Peak Pathway Magazine's Blog : career development forum

Choosing courage, in all its forms, challenges our preconceived notions and expands our comfort circle. To set aside the analogy of the person afraid of heights, taking a risk isn’t always about facing your greatest fear. Maybe your version is trying a new restaurant or striking up a conversation with a stranger. Start small. The payoff isn’t as big, but neither is the risk. Best-selling author Brené Brown begins each day with the mantra, “Today, I’m going to choose courage over comfort.” Choosing courage, in all its forms, challenges our preconceived notions and expands our comfort circle. As your comfort circle increases, so does your willingness to tackle bigger risks. Finding the sweet spot of comfort and discomfort requires preparation, honesty and of course some risk. Start by asking yourself the following questions, then check out the advice from three entrepreneurs who share their experiences with staying uncomfortable. Have you done the work to ensure you’re prep...

The 12-Hour Fast With this method of intermittent fasting, you fast for 12 hours each day. Before you worry about skipping meals, remember: The fast can be done overnight. For example, you can fast from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The 16:8 Method A 12-hour fast isn’t enough for some people to get a metabolism boost. That’s where the 16:8 method for intermittent fasting comes in. It involves fasting for 16 hours (14 hours for women). The 5:2 Diet This strategy involves eating as you normally would five days a week, then fasting for two days. On those two fast days, experts recommend men consume 600 calories or less and women consume 500 calories or less. SOURCE:success.com

In life, we are all part of a unique race; there is only one man on the track and that person is YOU. The reason many people don’t win in life is that they are not even aware of the race let alone running to win in the race. You must realize that some are early starters while some are late finishers e.g. Nelson Mandela. Your life will begin to take a new turn the day you realize that you are not necessarily in a race with anyone but yourself, which is to become a better person than you were the last time. I believe everyone is uniquely designed for a purpose and our life assignment; which will, in turn, give us satisfaction and the significance is to discover that purpose, stay on it until you fulfill it. Hence, the reason for these thoughts; I would like to share with you some time-proven truths that will help you continually win in your unique race no matter the phase you are right now. CODE #1: DARE TO DREAM AGAIN Your dream is where you have the opportunity to visit the futur...

  1. Open the door for a stranger. 2. Say, “Thank you.” 3. Learn from your mistakes. 4. Stop whining. 5. Fear less. 6. Be kind. 7. Let yourself be inspired. 8. Lead someone. 9. Pay off debt. 10. Choose a side. 11. Pay more for quality. 12. Lend a hand. 13. Let past mistakes go. 14. Be invincible. 15. Be more efficient with your time. 16. Stop playing politics. 17. Plan to be successful. 18. Be an expert. 19. Stop defending yourself. 20. Decide to take action today. 21. Fight mediocrity. 22. Laugh at life. 23. Go to bed tired. 24. Ask what you can do better. 25. Give a stranger flowers. 26. Hold the elevator door. 27. Compliment a great idea. 28. Work on being patient. 29. Create what’s missing. 30. Stay in mental shape. 31. Practice getting back up. 32. Shake hands while looking the other person in the eye. 33. Assume the best in others. 34. Try som...

  Lesson No. 1: Nothing is impossible. My grandmother Eva Mae Becker-Newman taught me a very valuable lesson early in life. Even though I learned Grandma’s story at a young age, its implications were not lost on me. Eva, born to celebrity parents in Europe, became a world-class ballerina and model. Before her 30th birthday, getting off a street car, she fell and broke her leg. The resulting nerve damage left her paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors told her she would never be able to walk again, much less dance. And starting a family would be impossible. Eva was a determined woman and refused to accept this reality. She would not let that level of adversity dictate the conditions of her life. With great resolve and hard work, Eva defied all odds when she retained full use of her legs and later became a mother of three. Her perseverance in the face of adversity was a recurring trend—she battled cancer twice and lived with multiple sclerosis for more than 30 y...

http://peakpathwaymagazine.com/index.php/2019/10/21/15-things-i-learnt-from-femi-otedola/

  1. Discipline Larger organizations naturally create more social pressure. When you are surrounded by people who adhere to certain expectations, you find yourself striving to meet those expectations as well. And to do that, you have to analyze how and why those standards exist. In the process, you learn about the norms of the business world and how it operates so that when you’re going it on your own, you’ll have an understanding of what you, your clients and your employees can—and should—expect from one another. Working for a corporation helped me learn how to follow processes and programs before I set out to develop my own. So many entrepreneurs attempt to reinvent the wheel because they believe they must do everything differently to succeed. That’s not the case. The fact of the matter is that “best practices” are that for a reason, and there is a value in finding ways to innovate within––not outside of––the framework of tried-and-true methodologies. Whe...

