Monday, June 30, 2008

Sleep Problem............No Problem at all !!!


If you are having sleep problems, whether you are not able to fall asleep, wake up too often, don't feel well-rested when you wake up in the morning, or simply want to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, try as many of the following techniques below as possible:
  • Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.
  • Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin. There also should be as little light in the bathroom as possible if you get up in the middle of the night. Please whatever you do, keep the light off when you go to the bathroom at night. As soon as you turn on that light you will for that night immediately cease all production of the important sleep aid melatonin.
  • No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely. It is too stimulating to the brain and it will take longer to fall asleep. Also disruptive of pineal gland function for the same reason as above.
  • Wear socks to bed. Due to the fact that they have the poorest circulation, the feet often feel cold before the rest of the body. A study has shown that this reduces night waking
  • Read something spiritual or religious. This will help to relax. Don't read anything stimulating, such as a mystery or suspense novel, as this may have the opposite effect. In addition, if you are really enjoying a suspenseful book, you might wind up unintentionally reading for hours, instead of going to sleep.
  • Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to be awoken suddenly. If you are regularly getting enough sleep, they should be unnecessary. I gave up my alarm clock years ago and now use a sun alarm clock. Combining the features of a traditional alarm clock (digital display, AM/FM radio, beeper, snooze button, etc) with a special built-in light that gradually increases in intensity, this amazing clock simulates a natural sunrise. It also includes a sunset feature where the light fades to darkness over time - ideal for anyone who has trouble falling asleep.
  • Journaling. If you often lay in bed with your mind racing, it might be helpful keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed. Personally, I have been doing this for 15 years, but prefer to do it in the morning when my brain is functioning at its peak and my cholesterol levels are high.
  • Melatonin and its precursors. If behavioral changes do not work, it may be possible to improve sleep by supplementing with the hormone melatonin. However, I would exercise extreme caution in using it, and only as a last resort, as it is a powerful hormone. Ideally it is best to increase levels naturally with exposure to bright sunlight in the daytime (along with full spectrum fluorescent bulbs in the winter) and absolute complete darkness at night. One should get blackout drapes so no light is coming in from the outside. One can also use one of melatonin's precursors, L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). L-tryptophan is the safest and my preference, but must be obtained by prescription only. However, don't be afraid or intimidated by its prescription status. It is just a simple amino acid.
  • Get to bed as early as possible. Our systems, particularly the adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into the liver which then secondarily back up into your entire system and cause further disruption of your health. Prior to the widespread use of electricity, people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as most animals do, and which nature intended for humans as well.
  • Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs). These can disrupt the pineal gland and the production of melatonin and serotonin, and may have other negative effects as well. To purchase a gauss meter to measure EMFs try Cutcat at 800-497-9516. They have a model for around $40. One doctor even recommends that people pull their circuit breaker before bed to kill all power in the house (Dr. Herbert Ross, author of "Sleep Disorders").
  • Keep the temperature in the bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many people keep their homes and particularly the upstairs bedrooms too hot.
  • Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed. This can provide the L-tryptophan need to produce melatonin and serotonin.
  • Also eat a small piece of fruit. This can help the tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier.
  • Reduce or avoid as many drugs as possible. Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter may have effects on sleep. In most cases, the condition, which caused the drugs to be taken in the first place, can be addressed by following the guidelines elsewhere on this web site.
  • Avoid caffeine. A recent study showed that in some people, caffeine is not metabolized efficiently and therefore they can feel the effects long after consuming it. So an afternoon cup of coffee (or even tea) will keep some people from falling asleep. Also, some medications, particularly diet pills contain caffeine.
  • Alarm clocks and other electrical devices. If these devices must be used, keep them as far away from the bed as possible, preferably at least 3 feet.
  • Avoid alcohol. Although alcohol will make people drowsy, the effect is short lived and people will often wake up several hours later, unable to fall back asleep. Alcohol will also keep you from falling into the deeper stages of sleep, where the body does most of its healing.
  • Lose weight. Being overweight can increase the risk of sleep apnea, which will prevent a restful night’s sleep.
  • Avoid foods that you may be sensitive to. This is particularly true for dairy and wheat products, as they may have effect on sleep, such as causing apnea, excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, and gas, among others.
  • Don't drink any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed. This will reduce the likelihood of needing to get up and go to the bathroom or at least minimize the frequency.
  • Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When body temperature is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating sleep,
  • Remove the clock from view. It will only add to your worry when constantly staring at it... 2 a.m. ...3 a.m. ... 4:30 a.m. ...
  • Keep your bed for sleeping. If you are used to watching TV or doing work in bed, you may find it harder to relax and to think of the bed as a place to sleep.
  • Have your adrenals checked by a good natural medicine clinician. Scientists have found that insomnia may be caused by adrenal stress (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, August 2001; 86:3787-3794).
  • If you are menopausal or per menopausal, get checked out by a good natural medicine physician. The hormonal changes at this time may cause problems if not properly addressed.
  • Don't change your bedtime. You should go to bed, and wake up, at the same times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up in the morning.
  • Make certain you are exercising regularly. Exercising for at least 30 minutes everyday can help you fall asleep. However, don’t exercises too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake? Studies show exercising in the morning is the best if you can do it.
  • Establish a bedtime routine. This could include meditation, deep breathing, using a massage from your partner. The key is to find something that makes you feel relaxed, then repeat it each night to help you release the day's tensions.
  • Go to the bathroom right before bed. This will reduce the chances that you'll wake up to go in the middle of the night.
  • Wear an eye mask to block out light. As said above, it is very important to sleep in as close to complete darkness as possible. That said, it's not always easy to block out every stream of light using curtains, blinds or drapes, particularly if you live in an urban area (or if your spouse has a different schedule than you do). In these cases, an eye mask can help to block out the remaining light.
  • Put your work away at least one hour (but preferably two or more) before bed. This will give your mind a chance to unwind so you can go to sleep feeling calm, not hyped up or anxious about tomorrow's deadlines.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Simple and Effective Time Management Tips

I have pooled few Time Management Tips which I thought would be useful at least to few..
1.One task at a time: Never indulge in another activity while doing something. If you are having meal, enjoy it but not while conversing with others.
2.Never indulge in loose talk: Yes, many of us waste our time in loose talk. No more self-adulation, whining or demeaning others. These things take way our valuable time.
3.Stick to your time: Time is like money. If you want to perform something, then try doing it in limit.
4.Assessment: If you think, commuting to your office takes fifty minutes, then add ten minutes extra to it. It saves you from other commitment.
5.Priority: Always try to complete the most important task on hand
6.Delegate: If there are tasks that can be done by others, please seek their help. This may save your time. However, do not forget to thank your collaborators.
7. Practice: Time management comes by practice. It is a habit. If you adopt it forever, you may gain immense prosperity.
8.Find out where you're wasting time : Many of us are prey to time-wasters that steal time we could be using much more productively. What are your time-bandits? Do you spend too much time 'Net surfing, reading email, or making personal calls? Tracking Daily Activities explains how to track your activities so you can form a accurate picture of what you actually do
9.Create time management goals : Remember, the focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors, not changing time. A good place to start is by eliminating your personal time-wasters. For one week, for example, set a goal that you're not going to take personal phone calls while you're working.
10. Implement a time management plan: The objective is to change your behaviors over time to achieve whatever general goal you've set for yourself, such as increasing your productivity or decreasing your stress. So you need to not only set your specific goals, but track them over time to see whether or not you're accomplishing them.

Staffing & Directing

In private sector Merit pay or a merit raise is any salary increase the firm awards to an individual employee based on his or her individual performance. It is different from a bonus in that it usually becomes part of the employee’s base salary, whereas a bonus is a one time payment. Although the term merit pay can apply to the incentive raises given to any employee – exempt or nonexempt, office or factory, management or non-management – the term is more often used for white collar employees and particularly professional, office, and clerical employees.

Government personnel include elected officials, appointees, and professionals or “civil servants”. Professionals are usually covered by some kind of merit system, which is set of procedures for hiring, promoting and discharging employees based upon professional rather than political criteria. Appointees generally serve at the pleasure of an elected official, or are appointed for affixed term. Elected officials may or may not be legally limited to one or two terms. Relationships among these three groups are sometimes difficult. Elected officials and their appointees have objectives which may be thwarted by a civil service resentful of change. On the other hand, civil servants object to “political” appointees with little technical knowledge of an agency’s activities.

Staffing governmental agencies has three major difficulties. First, existing merit system staff, because of merit system rules, cannot simply be replaced, so officials can only install “their” people in non merit “slots” generally at the highest levels of an agency. Second, recruitment of new staff must follow detailed procedures, established to prevent favoritism. Often, competitive examinations are required, and / or applicants may be screened by a separate personnel agency. Third salary levels in government are usually below comparable salaries in the private sector, so top quality people are hard to recruit. This is less true in the federal government than in state ad local governments but at the highest levels of management, even in the federal government, pay is lower than in the private sector.

The contingency theory of leadership – the idea that the correct leadership style depends upon the characteristics of the leader, the subordinate, and the situation applies to public as well as private organizations. The situation in government, however, is often (although not always) characterized by routine performance of highly structural tasks in an environment of strict rules and regulations. Partly because of this situation, the people attracted to government service tend to be motivated more by security than by the need to innovate. Thus, the prevalent leadership style in public organizations is directive rather than permissive.

Government employees must be motivated almost entirely without financial incentives, because salaries and promotion are subject to strict procedural controls. Bonus system is almost never possible. Thus employees must be either self-motivated through achievement, affiliation, or power rewards inherent in the job or motivated with non-financial rewards such as praise or increased responsibility. Herzberg’s job enrichment concept may prove to be very useful in government although the steep hierarchy and detailed procedural controls often found in government bureaucracies make job enrichment problematic.

The growing movement toward unionizing merit system employees in government adds a countervailing bureaucracy to existing bureaucratic problems. Although unionization could lead to higher salaries for government workers, thus making recruiting easier, it will not ease the structural rigidities of government bureaucracy on the contrary, it will probably intensify them.
One promising development, however, is productivity bargaining in which public employees agree to new, more efficient production technologies or increased output in exchange for higher wages or better fringe benefits. Productivity bargaining is most applicable in the delivery of services such as garbage collection, road maintenance, rapid transit, and police and fire protection, where measurements of output per unit is clear cut. It has been most widely used by municipal governments.

