College students are always eager to get their university degrees to finally get a job; a job that will enable them to pay their bills but also to afford a nice and exotic vacation. What a feeling to finally have some good cash ready to be spent. When done going to college, students are so glad to bury their long-lasting years of being broke...
Only very few graduates seek jobs where they can combine money and learning. Learning that is not learning to get a degree and then a job but learning for the ultimate and veritable flowering. Most jobs are far from giving these graduates what they are really after: a comfortable life. What these jobs offer is the illusion of an easy and secure life.
Very early, these young professionals get trapped in the deadlock of the employed. Going to work 9-5, waiting for 5pm, waiting for Friday, waiting for the paycheck, waiting for the holidays etc. The passion for the job goes away quickly. They first start working to have a social status, then to pay their student loans, then to pay the mortgage, then to afford the children’s expenses etc. More pressure to earn more and less pressure to feel happy.
The smart kids get their degrees and consequently get any job that will precisely enable them to fill the gaps they have to be able to secure a living and bring a significant positive contribution to the world.
When I say a secure living, I mean by that being able to earn an amount that will allow them to pay the bills and build assets. Most people do not worry about building assets until they find themselves in serious financial problems. Working for things that will bring you money rather than for things that take money out of your pocket should be taught in schools early on. But this seems to be a secret only the rich have and apply.
Most people tend to stare away from the things they find difficult or complex to understand. I was one of them. I never liked maths and did everything I could to avoid them. Only few years after I went to college, I realised that was not the best thing to do. I then had to take independent courses on accounting and read books to catch up as I had decided to run a business and knowing the basics of numbers was essential.
Being objective and working on the weaknesses will earn you more money that if you avoided them all together. Knowledge is freedom and most of us if not all are seeking that freedom.
What is the Highlight of your Career?
Written by The Leader World
If you have been working for a few years, you must have acquired a rich experience in your field. Share with us the highlight of your career so far. We will be happy to publish your story on TLW.
Kevin Spacey made it seem like very serious business in The Negotiator and we agree with him! It is important that budding entrepreneurs equip themselves with a strategy for effective negotiation. Why, you ask? It's simple; every one thinks about their own selves, like Dale Carnegie of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Doing smart business is often a question of striking deals that are attractive to others while serving one’s own interests. This is where good negotiating skills come in handy. Negotiating skills are needed during all business interactions, be it acquiring a new client, striking deals with suppliers, hiring new employees or even keeping the ones you have. Bear a couple of things in mind to negotiate well. The personal touch. Whatever be the deal you are trying to negotiate, keeping in contact with the other party is essential. By this we do not mean fixing appointments over the answering machine! Ideally, one should make an effort to meet the client or vendor in person. This will not only secure the other parties; attention but also give you a chance to assess them closely
Understand the terrain: The strategy you employ during negotiations will depend upon the other party as well. For instance, if you have common interests, collaboration is the most likely outcome. Compromise is yet another outcome, wherein both parties settle for something a little short of their individual targets. But if your groundwork is strong, you could be calling the shots. Be a patient listener and try to get as much as possible out of the other person; this will put you in the driver's seat. Prepare and play your cards well, else you could find yourself accommodating more and more concessions. While the idea is to make the deal as beneficial as possible, that's probably what the other person is going for as well. So, define your targets and keep them high enough to ensure that you do not lose out in the bargain. Ensure a fairly large margin to play with. While setting goals, stick to what is best for your company, (reputation included) rather than that which merely enhances profits. Remember to be discreet about your own goals while negotiating; keep the opponent guessing about what's on your mind! the ball rolling. Good negotiating skills require adopting an active stance. For every problem the other party comes up with, discuss possible solutions. Be enthusiastic and persuasive; emphasize common ground and stress on the benefits of the deal to the other person.
