Wednesday, April 25, 2012
OMISSION OF ARTICLES
Cases where articles should not be used
With uncountable nouns
Articles are not used with uncountable nouns when we make general statements.
I love coffee. (NOT... a coffee OR the coffee)
Milk is rich in nutrients. (NOT The milk OR a milk)
We can't do without water. (NOT The water OR a water)
She likes reading books. (NOT...the reading books OR a reading books)
With the names of countries
We do not use articles with the names of countries.
Japan is a developed nation. (NOT The Japan)
I have been to England. (NOT...to the England) Cases where articles should not be used
With uncountable nouns
Articles are not used with uncountable nouns when we make general statements.
I love coffee. (NOT... a coffee OR the coffee)
Milk is rich in nutrients. (NOT The milk OR a milk)
We can't do without water. (NOT The water OR a water)
She likes reading books. (NOT...the reading books OR a reading books)
With the names of countries
We do not use articles with the names of countries.
Japan is a developed nation. (NOT The Japan)
I have been to England. (NOT...to the England)
India is a secular republic. (NOT The India)
He has just returned from South Africa. (NOT …the South Africa)
But we use 'the' if the name of the country or organization specifically states that it is a collection of states. (For example, The United States, The United Arab Emirates, The United Nations etc.)
He is leaving for the United States tomorrow.
The United Nations is an international organization of countries created to promote world peace and cooperation.
With the names of languages
We do not use articles with the names of languages.
Hindi is the national language of India.
It is not easy to learn French.
English is spoken in many parts of the world.
With the names of meals
We do not use articles with the names of meals.
We have lunch at midday. (NOT...the lunch)
We have dinner in the evening. (NOT...the dinner)
Breakfast is the first meal of the day. (NOT...the breakfast)
With proper nouns
We do not use articles with proper nouns (the names of people, places etc.)
Alice is an architect. (NOT The Alice or a Alice)
Mary is my friend. (NOT The Mary)
Delhi is the capital of India.
But we use 'the' with plural names.
We are having dinner with the Smiths.
The Sharmas are very kind.
With titles and names
We do not use articles with titles and names.
Princess Diana was killed in a car accident.
President Kennedy was assassinated.
But we say, the queen of England, the President of USA
With years
We do not use articles before years.
India won freedom in 1947. (NOT...in the 1947)
I was born in 1979.
With possessives and demonstratives
We do not use articles before possessives (my, your, their etc.) and demonstratives (this, that, these, those).
This is my book. (NOT This is a my book.)
I like this car. (NOT I like the this car.)
With days
Articles are not used to talk about the coming or last day/month.
See you on Friday. (=Coming Friday)
We are leaving for the US next week. (NOT …the next week.)
But we use articles with the names of days of the week and months if we are talking about particular days or months.
We met on a rainy Friday.
It was a wet Monday in May.
She died on the Thursday after the accident.
The articles are not used:
1. Before proper, material and abstract nouns used in a general sense:
London, France, Tom, gold, rice, honesty, virtue
Paris is the capital of France. (NOT The Paris is …)
Gold is a precious metal. (NOT The gold is a …)
Honesty is the best policy.
But we say, the United States, the United Arab Emirates etc.
2. Before a common noun used in its commonest sense:
Man is mortal.
Iron is a useful metal.
3. In certain phrases made up of a preposition + noun:
Examples are: on foot, at school, from top to bottom, at home, in bed, by train, by car, in debt, in hand, on earth, at noon, on board, in jest, at best, at worst etc.
He is in debt. (NOT He is in the debt.)
He is at school. (NOT He is at the school.)
He spent the whole day in bed.
4. In certain phrases consisting of a transitive verb and its object:
Give ear, set sail, take heart, send word, catch fire, take offence, leave office, leave home, leave office etc.
He took offence at my words. (BUT NOT He took the offence at my words.)
She left home in the morning. (BUT NOT She left the home in the morning.)
