Great Communication Starts with Better Listening

Communication

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

1

Great Communication Starts with Better Listening

It seems that the pace and complexity of communication today has created an almost hectic need to get your point made and accomplish your own agenda. What this leaves out, though, is the importance and need to listen to other people. When your goal is simply to honor your personal needs, you focus on manipulating the conversation so that you “win” by saying what you came there to say.

This is a fine way to approach communicating if the world in which you live is never changing, you already know everything, and you are doing the right thing all the time. Since that description applies to literally NO ONE on this planet, it is time we worked on our listening skills.

Being open to new information, alternate perspectives, and different solutions is what enables you to continue growing and reaching for new goals in life. And you cannot do that without learning to listen.

Listen to Learn

When was the last time you listened so carefully to someone that you learned something new or saw things from a new viewpoint? Most of the time, we are hearing out of courtesy, not curiosity. Pretending to listen or just being polite will make it appear as though you are listening but will help you learn anything from others. Instead of approaching a conversation with a mind set on your agenda, try asking yourself, “What things can this person teach me?”

Starting each day with a mindset focused on curiosity and learning can help you become a better listener.

Ask More Questions

Whether you are practicing curiosity or not, asking more and better questions can also help you become a better listener. Asking questions gives the other person the space to provide you with their truth, and when the spotlight is off you, you can focus on attending to their words and meaning. Open-ended questions can help you see new perspectives or elicit explanations that people would not have considered giving had you simply asked a yes-no question.

Be Aware of Body Language

When the other person changes their tone, posture, or eye contact, this tells you a great deal about their comfort level or mood. But when you are not paying attention to these cues, you miss this essential information.

Paying attention to body language provides you with much more information about the intent, context, and emotional content of the message being sent. Learn to carefully observe these non-verbal messages if you want to improve your listening skills.

Take Time to Reflect

If you want to become a better listener, learn to stop and think about what was just said before giving a response. Living with pauses and silence is becoming almost a lost art in today’s world, but when you stop and reflect on others’ words, you give yourself time to process what you learned as well as formulate a more cogent response.

When you start responding more slowly, your conversation partner will notice, and they, in turn, may slow down their responses, too. This can change the entire conversation with one simple strategy.

Listen More than You Talk

When you are talking within others, try to listen twice as much as you speak. The only way to get better at listening is to listen more. And when you are the one doing all the talking, you cannot improve your skills. A two-to-one ratio of listening to talking helps you focus on others’ ideas and views and gives you more time to think about what you are learning and what you can really add to the exchange, as well.

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Develop Your Creativity in Daily Life

Creativity

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

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You might think that creativity is something you can’t do. So many people say, ‘oh I’m just not the creative type.’ But it is within everyone to be creative. And it’s not just good for the soul to sketch or play with clay or embroider. Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes, and it has some unexpected benefits for the rest of your life.

Creativity helps you solve problems

Fostering your creativity trains your brain to be more adaptable and flexible in dealing with all sorts of problems. Not just how to get that pot completely balanced and smooth, but how to solve that problem with a work project or a relationship or a career issue.

Being creative takes you out of the linear thinking mode and the confines of regular logic. Options stop being only black and white. Your mind can look at your problem from many different angles and sees potential nuances that you otherwise might miss.

Creativity can help you live longer

Surprising but true. Studies have shown that being creative can actually reduce your mortality risk and add years to your life. Making, drawing, woodwork, knitting, or painting all fire different neural pathways in your brain and help to reduce stress and anxiety. Creativity slows cognitive aging and enables you to lead a happier, more fulfilling life.

Creativity grows your confidence

Learning a creative skill takes application and lots of practice. You’ll make a lot of mud pies and lopsided pots before you can create beautiful and functional tableware. Mastering your chosen art form helps you develop confidence in your abilities that will overflow into other areas of your life. As you overcome failure and succeed in making beautiful things, you will see that persistence and optimism is the way to success.

Creativity is immensely satisfying

There is nothing like starting with raw materials and being able to make something unique from them. Whether you start with a lump of clay or you make your summer wardrobe from scratch, you know you have the skills and creative spark to make whatever you want. You aren’t dependent on stores and other people’s work. You know you can start with zero skills and learn a completely new skill.

Creativity helps you express yourself

Making an artwork or a piece of writing or an item of clothing allows you to make something that is completely yours. No one else can make the exact same thing that you can.

Living a creative life can help you see that whatever you bring to the world is unique and special.

