Category Archives: Principles

Principles

Where Has All The Quality Gone? And how you can take advantage of it

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A waitress takes the order, delivers a few items and disappears for an hour while a group waits at the table with hungry kids.

A handyman installs a bathroom mirror so high that only a 6 foot 2 person (which he was) can see his face.

A programmer makes the same mistake again and again and doesn’t do rudimentary testing before showing it to his boss.

A customer buys a piece of furniture that needs to be touched up.  A month later the customer doesn’t hear back on it. A message is left and finally returned. The saleswoman says “Call me back on Monday to make sure I remember about this.” Since when are customers reminder services?

Unfortunately all these are real stories. Worse still there are many more worse ones.

The lesson: Commit to quality.

You’ll see the more you commit to doing everything with quality the better you’ll get.

The Upside

Word Spreads. People do say nice things, not just negative. This can lead to referrals.

No reworks. By doing it right the first time it saves time on fixing it later.

The Downside

The downside is that as you look around and see people neglecting quality you’ll get more annoyed. You may also become people’s reminder service. People will rely on your perfect quality even when you aren’t. Quality can take time. That’s why it’s important to set up a system.

Principles

A Sure Guide to Healthy Life, You Have to Include Exciting Routines to Make Exercise Fun

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This is a guest post by Winston Cole a teacher, engineer and web publisher with several sites including a cruise vacation planning website.

Let’s face it most people don’t want to exercise because they see exercise as being a chore. Their lives are already busy enough and they just don’t have the time to exercise. There are plenty of clever excuses that people make, to convince themselves that they really don’t have the time to exercise. However, most of the time, these excuses are just conveniences that people use, to make themselves feel better for not exercising.

Eliminate excuses and start now

Common excuses that people use to justify their reasons for not exercising include, “I don’t have the time to exercise”, “I’m too old”, “I’ll start next year”, as well as many more.

Most people will have spare hours in their day, set a period of time that is reserved for exercising. It doesn’t have to be long. Half an hour is plenty of time for beginners. As far as age is concerned, there is nothing stopping you from taking 30 minute walks each day or even joining up a yoga class, which people of any age can participate in.

The ‘New Years’ excuse, is just delaying the inevitable so that it never arrives. When the New Year arrives, a massive increase in gym attendance is followed by a massive decrease in gym attendance, usually within the first month. You have to start exercising now, not tomorrow, not next week or next year but now, if you want to get fit. With that in mind, below are various methods that can help to make working out more enjoyable.

You don’t have to exercise alone

When people imagine themselves exercising, they see themselves working out alone, bored out of their minds. Although with time, exercising on your own will become engaging, when you first start out you will probably find it hard to motivate yourself or have fun, when working out.

This is where your friends come in, you probably have a good time whenever you’re with your friends (otherwise they wouldn’t be your friends). So why not join a gym with your friends or start exercising with them? Even better, if you have friends who regularly exercises, then start working out with them.

Exercise will no longer seem like a chore, because you’ll be having a good time, which will provide you with more than enough motivation to keep things going. If you are at a similar level of fitness as your friends, you can even motivate one another by competing with each other, after all what are friends for?

Take part in sporting activities

A lot of the time you can get a healthy amount of exercise in, without even exercising. If you enjoy watching sports, then a great way for you to get fitter is to participate in them with your friends. Sports such as soccer are great team games which can improve fitness. Tennis is a great game to build up reflexes and endurance. You should aim to participate in some sort of sporting activity that you enjoy, perhaps once or twice a week to begin with.

You could also take part in other activities, everyone has different interests but walking, jogging, swimming and climbing are all great activities. If you watch sports on TV regularly, then there is nothing stopping you and your friends from participating in these sports, after all you should know all about them if you’re interested in them. Who knows, you might even discover talent that you never knew you had before.

Sometimes it’s the little things that count

Okay, so for whatever reason, you haven’t yet signed up to a gym or got round to creating a workout schedule. However this doesn’t mean that your hopes of getting fitter are over, there are still plenty of small things that you can do.

Do you usually drive to work? Instead why not start walking to work? If this isn’t possible, then park a little further away from wherever you work and walk the extra distance. Do you usually take elevators or lifts? Instead, start walking or even jogging up flights of stairs, this is great for increasing leg strength. When you’re at home, watching TV and don’t know what to do when the adverts are on, why not complete a mini workout? 5 minutes of push-ups, sit-ups and squats is all it takes, if you’re watching a program that has three 5 minute breaks, that’s a very good 15 minute workout right there. There are plenty of little things that you can do throughout the day to get fitter, you’re only limited by your creativity.

