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Monday, October 12, 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Dance Like No One is Watching

By Tania Tyler

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching." --- Satchel Paige

What a great philosophy to travel through life's journey with! It was interesting to receive this quote in an email as I have told many people "you just need to dance as though no one is watching." This statement can be taken literally - go out dancing and just let your spirit soar, enjoy yourself, have fun - or, figuratively - dance through life and just let your spirit soar, enjoy yourself, have fun ... does it really matter what other's think? I'm not talking about throwing away all responsibilities (we do live in a real world), but rather about taking time to be or explore who we are. Work on finding a balance. Be true to yourself, don't live your life to please others. Live to please yourself and others will be pleased. Emotions are infectious; why not spread happiness, joy and love?

Take the time to watch a seagull in flight. Some days, depending on the weather, they appear to just float, soar and really enjoy themselves. Watch again on a windy day, they have to work a little harder to get where they're going. Notice how when the weather gets stormy, they land and just hang out for a while. Here's a quote from "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach: "Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them disgrace and it is dishonor. But Jonathan Livingston Seagull, unashamed, stretching his wings again in the trembling hard curve - slowing, slowing, and stalling once more - was no ordinary bird." Next time you get to a stormy day, read this book again as an adult. Everyday brings something new; learn to notice something new each day. Life will always be filled with challenges, make the best of them. Enjoy life, be happy. Go with the flow.

As we learn to "work like you don't need money", our jobs become less of a burden or struggle. Isn't life more pleasurable when you are doing something you enjoy rather than something you "have to"? Look upon work as something rewarding. Money isn't everything. Take pride in your tasks, be the best you can at what you do. Smile more. Try this for a couple of days; watch your job transform into something more enjoyable. Chances are, more money will also come your way. Just imagine the difference in tips for a waiter/waitress who smiles and makes their job more enjoyable compared to the person that really doesn't want to be there. Or the possible job promotions when you put your best foot forward.

Now, the tough part - "love like you've never been hurt". Everyone is unique, every relationship is unique. Give that person every opportunity; don't compare them or limit the relationship because of fears from the past. Learn from the past. Release yourself from the past. Live the present moment. Don't look back and don't look forward. What you have is right now. It's guaranteed that if you expect to be hurt, you'll find it. Openness, understanding and honesty are important aspects to any relationship; they reduce expectations and allow us to "see it as it is". People change, they grow. Love involves allowing the other to grow, to be who they are - to accept the possibility that you don't walk the same path anymore. Love may not last forever but if you enjoy every minute you have of it and can look back without regrets ... we are all here to live life to it's fullest, to learn from it's lessons. Everyone has something to share, be it good or bad. It is up to us to determine how fully we experience living.

So, now let's tie this philosophy to a health column. By living our lives more in tune with our natural spirit, we add more balance into our lives, our bodies are more at ease - not dis-ease. Stress levels reduce. With a reduction of stress, blood pressures reduce, sleep routines become more restful, digestion problems subside, tension headaches disappear; anxiety, nervousness, and depression reduce ... the possibilities are endless. Take the time to enjoy life.

Time waits for no one ...

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured and far away." - Henry David Thoreau

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Five Ways to Speak Like Obama

by Sims Wyeth

Now that we’ve got your attention, you should realize, of course, that you don’t want to speak like Barack Obama. You want to speak like you. Nevertheless, as a student of the art of public speaking, you can — and should — observe Obama’s oratorical skills. The greats all learn from other greats, so don’t hesitate. Study Obama’s repertoire, take what you like, and use what you can to improve your own public speaking.

Obama is a master at grabbing and keeping his audience’s attention, which is the number one goal of any public speaker. How does he do it? Here are five key lessons from Obama’s rhetorical playbook.

1. Talk About the Audience’s Concerns

Notice that when Obama addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time, he told our story before he told his own. He talked about our sleepless nights, for example, and the college admission that might have to be turned down because of a lack of financing.

This was brilliant, and you can do it, too. Start your talk by broadly defining the situation that your listeners face. Then, once you’ve got them nodding their heads in agreement, move on to describe the problems or challenges that are on their minds. Start where the audience is, not where you are. Once you have their attention, you can lead your listeners wherever you want to take them.

2. Keep It Simple

Throughout the presidential campaign, Obama kept his main message — “change you can believe in” — simple and easy to remember. Sure, some pundits mocked its simplicity, but it served its purpose perfectly as the banner at the front of his parade. You, too, can keep it simple, even if you have mountains of research to report.

First, fine-tune your core message. Fierce debate within Obama’s campaign no doubt accompanied the birth of the slogan “change you can believe in,” and similar prolonged discussion may accompany the discovery of your own core message. But once the decision has been made, don’t let that debate show. Chisel away at your topic until you can reduce your presentation to a core message. Once you achieve this, all your complex ideas can march behind it.

This is as true for business presentations as it is for political campaigns. Granted, your content may be nuanced and detailed, but so were Obama’s policy positions. He used his simple slogan to make us believe he was the politician for change — something so many Americans longed for — and he appealed to us to have faith (to believe) in the change he was offering us. Obama won people through a simple slogan, which then allowed him to more easily serve up his ideas about meaty topics such as health care, terrorism, and the crumbling economy.

We make a serious error if we mistake a complete argument for a persuasive one. All audiences, no matter how sophisticated, have limited attention spans and a limited ability to retain detailed spoken information. Don’t fear that you’re leaving details out; you must be selective. After all, what good is a thorough and detailed argument if it is inaccessible?

3. Anticipate What Your Audience Is Thinking

Obama and his speechwriters are certainly aware of the great line by Goethe, “Every word that is uttered evokes the idea of its opposite.” What this means is that when you express one view, the odds are high that people will reflexively think about other, unmentioned aspects of the topic.

