Wise Observer

A high quality make-up artist would never dream of making up just about anyone minus the right tools. So why is it that a large number of women believe they do not need the ideal brushes or even worse still utilize those little applicators that come with the products.

As with any kind of make-up application making use of the correct products, the correct methods and the proper equipment will assist you to get the look you are planning for. The success in implementing any makeup lies significantly in the tools used to apply the various hues and feel. Many products may very well be utilized using fingers whereas some other products will want the help of good brushes.The best suited brushes may let you to apply your make-up with ease. The correct brushes will help you create that master make-up artist look.

You don’t need a large amount of make up brushes, you just need a few crucial ones to make making up simple. I favor ones with short handles for the reason that you can get closer with the mirror.

1)The primary is a foundation brush. Not only will you apply your foundation like a specialist artist, but you will use less foundation (saving you money) plus you’ll achieve a smooth almost air brushed effect. A foundation brush has flat but soft bristles and is used to apply cream based or liquid foundation. A foundation brush is as a rule manufactured from washable synthetic bristles.

2)A powder/bronzer brush. This is a large full brush great for dusting on powder or sweeping on bronzer.

In the event you wear a mineral foundation or bronzer you’ll probably decide to make use of a kabuki kind of brush. These kinds of brushes are shorter and much more thick than your typical powder brush.

3) A double ended brow brush. The brush end will keep your brows looking neatly in place and also the angled end will let you fill in any spaces and define the shape.

4) A blusher brush is a necessity if you are using any kind of powder blush. The brush really should have a 100 % head of marginally tapered hair. Make sure that your brush is soft otherwise you could find your blush will go on streaky. Don’t use the free brushes that come with blushers. They are usually too hard bristled making application blotchy and unpleasant. In case you are a cream blush wearer you may use a foundation brush to apply your blush but please don’t utilize the same one.

5) A medium and a small sized eye shadow brush. Use the medium one to sweep shadow round the eye as well as the smaller one to define the lash and socket line.

Using just these handful of brushes you will see your make-up goes on conveniently and you just appear fantastic!

It’s still at the center of controversy although, nevertheless, there’s no shortage of experts active today who regularly employ black ops hypnosis. Employed to help treat physical, mental, and emotional complaints as well as a persuasive communication strategy, this kind of mind control affects an individual’s unconscious mind to make them do what you’re looking for. You can add efforts to vanquish mental disorders or various addictions to any imagined stage show humorous hijinks and comparable mayhem. We can accept that this might worry you, but savvy practitioners know just what they’re doing and produce few if any issues.

As with the majority of hypnotic procedures, the aim of conversational hypnosis is to place the subject into trance. Of course you can typically bring them so deep into trance. How deeply the subject descends into a trance state is affected by aspects of their emotional status and personality.

The lightest trance level occurs at the point where the subject initially starts to relax certain smaller muscles. An urge to sleep arises at this point. As the hypnotist deepens the trance state, this ease begins spreading to larger muscles. Usually, this takes mere moments. You can establish trances sufficiently deep that the only sensory input received is that coming from whoever has hypnotized them. And as they’re led to this depth, hypnotic suggestion comes in, with subconscious instruction becoming possible. The trance state can deepen more to the point where the subject becomes capable of forgetting given memories or time frames through suggestion.

Past that you enter the world of hallucination, and should you continue, you’ll eventually establish a state akin to that found in anesthesia. It’s not unheard of for this heightened hypnotic state to be put to use during medical procedures. The Underground Hypnosis program won’t take anyone quite that far; however, you won’t shouldn’t need it to. In the majority of cases, the lower degrees are more than sufficient. So look into the underground hypnosis system — you’ll be welcomed. How much time would this need, you might ask? Almost no time — some quick research, some time to practice the tricks you’ve read about, and you’ll soon find you’ll have quite the new talent. So why worry? Step up and learn.

A modern job hunting campaign is by nature often complicated. While the internet has offered a variety of new channels, it also creates increased competition for choice jobs and possible challenges for job hunters.

Job hunting needs to be thought of as a personal, extremely targeted marketing operation where you are the product. Your resume is an ad. Your extended network is your source for information and opportunities.

So where does the net fit in? At AA-Careers, we just posted a job on Craigslist and got 600 plus responses in a week. For a single job. That’s increased competition for job openings.

Had a great candidiate called us before we ran the posting, they could have gotten the position prior to running in to all that competition. How? By knowing someone at our office who became aware of the job prior to posting. Everyone was aware of the job for at least 11 days before it was posted. Who in your network might know of a job that’s coming available soon?

