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Each week receive exciting news, tips, articles and advice on how to be the successful person you've always wanted to be.
"Self Improvement Front Line" will guide you along the path to achieving all your goals in life with regular sections on all the important facets of your personal development.
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Newsletter 025
In "Self Improvement Front Line" this week:
* Is it Time for an Audit?
* The 5 Fears That Will Hold You Back
* 7 Steps to Getting Your Goals Back on Track
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Is it Time for an Audit?
Some years ago, in fact more than I care to remember, I worked
in the Regional office of a major international company. And
each year there would be a time when there would suddenly be
more tension in the air. It was audit time!
If you haven't worked in that sort of environment then you
probably wouldn't know, but each year all major companies - at
least it's the case in the UK - have to have their books
officially checked over to make sure all their transactions
and procedures are in order, and that the taxman is getting his
rightful cut!
So a team of specialist accountants would descend upon the
office and work there for several days. They would have access
to any paperwork they needed, such as quotations, invoices,
sales ledgers, purchasing orders, etc. In fact it was quite
amusing to see how some of the department managers would run
around after them and to see the worried looks on their faces.
But each year all would go well and soon everyone would get
back to their normal routine.
Now well-run companies really have nothing to worry about when
the audit takes place and will do their own internal audit
anyway. It enables them to ensure that all their systems are
working correctly, that people are doing what they should, and
that all their procedures are in accordance with current
legislation. It also gives an opportunity to review the
progress of their company and to see what changes might be
needed, such as training or getting new equipment.
But this is not the only type of audit! Both companies and
individuals can also carry out personal skills audits. For
the managers of companies it gives them the chance to review
both themselves and their workers to see that their skills
match the requirements of the job and identify where new
training might be needed. It really is a useful exercise.
So when did you last do your own skills audit?
The chances are you did something of the sort the last time
you had to write your CV or resume. But that shouldn't be
the only time. To achieve your goals and get to where you
want to be in life it's important to regularly take stock and
look at your achievements, skills, and knowledge. You need to
be able to assess if you have what's needed to achieve your
aims or if you need to learn something new. But you also need
a systematic way to go about it. So here are some suggestions
for you:
- List all your achievements, including the results you
attained at school or college; any university qualifications;
work or vocational qualifications; promotions at work; any
competitions you may have been successful in; and any other
personal or sporting achievements.
- List all your skills, both personal and work related. Be sure
to include them all, including things like being able to use
a computer and the programs you are able to use, and things
like being able to drive or ride a bike. They are all
relevant.
- List the things you have knowledge about. It might relate to
hobbies or special interests you have, could be to do with
your job, or just topics you like reading about.
- Examine your lists and see how and where the items can help
you in achieving your life goals. Try to match them up to
your specific objectives and the tasks that will need to be
completed in order to be successful.
- See where there are gaps and list what you need to learn or
acquire. Try to prioritise them so that you can take the
necessary action.
- See how you are going to gain the necessary skills or
knowledge that you have just identified. There are many ways
to do so and here are just some you might consider:
Books
Specialist magazines
DVDs
Websites
Night School Courses
Colleges or Universities
Correspondence Courses
Online Courses
Distance Learning Programs
Seminars or Workshops
Or even newsletters just like this one.
- Then take action!
So is it time for your own audit?
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The 5 Fears That Will Hold You Back
What are you afraid of?
The normal answers to that sort of question will be actvities
like, flying, drowning, or the most common is speaking in
public. Or you may have a fear of spiders, rats, or snakes.
Claustrophobia, the fear of confined spaces, and Agoraphobia,
the fear of open or public spaces, are both well-known
conditions that can cause major problems for people in their
everyday lives. And there are even some obscure irrational
fears like triskaidekaphobia which is an extreme superstition
regarding the number thirteen!
Hopefully none of them affect you and if they do you should
know that they can usually be overcome by taking the right
steps.
But there are other fears, often that you are not conscious
of, that will hold you back and prevent you from achieving
what you want in life. They are often the result of the
experiences and conditioning that you have been subject to
in your life so far. And overcoming them is vital to your
progess to your goals.
There are several that can be identified but it is the
following five that are most relevant:
#1 Fear of Change
There is a saying in my part of the world which states,
"if it aint broke, why fix it?" In other words if something
seems to be Ok why change it? Which is fine if you are happy
with the way things are but often in order to move forward
then things will need to change.
