Practice what you learn to get better at what you do

One must always practice something slowly. If you learn something slowly you forget it slowly. (Itzhak Perlman)

It is very easy to fall into the trap of learning—and more learning—without practicing what we have learned.

Everything we learn goes to waste when we do not practice what we learn.

At some point in life, we have to take all the knowledge learned over the years and put it into practice, to be able to pursue our big dreams.  To do this, you need to get in to three strategic positions.

READY

Get ready to practice what you learn by identifying what you want to accomplish, and get to know the process involved, as well as the resources you need.

SET

Get set by setting goals and breaking them down into attainable daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks.

GO

Go for your big dreams by rolling out your goals.  Use what you have to get what you want.  Be confident, and don’t have any fears of making mistakes along the way, because they are the means of acquiring new skills and experience.

The surest way of getting better at what we do is to practice what we learn.

Much love and all the best!

It is okay not to get everything done in a day

An hour of planning can save you hours of doing. (Dale Carnegie)

The day I learned that stress is brought by unfinished business—repeat unfinished business—my life changed for the better.

Think about it for a moment… If you have a plan and you don’t execute it, you have an unfinished business that will make you feel stressed. According to the ‘Zeigarnik Effect’, the brain simply wants us to finish what we started.

So, how do we manage stress caused by unfinished business?

• REVIEW your plan for the day and put what is urgent in the first tier, followed by what is important.

• CREATE a third tier for what has been pending for too long, or no longer serves much purpose—that you need to either ditch or postpone to a later date. This is an important step that will free you to focus more on urgent and important tasks.

• Go back to the urgent tasks and spend a few minutes to think through the execution PROCESS. For example, office meeting, dentist appointment, submit proposal, apply for visa, etc. Do the same for the important tasks.

• At the end of the day, cross out what you were able to do (with a broad smile). For what you were not able to do, RESCHEDULE the tasks to a later date. This simple action of allocating a new timeline will stop the brain from yelling at you for not completing what you said you would do.

Keeping the to do list short and realistic helps us to manage stress caused by unfinished business. It also helps us to be more efficient. Much love and all the best!

The charge mode: Smart way of surviving the impact of Covid19

Uncertainty will always be part of the change process. (Harold Geneen)

Think of a phone when it needs to be charged.  The battery signal starts flashing, the screen goes dark, and if the phone is not charged at this point, it goes off.  Duuuuuuuup!

Like a phone that needs to be charged when the battery is about to go off—we too need to get into charge mode—to survive the economic and social impact of Covid19.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Everyone’s life has been affected in one way or another.  Some have lost loved ones, others are dealing with the insecurity of losing jobs/businesses, others are having a difficult time making ends meet, while others are infected by Covid19.  

A GOOD REMEDY

It is the time to go into charge mode.  To do this,

•  Live in the present moment by accepting how your life has been affected—no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel.  This is the only way of coming to terms with reality. It is in the present moment where problems are solved, because there is no way of going to the past to fix things, or to be in the future.

• Health is wealth and the only way to make it through the pandemic is by taking good care of your body and mental health.

• Forward planning. 

~ If you still have a job, start building your emergency reserve.  You will need it.

~ If your business is still running, start thinking of innovative ways of diversifying.  You will thank yourself later.

~ If you do not have a source of income, think of how you can use your expertise and talent to make money.  Start small but think big.

There is hope of surviving Covid19. Yes, there is.

Much love and take care.

Measuring small wins: How to stay on track when pursuing life and career goals

The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. (Vince Lombard)

Progress in attaining our life and career goals does not happen overnight. Having this understanding helps us to be patient with ourselves, and stops us from feeling frustrated when things don’t go as planned.

Therefore, it is important to measure progress, because it helps us to identify what is not working well, the lessons learned, and the decisions we need to make moving forward.

Measuring progress enables us to celebrate small wins that are usually easy to overlook—yet they play a big role in boosting our mood and motivation.

Simple ways of measuring progress.

• Conduct daily reviews by listing down what you worked on, the small wins made, and setbacks encountered. Going through your notes at the end of the week will help you to see how far you have come, and also to plan for the coming week.

