A recent Yahoo survey says that employees who feel undervalued and boredom are wasting up to 20% of their time at work. Typically they are surfing the Internet or gossiping with fellow coworkers.

As a manager, the best way to combat this is to delegate more tasks to your employees and add some daily praise in the mix and they will feel more valued. Creating a culture of valued employees will raise the company’s morale and lead to either higher revenue or decrease costs. However you look at it, it will raise the bottom line!

To those employees who are wasting time, watch out, the majority of companies are watching when you surf online. For the most part, they have to do it because of compliance. If they did not monitor web activities, they could be found liable in certain court cases or be found to not have sufficient evidence if an ex-employee filed a complaint. Do not take it personally, consider it a business decision.

To you, if you feel like you’re wasting time at work it is your responsibility to ask for more tasks or go above and beyond on your current tasks. If you can do this, and you still don’t feel valued, it’s time to take your skills somewhere else where they may appreciate you and the work that you do.

He that can quietly endure overcomes.  –English Proverb

There are all sorts of factors which contribute to success,
but there is one that is often more important than all the
others…perseverance.

I have begun and ended this article with a proverb which
points out the value of being able to persevere, but for
most of us, one old saying comes to mind, “All things come
to him who waits.”

The problem with that particular version is that it implies
that simply waiting for success to happen is all that is
required.  While the occasional miracle does happen, most
successes are the result of action.  For most of us,
success, when it comes with will be a reward for our
effort, faith, and perseverance.

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“If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing
you have to do is wake up.” — Anonymous

We all have dreams, and I don’t mean the kind we have at
night.  They can be anything from swimming the Atlantic
Ocean to winning the lottery to receiving the Nobel Prize
to learning a new language.  There are as many different
dreams as there are people…times ten.

While dreams might be ephemeral in themselves, there is one
real fact about them, and it is embodied in the quote at
the top of this article.  While a dream MIGHT come true by
accident or some happy combination of circumstances, to
MAKE a dream come true, we first have to wake up and DO
SOMETHING.  Simply sitting around waiting for a dream to
come true is no more effective than hoping to win the
lottery because someone gives us a ticket.  While that
scenario could play out in real life, most lottery winners
had to first actually buy a ticket.

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“Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual
suspects.”  –Claude Rains, AKA Captain Renault in
Casablanca

A police officer has a problem, a puzzle to solve.  One
step he or she can take is to, “Round up the usual
suspects.”  It is possible that the answer to the puzzle
lies with one of these individuals.  Either someone in that
group knows something about the “crime” or is involved in
some way.

True, the perpetrator may be someone outside the usual
group suspected by the police, but there is often a good
chance that they are right.

When you decide to seek “success”; like the police, you can
perform a great many actions to find what you are looking
for.  You can do a lot of research (detecting), you can get
the thoughts and opinions of others (questioning), you can
read classics on the subject and listen to CDs about how to
be successful (training), and you can just do a lot of leg
work (leg work - sorry, couldn’t resist).  You can even
“stake out” the joint, in hopes of catching sight of what
success looks like and with whom it is hanging out.
Another thing you can do is round up the usual suspects,
or, in this case, suspect…you.

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“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” Andrew Carnegie

The following techniques when applied consistently, are guaranteed to get results in achieving greater business success, increased sales and personal success. Consistency is key. Be specific and realistic. Practice these techniques daily. These are the same strategies I applied in 1995 when I wanted to enter the speaking business. I was skeptical and wondered if these techniques would really work. By 1996 I was speaking in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales as an international speaker. My point is not to brag. My point is that if you will diligently practice the following affirmations, visualizations and action steps, you will attract more business success and personal success. These strategies can work for everyone from salespeople, business owners, entrepreneurs and executives, to managers, supervisors and team leaders. The first step is to believe. Believe that you can do it.

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“Be like a postage stamp - stick to one thing until you get there.” Josh Billings

1. The 80/20 rule or Pareto Principle. 20% of activities on your to-do list will produce 80% of your most desired results. What do you want to accomplish? What are those activities you must do? The ability to determine those tasks and then complete them on time can have more impact on achieving your goals than anything else.

