A Brief Essay - Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of being.

Goethe's statement seems quite attractive to a number of people; however, practically implementing his thoughts is quite a job for some. In my viewpoint, appreciation oftentimes leads to success. However, a number of people simply cannot appreciate others. Well this particular point will be discussed somewhere at the end of this very writing.

Most of the times, when we are talking to people - friends, acquaintances, family members - we are constantly evaluating them for something (let's assume that we are knowledgeable enough to evaluate them). Like if you are talking to a programmer, you may evaluate him/her on the basis of his/her up to date theoretical plus practical knowledge of the major programing languages. Now, while passing through this process of evaluation, it is your duty to acknowledge people's skills if you find a spark in them.

Confidence is a must. You want to become an actor, marketer or a brand manager - confidence can get you almost everything. And the best way to gain confidence is to become knowledgeable. When you have expert power, you will automatically gain confidence by analyzing and presenting things logically.

Coming back to the topic, we should give confidence to people around us. For instance, when I was in school, there was this guy who could never do well in sports. Although he was a very good player, but during important cricket matches, his performance was never up to the mark. One sports day, our team lost the match because of him. Our coach, instead of criticizing, called him and talked for a few minutes. He made him realize that you have given some beautiful shots in the past and not only him, but every single team member feels the same. He appreciated him and emphasized his strengths. The very next day, he performed so well that we won the trophy and felt so proud of him. So the conclusion is that a number of people require some sort of appreciation or a positive evaluation of their work so that they could know how well they perform. When they realize they are doing good, they perform even more better.

We have also heard this quote from bible, "Do unto others as you want others do unto you". I think the main point lies here. You should appreciate people the same way as you want them to appreciate you. And if people start to acknowledge others work, the world can become a better place with so many skilled and knowledgeable people.

Appreciation also help individuals to further specialize in their fields. For instance, if you acknowledge a designer, he will not only like "the nice words", but will also work ever harder so as to maintain the same level of knowledge and creativity.

When a person does not possess some quality, I think it's better not to appreciate him for his bad work. Instead, steps should be taken to help him identify his area of interest. Similarly, over-appreciation can also bring about negative results as people stop progressing thinking that they do not need to learn more.

In conclusion, I think we should treat people in a way that helps them improve and enhance their skills and knowledge. Jealousy and other negative feelings should be avoided. Instead, people should be encouraged to appreciate others so that the skills and knowledge are passed on to the next levels.

A brief essay - Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step: only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find his road

Everyone has some goals in life. Even after achieving success, people enter into a next phase and their objectives are promoted too. As a result, their lives become more complicated. As simple as it sounds, creating your objectives and then deciphering them is quite a job. Analyzing situations/problems logically is good, but being over-logical could make you risk averse.

Similar is the case with goal setting. Let's assume there are two kinds of humans. First, who plan short term, handle tasks carefully and expect no variances. Second, who think strategically, set long-term objectives and strive to achieve success through achieving a series of short-term objectives. According to Mr. Dam Hammarskjold, the latter type is more capable of achieving higher returns and hence, they find the right road. In this matter, I would agree with the former secretary general of the United Nations.

You see, gathering relevant information and making the right move is important to every single person; however, pessimism could sometimes lead you to failure (or smaller returns). In order to find the right direction, it is quite important for you to have a farsighted vision. Think Strategically - that's what we call it. Strategic or long-term approach reduces any limitations and helps clarify your vision.

Let's take a simple example from the field of business. You must have noticed that every organization has a certain vision and then, a mission that is designed to help achieve its ultimate dream - that is its vision. Why do you think organizations create a vision? Why not a set of short-term objectives? Well, the reason is that vision provides direction. It is no less than a far horizon that you wish to achieve by finding the right road. It is like a dream that requires a series of short-term objectives.

In order to achieve your overall objective(s), it is necessary for you to find the right path. If you constantly look down to the ground or become too involved in smaller decisions, there is a chance that you will lose your vision or destination. For instance, you have decided to become a brand manager of a reputed company in your country. Now, you can achieve this objective by applying in the right business school, opt for courses that are related to marketing/branding, get in touch with the famous brands worldwide and do some lateral thinking to enhance your creativity. Conversely, if you are making decisions as you confront problems, you might end up in the middle of nowhere. So, a long-term view of the whole situation is what you need to become successful.

In conclusion, life requires you to be careful with your actions, but you have to have an ultimate goal to reach your destination. If you become too much involved in every single step of your life, you will lose your focus. You have to decide on your long-term goal and devise some shorter term objectives to achieve it in a logical manner.