As we all know it is quite difficult to stay relaxed in some situations. We all have a certain physiological response under certain circumstances which makes it quite difficult for us to maintain composure. While this physiological response can be quite helpful if we ever find ourselves in a dangerous situation, it can be quite detrimental (supposedly) under modern normal social circumstances. This physiological response is colloquially referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ response.

How it works is that if you ever find yourself in the situation that you find emotionally difficult, the limbic system will take over and get your body ready either to fight whatever threat you might be facing or to run away from this threat. If for example you are walking down the woods and you run across a bear, this reaction can be quite useful because it will instantly get your body ready to face this terrible danger.

Some say that this is an old and antiquated bodily reaction that is no longer required in this modern world. I tend to disagree because if you have ever walked in any crowded city anywhere, you will know that you might not face a terrible bear but you might face a terrible human being. What this wonderful system therefore is trying to do is to prepare you for any possible physical threat when you are facing an unknown individual. If you look at it logically, it is indeed quite helpful to have this response available to you since most of the individuals that you meet in everyday life are complete strangers and their motivation can often times be questionable.

To try and suppress this response is both futile and dangerous. It is futile because this is an incredibly old physiological response that cannot be overridden, no matter what some experts might say, through reasonable means. In other words you won’t be able to think your way out of the ‘fight or flight’ response. It is also dangerous to try and get rid of this response because it is really a response that we still need to have within ourselves no matter what some idealistic individuals might tell you. We live in a dangerous world and we need our bodies to function as they have been designed to function in order to survive it and thrive in it.

But what do we do then? Are we supposed to somehow be able to figure out when we need this fight or flight response and when not? No.
What we need to do is to be able to have a way to deal with this response in a way that actually enhances its abilities instead of constricts its capabilities.

If you are ever able to study your body while you go into this physiological response, you will notice that there is a great deal of construction. What I mean by this is that your body tends to tighten up to a great extent and your awareness as well, tends to constrict to the point where some individuals experience tunnel vision. There are people that I know of personally that have gone completely blind while in the throes of an intense ‘fight or flight’ response.

While this constriction can help to focus personal energy for whatever physical (or psychic) response, it is also the cause of our inability to act in a coherent manner. What you need to do therefore is to be able to allow your body to pool its incredible resources naturally but to also maintain a high level of awareness so that you can use this great energy to your advantage in the best way possible. In other words what you need to do is to combine the limbic system and the cerebral cortex so that they both work together as one. What this means is that you need to allow your body to become the Hulk and Bruce Banner at the same time.

The best way to do this is to do everything your power to maintain an expanded focus of awareness. As I said, when the ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in, you have a natural narrowing of awareness. This narrowing can be a huge hindrance to higher mental functions and you must therefore do what you can to expand your awareness so that you can logically act within your environment. You do this by making sure that you maintain an expanded awareness and you don’t let yourself go into tunnel vision.

‘The best way to do this is to maintain a peripheral focus with all your senses

For example:

*Make sure that you maintain peripheral focus with your vision; to do this extend your arms horizontally and perpendicular to your shoulder. Begin to wiggle your fingers and try to see both hands simultaneously using your peripheral vision. See how far you can extend your arms away from your field of vision while at the same time still be able to see your fingers wiggling. This is the extent of your peripheral vision and you should try to maintain a 180° field of vision at all times. What is most interesting about using your peripheral vision in this way is that you can instantly focus on any point in this 180° arc and you can also focus on one point in this 180° arc while at the same time still maintain your peripheral focus. Using this method alone you will be able to completely control your ‘fight or flight’ response so that you are able to experience this physiological ally while at the same time maintain a more logical demeanor to your actions.

*With your hearing; make sure that you expand your hearing as well, so you are able to hear everything in your environment and not just on the thing that is causing you to feel threatened. For example if you are talking to someone that is making you feel nervous, don’t just listen to what he is saying but also try to listen to everything that is going on around you.

*Try to become more aware of what you are smelling.

*Try to become more aware of what you are tasting.

*Try to become more aware of what you are feeling; notice that your body is most likely constricted and you are probably feeling quite tense. The idea is not to try to fight this tension but to allow your body to try and truly feel the space around you. As you become aware of the space and the environment around you and you try to feel the space around yourself, you will allow your body to naturally become much more aware of its environment.
In this way your body relaxes naturally and is even more capable physically and as a result becomes more confident. Use your mind to expand your senses and begin to discover the true power of your being.

