Resume Skills | Hobbies & Interests

Be honest. How many of you have one of the following in there?

Reading


Traveling


Music


Internet Browsing


If you do, you are only one of the 96% candidates out there.


Hobbies and Interests are something to talk about. It's a window into your personality, that is beyond the standard work stuff. These are things you are supposed to be passionate about. You should be using this extensively to not just market yourself, but also to steer the direction the interview takes.


I will talk about how to manage the interview flow, but some other day. Today about your hobbies & interests.


Here are the rules:


Make them true. Have something you are passionate about. Something no one needs you to work upon, or do. Something that excites you, something that makes your eyes sparkle when you talk about it.


Make them Unique. As far as possible mention your hobby in a way that sounds unique. Use this as a lever for the interviewer to remember you. Don't say reading, when you can say ‘classics' or ‘Indian art history' or something more specific. If it is music talk about genre, artist or just decade!


Make them demonstrable. You may like to think, but really that is not a hobby. If you put something like singing, be ready to sing in the interview. If you put something like dramatics, be ready to emote. Put something that can give the interviewers a little break from the monotony of taking interviews. If you say coin collection, carry a unique coin with you!


Make them relatable. Be honest at all times, but if you have more than one hobby, choose the one that the interviewers may be able to relate to. Yes, you read that right. This like all other parts of your resume needs to be customized according to the people you are sending it out to.


Get a life! If you don't have a hobby or interest, get one! It's not just something to talk about in a an interview, it is something to treasure and add value to yourself as an individual.


Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/resumes-articles/resume-skills-hobbies-interests-335226.html

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Self-hypnosis towards self improvement

Self hypnosis is a great tool for goal setting and self improvement. Most people are surprised at how easy it is to learn self-hypnosis. And self-hypnosis, in turn, makes a lot of things much easier. 


Self hypnosis is usually thought of as a person listening to an audio tape, mp3, or other mass-produced media, intended to induce a willingness to absorb suggestions centered around a specific topic such as weight loss, stop smoking, etc. 


Unfortunately, this kind of hypnosis is generally prepared by someone who has never met the person being hypnotized, often presenting unwanted, even unpleasant imagery and suggestions.


For example, if you sunburn easily, that last thing you want to hear about is a slow walk on a sunny beach. In this case, the "self" in self hypnosis simply means that you listen to it by yourself.
How do you incorporate self improvement to hypnosis?


To be able to go about self improvement, there are certain aspects in you that should be addressed. Using hypnosis, the negative aspects that are serving as hindrances to improvement are eliminated. 


A true self hypnosis would necessarily be designed and created by the very person who will ultimately use and benefit from it. 


Unlike the mass-produced hypnosis, this hypnosis is made for the exact purpose the person wishes, including the precise words and phrases that mean the most to that particular person. 


The true self hypnosis is thus crafted by the person to suit his or her own needs. The benefits derived could only be accomplished with such a personal, one-of-a-kind hypnosis. In this case, the "self" in self hypnosis really does mean that you are hypnotized by yourself! 


Below is a short view of the self hypnotic process. Though lots of variations of this method have been used, these are the basic steps you have to go through in order to hypnotize yourself to accomplish self improvement.


1. Position your goals from the most important goal to the less important. If possible, your goals should be measurable. 


2. For each goal, you should formulate fitting suggestions which means you have to convert your goals into specific instructions to your subconscious mind on how to achieve each goal. 


3. Relaxation. Use the first minutes of your self hypnotic session to get as relaxed as possible. Try to forget all your worries and problems.


4. Start your hypnotic initiation phase by saying and repeating out loud the hypnotic words you have chosen, thinking of these words or listening to a hypnotic tape or CD customized for your hypnotic and goal fulfillment needs. 


5. Apply the hypnotic suggestions you have made for reaching the specific goal you work with, say them out loud, think them or use a tailored hypnotic tape or CD. 


