tips – Page 10 – Personal Growth Cafe

October 18, 2018February 15, 2018

Simple Active Listening Techniques Anyone Can Use

Being heard and understood is a need for every member of the human family. We all want to know the people in our lives care about us.

Having someone listen and respond to your needs can help you feel important.

Conversely, you give others a boost when you listen carefully to them.

This is where active listening techniques becomes important.

Maybe you haven’t heard of active listening before.

Basically, it’s listening with the intent of understanding the total meaning of what’s being said.

You do this by allowing the person to speak without interruption, and then you repeat back what they said.

The goal of active listening is to improve understanding between both parties.

You may not believe it, but there’s more to listening than merely being quiet.

In fact, someone who’s an active listener will encourage the speaker to talk, try to clarify any points they don’t understand, and be sure they’re aware of the speaker’s intent.

An active listener will enable the speaker to feel like they’ve truly been heard and understood.

Before you begin a conversation, especially if the subject matter is important, be sure you’re in a location where you won’t be interrupted by noise or distractions.

This sets the stage for a meaningful conversation.

Here are some active listening techniques you can use to improve your communications:

1. Be attentive. Pay attention to the person speaking with you.

Stay focused on what they’re saying, without trying to anticipate what they’re going to say next. Stay in the moment.

2. Respect the speaker. Even if you think you know what they’re going to say, try to listen to what’s actually being said.

3. Pay attention to both verbal and nonverbal clues. Body language, facial expressions, and posture can all provide a detailed picture of what’s going on.

4. Keep your attitude in check. Avoid confrontation or anger.

You’re not trying to win an argument; you’re trying to understand the person with whom you’re speaking.

5. Avoid letting your personal preferences affect how you listen. Try to keep your personal beliefs from clouding the speaker’s statements.

6. Don’t jump to conclusions. Regardless of what the speaker says, don’t make assumptions or judgments about what they said.

Find out all the facts and ask questions if you need to.

For example, if you see someone who’s unshaven and poorly dressed you might deduce he’s homeless.

The case may be that his wife had to be rushed to the hospital to deliver their baby and he didn’t have time to clean up first.

You just can’t make assumptions.

If you don’t understand what’s being said, clarify by asking questions. Refrain from interrupting.

Ask your questions in an even tone of voice when the speaker pauses.

7. Try not to become distracted or lose track of what’s being said.

Daydreaming about what you need at the grocery store won’t help your friend in need, and if you lose track of the conversation you’ll come across as uncaring.

8. Give appropriate nonverbal clues. When you’re actively listening to someone, your body language will show whether you’re paying attention or not.

Look the speaker in the eye while they’re talking and try to maintain eye contact as long as it’s comfortable for both of you.

Reaching out and touching their arm or shoulder will also help the person you’re speaking with recognize that you’re interested in what they’re saying.

Nodding your head is another indication that you’re listening.

9. Repeat what you heard. This lets the speaker know that you’re really listening.

Also, when you say what you understood, it gives them a chance to clarify any miscommunication.

You can learn how to listen actively. It doesn’t take long and the results will be worth the effort.

You, your spouse, business partner, co-worker, or children will all benefit from learning and employing these simple active listening techniques.

How can active listening show that you value the person speaking to you?

How do you feel when someone listens to you?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Also, as your gift for taking this to heart – and this is profoundly important… to us ALL – go to UnitingPlanetEarth.com/ignition/ and do the Uniting Planet Earth 7-Day Quick-Start Ignition Program… and Allow it to Transform Your Life.

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 17, 2018February 15, 2018

Learning To Cope With Things Out of Our Control

At some point in your life, you’ve no doubt had to deal with a situation that was out of your control.

Whether it’s a car accident, financial difficulties, or other challenge, these events cause stress and frustration, which negatively impact your health and mental outlook on life.

Learning how to cope with events you can’t control will help keep you in a positive frame of mind and alleviate your stress.

Consider the Serenity Prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr:

“God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.”

The words of this prayer exemplify the solution to a problem that plagues all of us.

Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you can control only your own actions (and reactions), you can begin to find peace of mind.

What Can You Control?

Worrying about the people or events in your life that you can’t control can cause all kinds of stress-related health problems, such as angina, high blood pressure, and sleeping difficulties.

If you need to feel more in control of your life, focus on those things that you can physically change.

Who you decide to accept as your friends and spend your time with is something you can definitely control.

It may not be easy to meet new friends, but the opportunities are plentiful if you look for them.

Being around negative people can drag your attitude down, since you adopt the mood of people around you.

If you have people in your life who aren’t encouraging you to fulfill your potential, find other people to surround yourself with.

Having the support of people who believe in you will propel you toward reaching your lifelong goals.

Live One Day at a Time

When you intentionally consider each day a gift, your struggles don’t seem as dire.

While life does deal some bad hands, such as death, divorce, and financial challenges, how you cope during these hardships can make you stronger or break you.

When you purposely feel gratitude for the good moments within each day, you can genuinely start to accept your struggles as a path to a new beginning.

Coping with Financial Difficulties

One of the most stressful situations is coping with financial difficulties.

Loss of a job often means having to give up things you’ve worked hard to acquire.

If you’re having a difficult time accepting that you have to cut expenses and give up the comfortable things in life, even temporarily, it helps to remember that it could be worse.

Be grateful for having your home and your health because there are many people in the world who have neither.

Once you know you can be happy with less, you can focus again on achieving your goals.

By accepting that you can’t change some things, you’ll become more powerful in changing the things that you do have control over.

You’ll free yourself from the negative thoughts and emotions that can stifle you into sad complacence.

Use these tips to help you cope with things out of your control, and you’ll find peace, joy, and the passion to persevere through all challenges.

What do you do when you experience things that are out of your control?

How can you learn from them?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 16, 2018February 15, 2018

Learning the Value of Sacrifices: Why It’s Important to Make Sacrifices in Relationships

When you love someone and you have their best interest at heart, you may be willing to sacrifice some of what you want in order to give your loved one what they want.

It’s common for spouses to make sacrifices for one another and parents to sacrifice for their children.

It’s important to learn the value of sacrifices even though they may not be pleasant.

Many experts feel that the willingness to set aside one’s own desires for the benefit of another is a good thing.

It shows true love and commitment when you can put your partner’s needs ahead of your own desires.

Your Attitude Toward Sacrifices

Some women feel they’ve made too many sacrifices for their partners.

They may have given up their dream to hold a certain job or put off going to school.

At first the sacrifice may have been for the partner’s benefit, but then came children.

The sacrifices continued until the dream they once had merely faded away.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Was the woman the only one who made sacrifices for the relationship and the family?

Is she using her choices as excuses for not pursuing dreams when she could’ve still done so?

How you view sacrifice is what matters!

You can see the sacrifices you make as a choice for what really matters, rather than something that you have to give up.

If you’re committed to your relationship, it’s possible you won’t even see your willingness to give something up for your partner’s benefit as a sacrifice at all!

Make Good Choices in Your Sacrifices

You want to be sure, however, that you make sacrifices for good reasons and that your partner also sacrifices for you.

Marriages and partnerships are supposed to be for the benefit of both partners. Therefore, sacrifices must go both ways.

It’s important that you never feel like you’re forced to make a sacrifice. It must be something that you do willingly, with no regrets.

In addition, your sacrifices should never compromise your morals or personal values.

These types of sacrifices will most certainly leave you with regret and feelings of guilt.

Unfortunately, the partner who would ask you to compromise your values may not the best partner for you.

Values such as these should never be compromised for someone else:

1. Honesty. If you feel you’re being asked to sacrifice honesty to help a loved one out, explain why this is a sacrifice you cannot make.

2. Loyalty. Loyalty is part of who you are, deep on the inside, and giving that up would mean giving up a part of yourself.

Agreeing to do so would only sour the relationship further down the road.

3. Faithfulness. What do you do if you find out your partner has cheated?

If fidelity is a value you hold dear, it’s unlikely the relationship will survive.

It’s possible, however, to learn to forgive, but it may be more difficult to learn to trust again.

Any relationship you enter into is going to require some give and take by each partner.

Be willing to sacrifice, choose wisely in your sacrifices, and your relationship will thrive!

When was the last time you had to sacrifice something for your relationship?

How did it make your relationship stronger?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 13, 2018February 15, 2018

How to Handle Household Arguments Effectively

Inevitably, if there’s more than one person living in your house, at some point in time there will be arguments.

The trick is to learn how to handle household arguments effectively while maintaining loving relationships.

Amazingly, many people treat complete strangers better than they treat their own spouse or children.

As important as it is to treat others well, it’s more important to treat those you love even better.

How to Avoid Arguments

The best way to handle arguments at home is to avoid them in the first place.

How do you do this?

Avoid miscommunication.

Repeat what the other person is saying so there’s no doubt about their intended meaning.

Resolve not to fight over misunderstandings.

Here are some communication tips that can help your family avoid arguments:

1. Be gentle. Try to control the tone of your voice, the look on your face, and your body language when you’re talking with family members.

If you speak with a gentle tone, arguments are less likely to start.

2. Trust. Develop a solid relationship with your spouse and children by keeping lines of communication open, building trust between all family members, and giving each other the benefit of the doubt.

3. Respect privacy. Keep your disagreements strictly between the parties involved rather than discussing them in the open.

This also means that you must avoid arguing in front of your children.

How to Handle Arguments

If an argument does occur, here are some ideas to handle it effectively:

1. Time out! Stop the argument if it becomes a shouting match with one insult after another.

Ask for five minutes to think about what’s already been said.

This will give both parties a chance to calm down and regain their composure.

2. Be willing to accept that you may be wrong. During the course of the time out, did you realize you were in the wrong?

Listen to the other person’s side of the story before you assert your own innocence.

You may have said or done something unknowingly that hurt the other person.

3. Apologize. Be sure to express remorse over your part in the problem and try not to do it again. Ask the other person to forgive you.

4. Is someone hurting? Realize that the other person may be hurt in some way, but it may be expressed through anger, tears, or insults.

By arguing, they may actually be reaching out for help or support.

5. Hormones and illness. Consider how the other person’s gender may be playing a role in the argument.

Perhaps a woman’s monthly cycle is causing her to be overly emotional.

Maybe one person has been ill and is really striking out at others just because they feel bad.

6. Above all, love! Remember that no matter what the argument is about, you love the other person.

Your goal should be to come to a solution where both parties win.

7. Forgive. Once the situation has been resolved, forgive one another and forget about the whole thing.

Determine not to bring the situation up again. It’s over; let it go.

When Your Children Argue

There are many things you can do to promote harmony between your children and reduce their conflicts.

Try these ideas to keep the peace:

1. Avoid comparing your children. They’re individuals and should be treated that way.

Be sure to let your children know how special they are.

2. Establish rules and household responsibilities. This will let them know what’s expected of them.

Include rules about how they should treat one another. Let them know that hitting and name-calling are off limits in your home.

Decide as a family what the consequences will be if they break the rules.

3. Give each child your attention. Many disagreements between children are based upon trying to get their parent’s attention.

If you reinforce to each child that they’re special and that you love them, they’ll have less reason for arguing and more reason to dwell in the family’s love.

In the long run, each person in the family makes the decision to argue or not.

If you decide that you won’t be dragged into an argument, the argument will often end of its own accord.

These are not the only ways to effectively handle household arguments, but they may be enough to make the arguments less frequent so your family feels more secure, loved, and peaceful.

How often are there arguments in your home?

How do you deal with it?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

October 7, 2018February 1, 2018

How to Give Constructive Criticism

Have you ever been on the receiving end of criticism and felt that you just had the wind knocked out of you?

While most criticism is intended as helpful advice, many people have poor communication skills and the message gets lost in the delivery.

If you’re responsible for supervising any group of people, whether small children, a sports team, or employees, it’s inevitable that you’ll need to deliver criticism.

When that time comes, keep in mind that positive criticism gets much better results than negative criticism.

Here are some ways you can constructively criticize behavior to promote positive changes:

1. Sandwich it. One of the best ways to deliver criticism is through a technique called the hamburger method.

Keeping this process in mind will help you stay positive when correcting someone.

Start with something positive (the bun), discuss the problem (the burger), and then finish with another complement (the bun).

When discussing the situation, refrain from attacking the individual. Focus on the behavior or the situation, not the person.

2. Be direct. When you’re approaching someone with a complaint or criticism, deal directly with the problem.

This is no time for subtle hints.

Come right out and say what you need, and then offer a workable solution.

You can avert problems before they start by making sure your directions leave no room for misunderstanding.

When you need to correct someone, ask him or her to explain their perspective of how to handle their task.

A difference in expectations could be causing the problem.

If so, state clearly what you want so they have an opportunity to change the problem.

3. Move on quickly. Once you’ve established what you want, let this issue rest and give the other person time to process and implement changes.

Over time, sometimes continued prompts may be needed, but most people will be able to implement change as long as they don’t feel threatened.

The ideal situation is where the person listens to your feedback, understands the desired outcome, and then finds a way to achieve that outcome.

You can encourage this behavior with explicit expectations.

4. Avoid public humiliation.

Unless you’re addressing an entire group who can all learn the same lessons from your criticism, speak to individual employees privately.

Showing respect by not embarrassing them in front of their co-workers will lessen any adverse reactions and can lead to a more effective conversation about the issues.

If your workplace is made up of cubicles, borrow someone’s office or a conference room to converse privately.

Avoid starting office gossip by having a private conversation in the midst of open cubicles and curious ears.

5. Be specific. Relay exactly what the problem is and determine a solution. Vague criticism can be just as harmful as harsh criticism.

For your best results, when giving details, strive to strike a balance between being overly critical and being indistinct.

Rather than saying, “We need to see improvement from you,” try, “Our sales numbers are down for this quarter.

I need you to schedule more sales meetings for the next month.”

When delivering criticism, always consider the other person’s point of view before making your comments.

Constructive criticism can be helpful and even appreciated if done effectively.

Use these techniques to deliver your criticism and you’ll foster a positive environment where everyone can thrive.

How can you help others become better by providing criticism?

How can this help make you better as well?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

August 11, 2018January 15, 2018

Top 10 Self-Confidence Building Tips

A lack of confidence can affect every area of your life, from your job performance to your personal relationships.

In reality, how you perceive yourself has a powerful impact on how others treat you.

Some factors in bolstering self-confidence may be beyond your control, but there are some very tangible things that you can do as well.

Using these tips will help you reach your full potential as a successful and confident person.

1. Dress confidently. Dress like the person you want to be and you’ll feel yourself become that person.

When you look good, you’ll feel good. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to go out and spend a fortune on clothes.

It’s better to buy a few really nice pieces than a bunch of cheap ones.

2. Walk faster. People who walk confidently keep a brisk pace because they have things to do and places to be.

Simply quickening your step will help you feel more confident.

3. Keep good posture. People can tell a lot about you by the way you carry yourself.

If you have slumped shoulders and cannot look people in the eye, you’ll leave a negative impression on them.

Keep your head up, make eye contact with others, and stand up straight and tall. You have nothing to hide.

4. Be grateful. Gratitude creates a state of peace in the body. A peaceful mind radiates confidence.

Make a list of the things you appreciate about yourself and be grateful for your past successes.

Tell those you love how much you appreciate them being in your life.

5. Compliment others. In addition to showing appreciation for what you have, it’s also important to show others your appreciation.

If you think negatively about yourself, then you’ll have a tendency to criticize others.

Break this habit by praising others on a daily basis. Seeing the best in others will bring out the best in you.

6. Give back. Contributing to the success of others will not only help you feel better about yourself, but karma will reward you in the end.

What goes around comes around, right?

Volunteer your time to help those in need or make a monetary contribution to your favorite local charity.

7. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Many people keep quiet for fear of saying something silly.

Taking an active role in discussions will distinguish you as a leader amongst your peers.

They will quickly recognize that you have confidence and plenty to offer.

8. Exercise regularly. If you work hard to create a better physical image, you’ll not only be healthier, but you’ll also have more energy.

Both of these things will contribute to your self-confidence, as will the compliments you’ll receive.

9. Sit in the front row. Most of us have a tendency to try to blend into the back of the room somewhere.

We don’t like being noticed. Confident people sit up front where they can take part in discussions without fear.

10. Take a chance and try something new. Learning a new hobby or activity will broaden your horizons and help you feel “alive.”

Anytime you spend stretching your mind improves your overall self-confidence.

Life’s Lessons

The more self-confidence you build in yourself, the more likely you’ll be to succeed.

No matter what task you choose to conquer, you’ll do so with enthusiasm.

Any setbacks you encounter won’t bother you because you’ll have the confidence necessary to continue.

