The platypus went into a bar.
He bought two sodas.
"That'll be $2.50, please" said the bartender. .
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"Just put it on my bill" said the platypus.
Set in the world of a spoofed prescription drug commercial, Nature Rx offers a hearty dose of laughs and the outdoors - two timeless prescriptions for whatever ails you. Side effects may include confidence, authenticity, remembering you have a body, and being in a good mood for no apparent reason.
When I travel, my daily agenda is always full.
I don't get up late, linger over breakfast, and then start meandering down one country road after another, just to see where they might lead. I'm up early, ready to cram as much into each day as I possibly can. I know exactly where I want to go and, map in hand, I know how to get there.
Come to think of it, that's also how I approach life. I can't just let life happen to me. I need a road map that shows me how to get from where I am now to where I want to be in the future. Of course, if I want to be successful, I can't just leave the roadmap in the glove box. I have to follow it. Diligently.
In our series about travelling through life, we've already talked about travelling light (getting rid of excess emotional baggage and keeping "short accounts") and taking someone with you. Today, my travelling tip is to follow the roadmap. In life, a roadmap is akin to a game plan—a carefully thought-out strategy for achieving success. My game plan probably doesn't look exactly like yours, because my definition of success might be different from yours. But the fact that we might be following slightly different roadmaps doesn't negate the wisdom of using one in the first place. As the saying goes, if you aim at nothing, you're likely to get it.
Regardless of our position and station in life, following the roadmap means:
1. Knowing where you are at this moment. How can you know where you are at this moment? The key word is reflection.
2. Knowing where you want to go. For me, success is knowing my purpose in life, growing to my maximum potential and sowing seeds that benefit others. That's where I want to go.
3. Understanding that life happens between where you are at this moment and where you want to go, and that it's the "between where you are and where you want to go" that causes people to miss life. Some people have what I call "destination disease." They live life thinking, "When I get promoted, I'll be fulfilled" or, "When I get married, I'll be happy" or "If I could just meet that person, I'll be on my way." It's good to plan for the days ahead, but if you're basing all your hopes for fulfilment on some future event, you're actually missing out on the essence of life itself. As John Lennon once wisely observed, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."
When it comes to travelling through life, I can't over-emphasize the importance of following the roadmap. But it's also crucial to note that, even if you're following the best map ever made, you'll most likely have to stop and ask for directions from time to time. I'm well aware that this practice is excruciatingly difficult for some of us. And we just might be stubborn and persistent enough to avoid doing it, at least when we're driving somewhere in a car. But in the journey we call life, people who refuse to stop and ask for directions aren't stubborn or persistent; they're foolish.
Unfortunately, an unwillingness to seek advice is all too common among businesspeople today. In The Corporate Steeplechase, New York social psychologist Srully Blotnick says that career men and women in their twenties tend to be ashamed to ask questions, and in their thirties, the desire to be individualistic makes it difficult for them to counsel with colleagues. The value of advice becomes clear only with maturity, he writes.
That's so true. As philosopher John Collins has noted, "To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it." That said, people often make the mistake of following advice without carefully evaluating it first. To avoid this common error, ask yourself the following questions when appraising the validity of any piece of advice:
1. How credible is the source?
2. Am I getting the same advice from different people?
3. Have I made allowances for any biases, pro or con, an advice giver may have?
4. Have I talked with more than one person so I have a basis for judging the advice?
5. Am I in an emotional state to act wisely on this advice?
6. What is the ratio between the potential cost of acting on the advice and the potential benefit that it may hold?
Taking the time to stop and ask for directions might seem like a big hassle when you're busy with the daily stuff of life. And to some, sticking to a roadmap might seem unnecessarily restrictive. But as one traveller to another, I encourage you to make both a priority. Otherwise, you just might end up on a fast road to nowhere.
Not too long ago I was at a leadership conference where one of the keynotes, Suzanne de Passe of Motown Productions, talked about protecting the entrepreneurs’ greatest commodity – our energy. Suzanne’s key comment was “how you spend your energy is how you measure your success.”
Boy did that strike a cord!
Why? Because every entrepreneur I know at some point on their ascent to success has to take a look at how they have used (or abused) their most vital lifeline – their energy.
