Benefits of Reading - A Look at 7 Effective Points!

                                                             

In as much as reading is a quintessential aspect of life, it's sad to note that many people have given reading a wide berth. This culture has become deeply entrenched so much so that people seem to believe that the best place to hide something is in a book. Reading books can actually become a great habit if people understood and appreciated the wondrous benefits that come with reading. Reading is a habit that needs to be inculcated from a young age. Children need to understand that reading is essential and therefore take up the habit early in life. What are the great benefits of reading? Why is it so important for adults and children alike to develop a culture of reading?

• Reading serves to build great vocabularies

It goes without saying that the only effective way of building your vocabulary is by simply reading and amassing as much knowledge as possible. Building vocabularies in children or adults can easily be achieved if people took to the culture of reading. You get to understand how various vocabularies can be used in a sentence and by so doing amass as much knowledge as possible.

• Improves your spelling

If you have problems with spelling, then the most effective way of getting help with that is by reading regularly. Reading exposes you to how you are supposed to spell various words and also how to use them. If you find yourself bogged by the spelling of certain words, then its advised that you read widely so as to get a clear understanding of how various words are spelled correctly.

• Keeps your mind fresh and sharp

This is probably one of the most important benefits of reading. Amazing knowledge and being current with information requires that you read widely. Reading serves to keep your mind fresh and sharp. It's a good way of grasping and understanding various concepts that concerns different fields.

• Great learning tool

A popular adage holds that if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. This mantra is true in every aspect and the reason why each and every single one of us should take up the culture of reading. Reading serves to educate and impart us with knowledge which we hitherto knew nothing about. It's a great way of learning and staying abreast with issues that are happening across the globe.

• Great stress reliever and relaxer

Believe it or not, reading is actually a great way through which you can relieve stress and even relax during your spare or leisure time. It serves to help you forget about whatever it is that you are going through and simply relax as you immerse yourself fully into the acquisition of knowledge.

• sets a great example for the kids

In order to effectively inculcate the culture of reading in the kids, you need to first lead by example. You cannot tell your children the importance of reading if you yourself find it difficult to read. It's therefore important that you read regularly and set a good example for your kid.

• Strengthens bonds with others

Setting up a book club where you read with friends is an effective way of bonding and having a great time.

In essence, the benefits of reading are many and open up a world of opportunities to not only children but also adults. It's therefore of paramount importance that we inculcate a reading culture in our day to day lives.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7535248

The Power of Choice: Success Starts Now

                                     

For you to start living the life you desire, get into the habit of planning your day the night before - yet always allow room for the unexpected.

Plan tomorrow tonight. That's the first step of the power of choice.

Daily planning and organising your days are critical in developing your successful life.

Some results may seem slow to surface at first, perhaps they may even be unrecognisable to you, but rest assured as you continue to take action the success you have a burning desire for will be yours.

On your great expedition to success, you will come across some things that you will enjoy, some you will see as fun, interesting or entertaining. That's part of the learning process to success.

However, there will be some things that you won't enjoy or even want to do; your inner voice - the voice who is scared of change and progress - will try to stop you. You will have to be stronger than that: thank your inner voice and strive on.

Jim Rohn, a highly respected motivational speaker, once said, "You can't hire someone else to do your push-ups for you." You are going to have to do it.

It's totally up to you now! Just do it, commit to your present and future. You owe it to yourself to do, be, have and become all that you want.

"The obstacles you face are mental barriers that can be broken by adopting a more positive approach." Clarence Blasier

What is the power of choice?

How can you live the life that may exceed your expectations? Is it by choice? Can you choose to live the life you want and live it?

Absolutely!

How do you want your world to be?

Picture it. Imagine it. Dream it. Napoleon Hill's famous quote reads: What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.

If you can conceive your dream, and if you believe in your dream and you believe in your ability to achieve that dream, it's as good as done.

You can have it all if you really want to.

The question is: Do you want it?

How much do you want it?

Are you ready to do whatever it takes to have it?

It's your choice and only yours.

The power of choice - the choices you make will determine the life you live.

Every action has a result. Every choice has its consequences.

Look around you; everything you see, everything in your life at the moment is the result of the choices you have made in the past, and the choices you are currently making.

You always have a choice, whether you want it or not.

In the end it's up to you.

You are responsible for you. You are totally responsible for everything you create in your life, and that responsibility is reflected in the choices that you make.

Can you see what the power of choice can make on your life?

Life can be a wonderful opportunity, full of joy, happiness, wealth, and fulfilment, full of success in every area of your life; from your business or career, to your relationships, to your health, to your wealth - only if you choose it to be.

