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News Home Archive Stepcase Lifehack</h3> <subtitle type="text">Daily digest and pointer on productivity, getting things done and lifehacks</subtitle> <updated>2008-07-10T13:30:21Z</updated> <generator uri="http://wordpress.org/" version="2.5.1">WordPress</generator> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.lifehack.org" /> <id>http://www.lifehack.org/feed/atom</id> <link rel="self" href="http://www.lifehack.org/feed/" type="application/atom+xml" /><feedburner:emailServiceId>71799</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname>http://www.feedburner.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><feedburner:browserFriendly>This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.</feedburner:browserFriendly><entry> <author> <name>Thursday Bram</name> </author> <title type="html">5 Ways to Learn Jargon, And Fast</h3> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LifeHack/~3/331731218/5-ways-to-learn-jargon-and-fast.html" /> <id>http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5866</id> <updated>2008-07-09T23:52:09Z</updated> <published>2008-07-10T13:30:21Z</published> <category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="Communication" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="Featured" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="jargon" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="terminology" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="writing" /> <link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/5-ways-to-learn-jargon-and-fast.html#comments" thr:count="1" /> <link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/5-ways-to-learn-jargon-and-fast.html/feed/atom" thr:count="1" /> <thr:total>1</thr:total> <content type="html"><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2008/07/dictionary.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5867" title="Dictionary" src="http://www.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2008/07/dictionary.jpg" alt="Dictionary" width="380" height="253" /></a>Early on in my writing career, I took on a couple of articles covering project management. To put it mildly, I didn’t know a Gantt chart from a PERT chart. Worse, I didn’t even know where to start. I had already learned, though, that vocabulary is the fastest way to become an expert on any subject — even if you don’t really know that much about a topic, at least you can talk the talk. I knew that in order to write these articles, I needed to learn the jargon that every project manager uses without even thinking.</p> <p>So I fired up my web browser, and headed to Wikipedia…</p> <h2>1. Wikipedia</h2> <p>That’s right. My first stop is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a>. I’ll be the first to admit that Wikipedia is never guaranteed to be the gospel truth, but I’ve found that for any learning project, whether I’m doing research for a school paper or trying to find the right words to talk about a particular topic, Wikipedia is guaranteed to be a good starting point. It’s because good Wikipedia articles link to fairly expert sources, the kind that are both a good source for an introductory-level encyclopedia article and for a crash course in the subject.</p> <p>So, I’ll go to Wikipedia and skim the article on whatever my subject is. I’ll open up links and try to get an idea of related terms and important names. The names of people and companies can be as important to a conversation on a given topic as the actual vocabulary. It’s doubtful, after all, that anyone would have a conversation on productivity and entirely ignore David Allen and GTD.</p> <h2>2. Taking Notes</h2> <p>While I take notes primarily in conjunction with what I read online, you can take notes from any source you find useful. The actual act of transcribing information, preferably interpreting it into your one style of writing is incredibly helpful. When possible, I like to actually write things down by hand, but in this cut and paste world, even actually typing out words and definitions can help. The acts of writing and interpreting make it easier to remember and use a word later on that just copying it into your notes will. If you’ve got a little time, actually writing out a few paragraphs using your new words can really cement their meanings in your mind.</p> <p>If you’re working on a written project, you may even come out ahead on your notes. You may be able to write them in such a way that you can use them in part or in whole for that research project or article or speech you’re preparing for. If that’s the case, consider trying to take your notes with that end in mind: structure your notes to match whatever product you’re in the process of creating.</p> <h2>3. Experts</h2> <p>Once I’ve got a general idea of a topic, I’ll go looking for an expert who can spend even a few minutes talking to me. I prefer someone in person but the internet has an expert on everything. Hearing how your expert uses terminology is a good way to learn, but using that terminology yourself and asking your expert to correct you can be even better.