Category: Change Management

How Do We Measure Intellectual Capital in Business?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Management

“There is less to fear from outside competition than from inside inefficiency, miscalculation, lack of knowledge. Beat your competitors with the knowledge edge. Train your staff”. 

A business can be only as successful as its weakest link, and the results can be measured through various kinds of tools, such as employee productivity, which consists of the human capital part of the enterprise. Human capital is generally thought of as a value including employee skills, know-how, and expertise. But in addition, human capital includes employee motivation. In addition, human capital is an organization’s capability for solving business problems, thus exploiting its intellectual property.

Measuring intellectual capital in any business is not as easy as e.g. measuring the firm’s fixed assets and properties. However, smart firms know how to value and to retain their employees, investing in intellectual capital and knowledge in the first place. 

When employees leave their work, human capital, and thus knowledge, is being lost. A high staff turnover rate, low motivation, and low productivity, are signs for a firm’s management to take a look in the mirror and define what changes need to be taken in order to improve the state of the firm’s human capital. At its best, human capital can be measured by a significant amount of creativity and innovation in a firm, a safe and open-work atmosphere, where knowledge is being shared and development takes place not only through organized training, but also through natural evolution and learning by doing, experience, and fun. 

Further on, IC includes a firm’s infrastructure, enabling its human capital to operate productively. Structural capital includes processes, patents, trademarks, the organization’s image, organization, information systems, and proprietary software and databases. And finally, relational capital in a business consists of its networks, and relationships, as well as possible trademarks and trade names. Goodwill is another term for the value of the firm ́s relationships.

Knowledge Management, a process of capturing, developing, sharing, and effectively using organizational knowledge, has become an important tool for optimizing the values of intellectual capital in a business. Mostly implemented through business strategy, IT, or HRM departments in large organizations, KM is also a valuable tool for any small firm and/or startup. When knowledge management, and intellectual capital, is integrated to business at an early stage, these powerful intangible assets can be optimized in order to create long-term success for any organization. 

According to Jurczak (2008), intellectual capital can be measured through various means, such as Direct Intellectual Capital Methods (DICM), Market Capitalization Methods (MCM), Return on Assets Methods (ROA), Scorecard Methods (SC). 

More specifically, ROA Methodologies include following tools: Economic Value Added (EVA), Human Resource Costing and Accounting (HRCA), Calculated Intangible Value, Knowledge Capital Earnings, Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC), Accounting for the Future (AFTF), Tobin ́s q, Investor Assigned Market Value (IAMV), Market-to-Book Value.

DIC Methodologies, in turn, include: Technology Broker, Citation-Weighted Patents, The Value Explorer, Intellectual Asset Valuation, and Total Value Creation (TVC). 

SC methodologies: Human Capital Intelligence, Sandia Navigator, Value Chain Scorecard, Intangible Asset Monitor, Intellectual Capital Navigator and Intellectual Capital Index (IC Index), Value Creation Index, Balanced Scorecard. 

Many of the tools and measurement methods may sound rather fine and abstract, far from e.g. a small business owner ́s daily running of business. Some of the previously mentioned measurement tools are in more common use than others. Whichever your business chooses to use (or if you prefer creating your personalized tools), measuring intellectual capital and the efficiency of knowledge management in your business is definitely a way of increasing productivity and in achieving better results. 

For further interest in knowledge management and intellectual capital, there is plenty of literature available upon both topics, e.g. by Sveiby, K-E., and Nonaka, I.

 

“Knowledge is power” Sir Francis Bacon 

 

 

How Can You Shrink The Gap Between Knowing And Doing?

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

“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught”. (J.C. Watts)

Pfeffer and Sutton (Harvard Business School Press 2000), have in their publication “The Knowing-Doing Gap – How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action” addressed something very relevant. Not only is this book useful for enterprises, but also for organizations, governments, societies, and for an individual ́s personal life. The basic facts and ideas can be used as an effective change tool, applied and lived by every day, and in long-term planning. 

The Knowing-Doing Gap signifies a gap between our thoughts/knowledge and our actions. Many people are aware of their actions, yet are not always capable of changing themselves. Others are not even aware of some of their actions, yet about the consequences. Unfortunately, the latter applies to too many of us. Why?

It is a fact that most of us are aware of grievances, be it in our personal lives, in our neighborhood, in our city, at school, in our workplace, or in society in general. This is the KNOWLEDGE part Knowing-Doing Gap. 

