James Smith’s Info Serv

I believe there are 4 essential steps you must take if you want to succeed with any project. A project is anything that requires a plan. It can be simple like making a plan to go to a movie, or could be complicated like setting up an Internet business. But simple or not, if you want your project to succeed you need to take the these four steps:

Step 1 Picture the Purpose. Before you start any project you need to ask yourself what you really want. This might sound obvious, but it is amazing the number of people who don’t know what they really want when they start a project.

When you have answered that question you then need to ask yourself why you want what you want. This is very important as many people want something but don’t really know why they want it. In the case of the movie your answer might be that your favourite star is in it. To the Internet business you might answer that you want to work from home so you can spend more time with your family.

Step 2 Plan the Procedure. Once you have found the answers to the questions above you then need to ask yourself how you can get what you want. The best way to answer this question is to imagine you already have what you want!
Read the rest of this entry »

Listen: Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Cast your mind back: When was the last time someone really listened to you and how did that make you feel? Satisfied? Delighted? Euphoric? You might not have to think too far back for this one: When was the last time someone didn’t listen to you? How did that make you feel? Annoyed? Frustrated? Exasperated?

Have you ever been semi-engaged in a conversation with someone who is constantly looking over your shoulder for the next best person to talk to? When you listen to someone by giving them your undivided attention, without butting in or going one better, you impart the silent, priceless gift, of being heard.

Good listeners zoom in on their subject to the extent that everyone and everything else is excluded. Consider the converse: when a camera focuses on the background, the foreground subject becomes blurred.

Listening demands concentration. And when you really listen you often hear what’s not being said. Tone of voice often speaks louder than words.
Read the rest of this entry »

Growing up can be really tough for adolescents in the United States. The media portrays perfect celebrities which many children feel dwarfed by, causing them to experience a poor self image. In this article, we’ll be discussing some of the risks faced by those who are growing up in this time where perfection is pushed upon us 24 hours a day.

A poor body image is faced by many adolescents in America. This can be due to numerous reasons, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and weight issues. America is facing an obesity epidemic due to much of the junk-food that has permeated our culture. More children are obese in America right now then there ever have been in it’s history. Add that to the fact that the media glorifies low weight, and you end up with a result of a child who doesn’t like the skin that they are in. While often more in the spotlight, women aren’t the only ones who have a poor body image. Both men and women can be affected emotionally by their state of being. Approximately 5 million people in America are estimated to have an eating disorder due to poor body image.
Read the rest of this entry »

Is it possible that your own empathy can hurt you? Under certain circumstances empathy may get in your way and cause you unimaginable pain. This roadblock may have a direct impact on you being seriously injured or killed. Yep, spousal murders are just one example. Something can be done if we only knew.

When your brain processes information that involves others it has a natural ability to include in its analysis for action a projection of another’s feelings. This projected analysis may restrain or encourage action for someone else’s benefit. This is your empathy at work and it takes conscious effort not to follow the produced desire for action or inaction.

Haven’t taken a complete population survey, but I would guess that most of us have done something that put into motion a painful outcome that was felt by another. Your action, whether through words or body movement, caused someone harm. My next guess is that when you discovered your part in the causation of pain, guilt was your minds reaction. Who hasn’t heard the plea of one riddle with guilt? Empathy creates this guilt and reasoning changes behavior. So far, so normal.

Now imagine a circumstance where your actions did not cause pain, but another blames you anyway. Anytime you find yourself in a situation where your guilt does not arise out of your own mind - beware.
Read the rest of this entry »

Executive coaching is a common leadership development practice among business leaders all over the world.

Coaching can be defined as “an ongoing relationship that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance and enhance overall quality of life.
A well trained coach is good at facilitating the process of change–helping people make the changes they want for themselves and their organisations. A coach can assist you to face all kinds of challenges and create new ways of thinking.

A coach is trained to “actively hear and discern”, to listen for fears and to see self-defeating beliefs that get in the way of your success.

A coach will brainstorm possible problem-solving approaches with you, challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and hold you accountable to do what you actually should do.

“In a 2001 study of 100 executives, mostly from Fortune 1000 companies, Manchester Inc. found that the average return on investment was almost six times the cost of coaching. Participants report rich learning environments and improvements in decision making, team performance and motivation, and highly recommended coaching.”

Executive, Business Leader, Entrepreneur - you owe yourself this powerful way of personal mastery.

About the Author:

Nico Liebenberg is a Psychologist that is also the CEO of the international Organisation Development company called Dust. Dust specialises in Organisation development, corporate training and Executive coaching. Nico is currently busy with his PhD in Consulting Psychology.