Month: January 2019

Categories
Inspiration

WHY DIDN’T HE HELP?


This morning was one of the coldest we’ve had in United Kingdom so far this year. I was on my way to my local gym for my exercise, but my car was covered in ice; just as others were too, so I knew I would have to make use of my ice scrapper for my screen. As I got near my car, I saw my neighbour with a bottle of de-icing solution. He was engrossed in de-icing his screen and I could see how easily he was achieving his result. Not long after, another neighbour came out to do the exact same thing. I was a bit envious and almost wondered why none of them had offered to give me some of their solution!


After a few minutes, one of the guys looked at me and said; ‘hello how is it going?’ to which I responded; ‘great! but for this ice!’ He smiled and got into his car. I was genuinely shocked because I thought it would have been gentlemanly of him to have offered me some of his de-icing solution, but he didn’t. Few minutes later; thinking I had done enough; I got into my car only to realise that I still couldn’t see and needed to do some more work on the screen. I came out again unhappily into the cold and continued to battle with my screen. I eventually got the work done and drove off.


I started wondering why my closest neighbour didn’t offer to help with the solution to make my life easier and realised that I was already thinking of him as ‘not very nice’. I stopped myself and decided to take responsibility rather than expect something from the gentleman who didn’t even know I needed any help. I did not do the most basic of all things – I did not ask! I assumed he should know and volunteer to help rather than ask for help. Why should I blame the gentleman for not giving me what I didn’t ask for? I then thought of God’s word that says: – 


“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7 


God our father wants to bless and help us, but we must bring ourselves into a good relationship enough to ask Him so that He will give to us. To seek Him so we may find Him and to knock the doors that are shut so they can be opened to us. God surely knows our needs, but He still expects us to ask before He helps.


As I thought about that, I apologised in my mind to my neighbour whom I didn’t ask for anything but expected to help me because I thought my problem should have been obvious to him. Not knowing if he didn’t think about it or was expecting me to ask. Irrespective of whichever one it was, my neighbour was not being mean; I just didn’t ask so I shouldn’t have expected to receive the help.


My word to you this week is: do not rush to conclusions; if you need help, just ask so you can receive.


God is on your side!

Categories
Marketplace

6 Effective & Practical Ways to Overcome the Fear of Failure when Starting a Business

Overcome Fear of Failure

It is true that there are many risks present on the way to building a successful business. However, it is equally true that every successful businessperson in this world has fought a set of unique problems in order to achieve the goals. The willingness to take actions and the confidence to overcome the challenges with prudence and hard-work are the two major factors that separate a dreamer from a successful entrepreneur. The self-doubt may prevent you from starting a business despite having the experience in the field of your choice. You may have doubts regarding the popularity of your brand/service or the availability of financial support during the crisis. In reality, the obstacle that is present in your way of starting a business is not about the products or money; it is about the fear of failure.

It is possible for every novice entrepreneur to overcome this fear of failure with some changes in the mindset:

1.  Preparation for Success

There are two types of failure in life. You may experience one type of failure due to lack of action and may experience another type of failure in the absence of judicious actions. You may avoid the aforementioned failures with adequate preparation before starting a business venture. It is prudent to learn the details of the industry of your choice. With this knowledge, you may identify the factors that may drive you towards success. It is equally essential to make sure that you have everything that is necessary to fulfil your requirements.

  • You may collect information regarding the demand of the product/service you are planning to cater.
  • You may research the performance of other businesses in order to maintain a practical expectation regarding the profit. This information also helps you gauge the strength of your competitors.
  • You may research about adding a special component to the product of your brand or offering something additional with your service. These efforts may increase the appeal of your brand/service amongst the potential customers or may ensure the success of your business.

2.  Acknowledge the Shortcomings

To become successful in the competitive world of modern commerce, an individual needs a collection of skills. It is impossible for anyone to become a master of various activities. Hence, there is no shame in acknowledging your weaknesses along with your strengths. It enables you to retain the service of other professionals. For example, a web developer and designer may create a website that represents your vision in order to strengthen the online presence. You may not have these skills. Hence, it is prudent to acknowledge your shortcomings for better results. With an expert’s assistance, you have more confidence and less fear.

3.  Practical Objective

It is extremely essential to set a practical objective and to raise the level of expectation in calculated steps. You may have impractical expectations from the start of your business and you may fail to fulfil this expectation due to lack of preparation or experience in this filed. The chance of failure reduces with smart and lean objectives which may push away your fear.

4.  Using Smart Application

In this digital age, there is a software application to simplify all types of tasks. You may even find some software applications that may simplify the management of a business or may integrate different sectors of a business into one platform. These applications may bring efficiency into your entrepreneurship and help you overcome the fear of starting a business.

5.  Taking Action with Confidence

It is prudent to thoroughly research a market or to assess the strength or weaknesses of a particular industry. However, it is impossible to measure the actual strength/weakness until you take actions and start a business. It is equally important to change your vision towards the failure during this journey. Instead of feeling depressed, it may be prudent to learn from your mistakes and to take the next step using a different set of rules. This simple change in your mindset may boost you with confidence and help you lose the fear of failure.

Choose Practical Objective

6.  Mentor’s Advice

The novice entrepreneurs may learn the steps of success from successful entrepreneurs of any field. The basic rules of success usually remain the same in any field of business. You may seek the guidance of the entrepreneurs who want to share their professional experience and their practical knowledge in order to motivate others in following their passion or dreams. Many successful entrepreneurs mentor the interested individuals in order to boost their confidence and to drive the fear of failure away from the mind. With the guidance of a compassionate and learned mentor, it becomes possible to drive away the fear of failure.

Categories
Empowerment

7 Easy Steps to Build Your Confidence and Self-Esteem

confidence and self-esteem

A recent survey revealed that around 85% of the adults or adolescents around the world suffer from low self-esteem. This result does not depict a comforting view, as the lack of confidence may prevent these individuals from extraordinary innovations for the benefit of this world. A variety of factors may reduce the self-esteem of an individual and these factors may differ from one individual to another. In many individuals, the taunting of a family member or the bullying of the peers may cause a lack of confidence and self-esteem. It is not hard to lose this feeling of lack of worth and increase your confidence and self-esteem.

These 7 simple ways may boost your confidence and self-esteem

Help yourself progress in your life with a burst of enthusiasm:

1. Identify Your Uniqueness

Every individual is unique in this world and has the capacity for special achievements. The first step towards building the self-confidence is the identification of this uniqueness that lies within an individual. It is essential for you not to compare yourself with your friends, colleagues, peers or other members of the family for this identification. You can identify your potential after separating yourself from the crowd and this may immediately boost your self-confidence.

self-esteem

2. Identification of Major Successes

It is crucial to value every achievement of your life in order to increase the level of your confidence. The psychologists believe that the acknowledgment of your past successes or achievements may generate a sense of satisfaction within an individual and increase the confidence
and self-esteem. To make a list of achievements, you may divide your life into different time periods and may make a list of the achievements during each period. This step may help you focus on the positive sides of your life instead of the failures and may give you the confidence for bigger achievements.

3. Display of Symbol of Achievements

In this digital era, you may easily notice the achievements of others on social media platforms. Your surroundings may have a huge impact on your thoughts that may impact your self-confidence. Hence, it may be prudent to make a display of your achievements. The visualization of the past achievements may fill you with confidence and may drive you towards success in the future.

4. Losing Sensitive/Hyper-Reactive Nature

In the journey of your life, you may come in contact with different types of individuals in personal, academic or professional spheres. It is not possible for anyone to please every individual in his/her life. You may have differences in opinions or ideologies with some of your friends/relatives/colleagues/peers or family members. If you take every criticism to heart, then it may leave a negative impact on your confidence or self-esteem. Hence, it is essential to be responsive to the criticism of others after losing the ego that may turn hyper-reactive or sensitive.

5. Taking Risks to Boost Self-Confidence

If you are afraid of taking risks or making changes in life, then this fear may prevent you from accomplishing something extraordinary. The fear of failure may prevent you from setting out on an adventure, applying for a position in a company or setting up a new business. The future is unpredictable. You are afraid of something non-existential if you are afraid of the future. You may have the self-confidence for great achievements with a victory over this fear. Hence, it is essential to take calculated risks in life that may push you towards success.

6. Assertive Attitude

It is beneficial for every individual to have the ability to express his/her thoughts without any self-doubt. It is a noble gesture to care about others; however, it may be imprudent to always put the requirements of others ahead of your needs. This practice may prevent you from expressing your mind, as you may worry about hurting others feelings and this may lead to lack of confidence.

self-confidence
  • It may be prudent to learn to say ‘No’ to the request of others at times.
  • It is equally prudent to take control of your decisions and to set a boundary for every task. These steps may keep you on right track and may prevent you from going overboard.

7. Managing a Healthy Lifestyle

The food or beverages that you consume may positively/negatively impact your mood or level of energy. Hence, it is vital to maintain a healthy diet and perform regular physical activities that may keep the stress away and give you the confidence to move ahead in your life. It is equally prudent to avoid the consumption of any recreational drug. These substances may give a temporary boost to your confidence and self-esteem. However, the consumption of recreational drugs may damage the brain-cells and may impair the sense of cognition and judiciousness.

Categories
Inspiration

It’s Not Worth It!

Monday saw an interesting video go viral on social media which eventually made it to the TV. It was the video of a builder who was upset for not being paid his wages of £600 for the work he had done on a Travel Lodge building in Liverpool. The anger of this gentleman led him to get into a digger and ram the digger through the front lobby of the hotel.

I am sure the man wasn’t the only one in the situation of being unpaid as at this point. It was eventually mentioned that this man wasn’t paid on Friday by the construction company due to a banking glitch and that the money was paid into his account on Monday – but he hadn’t checked as at the point of driving the digger into the building! Whether that’s correct or not is not the point of this writing; but his reaction to his situation.

As I reflected on this incident, I remembered a similar one my old hairdresser mentioned to me. She is quite quick tempered and said she once fixed a lady’s hair and after finishing, the lady started arguing about the fees. According to my old hairdresser, she told the lady to sit down for an adjustment and put a scissors into the hair; nipping a huge chunk of the lady’s hair/wig! I remember looking at her in shock and asking her the question that bothered me then and still bothers me now- Was it worth it?

The damage done by both the tradesman and my old hairdresser just seems so over the top and has such wider consequence than their immediate satisfaction of being able to carry out an act of revenge. Their temper however was so engaged that they didn’t think beyond that moment when carrying out their actions. Right or wrong, the action of the tradesman does not seem proportionate to £600 worth of wages and future consequences of loss of income seems to me to be a more expensive price to pay than getting the satisfaction of destroying something to get back at the person owing you.

One of God’s words on anger and temper comes to mind

‘Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool’ Ecclestiastes 7:9

 
Anger and quick temper are things that can be controlled and we need to be careful of them because they can label you and have long lasting, wider consequences that you definitely didn’t consider at the point of action.

I do not think I will be quick to hire that gentleman if I was looking for a tradesman in future, as I cannot be certain what a misunderstanding can cause him to do. It is never worth it to allow your flesh lead you. Take charge of yourself so that you can take delivery of the great future ahead of you. Never allow the satisfaction of the moment rub you of your future rewards.

Categories
Marketplace

10 Habits Most Successful Entrepreneurs Have In Common

Successful Entrepreneurs

Successful entrepreneurs are creators of new business ventures. They take on financial risks in order to establish a brand, to market an innovative invention or to profit from a venture. It is not easy executing these tasks and there are many risks involved at each step on the way to entrepreneurship.

Most successful entrepreneurs have a few habits in common

Habits that has helped them reach their goals despite fierce competition and gave them the ability to lead the way in their respective field.

As a novice here are ten things we can learn, from the most successful entrepreneurs and may even follow to emerge as a winner:

1.  Practical Planning

It is crucial for any entrepreneur to maintain a practical plan for the highest productivity. You may break an entire day into productive blocks of time and may perform each task in accordance with this planning. It is equally essential to prioritize the tasks on your list. It allows you to complete the vital tasks in a timely manner despite facing challenges which is a part of entrepreneurship.

2.  Reflecting Upon Activities

It is crucial to contemplate your vision and mission every day in order to remain on the right track. With this practice, you may ensure that your daily actions reflect your vision along with your priorities. There are many possibilities of diverting from the right track in the roller-coaster ride of life. Contemplation of your activities at the end of every day may reduce this risk.

3.  Facing Hardest Challenges at First

It may be prudent for an entrepreneur to face the toughest challenge at the start of each day if possible. It gives you the opportunity to execute the hardest task with the highest level of enthusiasm at the beginning of each day. If you complete the toughest challenge of the day at first, then it may give you the satisfaction of accomplishing a worthwhile task and may give the energy to take on harder tasks. It also gives you the opportunity to finish important tasks as early as possible.

4.  Identifying Goals

An entrepreneur is supposed to look after a variety of matters. At times, it may become overwhelming for a novice businessperson. Hence, it is essential to identify and set new goals for every day. This practice may prevent you from losing your focus from the vital tasks and push you towards bigger achievements.

5.  Taking Actions upon Your Goals

It is essential to take actions in order to reach the goal. It is impossible to determine the right track or to determine the necessity for any changes in your action if you are afraid of acting upon your dream. It is equally important to modify your actions in accordance with your changing requirements.

6.  Making Plans for Tomorrow

It is essential to stay prepared for the challenges that you may experience tomorrow. It is possible for any business to run into a financial crisis; however, any entrepreneur may avert those crises with advanced planning and with esoteric measures. An advance planning of the tasks of tomorrow also prepares you to face all types of challenges with better efficiency.

Making Plans for Tomorrow

7.  Staying Updated with Latest Trends

The trends in any industry go through continuous change depending upon the invention of new technologies or changes in consumers’ demands. If you do not remain updated about the changing trends, then you may lose your old and potential customers to your competitors. Hence, the habit of remaining updated about the latest market trends may ensure profitability.

8.  Tracking Progress

It is extremely important to acknowledge your progress at the end of each day. Whether you achieve something worthwhile or notice some success through your latest efforts, an acknowledgment of this fact may give you the strength to move forward towards bigger achievements.

9.  Ditch Ego Conflicts

It is essential to pay heed to the queries and suggestions of others in order to identify your mistakes and to take necessary action. Many successful entrepreneurs believe that there is something to learn from every person in life keeping aside their ego conflicts.

Ditch Ego Conflicts

10.  Following Healthy Lifestyle

It is equally important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The food you ingest may greatly impact your mental and physical wellbeing. You may even maintain a daily routine of workout or relaxation to rejuvenate the body and mind. It enables you to face the new challenges with vigour.

The most prosperous entrepreneurs aren’t the most efficient money-man or most renowned public speakers. They’re those who can blend with the change in the world. What’s your consent? Let us know what you think makes a thriving businessperson in the comments below.