Life Skills

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and  sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but ...it landed on another lady in the group. Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out of the restaurant. Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach  responsible for their histrionic behavior? If so, the

It's up to you to make choices that work best for you. It really is all within your point of view. Regret is a matter of perspective. If you like who you are NOW, it follows that you can embrace, without regret, all the choices that led you here.  Difficulties impact me—they do not define me. Challenges mold me—they do not make me. Praise may encourage me—it is my own vision that inspires me. Success may spur me on but it is my own reward that satisfies me. Pain may permeate but my heart and hope prevail. Criticism and pettiness may knock but the lock is on my side of the door. Abundance may pave the road but it is generosity that lights the way. As long as I'm breathin'—I'm livin'. My way. Beginning every fresh moment—now! Source: simple truths promotional mail

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops-a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well. At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on.  Six feet height, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground.  He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't need to pay!" and sat down at the back. Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was.! Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it. The next day the same thing happened-Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down.  And the next day, and the one after that and so forth.! This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him. Finally he could stand it no longer.  He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that goo

-------------------------------------- The story is told of a woman who bought a parrot to keep her company, but she returned it the next day. *“This bird doesn't talk,”* she told the owner. *”Does he have a mirror in his cage?”* he asked. *“Parrots love mirrors. They see their reflection and start a conversation.”* The woman bought a mirror and left. The next day she returned; the bird still wasn't talking. *"How about a ladder? Parrots love ladders.The happy parrot is a talkative parrot.”* The woman bought a ladder and left. But the next day, she was back. *“Does your parrot have a swing? No? Well, that’s the problem. Once he starts swinging, he’ll talk up a storm.”* The woman reluctantly bought a swing and left. When she walked into the store the next day, her countenance had changed. *“The parrot died,”* she said. The pet store owner was shocked. *“I’m so sorry. Tell me, did he ever say anything?”* he asked. *“Yes, right before it died,”* the woman replied

Responding is the constructive approach in any situation. Responding is taking the situation in, and deciding the best course of action based on values such as reason, compassion, cooperation, etc. Just think of the last time you were in deep thought about your plans for the evening while driving home from work. As you pull into your driveway you wonder to yourself, "How did I get home?" The car seemed to practically drive itself. Driving is a relatively complex task, requiring many choices along the way—turn right, turn left, slow down, stop, change lanes. Still, driving home can be successfully performed almost subconsciously. So, consider the multitude of much smaller choices we make each day that we don't really think about: waking up, brushing our teeth, saying "good morning" to a colleague, eating our lunch, performing a repetitive job duty, and so on. Subconscious actions are useful most of the time, but we must also consciously choose our attitude to c

*At the age of 4 years ...* *Success is.....* That you do not urinate in your pants, *At the age of 8 years ...* *Success is.....* To know the way back home. *At the age of 12 years,* *success is........* To have friends. *At the age of 18 years,* *success is.......* To get a driver's license. *At the age of 23 years,* *success is.......* To graduate from a university. *At the age of 25 years,* *success is........* To get a job *At the age of 30 years,* *success is........* To be a family Man. *At the age of 35 years,* *success is........* To make money. *At the age of 45 years,* *success is.......* To maintain the appearance of a young man. *At the age of 50 years,* *success is.......* To provide good education for your children. *At the age of 55 years,* *success is...* To still be able to perform your duties well. *At the age of 60 years,* *success......* To still be able to keep driving license *At the age of 65 years,* *success is.......* To live witho

Hearing criticism can be hard, especially in a professional capacity. But learning to deal with criticism is also a very useful life skill.  In a broader sense criticism is the expression of disapproval of someone or something on the basis of perceived faults or mistakes. Criticism can be either constructive or destructive. Constructive criticism is designed to show you where you went wrong, but also help you to improve. Destructive criticism is often malicious, although it can also be the result of thoughtlessness.  Constructive criticism is the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one. The purpose of constructive criticism is to improve the outcome. You can use both constructive and destructive criticism in one of two ways: as a way to learn, or to reduce your self-esteem and effectiveness. The first is, fairly obviously, more positive

