should have a specific goal. If your goal is to lose weight, do you have a specific number in mind? Do you want to loose 10 pounds? 20 pounds? Or do you want to fit into size eight clothes? If you want to spend more time with family, what would that look like? “Date Night” every week? Lunch with Mom once a month?

Identify what your goals are and write them down. Be as specific as possible; what is your goal and when are you going to achieve it (set a date)? Make sure your goals are reasonable and achievable. There is no use in setting goals that you know you will not follow through on.

Create A Plan
How are you going to accomplish your goal? What are you going to do and when?

Your plan should include specific benchmarks so that you can measure progress and stay on track. Just like your overall goal, your benchmarks should be measurable and realistic. Are you going to lose five pounds/month? Get to the gym three days a week?

Start with small steps that you can easily accomplish. As you accomplish your early goals, the momentum will build so that it is easier to complete tougher steps late on. As you complete each step, acknowledge your progress and reward yourself with something that isn’t going to detract from your overall goals. If your goal is to lose weight, don’t reward yourself with a candy bar for losing five pounds. Treat yourself to a movie or a new pair of shoes instead. If you don’t succeed in completing one of these steps, don’t give up; stay flexible and committed to achieving your ultimate goal.

How are you going to achieve your goals? Are you going to join a gym or build one in your home with a Bowflex system? Start a Weight loss program like Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem? Identify all of the support systems that you will need.

Execute Your Plan
Start NOW! Don’t procrastinate.

Get others involved. If you want to lose weight, find a work-out buddy or go start hiking with a friend. You will have someone to keep you motivated and you will enjoy spending the time together. Or have someone hold you accountable. If your friends know you are trying to lose weight, they help you to eat healthier with a little encouragement, or they may just give you the evil eye the next time try and order that burger instead of a salad.

Just telling someone else what your goals are will also make the more real. If you just keep it to yourself, you can always change your mind and it never existed, but once someone else knows about it, it is real.

Stay positive and flexible, but keep your eye on the big picture. You set the goal, it’s your plan, your life. Keep working toward on the big picture.

Remember, having a New Year’s Resolution without having a plan to accomplish it is just making a wish.

Learn to Be Self-Confidenet

2007-11-04T10:20:00.000+07:00

Many of us are not satisfied with ourselves, with some particular features of our character or the results of our own deeds. Psychologists refer to such phenomenon as low self esteem. So, why don’t we value ourselves? First of all our self esteem depends on how other people perceive us. We are inclined to base our self esteem on other people’s opinions. It is especially typical of children. Little children are not able to analyze their activity and their confidence depends on adults’ estimation of their behavior. Besides during all our lives we always compare the image of our ideal “ego “with our real “ego“. And if our real “I “is too far form the ideal our self esteem suffers from it. But in most cases thee are no reasons for that, as our ideal image may be too perfect and unreal.

People with low self esteem do not hope for success in their activities and they are more likely to act, just trying to escape from our failures. And even when they attain positive results, they attribute their small victories to external factors (the task was too easy; it was just luck). And the feeling of discontent with themselves is growing dramatically. It is a kind of vicious circle: people cannot achieve success, because they are dissatisfied with themselves and on the other hand, they are dissatisfied with themselves because they have never managed to succeed. We should remember that every success starts with your self confidence, with the belief that you will achieve what you intend to do.
To improve your self confidence I’ll share an efficient exercise with you. You are expected to make a list of positive features of your character (not less than forty). I know that it is not that easy. But you are not limited for time and you may write when you wish to. Once the list is completed, you are to enrich it with new strong points of your nature every day. Soon, you will see that such a person as described in the list surely deserves respect and you will like him/her.

