How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem – and that that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve. No leads. No options. No solutions.

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain – large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you’re hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.

But rejoice! There might be some hope yet!

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to the problem. And, you must be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.

Number one; maybe the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral solving the problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.

Not trying to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain any stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.

Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have the words of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

Number three; try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that from them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.

Number four; although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, tried to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for chinks in the armor of that solution.

Number five; it pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem.

Number six; remember that old adage,” two heads are better than one.” That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you’re talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don’t have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better.

Number seven; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.

Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.

Here is one example.

Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind at the center. Now look at that word then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a tree of related words. This helps you build analogical skills, and fortify your creative processes.

So, next time you see a problem you think you can not solve, think again. The solution might just be staring you right in the face. All it takes is just a little creative thinking, some planning, and a whole lot of work.

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…

A – Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B – Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K – keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.
L – Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?

M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S – Stop procrastinating.

T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V – Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

Is your personal life in an uproar, how is your self esteem? Everyone always has room for improvement; yet, some of us need more than others do.

There are ways to improve yourself once you ask yourself “what do I need to do to improve.” Maybe sitting down and writing a list of things that you don’t like about yourself could help. Make sure you prioritize them making the most important one on top and the less important on the bottom. Everyday work on this list checking off each one as you feel it is getting better. Remember don’t stop improving them just because you’ve put a check beside it. It takes time to make changes but you can do it.

Are you working full or part time, if not volunteer if need be? Get busy and don’t just lie around the house doing nothing. Keeping busy and helping others always helps. By helping others, you learn that someone else in the world has it worse than you do. A job always helps especially if you are stressed out about paying a bill and there is no money to pay. Every dollar you make is one dollar more than you had yesterday.

Volunteer to work at the library a couple of hours a day or maybe just one day a week. The nearest hospital is probably in need of a volunteer if nothing just to talk to the ones that are alone and no one comes to see them. Helping others always makes you feel better especially if you can see they enjoyed or benefited from it.

Take a little time out of each day for yourself. You can’t be any good to other people if you don’t take care of yourself. Draw a bathtub of bubbles and relax, go for a walk alone or maybe go to the library and read, bring a book home to read and relax. A little something for yourself each day really helps to relax you and it can make you feel better.

How about doing a little exercising; if you’re not already doing it try it and see how it helps relieve stress. After a while, you’ll notice how you will look forward to exercising alone or with a friend. If you walk with a friend don’t talk about your problems, keep the pace up and talk about the weather or maybe something you’re going to do for your tomorrow. Eventually you’ll notice how much better you feel getting out and taking care of yourself.
Do you watch much TV? Sometimes the news can make a person depressed but then again it can be educational and give you something to discuss with friends or family. Watch the weather and when you’re walking talk, about what is supposed to happen tomorrow; will it rain or snow. The news makes a good conversation when talking to other people.

Go out and visit someone once a week maybe. Get out of the house and be with a friend other than cleaning house when you’re at home. If you don’t have, many friends go make some new ones. Meeting friends is something you can do when you’re volunteering your time; when at the library talk to the librarian when you are checking out that book. New friends can be anywhere if you’re willing to talk. Don’t be afraid if you don’t make a new one every time you talk to someone; just is, yourself and someone else will be there to be the friend you need or want in your life.

Remember life is short, if you need a little improvement here and there, that’s ok. No one is perfect and you can only change the quality of life you have.

A feeling of fulfillment is something we all seek. Here I would like to address this in a way that many of you already know at some level but which I feel is necessary to highlight.

If we look at the word “fulfillment” itself we find the concept of being “filled full”. I would like to show you that indeed this is literally what it means to be fulfilled.

If you wish, for a moment, think of something that makes you feel happy. Imagine this thing being in your life whenever you desire it. As you do this allow yourself to note how you begin to feel inside of yourself. Also notice where you feel these feelings.

Now if you followed closely I think many of you will likely have felt some or all of the following: feelings of joy, happiness, lightness, inner peace and contentment, buoyancy, and a feeling of expansiveness throughout some or all of your body.

Now, although many of you have likely felt something like this before have you ever stopped to consider what is actually happening here? On reflection I think you will likely agree that you are feeling more alive, more present, feeling more fully, and more fully in your body.

I think that you will likely also agree that this is what you mean by feeling “fulfilled”.

So let’s look at what we’ve just said. To be fulfilled means to feel yourself “fully in your body”! Does this sound strange to you? For instance, if one is feeling fully in one’s body when one is feeling fulfilled then what state are they in when they are not feeling fulfilled?

Well that is an important question because it clearly suggests that one is “not” fully in one’s body when one is not feeling fulfilled. Now I know that many regularly and metaphorically use the expression “you need to get into your body” in daily jargon. Here however I am going to stress the “literal” use of this expression rather than the metaphorical one.

