2 Quick Ways To Get The Best Out Of Your Consumer Goods

We go through our lives on automatic pilot most of the time until an event comes up that requires our attention. A change of residence, a car that needs fixing, a large unexpected bill, a new job etc. As soon as one of these things comes into our life we begin to really use what our brain was designed for, calculation and problem solving, we burst into action trying to find the best and quickest way to get the task done before we slump back into our automated 'rut' unconsciously waiting for the next event. I wonder how your life would be if you were able to – in the not busy times – better what you already have? How many of you actually ask to get a part of your life improved instead of just 'letting things happen'?

Credit Cards. I hate these things and don't own one, I can see how much debt some of my friends get into and that's enough of a reason. For those of you that do, you can always get a better deal with your interest rate just by making a phone call, especially by making a phone call. Phone operators serve people, that's their job, when a call comes across where they can actively solve a problem they feel better about themselves. Well that is inherent in all people really. You can take advantage of the operator's 'needs to help'.

Call your card company up and speak to customer service or even better, sales. Explain to them that you are trying to get out of debt and need to reduce your interest rate. If you are able to tell a story it will produce a mind picture and they will naturally be 'on your wavelength'. Go to extremes, ask for something like 3% for 12 months, if the operator cannot simply do that they (especially sales) will show you a counter offer that they can do, maybe 6 or 8%, even that would be better that what you have now right?

"Hi, I've fallen into debt over the last few months and now am trying to work my way out of it. I was hoping that you would be able to help me. I wanted to reduce my credit card interest to 0% for 12 months so I can get everything repaid"

Purchasing. This is easy, especially with a sales person over the phone. Explain your story, give them a mind picture of the situation, once they have it they will be compelled to get you the item you want for the best price. It's almost like hypnotism. Just don't make it sound pathetic like "my TV broke and I don't have enough money to pay retail for a new one", what that does is give you the lower ground, the sales person will then have more control over the conversation and therefore think that they can get a good sale out of you! That's definitely what we don't want. Show that you are a responsible person who deserves what you will be asking for, think it, visualise it!

"Hi I'm after a new laptop for a graphic design course I'll be enrolling in next year. It has to be high end, but as I'll be a student I'll be living on beans on toast [humour lifts the positivity]. What can you do for me?"

The sales person will most probably offer a repayment plan with interest. Like with credit cards interest is easy to get a good deal on, without nagging, keep giving the sales person a mind picture. Their problem solving abilities will work hard to get what is best for you.

Story telling is the key here, if you can get someone to use their imagination in your favour you will have complete control. Do you know a good story teller? Have you noticed how closely everyone listens when they speak? Even if it's something that doesn't concern you. When they speak it stimulates your imagination and paints an amazing picture in your head. That's the power of the human mind.

Are our brainwaves the key to evolution?

Delta waves generate amazing insight and creative solutions to problems, these are the waves that are emitted during dream and meditation states. What makes them important? The people you notice that are always calm, quick to find answers and replies to conversational topics are more often than not in a state of flow. This state is where we have the most connection to our subconscious which thinks at a rate of about 30 000 more thoughts per second than your consciousness (which operates at about 4 thoughts per second)

Those people you see. The artists, the writers, the musicians, the CEOs and the real problems solvers are just people like you and me. What makes them special is their ability to allow the subconscious's creative talent to flow through them. Everyone has this ability. The only thing that holds you back is your ability to allow that flow, and to make your subconscious affect your daily life in a positive manner. Something I will talk about in a future post.

Think about when someone told you to 'sleep on it', this makes more sense than what I originally thought. When delta waves are emitted you are able to problem solve to superhuman levels, and thats exactly what the subconscious is. Superhuman.

New Career!

Here is an example of the end result of my changing ways. I'm out of the Air Force and on to greener pastures. These 'pastures' most probably will revolve around the Defence sector, but it's a great stepping stone to enlist myself into the elite civilian workforce. This job is all I have known for the past 7.5 years and has really been the only career I've had, what a jolt to come straight out of it, roll the dice and see where I end up. Yes its scary, but I have prepared myself, I no longer feel as afraid as I would have the same time last year. Everything works itself out, and in the end, life goes on.

