However, happiness at work is less about what you have and more about what you do. Tthere are six simple, everyday actions that create a good mood and make us happy at work. To be happy at work we must:

1. Be positive
2. Learn
3. Be open
4. Participate
5. Find meaning
6. Love

It’s 10% about the job and 90% about you. Learn more by downloading this e-book(pdf)

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Think about the most powerful speech you’ve ever heard a leader give. What made that speech–and that speaker–memorable was likely a mix of authenticity, stage presence, masterful delivery, and–above all–an inspirational message.

Nobody ever walked out of a great speech saying, “I loved the way she used PowerPoint.” Yet, all too often, speakers rely on tools like it to carry them through a presentation.

Real leaders speak to make a difference, to promote a vision, to change the way people think and feel and act. Their ability to lead goes hand in hand with their ability to get their message across, no matter what size audience they’re addressing. Drawing on his years of experience in coaching executives, Christopher Witt shows not just how to make a speech but why and when you should make one. His practical advice on how to take your game to the next level includes:

• You are the message. Who you are–your character, experience, values–shapes the message your listeners hear.
• Content is king. Delivery is important, but it is only the helpful–or unhelpful–servant of your message. So build each speech around one, and only one, “Big Idea.”
• A confused mind always says no. When you want your listeners to say yes, you’ve got to make them understand what you want them to do and why they should care.
• Dare to do the unexpected. Leaders know the rules, and they know when, why, and how to break them.

In chapters that can be read in five minutes or less and in a book that can be gone through in one sitting, Witt shows you how to become more confident, more commanding, more compelling speakers. But this isn’t just a book about speaking. It’s about leadership and about how people–CEOs and PTA presidents, small business owners and sales reps, middle managers and techno geeks–can present themselves and their ideas with greater impact.

Happy  Reading…

There are two powers of personality you can develop that will increase your charisma and your ability to influence others.
 
DECIDE EXACTLY WHAT
The first of these powers is the power of purpose. Men and women with charisma and personal magnetism almost invariably have a clear vision of who they are, of where they’re going and of what they’re trying to achieve. Leaders in sales and management have a vision of what they’re trying to create and why they’re doing what they’re doing. They’re focused on accomplishing some great purpose. They’re decisive about every aspect of their lives. They know exactly what they want and what they have to do to get it. They plan their work and work their plan.

SET CLEAR GOALS FOR YOURSELF 

You can increase your charisma and the magnetism of your personality by setting clear goals for yourself, making plans to achieve them, and working on your plans with discipline and determination every day. The whole world seems to move aside for the person who knows exactly where he is going. In fact, the clearer you are about your purposes and goals, the more likely people will be to attribute other positive qualities to you. They will see you, or perceive you, as being a better and more admirable human being. And when you have clear goals, you begin attracting to yourself the people and opportunities necessary to make those goals a reality.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF 
The second personality power is self-confidence. Men and women with charisma have an intense belief in themselves and in what they are doing. They are usually calm, cool and composed about themselves and their work. Your level of self-confidence is often demonstrated in your courage, your willingness to do whatever is necessary to achieve a purpose that you believe in.
 
THE SECRET OF ATTRACTION 

People are naturally attracted to those who exude a sense of self-confidence, those who have an unshakable belief in their ability to rise above circumstances to attain their goals.

ASSUME THE RESULT IN ADVANCE 

One of the ways you demonstrate self-confidence is by assuming that people naturally like you and accept you and want to do business with you. For example, one of the most powerful ways to close a sale is simply to assume that the prospect has decided to purchase the product or service, and then go on to wrap up the details. One of the best ways to achieve success in your relationships is to assume that people naturally enjoy your company and want to be around you, and then proceed on that basis. The very act of behaving in a self-confident manner will generate personal charisma in the eyes of others.

ACTION EXERCISES 

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
 
First, think on paper. Write out your goals and plans in detail and then review them regularly. Discuss them with others. Upgrade your goals and plans and revise them when you get new information. Be clear about them.
 
