Ever wonder how some people seem born with an inner confidence? Don't worry, experts say it can be cultivated
IT IS IDENTIFIED as the ultimate key to happiness, the door to success, the path to healthy relationships, the essential component of personal fulfillment, and the ingredient for eliminating toxic ones. What is this very important 'it' ? 'It ' is self-esteem. According to the National Council for Self-esteem in Sacramento, California, self-esteem is 'the feeling that you are worthy of happiness and capable of managing life's challenges.' For many, self-esteem is an elusive ingredient, Yet psychologists universally agree that it can be cultivated by anyone. Here are eight steps to greater self-esteem.
1) TAKE A PERSONAL INVENTORY
When Philadelphia psychiatrist and author, Donald L Nathanson counsels patients struggling with low self-esteem, he urges them to make an exhaustive list of their positives, large and small. Are you a hard worker? Are you a loyal friend? Can you operate a VCR?
Nathanson advises patients to consult the list as soon as something goes wrong- a missed promotion, a lost love, or any other emotional setback. '"That way you an isolate the event," he explains. "You can see it as a specific experience, not something that defines your whole life."
2) THINK OPTIMISTICALLY
Optimistic thinking is a sure-fire way of creating an upward cycle, moving from one success to another. Consider 14 year-old swimmer, Shane Gould. When a reporter at a swim meet in the United States asked her how she thought she would do, Shane replied: " I have a feeling there will be a world record set today." She went on to set two world records in the 100m and 200m freestyle events.
Later Gould was asked how she thought she would fare in the more gruelling 400m event. Smiling, Shane replied: " I get stronger with every race, and besides, my parents promised that they'd take me to Disneyland if I win, and we're leaving tomorrow!" She left for Disneyland with three world records.
3) MEET A CHALLENGE AND CONQUER IT
In 1970. former Olympic skier, Jimmie Heugahe was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). At the time, the standard medical wisdom was the MS patients should live non-physical lives. Huega reluctantly accepted the prescription of a quiet life. But after four inactive years, he felt worse. Fearing further physical and mental deterioration, Huega devised his own treatment plan, " one in which I, not the disease. took charge," he says. Huega began cycling and swimming. Within as few months he felt healthier than he had been in four years. Subsequent studies confirmed what Huega experienced: Rather than speeding up deterioration, exercise can strengthen and energise MS patients, physically and emotionally.
4) SET HIGHER GOALS
Give yourself the benefit of any doubt by telling yourself you can achieve more. "Strive to a higher position in life." says minister Robert H. Schuller in his book Self-love. "Why not ? You'll prove that you've got more on the ball than you thought... Through honest hard work and sincere dedication, you can rise higher on the social or economic scale than you are now."
5) LEARN SOMETHING NEW
The least fulfilled people are those who are not growing. Learning something new builds confidence because it forces you to push the boundaries, expanding the mind an spirit. "It's a mistake to think that once you're done with school you need never learn anything new," declares actress Sophia Loren.
"So if you find that you need glasses, get a little pain in your knee, notice a few brown spots on your hands, don't despair. There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love.
6) EXERCISE REGULARLY
Consistent moderate exercise not only controls weight, it strengthens the heart, lowers cholesterol, reduces stress and improves circulation. It also lifts the spirit considerably. Select a physical activity that you enjoy such as walking, jogging, cycling or swimming. Then do it faithfully at least three times a week.
7) DEMONSTRATE GOODWILL
Work to make the world around you a kinder place. You will feel good while improving the quality of life of other. "These days, we tend to forget acts of kindness toward others," observes Bruce A Baldwin, a psychologist from North Carolina. "Offer your seat on a bus to an elderly person, or wave another car through when you have the right of way. You'll feel an inner glow knowing that your small act has made a difference.
8) ACT HAPPY
The saying, "Fake it until you make it" has a great truth. A key step to greater self-esteem is simply to adopt the stance of being a confident person who is totally comfortable in life. Like an actor, you can grow into a role. This is advice offered by Wayne W. Dyer in his book Real Magic: Creating Miracles in Everyday Life.
