Make a Wish List

Most of us know of New Year’s Resolutions, where one sets intentions for the year ahead. But too often, people make their resolutions     1    — “I will no longer eat biscuits left at my desk” — and then feel unhappy. In the cold month of January, the last thing you need is to     2     your energy further by setting up a series of battles with yourself. And if you break a resolution, you feel     3    , which is a rubbish way to start the year. What you need instead are things to look forward to.

So instead, try a wish list. This involves writing down 100 things you would like to do in the year ahead. The items can be enormous or tiny, ranging from “Climb Everest” to “buy a new pencil sharpener”. The main thing is that at some point it has     4     to you as something that you would like to do.

The key here is — write it down.

Do you feel any resistance to the ideas? If so, ask yourself why. What is wrong with     5     what you would like to do? Try not to say to yourself: “I can’t, I don’t have the money/time/energy/skills.” Just write it down. It helps to be     6    , so rather than “Get outdoors”,     7     a place you would like to visit. And take your time when creating it — a wish list is not built in a day. Think about it, polish it and     8     it.

Finally, you have your list. And what a work of beauty it is. Here are all the things that you would like to do. Remember to     9     them up where you can see them; let yourself consider how they can be accomplished. You’ll be amazed that so many of your dreams can be realized though the simple trick of writing them down and     10     to them.

Ways to Enhance Your Business

Anytime an organization introduces a new product into the market, there is a standard rate of adoption that occurs among customers. The question that organizations face when introducing new products is how they can accelerate the adoption rate. There are several proven ways to do this:

Communication

One of the     1     that organizations face with new products is that customers don’t know about them or understand what benefits they might bring. That’s why     2     a new product with a marketing and awareness campaign is so critical. Whether it’s built around word of mouth or     3     marketing, the goal is to make customers aware of the product so that you can increase the possibility that they will be willing to try it.

Observable benefit

TV infomercials often     4     some product that’s put to some odd test, like knives that cut tissue paper and tomatoes equally well. The point of these commercials is to demonstrate “observable benefit”. There is real value in helping your customers see the     5     benefits of using your new product. It is powerful to make those benefits clearly observable. For instance, we have a client whose businesses help fundraisers raise more money. To help increase the adoption rate, they offer customers the opportunity to upload their donor base for free so that they can     6     the list and determine how much more money they could raise with his system. That, then, creates an observable win and a strong promise to get someone to     7     the product over the long run.

Offer a free trial

Giving someone a 30-day free trial is a very powerful way to get them to use your product quickly and then,     8     , to continue using that product after the trial ends. Remember that trials lead to sales, which lead to repeat sales. So when you’re ready to     9     a new product into the market, look for ways to use these strategies to increase the rate at which your new and existing customers     10     to it. That’s when the real wins happen and where the money is.

How to tell if you’re living with ‘quiet stress’

The term “quiet stress” is gathering pace among experts. According to them, it’s an often     1     form of the more widely known version, which is characterized by visible     2    : swearing shouting, and anger.

“We quietly     3     our stress within: we don’t speak up about how we actually feel, because of which we become inactive. We stay in unhappy relationships and     4     jobs. We feel overwhelmed, yet ignore important tasks. Quiet stress creates a form of emotional paralysis (麻痹) that keeps us     5     in unhappy situations,” says Jillian Lavender, who runs the London Meditation Centre.

Cary Cooper, a professor of psychology and health at the University of Manchester, compares the effects of quiet stress to shrapnel (散弹): “You can learn to     6     your stress responses, but eventually the stress will emerge: as well as an immune system that stops working well, you may withdraw socially, isolate yourself and begin to engage in unhealthy     7     like comfort eating or drinking too much. Despite getting a bad reputation over the years, expressing anger of frustration is far healthier than smiling     8     while feeling quietly stressed.

A recent study from Stanford University in the US backs this theory up. The researchers found that seeing stress as a helpful part of dealing with life’s challenges, rather than as something to be avoided, was associated with better health,     9     wellbeing and productivity at work.

“Stress isn’t always harmful” said Kelly McGonigal, a business school lecturer at Stanford who worked on the study. “Once you     10     that going through stress makes you better at it, it can be easier to face each new challenge.”

