The start of a New Year is a great time to plan for what you want to achieve. What better time than to invest in yourself and set a course for the future. As you reach your goals you will need to set new ones.
How do you do this in a powerful and focused way?

Here are 10 Essential Questions to ask now to make the most of the next year.

1. What is your 5-year plan?

What do you want to be doing professionally and personally in five years time? How do you want to be feeling? For example what will you be doing, how much income will you be earning, where will you be living, how much time will you be spending with your family?
Keeping in mind your five year vision will help set goals for the next 12 months.

2. What is your vision for the next year?

How do you see the year unfolding? Visualise yourself in 12-months time, reflecting back on the year. What does it look like? What does success look like in a year’s time?

Use this vision to add to your goals. If your planning on a holiday imagine yourself on the beach for example. This will inspire your goals and then make feasible plans to make the vision a reality.

3. What is your mission for the next year?

Who will you help? What problems will you provide solutions for? What new skills will you learn? This is the doing rather then dreaming. How will you go about achieving your goals and vision.

4. Set five key goals to be achieved.

Keep to no more than five specific goals. Write them down. Goals set the big picture achievements for the year. Have both personal and business or career goals. It might be something small like painting a room or something larger like moving house. Write it down.

5. What are the specific strategies or tasks that will help you achieve these goals?

These are the “how to’s”. Make them specific and achievable. Use the OAT formula - Outcome - Action - Timeline.

6. How often will you review your goals?

Write in your diary now a reminder to review them at least every 3 months. Some people like to review them on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis!

7. Conduct a personal SWOT Analysis.

In the past year, what were your Strengths and what were your Weaknesses? What are the Opportunities for the next year? What are the Threats stopping you achieving your new goals?

8. Reality Check.

How will you measure whether you have achieved your goals? What are the milestones or performance criteria that set the benchmark for measuring your success?

9. How will you balance work with personal interests?

What will be the mix of fun & learning, health & fitness, career & finance, love & belonging?

10. How will you reward yourself for achieving your goals in 2003?

How will you celebrate?

Having all this mapped out is as important as effective business management. Managing your goals, prioritising and evaluating ensures your next 12 months will be as successful personally as professionally.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.
You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom’s blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com

If you have a daunting task and the mere thought of it overwhelms you, it’s probably too big to implement directly and should be broken down into actionable parts. I find this happens to me frequently — I see the big strategic goal that I want to achieve, but become paralyzed thinking about the size of the project. To accomplish my overall goal, I need to crack this task into small doable pieces. In that way, I keep it simple and focused on one thing at a time.

Five Questions to Ask Yourself to Break a Big Daunting Task into Actionable Pieces

Ask yourself the following questions and write down all the answers you come up with. It works best if you can find a quiet, peaceful, comfortable place to do this where you won’t be interrupted.

1. What is the specific overall goal or task you want to achieve?

Be as clear as possible and include as many dates and or numbers as you can. If you are in business, you may have an overall task to “Create $50,000.00 of revenue from new online products within three months.” You could also identify more details including information about the target market, the type of products, etc. You can also apply this to personal tasks. For example, you may have an overall objective to “Eliminate clutter in three rooms in my home within two months with processes to maintain it.”

2. What information do you need first to complete your goal or task?

I often find I can’t take action until I get further information, especially at the beginning of a big task. For example, if your task is to eliminate clutter and you don’t really know where to start, you might need information on how to eliminate clutter and what tips the experts recommend. To gather this information you may choose to complete an Internet search or visit the local library and searching under organization or decluttering. Or you could choose to hire a professional organizer to provide some personal assistance.

3. What necessary steps do you foresee?

Again, be as specific as possible. This may seem unnecessary, but if you can write down the required steps to complete your project, it can start to feel less daunting. I often find that I end up with around five steps to complete — each of them may take me some time to accomplish, but with only five or less steps, it’s much easier to get my head around the overall task.

4. Who else should be involved, and what do you require or want them to do?

Make sure you consider both required and desired assistance. There will be times when you need support, but don’t forget to also ask for help when it will make the task easier for you and or lighten your load. I find that this step very helpful because we often forget about all the contacts that we really do have — and the contacts that these people have that they could match us up with if necessary.

5. What should be your very first step, and when do you have to take it?

The first step is always the key to getting started. Often I find this is something I have already identified as part of my response to questions two or four above.

