Tag: change

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Providing the fish versus teaching you how to fish

 

As I was going through some of my old short articles and collection of quotes (that motivates and provides me the wisdom), I came across this ancient Chinese quotes:

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

A lot of people (including my old self) want to be given the fish (if possible for FREE! anything that is free will be good… at least it’s provided for…)

Then the thought of this question came to me… “Why settled for limited fish?”

Isn’t it better to learn how to fish, therefore you can fish (catch) as much as you want, right?

We all have the choice to learn from successful people who have experienced in fishing and now turned professional fishermen/women. In fact, we should be paying them to learn from them.

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Another quotes that I find relevant… “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear…”

What if, one day, a professional fisherman/woman offers to teach you how to fish and the secrets of catching fish abundantly… will you accept him/her as your coach/mentor?

Or will you give excuses that you are too busy, (no time), not interested, not in a hurry or whatever the excuses may be!!

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Of course I am not talking about the real fishing… it’s a metaphor that I am using to represent opportunities.

“Life is short, once the opportunity is gone, it’s gone…” 

Life is too short and it is better for one to live life to the fullest and not hoping that life will be better (sitting and waiting for things to happen…)

When we reach a certain point in life and look back… will we say to ourselves… “WOW! I’M GLAD I DID…” or “OH DEAR! HOW I WISH I HAD!”

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” ~ Og Mandino

If we have not given our best, we have not lived!

There are many ways to learn “fishing”, please find some of the ways that I believe will work if you put some heart into it…

  1. Look for a coach/mentor and engage him/her to UNLEASH the potential in us.
  2. Find and make the time to read, we can start with 5 minutes and gradually increase it to more.
  3. Attend training, workshops, seminar, conferences, networking events; get to know people and talk to them. A lot can be learned when our mind is open.
  4. Have an inner circle of great friends (from different industries) having the same values. Napoleon Hill called it “Mastermind Group”. To find out more, you can visit Jack Canfield’s site: http://jackcanfield.com/blog/mastermind-group/ 
  5. Be curious and have the hunger to learn… we can always do our own research via the internet, magazines, audiobooks, e-books and many more resources around us. We just have to make time to invest in this activity.

I strongly believe that, the more we do (and learn), the better we get.

My own definition of a LEADER is a combination of two words, LEARNER and READER.

The more we LEARN, the more we EARN (knowledge and skills).

Thank you for investing your time in reading. Please do share with me if you have some learning points and tips.

 

“Your habits, your future!”

 

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Making decisions…

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“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”  – Tony Robbins

A lot of us, myself included… tend to wait for the right moment to make decision – the right decision… is there really a right decision?

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What I have learnt from some of the audio books, we have to just make the decision and manage the decision we have made… fine-tuning it along the way – to make it a good and sound decision (at the time we made that decision with the resources that we have). We have to learn to be resourceful and have the grit (persistence) to pursue what we have decided upon (as long as we can).

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

At times we have the fear to make the wrong decision… well, if we do not make that decision, will you be able to know whether you are able to achieve it?

Some recommendations I have in mind…

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  1. Use the Benjamin Franklin method (a good article to read: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-a-decision-like-ben-franklin/)
  2. Discuss with the people that you trust (to bounce off some ideas) and you will have to make the decision, anyhow.
  3. This is the time when you know, having a mentor and / or a coach helps (let me know if you need any help, i will be more than willing – if both our schedules permit).
  4. Do your research, write down the possible outcomes (depending on the goal that you have set), “sleep on it” for a few days and refer to item #2 or #3.
  5. Just Do It… NOW! (If you do not, will you regret it… at a later stage in life?)

In my humble opinion, it is not how you start, it is the journey of learning, to keep going and persist until you finish what you have started.

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So what… if you made a mistake? Evaluate the experience and move on…

I am sure there are a lot of good reading materials you can get pertaining to making decisions. You can read as much as you can or want… ultimately, you have to make that decision to either start or not.

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Opportunity does not come to you… You have to SEIZE IT!

Let me share some quotes that I like on making decisions:

  1. “A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.” – Grantland Rice
  2. “When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” – Roy E. Disney
  3. “I made decisions that I regret, and I took them as learning experiences… I’m human, not perfect, like anybody else.” – Queen Latifah
  4. “Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.” – Keri Russell
  5. “Our daily decisions and habits have a huge impact upon both our levels of happiness and success.” – Shawn Achor

I look forward to your success and please share your story / journey with me.