Think about it. As an entrepreneur we are everything to our company. We are the creative spark, the leader, the manager, the product fulfiller, the customer service rep, the sales and marketing team (you get the point, right?) The one thing that keeps us going is our energy. What do we do if our energy is gone?
Let’s take a look at Sue. Sue has been going non-stop for months. She sleeps about 4 hours a night, has 15 – 20 crises a day, and truly believes that every single idea she has is a million-dollars waiting to happen. So every idea must be completed yesterday. Sue’s husband and friends haven’t seen her in weeks. She can’t possibly slow down for food, let alone a social event.
One day Sue finds herself feeling a bit sluggish. Pushing through it (I mean she is a super-hero after all, what’s a little tiredness) she finds herself two weeks later with a little cold. The cold turns into a chronic illness that takes over her life and takes down her momentum. Confused, frustrated and overwhelmed, Sue finds that she can barely get up to eat, let alone accomplish any work.
Now this may sound a bit extreme – but is it really? I don’t think so. I can’t tell you how many people I know who have literally been drop-kicked out of the game because their energy gave out. They got sick, tired, and depleted. (Yes, I admit, me too.)
So how do we protect this most vital commodity that is so precious? Here are a few ideas.
Always take care of yourself first. No matter what. No excuses. Workout at the gym, eat healthy, meditate, have down time, or get a massage once a month. You must take care of yourself. It’s a lot less expensive to invest in your energy when you are healthy than if you are sick.
Don’t Try to Do Everything Alone. It’s exhausting. It’s overwhelming. And any successful person will tell you it’s impossible. Figure out a way to start delegating and getting support. Learn to apply the golden delegation rule of “opportunity cost.” If you can’t do it well and it costs someone else less to do it, outsource it!
Learn to Say No. Oh this one is SO hard for most of us. You have to say no sometimes in order to support the “greater yes.” That means, in order to achieve our goals we have to say no to other people’s requests sometimes. It’s OK; you will still be loved and needed if you can’t do it all.
Know what’s Important. And even more critically, what’s not. If it doesn’t fit with your passion, values and goals, don’t do it. No matter what. Someone else will do it and everything will be just fine.
Release Tolerations. Tolerations are the things you put up with. Incomplete decisions, negative people, broken items, unresolved issues, etc. Tolerations can be HUGE energy drains, especially when it goes on and on. Make a plan to handle the tolerations in your life.
One example of how I protect my energy: After I give a presentation or attend a long conference, I always book a day or two off from the office. I’ll usually get a massage. I’ll use the time to put into action the nuggets from the event. If I skip it, I find I’m completely loopy and exhausted and worthless to my clients.
In Suzanne’s keynote presentation, she wrapped up by saying “get a sense of humor.” I couldn’t agree more. The world is only as frustrating as we see it. When we go through life with a sense of humor, we can find the thread of joy in any situation. I found in my own life that infusing every situation with laughter could always take the stress away.
Life is too short to waste our most precious commodity. Protect your energy and you will see how your success multiplies. Deplete it and you will see your success shrink. The choice is yours. I hope you chose to be good to yourself.
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Melanie Benson Strick, The Entrepreneur's Success Coach, teaches entrepreneurs how to stop feeling overwhelmed so they can create more money, more freedom and more prestige.Co-author of Visionary Women Inspiring the World: 12 Paths to Personal Power and contributing author to Entrepreneurial Spirits , Melanie is co-creator of The Unstoppable Goals Method: How To Turn Your Ideas into Income in 90 Days. If you are ready to experience a breakthrough in your business, sign up for a 25-minute personalized “Business Breakthrough” by emailing us at assist@successconnections.com.
Success Connections
Melanie Benson Strick
14320 Ventura Blvd., #222
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Telephone: (877) 830-3139
info@successconnections.com
Bent objects by Terry Border
... amazing creativity ... and lots of fun
This one is "Bad Cheese"
See this and the others at http://bit.ly/SwFuzw
In public speaking, the ability to use humor is an important skill to possess whatever your natural ability is. Most people like to smile, to laugh, or to enjoy a listening experience. Humor adds sparkle and interest to a speech. Humor when used should be good willed and not given in a manner to show how witty you are.
It is probably impossible to catalog humor completely. Here I have listed the 7 kinds of humor commonly used in public speaking.