Now this might not be easy for you at first. To fight that natural response to go into tunnel focus can be quite difficult and requires strong intent on your part; the more nervous you get the harder it will be. By expanding your awareness in this way, you will make it much easier for your body to respond in the proper way both physically and mentally. It will never though get rid of that sort of tense feeling that you experienced during these moments and if you are looking for some way to overcome these feelings then perhaps you should try some of the more silly methods that try to get rid of this response altogether. Methods created because it is believed to be some kind of antiquated phenomena that is no longer needed in this ‘modern’ world.

This great tension is actually your body bringing together and focusing a huge amount of energy in order to allow you to have the kind of power that you need to function at your best. If you put yourself into some state where you become completely lethargic during every single moment where your intuitions and your body knowledge are telling you that you need more power, you will end up restricting and completely cutting yourself off from your ability to function at your best. To cut yourself off from this power is really a misunderstanding, which is quite understandable because of all the silliness that has been taught lately, and a type of cowardly response where you feel like you do not wish to participate in the world any longer. Fight this attitude because it is not your natural attitude it is an attitude that has been fostered by decades of incorrect thinking.

Have you ever heard of a mission statement? I am certain that if you know anything about large corporations or you have worked for one yourself, you know that most of these organizations have a mission statement. A mission statement is basically a definition of who you are and what you are going to accomplish, more than this it is a definition of how you will meet the challenges that you face by defining the values that you wish to exemplify.

When we are young the last thing that we think about is our legacy. But as we get older we contemplate our own mortality and because of this we begin to think about what we wish to leave behind when are gone. We want to know that we will be remembered well and that the actions that we took in this life were positive and constructive instead of destructive or inconsequential. A legacy therefore is a way to extend the parameters of our mortality by leaving behind a positive effect upon the world that will be remembered.

In order to create a positive and worthwhile legacy, you need to create a ‘personal mission statement’. The difference between your ‘personal mission statement’ and the ones that you are probably used to hearing about, is that this one represents what YOU stand for and the challenges that you commit yourself to in order to make a difference.

A personal mission statement can seem a little dour but it is actually quite fun. It is also of extreme help because it helps you to define yourself, discover and define your value system, and motivate yourself to take positive action towards a greater good.

In order to begin your personal mission statement, you must define yourself. If you need help trying to come up with your mission statement, go to a major corporation and look up their mission statement on their website. This will give you a basic idea of what a mission statement can be like and how you should approach your own personal mission statement.
I mission statement though should always begin by defining yourself. Write down or type out a definition of who you are, where you came from and what you think were the most influential things that helped to define your life. In this mission statement you must also define your current self and how your life path has affected your present self. You do this by defining your values, that which is most important to you, and how it is that these values came to be through your past and present circumstance.

Once you have finished this personal history of yourself, you must also define who or what you are dedicated to. Define the values that you described above even further by writing down who and what is important to you and for what reason.

Another important thing that you must define is how you plan to grow. Here you start contemplating the future by defining how you will strive to become better than the person you are today. You write down how you will get better, what new things you will do, and how you will grow generally. Here is where the mission part of the mission statement comes in; you define the general objectives of your life. There is no need to get too specific, just try to give a general idea of how you wish to develop in the future considering the values that you have and what you think will make the greatest positive statement, allowing you to grow the most as a person.

In order to truly create a legacy that will be remembered by others, you must try and help the people around you. In your mission statement therefore you must commit yourself to community service, or at least helping your family and friends. More than this, in this mission statement, you need to define what it is that you will be doing. Again you do not need to be specific, what you need to do though is give the general feeling of what you wish to accomplish in order to define the parameters of the positive action that you will be taking in your community.
Once you have made this general statement, try to define how you will be doing this. How will you be making sure that your values are expressed in community service. Even if you don’t have exact ideas as to what you wish to do or when, make sure that you identify those things that you would like to do.

In order to have a positive legacy you need to live the kind of life that you think will be a good example for others. You essentially need to be the person you always wanted to be and the only way that you will be able to do this is to define exactly how you need to go about becoming that ideal person. The best way to do this is to create a ‘personal mission statement’ that will allow you to define:

• where you came from
• who you are
• what your values are and how they were shaped
• what your future objectives are and how these follow your values
• what positive actions you will take in your community
• and generally what kind of person you wish to be in the eyes of others

This type of personal definition is essentially the examples that you wish to set. Now there is no reason why this personal mission statement needs to stay the same forever, you can change it over time just as companies do as they change and grow. Always remember that your personal mission statement represents the ideals by which you wish to live, and if you remember this then you will have no problem creating a personal mission statement that will allow you to grow and expand positively and always.

Motivation is one of those things that seems to go in cycles. Sometimes we are highly motivated to do something and then there are other times when we just don’t seem to have the energy to do anything at all. Motivation is an internal sense, or it might be better to say that it is an internal feeling that propels us to take action. While many might say that it is discipline that creates motivation through initial action, it is indeed the case that there can be no positive action without internal motivation firstly.

People find it very difficult sometimes to change something. It is also the case that people find it very difficult to begin and finish whatever goal they have set for themselves. Unfortunately motivation can wane sometimes and it then becomes impossible to imagine overcoming whatever obstacles you might face. If you have ever felt this way then please realize that you are not alone, many people find themselves with a lack of motivation especially when they’re trying to do something that they considered to be tedious or difficult. There are ways to increase your motivation though and we will look at the simplest and probably one of the most effective methods to get you to take action and to stay motivated on any task. With the information in this article you should be able to get yourself to start and finish anything that you wish to accomplish.

The most effective way to build motivation within yourself is through the act of visualization. You do this by visualizing yourself performing whatever task it is that you wish to accomplish. For example if you wish to start a difficult task, visualize yourself engaged in this task and doing a very good job on it. Visualize yourself doing this task in as much detail as possible and try to feel positive emotions and desire to do a good job as you are visualizing yourself doing this. The better your visualization, and the more the positive emotion that you are able to generate, the better.

I suggest that you do this visualization for a good 5 to 10 minutes and then go on about your day. It will be the case that you will have possibly an instant desire to begin your task. As soon as you get this impulse, make sure that you act on it and begin whatever task it is that you need to get done. If you are not able to begin your task right away, try not to dwell on it too much and just continue doing what you need to do it until you need to perform your task. Just before you need to begin your task, remember the visualization you did and this should be enough to get your desire flowing. In this way you will be able to motivate yourself to do anything, by first visualizing whatever it is that you need to do and then waiting for the natural impulse to do it. You will never need to push yourself to do anything again, all you will need to do is to visualize yourself doing whatever it is that you are wanting to do and in short order your body will provide the impetus and energy that you need to get going on this task.

It might also be the case that halfway through your task or half way through some kind of regimen, you do feel like your motivation is gone and you wish to give up. If this is the case then once again visualize yourself in the next step of your task. Visualize yourself doing whatever it is that you are completely not motivated to do and if you can, try to imagine a positive feeling while you are doing this. If the visualization does not work and you are not motivated to get yourself going, do not fret. You will just need to keep visualizing throughout different times in the day and perhaps for a number of days until that motivation finally hits you and you are quite naturally willing to finish whatever task you started.

Using a simple visualization like this, you will be able to motivate yourself to do anything:

• lose weight
• stop smoking
• do homework
• work-out
• walk the dog
• etc.

The trick is to trust your natural impulses and not to fight any automatic desire to get up and do the task before you. If you do not fight these impulses when they come, you will find yourself automatically starting any difficult task or project and as we all know this is the most difficult part of doing anything, the part that we usually believe requires a lot of discipline. Using this method you will be able to motivate yourself to accomplish whatever it is that you wish to do and you will no longer need to whip yourself and perform like some kind of beast of burden.

Spare time is something that we all seem to be having less and less of lately. The hustle and bustle of life can get the best of you if you don’t take the time to make the time for yourself. If you consider the fact that you sleep for one third of your 24-hour day and that you work on average between 7 to 10 hours a day; you actually have in between 6 to 8 hours of free time. So during a 24-hour period, you might have six hours a day to yourself, and this does not include any time that you need to use to take care of errands, paying bills, and whatever bodily functions you need to perform during the day.

What we all need therefore, is more spare time. More time to be able to do the things that we want to do, so that we are able to enjoy our lives more instead of just surviving.