What a year this has been then! So many changes! So much to take in!

The RAAF have given me great lessons and eye opening expereinces, I'll never forget the work or the people (and hopefully still keep in touch), I've been many places all over the worlds, met many interesting people and some not-so-interesting people. All of which have taught me in some way or another, consciously I may forget them, but the real me will always cherish what I have learnt.

I'll leave you with a quote I heard about a few weeks ago.

The true sign of intelligence, is not knowledge, but imagination.

- Albert Einstein

How to Learn from Mistakes

I don't mind learning from mistakes, be it my own or other people's. If you can deal with the humiliation and make sure that there is no lasting damage then it's one of the easiest ways to hold information, as it's an expererience based memory - ie part of the memory was you actually taking action.

This however doesn't mean you can just go head first into any situation without thinking, those who benefit the most from their mistakes are those who take damage control and plan steps to only make that mistake once.

Tejyan over at PickTheBrain has some great tips on how turn mistakes into positive experiences.

[How to Learn From Mistakes] - PickTheBrain

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and You

This article revolves around Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

I’m not an expert on humanistic psychology, however I’ve been quite interested in Maslow’s works.

The first four layers of his original five stage model (see image) are what Maslow calls deficiency needs, this is where the individual would be content when these needs are filled, but if not (or deficient) they would progress to negative emotions (anxiousness, stress etc). The fifth layer is that of Self-actualisation, this is where the individual would break free and begin to take control of their life instead of just experiencing it, Generation Y is a great example of what is becoming a self-actualising society.

What confused me with the first four layers is that if the individual is constantly aware that his needs are being fulfilled – by either himself or another party – then he/she would have gratitude towards such fulfilment, therefore, instead of feeling neutral towards the needs he or she would feel positive emotions. Perhaps this is the self-actualised person in action.

Also according to his needs each of the first four layers has to be satisfied before the fifth psychological need can begin to be fulfilled. With the loss of fear could the individual concentrate on the fifth need? As far as I am aware all of the first four needs are based on fear, the fear of loss (deficiency). If we were by will able to shed this fear of loss we should be able to self-actualise. However upon doing that, all other need layers would easily fall into place.

Plant trees with your kids. Lots of them!

When I was young and going through primary school I lived on a farm in North Eastern Victoria. We kept sheep and cattle and the odd crop of oats or lucerne. Half way through my time there my step father (owner of the farm) with the (monetary) support of a local environmental group decided to plant native saplings along each fence of each paddock. I hated this job, digging, planting, digging, constant watering, more digging. We spent weeks on end doing this and after planting I used to miss my other farm chores.

15 years later I revisited the farm. We had split the property into several smaller pieces and sold it off. As I drove up the long unsealed driveway the work I did so long ago was now a huge part of the farm. Tall thick foliage lined the wire fences separating each section of land, the now large trees were home to many bird species as well as providing shade to livestock. Looking at the distance I could see the other tree lines lining the horizon.

That experience taught me that everything you do makes a difference, be it positive or negative. The only factor is time. We’re all aware how our environment is degrading, do something about it, even if it doesn’t seem worth it. Plant more trees in your garden – natives are very water friendly. Compost your leftovers, trade in your car for an economical one. You don’t even have to step outside your comfort zone to help out, but if you want to there are plenty of groups that donate their time and money to give back to something that supports your amazing life!

Blog Action Day

-- Shamelessly taken from http://blogactionday.org/

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

If you have a blog, write something about the environment, anything. Might spur on something else that you can write about :)

3 Quotes on Happiness

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Don't expect objects, money, love to bring you happiness;
Feel the happiness first and the rest will come!

- Dave Willison

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.

