Let Our Advance Worrying Become Advance Thinking and Planning: 20 Project Management Quotes to Live By
Job stress or work stress is not always harmful, but it should be kept within limits. Within a limit, work stress forces us to stay on track. However, if your one of those people who think that stress doesn’t matter? That high-stress levels are somehow something to be endured? think again. Statistics Canada found that 62% of highly stressed workers described work as their main source of stress in a 2010 study, similarly, stress has been proven as a risk factor for numerous diseases, for example, Health Canada reports that stress is a known risk factor for heart disease and it has been proven that stress is a major cause of absenteeism.
Similar to fear, stress has a biological purpose and is very useful. After stressful stimulation inside the body, chemicals are released that result in a fast heart rate, sweating and tightened muscles. However, if the body is exposed continuously to these natural responses, it will not only impact your cognitive and behavioral performance, it can also have a negative impact on your personal health, wellbeing, and family life.
Here are 20 timeless thoughts on stress and how to handle it from the people who came before us (and some from people who are here with us now).
- “I woke up this morning. A lot of people didn’t.” ~ George Burns
- “Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.” ~ Winston Churchill
- “Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” ~ Marilu Henner
- “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” ~ Proverb
- “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.” ~ Winston Churchill
- “It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.” ~ Bruce Lee
- “If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days.” ~ Kris Carr
- “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”~ Ovid
- “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” ~ William James
- “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
- “Planning lies with men; success lies with heaven.” ~ Chinese proverb
- “Long-range planning works best in the short term.” ~ Euripides
- “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” ~ Hans Selye
- “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” ~ Thomas Edison
- “Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.” ~ Roger Von Oech
- “For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. “~ Lily Tomlin
- “There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them.” ~ Tom Krause
- “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.”~ Bertrand Russell
- “I feel that the most important requirement in success is learning to overcome failure. You must learn to tolerate it.”~ Reggie Jackson
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
~ Henry Ford - “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”
~ Bill Cosby - “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.”~ Robert Eliot
- “Managing to have a sense of humour makes it a lot easier to manage people.” ~ Steve Wilson
- “Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”~ Winnie the Pooh
- “When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” – Peter Marshall
What is your favorite quote on stress and how to overcome it? Feel free to share the best one(s) you have found in this article or in your life in the comments section below.
If You Want to Make Enemies, Try to Change Something: 17 Inspiring Change Quotes to Live By
If you want to make enemies, try to change something. Change, no matter what scale it is on, can be a source of stress and anxiety for many. However, it’s common for change management practitioners to view resistance to change as an irrational barrier to progress. Another school of thought is that resistance to change is a social process that can strengthen changes and help to eliminate undesirable change.
The fact remains that change is necessary in all organizations. But, it is the way change is initiated which can so greatly vary. It can be forced upon companies by outside forces or just come from a realization that the company may be falling behind the times. In this way, change management might be quite beneficial to an organization. Organizations that have learned how to transform themselves through effective leadership and strategic control are more likely to survive and prosper. The dilemma is that most people hate change and love it at the same time and what they really want is for things to remain the same but get better.
The good news is that God has a plan for your life to prosper. If we trust in God and allow the change to grow us to become more like Jesus Christ in how we respond and act, then we are promised that all things will work together for good for those who love Him and keep His commandments!
The following thought-provoking quotes relate to change management including resistance to change, acceptance and change strategy.
- “One of the reasons so many celebrities keep going in and out of rehab is that they leave out the critical element to lasting change: God.” – Unknown
- “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” — Niccolo Machiavelli
- “Change has its enemies.” — Robert Kennedy
- “He who rejects change is the architect of decay.” — Harold Wilson
- “Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.” — Samuel Johnson
- “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” — Charles Kettering
- “God supplies everything you need for successful change, and when you make changes with his help, it says changed.” – Unknown
- “It is always easier to talk about change than to make it.” — Alvin Toffler
- “It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out nor more doubtful of success nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things.” — Machiavelli
- “The path of least resistance is the path of the loser.” — H. G. Wells
- “When you feel weak in the face of change, God is omnipotent, or all-powerful. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” the Bible says. (Romans 8:31, NIV) Knowing the invincible God is on your side gives you tremendous confidence.” – Unknown
- “Paralyze resistance with persistence.” — Woody Hayes
- “Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed – the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day.” — Frances Hesselbein
- “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence – it is to act with yesterday’s logic – Peter Drucker
- “The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.” — John P. Kotter
- “Your success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.” — Mark Sanborn
- “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” — Woodrow Wilson
Don’t make change harder than it has to be. Do it the right way. Ask God for help.