Those who are insecure often find life to be a struggle, but with self-confidence, you can find it to be a joy. Why suffer when you can soar!

Why must you push yourself to persevere?

How can you fill your mind with powerful thoughts today?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

August 10, 2018January 15, 2018

Tips to Make Group Collaborations Run Efficiently

Whether you’re the person in charge of the group or simply one of the key people that help make the wheel turn, you’re in a position that’s critical to making everything work smoothly in a team.

When it comes to teamwork, there are times when things can easily get out of control.

Dealing with other people can sometimes make you feel frustrated no matter what the setting.

There are things you can do to make working in a group more enjoyable.

Let’s discuss a few collaboration techniques to make the process a more level playing field for everyone involved.

Defining Every Member’s Role in the Group

There must be clear definitions of responsibility for every member of the group. This is important no matter how big or small the group is.

Even if there are only two people involved, it will help alleviate problems such as duplicate work or missing pieces.

A group won’t function unless everyone involved knows what their job is and is allowed to carry it out.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Always clarify your exact responsibilities for the project.
Consider the other tasks being performed and how they relate to your specific duty.
Think about the skills necessary to complete the project and who is best suited to perform those steps.
Make sure everyone involved understands the project and all the steps needed to complete it.
Leave the floor open for questions and solutions should they arise throughout the project.

Dividing Up the Work

No one appreciates having all the work of their teammates dumped on them so consider how much time each step of the project takes and divide the work accordingly.

Always ask yourself:

How many hours do you think a specific task will take?
How will the added tasks fit into each person’s schedule?
What else are they responsible for? Do they have too much on their plate?

If you’re a team leader, remember that people won’t necessarily do things exactly as you would have done it, and that’s okay!

Just because they do things differently doesn’t make their way wrong.

Resist the Urge to Micromanage Your Team

The people you’re overseeing were put on your team for a reason. If you’re dealing with people you trust, simply trust them to do their job.

While asking for an update is fine, constantly being after them about meeting their deadline is one way to drive them crazy or stage a revolt!

Micromanaging is extremely alienating to members of a team.

Unless you can make your team feel comfortable with their assigned jobs, you’ll end up with some really unhappy team members.

Settling Conflict

When you’re working on a team, conflict is something you’ll have to deal with at some point or another along the way.

In some ways, developing a teacher’s outlook is important.

For example, unless the members with the conflict are going to bring it to you in a formal manner, it’s often best not to get involved.

However, if you see active cruelty or malice going on, make sure you put a stop to it quickly.

While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with heated discussions, make sure the entire team understands that hostility or disrespect simply won’t be tolerated.

The above tips are four key areas that should be dealt with as soon as possible once the group is formed.

Working with a team can be very rewarding when the strengths of its members are used in harmony.

How can doing things as a team help make the workload lighter?

How can help from others cause efficiency in your work?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

August 9, 2018January 15, 2018

Tips for Using “The Secret” In Your Life

By now you must’ve heard of The Secret, a book by Rhonda Bryne that talks about the Law of Attraction and how to use The Secret in your life.

But have you read the book or seen the movie and tried to incorporate the tips into your life but failed?

If so, it’s okay! You’re not alone.

That frustration stems from the fact that The Secret really only skims the surface on what you need to do in order to change your life.

To help you have the success you’re after, we’ve compiled a few tips to help you achieve your deepest desires!

How to Use The Secret In Your Daily Life

The basic premise of The Secret is that you attract the things you constantly think about.

To help make sure you stay on track with manifesting your desires, make a list.

You may think you know what you want, but those thoughts are often vague or not put in the right perspective.

Get specific. Instead of writing that you want to be out of debt, you need to visualize that you have all the money you could ever need and desire.

Think of your credit card statements with a zero balance. Think about what you will do with the money.

Make your list of wants very precise all the way down to the smallest detail.

Use visual reminders to help keep you focused. If you want a new car, then find a picture of the exact car you want.

You can even go to a dealership with a friend and take your dream car for a test drive and have your friend take your picture in the car.

Print the picture out and post it where you’ll see it each and everyday. You can do this with anything you want.

To attract more money, write yourself a check in the exact amount you want and post it everywhere you can see it.

The mind works well with visual reminders and clues.

Create a personal mantra or motto that you can use as a screensaver or wallpaper on your computer.

Record the message on your voicemail.

Write it out on small slips of paper and post those papers everywhere so every time you start to slip into negative thinking, you have a positive reminder to help you re-focus.

Reprogram Your Mind

To make sure you’re taking complete advantage of what The Secret teaches, you have to reprogram the way you think and this takes time.

Making sure you have gentle reminders that help reprogram your mind will be greatly beneficial.

It’s easy to slip into the old way of thinking, worrying about money, or stressing over negative things.

But you can disallow yourself to get into that negative spiral by staying focused on the positive.

Being Grateful For The Abundance Already In Your Life

You also need to be grateful for the things you have in your life right now. No, you may not have everything you want, but you have everything you need to succeed.

Be thankful for each day you wake up, for the fact that you’re able to breathe and move on your own.

Be thankful that you have a job, a roof over your head, and clothes on your back.

Be gracious because you have someone who loves you.

The only way to get more of a good thing is to appreciate the good you have.

Create a gratitude book.

Write in it whenever you have time and keep it handy so any time you feel down, you can take it out and remind yourself of all the good you have.

Follow these tips and you’ll see the magic of The Secret at work in your life.

How can you prevent discouragement?

What are you hopeful about today?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

July 19, 2018January 8, 2018

Tips for Finding Your Strengths and Developing Your Expertise

Some people may find this hard to believe, but every single person in this world is good at something. Yes, everyone!

Your strength could be your artistic hand or eloquence in speech.

The key is to figure out your strengths and become an expert at them.

How to Discover Your Strengths

You can do your own assessment of what you think you’re good at and what you’re most comfortable doing. Here are a couple of ideas:

Make a list. Think about all the responsibilities of your job and everything that’s expected of you.

Now go through that list and put a star next to everything you excel at or enjoy doing. Don’t be modest; be honest with yourself!

Study your list and meditate on your choices. Really focus your mind on the direction you want your career to take and which skills you need to sharpen to achieve your goals.

Focus your attention on the skills that will immediately benefit you.

Discovering Your Strengths In Conversation

The second way to discover your personal strengths is to talk to others.

You may tend to believe you know what you’re good at, but when you talk to someone who sees you with fresh, unbiased eyes, you’ll get a completely different perspective.

Don’t be afraid to approach your boss and ask him or her about your strengths.

Be proactive! Take control of your career and take the necessary steps to improve your leadership skills and develop your expertise.

Take additional training and development courses. Does your job or company offer any kind of continuing education programs?

Are there training classes that sound interesting and pique your interest?

Follow those instincts and register for the class to build upon the knowledge you already have.

Of course, you can ask your loved ones to characterize your strengths and weaknesses.

They know you better than anyone else, so they’re more likely to be able to read between the lines and help you discover new things about yourself.

Chances are your friends and family won’t want to hurt your feelings by saying you’re no good at something, so instead, ask them to help you pick out your strengths.

Or ask an open-ended question such as, “What jobs or skills do you think I have a talent for?”

Make sure you understand your family’s biases before making any big decisions.

Just because your Uncle Bob owned his own company, it doesn’t mean that’s the road you should take.

How to Develop Your Expertise

Now that you’ve found your strengths, it’s time for you to bolster your expertise and become a true authority.

This means you have to seek out opportunities to work on these skills.

For example, if speaking is your strength, consider taking a public speaking class at a local university to improve that skill.

Take every opportunity to speak in front of groups, whether it’s a fundraiser, company meeting, giving a toast at a special event, or speaking to your child’s class.

Remember: no one becomes an expert without practice.

That old adage “Practice makes perfect,” is true.

You have to seek out the opportunities and take advantage of them.

The goal is to find ways to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to sharpen your skills.

How do you feel about the skills you have now?

How have you developed the skills you already have?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

July 18, 2018January 8, 2018

Top 10 Self-Confidence Building Tips

A lack of confidence can affect every area of your life, from your job performance to your personal relationships.

In reality, how you perceive yourself has a powerful impact on how others treat you.

Some factors in bolstering self-confidence may be beyond your control, but there are some very tangible things that you can do as well.

Using these tips will help you reach your full potential as a successful and confident person.

1. Dress confidently. Dress like the person you want to be and you’ll feel yourself become that person.

When you look good, you’ll feel good.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to go out and spend a fortune on clothes.