How to Find Time to Do Things You Want despite Your Busy Schedule

One common complaint in today’s world is that we are just too busy to find time for the things that we really like to do. We are too consumed by our work hours and then by our responsibilities towards family and society that we get very little time for personal enrichment of any kind. We don’t find time to pursue a hobby, for example, or to go on a holiday or maybe to just go for a walk.

 

However, if we managed things in a better way, we could be able to find time for the things that we like to do. It is all about proper management.

 

Set Priorities

 

What are the most important things for you? Yes, you need to be good at your job and your wife and children need you, but don’t you have a responsibility towards yourself as well? We are not asking you to become selfish, but when you are spending the better part of your day at work and a significant amount of time each day performing your various other obligations, shouldn’t you spare an hour or two at least once every two days for your personal gratification? Remember that improving self is extremely vital.

 

What Is It You Would Like to Do?

 

Decide what you want to do with the time you get for yourself. Are you going to enrich it in some way? You may be planning to do something creative or just thinking of entertaining your mind so that you become more productive. When you know what you are going to do with your time, that in itself becomes an incentive. For instance, if you think that you will watch a movie when you are free, the movie itself becomes the incentive. You work faster so that you make sure to free up some time to watch it.

 

Make a Commitment

 

Just as you commit to perform all your other jobs, make a commitment to yourself as well. Commit that you will spend 1 hour each day on enriching yourself. This time could be when you return home from your office and want to just relax, or an hour before going to be or an hour in the early morning. But, promise to yourself that you will spend an hour on self-improvement and stick to that religiously.

 

Ask Others

 

Ask people you trust what changes they want to see in you. Ask them what they think you are good at. These are people you trust, people who don’t have any ulterior motives when they are talking with you. They will tell you the truth about what they want you to do. They will tell you to improve on your talents, to spend time for yourself and do what you are best at. When you find people telling you such things, you start making a conscious effort to spend time on yourself.

 

How to Impress People at the First Meeting—5 Tips

Creating a good first impression is considered to be a very difficult thing, something that only a few people are good at. Maybe you find it difficult too. After all, is there a way to enamor someone in the brief period of the first meeting? Well, the truth is that it is, otherwise there wouldn’t be the concept of favorable first impressions at all! Read on to find out what you can do.

 

Be Confident about Yourself

 

The first thing is that you shouldn’t be jittery. Don’t be nervous when you are meeting someone for the first time. They are also people like you and probably they are also uneasy at having to meet you. When you think that way, you feel easier about your meeting with them.

 

Say Something Meaningful

 

Your first words will always be remembered. Hence, you need to say something that’s smart and relevant. It is all right if you speak slowly, but weigh your words and say the right thing. Your speech is the most important part of the favorable first impression.

 

Be a Better Listener than a Talker

 

People don’t like those who talk much, but at the same time they want someone to listen to them. Remember this basic human trait and play on it! When you are meeting someone, especially for the first time, listen more than you talk. If the other person is talking about themselves, listen to it with full attention. Punctuate the conversation with meaningful questions that shows your concern and interest. This is a sure way of getting into the good books of someone you meet for the first time.

 

Be Caring

 

Even within that brief first interlude, you can be caring. The way you hear other people out is a method of showing that you care. There are other means too, and they will present themselves along the way. Follow all rules of etiquette, especially if you are with a lady. Even in your talks, be compassionate and show that you care for people.

 

Smile

 

This is the cheapest ornament you can wear. Flaunt it! But, your smile should not be forced. It should be a breezy, natural smile that doesn’t put the other person off. Don’t smile too much too, and know when to smile and when not to… the rest will all work out quite fine.

 

So, implement these five suggestions and see how you can charm people the first time you meet them. Of course, this needs practice and an earnest desire to impress that person. Without either, you won’t be able to achieve what you want to. 

 

Why Regular Exercise Is Such an Important Aspect of Personal Development

If you are on a quest to try and improve yourself, then you certainly cannot ignore one of the chief aspects of personal development—exercise. You must have already heard the adage A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body. If you want to be really fit and become a successful person, your body has to be just as fit as your mind is. Undermining any of these aspects takes you away from developing your body fruitfully.

 

There are several benefits of regular exercise that are specific to personal development, as you shall see…

 

1.  When your body is fitter, you look more attractive. A lot of people still equate good personality with an attractive body. Hence, you are pandering to one of the basest definitions of personal development. And, who’s complaining actually? Who doesn’t want to have an attractive body anyway?

 

2.  A healthier body means that you have more energy to accomplish things. You are able to work faster and produce better results. You can go ahead of your competitors. This you won’t be able to do if you lack stamina and get breathless on your way to the top. A modicum of exercise is needed to keep you moving on.