Turn of Phrase
In this type of humor, you get the laugh by starting to make a serious point in one direction and suddenly an unexpected meaning is revealed. Mark Twain used this technique when he said that "youth is such a wonderful thing, it is shame to waste it on children."
The Pun
A word is used to evoke a serious meaning and then used in a completely different meaning altogether. The second meaning gives a whole new viewpoint to the speaker's remarks. To be funny the meaning should not be stretched too far or it will evoke groans rather than smiles. For example, the organiser of an event may ask a member of the audience if the guest speaker was an able speaker. The member of the audience may reply "Yes, the guest speaker was able. He was able to stand up all the way through his speech."
Exaggeration
This is where a small thing is made into a larger important issue. This is similar to the how a cartoonist will exaggerate the features of a politician for effect.
Understatement
This is the opposite of exaggeration, and words are used to underplay the importance of an event or issue.
Irony
Here, the face value meaning of the words is different to the intended meaning. An example is the phrase "as pleasant and relaxed as a coiled rattlesnake" used by Kurt Vonnegut in one of his books.
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is a cutting form of wit and should be used with care. To be funny the audience should not have much sympathy for the intended target. If they do it will not work in your favor.
Satire
Satire is an attack upon something worded in a way as to be pleasant but clear in its meaning. Will Rogers at a bankers convention asked "I have often wondered where the Depositor's hold their convention."
To be funny, the humor should be said in a spirit of fun. However, for best effect, humor should be unannounced and told with a straight face (you don't want to laugh before your audience does). It requires more practice and preparation than other parts of your speech. The humor will die if you fumble over words or stumble during the punch line. In public speaking, as it is with conversation, the telling of humor should be effortless and natural.
To be effective in public speaking the humor should be relevant to the points being made. It is woven into the fabric of the speech. With practice and preparation it is possible to employ the 7 types of humor listed, regardless of how dry and shy you maybe.
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Author: Edward Hope ... Add interest to your your public speaking and conversation with "The Art of Great Conversation." To claim your free preview visit http://www.SelfConfidentSpeaking.com
Can you stand staying in an office where there are many clutters? What I mean is there are many things on top of your desk, piles of reports are everywhere, magazines are not organized and papers are scattered on the floor. Having this kind of office, can you still locate easily what you need to accomplish your task? Can you maintain your productivity with the many clutters all around you? If your answer is NO, let me help you with the simple steps to declutter your office.
A clutter free office is very important since you will be welcoming visitors to stay in your office while discussing important matters. Sometimes your boss checks your office to monitor you. There are also times that you need the important files to be part of your reports. If all your things are messing around your office, you will not be productive in your daily tasks. With this, you have to start organizing your office.
One of the simple ways to declutter your office is to remove unnecessary equipments. Since you will not need them, then, start removing them to have a bigger space in your office. If you think that you have lots of shelves already in your office, remove some of it or give it to other offices that need extra shelves. Get rid also of boxes which make your office looks untidy. Place all your things or office supplies to the right storage. With this, you will be amazed of the extra space that you can use onwards.
Moreover, declutter your office by maintaining a clean desktop. Place only the important things you need on top of your table. Get away with those things that have no bearing in your work. However, if you think that you need to place some extra papers on your desk, you can use a tray or folders that will keep them intact. Use also drawer organizers to maintain the cleanliness of your drawers. Using these organizers will help you to search easily the items that you need to use.
Labels are very important when you want to have an organized filing of your documents and reports. This helps to minimize clutters in your office. Whether you have a quarterly or monthly reports to put together, indicating labels will help you have an easy access to these documents. It will also keep you reminded that you have to put your documents back to its appropriate storage. Furthermore, use an erase board to keep you on track with the different events that you might be involved in your company.
These are the simple steps to declutter your office. Once you have a clutter-free office, be sure to maintain them so that your clutters will not pile up. Keep your office clean for you to have a healthy working environment that would translate to your increasing productivity.
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Author: Bhadra Patel invites you to FREE report! "Discover How To Quickly And Easily DeClutter Your Home In 3 Easy Steps" That's Right - This FREE Report Will Show You How You Too Can Finally DeClutter And Organize Your Home In 3 Easy Steps. Get it here: Http://www.DECLUTTERHELP.ORG.
Did you hear the joke about the playing cards?
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It's no big deal.
(This was originally published in the Pivotal Kids ezine. You can read the current issue here