Unexpected opportunities might emerge during the dialogue; hence be prepared to request for more time, if you need to consult with others. Likewise, if dispensable clauses seem to be getting in the way, compromising on them is probably the best thing to do. See which way the wind blows. Don't hesitate to make or seek clarifications as this will avoid confusion later. Think twice before you agree to anything new on the spot; there might be more to it than what is obvious. Keep your ears and eyes open for any changes that might not be in the best interest of your business. Calling off a deal that is a no deal is just as important as negotiating well. Face roadblocks head on. While conflicts are common to all negotiations, they need to be handled with caution. Suggest temporary solutions to problems until they can be discussed at length later. This way you could buy more time to tackle those difficulties efficiently. If there are more than two people on either side then call for a vote to resolve the setback. The devil is in the details.
Once you see the deal through, take care to outline the terms and conditions carefully. Specify the validity of the contract and clauses addressing compensation if the deal falls out among other things. Do this meticulously to avoid loopholes. Attention to minute details will help save precious time and money, should the tide turn against you. Look before you leap. Don't make any commitments before the deal is down in black and white. There might come a time when it seems like the discussion is headed nowhere; stay patient and focused through it. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury and Bruce Patton available at www.amazon.com , could be a good start for those of you wanting to nail the deal at top speed. “Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiating: Skills for Effective Representation” by Robert M. Bastress and Joseph D. Harbaugh, also available at www.amazon.com, could improve your negotiating skills a great deal. If poor communication has been getting in the way of your negotiating skills, solve your problem at www.digitalexcellent.com/estore .
Finally, be confident about yourself and your offer; most importantly, end the discussion on a good note, whether you decide for or against the arrangement. With our tips to guide you.The Negotiatorcould well be your second name.
Hi, I'm Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out www.SmartEntrepreneur.net. It's full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us and download our special 'Freebie of the Month'!
How to Become a Best Selling Author
Written by Jason Oman
If you plan to writing nonfiction, then the first question you have to ask is whether or not you think yourself capable of embarking on this trying, yet rewarding, journey. With general non-fiction, there will always be space for a good new non-fiction book in the market. So, what makes a non-fiction book a best seller? First, your book should attract a considerable amount of readers; it has to be something that is new and interesting, preferably a topic that no one else has broached. Or, if you’re writing on a topic that isn’t new, then you should come up something that’s new and interesting to contribute to the whole concept.
So, why write non-fiction? Having your own non-fiction book published still holds a certain distinction and people generally associate a book author as someone who is an expert on the subject. If used the right way, your book can act as a helpful PR tool. But, don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that you can retire to the Caribbean on the proceeds of its sales.
Here are a few tips on how to become a best selling author:
• Choose a good title for your book – The title is one of the most important aspects for marketing your book. With non-fiction books, like every other form of marketing communication, the title of the book has to suggest some kind of benefit to its readers. It’s the title that draws everyone’s attention to the book, whether it’s placed in a bookstore, available online, or both. So, make sure you come up with something that’s catchy and interesting. Sub-headings are also very fashionable and work quite well.
• Writing your own book – If writing your first book seems like a daunting prospect, then you should probably approach this task methodically. Don’t think of your book as a tough project. Think of it as a fun activity. As you start working through the book, you will get a stronger sense of achievement, as the completion of each chapter will seem like you’ve overcome a major milestone.
• Planning the book – While planning the outline of the book, never rush it. Carry a notepad around with you so that you can jot down little ideas and other forms of inspiration. With non-fiction, it always helps to work to a closely defined structure. Spend time planning the chapters and make sure they all run in the right order. If you need research material, you must first assemble it and then file it under each chapter.
• Write it up – Now that all your work is done, you need to take the plunge and get started. Since you have mapped out the subject matter carefully, you’ll find it easier to start writing. Your job comes down to linking and smoothing out the plot, rather than having to think of what the next chapter will contain. Once you’ve finished your final chapter, take some time off from the writing project. Go through your work and make the necessary changes.
In reality, most publishers don’t really do a good job of marketing books. This can be really annoying when you consider that they take the lion’s share of the proceeds from the sales. So, you have two choices for effective marketing of your book:
• Hire a good publicist – This is quite a popular option amongst the famous public speakers and business gurus who don’t have the time but have the money to get the job done.
• DIY – Do it yourself! You can market your book without really spending a lot of money.
