Learn to Focus on What's Important

How would you like to be able to prioritize the truly important things in life - your family, your health and your personal dreams?

Like most of us, you probably answered 'yes' to this question. Just as likely, your mind began chattering away with a number of excuses about why you simply can't do more than you already are.

There are only 24 hours in the day, after all. I'm not a time traveler. I'm doing the very best I can with what I've got.

I know all the excuses... I've used most of them myself. But the simple fact remains that if you are not focusing your time and energy on the important things, instead of the seemingly urgent things, then you are quite literally wasting your life away.

We all are to some degree, actually. Whenever we do mindless, useless tasks, we are wasting our life away. Those moments are irretrievable, gone, kaput, vanished forever into the void of the past.

Television wastes time. The World Wide Web wastes time. The phone and email waste time. Gossip wastes time. You just wasted 10 seconds reading about wasteful ways of using up time.

Yes, really.

How many times have you said, or heard someone else say something like: "Well, I'd love to do that exercise, take up a hobby, volunteer, etc if I had more time, but I'm just so busy right now." I'm guessing we've all said it at least once, and heard it more times than we care to count.

The problem is this: Busy-ness is rarely, if ever time well spent. It's not productive. Being busy is being unfocused and being unfocused causes you to spend more time and energy than you actually need when trying to get something done.

I'd like to share an interesting exercise that can demonstrate my point.

Get a sharp knife, a spoon and a cardboard box. Grab the spoon and try and poke a hole in the cardboard box. Try it a few times and see how you do. If you don't make a hole in the box, that's okay. Now grab the sharp knife and try and poke a hole in the box. Pretty easy right?

Busy is being the spoon. Productive is being the knife. Focus on what you need to get done and do it.

So how do you go about it? The first is to take a long, honest look at the things you do and the things that frequently get pushed off (probably because you're "too busy").

Do you love to play the guitar, but never get around to it?

Maybe you've always wanted to spend more time with your kids, but work just keeps you so darn busy?

It's possible that donating your time at a local shelter has been something you've wanted to do for your whole life, but there are just aren't enough hours in the day, days in the week or weeks in the year.

Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. At the top of the left side, write the word "Important" and at the top of the right side write the word "Unimportant". Now get busy writing down all the things you currently do and the things you wish you did and classify them as one or the other.

Next, identify which of the items in both lists you consider to be urgent by putting a capital 'U' beside it. When you're done you will have the beginnings of a system to prioritize how you spend your time.

The most important time you spend will be on the things that are Important but not Urgent. These are the things you do because you love them. They are the things you do that are forward looking and are strategic, either in your life or your business.

Anything that is non-important and non-urgent should be, for the most part, removed from your life.

So, get focused on the important tasks. Stop wasting time (and your life).

Be the knife.



Author : Paul Keetch

Be Thorough

There’s really no such thing as knowing too much about what you’re doing.

When I was in college, I spent my spare time reading about real estate and foreclosures. I didn’t feel it was a sacrifice of my time, because I was interested in real estate; I wasn’t studying just to pass a test. The knowledge I gained on my own led to my first successful investment. I couldn’t have achieved that if I hadn’t spent the time studying on my own.

In college, I also read something that Rudyard Kipling said, which I’ve never forgotten: “I keep six honest serving men, they taught me all I knew - their names are What and Why and When--and How and Where and Who.” Finding the answers to these questions will ensure that your information is comprehensive and correct.

An example of this was from The Apprentice, when my assistants and I interviewed candidates. Sometimes the process went on for hours - one boardroom meeting lasted for over five hours so we could make the most knowledgeable decision possible!

Staying informed is a daily task, and challenge, considering how quickly our world is moving. But not keeping up is like agreeing to check out - please don’t do that. Plug in and learn everything you can. You never know when information will come in handy. If I hadn’t studied real estate foreclosures as a student, I wouldn’t have been able to see the great opportunity that led to my first big success.

Resolve to move forward and to learn as much as you can - today and every day.

Author : Donald Trump

Spirituality Is A Mystery

The unseen spirit of man is still a mystery in our technological world. A mystery that seemingly does not enjoy a great amount of favor in our self indulgent society. People have little tolerance and very little respect for that which they can’t define or experience. We are in a time where politicians, philosophers, educators, scientists, authors, self-help gurus, psychologists, and even many spiritual leaders have denounced the mystery of faith as unprovable, unscientific and therefore unacceptable. The fact is, we have created so much background noise, we can no longer hear God as the Spirit of man becomes even more obscured.

