Unleash your breakthrough

We resist change and fail to dream big. Don't wait to be ready, to fall into motion. Opportunities are lurking all around you!

Learn to attract what matters to you.

You will learn how to stop procrastination Dream big, transform your life and influence people that matters. If you want to know how to turn practice to profits, join us now.

Check in here: http://bit.ly/2t9zFrc

You see, when I speak about confidence, I speak about that confidence that helps you speak to that person, even though they are well-known and have following, many times fold than you do and you know could help you. The confidence of knowing you are enough and you don't need to prove anything to anyone. The confidence that helps you believe more in yourself, knowing that rejection, no matter how frequent, is just to build you bolder. The confidence of, "I'm open to learning, it's just the best way to grow if you're wise". The confidence that makes you vulnerable and strong at the same time. I speak about that confidence that helps you make that call and chat to the guy who's going to approve your proposal and once that rapport is built you're done. I speak of that confidence, which gives you the edge and faith to do it anyway, even though you're thinking that you're not fit and qualified but you slammed it when you gave it a shot. I am talking about that confidence that suddenly gets you in the boardroom with executive clients that took you years to figure out, just because of that one call that you made or perhaps, that Facebook messenger text...
I'm talking about that confidence that helps you turn practice in into profits in hours and suddenly turns what you once thought impossible or feared intensely, into your ultimate reality.
It works for me!
It's all in your daring to dare. 

Check in here: http://bit.ly/2t9zFrc
#confidencechallenge

Why do you think you are the right candidate for this role?

Why do you think you are the right candidate for this role?

This is one of the most common questions recruiters ask applicants, if they ever get shortlisted to this stage of the interview process. Surprisingly, many leaders get to be asked this same question as they rise in ranks and begin to command authority, but not very many seem to bother to answer; most especially, when it is muttered beneath the breath of their team members.

Truly, as a leader, do you honestly ask yourself, if you’re the right person to be holding your position? Great leaders reflect on their everyday performance by engaging in a lot of self-awareness exercises, listening more than they speak and asking for feedbacks, as well as engage their team members in constructive feed forward process, which makes everyone resoundingly be on the same page with the goals, visions and expectations of the team.

How do you continuously demonstrate that you are indeed right to be a leader? What examples do you constantly lay down, for how things should be done? What sort of influence do you have on the people with whom you work?  

These are three key questions every leader must be able to clearly answer, for an insight into how deserving you are, of having people to lead.

 What most leaders don’t understand is that the outcomes of their team members, in terms of the goals achieved, results recorded, income generated, customer satisfaction, etc., is a direct reflection of the leadership quality.

Whilst most of us, as leaders, believe in the power and the opportunity to appraise team members, review their performance and perhaps judge behaviour, maybe an in depth investigation of, “what about me, is being reflected here?”, should be a point of reckoning, when next you need to carry out any of these leadership tasks.

It is always rewarding whenever you’re able to reflect on events just gone, achievements in the past year, and consider the learning for you and your team members, which leads to a joint plan of action moving forward. 

How this helped

Over the years, I discovered that being open to discussing leadership skills and how it affects job performance made my team performed better, instead of throwing tasks at them and expect to review performance after tasks have been completed. It became my common practice to remind team members that, e.g., “being able to submit a quality report by deadline, not only shows that you have sound time management skills, it helps you demonstrate that you are preparing yourself for something greater, even if it takes a while.” Instead of just throwing tasks and stipulating that it has to be presented by certain timescale, I attach snippets of what a great outcome would mean to them as individuals, engaging their sense of responsibility and personal accountability. 

Answers to key questions

I genuinely made it a thought point that people are extremely complex to manage and handle. Hence as individuals, we all have different needs, motives, aspirations, abilities and expectations. So, in continuously demonstrating that I deserve to lead the people I lead, I approach each individual as a unique person, understanding well too, that people’s emotions affect their approach to work and their performance at work.

The bottom line to effective leadership is achieving envisioned results. Hence, when I put my focus on a vision, I ensure that I remain tenacious, carrying everyone along to demonstrate that only through dedicated team work can any proven top-notch results can be achieved. I let my team members understand that greatness demands more than your strength, but your ability to work with others, constructively.

If you are not clear on the type to influence you have on your team members, why not ask intentionally, “how do I feel, when I’m engaging, giving tasks, asking for suggestions, asking for help to solve a problem,  or holding a meeting or appraisal or supervision with members on my team? The easier the answers come, the easier it is perhaps for them too to answer similar questions about you and hence, the level of influence you have with them. What feelings go through your team members when you are around or when they remember you’re their leader? I answer these questions with ease and resounding positive energy, not because I don’t have my ups and downs in managing a team of people, whom originally would have loved to have one of them be their leader, before I came to change the picture, appearing after a sudden shake up due to low productivity and performance. Not because it was comfortable having team members, regularly try to point out where I had gone wrong, even when I was figuring out the most effective ways for everyone to maximise their potentials. Yes, it may feel tough initially, but to gain trust and build loyalty, you must be consistent in showing that you also care about their side of the ‘rut’, and not just the capitalist interest of the organisation or about keeping my job. This worked in my favour. 