Stop Perspiration - 5 Tips to Eliminate Excessive Sweating

2007-10-03T19:34:00.000+07:00

How does anyone begin to eliminate excessive sweat? The first step, is to admit to yourself, that there is a problem you haven't been able to solve, yet.
You know if, "over-perspiration" has been causing embarrassment and humiliation in your life.
It is no laughing matter, when you are out on a date with someone you really want to impress and you end up calling the evening short on some flimsy pretext, because your clothes are wet, from too much sweating.
Have you had to go home from work and change clothes, after a meeting, because you could not stop sweating?
I used to have to wear very dark clothes, with padding under my armpits, and pray, my sweat glands would behave themselves.
I used to try every major brand, of antiperspirants, hoping to find the one that would work the best, for me.
Gone, were those evenings, I used to go out with my girlfriends to a bar, and felt safe enough to dance.
Here are some tips I found, that will help you eliminate excessive sweating, and stop perspiration from running your life.
Tip #1.
Develop a mindset. Your condition is not going to ruin your life. You will not allow, "excessive sweating", to drown you in sorrow, any longer
It is important, that you realize, you are going to make changes in your life, that will teach your sweat glands to behave.

Tip #2.
Begin an exercise program, that gives your sweat glands a better reason, of what you should perspire over.

Tip #3.
You generally have an idea already, about what triggers your sweating episodes. If you can prepare yourself before hand, focus on staying cool and dry. It works, so be more prepared.

Tip #4.
If you are not doing so already, begin drinking more water, to help your cooling system run better.

Tip #5.
If you are a coffee drinker, or drink sodas with caffeine in them, begin reducing your caffeine intake. Caffeine and excessive sweating, seem to go together.

Finding the right method, to stop perspiration from always running in high gear, is trial and error. What may work for you, won't, necessarily work with someone else.

I finally found a method that works for me. It delivered on it's claim, so I left a link to the site at the bottom of this article, if you want to know more about it. Maybe, it will work for you too.

Remember, you can't stop perspiration problems by ignoring the issue. Whatever action you decide to take, stay on course.

Time Management Strategy: Free Up your Mind and Reduce your Stress

2007-10-03T19:30:00.000+07:00

Stress and tension reducing time management strategy. Your mind is like a computer capturing and storing data all day long every day. When you choose to store unnecessary data in your mind you’re just increasing your stress and tension. With the fast paced world around you, and all the demands you have each day give yourself and your mind a break.

Use a system outside of your head to capture all the important things. Each day you have things you have to do now, things you can do later, things you can do some day when you have time, and things you want to remember to do at some point and you don’t have any idea when that point will be right now. So much information. So many thoughts and ideas. It’s no wonder you’re exhausted and have a tension headache by the end of the day. You can take a gigantic burden off your mind if you’ll just allow an external system to track all this stuff for you.

Don’t read the word system and think big and complicated and hard to learn. That’s exactly what you don’t want. You want something simple, that you developed, and that you understand, and that you’ll be willing to use daily. The whole objective of your system is to have a place where you can logically store all this information outside of your head. Thus freeing your mind up from having to track and remember all these really insignificant things in the big picture of life. You especially want to rely on an external system if what you’re tracking is really big picture important.

What system should you use with this time management strategy? Start with something you’re very comfortable with, and something you can rely on no matter what. Electronic systems are great, but when your hard drive crashes, your data is corrupted, or you have a virus how will you retrieve this information. Use one main system to manage your time, and only one main system. It’s okay to have other systems that trigger reminders, but you want one system that you can count on to have all the information you need.

How do you organize all this time related information? Everything that is this week should go right into your calendar. That’s the easy stuff. You also need one central location where you put all your “not now stuff”, all the stuff you want to or have to do later and you don’t want to forget. When you’re developing your system you also want to think about being able to access your information easily wherever you are, so you can add things and check things off and verify that you have the information recorded.

Dream Achievement process - a unique way to achieve your goals

2007-08-26T13:03:00.000+07:00

“Your ability to set goals is the master skill of success. Goals unlock your positive mind and release ideas and energy for goal attainment. Without goals, you simply drift and flow on the currents of life. With goals, you fly like an arrow, straight and true to your target.” Brian Tracey

Goal setting statistics
Here’s some research on the effectiveness of goal setting: In 1953, Yale's graduating seniors were surveyed to determine how many of them had specific, written goals for their future. The answer: 3%. Twenty years later, researchers polled the surviving members of the Class of 1953 -- and found that the 3% with goals had accumulated more personal financial wealth than the other 97% of the class combined!

