This issue is made up of the following sections:

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips
2. Questions for Growth
3. Reality Check

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips
1. Do you know which of your daily stressors are self-produced and which are simply an inescapable part of daily life? Traffic jams, unreturned phone messages, others' behaviors-these are all parts of daily life that we cannot influence or control. Anxiety, over-scheduling our day, not making time for friends or loved ones-these are both unnecessary and a waste of valuable time. Work to reduce the self-created chaos in your life, and watch your stress levels plummet.

2. Proceed on principle rather than on feedback in everything you set out to accomplish. This means that you set forth a solid strategy and specific tactics towards attainment of that strategy. It also means that you keep your eye on the prize, so to speak, rather than on the ubiquitous negative feedback of others. People will tell you that you can't do it, you need to change your strategy, you're too old, young, etc...I have found in my life that only certain feedback (maybe 10%?) is actually useful. That feedback is from those around me who have already accomplished what I want to accomplish. To their voice alone am I attuned.

3. Innovate, don't problem-solve. What's the difference? Innovation equates to consistent improvement of the status-quo. Problem-solving, on the other hand, results from failure of some kind. Work is needed to fix the problem and thus establish the prior level of functioning or status-quo. Which one do you think produces the best results? Make your life better in small ways instead of spending your time digging yourself out from under self-created problems.

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2. Questions for Growth
1. How much of your time is wasted on fixing problems? How much is spent innovating-creating new, better ways to do things?

2. When was the last time you invested in yourself, literally? (Gym memberships, healthy food, books, vacations, etc)

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3. Reality Check

This past week I read the book titled SHAM by Steve Salerno. The title is an acronym for the self-help and actualization movement. The premise of the book is that most self-help gurus are wholly unqualified to lead others on the path to improvement and of no value due to the fact that they add little true value to the lives of others (beyond short-term motivation, which usually lasts upwards of a week). The book slams today's most famous self-help gurus, including John Gray, Anthony Robbins, Deeprak Chopra, Dr. Phil, and Dr. Laura among others. Surprised? You shouldn't be.

Think about it this way: If these books and seminars offered by the gurus are so life-changing, why then do you “need” to purchase their follow up books? If someone really hit the nail on the head with regards to life-changing information, wouldn't that be the only book they needed to write? Yet, most people go out and purchase SIMILAR titles and subjects within eighteen months!

Learn to discern those that provide true value in your lives, and you will only have to do it once. When I meet someone that knows more than I do, or is more talented in any area than I am and can teach me something profound, I not only listen, but I don't waste my time looking elsewhere for similar information. I only need to come across it once to know it has immense value in my life.

What does this mean in your life? It means that, if you want to improve in any area of your life, first invest time to find someone who can offer you this true value. Ask questions, ask for referrals, read reviews. Not only will you save money in the long-run (through never having to buy similar books, hire similar people, etc) but you will reap immediate dividends in the form of lower stress levels, higher productivity, and increased happiness and satisfaction.

So, to whom are YOU listening?

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