Developing Dynamic Habits

Everyone has habits.  Getting up in the morning, doing the things that create order in your environment, eating nutritious meals, exercising your body, practicing good hygiene, getting enough sleep.  These habits enable you to function at full strength both at work and play.  Good study habits enable you to organize your thinking and use your time for effective learning.  Habits of courtesy create natural good manners that make others comfortable.  Consistent practice habits enable you to develop a skill or talent like music or sports, painting, crafts or writing. 

A habit is a pattern of behavior we have acquired that has become so automatic it’s difficult to modify or eliminate.  Most habits become unconscious and we no longer have to think about where, when, how or whether to do things – it’s almost as though they’re done outside of our conscious will.

Habitual behaviors can certainly be helpful.  We rarely need to think about the way we use our bodies to walk, run and climb stairs.  We are robotic about the way we hold a pencil, fork or a cup.  Drivers get into the habit of operating the accelerator, brake and turn signal efficiently, never giving the process a thought.  Habits of politeness such as saying “hello,” “please,” “thank you,” “you’re welcome” and “excuse me,” promote harmony as we communicate with each other in our daily routines.

The habits of doing routine things in a certain order can sometimes assure completion.  For instance, putting everything you need for work in the same place near the door before you go to bed each night can help you get a smooth start the next morning.  If before you leave the house each day you form the habit of taking a few seconds to visually scan the room and think about what you need to take with you, you will save yourself time and embarrassment.  Thinking about what needs to be turned off or unplugged will help keep your home safe.

The habits of thinking negatively about ourselves and our opportunities is self-destructive.  Procrastination is an insidious and self-defeating habit that has ruined many lives.  Blaming other people or circumstances for our failures can become a habit that prevents us from moving forward toward the completion of our goals.   By the time  a behavior pattern becomes a habit, it feels so familiar that it seems to be a natural part of us, but, infact, habits are learned and practiced.  Just as we have learned them over time, so too it’s possible to unlearn them. Determine how to be the master of your habits, so that your habits can be useful servants to you.

Communication for Results

When you send messages, speak on the telephone, or make presentations, you represent your organization.  By assessing your present level of confidence in these areas, you can identify where additional study and practice would be helpful.  Good communication skills make every other part of your job easier.

Keep these general principles in mind whenever you are writing or speaking:

There is no substitute for knowing the facts about your subject.  Learn everything you can about your organization, how it works, who does what job, normal schedules and procedures, general policies, and which customers or clients warrant special consideration.

Never be afraid to say or write that you do not know something.  Do say, however, that you will find out and let the other person know as  soon as possible.   Then be sure to follow through on your promise.

Always try to understand the other person’s point of view; what is he or she really asking?  Listen to the other person or read his or her message carefully, and consider the context from which it was written.

When unpleasant information must be communicated, soften it with something positive.

Observe how effective people around you use the telephone.  Ask to read samples of their memos (including letters and emails).  What works well for them?   How could you adapt their methods to work for you?

Why People Don't Plan?

Planning takes lots of concentrated thought.  You have to know where you are in life, what options are open to you, where you want to go, and what you have to do to get there.  That requires self-examination and a thorough analysis of  your strengths, weaknesses, philosophy, and attitudes.

Majority of the people think that planning is useless, they think that everything happens through ‘chance’ and ‘luck’.   Chance is the impersonal, purposeless determiner of unaccountable happenings.  It’s pure chance when a coconut falls out of a palm tree and lands unnoticed in the sand.  But if the coconut were to land on your head, you’d consider that bad luck, and you’d be right.

Good luck is simply chance that benefits human beings.  You can’t influence chance, but you can control the way you respond to it.  If no one was around to see or hear the coconut fall, it would merely be a chance occurrence.  But if you saw the coconut fall and jumped out of the way to avoid it, you could say you were lucky, and you’d be right again.

The planning process shapes your luck by showing you how to respond to falling coconuts and other external chances of life.  You can, through careful planning improve your potential for good luck and enhance your chance of  success by recognizing good fortune whenever it occurs and by applying yourself to the opportunities it presents.  If you don’t respond to chance in a predetermined fashion, you run the risk of having bad luck or no luck at all.

People who rely entirely on chance events for their success always seem to come up short.  And it isn’t only their response to the whims of Mother Nature that clouds their future.  Much of their misfortune lies in their dogged determination not to plan.  People think it’s a waste of time to try to figure out what’s going to happen in a distant, hazy future.  They would rather rely on the mysteries of chance to bring them happiness and prosperity.  But what they don’t know is that no one who has relied on chance alone has ever been consistently successful. 

 Some of the other reasons why people don’t plan is because of their negative attitudes, stubbornness, excessive optimism, inflexibility, lack of perception, problems with urgency,  social taboos and environmental blocks, limited view points, fear of the unknown and lack of perservarance.

Body Talk & Dress In Interviews

Your mind will probably racing as you anticipate what you’ll say and how you’ll behave, but the first impression you create will be visual and the importance of body language, grooming and dress can’t  be overestimated.

Men should wear a suit and tie.  The suit doesn’t have to be dark, three-piece, or pinstriped, but it should be somewhat conservative in colour and style.  Naturally, there are situations where only a very conservative suit is appropriate, sus as in interviews at financial institutions or law firms.  On the other hand, if you’re interviewing with a design or record company, it may be more suitable to interview in a sport jacket and trendy tie.