It is possible to find more extra time if you are willing to work at it:

Make a list of all the things that you do not need to do. It is often the case that we are making lists of things to do but it is also very important that you start making lists of things that you do not need to do. There are many things in your life that you don’t have to do but that you think you need to do because of some kind of perceived personal responsibility. Question those things that you are supposed to be obligated to do and discover how many of these things can be eliminated from the infinite tasks that you have during the day.

A figure out things that can go on your not to do list, is to ask yourself, “what is the worst that can happen if I don’t do it?”. If you ask yourself that question and answer honestly, you will discover that there are many things that you can do without, or that these obligations do not have as much power over you as you thought they did.

I’m certain that there are many, many things in your life that you want. But I also bet that you don’t want all those things all at once. In order be able to really enjoy things, you have to have them in an ordered process so that you can focus on them and take pleasure in them. In order to be able to focus on these good things in your life, you need to start eliminating those things that aren’t necessary now. You need to simplify your life by getting rid of ‘stuff’. It is indeed the case that most ‘stuff’ in our lives tends to add up and get out of control. There is very little that we actually need or want at any one time. In order to appreciate what you do have, and in order to be able to have the time to be able to appreciate your life in general, you need to get rid of the stuff that is taking away your freedom and your time.

After you are able to eliminate the ‘stuff’ that rules your life by simplifying your existence, after you are able to identify and eliminate those things that you do not need to do, you must start opening up yourself to all the things that you always wanted to do. The less stuff you have, the less that you have to work to maintain it which means that you will have more time to enjoy your existence.

The only way to find more time and more pleasure in your life is to focus on it and to work at it. The ‘stuff’ of life adds up if you let it and the weight of it can pin you to the ground with the sheer weight of the responsibilities that it brings. Eliminate this ‘stuff’ and rediscover the freedom and abundance of true living.

Everyone in the world suffers from the fear of failure, it is perhaps one of the most often felt phobias. It is true that failing has a number of bad consequences and a fear of failure is a quite natural thing; that it is giving you both a warning signal and energetic impetus to try and get you to perform at your best. Unfortunately too much of this fear without the realization that this fear is actually an ally, can stop you from taking any kind of positive action and this can be something that will stop any great success in your life.

A good way to overcome this fear, or any fear for that matter, is to logically understand the reasons for your fear and then to objectively tell yourself that this fear is natural and that the price of action outweighs the price of failure. Here are some points to keep in mind the next time that you feel the fear of failure:

Fear is simply a part of the discsovery proces; there is no possibility of success without discovery. Success comes as we gain new knowledge and this new knowledge can only be gained by making mistakes, because it is through these mistakes that we find the correct path that leads towards the accomplishment of our goals. Success means being prepared to fail in order to learn from this failure.

You are good enough; even when things don’t seem to be going your way, remember that you are worthy and capable no matter what you might be believing at the time or even what others might be telling you. Fear of failure is usually directly related to the fear of being seen as a loser by others. Remember though that failing at anything means that you are actually trying to do something that is possibly new and difficult for you, and this is quite often something that those that are judging you are not willing to do.

You can succeed; always remember that initial failure does not mean that you will fail completely. As I said failure is just a way to recognize a better way to approach or do something. If you try your best and you stay strong then it is more than likely that you will succeed at whatever you attempt. If success means learning, which is indeed the case, then it could be said that there is no failure because no matter what happens, you will always learn something new from whatever you attempt.

If you avoid failure then you avoid new possibilities; if ever you wish to get over the fear of failure then contemplate how much you will lose if you do not act. The fear of failure is nothing compared to the fear of having never accomplished anything, of having never experienced anything new; of living a life of despondent comfort.

Do not be afraid to let others down; it is quite often the case the we feel the fear of failure because we think that when we fail we shall let others down. Remember though that the best thing that you can do for others is to become a better individual yourself. There is no way to accomplish this unless you are willing to take a chance and do something outside of your comfort zone.

The best way to overcome the fear failure is to logically and objectively look at the reasons why you are afraid and then to realize that this fear is not capable of stopping you. If you are doing something that you truly wish to do and that you know will expand your abilities, then objectively you will see that this fear is just a good warning to help you perform your best but that it is not a barrier that can stop you.

Hypnotism is an incredibly powerful form of therapy that is being used with more and more frequency. Even though there have been many great advances in science, the subtle workings of the human mind still eludes us. As a result, science does not quite fully understand how hypnosis works.

Even though science does not understand how hypnosis works, it has been able to prove that the effects caused by hypnosis are quite real. Using brain scans and different physiological monitors, scientists have been able to prove the fact that hypnosis has a direct effect on the physical body and the mind.

It is now the case that some medical practitioners have begun to use hypnosis for some forms of treatment and for the relief of pain. There is to date no one theory to explain exactly how hypnosis works and there are a number of different and slightly conflicting models to instigate hypnosis.

Even though hypnosis comes from the word ‘hypnos’ which essentially means sleep, it is a fallacy to believe that you need to go into a sleep like state in order to be hypnotized. While you are in a hypnotic state, you can be very relaxed physically but it is always the case that your mind will be quite alert and aware. The one key factor in any kind of hypnotic state is the ability of the mind to focus with incredible intensity.

It is indeed the case that we go into trance states throughout the day without ever realizing it. For example anytime that you are watching a movie or a TV program and you completely lose track of all the things around you, even of time, you are essentially in a trance. In these instances, time seems to stand still and we are completely and utterly focused on what we are doing or experiencing at the moment.

If you are experienced with meditation, then you will most likely realize that hypnosis has many similarities to meditation. Hypnosis can be said to be a type of guided meditation where a trance state is induced and then this state is used in order to achieve physiological or mental changes. The hypnotic trance then relies on the ability of another person to induce it-the hypnotist.

Because of the work done by psychologists and psychiatrists in the early 19th century, hypnosis is seen as a method to induce a trance like state that allows the hypnotist to have direct access to the subconscious. These early psychologists and psychiatrists were the ones that separated the mind into the conscious and subconscious and began to separate different mental perceptions and abilities that were either experienced consciously or unconsciously. It was discovered that the subconscious was the true powerhouse of the human being and that most changes needed to involve a change in the subconscious before they would become apparent in the conscious being.

A hypnotist and a good hypnotic subject can create a number of incredibly fascinating effects. They can for example; stop pain in any part of the body, control blood pressure, control the amount of blood present in any one part of the body, slow or speed up the heart rate, induce credibly vivid hallucinations, erase both short-term and long-term memories and a host of other incredibly remarkable feats.

Hypnosis is used on a regular basis to treat:

• Addictions
• Phobias
• Pain
• lose weight
• childbirth and pregnancy
• memory work and regression
• peak efficiency training in sports

Hypnosis can be an incredibly powerful alternative form of therapy. It is important though that you make sure that you see a competent hypnotist, someone who is able to provide good credentials and examples of past experience.

Having other people like us can be very important. You can see how this is a very positive survival trait because the more that others like us, the more that they are willing to help us and give us what we need. Developing ways to become a well-liked individual can greatly increase your success rate both in business and in everyday life, it is therefore of great importance that you develop ways to increase your likability factor.

Becoming more liked by others can be accomplished in a number of ways but the simplest and most natural method is:

How someone feels about you is how you make them feel about themselves; this is the one key factor that you must realize whenever you are trying to be a more likable person. The above statement means that others will like you to the extent that you are able to make them feel good about themselves. If you are able to make another person feel good, especially about their self-image, the more that they will find you to be likable and positive in nature.

Most often when we are trying to get others to like us, we tend to believe that we must somehow make ourselves seem better. The reasonable approach seems to be that you must showcase yourself as being an amazing individual that deserves to be worshiped and liked by all. But this reasoning is faulty and it is most likely the case that you are confusing being likable to being attractive.

Being attractive, as in sexually attractive to the opposite sex, tends to involve many aspects of scarcity and alpha dominance. Being likable though has much more to do with your ability to make others feel good about themselves and the situation that they might be in at the time.

You can become more likable by applying the four points below:

Talk about him or her and tell her how great she is; the easiest way to get someone else to like you is to tell them often that they are great person. The more that you take the other person’s self into consideration, the more that that person will find you to be incredibly appealing and nice. Make sure that you mention the person’s name often when you talk to them as most people love to hear the sound of their own name. Make the other person feel special by telling them how special they are on a regular basis.

Make the other person feel special both directly and indirectly; if you are continually telling the other person that they are great, they will tend to get bored with you and think that you are just trying to suck up to them. Make sure that your compliments have an indirect and direct quality, that you do not overstate your compliments in an overt manner. You’ll find it amazing as to how much you can pump another person’s ego without them ever getting turned off but generally speaking it is a good idea to always take a both direct and indirect approach to your compliments of the other person. The best way to do this is to take a genuine interest in the other person and to complement him or her on those things that you truly do find interesting, exceptional or different in some way. Through genuine interest, you are able to see a broader range of the persons capabilities which will allow you to complement that person not on just him or herself directly but on the consequences that the person has on the world around them.

