Tracking and rating ourselves.

What rating would you give yourself on personal productivity? Do you have a systematic plan for improving your effectiveness in your daily work? Superachieving business people and athletes know what it takes to motivate themselves, maintain focus in the face of obstacles and drive forward to the completion of their vision and dreams. They take charge of their work by being aware of their personal patterns of behavior and by then adjusting and experimenting with new ways of being.

Imagine if we could quickly recover from fatigue, mental setbacks, surprise problems, overloaded task lists, not enough time and all else that can stand in our way from working near optimum levels. Top achievers begin the process by carefully noting what is and what is not in their control. They then ONLY focus on those things over which they have control and let go of those things which are out of their control. If we start to list all the things we must do in a week and all the roadblocks that might fall in our way, we can quickly realize that the only thing we have true control over is...ourselves.

So to improve productivity and effectiveness, lets begin by focusing on ourselves. Focus on our attitude, our thoughts, how we feel, how we react to problems, how we prepare to succeed, how we review our performance and how we set and go after realizing our goals. Let's look at the superachiever's tips for improving personal effectiveness. The below comes from various source that I use to motivate myself :)

1. Review your major values and life goals weekly. Use this as a scoreboard for heightening motivation and for building focus that can carry you through your day.

2. Plan your work and then work your plan. This is an old bromide, but it contains simple wisdom. You have to know where you want to go before you get there. Be clear about what you want to accomplish the night before or in the morning and then execute your plan.

3. Remember, "Mile by mile it's a trial, but inch by inch, it's a cinch". If you look at everything you must do it can seem overwhelming, but if you break down each project into tasks and objectives and just focus on these bite-size portions, you will be amazed at how quickly the little things combine to complete major tasks. Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.

4. Ask yourself, "A month or a year from now, will this matter?" If you get mired in trivia, get distracted by surprises or get sidetracked by things that "feel good to complete, but that are "off-task", then ask if what you are doing now will have any impact on your future goals. This will keep you focused on what is truly important.

5. Set deadlines and make timetables for executing each objective that takes you closer to your goal. It is amazing how a future due date drives current behavior. Keeping records of tasks completed gives you proof that you are making progress. Having a deadline creates some urgency to complete the task.

6. Post and consult your priority list multiple times every month. This will keep you on track through those crazy, unpredictable times. It is SO easy to lose site of what is important and to begin putting out fires when you should remain focused.

7. Review your weeks and ask yourself "What were the top 3 things I accomplished this week?". This makes you accountable to yourself and helps you measure how well you stayed focused on your priorities. It will also help you set-up the next week.

8. Clean up the tasks and projects that annoy and frustrate you the most. This might be office clutter, not being able to find backups or solutions, messes, a sloppy computer/file or anything else that bothers you every time you look at it or think about it. Conquer that task and free your energy.

9. Celebrate your successes. We go through our days and weeks barely congratulating ourselves for our good deeds and accomplishments. We tend to only focus on what we lack or on what we still have yet to complete. Give yourself credit for jobs well-done and for wading through the many tasks you finish each week.

10. Continuously reset new goals once you reach each goal. This is one of the true secrets of the superachievers. They continually readjust strategically as each goal is met. They endlessly create new goals to fuel the fires of motivation and to take themselves closer to their potential. Personally I feel the need to do every quarter, otherwise I can easily lack motivation or feel overwhelmed.

If we maintain self awareness, make adjustments and execute like top business and sports performers we can also become superachievers at personal effectiveness.

The World is for emotionally strong people.

After coaching and mentoring a relevant number of people and spending a lot of time trying to experience and understand cultural and educational diversity, I feel I have a little of experience when it comes to helping people find and resolve the pain points that have been holding them back.  But I am still frequently surprised by the interesting ways people frame questions about their challenges.

In the last few months I tried to put together a bunch of reflections born from discussion held with some good friends. Today after talking to a friend and touching several of the point upon which I wanted to base my next post on this blog I felt ready to write.

At the beginning I thought of giving as title for the post, “the world is for strong people only”. But as you can see I further elaborate J

My life and my past experiences thought me how to persistently follow through what I know I need to do for myself. And today I can say I’ve made progress, whereas most of the people around me often struggle with emotional weakness.  So I was wondering, what do emotionally strong people NOT do?  The reason I ask that to myself is that I’ve spent a lot of time implementing positive habits in my life, but in the last few years I started to focus on removing any (parallel) bad habits.