The moral of this story is: 1. Goals work. 2. Almost nobody uses them.

“That’s all very well”, I hear some of you say, “but I am still not convinced, goal setting is boring, and I have more important things to do, and it works for some but not me.” I understand, but I warn you this is where it all begins and you will miss the key to long term success with the other 97% if you skip over effective goal setting.

The approach to effective goal setting

Ok. Now I personally have done a lot of goal setting exercises before and based on my experience there are 2 general sides.

1. Those that tell you to be absolutely specific and follow processes like the SMART mneumonic (specific/measurable/action/realistic/time)

2. While others say be more general as specificity ruins your chance of success.

I believe good goal setting (like life) needs a balance between specifics and freedom. Trying to control every aspect of the process often complicates things. It can take the joy out of the dreaming and imagination. Goal setting is not about activating the rational mind, but it’s about the subconscious or higher self (whatever term you want to use for that mysterious force that guides us). Accessing that power is through joy, fun, excitement, and inspiration. If the goal setting task is laborious, lame, boring or difficult then forget about it.

3d pts Dream Achievement Process

So here was my challenge how could I make this section FUN, rewarding, challenging, engaging, inspiring, thought provoking, long lasting, and repeatable? OK GO WITH ME NOW, it may seem a little silly and childish but that’s where creation begins so let’s play pretend and let the imagination run wild – then you can return to the serious stuff again J.

Imagine strolling along you favourite beach and tripping over a smooth weather beaten dull green bottle. You pick it up and see it’s closed by a cork, thinking a message may be inside you decide to pull off the cork and out comes a genie wearing some Nike gym clothes and drinking a bottle of water as she floats out.

She says: “I am the wellbeing genie, name your ultimate health and fitness dreams.”

“Wow that is a bit overwhelming!” you say. “I have a lot of health and fitness dreams.”

Then the genie brings you over to a mirror and says: “This is my magical mirror – it reflects back what your health and fitness dreams are. You may see yourself energized upon waking in your desired body, youthfully playing with family and friends or even climbing a mountain.”

What do you see?

Genies know that for dreams to come true you need to be passionate about them, so she digs a little deeper and asks: “WHY do you really want to achieve this?”

What will this outcome GET for you and allow you to DO?

The genie then says: “Ask the mirror vision of you to pick up the paper that’s sitting on the table next to you. It has the date you will achieve this. It may be general or specific.”

What date do you see on it?

The genie then asks you: “Open the door behind you to reveal what RESOURCES and SUPPORT (including people) will be there to help you now?

Now says the genie: “I know that there are things that have held you back in the past from achieving your dreams and they are still holding you back from realising success.” She then proceeds to hand you a red bag: “Place every fear and disappointment in this bag, then tie it together and throw the bag into the mirror.” As you do you see the bag disappearing slowly out of sight.

Then the genie says: “Imagine yourself again in this healthy dream body, feel your fingers tingle with energy and excitement as you live your life with this body.” The genie proceeds to lead you through the day as you experience it with your healthy body full of vitality and abundant energy.

Finally the genie says: “Your wish is my command!”

Genie tips:

1. While you are in this state write it down. Words are an integral part of the thinking process. Words convey images, pictures, feelings, emotions to the mind. By clothing it in words you allow the thought to take form in body, shape, form, substance. Try writing it in the form that you already have it, for example: “I am so happy that I am…” It may feel strange and silly to start but it help to put you into the right state.

2. Get into this state as often as possible, including using techniques like visualization. Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between something that is real and something vividly imagined. It is a secret technique to high achievers especially in sports. Whatever picture (goal) you consistently think about will drive your actions to create that exact picture. When you continually see yourself in possession of your goal, your subconscious mind will move you into actions that align with the mental image you hold.

