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  • How to Build Confidence and Self-esteem

    How to Build Confidence and Self-esteem

    We’ve all heard of “Fake it ’til you make it,” right? Well, what if you could use that same idea in reverse and increase your self-confidence, self-esteem, and overall success just by building the habit and then living following it every day?

    Building confidence and self-esteem is a lifelong process. The things that make you feel good about yourself at the moment are not necessarily the same things that will carry over into your future. When you’re young, it’s easy to think that you’re going to be the best at everything, but that doesn’t always turn out to be the case.

    Your accomplishments become more meaningful as you get older, and your failures are easier to swallow.

    The first step to building confidence and self-esteem is to know what they are.

    • Confidence is the belief that you can do something in yourself or your ability to perform a task.
    • Self-esteem is the belief that you are worthy of respect and love from others.

    Positive feedback from others is the best way to build confidence and self-esteem. When someone gives you positive feedback on your achievements, it reinforces your belief and helps you develop a sense of self-worth.

    When someone gives you negative feedback, however, this will only serve to undermine your confidence and cause further doubts about yourself. If someone tells you that you’re terrible at something or worthless as an individual, for example, this can devastate your self-esteem.

    It can lead to depression and other mental health issues and long-term damage to relationships with friends and family members who may be affected by these comments.

    The best way to build self-esteem is to start believing in yourself. It’s not enough to believe in yourself; you must believe in what you do. You have to see yourself as capable and successful because if you don’t see yourself as competent and successful, then nobody else will.

    If a student isn’t performing well, it’s not that he doesn’t have the ability or talent; he doesn’t see himself as capable or successful. And even if he did think that way, he wouldn’t know how to make himself feel better about it.

    Signs Of Low Self-Esteem

    Low self-esteem is the feeling that you are not good enough. Low self-esteem may make you feel inferior to others, less intelligent and unworthy. You may be critical of yourself. You may think that you don’t deserve the good things in life or that other people are better than you. You may have a negative view of yourself and believe that no one would want to be with someone like you.

    Some signs of low self-esteem include:

    • Your self-image is negative: including how others see you, what others say about you and how much you believe it.
    • You have difficulty concentrating on tasks at hand because of negative thoughts about yourself, such as “I’m stupid” or “I’m not worthy.”
    • You have difficulty making decisions based on what’s best for yourself because of negative thoughts such as “I’m an idiot.”
    • You feel like giving up when things get complicated because of negative thoughts about yourself, such as “It’s no use” or “Nothing will ever go right for me.”

    What is self-confidence, and why is it important?

    Self-confidence is the belief in one’s abilities and abilities to handle situations, even if they are not necessary or possible. It is a belief that you can achieve what you want to accomplish with your efforts and without help from anyone else.

    It could be as simple as standing up for yourself when someone is trying to bully you or as complex as being able to accomplish a goal that seems impossible.

    People with self-confidence have a very positive attitude towards themselves and their abilities. They believe that they can do things better than other people. They also think that they can succeed at whatever they decide to do. This kind of attitude makes them more likely to try new things, take on challenges and make changes in their lives.

    Self-confidence is crucial because it helps us take risks when afraid of failure or rejection. The more confident we feel about our skills, talents and abilities, the less likely we will stop ourselves from trying something new or challenging ourselves further when we already know we can succeed at something difficult.

    How can you increase your self-esteem and self-confidence?

    Self-esteem and self-confidence are like a shield you. It protects you from being hurt by the people who are around you. It helps you in making decisions and standing up for yourself.

    Here are some ways to increase your self-esteem and self-confidence:

    • Be yourself – Be true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone else because it will only lead to confusion and frustration. You have a unique personality, and you need to embrace it.
    • See the good in yourself – Look at all the good things about yourself daily and appreciate them. Focus on what you can do rather than what you cannot do or who else’s expectations are higher than yours.
    • Get support – Get support from friends, family members or other people who care about you and who want what is best for you in life. Get their advice and suggestions on how they think you should act in certain situations or situations where there is a conflict between two people involved in a relationship (for example, if one person wants one thing while another wants something else).
    • Practice gratitude – Express gratitude whenever possible by saying “thank you” when someone does something nice for you or says something nice about
    • Stop comparing yourself with others -It is straightforward to compare yourself with others, which can lead to low self-esteem. It would help if you were happy with whatever you have, so stop comparing yourself with others and focus on what you have.
    • Learn new things about yourself – You don’t have to be like everyone else to feel good about yourself. You can learn about yourself and grow as a person, which will make you happy.
    • Get out of your comfort zone and try new things – When you feel comfortable, you tend to stop growing and learning new things about yourself and your lives. We can continually improve ourselves and our lives by doing something different or trying something new.

    What are the best self-care practices for self-esteem?

    Self-esteem is essential to your overall mental health because it affects everything from your self-confidence to how well you perform at school or work. If you have low self-esteem, it can make it difficult for you to feel good about yourself.

    The following are some tips on how to boost your self-esteem:

    • Exercise regularly: Regular exercise will help improve your body shape and help you feel better about yourself. It also helps reduce stress levels and gives you more energy which makes it easier to deal with day-to-day problems or challenges that may arise in life, such as moving house or starting a new job.
    • Eat a healthy diet: A healthy diet will help improve your appearance and make you feel better. You should include plenty of fruit, vegetables, and protein foods such as meat, fish, and whole grains (loaves of bread etc.).
    • Practising self-soothing techniques: Self-soothing techniques include taking deep breaths, engaging in calming activities like yoga or meditation, and having a good night’s sleep.

    Taking deep breaths is an excellent way to calm down and relieve stress. Deep breathing will also help you feel more relaxed and less anxious throughout the day.

    If you find that taking deep breaths helps you calm down, try using a technique called progressive muscle relaxation.

    This technique involves tensing each muscle group in your body from head to toe and then relaxing those muscles one at a time until all are relaxed.

    Engaging in activities such as yoga or meditation can also be very helpful for boosting one’s self-esteem because these activities help reduce anxiety and stress while also improving concentration skills, focus, and overall mood.

    It is important to note that engaging in these activities should not replace sleep because it may lead to insomnia if one performs them too close to bedtime (which could result in less restorative sleep).

    Conclusion

    To achieve success in any field, you need good self-esteem and confidence. Without these qualities, you will never be able to make your dreams a reality. To build your confidence, you need to know that you are worthy of being successful and having everything you want in life.

    There are many ways to build confidence. Confidence is based on your ability to set and achieve your goals and speak publicly accurately. The key to building self-esteem is identifying how you see yourself and how others see you. For example, are you coming across as someone pushy and demanding? Or are you coming across as someone confident and caring?

  • Is Life not Meaningful Anymore? Here is How to Achieve Authentic Happiness

    Is Life not Meaningful Anymore? Here is How to Achieve Authentic Happiness

    How to Achieve Authentic Happiness

    “Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.” Ralph Marston.

    You can’t be happy if you’re not authentic. Happiness is not a matter of circumstance or even behavior. It’s a state of being, and it requires that we stop trying to control our lives and instead start trying to be like them.

    Authenticity is essential to happiness because when you’re genuinely yourself, you can let go of your fears and worries. You don’t have to worry about what other people think or how they’ll judge you. You don’t have to feel guilty for having a bad day or enjoying yourself on weekends.

    When we’re not authentic, we try to pretend that we’re someone else to fit in with other people, which usually ends up making us feel even worse than when we were pretending in the first place. If you want to be happy, stop trying hard to fit in with other people’s expectations and start being yourself.