- Benjamin Disraeli

How to Beat Procrastination

We all have days when no matter what we try to do, we just can't keep our focus and motivation on the task. We get distracted by the simplest thoughts and end up delaying our original objective.

The first step to beating procrastination is to recognise it, are you saying yes to other less important tasks? Do you sit down to start the task, then get up to make a coffee? Be honest with yourself and you can identify it easily.

Why are we procrastinating? Is it because we find the task unpleasant or simply because we are feeling flat and un-energetic? Perhaps it is because you don't know where to begin, if this is the case, start anywhere, write a few words on a pad, draw a mindmap (we will cover this in future issues).

A few key ideas to help you control your procrastination are:

Discipline. Simply put, just force yourself to get the task done, you might not enjoy it, but it gets easier with time.

Rewards. Promise yourself something enjoyable if you make particular milestones in the task. A treat or well deserved break.

Peer Pressure. This is a great motivator, get someone else to check on your progress now and then. You seem to strive to live up to other people's expectations more than your own.

Use these techniques, and create your own. It will get easier with practice.

3 Simple Ways to Make Goal Setting Effective

Goal Setting really is the secret to success, once you get over the hurdle of initially thinking of what you want to do in life thoughts and ideas flow freely.

1. Just Do It. I always used to procrastinate with my goals. "It's ok, the goals are in my head" or "What if I don't achieve my set goals?". Before you start making excuses for yourself, just start writing stuff down. Your first one or two may seem a bit stupid, but you will get better at writing your goals after a while.

2. Review your goals everyday. One of the worst things you can do with goal setting is write them once and forget about them. If the goals are out of your mind you will find it hard to achieve them, obviously. When I started goal setting, I used to write the headings of my goals out on a bit of scrap paper, eg. Better Paying Job
or Make $50000 Cash. This is an excellent way to keep focused, the goals can be written on anything, a napkin, whiteboard, back of an envelope etc. The best thing is that you don't need to keep what you have written, you can throw it away afterwards!

The idea behind this is that every time you write those goals, your awareness is shifting to thoughts on how you can achieve the goals and you are effectively brainstorming solutions for those goals.

3. Take action! Obviously if you just write "Win $5 Million in the lottery" and never go and buy a ticket you will have a 0% chance of actually winning the lottery. The same applies to your standard goal setting. Identify your goals and really work for them, eg. If I were to have "Higher Income" for a goal, I obviously would be looking around for opportunities to do so, be it a raise, another job or an investment.

Set your goals in concrete, but make your path in sand.

Look to the Future, Not the Past!

Why are people concentrating so much on history? Especially in presentations.

Change is imminent, have the ability to learn from the past and quickly move on to adapt for the future.

Being in the military I am all too familiar with its obsession with history, namely in presentations and briefs. Almost ¼ of the time spent in most corporate presentations is where they have been and who is involved. This is outdated 'ego feeding' and is in need of a change.

Having said this history is somewhat important, we learn from mistakes and are becoming increasingly efficient at it. The time has come to learn quickly and incorporate the changes, not to dwell on them. If your company's history delivers a point for change, use it in the body of the presentation, not the introduction. Example.

In 2006 shipping had a major problem with [loyalty/timings/marketing etc]. We identified this and are employing the following process for combating it.

If delivering a presentation to clients, perhaps you need to include proof of what your company has done. If this is the case, keep it sharp and focused on how you delivered the solution.

Joes Car Yard needed [xyz] to operate more efficiently. We allowed them to thrive by [abc].

This delivers a sharp, concise point which includes the history.

Carefully think about your target audience, how much attention would you give to a presenter's whole speech if he or she droned on about his or her accomplishments for the first 15 minutes?

5 tips to advertise your desired position more effectively

Baby Boomers are looking towards retirement, Generation X are taking time off for family commitments and Generation Y are interested in self-employment. Soon there will be more jobs available than there are people to fill it. Great for employees, bad for employers.