Treating alcoholism as a performance issue

For some reason alcoholism does not draw too much attention, especially at work places
But research shows that alcohol-related issues are as serious as other substance-abuse cases
If organisations were to fire employees for alcohol-related problems, they would probably end up firing one in ten people ! Although the issue still does not receive too much attention, it's surprising that almost 75 percent of moderate to heavy drinkers are employed either full time or part time. That aside, alcohol-related problems cost the business world nearly USD 80 million and 500 million work hours annually. With such alarming figures, it is a surprise why most organisations do little about it.
Addressing the issue?
Firing an employee is a short-term solution as it does not address the behaviour. Ignoring the issue till an individual "minds his own business and does not become a nuisance" is again not a way to deal with it. On the contrary, doing so only perpetuates the offence. However, these are popular ways of dealing with alcoholism at work. Experts now recommend a professional way of dealing with alcoholism at work. They believe that treating it as a job-performance issue can make a better impact. Also, since managers are not trained to deal with alcoholism, it makes sense to categorise it under issues that managers deal with regularly. As one expert rightly says, "Managers cannot identify the problem, even if they are sure, because that would mean they are making a diagnosis, and they are not qualified to do that." Moreover, addressing alcoholism as a performance issue helps avoid litigation.
Under the garb of performance
The only time when managers bother is when their top performers are reported for alcoholism. However, dealing with alcoholism as a performance issue applies to every employee in the organisation regardless of their current performance ratings. Also, just as with other performance issues, alcohol-related problems must be addressed as soon as they occur. As the director of a substance-abuse counselling services agency says, "The worst thing you can do is look away." So now that it is agreed that treating alcohol-related matters as job performance issues is the appropriate way out, what should it constitute?
Managers are advised to use a progressive approach in dealing with performance matters. A similar approach is recommended for addressing alcohol-related issues where one of the first steps involves documenting employees' performance problems. Step two is when the manager schedules a meeting to discuss employees' problematic performance. Ideally, the manager should begin with a couple of informal chats and then move on to scheduling formal discussions. These discussions should include sharing performance observations, a bit of career counselling and if needed sounding the employee on repercussions. If an employee fails to respond upto this stage, the next step in the progressive approach includes taking disciplinary action. "If their performance deteriorates, then whatever human-resources that are in place for discipline or removal from the job should be applied," says Dr. Eric Goplerud, director of a medical centre that runs a programme to treat alcoholism.
An important angle
Besides sharing observations, the initial discussions should include suggestions and resources the individual can employ easily to tackle his problems. In most cases, alcoholism is not related to career or work problems but arises from personal or social issues. Therefore, supporting an employee to address personal issues translating into poor performance is the only permanent way of tackling alcoholism. But offering assistance is one thing; getting employees to take it up is another challenge altogether!
According to experts, what helps is threatening employees with deadlines to improve performance. Ironically, the "better do it or else" approach to disciplining employees has earned flak, but it has a high success rate in addressing alcoholic-related problems. Organisations can also implement Employee Assistance Programmes. These programmes have medical experts and counsellors who are qualified to detect and treat alcohol and substance-abuse cases. Additionally, a few other measures include: asking employees to attend regular seminars on the ill-effects of alcohol and substance abuse, circulating newsletters and case studies and asking managers to talk about it every once in a while.
The feel-good benefit
An employer who invests in diagnosing and treating alcohol- related problems saves huge amounts in health-care costs. According to a survey, "treating employees with alcohol problems yields a 215 percent return on investments in health-care savings for employers." That aside, an employee who puts his act together will enjoy better interpersonal relations, morale and confidence. This has a positive percolating impact on overall employee morale and work place relationships.
Work place violence, substance-abuse and other equally alarming issues are getting addressed aggressively. For some reason, however, alcoholism is treated as a less dangerous vice though evidence suggests otherwise. There has to be some noise about alcoholism, more than what is already being made. Put simply, alcoholism should be treated as a major performance issue, and managers must be made responsible for addressing it.

Twenty Dumb Things Organizations Do to Mess up Their Relationship with People

Even the best organizations periodically make mistakes in dealing with people. They mess up their opportunity to create effective, successful, positive employee relations.
They treat people like children and then ask why people fail so frequently to live up to their expectations. Managers apply different rules to different employees and wonder why workplace negativity is so high. People work hard and infrequently receive positive feedback.
At the same time, many organizations invest untold energy in actions that ensure employees are unhappy. They ensure ineffective employee relations results. As an example, one of the most important current trends in organizations is increasing employee involvement and input.
Teams allow people to achieve things far beyond our own individual ability. But teamwork also requires powerful motivation for people to put the good of the group ahead of their own self interest.
Pull these workplace trends together and it is no wonder that the Dilbert cartoon is perennially popular. Consider that Scott Adams, the strip’s creator, will never run out of material because, despite what organizations want – or say they want - they often fail to:

· retain valued employees,

· develop empowered people working together to serve the best interests of the organization, and

· create an environment in which each employee contributes all of their talents and skills to the success of organizational goals.

The next time you are confronted with any of the following proposed actions, ask yourself this question. Is the action likely to create the result, for powerfully motivating employee relations, that you want to create?
Twenty Dumb Mistakes Employers Make
Here are the twenty dumb mistakes organizations make to mess up their relationships with the people they employ:

  1. Add another level of hierarchy because people aren’t doing what you want them to do. (More watchers get results!)

  2. Appraise the performance of individuals and provide bonuses for the performance of individuals and complain that you cannot get your staff working as a team.

  3. Add inspectors and multiple audits because you don’t trust people’s work to meet standards.
  4. Fail to create standards and give people clear expectations so they know what they are supposed to do, and wonder why they fail.
  5. Create hierarchical, permission steps and other roadblocks that teach people quickly their ideas are subject to veto and wonder why no one has any suggestions for improvement. (Make people beg for money!)
  6. Ask people for their opinions, ideas, and continuous improvement suggestions, and fail to implement their suggestions or empower them to do so. Better? Don’t even provide feedback about whether the idea was considered.
  7. Make a decision and then ask people for their input as if their feedback mattered.
  8. Find a few people breaking rules and company policies and chide everybody at company meetings rather than dealing directly with the rule breakers. Better? Make everyone wonder "who" the bad guy is.
  9. Make up new rules for everyone to follow as a means to address the failings of a few.
  10. Provide recognition in expected patterns so that what started as a great idea quickly becomes entitlement.
    (As an example, buy Friday lunch when production goals are met. Wait until people start asking you for the money if they cannot attend the lunch!)
  11. Treat people as if they are untrustworthy - watch them, track them, admonish them for every slight failing - because a few people are untrustworthy.
  12. Fail to address behavior and actions of people that are inconsistent with stated and published organizational expectations and policies.. (Better yet, let non-conformance go on until you are out of patience; then ambush the next offender with a disciplinary action!)
  13. When managers complain they cannot get to all of their reviews because they have too many directly reporting staff members, hire more supervisors to do reviews. (Fail to recognize that an hour per quarter per person invested in development is the manager’s most important job.)
  14. Create policies for every contingency, thus allowing very little management latitude in addressing individual employee needs.
  15. Conversely, have so few policies, that employees feel as if they reside in a free-for-all environment of favoritism and unfair treatment.
  16. Make every task a priority. People will soon believe there are no priorities. More importantly, they will never feel as if they have accomplished a complete task or goal.
  17. Schedule daily emergencies that prove to be false. This will ensure employees don't know what to do, or are, minimally, jaded about responding when you have a true customer emergency.
  18. Ask employees to change the way they are doing something without providing a picture of what you are attempting to accomplish with the change. Label them "resisters" and send them to change management training when they don't immediately hop on the train.
  19. Expect that people learn by doing everything perfectly the first time rather than recognizing that learning occurs most frequently in failure.
  20. Letting a person fail when you had information that he did not, which he might have used to make a different decision.

These various ingredients add up to a recipe for disaster if you want to be the employer of choice in the next decade.

Unlock Employee Motivation through Personality Testing

Remember that really smart co-worker, the one who had so many answers he could run the company, but who put in minimal effort and seemed unconcerned with promotions? Or your boss who had brilliant ideas for product improvements, but couldn't motivate direct reports to get anything done? Personality testing might have unearthed the key to unlock their motivation and prompt the performance you knew they were capable of.

We have all seen people who know could be wildly successful, if they just tried harder or were better fit for their roles. Or people whose inability to maintain positive working relationships undermined their other contributions. What explains these strange gaps in performance? Can we know in advance who will best "fit" the job at hand and what motivates them to succeed?

Actually, yes. Decades of research shows a lot of what motivates people is inside them. While money, opportunities for growth and good leadership all matter for employee motivation, a big piece of motivation is based on a person's character or personality. For better or for worse, we are who we are, and our personality tends to be stable over time and across situations. This consistency in people creates an opportunity for organizations. By assessing personality characteristics in job candidates, employers can predict their motivation and make better informed hiring decisions.

Sounds good in theory, but does it really work? PreVisor's 2007 Business Outcomes Report indicates pre-employment personality tests, when implemented and used effectively, predict key performance outcomes and improve organizational effectiveness. For example, when Starwood Hotels redesigned its hiring solution to include personality testing for the right attitude, it saw a two and a half times increase in performance for one customer facing role. A nationwide auto-parts distributor showed retention improved more than 80 percent for high-scoring candidates. Among warehouse associates taking a customized job-fit test, 43 percent of those who scored high remained on the job after 90 days, whereas only 23 percent of those who scored low on the assessment were retained. Higher retention leads to reduced costs, higher productivity and better organizational performance.

What is Motivation, Anyway?
We hear about motivation all of the time - in school, at work, in sports, in the context of motivational speaking. However, it is curiously difficult to pin down exactly what motivation is and how it works. While it has many definitions among scientists, motivation boils down to wanting something to be different.

Motivation is an energizing, mobilizing force related to striving toward goals and satisfying needs - everything from food to sex to self-esteem. From an employee perspective, this means work is the environment where they strive toward and achieve many of life's goals. Motivation can lead people to work hard and manage their interactions with others. On the other hand, a lack of motivation can lead to carelessness and callousness at work. A recent Career Builder survey found 32 percent of workers called in sick with fake excuses in the past 12 months, which is hardly a ringing endorsement of strong work ethic or job satisfaction.

From the employer's perspective, employee motivation impacts performance. Scientists describe performance as a function of a person's ability and motivation:

a) Ability or "can-do" is based largely on general cognitive ability or intelligence. Cognitive ability contributes to acquisition of job skills and knowledge through experience. Tests of these areas predict job performance.

b) Motivation or "will-do" is driven mainly by personality. Personality describes a person's disposition, interests and recurring behavior patterns.

Both ability and motivation are necessary for successful performance. By testing for personality, we can measure an important determinant of talent and success, one that is often overlooked in hiring processes that emphasize only technical skills, learning ability or past achievements.

As a key predictor of success in many people-facing roles, personality is particularly important in management and senior leadership positions, where one individual can have a strong impact on the whole organization.

PreVisor's 2007 Business Outcomes Report showed senior leaders who scored high on director/senior manager assessment - which assesses both ability and motivation factors - were promoted at a 30 percent faster rate than those who scored poorly.

The Maze of Employment Testing
Employment testing combines the power of science and technology to help organizations make better informed hiring decisions. Professionally developed tests are routinely used during the hiring process to measure candidates' job skills, technical knowledge, learning ability and motivation. The value proposition underlying scientific hiring practices is: Individual performance drives organizational performance.

"It is important to remember that job success almost always depends on several different kinds of performance," said Dr. Charles Handler, founder and president of Rocket-Hire, a consultancy specializing in online screening and assessments. "For example, an employee who is very good at customer service will be of little value if her or she frequently misses work. You can measure these traits by combining assessment tools that predict different types of job performance. For instance, combining a personality test with an ability test can increase the overall predictive ability of your selection system by a significant amount."

Personality Testing: Science or Alchemy?
Personality testing is a decades-old application of behavioral science undergoing a renaissance among both employers and researchers due to improvements in technology and a deeper understanding of its potential value. At its best, personality testing reliably predicts on-the-job performance. At its worst, companies may use poorly researched but well-marketed personality testing tools or use good tools (e.g., designed for team building) for the wrong thing (e.g., hiring). Only by carefully aligning testing programs with hiring needs will employers maximize prediction and ROI.

Scientists have known or suspected for some 30 years there are just five major dimensions of personality, called the Big 5 factors of personality.

a) Openness: Appreciation for creativity, adventure, unusual ideas and variety of experience.

b) Conscientiousness: A tendency to plan rather than be spontaneous, to show self- discipline, caution and to seek achievement.

c) Extraversion: The tendency to seek stimulation and the company of others, energy, positive emotions.

d) Agreeableness: A tendency to be pleasant and accommodating in social situations.

e) Neuroticism: The ongoing tendency to experience negative emotional states.

Within these broad factors, additional characteristics can be tested, such as dependability, a part of conscientiousness, and stress tolerance, a part of neuroticism.

The effective use of personality testing in the hiring process can lead to a workforce that is more motivated, more disciplined and better with customers.

For example, a major high-end retailer needed help hiring managers and staff whose personal motivation was to sell, not steal. Sales locations staffed with associates who scored high on a conscientiousness assessment experienced less shrinkage - almost $50,000 less per year - than other locations. Across the chain's 1,500-plus stores nationwide, this translated into nearly a $78 million difference in annual shrinkage.

"It is important to choose assessment tools that predict the various kinds of performance that are most critical to the job," Dr. Handler said. "As a general rule, it is good to focus on having assessment tools that predict both what candidates 'can do' and what they 'will do.' This usually means having a mix of assessment tools that measure hard skills, such as knowledge and problem-solving ability, as well as soft skills, such as reliability and customer service."

Uncovering the Research
Research clearly indicates personality testing in the hiring process works best and is most predictive when job requirements are well understood and characteristics most valuable to performance are assessed. How do we know which combination of characteristics will be most useful?

In a 2007 "Aha! Report," Dr. Wendell Williams wrote, "There are hosts of personality tests on the market, all claiming to be helpful in making hiring decisions. But before hiring and recruiting professionals commit to using personality tests, they need to understand the difference between causation and correlation. In other words, does a good personality score really indicate good performance?"

Causation means one thing causes another to happen. Throw chalk at the class bully, and you can expect to be punished. The stimulus causes the punishment.

Correlation means two things tend to occur at the same time, but one does not cause the other. Pocket protectors and mathematical ability are correlated or co-related, but having a pocket protector does not cause someone to be a math whiz. This is very important to know when using a personality test to hire someone.

In the real world, this translates into organizations finding people who not only have the necessary skills or abilities to do the job, but who really want to do the job under required conditions. Imagine two equally experienced sales manager candidates - same number of years in the field, same ability to create pricing models or presentations - but one of them scores high in agreeableness, while the other is Attila the Hun. Because of the criticality of people skills in this role, this difference in personalities likely would impact the performance of the sales organization. One manager may motivate the sales team and negotiate successfully with clients, while the other may terrorize everyone into submission or quitting.

If you are looking for the magic formula for hiring success, look to the science of assessment to help uncover the personalities of your future workforce. It will not only give you insight into their motivation, you also will be able to measure the dollar impact of better performance on your company's bottom line.

What Employees Want for 2008: A New Boss!

Survey Highlights Managers' Roles in Job Satisfaction By Tom Musbach, Yahoo! HotJobs

Is your boss driving you to consider looking for a different job? If so, you're not alone, as 43% of workers in a recent survey said a dislike of their boss' performance would be a main reason for taking a new job in 2008.
According to the Yahoo! HotJobs annual job satisfaction survey, more than 7 in 10 workers are open to landing a new job in 2008. After discontent with a supervisor, the next two reasons cited for making a move are higher salary (36%) and more growth potential (34%).
"It's clear from the survey that employers need to pay attention to the boss-employee dynamic if they want to retain talented workers," said Susan Vobejda, vice president of marketing for Yahoo! HotJobs. "In addition to factors like salary, competitive benefits, and good work-life balance, employees equate job satisfaction with knowing that their contributions are recognized and valued by their managers." In fact, 55% of the survey respondents agreed with the statement, "People don't leave companies; they leave managers."
Better Boss Relations in Three Steps
If you are unhappy with a boss, quitting your job may not be necessary. Experts recommend that you first try a strategy that involves self-reflection and discussion. Examine the situation. "Try hard to determine the reason for your unhappiness with the boss," says career coach Julie Jansen, author of "You Want Me to Work with Who?" The difficulty, for example, may be due to differences in expectations, communication style, or values. Talk it over. Meet with your boss to discuss your concerns and how they may be affecting your productivity. "Be wary of saying things such as, 'You always do this,'" Jansen says. "Instead say, 'When you dump a group of folders on my desk and tell me that you need the work done by 5 p.m., I feel discounted and that you aren't aware of the other projects that I'm working on. May we try to prioritize my work more regularly?'" Allow time for change. Jansen adds, "Realize that you always have to try harder than your boss does to get along. It's not fair, but neither is life!"
You Are the Driver
The important thing to remember is that you are in the driver's seat when it comes to your job satisfaction, reminds J.T. O'Donnell, career development specialist and author of "Find Your Career Path." She recommends challenging yourself with the following questions before confronting a bad manager: What have you done to effectively "manage up" and create a relationship that is strong and effective? While you are frustrated and critical of your manager, are you also prepared to step up and show how it should be done?
Change Could Do You Good If you decide you'll be happier changing jobs, Richard Phillips of Advantage Career Solutions advises a three-step plan. Be clear about the reasons. "Vague generalizations about 'satisfaction' won't provide enough motivation to carry you through the work of actually making a change," he says. Develop a vision. Your vision should be what you want your work life to look like in the future. "This will serve as a guide and inspiration after you've made the change." Identify a step you can take. "Getting started is the hardest part," Phillips concludes. "After that, take small steps toward your goal; change seldom happens overnight."

Alphabet of Happiness.....

A--Accept
Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.
B-- Break Away
Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.
C--Create
Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.
D--Decide
Decide that you'll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.
E-- Explore
Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you'll learn more about yourself.
F-- Forgive
Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
G--Grow
Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.
H--Hope
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.
I-- Ignore
Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.
J--Journey
Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you'll grow.
K--Know
Know that no matter how bad things seem, they'll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
L--Love
Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there's room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there's room for endless happiness.
M--Manage
Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you'll suffer less stress and worry. Then you'll be able to focus on the important things in life.
N--Notice
Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.
O--Open
Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there's still much to be thankful for.
P--Play
Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.
Q--Question
Ask many questions, because you're here to learn.
R--Relax
Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.
S--Share
Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.
T--Try
Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You'll be amazed by what you can accomplish.
U--Use
Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that's wasted has no value. Talent that's used will bring unexpected rewards.
V--Value
Value the friends and family members who've supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.
W--Work
Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.
X--X-Ray
Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you'll see the goodness and beauty within.
Y--Yield
Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you'll find success at the end of the road.
Z--Zoom
Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.

Assessing Corporate Culture

As a career coach, I've occasionally had clients come back to me for redirection after several months on the job. Often the all-too-perfect role turns sour because of the corporate culture and/or internal politics.

Most ask how they can assess these factors ahead of time. Although culture is intangible, there are a few things potential candidates can do to get a read on the environment before they say 'yes'.

