Self Esteem Is Important. How's Yours?

Self-Esteem: The Enamel of Sucess By Cathy Warschaw

We all experience pride in ourselves when we earn a good grade on an exam or reach a personal goal. In fact, the ability to take pleasure in our achievements is a big reason why we continue to pursue our dreams and take risks. This pride and pleasure we experience is called self-esteem and it is very important to reaching our career goals.

The definition of self-esteem is basically when you have confidence and satisfaction in your own skills and abilities, and it is usually achieved through experiences of personal success. Self-esteem helps you to cope with difficult challenges when they arise and gives you the faith to overcome them.

Self-esteem is critical to your career success. You need lots of it at all stages of your career – whether it’s for a job search, as a new employee, working with others, or dealing with stress and deadlines. If you’re like most people, you may wonder if you’ve got enough self-esteem to reach your career goals. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to build and strengthen your self-worth.

To begin with, create a plan where you can get daily exercise and eat a balanced diet of healthy foods. Maintaining care and respect for your body also has benefits for your mind and promotes healthy thoughts about your self-worth.

Remember to engage in activities that are fun and meaningful to you. Participate regularly in a hobby that you enjoy or perhaps volunteer at an animal shelter if you’re fond of furry creatures. Nurturing your interests is a great way to remind yourself of what’s important to you.

Reward yourself for your achievements by celebrating with friends, getting a massage, or offering a kind word of praise to yourself. Every time you recognize a success, you are building a stronger trust and support system within yourself.

Create a list of successes that you can refer to in times of self-doubt. This is a wonderful way to stay in touch with your inner strength and reinforce your ability to overcome obstacles.

Lastly, forgive yourself when things don’t quite turn out like you expected; being critical of your efforts only serves to chip away at self-esteem. Release any feelings of guilt or shame to make room for poise and confidence.

Using these steps to build and strengthen your self-esteem takes practice and dedication, but the results are well worth your efforts. Your self-esteem is your most valuable asset in reaching your goal of a rewarding career in the dental field – so fixodent and forget it!

Copyright 2005 by Warschaw Learning Institute
Written by Cathy Warschaw, Director of the Warschaw Learning Institute the leading online dental office training among today's dental professionals, adults changing careers and high school seniors. Contact http://www.warschawlearninginstitute.com or 323-822-0917

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cathy_Warschaw

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Time Management - Schedule Some Downtime For Yourself

I had a nice break earlier today. I watched the movie Independence Day with Will Smith. After being inspired (as this movie always does), I thought about how taking breaks make me more productive, even with the downtime.

It is important that you take time for yourself. Whether it's exercising, reading a book, or watching a movie you want to see. Studies even show that exercising each day can make you more productive and teach you how to manage your time better. After all,you probably have to fit that exercise in somewhere, right?

If you only can take a small portion of time, do it for yourself. Make sure you work your downtime for yourself in between pressing deadlines or major projects at work. We can get totally carried away sometimes.

In your life there are many different areas we all need to maintain balance with. You have health, financial, family, spiritual, social, professional, and intellect. You do not have to spend equal amounts of time at each day, but make sure each gets it's appropriate share of time.

Take care of each in it's own time. When one of these areas is neglected, it can cause difficulties in other parts of your life, and distract your focus from your real goals.

If you neglect your health, then you and your family can suffer. Neglecting your financial problems can make it difficult for you to concentrate in other areas.

Neglecting your time for yourself can prevent you from re-energizing. So stay balanced. Schedule time just for you, whatever personal acitivities that may include.

See your next time.

Time Management Productivity Musts

Time Management Tips - Deadlines And Priorities

These are two of the most important things to plan when setting goals. Setting Deadlines and Priorities enable you to achieve greater productivity. You wouldn't believe how many people miss this. Or . . . maybe you would. GRINS.

Whether you are trying to achieve a personal or work related goal, you will need to make a few decisions.

First, decide the beginning and finishing dates for each goal. In that time frame, you need to allow yourself planning and time management. Always take into consideration the end result and the time it will take you to achieve it.

If it's a large, long term project, plan accordingly. Set certain times to accomplish different portions or milestones of your goal. This will help you figure out how much more committed time is needed.

When there are several projects you need to get done, write them down and prioritize which ones are the most important, which ones need to be done first, so your plan runs smoothly to completion.

Stick to the plan and try not to fall back into old habits that didn't work for you previously. Do the most complicated or hardest ones first when you have the most energy. You will find that as the days go on, the smaller targets seem to complete faster because the jobs may seem easier.

So, two very important things that will determine how well your goal setting program progresses: Prioritize and Set Deadlines for yourself.

See you next time.

Do You Always Feel Like Doing It?

Sometimes I run up against this challenge of not following through on my tasks because I have changed my mind set since I wrote up my goals. (poor decision making probably at fault here)

Goals are tremendously exciting and stimulating at the time of writing them up, but sometimes my feelings change somewhere in between setting them and actually taking action on them. Could this be a fairly common challenge in people who are living their dream?

What Do You Do When You Don't Feel Like Doing It? (following your plan, taking action, etc.) You know, at those times when your negative self talk is overwhelming the positive feelings you had previously.

When you now keep saying you really should, all the while dreading and knowing in your heart that it will probably never happen for you, even though it needs to happen in order for you to realize your goal.

That haunting feeling that creeps in knowing you will not want to complete your plan as scheduled because you probably won't want to actually do what is required. Because you had been here before, and you didn't follow through on it that time either. That reluctance you began to feel even as you wrote it on your to do list.

Common examples might be: consistently exercising for fitness, following eating plans for weight loss, or salespeople making prospecting calls, etc. (I remember the last one being particularly challenging in the past).

Have you ever felt those feelings? I sure have, and I’m guessing that just about anyone challenging themselves with tough goals has them from time to time too.

What do you do when you can't seem to bring yourself to that action threshold which separates doing it from not doing it? What holds you back? What spurs you on?

Is it real or imagined? Can you control it? Is it fear (insert your specific fear here), lack of knowledge, low motivation or I hate to say this but laziness? (I don’t think there are any lazy people, just those lacking motivation.)

How do you get yourself to follow through when you overcome this reluctance in other things? What is the difference for you when you do it and when you don’t?

I’m sure there have been times that you would rather have been anywhere else, but you took action anyway. You did overcome the reluctance and everything went according to plan because you made a decision that this was important to blast through and get it done. And so you did.

So, what did you do to change your mind from not wanting to do it, to actually getting it done? (I’m thinking that an English major could pick this apart because of all the bad grammar, but so what?)

Some strategies I use to shift my mental state or attitude for taking action are:

Affirming my Power. Affirmations.
Asking myself better or different Questions.
Changing my Physiology. (Posture)
Use Momentum. Just start.
Increasing it’s Importance (making it non negotiable)
Renew my Commitment. Make it public.
Making it Fun or Exciting.
Break it into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Changing or resetting my goal deadline.
Calling a Mentor.

Are you using any other strategies that are working well for you? I’d really like to hear how others are consistently solving this all too common challenge. Anyone up for a discussion on how they have gone about overcoming this particular problem? Or how others could model what you are doing?

Al Smith
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Are You A Positive Thinker? Test Yourself!

Self-Improvement - How to Tell If You Are a Positive Thinker? Take This Test! By B. K. Smith

Self-improvement requires adjusting your attitude and becoming a positive thinker. You've probably heard that statement a hundred times before. And it is true.

"If you are going to think: Think big." - Donald Trump

In fact, as you practice using positive thinking, you will find that things begin to change for you. Sometimes the change is so gradual you don't notice anything at all, until one day someone else points out that you seem different. They may ask if you've gotten a new outfit, changed your hair, lost weight, or started dating someone new?

Tapping into positive thinking not only makes you happier, it also makes you more attractive; the kind of person others want to be around. There are some common signs of positively charged people.

How to Tell if You Are a Positive Thinker?

Check out the following list to see if any of these sound familiar, and help gauge your progress and see what you have to look forward to.

You Know You're on the Right Track When:

1.) Your long drive to work flew by so fast, you questioned why it ever bothered you in the first place.

2.) You spent twenty-two minutes waiting in line at the bank, on your half hour lunch break, and your day wasn't ruined and your life didn't end.

3.) The gas station attendant gives you the wrong amount of change back; you point it out with a friendly smile and he happily corrects the mistake.

4.) The long awaited repair part for your vehicle finally arrived at the dealership after two weeks on back-order, only to discover it was the wrong size. You are so patient and understanding about the mistake, when the dealership calls, they give you a significant discount on the repair service.

5.) Throughout the day, when you catch a reflection of yourself in a mirror, you're smiling and you don't think you look like an ugly duckling.

6.) You don't hear the timer go off and dinner in the oven gets burnt to a crisp, yet somehow you quickly throw something together that turns out better than you originally planned.

7.) Unexpectedly you find yourself with generous free time on your hands, and lots of enjoyable things to do with it, including the energy needed to do them.

8.) You realize the last time you let yourself think "I can't" was while thinking: "I can't believe how blessed I am to have all these wonderful things happening to me!"

Well how did you do? Did you recognize yourself in any of these? Or are you looking forward to the day you do?

Regardless of your current level, a key to keep in mind is that the most positive, powerful, life changing thing you can meditate and think on is the Word of God. In Psalm chapter one it says that those who meditate and obey God's Word are blessed and whatever they do prospers.

Make no mistake about it; positive thinking has the power to change your life. As you continue to use this technique in your life, you will find you don't have to put much effort into achieving what you want. Positive thoughts put the law of attraction into motion and begin to manifest abundant success in your life.

May your thoughts be positive and your life full of growing prosperity!

And now, get a free life changing "How to Attract Prosperity" download. Plus enjoy Christian and self-improvement resources along with motivational videos. Check this out: http://www.GrowingProsperity.com

B.K. Smith seeks to provide resources to help you prosper in all areas of life - including your spirit, soul, body, finances, and relationships.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=B._K._Smith
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We have a FREE Ebook version of "The Power Of Setting Goals" available among many other free reports on our Free Ebooks And Reports section of the RGG Ezines page. Just scroll down and download it FREE.

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• First The Mission Statement Then Goals That Align
  
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• 6 Goal Setting Mistakes Not To Make In Your Planning

Goal Setting Tip - Do You Have A Solid Plan Of Action?

Goal Setting and Planning - Steps to Success
Guest Author - Kenneth Wallin

I was sitting around the home office this afternoon, and I got to thinking about goal setting. I wonder why more folks don't set goals? That was my internal question for the day. And some thoughts surfaced, and I wanted to share some of these thoughts with you. Plus, I will also take a few moments to write about a phenomenal goal setting technique that every leader ought to use.

Perhaps the reason most folks don't set goals is they just honestly don't know how. So, let's think about that for a bit. Setting goals is a step oriented process. (Yep, it really is a 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... process.) In fact we can reduce it to a few simple steps just to make it easy and something any leader can do right away.

Step one is the hardest step in the whole goal setting process. Whether you are a team leader, or you are just setting personal goals for your own life, you must have some idea of the outcome you seek. There is a common little ditty that describes this step, and it goes like this, "A fellow goes to the airport and gets in line at the ticket counter. He gets to the front of the line and says to the Agent, 'I want to buy a ticket.' The Agent asks, 'Where would you like to go, Sir?' The fellow replies, 'I don't know, I just want to buy a ticket.'"

Now, you ask, what does this mean? Simply put, you cannot buy a ticket (set a goal) until you have decided where you are going (an outcome).

So, first you figure out the outcome you desire to accomplish. It may be something like, start a business, or buy a car, or set up a Forex trading account. Whatever that final outcome you want to have happen is the first thing you must decide. (You're not done yet.) Having done that step you must get going on the next step.

Step two is a bit easier, but not simple. You must determine the timetable for reaching your goal. It is important to do this, so you can understand the level of effort you must commit to accomplishing the goal. (While we are thinking about it, you do understand the outcome goal is supported by both short term and intermediate term goals, don't you?

Short term goals are the activities you must accomplish right away either because they are foundational for your outcome goal, or they are easier and will establish progress for the team. Intermediate goals are those that require foundation to accomplish, or are probably going to take more time to accomplish.)

If you are thinking of trying to get a business started within the next quarter, you will need to think about a lot more time and resource investment to realize the outcome you seek. If you are thinking about a getting that business going by the end of next year, well, you can plan for less stress on your time and wallet as you set about the process. (It may amount to the same resource investment in the end, but will be less incrementally on your wallet if you have more time to accomplish the outcome.)

Step three is the committing of the process to writing. (You knew that was coming, didn't you?) You can do this by setting up a formal business plan, or just writing some of the activities you need to accomplish either in the short term, or later (those are intermediate goals) on a pad of paper (for now).

I am a big supporter of starting with a pad of paper and writing out with my pencil (not a pen) some of the things I need to do to get there. For purposes of discussion let's say you are opening a business, and here are some questions you might need to answer.

Is it a virtual (on the Internet), or is it a bricks & mortar (in the real world) business? What are your products, and where will they come from? Will there be a team of employees needed, or is this a one-person home-based business? As you can tell, this is not hard, it is however detailed. Just think through the "things" needed, and then prioritize them according to whether you need them now, or later.

Step four is pretty simple. Formalize the whole thing into a plan. I like to use Microsoft Project for this step as Microsoft Project has some really good templates you can use to build your plan.

Now, you do not have to use this application, but whatever tool you choose make sure you have these elements included; Initiation, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing.

Initiating is, simply put, determining what the outcome is, whether a team is needed, and when the process will begin.

Planning is the critical step of figuring out all the short term, intermediate, and coordinating goals (activities) necessary to reach the outcome, and committing that whole set of activities to writing,

Executing is the step where you (and the team if you have one) go get the whole thing going.

Controlling is keeping track of what is getting done, and what is going not so well (and letting the team know, as necessary).

Closing is the step where you let everyone know the outcome has been reached (and make a written report, if required).

Here is the most important thing I can tell you ... and I want you to pay close attention to this ... PRESS GO when you get the plan developed.

What this means is simply this. When you have gotten your goal established and a plan of action developed to accomplish the goal ... start moving, execute, JUST DO IT.

So many of my clients have a weakness, they cannot just step out, and start work on getting going on a project. So, have a Kickoff Meeting (set a date for it, and put that date in your plan), then push the accelerator, and get going. If you don't start moving on your plan, you will never reach the goal. Do this one thing, and you will have so much more success.

In an upcoming article I will be discussing Stretch Goals, their construction, importance, and all about this neat "secret" to building really effective teams. I hope you will be looking for this article, it will be another valuable skill you can put to use. (It is not a big secret, it just seems a lot of leaders don't use it to full effect and I want to change that.)

Ken Wallin is a retired US Army Officer, and a Senior Project Management Professional. He has more than 35 years leading in both military and consulting positions. He currently is working on his PhD in Business Administration specializing in International Business at Northcentral University. Ken writes about management, leadership, and team building.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_Wallin

From Famished To Famous - A Great Goals Success Story

Here's a great article submitted by The Fire Flies For The Heart
Organization. Enjoy

She's On Her Way!

Eilleen was born in the tiny town of Timmons, Ontario in Canada.
She grew up used to bitter cold and a gnawing stomach. There
were days on end when bread and milk was the entire diet for her
and her 3 younger siblings. She learned to hide her poverty and
hunger from friends at school but it didn't ease the suffering.

About the only thing that could do that was her music. When life
was more than she could handle she would retreat to her bedroom
with her guitar, singing and writing until her fingers ached. The
music fed her soul even while her stomach was growling.

Her talent was recognized early and this little tomboy was shuttled
all over to perform in clubs, bars, and anywhere else they could
get her booked to make some extra money. Yet Eilleen never
really thought music was her future.

When she could no longer stand the poverty she managed to
convince her mother to leave their father and head for Toronto.
The shelter they stayed in for a long time provided the first regular
meals she had ever experienced.

Eilleen got her first job when she was 14, working at a McDonalds.
Later, she spent summers working as the foreman of a dozen-man
reforestation crew in the Canadian bush, where she learned to
wield an axe and handle a chain saw as well as any man. She was
tough because she had to be tough.

Then things got tougher. Both parents were killed in an auto
wreck and suddenly she was the parent to her siblings. She
managed to survive by getting a job singing at a local resort. The
experience was invaluable - giving her exposure to every aspect of
theatrical performance. It prepared her for what was to come.
In 1990, her siblings were grown and 23 year old Eillen was on her
own. The first thing she did was change her first name to an
Ojibway Indian name meaning "I'm on my way".

Shania Twain was indeed on her way. She has turned the world of
Country/Pop music upside down, winning many awards along the
way. Unless you live on another planet, you have probably heard
of her!

One of her songs really sums it up. She has this to say about the
irresistible I'm Gonna Getcha Good! "There is a typical Shania
attitude in the lyric, a definite female confidence. It's all about a
girl who knows what she wants, she not only knows how to get it,
but she's going to get it good."

All of us make a choice everyday how we are going to live our
lives. No one would have been surprised if little Eilleen had simply
become another person sunk in poverty - trapped by the reality of
a hard life.

Shania Twain, however, saw her future differently. She was not
content to stay where she was - determined to pay whatever price
necessary to achieve her dreams. Each hard thing did nothing but
strengthen her resolve and determination, teaching her how to
press through to success!

She learned to do the hard things. She learned how to spot
opportunity in every situation. She learned how to ask for what
she wanted - and just keep asking until she got where she
wanted to be. She learned how to fail, then pick herself back up
and do it again.

As Shania has now shown you the way to success...and now as
you create your own success, remember that you will succeed if
you choose to keep on trying!
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Beyond their magical beauty fireflies have a great lesson for us. Does the energy you expend radiate through the world, lighting the way to all you want in life? Fireflies for the Heart was created to teach you how to glow like the Firefly.