Women have more choices in dress and therefore can make more mistakes.  Suits and conservative positions,  dresses are the best bet for women as well; avoid extremes in length, colour, and frills.  The more staid the company, the more conservative the outfit should be.  You can personalize your clothes with tasteful understated jewelry and accessories. Stay away from pants, miniskirts, sweaters and anything that’s overly trendy or casual.

A  firm handshake makes a tremendous impression on an interviewer, but it always takes him or her a few moments to concentrate after shaking a clammy, limp hand.  Make sure your hand is dry, even if it means wiping it inconspicuously on your clothes or hiding a napkin in your pocket.

You should appear calm and comfortable with a genuine smile, whatever your internal thoughts.  Sit in natural positions, bearing in mind that you’re not on your own couch at home.  Avoid crossing your arms tightly across your chest, because this is often perceived as an indication that you close people out.

Make eye contact throughout your meeting.  If you’re nervous and have an inclination to look down, try to catch yourself and look at your interviewer.  Many people have little nervous habits that they’re unaware of.  For that reason you may want to try a few practice interviews with a friend.  What do you unconsciously do when you’re speaking?  Do you pick at your nails?  Play with your hair?  Have your friend point out any such unwanted habits, and then find ways to avoid them.

Increase Your Memory Power

How often have you wished that you were better able to remember details or experiences and then apply these memories to the task at hand?  When you are able to recall pertinent knowledge to solve a problem, come up with a new idea or answer a complex question, you are skillfully applying your memory.

Memory systems date back to antiquity.  In ancient times memory was vitally important since there was no written language.  It was memory techniques and systems that enabled storytellers to remember stories, poems and songs and orators to remember their speeches.

The importance of a memory system has not lost its importance over the centuries.  Today, anyone wanting to be effective in his or her job must develop and exercise an efficient memory.  Most jobs require us to store millions of pieces of information.  We must have immediate mental access to company procedures, systems, products and services.  We must also be aware of similar items from our competitors.

We need to remember countless names and faces and relevant facts about people with whom we meet and interact.  Added to this, we are asked to accurately remember information discussed in meetings, during dozens of transactions and a variety of other details.  We are, infact, a walking computer.

Most of use only a fraction of our memory capability.  The way we improve our memory is not by improving intelligence or mental capacity, but by actively applying the fundamental principles of memory improvement and using the variety of memory techniques which is scientifically proven and beneficial.

Our mind is a vast reservoir of integrated holographic systems composed of over 10 billion nerve cells.  Scientists have scarcely tapped the surface of understanding how the human mind works.  Although much has been learned, the nature of how memory functions still has many mysteries.  Despite how little is really known, understanding how memory works and developing proven memory techniques will provide numerous personal and professional benefits. 

There is no such thing as "poor" memory exists for most of us.  The real issue is whether we have a trained memory or an untrained memory.  Almost anyone who wants to improve his or her memory can use proven methods which will train the mind for better recall.

Using Emotional Intelligence

It is not enough to know how to do your job or to be a very intelligent person.  People who are not emotionally smart waste time on personality conflicts and complaining.  They lose self control when faced with tense and stressful situations. 

Intellectual knowledge and technical skills are no longer sufficient for success at work or in life.  While factual knowledge and how-to-skills continue to be important, emotional intelligence skills have become even more crucial and valuable.  Relationships with associates and customers depend on your ability to communicate effectively one-on-one and in groups. 

Emotional intelligence is one of several types of intelligence required for success in all kinds of situations.  People have different abilities in dealing with emotions just like they have different abilities in language, logic, mathematics and music. Therefore Emotional Intelligence means “the ability to use your emotions in a positive and constructive way in relationships with others”.

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, claims, “Emotional Intelligence based capabilities are twice as important for star performance as IQ and technical skills combined.  Research indicates that the biggest reason that managers fail is poor interpersonal skills.  According to The Centre for Creative Leadership, roughly half of all managers have problems relating to their associates and employees.

It is very important in the present stressful competitive world to be more emotionally confident to improve the quality of our lives.  Using emotional intelligence will help you to…..

• ·         Solve problems by using logic and feelings.
• ·         Be flexible in changing situations.
• ·         Help other people express their needs.
• ·         Calmly and thoughtfully respond to difficult people.
• ·         Keep an optimistic and positive outlook.
• ·         Continuously learn how to improve yourself and your organization.

Manage Your Stage Fear

People suffering from public speaking phobia suffer from stage fright or intense anxiety before making a speech. While a few people may appear natural at this, most of us dread the platform where we have to address an audience or group of people.  Have you ever felt your palms getting sweaty and body shaking in front of a crowd or audience? Don't worry, you are not alone. It's well known that public speaking is a major fear for most people. Instead of letting yourself and your fear of public speaking become a focal point for the audience, you should shift the concentration towards your speech.

Get rid of stage fright by imagining you are someone else, such as a favorite celebrity you admire. One of the best ways to get rid of this condition is to be mentally and physically well prepared. Help yourself get rid of stage fright by practicing your song, dance, monologue, scene or whatever you are performing. The next tip to overcome stage fright is to get comfortable with the place where you will be making the presentation.

Prior to getting up in front of a crowd, envision putting on a great performance. Also envision experiencing all the joy and pleasure you will feel from knowing you put on an excellent performance. Practice in front of people beforehand, and you'll be fine. Although presenting or speaking seems like a test in front of a jury, almost every audience wants you to succeed for the simple reason that you might have the knowledge/information they want.