Phoenix: life

Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Don't force a fit. If something is meant to be, it will come together naturally.

When things aren't going so well, take a break. Everything will look different when you return.

Be sure to look at the big picture. Getting hung up on the little pieces only leads to frustration.

Perseverance pays off. Every important puzzle went together bit by bit, piece by piece.

When one spot stops working, move to another. But be sure to come back later.

Establish the border first. Boundaries give a sense of security and order.

Don't be afraid to try different combinations. Some matches are surprising.

Anything worth doing takes time and effort. A great puzzle can't be rushed.

Take time to celebrate your successes, even little ones. They will encourage you to go ahead.

Life is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.
- Jose Ortegay Gasset

Lessons from a jigsaw puzzle

In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe), "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married.”

In 1889, Rudyard Kipling - an author won the Literature Nobel Prize in 1907 received the following rejection letter from the San Francisco Examiner. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language.”

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He did not become Prime Minister of England until he was 62, and then only after a lifetime of defeats and setbacks. His greatest contributions came when he was a "senior citizen.”

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn't read until he was seven. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 in chemistry.

General Douglas MacArthur was turned down for admission to West Point not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.

While turning down the British rock group called The Beatles, one executive of Decca Recording Company said, "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.”

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, "You ain't goin' nowhere... son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck.”

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. President Rutherford Hayes said, "That's an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?”

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2,000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, "I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process.”

After years of progressive hearing loss, by age 46 German composer Ludwig van Beethoven had become completely deaf. Nevertheless, he wrote his greatest music - including five symphonies - during his later years.

- Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

- Henry Ford

Consider this

Research shows that no company can succeed today by trying to be all things to all people. It must instead find the unique value that it alone can deliver to a chosen market. Choosing one discipline to master does not mean that a company abandons the others, only that it picks a dimension of value on which to stake its market reputation over the long term. Three distinct value disciplines have been identified, so called because each discipline produces a different kind of customer value.

How market leaders keep their edge

There are a number of bad habits which poor readers adopt. Most of these involve using extra body movement in the reading process. In efficient reading, the muscles of the eye should make the only external movement. Of course there must be vigorous mental activity, but extra movements, such as pointing with the finger or moving the lips, do not help reading and often slow it down.

A fault that is often seen when readers are trying to concentrate is pointing to the words with a finger or pen. While marking the line might be helpful for beginning readers, it is certainly unnecessary for normal readers. Besides, slowing down the reader, pointing at lines or words tends to cause the reader to focus his attention on the wrong thing. The important thing to concentrate on while reading is not the location of the words on the page but the idea that the author is trying to communicate.

Common faults and eye movement

If we could shrink the earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:
There would be: 60 Asians, 10 Europeans, 14 people from the Americas, 16 Africans
There would be: 50 females and 50 males
There would be: 73 non-white and 27 white.
There would be: 31 Christians, 23 Muslims, 15 Hindus, 7 Buddhists, 8 people who practice other religions, 16 people who would not be aligned with a religion
There would be: 25 children, 75 adults, 9 of whom would be 65 and older
There would be: 12 would speak Chinese; 6 would speak Spanish; 5 would speak English; 4 would speak Hindi; 3 would speak Arabic; 3 would speak Bengali; 3 would speak Portuguese; 2 would speak Russian; 2 would speak Japanese; 60 would speak other languages
78 people would have a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain, but 22 would not; 86 would be able to read and write but 14 would not
1 would be dying of starvation; 11 would be undernourished; 22 would be overweight
91 would have access to safe drinking water; 9 people would have no clean, safe water to drink
7 would have a college degree; 40 would have an Internet connection

If the world were a village of 100 people

Hatred is a fundamental human emotion that has deep root in society and culture. Psychologists believe that group identity and cohesion depend to a large extent on having a common enemy. It seems that the existence of “bad guys” is an important element in defining who we are within a large realm. It could be said that human beings love to hate.

A basic emotion

Children who experience a rewarding friendship before the birth of a sibling are likely to have a better relationship with that brother or sister that endures throughout their childhood.
When early friendships are successful, young children get the chance to master sophisticated social and emotional skills, even more than they do with a parent. When parents relate to a child, they do a lot of the work, figuring out what the child needs and then accommodating those needs. However, this is not usually the case when two children are interacting.

The benefits of early friends are long-lasting. Children who had a positive relationship with a best friend before the birth of a sibling ultimately had a good relationship with their sibling that lasted throughout adolescence. And children who as preschoolers were able to coordinate play with a friend, manage conflicts, and keep an interaction positive in tone were most likely as teenagers to avoid the negative sibling interaction that can sometimes launch children on a path of anti-social behaviour. From birth, parents can nurture and help develop these social competencies (or skills) by making eye contact with their babies, offering toys and playing with them.