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Factors That Affect Effective Communication

Communication

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

7

Factors That Affect Effective Communication

If you want to communicate effectively, it is helpful to understand the numerous factors that go into this process as well as those that can influence how well communication actually occurs. You may think that communication is as simple as sending and receiving messages, but many other components and influences determine whether your message is understood.

What is Necessary for Effective Communication

The Sender

Whoever is communicating the message, whether through verbal, written, visual, or non-verbal means, is the communicator. This person or group of people controls the message and the delivery methods. Among the many things that can affect communications and are influenced by the sender are the clarity, conciseness, credibility, and completeness of the message.

The Message

Creating a message that is understandable, addresses the intended audience, has a purpose, and is efficient are all part of what it means to be an excellent communicator. The ability of someone to language and other communication techniques to inform, persuade, or entertain others is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. Delivering the RIGHT message is the most crucial thing in effective communication. Even the best communicators will fall flat when they are sending the wrong message.

The Method

We communication through so many different ways and choosing the right channel for your message will improve the chances that it is received and understood. Channels are the various vehicles we use to transmit our meaning, and among these are:
• Face-to-face communication
• Media like radio or television
• Social media
• Email
• Signs and symbols
• Text messages or instant messages
• Phone calls
• Videos or audio recordings
• Photographs, design elements, art, and architecture
• Body movements, gestures, facial expressions, and vocal tone

Choosing the right method of transmission will ensure that the people who need to see your message do and that the message is able to be understood. You would not, for instance, want to ask a personal question of someone on a public platform like Twitter or broadcast your grocery list over the radio. Many times, using the wrong method can make communication more difficult or lead to confusion.

The Receiver

The person or group that is meant to receive and benefit from your message is the audience. Understanding for whom your communication is intended, their motivations and needs, and how best to reach them is crucial. A perfect message will not be helpful if the audience is not listening or does not care what you have to say. Adjusting your message and method of sending it to your audience are all crucial for making your communication more effective.

Other Influences

Whether you are the communicator or the receiver, it is always especially vital that you are actively listening to the other members in your communication loop. If senders do not pay attention to listeners, they can miss essential feedback cues and information that can help them improve their message. If receivers are not listening to senders, then the entire purpose of communication is lost.

Our preconceived notions, personal biases, emotional states, past experiences, and prior knowledge all affect how we send and receive messages, as well. A group of people can all hear the same message but walk away with vastly different interpretations based on these factors, as well.

Final Thoughts

Understanding how these necessary parts work together can help you improve your skills at both sending and receiving messages. Communication is a vastly complex process that requires all parties to have knowledge and skills at both sending and receiving messages. Improving your skills can help you, though, in all aspects of your life.

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Tony Ramos
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Communication is a Skill You Can Learn

Communication

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

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Not only can having effective communication skills help you succeed in your job, but they can also help you improve your relationships and achieve true happiness in all that you do. When your communication skills are poor, you will suffer personally as well as professionally, and everything you do will be more difficult than is necessary.

Some people believe that communicating well is a talent when, in reality, it is a skill, just like driving, riding a bike, or creating a spreadsheet. You CAN learn to be a better communicator when you develop and practice the skills that are involved in this process.

The Skills Necessary for Effective Communication

Communication is not just one skill. It is actually a combination of many smaller tasks and processes, all of which can be learned and honed with practice and patience. If you want to improve your communication efforts, here are the eight skills you can start practicing today.

#1. Listening

One of the easiest ways to communicate more effectively is by being a better listener. Practice active listening in all your interactions. Pay attention to the person talking, making eye contact with them. Ask questions to help you understand what they said or asked. Listening will help you know what others need and want while teaching you new knowledge and skills.

#2. Understanding Non-Verbal Cues

Words are not the most essential part of communication. Paying attention to the gestures, posture, tone, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues from others will provide you with more meaning and context to what they are saying. Active listening helps, as it makes you aware of more cues.

#3. Being Friendly

If someone perceives you as hostile or negative, they are not likely to listen to or be open to what you have to say. A smile and a friendly tone go a long way toward improving your communication efforts. A nod to courtesy and friendliness in your written and verbal communications makes people more willing to engage with you in the future.

#4. Being Clear and Concise

Whether in written or spoken messages, it is crucial that you can state your point or idea with clarity and conciseness. Give people the information they need to know without rambling on or distracting with irrelevant details. It helps to plan out your message before you start talking or writing.

#5. Being Confident

How confident you are comes across in your message as well as your tone. When you are confident, people are more likely to trust you and think that you are credible and competent. Using your listening skills can effective non-verbal cues can help to communicate your confidence, as well.

