Health and Fitness Self Improvement Tips

There’s no better place to start self-improvement than with your health. After all, health is one of the most important aspects of life. Taking care of your health is the first step on the road to self improvement.

1. Eat breakfast - start the day off right with a quick morning breakfast. Fruit and yoghurt, granola and milk or whole-wheat toast and peanut butter will ensure you start on the right foot.

Don't be Bored

There are lots of reasons that one may be bored. The most common one is that you've no idea what to do.

However additional reasons may be you feel lazy or tired and just don't wish to do the things that are available for you to do. Perhaps you have thoughts that you don't feel you are able to do the things you wish to do. This likewise contributes to feeling bored. Boredom gets to be a great concern once it results in procrastination, indecision and feeling listless and tired out.

50 Relationship improvements tips

1. Be yourself. Authenticity is the key to growing a relationship. If you cannot be yourself then you end up playing a charade that ultimately will end badly for you.
2. Be honest. No one likes being lied to and a relationship build upon lies will create an environment of distrust. It is better to be honest and upfront, then try to weasel out of a lie latter on.

Decision making

Decision making is a huge part of the daily functional life of any individual, thus learning how to effective make decisions are worth exploring. Though the experience of making decisions can be somewhat paralyzing at times it can also be fairly easy once the art is learnt and practiced regularly.

The Right Attitudes to Achieve Your Goals

If you want to be truly successful in how you achieve your goals, then you need to harbor the right habits and attitudes that will keep you on track. There are a number of good traits you have to keep for life to discover that more opportunities and good things are bound to happen, if only you allow these. Here are some of the features that great people had.

Being Industrious

Hard work always pays off.

How to improve self confidence

Every day, in one way or another, people are faced with challenges, and while some are relatively small, others can be quite overwhelming. Therefore the need for confidence is essential if the individual is going to be able to handle these life issues adequately and effectively.

Self-Improvement Steps in Your Finances

   Money money money...There’s no denying the importance of money and the stress it causes. In fact, one of the main reasons people feel worthless and have low self-esteem is due to money-related issues. In these tough economic times, it’s more important than ever to gain control of your financial situation in order to gain control of your self-improvement.

Finding Your True Passion

You have a 9 to 5 job drawing a good pay, you have a good family and all’s well with the world. But deep inside, you feel like you are going nowhere. The job isn’t moving upward either. You are actually stagnating in your career and mentally and spiritually. Something is missing.

OSHO: There Is No Tomorrow

Communication in almost every step of your life

Effective communication is a very important skill which you must learn if you want to move ahead in your career. No matter what you do and what your intentions are but if you cannot communicate effectively then, your whole idea of progressing will fail.

You cannot tell your plans and goals without an effective communication technique. If you are confused while explaining something then, people will think that will also be confused while attempting that thing. This is natural gesture which every normal person will give you.

You would have seen around that there are some people with a very confident and alert tone and these people always tend to be more successful and managed in their lives than those who lack self-confidence and effective communication skills.

This is not because the second types of people do not have the working capabilities but it is just that they cannot motivate people to work for them and they can never convince people effectively to team up with them.

There are certain techniques which can help you out in enhancing your effective communication skills and these techniques will tell you exactly what you lack in being a good speaker as well as a very good listener.

Some people think that just speaking and expressing is communication but you should know that listening is another very important part of the communication. When you listen then, you can express yourself and these expressions encourage or discourage the speaker to continue his talks. Communication skills have a very deep importance in any business environment and effective or ineffective communication can make organizations progressive or declined respectively. You can never say that communication has become ideal in some organization just because some of the language glitches are fixed instead communication is a thing which always needs your attention and constant maintenance and improvement. While communicating at interpersonal level, you should make sure that the meaning of your discussion is properly understood by the listener. Just saying “do you know what I mean” in the end will not be sufficient.

You can always make a map that which damages and advantages you can get from ineffective and effective communication. This will not take that long to know that ineffective communication can give you lots of losses in terms of your work, time, productivity, progress and other similar things.

        If you have miss-communicated with your boss over a certain report then, you will have to do that report from scratch and it will cost you both time and work and in most of the cases ineffective communication will cause you embarrassment. The best approach is to identify miscommunication as soon as possible because sooner you identify sooner you can fix it. Ineffective communication will also because you lots of extra stress and tension because when you miss some work due to ineffective communication then, your boss will be angry with you and it may happen that some of your colleague also gets disturbed with that effort. So it can disturb the whole working environment for you.