What do I mean by this? Well the feeling of fulfillment which is associated with “feeling fully in one’s body” is actually an experience of one’s spiritual self occupying fully the body that belongs to them. In other words living fully within their body.

The fact that many individuals do not feel fulfilled means that their spiritual self is “not” living fully within their physical body. It’s like they have one foot in this life and one foot somewhere else.

Now I know that many will say that this is a normal and acceptable state to be in. If that is true then why is it that it is accompanied with such an undesirable feeling of unfulfillment? Additionally, why is it that living “fully” within one’s body is associated with a desirable and pleasurable state of fulfillment?

Is it perhaps that we were meant to live fully within our physical bodies, supporting them fully in health. In another article (see “Do You Love Your Body?”) I discuss this more fully.

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is a Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called “Spirituality And Science” (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of “Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation” (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.
Business URL #1: http://www.telecoaching4u.com

“The only thing it takes 365 days to change is a year” – Hypnotherapist David Block

“If at any time you make a mistake and want to change your selection, press the star key on the telephone pad.” – AMC 20 Movie Theater recording

Both of the above quotes imply a radical shift in popular thinking about change. They imply that changes can be made quickly, and don’t have to take a long, long time.

I am constantly searching for the very best “change tools” I can find to help the people with whom I work. I look for tools that offer rapid and effective change, and meet at least three criteria:

1) Simple – any one can use them

2) Profound – they work quickly and they last

3) Dependable – they work just about every time

Recently a friend shared with me a wonderful quote from professional speaker Brian Tracy that meets all these criteria and has the potential to be a very rapid and effective change tool. Here’s the quote, in the form of a question:

“If you were starting over today, what would you do differently? Whatever your answer, start doing it now.”

All of us would like to have a chance for a “do over” in some area of our lives. Well, maybe in many areas. Although we cannot change the past, this question offers great direction for making both the present and the future more like we would want it to be.

Let’s look at several areas of our lives and some questions about what we might do over, and then start doing now.

In the area of relationships, would you:

Be closer to those around you?
Stay in touch with people?
Let those close to you know how much you value them?

In the area of family, would you:

Spend more time with them?
Go more places with them?
Throw out the ridiculous notion of quality time and replace it with quantify time?

In the area of marriage, would you:

Learn how to communicate more effectively?
Make sure, on a regular basis, that your spouse knows they are #1 with you?
Honor and cherish them. Remember those words?
Ask your self, what am I contributing to making this a cool place to be?

In the area of education, would you:

Go back to school?
Find out about something you’ve always wanted to know?
Take a class you’ve always wanted to take?
Take the time to get really good at something?

In the area of health, would you:

Get in and stay in the best shape you can?
Get rid of some extra pounds? Remember, there’s overweight people and there’s old people, but there’s not a whole lot of old overweight people.
Eat in a way that supports you?

In the area of finances, would you:

Design a life instead of just making a living?
Keep track of where the money goes?
Work and live within a budget?
Put away something for the future on a regular basis?

In the area of attitude, would you:
Pay attention to yours?
Model an attitude you would want friends and family to model?
Find something positive in almost any situation?

I’m certain there are other areas of your life that you can apply this question. Remember folks, life is not a dress rehearsal, although most of us act like it is.

Here’s the question again,

“If you were starting over today, what would you do differently? Whatever your answer, start doing it now.”

Don’t get caught up and stuck in “I wish I coulda-shoulda-woulda.” Focus on what you can do now, and simply and profoundly, go do it.

One of the major reasons why we fail to find happiness or to create unique lifestyle is because we have not yet mastered the art of being.

While we are home our thoughts are still absorbed with solving the challenges we face at the office. And when we are at the office we find ourselves worrying about problems at home.

We go through the day without really listening to what others are saying to us. We may be hearing the words, but we aren’t absorbing the message.

As we go through the day we find ourselves focusing on past experiences or future possibilities. We are so involved in yesterday and tomorrow that we never even notice that today is slipping by.

We go through the day rather than getting something from the day. We are everywhere at any given moment in time except living in that moment in time.

Lifestyle is learning to be wherever you are.

It is developing a unique focus on the current moment, and drawing from it all of the substance and wealth of experience and emotions that it has to offer.

Lifestyle is taking time to watch a sunset.

Lifestyle is listening to silence.

Lifestyle is capturing each moment so that it becomes a new part of what we are and of what we are in the process of becoming.

Lifestyle is not something we do; it is something we experience. And until we learn to be there, we will never master the art of living well.

In this article, I invite you to ask your self the question asked by Marilyn Scott in the popular jazz song “If Today were the Last of All Days.”

