Setting goals and achieving goals is something that most of us want. The key is to differentiate between a goal and a mere wish. A wish is something that people dream about. A goal is accompanied with a plan and a time line.
My definition of the word goal is:
G.O.A.L – Getting Over All ... Views: 1485
Many experts in the field of personal development or motivation have told us to focus on the reasons why we should do whatever it takes to achieve a goal. A common statement that I have heard many a times over the years of studying personal development is “What is your ‘why’ for achieving a ... Views: 893
It had been raining Friday night and I woke up early on Saturday morning, hoping for more rain so I could wash my car. You see, I live in Melbourne, Victoria, a State in south eastern Australia where we have severe restrictions on water usage, so, I only wash my car when it is raining. I had a ... Views: 1442
In the years of coaching and mentoring people, I have noticed that some people want to achieve their goals, yet they do not want to walk on the path to achievement. Yes, there is a path to achievement, and there are no detours from this path!
The real winners in life are the ones who embrace ... Views: 1548
Do you know what your mission in life is?
Do you realise what your purpose in life is?
Do you have a vision for your life?
Some companies and organisations have a vision and mission statement. They do their best to get their staff to live by the vision or mission statement.
Your life ... Views: 953
When I was the lead trainer of an organisation called Speak To Influence, we traveled the country, delivering staff training to medium/large companies.
We taught the attendees of our training sessions how to be influential while communicating (be it one-to-one communication or ... Views: 1356
In one of his recent articles, New York Times Best-Selling Author and Leadership Specialist, Dr Marshall Goldsmith spoke about feedback and feedforward.
I have considered Dr Goldsmith to be a virtual mentor for the past 6 years. His articles are always insightful. On a personal note, he has ... Views: 1084
Have you ever been belittled?
Has anyone close to you ever put you down in the presence of others?
How do you normally react when someone does that you?
I can safely say that everyone (to some extent) has been subjected to the above-mentioned.
On my Life Skills radio segment, a ... Views: 1164
On 21 June, I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation by Dr Sarah Hanieh (research fellow) at the Doherty Institute, and recipient of a PhD in Medicine from The University of Melbourne).
She titled her speech “Breaking Through The Ice”.
The insights in her presentation were based on ... Views: 1134
“Adapt or perish”.
Have you heard that before?
It is said that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. Well, let’s add another one – constant change.
Change is an inevitable part of our existence. Almost every aspect of your life will go through some form of change. Those ... Views: 1122
What is personal power?
Your personal power is based on your thoughts, your feelings, your experiences, and your knowledge.
We all have personal power within us. The level of this personal power varies from individual to individual. The way that this personal power is used also varies from ... Views: 3676
When was the last time someone told you about something they wish to achieve?
Whether they are looking at doing something big or doing something minor, there is an underlying reason for wanting to achieve that goal.
At the end of the day, what most people seek is joy, fulfilment, ... Views: 1052
In his book Public Speaking For Success, Dale Carnegie gives accounts of many people of knowledge who did not publicly share what they knew, purely because they were gripped by the fear of public speaking.
When I first stepped into the public speaking arena, I thought that confidence was ... Views: 2914
An important life lesson that I learnt came from one of the golden rules in public speaking - focus on the connection, not the content. What this means is that the connection a speaker has with the audience is more important than the actual content of the speech.
Sometimes life can be like ... Views: 4724
Have you ever felt like you needed to get something done, and you didn’t have the internal resources to get it done?
We all have had that feeling at some point of our lives. Perhaps it was a combination of internal resources and external support that you needed. Either way, the task at hand ... Views: 1258
Have you ever wondered “What do I need, if I am to achieve something that I really want?" Well, there are, and there will be various factors that determine whether you achieve what you are striving for. Here are 5 keys that can be at your disposal when you are striving for an achievement:
* ... Views: 1012
In June this year, an opportunity presented itself for me to do volunteer work in a remote Aboriginal community. It was located in northern Australia (East Arnhem Land).