Copyright 2004 Donna P. Lendzyk

Donna P. Lendzyk is a professional coach and creator of the Overcome Overwhelm System. She coaches businesswomen to “Overcome Overwhelm and Achieve Their Desired Results.” She is the author of the multi-media “Overcome Overwhelm eProgram.” To learn more about her eProgram and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her website at http://www.overcomeoverwhelm.com

About once every year or so, I take a critical look at the design of my web site and now our popular newsletter and wonder what I could do to create a theme background for them.

The site has been changed several times over the last four years, but it doesn’t really have a theme backdrop. I deliberately keep it simple for easy viewing and administration.

Once again it is screaming at me to do something. I have spent some time looking over ready made themes and theme pages, but nothing has come up New Age.

Today the light bulb lit up over my head, what would be a New Age Theme? If you log onto my site you will find several text definitions of New Age, but when it comes to the real world that we live in how would I picture it?

There is always a tendency to use esoteric, abstract or religious symbols, angels, trumpets, clouds, butterflies, or symbols of ancient generations. Then I had a thought, what if we all had the chance to change the theme of the world how would we paint it differently than it is now?

Would we be walking around in long robs, with hoods in our bare feet? Would the world be painted in pastels with fuzzy outlines or would they be bright contrasting colours with dark borders? Would there be no roads or vehicles because we had finally mastered the art of travel without machines. Then would our backgrounds be painted with empty fields, rolling hills, trees and butterflies. Would we have come to terms with the over population issues and now live in small communities without the background of noisy cities and skyscrapers?

Would our villages still be silhouetted by church steeples and statues and our skies painted in vapour trails from high flying aircraft?

One might create a little smirk on one’s face right about now as he/she tries to picture the new world. If you were to take a minute or so to reflect on your childhood and the surroundings that you were raised in and then look around you now, it would not be the same. Over the years of your life you have changed the background of your physical existence. You have done it individually and en masse. You have co-operated with others to create the backdrop for your new play, for the life that you are experiencing at this moment, and for the most part you have done it subconsciously.

There are a few dreamers that envision these changes and then seek to make them happen, builders, architects or city planners etc. are some of them. But for the masses we simply accept them as a part of change. The change is a physical manifestation of a collective thought that we have about how our environment should be, and we are always arguing and fighting about it.

How many of us actually spend any quiet time and imagine how we personally would paint the world. What would be your personal image of the New Age? No one’s image would be exactly like another’s; the images would be as diverse as the individuals that are making them up.

As whimsical as these thoughts may be, we all have the opportunity and power to create the world that we envision. We are making it up right now, so why not do it the way that we want with some forethought about how it should be on a conscious level. The first step for change comes from your imagination, then a thought about change and then speaking your thoughts and watching them manifest into the finished piece.

A painter has the image in her/his mind first, as does the sculptor or the architect and the planners, all things that you see now came from someone’s imagination. The funny thing is, is that you do not have to be anyone of those people in order to make the changes happen. But what you have to do is think about it first and have it in your mind. Your thoughts along with similar thoughts of others will manifest what you have imagined. This is how it has always worked; this is how you can make it happen in your lifetime.

It is not too late just because you are old, your thoughts know no age, and they are added to the thoughts of others to create your imagined world no matter
how old your are, the circumstances of your life, or the wealth you may have or not have. All thoughts carry the same weight or relevance. You can create the New World, but first you must take the time to see it in your head and it has to be your focus, that’s all you need and that’s all you have to do, it is really that simple.

For me I have moved past the angels and trumpet symbols and my world is very simple and uncluttered. I do not see the need to work my butt off twelve hours a day for technology that is sitting at home talking to each other and partying it up while I’m away trying to support them.

New Age is now, it is the farmer in the field ploughing the earth and it is the ambulance racing down the street screaming to get the hell out of the way. It is the skyscraper moving up and tumbling down. It is the gun and the knife; it is the hand of love and friendship stretched out to help another. It is what we are and what we are doing now.

New Age is not about something that is going to happen in the future, that will never come. It is about the starving and the waste, the poverty and excessive abundance. New Age is what you see, hear, feel, taste and smell at this moment. The world is a physical representation of your thoughts and your position relative to your environment and the others around you. If you are to create a Future Age then take a few moments every day to imagine it, hold that image in your mind and then make it your New Age, now.

How am I going to paint the background of my New Age site? I don’t have a clue, it is already New Age. Possibly I could create a mosaic of now images flowing into the mouth of a gigantic blender. The issues with “now,” are that by the time you start creating it, the image is old news and is no longer “now.”

