Confident Now by Noel N

If you want to be more confident, this is the book for you. I am more confident than I ever used to be. This book mentions the ACT Therapy (Acceptance & Commitment). 1) Practise the skills; 2) Utilize them effectively; 3) Evaluate results; 4) Adjust as needed. If you had unlimited confidence, would you do anything differently? This book will cover issues on mindfulness, goal-setting, fear communication etc.

Mindfulness. This is an ancient concept found in Buddhism etc. It involves being present in the current moment. It involves being curious and open, especially in unpleasant situations. Defusion, expansion and engagement are all key elements. Defusion involves detaching yourself from your thoughts in order to prevent them from controlling your actions. Have a sense of separation from such a thought. Singing the thought aloud helps. Recite your thought in a silly voice. Imagine your thoughts on leaves which are floating down a stream. Keep repeating until you get the hang of it. Stay in the present moment. When life gives you pain, try to enlarge and open and accept the pain. Expansion means making room for your emotions. It is important to notice, acknowledge and then make room. Be aware. Engagement means to be engaged in the present moment. Take deep breaths and then relax. Breathe in, breathe out. When you get distracted, please return your focus on your breathing.

Values. Keep your values strong and keep pushing. Stand for something in your life. What can a clear set of values do for you? An example is that of Nelson Mandela. Goals set in accordance to values are very fulfilling indeed. Values are more about long term reward than short-term gain. Even if you don’t achieve your goals, it is satisfying to be able to live up to your values. Create a values list and write it down. There are plenty of values that this book suggests. Values are not rules.

Goals. A ship must have a rudder. You must be able to steer your own ship. Set meaningful goals for yourself and work towards them. Do not drift about aimlessly in life. Many people are full of self-doubt. Your beliefs must change first. You need to want it and know what you want before you can achieve it. True success is living by your values. Embrace the process and let go of the outcome. The process is more important than the outcome. Now that you have written your values, learn to write down your goals in terms of both career, love, play, health etc. Choose one area of your life to focus on first. It is very important not to let your thoughts hold you back.

Fear. When we are in autopilot mode, we are not aware of our emotions. How do you face your fears? Notice which part of your body experiences fear. Let your mind chatter away. Acknowledge your feeling by its name. For example, say ‘Here’s stress’. Make space and breathe. Loosen up and feel yourself. Expand your awareness. Every day, you should be working towards your values. Do something fun and meaningful each day.

Remember, the actions of confidence come first and the feelings of confidence come later. – Unknown

Self-Acceptance. You have to fully accept yourself and avoid judging yourself at all costs. Focus on how to improve instead. When you recognize a judgment, stop and acknowledge that it is a judgment. Break the habit of judging other people as well. Learn to compete with yourself instead. Focus on every experience and learn from it.

Body. Exercise makes you happier and more confident. It makes you look more radiant and happy. Do not neglect your health and your body. Try walking for long distances if you have not incorporated exercise into your routine. Nutrition is important as well. Incorporate healthy diet choices into your lifestyle.

Communication. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Communicating with confidence is important. Learn to genuinely treat people well. Practise using confident body language. Fake it till you become it. Do not hesitate to record yourself in the mirror etc. Pay attention to how professional leaders project their voice. If you are good at social interaction, people will pay attention to you.

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. – Lao Tzu

Appreciation. Be grateful for everything you have. Say thanks to everyone. Savor every last experience of life. Make a gratitude notecard to note down the important moments in life. Practising gratitude isn’t easy. Be a giving and compassionate person. Give without constraints. Make small donations to charity. Buy a gift to show appreciation for someone.

If we give with no thought of getting, there is no limit to the abundance that will accrue to us. We limit our happiness to the extent that we try to measure out happiness to others. – Earl Nightingale

Forgiveness. Do not hold on to anger. Instead, learn to let it go. If you are healthy, you should be able to forgive others. Don’t be a slave to negative experiences. The past has no power over the present. Forgive yourself for your past mistakes and learn to move on.

Practice. Nothing will happen if you don’t practice. Being confident is a skill that is useful and you can carry with for the rest of your life.

Win. Russ Harris wrote a book on confidence. There are 10 rules for confidence. Negative thoughts are normal. Learn to defuse them, but do not fight them. True success is living by your values. Befriend your fears. Peak performance is achieved through total engagement.

Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie

To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children. To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. – Elisabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley

Tom’s Story. I was involved in an online driver-education program. I took part in the Amazing Race with my sister. To relax, I took a holiday in Argentina. The poverty was starling and that woke me up. I saw how they walked barefoot and got cuts on their feet. I wanted to help. I considered looking for donors, but that wouldn’t be sustainable. Then, it struck me. I should create a business that provided the kids with a constant flow of shoes. I called the company TOMS with the catch-phrase ‘Shoes for a Better Tomorrow’ or ‘Tomorrow’s Shoes’. The polo teacher, Alejo, joined me on this business venture. We knew what design we wanted. Finally, we found a local shoemaker willing to work with us. We collaborated and I tweaked on the design. I sent the shoes out for testing as well. How could I get people to pay for the shoes I made? Talking to your friends works and they also loved the idea. It is very important to show up in person. Some saw that TOMS made a good story. The newspapers picked up my story. However, the inventory management system was bad and we suffered and couldn’t fulfil orders. The local shoemaker helped to manufacture shoes. The media loved our idea, which was to sell a pair of shoes for profit and then give a pair away. Once we had enough shoes to give away, we went around Argentina. I was overjoyed to be able to provide shoes for the needy children. It made everything seem worthwhile and meaningful. The children were really grateful when thanking us. It was like my life’s work. I wanted TOMS to be my life. I left my other businesses to focus on TOMS. My work had a positive impact on others. The giving aspect of the business gave us a story. There are new tenets to success that must be followed. This book will show you how you can make a difference. You will learn to create a business. You want to make the world a better place. It is possible to earn money, achieve personal fulfilment and to create a positive impact on the world.

What’s changed is the definition of success. Increasingly, the quest for success is not the same as the quest for status and money. The definition has broadened to include contributing something to the world and living and working on one’s own terms. – Blake Mycoskie

A good story transcends boundaries, breaks barriers, and opens doors. It is a key not only to starting a business but also to clarifying your own personal identity and choices. A story evokes emotion, and emotion forges a connection. – Blake Mycoskie

Find Your Story. I liked Adam and Eric. They realised that there was a toxic product and decided to make a safe one in their labs. They wanted an environmentally friendly product. They found people to take care of the packaging. Eventually, the two of them managed to get shops to carry their brand. Press love a good story. Their store received a lot of publicity. Now, they are one of the largest eco-friendly cleaning brands. They had an idea to sell, not just a product by any means. This helped to get customers excited. Stories are powerful. Never underestimate their importance. We rely on stories to remember things. A good story helps open doors. There is too many products out there and we suffer from decision fatigue. You need to connect with the audience emotionally. People are more concerned with personal stories than anything else. Facts only matter that much. Environmentally friendly products are good. Campaigns based on stories are very effective. TOMS was a very young company. The TOMS story was a huge sell. People help to spread the word too. This was the power of our story. People have to believe in what you are doing. Supporters will be loyal customers. AT&T bought our story too. Later, I filmed a commercial and it was a big success. How do you find your story? You can create the only Texan vodka. Identify the communities you belong to and find your story that helps you get off the ground. We usually get caught up in everyday life. It is important to get in touch with ourselves and articulate our passion. If you did not worry about money, what would you do? What cause would you serve? You have to feel strongly about your cause and organize your life around your passion. Commit to telling the story at EVERY OPPORTUNITY. Use ideas from your supporters as well. Listen to them. For example, TOMS organized a barefoot shoes day. Ensure your story is authentic and comes right from the heart. Connect to all the groups you know. This will be your community. When people ask you what do you do, tell them with passion. Learn to partner with others as well. Manage your social media to ensure the story is consistent online too. Find the influence makers who will love your story. Share your story with your social network. It is important to know your audience. Be specific about your idea.

It’s about creating a successful business that also connects supporters to something that matters to them and that has great impact in the world. – Blake Mycoskie

Face Your Fears. Jump right in. Do not hesitate. If you have a good story, do not hesitate to share it. Pam self-published a book. Never give up even if you receive a setback. Always aim to change the lives of others. Fear is more common than what people realize. We are more impressed by boldness. Fear is always with us. You need to learn to overcome it. For many, they give us once the ‘fight-or-flight’ syndrome kicks in. We all need a safe haven to escape from. Create a plan and overcome your fears. Sam Walton is a real success story and who didn’t give up. You must have courage of your convictions. Learn from the mistakes of others. The difference between success and failure is how you overcome setbacks. Be comfortable with fear. Life goes on and you can always start afresh. Don’t fear the unknown. You can never be fully prepared for something. Everyone makes mistakes once in a while. Do not worry about what others think. Do not wait for the best idea to come, for it never will. Learn to remember to live your story. Surround yourself to inspirational quotations. Use inspirational quotes to push you during difficult times. I often read biographies of inspiring people too. Take one small step at a time. Follow the Japanese ‘kaizen’ mindset of small improvements at each time. If you need help, go and ask for it. Create a pros and cons list. The timing is never right and the key is to get started.

