It’s a New Year and a new set of resolutions. But how many will you actually see through to the end? And how many will fall by the wayside because of one simple four lettered word . . . FEAR. Fear gets to the best of us, whether it is fear of failure, fear of success or even fear of fear. All of us have experienced fear at some point in our lives and it can be a real stumbling block that holds us back from being truly successful. But don’t panic, there is a way to conquer these fears, and what better time to start than this New Year. Here are my top 10 fast acting tips for you to conquer your fear this year: 1. SEPARATE REALITY FROM PERCEPTION See the reality of the situation for what it is. Be rational and get clear on the facts. Soul search and explore your perception of the situation at hand. 2. IDENTIFY THE TRIGGER Isolate the specific aspects of the situation that trigger your fearful thoughts. What’s the worst that could happen? Change the way you look at these triggers and you will immediately change the way you react. 3. KNOW WHERE FEAR LIVES IN YOUR BODY Be in tune with where your fear lives in your body. Use it as an indicator to tell you when something needs to be addressed. What you are aware of you can act on. 4. BECOME AN OBSERVER When you observe something, you do it from a detached place. So if you become an observer of your fear, then you’re not in it and reacting instinctively. 5. LISTEN TO YOUR INNER TALK Monitor your inner conversations. When you hear negative self-talk, stop and change the script to positive talk. Keep repeating it. 6. CREATE A NEW ASSOCIATION When you feel fear, conjure up a picture of something or someone you love. Keep repeating this and soon your brain will associate your fear trigger with something much more pleasurable. 7. CONSIDER THE WORST Imagine the worst that can happen and come up with strategies that avoid or lessen the likelihood of it happening. What can you put in place to ensure that the worst-case scenario never happens? 8. LOOK AT THE GLASS HALF FULL Perception is a very powerful thing. And how you feel about your situation dictates how you respond. So think positively and you’ll give yourself a much better chance of success. 9. LEARN HOW TO CREATE SPACE Because fear happens in the emotional part of the brain, it’s natural to act instinctively. So when fear rises, break the fear cycle by stopping, creating space and breathing. This will give you time to calm down and allow your rational brain time to catch up. 10: MAKE IT SAFE When you feel safe, there is no need for fear. One of the best ways to overcome fear is to create the safest environment possible. And that’s why it’s important to practice, practice and practice again. Finally don’t let fear hold you back from reaching your goals and highest potential this year. If you’d like some extra support and inspiration to stay motivated and on track, why not sign up for my free downloadable One Big Gulp! Kit, which you will find at www.onebiggulp.com. Remember, it’s your life, your choice, so live your greatest life!

The Joe in question isn’t me. It’s a good friend of mine. Born in squalor, raised in need, and oppressed by his neighbors, he fought tooth and nail to survive the slums, enter a good university- and now, runs a multitude of companies. These aren’t your run of the mill single proprietorships. These are mid scale corporations with 100 to 500 dedicated employees. Each one radiates the zest he does. We had a long talk over Coke Light last night (yep, beer’s no good for powerhouses) and I discovered we both lived by similar principles. These tenets helped us survive the tumult of life: – You can’t be everything to everybody – Don’t waste time befriending mad dogs. – Admit there is no perfection, but strive for it nonetheless. – Never underestimate the delight of real simplicity in lifestyle. – Avoid unecessary complications. – Consider first what is worth fighting for. – Focus your mind on the pleasant aspects of life. – Concentrate on things that can enhance your situation. – Forget what is irrevocably painful or ugly. – Frustration paralyzes efficiency. Ditch it. – When you feel like a loser, look back at all those shining moments. There’s no such thing as a loser. – Never procrastinate- cut through the chase and get things done. Or you’ll suffer tomorrow. – Realize that men aren’t created equal. That’s a fact. But we all deserve equal opportunities. – There will always be leaders and followers. Not everyone can be president. – There is no cut and dried formula for success. Run for the hills when someone sells you one. and here’s one thing I realized after I graduated college: – Success isn’t an accident. It’s a choice. Let me tell you something. Every action, thought, and emotion you entertain ultimately shapes your future. Since you made it to the end of this article, I know you’re committed to creating the good life for yourself. You can begin right now by deciding to make the right choices. Every time.