Generation Y are becoming the majority demographic in the workforce today. Y have different requirements and expectations than other employees. They expect recognition and rewards for their achievements and if given so they will perform exceedingly. They are creative, motivated and embrace change willingly - which is becoming a big requirement in today's workforce. What turns them away is micro management, chastity and lack of respect for their abilities.

When an employer is writing a job ad, they need to consider the following for the younger generation:

• Be as honest as you can be. Because more positions are becoming available, job seekers have the freedom to seriously apply for multiple jobs. Therefore if they find something that may not appeal or that seems suspicious in an advertisement they will pass it on in favour of another.
  

• Put the salary up front. This ties in with the previous point. Most generation Y'ers are hesitant to ask the salary rate up front. Thus are not as likely to go to an interview if the salary is not given to them in their comfort zone.
  

  
  

• Think long and hard about what skills you require in the position. All positions will have a requirement of skills, that's why you're advertising the job in the first place isn't it? Simply, like any negotiation, both parties have to benefit from the deal. Money is important, however, development is just as important, applicants will want to know what further education and development they can get out of your advertised job. This may sound dangerous to an employer – spending money on training only to have your employee leave for another company is a bad investment (Gen Y are more likely to do this). This could be solved by introducing retention benefits, and on the extreme a contract or signed document stating that the company will get its money's worth from the employee.
  

  
  

• Educational Requirements? How about Emotional Requirements. Of course most positions will require a degree or educational qualification, but have you thought of their emotional qualifications? The ability to work well with other people, teamwork and leadership qualities are becoming more of an asset than a framed piece of card with your name on it. In most cases these emotional qualifications aren't learned in University (however they are being seen more regularly) so these qualities would have to be investigated in the interview (perhaps include a phone call phase before your face to face).
  

  
  

• Your employees are not gods. So why advertise for one? Yes you want to get the best of what is out there, but refer to the first paragraph – more positions, less position fillers. If the job seeker finds one positions easier to jump into its obvious what they will do. Look at a star performer in your work place (and/or review evaluation reports), they are what you want in the position right? I bet that there are some qualifications/experience that you are advertising for the position that that person can't logically fill. Include the skills/personality that that person possesses, maybe you need to hire someone that can complement your current team and/or add a personality that will not cause (or will eliminate) conflict.
  

  
  

The workforce is changing ever more rapidly, its the ability to predict what, when and who will change your company and the resources to implement that change that will put you in front of the pack.

The Meaning Of Life

The Aim of Life is:

Continual...

• Self Development
• Self Mastery
• Self Sufficiency

Thats it.... How simple. :)

Creativity

I've read heaps about creativity, watched heaps about creativity, listened to heaps about creativity. Recently it's been really hitting home about how important this skill is. Creativity, true creativity allows who we really are to be transposed into the real world.

Creativity is completely random sometimes, because it's your spiritual self surfacing and flowing through your body. So naturally it's hard to control, but with practice it will happen more and more often. At this very moment I am doing three different things that spawned from this one idea of the word creativity, it's damn hard to keep track of!

Originally, (and i'm sure that many of you think the same way) I thought that creativity was confined to writing, painting or drawing, however creativity is one of the building blocks of succesful businesses, creativity promotes problem solving, which is the key to providing a service to your clients, no matter what the business. If you are stale and do everything by the book you will not succeed.

Live in the Moment!

http://zenhabits.net/2007/07/5-inspirations-for-being-in-the-moment/

This is a great post from zenhabits.net. 5 Inspirations for Being in the Moment.

I read through this post and enjoyed it, the techniques in here were very helpful. How helpful I didn't realise until a few days later. You see I'm currently reading two motivational/spiritual/psychological books as well as my current blog list (below). I get and retain an incredible amount of information from all this information, which is incredibly exciting as I can see myself developing more with every page or post. I didn't realise where I read it, and for some reason it gave the idea/impression more standing.