Be Resourceful without Resources. We didn’t know if the TOMS business model could work. Many people applied for our internship programme even those they wouldn’t get salary. This was a chance to do something different. We let the interns have a fun time to compensate for the lack of pay. The garage is enchanted. Learn to improvise your space. Learn to lower the expectations of others. Make everyone feel like a team and create a good company culture. Most people start off with humble beginnings. Most people start businesses with a few resources. Imagination trumps money. A lack of money will force you to be alert and hardworking. A lack of money will force you to be creative in getting what you want. Too much money is toxic. If you attract too much money, you need to answer to investors too. Pets.com invested too much in advertising after receiving money from venture capitalists. If you incorporate giving in your business model, it will reap benefits. Stand for something bigger than yourself. Develop a presence where it is free. Social media is free anyway. Dispose of formal titles. Create innovative names so that the people lower-down will also seem important. Use an interesting business card so that people will remember you. Always treat the interns well and feed them properly so that they will be happy. Read other resources on how to better manage your resources.

If you have little money and have to bootstrap and improvise to pull things together, that becomes embedded in your company’s DNA forever – so as you scale up, you maintain the frugality and efficiency that helped you survive your earliest days. – Blake Mycoskie

Keep It Simple. Learn to simplify things. Always think simple and strip it down. Footwear are simple. We used the black canvas as the design. In design, simplicity is the key. Simplicity is very important. Simplicity can also be applied to a goal or a mission. Keep it simple and do the best you can. Learn to unclutter your work area. Learn to schedule things and don’t let technology enslave you. Please clean up. Own as little as you can.

Build Trust. Tony Hsieh is a successful entrepreneur in the US. Zappos was a bit hit. Their business model is all about trust. Employees all look out for the best interests of their company. Employee bonding is very important. The people were given much freedom to tweet. The turnover is very low. Trust is built with the vendors and customers too. Both internal and external trust are important. The hard approach for your staff may not be the best anymore. Make sure the whole team is on the same page. Information is not top down nowadays. Ideas can spring up from the bottom. Empowerment is the key. The soft style of leadership works better. It is important to build a climate of accountability. It is okay to make mistakes. Recall the product if has been shipped to the customer but turned out to be faulty. If someone breaks trust, you must be ruthless about it. There are companies who reward employees for admitting mistakes. Have zero tolerance for people who bad-mouth others. Always place the customers first. Tumi helps to repair bags. Being open and forthright is very important as well. We allowed selected customers to join us on shoe drops. State your goals clearly. Please offer honest and constructive criticism. Empowerment is related to job satisfaction too. Learn to trust the interns. Fine tune your hiring policy to ensure you hire the best. Wear your product so that others will believe you.

People are more likely to do favors for each other if they are friends, not just co-workers. – Tony Hsieh

Giving is good business. Even giving free lunch to needy kids can change their lives. Lauren sold bags and the proceeds went to needy children in Rwanda. Giving is more important than ever. Fight for something bigger than yourself. The smiles on the kids’ faces will definitely keep you going. Pepsi also dropped their SuperBowl commercial and gave money to people who could come up with business ideas. Social work is becoming more popular. TOMS managed to attract many different types of partners. Sometimes, for-profit companies might want to pair with not for-profit companies. Is social responsibility about increasing profits in the long term? Even if you don’t start a business, you can have tremendous impact too but starting new initiatives at work. If you can’t start something big, start something small. Start giving now. Do not simply give money away. You can offer to do pro-bono services. Incorporate giving anywhere you can at work. Trust the host organization to make proper use of the gifts. Try and seek feedback in order to improve your giving. Tailor your gift to the organization’s needs.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. – Mahatma Gandhi

The Final Step. OneShot is a non-profit that provides meningococcal meningitis vaccinations to college students. It also addresses this problem in Africa. Soon, this story caught on. You will get immense joy hearing praise from your customers. Even if you just help one person, it is an enormous achievement. Once you start helping others, you will see that your life is filled with purpose.

Build the Ultimate Watch Collection by Jason Heaton

Mechanical watches continue to fascinate. Horology is not dead by any means. Watches are undergoing a revival. This book is for the collector. You can collect it as hobby or as an investment. This book helps you decide which watches to acquire and not to over-purchase. This book is also not about purchasing all the different varieties of a particular Rolex series. One should collect a well-rounded collection. Some of the watches can be difficult to find. This book will present you the ultimate of each category. It is important to know what the best out there is. There are 7 types of watches ‘the dress watch; the chronograph; the dive watch; the complication watch; the beater watch; the vintage watch; modern haute horlogerie watch.’

If, after much internal debate, you finally settle on buying a chronograph, you’ll soon want a dress watch. Splurge on a dressy chronograph, and it won’t be long before you’re eyeing your friend’s dive watch. – Jason Heaton

The Dress Watch. These are watches to make you look smart, for example, at a dinner date. It should be timeless. It will not be your most worn piece for sure. Mobile phone can tell the time too and people stopped wearing watches. The phone was like a pocket watch. This book was written in 2012. Mad Men brought back the restrained style of the 1960s. The dresswatch is making a comeback. It has to look subtle and not draw too much attention. It should slide under a shirt cuff. The size should be about 40mm. There is not much need for it to be luminous. If you can afford one, buy one with a precious metal like gold. The strap should be leather or crocodile. Matching clothes are also important. A mechanical movement is preferred. Mechanical watches are more valuable and can be an heirloom piece. The ultimate dresswatch is Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. It was introduced in 1931 and the case and be reversed 180 degrees inward to protect the watch. It is rectangular in shape. The ability to flip also makes it cool.

The Chronograph. The chronograph is a man’s watch which has good aesthetics. It is a time of beauty. The clutch will engage once you click start and the sweep hand will do its job. Some famous models are the TAG Heuer Monaco, the Omega Speedmaster Pro, the Breitling Navitimer and Zenith El Primero Striking 10^th. ‘Chronograph’ means ‘time writer’. They are associated with auto-racing and flying. Steve McQueen wore a TAG Heuer Monaco. The Omega Speedmaster chronograph landed up on the Moon. There was a race to build the first self-winding (automatic) chronograph. Zenith’s El Primero won the race. When quartz watches were introduced in the 1970s, chronographs went out of fashion. Wearing such a watch connects you with a sense of masculine tradition. Chronographs have variations like tachymeters, telemeters, pulsometers etc. There are also flyback, split-second etc. The best ones are those with traditional pushers. The dial should be symmetrical. A display caseback is even better. The ultimate watch is A. Lange & Sohne’s Double Split. The movement is entirely made in-house. It allows one to time two events simultaneously. This is also known as the rattrapante. There is also a flyback chronograph on this watch.

The Dive Watch. The reach of dive watches are broad. It is crude and simple. It should be able to exist in adverse conditions. It is an adventurer’s watch. In the 1950s, diving was dangerous. Back then, if you dive, you were seen as being adventurous. They were known as being interesting people. It looks good with wear and tear as well. A diver needs to know how long he has been underwater so as to know when to surface. Blancpain and Rolex, in 1953, raced to build the first dive watch. Dive watches usually come with an outer rotating bezel to monitor dive time. This is the feature of a dive watch. Some additional features are like those of coloured dials, increased water resistance, helium release valve. Top brands are Omega, Blancpain, Jaeger LeCoultre, IWC. The dive computer made dive-watches redundant. A dive watch should have a rotating bezel. Extreme water resistance is a must. Legibility and lume is very important in a dive watch. Dive watches usually come on bracelets. Some straps have dive suit extensions. Sea Wolf, Fifty Fathoms, Sharkhunter, Submariner are classic models. The ultimate watch is the Rolex Deepsea Sea Dweller. The bezel is made up of ceramic. It has 3,900 metres water resistance. It also possesses the three-link ‘Oyster’ bracelet. The bracelet also has the patented GlideLock clasp for ratcheting extensions.