3. Believe. If you don't truly believe you can reach a goal, it will forever remain a pipe dream. In order to fully achieve anything, you must believe it is possible at a deep cellular level. For example if your goal is to achieve your ideal weight then buy the clothes now that you would wear when you are your ideal weight.

4. Have an attitude of gratitude. This will change you state from fear and disappointment to one of motivation. Be grateful for everything you have now. It may be the support of family and friends, or the ability to exercise. For an instant motivation shot please see this article and film… Strongest father in the world

It Will Be Alright

2007-08-22T16:13:00.000+07:00

This is one of my favorite sayings. Whenever I am coaching someone in a distressing situation, I quietly remind them that it will be alright. This reassurance often gives people the hope to prevail through whatever is getting them down. It allows them to look ahead and see the bigger picture.

When someone is overrun by a particular situation, it is generally because their focus is too narrow. All the concentration is aimed at the “problem” while ignoring the bigger picture. It Will Be Alright transfers the attention to a time in the future when everything is resolved. It breaks the emotional paralysis to allow one to take the action necessary to move forward.

Consider any situation in the past that you felt was terrible. Are you alright today with it? Chances are, short of a terminal illness, every situation was resolved and is no longer an issue in your life. Even if it did not work out to your liking, it still is in the past. The only way that it affects you is when you think about it. The rest of the time it is a distant memory.

People often make the mistake of making problems permanent. They are not. Rather, they are temporary situations that will be overcome. If the checking account is overdrawn, someday there will be a positive balance in there. If you are overweight, you need not be heavy forever. Alone? That does not mean that you will not meet the person that you will spend the rest of your life with. Any circumstance you are presently experiencing is a temporary situation and should be treated as such.

The old saying “down the road we will laugh about this” applies. Instead of waiting until a later time, laugh about it now. Tell yourself that no matter what is occurring, it will be alright. Practice faith in this statement in all that you do. It will help you laugh about it now.

Maintaining the long term perspective is vitally important. People have a tendency to allow minor circumstances to get them down. Use this outlook to keep things in the proper perspective. Too often, the things that we allow to get us down rarely has a large impact on our lives. In effect, we stumble over mole hills.

The key is action. However, often, before we can take it, we need to break the emotional stranglehold that we put ourselves under. Pumping a degree of hope into a hopeless situation frees us to take the necessary action to move forward. Remember this when you feel circumstances in your life are getting you down.

It Will Be Alright. Every problem, situation, or circumstance that you are now experiencing will be far in the past at some point in time. The overcoming of present challenges makes us stronger in the future. It is this growth that enables us to handle bigger events as time progresses. View these situations from this perspective and you will get greater results in your development.

7 Steps To Improve Self-Motivation

2007-08-05T12:53:00.000+07:00

You can list down as many dreams as you can! You may be dreaming of fulfilling your greatest desire, getting the best education that can be obtained by money, or buying the car of your dreams.
However, all will be futile if you cannot push yourself to strive hard to succeed in your goals. Motivation is an integral element in becoming successful in any undertaking.
Here are helpful tips in improving self-motivation:

1. Be health conscious.

Self-motivation will be at its all time high if you see to it that you get sufficient sleep, take the required vitamins, and have regular exercise. It is easier to perform your tasks if you are feeling vibrant and healthy.

2. Make your plan of action.

Spend some time writing down things that you like to do. Set your course of action. Identify which is most important.

3. Practice the 15-minute time rule.

Give yourself a fifteen-minute time limit with a timer. You can have the option to stop when the timer sets off. Slowly, you will realize that you are beginning to develop an interest in the task when the time is consumed.

4. Discover your “peak hours.”

Ask yourself: Am I a morning or afternoon person? Find out the time of the day where is you are most energetic. Do you have more energy during the morning? Then it would be advisable for you to take jobs that require more energy during the morning. Late afternoon hours should be reserved for jobs that require less thinking. If you have more energy during the evening, you can seek profitable work that will match your enthusiasm.