Professor Pavel Matousek – Laser Man
Professor Pavel Matousek, a Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Senior Fellow and Chief Scientific Officer of Cobalt Light Systems Ltd, has pioneered revolutionary techniques for analysing the chemical composition of materials and co-founded a highly successful spin-out company. He has helped develop and commercialize award-winning laser technologies that detect liquid explosives at airports, rapidly check the quality of pharmaceutical products, and that may one day non-invasively diagnose breast cancer. Pavel states:
“I Am Very Excited about What I Do and Driven to Answer Questions in Front of Me, Unravel Complex Problems and Deliver Something Useful to Society.”
STFC science writer James Doherty meets the Laser Man.
Pavel, what first got you interested in physics?
I became fascinated by the stars and Universe while growing up in the Czech Republic. I joined an astronomy society at secondary school and it became clear I wanted to study physics. I got very interested in laser physics during my MSc at the Czech Technical University in Prague. It is a very dynamic field.
When did you arrive at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL)?
I joined as a research associate in 1991, and went on to complete my PhD in ultra-fast Raman Spectroscopy at RAL, awarded by the Czech Technical University. I’ve been here almost 25 years to the day.
So what is Raman Spectroscopy?
It is a technique that involves shining a laser beam at the surface of a material, and then observing the colour of light scattered from the point of illumination. This typically provides information about the chemical composition of the material’s surface. C.V. Raman observed the effect in 1928 and subsequently won a Nobel Prize.
You pioneered a technique called Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS): What is it and how does it differ from normal Raman Spectroscopy?
“We couldn’t have developed the SORS technique without the instrumentation and long term research continuity available at the Central Laser Facility at RAL”
SORS is a technique that we stumbled across in the Ultrafast Spectroscopy Laboratory (ULTRA) by chance. We had assumed that photons could only be detected at the illumination point but we were wrong. Some photons migrate sideways through the material then emerge adjacent to the illumination point. As these photons have interacted with molecules deeper inside the medium, they provide information about internal chemical make-up: SORS probes deeper into the material. And the further you move from the illumination point, the deeper you see into the medium. The process
involves large photon migration distances, often extending to several centimetres or more. This came as a big surprise.
“SORS involves probing at one location and detecting at another. Our minds, and those of others, were constrained by our perception of how the Raman Spectroscopy process worked but once we made this serendipitous discovery, we quickly realised it had potential major applications.”
What kind of applications?
“The Range of Potential Applications for Sors Is Staggering.”
Insight100 (Cobalt Lights Systems Ltd) scanner for noninvasive analysis of bottles at airports.
Using micro-SORS for non-destructive analysis of painted layers in Art
We immediately realised SORS could determine the chemical make-up of substances by non-destructive means. This could have applications in bio-medicine, chemistry, security, forensics, heritage, and beyond. But we first focused on pharmaceuticals, and developed novel ways for analysing the chemical make-up of manufactured drugs.
We swiftly filed 8 patents, which became the basis of our company Cobalt Light Systems.
Cobalt Light Systems is perhaps best known for its airport security scanners. Can you describe how these work and their impact to passenger travel?
Security scanners represent the second generation of technology developed by Cobalt. To date there are around 400 operational units in 70 airports across Europe and Asia. They are used to scan traveller essentials, such as medicines or baby milk, and compare their chemical make-up to a database of potentially explosive substances. Suspicious substances are automatically identified and flagged. For example, the technology avoids passengers having to drink liquids (e.g. baby milk) in front security officer to prove they are not dangerous, which is clearly safer and more hygienic. It has also contributed to new legislation, and is expected to lead to a relaxation of the complete ban of taking liquids on board a plane in the future.
The scanners are currently the size of a microwave oven but right now we are launching a SORS handheld device. This should have further applications for first responder teams called to spillages of unknown substances and fire fighters attending chemical fires.
Pavel Matousek Pioneered a Technique Called Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS)
How did STFC help with this process?
First off, we used instrumentation at STFC’s Central Laser Facility to demonstrate the basic capability to detect the SORS subsurface signal. Once we made the discovery in 2004, we worked closely with STFC’s Technology Transfer Office SIL (formerly CLIK) and Business and Innovations (BID) to develop, optimise and protect our ideas. There was a complex path to navigate from discovery, to optimising SORS, building a prototype, and ultimately to securing investment in 2008. BID/SIL coordinated the company at all levels and provided the support necessary to achieve this goal.