The world Sheds Truth

Even though we seek truth, the establishment is more than willing to give falsities. There is another way we can embrace the mystery of faith and still function in the world. How can you accept the mystery of faith and be grounded in spiritual practice? Today’s politicians, educators, scientists, writers, self-help psychologists, and even many preachers want to discount anything they can’t prove. If we ask for answers, they're more than willing to hand out scientific evidence that faith is in vain.

But what of the mystery of a flower as it unfolds into a sight of beauty., or a bee that should not be able to fly, but does so with remarkable agility.

The Soul Instills Confidence

The soul of man is his/her identity forever more. The spirit of God is what draws even the most callous man toward God. There is another way to be in our world yet embrace the mystery of faith. Faith must be accepted by the seeker because it is the unseen mystery of future possibilities. Could you believe in something even though there is no evidence? Spirituality is knowing you are connected through inner feelings to something that exist outside our practicality.

Spirituality provides you with a feeling of well being, security and belonging.

Spirituality Brings Warmth And Belonging

Spirituality is an inner closeness a warmth that wells up from the inner being. It is not so much a mindset as a wellness of mind that envelops the being. A spiritual person welcomes change, challenge and life itself. He/she looks into the world with a vision of love and respect. There are no challenges that can’t be conquered, there are no quest that can’t be worked out. The spiritual person knows limitations are only self imposed restrictions.

How can you have a more spiritual life? Perhaps by being honest with yourself and admitting you are part of God’s creation. Let’s face it, God does not play by the same rules as us. In fact he has always been known to make His own rules and embrace man when he stumbles over them.

To Face The Unknown

Don’t be afraid of seeking that which is unknown or mysterious. Seek the hidden, and unknowable elements of life. The answers are there for you to discover, as they have always been. Don’t give up on an idea just because you don’t understand it at the moment. We are in a partnership where we don't have to know every little detail to enjoy life. No matter how spiritual you are, there will still be many times when you will not find an answer to a question. It doesn’t matter, realize that bad things happen the same as good and you must have faith in both.

Demonstrate your faith by responding to Nay Sayers by simply answering "I don't know, it’s a mystery." By always being honest, you express you have limitations, are weak, and have humbleness in your heart in the presence of God. Also, being honest allows you to keep seeking that which is not understood and bring you closer to certainty.

Find your quiet place

Find a quiet place and enter your private place, deep inside where soul meets spirit. Experience it, feel it as you slowly breath, calmly, silently. Sense the presents of God as you express your appreciation, humbleness and concerns to a forgiving reality.

Here are a few ideas you may use,

1 - Realize that the world is overflowing with abundance, and responsive possibilities. When you adapt a new attitude, your perceptions change and you see the world as a friendly, providing environment. When you realize the world provides abundance and is not hostile, your objectives become genuine possibilities. Possibilities in fact, become realities, because you now experience from a higher intensity. This is the first step in being receptive to a world that provides rather than restricts.

2 - Announce to the world that you attract success and abundance because you are a child of God. This establishes a vocal connection between you and God. It is your goal is to reduce any reserve between you and that which you desire. Be assured, abundance and success will not come to you, you must seek them out. Success is within you and abundance is for the taking, it is up to you to take that which is rightfully yours.

3 - Stay in an attitude of allowing. When you resist you are in disharmony with your desire for abundance and your beliefs in your own abilities. You are saying, in essence, you are unworthy. Your attitude must be one of allowing abundance to come to you and ignoring efforts by others to discourage you. A harmonious attitude also signifies that you no longer rely on pervious self-oriented beliefs that abundance could not be a part of your life. You now have an attitude of acceptance; you have stopped resisting through negative thoughts and doubts and now understand that you and creation are truly one and the same. See a world of abundance and your desires flowing unencumbered directly to you. Refuse to stand in the way or have any thought that compromises your alignment with your provider.

Stay focused, be vigilant and realize, the world provides for a good and appreciative steward.

Become Your True Spiritual Self

This is the first of five attributes for a balanced person. Next – Wealth and the pursuit of Relationships – an in-depth discussion of the importance of Family and friends.

Author : Donald Yates

Are You Setting Goals... or Still Dreaming?

We all have dreams. We all carry movies in our minds about how life could be for us in a better world. Sally dreams of a big house with a built-in pool. Harry dreams of an eight-car garage filled with vintage Porsches. Jill fantasizes about painting pictures at the seashore. Jack wants that corner office with the view.