    Authentic happiness is not about the number of things you own, the size of your bank balance, or how many people like you. Instead, it’s about finding meaning and purpose in your life.

    The great news is that this is possible. You can achieve authentic happiness by focusing on what matters most to you and by doing the things that make you feel good such as :

    • Stopping comparing yourself to others
    • Having a clear goal for your life
    • Make time for your loved ones.
    • Living in the moment, not in the past or future
    • Being grateful for small things that bring you joy

    The Three Dimensions Of Authentic Happiness

    Self-awareness; Self-awareness means having a clear idea of who you are and what you want out of life. It knows your values, strengths, weaknesses, and life’s purpose.

    Flow: The experience of being wholly absorbed in an activity where you lose yourself to the point where time flies and the world disappears. You can’t help but enjoy and feel good about your actions.

    Authenticity: Being true to your values and beliefs and being true to yourself, even if that means standing up for what you believe in, even if it’s not popular at the time (or ever).

    Does Authentic Happiness Have A Formula

    The answer is yes.

    Authentic happiness has a formula.

    The formula is simple:

    Exercise, eat healthily, and sleep well.

    You can’t fake these things. They are essential to your health and well-being. They also contribute to your happiness by giving you energy and feeling good about yourself.

    Yes, it’s not easy to do. You have to decide that you want to be happy and make an effort to be happy every day of your life.

    It will not be easy or quick, but it can be done. It’s up to you whether you want to make an effort.”

    It’s not something you can buy or achieve in isolation. If you want to find it for yourself, you need to do the work, and that work involves changing your mind about things like:

    • Your self-worth
    • Your beliefs about yourself and other people
    • How much control do you have over your life?
    • What makes you happy
    • What makes you sad (and why)
    • If we don’t look at these things differently, we’ll continue to think we’re missing out on something when we’re already getting the most out of life.

    How Do You Find Authentic Happiness

    The question “How do you find real happiness?” is one of the essential questions in life. It’s worth asking because genuine happiness is the only kind of happiness that makes sense. Authentic happiness is not a feeling; it’s a way of being that makes you feel good about yourself, other people, and the world around you.

    Here are some tips for finding actual happiness:

    • Realize that authentic happiness comes from within. You must make it happen for yourself, not just hope for it.
    • Stop comparing yourself to others and start appreciating who you are as an individual. It includes your flaws, your strengths, and your unique perspective on things.
    • Give gratitude for all the good things that happen in your life, even if they’re easy to forget sometimes!
    • Learn how to forgive yourself when you make mistakes or hurt someone else by accident (this will help you move on).
    • Make time for friends and family; they’ll always be there for you.
    • Know what makes you happy. Take time to figure out what makes you happy. You will not be able to find true fulfillment if you do not take the time to know yourself and your needs.
    • Be open-minded and willing to try new things. Just because something doesn’t work the first time does not mean it won’t work out in the end. You may also discover something that makes you authentically happier than anything else.
    • Don’t worry about what others think of your happiness plan–they probably won’t even notice. If they don’t like or agree with your plans for a better life, that’s okay. They are not the ones who need to live according to them anyway.

    Where does authentic happiness come from?

    True happiness is the result of a sincere desire for personal growth. It may be nurtured by a person’s spiritual beliefs and values or by pursuing knowledge through education and experience.

    In every human being, some factors can help you develop your true happiness:

    One of these factors is having good friends who share your interests and passions, listen to and understand you, and support you in what we do.

    Another factor is learning how to be happy with yourselves. It means accepting yourselves as you are in this moment:

    • without wishing for or expecting anything else.
    • Without comparing yourselves with others.
    • Without judging yourselves against an idealized self-image that you hope to achieve someday.
    • Without comparing your current state with what you have experienced in the past or expect in the future.
    • You are enjoying where you are right now, regardless of whether it feels good enough.

    The third factor is understanding that life doesn’t always go according to plan and knowing how to cope with change when it does occur. You can’t control everything, but you can control how you react when things go wrong; doing something constructive rather than destructive will help you move forward.

    Conclusion

    So, in summary: Authentic happiness is living with no regrets. It’s being a person of character, doing the right thing even when it’s hard.

    Your greatest fear is becoming your life’s tragedy. And your greatest regret will be an endless litany of should have, could have, would have.

    The best way to achieve authentic happiness is to decide what you want from life and go after it with all your effort and passion. And if you ever screw up or lose your way along the way, don’t hesitate to pick yourself up and start pursuing those dreams again with vigor and resolve.

  • How to Set Personal Development Goals

    How to Set Personal Development Goals

    Every person wants to be happy and prosperous. Personal development is learning new things, improving your skills, and reaching your goals. You can’t be successful without setting personal development goals.

    The most important thing is to know where you want to go in life and what you want to do with your life. It will help you set specific goals for yourself that are realistic and attainable.

    This article will show you how to set goals for yourself by focusing on what’s important to you, then breaking them down into smaller steps that can be accomplished during the period in which they need to be completed.

    Whatever your personal development goals are, there are some things to keep in mind when setting them:

    • Your personal development goals should be realistic – it’s important not to set yourself up for failure by setting too high of a standard or expecting too much too soon.
    • You should also see how achieving these goals will benefit other people in your life – if it’s only benefiting yourself, then there’s no point in making an effort.

    What are your personal development goals?

    You may have many different goals in mind, but it’s essential that they all have one thing in common: they must relate to what will make you happy as a person and help you achieve success in life so that you can continue living this way once they’re reached.

    How do you set your personal goals?

    personal development goals
    Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

    Goals are the basis for success. If you don’t set goals, you can’t know what success looks like. And if you don’t know what success looks like, how will you know when you’ve achieved it?

    To achieve your personal development goals, start by creating a vision statement.

    A vision statement is a concise and focused statement of who you want to become regarding your personal development. To begin, think about the things that matter most to you and write them down. Then ask yourself: What are the steps along the way to achieving this vision? What do I need to do today, tomorrow, next week, month, or year to move closer to my personal development goal?

    After you’ve created your vision statement, create an action plan based on it. It should include specific steps to help you achieve your goal and any obstacles that could get in the way of reaching it.

    How do you start a personal development plan?

    • Decide what the goal is: To begin a personal development plan, you need to decide what your personal development goals are. You might have some grandiose ideas about how your life will be different in the future if you’re just a little bit better at something or other. Or you might want to make one small change that will lead to many other changes.

    Whatever your personal development goals are, it’s essential to know where they are coming from and why they matter to you. For example, if your goal is to learn a new skill, it’s essential to understand why learning that skill will help you achieve your other goals. It can be the case even if learning that particular skill doesn’t directly lead to your other goals, but only because it brings value in ways that benefit everything else.

    • Decide how long it will take to reach the goal: Once you’ve determined your goal, it’s time to figure out how long it will take to achieve it. For example, if your goal is losing 30 pounds in five months, then the timeline for achieving that goal should be three months (30 pounds in five months). This timeline gives you an idea of how long it will take until your goal becomes a reality and how much time is left before things start falling apart around you.
    • Create a plan for reaching the goal: If you’re unsure where to start, here are some tips for getting started with your development plan.

    A good personal development plan should include:

    • A specific timeline for when you want each goal completed by
    • The resources needed to help you reach your goal (like books or classes)
    • How much time and effort are required on an ongoing basis to keep reaching those goals
    • Decide on what your core values are: They should be things that matter most to you in life, like family or making the world better than it was before the birth of each new person who lives here on Earth today

    Set up a system for monitoring your progress as you work toward your personal development goals and keeping track of any negative feelings that might arise while reaching your goal.

    Why Should You Start A Personal Development Plan?

