10 Inspirational Tips to Give Yourself a Boost

Most of us can use a little push, from time to time, to help us shift our mood and lift our spirits when we’re bored, drained, and sluggish.

While your energy level might be low and you feel unmotivated, you don’t have to stay that way!

Here are some easy tips you can follow  to give yourself a boost to inspire, encourage and rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit:

1. Start a gratitude journal. Write down 5 things you are grateful for each day.  Showing appreciation for the things you already have keeps you from dwelling on lack and scarcity.
2. Try out a new hairdo – nothing perks you up like a new “do” to uplift your spirits
3. Listen to some up-tempo music – this is not the time for ballads and blues – you want inspiration, not something to put you down in the dumps.
4. Visit a walk-in salon and get a manicure, pedicure or facial to rejuvenate you.
5. Re-connect with a friend or neighbor to enjoy a cup of coffee or soothing up of tea.
6. Put on your dancing shoes – go dancing with someone who likes to dance. A salsa or Zumba class is a great activity to get you moving and at the same time have some fun.
7. Go to your local library – select a good inspirational book, sit quietly and read for an hour or borrow a comedic video to enjoy at home in your favorite chair with your feet up.
8. Take a walk around your neighborhood – Carry a camera with you as you walk around your neighborhood to capture memorable moments.  You might be pleasantly surprised at the things you miss while driving.
9. Write down your thoughts, ideas and musings in an attractive journal so you’ll have a record of all the great ideas you come up with.
10. Browse your bookshelf or magazine rack – There just might be a book or magazine there you’ve been meaning to read. Select one and immerse yourself in it for an hour.

Written by Gladys Anderson

What Comes First, Prioritization or Planning?

If you have a long list of to-dos and at times you feel like 24 hours is not enough, then setting priorities for your life is crucial if you want to get things done. Prioritization means to arrange (items to be attended to) in order of their relative importance. The more projects you are involved in and the more you do for your business and personal life, the more you need to prioritize your activities. Creating priorities is a bit different from planning your day.  What comes first, that wagon or the horse? In this case, what should you do first, plan, or prioritize?

You need to be clear on what is most important to you before you begin to plan your day. If you plan your day based on everything that needs to get done vs. planning your day according to importance, you may end up “doing” things but not accomplishing much. Here are three super simple things you can do prioritize your day before you plan:

1. What is most important for you today? Priorities can shift based on previous days, mood, etc. Before you begin your day, be clear on your intention and what you want to accomplish. If nothing else happens today, what must take place? Identify what you want to achieve and set your priority and intention for today based on that only. If you manage to accomplish others things, great! If not, you have accomplished what you set out to do, which is very powerful!
2. Limit your priorities. If everything that needs to get done seems to be of high importance to you, you must then use the ABCs of prioritization. After making your list, place an A next to things of super duper high importance that must get done today. Place a B next to things that should get done today but won’t stop you from moving forward if it doesn’t get done. Place a C next to the things that will only get done after everything else and won’t cause panic if they are not done.
3. Evaluate your progress. At the end of your day, look at what you accomplished and evaluate your efforts. If there is area for improvement, then note what went wrong and try again tomorrow. By taking a closer look at the way you handle your priorities will help you create a better success for each day that follows.

Prioritization is a learned skill and it gets better and better with time. Take time before beginning your day to get organized, prioritize, and then plan for your success! I’d love to hear how you organize your day and what has worked! Share your comments below!

How To Get Liked By People

Whether we’re talking about your personal life or your career, learning how to get liked by people will open a lot of opportunities for you.

Individuals who have that magnetic personality or irresistible charm can use it to their advantage, not only to be successful socially, but also to achieve any goal they put their minds into.

If you’ve ever wondered how to win more friends, or just be more attractive and appealing to other people, here are 4 simple steps that can help you.

Step 1: Smile.

This is the oldest trick in the book, but is also the most effective. It is also by far the simplest and the easiest.

When you smile, you send positive communication signals to other people. A smile says you are friendly, open and approachable, without even using words or complicated gestures. It is a welcoming symbol.

If you really want to learn how to get liked by people, then smile genuinely as you think about their positive qualities. You will not only make people feel happy, but you will also feel better yourself.

