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Browse published articles attributed to John Steely, with full-archive search.
One of the more challenging aspects of coaching is getting someone to believe in what I, as a coach, can see as possible for the client. People have a hard time believing how much they can accomplish. As Jim Rohn said, people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year.
Reaching a goal is typically not a simple or quick task. A serious goal is going to require serious effort. Also, reaching goals is not a straight line progress; the process is full of ups and downs, with progress being intermixed with regression. Sheer willpower and strength of personality is often not enough to achieve a goal; something more is often needed, and the more serious the goal the more that something is needed. One of the things you can do to significantly improve your potential of reaching the goal is to celebrate your achievements. Power of Success
One of the tasks that students tend to dislike, yet always do, is taking notes during class. After the class, the notes stay on the paper, maybe reviewed a few times, and are then thrown away, forgotten in the mists of time. The problem is that most students take notes for all the wrong reasons, in all the wrong ways, and towards all the wrong goals.
Probably the most universally applicable skill an adult student can acquire is the habit of reading. This skill provides the basis of most if not all of the other academic skills that a student can acquire, including the ability to design and calculate. Reading provides the framework for comprehending the past, understanding the present, and planning for the future. The Importance of Reading
"Positive visualizations also create powerful energy from within you. The universe will take notice of your positive energy and you will be able to meet your goals quickly with help from the universe." – Dr. Steve G. Jones One of the questions that is often asked about manifestations is “Where does it come from?” “Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever will” is how the song goes, and scientifically that is true. If something is manifested, it must come from something; so the question of origin arises.
Earl Nightingale makes a point, that I agree with, that one of the common characteristics of successful people in any endeavor is that successful people have goals, goals that they know and have written down. Certainly the successful students I have known have a set of definite goals that they can articulate at a moments notice. On the other hand, when talking to students that do not have such a clear set of goals, many times I am not sure they will complete their chosen program of study, and indeed many goalless students do not get their degree.
"The key to getting what you want is to cause a shift in your vibrations to focus on what you do want." – Frank Mangano The Law of Attraction is based upon a more fundamental law, the Law of Vibration. The Vibration Law says that every result, every thought, everything has a particular vibration. The Law of Attraction states that you manifest those things with which your vibration harmonizes. To put it in scientific terms, like attracts like. What you are like are those things that harmonize with your vibration.
Zig Ziglar tells a story of when he was buying a bicycle for his son. There were two bicycle stores in town; the first was a cycle shop, which had a starter bicycle for a higher price, say $79. The second was a discount shop, whose starter bicycle was, say, $39. Mr. Ziglar bought the cheaper bicycle. A month later, a pedal had to be replaced, for $10. Two months later, the handle bars needed to be fixed, for $15. Then the seat needed repairs, the chain had to be corrected, and on and on it went. Eventually, according to the story, Mr.
What does a typical day look like for a homeschooling family? In many ways, it is the same as anybody else’s day. Parents go to work, chores are done around the house (you hope), and kids do their homework, either with or without their parents’ help. However, in many ways the day is very, very different for the homeschooling parent. The Differences
The Universe operates under many laws, some of which are corollaries to others. People who cooperate with the laws and operate within the laws tend to be successful; those who oppose or work against the laws have a more difficult time, despite the appearance of temporary success. These laws work together, supporting each other and enhancing the predicted results. To reap the benefit of working with these natural laws, one must understand how they work.
Many parents who consider homeschooling are conce ed with their own ability to teach their children. They feel that they are not trained as a teacher, or they do not have enough education, or that they will in some way make a mistake and permanently damage their child. Having homeschooled all three of my children, I am here to convince you that you can teach your child if that is what you want. Legalities
A life coach has specific, well-defined, and limited roles for their clients. When deciding whether to hire a life coach, it is helpful to know what a life coach does and does not provide, so that you can decide whether a life coach is for you. What is Provided by Life Coach A life coach has three specific roles for their clients. The coach performs a different purpose of either a counselor or an adviser. Regardless of the areas of expertise of the coach, the roles are the same.
The Law of Attraction says we get what we think about. But how does this actually occur? What do I have to do to invoke the Law of Attraction to get the things I want rather than the things I do not want? Is there anything else involved on my part? The answers to these and similar questions confuse people to the point where they do not even try. Let us see if we can shed some light on the matter. Step One: Decide
One of the reasons people do not read as much as should, at least according to what they tell me, is that they do not understand what they are reading. They end up reading the same thing over and over again, not understanding what they are seeing, and give up in frustration. They decide reading is of no practical value, and so they go and do something else. How can a person, particularly a person with limited experience, break this cycle? I would like to give you a few suggestions, if I may. 1. Read Magazine articles
They are the bane of all schedules, the destroyer of all plans. They are the dread of managers and coordinators everywhere. They bring the organizer to their knees. They are unexpected events. Unexpected events take up valuable time and energy and money. They use up resources which were planned for something else. So how do we allow for and plan for the unexpected? How do we incorporate what we do not foresee into our plans? We do this by using two strategies: buffers and flexibility. Buffers
There is a fair amount of confusion over what is meant by homeschooling. This confusion is made worse because each state has a specific definition of what is meant by homeschooling, and the different states have different definitions. Throw in several organizations with their definitions, the definition of the educational establishment, and a number of professors of education, and you have quite a collection of definitions. Let us see if we can provide some order to this confusion. The Fundamental Characteristics
Resolutions and goals are very similar; they both represent something we want to achieve. However, they differ on their effectiveness. Goals are considered to be a foundation stone of success, depending on your definition of success, whereas resolutions have, according to some studies, a 97% failure rate. Why the difference? This article is one of a series which explores that difference.
Let me confess something right up front: I am not a neat person. Anyone who has looked at my desk will verify that fact. But the fact of the matter is that being organized will help a person who is working at for a goal, particularly a goal like getting an education. Organization can be at any level, with any material, whether it is your living space, your activities, or even your thinking. While I may not have a very organized living space, my thinking and my activities are organized; they have to be organized for me to accomplish my goals. Benefits of Organization
Many students have a difficult time taking notes in class. The instructor is going through something important, turns to the class, says “Any questions?”, and all he sees are the tops of the heads of students busy writing down what they hope will be good notes. This scenario occurs again and again, to the point where the instructor simply gets frustrated and stops looking for questions.
Problem solving is a skill everyone wants and which is needed in every aspect of your life, from work to hobby to family life. However, most people study problem solving in a very limited environment: high school mathematics (if at all). What we need is a plan of development for our problem solving skills. Fortunately, there has been some significant work in this area; one person who has worked in this area is George Polya.
An adult student needs to be able to read a paper or a chapter and understand the material on their own, outside of the classroom. One of the best ways to make sure that this happens effectively is to take notes while reading, writing down the ideas and thoughts inspired by what is being read.
Og Mandino was giving a speech one time about how to be successful. In that speech, he said that although most people had gone to school for upwards of 12 years, they had never been taught how to be successful; they had not had a class on positive mental attitudes, how to set goals, how to handle achievement, or anything else of this nature. However, that schooling was not wasted, he said, because school did teach us the most critical skill of all: how to read. Benefits of Having a Reading Habit
In my experience as an instructor, I have seen students handle many different activities. While each student is different, some things show up again and again. Difficulties with homework are one of those common characteristics, and it can hold a student back from earning the deserved grade. Handling homework is something that should be approached with planning and understanding. On Class Day
Many people like to listen to music when doing homework, particularly homework in a subject they do not like. Others prefer silence. The question arises, which is better? The answer is part personal, part scientific. Music and the Mind
When I talk to a person about their budget and their savings plan, I often get the questio “How much should I save?” The usual answer I give has been around for a long time, and is clearly expressed in the book “The Richest Man in Babylon”. By keeping to this principle, you can start a savings program which will not be an onerous burden on your budget. The Starting Point
Many people are hesitant to act confidently for fear of being perceived as arrogant. But confidence is needed in achieving goals and reaching success. This fear, then, holds many people back from reaching the results they desire and deserve. By understanding the difference better, a person should be able to act with the needed confidence but not with arrogance. What is arrogance?
Confidence is built on the acceptance of yourself and your abilities. Perfectionism is the belief that you should do nothing if it is not done perfectly. So perfectionism is one of the stronger enemies of confidence. If you are going to develop your confidence, you need to suppress any leanings towards perfectionism. What is Perfectionism?
One of the first steps of using the Law of Attraction is to set your goals. You must know what it is you want before the Universe can begin to manifest it for you. When teaching someone to do this, I generally start off with the questions “What do you want out of life? What are your dreams?” While these questions work with some people, with other people I get a glazed look of incomprehension, or, even worse, a look of fear.
Distractions come in two forms. The first form are one-shot distractions, things that do not always occur. Visits from friends, although hopefully frequent, are still one-shot distractions. The second form of distractions are things that always occur. Email is a classic example of continuous distractions; no matter how many emails we see, there always seems to be more. Continuous Distractions
Every student goes through it. They get to the bookstore, tell the assistant what course they are taking, and are given this incredibly large volume. When the student sits down and looks at the book, it is full of charts and exercises and other things, to the point that the student is totally discouraged. How, they ask themselves, am I supposed to use this book?
"Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good things even if we do not get anything in return. It is the joy of our life to do them. When we do good things from this inner desire, there is kindness in everything we think, say, want and do." - Emmanuel Swedenborg
A family budget consists of three parts – income, expenses, and savings. To create a workable financial statement for a family, all three parts must be understood. Each of the parts is similar to corresponding parts of a business budget, but the family’s budget has different perspectives and different priorities. A business accountant is often a poor financial planner to a family due to these differences. Almost always a family budget is based on a monthly time frame. That is the time frame used in this analysis.
Many times, when we are working to improve ourselves, we need to determine what we are already doing. In time management, for example, we need to determine where we are spending our time. Since most of our activity is based on subconscious or unconscious habitual behavior, we need to find out what are our habits.