Most of us who live in big cities can only imagine what life is like in remote Aboriginal communities. Living there is an ... Views: 1008
A very happy new year to you! I hope that you really enjoyed the Christmas season with family and friends.
Seeing that now things are getting back to the normal routine (people are going back to work, and children are preparing to go back to school), we must focus on what we can do to make ... Views: 1101
Have you ever felt like you needed motivation? Has anyone ever asked you to give them motivation?
The word “motivation” is something that we hear much, yet sometimes we may not understand it enough or may not know how to make it work for us.
While I have written two previous articles on ... Views: 1652
In my experience through working with youth and with people with mental illnesses (such as depression), I have discovered that support from a human being can go a very long way in creating positive changes.
This also applies to the workplace and at home. Support can be very uplifting in ... Views: 1035
You may have heard that a person’s attitude is very important when it comes to facing challenging situations, which life sometimes (or often) throws at us. A question that I propose to you is this; does your attitude define you, or do you define your attitude? Please have a think about that ... Views: 1652
As we start another year, people everywhere are looking for certain things in 2012. Well, whatever you are looking for, you will need to be well prepared for the opportunities, challenges, and rewards in 2012
So, here are my 7 Steps To Creating A More Rewarding 2012.
1. Know where you ... Views: 1187
On my Personal Development radio segment, I revealed my 7 Steps to living with Purpose & Passion. So here they are:
1. Make a gratitude list daily – you must have something to be thankful for! Make a very comprehensive list of what you are grateful for, every single day. Then read this ... Views: 1620
During my days as a Youth Mentor, there were many young people who needed support in either getting their life back on track or in achieving something they desired.
Some of the youth were very challenging to deal with, let alone provide support to, in a professional capacity. The key was to ... Views: 1528
I came to realise the numerous benefits of exercise at a very early age. So, I have made a commitment to myself that I will run every morning, from Monday to Friday. There is a football oval near my house where I go to, for a run in the mornings.
During winter time, it is quite dark when I ... Views: 1306
Life will always throws challenges at us. That is a given. I believe that if there were no challenges in life (or ups and downs in life), life would become mundane.
As Tony Robbins nicely put it, “Challenges are required for growth".
If life was always smooth sailing, there would be no ... Views: 1462
I recently read an article (on how successful people set goals and follow through) by leadership expert and New York Time best selling author, Dr Marshall Goldsmith.
In that article Dr Goldsmith speaks about ownership. He said “successful people have a high need for and reliance upon ... Views: 1080
People around us will intentionally or unintentionally pick up things from us (from our behaviour, our words, our expressions, our connections with other people). Children are a prime example of this. They are very quick to pick something up from adults around them. I believe that it is ... Views: 839
The art of communicating intelligently is integral in any capacity, be it leadership, coaching, parenting, or teaching.
When our communication intelligence increases, we are in a better position to exchange ideas and information.
What is communication intelligence?
Have you heard of ... Views: 1024
Recently I was asked by a Life Coach about what I taught my clients regarding purposeful behaviour. Now, some people will tell you that behaviour is driven by your values! My question is, what are your values driven by? Please think about that for a moment! I advised him that my belief is that ... Views: 1520
What is it about you that sets you apart from the masses of the population?
Have you thought of doing something that is considered significant?
Would you like to do something that will be considered significant?
Creating something significant in your life is not just about being ... Views: 1106
The process of decision making can sometimes be an interesting topic to discuss. I am often asked “What is the best way to make decisions?” While there is no single, plain, and simple answer to so complex and wide a question, there are certain things that I have learnt about decision ... Views: 917
When was the last time that someone asked you for motivation? Alternatively, when was the last time that you asked someone else to provide you with motivation? My point is this, it is part of human behaviour to appreciate being motivated! We all have received motivation, and we all have ... Views: 1199
Many years ago, I read a quote by the legendary Jim Rohn who said “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
That is so pertinent to almost anyone alive today.
