Alex research/student foundation

Monday, 31 October 2011

STUDY APPROACHS

Know thyself: How your attitude to learning may affect your educational performance

There is a growing interest in understanding how people like you learn. As psychologists you will probably come across some of the research literature - particularly if you develop an interest in educational psychology. Here are some research findings that may help you understand your own approach to learning. Having read this section you may decide to change your approach to your studies, particularly if you think you are an extreme example of one of the categories. Ideally you should aim to develop an approach to your studies that draws upon the strengths of each style, whilst avoiding some of the more negative attributes. At the very least this page may help you understand why you are being exposed to a variety of learning experiences.

Can you identify your learning strategy?

A group of American researchers has suggested that there are five different types of learning strategy exhibited by adult learners. This is important because knowing what type of learner you are may help you understand how you can best utilize the learning resources and teaching experiences offered on your course.

The researchers administered a questionnaire (the Self-Knowledge Inventory of Lifelong Learning Strategies ) to 1,143 students in Alberta and used cluster analysis and group interviews to collect supplementary information to characterize learning patterns and preferences from representative students in each of the five types of learning strategies.

I have gone through the report and tried to extract a flavor of each learning strategy. You may recognise yourself in one of the groups. I have also tried to alert you to some of the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy. You already appreciate that your program of psychology courses utilize a variety of teaching techniques, ranging from conventional lectures to group work which involves cooperative work with other students.

You may already realize that you are more comfortable in some learning situations than others. For example, you may prefer lectures to working with other students in groups on a Case Report. The reason for this may be your personal learning strategy. If you can begin to understand how learning strategy interacts with particular teaching methods and experiences, you may be able to get more out of teaching situations that you don't personally feel at ease with. Don't give up on a particular type of teaching situation, try to understand what it offers you. It will almost certainly be a valuable educational experience that you would have rejected if left to your own devices and desires.

I am conscious that my description of the five learning strategies reads a bit like an astrology column in a newspaper. You may recognise yourself in one or several of the categories. I don't know if learning strategies are stable or change with time or situation - I bet they do. Nor do I know how well the categories would translate across cultures. But this research may help you & that's what matters in the long run.

You can read a report on this research online - Identifying groups of learners through the use of learning strategies by Kolody et al, 27th Annual SCUTREA conference proceedings 1997

Navigators locate and use the best information. They tend to plan a course for their studies and stick to it. They tend to structure or process information so that it can be better stored and retrieved. The researchers found that these tended to be the students with highest grade point average. A clear structure and organization of material is crucial for these people. If you are in this group you will probably be interested in the Aims and Learning Objectives for your course. You will probably be aware of the required reading for the course and the supporting web site. I would guess that you will do well on the exam at the end of the course, particularly the multiple choice section. But I do have a word of warning! Try to broaden your reading and discuss ideas with other students. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts are designed to give you jumping-off points for discussion. This will be particularly important in the second and third year of your course when you will be expected to show evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark?
Monitors tend to be older students who make learning plans, check to see if they are on task and compare their progress to their learning plan. This group tends to avoid distractions and set time aside for learning. They tend to rely on recommended learning resources, books etc. rather than discussions with fellow students. If you are in this group take heed of my comments to Navigators above.
Critical Thinkers use mental images and memories to facilitate problem solving. They like opportunities for individuality and creativity in assignments, as well as opportunities for hands-on learning and experimentation. This group of people place relatively little emphasis on memorization and do better on open-ended questions and problem-solving activities than answering factual questions. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. Fear not! Your time will come in the second and third years when much more emphasis is placed on your ability to show critical analysis of material and evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark?. I would urge you to take a look at the Aims and learning Objectives for your course and get a copy of the recommended text !
Engagers love to learn. They use lists to help memorization. They tend to do best when they are actively engaged in a meaningful way with the material and therefore excel on projects based on their individual interests. They tend to do well on group projects, particularly when the group dynamics reinforce the learning strategy of reward / enjoyment these people thrive on. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If you are lucky enough to belong to this group I expect you will pass the course with flying colors and you may have utilized the opportunity offered by the web site to explore supplementary material that especially interests you. A word of warning! Don't let your enthusiasm for a topic carry you away so that you don't have sufficient time to cover aspects of the course that are less interesting to you. Check that you have covered everything that may appear in the exam by referring to the Aims and learning Objectives for your course.
Networkers engage in lots of discussion and debate with other students. Interaction with students and lecturers is the key to learning for this group. They excel in brainstorming sessions, teamwork and discussion of opposing or different viewpoints. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts has probably sparked off this type of discussion. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of factual information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. You may have found that the various bars and clubs around Plymouth offer a more congenial atmosphere for your preferred learning strategy. But there is hope - you have just the sort of skills, aptitudes and approach to life that employers are crying out for. Believe me they want people who can relate to other people - the market for anoraked nerds who know all about how a fly finds its food and a mate is severely restricted. Your time will come, there are plenty of opportunities to work in groups during the three years you are on this course. Just make sure you get through the first year by using the web site for this course and take time out to study the syllabus for your course. Good luck & mine's a Guiness!

