0 In 10 Years Time

10 years is a both a long time and a short time. Short because that time will definitely pass, and when compared to the average life-span (let alone the timescale of history), isn't really the longest of times. However, 10 years is long because it can see massive changes to your life, some for the better and some for the worst.


This isn't going to be the longest of posts but I wanted to share some of my thoughts since my last post: Where is your Life Heading? In which I asked "what do you want to be doing in 10 years time". If you asked people this, the common result would be that they would want their life to have improved. This is of course is the answer that is expected as the question is asked to help motivate you to work towards a goal.

In the first paragraph of this post I mentioned that in the timescale of history 10 years isn't all that big. When you think about 10 years on an even greater timescale, that of eternity, those 10 years just become a mere blip that will come and go. In fact on the timescale of eternity even our lives are mere blips.
Although I will quickly say that although our lives will come and go, you definitely shouldn't waste valuable time, in fact it's even more of a reason to make every second count. For example: using your life to glorify God. 

It wouldn't be a bad idea to set yourself a goal. Obviously it would have to be quite a big goal for you to see the results in 10 years time but having one would be a great thing to do. If you want to read more into why having a goal is good, I'll direct you here: Why you need a goal.

If you saw a future version of yourself who happened to be 10 years older than you are now, what would you ask them? There are so many questions that you could ask, some of which you will want to know the answer to more than others. "Are you going to be doing the same thing as you are now?" "Are you going to know the same people as you do now?" "Will you still be the same person as you are now?" "Are you still going to be living where you are now?"
"Where will those close to you at the moment (family and friends) be in 10 years?" "What new people may have come into your life?" "What new technology will have come about by then?"

It's strange to think that there could be people out in the world now that you have no idea about, yet in the future you may meet and have a big influence on each others lives...who knows?

Whatever you think is going to happen in 10 years or want to happen in 10 years, we all know that none of us can know for certain what the future holds. The next 10 years could turn out to be brilliant and on the other-hand they could turn out to full of disaster. Whatever is going to happen in the next 10 years will come around in time. One thing that I personally hope for in the next 10 years is to somehow be a good influence on somebodies life, or do something that will have an impact of someone's life for the better.

It would be naïve to believe that these 10 years aren't going to hold challenges for us to tackle because we all know that they will. How we deal with these expected challenges will differ between different people, but one thing that we can know is that other people will be facing challenges when you are too.

Time is a strange thing but whether we like it or not is always going to pass. Your future is inevitable and none of us can escape from the ticking hands of the clock. So the 10 years that may seem like a long way off now, will get here. Year by year, week by week, day by day, minute by minute, those 10 years are coming closer and closer. 

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see."

Winston Churchill

"Lost time is never found again."
Benjamin Franklin

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
C. S. Lewis

Detail: In 10 Years Time

0 9 Ways to Improve your Grades

In education there is a lot of emphasis on getting the best grades possible and doing the best you can to your ability, which is what education is about really. Yes it is about learning and understanding, but the grades you get during your years in education have a huge impact on your life. So because of this, of course there is going to be a lot of emphasis on getting the best grades possible.
In this post I'm going to discuss some ways you can boost your grades and hopefully achieve the results that you would like.

1. Listen

The first bit of advice is simply to listen to what your teacher/tutor/lecturer has to say. I know this sounds silly but when you add in the factors of fellow peers and surrounding noise, sometimes being able to listen to what is being taught is harder than it sounds, and unfortunately in some cases bordering on impossible.

I realise that learning isn't always the highlight of everyone's day and may seem boring, but do your best to try and take everything in as it will help. You may not understand it all, but by listening you are giving yourself the best chance of keeping up with what is being said and not falling behind.

2. Take Notes

Whilst it is essential that you pay attention and listen to what is being taught, there is a high probability that you won't be able to remember everything that is said, especially after many lessons/classes, will you be able to remember everything that was taught a week ago? two weeks ago? a month ago?
This is why taking notes is essential in giving you the best chance of learning what is being said - you will have something to go to when you are unsure and to make revision easier. Also, a lot of people actually take information in better if they write it down and so will have a better chance of remembering it by doing this anyway - I know that this is definitely the case for me.