Again, we come full circle; back to the choices you make.

You always have a choice.

You can choose to stay tucked safely within your comfort zone and have your life remain the same, as it is now, or you can choose to venture out and take part in life, your life, and make it better.

Your choice.

You can choose the power of choice as the easy way out and remain where you are, or you can choose to step up and enjoy what life has to offer.

You're not reading this article because you are happy with the way your life is going, you are reading it because you want a better life, yet you don't know how to get it.

"To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there." - Kofi Annan

Your success starts now.

You have made the choice that enough is enough.

It's time to move on and put forth some real, effective effort to live your life by choice, by design, the exact way you want to. You can now live your successful life as you want it to be.

Take action now so you can live your dream life

And since we are talking about the power of choice, choose not to allow your past to dictate your future; what is gone is gone.

Acknowledge it, learn from it and leave it behind. Move on. Do not dwell on it.

If you spill a drink at a bar, you wipe the spillage or have it wiped, learn not to elbow your drink and move on. Lesson learned. Leave the past behind.

Suppose you sit down now and write a simple plan for your life; for the next three months. Once done, have a look at the plan and begin to see the opportunities as they unfold around you.

You might see people or resources that can start you on the track to success.

You will begin to see people who can support you in your endeavours, you will be at the right place and at the right time, you can unexpectedly get that phone call that will lift your business up several steps.

"If we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently." - Anthony Robbins

Your success has already started. No more excuses!

Practically all your daily actions are the choices that you make. If you choose to be a public speaker, the choices that you make will be geared towards becoming a public speaker.

You choose to attend Toastmaster classes, you choose to purchase products on the subject. You choose to affirm and visualise yourself as a public speaker.

Whether you choose to act or not act to realise your intention, your goal, is a matter of choice, a decision that you make.

An intention that is followed up with committed massive action can have the tremendous power to transform you and your life into something truly spectacular.

There are millions of people alive today who are living their dream lives. They decided to advance their life by setting intentions and utilising the power of choice by choosing to take consistent action to manifest them, one by one.

You, too, can be one of them, no matter how old or young you are.

Success knows no race, creed or sex. It only knows inspired action, commitment, passion, and persistence. You have the ability to create the life that you want and also enrich the world in the process.

Today is your day.

Today you are going to muster your courage to do what you've been aching to do.

From today you will make that unrelenting choice, the unquenchable thirst for setting intentions, the "I will never back down" decision to go forward in your life, to do whatever it takes to claim that success that is rightly yours.

There's no backing down. Today is your day to win!

Success is an expression of your mind. It is a representation of your inner thoughts and beliefs. If you want to change your life, you must change your thinking and your beliefs.

The quality of your life reflects the quality of your thoughts.

"To change who you are, change who you think you are." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Everything starts with an intention - a thought. It all starts in your mind. It all begins by knowing, accepting and understanding that there is another way. The direction that you are heading on now can be changed.

Success is a process that starts with your mind, setting a solid intention, and following it through with consistent massive action, determination and perseverance.

Successful people think about their goals most of the time. As a result, they are continually moving toward their goals and their goals are moving towards them.

No one is better than you and no one is smarter than you.

Everyone who is doing well was once doing poorly. Your life only gets better when you intend it to get better. And since there is no limit to how much better you can become, there is no limit to how much improvement you can make in your life.

Make the power of choice an integral part of your everyday life.

Your choice, your decision to become successful is the turning point in your life.

If you consistently and persistently do the things that other successful people do, there is nothing in the world that can stop you from becoming a big success yourself.

The power of choice may be a massive architect that will allow you to design your destiny, where you will be the master of your fate.

Remember, it is not enough to know about things. You need to practice them - you need to take consistent action.

Do not live life passively, as a spectator.

There is little value for you in doing this.

Be open to experimentation.

Be open to live life through the power of choice. Make the choices that will bring about the success that you desire.

Is your success worth having? Choose it. Name it. Claim it. And it can be yours. It is yours.

"Beyond plants are animals, Beyond animals is man, Beyond man is the universe. The Big Light, Let the Big Light in!" - Jean Toomer

Hani A Al-Qasem is a personal development educator who specialises in the life and success mindset.

Having devoted over 18 years to the study of human potential and personal development, he is committed to inspire, support and motivate people to create a better and more optimistic world for us all to live in.

You can download your copy of Wealth Attraction: How To Reprogram Your Mind For More Money FREE eBook where you can begin the automatic reprogramming of your brain for wealth, success, and abundance, in just six easy steps.

Go here: https://successispredictable.com/

Change your brain change your life - take charge of your life

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10554380

How Can You Come Up With New Ideas?

                                         

Ever wondered how to come up with new ideas for your work projects, assignments, or product sales? This article explains just that. Read on to find out.

Here are a few pointers:

1) Sleep on it.

You may question your creative mind and keep questioning until you fall asleep at night. Your dreams may do the trick and give you ideas on how to solve the problem of your work project or any assignment or sales of products.

2) Keep an open mind

Look around you while you walk or drive. Be in the moment with an open mind. Ideas can come flowing. Before you know, you have in your lap several ideas to choose from.

3) Say a prayer

Take the help of a Higher Power or God or the Universe. Ask for the ideas you need and say why. Make simple statements. Ask questions in the affirmative. Then forget the whole process and get detached. And the Eureka moment will surely hit you in a short while.

4) Meditate

Keep in a no-thought state while you meditate. Be in the moment. Query the Universe about ideas that will help you and the problems you are not able to solve. Meditate for two to fifteen minutes. Keep still and complete your ritual. Later in the day, an avalanche of ideas regarding what you need is sure to come flowing to you.

5) Do a buddies' group discussion

Remember two heads are always better than one. Together discuss and ask questions. Soon enough, you will be bombarded with fresh ideas regarding your problem.

6) Discuss with a mentor

Mentors are always knowledgeable. So, if you have one whom you can call up, do so, discuss, and brainstorm. Surely, you will be flooded with ideas in no time.

7) Converse with your family

If it is some nagging problem that you are unable to come to a solution, discuss with your significant other first, and then call the whole family to the table, talk, and discuss, and something worthy is sure to follow. Yes, there will be a bunch of ideas. Kids' brains also have a way of working out problems. So, I say yes, you will get ideas popping up.

Summing up, these are a few pointers you could use to generate ideas and solve your problem regarding work projects or products sales. Start working with one or two that I mention here and that appeal to you and sound convenient, and yes, you will have lots of ideas on your plate.

Rosina S Khan has authored this article. For a wealth of free resources based on stunning fiction stories and academic guides, amazing self-help eBooks, articles and blogs, all authored by her, and much more, visit: https://rosinaskhan.weebly.com. You will be glad that you did.

Alternatively, for a different layout of free resources, visit: http://www.facebook.com/RosinaSKhan.hub. You won't be disappointed and remember to like her Facebook page.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10553192

Appointments - Manage Your Time Better At Home to Be Effective

                                     

What would happen to you if your home life was more organized than it is right now? Can work-life balance be achieved? What are the tools at our disposal? Could scheduling appointments and keeping them at home help us save time and prioritize?

What is the challenge we face? I sometimes find that time spent at home can be the busiest time, especially in the times we live in. Imagine someone working from home, home-schooling children, and sometimes even doing a side hustle. Imagine also the full-time home-based entrepreneur. How do they manage to do all they need to do in a day?. We are living in a time when many entrepreneurs and even company employees have adopted work- at - home culture. This comes with its challenges as the lines become blurred between home and work. These blurred lines and constraints on the limited resource called time result in over-worked, under-rested, burnt-out individuals. Whilst good time management has been encouraged and indeed, embraced in the workplace, I believe more needs to be done in changing the mindset for the elusive work-life balance to be achieved.

What are the tools at our disposal? To manage time effectively at home, there are many interventions one can employ including setting goals for the day, prioritizing wisely, setting a time limit for every task, organizing oneself, and instituting the discipline of appointments. Yes, an appointment at home! We can spend time pontificating on the pros and cons of each intervention, however, I believe we need to focus on appointments and see how this can powerfully change the course of one's day regardless of whether it's a workday or weekend. Life is busy as it is without any intrusions. The question is how do you handle the one who announces that they are at the gate. These can be friends, neighbors, a salesman of some product you do not even need. I am not promoting regimentation here but rather a culture of filling your day with what's important. Everything that we succeed at is because we carefully plan and execute it. I am a firm believer that you cannot manage time if you do not manage yourself thus I implore you to incorporate planning and appointments into your repertoire. I am not talking about something I do not do. I have to achieve many things in a day therefore I set appointments with my work, others, and myself.

Could scheduling appointments and keeping them on the home front help us save time and prioritize? Whereas we have established that it is a normal business practice to set appointments and keep them, we need to abandon the liberal open-door policy of allowing all and sundry to have access to us as and when they please on the home front. Please understand where I am coming from. We each have greatness within us but for us to achieve it we need to culture great habits. Employing the use of appointments at home and seeing only those people you had agreed to see removes non-essential encounters especially during the most productive hours. I know this will vary with culture, geographical region, or even level of affluence, whether you live in a low density or high-density residential area, but doesn't negate the need to be organized and effective. Controlling access determines how organized you are and how well you will work and rest when the time for scheduled rest comes.