Study links early friendships with high-quality sibling relationships

Some products are advertised as having a remarkable and immediate effect. We are shown the situation before using the product and this is contrasted with the situation that follows its use. Taking a tablet for a headache in such advertisements can have truly remarkable results. For not only has the headache gone, but the person concerned has often had a new hair-do, acquired a new set of clothes and sometimes even moved into a more modern, better, furnished house.

One thing reminds us of another – especially if we often see them together. These reminders are sometimes more imaginary than real: for some people snow may suggest Christmas, for others silver candlesticks may suggest wealth. The advertiser encourages us to associate his product with those things he thinks we really want – a good job, nice clothes, a sports car, a beautiful girl friend – and, perhaps most of all, a feeling of importance. The ‘image’ of a product is based on these associations and the advertiser often creates a ‘good image’ by showing us someone who uses his product and who leads the kind of life we should like to lead.

The language of advertising

From simple folksongs to the complex sound of a symphony orchestra, music has been created by every known society. Almost every pivotal event in life can be signposted with music, whether it’s a joyful occasion like a wedding or a sad one such as a funeral. Music, which consistently emerges in surveys as the most popular form of art, can be used not only to tap into an emotion a person is already feeling, but to manipulate it in a powerful way. Yet the existence of music mystifies scientists. It is not a primary means of communication, the only species to make musical instruments, music does not seem to help us to live longer or pass on our genes more efficiently. So what purpose does it serve?

A flute was not a sophisticated instrument – in fact, it had a range of less than one octave – but it was an instrument nonetheless. Cavemen used the instrument to attract prospective mates. Although some psychologists feel this is somewhat feeble and doesn’t really explain why a cavewoman should find a caveman flautist more appealing than a tone-deaf rival, the question remains. After all, something must explain why our ancestors were creating music 200,000 years ago.

Psychologists are united in one belief – that music speaks to the heart. What is more, the evidence that music elicits emotion is startlingly direct. Certain pieces of music induce physiological changes in the body that correspond to certain emotions. “Sad” pieces caused the pulse to slacken, the blood pressure to rise and the temperature to drop, which is exactly what happens when a sense of sadness sets in. “Happy” songs did the opposite, including a cheery feeling. Somehow, music can tap into sensitive emotional circuits.

Music has all the hallmarks of an adaptive behaviour, meaning it was a factor in selecting a mate. It is universal across cultures, and kids are motivated spontaneously to learn how to play music around the age of puberty.

Musical talent can indicate many desirable qualities in a mate: the mental competence to learn notes and lyrics; the social intelligence required to be part of an orchestra and co-operate, literally harmoniously with other people; creativity and energy. But just because musical competence may have once signaled a good mate doesn’t necessarily mean that every modern woman is searching for that quality – human beings have come to differ in their preferences.

Why we are touched by the sound of music

According to statistics, it is becoming increasingly rare in many countries for families to eat together. It seems that people no longer have time to enjoy a meal, let alone buy and prepare the ingredients. Meanwhile, fast food outlets are proliferating. Further evidence of the effects of the increasing pace of life can be seen on all sides. Motorists drum their fingers impatiently at stop lights. Tempers flare in supermarket queues.

The above are all symptoms of a modern epidemic called “hurry sickness”. The term was coined by a prominent cardiologist, who noticed that all of his heart disease patients had common behavioural characteristics, the most obvious being that they were in a chronic rush. Hurry sickness has been an issue in our culture ever since but the problem is escalating in degree and intensity, leading to rudeness, short-tempered behaviour and even violence, alongside a range of physical ills.

Hurry sickness

People are often more concerned about avoiding blame than achieving results. But blame can actually be a positive force in the workplace. The trick is knowing how to use it.

When a new product flops in the marketplace or a new recruit turns out to be a poor worker, blaming somebody for the mistake seems a bit rude. So people talk politely around the blunder, saying things like ‘sales targets were missed’ or ‘mistakes occurred’ as if the error happened all by itself. Indeed, at many companies, blame is never even mentioned. At other organisations, people are all too quick to point fingers, leaving employees more concerned about avoiding blame than about achieving results. Such organisations have given blame a bad name.

The truth is, blame can also be a powerful constructive force. For starters, it can be an effective teaching tool, helping people to avoid repeating their mistakes. When used judiciously and sparingly, blame can also prod people to put forth their best efforts, while maintaining both their confidence and their focus on goals. Indeed, blame can have a very helpful effect when it’s used for the right reasons. The key, then, is the way in which blame is managed, which can influence how people make decisions and perform their jobs, and ultimately affect the culture and character of an organisation.

How to win the blame game

Globalisation: How it is defined
Globalisation is a controversial concept which means different things to different people. However, generally speaking it describes the way that production, distribution, sales, finance and investment take place without regard to national boundaries. There are a number of forces which determine the spread of globalisation. These include improvements in transport and communications, production of larger amounts of goods, the increasing similarities of consumer tastes, and government policies.

Forces which determine the spread of globalisation

Multinationals are large international companies which produce goods in many countries throughout the world. Some well-known ones are Ford, Shell, Coca-Cola, Sony and Unilever. Their turnover is huge, in some cases greater than the national income of some countries. Because they are so big, they attract a lot of media attention, and their business methods are usually carefully watched by foreign governments.

Multinationals

Advertising has a major influence on everyday life. It allows a company to persuade a potential customer of the benefits of a product or service. The most effective advertisements catch the attention of their target audience, and say something that is both meaningful and believable.

Different advertisers try to appeal to people in different ways. They try to persuade people by appealing to their feelings (emotional appeal) or to their thoughts and ideas and intelligence (factual appeal). Some advertisements use a combination of both types of appeal. As well as products, advertisements can advertise a service.

The style of the advertising campaign is often determined by an advertising agency that the company hires. The agency may use a number of strategies and techniques to promote the product in its campaign.

Repetitive advertising
The most important technique is repetitive advertising which is a technique that uses frequent showings of an advertisement to remind consumers about a particular product. Advertisers believe that if the general public is constantly exposed to the ad, they are more likely to buy the product being promoted. A typical example of this is fast food advertisements, which are run during commercial breaks on television. For instance, the same advertisement for McDonalds may be repeated several times during one break or shown once during each break throughout a movie or sporting event. Viewers who are bombarded by these junk food images find them fixed in their mind and, as a result, difficult to resist. This is the way that repetitive advertising works.

Slogans
Another technique employed in advertising is the use of slogans. Slogans are short phrases which are easy to remember. American Express uses the slogan ‘Don’t leave home without it’. This slogan is used repeatedly so that people readily associate it with the credit card.

Appeal of advertisements

Children are spending more and more time in front of a screen, TV or computer, according to studies around the world. Some children spend at least two hours each day watching television. For each hour of commercial broadcasting, children may see as many as 30 advertisements. When they play computer games, however, there are no such estimates to rely on. As well as watching television, many children play online games with their friends.
When they play computer games there is little parental involvement. This creates an opportunity, like never before, for advertisers to reach children directly.

Through innocent eyes

Advertising is the part of the business that is concerned with the way that a product is promoted. It is an important part of a company’s marketing strategy which involves decisions on a product’s price and distribution as well as the development of an advertising campaign. It is such a profitable business that the cost of advertising a product is often more than the cost of making it. For example, a box of cereal costs three or four dollars. However, the grain only costs about 10 cents, the packaging costs about 90 cents and much of the other two or three dollars pays for advertising.
Advertisements try to persuade us to buy things or do things. One way of doing this is by making opinions sound like facts.

Advertising

Marketing is the part of a business that is concerned with the way a product, service or idea is sold. For example, the marketing department of a business thinks of and develops a product, and then decides on the price of the product, the particular place - shops or areas where the product should be sold (distribution) and the promotion - the way the product should be advertised. These four Ps are known as the marketing mix. The word "mix" is used to describe the importance of combining all four elements into a marketing plan for a successful exchange of a particular product, service or idea between manufactures and consumers.

Advertising and marketing

For an increasing number of high school students it seems hard work is no substitute for cheating in examinations. It is evident in many high schools all around the world. At one school, bags of ‘cheat sheets’ (i.e. small pieces of paper taken into tests to help students cheat) were discovered.

Prosperous cheats

Psychologists say there is a common myth about happiness and money. Many people believe that if you have a lot of money you will be happy. However, this is not true.

Unemployment, sickness, lack of education or some kind of natural disaster can be the cause of people not having enough money for food or somewhere to live. They have to work hard, and they worry a lot about the future. Food and shelter are the basic needs of all people and if people are too poor to be able to provide these needs for themselves or their family it is difficult to be happy. So in some ways money and happiness do go together.

What is Happiness?

More and more people are choosing to give up their jobs and follow their dream of setting up their own company.

Being your own boss has many obvious advantages. The main advantage is that you are in charge. You have the opportunity to do something you really believe in, such as offering a new product or providing a new service. Another advantage is that you do not have a boss watching over you, which gives you more freedom to do things your way. Finally, the greatest advantage of all for some people, you could also become extremely rich if your company becomes successful.

Phoenix