There are a million ways to answer this question, but since emotional weakness is something all of us struggle with at times, I figured I’d take a stab at answering my question in a general sense, for all of us who have pleasure to read the blog J.

Here are some things emotionally strong people don’t do:

1.       They don’t let negativity and drama get the best of them. – Your brain is a radio transmitter.  It broadcasts thoughts, directions and vibrations into your life – you get to choose the station it’s tuned to.  Emotionally strong people understand this and tune out negativity to make room for positivity. 

2.            They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves. – Emotionally strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them.  Instead, they take responsibility for their role in life, work on changing what can be changed, and keep in mind that life isn’t always easy or fair.  In the end, happiness is not the absence of problems, but simply the ability to deal well with them. 

3.            They don’t think they need more to be happy. – Emotionally strong people know that happiness is a mindset of appreciation.  In other words, happiness doesn’t start when “this, that or the other thing” is resolved.  Happiness is what happens now when you appreciate what you have.  (Read Authentic Happiness)

4.            They don’t compare their journey to everyone else’s. – Social comparison is the thief of happiness.  Do YOUR best and don’t compare your progress with that of others.  They aren’t YOU.  We all need our own time to travel our own distance.  Emotionally strong people know this is the truth, and they live by it.

5.            They don’t envy and resent other people’s success. – Emotionally strong people can genuinely appreciate and celebrate other people’s success.  They don’t grow envious or feel cheated when others achieve something they are trying to achieve.  Instead, they recognize that success comes with hard work, and they are willing to work hard for their own chance at success. 

6.            They don’t expect everything to be easy. – Emotionally strong people don’t view failures and delays as reasons to give up.  Instead, they use failure as an opportunity to grow and improve.  They are willing to keep trying until they get it right. 

7.                   They don’t say, “I can’t.” – As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”  Emotionally strong people know this is true. 

8.            They don’t let fleeting temptations distract them from their dreams. – Don’t let the temptations of today distract you from what you deserve.  Stay emotionally strong.  Do what you have to do now so you can do what you want to do later.

9.            They don’t get impatient and settle. – Good things don’t come to those who wait.  Good things come to those who are patient… while working hard for what they want most in life. 

10.        They don’t make the same exact mistakes over and over again. – You can’t make the same mistake twice.  Because the second time you make it, it’s no longer a mistake, it’s a choice.  Emotionally strong people accept responsibility for their behavior and learn from their past mistakes. 

11.         They don’t resist change. – Emotionally strong people don’t try to avoid change.  Instead, they welcome positive change into their life and are willing to be flexible.  They understand that change is inevitable and believe in their abilities to adapt. 

12.         They don’t waste time and energy on things they can’t control. – You won’t hear an emotionally strong person complaining over traffic jams and rainy days. 

13.         They don’t hang on every word other people say about them. – Emotionally strong people listen to their own heart and intuition, not the peanut gallery.  So try not to take things other people say about you too personally.  What they think and say is a reflection of them, not you.  Ultimately, you can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you.  All you can do is change how you react and who you choose to be around.

14.        They don’t think everyone is out to get them. – Emotionally strong people choose to see the good in others.  Because the truth is, the world is full of good people.  Whoever says otherwise hasn’t looked around.  So look around.  Appreciate them.  Connect and smile together.  When you choose to see the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself.

15.          They don’t worry about pleasing everyone. – Emotionally strong people recognize that they don’t need to please everyone all the time.  They’re not afraid to say no or speak up when necessary. 

16.          They don’t think it’s too late to start over. – Let go of the idea that it’s too late to start over. 

Being in the right place at the right time

My questions: is it possible? Is patience enough? What about persistence?


1. Yes it is possible - in my opinion.

2. We need to intend patience not only as the ability to wait; but as the competence or capacity to wait without alter your attitude.

3. And Persistence as obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

Given the above 3 pieces of food for thoughts there's something to be said for being in the right place at the right time.

But for every right time, there are thousands of wrong times.

Times where it feels like you're doing the wrong thing. Times where the data seems to show that your dream isn't worth it. That you're never going to achieve the big goals you set for yourself.

Being in the right place at the right time is really a lesson about persistence.

Its a reminder that a relentless pursuit of your goals is the only way to "get lucky."

You're going to feel stupid at times. You're going to look around and feel lonely. Even your friends are going to shake their head and remind you that what you're trying to attempt is madness.

That's just a reminder that your right time is coming. It's not today. Right now is not the moment where you're going to win.