What do we need to do differently? We need to be disciplined and diligent, learn to say no, now is not a good time, let's make an appointment for next week. What are the benefits of this approach? You are not always fire-fighting to meet deadlines, You are not always tired because you have not taken time out to rest. You have set aside enough time to spend with your loved ones or a loved one. If you are a busy person, I am sure you appreciate what I am saying. Whether it's time to work uninterrupted, family time, or "me-time", it takes some kind of order to enjoy it.

I am not saying that those that come unannounced are bad people. No, not at all, they probably are people you enjoy spending time with. Nevertheless, there must be prior communication so that you can attend to your visitor(s) when it is convenient for both you and them. It can be quite disrupting and a whole day can just pass by without achieving anything that you had planned to do.

As we grow older we begin to appreciate that rest and recovery need to be scheduled. The fact that I am relaxing doesn't mean that I don't have anything to do. One therefore cannot assume that just because you are at home you are available. Maybe you have scheduled that time to rest. That is important. You need to make an appointment with yourself, spouses need to also set aside time for each other. Parents need to schedule a time to spend with their children. When you have some sort of order in your life you determine who sees you and who you see. It also means that your relationships will be healthy and that makes you a happier person.

In conclusion, I believe that the work-life balance can be achieved. There are many tools at our disposal just like it is in the workplace.I believe we could do more and be happier if we are disciplined enough to make only the commitments we can keep.I am certain that setting appointments and keeping them at home help us save time and prioritize.

Fitzgerald Mujuru, a fusion of Business Coach, Personal Effectiveness Coach, Business Consultant, Marketing Strategist, Sales Zealot, Speaker, brand builder, with over twenty years in marketing and sales for globally known brands. He has vast commercial experience at management level in various sectors. His strengths include marketing, brand building, sales, business development, business strategy, management, and equipping leaders and teams with strategies for personal and team effectiveness. He has handled various consultancy assignments for companies in professional services, media, communications, training and development, non-profit organizations. He has released 4 books and published more than 200 articles online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10553717

Bring Home Your Vacation for Year-Round Stress Relief

                                         

Vacations do have to end but you can bring their stress relief back with you in a variety of ways. If you do, you will be able to easily recall your relaxing vacation feelings. Then, when you are stressed, you can get some much-needed stress relief.

While you are on vacation, spend some time relaxing in a calm and tranquil place. This can be an immediate source of stress relief, but it can also be used as a source of rapid relief when you return to home and work.

Here are four ways to capture your vacation relaxation and bring it home with you for year-round stress relief:

<b>Connect a Cue Word</b> While you are relaxing in that serene place, repeat a cue word such as "beach" or "sunset" or "relax." Let the word echo and reverberate in the back of your mind. Allow it to become associated and connected with your deep state of relaxation. When you return from your vacation, use your cue word whenever you want to enjoy an "instant replay" of your relaxing experience.

<b>Picture It</b> Take a photograph where you are relaxing on vacation. You can use your cell phone or a camera, but you also can intentionally take a picture in your mind's eye. Focus on the scene and soak it in. When you return from your vacation, put the picture you took onto your computer and mobile devices for easy retrieval wherever you want to relax and whenever you are under stress. If you are want to get to sleep, use the picture you stored in your mind's eye to calm your mind and relax your body.

<b>Capture the Sounds</b> While you are relaxing in that special place on vacation, take note of the sounds around you or record them on your cell phone. When you return home, download the recording or similar sounds from the internet onto your computer and mobile devices for easy retrieval whenever you want some soundtrack stress relief. The soundtrack can also be used to help you fall asleep faster.

<b>Use a Combo</b> When you return home, combine all three of the sensory experiences you stored by saying the cue word, visualizing the scene or looking at the picture, and listening to the sounds in your mind or from a recording. Some people find it more effective to combine the cue word with just the picture or just the soundtrack. If you don't have the photo or you don't have a recording available, just combine what you have with your cue word.

Copyright © 2018 by Ronald G. Nathan, Ph.D.

Ronald Nathan, Ph.D. is a practicing psychologist and co-authored of Stress Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Wellness (2004) which was a Prevention Book Club selection.

A Free Offer of Relaxation and Seashore Sounds

You can listen at no cost to the entire first part of Dr. Nathan's award-winning program, "The FAST Technique for Stress Relief" at [http://www.soundtrackdog.com]. It will introduce you to stress relief relaxation training and guide you through several stress relief techniques with music and seashore sounds in the background.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9978133

Why So Few People Truly LOVE Themselves?