3. Clean up your Notes

This is something that you should do in your spare-time. It's likely that your notes aren't as tidy as they could be due to the fact that you were trying to keep up with what was being taught, so when you have the time make sure that you tidy your notes up and make them clear to read. I suggest getting another notebook and redoing your notes into it so that you can revisit a topic with ease, not having to make out unreadable scribbles that you will have no recollection of in the future.
Write them up in the same day if possible while they are freshest in your mind. Even writing them the next day may mean you can't remember what you might have meant in shorthand when trying to keep pace with the material being taught, plus having that days teaching in your mind.

When I was at college I made sure that I did this, I would rewrite all of my notes in neat in other notebooks so that I could revisit any topic I wanted. This made revision really easy.

4. Use Revision Guides for Revision

Yes it is true that you can learn things well in a classroom  and even commit them to memory for when the exam comes around. However, normally things that were taught nearer the start of the year that have been forgotten, or the things that are harder to understand will not be easy to answer questions about in an exam. This is where revision comes into play, and is recommended that you do if you are serious about bumping up your grades or getting the ones that you want.

Revising your notes is always a good idea, however, if you have missed things or have not properly understood certain concepts, your notes won't be helpful to you as a revision guide would. An up-to-date revision guide will cover all of, if not a vast majority of the syllabus being taught. A revision guide will explain each topic so that you can teach yourself anything you may have missed. Also, you can go over your notes with them to check for accuracies. They often provide practice questions and answers for you to become comfortable answering.

5. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is a necessity for our bodies and is needed to help it remain functioning properly. Having a lack of sleep can mean that your concentration levels pay the price, and learning/revising etc. becomes that much harder for your brain to take in.
A post of mine that you may find interesting is: How Much Sleep do we Need?

6. Ask teacher/tutor for help

Even if you take notes and revise efficiently with use of a revision guide, there will can still be things that you do not 'get' or understand, and reading all you can about it still might not make things clear. This is where asking for a teacher/tutors help can make a big difference. They can explain about the concept more than they could in class or what was mentioned in revision books, they can give you examples, and can tell you where you are going wrong.

7. Revise in a quiet environment

When revising make sure that you are in an environment where there is as little distractions as possible. If you are in an environment where you are faced with lots of distractions, you are going to find it much tougher to keep concentrated with your work than if you were in an environment without them. You may think that having the T.V. on isn't going to prevent you from concentrating and revising effectively, but actually it will hinder your progress and does make it that much more difficult to take in what you need.

I have found when I study, that the T.V., even with my back to it, is still incredibly distracting. In fact, I find just having 1 other person around when I am studying to be a little too much. I much prefer to be in silence when revising without any distractions (which in my case includes other people).

8. Use Past Exam Papers

Past exam papers are a great resource that you can use to your benefit. Firstly and foremost is that they were actual exams (hence why they are called past papers) and so will be in the same examination style that your upcoming exam(s) is/are, you can become familiar with them.
Secondly, it gives you a chance to view what sort of questions they have asked students in the past and can give you a rough idea what to expect in your own exams, and the level of difficulty they were set at. The more of them that you do, the easier you find them and the more comfortable you will become with them. Who knows, on the day of the exam it may just feel like another casual revision session. :)

9. Don't Skip Classes

It may sound obvious but skipping classes, even if you find them the most boring thing in the world, is not going to help with your grades, if anything it will make them worse. If you start skipping class, or if you do skip class, you are going to inevitably fall behind. Once this happens you will have extra work to do to make sure that you catch back up. However, if you are behind then you may have more of a tendency to skip class anyway, which then means you only fall further behind and give yourself even more work to do to catch up.

Borrowing another persons notes isn't a good substitute either as they may have missed important details and may not properly understand the topic themselves, or their notes are not that easy to make out, which means that you will have to look elsewhere in order to learn the material missed.

Conclusion

Yes, improving your grades does take extra work on your behalf, but really what thing doesn't need more work if you are wanting to improve? Really what it comes down to is how much work you are willing to put in to achieve the grades that you desire?

Detail: 9 Ways to Improve your Grades

0 Will-Power is Key to Success

When we look at people who have been successful in their lives, (whatever you yourself determine successful to be), it's easy to think 'I wish I had a life like theirs' or 'I wish I was in a position like them'. It's very easy to look at someone else's life which has seen or is seeing success in a certain field (or fields) and become discontent with your own. I would urge you not to become discontent with what you have or to become jealous of them, I'll probably go into this some other time, but instead to look at how they have become successful.