Step 2: Be Confident.

It would be almost impossible to get liked by others unless you like yourself first. Remember that you have many good qualities - remind yourself about them every day. Make it a point to make yourself feel great.

When you boost your self-esteem and you exude self-confidence, you also inspire other people and make them want to be around you. This should not be confused with arrogance or vanity though. Use your confidence to uplift or motivate others, not put them down.

Knowing how to get liked by people starts with yourself. If you like yourself, others will see and follow suit.

Step 3: Listen.

Be sensitive and attentive to know when to keep quiet and let others do the talking. Being able to listen to what other people are saying, no matter how trivial they may seem, shows that you are a person who respects.

It shows them that you are not self-centered and self-important. You care about what they have to say, and you give the time and effort to take these into account.

When you listen, you also make others feel good about themselves; hence, they would want to spend more time in your company.

Step 4: Learn To Laugh At Your Mistakes.

Don’t overthink your flaws or take everything seriously. Don’t worry about making mistakes; in fact, being too perfect can actually backfire. Just acknowledge your follies when you make them and learn from the experience. Laugh at yourself and make others laugh too.

The most important thing to remember if you really want to know how to get liked by people is to exert the effort to make others feel better about themselves.

To find out more go to  http://tiny.cc/mbs2cw

Speak to you later

Barb Naisby
Your Mind Master

Two Ways To Empty Your “To-Do” Plate

Research shows that a person at any given time has more than 300 hours of things to do. Books you want to read, projects you want to start or finish, favors to others, etc. As the list of things to-do grows, so does the feeling of being behind.  Even if you are currently working on things that are important, the amount of unfinished business far outweighs what you accomplish. To prevent this unbalance, there needs to be a shift!

You need to work on the right things at the right time. Only accept projects into your plate that are appropriate for the moment. I once had on my to-read plate,  a triathlon binder full of information about becoming a better triathlete. The problem? I wasn’t planning on doing a tri for another year. It was not right for me at that time. With this criteria in mind, select the things on your plate that are not the right things for right now and push it off your plate. This way, the amount of things to do will decrease as well as the feeling of always trying to catch up.

The proactive NO. Saying NO can become a challenge when you need to give an answer on the spot. When you are cornered, saying yes it’s just easier than saying no. To make sure you have an exit strategy, be proactive with your NO. Know in advanced the things you don’t want to do. For example, I don’t want to be part of the Happy Hour Queens in my town because they meet on Mondays and I don’t enjoy staying late during the week. When they ask me to join, my response is “I’m sorry, I don’t go out during the week”. If I didn’t know this in advanced, I probably would say yes, and then regret it.

Creating these two strategies to limit the amount of things you give yourself to accomplish can be the start of a brand new day for you. Remember, you are solely responsible for what you take on, so don’t take more than you have to.

Written by Araceli Gonzalez

Who Do You Talk To?

Who do you talk to?

confidants, a photo by mattry117 on Flickr.

Who do you talk to when you want unvarnished, unpackaged, unedited feedback?  Where do you go when you want to think out loud about a solution to a problem, or your latest secret project?  Do you have a mentor?  Do you have a confidant - other than Fido the dog or Boots the cat?

Choosing not to go it alone
News flash - sometimes, perhaps most of the times, you won't know the absolute best answer.  No matter how smart you are, how experienced, or how well educated, some things are outside the boundaries of black and white, yes or no, good or bad.  You might not have enough information, or you might not have had the opportunity to be in this spot before - so you don't know without a doubt your best course of action.

Some people keep it in and try to figure it out on their own because they think they should.  Sometimes they don't want to talk about it because they think it will make them look bad not to be in complete mastery of their current situation.  And sometimes they don't know who to talk to about their concerns - they think they need an expert and don't know where to find one.

Reciprocal vs. non-reciprocal relationships
When you talk to a friend, you talk about your stuff and they talk about theirs.  Depending upon your temperament and that of your friend or significant other, one of you probably has the floor more than the other. You can't spew on about your issues without taking time to listen to theirs too - the back and forth of the interaction is what creates and reinforces the peer-to-peer relationship.