Second, express your level of self-confidence to others all the time, even if you have doubts inside. Always walk, talk, act and move like a winner, like a person who is absolutely confident of success and ultimate victory.

Seem confusing? Paradoxical? Actually goals are a paradox in that they are nothing more than an illusion. A transparent veneer behind which true reality hides.

What do I mean?

We have been conditioned to believe that we must control the physical plane. The more money, toys, and possessions you have…the more valuable you are as a person. This is totally false and yet…somewhat true. (now you’re TOTALLY confused aren’t you?)

Stick with me and, I think I can pull this together.

What you have and what you possess have nothing to do with who you are – not really. And yet, your accomplishments are a valuable measuring device as to your level of consciousness.

It takes a bigger person to beat the odds like Donald Trump. Going millions of dollars in debt and still rebounding. It takes a bigger person to go bankrupt several times and still build a Disneyland. To build a Microsoft and then, not rest on your laurels, but step down to more actively pursue your creative passion like Gates. It takes a bigger person to proclaim, “I am the greatest” while the world scoffs at you; and all physical appearances say otherwise. Yet Muhammed Ali eventually became his proclaim. A bigger visionary to carry a $10,000,000 dollar check in your wallet and visualize receiving it while living in your broken down van. Jim Carrey’s visualization became his realization.

Are these people perfect? I cannot be the judge of that, but what I do know is that their physical accomplishments are indicative of their goals, and the level of power and consciousness in the area that they pursue.

Goals are a paradox in that they ultimately are unnecessary and yet absolutely necessary. Actually, regardless of who you are or how you are applying yourself – you and I ultimately have ONE goal. GROWTH! And growth is what is hiding behind the veneer I mentioned earlier. Your goal is only a means to an end – the ultimate end – your full self-actualization and growth!

In the grand scheme of things do you think it really matters how much money you make? What kind of car you drive? The title you have? The neighborhood you live in? Not really. It only matters to the degree that you apply yourself to something that creates passion in your heart, mind and spirit; and of course, that it necessitates your growth.

Consequently, as you choose your goals – measure them against the following criteria:

Does this goal create passion in my heart and soul? Do I have a burning desire to achieve this goal?

Does this goal (and its due date) scare me and excite me at the same time (is it “teetering edge”)?

Will this goal cause me to stretch and grow? Do I need to become a bigger person to accomplish it?

Will achieving this goal bless and provide value to others? If I achieve this will I be able to give more?
Will I need help from my Higher Source to accomplish this goal?

If you answer yes to these 5 qualities – put it in high gear and get moving! If you cannot answer yes to ANY ONE of them – reevaluate your goal.

Remember a few key principles about goals:

You are worthy of any goal you choose – you must answer the question, “Is your goal worthy of you?” Are you willing to trade your life (time, energy, commitment) for it to be accomplished?

Growth is the only goal, so learn to enjoy the journey. Once you achieve your goal it will automatically be time for a new one – the process of getting there is where the wealth, excitement and experience lie.

God wants your goals to be humanly impossible…that way he has to be part of their achievement. Make sure your goal is a BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal) that you aren’t quiet sure HOW you are going to achieve. In this way you will build your creativity and faith.

Continued success,
Your coach,
James
====================================================
James Ray, Master of The Entrepreneurial Mindset, is the author of The Science of Success and Success Certain Coaching.

I am just another guy;
Trying to get by…
Through one of the million by lanes,
On this highway called life
I look around and see so many,
Rushing and running wild…
What for I wonder;
Where are all of us headed?
And sure I ask the big ‘why’
All of us seek but none of us find…
I guess that’s the grind
Then I look at my watch;
And realize its time…
To get back on the run
Why did I stop again?
How does it matter?
Oh well, I am just another guy
Just trying to get by….