There is normally a list of things to do to become successful in a certain area, not a written list but things that people say that you will need to do. For example: If you are wanting to get into better shape and 'tone-up', the things people say that you would need to do are watch what you eat and work out. Those are the two main things that are mentioned - with good reason as without doing them how are you going to make a change to yourself? However, one point that is normally overlooked that I believe should always be included is Will-power.

Will-power, without it, makes all the advice you get given pointless as will-power is the driving force behind your goal(s). When you look at people in the course of history who have achieved landmark goals, all of them will have had one thing in common....and that is a strong will-power. It motivates you to carry on, it is what makes you continue through the hardships and lows of trying to get where you want. If you give up or start to take it easy when really you know that you should be pushing yourself, then your will-power isn't that great. You need to have a lot of it if you are wanting to make changes to your life.

One thing that puts a lot of people off from carrying on with something or trying for something is because of what others say, in particular people saying that you 'can't' achieve what you want. This attitude of others can have a huge impact upon your aspirations but don't let it dishearten you or force you to stop.
I find this one of the strongest ways of motivating myself, not just me but many people find this extremely motivating, and that's because deep down inside you their is a will to prove them wrong and a will to prove to yourself that you can achieve your goals. 
The only thing you can't do is give up, that's what you need to keep telling yourself otherwise the people that have been saying that you can't succeed will be proven right. When people tell me I can't it just spurs me on to continue so I can prove them wrong. 

There are going to be times when motivating yourself is going to be very easy and it takes little to no effort at all for you to get yourself involved in doing. Will power through these easy times isn't going to be pivotal to you as you are going through a stage where self-motivation is easy, it's through the more difficult times when you truly see how motivated you are to achieve your goals. The difficult times, when it feels impossible to motivate yourself and every other thing seems like the right thing to do except for doing what you know you should be, are the times when your will-power is put to the test. How long can you keep soldiering on day after day?, are you mentally prepared? Will-power is key to achieving anything and without it our goals would never be realised. 

Self-doubt can sometimes play in our minds, yeah of course it can, it sometimes can seem like a very long road that we are travelling on and sometimes we lose sight of the end of the road - our destination. Remember though that at some point or other every successful person will have faced self-doubt but they still managed to become successful, not by giving up but by taking the bull by the horns and continuing on - pushing themselves forward and striving onwards.

Detail: Will-Power is Key to Success

0 Consequences of Hasty Words

Hasty words that are carelessly thrown out of your mouth in the heat of a moment can lead to many things, most of which are not good but are (expected you could say,) consequence(s) of your tongue.

1. Lose Friends

Hasty words that are quick to leave your mouth can easily ruin a good friendship. It doesn't take a lot to say regrettable things, and can take a lot longer to get over.
Remember that even though we know that words are just words, we also know the meanings of these words and the power they can have upon impact, otherwise why say them? 

I often hear people say things that they wish they had aired and when apologising say that they never meant any of the things they said...well your words are an indication to what you are thinking so if you don't mean what you say then don't say it - simple. :)
Words can be forgive but not always forgotten.

2. Damage Relationships

This is basically like with losing friends, you can also damage or ruin relationships with others because of a few careless words. Whether this be relationships with family members, partner, work colleagues, etc. 

3. Lose your job

Now this will depend upon your job but is normally true. If you work for a company and you say hasty things to a colleague or customer, if word gets back to your superiors (which in the workplace doesn't take very long) you could very well lose your job. You may not have even thought what you had said was offensive and maybe you was only joking around, but if the person/people on the receiving end don't take it in the same way as you intended it to have been taken, then you could get into some serious trouble.

Detail: Consequences of Hasty Words

0 Don't Give Up

Is there something that you would really like to be good at or succeed in? I'm sure there is when you think about it? Maybe you've always wanted to play a musical instrument, or maybe a renowned artist, or are you wanting to become an author? We all have aspirations of what we would like to do or be good at, however, there always seems to be something that holds us back...ourselves. 

It can be very easy to say that you want to be an astronaut or want to become an artist, but like all things, you will need to put in the work and effort. Don't give up! It can be all to easy to stop when the going gets tough but remember without hard work how are you supposed to improve? It's like someone who goes to the gym and works-out. If that person doesn't put in the effort to making sure his/her muscles are working hard then there isn't going to be much improvement. 
Hard work can be tiring but is something that produces results when you keep it up, and that's what you need to keep in mind - to keep going and pushing yourself forward to your goal, your ambition!

