Personal Development

It seems everyone is into online dating today. Years back it was taboo to say you had met that special someone over the Internet as today it's become mainstream. With the new medium for induction taking off there comes with it some common sense and not so common sense rules to go by.

Hear are my top 10:

1. Only meet your date when you are 100% ready. You got to feel comfortable first. Make sure your 'gut' agrees with you head.

2. Keep it public. First date should be in a public place like a coffee shop or restaurant.

3. Meet at the date location - meaning DO NOT meet at your dates place of residence or your place of residence. If the date goes really well you'll then have plenty of opportunity in the future to go there but not now.

4. Keep the date to a limit. Say 1 hour. That gives both of you plenty of time to get an idea if a connection exists plus it keeps the pressure off if one person can't wait for the date to be over. Remember - if it goes well then the next date can always be longer.

Read the 6 other tips from this online dating blog.

Are you having troubles and difficulties on how to improve your self esteem? Do you want to enhance your self esteem and start empowering yourself?

Below are 10 quick techniques to start changing yourself for the best:

1.) Don't dwell on your failures, misfortunes, and frustrations. These experiences will only destroy you and knock you out tremendously. They won't help at all. Instead of focusing on your dark experiences, recall the several instances when you felt lucky and blessed. Think about those successful experiences you've had to empower your inner self.

2.) Stop thinking about your weaknesses. Each and everyone of us has his own strengths and weaknesses. Nobody is born perfect so why waste your time on your weaknesses? Use them to make you a better person in short, overcome your weaknesses and acknowledge your strengths.

3.) Mistakes are part of the learning process. When you committed an error or mistake don't feel extremely bad about it, all of us commit mistakes it's really normal especially in learning. View them as opportunities to learn and grow more. Develop and excel more after making the mistake and just keep on trying.

4.) Avoid negative friends. You don't want to keep pessimistic or negative thinking peers, do you? If there are some people in your circle of friends who are just bad influences in your life, drop them! You don't need to be with these negative people so don't mingle with them as they are not helpful to your growth.

5.) Set clear goals by making a thorough self evaluation. Ask yourself on what you want to accomplish and why you want to achieve them. After that, establish your specific plans and strategies on how to accomplish these goals. Monitor your steps to always determine if you're still in the right direction.

6.) Be positive in dealing with life's situations. Always look at the brighter side of things. If you are having a hard time dealing in a particular situation, relax and include positivity because as the saying goes "Everything happens with a reason".

7.) Don't compare yourself with other people. No matter when and what you do, there are and will always be people who are better than you. At the same time, there are also certain people in this world who are worse or more unfortunate than you. Don't feel envious on the wealth, status, luck, and achievement of others.

8.) Reach out and give a helping hand. Be ready to support others who are in need of your help. If there are individuals crying for your help accept them with open arms, this will bring inner joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction to you.

9.) Be nice and friendly. Maintain a positive aura with a pleasing personality to everybody. Wear a smile on your face even if the going gets already tough. Choose your words so as not to offend or hurt others.

10.) Most importantly, learn how to enjoy and have fun in everything you do. Spend a quality time with the people you care about and doing the things that you love. Engage in activities that you are most passionate about and just have a good time!

Have you encountered those few people that even if you do not know them or haven't rubbed elbows with them yet, you already find them annoying? Even without any reason at all there are few people who can irritate us just by looking at them without doing anything. Maybe we should all strive to be lovable in the eyes of all people to avoid this strange feeling.

Do you want to be irresistibly lovable? Do you want to attract people from the moment they lay their eyes on you? Try these tips on how to become lovable:

* Go for the neat and cute look. Don't overdo your hair and make up. Just a simple lip gloss, slight maskara, and thin foundation will do. For clothes, wear anything nice and comfy as long as it is clean and appropriate to the occasion. Make sure your nails, teeth, and hair are clean as well and your skin should be in good condition.

* Be friendly and nice to everyone. Don't be sarcastic when talking to people. Mingle with them properly by not being rude and don't insult them. Be empathetic and understand the other person's feelings. Choose your words.

