Carlina Agnes Patuwo (Lina)

2009-10-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Being an Extraordinary Leader Through Tough and Challenging Times

by Chris Widener

Tough and challenging times will surely come. That is a given. The question is what kind of leadership we will demonstrate during those times. Those who are weak leaders will see lasting damage done, if not see the organization fall apart completely. With Extraordinary Leaders at the helm, however, an organization can actually become stronger and thrive in spite of the tough and challenging times. That should be our goal, so here are some ideas on how to be an Extraordinary Leader in tough and challenging times!

Keep Your Eye on the Big Picture. When things get tough, everybody's temptation is to become acutely focused on the problem. The Extraordinary Leader, however, will keep his or her eye on the big picture. This doesn't mean that we don't address the problem. In fact, we have to address the problem. But what separates a leader from a follower is that the leader doesn't get caught up in the problem. The leader sees the big picture and keeps moving toward the vision. The further they take their followers toward the vision, the further away from the problem they get.

Don't Get Caught in the War or the Friendly Fire. When it gets tough even the most loyal team members can be tempted to start shooting and, unfortunately, they sometimes shoot each other! Rather than focusing on the enemy on the outside, they begin to question each other and find many faults with one another that they normally would not have seen. The Extraordinary Leader is the one who can keep from being drug into the fray. They keep their eye on the big picture and act rationally and objectively. They understand that people are heated and are saying things they don't really mean. The people are firing because they are angry or scared. The Extraordinary Leader understands this and rises above it. This way, they take fewer arrows and they set the example for their followers.

Be First to Sacrifice. When it gets tough, like when there has to be cuts in salaries etc, the leader should do just that - lead. They need to not only be the one who is rewarded the greatest when all is well, but they need to be the first to sacrifice. The Extraordinary leader says, "I know many of you are concerned with the salary cuts. I am too. In the long run we will be healthy again but for the mean time, this is necessary. Understanding this, I want you to know that I am taking a 20% pay reduction myself. I want you to know that we are in this together." The Extraordinary Leader is the first to sacrifice and will be rewarded with the loyalty of his or her followers.

Remain Calm. Panic is one of the basest of human emotions and no one is immune to it. The Extraordinary Leader, however, takes time out regularly to think the issues through so they can remain calm. They remind themselves that all is not lost and there will be another day. They remind themselves that being calm will enable them to make the best decisions - for themselves and for their followers. Panic only leads to disaster, while calm leads to victory.

Motivate. In tough and challenging times, people are naturally down. They tend to be pessimistic. They can't see how it is all going to work out. Thus, they have a hard time getting going. The Extraordinary Leader knows this and will focus in on being the optimistic motivator. He or she will come to the office knowing that for the time being, the mood of the group will be carried and buoyed by them and their attitude. Above all else, they seek to show how the end result will be good - and with this they motivate their followers to continue on, braving the current storms, and on to their shared destiny.

Create Small Wins. One of the ways to motivate is to create small wins. The Extraordinary Leader knows that in tough times his or her people think that all is lost. They wonder if they can win. So the Extraordinary Leader creates opportunities for the team to win, even if they are small. They set smaller, more achievable goals and remind and reward the team members when they hit those goals. With each small win, the leader is building the esteem and attitude of his followers, digging them out of their self-created hole of fear.

Keep a Sense of Humor. Look, hardly anything in life can't be laughed at. The Extraordinary Leader knows that even if the whole company goes down the drain, we still go home to our families and live a life of love with them. The Extraordinary Leader keeps perspective and knows that we humans act irrationally when we get scared and fail, and sometimes that is humorous. Don't ever laugh at someone's expense in this situation, because that will be perceived as cold and heartless, regardless of what you meant by it, but do keep the ability to laugh at yourself and the situations that present themselves. By doing this you will keep yourself and your team in an attitude that will eventually beat the tough times.

Kangen !!

2008-11-11T00:58:00.000-08:00

Setelah 'istirahat' 6 bulan dari posting-posting di blog, saya kembali lagi untuk upgrading blog tercinta ini... kangen juga nulis, apalagi setelah pusing kerja dan mikirin yang susah diraih :(.. Tunggu ya posting baru saya ..... selamat beristirahat..

Article 30 - Services

2008-06-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US, BUT NOT THAT IMPORTANT...
by Jeffery Gitomer

Ever hear this? Thank you for calling (fill in the name of any big company). All of our people are busy now. Your call is important to us, please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it was received.

If my call is so important, how come you don’t hire more people to answer the phone?

I am often asked the question, “How is service in America?”

I travel 250 days a year.
I stay in 150 different hotels a year.
I fly more than 200 times a year.
I eat out at least 750 meals a year.

My reply is, “Service is somewhere between medium and poor. And getting worse.”

Why?
1. Corporate cutbacks.
2. Automated attendants.
3. Call routing.
3.5 Poorly trained people on the front lines.

To serve you better, please select from among the following eight options.

To serve me better? I believe the TRUTH is, “To save us money…”

If you don’t have your account number, your tracking number, your claim number, your file number, your invoice number, your credit card number, or the last four digits of your social security number, you’re dead meat. And you better have the answers to a bunch of “security questions,” that are asked of you “for your protection,” or you will not get the service you need. Sorry, that’s our policy.

As a customer, I have a list of a few things you can do in the heat of the moment:
Be friendly and polite at first.
Be firm.
Don’t swear.
Be clear and prepared.
Stick to your objective no matter what roadblock they throw at you.
The closer you get to their emotion, the better chance you have at getting your way.

INSPIRATION QUOTE

2008-05-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Keberhasilan tidak pernah datang tiba-tiba, tetapi keberhasilan datang karena adanya kemauan untuk menjadi lebih baik dari hari ini - CAP

Untuk berbuat baik tidak perlu harus menjadi orang baik. - CAP

Today's Quote

2008-05-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of. -Anonymous

Renungan

2008-04-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Jawaban Doa

Kita mengharapkan diberi pasangan hidup yang baik dan sesuai, berakhir dengan penolakan dan kegagalan--orang lain dengan mudah berganti pasangan. Kita menginginkan harta yang berkecukupan, namun kebutuhan terus meningkat. Coba kita bayangkan diri kita seperti anak kecil yang sedang demam dan pilek, lalu kita melihat tukang es.

Kita yang sedang panas badannya merasa haus dan merasa dengan minum es dapat mengobati rasa demam (maklum anak kecil). Lalu kita meminta pada orang tua kita (seperti kita berdoa memohon pada Tuhan) dan merengek agar dibelikan es. Orangtua kita tentu lebih tahu kalau es dapat memperparah penyakit kita. Tentu dengan segala dalih kita tidak dibelikan es. Orangtua kita tentu ingin kita sembuh dulu baru boleh minum es yang lezat itu.

Begitu pula dengan Tuhan, segala yang kita minta Tuhan tahu apa yang paling baik bagi kita. Mungkin tidak sekarang, atau tidak di dunia ini Tuhan mengabulkannya. Karena Tuhan tahu yang terbaik yang kita tidak tahu. Kita sembuhkan dulu diri kita sendiri dari "pilek" dan "demam".... dan terus berdoa.

"There's a time and place for everything, for everyone. God works in a mysterious way."

QUOTES ABOUT BEING YOURSELF (3)

2008-04-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

Quoted from Quote Garden

We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

If you cannot be a poet, be the poem. ~David Carradine

A man who is "of sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key. ~Paul Valéry, Mauvaises pensées et autres, 1942

The great majority of us are required to live a life of constant duplicity. Your health is bound to be affected if, day after day, you say the opposite of what you feel, if you grovel before what you dislike, and rejoice at what brings you nothing but misfortune. ~Boris Pasternak

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~E.E. Cummings

Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess, and to gain applause which he cannot keep. ~Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, 1750

Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another. ~Homer

How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. ~Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

"Be yourself" is about the worst advice you can give some people. ~Tom Masson

I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself, and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part. ~Shirley MacLaine

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself. ~Harvey Fierstein

Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not. ~Henri Frederic Amiel

QUOTES ABOUT BEING YOURSELF (2)

2008-04-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

Quoted from Quote Garden

All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own. ~Johann von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther, 1774
We are betrayed by what is false within. ~George Meredith
No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. ~Oscar Wilde
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
No creature is fully itself till it is, like the dandelion, opened in the bloom of pure relationship to the sun, the entire living cosmos. ~D.H. Lawrence
Men weary as much of not doing the things they want to do as of doing the things they do not want to do. ~Eric Hoffer
It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is. ~Desiderius Erasmus
All the mistakes I make arise from forsaking my own station and trying to see the object from another person's point of view. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are. ~Julius Charles Hare

To be continued.....

QUOTATIONS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP (3)

2008-04-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

The friend within the man is that part of him which belongs to you and opens to you a door which never, perhaps, is opened to another. Such a friend is true, and all he says is true; and he loves you even if he hates you in other mansions of his heart. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Wisdom of the Sands, translated from French by Stuart Gilbert
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cords of memory will swell when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature. ~Abraham Lincoln
Yes we are [friends] and I do like to pass the day with you in serious and inconsequential chatter. I wouldn't mind washing up beside you, dusting beside you, reading the back half of the paper while you read the front. We are friends and I would miss you, do miss you and think of you very often. I don't want to lose this happy space where I have found someone who is smart and easy and doesn't bother to check her diary when we arrange to meet. ~Jeanette Winterson, Written on the Body, 1992

To be continued ...........

QUOTATIONS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP (2)

2008-04-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad. ~Arnold H. Glasgow
The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you. ~Elbert Hubbard, The Notebook, 1927
A good friend is cheaper than therapy. ~Author Unknown
If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it. ~Edgar Watson Howe
The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend. ~Henry David Thoreau
A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. ~Arnold Glasow
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored and sorrows end.~William Shakespeare
Love is like the wild-rose briar; Friendship is like the holly-tree.The holly is dark when the rose briar blooms,But which will bloom most constantly?~Emily Brontë

To be continued......

Article 29 - RELATIONSHIPS

2008-03-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

PLUS YOUR RELATIONSHIPS FOR PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL AND UNIVERSAL SUCCESS
by Mark Victor Hansen

Creating great success does not always lead to having phenomenal relationships. But creating great relationships always leads to having phenomenal success. It is the nurturing, or plussing, of our personal, professional and Universal relationships that allows us to receive complete and total abundance.

When I speak of personal relationships I’m referring to those people that we love – our parents, spouses, partners, children, life-long friends, etc. These are the people that know us better than anyone on the planet. These are the people we would lay down our lives for, and they would do the same for us. These are the people for which we live and breathe.

We plus these relationships by becoming more lovingly involved in their lives, and by allowing them to become more involved in ours. We don’t stick our noses in where they don’t belong or give advice that is not wanted. If our spouses or children have something to say, we stop what we’re doing and we listen. If our friends have problems and want to talk, we show up and support them. We don’t judge and we don’t nag. We nurture these relationships by being present in their lives and loving them.

We have professional relationships with the people we work with. These are individuals we need, and who need us, to accomplish professional goals. We plus these relationships by creating win-win situations in the workplace. Find out what your co-workers, employees and bosses need. Once you figure out what everyone wants and needs you can easily help them achieve their goals. They, in turn, will help you achieve your goals. It’s the law of give and take. When you help others, you, in turn, are rewarded for your efforts.

Universal relationships are those we have with every living thing on earth, and with God, or whatever Infinite Intelligence you believe exists. Let’s say you decided to help build houses for the homeless. This selfless decision plusses your relationships with other human beings, and sets a karmic chain of prosperous events into motion. Those homeless people become homeowners. They remember the kindness and generosity others have shown them and help build homes for the homeless. Those people do the same – and so on, and so on – until one day there are no homeless people, only homeowners helping one another.

While you’re doing that, others are working to save the rainforests and clean up the oceans - helping other living creatures on this planet. Plussing our Universal relationships lead to prosperity for everyone and everything.

Improve your business, your life, your relationships, your finances and your health. When you do the whole world improves.

Mark Victor Hansen

-------
Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, has for more than 25 years, uniquely focused on the vital elements of human behavior that most affect our personal and professional lives and has influenced society's top leaders and the general public on a global scale.

Artikle 28 - MEANING OF FRIEND

2008-03-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF FRIEND
Teman adalah hadiah buat kita

Seperti hadiah, ada yang bungkusnya bagus dan ada yang bungkusnya jelek. Yang bungkusnya bagus punya wajah rupawan, atau kepribadian yang menarik. Yang bungkusnya jelek punya wajah biasa saja, atau kepribadian yang biasa saja, atau malah menjengkelkan. Seperti hadiah, ada yang isinya bagus dan ada yang isinya jelek.

Yang isinya bagus punya jiwa yang begitu indah sehingga kita terpukau ketika berbagi rasa dengannya, ketika kita tahan menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam saling bercerita dan menghibur, menangis bersama, dan tertawa bersama.. Kita mencintai dia dan dia mencintai kita.

Yang isinya buruk punya jiwa yang terluka. Begitu dalam luka-lukanya sehingga jiwanya tidak mampu lagi mencintai, justru karena ia tidak merasakan cinta dalam hidupnya.

Sayangnya yang kita tangkap darinya seringkali justru sikap penolakan, dendam, kebencian, iri hati, kesombongan, amarah, dll. Kita tidak suka dengan jiwa-jiwa semacam ini dan mencoba menghindar dari mereka.

Kita tidak tahu bahwa itu semua BUKANlah karena mereka pada dasarnya buruk, tetapi ketidakmampuan jiwanya memberikan cinta karena justru ia membutuhkan cinta kita, membutuhkan empati kita, kesabaran dan keberanian kita untuk mendengarkan luka-luka terdalam yang memasung jiwanya.

Bagaimana bisa kita mengharapkan seseorang yang terluka lututnya berlari bersama kita? Bagaimana bisa kita mengajak seseorang yang takut air berenang bersama? Luka di lututnya dan ketakutan terhadap airlah yang mesti disembuhkan, bukan mencaci mereka karena mereka tidak mau berlari atau berenang bersama kita. Mereka tidak akan bilang bahwa "lutut" mereka luka atau mereka takut air", mereka akan bilang bahwa mereka tidak suka berlari atau mereka akan bilang berenang itu membosankan dll.

It's a defense mechanism. Itulah cara mereka mempertahankan diri.

Mereka tidak akan bilang: Mereka akan bilang:
"Aku tidak bisa menari" "Menari itu tidak menarik."
"Aku membutuhkan kamu" "Tidak ada yang cocok denganku."
"Aku kesepian" "Teman-temanku sudah lulus semua"
"Aku butuh diterima" "Aku ini buruk, siapa yang bakal tahan denganku.."
"Aku ingin didengarkan" "Kisah hidupku membosankan.."

