• Many people that don’t have time to watch that video or listen to that podcast DO have time to read the transcript.
• Many people are in an environment that would not allow them to listen to a podcast or online video (their surroundings are too loud, they would disturb people around them, they can’t use headphones or ear buds for some reason, etc.).
• Many people want to quote from a video or podcast in something they are writing (and if that’s online, that quote will often link back to the original broadcast).
• A person may just need very specific information, and a text search makes that information oh-so-easy to find.
• Some people prefer reading to listening or watching (I’m one of those people); they are much more likely to access your information in text form than a video or audio.
• And, ofcourse, so people with hearing impairments can access the information.

In short, you greatly increase the number of audience members for a video or podcast, reaching more potential donors, volunteers, clients and others, by captioning a video or offering a transcription of a video or podcast.

At minimum,

• Any video or audio training materials you have should be captioned and/or transcribed.
• All PSAs you want to be distributed widely should be captioned and/or transcribed.
• Videos and podcasts that are part of your service delivery should be captioned and/or transcribed.

Source: CoyoteBlog

Related posts:

1. 5 Reasons to Have Your Video Blogs and Podcasts Transcribed
2. 6 Reasons For Podcasting or Video Blogging
3. 11 Benefits of Podcast Transcription for Podcast Bloggers

Here I’ll share a few thoughts on how to honor your promises and resolutions, and how to make or not make promises in the first place and care about your New Year resolutions!

photo credit: Lel4nd
It’s okay to have second thoughts about what you have resolved to do or not do and there is nothing wrong in having thoughts about your resolutions over and over again even now. If indeed in practicing these resolutions in your daily life, your life has become worse of then you should definitely be having second thoughts and/or find alternative route to achieve your goals.

What is your ultimate goal?

What is the final result you were trying to achieve when you resolved to do X or not do Y in your New Year resolutions?  Were you trying to improve your health by running a 50 metre everyday, but now having difficulty keep the 50 metre a day promise? Maybe there is an alternative or much better way of achieving better health than running a 50 metre everyday. Ask around, your friends, fellow runners, trainers, etc.

Try to evaluate your ultimate goal(s) and maybe you are struggling with only the vehicle to reaching you goal(s). Maybe you need to change your vehicle that achieves the same goal you ultimately want to achieve.

That is why its is prudent to resolve to achive a goal and to not promise the way or vehicle to achieve this goal.

Like in the example above, the ultimate goal is better health and the vehicle is running 50 metres a day. Try to pinpoint your goals and your choice of the vehicles of achieving your goals.

Who do you make you promises to?

This is another vital factor I would consider in changing the vehicle to my goals or my goals themselves. Becauses if your promises were made to God, then my advice would be to keep them at all cost (to your happiness and comfort!) and ask Him to guide you through this hurdle in your road to glory. Or, simply pray that He will be forgiving as always and drop your promises altogether and look at other areas of you life needing more attention and work to better yourself as a person.

But if you only resolved to achieve the final goal then you have the liberty in keep your promises in many diffirent way so try and find the one that works for you. Do not stick with the one that does not work for you thinking “..but I promised..”.

Do you make resolutions public?

If you have made your resolutions public then there is a chance that people around you will keep asking your or minitor your progress. Maybe you even asked one to actually monitor your daily progress. If so, speak to him or her and voice your concerns and why. Tell them about the problems with your vehicle or even your goals. He or she should see sense and help you develop a better program or goal to strive for.

Its important to have an understanding partner or mentor to monitor your daily progress.

How to make promises – take away points:

• Pinpoint ultimate goals,
• make promises to yourself (not God), and
• have a partner or witness who will help you even when you fail or have second thoughts about your resolutions.

