Personal Development Articles

My husband and I had been looking forward to our trip to the mountains of western Virginia for months. It was a field trip with people who love nature and bird watching as much as we do. On the first morning, our caravan of cars was just turning off the highway onto an unpaved road when our car got a flat tire. My husband was able to quickly change the tire, but we realized that we couldn't safely continue on the gravel roads with the smaller spare tire. We'd have to leave the group and return to town to get the tire replaced.

Did you know that, as a rule of thumb, a tree's root system is something like one and a half times the depth and width of the tree? This is the real source of its strength and stability to withstand the forces of nature and more. What you see is only the ‘tip of the iceberg'. Of crucial importance is the fact that the purpose of the root system is to seek out and supply the energy needed by the tree to grow, survive and blossom to its full potential. Without a constant supply of new energy the tree will wither and die.

You're asked to make a presentation to a meeting or seminar. No matter how brilliant the material you plan to present, it can all fall apart in the telling. Here are some simple but powerfully effective check points to help you make winning presentations. Research your audience as much as possible - male, female, ages, interests. Identify as much as you can why they there to listen to you. What is the core message you want to get across? Design everything you say to assert and support that message. Speaking is one to one communication:

One of the mistakes we all make in our arguments and disagreements with loved ones is bringing up the past. How many times have you been talking to your partner about an important issue, in a pleasant tone, only to have them raise their voices and complain about events that happened ages ago? Or perhaps you're the one who can't focus and constantly references past events. Either way, it's a bad habit that needs to be broken. Here are 3 reasons why you shouldn't bring up the past in arguments. 1. It creates resentment

After watching so much about the death of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, I started thinking about some things. One is that it’s so interesting to me how many people today want to be famous. Not because they cure cancer or really make a difference, but just to be seen. Look at all those reality shows and huge talent contests. We all have the urge and human need to be seen on some level. It seems that it has become a distorted pursuit.

"The quality of one’s life is directly related to the quality of questions one asks oneself." - Tony Robbins Why is this? How can we use questions to get more out of life? When we make a statement, we primarily use our logical, rational, left brain. Statements affirm what is. Questions, on the other hand, invoke more of our intuitive, creative right brain. They challenge us to discover what might be. While statements are static, questions lead us into unexplored territory. They open doors to new possibilities! Take just one moment to do this simple exercise.

Google Analytics (GA) is a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website. GA is reportedly the most widely used website statistics service in the world today. Most online marketers currently use Google Analytics for basic stats to track the performance of their site. In fact, if you’re like most users, you very rarely venture far from the comfort of the reports shown on the dashboard.

You have a companion. One that never, ever leaves you. It sticks with you, staying even closer than your shadow. It is like a leech sucking your blood, and you cannot shake it loose. This constant companion is your mental chatter. Another name for it is your internal monologue. It begins the moment you open your eyes in the morning and carries on until you close your eyes at night. More often than you’d like, this chatter prevents you from drifting off to sleep. And when yo

As a success coach, I am often asked how to change your life. Sure the question comes in many forms, but the answer is always the same. The quickest way to overcome any challenge or to bring about any change in your life is by changing your thoughts about whatever it is that is giving you a hard time. Let me show you a simple solution that uses this principle to the max.

In his 1985 book, Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy famously said, “The consumer is not a moron; she is your wife.” Of course, he’d have a hard time getting away with that kind of comment today, but his point is still a valid one. The truth is: Too many businesses think of their target market as one large, pulsing mass. But your target market is actually made up of individuals just like you, your wife, your husband, your mother, your father, or your children. Your customers are people with hopes, dreams, frustrations, families to feed, bills to pay, and vacations to plan.

Repeat traffic is the bread and butter of an online business. It’s one thing to get a visitor to your website; it’s another for them to stick around a while, and an even bigger deal for them to return. Why? Not every visitor to your website or blog will join your mailing list on the first visit. In fact consumers are more reluctant than ever about handing over their email address, especially to an unfamiliar company. Following are 11 Tips every website or blog developer can do to attract visitors and create the best possible experience for visitors to your site.

It is every persons dream, who lives in a "civilized" society, to live the lavish life. To be able to travel the world and buy the things you want and deserve without worry. To live in a big home in a prosperous community. To drive the best and latest cars. To wear the best clothes designed from the top clothing designers in the world. To send your children off to the best schools for the best education possible. Some may even say... "In order to have those things I need to b

Most people inherit their beliefs and values from their parents. So along with Mum’s eyes and occasionally Dad’s nose, we are likely to become conditioned by their set of rules around money, which in turn came from their previous generation.

If you have been involved in personal development and spiritual growth you have probably heard someone talk about surrender. Surrender can be different things to different people. When you see a movie and character surrender to the enemy it means giving up. That is the perspective from one level of consciousness. You either fight and win or quit and lose. If you don’t know another viewpoint exists and you’re not looking at the larger spiritual picture, you might say, “Why would I want to surrender?” WHAT IS SURRENDER?

n n How to develop personal skills nnOne way to develop your personal skills is through Interpersonal communication . This is defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, though most definitions involve participants who are interdependent on one another, have a shared history. Communication channels are the medium chosen to convey the message from sender to receiver. Communication channels can be categorized into two main categories: Direct and Indirect channels of com

Email isn’t new and when it comes to making headlines in marketing newsletters and at industry events, email's not typically at the top of the list. According to a recent study conducted by Social Media Research firm ExactTarget, even without the glitz and glamour, the facts remain: More than 93% of online consumers are SUBSCRIBERS and have provided their email address to at least one company or brand. 88% of US online consumers check email daily and 94% use email at least once a week. BUILDING TRUST

There are nine distinct laws of persuasion that govern the human decision-making process. While these laws of persuasion do not universally apply to everyone, they do apply to the greater majority of people that you will encounter. To become a great persuader and to influence people with your ...

Remember the last time a long-term employee left your organization? Remember all the valuable things he/she could do that weren’t required in their job specification? The unofficial event organizer, counselor, mediator, computer whizz, to name just a few. Sometimes the person is remembered more for those reasons than for the work they were paid to do.

Who you are makes a difference! "A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in High School by telling them the difference each of them had made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First, she told each of them how they had made a difference to her, and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon, imprinted with gold letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference." Afterwards, the teacher decided to do a class project, to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a Community.

Do you think that Bill Gates thinks there's a box? Or Warren Buffet? Do you think that Muhammad Ali thought there was a box? What about Sir Richard Branson? How do you think Tiger Woods or Roger Federer would feel if they thought that they had to operate inside 'the box'. Very often, I hear business leaders - I mean 'normal' business leaders, not the people whose names we all know - talk about 'thinking outside the box'. This phrase is frequently used in business, whether it relates to problem solving or innovation.

Woman are really simple creatures. I've had enough of hearing how tricky they are and how men will never understand them. In fact the more Neanderthal the man the better he will understand them. The more feminine and well adjusted the woman, the easier she is to understand. Don't comment on hormones and emotions; the varying stages of a woman's fluctuating cycle actually make it easier to understand them. As simple as biorhythms; a woman's life consists of 3 interlinking cycles dictating her emotions, decisions and life choices. They are: The age cycler The fertility cycler

Going into survival mode is not often a conscious choice. Individuals who live their life in survival mode are oftentimes filled with bitte ess, resentment and anger. It’s not just that they haven’t healed themselves of past hurts. Rather individuals tend to automatically go into survival mode subconsciously after experiencing childhood pain that was inflicted on them. They bring it over into their adult lives as a way of protecting themselves. However, while a person may have automatically been thrown into survival mode there are variables that will trigger their survival mode.

One of the most traumatic sights in my life was a rather large woman wearing green sweatpants and an orange sweatshirt in Philadelphia airport. The impact of this shocking vision was exacerbated by the fact that I was just on my way home from Paris. While not everyone in Paris looks like he or ...