I can help you do same

If you take time out to really focus on the three key questions I asked above, and find your genuine answers, this can be the start or enhancement of a painless leadership reign for you. The chances are that you are still very defensive, like most leaders are and pointing the blame finger on the inadequacy of your team members. This will not help and you’ll probably stay in the havoc-loop for a longer time.

You may want to do a little reading around the subject of smart leadership, to strengthen these insights or checkout this resource on transformational leadership. This should lead you towards a genuinely diverse team, where everyone has differing strengths and are nurtured as such.

As you may know by now, I have a track record in managing teams and helping senior managers achieve better results from their team effectively, which is why I’m always passionate about talking leadership and I’m always happy to work with you to raise the game with your team members.

I must point out that understanding and embracing the need for optimal consciousness and personal development in my life and business was pivotal to achieving success in effectively managing teams and also building a formidable coaching and training business and this too, I can help you achieve.  If you choose to explore this topic further, I will be happy to share greater insights with you. Why not let’s connect on LinkedIn, or join our community of thriving Stress-Free Business Leaders.

Can Leaders Truly Be Vulnerable?

Leadership vulnerability, has always been a topic with different dynamics and stemming lots of conversations, because many leaders still struggle with ‘letting it out’, with their team members. Recently, I was giving a presentation to about two hundred and fifty business leaders, in the health care industry, and over half of the participants agreed that they struggle with openly seeking for help from team members and worse still, are not comfortable talking to team members about organisational challenges, apart from discussing general and specific productivity and performance related issues with them.

Over 70% of the participants believed that when they sit around the table with team members and say things like, “We have a problem reaching our targets and all our strategies seem to have failed, who has any ideas to help us move forward?” They are seen to be pushing management responsibilities on the entire team or giving room for team members to take undue advantage in carrying out duties or abiding with policies and procedures, as a comeback for helping out during the crisis period.

No doubt, hierarchical structures in organisations have long, held leaders from fully being authentic, in showing up as real leaders, as this may be seen as less professional or breaking boundaries. In reality, the lack of genuine team building activities in organisations, has done more harm than good, as this reduces staff engagement levels to the core, which causes the stillness in motivation and inspiration.

Unfortunately, the lack of understanding of what constitutes staff engagement has made it impossible for leaders to be able to connect with their team members, and get the best from them. Instead, leaders build a wall of seclusion, which translates to the team members, as “they know it all, they have it all”, causing stronger disconnection and unrealistic and grandiose expectations by employees and when these are not met, the cycle of low morale and low performance continues to be deeply entrenched within the organisation.

Where does vulnerability lie, here? Vulnerability lies in the fact that leaders are unable to maintain genuine connections with team members, and genuine connections are things that engage and make team members feel part of the organisation they work for. It is absolutely correct that, engagement can have a significant impact on the performance of the organisation, driving bottom‐line profit and enabling organisational agility, as well as improved efficiency in driving change initiatives.

To be able to lead effectively, leaders must be able to demonstrate empathy, which helps you understand others’ situations, thereby making it easy for you as the leader to tailor team members’ strengths and weaknesses via the best channels for maximum productivity and performance. In doing this, you must be willing to trust team members enough, to assign tasks that will challenge and bring the best out of them, yet empowering them in dignifying ways. To achieve these with little or no stress, you must be willing, as a leader, to give a piece of your self by being vulnerable. Brené Brown, an expert on social connection, conducted thousands of interviews to discover what lies at the root of social connection. The research revealed that vulnerability, was a key factor in building great connections, both in the professional and personal world. Vulnerability here does not mean being weak or submissive. To the contrary, it implies the courage to be yourself. It means understanding the truths in our world. Which is, ability to come to terms with uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure, and when a leader is open to this, impacting others and making change, becomes seamlessly within grip.

Here are few tips to cultivate vulnerability as your strength:

Admit that you do not know everything and don’t have the solution to every problem - Being able to admit and share times of weakness, as a leader, will earn you trust and present you as being authentic. Creating a stance of ‘ know it all’, only shows that you’re claiming to be perfect, which in the real sense, is just an illusion. Showing weakness and not hiding from imperfection lets others know that you are simply human.