DOING, or taking ACTION, in order to improve things – could be in personal life, in someone else’s life, correcting iniquities, working towards improving e.g. work processes and or workplace circumstances, taking action to improve the state of e.g. the environment, human rights issues, developing authentic leadership and so on – is the ACTIVE part of the Knowing-Doing Gap. 

We are all aware of the fact that in order to change things, and circumstances, improving conditions be it in our own lives, in education, at work, in society, we need to take action, instead of just waiting for something to happen. 

Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 

The actions must not always be big. What is important, is to overcome inactivity, procrastination, and fear. Be willing to step up, step forward, and start by influencing things you can influence, and taking those steps you are capable of taking. Do not be afraid, instead, challenge your fears and notice how your life and surrounding changes as you begin living, and working, for the things you believe in. Very often, you will take two steps forward and one step back, but do not let it stop you. Every small progress counts, every little action in order to improve things – anything. 

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas. (Shirley Chisholm)

 

 

 

Influencing Positive Change In The World Through Global Education

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Authentic Leadership, Business Ethics, Change Management, Global Awareness, Global Citizenship, Global Education, Reducing Poverty, Thought Leadership, UN Millenium Development Goals

A few weeks ago the UN Association of Finland organized a school visitation education in Turku, the purpose of which is to educate volunteers willing to visit schools in order to share information about the UN, its principles, and its goals as a non-governmental organization.

In Finland, UN school visitors can be requested through the UNA of Finland:

http://www.ykliitto.fi/koulutus-ja-oppimateriaalit?language=fi

School visits are open and available to all kinds of educational institutions and tailored according to the age and interest of the pupils/students. The visit can include general facts about the UN and its activities, or be focused around a specific topic, e.g. the UN Millennium Development Goals 2000.

Founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 states to protect the world from new wars, the UN (United Nations) is the world´s most important co-operational organization. Over the course of the years the UN has of course changed and developed, trying to adjust its operations according to the most important needs and most urgent matters of its member states. In 2013, the UN had 193 member states.

The main goals of the UN are:

– To maintain international peace and security through peaceful means in solving disputes and conflicts

– To develop friendly relations between nations (autonomy and equal rights)

– Generate and accomplish co-operation to solve economical, social, cultural and humanitarian problems

– To advance human rights and their universality

– To serve as a co-operational centre for all nations

According to the principles of the UN, all member nations are plenipotentiary and equal, must fulfill the obligations of the UN Charter, resolve all international conflicts with peaceful means, and help the UN in all actions taken by the UN according to its Charter.

The main bodies of the UN are:

– The General Assembly

– The Security Council

– ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council)

– The Secretariat

– The International Court of Justice

– The Trusteeship Council

(Sources: Leisma, 2009; printed material produced by the UN Association of Finland).

The previously mentioned UN Millennium Development Goals 2000 are:

1. Eradication of extreme hunger and poverty

2. Achievement of Universal Primary Education

3. Promotion of Gender Equality and Empowering Women

4. Reduction of Child Mortality

5. Improvement of Maternal Health

6. Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases

7. Ensuring Environmental Sustainability

8. Global Partnership for Development

(Source: UNA printed material, UN Millennium Development Goals website, quoted 16.4.2014).

Wide-ranged and large goals, but perfectly achievable with commitment from all UN member nations.

Are we close to achieving these goals, or have we already achieved some of them?

I will discuss each of these goals separately in my upcoming posts, with facts and personal thoughts.

 

Taking Action Rather Than Procrastinating

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

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world”.

(Joel A. Barker)

Any kind of change requires activity and action. Be it in our personal lives or in business. I have learned, through personal experiences, and through observation of other people and companies, that a fear of making the wrong decisions leads into inactivity, which in turn leads to increased inactivity and there we are – in a vicious circle. 

I have written about the influence from external events, such as the news that are brought into our consciousness every day through various media channels. Experience has taught me that listening to news, in general, can have a huge impact upon the decisions that I am willing to make regarding both my private life, and also regarding business decisions. 

In the world of investments, investor´s actions are often referred to as actions based on mass psychology. When hearing bad news about a certain economy/market, or about a specific company, many investors react quickly based upon that information. Some may react e.g. by selling all stocks of that specific region/company. Others, called contrarian investors, go against prevailing market trends by buying poorly performing assets, as opposed to “traditional” investors.

