RE PLAN YOUR GOALS EVERY SIX MONTHS

 RE PLAN YOUR GOALS EVERY SIX MONTHS

There was a time when five-year plans were all the rage. But that was when people can still count on signing up with a company for life. In the warp-speed world of technology, five years is an eternity. So how is one supposed to map out one`s career when the business landscape is always changing?

Firstly, a plan is useless but planning is still essential. Instead of a five-year plan, try formulating a five-year vision. In that way, people can chart a course they would like to follow. For example, today I am on the team; in two years, I would like to be managing it; in three years, I would like to be relocated to build a new team in a new market; and in five years, I would like to be coordinating a group of international teams. Just keep in mind that the course will almost certainly change.

Secondly, people should not confine their career projections within the framework of their current companies as they did previously. Instead, they should understand that while it is beneficial to set a goal of being a supervisor in five years, you might need to move to another company in another country to achieve it. Construct a portfolio of your achievements and market yourself by including your personal goals along with your career goals. It is important to include financial planning, as one cannot rely on employers` plans to manage one`s money.

Thirdly, people should identify employment-related characteristics regardless of other factors. The key to planning is for workers to upgrade their own skills and stay relevant in the job market. This applies strongly to the engineering profession. For the first four to five years, the engineer`s plan will be broken into two major periods. The first two years will be learning key technical training and after that the engineer will be placed in the field for a couple of years. The engineer should take advantage of all opportunities to try out different aspects of engineering during these five years. After this incubation period, the engineer would need to be flexible and able to chart his own course, even into overseas countries with strong career growth opportunity.

Fourthly, people should make their plans incremental and somewhat aggressive. This is very much the case in creative fields such as design and architecture. Creative people are expected to do rather than wait to be told what to do. But even the most creative businesses are businesses at heart. So, a career plan for a designer or decorator should include delving into the business side of projects.

In general, people must first decide what specific path they wish to take, and then proceed down that road ambitiously, scooping up opportunities when they appear. Long-term plans can be used as guides, but they become folly if they are followed rigidly.

Set your goals. Map out a plan. Create a vision. Then six months later, be ready to 

ALTITUDE IS DETERMINED BY ATTITUDE

 

ALTITUDE IS DETERMINED BY ATTITUDE

 

Your attitude determines your altitude – in business and in life. You can’t change someone else’s attitude for them. But this powerful adage is a great reminder that you can put in front of anyone who needs an attitude adjustment. I want to talk about a few of the many ways each of us can develop a winning attitude every day. It’s what leaders do.

Marcus Aurelius, the great philosopher who ruled the Roman Empire, said it simply: “Our life is what our thoughts make it”.

Dale Carnegie, speaking to that quote said: “Yes, if we think happy thoughts, we will be happy. If we think miserable thoughts, we will be miserable. If we think fear thoughts, we will be fearful. If we think sickly thoughts we probably will be ill. If we think failure, we will certainly fail. If we wallow in self-pity, everyone will want to shun us and avoid us”.

Am I advocating a Pollyanna attitude toward all our problems? No. Life isn’t that simple. But I am advocating – in the strongest terms – that we assume a positive attitude instead of a negative one.

Mental attitude – the power we hold in our heads. Reality can be changed dramatically by a single thought. In nutrition the adage is you are what you eat. In terms of leadership, it’s more likely you are what you think. Contrary to what people want to believe, outside influences don’t usually determine your happiness or success, rather it is how we react to those influences – good or bad. So how do you change your reactions to those outside forces?

Make how you react a conscious priority, which means practice daily.

Humor is vital. When things aren’t going your way, keep everything in perspective and relax. I laugh. Others throw up their hands. Whole industries get very cynical.

Positive self-confident feelings not only help you achieve more; they also make others want to be associated with you. People are drawn to others who have an upbeat outlook, who have a can-do attitude. Constant complainers don’t collect an easy following.

Positive self-confident feelings not only help you achieve more; they also make others want to be associated with you. People are drawn to others who have an upbeat outlook, who have a can-do attitude. Constant complainers don’t collect an easy following.

One of a leader’s most important jobs is to set a positive and self-confident tone, exuding the attitude that failure is not an option. A positive attitude is the cornerstone of leadership. It’s the same confidence that a quarterback, a golfer, or a tennis star projects every time they come out of the locker room.

To gain strength from the positive and not be sapped by the negative, here are a few ideas:

Focus on the 90% of your team who will run with your vision and your plan – don’t let the “negative ” drain you or poison your team.

Tap your spiritual essence at work too – use your spirit and your heart to move you and your work forward.

Break the negative energy cycle – if you see yourself spiraling down or in a rut, mix it up, breakup the routine and do something fast that lifts you up. When you see one of your team members in a rut of unproductive or unprofessional behavior address it, don’t let it fester.