In order to avoid all of the above problems, you must communicate effectively and if you are having problems in effective communication then, you must keep reading and in coming chapters I am going to tell you the exact ways of improving your communication.

In almost every step of your life, you will need to communicate and communicate effectively. If you communicated improperly or ineffectively then, it will not only disturb your own life but it can affect lots of other people too. This phenomenon increases the value of effective communication a lot.

Making all of these skills better is a crucial part of your life which will take time because as it is said that “Anything worthwhile, takes a while”. So if you have been trying to improve your communication and trying to make it more and more effective then, you should stick with the learning procedure. Results will come whether late or early.

Never under estimate yourself by watching to some confident colleague of yours who is closer to your boss because it is just a matter of days when you will be in same position but all you need is a bit of excellence from within to motivate. You should make this fact very clear that communication is a thing which you can learn with time and experience. 

Inner Kingdom and Eternity

To me we are here for divine self-realization through experience. We progress in the degree that we manipulate wisely all things that enter into our lives, and that make the sum total of each one's life experience. Let us be brave and strong in the presence of each problem as it presents itself and make the best of all. Let us help the things we can help, and let us be not bothered or crippled by the things we cannot help. The great God of all is watching and manipulating these things most wisely and we need not fear or even have concern regarding them.

To live to our highest in all things that pertain to us, to lend a hand as best we can to all others for this same end, to aid in righting the wrongs that cross our path by means of pointing the wrongdoer to a better way, and thus aiding him in becoming a power for good, to remain in nature always sweet and simple and humble, and therefore strong, to open ourselves fully and to keep ourselves as fit channels for the Divine Power to work through us, to open ourselves, and to keep our faces always to the light, to love all things and to stand in awe or fear of nothing save our own wrong-doing, to recognize the good lying at the heart of all things, waiting for expression all in its own good way and time—this will make our part in life's great and as yet not fully understood play truly glorious, and we need then stand in fear of nothing, life nor death, for death is life. Or rather, it is the quick transition to life in another form; the putting off of the old coat and the putting on of a new; the falling away of the material body and the taking of the soul to itself a new and finer body, better adapted to its needs and surroundings in another world of experience and growth and still greater divine self-realization; a going out with all that it has gained of this nature in this world, but with no possessions material; a passing not from light to darkness, but from light to light; a taking up of life in another from just where we leave it off here; an experience not to be shunned or dreaded or feared, but to be welcomed when it comes in its own good way and time.

All life is from within out. This is something that cannot be reiterated too often. The springs of life are all from within. This being true, it would be well for us to give more time to the inner life than we are accustomed to give to it, especially in this Western world.

There is nothing that will bring us such abundant returns as to take a little time in the quiet each day of our lives. We need this to get the kinks out of our minds, and hence out of our lives. We need this to form better the higher ideals of life. We need this in order to see clearly in mind the things upon which we would concentrate and focus the thought-forces. We need this in order to make continually anew and to keep our conscious connection with the Infinite. We need this in order that the rush and hurry of our everyday life does not keep us away from the conscious realization of the fact that the spirit of Infinite life and power that is back of all, working in and through all, the life of all, is the life of our life, and the source of our power; and that outside of this we have no life and we have no power.

To realize this fact fully, and to live in it consciously at all times, is to find the kingdom of God, which is essentially an inner kingdom, and can never be anything else. The kingdom of heaven is to be found only within, and this is done once for all, and in a manner in which it cannot otherwise be done, when we come into the conscious, living realization of the fact that in our real selves we are essentially one with the Divine life, and open ourselves continually so that this Divine life can speak to and manifest through us. In this way we come into the condition where we are continually walking with God.

In this way the consciousness of God becomes a living reality in our lives; and in the degree in which it becomes a reality does it bring us into the realization of continually increasing wisdom, insight, and power. This consciousness of God in the soul of man is the essence, indeed, the sum and substance, of all religion. This identifies religion with every act and every moment of everyday life. That which does not identify itself with every moment of every day and with every act of life is religion in name only and not in reality. This consciousness of God in the soul of man is the one thing uniformly taught by all the prophets, by all the inspired ones, by all the seers and mystics in the world's history, whatever the time, wherever the country, whatever the religion, whatever minor differences we may find in their lives and teachings. In regard to this they all agree; indeed, this is the essence of their teaching, as it has also been the secret of their power and the secret of their lasting influence.