 

3.  Another very important benefit of regular exercise is that it keeps diseases away if not completely avoids them. You don’t need to call in sick as much as a person who doesn’t exercise would. You are healthier not only in body but also in mind, and that’s the reason why you can think better. Your plans and suggestions have a better chance of being accepted because you have formulated them in good health, something that your exercise-shirking rivals have not done.

 

4.  Exercise helps free up your mind. If you haven’t exercised already, try it now. Exercise early in the mornings, which is the best time. Even if you just work out on the treadmill for 15 minutes in the morning, you will feel rejuvenated. You will feel as though you can just run out and grab what you want to achieve. Also, it gives you time to think, to plan out things, which is very important. While the blood is pumping in the body, it is pumping in the brain as well. It is filling up those little grey cells and ideas are generated.

 

These are just four of the many benefits that regular exercise has. Invest your time wisely in exercise—if you are looking for personal development, you cannot afford to downplay its importance in your life. 

 

Finding Inspiration and Motivation in Life

You already realize the fact that life is all about progress. Even if you are doing great right now, it won’t help if you keep doing the same thing 5 years hence. You have to keep improving upon yourself and constantly seek challenges and face them. This is the only thing that keeps you going on. However, to be able to do that, you need inspiration in your life. You also need motivation. An inspiration is something that sparks your life with excitement; motivation is something that gives you the energy to keep moving.

 

So, where do you go to find these two fundamental ingredients for your success?

 

One of the best places to begin is your neighborhood bookstore. Visit there and check out the books in the nonfiction section. You are likely to find a whole lot of books about people in your industry who have made it to the top. Most of these people will be already known to you. Pick out the person who interests and intrigues you the most and head back home. Then start reading their story. You will see that it was no easy task for them either. Regardless of what success they achieved in their later life, they began in a very ordinary way… maybe you are in the same situation right now as they began with.

 

Reading such stories can be highly motivating. You get a blow-by-blow account of how they made it to the top. You get something to move on with. Most importantly, you gain an optimistic view of life. With a little more analysis into their lives, these famous luminaries could be your inspirations, your role models.

 

Another very important thing you should do is to always keep a steadfast focus on what you want to achieve. Set your goals and write them down. Then, determine yourself to follow these goals, come what may. Promise yourself that you will not let anything sway you from the path. When you are totally devoted to the results, then ways of how to get there automatically start becoming visible to you.

 

This is how you gain your motivation and inspiration. When you get your motivation, you get this unstoppable and impatient energy to get on with the work. You just cannot wait anymore. And when inspiration happens, you hear a click somewhere. Something suddenly snaps into place. You know this is what you want to follow, and your success almost becomes visible to you. 

 

How Can You Think Positively Even Though Everything Around You Is In Turmoil

Whatever you have tried lately has backfired. Things have definitely not gone according to plan. You are at the end of your tether, you simply don’t know what you can do to make things right. And, still, people around you tell you to think positively. Even the Internet self-help gurus tell you that. Probably even you realize that you have to be optimistic, but in the current scenario which is completely bleak, how can you do that?

 

The truth is that even in the grimmest of situations, it is possible to keep hope afloat. You can think positively, though it is not an easy task. Let’s talk here about some ways how you can do that.

 

First, you need to learn to separate the problem from the person, which is you. You have to understand that the problem could have happened with anyone; you are not limited in any way. It is just that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. When you begin to understand the universality of a problem, it slowly begins to seem less harmful.

 

The next step is to try and analyze what went wrong. Why did you succumb to such a situation? What was the precipitating factor? When you think about this, slowly a picture begins to emerge. You begin to understand what you can do to solve the problem that you are facing.

 

When you are going through difficult times, however difficult they might be, the key lies in the solution… the things you can do to eliminate the problem itself. When you understand what you can do to improve your situation, you start becoming optimistic. You have a solution in your hands now, and that makes you better equipped to face the situation that’s staring you in the face.

 

Always keep your focus on the results. What will be the outcome of staying depressed and just blaming everyone possible for your situation? On the other hand, what will be the outcome of cheering up and trying to confront the situation? The latter option will probably remedy the problem itself. That is what you should go after, and not sit and brood over what could have happened.

 

Most importantly, remember that life has to move on. There is nothing in the world that’s worth sitting and brooding over. Even the people who sit and sympathize with you today won’t appreciate it if you don’t pull yourself together soon. They might just walk out on you. That would simply aggravate matters.

 

The key to solving any problem lies in positive thinking. Accept its power and implement it in your daily life. That’s the only thing that keeps you moving on. 