Keeping a cold head in any kind of situation is important. Be it in personal life decisions, in business practices, in investing or whatever. The world is full of temptations, but also full of what we could call propaganda. The word propaganda has a very negative echo, but any intelligent person knows how important it is to question everything one reads, hears, and experiences. I´m not saying that one should not trust anything; however, questioning sources of information, and staying objective, is healthy. One way of questioning and staying objective is to be very selective regarding the sources of information that we use in our everyday lives. Taking some distance in regard to e.g. news and media can sometimes prove to be an efficient way of getting in touch with one´s inner guide: the intuition. 

Many people have lost the touch with their intuition, because they are always affected by external distractions, be it news, media, other people, friends, family etc. Taking some distance and being selective is a good way of finding back to listening to our intuition, since it rarely mistakes. How you react to something, and how you feel about something rarely lies to you. 

Sometimes reflecting upon various things is a positive thing to do, but mostly procrastination leads to an increased difficulty in decision-making. This is where mass psychology has a huge influence: if, let´s say in a certain market, the economy has been in recession for years, it easily leads to even worse decision-making, or no decision-making at all. Investments are being cut down; companies are dismissing employees, which lead to decreased consumption and so on. 

Markets are always turbulent, if we let them be. Media is capable of bringing negative news into daylight, but smart entrepreneurs know that there always is a demand for their services/products, and that there always is a market for those who are ready to take action, create new demand and push their services/products to consumers. This, in turn, requires the ability and willingness to hire the right people to help the company in succeeding – people (employees/consultants) who believe in the product and who know how to generate income for them and for the enterprise. 

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy”.

(Dale Carnegie)

Online Navigation and Creating an Online Strategy

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Business, Change Management, Digital Marketing, Online Strategy, Uncategorized

“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time”.

(George Bernard Shaw)

As an avid user of online services and of certain social media sites I have learned a few things about online navigation. 

I have written a few times about how to save precious time and energy, and how not to get stuck within the online world. Believe me, I am writing from experience, and learning from it, every single day. 

Let´s get straight to the point, just to save your time and energy: 

Create yourself/your brand/your firm a clear social media/online strategy. This includes at least a definition and response to the following questions: 

– Who am I representing? Am I representing myself? How am I representing myself? As an entrepreneur, or as an employee? Or am I representing a brand/company/startup? 

– What am I representing? Am I representing myself, and my services? Or am I representing someone else´s service/s and/or product/s?

– Which social media sites will I use, and why? It is very important to choose the correct media in order to save time and money. You won´t want to waste time, money, or energy on sites that are useless to you. One option is of course to create your own social media platform, and as I have noticed, new social media platforms are being created every day, in almost every single corner of the world.

– How much time/effort am I willing to spend for these social media sites? How much time can I afford to spend online?

– Do I need to do everything on my own, or will I hire someone (a social media company or an entrepreneur) to do it for me/for my company?

– What is my target market/customer segment? Why? 

– What is the best way to approach the target segment/the target customer? 

– What are my core competencies? How do I differentiate myself/my firm from others? 

– How do I measure the efficiency of my/my company´s online presence? Do I/the company need to invest time/money in some other kind of advertising, or is digital presence enough?

This is an insight into the online world, where new jobs, trends, sites, and markets are constantly emerging. It can be somewhat overwhelming, which is another reason for organizing yourself online, defining the amount of time you are willing to spend online, and the most important: being selective regarding your online presence. 

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results”.

(Winston Churchill)

What Do You Want to Achieve?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Management, Digital Marketing, Leadership, Life Coaching, Online Strategy
                                                          
 “All personal achievement starts in the mind of the individual. Your personal achievement starts in your mind. The first step is to know exactly what your problem, goal or desire is”.

(W. Clement Stone) 

 
Do you know what you want in life? Have you ever taken the time to consider what the purpose of your life is? Do you wake up in the mornings feeling empowered by life itself, by your everyday life, or do you merely, somehow, process yourself through another day without knowing the actual purpose of what you are doing?
 

If you are at all like me, you have taken the time to reflect upon your life, at least every now and then. In truth, we all reach a point at some stage in our life, where we start questioning ourselves certain things. This may happen several times during our lives, and to be quite honest, it is a sign of spiritual growth if we are capable of questioning ourselves, our actions, and to develop as individuals. 