Chances are, Sally and Harry and Jill and Jack will never get what they dream about. They will go on playing those mental movies for themselves or talking about them to friends and family members.

Failing to live your dreams is not necessarily a bad thing. Lots of people are perfectly happy dreaming of one life but living another. The problem arises when the gap between fantasy and reality results in unhappiness or even depression. When this happens, it's time to master plan a new life. And the first step is to establish goals.

Goals are different from dreams in four ways. They are specific, actionable, time-oriented, and realistic.

Specific: Being rich is a dream. Developing a $4 million net worth is a goal.

Actionable: Winning the lottery is a dream. Winning a foot race is a goal.

Time-Oriented: Developing a $4 million net worth is a goal. But developing a $4 million net worth in five years is a better goal.

Realistic : Developing a $4 million net worth in five years is probably reasonable. Developing a $4 million net worth in four months is not.

Goals are also different than objectives - more long-term and broader in scope.

Your master plan will be broken down into seven-year and one-year goals, monthly and weekly objectives, and, finally, daily tasks that will make it possible to achieve your medium-term objectives and long-term goals. For example:

Seven-Year Goal: Develop a $4 million net worth in five years.

First-Year Goal: Eliminate $36,000 worth of debt.

Monthly Objective: Land a part-time job netting $36,000 annually by year-end.

First Week’s Objective: Get my first job interview.

First Day’s Task: Write personal letters to CEOs of my top 10 "dream job" companies.

Okay, that’s the plan. Starting today, you are going to be performing tasks every day that support weekly objectives that, in turn, support monthly objectives that, in turn, support yearly goals that, in turn, support seven-year goals. All of this will be done formally. All of it will be done in writing.

At this point, you may be wondering: "Does it really matter whether my goals are specific? Does it make any difference if I write them down?"

Glad you asked.

Several years ago, I found a very interesting bit of information in a book by Tom Bay - Look Within or Do Without - that was completely mediocre except for this one little gem. According to Mr. Bay, Harvard Business School did a study on the financial status of its students 10 years after graduation and found that:

As many as 27 percent of them needed financial assistance.
A whopping 60 percent of them were living paycheck to paycheck.
A mere 10 percent of them were living comfortably.
And only 3 percent of them were financially independent.
The study also looked at goal setting and found these interesting correlations:

1. The 27 percent that needed financial assistance had absolutely no goal-setting processes in their lives.

2. The 60 percent that were living paycheck to paycheck had basic survival goals (such as managing to live paycheck to paycheck).

3. The 10 percent that were living comfortably had general goals. They thought they knew where they were going to be in the next five years.

4. The 3 percent that were financially independent had written out their goals and the steps required to reach those goals.

And that’s just one study. Here’s one that shows the power of setting specific goals:

Researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University asked 56 female undergraduates to do as many sit-ups as they could in 90 seconds. One group, told to "do their best," averaged 43 sit-ups on each day of the four-day study. The other groups, which had been given the specific goal to do consecutively more sit-ups at each session, performed significantly better, averaging 56 sit-ups on the last day of the experiment.

Studies are great, but personal experience is better.

I spent the first 17 years of my life dreaming about success but having none. In my freshman year of college I decided to change that. I learned to learn and became an A student. Twenty-two years later, I discovered goal setting. Three years later, I was a millionaire. When I began writing ETR in 2000 - eight years ago - I learned how to prioritize my goals. That allowed me to achieve my first and most cherished dream: becoming a successful writer.

At ETR, needless to say, we set long-term business goals and medium-term objectives. This helped us grow our revenues from zero to $25 million in seven years. And it will help us grow to the next stage of our development, above $50 million, in the next few years. Using a master plan to grow our business is gratifying - but what’s better is seeing our employees use personal master plans to improve their lives.

One, for example, used a master plan to go from being a low-level employee answering the phone to a management position in a few years. He is now a major profit producer for the company. Several employees have used master plans to meet their weight-loss and physical-fitness goals, including one who lost 30 pounds through diet and vigorous exercise and overcame significant health problems.

These laudable results happened because these people took the time to turn their dreams of wealth and health into specific, actionable, time-oriented, realistic goals.

You can spend your whole life dreaming. And dreams are wonderful things. By all means, dream away. But if you want to turn those dreams into reality, you need to transform them into goals.