Some general points about approaches to learning

I'm not an educational psychologist but there are some generally accepted do's and don'ts. For example

Do adopt a Deep learning approach
Don't use a Surface or Shallow learning approach

Deep learning approach	Surface or shallow learning approach
Develop personal understanding	Reproduce content 'parrot-fashion'
Relate new information to previous knowledge and experience	Passive acceptance of ideas and information
Link ideas together using integrating principles	Lack of recognition of guiding concepts, principles & patterns
Relate evidence to conclusions	Focus learning on assessment requirements

How you view learning may affect your performance

Do you think that what you learn is under your own control and are you doing it because it is intrinsically rewarding? In other words do you view learning as self-regulatory and intrinsically rewarding? Or, do you think that lecturers are responsible for teaching you, and they they control the rewards and punishments in the learning situation? In other words do you view learning as externally controlled and extrinsically rewarding?
Research indicates that students who rely on self-regulation and intrinsic reward are more effective learners than those who believe learning is under external control and extrinsic reward. There is evidence that learners can improve their performance by modifying their beliefs about the forces that control their learning.

Self-Directed Learning: A Four Step Process
Self-Directed Learning can be challenging, even for the brightest and most motivated students. As a means of better understanding the processes involved in this mode of study, this Tip Sheet outlines key components of four key stages to independent learning – being ready to learn, setting learning goals, engaging in the learning process, and evaluating learning – and offers some tips for both faculty members and students.
Being Ready to Learn
Various skills and attitudes towards learning are required for successful independent study (See the CTE Teaching Tip on "Readiness to Learn" for more details). This step requires time for analysing a student’s current situation, study habits, family situation, and support network both at school and at home – and as they continue in the program, progress in degree program and past units taken that will prove useful. Signs of readiness for self-directed learning include being: autonomous, organised, self-disciplined, able to communicate effectively, and able to accept constructive feedback and engage in self-evaluation and selfreflection.
Setting Learning Goals
Communication of learning goals between a student and the advising faculty member is critical (See the CTE Teaching Tip on "Unit Planning Decision Guide"). Learning contracts are highly recommended tools for successful self-directed learning experiences (see example on CTE’s "Learning Contracts" Teaching Tip). Learning contracts generally include:

Goals for the unit of study
Structure and sequence of activities
A timeline for completion of activities
Details about resource materials for each goal
Details about grading procedures
A section for advising faculty member feedback and evaluation as each goal is completed
A plan for regular meetings with the advising faculty member and other unit policies, such as work turned in late

Once created, contracts should be assessed by the advising faculty member. What could go wrong? Is there too much or too little work? Is the timeline and evaluation reasonable?
Engaging in the Learning Process
Students need to understand themselves as learners in order to understand their needs as self-directed learning students (See the CTE Teaching Tip on "Understanding Your Learning Style"). Students should also consider answering the following questions:

What are my needs re: instructional methods?
Who was my favourite teacher? Why?
What did they do that was different from other teachers? Students should reflect on these questions throughout their program and substitute “teacher” with “advising faculty member”

Students also need to understand their approach to studying:

Deep approach involves transforming – to understand ideas for yourself; be able to apply knowledge to new situations and use novel examples to explain a concept; learn more than is required for unit completion – most ideal for self-directed learning.
Surface approach involves reproducing – to cope with unit requirements; learn only what is required to complete unit in good standing; tend to regurgitate examples and explanations used in readings.
Strategic approach involves organizing – to achieve the highest possible grades; learn what is required to pass exams; memorize facts as given in lecture; spend much time practicing from past exams; most concerned with whether material will appear on exam.

Earlier academic work may have encouraged a surface or strategic approach to studying. These approaches will not be sufficient (or even appropriate) for successful independent study. Independent study requires a deep approach to studying, in which students must understand ideas and be able to apply knowledge to new situations. Students need to generate their own connections and be their own motivators.
Evaluating Learning

Students must be able to engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation of learning goals and progress in a unit of study.
Students should regularly consult with the advising faculty member.
Students should be able to engage in self-validation of achievements, but should have the motivation to seek feedback on progress and ideas from the advising faculty member or other available resources.
Self-evaluation involves asking:
- How do I know I’ve learned?
- Am I flexible in adapting and applying knowledge?
- Do I have confidence in explaining material?
- When do I know I’ve learned enough?
- When is it time for self-reflection and when is it time for consultation with the advising faculty member?

Responsibilities in the four-step process

Successful independent study requires certain responsibilities or roles of both students and advising faculty members. The following is a brief list of the more important roles. It is useful for both students and advising faculty members to periodically review this list and communicate as to whether each feels the other is fulfilling their share of the responsibility.
Students’ Roles

Do self-assessment of readiness to learn
Define learning goals and develop learning contract
Do self-assessment and monitoring of learning process
Take initiative for all stages of learning process – need to motivate selves
Re-evaluate and alter goals as required during unit of study
Consult with advising faculty member as required

Advising Faculty Members’ Roles

Build a co-operative learning environment
Help to motivate and direct the students’ learning experience
Facilitate students’ initiatives for learning
Be available for consultations as appropriate during learning process
Serve as an advisor rather than formal instructor

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Core values
Core values arise out of what we believe to be important about people, about society and about learning and knowledge. Values inform and shape how the school is organised, how people relate to each other in school, as well as the content and processes of teaching and learning.
(Open image.)
Core values are:

'principles, fundamental convictions, ideals, standards or life stances which act as general guides to behaviour or as reference points in decision-making or the evaluation of beliefs or action' (Halstead J & Taylor M, Values in Education and Education in Values 1995)

A core value has many dimensions. These include spiritual, moral, social and cultural dimensions. Values are lived and experienced. Values can be understood intellectually, and they provide a framework for learning and personal development.
There are a number of core values which, in practice, most people and communities agree on and share. These can provide a basis for a school's 'shared values'.

Values help to realise vision

Values provide a key means through which a vision becomes part of the everyday life of a school. 'Values lie at the heart of the school's vision of itself as a community.' (NCC 1993)

Values can be articulated, lived and acknowledged, by all members of the school community in all aspects of community life.
All key school policies, including teaching and learning need to specifically address the school's shared core values.
It should be possible to track these values through all aspects of school life: leadership and management, finance, teaching and learning, curriculum, pastoral care and external relations.

Values matter

The important thing to remember is that all schools promote values all of the time.
In order to be professional and ethical it is important that school leaders are explicit about those values they hold to be most important. Without this clarity it may be that your school is promoting values which undermine things that you hold dear and which may run counter to what you hold to be most important (for example values imposed from outside the school).
At the very least, a lack of explicitness makes it harder to have shared vision and values.

