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19 March 2010, 18:27
Spring training is not just for baseball by Harvey Mackay
After a particularly brutal winter across the country, spring fever has become an epidemic. What more certain sign of the coming season than that great American tradition: baseball's spring training?
Folks in my home state of Minnesota, which is still blanketed in snow, are especially excited for baseball this year with the opening of a new, open-air stadium. We're looking forward to watching our hometown hero, MVP Joe Mauer, sprinting on green grass and taking a few swings with his golden bat.
Spring training really whets our appetite. The managers are optimistic about their chances for a championship year. The players are eager to get back on the diamond. The fans can almost taste the hot dogs. It is a real exercise in positive thinking.
On the field, spring training is a time to clear out the cobwebs, regroup after a break, show off the results of off-season workouts, and get down to business.
And then it struck me: If spring training is good for baseball, why wouldn't it be good for business too?
For example, we should occasionally take a little break from business as usual to clear our heads. That's your off-season. Think about last season, but put it behind you and get ready for a new start. Stay in shape, set goals, stretch your legs and get ready to go. The real work is about to start.
Baseball management is busy during the off-season, making trades and signing the players that they think will improve their chances for a winning season. They spend a lot of time deciding where their new hires will do the most good -- assigned to a certain position or as a utility player.
That's what you do as a manager, right? Look ahead at your projects and assemble the best team. Recruit talent from current employees, look for a specialist or call in a consultant. You fill all the positions as well as you can to cover the project requirements. You have utility players on your team too, those jack-of-all-trade employees who are willing to play whatever position you assign.
As Babe Ruth once said, "The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."
When spring training begins, the pitchers and catchers report first. Why? They need more time to prepare for the season, both individually and as a unit. When the rest of the players report, they can plan on some meetings, some team-building and a preview of the season ahead. It's all about the fundamentals: learning the plays, getting through the daily workouts, building a cohesive team so that everyone knows they have backup. It's hard work disguised as fun. And it is essential preparation for a successful season.
Your spring training will prepare you to learn about your customers' needs, familiarize everyone with their roles, and get the unit functioning together. The only missing ingredient is a sunny stadium!
Baseball teams have exhibition games. Business teams have focus groups and test markets. Baseball teams have cheering fans. Business teams have marketing plans that entice and excite customers. These words of wisdom from the late Harry Caray, legendary Chicago Cubs announcer, apply to both: "It's the fans that need spring training. You gotta get 'em interested. Wake 'em up and let 'em know that their season is coming, the good times are gonna roll."
Spring training, then, is about planning and practicing until it's automatic. That preparation is essential for success in any venture.
Baseball teams adjust their line-ups to meet their competition and play to their strengths, just like your business must. Consider the story of the little boy who has dreams of being in the Big Leagues. "I'm the greatest baseball player in the world," he says, heading to the back yard with bat and ball in hand and his favorite team cap tilted just so. He tosses the ball in the air, swings, and misses.
Undeterred, he repeats the process, announcing, "I'm the greatest player in the world!" Again, he misses.
So he checks over the ball and bat, takes a few practice swings, and tries again. Same result, but it yields a whole new response: "Wow! I'm a great pitcher!"
Mackay's Moral: Before you make your next sales pitch, take time for spring training.
Enjoy!
Sincerely, Margarita Nomeikiene
Content
16 March 2010, 19:08
Benefits Of Having A Platonic Friendship
Both men and women have been bestowed with special qualities, over which people can have good control. If you made up stronger mind regarding something, you don’t want to do then it becomes easy for you to go along with your decision. Same is the case with having platonic friends. When you make friendship with opposite sex, you need to set your mind first that you are not going to start new relationship for making love and obsession. You are doing this because you need to have company of a sincere friend to whom you can share your happiness and sorrow and which is based on purity and transparency. If you are interested to have platonic friend then keep some points into your mind.
When you are going to make friendship with someone, clear your minds first. You must tell your friend in the starting that you don’t want to be in love with him/her and you don’t want any sexual relation. You are doing this because a good friend always helps you through thick and thin. When you will make stronger minds of having pure and non-dating friendship, it would be easier for you to keep platonic friendship in long run. You will always remain happy with your relationship as well as other person would know about his/her limitations.
In order to have platonic friends, you should keep yourself away from any kind of intense physical contact. It’s very common to hug and kiss on cheeks, when you greet but holding hands and do hugging for long period are not good things to keep your platonic friendship safe. Try to avoid sexual topics and don’t discuss any kind of women’s issue with other person, if you are a girl. Same condition is applied for the men too.
It’s a natural fact that when you talk about sexual issues with opposite sex, a great sensation is generated inside the body, which forces the couple to have physical relations with each other. You can keep yourself away from this kind of fascination and obsession, if you will never talk about physical relations and will never reveal sexual topics in depth. Always treat your platonic friends generally. Don’t give them too much attention as you treat with your girlfriend or boyfriend. You shouldn’t go with them in special places, which are the right of your beloved. By doing this, you can keep your relationship in a way you want.
Whenever you will go outside in public areas, behave like you have purity in your relationship. You shouldn’t show that kind of behavior which can force the people to think differently about your relationship. If you will behave like good friends then no one would have any doubt regarding your relation with other person. When you will do suspicious act, it’s a natural fact that people would never convince on, you are just friends and not more than that. So always be careful while you are sitting in public area. People always have eyes onto relationship between a boy and girl. By following these points, you can successfully have platonic friends.
To Read more about Platonic Friends and join community of platonic friends log on http://www.rentafriend.com/friends/platonic-friends
Created by frankrose
ENJOY!
Sincerely, Margarita Nomeikiene
Content
08 March 2010, 19:36
The Business Life and Spiritual Cultivation
One of the biggest questions people have is how to run a business or work in a business and maintain their spirituality?
This is easy. It's just that no one ever told you.
First, we must put aside the purpose and function of the business -- as to whether it is doing wrong, being ethical, helping the world and so forth. You already know this. What can I say?
What I'm speaking about, then, is how to make your business life into one of cultivation. That is how you bring spirituality into business. You make it a form of practice. No you don't bring religion into it. You bring cultivation into it. Even if you were a prisoner of war you could cultivate. In fact, if you were a prisoner of any type, this is the best time to cultivate because the resources you need are taken care and your fate is something you need not worry about.
The basis of cultivation, regardless of technique, is cessation and contemplation. In other words -- vipassana. You observe your mind, like a third person, and know clearly what you are doing. It is introspection, knowing your own mind, being aware of your thoughts. All cultivation methods involve the principles of cessation and observation of the mind.
When you are alwasy watching your mind in a detached manner, confusion slowly dies out. Wandering thougts disappear and clarity emerges. One can reach inner silence, and you can do this with a business life. Most people choose to practice this in monasteries by becoming a religious professional, but the Mahayana road is to practice it in the regular world, for then it's really powerful. When you read the stories of Sufi saints, they seem to be the best examples of individuals who bring cultivation into their lives as ordinary working people.
While the Sufis may be the best examples, the best explanations on how to do this actually come from no better place than Confucianism. Yes, Confucius. You must read the "Doctrine of the Mean" to understand how to do this when following worldly concerns. Confucius explained how watching your thoughts leads to cessation, cessation leads to chi channels changes and physical gong-fu. This then leads to states of bliss and then prajna wisdom, and from that one can attain enlightement, or the Tao.
All this through business? Yes, if you watch your mind. So this non-denominational practice IS THE PATH for the business professional. Not only is it a form of spiritual cultivation without religion, but it leads to spiritual results. AND it leads to better professional results, too, for your mind clears of clutter, concentration increases, energy increases and because your wisdom increases your decisions become better too. In fact, cultivation changes one's fortune for the better, so one can even say it leads to better business results ... and naturaly a more effective human being.
So that's how you retain your spirituality with a business life. Practice introspection. Of course you can practic emantra, visualization and breathing techniques on the sly without anyone ever knwoing. I used to do that. The important thing is that it's not a function of bringing religion, such as Christianity or Judiasm, or Buddhism or Islam into your business life, but cultivation. Don't confuse religion with spirituality and cultivation. This is the right way to proceed.
To you from www.meditationexpert.com
Enjoy!
Margarita Nomeikiene
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