 

“Change your habits, change your world!”

“Your habits, your future!”

 

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8 Steps to Successful Change

One of the books that I enjoyed reading, a fable-based book and great learning as well.

The book titled “Our Iceberg is Melting – Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions” by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber. The book is available at Amazon.com…

The synopsis from Amazon:

Our Iceberg Is Melting is a simple story about doing well under the stress and uncertainty of rapid change. Based on the award-winning work of Harvard Business School’s John Kotter, it can help you and your colleagues thrive during tough times.

On an iceberg near the coast of Antarctica, group of beautiful emperor pen­guins live as they have for many years. Then one curious bird discovers a potentially devastating problem threatening their home—and almost no one listens to him.

The characters in the story—Fred, Alice, Louis, Buddy, the Professor, and NoNo—are like people you probably recognize in your own organization, including yourself. Their tale is one of resistance to change and heroic action, seemingly intractable obstacles and clever tactics for dealing with those obstacles. The penguins offer an inspiring model as we all struggle to adapt to new circumstances.

Our Iceberg Is Melting is based on John Kotter’s pioneer­ing research into the eight steps that can produce needed change in any sort of group. After finishing the story, you’ll have a powerful framework for influencing your own team, no matter how big or small.

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I believe different people will learn differently from the book. Depending on the different states we are in, at the time reading the book.

As for me, I have gathered good tips in practicing a successful change. In my own understanding (adapted from the book), the steps are shared as below:

Making it Possible

  • Identify a trigger to make it urgent and important; what needs to be changed immediately?
  • Setup a support team (inner circle); the power of group with the ability to lead, communicate, good branding, skills to analyse, decisive, proactive and focus on priorities.

Make a decision

  • Decide on the well formed outcome; with the right vision, goals, strategies and tactics. Journey to making a reality for yourself.

Massive Actions

  • Understand what is needed and the price to pay for embarking on the change project…
  • Overcome and remove the barriers stopping or slowing you down.
  • Go for low hanging fruits and get results as soon as possible in the short term.
  • Be aware of initial success and keep going (do not be distracted). Do it until you get the desired results…

Sustainability

  • Make it a habit culture… keep repeating the right action to produce the desired results (repeatedly).

Rest if you must… keep going and you will achieve the results that you want.

“Your habits, your future!”

 

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21 Personal Power Habits

Recently, I re-read a book by Brian Tracy, “Eat that Frog!” and it made a lot of sense. There are 21 topics that he covered in the book, I took some notes based on what I have learnt.

My humble opinion, if you are able to focus on one topic and take action for at least 30 days (it works better with an accountability partner). You will definitely see yourself change for the better.

There you go… the 21 Personal Power Habits (based on my understanding…). All the best in your action.

  1. Have a goal in writing for clarity. When you write down the goal, means you have put in some thoughts for the goal.
  2. Invest some time in advance planning. As the saying goes, “a stitch in time, saves nine…” though we have to expect the unexpected, we are preparing ourselves for any circumstances.
  3. Using the Pareto principle (80/20) to our advantage. Focusing our time and strength on the main 20% of activities to give us 80% of results.
  4. Weighing the critical-ness of the outcomes will point us to setting priorities (urgent versus important).
  5. Apply a system to assign the importance or sequence of tasks using method of preference (ABCDE, High-Medium-Low. Numbering, etc.)
  6. Effort versus results. Which area do you need to get results first? Focus on that first or get someone to help you to complete that area first before moving on to the next one.
  7. Time may be limited to finish all the activities… where you focus your energy, you get the results. Priorities on the most important ones.
  8. 6P’s on preparation: proper prior preparation prevents poor performance.
  9. Invest time in doing research to find out more before starting. What resources are needed? How can you be more resourceful?
  10. Utilise your strengths and talents. Things will be easier when you use your strengths to do it. More will be achieved with higher motivation as when focus on strengths, the less challenging the tasks will be.
  11. Determine the barriers and constraints. When the goal you set is audacious, you will bump into bottlenecks that slow you down. Once identified, get help or overcome them.
  12. Take one step at a time. Chunk the big tasks into smaller ones and keep going. Accomplish the most complicated ones, inch by inch , everything’s a cinch.
  13. Set a deadline for yourself. Some healthy pressure will be good to get things done. Remember the day before you went for your holiday… you get more things done that day…
  14. When are you the most productive? Leverage on that positive flow to achieve better results and getting more demanding tasks done.
  15. Being positive in the journey to get to where you want to be, makes life sweeter… be a fixer and focus on the solutions.
  16. Certain tasks is worth procrastinating. Focus on the high priority, important and adding more value to you.
  17. When you are fresh and full of positive energy, tackle the difficult tasks first.
  18. Divide and conquer. Segregate the tasks into manageable segments then deal with one at a time.
  19. Block your time (calendar) and make time to action with concentration.
  20. Be fast and accurate. Having the sense of urgency with quality execution is a good personal brand to have.
  21. Focus to finish. When you start and stop a task, it will consume more time to complete.

