3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian

3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian Photo courtesy of Press Association Have you been watching the Olympics? I sure have, and I’ve been amazed not just at the athleticism of these amazing competitors, but at the clear impact of mental and emotional strength on who goes home as a winner, and who goes home disappointed. Here are just a few of the observations I’ve been making as to what makes a true Olympian: 1. If you fall and you CAN get up, get up. Mo Farah of Great Britain won the gold in the 10,000 meters after being accidentally tripped on the 10th lap. He was uninjured and unfazed, quickly returning to the front of the pack and ultimately winning his second Olympic gold in this event. Here’s what he had to say about the incident: â€Å"When I fell down I was just thinking, ‘Try to get up, try to get up. Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic.’ And then I got up, and I tried to just get through it.† In contrast stands Russian gymnast Seda Tutkhalian. Tutkhalian over-rotated on her dismount from the beam, falling on her backside, and then made exactly the same mistake in her floor routine. In the end, it was mental gymnastics that failed her. â€Å"I had been thinking about it and I was upset,† said Tutkhalian. â€Å"And on the floor I have fallen because I was upset after my fall on the beam. During the floor exercise, I don’t know, I didn’t have the strength anymore. I don’t understand why.† Are you reminded more of yourself by Farah or by Tutkhalin? I recognize myself in both of them. Farah’s attitude is one we could all stand to have when we meet with an accident, or with any kind of failure. When I make a mistake with a client (yes it does happen), or when I am made aware of a typo in my blog, I have an initial surge of despair; but I am generally able to talk myself out of panic, do whatever necessary to make amends, and cross the finish line one way or another. From now on I will have Farah’s fortitude in mind when I stumble in one of my pursuits. 2. It’s your effort that really matters- not whether you win. I heard the gymnastics commentators say again and again that the gymnasts who go home satisfied are the ones who know they have given it their all. Yes there might be disappointment, but no â€Å"what ifs† to haunt them. There are many athletes who set records for their countries while not winning medals. They have a lot to be proud of. There are others who scored their personal best. Not everyone goes to the Olympics with expectations of winning a gold medal or any medal at all. There are many ways to win. American gymnast, Alex Naddour, won a bronze, not the coveted gold, for pommel horse- but it was the first of any kind of medal in 32 years for the U.S. Naddour said he felt like he won the lottery. He shared, â€Å"This is exactly what I wanted since I was a young kid, to go out and hit a great routine, score the highest I’ve ever scored in my life, out of country.† For him, bronze was golden. I happened to catch one of the quarter-final matches of women’s beach volleyball, and I hope the Brazilian team goes home proud after losing their match in an epic battle. Yes they cried, but they gave it everything in front of their own nation, and to me that’s what matters. My own degree of satisfaction is definitely tied to how much effort I put in. I experienced this phenomenon on the dance floor this week. One night, I went out salsa dancing and felt scared to ask anyone to dance with me. I danced by myself for most of the night, and went home feeling defeated. The next night, I did not let my fear stop me and I danced with some new people, coming home having had a ton of fun. Then on Saturday, I decided to go berry picking. I preferred to have company, so I put in some effort to ask 5 friends to come with me. I ended up going by myself and had a wonderful time amongst the raspberry bushes. Knowing I had not given up was the key to my satisfaction. Picking berries was also a sweet meditative experience that inspired the idea behind this blog! 3. When you’re winning, keep pushing, and have fun! Swimmer Katie Ledecky took the lead from the start in the 800m freestyle, and she never let go of it. She was chasing something other than the 7 other swimmers in the pool: her own world record. And she beat it. So much for â€Å"Quit while you’re ahead.† Katie said she knew from the start of her race that she would have a world record breaking time. I’m guessing that having that goal kept her swimming faster and faster, even with the rest of her competitors trailing behind her by seconds. Katie won, in part, because she was there for the experience more than the medals: â€Å"I’ve just had a lot of fun this week not only in the pool but just with my teammates. The memories mean more than the medals to me.† Once again, it seems that having fun is key to performing well and maintaining the drive to win. And how about Simone Biles, who did not rest on her laurels after winning the women’s gymnastics all-around, but scored a more than perfect score on her final vault to clinch that medal too? The smile on her face after that vault showed in no uncertain terms that she was living by her motto: â€Å"If you’re having fun, that’s when the best memories are built.† Finally, the indomitable Usain Bolt. He ended a press conference by kickin’ it up with some Brazilian samba dancers. The man can dance! The same combination of pushing hard and having fun will bring success in many aspects of life, including business. Too many people become the best and then forget that they need to keep innovating to maintain their leading position. For me, it’s the ongoing striving for excellence that keeps things fun and challenging. When I noticed I was getting bored of speaking about LinkedIn, I hired a speaking coach. Already I am thinking of new and creative ways to present material, engage my audience, and promote my services. The fun is back and I’m planning to win this game. More Olympics are coming this week. What are you taking away from the amazing athletes in Rio?