Other people can also play a big part too. If you get people around you who are encouraging you then this will help your morale and aid you in driving onwards. On the reverse if you get people telling you that you are wasting your time and that you are never going to get anywhere with it, this can have a discouraging affect. Interestingly though when people are discouraging to you, this can also act as motivation to assist you, by wanting to prove your critics wrong and showing them that you can succeed. 

If you do find it tough and the road arduous then there will be no doubt that you will feel like quitting along the way, maybe only the once or maybe several times. When I was learning to play the piano there were many occasion that I wanted to give up but am glad now that I didn't, because now It's something that i couldn't imagine not being in my life - it's definitely a hobby that I'm grateful to have.

A thing that I do when working hard at something that has helped keep me going in many a situation is to think of who else I know is doing what I am doing. That person/or people then become my rival(s) in my head and aid in persisting with what I am doing. For example: I have recently started going to the gym, coming up to two months now, and I know a few other people who also go. I can tell you that it is hard work and sometimes I really don't feel like going, but thanks to thinking about the people I know going to the gym and working out, it unleashes my competitive side and drives me to work-out so that I can better them. I do this for a lot of things and it's something that helps me to carry on. 

In conclusion, yes if you are wanting to improve at something or be good a something or get the job of your dreams etc, you are going to have to apply yourself and work hard, just remember: don't give up. 
If you do find it hard with motivation then a trick that might interest you is this: Don't Break the Chain.

Detail: Don't Give Up

0 Feeling Overwhelmed?

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Feeling like there's too many things to do in the limited amount of time that you have to do them? Or maybe you have a huge task ahead of you (possibly multiple huge tasks) and are just finding that it (or they) is/are just getting on top of you both mentally and physically?
Well whilst it may sound a bit flippant to say don't worry, this feeling of being overwhelmed can cease to exist if you are able to cope with it.

There is a large quantity of people who feel overwhelmed on a regular basis and others that get it from time-to-time, but at one point or another everybody comes to know the feeling of being overwhelmed. Feeling overwhelmed in a seemingly overwhelming situation is not a pleasant experience and can lead not only to hindrance and avoidance but also procrastination and sometimes slight depression. If you are someone who gets worked up in these somewhat stressful situations or/and are unable to remain calm then my previous post 'How to Remain Calm in a Stressful Situation' may be of use to you. :)

Different people will be able to handle life experiences differently from others. There are those who can pile task after task onto their plate and still be firing on all cylinders. Then there are those who feel overwhelmed at some of the most simple of things. These are two different extremes on the scale to how people cope. Depending what type of person you are will determine where-bouts you fit on the scale. Remember though that people do handle situations differently to others, so if you are finding a situation easy whilst another is finding it overwhelming, don't belittle them about it because in another scenario that could be you.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you feel overwhelmed or are getting into that state of mind.

1. Why am I Overwhelmed?

On the surface this seems like a seemingly simple question and 95% of the time you are going to be able to answer it. Sometimes though there are those times (5%) when you honestly have no idea to why you are feeling things are too much. Ask yourself this and really think about the root cause to this horrible feeling. Once you know the answer you can move on to the next questions.

2. Is it Really that Important?

Once you've figured out what's making you feel overwhelmed, now ask yourself whether it's really that important to be feeling this way. If its not then don't worry about it (easier said than done I know), if it is I'm not saying that you should feel stressed but that you should have an awareness to what actually is important enough to maybe warrant stress or anxiety. It's dealing with stress and anxiety that is the trickier problem.

3. Are you really Overwhelmed?

This may sound like an odd question because if you are feeling overwhelmed why should you ask yourself if you are actually overwhelmed? Well, often we can feel like we have too much on our plate and that we're too busy but actually when you look closer you can see that you aren't really that busy and haven't got as much as first seemed. This is as we can still feel busy even when we haven't got that much to do. So taking this closer look will reveal what does need to be done and how much time it will take. Often once you just get on and start you will find that there isn't that much to do and that you can manage perfectly fine.

4. Am I Alone

It's very easy to feel alone when feeling overwhelmed as you are the only one going through that emotion. However this isn't to say that you are alone. There are often people who you can turn to in these situations not only for advice about how to go about dealing with the situation but also for some practical assistance. It's having people like these to turn to that can turn the situation into something much more manageable. 

Conclusion

When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed or when you are overwhelmed, try asking yourself these questions to help you look at the situation in a clearer fashion. Feel free to ask yourself other questions that you feel would help you cope with the feeling of being overwhelmed. Just remember that when you are overwhelmed that other people have gone through the same emotions and that you can help yourself get through these experiences.