</p> <p>At the very least, you’re guaranteed to learn proper pronunciation. I was one of those kids who read a lot of books in high school, including physics. I knew an awful lot about Richard Feynman, but it wasn’t until I actually head someone talking about him that I realized “fen-i-man” is not the correct pronunciation of his last name. That can be the biggest problem that comes from doing all your learning from books or Wikipedia: you may not know just how to say your newly-learned vocabulary.</p> <h2>4. Roots</h2> <p>If you’re struggling with jargon, a good way to get a handle on it is to look up a word’s roots. This can be as simple as typing your word into <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/">Dictionary.com</a> and seeing what pops out. Plug in the word ‘dictionary,’ for instance, and it will tell you that the rood is ‘diction’ which means ‘word’ in Latin. The word ‘diction’ in English also describes carefully chosen words, helping us to make a connection between ‘dictionary’ and its root. This technique is surprisingly effective with scientific terms — some scientists just seem to enjoy making new terminology out of old Latin and Greek terms.</p> <h2>5.Usage</h2> <p>The moment you stop using your newly learned jargon, it starts slipping away. If you want to maintain your knowledge, you have to keep using it, if not building on it. Talk about the topic. Write about it. Blog about it if you have no other opportunity to use it in your day to day life. It’s the same problem you’ll have if you learn a foreign language. Even your bike riding skills can get rusty if you don’t use them regularly. They can even become outdated if you don’t notice changes in the area. I make a point of keeping my project management vocabulary up to date.</p> <p>Just this morning, I had the opportunity to write an article on the topic. If I hadn’t read the occasional project management article or chatted about the topic with an expert or two, I would have had to relearn all of that vocabulary. It wouldn’t have taken quite the effort of the first time around, but it would have made writing that article a much longer process.</p> <hr/><em>Thursday Bram is a freelance journalist of over five years experience. She studied Communications at the University of Tulsa and is currently working on her MA in Communication Design. Her work has focused primarily on entrepreneurial topics. More information about Thursday is available at <a href="http://www.thursdaybram.com">thursdaybram.com</a>. </em></p><p class="akst_link"><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5866&akst_action=share-this" title="E-mail this, post to del.icio.us, etc." id="akst_link_5866" class="akst_share_link" rel="nofollow">Share This</a> </p><h3>Related Posts</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/use-and-abuses-of-jargon.html" title="Use and Abuses of Jargon">Use and Abuses of Jargon</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-to-write-in-140-characters-or-less.html" title="How to Write in 140 Characters or Less">How to Write in 140 Characters or Less</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-to-write-in-a-thousand-words-or-less.html" title="How to Write (in a thousand words or less)">How to Write (in a thousand words or less)</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/saving-time-on-routine-tasks-optimized-writing.html" title="Saving Time on Routine Tasks: Optimized Writing">Saving Time on Routine Tasks: Optimized Writing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/polish-your-writing-to-professionalism-three-tips-for-self-editing.html" title="Polish Your Writing to Professionalism: Three Tips for Self-Editing">Polish Your Writing to Professionalism: Three Tips for Self-Editing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/the-ultimate-writing-productivity-resource.html" title="The Ultimate Writing Productivity Resource">The Ultimate Writing Productivity Resource</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-to-write-a-business-letter-that-gets-results.html" title="How to Write a Business Letter That Gets Results">How to Write a Business Letter That Gets Results</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-start-a-writing-critique-group.html" title="How to Start a Writing Critique Group">How to Start a Writing Critique Group</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/stay-on-track-with-a-treadmill-journal.html" title="Stay on Track with a Treadmill Journal">Stay on Track with a Treadmill Journal</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/beat-blank-page-syndrome-10-tricks-to-get-your-writing-started.html" title="Beat Blank Page Syndrome: 10 Tricks to Get Your Writing Started">Beat Blank Page Syndrome: 10 Tricks to Get Your Writing Started</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/podcast/lifehack-live-for-february-4-2008.html" title="Lifehack Live for February 4, 2008">Lifehack Live for February 4, 2008</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/tips-and-tricks-for-distraction-free-writing.html" title="Tips and Tricks for Distraction-Free Writing">Tips and Tricks for Distraction-Free Writing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-to-use-your-blog-to-make-2008-your-best-year-ever.html" title="How To Use Your Blog To Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever!">How To Use Your Blog To Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever!</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/introducing-our-new-podcast-lifehack-live.html" title="Introducing Our New Podcast: Lifehack Live">Introducing Our New Podcast: Lifehack Live</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/do-your-emails-suck-how-to-write-emails-that-get-results.html" title="Do Your Emails Suck? 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How to Write Emails That Get Results </a></li></ul> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/LifeHack?a=R1qa56"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/LifeHack?i=R1qa56" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=2Z7Edj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=2Z7Edj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=k6RY1j"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=k6RY1j" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=dnRzZJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=dnRzZJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=mQGKMj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=mQGKMj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=Ct4IRJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=Ct4IRJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=9H8R8J"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=9H8R8J" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=Vt0OXJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=Vt0OXJ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LifeHack/~4/331731218" height="1" width="1"/></content></entry> <entry> <author> <name>Torley</name> <uri>http://torley.com</uri> </author> <title type="html">Share Your Secrets to Be The Change</h3> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LifeHack/~3/331709499/share-your-secrets-to-be-the-change.html" /> <id>http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5833</id> <updated>2008-07-06T21:08:10Z</updated> <published>2008-07-10T13:00:05Z</published> <category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="Communication" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="information" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="knowledge" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="secret" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="share" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="spread" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="viral" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="wealth" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="word-of-mouth" /> <link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/share-your-secrets-to-be-the-change.html#comments" thr:count="5" /> <link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/share-your-secrets-to-be-the-change.html/feed/atom" thr:count="5" /> <thr:total>5</thr:total> <content type="html"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-5834" title="share-secrets-rainbow" src="http://www.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2008/07/share-secrets-rainbow-379x295.jpg" alt="" width="379" height="295" /></p> <p>In any field with stuff worth learning, knowledge-hoarding is shamefully rampant. Have you ever asked someone you admired about how they made something you’re curious about, only to be rebuffed that “It’s a secret”? It’s happened to me 100s of times, and still, I press on to other sources.</p> <p>After all, there may be magic in mystery, but that doesn’t mean you need to be a congested artery when it comes to letting the knowledge flow.</p> </p> <p>A rather peaceful dude, Gandhi, is famed for saying “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”</p> <p>And a man who changed the world and influenced its leaders, Alvin Toffler, said: “Change is not merely necessary to life, it is life.” He also said, “Knowledge is promiscuous. It mates and gives birth to more knowledge.”</p> <p>It sounds like a riddle, but knowledge has no bedfellows. <strong>Knowledge is a resource that becomes more plentiful as it’s used</strong>. Like oil or diamonds, there may be conflicts over knowledge, but unlike those materials, knowledge becomes more abundant as it’s applied.</p> <p>One of the greatest things is to be is a teacher, and I don’t just mean in school: I mean as a spreader of knowledge, a beacon of… <em>enlightenment</em>.</p> <p>If that sounds too vague, here are encouraging reasons which will work wonders for you:</p> <h2>Sharing secrets creates an abundant culture</h2> <p>To be clear, I’m not talking about revealing identities in the Witness Protection Program or doing anything that’d harm lives, but sharing <em>healthy</em> secrets that others can improve on.</p> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source">Open source</a> is a fine example when it comes to “abundant culture” in action: chances are even if you don’t know what it is and what it stands for, you’ve reaped some of the benefits. You may have never heard of Apache, but it’s the webserver technology that powers <a href="http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2008/04/14/april_2008_web_server_survey.html">over 1/2</a> of the world’s websites. By sharing openly, proliferation, adoption, and usage of useful tools can be exponentially increased.