Archive for the 'Personal Development' Category

I love my iPod. I’ve had numerous models over the last few years and each one of them has filled a unique niche. My video iPod has seen the most duty as my main conduit for audio books. The large capacity and small size of this unit make it ideal for taking audio along in the car.

I have found that listening to audio books while I’m driving is a great way to learn new things in an otherwise unproductive time. I’m a Kinesthetic learner (hands-on) by nature so the actual motion of driving (steering etc) makes it easier to learn things from these books than just sitting in a chair or lying in a bed listening.

My smaller iPods (mini & nano) have been very useful while exercising and on outside walking trips. Nothing makes a walk more enjoyable than invigorating music or a stimulating audio book. The small size of these units make them ideal for the high motion of physical activity. The Nano is especially useful as it is based on Flash memory which is not prone to skipping when the unit is jostled around.

Over the last year I’ve listened to over 60 audio books while driving or exercising. This has been an amazing experience as I have fulfilled my goal of participating in a successful Personal MBA program. Audio books are more limited in their selection, but there are hundreds to choose from in the business and personal development areas.

One of the new developments that represents a huge opportunity for parents is the new lower cost iPod shuffle. You can now get a 1 gig unit for $49 which will hold multiple audio books and uses flash memory that is perfect for the high activity lifestyle of kids.

Now you can get each child their own iPod and download age appropriate audio books. They can listen while walking to school or on the bus. The really cool thing is that many of the books that school age children are required to read for class are available in audio format.

Now your kids can literally do their book reading homework while in the car or out riding their bikes. This small iPod shuffle is the most bullet-proof of the iPod units and the light weight means they can take it almost anywhere.

Whether it is Huck Finn for the younger kids or Steinbeck for the older crowd, the audio version makes a great addition to the written book. I know when I was a kid that my reading sometimes meant skimming the book on the way to class. With audio books they will have heard the entire story through and will easily be able to go back and give a detailed book review.

The nice thing about the Apple iPod versus other units is the bookmark function. If you pause the audio at any point the iPod automatically puts in a “bookmark” which makes it easy to come back to exactly the right spot. Many other MP3 units do not offer this feature which makes studying the audio book much more difficult.

In short, the new less expensive iPod shuffle can help your kids learn while they play and get better grades too. If they should happen to drop the unit, it will most likely survive unscathed because of the lightweight design. And in the unlikely event they lose it, you’ll only be out $50, instead of hundreds for the other units.

Audio books are widely available through Amazon.com or from direct download from Audible.com or iTunes.

In our last post we looked at buried treasure, those personal talents that may be hidden or suppressed in our lives. The first step to find our treasure is to find out who we are.

To find out the “who” we can look at three areas.

1. We need to take a look at our strengths and our personality
2. We need to look at our mission field. Who we can help, train, or mentor. Who are our customers, clients, or students?
3. We need to look at our mentors. People that can help us grow and succeed.

In number one above, there are tests that can help us get a picture of who we are. The first one I would suggest is the Strengths 2.0 test by the Gallup organization.

Currently the best way to take this test is to purchase the book, Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. This book includes a membership card in the back that allows you to login to their web site and take the test. The test takes under 30 minutes and will highlight your top five strengths.

This test is highly informative and each of the strengths is outlined in the book. The book will give you a good starting point to build on your strong areas.

It’s also a good idea to take a personality test of some type. I like the Meyers-Briggs test, but there are many to choose from. Many of these tests can be done online for little or no charge. The most complete way to do this is to pick up a book such as What Type Am I by Renee Baron, which includes the Meyers-Briggs test and informative follow-up material.

Once you have taken the tests it great to write down the results on paper. Make a list of your top five strengths and your four quadrant personality type.

In number two it’s nice to make a list of people that you know, clients that you have, and create a comprehensive database list. A good exercise is to take your strengths list and look how you would be able to help or teach the people on this form. Web sites such as LinkedIn and others provide a good way to keep track of these acquaintances and track their talents and strengths.

In number three above, it can be helpful to identify mentors in different strength areas of your life. According to the strengths finder book, it is easier to improve your skills by focusing on your strengths than your weaknesses. If you identify people who share your strengths, you can easily collaborate and grow by sharing information.

As you explore the different areas of your personal talents, it is helpful to keep a journal and track your progress. We’ll dig a little deeper in the chest tomorrow…

In the book of Matthew in the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a man going on a journey. This man entrusts his servants with “talents” before he leaves.

1. To the first servant he gives five talents
2. To the second servant he gives two talents
3. To the third servant he gives one talent

A talent in those days was a considerable sum of money, worth thousands of dollars in today’s economy.

In Matthew 25- Jesus relates their actions…

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. It is interesting to note the rewards of their actions…

The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents.  See, I have gained five more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

The man with the two talents also came.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Then the man who had received the one talent came.  “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

While there is great significance in this parable from a spiritual and moral sense, it is interesting to view this in the concept of our personal talents. We all have talents, but like the third servant, many of them may be covered up or buried deep in the ground.

From a personal development viewpoint, we may have considerable buried treasure in our lives, just waiting to be dug up and opened. As in the parable above…

• If we uncover our talents and invest them wisely, there will be a considerable reward.
• If we do nothing with them, one day we may be called to account for them and find that difficult consequences await.