How to honor promises (and achieve results)

1. Set very specific goals. Don’t make resolutions just for the heck of it. So many of us are prone to make promises to further our selfish goals, to impress a girlfriend/boyfriend, to appear responsible and trustworthy.
2. Look for the best (according to your personality, needs, environment, etc) vehicle to achieve your ultimate goals.
3. Set achievable goals! Try to acknowledge there are ideal and realistic goals, differentiate between the two and set realistic goals.
4. Have a partner to help you through.
5. Celebrate your smallest achievement toward such a goal.
6. Count your eggs before they hatch. Keep reminding yourself of the ultimate benefits of achieving your goals, personaly benefits, social benefits etc.
7. Keep working at it, remember its because its worth pursuing that you made that your goal in the first place.

Related posts:

1. How to Get that Elusive Promotion You Always Deserved

If you are, you’ve come to the wrong place.  The right place is you!

After much deliberation and pondering, I come to the conclusion that a perfect job does not exist.

It is less about a job and more about you

Unless you have a trust fund the size of Britain, sooner or later, you will be looking for a job.  As there is so much talk about finding the perfect job, unfortunately, you will certainly dash headlong into searching for that illusion.  Sorry to disappoint you, but, there is no such thing as a perfect job.

A job is exactly what you make of it.

A job is enjoyable if you enjoy doing the work the jobs entails.

A job is challenging if you challenge yourself in the workplace every single day.

A job is full of prospects to grow if you constantly look for prospects.

For a person who loves football, a perfect job could be a football player or even a football TV commentator.  Or, maybe, the coach of a high school football team in town.  These jobs may differ but one thing is contant – they all revolve around football.

What is a perfect job anyway? Is it a job perfect for you?  Or, one which is perfect for a friend. Is it perfect because you think it is, or simply because your family or friends says it is perfect for you.  There is so much ambiguity in the definition of the term perfect job.

Find yourself first, before looking for a job

To have the perfect job entails a lot of soul-searching to be done.  Perfectly know what you are about.

Try answering these questions to know yourself:

• Who are you?
• What do you enjoy doing even without getting paid?
• What do you enjoy talking about everyday or any chance you get?
• Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years?
• How do you want your family and friends to remember you for when you die?
• What do you want to be known for when you die?

Search for the Perfect You not a perfect job

The closer you come to truly knowing and understanding you, the closer you are to the perfect job for you.  Take time to find yourself.  Question your hopes and dreams.  Provoke your beliefs and thought processes. Study the emotions you feel when encountering situations or people or places.  Constantly evaluate your priorities and life goals.

The quest for the perfect job starts and ends with you.

Only by self knowledge can you objectively assess the various jobs you may be interested in.  Only by truly understanding your desires and hopes can you know the perfect job.

Only then can you begin the search for the perfect job for you.

photo credit: Brent Gambrell

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So, yesterday when Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net and Eric Hamm of FrugalTheme fame brought out their collaboration ebook – The Essential Motivation Handbook – I could hardly contain myself with excitement!

I am sure all of us need a little motivation at times and this is an ebook that can do just that – motivate.

The price is $14.95. And believe it or not, the bloggers guarantee 100% money-back if you are not satisfied!

Here’s the Table of Contents:

1. How To Motivate Yourself
2. The Only Two Secrets to Motivating Yourself You’ll Ever Need
3. A Guide to Beating the Fears That Are Holding You Back
4. Task Ninja: Form the Action Habit
5. Top 20 Motivation Hacks
6. The Ultimate Guide to Motivation – How to Achieve Any Goal
7. Progress, Progress, Progress! 5 Tips To Keep You Moving Forward
8. 7 Steps to Turn Your Self-Improvement Desires Into Reality
9. 25 Killer Actions to Boost Your Self-Con?dence
10. 6 Small Things You Can Do When You Lack Discipline
11. 16 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You’re in a Slump
12. 5 Tips For Motivational Recovery
13. The Magical Power of Focus
14. 10 Ways to Beat the “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” Syndrome
15. 30 Incredible Places to Turn When You Need Inspiration
16. How To Deal With Negative Feedback
17. How to Doggedly Pursue Your Dreams in the Face of Naysayers
18. Achieve Your Dreams Despite Pressures of Work and Family
19. Why You Should Celebrate Your Mistakes
20. How to Actually Execute Your To-do List
21. The Yin And Yang Of Persistence
22. Enduring the Valley to Get to Success
23. How To Relax And Why It’s So Important
24. The Simple Guide To Single-Tasking Success
25. Stop Reading About It and Do It

Buy now – The Essential Motivation Handbook by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits and Eric Hamm of FrugalTheme.com.

