Christmas Joy by Jimmy Boyes Christmas comes and goes at the same lightening speed as the bank balance. We put on a few pounds as the wallet is shedding its. Then comes the January sales “hooray” that s if I had any money to spend on them. Never mind I’ll just look and drool and think of what might have been saying to myself, as I do every year, next year will be different, I’ll definitely plan ahead. Am I alone, I think not. Organisation is the key. Take time to think and plan the year ahead. Try to get a little extra stea ... The Importance of being ALPHA by Deborah Harr We see it all the time, and they are easily pegged in a room full of people. The ALPHA! It was most unexpected yesterday when I got to view this up front, personal and far from comfortable. A friend and their family were traveling for Christmas and asked my daughter to go over to feed their dogs for the week until they arrived back from the holiday. We both tend to spoil our dogs; they are members of the family. They eat when we eat, go where we go and get lots of love and attention each day. ... Just For Today by Conrad L. Jones I bought a new treadmill a few months ago with the intention of developing a personal exercise program to keep in shape. After I had set everything up, I sat down and put together a pretty interested workout routine in which I'd wake at 6a.m and run/walk for 30 minutes, 3 days per week. Please Don't Laugh I was able to stick with this for about 3 days. It's amazing how good plans look on paper but when it's time for action, they often change. Every time I looked at that monthly schedule and saw ... Miscommunication - Root Cause of Problems? by Michael Lee People of two opposing ideas can stir up arguments and fights. It's that situation when one thinks he has the right concept while the other one also believes he has the proper notion. Both of them would try to outsmart each other until one claims victory. Here's an actual example. My girlfriend Riza would sometimes buy me signature clothing. When my Mom founds out how much it costs, she would advise us to budget our money and just buy the affordable ones. A problem occurs when Riza thinks tha ... Work is the key by Leon van der Walt Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. - Genesis 3:17-19 And this is just our curse for life. Work is not meant to be fun. Work is not meant to be enjoyed. Just look at ants, those busybodies ... Reflections of 2004 by Kelly Lowe 2005 is upon us. Do you remember what your New Years resolution was for 2004? Did you accomplish your goal? If not, don't worry. The New Year is forgiving. It gives you the chance to try again. If you failed to carry through in 2004, you can avoid that failure in 2005. First, you must really think about what your goal was in 2004. Did you have a plan for reaching your goal? Did you work on your plan? Was your goal realistic and attainable? Why was your goal not reached? The answers to these ques ... Stress Lessons From A Tea-Pot by Conrad L. Jones Have you ever put water into a teapot to make tea before? Do you stop and think about what happens when you do? Like most of us, I'm sure you don't even give it a second thought, but let's examine it a bit. First, you pour cold water into the teapot, cover it, turn on the stove, and leave. What happens next is interesting. As the water beings to heat, the molecules in it begin to move faster and faster until the water begins to boil. Next the steam gradually builds and builds until it finds a we ... Setting Yourself Free in Three Quick Steps by Joy Fisher-Sykes Lilly Tomlin said, The problem with the rat race is even if you win, you're still a rat. A lot of us are running a rat race - feeling caged into a life of running and giving to everyone else FIRST, sometimes at your own expense. We are pulled in so many different directions - work, family, finances. It is time we put our foot down and stop feeling controlled - by people and circumstance. Well, it's time to set yourself free. Today, begin to take stock of life and decide what is most important t ... The Greatest Gift of All – The Gift of Empowerment by Joy Fisher-Sykes During the year, a variety of celebrations – birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions – call for a gift of some kind. We sometimes work ourselves into a frenzy trying to come up with the “perfect gift.” The “perfect gift” is one that doesn’t wind up in the bottom of a drawer or a gift receipt because no one in his/her right mind would return it (after all it’s perfect.) Or have you ever received a gift and couldn’t wait for the return counter to open? Why not invest in a gift that has s ... It’s Your Dream – Claim It! by Geela Wisdom is like money in the bank. Knowledge is power. What you don’t know can hurt you. We’ve heard people use these expressions, but what exactly do they mean and why should we care? One can be a computer whiz and savvy in other areas, but not necessarily wise. That’s because wisdom has nothing to do with intelligence or any particular talents. Intelligence only facilitates the process of obtaining that information. This is good news because it means that a person of average intelligence is act ... It’s the Most Wonderful Gift of the Year by Joy Fisher-Sykes It’s the most wonderful time of the year. As we deck the halls and fill the malls, we’re filled with anticipation, joy, and excitement. The holiday season is upon us, and it’s a special time we choose to show our appreciation and share our love with the special people in our lives. However, with all of the joy the holidays bring, this still tends to be one of the most stressful times of the year. Why? Could it be because it’s intoxicating to buy loved ones whatever their hearts desire – and we’r ... Let Other People See Who You Really Are by Royane Real Do you know anybody that you feel is particularly engaging and lively? Take a moment to picture that person in your mind. What is it about that person that you find most attractive? He or she may have a charming voice and a great laugh, but it is also very likely that you find their face very expressive. That person is probably quick to smile and laugh and seems to always have a twinkle in their eye. A face that never shows any emotion, and never smiles is not very appealing. No matter how attra ... Nostalgia: What Are We Really Looking For? by eBobb Have you ever noticed what an amazing editing job we do when we think about the past? Those summers at the lake have become positively halcyon: gone are the sunburn and mosquitoes, the rainy days, the continuous fights with siblings and/or bunkmates. Mom’s cooking has improved considerably with time and distance, and we remember exclusively the birthday when we got that first two-wheeler that we wanted more than anything else on earth. And then, there