Personal Improvement - Book Summary: "Taming Your Gremlin", by Rick Carson - News: JFD Performance Solutions

The author's subtitle to his book is "A Surprising Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way" and his stated goal is to help you enjoy yourself more each day. The premise is that we all have a "vile, vicious, villainous, insufferably bully lurking in the shadows of your very own mind: your gremlin." And, depending on your level of self-awareness, you likely already have some sense of your gremlin, which has influenced you since your birth.

STRIVING. PERFORMING. ACHIEVING. Those three words say a lot. When you STRIVE, you work hard and exert yourself, often against the tide of conventional opinion, competition, and your own complacency, doubts and fears. When you PERFORM, you are using your skills and abilities to do something...to execute and to get results. Ultimately, when you ACHIEVE, you are living a purposeful life. You reach a level of performance that is indicative of true success: you're achieving your goals and dreams!

After more than a few folks recommended this book to me, I placed my Amazon order. In this book, Wiskup defines the "It" factor as "the remarkable ability to instantly create honest and powerful connections, in every meeting and every social interaction, every day." Quite a lofty goal! Not simply charm or the ability to say the right thing, having the "it" factor is about building connections, and it will pay dividends for you at work and at home.

Author and international expert, Ed Oakley, is a master at asking truly effective questions. In his book, Enlightened Leadership, he describes what makes effective questions, effective. Here are a few concepts and excerpts from Ed's book on this important subject.

In simple terms, the human mind, which is far more powerful than any computer devised by mankind, basically works by continually looking for answers to questions it receives from a variety of sources. No matter what questions are asked, answers are generated at some point. Just as a car runs differently depending upon what type of fuel it uses, the mind runs differently depending on the types of questions it is asked to answer.

Public speaking is one form of communication and is, quite simply, the process of presenting your thoughts and feelings in a meaningful way. There is a often a perception that only people involved in sales, marketing, or mass media need to learn public speaking. However, the truth is that individuals from all walks of life have to speak in public from time to time. A student reciting a poem in school, citizens expressing their opinions on national issues, or the president of a company addressing the staff, are all different forms of public speaking.

Importance of Public Speaking
Public speaking is important for many reasons, and learning proper public speaking techniques will help you in various facets of your life, such as: