SELF-DEVELOPMENT

The Courage to Live Consciously

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits
in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.
Helen Keller
In our day-to-day lives, the virtue of courage doesnt receive much attention. Courage is a
quality reserved for soldiers, firefighters, and activists. Security is what matters most today.
Perhaps you were taught to avoid being too bold or too brave. Its too dangerous. Dont take
unnecessary risks. Dont draw attention to yourself in public. Follow family traditions. Dont
talk to strangers. Keep an eye out for suspicious people. Stay safe.
But a side effect of overemphasizing the importance of personal security in your life is that it
can cause you to live reactively. Instead of setting your own goals, making plans to achieve
them, and going after them with gusto, you play it safe. Keep working at the stable job, even
though it doesnt fulfill you. Remain in the unsatisfying relationship, even though you feel
dead inside compared to the passion you once had. Who are you to think that you can buck
the system? Accept your lot in life, and make the best of it. Go with the flow, and dont rock
the boat. Your only hope is that the currents of life will pull you in a favorable direction.
No doubt there exist real dangers in life you must avoid. But theres a huge gulf between
recklessness and courage. Im not referring to the heroic courage required to risk your life to
save someone from a burning building. By courage I mean the ability to face down those
imaginary fears and reclaim the far more powerful life that youve denied yourself. Fear of
failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of going broke. Fear of being alone. Fear of humiliation. Fear of

public speaking. Fear of being ostracized by family and friends. Fear of physical discomfort.
Fear of regret. Fear of success.
How many of these fears are holding you back? How would you live if you had no fear at all?
Youd still have your intelligence and common sense to safely navigate around any real
dangers, but without feeling the emotion of fear, would you be more willing to take risks,
especially when the worst case wouldnt actually hurt you at all? Would you speak up more
often, talk to more strangers, ask for more sales, dive headlong into those ambitious projects
youve been dreaming about? What if you even learned to enjoy the things you currently
fear? What kind of difference would that make in your life?
Have you previously convinced yourself that you arent really afraid of anything that there
are always good and logical reasons why you dont do certain things? It would be rude to
introduce yourself to a stranger. You shouldnt attempt public speaking because you dont
have anything to say. Asking for a raise would be improper because youre supposed to wait
until the next formal review. Theyre just rationalizations though think about how your life
would change if you could confidently and courageously do these things with no fear at all.

ASPECT OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Aspects on Personal Development

There are three broad categories of individual progress. The first one is physical
development. We all know that as our ages are adding more number, there are also some
changes happening in our body. As we try to compare our physical form a few years ago,
there are significant changes that we will surely notice. Physical development is very
important, especially in our society right now. People of today tend to value someone's
importance in society according on how a person presents his or herself to other people. The
way we dress and decorate ourselves affects the acceptance we will receive from others. The
next category is the so-called mental development. Our perception and views in life will soon
change as we experience several things. How we value our life will also change as we try to
live it as time goes by. Our mental development is very crucial because it involves our way of
thinking and discerning what we have right now. Finally, professional development is also
part of individual progress. We need to have professional growth because it will be our major
tasks during our adulthood years.

How to Build Self-Confidence

When I was in my late teens a friend of mine, an elite athlete, gave me the most profound, yet simple
advice that changed the way I would view myself forever. He told me:
"If you don't think very highly of yourself, you can't expect anyone else to think it of you."
Translation - It means that we alone are responsible for building self-confidence.
We cannot depend upon, or wait for anyone else's approval. We must see ourselves as worthy and
capable of achieving anything we choose to achieve.
Ultimately, how we see ourselves is more important than how anyone else sees us. If we don't work at
loving and accepting ourselves, nothing anyone else thinks matters.
In a similar vein, have you ever felt that you don't measure up to others overall? In that case, think about
how many times you may have met a gorgeous man or woman and then afterwards forgot how good
looking they were because they had nothing interesting to say or could add nothing of value to your
perspective. I would think it happens more often than not!
Consider that in an opinion poll done by Men's Health Magazine (1,000 American women ages 21 to 54 in
two online polls) women rated traits relating to character and personality much higher than they scored
those reflecting physical attractiveness.
In other online questionnaires filled out by both men and women the number one quality found desirable in
someone was 'self-confidence'. Physical attractiveness didn't even make the top 10!
The bottom line is that what you think of, and how you project yourself, is more important than merely
having good looks. Building self-confidence is not only a great way to attract others, but a great way to
feel good about yourself!