#6. Showing Respect

When you convey respect to the other person, they are more likely to be open to you and your ideas. Paying attention to the other person, making eye contact, listening, showing empathy, and using proper grammar and usage all show that you respect the other person and care that they can understand your message.

#7. Being Open-Minded

Communication is about sharing information, and being open-minded means you want to learn more and understand others’ ideas and points of view. Rather than caring only about getting your message out there, you should be open to what others have to say, as well.

#8. Showing Empathy

While you may not always understand or agree with someone, you can respect that they are allowed to have ideas and perspectives different from your own. And you can acknowledge that you do not have the same background or experiences as them.

Each of these skills is something you can practice in your daily life that will help you to be a better communicator overall. Taking time to work on these regularly will improve your communication skills in no time.

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How Personal Development Leads to Success

Personal Development

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

1

How Personal Development Leads to Success

The thing that is most exciting about the possibilities with crafting a personal development plan for yourself is the role that personal development plays in the level of success you can achieve in all areas of your life, physical, cognitive, and social-emotional.

The fact is, anyone who can passionlessly observe where they are compared to where they want to be while identifying steps and assembling a plan that is truly doable to reach (and even exceed) the goals you’ve set for life literally cannot lose. Even if you slightly miss the mark or change your mind as you go – you still succeeded.

You’ll Become More Self Aware

Being self-aware allows you to look to yourself, the only person you have any control over, for the change that is needed to reach the success you desire. For example, if you realize that you are prickly around criticism during your self-study do you just say, “Don’t critique me because I cannot handle it!” No, instead you teach yourself with the help of books, courses, classes, counselors or coaches (or all the above) to learn to handle criticism better.

You’ll Develop a Better Sense of Direction

When you really know who you are, who you want to be, and you know how to get it you’re going to have a much better idea of where you’re going from here than the average person. Knowing what you want to get out of life is an important aspect of what helps you set your own course. You also learn not to overwhelm yourself trying to do too much at once because you know that when you set your goals right you will achieve them.

You’ll Become More Focused & Effective

One of the things that you want most from personal development is clarity. Developing SMART goals for your life in all areas of your life is one way to develop that clarity. Once you have it you can become more and more focused on doing the right steps to get there that you will also become more effective at realizing each success. You’ll be able to toss away roadblocks, obstacles, and threats because you’re doing it with a plan.

You’ll be Much More Motivated

Motivation can be hard to come by for some people. However, with experience and success, comes motivation. Think about how motivated you feel if you earn a few bucks from an affiliate offer you posted about six months ago. Think about how motivated you feel any time you get good news about an action you took that turned out positive. That’s why you will become more motivated. You’ll have more experience with success due to following your personal development plan.

You’ll Become More Resilient

When you are sure of yourself and where you’re going, something happens along the way. You’ll feel good about the things you’re doing, too. You become a much stronger person. One of the first things you may notice is that you can bounce back faster from issues and roadblocks.

When you know how to plan using actionable steps, to get to where you want to go, there seems to be fewer problems, issues, and roadblocks, simply because you know you’re capable and know what to do. You will have tools, crafted from the development of your personal plan, to help you overcome issues that would ordinarily delayed your progress. There is no way to control the negativity around you; however, you will have more control your actions and reactions.

You’ll Be a Better Friend, Spouse, Parent, Etc.

One of the things you will learn very well as you work on your personal development plan is that you have full control over your own actions. It’s true that you cannot control sometimes how you feel but you can control how you react. It can be hard to realize it but once you fully accept it your relationships will improve dramatically.

The role personal develop plays in your level of success in all areas of your life is clear. People who spend time developing themselves tend to experience life more fully, make more money, have better and more fulfilling relationships, and are more satisfied with their place in the world. The reason is that you cannot get to where you want to go without taking small daily actions to get there. Your personal development plan will be the map that guides you to where you want to go.

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6 Tips for Making Friends as an Adult

Friendships

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

1

Who are your friends?

A recent survey has determined you might not have a lot of close relationships in your life. In fact, the number of people who claim to have more than three solid friendships in their lives is only 37% or one-third of the population. Even more discouraging is the idea that fully 27% of adults say they have no close relationships at all.

Making friends as an adult is a daunting idea. For one thing, we’re swamped. We get caught up on our personal responsibilities and business goals that frequently we don’t make time for a social life outside of loose connections with our children’s friends’ parents and professional networking. Who has the time?

Thankfully, you do. It actually takes less time than you think to discover the joy of adult friendships. You can start with these simple tips:

Start with the Old

Why reinvent the wheel? Instead, ask yourself who your friends used to be. Is it possible you can rekindle some old friendships? In this era of social media, tracking down your best friend from high school is easier than ever. Why not shoot someone a quick message or text to open up the conversation all over again?