“My story illustrates the national and international importance of STFC. If its determination to deliver impact on science was absent, the chain from a fundamental discovery to Cobalt Light Systems’ product would have been broken. STFC responded appropriately at every stage. And this is just one example of how STFC contributes to the UK’s know-how economy.”
What are you working on currently?
I’m focused on developing novel non-invasive medical screening techniques, including diagnosing bone disease such as osteoporosis (jointly with STFC’s Prof Tony Parker and University College London’s Prof Allen Goodship), and I’m working with Professor Nicolas Stone of Exeter University on non-invasive breast cancer screening.
In addition, I’m collaborating with Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Italy to apply the SORS technology to objects of art on microscales. For example, we can scan different layers of paint to determine compositional information essential in restoration and preservation of artefacts.
How will the medical applications benefit patients?
Patient benefit could be enormous. Current diagnosis techniques for osteoporosis are around 60-70% accurate as they sense only mineral content. SORS on the other hand has a high specificity for mineral and collagen content – both of which determine bone strength – and so holds considerable promise for providing improved diagnostic accuracy. SORS could also be used to classify breast or prostate tumours as malignant or benign without needle biopsy. This would reduce patient stress and save medical provider costs.
However, medical problems are challenging as the human body is complex and variable. These applications are probably still 7-10 years away.
Why do you do this research?
This is where my passion and interest lies – I’m very excited about what I do.
“As You Push the Boundaries of Technology and Make New Discoveries, the End Goal Always Changes. This Is the Nice Thing about Science.”
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Project Management for Christian Leaders
It’s Monday afternoon at the office. The week has only begun, but you’re already swimming in a sea of memos, spreadsheets, and schedules. Just as you’re daydreaming about what leftovers you might reheat for a late dinner, your boss pokes his head into your office. He or she mutters something about quotas and deadlines before he or she drops the bomb about a “little project” he or she needs you to complete by the end of the week. And just like that, you know you’ve been handed a nightmare but for whatever reason accept the challenge.
“According to the Cranfield School of Management in the Uk, 68% of Projects Are Destined for Failure Before They Even Start.”
The lack of project management training or experience of many Christian leaders can be an enormous stress factor for them. Whilst natural organizational ability is enormously helpful, in itself it is no guarantee of any project being both successful and low stress.
What is a nightmare project? It’s something we’re all familiar with. The boss assigns us some vague task and a deadline but leaves the means to a solution up to our creative intellect.
So how do you solve the problem of this dreaded “project”?
1. Understand the scope of the project
First things first, create a list to layout your ideas on how to go about the job at hand. Write out questions you might have that need to be answered, people you might need to work with or talk to in order to understand what work must be done.
Without fully understanding what work must be done, it is impossible to accurately estimate a project’s schedule or budget.
After creating a list, share your ideas with colleagues. Work with peers who have the same goal and share the same work ethics as you. Too often, when faced with an unrealistic project, we tend to work with just about anybody who wearily agrees to have their name on board. The enthusiasm of a new project quickly fades when actual work is needed. Instead of “How can I help?” were met with “I’m busy right now” and “Can it wait until next week?” The sponsor, project manager, and project team must share a common understanding of the scope of the project.
2. Get estimates from the people who will be doing the work
To avoid the stress of friendly fatigue, create a solid plan of action with your co-workers. Assign duties and responsibilities and set a deadline for each task.
4. Re-estimate as soon as you realize an estimating assumption was wrong
Don’t get discouraged if people and other things fall through. Even though it’s frustrating with the broken promises, missed deadlines, mistakes, and poor quality outputs. As soon as you realize a mistake was made, assess the impact and re-estimate the project.
“Unfortunately When Project Managers Spend the Majority of Their Time Trying to Achieve the Unachievable, the Result Is Frustration and Potential Burnout.”
But say you’ve followed those steps and were able to remain positive throughout this grueling week. You completed the assignment, whether enthusiastically or completely drained of all energy, only to be told the higher-ups decided to go a different route and don’t need the results of your project after all. “Good effort, though,” your boss tells you as he or she hands back your laminated report.
If you find yourself in this situation, just remember to never say “yes” to a “little project without first taking a look at what you’ve been handed.