</p> <p>On a related note, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/">Creative Commons</a> has allowed artists to enhance their artistry by sampling and remixing each others’ works without fear of being dampened by complex laws, becoming better creators in the process. Which relates to…</p> <h2>Sharing secrets makes life simpler</h2> <p>One of the reason why the Internet is so popular is because there’s so much sharing of secrets — and still, there are an infinite amount of unanswered questions! Whether it’s blogs or wikis, forums or social networking sites, people want to learn — even if they don’t say it.</p> <p>A resource I adore is <a href="http://straightdope.com/">The Straight Dope</a>, which has grown a profuse web community out of a line of hit books. Their mission? To explore and expose plenty of life’s biggest question marks. Like <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_118.html">hiccups</a>.</p> <p>Even with paid staff on numerous sites, time and time again, we see that there are impressive amounts of volunteers who go out of their way to offer assistance and help solve secretive problems.</p> <p>Great rule of thumb: <strong>if you battled your way through a problem and found an answer, you owe it to yourself and the world to share your solution</strong>. Spending some time to do this, likely at most a few hours, can create a <em>rippleshock</em> effect which ends up saving far more time than what you originally invested. I do this for a living and a hobby, and <a href="http://torley.com/how-i-got-my-wireless-g-usb-adapter-working-with-a-mac">here’s a specific example</a>. And since happiness often accompanies simplicity, you should know…</p> <h2>Sharing secrets makes life happier</h2> <p>We have enough problems and don’t need to invent more. You may’ve heard that the guilt of a weighty secret “eats you up”. I think that’s also true for stuff you <em>want</em> to share, but may be shy to. Perhaps there’s a nasty stigma associated with it.</p> <p>But realizing that simply talking about a problem can be incredibly empowering. Ever heard of Oprah Winfrey? The whole basis of her immensely successful talk show is personal confession and talking about life experiences. Oprah’s done drugs, had weight issues, suffered abusive relationships, and was raped… among <em>many</em> other aches. She’s talked about all these, and in the process, empowered herself and the many millions who can relate to her.</p> <p>Oprah didn’t begin with such an audience, but grew it over time, as more and <em>more</em> people came to adore her for being open, candid, and earnest. Eventually, some of her viewers would also go on to share their secrets, bettering more lives.</p> <p>Lift that weight off, and share a secret. It may not be clear who you’re helping yet, especially if you’ve decided to blog about it, but <strong>if sharing secrets helps you cope or deal with a pain, it’ll help someone else too</strong>.</p> <h2>People love “behind-the-scenes” insight</h2> <p>Everyone knows the cinema is loaded with fictional movies. That doesn’t stop us from enjoying the DVD extras showing “the making of”: from interviews with cast and crew to commentary tracks to wireframe sketches (as Pixar is fond of doing), it doesn’t diminish the greatness of a polished work.</p> <p>Rather, showing what went into something helps you appreciate it even more. Brian Transeau aka BT, the versatile electronic musician, has given numerous <a href="http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_sonic_surgeon/">at-length insights</a> into his production techniques. That’s very unusual in snobby dance music scenes. What’s it done for him? Garnered many fans, encouraged other producers to try out (and thus be influenced by) his suggestions, and advanced the functionality of music-making programs. Furthermore, it’s challenged him to keep changing and growing.</p> <p>Coming up with new secrets then sharing them later is all part of the fun.</p> <h2>Secret-sharers are heroes</h2> <p>Conflict is inevitable in our existence. It’s no coincidence that if you share secrets that enlighten fellow humans, some tightminded folks will crawl out of the woodwork and bash you for letting the proverbial cat out of the bag. If it can happen to Bruce Lee opening up kung fu to the masses, it can happen to you. Don’t worry, your nemeses are just trying to cover up their sheer lack of progress while you blaze new trails.</p> <p>That’s why being a secret-sharer requires bravery. And who’s brave? A hero!</p> <h2>You’ll be known as a generous person</h2> <p>Everyone, with the exception of Scrooge, loves generosity. Your pockets may not be lined with bling, but if you get the word out about a useful secret that saves people time & trouble, whether it’s an overlooked discount code or an obscure Firefox add-on that makes their online life easier, you’ve contributed something positive.</p> <p>You’ll be remembered for that.</p> <hr/><em><a href="http://torley.com">Torley</a> amplifies your awesome with the useful and fun.