It is the attitude of the child that is necessary before we can enter into the kingdom of heaven. As it was said, "Except yet become as little children, yes cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." For we then realize that of ourselves we can do nothing, but that it is only as we realize that it is the Divine life and power working within us, and it is only as we open ourselves that it may work through us, that we are or can do anything. It is thus that the simple life, which is essentially the life of the greatest enjoyment and the greatest attainment, is entered upon.

In the Orient the people as a class take far more time in the quiet, in the silence, than we take. Some of them carry this possibly to as great an extreme as we carry the opposite, with the result that they do not actualize and objectify in the outer life the things they dream in the inner life. We give so much time to the activities of the outer life that we do not take sufficient time in the quiet to form in the inner, spiritual, thought-life the ideals and the conditions that we would have actualized and manifested in the outer life. The result is that we take life in a kind of haphazard way, taking it as it comes, thinking not very much about it until, perhaps, pushed by some bitter experiences, instead of molding it, through the agency of the inner forces, exactly as we would have it. We need to strike the happy balance between the custom in this respect of the Eastern and Western worlds, and go to the extreme of neither the one nor the other. This alone will give the ideal life; and it is the ideal life only that is the thoroughly satisfactory life.

In the Orient there are many who are day after day sitting in the quiet, meditating, contemplating, and idealizing, with their eyes focused on their stomachs in spiritual reverie, while through lack of outer activities, in their stomachs, they are actually starving. In this Western world, men and women, in the rush and activity of our accustomed life, are running hither and thither, with no center, no foundation upon which to stand, nothing to which they can anchor their lives, because they do not take sufficient time to come into the realization of what the center, of what the reality of their lives is.

If the Oriental would do his contemplating, and then get up and do his work, he would be in a better condition; he would be living a more normal and satisfactory life. If we in the Occident would take more time from the rush and activity of life for contemplation, for meditation, for idealization, for becoming acquainted with our real selves, and then go about our work manifesting the powers of our real selves, we would be far better off, because we would be living a more natural, a more normal life. To find one's center, to become centered in the Infinite, is the first great essential of every satisfactory life; and then to go out, thinking, speaking, working, loving, living, from this center.

In the highest character building, such as we have been considering, there are those who feel they are handicapped by what we term heredity. In a sense they are right, in another sense they are totally wrong. It is along the same lines as the thought which many before us had inculcated in them through the couplet in the New England Primer: "In Adam's fall, we sinned all." Now, in the first place, it is rather hard to understand the justice of this if it is true. In the second place, it is rather hard to understand why it is true. And in the third place there is no truth in it at all. We are now dealing with the real essential self, and, however old Adam is, God is eternal.

This means you it means me it means every human soul. When we fully realize this fact we see that heredity is a reed that is easily broken. The life of every one is in his own hands and he can make it in character, in attainment, in power, in divine self-realization, and hence in influence, exactly what he wills to make it. All things that he most fondly dreams of are his, or may become so if he is truly in earnest; and as he rises more and more to his ideal, and grows in the strength and influence of his character, he becomes an example and an inspiration to all with whom he comes in contact; so that through him the weak and faltering are encouraged and strengthened; so that those of low ideals and of a low type of life instinctively and inevitably have their ideals raised, and the ideals of no one can be raised without its showing forth in his outer life. As he advances in his grasp upon and understanding of the power and potency of the thought-forces, he finds that many times through the process of mental suggestion he can be of tremendous aid to one who is weak and struggling, by sending him now and then, and by continually holding him in, the highest thought, in the thought of the highest strength, wisdom and love. The power of "suggestion," mental suggestion, is one that has tremendous possibilities for good if we will but study into it carefully, understand it fully, and use it rightly.

The one who takes sufficient time in the quiet mentally to form his ideals, sufficient time to make and to keep continually his conscious connection with the Infinite, with the Divine life and forces, is the one who is best adapted to the strenuous life. He it is who can go out and deal, with sagacity and power, with whatever issues may arise in the affairs of everyday life. He it is who is building not for the years but for the centuries; not for time, but for the eternities. And he can go out knowing not whither he goes, knowing that the Divine life within him will never fail him, but will lead him on until he beholds the Father face to face. He is building for the centuries because only that which is the highest, the truest, the noblest, and best will abide the test of the centuries. He is building for eternity because when the transition we call death takes place, life, character, self-mastery, divine self-realization — the only things that the soul when stripped of everything else takes with it — he has in abundance, in life, or when the time of the transition to another form of life comes, he is never afraid, never fearful, because he knows and realizes that behind him, within him, beyond him, is the Infinite wisdom and love; and in this he is eternally centered, and from it he can never be separated.  