    There are many reasons why people decide to start a personal development plan as well as why they continue with one over time:

    • You’ll become more self-aware: A personal development plan helps you get in touch with your potential and helps you understand who you are and what makes you tick.

    Personal development means changing yourself, so the first step to achieving personal growth recognizes who we are and how our personality affects our lives.

    Think of your personality as a set of characteristics that define who you are and what makes you unique. Your personality consists of three main aspects: your values, beliefs, and skills.

    • You’ll achieve more in your life: A personal development plan is a tool that helps you stay on track and make progress towards your personal development goals. It can be used at any stage of your life, but it’s beneficial if you’re starting on your journey of self-improvement.

    You don’t have to be an experienced professional to benefit from a personal development plan. If anything, the opposite is true: The more inexperienced you are, the easier it is for someone else to help guide you through the process.

    • You’ll be more comfortable with yourself and achieve Personal Growth: By creating a personal development plan, you can identify areas where you need improvement to achieve your personal development goals more quickly. It may include areas such as communication skills, problem-solving skills, and decision-making skills. By reflecting on these areas regularly throughout the year, you will be able to identify areas where improvements can be made so that when it comes time for new goals next year, these improvements will make them easier to achieve.

    Conclusion

    Most personal development goals are set in broad strokes but not as effective regarding detail. Perhaps coming up with detailed action steps is what people tend to forget, or maybe they don’t know-how. Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into how to set personal development goals for yourself and will allow you to make sure that you are better able to achieve those goals.

  • What is Personal Growth in the Workplace?

    What is Personal Growth in the Workplace?

    It’s a fascinating question. Personal growth in the workplace is essential because it helps us become better employees and more loyal to our employers. We all want to be happy and satisfied with our work. If you are not happy with your job, then you will not be able to do your best in them. It means that if you have problems at work, they will also affect your personal life. It may even affect your family life.

    Personal growth can mean many things depending on your job and workplace. For example, suppose you work in an office environment and are responsible for organizing meetings or supervising other employees. In that case, personal growth might involve learning new presentation skills or time management techniques.

    Personal growth can be affected by many things in life, such as:

    • Life events, such as marriage or children
    • Peer pressure
    • Organizational culture and values

    What Does Personal Growth Mean to You?

    Personal growth in the workplace involves your character, personality, and how you want to improve yourself. It’s not just about being able to do the job well; it’s about having the right tools, understanding what is expected of you, and performing at your best every day.

    You can’t grow if you’re not willing to change or if you don’t know what needs changing. Personal development goals for work are significant for everyone who works in an office environment because they can help you become better as an employee and create a better atmosphere for everyone working there.

    For you to be able to grow personally at work, you need to have some plan or goal in mind when starting on this journey.

    For example, if your personal goal is getting promoted within your company, then maybe start by looking at other people who have been promoted and see what made them successful so that you can figure out what steps you should take towards achieving your own goals.

    Another way of looking at this would be by looking at what kind of person you want to be when you retire and then making sure that those traits are present in your life.

    Areas of Personal Growth

    When it comes to personal development, many different areas need improvement. Some people may be better at some things than others, but all employees should work towards improving their skills and abilities to succeed in their careers.

    These include:

    • Developing Personal Leadership Skills
    • Developing Individual Strengths
    • Developing Teamwork Skills
    • Developing Communication Skills
    • Improving Self-Confidence.

    Tips To Improve Your Personal Growth in the Workplace

    The following tips provide some ideas on how you can improve your knowledge and skills to make yourself more employable:

    • Learn new skills – If you want to progress in your career, then learning new skills will help you do so quicker than working on your existing skillset. The more knowledge you have about different areas of interest, the more likely employers will notice those areas when looking for potential candidates for positions within their organization.
    • Get involved with projects – If you want to become more skilled at something specific, then getting busy with projects related to that area will help you learn better. It means that the skills developed are far more relevant to the job at hand and, therefore, less likely to be overlooked by an employer.
    • Take part in competitions – Many competitions offer cash prizes and special awards to those who enter them successfully. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in doing, consider joining an event such as writing or even a photography competition.
    • Work on improving communication – One of the best ways to show how good you communicate is by improving your writing skills. It may seem insignificant, but it’s one of those things that can have a massive impact on how others perceive your capabilities. The more confident and accurate your written communication is, the more likely it is that other people will take note of this fact when considering whether or not someone would be suitable for their role.

    What Is The Most Important Part Of Personal Growth in the Workplace?

    The essential part of personal development in the workplace is having a positive attitude towards work and the people around you.

    It is the first step to becoming a better person, which will help you succeed on the job and in life.

    The second step is to develop yourself as a person. You can do this by taking advantage of your free time, reading books, watching movies, or listening to music that builds you makes you feel good inside.

    The last step is to focus on yourself rather than others. It would help if you never forgot that no one cares about how much money you make or how many people follow you on Twitter. They only care about what kind of person they see in front of them.

    Personal Development Plan in the Workplace

    A personal development plan for work is a written document that outlines your personal goals and objectives. It’s a way to track your progress, so you know where you’ve been and are going. The personal development plan for work should include:

    • Personal goals: Goals that are specific, measurable, and attainable.
    • Projects: A list of projects or tasks to help you achieve your goals. Each project should have a clear beginning, middle, and end date and a specific purpose (for example, developing my presentation skills).
    • Objectives: Specific steps you need to take on each project to reach your goal.

    Why is Personal Growth Significant in the Workplace?

    The importance of personal development in the workplace cannot get overstated. As humans, we all have something we need to improve upon somehow. Something always needs improvement, whether it’s your work ethic, attitude towards your job, or general happiness.

    Personal growth is essential because when individuals become more self-aware, they can identify these weaknesses and take steps toward improving them before it’s too late.

    Personal growth is a critical component of workplace success. It can help you to:

    • Manage your time more effectively
    • Improve your leadership skills
    • Be more successful at work and in life
    • The good news is that you don’t have to wait until retirement to improve yourself. There are many ways to develop your personal development throughout your working life.

    Ways to Support Personal Growth in the Workplace

    If you’re wondering how to support personal development in the workplace, there are a few ways of doing it. Whether you need to improve your communication skills or develop a new way of working, these tips will help you get started:

    • Have clear goals and objectives.
    • Make sure everyone knows what they need to do and when they need to do it.
    • Be open about how you want people to work together, whether discussing ideas or planning meetings and then acting on them.
    • Encourage team-building exercises such as brainstorming sessions or workshops where everyone contributes their ideas and thoughts on various subjects such as project management techniques or ways of improving communication within the team.
    • Use feedback forms so people can give each other positive feedback on their performance without having to say anything out loud.

    Conclusion

    “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make, “Jane Goodall

    The success of your personal growth will depend directly on your ability to move past old habits, responses, and thought processes. It means that you must be proactive in acquiring new skills and abilities.

    “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make, “

    Jane Goodall

    You can’t passively wait for opportunities to present themselves; you need to seek them out. It also means that you must take ownership of your personal growth. Nobody else will do it for you, not your boss, not your parents, and indeed not the government.

    You are ultimately responsible for your success or failure. Take control of it by implementing a personal development plan at work; this will allow you to progress at a speed comfortable for you and do so without fear of failure or discouragement.

  • What is Personal Growth Initiative?

    What is Personal Growth Initiative?

    Denis Waitley once said, “Personal development is the belief that you are worth the effort, time, and energy needed to develop yourself.”

    To understand what a personal growth initiative is, you need to know the meaning of personal growth.