What’s your wildest, longest-held dream? How can you make it specific? How can you make it actionable? How can you put a time limit on it? How can you make it realistic? Use these four questions to create goals you can aim for… then take action. And you’ll be living your dream in a few short years.

Author :Michael Masterson

Leaders Are Readers

Couple of years ago I happened to read this quote "Leaders Are Readers". The quote made a favorable impression on me. Although Charles Jones had coined this quote but I ensured that it was committed to my memory as I realized that the key to expanding one's knowledge is by reading. Perhaps not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. If that's true, then why don't more people read?

There are a variety of reasons why people don’t read as much as they should. They feel that it's not their responsibility after they finish school whereas others don't read because they are simply indolent. On an average people read about 1-2 books per year.

In fact it is the responsibility of an individual to inculcate the discipline of reading within them after finishing school. One’s mind should be open to grab knowledge because knowledge is that wealth an individual can acquire and store in his brain where no thief can come and touch it.

Successful people have got successful vocabulary and they ensure that reading a book on 'Self Improvement' for half an hour everyday is itself inspiring as it sets the spiritual tone for the rest of the day and it pays to increase one's word power by not only keeping the channels of communication open but to also express more completely as individuals.

I hope each one of us becomes voracious readers. A book a month will keep you even. It takes effort, but it's worth it. It takes regular, persistent reading and studying for one to improve and climb the ladder of success. The journey is indeed rewarding and also a voyage of discovery.

The daily practice of reading in our chosen field will make us one of the best informed people in our field. So, let's decide and make reading as our resolution. A resolution that may require a lifestyle change from being better to the best.

Author: Unknown

How to Manage Your Time

How to Manage Your Time & Keep Your Life in Balance At All Times

As a busy entrepreneur, do you really know how to manage your time effectively? Do you get to spend time with your family and friends? Are you organized in the office and at home? Do you have your business and personal life in balance? Or, does Sue's story below sound just like you?

Sue's an entrepreneur who never got enough sleep. She was lucky if she got 3 to 4 hours of sleep each night. There was just too much to do and not enough hours in the day to do it all. Lack of sleep turned out to be the tip of the iceberg for Sue. It did not matter to her how many work hours she had to put in. Sue was always drained, perpetually scattered and alone. In time she confessed virtually every available wall in her amply sized office had stacks of papers, files and books propped up against it always on the verge of teetering over. Her home was so full of clutter she was embarrassed to invite friends or dates to visit. Similarly her mind felt like it was bulging at the seams. Her bank accounts were a mess. She regularly bounced checks despite having enough money to cover her expenses. Her social and love life were nearly nonexistent. She had no time for the jewelry she so dearly loved to create. Nor did she have time for the social causes that were close to her heart.

Why? Because she didn't know how to manage her time and balance her life. Sue had an under-energized, self-neglectful relationship with self-care in all aspects. She suffered from insufficiencies in: * Inner Self-Care -- This resulted in exhaustion, irritability, weight problems, chronic stress, physical imbalances, weakened immune system and gluttony.

* Environmental Self-Care --Sue tolerated home and work ambiences that drained her. People began to undermine her wellbeing, self-esteem and her leadership abilities. Crisis and melodrama became part of Sue's lifestyle.

* Logistical Self-Care -- This resulted in complete disorganization. Sue was stretched too thin. She had imbalances between work and play and between spending and saving. She even fell behind with home maintenance or errands. What Is Self Care? Healthy self-care is a key foundational element in all forms of integrity: self-integrity, relationship integrity, societal integrity and leadership integrity. Self-Care is far different from self-centeredness. It is also far more than merely good sleep, nutrition and exercise habits. Our bodies are complex machine. We cannot sustain our energy unless we are supporting our spiritual, our psychological, our physical and our energetic aspects of our whole being.

Self-Care Is About Keeping Your:

* Energy strong and balanced
* Mind calm yet alert
* Body capable of supporting you in all areas of your life
* Environment nourishing
* Life logistics under control

7 Tips to Improve Your Self-Care & Balance Your Life Habits

1. Maintain Basic Physical Health Habits.

You need to get enough quality sleep for your body's needs and movement.
You also need to add a high-quality nutritional diet to your energy system balancing.

2. Add Time to Soothe, Recharge and Play.

Engage in soothing habits that make you purr, such as a massage or a bath. Take time out to restore your inner juice with activities, such as watching your favorite sitcom, gardening or just about any truly creative endeavor that gives you energy. And, don't forget to participate in activities that bring out the kid in you.