When you start having problems with your memorization ability, there is definitely something wrong with your lifestyle in general, which, affects you from having a good mind and body. Anything that obstructs the mind to work well to its full potential causes memory issues such as difficulty with concentration, picking up important key points from an important source or even experiencing the slightest ability to understand and focus on certain things and ideas. If, during bedtime, sleeping is your main problem, you can try ways that can contribute to how you can have a goodnight sleep. It’s not only through sleeping problems that causes an individual to suffer memory problems but also the lack of sufficient physical activity is another obvious culprit. As you can see, both sleep and physical exercises are important in maintaining a healthy mind and body. Ever notice how you sometimes find it difficult to understand a simple lesson from one of your subjects? Or what about the time when you were supposed to run an errand but you failed to do so because you forgot? Unless you want to and can live with this type of lifestyle, it is most advisable to put mindful actions to work as early as possible. Minor memory problems that start early in life could lead to serious and even overwhelming conditions in later years. There isn’t much of a big reason as to why a person needs to engage in physical exercises. It’s simply that a human brain requires proper supply of oxygen and blood flow in a regular basis and an active body generates an active mind. When the body is engaged in an activity, the blood circulation keeps up in a regular pace and this allows proper blood flow towards the brain. This explains why after a good and adequate exercise routine, a person feels refreshed, light and able to do any task of the day. Try, even the least that you can to walk everyday. Walk around your neighborhood at least 15 minutes each day and while you are at it, keep in mind the details that you see, the names of the streets, faces and names of the people you meet and many others. This trains your brain to be active while you rev up physically. And since a human brain works well with routine activities, doing this everyday causes for it to store new information.

To forget is human but if it happens all the time you need to take some serious action. From your Doctor’s Appointment, business meeting or getting clothes from the dry cleaners if you miss on one thing you may be in for dire consequences. A Daily Organizer is a life saver and your secretary that will remind you of your scheduled meetings and appointments. It is not just for the working or business class. For a home maker it is equally useful as it has calendar, calculator, name, address, phone no. tab, pouches where you can store your grocery coupons and space to write whatever you want. You can maintain a file of your weekly expense and thus keep a track of your finances. Time management is the mantra to organize business, home, family and recreation. All this makes a healthy you and it should be balanced. An organizer always lets you be focused. Doesn’t let you miss on anything and makes you in charge of the situation. Your Daily organizer is your friend and will keep your personal information safe, like your password. It is increasingly annoying to remember password s for each and everything like you wireless phone, your internet and TV account not to forget your email ids and bank passwords. Keep your organizer safe in your drawer or with you and it will never tell a word to anyone. You can also mention due dates and payment details in your daily organizer so that you don’t miss on a payment and end up paying extra money as late fees. You must understand that it is only useful if you store information and go through it every night before going to sleep. Let your life run on planning ahead, after all most of the top notch businesses have been made as they planned ahead. Here’s a quick list of some of the things that a daily organizer can help you with: To-do List: If not generating reports you can mention the list of chores you need to undertake. Address Book: For good contacts you must know whom to contact. An address book is always a good idea to keep a record of email ids and of course phone numbers. Expense Reports: You will solve half of your financial advisor’s problems if you keep a record of your expenses. If your office reimburses checks for travel then you definitely need to have all your expense report ready. Password Organizer: One can hardly like without a password organizer these days. World Clocks: Stay connected with different time zones through your world clock. Calendar: Anytime organizer has a calendar according to which you can plan when to do what. You can also personalize it by changing the color; choose a font you want and so on. Birthdays and Anniversaries: People won’t complain that they are hurt anymore because you didn’t remember their birthdays and anniversaries. You can set alarms and tickers for important meetings and schedules. When used effectively, a daily organizer will enable you to live a healthy and productive life.