    Now let us dive into what a personal growth initiative is :

    A personal growth initiative is a process that encourages you to grow and develop as a person. It helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses and find ways to improve your skills, knowledge, and personal growth.

    Personal growth initiative is one of the most common management strategies. It involves identifying individual employees and helping them grow in their careers. Personal growth initiatives aim to help employees become more effective in their jobs.

    Personal growth initiatives are often used by organizations that have experienced a reduction in the size of their workforce or an increase in employee turnover rates. They are also used by organizations that want to increase their retention rate, which means keeping employees for more extended periods.

    Types of a personal growth initiative

    Personal growth plans typically involve three main areas:

    • Personal development

    The personal development section of your plan is where you write down things you want to improve yourself. It could be anything from being more confident in front of others to getting better at math or learning a new language. It’s essential to take the time to reflect on what you want to improve on, but it should also be fun! The more fun and engaging your goals are, the more likely you will stay motivated to achieve them. For example, if you have wanted to get into shape for a long time but never felt like it was something that interested or excited you, maybe making fitness a goal will help motivate you.

    • Professional development

    The professional section of your plan involves setting goals for yourself within your career field and how much further you want to go.

    For example, if you’re currently unemployed and think that working as an accountant would be a good fit for your skillset and personality, then set aside money each month for self-improvement-related expenses (like online courses) would be great to build momentum towards achieving this goal.

    • Financial planning.

    Financial planning involves making plans for all aspects of life, including retirement and saving money for future needs. In addition, financial planning includes making decisions about how much money each family member should have based on their needs and considering any debts they may have accumulated throughout their lives.

    These areas form an integrated whole that can help you reach your goals more quickly and efficiently than if you were working on them individually.

    Why Do You Need Personal Growth Initiative

    A personal growth initiative is a specific plan for achieving a particular goal in your life. A personal growth initiative can be anything from becoming a more effective manager to pursuing a new career to getting in shape for the first time.

    A personal growth initiative is not about constant change or improvement. Instead, it’s about making a specific commitment and working toward it over time. The initiative’s goal is usually to improve an aspect of your life that’s important to you: your career, your relationships, or your health.

    Personal growth is a critical component of your work. It’s not optional; it’s a requirement for success.

    Personal growth doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Personal growth initiatives can be highly beneficial if you take the proper steps.

    The first step is to determine what you want to achieve with your growth initiative. You may want to make more money, learn more skills, develop new habits, and become more self-confident and less anxious. Whatever you want to accomplish, make sure it’s clear and specific so you can focus on those changes in your life.

    Once you’ve identified what it is, how will you know when you’ve accomplished it?

    There are several ways to measure progress toward your goal:

    • Number of days without failure (i.e., not making mistakes)
    • Number of hours spent reading/learning new things (i.e., increasing knowledge)
    • Number of days where you did something different than usual (i.e., changing routine)

    Why Is Personal Growth Initiative So Important?

    A personal growth initiative is crucial because it’s the only way to improve your life. If you don’t grow, you will stagnate and die. Many people think the personal growth initiative wastes time and money, but I can’t entirely agree. It is essential for everyone, and if you don’t do it, you will regret it in the future.

    Personal growth is about improving yourself, becoming a better person, and living a better life than before. The best thing about personal development is how much it can improve your life in just a few years. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, rich or poor; everyone has something important to learn about themselves to become the person they want to be.

    • Personal growth makes you happier
    • Personal growth allows you to succeed at work
    • Personal growth helps you get ahead in life
    • Personal growth leads to greater self-esteem and confidence

    Importance Of Personal Growth Initiative To Others

    I believe that personal growth is not just about learning new skills but also about new ways of thinking and being in relation with others.

    For example:

    • when you learn how to solve complex problems using your brain instead of using emotions as an answer.
    • When you learn how to communicate more effectively with others without getting angry or upset.
    • When you learn how to motivate yourself without relying on external factors like money or fame.
    • When you learn how to relate with others without judging them; etc.;

    Personal Growth Initiative Scale

    The personal growth initiative scale is a tool that can help you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your personal growth initiatives. It’s a way to measure whether you are making progress in your personal development and, if so, how much progress you have made.

    The Personal Growth Initiative Scale is based on the idea that as we progress in life, we need to learn new things, become more knowledgeable and develop our skills. As we grow, we adapt our behaviors and attitudes to meet changing needs, circumstances and opportunities.

    This scale shows how well you adapt to these changes by measuring them against each other on a scale from 0% (no adaptation) to 100% (complete adaptation).

    At any point in time, you can compare your current level of adaptation with other people who have adapted at that point in their lives. It will help you determine what areas for improvement are most urgent for you.

    Personal Growth Initiative Scale

    You may find it difficult to know where to start when you start. You can use this personal development scale to help you determine what steps you should take next.

    1. The first step is to identify your goals. It can be the most challenging part of planning for personal growth because it requires reflection and self-awareness. Ask yourself these questions:
    • What are my values?
    • What do I want out of life?
    • What do I want my friends and family members to think of me?
    • How would I like others to see me?
    • What is important to me?
    • How do I want to live my life?
    1. Take action steps by making a plan that describes how you will achieve your goal and when it will be achieved (in terms of days or weeks).
    2. Record your progress along the way so you can evaluate how well you’re doing and modify your plan if necessary (e.g., if things aren’t going as planned).

    Conclusion

    Personal growth is a process of continuous improvement that helps you become the best version of yourself. It’s about intentionally taking action to create positive change in your life.

    The best way to start your personal growth initiative is to think about what you want to change and why it matters to you. Please write down your goals and objectives and ensure they are specific and measurable. When you do this, it will be easier for you to determine if the personal growth initiative is working for you or not and how much time, energy, and money it will take to achieve your goals.

  • What is Personal Growth and Development?

    What is Personal Growth and Development?

    In our last piece on personal growth, we discovered how our self-growth is related to our psychology. I hope you learned valuable lessons for your next life chapter. We want to explore further personal growth and development and why it matters in your life. If you are ready, let’s get going.

    What are Examples of Personal Growth and Development?

    We will answer this question best by defining and distinguishing between personal growth and personal development.

    What is Personal Development?

    The activities geared towards building your personality and self-awareness are referred to as personal development. Put in other words, these are the tools, processes, and systems you employ as an individual to help you realize personal growth.

    Examples of Personal Development Goals

    • Improving your current skills and developing new ones
    • Improving your self-awareness
    • Improving your relationships
    • Seeking and Improving your spiritual growth
    • Improving physical fitness and overall health
    • Building yourself knowledge

    You will need a personal development plan to achieve your self-growth goals.

    What is Personal Growth?

    After going through its different phases to realize transformation, personal growth is the reward you get. Refer here.

    Some marks of personal growth will include the following.

    • Self-care
    • Personal love
    • Being better at decision making
    • Acceptance of your past
    • Goal-oriented
    • Increased motivation
    • Inner strength
    • Empathy and tolerance
    • Outgrowing habits, ideas, and relationships that have no value to you.

    What is Personal Growth and Development?

    Put together, personal growth and development is a positive, permanent change in your physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social state.

    The desire for personal growth and development is often triggered by a life event, person, or personal experience that inspires you to improve or transform into a better version of yourself.

    Personal growth and development are witnessed in relationships, your self traits such as self-confidence, self-image, your career, and business.

    Why is Personal Growth and Development Important?

    Everyone is always looking to be a better version of themselves. Whether it’s breaking a bad habit, putting your finances in order, overcoming your old mentality, or cutting your connection with losers, there must be something you want to make better for your good.

