Seven Secrets To Being The Leader Everyone Wants To Follow

In this changing, challenging, and competitive workplace, we can't overestimate the importance of good management. Good managers will consistently motivate you to perform at higher levels of productivity. Bad managers will drive you crazy and eventually out of the organization. Managers with poor skills will frequently produce the following results:

1. Decreased productivity
2. Increased turnover
3. Increased absences
4. Increased human resources mediation situations
5. Increased customer service complaints

The following are seven secrets to being the "perfect" leader everyone wants to work for:

1. Create a Vision
The best leaders not only assign tasks or monitor performance. They plan for the future and motivate others to see the same vision so they can all thrive to accomplish that vision.

Instead of dwelling on limited problems, the perfect leaders look at the big picture. They live the organization's mission and implement, motivate, and dedicate all their efforts to accomplishing the mission.

During hundreds of team building and leadership workshops, I have asked the following simple question:

What is your organization's mission statement?

If there are forty participants in the workshop, thirty-seven will look down at their desk, one participant will make a feeble attempt at reciting what he/she "thinks" is the mission statement, one participant will make a pretty good attempt and recite the first one or two sentences of the mission statement, and finally one student will volunteer to run to the office (or car) to grab a copy of the statement to bring back to the workshop. Out of the thousands of workshop participants I have asked this question, only three knew their mission statement word for word. The amazing part of this is that many of these workshop participants have been with their organization 5-10-20+ years and, they still didn't know their mission statement. So my question is this:

How do you lead your employees to accomplish your organization's mission if you (as a manager) don't know what the mission is?

The perfect leaders live, eat, sleep, and shower with their mission statement. They know exactly what the mission is and understand its importance to the team they lead and to the organization. Most importantly, they communicate the mission statement to their employees at meetings, coachings, feedback sessions, and even corrective actions. Their actions are related to accomplishing the goals of the mission statement and can communicate the vision of the organization.

Action Step – Take the mission statement out of the dark corner in the office. Print the mission statement and its vision on the top of your meeting agenda and recite it at the beginning of the meeting. Then talk about how the employees are helping to realize the goals, values, and vision of the mission.

2. Understand employee needs
As the old saying goes, "You can't please all of the people all of the time." However, the perfect leaders realize that to be effective, they must cater to the needs of most of the team. Good leaders realize that the work environment is not a popularity contest or, as I say, "Leadership is not Pleasership." Perfect leaders treat all employees with respect and are consistent in their actions and words.

At the same time, they recognize the unique needs of their employees and use that knowledge for motivation to achieve a common goal.

3. Communicate concisely and clearly
Poor communication skills are probably the Number #1 reason managers fail. If they can't talk to and connect with their employees, they are not serving the needs of the staff.

What is good communication? The following are some examples:

* Communicate job expectations and standards

* Give ongoing feedback to employees.

* Seek and acknowledge feedback from employees on decisions that effect them (and take the time to listen to them).

* Communicate the mission (see Secret #1) on an ongoing basis.

* Communicate "bad news" in an honest and timely manner.

* Communicate using language that shows a positive expectation.

* Communicate through a combination of methods: person-to-person, e-mail, phone, and meetings.

4. Find common ground
Some managers don't understand they are in the people business and lack the patience to work and develop their team members. I even had a supervisor during a coaching and mentoring workshop make the following statement to me at break:

"If I had known that I had to communicate with my team, I would have never taken the job."

What did this person think? True leaders understand that their employees' success is their success. They comprehend during this journey that some employees will need assistance, coachings, motivation, feedback, and discipline. Good leaders will work to find common ground with each staff member so that everyone wins. Perfect leaders will understand that some employees will need consistent managing, and others will need less managing; some employees need refocusing, while others will be very focused, etc. Perfect leaders recognize the need to find common ground with each person.

5. Take others to a new level
Perfect managers are concerned with their staff's professional advancement and do everything possible to help staff members develop their capabilities. These leaders "see the employees for what they can become, not what they are now." These leaders' actions might range from improving specific aspects of job performance, to delegating special assignments, to developing an action plan for promotions. Perfect leaders must have the ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of employees and use that to coach for continuous improvement.

Ideally the basis for improvement combines the best interest of the organization and the employee. Many times I am brought into organizations to assist them with this need:

"I have managers retiring, and we have no one to replace them."