But if you keep coming back to the right place; if you keep doing the things that success demands; you're going to be in the right place at the right time and accomplish mind-blowing feats of extraordinary success. That's not just possible, it is inevitable.

When you try hard enough for long enough you can't help but end up achieving your goals.

If you're not there yet, you shouldn't think that your goal is silly or impossible. You should just quietly remind yourself that today isn't the right time. Maybe tomorrow is.

Which is all the more reason to keep showing up.

It's the most important reason why you should keep trying; because tomorrow might be the day where you find yourself standing at the right place at the right time.

And when that happens, all of those wrong times and the frustration you feel, fade away in the glory of finally figuring it out. It's all worth it.

Your determination and focus guaranteed you the successful outcome you so desperately desired.

You can't change time. You can't change life.

You can't change most of what goes on around you.

You can decide if you're going to keep showing up.

If you stop doing the right thing before it starts working you have just done the wrong thing.




Be a Positive Influence in your workplace

By offering to help someone, you will become a positive force within the company. Being positive draws people to you. Because of your positive energy, other employees look to you for guarantee when things are bad. Your status allows you to convince your coworkers to finish a job on time, volunteer when a team member needs help, and speak for your coworkers if they have a complaint with management.

Whether you are the department’s official leader or not, it doesn’t matter. They follow your lead because your actions have earned you a fortune in trust and respect. Your influence comes from your positive personality, not the designation. If you were a professional athlete, you would be considered the “heart and soul” of your team, the person who provides the drive and emotion. And there’s no manager in his right mind who wants to break the heart and soul out of his team.

Build Influence Among Your Team

Helping new employees feel at home is a great way to build influence. During times when jobs are hard to keep and even harder to find, people join in a company for the paycheck. Explaining why the company is successful, its goals, and how it intends to fulfill its aim, begins to bring them on board. In other words, teach the new employee about the business.

New employees must understand how what they do fits into the overall picture in order to feel a part of the business. By giving value to their job, you increase the chances that they will become engaged, committed, and more focused on producing a quality product. Moreover, make it a point to introduce new employees to people in other parts of the organization as a way to lay the foundation for their growth and future success. Finally, as new employees receive assignment, they do develop a new idea that gets them positive feedback, you probably have helped establish some long-term employees. And it was all because you took the time to extend a hand.

Work For A Company Job- Saving Gratitude

The fact that you have taken a new employee under your wing isn’t lost on your manager. She realizes the wonderful service you are performing. Well, you are a one-person retention committee. Look, even when jobs are scarce, people still quit, or must be cut loose. In case, that means your manager has to, once again, conduct a search, interview people, and then hire and train them. Moreover, she has to do it without missing a beat on her other responsibilities, like keeping the department running smoothly. By spending time guiding a new employee, you are saving your manager time and your company money, by reducing costly turnover. So, although your motives are pure-to ease someone into the mainstream for your company-you will be repaid generously in the job-saving gratitude of your manager and the company.

Lets get professional: 3 rules for employee engagement

There was a sentence published on a random local newspaper couple of month ago which impressed me, the sentence was: "Give whatever you are doing and whoever you with the gift of your attention".

Dale Carnegie training and consulting, recently released new findings on employee engagement and reeading the results was quite intriguing to me.

The first and most dramatic finding shows that if an employee is dissatisfied with their immediate supervisor, there is an 80% chance that they are disengaged. Similarly, having a “caring” manager is one of the key element to a positive and successful employee engagement strategy.

Employees want to feel valued and have their manager take an interest in their personal lives, health and well-being.

Other notable findings include:

-       Executives and medical workers are the most highly engaged group of employees; employees in education, social work and sales are the least engaged. 

     26% of engaged employees would leave their current job for just a 5% pay increase, 46% of partially engaged employees would leave their current job for just a 5% pay increase, 69% of disengaged employees would leave their current job for just a 5% pay increase.

-       Senior Leadership’s actions also have a direct impact on employee engagement; 61% of employees who have confidence in the leadership abilities and think that the senior leaders are moving the organization in the right direction are fully engaged; 49% of employees who were satisfied with their direct manager were engaged, 80% of employees who were very dissatisfied with their direct manager were disengaged.

Thanks to this exhaustive research we are reminded of the complexities of the 21st century workplace and the need for strong leadership.

We understand that engagement is critical not just to employee productivity but to longevity as well.

The challenges for managers, supervisors and executives can be overwhelming.