    This calls for dedicated effort and commitment on your part to get the results you desire. Ultimately, personal growth and development lead you towards being a good partner in a relationship, a good parent, an excellent manager, or a high-flying entrepreneur.

    Thinking of a personal development plan in your business, relationship, or career? Fill out this form for guidance.

    How do you achieve Personal Growth and Development?

    1. Be Intentional About your Self-Growth

    I can’t emphasize this enough. You fall by accident but you don’t rise by one. Making meaningful progress in your relationship, career, or finances requires that you intentionally identify and get rid of the grey areas.

    Identify what is holding you back from moving forward. Is it a series of poor decisions, an old way of thinking, or simply laziness?

    A starting point to being intentional about your self-growth is to work on a personal development plan that is measurable and time-specific.

    2. Set Goals

    A dream without goals is merely a wish. Setting goals is the hallmark of turning your dream into reality. I’m assuming your dream is so big that it may cost you a decade or two to build it.

    If that is so, you won’t sit down doing anything and wait for your guardian angel to bring it to your hands.

    Set a series of small achievable steps daily, weekly, and monthly basis that will link you to your big dream in the future.

    3. Avoid the Triggers that Pull you Back

    This is especially true if trying to break a bad habit. You won’t break it by entertaining the same places, people, experiences, or things that made you form the bad habit.

    You may need to delink yourself from the wrong or negative people in your life to move forward. “No, I know I’m strong. I will manage it.”

    This is a script bound to fail even before it begins. It’s always easy to go down the valley than climb a hill. Think about that.

    4. Pay the Price

    What price are you willing to pay for what end?

    I meet people who desire the sleek machine in town, the excellent food, the high life but ask them about what they are doing to get there, and the conversation becomes shallow and sketchy.

    Most people want the good things in life but lack a road map to get them there. They are always wishing and thinking about a high achievement but sabotage their efforts in taking action. Implementation equals tangible results.

    5. Don’t give up on yourself when things don’t work

    You will fail so many times in your personal growth and development journey. You will lose count.

    But this is no excuse to give up. You need to be mentally strong to absorb the shocks ahead. Be nice to yourself when you fall.

    Take another stab at it with confidence and determination and tell yourself you can do it. Real change is possible.

    6. Work with a coach or Accountability Partner

    No one can change you but you. But this is not to say you should shut all doors to the possibility of working with an accountability partner or a coach.

    Sometimes, all we need is a nudge towards the right direction, and everything falls into place. Is there someone you trust to walk with you in your personal growth and development?

    Swallow your pride and give them a call after reading this. They may just be the person you need to turn your life around.

    7. Change your Mind

    Change your mind, change your life. The six-word statement is simple yet has the potential to change your life for good and forever. Many have been limited because of self-limited beliefs and wrong ways of thinking.

    Much of our progress in life depends on how we think and respond to life. 90% of our stresses or worries come from how we react to life than life itself.

    You can get out of your old ways of thinking by practicing mindfulness and self-awareness. What is your mind constantly thinking about? What do you do when a self-limiting belief or thought crops up in your mind?

    You got to fight! You can’t be passive and let weeds grow in the healthy garden of your mind. Change your mind, change your life.

    Conclusion

    Everyone is working hard for a promotion, acquiring wealth, and overcoming the past, or bad behavior. The process and tools you employ to reach the end goal is personal development.

    The result is personal growth, which makes you a better person in your career, relationships, and self-image.

    Personal growth and development is a transformational, multidimensional journey involving your life’s physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social state.

    If you feel you need guidance towards that end, fill out this form and I’ll be in touch.

  • Personal Growth is Hinged on your Psychology. Here is a Definite Guide to Self-Development

    Personal Growth is Hinged on your Psychology. Here is a Definite Guide to Self-Development

    What is personal growth, and how does it relate to your psychology? Whether you have looked at your personal growth from a psychological perspective or not, it’s vital that you get the gist of how our psychology relates to our personal growth.

    Personal growth occurs over your lifetime, and it involves the deliberate steps you take in your life daily towards a positive change. Primarily, this will include setting personal growth goals in matters concerning your spirit, soul, and body.

    For example, how is your current state of emotions as you read this article, and how do you want them to be in the future? If this sounds like a subject you want to dive deep into, let’s keep sailing and see what we get on the other side.

    Personal Growth and its Relation to Psychology

    Self-development is a synonym for personal growth, which involves physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual growth. On the other hand, psychology is the study of mind and behavior, helping to explain how our mind works to affect our behaviors.

    The known different types of psychology are cognitive, social, forensic, and developmental psychology. While most people set their personal growth goals towards external things, the most worthwhile goals for personal growth focus on a mind shift toward happiness and contentment.

    Let’s face it, having more money in your bank account and driving your dream car is good, but these successes do not necessarily translate into a happy and fulfilled life. Fundamentally, anyone aiming for peak personal growth should focus on building themselves on the inside to respond better to the outside world.

    However, this shouldn’t be misconstrued to mean that we are negating any other articles on this blog about external achievements. A case we may use here for a personal growth example is someone with low-self esteem.

    Low self-esteem doesn’t translate into peak performance. This calls for one to be honest about what is affecting them and how they can fix it. An idea here is to work with or seek the coaching services of a teacher or life coach to enable you to overcome your challenge.

    The other way to look at it is personal growth helps you meet your psychological needs. For some, psychological growth will mean they experience higher levels of freedom to pursue their interests and leave the life they want.

    Some are looking to build their capacities to do new things. Others want to experience more profound meaning in life. The truth is that every human being has been growing psychologically and personally in one way or another.

    Primarily, most struggle to get hold of their basic needs, but there are also aspirations for higher social achievements. However, rather than this personal growth process taking place consciously, it has been experienced more subconsciously due to the uncertainties of life experiences.

    As other subject matter experts highlight, developing our personalities requires a more conscious effort toward understanding our personalities and how they can be altered.

    The Different Stages of Personal Growth

    To achieve their goals for personal growth, an understanding of the different stages of personal growth is essential. Below are the four levels involved in self-growth or personal development.

    1. Social accomplishment
    2. Psychological growth
    3. Spiritual progress &
    4. Transformation

    Let’s break these four stages of personal growth down a bit.

    The basis for these levels of personal growth in human beings is because of their multi-dimensional and complex personalities. Everyone will undergo these four levels at one point in their life, whether through a spiritual experience, a worth-it psychological effort, or a social accomplishment.

    1. Higher Social Accomplishment

    How do you survive as an individual? How effectively do you relate with others, and how do you rate your success in achieving societal expectations that help you realize your personal growth goals? Some goals for personal growth to mention include

    • Being financially self-sufficient
    • Gaining a higher social status
    • Establishing a family or
    • Acquiring education

    Living at the peak of the elements mentioned above will mean that you have nipped your social accomplishment problems in the bud.

    However, living at such a peak comes at a cost you will have to pay through different stages of your life experience. For example, social accomplishment can come through greater knowledge and skill acquired through education or training.

    Your personality needs to develop to experience high levels of social achievement, which calls for great personal effort. Through great individual effort, some things you can accomplish are not limited to the personal growth examples listed below.

    • Knowledge expansion
    • Building our physical and mental skills

    Through such endeavors, individuals maximize their personality by using their developed capacities for higher social accomplishment.

    At this point, it’s vital to mention that the development of an individual’s personality borders more on psychological growth. Most individuals realize higher levels of social accomplishment through training, education, or conscious effort, and these will be enhanced by:

    • Acquiring excellent knowledge of all types
    • Being efficient in the organization of your life and work
    • Having great interpersonal and physical skills
    • Having great expressibility in your physical, social, and organizational values in your actions
    • Releasing high physical energy when responding to opportunities and challenges.