Detail: Feeling Overwhelmed?

0 Idea Vs Opportunity

In a very recent post of mine; Thought Vs Idea, I wrote about idea being the stepping stone from thought to action. Idea being the product of applied thought (where effort is put into achieving a desired result), and action being the product of idea. However, there is also opportunity that fits into the equation. Opportunity, like idea, is a stepping stone. The stepping stone from idea to action, but is not always necessary. 

Opportunity is a situation where something is of a favourable time or occasion to act out. Opportunity is a product of idea and is carried out through action. When your are faced with a situation that you're not sure about, applied thinking is used. Through applied thinking, the brains natural path to problem solving starts to take place, sorting through the good and bad ideas, weighing up pros and cons (this is taking place through applied thought), after this stage a solution may arise that you feel is appropriate for the situation at hand. This is an idea.

Now the idea can go two ways from here, and only two ways. It can either be left untouched and forgotten about, or it can be acted upon. When acting upon an idea, opportunity and action now play their roles. I'm going to explain, but acting upon it is different than noticing the opportunity and then acting upon it. 

Acting upon the idea is as straight forward as carrying it out. Once the idea your brain has presented to you has been accepted, it's just carrying out that idea to get from point 'A' (beginning) to 'B' (the finished product). There's nothing wrong with this, most of our thought-to-decision process is like this. It's an effective way to make decisions. 

Now here's the difference between applying opportunity and then applying action, rather than applying just action. In the paragraph above I explained what I meant when I discussed about applying action without opportunity, now I'll explain what I mean with opportunity. 

Opportunity, as I said at the start, is where a situation is of a favourable time or occasion to act out. Once you have your idea, if you are going to see if it is the opportune time or occasion, some more thinking will be required on your behalf. You will need to think "when is the best time to act this idea out", or "when would be the most optimal time to see the best result". This is where optimal thinking is beneficial. You will need to decide when the most optimal time is or when it will be best for you to carry out this action - it may take time to notice opportunities. 

Not all ideas need opportunity, some can work-well whenever and do not need an optimal time to function. For example, for me to write this blog post, it doesn't make a difference whether I post it in the morning or late in the evening. My traffic flow will still remain consistent, and as there is no known hype about 'idea vs opportunity' in the public eye, it doesn't really matter what time of the year to post it. This would be an action (writing and publishing the blog post) that has come straight from idea (the subject of the blog post).

If however, I was a news blog/website, I would know as all of these websites do, that the most opportune time for a new story to go public - is almost immediately (opportunity). With so many competitors, news corporations know that it is best to get a new story out to the public before any of their competitors. This would be known as the 'opportune time' for them. They know that people don't like to read old news. 

Conclusion

I may have been a bit brief when explaining about idea and opportunity. Really though, this post was meant to be more about the relationship between the two. So to summarise the decision making process (you will need to read my previous posts thought vs action and thought vs idea to get a proper grasp on what I'm talking about): it begins with applied thought, then moves through to idea, which then can either go straight to action or can take a detour to opportunity which can then lead to action.

Detail: Idea Vs Opportunity

0 Benefits of Teamwork

 "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships"

Michael Jordan

Teamwork is an essential skill that will greatly benefit our lives. If you remember just over two week ago I published a post called: 8 Steps to Improve Teamwork Skills. I now think that it would be a good idea to write about the benefits that teamwork brings. These benefits are based off of a fully-functioning team that works well together, however, even dysfunctional teams can experience some of these benefits.

1. Efficiency and Productivity

The saying; "many hands make light work", is definitely a true one when it comes to teamwork. If you have a job that needs doing, having someone else there to give you a helping hand is obviously going to speed the process up - if you have a group of people, then the process will be quickened all the more.

Lets say that you have a job that if you were to attempt on your own would take you, lets say in the region of around 2 hours (for example). If you had one person helping you who didn't need assistance and worked at a similar speed to you, you could have the task done in an hour, 50% of the time. If you was to have three people helping you (four including yourself), you could have it done in half an hour, 25% of the time.

For larger tasks teamwork is essential, and it's through careful planning and team management that aids towards a healthy team, and where efficiency and productivity are relied heavily upon.

2. Support

When working in a larger team, support is going to naturally manifest itself. Support wont always go out to every team-member, but on the whole, when a job is needed to be completed, a team will naturally encourage one another to help keep morale high.