  In Your 20s Build your emergency savings. Emergencies happen, even in your 20s. Prepare for the unexpected by setting up a separate savings account for covering these costs. While you might not be able to contribute much to start, setting up automatic transfers from your paycheck or checking account to your emergency savings account can get you into the habit of saving. Ultimately, the goal is to build this savings account up with enough funds to cover 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses. In Your 30s Increase your retirement contributions. If your 20s are about getting started with retirement savings, your 30s are about ‘getting on track’ and making sure you’re investing enough to afford the retirement you want. Consider increasing your IRA or 401(k) contributions with every raise. In Your 40s Review your insurance needs. While having adequate insurance coverage is important at every life stage, it’s especially important as you have more people, like ...

  1. Competence A curiosity to learn new skills and develop mastery of new subjects. 2. Perspective Thoughtfulness about the way past experiences and challenges have shaped attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. 3. Communication The ability and willingness to express ideas and emotions. 4. Drive A can-do spirit, strong work ethic and the hunger to succeed. 5. Humility Inclusiveness, self-awareness and respect for others. 6. Flexibility An openness to new perspectives and the adaptability to let go of one idea or belief to embrace another. 7. Selflessness A willingness to serve others and place the truth and others’ interests above your own self-interest. SOURCE:success.com

  1. Become aware of the need to improve your focusing skills. 2. Make a conscious decision to invest the time and energy needed to improve. 3. Practice and train your mind to concentrate. 4. Implement your new skills and make them routine . The first step toward improving is becoming aware of your level of focus. Jon, a mechanical engineer who attends my church, works in the oil and gas industry. He is an expert in designing heat exchangers, which are expensive, custom-built pieces of equipment. The design of these contraptions is a complex process. He sifts through roughly 400 pieces of information to build a machine that—if improperly constructed—could cause tremendous negative financial impact. The process requires attention to detail. Although he’s been trained to perform this process and he consistently produces good designs, he told me he initially found it overwhelming because he couldn’t concentrate. While designing the machinery, Jon was constan...

  I spend so much time responding to emails that I lose productivity in other areas. How can I become more efficient when it comes to managing my inbox? A: Emails are clearly a major part of our personal and professional lives today, and yet many people spend as much as one or two hours a day managing them. Based on my work over the years with many of the world’s largest corporations and top high achievers, I’ve identified these 10 best practices when it comes to managing your email. They will increase your productivity and significantly improve your communication with others. 1. Determine what you want to accomplish. 2. Frontload your emails with action. 3. Leverage the subject line. 4. Be clear and concise. 5. Make it easy on the receiver. 6. Use CC and BCC carefully. 7. Reduce the volume. 8. Get it “good enough” and get it out. 9. Think before you hit “send.” 10. Use the phone to avoid too much back and forth. SOURCE:success.com...

  1. Take 10 quiet minutes every day to ask, Why do I want it? No amount of education, experience or connections will carry you through life’s inevitable setbacks. Without a powerful motive, no goal can withstand misfortune. You can create motive by taking time every day to visualize your goal in detail. “You’ve got to have some vision, some idea of what the future could look like,” says social scientist and executive coach Dr. Frank Niles. “You need a North Star to keep working toward.” Niles explains that using visualization helps us experience both the goal’s outcome and the processes required to get there, and this boosts our motivation to achieve that goal. Visualization can be as simple as creating a mental image of a future event. If your North Star is to build a business that generates $10,000 in monthly income, spend time imagining all of your whys : three vacations a year, a new car and provide your children with a quality education. 2. Spend time wit...

  Stay in the triangle. The imbalance of your personal and professional life, Jakes says, can kill you. He teaches leaders to surround themselves with three different types of people who keep you balanced. 1. People who need you. These people give you purpose. Jakes says to think about how we value a product: “What good is a product if nobody needs it? Need determines value. Supply and demand.” It’s important to have people who drive you to work hard, achieve and be consistent. These are people you help, people you train or teach and people you lead. 2. People who feed you. Just as there is a demand, there must also be a supply. “If you have a certain amount of people in your life who need you, you must have a certain amount of people in your life who feed you,” he says. “Because if you only have people who need you and nobody who feeds you, pretty soon you’re going to go bankrupt and self-implode because none of us are infinite. The flow of what feeds you ha...

  1. The Dreamer Some dreamers may be seen as unrealistic or undisciplined, but they can also be insightful visionaries. They think of things that others do not. They help you imagine what if . You feel life’s vitality when you are around them. Dreamers have a strong tendency to be highly creative and they make you believe that everything is possible. 2. The Driver The driver brings the dream to reality. They understand the big picture, but they have the talent to break it down into actionable steps. They are results-oriented and are usually decisive, direct and pragmatic. They may fall to the practical side, but they know how to get things done and thrive on the thrill of the challenge. 3. The Motivator This is your voice of inspiration. They keep pushing you to meet your goals. They help you understand that goals are met more frequently when they are tied to a “higher purpose.” This person infuses you with energy and enthusiasm. 4. The Supporter Thi...

  1. Set your sail. The winds of circumstance blow upon all of us. We all have experienced the winds of disappointment, despair and heartbreak, but why do people arrive at such different places at the end of the journey? Have we not all sailed upon the same sea? The major difference isn’t circumstance; it’s the set of the sail, or the way we think—it’s what we do after we’ve set our sails and the wind decides to change direction. When the winds change, we must change. We have to struggle to our feet and reset the sail in a manner that will steer us in the direction of our own deliberate choice. The set of the sail, or how we think and how we respond, has a far greater capacity to destroy our lives than any challenges we face. How quickly we respond to adversity is far more important than adversity itself. The great challenge of life is to control the process of our own thinking. 2. Learn from success and failure. The best way to establish a new and powe...

  1.Charity Of the 30 percent not spent, one-third should go to charity. Charity is the act of giving back to the community and helping those who need assistance. I believe that contributing 10 percent of your after-tax income is a good amount to strive for. The act of giving should be taught early, when the amounts are small. It’s pretty easy to take a dime out of a dollar. But it’s considerably harder to give away a $100,000 out of $1 million. You say, “Oh, if I had $1 million, I’d have no trouble giving $100,000.” I’m not so sure. $100,000 is a lot of money. Start early so you’ll develop the habit before the big money comes your way. 2.Capital Investment With the next 10 percent of your after-tax income, you’re going to create wealth. This is money you’ll use to buy, fix, manufacture or sell. The key is to engage in commerce, even if only on a part-time basis. So how do you go about creating wealth? There are lots of ways. Let your imagination roam. T...

  1. Know your why. Start by asking yourself, For the sake of what? Nothing worthwhile is accomplished with a guarantee of success. Risk is a toll life exacts en route to any meaningful endeavor. Finding the courage to take risks demands you be clear about why you are doing it in the first place. We are wired to focus more on what we have to lose than what we might gain. Therefore, before you can find the courage to risk losing something, you have to be crystal clear about what it is you want to gain in the process. What are you willing to lay your reputation, pride, status or vulnerability on the line for? Only when your desire for something transcends your desire for safety can you rise above the fears hardwired into you to protect you from such dangers. A big, inspiring why propelled Justine Flynn and her co-founders to launch their company, Thankyou, in 2008. They were straight out of college and had no idea what they were doing. Flynn told me she an...

  1. Prioritize long-term goals. Saving for retirement should come before setting aside money for children’s college costs. 2. Get on the same page with your significant other. Going over the bills and budget together can end squabbles about money. 3. Be patient. Save until you have cash for that car, home theater system, vacation or the like. 4. Balance your checking account. This helps you start, monitor and stick with a budget. 5. Keep savings and checking accounts at separate banks. If you don’t see your savings when you log into your more frequently accessed checking account, you won’t be as tempted to tap that money. 6. Issue yourself an envelope filled with your monthly fun money. Once that cash is gone, wait until the next month for the next “fun” expenditures. 7. Have an emergency fund. This is your parachute in case a job loss occurs or a huge expense pops up. (You should also build a fund for smaller irregular expenses ...

  1. Make it exciting. For me, saving money has always been sexy because of its secretive nature. Whenever my friends shared money gripes over drinks, I commiserated, but I couldn’t understand how they allowed hard-earned dollars to slip through their fingers. Early on, I was told to put away at least 10 percent of whatever I made into a separate account, be it savings, 401(k) or something else—and never touch it. I took this advice to heart and have realized that once it’s out of sight, I don’t miss the money. But boy, do I admire its growth. 2. Not all sales are created equal. Everyone likes a deal, but I’ve created my own art to it: the art of patience and timing. New York City spoils me with designer sample sales, but I have to be discerning. Just because something is on sale doesn’t mean it’s worth the money. Some of the highest-quality clothes and shoes in my closet have cost less than a latté. Seriously! After I started selling items on Poshmark, a po...

  1. Live within your means. Wealthy people avoid overspending by paying their future selves first. They save 20 percent of their net income and live on the remaining 80 percent. Among those who are struggling financially, almost all are living above their means. They spend more than they earn, and their debt is overwhelming them. If you want to end your financial struggles, you need to make a habit of saving and budgeting what you spend. Here are some sensible ways to budget your monthly net pay: Spend no more than 25 percent on housing, no matter if you own or rent. Spend no more than 15 percent on food. Limit entertainment—bars, movies, miniature golf, whatever—to no more than 10  percent of your spending. Vacations should account for no more than 5 percent of your annual net pay. Spend no more than 5 percent on auto loans, and never lease. Ninety-four percent of the wealthy buy instead of leasing. These folks keep their cars until the wheels fall o...