Before you start up your self hypnotic exercises you should make a time schedule for it. Do your hypnotic sessions every day, five minutes a day is enough. Repeat your suggestions as often as possible during the day.


Measure your progress. Are you closer to your goal now than you were before you starte

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The Road to Intuition

Have you had that experience when all of a sudden you just had this huge hunch that something is about to happen, and to your surprise, that intuition was eventually translated to reality? 


When you feel strongly about something without logical basis to it, that's called intuition. It comes in three impressions: clairvoyance or "the third eye", sensing clearly and feeling through listening. 


Clairvoyance is when your eye goes beyond what it can see. This is when you know what is happening somewhere.


Sensing clearly is basically what we refer to as "hunch" or "gut feel." This is the time when you are overwhelmed with a feeling and you can't explain it and all you can say is "I just know."


On the other hand, feeling through listening or clairaudience is being able to "listen" between the lines. Intuition also happens at times when a certain sound, whatever it is - be it a car's honk or a bird's twitting - ushers in an intense feeling.


They say only a number of people are gifted with intuition. Astrologers even insist that people born under the Scorpio or Pisces signs are naturally intuitive it almost borders on E.S.P. But studies have been sprouting left and right that proclaim that anyone can develop intuition.


Why the need to develop intuition, you ask? Why not let your emotional and psychological state as it is? First and foremost, intuition promotes good communication. It makes you more sensitive to the people around you; it often keeps you from hurting those you love because you are intuitive enough to understand them. Intuition also makes you far more creative than ever. Intuition means releasing more creative juices for any means of expression. Lastly, intuition has a healing power. This healing power is not in the physical sense, but in delving deep into your soul to eradicate some negative energy buried in it.


With that being said, are you ready to develop your intuition? Here are some ways to unlock this gift:


1. Hypnosis


Oh yes, get yourself hypnotized. Hypnosis is not limited to watching a pendulum move back and forth. Perform self-hypnosis or you can avail of hypnotic programs that can strengthen your intuition.


2. Meditation


Meditating means finding peace in yourself. If your mind and heart are cluttered with too many baggage and hurt,  you wouldn't be able to quiet down that part of you that could eventually initiate intuition. There are so many ways to meditate: take a yoga class, or just simply practice some breathing that could bring you straight to Zen.


3. Think positive!


A worry-free, fear-free state could do so much to improve your intuitive ability. By staying positive, you attract good energy that would be able to easily recognize imminent feelings and events.


4.  Just let go.


What does this mean? If you are on the brink of making a huge decision, let go of all the inhibitions and head to a quiet place where you could find out where the letting go has brought you. Sometimes you just have to listen to the voice within you, and that voice wouldn't come out unless you let go.


5. Never expect.


After letting go of the inhibitions and all those things that stop you from thinking and feeling clearly, never expect for an answer right away. Never expect that the "hunch" would fall on your lap immediately. Give it a little time then you'd just get surprised that -- wham! -- now you have your answer.


6. Believe in your first impressions.


When you see someone for the first time and think that he is a bit too arrogant for your taste, chances are that impression actually holds true. Most of the time, first impressions are brought by intuition.


7. Stay happy!


See? All you need to be intuitive is to stay happy! Happiness attracts immense power and such power includes intuition. In tapping your intuition, your motivation must be happiness and contentment. Given that premise, intuition will fall to you easily. 


Intuition is helpful, because sometimes it leads you to something that cannot be achieved otherwise. A lot of lives have been saved by intuition alone. Decisions are easier done if armed by this gift. Develop intuition now and reap benefits you have never imagined. 

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Pros and Cons of ADHD Medication

Introduction
As a parent of a child who has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) you are faced with deciding how to manage your child's ADHD symptoms. One options for treating the symptoms of ADHD that is highly debated is medication; some people strongly believe it is the best options and other believe medication shouldn't be used on children. Determining the best option for your child is an important decision that shouldn't be made without sufficient information. Before you make this decision, you should know that there are pros and cons to ADHD medication and that medication may be right for one child but not another. This article may help you as a parent or caregiver decide if medication is the right treatment method for your child.