When people know that they have the support and backing of a team, it's amazing what that individual can accomplish within the team.

3. Satisfaction

When you complete a job that takes effort and time, you will experience a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. When working with a team, this feeling is only enhanced. This is as you have people to share your achievement and happiness with. You can have some of the greatest achievements in the world but if you have no one to share them with, will you feel as good as having the chance to share those same achievements with a team, who took the journey with you?

4. Communication

When working in a team, communication will need to be established. If a team can't communicate - it can't and won't work. 

In a team, there are lots of different individuals from different walks of life, being brought-up in different environments. The individuals of any team will have varying personalities, and so working in close proximity with these different characters will get you used to how to communicate with them. As I'm sure you know, what may be okay to say to one person may not be appropriate to say to another. Working in this environment will help to round-off and develop communication.

If you want, I have written a post called: 12 Ways to Communicate Effectively in which I gave some tips how you can improve upon your communication skills. 

5. Participation, involvement and confidence

Being part of a group where good team management is present will mean that tasks will be fairly and evenly distributed to all team members. When this is done, team members will feel like they are properly a member of the team, and when a team achieves what it sets out to achieve, then this feeling will only increase.

Also, by not being sidelined, there is a good chance that your confidence levels will increase as you are being treated equally alongside everybody-else in the group.

6. Innovation

When a team has gelled and is working effectively with one another, innovation will see an all-time high. It's not surprising to see a link between innovation and a good team. Two brains, or in a groups case, a group of brains are better than one - so take advantage of this.

Detail: Benefits of Teamwork

0 How to Memorise a Speech

Speaking in front of people can be a daunting task. You have to stand alone in front of a group of people, and whilst everyone may be encouraging, you can still feel the nerves eating away at you from the inside out. If you do have trouble speaking in front of people, then you may like to read a very early post of mine: Dealing with Public Speaking.

For other people, speaking in front of others is as natural as breathing and they excel in the spotlight. Having a speech already prepared is a great aid, having a speech memorised though gives the appearance of professionalism and assurance, helping to convince the audience of what you're trying to convey.

However, even the people who are gifted at speaking in front of others can have a hard time memorising a speech, and memorising it to a point where you know you won't forget it whilst in the middle of delivering it.

1. Don't leave it until the night before

You will find posts that tell you that you can memorise a speech the night before, and for smaller speeches this may be true, however for longer speeches, you're not going to be able to get to a level where you can deliver it with the justice it deserves - unless you have an eidetic memory or something. :)

A lot of these websites that exclaim this feat will actually have some good and valid tips about how to memorise a speech, but for a lot of us - not in one night. If we hypothetically say though that we can memorise a whole speech in a night and then are able to deliver it on the day word-for-word; if we can do that in one night, imagine how much better we could get that speech by tackling it in plenty of time before - hopefully leaving everybody else speechless. :)

2. Read through it aloud

Make a point of reading through your speech aloud at a steady pace. This will allow you to get a handle on how to pronounce it and tweak things that will help you to sound less stiff and awkward. Having a better grasp on your speech and reading through it aloud will make the process of memorising all the easier easier.

3. Repetition

The only way you're going to be able to get the speech into your head and for it to stay there is by using repetition. Each time you read it you are re-familiarising yourself with it. Try to read through it aloud 5 or more times a day, every day. You could do one in the morning, one at midday, one in the afternoon, one in early evening, and one in the later evening. Before you know it, you'll be reading parts of it without needing the written version, and eventually won't need it all together. 

4. Memorise sections

If you have a small speech, then you will probably will be able to start memorising the whole thing. However, if you're faced with a ten-page essay - you will need to break it down to more manageable chunks. 

When you have a section that you want to memorise, you will need to read it out loud a number of times through the day (basically the same as point #3). However, what's different from point#3 is that after every time you've read the section, put it to one side and try to remember what you've just read. Try to get as far as you can and don't look. When you can't go any further (even if it's only two words in), pick up your section a re-read through it out loud again. 

Leave it after you've read through it a second time. Later on when you come to re-read it - repeat the whole process. After a day or two, you'll be seeing some results. This is why I said that it would be a good idea to start preparing for your speech ASAP.

