mindset

Nov

2022

10 Signs That You Have High EQ

Reading Time: 4 minutes

IQ and EQ play significant roles in our overall success in life. Our IQ indicates our level of intelligence while our EQ shows our ability to handle and control our emotions.

There are many available standardized tests online if we want to find out our IQ score. Some of us may not get a high score but that shouldn’t make us feel small. Although having a high IQ will give one an advantage; it is not a guarantee for success. It only measures our potential for success. In fact, studies reveal that our EQ is more important than our IQ. Statistics show that about 90% of successful individuals have high emotional intelligence as compared to only 20% who have high IQ.

So, how do you know if you have high emotional intelligence? Here are signs that indicate that you have high EQ.

1. You Pause

Have you ever regretted saying some things as soon as you say them? For example, when you blurt out hurtful words when you’re angry. The ability to stop and think first before saying anything and to control your temper are easier said than done. These are skills that only high EQ individuals usually do.

2. You are Difficult to Offend

Do you know of highly sensitive individuals who get easily offended? It is difficult to be around them because it is like always walking on eggshells. You need to be careful with your words and actions at all times so as not to offend them. Well, the opposite is true with highly emotionally intelligent people. If you can handle criticism well and you understand humor and let other people make jokes about you without being offended, then that is a sign of having a high EQ.

3. You Own Up to your Mistakes

Instead of looking for excuses or blaming somebody else for their mistakes, emotionally intelligent people apologize when they are wrong. They own up to their mistakes and will be responsible in correcting them. They know when and how to apologize properly and keep their word of not doing the same thing again.

4. You have Good Social Skills

A large part of emotional intelligence is dealing well with other people. Thus, if you have a high EQ, it is only natural that you have lots of friends from diverse backgrounds. You are capable of rotating around different social circles. You have a way of connecting and dealing with others that they enjoy being with you too.

5. You are Open-Minded

Being open-minded means you are willing to listen and accept other people’s views and opinions about things. It means that you have the ability to remove your personal biases and prejudices from discussions. Open-minded individuals also know how to deal with arguments. If discussions get too heated up; you know when to “agree to disagree” and not take the disagreement too personally. You can even remain friends with the person you have the disagreement with.

6. You are Self-Aware

Self-awareness is being able to know your “self” and have a clear understanding of who you are; what your personality is, what your strengths and weaknesses are and what your thoughts and beliefs are. You understand your feelings and know how to control them. This means that you know what things can trigger you emotionally, so you are able to stay away from them or diffuse the situation, if needed.

7. You are a Good Judge of Character

You have the ability to understand other people. Your high EQ means that you can tell what they are feeling and where they are coming from. Thus, you can easily assess other people’s character and you can tell whether they are being truthful or not. In short, you can almost read others like an open book.

8. You Don’t Hold Grudges

A grudge is negative emotion resulting from a past event. A highly emotionally intelligent person knows that holding grudges will only cause undue stress. Letting go does not necessarily mean forgetting what happened. It just means not dwelling on negative emotions to help you feel better.

9. You Control Your Thoughts

Your thoughts affect your perception of reality. You might have heard of the mind-body connection which means that your thoughts even affect your physical body. Your thoughts strongly affect your emotions too. If you dwell on negative thoughts, your life will have many negative experiences too. An emotionally intelligent person knows that the mindset affects the direction of one’s life. Instead of thinking negative thoughts, they develop good habits to have a more positive mindset. This means that they will also be attracting more positive experiences into their life.

10. You Fail and Rise Again

Emotionally intelligent persons are not afraid to fail. They understand that failure is part of success. What is important is that they rise up again and again each time they fall. Individuals with high EQ understand that the journey is just as important as the destination. That’s why you should your best to enjoy each moment and have fun in your life even as you keep your focus on the end goal.

If you scored 5 and above, then that is a sign that you have a high EQ. You have what it takes to be successful in life despite all the challenges that life throws at you. If your score is low, don’t feel bad. The good news is that emotional intelligence can be developed. It is an important part of nurturing your emotional wellness. What is important is that you are now aware of your limitations and hopefully, this will lead you to increase your desire to learn and grow your emotional quotient.

Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.09.04.
Featured Image: Original Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash.

Oct

2022

Frenemies and How to Deal with Them

Reading Time: 4 minutes

We’ve seen frenemies in a lot of television and movie dramas but we are not clear on how to deal with them. These are the characters who typically start out as the main character’s good friend and turn out to be their worst enemy in the end. Common sense would say that we should put them on the list of toxic people we should avoid. But in reality, they can be hard to spot from our actual friends.

What is A Frenemy?

A frenemy can be someone you count as one of your friends. They can also be a colleague or even a family member. They keep up a friendly appearance and may even pretend to be supportive of you. In secret, they are actually sad when you win and happy when you fall into a negative situation.

In truth, all our friends are both our allies and our enemies. They can support us when we need them because they know us well. But they can also be our competitors especially in situations where you are both aiming for the same goals in different areas of life. For example, you might have a friend at work in the same department but you lead different teams. Depending on both your attitudes; you could have a healthy competition or become frenemies.

Comparison among friends is a normal occurrence but we usually laugh off our insecurities and show support for our friends to reassure them and boost their confidence. However, when one friend harbors feelings of resentment, envy, jealousy, and even anger towards another; then they might become a frenemy.

How to Spot Them

Frenemies are common in social circles and it is all because of our human nature. It is natural for us to compare our own lives with that of our friends. That is why there are some people who become addicted to social media interactions. Whether we admit it or not; those likes do boost our view of ourselves even if just a little. It is up to us to take the likes and compliments, as well as the criticisms, with a grain of salt. Essentially, a person becomes a frenemy as a consequence of protecting their own ego. Instead of reflecting on themselves, they resort to blaming the object of their frustrations, which is usually the person they envy.

Here are some signs that you are around a frenemy:

Show signs of jealousy for your achievements like avoiding to compliment you or they blame you for their failures.
Find underhanded ways to hurt you such as delivering hurtful remarks that they claim to be a joke or praise others instead of you.
Talk behind your back or give negative feedback about you that they claim are from other persons talking about you behind your back.
Ask you lots of questions but don’t actually give back supportive advice or they give you useless or even harmful advice.
Sabotaging you through passive-aggressive behavior such as making deliberate mistakes that damage your reputation or hurt your feelings.
They might say nice words to you but their body language show just the opposite.

They Are Around You

It is hard to spot a frenemy among one’s friends. Frenemies usually develop in our social circles where everyone is of almost similar level in life. That is because, they are the people who can beat your or the ones you can beat in your work environment or even in pursuing your other life goals.
One of the telltale signs of a frenemy is that they have an ambivalent relationship with you. In different situations, friends can show their support or their clear disapproval of your actions or experience. In the case of frenemies, you will have a nagging feeling that they are often ambivalent in their reactions towards you. You don’t really feel their clear support or disapproval on anything relating to you and your circumstances. Or they might do just the opposite. Showing their support or disapproval in an overly enthusiastic way so you won’t discover that they’re just pretending.

What To Do

The best way to deal with a frenemy is to make them your friends. Usually they are intimidated and envious of your success. Don’t rub your success in their faces; bring them along with you and show them you support them too. Build them up in front of your other friends. For example, you can introduce them to another friend who can help them with their passion project. Or ask them to volunteer with your for a cause you both are passionate about.

If you are finding it difficult to deal with a frenemy, then the best way is to slowly lessen interaction with them. This is similar to how you would manage toxic relatives. You need to be more proactive in defending and protection yourself If it is clear that your frenemy is out to destroy you.

The good news is that frenemies often change overtime. When they achieve their own success or realize that the object of their jealousy is actually a supportive friend; they do become real friends. Reflect on yourself too. There may be times in your life when you were secretly someone’s frenemy as well. Take note that we will encounter different frenemies at different stages in life. So they will come and go and we might not even notice them. We should always try our best to be understanding of those around us and reflect on our own actions and reactions. This way, we can lessen the risk of becoming someone’s frenemy.