5. Stop being a perfectionist.

Aim for work accomplishment and not perfection. Striving for perfection may lead to procrastination. There is a tendency for you not to do the job because you have the feeling that you will not do a perfect job. Accept the fact that no person is perfect and this will motivate you.

6. Break down the task into smaller components.

You can be motivated if you do your task one step at a time.

7. At all times, see to it that you always pump yourself up.

Give yourself enough time to motivate yourself. Cheer yourself up and be confident that you can accomplish your goal. It is always important to think positively about yourself.

So if you simply don’t have too much resolve to pump yourself and get motivated, follow these seven simple steps and get yourself going!

by Jeff Cohen

HOW TO SUCCES ?

2007-08-03T20:08:00.000+07:00

In very wide dimension, success is owned by everybody. But, not everybody know, how to get or reach the successfulness. Mostly people assess that successfulness is owned by people who have high IQ, graduate the best school and chosen the most famous specialization
This assessment is not wrong full, but we also have to see the broader phenomenon, many success people don’t have higher education. Equally, High IQ, best school graduate and famous specialization only the part of successfulness supporter.
At the time like this, feeling of self confidence is very important to grown. A lot of experts assess that self confidence represent the important factor generating a great difference between success and fail. Hence, many people assign technique to generate the self confidence. In the following some tips to build the self confidence :

First, dare to accept the responsibility. Director of The Institute of Effective Thinking, have performed research to assessment for many manager. From the research, Kushel conclude that he find the important character that owned by most of all manager owning high performance
And that character is feeling responsibility pushing them to come up “perfect" without caring any resistance which blocks them. Advisable, manager which have ugly performance and fail to reach the maximum capacities tend to overflow his mistake to everyone.
Second, developing positive value. Walk to go to the self confidence will faster when we develop the positive values on yourself. According to psychology Robert Anthony, Phd., one of way to develop the positive values by eliminating expression killing and changing with the creative expression. He suggests making the simple devolution Language but effective from the negative statement to positive statement. For example, changing word, “I cannot," becoming, “I can!"
Third, read the self potency. Immediately trace, dig, and explore the successful potency exist in our self. For example by enquiring to closest people. Including, follow the psikotes and visit psychiatry, and doctor to trace our potency. Because, possible that plenty potency which we have without we realize, so that we fail to dig
Fourth, dare to take the risk. Bravery in taking risk is important, cause than surrenders to fear more better learn to take the sensible risk. Try to accept the challenge, even felt fearful. Look for most the support as possible.

SAND AND STONE

2007-08-03T20:06:00.000+07:00

Two adventurer in journey. They are getting through very wide desert. As long as eye look there's only sand unfolding.
Their footprint forms the curve which expired on step which they make. Sand dirt which flown force them walk carefully. Sudden storm come. Big wind dash against them. Its blowing make two adventurer bodies are unsteady. Their clothes afluter by wind. Their step progressively weight. They are taking care of each other by joined their hand. They try to ride out ferocious storm
After storm start weak. Suddenly, other accident befalls them. Their drinking water is open when storm come. Its contents fall and swallowed by desert heat. Second of adventurer is plunged in thought, regretting that loss. "Oh, our history is finish, "saying first adventurer. Then he writes on sand with his fingertip. "We are sorrowful. We loss of beverage stock in this place.

