Jumpstart Your Initiative, You Have Waited Long Enough

We all have a desire to "make a difference"; to make improvements in our lives (may be even others lives). Yet, for a various reasons, when it comes to taking initiative many people face a magnitude of challenges.

I bet you already have what it takes to get yourself moving, but chances are there are some barriers that are inhibiting your progress. Given below are some worthy points on intensifying your initiative, from the book, Personal Brilliance, Mastering the Everyday Habits that Create a Lifetime of Success.

You don’t have to be inspired to begin

It’s a common belief that you have to be inspired about a project or idea to get it going. Of course, being inspired can help a lot. Inspiration and initiative are a little like the controversy over whether the chicken or the egg comes first! Do you agree?

Give yourself permission to move forward

If you know that you have a good idea or a plan that will work, give yourself permission to move forward with the plan. Waiting for others to join you in your initiative can slow the wheels of innovation and drag out the process. As you build momentum, others will naturally want to jump on board.

Meaningful motivators feed initiative

If you don’t have a good reason to accomplish a particular goal, you probably won’t do it. Compelling reasons are the fuel that initiative needs to grow and thrive.
What are your compelling reasons?

Shorten the time line between your idea and your first action step

Many people have the tendency to put off that first step in favor of conducting more research, increasing their education, and basically trying to learn everything they need to know before they begin.
If toddlers viewed the idea of standing up and walking the way many adults approach
taking a first step, most people would still be crawling!

Live by your word

People who accomplish what they set out to do, keep their word to themselves and to others. Make a firm commitment to yourself that you will keep your promises, no matter what.
The only permissible exception is your being truly too sick to get out of bed. Without living by such a strict standard, our lives can become a series of justifications and rationalizations.


Is initiative something you struggle with as well? Or does it come naturally?

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Silvano Orsi - Keeping an Eye on All The Players

SILVAno ORSi
Keeping an Eye on All The Players, Their Covert and Overt Decisions/Actions

Silvano Orsi is a Brave Man. He is fighting a Cause in the 21st Century, which has consequences for victims of similar acts of violence in different countries including Europe and the UAE. Let us acknowledge, Silvano is acting in the interests of Civilized Justice and on behalf of other victims, who are unable to seek legal remedies themselves, around the world.

JUSTICE VERSUS GREED

Silvano has been accused of pursuing this case in the interests of money. Well, those with more money would say that, wouldn't they! They say it Every Single Time, even when it is not The Case. Silvano Orsi has Witnesses and Justice Must Be Served. Surely there are other victims and witnesses globally, who have been targetted by Sheikh Falah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Associates, with the same violent acts.

Some very simple questions need to be answered and publicized in this case :

In which countries and banks does Sheikh Falah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan have investments and funds? How much? How long have these funds been there? Who is dependent on these funds in these countries? Why are funds really being held outside the UAE?

If financial deposits and investments are significant, intimidation and threats of removing funds are recognized global tools for exerting pressure on decision makers, including the judiciary.

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Extracts from Silvano's Recent Telephone Interview with Swisster.ch
- American Seeks Justice Against ‘Champagne Sheikh’ - 18 June 2009

After losing a court battle in Switzerland with a member of the ruling United Arab Emirates’ family who whipped him with a belt in a Geneva bar, an American former Swisscom executive is appealing the case to the European Court of Human Rights. A former American expat plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights after Switzerland’s top court upheld the acquittal of an Arab sheikh charged for whipping him with a belt in La Réserve, a luxury Geneva hotel.

Orsi, has told Swisster he believes Switzerland has violated his basic human rights in a bid to appease a powerful Arabic ruling family.

Last June, a Geneva police court fined the sheikh 10,000 francs, in addition to issuing a suspended sentence equivalent to a 540,000-franc fine, after finding him guilty of assault causing bodily harm with a dangerous weapon. But in March this year a cantonal appeals court quashed the conviction, ruling that the belt was not a dangerous object.

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DANGEROUS OBJECTS

A belt is not a dangerous object but then nor is a bicycle brake cable until it is used as a Garrote! A woman with long finger nails or even a finger with the right attitude, can damage, even scratch your eyes out. As for a fist...... Any Act of Violence and Savagery.....

It would appear Switzerland needs to revisit the floggings and whippings of Black Slaves, the back bone of the United States of America today, along with the motives and the financial status of the Former Sadistic Slave Masters.

History is an Early Warning System but as we know, only those with An Education, will ever base their decisions and behaviour on Historical Lessons Learned.

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Last week, Switzerland’s supreme court in Lausanne upheld the ruling after rejecting Orsi’s appeal on procedural grounds. The court ruled that as a civil party, the American citizen did not have the legal standing to challenge the acquittal.

Orsi said in addition to appealing to the European court, he has launched a civil case against the sheikh seeking damages and legal costs. As well, he said the US House of Representatives' Human Rights Commission has agreed to look into the matter after he contacted the commission’s co-chairman James McGovern, a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts.