Core values have different dimensions

Core values have a range of differing dimensions and are particularly related to citizenship issues, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and learning to learn:

Learning as a lifelong process: critical curiosity, making connections, challenge, making meaning
Spirituality: developing self-awareness, awareness of others awareness of the world around us, and for some, awareness of a God
Morality: commitment to living and behaving in certain ways
Social development: co-operation and emotional literacy
Cultural development: empathy and valuing difference
Personal development: self esteem, self efficacy, motivation for learning.

These dimensions are central to the personal and social development of learners. Personal development plus learning and achievement together constitute attainment.

Communities share core values

There are common values shared by all. It is possible for communities to agree on a set of core values that everybody shares. These are then 'our' values rather than values that are imposed from outside.
Common values are values that different groups in a society can agree upon. There is evidence that human communities across cultures share similar basic core values. Sometimes these shared values are known as 'virtues'. School communities can identify and agree a set of core values at a local level. These can therefore have the authority of consensus for that school and its community .
The National Curriculum carries a statement of agreed values formed from a consultation by the National Forum on Values in 1996. You can read this statement here.
In October 1996, The Institute for Global Ethics conducted a Global Values Survey at the State of the World Forum's annual meeting in San Francisco. The 272 participants represented 40 countries and more than 50 different faith communities. The same three values were within each respondents' top five in almost 60% of cases. A summary of this survey's results can be read here.

Perspectival values may differ

Values don't arise out of thin air. They emerge from shared worldviews and belief systems. Hence there are perspectival values which are drawn from particular religious and philosophical traditions.
Different religious and secular communities will have differing beliefs and worldviews which shape their understanding of the world. These religious and philosophical traditions offer particular perspectives on shared values.
For example, most communities will 'value others' in someway. A religious community might value other people because they believe each person is made in the image of God, whereas a secular community might value others because human beings are the highest form of life on earth, which all deserve to be given a voice. Most school communities will have a variety of worldview perspectives within them.
The National Forum on Values in Education and the Community in 1996 recognised that there is diversity in society about the belief systems that shape and inform our shared values. Most western schooling systems recognise and embrace diversity of types of educational provision within a common framework. Valuing difference at school and classroom level is an important aspect of values education and citizenship, and it is an important part of a healthy democratic society.

Core values underpin citizenship & PHSE

A community owned values framework is a key part of leadership for citizenship education and PHSE. The Citizenship Teachers Guide stresses the importance of 'clear whole-school values that have been discussed by all members of the school community'.

PERSONAL INTUITION

Your Subconscious: A Reservoir of Intuitive Wisdom

We all have access to a giant data bank containing all the information we could possibly need. This vast reservoir known as the subconscious contains stored memories, creativity, and wisdom. Wisdom in the form of an intuitive flash or insight comes from the subconscious. Your intuition operates to uncover the truth and wisdom within you. There are times when most people allow themselves to be spontaneous and allow pearls of wisdom to roll out.

Personal Growth Exercises

The logical mind, or thinker, would have a difficult time telling you exactly where the subconscious resides and the intuitive mind graphically show how the subconscious works.
Somehow the straight facts, and that the logical uses becomes “MORE”.

Inspired Intuition Quotes

Intuition is a wonderfully personal and unique experience. These intuition quotes reflect this wonderful diversity and describe this experience we all share. (For more information about intuition, see the other pages on this website!)
I hope these intuition quotes inspire you to listen to your "voice within" even more! Enjoy!

”Trusting you intuition means tuning in as deeply as you can to the energy you feel, following that energy moment to moment, trusting that it will lead you where you want to go and bring you everything you desire.”
Shakti Gawain
”Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.”
Mother Teresa
”There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action…Keep the channel open.”
Martha Graham
”All societies, ancient or modern, primitive or sophisticated, have guided themselves by values and goals rooted in the experience of ‘deep intuition’.”
Willis Harman
”A woman uses her intelligence to find reasons to support her intuition.”
G.K. Chesterton
"Intuition is neither the ability to engage prophesy nor a means of avoiding financial loss or painful relationships. It is actually the ability to use energy data to make decisions in the immediate moment.”
Carolyn Myss

