10 attitudes of successful workers by Kate Lorenz, Careerbuilder.com Editor

Why do some people seem to reach the top of the corporate ladder easily, while others remain stuck on the middle-management rung? You might think that it is just because those people have more of what it takes to succeed, like brains, talent and powerful people in their corner. But there is something else that is just as important: attitude.

Dr. Martin Seligman, an authority on optimism, discovered that attitude was a better predictor of success than I.Q., education and most other factors. He found that positive people stay healthier, have better relationships and go further in their careers. And he even found that positive people make more money.

Anyone can adopt the right attitude. No matter where you are from or how much innate talent you have, the right attitude can make a difference in your career. Try adopting these 10 attitudes of successful workers:

1. I am in charge of my destiny.
If you spend your entire career waiting for something exciting to come to you, you will be waiting a long time. Successful professionals go out and make good things happen. So commit yourself to thinking about your career in an entirely different way. You will make it to the top, and you are in charge of making it happen.

2. Anything is possible.
Think that there is no way you will ever be at the vice-president level? Then you definitely won't. Remember: If you think you can't, you probably won't. Adopt the attitude of The Little Engine That Could -- "I think I can."

3. No task is too small to do well.
You never know when you are going to be noticed. That is one reason to take pride in your work -- all of it. One public relations executive in Chicago said that her first task in the PR department of a ballet company was reorganizing the supply closet. She tackled the project with gusto and was immediately noticed for her hard work and attention to detail. Remember this the next time you feel like slacking because you are working on a menial task.

4. Everyone is a potential key contact.
While you do need to be aggressive in the workplace, you can also go far by being nice to those around you. Do you think it's unimportant to establish a good rapport with your boss's secretary? Well, just try getting your meeting squeezed onto the schedule when you really need it. Be courteous to those around you -- you never know when your past contacts will play a role in your future.

5. I was made to do this job... and the one above me.
If you spend your days feeling like you are not cut out to do the work you are responsible for, your performance will suffer. Your job may not be the perfect fit, but successful workers act like they are in their dream job, no matter where they are.

6. It's not just what I know, but who I know.
Successful workers understand the importance of networking, both in and out of the office. You need to proactively establish professional contacts. Invite a colleague out to lunch. Go to the after-work happy hour. Join your professional association. Do your part to establish a networking path for your future.

7. What else can I do?
Since you are in charge of your destiny, it's your job to look for ways to improve your professional self. Volunteer to take on an extra project. Learn a new skill that will make you more marketable. Stay late to help your co-workers. Successful workers don't just complete the job and sign out -- they look for additional ways to make their mark.

8. Failure will help pave the way to my success.
While it seems like some people never experience setbacks, the truth is everyone fails from time to time. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is how they deal with failure. Those who find success are the ones who learn from mistakes and move on.

9. I am my own biggest fan.
Have you been waiting for someone in the office to recognize your talents and efforts? Maybe it's time you start tooting your own horn. Step up and talk about your accomplishments and what you have done for the company. Successful workers know how to point out their achievements without sounding boastful.

10. My opportunity monitor is never turned off.
Yes, there will be days when you will want to just be happy with the status quo. But remember that successful workers are always on the lookout for opportunities to improve. Keep your eyes, ears and your mind open to new opportunities -- you never know when you will discover the one that will change the course of your career!

6 steps for effective communication -PluginHD

The following are 6 steps on how to become a more effective communicator.

Commit: If you want to become a better communicator you must commit to improvement. Begin to take notice of how you act during a typical conversation. Do you interrupt frequently? Do you reject other people’s ideas when they don’t resonate with your own? Do you talk as if you know everything? Making the effort to listen will help you remarkably in your relationships.

Don’t Interrupt: In order to effectively communicate you cannot, I repeat,cannot interrupt. Far too often we get so caught up in our own ideas that we blurt out in hopes of gaining control. It’s important that you let the entire message be conveyed before you give your input. When you interrupt you’re robbing the person’s chance to express his or herself fully. Don’t interrupt, you’ll have your chance to speak.