I have been on this ride many times and I am just not that great of an artist. I may be in contradiction with myself as a New Age Writer, but my feet are firmly planted on the ground and spirituality is all about my daily life in the physical world. I definitely know that I do not want clouds, angels and trumpets (Not that there is anything wrong with that). I want to accept the way that I am now, change the things that I do not like and make way for improvement. I have been able to do that all my life, I am doing that now and perhaps just I want to create change just for the sake of change and that is reason enough.

After this entire mental workout, the issue of my site’s background remains at a stalemate.

Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy’s books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.

You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.

Roy’s style is honest and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.

Visit Roy at: http://www.klienwachter.com

I have to admit that I am a confirmed puzzle-head. I love crosswords, acrostics, and cryptograms. But I am becoming ever more intrigued by logic problems. For one thing they teach you how to become a more attentive listener or reader to catch the nuances of language that can provide invaluable clues to their solution. For another, they teach the step-to-step process of processing information. These are skills that are valuable for nearly all reasoning situations.

To illustrate the process, the following is a problem I have composed that will take you step by step from recognizing the essential elements to the final solution. I have not provided a matrix but if you are familiar with the technique you can construct one yourself from the description.

I call the problem The Wilson Elementary Subject Olympics. Ed, Bob, Susan, Anne and Wayne (in no particular order) are five bright 6th-Grade students attending Wilson School. They recently competed in the school’s annual competition. The subjects were: reading, writing, arithmetic, art & poetry, and gym. For scoring purposes, the winner in each subject was awarded four points; the second place three; third, two; fourth, one; and fifth, zero. At the end of the competition the principal said that it was the closest competition ever. Each competitor was within one point of the next highest finisher. Every competitor got at least one four. From the following clues, determine the score and order of finish for each of the students. [N.B. You may want to construct two different tables, one with the names of the students and the subject, the other simply the subject and total number of points scored in each subject.

(1) Only one student got 5 different scores. Bob scored four more points than the last-place finisher. The student in second place had no zeroes.

(2) Wayne, who did not finish fourth or fifth, got a four in gym and got a higher score than (Bob) in arithmetic.

(3) Susan finished in third place in two subjects but she finished first in arithmetic.

(4) Bob’s best subject was writing and his worst was gym, where he got a zero.

(5) Anne got identical scores in writing and gym and a four in reading. She did not finish last.

(6) Ed, Bob, Susan and Anne finished 1 through 4 in that order in art and poetry.

(7) Ed finished fourth in arithmetic, but second in gym. He also got identical scores in reading and writing.

(8) The third place finisher got a one in writing; the fourth place finisher a zero in arithmetic.

From the above we have more than enough information to solve the problem. For one thing, we know our students finished within a point ahead or a point behind their competitors. If we add up the total number of possible points for each category we get 4 plus 3 plus 2 plus 1 or a total of ten. Since we have five categories with ten points in each we have a total of 50 points. Since each student finished within a point of each other, the scores will be consecutive integers such as 11,12,13,14,15 for example. If you want to, you can sit down and experiment to see which five integers add up to fifty, but there is a simple algebraic formula that will give the number. The smallest number will be x. The next number will be x+1, then x+2, X+3 and x+4. Written out x + (x+1) + (x+2) + (x+3) + (x+4) = 50. 5x+10 = 50. 5x = 40 so x equals 8. The five integers are 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Now let’s turn to the clues.

Clue number one tells us that Bob had 4 more points than the last place finisher. The last place competitor scored 8 points. Bob must have scored a total of twelve, which means he finished in first place.

From Clue number two we know that Wayne did not finish 4th or 5th. Since Bob finished first we know Wayne must hsve finished 2nd or third and will have a total of 11 or 10 points.

Clue number six gives us four actual scores. Ed got a 4 in art and poetry, Susan 3, Bob 2, and Anne 1. By inference, Wayne got the zero. Since clue one tells us that the second place finisher had no zeroes, Wayne must have finished in third place with a total of ten points. We also know that he is the student who received five different scores because 4+3+2+1+0 equals 10 and clue one tells us that only student had five different scores.

Clue four tells us that Bob’s best subject was writing. This means he got one four only and it was in writing. He scored 0 points in gym. Since he scored a total of 12 points, he must have gotten a total of 8 points in Reading, Arithmetic and Art& Poetry. The clue also tells us that he got the same score in two subjects. He only got one 4, so he must have gotten 2s or 3s in the remaining subjects. The only numbers that add up to eight are 3, 3 and 2. From clue 2 we know that Wayne got a 3 in arithmetic and this was a higher score than Bob. We now know Bob’s standing and all of his scores, viz, Reading 3, Writing 4, Arithmetic 2, Art and Poetry 3, Gym 0.

Clue five tells us that Anne got the four in reading and that she didn’t finish last. Bob finished first, Wayne 3rd and Anne 2nd, or 4th. By the process of elimination, either Susan or Ed must have finished in last place. Please remember that the last place finisher scored a total of 8 points. Susan has been identified as having seven points so far and has at least another for her second third place finish.

Clue eight says that the third place finisher, (Wayne), got a 1 in writing We now know 8 of Wayne’s total of 10 points in four subjects. This means he must have gotten a score of 2 in Reading, the only remaining blank. The rest of the clue tells us that the fourth place finisher got a zero in arithmetic. Susan got a 4 which means that Ed or Ann finished in Fourth place.

Clue nine indicates that Ed got the same score in reading and writing. The only scores he could have got were ones or zeros. We know that Anne finished in fourth place, so Ed finished fifth with a total of 8 points. We already can account for 7 of them so he scored a total of 1 point in three subjects. Since he got the same score in reading and writing, these must be zeroes and his one point would be in arithmetic. By the process of elimination, we now know that Susan finished in second place with a total of 11 points. Furthermore Ed, Bob, Anne and Wayne account for 9 of the 10 points in reading, meaning Susan scored 1.

In the arithmetic column we have now accounted for all ten points without Anne’s score. Thus, her score must be zero. We’re almost finished.

Clue 5 reads that Anne got identical scores in writing and in gym. At this point she has a total of 5 points. The identical scores must be 2s. That leaves he last two numbers to fill in for Susan. She got a 3 in writing and a 1 in Gym.

At long last we have the standings and the scores. Bob, first, reading 3, writing 4, arithmetic 2, Art and Poetry 3 and Gym 0.

Susan, second, reading 1, writing 3, arithmetic 4, Art and Poetry 2 and Gym 1. Wayne is third with 2 in reading, 1 in writing, 3 in arithmetic, zero in art and poetry and 4 in gym. Anne, who came in fourth, has the following: 4 in reading, 2 in writing, zero in arithmetic one in Art and Poetry and 2 in gym. Last but not least Ed got a zero in Reading and writing, 1 in arithmetic. 4 in Art and Poetry and 3 in gym.

From a step by step approach, we began by finding the total number of points available from the clue about the numbers of points scored. After that we determined Bob finished first with 12 points. Each clue from that point on provided more information either by statement or inference. What seems at first to be an unintelligible mess gives way to logical analysis. If you enjoyed it, get yourself a logic book and have a ball!

The author, John Anderson, loves puzzles. He has used a number of different ones in his novel, The Cellini Masterpiece, written under the pen name of Raymond John. If you’d like to read a sample chapter or have a question or want to contact John, go to http://www.cmasterpiece.com

Q. I’ve been working on a big project for a long time. Although I try to
move ahead every day, sometimes I have to force myself to accomplish
even a small task. When I skip a day, I feel guilty. How can I stay
motivated?”

A. When you’re working on a book, job search, business start-up,
dissertation, or special project, you can feel consumed by the project.
And often you feel as though you can’t afford to take a break, let alone a
day off.

I once heard a writer say, “Sometimes I’m really productive. I write five
pages on my book! Then the next day I’m drained. So I review what I’ve
written or organize my research files.”

And I feel the same way. I resist taking a day off to read a new mystery,
go for a hike, visit an art museum, or watch a season of an HBO series
on DVD. But the next day, invariably, I wake up eager to work. And I
accomplish everything I need to do, and more.

Frankly, I’ve never found staring at a blank screen (or paper, in the old
days) does much good. Resistance means, “Time for a change of pace!”

These beliefs are supported by scientific evidence. Psychologists who
study these up-and-down activity blips have found a certain
randomness operates in human productivity levels.

For example, an employee “Bill” varied his arrival time at work. When
Bill was late, his boss yelled at him. When Bill was on time, the boss
offered praise.

Sure enough, Bill responded. The day after the boss yelled, Bill was on
time. And the day after the reward, Bill slacked off and arrived late. So,
concluded the boss, praise doesn’t work. And punishment does.

There was only one problem. A computer demonstrated that Bill’s arrival
times showed a pattern of random variation. In fact, the computer could
predict quite accurately how Bill would perform - with or without praise
and blame.

The same pattern has been found among students: some days you
learn faster while other days you just don’t get it. And some days you’re
productive and efficient, while other days you’re sluggish.

If you’ve studied statistics, you’re probably guessed that we’re talking
about regression to the mean, which is very powerful. People usually
have an average level of productivity. When they work hard one day,
they tend to slow down the next.

So here’s an exercise. Suppose you have a writing project. You set a
goal: write 500 words a day. For other projects, find a daily activity level
that’s easy to observe and measure.

For the next 30 days, track how many words you write (or how
productive you are in the task you’ve chosen). Some days you’ll write
1000 words, other days none, with lots of variation. Each day just record
your word count, without judging your output. At the end of 30 days,
calculate an average. And calculate again after 60 days.

You may find that your natural average is 300 words a day. You can
lower your daily goals - or recognize that you work best with your
random pattern.

Obviously, if you have a deadline, you may have to increase your
output. Professional writers typically write 1000-3000 words a day.

But if you’re making acceptable progress toward a goal, you can begin
to understand, accept and work with your natural rhythm. Regardless,
beating yourself up and feeling guilty won’t work. If you’re constantly
falling behind, maybe it’s time for a change of career - a chance to enjoy
marching your life to a new beat.

Most of all, I ask my clients to remove the word “lazy” from their
vocabularies - forever! When you’re berating yourself for lack of
progress - stop! Chances are you’re right on schedule.

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., helps midlife professionals who want to make
huge, medium and small career changes. Strategize, get unstuck, start a
business or start over. Fr^e Report: Ten secrets of managing a major life
change. mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact mailto:cathy@cathygoodwin.com or call 505-534-4294

http://www.cathygoodwin.com
http://www.copy-cat-copywriting.com

The key to achieving more than you currently are, no matter which area of your life or work you are focusing in on now, is change. The old saying rings true: If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you’ve already got. If you keep eating and exercising the way you currently are, you will weigh the same a year from now. If you continue to sell to the same people on the same schedule, you will make the same amount of money next year.

In order to move forward, we must change.

As I have worked with people, both in a professional setting and on a personal basis, I have found two things to be true about change. One, it is simple. Two, it is not easy. That is, the concept of change is simple to grasp. People or organizations are quick to say, “Oh, I know we need to change.” Simple.

But where the problem starts, and why most people and organizations do not change, is because it is not easy to change. But, I believe, if the process is well thought out, and if we have the guts and determination to carry it out, change can happen, and we can move on to more fulfilled lives.

With that said, let me give you what I consider the elements of change.

Discontentment with your current state. The first step in the process of change is to not want to be where you currently are. You must be discontent with it. If you are overweight, you must say, “I will not accept this anymore.” If you are in debt, you must say, “I cannot tolerate this any longer.” If you have broken relationships, you must say, “I will not live with this.” This is a decision to change and not accept the status-quo.

The picture of your preferred outcome. What is it that you want to change to? It absolutely is not enough to say “I need to change.” It must be: “I am going to change to…” This becomes the goal. I would encourage you to get a mental picture of it formulated in your mind. Get a real picture of it if it is that tangible. Perhaps write yourself a short essay, extolling the virtues of what life will be like when you get to the changed state.

New associations with the two states. You must begin to associate your current state you are in with pain, and the state you want to be in with pleasure. Let’s take weight for example. We tend to think of ice cream, mounds of it, with pleasure. I know that I do. Especially chocolate chip mint. Last night we went to some friend’s house and we had some ice cream. Normal portions. I don’t like to eat normal portions. I like huge portions of ice cream. There is an association of pleasure there. But what I did to overcome the urge to eat scoop after scoop was to associate huge portions to being overweight, not the pleasure of the taste. I also associated not eating the ice cream with feeling better about myself. Then when it comes to exercise, I work on associating the exercise and weight-lifting with the pleasure of fitting into my clothes rather than the pain my muscles feel every time I do it. This help me win the battle of the mind.

Develop a plan of short, simple steps. “I am going to lose fifty pounds in two months.” “I will sell 500% more next month.” These are examples of change that are good goals to have long term, but too big for the time allotted - and this is havoc on change!

If your goals are too big in too short of time, you will fail and become discouraged. Then you will quit and decide change can’t be accomplished. Instead, you must have short, workable, attainable goals if you are going to see real change happen and stay.

“I am going to lose five pounds a month for ten months.”