3. Quiet Your Inner Voice.

Participate in activities that allow you to enter inner silence and take a vacation from constant mind chatter. Some people use prayer to quiet their mind. Others will meditate. You can also do Tai Chi, Qigong or Yoga and simultaneously take care of your daily need for physical movement and internal quieting

4. Arrange your surroundings so that they most deeply nurture you.

This includes not only your physical environments but your people environments as well.

5. Know your optimal blend between "alone time" and "people time."

6. Master goal setting, time management, file management and money management strategies.

Balancing work with play, spending with saving, and making sure that your job and financial choices support your needs for creative self-expression and your ability to spend quality time with those you love while still having energy left over to be of service in the world in ways that call to you.

7. Streamline your chores and tasks, including home maintenance and errands Self-Care is unavoidably a daily practice.

No amount of rest, passion or acts of service can substitute for it. True Self-Care is simply "enlightened self-interest and service for the higher good." Follow these tips and you will manage your time and balance your life.

Natural Approaches to Treating Depression

Like millions of other people all over the world, I have suffered from depression for many years of my life.

And like many people who suffer from depression, I didn’t really like the idea of taking powerful pharmaceutical drugs to treat it.

So, I have always been searching for ways to help depression that don’t necessarily rely on using heavy duty drugs.

What I have written in this article is a really, really short overview of some of the many natural treatments that have been used for depression.

If your depression is mild, then natural methods can work.

If you have a serious depression, and that means a state of sadness or emptiness that goes on and on, and bleeds all the joy out of your life, until you feel that life is empty and meaningless, then some professional treatment can be helpful, or even necessary to overcome it.

Remedies from the Health Food Store

Is there anything you can get in a health food store that might help with depression? Yes, maybe, if your depression is in the mild to moderate range of severity. A more severe or long-term depression should be treated by a qualified professional.

If you are already taking prescription anti-depressants, do not also take any natural remedies at the same time without first consulting your doctor!

In some cases, there can be dangerous interactions. Just because something is natural does not mean it is always safe for everybody.

St. John’s Wort

One of the best known and most widely prescribed natural remedies for depression is St. John’s Wort. This herb has been used as a remedy for depression in Europe for decades. It is believed to now be the most commonly used anti-depressant in the world.

Many people who take St. John’s Wort say they prefer the gentle lift this herb provides compared to the side effects of prescription anti-depressants.

The exact method by which St. John’s Wort works is unknown. The main active ingredient is believed to be hypericin. Other factors in the plant may have an anti-depressant effect as well.

A typical recommended dose is 900 milligrams per day, divided. Look for a product that is standardized to contain .3 percent hypericin.

Some side effects with St. John’s Wort may be experienced. They include nausea and abdominal pain. Some people experience increased sensitivity to sunlight and there is some indication that taking it may lead to a higher incidence of cataracts.

Not all studies of St. John’s Wort have shown positive results. Many researchers in Europe say that St. John’s Wort is effective, but at least one large recent American study found it to be ineffective as a treatment for depression.

When buying St. John’s Wort, or any other herbal preparation, purchase only those brands that have a reputation for reliability. Some independent tests have confirmed that not all brands of St. John’s Wort offered for sale actually contain the ingredients being claimed on the package.

If you are already taking a prescription anti-depressant, do not start taking St. John’s Wort without consulting your doctor first. It may not be compatible with your other medications.

Don’t take St. John’s Wort if you have bipolar depression or if you are pregnant.

SAM-e

If you want to find something from the health food store to fight depression, you could ask for SAM-e, also known as s-adenosyl-methionine.

SAM-e is a substance which our body can make using the amino acid L-methionine, and various other nutrients. It is believed that SAM-e can boost the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which may be able to improve mood.

Research reports from Europe say SAM-e has the same rate of effectiveness as most prescription anti-depressants, about 70 percent, but that it works faster and has fewer side effects. Some studies have found positive improvements in depressed patients in as few as four days.

Side effects can include nausea, agitation, anxiety, and insomnia at doses above 100 mg per day.

SAM-e is better absorbed if you take it on an empty stomach between meals.

Recommended doses for treating depression vary from 50 mg per day to 400 or more mg per day.

People who have bipolar depression should not take SAM-e. If you are already taking MAO inhibitor antidepressants, do not take SAM-e. SAM-e is not available in health stores in all countries.