Change How You See Yourself

You shift. You aren’t what you were 10 years earlier. So, your idea of self must likewise change. Constantly improve your notion of self. Even as nothing in the creation stays the same, your notion in yourself should not remain as is either. It has to keep developing.

You do not stay motionless at any stage in life. You continue learning fresh things, acquiring more experiences, diversifying your positions of life, meeting new individuals and so forth. Your capacities are consistently increasing. It is not simply about the academic and professional reservations that you gain.

It's about everything in life that you accomplish. Whatsoever you do, you're adding it to your repertoire of potentialities. You're reaching fresh pinnacles of success and even if you're failing in matters, you're extending your own limits every time.

That's why you have to constantly keep evolving your trust in yourself. If you were able to do a certain thing a couple of years back, there are all risks that you are able to do that same thing better now. If when you began with your job, you could meet a deadline with a piece of work inside 3 days, likely with all the efficiency you've gained by now, you are able to do the job inside one day. You have to recognize that your capabilities are always changing and so ought your trust in yourself about accomplishing things.

Take the illustration of a guitarist. When he must have begun, he must have utilized a really primary 4 string guitar. At that stage, he may not have believed he could master even that. But just about a calendar month of diligent practice later, he could be ready for a 5 string or even a 6 string guitar.

Perhaps when he retrospect’s today, he will even jest at himself at how he used to believe that a 4 string could be so tough.

We're like that. Our trust in ourselves is subject to time and our own experience. As our life advances, we learn fresh things and therefore our trust in ourselves ought to become stronger too.

Bearing a practical view of yourself is really crucial. But it's likewise really crucial to know that you're becoming better day in and day out. So, let your pragmatic view of yourself live dynamically.

Life has ups and downs. You can't change that.

Life won't look great all the time. I imagine you recognize this already.

What you are able to do though is see to it that you face events with a favourable state of mind, if only to make life easier and more gratifying.

I hear what you are thinking, "Easier said than accomplished".

No concerns! That's why I have put together for you these hints for positive thinking.

Imagine that everything is hunky-dory at a deeper level, even if it does not appear so in the surface.

For instance, you might be in a trying relationship with somebody, and you might see that as "bad" or "wrong" to your life. Imagine that at heart everything is hunky-dory and you'll be fine. There's a reason for it occurring, at any rate. This will help you loosen up and keep a favourable state of mind, so that you are able to deal with the here and now more effectively.

·         Choose to live in the here and now.

Much of our damaging thinking takes place when we return to the past ("I wish I had behaved otherwise", "I was more pleased then than I am today") or when we dread the future ("I wish this didn't fail", "I'm not certain I'll have adequate money").

All the same, the present is the only time we get. When you centre on living the here and now you better the quality of your life.

·         Declaration to have bravery.

Nothing is so foul; nothing may truly bring you down except for death (and even this may be argued, as many religions see death as a step toward something else instead of an end).

From now till you decease, you have got nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. Consequently resolve that it's a waste of time to worry or dread anything. If you discover yourself in fear, remember that zip is definite. Any experience may only make you firmer. Resolve that this will be your approach to anything that comes on, whatsoever that is.

·         Be pleased with what you have and are.

I do not mean that you simply accept and remain in any situation you go through, for its human to seek advancement and change. All the same, you do have to feel good with your conditions up to a point, so you don't walk through life as a quenching figure, never pleased with anything.

This one might be the easiest of these positive thinking tips, but it's likewise probably the best one to live a happy life. Much of our negativity in this facet comes because we tend to equate who we are or what we have with somebody else or their possessions or our own past.

Guess what, we'll forever wind up losing. Simply don't compare yourself. You don't have to. It simply comes down to what we select to make out of our truth.

·         Pick out a goal that you would like to follow up on.

Get busy designing how you'll make it occur; specify what will be the steps to conduct. The goals that satisfy us most are commonly those that have to do with personal pursuits: skydiving, learning to paint, visiting a distant country, winning a contest... We quest for them in a pure act of self-realization and in doing so we discover pleasure.