Welcome to Part II of “Motivational Wisdom from a Chef Rat” where Disney movie Ratatouille’s star and uber management guru, Remy the Rat, shares his motivational wisdom and inspirational insights: > BE REAL – BE YOURSELF When Anton Ego, France’s most notorious food critic who can make or break a restaurant with a single review, makes his appearance at Gusteau’s, Remy’s culinary talents are finally put to the test. But instead of preparing a fancy delicacy worthy of Gusteau’s esteemed patrons, Remy chooses to make a homily Ratatouille (a vegetable stew made of eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, and squash). It’s a common folk meal fit “for peasants” the assistant cook declares. Remy ignores this slight and goes with his heart. It’s genuinely him and what he knows. He prepares an exquisitely rapturous, mouth-watering Ratatouille dish that just blows away the critic. As Ego takes his first bite, his cold exterior immediately melts in delight as he is brought back to sweet memories of his Mom’s home-cooking. This was an emotional scene for me as well. In my case, it brought back sweet memories of my father’s home-cooking. My father passed away in a car accident eighteen years ago, and yet, I can still fondly remember savoring his Ratatouille. It was one of my father’s favorites and he used to brag all the time about knowing how to make this French specialty. My brothers and I used to laugh as kids at the funny sounding name and how my father would roll the word off his tongue with such relish. Bottom line: be yourself and ignore the critics. > TALENT CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE When Linguini (I don’t come up with these names), the supposed up-and-coming star boy chef at Gusteau’s, reveals that the real inspiration behind his cooking is Remy the Rat, the entire staff thinks he’s lost his mind and promptly leave the establishment. Lesson: the best talent and ideas can come from anywhere and sometimes do come from the most unexpected places. Don’t pre-judge people. Just because someone’s a rat doesn’t mean they can’t cook! Likewise, don’t be easily impressed by degrees, pedigrees, fancy titles, wealth, or so called experts. You have to carefully evaluate whether their talent or ideas will help move YOUR career or business forward. Sometimes that means seeking a second or third opinion. > CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR When famed critic, Anton Ego, asks to personally speak with the head chef of Gusteau’s, he is told to wait. Check your ego at the door and tell it to wait. Don’t let success get to your head. And give credit where credit is due. When Linguini steals all the limelight and attributes Gusteau’s new found success all to himself and his love interest, it breeds sour resentment in Remy who eventually leaves Linguini to his own devices. You decide what’s more important to you: your ego or your career. An effective leader always shares the limelight and generously gives credit, while a poor leader hogs up all the accolades creating resentment and unwanted enemies. f you want to fast-track your success, go out of your way to catch people doing something right and give them the credit they crave so desperately and rightfully deserve! > ASK FOR A NEW PERSPECTIVE When Anton Ego makes his grand appearance at Gusteau’s to put the final nail in the coffin, he literally asks for a new perspective. “Surprise me!” he demands asking for something new off-the-menu. We don’t always have to go with the canned selection that’s offered us – whether it’s provided in a menu, business proposal, job offer, meeting agenda, or course curriculum. We can ask for a new perspective. I suspect Ego was a management guru in his past life as this is great advice for managers as well. The next time you hold a meeting, ask for a new perspective. Or ask in advance of the meeting that each person come prepared to attend the meeting with at least one new idea or new way of doing things. Ask them to surprise you. The results may indeed surprise you – and hopefully for the better! (For added emphasis or just for fun and humor, take your team out to see Ratatouille or play clips from the movie at your meeting once it comes out in DVD). Speaking of management gurus, I’m thinking of co-authoring a follow-up to Dr. Spencer Johnson’s “Who Moved My Cheese.” I think I’ll call it: “Who Made My Ratatouille: Motivational Wisdom from Remy the Rat.”