* Wear a smile in your face. No matter what the situation may be, maintain a good positive aura and do not frown so that it won't affect your relationship with others. Don't forget to put a smile on your face.

* Be sensible and calm. If problem occurs, be level-headed, don't panic and avoid being hysterical. Just try to solve the problem carefully and thoroughly, step by step, don't scream or rush about.

* Last but definitely not the least, remember the golden rule always and apply it! "Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you". This will serve as your main guideline on how to be a lovable human being.

Being a friend is just a piece of cake to everyone but the question is "are you really a good friend?" There are a lot of factors to consider in establishing and maintaining friendship: trust, respect, honesty, sincerity, kindness, friendliness and the list goes on...

Oftentimes, we see or hear news about broken friendships and sometimes, it's very devastating to know that those parties are already friends for a long time and in just one single mistake or misunderstanding, it suddenly ends their precious bond.

How do we maintain our circle of friends? They say it takes two to tango but we have to take the initiative to create a positive vibe to our friends to make our relationship with them sweet and long lasting and be able to patch things up before it turns sour.

Here are five tips on how to be a good comrade:

* Take time to listen. Whenever there are small or serious issues between you and your friend always lend your ears and let your friend speak first and consider the things that he/she wants to say. If your friend has a problem of his own, ask him when he is ready to talk and be an outlet for him.

* Interact with your friends. Even though friends are miles away, that does not prevent them from communicating with each other and with the latest trend in our telecommunications and technology today we can send e-mails or e-cards if there are occasions, send a text message, chat with them using instant messaging, join online social communities or engage in blogging. All of these are the available forms of communication to maintain your closeness. Don't wait for them to send you a message go ahead be the first one to give a shout.

* Be able to respond in a timely manner. It's so frustrating that after you sent an e-mail or an SMS to your friend you keep on waiting for days and no reply yet. They always have an excuse that they are busy, have no time and stuff like that, what if your friend needs you badly and you just let him be at that moment? This situation may send your friendship in the doldrums don't you think?

* Avoid gossiping and bad mouthing. Talking about your friend in a negative way behind their backs is one of the most offending cases in friendship. This is definitely a no-no as it can easily ruin the relationship and your friends will absolutely lose their trust in you.

* Be happy for the achievement of your peers. There are some folks who aren't happy when others are happy, envy is the root of this. When your friend has achieved success, congratulate him whole-heartedly and be happy for him, don't compete with him and never to compare yourself to him.

Have you considered assessing yourself if you're more of a talker than a listener? Do you usually love to speak and discuss than listening attentively to what the other party is talking about?

Others say that a listener is smarter and more intelligent than the speaker, If that's the case, I guess good listeners are considered wiser than the eloquent ones don't you think?

Hearing and listening both involve the use of our sense to hear but they're different in meaning in a sense that hearing: you only hear the sound or the words of the speaker without really understanding or interpreting his message. While in listening, you are more attentive to the message of the other person by trying to decode or interpret his message and try to give feedback or reactions based on your understanding.

Here are eight simple tips on how to enhance your listening skills:

1. Establish eye contact while lending an ear. This signifies sincerity, look at the eye of the person talking otherwise, the speaker might think that you are bored or you do not want to talk to him. If the person is uncomfortable with eye contacts, just look at his mouth and listen.

2. Be aware of your gestures. Your hand movements, placement of arms, head nodding, personal space, leaning forward when necessary, finger movements, and even smiling are factors that could tell if you're attentive or not.

3. Be in a listening posture. Relax your body and sit or stand geared at the general area where the other party is. Face him and let yourself be comfortable in your position to let the speaker know that you are interested.

4. If there is something in the message that you don't get, try asking clarifying questions to understand the idea. You can say "excuse me for butting in" whenever you want to ask something about the matter being discussed.

5. Give comments and answers. After the discussion, be able to make comments and answer the questions for feedback, let your mind work by also speaking up after digesting all the information.

6. Gratitude. Express deep gratitude to the person for his trust and confidence in telling the issue/situation with you. Thank him for the great time you've had in listening to him as well.

7. Keep secret. This will apply to those topics with sensitive/delicate issues. It's better to keep it private and don't engage in gossiping and slandering or else you will lose their trust.

8. Awareness - Be aware of your judgment, reaction, and words as this might offend or annoy the speaker. Remember, one reason why this person approached you is to provide an outlet so be careful in dealing with him.

What is Procrastination?

It is the bad habit of putting off or delaying an action or the accomplishment of a task at a later time. Sometimes, for any reason, we all avoid getting on with the task but there are some people that procrastinate to the extent that one important aspect of their lives is already affected.

According to a consumer report in Britain, all in all people are squandering about seven and a half hours each week, approximately two and a half years over the average lifetime. A lot of time when being totaled everyday is being wasted mainly on getting stuck in a traffic jam, waiting in shops or banks, waiting for a public vehicle, and looking for things at home.

Overcoming Procrastination

For Filipinos, this is what they call a "Mamaya Na" habit, where they tend to put off or delay a certain task and sometimes wait until tomorrow before they actually start doing it. Laziness and lack of productivity will result in this manner and this should be overcome before it consumes you.

* Create a list of all the tasks to be done and prioritize them according to urgency and importance. Note down all the activities that you have to do today and then accomplish first those duties that are urgent and important setting aside those unimportant tasks: these should be done after doing the prioritized tasks.

* If all the things are already done and you still have time to work for other tasks, instead of waiting until tomorrow why not start doing the tomorrow's task, in this way you are practicing productivity and it will also lessen your burden for tomorrow.

* Don't wait till you feel like doing it. What if the feeling will arrive by tomorrow evening? Does that mean tomorrow evening is only the right time to do such task? Instead of waiting for the motivation feeling, get on the task and start doing it right away and eventually the feeling will occur while you're busy working on the task.

* Discipline by motivating your inner self that you can do it. Oftentimes, we procrastinate because we think about the entire difficult and complicated process of doing it, just by merely thinking that it's hard our body will react in such a way that it refuses to work as well. Establish a vision of the outcome/result of your work and not the processes involved in doing it.

Approachability can also be associated or linked to friendliness. When we mingle with other people, have you ever noticed if you are the one who usually takes the first step in introducing yourself or you always wait for the other party to make the first move before you start the conversation?

Being approachable means establishing a positive and light aura to the people around you, your facial expression, your hand movements, and gestures even without the use of your words are contributing factors to determine if you are approachable or the snobbish type.

With that note, let me share to you my 5 tips on how to optimize your approachability:

* Don't cross your arms. Sometimes, your arms can say a lot about your character and personality. If you cross your arms that signifies you're in a "closed" mood meaning at that moment, you do not want to engage in a conversation, you want to be alone. This will drive people away from you thinking that you are intimidating.

* Give other options to get in touch with you. With the latest trend in technology like emails, mobile phones, text messaging, chat, and blogs/sites you can have a lot of access to communicate with one another. In giving your contact details, include all forms of communication possible from your land line number, mobile number, URL of your website to your e-mail ad. If you only give out your mobile number, the other person might not be comfortable in calling you with his cellular phone so give your e-mail address also.

* Grab your own business cards - Secure your business cards and give them to every person you meet either for business or for personal purposes. In some events or gatherings, business cards are very useful to make them remember your contact info. In this way, you are practicing approachability by being "reachable."

* Answer with flavor - When you are asked "How are you?" or "How do you do?" what do you usually answer? "Fine" or "I'm fine." Fine is actually a meaningless and senseless reply as it has no content at all. This will bring an impression that you do not want to establish communication with that person. To be more approachable you can always say "I'm great!" I'm good" "Wonderful" or "Perfect."

* Don't wait on who goes first. If you're reluctant on who among you will have to make the first move...don't hesitate anymore, you have to take the first step. The number of people doesn't matter be confident enough to initiate the conversation and you'll be surprised that they are also friendly and approachable!

When you wake up each morning what do you usually say? "Oh God...it's morning again" or should you rather say "Thank you Lord for this beautiful morning." Although they seem to have similar wordings but their meanings or thoughts are very much different. The former statement is a pessimist or a negative thinker, the latter is a positive type of person, an optimist.

Motivation and your drive to succeed can be rooted on the level of your positivity. If you always think of the obstacles, hardships, and problems that you encounter in life chances are you will fail in your endeavor. On the other hand, if you surround yourself with all the positive aura every time, that will propel your mind to motivate your inner self to work harder until you reach your dreams.

Ways to be Optimistic:

* Don't ever think that you are always unfortunate and that the whole world is against you. When troubles get in our way, we always say a lot of negative things, watch out because these thoughts can break you or destroy your plans in seconds. Consider these difficulties as trials only and think of better ways to solve them, don't dwell on your agony.

* Past is past. If you experience pain or failure before don't assume that you will fail again on your next try. All people encounter frustration and disappointment, what's important is that you use these failures to move you up as you try again and don't quit. It's just but natural to fail in life but is it also normal to always quit on trying?

* Be grateful. Don't think of your tribulations and misfortunes for a moment, count your blessings instead and note them down on a piece of paper. Also include the sunny morning that you are still able to wake up, the trees, the birds, the good weather, your loved-ones, your material possessions etc... These are considered blessings from God that we should all be thankful for, you will be surprised that you have more blessings than problems in life.

* Use positive affirmations or expressions like "I can do it!" "I can change my life for the best!" "I can accomplish this successfully," "Anything is possible" etc... Keep in mind these affirmations especially when being faced with challenges to make you strong and determined.

* Life is too short to spend it with frustrations, agonies, pessimism, and lack of motivation. Every second counts so when you feel down or low in energy rest for a while and recharge again through perseverance, hard work, and patience you do not want to waste your life in gray clouds, do you?

Are you bitter during Valentine's Day like a modern day Grinch? Are you lonely because you're single and loveless this Valentine's? Cheer up! Heart's Day is not made for couples only, this is a season for everyone who can feel and give love.

Not being in a romantic human relationship is not the end of the world during the season of hearts! So don't get lonely and depressed if you have 0% love life this February, here are some advices for you...

* Be with your loved-ones like your close friends or colleagues, relatives, and family. Enjoy every moment spent with them. Make or buy Valentine cards this heart's day or send them an e-card. Greet them and don't forget to leave a personal message or a touching note, this only comes once a year.

* Give thanks and greet your former girlfriend/boyfriend as well. Remember no matter now harsh or painful the experiences may be they also helped in molding your personality today and has made you who you are now. Don't call them nor say I love you that's too much already!

* Don't spend the day alone. Invite some friends over to your house, organize a party, or just go out with your other single friends. Relax and see a movie, go to an amusement park, dance the night out in a cool disco, or have a nice dinner.

* Go out of town or if you can afford, travel out of the country. Isn't that exciting? Explore new and amazing places and meet new friends than getting stuck in your room.

* Finally, since Valentine's Day creates a love-is-in-the-air atmosphere, why not go to a charitable institution, an orphanage, a church, or a home for the aged and donate, pour out some love and make people happy, that's a big point in Heaven.

Aristotle wrote the idea of "tabula rasa" - meaning human beings are born with no innate mental content. An individual's personality, mind content, and ways of thinking will depend on the teachings and nurture of the outside world.

As an ignorant and innocent child grow, everything that he sees and learns from her surroundings are all correct for him. He will imitate and remember these behaviors especially if they are manifested from his elders. As the concept of "tabula rasa" explains, initially the mind is like a sponge, it just keeps on absorbing every details in one's life. If a child sees the wrong practices of his parents like gambling, shouting, or drinking alcohol everyday, these details will register into his mind and will in turn behave the same way as he grows up.

Parents should be a good example to their children. Teaching the right values to a kid is very essential and crucial in parenthood. What you show or teach to your child will be his foundations in the development of his personality. The attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs of the parents are being transferred to the next generation, this is where the value of kindness comes in.

Value of kindness should start from the basic unit of society - the family. However, the home is just one institution that can contribute in teaching the value of kindness to a kid. The schools should also be responsible in orienting the kid about the importance of kindness.

According to the results of a poll taken at a parenting website - Parent Soup, out of more than 1,200 parents quizzed, 56% said that school administrators and teachers are also responsible for maintaining a "kind atmosphere" at school. A child spends many hours at school and all the behaviors of his teachers and administrators including the kind of atmosphere that is evident in the school may influence the kid's orientation and growth.

Statistics show that nearly 4 per 1,000 marriages are into divorce. That is an alarming rate considering the fact that almost a million children are experiencing their parents' marriage fall apart. This could be one of the most tragic events anybody could experience in their entire life.

Some people may regard it as a fact of life, while others still believe that it is one of those nuisances that can be dealt with objectively. And the only way to avoid divorce is to make marriages work, not just for the better but for a long, long time.

Learn how to avoid marriage problems and you will know what significance figures can make in human history. Here's how:

1. Communication

One of the greatest factors that affects divorce rates is communication. Most couples hardly talk to each other, understand each other's feelings, and learn how to accept the other person as a whole.

Most marriage problems lie on miscommunication, either messages not sent properly or simply misunderstanding.

If only couples learn how to value communication, they will realize that divorce will have no space in life.

2. Team work

Marriage is not a single commitment. You and your partner both agreed to the responsibilities, personally and legally, that had been given. You swore in front of the public that you will work things out with your partner.

If only people will realize the old adage, "No man is an island," they will learn how important it is to have someone grow old with you, laugh with you, and cry with you.

Also, with team work, you denounce yourself of some self-centered rights and privileges. You should learn how to give more than to receive.

3. Pray together

It is the most powerful defense a couple could have against problems. No problem can be resolved better than with the help of God.

Lift up your worries to Him. If you think your husband is cheating on you, just pray. If you think that your wife nags too much, just pray. And best of all, pray together. AS you get closer to God, you get closer to the one you love.

And when love binds the marriage together, nothing can go wrong.

You have felt the pain. It was almost like your heart has been broken into pieces. With so much hurt you never want to fall in love again. But you know that after heart break, reality comes. That there is more to life and that loving again is simply a process you have to undergo once more.

Learn how to live your life and love again. Things may not be easier as it may seem but it can happen even if you think that there is no hope. Heart breaks can mess up your physical and mental being, but that does not mean it is the end of everything.

So what do you have to do to encourage yourself to love again after heart break? Learn how with these 3 simple encouragements:

1. Talk to friends and family

Your friends are not just your greatest companions whenever you are down and troubled. They can be your source of strength and inspiration as well. And because you are surrounded by people who love you dearly, you will find it easier to understand your worth as a person. With this, you will learn how easy and great it is to love again.

2. Clear some space

This does not have to be figurative. Some people do not understand how physical mess can add up to the troubles that they are going through. After a heart break, it is best to clear an untidy room, clear the mess on the table, and keep the surroundings clean and orderly.

Living your life in a clean surrounding makes it easier to live through the pain, dismiss it, and learn to love again.

3. Meet new people

Never shut yourself out from the world. Learn to reach out. Meet new and interesting people. Remember, life is what you make it. It is only through meeting other people that you will learn what life has to offer you. That there is more to heart breaks and failed relationships.

Follow these simple encouragements and you will learn that it is easier to fall in love again by staying positive in life. It is simply a plus minus thing. You win some, you lose some. And you have to learn and be inspired because of what happened to you.

First of all, let's differentiate religion from spirituality. Religion is an institutionalized or personal system of practices, beliefs, and opinions relating to the divine. Spirituality, on the other hand, is a sense of purpose and meaning, an inner sense that is greater than oneself. We will focus more on religion; does it contribute to personality development? What role does it actually play in our personality?

There was even a present study conductd to examine the relation of religion to the five factor model of personality measured by the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised with Canadian university students as samples. It concludes that religiousness is a function of tender-minded attitudes and conditionability.

Religion is an integral part of our lives and while there are various beliefs if it really plays a role in personality development, many would still say that it affects the personality and I think so too.

* If a lost soul without any focus on his religion is vengeful, hateful or even a criminal is converted into Christianity, thus obtaining a religion that will direct him to God, he will most likely change his bad attitudes/behaviors into good and that affects his entire personality. The person is now loving, caring, forgiving, and righteous.

* Basically, if a person is truly devoted to his religion, he has the tendency to acquire and practice the teachings of his religion. This person will become more charitable, modest, pious, and faithful than others. There are also instances wherein a religion will mandate/require the individual to prioritize religion above all aspects/areas of his life, then the person is now more religious and more focused on giving charities than other people.

Does birth order have something to do with personality development? This is a never-ending controversial question that remains to be debatable and unconfirmed based on studies, researches, and opinions of many psychologists. Experts say that first-borns, influenced by their different views, lifestyle, and perspective in life, are usually more responsible, big-earners and more intelligent than last-borns - probably due to their roles and expectations in the family. Scientists at University of Oslo studied military records of Norwegian conscripts and found out that eldest children are significantly more intelligent than second-borns. A recent poll in America revealed that of 1,583 CEOs over half were eldest children. However, there are still views disproving this issue, based on testimonies of other psychologists - this is really not the case, it does not apply to everyone.

Dalton Conley, author of the book "The Pecking Order," explains that there are a lot of contributing factors that affect the behavior of last-borns and first-borns.

* Early and/or untimely death of a family member
* Economic shocks in the family resulting to financial loss
* Gender roles and expectations
* External influences

According to Conley, birth order is the last in all of these factors.

Studies even cited that more than ½ of the U.S. Presidents were first born and 2/3 of entrepreneurs were eldest children. The second child is usually neglected, loner and mysterious while last-born children are generally known as "baby of the family and a spoiled brat," being the youngest they somehow gets all the attention and concerns of the parents but this is not always true in some situation.

Personality development books, online articles, e-books, internet tutorials, and even college subjects or courses on developing one's personality are increasing in number. Although, this may be regarded as a minor stuff, this is also significant to every person's growth. Last December 2007, a Capacity Building workshop titled Leadership and Personality Development was organized in UAE for the benefit of women multiplicators. Personality development workshops and trainings are slowly becoming the trend nowadays. If you don't have a clear background or orientation regarding personality development, enroll your kids in the nearest personality development course that can help in shaping up his personality. Bear in mind that if an individual's personality is not properly refined, chances are that person's character will not be suitable nor capable enough to go through the challenges of life.

Inherent natural, environmental, and genetic - these factors contribute to the development of every individual's personality. Those genes that you acquired from your family, most especially from your parents, will have a great impact on your total well-being. Analyzing the genes, traits, and characteristics of every family member from your ancestors down to your family line is not enough to determine your whole personality. There are several environmental factors (usually the most influential) that could also spell your personality, this is where proper guidance and support from your family and peers come in. These factors are vital to our growth as they mold us either to become the person that we ought to be or the kind of person with a disrupted personality. So for the mothers out there, do you think the moment you popped out your child from your womb is already the hardest and most crucial event that could take place in your life as a parent? Absolutely not true, the years and years that you will spend in nurturing your child is an important part of the upbringing process, I think this is the most difficult part as a parent.

According to a news article that I read, 2007 marks a year of Heroism and martyrdom in Africa. There are notable African individuals who made their share of martyrdom and heroism last year. But what do we really mean by martyrdom? It is simply enduring suffering or accepting death because of a belief, cause, or faith. There are numerous epitomes of martyrdom from the time of Jesus Christ until today, there are still martyr souls out there, in their own little ways, always ready to give up their lives and to sacrifice themselves for a cause, for a loved-one, for the country or for their faith.

What about those cases wherein a battered wife is being emotionally and physically beaten by her husband? They say it's because of unconditional and everlasting love, but is it still a sacrifice that is worth it? A generous person who is always abused for his kindness and selflessness, is it also a sign of martyrdom?

Assessing Your Purpose

I do not argue with the fact that a meaningful sacrifice and acts of martyrdom are among the highest level of virtues that every individual should have to attain righteousness but an abuse of it or not putting it in the right track will make it worthless.

* Examine your belief, is it really worth dying or suffering for? Is it geared towards universal good, for the welfare of all people? Will it also give you an inner peace and joy without striving for public recognition? If yes, you're on the right path.

* Will it yield a negative effect? If you're a battered wife and you always say that you are willing to sacrifice because you love your husband or if you are so generous of giving up everything to your loved-ones but they continuously abuse it, not recognizing your worth. This definitely does not change anything, this will just go on and on then, it's time to say "No more Mr. nice guy!"

* Lastly, make sure that it does not damage your character. Your sacrifice should make others remember or recognize you in a positive light and not being a martyr because of unjust and unreasonable cause.

They say "what you give is what you get," so if you give out love, friendship, kindness, or generosity it is most likely that you'll be getting the same acts. If you unleashed vengeance, hatred, or selfishness, the same thing will come to you, what goes around, comes around this is the law of karma. Similar actions yield similar results.

Although karma originated in India with beliefs passed on to generations from all over the world, there are some who do not agree nor believe in karma. Some would even argue that if you believe in karma, good acts for your fellowmen are not genuine/sincere anymore because of reciprocity or the expectation that you will get the same act from someone. The person giving an act of kindness has the tendency to expect something in return for his good deeds either from someone or to other people.

Whether you believe in karma or not and whether you agree on its concept/philosophy or not, it doesn't really matter as long as you practice kindness in words, thoughts, and deeds. Always show an act of kindness to people around you anytime, anywhere. God sees but waits, He will pour out many graces and blessings to those who deserve them in His time - this is absolutely true!

Perpetual latecomers - an exaggerated term used to pinpoint those people who are always late no matter when, where or what appointment they have. These are already used of being late because they have this philosophy or defense mechanism: "It's better to be late than never." They have a point but isn't it
best if you are not absent and at the same time you are still on schedule or even earlier than the appointed time?

People nowadays are always on the go, preoccupied with so many things like their daily routines, household chores, workloads and even in going out for a date, due to these mind-boggling and time-consuming activities, busy individuals find it hard to be punctual. Here are some tips on how to beat the time and be at your appointment even earlier than expected:

* Always remember that the degree of professionalism is also determined by your punctuality. If you come in late, chances are, you will acquire negative feedback from the people around you. Let's say you're the boss of a company, if you come in late your employees will be de-motivated to report to the office on time hence, tardiness will arise.

* In relation with the above situation, if this chronic tardiness begins to strain your work personally and professionally then you have to correct it as soon as possible.

* Set your watch/clock 10-15 minutes earlier, starting your daily activities early may help you to prevent being late for your other appointments. Continuously do this until you get used to it and eventually making it as your habit everyday.

* Learn to allocate your time wisely. Let's say you have a date at 6:30 pm, the usual rituals are taking a shower, dressing up, buying a special gift and included is your travel time as well. This actually depends however, on the distance of your house to your meeting place and if you spend more time in the bathroom, the bottom line here is don't estimate your time in an exact manner, have an allowance of 15-20 minutes, save this for other unexpected situations.

* Make a time table. This will work again if you want to be productive and punctual in all you do. Note down all your tasks in your to-do-list specify a particular amount of time on how long will you do a certain task including the time when you will start working on it, this will also help you to be systematic and organize.

* Bear in mind that time is gold and time is even money to most professionals. Commit yourself to not being late by being 10-15 minutes earlier than the schedule, especially if you're in a very important meeting with some very important people

Being on time is already creating a good impression, this is also a factor that may have a positive effect on you as it says something about your character. Strive to be on time as Shakespeare wrote "Better three hours too soon than a minute too late."

There are several ways and tips on how to motivate yourself to achieve productivity but no matter what they say if you don't put your heart and mind into it, everything is just a piece of junk! You can even mention countless quotes about productivity but if they will not be put into use, they will also be worthless.