    2. Psychological Growth

    The second stage of personal growth is more about psychological growth. While the first level deals with external behavior, the second stage mainly deals with psychological changes affecting our attitudes and values.

    Psychological growth builds our personalities which helps support a higher social accomplishment. Strictly speaking, psychological growth is the qualitative change in the nature of an individual’s personality via conscious intent and effort.

    Psychological growth helps you be more enlightened, putting you at a vantage point to express higher values, thus becoming a valuable contributor to the wellbeing and welfare of society.

    Marks of a Person Experiencing Psychological Growth

    1. You radiate positivity: you act graciously and generously towards people, you are not jealous of other people’s achievements, you react less to people and avoid putting yourself in a superior position than others,
    2. You aspire for higher accomplishments: Acceptance and recognition by those around you don’t sound appealing to you anymore. You want to live for something more than just survival or social acceptance.
    3. You live for higher levels: This is marked by harmonious relationships, more objective thoughts, acts of honesty, and more truthful words.
    4. You are more self-reliant: You depend more on yourself than waiting for help from others.
    5. You make decisions based on your understanding and not impulses: Your decisions are no longer based on feeling or convenience but on what is right. You reflect more on yourself to understand better who you are. You also reflect on other’s people behavior to get their point of view and tolerate differences in opinion.
    6. You are more responsible: You are in charge of your work and the people around you instead of expecting people to do things for you.
    7. You exhibit higher standards: You don’t fall for social approvals or good status. You strive for more than acceptance.

    If you are consciously making these efforts, you are on a journey towards psychological growth. The changes are pretty difficult to achieve and make permanent, but they lead to the actual growth of your personality.

    3. Spiritual Progress

    While skeptics may hold a contrary opinion, the standard agreement is there exists a spiritual dimension to all existence. Spiritual experiences are not the same and vary from one individual to another.

    These experiences vary in form, experience, depth, direction, permanency, and intensity. Spirituality is quite a broad subject; thus, we shall only focus on a narrow segment of it which locks out other experiences people perceive as spiritual.

    These include occult powers, subtle forces that influence our lives, visions, voices, and subtle sounds.

    Spirituality is about experiencing higher levels of consciousness that are associated with commonly spiritual qualities such as peace, patience, harmony, silence, self-giving, freedom, equality, and compassion, among others.

    Marks of a Person Experiencing Spiritual Growth

    1. Patience and tolerance: You exhibit high levels of these qualities
    2. Goodwill: You are not in competition with others nor harbor feelings of jealousy or resentment but rejoicing
    3. Knowledge: You understand the meaning or significance of the experience you go through. You know how to grow or outlive the need for them.
    4. Peace: You are calm and peaceful amidst an intense activity or with other people.
    5. Equality: You react less to disturbing events and embrace greater equanimity.
    6. Self-giving: You aspire for other people’s fulfillment rather than yours. You identify more with other people.
    7. Silence: Your mind becomes settled and experiences periods of complete stillness.

    4. Transformation

    In our quest to know and understand what personal growth is, we finally arrive at the fourth stage of the process referred to as transformation.

    While spiritual progression has numerous benefits – personal fulfillment, positive personal relations, increase in our capacity for personal accomplishment, inner strength, and security it rarely alters the substance of our personality.

    Both Western psychologists and eastern spiritual traditionalists agree on this fact. Western psychologists argue that the human character is inherited and fixed and therefore can’t be changed.

    Similarly, Eastern spiritual traditionalists believe that the soul remains unchanged through the experience of birth known as Swarupa, where it remains the same in its entire lifetime. Here is the source of knowledge behind the term Karma the Hindus commonly refer to.

    Transformation involves inborn capacity levels that you can’t change solely through conscious individual effort. These levels include

    1. Strength of Personality: Here, the argument is that we each have different characteristic levels of intensity different from our vital and mental energies. This intensity can change or influence the people we relate to and the environment we live in. You will hear of such terms as a ‘towering personality.’
    2. Depth of Personality: To understand the depth of personality, you need an understanding of the stages involved in personality transformation, which follows a given order. Manners – Behaviour – Character – Personality – individuality. Individuals with a depth of personality can be said to achieve a level where their inner feeling is in harmony with their external manners. There are also those individuals that have formed a character of a higher accomplishment. Still, some individuals exhibit a level of personality and individuality that transcends societal limitations and their own upbringing.
    3. Mental, vital, and Physical Consciousness: These refer to the three different levels of consciousness in human beings. From these centers of consciousness, one can be described as
    • A courageous patriot
    • A thinker
    • A man of action
    • An organizer
    • A loyal follower
    • A leader of the people

    Every human being strives to achieve higher levels of consciousness; however, except by spiritual change, one cannot alter the balance of these three elements in their personality.

    This helps explain why one individual can amass wealth but lacks perceptive thinking exhibited by another individual.

    You could be well-educated and trained but lack emotional depth or intellectual acuity shown by another individual.

    Personal Growth Examples: Self Growth Spheres

    The human mind is wired to think linearly. Move from point A to B, then to C, keep following that line. However, this cannot be practical because we are complex and multidimensional by nature.

    We can’t reduce our lives to a single dimension. When we shift from a single dimension to a three small dimension object in space, for example, you can visualize your life developing into a full-blown sphere.

    Look at the small multidimensional object like your undeveloped or limited thoughts, unrealized power or capacity, or limited knowledge. On the flip side, the sphere is the side of these things developed. Infinite joy, capacity, power, and wisdom.

    Choosing to travel in one direction brings you to the end of the road or instead at the end of a line; however, making progress in multiple directions sets you on a path towards the end of a universal sphere.

    Whether you choose to carry out your multidimensional progress simultaneously or successively is up to you.

    Final Thoughts

    Personal Growth is deeply ingrained in our lives whether you choose to pay attention to it or not. Not only does it focus on the superficial qualities of our lives, but it has a deep relation with our psychology.

    There are four levels of personal growth that can enable you to achieve your personal growth goals. From them, you can assess your position in the self-growth journey relative to your past and the future.

    These levels though distinguished, are interdependent and helpful in tracking your personal growth.

    We can all conclude that working on ourselves is not easy and takes a great deal of time. But the sooner you start the journey and be intentional about it, the better for you. With the right strategy and coaching, real change is possible.

  • Teenage Attitude and Behaviour: How to Parent them in the Right Way

    Teenage Attitude and Behaviour: How to Parent them in the Right Way

    Parenting growing kids is demanding because of the ever-dynamic teenage attitude and behaviour. It’s not a surprise that most parents fear their kids’ teenage years. It’s always a time of intense growth in their lives. They are growing physically, intellectually, and emotionally.

    That makes them more curious. Your teen now has the increasing desire to be addressed as an adult.

    They make decisions that will define the relationship between themselves and their teens. As a parent, it may reach a point whereby you feel like your teens reject your influence.

    Your teen is still the same toddler you nursed. They are now trying to be more articulate, idealistic, and thoughtful. Given the right guidance, teens should make you proud as their a parent.

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    So, worry not if your family seems to fall apart. This article will help you find applicable ways to parent teenagers in the best way possible.

    Signs your Kid has grown into a Teenager

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    Maybe you are at a loss as a parent identifying your kid as a teenager. You are not alone. Many parents find themselves in this melee.

    Years alone may not help as kids go through different growth spurts. In children, you will find speedy developers and those growing slowly but steadily.