“We are going to sell 6% more each month this year (That would double your business each year)”

These are the size steps you need to take. Then you will build victory after victory.

Discipline yourself. Sorry but this is where it is up to you. At the heart of change is the ability to discipline ourselves. I cannot lose your weight. Your mom cannot go out and make sales calls for you. The only real obstacle standing between your current state and your desired outcome is you! So do everything you can to get yourself motivated to change! Force yourself to get out of bed and get to work on your goals! Discipline yourself. Choose to make the right decision.

Reward yourself when you have made the change. That’s right: reward yourself. You have worked hard and exerted a lot of self-discipline to get there! You deserve it!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn
their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams.

To see Chris “live” at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on
the subject of Secrets of Influence go to
http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

“But if in your thought you must measure time into
seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons, And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.”

- Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

The low afternoon sun cast soft rays through a cool October breeze. Tall maples filled the park with fiery shades of orange and gold. These colorful trees conveyed feelings of strength and peace.

Two children darted across a carpet of crackling leaves. They shouted gleefully, pretending to be a prince and princess. They were filled with the bubbly joy of anticipation that children feel during the spring time of life.

At the same time, the brilliant maples reminded me that autumn can be filled with anticipation of beauty and strength. In all seasons of life, there are wonderful treasures to expect.

What will happen between the spring and autumn of your life? What will you do to experience the peaceful strength and fruitful harvests that an inspired life brings?

One of the first things we can do is sow good-quality seeds of faith and action. We can gain skills and knowledge. Then we can keep those skills sharp and polished by continuing to learn.

The seasons have no lack of time; each is balanced within a cycle of birth, growth and rest. Likewise, the only time we lack is that which we fail to use for worthwhile purposes.

Each of us have different priorities and degrees of discipline for balancing the use of time. When we say yes to one thing, we say no to something else.

The harvest will arrive in due season whether bounteous or lean. It can bring satisfaction of a job well done. It can convey contentment and strength as life prepares to rest, anticipating another spring time.

Ask yourself, “What seeds will I sow today that will yield a bounteous harvest? What will I say “yes” to today?

If you sow quality seeds of thought, faith, and action today, your harvest can be plentiful, and the autumn foliage brilliant. May your autumns bring all the joy, strength, and prosperity that you’ve ever wanted!

Wishing you blessings and success!

Steve Brunkhorst

© Copyright by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve your top potential. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com

Perhaps I should ask my doctor if there is a drug to take to combat frustration from seeing so many drug ads. You know the ones I’m talking about. They always start out with a list of questions. Then they tell you that a new drug might be just the thing for you–all you have to do is ask your doctor.

Here’s my tongue-in-cheek riff on those ubiquitous ads.

*************************

Have you ever felt you had too little time for your many interests?

Do you find it difficult to decide which section of the bookstore to browse?

Is it hard for you to answer the question, “What do you do?”?

You may be suffering from Multiple Interest Disorder.

There is help for those suffering from Multiple Interest Disorder. New ideas make it possible to live a meaningful life despite the inability to hold the same job for 25 years.

There are support groups for those suffering from Multiple Interest Disorder. You can find them at most community colleges, libraries, artist cooperatives, bookstores, and coffee shops near you. It’s important for you to know that, wherever you are, there are other individuals coping with their limitless approach to life.

In addition, you should know that many successful individuals have suffered just as you are now. Leonardo da Vinci found it impossible to choose between science and art. Albert Einstein was unable to find satisfaction as a student. Orville and Wilbur Wright were incapable of sticking to running their bicycle shop.

If you’re suffering from Multiple Interest Disorder, you may have several of the following symptoms:

• Multiple talents

• A well-used library card

• An affinity for public broadcasting

• An eclectic collection of recorded music

• An inability to stick with one career

• A tendency to prefer conversation over television

• A penchant for viewing independent films

• A habit of attending lectures or author events

• A collection of art supplies, sports gear, books, antiques, exotic plants, cooking utensils, or any combination of these

Don’t ask your doctor if a limited life is right for you. Your lack of mindlessness may have become apparent to yourself or others. It may be too late to avoid recognizing your potential and engaging in your own process of maximizing your intellect, talent, and compassion.

Millions of people around the world are suffering from Multiple Interest Disorder. They are incapable of sticking to predictable options. They are choosing to wallow in their opportunities for excellence and fulfillment.

If you think you may be suffering from Multiple Interest Disorder, ask yourself if a life of limitations is right for you. Pursuing a long-term course of multiple passions may result in fascinating conversations, stimulating relationships, and an extra long obituary. Those pursuing a path of many twists and turns may develop excessive curiosity and energy.

SIDE EFFECTS: Those engaging in a life of limitless opportunities may experience spontaneous woos–contagious and energizing expressions of irrepressible joy. To avoid mindlessness, refrain from mediocrity and repetitive thought patterns. In the event of unrestrained enthusiasm and discovery, deep and lasting satisfaction may be the only prognosis. Don’t ask your doctor for more information.

About The Author

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 90 countries. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.

maya@massageyourmind.com

Being the youngest in a family of eight didn’t leave much time…or funding for extravagant birthday parties that included balloons, hats or goody bags. We had the usual birthday cake from a box, candles and the “Happy Birthday Song,” and finances permitting - we received gifts from our parents.

I recall one birthday that my father wasn’t home. An Army Sergeant, he spent many weeks on end in “the fields” or drill for his particular duty station. Upon his return, he brought me a very large cardboard box. It wasn’t wrapped, a little warped, and most of the flaps were open. As a wide-eyed 6-year old, I was of course, intrigued by the contents. Pulling back one of the flaps, I peered down inside the container. The base of the box was lined with tiny, used plastic toy soldiers, a few matchbox cars, some lego blocks and a Batman car that traditionally shot “missiles.” However, since the missiles were missing, we accessorized the little, black vehicle with toothpicks - which worked quite well.

We didn’t have a lot of money for a lot of things, but the big, cardboard container with used toys seems to linger in my timebox of precious memories. As a matter of fact, the miscellaneous odds and ends were the perfect gifts for an inquisitive blond-curled tomboy.

As we all matured, my sisters and I proceeded having our own families. One of our primary goals was to give our children ALL the things we didn’t have or couldn’t afford. And as much material things I personally gave my children, I still wanted to incorporate a “special” memory timebox that they, too, may retain in years to come.

I made certain that both my children had ‘real’ birthday parties - hats, goody bags, the whole works. But what made their special day - ’special,’ was the flying of the balloons. So what’s so unique about letting balloons go into the air? From the time my children were able to write with crayons, I would purchase small 3×5 ruled, index cards, plastic ziplock baggies, ribbon and helium balloons on their birthdays. Depending on how old they were turning, was how many helium balloons I would buy. I began first by having them write a small note, “Dear Friend, my name is …, and I am hoping that my little balloon will find its way to you. If you find my note, please write me at…., God Bless You, ….” After writing their note, name and address, we would meticulously slip the 3×5 card into a ziplock baggie, seal it and attach a separate note to each balloon. At the ‘end’ of their birthday party, my kids would excitedly run outside to lift off their balloons. One at a time, we would watch red, blue, green, yellow, purple and orange balloons spiral into the vast, open sky.

Throughout the years, up until their 12th birthdays, we would fly the balloons to signify their special days. Additionally, we knew that although modern technology allows us to instantly communicate, that perhaps, just one of the balloons would make it into someone else’s hands. One year after my son’s 9th birthday, he received a letter from a teenage girl that lived in a neighboring state. The hand-written envelope was addressed to my son, and came from North Carolina. As he carefully opened the sealed envelope, I knew that this was a response from one of his balloons. Sure enough, the letter explained how the little balloon had made its way into a farm field over 400 miles away. The teenage girl wrote how her father, a farmer, had been ploughing his wheat fields when he stumbled upon a red balloon with a little note attached to it. Amazed at his finding, he brought it home to his 17-year old daughter who quickly responded to my son.

For years, my kids would anxiously await more responses. Although we didn’t get a response for every balloon we sent, somehow, I know that another individual will one day stumble upon one of their little notes from the past. And perhaps, one day, they will receive yet another response.

It is my belief that the simple things we do, give and say are the happiest and most treasured moments of our lives. My teenage kids often remark about the balloon flights and still hold those times dear to their hearts. In essence, they now have their own memory timebox, as I will always have mine.

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C. Bailey-Lloyd/Lady Camelot

About the Author:

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations Director & Writer for Holistic Junction — Your source of information for Holistic Practitioners; Reflexology Schools, Massage Therapy Schools, and Chiropractic Schools; Alternative Healthcare; Insightful Literature and so much more!


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As responsible employers, parents, and friends, we have an obligation to correct the mistakes of other people in order to enhance their personal success. The task before us is how to correct a deficiency without damaging the delicate ego that can sometimes get in the way. Too often people criticize someone’s behavior without providing a solution and this is detrimental because it then becomes a personal attack on the person that only aims to demerit them. Constructive criticism involves pointing out their weakness and offering a solution to correct it. In order to give constructive criticism, we must seek the solution to the problem before we point it out to the person. By doing this, we effectively separate the behavior from the ego and preserve the relationship in the process.

Here Are Some Strategies For Giving Constructive Criticism:

1. Never criticize while you are angry with the person. If your emotions are controlling your actions, then avoid any type of criticism. It becomes too easy to use that criticism as a chance to make a personal attack on the other person when emotions are high. Distance yourself and regain your own composure before you address a behavior that needs correcting.

2. Offer a better solution. Know the difference between disliking a certain behavior because it disagrees with your own personal preference versus disliking a behavior in favor of a more efficient way or correct way of doing something. Avoid making a criticism and then attempting to support it with emotional appeals because the issue then becomes a matter of personal preference and conflicting egos. Instead, use the power of logic to show the person that there really is a better way of doing the same thing that will enhance their own success and productivity.

3. Always let the person save face. This means respect the person, even if they did something completely inappropriate. The psychological consequences of embarrassing or disrespecting someone in front of their peers is very severe. It is so severe in fact, that such embarrassment has been a major factor in 80% of all violent incidents in the workplace and at schools. Criticism is a personal and private process that is not to be shared with anyone else. Also, it is just as important not to make it apparent to other people that you are giving, or going to give criticism. Asking someone to come into your office in front their peers can be just as damaging as criticizing them in public. Keep it very confidential and respect your counterpart’s needs to save face in front of their peers.

4. Focus on the problem, not the person. When giving constructive criticism, make sure that you stay focused on addressing the problem and not the person. The problem is an objective issue that you can work cooperatively on to enhance both of your interests. Focusing in on the person, however, will always be construed as a personal attack against themeven if it is not meant to be. Personal attacks are always followed up with resentment and anger, which can actually be more detrimental in the long run because it can cause deep-seated resentment, which in turn, can lead to poor moral, clandestine or saboteur behavior, and passive-resistance. Remember that the person has feelings and those feelings can be easily broken by a wrong approach. Whenever you give criticism, follow the golden rule of attacking the problem, while being gentle on the person.

5. Empathize with their position. Empathy is the ability to step into the shoes of the other person and see the world from their perspective. Sometimes we forget what it is like to be the new person on the job because we have grown accustom to a certain procedure or routine that is second nature to us. Remember that people don’t always see things as you do and part of being a good educator is being able to understand the other person’s position and work with them at their levelnot your own.

6. Never label the person. Attaching a negative label on the person being criticized is an inappropriate approach because it dehumanizes them, making it easier for you to be angry with them and it demoralizes them.

7. Focus on the future, not the past. Blaming someone for their past behavior does nothing but create conflict. The past is over with and your main concern is that it does not happen in the future. So instead of dwelling on past behavior, use it as a teaching tool so that they can improve in the future.

8. Use softening words to pad your criticism. Softening words are designed to “soften” harsh-sounding statements.. Softeners work because they leave a lot of room for interpretation of the statement that follows it. Some examples of softeners are, “I think,” “I suppose,” “it seems,” “I believe,” etc. So instead of making a harsh statement such as, “You’re report is terrible.” Replace it with a softened criticism such as, “It seems to me that this part of your report could use some revision.” The psychological effect of rewording a statement can lead to a greater amount of persuasion and conflict avoidance.

9. Give them an opportunity to correct their behavior. This is an important step for any criticism because it works at two different levels. On the first level, giving them the opportunity to correct their behavior or actions lets them take responsibility for their behavior and reinforces the point that they must be held accountable for their actions. On the second level, giving them the opportunity to correct their behavior will give them an opportunity to redeem themselves and save face with you, which will make it easier for them to put their past behavior behind them and move one.

10. Constructive criticism is a sign of compassion. Criticism is often associated as a negative thing because it is often abused as a transport device for personal attacks. However, constructive criticism is a positive gift because the core message behind that criticism is that you care about the person enough to want them to succeed in the future. Constructive criticism is one of the main tests that separate regular people from true caring friends. Caring people will be honest with you and even risk generating conflict if they believe that their constructive criticism will help improve your life. Make sure that the person knows that your constructive criticism is done because you care about them and that you value your relationship with them. They will respect you more for being honest with them.

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