Life is full of challenges. They are not supposed to affect you but are supposed to help you discover the inner you. Most people are afraid to take them. I have learnt one thing over time- Accepting challenges that life throws upon you, only makes you stronger in the end. Even if you fail, you have learnt something at the end of it.

Never be scared of failure, learn to face it.

“The word “crisis” is from the Greek, meaning “a moment to decide.”

Never limit your options by quitting on a challenge. Change your path- Find a new path. Do simply anything, but never give up.

Either someone at some stage in life can come in your way or you can challenge yourself with a goal, something that you really want to achieve. Treat the journey towards that goal as a learning experience to better yourself. Remember, you only see obstacles in your way when you take your sight off the target.

Like everything in life, if you want to get something you need to have the determination that will keep you going. If you are not committed, you will never do what is needed to achieve the goals you want.

I was recently at a conference where one of the speakers spoke of dreaming. Dreaming is absolutely essential. You need to dream and picture yourself achieving something, to actually get there.

Be realistic when creating your goals by observing your current stage and position in life. Also, you must set your priorities right. Remember, that every step along the way to achieving a goal is just as important as the last step. There are no shortcuts to success and the harder you work, the sweeter is the reward.

There is no time like the present. The one thing worse than not setting a goal, it is setting a goal and leaving it to sit in words and dreamland.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.

That is why it is called the present.”

Hope you liked the post. What are your thoughts or suggestions? How do you face challenges?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Take the first step in faith, you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. This is a quote I try to live by daily as it reminds me that whatever I do, as long as my intentions are pure and focused on my goals, I will achieve, even if obstacles lay before me.

Taking That First Step

Taking that first step isn’t always easy. Whether its a step to start a new business venture, go back to school, overcoming bad habits or even regaining and maintaining good health, the first step is hardly ever easy. The reason for this is that most of us are accustomed to living in our old habits and ways and to make a change would mean going against our obtained norm. The normal way of doing things is hardly ever the right way and many times we need to sacrifice the old shell to give birth to the successful new. Most, if not all of the most successful persons on earth made a decision NOT to conform to the norm and have made significant impacts on their niches.

In my own experience, taking that first step, especially in business, removes a huge mental block and opens the doorway to even greater ideas and achievement. Develop the belief in your idea even when others do not see the value. Its not their idea, its yours, only you can truly appreciate and nurture it. So ignore the naysayers.

Denial & Procrastination

As we live our daily lives, we often times secretly deny our instinctive desire to be great because we decide to initiate our plans another day or refuse to believe that we are any good at all, but we all have the ability to become great in our own unique way. None of us was created greater than the other, we are all one.

Take action today, you have nothing to lose. Each day lost is a lost opportunity and makes it harder the next day.

Its alright to be Inspired

Inspiration comes in many forms; through our children, our parents, friends, great achievers, etc. There is inspiration all around us and we will see more of it if we slow down and observe our surroundings and the good people in it. Read books of great achievers, find the company of good, positive people and share dreams and aspirations. The more you associate yourself with greatness, the more likely greatness with follow you.

Find your gold mine

Some of us achieve greatness not through obtaining riches alone, but some of us may feel our greatness through different experiences such as helping others in need or just by taking care of our families. A common mistake some of us make is to measure our success and achievements against others’. This will only lead to feelings of inadequacy, because we cannot be someone else, we are all unique. We all have our time, we can all rise to our summit, but don’t expect your summit to be the same as another person’s. Look within and find your own true passion and be excellent at it.

So today, search within and find what it is that your soul is calling for your greatness, it is within all of us.

Over to you:

What is your biggest obstacle and how do you plan to overcome it? Share with us how you have overcome problems or obstacles in your past.

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Confidence plays a huge role in success. If you project confidence, you can achieve a lot. It is one of the most basic things you need and sometimes it can be really tough too.

Around 1-2 years ago, I must admit, I really lacked in confidence. Now, at age 15, I have boosted my confidence considerably by following some very basic pointers. Earlier I was shy of meeting new people and I used to be very quiet, but that has changed now. Confidence is really a big deal for everyone, especially entrepreneurs.

It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes. -Sally Field

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.  -David Brinkley

.

So here goes:

Just do it! - Taking action and doing your work immediately will cut down on the backlog. Besides that it will reduce your stress levels. And as you know, if you do you’re work and achieve targets on time, people will appreciate and acknowledge, which is a great confidence booster.

(And you may like to read this post on managing time)

Maintain a good posture – The way you carry yourself can make a huge difference. Not just to yourself but others too. People with drooping shoulders and lazy movements show a lack of confidence.

Look into the past – Have a small flashback and remember all your past achievements. Keep in mind all those happy memories and re-live those moments.

Face challenges – Life is a battlefield. Gear yourself up to face big challenges and give your very best and take a plunge at them. Never be afraid, consequences are very temporary but the feeling of overcoming these hurdles can make a big difference.

Speak up – During discussions, the majority of people never speak up as they are afraid of saying something that will be construed as stupid. This fear is a big downfall. By speaking up at least once in each discussion you will project yourself into more limelight and you will improve your confidence.

Think Big – Look at the future, look at the bright side of things. Dream big.

Help others – Make a difference in people’s lives and try and help out as much as you can. Not only will you learn something but your confidence will go up.

One last point, if someone runs you down, keep in mind they are not perfect too.

Over to you:

Hope you enjoyed the post. Any points that really work for you? Any points you would like to add? Please feel free to share your thoughts by commenting below.

Go confidently in the way of your dreams!

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

I started Let’s Sermo over a year ago and it has been a great year for the blog. In terms of statistics, there have been months with 38,000 visitors and the comment average is rocking with almost 1,800 comments in 46 posts.

According to Youngest Blogger it is the 9th best blog run in the world by an under 18 blogger.

And a big thank you to all my amazing readers and friends for their support. You guys rock! I decided its time to revamp the blog.

So here is the new look! The new design has been conceived by, Rockstah Media.

Over to you:

Any thoughts you wish to share? And if you have any specific posts you want to read on Let’s Sermo, let me know!

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

There are many posts around on the web saying that school is a waste of time and entrepreneurs should avoid it. I strongly disagree with their point of view and here are 5 reasons why all budding entrepreneurs must go to school and take their education seriously.

Learn to deal with people

Working with people is a crucial skill all entrepreneurs must have as it forms the basis of their success. At school you will come across scores of people who you have to deal with- You may or may not like most of them. You learn to adapt to the situation and it improves your networking skills.

Competition

In life there is competition everywhere. There is absolutely no field where success is a piece of cake. In school there will be healthy competition in academics and sports. In school, you learn how to face people, work hard and even accept failures.

Learning the importance of time

Time is something that can be never recycled; it is a lost jewel that once gone is gone forever and also remember- Time is money. At school we have projects to complete and deadlines to meet. We learn how to cope with these parameters set up.

Handling criticism

Every one is criticized once in a while. Some people just cannot take it in the right spirit. At school you will get criticized many times for the smallest of things. Thus you will learn to handle it and take in the right spirit.

Combating failure

At school, you may have failures and not be successful at all times. The same is going to happen in the future. 98% of all start-ups fail in the very first year, chances are yours will too. So school will teach you how to handle failures and start afresh. One quote that comes to my mind right now- “Failure is the stepping stone to success”

The article is short but I hope I have got my point across clearly. My message to all budding entrepreneurs is, please take your education seriously and never think of giving it up. Schools and all education institutions play a very vital role.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. Have any more points to share? What do you think? Please feel free to comment below.

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Its been a long time since the last contest on Let’s Sermo. This is not like one of those usual contests. All you have o do is suggest a post idea / what you will like to read on Let’s Sermo.

This one is really very easy – and you can win with just win with one comment. Now over to the prizes.

The 6 most interesting ones I like:

- Best suggestion wins $25 via PayPal.

- The next 5 best ideas will get 1 year domain registration and 1 month of hosting. (I am planning to use WPWebHost.com for this)

I am looking for ideas and suggestions only related to ‘Life‘. Basically how to improve our life etc. Just have a look at the posts to get an idea.

Just one comment can get you these prizes.

Good luck!

Results:

Cash winner:  Dan

Hosting and domain winners: Kris, Rajeev Ranjan, TechFreakStuff, BAS, Benjamin.

I will be mailing the winners right now.