Accept responsibility when mistakes occur – You will protect your credibility as a leader, when you are able to accept responsibility, when you make errors, instead of finding someone else to blame it on. Leaders who play the blame game, only have very little time, before they lose credibility and loyalty. Further, taking responsibility, gives you a sense of leadership that allows you to take time to analyse and consult on how to make progress towards accomplishing the goals set.

Practice empathy - People who are skilled at understanding others’ feelings and situations are more likely to be viewed as effective leaders. A study by MRG found that empathy was the single strongest predictor of ethical leadership, which is why leaders who are empathetic, are able to motivate teams to do their best work, because they create an atmosphere that is non judgemental, but empowering.

Don’t wait for the company to crash before you seek help, suggestions or tell your team members the truth about the situation- Teams are the greatest assets any organisation have and to add value to these assets, leaders must build teams that are formidable, effective and trustworthy. This can only be achieved if team members are treated with trust, a sense of value and are well supported to deliver their tasks to the best of their abilities. Leaders who build their teams on very strong precepts, will have no fear or guilt, telling them the truth about an organisation’s standing when crisis arise, because they would all have been working under shared terms.

To get more from your team, get resources here. Join Facebook group, to become a Stress Free Business Leader.

Five Ways You Can Propel Your Self -Worth For Success

Do you know that constantly worrying about what others think about you or the way you live your life, is self-debilitating, particularly when you know that you’re doing no harm to anyone? So, why seek approval and recognition? You don’t need it!

Stop getting overwhelmed by the expectations of others, instead, live your life purposefully, believing in your everyday actions. What’s the point of you looking everywhere for approval, when the best insights and approval for what’s great and not lies, right in your heart. Too many times, you disapprove of yourself or even criticise your efforts just because you set your standards and validate your actions by what you see and hear from other people.

So, what happens when you do that? You run your emotions high, causing inner conflicts that do nothing but increase distraction and distort your ability of intense focus on what’s important and what matters most, which is why your desires don’t match your results and realities. By setting parameters that don’t align with your truth, you jeopardise your efforts, bring upon yourself, a great deal of self doubt, low self - confidence, low self-esteem and self-sabotage, because you unconsciously disempower your thoughts to think the magnitude of your strength.

To amp up your confidence and propel your self worth, take a five day challenge, that will help you achieve your goals and ensure your success.

Here are five other things you need to do.

Love yourself endlessly: You should understand that no matter how hard you try, no one can love you more than they love themselves, which is why you should love yourself unconditionally, to save yourself. When you are able to love yourself without limits, you will be empowered with so much abundance that giving back will become effortless. On the other hand, not loving yourself will continue to spill out the lack in you, and no matter how hard you try to hide, it rears its ugly head in different areas of your life and the worst bit is that, you will not serve your interest and will not be of great service to others, even those you care about.

Challenge your inner critic - There’s always a voice inside us telling us we can’t do it right, or that we’re not fit for the challenge. Yes! We all have that voice creeping in every now and then, but the truth is, the voice continues to rant and gain power, when we allow it. This voice means good, though, trying to protect you from what does not seem familiar and comfortable. It tries to keep you safe by putting you in a ‘no contest mode’, so that  you don’t fret and get blown away by the size of the greatness that lies ahead of you. However, Staying in this ‘no contest zone’, only separates you and your possibilities, and if you must achieve your goals and live far beyond the limits your inner critic wants to cap on you, then you must challenge it, each time it tries to keep you bound to letting go of your dreams.

Set yourself up for success -   What’s your biggest win so far? How many times do you motivate yourself with your previous wins, as an incentive to believe in your abilities and strive forward. Most times, when we feel less confident, it is based on reflections about the times we failed or when our performance did not measure up. So, next time when you’re feeling less confident, anchor your courage to push harder with a sweet memory of when you were successful, no matter how long or how insignificant the achievement may seem to you.

Never stop learning: You may wonder how learning connects with boosting self worth and confidence, but it sure does. Knowledge is the one thing you possess and no one can snatch away from you. You express yourself with what you know, both internally and externally and can also use your knowledge as a tool of empowerment and also to help others. All of these are things that will in turn increase your self-worth and confidence.

Believe in yourself: Get tips here on how to believe more in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, of course no one else will and this starts from your willingness to give yourself the opportunity to try new things without judgement and also to know that you are not infallible. The amount of times you’re willing to give yourself another chance, regardless, will invariably show how willing you are to strengthen your strengths and eventually begin to show up and achieve whatever goals or dream you want to achieve in the end.

Join our community of the enchanted minds, in our Facebook group.

Readings from the Anthology

Here are some snippets from the collection of poems I published in my anthology.