Orsi said he went to a hospital after the attack for treatment of cuts to his face, hands and body after the sheikh wielded the belt. He claims to have suffered herniated discs in his back, permanent nerve damage in his legs and “severe post-traumatic stress disorder” after being pushed to the ground and assaulted by the Arab notable and several of his body guards. “There is a mountain of medical evidence,” he said.

Orsi noted, however, that two employees of La Réserve testified that they saw the sheikh hit him. He said he was disconcerted by the response of hotel staff when he asked them to contact police. “They told me, ‘we will see what what we can do because this is a very important client of ours,’” referring to the sheikh, who was a guest at the hotel.

Orsi said he has been unable to work since the attack and he decided to leave Geneva after twice being threatened in restaurants by a group of three people he identified as “associates” of the sheikh. They were with the Arab leader at La Réserve on the day of the attack, he said.

“They came to me and said we know who you are, we know what happened at La Réserve, if you say anything more we’ll get you” Orsi said. “One of them showed me a gun and said he would use it.” He said he notified Geneva police of the incidents but nothing resulted from his complaint.

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TAINTED BLOOD AND ASSOCIATES

We should not ignore the fact that people who choose to associate and be identified with those (including family members) who are abusive, violent and corrupt, are revealing their own attitudes and characters as well as their own covert deeds with people.

It Runs in the Family...... ABC News Exclusive: Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh
Police in Uniform Join In as Victim Is Whipped, Beaten, Electrocuted, Run Over by SUV

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PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT SILVANO ORSI
UAE: The Sheikh's Belt and the Stilletto Heel of Michelle Palmer

Silvano Orsi and The Sheikh's Belt - A Case To Watch

7 Different Types Of Punctually Challenged People. Which One Are You?

Some of us are annoyingly late despite our best intentions and many years of trying to improve!
I have read many books on subject, but Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged by Diana DeLonzo was a no-nonsense book, with many "A-HA!" moments! It is a must read for the punctually challenged. (Don’t take my word for it, read the Amazon reviews for the book.)

Reading Diana’s book I began to think differently about time and what could be achieved in a specific amount of time. I also learned that there are many different personality and character types associated with being late. Many of which we can relate to personally!
Which character type can you relate to the most?

1. The Absent-Minded Professor

Someone who is caught up in his own world, and never thinks about time. A person who forgets most things and can be distracted very easily.
They are usually slow and leave their things here and there (ahem…). They often jump from one activity to another or get lost in what they are doing.

2.The Rebel

A person, who truly hate stereotypes, everyday rules and schedules. By being always late they try to resist authority and underline their courage of breaking the laws.

3. The Indulger

A person who wastes time doing unimportant things and lacks self control. They don’t have a good concept of time and always put important things off that leads to chronic lateness.

4. The Rationalizer

A person who is very often late for work or meeting, but always justifies such behavior by various outside circumstances. Such people hate being reminded about their being late because they do not acknowledge their responsibility for lateness and blame everything or everyone but themselves.

5. The Evader

Someone who always feels the necessity to control own environment, and this idea makes him/her anxious. Such people have problems with self-organization, and their inability to do the things properly makes them feel helpless and stressed out. At that, the Evaders’ own needs or routine takes precedence over their being on time.

6. The Producer

A very busy person who tends to squeeze incredible amount of tasks into every minute and do several things at the same time. They are always late because they can not properly schedule their time and have to go on doing something they have planned.

7. The Deadliner

Someone who truly enjoys running behind the schedules and looks for a crisis to get motivated and win the battle. However, it always leads to being desperately late.

So, which character type can you relate to the most? Leave a comment and let me know.
I am the type where discipline is the main problem; my mom is the type who rationalizes away how her tardiness affects others; and my dad is the Absent Minded Professor!

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When Confronted With Criticism You Don’t Really Want To Hear, What Should You Do?

It’s that time of the year where I need to carry out appraisals for my team members. This is by far one of the hardest parts of my job responsibilities! Do I hear you ask “Why” ?

Just like clay is molded in to pottery, we are all shaped by the feedback we receive from those around us. The way a person perceives criticism, will have a powerful impact on their future reactions and how they feel about themselves.

So, how you keep your pride and career intact, when you are getting a dose of criticism you’d rather not hear?

1. Listen (Withhold Immediate Reaction!)

If you’re like most people, you won’t like to be criticized! You might feel you are not being appreciated. You might feel that it’s a blow to the ego. Your natural reaction might be to defend yourself or lash back.

This is exactly what I thought….when I initially started my career. I suppose I was lucky I had good mentors, who persistently showered me with constructive feedback. As time went by, I began to realize what Randy Pausch said in his bestselling book The Last Lecture

And when it was all over, one of the other assistant coaches came over and said, yeah, Coach Graham rode you pretty hard, didn't he? I said, yeah. He said, that's a good thing. He said, when you're screwing up and nobody's saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up. And that's a lesson that stuck with me my whole life: when you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to tell you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care.