Following my 3 tips to help engage your employees and build a strong team:

-       Tip# 1, inspire their passions. As a leader, your engagement with your employees is about inspiring their passions and offering whatever assistance you can to help them achieve their goals. If you read the book “Rules of Thumb”, author Alan M. Webber, you can find the following question: Would you rather have tepid success with something that doesn’t matter or a brilliant future with something that does?

When you engage your employees you help them to discover that brilliant future they desire, and serve as a catalyst for their passions.

When they see that you are inspired by their passions it will cause them to step up and deliver. When you give team members the tools they need, the inspiration to perform, and the courage to achieve their dreams, that is a level of engagement that paves the way for great accomplishment.

-       Tip# 2, Direct their energies. The best ideas in the world do not mean a thing without action. You become engaged and vested in your employees when you help them focus their energies in the right direction and put forth measurable goals of achievement. If you are disengaged in their work, goals and passions, they will be disengaged from you. Consequently they will not perform at levels you like, and they very well may be planning their exit strategy. When energies are directed with purpose, clarity and enthusiasm you set the bar high for their personal growth and their personal engagement. When this is achieved they will deliver, be more engaged and be happier employees.

-       Tip# 3, Reward their effort. As you demostrate genuine engagement and support for your team members you are positioning them for success. When you do your part to equip your employees do not forget to reward them for what they deliver. This type of engagement goes a long way toward building the morale your company needs and shows that you care. Whatever incentive or reward program you implement it is just another layer of engagement to solidify your leadership. Without question each employee must take ownership of his/her own level of engagement and be responsible for it. But when you take the time to notice and reward those efforts it makes your job much easier.

Are you an engaged employee? Are you an engaging leader?

How being alone can be rewarding?

This is what I have discovered during my almost 31 years experience, this is what I have discovered in this life. For the people who are interested to know about it: Be advised it is just a list of 12 very important rules for being alone and being happy about yourself and your life at the same time.

The following are the rules I try to live by when it comes to being alone. They add enormous value to my life.

Whether you're an introvert trying to make your way in an extrovert's world, or an extrovert learning to become a better person on your own, I hope they add some value to your life as well.

1. Understand that you’re good enough all by yourself.

You’re a valuable person, and you don’t need the approval of anyone else for that to be true. When you’re alone, remind yourself that it’s because you choose to be. It really is a choice.
It’s very easy to find someone to spend time with, but when you have high standards for the people you allow into your life, you’re telling yourself that you’re better off by yourself than with someone who isn’t a great fit for you.

2. Value others’ opinions, but value your own more.

Don't ask for advise unless you truly need it. Instead, ask yourself for advice. If you knew the answer to the problem that you have, what would it be?
That’s your answer. The more time you spend asking yourself for advice, the less you start to need input from others. When you trust yourself to solve problems, you become a much stronger and more confident person, and you take on challenges that you wouldn't have felt capable of before.

3. Learn to be an observer.

I’ve always held the belief that if you aren’t able to take interest in something, it says more about you than whatever it is you find uninteresting.
To truly enjoy being alone, learn to look at ordinary situations in new and unfamiliar ways. Go to the park and watch people play with their children or their dogs. Go to the grocery store and watch how people shop for their groceries.
Everywhere you go, make an effort to understand the other people around you. Learning how people operate when they think no one is watching will make you feel more connected to them.

4. Close your eyes in a dark room and appreciate the silence.

The world is a busy place and, unless you take a moment to step away from it once in a while, it’s easy to forget how nice it is to simply sit alone and enjoy your own company.
Take a moment and sit quietly in a dark room. Listen to everything that is not happening around you. You can learn a lot about yourself in the moments when you’re least occupied the times when there is nothing to distract you from the thoughts and feelings you deny yourself during your busy days.

5. Learn how to talk to yourself.

They say it’s perfectly normal to talk to yourself; you’re only crazy if you talk back.
Every single person has an inner voice that talks to them at all hours of all days, and getting to know that person and how to talk to them is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.
When you fill your time with other people, it’s easier to ignore this voice, but when you’re alone, it’s your only company. This voice rubs off on you. It is you. The way that you talk to yourself when no one else is around will shape who you are in this world more than anything else.
Just like you’d distance yourself from negative friends who bring you down, it’s just as important to distance yourself from a negative inner voice.
When you’re alone, it can sometimes be hard to stay positive, but you must be kind to yourself.

