October 8th, 2011 
jvremec
Action-Oriented Individuals
Have you ever been around someone that was inclined to take action immediately and always? It can be a great experience, but at the same time an embarrassing one.
It’s a great thing because these people have an energy about them. They have an air of making things happen, simply because that’s exactly what they are doing. They don’t necessarily take action without giving things sufficient thought, but they certainly don’t waste time by postponing the action any longer than they should.
Being around an individual that’s action oriented can also be quite embarrassing because it often confronts us with our own habits of procrastinating. Most of us put off many things for a variety of reasons. Actually the word ‘reason’ isn’t really correct in this context. The word ‘excuse’ comes much closer to the truth. Sometimes the excuses are obvious. Making a phone call to someone can be painful if you have to deliver bad news or, perhaps worse, if you expect to be on the receiving end of bad news.
However many times people tend to put off little things that really aren’t worth fussing over. Things like setting an appointment with the local car repair shop to get your windshield fixed or cleaning out a desk drawer; actions that would be over and done with in a couple of minutes that we sometimes put off for weeks for no apparent reason.
Without getting into any specific actions it can be said that the tendency to take action leads to better results in business and in life in general. Samuel Golden, a well-known Hollywood motion picture producer stated, “The harder I work, the luckier I get”. Early in the twentieth century he was at the cradle of the company that later evolved into Paramount Pictures. A decade later he joined forces with two other Broadway producers to found the Golden Pictures Corporation. This company was eventually purchased by Metro Pictures Corporation forming the well-known Metro-Golden-Mayer.
Samuels statement on the correlation between taking action and good fortune sure rang true for him and it still does to this day for many other people. It just seems that successful people are more inclined to take action. And of course this is no coincidence. Empirical evidence supports the theory that lady luck really does favor the action-oriented man. The more actions you will undertake the more successes you can expect to encounter. Of course you will also encounter your share of so-called failures, but failures are part and parcel of becoming a success.
Anyone that is considered a successful person can tell you that they have undertaken more actions than the average person, probably many more. But somehow they don’t think of it as a chore. Many of them just do it and as a result of that doing they get all the rewards.
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Looking for information on self help, personal growth, inspirational, success and motivational books?
Can you tell me the best books of this type you have ever read and let me know what you found most helpful about each book and also anything that you felt the book didn’t do a good job of covering / teaching…or anything you wish the book would have included but didn’t?
Thank you to all who answered so far. My question is more of a research nature…I’ve read many books of this type & am curious to see how many of those titles pop up here. I am most interested in peoples specific feelings about what was most or least helpful in their opinion, or what topics they wish would have been either covered in those books, or more deeply elaborated on. Great book choices given so far…I have read some of these…Thanks again!
The trouble with self-help, motivational books is that they leave a void for the reader to gain momentum on it’s supposed track. It helps getting you motivated but it all goes away after that initial rush.
What worked for me so far is the “Release Technique” and “The Silva UltraMind System”. I also tried this website: stevepavlina.com.
The Release Technique was created by Lester Levenson and is more popularly known as the Sedona Method or marketed under The Abundance Course. It teaches the student to experience that energy/feeling and releasing them.
Silva UltraMind teaches its student about brain waves and the different states of mind, especially the Alpha brain wave.
Steve Pavlina has good articles on his website.
I have combined both the Release Technique and using it on an “Alpha” state of mind, even “Theta” and I found it very useful.
To elaborate, using the Silva Method, one is introduced to at least four brain waves…in the following order: Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.
The beta brainwave is where we’re at during normal waking hours, when we are most mentally active (and unfortunately when we are most susceptible to stress and mental fatigue). Scientists had measured this to be about 15 cycles on an EEG machine (electroencepalograph)–the machine which measures and monitors brain activity.
The next level below is the alpha brainwave. It’s between 5-15 cycles. This is the state when you’re relaxed….like listening to relaxing music, taking a shower, just before you fall to sleep/right after you wake up. This is when youre subsconscious mind is mostly receptive to suggestions and where you can “plant the good seeds and pull out the weeds in your garden.”
Theta is right below alpha and is characterized by your sleep-state. It’s between 3-4 cycles. Your dreaming at this point. You may experience lucid dreaming.
Delta is deep sleep. It’s between 1-3 cycles. You may not recall having dreamt at all.
Anyway, the Release Technique focuses on simply that–releasing your emotions that you’ve hold on too up to this point, which makes you feel lighter and better. It’s powerful in conjunction with the Silva Method.
These 2 methods together have helped me get out into orbit as opposed to other self-help books, which although well-intended, fails to deliver on their promises.
I hope this helps. Please remember this is just my experience which may differ from other people.
What is the best subject to teach online?
I am considering a Masters Degree to teach online but im not quie sure which subject to teach. Im really into college success and would love to teach on students career interests, self help, personal growth, and I would like to teach this online. any advice would be great. I have An A.A. in Computers Business tech & a B.A. in Communications.
Start searching for job opportunities. Find out what’s in demand then select the area you know the most about that’s hiring.
Anyone familiar with the book Farewell to Manzanar?
I need help with a question about this book:
“Explain how the setting supports the historical events of the story. Think about time, place and circumstance. Provide details from the text to support your explanation.”
and
“Explain how the character(s) developed from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. Think about personal growth, self-awareness and adaptation to circumstance. Be sure to include details from the story to support your explanation.”