2. Identify The Intent Of Criticism

People will always have opinions about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. And yes, it sometimes stings, in unbearable ways.

The question you need to ask yourself “WHY is this person criticizing me?”
Is it to prove they are right?
Is it because they are annoyed/angry with you?
Or are they criticizing your actions? Do they really have your best interest, in grooming you to be better?

Criticism can be a powerful tool when used with the intent of helping, improvement, or offering solutions. It’s helpful when someone – in a friendly manner – offers an honest opinion about you that fosters improvement.

3. Clarify

Does what is being said, make sense to you?
Is there a mismatch of expectations? What you expect, and what they expect?
Can you recall situations that might align with the criticism? If you are confused or unclear, ask for examples.

4. Assess The Criticism

Can you acknowledge the criticism and except your imperfections? Do you disagree? If you disagree, in a calm manner state your reasons and work with the other party.

How useful is the criticism? Something you were aware of? Something you never realized before?
What's the extent of impact? Major, minor, good to have, negligible etc

5. Figure Out The Kind Of Support You Will Need, To Improve

Can the person giving you negative feedback, help you get on track?
Can you manage to improve on your own?
Do you need training in certain areas?

6. Make An Action Plan

Once you figure out the kind of support you need, put together a plan of action. Set goals for the time period and make sure to follow through. Also, make a note of how progress can be measured.

7. Life Must Go On

Usually, when you are criticized, self doubt seeks in. Depending on the type of person you are, you might be “stuck” in the criticism for days or even weeks; you might keep thinking about the criticism, until it start to affect all areas of your life!

So, don’t dwell too much on the criticism. Remember that there are other areas where you are good or even excel at.


I would like to hear your thoughts on how you handle criticism. Leave a comment and let me know…, do you immediately react? Do you dismiss the criticism?

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Help Release Laura Ling and Euna Lee

Help Release Laura Ling and Euna Lee

Shared via AddThis

"On Tuesday, we heard from T. Kumar about what U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee face in their 12 year sentence in a North Korean labor camp. They got the maximum sentence of 10 years of hard labor for hostile acts and an additional two years for illegal entry, according to analysts. But exactly what hostile acts they committed remains unclear."

How To Re-focus When You Lose Focus

Lately, I have noticed a common theme amongst a few people I know. It seems we are all struggling with the same issue – the ability to stay focused on a single task for a
prolonged period of time.

Focus is what you direct your attention to, what you allow into awareness.

Focus is a blend of intention, discipline and skill. It can be achieved by anyone who is willing to put forth the necessary effort.

Focus is something that must be fought for (it doesn’t happen just because you want it to, either!) Most often, it depends on why we lose focus.

Reason 1: Activities Don’t Interest You

Sadly, all tasks we do(or rather have to do!) are not equally enjoyable. If you find your mind wandering frequently during disliked tasks, this is a focus barrier well worth breaking through.

How to re-focus:
13 Ideas To Make Boring Jobs Bearable And A Little More Interesting
Have Powerful Reasons
8 Stress-Busting, Spirit Lifting, Body-Boosting Ideas To Brighten Your Day With Music

Reason 2: Too Many Concurrent Tasks

Sometimes, we find ourselves working on a number of concurrent tasks at any given time.

How to re-focus:
Get More Done In Less Time
Learn To Prioritize & Say No Where Required

Reason 3: Interruptions & Distractions

Beeped and pinged, interrupted and inundated, overloaded and hurried: that’s usually part of our daily routine. We are constantly bombarded by things competing to attract our attention.

How to re-focus:
Regain Control When Distractions Are Eating Your Time
Regain The Hours Television Steals From You

Reason 4: Difficulty In Managing Work Life Balance

Other people will have wants and needs that don’t always coincide with your own. As we attempt to balance the various areas of life, we become more stressed out than ever before.

How to re-focus:
How To Achieve Life Balance Amidst Chaos
Are You Constantly At The Mercy Of Circumstances?
Minimize Stress, Maximize Success!

Reason 5: Emotionally Drained

It’s perfectly OK to get frustrated, angry, etc when circumstances don’t line up as you’d prefer.

How to re-focus:
Tired & True Ways Of Recovering From Setbacks
Getting Past Your Past
The 5 Emotions That Drag Us Down Or Shape Our Destiny
Give Yourself An Attitude Tune-Up

Reason 6: Too Tired

Sometimes we don’t have the energy we had before and often find it slow to get back.

How to re-focus:
7 Ways To Revive Your Tired Body And Stay Energized
9 Healthier Ways To Forget The Stresses Of Your Busy Day


We spend millions of seconds doing certain things, and yet it takes only one second to lose direction. So it does take practice to master the art of remaining focused. You can see results at the end of the day when you accomplish the things you most wanted to do, rather than feeling your day was empty because you were distracted by things you consider less important.