Leadership

Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, The Prime Minister of Malaysia

Blessed is the leader who seeks the best for those he serves.

~Unknown~

Leadership is not magnetic personality—that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people"—that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.

~Peter F. Drucker~

Leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him....But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, "We did it ourselves.

~Lao Tzu~

An army of a thousand is easy to find, but, ah, how difficult to find a general.

~Lao Tzu~

Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.

~Chinese proverb

Leadership is action, not position

~Donald H. McGannon~

The main characteristics of effective leadership are intelligence, integrity, mystique, humor, discipline, courage, self sufficieny and confidence.

~James L. Fisher~

A good leader inspires others with confidence in him; a great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves

~Unkown~

Family Happiness

We never know the love of our parents until we have become parents

~Henry Ward Beecher, American Clergyman, 19th Century~

Unlike most approaches to helping couples, mine is based on knowing what makes marrieges succeed rather than failed.

~John Gottman, Contemporary psychologist, University of Washington~

Understanding the other's ways of talking is a giant leap across the communication gap between women and men, and a giant step toward opening lines of communication.

~Deborah Tanney, Georgetown University~

The Power of Positive Thinking

Why Think Positively?

All of our feelings, beliefs and knowledge are based on our internal thoughts, both conscious and subconscious. We are in control, whether we know it or not.

Aim high and do your best

We can be positive or negative, enthusiastic or dull, active or passive. The biggest difference between people is their attitudes. For some, learning is enjoyable and exciting. For others, learning is a drudgery. For many, learning is just okay, something required on the road to a job. "Most folks are about as happy as theymake up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln

Our present attitudes are habits, built from the feedback of parents, friends, society and self, that form our self-image and our world-image. These attitudes are maintained by the inner conversations we constantly have with ourselves, both consciously and subconsciously. The first step in changing our attitudes is to change our inner conversations.

What Should We Be Saying? One approach is called the three C's: Commitment, Control and Challenge.

Commitment

Make a positive commitment to yourself, to learning, work, family, friends, nature, and other worthwhile causes. Praise yourself and others. Dream of success. Be enthusiastic.

Control

Keep your mind focused on important things. Set goals and priorities for what you think and do. Visualize to practice your actions. Develop a strategy for dealing with problems. Learn to relax. Enjoy successes. Be honest with yourself.

Challenge

Be courageous. Change and improve each day. Do your best and don't look back. See learning and change as opportunities. Try new things. Consider several options. Meet new people. Ask lots of questions. Keep track of your mental and physical health. Be optimistic. Studies show that people with these characteristics are winners in good times and survivors in hard times. Research shows that,"... people who begin consciously to modify their inner conversations and assumptions report an almost immediate improvement in their performance. Their energy increases and things seem to go better ..." Commitment, control and challenge help build self-esteem and promote positive thinking. Here are some other suggestions.

7 Suggestions for Building Positive Attitudes

1. 
   
   In every class, look for positive people to associate with.


2. 
   
   In every lecture, look for one more interesting idea.


3. 
   
   In every chapter, find one more concept important to you.


4. 
   
   With every friend, explain a new idea you've just learned.


5. 
   
   With every teacher, ask a question.


6. 
   
   With yourself, keep a list of your goals, positive thoughts and actions.


7. 
   
   Remember, you are what you think, you feel what you want.

Source: Donald Martin in The Power of Positive Thinking

Peaceful Moment

9.30 am ... 16th January 2008

Creativity

'Salam Maal Hijrah 1429'

May Allah bless us forever

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.

~Buckminster Fuller~

All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

~Pablo Picasco~

Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.

~Arthur Koestler~

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