Be positive; if you ever begin to talk to someone and you act in a fairly negative way, you will never be able to get that other person to like you. Most people want to feel good and they cannot feel good if you’re constantly being negative and pointing out all the bad things. Having another person like you means making the other person feel good. In order to make that other person feel good you need to be able to be positive so that you can create a positive atmosphere and exude a positive energy that the other person will enjoy.

Turn whatever environment or event you find yourself in into a beautiful thing; while the ability to be positive in general has the capacity to create likability from others because they feel that glowing good energy coming from you, the ability to change any event into a positive one can have a dramatic effect on how much people like you. If for example you take any event that you find yourself in with another person and you turn that event into an incredibly positive and fun experience, you will become highly liked and a much sought after person. The world can sometimes be quite a gloomy and boring place, if you are able to create magic in any moment, then there will be many people that will be lined up to try and be around you and become your friend.

Likability is different from attraction. Being more likable has many great benefits; by being a more likable person you will be able to get others to give you what you desire and it will make you feel good because you will be surrounded by people that are genuinely interested in being in your company. You can become more likable the minute that you realize that likability has to do with how you are able to make others feel about themselves and the world around them. The more that you are able to make another person feel good about him or herself, the more that you are going to be liked and appreciated by others.

Whenever we have problems with other people, it is usually the case that we are not taking the time to look at things from the other person’s perspective. If you take the time to look at things from the other person’s perspective, you will see that they have the same desires needs and emotions as you do. In order to be successful in any relationship, whether this is a business or intimate relationship, you need to be able to take that person’s feelings into consideration or there will be conflict.

Imagine that you wake up in the morning and you find yourself in a completely alien environment. Perhaps you woke up in the middle of the woods somewhere and you are somehow expected to do something that is completely new to you. If you contemplate what you might be feeling at that moment, you will get a very good idea of what someone might be feeling when they’re being told what to do. Now it will probably not be as extreme as the scenario that I am creating but by trying to put yourself in that situation you can have a basic understanding of what it would be like to be commanded to do something that is completely outside of your element. You might also realize what it would be like to be thrust into something without your input in any way.

Explain your decisions, don’t just assume that a person should follow your commands or conclusion because it is clear in your head. Always make sure that you take the other person’s feelings and thoughts into consideration because that person does not have access to your thoughts and beliefs. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and from that perspective see how they might be interpreting your actions or decisions. If you are having trouble seeing things from the other person’s perspective, try to imagine yourself again in that alien environment, being told what to do without any explanation whatsoever. Would you not feel angry, frustrated, perhaps even a bit frightened. You might even feel like a child without any power who has to put up with something that they do not find logical or just.

When you are in a relationship with anyone, you have a certain amount of power and as such you have a certain amount of responsibility. If you are a boss or a leader in business, you have a responsibility to treat all those that you are in charge of fairly. One of your greatest responsibilities becomes making sure that the other person understands your decision and is not completely blindsided by what they might be expected to do or put up with. If you do not explain any decisions that you make, there will be conflict in whatever relationship that you have. A friendship or an intimate relationship of any kind will not last when you assume that you can decide on anything without having to explain yourself to the other person. Your leadership position in business will also be compromised if you do not explain your decisions to others.

Take the time to explain your reasoning and the emotions that you are feeling. It might seem like a difficult thing, to open up to others so freely, but it is essential that you take into consideration what others might be feeling at the time. No one likes to feel like they are unimportant. This is how you make another person feel when you make decisions without taking them into consideration.

You might think that as a leader you can get away with this kind of action but as a leader it is even more important that you consider the feelings of the other people around you. This is so because as a leader you are incredibly dependent on those people that below you. If they do not act properly then you will fail and this failure will ensure that your leadership position will soon be over.

Whenever you make a decision, make sure that you explain yourself to others. Understand that the only way that you can have a decent relationship with others is if you consider their perspective on a regular basis. If your decisions are to be taken seriously and obeyed then you will need the cooperation of others. You will not have this cooperation unless you are able to explain to them why you have come to the conclusions that you have. Explain yourself and tell them what you think you would like to know if you were in that person’s shoes. In this way your relationships will succeed and your decisions will be respected and acted upon.