"Time has failed,yet it moves

Life is here,still we expect

Years have rolled,the waters of sobs

Won't stop the gush

Life is unkind"

"If wishes were more

Oh!Dear,wished your pains snore

Cease forever its very sore

The agony of old age

Lies on your fraily image

I see you once like me

Forceful and brave

You once had courage your slave

How fair life can be"

These are just few lines from the collection,which could be read at anytime and anywhere. The handy book is available for purchase at amazon.com. You can also obtain the e-book version on www.e-bookonline.com .Reviews and comments are still welcome on the publication;this will help improve my future publications.

2

Seven ways to turn your secret idea into a reality

Do you have a secret desire you want to achieve, that makes you fret when you have to tell people about it? Or are you so scared that you find it hard to talk about it to others, so that they don’t say you are weird or put you down for it? The truth is, we all have some secret desires that we want to accomplish at some point in our lives, but due to fear of failure or rejection, we allow our dreams go under. Making a choice between doing what it takes and going head on to achieve our goals and allowing fear and judgements from other people hold us back, is such a great choice, which is why many people choose to stay with the crowd, because that is an easier but more costly choice.

When you allow external influences overshadow your intuitive instincts, you will be forced to buy into their lifestyle, problems and patterns, killing your alternative thinking ability, hence making you develop a thinking error, known as mere-exposure effect. This refers to the brain’s tendency to believe something is true and good just because we are familiar with it, regardless of whether the situation is actually true and good.

Sometimes, it’s the negative thoughts of how less capable you are, or how inexperienced and other related lines of thoughts that hold you down and even makes you quit. Thinking negative thoughts is no doubt a killer and allowing to germinate in your mind is like building a house in a swamp, sooner or later, it will sink in and get lost, underneath. To avoid that, make a habit of consciously stopping negative thoughts from your mind, when they creep in.  

What's your one true desire that you want to turn into reality? Get actionable steps and free confidence insights here https://goo.gl/uXGzbv

5 Sure Fire Ways to promote Your Website For free

Getting found on the internet is the hallmark of any online business, as this is how millions of audience can get to know and do business with your company.  Take online visibility as the navigation to locate you on the map. Imagine you were going somewhere you’d never been before  and necessarily don’t have specifics about it, so you just typed in a general location or place in your navigator, definitely, it’s going to give you a list of related locations,  and then you will choose exactly where you are going or the closest result.

In the same way, people looking for businesses like yours would type in a general term relating to your business and will have to choose from the results they get-  so, your duty is to ensure that you find a place in these results, otherwise no one will be able to find your business.

In essence, the more visible your company is, online, the more likely people within your industry will look to you for necessary products or services.

Many small business owners struggle with this aspect of online marketing and think it’s confusing and that’s because there is too much information on the internet without clear explanation.

In this article, I will share five simple ways you can increase your company’s online visibility for free, yet with great results.

1.      Utilize SEO tools: SEO- stands for Search Engine Optimization, and since we are talking about searching and finding your website online, I guess you know that SEO is indeed very important and the way you do this is by injecting content and key words that points back to your website on the internet. You can use different free online tools to check how well your website comes on in search results and when you know this, you constantly improve your visibility using these other methods. There are hundreds of free SEO tools online, including the Google webmaster and analytics and Bing web master tools, to monitor analytics and performance of your website. Check out other ways to improve your online visibility here.

2.    Publish fresh, relevant content regularly: Ensure that you publish fresh content on your website regularly and also update your content from time to time. Google crawls all websites on the internet for fresh and new content, which is what will help your website to rank higher on Google search algorithm. Except people specifically know your website, they would only type in general terms, phrases or words in Google search engine and this will only populate the most relevant ones. So, to regularly appear in searches relating to what you do, updating your website with relevant content is crucial.

3.     Publish digital content on external sites: Publish value added materials such as videos, images, slides, PDFs and audios on external websites such as Youtube, Google images, slideshare, and the likes. Your content gets to much more audience, promoting your website and also giving you backlinks in search engines sometimes.

4.    Do social – Social media is a must if you must continue to attract fans and online subscribers to your brand. While your online fans may not necessarily become customers, it’s a good place to demonstrate your expertise and authority in your industry.

5.     Use outbound and inbound links so Google can index cached pages: This is a great way to appear well in Google’s search. Outbound link is when you add external link to content on your site, pointing to other domains and websites. When you link out to related domains, it not only helps the search engine to understand your niche, but also helps to increase the trust and quality of your site which plays a vital role in your website’s SEO. Inbound links on the other hand is when you have links from other sites linking back to your website and this can be obtained free in a number of ways. You can do this by writing guest posts on other websites or by placing details about your website on other website, thereby, giving you backlinks. These links also raise your website’s visibility when done well.

For more ways to increase your company’s online visibility, check out these resources. Know that this takes time and it requires consistent action, if you want your company to continuously be visible online. 