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Manage Your Project More Effectively Now
There are a few who get project management right from the outset, but for many it’s a minefield. In theory, project management seems easy, but it’s not as straightforward as it seems. If you’re like the majority of people, you follow what seems like a simple project management process. You start by setting your budget, you choose the right people to join the team, and hope the project gets completed without too many hitches along the way.
But, realistically speaking, project management is nothing like this – it’s hardly ever so straightforward. Mistakes are made. You might choose the wrong people to complete the project. Your team might have no idea what’s expected of them or what the project goals are, or in some cases they might even receive conflicting information, which puts the whole project in jeopardy. Sometimes the scope of the project changes, and because of everything else that’s going on, your team is unable to fulfill the requirements and meet the project deadlines.
It happens, and you’ve got to be prepared for any situation while working together towards the common goal – successfully completing the project.
Don’t throw in the towel just yet. It might seem daunting, but there are few surefire tricks of the trade which businesses and project managers can implement to better their chances of successfully completing a project on time and within budget.
1. Know the Project Details Well
Before starting, you need to create a thorough project scope that outlines every single thing. This then needs to be approved by every stakeholder involved.
Your scope needs to have as much detail as possible such as the short-term milestones, deliverable dates, and a budget outline. It makes sense really. The more detail it includes will improve your odds when it comes to completing the project successfully.
What’s more, you’ll also improve your relationship with your client throughout the whole project process from the beginning right through to the end. Of course every project will encounter a few changes along the way – this is the norm, but having a detailed plan will help you manage your client better when something is off course.
Choose your Project Team Members and Size Wisely
2. Choose your Project Team Members and Size Wisely
Naturally, if you want your project to be a winner, you need the right people for the job, which includes having the right project manager on board. Keep your team as small as possible – size does matter; so don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
The smaller the team, the better the communication. It also eases the stress and takes the pressure off the project manager. With a smaller team made up of the right people, the project manager will be able to organise their group without losing sight of all the details and work that’s needed doing. So, if you really want to have an effective project, limit your group’s size and only use those people and their skills that can benefit the project.
3. Highlight your Expectations from the Outset
You need to outline what you expect and what the client expects, which includes all the milestones, from the very beginning. Setting more milestones more frequently will allow you to follow the project’s progress more effectively. This way you’ll be able to jump on things quickly when they begin to go off scope, allowing you and your team to remain on target and on time.
Setting frequent milestones in a project will also allow you to review your spending and the investment thus far, which in turn will help you stay within the budget.
Milestones remove any ambiguity. They allow people to stay on target and there’s less risk of derailing the project.
Milestone setting should be a team effort. Everyone should be on board, so there won’t be any excuses later on down the line.
4. Does your Team Know what They’re Doing?
It may sound like a given, but it’s really important to be crystal clear from the beginning regarding people’s roles in the project. In other words, you need to highlight who is responsible for what, and what their deadline or deadlines are.
Things can get complicated with many people working on the same task. Sometimes things get misinterpreted or lost in translation. Avoid anyone being confused by clearly stating who should do what right from start, and make sure you enforce accountability.
You don’t need to worry about manually managing such tasks, as there are plenty of easy-to-use online task management programmes that can do this for you, so embrace technology and ease your pressure.
You may think it’s a waste of time spelling it all out, but this ensures that the full scope of the project is understood, people are clear of their role and individual and collaborative timelines. This is the key to keeping people on task and motivated.
5. Stop Micromanaging
It’s important to constantly touch base with your team members. However, there’s a fine line between supporting them and breathing down their necks. Give them space instead of micromanaging. Empower your team, trust them, and you’ll get their best work.
6. Use a Reliable System to Manage the Project
Communication is key. Most people rely on emailing, but when it comes to managing a big project with a number of different people working on it, this can hinder the project’s progress. Constantly referring back to old emails and previous correspondence is only going to waste precious time. Use software that keeps everything in one place from communication to any project information and updates. This will save you and your team a lot of time and money.
Motivate your Team
7. Motivate your Team
Everyone works better with positive reinforcement. Set milestones and reward when they’re reached. Your milestones will keep all people on track. Celebrate milestones together, but be sure to also recognise those who can’t meet them.
8. Frequent Short Meets to Stay on Track
It’s a project with many people collaborating, so holding regular meetings is a must. This is the only way to ensure that everyone and the project are on track. But you need to keep it short and sweet. Don’t meet for the sake of meeting. Have an agenda and stick to it. If you’re doing your project virtually, it’s even more important to touch base on a regular basis, so keep those communication lines open.