The last few days i've been using the techniques described in the post, really getting myself in the moment and have been getting great results. When i'm in the moment of breathing and listening perhaps, I taste and smell each breath of air and imagine what this air allows me to do, I listen to each sound, why it is made and how it's transported to my brain. All this in itself is an excellent meditation technique and with it I feel gratitude for being alive; to breath in life giving oxygen and smell the sweet smells of the world around me; to hear, the sounds everywhere are music to my ears, and music itself is incredibly euphoric.

Use the techniques, do it!

LIVE IN THE MOMENT!

Story Pt 02

In another wing of the complex a phone rang.

‘Yes?’ a voice answered from behind a cliché looking high backed chair.

‘I sent him up there an hour ago. No he wasn’t a large man.’ The voice paused, the air seemed to fill with tension.

‘Keep him at gunpoint, I’m sending someone up’ The voice ended the call.

The gunman put the phone down and put his other hand on the pistol, moving a bit closer to the fat man he said in an ‘official’ voice “Hands. Behind your head. Kneel down, cross your legs. If I repeat myself you’re getting one in the back of the head”.

The fat man stood still in a moment of defiance, and then as if he had given up he slowly kneeled down. The gunman felt a wave of relief and control wash over him.

Story Pt 01

‘Stop’ he said as he slowly climbed down from the desk.

The owner of the gun had it pointed confidently towards a large man standing in the doorway, hand around the corner to a key cupboard. The man had the intention of taking the key to a vehicle. The gunman slowly walked towards the fat man, one foot overlapping the other in a smooth style that showed he had training, military, police, who knew.

‘What do you want this key for?’ he asked

‘I need to get to the next town, I have permission’ the fat man replied

‘Bullshit. From who?’

‘Your boss , who else. What, you think that you run this place?’

The gunman held the weapon steady, the fat man didn’t move a muscle. ‘Slowly move your arm away from the key, turn around and face the exit’ the gunman kept the weapon trained on the fat man, he seemed quite calm for a person who had a gun pointed at him. ‘This man has been through this before’ he thought. He reached down to a nearby telephone and hit a sequence of numbers.

On Writing

I know I haven't posted on here in a while, perhaps it was forgetfulness, or fear, but mainly it was content. I read plenty of other blogs about productivity, positivity and all those other 'ivity's'. They all seem to say the same thing about running your own blog, half the time it doesn't matter what you write about, as long as you keep writing. Eventually it will just flow.

Ever since a visit to a clairvoyant (Anna) i've been writing as i've been told, the instructions were to put on some music that you LOVE, relax with a notepad and pen and write! Don't look at what you are writing, just relax and write, write your problems, your successes, your relationships, your work, your social life, your positives, your negatives ANYTHING.

The idea behind it is that while you are not looking at the page your subconcious or your heart is doing the writing, it may seem a bit weird, but after doing it a few times is very beneficial. Try it! :)

This blog is now not only dedicated to my career, but to my life, my mental and my physical advances. Expect many aspects of my life to be posted up here, don't expect any negatives, there are no negatives. Everything in life is moving forward, even when it might not look so.

CV - Long Version

The CV link below is not my full one, what i'll be using that one for is canvassing with fax/email/post.

Click for my full version :)

Something?

It's big, really big. It's coming.

And I know what it is.......

CVs and Cover Letters

My CV is now officially complete and can be viewed here

I haven't had a resume for the past 5 years, frankly because I didn't need one, a good thing about the RAAF is job security (in fact it's quite hard to get out). However a CV is critical to keep updated in any job, regardless of how long you are staying there. There is always something better out there and you should always be looking. Carpe Diem!

Next is my cover letter, my primary job seeking goal is to cold canvas companies and get my name out there, to do this I need a structured cover letter that needs minimal changes depending on my targeted employer. Currently I'm writing a very generalised one, after learning on the go I'll make changes accordingly.

*Edit. Cover letter can be viewed here

Career Transition Seminar - Day Three

A day late with this one.

The third day didn't have as much content relevant to me as I would have expected, for a something with great potential it unfortunately fell short.