"Act the part that you want to play. Go right out and without ever telling anyone else that you're really a quaking, shivering mass of jelly inside, just act confidently in a given situation where no one knows you. In that present moment of your life, you are the new, miraculous, self-confident person,"
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What a school drop out can do ?
Our goal is to provide you a bit of inspiration and motivation . This month, we would like to introduce Li Ka Shing, the richest person of Chinese descent in the world, a self-made billionaire with a humble beginning.
Born: July 29, 1928, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Age: 79
Residence: Hong Kong , Hong Kong, Asia & Australia
Occupation: Chairman, Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa
Fortune: Self made
Net worth: $23.0 billion USD (2007)
Website: http://www.ckh.com.hk/eng
Education: High School Drop Out
He was 12 years old in 1940 when his family fled the Japanese invasion of China. Within three years of their arrival in Hong Kong, his father had died. Li was forced to leave school before the age of 15 to support the family and found a job in a plastics trading company where he labored 16 hours a day.
In 1949, after learning how to operate a plant, Li start his own company, Cheung Kong Industries, with funds borrowed from family, friends and contacts he cultivated as a top-tier salesman.
In 1958, unable to renew the lease for his company, Li was forced to purchase and develop a site by himself. This would be the first of many investments in real estate. Li was diligent in bidding for land and his strategy was to avoid debt by raising capital before building.
By the 1960s Cheung Kong had transformed into a property development and management company. The company, renamed Cheung Kong Holdings in 1971, had its initial public offering in 1972. By 1979 Li was Hong Kong's largest private landlord.
Through hard work, and a reputation for remaining true to his internal moral compass, he was able to build a business empire. Most accounts described Li as personally unpretentious and frugal, leading a modest lifestyle that reflected his respect for traditional Chinese values.
When people ask him if he considered himself lucky, Li's response was "No, I wasn't lucky. I worked hard to achieve the goals I set for myself."
Last, we would like to conclude his story with one of his inspirational quotes:
“Vision is perhaps our greatest strength... it has kept us alive to the power and continuity of thought through the centuries, it makes us peer into the future and lends shape to the unknown.”
Born: July 29, 1928, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Age: 79
Residence: Hong Kong , Hong Kong, Asia & Australia
Occupation: Chairman, Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa
Fortune: Self made
Net worth: $23.0 billion USD (2007)
Website: http://www.ckh.com.hk/eng
Education: High School Drop Out
He was 12 years old in 1940 when his family fled the Japanese invasion of China. Within three years of their arrival in Hong Kong, his father had died. Li was forced to leave school before the age of 15 to support the family and found a job in a plastics trading company where he labored 16 hours a day.
In 1949, after learning how to operate a plant, Li start his own company, Cheung Kong Industries, with funds borrowed from family, friends and contacts he cultivated as a top-tier salesman.
In 1958, unable to renew the lease for his company, Li was forced to purchase and develop a site by himself. This would be the first of many investments in real estate. Li was diligent in bidding for land and his strategy was to avoid debt by raising capital before building.
By the 1960s Cheung Kong had transformed into a property development and management company. The company, renamed Cheung Kong Holdings in 1971, had its initial public offering in 1972. By 1979 Li was Hong Kong's largest private landlord.
Through hard work, and a reputation for remaining true to his internal moral compass, he was able to build a business empire. Most accounts described Li as personally unpretentious and frugal, leading a modest lifestyle that reflected his respect for traditional Chinese values.
When people ask him if he considered himself lucky, Li's response was "No, I wasn't lucky. I worked hard to achieve the goals I set for myself."
Last, we would like to conclude his story with one of his inspirational quotes:
“Vision is perhaps our greatest strength... it has kept us alive to the power and continuity of thought through the centuries, it makes us peer into the future and lends shape to the unknown.”
Friday, January 21, 2011
12 Good thoughts
. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
2. Love is when you take away the feeling, the passion, and the romance in a relationship and find out that you still care for that person.
3. When the door of happiness closes, another opens but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
4. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.
5. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
6. There are things you'd love to hear that you would never hear from the person who you would like to hear from, but don't be so deaf as not to hear it from the one who says it from their heart.