The most important thing is to have fun

Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore or extra work. There are plenty of ways to get in healthy amounts of exercise, without even having a specific workout routine. The most important thing when exercising, especially for beginners, is to have fun. If you are not having fun, then change things. For example, workout with a group of your friends and take part in sporting activities that you enjoy. Challenge your minds creativity and your body’s physical abilities. Create an exercise routine that is unique to you and is something that you actually enjoy doing.

About the Author

Winston Cole is a teacher, engineer and web publisher with several sites including a cruise vacation planning website. He is an enthusiastic sportsman, who enjoys cycling, swimming and tennis. In his spare time Winston does engage on various self-improvement activities
Traveling also is another favorite pastime of his. Winston has traveled around the world’s most fascinating places in America, Europe and Africa. His passion for life and learning attracts him to the history, food, and music of other cultures. He says “This is good because I love being with people; I don’t know a stranger! “

Principles

The Formula For Success

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SuperbokehtheorieWhen most people discuss success they say you need to work harder or work smarter or both. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a formula for success? Well there is.

Think+Do+Enjoy= Success

Think before you do(working smarter). Do it well(work harder and better). And enjoy it while you’re doing it (enjoyment ensures motivation and conviction).

Do you think you can do better? How do you think the formula can be improved?

photo credit: eriwst.

Principles

The Mechanics of Success

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Since inception the tagline of this blog has been “Simple Tools For Your Success”. But recently I changed it to “The Mechanics of Success”.

When people think of mechanics people think of people who fix cars- I assure you this site isn’t switching it’s focus- we’re still getting you to success. There will still be tools. This is about the focus on fundamental and trying to turn success into a science.

Principles

The Best Time For Spiritual Renewal

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New Years Day i.e. January 1st is a time for physical reflection- many people make resolutions to work on their weight etc. I mentioned that on labor day should be your time for career resolutions (see part 1 and Part 2). Today is the Jewish New Year- that’s the Jewish time for spiritual renewal. Even if you’re not Jewish you too should work on your own spiritual renewal. Dates are just random- start now.

Are you doing your best? Can you do better? Can you improve relationships? Do you enjoy everything you are doing?

Decide one thing you want to improve in your life and get started today.

Today can be the start of your New Year or spiritual growth and success.

Happy New Year.

Motivation, Principles

Rich Lessons From David in Diamondonia

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I recently wrote about a tale “David in Diamondonia” I heard when I was a child that still resonates with me years later. There are numerous lessons that can be learned from this simple story.

Here’s a few and then I’ll tell you about the one I thought of now decades later- that’s even more powerful than all of these.

  • Know your goal. While working hard to get were you want you should keep in mind the goal. Often while working we forget the main goals and principles that cause us working so hard. (Martin Wildam)
  • Think ahead. Instead of bringing money he should have brought candles – sell them for expensive and buy diamonds for those. (Martin Wildam)
  • Value is a completely relative thing. It depends on: Who, Where, When (Martin Wildam)
  • Give people what they want, not what you want.
  • Trust but verify. Even the best and brightest aren’t always doing the best thing. They need to have some monitoring.
  • Small gestures (of the right kind) can be worth much e.g. the diamond in his shoe.

But the lesson I recently thought of is that Diamonds (and money) are just our candle. Diamonds don’t do anything- they don’t make people happy, healthy or successful. Think about it- a diamond is just a glittery rock. Similarly dollars are just paper. Diamondonians aren’t stupider than us, we just have different value systems so we chase diamonds instead of candles. Because our world places such a high value on “diamonds”(material objects) we constantly strive for diamonds when we may be missing something more valuable. Certainly money or candles have value and are needed but at the end of the day they are only there to get you to your goal- they aren’t a goal.

Motivation, Principles

Are We Collecting Candles or Diamonds?

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When I was around 10 years old I heard a parable that made such an impression on me that I never forgot it. The story had an important lesson that is just as important today as an adult- maybe more so.