Be sure to check your application matierials carefully! When we did an analysis of the 650 resumes, we found a large number of errors. 63% of the applicants were easily taken out with a swift triage process. How? The same way any manager would. By passing over resumes where the objective didn’t match our job posting. By eliminating candidates whose cover letters gave us grounds not to engage them, like "I know I’m overqualified but I really need a job". By eliminating candidates whose documents that didn’t open properly. And by eliminating job hunters who didn’t trouble to spell check their cover letter and/or resume.

So the good news is that job sites give you a sense of what companies are hiring, and for what kinds of jobs. But once those jobs are posted, the competition is intense. You can still try, if you have a well honed resume, designed to appeal directly and clearly to the recruiter. And if you have practiced interviewing – so you don’t stumble at a critical point.

Another potential problem to be aware of is how quickly and easily you can be investigated on the web. As we Googled several job hunters, we ran into some pictures and comments that were in questionable taste. Nothing illegal, but enough to rock our thoughts about who to employ.

AA-Careers provides a all-inclusive set of services for Bay Area job seekers, providing our clients a personal career consultant, a managed job hunting campaign, modern tools like a personal website, video, highly targeted resume, and much more. Let us know if we can help you.

Be careful out there, and good hunting!

My hair loss treatment journey started the day I started to notice my thinning hair and my bald spot becoming bigger. I would spend hours and hours looking for styles to comb my hair a certain way to cover my hair loss. I discovered myself wearing more hats on the weekends as I went out with my wife, friends or family. Walking in to work every morning without my hat was an unpleasant experience. Your thinking changes when you are suffering from hair loss. It is so true that you never know what you have until you lose it. That can be true about your hair loss.

Having suffered from balding, I began to appreciate every strand of hair that I had left. It was as if with each strand of hair I lost, so was a small part of my self-confidence gone as well. A friend of mine had the same problem as me. Yet recently he appeared so much more relaxed and I noticed that it was as if his hair was growing back. I never wanted to bring it up but after a while I decided to ask. That is when I was recommended to Advanced Hair Studio. With just a few visits my friend Jimmy had not only regained his hair, but his self-confidence as well. After seeing what Josh has accomplished from Advanced Hair, I made up my mind to pay them a visit.

I have to admit that I was a little wary at first. Results were evident within a few weeks. Not only on my head, but in my attitude. I started to lose the caps on the weekends and I quickly started to feel better about myself. My wife has also pointed out a change in my day to day behaviour as well. It is amazing how just a few trips to the Advanced Hair Studio had begun to change my life as a whole. I have always been skeptical about people discovering my bald spot. Now, I am not terrified to look people in the eyes again as I have my full set of hair back.

Advance Hair Studio has not only given me back a full set of hair, but a big chunk of my life as well. So, if anyone is suffering from hair loss I highly recommend them. Don’t let your confidence continue to be lost with your hair.

My hair loss treatment journey begun the day I started to notice my thinning hair and my bald spot becoming bigger. I would spend hours and hours looking for ways to comb my hair a particular manner to hide my hair loss. I noticed myself wearing more hats on the weekends as I went out with my wife, acquaintances or family. Walking in to work every morning was a tough experience without my hat on. Your thinking changes when you are going through hair loss. It is so true that you never know what you have until you lose it. That can be accurate about your hair loss.

Having suffered from hair loss, I started to appreciate every strand of hair that I had left. It was as if with each string of hair I lost, so was a small percent of my self-confidence gone as well. A mate of mine had the same problem as me. I observed recently that he seemed so much more relaxed and it looks as though his hair was growing back. I never wanted to bring it up but after a while I decided to ask. It was then that he recommended to me Advanced Hair Studios. My friend Josh told me that he had only had a few treatments and has already started to see some positive results, he not only regrown his hair, but his confidence as well. After seeing what Josh has attained from Advanced Hair, I made up my mind to pay them a visit.

I was a little cynical at first. But results were obvious within a few weeks. Not only on my head, but in my behavior. I began feeling better about myself and started to lose the caps on the weekends. My wife who has been complaining about my lack of interest in our relationship began to notice the change in that department as well. It is amazing how just a few visits to the Advanced Hair Studio had begun to change my life as a whole. I have always been shy about people discovering my bald spot. Now, I am not terrified to look people in the eyes again as I have my full set of hair back.

Advance Hair Studio has not only given me back a full set of hair, but a big piece of my confidence as well. So, if anyone is experiencing hair loss I highly recommend them. Don’t let baldness take your self-confidence away.

It’s not easy to talk about, but invisible lace wigs were not even on my radar. Teaching was what kept me pretty busy. This applied till two years ago when my hair began to thin because of alopecia. It was obvious that I cannot allow for the possibility of appearing on TV as a bald Mr. Clean from New Hampshire.

I thought that my charm would be more difficult, lacking my trademarked hair do. I believed that there was nothing I could do to reclaim fabulous style. Buddy, I was incorrect. Previous to receiving my new real wig, I found a selection of itchy synthetic wigs that I couldn’t stand. My boyfriend Harry told me about respectable, medical wig websites that carried authentic wigs that would suit me.

Well I biked to the Internet cafe and surveyed the options. I uncovered an array of beautiful, beautiful real hair wigs. Their amazing wigs for cancer patients worked!

Given the right hair piece, a woman in my place can foster confidence while accepting her hair loss due to cancer. Now I see this as an opportunity to parade my new golden locks. It was exhilarating to proudly brush my hair while at the mall.

Perhaps I could be exaggerating things, but remember looks are important to my identity. Is there more things to life than a great head of hair? Girl, it wouldn’t matter anyway if it were true. Wigs are stylish fashion pieces to so many women.

I can’t believe what this has felt like. Not many comment on the truth of me and my wigs (I have two now, for different styles). Anyhow that’s where I’m at, I’m just prepared to fearlessly approach my career again. Fashionable women’s medical wigs improved things for my attitude on life.

Shallow people may say that sentiment is needy. Who cares? How is life so possible? Personally, I adore friends and my inimitable style.

Feel Good About Your Hair!

Denise Putnam

Men have regularly been self mindful about being bald, even so, these days being bald is fast becoming a fashion trend. More of this era’s male stars are also sporting bald heads. You will often get many of the trendiest up & coming stars with bald heads, by choice. There are additionally various older movie stars that are not covering up the reality that they are going bald. All these crazes are great for men, that don’t need to worry about going bald. The other excellent news for men that are losing their hair, is that there are currently more advanced hair solutions, then ever before. Click here for hair advanced hair loss treatments and advice.

If one need inspiration that being bald is appealing simply look at Vin Diesel, Howie Mandel, Bruce Willis and Andre Agassi. These men are some of the most accepted men in the US, & they are all bald. Whether bald by choice or by nature, baldness might well make people look remarkably distinguished & trendy. When men are bald & confident, they are extremely sexy. Just like any fashion, being bald is all about attitude. When you are bald you need to own a positive attitude, then you can have no issue attracting ladies.

If you are becoming bald, but you are not yet convinced with your new look, there are many treatments on offer. Many hair loss remedies, help you grow back your own natural hair. When you grow back your own hair, it can look & feel effectively natural. Growing back one’s own hair can help you look and feel younger, and can often aid you feel even more confidant. Growing back your own hair is a great benefit, for the reason that you can continue to look like yourself, simply younger.

If growing your own hair back is not an option, there are also countless advanced hair remedies that will help you get a full head of hair back. No matter what sort of baldness issues you are having, rest assured that there is a hair loss treatment that can work for you. Some of the advanced hair treatments are more elaborate, & it will take a longer period before you have a full head of hair. Many men worry, about their hair looking natural after they use these advanced hair treatments. Be sure to talk to a doctor or the person doing the hair therapies, to make sure you absolutely understand the results.

The most vital thing regarding hair loss, is that you feel natural and comfortable. If you feel handsome bald, do not worry about buying hair loss remedies. If you are self conscious about your thinning hair, you are not alone. If you do your comparison, & find the leading hair loss treatment for you, you are sure to feel great with your hair.

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly” -anonymous

Hope

As I sat on a plane going to Atlanta, I felt the sadness that has been welling up inside of me thinking about the funeral of my dear niece Sara. I just spoke to her less than a week before on the phone. We actually had a longer than normal conversation, lasting almost a half hour. I detected nothing in her voice to lead me to worry about her. She seemed to be dealing with her life and the recent surgery removing her appendix, and getting back to work. I heard nothing that sounded an alarm. That’s the thing about suicide. There often is no outward sign that something is wrong. I’ve dealt with suicide before. My best friend Bob was the first really close person to me that left this planet by his own hand. I felt helpless then, and I feel helpless now. The difference is that this time, I knew what to do to help, and I still wasn’t able to.

A friend of mine wrote to me after hearing about my niece, telling me that she too had had suicidal thoughts in her past and how she didn’t reach out either. Luckily for her something inside her kept her from completing her attempt. We all have different strengths inside of us. The problem is that sometimes things can feel overwhelming. I certainly have felt that way, but there’s always been something that kept me here.

To anyone that reads this, and ever feels alone and hopeless, know that there is always hope. You may not be able to see it, but reach out for help and someone else will be able to see it for you. Sometimes professionals have limiting beliefs and pass them on to others. Like a doctor that says there’s nothing we can do. The correct wording would be there’s nothing more I know how to do. But don’t give up! Hope is what creates miracles. It’s a belief, that no matter how things look, there can be something done, or something created to change what might be fact or truth as we now know it. Miracles indeed happen every day.

I have to say that suicide is never the answer. I have to think that once the person crosses over, they realize that there was another way, but it’s too late, at least this time. The effect that suicide has is so much more than most people could realize. We affect so many people that if we choose suicide, we never see the wide ripple effect it causes. I was caught in a tidal wave effect when my friend Bob died. I was in tremendous pain. I cried for days. I cried for years. Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life” found out what difference he made to all the people around him. He got a second chance. Unfortunately we don’t usually get that in life. It has to be known, by each of us. Dustin Hoffman in “Hero” found out he made a difference in lives, even though before that his life wasn’t about contributing to others.

We all contribute to others in different ways. I try to contribute to others with my work, my writing, my speaking. But everybody contributes to the world one way or another. We touch many people in our lives. Many we never know about, and of course the ones we do. When suicide is chosen, many more people are affected and hurt that the person could possibly realize. I don’t pretend to have the answers to everyone’s problems, but I do know that they do, and perhaps can’t see them because of their depression.

The key is to reach out to someone. If they don’t have the answer, or aren’t supportive, find someone else that is. There are suicide hotlines all over the country. (1 800 SUICIDE 1 800 784-2433, or 1 800 273-TALK.1 800 273-8255) There are friends, family, ministers, therapists, books, etc. Reach out! Don’t give up! Pray for guidance. Talk to someone, anyone. Let someone know that you are in pain. Hold on. It will get better. That’s a guarantee. Believe me.

What to do when you feel stuck?

One of the first things to do is to slow down and center yourself if you can. Do this by taking a deep breath. Literally take a couple of deep breaths letting them out slowly. Breathing is powerful in calming you down and allowing better thought processes to occur.

Look into someone’s eyes, or if alone, look into a mirror. This eye to eye connection helps also to calm and center you.

Reach out for help. Help is always available and knowing that there is a way out even if you can’t see it is extremely important. Believe that you can be helped and you do deserve help no matter what. Sometimes you’re too close to the picture to be able to see the big picture and therefore the solution to the problem. Einstein said “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” In other words either you have to shift your thinking or have someone else help you to find the solution. Talk to someone that you know will support you, and not add to your stress level. Sometimes a good friend or family member fills this roll. Other times a coach, minister or therapist can offer not only a sympathetic ear, but also techniques and advice to guide you through your challenge. Tell them if you just want them to listen, or if you want them to listen and then offer advice.

Remember you do have your own answers. Sometimes you can’t see them without shifting or having support.

Take a time-out for yourself. Place a little distance between you and your problem. This sometimes is physical distance, other times just closing your eyes and deep breathing, creating a safe space for you to balance yourself. Take a walk. This simple act often allows you to clear your head, and regain your perspective.

Sometimes you need to express yourself. You can do this several ways. Sometimes you can write your feelings down, like in journaling. Putting your thoughts on paper is powerful and often releases them so your mind can clear. Sometimes a guided writing format helps. I use what I call the Soul Letter technique to guide me through the 7 steps of the emotional ladder. I find it helps to keep me balanced in my expression of my feelings and emotions. (See Get Unstuck! Chapter 9)

If writing it’s not a practical solution or it isn’t going to do it at the time, you may want to try blowing off a little steam with some loud expression. This often can be challenging to shout your feelings, and not disturb others. One way to do this is to stack several pillows on a bed or couch and place your head deep into them and shout away! If you’re near nature where there aren’t a lot of people around, you can shout and only the squirrels or seagulls will hear you. Once you’ve expressed yourself, you’ll feel a release and then hopefully you will more balanced.

Whatever combination you use, there is always a way out. Know that there is and you will find it. Now take a deep breath, and face your day!

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~Albert Schweitzer~

5 Things to do to help a friend in need.

Friends often reach out for help when they are in need. Here’s what to do when your friend reaches out to you.

First try to calm them down a little by asking them to take a couple of deep breaths. Literally get them to pause for just a moment and breathe. Often times this will bring them more into a balanced state of mind.

The second thing to do is to listen, really listen to them. Sometimes you need to make a “safe space” for them to open up. This can be accomplished by giving them your full attention. Even on the phone, they can sense whether you are giving them only part of your attention. If you’re physically with them, look at them, look in their eyes. Have an empathetic attitude and make sure it reflects in your face. Don’t make any judgments about what you hear. Come from a place of neutrality.

Ask them if they want your advice or if they just want you to listen. Men often make the mistake of trying to “fix” a problem when they see it. That’s why a new problem may be created if advice is offered and not wanted. Sometimes you may have some advice that fits for you, but might not be the best for them. So first ask them what they see as a solution. People have their own answers, but often times are too involved to see them. Other times with a little reflection they will figure out what needs to be done.

If you do offer advice, make sure it is balanced. Sometimes we have our own agenda when we offer advice. It’s always best to frame your advice with something like well if I were in your situation, I might such and such. Remember they are looking for support, but you need to be their balance to help them to see what makes sense to them. Remember that if you say throw the bum out, and they decide they want to stay with him; you are setting yourself up for a problem of your own.

Finally make sure they feel heard. Often that’s the real need they have. You can perception check with them by asking “If I hear you right, you are feeling such and such.” Then see if you are accurate. Once they really feel that they’ve expressed their feelings and emotions and feel heard, the problem will seem handleable. Just knowing that they have support can make them feel better and have hope. Pass this on, you may be saving someone you love.

John Seeley M.A. holds a Master’s degree in psychology is a Life Coach, Speaker and Author of the book Get Unstuck! The Simple Guide to Restart Your Life. John Seeley is President/CEO of Blue Moon Wonders and HeartFire Seminars, which specialize in educational and personal growth workshops and products.

John grew up in the Midwest the youngest of five children. He has lived and worked all over the country for Fortune 500 companies. John has been involved in personal growth & coaching since 1990. He works with individuals as well as business executives who have a commitment to making positive changes and awakening a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment in their lives and companies. John is a catalyst for change your life and has been in the lives of many people. John’s books Get Unstuck! The Simple Guide to Restart Your Life! and Get Unstuck! The Companion Workbook are showing people the steps to take to get their lives moving and create the life they really want. for more info and other articles go to http://www.getunstuck.com

I watched as an 8-year-old All-Star slid dramatically into second base. Yet the umpire gave the dreaded signal, “Out!” The crowd yelled, “That’s OK. Way to hustle! Great try!”

Another little fellow swings the bat with all the power he can muster…three times without hitting the ball. Each time, the fans encouraged, “Good swing! Now just pick out a good one and make contact! Watch it over. You can do it!” Then the strike-out. “That’s OK, man. Next time.”

I eavesdroppped as one of the coaches talked to my grandson Joseph’s team, who had just lost their second in the double elimination tournament. “We have nothing to be ashamed of. You guys played hard and you played well. The other team just played a little better this time. You’re gonna keep practicing and next year, you’ll come back and you’ll be great!”

I was impressed as Steven, another coach, modeled for his young protégés the responsibility he was trying to teach. In front of the whole team, he apologized to Adam for his own mistake in signaling the boy to run on to third base in a play that resulted in an out. He didn’t want the young man to blame himself for something that wasn’t his fault.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Of course, we tell them those things. We don’t want them to get discouraged. We want them to keep trying and not give up.”

Exactly.

We instinctively know what we need to do the keep these little guys motivated and encouraged.

(Most of us, that is. Unfortunately, in the last few years of attending these games, I have heard occasionally heard some children being subjected to loud, harsh criticism from insensitive parents. I admit I was savoring the idea of punching them out when I was deterred by picturing the next day’s headlines in the Hattiesburg American!)

HOW DO YOU TALK TO YOURSELF?

You know how to encourage others. But do you do as well with yourself? Do you know how to keep yourself encouraged in the face of failure and setbacks? Take this short quiz.

1. When you make a mistake, do you ever talk to yourself harshly and judgmentally, like this? “You idiot! Can’t you do anything right? You should have known better.”

Think about it. What if you had a spouse or a boss that talked to you this way? How would this affect your performance? Your morale? Your confidence?

Why not use more encouraging words to yourself, like the fans to the Little Leaguers? Talk to yourself about the effort you made, the little ways that your most recent try showed improvement over the last, and the things you learned from the failed attempt.

2. Do you ever generalize from a specific performance failure to seeing yourself as a general failure?

In other words, you didn’t fail that test. You’re a failure as a student. You didn’t lose that contract. You’re a dud as a salesperson.

Change that! Talk to yourself about the specific situation. Don’t overgeneralize.

3. When you don’t accomplish what you had hoped, do you tell yourself, “This is always the way it is for me?”

In other words, do you view the failure as a never-ending pattern?

Challenge that hope-robbing perspective. If you are to keep hope and keep trying, you must see your failures as temporary. Get to work and find out how you can do better next time.

4. Do you make yourself responsible for things over which you have no control?

Recognize your human limits. Others make their own choices about what they do, despite your best efforts. There are very real conditions that impact your success at a task, no matter how skillfully and diligently you try. Take responsibility for doing your best, but be realistic about what you can control and what you can’t.

BE YOUR BEST FRIEND

If you have trouble changing the habit of talking negatively to yourself, here’s another tool you can use. Imagine that your best friend were telling you about the situation you’re in, and that the words being used were self-berating…like yours. What would you say to him or her? How would you encourage him or her to find the best in the situation and keep trying?

See…you do know how to do it. Now, do that for yourself.
If you aren’t your own best friend, who will be?

Dr. Bev Smallwood is a psychologist who has worked with organizations across the globe for over 20 years. Her high-energy, high-content, high-involvement Magnetic Workplaces (r) programs provide dozens of practical strategies and skills that can be put to work immediately to:

1. build strong leaders who influence and develop others through serving
2. energize, motivate, and retain team members
3. successfully accomplish important organizational transitions
4. impress customers and build their loyalty

Review a complete list of her programs available for your convention or corporate meeting at the website, www.MagneticWorkplaces.com

In a bobsled competition, the race often continues long after the winners have been declared and in some cases, the medals have been presented. Interestingly, despite this fact, I have never seen any of the remaining teams approach their runs with a nonchalant attitude. You can easily make the case that completing the race is a mere formality since the winners have already been declared. However, what I have observed instead are individuals pushing and racing with the ferocity and intensity of a team within striking distance of wining gold and setting a record. That, in my mind, is the essence of excellence and as George Will said, “Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence.”

Growing up, I was taught that anything worth doing is worth doing well. I have always understood that to mean that anything we do must be done in a superior manner. In our society the word excellent is synonymous with superior performance. Over the years, experience has taught me that that is only part of the meaning. I believe it also means that we must give our absolute best effort every time. We have to be willing to push a little harder and to reach just a little beyond where we are right now. While the last team pushing off the top of the hill knows they don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell to win the race, they still put in a gigantic effort because they are striving to improve on their last performance and to create new personal bench marks. This is what peak performers do. This is the hallmark of excellence.

Excellence does not happen by chance - neither is it a single event. It takes a total commitment and consistent effort to be the best we can be. Aristotle said it best when he declared, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” When we get in the habit of being excellent at what we do, we raise our own expectation level and are therefore able to reach beyond ourselves. In pursuing excellence we find ourselves on a continuous journey. Not pursuing perfection, but rather seeking constant improvement; learning and developing new skills and satisfying an innate desire deep down inside to explore our full potential. As John Gardener points out, “When we raise our sights, strive for excellence….we are enrolling in an ancient and meaningful cause - the age long struggle of humans to realize the best that is in them.”

Someone who practices excellence is:

Focused

They are clear about their goals and work with a singleness of purpose to achieve them. Through effort and sweat equity they willing pay in advance the price exacted in order to receive the prize at the end. “Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning” states the early Greek Poet Hesiod. In short, there is no excellence without focused labor.

Motivated

They are motivated to achieve. They are motivated to be at their best, using all the unlimited, untapped resources they have on the inside to create something incredible with the limited resources they have on the outside. Their passion for their goals ensures that they shun mediocrity and thus perform in an excellent way.

Ambitious

They see themselves as individuals with the capacity to be really good at what they do and because they are so motivated they consistently go over and above what is required.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

Like the last sledders racing off the top of the hill even after the medals have been awarded, I encourage you to practice excellence:

• Consistently strive to do your best no matter what.

• Face new challenges head on.
• Embrace any and all opportunities to learn and improve.