The Complication Watch. The energy released from a mainspring is tamed to predictable oscillations on the balance wheel. Gear train will convert these into seconds, minutes etc. Some watches have a date-wheel. A complication does something else other than telling the time. These are objects of desire. It can be showy and impressive. For the craftsman, it is a way to show off his skill. Some of these watches are highly sought after. Henry Graves Jr pushed Patek Philippe to produce complicated pocket watches. A moonphase is a typical complication. The cycle of the moon is once every 29.5 days. A perpetual calendar keeps tracks of shorter months and leap years as well. You won’t have to reset the date on your watch. A minute repeater gets and audible element of the time. You will know the time even in the dark. A gong will chime on the hour, the quarter hours and every minute as well. One of the best watches is Patek Philippe’s Ref 5074.

The Beater Watch. You will need a cheaper and durable watch for doing household chores. This is a black and digital watch. You will always need your beater watch. You don’t worry about it getting stolen etc. Some of the good ones are made by Timex, Citizen. Mechanical watches aren’t really good at resisting shocks. It is very risky to drop your mechanical watch as the watch components are very fragile. Plastic watches can take a lot of abuse. Quartz watches are usually lighter and immune to shock. For heavy sports, do not wear a mechanical watch. The beater watch should be cheap. It should be quartz in nature and multi-functional. It should be at least 100 meters water resistance. The ultimate watch is Casio’s G9000-MC3 Mudman. G-Shock was born in 1983. Some people have tried to destroy their watches, including dropping them from skyscrapers. The movement is ‘floating’ and makes little contact with the case. The watch is mud-resistant and has many features. It is ugly but looks like it originated from a sci-fi film. It is one of the watch greats as well.

The Vintage Watch. This is a piece of history. This is a sign of a connoisseur. It could be commemorative in nature. It takes research to land your hands on one. It is important to buy an authentic one. There are countless of forums for vintage watch collectors. However, the market also has those trying to sell fake watches. Some people ‘stain’ the dial to make it appear old. A Frankenwatch is one where parts are assembled from different eras. Check with your watchmaker to determine authenticity. Vintage Rolex which has cases which are non-sapphire are precious. An example is a COMEX Submariner. A Patek Nautilus from the 1970s will fetch good prices. Fine watch-making is an art. You get transported to the past and understand the history of the man behind the watch. A good era to look at is the 1960s. They were the golden era of mechanical watches. Vintage watches should be significant and rare. Examples are those with factory mistakes, those with military provenance, or watches worn by famous people. James Bond submariners are sought after. Another example is ‘pre-moon’ speedmasters. The ultimate watch is the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, ref 6239 or the ‘Paul Newman’ Daytona. The dial had a unique configuration. It is exotic and has a connection with a famous actor.

Wind up your great-grandfather’s pocket watch, and you’re transported to a time when men wore waistcoats and traveled by train. The passage of time separates us from the men who came before us. A watch reconnects us. – Jason Heaton

The Modern Haute Horlogerie Watch. They are now a symbol and a statement of personality. People wear such watches because they appreciate fine watch-making. The watch has to be at the cutting edge of what is possible. ‘Horolgerie’ means ‘time’ and ‘logic’. ‘Haute’ means ‘high’. These are watches are designed and manufactured in a single company. Modern watches might not have a hand or a crown. Some watches have odd dials and shapes and complications. Many brands went out of business because of the quartz watch. Ulysse Nardin produced the ‘Freak’ in 2001, where the movement itself displayed the time. Urwerk also produced watches from the Sci-fi era. Modern watches should not look like traditional ones. It shouldn’t be common. The ultimate watch is MB&F’s HM4 Thunderbolt. It is an outrageous watch. HM stands for Horological Machine. The founder is Maximilian Busser. The watch represents a twist on a fighter jet. Their designs are fresh. There are two cylinders which look like jet engines. However, not everyone will like such watches.

Happy Collecting!

On the Ball by George Wolff

The Complete History of the Legendary Ball Timepiece and the Man Behind the Legend

The railroads were very important in the US. It was an achievement in the 19^th century. The founder of Ball kept time. Without good time, railroad accidents might happen. An accident in 1891 prompted Webb C. Ball to act. He emphasized on keeping precise time and created railroad grade timepieces. He was an entrepreneur and started a watch company. Ball watches are known for their visual simplicity, elegance and precision. This book is dedicated to his achievements.

Early Times. He was a true blue entrepreneur. The Ball family predecessors arrived in America at around 1650 from England. His family history traced back to the 1600s. Zenas was his grandfather and he was obsessed with watches and even sold one at a profit. Ball often advertises that their family history had people who were interested in watches all along. Webster Clay Ball was born in 1847. His grandpa donated land and made Webb C. Ball go to school. They were also quite close personally. Webb started out working in a farm. He liked machinery since young. He was good at make handicrafts since young. Later, he learnt to engrave on coins. Later, he worked as an apprentice in a jewellery company. Wages were low and life was tough. After a while, he worked as a watchmaker at Whitcomb and Metten. After amassing his skills, he started his own company. He kept writing to bigger watch players and wanted greater opportunities.

When it was noon in Chicago it was 12:31 in Pittsburgh, 12:24 in Cleveland, 12:17 in Toledo, 12:13 in Cincinnati, 12:09 in Louisville, 12:07 in Indianpolis, 11:50 in St. Louis, 11:48 in Dubuque, 11:41 in St Paul and 11:27 in Omaha. – Pence James, Train Magazine

Some say the secret of success is to be in the right place at the right time. Others say the secret is to be prepared with the right skills when the opportunity comes. – Unknown

Building the Foundation. Industrialisation was big in the US in the 19^th century. Railroads were a hallmark of it. People were also driven and hardworking by then. Later, he worked at Bowler and Burdick, a wholesale jeweller. He was a travelling salesman. Railroads often didn’t keep to time. Later on, Webb wanted to sell watch cases. This was revolutionary. Webb was 32 in 1879. It was in Cleveland. Webb purchased a partnership at a small jewellery store. Many railroad men became his customers. Webb became renowned in Ohio. His wife, Florence, helped to take care of the accounts. Finally, Webb bought out Whitcomb’s interest in the business and Ball Watch Company was founded. Ball set his time according to astronomical standards. Ball fought for the concept of standard time. Even in 1 town, there were multiple time zones and it was very confusing. Standard Time was introduced in 1883. Many people relied on church bells to tell the time. Finally, standard time was the legal time in Ohio. Finally, it was in 1918, when standard time was passed in the Standard Time Act. This synchronization would apply throughout the US. This was a ground-breaking change at that time. Webb also introduced a chronometer grade watch. The stage was set. Ball earned the respect of those in the industry.

Disaster and Opportunity. The railroad engineer was a glamorous but dangerous job back then. The pocket watch he had was often not accurate. There was only 1 track and if trains were heading in opposite directions, one would have to be housed temporarily in a siding. However, without precise time, accidents were inevitable. Insurance was no excuse too. On Apr 19, 1891, disaster struck. Engineers and firemen died in that accident. More than 9 were dead. Ball knew the consequence of poor timekeeping. Webb was already 60 then. The incident took 4 months to investigate fully. Ball revealed his ground-breaking ideas to all. He soon realized that there was no stable time in different times/cities. The average man was still resistant to standardization. Some of the watches could simply stop when they were placed in a particular position and the owner might not realize it. They were not positional-ly adjusted. The watch only had flat hairsprings and defective mainsprings. Ball wanted all watches to be inspected before they could be used. Watches that lost 30 seconds every 2 weeks would have to be regulated. Because of him, countless of railroad accidents were prevented.

What I wish to establish is the fact that a watch as the expressor of time, measured in atoms, does in fact co-ordinate impulse and caution and is productive of a greater degree of self-preservation. – Webb C. Ball

The engineer, the conductor liked to compare their watches. Safety was paramount now. Accuracy was important. Good watches need regular maintenance. The watch inspection business was growing. The time service operations were soon expanded to 200,000 miles of track. He was a humble man and didn’t see himself as great. Ball also faced competition from other time inspectors. He knew about the competition but continued to persevere. His employees included engineers, conductors, firemen etc. Also, he focussed more on marketing than his competitors. However, some time inspectors were profit driven and often declared that the watches were not functioning so that they could sell the train people more watches. Ball encouraged peace and goodwill between watch inspectors and railroad employees. Ball ensured that the employees could get a loaned watch while his watch was being serviced. All that helped to build Ball’s competitive advantage in the market. Some employees purposely set their watch to accurate time before the inspection. Ball appealed to their integrity. It wasn’t easy for the inspectors, as they often had to brave the rough elements in the train. Ball often pumped money to keep his operations in order.

