The best place to begin taking notes about nutrition is with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA offers recommendations about what they find to be healthy eating-related habits for the general public. And their information covers these main areas of focus: nutrition pyramid, needed nutrients, weight management, physical fitness and food safety.
Nutrition Pyramid
The USDA has revised dietary guidelines and lists a food pyramid with color scheme to help people eat in a healthy manner.
Needed Nutrients
The USDA advises people to drink and eat a wide variety of nutrient-dense beverages and foods from the basic food groups they note in their nutrition pyramid. They also suggest limiting alcohol, salt, added sugars, cholesterol, saturated and trans fats. And they recommend following plans like the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan or their USDA Food Guide.
Weight Management
The general weight focus of the USDA stresses that people strive to maintain body weight in a healthy range, balancing calories from beverages and foods with those expended. And to help manage weight control as aging occurs, people are to gradually decrease the amounts of foods and beverages consumed and increase physical fitness.
Physical Fitness
The USDA desires people to regularly partake in physical activity while decreasing sedentary activities in order to promote not only healthy bodies but
overall general health and psychological well-being. Optimum activity is targeted at around 30 -90 minutes minimum a day of moderate to intense physical, depending upon weight status, age and eating habits.
For even more health benefits, a combination of either more intense activity and / or longer periods of activity is advised for most persons instead of just 30 minutes, checking with healthcare providers first for approval. Key areas of focus for physical fitness are stretching exercises for increased flexibility, cardiovascular conditioning and calisthenics or resistance exercises to improve endurance and muscles.
Food Safety
The USDA recommends that people avoid microbial food borne illnesses by thoroughly washing hands, surfaces where food is handled and vegetables and fruits. They also advise against washing meats and poultry; however, separate raw foods from those that are already cooked or ready to eat when shopping, handling and storing foods.
They also recommend that foods need to be cooked at temperatures safe enough to destroy microorganisms and promptly stored in refrigeration or freezers if perishable. And they advise people to avoid:
Raw or unpasteurized milk
Products created from unpasteurized milk
raw or partially cooked eggs
Foods containing raw eggs
Raw or undercooked poultry and meats
Unpasteurized juices
Raw sprouts.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
2.12 Tips for better health - Healthy You
The biggest step to aiming towards better health is admitting the fact that you need to make changes towards becoming healthier and fitter. Here are some tips to help you improve your health and help you to reach a new and improved you.
1. Make it a life goal to obtain a healthier outlook on life which will undoubtedly lead to a healthier you, if you are determined to reach a better state of health, making it a reality will be so much easier.
2. Support your new way of thinking by learning everything you can about ways of reaching better health and living a healthier lifestyle. You can use the internet, books, DVDS, clubs, gyms and support groups to your benefit, knowing all you can about healthy living gives you a great base to work from.
3. You have to start somewhere so start by taking a look at your kitchen and reorganizing in preparation for your new way of life. Reorganize your kitchen cabinets, cupboards and refrigerator to ensure that there are no signs of the old you and all the signs of the things that will help you in your new lifestyle.
4. Replace old food with your new healthier choice and don‟t forget to purchase any small appliances which you will need to support your healthier way of eating, such as blenders and food weighing scales.
5. Get a large planner calendar, pin it up in your kitchen and mark the day when you choose to begin your new lifestyle and stick to it no matter what.
6. From day one keep a journal, this can either be a traditional one or use your computer. You should include all thoughts and feelings about your new ways along with all the changes you see about yourself. This is essential to look back on to see the positive changes that are occurring due to your positive outlook and changes you have made.
7. Positive thoughts and self talk or affirmations are a necessity; they will give you confidence at the beginning and will continue to take you through the tough times which will often occur during the early changes.
8. Along with changes to your diet you will also have to make changes to the amount of exercise you do per day, while good healthy food is essential, exercise is also just as important to help ward off the onset of diseases such as heart disease, as well as helping us to firm up our body or lose a few pounds.
9. Give up any bad habits such as smoking or drinking, you will never reach your optimal peak of health while you are puffing away on cigarettes or drinking on a regular basis.
10. Make sure that you get the recommended 5 portions of fruit and veggies per day on your new regime, fruit and veggies are packed full of essential vitamins.
11. Make sure you learn ways to eliminate as much stress from your lifestyle as you possibly can, there are many ways to do this with one of them sure to be suitable for your situation.
12. Cut out excess salt, sugar and fatty foods from your diet, this will effectively lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.
1. Make it a life goal to obtain a healthier outlook on life which will undoubtedly lead to a healthier you, if you are determined to reach a better state of health, making it a reality will be so much easier.
2. Support your new way of thinking by learning everything you can about ways of reaching better health and living a healthier lifestyle. You can use the internet, books, DVDS, clubs, gyms and support groups to your benefit, knowing all you can about healthy living gives you a great base to work from.
3. You have to start somewhere so start by taking a look at your kitchen and reorganizing in preparation for your new way of life. Reorganize your kitchen cabinets, cupboards and refrigerator to ensure that there are no signs of the old you and all the signs of the things that will help you in your new lifestyle.
4. Replace old food with your new healthier choice and don‟t forget to purchase any small appliances which you will need to support your healthier way of eating, such as blenders and food weighing scales.
5. Get a large planner calendar, pin it up in your kitchen and mark the day when you choose to begin your new lifestyle and stick to it no matter what.
6. From day one keep a journal, this can either be a traditional one or use your computer. You should include all thoughts and feelings about your new ways along with all the changes you see about yourself. This is essential to look back on to see the positive changes that are occurring due to your positive outlook and changes you have made.
7. Positive thoughts and self talk or affirmations are a necessity; they will give you confidence at the beginning and will continue to take you through the tough times which will often occur during the early changes.
8. Along with changes to your diet you will also have to make changes to the amount of exercise you do per day, while good healthy food is essential, exercise is also just as important to help ward off the onset of diseases such as heart disease, as well as helping us to firm up our body or lose a few pounds.
9. Give up any bad habits such as smoking or drinking, you will never reach your optimal peak of health while you are puffing away on cigarettes or drinking on a regular basis.
10. Make sure that you get the recommended 5 portions of fruit and veggies per day on your new regime, fruit and veggies are packed full of essential vitamins.
11. Make sure you learn ways to eliminate as much stress from your lifestyle as you possibly can, there are many ways to do this with one of them sure to be suitable for your situation.
12. Cut out excess salt, sugar and fatty foods from your diet, this will effectively lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.
1.The Better and Healthy You
A healthier, happier and more successful you
You can become a healthier, happier and more successful person by making a few simple changes to your lifestyle. You will have to make changes to the overall you, not just change the amount of exercise you do or your diet.