5. Before the names of continents, countries, capes, cities, towns, days, months, arts, languages, sciences, some diseases etc.
January, March, physics, English, Tokyo, Beijing, Delhi, Tuesday, Friday, Asia, America etc.
December is a cold month.
English is spoken all over the world.
6. Before common nouns when they go in pairs:
Both husband and wife received serious injuries.
7. Before plural nouns used to denote a class:
Apples are red.
Camels are useful animals.
Warm clothes are necessary in cold climates.
8. Before the nouns following kind of:
What kind of flower is it? (NOT What kind of a flower is it?)
9. Before meal-time
He was at dinner.
Breakfast was served at night. (BUT NOT The breakfast was served at night.)
Some special points
Compare the pairs of sentences given below:
I have a black and white cow. (Only one cow)
I have a black and a white cow. (Two cows)
The secretary and accountant is present. (Here the nouns secretary and accountant refer to the same person.)
The secretary and the accountant were present. (Here the repetition of the articles implies that the secretary and the accountant are different persons.)
Articles are not used:
1. before the name of a person:
Example: I am a fan of Michael Jackson. (NOT: I am a fan of the Michael Jackson)
2. before the name of a place, town, country, street, or road.
Example: Barcelona is a beautiful city. (NOT: The Barcelona is a beautiful city.)
3. before names of materials.
Example: Gold is found in Australia. (NOT: The gold is found in Australia.)
4. before abstract nouns used in a general sense.
Example: You cannot buy happiness.
4. Difference in Meaning with Use of Articles
It helps to observe the following rules:
When we use two or more adjectives to describe the same person or thing, we use the article only before the first adjective.
EXAMPLE: He talked to a tall and blonde woman. (He talked to a (one) woman who was tall and blonde.)
When we use two or more adjectives to refer to more than one person or thing, we use the article before each adjective
India is a secular republic. (NOT The India)
He has just returned from South Africa. (NOT …the South Africa)
But we use 'the' if the name of the country or organization specifically states that it is a collection of states. (For example, The United States, The United Arab Emirates, The United Nations etc.)
He is leaving for the United States tomorrow.
The United Nations is an international organization of countries created to promote world peace and cooperation.
With the names of languages
We do not use articles with the names of languages.
Hindi is the national language of India.
It is not easy to learn French.
English is spoken in many parts of the world.
With the names of meals
We do not use articles with the names of meals.
We have lunch at midday. (NOT...the lunch)
We have dinner in the evening. (NOT...the dinner)
Breakfast is the first meal of the day. (NOT...the breakfast)
With proper nouns
We do not use articles with proper nouns (the names of people, places etc.)
Alice is an architect. (NOT The Alice or a Alice)
Mary is my friend. (NOT The Mary)
Delhi is the capital of India.
But we use 'the' with plural names.
We are having dinner with the Smiths.
The Sharmas are very kind.
With titles and names
We do not use articles with titles and names.
Princess Diana was killed in a car accident.
President Kennedy was assassinated.
But we say, the queen of England, the President of USA
With years
We do not use articles before years.
India won freedom in 1947. (NOT...in the 1947)
I was born in 1979.
With possessives and demonstratives
We do not use articles before possessives (my, your, their etc.) and demonstratives (this, that, these, those).
This is my book. (NOT This is a my book.)
I like this car. (NOT I like the this car.)
With days
Articles are not used to talk about the coming or last day/month.
See you on Friday. (=Coming Friday)
We are leaving for the US next week. (NOT …the next week.)
But we use articles with the names of days of the week and months if we are talking about particular days or months.
We met on a rainy Friday.
It was a wet Monday in May.
She died on the Thursday after the accident.
The articles are not used:
1. Before proper, material and abstract nouns used in a general sense:
London, France, Tom, gold, rice, honesty, virtue
Paris is the capital of France. (NOT The Paris is …)
Gold is a precious metal. (NOT The gold is a …)
Honesty is the best policy.
