Author: Anne-Maria Yritys

I am a very well connected business professional who holds an MBA in international business management. My contacts live in 200 + countries worldwide. I am also a certified investment advisor and a vocational teacher by profession. I offer my clients business/individual consultations with a speciality in international business and project management. In addition, I offer coachings, and sell online courses. At specific requests, I am available for public speaking events and for arranging workshops for groups of people. Ask for prices/package prices. All my prices are in euros and include 24% VAT. What do you need help with? Let me know by booking a consultation with me through my website https://www.annemariayritys.com Anne-Maria Yritys 2019. All rights reserved. Sole proprietor ID 2988491-1 VAT ID FI29884911

The Power of Gratitude in Our Lives

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Authentic Leadership, Consciousness, Personal Transformation
"Business Hand Writing, Thank You". Freedigitalphotos.net.
“Business Hand Writing, Thank You”. Freedigitalphotos.net.

With Thanksgiving approaching hundreds of millions of people celebrate, and show gratitude for the abundance in their lives. Thanksgiving Day is not a part of culture in Finland, neither in many other countries worldwide. All cultures, however, have their own national holidays and ways of being thankful and expressing gratitude. In addition to culturally related national holidays, local and international organizations have created a number of special days, such as the World Water Day and even the Earth Hour, with a purpose to influence and to increase awareness amongst population. Filling one´s personal agenda with all of these would most likely signify having some kind of special day every single day of the year. 

The efforts to drive change and the willingness of improving all kinds of conditions both on local, national, international, and global levels, speaks for the fact that we all wish to contribute to positive transformation taking place in our surroundings. There is always room for improvement, and justice, and our personal choices do affect and have an influence, whether we realize it or not. 

Although we, as individuals, can have a significant amount of influence, one person´s capacity alone is always limited. However, as individuals we have the possibility to choose to make every day of our lives kind of Thanksgiving Day. Or, if you will, a Day of Gratitude. 

Whatever life presents us at a certain moment, we have the possibility to choose our attitude. Train your mind to be thankful, and grateful, even for the most difficult of experiences, and be always open to learning from them. As Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, one of my greatest inspirers teaches: When you have to choose between being kind, and being right, always choose being kind. Furthermore, as Dr. Wyer teaches, you always have the possibility to choose how you react to external circumstances. In his metaphor, however much you press an orange, nothing else but orange juice will come out. Whatever the external circumstances may be, or what kind of situations we face in life, we can always choose our personal attitude. Choose to be calm, confident, and positive, and see how this changes not only you, but also your surroundings. We can only work on ourselves, and only through this personal development on a spiritual level, are we capable of transforming our external circumstances. 

Tips for personal transformation: 

– Accept an event or a situation for what it is, no matter how complicated it may seem. Acceptance will help you to master any kind of situation, and increase your understanding.

– Despite of circumstances, always choose to focus on positivity. By doing this, and by letting yourself be surrounded by positivity, you will eventually decrease and be capable of eliminating anything else in your life, and your surroundings. 

– Lead change from within. Your spirit is stronger than you think, and focusing on personal, spiritual growth is the key to being capable of helping and serving others as well. 

– Choose kindness instead of trying to prove you are right (and others wrong). We do not have to agree with everything, or everyone, but neither do we need to prove them/their points of view wrong. 

– Learn to listen, and to empathize with others/a certain situation. 

– Instead of accusing and blaming others for their imperfections, take a profound look in the mirror every day, and seek to improve what you see. We do not develop, evolve or learn by pointing out other people´s mistakes. 

– Learn to treat challenges and obstacles as growth experiences. Use them as stepping-stones for becoming a better person every single day. We always have space for personal improvement. 

– Focus on your personal performance. Expect a lot from yourself, expand your horizons, seek to understand the unknown, but also remember to be kind to yourself. 

– Improve something every day. It can be a tiny thing, but even this tiny thing can accumulate into something unexpectedly huge someday = > Snowball effect. 