A presentation that does not deal with this “evoking of opposites” loses the audience’s attention because it fails to address the questions and concerns that come up in people’s minds. So anticipate it. Show your audience that you understand the contrary view better than they do, and explain why your proposal or argument is still superior.

Obama did this effectively in his speech on race, in which he attempted to distance himself from the inflammatory Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama pointed out, for example, that he won primaries in former Confederate states and that he had built a “powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.” But he also acknowledged what was undoubtedly on people’s minds when he said, “This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign.” He went on to say that, yes, Reverend Wright’s sermons were controversial, but, no, that’s not why he must be rebuked. He said that, yes, the clips of Reverend Wright on YouTube make him look terrible, but, no, that’s not the full measure of the man.

His speech was powerful and widely praised. It was effective in part because Obama let everyone know that he had thought a lot about race, and in particular about both sides of the controversy surrounding his former pastor.

Attack your topics this way, too, and you will be in charge of the conversation. This approach will not only grab and hold the attention of your listeners, but it will also help you win people into your camp, which is what you need to do if, say, your goal is to persuade your board of directors of the wisdom of a seemingly risky partnership.

4. Learn to Pause

Obama has mastered the art of pausing. Just check out his presidential acceptance speech in Chicago to see this skill at work. He pauses to let us catch up with him. He pauses to let his words resonate. He pauses, in a sense, to let us rest. Pauses also give the impression of composure and thoughtfulness.

Here’s an exercise to help you learn to pause.

Mark up your paragraphs / in this manner / into the shortest possible phrases. / First, / whisper it, / breathing / at all the breath marks. / Then, / speak it / in the same way. / Do this / with a different paragraph / every day.

Here’s what the opening paragraph of Obama’s remarks would look like:

“If there is anyone out there / who still doubts / that America is a place / where all things are possible, / who still wonders / if the dream of our founders / is alive in our time, / who still questions / the power of our democracy, / tonight / is your answer.”

Where you pause is up to you; there are no hard and fast rules. But try it. Slowly inhale to the count of three at each breath mark. Speak as though you had plenty of time. The goal / of this exercise / is to teach your body / to slow down.

5. Master the Body Language of Leadership

Obama’s body language is relaxed and fluid. It does not display tension or fear. He’s calm and assertive — which is exactly what you need to be to get people to comply with your requests. For the ultimate in Obama smoothness, watch his entrance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

To achieve the body language that’s effective for you, focus on a single attribute — for example, calm — and practice implementing it in the basic motions of your day, from getting dressed in the morning, to leaving your home for work, to greeting your friends and colleagues. Research in the Scientific American suggests that focusing on one word is the most effective way to learn a new behavior. It will probably feel forced at first, but don’t worry. It will soon become natural, and eventually your body language will communicate the right mix of calm and assertiveness.

Finally, you’ll need to rehearse. Practice calmly walking up to the lectern or the front of the room. Arrange your papers calmly. Look out to the audience with a sense of command, with assertiveness. Let the silence hang for a moment, and only then deliver your opening remarks.

Calmness begets a sense of authority. Behave as if you are in control, and you will in fact gain control and command attention.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Holy sh*t

Gotta take some time to write this sh*t out of my mind. I know it won’t be easy, totally not easy at all, I hate making decision, this kind of decision. Been annoyed for several days, not in good mood for anything. You need me to confess I’m a fool? Oh yeah, I’m not a genius knowing-it-all, I’m not perfect, sure not as “perfect” as you bastard, I’M ME whether you accept it or not. Gosh, there are so many people acting these days, and also… so many people are “blind”.

NO comment please.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Sick leave for today

Hum ni chóng mặt quá, thế là take sick leave. Tiếc 1 ngày leave dễ sợ, nhưng thôi kệ, ở nhà dưỡng sức cho khoan khóai cái nào, lỡ đi làm bị xỉu thì mệt, hị hị.
Nhưng trước khi ở nhà dưỡng sức, cố gắng lết đi lấy sách ACCA dzìa học... à không, dzìa để đó.

2 môn cuối roài, hehe, may mắn qua hết mấy môn vừa rồi. Lần này mình lại áp dụng chiêu thức cũ, amen, cầu cho nó linh nghiệm:
- Học lai rai dọc đường - đọc cho có, thường là chưa đến nửa cuốn text book. Xem ra còn đỡ hơn bỏ tiền đi học FTMS, vì vào lớp toàn 8 và ngủ!!!

- Không utilise lecture notes, thường là không đụng đến, rút kinh nghiệm photo 2 lần, dzìa để đó

, bất mãn hết sức.
- Đến 2 tuần trước ngày thi mới đâm đầu vào, xào xào, nấu nấu. Từ sáng đến 7h tối chắc học được 2 tiếng (3, 4 tiếng là chuyện lạ); tối thì start từ 10h đến khuya, kaka, hiệu quả nhất là vào giờ này. Đợt trước vừa học bài vừa chơi Solitaire và Poker nữa chứ.

Sống về đêm!!!
Bê bối vậy mà cũng "tự xử" được 4 môn roài đó, kiến thức vào đầu cũng tàm tạm!!!

Hi vọng... hi vọng... haha
Sáng nay đi lấy sách đánh 1 vòng Nguyễn Huệ, Lê Lợi, Đồng Khởi... Ui chao, xa hoa (mong ước kỷ niệm xưa), hị hị, nhưng thấy thích. Thấy cả mấy đoàn KPMG lục tục lên xe taxi đi job nữa, mỗi em xách 1 cái box file