The secret to achieving happiness and a healthier you is to balance your body and mind in harmony, it is only when we are balanced in physical health, mental and spiritual that we are truly healthy.
If we are healthy then we are happier and can reach success more easily in life, here are some ways you can bring back harmony and balance to your life
Exercise is an essential part, it helps to tone our body, keep our heart and lungs healthy and detoxifies. Exercise can be anything from more vigorous routines such as aerobics to simply walking, pick your favorite activity and set aside a specific time of day and commit yourself to devoting a half-hour per day towards getting your body back into shape.
Eating right is the next essential step to maintaining a well-balanced life; our bodies need the right amount of vitamins, nutrients and minerals to work at its best. Making changes to our diet is easy, keep away from fast foods which contain a lot of saturated fats and sugar and start including more whole grains, chicken, fish, plenty of green vegetables and try to eat fresh fruit instead of juice when available.
Along with making changes to your diet you should include supplements such as vitamins, nutrients and minerals. Modern farming methods strip many of our foods of the minerals our bodies require and now just provide us with the basic nutrients. Due to this we might be lacking in certain minerals and vitamins, by supplementing your diet with vitamin and mineral supplements we can ensure we still get all the vital minerals, nutrients and vitamins we need in our daily diet.
Reducing the amount of stress we have in our life plays an important part in how we are able to cope with it. Stress can do much damage to our body and mind and has been linked with “burnout”, fatigue, sleep problems, depression and it lowers our immune system.
Learning techniques on how to cope with stress and worry are essential to keeping yourself balanced and full of energy. There are a wide variety of techniques from simple breathing exercises which can be done anywhere, at anytime, to yoga which is a full system for relaxation and de-stressing to meditation. There are many books, DVDS and CDS available on the subject or there are courses you can attend.
Lastly but by no means the least important is keeping life fun, doing something which you enjoy doing and makes you feel relaxed and happy each day. No you are not being selfish by taking time out each day just for yourself, this time is essential.
It is just as important as exercising, eating right and reducing stress, your time could be spent doing a hobby or pastime that you enjoy, sitting quietly and reading, taking a hot bubble bath while listening to your favorite music or spending quality time with your family or friends. It can be anything as long as it‟s something you like to do and enjoying doing.
You can become a healthier, happier and more successful person by making a few simple changes to your lifestyle. You will have to make changes to the overall you, not just change the amount of exercise you do or your diet.
The secret to achieving happiness and a healthier you is to balance your body and mind in harmony, it is only when we are balanced in physical health, mental and spiritual that we are truly healthy.
If we are healthy then we are happier and can reach success more easily in life, here are some ways you can bring back harmony and balance to your life
Exercise is an essential part, it helps to tone our body, keep our heart and lungs healthy and detoxifies. Exercise can be anything from more vigorous routines such as aerobics to simply walking, pick your favorite activity and set aside a specific time of day and commit yourself to devoting a half-hour per day towards getting your body back into shape.
Eating right is the next essential step to maintaining a well-balanced life; our bodies need the right amount of vitamins, nutrients and minerals to work at its best. Making changes to our diet is easy, keep away from fast foods which contain a lot of saturated fats and sugar and start including more whole grains, chicken, fish, plenty of green vegetables and try to eat fresh fruit instead of juice when available.
Along with making changes to your diet you should include supplements such as vitamins, nutrients and minerals. Modern farming methods strip many of our foods of the minerals our bodies require and now just provide us with the basic nutrients. Due to this we might be lacking in certain minerals and vitamins, by supplementing your diet with vitamin and mineral supplements we can ensure we still get all the vital minerals, nutrients and vitamins we need in our daily diet.
Reducing the amount of stress we have in our life plays an important part in how we are able to cope with it. Stress can do much damage to our body and mind and has been linked with “burnout”, fatigue, sleep problems, depression and it lowers our immune system.
Learning techniques on how to cope with stress and worry are essential to keeping yourself balanced and full of energy. There are a wide variety of techniques from simple breathing exercises which can be done anywhere, at anytime, to yoga which is a full system for relaxation and de-stressing to meditation. There are many books, DVDS and CDS available on the subject or there are courses you can attend.
Lastly but by no means the least important is keeping life fun, doing something which you enjoy doing and makes you feel relaxed and happy each day. No you are not being selfish by taking time out each day just for yourself, this time is essential.
It is just as important as exercising, eating right and reducing stress, your time could be spent doing a hobby or pastime that you enjoy, sitting quietly and reading, taking a hot bubble bath while listening to your favorite music or spending quality time with your family or friends. It can be anything as long as it‟s something you like to do and enjoying doing.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
18.Count your blessings – Straight to Success
We all moan and groan at sometime or another about our lives simply because no matter what we have in life we are never satisfied with and are always looking for something better. How often do we actually sit down and say thank you for what life has given us? For the majority of Americans, Thanksgiving day is about the only time when we think about what’s actually important in life and why we should count our blessings. Happiness in life isn’t about material possessions and money its about the small everyday things that so very often the majority of us take for granted, we are all blessed no matter what walk of life we come from, we all should count our blessings and say thank you for what we have instead of dwelling on what we don’t.
Saying thank you
From the moment you awaken you should give thanks for what you have, waking up beside your partner whom you cherish and love, turning to them and saying “thank you” makes a great start to the day, “thank you” for loving me, for being there for me, just for being you”. This is the person you worship and adore and who you are lucky enough to wake up beside every morning and this alone makes you one of the richest people on earth and is good enough reason to count your blessings each and every morning.
Blessings can be found in the smallest of things
There are many things that happen throughout your day which we don’t pay attention to but which are blessings and some can even occur as blessings in disguise. It is important to be more aware of what is happening in our lives and appreciate all the little things that can often pass us by without us giving them too much thought. Very often it is the smallest things in life that can bring the greatest joy to us, these are some of the highlights of our life that we should cherish and give thanks for each and every day.
List your blessings
If you sit down and clear your mind and stop and think about what blessings you have in your life and aim to list 5 of them and you will undoubtedly start thinking about what you have in life you will be able to list a whole lot more than just 5.
While you may think that you haven’t anything to be thankful for, you will find if you think about it you are wrong, perhaps for you it’s the sound of your grandchild or child’s laughter and joy at spending time with you, it could be an unexpected phone call from a friend, lover, son, daughter, mother or father, just to say hi, sitting down to a family meal and swapping stories about your day went.
All these are the little joys of life the ones that make life special and meaningful and which thanks should be said, they are the true blessings, it isn’t about how much money you have in the bank, how big your wardrobe is, having the latest gadgets, or that new car.