So, whether your writing career books or memoirs, these few marketing and writing techniques should go a long way in kick-starting your writing career. So, if it’s a bestseller status that you’re looking out for, remember that it isn’t too hard to get. With the right methods and the right style of writing, your first non-fiction book should be a blooming success. The bestseller lists couldn’t ask for more!
Are You Bullied By A Boss Or Co-Worker?
Written by Piercarla Garusi
Then you might need to try the metaphysical way.
When a colleague treats us badly, perhaps they criticize us, bully us, humiliate us or try to manipulate us, the first reaction is to feel hurt or get angry: why did they do that to us? Or maybe we think that it is our fault and we start beating ourselves up, feeling even worse.
Maybe we try various things – we talk to our friends, to our boss, we study various techniques, we go to assertiveness courses to stand up for ourselves, but maybe it does not work. Perhaps we do tell them how hurt we feel, how we would like to be treated, but the only thing we obtain is that they deny they did anything wrong and keep doing the same, and we end up feeling even more out of control, angry and hurt.All of this can be extremely painful, damaging and might cause us to feel powerless and trapped, as we might think we need to keep that job, particularly in this moment.
And maybe when we talk to people, some people tell us not to take things personally, but does this really work? Yes, the person might be stressed out and be treating people without respect, but do we really want to keep working with them, in the same place?
Albert Einstein said: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” We need to look at the problem from another perspective.
Yes, the person is having a behavior that is not respectful towards us, but are they really doing something to us? And how can we change the situation so that we are treated well?
We need to remember that everything in the Universe is energy and that there are laws, either spiritual or universal -one of them is that positive attracts positive and negative attracts negative. If we are negative we attract negative things in our life. This means that we have indeed attracted on some deeper level of reality the people that did or are treating us badly. But as we have attracted them, we can also shift the situation and attract people that treat us well as we desire and deserve.
What do we need to do?
We need to let go of all the negativity, beliefs, subconscious patterns that cause us to be treated badly. And of course, one very important part is how we treat ourselves, because if we treat ourselves badly, we keep attracting negative energy. Dealing with the negativity, beliefs and subconscious patterns might require a lot of work, particularly if we have been programmed with beliefs that cause us to be a victim, and with beliefs
I call anti-happiness beliefs. We also need to consider how we are treating those people, because if we treat them badly because they treated us badly, again it is only negativity.
And once we free from all the negativity and patterns and we love ourselves and those people too, we are empowered to create the reality we want. And you might wonder whether those people will change? Maybe. It might be possible that those people will change, but it is not our domain - it will be their choice if they decide so, they might change towards us but they are responsible for their negativity and so their growth; or we might find ourselves in a totally different reality, a reality where people do love and respect us.
You have the power to make a change and the power is always in the present moment by setting an intention. You can do it. Do it now.
Piercarla Garusi runs workshops to help create a shift in consciousness in the way we treat one another and support individuals to be treated well. More information can be found on the website www.pgcoaching.co.uk. She is also a spiritual painter and her paintings are for healing and a shift in consciousness . You can view them on www.piercarla-paintings.co.uk.
Kevin Spacey made it seem like very serious business in The Negotiator and we agree with him! It is important that budding entrepreneurs equip themselves with a strategy for effective negotiation. Why, you ask? It's simple; every one thinks about their own selves, like Dale Carnegie of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Doing smart business is often a question of striking deals that are attractive to others while serving one’s own interests. This is where good negotiating skills come in handy. Negotiating skills are needed during all business interactions, be it acquiring a new client, striking deals with suppliers, hiring new employees or even keeping the ones you have. Bear a couple of things in mind to negotiate well. The personal touch. Whatever be the deal you are trying to negotiate, keeping in contact with the other party is essential. By this we do not mean fixing appointments over the answering machine! Ideally, one should make an effort to meet the client or vendor in person. This will not only secure the other parties; attention but also give you a chance to assess them closely
If you plan to writing nonfiction, then the first question you have to ask is whether or not you think yourself capable of embarking on this trying, yet rewarding, journey. 
Then you might need to try the metaphysical way.