Mereka semua hadiah buat kita, entah bungkusnya bagus atau jelek, entah isinya bagus atau jelek. Dan jangan tertipu oleh kemasan. Hanya ketika kita bertemu jiwa-dengan-jiwa, kita tahu itulah hadiah sesungguhnya buat kita.

Berikanlah makna di dalam kehidupan Anda bukan hanya untuk diri Anda sendiri saja melainkan juga untuk membahagiakan sesama manusia di dalam lingkungan kehidupan Anda. Berikanlah waktu Anda dengan digabung oleh rasa kasih!

Seorang sahabat sama seperti satu permata yang tak ternilai harganya. Seorang kawan bisa membuat kita ceria, membuat kita terhibur. Mereka meminjamkan kupingnya kepada kita pada saat kita membutuhkannya. Mereka bersedia membuka hati maupun perasaannya untuk berbagi suka dan duka dengan kita pada saat kita membutuhkannya.

Maka dari itu janganlah buang waktu yang Anda miliki, janganlah sia2 akan waktu yang sedemikian berharganya. Bagikanlah sebagian dari waktu yang Anda miliki untuk seorang kawan. Pasti waktu yang Anda berikan tsb akan berbalik kembali seperti juga satu lingkaran walaupun terkadang kita tidak tahu dari mana dan dari siapa datangnya.

Mulailah kita awali dgn membagikan waktu kita sejenak dgn menforward artikel ini kepada semua kawan atau sahabat.. Dengan ucapan I care about you!

Kebahagiaan anda tumbuh berkembang manakala anda membantu orang lain. Namun, bilamana anda tidak mencoba membantu sesama, kebahagiaan akan layu dan mengering. Kebahagiaan bagaikan sebuah tanaman, harus disirami setiap hari dengan sikap dan tindakan memberi.

(J.Donald Walters)

Artikel 27 - KEBIASAAN MERUSAK OTAK

2008-03-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

10 KEBIASAAN YANG DAPAT MERUSAK OTAK
(dari milist tetangga)

Tidak Sarapan Pagi
Mereka yang tidak mengkonsumsi sarapan pagi memiliki kadar gula darah yang rendah, yang akibatnya suplai nutrisi ke otak menjadi kurang.
Makan Terlalu Banyak
Terlalu banyak makan, apalagi yang kadar lemaknya tinggi, dapat berakibat mengerasnya pembuluh darah otak karena penimbunan lemak pada dinding dalam pembuluh darah. Akibatnya kemampuan kerja otak akan menurun.
Merokok
Zat dalam rokok yang terhisap akan mengakibatkan penyusutan otak secara cepat, serta dapat mengakibatkan penyakit Alzheimer.
Mengkonsumsi gula terlalu banyak
Konsumsi gula yang terlalu banyak akan menyebabkan terganggunya penyerapan protein dan nutrisi, sehingga terjadi ketidak seimbangan gizi yang akan mengganggu perkembangan otak

Polusi Udara
Otak adalah konsumen oksigen terbesar dalam tubuh manusia. Menghirup udara yang berpolusi menurunkan suplai oksigen keotak sehingga dapat menurunkan efisiensi otak.
Kurang Tidur
Otak memerlukan Tidur sebagai saat beristirahat dan memulihkan kemampuannya. Kekurangan tidur dalam jangka waktu lama akan mempercepat kerusakan sel-selotak.
Menutup kepala saat tidur
Kebiasaan tidur dengan menutup kepala meningkatkan konsentrasi zat karbondioksida dan menurunkan konsentrasi oksigen yang dapat menimbulkan efek kerusakan pada otak.
Menggunakan pikiran saat sakit
Bekerja terlalu keras atau memaksakan untuk menggunakan pikiran kita saat sedang sakit dapat menyebabkan berkurangnya efektifitas otak serta dapat merusak otak.
Kurang menstimulasi pikiran
Berpikir adalah cara yang paling tepat untuk melatih otak kita. Kurangnya stimulasi pada otak dapat menyebabkan mengkerutnya otak kita.
Jarang berkomunikasi
Komunikasi diperlukan sebagai salah satu sarana memacu kemampuan kerja otak. Berkomunikasi secara intelektual dapat memicu efisiensi otak. Jarangnya berkomunikasi akan menyebabkan kemampuan intelektual otakjadi kurang terlatih.

Inspirational Quotes (11)

2008-03-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

There is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving - Henry Drummond
A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others - The Wizard to the Tin Man (submitted by tranme)
The heart, like the mind, has a memory. And in it are kept the most precious keepsakes - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (submitted by onedisciple

Article 26 - YOUR IDEAL SELF AND LIFE

2008-03-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

YOUR IDEAL SELF AND LIFE
By: Brian Tracy

Your self-concept is made up of three parts, each of which affects each of the others. Understanding these three parts enables you to put your hands on the keyboard of your own mental computer. When you learn to take charge of the development of a new and positive self-concept of selling, you can then control your sales destiny for the rest of your career.

Determine Your Direction
The first part of the self-concept is the "self-ideal." Your self-ideal largely determines the direction in which you are going with your life. It guides the growth and evolution of your character and personality. Your self-ideal is a combination of all of the qualities and attributes of other people that you most admire. Your self-ideal is a description of the person you would very much like to be if you could embody the qualities that you most aspire to.

Strive Toward Excellence
Throughout your life, you have seen and read about the qualities of courage, confidence, compassion, love, fortitude, perseverance, patience, forgiveness and integrity. Over time, these qualities have instilled in you an ideal to which you aspire. You might not always live up to the very best that you know, but you are constantly striving to be a better person in light of those qualities that you value so highly. In fact, everything that you do on a day-to-day basis is affected by your comparing your activities with these ideal qualities and your striving to behave consistently with them.

Clarity is Essential
Successful salespeople have very clear ideals for themselves and their careers. Unsuccessful salespeople have fuzzy ideals. Successful salespeople are very clear about being excellent in every part of their work and their personal lives. Unsuccessful salespeople don't give the subject very much thought. One of the primary characteristics of successful men and women in every walk of life is that they have very clearly defined ideals and they are very aware of whether or not their current behaviors are consistent with their idealized behaviors.

Set Challenging Goals
Part of your ideals are your goals. As you set higher and more challenging goals, your self-ideal improves and crystallizes. When you set goals for the kind of person you want to be and the kind of life you want to live, your self-ideal rises and becomes a greater guiding and motivating force in your life.

Your Future is Unlimited
Perhaps the most important thing for you to realize is that whatever anyone else has done or become, you can do or become as well. Improvements in your self-ideal begin in your imagination, and in your imagination, there are no limits except the ones that you accept.

What is your ideal vision of the very best person you could possibly become? How would you behave each day if you were already that person? Asking yourself these questions and then living your life consistent with the answers is the first step to creating yourself in your ideal image.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, dream big dreams. Set big, exciting, challenging goals and ideals for yourself in every part of your life. Allow yourself to imagine a wonderful life ahead.
Second, think about how you would act if you were an outstanding person in every way. Then, practice being this person, as though you were acting a role in a play. You'll immediately notice a difference in your behavior.

Article 25 - SEVEN STEPS TO SUCCESS

2008-03-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

SEVEN STEPS TO SUCCESS
By: Brian Tracy

Discipline yourself to do what you know you need to do to be the very best in your field. Perhaps the best definition of self discipline is this: "Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not." It is easy to do something when you feel like it. It's when you don't feel like it and you force yourself to do it anyway that you move your life and career onto the fast track.

What decisions do you need to make today in order to start moving toward the top of your field? Whatever it is, either to get in or get out, make a decision today and then get started. This single act alone can change the whole direction of your life.

Seven Steps to Success
There is a powerful seven step formula that you can use to set and achieve your goals for the rest of your life. Every single successful person uses this formula or some variation of this formula to achieve vastly more than the average person. And so can you. Here it is:

Decide What You Want
Step number one, decide exactly what it is you want in each part of your life. Become a "meaningful specific" rather than a "wandering generality."

Write it Down
Second, write it down, clearly and in detail. Always think on paper. A goal that is not in writing is not a goal at all. It is merely a wish and it has no energy behind it.

Set a Deadline
Third, set a deadline for your goal. A deadline acts as a "forcing system" in your subconscious mind. It motivates you to do the things necessary to make your goal come true. If it is a big enough goal, set sub-deadlines as well. Don't leave this to chance.

Make a List
Fourth, make a list of everything that you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. When you think of new tasks and activities, write them on your list until your list is complete.

Organize Your List
Fifth, organize your list into a plan. Decide what you will have to do first and what you will have to do second. Decide what is more important and what is less important. And then write out your plan on paper, the same way you would develop a blueprint to build your dream house.

Take Action
The sixth step is for you to take action on your plan. Do something. Do anything. But get busy. Get going.

Do Something Every Day
Do something every single day that moves you in the direction of your most important goal at the moment. Develop the discipline of doing something 365 days each year that is moving you forward. You will be absolutely astonished at how much you accomplish when you utilize this formula in your life every single day.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put these ideas into action immediately.
First, decide exactly what you want, write it down with a deadline, make a plan and take action - on at least one goal - today!
Second, determine the price you will have to pay to achieve this goal and then get busy paying that price - whatever it is.

Daily Wisdom (3)

2008-03-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

If your mind becomes firm like a rock,
And no longer shakes,
In a world where everything is shaking,
Your mind will be your greatest friend,
And suffering will not come your way.
-Theragatha

UNGKAPAN HATI - SEDIH

2008-03-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

S E D I H

Kenapa kita harus bersedih ?
Kenapa kita tidak harus bersedih?

Sering kali kesedihan itu timbul tanpa kita sadari.

Adalah hal yang lumrah dan normal apabila kita sedih atau pun kita tidak sedih apabila kita melihat suatu adegan yang menyentuh di TV, atau mendengar cerita sedih di radio, atau membaca suatu cerita di majalah/koran ataupun novel.

Tetapi, kesedihan yang spontan akan hilang apabila kita menyadari kalau sedih itu hanyalah pantulan emosional sesaat. Kesedihan akan hilang apabila kita menyadari kalau sedih yang berpanjangan tidak akan ada gunanya.

Sayangnya, sedih itu selalu ada di hati saya walaupun mulut saya tetap tersenyum. Sedih itu tetap setiap melihat keadaan sekeliling saya yang tidak ada perubahaan, dari tahun ke tahun tetaplah sama. Saat mengingat hal-hal yang sudah tidak saya punyai lagi. Saat mengingat apa yang saya inginkan tidak bisa saya miliki. Tangis kesedihan yang tidak pernah putus.

Kapan ini akan berakhir ?
Kenapa itu terjadi ?
Tidakkah cukup tangisan kesedihan itu terus melandah hati ini selama bertahun-tahun ? Saya tidak punya jawaban.... dan saya harus mencari jawabannya.

Tapi saya harus tetap tersenyum, senyum dan senyum.

"If you don't understand the Way as it meets your eyes, how can you know the Path as you walk?"

Article 24 - TIME MANAGEMENT

2008-03-07T05:37:00.001-08:00

TODAY IS YESTERDAY'S TOMORROW
by Jim Rohn (Excerpted from the book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle)

The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. The question is what did we do with its opportunity? All too often we will waste tomorrow as we wasted yesterday, and as we are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude us, despite our intentions, until we inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from our embrace a single, unused day at a time.

Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease. Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency.

When the game of life is finally over, there is no second chance to correct our errors. The clock that is ticking away the moments of our lives does not care about winners and losers. It does not care about who succeeds or who fails. It does not care about excuses, fairness or equality. The only essential issue is how we played the game.

Regardless of a person's current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive them into action now - this very moment. We should be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of our lives - moments that seem so insignificant that their loss often goes unnoticed.

We still have all the time we need. We still have lots of chances - lots of opportunities - lots of years to show what we can do. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless we develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. There isn't an endless supply!

So as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life.

To Your Success,

Inspirational Quotes (10)

2008-03-07T05:12:00.000-08:00

Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to. -Anonymous

Inspirational Quotes (9)

2008-03-07T05:09:00.000-08:00

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
When health is lost, something is lost;
When character is lost, all is lost!
-German Proverb

Inspirational Quotes (8)

2008-03-07T04:56:00.000-08:00

I thank You God for most this amazing day;

for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky;

and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes.

-e.e. cummings

QUOTATIONS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP (1)

2008-03-02T03:41:00.001-08:00

I would rather have a million friends than a million dollars. ~ Eddie Rickenbacker
Silences make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts. ~Margaret Lee Runbeck, Answer Without Ceasing
A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. ~Douglas Pagel
Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown
A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world. ~Leo Buscaglia
Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. ~Sicilian Proverb
The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend. ~Aristotle
In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~Albert Schweitzer

Copied from The Quote Garden To be continued.....

Article 23 - THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR

2008-03-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR
By: Brian Tracy

The Communication Process
The ancient Greeks taught that all conversation involved three ingredients: Ethos, or the character of the speaker; Pathos, connecting with the emotions; and Logos. The logos discussed by the Greeks refers to the factual content of a message, the words used. It refers to the argument that you present on behalf of your point of view. (However, we know that the facts themselves, although they are important, are not as powerful or as influential as the emotions are).

The Selling Process
In selling, we know that there are three parts to the process. These are, first, establishing rapport with the prospective customer, second, identifying the problem or need that the prospective customer has and, third, presenting the solution. These are the ethos, the pathos and the logos of selling to someone.

Build Good Relationships
Your success in every area of life will be based largely on the quality and quantity of relationships that you can initiate and develop over time. In the world of business and sales today, relationships are everything. We often call this the "friendship factor." We have discovered that a person will not do business with you until he or she is convinced that you are his or her friend and are acting in his or her best interest. In other words, you cannot influence someone unless he or she likes you in some way. Of course, it's often possible for you to influence a person if he fears you, but that type of influence lasts only until the person can rearrange his situation and escape from the circumstances that enable you to have control over him.

How to Influence and Persuade Others
The way to influence people, then, is to earn their liking and respect, to appeal to the friendship factor. This requires spending time with him, caring for him and respecting him. The more time that you are willing to spend with the person, the greater will be his tendency to trust you and to feel that you are acting in his best interest. The more obvious it is that you care about the person, about what he really needs, the more likely it is that he will be open to your influence. This is even more important in your personal relationships, with your family and friends. The more that people feel you care about them, the more open they will be to your influence.

Action Exercises
First, slow down when you first meet a person in a business or sales situation. Take some time to build a relationship with him or her before you proceed to business matters. Second, appeal to the friendship factor that underlies all good business and personal relationships. Ask questions about the person and his or her life and concerns. Listen attentively to the answers. Focus on the relationship first.

Article 22 - BE OPTIMIST

2008-03-02T03:19:00.000-08:00

BE AN OPTIMIST AT ALL TIMES
By: Brian Tracy

Everyone wants to be physically healthy. You want to be mentally healthy as well. The true measure of "mental fitness" is how optimistic you are about yourself and your life. In this newsletter, you learn how to control your thinking in very specific ways so that you feel terrific about yourself and your situation, no matter what happens.

Control Your Reactions and Responses
There are three basic differences in the reactions of optimists and pessimists. The first difference is that the optimist sees a setback as temporary, while the pessimist sees it as permanent. The optimist sees an unfortunate event, such as an order that falls through or a sales call that fails, as a temporary event, something that is limited in time and that has no real impact on the future. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees negative events as permanent, as part of life and destiny.

Isolate the Incident
The second difference between the optimist and the pessimist is that the optimist sees difficulties as specific, while the pessimist sees them as pervasive. This means that when things go wrong for the optimist, he looks at the event as an isolated incident largely disconnected from other things that are going on in his life.

See Setbacks As Temporary Events
For example, if something you were counting on failed to materialize and you interpreted it to yourself as being an unfortunate event, but something that happens in the course of life and business, you would be reacting like an optimist. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees disappointments as being pervasive. That is, to him they are indications of a problem or shortcoming that pervades every area of life.

Don't Take Failure Personally
The third difference between optimists and pessimists is that optimists see events as external, while pessimists interpret events as personal. When things go wrong, the optimist will tend to see the setback as resulting from external factors over which one has little control. If the optimist is cut off in traffic, for example, instead of getting angry or upset, he will simply downgrade the importance of the event by saying something like, "Oh, well, I guess that person is just having a bad day. "The pessimist on the other hand, has a tendency to take everything personally. If the pessimist is cut off in traffic, he will react as though the other driver has deliberately acted to upset and frustrate him.

Remain Calm and Objective
The hallmark of the fully mature, fully functioning, self-actualizing personality is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The superior person has the ability to continue talking to himself in a positive and optimistic way, keeping his mind calm, clear and completely under control. The mature personality is more relaxed and aware and capable of interpreting events more realistically and less emotionally than is the immature personality. As a result, the mature person exerts a far greater sense of control and influence over his environment, and is far less likely to be angry, upset, or distracted.

Take the Long View
Look upon the inevitable setbacks that you face as being temporary, specific and external. View the negative situation as a single event that is not connected to other potential events and that is caused largely by external factors over which you can have little control. Simply refuse to see the event as being in any way permanent, pervasive or indicative of personal incompetence of inability. Resolve to think like an optimist, no matter what happens. You may not be able to control events but you can control the way you react to them.

Action Exercises
Now, here are three actions you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, remind yourself continually that setbacks are only temporary, they will soon be past and nothing is as serious as you think it is.
Second, look upon each problem as a specific event, not connected to other events and not indicative of a pattern of any kind. Deal with it and get on with your life.Third, recognize that when things go wrong, they are usually caused by a variety of external events. Say to yourself, "What can't be cured must be endured," and then get back to thinking about your goals

Article 21 - DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

2008-03-02T03:13:00.000-08:00

Got this article from someone I forgot his/her name. Hope it's useful for us.

Learning To Deal With Difficult People

The Buttom Line:
Difficult people can make your work day less enjoyable. With the right strategies, you can learn to deal with them effectively. If you have to work with difficult people every day, you probably dread going to work each morning. What's more, you might get so stressed that you can't concentrate on the job.

Have you ever wondered why some people are difficult to work with?

“Individuals behave in a difficult manner because they have learned that doing so keeps others off balance and incapable of effective action. Worst of all, they appear immune to all the usual methods of communication and persuasion designed to convince or help them change their ways,” says Robert M. Bramson, Ph.D., author of coping With Difficult People.

Bramson offers the following strategies for coping with such people.

How to Cope
Avoid these “don'ts” when dealing with difficult people: Don't take dfficult people's behavior personally. Their troublesome behavior is habitual and affects most people with whom they come in contact. Don't fight back or try to beat them at their own games. They have been practicing their skills for a lifetime, and you're an amateur. Don't try to appease them. Difficult people have an insatiable appetite for more. Don't try to change them. You can only change your responses to their behavior. Here's how you can cope effectively with four common types of difficult people.

Openly Aggressive People
Stand up to them, but don't fight. Overly aggressive people expect others to either run away from them or react with rage. Your goal is simply to assertively express your own views, not try to win a battle of right and wrong. First, wait for the person to run out of some steam. Then call the person by name and assert your own opinions with confidence.

Snipers
Difficult people are experts at taking potshots and making sneak attacks in subtle ways, such as humorous put-downs, sarcastic tones of voice, disapproving looks and innuendoes. You may feel uncomfortable replying to them because you don't like confrontation. This, however, allows snipers to get away with their covert hostility. Respond to a sniper with a question. “That sounds like you're making fun of me. Are you?” A sniper usually replies to such accusations with denial, “I'm only joking.” Nevertheless, questioning covert attacks will reduce the chance for similar attacks in the future.

Complainers
These are fearful people who have little faith in themselves and others because they believe in a hostile world. Their constant discouragement and complaining can bring everyone to despair. “Don't try to argue these difficult people out of their negativity. Instead, respond with your own optimistic expectations,” says Bramson.

Silent People
People who ignore you, give you sullen looks, and/or respond to every question with either “I don't know” or silence are difficult because they're timid. Silent people get away with not talking because most people are uncomfortable with silence and are too quick to fill in the gaps. Ask them questions that can't be answered with just a “yes” or “no,” such as, “Why is it uncomfortable for you to answer my questions?” Then wait at least one full minute before you say anything. This long silence may make them uncomfortable enough to say something. If they do start talking, listen carefully.

Don't Give Up
Dealing with difficult people takes practice, so don't get discouraged. Although these strategies won't change the difficult people, they will break their ability to interfere with your effectiveness,” says Bramson. “Most important, you'll feel more confident and you'll start to enjoy your workdays.”

QUOTES ABOUT BEING YOURSELF (1)

2008-03-02T01:44:00.000-08:00

Quoted from Quote Garden

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~E.E. Cummings, 1955
He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away. ~Raymond Hull
God has given you one face, and you make yourself another. ~William Shakespeare
All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself. ~Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"
The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another. ~James Matthew Barrie
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. ~Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, 1905
Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. ~Judy Garland

To be continued.....

Tips 1e - HOW TO BETTER MANAGE YOURSELF (5)

2008-03-02T01:37:00.000-08:00

How To Better Manage Yourself (5) - continued

Tell someone else what you are doing to keep on schedule. It keeps you committed.
Make each day the best day of the week.
Network with others in the organization to stay informed of who is doing what, when, where, and for whom.
Use even small "pockets of time" to make lists, write notes and consider ideas.
Consciously decide what are some things you are NOT going to do.
Be willing to ask that a staff meeting be called to clarify a specific issue.
Purposely schedule something you enjoy between routine projects. It will help rejuvenate you.
Schedule a block of time periodically to take a big bite out of a major project.
Realize "energy begets energy." Act and energy will flow.
Time your routine activities such as telephone calls. Determine how you can "capture" some of the time and use it on other top priority activities.
Be a "doer" not a "sitter."
Sense the pride you will feel when you have completed a project.
"He who kills time buries opportunities."
Meditate according to your personal beliefs at the beginning of each day.
Create the right "mind set" for success by adjusting your attitude for the upcoming project.
Stay interested in what you are doing. Keep looking for what is interesting in your work. Change your perspective and look at it as someone outside your job would
Do not get hung-up on trivial details or tangents. Stay focused and moving.
Always carry a pen or pencil and paper on which you can make notes.
Do not accept calls for the first 15 minutes of the day while you prepare your daily strategy.
Contemplating, meditating on, thinking about, or praying about the activities and success of the workday focuses energy toward that end result.
Nest activities to available waiting time. Take a bite out of your elephant-sized project.
Establish personal incentives and rewards to help maintain your own high enthusiasm and performance level

Article 20 - BE YOURSELF

2008-03-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

This leaves me with two options:

Be disappointed, or
Be content. Enjoy where I am for all it has to offer, even while I work to be somewhere else.

You see, my life is pretty good. No, it is great. I make a lot of money. I have a beautiful and supportive wife. I have four astoundingly incredible kids. I live in a beautiful town. I run my own schedule. I travel to wonderful places. I run in circles I never thought I would. My friends are loyal. I have terrific business partners and lots of people who believe in me. I contribute a lot to society in many ways. My family and I are all healthy. Who could ask for anything more? Well, me. And I do. That is a lot to ask for, isn't it? But I am ambitious, right? Now I am learning contentment. And I imagine that it would do you some good to learn a little contentment too, wouldn't it?

So here are some thought on how to live with a little more contentment:

Take time. Simply take time off from your ambitions. Take time to spend in leisurely pursuits. Take time to just enjoy your family and friends. In other words, stop working long enough to enjoy your life.
Appreciate. Appreciate what you have, even if it isn't all that you want. I frequently remind myself that there are children who will wake up today, by no fault of their own, in a country with no hope of ever going anywhere. Their hope is to live through the day, and perhaps get two bowls of rice. This reminds me that I have A LOT to be appreciative of even if I never take a step further in life.
Give money, things, and time away. Give to the less fortunate. The happiness on their faces and the warmth of their hearts will bring you a great deal of satisfaction and contentment.
Don't take yourself so seriously. I hate to tell you this but if you died... shhh... the world would keep right on spinning. Tony Campolo says the futility of life is that when you die, your friends get together, say a prayer, throw dirt in your face and then go back to the church to eat macaroni salad and talk about sports. So, unless you are the President of a major super power, with your finger on the button, remember, your life isn't so serious that you can't take it easy and enjoy it a little bit more.

Do I have contentment down? Nope. But I am working on it. I am striving to be all that I can be and make as big of a difference in this world as long as I am here.

But I am working on enjoying the ride a bit more. I hope you will too.

You are Made for Success!
Chris Widener

---------------
Chris Widener is an internationally recognized speaker, author and radio host. Chris is the author of eight books and audio series as well as over 400 success articles.

Inspirational Quotes (7)

2008-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

"All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought." - As A Man Thinketh
"To me every hour of the day and night is an unspeakable perfect miracle." -Walt Whitman
"Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries." -Corita Kent

Article 19 - LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY

2008-03-01T07:09:00.000-08:00

LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY

by Jim Rohn

Somebody said you have to love what you do, but that's not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity. The opportunity to build life, future, health, success and fortune. Knocking on someone's door may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door.

For example, a guy says, "I'm digging ditches. Should I love digging ditches?" The answer is, "No, you don't have to love digging ditches, but if it is your first entry onto the ladder of success, you say, 'I'm glad somebody gave me the opportunity to dig ditches and I'm going to do it so well, I won't be here long."

You can be inspired by having found something; even though you are making mistakes in the beginning and even though it is a little distasteful taking on a new discipline that you haven't learned before. You don't have to love it, you just have to learn to appreciate America, appreciate opportunity and appreciate the person who brought you the good news; that found you.

Appreciate the person who believed in you before you believed in yourself, appreciate the person who said, "Hey, if I can do it, you can do it."

If you will embrace the disciplines associated with the new opportunity you will soon find that your self-confidence starts to grow, that you go from being a skeptic to being a believer. And soon when you go out person to person, talking to people, you will find it to be the most thrilling opportunity in the world. Every person you meet - what could it be? Unlimited! Maybe a friend for life. The next person could be an open door to retiring. The next person could be a colleague for years to come. It's big time stuff. And sometimes in the beginning when we are just getting started we don't always see how big it is.

So, before you are tempted to give up or get discouraged, remember all success is based on long term commitment, faith, discipline, attitude and a few stepping stones along the way. You might not like the stone you are on right now, but it's sure to be one of the stones that lead to great opportunities in the future.

To Your Success,

Jim Rohn

Article 18 - IF ONLY

2008-03-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

STOP THINKING "IF ONLY"
by Tom Hopkins

"If only I could get a better break."
"If only I had some money."
"If only I would've married the right person."
"If only I worked for the right company."
"If only I had the right parents."

Do you pull back from taking full personal responsibility for yourself? Many of us do. We think that a parent, a teacher, a friend, a boss, a spouse, the company we worked for, or some governmental program should shoulder our burden for turning our lives into what we want them to be. This approach can't get the job done. Other people and organizations have too many pressing challenges and priorities of their own.

What does this mean? That you'll always be disappointed when you depend on others for the things you must do for yourself.

It's so easy to justify the temptations of freeloading, to slide into being a follower, to fail to see the hidden price tag in the handout. Unless you take complete control of your life and assume full personal responsibility for yourself, who will? No one will.

Every dollar you earn is worth ten given to you. Earned money creates the self-image of self-reliance; given money creates the self-image of other-dependence. This is why some families stay on welfare for generations. Hangers-on and free-loaders are the most frustrated people on earth because they have created their own frustrations. You can't be successful and happy until you earn the respect of the toughest, hardest to fool, and most important judge in the world: yourself.

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Tom Hopkins is a sales legend. His credibility lies in his track record and the track records of the students he has trained over the years.

Article 17 - MANAGING PEOPLE

2008-02-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

HOW THE FOUR STYLES USE INFLUENCE IN GROUPS
by Tony Alessandra

The different styles try to sway, or influence, the group in different ways. This can become critical because, every group at an early stage wrestles with the issue of who's going to wield power.

RELATERS
Indirect and Open
RELATERS -- whether they're anointed leaders or not -- often take on the role of keeping the process moving along. They'll elaborate on what others say and encourage everyone to have their say. They seek to exert influence indirectly by keeping things mellow and moving.

SOCIALIZERS
Direct and Open
SOCIALIZERS are more inclined to use flattery or compliments to win over the group and get its members to feel good as a team. They'll often use humor to defuse tension or conflict. They try to avoid a hard line that'll lose them acceptance or recognition by the group.

THINKERS
Indirect and Guarded
Information and logic are the tools of the THINKERS. They like to furnish information that, directly or indirectly, suggests their expertise and experience. ("Remember, I was one of those who came up with the original plan. The rationale at that time was clear, and I think what we want to do here is....") They're the most likely to focus on the "rightness," or logic, of a solution, rather than spend a lot of time debating who's personally helped or hindered by it.

DIRECTORS
Direct and Guarded
DIRECTORS like to influence others by structuring gendas, tasks, and assignments and, if relevant, use their formal position as leverage ("As general manager for the past 18 years, I've seen these situations develop, and I think....")

----------
Dr. Tony Alessandra helps companies build customers, relationships, and the bottom-line. Tony has a street-wise, college-smart perspective on business, having fought his way out of NYC to eventually realizing success as a graduate professor of marketing, entrepreneur, business author, and consultant.

Tips 1d - HOW TO BETTER MANAGE YOURSELF (4)

2008-02-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

How To Better Manage Yourself (4) - continued

Use the self-fulfilling prophesy on yourself. Expect yourself to succeed.
Doing gives you the power to do.
Whenever you agree to get back to someone or complete a project, commit to a specific date by when you will have it done. and write this in your calendar immediately.
Think in terms of long-term results.
Create your own "motivation board" by putting up notes of things you need to do on a bulletin board or special wall space. It is an easily visible way to see what you need to work on. When an item is done, remove the note. Also keep your goals listed and pictured on your board.
"Ninety percent of success in showing up."
Be open and ready to make adjustments as things change.
Focus 100% of your attention on a project.
Since your boss will be asking you for progress reports, from time to time, stay informed by asking your people for progress reports each day while you meet them in their office or work area.
Hire an assistant to run small errands and cleanup paperwork, etc. Even if you pay them from your own pocket, it is a good investment because it increases your productivity.
Enjoy your life and blessings. You could be worse off.
Recognize that even though you say you are doing something for someone else, in reality you are doing it for yourself. Since you are doing it for yourself, you can also enjoy it more.
Start each day with a smile.
Your job reflects you. Can you take pride in it being well done, error free and on time?
Do it right or do it wrong just do it!
Compete with yourself to become a little better each time you do something. Achieve your potential.
Streamline your daily routine to do the same thing at the same time in the same order. Periodically review for continued effectiveness and efficiently.
When responsible for a project, become intensively involved with it.

...... to be continued

Article 16 - SUCCESS

2008-02-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

HAVING FAITH AND TRUST WILL LEAD TO SUCCESS
by Mark Victor Hansen

When you know what you want and have done everything you can, the only thing you can do is have faith and trust that Infinite Intelligence is working to make your dreams a reality. Sometimes it takes a while. We have to know our dreams were ours the minute we decided we wanted them. They are manifesting themselves. We just need to be patient.

Is being patient an easy task? Not always. Sometimes it can even be depressing waiting for what we want to show up in physical form. But we have to realize if we weren’t supposed to have what we dream about then we would never have had the dream. We just need to believe in our dreams and ourselves and allow the Universe to work in its own divine time.

"You need dedication combined with perspiration moving toward a destination to get your ideal realization." -- Mark Victor Hansen

--------------------
Mark Victor Hansen , co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, has for more than 25 years, uniquely focused on the vital elements of human behavior that most affect our personal and professional lives and has influenced society's top leaders and the general public on a global scale. Mark Victor Hansen is offering 6 of his best-selling programs at 40-60% less than he even sells them on his site (but only for a very limited time), also free shipping for the first 50 to order (see details online).

Article 15 - SELF & LIFE

2008-02-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Article 14 - MY GREATEST STRUGGLE

2008-02-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

MY GREATEST STRUGGLE
by Chris Widener

I confess: I am ambitious. I am ambitious in every area of my life. I am ambitious physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, and financially. I am ambitious in my career. I am ambitious with both the for-profit and not-for-profit organizations I run.

But ambition isn't the problem. Something else is. It is something that runs counter to ambition. It is something I need more of in my life, which is strange, because, while ambition is good, this is good too - and they are seemingly opposites.

I need them both, yet I have huge doses of ambition and I am lacking in this other trait. It is something I want more of in my life because I believe my life will be richer for it. It will fill my life with more joy and happiness. It will make my life more full.

What is it? I'm not telling! Just joking. With a lead in like that, I couldn't resist!

It is contentment.

As I get older, I realize that most of what I pursue with such tenacity is good, but it usually comes much slower than I want it to.

This leaves me with two options: Be disappointed or. Be content. Enjoy where I am for all it has to offer, even while I work to be somewhere else.

You see, my life is pretty good. No, it is great. I make a lot of money. I have a beautiful and supportive wife. I have four astoundingly incredible kids. I live in a beautiful town. I run my own schedule. I travel to wonderful places. I run in circles I never thought I would. My friends are loyal. I have terrific business partners and lots of people who believe in me. I contribute a lot to society in many ways. My family and I are all healthy. Who could ask for anything more? Well, me. And I do.

That is a lot to ask for, isn't it? But I am ambitious, right?

Now I am learning contentment. And I imagine that it would do you some good to learn a little contentment too, wouldn't it?

So here are some thought on how to live with a little more contentment:

Take time.
Simply take time off from your ambitions. Take time to spend in leisurely pursuits. Take time to just enjoy your family and friends. In other words, stop working long enough to enjoy your life.

Appreciate.
Appreciate what you have, even if it isn't all that you want. I frequently remind myself that there are children who will wake up today, by no fault of their own, in a country with no hope of ever going anywhere. Their hope is to live through the day, and perhaps get two bowls of rice. This reminds me that I have A LOT to be appreciative of even if I never take a step further in life.

Give money, things, and time away.
Give to the less fortunate. The happiness on their faces and the warmth of their hearts will bring you a great deal of satisfaction and contentment.

Remind yourself of the treadmill trap.
John D. Rockefeller was once asked how much was enough. His answer? "Just a little bit more." Ambition can be a trap if not carefully guarded against the extremes.

Don't take yourself so seriously.
I hate to tell you this but if you died... shhh... the world would keep right on spinning. Tony Campolo says the futility of life is that when you die, your friends get together, say a prayer, throw dirt in your face and then go back to the church to eat macaroni salad and talk about sports. So, unless you are the President of a major super power, with your finger on the button, remember, your life isn't so serious that you can't take it easy and enjoy it a little bit more.

Do I have contentment down? Nope. But I am working on it. I am striving to be all that I can be and make as big of a difference in this world as long as I am here.

But I am working on enjoying the ride a bit more. I hope you will too.

You are Made for Success!
Chris Widener

Inspirational Quotes (6)

2008-02-08T08:06:00.001-08:00

A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.

--The Wizard to the Tin Man (submitted by tranme)

Daily Wisdom (2)

2008-02-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

A petty officer often thinks of the rules;
a seasoned general doesn't talk of soldiering.
-Zen proverb

Inspirational Quotes (5)

2008-02-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

"Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of something... hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication." -- Roger Staubach

Tips 1c - HOW TO BETTER MANAGE YOURSELF (3)

2008-02-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

How Better Manage Yourself (3) - continued

Recognize not all days will go as you desire. Be kind to yourself on days when your self esteem is wavering. Remind yourself that you are good and can stand up to any obstacle.
Never criticize yourself as having a weakness. There is no such thing. You are only talking about a present undeveloped skill or part of yourself that if you so chose, you can change. You do not have any weakness, only untapped potential.
Check to be sure you do not fall into the activity trap of simply doing tasks without knowing to what greater good the task is designed to contribute.
Be pleasant all the time-no matter what the situation.
Life is what you perceive it to be. Do you see it as a bore or as an adventure?
Recall what you were hired to do and make sure it happens.
To get ahead in anything, operate in the "and then some" manner. Always do what is expected "and then some," so what you give is always more than is expected by the other person.
When working on a project that you can't stand, do it for a few minutes at a time until you can't stand it anymore. Then do something else and come back later for a few more minutes. Keep taking these bite size pieces until it is completely done.
Look at what you do as an adventure. You can discover new things from this new perspective.
Challenge yourself to do things differently than you have in the past. It provides new ideas and keeps you interested.
Finish that last task you are working on before you go home; do not just leave it.
Plan your day as you shower and dress in the morning. Keep a pad and pencil nearby to jot down ideas.
Talk to yourself. Self talk using positive affirmations is something that is common among all great achievers. They convince themselves that they can accomplish their goals.
Practice being punctual. Others will sense your professionalism.
Plan, at least to a minimum, everything you undertake.
Think it through, then do it.
Think of your time as money. Are you getting a good return on the way you invest/spend it?
Take some time, no matter how short, every day to do something you enjoy.
Remember, if you think you can or you think you cannot, you are right.

... to be continued

Article 13 - ATTITUDE

2008-02-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

4 STEPS TO A SUPER ATTITUDE

By: Brian Tracy

Decide How to React

It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind.In this newsletter, you learn powerful strategies you can use to keep yourself thinking and acting positively and creatively.

Here are four things you can do to assure that your attitude is the very best it can be, under all circumstances.

Focus On the Future

First, whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.

Think About the Solution

Second, whenever you're faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.

Look For the Good

Third, assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, "Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.

Seek the Valuable Lesson

Fourth, assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.

Decide to Be Positive

A Positive Mental Attitude is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future, focus on the solution and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive and cheerful most of the time. And you will reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.

Action Exercises

Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, become solution-oriented with every difficulty you face. Make a habit of looking for the answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems.

Second, seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty. Third, think on paper. Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it

Artikel 12 - KOMUNIKASI / TEKNIK PERNAFASAN DASAR

2008-02-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

Saya mendapat artikel ini dari teman saya, Bapak Wuryanano di Trainers Club Indonesia. Harapan saya artikel ini dapat bermanfaat bagi mereka yang ingin belajar teknik pernafasan dalam hal berkomunikasi. Silahkan kunjungi websitenya Pak Wuryanano, http://wuryanano.wordpress.com/. Selamat mencoba.

BELAJAR TEKNIK PERNAFASAN DASAR

Untuk belajar mengolah pernafasan kita dengan benar dan sehat, kita harus terlebih dahulu mengetahui bagaimana sebenarnya Teknik Pernafasan Dasar. Beberapa hal di bawah ini patut Anda pelajari dan dibiasakan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

TEKNIK PERNAFASAN DASAR:

1. NAFAS PERUT
· Mulailah menarik nafas dan biarkan udara masuk sedalam mungkin ke dalam perut, sehingga perut menjadi menggembung.
· Perhatikan perut anda. Saat menarik nafas, perut akan menggembung dan saat menghembuskan nafas, perut mengempis.
· Kebiasaan yang sering tidak kita sadari adalah pada saat menarik nafas, justru perut mengempis.
· Sebaliknya pada saat menghembuskan nafas, perut menggembung. Pada gilirannya cara bernafas yang salah seperti ini akan membebani banyak sekali organ dalam tubuh, sehingga kita lebih rentan terhadap penyakit.
· Lakukan teknik ini dengan posisi duduk tegak, bukan berdiri atau tiduran. Anda bisa melakukannya dengan duduk di atas kursi atau duduk bersila di lantai.
· Lakukan teknik ini beberapa kali sampai Anda terbiasa.

2. NAFAS DADA
· Caranya sama dengan Nafas Utama Perut, hanya perhatian Anda arahkan ke bagian dada.
· Pada saat menarik nafas, dada mengembang dan saat menghembuskan, dada mengempis.
· Perhatikan bahwa posisi latihan dan istirahat tetap sama, yaitu duduk tegak, bukan berdiri atau lainnya.
· Lakukan teknik ini beberapa kali sampai Anda terbiasa.

3. NAFAS PUNDAK
· Caranya sama seperti Nafas Perut & Dada. Kali ini arahkan perhatian Anda ke pundak.
· Saat menarik nafas, bawalah udara sampai ke bagian pundak atau dada atas; sehingga pundak akan naik. Saat menghembuskan nafas, pundak turun kembali ke posisi biasa.
· Posisi latihan ini juga sama dengan latihan nafas perut dan dada. Anda boleh duduk di kursi atau duduk bersila di lantai. Yang penting Anda melakukannya dengan duduk tegak, bukan dengan berdiri.
· Lakukan teknik ini beberapa kali sampai Anda terbiasa.

TEKNIK PERNAFASAN GABUNGAN:
Nafas Perut, Nafas Dada & Nafas Pundak
· Tariklah nafas sedalam mungkin, perut menggembung, dada mengembang dan pundak naik---tanpa ditahan. Kemudian hembuskan nafas, perut mengempis, dada & pundak kembali ke posisi semula.
· Lakukan teknik ini terus berulang-ulang sampai anda sudah terbiasa & wajar. Ingat, posisi saat latihan adalah sama dengan posisi di ketiga teknik sebelumnya.
· Anda harus membiasakan teknik bernafas dengan cara pernafasan gabungan ini sehari-hari, menggantikan kebiasaan bernafas yang seenaknya sendiri dan salah caranya. Mungkin pada awalnya Anda merasa agak sulit, tetapi kalau anda sudah terbiasa maka hal itu akan berlangsung secara otomatis dan wajar.

Daily Wisdom (1)

2008-02-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

Compassion is characterized as promoting the aspect of allaying suffering. Its function resides in not [enduring] others' suffering. It is manifested as non-cruelty. Its proximate cause is to see helplessness in those overwhelmed by suffering. It succeeds when it makes cruelty subside, and it fails when it produces sorrow. -Buddhaghosa, "Visuddhimagga"

Article 11 - BUSINESS / ENTERPRENEUR

2008-01-21T07:53:00.001-08:00

5 LANGKAH BANGUN BISNIS SENDIRI
Dikutip dari ELSE, Edisi 15/207

Membangun kerajaan bisnis sendiri mungkin jadi dambaan bagi banyak orang. Namun memulai sebuah usaha tidaklah semudah membalikkan tangan. Ada hal-hal yang harus dipersiapkan, direncanakan dan dilaksanakan dengan ketekunan.

Simak beberapa tips tentang bagaimana mempersiapkan membuka usaha sendiri berikut ini.

Melakukan Penelitian Pasar
Penelitian merupakan hal integral dalam membangun bisnis. Lakukan penelitian di pasar dan tentukan siapa konsumen Anda. Tentukan mana yang akan jadi sasaran utama Anda atau konsumen Anda jadi lebih kecil. Pahami perbedaan antara pasar dan dimana Andadapat meraih pelanggan.

Pilih Partner Yang Tepat

Jika Anda akan mencari rekan kerja, pastikan Anda sudah memilih yang tepat. Anda ingin seorang rekan kerja yang memilki latar belakang bisnis atau pengarah bisnis. Beberapa pengalaman manajemen juga lebih disukai. Jika Anda ingin rekan kerja yang memenuhi latar belakang financial, mereka perlu memiliki kredit yang bagus atau kemampuan untuk menawarkan dukungan financial.

Jaminan Keuangan

Keuangan dapat jadi tantangan terbesar, tapi ada beberapa jenis pilihan yang tersedia untuk mendapatkan modal usaha. Anda dapat memilih ikut program pemerintah dalam menbangun usaha kecil. Anda bisa mulai mengajukan pinjaman pada bank yang menangani usaha kecil dan mendapatkan pinjaman berjumlah kecil. Atau Anda bisa mengambil pinjaman pribadi di bank. Pilihan lain adalah mencari rekanan yang mau berinvestasi untuk memulai usaha bersama.

Ciptakan Image Atau Posisi Penjualan Yang Unik

Mulai dengan membangun keberadaan Anda, branding image Anda di public dan para pelanggan Ikatan ini masuk dalam posisi penjualan. Kembangkan tagline Anda dan temukan angel yang tepat yang mengena pada produk atau pelayanan tertuju pada pelanggan. Ciptakan sebuah image yang membuat Anda terpecaya di mata pelanggan Anda.