What is a risk anyway? It is the exposure to the unknown. It is being vulnerable to ... Views: 973
It is said that the number one skill required in being able to communicate effectively is the ability to listen.
As you might already realise, listening is different to hearing.
There is a lot of buzz about active listening – where your focus is entirely on the words that are coming out of ... Views: 1489
One of my earlier mentors in personal development taught me that the word “responsible” carries the meaning of two words “response” and “able”. In other words, responsibility is your ability to respond.
Then, I heard a quote from my single biggest influence on personal development, the ... Views: 2563
Is there a formula to get something done? I believe that there are many ways in which you can get something done. It all depends on what works best for you (which you may have figured out by now, or will need to figure out at some stage).
What I have used is this very simple approach, which I ... Views: 1649
Do you have expectations of anyone in your life?
Do others in your life have expectations of you?
Do you have certain expectations of yourself?
Today, we will look at some (not all) aspects of expectations. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines expectation as "The act or state of ... Views: 931
An impression is simply a clue.
A fact is something that you believe (through information).
When was the last time you formed got an impression about someone or something that was not based on a fact?
When was the last time you based something on what you thought was a fact, and it ... Views: 1460
Last month I gave a speech (on Self Care) at a conference. At the end of the speech, a lady came up to me for a conversation. She was facing a few challenges in her life.
At the end of the conversation, I gave her my card (contact details), and asked her to reach out whenever she needed ... Views: 1028
Regardless of how good or how tough things get in life, the one thing that is always in your control is your focus.
Where your focus goes is entirely up to you.
Let’s discuss how to adjust your focus when it comes to what you wish to achieve in your life.
Where your focus goes will be ... Views: 1015
What do you think someone will think of you, or how will they feel about you when they meet you for the first time?
What type of ‘mark’ will you leave on them?
Have you ever met someone for the first time, and thought or felt “There is something significant about this person?”
I read ... Views: 1174
In the previous article (titled Worrying – The Truth About It), we discussed the negativity that we are exposed to on a daily basis.
To be precise, I suggested “Switch off from the media – the Black Eyed Peas said “Wrong information always shown by the media. Negative images is the main ... Views: 1173
Has anyone ever told you how to do something that you’ve already done, and they came across as very critical?
Well, they might call it constructive criticism. Personally, I think that “constructive” and “criticism” is a bit of an oxymoron. They don’t go well together.
The goal of giving ... Views: 993
In the September, 2014 edition of Ideal Insights, I wrote about habits (how they are formed and how they can be replaced).
In that article, the emphasis was on the fact that a habit has to be replaced, not just removed.
In my coaching and mentoring career, there have been countless clients ... Views: 944
In this day and age, “winning” seems to be overemphasised in almost every part of our lives.
Think about it - in sports, it’s all about winning. In sales, it’s all about winning the sale.
Is winning everything?
The legendary Vince Lombardi once said “Winning is not everything. It’s ... Views: 873
Have you ever felt or thought that you have got much more to offer to the world than what you currently do?
Do you know what your potential and capabilities really are?
Let me ask you another question, how well do you know yourself?
While I consider myself a ‘full time student of ... Views: 1526
June 2011 saw the successful launch of my very first book, WELCOME TO YOUR LIFE – simple insights for your inspiration & empowerment (www.WelcomeToYourLifeBook.com).
Throughout the whole process (from writing the manuscript, to releasing the book), I learnt many valuable life lessons, which I ... Views: 1033
This year will be over in a matter of days. Then, 2014 begins.
I would suggest that you take a long and hard look at 2013 (the year that it was, for you). While I realise that some people may say that the past is irrelevant, I strongly believe that the past can teach us a great deal.
So, ... Views: 1058
How do you make the most out of the year ahead? While there might be no single, plain, and simple answer to so deep and wide a question, there are certain things that you can do in order to make the most out of the new year.
So, here are some simple, yet effective things that you can keep in ... Views: 1030