People hold different views on almost anything, mainly because of the culture we are familiar with or the education we have received. We live in a/an     1     world where people are quick to point out the faults and imperfections of others, yet seem unaware of their own. Some misguided souls believe they have a duty to help you to be a better person by telling you what a failure you really are first and then offering suggestions as to how you can improve.

So what is the possible solution to criticism? If you are the one forcing others to feel     2     of themselves, STOP. Make a conscious decision rather than focus on the negative aspect of a person’s performance or     3    . You’ll offer helpful suggestions from the beginning. If I’m painting our living room and making a mess in doing so, I would like my husband to say to me, “This is a/an    4     job. Can I offer a suggestion that might make it easier for you?” rather than have him point out what a careless painter I am and then tell me how I should be doing it.

If you are on the receiving end of criticism, the “OK” response is a perfect solution. When someone comments     5     on a task you are doing or a personality issue of yours, a natural response is to defend and attack. However, this approach is rarely effective as it puts both parties on the defensive. Instead, simply reply with “OK”. This brief one-word response     6     the other person’s comment without agreeing with it or feeling necessary to engage in a debate about it.

It is important to remain emotionally attached to what the other person is saying, but to listen without feeling, to be a/an     7     observer. In fact, there is much that one can learn from a negative review. You can ask yourself: Did I make a mistake? Could I have done better? Did I give 100% of myself to the task at hand? If so, how can I improve myself? As for chronic (习惯性的) criticizers: It is important to set strict     8     with them. Remove yourself from their     9     when necessary.

In any case, one can learn to be “OK” with criticism and not allow it to negatively impact your life or relationship with the other party. Examine it for any potential     10    , and then let it go and just be “OK”.

Every employer knows that hiring the RIGHT people for the RIGHT job is an important organizational need. Not only you have the RIGHT people produce the     1    results, the organization also gains a reputation for hiring the RIGHT people.

Given the importance of this need – it     2    that the organization must have the RIGHT processes and talent attraction programs. Also what it needs are the right types of questions to ask the       3    employee during the interview process. Most employers I know have very elaborate questions and views on what they expect of their employees.

Naturally, it comes as easy to many employers during the interview process but how often are the interviews questions     4    to assess the skills and suitability based on performance alone?

Do you also ask questions about :

Employees’ likes and dislikes in terms of work. For example, he may be extremely good at writing proposals but he is     5     of doing them and prefers meeting people.

Employees’ preferred working style. I know of some very talented people who need a lot of     6     before they are willing to continue. Can you match your style with theirs?

Employees preferred work culture. If your company is hiring to look for a talent to change the culture, make sure the talent is ready to take on that     7    as an agent of change.

Employees’ model of teamwork. This is a soft skill that does not go hand in hand with every

    8    talent you are seeking to hire. If you are building a team and teamwork is critical – you have to make it a point to understand whether the potential employee is up to your     9    , through your questions which you must plan ahead.

Employees’ longer term aspirations. If you cannot fulfill the mid to longer term aspirations of the employees – you know that you can lose this employee after you have hired and trained him. So do not overlook this in your     10     to hire a talent to fill an immediate need.

Job seekers should know the rules of labor market before they try to find a proper job. Most career organizations     1     three stages for graduates to follow the process of securing a suitable career: recognizing abilities, matching these to available jobs and presenting them well to possible employers.

Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their abilities. One area of assessment should be of their     2     qualifications, which include special skills within their subject area. Graduates should also consider their own values and attitudes. An honest assessment of personal interests and abilities such as creative skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful     3    .

The second stage is to study the opportunities which are available for employment. To do this, graduates can study job and     4     information in newspapers, or they can pay a visit to a careers office, write to friends or relatives who may already be     5     in a particular profession. After studying all the various     6    , they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers.

Good personal     7     is essential in the search for a good career. Job application forms should be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar of spelling errors. They should also prepare properly by finding out all they can about the possible employer. When     8     information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, as well as     9     their own abilities with the employer’s needs, explain why they are interested in a career with the     10     company and try to show that they already know something about the company and its activities. Interviewees should try to give positive answers and not be afraid of asking questions about anything they are unsure about.