The nicest way to win a man’s confidence is to show him that you are patient with him, that you will give him a square deal. That is what all the railroad boys want, is courtesy, and patience and a square deal, and with that kind of treatment you will have no trouble handling the watch inspection service to your advantage. – Webb C. Ball

A watch actually has a direct psychological effect on the individual who carries it. A man and his watch go through life together, he is more associated with it “the companion of his working and sleeping hours” than which any other mechanical object. – Unknown

What drove Webb? Webb liked things of beauty. He changed the form and function of watches too. One could not operate a train service by maxims. People used inferior watches because they were cheaper. Expensive watches could cost up to a few month’s salary back then. Watches were required to have 15 jewels and a patent regulator. Creating a new standard was a labor of love for Ball. He studied watches and even those made in Europe. He wanted to create a unique design. Ball applied for patents as well. He made watches with a ‘Railroad’ standard. Watches were tested under different temperature conditions and also under isochronism. The ornate cover had to be removed. More money would be spent on the movement. Ball detested watches with tiny markings and delicate hands. Dials should be plain. Round dots were most visible in poor light. Large Arabic numerals should line the face of the watch, along with the round dots above it. Initially, they were against watches with excessive jewels because Ball thought that they didn’t serve any function. Ball called for double roller escapement etc. Ball subjected his watches to intense scrutiny. More importantly, Ball’s watches saved lives. The Howard Ball is a very collectable watch indeed. Hamilton and other brands also produced Ball watches back then. Later on, Ball embraced the 21 or 23 jewel watches. Much later, Ball produced more fancy looking watches.

Winning Watches. The company’s sales improved. Their cash flow ballooned. The numbers told the tale in the early 1910s. Their success made others jealous. People accused him of running a monopoly. Ball continued building relationships with people in the railroad industry. The logos were trademarked as well. Ball was a very competitive man. Inferior watches were banned from railroad property. Ball constantly improved their watch quality and ensured safety. He was also a very modest man. Also, he had great leadership qualities. Many soldiers during WWI wore cheap watches. Soldiers could wear their own watches. Soldiers died because of unreliable timing. Ball helped to make and order pocket watches to soldiers. The maximum deviation allowed was 30 seconds per week. Ball was commissioned by the government to produce watches for the American army. Sidney Y. Ball was Webb’s son and he took over the company during the WWII. The watch has reached a very high standard nowadays. The quality has developed over time. Give your watch the necessary attention and care. The market for watches kept growing. Watch manufacturers were also producing many different watch grades and it made standardization difficult. Later, only two grades were allowed (either 21 or 23 jewel). Streamlining was necessary. Webb C. Ball passed away in 1922. He had lived respectably and had a great reputation in the watch industry.

Notice the busy little balance wheel flying to and fro unceasingly day and night, year in and year out; 18,000 beats per hour; 432,000 per day; 12,960,000 in 30 days; 157,680,000 in 1 year. It travels one and forty three one-hundredths inches with each vibration which is equal to 3,558.75 miles in one year. – Charles T. Jenkins

Ball set the standard for railroad clocks. Later on, electric clocks were developed.

A watch is more than pieces of material and wheels assembled, and functioning through the power of the main spring. It is an embodied directing companion, and, while it cannot articulate like humans do, it speaks with its hands words of caution and unmistakable plainness. – Ball Archives

The Ball Tradition lives on!

Choosing Delight by Leyla Day

True Life Stories of Quitting a Soul-Sucking Job and Doing What You Love For a Living

This book will guide your personal compass. This book will bring you on a path of self-exploration. There are 8 stories. Learn to break out of your box. It is possible to live with passion. There are also exercises which you can do.

You have an abundance of choices if you live in a developed city. There are so many food choices and you are spoilt for choice. Sometimes, the choices overwhelm us. In this book, the people have expressed themselves in a unique way. You can finally break out of your fears. If you want security and work 9 to 5pm, this book is not for you. You want meaning in your life and to do meaningful work, but you don’t know how. You can work on several projects at once. There are activities that make you happy, but you don’t think you can earn from them. Show up to the world. Life is different from the past as some of us are more fortunate now. Your talents are unique. There are steps where you can take to move yourself forward. Everybody wants challenge in their lives. What would you do if you had 10 million dollars? What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Ryan McDonough, the Party Catalyst. He got paid to organize parties. He used to do stupid dares at bars in order to get free drinks. The job required him to perform dangerous actions. He had the gift of entertaining people since young. His core job was to be an entertainer, which was what he achieved. Later, he got into alcohol problems but managed to get himself out of it again. Service means bringing joy to people. Life is good once more for Ryan. Move towards what you love and what makes you happy. Write down what you love to do and how it made you feel. Write down which job made you happy and which one didn’t and the reason why.

Bonnie Rusk, Speaker of the Doves. She protects the dove species in Grenada. They are gentle birds which need protection. Why did she choose such a career? She kept travelling when younger. Later, she studied biology and conservation. She was looking for her life’s work and not just a plain degree. Do work that is aligned with what you want. Find your ability to engage with others. Learn to build bridges and help others. Listen to your heart. Once you have tasted it, freedom will taste incredibly sweet.

Daniel Galhardo, Tenkara Fly Fishing. Learn to leave things behind. Don’t hold back. Do not make your life more complicated that it already is. He fishes without a reel in the US. At first, it seemed like a niche market as many already owned rods with reels. Learn to crave simplicity. Leave your complicated things behind. Always learn to embrace simplicity. People then used it as a social activity and got to know other people as well. What will the future hold for you? Learn to empty out your material needs. Live simply all over again. Do not let the business run you.

Jungle Jim, The Balloon Whisperer. Work might not be easy. Jim had ADHD. He knew he loved working with kids and finding out what their dreams are. Tutoring brought out the best in him. Finally, he found out that he liked balloon sculpturing. Time would fly by when he was having fun. It was when he visited the outback when he realized that he liked interacting with kids. Writing a plan is important. Yes, you can make a living from making balloons. Do you remember when the last time you lost track of time was?

Adam Brink, the unfair advantage of conscious poverty. He didn’t value any material possessions at all. Some people choose the freedom of time over amassing more money. Develop a sense of gratitude over life’s abundance. Now, he teaches kids problem solving in a school. He also loved rock climbing. There was a sense of community and people really cared. Work hard and plan ahead. Work is not soul draining. What is success and how do you define it? Listen to your gut to know whether you are right. Go beyond your comfort zone to know what you are capable of. Don’t always tell yourself that you can’t do it. Write down all the thoughts that come to your mind. What idea will make you feel more alive and kicking?

Angela Lauria, creating a safe launching pad for new authors. She was fired from her corporate job. When you get fired, it can get pretty devastating if you do not have a backup plan. What does success really mean? Sometimes, the Universe calls out to you. Later, she decided to be her own boss. You found her passion in books. She started to teach how people can market their books online etc and earned from giving talks. She helped people to publish their books. As a life coach, she coached people through writer’s block. As an entrepreneur, the key is to start before you are ready. What is success to you?

Kirk Rademaker, sand artist for hire. Someone has to build sandcastles. Take stock of your life when all is seemingly lost. Find a way through the depression. He founded sand-castle building as a way to express his creativity. Building sandcastles kept the demons away. You want genuine things in your life to stick. Get sand to stick together. Share your gifts with the world. We all need our gifts in life. Find your state of ‘flow’. Be engaged when you are working.

Bev Barnes, uncovering your original medicine. She mentored people who were empathic. You won’t know whether you are on the right path. She was a born coach. Our gifts are in our blind spots. There has to be alternatives to finding a normal and secure job. Don’t let money be your driver. Eventually, coaching became her life’s calling. Follow what you love. She was passionate about seeing other people and taking care of them. Life coaching is important. Later, her passions grew and developed.

Moving Toward Soul-Satisfying Work. Turn towards delight and joy. It is that easy. We are guided by intuition. We often create resistance within ourselves. Move towards freedom by taking baby steps. Life and crises can definitely shake us up. We all have our own personal blind spots. You just need to see where the next step lies. Feelings are road signs to your soul.

Drawing for the Absolute Beginner by Mark and Mary Willenbrink

A Clear and Easy Guide to Successful Drawing

It would be useful to practise what you have learnt and not just be a passive reader. The exercises should be practised. You will need materials like a sketch pad etc. An angle ruler and a drawing board will be useful. Life drawing is possible. Charcoal has a soft feel but can provide darker colours. H and B refers to Hard and Soft. 8B pencils are very dark, but very soft as well. This means they require more sharpening than usual. Use pencils with wood surrounding the core. The range goes from 8H to H, and then from HB to 8B. You can sharpen by using a sharpener or carve using a craft-knife and sandpaper. Using a craft-knife will ensure that more of the pencil’s core will be exposed. Buy sketch paper. Use at least an A4 sized paper. Light and dark effects are achieved by applying pressure to the paper. Tracing paper and masking tape can be used for accurate sketching. Use the kneaded eraser sparingly. Use pressing action instead of rubbing actions. Do not use the eraser at the end of your paper. You can use rulers, triangle, T-square, angle-ruler, dividers, and proportional dividers to help you. For graphite drawings, a fixative is not necessary.

Sketching and Drawing. A sketch is basically more rough and will eventually lead to a completed piece, a drawing. Try to master a sketch before moving on to a drawing. There are 4 types: structural line; value; black-and-white; contour. Draw horizontal lines across the subject to guide you. Figure out the different pencil grips which you can use. For instance, to create thick lines etc. For thin, controlled lines, hold it like a normal pen. For long arching lines, hold out the pencil at length. A structural sketch can be used too. Learn to focus on the basic form. Sketch the basic form and structures, followed by adding structural lines. Value sketches means do not use the basic sketching lines but only focus on the light and dark areas. Use different layers of shading in order to darken the areas. An erasing shield is useful. Define form through light and shadow as compared to lines. For black and white sketching, follow the value sketching closely, but ignore all the middle values. Contour sketching is using 1 continuous line only. Do not lift up the pencil while drawing at all. One can use combined approaches for a finished drawing.

Examine the Principles of Good Drawing. Observation is very important in good drawing. Observe basic proportions, values etc. Draw a few basic shapes and put it down on paper first. Focus on where to place the main compositions of the sketch. Look out for basic shapes (circles, squares, triangles etc). Later, erase those basic shape lines. Gauging proportions (height, length, depth) is crucial. You can use dividers to help you on this task. You do not need to be 100% accurate. You can gauge proportions with a pencil, but make sure your arm is fully extended. For angels, close one eye, and extend your hand to get the correct angle. Later, transfer the correct angle onto your paper. It is also possible to work from reference materials. For difficult objects, you can use tracing paper. For linear perspective, establish a horizontal line. Vanishing points are where parallel lines converge. Whose vantage point are you looking from? Try to draw from a normal vantage point, as this will be easier. If the object is elevated or below surface level, draw the lines to the vanishing point. Depth is expressed by size; depth is expressed by obscurity; depth is expressed by convergence. Use value to create depth. The darker the object, the chances are that it is closer to us. Note that an ellipse doesn’t have a pointed end. Drawing of arches, reflections etc all require a different technique. Understand the difference between a smooth and a rough surface.

Values. These are the degrees of light and dark in a drawing. Learn to observe the light. Contrast can affect the mood and composition. Value contrast helps to create impact. Use a value scale if you do not know to judge value well. You can use individual lines, back-and-forth lines, staggered lines, cross-hatching or even back and forth cross-hatching. Hard pencils are better for neat and crisp line work. Replicate light effects. Know where the light source is coming and then what sort of shadow it casts. A highlight on the object will appear as a bright spot. You need to focus on the reflected light. Placing a light below a subject will make him look scary. Learn how to ploy shadows to create that realistic effect.

Practise the Technique. Challenge to draw things/objects outside your comfort zone so that you can improve. Use HB for light or medium values. You can consider drawing clouds or even grass. Look at clouds in sunlight. Stormy days are good for drawing clouds. Use back and forth lines when drawing tree leaves. When you have the skill, you can draw anything you want. Your lines must show the grain of the wood. Map out the light and dark of rocks. Add shadow and shading. Learn to draw trains or steam engines too. You can also draw things like automobiles. Remember to have uniformed pencil lines to create a smooth, metallic look for the car’s surface. One can practise drawing animals, like a cat or something. Besides a frontal view, you can also draw a side view of an animal. Make the fur look textured. Other possible animals are like a cow, swan, full human body. For general facial proportions, please measure them accurately. Learn to draw a curved view too. Learn to draw a side-view of a human as well. When drawing the elderly, draw the ears and nose longer, the chin longer, and make noticeable wrinkles. For a child, their forehead is bigger and features less noticeable. Women’s ears, nose, jawline are usually smaller and more delicate.

Composition. Composition is about the arrangement of elements in the artwork. Asymmetrical composition can be useful as it makes your drawing seem neutral. Use a grid to make your drawings look slightly off-centre. Odd number of elements can make the picture seem more interesting. Learn to use your fingers to crop the image and only include what is exciting. Diagonal lines can create a sensing of adventure. Learn how to use good leading lines. Learn to draw still life. Learn how to draw textured metal.

Screw Work, Let’s Play by John Williams

How to do what you love and get paid for it

The book will show you how to get paid to do what you like. Create an ideal life in the present now. Happiness leads to better success. There are 10 secrets to obey closely by. Secret 1: How to work out what you really want. Secret 2: How to choose what to do next. Secret 3: How to get started right now. Secret 4: How to guarantee your success. Secret 5: How to play for profit. Secret 6: How to play the fame game and win. Secret 7: How to create an irresistible offer. Secret 8: How to win your first paycheque. Secret 9: How to play full time. Secret 10: How to play your way to the rich life. There are 21 myths you need to understand. The author has interviewed many people for this book. Join the play revolution. It is possible to make money from the things you do. Nowadays, people value freedom and want to stretch themselves. The image of an entrepreneur is more fun now. The internet has allowed many to create online businesses. The play ethic encourages to be more spontaneous and fun. Play isn’t a selfish thought. Nowadays, people with a developed right brain wins. Work will are easy to do will be outsourced nowadays. Times are unpredictable. Start what you want to do right now. It really plays to have fun. Happiness leads to successful outcomes, more than the other way around. Good jobs have the following characteristics: autonomy, meaning and variety. Choose the right things to play. You must get into the flow of things. The problem is that many people are doing the wrong work. We have done work that is based on previous generations say are good. You should find a job that suits your personality and strengths. Try and each your first playcheque before you quit. Be a creator, and not someone passive anymore. Sometimes, you can work anywhere you want. You can even change countries to run your business from. Players must put creativity and fun first. Players are multi-faceted. Learn to respond to the world around you. Be actively engaged in the world. Never stop exploring and never stop learning. However, it is also necessary to know what the market needs and wants. You must solve real world problems in order to make money. Work is never effortless. Seek full expression of yourself. Scrap your career plan as things change too fast. Learn to live in the present. You can’t compete with someone who loves what they do. I wanted to get paid to play. Set your own hours. Now, I am a different portfolio of many different acts. The book will give you an idea of how to make every minute count.

But I’ve found out that the more I focus on what I enjoy doing even when it’s not immediately obvious how I’ll make money, the more successful I am. – John Williams

If you limit your choices to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise. – Robert Fritz

One of the most valuable things you can ever do is to get to know what you do and don’t enjoy doing. And it can also be one of the most difficult things to do. – John Williams

A scanner is someone who loves to learn and explore new things but gets bored easily. Scanners are more about breadth than depth. – John Williams

When you are truly in play, when you are following the unfolding path of what provides you engagement, expression, excitement and curiosity in the world, then your work is simply a natural expression of who you are and who you are becoming. – John Williams

How to work out what you really really want? You must know what play feels like. People usually see work as something they must do. What would work that feels like play look like? Ask ‘what do you want’ first. Your progress will be tremendous if you like what you do. Write down ideas in a notebook that excite you wherever you go. The first of 21 myths are (1) If it’s important, you’ll remember it. This is not true in reality. Always carry a notebook around with you. Pay attention to every detail. See exactly what draws your attention. Follow every lead, act on your hunches. Myth 2: The answer to my work search is in some magical new thing I have never tried before. Most times, you will actually realize that you are doing what you like, just that it cannot be considered work. Take a year off to discover. What would you do for a year? Write down all you would do if you had a year off for yourself. Pretend money is not an issue. Look back at your career, recall your happy moments. Who is your career hero? Brian Eno had a very varied career. Who do you envy? Envy is good. It shows you something which you need but don’t currently have. What do you find difficult stopping? For a player, you can bring all the skills you have onboard and don’t need to focus on one label. Are you a Scanner? A scanner is someone who has many varied interests. Entrepreneurs turn out to be often scanners. By owning your own business, you can do whatever you like. Craft a life that suits you. Write down a few different 1 years off you can take and imagine the different possibilities. You can have what you really want but you need to be flexible about it. You must visualize the exact experience you want to have. Don’t worry about what others think of you. You don’t need long expensive training as well. Work at its deepest level is play. Make minor adjustments in your life first, but start with doing what you like.

Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation. – Aristotle

If you’ve been stuck for a long time on what to do next in your work, and you can afford some time for experimentation, it’s worth choosing almost anything you’re really keen to do and having a play with it for a few weeks. – John Williams

How to choose what to do next? Paul McCartney contemplated between being a coil winder or a musician. His dad kept persuading him to get a proper job. It requires courage. Myth 5: Doing what you love is selfish. Do not hold back as you are short-changing the human race. Don’t hold back. Even if your work isn’t good, it might inspire others. Your play must meet a need that people have.Learn to help others. ‘Pleasure + Engagement + Meaning = Happiness’. Pleasure means enjoying positive emotions from tasks and relationships. Engagement is getting lost in a task which is play. Meaning is using your strengths to serve a greater good. You need all three to be happy. Look back at your work, when did you stand out? Write it down. Increase your frequency. How to enter a flow state? You can go for personality profiling. Wealth Dynamics is one such system. There are 8 different profiles: 1) Creator; 2) Star; 3) Supporter; 4) Deal maker; 5) Trader; 6) Accumulator; 7) Lord; 8) Mechanic. Which profile are you? Do not try to be an all-rounder. Instead, work on your strengths. Hire people with complementary skills and to fill in where you are lacking at. You must be aware of your talents. Some people are good at flirting. It’s a skill. The sweet spot is when talent, skill and passion mean. Skills are important because it is not easy to compete with the veterans. You must try to apply skills from your previous work. There is always the love vs money balancing act. There are far too many people stuck in lousy jobs. How to avoid starving? The problem with arts is that there is too much supply and not enough demand. Get creative about how to distribute your product. Get someone to promote your work. Do not be afraid that your work will be rejected. ‘The facts are always friendly.’ Carl Rogers. What do you value more? Try and network to get to know more people. Experiment to figure out what you truly want. Get others to describe your strengths.

Successful people apparently have fewer thoughts; they don’t engage in endless deliberation. Perhaps this is because the research shows that over-thinking makes you miserable and unmotivated. – John Williams

People who strive for something significant, whether it’s learning a new craft or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations. Find a happy person and you will find a project. – John Williams

Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. – Liz Smith

How to get started right now? It’s trial and error. Try and see if it works. Sam Bompas and Henry Parr have embraced play. They have experimented with food. Pitch for something and try to make it work later. Myth 6: I can’t start anything until I know exactly where I’m heading. Things move too fast and are unpredictable. Pick an interesting project and go for it. Pursue projects that are important to you. There are problems with goals. Myth 7: Once my life is the way I want it to be, then I’ll be happy. How you choose to live life everyday matters. Your happiness will create your success. Start on a project straightaway. Thinking is overrated. If you can’t solve a problem, overthinking might not help if you don’t have new inputs. How to pick a play project? It should last for from a few weeks to a few months. The point is to get into motion. Listen to your gut feeling and do it now. The skills you learn will come in handy again next time. Make sure that it is enjoyable to do. If you’re stuck in career paralysis, any project will help you. Don’t worry about making money. If you’re self-employed, pursue a project that is close to your heart and in line with your strategy. Read about leaders in the new field of work. Go to networking sessions and get your hand on any experience you can get. Myth 8: I should go and research this all day on the internet. There is no need to research excessively. Try to speak to someone knowledgeable instead. Track down the smart people. Think big start small. Break it down into smaller parts. Start with a short novel or a blog. Explore about business opportunities on the blog. Turn your home into a gallery. Launch a regular event. Talk to random people and use meetup.com. Write down a larger objective of your project. Get your idea and evolve it. Commit to your play project. Create something and share it with the world. Give yourself some deadlines too. Record the feedback that you have received. Have some direction. Having a mission is attractive. When you’re playing, even if you can’t make money, it will feel good.

If you’re changing somebody else’s baby’s diapers that feels like work. But if it’s your own kid, that doesn’t feel like work. – Derek Sivers

The fact is that motivation often comes after you start something, not before. – John Williams

How to guarantee your success? Simply do not stop. It is always risky in business. Setbacks are painful. Setbacks are there to see whether you will give up. Our thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies. A positive outlook on life is the key. Tackle your negative thoughts and doubts. Your head might be filled with negative voices. This is your ‘top dog’. Your top dog is not your voice of reason. Think of the supportive alternative to the top dog. The key is habit. Learn to hang out with supportive people. Build your support team. Your support team should consist of 4 to 5 people. Myth 9: People who are successful don’t need support. Learn to manage your fear. It is important to deal with your fear. Whatever scares you, go do it. Do not always play it safe. Don’t stop. Keep fine tuning your play project so that you can make money. Don’t simply throw away your play project unnecessarily. Take total responsibility of your life and don’t blame others. Ask people for what you need. Learn to have uncomfortable conversations with yourself. There is no need to ask for permission. Don’t ask ‘how’, ask ‘who’ instead. Look back at how you overcame challenges. Steal the strategies of others, not the content. Myth 10: Famous people are just different from me. Use the Millionaire Test. ‘If I were already a millionaire, would I do this thing I am considering right now?’ It is important to do things even when you don’t feel like doing them. If you don’t have big blocks of time to spare, do little and do often. Learn to manage time in micro-blocks. Do not feel overwhelmed. Do things to reduce your overwhelm. How to manage your brilliant ideas? Store your new ideas so that you can refer to them again. Ideas have a half-life and it pays off to work on them immediately. Ideally, work on your project a little each morning. Do give yourself some creative idling time as well. Try to take a nap as well.

How to play for profit… and purpose? This chapter will show you how to actually get paid. Never give up too quickly. How do you get paid to enjoy what you’re doing? You must solve a problem. People pay to get rid of their pain. It should alleviate some form of discomfort. Offer something that is on people’s to-do lists. You have to solve an existing problem. Link your current field with life. Sometimes, people are interested in what they want. Write down the problems you think people have. Look for the pain that people are experiencing currently. Write down your clients’ desire and the obstacle that they are currently facing. What challenges have you struggled with in your life?

How to play the fame game – and win. You must be known for something at least. Play out your ideas on a global stage. Start with a blog or a meetup group. Share your ideas with people and garner feedback. Test and see what happens. Myth 11: I must keep my good idea secret otherwise someone will steal it. There are very few ideas out there. Execution is what matters. Try not to keep it secret for too long. Step 1: Pimp your project. Learn to brand yourself. Don’t blend in, do something big instead. Humor is a great tool to use throughout your work. You need to market yourself and show how you are different from the rest. Use what you have learned. Marketing won’t help you if you’re mediocre. Never underestimate the power of a good story. Start a movement. People are generally attracted to those who are passionate. Step 2: Choose your channel of communication. Authenticity and integrity are very important. Which channel do you want to use?. Email is one form, where people can subscribe to your posts. Blogging is a great way to build ideas. Simply chronicle your journey and blog about it. Writing in your own authentic voice makes you unique. Tumblr is better for images. You can even blog about your life. Make use of free services on the net. Print on demand sites like Lulu and Blurb work as well. You can run your own radio or tv show too. It just takes one afternoon and is very simple indeed. Step 3: Who are your kind of people? Who would you love to sell your services to? Find a niche and a group of small people who find you irresistible. People prefer specialists. Step 4: Start the conversation. Step 5: The art of seduction, or how to turn your fans into customers. Think from your customer’s perspective. ‘Enter the conversation already going on in your customer’s head’.

How to create an irresistible offer? What will you offer to people? The Money gym is an interesting concept. You need to find something that people really want. How do you deliver your product or service? Learn to provide a service to individuals. If you possess a skill, it is much easier. However, there is a disadvantage in selling your own time. People in the annual rich lists do not sell their time. Combine your service offering and offer people a package. It is possible to work 6 months and then travel 6 months if you are a free lance worker. Find a supporting income stream that is enjoyable. Attend conferences and networking events. How to make passive income? It is thrilling to be able to do so. The internet is one of the lowest risk passive income you can generate. Use the internet as a vehicle to sell your expertise. These are known as information products. You need a large number of people to talk about your product. Another way is to interview people for free. The power of knowing the problem. Even if you don’t know enough in the topic, you can hire people to write for you. You can sell ebooks through your website. You can organize teleclass etc. You can also promote other people’s products. Very few people can make money from their blogs. A membership programme is a good way to earn money too. This allows you to have a deeper connection with the customer. You can take your work and produce an e-book on it.