 

Benefits of Positive Thinking

You must have heard a lot being said about the power of positive thinking. Even the very famous Law of Attraction which has been immortalized in the book The Secret speaks about the power of optimism. The law goes as far as to say that if you think positively about something with complete devotion, then even nature changes its plans to make it happen for you. That may be well be true because if you have a very positive thought about something, you are going to consciously or subconsciously take some actions in order to fulfill it. You may not even know that you are doing something for your wish fulfillment. And, when you are planning things in a particular direction, things begin to take the shape you want.

 

That apart, there are several other benefits of positive thinking that you may not have given much thought to. Here are some of them.

 

1.  When you divest yourself in thinking positively, people consider you to be better company. Who would anyway want to be with someone who is always shrouded in the cloak of pessimism? Pessimism is infectious; it doesn’t just pull you down, but it dampens the spirits of the people who are with you too. Hence, if you think too negatively, people are not going to want to associate themselves with you.

 

2.  Positive thinking can make you cheerful. Try it the next time you are going through a rough patch. Forgetting the turbulent times you are in, think optimistically about the future. And think hard. You will find that sooner or later you are able to shun the thought of debility and surge ahead. You cannot completely forget the gravity of the situation, but at least you become more gracious in handling it.

 

3.  Also, positive thinking keeps you moving on. Pessimism can make you depressed and you lose your strength to move on. You begin wallowing with self-pity and do nothing to improve the situation. You begin blaming yourself and others. Nothing constructive is done when you waste your time thinking negatively. Such waste is criminal. But, if you begin to think positively, you can get up again and move on.

 

4.  If you want to have an impressive personality, a personality that can inspire people, then you have to start thinking positively. When you do that, you are motivating people; you are showing qualities of leadership. This is what people like to see and admire.

 

So, do not undermine the power of positive thinking. This is something that can take you places that you never thought existed before. 

 

5 Ways to Boost Your Mood

There are times when you feel low… times when you feel totally unproductive and of no use to anyone. There are several things that can depress you in this manner, but what you have to know is that problems aren’t the end of the world. You have to come out of them and get back to your tasks. If you feel that it is very difficult to pull yourself together when you are feeling low, here are some stress-busters that can help.

 

Listen to Music

 

Listening to music works therapeutically for most people. Whatever your particular taste in music is, listen to that. Get your iPod or music CD and pop it in. Listen to your most favorite song; maybe see its video if you can. This can cheer you up royally.

 

Play a Computer Game

 

If you like computer games, this could be a great way to manage your stress. It is not just an FPS that can set those hormones running within you; even simple strategy games can do it for you if you like them. The point is to make your mind happy, not excited. So, choose the game you like and play on.

 

Speak to a Friend

 

Most times, if you just share your sorrows with someone, you can do well at managing them. Call the one person you trust more than anyone else and tell them what happened. They will listen to you. Do not fear reprimand or ridicule. That won’t happen. If they are your true friend, they will hear you out and even tell you what you should do.

 

Go Out for a Walk

 

If you are stressed, sitting inside and brooding is only going to make matters worse. What you need to do is to go out and let it all out. Take a whiff of the air outside and you will find your problems slowly dwindling away. Most importantly, you can give it some thought and put things in a better perspective. This helps as well.

 

Busy Yourself with Something

 

When you are trying to work out your stress, the one thing you should try to do is to divert your mind. You have to busy yourself with something that you can put your heart and soul to. This could be your work, or do something creative that you were long meaning to do. This can divert your mind in a very profound manner and you will find that you are slowly but steadily coming out of your stress. 

 

How to Ask for Something You Want

Even though we are among the richest persons on earth, there comes a time when we have to ask for something. This proves that richness is never absolute. Even the richest person needs to ask people to do something for them. And when these people decline, it adds to the hurt.

 

A highly effective person is one who can ask for things in such a way that people offer to do it for them. Can you do that? Can you achieve perfection in this all-important skill?

 

When you have to ask someone for something, one of the first things you have to do is to use the right approach. You shouldn’t be too humble about what you are asking and you shouldn’t be too proud either. Ask casually, as a friend would ask another. You should not let the other person feel like you are asking them arrogantly and at the same time you should not let them feel that they are doing a favor on you. Both extremes can have disastrous results in the long run.

 

So, when you are asking, have a smile on your face. Ask what you want directly, without hemming and hawing too much. Get straight to the point. Ask first, and then explain why you want that particular thing, again in very few words. Don’t beat around the bush. People should see that you are being practical about it. The demeanor should be thus — “I need something today, so I am asking you; when you need something tomorrow, I’ll help you out.”

 

Don’t feel inclined to go into detailed reasons for what you are asking unless the other person asks you precisely for it. If you are asking for money, you need not state the purpose in detail, but you will have to give a general idea to the person as to where you are going to spend their money—for an urgent hospital bill or to make a mortgage payment or to buy something. People like to know where their favors are going, but they don’t need to know too many details. That bores them.