This is for my homework, please help!
Yes, I am familiar with the book.
1.) Jeanne is reflecting about a time in her life where she and her family were uprooted from their home shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor because the government made them. Because she and her family were Japanese, they were branded as traitors. Papa was considered an enemy alien and before he knew it, two FBI agents arrested him. He was charged with delivering oil to Japanese submarines off the coast and he was relocated to Fort Lincoln, North Dakota for questioning.
No one knew where Manzanar was. All Jeanne and her family knew that was where the government was sending them. Jeanne and her family were loaded on a Greyhound bus and they pretty much travelled all day long. On the foot of Mount Williamson, among the billowing dust storms, in the middle of the desert, stood barracks, watchtowers, and barbed wire. This was Manzanar. This would be their home for the next 3 1/2 years.
2.) When Jeanne entered school she was faced a lot of prejudice and doubt. The students didn’t know Jeanne could speak English. Plus when she wanted to be the lead baton twirler and carnival queen, that created a lot tension among the school board as they wondered if it would be wise for an Oriental to represent the school. However, after accomplishing all these goals, Jeanne still had a sense that she still didn’t fit in. She simply did not know who she really was and who she wanted to be.
What are some good gap year programs that focus mainly on self discovery and personal growth?
I’m looking for a gap year program that isn’t just purely traveling, but also a program with mentors that help guide you towards independent living and getting to know yourself better.
Have a look through some of these perhaps: http://www.thetravellerslounge.co.uk/gapyears/working-abroad/
Anyone familiar with the book Escape From Warsaw?
I need help with a question about this book:
“Explain how the setting supports the historical events of the story. Think about time, place and circumstance. Provide details from the text to support your explanation.”
and
“Explain how the character(s) developed from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. Think about personal growth, self-awareness and adaptation to circumstance. Be sure to include details from the story to support your explanation.”
This is for my homework, please help!
2) The setting supports the historical events of the story. The story was based on World War II, and the setting conveys the time period efficiently. The time period was during Adolf Hitler’s reign. He didn’t like anyone that wasn’t German, so he ordered his soldiers to torture them and kill them. One of the settings was in a prison camp of Zakyna, where Poland’s/Jews were tortured. Joseph was tortured there; he was held as a prisoner and had very little human rights. Also, another setting was in Warsaw. It was in ruins—houses were destroyed, shops were torn apart, people were starving, and many lived on the streets. There was a minor setting; the cellar where the Balicki family—Ruth, Edek, and Bronia lived. They had made a dump into a home. During Hitler’s reign, people lost their homes and had to find a place to live. Anyone that found a home was extremely lucky. One of the most important settings was Switzerland. Switzerland was the setting that lifted the hearts of many people, including the Balicki family. Setting foot on Switzerland would free the troubles of people tortured by the Germans. This would be the same for the Balicki’s; they were reunited with their family. The setting supported the time period in this novel because the settings were actual settings in World War II.
3) Jan – Jan changed from the beginning of the book to the end by maturing more. At the beginning of the book, Jan was a thief, and was immature. He stole loaves of bread, Joseph’s sandwiches, a silver spoon, a bar of soap, threw eggs at Germans and disrespected a lot of people. At the end of the book, Jan started maturing more and behaved more properly. He would stop doing the things he did at the beginning of the book—stealing and having bad manners. Also, he had to decide whether to go for his dog or cling on to Ruth and the others to save Edek. He had decided to go to Ruth and the others, which was one of the hardest decisions of his life. Jan was one of the characters that changed the most; he found a way to get out of his old mischievous ways.
Ruth – Ruth started as a kid in the beginning of the book but changed to be a strong mother at the end. At the beginning of the book, she was living happily with her family until the Germans invaded. After they invaded, she relied on Edek for her vital needs. When Edek was caught by the Germans, Ruth didn’t know what to do. She was helpless and didn’t know what to do. She finally decided she would take Edek’s role—take care of the family. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. She had to fed them, nurture them, and help them survive. She helped them all get to Switzerland. Without her, the family wouldn’t have survived. Ruth has changed in the book by starting as a helpless child then a mother in the end of this story.
Edek – In the beginning of the novel, Edek started as a kid and ended up as a man in the end of the novel. In the beginning of the story, Edek had unsuccessfully tried to save his mother against a car with Germans in it, which was very foolish. He had gotten his home bombed, but luckily he and his two sisters survived. At that point he would start turning into a man. After experiencing his loss, he was determined to survive. He traded in the black market, made a home, and helps his two sisters survive. He was caught in the black market, and then sent off to a camp to work. He got out of the camp somehow, and was reunited with his two sisters. He was in a terrible state, but he managed to get better at the end of the story. He became an engineer and continued his life as that.
Bronia – Bronia barely changed from the beginning to the end of the book. She was a child at the beginning, and at the end she was still a mere child. At the beginning, she was just a simple character; she just laid back and let her elders do most of the work. Even during the invasion of the Germans, she depended on others for her own needs. At the end of the book, she stayed with her long lost mother and father. She got enrolled into a school, but she still was a kid and relied on her parents for her needs.