Become a Listener

When in groups of new people, rather than working hard to be the life of the party, why not take a step back? Making a point to actively listen to people makes you more attractive to those around you (everyone loves a listener) and puts you in the position of discovering the things which intrigue you most about the others. It’s a simple way to learn about shared interests, so you can strike up a friendship.

Take it to the Next Level

Have acquaintances but aren’t quite ready to call them friends yet? Try opening up a little. Being vulnerable forges intimacy with others and deepens the friendship, taking it to the next level.

Stay in Touch

Worried about how to hang onto the friends you have? If you want to keep people from falling off the radar and becoming distant, make a point to check in with them once in a while. Send a text, make a call, set up a chance to get together. By checking in, you’re telling the other person they’re important to you and worth your time. A general rule of thumb? Connect about every two weeks.

Make a Group

Even better? Start putting your friends together in one place by creating a group of friends. There’s nothing more fun than hanging out in a gathering of people who enjoy each other’s company. Start simple, with a lunch date or drinks after work.

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Best Practices for Starting Your Personal Development Journey

Personal Development

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March 10, 2022

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Best Practices for Starting Your Personal Development Journey

When you first start your personal development journey, it can be tempting to take short cuts. You think that you already know who you are, what you want, and what you stand for, and how to exemplify that. However, that’s not how the human mind works. Often, we hide truths from ourselves and are not honest with ourselves about these issues. For this reason, follow these best practices for starting your personal development journey so that you will succeed.

Don’t Skip the SWOT – It’s imperative that you perform analysis on yourself in every aspect of your life to find out what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats you face for any of the target issues you want to address. For example, if you perform a SWOT and realize that you’re not very good at something, you then have a choice. You can find someone who is to do it for you, or you can find training to learn to do it.

Nurture Your Strengths – When you perform the SWOT for any sector of your life, you’ll also identify your strengths. The best thing to do in life is to choose to lead with your strengths. You want to keep doing the things you’re strong at and learn to do them even better since you’re obviously interested in those things.

Improve Your Weaknesses – When you find out that you are weak in some area, you’ll need to determine whether you should improve it yourself or improve it by outsourcing it. To determine which is better, ask yourself whether it really matters who does it or just that it is done.

Understand The 3 Domains of Personal Development – They are, physical, cognitive, and social-emotional. Together, these domains cover all aspects of your life, including health, work, personal growth, spiritual life, and so forth. Working on all aspects of your life usually is much better than focusing only on one as they are sometimes indistinguishable.

Plan for Action – As you work through crafting your plan, nothing is done until you’ve set up action-packed steps and put them in your calendar scheduled for you to implement them. Whether you are doing it yourself, or outsourcing it, doing is the most critical part of the plan.

Focus on The Right Target Issue First – One reason it’s helpful to go through every single domain and issue you have before setting up a plan is that it helps you to know which issue to focus on first. For example, you cannot write a novel until you can read, and you can’t learn to write until you can read, first things first.

Be Persistent – Once you have your action plan, which is developed based on reality and not on how you wish it to be, you only now need to be persistent and take the steps to success. It truly is that easy. Once you have the steps scheduled in your calendar and you start implementing them, your life will begin to change.

Get a Coach – If you understand everything but your implementation skills leave something more to be desired, you may want to employ a life coach to help you. If you know some life coaches who specialize in personal development, you might want to talk to them. If you don’t know anyone, ask your colleagues for recommendations. It’s likely they will know someone or can direct you to someone who would know more on the topic.

One thing to remember about personal development is that it’s an ongoing process. You’re never done with it. There is no real finish line. For this reason, it’s best to develop tenacity and persistence as you follow the path you’ve created for yourself, adjusting as you go based on facts, and learning about what is really and truly important to you deep in your subconscious. It’s all about knowing who you are and living a life that illustrates who you are.

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Tony Ramos
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5 Reasons Why Adult Friendships Are So Important

Friendships

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

1

5 Reasons Why Adult Friendships Are So Important

Why is it we never put enough emphasis on the important things in life? Are we really that busy?

Sadly, we tell ourselves precisely that. In fact, studies have shown we’re not taking the time for friends like we used to. According to a survey taken in the 1980s, the average adult had a minimum of three friends they were close to. Thirty years later, the same study came out with some chilling news. As many as one in four people claim to have no friends at all.

Why is it we don’t enjoy adult friendships? Could it be we’ve somehow gotten the idea they’re really not necessary? This is absolutely not the case. In fact, below, you will find five reasons why adult friends are crucial to your life and your good health.