 

To learn more from the Guru, please visit this link:

https://www.briantracy.com/blog/category/personal-success/

 

Let me know how it goes. Enjoy the journey!

 

“Change your habits, change your world!”

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Good Habits of Leaders

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Get up early

Majority of the top people in organisations (especially multi-nationals; and they are made known to the public), they wake up early… of course, there are some who prefers to do the opposite 😉

As what Anthony Robbins and other leadership gurus mentioned about having your own time… “the Golden Hour”, “Power Hour” or “Hour of Power”… the time for you to reflect, do your journaling, exercise, meditate, plan your day, strategise your project, do your prayers, read books, and your own important things to boost your motivation.

Of course there are some special people who prefer to do it late at night; anytime is fine as long as you get to utilise your own precious time to add value to yourself.

A lot of people that I have met, they shared with me that they do not have the time. My recommendation, just start with 5 minutes a day and work from there… increase to 10, then 15 minutes and so on… you will need to find time to do what you want to do and get the results.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

Exercise Regularly

What do you have in mind when you hear the word “exercise”?

Walking, running, cycling, swimming, going to the gym, stretching, skipping, doing push-ups?

Yes, by exercising, we build and strengthen our muscles. Making ourselves fitter and stronger… having more energy throughout the day.

What I have realised, while we are working on our physical strength, we will also need to exercise our brains… the brain is a muscle, the more you use (exercise) it, the stronger it becomes.

How do we exercise our brains?

Reading helps, solving problems, taking on challenges, thinking about solutions, having discussions to share ideas, being curious, asking great questions, having open mind to learn, relax by playing Legos, some puzzles, games, sports… yes, our brains need the workout to be stretched and strengthen.

“Exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind.” – Nelson Mandela

Attitude of Learning

From the cradle to the grave, I believe that we are in a journey of learning. No matter how young or old you are, we are constantly learning. Whether we are doing well or facing failure (by the way, failure is a feedback – not the end… just a stumbling block experience that we can learn something from). As long as we have positive attitude to learn, we are growing to be a better individual; leader.

In this age of technology, we have access to multiple media to learn from, the YouTube, TED talk, Vimeo, social media – all the good, the bad, beautiful, ugly… everything that we can learn from; it is our choice to select what to learn. And of course, for those who prefer the books or audio books… they are also available.

The term role modelling; learning from a successful individual that we admire – we can learn by watching their interviews, talks, workshops, speeches, etc. In a way, they are like your virtual mentors or coaches (learn from their great questions). WOW! There are really a LOT to learn.

Another good place to learn will be the car; it is also known as “University on Wheels”; how much time do we spend driving everyday?

For instance, if it takes you 20 minutes one-way, you have a total of 40 minutes to listen and learn from self-improvement or any learning topics’ audio books… or you may choose any knowledge or skills that you would like to learn. Definitely a good choice for those who do not like to take the book to read; you can get your player to read to you and learn about the contents. SUPER AWESOME!

Positive Growth Mindset

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

Life is a journey and I guarantee that, there is no perfect journey; like the weather, it changes and it is not fixed… and we are affected by the weather and how we go through the journey, depends on us… what mindset are we practicing?

We can choose to have negative, fixed mindset and feel miserable – having the weight of the world on our shoulders (that’s the price to pay for having negative thinking) or have a positive growth mindset…

What we can learn from Dr. Carol Dweck on Growth Mindset:

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset

Another learning that I captured from one of my mentors… the people that we constantly mix with will somehow influence us, “birds of the same feather, flock together.” Hence, it will be better for us to surround ourselves with people who are positive and having skills to complement us… not compete but complete us.

In my humble opinion, start our day with positives; having the attitude of gratitude (be thankful – so many things to be thankful for), read motivational quotes, stories, inspire ourselves… be alive. Or simply SMILE having positive thoughts. Imagine our mind like a garden, if you are the gardener, how are you going to tend to your precious garden? Are you going to leave your garden full of weeds or flowers? (weeds = negatives, flowers = positives). Your choice.

