How To Be An Effective Learner

robotLife gives us an opportunity to learn every day.

The people we meet, the books we read, the discussions we have, the challenges we face…

There is always something new to learn.

Learning helps us deal with our challenges better, solve problems faster, come up with solutions quicker.

But most people miss out learning anything new because they are not looking, not trying, not observing, not absorbing…

Here are seven actions that will help you learn better

1. Feed your mind well

Read books, magazine, articles, essays and blogs regularly. Focus particularly on those that are related to your field of work.

More you expose yourself to new ideas, different opinions, the better will be your quality of decision making and thinking.

2. Make notes as you read

Objective of reading any book or article should not be to complete it quickly. Focus instead on absorbing the knowledge being shared, learn new things. Make notes as your read as this is a powerful technique to retain information that’s being read.

3. Re-read at regular intervals

It’s better to read, re-read just three to four books a year and absorb, implement key ideas than it is to read ten or twelve books a year and not remember anything.

4. Share what you read

To improve your understanding of what you have read, discuss it, debate it, question it and share it with others.

The more thought you give to what you have learnt, greater will be the retention of knowledge

5. Ideate on your notes

How can you use what you have learnt to improve something at work or in your personal life? Can you combine two ideas for a better one?

Can you adopt something? Can you come up with something completely new? You will never know until you sit down and ideate on your notes.

6. Spend time with good thinkers

Meet, listen, learn and absorb. There is always someone who knows more than you do.

7. Cut down television time

It’s called the idiot box for a reason. The less time you spend in front of it, the better.

Five Actions For Higher Success

SuccessTake Charge of Your Life

YOU are responsible for your life. Everything that happens to you is a result of the choices you have made in the past and continue to make every day.

So choose wisely and choose only those things that enrich your life, empower you to achieve more, enable you to succeed.

Stop blaming others for what’s not working in your life and focus instead on what you can do to make it better.

Stop Making Excuses

Everyone has challenges, everyone goes through tough times, everyone has something coming in the way of their succeeding.

The only difference is that people who eventually succeed are always the ones who don’t give excuses, either to others or themselves.

Once you develop this attitude, you will stop at nothing and learn to overcome challenges as and when they come up.

Develop Your Intuition

You have been blessed with an inner guidance system. Some call it intuition, others call it gut feel, others call it the sixth sense. This is a powerful inbuilt compass that’s always working for your benefit.

Learn to develop its power by listening to it more often, ask questions and you will get answers, state a problem and you will be given a solution, talk about your plans and you will get a reply if it’s in the right direction or not.

The more you listen to it, the more powerful it gets. So start listening to your inner voice.

Increase Your Awareness

It all starts with becoming aware they say. Awareness is figuring out where you currently are so you can then decide where you want to go.

The greater the awareness the easier it is to head in the direction you want to be. What are you good at? What are your talents? What’s working in your life? What have you succeeded at so far?

These are questions aimed at making you aware of your strengths. So start now and increase your awareness about every aspect of your life.

Pursue Clarity

Why are you reading this blog? What do you wish to learn? What do you want to achieve? What’s your purpose in life? Start becoming clear about what is it that you want and why.

Clarity has immense power. Clarity helps you go after the right things. Clarity gives you a sense of control and also helps you function more creatively.

How To Deal With A Difficult Coworker

You have seen them, you have suffered them, you probably have been like them sometime.

They are rude, they yell, they are nasty, they are difficult to talk to, they dont cooperate, they seem to always make you lose your cool, your sanity.

CDifficult Coworkeronflict at the workplace is a reality.

You cannot wish it away.

You can however learn to deal with it better and save yourself a lot of stress.

“Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.”  ~ Max Lucade

Here are 7 things you can do to handle a “difficult coworker” without going crazy:

1. Be more empathetic, you don’t know what the other person is going through to behave the way he/she does.

2. Fight fire with water, resolve to stay calm while your coworker fumes.

3. Don’t judge, label your colleague, a one off conflict does not make him/her ‘difficult’.

4. Try and think of 3 good things about him/her.  Everyone is talented.

5. Try and sort out the issue behind closed doors, deny an audience to the attention seeking angry coworker when necessary.

6. Accept your mistakes honestly if you are in the wrong – and if all else fails…

7. Report a chronic trouble maker to the management

Parting advice:

The best way to win an argument is to refuse to participate in one.

Time Management Techniques: Are You Getting More Done In Less Time?

Time managementTime, the most valuable currency on Earth.

Time, the most squandered resource on Earth.

Agree?

Everyone has just 24 hours in a day.

Yet some people get more done in their 24 hours than what others could in a week or a month.

Time management is among the most important factors for success.

Being organized is the first step in better time management.

Prioritization is the second.

Getting started and sticking to the time management plan is third.