As emailed by Samson Sheel Kumar – from TLF [The Learning Foundry]- Chief Learning officer
(if you want to express your views, thoughts, etc… Please have that mailed to neil@itouchedathought.com)

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I am not a photography enthusiast and I don’t know much about the art. But I do know when a photograph tugs at my heart. Of all the millions of images we see ever since we open our eyes in the morning, some just stand out. One such image is the one you are looking at right now. I picked this up from an article featured in Times Life titled ‘We are all nomads in a way.’ In one instant this picture of an elderly woman standing amidst the leftovers scattered from the house she lived in connected me to my mortality. Someday I’ll have to vacate this earth, I thought.

A familiar thought. But the thought that followed was ‘I was here’. Where did that come from?
My wife and I had recently shifted from our first house and in the last hour of moving out, we found ourselves standing in the middle of the empty house and recalling all the moments we had here. We felt sadness that we were going but at the same time we also felt joy that we had been here. I found myself thinking that someone else would be here soon and our times here would be lost forever. I think something similar happens as we approach the end of our lives as well.

We look back at a full life and think of all the experiences we had here and soon it will be time to vacate. All our joys, sorrows, hopes and despairs we will leave behind and the memories of which will be lost forever in time. I don’t think we can comprehend ‘not-existing’ because we have always existed. But we have desire to leave a little residue, a few snapshots of our existence. Now I know why etching names on everything from classroom benches, trees to monuments is so enduring. Its our deep desire to say ‘I was here too’…

This article was emailed by Samson Sheel Kumar – from TLF[The Learning Foundry]- Chief Learning officer
(if you want to express your views, thoughts, etc… Please have that mailed to neil@itouchedathought.com)

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 Am very impressed, April 7, 2011

The very first time I listened to it I felt a little different. Actually, that is how I chose which MP3 to download. I listened to several samples and this was the only MP3 that made me feel “different”, and so I purchased it.

I have listened to it every night for several nights, and most mornings, and I haven’t felt any bouts of depression yet. I don’t want to give away his NLP secrets (if they ARE secrets) but after listening to it about 5 times I started to figure out what he’s doing (at least one of the “tricks”, anyway) and it’s pretty darn clever

I’m going to buy more of his MP3s. ( you can download by clicking here, for free)

The sages asked, “Would you be offended if, when walking into a room, you noticed that nobody has a face exactly as yours? Then why would you be offended because others don’t have a belief system exactly as yours?”

Interesting point, isn’t it? So often, we’re upset because somebody didn’t do something, act a certain way or handle a situation as we would have handled it. Have you ever said to yourself, “I can’t believe he/she did it like that – ‘anybody else’ would have done it like this!” (You probably haven’t ever done that but I know I have!) Actually, “anybody else” wouldn’t necessarily have done it like you or I, but we genuinely do think that.

Why? Because, as human beings, we operate from a belief system that, as Judy Piani, author of “TRAIT SECRETS – Working Together When You Don’t Think Alike” puts it, “Normal is what I am.”

Normal is what I am. That reminds me of a guy I had occasion to meet years ago, shortly after having moved to Florida. He made what I considered to be a rather odd, yet very definitive statement. It went as follows: “Everyone who moves to Florida moves down here either to fish or to boat. Anyone who says anything different is lying.”

Hmm, then I must have been lying. Those two activities are just something I’ve never found to be particularly special. Yet, his belief system was so strong in that area that, to him, anyone not having a similar belief, MUST be lying (to themselves, if not to him) . After all, as far as he’s concerned, “Normal is what I am.” And I must admit, I generally tend to think the same way of myself.

By the way, had he mentioned golfing, that would’ve been different (actually, I don’t golf either, but it would have been different).

The point is, there are times when our way of doing something will just not mesh with another person’s way of doing something. And it might be important to work that out. Keep in mind that before we can ever hope to persuade someone to our point of view, we need to recognize – and honor – the fact that person may, at least in some areas, think differently than we do. Their entire method of dealing with a situation or problem solving is the summation of factors such as upbringing, associations and character traits. We can determine their position (belief system) by asking questions and gathering information with the idea to – as Steven Covey advises in “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” “Seek first to understand; then to be understood.”