The secret of living is to find people who will pay you money to do what you would pay to do – if you had the money. – Sarah Caldwell

How to win your first playcheque? Money makes play sustainable and can keep you going. Myth 12: You can’t get paid for doing what you love. If you choose the right path, you will enjoy the journey. It is also possible to ask for a new job scope to revamp your career etc. You can also consider working part-time. Let your enthusiasm win the job. Your first playcheque will be your landmark. If possible, try to achieve this without quitting your job yet. Myth 13: All my friends have said they would buy what I’m offering, so I must be on the right track. It is not sufficient as you must really collect the money from them. When you’re new, you can do some work for free. Later on, charge a token sum. Charging a small amount also guarantees that people will show up. Myth 14: I can’t possibly charge for what I’m doing yet – I need to read more books and take more courses and workshops. Don’t use that as excuses not to start. Run a campaign. Learn to focus. Success takes a while. Gather feedback from others and fine tune your product. If you want something, show focus and enthusiasm. Myth 15: I can’t talk to anyone until I have some fancy business cards printed and my website launched. Business cards are over-rated anyway. Celebrate your first paycheque.

Don’t be too quick to jump from the work that’s currently providing your income: better to gain momentum first while still being paid elsewhere. Being stressed about money is not a state conducive to playfulness –  John Williams

How to play full time? How do you play full time? You need some word of mouth recommendations. What you do must excite people and your friends alike. Do not let your friends do favours for you. Find 10 people who will rave about it. You need to find 10 people who truly truly love it. If not, seek a rethink. Others will tell you whether they like it. In ordinary jobs, you can’t say I don’t like that task, so I’m not doing it. You should shape the product for yourself. Try to avoid recruitment agencies. You should always try and create your own role. Join networking events to get noticed. When you seek out your ideal job, your enthusiasm shines. Go freestyle. This book says that self-employment is less risky. Some businesses can perform well in downturns. You don’t need a new idea. You just need to do things better than others. An online business is easy to start. Launch one project at a time only. Learn to focus on your type of projects. Collaborate with others. Hire people to make up for your weaknesses. You don’t need a very long business plan. Do your sums properly. Please do your market research. If you switch fields, you will take a while to get used to it

How to play your way to the rich life? The richer you want, the more impact it should create on others. Most entrepreneurs don’t care about the money at all. Appreciate the rich moments in life. Is it about the freedom to travel? Travel using your laptop like Chris Guillebeau. Is your rich life about free time? Is your rich life about the power to change the world? If so, set up a social enterprise. Start your play fund to manage your money. Remove your internal blocks. Change your perception about sales being tacky. There are no prizes for being a starving entrepreneur. Your closest friends have a big impact on you. Charge exactly what you’re worth. Sometimes, lowering prices might cheapen your product. Learn about supply and demand. Sometimes, the bandwagon changes due to regulation etc. That is the time to make more money. P is for Product – Sell the right thing. R is for Right People. I is for Increasing Trust. C is for Communicating value. E is for Expect it. If people say it’s too expensive, it’s because they haven’t seen enough value in it. Choose a rich strategy.

How to Improve Your Concentration by Oliver Thompson

The 7 Secrets of How to Improve Your Memory and to Stay Focused

Tricks and Maneuverers for Concentration Amplification. How can one implement strategies to improve it? There are a lot of hurdles for implementation. Exercise and meditation help to increase concentration.

Concentration – The Owner of Success. It’s all about the power of focus. It also depends on whether you like the topic. Your environments matters and can affect your concentration. A brain injury can cause concentration to be impaired. It is important to try and improve it. Willpower and memory is honed when concentration is high. Only when you focus on one task, then you can complete a task successfully. To ace your work, you need to improve your concentration powers. The components are 1) filter; 2) spotlight; 3) resource.

Understand the impact of surroundings and the routine of concentration. The stimuli must be desirable and conducive. Noises can be your enemy. However, it can be useful if the knowledge is repeated verbally. People usually remember objects better. A calm environment is desirable. If your life and routine is unsynchronized, your mood could be affected. Unhealthy eating and drinks affects concentration. Skipping breakfast is bad and affects productivity. Dehydration also affects concentration.

There are particular problems faced during concentration. Your brain capacity is limited. This is a sign when it needs some rest. Learn to recharge by resting and taking a breather. To combat a boring topic, focus more of your attention on it and stop complaining. Keep a notepad and write down important points. Stop day dreaming and tell yourself to concentrate. Be careful of urgent and abrupt thoughts. Beware of self-doubt.

Develop ways to improve concentration. The exercises must be practised continuously. Add smart foods and memory friendly drinks. Drink Cup of coffee; chew gum; eat citrus fruits; drink natural juices. Consume nuts and seeds; blueberries and avocados; eat white meat that is rich in protein. Get adequate sleep; Make a plan; Do one thing at a time; tell yourself to concentrate for 5 more minutes more. Grab keywords; Study in quiet places; Divide the task; Learn from others who can concentrate well. Start muttering; Enjoy witty topics; Add red or green objects in your room; Use timers; Take deep breaths. Use visualization techniques.

See the relation of concentration enhancement with exercise and meditation. Use exercise and meditation. Yoga and Aerobics are certainly fun. Pay attention to your breathing. Perform high intensity workouts. Mindfulness is rumoured to be able to improve your multi-tasking ability.