 
Very often real achievement requires long-term goals, persistence, and the capability of continuous efforts without giving up at any stage. It is a matter of being able to focus on the final outcome, and there may be many obstacles and failures on the way to achieving your goal. 
 

Many people prefer to go with the flow, which probably is the easiest way to “get through life” – because, in the end, no one escapes from life alive. This is something worth keeping in mind e.g. when facing your fears. Life is not a gamble, but those who are never willing to risk anything, are neither capable of winning anything. 

 

“You never know beforehand what people are capable of, you have to wait, give it time, it’s time that rules, time is our gambling partner on the other side of the table and it holds all the cards of the deck in its hand, we have to guess the winning cards of life, our lives.” 

(José Saramago, Blindness)

 

Referring to J. Saramago´s quote, you will never know what you are capable of achieving unless you try. I have a deaf-blind cousin who is an excellent chess player, and he has also cycled throughout half Finland on a tandem bicycle together with his personal assistant. No one needs to be perfect in order to be capable of achieving wonderful things in life.

 

Achievement always starts with personal motivation, setting long-term (and short-term) goals, and a willingness to work towards reaching those goals. The road may sometimes be bumpy, even difficult, depending upon the complexity of the actual goal, but the more purposeful the achievement is to us, the harder and longer are we willing to work towards the final outcome. 

 

Sometimes we may lose the appetite, especially with obstacles coming our way. In these situations, it is important to take a break, to question our actions, perhaps the actions of others as well, perhaps consulting someone with similar (or more) experiences, to get a mentor and/or a coach who you can trust to help you on your way. 

 

“Part of the issue of achievement is to be able to set realistic goals, which is one of the hardest things to do because you don’t always know exactly where you’re going, and you shouldn’t”.

(George Lucas)

 

 

How Do You Know where Your Limits are?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Business, Change Management, Digital Marketing, Leadership, Life Coaching, Online Strategy

Have you ever thought that it does not matter if you try, since one person cannot make a difference in society (or in anything)? At some stage in our life we probably all do, hesitating, and wondering if continuing with our efforts is worthwhile. Admit it. The difference here, in becoming really successful, is to believe, and never to give up on our dreams, whatever comes our way, and no matter how big the obstacles sometimes may seem. After all, frictions and hardships usually are a sign of us doing something correct. 

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them”.
(Bruce Lee)

Do you know where your limits are? Have you ever challenged yourself into pushing those limits further? Do you have any limits at all? Or do you always give up, listening to that voice inside your head whispering “oh no, don´t do it – you´ll never make it anyway, it is not worth giving a try”. 

The next time you have an inner or outer conflict – try to calm down, be objective, and analyze where that feeling comes from. Yes, feeling. 

We have only one sense, the sense of feeling. All other senses are different forms of the same sense: to see, hear, touch, smell or taste IS to feel. Therefore, all senses lead to feeling. 

Our basic feelings are: 

-Complacency/pleasure

-Fear

-Anger

-Disgust

-Sorrow

-Astonishment 

(Kymäläinen, M. University of Tampere. 9.9.2014).
 

It is all right to have different kinds of feelings, and the easiest way of coping with them is to accept them as a part of our everyday lives. How we handle our feelings is another thing, and it does make a difference whether we focus more on the positive, or the negative ones. 

As the old Cherokee legend where a grandfather teaches his grandson an important life lesson says:

“The grandfather explains to the young boy about the battle we all have going on inside of us.

Grandfather: “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’

The old Cherokee replied simply, “The one you feed.”

I found an interesting article about this in The Huffington Post (Andrea Wachter: “Which Wolf are You Feeding?” Quoted 10.9.2014). You may want to read it. 

Every single day I get inspired by many different people, acquaintances, friends, or complete strangers. 

Planning my first official half marathon, I have been reading articles and sites about running, and came across a site about ultra runners. Ultra runs are all runs that are longer than a marathon (42,195 km), the shortest of which is 30 miles (48,280 km). The longest ultra runs can be thousands of kilometers and last for several months.

A Norwegian ultra runner, Mensen Ernst (1795-1843), earned his living by running across the world from one city to another, sometimes betting about the time, and other times delivering letters. He was a celebrity known as the “King of Running”.

His first long run was 116 km, from London to Portsmouth, in nine hours, where after he became even more famous by running 240 km from London to Liverpool in 32 hours. He became such a well-known runner that even kings paid to just in order to see him running. In 1832, he ran from Paris to Moscow, 2.500 km in 14 days, running 178 km per day.

