Sunday, January 6, 2008

TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE IT IN LIFE

TIPS OF SUCCESS IN LIFE



The application of time management skills has tended, in the past, to be thought of as something that is for business life only. In reality, though, time management is something from which we can all benefit in our personal lives as well, and in the art of marrying our working lives with our home and social lives.

Those benefits show in a number of ways, including health, well being and satisfaction with our lives overall. Manage your time well, and you can feel in control of your life, rather than letting events control you. There is no single "method" of time management, either in business or personal life. However, there are various time management tips and techniques, practices and theories, which it is worth knowing about.

Acquiring time management skills is something we can set about doing in a methodical way. Really, we all practice time management whether we know it or not. It is more a matter of whether we do it well or badly. The following tips are for improving time management skills, building on those that you will naturally have. Even primitive man used time management, it was just a lot simpler in those days. Time had to be allocated for hunting, and that time had to be used to the fullest effect possible to survive.

Here are just a few time management tips:

1. Before learning any techniques to help you manage your time, have a clear idea of what you are setting out to achieve. Give yourself the opportunity to get your life in some sort of order so that you can both enjoy it to the full and succeed to the full. If you just apply time management to areas of your life that do not really matter to you, then you will not be progressing at a personal level.

2. Get your priorities clear in your mind, so that they are a natural part of you. This will need to become a habit to be very effective, and you will need to apply prioritizing over a number of time spans. Your long term success will probably depend on your being able to prioritize what you need to do to achieve that success. However, to use your time well on a particular day, you need to start the day with a clear idea of your priorities. that also applies to the week, the month and the year. Your priorities for the shorter period must always feed positively into the priorities in the next longer period, and so on, so that each time period is mapped out with priorities that lead to your ultimate success.

3. When assessing priorities, be ruthless with parts of your life that are not contributing to your longer term goals. Removing the areas of your life where you are wasting time, will free up more time for you to apply to reaching your goals.

4. Always be sure to build your health and enjoyment into any plans. Time for relaxation and exercise are critical to your long term achievements; always make time for proper meals, and keep to a healthy but enjoyable diet. Time management is not an exercise in being macho with your business life; it is an opportunity to build a balanced life for yourself and your family.

5. Once you have set your priorities for any period, write them down and refer to them from time to time, updating them if necessary. Should you appear to be failing, examine why, and reset and reinforce your goals and priorities. It is too easy to slip back into bad habits that inhibit your progress.

6. Be sure to keep a diary and use it to plan out each day, week, month. There are all sorts of electronic gizmos, online planners, software etc to act as aids to your time management. Personally, I think a good old fashioned diary is just as good, if not better. About 18 months ago I reverted to using a traditional diary to plan my working time. That forces me to get away from the computer, even for a few minutes, and think what my priorities are, and what I need to be reminded about.

If you can become better at time management, you will find your life more satisfying and less stressful, as well as being able to achieve greater things. For millions of people, life just sweeps them along in a torrent of activity, or inactivity, over which they have little or no control. That can be very stressful, unhealthy, inefficient, and demoralising over the long term. There is nothing quite like controlling your own destiny to reduce stress and aid success.

This time management article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website.
The Difference Between Being a Success and a Successful Life
By Chris Widener
I was reading an article the other day about a famous athlete and one of his teammates made a comment that I found interesting. He said, off the record of course, that his famous teammate would have a funeral so small that it could be held in a fitting room.

Now, most people would consider this athlete "successful." He is rich beyond anyone's imagination. He has and will set world records. He will undoubtedly be elected into his Hall of Fame, most likely on the first ballot.

But he is not a successful human being. It is common knowledge that he is universally disliked.

This got me to thinking. I am attending two funerals this week. One is the funeral of a man who was "successful" in the eyes of the world. That is, he made a lot of money. But he wasn't a terribly successful human being. He was estranged from his oldest son and hadn't spoken with him in years. He was a borderline alcoholic. There were other storms in his life. About 50 people will attend.

The other funeral is for a man who was not "successful" in the eyes of the world. You would have never given him a second look had you seen him in the store. He wasn't wealthy. He was not high-profile. Yet he was quite a successful human being. People were encouraged and built up by this man. People were better because he graced their lives, even in small ways. His funeral will have about 200 people there, paying their last respects. He would have never guessed there would be that many, yet after he died, people came out of the woodwork to speak highly of him.
So what is the difference? And can we be both "successful" and a successful human being. I believe that we can have both. I do believe it is hard because the accumulation of wealth takes time and time at work, which usually takes away from time doing things that foster human relationships. But it is possible.

It can be done by those who understand balanced living and are aggressive time and priority managers. Give yourself time to make your fortune or pursue your dreams, but give yourself time to make yourself a successful life as well.

Here are some tips for being a successful human being who has a successful life:

Love People, Use Things.
People who become "successful" and miss a successful life are those who love things and use people. Be sure to put people as a priority for your life.

Take time off.
Life isn't just about work. There is so much else to experience here in this life, and unfortunately, too little time to enjoy it.

Be a giver.
Be someone who gives more than takes. Yes, we all have to take from time to time, but we should take only when we need to and give every time we have a chance to!

Be a life-long learner.
I truly believe that we become better people as we learn. Take time throughout your life to grow and learn and become a better person.

Keep a sense of humor.
People who laugh are a gift to the world. Don't take yourself or your circumstances to seriously. Learn to look on the bright side and see the humor in situations.

Honor your commitments.
This is a key to a successful life. We live this life based on commitments we make toward one another. Those who honor those commitments are those who will be respected and trusted by others.

Mentor someone.
Always take the time to mentor someone. I know this firsthand because of the energy a few people put into my life, sometimes just letting me know that they believed in me. This goes a long way and makes the world a better place!

I am sure there are other aspects of a successful life, but these are the simple ones that you can begin to apply today. Remember, you can work and become a success, and I encourage you to do so, but don't forget to live a successful life as

Monday, December 17, 2007