– Plant seeds which have the capacity to grow into something beautiful with time. Focus on planting positive seeds. With time, you will be able to harvest plenty of healthy fruit. 

– Learn to let go, and to forgive. Forgiveness is essential. Also remember to forgive yourself. Referring to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer once again: We all have a wake in our lives, which has influenced us to becoming the individuals we are today. But the wake is also our past, and one key to personal transformation is to realize that despite of not being able to influence the wake of our lives, we have the possibility of focusing on the present. By doing this, we constantly create ourselves the future we like to see ourselves in.

“Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one”. 

(Marianne Williamson)

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer: Attitude is everything, so pick a good one: 

http://bit.ly/AttitudeisEverythingDyer

 

There is Always Audience for Those Who Have Something To Say

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Authentic Leadership, Building Dialogue, Communication Skills, Life Coaching, Public Speaking

Are you one of those people who disguise public speaking? Whose chins become red just from the thought of having to stand before a crowd of people, whose hands get wet, and whose heart begins to beat at an unnatural rate?

No worries. No one can force you into public speaking. You will know when you are ready. 

I am one of those people who love public speaking, despite of my limited experience. I have spoken to complete strangers without preparation. I have spoken to class mates about study topics. My biggest fear in regard with public speaking has been the fear of not having anything interesting to say, nothing worth of acknowledgement, nothing new, nothing exciting. 

Mastering public speaking is like mastering any other skill. The more you practice, the better, and more confident, you get. I have learned that the most important factors in public speaking are a personal connection to the topic itself, and not being afraid of failure. The best public speakers speak from their hearts, from their experiences, and know how to connect with their audience. They are not afraid of embarrassment, and they know how to laugh at themselves. Allowing you the possibility of failure is as important in public speaking as in any other activity. Just do not take yourself too seriously. The audience does not know you; they have no idea about your experience from public speaking. As soon as you realize this, and connect as a spirit with your audience, you will notice that the fear your fear was irrelevant. 

Tips for becoming a great public speaker: 

1) Be self-confident – people love self-confidence, and you shining a light upon them.

2) Be thankful for the opportunity to speak in public – not everyone has the opportunity! 

3) Practice in advance through watching inspirational videos on the Internet, and attend public speaking events if needed.

4) Connect with your audience, and be spiritually present. 

5) Respect yourself. 

6) Respect your audience.

7) Speak from your heart, not from a piece of paper. A great speech is not read from a piece of paper.

8) Speak from and about your experiences, not about numbers. Even if you are a Fortune500 CEO. Successful measures are led and achieved by people, not by numbers. People, and great leadership, are the key to success (and key to increases in profitability, returns on investment and so on).

9) Involve your audience. Ask them for feedback, questions, make them enjoy the experience.

10) Take yourself seriously (but not too seriously), and your audience as well. They may have traveled from far away just to hear you speak. 

11) Be grateful. Grateful for the fact that you have the possibility to give a speech, grateful for having such a great audience. 

12) Your audience will sense your emotions, so be inspirational. 

13) Remember to thank your audience! Take all kinds of critics as a learning lesson. If something went wrong, embrace the failure and improve for your next public speaking event. 

14) Benchmark – Learn from the best!

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
(Maya Angelou)

Watch this video to learn from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who speaks straight from his heart: 

http://bit.ly/GettingWhatYouReallyWant

Why Should You Believe In Miracles?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Authentic Leadership, Change Management, Life Coaching, Spirituality

Miracles happen all the time. We do not always sense them, or realize how full our world, and the universe, is with miracles. Very often we think about a miracle as something huge happening, a drastic shift or change in things, like a sudden strike of lightning in our environment, transforming our existence in a second. Miracles take place all the time, some of them bigger, some smaller. If we constantly expect a miracle to be a major event, we are likely to miss out the smaller miracles. 