Osprey Ariel Hiking Backpack Alternatives

If you have been considering hiking for a while and not sure whether to walk into it or not, here are some reasons you may consider, to help you decide.

 Hiking outdoors has plenty of perks: nice views, fresh air, and the sounds and smells of nature. Aside all these, do you know that hiking is good for you, because it is a powerful cardio workout, and has the ability to do these to you:

Lower your risk of heart disease

Improve your blood pressure and blood sugar levels

Boost bone density, since walking is a weight-bearing exercise

Build strength in your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and the muscles in your hips and lower legs

Strengthen your core

Improve balance

Help control your weight

 

So, do you see why hiking is important, particularly if you want to get fit, doing something fun?

Whether you’re going away for a month, a full year, or even longer, the most important piece of equipment you’ll need for your travel is a reliable bag to see you through your journey. Hiking travelling rucksacks are an investment and there’s a huge choice out there, so you have got to be sure to use one that is tested.

Here are my recommendations:

Hiking Backpack

Hiking Backpack

Lightweight Hiking BACKPACK

hIKING bACKPACK- bEST DEAL

Hiking Backpack- Great for women

 

 

High quality alternatives Hiking Backpacks, you can choose from. These backpacks are durable, waterproof and well sized.

https://youtu.be/0By2cl3d91k

7 ways to manage change





 

Little tests of life shows how prepared you are for a change or turn of events in your life. People crave positive changes but are not willing to put in the required action to bring the change to fruition. I strongly believe in the motto, “no pain no gain” – now, depending on what pain means to you. It ranges from working a bit of extra hours to getting on the computers when you should be relaxing or sleeping to having to sacrifice your time, money and passion to achieve a set goal. Whatever that translates to within your schedule, it boils down to you having to get out of your comfort zone and doing otherwise, those things you will ordinarily not do on ‘a good day’.

From south to north, east to west, people of success that I have come to know are people who worked really hard to achieve their goals and remained consistence with those values such as dedication, determination, persistence, endurance, enthusiasm, optimism and hard work that ensured continued victory in the land of success.

Most times, changes are strategically planned and walked into with calculated steps, although procedures may differ from person to person, in terms of how much work was put into the planning and how great the strides were, which sometimes, make it look like the change came by sheer stroke of luck for other people.

I know there are a lot of people looking out to having great positive changes to happen in their lives but are either not sure what steps to take or afraid of taking these steps. Wherever you are; these are a few tips on how to make change happen and mange it, and don't forget that what you think is what you feel and what you feel is what you attract. This means that your thoughts greatly contributes to what becomes your reality. To attract goodness, happiness and well-being, why not try out these uncommon law of attraction methods from any of the books recommended here.



However, there are still great ways you can effectively achieve positive change in your life and business if you follow these tips.  

 Visualize the change:

Imagine what change you want, when and how you want it and keep a bird’s-eye-view of the landscape. This will help you attune your actions towards your goal and keep you focused on what you want to achieve.

Reflect on your own values, strength and weaknesses:

Spend time reflecting on your values. Weight those attributes you cherish about yourself and look inwards, as to how best you can use these values and possibly your strengths to achieve your goals. Also, think about your weaknesses and imagine how you can turn your weaknesses into strengths at this time to achieve your goals. Better still, you could find ways of seeking help to deal with these weaknesses if it’s in your way against achieving your goals.

Have a clear vision:

It is important to know what and why you want change. A sense of purpose is essential to success and effectiveness, and if you do not have a clear idea of what you want or you want it, you may not achieve any long standing change. Successful change comes when you can clarify your goals and build on the bedrock of purpose.

Be persistent:

You do not have to be a genius to achieve positive change in your life. All you need is a good sense of commitment and focus that keeps you going. Once you know what you want, find ways of getting it; keep trying. Recording progress and being grateful of the progress, no matter how little grows your strength for persistence. Never quit and remain determined with a bit of hard work. 

 Be flexible and creative:

Think outside the box, if it’s not happening one way try another direction. Do not stick solely to your ideas and knowledge, learn from other people, seek meaningful advice and be ready to change some of your ways of doing things.

Accept change and know your limits:

Life is a pool of change, so keep in mind the uncertainties that may occur. Take cognizance of those things you may not be able to change by keeping high, your abilities to adapt your situations and circumstances. Bear in mind that there is no such situation as ‘unbearable’, but rather your responses and attitudes toward these situations will affect the outcome of things.

Be optimistic:

Focus your time and energy on being positive and optimistic. Optimism gives you the power to stay on course and ability to keep striving on, well.

