10 Healthy Steps to Defeat Negativity

February 7, 2024 by Esther Adekoya

Healthy Steps to Defeat Negativity

Would you like to be able to deal with the ups and downs of life with strength and grace?

Becoming mentally and emotionally strong isn’t something that happens overnight. If you can start seeing every curveball life throws as a chance to practice being stronger, you’ll begin accruing wisdom and clarity that you can put to the test when things get hard.

Negativity can come at you in different ways: it can be from within, in the form of negative thoughts and harmful self-talk, or from the outside, as negative feedback, business reports, economic downturn, or abuse from other people. While it is beyond a person’s control to ever fully remove negativity from her life, there are ways to manage it.

Healthy Cues to Build Your Inner Strength

Self-awareness: Calm down and take time to notice or capture the streams of thoughts that run in your mind and the myriads of emotions they give birth. As soon as you understand your thoughts and emotions, it will help you recognize negative patterns and what triggers them.
Positive mindset: Intentionally cultivate optimism which brings hopefulness and confidence about the future and have an attitude of gratitude, which would influence good thoughts. Focus on what you can control and find the silver lining in challenging situations.
Healthy boundaries: Negativity can be contagious, so keeping as much distance as possible from negative coworkers and acquaintances can influence your own mood.
Set clear boundaries to protect yourself from negativity coming from outside like negative feedback, and abuse from people. Learn to say no when necessary. Surround yourself with positivity: Build a supportive network of friends and family. Spend time with people who uplift and inspire you.
Mindfulness and meditation: Practice being present in the moment is a gainful self-resource but it involves self-discipline. It distracts your wandering mind and liberates you from the prison of the mind. Mindfulness can help you manage stress and detach from negative thought patterns. Do yourself a favor by prospering your mind with spiritual and healthy thoughts like things that are true, pure, lovely, or of good report and praiseworthy. Don’t allow negativity to steal your positive vibes.
Self-care: Self-care is certainly not selfish. Be kind to yourself and prioritize your well-being. Take time for activities you enjoy, get enough sleep, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This will help you to rebound and regain lost ground.
Learn from challenges: View setbacks as opportunities for growth. Focus on solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Each difficulty encountered do come with valuable lessons that make you a better person.
Gratitude practice: Regularly acknowledge and appreciate the positive aspects of your life. This can shift your focus away from negativity. Thank God for things that work in your life and place your praise on things you trust God to do for you. Gratitude is the best attitude.
Positive affirmations: Replace negative self-talk with affirming statements. Repeat affirmations that promote confidence and resilience. Use your mouth to say good and great things concerning your destinies. Never let go of hope.
Seek professional help if needed: If negativity becomes overwhelming, consider consulting with a mental health professional for guidance and support. Call for assistance. It is never a sign of weakness to ask for help. Share with a significant individual and you’ll be glad you did.

Remember, building mental strength is a gradual process, and consistency in these practices is key.