Sometimes your significant others can't help you with what's bothering you other than to empathize with your feelings about the matter.  They might not have the information or experience that you need to draw upon.  And sometimes your issue is such that it creates tension between you and them. You might be so engrossed in your work or your problem and airing it so often that they don't want to hear it any more.

A coach can be a help to you if you are looking for a sounding board and mentor.  You don't have to reciprocate by listening to the coach's issues.  It's all about you.  A coach isn't emotionally involved in the issues at hand, so they can provide feedback, recommendations - or even just listen - and you don't have to worry about whether your relationship will be damaged if you make a particular choice or decision.

Talking vs. doing
Whether you talk to a friend, a spouse, a parent, or a coach - there can be a chasm between word and deed.  If you are full of good intentions but slow to act upon them, who will check up on you or hold you accountable to follow through on whatever you say you want?  The ultimate purpose of communication is to affect someone's behavior.  Sure, it can be helpful to air grievances or brag for a minute.  But the proof of intention is in the follow-through to action, and the results that come after that.  If you're not going to do anything differently as a result, does it really matter who you talk to?  Maybe Fido or Boots will serve your purpose just fine.

Written by Julie Poland

Here's How To Jump Start Your Monday!

Today’s Productivity Tip: How to Get Started When You’re Feeling Stuck

Today’s tip: Do the Next Thing

Starting a busy week can leave you almost paralyzed and not knowing where to begin. There’s only one surefire way to get yourself moving forward and conquer that mountain of tasks:

Try This:

Whenever those overwhelming feelings take hold, here’s your answer: Just do the next thing. Yes it sounds incredibly simple, but when your mind is cluttered with a multitude of tasks and concerns you need a narrow focus of energy.

Here’s how:

1) Close your eyes and visualize the most important task in front of you

2) Write this task down in your daily planner or a notebook

3) List the first physical step you must take to get started, make it an achievable activity

Some examples:

• Clean off the top of your desk
• Sort your inbox
• Review yesterday’s notes
• Return an email or phone call

 4) Do it!

5) Do the next thing — carry the momentum into the next logical step

Here’s Why:

Crossing that first item off your list gives you a tremendous sense of achievement. It’s a real motivational push that sets in motion the process of getting stuff done. Remember: You can’t get anything accomplished until you accomplish that first task. Get it done. Then, move on and conquer things one-by-one. You’ll be amazed how quickly your stress level will dissipate. Go have a productive week by narrowing your focus to one task at a time!

Written by Jeff Doubek at Daytimer.com

6 Ways to Make People Like You

Dale Carnegie was perhaps most famous for the courses he developed in salesmanship though he also offered courses in self-improvement, interpersonal skills and public speaking. I remember one of my colleagues taking a Dale Carnegie sales course and I think they are probably still running today.

Years ago, I saw a copy of Dale Carnegie's best-selling book How to Win Friends and Influence People being offered at a bargain price in the local bookstore. Given the significance of  this book to my chosen field (personal development), I thought I could not pass on the offer.

In the book, he talks about how he came to discover the essential secret that pervades his work and I'll tell you what it is in a moment. However, the situation was that he was attending an important meeting as a salesman and, overwhelmed at the prospect of addressing the large group, found himself unable to speak.

He wrote a short message on a piece of paper. It said, "gentlemen, I have lost my voice, I am speechless." The president of the organisation stood up and announced that he would do the talking on his behalf. Carnegie says that he then presented his products and praised their good points. All he (Carnegie) did was sit there, smile, nod and make a few encouraging gestures.

Amazingly, he got the business. But the experience made him understand the importance of letting the other person do the talking. And - yes - that's the secret, and, taken from his famous book, here are six ways you can apply it:

6 Ways to Make People Like You

1: Become genuinely interested in other people.
2: Smile.
3: Remember and use the other person's name.
4: Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5: Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
6: Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

As you can see, the thing that underpins all of these points is to move the focus away from yourself and onto the other person. Of course, you don't remain silent, but when you do talk, you talk in terms of the other person and their interests. You will be amazed at how this simple shift of focus can produce the most remarkable results in terms of making friends. You don't have talk about the other person's interests in every conversation of course.

Remember the title of his book was How to Win Friends and Influence People. So remember these powerful little tips for when you want to do that.

Article written by Will Edwards

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