Acknowledge Your Uniqueness. Believe in yourself and know that you are one of a kind. In the
words of Walt Whitman know:

"That you are here--that life exists, and identity;

That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse."
There is no one else like you on this planet. No one looks like you, has the same talents,
experiences, or perspective as you do. You are unique and are therefore here to make your unique
contribution. If we each focus on what we bring into the world to share, there can be no
comparisons, envy or regret. We are here to "contribute a verse".

Give it Your Best. When you do the best you can, with the best of what you've got, you can't help
but feel good about yourself and that confidencecomes through in everything that you do. Giving it
your best makes you unafraid to take risks or step out of your comfort zone - both great confidencebuilders.

Persevere. Everybody has setbacks and obstacles to contend with. Don't let them undermine your
confidence. Treat them as opportunities to strengthen your resolve and then persevere. See Article:
The Power of Persistence

Overcome adversity. Overcoming adversity builds and strengthens self-confidence. The greatest
songs, works of art and literary pieces have been written by those who have experienced the depths
of despair, loss, and emptiness, and then overcame them. Experiencing sadness and loss, and then
rising above them, gives rise to hope and triumph. It makes you stretch and become more than you
were.

Accomplish something. Set goals for yourself and then push yourself to reach them. Selfconfidence soars when you know you can do what you put your mind to. It makes you feel
unstoppable. Likewise, achieve mastery. Mastery experiences are those for which you know you
have worked hard and sustained great effort in order to achieve success.

Separate Yourself From the Event. You are not what happens to you, nor how you believe others
see you. In other words, you are notdefined by what happens to you, nor are youdefined by how
others see you. You are who you choose to be - a person of character, dignity and self-confidence.

Confront your fears. There's nothing that destroys self-confidence more than succumbing to fear.
Everyone feels fear at various times; we're human, however facing circumstances with courage and
poise strengthens character and builds self-confidence. Put yourself out there! If you're afraid to
meet new people, attend social events, etc. - don't stay home and fret.Doing builds confidence. Of
course, you'll feel, and probably be awkward the first few times in new situations, however, the
more you do it, the better you'll get, and therefore the better you'll feel about yourself.

Good looks do not equal self-confidence. Some of the most attractive people in the world are
insecure and lack self-confidence. Marilyn Monroe was considered to be one of the sexiest, most
beautiful people in the world, yet she lacked a positive self-image. She misguidedly allowed
external factors, such as the approval of others, to determine her self worth. Good looks may help
you feel good about yourself temporarily, but are by no means enough.

Take good care of yourself. When you are in fit, in good health, and make a point of looking your
best, you can't help but feel confident. This is different, of course, from comparing your looks to
others. It's about being comfortable with you. Everyone looks good when they're in good shape,
well groomed, and healthy. You can't help but have a glow about you when you take good care of
yourself

Learn how to give yourself a pep talk. We all have our down moments, moments of doubt,
confusion and uncertainty. When that happens, we must learn how to restore self-confidence. One
way is to understand that everyone goes through such moments. Another is to remember past
successes, visualize the desired outcome, and keep at it! Practice makes perfect.

Self-confidence is absolutely essential to achieving success in any endeavor. You acquire it by doing,
learning, accomplishing, and persisting.