Parents are the primal unit of a family. However, because of a parent’s lack of emotional maturity, their behaviours can result in the creation of a functional or dysfunctional family unit. Dysfunctional families take many forms. When individuals hear the term dysfunctional they may ...

A Perfect Life - Step 1 In the last few issues, we have talked about creating instead of coping in our lives. Last week I gave some examples of how to do this. Find it here. Beginning this week, we are going to talk about creating a complete - and perfect - life. Before we begin this ...

In the course of a typical work day, you interact with your team members many times. During those encounters, you have lots of opportunities to compliment, thank or praise them. But if you're like many other leaders, you don't. Ever thought about why you withhold positive feedback when it would cost nothing to give it? Here are three possible reasons:

The Ho'oponopono phrases are "I love you," "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me," and "Thank you."

Do you need a break? Would it be really nice to just ‘down tools’ and do something completely different and for yourself today? Maybe that’s what you need to do; maybe you can plan ahead for this. The trouble is, I hear you say, it’s just not that easy when there are so many people demanding ...

It doesn’t matter what age or how intelligent you are we can all be petty at times. We may not realise it when it’s happening, but hindsight tells us otherwise. If you ponder the incident you can learn your lesson and behave differently next time.nnI think the best way to avoid pettiness is to think ‘high energy’ thoughts and rid yourself of low energy. Read a book about high energy such as “The Power of Intention” by Wayne Dyer or watch the movie “The Secret”

n n Personal Growth or self-improvement refers to self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—most frequently with a substantial psychological or spiritual basis.nnThe basis for self-help is often self-reliance, publicly available information, or support groups where people with similar problems join together. From early exemplars in self-driven legal practice and home-spun advice, the connotations of the phrase have spread and often apply

What's the difference between those people who build successful lives and those who often fail? What do those Rags-to-Riches people have in common? Is it luck? Or is it something else? I've always had a passion for studying the traits of my own role-models and trying to connect the common ...

Staying Positive in a Negative Environment By Julie Fuimano, Executive Coach Probably one of the hardest things we must do as leaders is to stay positive when everyone else around us is negative. It’s not easy to maintain a positive attitude and not be drained or consumed by the negativity that ...

The cost of ineffective leadership is enormous. • Some industries report as high as 65% annual employee turnover as a result of ineffective leadership. • Disengaged workers, often caused by ineffective leadership cost American business over 300 billion dollars a year. • Lost ...

Do you ever have trouble making conversation with others even though you consider yourself to be a very intelligent person? If so, this may puzzle you. You may wonder why you are so poor at making conversation with others, even though you are very smart, and you know a lot of interesting things. The truth is that social skills and intelligence don't necessarily go together. In fact, many people with average intelligence and average interests are much better at making small ta

I believe the need to feel worthy is the most predominantly debilitating requirement in today’s society. It is also the desire that is least often addressed or satisfied. Let me start by saying: You are perfect just as you are. I’d like to say that one more time. You are perfect, just as you are. Are you able to accept that statement, or do you resist it? Does it bring tears to your eyes? That’s not uncommon. I’ve met very few women who had full faith in their own worthiness.

For over 20 years, I have been working with clients, both as a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher. There has been a lot of recent attention given to the topic of “being in the now” and “being in the present moment.” This experience can be life changing, lasting minutes, hours, days, a ...For over 20 years, I have been working with clients, both as a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher.

Throughout your life, you have always been considered intellectually gifted. Childhood games against your peers were ridiculously easy to win. Adults were always startled by your facile grasp of complicated ideas. In matters of the mind, you were always considered superior. Now, as you mature, you realize that you are not entirely unique. You have become cognizant of the fact that there are other, equally intelligent people in the universe. The question inevitably arises, "Ho

It seems to me that in this overly busy world we all look for the fastest way to do things. For instance, consider the three-minute meal or the 10-minute workout. We feel pressured to have the latest X, Y and Z and achieve this and that. With certain parts of our life, this approach of finding ...It seems to me that in this overly busy world we all look for the fastest way to do things. For instance, consider the three-minute meal or the 10-minute workout. We feel pressured to have the latest X, Y and Z and achieve this and that.