Intuition - Clear Reflection
intuition-quotes-clear-reflection

”The goal for greater wisdom isn't to learn to use larger portions of your brain. It's about developing your intuition, your relationship with your Spirit part of you. As you become a better channel for your Spirit's communication with you, and you follow your Spirit's clear guidance, you access greater wisdom in your life. Using your intuition more is what activates greater portions of your brain and more of your wisdom.”
Karen Whitaker
”Man, surrounded by facts, permitting himself no surprise, no intuitive flash, no great hypothesis, no risk, is in a locked cell. Ignorance cannot seal the mind and imagination more securely.”
Albert Einstein
”You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”
Alan Alda
”It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It’s my partner.”
Jonas Salk
”The highest endeavor of the mind, and the highest virtue, is to understand things by intuition.”
Baruch Spinoza
”When we mistrust (intuition) or let it atrophy by persisting with exclusively rational-empirical thought patterns we end up tuning in with mono to a stereo world.”
Phillip Goldberg
”Thus, in a sense, mathematics has been most advanced by those who distinguished themselves by intuition rather than by rigorous proofs.”
Felix Klein
”We think what is at the heart of your dilemma is something that is at the heart of almost all dilemmas, and that is finding our own guidance and feeling confident in finding it. It’s alright for you to choose things that are different from what others are choosing. But you have to decide that it is alright. And you have to develop your own relationship with your own guidance, otherwise you’re upside down and all around, you’re sort of lost in the confusion of all of it.”
Abraham/Esther Hicks
”Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be Revelation.”
Eileen Caddy
"SETH said: Logic deals with exterior conditions, with cause and effect relationships. Intuitions deal with immediate experience of the most intimate nature, with subjective motions and activities that in your terms move far quicker than the speed of light, and with simultaneous events that your cause and effect level is far too slow to perceive.”
Jane Roberts
More Intuition Quotes...
”The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
Albert Einstein
”There are things so deep and complex that only intuition can reach it in our stage of development as human beings.”
John Astin
”Learn to let your intuition-gut instinct-tell you when the food, the relationship, the job isn’t good for you (and conversely, when what you’re doing is just right).”
Oprah Winfrey
”Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Steve Jobs
”If you were utterly following your inner guidance, you would always be reaching for the best memory or the best possible scenario. Following your bliss is following your inner guidance."
Abraham/Esther Hicks

I hope you liked these intuition quotes! Do you have any other favorite intuition quotes you would like to suggest for this site? Please send them to me !

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

SECRETS

Monday, 25 July 2011

Will Power and Self-Discipline

By Remez Sasson
Sometimes, you wish to go for a walk, knowing how good it is for your health and how wonderful you feel afterwards, but you feel too lazy, and prefer to watch TV instead. You might be aware of the fact that you need to change your eating habits or stop smoking, but you don't have the inner power and persistence to change these habits.
Does this sound familiar? How many times have you said, "I wish I had will power and self discipline"? How many times have you started to do something, only to quit after a short while? We all have had experiences like these.
Everyone possesses some addictions or habits they wish they could overcome, such as smoking, excessive eating, laziness, procrastination or lack of assertiveness. To overcome these habits or addictions, one needs to have will power and self discipline. They make a great difference in everyone's life, and bring inner strength, self mastery and decisiveness.