Talking about choices, I have a model (ABC-BCD) that I have learnt and would like to share with you (feel free to contact me, if you need more information).

 It starts with Awareness; perfect practicing mindfulness, then we decide on the habit / behaviour that we want to change and carry out the action. After some time doing the routine, it will be automatic (unconscious competence).

I believe that from birth to death (cradle to grave), we are constantly making choices and whether or not, we are willing to pay the price (for the choices that we have made)?

“Change Your Habits, Change Your World!”

#habitchange

#habitchange2dot0

#worldofhabits

#dionhabits

 

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10 Easy ways to practice Mindfulness

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”   – Victor Frankl

Definition of Mindfulness (Google):

a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

How can we practice mindfulness? Here are 10 easy ways…

1.  Live in the moment (be aware and present… enjoy the moment)

2.  Accept things as they are (events happened and we can control our responses)

3.  Use the power of visualisation (practice positive thinking, see everything in your mind)

4.  Practice mindful eating (know what is going into your body, the quality of the food)

5.  Start your day without any gadgets (there are many other things that you can do 🙂 )

6.  Accept your weak points (focus on your strengths and further strengthening them)

7.  Take small steps (start small and go for small wins)

8.  Wait patiently (patience is key… take a deep breath and let it go…)

9.  Free yourself from all distractions (be aware of the thoughts and focus on what you want)

10. End your day on a positive note (start with positive and end with positive…)

Different people have different ways of achieving the above… find your own way and if it works for you… keep doing and achieve MINDFULNESS.

If it our CHOICE to have a better life, habits, be happy, be healthy… make your choice and enjoy the journey of life.

“Change Your HABITS, Change Your World!”

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I am Habit…

As I was going through some articles and poems about Habits… came across this interesting poem that shared in one of the training I attended years ago.

I trust we can all benefit from this poem. Enjoy reading…

The Habit Poem

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.

Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me,
and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great men.

And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine.

Plus, the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am a HABIT! 

“Change Your Habits, Change Your World”

“Your Habits, Your Future!”

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Top 7 Habits of High Achievers

Why are some leaders effective and are able to achieve more than others? Have we ever thought of that question before?

What made these high achieving leaders successful? As my mentor and I are working on our new book, I have the opportunity to do some research on this topic.

Here are what I have discovered and of course there are a lot of other habits, let me focus on the critical few – top 7 – for your reading pleasure…

1. POSITIVE THINKING

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.”  – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

What do you gain by thinking negative? In my humble opinion, please save your mind energy and think positive – do it every day and one day, positive thinking becomes your habit.

A great day starts with positive thinking. Also shared by Zig Ziglar, positive thinking is like taking a bath… you need it every day NOT once in a while.

2. HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

“The greatest wealth is health.”  – Virgil

As humans, we have been given the power to choose what we do with our mind, body and spirit. How do you take care of your health?

To exercise or NOT? Sleep? Diet? Choices… Choices… the choice that we make, we have to learn how to pay the price.

We do not have to start with a lot, just focus on starting… bit by bit, step by step… as long as you keep doing, you will see the results. Results will give you the motivation and change in attitude.

3. FOCUS

“So rather than trying to do too many things at once, switch over to a mindset of focusing on just one thing while you are working.” – Timo Kiander

My mentor once shared with me, “if you chase two monkeys at the same time, you ended up with no monkey!”

I trust that if we really want to excel and get results, we need to focus. Like what Robert Kiyosaki mentioned in one of his books, FOCUS means “Follow One Course Until Succeed…”

What are you focus on today? How are you prioritizing your activities?

All of us have 24 hours a day, what would happen when you start to focus?

4. LEARNING

“Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

How do you plan to learn for the rest of your life? It is my belief that from our cradle to the grave, we have a choice to learn and I will make the choice to learn as much as I can. There is a Chinese saying… “We learn as we grow with age…”

Learning is one of the ways to make ourselves smarter. What do want to learn today?

5. START YOUR DAY RIGHT

“Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden

How would you start you day right? Let’s do a 30-day challenge to start your day with the right, “Intention, Gratitude and Appreciation…”

Intention – what are the 3 things you would like to achieve today?

Gratitude – what are you thankful for today?

Appreciation – who are you going to appreciate today and how?

I once read in a magazine article, if you start your day right, the whole day will be fantastic and fruitful.