David in Diamondonia

Once upon a time deep in the mountains of Russia a small community was in trouble. The harvest was weaker than the normal tiny output and there wasn’t much optimism for the future. There was little food, the houses were falling apart and many were residents were sick. The elders in the town got together and discussed their dim situation. They went through their options but there were none. They had tried all options in previous years and each year was just getting worse. There weren’t any good new ideas that the elders could came up with. Finally an old man spoke up and told of a far away land called Diamondonia. It was always dark in Diamondonia but it had diamonds for sale so cheaply that they were almost treated like rocks. The road to get to that land was long and dangerous. After much debate the elders of the town decided that this was their only hope. They decided to send a messenger to the far off land.

For a mission this important they needed to pick their smartest and ablest citizen a man named David.  They collected as much money as they could and sent him off with for his treacherous journey.

David traveled for months over mountains through the coldest cold he’d ever felt and across deserts with the hottest hot. There were many times he wanted to give up but he thought back of his town and continued on. Finally after almost a year of travels he was getting close to Diamondonia the sun was disappearing and it was getting darker. It was so dark that he could barely see.

Finally he came to a peddler selling candles. He asked about Diamondonia and got directions to the town- just one month away. He was excited. But the peddler warned him “You’ll need to buy many candles to make it to there and this is the last place you’ll be able to get it so cheap.” The candles were quite expensive, it cost five times more than it did in his town. He was wise and surmised that this peddler was honest. He needed the candles to keep going so he bought a bunch with almost all his remaining money.

Finally after one month of traveling he came to Diamondonia. There was a large commotion in the nearby market and he quickly ran there to buy diamonds. To his surprise the merchants weren’t selling diamonds- they were selling candles. There were all kinds of candles in all kinds of colors giving off all kinds of beautiful lights. Some candles even danced, others illuminated large areas and still others gave the most beautiful combination of colors he’d ever seen. Then there were even candles that acted as fireworks, fireworks like he’d never seen. There were more candles there than he’d ever seen in his life.

He asked about purchasing diamonds. The merchants looked down on him. “Why do you need that?!?” one merchant replied. “Can’t you see it’s dark in this town. Diamonds wont give you any light.”

Finally he was referred down an alley to a dimly lit shop. In there he saw all kinds of diamonds small ones for a few rubles. Large ones for 50 rubles. Even the smallest diamond would be worth a lot  back home. Unfortunately at this point he’d used up almost all his money on getting to Diamononia and he still needed to get back.

He purchased two small ones and told the diamond dealer “I’ll be back with more money” and he started to walk out.

The diamond dealer just smiled and said “they never come back”.

He planned on spending the next few days working hard and earning money. There was no place to get light, so to do anything at all he needed candles. But candles were very expensive. Even cheap ones could cost hundreds of rubles. He bartered his efforts for money. He sought out bargains and learned to negotate well. He was able to purchasing many candles and even got a few beautiful ones at very reasonable prices. He had an eye for bargains. In his work he befriended some of the richest people in town who showed him their candle collections. One showed him the most beautiful light he’d ever seen- the cinderella. He vowed to himself that he’d work very hard so he could one day purchase a cinderella. He was sure that the people of his town would be similarly amazed by this most beautiful light.

He worked hard everyday motivated by buying that beautiful light so his town can share its majesty. His little town can be the only one in the region with a cinderella. Finally after two years of hard work he was able to purchase that cinderella. He was the envy of his friends in Diamondonia. He realized that although he enjoyed his time in Diamondonia it was time to head back to his own town. He packed up his bags and gingerly put in his candle collection. He’d amassed a small collection and he stuffed every last piece in his bags. His bags that came bare were leaving full. He was proud of his accomplishments.

It took another year to arrive back home and although the cold seemed colder than he remembered and the heat was hotter than he remembered, the road back seemed to go a little quicker. He couldn’t wait to tell the elders how hard he’d worked and show them how successful he was.

Finally one cold winter day he came walking up the snow covered path to town. Word quickly spread that he’d arrived and the entire town was out to greet him. The children were screaming his name, their parents were singing and even the old people of the town came out on their canes, happy that the mission was successful. After a four year journey he was getting a warm welcome. Although the people were a little older and the town was a little more warm, the welcome was more warn than he could have imagined.

Finally he went in the town hall and opened the contents of his backpack and showed the town his collection of candles. The elders were confused.

“Are these candles made of diamonds?” they asked.