Cause of ADHD
When treating ADHD, it is important to look at the cause. "Scientists now believe that the impulsivity, short attention span and other symptoms associated with ADHD are caused by a specific dysfunction in the brain that is often inherited" (Wilens, 2004, p10). ADHD is a medical diagnosis with a medical cause, and many times medication offers a "straight forward solution" (Wilsen, 2004, p12). Members of the medical community often compare the treatment of ADHD with medication to that of seizures or other health problems with a medical cause and believe that these medical symptoms can be managed with medication.

Symptoms of ADHD
The cause of ADHD is a dysfunction in the brain (Wilens, 2004) but parents and caregivers seek treatment to manage the hyperactivity, impulsivity, short attention span and other behaviors associated with ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD are behavioral and many think they should be treated in the same manner as other behavior problems. Stephen Flora writes in his book Taking America Off Drugs " The best way to improve behavior is with behavior modification techniques" (Flora, 2007)

Overview of Treatment Options
As mentioned earlier, one treatment method for ADHD symptoms is medication; these medications are prescribed to "diminish the inattention, distractibility, over activity, and impulsivity" caused by ADHD. These medications ideally allow students to perform to their fullest potential such as focus on their homework and listen to directions. For individuals who do not have ADHD and can focus on their work these medications may seen like performance enhancing drugs that are not necessary. As you know ADHD is more than just a little distractibility.

            Along with medication, there are other ways to treat ADHD symptoms such as behavior therapy. Behavior therapy is a form of psychological treatment method that stems from behaviorism and focuses on observable and measurable behaviors. When applying behavior therapy to students who have ADHD the family works with the counselor to increase the occurrence of positive behaviors through routines and a better understanding of what the student needs. Some students can be treated with behavior therapy but for many children their symptoms are severe enough that behavior therapy isn't enough. Behavior therapy may not be enough because it treats the symptoms of ADHD not the cause of the problem. Students who have ADHD have aspects of their brains that are malfunctioning, these malfunctions cause the hyperactivity, inattention and other symptoms that behavior therapy attempts to control. For these students medication can help supplement the therapy or other forms of treatment being used.


Common Medications and Routines For Taking Medication

There are a wide variety of medications that are prescribed for the treatment of ADHD symptoms and you should discuss the specifics with your health care provider. Briefly, three of the top brands of medication are Ritalin, Concerta and Adderall.

Depending on the type of medication your child is taking they will have to take the medication anywhere from once a day to three or four times a day. Some medications are longer lasting and only need to be taken once a day while others are short term and must be taken more frequently. Both are safe and effective options.

Pros of Medication
The most important pro to ADHD medication is the reduction or elimination of the behavioral symptoms associated with ADHD.  By reducing students hyperactivity and giving them the ability to focus, medication gives many students the ability to perform better in school, make friends and participate in extra curricular activities.

Many parents worry that their children will become addicted to the ADHD medication. However, there is no physical way for children to become addicted to ADHD medication because addiction comes from a high or state of euphoria and the medications used to manage ADHD symptoms do not cause students to have a high.

There have been numerous studies indicating that psychotropic drugs are safe, tolerable and useful for children. As of 2004 there have been "over 250 scientifically controlled studies of the stimulant medications for ADHD" (Wilen, 2004, p 91) These studies suggest that if children take the prescribed dosage indicated by their doctor, then the medication is safe and that the majority of the side effects are mild.

Cons of Medication
Now that we have looked at some of the pros of ADHD medication lets examine some of the cons. One aspect of ADHD medication that should be of concern to parents is that there are very few studies done on the long-term affects of the medication. So, while we know that these medications are safe in the short term the prospect of giving students medication without knowing the long-term effects bring cause for hesitation.