Achieve your goals by staying focused

Goals are central to personal success and happiness. No wonder we all go about talking setting different goals for business and life purposes. At different times in life, no doubt, there will be goals you want to work on and achieve. These may be in form of physical projects you want to embark upon or other financial goals. Setting goals do not only keep your body and mind active, it gives you a purpose to live for. Having different goals to work on enables you to live a life rid of boredom and frustration and gives you the opportunity to discover and make the best use of your potentials. No doubt setting goals may be quite challenging, but such challenges will help you grow and be who you want to be eventually. While it is quite easy for some people to come clear with their goals, others find it quite difficult to identify what their goals are, which makes it a lot difficult to solve problems they face. Getting professionals to help you with identifying and setting your goals will definitely be worthwhile.  If you are fortunate enough to clearly identify your goals at different times and different stages of your life, you then may have proved that you know what you want and perhaps also, know ways of achieving it. Your inability to deal adequately well with goal setting and achievement explains why as many people as cannot be accounted for, fall among those who constantly see themselves as not being able to achieve goals they have set for themselves.  However, once you have been able to set your goals, you must ensure to handle the processes responsibly in order to achieve success. Learn to believe in yourself, discover your true potentials and remain focused. If you are struggling believing in yourself or building your self-esteem, you can always seek help, read some personal development books, which I found help from;

and don't ever think of quitting. I know it can be daunting sometimes to stand up to some of our goal setting challenges, surrounding yourself with people of like-minds and those who will support you may just be the magic you require, but most importantly, always concentrate on your goals and create a vision to help you stay focused. 

There are really no hard and fast rules to how you can remain focused and eventually achieve what you have set out to achieve. All you need basically is the right attitude, the right approach and the right mindset.

Here are some tips for you to consider in helping you stay focused and on track, to achieve your goals.

Prioritize your goals

You may have one huge goal or several huge goals you want to accomplish at different times or at a particular time. To make your goals effective and achievable, you must learn to prioritize your goals. If you have one big goal you want to accomplish, for example you want to start your own business; break this goal into bits and pieces, and begin tackling it one goal at a time or at the most, work on the three most important phases of this goal, once accomplished, you can then move to the next level.

When you want to achieve a huge goal without breaking it down, you may stretch yourself thin, resulting in less efficiency and probably not achieving anything. So, what you do is, prioritize your goals in order of importance and then pick the most important goals; say 1-3 most important goals to start with. Do not embark on other goals if you do not complete these ones.

For example, you have about 6-7 goals to accomplish and you list them:

• Get a shop/office
• Buy some equipment
• Begin some marketing campaigns
• Build your website
• Learn more about your business and how to succeed
• Put money aside for back ups
• Get a new car for the business

Pick the most important from the list and work on them.

 

Create a vision Board 

The essence of you creating a vision board is to remind you every day of the goals you have set for yourself, so that you do not forget or lose focus or concentration. It helps you visualize your goals more clearly, which inevitably inspires you to take consistent action. What is a vision board? It’s a collage of pictures and images that represent your goals and dreams. Vision board reinforces your goals to you and reminds you to take action so as to move forward.

Ensure your drive/motivation is strong enough

Whatever goal you set must have the strength and huge motivation to keep you going no matter what. It is only then that you will be able to face challenges that come with achieving your goal and overcome these challenges. Without a strong drive for your goal, your tendency of falling by the wayside and not achieving your goal is quite high. Have you ever asked yourself why you want to become an entrepreneur? (For example).  Are you convinced of the reasons you truly want to own and start your business. Is that purpose strong enough to keep you going, etc?

Master your skills:

Obviously, great things start from small beginnings and acquiring knowledge and seeking to be better at what you do should be a lifelong thing. It may take some time for you to master all the skills required to be a guru in your chosen business, but ensure that you make all efforts necessary to improve your performance and quality of service. You must always aim to be a master at what you do and be willing to share knowledge with others.

E.G- Learn good customer relations practices, good refund practice, good marketing/advertising skills, learn to brand your products/services positively with good reputation, quality product line/ services, etc. Go for more training if need be.

 

Tackle your limiting beliefs: Often, I hear clients, friends say, “I doubt if I will be able to make it because I don’t see myself a very good business person”

I can’t manage a business because nobody in my family ever succeeded as a business man/woman. We are better at office jobs; etc. All such messages are sent to your unconscious mind and are processed and worked upon.  Now your unconscious mind will begin to respond and act upon the messages and symbols you send across, distributing the kind of energy you transmit from your conscious mind. So, if you believe you cannot make it as a business person, the response you will begin to get will be that of someone who cannot make it as a business person no matter what. So, if you’ve had any negative or limiting beliefs whatsoever find ways to work on them eradicate such and free yourself. Take advantage of the opportunities you have and make the use of your potentials.

