Success. Is any one word more desired, more fraught with meaning or more ellusive to the majority of mankind? What exactly is success? How does one achieve it? How can one retain it? These questions have interested, and troubled, mankind for centuries. Suffice it to say that there are as many different answers to these questions as there are people asking them.

One definition of success is money or possessions. Material wealth has always been used by society both as a measuring stick and a barrier. This condition persists to this day. In fact, some may argue that at no time in history has materiality been as important as in modern day America. Whether or not this is true is beside the point. What is true is that the cult of “things” is an ingrained way for we, as humans, to judge and ctagorize strangers and aquaintences. Even more, it is one of the main way we judge ourselves.

The problem with using wealth as a definition of success is that wealth is not always a true indicator. There a great many people who possess enough, and more than enough, physical possession but are morally or spiritually unsuccessful. One only needs to look at Orson Welles stellar performance as Charles Foster Kane, in the classic film “Citizen Kane”, to see a perfect example of this phenomenon.

Kane is a man who has every material thing he could desire. He is rich, He is powerful. He can, and does, make and break lives. Yet, at the moment of his death, what is the one thing he remembers? A simple wooden sled from his childhood. A sled that his parents gave him. A sled that represents the unconditional love that has always elluded him and which no amount of money could ever buy.

An interesting example there. Perhaps wealth is, at best, an innacurate indicator of true success. Perhaps, true success means something simultaneously much cheaper and much more precious.

As a small business owner you might be forgiven for thinking that there are not enough hours in the day—sleep is over-rated anyway!—but the key to the problem is simply  improving your time management skills by utilizing some time management training tips.

• Use a planning tool—for example software like Outlook, or similar. These are great for scheduling any appointments or key meetings with clients. They can even send you reminders if necessary.
• Be honest about where you are wasting time during your day. Most of us idle some time away reading the news or checking email—if this is you, decide how much free-time you can afford and then be firm with yourself about unnecessary procrastination.
• Be ruthless about your priorities. Make a list of all your tasks at the beginning of the day and then prioritize them in order of importance. Anything that can wait, drop it to the bottom of the list. Tick of all the others as you complete them—this will remind you how well you are doing!
• Learn to delegate—no man is an island after all. Presumably you have competent employees at your disposal—so use them! If you can’t delegate, consider outsourcing some tasks.
• Establish regular routines for the way you run your office. If certain jobs are done on specific days, then if unexpected chaos suddenly reigns, it will be easier to quickly find some semblance of order again.
• Set time limits on certain tasks. Some jobs like answering email can take over your life if you let them. So don’t.
• Make sure your admin systems are in good shape. If your filing is so archaic that it takes you three days to locate a client file, you know it needs an overhaul.
• If you have dead time in your day—for example a long train journey to meet a client, or perhaps your client is late for a meeting with you—make sure you have something to fill that time usefully. Always take some work with you, for example a report to read.

Thankfully, technology is a great asset these days and hand held devices like Blackberry’s are great for aiding your time management skills. Even if your flight is delayed and you are stuck at the airport, you now have no excuses not to answer emails. All is not lost—with some effective time management training, you will soon be back in charge of your day.

We can all use a little help when it comes to our self-confidence and a healthy self-image. Self hypnosis is a great tool to assist you with understanding yourself and becoming a balanced and successful adult.

Self-confidence is the way that we view ourselves and also how we relate to others and the world around us. If we have low self-esteem it is near impossible to live a healthy and productive life. Self hypnosis for self-confidence can equip you with the tools needed to improve your self-esteem. Read the rest of this entry