Getting things done can be a very a difficult or a very easy task. The difference between the two is time management. But time management requires more than just writing down something on a simple journal, it involves your ability to understand your personal routines and to use this to your advantage. Effective time management begins when you realize that time is precious and you should be a miser with it.

Being good at time management has many benefits. It should first and foremost allow you to reduce pressure and allow you to take a more relaxed approach to life. If you can schedule your time properly, you’ll have a clear definition of when you will be working on a certain task, how long this task will take, and therefore when you will have time away from this task to take breaks or do other activities. With this scheduled timeline, your mind is able to relax because it knows that it won’t be spending all its time doing this one thing. This is a very powerful way to get you to start working and to continue working until your scheduled time for this task is over.

By clearly defining when you are doing what, you logically understand that you have already defined your time in a manner that you find appropriate. If you are faced with many tasks all at once, without any kind of schedule, you will feel overwhelmed when you contemplate performing all these tasks in your mind. But once the schedule has been made, and you have given yourself a certain time to do each thing, you lose that sense of being overwhelmed because you now have a plan that seems logical and doable to you.

Perhaps the best thing about having a good schedule, is the fact that it clearly lets you know when you have leisure time to pursue interests that are more entertaining to you. By knowing when you work, you know when you don’t work. The mind requires this kind of scheduling because in this way it does not feel oppressed; a slave that is doomed to toil forever. Knowing that it will have a break soon, the mind will focus all of its ability in the moment without any reservation or laziness.

The most important part of good time management, is deciding what to do first. When you have many tasks to do, your mind runs wild pursuing each one and then changing its mind and pursuing another. By logically breaking down what you will do first, second, third, etc. you give your mind the structure that it needs to be able to begin. Before you begin you must know where to begin or else you will never get started it all.

A very important aspect of scheduling, and one that is seldom contemplated, is the ability to schedule certain tasks during the correct time. What this means is that when you schedule something, you should not just schedule things randomly but that you should consider your own personal feelings and abilities. I for example find it much easier to do heavy tasks early in the morning, I know others that need to do much of their heavy work late in the evening when the world is quiet. Think about the routines that you now have; when is it that you like to engage in heavy activity? When is it that you like to sit around and contemplate? When do you do your best creative thinking? Schedule your tasks with these thoughts in mind so that you go with the flow of your own energy instead of against it. This can make all the difference in the world when it comes to doing something easily or struggling to get something done.

Once you have found the task that you will be beginning with, and you have scheduled your time in accordance with your own energy levels and routines, you need to develop a strategy to be able to complete this first task easily. The best way to do this is to break down this first task, and any other task that you have scheduled, into smaller chunks.
So when you do schedule something, leave some space underneath your journal or whatever it is that you’re using to record your schedule, so that you can break down this task into even smaller subtasks. In this way any one task will not seem so difficult because you will be breaking it down even more, into very manageable chunks that will be far less intimidating and far easier to accomplish.

In order to have good time management, you need to be realistic. Many people love to create all sorts of scheduled lists about how they will be attempting one project or another. They stack on tons of things into one day and tell themselves that they will be getting this done without problem. Unfortunately for many this becomes a fantasy where once they see the length of the list that they have just created, they decide to perhaps engage in something else before they begin anything at all. The only way that you will get anything done is if you are realistic about the time that it will take for you to do something. You can’t just stack things one on top of the other without much thought or reason. If your mind does not believe that your schedule is possible, it will not even attempt to begin your day’s activities. Be realistic about what you can get done and how long this project will take. Make sure that you give yourself plenty of breaks so that you do not feel overwhelmed throughout the day. Take care of yourself and be honest or else you will not have the impetus to get going on anything.

Be a miser with your time because it is far more important than money. When you spend your money, and you are a wise spender, you are frugal and try to create a good budget which will satisfy all your needs. Your time is far more precious than money and you should be even more frugal in how you spend it because you only have a certain amount to use, and you are not getting anymore. Motivate yourself to create good time management so that you spend all of the time that you have on this Earth wisely. This does not mean that you should not goof off or have fun, what I’m trying to say is that you should schedule your tasks properly so that you do not waste endless time feeling sorry for yourself or being lazy.