7. Don't go for looks, they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, in the end it fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
8. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
9. A careless word may kindle strife, a cruel word may wreck a life, a timely word may level stress, a loving word may heal and bless.
10. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
11. Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.
12. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches..
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
2. Love is when you take away the feeling, the passion, and the romance in a relationship and find out that you still care for that person.
3. When the door of happiness closes, another opens but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
4. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.
5. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
6. There are things you'd love to hear that you would never hear from the person who you would like to hear from, but don't be so deaf as not to hear it from the one who says it from their heart.
7. Don't go for looks, they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, in the end it fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
8. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
9. A careless word may kindle strife, a cruel word may wreck a life, a timely word may level stress, a loving word may heal and bless.
10. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
11. Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.
12. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches..
2. Love is when you take away the feeling, the passion, and the romance in a relationship and find out that you still care for that person.
3. When the door of happiness closes, another opens but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
4. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.
5. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
6. There are things you'd love to hear that you would never hear from the person who you would like to hear from, but don't be so deaf as not to hear it from the one who says it from their heart.
7. Don't go for looks, they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, in the end it fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
8. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
9. A careless word may kindle strife, a cruel word may wreck a life, a timely word may level stress, a loving word may heal and bless.
10. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
11. Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.
12. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches..
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
2. Love is when you take away the feeling, the passion, and the romance in a relationship and find out that you still care for that person.
3. When the door of happiness closes, another opens but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
4. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.
5. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
6. There are things you'd love to hear that you would never hear from the person who you would like to hear from, but don't be so deaf as not to hear it from the one who says it from their heart.
7. Don't go for looks, they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, in the end it fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
8. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
9. A careless word may kindle strife, a cruel word may wreck a life, a timely word may level stress, a loving word may heal and bless.
10. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
11. Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.
12. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches..
A Million Dollar Lesson
A cab driver taught me a million dollar lesson in customer satisfaction and expectation. Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars to impart his kind of training to corporate executives and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.
I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up. The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me was for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy. Well! I looked around for a "Candid Camera!" Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, "Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell."
"You bet," he replied, "I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be. I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day's work and done it well. I evaluate my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver. One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer's expectations! I like both the sound and the return of being 'great' better than just getting by on 'average'"
Did I tip him big time? You bet! Corporate America's loss is the travelling folk's friend!
I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up. The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me was for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy. Well! I looked around for a "Candid Camera!" Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, "Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell."
"You bet," he replied, "I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be. I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day's work and done it well. I evaluate my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver. One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer's expectations! I like both the sound and the return of being 'great' better than just getting by on 'average'"
Did I tip him big time? You bet! Corporate America's loss is the travelling folk's friend!
Making A Difference - M A D
Make a Difference
A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along he began to see another man in the distance.
As he grew nearer he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.
As our friend approached even closer he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up onto the beach, and one at a time, he was throwing them back into the ocean.
The first man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good Evening Friend, I was wondering what are you doing?" And he replied, "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they will die from the lack of oxygen."
"I understand," my friend replied "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach and you couldn't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many and don't you realize that this is happening on hundreds of beaches up and down this coast ... can't you see that that you can't possibly make a difference?
The local native smiled, bent down, picked up yet another starfish ... and as he threw it back out into the sea, he replied, "It made a difference to that one!"
You may feel like you cannot make a difference in the world today, but you CAN make a difference in one life at a time.
A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along he began to see another man in the distance.
As he grew nearer he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.
As our friend approached even closer he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up onto the beach, and one at a time, he was throwing them back into the ocean.
The first man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good Evening Friend, I was wondering what are you doing?" And he replied, "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they will die from the lack of oxygen."
"I understand," my friend replied "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach and you couldn't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many and don't you realize that this is happening on hundreds of beaches up and down this coast ... can't you see that that you can't possibly make a difference?
The local native smiled, bent down, picked up yet another starfish ... and as he threw it back out into the sea, he replied, "It made a difference to that one!"
You may feel like you cannot make a difference in the world today, but you CAN make a difference in one life at a time.
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