I’ve never been one to sit on my hands and wait for some cosmically pre-ordained life purpose to miraculously reveal itself via a series of dreams, visions or prophecies. Or for an angel to appear at my window with hand-written instructions from God. Although an angel would be pretty cool. Nor have…

What in your life can you control? Not much, as it happens. In fact, most of the areas we feel most in control of are riddled with uncertainty and unpredictability: business, health, parenting, finances. In a lot of cases – like picking which stocks to invest in – the average person actually underperforms random selection. That…

It’s a basic fact of life that, unless you’re Will Rogers, you can’t get along with everyone. Unfortunately, it’s also a fact that throughout your life, you’ll be in situations where you simply have to communicate with some of those people you just can’t stand. This may be an annoying boss, an ingratiating fan, a…

Here’s how to improve your fortune Are you one of those people who are always suffering setbacks? Does little ever seem to go right for you? Are you dogged by constant instances of sheer bad luck? Do you sometimes feel that the universe is out to get you? Let me let you into a secret: your luck…

If you’re one to follow instruction a little too blindly or feel like you don’t have enough control over what’s going on in your life, here are a few tips to get on the right track. Allen Galbraith has one particularly important tip that should become second nature early in life, particularly in schooling: asking questions. 1)…

It’s eye-opening when you realize that many of the interruptions that occur in your day may actually be under your own control! In no particular order, here are the top ten interruptions we see most often with our clients that are affecting their productivity: 1. Phone Calls Schedule some time to have calls screened by a…

Taking inspiration from great sporting clubs, Ian McKenzie walks through 5 ways to develop what he calls ‘the heart of a champion’. They’re simple, but not necessarily easy to develop properly. You probably show these traits to some extent, but the key is really working at them; the 5 C’s: Character Conviction Control Composure Consistency Five Keys to Developing the Heart

Aguments are an all too common part of life. They should be avoided if possible. But, if you can’t avoid them you may as well win. Here’s how. Never Accuse your opponent of being wrong. If you realize you made a mistake admit it immediately. Be pleasant. Get your opponent saying “yes” It is a proven technique. Let them talk. “Enough…

Trust in other people is one of the foundations for creating a civilized working environment. Many managers are overworked primarily because of a lack of trust. They take on too much themselves, because they don’t trust their subordinates to do the work properly. They cannot allocate enough time to their own work, because they don’t…

“This is my habit – I really want to change and couldn’t”. Are there times that you really want to take control to improve or alter your habits, but you couldn’t? Scott Young at his blog talks about how to master this skill – Control your habit and don’t let your habit to control you…