Leaders Aren’t Born, And Here’s Why

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One of the biggest myths in business is that leaders are born and not made. In all honesty, this ‘pearl of wisdom’ is nothing but nonsense. Yes, there have been great leaders who were naturals, but there have also been people who worked hard to lead by example. If you’re not a natural, it isn’t impossible to transform into an effective boss. For those of you that don’t believe that to be true, here is why you need to open your mind.

These are the reasons it is possible to turn into an effective leader of people and become a great boss.

You Can Study And Observe

The main reason the statement is untrue is that it insinuates leadership skills are innate. Either you have them or you don’t, and if you don’t that is unfortunate. However, people lack all kinds of skills in their everyday life, yet it never holds them back. The reason is simple: they study and learn. Just because you are not a natural doesn’t mean you can’t discover how to do it in the future. The trick is to observe the people that are effective leaders and use them as a sounding board. Over time, their influence will shine through and you will emerge into a leader. You just have to take the time to study the right people. Plus, you need the wherewithal to understand that your leadership skills need sharpening.  

It’s Psychological

Saying that a leader has to be natural diminishes the effects of psychology. Everything you do is to try and get the best out of your employees. After all, you need them to work at their maximum for the benefit of the firm. As long as you know what makes these people tick, that is a realistic possibility. And, it doesn’t have to take ages because an online psychology degree can teach you the basics. Once you drill into the bedrock of a person’s personality, you will be able to provide them with what they want. It may be more money or more responsibility, but it’s arbitrary as long as you give the right people the right incentives.

There’s No Need For Ego

It’s business – how are there not going to be a lot of egos flying around?! That is true, but you don’t have to be one of these people. Of course, you need a level of confidence to perform well in your job. However, there is no reason to believe that you are right of all of the time. Regarding leadership, this correlates very nicely. People who think they are leaders are not prone to personal growth. They believe they know it all, so they don’t see the need to improve. You’re different because leading people isn’t your greatest skill. As such, it is easier to learn from your mistakes and grow than it is for natural born leaders.

The above are only three examples of why you don’t need to be born with leadership qualities. In truth, there are plenty more, and that says everything you need to know.

Weird And Wonderful Talents You Can Try Yourself

Some people are gifted, and often these gifts are quite unique. For instance, while one person can play a beautiful tune on the guitar, another can balance and spin on their head. While you might be able to get a fifteen-foot jump shot in basketball, someone else might be able to breathe fire. So let’s look at some of the coolest unique talents in the world and why you just might want to give them a go yourself.

Base Jumping

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Have you heard of base jumping? It’s pretty awesome but incredibly dangerous. Base jumping is a lot like parachuting or skydiving. Except rather than jumping out of a plane at fifteen thousand feet, you jump off a building a few hundred feet off the ground. Then, hopefully, and with a little luck, you can land somewhere not too far away. The jump isn’t the hard part, nor is the steering while you’re in the air. The difficult aspect of this rather special talent is the land. If you don’t perfect the technique for landing the force and speed that you reach the ground will cause you to break both your legs. So, it’s probably not a skill you want to try without some serious training.

Creating Clouds

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Ah, now this one is quite special because the idea probably originated from a little-known book called The Lord of The Rings. Those of you who have read Lord of The Rings might recall that Gandalf the Grey used to take great pleasure in creating smoke clouds and transforming them into images in the air. You probably never thought you could do that in real life but you can and people to through cloud-chasing. Cloud chasing is the process of creating large billows of smoke through vaping. And, then if you have some talent you can create some incredibly impressive images with the water vapor in the air. Some of the people that can do this have to be seen to be believed.

Light As Feather…

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Mind over matter presents itself in many forms throughout the world. It’s actually believed be the the reason why some individuals can accomplish great displays of strength. However, the most impressive version of this is the talent some people have to manipulate physical objects. The simplest example of this is spoon bending, and many people debate whether it’s an illusionist trick or real psychokinetic ability. You’ll have to make your own mind up about this one, but there are schools across the world that teach this ability.

Forget Me Not

Image Via Pixabay

Yes, there are people in the world who don’t forget a single moment of a day in their life. In fact, there are even people who claim they remember being born. Many people dispute whether there is such a thing as a photographic memory. What is clear, however, is that some people do have a talent for recall and it is possible to improve your own ability here. Some foods seem to have a positive effect on memory as does meditation. If you start testing your mind and treating it like a muscle that can be grown, you might surprise yourself!

Are you fascinated by these incredible talents and abilities? Perhaps you want to give one or two a try for yourself.

8 Reasons to Visit a National Park This Summer

A trip to a National Park can make a fantastic vacation whether you are traveling with a young family or a group of friends. There is plenty to do and see and many people find they either return to the same park or aim to visit as many as they can because they love it that much.

If these reasons below tempt you, check out Zion National Park for more information and start planning your National Park visit today.

Here are just eight of the many reasons you should consider a National Park vacation this summer.

Cost

Visiting a National Park is much cheaper than taking a group abroad. You won’t need passports or visas, you can travel there by car, and once you arrive there are restaurants and activities nearby so you’ll save more money traveling.

When it comes to accommodation, there is always a range of options to suit any budget. You could go camping, glamping, or stay in a value for money hotel.

Location

There are over 50 National Parks in the US, so wherever you are or wherever you want to go, there’s a park not too far away. California has the most parks with eight, followed by Utah with five, but there are parks as far afield as Maine or Oregon too.

Scenery

One of the best reasons to visit a National Park is the gorgeous scenery. You could see volcanoes in California, glaciers in Alaska, or snow-covered mountains in Washington, as well as long stretches of forests, greenery, and clifftops. Whichever National Park you chose to visit you’ll have your breath taken away by the beauty of it. Make sure you spend some time exploring and taking in as much of the park as you can on your visit.