One thing is certain: in order to experience miracles in your life, you have to start believing in their possibilities, if you already do not. The deeper your belief, and the more you trust in miracles taking place at all times, everywhere, and the stronger your affirmations are, the higher the probability of you starting to sense how full of miracles your surroundings, your life, and the whole world is. 

There is much more to life than the human eyes, or other senses, can explain. As rational individuals, we often prefer translating things, people, and circumstances through rationalism and facts. We are eager to find logical explanations for anything, although deep within us we do know how important it is to use intuition and feelings in order to be capable of expanding as individuals. A miracle is not bound to any certain culture or religion, and miracles are acknowledged in all religions. Miracles are a part of spirituality. 

Jon Bon Jovi has said: “Miracles happen every day. Change your perception of what a miracle is and you will see them all around you”.

Sometimes difficult circumstances or major life crises lead us to increasingly believe in miracles. We need something to believe in, something that motivates us, inspires us, and guides us further on our life paths. However, sensing miracles does not require having a difficult life, or difficulties in life. Miracles are always there for each and one of us, no matter what our situation may be. 

Experiencing miracles in one’s everyday life becomes easier with belief, increasing spirituality, and opening our minds to sensing small and big wonders, being grateful for anything that life gives us – even tough times, since they can be such important lessons for us. However difficult it can be, try to express gratitude even for setbacks and problems – they most often are the greatest lessons life has to offer us, and lead to personal development when we are open to learning. 

  • Without challenges, appreciating all the good things in life would be more difficult. 
  • Without rain, we would not be able to see rainbows. 
  • Without yin, there would be no yang. 
  • Without you, there would be no me. 
  • Without the Sun, there would be no Moon, no Earth. 
  • Without the Moon that we see in the sky each night, there would be no ebb or flood.

The Universe is full of miracles. Many of them so big, so familiar, so small, so everything that we have become too accustomed to even noticing them in our lives.

“Many people are alive but do not touch the miracle of being alive”. (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer was an inspiring personality who spoke about experiencing miracles. Watch this video clip on YouTube to listen to his message: 

http://bit.ly/MiraclesbyDyer

 

 

 

 

 

Valuation of Time

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Management, Coaching, Time Management

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you”. 

(Carl Sandburg)

 
(Hourglass. Artist: coward_lion. Freedigitalphotos.net. Published on 05 September 2012).
 
What does your average day look like? How do you fill your hours? 
If you do not know how, try to become more aware of it by keeping a daily journal. You can do it as a temporary endeavor just in order to increase your personal awareness about how, and on what kind of things, you actually spend your precious time. 
 
 
Time is our friend, if we let it be. Time can also be our enemy, in case we are not well enough focused upon involving people and things in our lives that really matter to us, and make a difference. When keeping a daily journal you will soon become aware of what kind of things take up your time. Divide those things into categories according to positive and negative time (and energy) consumers. I bet you will be surprised at how much of your daily, and weekly, time goes wasted upon things (and even people) of no relevance. Things (and people) that are meaningless, rather consuming your energy than helping you achieve your goals. 
 
 
I am not saying that we should ignore people, be cold-hearted or anything alike. The fact may just be that you are spending too much thoughts, efforts, and energy on people and circumstances that do not serve your life purpose. People, who want to rob you of your time without having space for you in their lives, or in their affairs. This is especially true if you are a giver by nature, rather than a taker. It is not always possible to know beforehand what is useful, and what only consumes your time without giving you anything in return. A good way of estimating whether something/someone is worth your time is to observe behavior (in regards to people) and concrete results (in regards to things). People who value you will not waste your time, or your energy. They will respect you, and stick to their promises. 
 
