Gail Lindenfield is a well-known British author who has written several self-help books. In Self Motivation, she does a good job of going over many aspects of self development and she provides solutions to a variety of everyday problems.
Challenges - make sure that are truly enjoyable and that the outcome is worth the risk. Success is built on an astute ability to synchronize challenge and chance.
Risk - before taking a risk, imagine and face the worst possible outcome.
Principles - before starting a project- list your principles and ideals. Keep a clear distinction between core (unbending) values and more flexible ones.
Fear - learn to take control to your response to fear so that you can reclaim your full quota of natural courage. Don't take on any more fear than what you have judged is controllable by your current store of courage.
Energy - value and use it economically. Use the rhythm of your own energy cycles to your best advantage.
Calm concentration - work on putting yourself into a focused and relaxed state where the body is free of tension and the mind is clear and energized. Concentration exercise - count backwards from 50, as soon as the mind wanders, go back to 50 and start again until you get it all.
Organization - you must be able to draw upon order when you need it and loosen its restraints when you do not.
Decision making - accept that decision making is stressful. Focus on taking care of yourself while under pressure rather than making a premature decision.
Self presentation - never sell out on your individuality. Don't penny pinch on presentation - a high class look will give you a high class feel.
Problem solving - accept responsibility for solving your own problems.
Intuition - make a habit of listening for, and noting down your intuitive response whenever you need to make a decision. Individuality - ask yourself regularly if you are being yourself. Remind yourself that many of those who have contributed most were individualistic characters.
Action signals - these are symptoms that you feel that require immediate action. Here are several action signals along with a brief summary of her recommended solutions:
1. Guilt 2. Frustration 3. Disappointment 4. Inadequacy 5. Anger 6. Loneliness
Self criticism - make a short self-criticism session part of your daily habit: What could you have done better today? What didn't you do that you should have done today? Reframe self put-downs into a neutral format.
Self forgiveness - it's important to regularly forgive yourself because you are constantly changing and developing, and it is impossible to do this without getting it wrong many times.
Assertiveness - Practice using your directness in low-charged emotional situations first. Deal with your unassertiveness before tension mounts up and you over react to the situation.
Self protection - don't waste time and energy arguing with people if their opinion is of no value to you. Reveling in success without fear of failure - Double your rate of failure. Failure is a teacher - a harsh one, perhaps, but the best you can be discouraged by failure or learn from it, said Thomas Watson of IBM. .
States to strive for:
1. Visionary thinking without idle dreaming. 2. Unashamed neediness without selfish greediness. 3. Eternal optimism without denying common sense. 4. Guru worshipping without blind following. 5. Sound self-esteem without ignorant arrogance. 6. Thirst for challenge without imprudent impatience. 7. Steadfast principles without narrow prejudice. 8. Consistent courage without thoughtless gambling. 9. Endless energy without debilitating burnout. 10.Prepared proactively without disregard for opportunity. 11.Solid responsibility without rigid perfectionism. 12.Calm concentration without repressed creativity. 13.Systematic organization without obtuse obsessing. 14.Meticulous planning without stubborn inflexibility. 15.Sharp decisiveness without blindness to consequences. 16.Slick self-presentation without enslavement to fashion. 17.Positive problem solving without immunity to despair. 18.Reliable intuition without acting on every hunch. 19.Searching self-reflection without frustrating self-absorption. 20.Pride in individuality without disregard for human commonality. 21.Deep emotionality without enslavement to feelings. 22.Stringent self-criticism without suffocating self-abuse. 23.Intolerance of excuses without deafness to their message. 24.Sincere self-forgiveness without self-inflicted punishment. 25.Personal power without disempowering others. 26.Assertive directness without thoughtless insensitivity. 27.Skilled self-protection without harmful aggression. 28.Perpetually learning without devaluing my own wisdom. 29.Seriously focused without humorless solemnity. 30.Sensibly self-nurturing without spurning support. 31.Seeker of solitude without reclusive aloofness. 32.Reveling in success without fear of failure. 33.Scrupulously self-healing without dismissing comfort. 34.Amply self-rewarding without rejecting recognition. 35.Inwardly driven without scorning incentives
Key thoughts:
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because characte is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." -John Wooden, college basketball coach
"Although they only give gold medals in the field of athletics, I encourage everyone to look into themselves and find their own personal dream, whatever that may be - sports, medicine, law, business, music, writing, whatever. The same principles apply. Turn your dream into a goal and learn how to attack that goal systematically. Break it into bite-size chunks that seem possible, and then don't give up. Just keep plugging away." - John Naber, swimmer, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist
By: Regine Azurin Regine Azurin is the President of BestSummaries.com, a company that provides book summaries of the latest motivational, inspirational, self-help and personality development bestsellers.
