Do You Have To Plan Ahead???

All of life is a series of projects. A project is a complex task. It is often called a multitask job. This type of job requires the coordination of efforts of several people, each of whom is responsible for a part of the job, with every part of the job being necessary for successful completion. Your ability to handle these multitask jobs is a critical skill for success. All achievements of consequence are complex, and they involve the cooperation of many people.

The Key Management Skill

A study by Stanford University of the qualities that companies look for in promoting people into the position of chief executive officer concluded that the ability to put together a team to accomplish a task was the single most important identifiable quality of an executive who was destined for the fast track in his/her career. Your ability to put together teams to do multitask jobs, ability to complete complex projects, and visible qualities of leadership will determine the course of your career as much as any other factor. It will enable you to multiply yourself times the talents and efforts of others, and accomplish vastly more than you could do on your own.

A Learnable Skill

Project management is a learnable skill, like riding a bicycle. It can be divided into a series of steps, each of which you can master, one at a time. In managing any project, you begin by defining the ideal desired result of the project. What exactly are you trying to accomplish? What will the project look like if it is a complete success?  Start by defining a successful completion of the project, the ideal desired result.

Start at the Beginning

Once you are clear about your desired result, you then start from the beginning. Determine what you are going to have to do to get from where you are to the completion of this project, on schedule and on budget. Determine a specific deadline or target to aim at. Make sure that it is realistic and achievable.

Assemble the Team

Bring together all the people whose contributions will be necessary for the success of this project. Sometimes you need to assemble a team before you can even decide upon the ideal result and the schedule. Remember that people are everything. Take ample time to think carefully about the people who are going to be the team members.

Share the Ownership

Instill ownership of the project in the team members by sharing the job with them. There is a direct relationship between how much a person feels a sense of ownership for the job and how committed he is to making the project a success. One of the key jobs of management and leadership is to instill this feeling of ownership in each member of the team, so that each person feels personally responsible for the accomplishment of the overall project. You accomplish this by discussing every detail of the project with the people who are expected to carry it out.

Develop a Shared Vision

A shared vision is an ideal future picture of success that everyone buys into. How do you develop a shared vision? You sit down and work with the team to answer the question, “What are we trying to accomplish?” You encourage everyone to contribute, visualize, and to imagine the ideal outcome or desired result of the project. Once this vision is clear and shared by everyone, you move on to the development of “shared plans” to achieve the vision.

Set Schedules and Deadlines

Once you have a shared vision and shared plans, and everyone knows exactly what is to be done and what the ideal results will look like, the next step is for you to set a deadline for project completion based on the consensus of your team.

Create a List

Create a to-do list and write down every task, function, and activity that must be completed, right down to the smallest job. Make it easier for yourself-get the project finished on time and break the project down into individual jobs and tasks as much as you can.

Organize the Project

Organize the different parts of the project in two ways: sequential tasks and parallel tasks. You organize by sequence when you determine which jobs must be done before other jobs can be done, with each task in order. Sequential organization is necessary where a particular task requires that another task be completed before it can be started. In almost every case, before you do anything, you have to do something else first. Organize the tasks sequentially with a logical process of activities from beginning through to the end of the project.

The second way to organize the tasks is through parallel activities. Parallel activities exist when more than one task can be done at the same time. Two or more people can be working on two or three different tasks independently of each other.

A Little Monday Inspiration

Spring, As They Say, Has Sprung

Spring Home Makeover Ideas to Inspire

As the signs of spring make their first appearances in nature, it’s time to wake up your home design, as well. From fashionable new window treatments to freshening up the home décor that you already have, we have tips to help you bring in Spring with style!


1. Brighten Your View: The Value of Updated Window Treatments
New, updated window treatments can make one of the most profound changes to the look and feel of a room. With spring in the air, you want to maximize the natural light that flows into your rooms. Choose something light and airy, like a soft drapery or a sheer window shading. There are many options to choose from, for a variety of sizes, from a single window to wide sliding glass doors.

