228 Shares More and more people are going back to school to take courses to get further qualifications these days. These like-minded people want to improve themselves for better futures. These mature students, along with current students in college or university, may find it a real challenge to keep up with all the studying required to do well in their courses. Indeed, this is very much related to productivity issues of getting enough done. When I started in university many years ago, it was a bit of a culture shock. One of the most extreme... More »
You read it right. I have a surefire way to make this your best year…ever. It does not have anything to do with how many more books you read or how much better your productivity becomes. Instead, it’s the addition of what I consider to be the missing element in many people’s personal or business success planning. Too often, many folks try to educate themselves in the areas that they want to improve in. There’s nothing wrong with this, but where people often fall short is when they try to achieve their... More »
83 Shares Watching the news about a recent horrific automobile accident inspired me to write this article. The holiday season is upon us and we all want to have a joyful time as well as remain safe. So here are three dumb things that I’m sure you have seen people do over past holiday seasons and it’s still worth reminding everyone to avoid them. Dumb Thing #1 – Drinking and Driving This (of course) should be general knowledge by now, but it’s still shocking how so many people from all adult ages still drink... More »
141 Shares A lot of people might be dreading upcoming get-togethers with relatives during the holiday season because one of the things that will most definitely be brought up is how we all did this year. If you are going to be facing nosy relatives knowing that you failed in a relationship or business (or lost a job), you are already going into the holiday season with some negativity. Some of your failures, losses or bad experiences might have been beyond your control but the negativity that comes with them can linger around more... More »
151 Shares We are heading into the time of year when we evaluate how we did with our goals during the past year and plan our new goals for the year to come. We reflect and look ahead all within a short span of time. When we do this, many of us will be disappointed because we have fallen short of our goals. Why is this? Is it because we didn’t do enough to make our goals a reality? Is it because we didn’t have a system in place to keep track of our... More »
126 Shares Earlier this summer, I was watching a bit of the NHL (National Hockey League) entry draft on TV and one of the young hockey players drafted this year by the Florida Panthers team was a young man named Rocco Grimaldi. Grimaldi actually made sports history as he became the shortest player at five feet, six inches tall to be selected in the NHL entry draft. This is really something given that professional hockey players these days are hovering at about six feet in height on average. But Grimaldi’s lack of height has... More »
70 Shares I remember that there were some little kids in my outdoor pool this past summer while I was doing my swim workout. They must have been from about five to eight years old and unlike other kids who usually just play around in the shallow end, these kids were diving all over the deep end like they were mini-torpedoes. I was actually quite impressed with their swimming abilities especially given their young ages. I like the idea of doing great cardiovascular exercise without sweating like a hog, which is why I take... More »
94 Shares When I used to watch martial artists with various weaponry, I was always amazed with their skills. The way they spun and manipulated their weapons was nothing short of magical to my eyes. It wasn’t long before I started training with martial arts weaponry myself. One of these weapons was the bo staff, which is like a long stick. Although perhaps one of the more basic weapons (since it really is only a stick), the bo staff can be manipulated in all sorts of impressive ways. But when I first started to... More »
184 Shares When I was working in my corporate career, I was traveling 25% to 50% of my time on overnight trips, sometimes for an entire work week. I still travel for some out of town speaking engagements and conferences but not nearly as much as I use to. However, it is still a challenge to stay healthy during any business or vacation travel. Many people end up gaining weight after their trips because of not eating healthy, sitting on airplanes or in meeting rooms for hours at a time as well as being... More »
3.2K Shares Some of the toughest lessons that we face are from our failures. But it’s also these same failures that can provide the most useful lessons if we only allow them to be. I’m going to be brave to share with you one of the biggest failures and resulting lessons from my own life. In 1990, I became certified as a Level 1 ski instructor by the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance, which is the governing body for professional ski instructors here in Canada. I always wanted to become a Level 2 instructor. The... More »
86 Shares I noticed that the leaves on most of the trees in the woods where I often take my dogs have started to change color. Normally, they are green but during the autumn season here in eastern Canada, they start to turn into shades of red, yellow and orange. This is a regular seasonal occurrence in my part of the world as entire forests turn into colorful places of beauty that attracts lots of photographers. This is also the time of year when many foreign tourists visit the provinces of Ontario and Quebec... More »
104 Shares Many people will suggest that the best thing to do with your credit cards during these tough economic times is to cut them up with a pair of scissors. Indeed, if you are already in huge debt, you probably should stop using them and begin a payback strategy immediately. However, if you are not currently in trouble with your credit cards, there are wise ways to use them. I happen to really love my credit cards so I will share with you my approach to how I use mine without getting into... More »
101 Shares Instead of just sitting on some tropical beach and sipping pina coladas during your vacations, it is very possible to get a ton of personal growth from your travels. But in order to do this, you will have to get off those all-inclusive beach resorts and five-star hotels. Although there might be some exceptions, most of these resorts will be too comfortable — unless there are some attractions nearby that offer some type of personal growth opportunities. Even so, the reality is that the majority of tourists who stay at all-inclusive resorts... More »
215 Shares One of the editors here at Lifehack, Chris Smith, frequently writes about technology. As I was reading some of his recent articles, I was influenced to write a tech article of my own, so here it is. So, you are sitting in a company meeting and the presenter puts up the first slide. You are probably thinking to yourself, “Oh no, not another Powerpoint presentation – BORING!” Unfortunately, most people who use Powerpoint, Keynote or other similar software for making slide presentations completely abuse the technology. Instead of using these programs to... More »
402 Shares Many education and personal development experts claim that people watch way too much television these days. As a result of having our eyes glued to the television for hours each day, we waste our valuable time watching all the latest reality shows and sitcoms when we could be using that time to do something more constructive with our lives. I would tend to agree that the average person should cut down on the number of hours, but I think some TV is actually okay if utilized well. Since we all need breaks... More »