There are also mild side effects associated with many of the medications including loss of appetite, difficulty falling asleep, dizziness, moodiness and growth problems. These side effects should be monitored but for the most part are easily managed. For specific side effects consult your health care provider.

And even though students cannot become physically addicted to these forms of medication, they can form a psychological dependency. This dependency can develop when students feel they need medication for everything or when they are afraid to go off their medication.

Decision Making
When deciding whether medication is right for your child there are 4 things to consider; side effects, the severity of your child's symptoms, if your child's symptoms are being managed with other forms of treatment how your child feel about medication. Before you make this decision talk, with your child's teacher, the school counselor or psychologist, your health care provider and most importantly your child. While this may seem overwhelming now, the more information you can gather the easier this decision will be.

Conclusion:


As you can see there are pros and cons to ADHD medication and what is right for one child and family will not necessarily be right for another. When choosing whether to try medication as a way to manage the symptoms of your child's ADHD make sure to consider the pros and cons along with your child's characteristics and the attitude of the school.

References:
Flora, Stephen Ray. Taking America Off Drugs (2007) State University of New York Press, Albany

Wilens, Timothy E. Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medication For Kids, (2004) TheGuilford Press, New York

Appendix

Resources For Parents To Get More Information

    Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medication For Kids- This book was written for parents who have questions about the affects and risks of psychiatric medication on children. It is a basic guide for what parents need to know about a wide variety of psychiatric medications including ADHD medications.
        Wilens, Timothy E. Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medication For Kids, (2004) TheGuilford Press, New York
    Taking America Off Drugs; Why Behavior Therapy is More Effeftive for Treating ADHD, OCD, Depression, And Other Psychological Problems- This books presents behavior therapy as an alternative treatment method for ADHD instead of medication. The book does a good job of showing the other side of treating psychological problems.
        Flora, Stephen Ray. Taking America Off Drugs (2007) State University of New York Press, Albany
    CHADD- this website is a support system for parents of children with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

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More Than a Handful: Identifying Adhd Symptoms in Your Baby

Children would always behave like---well, children. Hence, instances whereby parents like you find yourselves struggling to cope with your child's innate rambunctiousness and inattention are nothing short of ordinary, explaining why such scenes have been woven into the daily tapestry comprising common family life.

Especially during the stages of infancy up to childhood, as a parent you are expected to be at your most patient, most tolerant, and most understanding self. What with an innocent baby waking the entire neighborhood in the middle of the night or tearing the house down as he begins to explore his new world, you are given no choice but to obtain the necessary strength and tolerance from your unconditional love for your baby. Despite the inevitable annoyance and chagrin brought about by episodes of hyperactivity and public tantrums, you could surely depend on your unfaltering attentiveness to your child's welfare to help tide you over until your child matures and outgrows such tendencies.

Facing the Probable Tendencies
However, during those times when your baby exhibits behavior beyond innocent rowdiness, losing your patience or becoming agitated is a typical response. Setting aside your learned personal expectation of how your child should behave, you must open your eyes and become observant of any excessive behavior he may be exhibiting. Although a tendency to be active and uncontrollable are typical among infants and toddlers, there are certain aspects whereby such behaviors are already considered too much, oftentimes leaving parents exhausted, lost, and powerless in the quandary.

And such behaviors could already be hinting at a possible emergence of ADHD in your child. As difficult as it is to accept, it is a must for parents such as you to be very observant of your child's behavior. Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder, more popularly known as ADHD, is a recognized psychological disorder commonly associated with children, which usually begins during the early years of their childhood and often continuing into adulthood. Being a medical condition, ADHD directly affects the ability of a person to stay focused on particular activities for any length of time.

Determining the Signs
As differentiated from other people, aspects of an ADHD individual's brain, especially those concerned with attention and the manner in which it can be controlled given certain activities, function in a unique way. Consequently, this would be reflected in his seemingly rambunctious behavior characterized by an incapacity to hold concentration for prolonged periods. If it is not addressed, ADHD can adversely affect great areas of a person's life, impacting psychological, emotional, and social aspects.