Worried about privacy? Many sheer window treatments offer optional room-darkening vanes that you can adjust for a look and feel that is tailored to your unique needs.

Sunscreen window shades are also especially popular options that will prepare your home for the glare of the sun and the heat of the upcoming summer.

2. Get organized!
Did you know that extra clutter and crowding in your home décor can drain your energy? So, in the spirit of Spring’s renewal and rebirth, start organizing all the clutter that has accumulated throughout the winter. Overwhelming? Take it room by room, one week at a time. Slowly but surely, your cupboards, medicine cabinets, and even closets will bring feelings of peace and calm.

Your newfound organization will save you time (you won’t spend extra time searching for things!), and it will do wonders for lifting your mood, as well.

3. A Change Will Do You Good: Rearranging Furniture and Home Accessories
Okay, so you’ve purchased the latest in closet organization products and you’ve updated your home’s window treatments. Your next steps don’t have to require purchases at all. Look around you– most of your furniture has probably had the same position for years. Change it! Simply switching the placement of a couch, or repositioning the TV can make you feel like you have a whole new room.

Not much room for movement? Change and update the smaller things, like pillows, throws, and lamps.

4. Color Me Beautiful: The Power of Paint
You’ll find that I mention the power of fresh paint in almost every home decorating article. It’s really that important - and valuable. Adding a new color, brightening up the existing one, or changing the texture can give the room a completely new feel.

5. Think Outside the Home
After winter has left its cold, often dingy mark, the outside of your home needs some extra TLC. Be sure to wash the doors (especially your front door) and windows, and touch up the paint if necessary. Hang a wreath of silk spring flowers, or place pots of the real thing on your porch!

Don’t forget the garage, the driveway, tool sheds, and any other areas that may be less visible in winter, but when left to the bright lights of Spring, can sully the look of your fashion-forward home.

6. Cleaning
You can’t have a Spring Home Makeover without it – cleaning. But it doesn’t have to be something you dread. Start by making a “to-do” list for each room - everything needs sprucing up this time of year. Clean or replace shelf liners, and dust everything from the countertops to the dresser drawer handles. And don’t forget to clean your window treatments! Check the instructions first, but most window treatments need little more than a light feather dusting or a low level dust buster to freshen them up.

Once you have your “to-do” list, set the cleaning mood: play your favorite music, light some candles or spray some room spray, and enjoy the prospect of a fresh start for Spring! 

Have You "Paid It Forward" Lately?

What does it take to transform your life in a way that you find greater meaning and satisfaction in what you do on a daily basis? Psychotherapy is certainly one option but the effects aren't often as long-lasting as we prefer; it also often takes considerable time and resources. I teach and supervise therapists for a living so I'm a big fan of the power that such an experience can have. And yet. . . there are other ways to find meaning in our lives and produce life-altering transitions. For instance, religious or spiritual involvement is a path that is often chosen. Others seek salvation in their work or immerse themselves in social activities. Still others pursue greater satisfaction and meaning through creative outlets or through reading and studying subjects of interest. I would suggest, however, that it is through service to others that we can most easily produce transformative changes--not only in those we help, but also in ourselves. 

Bottom of Form

There is such a hunger that many of us feel to find greater meaning in our lives and work, to engage more meaningfully with those we love, to create deeper intimacy in all our relationships, to feel the incredible (and frightening) thrill of encountering new experiences that move us emotionally, intellectually, and also deep in our souls. This search for deeper engagement with life is what leads to travel, education, to devour stimulating readings (to read articles like this!), but also destructive forms of self-medication that are intended to stifle that inner voice that challenges our current life choices. So how can we most effectively (and swiftly) produce such life-changing experiences?

I would submit that one consistently powerful option that often has lasting effects involves reaching out to others who are neglected, ignored, oppressed, abused, or marginalized--those most in need. It seems to make little difference exactly what you do, whether it is in your local community or a remote village abroad, whether you work with one person or a large group, whether you teach, mentor, support, consult, or build something; they key is feeling like you are doing some good. Your own life feels redeemed by your effort to use what you know, what you may have suffered or endured, what you can do, to help others who would otherwise have been left to flounder.