    Some key signs that will help you identify your kids are transitioning from being a child to a teen include:

    Sexual Characteristics

    • Facial hair
    • Pubic hair
    • Growing breasts
    • Menstrual periods

    Behavioral Characteristics

    • Desire to be independent
    • They want to be decision-makers
    • Loathe you addressing them as kids
    • Are aware of other people’s opinions of them
    • Seek identity and a sense of belonging

    So how should you handle teenage attitude and behavior in your teens? We give you a 10-point guide on how you can make your teenage parenting effective.

    1. Understand What they Need

    The teenager is no longer your child whom you would cuddle all the time. They have developed and are almost becoming adults.

    They are probably becoming different from what you knew them to be. It won’t mean that you will have to stop caring about them. Have frequent talks about what they need most.

    This will enhance a strong relationship between the parent and the teenager.

    2. In Parenting Teenagers, Prove to them you Love them

    A teenager may develop an ego during the first stages of adolescence. By doing so, your kid may seem like a rebellious teenager at some point; hence some parents feel like giving up.

    As a parent, you need to ensure that there is enough evidence to prove that you love your son or daughter. First, it does not matter whether you give him or her money.

    Money does not solve any problems. Take some time off with your teenage child. You can opt for road trips or anything to enhance the bondage between the parent and the teenager.

    Through all these, the teenager will grow up to become a respectable person in the community.

    3. Know More About their Friends

    As youngsters grow up, they always have time to make new friends. Some of these friends will make a major difference in how your son behaves. This will help a great deal in studying your teenage attitude and behaviour.

    Despite this, while knowing their friends, do not be too nosy. As a parent, there is that overprotective feeling of handling your child.

    You can host a party and tell him to invite some of his friends. By doing so, you will have made a big achievement in knowing their friends.

    It will also enable you to guide him about his company. As they say, never judge a book by its cover, so don’t be too overprotective. Parenting teenagers is a skill that needs learning.

    4. Have a Reinforced Standard Within the Teen

    Amir Hosseini TvsKqeORBl4 Unsplash

    Children are never born knowing what is right or wrong. As the child turns into a teenager, he slightly bends the rules that you as a parent has set.

    This will make you feel troubled and somehow stressed. If it comes to this point, ensure to remind them of what you taught them at a young age. You need to tame bad teenage attitudes and behavior from an early age.

    Also, give practical reasons why there are boundaries. Do not be afraid that you may seem strict.

    In the end, the teenager will thank you for your tireless efforts to raise him appropriately.

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    5. Always Listen to their Queries or Needs

    Fewer adults respect or listen to their teens. Many of them think they will get over that stage just like how they managed.

    Sadly, this destroys the emotional character of the teenage child. The child will feel more of a burden to the parent or guardian.

    Your teenage son or daughter might seek advice from other people who may mislead them.

    Advice from unknown persons could ruin a healthy relationship with your teenager. Always listen to what your teenager wants to discuss with you.

    It helps to create a better mutual understanding and stronger bonds.

    6. Offer your Wisdom regarding when you were a Teenager

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    Being a parent, you have had several encounters as a teenager, some of which may be impressive or not.

    In line with that, you automatically gained the gift of wisdom since you are no longer a teenager.

    Give this wisdom to your child and it will make a positive impact on his or her teenage life.

    This could just be the antidote you need to manage a teenage attitude and behaviour in your teen. It will also make parenting teenagers a lot easier.

    7. Guide them to Stay Focused

    This is one of the crucial parts to consider when raising a teenager. Guide them to balance enjoying the fun within adolescence.

    At the same time, prepare them for the future. Your teenager could forget the consequences of their current choices, which could cost them the future.

    Ensure that they are not always focusing on football games or prom.

    8. Do not Always Talk to Your Teens

    Your teenager will always receive lectures from several adults.

    Many of these adults care more about their agenda rather than a teenager. This is very exhausting for kids, making them not trust adults, including parents.

    Avoid much too many lectures on your teens. When giving lectures or bits of advice, always address them as adults. Remember to keep things clear and straight to the point.

    9. Take Away Some Privileges

    You should always note that teenagers need you in their lives and not on their terms and conditions.

    Take away some privileges like going to events, gaming, and many more if they seem to develop an ego. This is part of the process of handling your kid’s teenage attitude and behaviour.

    This applies to some extreme cases whereby the teenager is very stubborn. It will definitely help to bring him back on track.

    10. Reward Increasing Maturity

    Reward your teen accordingly if he seems to portray patterns of maturity. You could reward them by increasing their freedom.

    You could also give them an extra tip on the allowance and many more. It will also make the teenager trust you more and be more responsible.

    Final Thoughts

    That being said, raising a teenager can be demanding if you do not know how to go about it. You should know that your kid is undergoing a lot of teenage attitude and behaviour change

    Yet, if you follow these tips, your child could become the epitome of being mature and responsible.

    So, if your child is just getting into teenagehood, you now know how to handle them best.

  • Entrepreneurship: Side Hustle Vs. Day Job. Should you Quit One or What Way?

    Entrepreneurship: Side Hustle Vs. Day Job. Should you Quit One or What Way?

    This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may receive some coffee if you make a purchase using them.

    Is your life at a crossroads? Maybe you’re wondering whether you should be an entrepreneur or maintain your day job while indulging in entrepreneurship.

    It could be in your career, relationship, business or goals at large. The psychological truth is that you can love two people simultaneously but not with the same intensity.

    Given a choice, would you prefer that arrangement? We are accustomed to being binary and, therefore, must make decisions between A and B. It’s either this or that.

    The Way it is

    I advocate doingthings differently in the digital age, especially regarding our careers. I champion freelancing as opposed to the traditional office arrangement.

    So what’s the deal? Do we jump into the 5-8 arrangement? Where you work less for more, perhaps.

    Here it’s more about the output. It’s more about productivity than sitting in one place for hours on end with output that may not march the hours you spend.

    Entrepreneurship Vs. Day Job

    For a long time, I have been thinking about jumping ship and taking a side between the 5-8 (entrepreneurship) and the 8-5 (career). I shuffle on both currently. This can’t even be a conversation for those already into entrepreneurship full-time. Their question would be, “What are you waiting for?”

    But the bottom line is not everybody wants the same things. However good of a salesperson I might be, I can’t sell my products to everybody because not everybody wants everything. People have different tastes and preferences and only go for what resonates well with them.

    What’s your Goal or Motive?

    Some people want to build a career and reach its peak. In contrast, some prefer to plunge into entrepreneurship.

    Still, some handle both building a career and entrepreneurship together. Neither of these options is better than the other, but we must face some hard facts here.

    If your goal is to be rich, you have three options. You either become one through inheritance, real estate or entrepreneurship. The latter is an option anybody could take, work hard and become massively successful.

    You want to examine your motive to leave the 8-5 before joining the 5-8 full-time.

    The 5-8 Vs the 8-5

    However, before making that lifetime decision, you will need to weigh the pros and cons of taking either route and decide whether to do both for now or to pick aside.

    Here is the good thing about keeping your day job.

    1. Pays the Bills

    Life is getting expensive by the day, and jobs that pay well aren’t easy to come by. Having an 8-5 hustle gives you the benefit of managing your daily and monthly needs well.

    2. Your Paycheck is Guaranteed

    Unlike business, where the input equals the output, a day job is based on a contract that assures you of a monthly payment unless otherwise determined by your employer.

    3. You have an Opportunity to Learn

    Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will you. You won’t grow in one day because learning never stops. There are damn expensive courses that your organization or company can afford, which on your own you wouldn’t. Such an arrangement allows you to learn and build your skills professionally, which could go a long way in giving you the skills you need in your entrepreneurship pursuits.