Definitions of Will Power and Self Discipline

Will power is the ability to overcome laziness and procrastination. It is the ability to control or reject unnecessary or harmful impulses. It is the ability to arrive at a decision and follow it with perseverance until its successful accomplishment. It is the inner power that overcomes the desire to indulge in unnecessary and useless habits, and the inner strength that overcomes inner emotional and mental resistance for taking action. It is one of the corner stones of success, both spiritual and material.
Self-discipline is the companion of will power. It endows with the stamina to persevere in whatever one does. It bestows the ability to withstand hardships and difficulties, whether physical, emotional or mental. It grants the ability to reject immediate satisfaction, in order to gain something better, but, which requires effort and time.
Everyone has inner, unconscious, or partly conscious impulses, making them say or do things they later regret saying or doing. On many occasions people do not think before they talk or act. By developing these two powers, one becomes conscious of the inner, subconscious impulses, and gains the ability to reject them when they are not for his/her own good.
These two powers help us to choose our behavior and reactions, instead of being ruled by them. Their possession won't make life dull or boring. On the contrary, you will feel more powerful, in charge of yourself and your surroundings, happy and satisfied.
How many times have you felt too weak, lazy or shy to do something you wanted to do? You can gain inner strength, initiative and the ability to make decisions and follow them. Believe me, it is not difficult to develop these two powers. If you are earnest and are willing to become stronger, you will certainly succeed.
In this article, you will find some exercises and techniques for developing these abilities. These simple, but effective exercises, can be performed everywhere and at any time. Go slowly and gradually, and you will see how you get stronger and your life start improving.
There is a misconception in the public mind regarding will power. It is erroneously thought to be something strenuous and difficult, and that one has to exert and tense the body and mind when expressing it. It is a completely wrong concept. This is one of the reasons why people avoid using it, though they are conscious of its benefits. They acknowledge the fact that the employment of will power in their life and affairs will greatly help them, and that they need to strengthen it, yet they do nothing about it.
Will power gets stronger by holding back and not allowing the expression of unimportant, unnecessary and unhealthy thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions. If this saved energy is not allowed expression, it is stored inside you like a battery, and it becomes available at the time of need. By practicing appropriate exercises, you develop your powers the same way, as a person who trains his/her muscles in order to strengthen them.

Developing Will Power and Self Discipline

An effective method for developing and improving these abilities is to perform certain actions or activities, which you would rather avoid doing due to laziness, procrastination, weakness, shyness, etc. Doing things that you usually do not like to do. or feel too lazy to do, you overcome your subconscious resistance, train your mind to obey you, strengthen your inner powers and gain inner strength. Muscles get stronger by resisting the power of the barbells. Inner strength is attained by overcoming inner resistance.
Remember, strengthening one of these abilities, automatically strengthens the other one.

Here are a few exercises:

1) You are sitting in a bus or train and an old man or woman, or a pregnant lady walks in. Stand up and give up your seat, even if you prefer to stay seated. Act so, not just because it is polite, but because you are doing something that you are reluctant to do. This is an exercise in overcoming the resistance of your body, mind and feelings.

2) There are dishes in the sink that need washing, and you postpone washing them for later. Get up and wash them now. Do not let your laziness overcome you. When you know that in this way you are developing your will power, and if you are convinced of the importance of will power in your life, it will be easier for you to do whatever you have to do.
3) You come home tired from work and sit in front of the T.V., because you feel too lazy and too tired to take a shower first. Do not succumb to the desire to sit in front of the T.V, and go and take a shower.
4) You may know your body needs some physical exercise, but instead you keep on sitting doing nothing or watching a movie. Get up and walk, run or do some other physical exercise.
5) Do you like your coffee with sugar? If you do, then for one whole week drink it without sugar. Do you drink three cups of coffee each day? If you do, then drink only two cups a day for one whole week.
6) Sometimes, when you want to say something that is not important, decide not to say it.
7) Don't read some unimportant gossip in the newspaper, even if you want to.
8) You have a desire to eat something not too healthy. For the sake of the exercise refuse the desire.
9) If you find yourself thinking unimportant, unnecessary, negative thoughts, try to develop a lack of interest in them, by thinking about their futility and uselessness.
10) Overcome your laziness. Convince yourself of the importance of what is to be done. Convince your mind that you gain inner strength when you act and do things, in spite of laziness, reluctance or senseless inner resistance.
Never say that you cannot follow the above exercises, because you certainly can. Be persistent no matter what. Motivate yourself by thinking about of the importance of performing the exercises, and the inner power and strength you will gain.
Trying to attempt too many exercises when you are still a beginner, might end in disappointment. It is better to start with a few easy exercises at first, and then gradually increase their number and move to the more difficult exercises.
Most of these exercises can be practiced anywhere and at anytime, and you don't have to devote special times for them. They will train and develop your inner strength, enabling you to use it whenever you need it.
If you practice weight lifting, running or aerobics, you strengthen your muscles, so that when you need to move or carry something heavy, for example, you have the strength for it. By studying French each day, you will be able to speak French when you travel to France. It is the same with will power and self-discipline; by strengthening them, they become available for your use whenever you need them.
If for the sake of an exercise, you stop doing something that you usually do, and overcome the inner resistance concerning it, you may resume doing it, if it is not harmful. For example, if you love drinking orange juice, and for the sake of an exercise you switch to drinking apple juice, after doing so for some time, and after it makes no great difference to you, you may go back to drinking orange juice, if you still like it. The point here is to develop inner strength, not making life difficult for you or continue doing things you don't like to do.