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

This is a guest post by Corey Freeman, read more about her at the bottom of this post. If you wish to write for Let’s Sermo click here.

I’m going to be honest – I’m terrible at working with others. It might be the trumpet player mindset, or maybe it’s just me, but when it comes to cooperating, I have serious reservations. Nevertheless, when you work online as an entrepreneur and avidly participate offline in the band, you have to learn how to work with others effectively. Otherwise, you won’t get very far.

How do you manage to pull yourself out of your “me” shell? It’s partly about courage and trust. You first have to learn to get rid of the “everyone is going to cheat me feeling” that comes with the territory of being human. After that, it just takes a bit of practice and determination. Oh, and you should follow these tips:

Open Up to Good Friends

I’m not going to lie, I have only one close friend. By “close,” I mean we hug on a regular basis and I can actually tell her embarrassing things in person (as long as its dark and I can’t see anything). Nevertheless, she never lets me get away with anything, and forces me to open up. While I hate this at times, it’s beneficial. Why? Because you have to open yourself up to trusting people.

Cooperation is all about trust, and to build trust, try working on talking more openly with your best friends. They’ll help you out with whatever is going on, and you’ll learn how to work with people comfortably. After all, what are friends for?

Work with Positive People

If you’ve ever taken an easy class with group work, you know that nothing is worse than working with lethargic, unmotivated people. It’s a serious irritation, and you find yourself just as uninspired as the people around you. This is the kind of environment that makes me absolutely dread group or partner work.

Next time you have group work, be the project geek. Get involved, and work with people who also want to put effort into what you’re doing. You’ll find yourself having a lot more fun if you simply go with the flow and let the creativity flow. In addition, your stuff will be a higher quality. Be enthusiastic, and results will follow.

Compromise – It Won’t Kill You

There are times when you really, really want something. A lot of times. However, to get what you want, you sometimes have to forfeit something else. Learning how to compromise effectively will bring you more success. If you want to see a scary movie, but your girl doesn’t then don’t fret about it. See the movie she wants and call up your best friend to go see the gore fest. Compromise allows you to cooperate and put yourself into better situations.

Working with others is pretty essential to success. If you want to be able to reach your true potential, you’ll have to learn to accept help from time to time.

How do you feel about compromising? Are you as anti-social as I was? Share your thoughts and experiences.

This was a guest post by Corey Freeman, a 16 year old entrepreneur. Read more about her here. You can follow her on Twitter – @CoreyFreeman

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Failure is something that everyone goes through. You, me, Barrack Obama and Bill Gates too. Everyone is prone to failure. It is just a part of everyone’s lives. Well, it all depends on how you take it and face it.

You just cannot afford to crumble under failure. Most probably failure is a result of our decisions. Remember, no one makes mistakes in life. There are never any mistakes, they are just experiences. We have to learn from these experiences and make sure we do not do the same stuff again.

How to tackle failure:

You must understand that failure is there to bring you wisdom

Failure never comes without a reason. You must take up some wisdom from failure. Each failure you encounter brings you one step closer to success. Keep this mindset and you will see failure differently.

Failure is the stepping stone to success.

Do not make failure stop you

Sometimes, you can be really close to achieving your goals but a small failure can set you back. Edison failed thousands of times to create the light bulb. If he would have not continued, despite his failures, he would have not created the world’s greatest invention.

Keep confidence in yourself

Remember, failure is just a temporary period. Keep confidence in yourself and move on in life. Look forward to the future. Failure is not here to stay, good times lie ahead.

It is always darkest before dawn.

Give some time to yourself

You need to spend some time alone and analyze things. Try and figure out what you did wrong. Listen to some soothing music. Go out for a walk alone, this will surely help.

Also, writing in a diary is known to help many people.

Believe in yourself

Have faith and trust in yourself. There will be one day when you will emerge out and will be in a world of success. You just have to stay strong and keep faith in yourself, even in the toughest of times.

Learn to plan things. If you plan things as much as you can, failure will not disappear but reduce.

Failure is an event, not a person

Always remember that you only get one life and one chance. Make the most of it. Stop defeating and limiting yourself.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. How do you overcome failure? Anything you wish to share? Please feel free to comment below.

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Time is something that constantly drifts away. Most people just need to be on the go and they cannot afford a drop in their productivity level.

