Practice The ABC Method

“The first law of success is concentration - to bend all the energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right or to the left.” -William Mathews

The more thought you invest in planning and setting priorities before you begin, the more important things you will do and the faster you will get them done once you get started. The more important and valuable the task is to you, the more you will be motivated to overcome procrastination and launch yourself into the job.

A Simple and Powerful Technique
The ABCDE Method is a powerful priority setting technique that you can use every single day. This technique is so simple and effective that it can, all by itself, make you one of the most efficient and effective people in your field. The power of this technique lies in its simplicity. Here’s how it works: You start with a list of everything you have to do for the coming day. Think on paper. You then place an A, B, C, D or E before each item on your list before you begin the first task.

Determine Your Top Priorities
An "A" item is defined as something that is very important. This is something that you must do. This is a task for which there can be serious consequences if you do it or fail to do it, like internal milestone delivery or finishing a report for your boss. These are the frogs of your life.

If you have more than one "A" task, you prioritize these tasks by writing A-1, A-2, A-3, and so on in front of each item. Your A-1 task is your biggest, ugliest frog of all.

Decide On Your Secondary Tasks
A "B" item is defined as a task that you should do. But it only has mild consequences. These are the tadpoles of your work life. This means that someone may be unhappy or inconvenienced if you don't do it, but it is nowhere as important as an "A" task.
Returning an unimportant telephone message or reviewing your email would be a "B" task. The rule is that you should never do a "B" task when there is an "A" task left undone. You should never be distracted by a tadpole when there is a big frog sitting there waiting to be eaten.

Analyze The Consequences of Doing It
A "C" task is defined as something that would be nice to do, but for which there are no consequences at all, whether you do it or not. "C" tasks include phoning a friend, having coffee or lunch with a coworker or completing some personal business during work hours. This sort of activity has no affect at all on your work life.

After you have applied the ABC Method to your list, you will now be completely organized and ready to get more important things done faster. Start On Your A-1 Task The key to making this ABC Method work is for you to now discipline yourself to start immediately on your "A-1" task and then stay at it until it is complete.

Use your willpower to get going and stay going on this one job, the most important single task you could possibly be doing. Eat the whole frog and don’t stop until its finished completely. Your ability to think through, analyze your work list and determine your "A-1" task is the springboard to higher levels of accomplishment, and greater self-esteem, self-respect and personal pride. When you develop the habit of concentrating on your "A-1," most important activity, you will start getting more done than any two or three people around you.

Action Exercises
Review your work list right now and put an A, B, or C next to each task or activity. Select your A-1 job or project and begin on it immediately. Discipline yourself to do nothing else until this one job is complete. Practice this ABC Method every day and on every work or project list, before you begin work, for the next month. By that time, you will have developed the habit of setting and working on your highest priority tasks and your future will be assured!

Time Management

There were 4 professors of Psychology, waiting for a train to come. Just then the train arrived and all the 4 professors rushed inside, only to realize that the train will depart after an hour. While wait at the railway platform, sipping the cup of tea, they started a discussion and did not realize the time.

One of the professors realized that the train has started moving and he ran and he caught the train. Seeing this, the second professor too caught the train. Seeing the second professor catch the train, the third one somehow managed to catch the pole of the last compartment and was able to catch the running train.

And the train, left the station. The fourth professor was left high and dry and the train departed. He started crying vehemently, “I missed my train, I missed my train.” One passerby asked him why he was crying so loud and reassured him that after 20 minutes, one more train would come and go to the same destination where he had to go. And this professor said, “It was me who had to travel in that train, the three professors who had caught the train had actually come to see me off.”

Friends although the three professors were successful in catching the running train, they all caught the wrong train. Just because you are you catch a running train does not mean you have caught the RIGHT train and it also does not mean that you are successful.

In my experience, I have observed a lot of what WE CAN DO and SHOULD NOT DO to increase our daily results. Time management is not necessarily working "HARDER", but rather, "SMARTER” and "SHARPER". To achieve something significantly more in our day, we need not increase our efforts or the numbers of hours put in.

Just look at somebody winning an Olympic Race. The person who wins the race gets a Gold Medal and the runner up gets a Silver Medal. The Gold Medalist wins the gold medal not because he ran twice as fast or twice as far then the Silver Medalist, but, it was just a “nose ahead”.