Franchising although not really something I would want to jump into straight away was probably the most informative session. The lecturer covered the basics of franchising, how it is started, how much work is involved (not as simple as paying the cash and installing a manager and staff, a considerable amount of work has to be done by you), how to identify a good franchise to start with, what to look out for (quite a lot of dodgy people in the franchise world) and when to cut your losses. Franchising is not for me.

Small business, now here's what I was excited about all week, here is where I would hear about what I could be doing in the future. Wrong. The lecturer basically told us how to contact his office for all questions about small business. A genuine let down.

Apologies for the negative post, but as I look back upon this day I could have been doing something more constructive with my time.

In conclusion however the 3 day seminar was brilliant, incredibly informative and motivational. So much so it even provoked me into starting this blog! I have already signed up for the same course later on in the year. :)

"Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them." - Orison Swett Marden

Career Transition Seminar - Day Two

Day two. Finances.

As much as budgeting and financial planning is an important part of any career this subject just didn't have the excitement and motivation that yesterday's lessons did.

I've never been a good financial planner, budgeter or saver. In fact I have only recently started an automatic savings deposit every pay, this is one of my weaknesses and something that I'll have to pay quite a bit of attention to (even though it bores the pants off me).

Regardless of my distaste for the day I did get a lot out of it, mainly in regards to investing. Read the following:

Time in is better than timing

Don't try to time the investment market. If you have some money saved over and want some sort of return go buy some shares, you dont have to have thousands of dollars to invest, even if you insert a small amount of money every payday it will add up at the end of the year to something that you can earn from.

Short and long term investments are something to look at as well, don't just look at the distant future when you're retired sitting in the Greek Isles you need to give concentration to the short term future as well, something that will work as a stepping stone and help you now.

4 Investment options:

Cash
Fixed Interest
Property
Shares

Cash and Fixed Interest are a high defensive (safe) option, however they create less return and are pretty much just a savings account. If you really don't feel comfortable throwing your money out there then perhaps this is a good option until you muster up the courage to be adventurous.

The second two options, Property and Shares are something that you have to put in a bit more time and effort to ensure that you are getting something that you will profit with. Ensure that you spend at least a month doing heavy research for either option, after this if you decide not to do it you have learned a great deal anyway. These options provide a much better return than fixed interest accounts.

The best way to learn about these things is experience, get in there and do it, ask lots of questions, try lots of things. Just make sure that it's something that you can afford to lose.

Remember that objects in life are only to be used as tools to experience life, never get attached to them.

Career Transition Seminar - Day One

Today was the start of a 3 day seminar devoted to helping military members who are interested in discharge transition smoothly to civilian life.

The three days are broken up into

Day 1. Resume creation, job seeking and interview techniques
Day 2. Finance and superannuation benefits
Day 3. Investing and small businesses

The majority of the subject mater discussed in day one I had already researched until I could research no more, however quite a lot of the information I found helpful and motivational. In particular a personal transition experience from an ex-Army officer turned motivational speaker. I didn't get the opportunity to take many notes, however the energy that this guy was giving out to the audience was amazing, this wasn't the obvious 'jumping-around-grinning' energy but more a mental one. Highlight of the day (hopefully more on this speaker in the future).

I did jot down some important tips and information on resume and interview techniques, but some of the most important quotes i'll share with you now:

Failing and learning from failures is evolution

Q: How tall does a tree grow?
A: As tall as it's environment allows

I'll further on this bit, potentially if you dont feel as if you're growing, change your environment, get out of your comfort zone and experience the change, never be afraid of it. You will always benefit from it.

Isn't it nice when you make everything in your life work to your benefit?

Change!

Change is as good as a holiday so 'they' say.

In my case, change is the start of a new life, a new career and new happiness. The last few months I have had an awakening (or ephiphany, mainly because I like the word) and have many decisions on the next path that my career will take.

Setting up the beginning of the perfect life is no easy task, but I now have the knowledge, resources and work ethic to do it.

This blog will help me set my goals and aspirations as well as improve my writing abilities.

This is the start of something big!