Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:45:08 -0600WeeblyThu, 01 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/eight-questions-to-ask-yourself-about-influencing-others
Whenever we speak with or write to someone we are influencing them in some way. Understanding our own influencing strategies will help us prepare for a more effective encounter with others. Ask yourself these eight questions:
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1. What are my influencing strengths? Weaknesses?

2. How do I make a personal connection with people?

3. How do I stay focused when I become distracted while speaking with someone?

4. What type of open-ended questions do I ask?

5. How do I interpret body language? How do I am right in my interpretation?

6. How do I go about understanding my audience before I speak?

7. How do I express my values with authenticity?

8. How do I find common ground when I disagree with others?]]>Mon, 01 Jul 2019 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/five-ways-to-use-your-day-wisely2211327Do you have too much to do and not enough time to do it?  Unfortunately, we are not going to get more time.  We need to use our gift of 24 hours wisely.

1. Take ten minutes and make a list of the tasks you need to do today.

2. Pick out the most important ones and prioritize them. 

3. Work on them one at a time, beginning with the most important.

4. Make an appointment with yourself just as you would for a meeting with a customer, and work on the tasks during the self-appointment.

5. Make the above 1 through 4, a daily habit.

“Nothing is more important than this day.”  Goethe]]>Fri, 24 May 2019 14:53:09 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/find-your-sacred-space

We are busy people sometime overloaded with information and the push and pull of our daily grind. Reduce your stress. We have two sacred spaces: one outside ourselves and one within us. Find yours.
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Our Outside Space: If we want to remain healthy and productive find a way to unplug from the demands of work, school, family and everything else. Locate a quiet space. There may be a spot in your home or back yard, a near-by park or chapel, an exercise room, a reading room, or on your deck or balcony. We can usually find a quiet spot in every situation. The trick is to be alone, unplug and enjoy the silence.

Our Inner House of Prayer: There is an ample body of research that suggests prayer and religion rank high among the best stress busters. People who are more religious or spiritual use their spirituality to cope with life. They heal faster and have a greater sense of well-being. Prayer and spirituality are a way of letting go of control. We find this spot when we go into our inner house of prayer.

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]]>Mon, 29 Apr 2019 22:29:03 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/five-ways-to-keep-on-track8887581We clutter our mind when we try to jam too much into it. When we do that, we can’t see the proverbial ‘forest for the trees.’ Try these strategies to free up brain space:

1. Take a five-minute mental break before starting another task.

2. Complete one task at a time. Forget multi-tasking. It’s not possible.

3. Nurture mental discipline by bringing yourself back to focus.

4. Meditate in a quiet place and live in the moment.

5. Write tasks down so that you don’t have to carry them around in your head.

6. Read a novel or watch a movie.

7. Go for a walk and welcome the landscape.

8. Finish the task you have been putting off.

]]>Fri, 01 Mar 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/five-ways-to-keep-on-track
Our life is distracted with too much trivia. We often fill it up with noise that takes away from the important stuff. Here are five ways to focus and keep on track.
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1. Think about your ultimate end. What do you want your epitaph to say? Revamp your values and goals and focus on the most important value today.
2. Know the difference between urgent and important. Urgent items are short term activities that can wait. Important items are long term activities that we need to work on daily. Focus on the important items first and be more flexible with the rest.
3. Be goal oriented with a “Five for Five” program. Develop five big goals for five years. Sometimes we overwhelm ourselves with too many goals. Identify what you want to achieve in five years and pick the most important five. They become the basis of your five-year plan.
4. Keep your goals in front you every day. Attach them to your daily to do list. Make sure you focus on the one that is most important for the current year. Break that goal down into monthly tasks and set a time during the week when you will work towards your big goal.
5. Simply your life. Remove your hidden interrupters such as the reminder notifications you receive for appointments, emails and activities. Get rid of the clutter in your head, on your desk and on your soft desk top.

]]>Sat, 02 Feb 2019 16:33:01 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/seven-ways-to-sharpen-your-focusWe get things done by keeping focus on what is important.. the best way to deal with distractions is to manage them, rather than letting them manage us. Try these tips to gain better focus:

1. Live your personal values with integrity.

2. Keep your hard desk top and your virtual desk top clear of distractions..

3. Turn your phone (including your Smart Phone) off for 90 minutes and stick to your important tasks.

4. When possible (and especially on week-ends) turn off notifications on all devises including email notifications.

5. Be clear about those things that distract you and eliminate them.

6. Balance work, play and sleep.

7. Take time to meditate.]]>Mon, 17 Dec 2018 22:04:42 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/kindness-during-the-christmas-seasonPlay it forward - buy a coffee for the person behind you.
Drop an extra dollar into the Salvation Army Bucket.
Give an over-indulged colleague a ride home.
Visit someone in the hospital or a care home.
Donate to the Food Bank.

]]>Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:32:55 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/five-questions-to-self-awareness2217321
To become the person you want to be, you need to know yourself. Find a quiet spot and ponder the following five questions.

       1. Who are you when you are alone?
       2. What does freedom mean to you?
       3. What do you fear the most?
       4. What do you need to let go?
       5. What can you do today to grow into what you want to become                       Tomorrow?

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes” C.G. Jung]]>Wed, 02 May 2018 16:05:41 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/eight-ways-to-create-a-culture-of-empowermentEight Steps to Create A Culture of Empowerment.

1. Allow people to discover their own ways to achieve goals or objectives.

2. Set boundaries at the beginning and be prepared to expand the boundaries when confidence and competence grows.

3. Encourage people to take ownership and responsibility for their decisions and give them the latitude to self-correct.

4. Ensure your management processes allow for empowerment and not obstruction.

5. Be open to developing a continuous learning environment.

6. Nurture relationships built on trust, inclusion and respect.

7. Be patient, allow people to grow and develop.

8. Be supportive
]]>Tue, 24 Apr 2018 21:38:59 GMThttps://www.fontaniemagazine.com/quicktips/six-habits-that-lead-to-successWe are creatures of habit. Our habits can lead us to success or they can drag us down an unsuccessful path. People thrive when they strengthen positive habits.  Practice the following six strategies until they become habitual and they will put you on a path to success.

1. Visualize where you would like to be.

2. Focus on your end and set your goals.

3. Prioritize your goals.

4. Complete the tasks that lead you to your goals.

5. Keep a positive attitude.

6. Learn from your successes and mistakes.

Clarify where you would like to be and then make the effort to get there.]]>