All of these things are merely material possessions and while they may bring a smile to our face and make us feel good they are not true blessings, sure it feels good be financially secure but if you aren’t then it doesn’t mean that you aren’t rich in many other ways. In fact many people who are on the bread line are very often richer and are able to count many more blessings than those with a huge bank account.
Saying thank you
From the moment you awaken you should give thanks for what you have, waking up beside your partner whom you cherish and love, turning to them and saying “thank you” makes a great start to the day, “thank you” for loving me, for being there for me, just for being you”. This is the person you worship and adore and who you are lucky enough to wake up beside every morning and this alone makes you one of the richest people on earth and is good enough reason to count your blessings each and every morning.
Blessings can be found in the smallest of things
There are many things that happen throughout your day which we don’t pay attention to but which are blessings and some can even occur as blessings in disguise. It is important to be more aware of what is happening in our lives and appreciate all the little things that can often pass us by without us giving them too much thought. Very often it is the smallest things in life that can bring the greatest joy to us, these are some of the highlights of our life that we should cherish and give thanks for each and every day.
List your blessings
If you sit down and clear your mind and stop and think about what blessings you have in your life and aim to list 5 of them and you will undoubtedly start thinking about what you have in life you will be able to list a whole lot more than just 5.
While you may think that you haven’t anything to be thankful for, you will find if you think about it you are wrong, perhaps for you it’s the sound of your grandchild or child’s laughter and joy at spending time with you, it could be an unexpected phone call from a friend, lover, son, daughter, mother or father, just to say hi, sitting down to a family meal and swapping stories about your day went.
All these are the little joys of life the ones that make life special and meaningful and which thanks should be said, they are the true blessings, it isn’t about how much money you have in the bank, how big your wardrobe is, having the latest gadgets, or that new car.
All of these things are merely material possessions and while they may bring a smile to our face and make us feel good they are not true blessings, sure it feels good be financially secure but if you aren’t then it doesn’t mean that you aren’t rich in many other ways. In fact many people who are on the bread line are very often richer and are able to count many more blessings than those with a huge bank account.
17.Think your way to becoming rich – Straight to Success
How we think goes a long way to how successful we are in life and we have the power to change our lives in every aspect including our finances. Simply by changing the way we think can change our outlook on our financial situation and while this alone will not make you a millionaire, it can greatly improve your situation and by believing that money can come to you will give it the opportunity to do so.
Have you ever stopped to think why those who are rich keep on getting richer; one of the reasons is that they think differently about money to those who have not got money. Negative thinking brings nothing but negativity and negativity will not bring money. However, thinking positively can change many situations in life and one thing the rich do is to always think positively. Here are some examples of the outlook and way of thinking that those with money have and what those without money think about the same situation.
The average person – If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is
The rich person – It sounds interesting, please tell me a little more
While we should all be wary of scams, the rich person is more willing to seek out an opportunity to draw more money in than the person with little money, sometimes the saying “you have to spend money to make money” is true.
The average person – 95% of all new businesses fail within the first five years
The rich person – I better look into all aspects of the business and make sure I do my homework, if I want to run a successful business
Starting out with negativity in mind is not the best way to get your business up and running, providing you have looked into your new business project and got advice there is no reason to think negatively about the prospects and success.
The average person – the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
The rich person – there is a whole world of opportunities out there just waiting for me to discover them
The average person always allows themselves to think that they cannot do better and achieve what it is they want out of life, that only others can do that, by thinking negatively they are not giving themselves the opportunity to expand and are full of “what ifs” and “if only”
The average person - you have to have money in order to be able to make money
The rich person – you have to have a great idea in order to make money
While common sense dictates in some circumstances that to get your idea off the ground it can cost you money, a positive attitude towards the outlay of your money and the rewards it will bring you is the big difference between failure and success.
The average person – I tried that before and only failed, so it will again
The rich person – what do I have to do differently and change this time in order to for it to be a success
Again negativity comes into play; just because it didn’t turn out as planned the last time doesn’t mean that you should give up and not try again after sitting back and looking at the mistakes you made and altering for a different outcome.
All these thoughts have one thing in common a negative and a positive outlook on life and what you do with it, by simply changing your outlook you open up for yourself a whole new world and a whole lot more possibilities for you to change your financial situation.
Have you ever stopped to think why those who are rich keep on getting richer; one of the reasons is that they think differently about money to those who have not got money. Negative thinking brings nothing but negativity and negativity will not bring money. However, thinking positively can change many situations in life and one thing the rich do is to always think positively. Here are some examples of the outlook and way of thinking that those with money have and what those without money think about the same situation.
The average person – If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is
The rich person – It sounds interesting, please tell me a little more
While we should all be wary of scams, the rich person is more willing to seek out an opportunity to draw more money in than the person with little money, sometimes the saying “you have to spend money to make money” is true.
The average person – 95% of all new businesses fail within the first five years
The rich person – I better look into all aspects of the business and make sure I do my homework, if I want to run a successful business
Starting out with negativity in mind is not the best way to get your business up and running, providing you have looked into your new business project and got advice there is no reason to think negatively about the prospects and success.
The average person – the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
The rich person – there is a whole world of opportunities out there just waiting for me to discover them
The average person always allows themselves to think that they cannot do better and achieve what it is they want out of life, that only others can do that, by thinking negatively they are not giving themselves the opportunity to expand and are full of “what ifs” and “if only”
The average person - you have to have money in order to be able to make money
The rich person – you have to have a great idea in order to make money
While common sense dictates in some circumstances that to get your idea off the ground it can cost you money, a positive attitude towards the outlay of your money and the rewards it will bring you is the big difference between failure and success.
The average person – I tried that before and only failed, so it will again
The rich person – what do I have to do differently and change this time in order to for it to be a success
Again negativity comes into play; just because it didn’t turn out as planned the last time doesn’t mean that you should give up and not try again after sitting back and looking at the mistakes you made and altering for a different outcome.
All these thoughts have one thing in common a negative and a positive outlook on life and what you do with it, by simply changing your outlook you open up for yourself a whole new world and a whole lot more possibilities for you to change your financial situation.
16.Learning discipline for a healthier lifestyle – Straight to Success
We can all benefit from having discipline in our lives, discipline helps us tell wrong from right as children when growing up and when we reach adulthood we still benefit from being self-disciplined. Self-discipline helps us to lead a happier, healthier lifestyle when used in many aspects of life, it is when we allow ourselves to do just as we please, that things start going wrong and our health suffers.
Self-discipline isn’t about denying yourself, it is about making wise choices for our own benefit, the food we eat everyday and the amount of exercise we do is dependant on how disciplined we are we with ourselves. While we all understand that the choices we make comes down to how healthy we are, we don’t always make the wisest choices, and while this is ok every now and again if we lose all self-discipline it soon starts to show on our health and probably our waistline too.
