Sunday, January 27, 2008

Focus To Create True Understanding

We are bombarded with many information and messages daily. What is presented to us may not be relevant. We need to know what is required and important. With this vast amount of information, we have to decide what to keep and what to discard. If we are not able to do so, we will lost focus and confusion sets in.

Focus is the in-thing this day. Without focus, we will be plain follower, doing things that come randomly. There will not be any depth in the things we do and learn. We will be chasing for the completion of tasks and wishes that things just get done in the shortest possible time. Short-cutting is the common solution and longing for the quality is absent.

This is a cause for concern when self-improvement is the issue.

What do we gain when we choose to have shortened time to do assignments or learning?

When we do not focus or even choose to reduce learning duration, we lost the important element in learning, which is, the time needed to truefully digest the required information to turn them into knowledge.

Without real understanding, no true knowledge is absorbed. Without focus, we will not have the desire to go in-depth in search for details. Everything becomes superficial. We cannot expand on this loosely acquired knowledge as weak linkages exist between various related topics.

Therefore the key process of learning (and doing anything) is to focus. Only through focusing, do we do justice to the work done and quality work can be achieved. True undertanding with ability to apply and value-add can happen then. So avoid mental deviation by removing whatever that hinders focusing. Stay focus whenever you can and positive results will be possible.

Friday, January 25, 2008

We Have Choices

Choices. What are choices? Choices means options for us. They are alternatives to a desire or item. In life, we encounter many choices. Be it careers, studies, people, hobbies, books, websites, etc.

How then do we choose?

We have to know what we want and what drives us.

In self-improvement, we look for the value adding factors in our selection of alternatives. What is the driving elements that will hold us? These driving elements can be flexible timing, low-cost with quality content, dedicated mentor, or equivalent.

Before we can select, we need to understand ourself and our desire for the targetted outcome. We need to know how to differentiate between "good" and "bad" criteria and how they match our desire.

Selection is an important skill that anyone need to have. It determines whether the outcome can be successful or otherwise.

But remember, we have choices. If in the event that we made a wrong selection, we CAN change and select another. Though this is easier said (or written) than done, we Do have CHOICES.

Making changes will of course cause disruption to the flow and maybe, others working with us, but, if it is for the good, consider it. We need to keep on changing to upgrade or update ourself.

In summary, we need to know ourself first before we can select a better choice. This can only be done ourself, with advices from others, if available. The final decision lies with us. Do not fear making mistake, just be aware that we can change (with consideration to others) if wrong ones are choosen.

Having choices and selecting them are part of self-improvement.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Select Your Beliefs

We have many beliefs. They decides where we go. Beliefs are good as they provides us with the momentum to progress in our desire direction. With the direction set, we will sooner or later arrive at our goals.

However, there are times where we seem to be lost. What seem to hold us back?

It is our beliefs again. Some beliefs of ours are actually performing against our benefit. It deters or inhibit us from progress in the correct sense. It put negative effect into our behaviour. It stops us from good progress.

How to rectify this situation?

The following tips may be useful:

  • Keep an awareness of our progress direction periodically.
  • Question our own comfort level in dealing with certain matters.
  • Identify the beliefs within us and classify them.
  • Check to see if the beliefs are positive or negative through the direction or progress we have.
After going through the review of our beliefs, we should be aware of which beliefs are holding us back in certain area of improvement. Some are bad and some are good.

Leave the bad beliefs and strengthen the good ones. This will hopefully guide us in the proper direction towards our goals. It may be an iterative progress and continuous monitoring is necessary.

Do ourself justice ! If the beliefs are deterimental to our improvement or positive progress, why should we be keeping them? Discard them. Replace them with good ones.