If you want to move up the ranks of masterful communication, you have to watch what you say to others. Not just in the showpieces of communication such as a presentation, a memo, or a meeting, but in everyday interaction. Learn these 7 rules and you can quietly and unobtrusively become a master ...

If you want to improve your performance at something, or if you want to create new good habits, one very successful technique is the use of positive reinforcement. The following story will illustrate how one of my coworkers used positive reinforcement to create new successful behavior. When I was in my early twenties a long time ago, I worked in an office with three other people my age. The room was very tiny, and we were young and energetic, so we probably spent as much time

Familiarity breeds contempt – so the old saying goes – and, indeed, there is considerable psychological evidence to back this up. Many years research has proved that the normal mind performs its routine tasks in a mindless manner, without paying what is being done any attention at all. This psychological “facility” do perform routine tasks without paying them any attention has undoubted benefits – imagine if you had to pay attention to how you put one foot in front of the other when you walk?

If you're a manager and you don't ask for feedback on a regular basis, you're probably doing some things that cause problems for your team members. That's because we all have blind spots about our behavior. Leaders are especially vulnerable because their direct reports are often reluctant to speak up about problems their boss might be causing for them.

Nowadays, we live in a time when social media platforms are becoming the main sources of information and news regarding people we know or look up to. And as the number of followers grows each day, Instagram is slowly but surely climbing to the top. What does this mean for you? It’s quite obvious; the more popular this platform gets the more chances it provides for yours and your brand’s promotion. Are you ready to explore which they are and some of the successful ways to

Are you aggressive, assertive good at solving problems and like to be in control? If so, your personality type is likely that of the Determined Doer. The dominant personality type is persistent and focused on goals. If you fall into this category, you are good at making decisions and following ...

For those of us who live in these times – where economic adversity continues to be the order of the day, where extremism simmers in various quarters from Al-Qaida to Yemen, to Plains, Georgia where an effigy of President Obama was found hanging recently, to the ongoing political upheaval in Iran to the crumbling peace accord in Sudan, to a massive growth in domestic violence, to an upsurge in graphic violence on our television screens to the fact that our young children are watching music videos which would have been banned as pornographic fifteen years ago – there is an extraordinary onus

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”rn- Peter F. Drucker In today's tough economy, leadership is more challenging than ever. Creating a productive and effective company entails setting standards and limits. One item that comes up often is image. The professional image of not just your physical environment, but the image your staff projects as well. This is a good time to review the importance of presenting a polished company image at every level, from CEO to receptionist.

Himalayan Crystal Salt: Throughout history salt has enjoyed an illustrious position, even playing a key role in the rise and fall of various empires. The ancients considered it to be essential to the maintenance of life. Homer even went so far as to call it a "divine substance", Plato described ...

Life coaching is a relatively new title to an old trade and many people do not know what a life coach can do for them, so I am going to list the benefits of having a life coach in this article. Let me start this off by saying that one of the secrets of highly successful people is that most of ...

Let me give you a strong reason why we should be grateful for everyday. Because the moment you open your eyes each day. It is a gift from god to you. You are still alive and that it is a given. Everybody is given a brand new day. Everybody is given another day to love. Everybody is given another day of hope. Everybody is given another chance to do whatever they have failed to accomplish. Everybody applies to those who are still alive. For those who are chosen to leave this place, do not have this privilege and do not have any second chance. They passed on in regrets or fulfilment.r

Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, Ted Bundy. What did they all have in common: Sanpaku!! What is it? When we’re born, our eyes are perfectly balanced between the upper and lower eyelids. They touch so no white shows below or above the iris. It indicates a balanced and healthy person. As we grow older, even in childhood, three-sided white can show around the iris. This is cause for concern. It indicates the nervous system is seriously out of balance. It’s a warning.