6. REST and RELAX

“If you do what you love, it is the best way to relax.” – Christian Louboutin

What will happen if we keep working non-stop without rest and relaxation? We will definitely experience burn-out and time will be wasted for us to get back in shape to be productive.

Dale Carnegie said it right, “So, to prevent fatigue and worry, the first rule is: Rest often. Rest before you get tired.”

Find time to do activities that you love and enjoy. Imagine when you find the career and business that you truly love and enjoy doing (to learn and earn)… it would be a bliss.

How are you enjoying your down-time to rest and relax?

7. CONNECT with OTHERS

“If you want 1 year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people.” – Chinese Proverb

I have an author friend who encourages me to talk to strangers. In fact, I can learn a lot of things from strangers. The insight you can get from people is incredible when you listen closely to their stories.

It will also be good to constantly be in touch with our clients / customers / partners / colleagues…  get feedback and for them to feed-forward their expectations and requirements to us. By constant communication, it will help bond all of us.

How do you plan to connect with others? What questions will you ask? What information will you share?

I trust that, there are more habits that high achievers have and I am sharing this Top 7 Habits of High Achievers, so that we can benefit by perfect practicing them.

Have fun and the journey is the reward!

“Change Your Habits, Change Your World!”

“Your Habits, Your Future!”

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What is your daily routine?

How do you normally go through your day?

What do you start with?

What is your daily routine like?

Different people have different ways of running and starting their day. After doing some reading and learning from others on their daily routines, I would like to share some observations…

There is an ex-SEAL high ranking officer shared in his commencement speech with the university students, first thing to do in the morning is to make your bed right. Some of us will be wondering why, making our bed is important and what is the significance of making the bed?

According to the Navy officer, when we make our bed right, we start our day right. We have accomplished the first task of the day and by doing that, we feel productive and there is a sense of accomplishment. And we will be looking forward to completing more tasks for the day.

At times, our day may not be good and when we return home, when we see our made bed, at least one thing is done right. That, in a way is a source of motivation. That is what the Navy officer is sharing and I believe that starting your day right is important for our well-being.

I would like to share some ideas on starting the day… you can make a choice and make it your own personal project or experiment to make your 2018 and beyond better.

Set theme of the day

What is your theme for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and the rest of the days of the week? For example, Monday is to focus on completing administration work (management, operations, etc.), Tuesday for Sales, Marketing and growth of the company… the key is the power of focus. When there is a distraction, at least you know where to focus on that day.

Start and End with questions

Like Benjamin Franklin, he starts his day by asking the question, “What good shall I do this day?” and ended his day with the question, “What good have I done today?”

As for Marshall Goldsmith, he has his daily active questions;

Did I do my best to…

  • Set clear goals?

  • Make progress to achieve my goals?

  • Find meaning?

  • Build positive relationships?

  • Be fully engaged?

  • And many more…

The power of questions that can trigger deeper thinking and unleash the potential in you. And you will need to put them into action to get the results and get motivated.

Start with exercise

Some leaders start their day with exercise, moving the body to gain positive energy and get fresh morning air. It may not be for everyone, as some may only exercise middle of the day or in the evening. In my humble opinion, as long as you keep moving and be active, it should be all right.

There are a lot of goodness that comes out from an active lifestyle, just do it in moderation. Too much of a good thing may not be that good.

SAVERS Morning Routine

This interesting routine comes from Hal Elrod, author of “The Miracle Morning,” and they are as below;

S = Silence, A = Affirmations, V = Visualization, E = Exercise, R = Reading and S = Scribing.

The way we start our morning can make or break the rest of our day. The SAVERS acronym reminds us of six habits or rituals that can improve our morning routines.

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

For those who prefer planning, it can be done in the morning or evening (for the next day). Planning can help us to focus on the things / tasks / activities to do for the day.

Some leaders focus on the top 3 most important things for the day, and they plan their day using calendar (or to-do list and there are a lot of apps that can be used for planning / scheduling).

Just sharing one of the best practices, some leaders will plan for own time and family time.

Blessed are those who are flexible…

Every day is a new day and for some, they do not have any fixed schedule nor routine. They are different every day, how interesting is that?

Different people have different styles, flexibility may stress out some people… and some really love the flexibility and spontaneity. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison…”

My recommendation is for you to do the different routines and experiment, then decide which one is the one suitable for you. You know yourself best.

All the very best in 2018 and beyond.

 

“Change your habits, change your world!”

#habitchange2dot0

#dionocl