Positive thinking bestows inner peace, success, bettered relationships, good health, happiness and gratification. It likewise helps the daily affairs of life move more swimmingly, and makes life look brilliant and promising.

Positive thinking is catching. Individuals around you pick your mental tempers and are affected consequently. Consider happiness, healthiness and success, and you'll cause individuals to like you and desire to help you, as they enjoy the vibrations that a positive brain emits.

In order to make positive thinking yield results, you have to develop a positive attitude towards life, expect a successful result of whatever you do, but likewise take any essential actions to ensure your success.

Increase Your Value

What really is a career? A career is a person’s lifetime venture to develop and enhance one’s knowledge, experiences and skills. By this, you are building up all the events in your life to exploit and maximize every opportunity you have to progress in your career path.

Your family, friends and relatives are your alliances to accompany you in life’s path you ought to take. The work jobs, occupations you belong, and medium applied must lead to the fulfilment of your lifetime goal as you pursue your career.

The term “career” is often used with a lot of misconceptions. People have common perspectives that pursue them to think of career as something which is basically not the real essence of this word.

Misconceptions

1.   A career is a job

You are working on a company and you receive compensation. With that, you have a job. A job gives you short-term security as you generate stable income from your work role. However, a career is a long-term venture that does not necessitates stability and encourages you to take risks instead. A career is not a job but every job you have is part of your career.

2.   A career is an occupation

An extensive group of work jobs with related characteristics is referred to as an occupation. This can also be related to your profession and educational attainment. You can be an accountant, physician, teacher, engineer – the list is long. When you are well versed in an occupation, you have the opportunity to achieve a steady job in an organization. Nevertheless, a career is committed to develop and build your skills for a lifetime.

3.   A medium is a career

A medium is the means in which you express your career message. Conveying the content of your message takes various forms. It may be through article-writing, blogging, teaching and training people. But it is sad to note that instead of focusing on the content of the message, most are misconstrued that the medium is the career itself when in fact the message tells it all.

Everyone wants to advance in any career opportunity they have. But, let’s admit it; climbing up into the ladder of career advancement is not real easy. It takes ample of time and patience as well as high determination to be able to do such. As a start, you can begin structuring your career plan.

Where To Start

Career planning is very essential for you to have a clear view and understanding of actions you must do as you take one step forward to your career success. When you plan your progress, you must define your goals and seek to formulate effective ways to achieve your objective.

As far as a person’s working career experience is concerned, it is commonly estimated that a person changes his/her jobs six to ten times. In this setting, career advancement is necessary to cope with the changes happening over time.

According to experts, the most appropriate time for you to pursue career advancement is when you have already worked in a company for some time.

By this, you have already established your work performance and your relationship to your boss, to your co-workers and other people in your organization. As soon, as you have already planned for your career opportunity, it is time for you to realize your objectives and put them into actions.

Here are few advices to assist you as you grab a hold of your career success and at the same time maximize it to gain leverage in your advancement opportunity.

Increase your value

An assessment of your worth in the company will give you an indication in your standing as an asset in the company. If you have not yet created value in your organization, you must seek to build this value for your career advancement.

You can also further increase your company value by joining in working teams, doing additional works for the establishment and helping others within your organization. Show them that you are dedicated to your work assignment and that you have passion and joy in working with them. Make known to them your excellence and commitment in service.

·         Inform your boss

Initiate an informed conversation with your immediate boss so that you can discuss with him/her your future career advancement plans. It would be good in the part of your employer to know your goal to meet their job expectations from. Exceeding their expectations as well is better for them to have more confidence that you will efficiently perform your duties not just for your personal career goals but also for the benefit of the organization as a whole.

·         Develop personal relationships

Your relationship with the people around also helps in your career advancement. First, enhance your connection with your boss. Improve your communication with your co-workers in the company to sustain a healthy environment in the workplace. Be professional and open-minded as well. Also, remember to consider your dealings with influential people both inside and outside your company as they can help you get promoted easily. Furthermore, seek to improve your communication skills to better convey your intent to them.

·         Always be ready and prepared.

If you are really interested in advancing your career, you must keep your mind open to learn and acquire new knowledge. This will help you become flexible in future challenges you will encounter in your journey to career success.

How to Get Your Dream Job

You have the freedom to dream. Not only with regards to your future lifestyle, future spouse, future house and all the other future plans you have. But most importantly, you can imagine and envision yourself working on your dream job.