Friends Give Necessary Support

We’re not meant to go it alone. We need friends to act as everything from cheerleaders to a shoulder to cry on.

Friends Teach Us How to Act

How do we conduct ourselves? If you’re socially awkward, it might be because no one taught you specific social skills critical to success. Friends are where we learn those skills. It’s with friends that we practice, finding out both what’s acceptable and what’s not. What’s more, friends help us get out of the ruts we fall into and challenge us to try social situations we might not otherwise consider.

Friends Give Us a Reality Check

Who else but a friend is going to tell you when you’re lying to yourself or wandering down the wrong path entirely? This kind of tough love is what keeps us from disaster and guides us away from the pitfalls of life.

Couple Friendships Guide Our Own Relationships

Not everyone was blessed with parents who modeled good relationship skills. Having “couple friends” is where we form our impressions of how couples in romantic relationships interact. It’s from these relationships we learn how to balance things like work and romance and how to handle the parenting component. Being able to talk to other couples about challenges unique to this kind of relationship also gives a much-needed place to learn.

Friendships are Good for Your Health

Studies have shown people who sustain healthy friendships live longer and enjoy a better quality of life. People who regularly spend time with friends are shown to adopt healthier lifestyles, experience fewer physical ailments such as heart disease, and have fewer issues with dementia as they age.

In short, adult friendships are an important part of your life and worth exploring. Now is not the time to hold back. Get out there, meet people, and discover all that life has to offer. Making time for friendships should be a priority for all adults.

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5225 Canyon Crest Drive #71 Riverside CA 92507
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5 Places to Find Friends as an Adult

Friendships

By

canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

1

5 Places to Find Friends as an Adult

When did everything get so hard?

Somewhere along the way, we grew up. Life started getting bogged down with responsibilities and plans for the future. While much of this is exciting, what happens all too often as we start laying aside our childhood, is we unintentionally put aside our innate ability to make friends easily.

Don’t believe me? Think back to when a trip to the playground ended in a ‘new best friend’ after about 20 minutes of sharing the swings with a stranger. Now ask yourself, when is the last time you connected that quickly with someone new?

The problem is, adult friendships are crucial, not just to our mental well-being, but to our physical health as well. It’s been proven that having friends leads to less stress, less chance of heart disease, and longer life.

But where do we find these new friends?

Try an App

Hey!VINA works much like a dating app, but with one very significant difference. Here the goal is to find someone with like interests you may want to befriend. A quick swipe of your finger starts a conversation, leading to a connection and eventually, friendship.

Try a Meetup

Looking for some fun group activities in your area? Meetup.com is easy to use on your computer, tablet, or phone. Here you search for events of interest to you. You’re then presented with a variety of groups who like to engage in those activities, giving yourself a chance to meet several interesting people at once.

Learn Something

Signing up for a class allows you to indulge in a new interest at the same time as meeting someone new. Always wanted to cook gourmet dinners? Been thinking about taking flying lessons? Whatever interests you, this is a surefire way to meet new people.

Grab a Book

Your local library or independent bookstore is a great place to indulge a love of reading while at the same time, getting to know someone new. Book clubs stimulate you intellectually and introduce you to people in the community who share a love for the written word.

Take a Walk with a Furry Friend

If you have a dog, why not explore more than your own backyard? By taking Fido to your local dog park, you’ll have an opportunity to meet other dog lovers, while at the same time, giving your faithful friend a chance for a little puppy socialization. This is a win all around!

Meeting people doesn’t have to be complicated. Opportunities truly are everywhere. So be bold and try something new. You’ll be glad you did.

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Common Roadblocks to Getting into Creative Flow

Creativity

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March 10, 2022

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Common Roadblocks to Getting into Creative Flow

You know the feeling. There’s a deadline looming, and your mind has gone completely blank. Nothing, nada. It’s like your brain has frozen. Luckily the latest research shows us the most common roadblocks to creativity, and how to move past them and get on with the job.

Fear of failure

Most people are afraid of failing because they see it as a one-way street to disaster, rejection, and a stain on their reputation forever. Perversely, fear of failure is the mirror image of perfectionism. The idea that nothing you can do will be good enough, and that this failure defines your identity.

Fear of failure means you’re less likely to take risks, and you put off even starting. And those are two things that can kill creativity stone dead. Redefine creativity as a series of experiments, with failure as a kind of course-correction and an inevitable part of the process.

There’s not enough time

The ticking clock is another creativity killer. If you’re like most people, your schedule is probably crammed, and you feel like you’ll never catch up. If your checklist just keeps growing, you won’t be able to relax in the creative process and let the ideas flow.

A surprising way to find more time is to quarantine some chillout time in your diary. Priorities some downtime to listen to music, meditate, or just sit quietly. You’ll feel much less stressed and open to the creative flow.

You’re still staring at the screen

Sitting at your desk, staring at the computer or the blank page is not a good way to get creative. If you’ve been trying to write or problem-solve and it’s just not happening, the best thing you can do is go for a walk or make a coffee. Get out of the environment that’s keeping you stuck, get moving, and your mental gears can disengage and relax enough to be ready when inspiration strikes.

You’re feeling negative

Negative thinking can stop creativity in its track. If you’re sitting there frowning, and thinking you can’t do it, you’re pretty much guaranteeing that you won’t be able to do it.

Pessimism and negative self-talk set up a vicious cycle of gloom and low energy. Reject that self-defeating attitude and give yourself a pep talk. Re-frame your task and just promise yourself you’ll write down whatever comes into your head, just to get the process started. Remember, first drafts are invariably not your best product, because that’s what a first draft is for! You’ve done good work before, you’ll do it again. Tell the muse you’re ready and get writing!

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Reinvent Yourself: Identifying and Eliminating Your Fears

Reinvent Yourself

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canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

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Reinvent Yourself: Identifying and Eliminating Your Fears

Who doesn’t dream of a better future for themselves? We wish that we could leave our humdrum job and instead sit on a beach to paint. Life would just be better if we could move to the country and live off the land.

The thing is, every one of us has a dream, they’re all different, but one thing many of us share in common is that we bury those dreams. At some point, we decide to take the well-traveled road and put aside our ‘childish dreams.’ We give up a bit of ourselves when we do that.

Think of reinvention as a re-brand. It’s something that major companies do. Coca-Cola has changed up their branding, a couple of times in recent years. Just as Richard Branson has reinvented himself over the years to become the businessman he is today.

Before Jim Carrey made his acting dreams come true, he wrote himself a massive check. He decided that if he could dream it, then he could also do it. One of the biggest things that hold us back from truly pursuing our dreams and reinventing ourselves is fear.

That doesn’t mean that it’s too late to reinvent yourself. The first step in doing that, though, is identifying the fears that have been holding you back and eliminating them. There are three massive fears that often hold us back.

1. The Fear of Failure
There is no one on this planet that enjoys failure. No one is into losing, no one sets out to do less than their best and lose. The problem with that mindset, though, is that we are too scared to take risks. While there are adrenaline junkies who pay people to throw them out of a plane, the idea of failure is paralyzing. Unfortunately, a lot of us really care about what others think about us. Failure is only temporary, though. You should think of it as a stepping stone.

So, how do you eliminate your fear of failure? Look to the lesson in every failure and learn how to use it to your advantage. You can better yourself through failure. So, instead of seeing it as the end of the world – start seeing it as a learning experience. You might fail more than you succeed, but the more you put yourself out there the greater your chance of increasing success is.

2. The Wrong Mindset
What is your inner voice telling you? Is it a positive force in your life? Or, is it whispering negativity in your ear and hating on your every action? That negative voice is fueling the wrong mindset and it’s that mindset that is keeping you tucked safely in your comfort zone. One of the best ways to eliminate this fear is to practice overriding those negative thoughts with positive affirmations. It’s all about drowning out that negativity and replacing it with the right mindset.

3. No Knowledge
Sometimes the biggest fear that holds us back is a lack of knowledge. We don’t know what to do or where to go to make our visions a reality. The best way to deal with this fear is to find yourself a mentor. Look for someone who works in the field that you want to be in or does the thing you want to do. You can learn from them. If it’s a specific thing you want to reinvent about yourself, then find someone who is good at it. You can use social media to find people that are outside of your circle and build your network. Or, find a coaching program.

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Canyon Crest Guide
5225 Canyon Crest Drive #71 Riverside CA 92507
Tony Ramos
951-235-3518

Reinvent Yourself: Identify Your Whys and Change Your Life

Reinvent Yourself

By

canyoncrestguide

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March 10, 2022

1

Reinvent Yourself: Identify Your Whys and Change Your Life

One of the most widely known slogans in the world is the Nike slogan “Just Do It.” No more excuses, no more talk, no more planning, no more second guessing… “Just Do It.” Maybe that’s just what you needed to hear. Maybe it can give you that push, that nudge you needed to accomplish your goals. But there is something that this slogan does not fully capture: What about the why?