People do tend to go on at times when given the floor, so give everyone a set time to speak and make sure you all stick to it.
9. Allow Time for Change
No project ever runs 100% smoothly and specifications do change along the way. So to avoid the unnecessary stress and running around frantically, do some forward thinking, and set aside a certain amount of time for any changes in the scope – you’ll thank yourself for doing so in the end!
3 Ways That You’re Wasting Your Time
We’re all guilty of wasting time at some point in our lives. Some of us will leave doing household chores until the last minute because we’re too busy watching TV, or we will finish a project late because we were out with friends. We constantly put ourselves through the stress of trying to do something at the last minute, however, there will come a day when ‘last minute’ isn’t going to cut it, especially when you’re a Believer. As Christians, we too waste our time doing things that are useless.
I’ve compiled a short list of 3 things that we’re better off not doing because it just wastes valuable time.
1. Trying To Change A Person
Some people like to play GOD. We go about trying to change our spouses, children, parents, co-workers, friends… but let me tell you something, friend: we do not have the power to change anyone! That’s GOD’S job, not ours. GOD is the one that can harden or soften a person’s heart- remember Pharoah? The guy that wouldn’t let GOD’S people go? GOD hardened that man’s heart to show His might as the great I Am. GOD would also soften the hearts of people in power so that favor would be shown to His chosen people, and then when the Israelites rebelled, well, let’s just say that GOD really knows how to make a point. Of course, we can pray for these people, we can share the Gospel with them, and we can make our lives a living example of Christ’s love for the Lost. You cannot force Jesus on the Lost- not even GOD forces Himself on anyone. They have to be ready to come to Him on their own and accept Him as their LORD and Saviour.
2. Waiting For A Wife/Husband
Oh, the futility of this. Are you that woman who scans the church for any male newcomers, hoping that one may be your intended? Or are you that man who hunts through Christian dating sites (huh? A dating site for Christians? It’s like no one believes that GOD will bring them their spouse at the right time) for a potential wife? Maybe some of you are even flicking through people’s profiles on social media and sending them messages when one happens to catch your eye. Stop. Just back up a bit there and relax. GOD has got this figured out, Beloved. He knows who you’re going to marry and when you’re going to marry. Focus on GOD, get involved in church, go on outreach missions, reach out to people- you might just find your intended when you least expect it. So, just breathe and give all that valuable time to GOD.
3. Being Angry At GOD
Some of us like to throw little temper tantrums when we don’t get our way. We might even shake our fists at GOD and ask why. We are wasting our time, Family. You can’t get mad at GOD! We are just mere humans who only understand in part- how dare we question the Almighty? It’s not going to change anything (or you might just get a nasty surprise). I understand that sometimes we may be hurt because a loved one died even though you prayed and fasted for them, or disappointed when you hear of GOD’S inaction when it comes to child rape and molestation. Let me make one thing clear: it is not GOD’S will that people should suffer, but we do live in a fallen world filled with people hellbent on destroying their own lives and the lives of others. And yes, Satan is constantly pushing iniquity (just look at society now). Your prayers may not have been answered or answered in the way that you would have liked, but that doesn’t mean that GOD has stopped listening or that He doesn’t care. First, examine your life and make sure that there isn’t anything blocking your prayers, and then remain confident in GOD no matter what happens. That’s what having faith means- you need to believe even when you do not see anything happening or when things are falling apart.
There are rules to everything. There is a lot that goes on in the spiritual realm that we are not aware of, things that impact the physical realm. When we are praying for someone’s salvation, there is a war going on in the spiritual realm. You are essentially pushing back evil with your prayers so that Jesus may shine the light of His Gospel on them. Just because you cannot see anything happening, does not mean that all things are as they seem. Do not give up praying for your family and friends, because your prayers are doing something.
GOD’S timing is always perfect; He is never late or early, He is always right on time. That job that you need, that spouse you’ve been praying for, the grandchild that has gone off the deep end- GOD hears your prayers and He is working on it. You need to be faithful though, do not doubt today and then believe tomorrow.
Finally, you need to rest in GOD. Your life may be in chaos or things just don’t seem to be happening, but you need to rest. That doesn’t mean waiting around for things to happen- that is being passive. Be active in your faith and continue to do GOD’S work.