These organizations have created a "talent black hole," because they didn't implement a plan to "help others improve" and be ready to step up when needed. Remember, you can always replace a chair, a desk, a computer. But you can't always replace a talented employee if you don't have a plan in place to develop others to take their place when the time comes.

6. Believe in your staff
Recently, I was presenting the concerns of an employee workshop to management of an organization at their staff meeting. One manager looked at the report and questioned me as to whether the employees really mentioned the items in the report. I assured the manager the employees did. To that the manager answered in the meeting, "This must mean we have smart employees." Little did this manager realize that he had a negative attitude toward his employees. Through his subconscious mind, he is showing his employees, through words and actions, that he doesn't believe in his staff.

Perfect leaders believe in the best qualities of their employees. They believe their employees are smart enough to handle tasks and find solutions to challenges if given the correct guidance and opportunity.

This comes with earned trust from past performances and the investment by the leaders to ongoing shared coachings and feedback to give the employees the experience and skills to succeed in the future.

7. Integrity is best
It is important that employees feel they can trust the managers' words and actions. This means honesty, fairness, and consistency when interacting with employees. If employees share in private a confidential and sensitive subject with their managers in the morning, this must not be known throughout the organization that afternoon. Or, if managers promise to give employees an answer by the end of the day and never get back to the employees, the managers' integrity is destroyed.

The best leaders realize that their word is their bond and that actions speak louder than words. Perfect leaders work at being honest, open, and reliable everyday.

Take the time starting today to apply these seven secrets; and you, too, can be a "perfect" leader.

About the Author:

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Goto his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint.

Fail to Succeed and You Succeed at Failing

Alan Lakein, a world leading expert on personal time management said;

"Time = Life, Therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life."

And he was right! Time can tick away and before you know it, weeks, months and years can pass without having achieved much of anything. Life will pass you by if you are happy to let it. If, on the other hand, you have set yourself goals and have huge desires then there is no reason you should fail at anything!

Alan Lakein, also said;

"Failing to plan, is planning to fail"

Is he right? I feel planning is important however I do not think it is the most crucial element of success. It is impossible to plan for inspired action and since I am a strong believer that inspired action can come at any time, I don't feel that lack of proper planning will guarantee my failure.

I say;

"Fail to succeed and you succeed at failing"

Success can be anyone's if they have a strong enough desire for it. Being prepared to do anything to achieve your goal is what will propel you into success. If you burn all bridges behind you and put yourself in a position where failure is not an option then and only then will you experience real living!

Man can do anything they can dream of. If you're in a position where you cannot walk away and go back to old habits then you force yourself to look at only one outcome - succeeding. And when you focus on that one outcome, success is guaranteed.

To start you off on a smaller scale, I feel setting yourself small goals and achieving them no matter what will help you to build a strong successful attitude. Here are some examples:

* If you're in Internet Marketing, then setting yourself certain sales goals will help you grow your business further.

* Set a target for your monthly salary and every month up it by an extra $200. In just 1 year you'll be earning an extra $2,400.

* If you're a golfer then set a goal to beat your previous handicap each and every month.

* Maybe you're a song writer ... set yourself a goal of writing at least one song every week.

Healthy competition doesn't hurt you it can only make you stronger and better. It provides a platform for you to better yourself and to become more. By becoming more you are able to give more. And by giving more, you are more.

Become more, today!

About the Author

Gary Evans is a Law of Attraction practitioner, author and owner of the company Good To Feel Good. Gary is dedicated to helping you attract anything you desire through successful application of the Law of Attraction.

Get your free copy of Gary's 7 Proven Steps To Success e-course by visiting:
http://www.7provenstepstosuccess.com

 

Tony Robbins - 10 Lessons I Learned From Anthony Robbins

By Chris Knight

Tony Robbins has been an inspiration for millions. Love him and his philosophy or not, it is undeniable that he has had a positive impact on millions of people. He has sold over 30-million motivational tapes, published three best-selling self-help books, more than 2 million people attended his seminars and another 10,000 (including myself) have attended his mastery university in Hawaii. His core products include Get The Edge - Unlimited Power - Date with Destiny - Mastery University and more.

Here are the top 10 lessons that I learned from Tony Robbins:

1) By altering your body's physiology, you can achieve an immediate change of your emotional state. The mind will follow whatever state your phsyical body is in and not vice-versa.

2) Ask specific questions of yourself (in your self-talk) to direct and control your attention to the various aspects of the human experience. The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions you ask of yourself.

3) Get leverage to create personal change by associating an old behavior with massive pain and the desired new behavior with massive pleasure. Tony is a big believer in the pain/pleasure principles of life and this applies in business as well.

4) When you get stuck, interupt your limiting pattern by doing something totally unexpected.

5) You can condition your behavior by visualizing it over and over again. This is not exactly unique to Tony Robbins, but he does reinforce this message in all of his products.

6) Goal-setting strategy: Know your end outcome; Take massive intelligent action; Have sensory-acuity to notice if you are getting the results you desire and if not; change your approach; and change *until* you get your end outcome.

7) Create a "Compelling future" by vividly imagining your end result to generate enthusiasm and power within yourself. The past does not equal the future. Find beliefs that support your goals and desires.

8) Youth is Power! This is one of Tony's beliefs. Even if you don't have fancy degrees, your youth can still mean power, flexibility and opportunity for your life.

9) Principles of CANI! CANI stands for Constant And Never-ending Improvement. It's a basic tenet of Tony Robbins.

10) NLP can be useful. NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming and there are many NLP undertones in Tony's basic tenets. He went on to morph NLP into his own technology called "NAC" (Neuro Associative Conditioning).

Need inspiration? Surf on over to: http://InspiresYOU.com/

Keep Your Dream Alive

Young children are full of dreams of what they will do, be, see when they grow up. As adults most of us have given up the habit of having big dreams. Or if we do, never following through with them. Why do so many people let their dreams die unlived?

One reason is the negative cynical attitudes of other people. These people are not enemies they are friends, even family members. If our friends are negative towards our dreams or aspirations –our friends can kill our dreams.

A person gets excited about the possibility of a new business opportunity or a new idea. They see the opportunity to make money, do more meaningful work, improve their financial future, rise to a personal challenge, change their lifestyle. They get excited about this stimulating new prospect. But then they tell their neighbour about it over the back fence one evening. The neighbour gets a smirk, a laugh that says, "You can't do that", a foot long list of all the problems and obstacles and fifty reasons why they will never make it and are better off to stay where they are.

The person's enthusiasm disintegrates. They lose all their excitement and self-confidence and begin to think of all the reasons why they can't make it in a work at home business, instead of the reasons they can succeed in their new investment opportunity. They have let the negative attitude of someone else become more powerful than their belief in their dream of financial independence and more time with the family.

Friends can do more damage than a dozen enemies. Remember, the easiest thing to find on earth is someone to tell you all the things you cannot be. Don't listen to them. Often they have the best intentions. They don't want you to be hurt or lose money. Often those that try to steal your dreams are very conservative and have achieved little in their own lives.

It is always the person who has never made $40,000 a year, who knows all the reasons why you can't make $100,000. If you have a dream, give it a chance to happen. Don't let your sister-in-law, the plumber or the person in the next office, rob you of that faith in yourself and your new home based business. It is that belief in your dream that makes it into a reality. Don't let the person who lives on the couch and watches TV every night tell you how futile life is.

Don't take on other people's negative attitudes. Surround yourself with positive people. Read inspiring authors. A few suggestions are Susan Jeffers, Paul Hanna, Anthony Robbins and Jim Rohn. Spend at least half an hour a day nourishing your dream. Believe in yourself and you will make your dreams a reality.

If you have that flame of a dream deep down inside you somewhere, do something about it. And don't let anyone else blow it out. Believe you can, and you will find you can. TRY! You will be surprised at how many good things can happen to you.

About the Author:

Cheryl Haining is a successful home based business operator. To learn how to create an income stream from your home that will replace your job and develop true financial freedom visit: www.keybusinesstips.info For information on nutrition and weight loss visit www.uloseweight.net

 

Get Fit Mentally and Emotionally

Every day you are subjected to an onslaught from the media about the importance of eating healthy foods, and keeping yourself physically fit. How come you never hear anything much about applying similar principles to improve your mental and emotional health.

How many times have you decided to improve your eating habits or to start an exercise regime? You're tired of being the couch potato with a figure to match. How successful have you been? If you are like many other people you start off with a hiss and a roar and really go for it. But before you know it you have lost your motivation and you are back on the couch.

You know that to maintain a healthy body requires a certain amount of physical intelligence. You have an awareness of what you need to do to maintain a healthy body. You know that what you eat can be the difference between maintaining a healthy weight, or being overweight. So how come it's so hard to achieve?

If the same amount of effort was put into encouraging you to increase the strength and flexibility of your thinking, then success in many areas of your life would be just a natural part of your every day existence.

How often do you hear the media advocating that you need to get fit mentally and emotionally? They are more interested in reporting on the results of the failures in society as a result of our lack of mental and emotional intelligence. Reporting on being fit and healthy mentally and physically isn't news worthy. This is what society wants so this is what the media gives us. We are our own worst enemies. We don't want to view, or hear about good news.

Do you recall being educated at school about the power of your mind. I'm not talking about your academic intelligence - your skill at math's, science economics or whatever. I'm talking about your emotional intelligence. The part of you that affects how you think and feel about yourself and others. The part of you that has an affect on your every waking moment. The part of you that will cause you to self sabotage or self improve.

If you really want to get off the couch and increase your wealth and health, or improve your relationships and life in general, then you need to work on your mental and emotional health first. Just by taking the time to improve the way you think will help you to make the transformation to a life you want to live rather than the life you are currently existing in.

Alison Bolger has been studying and teaching self improvement and wealth creation for over 20 years. To learn more visit:http://www.learnwealthysecrets.com

The Success Principle - 3 Keys to Achieve Amazing Success

What's the success principle that will change your life? Many people have been looking for the secrets of success but the reality is that they aren't hidden. Everything you need to know to be successful is at your disposal. After all, some times the hardest things to find are the ones that are right in front of you. Here are 3 keys to help you achieve amazing success and uncover the success principle for you.

1. Face your fears.

Fear is one of, if not the biggest reason, why you may be finding it hard to have the success that you want. If you think about it though, fear is only a thought. Your fear may not be another person's fear. In their mind there is nothing to be afraid of. Stop running from your fear. Overcome the fear in your mind and you will see that there really aren't any monsters at all.

2. Stay consistent.

One of the things that I have seen in people that stop them from having success is a lack of consistency. If you want to have amazing success in your life you will have to learn to stay consistent even when it isn't fun any more. If you are one of those people that are 'on again off again' you will create more problems for yourself then anything else.

3. Learn from your failures.

A major misconception that people have about successful people is that they don't fail as much as 'normal' people do. The truth of the matter is that successful people actually fail more then the average person. The difference is that they don't let failure stop them. They learn from every failure they make and aren't afraid to fail again. They understand the success is forged out of failure.

Is there greatness on the inside of you but you don't know how to achieve it? Jason has just completed his brand new 7 part e-course, 'Find Your Greatness' Get it free here: Find Your Greatness Do you want to learn how to create successful habits and goals? Download Jason's new FREE ebook here: Goal Setting Jason Osborn has dedicated himself to changing thousands of lives by helping people find their greatness and true potential through his Find Your Greatness Newsletter.

 

Goal Setting - Five Key Tips for Handling Deadlines

Why do we need deadlines when we're setting goals? How important are they and what do we need to know about them? Here are five key tips to help you get deadlines into perspective.

Tip #1. Every major goal needs a deadline. Why? Because if you don't know when you need to get to your goal, then how do you know how long to spend on each step? A time plan is just as important as an action plan.

Tip #2. Every step along the way needs its own deadline. If you are breaking your major goals down into chunks, or action steps; and you should be; then each one of those steps needs its own time limit, so that you know exactly how long to spend on it.

Tip #3. Deadlines must be realistic. Goal setters tend to fall into two types; stretchers and plodders. The stretchers are the ones constantly pushing themselves to do better, do more, go faster. Stretchers tend to set very tight deadlines that put them under pressure. This gives them satisfaction because they are always competing against themselves.

Plodders take the slow and steady approach and set long deadlines that they know they can hit. They don't thrive on pressure; they would rather be sure of success.

Whichever type you are all you need to do is make sure that your deadline takes into account your abilities, your available time and all the other things you need to do in your life. Don't aim to write your novel by the end of the week, if you have to spend 12 hours a day looking after your young children. Be realistic.

Tip #4. Be tough on your small deadlines, but more flexible on your big ones. In many ways, hitting the time targets on your individual action steps is more important than hitting the deadline on your major goal. Here's why.

If you are too laid back about getting each action done, you start to get laid back about the whole plan and before you know it, you'll be making excuses, getting distracted and watching your great dream fade into the distance. If you allow every action step to overrun, then the final deadline will be massively extended and might never happen.

Push yourself to meet your short term aims and you'll be amazed at how much more satisfaction, self esteem and extra motivation you'll gain each time you cross off a step along the way.

Tip #5. Be prepared to move the final deadline. If you can be disciplined about the little time goals, then don't worry too much if the major deadline is a little late. It can be tough at the outset to accurately predict how long your big goals will take. You can't foresee every setback or change of plan. Missing a major deadline is not a failure, provided you have consistently taken action since day one and provided you still have your goal in sight.

Keep doing what you're doing. You'll be there real soon and never forget that wherever you are now, you've come a huge distance from where you started.

Hi, my name is Andrew Grant. I hope you enjoyed this article. If you would like to read more great articles on self improvement and making money online, I'd like to invite you to subscribe to my free newsletter, which you'll find at : http://www.money-and-mind.com

Success- It's A Habit

Success- It's A Habit
Copyright 2004 by Shannon Herod

You hit the snooze button three time before you get out of bed and when you finally do its off to the kitchen for your morning cup of coffee. As you sit at the kitchen table with the morning paper in one hand and the coffee in the other you are totally oblivious to the fact that this is what you did yesterday and what you will do tomorrow. It's a habit that you have been practicing for years.

Creatures of habit

We are all creatures of habit. According to http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/english/ha/habit.html a habit is 1.an established custom or 2.a pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition. We all have successful habits and destructive habits. The key is to constantly be looking for the destructive habits and filter them out. You can retrain your habits but it takes focus, commitment and a true desire to change. The longer you have possessed a habit the hard it is to retrain and the easier it is to slip back to the habit. Yes it will take work on your part but the rewards far out way the consequences if you do not break the habit. You live almost your entire live through the habits you have formed. With that said would you agree that a successful habit would further you toward your goals and a destructive goal would render you from achieving success?

Finding The Destructive Habits

If you would like to fix a broken down car you would first have to find the problem. The same holds true with your habits. In order to correct your daily habits you first will have to identify your destructive habits. This is not an easy task because you are going to have to criticize your favorite person, YOU! The best way to do this is to sit down and make a list of what you believe are destructive habits. Be honest with yourself or you will only be setting your self up for failure. Next ask the people you are close to give you their opinion on what they believe are your destructive habits. This will hurt your pride a little but people often see what you are blind to within yourself. Now tack that list and prioritize to the destructive habits by placing the most critical on the top and the least on the bottom of the list.

Destruct The Destructive

Retraining a destructive habit into a successful habit must start by defining the successful habit that will replace the destructive habit. Clearly define the benefits of changing and take possession of them because this is what is going to motivate you to stay focused. For example if you drink soda all day and you want to be healthier you would want to replace the soda with water. The benefits would be more energy, a cleaner system and a longer life. Now you need to take action. You do this by controlling your urge to drink soda and consciously replace it with water. Practicing this for a month or more will make drinking water a habit and you will start subconsciously grabbing water instead of a soda.

Success Is A Habit

As you start to slowly reform you life with successful habits you will want to start finding Successful people to start modeling your important habits around. If somebody already made a mistake learn from it. Find out what the most successful people in the field you are pursuing do day to day. What do they read, who do they associate with, how do they exercise, how do they set their goals and model your habits around them. Truly successful people; by that I mean people who are successful in all aspects of life such as work, family, and friends; did not make it to the top by practicing daily habits. Do not try to invent the wheel. Every success is built on a system to follow so why not make it simple and model a system that works. I believe everyone will always have a destructive habit to break. As long as you are searching for and fixing your destructive habits you will be on the road to success. "By systematically improving behavior at a time you can dramatically improve your over all lifestyle."- The Power of Focus


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Shannon Herod Publishes a newsletter for people like You! If you would like to receive free marketing tips, secrets, & techniques plus a free Internet Income Course - $295 Value and Invaluable articles, insider strategies, and information from the planet's highest-earning home business entrepreneurs! Subscribe Free at:
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The Amazing Possibilities In Your Impossible Dream

There was this TV commercial a couple of years back that made me look away every time it came on. It was for some kind of a power saw and the premise was that there was this guy who built furniture for a living.