 
Tips for increasing your valuation of time, and making your days more effective: 
 
– Keep a daily journal. Yes, daily, not only on a weekly basis. The better you realize how you actually spend your days, the easier it gets to make important changes, and adjustments. 
– As soon as you notice which things (and people) consume too much of your energy, focus on diminishing their influence in your life. 
– If you are a giver by nature (hopefully), keep on giving. But do not let people and/or circumstances take advantage of you. 
– Be prepared to cut down on energy- and time consumers such as TV as well. If you spend three hours per day on watching TV, start by reducing it to two hours, and fill the gap with something else, like reading an interesting book, or an (extra) hour of exercise. 
– Cut down on unnecessary social media usage, and unnecessary e-mails. Only subscribe to pages that truly serve you, and unsubscribe from newsletters that do not. I can tell from personal experiences how much time we spend on useless e-mails, reading spam and all the like filling our digital mail boxes every day. 
– If you haven´t earlier, start respecting your time NOW. It is not too late. 
– Remember also to respect other people´s time. 
– Stop being too nice. If you have something scheduled, and your counterpart does not show up, or shows up too late without even apologizing, it is a bad sign. People and circumstances that do not value your time are not worth your time. 
– If you still, despite of integrating these tips into your daily life, have trouble with time wasters: consider hiring a coach who is helping you. However, be careful when selecting a coach and make sure that your coach is someone who values your time, and is worthy of it. 
 
 
Good luck!
 
 
(Deadline Calender Means Target And Due Date. Artist: Stuart Miles. Freedigitalphotos.net. Published on 13 May 2014).

 

Lead Change or Change Will Lead You

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Management, Coaching

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ Whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something”.

(Steve Jobs)
 

 

 

 

Change Same Buttons Shows Changing Or Improvement. Artist: Stuart Miles. Freedigitalphotos.net. Published on 09 October 2013.
Steve Jobs was a wise man who died too young. Yet, during his short life, he drove and achieved an amount of change that many of us only dream of – although, each and one of us possess the capability of being catalysts and active agents of change. Our circumstances are different, but it is not about background who becomes a successful catalyst for change and who not. As a matter of fact, those who are determined to achieve will do so, no matter how difficult circumstances sometimes may be. 
 
 
Driving change is always individual. Driving change, and being a change agent is not about status or title, not even about material possessions. Change is continuous, and leads to evolution. Very often change management is referred to as change projects in IT, but change management is much more than that. Change management includes the capability of driving and leading change in one´s personal life as well. We are all affected by changes in society, driven by other individuals (change agents). Some changes are impossible to avoid, so adaptation and going with the flow is often necessary in order to stay well-integrated. 
 
However, there are many things we can influence on a personal level. 
 
 
 
“Be the change you want to see in the world”. 
(Mahatma Gandhi)
 
 
 
Advice for leading change in your life: 
 
– Always embrace change, and see it as something positive. Change often brings new possibilities. 
– Remember to rest, but also keep on moving. When life becomes too comfortable, there is a need for development and growth. 
– Be proactive. It is far better to have the ability to influence change than being hit by sudden, even radical change, when it is already too late to have a say in the course of happenings. 
– Make a long-term plan for your life, at least for the upcoming five years. Include both business and private life in your plan. Where do you want to be in five years? What do you want to achieve? How will you achieve it? 
– You can have several different plans: one for business life, one for your private life. If you have a long-term plan (say, for the next five years), divide your long-term plan into shorter time periods (e.g. the coming year 2015, for the coming quarter, a weekly schedule, and a daily schedule). Leave some space for adjustments as well, and for non-planned time (otherwise, life can become too boring).
 
Why is it so important to make plans, have goals, and lead change? 
 
If YOU do not take responsibility for your life, and make plans, you will either end up achieving nothing, or someone else making the plans for your life. Which do you prefer? Being guided/directed, or proactively leading your life into your desired direction? 
 
Leading change is important for everyone, not only for those with a professional designation for being change agents/leaders/managers. 
 
Change can sometimes feel uncomfortable, but the more you step out of your comfort zone, and develop your ability to live with constant, small changes, the better you will feel in the long run. It is far better to be proactive and lead small changes on a regular basis, than wait for something to happen (and the more you procrastinate, the more effort will you have to give at a later stage). 
 
 
 
“Change can be scary, but what is even scarier? Allowing fear to stop you from growing, evolving, and progressing”. 
(Mandy Hale)
 
 
 
 
(Time For Change Shows Revise Changing And Difference. Artist: Stuart Miles. Freedigitalphotos.net. Published on 15 September 2014).

How Can You Be Truly Convincing?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Authentic Leadership, Building Dialogue, Business Ethics, Communication Skills, Influence, Leadership Skills and Qualities

“By 2029, computers will have emotional intelligence and be convincing as people”. (Ray Kurzweil, Brainyquote.com. 12.11.2014)

Do you believe in a future where computers have emotional intelligence? Can emotional intelligence be integrated into computers, when not even all human beings are capable of maximizing their potential in terms of emotional intelligence? 

If you have ever worked in sales, you know how important it is to not only sound, but to actually BE, convincing. In fact, this applies to others than just salespeople, or, put in a wider perspective, we all kind of work in sales, at all times, and in all situations in life. 

However, being convincing is not a synonym to being truthful. Although sales, as any other performance, should always include being truthful, there are always people who do not care so much about the truth, or who prefer creating their own truth. We find examples of these across society, of people who convince themselves first, and are color-blind to truth. I have once before quoted Anaïs Nin in this perspective: “We do not see the world as it is. We see it as we are”. 

Throughout centuries, truth has been discussed by philosophers, with a number of frameworks and theories built around a single word with so much meaning. Without going deeper into the different philosophical theories about truth, I just want to pinpoint that truth can be personal, and what is true to another individual, is not necessarily true to you. Some people are very convincing without actually telling the truth (a common truth that applies to the majority of people). There are many sad stories about individuals living their personal truths with a lack of morals, and humanity. Without having to explain further, I am pretty sure that you can think of a number of these. 

What does it take to be convincing? It is quite simple: 

Being convincing requires having confidence and trust in yourself. 

You also need to be convinced about the matter/product/situation. Selling Snow from the Sahara requires your personal conviction about the existence of snow in the Sahara. It is impossible to sell something that actually does not exist – that would equal to fooling your clients. 

In solution-based, client-oriented selling you can of course, in cooperation with your customer, define their needs, and based on those needs, create a tailored solution for them. That is problem-solving with and for the client. But you cannot promise a client that you can provide them with snow from the Sahara when you both know that there is no snow in the Sahara. And even if your customer does not know this, YOU know. 

Conviction includes taking moral responsibility in the first place. It also requires technical knowledge about what it is you are offering. All too often it is a fact that clients are offered various kinds of solutions by people who do not even know their products well enough. This includes not only a risk for the customer, who pays for the service/product, but also risks for the service/product provider: low quality leads to unsatisfied customers, and is a real slap in the face in regards to your brand’s image and reputation. 

Want to act morally and truthfully correct? Integrate the following into your (work) life: 

– Do not get involved into anything that is against your personal values/morals/knowledge/beliefs.

– Always be truthful to your clients/people around you.

– Know your product/service before actually offering it to your clients. If there is something you do not know, make sure to inform yourself so that you do not let your clients down.

– Take responsibility. True professionals and experts have not only a broad knowledge in their field, but are also continuously developing themselves, and seek to transform their knowledge into wisdom. 

– Live as you teach. There is no point in saying something, but acting in the opposite way. 

“You cannot convince anyone of anything. You can only give them the right information in order for them to convince themselves”. (Eben Pagan. Quote Essays.com. 12.11.2014). 

 

 

How Can You Increase Your Success With Passion?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Authentic Leadership, Change Management, Life Coaching

“Light Yourself on Fire with Passion and People Will Come From Miles to Watch You Burn” (John Wesley)

Passion is an emotion often affiliated with romance, or sexuality, but it is only half the truth. It is also a tremendously important source of motivation and desire in hobbies, sports, and occupations. Referring to my previous post from last week, where I wrote about important success factors, including productivity – since passion increases motivation and desire, it is also an important factor of productivity, and enjoyment.

Think about extremely successful people throughout history, and at present. There are examples from all spectrums of life: art, entertainment, sports, business, and politics, including names such as Picasso, Lady Gaga, Diego Maradona, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, Julia Roberts, and many, many others.

How have they become so successful? It is definitely not only a question of luck, or hard work, but the fact that these people have found their true passion, a desire so strong for what they do and achieve in life that makes them shine from within. 

There are a number of ways of increasing passion, including: 

– Overcoming fears, and working them through. Fear is a negative feeling, repressing passion and other positive emotions. 

– Stepping out of your comfort zone, setting goals, and increasing the amount of work you are willing to put in to reach your goals. There is a difference between working passionately, and being a workaholic. Passionate people work out of inspiration, and since they love (or enjoy) what they do. 

– Learning what makes you thrive, and tick. We are all different: some of us are excellent, outgoing sales people, while others love working in the back office. Some people love mountain climbing, while others prefer yoga or golf. Finding out what truly makes you happy will definitely increase your daily levels of passionate emotions. 

– Leading a balanced and healthy life. This definitely increases your energy levels. When eating and sleeping well, to begin with, positive emotions increase. 

– Increasing confidence, bravery, and focusing on positivity in life: the better you feel about yourself, the easier it gets to face less positive reactions. The more you focus on positivity, the more it increases in your life. Soon you will notice that you are surrounded by positivity, and your positivity will transform your surroundings too. 

If you feel you are surrounded by too little passion, start implementing small changes into your life which increase your personal level of passion. Start a new hobby, make new friends/get to know new people, open your heart and mind, network, stay active, be confident, and if you feel that your current job is not what you are passionate about – try to find out what it is that you truly have a passion for. I am not suggesting that you should quit your job (although some people do when they no longer feel happy about what they do for work), only that you can try increasing passion through other small changes in your life. If these changes do not increase your passion for your work, you probably should start working towards something that you know will make you feel passionate. 

Be brave, dare to seek until you find what truly nurtures your soul and lets you grow. Free your creativity, be even eccentric if it suits you, because very often the most creative spirits are those who in the end, enjoy the biggest of success, and fulfillment in their lives.

“When I began having a mad, passionate love affair with my own life, the rest fell perfectly into place”. (Katrina Mayer)

 

 

What Really Makes People Successful

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Coaching, Success

There are countless articles, and books, available upon success and different kinds of success stories. We have all seen people succeed, in different kinds of settings.  All successful people, including their stories, share a number of common factors.  

One of the most important factors in succeeding is taking action. Yes. Successful people are active. Active does not equal to running around like a headless chicken. Successful people take action instead of just thinking about it. Say, for example, that you want to learn how to speak Chinese fluently (just like Mark Zuckerberg). What do you do? You take action. There are many ways of learning a new language, but it definitely always requires taking action. Mastering a language requires learning, practicing, and using the language. Or, if you want to write a book – the book won´t finish by itself. You need to take action, and start writing. Of course writing a book is much more than just writing – you need to be well-organized, capable of planning a writing process, having a common thread in order to create a good story. In addition, you need to understand something about marketing, and commercializing your book (unless you are writing a book only for yourself). Of course, if you do not have any marketing skills, you may need some help with it. Activity is the key word. No action = no results.

This leads us to the next quality of someone very successful.

FOCUS. Successful people are well focused, and they know how to focus. We all know how important it is for athletes to focus on their performance e.g. before an important competition. Well, actually athletes need to focus at all times, since they are training a lot – and they need to live accordingly, including what they consume, how they sleep, who they spend time with. 

And yes, here we come to the next point: Successful people choose how they spend their time, and with whom. Of course we cannot always choose who we work with etc., but basically there is a possibility of selecting who we spend time with when not working. Or, choosing who we work with if we are self-employed, or running our own business. In fact, we become like the closest people to us, and those we spend most time with. This is also one reason for why people often go apart when the other person starts changing to an extent that no longer allows them to continue on the same “level”. Unless the other person can adjust to that, and there is simultaneous growth in both. In this sense, weak links are often regarded more important for example in job search. Although friends and family may help us find new possibilities, they very often do not want us to change, to move, or to become different from what we are today. 

Succeeding also requires being capable of stepping out of one´s comfort zone. I constantly read about people´s problems stepping out of the comfort zone, behind which often is fear (of change). In fact, just last week I read somewhere that only 2 % of all people regularly step out of their comfort zone. The rest likes to enjoy the status quo, due to various reasons. Of course we are all different, but stretching one´s limits every now and then is not harmful. An interesting article, “6 Ways Pushing Past Your Comfort Zone Is Critical to Success”, was published in Forbes earlier this year (Caprino, K. 21.5.2014). 

Having confidence in one self is also extremely important in succeeding. If no one else believes in you, or cheers you up, you need to be your own best friend, motivator, success coach. In fact, motivation starts from within us. It can only be triggered by someone else, e.g. through inspiration and support. But we need to confide in ourselves in order to succeed. Other people may, in fact, sometimes show feelings of fear towards our success, which makes it even more important to be able to stay strong even in tough times. If you truly want to succeed, you won´t let criticism, jealousy or other fearful actions let you down. Constructive criticism is always at place, but if someone constantly criticizes you it may be because they are fearful of something. Don´t let anyone turn you down. If you don´t have a personal (success) coach – make sure to be the cheerleader of you own life, and career.  

Productivity is something all successful people possess, which relates back to being capable of taking action. Successful people do not hesitate – they take action – and they produce. Productivity usually increases with experience, but if you are successful in creating something new (think about Albert Einstein for example, or Thomas Edison), it often takes more trials and errors before the actual breakthrough. You just need to keep going, and trying.

Embracing failure. Admitted – none of us enjoys failure, but it is a crucial part of success. If you give up after every single failure, you are not succeeding. Being willing to succeed requires the ability of embracing failures as well. Failure makes us develop and grow. When we fail, we learn from it, and try even harder, or in a different way, after failing. 

Success also demands the capability of long-term planning. If you want to succeed, you need to be able to plan ahead, let´s say for the next five years ahead. Start by estimating where you want to be in five years, and then make a plan for how to get there. Just remember – always plan with room for adjustments, and possible drawbacks.

Finally: Other people do not always need to understand you. Those who need to understand will do so, and the rest does not matter. What matters is you understanding yourself.

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way”.

Robert Kiyosaki

 

How Can You Live Your True Dreams?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Meditation, Spirituality

When I write, it usually starts with an idea. The ideas can come from almost anywhere, for example during sleep (which is a reason for sleeping with a notebook and a pen on my bedside table). Keeping a journal close to me at all times is a way of making sure that no ideas fall into lapse of memory.

Sometimes I start by picking a headline, but very often the headline changes in the end, or during the writing process. Like now: I thought about using “Chasing Your Dreams” or “Going After Your Dreams”, but instead, decided to simply pick “Living Your Dreams”. This because I believe chasing and going after are both actions that require being forceful, and when it comes to dreams, they either need to be fulfilled or quite simply, lived. Of course chasing and going after are options as well, but if it is a dream connected to your spirit, and your intention – you won ́t need to chase it. It will come to you, eventually, through LIVING in a way that eventually manifests everything that you truly want to achieve.

“What We Think, We Become. Our thoughts determine our reality.” (Gautama Buddha)

This reminded me of the story of a student and a Zen Master. The student, eager to learn, asked the Zen Master for guidance. The Zen Master invited the student to have a cup of tea, began to pour the tea into the cup – poured, poured, and poured, filling the cup until it was overflowing and the hot, boiling tea was spilled on the student’s lab. 