Definition and Examples of Agreement in English Grammar

Definition and Examples of Agreement in English Grammar In grammar, agreement is the correspondence of a verb with its subject in person and number, and of a pronoun with its antecedent in person, number, and gender.  Another term for grammatical agreement is concord. Basic Principles In English, agreement is relatively limited. It occurs between the subject of a clause and a present tense verb, so that, for instance, with a third-person singular subject (e.g. John), the verb must have the -s suffix ending. That is, the verb agrees with its subject by having the appropriate ending. Thus, John drinks a lot is grammatical, but John drink a lot isnt grammatical as a sentence on its own, because the verb doesnt agree. Agreement also occurs in English between demonstratives and nouns. A demonstrative has to agree in number with its noun. So with a plural noun such as books, you have to use a plural these or those, giving these books or those books. With a singular noun, such as book, you use a singular this or that, giving this book or that book. This books or those book would be ungrammatical because the demonstrative doesnt agree with the noun.–Jame R. Hurford, Grammar: A Students Guide. Cambridge University Press, 1994 Keeping Track of Details Agreement is an important process in many languages, but in modern English it is superfluous, a remnant of a richer system that flourished in Old English. If it were to disappear entirely, we would not miss it, any more than we miss the similar -est suffix in Thou sayest. But psychologically speaking, this frill does not come cheap. Any speaker committed to using it has to keep track of four details in every sentence uttered: And all this work is needed just to use the suffix once one has learned it.–Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct. William Morrow, 1994 whether the subject is in the third person or not: He walks versus I walk.whether the subject is singular or plural: He walks versus They walk.whether the action is present tense or not: He walks versus He walked.whether the action is habitual or going on at the moment of speaking (its aspect): He walks to school versus He is walking to school. Tricky Nouns Some nouns are commonly used with singular verbs although plural in form: Some nouns are commonly plural in usage, even though naming something singular.–Patricia Osborn, How Grammar Works. John Wiley, 1989 news, politics, economics, athletics, molassesnouns that state a given time, weight, or amount of energytitles of books, newspapers, television shows, even of plural formHis trousers were old and torn.The suds are almost down the drain.Scissors are a great invention.The contents were ruined. Examples Many dogs are made anxious by loud noises.An anxious dog is not able to focus and maintain attention.Dogs and cats are the most common pets.A dog and a cat are in our house.Usually, either the dog or the cat is in my room.Abandoning a dog or a cat is grossly irresponsible. Examples and Observations Bill Bryson The manager was one of those people who are so permanently and comprehensively stressed that even their hair and clothes appear to be at their wits end.–The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Broadway Books, 2006 James Van Fleet I have read statistics that show only five out of every 100 people become financially successful. By the retirement age of 65, only one of these people is truly wealthy.–Hidden Power. Prentice-Hall, 1987 Maxine Hong Kingston She brought back another woman, who wore a similar uniform except that it was pink trimmed in white. This womans hair was gathered up into a bunch of curls at the back of her head; some of the curls were fake.–The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. Alfred A. Knopf, 1976 Bell Hooks Feminist activists must emphasize the forms of power these women exercise and show ways they can be used for their benefit.–Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, 2nd ed. Pluto Press, 2000 Agreement in Radio TR: I dont know. Understanding guys dont mean you should live with them. SS: Lester... TR: What? SS: Understanding guys doesnt mean you should live with them. TR: Thats what I said. SS: Lester, subjects, and verbs have to be in agreement. The subject of that sentence is not guys, its understanding, and understanding, which is a gerund, by the way, is singular and it takes a singular verb. TR: I got no idea what youre talking about.–Tom Keith and Sue Scott in English Majors. A Prairie Home Companion, May 18, 2002