How Stoicism Helped Me Overcome the Trauma of Losing My Father

February 7, 2024 by Christopher Salihu

Stoicism is a philosophy that teaches you how to live a virtuous and meaningful life, regardless of external circumstances. But how can it help you cope with the trauma of losing a loved one? In this article, I will share my personal story of how stoicism helped me overcome the grief of losing my father and find my purpose in life. 24th October 2017 ???? Six years ago, I began to learn the ways of the Stoics as a second-year philosophy student. I was trying to find my path between the calling of the Catholic Priesthood or the rich vocation of Matrimony. I was searching for a solid foundation on which to stand. As they say, “Life doesn’t happen to you; it happens for you.” Back then, I hadn’t fully analyzed the meaning of this saying. Armed only with a rudimentary understanding of Stoic philosophy, I set sail on my journey of self-discovery, where I realized that while you can’t control what happens to you, you can control your reactions to life’s events. This newfound wisdom led me to ponder the teachings of Stoicism, a philosophy that produced prominent figures like the great Emperor and author of “Meditations,” Marcus Aurelius. However, reflecting on everything around the demise of my father, I sadly acknowledge that my knowledge of Stoic philosophy was still shallow. I became so entangled in incoherent thoughts that I lost my way. My response to this excruciating event was overwhelmingly negative. It took a toll on my academic performance, and my life felt out of alignment. I was unprepared to live the philosophy I professed and loved. Thus, I became traumatized. Experiencing trauma is a normal reaction, but it was as if my mind was haunted by the incessant knocking of death. I became desensitized to the illusion of the grim reaper and was no longer afraid of death itself. My sole fear revolved around the well-being of my family, hoping none of them would experience the same fate. The true pain of my death, I realized, lay in the fact that those who loved me would miss me terribly. This insight made me acutely aware of the agony my mother would endure if she were to grieve my loss. My mother began having dreams, which she interpreted as signals of death lurking around us. These dreams heightened the anxiety that resided within me, and each time my phone rang, and her name appeared on the screen, my heart would skip a beat. I hesitated to answer, but I knew it was my mother, the woman who gave me my heart. I needed to check on her. I also dreaded seeing my younger brother’s tears. I silently prayed that his thoughts did not mirror my own. From 2017 to 2020, I felt like I was in a state of perpetual darkness, chased by an unseen shadow. I was scared of being alone, even when surrounded by friends. I couldn’t share my premonitions with my friends; it was a personal battle that I had to confront alone. They couldn’t fully understand me, as they were dealing with their own challenges, and I didn’t want to burden them with my struggles. I gnashed my teeth in silence when they were not around. In the midst of my doubt, I found inspiration in an unreleased song by J. Cole, “Show Me Something.” I refused to let my tears fall and instead sought understanding to clear my mind. I was lost, and I even fell into a mild state of atheism, questioning the role of God in my life. Modern philosophical thinking made me more skeptical of the supremacy of the supernatural over the mundane. My philosophical journey became a quest to find myself. In my final year, the rapper I mentioned earlier became an inspiration. In the depths of my doubt, I found myself praying, asking God for a sign to show me something, anything. I began connecting the dots in the lives of those I considered heroes, individuals who had changed the world. I realized that their life journeys followed a pattern, and I discovered that faith played a significant role. Their faith was not rooted in the known but in an assurance and conviction confirmed by the Unmoved Mover. What ultimately restored me was the same question that guided a great monk who lived an austere life, St. Bernard: “Why am I here?” In philosophy, we were taught to ask more questions than seek answers; questions were the Rosetta stone to life. I found my question, my “Eureka” moment. To combat the taunting presence of the grim reaper, I began asking why great individuals lived to a ripe old age or died fulfilled. The only answer I could find, after questioning and re-questioning, was “Purpose.” While I haven’t fully discovered my own purpose, I am on a relentless quest to ensure I live my life in the spirit of Gandhi: as if I will die tomorrow and learn as if I will live forever. I am growing up, Dad, and I hope you’d be proud of me.