Berhenti Berpikir Mendapat Laba Secepat Kilat

Sangat, sangat jarang ada bisnis yang sukses dalam semalam. Kebanyakan bisnis membutuhkan waktu dan usaha, bahkan untuk mulai melihat hasilnya. Saat Anda memahami ini dan Anda tak seharusnya menaruh pengharapan secara berlebihan atau yang tidak realistis. Persiapkan usaha, pengorbanan dan bahkan kemungkinan mengalami kerugian. Anda tak akan jadi kaya raya hanya dalam semalam, tapi Anda dapat membangun sebuah usaha yang menguntungkan secara bertahap.

Tips 1b - HOW TO BETTER MANAGE YOURSELF (2)

2008-01-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

How To Better Manage Yourself (2) - continued

Develop a faster operating tempo or pace. Do things with a sense of urgency. Get over thinking you must do everything yourself.
Take time to be quiet and reflective for a few minutes each day.
Live effectiveness in everything you do rather then just sporadically applying time management techniques.
Live in the Now. The current instant is the only time in which you have control-not the past, not the future, just now, in this instant.
Recognize you control only 50% of a relationship and that is your half. If you are dissatisfied with what is going on, change what you are doing and saying.
Give yourself points for completing tasks on your "to-do" list in priority order. When you reach 10 points, reward yourself.
Carry a card with your goals written on it and review your goals at least three times a day.
Act with enthusiasm in all that you do.
Take time out to thank yourself for a good job.
Practice your personal beliefs. It may be helpful each morning to take 15 minutes to gather your thoughts and say a prayer.
Operate knowing that there is good in everything. Every cloud has a silver lining-look for it.
Whenever you have an important thought that is not directly related to what you are working on, write it down. Then you will not forget it and you also will no longer be distracted by it.
Make a commitment to show someone a specific accomplishment on a certain date. The added urgency will help you feel motivated to have it done.
Reward yourself when you have successfully completed a high priority project.
Instead of thinking about what you didn't get done, recognize all you did get accomplished and reward yourself for having done the most important things.
Keep a list of accomplishments as well as a list of "things to-do. You will learn just how much you do get done.
Practice self determination, wanting to do it for yourself.
Nothing takes the place of persistence. Practice "stick-to-it-iveness."
Get into the habit of writing down a person's name- it will help you to remember it.
Believe that you can be what you want to be.
Operate on the philosophy that what we give out is what comes back to us.
Occasionally, sit quietly and do a self-assessment of your skills and strengths.
Praise yourself for your progress.

... to be continued

Article 10 - BUSINESS

2008-01-21T07:31:00.001-08:00

Secara kebetulan saya menemukan majalah media kawasan perkantoran, ELSE, edisi 15/2007 di meja salah satu karyawan di kantor. Ada artikel mengenal menggali ide bisnis pada halaman 8-9. Tidak tahu siapa penulis artikel ini (hanya nama Irwan pada teks), tapi artikel ini cukup menarik perhatian saya.

Tulisannya seperti ini.

MENGALI IDE BISNIS

Titik awal keberhasilan seorang wirausahawan berawal dari penggalian ide bisnis. Banyak kisah para pebisnis yang konsisten menggeluti bisnis yang tidak dianggap sebelumnya, kini menjadi pebisnis sukses yang namanya diperhitungkan. Bagaimana kiat menggali ide bisnis?

Menggali ide bisnis bukanlah perkara yang gampang. Ketika seorang calon wirausahawan berpikir: saya akan berbisnis apa? Saat itulah persoalan menggali ide bisnis mulai muncul. Belum lagi pertanyaan: apakah produk yang saya jual akan menghasilkan uang? Dan, pertanyaan selanjutnya: jasa apa yang akan ditawarkan yang bisa memberikan pendapatan yang lebih besar?

Secara teoritis, ide bisnis bisa digali dari apa yang bisa dilihat, didengar dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari. Bahkan pakar ekonomi telah membagi kebutuhan manusia menjadi berbagai jenis kebutuhan mulai yang bersifat primer, sekunder, sampai tertier. Ide bisnis bisa dipilih dari upaya pemenuhan kebutuhan manusia tersebut.

Persoalannya, bagi mereka yang sama sekali belum pernah berbisnis, mencari ide-ide bisnis yang bisa memberikan penghasilan alternatif bukanlah perkara yang gampang, meskipun bukan hal yang mustahil untuk diperoleh. Diperlukan kemauan keras untuk memupuk jiwa kewirausahaan, mau belajar hal-hal baru, mau mencari peluang, berani mencoba formula bisnis, dan tentu saja belajar mengelola resiko. Memang, seringkali ide bisnis mengalir begitu saja ketika kita tidak siap menerimanya. Begitu juga sebaliknya, saat sedang dipikirkan dan digali, seringkali ide bisnis tidak datang-datang, bahkan sampai pikiran buntu pun, ide bisinis tidak terlintas sama sekali. Namun demikikan, bukan berarti ide bisnis tidak bisa dipancing keluar.

Beberapa langkah berikut ini, mudah-mudahan dapat membantu Anda untuk menmukan ide bisnis yang sesuai dengan karakter dan kesenangan Anda. Bagaimana pun, berbinis yang sesuai dengan karakter Anda akan lebih menyenangkan, dibandingkan dengan berbisnis karena keterpaksaan.

BELAJAR DARI YANG GAGAL
Tidak ada salahnya belajar bisnis dari yang gagal. Mengapa? karena ada kemungkinan kita bisa memulainya dengan kesuksesan. Kegagalan bisnis yang dilakukan orang lain, merupakan pelajaran penting bagi Anda untuk mengoreksi jalan yang salah menjadi benar dan lebih baik lagi. Namun demikian, belajar dari yang sukses pun sangat dianjurkan karena dengan demikian Anda telah belajar memulai sistem yang sudah terbukti berhasil.

BACA INFORMASI TERBARU
Pada saat ini cukup banyak buku-buku yang diterbitkan mengenai kewirausahaan dan peluang usaha, sehingga Anda dengan leluasa bisa memilih, bisnis apa yang sesuai dengan Anda. Bahkan tabloid Peluang Usaha, yang secara rutin menyajikan informasi-informasi mengenai peluang bisnis bisa menyegarkan pikiran Anda untuk menggali ide-ide bisnis yang lebih segar dan lebih besar.

MENEMUKAN IDE USAHA
Dari informasi tersebut akan memperoleh banyak ide bisnis. Misalnya: melayani kebutuhan, menjual eceran, menjual penemuan, duplikasi usaha, menjual ketrampilan, usaha pelatihan, usaha keagenan, barang koleksi, buka kantor konsultan, bisnis MLM, membeli waralaba, membeli usaha prospektif, membeli usaha yang bangkrut, membuka kios, atau pun usaha bersama.

Tentu saja, persoalannya tidak berhenti sampai disitu, karena setelah seorang wirausahaan bisa menangkap ide bisnis sebagai peluang bisnis yang bisa menghasilkan uang, maka ia harus bisa memperhitungkan berbagai aspek untung-rugi jika ide bisnis tersebut dijalankan. Termasuk resiko gagal - kemungkinan terburuk yang terjadi. Setidaknya, ada dua perspektif yang harus diperhatikan jika menangkap ide bisnis.

PERTAMA,

informasi yang berhasil dihimpun mengenai bisnis tersebut harus lengkap dan akurat. Lebih bagus lagi, apabila akurasinya sangat tepat, karena data dan ifnromasi yang diperoleh sangat lengkap dan up to date. Hal ini penting, untuk meminimalkan resiko gagal.

KEDUA,
proses pengambilan yang cepat, tidak berarti keputusan yang terburu-buru, tetapi harus dicermati dengan pola pemikiran yang terbuka dan positif, dan juga perencanaan yang matang, dengan demikian pengambilan keputusan yang diambil pun bisa lebih sistematis dan terukur.

Selamat datang menjadi wirausahawan baru.

Article 9 - CHANGE

2008-01-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

C H A N G E

… you can change your life by changing you habits.

According to Denis Waitley dari Denis Waitley's Ezine (Seeds of Greatness), they are some guidepost rules regarding change:

Rule 1:
No one can change you and you can't really change anyone else. You must admit your need, stop denying your problem, and accept responsibility for changing yourself

Rule 2:
Habits aren't broken, but replaced -- by layering new behavior patterns on top of the old ones. This usually takes a least a year or two. Forget the 30-day wonder ones. I don't know where motivational speakers got the idea that it takes twenty-one days to gain a new habit. It may take that long to remember the motions of a new skill, but after many years of being you, it takes far longer to settle into a new habit pattern and stay there. Habits are like submarines. They run silent and deep. They also are like comfortable beds, in that they're easy to get into, but difficult to get out of. So don't expect immediate, amazing results. Give your skills' training a year and stick with it, knowing that your new ways can last a lifetime.

Rule 3:
A daily routine adhered to over time will become second nature, riding a bicycle. Negative behavior leads to a losing lifestyle, positive behavior to a wining lifestyle. Practice make permanent in both cases.

Article 8 - COMMUNICATION

2008-01-20T11:34:00.000-08:00

3 SKILLS TO IMPROVE CONVERSATION
By: Brian Tracy

One key to becoming a great conversationalist is to pause before replying. A short pause, of three to five seconds, is a very classy thing to do in a conversation. When you pause, you accomplish three goals simultaneously.

The Benefits of Pausing
First, you avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing. Second, you show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity. The third benefit of pausing is that you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind and you will understand what he or she is saying with greater clarity. By pausing, you mark yourself as a brilliant conversationalist.

Ask Questions
Another way to become a great conversationalist is to question for clarification. Never assume that you understand what the person is saying or trying to say. Instead, ask, "How do you mean, exactly?"

This is the most powerful question I've ever learned for controlling a conversation. It is almost impossible not to answer. When you ask, "How do you mean?" the other person cannot stop himself or herself from answering more extensively. You can then follow up with other open-ended questions and keep the conversations rolling along.

Paraphrase the Speaker's Words
The third way to become a great conversationalist is to paraphrase the speaker's words in your own words. After you've nodded and smiled, you can then say, "Let me see if I've got this right. What you're saying is . . ." Demonstrate Attentiveness

By paraphrasing the speaker's words, you demonstrate in no uncertain terms that you are genuinely paying attention and making every effort to understand his or her thoughts or feelings. And the wonderful thing is, when you practice effective listening, other people will begin to find you fascinating. They will want to be around you. They will feel relaxed and happy in your presence.

Listening Builds Trust
The reason why listening is such a powerful tool in developing the art and skill of conversation is because listening builds trust. The more you listen to another person, the more he or she trusts you and believes in you.

Listening also builds self-esteem. When you listen attentively to another person, his or her self-esteem will naturally increase.

Listening Develops Discipline
Finally, listening builds self-discipline in the listener. Because your mind can process words at 500-600 words per minute, and we can only talk at about 150 words per minute, it takes a real effort to keep your attention focused on another person’s words. If you do not practice self-discipline in conversation, your mind will wander in a hundred different directions. The more you work at paying close attention to what the other person is saying, the more self-disciplined you will become. In other words, by learning to listen well, you actually develop your own character and your own personality.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action. First, make a habit of pausing before replying in any conversation or discussion. You will be amazed at how powerful this technique really is. Second, continually ask, "How do you mean?" in response to anything that is not perfectly clear. This gives you even more time to listen well.

Tips 2 - PUBLIC SPEAKING

2008-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

9 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC SPEAKING

Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But, too much nervousness can be detrimental.

Here's how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable presentations:

Know the room. Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
Know your material. If you're not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.
Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises.
Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.
Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. They don't want you to fail.
Don't apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something they hadn't noticed. Keep silent.
Concentrate on the message -- not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.
Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need

Tips 1a - HOW TO BETTER MANAGE YOURSELF (1)

2008-01-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

HOW TO BETTER MANAGE YOURSELF (1)

You are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Learn to accept total responsibility for yourself. If you do not manage yourself, then you are letting others have control of your life. The tips below will help "you" manage "you."

Look at every new opportunity as an exciting and new-life experience.
If you catch yourself worrying about an upcoming task, go ahead and do it now so it no longer is a distraction.
Get into the habit of finishing what you start.
Give up "wasting time" forever. Have something with you at all times to work on. For example: plan your day, work on a report, or read a page from your book.
Be a professional who exhibits self-confidence and self-assurance in your potential to complete any task.
Avoid worry. The majority of the things you worry about never occur.
Agree with yourself in advance that you will have a good attitude toward the upcoming task.
Hire specialists to do those things you are not expert in.
Rake a chance. Calculated risks pay off in entrepreneurial progress.
Frequently ask, "Is what I am doing right now moving me toward my goals?"
Plan the future, but live in the present.
Make a list of your accomplishments as you go through the day- they are grater than you think.
Keep a time log at least once every six months to determine exactly where your time is going.
Do it right the first time and you will not have to take time later to fix it.
Practice concentrating on your work, doing only one thing at a time.
Accept responsibility for your job successes and failures. Do not look for a scapegoat.
Do not view things you do as a "job." View all activities as a challenge.
Use your subconscious mind by telling it to do what you do want. Instead of telling yourself, "I can't do that very well," say, "I can do this very well."
Schedule several short vacations or long weekends - this creates positive deadlines by when you must have projects done.

......... to be continued

Inspirational Quotes (4)

2008-01-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. - Mother Teresa
The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. - Friedrich Nietzsche
If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees. - Kahlil Gibran

Article 8c - ATTITUDE (3)

2008-01-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

Attitude (3) - continued

by Tracy Brinkman of Brinkmann and Associates

There are lots more reasons why you CAN have your dreams and goals then there are why you cannot. Go after them. Keep your attitude one of cheerful expectance. Work at it and you will get them. As this happens you will reach new levels that will enable you to accomplish more. When you stand in the middle of the desert, you can see only to the first sand dune. However, once you reached that dune, you can see beyond it. Set your goal for that first dune and once you attain it - you will be able to see the second and possibly even beyond. Gerta said, “Before you can do something – you must be something.” Your attitude will enable you to be something; thus, your attitude can empower you to do something!

Tips for getting and keeping a good attitude:

1. Since our minds can only hold one thought at a time, make your thoughts constructive and positive. Look for the best in people and ideas.
2. Do not waste time talking about your problems to people who cannot solve them! It will not help you and it cannot help anyone else.
3. Keep an attitude of confidence, of one who knows where they are headed. You will find all sorts of good things will come your way to get you there.
4. Lastly, treat everyone like the most important person on earth.