In order to help you assess your child's behavior, whether they are bordering on ADHD tendencies or not, here are typical traits identified among infants and toddlers that could be indicative of ADHD.

    Children with ADHD experience trouble sleeping. As such, they are likely to have trouble dozing off and staying asleep. As is often the case, they always awaken in a bad mood.

Infants tend to have colic and are either hard to nurse or is having trouble accepting infant formulas.

Babies are easily vexed and cry excessively.

Infants can manifest health troubles such as asthma, allergies, colds, or having ear fluids.

Babies tend to exhibit unusual infant behavior like frequently thumping his foot/feet, too much rocking, or even banging his head against his crib.

As toddlers, they are hyperactive, always up and about.

Toddlers are nonconformists and can be a real handful.

They are susceptible to reckless behaviors and are accident-prone because of their clumsiness borne of their hyperactive nature.

Toddlers fight physically by biting, pushing, or pinching when controlled or apprehended by caregivers or parents.

They are always breaking things either accidentally(due to recklessness and curiosity) or deliberately(due to hyperactivity level).

Toddlers have a hard time playing by themselves and may always insist to have their parents'/caregivers' attention.

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How to Tell if a Guy Likes you - Five Signs He's Interested by Tonja Weimer

How can you tell if a guy likes you or is interested? You noticed him when you were standing and talking with a friend. You think he noticed you, but maybe it was your imagination or just wishful thinking. He looked at you at about the same time you saw him. Your eyes met for just a few seconds, and then you looked away. When you looked back up, he was talking with some other people. Was he watching you as you mingled? Or were you making that up? How can you tell if a guy likes you? Why are guys so hard to read?


Here are five signs that he is interested in you too. If any of the following happens, he is probably trying to get close enough to ask you out:


1. He tells someone


Is he interested? He likes you if he tells a mutual friend that he wants to know more about you, or he asks other people who you are and where you're from. He is trying to act like he's "just asking" but his questions indicate more than a casual interest. And when he tells someone that he finds you attractive, he probably knows that it will get back to you. He's hoping it does.


2. The look


He gives you a look that betrays his calm exterior. Even though he is across the room, "that look" he has says it all. It is sweeping, from your head to your toes, and then his eyes linger on yours. You think you notice the beginning of a tentative smile.

3. The conversation


Does he like you? When he manages to get close enough to you, to ask you questions, he is interested. He appears to be listening and responds to what you say. He's moving in to the ultimate question, which is: "Are you seeing anyone." He would only ask this question if he wanted to date you, and he hopes the answer is "No." Never ever wear a ring in public. When a guy is across the room, he cannot tell which finger it is on and he may assume incorrectly that you are taken. If he doesn't ask you the question of whether or not you are attached, he may ask someone whom you both know.


4. He appears unexpectedly


He likes you a lot if he shows up out of nowhere. He can only do that if he has been asking people about your schedule, or he has been paying attention to where you are going and at what time. His face may turn red when he sees you. A sudden, "Oh, hi," is his way of saying, "I don't want to seem obvious, but I am interested in you." If you feel the same way, do not act shy. Stop and talk to him.


5. EVERYONE likes you


Is he interested? When you are well liked and a happy person, why wouldn't he like you? Of course he does. If you don't have a great life, however, now is your time to start working on one. Take a look at your career possibilities, body image, future, plans, and resources. You may be naturally talented at something, but it won't matter unless you work on your strengths. Misused or unused talents fade away. School and training do not.


These are the five signs that he is interested and he is on the verge of asking you out. Make it easy for him and be friendly. This is where relationships begin.

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Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment. 


Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad? 




There are no guarantees.


You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent.  There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations. 




Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.


Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong. 


Take the risk: decide.


Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life.  But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:


· Get as many information as you can about your situation.


You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation. 


· Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.