To select one problem that I find especially heart-wrenching is the prevalence of sex trafficking around the world. In one small region of Nepal, a place I have been working for many years, there are over 12,000 girls each year who are kidnapped or sold into sex slavery, some as young as 8 years old. These are mostly lower caste girls whose families have experienced catastrophic illness, deprivation, or hardships. With little money or resources to support all the children in school, it is the young girls who are most at risk. Whatever assistance or interventions that are offered by volunteers, it has been fascinating for me to observe the ways that their own lives have been transformed in unexpected ways. It is not uncommon that people return from these service trips resolved to enrich their friendships, build greater intimacy with their families, make abrupt shifts in their careers, or initiate dramatic changes in their lifestyles. Many of these life-changing experiences result from the transcendent feeling of greater meaning and purpose that often accompanies altruistic efforts.

"I meet these children and, initially, I feel such pity and hopelessness for their plight," one volunteer shared. "But then I realize that it is really my life that has been so impoverished in many ways. As little as these people have, they are often far happier and more engaged with daily life than almost anyone I know back home." It is gifts such as this that increase our awareness that it really makes little difference what we have, what we own, what resources we control or power we wield; rather 

So, the big question is that if you wanted to change your life, how would you go about doing that through paths other than the more traditional education, therapy, or reading? The answer is one you'd anticipate, but also one you'd prefer to deny: It means making some tough choices about priorities and values followed by sustained hard work. It also often involves taking constructive risks that involve a certain amount of sacrifice, pain, and inconvenience.

Each of us has a responsibility to take care of those who are less fortunate, who suffer terribly and without hope. It is through such service and activism that we not only make a difference for those who need help the most, but we also transform our own lives in ways that provide deeper meaning and greater satisfaction.

Growing up I felt pretty useless and inept, wondering if I would ever do anything of significance. I got caught up in ambition and achievement, trying to prove my worth through academic or professional success. It doesn't feel like I ever made a conscious choice to devote my life to service but rather it was chosen for me. How could I, how could anyone, ignore injustice or deprivation or suffering and not do something about it? When the very first girl in remote Nepal was pointed out to me and I was told she would be sold into slavery, I never stopped to think about the consequences of doing something to rescue her. It was only afterwards that I realized that once I had made that initial effort I really had no other choice except to follow through on what I started quite impulsively. Frankly, the responsibility terrifies me.

Each of us has an opportunity to make a difference in the world in our own small way. It doesn't matter whether it is in your own community or another remote part of the world. Sure, giving money to causes can help, but it is no substitute for sharing our love, caring, and expertise with people directly, especially with those who are most neglected and desperate. One of the amazing joys of activism and promoting social justice is not just what it does for those we help, but how our own lives are transformed by the experience.

The Jokes On You...

Unlike most of the other non-foolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is not totally clear. It is not like Halloween, where despite an interesting history, most people just put on Halloween costumes, get candy, and leave it at that. There really wasn't a "first April Fool's Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.

The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.

However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day. The origin of the "kick me" sign can be traced to this observance.

In France and several other European countries, April 1 is often referred to as April Fish. The prank is to stick a paper fish on the back of another person without being noticed.

Mexico's counterpart of April Fool's Day is actually observed on December 28. Originally, the day was a sad remembrance of the slaughter of the innocent children by King Herod. It eventually evolved into a lighter commemoration involving pranks and trickery.

Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied, or I accidentally stepped on your glasses!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!"

Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool's Day. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was a fairly detailed documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.

April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!

You Know What They Say About Fools...

It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. --Mark Twain

However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him. -- Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux

[Politicians] never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. -- Thomas Reed

He who lives without folly isn't so wise as he thinks. -- François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer

Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. -- Elizabeth Gaskell

Looking foolish does the spirit good. -- John Updike

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. -- Mark Twain

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. -- William Blake

A fool must now and then be right by chance. -- Cowper

It is better to be a fool than to be dead. -- Stevenson

The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain