Inspirational

Business Executives can learn from Toriola’s Leadership Style

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Business Executives have heard stories about taking the lead in Organizations from across the world. As a leadership and career mentor myself, it breaks my heart very often when the majority of the anecdotes we share during training sessions with clients in corporate Nigeria are from foreign business experiences. Foreign to our culture and personalities. … Read more

5 Ways Millionaires Approach Their Careers

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imagesHey, it’s 3:43am in Nigeria and I am excited because I just stumbled on this great piece written by Ken Sundheim on the entrepreneur webpage and I just know you will love it! Enjoy this read:

In the majority of cases, it’s not luck that makes people money, nor is it who they know. Rather, the people who make the most money in their careers are the ones who display discipline, and who have a definitive sense of purpose and heavy duty resiliency.

The positive news is that even if you don’t possess these skills now, it is very possible to obtain them. The first step in doing so is to analyze how millionaires approach their careers and begin to alter your thought processes, practices and overall professional approach.

To get you started, here are five ways the highly successful approach their careers:

Related: 5 Ways to Get More Respect at Work

1. Maintain an Open Mind and Active Imagination – Effective job seekers and entrepreneurs understand that tolerance and maintaining an open mind are necessities for anyone seeking wealth and prosperity from their job. They are not afraid of new ideas and understand that closed minds do not inspire faith, courage or belief.

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MOST ENTREPRENEURS DON’T PLAN TO FAIL, THEY FAIL TO PLAN

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I periodically read research reports about business failures. I always find them interesting, although often they are depressing.

Such as what I recently read. Which was research from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. This research found that 70% to 80% of new businesses fail within their first year.

And while this was frustrating enough to read, the research further stated that half of those companies which do survive the first year will fail within the next four years.

Now, let’s turn to the cause of this failure. According to Dun & Bradstreet, the number one cause of this failure is lack of business planning.

What this essentially means is this: entrepreneurs and business owners don’t plan to fail; rather, they fail to plan (which causes them to fail).

In my view, there are two types of business plans. The first is the business plan you must create when you start your company. The purpose of this plan is to ensure you have fully thought through your venture.

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Crafting your Elevator Pitch.

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imagesWe had just gone to say hi to a neighbor who just moved into our area in Lekki Lagos. My wife and I went to say hi and welcome them to the Area with a cute basked of home made cheese cakes. After the Initial pleasantries and settling down to some of the snacks and a couple of drinks. The man of the house an avid investment Banker in his Mid 40’s threw the question

“…So what do you do?”

I was sure I muffled some words about being a Strategic Plan Consultant cum Management Trainer and whatever else came out…before handling over my Business card as if to say “figure it out yourself”. So the first question my wife asked when we got back home was;

“What was that about?” Before giving me a low-down of how unsure and unconvincing my statements were. I know it could be confusing when you are multi talented and can do a lot of things. How do you communicate such without sounding like a jerk or a confused person?

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How Not to Destroy Your Marriage: 8 Tips for Staying a Happy Couple

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images“All marriages are happy. It’s the living together afterward that causes all the trouble”.  -Raymond Hull

So how do you make your marriage work? Or do you just blindly hope it’ll take care of itself?

Think of a hot, successful date with someone you’re attracted to. You have fun, great conversation and more sexual chemistry than a warehouse full of pheromones. You don’t have to “work at” the date because it’s self sustaining. It runs as smoothly as the gliding hand of a classical guitar maestro and you can’t wait for another rendition.

But marriage, or any long term relationship; well that’s a whole other caboodle.

If we’re not careful, marriage can deteriorate into little more than a torturous assault course; littered with routine boredoms, frustrations and resentments. Couple all that with external pressures and sometimes marriage feels not worth the effort. But there are major benefits to being hitched or committed, other than just a beneficial tax regime.

Healthy marriage; healthy people

Being happily married bestows heaps of health benefits. You might be forgiven for thinking that if you’re married you don’t live longer it just seems like it but, no, a good marriage really can help you clock up more years (1) and married people are happier (2) even though they don’t always look it from the outside.

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3 Things Start ups should avoid when talking to investors

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People who advise entrepreneurs over a decent chunk of time tend to have the kind of world-weary perspective you’d expect from someone who has seen so many startups succeed or fail. They know what can scupper investment opportunities and turn off potential investors. Wayne Barz manages entrepreneurial programs at Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern … Read more

Ten Questions Still Baffling Scientists

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ImageScience has done a terrific job of answering some of the world’s most difficult questions, but certain mysteries still elude researchers. How does gravity work? Can your pet fish really predict an earthquake? Why do we yawn so much? Here’s what we don’t know and how close we are to figuring it out.

1. Why Do We Yawn?

Theories about why we yawn are as common as grumpy toddlers at nap time, but two explanations seem plausible after experimental tests. One is that yawns help cool the brain and optimize its performance. Psychologists at the State University of New York at Albany say it explains why we yawn when we’re drowsy: Like the fan in a computer, the yawn kicks in when our performance starts lagging.

But if yawns are our brains’ way of kick-starting their efficiency, why is yawning contagious? The brain-cooling camp suggests that it’s a way to maintain group vigilance and safety. When a member of a pack yawns, signaling that he is not functioning at his best, the whole group may need to yawn for a collective cognitive boost.

That’s not the only theory floating around, though. Another explanation contends that contagious yawning builds and maintains empathy between yawners. A sympathetic yawn signals an appreciation and understanding of someone else’s condition and subconsciously says, “Me too, buddy.” So which story is the accurate one? Scientists aren’t ready to declare a winner yet—they need a little time to sleep on it.

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A note to the frustrated Dreamer- Tyler Perry

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215632_10151209302083268_335518449_nTHIS IS FOR FRUSTRATED DREAMERS

I was driving in to work this morning and I started thinking about all the days I dreaded going to work. I was so sick of it… the job, my boss, the people I worked with, the traffic… I would wake up angry every morning. I didn’t want to deal with the crap of the job, but I was forced to go. I had been homeless, I was broke, living paycheck to hopefully the next paycheck. I couldn’t take a day off for fear I would get fired. I was just frustrated. I thought I hated my life and the job.

It was so aggravating because God had placed all these dreams and hopes in my soul and mind and I had no idea how they were going to come to pass. To have a dream of being something better and living better than the way I was at that moment and to not see a way of getting there felt like death to me. I thought, “Dear God, why would you give me so much hope and not make a way?” But what I learned through prayer was, with no path in front of you and no road map… this is where true faith begins. With faith I realized that I wasn’t frustrated with my life or the job, I was frustrated because I was a person who had dreams for myself, a person who had visions for my life and I wasn’t living it. Have you ever been there, where you felt so strongly that there was more to this life than what you see in front of you?

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