Fast Start Guide To Enhance Life

Enhance Life started with my first post Welcome To Enhance Life, way back in 26th September 2006! Can't believe I have been blogging for 3 years!

Over the years, Enhance Life has accumulated hundreds of posts. Most of which you might have missed. This page is a one stop page, where I have tried to highlight the best posts, of all these years. Happy Reading...

Personal Development

• 8 Common Mistakes Made After A Mistake Was Made
• Tired & True Ways Of Recovering From Setbacks
• Expectations: Is It A human Weakness?
• Dale Carnegie Guide To A Happier YOU
• People-Pleasing: The Price Of Being Too Nice And What To Do About It
• 8 Ways To Ease Yourself Out Of Nosy Questions Without Being Rude

Personal Finance

• Thinking About Money The Rich Dad, Poor Dad Way
• Money And Processions: Breaking Free From The Materialism Trap
• Over Spending & Impulse Buying: 8 Reasons Why You’re Not To Blame
• Make Money, Not Excuses!

Productivity

• How To Re-focus When You Lose Focus
• Overworked & Overwhelmed? Achieving Life Balance Amidst Chaos
• 13 Ideas To Make Boring Jobs Bearable And A Little More Interesting
• Less Busy, More Productive – Is It Possible?
• Jumpstart Your Initiative, You Have Waited Long Enough

Think Tank

• Is Heavy Thinking Ruining Your Life?
• Are You Constantly At The Mercy Of Circumstances?
• The 5 Emotions That Drag Us Down Or Shape Our Destiny

Healthy Living

• 9 Healthier Ways To De-stress
• 8 Skinny Habits To Lose Weight Naturally
• Sleep Deprived ? 7 Ways To Revive Your Tired Body And Stay Energized After A Sleep Deprived Night

Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors (Book Review)

Cruising through life.. everything is going well; graduation, career, wedding, children … You have a lifetime planned ahead.
Then suddenly, life takes a twist of its own.
It may be
a lump that can't be ignored,
irritating pain that keeps re-occurring
....
"You have Cancer" are words that no one wants to hear, yet every day families around the world hear these words, and fear the worst. From there onwards, life is not the same anymore.

In Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors (by Carolyn Rubenstein) you will find 20 such young adults who share in their own words, their experience with cancer. They describe how they discovered they had cancer, how they felt once they were diagnosed, how they treated it and continue to treat it, how life changed because of it, and what the future holds for them.

I found the book to be emotionally gripping. Each story is truly unique, with its own message and theme that contributes to many life lessons. It teaches us to appreciate life, be courageous and persevere in whatever circumstance. The experiences of these survivors, how they went through difficult times, overcame them and made something of themselves is truly inspiring and strengthening.

Perseverance not just for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Reading this made me realize how wonderful life is and to not take each day for granted. This book and those who shared their stories within it reminds us that no matter what obstacles we encounter in life, big or small, we should never stop living your life to its fullest.

I invite you to watch the video, where Carolyn Rubenstein discusses her book Perseverance on NBC's Today Show.

Related Posts

• Book Review : Live in the moment
• 3 Simple Ways To Foster An Attitude Of Gratitude
• The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself
• Living In The Now

5 Must-Have Persuasion Fundamentals To Get Your Own Way

You have being trying to get your own way since you were a baby. Crying, smiling, banging your hands on the table.. primitive to be sure- but effective.

Fast forward several years…
Wanting to get your way may have others define you as persistent, stubborn, hardheaded, or some other form of being tenacious. But the bottom line of other’s perception is of you is the way, the manner by which, you choose to try to get your way.

1. Explaining What, why, and how

People start out skeptical. They want to know; what is this? Why will this work? Why do you want me to do this? Why are you asking me? What are you trying to accomplish? What will this mean to me? How will this affect me? How do I win?

Your ability to plausibly explain goes a long way towards getting your way.

2. Explaining what’s in for them

People are more likely to be persuaded if they see how they win as a result of following your lead or seeing it your way.

3. Your sincerity

Your conviction is part of their “buy-in-false” sincerity eventually shows.. and smells

4. Your believability

Are you making statements that others can relate to? That others find conceivable? Conceivable leads to believable.

5. Your questioning skills

This is one of your major keys to persuasion and getting your way. Not telling- asking, are you asking questions that relate to the other person? Questions about them, that make them stop and think, and respond in terms of you? Powerful persuasion starts with powerful questions. Ask their opinion. Solicit their expertise. Ask about their experience.