5. Mnemonics

A great thing you can do to memorise not just a speech but anything in general, is to use the technique of mnemonics. Mnemonics sees you link something to the thing you're trying to memorise to make it easier to memorise. For example; pictures are often a popular mnemonic as the visual aid jogs the persons memory. You could use visual aid prompts for each section of your speech. Every time you are trying to memorise a section, have that picture in close view to look at, or have pictures in a presentation when you're delivering the speech to help you. You'll be surprised how well mnemonics work if done properly.

Some other types of mnemonics involve using: sounds, pictures, songs, prices, acronyms, stories, numbers, phrases, the method of loci, and much more. 

6. Write it out

This may sound like nonsense but writing your whole essay out will help you when trying to memorise, as long as you are concentrating on it whilst you're writing it out. It may take a while if you have a long speech, but writing it out will help your mind get to grips with it better and will give you a better knowledge of your speech. Some people's minds memorise things better when they write something down, so it's beneficial for them, but it's also beneficial for others also, it's just that bit more beneficial for them. :)

7. Memorise the structure

You don't have to memorise your speech word-for-word, only if you want to. Memorising the structure and layout of your speech is a far easier and quicker thing to do. Then after you've done this, as long as you have a quite in-depth knowledge of your speech and what's included in each part, then you can talk about it when you're in the moment. Of course it would be wise to rehearse it so you become at least familiar with this concept. If you do use this technique then you wont be as rigid when delivering it and it should hopefully be more spontaneous.   

8. Memory cards

Get yourself some cards that are large enough to write sections of your speech in bold clear writing but are yet small enough to fit inside a trouser pocket. At various points throughout the day take out these cards and read through them, trying to memorise them if possible. You can either memorise them word-for-word or just the general outline - whichever is better for you.

When you're performing your speech, you can use them as prompts for certain sections. You just need a quick glance down for you to have read a couple of words, and that should hopefully be enough to jog your memory and allow you to get going with your speech.     

Detail: How to Memorise a Speech

0 8 Steps to Improve Teamwork Skills

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

Helen Keller 

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

Andrew Carnegie

"The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side."

Margaret Carty 

Teamwork is a critical skill that you as a person will need to learn. Teamwork is a highly regarded ability by many people - especially by employers. 

If a person has good team working qualities it helps to build relationships with others. The funny thing is, some of these tips don't only have to be applied for when working in a team, but can also be used for when communicating with people on a day-to-day basis. 

Hope you enjoy. :)

1. Listening

Teamwork means working with others, so putting only your ideas forward and not listening to others, is not teamwork. You will need to take the time to listen to other people. Having other peoples input and not just your owns is important for making the best decisions, and for the team to respect each other. 

Other team-members may be able to spot flaws in your idea, which will mean improvements can be made. You can also discuss their ideas, looking at the pros and cons. Listening is an essential skill that you will HAVE to learn if you want to improve your teamwork skills.

2. Sharing

Whilst listening to other peoples thoughts and ideas is essential, if no one is willing to share their ideas with each other, the team wont get very far. 

People will have to be willing to share an idea, don't leave it to everybody else, make sure you have some input. It will not only give you more confidence within the team but can also help to encourage others to put forward their ideas. 

Don't hold back because you want the credit for yourself and you don't want others to steal the limelight, it's not the end of the world. Just be more laid back about it and care more about helping the team out, not just yourself.

3. Communication

For a team to work effectively and for team working skills to be made manifest, communication MUST take place, whether we like it or not. Not just communication, but effective communication. It's no good talking about the weather when you need to be dealing with the situation at hand, although it's good you have the confidence to talk. :)

Teams come up against problems and obstacles, but without effective communication how will a team overcome these? - it simply can't. So try to communicate. 

If you have trouble communicating effectively, then maybe you should read a previous post of mine: 12 ways to develop communication skills.

4. Don't let sore relationships affect your input

When working with others, it's not uncommon for people to not get along with each other. Maybe something outside of the team has happened between these people, maybe you just don't get along, however, don't let this put a downer on your input team. 

When you let sore relationships get in the way of making the correct decisions, or you refuse to help the team because of this, you're only hurting the team. Not only that but people will lose respect for you if you can't be mature enough to put it behind you.

Biased decisions can be made and mistakes which could have been avoided are instead, driven straight into. If you want, you can read a previous post of mine: How to make an unbiased decision.

5. Willingness to accept

A good team member will be able to have all of the other qualities on this list, as-well as having the willingness to accept team decisions and roads of development. 

It can be very easy to not run with an idea that was chosen over yours, but having the ability to do so will allow the group to make better progress. Believe it or not, it's also good for keeping team morale up, as things run a lot smoother when all team members are willing to accept and participate in an idea 100%. 