Very often we make pacts with ourselves to start leading a healthier lifestyle and start making changes, this usually occurs at the start of the New Year as a resolution. While some stick to their guns and do make changes and keep up with those changes, the majority of us fall short and go back to our old ways. Being self-disciplined isn’t easy, it takes a lot of willpower, especially if you need to make many changes to your lifestyle, but it’s not impossible.
Here are some tips to help you stay on course and develop more self-discipline in all aspects of your life.
Understand that the choices you make in life are yours and yours alone, you can’t blame others for your failure if you lack self-discipline
If you make mistakes in life, learn by them, pick yourself up and practice being more self-disciplined with yourself in the future
Set yourself goals that are realistically achievable, once you have written out your goals make sure that you do everything in your power to stick to them and achieve them. Goals go a long way to encouraging you to discipline yourself.
Always finish any task you set about doing before moving on to start another
Avoid temptation from others around you to deviate from what it is you want to achieve, they may lack self-discipline but don’t be swayed to following their ways
Taking up a new sport, particularly one that requires a lot of self-discipline to excel at is an excellent way of improving yourself
Notice the benefits you have gained from practicing self-discipline, keeping a journal is an excellent way of achieving this
Imagine the consequences that being un-disciplined brings
Your willpower is at its lowest when you feel stressed so take it easy, learn how to relax
Take notice of when and why you start to go off track and deviate, again a journal can help you to keep track of these times
Use affirmations to help you in times when you are frustrated or doubt yourself
Self-discipline isn’t about denying yourself, it is about making wise choices for our own benefit, the food we eat everyday and the amount of exercise we do is dependant on how disciplined we are we with ourselves. While we all understand that the choices we make comes down to how healthy we are, we don’t always make the wisest choices, and while this is ok every now and again if we lose all self-discipline it soon starts to show on our health and probably our waistline too.
Very often we make pacts with ourselves to start leading a healthier lifestyle and start making changes, this usually occurs at the start of the New Year as a resolution. While some stick to their guns and do make changes and keep up with those changes, the majority of us fall short and go back to our old ways. Being self-disciplined isn’t easy, it takes a lot of willpower, especially if you need to make many changes to your lifestyle, but it’s not impossible.
Here are some tips to help you stay on course and develop more self-discipline in all aspects of your life.
Understand that the choices you make in life are yours and yours alone, you can’t blame others for your failure if you lack self-discipline
If you make mistakes in life, learn by them, pick yourself up and practice being more self-disciplined with yourself in the future
Set yourself goals that are realistically achievable, once you have written out your goals make sure that you do everything in your power to stick to them and achieve them. Goals go a long way to encouraging you to discipline yourself.
Always finish any task you set about doing before moving on to start another
Avoid temptation from others around you to deviate from what it is you want to achieve, they may lack self-discipline but don’t be swayed to following their ways
Taking up a new sport, particularly one that requires a lot of self-discipline to excel at is an excellent way of improving yourself
Notice the benefits you have gained from practicing self-discipline, keeping a journal is an excellent way of achieving this
Imagine the consequences that being un-disciplined brings
Your willpower is at its lowest when you feel stressed so take it easy, learn how to relax
Take notice of when and why you start to go off track and deviate, again a journal can help you to keep track of these times
Use affirmations to help you in times when you are frustrated or doubt yourself
15.Why you need to go out on a limb to be a success – Straight to Success
If you want to be successful in life, it is important that you push yourself every step of the way throughout life, never just sit back and rest on your laurels and be content with what you have achieved so far in life.
You should continually be looking for ways in which you can improve your life and yourself to achieve and get more from life, develop yourself to your full potential and beyond.
Think of yourself as tree, the tree starts out as a sapling growing upward and expanding outward, continually branching out in all directions, and laying strong foundation roots deep underground, trees never stop growing and neither should you.
Continually pushing yourself throughout life and going out on a limb is the key to being a total success in whatever you choose to do with your life.
Know what you have in life
The first step you should take is to determine what you already have in your life, for example what are your best qualities, what are your particular talents and how could you develop further? Sit down and write an honest assessment of yourself in order to be able to expand on personal improvement.
If you think that you might not be honest with yourself then ask family members or friends to give you some insight, but above all be totally honest with yourself in all areas, improvements can only be made if you can find ways in which to improve or branch out. Determine what it is you want to expand upon or develop in your life, the areas which could be better, where you could improve and what skills if any you need to learn in order to be able to accomplish your goals.
Take small steps
Once you have determined the areas in which improvements can be made the next step is to follow these through, however don’t go rushing off taking huge giant steps and hope to better yourself quickly, the key to success in by taking one small step towards your goal at a time.
Reassess your situation
From time to time along the way reassess your situation to make sure you are still going in the right direction, it is better to find you are wandering off track early than to go stumbling along and end up totally losing the direction and way you intended to go.
If you are expanding on several areas of your life at once and have several goals in motion then it is helpful if you keep a written journal of your goals and achievements, this way you can keep track and see just how far you have come forward.
Reward yourself for your achievements
Always make sure you reward yourself for your achievements along the way but never stop pushing yourself onward to further success, when you succeed at something and accomplish a goal then enjoy what you have accomplished and the pride you must feel.
Rest your weary bones for a short while and enjoy the feelings then get yourself back up on your feet and continue down the long pathway to success, never missing a turn in the road ahead which takes you deeper into success.
You should continually be looking for ways in which you can improve your life and yourself to achieve and get more from life, develop yourself to your full potential and beyond.
Think of yourself as tree, the tree starts out as a sapling growing upward and expanding outward, continually branching out in all directions, and laying strong foundation roots deep underground, trees never stop growing and neither should you.
Continually pushing yourself throughout life and going out on a limb is the key to being a total success in whatever you choose to do with your life.
Know what you have in life
The first step you should take is to determine what you already have in your life, for example what are your best qualities, what are your particular talents and how could you develop further? Sit down and write an honest assessment of yourself in order to be able to expand on personal improvement.
If you think that you might not be honest with yourself then ask family members or friends to give you some insight, but above all be totally honest with yourself in all areas, improvements can only be made if you can find ways in which to improve or branch out. Determine what it is you want to expand upon or develop in your life, the areas which could be better, where you could improve and what skills if any you need to learn in order to be able to accomplish your goals.
Take small steps
Once you have determined the areas in which improvements can be made the next step is to follow these through, however don’t go rushing off taking huge giant steps and hope to better yourself quickly, the key to success in by taking one small step towards your goal at a time.
Reassess your situation
From time to time along the way reassess your situation to make sure you are still going in the right direction, it is better to find you are wandering off track early than to go stumbling along and end up totally losing the direction and way you intended to go.
If you are expanding on several areas of your life at once and have several goals in motion then it is helpful if you keep a written journal of your goals and achievements, this way you can keep track and see just how far you have come forward.
Reward yourself for your achievements
Always make sure you reward yourself for your achievements along the way but never stop pushing yourself onward to further success, when you succeed at something and accomplish a goal then enjoy what you have accomplished and the pride you must feel.
Rest your weary bones for a short while and enjoy the feelings then get yourself back up on your feet and continue down the long pathway to success, never missing a turn in the road ahead which takes you deeper into success.
14.Improve yourself by going outside your comfort zone – Straight to Success
Your comfort zone is exactly what it sounds like, places or situations where you feel comfortable in, while there is nothing wrong with comfort zones in order to expand our potential and succeed in life we sometimes have to move out of our comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory. Only by pushing ourselves to do something new or which we are afraid of can we develop and improve ourselves.
The first step to take in venturing outside of your comfort zone is to decide what it is you wish to change about yourself or your life, the way you wish to go forward. Make a list of everything that you want to do or change what you’d like to accomplish, the places you would like to visit and what it is you want out of life.
When you have determined your goals and objectives you can then take the next step in making them reality. Here are just some of the ways in which you can step outside your comfort zone.
Your self-image
How long is it since you last changed your appearance, for example how long have you had the same hairstyle? You can begin stepping outside your comfort zone by making changes to your self-image, try a different hairstyle, maybe a different color, and change the color of your make-up, shave off your beard or grow one, choose a different style of clothing than you would normally wear or alter the color.
There are many ways which you could make small alterations to your self-image to give yourself a new look and a new look at life, stop and think if you are doing everything you possibly can to look and feel your best and give yourself a confidence boost by making positive changes to your self-image.
Do something different
Make it a weekly goal to do something completely different to what you would normally do; this can be anything just to get you out of the rut you have put yourself in and to widen your comfort zone at least one day a week. Start off with making smaller changes at first, go to a different restaurant for lunch, and order something from the menu which you have never tried; there are many ways you can make gradual small changes to your daily life.
Take up a new hobby
Take up a new hobby in life, join a weekly meeting group such as dieting, a book club or wine tasting, choose something which is out of character and which will get you meeting new people and going to new places. Doing something different every week and gaining a new interest is an excellent way of moving out of your comfort zone.
Meet your fears head on
Change is always frightening when we first step out into the unknown, but we can only improve upon ourselves and our lives by meeting and greeting our fears head on and passing through the fear, once we have met it head on we find it isn’t so frightening after all. So do something that scares you every week.
The first step to take in venturing outside of your comfort zone is to decide what it is you wish to change about yourself or your life, the way you wish to go forward. Make a list of everything that you want to do or change what you’d like to accomplish, the places you would like to visit and what it is you want out of life.
When you have determined your goals and objectives you can then take the next step in making them reality. Here are just some of the ways in which you can step outside your comfort zone.
Your self-image
How long is it since you last changed your appearance, for example how long have you had the same hairstyle? You can begin stepping outside your comfort zone by making changes to your self-image, try a different hairstyle, maybe a different color, and change the color of your make-up, shave off your beard or grow one, choose a different style of clothing than you would normally wear or alter the color.
There are many ways which you could make small alterations to your self-image to give yourself a new look and a new look at life, stop and think if you are doing everything you possibly can to look and feel your best and give yourself a confidence boost by making positive changes to your self-image.
Do something different
Make it a weekly goal to do something completely different to what you would normally do; this can be anything just to get you out of the rut you have put yourself in and to widen your comfort zone at least one day a week. Start off with making smaller changes at first, go to a different restaurant for lunch, and order something from the menu which you have never tried; there are many ways you can make gradual small changes to your daily life.
Take up a new hobby
Take up a new hobby in life, join a weekly meeting group such as dieting, a book club or wine tasting, choose something which is out of character and which will get you meeting new people and going to new places. Doing something different every week and gaining a new interest is an excellent way of moving out of your comfort zone.
Meet your fears head on
Change is always frightening when we first step out into the unknown, but we can only improve upon ourselves and our lives by meeting and greeting our fears head on and passing through the fear, once we have met it head on we find it isn’t so frightening after all. So do something that scares you every week.
13.Why you need to think like a success to be a success – Straight to Success
Being successful is all about being positive and if you think of success and being successful, this builds up self-confidence and positive thinking and this is the combination which is needed in order to get the most out of life and succeed in life.
Whatever it is that you wish to achieve out of life, be it in work or your personal life the key to actually succeeding is believing in yourself and your ability to accomplish whatever it is you want to do.
Thinking success leads to success, everything that happens around us is dependant on how we think and what we think, learning how to think positively is the key to learning how to think successfully and once you start to think successfully you have the power to change almost any aspect of your life.
Shaping your life
Every thought we have shapes our lives and determines to an extent the outcome of a situation, if we go into something thinking negatively then the outcome will be so different than had we gone into the same situation thinking more positively. The way we think and talk to ourselves determines how we go into a situation and simply by changing the way we think can change the outcome of that situation.
When we fail in a situation this is largely down to our self-limiting thoughts, negative thoughts that we have allowed to creep in and brings us to feel that we cannot possibly succeed. In order to change our circumstances or the outcome of a situation we have to change the way our brain thinks, which then changes our outlook and in turn alters the situation into a more positive one.
Success is not something which can only be gained by a very few individuals who hold a magical key that others don’t posses, the power to be a success is in us all we just have to realize this and learn how to alter our way of thinking to genuinely believe that we are able to achieve and be successful in whatever we do.
When we start to alter our way of thinking into a more positive approach to situations and tasks you will gradually begin to shape your life in the way you want it to go, one excellent way to begin changing our pattern of thought is to use daily affirmations.
These are simply statements which are tailored for any particular situation or task which are repeated throughout the day either out loud or quietly to yourself, they help to retrain your brain and your way of thinking into this new more positive approach to life.
Basically the only thing stopping you from being a success in whatever you do is yourself, or to be more precise your thoughts, negative thoughts lead to negativity and positive thoughts lead you right down the pathway to success and beyond. In short think like a success and there is no doubt that you will be a success in any aspect of your life.
Whatever it is that you wish to achieve out of life, be it in work or your personal life the key to actually succeeding is believing in yourself and your ability to accomplish whatever it is you want to do.
Thinking success leads to success, everything that happens around us is dependant on how we think and what we think, learning how to think positively is the key to learning how to think successfully and once you start to think successfully you have the power to change almost any aspect of your life.
Shaping your life
Every thought we have shapes our lives and determines to an extent the outcome of a situation, if we go into something thinking negatively then the outcome will be so different than had we gone into the same situation thinking more positively. The way we think and talk to ourselves determines how we go into a situation and simply by changing the way we think can change the outcome of that situation.
When we fail in a situation this is largely down to our self-limiting thoughts, negative thoughts that we have allowed to creep in and brings us to feel that we cannot possibly succeed. In order to change our circumstances or the outcome of a situation we have to change the way our brain thinks, which then changes our outlook and in turn alters the situation into a more positive one.
Success is not something which can only be gained by a very few individuals who hold a magical key that others don’t posses, the power to be a success is in us all we just have to realize this and learn how to alter our way of thinking to genuinely believe that we are able to achieve and be successful in whatever we do.
When we start to alter our way of thinking into a more positive approach to situations and tasks you will gradually begin to shape your life in the way you want it to go, one excellent way to begin changing our pattern of thought is to use daily affirmations.
These are simply statements which are tailored for any particular situation or task which are repeated throughout the day either out loud or quietly to yourself, they help to retrain your brain and your way of thinking into this new more positive approach to life.
Basically the only thing stopping you from being a success in whatever you do is yourself, or to be more precise your thoughts, negative thoughts lead to negativity and positive thoughts lead you right down the pathway to success and beyond. In short think like a success and there is no doubt that you will be a success in any aspect of your life.
12.Use a hobby to become successful – Straight to Success
Almost everyone has a hobby; a hobby is something which you take pleasure from doing and relieves boredom, stress and keeps you occupied in your spare time, however you can take some hobbies and develop them into successful businesses. Some people have started out with a hobby and built up a very successful business from the ground up by doing something that they, although some hobbies more than others naturally have more potential to thrive and expand. There are some points to consider when you are thinking of turning your hobby into a business.
Do you have the commitment?
While your hobby is something which you enjoy doing now in your spare time, would you have the commitment needed to stick with it if you were doing it full time, what’s more do you have the time needed to commit to make a business work? Doing something when you feel like it for fun is a totally different thing than if you are relying on it for an income.
Financing
You will have to determine how much it is going to take to finance your hobby as a business and get it off the ground, how will you finance it is an important point to consider along with your knowledge of running a business in general. Do you have a head for business or are you going to need any help and how much help will you need and what is it going to cost?
Business management courses
If you have a head for business then you may need to take a business management course, while you may have what it takes and the know how to manage a business successfully you may need to get qualifications or learn skills in order to run your business successfully.
Attracting customers
If you are going to successfully turn your hobby into a thriving business then it is essential of course that people know about you and what you are offering, therefore you have to think about widening your customer base. The Internet provides an excellent opportunity to widen your customer base internationally; the Internet delivers what you have to offer to millions of people around the world by advertising your business on your own website. Some knowledge of coding is needed and you may have to hire someone to work with you to design and plan your site and not only that you then have to get it out on the web by way of promoting it on search engines and buying advertising space.
Preparing yourself for success
If all goes according to plan and you have thought your plan through your new business will bloom and blossom into a success, when this happens you will have to be prepared for the transformations that will take place. If your business expands then it may become too large for a one man operation and then you will be faced with a whole new set of problems to contend with such as finding bigger premises, hiring extra staff and meeting greater demand.
Do you have the commitment?
While your hobby is something which you enjoy doing now in your spare time, would you have the commitment needed to stick with it if you were doing it full time, what’s more do you have the time needed to commit to make a business work? Doing something when you feel like it for fun is a totally different thing than if you are relying on it for an income.
Financing
You will have to determine how much it is going to take to finance your hobby as a business and get it off the ground, how will you finance it is an important point to consider along with your knowledge of running a business in general. Do you have a head for business or are you going to need any help and how much help will you need and what is it going to cost?
Business management courses
If you have a head for business then you may need to take a business management course, while you may have what it takes and the know how to manage a business successfully you may need to get qualifications or learn skills in order to run your business successfully.
Attracting customers
If you are going to successfully turn your hobby into a thriving business then it is essential of course that people know about you and what you are offering, therefore you have to think about widening your customer base. The Internet provides an excellent opportunity to widen your customer base internationally; the Internet delivers what you have to offer to millions of people around the world by advertising your business on your own website. Some knowledge of coding is needed and you may have to hire someone to work with you to design and plan your site and not only that you then have to get it out on the web by way of promoting it on search engines and buying advertising space.
Preparing yourself for success
If all goes according to plan and you have thought your plan through your new business will bloom and blossom into a success, when this happens you will have to be prepared for the transformations that will take place. If your business expands then it may become too large for a one man operation and then you will be faced with a whole new set of problems to contend with such as finding bigger premises, hiring extra staff and meeting greater demand.
11.Making the right decisions – Straight to Success
Some of us find it easy to make decisions while others tend to procrastinate a lot when it comes to making decisions - particularly if they are important ones that could alter the pathway of our life. When making decisions in life changing situations it can be hard for everyone, after all the choice you make will affect your life and the route you choose to go might not be easily reversible or impossible to change.
If we stop and look back on some of the biggest moments in our life that went wrong, we find that our biggest regrets come from faulty decision-making. Perhaps we went with our gut instinct when making a decision or we let ourselves be swayed by others, there are many reasons why we make the wrong decisions in life and almost everyone will have made the wrong decision at some time in their life. Here are some tips to help you with decision-making.
Remember when making a decision, no decision is right or wrong, decisions are merely making a choice among alternatives.
Always avoid making a snap decisions about something, if a decision is easily reversible then you can move fast on it while irreversible ones should be thought out.
Jot down notes when making a decision, write down all solutions and include all relevant information, by seeing it written down in black and white sometimes the answer is staring you in the face.
Write down all the pros and cons of the decision you make, it can help clarify your decision or help you to see any problems the decision might have.
Make one decision at a time, never allow decisions to build up and force yourself to make them all at once.
If others will be affected by your decision then get their input on the situation.
Make a decision and stick with it, you have to recognize that you cannot know with 100% certainty that it is the right one but once made stick with it.
Before following a decision through ask yourself what if anything could go wrong if you followed through with this choice.
Once you have committed yourself to your decision then go with it whole-heartedly, let go of all the “what ifs” and do not bother yourself anymore.
Visualize your decision in your head and follow it through in your mind, visualize all outcomes of the decision before actually following it through.
Put faith in your ability to make a successful decision and your ability to follow it through.
Review all the facts thoroughly before you make a decision, once you have reviewed them allow yourself to time to think about them before drawing a conclusion and determining your decision from the facts.
Always try to base your decisions on what is right or feels the right thing to do.
Remember to look at the objective of the decision, the alternatives to the decision and the risks of any alternatives to the decision.