BUILDING AND MAINTAING RELATIONSHIP

The Art Of Building And Maintaining Authentic Relationships

The best professional relationships I have ever formed have come from unexpected places. Clothing swaps.
Birthday parties. Continuing education classes. The Internet. Places where you meet a stranger and can
chat long enough to find common ground and become genuinely interested in each otherenvironments
that allow you to become friends first, professional peer mentors second. I have met and kept in touch
with amazing confidantes, peer mentors, and role models in this way.
I consider myself lucky to have formed so many professional relationships so organically, but I know that
in some cities and industries, mine is a less likely reality. Professional events like Meetups, conferences,
and speed mentoring help bridge that gap, yet many of us feel ill-suited in attending.
Too big, too busy, too loud to give anyone a chance to really get to know someoneit can be hard for two
strangers to truly connect in that type of setting. This explains why so many people are eager to hand you a
business card instead of a conversation. We rush to exchange information, because thats what the
environment calls for.
Yet theres a fundamental challenge that comes from these freshly formed almost-relationships. They
operate without the foundation of how many of the best relationships are formed: over time, with mutual
care and interest.
Today there are a lot of tools to help speed up that process and allow us to quickly build online the
relationships we begin offline. Keeping in touch is as easy as the click of a Facebook like, a LinkedIn
congrats, or an email forward. But the more ways we find to keep in touch, the greater the challenge to
keep those interactions honest.
Here are four suggestionsnot stepsto building and maintaining authentic relationships:

1. REACH OUT ONLY IF YOU MEAN IT

Tools like Newsle and LinkedIn are great at helping you keep on top of what those in your Facebook world,
Twitterverse, and LinkedIn networks are up to. They update you when contacts are featured in the news,
and each digest, in theory, is an opportunity to reach out and keep your network warm.
No doubt about it, these are useful tools, but only if you have something genuine to say. The rookie move
(and Ive seen it so many times!) is to forward the link in question (say, an article mentioning you or the
company you work for), and send an unanswerable one-liner: "I saw your article about . . . !"
This gives the recipient little to respond to, and the subtext is clear: "I see your article and acknowledge
that because the Internet told me you are important today. By the way, remember me?"
If youre looking to start a genuine conversation, by all means, do! But if you're reaching out because you
feel like you have to (and that will show), you'd better not. If you dont mean it, don't send it.
2. MATCH THE RIGHT CHANNEL TO THE RIGHT CONVERSATION
Email isn't the only channel to use for more serious networking. If you see news of a friend changing jobs
on Facebook, comment or like it right there. If a professional contact posts a job change on LinkedIn,
answer in-line. If you get a Newsle update via email about someone in your network, it is perfectly okay to
forward it to them and add a hearty message.
There is nothing wrong with acknowledging where your information is coming from and contributing to
the conversation right there. You dont get brownie points for taking it to a different channel that seems
more intimate.
Its like Facebook birthdays: You probably remembered to wish someone a happy birthday because
Facebook reminded you, and the birthday celebrator likely knows that, too. There's no shame in that! And
certainly no need to jump to a different channel to feign intimacy and pretend its more personal than it is.
The exception, of course, is lengthshould you have a paragraph+ worth of congrats and curiosities,
switch to a 1:1 channel.
3. FOLLOW UP WHEN IT MAKES SENSE TO
Sometimes it makes sense to follow up within 48 hours of meeting someone, sometimes it doesnt. If
theres a time-sensitive request, suggestion, or invitation to be shared, by all means, go forth and start
planning. But if you are following up within 48 hours simply because it feels like you should, peel back.

As with all relationships, this too is a courtship. You may send relevant articles instead of flowers, invite
them to Meetups instead of group dates, offer to take them to lunch instead of dinner. . . when the time is
right. There is no need to rush the forming of your professional relationship. Give people (and their
calendars) a bit of breathing room to get to know you first.
4. RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY RELATIONSHIP IS DIFFERENT
There is no one-size-fits-all networking script or magic formula to abide by when it comes to relationshipbuilding. People are different, and so are you.
Remember that these and other lists are suggestions, so you should adapt them in ways that make sense to
you. Keep it simple, keep it honest, and allow yourself to be a real personnot a script.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Career Development Article
Tips on Maximizing Your Career Potential
Professional Career Development Is A
Win-Win For Employers and Employees
Career development is becominng an increasingly important aspect of the employment
market, not only for the employee but also for the employer.
Organizations are increasingly aware that not only do businesses have their own goals and
purposes, but individuals also want to see their aspirations realized.