Each one of us are born genius. It is true if you believe in the power of your own self. The secret of success most of the times lies in our attitudes. Eric Thomas quotes this in a very fascinating way ' When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful'. There is a very motivating story about Edward Lorenz an MIT meteorologist who tried to explain why it is so hard to make good weather forecasts. In 1963, Edward Lorenz presented a hypothesis to the New York Academy of Science. His theory stated simply, was that: A butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, in turn moving more molecules of air—eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet. Lorenz and his ideas were literally laughed out of the conference. What he had proposed was ridiculous. It was preposterous. But it was fascinating! Therefore, because of the idea’s charm and intrigue, the so-call

Psychologists tell us that some people are inner-directed and some are other-directed. Inner-directed: That is, some people focus on their own internal guidance system for making choices about how to spend their time and energy. Their own self-interest ranks very high on their list of priorities. “What’s best for me?” is a key guiding principle in determining where they focus their attention and how they make day-to-day decisions. Other-directed: And some people are other-directed, which means that their primary focus is external, not internal. They are primarily concerned with relationships, especially people they care about. “How can I help others?” is a key question in how they spend their time and energy. Building and nurturing relationships with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers is the guiding principle in their lives. Research indicates that, in general, men tend to be more inner-directed, while women tend to be more other-directed. There are exceptions

In day to day engagements people involve themselves with multiple tasks which require knowledge, communication skills, negotiation skills, critical thinking and so on. We all agree that at some level we need just a common sense and at sometimes we need intelligence. Is intelligence one thing or many? Is it modifiable or not? Is it inherited or is it environmental?  (Sternber, 1996) . Generally, we consider IQ to be more powerful and important than EQ. But research suggests that both are vital. In dealing with intelligence, Itard found that intelligence, while a given, developed by having the appropriate experiences at the right time of development  (Gutek, N.D) . What is Intelligence Quotient (IQ)? IQ in general, is an assessment of an ability to think and reason. IQ score is a standardized way of comparing this ability with the majority of people the same age as we are. A score of 100 means that compared to these people in your general age group that you have basically

An excerpt from The Power of Discipline by Brian Tracy Why are some people more successful than others? Why do some people make more money, live happier lives and accomplish much more in the same number of years than the great majority? I started out in life with few advantages. I did not graduate from high school. I worked at menial jobs. I had limited education, limited skills and a limited future. And then I began asking, "Why are some people more successful than others?" This question changed my life. Over the years, I have read thousands of books and articles on the subjects of success and achievement. It seems that the reasons for these accomplishments have been discussed and written about for more than two thousand years, in every conceivable way. One quality that most philosophers, teachers and experts agree on is the importance of self-discipline. As Al Tomsik summarized it years ago, "Success is tons of discipline." Some years ago, I attended a conf

An excerpt from An Enemy Called Average by John Mason All successful people are faithful in the small things. There is power in taking small steps. Many people are not moving forward today simply because they were not willing to take the small step placed before them. If you have a dream to go into any particular area, you should leap at the opportunity—no matter how small—to move in the direction of your dream. For example: if you dream of being a college basketball coach and are sitting at home waiting for an invitation from Roy Williams at North Carolina University, you should know that call will never come. You need to find an opportunity to coach somewhere, anywhere. Find a young person, a young team. Jump in and coach with all of your heart, like you would if you were coaching at the highest level. Don't be afraid to take small steps . There's something powerful about momentum...no matter how small. Many times the impossible is simply the untried. I can remember a t

Thought is an idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly in the mind. It is the action or process of thinking. There are two types of thoughts; positive thoughts and negative thoughts. The positive thoughts motivate you, energizes you and others around you. And negative thoughts demotivate you, hinders you to take new challenges and builds fear within you. The below article from Henri discusses 'how to over come negative thoughts'. Click to read full article from Henri If unable to open, paste the below link to your browser. http://www.wakeupcloud.com/how-to-stop-negative-thoughts/

Change is you: -         -   Believe in yourself. -          -  Be the change you wish to see in the world. -          -  Be just before you are generous. -          -  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. -          -  Better yourself before others. -          -  Brains are better than brawn (physical force). -          -  Clothes don’t make the man. -          -  Don’t find fault, find a remedy. -          -  Honesty is the best policy. -          -  Without kindness there can be no true joy. -          -  When life’s path is steep (tough), keep your mind even (smooth). Wisdom, knowledge and Education: -         -   Character building begins in infancy and continues until death. -          -  Wisdom is to live in the present, plan for the future, and profit from the past. -          -  Wisdom is easy to carry but difficult to gather. -          -  A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. -          -  A wise man turns chan