    4. Your Paycheck Allows you to Borrow a Loan for Business or Investment

    If you are just out of college and starting, banking institutions wouldn’t be willing to give you a loan since you have no collateral or a good repayment plan. However, once you get that payslip, you can leverage it to access huge chunks of credit you could use to build and grow a business. Still, you could opt to invest it and reap the rewards later.

    5. You Have the Opportunity to Network

    Employees can leverage huge brands of their companies or organizations to network and build meaningful and long-term working relationships with other professionals across the divide. A budding entrepreneur may not have this privilege since they still make a name or portfolio for themselves.

    Benefits of the 5-8 (Working Online)

    We are in a digital age, and it’s not only about freelancing but also the aspect of e-commerce. If you are thinking about doing this full-time, here are the advantages.

    1. You are in Control of your Time

    Employees sell their time for a salary. Your employer wants you to see you in the office from 8-5 whether you could be doing something meaningful or not.

    Let’s say your output is only 3-4 hours of your time. The rest gets wasted. A freelancer has the freedom of time and can use this to their advantage.

    2. You can Handle Several Projects/Clients at the Same Time

    You call the shots here. So you decide the breadth of your projects or how many clients you want to handle at one given time, depending on your time.

    Of course, this won’t be a tall order for you since you could build a team.

    3. You Have More Earning Power

    An employee’s lucrative idea in a company could earn them a $200 bonus, as their employer would determine.

    However, if you are an entrepreneur, a lucrative idea to your venture or business could pay you much more and open more room for growth.

    4. A True Sense of Job Security

    As long as the hiring and firing decision is in the hands of someone else, you can’t presume to have job security. Even a permanent and pensionable job could end up in headwinds.

    However, working as a freelancer on anything online or brick and mortar cushions you against your employer’s decisions that they could make against you.

    We can’t downplay the fact that clients could turn you down or forfeit your contracts. But you are in a better position to bounce back than one being fired from their job.

    5. You Have Extra Time to make Other Things, you Love

    You can work less for more if your 5-8 pick up well. This gives you the privilege of allocating your time to more important projects in your life.

    You could be involved in voluntary activities like missions, charity work or spend more time with family.

    Some Signs you are on the Right Path.

    Do you feel confused lately over what direction you should take?

    The good part is that even in that confusion, the universe has an amazing way of giving you pointers to the right path that will ultimately lead you to your destiny.

    These signs don’t only apply to your job, career or business but other areas of your life as well. Take a look.

    1. You encounter tale-tell signs along the Way. It could even be a pop-up on your computer, a road sign or a random notice board somewhere.
    2. You have an overwhelming gut feeling.
    3. You get reassurances from people along the Way
    4. Things unfold with little effort
    5. Your core values align with your choices
    6. Fresh opportunities come to you when you least expect them
    7. You fall in love with a place, a person or a thing
    8. You don’t get bothered by people’s opinions or judgments over your life.

    Wrap Up

    I have chosen not to choose between the two divides until God, and the universe tell me otherwise. I hope you find the best path to your destiny. I will be expounding on the pointers mentioned above later. Whether you are into entrepreneurship, keep your day job or handle both, you are the only person who can best make that decision.

  • Make Money Online: Why it’s the Best Time for You to Get Started

    Make Money Online: Why it’s the Best Time for You to Get Started

    This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may receive some coffee money if you make a purchase using them.

    There are myriad ways to make money online. Freelance writing is the most common. I develop content for small and medium-sized businesses in Europe, North America, and Asian countries. As mentioned earlier in a previous post, content marketing is king.

    Corporations, companies, and online businesses aren’t shy to spend huge budgets to ensure their products and services reach their target market to drive leads and sales. If they find the skill they need, they won’t be afraid to spend as much on you.

    If you have been thinking about improving your earning power lately or have a second or third source of income and spare time, freelance writing should be your next frontier. Yes! You can make money online.

    Why it’s the Best Time to Make Money Online

    • Government supporting online work through Ajira Digital program
    • The internet is affordable and accessible
    • A tech-savvy generation that spends the better part of their time on the internet
    • Formal employment is becoming scarce by the day.
    • Due to the pandemic, many businesses have shifted operations online.

    Schooling and Employment

    Typical promises politicians make when campaigning is the creation of jobs, especially for millions of unemployed youth.

    Unfortunately, such promises always end up being unfulfilled, and if fulfilled, it becomes so much dotted with corruption and tribalism.

    In the public domain, jobs in Kenya are scarce, especially for fresh graduates, and the few you will find won’t pay you much to your satisfaction apart from the many factors that may not even make the job convenient for you.

    You are not a machine. The job you do has to give you some satisfaction, not necessarily in monetary gain but the peace and passion you will find in doing it. It should make you a better, all-rounded person.

    So, what other options do you have left? Start a business? Yes, that sounds good. You couldstart a business onlinewhere you sell merchandise like shoes and clothing.

    This is still good. Okay, where do you get the capital to buy the merchandise? Maybe borrow money from friends, family, or even enemies.

    But this strategy could still backfire on you when friends tell you that’s not an emergency, ati unaeza jipanga polepole.

    The script I’m trying to put across here is, in most cases though not always, having a job is always the first step to building wealth. You will have to sell your time and skills for some bucks before those bucks start working for you.

    And that’s why you went to school in the first place, to get a good education that will give you a good job.

    But don’t settle there. The truth is education should not be about getting you a job. Education is a means to an end; it’s the key to life. It should open the door to other lucrative numerous opportunities in your life.

    The Cashflow Quadrant

    Perhaps the Cashflow quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki could help shed more light on the abovementioned statements.

    The Cashflow quadrant is abbreviated E, S, B, or I. The quadrant categorizes people according to where their money comes from. E stands for Employment. S stands for Self-employed, B stands for Business and I for Investment.

    All people fall into either of the four quadrants, each having unique characteristics. According to Robert Kiyosaki, you can make money in any of the four quadrants.

    However, you can achieve financial freedom much faster in the B and I quadrants. Making money online through freelance writing is an excellent opportunity for you to move from E to S.

    Once you have gotten the gist of S, don’t linger for long because it’s the riskier part. Quickly move into building a system (quadrant B) that will have people work for you while you focus on the growth and strategy of your business.

    The I quadrant is a playground for the rich with solid companies that can survive the unexpected shocks of investing.

    Make Money Online: Freelance Writing

    Co-relating this with freelance writing, you should not feel entitled to a white-collar job because you went to school. I know this sounds like an insult owing to the millions of shillings you pumped into the education system.

    But there is your professional life and your path in life; ultimately, everyone must discover their path in life sooner or later.

    Freelance writing may not seem like a real profession, but telling you that hiring managers prefer working with independent professionals rather than pensionable staff could tilt your mentality a little bit.

    Research conducted in June 2020 by Dr Adam Ozimek, an expert in labour markets, showed that 47% of hiring managers in the US were more comfortable hiring freelancers than permanent staff.

    That should tell you something. It’s said that a good player plays with the ball but a great player moves to where the ball is going.

    As much as you are working or have that job security, have you ever considered working as an independent contractor? Maybe freelance writing could be your starting point.

    You could tailor your brick-and-mortar skills to meet its demand in the online space. I understand if writing isn’t your passion because several online job opportunities aren’t about writing.

    Think about graphic design, Administrative support, Social Media Management, web development, or video editing.

    The Bottom Line

    It’s never too late to start. If you have a passion for writing and want to make money online, you can visit ourcourse page and enrol in a freelance writing course for beginners to set you off on a journey to online content entrepreneurship.