Before we begin, let's just step back for a minute and discuss what culture is and why it's important.

What is corporate culture? At its most basic, corporate culture can be described as an organization's personality and the shared idea of 'how things are done around here'. Corporate culture is a broad term and guides how employees think, act, feel, and behave. It describes the unique beliefs and behavior of a company and includes the organization's core values, mission, ethics, and rules of behavior.

Why is corporate culture important? Culture is important because it affects the hours you work, how people interact with each other (or don't), how people dress, benefits offered to employees (flextime, telecommuting, etc), office layout, training, and professional development. As you can see, culture affects just about everything that relates to your work. So how do you assess the true culture of a potential employer?

The first step toward determining whether you will be a good match for a company is to know yourself and know what matters most to you (your values). You have to be crystal clear about what you are seeking from each role and each company. Are you seeking intellectual stimulation, a family-friendly environment, a social outlet, or work-life balance?

The next step is to use the job interview - and your networking interviews - to determine if the employer's work environment is aligned with your core values. Working at a company whose value system does not match your own (understaffed, unethical, non-philanthropic) can leave you feeling unfulfilled. During your networking and/or interviewing, be sure to ask demanding questions of the prospective employer.

Here are some sample questions:

1. What three words or phrases would you use to describe the company/department culture?
Pay attention to the adjectives that are used to see if they fit with your values.

2. Does the company have a stated set of cultural values?
Often, a mission statement is a good place to start to gather insights in this area.

3. Can you describe the environment here?
Pay attention to the words used and the aspects of the work environment the employer mentions, such as camaraderie, career-development opportunities, and work-life initiatives.

4. What is the company's attitude toward educational and professional development?
Does the company place a value on lifelong learning and advancement?

5. What type of employee achievements are recognized by the employer?
Pay attention to what the company values, and whether any special awards are given for outstanding customer service, sales, etc.

6. What type of sponsorships or philanthropic activities does the company participate in?
Does the company partner with United Way, or support programs such as Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day? Do company employees volunteer for local charities?

Another great way to assess corporate culture is to pay attention to details as you walk around the office during your interviews. Reflect on things you notice, including:

a) How were you treated during the interviews? Were people on time?
b) Were there key phrases the interviewers used frequently that would give you a clue as to what the company values/does not value?
c) How prepared were the interviewers? Had they seen your resume?
d) Do people look happy and appear to be having fun?
e) Do senior management members sit with everyone else or do they have fancy lush offices?
f) Does the office layout promote collaboration between departments?
g) Are people eating lunch at their desk alone, or in groups in a cafeteria?

Finding the right culture is key to your career success. Think about your impressions of the corporate culture during your networking and interviewing, and capture your thoughts afterward. Pay attention to your intuition: if you have a bad feeling, it might be best to decline further interviews and/or an offer.

Building a Management Structure

The first concern in building a management structure is the requirements it has to satisfy. What are its typical stresses and strains? What performance does it have to be capable of?
There are three major answers to these questions.
It must be organization for business performance. This is the end which all activities in the enterprise serve. Indeed, organization can be likened to a transmission that converts all activities into the one “drive”, that is, business performance. Organization is the more efficient the more “direct” and simple it is, that is, the less it has to change the speed and direction of individual activities to make them result in business performance. The largest number of managers should perform as businessmen rather as bureaucrats, should be tested business performance and results rather than primarily by standards of administrative skill or professional competence.
Organization structure must not direct efforts toward the wrong performance. It must not encourage manager to give major attention to the old and easy but tired products and business while slighting the new and growing, though perhaps difficult, products. It must discourage the tendency to allow unprofitable products and businesses to ride on the coat tails of the profitable lines. It must, in brief, make for willingness and ability to work for the future rather than rest on the achievements of the past, and to strive for growth rather than to put on fat.
Hardly less important is the requirement that the organization structure contains the least possible number of management levels, and forge the shortest possible chain of command.
Every additional level makes the attainment of common direction and mutual understanding more difficult. Every additional level distorts objectives and misdirects attention. Every link in the chain sets up additional stresses, and creates one more source of inertia, friction and slack.
Above all, especially in the big business, every additional level adds to the difficulty of developing tomorrow’s managers, both by adding to the time it takes to come up from the bottom and by making specialists rather than managers out of the men moving up through the chain.
In several large companies there are today as many as twelve levels between first-line supervisor and company president. Assuming that a man gets appointed supervisor at age twenty-five, and that he spends only five years on each intervening level both exceedingly optimistic assumptions he would be eighty-five before he could even be considered for the company’s presidency. And the usual cure a special promotion ladder for hand-picked young “geniuses” or “crown princes” is worse than the disease.
The growth of levels is a serious problem for any enterprise, no matter how organized. For levels are like tree rings; they grow by themselves with age. It is an insidious process, and one that cannot be completely prevented.
Here, for instance, is Alfred Smith, fairly competent as a plant manager but hardly good enough to be promoted. Under him, however, is Tom Brown, first-rate and “raring to go” – but where? He cannot be promoted around Smith – there is no job even if the company were willing to let him leap over his boss’s head. Rather than see Brown leave in frustration, management kicks Smith upstairs into a new job as Special Assistant to the manufacturing Manager in charge of tool supply; and Brown is put in as plant manager. But Smith knows enough to get busy in his new assignment; soon a veritable avalanche of mimeographed papers rolls out of his office. When he finally retires, one of the bright young men – Tom Brown II – has to be put in to clean up Smith’s mess; being a bright young man, he soon makes a real job out of what was originally nothing but the easy way to solve a personality problem. And when something has to be done for the next Alfred Smith – and, like the poor, they are always with us – a new job has to be set up; he is to be a “coordinator. And so two new levels are created both soon essential and both in no time hallowed by tradition.
Without the proper organization principles, levels will simply multiply. Yet, how few levels are really needed is shown by the example of the oldest, largest and most successful organization of the West, the Catholic Church. There is only one level of authority and responsibility between the Pope and the lowliest parish priest: the Bishop.

Careers Gen - Y

Younger generation is always on the lookout for something exciting and better, does not want to be limited in its choice of careers. With youth today following the strategy of experimenting with professions, the options seem almost unlimited. Take a walk through the job market, and one will bump into professional who make a living out of dispensing knowledge on how to maintain a car, or how to meet ones financial goals etc.. Of course, these are in addition more conventional professions like law, marketing and chartered accountancy. In this article we are giving brief details of some unique job opportunities available in fiancé and real estate.
Finance:
A career in finance is no longer limited to being a chartered accountant or company secretary. The growing role of stock markets and other investment avenues in people’s lives have given rise on many new opportunities. There are a number of programs that offer certified courses for those with money on their minds. In the financial world today, companies want experts in everything. While the CEO wants to concentrate on searching for growth opportunities for the company, the day-to-day work is handled by these experts.
Stock broking:
Stock broking as an enterprise has become more professional, as markets are increasingly seen as more than just a way to make a quick buck. There are courses available to teach the nuances of investing right. One should start with the training program offered by the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
Technical financial analysis:
The charts do the talking here. Technical analysis is the study of stock price graphs to predict possible trends in the market. The job prospects for such analysts are expanding. A growing number of television channels which aim to give their viewers a holistic view of the markets everyday are now open to hiring technical analysts, too.
Portfolio management:
The outlook is brought for careers in portfolio management, as more high net worth individuals (HNIs) hire professionals in order to earn better from various investment options. A portfolio management expert monitors and analyses economic and corporate developments. Those with incisive analytical skills and the ability to take quick decisions are sought after in this field. A number of banks today offer portfolio management services to select clients. Working as a relationship manager for a specific client with such a bank would be good first step towards becoming a certified portfolio manager.
Financial advising:
A financial advisor provides investment and financial advice to clients. Most financial advisors are appointed by mutual fund houses or insurance companies to promote and market their schemes to Individual customers. They receive a commission from company for the same. Financial advisors have limitations with regards to products that they are able to sell.
Certified financial planning:
A certified financial planner’s (CFP’s) job is similar to that of a financial advisor. The major difference is that the CFP works with a wider canvas. There is a difference in training required for both the jobs. To be financial planner, an individual has to pass just one exam. But to be a CFP, he must clear around 10 hours of exams, and continuously upgrade his skills. A CFP is supposed to take a holistic view of a client’s financial needs, and come up with solutions that will help clients meet their short and long term financial goals.
Real estate:
The real estate markets, too, have been blooming, along with our developing economy. Today, big cities are not the only places to offer great money raising possibilities as far as real estate goes. Tier II and Tier III cities too are being sought after by retailers and manufacturers. The field is adapting to a more professional system of working, as international real estate players swarm the sector. Retail estate has gone beyond broking and leasing deals as job options. Today, one can join any of several departments in a real estate consultant company, each of which offers great job opportunities.
Transaction services:
This is original broking job, but with a few differences. The selected candidates would be appointed as an account managers and their job would be to not only get interested parties together and negotiate for his client but also facilitate the entire procedure to its logical conclusion. Since account managers are the biggest revenue earners for any real estate company, they get attractive commissions on the deals they see through.
Real estate consultancy:
Consultants service a particular client with land holdings, just as a portfolio manager would do with equity. The consultant does the research and comes up with the best possible use for the land.
Research:
The researcher’s post is an important one in a real estate company, since everyone, from the consultant to Account manager, needs data. The researcher’s job is track real estate trends and prices.
Property management:
Real estate companies have widened their services spectrum in recent years, and thus have departments that did not exist before. As a project manager assigned to manage property, you would be responsible for on-site issues at one or more development sites.

Dressing for a professional image at office

Denims and sneakers just don’t belong to the corporate environment. There is lot of difference between what we would like to wear and what we are expected to wear to work. Lot of firms had introduced casuals on Friday, but the same firms today are not really happy with the idea simply because it’s just not working out. A professional image, appearance and behavior are what matters the most, when you become a part of the corporate world. Remember people can decide ten different things about you in just ten seconds of seeing you. So, it’s very important that you dress up according to the field you are in. Here’s a list of things that can help an employee build a professional image.
A suit coat with long sleeves and slightly padded shoulders can make one look like a corporate person. Avoid pleats and darts since they add bulk. Short men and women should wear shirts with vertical lines with a single breasted jacket.
Every Color has a message of its own. How you put them together sends the message. For instance: shades like black, blue, brown and also white. Dark colors like Black, navy and darker shades of gray in a way indicate power and authority. A lot of people at a higher post mostly prefer wearing these dark colors to work. White is a good choice for a shirt since it connotes clean, formal and sophisticated, while pastels denote softness and femininity.
Clothes need to look as if they were made for the executive wearing it. It’s very important to find the right tailor who can do wonders with a nip here and a tuck there. The right fit really matters a lot. The way an executive dresses up increase self-confidence and add to his presentation. Don’t try and match shoes with dress. Instead match it with the office bag. Stop wearing too loose clothes.
Make sure your accessories are simple and minimal. A nice fancy watch is certainly acceptable. Women can just wear a simple gold or silver bracelet or a chain. Make sure our jewelry complements the outfit in taste and design. Avoid wearing flimsy ear rings. Men, who like wearing studs, just wear a simple diamond stud. Don’t go in for the fancy ones. Go light on the cologne and perfume. This can be a major distraction at work. Remember that the focus should be on the business at hand with minimum distraction.
An executive’s out fit reveals self-confidence: The way you carry yourself contributes greatly to confidence. Your goal is to create an aura of confidence when you walk into a room. So, wear something you feel comfortable in.
Self esteem: Image matters the most. If you wear ill-fitting clothes, in a way you’re showing people a poor sense of self-worth. Image is what helps people understand you better
Confidence: the way you carry yourself contributes greatly to confidence. Our goal is to create an aura of confidence when you walk into a room. Make sure your clothing contributes its part.
Creativity: If your firms permits you to dress up in a bit of casual way that doesn’t mean you wear some funky casual outfit to work.
You could instead express your uniqueness with a special tie and a matching hankie, a scarf or an exquisite piece of jewelry. Maybe your mark will become the special way you tie a scarf or how you find just the right one to complement or coordinate with your suit.
Remember a polished look means being polished from head to toe not just neck to toe.
Things that can ruin professional image:
Pleasant voice and a friendly attitude are characteristics that people respond to positively. If those characteristics are missing no amount of training or grooming will pay up for it.
If you have habit of biting your nails or twisting your hair, keep it under control. It can distract the image you want to portray
Nothing ruins an image more than chewing a gum – if you want to create a professional image stop chewing a gum in public.
Poor posture is a simple mistake that can ruin your image. Learn to sit and stand erect.
No matter how expensive your outfit is, if you don’t attend to your hair or make up it’ll make that outfit look silly. In short presentation (appearance) of self helps in establishing ones image and builds up self confidence. Even an excellent business presentation minus smart appearance gives a poor image of yours to the listeners.