Put Down Your Shield: Many times when we have conversations we go into a discussion with preconceived notions which blocks our ability to learn and understand. Obviously it’s ok for you to have an opinion but, for you to genuinely listen you must open yourself up fully. It’s OK if you don’t agree with what’s being said, embrace any conversation as a place to learn.

You Don’t Know It All: Have you ever said ” That’s not right” without actually knowing? I know I have. The truth is, you don’t know everything so don’t pretend like you do. Instead of being a know-it-all welcome the fact that you have a lot to learn. When you admit you don’t know everything you’re open to listen with an entirely different perspective which significantly increases communication.

Focus: When talking with someone it’s important to give them your full attention. In our age of distraction, we have hundreds of things going on during a typical conversation which ends up taking away meaning. You can’t listen to someone talk while you’re texting on your cell phone. You cant listen to someone talk while you’re day dreaming. You can’t listen when you’re watching T.V. Only by focusing on the conversation at hand can you really take away the significance of what’s being said.

Care: Care about what’s being said. Care about the ideas being discussed. When you’re interested in what’s being it allows for the conversation to flow. We all know when someone isn’t interested in what we have to say. Don’t waste people’s time pretending you’re being attentive when you’re not. Give people the respect they deserve.

If you’re currently struggling with your relationships put in the effort to improve. For the next few days focus on becoming a becoming a better communicator by sincerely listening. You may be surprised by the results.

Make yourself worth knowing.

forwarned is forearmed.

for your amusement

Anyone who works hard in today's business world should learn something useful- or at least amusing. -Ethan Rasiel

Successful

" Successful people don't relax in chairs ... they feel relaxed with their work. They sleep with dreams and wake up with a commitment."
Author Unknown --- Submitted by Jimit Banker --- India

pain

" The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow."
Written inn 2010 by Robert Moore --- Massachusetts

PERSEVERANCE!

" The speed with which you move may depend on your fate or talent. But the distance you cover is decided entirely by YOU and your PERSEVERANCE!"
Written in 2010 by Vibhu DSD --- India

I couldn't wait for sucess... so I went ahead without it.

Confidence, it's the fool of the wise man, but the liqour of the fool. -vikram

what is love

No matter what happens, you may not forget but you always forgive!
Emma Weiberlen
Bronx, New York

The surprising thing is how much you can learn about someone when discussing what it is that they love. When I first meet people, I always try to ask them about their loves ― what food do you love, what do you love most about living in the city, what is one piece of music you absolutely love?

It's very revealing to hear someone speak about something or someone they love. Their face lights up, you can hear passion in their voice, and you find out what it is that really gets that person excited! It's a great way to get to know someone and see that person in their most positive light.
Jacqueline Schmidt
New York, New York

Love has a way of returning again and again, with much less work and with just as much meaning!
Kimberly Ammons
Suffolk, Virginia

It always wins. We are all guilty of it! You swore you would never marry. Then it happens. You meet someone who finally understands your family ― someone you can laugh with, cry with, and everything in between. Love takes the win! Kids? Forget about it ― especially in this economy. Who can afford them? Nine months later that baby looks at you like you are the most important person in his world. That's another point for love! You fix the neighbor's car, tie a child's shoe, hold the door for a stranger, return a lost puppy, forgive an old friend. Love remains undefeated.
Jennifer Baglio
Stratford, Connecticut

You find you have higher standards than you ever thought you had when you find someone to love and someone who loves you. Love makes people want to grow together and make ourselves better people for the ones we love.
Piper Hyland
Oakland, California

As a single mother who was alone for eight years, you would think the most surprising thing about love was that I would find the man of my dreams sitting next to me at my son's baseball game. But the thing that surprises me the most is how much in love with him I am over three years later. I still get butterflies when I see him. Finding love that truly lasts later in life surprises and amazes me.
Fran O'Brien
Saddle Brook, New Jersey

My best friend once told me right before she got married that the most surprising thing about her love was her ability to admit when she is wrong, and apologize to her husband. With everyone else she is her usual stubborn self, but with her husband she is able to be her true self, even if she has to apologize for that sometimes! According to her, love does mean having to say you're sorry.
Katie Charest
Baltimore, Maryland

