Saturday, May 5, 2007

10 Tips For Unlocking Your Social Potential Through Self-Empowerment

Copyright © Success Network Group
www.SuccessNetworkGroup.com


Have you come across a person who is so naturally friendly that when you put him inside a room of strangers, he'll be friends with almost everyone in no time?

We call such person a "people-person", someone unbelievably nice and charismatic that he can charm anyone into doing anything.

A socially-empowered person achieves so much greatness, basically due to the people that catapult him to success. He earns the trust and full support of the people, whom he has helped before. He never runs out of assistance or places to turn when he needs help.

He can do anything with the plethora of people behind him. All because he knows how to maximize his social potential!

See, if you know your social skills and you make use of them, you will develop your self-empowerment. Self-empowerment is making a general overhaul in your life and turning yourself into a happier and more successful person.

If you can be one of those "people-persons", then you are well on your way to the success you deserve. Let me show you how to get started.

1. Always be genuine.

Hypocrisy will bring you all the way down. Be genuinely nice to, and interested in, people. Once they perceive that you are Mr. Hypocrite with self-serving intentions, you might as well say goodbye to self-empowerment and also any thought of becoming friends.

2. Strive to be the greatest listener that you can be.

Learn to listen. This is the one skill that people lack the most and it is very rarely taught. You've heard this saying: You have 2 ears and one mouth … learn to use them proportionately! Use this effectively and consistently!

To earn the love and trust of the people, you must listen to their problems and sympathize with them. Do not just hear them out, listen to them with your heart.

Make eye contact when the person talks to you. Listen as if every word matters, because it does. Brownie points will accumulate, and friendships will be formed, when they find out that there is a confidante in you.

3. Laugh out loud.

I do not mean that you force yourself to laugh for every joke cracked by someone, especially if you do not find it funny at all. What I mean is finding humor in things and not being so darn serious all the time.

A person oozing with an awesome sense of humor attracts crowds and eventually, attracts success. The law of attraction comes into play here!

4. Don't forget yourself.

In the process of fluttering around like a social butterfly, you might forget yourself, allowing everyone to push you around. Remember, love and value yourself before anyone else.

If you deem yourself respectable and worthy of affection, people will flock to you and not trample on you.

5. Perform random acts of kindness.

You don't have to be a John Rockefeller and send all your savings to charity, admirable as it is. Little acts of kindness matter the most, and this can be as simple as giving someone a surprise you-take-care card or helping an elderly person cross the street.

When we were kindergarten students, kindness was taught to us and greatly practiced. As time goes on, things happen in people's lives and attitudes change. Now is the time to revive the good deeds and this time, hang on to them for good.

6. Contact your old friends.

It's sad how some friendships are destined to dissolve and disappear, but thanks to technology, you can do something about it. Relive the good old days by flipping open your yearbook and look for the great people whom you want to communicate with again.

Adding these old friends to your roster of support peers will surely make you feel good all over.

7. Develop your personality.

Are you grouchy, grumpy and generally morose? Whoa there big fella, you can't go through life with those feelings! Get rid of the bad traits and habits, commonly known as "habitudes", which perpetually hamper your growth. Honestly, who wants a grouchy friend anyway?

8. Always remain confident.

Be able to stride to the other corner of the room and introduce yourself to people with that winning smile of yours. Just remember: be confident, not arrogant or conceited. It isn't all about you!

9. Practice control.

When angry, don't snap at anyone. Never, ever, throw a tantrum. Stay calm and collected.

Be adult enough to take control of the situation and transform your anger into something more productive and passive. As soon as people find your anger goes to volcanic proportions easily, they will find it hard, if not impossible, to approach you.

10. Keep nurturing your relationships.

Your relationship with your family, friends and significant others is too precious to you and you must not neglect them no matter what!

Go out and have fun with them. Do things together. Happiness will never leave your side as long as the people who matter the most are close to you.

In the end, through other people, self-empowerment means becoming a better and more lovable person. It's a win-win situation; the people know they can turn to you anytime for anything and visa versa.


As Always ... Make it a GREAT day!

About the Author:

Lou and Robin Bonaventura have been Professional
Network Marketers for the past 4 years. They attribute
much of their success to personal development and
consistent learning. Visit their Learning Centers
for more insight into how personal development can
benefit you.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Make A Decision Already!

Copyright © Success Network Group
www.SuccessNetworkGroup.com


Life is about choices and the decisions we make. Even deciding not to decide is in reality making a decision!

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight roads. Many roads come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation.

There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune, or isolation and poverty. There are roads to happiness, just as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad.

With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad and never move forward?


There are no guarantees.

You don't really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life.

Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time will always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it will be returned.

Gaining fame and fortune doesn't guarantee happiness. There are too many possible outcomes, which are really out of your control.

The only thing you have is the power over the decisions that you will make, and how you will act and react to different situations.


"Hindsight is 20/20."

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Probably not, why would you choose a certain path if you knew it would get you lost?

Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it's not the right one, or the best one. It's only after you have made the decision and reflected upon it that you realize its soundness, or lack thereof.

If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have probably decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was most likely wrong. We should learn from our mistakes so that they are not repeated!


Take a risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantees and you will never know whether your decision is wrong until you have made it, you might as well take the risk and decide. It's definitely better than not deciding and keeping yourself in limbo.

Although it's true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure. It's all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveler or an accidental tourist in life.

But be careful that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life's crossroads:

1] Get as much information as you can about your situation.

You can't find the confidence to make an informed decision when you know so little about what you are facing.

Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W's; what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen or when is it going to happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation?

These are just some of the possible questions to ask in order to find out more about the situation. This is important. Usually, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

2] Identify and create options.

What options do you have? Sometimes the options are few, and sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time to create your own options.

Put your creative mind to work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, be open-minded to all ideas. Don't discard anything when an idea presents itself. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the long run.

You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even come up with additional options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision on your own in the end.

3] Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. Assessing each option will allow you to obtain more insight about the consequences of such an option.

4] Trust yourself and make the decision.

Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust in yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always in hindsight. So choose ... decide ... believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.


Now that you've made a decision, be ready to face its consequences; whether good or bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems.

But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it's the right decision or not, only time will tell.

Don't regret your choice, whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it, don't repeat it, and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.


As Always ... Make it a GREAT day!

About the Author:

Lou and Robin Bonaventura have been Professional
Network Marketers for the past 4 years. They attribute
much of their success to personal development and
consistent learning. Visit their Learning Centers
for more insight into how personal development can
benefit you.