                                                             

If, you hope, to become, the best, you can be, it is rarely, enough, to, merely, respect, or claim, to believe, in yourself, and your abilities! Rather, one needs, to, truly, LOVE, himself, yet, it seems, very few, do! After, four decades, of training leaders, and others, and, also, presenting the finest - possible, personal development seminars, I have come, to strongly, believe, there is a direct relationship, between the ability to be, personally, successful, happy, and self - fulfilled, and, your personal commitment, self- confidence, and willingness, to really, love yourself! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, using the mnemonic approach, what this means and represents, and why it matters.

1. Listen; learn; longer - run; long - lasting; (new) lease - on - life: For many, loving themselves, requires a significant adjustment, in their personal attitude, and comfort zone, and, making it a personal priority, to acquire a new, lease, on life! To do so, requires effect listening, and constantly learning, from every conversation, and experience, seeking to become one's best, and enhancing personal knowledge, and, hopefully, judgment, and relevant, wisdom! One must, first, like himself, so, in the longer - run, this helps drive, the ability to make the leap, on a long - lasting, basis!

2. Open - mind; options; opportunities; optimal; organized: Only, when one allows himself, to have an open - mind, will he escape the self - imposed limitations, of his personal comfort zone! It is important to consider, a variety of options and alternatives, in order to take advantage of, the finest opportunities, and seeking, optimal, personal fulfillment, and self - belief! This process must be, an organized one, to reach the lofty - ideals, of genuine, self - love!

3. Value/ values; views; visions; vault; vital: How will you, demonstrate, to you, your personal value, and its alignment, with meaningful values? Will you power your personal views, with positive, vital, vibrant visions, which expand, your mental/ thought - vault, in a motivating, pleasing, fulfilling way?

4. Empathy; efforts; emphasis; excellence; endurance; eager/ enthusiasm; enrich: The wisest man, I ever knew (my father), always, told us, Judge the value of a person, by, what they leave behind (not - merely monetary), after they are gone! Therefore, one's degree of genuine empathy, and personal efforts, on becoming, a person - of - value, is significant! He must place his personal emphasis, on the greatest degree of excellence, combined with the endurance, to persist, until, he creates, what he wants, to become! This must be done, eagerly, and with great, personal enthusiasm, if it is, to enrich, our life's experiences!

Do you, truly, LOVE yourself, in a positive, realistic, genuine manner? Will you commit, to maximizing your possibilities?

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, Director of Development, consultant, professionally run events, consulted to thousands, and conducted personal development seminars, for 4 decades. Rich has written three books and thousands of articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10545944

How To Use The Pomodoro Technique And Why You Need It!

                                     

Next week I've allotted 9 days to write a course. I've been wanting to write this course for 5 years or more. I have done all my research, now I just need to write it.

Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's law states that you will fill whatever allotted time you set to complete a task.

Think about that.

If you set a month to do a task, you'll do it in a month, even procrastinating until the last few days, because you know you have so much time.

You add padding time so you don't feel under pressure.

I heard myself saying, I can't get my course written in 9 days, because if I could do that then what does that say about all the years I've procrastinated? So I had better string it out to make it look like it was a labour of love.

As if it had more value if it took me longer.

One suggestion is to think about what time you think you could do a task in, then halve it.

Pomodoro Technique

The pomodoro technique is allotting a time, say 25 mins (this is the traditional pomodoro timer amount of minutes), and just working your butt off to do that task, then when the timer rings you have a break. 3-5 minutes. Write down a 1 on a piece of paper. Then reset the timer. When you get to 4 on your paper, take a longer break, 15-30 minutes.

Or say allotting an hour to clean your house and then stop. So go hard for that hour. Then break.

There are also apps for the pomodoro technique.

Pomodoro is Italian for tomato, which is what the timer looked like of the guy who created this technique.

Objections

I'm aware of all the resistances I have to doing things concentrated and even fast. That if I do it too fast I will miss stuff out.

As if taking your time and dragging it out means you have more time to think of things. But you don't generally, you procrastinate. Or you check Facebook, or get up to eat, or lose track and do other things. Because you think taking your time is easier.

I never used to like having a timer on things as it stressed me out. And I was worried I would get adrenal fatigue from pushing myself.

Too much like a test.

But my life has changed enough for me to want to try this now.

Remember to write things down that come to mind about other things you want to do after your task is completed. Don't do them during the allotted time.

Let me know if you use this technique to get stuff done.

Kate Strong is an Intuitive Healer.

Please contact her at https://www.katestrong.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10448125