8 Vital Tips on How to Self-Prioritize

February 6, 2024 by Roselyn James

People believe that putting others before themselves is the best, this is not true. Before considering other people around you, ensure you prioritize. Although you may see it as being self-centered, it is not. You own yourself, and you have the right to make yourself happy. We are usually so busy solving people’s needs that we can’t care for ourselves. If you are in this category, you are not alone. Many people find themselves in this mess. They do it to maintain closeness. Dwelling on this will lead to many health issues unsuitable for your mental well-being. Besides, it will not only make you suffer, but you are stylishly making others around you suffer. When you prioritize yourself, you will be happy and fit to help others. We will examine some tips on self-prioritization to help build mental and physical health. What Does Self-Prioritize Mean Self-prioritize means caring for your needs and not always caring for other people’s needs. Self-prioritize also makes you happy and sets limits that others will not infringe on. It also means not allowing anybody to decide for you when inconvenient. Tips on How to Self-Prioritize This is very important in your life. Prioritizing yourself helps you love and appreciate your personality. Here are useful tips on how to self-prioritize. 1. Don’t Always Say Yes, Learn to Say No When you develop the habit of saying no to some request, it positively changes who you are and what you can do at a given time. Saying yes can always make you lose your self-esteem. It gives room for people to take advantage of your virtue. A feeling of guilt can easily overtake you, but there is a clear indication of enthusiasm and limits here. Be transparent with your family and friends, say no when it’s unsuitable, and don’t feel guilty. Nevertheless, it is necessary to learn to say no whenever it’s inconvenient for you. Doing so will help you care for yourself and become the very best of yourself. It will state limits, save time, and empower individuals around you to rethink. 2. Avoid Doing What You Don’t Enjoy. This may sound awkward, but that is the truth. Whenever you feel it’s too tedious to handle any given task. It is better to speak up than allow yourself to continue the task. These will help you know your self-worth and what you can do at a given time. It will also help signal to those around you that you have self-confidence. 3. Reduce Stress Realizing that too much stress is unhealthy will help you set boundaries. This can also affect your physical and emotional well-being, which can cause a lot of health challenges. Spending enough time with the things that matter most in your life has a positive way of helping you manage stress. Getting enough sleep is also vital in reducing stress, which will help you live a healthy life. 4. Improve Your Self-Worth Don’t feel guilty about neglecting other people. You deserve a better and fulfilled life. You need to understand that making yourself a priority in life gives you so much feeling that shows you how much you value yourself. Moreover, there is nothing wrong with you being selfless, but you should try to balance the equation for a happy life. Putting yourself first will make you become a better person. It will help you become mentally and emotionally resilient, allowing you to navigate some situations confidently. 5. Create Time for Yourself Managing time will help you create more space for yourself. This is very necessary as it will help you have enough time to dedicate to yourself. Doing that will help you plan your daily activities, and you will realize the impact it will have on your life. You will have more energy and help reduce your stress, which will help you care for yourself and the people around you. 6. Ask For Help When Necessary. When you feel the burden is too much for you, seek help. Doing this will help set your priorities. When you seek additional help from a close friend to lessen the burden from your shoulder, you will have relief and set for a better life. Quit the pretense and seek assistance from family. You will realize how much they will be ready to help out. 7. Believe in Yourself Despite some circumstances, life may throw at you, always believe that you are special and able to scale through. Believe that nobody can decide for you, and the power to make yourself a priority lies within you. Accept the best of you because you deserve to be happy and take control of what is happening around you. 8. Engage With Positive People. Surrounding with people of a positive mind has a better chance of helping you to have priority in life. Positive people who motivate and encourage you to put yourself first in everything you do are vital for your life. Look out for friends who are in that category that can inspire and lift you to grow. Remove anybody who wants to bring negativity and bad energy into your life, which is best for your well-being. Especially when it seems you are working to make the relationship work. Conclusion When you follow all these tips, you will experience great impact and feel less stressed. It will also positively affect your self-worth, caring for yourself, and support your family. It is good to be generous, but don’t overdo it so you will not get burned out. Always know you are doing it to maintain your self-worth and mental well-being.

Strategies to Enjoy A Successful Career.(Concluding Part).

February 6, 2024 by Amos Akande

In our previous articles on career success, we were able to look at strategies to build a successful career, part 1, and what to do in order to enjoy career success in part 2. In this concluding part, we shall explore other tips to build a successful career. Having a successful career is something that is under your control. The key is knowing what you have a passion for and pursuing it, it is also in developing habits as well as skills that make you more effective at work and home. To start enjoying career success, the following tips are important as we conclude this series. 7. Keep A Positive Attitude When you have a positive attitude, positive results will come. Your attitude determines your altitude. Pessimism is the enemy of success. Pessimism can turn challenges into insurmountable, while optimism can make every challenge to be surmountable. Always look on the bright side and have a positive attitude and the future of your career will be brighter as well. 8. Maintain Work-Life Balance While it is important to put forth your best effort in your job to have success in the workplace, overworking leads to stress and burnout, which are counterproductive to your desire for success. If you find your job is dominating your personal life, it is time to adopt a new system. Start by developing interests outside of work. Start a fitness routine, seek out social events, or look for new opportunities to learn more about the things you are interested in that are not associated with your job. Take time for recreation. It is just as important to play as it is to work and rest. Recreation allows your mind to unplug and your body to refresh. In turn, you will be able to be more productive and happier in the work place. Read Also: Strategies to Build A Successful Career. Part 1 9. Set Goals for Yourself One of the most crucial things a person can do for his career is to set goals for himself. A set of well-thought-out goals can serve as a roadmap to success, providing you with objectives to meet along the way as you work towards wherever you want to be in your career. Besides ensuring that you do what it takes to meet the goals that you set for yourself, the most important part of setting goals is making sure the goals you set are beneficial. A beneficial goal is that which will improve you and your career when you meet it. Set both short-term and long-term goals that will help you reach the end goal you have for your career, whatever that end goal may be. Read Aslo: Strategies To Build A Successful Career (Part 2) 10. Master Time Management Success tips for work include learning how to manage your time effectively. Some of the best advice for time management is to plan out your workday, either at the end of your current workday or first thing in the morning when you arrive at work. Prioritize tasks so that the most important things get done first. Taking on your biggest, most important and sometimes least desirable task first, then the rest of your day will be more productive. Apply the Pareto principle to prioritizing your tasks, which is a concept that asserts roughly 20 percent of your efforts account for 80 percent of your success. Make sure your 20 percent is focused on the most important tasks that will keep you on a course toward your goals. When you have major projects to complete, break milestone down into smaller, more manageable tasks with clear deadline. Learn the time management skills you need to meet your deadline. Minimize distractions and reward yourself for your successes. 11. Go The Extra Mile One of the most important skills you can gain for success at work is putting in the extra effort needed to make good things happen in the workplace. Employees who are not afraid of working hard develop the skills they need to become leaders within an organization. Instead of being an employee who has a job, you can strive to be the boss who runs or owns a company. Pay attention to the goals your company has, see big picture, you will be able to anticipate needs, notice trends that will bring new developments and offer new ideas that can catapult both you and your organization to success. When needed, add new tasks to your duties that will streamline your progress. Instead of waiting for your boss to assign new tasks to you, take initiative. This is one of the most important skills employees can develop to transition to a boss mentality. By applying these strategies for success at work, you will increase your confidence, improve your skills, and achieve your goals not just at work but in life.

7 Tricks to Staying Positive When Things Get Tough

February 5, 2024 by Roselyn James

To be your best right now is very tough. There are lots of people complaining and upset, while some are thriving in adverse situations. They need help to achieve progress in life. You may think life is unfair after dedicating your time to working hard to be your best, but all seems not to work. All we need to learn is to be more resilient and transform all the negative energy into what we can control and create positive outcomes toward those things we desire. We may find it hard because of our business struggles, relationships, and health. However, we need to understand that it is necessary to realize that conserving a clear mindset helps our thoughts and well-being. It also helps us get through difficult situations. This post will discuss tips on overcoming those bad days, setbacks, and challenges with a positive mindset. Tips To Stay Positive In Life Challenges Below are six tips to stay positive when life seems complicated. 1. Know Your Strength Understanding how you react to things around you dramatically impacts how you will handle challenges when they come around. Understanding your area of strength and what you can take will positively affect your well-being. Always ensure you guide your thoughts; otherwise, look for areas you need to improve in your life. When you examine yourself and identify those areas that make you feel bad about yourself, write them down in your notes. When you have it handy, it is time to work toward dealing with them. Doing this will help you stay positive and calm to deal with the chaos you may encounter. 2. Always Focus on the Positive Things in life. We experience challenges daily and cannot escape them. So, how we handle those challenges matters most in life. To stay optimistic, we need to focus on the good aspects of life rather than dwelling on the wrong side. These will help us deal with those years and chaos faster. Moreover, we should see the good side of our challenges to have a winning mindset. Doing so can teach us a positive attitude toward our mental health. 3. Meditate and Breathe Mindfully. Living and focusing our thoughts while meditating helps bring us peace. We will, therefore, become bright and shine. Though we may find it difficult to stop our thoughts, breathing, and meditation will bring quietness and calmness to our minds. Mindfulness is an act of becoming aware of ourselves and our environment. It helps you have positive thinking that lies within your emotional resilience. You can practice these meditations, breathing, and many more. Anytime you meditate, that is the time to ask yourself how to be positive in any situation. It will help you fight to stay positive. 4. Be Grateful It would be best if you were grateful for being able to face the challenges themselves. Amid every adversity, you will become stronger. It will help you realize more about who you are. To show attitude, you need to have a note where you will pen down some of those things you are grateful for. Let it be your morning routine that will help resonate your day on a fresh note. Besides, it isn’t easy to be grateful for challenges, but it is necessary to recognize those good times in our lives and be happy. We must remember and be thankful for so many things that have happened. We should sit back, look through, and appreciate ourselves for all those achievements we had in the past. We should also focus on the good things we understand about people around us and our family members. 5. Connect with Positive People Choosing your company is crucial to staying upbeat. It helps build your self-esteem and makes you stay happy always. People with a negative mindset will influence you negatively. They tend to make you angry and always see the impossibility of your challenges, so you have to keep yourself away from them to live a healthy and fulfilling life. 6. Be Happy Happiness is what fuels life. It is a state of being joyful and living a fulfilled life. Anytime you face challenges, ensure you make yourself happy. You have the power to make yourself comfortable amid circumstances that are beyond your control. You may face challenges, such as losing your job, losing someone, or having other life issues. Focusing on the possibility of conquering those challenges will help me achieve a positive attitude. To stay positive when you face chaos, listen to your favorite music. Music can help you soothe relief, believing you will overcome those challenges. 7. Be Kind to Others As you know, treating others well positively impacts their life. Whenever you show kindness to people, it will surely return to you. To stay positive, you should help the people around you, share their joy, and build a strong relationship with them. Showing kindness to others will help you know more about the good things life offers. It has a way of making you feel better and good. Final Thought In life, what we put in will resonate with us. In the face of challenges, we should understand that it helps us become more assertive. Staying optimistic will help us conquer issues that may confront us. With the above tips, stay optimistic amid adversity. Feelings of sadness are norms, so you must accept that these feelings are temporary, not permanent, so you must take them and stay positive. Even when the pieces of life’s puzzle don’t fit, focus on remaining positive.

Symptoms and Antidotes for giving up

February 4, 2024 by Evelyn Ajimuda

There are so many underlying and subtle symptoms for giving up as well as there are antidotes to tackle them. We all at some point in our lives reach that stage where we start to consider giving up on our dreams, a loved one, passion and so on. I was able to scale through a difficult time in my life without giving up by administering some of the antidotes I would be sharing in this post. Here are some symptoms and antidotes for giving up. Symptom 1 Negative thoughts Antidote When they come say the positive word out loud. This will dispel the thought. Let me teach you a secret. Rather than negating the negative word to make it positive, use the positive word instead. For example: When your thought says “you are a failure” Say “I am a success” instead of saying “I am not a failure”. When it says “you are ugly” say “I am beautiful” instead of saying “I am not ugly” By doing this, you are eliminating the negative words out of your mindset. Symptom 2 Sadness Antidote Do not let your situation make you sad. Engage in other things that give you joy. For me it was writing. Although some of my writings at that time didn’t see the light of day. I shared a number of them with my friends who are writers as well and their feedback gave me the assurance that I was good at something and that’s writing. Decide to be happy irrespective of the situation. Symptom 3 Withdrawal Antidote At this point you just want to be alone. You want to turn down every invite. It’s understandable but do not let it get the better part of you. Talk to people you trust (could be a family member, friend, spiritual head as the case may be) let out your fear and anxiety. Do not bottle up your feelings. Yeah, sometimes it’s ok to be vulnerable around people you trust. Cry if it makes you feel better but do not withdraw. Withdrawal can be a pathway to the abyss if not checked. Symptom 4 Loss of Faith Antidote Whatever happens do not lose your faith in God. During my dark times, I found strength and comfort in Him. I wrote letters to Him, spoke to Him and received answers. Trusting in Him is your best shot. Conclusion: If you are going through depression as a result of failure, setback, heartbreak and other challenges and you are on the verge of giving up, know that you are not alone. Keep pressing, don’t give up and in no time, you will see good results. Evelyn Temitayo Ajimuda is a versatile creative writer, content creator, poet, and captivating storyteller. With her words, she weaves narratives that inspire hope and spread boundless joy to her readers.

6 Reasons Why Most Business Plans Fail to Succeed

February 3, 2024 by Roselyn James

“Without a plan, even the most brilliant business can get lost. You need to have goals, create milestones and have a strategy in place to set yourself up for success.” ~ Yogi Berra Almost every entrepreneur starts their business for various reasons, which is why most business plans fail. To some, promising forces drive their attention to set up a business. For others, lack of unemployment causes them to establish a business to survive. Moreover, you will agree that many people start businesses to have another source of income to complement their salary. Some also established a company to use as a source of encouragement to help others develop their community and create job opportunities for people. Most of these businesses grow over time and stand the test of time, while some crash within a year or two starting such an entity. We will discuss why a business plan fails to achieve growth. Reasons Why Most Business Plans Fail to Succeed Some causes of this failure are as follows. 1. Inadequate Planning It is important to note that many businesses can only succeed with good planning. Many entrepreneurs are in this phase of starting a business without a plan for executing and running a smooth business and succeeding in such a business. Failure to draft a roadmap for your business means you are unsure where and how the company will grow. As an entrepreneur, knowing what you want without planning how to achieve it leads to failure. That is why the saying goes thus:” When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Meanwhile, it would be best to have proper planning for a successful business setup. These will help you structure and allocate resources that will enable you to achieve your business objective. 2. Absence of Financial Planning Starting a business requires owners to research the type of business they want to embark upon. It is also necessary to know the financial requirements for the said business. Please do this at the initial stage to avoid business failure. When setting up your financial plan for your business operation, consider location, equipment cost, expenses, salaries, insurance, and many more. Furthermore, you are already on your way to failure by ignoring all these costs. If you need help with a financial plan, seek an expert to help create a proper one. Doing this will help your business to remain profitable and stand against external forces such as competitors and governments. 3. Inadequate Marketing Strategy Another reason that causes business plan failure is insufficient marketing strategy. To reach a wider audience or customer, communicating your business ideas to the right audience is of the essence. Understanding your customer’s needs and what they want to achieve from your product will enable you to provide a product or service your customers must accept. 4. Inadequate Management Many business owners have yet to acknowledge some mistakes they encounter in their business operations, leading to business failure. If business owners should understand their strengths and weaknesses, they can run a successful business in the long run. Moreover, as a business owner, lacking management expertise may negatively affect the survival of your business. To solve this problem, ask yourself questions about your weakness and how to overcome it. Another question to ask is, who are your team members? How often do you plan to train your staff? As a business owner wanting to make his vision a reality, you must answer some of these questions. When you do, it will help you avoid the adverse effects of your management plan. 5. Bad Motivation The reason why wrong motivation can fail your business plan is when you have a negative mindset. Starting your business requires a positive attitude. People have so many reasons why they establish a particular business structure. You will only achieve your purpose when you start a business with the right motive. People start a business they feel they can run effortlessly and effectively. Some set up companies to make earnings and become a source of income for others. Some set up businesses to control a larger market and make huge sales. Looking into this, so many have established a company, succeeded for a while, and crashed at some point. The reason is not far-fetched; it is due to the industry set up with the wrong motive. You will agree today that many have business with improper motive of duping people to make it big without proper structure. It has led to the crumbling of so many companies. Notwithstanding, setting up a business with the right motive helps business owners stand the test of time. 6. Lack of Mentorship and Inexperience Business owners could benefit from adverse conditions only by consulting a business mentor. A good mentor has the knowledge and expertise to help business owners recognize their potential and setbacks they may likely encounter in running their business. As a result, mentors are in a better position to help them achieve their business goals. Most entrepreneurs are adamant about following trends and what is new in the market. It has stopped them from realizing the unique opportunity to help them scale through. Most prefer to stick with their old ideas and operations, which may lead to business failure. The only solution for them is to seek the help of mentors, especially those who lack experience, to have successful business operations. Conclusion Having a failed business plan as a business owner has a severe adverse effect on your business operations. Your business will succeed only when you have proper planning and good management skills. With the above reasons, ensure you pick the one you know has threatened your company and work on it. By so doing, you will have a successful business.

Strategies To Build A Successful Career (Part 2)

February 2, 2024February 2, 2024 by Amos Akande

Everyone dreams of having a highly successful career that they enjoy which provides them with a successful life they desire. Having a successful career in life is something that is under your own control. The important thing is knowing what you have passion for and pursing it. Developing your habits and skills will make you more effective at work and home. We’ve explained some of the strategies to building your career in part 1, we will talk about some other strategies to enjoy career success, the following strategies will be of great help: 1. Choose Your Job Wisely The most important step to achieving career success is choosing your occupation. Do you want a career that allows you to travel or a steady job that lets you settle into a pleasant routine? Once you define your priorities and what will bring you true personal satisfaction, you can mold your career around them. It is easy to be happy in a career when you are doing something you are passionate about. Strategies to finding your passion include pinpointing what you core values are, mentioning things you have always wanted to do if money were not an issue and listing the times when you are happiest and feel most fulfilled. Enjoyable career make your entire existence more enjoyable and also makes you more likely to succeed since people always tend to do better at things which they enjoy. Finding success at work means doing what you love and you will never work a day in your life. Read Also: Strategies to Build A Successful Career. Part 1 2. Be A Lifelong Learner Learning is key to progression and success. When you learn new things, your potential for growth increases. Try something new regularly basis in both your personal and professional life. New skills bring you new opportunities. In your place of work, look to you boss and those whose career you wish to emulate for career advice. Seek out opportunities for training within your field. Look for certifications that can help you advice in your career and schedule time to earn them. Enroll for courses and professional certificate programs that you can take outline to enhance your skills. At all points in your career, you need to adopt a mindset of continuous learning and improvement. Never stop working to advance both yourself and your career. 3. Understand Your Job Expectations Begin with the job description of your job and pay attention to the key skills that are listed to qualify for the job. Do you have all of them? How can you improve on each one? Read through all the things the job description lists as responsibilities. Understand what it takes to stay up to date in your role as well as advance to a new role. Successful people are always moving forward. Learn the mission and goals of the organization you work for. Think of how best you can contribute to the goals of the business. If the goals of the organization do not align with your own values and career trajectory, you may have to seek out a new job understanding the workplace culture of the organization. Workplace culture is defined by the values and belief systems of your employers as well as your co-workers. When you understand the culture at your place of work, you know what it takes to work as a team with your colleagues to be successful individually and collectively. 4. Be A Team Player Organizations are most successful when colleagues work as a team. By combining your skills and strengths with those of your co-workers, you will find more success individually and collectively. Respect others on your team and champion their strengths and successes. Realize that you will achieve more by working together with your workmates than competing with them. Solve problems together and refrain from blaming or shifting your share of the workload onto others. Ensure you prioritize your tasks and get done the most important things first. Complete those tasks that someone is waiting for you to do before they can complete the next step of a project or process which is part of time management. Know the goals of your team and collaborate to achieve them and find solutions to issues together. Have a positive attitude at work, when you and your colleagues are faced with challenges. Prioritize good communicate skills, active listening, giving and receiving feedback are key components of effective communication. Be a problem solver and work together to find the solutions that will increase performance at the office. 5. Take Ownership of Everything You Do For you to succeed in your career, you have to take ownership of both your success and failures celebrate your triumphs, analyze them and learn how you can emulate them and build on them in the future. You need to take ownership of your failures as well, accepting responsibility for them without letting them drag you down and learning everything that you can from the mistakes you make. 6. Develop Leadership Skills Adopting good leadership skills will help you to be successful at work. Some of the characteristics of good leaderships include integrity, courage, humility, cooperation, honesty and good communication. Take the initiative to come up with new ideas that will benefit the organization. Have good emotional intelligence, be aware and have respect for the emotions of others. Essential components of emotional intelligence are empathy, self-motivation, self-awareness, social skills and self-regulation. Understand the ability each person has to contribute to the organization. Bring out the best in each of your employees or team members by capitalizing on their strengths and giving them opportunities to improve skills they may be lacking.

Strategies to Build A Successful Career. Part 1

February 2, 2024 by Amos Akande

As we live in a world that is governed by social status, people rate you base on how successful you are in your career. If you are to work your way up to the top, you need to improve your quality of life and possess the necessary skills that can give you an edge over others in your career. To succeed in life, you need to study how those who are successful were able to do it, their habits, and then implement them in your career path. This article reveals habits exhibited by successful people and how one can apply them to be successful in their own different career path. The following strategies will help you to improve your career: 1. Identify with Your Goals Before even considering choosing a career in life, you need to identify what are your biggest rational wishes, what do you want to become in the future? What do you like doing and can do with easy? What is your vision in life? Think about the connection between your inner desires and your rational goals. For you to be successful in your professional life, both your inner desires and rational goals have to match. Identifying with your goals is important process in any successful person’s journey. 2. Build a Quality and Professional Resume Your resume is your way telling people of what you are capable of doing, it states what you are good at, it markets your skills and the stuff you are made off. There are opportunities everywhere, in order not to be caught off guard, take care of this and be ready with a quality resume. 3. Become Aware of Your Strengths There is need to be aware of your inner thoughts, your strengths, desires and your weaknesses. You also derive benefits when you leverage on your knowledge and wisdom for the best purposes. It is advisable you choose your long term profession base on what you know about yourself. Would you be able to sit seven to ten hours in an office working on a computer? Choose a career path that advantage your traits and qualities. 4. Assume Full Responsibility for Your Life One difference between mediocre and successful professionals: responsibility. Whenever something bad happens, you need to assume it. Start assuming responsibility for all of your actions and never blame anyone for your mistakes. That is the worst thing someone can do. Do not take things personally, and be calm. 5. Always Raise Your Standards This is another important factor that differentiates the successful people from the non-successful. Your standards influence the way you think, believe and behave. If your standard is high, you will never settle for the less and what you can accomplish. People with high standards are most times more successful than the average. At interval, take a moment to reflect upon your standards and values. Try to improve them until you realize that you have become the best version of yourself. 6. Brand Yourself Branding is very crucial. Big companies spend huge amount of money in order to establish and create a niche for themselves in the marketplace. It is an old business strategy used by professional companies. Your branding is your image in the marketplace. Brand your name and services and constantly improve it. You can do that by starting a blog, creating a professional social media profile, or by providing good services. 7. Tap into the Power of Networking Networking is a powerful channel for discovering opportunities that can propel your career to unimaginable heights of success. Invest time and efforts in building the right network. Start building your profile on professional and social networking websites. Identify people that are in your world of work. Thought leaders in your industry, former colleagues, alumni, people and brands that you aspire to work with are some examples. Build your connections by sharing your knowledge, offering tips and advice and seeking advice and guidance as well. Be willing to offer value. Participate in conversations related to your industry. Do not be hesitant to put forth your thoughts during discussions. Identify your mentor, his advice, guidance and insights can be invaluable in planning your career. With efficient networking, you will be able to achieve a unique career perspective, improve yourself faster and be at the right place and at the right time to grasp opportunities. Conclusion Building a successful career is a continuous process of growth. An approach that involves the above elements enables you to self-improve and increase your flexibility to changes. An attitude of self-improvement and being open to change is crucial for lasting success, at work and in life. Every step toward success begins with the realization that you are more than you think.

We Can Make the World Better With Love

February 1, 2024 by Precious Esobe

Children, parents, adults, blinds, young and old, soldiers, civilians, politicians, etc. all wish to live in a better world devoid of war, and other atrocities. However, attention is not given to an important aspect of life that would be helpful in achieving peace in the world. This aspect of human life is love. Love can make our world a better place. This article, therefore explores how love can make the world a better place. Love has been defined in various ways. Good Therapy defined love as “A mix of emotions, behaviours, and beliefs associated with strong feelings of affection, protectiveness, warmth, and respect for another person. Love can also be used to apply to non-human animals, to principles, and religious beliefs”. Love involves powerful emotion towards people, animals, things, ideas etc. Here are some ways that love can influence the state of the world making it a better place: Ways that Love Can Make the World Better Compassion and empathy: Love fosters compassion and empathy towards others. When we love, we are more inclined to understand and feel the experiences of others, leading to kindness and a desire to help those in need. Building relationships: Love forms the foundation for strong and meaningful relationships. Whether it’s love between family members, friends, or romantic partners, these relationships can create a support system and contribute to a sense of belonging and happiness. Resolving conflicts: Love promotes forgiveness, understanding, and compromise in resolving conflicts. When love is present, it becomes easier to find common ground, communicate effectively, and work towards peaceful resolutions. Spreading positivity and happiness: Acts of love and kindness have a ripple effect, spreading positivity and happiness. When we show love to others, it often creates a chain reaction, inspiring others to do the same and cultivate a more harmonious and compassionate world. Promoting unity and acceptance: Love transcends boundaries such as race, religion, and nationality. It encourages acceptance, respect, and inclusivity, bringing people together and fostering a sense of global unity and understanding. Inspiring change and social progress: Love can be a driving force for social change and progress. It motivates individuals to stand up for justice, equality, and human rights, creating a more just and equitable society. While love alone may not solve all the world’s problems, it plays a significant role in creating a better world by promoting empathy, compassion, kindness, and connection among individuals.