Activities

There is plenty to do at any of the National Parks. You could try horse riding, climbing, hiking, diving, water sports, sandboarding, or cycling. Those people looking for a more relaxing break could have a go at painting, bird watching, or walking.

Food

There are always plenty of fantastic places to eat in and around National Parks. You could try some classic American cuisine or try something a little different.

Education

Each park has its own history, nature, and wildlife for you to learn about. Some will tell you tales of America’s politics whereas others date all the way back ancient peoples. Spend some time exploring fossils and learning about the history of the park on your visit.

Experiences

National Parks can give young children their first real experience of the great outdoors. They can also remind adults with hectic lives what the world is really about, helping them to leave their stresses behind, reconnect with the world around them, and gain a fresh perspective on life.

You are sure to meet some fantastic people during a visit to a National Park. There’ll be fellow tourists on their first visit, amazed by the wonder of it all, and others who have returned time and time again to fill you in on the things you need to see and the ways their visits have helped to shape their lives. There will also be those who live and work in the Park who are always happy to offer stories and advice. 

A Ouija Board is Not a Game

Originally posted July 17, 2011

Updating this June 18, 2017 because the 9-year-old neighbor got a Ouija board for his birthday and thinks my 7-year-old is "scared" to use it but the truth is I told him not to touch it and I told him this story. I am going to need to let the parents know that I am not okay with my son ever "playing" with that "game" in our out of their home and it's not because I'm Catholic but because I had a weird experience once.

I’m trying to get used to not having a mouse on my new laptop. It’s weird only having a little patch of silver to move my finger around on. Sometimes I’ll be moving my finger one way on the pad and the arrow goes another way on the screen, and this reminds me of an experience with a Ouija Board I had once. 

My friend Ambre (who was like my sister, really) and I were probably around 12 and were hanging out in my bedroom. My parents and I had just moved in to the house recently, and had heard that a baby or kid or something had died there. It was a Cape Cod house with two large bedrooms upstairs (built in 1950, which was interesting since both my parents were born in 1950 and both are the oldest of four of the same sex of kids). 

My room had a wall put up to turn it into two rooms … something about twins were expected or lived there and one died. Anyway, one night Ambre and I were doing the Ouija Board … which made a comeback in the 80s. (update: I found out today, June 18, 2017, Ambre's birthday, that there were two girls who lived there and their twin baby sisters died at one day old ... newspapers.com).

We were asking the usual questions like what’s your name and how did you die? We’d done the Ouija Board before and it usually “worked” … which meant we weren’t sure if the other one was moving it or what. This time was different. 

This time I can’t remember exactly what happened (maybe I wrote it in my diary … I’ll have to dig around to find out), but the thing you put your hands on (lightly is the idea) was moving faster and faster to spell something and we couldn’t keep up and were accusing the other of moving it. 

We both got pissed because accusing the other of moving it and we both took our fingers off of the cursor-like thing. 

It started moving around by itself. It moved OFF THE BOARD and onto the dang hardwood floor and kept moving around. 

We freaked out. One of us picked it up and threw it back in the box and then put the board on top of it. I don’t think I’ve touched a Ouija Board since. I get chills just writing about it. 

Look, I’m all for good spirits and all that. I believe the dead can communicate with us. But doesn’t that mean that bad spirits are also around? I don’t know what we were dealing with that day, but it didn’t feel right. 

I saw a Ouija Board “game” in my aunt’s garage recently. The boys wanted to get it out. It still creeps me out and I said no.

Here's How You Can Make Moving Day a Doddle!

Moving house and starting a brand new chapter is so exciting- but the actual process of moving your belongings from A to B really isn’t! After months of realtor meetings, house viewings, sorting paperwork and packing, moving day is where everything comes together.

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Moving day is a big deal, and is more than likely going to be a stressful day. However, with the right planning and organization you can make it run as hassle free as possible. Property websites such as homes for sale by Joe Manausa Real Estate often have a blog section with helpful advice about moving, which is something you may not have thought of if you’re looking for tips. Here are some other things to bear in mind for a smooth moving day!

Hire a Moving Company

There’s no doubt that hiring a van and moving yourself will be cheaper, but you make so much work for yourself. You have to move your large kitchen appliances, beds and mattresses and other large pieces of furniture onto the van and then off again at the other side which can be incredibly exhausting. On top of that, you then have a million boxes to move and pack- getting in a professional moving company saves you so much hassle and energy. Be sure to choose a company who are insured, so your possessions are covered whatever happens.

Clean and Prepare The New Property

If you’re lucky, you will have received the keys a little in advance of moving day, and this will allow you to bring over a few things beforehand. Otherwise, this is something you could go over and do early on the day. You could stock up the bathrooms with tissue, soap and hand towels. You could put a bin in the kitchen, some tea towels, crockery and cutlery. A kettle and some biscuits for tea breaks will be much appreciated when your stuff starts being brought in. You could make sure there are light bulbs in each of the rooms and hang some curtains. Plus it gives you chance give the place a bit of a clean. It should have been left in a clean and tidy condition from the last tenants or owners, but you are always going to want to go over it yourself to make sure it’s up to standard. Cleaning around bathrooms and kitchens before you move in (or early on the day) means you can start using them right away as you need. Doing this means you have basic functions in the house without having to dig through boxes.

Have Children and Pets Looked After

With people coming and going, the front door left open and boxes being stacked everywhere, it’s not an ideal place for children and pets. To make sure they’re safe and not getting stressed it’s best to have them looked after while you get things set up. Not only is this better for them but it’s better for you too. Without having to keep an eye on them, you’re free to get on with the million jobs on your to- do list!