Statistical Techniques, Sample, and Data Collection Research Paper

Statistical Techniques, Sample, and Data Collection - Research Paper Example In a quantitative research, the sample refers to a group of people among the population with who the researcher has direct interaction or encounter with as part of the data collection process. The population can therefore be said to be a very large set made up of several people but the sample a subset within the larger set from who data is collected. Reading through reading through the work of Gall, Gall and Borg, one gets the understanding that having a sample is important for several reasons. In the first place, having a sample is very important to ensure that the researcher can have a group of people who can be handled well in relation to the time available for the study. What this means is that when there are so many people to deal with at a time, it may be difficult to perform an in-depth data collection. What is more, sample can be used to ensure that the researcher uses only people with the right form of information that the researcher seeks for the study. After the sample has been developed, a researcher may go ahead to collect data from the respondents or participants within the sample. Performing data collection can be very difficult for researchers and can even impact on the outcome of the study if the right data collection procedure is not selected. With this, Gall, Gall and Borg (2008) noted that there are several data collection procedures which are often defined under the research strategy that the researcher uses. For most quantitative research, the use of survey is used as the most preferred data collection procedure.

Political Parties and the Electoral Process Essay - 2

Political Parties and the Electoral Process - Essay Example It is, therefore, important to examine the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties, the role that campaigns have played in maintaining this two party system, and the reasons why third party candidates have never been successful at the national level in a Presidential election. Ideological Differences There are many differences between the Republicans and Democrats, but let us on three fundamental areas that are often raised in political discussions. Abortion, for example, is one issue that has divided the political spectrum fro decades. Generally speaking, Democrats support the right of a woman to have an abortion, commonly referred to as being pro-choice (Bolce & Maio, 2002). Republicans, on the other hand, are generally considered to be pro-life and believe that abortion should be illegal. Consider the military. While both parties obviously are proud of the military and believe whole heartedly in America’s right to defend itself, Democrats are in favor of a smaller military and less spending on this area. Republicans, however, typically argue for increased spending on the military and its various services (Pletka, 2013). Finally, we can point out differences on the environmental front. Democrats are generally supportive of policies aimed at protecting the environment, while Republicans are considered to be much more cautious in this area and look to the private sector to take the lead (Newport, 2009). The Campaign Process and Third-Party Candidates Lack of Success It has been said that money dominates America’s political system, and perhaps nowhere can this be demonstrated more than the campaign process. With the largest businesses and private individuals giving substantial sums of money to one of the two major parties, it becomes readily apparent why third party candidates have struggle to even get on stage with one of the other Presidential contenders, much less make an impact. Candidates from the Republican and Democratic pa rties dominate the airwaves during a Presidential campaign, while third-party candidates struggle to have enough money to put up campaign posters. In addition, since candidates must separately register in each of the 50 states in America, the grassroots effort must be tremendous (Colquitt, 2008). As each of the two major parties have hundreds of thousands of supporters in any given location, this is relatively easy for them to accomplish. Third-party candidates, however, generally have extremely localized support, making it nearly impossible for them to get on the ballot in all 50 states. Since America’s electoral system takes into account state votes separately from one another, third-party candidates find themselves at a comparative disadvantage right out of the gate. For these reasons, and other, the political system in America continues do dominate the office of President, and that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Conclusion While certain third-parties hav e certainly made inroads into the political system at the local level, there role in the national system certainly remains negligible at best. There are ideological differences, to be sure, between the two major political parties. Political fighting has grown at a feverish pace

Disscuss the key purpose and rationale for why the government had Essay

Disscuss the key purpose and rationale for why the government had policies of protection - Essay Example The history of Australia is full of violence and bloodshed. The Aboriginal people are considered to be the earliest human race of Australia and is believed to have arrived in this land from the South East Asia around fifty thousand years ago probably during the Ice Age. The Aboriginals who are â€Å"Australia’s first people are divided into two main groups- the Aboriginal people of mainland Australia and the southern island of Tasmania† (Bartlett. 2002)1. During the last half of 17th century, the European explorers including the British sailed down to reach the coast of Australia. During that period, it was known as New Holland. The primary reason for British settlement was to find a suitable place for their convicts to be punished. Then British Governor, Arthur Phillip reached Australia with â€Å"two warships, three supply ships and six ships which carried the main group, almost 800 convicts† (Virginia Tech, n.d.)2. The Europeans however decided to settle down in this land as they found it ideal for cattle and sheep rearing. The ensuing clash of cultures between the two societies (The European and the Aborigines) led to terrible violence and occasional bloodshed. The period of European invasion in Australia is often called as the dark period in the Aboriginal history. Such ruthless had been the invasion, that this period is known as the ‘Killing Time’ in the Australian Museum’s Aboriginal Gallery (Simpson. 2001)3. Initially, the Australian Aboriginal people did not accept the European settlers and revolted against them. But the Europeans were well equipped with the latest weapons that they had brought with themselves from Europe. The Aboriginal people were unable to compete with them and thus the Europeans got an upper hand in the Land of Australia. The ownership of land was the major and the first reason for conflict between these two communities. The Aboriginals did not use the land