This parable hits home with me in various ways. From a career standpoint, I have found that there are many talents that are needed for today’s modern workplace. One simple example comes back to me almost everyday.

I took Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint classes back in the late 1990’s. I didn’t realize the importance of the classes at the time, but they have been incredibly helpful over the years.

Just knowing how to setup a graph in Excel or create an outline in Word, have been very useful on my job. I use them almost every day.

I can’t tell you how many people that I work with struggle with Powerpoint presentations. I am often called in at the last moment to get a presentation going or to get the computer to communicate with the projector.

Using our talents can have a profound effect on our lives. Instead of just letting our lives move aimlessly along, if we develop our talents, we can move ahead in a successful and deliberate manner. We can turn these individual talents into an incredible treasure.

For many of us this personal treasure can be explored by looking into seven different areas… and asking some direct questions…

Who
1. Who am I and what are my strengths?
2. Who are my customers/clients?
3. Who are my mentors?

What
1. What great thing would I do if I knew I could not fail?
2. What small things can I learn that will help me along the way?

Where
1. Where do I work?
2. Where is my mission field?
3. Where am I going?

When
1. When will I start?
2. When will I finish?
3. When is success?

How
1. How will I get there?
2. 12 month, One Year, and Three Year Goals

Why
1. Why am I doing this?
2. What is my purpose?

Risk
1. What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
2. What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
3. What is the best thing that can happen if I don’t do this?
4. What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t do this?

Answering these questions can take some doing. First we have to find and dig up our treasure chest. Then we have to unlock it and discover the hidden talents. Then comes the fun part… once the talents have been cleaned up and polished, we get to spend our treasure. With our new found talents it might be a business, a new job, or a mission trip to a far off land. The possibilities are endless.

Are you ready to find your treasure?

It’s Monday morning.

Time to face a new week.

There will be problems and there will be opportunities.

New faces will appear.

Old friends will call and e-mail.

There will be things to buy and money to be spent.

It’s nice to make a list at the beginning of the week.

Of places to go, people to see, problems to solve, opportunities to discover.

Maybe I can put three things on that list that might make a difference…

I will write down… I will talk to someone new today and put a blank next to it.

I will write down a problem that I’m facing and put an action step next to it.

I will write down an opportunity and put down a first step to accomplish it.

Three simple things in a simple list…. hmmm maybe four.

I’ll write down a name of someone to call and encourage today.

Make a list, check it twice, call someone up and say something nice….

I woke up this morning and realized something… it’s a new year and I still have problems. In fact most of the problems I have now I had last year.

Problems bug me.

Problems cause stress and keep me up at night.

Problems usually don’t go away by themselves.

So what can I do about my problems?

1. I can complain and gripe about them
2. I can forget about them (can I really?)
3. I can put them off to tomorrow
4. I can do something about them

Since the first three things in the list just make problems worse, I decided this morning to do something about them.

Here is a simple outline I came up with to tackle the problem(s)

1. Make a complete written list of them
2. Create an action item next to each one
3. Write down a name next to each one of someone who can help with the problem or keep me accountable to solve the problem
4. Put an expected completion date next to each one

It’s funny how writing them down takes their power away. They don’t seem so bad once they are in a list… especially when I have an action step and a name of someone who can help.

Oh… and I did one other thing… I crossed out the word problems at the top of the list and wrote in the space next to it opportunities.

Seth would be proud of me!

As you are walking down the corridor at work, you turn the corner and there in front of you… on a silver platter… is a plate full of brownies. They stare back at you, covered in their powdered sugar glory. They taunt you with ever step. You know you want one, but the 700 calories of sugar, flour, and oil will surely ruin your diet.

What do you do…???

You are in the check-out line at your favorite hardware store and you notice on the shelf to the left the All in Wonder Tool Set. This just isn’t any tool set… no… the tools in this set can fix that leaky faucet, hang the new curtains, and magically fix the broken sliding glass door. This is the solution to your problems… but at $295 it might just break your budget… better pull out the credit card…

What do you do..???

The holidays have been rough and you notice the spare tire growing around your middle (too many brownies?). All of a sudden a new infomercial comes on the TV for the save-all, end-all, exercise system. This baby has it all, power rods, adjustable seat, multi function, and four easy payments of $199. Just four easy payments… you glance at your gut and then reach for the phone and your wallet.

What do you do…???

The impulse to do something right now is overwhelming. You need to make a decision and make it now. Do you brush off that small little voice that says you shouldn’t do it and grab the credit card…???

Or do you…

Count To Ten

Do you take this simple step and give yourself time to think… to make a logical decision… to match the decision with your budget and with your goals…

Or do you fire the impulse and just go for it… and worry about it tomorrow.

Do You… Count to Ten or Count the Pounds?

Do You… Count to Ten or Count the Credit Card Bills?

Do You… Count to Ten or Count the Calls from the Loan Company?

It’s Your Decision…

Once you Count to Ten you may want to use the Desktop Decision Maker to help you make the right choice.

Just remember… you’ll thank yourself in January for your thoughtful decisions today.