</em></p><p class="akst_link"><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5833&akst_action=share-this" title="E-mail this, post to del.icio.us, etc." id="akst_link_5833" class="akst_share_link" rel="nofollow">Share This</a> </p><h3>Related Posts</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/opening-your-mind.html" title="Opening Your Mind">Opening Your Mind</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/4-tech-tips-to-keep-ahead-of-the-game-for-new-entrepreneurs.html" title="4 Tech Tips to Keep Ahead of the Game for New Entrepreneurs">4 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href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=e7O2GJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=e7O2GJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=pcddbj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=pcddbj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=VUXyUJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=VUXyUJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=Iuo4fJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=Iuo4fJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?a=JfjzCJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/LifeHack?i=JfjzCJ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LifeHack/~4/331709499" height="1" width="1"/></content></entry> <entry> <author> <name>Dustin Wax</name> <uri>http://www.dwax.org</uri> </author> <title type="html">How to Make the Right Choice</h3> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LifeHack/~3/330801323/how-to-make-the-right-choice.html" /> <id>http://www.lifehack.org/?p=5858</id> <updated>2008-07-09T04:03:33Z</updated> <published>2008-07-09T14:00:00Z</published> <category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="Featured" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="Management" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="brain" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="choice" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="decision" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="decision-making" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="mind" /><category scheme="http://www.lifehack.org" term="strategy" /> <link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/how-to-make-the-right-choice.html#comments" thr:count="7" /> <link rel="replies" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/how-to-make-the-right-choice.html/feed/atom" thr:count="7" /> <thr:total>7</thr:total> <content type="html"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-5860" title="20080709-deciding" src="http://www.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2008/07/20080709-deciding-380x292.jpg" alt="How to Make the Right Choice" width="380" height="292" /></p> <p>Which job should you take? What car should you buy? Should you ask him to marry you? Are you ready for another baby? Is this house right for you, or should you keep looking before you make an offer?</p> <p>Life is full of hard choices, and the bigger they are and the more options we have, the harder they get.</p> <p>As it happens, our brains are fairly binary. They can react very quickly when presented with two options, especially when one’s clearly better. Stand here and drown in the rising waters or jump onto that big rock and be safe? Easy choice.</p> <p>When presented with more options, though, we choke up. Jump onto the rock or climb the tree? We don’t know which is clearly better, and research shows that most people will not choose at all when presented with several equally good options.</p> <p>Practice, experience, and rules of thumbs can help us to make those split-second decisions (for example, “When in doubt, go left” has done pretty well for me so far). Fortunately we don’t normally face immediate, do-or-die decisions – we usually have the luxury of working through a decision.</p> <h2>Getting Past Pros and Cons</h2> <p>The old chestnut of decision-making is the list of pros and cons. You make two columns on a piece of paper and write down all the positive things that will come of making a choice in one column and all the negative things in the other. In the end, the side with the most entries wins.</p> <p>But this strategy doesn’t take into account the different weight that each positive or negative might have. If one of your pros is “will make a million dollars” and one of your cons is “might get a hangnail”, they don’t exactly cancel each other out.</p> <p>Some people counter this problem by assigning point values to each item in their list. A huge income might be worth +20 points, while a tiny risk might be only –1. This helps make a more realistic assessment of your options.</p> <p>But pros and cons aren’t always apparent or obvious, and the whole list-making process doesn’t sit well with many people – especially impulsive, “seat-of-the-pants” who might feel unnaturally hampered by the formality of the pro and con list.</p> <p>Here are some other strategies for making big decisions. Not all of them will work for every person or for every decision, but they all have something to offer to help you clarify your thinking and avoid “decision paralysis” while the water rises around you.</p> <h3>Analyze outcomes</h3> <p>Working through a big decision can give us a kind of tunnel vision, where we get so focused on the immediate consequences of the decision at hand that we don’t think about the eventual outcomes we expect or desire.