are all those old snapshots and home videos ... How to Set Boundaries and Say No by Joy Fisher-Sykes We are constantly bombarded daily with requests for our time. While helping others can be very rewarding, at the same time we can feel distraught about constantly obligating ourselves to others while not fulfilling our own needs. We can feel distressed about constant commitments to do things we simply don’t have the time, energy or desire to do. At times, we may immediately feel the urge to say no, but instead lose our courage, and concede yet again. The question is why? Is it because: You fea ... Give Your Dreams Substance by Josh Hinds Setting goals is wonderful; it confirms that we've taken those first awkward steps towards attaining what we desire in our lives. The simple fact that you've taken the time to plan out what you want to achieve puts you in a distinct class. Amazingly very few people take the time to keep a running list of goals. Sadly, even fewer people actually work their goals. So take the time right now to give yourself a little pat on the back! You deserve it. You're part of the elite group of people who hav ... Eight Ways to Motivate Part Time Employees by Ed Sykes In most cases, part-time employees present a special challenge when it comes to motivation. They do the “grunt” work, have little career choices, are often focused on other goals outside of your organization (college, hobbies, etc.), and are treated as outsiders by full-time employees. So what’s a manager to do? How do we turn our part-time employees into outstanding employees? The following are eight proven techniques to motivate your part-time employees: 1. Orient them properly. Take time t ... Appreciate to Motivate by Ed Sykes Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, since said, There are two things people want more than sex and money...recognition and praise. Time and time again the one motivating factor that is at the top of most employee lists is appreciation for a job well done. It is more requested than the green stuff, money. Why don’t more managers, owners, and employees give appreciation? Some people state they don’t know how to give it. Others don’t know what to give appreciate for in the work environmen ... Ten Techniques for Motivating Others through Chaos by Ed Sykes The work environment has changed. Change has become the norm. Also the truth level of employees has decreased. This can lead to increased dissatisfaction and decreased productivity. Here are ten techniques for motivating your employees to succeed during chaos: 1. Take Care of the Little Things Doing the little things well will show that your respect your employees. Making sure you are on time for meetings, saying “good morning” and “thank-you,” and returning phone calls and e-mails in a timely manner goes a long way to showing your employees that you care during chaotic times. 2. Be an Active Listener Recent research stated that the average supervisor or manager only i ... Five Steps to Creating a Goal Medal Life: Part II by Ed Sykes Recently, Joy and I had the pleasure of speaking at a conference of Educational Office Professionals in Baltimore, MD. The other speakers included Ms. Deborah Phelps, mother of six-time gold medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics swimmer Michael Phelps, and Agatha von Trapp, the 91-year-old daughter of Captain and Maria von Trapp, the family on which the movie “Sound of Music” was based. To say the least, there were a variety of subjects discussed that day. As I listened to Ms. Phelps describe Mi ... PRIME THAT PUMP! Part 2 by Rosella Aranda In Part 1 of this article, we talked about reaching our goals as largely a matter of following through on desire, vision and action. The difficulty for most of us lies in continuing to believe that our efforts will ever bear fruit when these fruits have not yet begun to materialize. Jonathan Swift said it best. “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” In order to continue to work toward that which we cannot yet see, our motives must be very personal and very compelling, indeed. So, let’s ... 10 Action Steps to Greatness by Ed Sykes 1. Positive Affirmations Our subconscious mind is a wonderful tool for success or failure. It will do what we tell it to do. It all depends on what thoughts we feed it. So why not feed your inner mind with only positive thoughts. The following are some examples of positive affirmations you can feed your inner mind for success: “Today, I will win because I have faith, courage and enthusiasm.” “I see failure only as a signpost on my road to success.” “When I feel stress, I will relax and relea ... Unpleasant Truths by Wayne and Tamara Direct Answers – Column for the week of December 27, 2004 My in-laws have continually treated me as a second-class person with respect to my husband, their son. My husband and I both have Ph.D.s, and we both are on the faculty at a research university. He is older, but I am a professor with a career and a purpose, also. I work full-time, cook every meal, clean our home, and I take impeccable care of myself because my husband deserves a fit, happy wife. Still, from his parents, I am not as worthy ... Intellectual, Individual by Tushar Jain Of the motley of neurotic, egoistical, (or even, egotistical for that matter) overbearing megalomaniacs I come across, or those that are borne of this world as a jocular hex of the fraudulent mirth of the occasionally epochal time and all the unworthy foibles of promiscuous mothers, have given way to the most odious notion that quite some of them are intellectuals. Believe you me… they are not. Most of them are intellectual-wannabes, the kind of people that are flustered with almost all equatio ... Forget New Year’s Resolutions – They Don’t Work by Vic Johnson You can forget about making New Year’s Resolutions if you’re hoping for a successful outcome. Most aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. No less than Mark Twain has written of New Year’s Resolutions, “Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shal ... Treasure Map Your Success for 2005 by Ana Tampanna Treasure-mapping is the process of visualizing on paper exactly what you want. The clearer you can see your desired future as a reality, the sooner it can manifest. The actual process is simple: look for color pictures in magazines or catalogs and use rubber cement to glue them to a half sheet of poster board. Each new year, my husband and I “treasure map” what we want in our lives for the year. Whenever we anticipate a major change, such as moving to a new city, buying a house, or changing jobs ... | ||||||
|
Resources | Submit an Article | Suggest a Category | Terms & Conditions Add URL | Feedback | Free Content Copyright © KD & R Designs. All rights reserved. 2005 |