· Weigh the pros and cons of every option.


Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.


· Trust yourself and make that decision.


Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight.  So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.




Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

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Life Mapping: A Vision of Success

Success is more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.


Origin:  Who you are
A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior highschool student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.


Destination: A vision of who you want to be
“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen. 


Vehicle: Your Mission 
A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.


Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude
Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change. 


Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives
Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.


Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes
The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly. 

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The Powers of a Positive Attitude

I am going to ask you to something very weird right now. First of all, I want you to listen to your thoughts. Now tell me, what thoughts fill your head? Would you label them as positive, or negative?


Now let's say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who would meet you would be able to tell you what’s on your mind?


The answer to number one is up to you. But, the answer number two can be pretty generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling. 


Here's another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?


You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.


Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too – unless, of course, you are a great actor.


And it doesn't end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you.


The type of attitude you carry depends on you. It can be either positive or negative.


Positive thoughts have a filling effect. They are admittedly invigorating. Plus, the people around the person carrying positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude.


Negative thoughts on the other hand have a sapping effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.


A positive attitude attracts people, while a negative attitude repels them. People tend to shy away from those who carry a negative attitude.


We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you have a negative attitude brewing up. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely carry a positive attitude.


You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.


A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you will love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you also make others are around feel the same way.


A negative attitude, on the other hand, has, of course, an opposite effect. So, carrying a negative attitude has a twofold drawback. You feel bad about yourself, and you make others feel the same way.


If you want to have a positive attitude, you have to feature healthy thoughts. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since, all around us, the media feeds us nothing but negative thoughts. A study shows that for every 14 things a parent says to his or her child, only one is positive. This is truly a saddening thought.


If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to hear positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could see a funny movie, you could play with children, spend some time telling jokes with friends. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promotes positive attitude.


Although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, you can still carry a positive attitude by focusing on the good things, the positive things in life.


And this positive attitude you now carry can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing people mostly do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is somebody to sit by them, and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.


If positive attitude is really great, why do people choose to adopt a negative attitude instead? One who carries a negative attitude may be actually sending a signal for attention. Before you get me wrong, feeling sad, angry, or gloomy is not wrong itself. But dwelling on these thoughts for far too long is not healthy either. There is a time to mourn. 


As always, if you are beset by troubles, even in your darkest hour, focus on the good things in life, you will always have hope. Problems become something you can overcome.


You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy, positive attitude. Studies show that such an attitude actually retards aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress coping mechanism, and has a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day. So, what's not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt one today.

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The Key to a Better Life

Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the '80:20 Rule' states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However,  80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although  the ratio '80:20' is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management. 


Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling of appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things to do lists and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.


But there is more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.


Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration. 


Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp. 


Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.


The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone's life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional and spiritual.


The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress and fatigue.


The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.


The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.


The career aspect involves school and work.


The emotional aspect involves appropriate feelings and desires and manifesting them. 


The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning.


Thoroughly planning and having a set of things to do list for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life is not being giving enough attention is part of time management. Each area creates the whole you, if you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.


Personal time management should not be so daunting a task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach in solving problems big or small. 


A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities.


One of them is to review your goals whether it be immediate or long-term goals often. 


A way to do this is to keep a list that is always accessible to you.


Always determine which task is necessary or not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced life style.

Each and everyone of us has a peek time and a time when we slow down, these are our natural cycles. We should be able to tell when to do the difficult tasks when we are the sharpest.


Learning to say "No". You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends. 


Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.


Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.


Don't procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately. 


Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.


Have a record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.


These are the few steps you initially take in becoming a well rounded individual.


As the say personal time management is the art and science of building a better life. 


From the moment you integrate into your life time management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.

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Things You Thought You Knew About Leadership

Leadership Exposed: Things You Thought You Knew About Leadership


Much has been written about leadership: rules, pointers, styles, and biographies of inspiring leaders throughout world history. But there are certain leadership ideas that we ourselves fail to recognize and realize in the course of reading books. Here is a short list of things you thought you knew about leadership. 


1. Leaders come in different flavors.
There are different types of leaders and you will probably encounter more than one type in your lifetime. Formal leaders are those we elect into positions or offices such as the senators, congressmen, and presidents of the local clubs. Informal leaders or those we look up to by virtue of their wisdom and experience such as in the case of the elders of a tribe, or our grandparents; or by virtue of their expertise and contribution on a given field such as Albert Einstein in the field of Theoretical Physics and Leonardo da Vinci in the field of the Arts. Both formal and informal leaders practice a combination of leadership styles.


· Lewin’s three basic leadership styles – authoritative, participative, and delegative
· Likert’s four leadership styles – exploitive authoritative, benevolent authoritative, consultative, and participative
· Goleman’s six emotional leadership styles - visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and commanding.   


2. Leadership is a process of becoming.
Although certain people seem to be born with innate leadership qualities, without the right environment and exposure, they may fail to develop their full potential. So like learning how to ride a bicycle, you can also learn how to become a leader and hone your leadership abilities. Knowledge on leadership theories and skills may be formally gained by enrolling in leadership seminars, workshops, and conferences. Daily interactions with people provide the opportunity to observe and practice leadership theories. Together, formal and informal learning will help you gain leadership attitudes, gain leadership insights, and thus furthering the cycle of learning. You do not become a leader in one day and just stop. Life-long learning is important in becoming a good leader for each day brings new experiences that put your knowledge, skills, and attitude to a test. 


3. Leadership starts with you.
The best way to develop leadership qualities is to apply it to your own life. As an adage goes “action speaks louder than words.” Leaders are always in the limelight. Keep in mind that your credibility as a leader depends much on your actions: your interaction with your family, friends, and co-workers; your way of managing your personal and organizational responsibilities; and even the way you talk with the newspaper vendor across the street. Repeated actions become habits. Habits in turn form a person’s character. Steven Covey’s book entitled 7 Habits of Highly Effective People provides good insights on how you can achieve personal leadership. 


4. Leadership is shared.
Leadership is not the sole responsibility of one person, but rather a shared responsibility among members of an emerging team. A leader belongs to a group. Each member has responsibilities to fulfill. Formal leadership positions are merely added responsibilities aside from their responsibilities as members of the team. Effective leadership requires members to do their share of work. Starting as a mere group of individuals, members and leaders work towards the formation of an effective team. In this light, social interaction plays a major role in leadership. To learn how to work together requires a great deal of trust between and among leaders and members of an emerging team. Trust is built upon actions and not merely on words. When mutual respect exists, trust is fostered and confidence is built. 


5. Leadership styles depend on the situation.
How come dictatorship works for Singapore but not in the United States of America? Aside from culture, beliefs, value system, and form of government, the current situation of a nation also affects the leadership styles used by its formal leaders. There is no rule that only one style can be used. Most of the time, leaders employ a combination of leadership styles depending on the situation. In emergency situations such as periods of war and calamity, decision-making is a matter of life and death. Thus, a nation’s leader cannot afford to consult with all departments to arrive at crucial decisions. The case is of course different in times of peace and order---different sectors and other branches of government can freely interact and participate in governance. Another case in point is in leading organizations. When the staffs are highly motivated and competent, a combination of high delegative and moderate participative styles of leadership is most appropriate. But if the staffs have low competence and low commitment, a combination of high coaching, high supporting, and high directing behavior from organizational leaders is required.


Now that you are reminded of these things, keep in mind that there are always ideas that we think we already know; concepts we take for granted, but are actually the most useful insights on leadership. 

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UNLOCK YOUR SELF IMPROVEMENT POWER

UNLOCK YOUR SELF IMPROVEMENT POWER

When we look at a certain object, a painting for example – we won’t be able to appreciate what’s in it, what is painted and what else goes with it if the painting is just an inch away from our face. But if we try to take it a little further, we’ll have a clearer vision of the whole art work.