Somehow he lost his sight in an accident and thought he would have to give up doing what he loved most. But no way. It turns out this saw was so precise and reliable, even a blind man could operate it.

See where this is going? Suddenly they show the blind carpenter running a piece of wood through this super sharp, massive round blade, not even blinking an eye. Oh, it was just too much for me. It made my toes curl.

Still, as bone chilling as the whole scene was, I could see an underlying message beneath the touting of this impressive saw - there are amazing possibilities in our impossible dreams.

The power of self-belief can take us farther than we ever thought we could go. But it seems a law of nature that in order to see our dreams realized, we must meet up with the impossible and learn the secrets to conquering it.

If you're like me, there have been many times you've taken a good look at the course you were on and wondered if you would ever get where you wanted to go. Against my heart's desire, I spent years working as a secretary.

But in spite of the business suits that defined me outwardly as a professional working woman, I always envisioned myself as one who would one day be on stage in sparkly clothing, singing my heart out for my adoring fans.

If you consider my background, my musical aspirations seemed almost an impossibility. I was never one of those naturally gifted singers with perfect pitch. I would sing around the house when I was a kid and those who were in earshot let me know they weren't listening to anything pleasant. To put it bluntly, I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

The short version of how this all wound up is that I eventually did become a professional singer and performer. I even spent 10 years teaching others the art of singing and stage performance, which in many ways prepared for the ministry I have today.

A situation that looked impossible on all levels became completely possible because I refused to give up on doing what I was born to do.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you," Jesus told His followers.

If you haven't achieved your impossible dream, what are the obstacles that have prevented you from doing so? Was there a time you had complete faith you would see your goals realized and then something shook you up and off your path? Will you ever re-connect with the motivation you once had to be happy, fulfilled and prosperous?

The day finally arrived for me when I had to make a choice about where I was headed. I was sad, unhappy, restless and completely dissatisfied with what my life had become.

You might say God came knocking with a huge reminder that I was incredibly far off the road He set me on when I started out. But He was going to do whatever it took to set me straight again. He had already programmed me for success and fulfillment. I needed to believe it in order for my dreams to materialize

As I began to walk away towards my failed past and into the wonderful future that was my birthright, I searched the scriptures for edification and motivation. I was greatly encouraged by Luke 1:37 which says, "For nothing is impossible with God."

These are powerful and life-transforming words. Not only that, they are true words you can rest assured in. Write them down, paste them up where you can see them, think on them every single day until they sink into your spirit and become your personal truths.

Nothing, not even what we label an impossible situation, can stop God. It can't stop you either as long as you are connected to your Creator and tuned in to the dream He planted in your heart even before you were born.

Always remember that in every impossible dream, the amazing possibilities of what you can achieve are endless.

About the Author:

Luanne Hunt is a singer/songwriter and author of "Moving God, Moving Mountains!" Get a FREE subscription to Luanne's monthly newsletter, "Coffee and Donuts - The Ezine for those who hunger and thirst for Christ-centered fellowship." Visit www.luannehunt.com to sign up and also download a FREE copy of her CD "I'm So Happy!"

 

I Resolve To - Do What I Love, Love What I Do!

Do What You Love - Love What You Do! It can be more than a 'motto' if you truly believe in yourself and what you are doing. I've been a goal-oriented person throughout my life and I've always tried to 'do what I love and love what I do'. In junior high school, I decided to pursue a career in journalism. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were my inspiration during the Watergate/Nixon years.

With that goal in mind, I began work on my first major dream as a teenager and succeeded in becoming a television political reporter upon graduating from college with a Degree Journalism and Political Science, and a Masters Degree in Public Affairs Reporting. Thankfully, I had wonderful teachers, mentors, friends, and family members to help me along. To this day, I appreciate their attention, encouragement, and advice more than they know.