Here are some tips to utilize your time and put your best into everything you. Basically, it is like adding hours to your day.

Maintain a things to do list – You can plan your day the previous night, so when you wake up you know exactly what you have to do.

Wake up early – Sometimes, if you are all alone early in the morning you just feel like taking off.

Never multitask - Research has proved that multitasking is not at all productive. For best productivity results, focus on one thing at a time.

Calculate your personal efficiency ratio - Efficiency Ratio = (Time Doing “Real Hard Work”) / (Time Spent Totally). This will show you really how much you are working. So you may buck up if this number is low.

Use a nice bright desktop wallpaper – This is the first thing you may see before starting your work, it will give you a boost.

Learn to say “No” – We can’t do everything and therefore we must learn when to say a ”no” in order to save not drain ourselves.

Create a sense of urgency – Life is short. Once you are finished with your task, start something else. Always make sure to cultivate the desire to make things happen.

Avoid being idle for long - Eliminate the negativity and the idleness in your routine. Idleness definitely hinders progress and personal growth.

Get rid of time consumers – This includes Instant Messenger, video games, YouTube, Flickr, checking your stats a billion times a day, television, and unnecessary Internet surfing.

Maintain your focus and take action - It is better to spend your energy getting things done instead of complaining and making a fuss. Take action! Actions produce results and also .  The more you think of how you can yield better results, the more remarkable answers will come to your mind.

Use JDarkRoom - This application allows you to write more efficiently by removing all possible computer related distractions. You’re given an entirely blank page on which to type. This way, you’re not distracted by e-mail’s, or IM’s. When you’re done, you can save your work as a text file.

Just do it – Sometimes, starting is the hardest part and it always the most important. Once you get going, you will quickly get into the groove and  that momentum could last for hours.

Organize your workspace – The piles of unwanted paper around your desk can be a huge barrier on your productivity. It may just spoil your mood. Optimize your time by organizing your setting things up and dumping the junk.

Make sure you get some good sleep – Sometimes your body just cannot perform without the good much-needed sleep. Do not stress yourself too much.

Leave your workspace for a while – Go out for a short walk, have some coffee or just do some small exercise. This can do wonders, but remember do not prolong this as it can break your momentum.

I would like to thank Gaya Kesseler for helping me out with the title.

Liked reading this post? Have any other tips? What works best for you? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts below.

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Everyone of us can say we know at least one person or have come in contact with at least one person who is negative about everything under the sun. And, we all know how draining and tiresome these kinds of people and their negative comments can be on our own lives.

There are many ways you can help the situation when you are confronted with the person and their negativity, especially if you can’t avoid the situation all together, which is what many of us wish to do. Try to take control of the conversation when it starts to take a negative turn. Keep things from your end on a positve note.

Whether we know it or not, the office gossiper is a negative person, and the family member that calls you on a regular basis with who is doing what lately within the family is also. If one is too persistent, and continues to try and suck you down to their negative level, you can whip the situation real fast by just being honest. Tell the person that you have no intentions to discuss others lives that don’t pertain to you and that you would much rather be left alone to form your own opinions of people.

Realize, that the person just may have no concept of what they are doing and how harmful it can be to themselves as well as others. Handling negative people and their comments about anything, everything and everybody, is not an easy task, but can be handled if you know how to stop the negativity before it has time to start. Always, if you are willing or planning to confront the person and their motives for being so negative, do so with kid gloves. Sometimes, we are not aware of others and their reason’s for being negative in the first place.

But, there will always be people that no matter what we do, is just set on being negative no matter what. For these people, sometimes you may just have to be a bit stern with and tell them that you will take no part in their negativity or comments, and it is best they steer clear of you. Seems kind of harsh doesn’t it, but some people just have to be handled in such a manner, in order for them to understand where you are coming from.

One must also make sure that it is indeed negativity coming from the person and not constructive criticism. Make sure you are not the person that has the negative outlook on things. If someone is telling you something about yourself or how you are doing things. That may be all that it is. Many people are meaning well, but do not know how to go about giving the constructive criticism and can come off as a gloom and doom sayer. Make sure to assess the situation and person you are dealing with as this will make for a better way to handle them if they indeed are.

©2013 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.