If we stop and look back on some of the biggest moments in our life that went wrong, we find that our biggest regrets come from faulty decision-making. Perhaps we went with our gut instinct when making a decision or we let ourselves be swayed by others, there are many reasons why we make the wrong decisions in life and almost everyone will have made the wrong decision at some time in their life. Here are some tips to help you with decision-making.
Remember when making a decision, no decision is right or wrong, decisions are merely making a choice among alternatives.
Always avoid making a snap decisions about something, if a decision is easily reversible then you can move fast on it while irreversible ones should be thought out.
Jot down notes when making a decision, write down all solutions and include all relevant information, by seeing it written down in black and white sometimes the answer is staring you in the face.
Write down all the pros and cons of the decision you make, it can help clarify your decision or help you to see any problems the decision might have.
Make one decision at a time, never allow decisions to build up and force yourself to make them all at once.
If others will be affected by your decision then get their input on the situation.
Make a decision and stick with it, you have to recognize that you cannot know with 100% certainty that it is the right one but once made stick with it.
Before following a decision through ask yourself what if anything could go wrong if you followed through with this choice.
Once you have committed yourself to your decision then go with it whole-heartedly, let go of all the “what ifs” and do not bother yourself anymore.
Visualize your decision in your head and follow it through in your mind, visualize all outcomes of the decision before actually following it through.
Put faith in your ability to make a successful decision and your ability to follow it through.
Review all the facts thoroughly before you make a decision, once you have reviewed them allow yourself to time to think about them before drawing a conclusion and determining your decision from the facts.
Always try to base your decisions on what is right or feels the right thing to do.
Remember to look at the objective of the decision, the alternatives to the decision and the risks of any alternatives to the decision.
10.How to be successful in life – Straight to Success
We all want to be successful in life but what can we do to assure that success, succeeding in life isn’t as hard as you might think, there isn’t any secret to it but rather just common sense, positive thinking and attitude and initiative. Along with this knowledge and understanding here are some tips to guide you down the path of success.
Persevere – perseverance and determination are what is needed for success, if you don’t give up at something you attempt then you can’t fail, it’s as simple as that. If something doesn’t work out as planned the first time then try and try again using different methods to achieve the result that you are looking for.
Change – if you are not happy with what you have now, or who you are in life then the only one that can make a difference to your situation or life is you. A change could mean changing your outlook on life, your outlook on yourself, your priorities or your activities, you have no one else to blame but yourself and only you have the power to change.
What goes around comes around – you only get back in life what you are willing to put into it, if you are helpful, honest, truthful and positive then you will get the same back in return which can help you on your path to success particularly in the workplace.
You cannot succeed alone – all successful people rely in part on others for their success, every person has different skills, talents and abilities which when combined leads to an individual’s success.
Center yourself – we all need to take time out during the day to center ourselves, by re-focusing ourselves and what we wish to achieve we are able to accomplish more and be more effective in our tasks.
Set yourself targets or goals – setting out targets or goals for yourself can help you to succeed in anything you choose, these can be daily, short term or long term targets with short term being a month or so and long term no longer than 6 months. Always set realistic targets and give yourself a date by which to reach your target, review your targets on a regular basis to make sure they are always attainable.
Don’t strive for perfection – never try to be perfect, no one is perfect, set a standard and goal and do the task or job to the very best of your ability and be happy with that, as long as you gave it your best shot that’s all you or anyone else can ask for.
Believe in yourself – develop strategies which make you more aware of yourself and what you are capable of achieving, if you believe in yourself and what you are capable of achieving then you are more likely to be successful in whatever you do.
Focus on what you want – focus on the positive and what it is you want to achieve instead of the negative or what it is that you don’t want to
achieve, always look ahead instead of back and focus only on the desired end result.
Persevere – perseverance and determination are what is needed for success, if you don’t give up at something you attempt then you can’t fail, it’s as simple as that. If something doesn’t work out as planned the first time then try and try again using different methods to achieve the result that you are looking for.
Change – if you are not happy with what you have now, or who you are in life then the only one that can make a difference to your situation or life is you. A change could mean changing your outlook on life, your outlook on yourself, your priorities or your activities, you have no one else to blame but yourself and only you have the power to change.
What goes around comes around – you only get back in life what you are willing to put into it, if you are helpful, honest, truthful and positive then you will get the same back in return which can help you on your path to success particularly in the workplace.
You cannot succeed alone – all successful people rely in part on others for their success, every person has different skills, talents and abilities which when combined leads to an individual’s success.
Center yourself – we all need to take time out during the day to center ourselves, by re-focusing ourselves and what we wish to achieve we are able to accomplish more and be more effective in our tasks.
Set yourself targets or goals – setting out targets or goals for yourself can help you to succeed in anything you choose, these can be daily, short term or long term targets with short term being a month or so and long term no longer than 6 months. Always set realistic targets and give yourself a date by which to reach your target, review your targets on a regular basis to make sure they are always attainable.
Don’t strive for perfection – never try to be perfect, no one is perfect, set a standard and goal and do the task or job to the very best of your ability and be happy with that, as long as you gave it your best shot that’s all you or anyone else can ask for.
Believe in yourself – develop strategies which make you more aware of yourself and what you are capable of achieving, if you believe in yourself and what you are capable of achieving then you are more likely to be successful in whatever you do.
Focus on what you want – focus on the positive and what it is you want to achieve instead of the negative or what it is that you don’t want to
achieve, always look ahead instead of back and focus only on the desired end result.
9.Avoiding Temptations to Live a Better Life – Straight to Success
Although life to some extent has gotten better with advancements in technology over the past few years in a way we have taken steps backward also, we now have the internet available to us 24/7 which gives us access to a wide range of entertainment that we didn’t have years ago.
TV sets have got bigger and we can gain access to R rated movies with the click of a button, video games have took off in a huge way and children are now running around in their virtual world brandishing guns, knives, bombs and going on killing sprees in extremely gory detail.
Everyday the newspapers splash headlines of murders, robbery and rapes but is there any wonder when we are constantly being bombarded and tempted with movies, games and some of the things the World Wide Web has to offer.
Sure we can choose not to watch the movies, not to play the games or to delve into the seedier parts of the World Wide Web, but the temptation is there and not everyone can resist, we all know that temptation is just that, if we think we shouldn’t do something then we cannot resist doing it or taking a peek, if nothing else but out of curiosity.
But does it hurt us, can what we see or do really influence us in our actions in life, some of course argue that yes it does, being continually bombarded with violence and sex can change how we think and feel so the possibility of it gradually beginning to affect our thoughts, feelings and actions is extremely likely.
If violence is portrayed as being fun in video games then aren’t children getting the wrong idea? When younger people, particularly girls, see size 0 women parading on the catwalk are they going to eat that healthy balanced meal that you put in front of them or are they going to nibble on a lettuce leaf to shed yet more weight?