The problem is that it is very easy to get into your comfort
zone and to let things carry on just as they always have. You
won't get hurt by standing still but very soon people or
events will pass you by and you will find that in reality you
are going backwards.
So change is essential in everyone's life even if it's only
little things like taking a new route to work, eating less
chocolate, or going to the gym more often. But more often to
get to where you want to be will need a change of thinking and
of your habits and you should not be afraid to do so.
#2 Fear of Failure
One of the main reasons why you don't take the steps necessary
to change your life is that you are afraid of failing. You
may believe you don't have the skills or knowledge to succeed
but they can easily be learned. More crucially you may have
become conditioned through your past experiences to feel that
you will fail. The things people have said to you, particularly
in your childhood, are stored in your subconscious and give you
an excuse for not doing what you desire. Taking stock of your
achievements, skills and knowledge will help you to be more
positive and overcome the negative thoughts that hold you back.
Regular positive affirmations, like telling yourself when you
feel good or do something well, will help you to grow in this
area too.
#3 Fear of Rejection
Wanting to be loved or to feel you belong is natural. And so
you will tend to go along with the flow and accept what others
tell you rather than standing out and risking their rejection.
As a child you may have been told that "children should be
seen and not heard" and punished for speaking out of turn.
That will have conditioned you to believe that you should keep
quiet and stay in the background and that doing anything
"different" will cause others to reject you. But a child
encouraged to ask questions and to express themselves will grow
into an adult who will more easily challenge the norm and take
risks. So be that child today and you will find the only
rejection comes not from people you respect or admire, but
from those who themselves are afraid or jealous of what you
are achieving.
#4 Fear of Success
It may seem odd but the fact is that many people are simply
afraid of success and what it may bring. It may be that they
feel it would mean extra responsibility or having to move away
from the things and people that surround them at present. So
although they may say they want things like a big house, a
fast car, or lots of money they will just moan about the fact
they haven't got them and make all sorts of excuses for not
doing so. You are often conditioned to believe you have your
place in life and that you should be grateful for what you
have and so you develop an unconscious fear of succeeding.
Hence the excuses and procrastination. But there is nothing
wrong in being successful and a positive approach with well
formulated goals will help you to be so.
#5 Fear of Yourself
Quite simply unless you learn to act in the way that is right
for you and not the way you are told to act, you will fail.
You should always remember that you are a beautiful, special,
unique person and that only you can truly shape your own life.
So be yourself, follow what you believe to be right, be a good
and honest person, and don't live in anyone else's shadow.
You will succeed if you learn to live without fear. If you are
always positive and set and follow your own written goals you
will achieve what you desire. All you need to do is believe
and take action.
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7 Steps to Getting Your Goals Back on Track
You will learn much about setting and working towards goals in
this newsletter. They are essential as a means to developing as
a person in whichever way you desire. But there will probably
be times when you find it difficult to reach your goal and may
become discouraged.
If this happens it will probably be the result of not meeting
one of your own expectations. However it may be that the
expectation was simply not realistic in the first place and by
remembering that all your goals should allow a level of
flexibility you will be able to get back on track.Simply amend
the goal to a more realistic level, perhaps creating smaller
tasks to help achieve it, and keep going. You should not be
discouraged though.
But if you believe your expectations are realistic but you are
simply not getting anywhere with them then you need a way of
finding out why. You should review your goal and the plan you
have in place to achieve it. Here are 7 steps to getting
yourself back heading the right way:
1. Review the required outcome of the goal and ensure that it
is clear, concise and definite. Sometimes your aims may
alter and if that has happened you must re-define the goal.
2. Identify what obstacles are preventing you from making
progress.Your circumstances may have changed since you set
the goal and are affecting what you are able to achieve.
3. Be honest with yourself and make sure you are not just
creating excuses for not doing what is necessary to achieve
the goal. Avoid procrastination!
4. List all the obstacles you have identified.
5. Review the resources you have available and ensure that you
are utilising them fully. This may be material things but
could also include how well you manage your time or how you
enlist the help of others.
6. Define the tasks necessary to overcome the obstacles. It may
be that you need to learn a new skill or find a way to
create more time.
7. Write down the tasks and create a schedule for their
completion.Set realistic timescales for accomplishing them
so that you do not feel under unnecessary pressure.
Then all you need to do is take action and you will be back on
track towards your goal.
You can get help with all your goal-setting by using the
"Achieve-IT! Goal Software".
You can find out more at:
http://thimarket5.goalset05.hop.clickbank.net/
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