Why should I “Just Do It”? What’s the reason for doing it? Do I even want to do it? In life, you can “Just Do It” day-in-and-day-out and not enjoy a single movement of your life–possibly never engaging in a single moment of passionate, fulfilling work. So, before you go and “Just Do It,” identify your why. This will help you enact real change in your life.

What Do You Love?

The whys in your life are directly tied to what it is you love. What you love incorporates other things like what you are passionate about, what you think is important, what you ultimately care about, and what you enjoy doing.

Your whys, or what you love, point to your motivators. Your whys take routine or mundane actions and infuse them with passion and desire. They take the things you do and put life into them.

To identify your whys, ask yourself: What is it that I love?

How Do You Recharge?

The whys in your life are also directly related to the things that give you energy. Passion is fuel for action. Without it, you will quickly burn out. So, what gives you energy? What are the ways you recharge your batteries after they have been fully drained? Knowing this can help you see what your energy gainers are.

Another method is to identify what areas of life seem to be effortless for you. What can you engage in for seemingly endless periods of time without much output of energy? Both of these strategies can help you identify your whys.

To identify your why, ask yourself: What gives me energy?

The Highlight Reel

The whys in your life are also directly correlated with your accomplishments. To make a project successful, it can help to start at the end and work your way back. This approach can help when trying to identify your life’s whys.

Imagine you are near the end of your days, sitting on a porch, staring out onto the beautiful countryside. As you observe the landscape, your mind drifts back over the highlight reel of your life. What are the major scenes you want to see played back to you?

Do you imagine a few career highlights, family memories, personal relationships, charity involvement, or other activities? What do you want to be able to reflect on when your life is near its end? Your answer to these questions will reveal what you think is important.

Personal Mission Statement

Now that you have determined your why by establishing what it is you love, what gives you energy, and what you want to accomplish, put these thoughts into a personal mission statement. This is a way to take these ideas and write them down in a functional, usable format.

Your personal mission statement will help guide you during times of decision making. It will remind you of the reason behind your actions. It not only captures your why, but also your what and even your when.

The next time you are in a situation where are you are going to “Just Do It,” you will be able to support that action with the full understanding of your why. Having true passion behind your actions is a formula for pure, lasting, and impactful changes in life.

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Canyon Crest Guide
5225 Canyon Crest Drive #71 Riverside CA 92507
Tony Ramos
951-235-3518

Reinvent Yourself: Remove All That Is in Your Way

Reinvent Yourself

By

canyoncrestguide

-

March 10, 2022

0

Reinvent Yourself: Remove All That Is in Your Way

“The fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line,” the saying goes. If you want to get from where you are to where you want to be, then go directly. Sometimes this advice is easier said than done.

Oftentimes there seems to be a lot of barriers between point A and B. That straight line seems to be impossible. Therefore, you end up taking the long way around to get to your destination. While there may be some unavoidable barriers on your path, most of the time the clutter in your way just needs to be removed.

Sweep it away, shove it to the side, and clear your path. You do not need to take the long way around. Initiate the process of reinventing yourself by removing all that things in your life that are in your way.

Don’t be Afraid to Let Go

Fear can have a positive or a negative influence on you. At times, fear can motivate you positively by helping you achieve your goals. Fear can also motivate you negatively by hindering you from letting go of things that are holding you back.

What if can be a cancerous start to any thought process. Dwelling on the what if puts your focus on the obstacle in your way and not the goal you are moving towards. The fear associated with what if only entrenches the thing that is in your way.

Don’t be afraid to let go of the what ifs. Focus instead on what you want. For example, rather than thinking “what if I start my own business and then get into financial trouble,” you should think, “what I want to achieve is independence in time, finances, and passion, therefore I will open my open business.”

You must not be afraid to let go of the fear that is littering your path to success. This is a necessary key to reinventing yourself.

Keep an Open Hand

Holding onto things in life creates an environment in which your emotional hands are clenched closed. When you’re holding onto things, you’re not able to use your hands for anything else.

In order to remove the things that are in your way, your hands need to be free and functioning. An open hand is free to move what needs to be moved. It can clear your path.

Get A Pair of Glasses

Sometimes we need help to see clearly. This is particularly true when it comes to seeing what is truly in your way. Being able to see this may require the help of a friend, mentor, or advisor. They can often identify the things we are not able to see.

The help of a guide is particularly helpful when moving the smaller things that are in your way. Your own eyes can typically identify the larger items in your path. The smaller things can be a more difficult to see. But lots of little items cluttering your way can slow you down just as much as one large boulder.