I have always thought that if you were in love you would have those ooey-gooey feelings. I have been most surprised these past two years when I realized that love has nothing to do with those ooey-gooey feelings. Love is actually a sacrifice, and many times when I love someone else it actually hurts! I've found that when I lay down my wants and desires for someone else, that's real love.
Celia Storey
Canton, Texas

It is like a Ninja, popping up when you least expect it and turning your once safe world upside down.
Susie S.
Alexandria, Virginia

Love doesn't judge.
Taysha Riggs
Los Angeles, California

I had no idea what was going to happen when the "I can't get enough of you" phase ended. I thought nothing could compare. Truth is, I wouldn't trade the intimacy, trust, and comfort of being with my husband for over 15 years for anything. It does get better, deeper, and more significant.
Laurie Ciulla
Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey

It can come from someone I barely know. For example, from the man in need that I shared a sandwich with on the street, or from the 6-year-old child in a shelter who showed appreciation for the coat I gave to him. In those instances, love wraps around me with a ferocious strength.
Stephanie Morgan
Greenville, South Carolina

It takes on so many different forms: love for my husband, for my cat, for my friends, for ice cream.
Kelly Nishi
Erie, Colorado

Love is not deterred by morning breath or aging skin or lack of makeup or extra weight, because true love has a solid foundation.
Pamela Blomgren
Oskaloosa, Iowa

It happens when you least expect it. The moment you give up on love and think about purchasing 20 or so cats to become that lonely "cat lady," it hits you like a Mack truck.
Marianna Harrison
Chicago, Illinois

That after 15 years, my husband and I still reach out to each other with sappy "I miss you" calls, even when we see each other every day.
Lety Jones
Discovery Bay, California

I never knew that being in love would help me overcome my fears. I am not afraid of getting sick, because I know my husband will be there to bring me soup and buy me tissues. I'm not afraid of being a parent someday, because I know he will love our children as much as I will. And now I dare to wear heels that are too high for me, because I know he'll be there to pick me up if I fall. He's just that good.
Molly Ebel
St. Louis, Missouri

The older I get, the better it feels to love than to be loved.
Heather Markus
Lansdale, Pennsylvania

When I became sick with two chronic autoimmune illnesses two years ago, my love for family gave me the strength I needed to push past the bad days. Love turned out to be the magic elixir that helped me overcome the disabling symptoms of my diseases. And for that I'm eternally grateful.
Erin Prindiville
Wildwood, Missouri

How much work it takes, but also how much fun it is to work on it. I have been married for eight years and love my husband passionately. And he makes sure of that. He treats me as if he is still trying to make me fall in love with him. I do the same for him.
Anna Boyd
Bullhead City, Arizona

The process of slowly falling in love with the really unexpected things about someone. For example, I am totally smitten with the way my fiancé, Jason, smells early in the morning, after a long night of sleep. It's so human and so absolutely him that I can't help but inhale and snuggle up.
Julia Davenport
Cincinnati, Ohio

Twenty-nine years later, I am still amazed by the way I instantaneously and utterly fell in love with my two newborn babies. And though that love has been tested over the years, it has only grown stronger.
Debbie Wnuk
Rehoboth, Massachusetts

How simple it can be. Love is felt through the small gestures and quiet moments that emerge throughout any given day: the sound of my husband whistling, the touch of my daughter's hand on my cheek, my son's smile on the basketball court when he finds my face in the crowd.
Robin Seitz
Hailey, Idaho

That I finally understand what it is. After 20-plus years of marriage, during many of which I thought, If things get too rough, I'm out of here, I realize just how much my husband and the union we have built mean to me.
Lisa Gioia-Acres
Las Vegas, Nevada

That it's as strong now as the first day I said, "I love you." My love for my husband of four years has evolved and strengthened from what it was on the day we wed ― two weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans metro area and we were displaced from our home. It has been tested through house hunting and a work-related injury (that he still hasn't recovered from) and morphed into something completely different.
Amber Sisson-Manuel
Hammond, Louisiana

One word: everything.
Courtney Beardsworth
Baltimore, Maryland

who knows what tomorrow may hold.

7 Must Read Life Lessons From Socrates:

Socrates is considered one of the chief founders of Western philosophy. We know Socrates primarily from the accounts of other writers: from his student, Plato, from Xenophon, the historian, as well as from the plays of Aristophanes.

Through Plato’s writing (primarily) we’ve come to comprehend the depth of Socrates’ wisdom. Today I want to discuss seven life lessons based on the teachings of Socrates. Socrates said, “I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.” This article was written to make you think. He said, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” Let his words, kindle your flame.

7 Must Read Life Lessons From Socrates:



Be Content


“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.”

Having a beautiful home and a gorgeous car will not make you content. Contentedness is birth from the inside, it’s a decision, it’s your choice. Things will never make you happy, happiness is a choice.


Faithful are the wounds of a friend


“Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults.”

The Scripture says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” A true friend will reprove your faults; they will tell you when you are “out of line.” Be wary of friends, who only say kind words. A true friend will tell you the truth, and often the truth hurts. Socrates said, “Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth.”


Study


“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.”

Do you realize that you can read a book in a few hours and learn what it took someone twenty years to learn. You can literally pick someone’s brain for $19.95. Learn to cultivate the joy of reading, and you will gain with ease what others have sweated for.


Be by Doing


“To do is to be.”

As the quote goes, “Be the change, you want to see.” Don’t just talk about it, be the example, be the leader. Socrates said, “Let him that would move the world, first move himself.” If you can move yourself, than you will easily move others.


Gaining a Good Reputation


“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”

Solomon said, “A good name is better than rubies.” And the way to gain a good name is to be how you want to be perceived. Be, in the dark, the way you want to be perceived in the light. If you can master that, you will never need to worry about your reputation. Socrates said, “It is not living that matters, but living rightly.”


Avoid False Words


“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.”

Labor for accuracy in your speech! Don’t stretch the truth, don’t bend the truth, only speak the truth. Exaggerations infect the soul! You can be just as truthful and accurate in your speech as the most honest men who have ever walked the earth.


Beware of a Busy Life


“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”


If you don’t take anything else away from this article, please remember this question, you should ask yourself this question everyday. The question is, “What am I accomplishing?”
Never get lost in the “busy-ness” of life, avoid all of the distractions and attractions.

Examine your life. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” So ask yourself daily, ... not: "What am I doing," but, "What am I accomplishing?" If you do this, you will begin to awaken to your true potential, you will begin to become who you are.

Thank you for reading, and be sure to pass this article along.

Written on 6/17/2010 by Mr. Self Development who is a motivational author that offers a practical guide to success and wealth; support him by visiting his blog at mrselfdevelopment.com

life

Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself

What's Inside 5-Hour Energy Shots

What's Inside 5-Hour Energy Shots

obama. expert.

it's not where you're from, it's where you're going.

make everyday your masterpiece

Make every day your masterpiece!

Don't just live. Live your dream.

Dream yourself ready.

Create yourself.

Don't hear - Listen.

Don't see - Look.

Don't hope - Believe.

Don't think - Know.

Don't Live - Live Your Dream.

Let go and all will come back to you.

thankful.

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.
-Oprah Winfrey

honor and good sense.

"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
-sir winston churchill

becoming a happy person

"A good person means someone with a good heart, a sense of caring for the welfare of others, a sense of commitment, a sense of responsibility. Education and the warm heart, the compassion heart -- if you combine these two, then your education and knowledge will be constructive. Then you are yourself on the way to becoming a happy person."


-dalai lama

you are your own stories.

"You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox. And although you don't have complete control over the narrative (no author does, I can tell you), you could nevertheless create it."

time is limited.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' 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."
-steve jobs

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2010/06/11-inspiring-life-lessons-from-bruce.html

the unreasonable man.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." George Bernard Shaw

trials & tribulations are your transportation to get you to where you want to be. -mark jackson