If you are going to work on the urgent stuff first instead of the important, the important is going to become urgent by the time you get to it and guess what happens to the important tasks for that day? They become urgent in the next day or two.

This is a great plan to fail. To get sucked into a vicious cycle of fire-fighting, constantly being overwhelmed and stressed.

Here is a  simple approach to manage your time better:

1. Create a master list

Write down everything you need to do. EVERYTHING, irrespective of whether its for today or three years from now. If it’s on your mind as a ‘to do’ it needs to get onto the master list.

This ensures couple of things, one , you will never forget any task as its written down,two, you can use your valuable brain to do high value,creative thinking and problem solving instead of menial,trivial tasks.

2. Prioritize the master list

Code all important tasks that you MUST do as 1, code the next most important tasks as 2 and so on and so forth.

3. First things first

Get started on number 1 activities. Stay with these until they are completed. Do not get tempted to spend your valuable time or energy on other tasks until all #1 tasks are completed.

This way even if you manage to finish only 50% of your total tasks, majority of them would be important tasks and by completing them you will have a truer sense of accomplishment, greater motivation and higher peace of mind

4. Plan your day the evening before

Make your to do list the evening before so you are ready to start the moment your day begins. Make every minute count.

5. Optimize your environment

Reduce clutter, keep things organized so you are not spending valuable time searching for misplaced files, documents, tools of your trade. Next reduce the noise levels as this can create distractions and suck away your energy.

6. Productivity capsules

Finally work in a 45 – 5 – 45 – 5 – 45 schedule. ie you work for 45 minutes uninterrupted, take a 5 minute break , work for another 45 minutes uninterrupted, take a 5 minute break and so on.

This ensures you stay focused,concentrate well and also keep recharging yourself with the multiple 5 minute breaks

Time – the most valuable currency in the world.

Time – need not be the most squandered of your resources.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are You Investing In The True YOU?

Reading a bookA recent report in one of the financial dailies indicated that teenagers in India spend upwards of Rs 5,000 on cosmetics every month.

That got me thinking, so I spoke to a few people who are in their late twenties, early thirties, and…… that figure doubled !

Looking good is serious business these days. Articles, videos and blogs on how to be well groomed, rules of etiquette, being fashionable, what to wear and what not to wear are oozing out of many a printed and virtual page.

Looking good seems to have become a MUST and grabs a large share of the wallet.

Sadly, the same level of awareness, commitment and investment is lacking when it comes to developing the mind.

  • How many people do you know who read a book everyday?
  • How many people do you know who are actively looking to improve on skills that will make them more successful?
  • How many people do you know are learning to be more organized?
  • How many people do you know are investing in resources to make them manage their time better?

How many?

Being well groomed while necessary will never make up for being knowledgeable

  • Invest in developing your personality, your awareness, your knowledge
  • Invest in your communication, managerial, networking & planning skills
  • Invest in learning the principles of success and achievement.
  • Invest in the true YOU and watch your career or business skyrocket.

Miss a meal if you have to, but don’t miss a book. ~ Jim Rohn

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are Your Days Filled With Actions Or Achievements?

Business MeetingMeetings, conference calls, emails, weekly reviews, monthly updates, missed breakfasts, tons of coffee, working lunches, more meetings, power points, email wars, customer visits, partner meets, visiting executives, more email wars… action, action, action.

Most people I meet are busy, very busy.

Most people I meet are also unhappy about being busy.

They are caught in a whirlwind that begins at 8 am everyday and weakens only after about 10 to 12 hours.

For them, days turn into weeks, weeks into months and sometimes months into years before they realize the madness of it all.

They mistake action for achievements.

Being busy for getting things done.

They measure efficiency ignoring effectiveness.

They review hours instead of productivity.

They are running without knowing why.

They worry about speed not direction.

Are you one of them?

Efficiency is doing things right and effectiveness doing the right things. ~  Peter Drucker

Stop. Think.  Act.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How To Improve Productivity Everyday

“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s called doing things.” ~ Herb Kelleher, founder,Southwest Airlines

Let’s start with a hard reality check.

Everyone, yes, EVERYONE on this planet has just 24 hours in a day. No more, no less.

Yet, some people get more done in their 24 hours than most would in a week or a month.

Agree? Want to know how? Want to know their secrets?

Prioritization!

Yes, thats the first secret.

Improve Productivity

Super successful people all over the world know the power of organizing their tasks by priority. In separating the important from the not so important and urgent, they are choosing to spend their valuable time only on things that matter.

They are willing to sacrifice the not so important in favour of completing the important.

Next they also know that multi tasking is for losers.

Have you been proud about your ability to multitask? You may want to revisit that thought.

