My Friend had a Tortoise...

My friend had a tortoise ... and so did I ... It was the 70's so we were allowed.

You might not believe it but our little tortoises had completely different personalities. Her's was called Fred, he was a lovely little chap who plodded a long, managing to bi-pass her swimming pool (generally).... which is no mean feet when you understand he didn't know how to change direction. Honestly! On a daily basis my friend and her siblings had the job to find the tortoise and turn him around. One day he did plop into the pool, luckily the cover was on so he didn't perish, after which they fenced off the hazard. Lucky little fellow to have a family that cared so much for him!

My tortoise was called Winnie. Now Winnie had a real sense of adventure. We lived in a bungalow in Suffolk, which had a 'C' shaped layout, leaving a tree and a piece of lawn in the centre. A hallway ran along one side and had big windows so we could look onto this little haven. This became Winnie's home...We fenced off the other end to keep her in and keep her safe. .... but Winnie wasn't having any of it! Winnie was a digger and a climber... Winnie was an escapologist and a swashbuckler.
No matter what we did Winnie would go walkabout. Thankfully the word got out in our village and if ever Winnie wandered off over the fields and far away, someone would eventually call and return her to her rightful home. 

You would think that a tortoise would not wonder far, or be gone for long... not Winnie. Once she was missing for a whole winter... once she was found 2 miles away. On she would pootle, no matter what got in her way!

I hadn't thought about Winnie and Fred for a long time. Yesterday their little ways came to mind. I was going over my years worth of social media training notes and having a chat with Pam about our search for the next deal. We were both feeling that things are going too slowly for our liking.

Sometimes life feels like a plod, sometimes we need to continue on our journey, watching the scenery pass by slowly. We need to wait for the the pieces to fall in place, to meet the right person, read the right thing, put the plan together neatly. Then suddenly the pace changes and we are speeding along and we wonder if we can keep up.

Have a great day ... plodding along or speeding... whichever... so long as it's towards your goal... so long as you are on your adventure. Enjoy!

Tania xx

The Secrets of Goal Setting for College Students

 

I recently heard from a student that was in one of my communication classes many years ago. I was excited to hear that this student, who was goal oriented and determined achieved his education dream. He completed his bachelor's degree and moved on to complete a master's and doctoral degree. The success in today's college students can be seen by looking at more than dreams and aspirations, but the goals that they set for themselves. The failure to persist in college is partially due to a lack of goal-setting habits.
Review your goals at the beginning of each semester. College students should take advantage of the opportunity to review their goals at the beginning of each new semester. Students should review both short and long-term goals. A student may have a short-term goal to increase their grades they receive in their classes. A long- term goal might be to review progress toward the completion of an associates or bachelor's degree.

Write down your goals. Those familiar with goal-setting recognize that a goal not written is only a wish. Our minds are constantly forgetting information. Within six to eight months of graduation from college a student will forget up to eighty percent of what they heard in classroom lectures. Students who set mental goals may soon forget them. It only takes a few minutes to sit down with your laptop and jot down some short and long-term goals. Set an appointment in the future to review the goals. The beginning of a semester is an ideal time to review goals, but goals can be reviewed at anytime.

There are several benefits to setting goals for success in college. A goal is a GPS to where you want to go with your current college classes and your entire college experience. By reviewing your goals you can brainstorm the best approaches to reaching them. The best evaluation of goals is measure your progress toward their completion. And many goal setters create a reward for the accomplishment of their goals.

Make a list of your daily goals. Many students make a daily list of things they need to accomplish by the end of the day. Unfortunately, we tend to gravitate to the items on the "to do" list that are easiest to accomplish. You can't say 'yes' to the important goals until you say 'no' to the unimportant ones. I remember a student who listed two items on his "to do" list, eating lunch and also completing a persuasive speech assignment. It is not surprising that the student made sure he was fed first.

Brainstorming is an important part of the goal setting process. Goal setting begins with brainstorming a list of both small and long-term goals. This is followed by prioritizing your goals. The most important short-term goals are those items that require immediate attention. The student mentioned earlier would experience more success in college by giving the speech assignment a higher priority than eating. This may be difficult for some students because they dread making a presentation. But procrastination only creates more problems for the student. Delaying the preparation of a speech may lead to very little time to rehearse. Without rehearsal time the student will feel more nervous on the day the speech in presented.

Successful goal setting also includes managing your time. As you set a goal, think about how long it will take to complete it. Short-term goals can be made weekly or biweekly while long-term goals might focus on projects and activities that make take a year or more to complete.

Successful goals setter are aware of tried and tested strategies. As you work on your goals keep in mind the following strategies:
*Prioritize your goals based on your current course schedule.
*Make sure your goals include important time set aside for tutoring or group work
*Don't forget to write down your goals
*Remember PMA- have a positive mental attitude toward your goals and your ability to complete then.
*Avoid general or ambiguous goals. Be specific with what you want to accomplish.
*Visibility is important in the goal setting process. Don't hide your goals in your dresser drawer. The best place to put your goals is where you can see them-the best place for many students is on the refrigerator.
*There is an old cliché that says "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

Earl Nightingale, a famous radio personality in the 20th century said: "Goal setting is the most powerful force on earth to a serious minded person. It will bring us whatever we set our hearts upon... When we set serious and meaningful goals, we start in motion powers greater than we might at first imagine."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Reed_Markham/16268

Paradigm Shifting:

The Power of Positive Thinking

Success starts with a state of mind. Christopher Columbus knew it. Thomas Edison lived it. Michael Dell and Bill Gates believe it. And Marcus Aurelius said it, ""Our life is what our thoughts make of it... A man's true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself... "

You may ask why this is so. The formula for this is quite simple.

1. What you believe, you act on. Action begins with, and is instigated by, belief. You can not act on something that you do not, at some level, believe in, whether you are in favour of, or in opposition to, a particular idea or ideal, that position is held firm by your belief.

2. What you act on, you manifest. Any action you take results in some consequence. Every action in the universe is met with and equal reaction. Whether you are starting a conversation with a stranger, trying to learn new things, or simply looking at the food in your pantry, any action you take regarding these things WILL RESULT in a tangible "re-action". Perhaps it will be a new friendship. Perhaps it will be deeper knowledge achieved through your research. Perhaps it will simply be dinner!

3. What you manifest creates your reality. This is your personal paradigm.

The only variable in this process is the strength and duration of your belief. If your belief is not strong, if it weak or vacillating, then you are not likely to act on it. If you do not act on it, then you can not manifest it and it can not become part of your reality; your personal paradigm.

This is quite difficult for most people to comprehend, and even more difficult to implement. We have a tendency to repeat old mistakes and resist change, although we know deep down inside that change is inevitable. Nothing stays the same forever. There is an old saying that defines insanity as the expectation that acting in the same way will produce different results.

People who are successful and happy are people who have mastered the art of change. They are not afraid to revisit their prior actions and approach their goal differently, so that they are NOT acting in the same way while expecting different results. They are not afraid to move out of their comfort zones. Rather, they understand that in order for growth to occur, they must have the courage to live outside their comfort zones. Page 220 of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life states this truth eloquently and he writes, "There is no growth without change; no change without fear or loss; no loss without pain." Successful people know this, and do not let fear, the occasional set back (i.e. interim failure), or doubt alter their vision or deter them from their goal.

Having a definitive, crystalline goal is the first step in forming your personal paradigm. You MUST be able to visualize the final end product or outcome of your goal or the end-product. It must be a singular achievement that you are passionate about.

Christopher Columbus KNEW that he could sail west and not fall off a flat planet. He hoped to find India. He happened to stumble into America, but nonetheless, he sailed west and lived to tell about it!

Thomas Edison KNEW he could create a practical incandescent lightbulb. He tested over 3000 filaments before he found one that worked, but he did it; and he revolutionized the world!

Michael Dell KNEW that he could overtake the computer behemoth IBM; and look at him now. Bill Gates KNOWS that eventually "every home will have a personal computer." He is well on his way to achieving that vision.

Goals, such as these, are not achieved overnight. All worthwhile achievements take time. So you must be patient, consistent, and persistent in your effort. You must have the faith to BELIEVE in your goals to maintain your desire to succeed.

By knowing this truth, you can begin to shape and mould your reality by taking steps, every day, to create a crystalline vision of what your want your reality to be. Be prepared, however, because this is not easy. It takes work. It takes courage. And, most of all, it takes the fortitude of persistence so that you put aside all thoughts of and encounters with failure, and you view failure as an opportunity or an obstacle to overcome, but not an end in and of itself.

However, once you have formed your vision; once you have set your crystalline goal as a fixture into your thoughts, you WILL begin to take action toward your goal. It is inevitable. All action is instigated by your belief. Further, what you act on, you manifest. Therefore, you will soon find yourself attracting opportunities, ideas, solutions, and people who can and will propel you toward achieving your goals.

Success is no secret that is available only to an elite few. It is available to everyone, all the time. It is the certainty of the power that you possess - the power of your own beliefs to create and manifest your own personal paradigm; you success paradigm.

So I ask you, what is your paradigm? What Do You Believe?






Author: Ms. Amy Potavin's
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