“Of course not,” he laughed. “They are worth more than diamonds.”

He then pulled out the cinderella. Everyone agreed it was the most beautiful candle they had ever seen. But the whole town, even the children, also agreed that David was the most foolish person they’d ever seen.

“You can’t sell a candle for more than a diamond in Russia. Even one as beautiful as the cinderella.” they said.

Just then David looked around the town hall and realized his folly. He feverishly searched through his bag  and found the two small diamonds he bought on the first day in Diamononia. He also had a few others he’d picked up around town as souvenirs. He even remembered about one in the heal of his shoe to make his shoe fit better.

The town was happy again. The diamonds were enough to get them through a few winters.

But David was sad- he realized his backpack could have been filled with diamonds.

The Moral

Any story you hear when you’re 10 has a moral. The moral I was told was that we are in this world but a short time we shouldn’t be sucked in by the bright lights of this world but we should be collecting diamonds through kindness and good deeds.

As a 10 year old I remember being struck by how stupid David was. The message made it’s point.

More Morals

As I look back there are many more lessons to get from this story. Some of which I see more clearly today. I’ll talk about those another time.

What lessons did you learn from this story?

Principles

Successful Reading: Some Interesting Reads

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I actually had some time to read over the summer for the first time in years. I read only non-fiction books. Actually I didn’t read all of them- I listened to a few on tape(or CD). I’m a harsh grader so you can see a difference between books. Ratings of 2.5 and above is recommended. Here’s a rundown of a few highlights (not many low-lights):

The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership

The first part of the story was interesting, but not enough substance. the last chapter had substance but although an interesting wasn’t sustaining. Plus I don’t agree with the premise of OS!M- you shouldn’t need to embarrass yourself in front of people to win them over.

Rating: 3 of 5

The Art of Friendship: 70 Simple Rules for Making Meaningful Connections

Interesting read. makes you thin about friends- which is good. each chapter is really short making it an easy read.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Good book. Made me think (which is all I can ask) and inspired me. It makes you really think about outsourcing. Don’t like all it’s concepts on the “new rich” as it’s too “vegabond”, overall worth the read.

Rating: 4 of 5

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Interesting to see the “real” cause of many seemingly obvious occurrences. I can’t point to anything except sceptisim that I got out of this though.

Rating: 4 of 5

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer (P.S.)

My only real story in five years (but still non-fiction). A little too many unnecessary details but interesting read showed what really happened.

Rating: 2.5 of 5

Principles

More Of The Best Diet: Control Your Food

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Recently I’ve been telling you about The “Best Diet” where you can eat what you love and lose weight. I even told you how you can eat more and lose weight. Today I’ll tell you a fundamental way to diet without real sacrifice- eat less.   With the techniques below you will not feel hungry or deprived at any point.

The problem: in today’s super-sized world it’s easy  to keep eating (especially because of the productivity curse) as we get bigger portions and food is everywhere (meetings, occassion etc). What I’m suggesting is eat just a little bit less of what you don’t need. I’m not saying you need to starve yourself. Just cut back a little at a time and before you know it you need less to be satisfied.

Stop and Think

Sometimes people eat just because the food is there. Stop yourself. Think am I full? Then turn your attention to something else besides food.

Take a Drink

Sometimes when you think you’re hungry when your thirsty. Take a drink (plain water is best) and then reevaluate.

Take a Break

It takes a few minutes for you brain to realize that you’re full. Take a break and come back. If you’re still hungry eat.

Take Less in Your Plate

We’re all achievers- we want to finish what we start. If you take less in your plate you wont feel like you have to finish it. You may also realize that you don’t want as much as you think.

Think Of The Money You’ll Save

For some people financial incentives help them succeed. There’s a potentially large one here- the less you need to eat the less you pay for food. This is especially true in restaurants where food is expensive.

Split The Meal

If you get a super-sized meal split it with a friend or family member. Or just take a doggy back and save it for the next day.

Only Have Food When/Where You Need It

Don’t have food readily available when you don’t need It. If you don’t need the food keep it away. This means don’t have it at your desk at work, in your car etc. Before a recent long trip (3 hours) with my sister she offered to bring snacks (chips- which are my favorite) in the car. I just had a good dinner so I knew I didn’t need the food. So I told her “it’s better if you don’t bring it- I’ll eat it all” (and I would have).

So do you control your food or does it control you?