When a person decides to continue their education beyond high school, many times they will assume that this new education will be similar to the old education they received. The prospective student makes plans to do what they did before. After all, it worked then, so it should work now. This assumption of similarity leads many new adult students so far astray that they cannot modify their behavior, which means they will typically not complete their program of study, and will not receive the desired degree. All from a bad assumption. The Cause of the Differences
Again and again, when I talk to students and colleagues about time management, I get the response "I don't even know where to begin." People want to practice good time management, people want to be productive and effective; they just do not know how. Most people do not even know how to begin time management, much less how to do the entire process.
When I was selling life insurance, many times prospects would say they were not going to buy life insurance “until the time was right.” Now, they knew and I knew that was just an excuse for not buying, but I have since heard that many times when talking to people about self-development. “I’ll start that when the time is right.” Again and again I heard that statement.
In every course that I have ever taken or taught, the students are given a syllabus for the course in their first class. Most students passively listen to the instructor explain what is in the syllabus and then put the syllabus away and forget about it. However, understanding the syllabus and creating a plan of action from the syllabus can dramatically improve a student's grade. Syllabus Structure
The power of mission statements for enterprises of all sizes has been shown again and again. Enterprises with strong mission statements have dramatically improved performance, increased value, and become industry leaders. The evidence for this is all around. Moving this powerful tool to the personal level can similarly help you reach your goals and become more successful. What Makes a Good Mission Statement?
When you study works on achieving goals, over and over again you will run into the statement that you should write your goals down. By this, the authors of these works mean to physically hand-write the goals out, with all their properties; typing them into a computer screen is simply not as effective. Why does this statement occur so many times? Empirical Evidence
When it comes to managing time, planning our day, or any number of success activities, many times we are blocked by the sheer number of things that are involved. How can I reach a goal that requires so many things, many of which I do not have yet? How can I schedule my day when I have so many tasks that need to be done right now? I can't spare the time to plan my day, set a goal, or work on anything other than the immediate needs. Does this sound familiar? The Problem
The fundamental principle of the Law of Attraction is that what you think about is what you get. However, while that is what the law states, it needs power to accomplish that task. Without power, the Law of Attraction will work, but it will work slowly, in barely visible ways, and with just the bare minimum of results. To invoke the Law of Attraction in an intense, immediately effective way, you need give the law power. Source of Power
For someone who has had little success or achievement in their life, developing a strong level of self-confidence can be a significant challenge. It is a major leap of faith to believe in oneself to the depth necessary to develop a feeling of self-assurance in all aspects of your life. For people in this situation, confidence has to be developed in small increments rather than one large piece. Treating Confidence Like a Muscle
When creating a family budget, three factors determine the structure of the document: income, expenses, and savings. After the budget is completed, the next step is to make an effort to improve the budget, particularly by increasing the savings. However, the money for more savings must come from somewhere, either increased income or decreased expenses. If you choose to decrease expenses to improve your savings, you need to understand the different types of expenses. Stable Expenses
Many fields use logic in their efforts to solve problems; the one everyone in familiar with is mathematics, but logical problem solving also appears in history, political science, chemistry, physics, and many other fields. Logical problem solving is the basis of both deductive reasoning and critical thinking.
Good time management is closely linked to goal planning, but they are not the same. Time management is a tool used to implement the steps needed to reach a goal, but it is not part of the goal achievement. By examining the differences, we can gain clarity on both time management and goal planning. Purpose of Activity
"You will be able to attract amazing things into your life by changing your negative behavior into positive behavior." – Frank Mangano
There are two ideas in the personal development field that appear to be contradictions; however, since both appear to be valid, this contradiction must be apparent rather than real. The lack of substance to this contradiction is found when we explore the reason behind the two ideas. The Conflict
Gaining confidence can be difficult, particularly if you are just starting after a history of not having any. If you have a list of situations where you did not accomplish what you set out to get done, or you have not gotten what you strived for, confidence can be in short supply. One way to get started is to get your confidence not from within, but from without. You can begin your journey towards self-confidence by depending on others for the first dose of belief. Gaining from the Belief of Others
Reading textbooks is different than any other type of reading. Unlike reading for pleasure (whether you read fiction or nonfiction), textbook reading is done because you have to do it. Also, textbook reading is much more detailed than pleasure reading. Unlike reading magazines or newspapers, textbook reading covers more material; articles are typically short and to the point, unlike most textbooks. And unlike reading how-to material (manuals, reports, instructions, etc.), textbook reading rarely leads to immediate action.
The Law of Attraction is based on the idea that the Universe, made aware of our desires, will bring those desires to us. The Universe is made aware of our desires by our thoughts and, more importantly, our actions. To get the Law of Attraction to exert its full power, we need to provide our actions with the strengths that are recognized by the Universe. By using these strengths in our actions, we impress upon the Universe the power of our belief and the deserving nature of our desires.