Equally important, I learned to create 'plans - including timelines and deadlines' - that took me from start to finish. Those plans were mostly of 'my own making' because strategic thinking and planning is not something that you're taught in school. Much of of my planning was instinctual. I'm an organization nut by nature. But I also grew by educating myself, and by doing creative planning and problem solving 'on the job' throughout my career. If I didn't know how to do something, I found books that would help. Over the years I've read scores of books that have helped me to learn to plan, create, write, achieve, succeed, do. There are so many wonderful authors, ideas, and approaches. Thre is always something new to learn, and so many good teachers! I took classes, asked questions and listened to my mentors and teachers at work, school and in professional organizations.

Plans, however, are not carved in stone. To succeed you have to be flexible, adaptable, and open-minded. Not surprisingly, through the years, my career has taken a variety of challenging twists and turns. It hasn't always been easy, it's certainly been a lot of work, but it's brought enormous joy, reward, and satisfaction to my life. Early in my career I thought I'd always be a political reporter. Life, however produced interesting surprises, and I eventually veered off that track and went directly into politics. That said, the thread that has remained constant throughout my life is my love for writing and communications. After I left reporting, I wrote a really bad novel, and now I'm working on a 'How To Book' about achieving dreams, resolutions and goals (much better than my 'bad novel'!).

I've been an avid 'journaler' both hard-copy and on Internet Blogs for years and years. I manage my life out of spiral notebooks, journals, and calendars. I've learned that writing things down is an important way to chronicle life, and to move dreams forward day by day. I set timelines, deadlines, chart progress, make course corrections when I'm off track - and most importantly, I reward myself for hard won victories. I write things down so I can think things through on paper. I write things down so I can devise a strategy answers the question of 'how, when, where, and why' I can and will achieve my dreams, resolutions and goals. I write things down so I can review my progress and all the daily actions I have taken.

Writing is as important and vital to me, my happiness, and survival, as breathing air. I long ago found my purpose in life. The writing and creative process has taken may forms, brought many surprises, and things haven't always worked out exactly as I thought they would, but it's been a wonderful ride on the both the good days and the not so good days when I did hand to hand combat with obstacles. I do what I love and I love what I do. I have no regrets and I count my blessings each and every day for all that I have and all that I am.

I hope you've also found your 'true love' - those dreams large and small about which you have great passion and interest. Dreams that complete your life, make it interesting and wonderful! Dreams that make you ant to get out of bed and face the day with a smile on your face. If you haven't figured out what you would love to do perhaps its time to consider these questions:

1. Do you wake up in the morning, looking forward to the things you'll be doing, the challenges you'll be tackling, the people you'll be working with and meeting? Or do you drag through your day, dreading what's to come? What changes, both small and large, could you make that would help you to look forward to your day? What are your dreams? What are the 100 things that you would truly love to do, see, create, achieve, learn, feel, be, have in your lifetime? Pick just one dream and turn it into a one sentence resolution, a promise: I Resolve To ________. Then do your homework, learn all the many things you need to do to achieve your dream, your resolution. Pursue it passionately, patiently one mall step, one small goal at a time, one day at a time until you succeed.
2. If you're already pursuing your dreams, but aren't feeling satisfied with progress, or the journey, are you keeping a journal that chronicles your ups and downs? Do you sit down, in a quiet place where you can feel relaxed, to do a weekly Check In? Do you review what you've achieved and think through your 'next daily steps', or are you on auto-pilot? Maybe it's time for some fresh brainstorming, some conscious decision-making. Maybe it's time to do more homework. What are the many steps you need to take to make your dream a reality? What do you need to do to take those steps/daily goals into reality?
3. Do your values match your dreams, resolutions and goals? Have you ever tried to match up your values and beliefs to your dreams, resolutions and goals? Perhaps it's time to consider what you value in life, what you believe in, as compared to your aspiration and goals . . . do they complement each other? If not, how can you reconcile the two?
4. Do you go it alone? Maybe it's time to find a buddy, friend, or family member who shares your dream and can lend encouragement, and help build energy, enthusiasm and motivation. Take classes, they will help to keep you focused!

None of these questions are easy to ponder or answer. Life isn't easy. But they're all worth considering if, eventually, they will set you on a course to a more productive, rewarding life. Life isn't perfect, but it can be happy and fulfilling if that's your true desire and you're willing to work hard for it -one dream, one resolution, one goal, one step, one day at a time - with passion, patience, persistence, and commitment.

Remember: I Resolve To Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year. It's your choice. Do it today. Turn your resolution into reality. Make your resolution a permanent Lifetime Resolution, something that's with you for good! Above all, Be A Resolutionista, someone who keeps resolutions and enjoys the journey! Let's Go For It!