Although the primary purpose of this career development article is to help employees with
professional career development planning, organizations can also benefit by increasing their
understanding about what workers want most from a job.
Increasingly successful organizations want to becomeEmployers of Choice .
More and more they are ensuring that individuals can fulfill their personal career
development plans within their organization.
'An example of a company that implemented this philosophy of releasing
employees to be their best, is the reputable U.S furniture manufacturer,
Herman Miller.

They developed a culture that not only wanted to employee the best designers
for their furniture but also gave them incredible license to push the
boundaries of design in ways that other manufacturers were not, and would not
do.
The net result was an extremely low staff turnover, a company that produced
more profit per worker than anyone else in the industry and products that
became global leaders.
Herman Miller was rated by the Fortune magazine as one of the Top 10 best
employers in the United States to work for.'

And one of the primary ways they are achieving this is by offering professional career
development to their employers.
When an organization creates a culture where individuals can proactively pursue their career
goals by being allowed to use the skills they love to use, then the organization also
benefits .
There is no working environment that is more efficient, more productive and happier than
one where workers and the work needed to be done, are well matched.
My hope is that this career development article will encourage both employers and
employees to discover and implement this win-win work environment.

Although the number of organizations implementing professional career

development over recent years has increased, it still only amounts to
approximately 50% of employers.

THE CONCEPT OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
Ryersons Politics and Governance program probes the exciting world of politics, but goes beyond to
include an exploration of the forms of governance: how public and private institutions use structures and
processes to make and enforce decisions and thus wield power. The program offers courses in five subfields: Canadian, Comparative, Global, Policy, and Theory.
Ryersons Politics and Governance program examines power at the international, national, provincial and
local level. Students discover how social, environmental, economic, political and justice issues are
addressed in Canada and on a global scale. You will discuss the value of good governance what it
means, and how social justice, democracy, citizenship and human rights fit (or not) into the equation. You
will learn about how issues of social welfare, immigration, social and criminal justice have made the tasks
of governance more complex in the 21st century. Finally, the program looks at how governments have
increasingly turned to the private and non-profit/voluntary sectors to deliver services they formerly
undertook directly.
THE CONCEPTS OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
Patching vs Packaging in Policy Formulation: Assessing Policy Portfolio Design

Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

* Corresponding author
Abstract: Thinking about policy mixes is at the forefront of current research work in the policy sciences
and raises many significant questions with respect to policy tools and instruments, processes of policy
formulation, and the evolution of tool choices over time. Not least among these is how to assess the
potential for multiple policy tools to achieve policy goals in an efficient and effective way. Previous
conceptual work on policy mixes has highlighted evaluative criteria such as "consistency" (the ability of
multiple policy tools to reinforce rather than undermine each other in the pursuit of individual policy goals),
"coherence" (or the ability of multiple policy goals to co-exist with each other in a logical fashion), and
"congruence" (or the ability of multiple goals and instruments to work together in a uni-directional or
mutually supportive fashion) as important design principles and measures of optimality in policy mixes.
And previous empirical work on the evolution of existing policy mixes has highlighted how these three

criteria are often lacking in mixes which have evolved over time as well as those which have otherwise
been consciously designed. This article revisits this early design work in order to more clearly assess the
reasons why many existing policy mixes are sub-optimal and the consequences this has for thinking about
policy formulation processes and the practices of policy design.

Keywords: planning; policy design; policy instruments; policy layering; policy mixes; policy portfolios
GOVERNANCE
1.