We reach a point in our life when we are ready for change and a whole bunch of information that will help us unlock our self improvement power. Until then, something can be staring us right under our nose but we don’t see it. The only time we think of unlocking our self improvement power is when everything got worst. Take the frog principle for example –

Try placing Frog A in a pot of boiling water. What happens? He twerps! He jumps off! Why? Because he is not able to tolerate sudden change in his environment – the water’s temperature. Then try Frog B: place him in a luke warm water, then turn the gas stove on. Wait til the water reaches a certain boiling point. Frog B then thinks “Ooh… it’s a bit warm in here”.

People are like Frog B in general. Today, Anna thinks Carl hates her. Tomorrow, Patrick walks up to her and told her he hates her. Anna stays the same and doesn’t mind her what her friends says. The next day, she learned that Kim and John also abhors her. Anna doesn’t realize at once the importance and the need for self improvement until the entire community hates her.

We learn our lessons when we experience pain. We finally see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and tough. When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our jeans and shirts would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth has fallen off. When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When our lungs have gone bad. When do we pray and ask for help? When we realize that we’re gonna die tomorrow.

The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self improvement power is when the whole world is crashing and falling apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change. But change becomes more painful when we ignore it.

Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to experience different turning points in our life – and we are all going to eventually unlock our self improvement power not because the world says so, not because our friends are nagging us, but because we realized its for our own good.

Happy people don’t just accept change, they embrace it. Now, you don’t have to feel a tremendous heat before realizing the need for self improvement. Unlocking your self improvement power means unlocking yourself up in the cage of thought that “its just the way I am”. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear and resist change. Most of us program our minds like computers.

Jen repeatedly tells everyone that she doesn’t have the guts to be around groups of people. She heard her mom, her dad, her sister, her teacher tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jen believes. She believes its her story. And what happens? Every time a great crowd would troop over their house, in school, and in the community – she tends to step back, shy away and lock herself up in a room. Jen didn’t only believed in her story, she lived it.

Jen has to realize that she is not what she is in her story. Instead of having her story post around her face for everyone to remember, she has to have the spirit and show people “I am an important person and I should be treated accordingly!”

Self improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things in a different point of view, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. Three sessions in a week at the gym would result to a healthier life, reading books instead of looking at porns will shape up a more profound knowledge, going out with friends and peers will help you take a step back from work and unwind. And just when you are enjoying the whole process of unlocking your self improvement power, you’ll realize that you’re beginning to take things light and become happy.

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Honesty Really is the Best Policy

When you join an online dating service, you are looking for a girl that you can like…even come to love.  That girl is looking for a guy that SHE can like or even love.  What you aren’t looking for is a girl who would like your best friend or your idea of what the perfect guy looks like or talks like or thinks like.  So, in order to find the right girl for you…and she IS out there…you need to be completely honest with yourself about yourself when writing the online profile, during the dating process and beyond. 


The best way to begin writing your profile is to carefully analyze your past relationship (s).  What was right?  What was wrong?  What things really made you like the last girl?  Which didn’t?  Don’t assume that just because you hated that your last girl was so totally self-involved that she couldn’t see anything else, you’ll be able to overlook that quality this time. You won’t.  


  If you aren’t 6’1” with a six-pack to be proud of, don’t claim to be.  If you are a bar tender, don’t claim to be a lawyer with a six figure income. If you are 40 going on 50, don’t pretend to be 30 something.


Remember, the idea here is to find a girl who will like you exactly like you are. If you have lied in your profile, the first face-to-face meeting will remove all her doubt that you are a liar…and probably a cheat, as well.   


Lastly, once you have found a girl that you believe can be the one for you, for goodness sakes, cancel your membership to the online dating service.  After all, you know and she knows that online dating services are intended for those who are looking…not those who have found or been found. 

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