At that point, after we understand where they are coming from and, just as importantly, AFTER THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WE UNDERSTAND where they’re coming from, we are finally in a position to express our view in a way they’ll most likely be much more open to receiving. Then we can work out whatever we need within that interpersonal transaction so that we both come out as winners.

Bob Burg

====================================================

Bob Burg is the best-selling author of “Winning Without Intimidation”, “Endless Referrals” and “Winning Strategies”.

Steve Jobs - Biography - Download PDF copy

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jqSK8Qv4ZY

Happy Reading…

Sometimes success is found through the things that you don’t do. Here are some ideas for what we shouldn’t do.

Don’t say “I can’t.” There are two words that we don’t allow in the Widener household – I can’t. The fact is that most of what we say that we can’t do can actually be done, if only we put our mind to it. My mother taught me from an early age that if someone else had already done it, I could too. And if no one else had already done it, I could certainly be the first! Good advice!

Practical application: When you are up against a problem, and you are tempted to say “I can’t,” begin to think of all of those who have already done it. When you see how many already have, you’ll be encouraged. For instance, if you want to write a book but think, “I can’t get this published,” you should take a trip to the local Barnes and Noble. Walk through and ask yourself if your book wouldn’t be better than even just one of the books that is already been published and stocked. You will find yourself saying, “Surely I can!”

Don’t give up. If you are going to achieve anything in life, you are going to get knocked down along the way. Those who succeed are those who get back up and forge ahead. My oldest child is in gymnastics and the other day on the way to practice we were talking about determination. I am convinced that more often than not, success lies on the other side of the river hardship. Determination, and a “don’t give up” attitude will see us through the hard times and onto victory!

Practical application: The next time you feel like the wind has gone from your sails, and you feel like quitting, take awhile to rethink the situation. Remind yourself again why you started out in the first place. Remind yourself of you will feel when you get there. Then, reassert yourself and set a goal of another month (or whatever time frame is needed). In one of my ventures, early on I was weary and felt like giving up. Instead, I kept telling myself, just show up for one more week. Good news – it worked!

Don’t get discouraged. Discouragement is an attitude. Instead of going to the depths of the dumps, tell yourself you are going to do great. Choose to be courageous! One of the greatest powers we have been given as humans is the ability to choose our attitude. All people experience hard circumstances. Yet some say to themselves that they will learn from them and forge ahead a better person. These people, who do not allow themselves to get discouraged, are those who become successful.

Practical application: Find the most positive person you can and take them to lunch. Make sure they are someone who believes in you already. If nobody else, get your mother – she will always believe in you! When you get them out to lunch, tell them that you are discouraged and in need of some encouragement. If you have picked the right person, they will do the rest. Chances are, they will even do some follow-up calls with you. And by all means, pick up the tab for lunch.

Don’t be a lone ranger. Anybody who has achieved greatness has done it with the help of many others who bought into the vision and pushed the cart. The most famous and accomplished achievers in the world all had a cast of others who helped them along. You may not be able to name A.J. Foyt‘s pit crew, but they were there. Joe Montana had an awesome front line to protect him, but I can’t name one of them. If the greats need others, then so do we. The sooner we realize that we need others, the quicker we will achieve our dreams.

Practical application: Sit down and write down the answers to the following questions: What partners do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? Who are potential partners who would make me better? What workers do I already have? What ways are they already helping me? What ways could they help me? How many more workers will I need to achieve my dreams? How will I go about gaining them?

Don’t accept anything less than excellence. Good gets along, excellence succeeds. Have you ever heard anyone say of the greats “Yeah, they were pretty good.” No! They were excellent! We should never, under any circumstances, accept less than excellence. We should constantly be striving to better ourselves, our situations, our relationships, and the people around us, helping them to become excellent.

Practical application: First, evaluate. Is ______________ excellent? Second, determine what would qualify as excellent. It would be excellent when ____________ is true. Third, set a course, step-by-step, toward excellence.

Remember, when it comes to the above – Just don’t do it!

============================================================

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

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