Always make sure that you schedule time for fun things. The best reason to have good time management, to have a good scheduled itinerary, is to be able to have even more time to have fun yourself. Make sure that you schedule time to liven up old routines and tasks. If you go from one project to another without ever taking any time for yourself, you are essentially wasting time through poor scheduling; you are wasting fun time. Schedule properly so that you feel empowered and focused, but also schedule your time in a way that allows you to live more and have more fun in your life. Good time management allows you to have a better and more rewarding life.

On many occasions I have gone on about the great power of empathy. I keep making a big deal about it and telling you that it is the most important skill that you can develop. Many believe what I am telling them but they tend to have a limited perspective of how you can use the power of empathy.

Your ability to have empathic understanding of the world around you is very powerful, it can allow you to perceive things in a far deeper level and as a result it can give you an edge on everything in your life. To prove my point, let’s have a little fun with empathy..

I am certain that if you have ever done any kind of grocery shopping, you have been stuck trying to pick the perfect fruits and vegetables. It can be said to be an art, the ability to find the perfectly ripe fruit or vegetable. Many look at the color of the tomato for example, perhaps tap a watermelon in just the right way, or smell a mango to see if it is perfect for consumption. But there are those fruits and vegetables that can be quite difficult to read. Avocados for example can be very difficult because unless you actually squeeze them, is really hard to tell whether they are perfectly ripe or just hard rocks on the inside. Cantaloupes or any fruit with a thick outer shell, can be quite difficult to gauge and sometimes it’s basic guesswork, trying to find that perfectly ripened piece of fruit.

How about if I were to tell you that you can use empathy to get a perfectly ripe fruit or vegetable every time. As I have told you in the past, empathy is the ability to take a part of yourself and to project this part onto another. To imaginatively project yourself into the other and as a result be able to perceive their perspective. But this is not the end of empathy, empathy can also be used to find the inner reality of certain things, or perhaps it would be better to say, feel the inner makeup of things around you. For example you could project a part of yourself into a tree, an animal, or even a brick. By examining your feelings and your subjective experience in general, you can discover the inner quality of these things that you are projecting into.

Using the above technique, you can project yourself into the fruits and vegetables that you are about to purchase and find out whether they are delicious and ripe. Next time that you find yourself in the produce section, or an outdoor market, try this technique; pick up whatever fruit or vegetable that you are looking to purchase, and as you hold it in your hand, imaginatively project a part of yourself into that fruit or vegetable. As you do so, explore your feelings and your inner reality. Very lightly, without breaking that empathic link that you have with that produce, try to imagine what this fruit or vegetable might taste like. Relax, let go of that tight hold that the ego sometimes has, and imaginatively become one with the produce that you are holding.

When I do the above technique, I usually get a feeling or an impression of how delicious and how healthy that produce is. This feeling is a very subjective one and it is therefore very difficult to explain in words but it is sort of like a feeling of goodness where somehow I know that the fruit or vegetable that I’m holding will taste great and is also good for me. You need to experiment yourself and see if you can discover your own understanding of the subjective information that you are getting. We are all different and we must all find our own subjective language and symbolism. But do not fret, it is not a difficult exercise and I do believe that we are all quite talented at it since it was one of the methods that our early ancestors used in order to discover whether the food around them was any good to eat. In other words it is an ancient skill that you are reusing in a modern setting.

You can still look at the color and the smell, these methods are still good and you should rely on them. But through this empathic method you should be able to develop a very good sense as to how good the food that you are about to get is. It is possible that you might make a mistake, for example you might pick up an avocado that is all black on the inside while you believed that it was perfect. Don’t give up and keep trying, because this talent like any talent requires practice and a bit of effort. The only thing I might suggest, is to stop squeezing that produce! It really sucks when you go into a store and you see people squeezing the heck out of this or that and then just walking away. Anyway, that’s just a little pet peeve of mine, hehe.

Empathy is not just for dealing with others, it can also allow you to perceive every aspect of the world around you in a far more precise and direct way. Practice your empathic skill and develop new ways to use it to your advantage. Empathy can be used to discover the inner reality and the inner makeup of anything that you see before you, even those things that are beyond your physical vision. For example it was through this kind of empathy that Einstein was able to discover many of his great laws and theories. You can use the same skill in very practical ways; next time that you are in the produce section, use your empathic sense to get the best quality food for you and your family.