Working on one important task at a time ensures you give it your complete attention and get it done well in time and in the best manner possible

Multitasking will mean compromise either on the quality and or the time taken to get it done.

Be warned!

Want to know a third secret?

Focus.

Once they have figured out what really matters and needs to be done, the peak performers focus all their attention and efforts in getting it done. The world and its zillion distractions have to wait. They stand no chance of grabbing any attention because the peak performers are like laser beams powerful, sharp, effective and fast.

Guess what, a combination of prioritization and focus will make you run through your ‘To Do’ list like a hot knife through butter.

So begin now, break your tasks by priority, start on the most important one and do not rest until you have completed it, then move onto the next most important and the one after that and so on…

Go on, seize the day!

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

7 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Take Action

how to motivate yourselfThe early bird gets the worm. God helps those who help themselves. Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it …..

So you have read all this and more and know that its up to you to change your life.

You are also aware that its simple, its easy, if someone else can, so can you, you know you are brighter, smarter, sharper, better educated, wiser yada yada yada

But and this is a BIG but, you just don’t take action to hit your goals.

We discussed in an earlier post why most people don’t take action to move towards their goals.

Have you identified what is holding you back from taking action? Because if you don’t do that, anything you read further will not serve you as powerfully as its intended to.

Let me restate this for the sake of complete clarity.

Step # 1 is to get absolutely clear about why something is working or not working well in your life

Step # 2 is figuring out how to fix whats not working

Sadly most people spend a ton of their valuable time and energy in trying to fix what’s not working without realizing why it is so.

They skip step #1 and rush into step #2 and never recover.

So let’s assume you have figured out why certain things are not going as well as they could in your life.

Now, you really want to fix that, but find yourself putting it off for no particular reason at all. You just don’t feel motivated, you say?

Guess what. Stop acting on your feelings, get real, and learn to do what has to be done when it has to be done how it has to be done.

Peak Performers all over the world do what has to be done when it has to be done how it has to be done irrespective of how they “feel” about it, irrespective of if they “feel” like doing it or not, irrespective of if they “feel” up to it or not.

And that is what makes them highly paid, massively rewarded and recognized professionals.

They make their own motivation, they create their own sunshine, they have developed a smart system of their own to tap into motivation on demand, as they want it, when they want it.

You can do this too, if you just stopped letting ‘feelings’ decide if you are motivated or not. Getting motivated and staying that way is simple, easy and fun.

Grab a pen and a pad and jot these down

# 1 Change your environment

Are you sitting at a work desk overflowing with papers, reports, collaterals, piled up magazines with noisy colleagues yelling away on their cell phones?

Clutter is enemy #1. Get organized, get rid of unwanted stuff, get folks to quiet up or get a pair of headphones to block out the noise.

Stick motivating messages on your soft board, clean up your work environment so you feel energized and cheerful – do WHATEVER it takes, but reduce all forms of clutter.

# 2 Change what you read

How many murders, robberies, rapes, celebrity break ups do you want to read about? What value is it adding to your life?

How much of your valuable time is being consumed in reading mostly trivial information? How does it make you feel? Energized, enthusiastic, well-informed, charged up, happy, inspired, motivated?

The intent here is not to make you more insensitive than the current society has already made you.

If you really care about some of the tragic acts that have been discussed above, do something about it, volunteer time, money or energy to help change the situation.

But stop wasting your valuable time by just reading about it because whether you realize or not it will leave you feeling lousy, angry and unmotivated.

# 3 Change what you watch

The same goes for the time spent with the idiot box. Do you need to know every little rumour, breaking news that’s being discussed, debated, argued, hyped up, rehashed and regurgitated over and over again? What value is it adding to your life?

# 4 Change how you speak

Do you often catch yourself saying “I can never remember names”, “I am really duh when it comes to finance”, “I hate networking “, “I would die to be there” , “I am always late “….

You are the first person to hear the words that come out of your mouth and by saying it again and again you are only reaffirming stuff you don’t want in your life.

# 5 Change what you eat

There are foods that add energy to your life and foods that take away. Yes, the wrong kind of foods can actually decrease your energy levels.

Do your research, get smart about the right kind of foods and work at increasing your energy every day.

# 6 Change who you hang out with

Yes, your parents were right when they said “Keep good company”. Being surrounded by negative, whining, complaining folks most of your waking hours is bound to rub off on you.

Choose wisely, ensure you stick around folks who have a positive outlook, are cheerful , make you feel great and add to your energy.

# 7 Change how you approach your day

Do you wake up, get ready, head to work and tackle whatever comes your way or do you plan your day the evening before and spend your time working on the most important of tasks first?

If you are doing the former, chances are you are going to be low on energy and unmotivated by lunch time.

Planning adds a sense of purpose to your day, it creates momentum and momentum has the magic to keep you focused.