Kim Simpson, a former journalist, provides communications, fundraising services and strategic planning, for Members of Congress, non-profit rganizations, corporations, and associations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. A self-employed entrepreneur, with more than 25 years of experience, she launched IResolveTo.Com in 2005 in an effort to help others to achieve their New Year Resolutions, Dreams and Goals. Her motto is: I Resolve To Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year.™ Let's 'Go For It'. Get your daily dose of inspiration at: http://www.iresolveto.com As added incentive, why not make and keep your New Year Resolution by wearing it? Drop by the I Resolve To™ Store at http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto This article is Copyright © I Resolve To, Inc. * All Rights Reserved. It can be printed for personal, non-commercial use in achieving New Year Resolutions, Dreams and Goals.

Dare To Dream

By George Chingarande

It does not matter how exalted or lowly your current state in life is, there are only three options available to you every morning. You will remain in the same position or gravitate downwards and sink lower and lower into the abyss or rise higher and higher like a shooting star. Where you end up is never a product of accidents or coincidences. Like the sculptor or painter who is personally and absolutely responsible for his artwork, you too are totally responsible for the outcomes that you get from life.

There are two forces that exert tremendous power on all humans ultimately pulling them like magnets to their destinies. The first of these is the controlling desires or the gripping vices. These are enervating habits and lusts that always inhibit a man's quest for success. Men need not be saints in order to be successful, but it is imperative that they attain some level of self discipline. Uncontrolled habits have been known to bring down even the greatest among men. I will not dwell much on bad habits, but it is important to point out that every habit begins as a thought. The second force is the power of the dominant dream or overriding passion. By this I do not mean an idle wish or a dilute desire but an ardent ambition and a fervent passion that is accompanied by pictures of the desired future state in the mind. Bad habits have a pulling down, gravitational like power while the dominant dream has unstoppable forward thrust.

Regardless of how successful or how checkered with difficulties the past has been, the future need not be like the past. Today does not have to be as dreary as yesterday. If today is filled with shame and drudgery, tomorrow can and should be refreshingly different. The future belongs to the dreamers. A man earning hundred rands a month today can earn a million dollars a year in future. A floor sweeper in the ministry of finance can one day be the minister of finance. A junior journalist today can be tomorrow's media magnet. There is no limit to what you can become. Your circumstances may be less than ideal or totally unfavorable, but they will not remain so if you can conceive of a dream and strive towards it. The future can, and should be dramatically, significantly and enormously different from the past and the present. I would like to take this opportunity to challenge you to dare to dream of a glorious future, and of reaching heights where only champions are found.

A man's world is built upon his vision of the future. A blind man is surely limited by his reach because he depends on his sense of touch to grope his way forward. An ignorant man is undermined by his lack of knowledge, but the achiever is limited by only his vision of the future. All achievements begin as thoughts. The mighty baobab tree begins as a seed, so also all great achievements begin as small dreams.

The great achievers of this world are those that dare to carefully and patiently nurse and develop their dreams. Somewhere in their minds and certainly on paper they have graphic word and pictorial descriptions of the future. They appreciate that it is not a disaster to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is tragic to live with no dream to pursue. The failures entertain idle wishes and vain thoughts and by so doing attract failure, vanity and smallness to their lives.

The greatest enemy of the future is the past, and the greatest enemy of your dream is within and not outside you. Many people unwittingly use the past as the consultant on their future. Their failures and frustrations of the past make them fretful about the future. To their detriment they keep pictures of past hurts on their minds. By constantly revisiting these unhappy moments they develop very low opinions of themselves. Consequently, their dreams are small and their actions are at best timid. Winners do not consult their fears and past hurts and disappointments. They pursue their dreams knowing that everyday brings with it an opportunity to get closer to the attainment of their dreams. They do not frustrate themselves by thinking of the things they failed to accomplish but they excite themselves by dreaming of what they can still accomplish in the future.

It does not matter how old or how successful you are, you can still have a dream Without big dreams we sentence ourselves to the jail of mediocrity. He who cherishes and nourishes a beautiful vision in his heart and pursues it with unrelenting pace and resolve will one day realize it. Dare to dream big dreams and make plans to fulfill them.

winningmantra@yahoo.com