The Dream Job

However, dreaming a dream and leaving it a dream does not make sense at all. You can do something to achieve your dream and make it into reality. It wouldn’t guarantee you an easy way, though. But, the fact is that despite challenges, your dream job is at hand when you are determine to grab it even from afar.

Here are few tips you can use to get your dream job:

·         Build a professional resume

When you apply for a job, the first thing they receive is your resume. Some also requires your curriculum vitae rather than a resume. Curriculum vitae are more detailed with all your previous work experiences, backgrounds, affiliations, and more are displayed. The resume on the other hand is more brief and concise which showcase your skills and experiences as a worker. You may think that these files are not important, however, they are capable of giving your potential employer an overview of you, your professionalism, and your performance quality.

·         Don’t impress, but express

When you are shortlisted, you get the chance to be interviewed. In this area of the process, most people think of it as a time to impress. However, you are not in the interviewing seat to boast all your past experiences and skills. You are there to express yourself why you qualify for the job. You are there to inform them about you, how you do things and how you will work with the company if given the chance to do so.

In interviews, a big possibility is that you will be asked about your strengths and weaknesses. Well, you are not perfect. However, do not try to impress them by saying you do not have any weakness. Instead, emphasize more on your strengths while underplaying your weaknesses. Don’t forget, first impression lasts. If they see you are acceptable in both your strengths and weaknesses, it will be a good point for you.

·         Expertise and Team play matters

Being a Jack of all trades is good. But being an expert in one field is better. Specialization in a particular area will leverage you from the rest as you seek to get your dream job. AS we all know, competition is very high and there are a lot of applicants out there who also would like to get the job you are dreaming of. It is good if you know various work areas. Hence, it would work best often if you have an expertise in one field that will differentiate you from the rest.

Also, a team player is what most companies are looking for. Remember, you will be working with various personalities inside and outside the company office. Thus, you should possess an attitude of being a good team player. Some also would ask you for an interview task. In this case, you must be able to put your job into practice. For example, your dream job is teaching. You will be asked to perform a demonstration. Thus, you must be prepared for this and practice would really make a difference.

Perhaps, these advices can help you be guided in each step of the way. Do not ever lose hope. It just takes determination, efforts and positive perspective to be able to make it to your dream job.

Benefits of Meditation

Perhaps, a career advancement opportunity is there already. You can exploit it. You can grab it. But, how?

Meditate

Let’s illustrate it this way. The first level manager of your company gets a promotion. With that, several people in your workplace, including you, has the opportunity to take the manager’s place before the human resource department hires from external applicants.

What are you going to do now? The rest of the qualified applicants in your work environment are all performing good in their respective jobs. The competition is stiff. But, you’ve got the chance to take a step higher to the ladders of your career success.

On one side, it will be easier for you to approach the human resource staff for inquiry on the job since you are already familiar with them. Asking few things from them is not something you are deprived to do. So, use it to secure an interview for the position you are aiming for.

More often, interviewers see it a good point when you approach them. It is because your action shows your deep interest on the job offering. However, as you converse and interact with them, don’t leave professionalism on your work desk. Instead, be professional in dealing with them just like how external applicants do to apply for a job. It is a no-no that you casually talk to them as if you are only hanging out with them. Know your place. Be competent. So, you can ask few questions like:

·         What is the kind of person are you looking for this job?

·         What are matters that need to be done?

·         What are some of problems this job needs to attend to?

Perhaps, they are few but you can always add your own questions in line. Make sure you ask them properly and formally.

When you get the information you need, you must get ready and prepare for the interview. Prior to the interview proper, you must already have an idea of possible questions they will throw on you. Knowledge on these things will enhance your communication with them as an applicant.

You can search on interview questions from the internet or even to people who have already tried getting interviewed. You, yourself is a good source for interview questions. Simply recall questions you encountered back then. Perhaps some of those questions will be asked this time.

Practice your communication skill for the interview. You can do it with someone whom you trust to have a physical run-down of a possible interview flow. This is a good preparation for you.

When the day arrives for your interview, dress appropriately. It doesn’t mean that when you get interviewed you will wear your most favourite attire, or the most expensive clothes you have. Dressing appropriately means your attire suits the occasion. Mostly in interviews, you should wear formal attire. Be there in the location ahead of time. As you seat in front of the interviewer, seat relaxed and proper. Maintain eye contact and always wear your smile.

Do not take the internal interview very lightly. Instead treat it as if you are interviewed externally. Focus. Be motivated. Give it your best shot.