• Conduct monthly reviews by responding to the following questions: What did I complete this month that I am proud of? What did I learn this month that is contributing towards the attainment of my goals? Going through your notes every three months will help you to stop feeling overwhelmed, because you will see where you need to break down big tasks into small manageable activities.

When working on our goals, a time comes when the goal is within reach. Wonderful feeling. It is at this point where measuring how far we are from attaining the goal—that we give it our best shot to close the gap.

Much love and all the best!

Right the wrongs: How to turn your setback into a comeback

Do not allow setbacks to set you back. (Stacey Abrams)

We all experience setbacks at some point in life. How we cope during these times is important, because it determines how we bounce back.

Being resilient means that we are able to maintain a positive outlook to life, while facing a stressful situation. This is a good thing, because it helps us to think clearly to be able to cope more effectively.

Demonstrating resilience does not mean that we have not experienced emotional pain. No. It means that we have analyzed the stressful situation, determined what needs to be done to make things right, and taken action to bounce back.

Simply ways of building resilience.

• Get enough rest, eat healthy, and exercise. This will help you to feel more energized to think straight, as you take action towards coping with the stressful situation.
• Have a plan for the day, or month, or year. This will help you to be proactive in taking action to solve problems, rather than waiting for problems to solve themselves. This puts you on the driver’s seat to change the narrative of your story.
• Focus on what has meaning and adds value to your life. This will help you to face your fears and challenge yourself to take action, and soon you will be able to see positive results.

Building resilience is about overcoming disappointment, defeat, and failure—so that we can bounce back and move on with life.

Much love and all the best!

Adaptability builds resilience: How to cope when the unexpected happens

Adaptability is the simple secret of survival. (Jessica Hagedorn)

With so much happening in the world right now due to the effects of COVID19, it is important to have the flexibility to adapt and respond to the changes taking place.

Adaptability is important because it helps us to stay relevant in an ever changing environment. It also enables us to make the necessary adjustments in the midst of the chaos taking place.

Ways of strengthening your adaptability muscle.

• Try your level best to adapt and respond positively to change. You may feel disappointed and want to resist the change, but adapt to the situation. By changing your behavior and attitude, you will soon bounce back and embrace the new experience.

• Try out new things that will inspire you to keep learning, growing, and seeking new opportunities. You may feel uncomfortable at first, but keep going. By embracing new changes, you will soon reinvent yourself.

Adaptability is about being open to new ideas, having the ability to work independently as well as with a team, and being able to juggle between multiple projects without losing focus.

We may not be able to control what tomorrow brings, but we can control how we react to the changes. Adaptability gives us the much needed lift to manage change and seize new opportunities.

Much love and all the best!

Persist no matter what – In the journey to greatness

To be the best persist during the worst. (Source unknown)

COVID19 has led to a lot of changes in our lives. How do we overcome the urge of giving up when the going gets tough, and there seems to be no results from our efforts? The resolve is to persist.

To persist in doing something—is continuing to take action with determination—despite the difficulties faced—knowing that we are going to achieve success.

When we persist in pursuing our life and career goals, the following will happen:

• You will be MOTIVATED to put more effort towards succeeding. Outcome; you feel proud and accomplished when you see the difference between where you started and the progress you have made.

• You will GAIN experience through failing-learning-and trying again …until you get it right. Outcome; you will gain useful insights on how to manage future projects—knowing that things can go wrong, and when this happens, it is not the end of the road, but another opportunity to do things differently and better.

• You will UNDERSTAND the true value of success. Outcome; when implementing future goals, you will be in a better position to apply hard work and dedication, with the full understanding that both precede success.

We need to set goals so that we can know what to focus on. [Without goals we are on a road that leads to nowhere]. We also need to be prepared to put in extra effort and time to get what we want. [There is nothing like overnight success].

All in all, we should never (ever) give up on trying to create the life we desire. Let’s persist and keep on keeping on.

Much love and all the best!

Finding direction in life and career: How to formulate a roadmap to greatness

It is in the waves of change and uncertainty that we find our true direction.

What comes to mind when invited to an event that will be held at a place you have never been to before?