But we say, the United States, the United Arab Emirates etc.
2. Before a common noun used in its commonest sense:
Man is mortal.
Iron is a useful metal.
3. In certain phrases made up of a preposition + noun:
Examples are: on foot, at school, from top to bottom, at home, in bed, by train, by car, in debt, in hand, on earth, at noon, on board, in jest, at best, at worst etc.
He is in debt. (NOT He is in the debt.)
He is at school. (NOT He is at the school.)
He spent the whole day in bed.
4. In certain phrases consisting of a transitive verb and its object:
Give ear, set sail, take heart, send word, catch fire, take offence, leave office, leave home, leave office etc.
He took offence at my words. (BUT NOT He took the offence at my words.)
She left home in the morning. (BUT NOT She left the home in the morning.)
5. Before the names of continents, countries, capes, cities, towns, days, months, arts, languages, sciences, some diseases etc.
January, March, physics, English, Tokyo, Beijing, Delhi, Tuesday, Friday, Asia, America etc.
December is a cold month.
English is spoken all over the world.
6. Before common nouns when they go in pairs:
Both husband and wife received serious injuries.
7. Before plural nouns used to denote a class:
Apples are red.
Camels are useful animals.
Warm clothes are necessary in cold climates.
8. Before the nouns following kind of:
What kind of flower is it? (NOT What kind of a flower is it?)
9. Before meal-time
He was at dinner.
Breakfast was served at night. (BUT NOT The breakfast was served at night.)
Some special points
Compare the pairs of sentences given below:
I have a black and white cow. (Only one cow)
I have a black and a white cow. (Two cows)
The secretary and accountant is present. (Here the nouns secretary and accountant refer to the same person.)
The secretary and the accountant were present. (Here the repetition of the articles implies that the secretary and the accountant are different persons.)
Articles are not used:
1. before the name of a person:
Example: I am a fan of Michael Jackson. (NOT: I am a fan of the Michael Jackson)
2. before the name of a place, town, country, street, or road.
Example: Barcelona is a beautiful city. (NOT: The Barcelona is a beautiful city.)
3. before names of materials.
Example: Gold is found in Australia. (NOT: The gold is found in Australia.)
4. before abstract nouns used in a general sense.
Example: You cannot buy happiness.
4. Difference in Meaning with Use of Articles
It helps to observe the following rules:
When we use two or more adjectives to describe the same person or thing, we use the article only before the first adjective.
EXAMPLE: He talked to a tall and blonde woman. (He talked to a (one) woman who was tall and blonde.)
When we use two or more adjectives to refer to more than one person or thing, we use the article before each adjective.
USES OF ARTICLES
USES OF ARTICLES
In English, knowing when to use 'a' or 'the' can be difficult. Fortunately, there are rules to help you, but you need to know what type of noun you are using.
Grammar rule 1
When you have a single, countable English noun, you must always have an article before it. We cannot say "please pass me pen", we must say "please pass me the pen" or "please pass me a pen" or "please pass me your pen".
Nouns in English can also be uncountable. Uncountable nouns can be concepts, such as 'life', 'happiness' and so on, or materials and substances, such as 'coffee', or 'wood'.
Grammar rule 2
Uncountable nouns don't use 'a' or 'an'. This is because you can't count them. For example, advice is an uncountable noun. You can't say "he gave me an advice", but you can say "he gave me some advice", or "he gave me a piece of advice".
Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable. For example, we say "coffee" meaning the product, but we say "a coffee" when asking for one cup of coffee.
Grammar rule 3
You can use 'the' to make general things specific. You can use 'the' with any type of noun – plural or singular, countable or uncountable.
"Please pass me a pen" – any pen.
"Please pass me the pen" – the one that we can both see.
"Children grow up quickly" – children in general.
"The children I know grow up quickly" – not all children, just the ones I know.
"Poetry can be beautiful"- poetry in general.
"The poetry of Hopkins is beautiful" – I'm only talking about the poetry Hopkins wrote.
More uses of articles in English
Rivers, mountain ranges, seas, oceans and geographic areas all use 'the'.
For example, "The Thames", "The Alps", "The Atlantic Ocean", "The Middle East".
Unique things have 'the'.
For example, "the sun", "the moon".
Some institutional buildings don't have an article if you visit them for the reason these buildings exist. But if you go to the building for another reason, you must use 'the'.
"Her husband is in prison." (He's a prisoner.)
"She goes to the prison to see him once a month."
"My son is in school." (He's a student.)
"I'm going to the school to see the head master."
"She's in hospital at the moment." (She's ill.)
"Her husband goes to the hospital to see her every afternoon."
Musical instruments use 'the'.
"She plays the piano."
Sports don't have an article.
"He plays football."
Illnesses don't have an article.
"He's got appendicitis."
But we say "a cold" and "a headache".
Jobs use 'a'.
"I'm a teacher."
Countries
We don't use 'a' if the country is singular. "He lives in England." But if the country's name has a "plural" meaning, we use 'the'. "The People's Republic of China", "The Netherlands", "The United States of America".
Continents, towns and streets don't have an article.
"Africa", "New York", "Church Street".
Theatres, cinemas and hotels have 'the'.
"The Odeon", "The Almeira", "The Hilton".
Abbreviations use 'the'.
"the UN", "the USA", "the IMF".
We use 'the' before classes of people.
"the rich", "the poor", "the British".
ARTICLES
ARTICLES
Here are the rules for when to use "A, An or The":
a = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of a number of the same objects) with consonants
She has a dog.
I work in a factory.
an = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of a number of the same objects) with vowels (a,e,i,o,u)
Can I have an apple?
She is an English teacher.
the = definite article (a specific object that both the person speaking and the listener know)
The car over there is fast.
The teacher is very good, isn't he?
The first time you speak of something use "a or an", the next time you repeat that object use "the".
I live in a house. The house is quite old and has four bedrooms.
I ate in a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant was very good.
DO NOT use an article with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes and mountains except when the country is a collection of states such as "The United States".
He lives in Washington near Mount Rainier.
They live in northern British Columbia.
Use an article with bodies of water, oceans and seas -
My country borders on the Pacific Ocean
DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about things in general
I like Russian tea.
She likes reading books.
DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about meals, places, and transport
He has breakfast at home.
I go to university.
He comes to work by taxi.
Problem-solving Skill
Problem-solving Skill
Problem-solving skill is beginning to be considered as a strategic tool nowadays.
Industries are spending a lot of time and money to promote the managerial skills,
technical skills and interpersonal skills of their employees. Problem-solving is one of the Problem-solving requires a range of critical thinking skills from identification,description and analysis to synthesis and evaluation. It also requires understanding of the theoretical principles and governing frameworks behind classification of the problem and application of the solution method. The students need to understand and be able to explain what it is that you are doing as you proceed to solve the problems. The common stages of problem solving are:
• Identification
• Classification
• Transformation
• Substitution and
• Comparison
Problem-solving exam questions are favoured in a range of disciplines from physics,
engineering and mathematics to architecture, law and linguistics (Exam. Wing,
University of Melbourne). In problem-solving questions the students may be asked to
propose and justify a course of action to address a specified situation, or to develop a reasoned explanation based on data analysis.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Inspirational Stories of Failure Turned Into Fame
Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.
Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967. He went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer interested in his 11 herbs and spices. Seven years later, at the age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-lickin' $15 million!
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.
Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, gave up a medical career and was told by his father, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat catching.” In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, “I was considered by my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was expelled and refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern turned down his Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.
The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th-Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history.
Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15 out of 22 in chemistry.
When NFL running back Herschel Walker was in junior high school, he wanted to play football, but the coach told him he was too small. He advised young Herschel to go out for track instead. Never one to give up, he ignored the coach's advice and began an intensive training program to build himself up. Only a few years later, Herschel Walker won the Heisman trophy.
When General Douglas MacArthur applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said, “Can’t act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!” Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
The father of the sculptor Rodin [The Thinker Statue] said, “I have an idiot for a son.” Described as the worst pupil in the school, Rodin failed three times to secure admittance to the school of art. His uncle called him uneducable.
Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts.
Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.
Margaret Mitchell's classic Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers.
Richard Hooker worked for seven years on his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, only to have it rejected by 21 publishers before Morrow decided to publish it. It became a runaway bestseller, spawning a blockbusting movie and highly successful television series.
When the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book was completed, it was turned down by thirty-three publishers in New York and another ninety at the American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim, California, before Health Communications, Inc., finally agreed to publish it. The major New York publishers said, "It is too nicey-nice" and "Nobody wants to read a book of short little stories." Since that time more than 8 million copies of the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book have been sold. The series, which has grown to thirty-two titles, in thirty-one languages, has sold more than 53 million copies.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere… son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.” Elvis Presley went on to become the most popular singer in America.
Dr. Seuss' first children's book, And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected by twenty-seven publishers. The twenty-eighth publisher, Vanguard press, sold six million copies of the book.
Never give up believing in yourself!!!
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.
Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967. He went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer interested in his 11 herbs and spices. Seven years later, at the age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-lickin' $15 million!
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.
Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, gave up a medical career and was told by his father, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat catching.” In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, “I was considered by my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was expelled and refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern turned down his Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.
The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th-Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history.
Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15 out of 22 in chemistry.
When NFL running back Herschel Walker was in junior high school, he wanted to play football, but the coach told him he was too small. He advised young Herschel to go out for track instead. Never one to give up, he ignored the coach's advice and began an intensive training program to build himself up. Only a few years later, Herschel Walker won the Heisman trophy.
When General Douglas MacArthur applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said, “Can’t act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!” Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
The father of the sculptor Rodin [The Thinker Statue] said, “I have an idiot for a son.” Described as the worst pupil in the school, Rodin failed three times to secure admittance to the school of art. His uncle called him uneducable.
Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts.
Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.
Margaret Mitchell's classic Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers.
Richard Hooker worked for seven years on his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, only to have it rejected by 21 publishers before Morrow decided to publish it. It became a runaway bestseller, spawning a blockbusting movie and highly successful television series.
When the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book was completed, it was turned down by thirty-three publishers in New York and another ninety at the American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim, California, before Health Communications, Inc., finally agreed to publish it. The major New York publishers said, "It is too nicey-nice" and "Nobody wants to read a book of short little stories." Since that time more than 8 million copies of the original Chicken Soup for the Soul book have been sold. The series, which has grown to thirty-two titles, in thirty-one languages, has sold more than 53 million copies.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere… son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.” Elvis Presley went on to become the most popular singer in America.
Dr. Seuss' first children's book, And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, was rejected by twenty-seven publishers. The twenty-eighth publisher, Vanguard press, sold six million copies of the book.
Never give up believing in yourself!!!
the sign of success, Thumbs up!
1st Strategy to Turn Failure Into Success: Learn from it. Failure Is A Great Way To Learn.
In fact, if you're wise, you will learn from your failures, and figure out the things you *missed* the last time... the next time you won't make those mistakes, you will learn from the best, you will model your sculpture of your success...carving away what needs to be removed... shaping...honing it until what remains is the sculpture you most want to convey.
In fact, if you're wise, you will learn from your failures, and figure out the things you *missed* the last time... the next time you won't make those mistakes, you will learn from the best, you will model your sculpture of your success...carving away what needs to be removed... shaping...honing it until what remains is the sculpture you most want to convey.
7 Steps To Turn ‘Failure’ Into Success
7 Steps To Turn ‘Failure’ Into Success
Written by Adam Appleson - 18 Comments
Categories: self improvement, success
"Glitch" courtesy of Luiza O.S @Flickr
Chances are you've got success on the brain if you're reading this article. You've set your goals, you're on your way to achieving your dreams. But they're not coming as fast as you would like. You're ready for it to all come true right now. You set a deadline to reach your goal, but it just didn't happen in that timeframe. And now you feel a little deflated. Maybe you've even allowed a little doubt to creep in, as you're not sure when (or if) it will ever happen.
You know what a missed deadline tells you?
It's just a feedback mechanism to tell you that your plans and execution of them weren't correct for the timeline you set. You're not a failure. You've just produced a result. It may not be the result you wanted, but don't fret, because sometimes our greatest lessons come from when we get what we didn't want. Maybe the deadline was too tight. Maybe your plans weren't sound.
You're not the only one to not reach a goal or hit a bump in the road.
Michael Jordan didn't make his high school basketball team. Famous author J.K. Rowling was living on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book, the start of a series that went on to make her spectacularly rich.
So what do the champions do during the process of making their dreams come true?
Grin and bear it. You probably didn't want to hear this. You want to hear me say "you can have it all right now." Sorry, good self help isn't like a fast food restaurant slogan. Sometimes there will be times when your energy levels are off or something else happens in your life forcing you to put your dreams on hold for a just a bit. It's for those challenging times that you have to do your best and tackle all the challenges in front of you. Yes, you'll have failures along the way but when Michael Jordan he bore the rejection by practicing even more.
Take a time-out. You're saying, "what do you mean relax? How can I relax when I've done everything I can and my dreams still aren't coming true." Remember, throughout history, the great men and women who changed our world have found their greatest ideas when they were away from their usual routines. For instance, when he was a teenager, Albert Einstein spent some time in Italy with his parents enjoying the beauty of Italy's Apennine mountains. It was during this time he contemplated what would happen if a ray of light became imprisoned. This idea was to be the foundation of his life's work. So relax. You never when the idea you need to bridge the gap between your current reality and your dreams will be found. But sometimes you need to give yourself the space to find it.
Assess whether your current plans are realistic. If you've got 4 kids, a full-time job, and a mortgage, it may be hard to start your own business on the side and have it succeed within a month. Maybe your dreams aren't coming true by the deadlines you set because your deadlines were unrealistic to begin with. So make new plans and get underway!
Get support. If you're starting your own business, is there someone you know who's been down this road who can give you some advice? Or, if you're trying to fix your life in some way – overcoming an addiction, healing from a painful past, or getting over an ex-lover – maybe you should consider getting a therapist. Often times, having a sounding board and a supportive ear can make us feel better and even more motivated to recommit to achieving our goals.
Play a game called "15 Ways…" This is a little game I like to play whenever I get stuck on how to break through barriers in achieving goals. Grab a sheet of paper and brainstorm 15 ways you can overcome whatever obstacle is standing in between you and your goals. For instance, if you feel it's a lack of time, then brainstorm 15 ways you can create more time in your life. I like using the number fifteen because I find the first five are usually pretty obvious, but the next 10 are usually a bit harder to come up with. These are where the novel solutions you didn't think about usually reveal themselves.
Pick a hero. Who in your mind is a noteworthy person you would like to emulate in life? Are they extremely motivated? Did they overcome tremendous odds to get where they are today? Tack a picture of them on your wall. Everytime you feel like it's too hard or you just can't do it, learn to ask yourself what your hero would do. Now go do it.
Go out and execute every day. If you're done with your time out, then commit to doing one thing for your dreams everyday, no matter how small it is. Taking action keeps you motivated and gives you momentum in achieving your goals. Well-worn clichés like "genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" still hold water today.
A missed deadline is just a chance for growth. And it makes for a great story about how you overcame obstacles along the way. Every success story has them. So why shouldn't you?