Do this for the next week – treat every person with whom you have contact with as if they were the most important people in the world. One reason to do this is that as far as they are concerned they are the most important people on earth. Another reason is cause that is how we should treat one another. Stop avoiding eye contact as you pass fellow workers in the hallway, look up and say ‘Hello!’ Finally, as you treat people in this manner you are forming a habit. With this habit, you will begin to notice a change: irritations that use to get to you no longer do. You will see that you are on the road to your goals and the ease and comfort of the ride will surprise you. You will find yourself doing more & doing it in less time because you have a positive attitude about doing it. You find yourself receptive to opportunities that would have eluded you if your negative attitude were still infecting your senses.

Remember by having a positive/constructive attitude you have placed yourself amongst the top 5% of the people in the world! Now that is good company!

Article 8b - ATTITUDE (2)

2008-01-19T22:30:00.000-08:00

Attitude (2) - continued

by Tracy Brinkman of Brinkmann and Associates

We are responsible for our own lives, we are where we are because of choices we made (cause and affect) during the course of our life. If we want to be somewhere else in our life we need to make the choices that will move us there – the starting choice would be the choice of changing our attitude. You get back what you put out. As soon as we begin to change, the world will begin to reflect those changes – immediately.

Think about this for a moment: If you are the type of person that has a good attitude on the norm, and one day you come into work and are emotionally feeling down. What is one of the first questions you are asked? That is right! What’s wrong? People quickly see a change and react to it. The same will work in the opposite direction. If you normally carry a negative or defensive attitude, your changing that attitude will have immediate impact on how the world perceives and reacts to you.

So as you shape and mold your life whether personal or professional, know that it is further detailed and textured by your habitual attitude. Many people start their day in a neutral attitude. This is unfortunate. For these people are usually moved into the day’s attitude by the first stimulus they encounter – good or bad. These attitudinal chameleons crawl through their day changing the color of their cheer or discontent to that of their environment. Attitudinal chameleons are a reason why we MUST control our attitudes ensuring they are excellent. So that we do not become one ourselves.It was once said, “If you think you can or if you think you can’t…. You are right!” This is very true for if your attitude is one of “I cannot”, then you are beat before the run has even begun. Think I cannot get the job and you may as well not even go to the interview. Think I cannot reach this goal and it will always be unreachable. Think I cannot complete this project and there it will sit forever half done. Jessie Jackson has taken quotes from two of my favorite speakers and added some of his own beliefs to it “If I can conceive it and believe it, I can achieve it. It's not my aptitude but my attitude that will determine my altitude—with a little intestinal fortitude!” All too true Jessie!

I know many successful people that are no smarter or more talented than most people you yourself talk to on a daily basis. However, their edge is their attitude. They take on tasks with the attitude that they will accomplish a result. If they meet with failure they learn from it, shrug it off, and move on. This means they go from one goal to the next repeatedly, accomplishing more and more with each passing day. They come be called brilliant and successful and outstanding because they have the right attitude. Successful people come from all walks of life, all nations of the world rich and poor, they range in color, shape and size, but there is one common factor – They have an attitude that that tells them they will get more good out of life than bad. That there will be far more wins than losses.

A person can be efficient at their task and still not be successful, if they do not have the right attitude. Any machine can just do the work, but it takes a human with the right attitude to make it come alive with the creativity that lies with the recesses of our minds. Those with the right attitude use that magic within us to make it better – to make it worthwhile – that ladies and gentleman makes the difference. Do not stand there waiting for the world to change towards you. You need to change towards what you want. For nothing changes until we do. Take you paint brush of life and paint the world you want, bright, hopeful, and filled with all the treasures of your dreams and goals. It has to start somewhere – let it begin with you!

...... to be continued

Article 8a - ATTITUDE (1)

2008-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

ATTITUDE (1)
by Tracy Brinkman of Brinkmann and Associates

On your road to becoming successful (no matter what your definition of success may be) there are a number of fundamentals or principles that you must make a part of your life both personal as well as professional.

I am making it my life’s mission to share with, as many people as possible the synthesis of what I have learned are life’s principles for success. Most are the fundamentals that we all are aware of and know deep in our hearts but have let the pressures of daily living cause us to set aside in an effort to take the short cut or the easy route.

The ignorant would have you believe that success or failure in your lifetime is a matter of luck, happenstance, fate or ‘the breaks.’ Let that be their excuse I say. Success put in it is simplest form is following commonsense rules or fundamentals that anyone can follow. It is the goal of this issue, and all following issues, of Success Atlas to help you understand and use those fundamentals and guidelines to reach your own desired level of success.

The starting point of this journey is your attitude. Whether you call it your disposition, manner, temperament, spirit, approach, position, posture, outlook or opinion your attitude has a major bearing on your level of success.

Attitude is defined as:
1. Personal view of something: an opinion or general feeling about something
• A positive attitude to change
2. Bodily posture: a physical posture, either conscious or unconscious, especially while interacting with others

Your attitude, feelings, or moods will infect or effect the actions, moods, and feelings of those around you. If you face the world with a cheerful expectant attitude, the world (and those in it) will know you expect more from it and will perform accordingly. If you face the world with a negative, down trodden attitude it will know you expect poor action from it and will give you those actions. Remember that the world will reflect your attitude back to you.

Your attitude to the world will determine its attitude towards you (cause and affect). So one of the main rules to a successful life is to know that the world is a mirror, often a merciless mirror, of our selves and the habitual attitude we carry within us.

Many people live a life of doubtful, defensive, skepticism. Walking with narrow doubtful visions, negatively commenting on the world around them, and building emotional walls to protect themselves. This poor attitude is a magnet for undesirable experiences. Therefore, these undesirable experiences come, as they must, because of their attitude. This reinforces their poor attitude and the circle starts again. This person has become the prophet and the prophecy. We get what we expect!

...... to be continued

Article 7 - ACCEPTING YOURSELF

2008-01-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

ACCEPTING YOURSELF UNCONDITIONALLY
By: Brian Tracy

How Are You Treated By Others?
Self-acceptance begins in infancy, with the influence of your parents and siblings and other important people. Your own level of self-acceptance is determined largely by how well you feel you are accepted by the important people in your life.Your attitude toward yourself is determined largely by the attitudes that you think other people have toward you. When you believe that other people think highly of you, your level of self-acceptance and self-esteem goes straight up. The best way to build a healthy personality involves understanding yourself and your feelings.

Let the Light Shine In
This is achieved through the simple exercise of self-disclosure. For you to truly understand yourself, or to stop being troubled by things that may have happened in your past, you must be able to disclose yourself to at least one person. You have to be able to get those things off your chest. You must rid yourself of those thoughts and feelings by revealing them to someone who won't make you feel guilty or ashamed for what has happened.

Understand What Makes You Tick
The second part of personality development follows from self-disclosure, and it's called self-awareness. Only when you can disclose what you're truly thinking and feeling to someone else can you become aware of those thoughts and emotions If the other person simply listens to you without commenting or criticizing, you have the opportunity to become more aware of the person you are and why you do the things you do. You begin to develop perspective, or what the Buddhists call "detachment."

Be Honest With Yourself
Now we come to the good part. After you've gone through self-disclosure to self-awareness, you arrive at self-acceptance. You accept yourself for the person you are, with good points and bad points, with strengths and weaknesses, and with the normal frailties of a human being. When you develop the ability to stand back and look at yourself honestly, and to candidly admit to others that you may not be perfect but you're all you've got, you start to enjoy a heightened sense of self-acceptance.

Do An Inventory of Your Accomplishments
A valuable exercise for developing higher levels of self-acceptance involves doing an inventory of yourself. In doing this inventory, your job is to accentuate the positive and minimize the negative. Think of your unique talents and abilities. Think of your core skills, the things that you do exceptionally well that account for your success in your profession and in your personal life right now.

Think About Your Future
Think about your future possibilities and the fact that your potential is virtually unlimited. You can do what you want to do and go where you want to go. You can be the person you want to be. You can set large and small goals and make plans and move step-by-step, progressively toward their realization. There are no obstacles to what you can accomplish except the obstacles that you create in your mind.

Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, sit down with your spouse, or a good friend, and tell him or her about something that is troubling you and is still causing you unhappiness.
Second, develop perspective on your problem by standing back from it and imagining that it was happening to someone else. What advice would you give to that person?
Third, think continually about the good experiences and accomplishments you have enjoyed in the past. Remind yourself regularly that you are a pretty good person and you've done a lot of good things in your life.

Inspirational Quotes (3)

2008-01-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

"Suatu PERUBAHAN bisa saja dianggap MENAKUTKAN dan bisa juga dianggap KESEMPATAN, mana yang bisa Anda peroleh, tergantung atas SIKAP Anda atas keduanya."
~Ernest C. Wilson~

Article 6 - Communication / Listening

2008-01-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

LISTENING POWER

By: Brian Tracy

The art of good conversation centers very much on your ability to ask questions and to listen attentively to the answers. You can lace the conversation with your insights, ideas, and opinions, but you perfect the art and skill of conversation by perfecting the art and skill of asking good, well-worded questions that direct the conversation and give other people an opportunity to express themselves.

Ask Open Ended Questions

Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." Open-ended questions encourage the speaker to expand on his thoughts and comments. And one question will lead to another. You can ask open-ended questions almost endlessly, drawing out of the other person everything that he or she has to say on a particular subject.

Be Content to Listen

In order to be an excellent conversationalist, you must resist the urge to dominate the discussion. The very best conversationalists seem to be low-key, easy-going, cheerful, and genuinely interested in the other person. They seem to be quite content to listen when other people are talking and they make their own contributions to the dialogue rather short and to the point.

Share the Opportunity to Talk

In fact, good conversation has an easy ebb and flow, like the tide coming in and going out. Whether it is between two people or among several, the conversation should shift back and forth, with each person getting an opportunity to talk. Conversation in this sense is like a ball that is tossed from person to person, with no one holding on to it for very long. If you feel that you have been talking for too long, you should stop and ask a question of someone in the group. You will be tossing the conversational ball and giving that individual an opportunity to converse.

Learn to Listen Well

Listening is the most important of all skills for successful conversation. Many people are very poor listeners. Since everyone enjoys talking, it takes a real effort to practice the fundamentals of excellent listening and to make them a habit.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a habit of asking good, open-ended questions of others in every conversation and in response to problems or difficulties. This shows interest and increases your understanding.

Second, take a deep breath, relax and let the other person talk more. Practice over and over until you become an excellent listener.

Article 5 - Time Management

2008-01-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

(good article to read and implement immediately)

TIME: YOUR MOST VALUABLE COMMODITY
by Jeffery Combs

Regardless of our company, product, or services, what we are really selling is our time when we are in free enterprise. Most people don’t have a true concept of money, and they don’t realize that time is money, and so almost everyone gives their time away.

We hear in corporate America and in investing the term ”ROI” a lot which stands for “Return On Investment,” but what is much more important to an entrepreneur is our “ROTAE” or “Return On Time, Action, and Energy.” These are our strongest resources and we cannot afford to waste time. Most people view that time works against them as an enemy. Successful people use time as their ally. There are 86, 400 seconds, or 1, 440 minutes, or 24 hours in every day. Success is not really about what we do, but what we do daily. Time is our most precious resource and everything we produce is a byproduct of how we manage ourselves in the time we are given each day.

On a daily basis, I devote 14 to 16 hours to my craft, which I truly love, personal development and self-empowerment. I have never for one minute considered devoting this much time to my freedom as work. When you love what you do it is a pleasurable endeavor, not a painful one. When I sit down to do my tasks I know what I desire to accomplish and I make good use of my time.

As I stated earlier, most people don’t have a concept of time or money. Mention money and people become very uncomfortable. Mention time management and you get similar responses. When it comes to time, the average person equates time with work and that they have to “work hard.” In free enterprise, we don’t get paid for time. “Trading time for dollars,” is what most Americans do over and over, which is called a job, and jobs usually keep people broke because they are paid what the job is worth. The average person then brings a $10 - $15 an hour job mentality to their enterprise and is under the misconception that if they ‘work real hard’ they will get rich. Occasionally this philosophy works, but not very often. To be successful in free enterprise, our thoughts about time and time management must change. We get paid for ‘results’, not ‘time,’ and if we want to make more money here we have to become more ‘valuable’. How valuable we become through the service we perform is a real key issue. The key question we should be asking ourselves is, “How do I turn time into money?” How we manage our time effectively is going to have a direct reflection on our overall long-term results. I have found through my numerous years as an entrepreneur that there are four phases of the way people manage or mismanage their time:
1. spare time,
2. part-time,
3. full-time, and
4. all-the-time.
Unfortunately, most people confuse themselves and think they are doing one of these last three phases when really they are spare time because that is the kind of effort they are devoting to their freedom.

Let’s look at time management. The term ‘time management’ is really a misnomer because time itself is really unmanageable. It is a resource constantly being depleted at a predictable rate – 60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. What we have the ability to do is manage ourselves in a way that will make effective use of time. There are two key components to managing ourselves that have to be understood. The distinction between them can assist us to take stress out of our lives and put more productivity, satisfaction, and freedom into it. These components are efficiency and effectiveness. The distinction is efficiency is doing a task correctly, while effectiveness is measured in results, and when we are in free enterprise results are everything.

A big mistake I see people making is trying to make better use of their time by trying to do what they are currently doing more efficiently. It is a good idea, but the wrong starting point. It doesn’t matter how efficiently we manage our time if we aren’t spending it pursuing the results we desire. Our most effective use of time is the action part of the process, and 80% of our time should be spent prospecting and attracting new accounts, not shuffling papers, reading books, listening to tapes, gossiping, procrastinating, getting ready to get ready, and a multitude of other excuses people use to divert their attention from the very physical activity that will pay them. Do the right tasks inefficiently and our businesses will survive. Do the wrong tasks efficiently and we will go broke. Take the right action efficiently and someday we will be set for life. Efficiency is only valuable when it contributes to effectiveness.

Do what is urgent first, not what is important. Becoming successful requires a mindset that creates urgency in numbers, in action, in task, in leadership, and in all areas. Successful people get tasks done now – that is self-motivation. Average people don’t take on this sense of urgency; they ‘get to it’ when it is important, and usually too late; the train has left; they procrastinate. The ability to distinguish between urgency and importance is crucial to creating and living successfully because the inability to distinguish between them gets many people in trouble and ultimately results in broken dreams and shattered lives.

Every day we have situations that arise – situations happen, and we have things to do. Some are urgent and some are important, some are both, and some are neither. We have to understand that urgent situations are seldom important and important situations are seldom urgent. Most people spend 80% of their lives responding to the urgent as if everything that is urgent is important. You have to learn to separate the two. It is important that you take the proper action with a sense of urgency but not with a panicked or fear-stricken mindset. For instance, closing a sale or enrolling a client to use your product is urgent, but developing a flourishing organization is more important. Having a new car and wardrobe is urgent for a lot of people, but saving, investing, and developing a prosperity consciousness is much more important to becoming financially independent.

If we spend our time overreacting to the tyranny of the urgent, our lives will be far less successful than they could be. This is the very reason so many people today are working harder, living poorer, and feeling more time starved. They allow urgent situations to dictate how their time is spent and important situations go neglected. I am sure you can imagine what happens when important situations are neglected. Sooner or later they become urgent and important. They end up becoming crisis, i.e. money crisis, health crisis, enterprise crisis, family crisis, etc. Most would be preventable if we chose to spend our time doing what is important instead of overreacting to what is urgent. We have to learn that we are the sum of our choices and decisions. One of the most important choices we can make is to decide what is important, then commit ourselves to spending your time achieving important results, rather than responding to urgent and unimportant distractions. Procrastinating and getting ready to get ready is the main thief of the dreams of the average entrepreneur.
-----------------------------
Jeffery Combs is an international trainer, speaker, and author in the Network Marketing & Direct Sales Industry.

Article 4 - RASA TAKUT

2008-01-01T22:55:00.001-08:00

MENGATASI RASA TAKUT DI TEMPAT KERJA
Oleh
Roy Sembel, Direktur MM Finance Plus,
Universitas Bina Nusantara
Sandra Sembel, Direktur Utama Edpro (Education for Professionals)

Takut gagal menyelesaikan tugas, takut dimarahi atasan, takut tidak dihargai, takut tidak didengar, takut dipecat. Semua rasa takut ini menghambat kenyamanan kerja, produktivitas kerja, dan kualitas kerja. Rasa takut di tempat kerja perlu dikelola untuk meminimumkan dampak destruktifnya. Jika prosedur kerja ada aturannya, budgeting dan planning ada petunjuknya, pengukuran prestasi kerja ada tolok ukurnya, tidak demikian dengan pengelolaan rasa takut.

Pemimpin di sebuah perusahaan (dari pimpinan puncak sampai pimpinan tingkatan yang paling dekat dengan kegiatan di lapangan) seringkali tidak memperoleh petunjuk untuk mengatasi rasa takut ini. Artikel ini mencoba untuk memberikan gambaran mengenai alasan mengapa rasa takut di tempat kerja penting untuk dikelola, jenis-jenis rasa takut yang ada, dan strategi yang bisa diterapkan oleh seorang pemimpin untuk mengatasi rasa takut di tempat kerja.

PERLUNYA MENGATASI RASA TAKUT

Menurut para ahli psikologi, rasa takut adalah perasaan negatif yang timbul akibat teridentifikasinya sebuah stimulus (misalnya bahaya). Rasa takut ini seringkali diikuti dengan adanya perubahan fisiologis, kognitif, dan tingkah laku (Kleinknecht, 1986).

J. Gerald Suarez dalam artikelnya ”Managing Fear in the Workplace” mengakui bahwa rasa takut tidak bisa dihindari, tapi bisa dikelola sehingga tidak memberikan dampak yang destruktif bagi orang yang memiliki rasa takut tersebut, dan juga perusahaan tempat orang tersebut bekerja.

Pengelolaan rasa takut dapat memberi kenyamanan kerja sehingga karyawan bisa bekerja dengan baik untuk mencapai tujuan yang telah ditetapkan bersama. Pengelolaan rasa takut juga penting dilakukan untuk meningkatkan produktivitas, mempertahankan kualitas kerja, memacu perbaikan berkelanjutan, memotivasi terjadinya inovasi, yang tentunya semua ini diarahkan untuk mendatangkan profit yang berkelanjutan.

Andi, seorang kepala proyek usaha konstruksi, yang takut tidak mencapai target yang telah ditetapkan, bersedia melakukan apa pun untuk menghilangkan rasa takut tersebut. Ia menekan anak buahnya untuk mem-bypass prosedur yang berlaku, menyingkat proses kerja dengan mengurangi penggunaan dan pengelolaan bahan-bahan bangunan yang diperlukan, sehingga pekerjaan bisa dikerjakan dengan lebih cepat dan dengan biaya yang dapat ditekan serendah mungkin. Secara membabibuta semua ini dilakukan untuk memenuhi target sehingga ia terhindar dari rasa takut ”dimarahi”, ”dipermalukan”, dan ”dipecat’. Namun, tindakan yang tidak sesuai prosedur ini tentu saja dapat membahayakan bangunan yang sedang dikerjakan. Akibatnya, jika bangunan tidak dikerjakan menurut prosedur yang ditetapkan dengan bahan-bahan yang lengkap, bahaya akan mengancam, tidak hanya bagi klien tetapi juga bagi perusahaan dan masyarakat umum pemakai gedung.

Dari kasus Andi dapat terlihat bahwa rasa takut menghilangkan kenyamanan kerja, membatasi komunikasi antara pimpinan dan anak buah, dan antara sesama karyawan, Rasa takut juga memacu tindakan negatif (pemberontakan, persaingan tidak sehat, dan tindakan menyenangkan pimpinan dengan risiko apa pun, termasuk risiko yang merugikan sesama rekan kerja, dan juga pelanggan). yang dilakukan untuk menghilangkan rasa takut tersebut. Walalupun sering tidak terasa, rasa takut merupakan faktor destruktif yang bisa seara diam-diam membunuh kualitas kerja, kreativitas, dan inovasi.

JENIS-JENIS RASA TAKUT

Keberanian muncul bukan karena ketiadaan rasa takut, keberanian timbul karena adanya kemampuan mengelola rasa takut. Langkah pertama untuk mengelola rasa takut di tempat kerja adalah mengenali jenis-jenis rasa takut yang ada di tempat kerja. Berikut ini adalah beberapa contoh rasa takut yang ada di tempat kerja.

Takut gagal. Donny bekerja di sebuah perusahaan teknologi informasi. Ketika diminta untuk mengkoordinasi peluncuran produk baru, Donny menolak karena ia tidak berani mengambil risiko gagal. Akibatnya, ia tidak berani mencoba, tidak berani membuat keputusan, dan tidak berani menggunakan kreativitas dan memunculkan ide-ide inovatifnya yang merupakan kekuatan Donny selama ini.

Takut sukses. Sebaliknya, Tuti yang diajukan untuk promosi jabatan menjadi supervisor yang membawahi teman-temannya yang selama ini bekerja sama dengan dia, menolak kesempatan baik tersebut. Alasan Tuti adalah takut dimusuhi teman-temannya karena kesuksesan yang diraih.

Takut perubahan. Ketika diumumkan oleh pimpinan sebuah perusahaan akan adanya pergantian sistem dari sistem yang lebih banyak meng andalkan komunikasi lewat telepon dan komunikasi melalui surat dan dokumen, menjadi sistem komputerisasi dan web yang lebih berorientasi pada kecepatan informasi dan pengurangan kertas kerja, banyak karyawan yang menolak. Mereka mengemukakan berbagai alasan untuk tidak mengadopsi sistem baru tersebut. Mereka takut tidak bisa menggunakan sistem baru tersebut, karena ketidaktahuan, dan juga karena sudah merasa nyaman dengan sistem yang lama sehingga mereka merasa tidak perlu lagi mempelajari sistem baru yang belum bisa dipastikan efektivitasnya.

Takut bicara. Karena perangai atasan yang cepat naik darah, dan tidak menghargai pendapat anak buah, Nuniek menjadi takut bicara. Walaupun pimpinan menanyakan pendapatnya, tapi pendapat ini tidak pernah digubris. Akibatnya, ia tidak lagi mau memberikan pendapat, dan memikirkan solusi dari masalah yang dihadapi perusahaan. Ia hanya menyetujui saja apa yang telah diputuskan, dan mengerjakan pekerjaan yang diberikan tanpa disertai rasa semangat. Jika Nuniek melakukan kesalahan pun atau menghadapi masalah, ia tidak berani mengatakannya pada atasan. Dengan berbagai cara ia mencoba menghilangkan ”kesalahan” misalnya dengan menghapus data, atau membuat laporan yang ”tidak benar” hanya untuk menyenangkan atasannya sehingga atasan tidak marah. Akibatnya tentu saja kualitas kerja yang tidak optimal, bahkan makin lama makin menurun sehingga merugikan perusahaan.

MENGEVALUASI RASA TAKUT

Rasa takut sulit terdeteksi secara kasat mata, karena seringkali ditutupi oleh karyawan. Seorang pimpinan perlu melakukan evaluasi terhadap rasa takut yang ada di perusahaan ataupun di unit yang dipimpinnya sehingga ia bisa mengambil tindakan untuk mengelola rasa takut tersebut. Pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut kiranya penting untuk diajukan untuk membantu seorang pimpinan untuk mengevaluasi adanya rasa takut.

Identifikasi Harapan. Rasa takut muncul karena ketiadaan harapan. Untuk itu harapan perlu diciptakan dan dikenali. Berdiskusilah dengan karyawan baik secara formal dalam sebuah rapat bulanan ataupun secara tidak formal ketika sedang makan siang bersama. Misalnya Anda bisa mencoba mencari jawaban dari pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut: Apakah Anda yakin visi dan misi perusahaan sudah dipahami dengan baik oleh karyawan, sehingga mereka juga bisa mencari kesesuaian antara visi-misi perusahaan dengan tujuan hidup mereka? Apakah Anda tahu apa yang mereka harapkan dari Anda sebagai pimpinan mereka? Pertanyaan-pertanyaan ini perlu Anda jawab untuk mengenali harapan-harapan karyawan terhadap Anda, terhadap perusahaan, dan terhadap masa depan mereka sendiri. Harapan-harapan ini akan memberikan motivasi bagi karyawan untuk mengenal masa depan dengan lebih baik dan mengatai rasa takut.

Identifikasi hambatan. Rasa takut juga bisa muncul karena adanya hambatan untuk mencapai prestasi. Untuk itu jawaban yang perlu Anda cari adalah: Apa yang menjadi hambatan bagi karyawan untuk mencapai target yang ditentukan? Apakah karena kurang pengetahuan, kurang keterampilan, fasilitas yang tidak memadai, ataupun target yang terlalu tinggi ataupun waktu pencapaian yang terlalu singkat?

Identifikasi rasa percaya. Alasan lain munculnya rasa takut adalah hilangnya kepercayaan baik dari Anda sebagai pimpinan, dan juga dari karyawan. Pertanyaan-pertanyaan berikut bisa membantu untuk mengidentifikasikan apakah rasa percaya itu memang tidak ada: Apakah karyawan Anda percaya pada kemampuan Anda? Apakah Anda percaya pada kemampuan mereka? Sejauh mana Anda percaya akan kemampuan mereka? Beranikah Anda mendelegasikan beberapa hal untuk dilakukan dan diputuskan karyawan? Jika tidak, apa alasannya, dan bagaimana caranya menumbuhkan rasa percaya tersebut.

Identifikasi komunikasi. Rasa takut juga bisa muncul karena kurangnya atau terhambatnya komunikasi, dan ketidakjelasan informasi. Apakah Anda sering bersedia mendengarkan masukan dari karyawan? Apakah Anda bersedia mendengarkan masukan dari karyawan? Seberapa seringkah Anda mendapat masukan dari karyawan? Seberapa seringkah karyawan menceritakan masalah mereka pada Anda? Jawaban yang Anda temukan dari pertanyaan-pertanyaan ini memberikan gambaran mengenai komunikasi di tempat kerja. Jika memang komunikasi yang menjadi hambatan, Anda bisa mencoba untuk memperbaikinya dengan bersikap lebih terbuka dan lebih bersedia mendengarkan (bukan hanya didengarkan).

Identifikasi pelatihan. Rasa takut bisa muncul karena kurang pengetahuan dan keterampilan. Untuk itu Anda perlu mencari tahu kualifikasi karyawan untuk melakukan pekerjaan: Apakah karyawan memiliki pengetahuan yang cukup untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaan yang ditugaskan? Apakah karyawan memiliki keterampilan yang dibutuhkan? Pelatihan apa yang diperlukan karyawan untuk membekali mereka agar dapat menyelesaikan pekerjaan dengan baik, sesuai dengan yang diharapkan.

MENGELOLA RASA TAKUT

J. Gerard Suarez, PhD, pakar Total Quality Management, mengusulkan tiga faktor yang perlu diciptakan untuk menumbuhkan lingkungan yang kondusif untuk mengelola rasa takut.

Kepemimpinan. Untuk mengelola rasa takut, seorang pemimpin perlu menciptakan kondisi lingkungan di mana karyawan dapat mengemukakan pendapat, ide, dan masalah-masalah mereka tanpa rasa takut dimarahi, disepelekan, dan direndahkan. Ciptakan forum komunikasi karyawan, adakah diskusi secara periodik dengan karyawan, berikan dorongan bagi mereka untuk menyatakan pendapat, memberikan masukan bagi kebaikan bersama. Setelah mendengar masukan dari karyawan, seorang atasan perlu menanggapi masukan tersebut secepatnya. Tanpa tindakan untuk menanggapi masukan ini, karyawan akan segan menyatakan pendapat, karena mereka merasa pendapat mereka akan sia-sia.

Kepercayaan. Faktor kedua yang penting adalah rasa percaya. Jika karyawan mengerti bahwa pimpinan mereka memberikan kepercayaan kepada mereka untuk memberi masukan, melakukan perbaikan, maka mereka akan menjadi lebih percaya diri dan lebih termotivasi untuk mencoba hal-hal baru yang tentunya berguna bagi perusahaan. Rasa percaya ini juga merupakan kondisi yang penting untuk menggalang komunikasi dan kerja sama baik antarpimpinan dan karyawan, maupun antarkaryawan. Rendahnya rasa percaya akan mengarah pada ketidakpastian dan rasa takut.

Visi. Faktor ketiga yang perlu diperhatikan adalah visi. Visi memberikan gambaran akan masa depan yang diharapkan. Visi yang jelas juga memberikan petunjuk bagaiman masa depan bisa dicapai. Visi juga mendorong pemikiran dan perencanaan jangka panjang. Dengan perencanaan yang tepat, karyawan menjadi lebih percaya diri untuk menghadapi masa depan, sehingga mereka lebih nyaman untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaan mereka.

Mengelola rasa takut tidak bisa dilakukan dalam semalam, perlu investasi dalam waktu, tindakan yang konsisten, dan komunikasi dalam mengelola rasa takut. Kunci dari mengelola rasa takut adalah kepemimpinan yang terbuka, kepercayaan dan visi untuk menciptakan kondisi yang kondusif bagi pencapaian tujuan bersama.

Inspiration 6 - DOING GOOD

2008-01-01T22:25:00.001-08:00

DOING GOOD

- Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as you can. -- John Wesley (1703-1791)
- Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. -- Desmond Tutu, Cleric and civil rights leader

Dikutip dari : Bits & Pieces has motivated readers with a unique combination of wisdom and inspiration for nearly 40 years.

SELAMAT TAHUN BARU 2008

2008-01-01T03:47:00.000-08:00

Selamat tahun baru...