So take a look at your life, figure out which one or all of the above are not in sync and get cracking to have the same fixed NOW.

Massive amounts of motivation await you just around the corner…

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Why People Don’t Take Action

Last week we explored how unaddressed fear can dominate our lives and lead us down the path of mediocrity and destruction.

This week, let’s look at why people don’t take action to overcome their fears.

“You cannot cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Action has enormous power, action is magical, action always delivers results.

Action Cures Fear

So if this is true, why don’t people take action and eliminate their fears ?

MotivationThere are five key reasons driving this behavior:

1. Lack of Awareness

Most people are not even aware of their fears. They live a life blissfully unaware of their true potential and the fears that hold them from achieving more.

Their motto in life is like the Rolling Stones’ song “You can’t always get what you want,” and they’ve resigned themselves to be fine with it. Cultural and social conditioning, too, do their bit to keep them believing their own lie.

2. Lack of Motivation

These are people who have had some kind of awakening, they have seen some light at the end of the tunnel, they feel they can face their fears and also know how to a certain degree but lack the motivation, the mental strength to pursue that line of thought and convert it into consistent, persistent, tangible action.

They display bursts of unplanned, incoherent, disjointed, pointless activity from time to time but never find the motivation to be persistent and consistent in their actions.

3. Lack of Responsibility

They are the adult children. They are always waiting for something to happen that will automatically change their lives for the better. They are waiting for a miracle, a messiah to descend and take away all their fears.

They can’t accept that change is in their hands, at the mercy of their actions. For them it has to be more complex than it seems else it cannot be true.

4. Lack of Belief

This set of people are the ‘What if people’. Taking action is not possible for them because they fear themselves.

What if it goes wrong, what if this is not the right way, what if someone laughs , what if the fear still remains after taking action, what if nothing changes, what if, what if, what if….

Nothing risked, nothing lost is their way of justifying their lack of self belief and inaction.

5. Lack of Purpose

This group lacks clarity, vision, purpose and just drifts along. They are aware, motivated, responsible to a certain extent, enjoy reasonably strong self belief, yet do not take action to overcome their fears.

That’s because the ‘why’ of taking action is not important enough for them. They can’t see the tremendous benefits emerging from persistent, consistent focused action.

“Anywhere the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me….” would be an apt bumper sticker for them.

Point to ponder: Do you exhibit one or more of these characteristics?

The bigger question is do you want to continue to stay that way?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Which Word Dominates Your Life?

Quick Question: What’s a four-letter word that comes in all shapes and sizes, gets created day and night, attacks the young, the old, men, women, and doesn’t even spare children?

A four-letter word that never rests, grows each time its ignored, brings down the most talented, the most capable of men and women, stops them dead in their tracks, prevents them from achieving excellence, destroys magnificent ideas before they are born, promotes being average?

A word that causes sickness, stress, poor thinking, a word that never rests, a word that defines the destiny of all those who surrender to it?

If you’re scratching your head and wondering what can cause such high levels of drama and tragedy, fret no more.

The word is FEAR.

F. E.A.R

Action Cures FearFear respects no boundaries, rules or laws. Fear never rests. Fear gets created day and night, at work and at home, in the supermarket, at the theatre, during a party, in school, at the temple, in a bus, there is no place that fear cannot be created.

Most fears are psychological and show up as worry, panic, embarrassment, tensions all stemming from poorly managed imagination.

Fear is real, its the #1 enemy of success and stops the best and most talented of people from making the most of their opportunities. Fear makes people sick, causes foggy thinking, slows and most times even shuts down decision making.

Fear causes low self confidence and poor self esteem. Fear gets people to freeze even when they know its unproductive, unnecessary and absolutely wrong thing to do.

So does all this make fear the most powerful force on Earth ?

The answer thankfully is a big NO. Despite its ability to be born anywhere, anytime, to cause such damage, fear has one nemesis, a force it just cannot win against.

A force that can conquer all fears. A force that when unleashed can eliminate fear and bring incredible things to life.

And that powerful force is…….. Action.

Yes, ACTION.

Action is what differentiates the winners from the losers, those who get things done from those that wish they could, the consistently successful from the flash in the pan, the achiever from the dreamer, the champion from the whiner, those who appreciate from those that complain….

Action has enormous power, action is magical, action always delivers results.

Action Cures Fear

That powerful line is from David Schwartz’s  book ‘The Magic Of Thinking Big‘. Three simple words that convey a lifetime of knowledge.

Three words that when followed to the last letter can help anyone create a wonderful life, a life of their dreams. A life based on their immense potential, passions and desires and not baseless, self created fears.

Three words that are sadly……  ignored by most people.

So that begs the million dollar question…

Which word dominates your life ? Fear or Action ?