The Internet allows us to parade our lives for all the world to see by way of blogs and chat rooms, would we leave our front door wide open and encourage strangers to walk in off the street?
Only a fool would do that yet we allow not only our children unrestricted access to the net but we also do it ourselves. We write blogs, fill in profiles, post photos of ourselves and where we live, we even put our phone number down on the profile sometimes, while there are many good uses of the Internet such as bringing families and loved ones closer together, it can also be used by the spider cunningly faking, just sitting and waiting to draw some unsuspecting person deeper into their web of lies and deceit and then when all seems well, will strike with sometimes deadly force.
Advancements in technology aren’t bad, its how these advancements are used that is the problem and the type of person we can become from using them constantly, we have to avoid temptation if we are to live a better life in the future.
TV sets have got bigger and we can gain access to R rated movies with the click of a button, video games have took off in a huge way and children are now running around in their virtual world brandishing guns, knives, bombs and going on killing sprees in extremely gory detail.
Everyday the newspapers splash headlines of murders, robbery and rapes but is there any wonder when we are constantly being bombarded and tempted with movies, games and some of the things the World Wide Web has to offer.
Sure we can choose not to watch the movies, not to play the games or to delve into the seedier parts of the World Wide Web, but the temptation is there and not everyone can resist, we all know that temptation is just that, if we think we shouldn’t do something then we cannot resist doing it or taking a peek, if nothing else but out of curiosity.
But does it hurt us, can what we see or do really influence us in our actions in life, some of course argue that yes it does, being continually bombarded with violence and sex can change how we think and feel so the possibility of it gradually beginning to affect our thoughts, feelings and actions is extremely likely.
If violence is portrayed as being fun in video games then aren’t children getting the wrong idea? When younger people, particularly girls, see size 0 women parading on the catwalk are they going to eat that healthy balanced meal that you put in front of them or are they going to nibble on a lettuce leaf to shed yet more weight?
The Internet allows us to parade our lives for all the world to see by way of blogs and chat rooms, would we leave our front door wide open and encourage strangers to walk in off the street?
Only a fool would do that yet we allow not only our children unrestricted access to the net but we also do it ourselves. We write blogs, fill in profiles, post photos of ourselves and where we live, we even put our phone number down on the profile sometimes, while there are many good uses of the Internet such as bringing families and loved ones closer together, it can also be used by the spider cunningly faking, just sitting and waiting to draw some unsuspecting person deeper into their web of lies and deceit and then when all seems well, will strike with sometimes deadly force.
Advancements in technology aren’t bad, its how these advancements are used that is the problem and the type of person we can become from using them constantly, we have to avoid temptation if we are to live a better life in the future.
8.Learn How to Say No – Straight to Success
Generally speaking, people can’t say no to someone asking them for something because they are so worried about upsetting the person or lack the courage to turn down the request.
People often dislike disagreeing, or believe saying yes is easier than saying no. Others can simply not say no. However, there are often instances where it is best to say no to a request and it is important to learn how to utter that small little word, “no.”
Adopt simple strategies to say no, politely but firmly. You don’t need to cook stories up in order to refuse. You don’t need to offer lame excuses. You can say no without being dishonest.
Look at some of the umpteen ways you can say no:
No
I can’t accept this, with my present commitments. I’m sorry.
I’m rather quite busy now. I must decline.
I don’t think I have the time for it, as I am in the middle of something important.
After looking at my calendar, I found that I already have prior commitments.
No. I would only be able to do a mediocre job right now.
No. I don’t have any spare time right now.
Not this time, please give me more notice next time and I’ll work it into my schedule.
I can’t.
Why don’t you try someone else? I’m not the right person for this..
There are a hundred other ways of saying no without feeling uneasy or hurting others by being blunt or even rude. If you aren’t sure, you can always ask for time to make the decision without feeling guilty. You may say you will have to think about it. If somebody persists with the request when you want to say no, you may have to be assertive and firmly decline. You don’t need to risk over committing by saying yes when you actually want to say no.
In extreme cases, people unable to say no to their bosses, who demand much more work than they can reasonably manage to do within a specified time, end up either not doing the job at all or doing it poorly. In either case, they are unnecessarily putting their jobs on the line. If you can show your boss, the reasons for not being able to accept the extra responsibility, you may be able to convince your superior about your inability to accept the additional work.
You can perhaps make a list of all the projects that have already filled your plate. Perhaps you can suggest alternative strategies or others whose workload is lower or competence levels higher for accomplishing that particular piece of work. In any case, don’t accept anything that puts your job at risk or makes you suffer later.
Undoubtedly, learning to say no is a must have skill for everyone. Saying no at the right time can help you to gain respect with your peers and help avoid bitterness from those to have to hear it.
People often dislike disagreeing, or believe saying yes is easier than saying no. Others can simply not say no. However, there are often instances where it is best to say no to a request and it is important to learn how to utter that small little word, “no.”
Adopt simple strategies to say no, politely but firmly. You don’t need to cook stories up in order to refuse. You don’t need to offer lame excuses. You can say no without being dishonest.
Look at some of the umpteen ways you can say no:
No
I can’t accept this, with my present commitments. I’m sorry.
I’m rather quite busy now. I must decline.
I don’t think I have the time for it, as I am in the middle of something important.
After looking at my calendar, I found that I already have prior commitments.
No. I would only be able to do a mediocre job right now.
No. I don’t have any spare time right now.
Not this time, please give me more notice next time and I’ll work it into my schedule.
I can’t.
Why don’t you try someone else? I’m not the right person for this..
There are a hundred other ways of saying no without feeling uneasy or hurting others by being blunt or even rude. If you aren’t sure, you can always ask for time to make the decision without feeling guilty. You may say you will have to think about it. If somebody persists with the request when you want to say no, you may have to be assertive and firmly decline. You don’t need to risk over committing by saying yes when you actually want to say no.
In extreme cases, people unable to say no to their bosses, who demand much more work than they can reasonably manage to do within a specified time, end up either not doing the job at all or doing it poorly. In either case, they are unnecessarily putting their jobs on the line. If you can show your boss, the reasons for not being able to accept the extra responsibility, you may be able to convince your superior about your inability to accept the additional work.
You can perhaps make a list of all the projects that have already filled your plate. Perhaps you can suggest alternative strategies or others whose workload is lower or competence levels higher for accomplishing that particular piece of work. In any case, don’t accept anything that puts your job at risk or makes you suffer later.
Undoubtedly, learning to say no is a must have skill for everyone. Saying no at the right time can help you to gain respect with your peers and help avoid bitterness from those to have to hear it.
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