Student: “Stop! The cup is overflowing. It is already full!” 

Zen Master: “The cup is a symbol of your mind. You came here with a full mind. There was no place for anything new. A beginner ́s mind should never be full. Instead, it should always be empty, ready for new learning. How possibly can I teach you unless you first empty your cup?”

This lesson is good to remember at all times. We all come to the world to develop, learn, evolve, and grow. We all have it in us, the ability of being perfect as we are, but at the same time remembering that we can always learn something new, as long as we keep our minds open. 

Taking time for meditation every day is a great way of improving one’s life in many ways. Not only does meditation have a positive impact on our health in many ways, but it also helps us empty our minds. This, in turn, gives space for ideas, thoughts, and dreams popping up in our minds which existence we might not even have been aware of. 

To (re)discover your true dreams, start by emptying your mind, and see what a wonderful landscape your spirit consists of. 

 

 

How Can Women Be Empowered and Gender Gaps in Economies and Societies Be Narrowed Down?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Management, Female Leadership, Global Economics

Majority of poor people worldwide are women. The reasons for this are manifold, with large regional differences, starting with a global illiteracy rate of 17 %. Two thirds of all illiterates are women, which makes gender equality even more difficult to achieve. 37 % of all 775 million illiterates worldwide are Indian, followed by China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Three regions predominate in illiteracy rates: South Asia, West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

In addition to the illiteracy problem, women continue to face many barriers in entering labor markets, holding not only women back, but also being an obstacle for economic growth and development in countries with large gender gaps.

Worldwide, between 2002 and 2007, women’s employment-to-population ratio remained constant at about 49 %, compared to about 73 % for men. On a global level, differences are large, with regional narrowings in the Developed Economies and European Union, Latin America, Caribbean, and in the Middle East. Only Central and Eastern Europe, and East Asia increased their gender gaps in employment.  

Furthermore, a lack of knowledge, together with deeply rooted cultural traditions and expectations as well as a complexity of the labor market, are general reasons for gender inequality – affecting and hindering women from having equal access to the labor market. 

Whereas conventional economic analysis is a comprehension of economic actors in mainstream economics, it excludes much of unpaid work, and sees people simply as labor inputs to production processes. Even in developed countries, most unwaged (home)work is still done by women – more than 60 BILLION hours per year including childcare, and women providing 59 % of unpaid services. In general, women ́s home work is ignored, classically “feminine” jobs are poorly paid, and of low status. 

A number of local and global organizations, either independently or/and in co-operation with the private and public sectors, are driving changes in order to improve women’s lives worldwide, and to narrow down gender gaps, including UN Women as perhaps the most widely known.

Gender equality is more than a matter of social justice – it is a fundamental human right, making good economic sense. Women having equal access to education, and women participating fully in business and economic decision-making, are a key driving force against poverty. Women with equal rights are better educated, healthier, and have greater access to land, work, and financial resources. The enhancement of women ́s control over decision-making in households, gender equality also leads to better prospects and greater well-being of children, reducing poverty of future generations. (UNDP. Gender and Poverty Reduction. 23.10.2014).

Women need to drive these changes, but equally, strong support from men is relevant, including an understanding of why gender equality is so important for humanity in the first place. 

Sources (quoted 23.10.2014): 

Coe, N., Kelly, P., Yeung, H.W.C. Economic Geography: A Contemporary Introduction. 2007.

Elborgh-Woytek, K. & al. IMF Staff Discussion Note. Women, Work, and the Economy: Macroeconomic Gains from Gender Equity. September 2013.

ILO. Global Employment Trends for Women. 2012.

Mapsofworld.com. World Illiteracy Map.

UNDP. Gender and Poverty Reduction.

Unesco. Statistics on Literacy. 

UNFPA. State of World Population 2002. Poverty and Gender. 

UNWOMEN.ORG. Economic Empowerment. 

world.time.com. 29.1.2014. 37 % of All the Illiterate Adults in the World Are Indian.