Identify any obstacles/barriers and find ways to break them- Barriers could be inform of time, I hear people say “I’ve not been able to do...  because I haven’t got time, money, support, family, etc. Whatever the barriers are, seek help and ensure you step above such.

 

Network and surround yourself with like -minded people: Find knowledge, friendship and support to help you build a strong base for your goals.  Find ways of meeting like minded people to discuss, and explore new ideas and ways of doing things. For example, read about the latest trends around the type of goal you are embarking upon, or in your chosen business field; attend seminars and workshops and engage in other things that could help your business grow.

 Secondly, surround yourself with people who will encourage and help you accomplish your goals and also give you honest and constructive criticisms as well as challenge you towards achieving your goals.

 

Keep a progress record sheet – The importance of tracking results and achievements is to enable you to measure how well you have performed within a period of time. It helps you identify your performance metrics, and guide you as to where you need to improve or where you added value. You could keep a daily journal of your efforts and achievement, this way you will ensure taking actions and improving on your outcomes. Now are days there are so many ways of analysing the progress you make.

                                      

Celebrate achievements: One important reason you need the progress record sheet is for you to identify every success or achievement you’ve made at different stages and then celebrate those achievements. As you reach each of the milestones, give yourself a treat, pause, feel the accomplishment and enjoy the pleasure that comes with such success before moving on. As you savour the joy of your accomplishments you will believe more in yourself and strongly that you will in fact reach your goal.

Perspective makes the change

Thanks to the words of the Universe that fills my presence like a bloom verse. Oh! How stunning our perception of issues, situations  and events can change things for better or for worse.  The way you view a circumstance or a situation, determines the success you can achieve in managing the situation. Your view point on any issue or circumstance, greatly affects your mindset, thoughts and actions to follow, and that is why a positive mindset towards situations all good or bad; is most beneficial.  It is always best to  make an effort to examine the positive aspects of an event or a situation, even though, may seem unclear.

Your perspective or point of view, can subjectively colour your interpretation of events and circumstances, particularly when you focus primarily on how it affects you in the short term. Our perception affects almost every aspect of our lives, from simple conversations  to individual belief systems. Perception affects  your attitudes and overall disposition towards everything. Hence,  allowing a positive outlook will help you work towards turning things round and making the best of every situation you find yourself.  If you  perceive life negatively, your sub conscious mind tends to know and think only of the sorrows, darkness, failures and trials therein, that when happiness comes, your perception will not allow your consciousness apprehend and recognise it.  There is no doubt however, that the true state of your personal affairs may be worrisome, but perceiving it as "insurmountable",  is  greater harm, than looking differently, perhaps more positively, as to how to deal with the difficult situation.

Most times, positive outlook promotes positive attitudes towards situations, events and circumstances, which will help you face life challenges with courage and optimism.  When you travel new paths and embark on new journeys with courage, faith and vigour, your abilities will soar, and triumphant you will become. There is so much guidance around you when you look through problems and difficulties with faith and optimism, as it helps rebuild your trust in getting back to shape. Your thoughts will begin to mould towards the direction you have set your energies, and your actions will be dictated by your positively self-carved motivations.  

Sometimes, all it requires to see your life glow, may just be a change in your thoughts and old ways of doing things. Perhaps this will open doors to see an all new you, previously dusted  with false beliefs, making you think you were not capable of newer, greater achievements.

Procrastination

How many times have you reminded yourself about that project or goal you've just put on hold or shoved off ?  How many appointments have you called off or simply ignored because you thought it was better if scheduled for later, possibly another time more suitable or appropriate? Don't you forget, there may never be a suitable time until you are ready to make one available.

When you begin to postpone project  start date, shift appointment time unjustifiably, and make alterations on your 'to-do' list without concrete actions, you will be alarmed, when  you look back at time,  how needlessly, you've put it to so much misuse.

Now and then, when it pops to mind that you are procrastinating a project or something of that sort, and probably tell yourself "it's time I stopped procrastinating this project", possibly due to an urge to do something, an inspiration from someone else's  achievement or  just a personally induced  set plan to begin taking actions. This sort of feeling could  indeed produce an action that  could make massive difference you've always craved, rather than sitting on your marvellous dreams and aspirations all in the name of some flimsy excuses you may never get over, until you prepare to get over your fear and step beyond your comfort  zone. Not until that step is taken, the feeling, may well just be as meaningless.    

At this point, when you finally decide to take action, recognising and nurturing  the feeling of power and positivity comes as important as actually stepping out to make those very first crucial moves. Whether what you need to do, is drafting a list of requirements, set out and plan your goals and objectives in a smart, realistic and chronological order, or even a phone call to get it all started, putting in a meaningful action, is definitely a critical step to take, if your dream must become a reality.

No doubt many people procrastinate due to a general blame on time or sometimes, lack of fund to execute their projects or manage their goals. However, in true practicalities these more often than not, are not genuine reasons those projects couldn't  be implemented. This is because it takes readiness, courage , creativity and determination to find ways of reaching a dream land, rather than waiting endlessly in sheer expectation without any invention, to clear a regular , conventional path. Always blame yourself  and nothing else, anytime you procrastinate on your goals needlessly. For you to achieve anything , you must be prepared to take actions, face challenges and also take risks , at every single stage in developing, planning and achieving your goals.  It must be noted that it is not the grandest of action that will make things happen, rather, it is the positive, regular, focused tiny steps you begin to take that defines  where and how your dreams will lead.  Knowing how to formulate  your actions for successful implementation of your plans is highly important, with an added  tint of creativity in manipulating whatever comes your way, always to your advantage as much as you can, and most of all, your determination to succeed, will be a platform to build your actions and thoughts  on.            

10 Ways To Say NO

One of the reasons people get tied down to where they do not want to be, is because they have refused to say no to those circumstances that have continually tied them down. Whether it's a human factor or a  nagging situation, learning to say no at the right time, place  and in the right manner, gives you much more than feeling fulfilled, it also clears the path for you to live without blaming yourself or getting unnecessarily angry at yourself.

Your inability to say no will affect your productivity and efficiency, being the result of taking on too many commitments, and when you take on too many things at a time, performance or excellent performance becomes a problem. Do you have difficulty saying "no"? Are you always trying to be nice to others at your expense?

Well, you’re not alone. For some  reasons, many people have ditched the word 'no', to hurt themselves  while they please others. This is not to say that you shouldn't be nice to people, but do not be unfair to yourself while being nice to people.

Why you find it difficult to say "NO".

You don't want to hurt the other person’s feelings - Saying 'no', necessarily doesn't mean hurting other people's feelings. It all depends on how you say it and your intent for saying no. Although you necessarily do not have to justify your reason for saying 'no', it is a great Personal development practice to ensure it's best for you when you do so.

You don't want to  disappoint the person you’re saying 'no' to: We all get disappointed once in a while, and even nature as taught us to live by disappointments sometimes; when you can't help it, acknowledge it, and let the other person know, it's because you can't just fit it in. 

Willingness to help: Sometimes, we feel the urge to help, even if the weight pulls us down. Imagine a Camel on the Sahara, each time it takes on this particular luggage, it walks six steps and then it goes down, for three consecutive attempts it happened so, isn't time to take a break? That is exactly what happens to you when you aim to help out, even though you are not capable of helping out. Identify it, say it nicely and free your mind. If you go ahead, you may stop mid-way and that hurts more on  both sides.

You want to keep a long lasting relationship- If you must know, what keeps relationship, is being a true honest self, right from the outset. When  you continually please people for the wrong reasons, you will someday come to a point, where you can go no further and this is when you begin to disappoint people . You however have a duty to live up to it and take the step, knowing how to say no.

Don't want to  be rude: This is  just a 'mind -set', that when you say 'no', you are being rude . Saying  'no' does not necessarily mean being rude, rather the manner with which you say it, may be rude, and that is why you need to learn how to say 'no' nicely.

You want to be seen and called "Nice"- The only nice thing about being nice is feeling soulfully nice.

 To avoid  conflict: No matter how hard you try, some people just want you to accept whatever they want you to do and never seem to understand your  point of view. For this reason, or just because you assumed so, you feel jerky there  might be a conflict  if you reject him/her. What I will say is; try avoid any form of confrontation, try to say' no', as politely as you can, hold on to the fact that, it's simply because you can't afford to help the person, and sooner than later, you will feel the inner peace you deserve.

Over time,  I have come to  realize that  these reasons people fear to say no,  are basically, misconceptions. Saying “No” doesn’t mean all these things above, and do not necessarily  create a negative atmosphere. These are all false beliefs that have been built in the mind over time.

 10 Simple Ways To Say “No”

Rather than have it as a burden on you, just follow these simple ways to turn down things or situations you sincerely can't help.



1. "I Will not be able to this at this time."

2."No, I can’t."

3."This is not a really good time as I’m in the middle of something."

4."I will be privileged to assist once I complete this project".

5."No, not now,  you may get in touch later".

6. "I’d love to do this, but …"

7." I'm fully booked at the moment,  and will not be able to take up more responsibilities".

8."I’m not the best person to help on this."

9."How could you expect me to do a thing like that for you?"

10."I wish I could help..."

 Learning the art of saying no, may save more than the burden of getting overworked and having to live with limitless commitments.