I love watching the transformation of a stranger becoming a friend.

Think from your own personal experience. When you meet someone new you do not expose yourself completely. You would be crazy if you did! And if you show who you really are to everyone you meet, you probably get hurt a lot. It’s just the way people are. We protect ourselves, instinctively. When you enter into a new situation you will be cautious and the same goes for meeting new people–you will be cautious.

What this means is that when you meet someone, you are not meeting the “whole” person. You are not getting to know the “real” them. … [visit site to read more]

This is a question asked by many managers looking to improve the atmosphere in their companies. It should also be a question that workers ask themselves as being a leader in your work group is often your key to moving up the corporate ladder.

So what makes a great leader?

Over the course of my military service I served under five different officers. Seven years later there is one of them that I would still stand, salute & follow his orders with no questions asked. When I think of leadership this is the man I think of. He exemplified the qualities & attitudes he asked from us, fully understood and empathized with what we were doing, was always working harder and longer than we were, and always took our side in a conflict. Now we’re talking here about business leadership, not military, so let me explain each of these points. … [visit site to read more]

I find that my biggest enemy is myself. When my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone it’s usually because I am simply scared. I’m afraid that I’ll fail. That I’ll let myself down. If you fail to do something because you never tried at least you can blame something, but when you gave it your all and failed, that hurts!

The thing is that it is this very fear that is the the REAL reason why I would fail in the first place. Assuming that my goals are realistic, as William Johnson put it: “If it is to be it is up to me.” If you were going to run an Olympic race you would make sure that your health was at its peak, your sneakers were new, but broken in, that you ate properly and fully ready for the competition. Same goes with every other challenge. … [visit site to read more]

It can be difficult to decide what to do when. One of the most challenging aspects of getting things done is usually taking the first step. The problem is, which step is one supposed to take first?

The good news is that there have been many different tools developed to help people prioritize. This, though, can lead to a similar problem and you’ll find yourself asking “Which system should I use?” I will cover many different systems in the future, but here I will present a great technique for deciding, of all the things that need to be done, what is most important of them all. … [visit site to read more]

The holidays are over and we gained a few more presents and the   inevitable extra pounds. So how do we get rid of them? Well, the bottom line is not new to anyone: it has to do with exercise and eating. But we don’t have to run 5 miles everyday and eat like a rabbit to look and feel healthy.

I know it’s not easy to workout during this season. First of all, it’s cold outside, it’s raining, or snowing or just too cold to go out for a morning walk or jog. All I want to do is curl up in a warm blanket in front of the heater and watch TV or read a book. Who wants to exercise?  Besides, I have a deadline for the end of the week.  I don’t have time. Sound familiar?

News flash! It’s not only you who loves to be lazy -  it’s your fat cells as well. … [visit site to read more]

A good martial artist is always aware of opportunities. If a person is approaching him on the street he will quickly size up his “potential attacker” and make sure that he can protect himself if the person approaching does attack. If walking past a parked car he will notice if there is a person sitting inside and whether they look threatening. A good martial artist will always be refining his reaction times, reflexes and instincts so that he will be ready when he needs to be.  It can be an unsettling way to think at first, but awareness and constant preparation is an essential key to success.

Like the martial artist, a good networker will also always be on the lookout for new ways to meet people. … [visit site to read more]

To get ANYWHERE you have to FIRST decide where you are going. The simple process of buying milk begins with the goal in mind. When I decide to buy milk, that is the first step – deciding to buy milk. Then I need to decide whether I want to go to the corner store or the supermarket. Then I need to choose which route to take. But it all begins with that first decision. … [visit site to read more]