Summary of Handbook to Survive Life (from Self-Help/Personal Growth Books) - Part One

Article Title: Summary of Handbook to Survive Life n(from Self-Help/Personal Growth Books) - Part One
Author: Craig Lock
Line Space: 65 characters
Category (key words): Self Help, Personal Growth, Self Development,
Motivation, Goal-setting, Attitude, Stress.
Web Site:http://www2.webng.com/write
z/
Other Articles: http://www.articlesbeyondbetter.com/profile/Craig-Lock/270n(self help, personal growth, inspiration and writing)

Publishing Guidelines: We hope that the following piece (ansummary of the first four chapters from my first published booknmay be informative nand helpful to your e-zine readers, or on your web site.

This article may be freely reproduced electronically or in print.
If it helps others "out there to survive and especially prosper in life", nthen we're very happy.

"We share what we know, so that others may grow."nn *

SUMMARY OF HANDBOOK TO SURVIVE LIFE (From Self-Help/Personal Growth Books ) - Part Onen
Introduction:
Craig Lock has written extensively in the field of self help. This extract (in point form) is from Craig's first published book HANDBOOK TO SURVIVE THE NINETIES* - a collection of writings on various subjectsnto help every man or woman survive in a rapidly changing,nuncertain world. An introductory look at the concepts of success, nmotivation, attitude, goal setting and stress.n* This title has now been updated to HOW TO SURVIVE LIFE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUMn *
CHAPTER ONE: SUCCESS

What is success?

Who do you want to be in the future?

What are your values? Write them down.

What are your GOALS (short and long-term)? WRITE them down.

Dream big - have a VISION.

For success it is essential to have a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDEn(P.M.A.). You can change your negative attitudes. Have optomism +nbe willing to take calculated risks.

Ask yourself what are your interests, your passions? If you cannmake your job from your interests, you will love doing it. Worknsmarter not harder. Look for opportunities; they are alwaysnaround - problems are just opportunities in disguise.nnnn GOALS

ACTIVITIESnnnn TIMEnnnn ACTION PLANnnnn SELF DISCIPLINEnnnn = SUCCESSnnn *
CHAPTER TWO: MOTIVATION

You can't buy it - it has to come from within. We are allndifferent with diverse influences on us, eg. environment,nbiology. REWARDS. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside, eg.nfame, recognition, power, money. Intrinsic - satisfying,ninteresting to you.

Three main theories of motivation: 1. Desire for ACHIEVEMENT n 2. Desire for POWER n 3. Desire for AFFILIATION (= Sense of n belonging)

Also "PAIN vs GAIN" theory, or FEAR vs DESIRE MOTIVATION (what if
I do - what if I don't, eg. doctor advises you to give upnsmoking. Both are equally powerful. Behaviour gets REINFORCED). Anprime source of motivation is the opportunity to feel competentnor achieve.

Understanding motivation gives us the power to accept ournbehaviour and to change what we think and do.

ELEMENTS OF MOTIVATION:
The "four D's":n* Desire n* Decision n* Determination n* Discipline n "The buck starts and stops with you".

The clearer the goal the more powerful the motivation.

WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT.

Motivation comes from a challenge, so always be open to newnchallenges.

What motivates you NOW (this can be very different from whatnmotivated you two years ago). Refer Abraham Maslow's hierarchynof needs: Maslow said that we humans satisfy our basic needs fromnthe bottom up (ie. in ascending order), as per the followingndiagram:

EGO

SOCIAL

SAFETY

BASIC (food, shelter, safety)

How do we maintain motivation?

1. You must want to grow personally. This requires CHARACTER.

2. You should be open to new challenges, ie. be willing to breaknout of your secure comfort zone.

3. You must have a P.M.A. (posive mental attitude) and be willingnto change your thinking. (Champion Australian swimmer, Daw

Fraser: "I won more races in the locker room than in the pool").

4. Do it with ENTHUSIASM.

5. Be willing to unlock your hidden potential (99 of the peoplenin the world use less than 10 of their brain capacity).nn *
CHAPTER THREE: WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?

Assess where you are now and how you got there. Are you happy?
What is important to you (your values)? Am I happy now with anbalanced life? If not, what can I do about it? What can I changenand I must accept what I can't (however you can change a lot morenthan you may think).

Write down your short term, medium-term and long-term goals. Hownare you going to get there? Assess your strengths and weaknesses.
Are your goals realistic? Do you need to obtain furthe
qualifications or skills to obtain them? What other obstaclesncould stand in my way. Will this really make me happy?

Is my life balanced, or do I need to allocate more time/energy innto other areas?

HEALTH WORK n FAMILY LEISURE SOCIAL n

CHALLENGES and CRISES: Are the current goals in your lifenchallenging enough? List those areas in your life which need newnchallenges: personal, family, work, spiritual, community.nn n * n
CHAPTER FOUR: YOUR SELF IMAGE

How do you see yourself - positively or negatively?
1. What do you like most about yourself? List the five qualities nyou like most. Everything???

2. Briefly describe your current career situation and how younfeel about it - positive or negative? "Oh S"! What do you do well?
Think constantly about your strengths.

3. What results/achievements are you most proud of. Celebratenpast sucesses rather than remembering past failures.

4. Write a short note to yourself: who do you want to be and whatndo you want to achieve by the year 2005! Nearly up as I writenthis!

Use your IMAGINATION. The power of serendipity (positivenexperiences coming to you by chance). That is one Law of the
Universe, the law of ATTRACTION at work. A positive attitudenattracts positive happenings = results.

Accept CHANGE as a fact of life. Make change work for you. PLANnahead carefully. People don't plan to fail, but FAIL TO PLAN.

"If you don't know where you're going, you're sure to get there."

How to achieve career satisfaction:

1. get to know yourself.

2. learn what you have to offer others: your unique skills andnabilities.

3. know what you want out of work and life.

4. find out how to get it (eg. study skills).

"AS I THINK I BEHAVE".

GO FOR IT

Craig Lock nhttp://www.craiglockbooks.com

The various books that Craig 'felt inspired to write' n(including 'Handbook to Survive' ) are available at: http://www2.webng.com/write
z/books.html

"The world's smallest bookstore"

All proceeds go to needy and underprivilileged children - MINE!

END OF PART ONE (PART TWO TO FOLLOW)

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