Here’s the question:

“If today were the last of all days, would you………….”:

start the business you have always wanted to

take that special trip you had always planned

heal an old hurt

forgive an old offense

visit someone who would love to see you

reconnect and catch up with an old friend

see a sight you have dreamed of seeing

learn how to do something new

go on an adventure

ask someone to forgive you

learn how to communicate with your spouse

learn how to communicate with your kids

learn how to communicate with your parents

thank your parents

make love with your spouse like you mean it

tell someone how much you love them

see a movie or read a book

quit sweating the small stuff

finally get it that it’s almost all small stuff

tell someone how much you appreciated what they contributed to your life

thank someone for believing in you

gather your family around you and just hold them

get your priorities in order

finish that project you left hanging

consider what the meaning of your life has been

focus on what’s important

balance your family and work life

get to know your kids

get to know your spouse

get to know your self

let someone in front of you in traffic

find out the names of the people who live next door, across the street, behind you

slow down and enjoy what you have worked so hard for.

Here’s my question – what’s keeping you from doing any or all of these things now?

Now here’s my ridiculously simple suggestion – one of the best ways to begin designing and living the life of your dreams is to start doing these things now, today! Why wait for “the last of all days” or some equally devastating event? This life is not a dress rehearsal.

You can probably come up with many more of your own “someday I’ll………….” I encourage you to do so.

I’ll close with the last line of the Marilyn Scott song:
“doesn’t it seem strange we would only start living our lives,
if today were the last of all days?”

People have a tendency of anticipating pending change on the assumption that it will be bad. Such focus on the negatives contribute to unnecessary fears of change, even when there is really not much, if anything, to fear. Sometimes that fear can be inflamed by self doubt; doubts of our own ability to deal with this new situation that is about to befall us.

As such fears are usually unfounded, then hopefully it should not be too difficult to cure our fears of change? Well, that depends on the individual. A group of people facing the same change will react and anticipate in very different ways. It is helpful to understand that life always comprises ups and downs. Nobody can be forever happy, forever in a state of perfection; the world changes and your little world changes. Those who fare the best are those who feed off the changes rather than run from them, or confront them in wasteful defiance; the tide of change will not stop because of you.

As with all experiences in life, you should try to learn from your experiences of change; before, during, and after. Experience and knowledge make for a fuller person, so here is an opportunity to take another step towards your personal maturity. I know from my personal experiences that what appear to be bad events, bad changes, can often lead to something far better.

There are some ancient beliefs which lead us to believe that every single event in our lives, little or large, happens with a pre-determined reason. They also taught that life, somehow, prepares us for certain events that will come later. Whether or not you can believe that does not really matter; what matters is that you view each event as something to be learnt from, not hide from or go into denial about. If it’s happened, it’s happened; we need to deal with it; we need to deal with the reality it has caused.

Throughout my life I have had the usual setbacks that many endure at one time or another; each time, something better followed, or I took with me significant and useful memories. During 1998/99, though, a whole succession of setbacks, in my personal and business life, really shook me; one after another, with no relief. I lost count; maybe there were 7 or 8. On one hand, I was suffering because of the setbacks. Each was significant, but together, they were reaching the core of my life in England. On the other hand, I was excited, wondering what all this meant. As the dust settled, I knew what it was all about. I was being released to follow my dreams. So, that’s what I did.

If you have a problem dealing with a certain change in your life, and understanding what it actually means, here are a few tips that might help you:

1. Try to think only of the positive effects that will result from the change. Use meditation to see how important they are. While meditating, focus on how to get the most from the positive benefits. Then take it further: where could those benefits lead to that will enhance your life still further.

2. Imagine the worse case scenario after the change. Be realistic, and don’t be lured into fantasy land to punish yourself. Now use meditation again to find solutions to any problems that may be caused by the change. That way, you will be ready for anything.

3. If you are feeling as though this change is going to affect you more than anyone, then imagine someone else in the same situation; maybe a friend of yours. You will probably find that they will handle it better than you in your imagination. This may help you to handle it better too.

4. As you go to sleep each night, imagine yourself after the change has happened: calm, relaxed, confident and happy. You have got through the change as if it did not happen, or as if it were very trivial. As you wake up, think over the same things in the same way again. You may be surprised at how well your subconscious will prepare you for the impending change.

Change? What change?

That’s right, your evolution to maturity.

(Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Two Day Weekend event – June 22 and 23, 2001)

1) First, life is worthwhile if you LEARN.

What you don’t know WILL hurt you. You have to have learning to exist, let alone succeed. Life is worthwhile if you learn from your own experiences, negative and positive. We learn to do it right by first sometimes doing it wrong. We call that a positive negative. We also learn from other people’s experiences, both positive and negative. I’ve always said it is too bad failures don’t give seminars. We don’t want to pay them so they don’t tour around giving seminars. But the information would be very valuable – how someone who had it all, messed it up. Learning from other people’s experiences and mistakes.