http://www.bestsum.com Free Book Summaries of Top Self-help, Motivational and Inspirational books
Mailto: freearticle@bestsum.com BestSummaries is a BestSummaries.com service. (c) Copyright 2004, BestSummaries.com
My older daughter got married 10 days ago. The wedding... Read More
I woke up one morning with a sharp pain in... Read More
When people begin to investigate career change, often they don't... Read More
19 years ago, I was a young working mother at... Read More
The grit of life is hard to swallow. You make... Read More
Just about everybody owns or has owned a bucket of... Read More
Listen to win SalesVery few people are good listeners. In... Read More
A problem many of us are familiar with. Its showing... Read More
Self Improvement Tip 4 Don't procrastinate! The more you put... Read More
Most of the time whenever we need to make an... Read More
I'll get right to the point. Life is not necessarily... Read More
One fact stubbornly stays true: while everyone desires to succeed,... Read More
Looking for a way to handle a setback?Edward W. Smith,... Read More
Today I heard the saying "Trying is lying!"It made me... Read More
Letīs discover the importance of balancing preparation, timing and momentum.... Read More
Review: Productivity Engineering- A hypnosis program to help you improve... Read More
Try this exercise. Take a sheet of paper and list... Read More
Yesterday at the dinner table, my eleven-year-old daughter asked me,... Read More
You know the feeling.There's something you want to do. You've... Read More
"The measure of your success usually comes down to who... Read More
If you are not as productive as you'd like or... Read More
Remember when summer seemed to last forever? My mother use... Read More
Our friend, singer and songwriter Chuck Pyle, likes to say,... Read More
I am sure you, just like the rest of us,... Read More
Mark Twain once said, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery... Read More
Have you failed to create the life you want, because... Read More
While I was trying to find a subject to write... Read More
They say that the way to have a positive attitude... Read More
"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow... Read More
I hear many people discuss how selfishness leads to greed,... Read More
Responsibility means being accountable for what we think, say, and... Read More
We typically think of New Year's as the time to... Read More
'Action Rules!' in the Getting Goals Game. It is the... Read More
We've probably all heard the famous movie quip, "why don't... Read More
The story below is a true story that happened in... Read More
No matter how hard you try to make them otherwise,... Read More
Don't be afraid to build the dream - Attempting to... Read More
We typically think of New Year's as the time to... Read More
1. Most of us are motivated by one of two... Read More
Dreams may seem unimportant in your quest for success. And... Read More
I want to wish you good health, long life, success... Read More
Elizabeth Tull is a Professional Excellence Coach who lives with... Read More
Whether you suffer from anxiety and panic attacks or not,... Read More
Staying motivated requires a daily ritual.In other words, motivation is... Read More
This is a key to lasting motivation and beating procrastination.If... Read More
What are they?Self-limiting beliefs are those things you believe about... Read More
H appiness depends upon your outlook on life.A ttitude is... Read More
Q: I just read your column in today's' Greensboro News... Read More
"If today were the last of all days........" - Marilyn... Read More
Procrastination is a complicated behavior that affects all people to... Read More
What is the dictionary definition of a procrastinator? It is... Read More
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in... Read More
This article provides constructive tips about facing retrenchment and moving... Read More
"We must be the change we wish to see in... Read More
I think there is a misconception about what a mentor... Read More
The president of a large North Eastern company, doing business... Read More
The other day I was on my way home, and... Read More
Throughout my life I have observed many things and I... Read More
IntroductionWordNet defines a rut as a groove or furrow (especially... Read More
I am a big proponent of balance. Everything has to... Read More
Whether you've been in business for yourself for a day... Read More
Our greatest growth in life comes from pushing through our... Read More
One of the shortcuts to creating wealth is to learn... Read More
Self Improvement Tip 4 Don't procrastinate! The more you put... Read More
Visualisation plays a very important role with the mind and... Read More
You lost your job. Your partner left you. Your car... Read More
Motivation |