Governance is traditionally associated with government. In literatures, they are often

used interchangeably. But in the 1980s, political scientists broadened the meaning of
governance as including, not just government actors, but also civil-society actors.[1]Today,
governance includes three sectors: the public sector (state actors and institutions), the
private sector (households and companies), and the civil society (non-governmental
organizations). These three sectors are said to work hand in hand in the process of
governance. This new use of the term focuses on the role of networks in the achievement
of the common good, whether these networks are intergovernmental, transnational, or
international.[2] In other words governance is broader than government in that other sectors
are included in it.
2.
Many authors also distinguish the two by associating government with control and
domination, and governance with decentralization and relational management. On the
one hand, government refers to a central institution which wields power over its subjects. It
is the instrument patterned after the model of command and control, the government
being in command over the affairs of the people. On the other hand, governance is closely
associated with the concept of decentralization of power and the need for inter-sectoral
management. Governance is based on the realization that the government cannot do
everything for the people, so that in order to survive the state should not only rely on
government but also on the other sectors of the society.
3.
Thus, under the current trend, there is a need to move from the traditional
hierarchical exercise of power by the government to the new notion of a dispersed and
relational power in governance from government to governance. To govern should now
mean tofacilitate or regulate, not to dominate or command.

PHILIPPINE DEMOCRATIC POLITICS

The State of Philippine Democracy

LAST November, more than five million Filipinos went to the polls to vote on candidates for a variety of
national and local offices. The fact itself was not news in the Philippines or abroad; Filipinos have been
voting since 1906. Since 1940, however, there has been a growing truth about Philippine elections which

could be news but which not even all Filipinos have come to realize: the process of elections in the
Philippines is the most difficult in the world. The reason for this is to be found in a unique combination of
things--a territory more challenging and a political system more demanding than those of any other
working democracy today.
The Republic of the Philippines is broken up into more than 7,000 islands, of which some 400 are
inhabited by the 24,000,000 souls that make up its population. While there is adequate inter-island water
and air transportation, land transportation in many provinces, particularly those in the Visayas and
Mindanao group of islands, is far from satisfactory. Many communities in the Visayan islands of Leyte,
Samar, Panay and Palawan and on the coast of the big, rich island of Mindanao can be reached only by
perilous water transport. Manila newspapers, the only daily publications of national circulation, hardly
ever reach these municipalities. Their isolation, once almost absolute, has lately been somewhat relieved
with the increase of transistor radios distributed by government and private agencies.

STATE SOCIETY INTERACTIONS

State-society relations
State-society relations is defined by DFID as interactions between state institutions and societal groups to
negotiate how public authority is exercised and how it can be influenced by people. They are focused on
issues such as defining the mutual rights and obligations of state and society, negotiating how public
resources should be allocated and establishing different modes of representation and accountability
(DFID, 2010, p. 15).
The focus is not on particular institutional forms but rather on the relations and relational functions of state
and society institutions. Neither the state nor civil society is seen as acting in isolation. Rather, the state
derives its legitimacy through its interaction with citizens and an organised and active civil society.