Banyak sekali ucapan selamat tahun baru yang saya terima dan tentunya, saya kirimkan untuk para kerabat dan teman-teman terkasih.

Tahun baru ? apakah setiap tahun, tahunnya berubah ?
saya ingat dulu papa saya bilang, yang berubah adalah hanya tambahan angka pada tahun di kalendar. Tanggal-tanggal pada setiap bulannya sama, kecuali yang berputar (bukan berubah) adalah harinya. Mungkin, momentum detik-detik penggantian tanggal saja, dari tanggal 31 Desember 2007 ke 1 Januari 2008, itulah yang istimewa.

Bagi saya, adalah bagaimana saya harus menjadi lebih baik di tahun yang akan datang, punya semangat kerja lebih baik dan tetap bersemangat menjalankan hidup di tahun yang akan datang.

Believing the best, hoping for the best and moving toward the best.

Tetap semangat dan sukses dalam berkarya, hidup dan cinta.

Inspiraton 5 - Way of the Mind

2008-01-01T03:36:00.000-08:00

WAY OF THE MIND

The world is apprehended by way of the mind
The world is acted upon by way of the mind
And all good things and bad
Exist in the world by way of the mind.

-Samyutta Nikaya

RENUNGAN - CINTA

2007-12-28T01:36:00.000-08:00

Beningkan hati dengan CINTA
Cerahkan jiwa dengan KASIH
Lalui hari dengan SENYUM
Tetapkan langkah dengan SYUKUR
Dan berharap pada TUHAN

SELAMAT TAHUN BARU 2008

Inspirational Quote (2)

2007-12-28T01:29:00.000-08:00

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly,
our whole life would change.
-Buddha

Inspiration 4 - Giving to Those in Need

2007-12-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

GIVING TO THOSE IN NEED

May I become at all times, both now and forever
A protector for those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need.

- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Article 3 - Self-Esteem

2007-12-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

6 BEHAVIORS THAT INCREASE SELF-ESTEEM
by Denis Waitley (excerpted from The Psychology of Motivation)

Following are six behaviors that increase self-esteem, enhance your self-confidence, and spur your motivation. You may recognize some of them as things you naturally do in your interactions with other people. But if you don't, I suggest you motivate yourself to take some of these important steps immediately.

First, greet others with a smile and look them directly in the eye. A smile and direct eye contact convey confidence born of self-respect. In the same way, answer the phone pleasantly whether at work or at home, and when placing a call, give your name before asking to speak to the party you want to reach. Leading with your name underscores that a person with self-respect is making the call.

Second, always show real appreciation for a gift or complement. Don't downplay or sidestep expressions of affection or honor from others. The ability to accept or receive is a universal mark of an individual with solid self-esteem.

Third, don't brag. It's almost a paradox that genuine modesty is actually part of the capacity to gracefully receive compliments. People who brag about their own exploits or demand special attention are simply trying to build themselves up in the eyes of others — and that's because they don´t perceive themselves as already worthy of respect.

Fourth, don't make your problems the centerpiece of your conversation. Talk positively about your life and the progress you're trying to make. Be aware of any negative thinking, and take notice of how often you complain. When you hear yourself criticize someone — and this includes self-criticism — find a way to be helpful instead of critical.

Fifth, respond to difficult times or depressing moments by increasing your level of productive activity. When your self-esteem is being challenged, don't sit around and fall victim to "paralysis by analysis." The late Malcolm Forbes said, "Vehicles in motion use their generators to charge their own batteries. Unless you happen to be a golf cart, you can't recharge your battery when you´re parked in the garage!"

Sixth, choose to see mistakes and rejections as opportunities to learn. View a failure as the conclusion of one performance, not the end of your entire career. Own up to your shortcomings, but refuse to see yourself as a failure. A failure may be something you have done — and it may even be something you'll have to do again on the way to success — but a failure is definitely not something you are.

Even if you're at a point where you're feeling very negatively about yourself, be aware that you're now ideally positioned to make rapid and dramatic improvement. A negative self-evaluation, if it's honest and insightful, takes much more courage and character than the self-delusions that underlie arrogance and conceit. I've seen the truth of this proven many times in my work with athletes. After an extremely poor performance, a team or an individual athlete often does much better the next time out, especially when the poor performance was so bad that there was simply no way to shirk responsibility for it. Disappointment, defeat, and even apparent failure are in no way permanent conditions unless we choose to make them so. On the contrary, these undeniably painful experiences can be the solid foundation on which to build future success.

Article 2 - Time Management

2007-12-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

YOUR DREAM CAN BE YOUR FUTURE
by Chris Widener

Here is a basic truth you must accept and believe if you are to achieve your dream...

Your dream can be a reality! That's right; your future can actually see you living your dream. It doesn't just have to be a big wish!

When we are young we are dreamers. Nothing seems too big for us to accomplish. Nothing seems too outrageous. The world is ours on a string as the old song goes. Until...

"Reality" hits. Reality is what others want to box you in with:

"You can't do that."
"Nobody has ever done that before."
"It will never work."
"You've gone off the deep end now!"

All dreamers (who eventually become accomplishers) have heard these things.

Yet they overcome them. They refuse to accept someone else's "reality" for their own life. They let the average people live their average lives, bound by fear, while they pursue their chosen future – their dream! So don't believe the people who tell you that you can't or won't. Believe your dream. Believe that it can be your future!

Once you have determined that you can actually live your dream, I want you to memorize this acronym. I've shared it before, but I found that it is tremendously helpful for reminding and motivating us toward our dreams.

D is for Dare (dare to dream while others don't)
R is for Relentless (relentlessly pursue your dream no matter what)
E is for Excellence (strive for excellence in all you do)
A is for Abandon (abandon any other alternative plans)
M is for Measure (constantly measure where you are in your dream journey)

Okay, that's great and motivating, but what about the practical stuff? Well, there is certainly practical stuff. No matter how lofty your dream, no matter how spectacular, you will live most of your life in the mundane. Richard Nixon said of the presidency that you "campaign with poetry, but govern with prose." The vision is beautiful, the actual is mundane (not bad but "everyday" so to speak).

If you are to achieve your dream, you need to plan and work and work and plan. Here are my thoughts on how to go about reaching your dream and securing it as your future: Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it. Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!

Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:

1. A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
2. Action steps. Point-by-point, what you will do and when you will do them.
3. Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
4. An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
5. A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!

I have found that there is no better time than now to start making your dream a reality. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!

Inspiration 3 - Seeds of Greatness Treasury

2007-12-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

If You Think You Can, You Can
(This excerpt was taken from Denis Waitley's Seeds of Greatness Treasury)

You can be a total winner, even if you're a beginner
If you think you can you can, if you think you can you can
You can wear the gold medallion, you can ride your own black stallion
If you think you can you can, if you think you can you can

It's not your talent or the gifted birth
It's not your bank book that determines worth
It isn't in your gender or the color of your skin
It's your attitude that lets you win

You can live with "coulds" or "shoulds," or be like Tiger Woods
If you think you can you can, if you think you can you can
Even if you're hesitant, you can be a woman President
If you think you can you can, if you think you can you can

It doesn't matter what you've done before
It makes no difference what the halftime score
It's never over 'til the final gun
So keep on trying and you'll find you've won

Just grab your dream and then believe it
Go out and work, and you'll achieve it
If you think you can, you can
If you think you can, you can

Inspirational Quotes (1)

2007-12-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

“I can do no great things, only small things with great love.” –Mother Teresa
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” –Edmund Burke
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant" – Robert Louis Stevenson
"Most of us spend our lives as if we have another one in the bank." -Ben Irwin
"With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." - Max Ehrmann, "Desiderata"
"Today I live in the quiet, joyous expectation of good." -- Ernest Holmen
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."- Helen Keller
"I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." - Helen Keller

Inspiration 2 - First Steps of The Day

2007-12-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

First Steps of the Day

As I take my first step,
My foot kisses the floor.
With gratitude to the earth,
I walk in liberation.

Andrew Weiss
Source: From "Beginning Mindfulness" published by New World Library. Copyright (C) 2004 by Andrew Weiss.

Inspiration 1 - Appreciation

2007-12-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

May We Appreciate and Remember

Today may we appreciate this food and remember those who are hungry.
May we appreciate our family and friends and remember those who are alone.
May we appreciate our health and remember those who are sick.
May we appreciate the freedoms we have and remember those who suffer injustice and tyranny?
Peace on earth.

Ungkapan Terima Kasih

2007-12-23T23:43:00.000-08:00

TERIMA KASIH

Sahabat, Teman, dan Saudara:

Terima kasih saya ucapkan karena telah menjadi teman, sahabat, saudara saya selama tahun 2007
Terima kasih saya ucapkan karena telah membantu saya selama tahun 2007
Terima kasih saya ucapkan karena telah mendengar keluh kesah saya selama tahun 2007
Terima kasih saya ucapkan karena telah membuat saya bahagia selama tahun 2007
Terima kasih saya ucapkan karena telah memaafkan saya pada saat saya membuat salah selama tahun 2007
Terima kasih saya ucapkan karena telah memberikan pelajaran yang berharga selama tahun 2007
Terima kasih, terima kasih, dan terima kasih
Terima lah kasih saya di akhir tahun 2007 ini dan di tahun-tahun yang akan datang

Mari kita bangun kerjasama yang terbina dengan baik ini dengan kasih
Mari kita bangun persahabatan, persaudaraan dengan damai
Mari kita songsong harapan yang baru di tahun 2008 dengan damai dan penuh kasih

Salam persaudaraan.
Peace and love,
Lina Patuwo

Season's Greetings

2007-12-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a Joyful Christmas 2007 and a Happy New Year 2008

May the season bring happiness and success to you and the families.

RENUNGAN - BISAKAH KITA

2007-12-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

BISAKAH KITA ?

Banyak hal yang dapat kita lakukan di dunia ini

Mulai dari rumah kita sendiri, keluarga kita, orang tua kita, saudara-saudara kita,
Kemudian di tempat kerja kita , teman-teman kita, dan masyarakat sekitar kita
Lakukan apa saja, mulai dari kecil sampai ke hal-hal yang besar

Lakukan semuanya tampa pamrih dan dengan penuh suka cita
Lakukan mulai dari sekarang ...

Artinya kita harus berbuat baik bagi sesama ? iya
Tetapi, berbuat baik, gampang sekali diucapkan, tetapi sepertinya sulit dilakukan

Artinya kita harus membutuhkan dana / uang untuk membantu orang lain ? tidak
Beramal, bagi mereka yang mampu, gampang dilakukan tetapi diragukan ketulusannya
Beramal, bagi mereka yang kurang / tidak mampu, tidak dengan uang tetapi dengan tenaga

Tetapi, apa yang kita peroleh dari berbuat baik itu ?
Jangan pernah memikirkan apa imbalan kita dalam berbuat baik
Jangan pernah menghitung hasil perbuatan baik kita
Jangan pernah bertanya untuk apa kita berbuat baik

Mengisi kekosongan jiwa jauh lebih baik daripada mengkosongkan isi jiwa itu sendiri
Semakin banyak yang kita tahu, semakin kita tidak mengetahui apa-apa
Semakin banyak yang kita punya, semakin sedikit yang ada didiri kita

Memang banyak hal yang dapat kita lakukan, bukan hanya ingin tetapi juga MAU
KeMAUan berbuat sesuatu akan membuahkan benih-benih hasil yang luar biasa
Jadilah orang yang berkeMAUan

Orang yang berkeMAUan untuk:
Kerja keras melawan kemalasan
Kerja keras melawan keegoisan
Kerja keras melawan hawa nafsu
Kerja keras melawan kesombongan

Article 1 - JOB SUCCESS

2007-12-23T09:01:00.001-08:00

DRESS AND GROOMING FOR JOB SUCCESS

Many of us object to being judged for employment based on how we look. We prefer to be hired because of our skills and abilities, not because of our dress and grooming. But like it or not, appearance is important.

Employers hire people they believe will "fit" into their organization. Skills, experience and qualifications are important, but so are dress and grooming. Your appearance expresses motivation and professionalism. Dress as though you want the job, as though you already have the job. A visit to the company may help you decide the appropriate clothing to select for your interview. A good standard is to dress a step above how the best-dressed person dresses for a similar job. When in doubt, err on the conservative side.

Your appearance is a statement of who you are. Your clothing and grooming should create the image that will help you get the job offer.

First Impressions

Most of us have heard the expression, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Remember this when preparing to meet with a prospective employer. The picture you create will greatly influence your chances of being hired. Most employers form a first impression during the first seven seconds of a meeting. Not much is said in this short time; early judgment is based strictly on appearance. Furthermore, studies reveal that employers consistently ask the question, "Does the individual look right for the job?"

Clothing

There are no absolute rules regarding dress. Your selection will vary based on your occupation, location and preference. A business suit for a construction job or overalls for an office job would not be appropriate dress. The goal is to look the part, to have your appearance be consistent with your occupation. Neat, clean work clothes would be suitable for assembly, production or warehouse positions. Sales and office positions require business clothes. A conservative suit would be the recommended style for professional and managerial positions.

Common sense and good taste are the best guides in selecting clothing for the interview. Avoid faddish styles and loud colors. Jewelry should be conservative and kept to a minimum. Clothing should fit comfortably. A basic rule is to dress one step above what you would wear on the job. You want the employer to focus on your skills, not your clothes. The clothes you wear affect all your attitude and confidence levels. When people take the time to dress for success, they tend to feel good about themselves. Image alone will not win the job offer, but it will go a long way in building respect.

Grooming

Personal grooming is just as important as what you wear. You may select the right clothes, but neglecting personal hygiene can ruin the image you wish to present. Review the following grooming checklist before meeting with an employer.

ITEM

1. Hair
2. Facial Hair (men only)
3. Fingernails
4. Teeth
5. Breath
6. Body
7. Make-up (women only)
8. Perfumes/Colognes/After-Shave

GROOMING

1. Clean, trimmed and neatly combed or arranged.
2. Freshly shaved; mustache or beard neatly trimmed.
3. Neat, clean and trimmed.
4. Brushed and fresh breath.
5. Beware of foods which may leave breath odor. Beware of tobacco, alcohol and coffee odor. Use a breath mint if needed.
6. Freshly bathed/showered. Use deodorant.
7. Use sparingly and be natural looking.
8. Use sparingly or none at all. Your scent should not linger after you leave.

Goals of Appropriate Dress and Grooming

The primary goal is to feel good about the way you look and project a positive image. When you feel good about yourself, you naturally convey confidence and a positive attitude. These nonverbal messages are as important in the interview as the verbal skills you use in selling your qualifications. Persistence and follow-up are the keys to a successful job search. If you are serious about employment, plan your follow-up. There is no such thing as a wasted effort, and the only dead lead is the one you chose to kill. Situations change and the employer who is not hiring today may be looking for someone with your qualifications in the future.