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It’s more about a step towards fulfilling your life’s goals and dreams. It’s all about the fulfillment of your personality and being the best you can be. It’s about reaping more dividends from the talents you were bestowed upon.

Here is a personal story of my professional life.

A few years ago, a little over three years to be precise, I joined this transcription company where I still work.

I was a fresher then, not really knowing what I got myself into. But even then I never lost sight of my dreams and aspirations.

I consciously worked my way up by being helpful and learning the new trade as fast as I can. I take on more work and try my hand at even the hardest jobs around to taste the waters.

I would always voice my opinions and question the old or conventional way of doing things. Discussed my concerns and my new frangled ideas with my team leader who may even discard my ideas outright – though they secretly know it’s a good one!

I asked my seniors about everything job related and try to know everyone in the office and their position.

I learned as much as I can about the company and how the business side of the company was ran. I tried to learn how they got their contracts and how much they charge for the job that I do.

When I do a good job I would casually let my colleagues know and my team leader aware. I let my team leader know when I was ready to take on more and difficult jobs.

I asked for promotions and raise when I feel I deserved them!

Not only that I was always looking at new openings and opportunity within (and outside) the company where I will be more valued and where I can provide more value to the company.

This opportunity came in the form of an evening shift team my company was assembling a year or so back. They wanted this team to handle urgent files and mostly new clients. People were naturally apprehensive and unwilling to change their comfortable environs. The shift was an inconvenience too.

This was fantastic news for me. It was an inviting door where I could explore my capabilities and add value to my work. This was the opportunity to prove my worth. And I did.

So I talked with my then Team Leader about my possible inclusion in that team and the possibility of my being promoted! Just like that. By accepting this challenge, I easily got two important promotions leading to Assistant Team Leader (ATL). Within three years I got promoted three times and now I am an ATL who is included in some decision making matters of even the company!

No, that is not my goal from the beginning but rather a small step towards what I look for in life. Like financial independence, running a business of my own and/or successfully writing a blog!

Now all these may seem like a lot of work and it is, no doubt, but the pay off is good too.

Getting the promotion you always deserve is not that elusive as it sounds; nor is it that difficult.

Take these few suggestions drawn from my experience.

Step 1. Define your professional goals and long-term aims: Have goals and aims which are much bigger than a position in your company, like financial independence or setting up a startup in another 10 years from when you started working or running a successful blog from home. Never shy from having big goals, for your goals will determine what strategies and work ethics you should follow to attain your goals.

Step 2. Be proactive: Always be in communication with your seniors and bosses. Take advices when in doubt, ask questions when confused, and learn all you can about the company you work for, your colleagues, bosses and even investors. There is much to be learnt from other people, especially your bosses.

Step 3. Seek Opportunities: Opportunities exist in every walk of life, every company small or big. Always be on the look out for that opening and give your all to make the best of it. Those are your personal as well as professional growth opportunities.

Step 4: Go the Extra Mile: Don’t be afraid to be the most hardworking man/woman in the team/company. Go the extra mile to outshine the rest. Showcase your unique individuality and talents before your colleagues and bosses. Let them know you are worthy of being promoted.

Step 5: Highlight your Achievements: Tell your colleagues and bosses when you do something right, or complete your project successfully in time. Don’t be afraid to blow your own trumpet, because no one else will blow it for you; they’ve got their own to blow.

Step 6: Ask for Promotion: Just ask your bosses to give you what you deserve. Bosses are not always aware of such deserving personnel! So, remind them. Get the promotion or raise you always deserve.

Step 7: Look at the Big Picture: Do remember that a promotion is just a small step towards your life’s goals. Never tire to make improvements in your life – personal or professional. As a creative being your ultimate goal is to improve yourself. The very process of working towards such life’s goals is the ultimate joy of being alive and successful – not the promotion.

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