The Citizenship Development Research Centre views a citizen as someone with rights, aspirations and
responsibilities to others in the community and to the state. This implies a relationship among citizens, and
between the state and all those living within its borders (Benequista, 2010, p. 4). Citizenship confers
various benefits, including the right to enjoy a nationality; to vote, hold office and participate in political
processes; to access education, health and other goods; to access the labour market beyond the informal
sector; to own businesses, land and other forms of property; and to security of residence and freedom of
movement.
The nature of the political settlement can greatly impact upon state-society relations. In many fragile and
conflict-affected states, relations are based on patronage and lack of accountability. The prominence of
informal institutions and relationships and unofficial processes result in divergences between formal
systems and rules and actual practice.
Political elites, who benefit from patronage and income from natural resource rents and criminal activities,
often have little incentive to engage with citizens and to build effective public authority. The concentration
of power in a few elites also limits the participation of citizens from public life.
In some situations, citizens may be excluded from public life through state repression and violence. This
results in a legacy of negative and weak state-society relations. Efforts to promote an inclusive political
settlement can re-shape relations and contribute to political and social transformation.
Much of the focus in statebuilding has been on building the capacity of central state institutions. Attention
must also be paid to supporting civil society and citizen engagement such that they can hold the state
accountable and make it responsive to society. Where donor policy and funding has been directed at both
state and civil society institutions, these interventions have often been compartmentalised based on a
traditional state-civil society divide. Strategies and policies are needed that focus on the interaction
between institutions and citizens at all stages of war-to-peace transition, from peace negotiations and
implementation of agreements to post-conflict peacebuilding. The challenge is to build peace alliances
that stretch horizontally and vertically between different levels of society.
Greater attention also needs to be paid to questions of power and to altering elite incentives. External
actors will find it difficult, though, to directly influence internal political dynamics. It may thus be more
effective to target international behaviour and initiatives that affect incentives, such as management of
extractive industries, international tax evasion and corruption. Statebuilding approaches also need to go
beyond modelling the relationship between state, elites and an undisaggregated society, and ask who is
represented by each group, who participates in state-society negotiations, and whose demands are being
expressed? For example, donor approaches to statebuilding typically have not engaged with existing
knowledge about gender power relations and how statebuilding processes impact women and men
differently.

CITIZENSHIP IN PRACTICE
Citizenship in Practice: Poverty Reduction and Self-Help Groups
Citizenship is about individuals membership in the socio-political community. Education for
citizenship
conceives issues such as quality education, learning society and inclusion. Educational
thinking in India has
long valued community as a learning resource. With empirical experiences drawn from the
programme
of Ecology and Natural Resource Education (ENRE), executed by local non-governmental
organisations
in three Blocks in West Bengal, India, this study argues that learning from community has
potentials to
contribute to quality education and democratic citizenship. Since the local community and
non-governmental
organisation efforts are insufficient, involvement of the state is necessary, to place it as a
universal agenda
for citizenship education.
Community, based on communication, offers people what neither society nor state can offer
a
sense of belonging in an insecure world (Delanty, 2003: 188192). Traditionally, community
constitutes
the geographical location to share resources and common-hood envisaging moral values
like
social and civic obligations, mutual aid, volunteerism, and identity expressing common
interests
(Sihlongonyane, 2009: 137): thus having geographical or spatial, social and normative
dimensions
expecting members involvement with its welfare.
As the world is struggling with the idea of how to incorporate the local, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in its Dakar Agreement has
identified
the necessity of a curriculum relevant for local people and engagement with local
communities
and cultures as conditions for quality education whereby children acquire the skills that
shape
their future life chances (Soudien, 2010: 187188). It clearly involves the necessity of
community
in shaping the well-being of children.
The core of citizenship is membership into socio-political community society and state, in

terms of participation, rights and duties. Education generates expectations of individual

mobility
and facilitates citizens socialisation with the objectives, values and practices relevant for
democracy,
as well as contributing to the well-being of community by broadly reflecting its aspirations.
It is not defined clearly: hence several starting points might be conceived. As a pathway
towards
citizenship education, we may study the experiences of a community-based learning-effort: a
Kolkata-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Development Research
Communication
and Services Centre (DRCSC) guides the Ecology and Natural Resource Education (ENRE)
programme. Local NGOs and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) implement ENRE in
several
parts of rural West Bengal. DRCSC envisions ENRE for sensitising the young-generation
farmers and villagers on the variety of natural resources available locally; it also provides
training
to teachers and social workers in the community.
ENRE efforts can be articulated as Learning from Community (L-C): it is different from
Community Studies rather a sub-discipline and methodology in social sciences,
particularly
sociology, as evident from the key texts (Bell and Newby, 1971; Goe and Noonan, 2007). It is
also
different from community education, which usually refers to particular pedagogical
programmes
carried out at community levels. L-C has different orientations: it envisages students to use
community
as their learning resource. With such exposure, their intellectual faculties as well as skills
in democratic citizenship are enriched.