Friends, this is what we need to do with our daily lives. We need not run twice as fast or put in twice the effort to significantly increase our daily success. We only need to be a "nose ahead" of where we already are.

We are all productive in our days. We would not survive the demands of this world if we were not. The real challenge is how much more productive can we become? A lot of our Time Management has to do more with what we are not doing rather than what we are doing.

So, now is the Right Time to do The Right Thing, sit for a while and find out what are you not doing now that you should or you must be doing, and start doing that. Ask yourself one question, “Are you working HARD, in the RIGHT Direction or are you just working Hard.”

All is Not Lost

A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament.

Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches.
The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match.

Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.

"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm." The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

Moral of the Story:

"Sometimes we feel that we have certain weaknesses and we blame god, the circumstances and our self for it but we never know that our weakness can become our strength one day. Each of us is special and important, so never think you have any weakness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the best out of it!"

Paganini and one string

Life is like a cup of coffee, Sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, Important thing is who you drink it with."

Niccolo Paganini, a colourful and gifted violinist of the nineteenth-century was standing before a packed house, playing through a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surronded him with full support. Suddenly, one string on his violin snapped and hung gloriously down from his instrument.

Beads of perspiration popped out of his forehead. He frowned but continued to play, improvising beautifully. To the conductor's surprise, a second string broke. And shortly after, a third. Now there were three limpstrings dangling from Paganini's violin as the master performer completed the difficult composition on the remaining one string. The audience jumped to its feet and in good Italian fashion filled the hall with shouts of "Bravo! Bravo!"

As the applause died down, the violinist asked the people to sit back down. Even though they knew there was no way they could expect an encore, they quietly sank back to their seats. He held the violin up high for every one to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore and then turned back to the crowd. With a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and shouted, "Paganini and one string!"

After that he placed the single-string Stradivarius beneath his chin and played the final piece on one string as the audience shook their heads in silent amazement.

Our life may very well be filled with troubles, worries,disappointments and what not. Frankly, we spent most of the time concentrating and fretting over the strings that snap, dangle and pop the things that can't be changed!

Are you still agonizing over your snapped strings in life?

Is the one string that you are left with being played out of tune?

If so, may I encourage you to look not back, press on, and start playing the single string again.
Let it yield a sweet, winesome melody that the world needs so desperately. You can if you will.

7 Principles of an Eagle

Eagles were the symbol of almost all conquerors, be it Caesar or Hitler. The reason is !!

1. Eagles fly alone at a high altitude and do not mix with sparrows or other smaller birds like geese. Birds of a feather flock together. No other bird goes to the height of the eagle. Eagles fly alone. Never in a flock. Even when Moses (Old Testament ) went to commune with God on the mountain, he left the crowd at the foothills. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly alone.
2. Eagles have strong vision, which focuses upto 5 kilometres from the air. When an eagle sites prey- even a rodent from this distance, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacle, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

   Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not eat dead things. He feeds on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals but not eagles. Steer clear of outdated and old information.

   Do your research well, always.

4. The Eagle is the only bird that loves the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the wings of the storm to rise and is pushed up higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle stops flapping and uses the pressure of the raging storm to soar the clouds and glide. This gives the eagle an opportunity to rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees.

   We can use the storms of our lives (obstacles, trouble, etc) to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

5. The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases until he reaches it and has to catch it before it falls to the ground, then bring it back to the female eagle. The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a much higher altitude pursued by the male, until she perceives it high enough, and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of picking the twig which shows commitment, then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her!

   Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

6. Eagles prepare for training. When about to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach; the male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth picks thorns and lays them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns, and then flies back to pick rugs to put on the grass. When this first layering is complete, the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass and rugs and lays them on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts.

   The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

7. When the Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out.

   We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us add no value to our lives.

Positive Spirit

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone.
He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits.


The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation:
The boy asked, "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
The woman replied, "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
"Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now." replied boy.
The woman responded that she was very satisfied with the person who was presently cutting her lawn. The little boy found more perseverance and offered, "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of North Palm beach,Florida."

Again the woman answered in the negative. With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.

The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy and said,
"Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
The little boy replied, "No thanks, I was just checking my performance and the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to !!!