How to Negotiate a Raise

Most of the times, employers overlooked on the value of their employees that they take them for granted. They do not see our need for an increased remuneration for the works we have done. Because of this, we tend to bargain our job, quit, and move to other companies that offer us higher pay. However, quitting should not be our first option. We can negotiate a raise without leaving the company for good.

The Raise

Let me show you the wrong and right way of negotiating a raise.

Negotiating a raise – the Wrong Way

Mark has been working in a company for two years already. Within that duration, he was able to develop the sloppy department into a fast and efficient one. However, his concern is that he was only receiving a 3% increase for all the efforts he has done. In his mind, the company was already taking advantage of him. So what he did was that he went to his boss’ office full of anger, complaining. He even conditioned the boss that if she will not give him the increase he wanted, he will quit.

The result? He lost both the raise and the job. His boss told him to quit. It was a loss. It was the wrong way.

Of course, Mark deserves a raise. The problem here lies in the way he negotiated with his boss. His approach was inappropriate. He was very aggressive that he forgets he is only the employer, he is not the boss. Bosses do not like people who are acting over their authority. You should never do that, too.

Negotiating a raise – The Right Way

Be responsible of your compensation Raises are forms of incentives for the great works you have accomplished for the company. However, it is not the boss responsibility to keep a record of your accomplishments and given them due reward. Normally, people focus more on the negative sides rather than on positive things. The same is true for your boss. Whatever you achieved for your work will not be recognized much. They will always look for things you haven’t do rather than what you were able to do. Even you are also practicing it unknowingly. Let’s cite for example the janitor in your office. You don’t remember him when the office is clean the time you arrived. But when the whole surrounding is not clean, the janitor becomes your centre of attention for his mistake.

As you realize these things, it would work if you yourself will track your accomplishments and get compensated for those. Be responsible for the credit of your achievements.

Write a Job Journal

Keeping a record for all the accomplishments you have contributed for the company. Writing them on a job journal works best. Record everything you have worked on and list them on your journal. Quantify as many contributions as you can. Whether it is for the improvement of their money handling, promoting customer value, gaining higher profits, increasing customer traffic, so on and so forth.

If you are in a job that cannot be quantified, think of possible ways wherein you can still record your hard works. Think about how you can be recognized in all the things you have done. Think about the changes you have made, the developments you have completed. For example, you are in the marketing team to recruit people to buy your products and patronize your services. Perhaps you have recruited a lot. Those customers might refer to you when asked about how they came to know the product. Probably, you are in the training team for new employees. Your worth will be seen on the outputs the new employees are capable of and when evaluation time will come, you will be recognized for your good work.

Market your raise to the Boss

As soon as you already have the journal with all your contributions listed in it, you can now schedule a time to talk to your boss and negotiate to him your desired raise. As you try to get the boss on your side, show him/her your loyalty to the company and your commitment to serve them with excellence. By this, your boss will see the value you have for the company. With all your proofs, you can get the raise you have been waiting for.

Becoming a Leader

Leadership styles vary depending on the kind of followers a leader has. There are a lot of leadership styles; however, the effectiveness of the style is dependent on the situation.

As much as these styles differ from each other, the culture of the people in an organization also differs from one organization to another. In an organization, there is at least one leadership style that can be effective to them.

Thus, a person’s ability to lead the members of the team to the realization of the company goals is dependent on how effective the leadership style he/she is employing.

Leadership

Motivation of the team makes the leadership successful

Here are several leadership styles we can look on to:

Charismatic Leadership

A charismatic leader is appealing to his/her followers and has the ability to communicate to them well, persuading them with words to direct them in the organizational goals. This type of leadership is applicable both in formal and informal organizations.

Because the leader seems so engaging and pleasing to the followers, the team members get close to them and stick to the team wherever the leader will take them. The followers are able to form a sense of belongingness and trust that the leader will stand by to their objectives and make things happen.

Sometimes, it is not necessary for the leader to have actual authority over their followers. At times, they listen to the concerns of their followers, making the subordinates feel valued and given high importance in the team. The quality of communication the leader has dealt with them enables them to do their part as well for the team and keep their loyalty and goodwill to the leader.

This skill in dealing with followers is not always an inborn ability to all leaders. Some of them develop this skill as the leadership style progress. In this leadership style, the leader becomes effective because of their ability to use their words thriving in conversing with their followers. They are risk takers as well and deny themselves as they take lead to achieve the organizational goals.