</p> <p>When making a choice, then, it pays to take some time to consider the outcome you expect. Consider each option and ask the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What is the probable outcome of this choice?</li> <li>What outcomes are highly unlikely?</li> <li>What are the likely outcomes of <em>not</em> choosing this one?</li> <li>What would be the outcome of doing the exact opposite?</li> </ul> <p>Thinking in terms of long-term outcomes – and broadening your thinking to include negative outcomes – can help you find clarity and direction while facing your big decision.</p> <p> <a href="http://www.fonosip.com/" target="_top"> <img src="http://fonosip.com/gifs/logo_ad14.gif" width=189 height=77 border=0 align=right alt="Logo Fonosip.com"></A> <a href="./rss.xml" target="_top">Subscribe with an RSS reader <img src="http://voip.brujula.net/gifs/rss.png" width=16 height=16 border=0></a> <a href="./archive/" target="_top">Older News Archive</A> <a href="./syndicate.html" target="_top">Add news to your web site</A> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=66b2c05330304248a29f2f3cb0c4f3b6&u=%%UNIQUEID%%"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=66b2c05330304248a29f2f3cb0c4f3b6&u=%%UNIQUEID%%" border="0"/></a> </td></tr> <td><BR><BR> <p> <a href="/dmoz/"> Top</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/Arts/"> Arts</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/Business/"> Business</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/Computers/"> Computers</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/Games/"> Games</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/Health/"> Health</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/Kids_and_Teens/"> Kids</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/News/"> News</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/Recreation/"> Recreation</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/Reference/"> Reference</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/Regional/"> Regional</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/Science/"> Science</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/Shopping/"> Shopping</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/Society/"> Society</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/Sports/"> Sports</a> | <a href="http://www.brujula.net/dmoz/World/"> World</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/dmoz/World/"> Languages</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/news/"> News</a> | <a href="http://www.ba.net/news/"> Blogs</a> <HR NOSHADE> <p><center> <!!--#exec cmd="/cgi-bin/banner"--> <table><td> <script type="text/javascript"> GA_googleFillSlot("news-banner-bottom"); </script> <td> <a href="http://www.ba.net/about/"> <img src="http://ba.net/gifs/adbrite-your-ad-here-banner.gif" style="background-color:#CCCCCC;border:none;padding:0;margin:0;" alt="Your Ad Here" width="11" height="60" border="0" align=right></a> </table> <p><br> <form method="POST" action="http://www.brujula.net/cgi-bin/buscar"> <input name="text" size="45"> <input type="submit" value="Search"> <input type="hidden" name="buscador" value="categorias-en"> </form> <br> <font size=1> <b>BA.net Brujula.Net</b> © 2008 <A HREF="http://www.ba.net/acerca/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">advertising</a> <br><br> <A HREF="http://www.ba.net/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">english</a> <A HREF="http://www.brujula.net/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">español</a> <A HREF="http://www.ba.net/italia/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">italiano</a> <A HREF="http://www.ba.net/germany/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">germany</a> <A HREF="http://www.ba.net/japan/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">japan</a> <A HREF="http://www.ba.net/france/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">france</a> <A HREF="http://www.ba.net/world/" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">more</a> <A HREF="javascript:window.external.AddFavorite(window.location.href,document.title)" STYLE="text-decoration:none;font-size:xx-small">bookmark</A> </center> </td> </TABLE> </TD> <TD valign="top"><IMG src="http://www.brujula.net/gifs/sep3horiz.gif" width="23" height="1"></TD> <TD bgcolor="#333366" valign="top"><IMG src="http://www.brujula.net/gifs/sep3horiz.gif" width="3" height="1"></TD> </TR> <TR bgcolor="#ffffff"> <TD colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFCC66" valign="top"><IMG src="http://www.brujula.net/gifs/sep3horiz.gif" width="1" height="24" border="0"></TD> <TD colspan="3" valign="top"><IMG src="http://www.brujula.net/gifs/sep3horiz.gif" width="1" height="24" border="0"></TD> <TD rowspan="2" colspan="2" bgcolor="#333366" valign="middle"> <CENTER> <FONT color="#FFFFFF"><B>></B> </FONT> </CENTER> </TD> </TR> <TR> <TD colspan="5" bgcolor="#333366" valign="top"><IMG src="http://www.brujula.net/gifs/sep3horiz.gif" width="1" height="3"></TD> </TR> <TR bgcolor="#666699"> <TD colspan="8"><IMG src="http://www.brujula.net/gifs/sep3horiz.gif" width="1" height="10"></TD> </TR> </TABLE> </BODY></HTML>