You Can be Great If You Really Want To

Who needs critical incident stress management training? Any professional that comes into contact with critical events or incidences. Some of these professions include, but are not limited to, emergency room hospital staff, law enforcement personnel, emergency medical service professionals, fire personnel, psychologists and military professionals. The events these professionals have to handle in their lives could ruin their ablility to handle any given situations by developing extreme behavioral, or emotional reactions. Critical incident stress mangement training helps to alleviate the strain and stress experienced by these professionals.

Professionals are provided with many methods to use for critical incident stress management. These methods form two categories; supportive and intervention. Each training session includes support and guidance, directed from well-trained and qualified mental health professionals. Providing consultations guide peer training, as well as lead group and individual crisis interventions. There are times, along with stress management training; there is traumatic reaction assessments also needed for evaluations of these professionals. Because of their familiarity with emergency work environments and dynamics; these mental health professionals are essentially best qualified for educating the workers of professionals associated with critical incidents or events.

The primary focus of critical incident stress management training is for preventing or minimixing problems, such as post traumatic stress disorder. These training programs are designed to be flexaible, as to meet the needs of peer leaders and professionals alike. These include nursing staff, emergency room staff, firefighters and police officers; as well as mental health professionals including but not limited to psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.

Some of the techniques used, involve one-on-one support, education, family support, debriefings and peer support. Other techniques used for critical incident stress management may provide formal education workshops on traumatic stress or group therapy.

Symptoms most often seen in professionals and people experiencing posttraumatic stress or critical incident stress include reoccurring anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks, intense fear and difficulty moving forward with their lives. Others might experience mental health problems, personality disorders; while, yet others may turn to alcohol, drugs and even food for comfort. Hoping these alternatives will relieve their stress, when in fact it only worsens, allowing critical incident stress to consume their lives. Educated professionals stand ready to aid in the support, help and guidance that is so important in the critical incident stress management training.

Everyone wants to write a book. At least that’s what they tell me when I introduce myself as a book writing coach. Yet, rarely do they follow through to write a book. It is just a magical dream, thought, or idea because there are hundreds of reasons why they can’t do it. We know the reasons: no time; busy; don’t know how; it’s a giant step; my family needs me, and so on.

In our personal and business lives we know how important it is to set goals to achieve our dreams. When we want to write a book we have to use the same goal setting principles. If you want to become an author, a successful writer, you are more apt to succeed if you have a plan.

Author and motivational speaker, Brian Tracy, tells us that, “Every single life only becomes great when the individual sets upon a goal or goals which they really believe in, which they can really commit themselves to, which they can put their whole heart and soul into.”

This is the key: First believe, then commit, and finally put your whole heart and soul into it. Are you ready to begin? Do you have the passion? If you answered, “Yes,” then you can write a book! Let’s get started by using some goal setting techniques to get you going.

Here are the 7.5 goal setting tips you can use to help you write a book:

1. The Dream

Identify your book idea. This is your expert topic that you know so well. This is your dream. Tell yourself right now, “I am writing a book about (name the topic).”

2. Clear Picture

Can you visualize the content of your book? Start writing down the chapter topic ideas. Don’t worry about the order, just write them down. Keep on writing down your ideas so that you get the “big picture.” Your dream should be much clearer to you now.

3. The Plan

Take your book idea and your chapter topics and put them in an order that makes sense to you. Add anything else to your outline that can help make your book a reality. Can you visualize your book now? Is it becoming real to you?

4. Set Dates

Get your appointment book out and start reserving some time each week to write your great book. Even if it’s only 20 minutes to start, write it down and reserve the time. You could write a chapter a week if you set aside 60 minutes. In order for this to work you must have developed your Plan in number 2. The more prepared you are the easier it will be to write your book.

5. Plan of Action

It helps to have a plan of action for everything you need to do to write a book. In addition to number 2 The Plan, you need to identify the other tasks that need to be done such as research, phone calling, people you need such as editors, coaches, publishing info, etc. Get a good book, or search the Internet, for a list of the things you need to do to write your book.