Motivational quotes 301 to 350

301. ‘Your job is not to figure out how it’s going to happen for you, but to open the door in your head and when the doors open in real life, just walk through it. Don’t worry if you miss your cue. There will always be another door opening. They keep opening.’ Jim Carrey
302. ‘And when I say, “life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.” I really don’t know if that’s true. I’m just making a conscious choice to perceive challenges as something beneficial so that I can deal with them in the most productive way. You’ll come up with your own style, that’s part of the fun!’ Jim Carrey
303. ‘You are ready and able to do beautiful things in this world and after you walk through those doors today, you will only ever have two choices: love or fear. Choose love, and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart.’ Jim Carrey
304. ‘All great successes, all great lives have involved the coincidence of aptitude, talent but also the luck of meeting people who have believed in you. At some point in your life you need to meet someone who will tap you on the shoulder and say, “I believe in you.”‘ Arsene Wenger (Wenger the Legend by Jasper Rees)
305. ‘To live in accordance with how one thinks. Be yourself and don’t try to impose your criteria on the rest. I don’t expect others to live like me. I want to respect people’s freedom, but I defend my freedom. And that comes with the courage to say what you think, even if sometimes others don’t share those views.’ Uruguayan President José Mujica, on happiness
306. ‘If there is one lesson I can share from the experience it is this: share your truth. Whatever your truth is, live it, share it. The world will respond to you in ways you never could have imagined. Life will blow your socks off.’ Kamal Ravikant
307. ‘Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.’ Joseph Campbell
308. ‘The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to every evening think what can be done better tomorrow.’ Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA founder
309. ‘Attitude is about marrying the person you love(MPUL) and loving the person you marry (LPUM). Apply this concept of marriage to “all things you do.”‘ Chan Chun Sing
310. ‘Success was a function of effort more than talent – with opportunities and chance thrown in. The sum of this should be greater than IMM (I, Me, Myself).’ Chan Chun Sing
311. ‘How many pages have I produced? I don’t care. Are they any good? I don’t even think about it. All that matters is I’ve put in my time and hit it with all I’ve got. All that counts is that, for this day, for this session, I have overcome Resistance.’ Steven Pressfield
312. ‘Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now.’ Goethe
313. ‘The more one does, the more one can do.’ Amelia Earhart
314. ‘It is much more ennobling to the human spirit to let people judge themselves than to judge them.’ Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
315. ‘Into the hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or evil – the silent, unconscious, unseen influence of his life. This is simply the constant radiation of what man really is, not what he pretends to be.’ William George Jordan
316. ‘Our level of development is fairly obvious with tennis or piano playing, where it is impossible to pretend. But it is not so obvious in the areas of character and emotional development.’ Stephen Covey
317. ‘We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.’ T. S. Elliot
318. ‘Habits are like a cable. We weave a strand of it every day and soon it cannot be broken.’ Horace Mann
319. ‘I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.’ Henry David Thoreau
320. ‘Doing well academically certainly helps. But to succeed in life, raw intellectual ability needs to be coupled with other life skills such as the ability to communicate effectively, to cope with change, to overcome setbacks, and to work with and mobilise a team.’ Simon Chesterman
321. ‘It turns out that our brains are literally hardwired to perform at their best not when they are negative or neutral, but when they are positive.’ Shawn Achor
322. ‘Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can.’ Shawn Achor
323. ‘More important still than believing in your own abilities is believing that you can improve these abilities.’ Carol Dweck
324. ‘That is not to say that all jobs have equal meaning, but that even a rote or routine task can be meaningful if you find a good reason to be invested. You feel productive at the end of the day. You showed people that you were smart and efficient. You made life easier for customer…’ Shawn Achor
325. ‘In other words, the people who can most successfully get themselves up off the mat are those who define themselves not by what has happened to them, but by what they can make out of what has happened. These are the people who actually use adversity to find the path forward.’ Shawn Achor
326. ‘Research has shown that people who believe that the power lies within their control circle have higher academic achievement, greater career achievement, and are much happier at work.’ Shawn Achor
327. ‘Studies have shown that the more team members are encouraged to socialize and interact face-to-face, the more engaged they feel, the more energy they have, and the longer they can stay focused on a task.’ Shawn Achor
328. ‘A longer, 15-year study even found that employees who had a difficult relationship with their boss were 30% more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease. It seems a bad relationship with your boss can be as bad for you as a steady diet of fried foods – but not nearly as fun.’ Shawn Achor
329. ‘Great people do things before they are ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that, that’s what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that’s really special. And if you’re no good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself.’ Amy Poehler
330. ‘But the greatest liability of this group of graduates is precisely their history of success. It might seem churlish to point this out at a graduation ceremony, but the ability to do well in exams is a poor predictor for achievement in anything else.’ Simon Chesterman
331. ‘It’s your life – but only if you make it so. The standards by which you live must be your own values, your own convictions in regard to what is right and wrong, what is important and what is trivial. When you adopt the standards and the values of someone else or a community or a pressure group, you surrender your own integrity. You become, to the extent of your surrender, less of a human being.’ Eleanor Roosevelt
332. ‘People mature at different rates and their interests change. Students drop out of university. Many students go on to get jobs that have nothing to do with what they studied at university. How we are able to use the knowledge we have is often far more valuable than the knowledge itself.’ John Crace
333. ‘You might be going for a walk or grocery shopping or doing something that doesn’t require sustained attention and suddenly — boom — the answer to a problem that had been vexing you suddenly appears. This is the mind-wandering mode, making connections among things that we didn’t previously see as connected.’ Daniel J. Levitin
334. ‘If you want to be more productive and creative, and to have more energy, the science dictates that you should partition your day into project periods. Your social networking should be done during a designated time, not as constant interruptions to your day.’ Daniel J. Levitin
335. ‘I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the sufferings of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.’ Neil DeGrasse Tyson
336. ‘Find what you love and let it kill you.’ Charles Bukowski
337. ‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.’ Mark Twain
338. ‘I think part of why people teach themselves things – why I do – is really for fascination or love or something that drives them to need what they’re learning. I’ve never known what it’s like to be uncurious.’ Karen Barbarossa
339. ‘The beautiful thing about learning on your own is you have to be motivated about the subject to do it. Anyone can go through the motions at school, but self-learning may be the easiest way to find out what you’re good at.’ Charles Kinnane, a film-maker
340. ‘When you’re learning something, it’s really important to not only to understand the system and context in which that thing functions, but also to look ahead and imagine what the world would be like with or without this thing.’ Rita J. King
341. ‘I’ve found that, by and large, people who are passionate about the things that they do are very happy to engage with other people that are passionate about what they do.’ Dan Sinker
342. ‘If you can’t unite making your living with the things you love, which is obviously ideal, then sometimes it’s best to keep them totally separate.’ Astra Taylor
343. ‘Getting stuck for me has been one of the best teachers. It has taught me the huge difference between just knowing the answer, and knowing how to find the answer.’ Christopher Bathgate
344. ‘In asking for their knowledge, people are even more willing and even more generous if you have done something to show that you’re interested and you’ve made a commitment on your end as well.’ Jeremy Cohen
345. ‘I try to surround myself with incredibly smart people who are often, if not always, smarter than me. Because other people are so important to learning.’ Harper Reed
346. ‘Try to learn as many things as possible and not be afraid to fail quickly and keep trying, or switch tracks. You’ll get experience and valuable lessons in a variety of fields, and you’ll occasionally stumble across things that you thought you were going to be bad at, and it turns out you’re pretty good at.’ Luke Muehlhauser
347. ‘I’m really naturally interested in learning things, but there’s one way to guarantee that I lose interest, and that’s to tell me to be interested in it, even if I am.’ Zack Booth Simpson
348. ‘If you write every day just a little bit, it just becomes a thing you do. It becomes much easier to do it even on days when you don’t feel like doing it, and especially on days when you’re not feeling it.’ Cory Doctorow
349. ‘Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.’ Robert F. Kennedy
350. ‘Once you know yourself, the deliberate pursuit of more ordinary things can then deliver that same level of happiness. It doesn’t hurt, either, that you may appreciate the ordinary much more once you’re more aware of the decreasing number of years you have left to enjoy it.’ Ron Lieber

Work Motivation (Management Guide based on Latest Psychological Research)

Understanding motivation is one of the most important things we can do in our lives, because it has such a bearing on why we do the things we do and whether we enjoy them or not. – Clayton Christensen (HBS)

This is a book for employees, executives, HR managers and entrepreneurs. Work is the sum of both internal and external energies that drive human work behaviour. A motivated workforce is a highly desirable aspect. This book contains only research after 2012. Learn the WOP (Work, Organizational and Personnel) psychology. Evidenced-based management principles are very important.

What motivates people to perform at their optimum level? Intrinsic rewards are the most important factor. They are inherent to the job and inseparable from it. Extrinsic ones are like monthly salary etc. Intrinsic ones could be like the feeling of mastery and expertise or achieving self-set objectives etc. Both are important. Stress the positive aspects of every project you are doing or are working on. Ensure the steps towards your success. Try it out for yourself. Punishments are unlikely to bring out the best in workers. It is better to reward good behaviour. Negative feedback must be construed as being constructive. 5 key job characteristics must be present: 1) skill variety (repetitive tasks are no good); 2) task identity (if given ownership, you might perform better); 3) task significance (does your job matter? Does it value-add); 4) autonomy (the more responsible you are, the better ownership you will take); 5) feedback (do I need to get better?). People in private companies are usually happier with their jobs. The private sector has less bureaucracy. The culture of solving problems are more prevalent in the private sector. Your work must seem meaningful; Being responsible for something can boost your motivation; Efforts must be recognized; Freedom from planning; You must be satisfied with the type of work.

Leadership & Management. Leader self-mastery is important. A leader needs to display integrity, intelligence etc. He should earn employee trust by being credible and of high competency. Leadership is also about setting the tone from the top. Talking about success helps to foster intrinsic motivation. Using positive words can also help to improve motivation. Ethical leadership is characterized by honesty, integrity, altruism, trustworthiness and justice. Intrinsic motivation is also linked to non-monetary incentives and leadership style. Alignment of personal goals with organization goals is important. If everyone is working towards a common goal, it creates motivation. Transformational and supportive leadership helps. While giving them autonomy, learn to provide guidance as well. CSR also an impact on employees. Internal CSR is more effective than external CSR. Socially responsible conduct of company management is also crucial.

Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him. – Booker T. Washington

Human Resource Management. The quality of HR practices will have an effect on employee motivation. The appraisal process must be transparent too. HR can be an ambiguous part of an organization. Job rotation is important. However, it can lead to de-motivation if employees do not see that their skills are valued. The forced distribution method of appraisal can demotivate employees. It is a bell-curve method. The bell-curve is widely used. Important decisions should be made considering the individual case. Competition among co-workers might not be the smartest idea. Employee education can improve motivation. Specialized training are usually more useful. Professional qualifications determine employee satisfaction and motivation. Have fun in your work.

Employee Characteristics. Older workers are less concerned about long-term career development than younger workers. We cannot motivate older workers in the same way as younger people. At the start, extrinsic factors are more important. As we age, intrinsic factors are highly valued. Older people want to feel that their experience matters. Some of them are interested in passing on knowledge. Older people are fond of challenge and recognition motivations too. For managerial positions, intrinsic motivation is even more important. Gen Y (born between 1980 and 2000). They value the following factors: 1) Flexibility; 2) Work-life balance; 3) Coaching-based leadership; 4) Opportunity to develop; 5) Convenient social relationships.

Our colleagues have the power to instantly lift up our mood – be it a silly joke or a meaningful conversation. Never underestimate the impact of the people you are working with or your psychological well-being and motivation at work. – Anonymous

Social Factors. Healthy work relations are crucial for motivation. Social isolation and rejection should be avoided. Our colleagues do matter. Social bonding is important. If employees are talking too much, remind them to concentrate on their work. Pay attention to people who are neglected at work too. Learn about your colleague’s hobbies etc. If you are closer to your colleague, it will be easier to ask for favours too. There is always a social component to work.

Every single employee is partly responsible for the mutual organizational support and in this way for the motivational level of his or her colleagues at work. – Anonymous