You will want to know the address, then you will ask for details of the most convenient route to get there, and if it is a long road trip, you will want to know where to stop for a health break. In other words, you will plan the trip roadmap.

The same thing applies in the journey to greatness. We need to have a life roadmap to help us find the way—into the future.

A life roadmap is a plan that outlines our goals, and describes the activities we need to implement, to be able to attain them. It also gives a breakdown of the desired timeline for creating the life we want to live.

A workable life roadmap can be developed in many ways, but the simplest formula has three steps:

• Define what success means to you. In other words—what is it that if it happens in your career, health, finances, relationship—will make you feel successful? Is it climbing the career ladder to hold the position of director or CEO, introducing a new product line in your business, losing weight, making enough money to provide a comfortable life for your family, mending a broken relationship, etc.
• Review your life. This involves looking at all areas of your life, that you feel you need to make changes. The best way to get started is by reviewing what is happening in your life right now, that makes you feel unhappy and frustrated.
• Set your priorities and swing into action. Once you review your life, you will have a clear picture of what needs to change. Next, you need to set goals and rank them in two categories. Urgent goals that require your immediate attention and focus, and important goals that require a lot of planning and investment in terms of resources and time allocation. With this done, get busy and start implementing your goals.

A life roadmap helps us to discover what inspires and motivates us in life. It is the most powerful and reliable means for helping us to attain our heart’s desires. Everyone was created for greatness.

Much love and all the best!

Intentional living: Building momentum in the journey to greatness

Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves. (Lord Chesterfield)

If there is ever a time when we need to be more intentional in the way we live our life—it is now and in the coming months—during the aftermath of COVID19 pandemic.

Being intentional is not about living a perfect life. No, not at all. It is about living a purposeful life. It simply means making a choice to live a life that is aligned to our purpose—which then enables us to find meaning, and most importantly direction—in the midst of the unexpected changes that have happened globally.

Two things happen the moment we make a deliberate decision to be more intentional in the way we live our life:

• You begin to direct your focus and energy on doing important things that add value to your life. Things that give you peace, joy, and happiness—and true meaning to your life. For example, learning a new skill so that you can make a career change, engaging in activities and projects that will improve your financial situation, improving your relationship with those who are close to you, leading a healthy and productive life, growing spiritually, etc. Outcome: Living a purposeful life.
• You also slowly and gradually begin to let go of things that do not add value to your life. Things that constantly drain your energy—making you feel exhausted, tired, angry, unproductive, and unhappy. Outcome: Living a purposeful life.

How then does someone become more intentional in life? By defining your purpose in life, and a good way to set the ball rolling is by responding to this question: What am I doing with my life and why am I doing it?

Once you define your purpose in life, you will then be able to set goals—that are aligned to your defined purpose—making you more intentional in the way you live your life.

Being intentional in life is an essential skill to have, because it forms the basis for making life better, and plays a big role in building momentum in the journey to greatness.

Much love and all the best!

New perspective on life: Time to change with the times to regain balance

Obstacles don’t block the path. They are the path (Zen Proverb)

With everything going on around the world right now, it is very easy to feel out of harmony.  COVID19 has disrupted our lives. But all is not lost.

Feeling out of harmony happens when there is a disconnect in the way we think, feel, speak, and act—and the solution is to regain balance.

There comes a time when we need to pause for a moment to regain balance; when the going gets tough.  (From my personal experience) doing the following things helps in a big way:

• Get it off your chest.  Speak (and vent if you want) to a trusted friend or relative about the situation you are facing—and most important, how you really-really feel about it.  By doing this, you will be vocalizing the stress out of your body, and end up feeling much-much better.
• Live in the moment.  Keep things in perspective and take one day at a time.  How?  By dealing with every situation faced as it comes—doing the best you can under the circumstances—and you will feel much-much better.
• Be positive.  Even when you feel low and demoralized, try as much as you can to find something to be grateful for. Doing this has good dividends, because you will develop a positive attitude, and end up feeling much-much better.

It is a fact that as great as life can be, it can also be challenging and tough at times.  And that is why, when we are out of harmony, we owe it to ourselves to pause and regain balance.  Yes, we do.

Much love and all the best!