6. Your reputation precedes you

Reputation is so powerful, it can make getting your way an automatic yes if yours is exceptional or an automatic no if yours is “iffy”

No one single item from this list will complete the process. The more you master each of them, the more persuasive you’ll become, and the more you will get your way.

You will not get your way all the time. However, by polishing your skills, deepening your belief and developing a passion for what you want, you will get your way more often.

Related Posts

• How To Cope, The Next Time You Are Caught In Verbal Hurricane
• 12 Words and Phrases That Automatically Kill Your Self Image
• Tame Your Temper; 6 Tips That Actually Work
• 5 Emotions That Drag Us Down Or Shape Our Destiny

21 To-Do List Mistakes That Stop You From Completing Your To-Do List

You use a to-do list to guide you; to plan and schedule what must be done. Having such a list is a great start, but do you get the satisfaction of ever completing your to-do list?

It’s frustrating.. and sometimes you wondering why?

On Writing …

1. You don’t always get the lurking items out of your head and onto the to-do list.

2. You are not clear about what you are trying to accomplish and why.



3. The to-do list does not reflect the most important task, you need to achieve for a given day.

4. The tasks are not properly broken down into sub-tasks.

5. Dependent tasks are not properly identified.

6. The tasks in the to-do list are too vague.

7. You have not “grouped” related tasks.

8. You haven’t prioritized the to-do list.

9. You don’t keep a separate list for each category (home, work etc).

10. You prioritize the to-do list incorrectly.

11. You keep adding new tasks continuously.

12. The to-do list is too long.

13. The to-do list is badly worded.

14. You have more items on your to-do list than you have time to do!

On Execution...

15. You get side tracked with distractions.

16. You don’t set time-lines on tasks.

17. Keeping track of the to-do list and updating it is too complex (electronic versions etc)

18. You don’t have the to-do list with you all the time and sometimes, unsure of what to do next.

19. You do tasks that are not in the list (that eats up your time!)

20. You don’t use your most productive hours, for demanding tasks.

21. You don’t review your to-do list regularly (morning, evening?)

Be ruthless… reexamine your to-do list. Are any of your mistakes listed here? Any more you would like to contribute to the above list?

Related Posts

• Less Busy, More Productive – Is It Possible?
• Ways To Regain The Hours Television Steals From You
• Writing Effective Meeting Notes : Take Your Note-Taking Efficiency To New Heights!
• Waiting Time Doesn't Have To Be Wasted Time!

Are Your Priorities Aligned With Your Schedule?

Sometimes we can get so caught up in whirlpool of day to day living that we lose sight of those things that matter to us, the most. (If you naturally start nodding to that sentence, keep reading!)

In his book, First Things First Steven Covey describes a lecture he attended on the topic of time. The lecturer took a large glass jar and set it down on a table with some small rocks beside it. He placed the rocks in the jar and asked the audience whether they thought the jar was full.

Everybody laughed and replied that yes, it was full. Then the lecturer reached under the table and pulled out a container of gravel. He poured in the gravel and shook the jar so that the gravel filled the spaces that had been left by the rocks. Again he asked the audience if the jar was full. By this time they had cottoned on, and replied no.


“Good” he replied. And he reached under the table and repeated the process, only thing time with sand, which went into the spaces left by the rocks and the gravel. Then he asked what had been the point of the demonstration.
Somebody said, “Well, there are gaps, and if you really work at it, you can always fir more into your life.”
“No” he said, “that’s not the point. The point is this: If you hadn’t put these big rocks in first, would you ever have gotten any of them in?”

Let’s try to relate this illustration to our lives..
The “rocks” are representation of the things that are really important to us. The gravel represents the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The sand is everything else; the small stuff. If we put the sand and gravel into the jar first, there’s no room for the rocks.

Are you putting the 'big rocks' first, or do gravel, sand and water dominate your life?

As Stephen Covey says, take care of the rocks first –the things that really matter. Set your priorities, the rest is just gravel and sand.

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. ~Goethe

Related Posts

• Who Borrowed Your Time Today?
• How To Re-focus When You Lose Focus
• Jumpstart Your Initiative, You Have Waited Long Enough
• Less Busy, More Productive – Is It Possible?