Productivity is a critical focus for business in today's world - if people are not productive enough then the business will not succeed. One important ingredient in order to achieve productivity is time management. Just try to imagine, we only have 24 hours a day and yet the amount of workloads that we have to squeeze in can sometimes be mind-boggling so how can we maximize our time at the same time even achieving an extra time for other tasks? This is where time management comes in!

- Make a time table. List down all the activities that you have to work for the day and estimate how much longer will it take you to accomplish a single task? This way you have a plan and allocated time to guide you on your work.

- Learn to prioritize. Not everything is urgent or even necessary, balance your work and time first to those urgent and important, set aside other things.

- Don't hesitate to refuse. You can always say no to work loads that do not fit in to your schedule especially if it will sacrifice your health and the quality of your output. It will only cause you to rush on things. We are not robots (even robots break down you know?!), we are human beings with limitations.

- De-stress for a while. Take a break once in a while, it's not really advisable to work and work 24/7! A few minutes to relax and rest can also help you recharge your energy.

In real life, it's not easy to divide your time for work, family, relationship, and other aspects of your life. Make the most out of your time, don't procrastinate but bear in mind also that we are not machines to conquer every second of our life just for work, as the saying goes, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!"

It's something that you might now be aware that you're actually doing. You are being your own self's worst enemy.

How is that possible? Your self-esteem is so low you feel that you DON'T deserve anything better.

What's the self-sabotaging person?

A battered housewife who thinks she should endure your relationship, if that's what you call it, because no one else will ever accept you other than your abusive partner.

She will do anything and endure all the blacks and blues that such relationship is imprinting on her skin.

Why? Because she is a self-sabotageur.

What causes this?

Feeling rejected, feeling less than, less important, less worthy, judgment of self or others, are all at the basis of low self-esteem.

Feeling strong, confident, secure and knowing that you are doing your best, loving others even though they are not perfect, lack of judgment, following your own moral values are the basis for healthy self-esteem.

Read more about self-esteem tips.

Do you procrastinate out of fear, laziness or habit? You could be putting a lot of things at risk - your career, relationships, dreams, goals and even your health just by putting off tasks. Stop procrastinating now and make use of the time you have. Here's how:

Recognize the habits that lead to procrastination.
Procrastination is the product of certain habits. Find out what things, situations and decisions contribute to your postponement in order to manage your time more effectively. Is it fear of making mistakes, a lack of self confidence, fear of rejection or failure? If you acknowledge that you procrastinate (as opposed to just delaying an act in order to think over a decision), you'll be more equipped to do things that can push you into action instead of wallowing in a self-imposed restriction.

Segregate tasks.
Make a list of the tasks that you need to complete and label them according to urgency. When you see what needs to be done, you'll have a better grasp of how much time you can and should spend on one task and what things you can juggle. Prioritizing lets you finish a task one at a time, rather than starting several tasks at once and never completing any of them.

Use your calendar and set a deadline.
Buy a desk calendar or organizer and write down tasks you need to complete on a daily basis. This will give you an idea of what you can accomplish at the end of the week. Go over your calendar once in a while and try to see which tasks you can finish BEFORE the deadline. A self-imposed deadline is a little tricky because you might be tempted to bump off tasks just to procrastinate but if you recognize the importance of tasks, deadlines will work better. When you have pressure breathing on your neck, you're more likely to complete a task and stop procrastinating.

Organize.
If your desk is cluttered, you'll have more reasons to procrastinate because stuff are just too difficult to locate. Place documents in labeled folders, arrange your files, organize your checkbooks, receipts, billing statements, etc.

Use your own style.
Never bite off more than what you can chew and while you might want to emulate others who are successful time managers, you might try considering your own approach. Find out what your working style is and use that to your advantage.

Reward yourself.
Completing tasks should be a joyful, happy event, not something that leaves you annoyed. When you've accomplished a goal you have set that usually falls victim to your procrastination habit, reward yourself. Small things will do, as long as they make you feel good about accomplishing your goal.