 

Always make a promise as to when you will return what you are asking for, or how you will repay the favor later on. And stand by that promise when the time comes. This ensures good credit for you in the long run.

 

Above all, you need to remember that people are meant to help each other out in times of difficulty. If you are asking for help today, the tables may very well turn and someone will ask you for help tomorrow. Don’t disappoint them then. If you have a mind to help others out when you are able, people will read it and will extend you help today. 

 

Finding More Joy in Your Relationship

You are almost sure you have found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. This person has a special place in your life. You want to give them everything you can, but at the same time, apprehensions are looming. You are feeling nervous. You don’t know whether this person will want to stick with you for a long life. You don’t know where you are headed.

 

When such aspersions are raised within your mind, then you lose the joy in your relationships. You become worked up and you start worrying. This shouldn’t happen. Relationships are meant to give us joy, not sorrow.

 

Before committing to any relationship, make perfectly sure that you want to stay with that person for a long period of time, perhaps even for a lifetime. So, think well. Commit to someone only if you know that you want to spend the rest your life with. Your commitment should be meaningful and shouldn’t have any ulterior motive. When you say that you will stick with someone for life, then you should abide by that. And you should do that without expectation.

 

This might seem like a tall order, but if you do so, you are aiming for the biggest prize—claiming more joy in your relationship. When you are devoting yourself whole-heartedly and sans expectation to anyone, you are making your life more contented and peaceful. Remember that a person who doesn’t expect things to happen a particular way is the one who doesn’t get hurt much.

 

Don’t be overly possessive. If you partner says that they don’t want to come out with you for dinner one particular day, it doesn’t mean that they have lost their love for you. Think about all the times you spent happily together so far. Give people a break sometimes. It is all right if they speak with someone of the opposite gender apart from you. That doesn’t mean a clandestine affair is looming. You speak to people of the opposite gender too. Think about that. Do you always have an affair in mind when you do so?

 

Don’t expect your partner to change. All right, you like mussels, your partner doesn’t. There is no big deal in that. Don’t expect your partner to like everything you do. Don’t expect your partner to behave exactly in the way you do. Even in the very remote possibility that they do that, you won’t like it. They will become duplicates of you and you surely don’t want a clone of yours to be walking around with you. You loved them for what they were, so why try and change them now? It is highly likely that when they change you will find them too different and lose your attraction for them.

 

Keep these few points in mind. When you are looking at finding joy in your relationships, these are the things that go a long way. Work at them to make your relationship a success.

 

Personality Development—4 Things You Should Always Keep Improving About Yourself

A lot of people want to think that they are happy just as they are, but in verity, deep down inside, they know that there are things about themselves that they hate. They also know that they can improve upon these things, and set a whole new meaning to their lives in the process, but they are apprehensive about bringing about those changes.

 

If there is something likewise that has hampered your assiduity to progress as well, then you need to shun such thoughts. You have to remember that human beings are always meant to keep evolving. Change is the only thing that is constant in life. If you are looking at creating an impressive personality, then enhancing certain aspects of your personality can be what can get you there.

 

Basically, you have to always keep improving upon these five things in your personality; this is what brings about the right kind of personality development.

 

Your Knowledge 

 

Always keep learning new things, whether you are at home, on the job or even taking a walk in the park. This world belongs to people who can keep themselves abreast of things. You have to keep that in mind and keep enhancing your knowledge. The Internet has made everything so very easy. If nothing else, you should browse around for half an hour each day. Even this can give new dimensions to your knowledge. And, if you go for continuing education, it is a prime asset. The certificate that you get can help you in more ways than you think.

 

Your Relationships with Your Family and Friends

 

This is another area that needs constant enhancement. Your family and friends are the people who will stay with you through thick and thin. As such, you have to make sure that you always keep them happy. Do things for them that would please them. Don’t be so engrossed in other areas of your life that you have to neglect your family and friends. Real personal development lies in improving your ties with the people you love.

 

Your Financial Condition

 

It is also important that you pay attention to your bank balance. With money comes confidence and hence you should try to improve your financial condition. If your current job isn’t doing much for you, then you may plan something like a work at home job through the Internet. You may also think of switching jobs and going for greener pastures. If you are getting better opportunities, don’t let anything hold you back.

 

Your Personal Appearance

 

You think that personal appearance doesn’t really matter, but it does. You have to make sure that you look perfect whenever you have an important meeting with someone. This is about the way you look and also the clothes that you wear. Keep enhancing them. 

 

So, if you are looking at personal development, these are the things that can help you.