Ability to manage/control time
Time controls most people; the extreemely successful people instead have a way to control time. Remember Murphy’s law-work expands to fill the time available to complete it? People who are driven towards success will instead get the work done in whatever time it actually needs to take instead of stretching it to fill the time available. They are able to get work done effectively and efficiently, so that they have much more time at their disposal to do more and get more out of what is done!

Choose the people around you
Most people think they have limited control over the people around them– but that’s far from true. Successful people have a knack of being attracted to as well as attracting people who are like-minded. It is about recognising who you are able to learn from, who you can emulate and ensuring that is the company you want to keep.

Stop feeling ‘entitled’
Each person has to pay his/her dues, regularly! There are no short cuts and there are no ‘entitlements’. Sow and you will be able to reap – it’s as simple as that.

Experience is what you learn, not the number of years you put in
Very often, people equate “experience” with the number of years that they have been doing something and therefore begin to expect returns purely based on that, be in terms of compensation or rewards. Actually, experience should be a reflection of what you have learnt new and the added value one brings to that task/job. Key questions that one should ask regularly are: how am I able to bring greater value with the time I have spent doing this and the knowledge I have acquired along the way? How am I developing myself, intellectually and professionally, and how is that contributing to the results?

Embrace failure and learn from it
The average person shies away from and acts defensive in the face of failure. He is not willing to take responsibility for it and finds any number of reasons for not succeeding. The successful person on the other hand is willing to look failure in the eye, accept it, learn from it so as to avoid repeating it, move on and be successful. Every failure is one more lesson in how not to do something, and therefore an opportunity to do something better!

Volunteers win
Call it initiative. Call it the drive to move forward and the ability to stretch more than the average person. As Jeff Haden writes in his article: “Success is based on action. The more you volunteer, the more you get to act. Successful people step forward to create opportunities.” The next time there is an opportunity extended to you, you can think of it in two ways. “This is more work! Why should I do it? I might not even be given more compensation?” Or, “This could be interesting— I think I can learn a few things here, acquire some new skills and work with more people. I could become better and stronger!” . The choice is yours to make, of course, but it’s a choice that can determine the limits of your success.

Go the extra mile
Similar to the point above, those who are willing to go the extra mile end up breasting the tape ahead of the others. It’s a proven fact in almost every sphere of life. That little bit extra push, the effort that overcomes all barriers including those from your mind and body which urge you to stop is what will propel you across the finish line. It isn’t easy, of course, but then who said success comes easy?

– Contributed by Jeet Victor

Adapted from an article by Jeff Haden on Inc.com.

Image courtesy: CreatingYourBeyond.com

Goals
Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work towards them everyday , will do more to guarantee your success .

Character
It takes considerable will power to do the “right thing ” in every situation. But the end result is the essence of increased self esteem and self worth.

Time
Self-disciple helps you to manage your time. The fact is you cannot “save time”; you can only spend it differently. Always ask yourself: “is this the best use of my time?”

Health
Self-discipline can improve your health. Proper diet, proper weight, proper exercise, proper rest and a proper attitude will assure you good health.

Money
Self-discipline can help you to never worry about money. Self control throughout your life will enable you to reach all your financial goals .

Courage
No one is born with fear. Unlearn fear by practicing self-discipline over and over again.

Responsibility
When you accept your responsibility and take control over your thoughts and feelings, you become more and more effective, a happy and positive person in everything you do.

The difference between success and failure is not Chance but Choice.

And how does one develop self-discipline? The mantra is simple:
Choose to do first what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not!

For regular insightful and inspiring words of wisdom, visit Swami Udit Chaitanya’s Facebook page.

Wallace Wattles wrote that failure is caused by doing too many things in an inefficient manner and not doing enough things in an efficient manner.

Doing anything important or significant in an inefficient manner is not fully occupying the space you are here to fill . . . your most fulfilling life and life moments. It can be uncomfortable to realize a day has passed and you feel you did not accomplish what you wanted or needed to, or at least feel some level of success about your day. This does not mean you have to work your backside off to be efficient. In fact, overworking is a sure path to inefficiency.

Inefficiency can include
-Not having your mind fully on what you are doing
-Multi-tasking
-Allowing interruptions from the phone, email, and others
-Hurrying or rushing
-Trying or planning to do more than you can do realistically in a specific time period (overworking)
-Inadequate rest and recharge time
-Non-supportive self-talk

It is worth giving consideration to each of these as you think about how they are included in and affect the various areas of your life, both professional and personal.

Efficient action and the Law of Attraction
If you at all believe in Law of Attraction, as someone once pointed out, notice that the last part of the word “attraction” is action. If you desire a specific outcome, you are going to have to take specific action. Action is a clear sign to Source (God, the Universe, etc.) that you are ready to receive what you have asked for. Efficient action is a Very Clear Signal about this. Efficient action means your vision, goal, or ideal outcome is on your radar screen; and that is what you want the quantum field to help you fulfill.