Five Truths about Fear

We fear being alone; we fear being crowded. We fear the doctor; we fear living with health problems. We fear the opposite sex; we fear not knowing the opposite sex. We fear making decisions; we fear of not making an impact. We fear problems; we fear opportunities. We fear failure; we fear success. We fear job interviews; we fear unemployment. We fear asserting ourselves; we fear not asserting ourselves. We fear being pushed; we fear being pulled. We fear breaking up a relationship; we fear staying in the relationship. We fear meeting someone; we fear meeting no one.
Wow! Talk about a crazy list of contrasting fears! The truth about fears is they are crazy and irrational. What fears do you experience which you think are unique to you? What are the fears that drive you crazy?
As you've seen in the beginning of this article, we fear one side of the story while at the very same time we can fear the other side of the story. It is possible to fear talking to someone new, and fear not meeting new people, at the same time because fear hides the truth.
The experiences fear gives you are a smoke screen. It makes you irrational. Fear hides the truth from you. Literally, the acronym for fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear doesn't want you to know the truth about itself and yourself.
The fears we experience are immobilizing. They paralyze us from taking action and achieving what we want. We can want something, but fear sends what seems like the equivalent of a massive electromagnetic pulse through our body as it shuts down our physical functioning.
According to Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. in Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, there are five truths about fear. Whatever it is you fear, provided that the fear is not physically dangerous like doing drugs, the following five truths apply:
Truth #1
The fear will never go away as long as I continue to grow.
Our ancestors experienced fear because they were threatened from dangerous animals or life threatening environments. Fear has its evolutionary purpose as it serves to protect. Whatever it is you fear, the fear tricks you into thinking it is danger. It tells you the thing you fear will cause pain. It tricks you into thing you won't be able to handle it.
Don't be one of those people who expect to live a fearless life. As Thomas Leonard so bluntly and wonderfully put it, "Fear is natural. Be with it." Fear can, and will, diminish in the things which you immerse yourself. However, once you explore new unknown territory, new fears will arise. I know it isn't nice to hear that, but I'm hear to tell you the truth about fear that fear doesn't want you to know. It is far more comforting and exciting to experience growth and live in fear than to live paralyzed by fear.
Truth #2
The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.
Truth number two sounds contradictory to truth number one, but be assured that both truths are still truths. Fear will always exist in your life, but it doesn't have to exist in the things that you do. When we do the thing we fear, whether it was a facade or not, we come to build confidence in our ability to handle the situation. Fear decreases.
We fear because uncertainty looms in our ability to handle what gets delivered to us. "Fear comes from uncertainty." said William Congreve. "When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear."
Anthony Robbins said, "Do what you fear, and the death of fear is certain." Action will conquer fear any day of the week, month, and year of your life. By acting in the face of fear, you transform the uncertain into the certain as the unknown becomes known.
Truth #3
The only way to feel better about myself is to go out and do it.
When filled with a fear, we reason to ourselves that we will take action when we feel better about ourselves. "When I'm ready, I'll…" "If I can… then I'll…" "I'll wait till I'm…" Stop waiting for whatever it is you are wanting to change. Change your ability to take action.
While self-esteem boosts you ability to take action, go the quicker and more direct route: take action to boost your self-esteem. The feelings of confidence will then build on themselves, like a good financial investment, leading to more and more positive feelings about yourself. Stop wanting to be a fearless public speaker before doing public speaking. Do public speaking to be a fearless public speaker.
The myth of truth number three, "I'll feel better about myself before doing it", is reverse thinking to the truth. You will not feel a better person, or have more self-belief in your ability, until you do the thing which you fear. It is when you dive into action that you begin to feel good about yourself; not the other way around.
Truth #4
Not only am I going to experience fear whenever I'm on unfamiliar territory, but so is everyone else.
It is very comforting and reassuring to hear truth number four. Reassuring statements have a danger to delude one from reality and the hard truth. Nonetheless, it is truth that everyone else experiences fear in unfamiliar territory. Every public speaker and writer I have known suffers, or suffered, from fears and insecurities of the judgments of others.
Fear is hardwired into the human mind. Fear wants you to think that your fears are unique psychological problems. Fear is an educational problem. Draw comfort from knowing that those around you, and those who you envy, also experience or once experienced the very fear you feel is unique to you. It is the insecurities we feel and deem unique to us that unite us.
Truth #5
Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness.
Although fear encompasses uncertainty, the certainty of living a fearful life is more scary. The fear of being ill is more scary than seeing a doctor. The fear of having a divorce is more scary than addressing a tough relationship problem. The fear of having no friends is more scary than approaching someone. "Courage is not the absence of fear," said Ambrose Redmoon, "but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."
Repeat each of these truths at least 20 times every morning and night. When you continually affirm the truth, you will accept it as truth. You will no longer be tricked by fear. I'm excited to have finally revealed the truth about fear to you.
Don't let fear fool you. It is after all False Evidence Appearing Real. Follow the five truths in this article and you will see the light which fear hides from your eyes. The truth exists, you just need to see it.
Live a fear-filled life!Happiness,