Do the Heavy Lifting

At the end of the day, moving the things that are in your way requires that you do some heavy lifting. There is going to be sweat, effort, and maybe even a little pain. But what positive or advantageous thing doesn’t require these things? There is just no way around the hard work. So, roll up your sleeves and get to it.

The fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line. To travel in a straight line, you need to remove the things that are in your way. To achieve your goals, you don’t need to take the long way around. Reinvent yourself and take the fast route to success.

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Canyon Crest Guide
5225 Canyon Crest Drive #71 Riverside CA 92507
Tony Ramos
951-235-3518

Resolve Conflict: Learn To Negotiate

Reinvent Yourself

By

canyoncrestguide

-

March 10, 2022

0

Negotiations take place all day long everywhere. There are formal negotiations that take place between politicians, religious leaders, world leaders, business professionals, and generals.

There are information negotiations that take place between business or property owners, married couples, siblings, and parents and their children. They are the means by which differences are settled and conflicts are resolved.

It doesn’t matter what kind of conflict you’re in. It’s very likely that your ability to negotiate is going to dictate how you come out of that conflict: Battered or Victorious.
In any negotiation, your attitude about the situation at hand, your knowledge of all of the factors, and your interpersonal skills are going to have a huge effect on the ultimate outcome.

In some way, shape, or form, how your feel about a particular situation is going to be expressed by your attitude. This can be verbal or non-verbal, but it will likely be picked up on by the person you’re in conflict with.

Your knowledge is your weapon in any negotiation. How much you know about a particular situation or cause of conflict is going to dictate your effectiveness in any negotiation. This includes your knowledge of the person you’re attempting to negotiate with.
If you’re in conflict with your spouse or partner, this comes in handy when you’re trying to resolve a conflict without creating more.

Your interpersonal skills will see you through the negotiation. These skills include:

• Healthy verbal communication
• Listening
• Rapport building
• Decision making
• Assertiveness
• Problem solving
Healthy verbal communication involves being able to express yourself verbally without relying on sarcasm or aggression. Listening is key to any form of communication as it’s more important to listen than be heard in most situations.
Listening helps to build rapport which is especially important if your conflict involves children. Assertiveness should never be confused with being aggressive, and problem solving, and decision skills will help you move through certain steps of the negotiation process.

Formal Negotiation
Formal negotiation occurs in six phases. Informal negotiation will include some, but not all of these.

• Preparation
• Discussion
• Clarification of goals
• Negotiate towards a win-win outcome
• Agreement
• Implementation of a course of action.

To better explain this, we’re going to look at an everyday example of an informal negotiation.
Reese and Paul just moved in together. They’ve been dating for 3 years, and they’ve recently got their first apartment. It has three bedrooms and two baths. Reese works from home, and Paul works in construction, but he has a love for action figures. They have their room, a room to serve as her office, and a room for Paul to have his ‘man cave’ in.

When they first moved in, Paul wanted the larger of the two spare rooms. He didn’t really give a reason for this, but Reese yielded because she didn’t think it was all that important. At that time, she only had her desk, computer, and printer to worry about along with various shelves. In all, she didn’t need that much space.
Rise of the conflict
However, as time passed, she began to branch out from writing to photography. This created a need for more space in her office. Afterall, she’s the one at the apartment all day, so her office should be comfortable.
She approaches Paul with her desire to switch her office and his man cave. Paul gets upset, and flat out refuses Reese’s suggestion.

Preparation, Discussion, and Clarification of Goals

In informal negotiations such as this one, preparation is likely to be absent or molded together with discussion.

Reese approaches Paul again, after he’s calmed, and pushes the issue. She needs more space to get her work done. The office she’d given up to move in with Paul was much larger, and through time she grew to need more space. Plus, the larger of the rooms had a bathroom in it which would make Reese’s workday much easier.
Paul didn’t want to give up the space because his collections were ever growing, and he worked hard. He thought that earned him the extra space.

Negotiation

A win-win situation is an outcome where all interested parties walk away from the negotiation feeling like they’ve gained something.
The trouble with the larger room for Paul was that it had a window that faced the pool area of the apartment community. It was also brighter, and the bright sun threatened the viability of some of his collectibles. Reese pointed this out to Paul to reinforce her argument.

Agreement and Implementation

Eventually, the two mutually decide to switch spare rooms giving the larger room to Reese for her office, and the smaller room with less direct sunlight to Paul for his collectibles. They spend the following Saturday switching rooms.
Both walk away happy about the terms of the negotiation.

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Canyon Crest Guide
5225 Canyon Crest Drive #71 Riverside CA 92507
Tony Ramos
951-235-3518