Active listening – takes time. Work at it, to hear what your team wants. Often just by being heard, problems can go away and people really make a big turnaround.

You must be the emotional manager of your office – not your assistant, not the new hotshot you just hired. In a family, parents must be the emotional managers or chaos rules the home. In your business, you must wear that mantel, albeit reluctantly at times. It’s part of your leadership role and power. Hone it, as well as your reactions to external events, and you’ll see the culture around you shift to the positive.

Jim Collins points out in Good to Great: When in doubt, don’t hire – keep looking. You can’t grow revenues consistently faster than your ability to get enough of the right people to implement that growth and still become a great company. So unless candidates for the open position have that can-do attitude and are a strong fit for your company in who they are – don’t hire them. The skills can be taught; the and-then-some positive attitude cannot.

As my friend Doug Emerson put it recently: “The prerequisite is attitude. Attitude is the one thing we can’t change in employees. You’ve got a good attitude or you don’t. Given adequate ability and desire to learn, everything else can be taught to employees with good attitudes. I have tried many times to teach good attitudes and have come to the conclusion it is about as easy as making a mud fence.”

A negative attitude will pull you down and with it your professional results. A positive attitude will pull you over the rough spots and energize you to lift your results to new heights – to match your vision. Whether you need an attitude adjustment a couple of times a day, once a week or only occasionally, never forget that your attitude determines your altitude. Don’t let outside people or events bring yours down.

 

The Ultimate Success Formula

 

The Ultimate Success Formula

 

What does it take to be successful?

Ask around and you will find different answers to the formula of success. The truth is, success leaves clues and you can achieve the success in the area you desire by observing the common qualities and principles. They are simple and considered to be common sense but most people simply do not follow them.

Let me share with you one of my favorite quotes:

“There are no secrets to success. It is the results of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure” Colin Powell

As stated in that quote, there are three key factors to achieve massive success in your life:

1. Preparation

You don’t have to wait for everything to be perfect. Start with the first step and keep moving. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Prepare, prepare, and prepare. You must be ready to receive the success you desire. Set your sight to the destination that you want to achieve, then work and prepare for the moment when the opportunity knocks your door.

2. Hard Work

Success needs hard work. Don’t listen to these ‘get rich quick’ schemes. You need to build your character and work hard on yourself and your business to achieve greatness. Work hard and work smart. Do the right things and do them in the right way. Don’t procrastinate. Take bold actions. Work long hours and craft your legacy.

3. Learning from failure

Successful people do not see failures as failures. They see them as important learning lessons. Lessons that are capable of giving them insights to prevent such mistakes from happening again. By adopting this mindset of turning each failure into a learning lesson or opportunity, you can never fail until you yourself quit.

Preparation, hard work and learning from your failures are the fundamentals to building your bright future.

 

FITNESS TRICKS

 

FITNESS TRICKS

Six fail safe ways to help to boost your immunity and 10-10 rule to reboot your body. The immune system is primarily made up of cells and proteins that defend the body against infection. The best way to improve your immune system is through maintaining clean and healthy blood cells.

Follow these six things for keeping your immune system as high as possible.

1. Keep a healthy diet

First of all, keep as healthy a diet as possible. Maintain a healthy nutrient-loaded food intake. You opt for a diet that is high in plant-based vegetables, low in sugar and includes plenty of lean proteins. Typically eat avocado with tomatoes and feta on rye bread for breakfast, before snacking on mixed berries mid-morning. Lunch is barbecue chicken or tofu with raw broccoli and cauliflower and a splash of teriyaki seasoning and hemp seeds - all cooked for around two minutes in the microwave. Dinner is with more protein and lean vegetables, something like chicken with sweet potato fries and salad with avocado. 

2. Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is great for the immune system, because it helps to increase your blood flow and keeps you feeling good. You must like to mix up cardio and resistance work, as well as getting in 10,000 steps daily as much as possible.

3. Hydrate

Thirdly, you must hydrate as much as possible and aim for at least two liters of water per day. Alongside regular H 2 0, you should like to drink juices and coconut water for the electrolytes.  

4. Get plenty of sleep

Sleep is critical, because it is the one main chance your body has to repair from the stress and strain of the day. You must get eight hours each night and has a specific wind-down routine, that means you set yourself up for bed an hour before going to bed by having a warm shower and a sleepy tea.

5. Minimize stress

While this is easier said than done, where possible if you can minimize stress, your immune system will be improved.

6. Get out in the fresh air

Finally, you should try and get out in the fresh air as much as possible and breathe in the fresh air as it oxygenates your blood and cells You should aim to get between 8,000 and 10,000 steps daily - and this ensures that you  spend at least an hour outside.