Written by Adam Appleson - 18 Comments
Categories: self improvement, success
"Glitch" courtesy of Luiza O.S @Flickr
Chances are you've got success on the brain if you're reading this article. You've set your goals, you're on your way to achieving your dreams. But they're not coming as fast as you would like. You're ready for it to all come true right now. You set a deadline to reach your goal, but it just didn't happen in that timeframe. And now you feel a little deflated. Maybe you've even allowed a little doubt to creep in, as you're not sure when (or if) it will ever happen.
You know what a missed deadline tells you?
It's just a feedback mechanism to tell you that your plans and execution of them weren't correct for the timeline you set. You're not a failure. You've just produced a result. It may not be the result you wanted, but don't fret, because sometimes our greatest lessons come from when we get what we didn't want. Maybe the deadline was too tight. Maybe your plans weren't sound.
You're not the only one to not reach a goal or hit a bump in the road.
Michael Jordan didn't make his high school basketball team. Famous author J.K. Rowling was living on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book, the start of a series that went on to make her spectacularly rich.
So what do the champions do during the process of making their dreams come true?
Grin and bear it. You probably didn't want to hear this. You want to hear me say "you can have it all right now." Sorry, good self help isn't like a fast food restaurant slogan. Sometimes there will be times when your energy levels are off or something else happens in your life forcing you to put your dreams on hold for a just a bit. It's for those challenging times that you have to do your best and tackle all the challenges in front of you. Yes, you'll have failures along the way but when Michael Jordan he bore the rejection by practicing even more.
Take a time-out. You're saying, "what do you mean relax? How can I relax when I've done everything I can and my dreams still aren't coming true." Remember, throughout history, the great men and women who changed our world have found their greatest ideas when they were away from their usual routines. For instance, when he was a teenager, Albert Einstein spent some time in Italy with his parents enjoying the beauty of Italy's Apennine mountains. It was during this time he contemplated what would happen if a ray of light became imprisoned. This idea was to be the foundation of his life's work. So relax. You never when the idea you need to bridge the gap between your current reality and your dreams will be found. But sometimes you need to give yourself the space to find it.
Assess whether your current plans are realistic. If you've got 4 kids, a full-time job, and a mortgage, it may be hard to start your own business on the side and have it succeed within a month. Maybe your dreams aren't coming true by the deadlines you set because your deadlines were unrealistic to begin with. So make new plans and get underway!
Get support. If you're starting your own business, is there someone you know who's been down this road who can give you some advice? Or, if you're trying to fix your life in some way – overcoming an addiction, healing from a painful past, or getting over an ex-lover – maybe you should consider getting a therapist. Often times, having a sounding board and a supportive ear can make us feel better and even more motivated to recommit to achieving our goals.
Play a game called "15 Ways…" This is a little game I like to play whenever I get stuck on how to break through barriers in achieving goals. Grab a sheet of paper and brainstorm 15 ways you can overcome whatever obstacle is standing in between you and your goals. For instance, if you feel it's a lack of time, then brainstorm 15 ways you can create more time in your life. I like using the number fifteen because I find the first five are usually pretty obvious, but the next 10 are usually a bit harder to come up with. These are where the novel solutions you didn't think about usually reveal themselves.
Pick a hero. Who in your mind is a noteworthy person you would like to emulate in life? Are they extremely motivated? Did they overcome tremendous odds to get where they are today? Tack a picture of them on your wall. Everytime you feel like it's too hard or you just can't do it, learn to ask yourself what your hero would do. Now go do it.
Go out and execute every day. If you're done with your time out, then commit to doing one thing for your dreams everyday, no matter how small it is. Taking action keeps you motivated and gives you momentum in achieving your goals. Well-worn clichés like "genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" still hold water today.
A missed deadline is just a chance for growth. And it makes for a great story about how you overcame obstacles along the way. Every success story has them. So why shouldn't you?
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