Benefits of Possessing Strong Will Power and Self Discipline

You need these skills to control your thoughts, improve your concentration, and to become the boss of your mind. The stronger these skills are, the more inner strength you possess.
Being the master of your mind you enjoy inner peace and happiness. External events do not sway you, and circumstances have no power over your peace of mind. This might sound too unreal for you, but experience will prove to you that all the above is true.
These skills are vital for achieving success. They give you more control over your life, help you change and improve habits, and are essential for self improvement, spiritual growth and meditation.
Practice the exercises presented here earnestly and persistently, and your life will start changing.
self-control, overcome laziness and procrastination, and become more decisive and assertive, you need to read the book "Willpower and Self Discipline".

You will find in this book full guidance and instructions to help you attain inner mastery and inner power. You will also find a lot of practical information, advice and powerful exercises that you can practice at any time you want and at any place.

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

PREPARING FOR OPPORTUNITIES

Ready, fire, aim…today’s top executives know that they have to prepare for opportunity before it arrives. QS TopExecutive editor, Dawn Bournand, takes a look at the key to moving your career forward and getting it on the fast track.

Turn on the television set, surf over to your favourite online news channel or pick up the local newspaper and you are bound to read or hear about the doom and gloom of the economy and the continuing financial chaos that goes along with it. What would happen though if you decided to tune all of that noise out and focus on what is going right? How would it change your career if you decided to look at life as an endless flow of opportunities coming your way? Once you realize that preparing for that next door to open is your best bet, how do you go about doing it? How do you prepare for opportunity before it even knocks?

For many successful professionals today, the first big step they take into that unknown realm of possibility is signing up for an Executive MBA. This is one action that shows your superiors, your colleagues and even your friends that you are optimistic enough about your future to invest both your time and money into preparing for what is ahead. According to Bernie Zanck, Director of Recruitment and Admissions at the Chicago Booth Executive MBA program, “Our approach to business education prepares our students for all possibilities. Graduates leave equipped with a mastery of business fundamentals and a global network of friends and colleagues. They emerge with a new way of interpreting the world now and beyond, transforming how they think, how they network and how they impact.”

Have a plan
Setting yourself up for professional success isn’t something that happens overnight. Most high-level executives will tell you they took the time to plan out their path. Sure, they may have gotten a lucky break or two along the way but as Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favours the prepared mind”. Joan Coonrod, Assistant Dean of Executive MBA admissions and marketing at Emory University’s, Goizueta Business School agrees, “You must prepare yourself for a life-long career, and build career resilience into your planning. It’s not just about moving up-it’s about moving laterally when necessary and building a wide enough “base of value” to make you more marketable. You need to be able to navigate the uncertainty that has become a contestant in high level careers.”

Establishing the roadmap to where you want to go and then taking small steps in that direction on a daily basis is essential for creating opportunities. As Francis Petit, Associate Dean for Executive MBA Programs at Fordham University, Graduate School of Business Administration sees it, “I strongly believe that individuals do not spend enough time planning for their future. We live in a "wired" world in which all of our stakeholders want instant responses and gratification. Everything in our lives has moved into the "priority pile". However, planning takes not only time to strategize but also time to reflect. If only individuals spent a few minutes a day thinking about their goals and also thinking on what they have done today to move closer to those goals. If that were to happen, I think many individuals would have more achievements in their lives.”

