When you apply for a new job, prospective employers often inquire about your greatest weaknesses. If you’ve never prepared yourself for this question, answering it can be quite difficult. wikiHow suggests that you evaluate your performance and regularly identify your primary strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve determined what your weak suits are, explain them clearly, but don’t stop there. Follow it with good news about how you are able to overcome your weakness and strengthen yourself. Try to have at least three weaknesses on hand in case you’re asked more than once, and always follow up with a strength. Be honest and avoid arrogance; we’re human, after all. Communicate Your Weakness [WikiHow]
Are you successful? Perhaps, if you think you’re not, it’s time to evaluate your thought process. PickTheBrain says that positive thinking is the first recommendation to achieve success. Write down your goals and dreams. Then, take action. Always engage yourself in learning. Be determined and work to achieve your goals. Be analytical. Dissect your mistakes and learn from them. Don’t treat your errors as a blow that will get in the way of becoming extraordinary. Innovate: don’t blend in with everyone else. Be different. Learn to be honest, reliable, and an effective communicator. How would you define success, and how do you achieve it? Let’s hear your take in the comments. Photo by dhammza.
10 Secrets to Success [PickTheBrain]If you’re passionate about you career like I am, you probably find it tough to pull away from your job. However, it’s advisable to step away from the computer—at least sometimes. The Four Hour Workweek blog suggests that you set some boundaries for yourself. You may want to pursue hobbies that are fun, engaging, and challenging, but also help to your mind off your work. Work on personal goals in addition to your professional goals. Go on an outing with someone who has no relationship to your career. One idea would be to set up an appointment at your local gym with a personal trainer. Set up tech boundaries for work and pleasure. If you feel that you must be constantly plugged in, use different computers that differentiate work-related tasks from leisure. Also, remember to say “no.” Activities that are not as valuable to you should be outright rejected so that you can maximize productivity and enjoy your life.
5 Boundary-Setting Tips for the Work Obsessed [Tim Ferriss]Personal development blogger Alex Shalman explains that those who have winning personalities are loved and respected. These individuals are not thinking of themselves. Instead, they have everyone’s best interests at heart. So how, then, do you achieve a personality that everyone loves? Be kind and compassionate. Believe in yourself. Exhibit integrity and optimism. Have an open mind. Do not speak negatively of others. Take responsibility for your actions. Help others where you can. Be persistent, and don’t give up. With a winning personality, you attract more friends and can enrich the lives of anyone who comes into contact with you.
10 Traits to Be Perceived as a Winner [Alex Shalman]Is your mind wandering in fast motion? Relax. To avoid burnout, self improvement weblog Zen Habits suggest that you slow down. Right now. If you’re mind is constantly spinning with ideas, thoughts, or deadlines, you initially don’t want to expect immediate gratification. Resolve to take baby steps. Start imagining the next few days without any distractions and work obligations. Envision a day where all you were doing was dedicating the day to yourself. Eventually, turn those thoughts into reality—slowly. Spend time with yourself for an hour a day. Don’t rush to finish the food off your plate.
Walk into any bookstore and you’re bound to see the “Self Help” section just bursting with titles boasting toothy-grinned gurus promising you happiness, riches, productivity, and enlightenment on their covers. I’ve got a love-hate relationship with self improvement books: most of the time I hate that I love them. I spent some time reading a relative’s copy of Joel Osteen’s Become a Better You this holiday season, and I feel weird admitting that I liked it, despite fundamental belief system differences with the guy. What self improvement books have you dug recently? You a Steven Covey/Tim Ferriss/David Allen/Brian Tracy fan? You working The Secret? You attend the church of Joel? Shout out your book recommendations in the comments.
Have you ever been sad over mistakes of the past? Sure, we all have. Have you ever looked around at your environment and thought about effectuating change within it? If not, perhaps you should, because those changes will be reflected within yourself. Website Hack Yourself contains a collection of articles that are intended to bring you into moments of increased self-awareness, of excitement about living, and about being happy. It’s not worth it to dwell on the past; just look at the present and toward the future. Find the demons within you and exorcise them—you don’t need to let negative perceptions permeate your thoughts.
Amaze yourself with spontaneity and let go of the obstacles that you feel are getting in the way of your successes. The collection of articles within Hack Yourself are very short and the entire website is not a terribly long read, so if you’re really looking to stroll down the path of self-improvement for 2008, it’s highly recommended. Photo by sillydog.
Hack YourselfThe Mayo Clinic writes that it is better to forgive and forget than to hold grudges. Beyond the personal anger and resentment that grudges cause, it’s also bad for your health: it causes high levels of stress, high blood pressure, more anxiety, and poor anger-management skills. Instead, commit to forgive and find compassion, even if forgiveness does not yield reconciliation. Recognize the value moving forward adds to the quality of life. One who has finally forgiven someone will be more at peace, even if it is necessary to forgive again and again when memories trigger unhappiness. Ultimately, looking beyond the bad will bring much joy, and that is why it helps to achieve that much-needed closure.
Forgiveness: How to Let Go of Grudges and Bitterness [Mayo Clinic]You can easily improve the quality of your conversation (and improve the likelihood that people will actually listen to what you have to say) by dialing back on the quantity. Self-improvement site The Positivity Blog has more: Going on and on about something may be a way to show off your cleverness. Cleverness is overrated. It’s mostly a good way to feed your own ego…If you keep it simple and clear and if you focus on the people you are talking to you’ll become more free to say what you want. It might not feel as good at first since you are not stroking your ego or reinforcing your cleverness. But I have found that in the long run it makes things easier and reduces some of your own inner limitations.
This would certainly cut down on superficial chatter, but there’s a fine line to walk between being succint and being blunt. How have you improved your conversational skills? Let’s hear in the comments. 5 Reasons Why You Should Simplify What You Say, and How to Do It [The Positivity Blog]
Many of us have a couple of really big goals that seem virtually unattainable. However, financial site The Simple Dollar suggests that writing down small steps necessary to achieve these goals can be extremely helpful. The key is to be as detailed as possible: time commitment, how you’re going to pay for it, first steps needed, etc. Once you have this rough outline on paper, it becomes a little easier to actually get started on what it will take to attain your goal. If you’ve ever made a really big goal and actually saw it happen, please share in the comments how you went about it, and what advice you would give to people in similar situations.
When Everyday Life Gets in the Way of Your Dreams – And A Plan To Get Past It [The Simple Dollar]