Not having your mind fully on what you are doing
Well now, this one can certainly cause real problems from one end of the chaos spectrum to the other. What do you think the quality of your experiences and outcomes might be if you were 100 percent focused on anything you do?

Multi-tasking and allowing interruptions from the phone, email, and others
Multitasking was a buzzword for quite a while; and job descriptions sometimes listed it as though it was a skill (some still do, despite the evidence of its negative impact on productivity). There are times when you can, say, start something baking in the oven and then do something else while you wait, but that is not actually multi-tasking in the way usually meant by it. What really affects your productivity is when you attempt to do something that requires a steady line of thought, and you allow interruptions from others or engage in your own. You have to know how you work best and at your most productive if you intend to do anything efficiently. You are likely able to know if a significant number of experiences and results you have now demonstrate efficient action or inefficient.

Hurrying or rushing
When you hurry or rush, you are attempting to force something. Hurrying can mean either the time needed was not given sincere consideration and planned for, or that you may have an agenda attached to the action. Some people feel they validate their significance if they appear terribly busy, when the truth is there is no need to rush. Only on occasion is fast action required, but certainly not for everything. Of course, it should be obvious that dawdling is inefficient as well. Everyone has their most productive pace. Just note if you’re speeding ahead or dragging behind yours. Also important to know is whether or not staying busy is your natural state or if it isn’t. Neither is right or wrong; people have their own energy levels and needs to express them in ways appropriate for them.

Trying or planning to do more than you can do realistically in a specific time period
If you attempt to do in an hour or two what would take a day, or in a day or two what would take a week, unless you are Mr. Data from Star Trek, you are going to start to perform inefficiently at some point. If you do this for an extended time, you can experience burnout. Wattles pointed out that success happens more easily when we do what is needed efficiently each day; that it is not about how many things we get done, but about how efficiently we do what we do. You might say that some jobs demand speed, and you’d be right. But I also think you get the point he wanted to make: There is no satisfaction or success if you do a lot of things poorly, but there is satisfaction and success if you give your best (your best at the time) to whatever you do.

Inadequate rest and recharge time
Some people have massive amounts of energy, some have less; but everyone needs real time for their body, mind, and spirit to replenish. A body and mind in need of rest cannot work as efficiently as hoped or needed. If you need to rest or allow time to heal, and do, that is efficient as far as that specific action is concerned.

Non-supportive self-talk
This one can lead you to feel immobilized. Talk to yourself as you would a cherished friend you believe in.

Why is any of this important, beyond the obvious? Wattles said successful actions are cumulative in their results (I add, so are unsuccessful actions). Successful actions create successful outcomes. Efficient actions are successful actions. If your days end with you feeling unsatisfied, feeling you did not have even one thing to feel successful about, see if you are doing one or more of the inefficiency items. None of them should be impossible to adjust. Adjust as needed so you can support your successes. It is important to remember that your best will be different every day.

If any area of your life feels unfulfilling, consider any ways you may be managing or acting on them inefficiently.

You are what you practice.
© Joyce Shafer

Joyce Shafer (jls1422@yahoo.com) is the You Are More! Empowerment Coach and author of I Don’t Want to be Your Guru, but I Have Something to Say, as well as more life and small business empowerment books/ebooks. Check out the terrific articles and Empowerment Extras in her free weekly online newsletter, and get a FREE PDF of How to Have What You REALLY Want when you subscribe at http://stateofappreciation.webs.com

The ability to be clear on delegation is a sign of good management. Managers delegate work not to just relieve their workload, but to allow the employees they supervise to grow professionally. Effective delegation is a two-way discussion and understanding. Be clear about the delegated task, give employee(s) an opportunity to ask questions, monitor progress and offer assistance as needed. Servant leaders have a deep sense of empathy and acceptance of each person. Use effective delegation to benefit both yourself and the person to whom you delegate.

The purpose of delegation
By delegating, you free yourself to run your business and see the big picture. Moreover,
1. You develop your employees and make them more valuable.
2. You spread accountability to encourage a stronger, more resilient team.
3. You can respond faster to changes in your business when you can rely on nimble
employees to take charge.

Good delegation saves you time, develops your people, grooms a successor, and motivates. Poor delegation will cause you frustration, demotivates, confuses the other person, and fails to achieve the task or purpose itself.

Delegation is perhaps the single most difficult skill for new managers to develop. Proper delegation offers the manager the opportunity to grow and develop individuals who can then be recognized as future leaders of the organization.

Delegating is nothing but “Internal Outsourcing”
The main purpose of delegating is “Time Management” , so that you can concentrate on big, main assignments, assignments that absolutely need your attention. But what you can or must delegate is an important question.

The opinion that “one shall not delegate what they themselves cannot do” means you can delegate only those things/ assignments which you yourself are comfortable in doing.

A simple delegation rule is the acronym SMART. It’s a quick checklist for proper delegation.
Delegated tasks must be:

Specific
Measurable
Agreed
Realistic
Time bound

- David Wee