6. Cherish every interaction.

Most people have to experience some type of tragedy before they begin to understand just how brief our time here is. You get but a few short trips around the sun, and then it’s over.
Time alone is important. Time alone is beautiful. But so is time spent with others.
There is no such thing as a boring person. There is no such thing as a boring situation. If you’re ever bored, it’s because you’re not paying attention. This is a problem with you, not with your surroundings.
Take an interest in every person that comes into your life, even if for only a second. Listen closely to what they say. Watch carefully what they do. Try to understand them as a person. You’ll be better for it.

7. Avoid mindless consumption.

When you’re alone, you have an incredible opportunity to think clearly about your life and the direction you want to take it. In a world that’s often filled with noise, you’ve been given quiet. This is a time to reaffirm the path that your life is on.

Are you happy and fulfilled? Should you keep doing what you’re doing? Or, are you feeling unsatisfied? Should you change something?

These are questions you can only answer when you take advantage of this gift of quiet. If, instead, you fill your time with entertainment that you mindlessly consume TV, movies, randomly surfing the web it will be difficult to answer these questions. You can never devote enough attention to coming to a clear answer.

8. Create, create, create.

To create is one of the most important things you can do in your life. To create among a sea of people (or even just one person) vying for your attention is one of the most difficult things in life.
When you’re alone, the only one stopping you from creating the art, the work, that you're capable of is yourself. All excuses are gone. When you’re alone, you can lose yourself in your work. When you lose yourself in your work, you can be sure that you’re creating something truly meaningful.
Your other option is to ignore that call to create and, instead, look for temporary comfort in things and people who will eventually leave you unfulfilled. Make use of your loneliness.

9. Make plans for the future, and pursue them immediately.

It’s almost impossible to feel good about your life if you don’t have some type of direction for it. When you meet someone, it’s usually quite easy to see if they have a handle on their life and are happy, or if they're wondering without aim, looking for something to pursue.
The purpose for your life doesn’t need to be complex or earth shattering. It doesn’t have to be big or overwhelming. It only needs to be present. Once it’s there, it gets much easier to make plans you can take action on.
Pursue these plans immediately. Don’t put them off. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. Perfect never comes, and the longer you wait, the harder it is to get started.
Maybe you want to travel the world and understand different cultures. Maybe you want to build a massive stamp collection. It doesn’t matter what it is, pick something you enjoy and go after it.
When you do this, two things happen. First, you gain a sense of confidence in yourself because you see that you’re capable of living on your own terms. Second, this confidence brings new and interesting people into your life.
Being alone can be beautiful, but if you want to add people to your life, finding a purpose for your existence is the fastest way to do it.

10. Go to a movie alone.

Get used to doing things alone that society says is made for two. Go to a movie by yourself and enjoy the picture. Have a great dinner out all by yourself. Take yourself on dates, and learn to treat yourself well.
This will be awkward at first. If you’re used to going out with others, you’ll wonder what you should do with yourself while you’re alone. Don’t try to hide from the discomfort. Accept it. And then laugh about it because, really, who the hell decided that you weren’t supposed to do these things alone?
Besides, to truly enjoy these things with others, you have to learn to enjoy them alone first.

11. Pursue an impractical project.

When you work on a team, the pressure to conform is great. You always have to think about the others in your group and regularly make compromises so that the end result is acceptable to everyone.
In my opinion, this is a terrible way to do something important and personally meaningful.
When you’re alone, you’re free to pursue any kind of project you want in your life. You have the freedom to be completely selfish and make no compromises about what you do or how you do it.
Take advantage of this freedom! An important part of life is doing things that look unwise or impractical to others. Do something that’s completely over your head. Start something that you don’t know how to finish.
Think of the wildest thing you’ve ever wanted to do, then take a small step towards realizing it.
If you’re afraid, understand that this doesn’t have to be your whole life. You can contain it to just a small part. In the piece of your life that you set aside, never, ever allow anyone else’s advice or opinions to direct how you work.
This is something you do alone, for the benefit of no one but yourself.

12. Volunteer your time.

If you’re a hermit when you’re alone, find others that you can be alone around. A great way to do this, and to contribute something positive to the world is to volunteer your time to a cause you believe in.
Being alone and happy doesn’t mean sequestering yourself from the world. It means being confident enough to know that you can surround yourself with people, but not depend on them for your own happiness.
And one good way to get started is to surround yourself with good people, the kind you’ll find when you give your time to a cause that’s important to you.