6. Get a Mentor or Buddy

Find a like-minded friend to help keep you on target. Give him or her your PLAN and ask them to remind you of your committed dates. Have them encourage you while writing. Ask them to hold you accountable to your scheduled dates. Better yet, find a mentor or writing coach that can guide and direct you during your book-writing journey.

7. Take Action

Only YOU can complete your goal to write a book. You have to go through all the obstacles in your life to finish the book such as writer’s block, need more information, conflict for your time from family and business, etc. No one can write your book unless you hire a ghostwriter. Even then you must allow time to share your ideas, concepts, and chapter ideas with him or her. Only you can make your dream come true. Only you know how important your book is to your clients. You know it will give them solutions to their problems. You know it will give you the credibility you deserve.

7.5. Stay Up-to-Date

I added a half step to remind you that you need to stay up-to-date on your writing skills and knowledge. Get some good reference books on how to write a book proposal, how to find a literary agent, how to self-publish (if that’s your choice), and other materials you need to write a book. Attend a writer’s retreat that fits your writing category, meet authors and ask questions, and anything else that can keep you committed to writing your great book.

You now have 7.5 ways to set writing goals to accomplish your dream to write a book. Can you see now that writing a book deserves the same type of attention needed to accomplish any goal? Now, go back to Step 1 and take a baby step and tell five friends that, “I am writing a book about (your idea).” Now you are committed.

Copyright 2008, Joan Clout-Kruse. All rights reserved.

Every parent, ideally, would like their child to develop enough Self-Esteem so that they can succeed in life. This all starts the moment a child emerges from birth, and continues as the child ventures out into the world, as they mature into adulthood.

Studies show that there are two ways in Self-Esteem is defined by adults. This is how adults can perceive oneself, to others. Teens, on the other hand, feel that if they are to fit in with the rest of their peers, they have to act cool and join in with others.

Is there a reason for this difference? This could be due to the age gap as adults have had time to experience more and can distinguish between important matters against trivial ones. Teenagers are still in the learning Process and finding their feet.

So, what changes should adults make in order to continue to build up Self-Esteem in a teenager? Teens are in the age of discovery, so the best thing an adult can do is to be open to answering any questions on particular subjects, and support each individual in the choices that they make.

For example, if a teenager wants to try out for the football team, parents hope for the best for them that things will work out fine. Others, will want to look out for their child and try to avoid them hurting themselves in any kind of sport.

Parents also discipline a teenager for any wrong behaviour which is another part of building Self-Esteem. They should explain why they have done something wrong which is better than yelling, to enable the individual to understand what is unacceptable behaviour, in the hope that they will not make the same mistake again.

Another way of to build Self-Esteem, is that parents should know when to comfort their child when things don’t quite work out. If parents decide that they have to go their separate ways, a teenager will feel devastated if a couple break up, as it is their first love which comes from both parents. All parents can do is say that everything will work itself out in the end, and maybe, someone better will come along in the future.

Self-Esteem does not come from just the parents; it also comes from teachers your child meets when they start school and those that are considered friends by the teenager. Other adults then hold the responsibility of ‘moulding their child’ into respectable adults.

Friends are very much like parents, in being able to offer comfort if their son or daughter feels they are too ashamed to open up to them about certain issues in life.

By building Self-Esteem, this helps the teenager to evolve. A person can change if they feel the need, or they can stay where they are if they happy – their ‘comfort zone’. Life doesn’t always turn out as one would expect, so this is gives the perfect chance to start afresh, as though giving oneself a new lease of life.

An individual eventually learns that Self-Esteem is innate, once they have discovered their strengths and weaknesses. They can adapt by focussing on what they are good at, and learn to acquire new ‘tricks’ to improve on those weak points as they come across them.

It is true to say, that when all else fails and the teenager feels like they have a heavy load on their shoulder, it is the parents that they can turn to. This is the biggest responsibility of being a parent, and once their son or daughter grows up and ,maybe, decides that is time to have their own children, the guardians can take a break.