What is the lesson behind this story?

That we all should become ultra runners?

Of course not. 

This story, along with the story about the two wolves, is just to remind us about how we can make a difference in our own lives, and even in whole societies, with the right attitude and by being passionate about what we do. 

What is your dream? What are you passionate about?

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the start to change the world”. 

(Harriet Tubman)

What Makes Someone Successful?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Business, Change Management, Digital Marketing, Leadership, Life Coaching, Online Strategy, Thought Leadership

People sometimes ask me about the secret behind my success. Me? Successful? Wow, thank you for your confidence. I bet we all have admirers, people who respect and value what we do, and some people who would like to be like us. Many of us love inspirational quotes, sayings that have a positive impact upon our thoughts. Here are some of my favorite quotes about success: 

“Success comes to those who dedicate everything to their passion in life. To be successful, it is also very important to be humble and never let fame or money travel to your head”.

(A.R. Rahman)

“Success is not a destination, but the road that you’re on. Being successful means that you’re working hard and walking your walk every day. You can only live your dream by working hard towards it. That’s living your dream”.

(Marlon Wayans)

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will”.

(Vince Lombardi)

Further on, Elite Daily has listed 10 traits of extremely successful people (as follows): 

– Successful people work very hard

– Successful people are very curious, and always eager to learn

– Successful people network

– Successful people always work on themselves

– Successful people are extraordinarily creative

– Successful people are self-reliant and take responsibility 

– Successful people are relaxed and keep their perspective

– Successful people live in the present moment

– Successful people respond instantly

– Successful people never quit 

(EliteDaily.com. The 10 Traits of Extremely Successful People. Quoted 8.9.2014).

From my perspective, success is ALWAYS a personal experience. When you focus on your own thing, and doing what feels right to you, you will feel a whole lot more successful than following in someone else´s footsteps. Believe me, find your life purpose, and follow your passion, and you will feel successful. 

Why is it so important to listen to your inner guidance? 

When you listen to your inner voice, intuition, instead of focusing on external issues in order to just have a lot of “bling, bling” in your life, you will feel grateful instead of empty. 

There is no one single recipe for success, but here is some further advice: 

– Always have a goal in mind, but also remember to enjoy the journey on the path of your life destiny. 

– Stay true to yourself, but always respect (and listen to) others.  

– Be prepared for failures as well, since they are a part of your success. Success is often 99 % perspiration and 1 % inspiration. 

– When you study other successful people, try to see behind the facade. We often do not realize how much effort these people have put into becoming so successful. Success does not come over night, although it sometimes may seem so. 

Many blessings to you on your successful life journey. 

“For a successful entrepreneur it can mean extreme wealth. But with extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility. And the responsibility for me is to invest in creating new businesses, create jobs, employ people, and to put money aside to tackle issues where we can make a difference”.

(Richard Branson)

Slow Down and Breathe

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Business, Change Management, Digital Marketing, Life Coaching, Online Strategy, Thought Leadership

The old saying “Rome was not built in one day” actually means that all things take time to create, and great things like the city of Rome take a very long time. Therefore, we should not expect to accomplish something or achieve success immediately. Having patience is extremely important. 

Is time man-made? 

Some arguments about time: 

– Time is the ongoing sequence of events taking place, including the past, present and future.

– Time is measured using seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and light years. 

– From the age of Newton up until Einstein, time was considered to be absolute and to flow equably. In his special theory of relativity, Einstein postulated the constancy and finiteness of the speed of light, showing that there is a requirement for distances to appear compressed and time intervals appear lengthened. (andersoninstitute.com. Definition of Time. Quoted 13.8.2014).

– The concept of time, including daytime and nighttime, has always existed.  

– Time is made up of motion and distance, both of which are illusions since the physical world is not real. 

– Time in terms of a clock itself is not only unreal, but unhealthy. Natural time (tide moving in and out, the wax and wane of the moon, sunrise and set, etc.) is normal, but cannot actually be made to fit a clock anyway.  

What do you think about these arguments/definitions?

The next time you feel irritated or under pressure due to time-related matters, ask yourself how significant the issue is in terms of years, decades, centuries, or even light years. Also think about, and get familiar with, how time is being valued in cultures other than your own.

Admitted – there are many situations in life and work places that require immediate attention, and fast reaction (at least in the Western World). For example, think about acute emergencies, crisis situations, catastrophes, where fast and professional procedure in managing the situation is of out most importance. 

A few years ago I read a book called “In Praise of Slowness – Challenging the Cult of Speed”, written by Carl Honoré. (http://www.carlhonore.com/books/in-praise-of-slowness/)

The book is about the world being stuck in fast-forward, and about the rise of a Slow Movement. 

Description of the Slow Movement by C. Honoré: 

“The Slow Movement is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting”.

According to the philosophy, we need a Slow Movement because ever since everything has been getting faster, we now seem to be addicted to speed, where each moment of the day is like a race against the clock. Many of us live in a road runner culture which has gone so far that it is visible in what should be the most important asset of our personal lives: our HEALTH.

Signs of accelerated speed: 

– Courses in Speed Yoga and Speed Meditation are available these days.

– Many of us are trying to hurry up relationships by connecting with as many people as possible, and forgetting about the quality while focusing on quantity.

– Speed Dating, where singles spend three minutes with a high number of other singles choosing who could be a suitable romantic partner.

– Constant busyness: it is culturally accepted and seen as a positive sign that you are busy.

Symptoms of living too fast: 

– Constant tiredness.

– Feeling like a robot accomplishing tasks and just getting through things on your To-Do list without really being engaged in what you do.

– Feeling of racing through your life instead of living it.

– Getting frustrated and annoyed if things do not happen instantly or in the way/at the speed you want them to happen.

(carlhonore.com. Quoted 13.8.2014).

If you recognize these signs and symptoms in your life:

Some benefits of slowing down: 

– Positive physiological reactions 

– Increased productivity.

– You start seeing the wood for the trees (instead of living like a robot, you will find what is purposeful and what is not so important).

– Quality becomes more important than quantity.

– The term “life in years” becomes more important. Living a life filled with meaningfulness and joy is important. 

– Instead of seeking merely external pleasures, it is possible to find internal peace. 

– You radiating internal peace and well-being will have positive influence on everything.

 “When you slow down, step back a moment and put things in perspective, 

you can then move on with more efficiency.” 

(Doc Childre)

 

Why is The Balance Between Giving and Taking so Important?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Business, Change Management, Digital Marketing, Life Coaching, Online Strategy, Thought Leadership

What are the proportions of giving and taking in your life? 

Take some time to reflect upon each and one of your relationships, do some notes if necessary, and think about the results. What do you see?

Are you predominantly a giver? Or a taker? 

Don’t worry if you are out of balance in giving and taking – there are ways of correcting the situation. Focus on what is purposeful, listen to your intuition, and first then decide, whether continuing the giving is the right thing to do (this means, if you are in a situation where you are constantly giving without getting anything in return). 

As in Chinese philosophy, giving and taking need to be in balance in order to create harmony. 

We need to value oppositions and contrary forces, since: 

– There is no light without darkness

– There is no high without any low

– There is no hot without any cold

– There is no masculinity without femininity

– There is no ying without the yang

– There is no ebb without any flood

However, we also need to be aware of the fact that the world is not only black and white, but a colorful place with as many perspectives upon life as there are people. More than seven billion people on Earth, and there is no one exactly identical to you. We are all unique; something worth thinking about the next time you might not be feeling happy about yourself. 

As a giver, as you probably are if you are reading this, just think about what a wonderful quality it is. Giving, and being a giver, has been proven to increase the level of satisfaction in a person’s life. Think about a situation where you have helped someone out, or given them something without asking for anything in return. How did that make you feel? 

Being a giver is extremely good for your health, and for building successful relationships. Through giving and being generous, you can win people’s hearts. 

It is also important to keep in mind the limits for your giving, and who you are giving to: 

– What is the purpose of your giving?  

– Is this particular giving worthwhile?

– Do(es) this person/these persons/community deserve your continuous giving? 

– Do you receive anything in return for your sacrifices? 

– If you give in a relationship, but never receive anything in return, could you by chance redirect your energy towards something more lucrative? 

Giving is more important than taking, but in order to live a perfectly balanced life you, as a giver, must be open to receiving as well.

 “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier”.

(Mother Teresa)

The following video by Give and Take- author Adam Grant gives us further insight into what it means to be a giver in a long-term perspective: 

http://bit.ly/Givegivegive