Personal Innovation

How to Deal with Change in Our Lives

November 20, 2011 By Vu Van

Change is and has been a constant in our lives since the moment we were born. As we grow older, we seek to control the change that occurs around us and to feel the comfort that control and familiarity brings to our lives. Change can and does happen in all areas of our lives such as career, love, likes, dislikes, friends, family, health, wealth, pretty much any area we can think of. This post is not really an advice article on how to deal with the changes in our lives, but should serve as the reminders of how we have dealt with the many changes in our lives and how we have moved forward in our lives regardless of the changes. We tend to forget that we are "experts" when it comes to change management, but when a significant change occurs, we do forget how to handle it, since it is uncomfortable to deal with the change, because we wish to keep our daily comfortable lives as they are, but in knowing that change will come with everything, will help us appreciate the current state of comfort and prepare each of us for the change that is likely to come.

CONTROL

We seek to control all areas of our lives and to control the outcomes of our lives. When this comfort is disrupted with change, our minds are fille with anxiety and worry since we are unsure of the changes that change will bring. We should take comfort that we have always dealt with the changes and our lives goes back to a level of comfort once we have controlled the situation to our liking. Trouble comes when we yearn to have what was lost due to the changes, but many things in life is out of our control. What we can control, is how we deal with the change from taking control of our minds and thinking. It is easy to think negatively and think about the negative movie that plays in our head. We sometimes overworry ourselves unnecessarily about events that haven't even happened yet. Worry brings stress and time wasted worrying about unnecessary things. Focus on thinking positively and confident in your ability to deal with the change and that even if change is for the worse, everything is not permanent and change will come again. Remember to control our thinking and our minds and not take the negative route. When we are certain of the change that is front of us, then that is when we should use our minds to deal with it and to address what needs to be done due to the changes.

CHANGE CAN BE FOR THE BETTER

We usually don't willingly welcome change, but at times, change can be for the better. In my life, I can recall many times when change has brought fear in my life as it disrupted what I am used to but as time progressed, I was glad that the changes have occured. At first it is uncomfortable, but we each see our way through it. I would have to say that most of the time, change is made for the better but again, many things are out of our control and we have to stay strong and focus on what we can control.

EMBRACE CHANGE

One way to better deal with change is to embrace it rather than fighting it. Change will happen and usually nothing we can do can or will change it. Like water in a stream that passes a rock, nothing will be as it was seconds ago, once water has passed, the rock deteriorates a little, the water has changed and nothing is ever the same. Life is the same way, as much as we think we have things under control and normal, change is occurring each day and second. Embracing change will help us, deal with the changes because then, change is our comfort zone and in knowing that we can overcome the changes that come in our lives. As I embrace change in all aspects of my life, I have felt much more confident in myself and my life as I know that I will work through each change and welcome the changes in my life. Life does has its ups and downs and by embracing change we embrace life itself and enjoy the moments that make it beautiful and to work through the challenges. The once change you can make yourself is to deal with change by embracing it versus pushing it away, look for it in everything in your life and see that the changes is our constant in our lives and that should bring us more comfort than trying to fix and control the unfix-able.

Filed Under: Life, Personal Innovation Tagged With: change, how to deal with change

Personal Growth: Do You Invest in Yourself?

December 11, 2010 By Vu Van 2 Comments

What does personal growth mean to you? The key word to focus on is the word personal and should be based upon the individual's interests and goals for their own growth. There are many different ways a person could invest in themself for personal growth, but make sure you know what it is that motivates you before spending money on products, classes and programs.

Many people spend their free time by entertaining themselves to fill in mind numbing activities such as watching t.v., playing video games or just doing nothing. Now these activities are not bad, but if all you do is play video games all day and not balance your life with personal growth as the years pass, you will have accomplished little but spend countless hours of entertaining yourself. I am not saying/telling everyone to stop playing video games, but to have balance in your life and to invest in your own personal growth.

One of my focused areas of development is in marketing and for me to gain knowledge in this area, I seek out programs that offer seminars and classes. I am currently registered for a seminar that will provide me with an official certificate so I can add it to my resume.

Now these developmental activities come at a cost, but when you think about it, it is an investment in yourself and your personal self interest. Invest in yourself and grow with your personal interests as the deciding factor. In my past experiences, I have never regretted spending money on myself to develop myself. Do a search and find some classess, certificate programs, continuing education classes or community classes to learn what you have always wanted to know or pick up a new skill. Below is a link for searching for local classes in your area or classes online.

Filed Under: Personal Development, Personal Innovation Tagged With: do you invest in yourself vu, http://www.vuvan.com/personal-growth-do-you-invest-in-yourself/395, invest in yourself now, personal growth

My Formula for Success

September 28, 2010 By Vu Van

photo by vu

Success comes in many forms and for me it has to do with opportunities that present themselves to where I have the chance to display my capabilities. The formula for success that I am describing here has to do with a project you are working on or the work you do, where there are competitors or others that might be ranked and compared to you or what you do. For example, if you are given an opportunity to work on a project that is outside of your everyday job duties that will expand your skills and also give others a glimpse of what you are capable of, you might be compared to others who have gone through the same process as well as those who come after you. My formula for success is to set the bar so high by implementing my success formula, that whoever wants to be compared in a better light then myself would have a lot of work ahead of them.

The success comes from doing what you are given to the best of your ability and giving it your all. You can apply this formula to many different situations, but this could be readily used in your professional work.

My formula is simple, yet tough to implement. My formula is to work smarter, work harder, be better prepared and to go above and beyond.

WORK SMARTER

As we go through our academic and professional life, we pick up smarter ways to do the work we do. I can remember when I first started a new job or my first day of college and that "freshman" feeling of not knowing what to do, or where to go is usually the challenge we face. As we progress, we simplify our daily routine activities to where we work smarter. There comes a time when everything really clicks and we get in the flow of our work. Do you usually stop there to continually improve the work you do? Personal innovation has to do with continually seek to improve with each passing day. We tend to slow our progression once we get all the necessary tasks under control and we stop looking for ways to work smarter, or it is tougher to find the different areas to improve. If you look closer, there are numerous things you could improve or get better at.

The first step for my formula for success is to find out the basic tasks that I need to master to work smarter, then raise the bar and kick it into advanced mode. This mike take some exploring and trying different ways to do things, to see if there is a better approach. The first step is to find ways to work smarter.

WORK HARDER

If you are given a task or project, do you work at it to the best of your ability or do you do the minimum to just have it completed. Most people will go the easy route and just get things done without putting too much into it. If you work harder at something and when things seem tough, you pull the extra effort from within to give a little more, this is where your work will set you apart from the others. The reason for this is that the feeling of wanting to stop and complete the project will be the same thoughts as your competitors or others who do the same thing, if you push forward and give it even a bit more, you have given more and expanded more than the next person.

BE BETTER PREPARED

Working hard is only part of the success formula package. Not being prepared is another area that needs to be focused on and this also crosses into working harder. Preparing for possible outcomes, objections, problems and having solutions will set you apart from the person who only spent a limited amount of time preparing for whatever it is they are doing. With preparation, you will grow confident in all that you do and the additional benefits of not only having solutions ready in your back pocket but the impact of confidence behind your work.

GO ABOVE AND BEYOND

Do you strive to go above and beyond what you do or do you just seek the minimum? There are times in my professional career where I have felt that my hard work and dedication falls on blind eyes, but it is hard to ignore when you strive for excellence and a trending consistency of smart work, hard work and the confidence of being prepared. If you go above and beyond versus the next person, the difference will be very visible and success comes from the different people that are exposed to your level of work and dedication with consistency. These are the things that are hard to ignore and the reward is success.

I must congratulate you if you have read this far, because the topic has to do with doing more work than is necessary. People are afraid to go the extra mile because they feel that it would be wasted energy. In my experience and from what I have seen in my professional life, success always catches up to those who follow this success formula, and for the ones that take the easy route, they will be the ones wondering and hoping for success versus the person who makes it happen. Remember if it is easy, then everyone will be doing it.

Filed Under: Personal Innovation, Personal Success Tagged With: brand, domain, early, formula for success, Personal Innovation, results of personal innovation, win, www.vuvan.com

The D Word for Personal Success

September 11, 2010 By Vu Van

Personal success is about achieving the goals and dreams we have. We all define success differently and varies as the dreams vary from person to person. The main ingredient that is more important than skill, passion and intelligence that will help you achieve your dreams is Determination.

DETERMINATION

What is determination? Determination to me is about pursuing your dream and having the faith and belief to see it to completion. People make New Year's Resolution without much determination from the outset and as time passes, the resolution is dropped. Others also have goals to get out of debt, own a business, write a book etc. but the most important thing a person needs to make things happen is by having the determination to see it through.

I really enjoy reading and watching biographies on successful individuals and have learned that it is determination sets these individuals apart from everyone else. Most of the time, people who have succeeded usually say, "I am just a regular person, just like you". On the surface this is true but it is the way they are wired, they are determined and when obstacles come in their way, they look around and find solutions to make it happen. For example, Conrad Hilton (Founder of Hilton Hotels) initially wanted to be a banker and was determined to be a successful businessman. His determination to build a successful business steered him towards the hotel business when the bank he was looking to buy, changed the price he strolled to a nearby hotel and saw that it was filled to capacity. Realizing that he could be a hotel business person and be successful at that, he changed his direction and acquired hotels in Texas and is now a worldwide brand. His determination for success led him in different directions, but when obstacles was present, he still kept an open eye out for a way to be a successful businessman and was determined.