His friend, seen abashed. But, trying to be tough. Then they are put in order his equipment and continue the journey. After through the desert, they see there is oasis afar. "We safe", exclaim one of them. "See there is water there"
By the rest of energy, they run to that oasis. Fact, non mirage. Really a pool. Even small but its water a lot. Both immediately drink much and fill the basin water.
At the same time rest, first adventurer release the knife grasp and chisel above stone "We get the bliss. We can continue the journey because finding this place".
Second adventurer surprise. "Why now you write above stone, whereas mentioned, you write in sand?". First adventurer gives a smile. "Our moment get the adversity, write all that in sand. Let the wind bring it far from our memory. Let that note lose with disseminating it integrity sand. Let altogether vanish and annihilate. But, remember our moment when get the bliss. Chisel that dignity in stone so that remain to be recalled and make the happier us. Write the beautiful memory in hard stones, so cannot vanish. Let that bliss note [is] immanent. Let on file altogether.
Both are staring at each other and give a smile. Stock drink have been got, rest is enough, nowadays a moment to continue the journey. Both of adventurer step lightly.
Friend…
Sorrow and bliss always arrive. Coloring this length live. Both always in our memory. But, Is there any of us behave like mentioned adventurer capable to write down every sorrow in sand so that integrity wind bring it go? Is there any of us represent an obstinate so capable to extricate every adversity?
Friend…
Try to always remember every kindliness and bliss which we have. Keep all that in our sturdy heart so that there's nothing able to vanish it. Write the happy memory so that nothing sorrow wind capable to wipe out. Those ways we will always optimism in experiencing this length life.
Taken from SAKSI magazine.

BUTTERFLY

2007-08-03T20:03:00.000+07:00

There is a young man in Lake Periphery. He seen quixotic. His eye sees water. All place he has passed, but not one place make his satisfy. He is more and more sorrowful till there is a man accosts him.
What are you doing in here a young man?" Ask that people. Seemingly voice an old man. “What do you think?'
Those young men turn around. I tired, mister. I thread kilometers distance [to] through to look for the bliss, but do not I find that feel in myself. I have run by way of mount and dale, but nothing bliss sign attend in myself. Where I have to looking for? When I will find that bliss?
An old man sits beside that young man. He listen that young man sigh attentively. He looks into young man face. Last, he says “At the front, there are garden. If you wish answer, catch a butterfly for me.
Young man sees that old man, unsure. That old man nods his head, “Yes catch the butterfly for me by your hand," old man repeats his sentence.
A young man rises up. He walk go to the garden. In the garden he fined trees and flowers which is bloom. And over there are a lot of butterfly in flight.
That young man starts to make a move to catch a butterfly. He goes to a target. Slowly he catches a butterfly. Hap, in the reality that butterfly loose and flown. He immediately pursues it. Again his arms pounce it. Hap, fail again.

That young man starts to run irregular. His movement is progressively wild.
Several hours later not yet marking that young man will desist. No butterfly can catch. That young man starts fatigue. His breath hunt, his chest makes a move to fluctuate swiftly. Suddenly there is screamingly “Stop young man. Take a rest. In reality the old man screaming. He walks slowly. But see! There is a group of butterfly flown on his both sides. Some perch on that old body.
Is that your method to pursue the bliss? Run and dash against? Bumping indefinite instruct, infiltrating without caring what you destroyed?” Old man stares at that young man “My Son, searching that bliss like catching butterfly. More and more you dashed against, more and more he will refrain from you. More and more you hunt, more and more to he go from you."
Catch that butterfly in your heart. Because that bliss non object which you can grasp or something which you can keep. Look for that bliss at heart. He will not run everywhere. Even without you realize that bliss often come by him.
Friend…
Truth look for the bliss like catch the butterfly. Difficult for the man who too impassioned. But easy for they who know why searching the bliss. We can pursue it by running boisterous to entire direction angle.
But, we learn. We learn the bliss is not got by the way like that. We learn, that happy is not something that can be grasped or object which can be kept. The bliss is air. Bliss is aroma from that air. We learn, that’s happy is true there is in heart. More and more we pursue it, more and more too the bliss will go from us. More and more we try to reach for it, that bliss more and more go away.
Friend…
Try to find that bliss in heart. Let, that feels everlasting in our heart. Find that bliss in every our step. In working, in learning, in experiencing our life, in sorrowful, in happy, in quiet and in noise...
The bliss there is in everywhere. That feels there is around us. Even though, bliss there is in our heart, but we never care. Possible, bliss also flies around us, but we never enjoy.
Taken from “Saksi” Megazine.