The main concept for this leadership style is to create an image in the mind of the followers the ideal form of a leader. In this case, they will see their leader as someone who will make anything possible. As a result, the subordinates also feel that in the same way, they are like their leader. With this, they are mutually encouraged to cooperate and unite with each other to realize all the conceptual goals of the organization. They put their devotion to their works and commit to render their service in excellence.

In a charismatic leadership, the direction of the team is dependent on the given needs that affect the leader. Basically, these motivational factors drive the leader where to take the whole team. The motive and intent of the leader plays a big role in this leadership style. If you become a leader employing this particular style, it would be good if you add to your charisma the virtue of being realistic and factual; at the same time not compromising the goals of the organization. Be flexible to any endeavor you try to make and keep yourself and the followers evaluated for the appropriate direction of the whole team.

Transformational leadership

One of the most effective leadership styles is transformational leadership. This type of leadership is founded in the motive of the leader to change the lives of the followers and transform them into better people. The leader is committed to give their best to achieve the goals and finish the job. This means, that leader exerted time, effort, energy and sacrifice to for the job to be done. AS a result, the leader, as well as the followers works things with passion and dedication in their service. In transformational leadership, the leader’s primary vision is to enhance the lives of the followers believing that in this way, the followers will be motivated to pursue their career success.

The leader’s vision to convert the lives of the followers plays a big role to keep the loyalty of the followers. To convey the leader’s goal for the subordinates, they make sure that they exploit any opportunity they have to convey their idea to someone who is willing to listen. The integrity of the leader also matters for the followers to trust the leader’s motives and objectives for the organization.

Transformational leadership is similar to charismatic in some points. Their similarity lies in the ability of the leader to use words to appeal more to the followers by seeking to address their issues and concerns. The difference for two leadership styles is that transformational leadership is prioritize more on seeing the lives of the followers changed and converted into better ones.

The leader is not at all times knowledgeable on where to rightfully lead the team. In this case, the leader must be flexible enough and open to accept ideas for the team. As you become a leader in this leadership style, make sure to lead your followers not by pulling them to where you want to lead them, but by pushing them forward to achieve career success. Motivate them, let them see your vision as well and keep yourself realistic as you intent to accomplish your organizational goals.

Participative leadership

In this leadership style, the followers are encouraged to join and participate in the leader’s motive to come up with a good decision. This concept is founded in the fact that people cooperate more if they are part in the process of making decisions. This keeps them knowledgeable and guided of the actions that need to be taken since they are the ones who made the decision together. As a result, everyone in the team is united and solid to keep each other’s cooperation intact.

In participative leadership, there are levels in which the followers are able to take part of the decision-making process. At times, the leader employs less participation by merely asking for the followers’ ideas and decides alone on the concern. There are also cases wherein, the whole team is actively participating from giving of opinions to the making of decisions.

The level of the followers participation in the decision-making process is dependent on the need of the situation. If there is confidence that the decision can be made alone and the opinions of the followers are not necessary, the leader must not let them join the decision making. But if the issues and concerns call for the help of the followers to decide, then the high level of participatory leadership is required.

Transactional leadership

In this leadership style, the followers participate in the initial phase of the contract. Here, the followers are informed in the benefits they will acquire as well as they are given the opportunity to active deciding for the terms and agreement of the contract. Furthermore, the requirements for any step to be taken are clearly established for the followers to be guided. This style is effective in such a way that the people are aware of the reward as well as the consequences of any step they take for the achievement of career success.

Servant leadership

Similar to transformational leadership, this leadership style seek to improve the lives of the followers without getting any benefit in return. The motivation of the leader is not only advantageous for the followers but also to the society as a whole. To promote the welfare of the society and enhance the common good, the leader selflessly takes actions to improve their lives. Because of this, the followers get closer to the leader and gain confidence that the leader will take them to success.

Achieving success in your career path does not happen in an instant. You have to build it, improve it and develop it along the way.

Your choices play a very important role in your venture to fulfil your career. You must think many times, may it be over and over again for you to come up with a wise decision. The decision you make today will determine the kind of person you are in the future.

Put your heart and soul in your career. Keep your mind focus and always fix your eyes in your goals.

Do not ever lose hope thinking that you can’t do it. Others have reached the peak of their careers. You too can make it to the top.

Just keep the faith and keep moving. Success is still in the making.