Opportunity disguised as change
Best made plans can sometimes be thrown off course by the winds of change though. What is the best way to deal with sudden, unexpected and seemingly unwelcomed circumstances? According to Hannelore Forssbohm, Senior Program Manager of the Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA program, “Opportunities are a matter of attitude: it could be change that may not initially be perceived positive (e.g. reorganization within a company); discovering, developing and implementing a new business idea; changing your line of work or personal interest. These all are “opportunities” in one way or another; a chance to make a change, for the better, for oneself, the company or, in some cases, the world. Being ready and courageous enough to absorb and act in a new situation is one way that an Executive MBA can help to prepare today’s managers to be in a position to face and manage whatever comes their way.”

Even when change comes in the form of a crisis, favorable outcomes can still occur. As Dean Coonrod points out, “In 2001, it was the tech/telecom bust – over half a million jobs in those sectors gone. In 2008-09, it was real estate and financial services sectors that shed jobs. Preparing for opportunities means being able to move to where the opportunities are regardless of your current industry expertise.”

The aftermath of a crisis can be a bit like a forest after a sweeping fire, new growth will begin. Stephen Adamson, Associate Director of Admissions, for IE Business School’s International Executive MBA suggests that “Preparing for opportunities in this context means being ready to take advantage of the burst of hiring and growth which will occur as the crisis eases. As has always occurred, a huge number of corporate and entrepreneurial opportunities will be created and deciding to take an EMBA once things improve may be too late.”

Broaden your horizons
Perhaps the real question then is where to look for these opportunities that are sure to show up. Maria Puig, Executive Director of the IESE Global Executive MBA believes that, “In our time, many business opportunities are appearing at a global scale. Our Global Executive MBA Program helps you develop your global mindset and acquire the additional skills needed to succeed in today's increasingly globalized and competitive business. Our participants say that they feel better equipped to identify business opportunities and to take the necessary decisions to make these opportunities valuable for them.”

As you see these opportunities appearing, you may find that your current skills will not be enough to take you to where your next possible steps lie. Cristèle Fernand Admissions Director at the EMLYON Business School believes that “developing new skills (both technical and behavioural), enlarging your network and being able to think out of the box” are essential components of broadening your career path. Not so coincidentally, these three elements are all benefits of participating in an Executive MBA program.

Though traditionally created to help executives get the necessary training to work better and smarter in their current positions, today’s EMBA also focuses on preparing participants for the constantly changing landscape of modern business. Dean Petit adds that “the EMBA is a great vehicle for careers beyond management in the Fortune 500. It allows you to think differently about creating, delivering and sustaining value within any industry. Such a mindset can be very powerful.” And very valuable when considering what else is possible.

Invest in yourself
It comes down to thinking about your future and how you can best invest in it. Director Zanck affirms “the Executive MBA is a transformative experience and an investment in the future of one of your organisation’s greatest assets – you. Investing in your education will prepare you to become a more effective leader and equip you to analyze and solve complex business challenges because you’ve been taught to approach them.”

Beate Baldwin, Program Director for the ESSEC & MANNHEIM Executive MBA, agrees “[pursuing an EMBA] means taking an active part in your career as well as in your personal development.” She also advises to take full advantage of the EMBA networking opportunities. “Conferences with alumni associations, courses with academics and business leaders, social events with Executive MBA tracks at partner schools, leadership courses, and individual and group coaching sessions, all help our participants to get to more self and social awareness and to grow personally.”

In the end, an Executive MBA is the ultimate prep course for opportunity. Perhaps Dean Petit sums it up best when he says, “Students will learn just as much if not more on how to survive and excel in "the process" in addition to the content of a program. Surviving the process is a learning experience in and of itself. Learning how to take on these risks will allow candidates to grow and be ready for future professional challenges and opportunities. Behind every great success story in business usually lies a big initial risk. Imagine if the founders of Facebook or Starbucks or Cirque de Soleil weren't brave enough to take the risks? That is what it is all about!”