Disciplinary procedures

Disciplinary procedures Introduction: Discipline is the essential part of any organization. A disciplinary procedure is sometimes the best way for your employer to tell you when something is wrong. It allows them to explain clearly what improvement is needed and should give you an opportunity to put your side of the situation. The discipline policy is depending of the company. Hear in newly open Tesco, the manager can take action against non-disciplinary action by using the following procedure. Informal non-disciplinary action The line manager should make clear the nature of his or her concern together with any suggestions as to how the member might improve their work performance in such kind of non-disciplinary conduction. There is some stage of to handle non disciplinary action. Hear in this case as a department manager the decision is being made as per the company policy about the disciplinary action. In this case Paul Wilkinson come late to the work but leave early, so as a department manager the legal action would be taken as under. In the case of Paul Wilkinson the action would be taken as under Stage 1 First formal oral warning While taking any disciplinary action, it is essential to give a formal oral warning to the employee, hear the department manager already given the oral warning to the Paul Wilkinson about their non-disciplinary behaviour but he didnt improve her behaviour, now as per the company policy the department manager will take the second step to follow the procedure. Stage-2 written warning After all investigation about the case if the person found guilty or un-discipline the next step would be to give a written notice. In the notice contain all the detail about the case and further action taken by the department manager. After giving formal oral warning the Paul Wilkinson does not make any improvement so, the manger gives him a written warning about their conduct. This written warning is the proof of the action which is taken by the manager so, in future if any legal conflict are arise, this written warning can remain as a proof. so as a department it is very wise to give a written warning before taking any non-disciplinary action. Stage 3 Final warning If there is still a failure to improve and conduct or performance is still unsatisfactory, or where the matter is sufficiently serious, the company give him a final warning about to improve the behaviour or follow the company rules. In this final warning company have to mentioned that if candidate do not follow the rules, company will dismiss him immediately. In this case if the Paul Wilkinson still not make any improvement the manager give him an final warning. Stage 4: Dismissal If conduct or performance is still unsatisfactory, dismissal will normally take place this is not any warning but final dismissal letter given to the candidate. As a department manager, before taking the dismissal action he informs to Paul Wilson and if he will fail to conduct performance after final warning, he will be dismissed by the company. The action would be taken in the case of Sheena Johnson Hear in this case Sheena Johnson found to theft the material from the department, so this is a legal crime to stealing the material from the company and the manager told him to report him tomorrow. So in this case the action would be taken as under. Investigating of stealing: as a department manager the first procedure would be to gathering evidence of offences, because the evidence is the proof of the case, without evidence manager can not take any further decision. Hear in this case security caught the Sheena Johnson to stealing the material so; the manager will see the evidence and then take the further decision. Seek Legal Advice before Confronting an Employee: before taking further action manager need to present that to your companys legal advisor first of all. Further more you conduct any interview with the person in a calm and rational manner. In the event that a suspected employee isnt caught in the act of theft nor have they confessed, once you feel you have gathered enough evidence to support your theory more firmly, you need to present that to your companys legal advisor first of all. If they feel you have a watertight case with enough evidence to prove their guilt then its important that you conduct any interview with the person in a calm and rational manner. This is because if they are guilty, advanced warning might enable them to concoct lies or alibis as to why they couldnt have been involved. Just simply and politely say that you just need a brief chat after work and not give them any indication that it might be about a particularly serious issue. The Interview: If you opt for the interview, however, you need to tell them the reason why you wanted to see them, explain the situation in a calm and rational manner and then give them the right to respond. At first, they might simply refute your claims and stand their ground but the more hard evidence you can introduce after theyve finished speaking, the more likely theyll buckle under the pressure and confess. They may not, of course, which is the point at which you may need to seek further legal advice about pursing the matter in court, if its a serious case. Reference:- http://www.human-resource-solutions.co.uk/Areas%20of%20Interest/Discipline.htm http://www.workplacesafetyadvice.co.uk/dealing-with-employee-theft.html

Maturity in A Seperate Peace :: essays research papers

The book A Separate Peace by John Knowles is about a group of students at Devon, a boarding school in New England, going through a school year together. As the book continues, the boys seem to mature more or less throughout the book, sometimes getting mentally older, or sometimes getting mentally younger, varying between the characters. Phineas says to Gene, â€Å"Let’s go jump in the river.† To me, this seems childish. Jumping out of a tree into a river seems fun, but is something just about only a young child would do. What the reader thinks may be entirely different though, every person has their own thoughts about who does what when. But the point is that this does not seem like something a teenage boy at a boarding school would do. In chapter two, Phineas says to Gene that they should make a club. A club is not something you do in high school; it’s something you do in elementary school. Clubs are a way to waste time when you are young and a way to have fun with your friends when you are a little child. When you are in high school, it is not what you do to have fun with your friends. When Finny comes up with the idea of blitzball, he is again thinking like a child. The way he comes up with it makes him seem like the six-year-old Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes. He makes up the rules as they play the game, sometimes making it impossible for other people to get the ball. â€Å"Not say anything about it! When you broke the school record!† We all used to do this as children, when somebody doesn’t want something shared, you’d yell it out. It was something you did when you were a young child, not a young adult. When Gene says this, he is not trying to be childish, but he is trying to be funny. When the boys are shoveling the railroad tracks for money to help the trains pass along on the Boston and Maine line, they seem to have matured more. They are not only doing this for the money, but also to help the country out in a time of need. By doing this, they are not only doing this for themselves, but for the country and their self-satisfaction When Gene has decided to join the Navy; Brinker, the Coast Guard.