How To Be The Master Of All Trades And Jack Of None - Achieve The Impossible

By Pushpa Pal Singh

You might say no human being is perfect but you need to take one thing into consideration that nothing is impossible. Everything on this planet is possible and achievable provided you use the right steps and tools to achieve it. In this age of high technology and spontaneity things have become easier than ever before. Most people do not utilize these high tech resources to their advantage. Read on to discover how you can achieve the impossible and challenge the best.

Listen - The very first step to becoming a master in any trade is listening and listening to the right people. As humans we are shot at with millions of messages and information from all ends. It is upon us what to accept and what to reject or ignore. Therefore you should observe all successful and great people who did manage to achieve the impossible and became great.

Push against self doubt - Most people wait for others to tell them what to do or to judge them.
No one can be a better judge than you yourself. No one understands or knows your needs and desires more than you yourself do. Therefore do not wait for the judgments from the world and other people to tell you what to do. Push against your self doubt and try to overcome all fears and barriers in life.

Persist through failure - All great men have been known to persist through failure to achieve the impossible. It's not necessary that you have to succeed on your very first attempt. More than 90% of the people fail in almost anything they try to do at first. But this should not put your spirits down. Remember life is all about chances and you do get a second chance every time.

Practice helps - The best way to master anything is by the way of practice. Someone has very rightly said that practice makes a man perfect and it is indeed a fact. The more you practice the better you will be at performing.

Hard work is an old concept - Hard work is an old concept and does not apply to human beings anymore. With new innovative ideas and technology this is age of smart work. Therefore learn to work smart not hard and try to find alternative solutions to a single problem using creative and innovative techniques.

But there is much more to success than only this. There is a secret which has been hidden from man kind since ages. This is one of the most shocking truths ever made public. You are one of the few people who are being introduced to this great secret. Read on to discover- The Great Secret

How to Master the Art of Small Talk

By Peter Murphy

Why do many people often talk about the art of small talk? Is there really an art to making small talk? Actually, there is.

One person who wanted to propagate the art of making small talk was the late President Franklin Roosevelt. To see if his listeners were paying attention to him, he would often greet people saying: I murdered my grandmother this morning. Most of the time, people did not notice - until he met one alert woman who replied: I am sure she had it coming. Thus, the President proved that most people have neglected the art of small talk.

Making small talk means making pleasant conversation on casual topics. It is different from conversations which pursue deep topics because making small talk means you do not engage in heavy debate about such deep topics. The point of small talk is to find topics that you and the other party have in common, so that you can form deeper ties with the other person. The preferred effect of small talk is to form ties of friendship with the person you are talking to.

Why is the art of small talk deemed important? It is because small talk can:

1. Create a friendly atmosphere wherein you and the other person can exist.

2. Help you make a favorable first impression on the other person.

3. Permit two people to learn a lot about one another within a short period of time.

4. Help you learn more about a topic that you are interested in.

How can you master the art of small talk then? There are ten steps to doing so:

1. Prior to an event where you know you will have to engage in some small talk, try to bone up on various topics you believe will be of interest to all concerned. It helps if you are actually interested in such topics yourself.

2. Avoid topics which are controversial, too personal, or which may be offensive in some way to the other party. (These could include topics such as problems with your health, family, finances, or other personal issues; death; divorce; violent crimes; loss of employment; poor view of the current state of the economy; incidents of famine, pestilence, war and terrorism; issues that are known to make people react emotionally; religion; politics; and sex.)

3. Learn to gauge the receptiveness of other people to the small talk topic you have selected.
This means that if the other party gives you subtle vibes that he does not like the issue at hand, you should find a way to excuse yourself politely from the group and join another group which is more receptive to making small talk.

4. Smile and maintain eye contact with the person you are making small talk with. This helps to raise the comfort level for both you and the other party.

5. Introduce yourself first then lead the conversation by asking an open-ended question. Some people though are naturally shy so if you find this hard, let someone ask the first question then make it a point to join in afterwards.

6. Make it a point to use the name of the other person in the conversation. This shows the other party that you are paying attention.

7. Listen closely so that you can catch key phrases and words, facts and opinions vented by other people in the group. This allows you to make intelligent comments yourself.

8. Self-disclosure is important because it shows the other people around you that you trust them enough with certain information about you. The trick is knowing how much personal information to disclose.

9. Encourage other people to join in by asking for their opinion about the topic.

10. Restate information disclosed in the conversation to show you are attentive.

As you can see, the art of small talk can be kept alive if enough people were to follow these guidelines.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available only at: conversation starters