HOW TO BE DETERMINED

Determination is an inner trait that comes natural for some but for others, when faced with challenges or hard times, it is easy to quit and give up. To install determination into your psyche and character, you must innovate the way you think. If there is something you want, such as a goal, from the beginning you must commit to see it to the end and to find the ways for you to reach that goal. It is easy to make numerous goals, but it is just as easy to quit them as well. Pick your goals carefully, and be sure once you set forward with a goal, the only time you will quit is when you reach your goal.

The way you think and the thoughts that crosses your mind will either prevent you from reaching your dreams or goals because it is easy to quit or when things are tough, negative thoughts could cloud your mind and convince yourself that it will never happen. If you are determined to see whatever it is that you have set out to do, you must acknowledge these thoughts and move pass them as you work towards completing what you set out to do. So to be determined, you must install determination into your mind and actions.

Determination is the termination of your goal and the only time your goals and dreams should be terminated is when you reached what you have set out to do. Worthwhile goals and dreams can be difficult to achieve and may take some time, but it is determination that will help you as you set to reach your personal success.

Filed Under: Goals, Life, Personal Excellence, Personal Innovation, Personal Success Tagged With: a word for victory that starts with d, brand, how to be determined, internet, knowledge, success

Make a Things I won’t Do List

September 3, 2010 By Vu Van

Do you have a "To-Do" list that you work on each day? Having a to-do list is a great way to keep our important tasks organized to ensure that we compete them. As we go through life and develop ourselves, we eliminate bad habits as well as learn new lessons from life experiences. Making a "won't do list" is another tactic you can use to keep track of these bad habits that you have eliminated as well as serve as a personal development diary of sorts to remind you of what not to do anymore.

A perfect example I can give you is if you have the habit of forgetting important dates for family members such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and you do not want to keep repeating this bad habit, put this on your won't do list. It serves as a goal sheet to keep you in line of making sure you don't repeat the bad habits or tendencies that gets you in trouble or something you wish to eliminate from your life.

You can simply add this on your smart phone by using the "notes" and keep a living won't do list that has new additions as you see fit. We complete things on our to do list all the time, but if we keep repeating bad habits in our lives, we need a way to track them and work on eliminating them.

Filed Under: Goals, Personal Development, Personal Innovation, Self Discipline Tagged With: do not do list, won't do list

Driving Home After Work: What do you think about?

August 31, 2010 By Vu Van

You finished a long day at work and begin your commute towards home and in between thoughts go through your mind about the day. What do you think about? Do you think about what you didn't accomplish for that day or do you think about the things that accomplished?

Every professional has tasks and duties that must be performed on a daily work day basis and believe it or not, things actually get done through the course of a day. Even if you are working towards a project to completion, things are progressing towards being done. If you find yourself constantly thinking about what you didn't accomplish for the day, you missed out on the celebration of what you have accomplished.

The negative thoughts that could cause stress, anxiety and worry is not a good way to end your day and it could carry forward to the next and create an ongoing cycle of dissatisfaction and burnout. How about innovating the way you think at the end of your day, during your commute home?

If you have set specific daily goals for yourself and plan out your day with efficiency, then whatever you have done for the day has already passed and all the worry in the world will not change anything other than create more stress for yourself. If you constantly run over things that you have to do during your drive home, then maybe it is time for you to change the way to set reminders or tasks for yourself and come up with a system that will give you a checklist of things to accomplish. What I do is use my smart phone to add tasks as soon as it comes up. This way, I know that I have my commitments in order and a quick look at my to-do list will give me the necessary information I need to know what I need to accomplish. This will save you a lot of headaches and not run the risk of not fulfilling commitments you give to people. If you do not have a working calendar that schedules your appointments, and you try to get by just by memory alone, then you run the risk of missing important meetings and deadlines.

Schedule important things that you need to do as well as the unimportant things that needs to get done. Find new ways to be productive and not wasting time thinking about what needs to be done over and over again.

Celebrate each day. Give yourself some recognition for what went well, enjoy the feeling of accomplishing good work and rethink of the things that went well throughout the day. Success breeds more success and by giving it the respect it deserves you can improve upon the past successes you have already done. Dwelling on the negative parts of the day, will do nothing but give you wrinkles and a bad attitude. Try thinking positive and remember the good work you put in, try it with a smile and drive home feeling accomplished versus worried or stressed. You will begin to feel energized for the next day and begin recognizing that you do produce good work. Celebrate it.

Filed Under: Business, Career, Personal Development, Personal Innovation, Personal Productivity Tagged With: cache:j12lo0d9ndej:www.vuvan.com/how-to-wake-up-feeling-energized-positive-after-a-holiday-weekend/210 had a great weekend back to work, started driving home after work, success, the thoughts afterwork, think postive thoughts after work