We learn by what we see – pay attention. By what we hear – be a good listener. Now I do suggest being a selective listener, don’t just let anybody dump into your mental factory. We learn from what we read. Learn from every source. Learn from lectures, learn from songs, learn from sermons, learn from conversations with people who care. Keep learning.

2) Life is worthwhile if you TRY.

You can’t just learn; you now have to try something to see if you can do it. Try to make a difference, try to make some progress, try to learn a new skill, try to learn a new sport. Life is worthwhile if you try. It doesn’t mean you can do everything but there are a lot of things you can do, if you just try. Try your best. Give it every effort. Why not go all out?

3) Life is worthwhile if you STAY.

You have to stay from spring until harvest. If you have signed up for the day or for the game or for the project – see it through. Sometimes calamity comes and then it is worth wrapping it up. And that’s the end, but just don’t end in the middle. Maybe on the next project you pass, but on this one, if you signed up, see it through.

4) Life is worthwhile if you CARE.

If you care at all you will get some results, if you care enough you can get incredible results. Care enough to make a difference. Care enough to turn somebody around. Care enough to start a new enterprise. Care enough to change it all. Care enough to be the highest producer. Care enough to set some records. Care enough to win.

Four powerful little words: learn, try, stay and care. What difference can you make in your life today by putting these four words to work?

It’s so difficult to go on when everything seems to fail, isn’t
it?  Are there times in your life when you really want to call
it “quits” because you just can’t see any good results from all
the hard work you’ve done?

Hold your horses!

Never ever think of giving up.  Winners never quit and quitters
never win.  Take all negative words out of your mental dictionary
and focus on the solutions with utmost conviction and patience.
The battle is never lost until you’ve abandon your vision.

But what if you’re really exhausted physically, mentally, and
most of all emotionally?  Here are some sources of motivation
to prompt you in reaching the peak of accomplishment.

1)  The Overwhelming Feeling of Attaining your Desired End

How would you feel after accomplishing your mission?  Of course
you will feel ecstatic.  You might be shedding tears of joy.  Let
this tremendous feeling sink in and encourage you to persist
despite all odds.

When I was studying for the Board Exams, I used this technique
to motivate me.  I would envision the sweetness of folks calling
me a CPA.  It would command respect.  People will look up to
me as a higher level of authority.  And I would have better
chances of finding a good job.  I absorbed all these great
perceptions into my inner being in order to achieve my ultimate
goal.

2)  The Reward System

How would you feel if you’ve entered a contest, but there are no
prizes for the winners?  It’s not very encouraging, isn’t it?

The same principles apply to your vision.  Reward yourself after
accomplishing a goal.  Set a particular incentive for every
objective.

Let’s say if you’ve achieved a particular task, you’ll treat
yourself to your favorite restaurant.  When you’ve finished
a bigger task, you’ll go on a vacation.

Got the idea?

Just set something gratifying to indulge in after completing
a certain undertaking.

3)  The Powerful Force of Humanity

If you want to succeed, surround yourself with the right
kind of people who will support and encourage you all the
way.

Be with people who have the same beliefs and aspirations as
yours.  Positive aura is generated by this fusion of
collective energy from people of “like minds.”

On the contrary, being with people who oppose your ways of
thinking may trigger a negative, yet very powerful, kind of
motivation.

Has anyone ever said to you that “You’ll never get anywhere”
or “You’re wasting your time with what you’re doing?”

Didn’t it made you furious and determined enough to prove to
them how wrong they were?  This is what I’m talking about.

When aggravated, you will do anything to make those who are
against you swallow their words.  But of course, your main
focus should be on the accomplishment of your goal and not
for the purpose of revenge.  Never let your emotions toward
others alter your main objective.

4)  Take Care Of Your Health

Exercise regularly.  Fill your brains with enough oxygen to
allow you to do your daily tasks with more vigor and energy.

Take regular breaks if time allows.  Having the will power
to continue despite all hardships is extremely important, but
you should still know your limits.

If you don’t take enough rest, you will not be able to think
clearly and you will not be able to do your tasks properly.
In the process, you will just get more frustrated.

Take sufficient sleep and recharge yourself after a hard day’s
work.  Never, ever ignore your health.  I’ve learned my lesson
when I sacrificed my health for the sake of success.   I’ve
worked very long hours everyday and just got minimal sleep.
As a result, I became ill.

It’s not worth it.  Success won’t matter if you don’t have
good health to enjoy it.

Fire up your motivation and live life to the fullest!