It's no good to have somebody on a team who hinders rather than helps.

6. Support

A good team that works together shouldn't just be a group of individuals working together, but should in a sense form an individual as a whole, made from all of the individual team members. 

Different individuals of the team will have different personalities and characteristics, meaning different levels of encouragement and support will be needed. Being able to recognise when somebody needs encouragement or support is a skill that will come over time, but is great for team morale. It also allows you to become closer to that person or people, showing that you care what is happening to them, further tightening the team together.  

7. Patience

As discussed in previous points, working in a team will require you to work with different individuals. Different individuals will have different personalities, some will be loud and boisterous, others will be quiet and timid. As a member of a team, patience will be needed on your behalf. If you were to lose your patience and become angry at other team members, that could affect team relationships and make it awkward for the group as a whole. 

Patience will be needed for working with everybody; it takes time for a group to find its footing and can take even longer for a team to work and gel together nicely.

8. Hard work

It's great if a team can listen to one another, it's great if a team can share ideas with each other, it's great if a team can communicate effectively, but without hard work - what's the point. 

Hard work is where the ideas presented are put into practice and are tackled head-on. Hard work is great for getting a team to gel together and great for encouraging other team members to do the same. 

I have written an earlier blog post about the benefits of hard work for you to read, if you're interested that is. :)

Detail: 8 Steps to Improve Teamwork Skills

0 The Benefits of Hard Work

Work, for a lot of us is a drag, and the prospect of an early retirement or a change of career would be well accepted. 

There are a few lucky individuals who enjoy their work and are very happy with their career.

As so many people complain about work, I thought it would be a good idea to put a post together explaining the benefits of hard work, and why it's good for us, even if we believe that it's a horrible thing.

When I say that work is good for us, I mean hard work. Work is good as a whole, but to really see the benefits, working hard is required. Now just because it's hard work, it doesn't mean that it has to be unpleasant or uncomfortable, it's definitely doable for all of us.

If we want to see the 'fruits of our labour' as it were, then as the major key, learning to enjoy hard work, or at least being able to have a critical appreciative understanding of it is essential.

If we look to history and the things that have come about, we can see that a lot of hard work has been put in. For example: the inventions that came about through various people; Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci, Henry Ford, etc... All of these people had to put in a lot of hard work.

The point I'm trying to get across is that, if we want to achieve success and our goals, hard work will need to take place.

1. Sense of Achievement

After we've completed a session of hard work, not only is it rewarding to see the end result, but it also gives the sense of achievement, which really it is an achievement. 

It might not be an achievement on the same level as a Nobel prize, but an achievement is an achievement.   

2. It gives us goals and ambitions

When we have a purpose, a meaningful purpose, hard work must be applied no matter what. 

A meaningful purpose allows us to have the ambition and drive that we need to fuel our bodies for work. Having the ambition and drive gives us hope, and having hope can bring rewards. 

Not only can your meaningful purpose be fulfilled, but you'll notice that other goals will start to take shape as progress with working hard.

3. Improves your work ethic

Working hard makes you appreciate it more. You'll realise that things can't just get done on their own, and you can't always rely on other people to do it for you. Having an appreciation for work, and knowing that nothing would ever get done without it, is not only great for a work ethic, but is also good for your development as a person.

4. It teaches you to be responsible and independent 

Working hard will mean that we will inevitably make a mistake. A mistake, is not only a learning curve for our minds, but also a chance for you to be responsible and accountable for the mistake. Thus in turn making you more independent and (hopefully) more reliable in the future.

5. Teaches us about team work

If we're in a working environment where we're in close contact with other people, working hard and effectively is great for getting people to gel together, and become a team. 

It teaches us about different personalities, different habits, different egos. Getting used to this makes it easier for us to work in a group environment.

6. Keeps us productive

The main benefit of working hard is the productivity side of things. The bottom line is; the harder you work - the more you get done, the more you get done - the better you feel afterwards.

7. It gives our life some structure

If we always did what we wanted, not only would we get nothing done, but we wouldn't really have a structure to our life. Work, for the vast majority of people, consumes a large chunk of their weekly life. 

If we didn't have work though, although it would be nice at first, our lives wouldn't have a structure and wouldn't be very well coordinated.

In fact, not only would we not have a structure, but society as a whole would not have a structure and break-down.

Detail: The Benefits of Hard Work