2. Write down those tasks and specific time frames for when you will work on them. Write them in a place where you will constantly see them to be reminded. For example, I often write on a white board in my office, “type two business success articles Wednesday 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.” This way you’re constantly reminded of what you are to do and when. You will get around to completing these tasks sooner rather than later because by “seeing” them all the time, you’ll want to cross them off your list. Consider erasing the tasks after completing them so you no longer have to look at them. want to cross them off your list.

3. Plan a reward ahead of time. Make sure you give yourself some type of reward when finished. It can be as small as penciling in time to work on the things you enjoy. For example, in Portland, Oregon where I live there are many beautiful fenced dog parks. After staying in and working hard, my dog, Joy, and I often end the day at the dog park socializing and playing with others. It’s as much a reward for her as it is for me. We like the fresh air and especially enjoy the long daylight hours, often until 10:00 p.m. in the summer.

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Copyright © 2006 Marketing On The Playground (TM)

I was recently invited as a guest on a 4-day cruise boarding a ”True” Luxury Liner. Every room was a suite. I knew via their website we had a bathroom bigger than the one in my home, a sitting room, bedroom, mini-bar and balcony.  I knew I needed a break and kept saying I did. It came just before I was due for foot surgery.   In my heart I know when we continue to say what we want and believe, it comes to us bigger than what we expect.

I had also wanted to fly home and see my mother who is in an assisted living home.  I knew I wouldn’t be seeing her for some time due to my foot surgery coming up and really wanted to get home.  So I asked.  On our return flight we were able to stop to see my mom for a couple of days.  The timing was amazing but I believed.

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Copyright © 2006 Dr Joe Rubino

Studies show that at least 85% or more of the world’s people suffer from some degree of lacking self-esteem. Although one might think that such challenges are only characteristic of the poor, uneducated, or lower socio-economic members of society, people from all walks of life can suffer situational or more widespread challenges with their levels of self-esteem.

Many very successful business people lack self-esteem in some areas of their lives. Perhaps they feel socially challenged or they have difficulty establishing close or intimate relationships. Perhaps they experience low self-esteem with regard to their physical appearance or their health. Perhaps they are not having any fun in their lives, maybe devoting too much attention to their work. Many “successful” people are driven to succeed. They compensate for feeling deficient in other areas of their lives by working harder and finding a place they can excel through their work. This provides them with a new focus where they can win but it doesn’t fulfill their neglected needs in other areas like relationships, recreation, personal and spiritual development, health and appearance and their ability to lead balanced, fun, and fulfilling lives.

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Copyright © 2006 Rich Atkinson

Where do we find the physical, mental and spiritual energy to create and sustain our business and stay true to our vision? Besides the obvious advice about diet, exercise and minimizing stress, there’s a whole different area of energy that we can benefit from. That’s the creative vital  power of our personal vision and the way we bring it out to the world.

Everything is energy. Even things we think of as solid and immovable, such as rocks and dirt, are chock full of energy. The more alive the energy, the more power that’s manifested. That goes for anything from tsunami waves to megastar personalities.

It’s all a matter of freeing up the energy and expressing our innate talents and strengths. The key is to be able to find ways to nurture and keep expanding our creative energy.    When we start out with our inspiration for our business or career we’re often exuberantly excited and inspired. If we see it clearly and put our full energy behind it, we can create a great expression of who we truly are.

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Copyright © 2006 http://www.BusinessSystemsManager.com

Ok, I admit: “I am a big fan of systems, Its all about Systems”. It could just be the Mechanical Engineer and Business Analyst coming out in me, but it goes much deeper than that. It is definitely grounded in my recent experiences with systems.

We are surrounded by systems, and our lives revolve around them and rely on them working infallibly. The cars (or motorbikes) we drive, the computers we use and the human bodies we live in, are all brilliantly refined and intricate systems that we use everyday. We expect them to work predictably and consistently every time we use them.

Imagine your business running as smoothly and consistently as the other systems that you rely on in your life! Imagine people having a consistently outstanding and exceptional experience, each and every time they come into contact with your Business.

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