Feature Image: Photo by Obie Fernandez on Unsplash.

Oct

2022

4 Benefits of Using Social Media

Reading Time: 2 minutes

We are all aware that social media can be addictive. Sadly, some people are not even aware that they are suffering from social media addiction. A lot of people have also experienced how social media can ruin relationships. Despite its widespread, negative effects; social media actually has its benefits if used correctly.

1. Staying Connected

The most basic feature of social media channels is to keep people in touch with each other even when they are physically far away. Of course, this has now been used to grow an influencer’s audience and for celebrities to interact with their fans. For families, it is still a useful tool to stay connected with loved ones and friends. A lot of romantic relationships also thrive with it even when they live on opposites sides of the globe. Many organizations also use it to stay in touch with their members and supporters and inform them of activities and projects to serve a good cause.

2. Sharing Your Knowledge

As they say, “sharing is caring” but this is only true if you are sharing something of value. You can use social media to share your expertise on a specific field or your skills. Yes, you are essentially promoting yourself in the process. But you are also informing people who might need your expertise or skills to help them with their own projects. Or you might be sharing some information that is the answer to somebody’s question. You don’t know who can benefit from your own unique knowledge and experience. The important thing is to be honest about your intentions so you can manage your audience’s expectations of what you are offering.

3. Learning From Others

Just as you can share your own expertise on social media and teach others, you can learn from others too. One of the benefits of being on social media is that you can learn from experts anytime you want. You don’t have to feel embarrassed or nervous or be awkward around them like when meeting them personally. You can learn from them to turn your hobby into your dream job or online business. If you are brave enough, you can even ask them questions in the comments or in a private message. Who knows, they might actually have the time to reply with an answer.

4. Growing Your Network

Have you heard the saying that “your network is your net worth“? You might think that this does not apply to social media relationships since you can have such a large number of friends and followers. However, there are still people on your online channels who you constantly interact with aside from your family members. They are the ones who make up your network. Of course, there will also be friends you will meet in life in your online social circles. But, just like in real life, you also have to be selective of who you actually keep in your online social circle.

As long as used correctly and for good intent; social media has a lot of benefits. Just make sure to be disciplined enough to have a set time for checking your feed so you still stay productive. Memes abound in social media as well as a lot of fake news. So if you are going to share; make sure you are sharing something worthwhile. Think before you click and try to keep a positive vibe on your interactions with other people whenever you’re online.

Feature Image: Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.

Sep

2022

Top 5 Things to Save Up for That Are Totally Worth It

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Saving money can sometimes be difficult if you don’t have a specific financial goal in mind. Aside from building your emergency fund, here are 5 top things to save up for that are totally worth the effort.

1. Retirement Fund

We often forget that we need to save up for our retirement. This is because our regular expenses make up most of our budget. However, we need to keep in mind that we eventually need to get out of the rat race and retire from work. So saving for our retirement fund is a long-term savings plan that gives us peace of mind that we can still live comfortably even after our working years. This can be in the form of an insurance fund that pays for your pension, as well as a pension plan from a government social security program that you pay regularly in your time as an employee.

2. Property

Having your own place to rest, indulge in your hobbies and spend time with your loved ones is always a good goal to save up for. Usually, you save up for the downpayment first, then for the monthly mortgage. This could be a condo unit that makes it more convenient to go to work in the city; or a piece of real estate, land that you will eventually build a house on for your family to settle in. If you can’t afford or it is not practical to have property at the moment; then saving up for a long-term rental is also a good plan. Eventually, you will save up for property that you will earn from by having other people rent it.

3. Education

Learning should be a life-long goal and it should be something that you need to invest in. Education is vital for personal growth. If you do not challenge yourself, you will not grow. Saving up for education includes subscriptions to gym memberships and/or a nutritionist or meal delivery service to keep yourself healthy. It could also be tuition or subscription to online courses to improve your knowledge and skills in your field of work. Or you may save up for learning more about your hobby and buying the materials for it so you can start a side hustle and eventually turn it into a business.

4. Used Car

Your own transportation is always a useful goal to save up for. It not only makes going around convenient; it also means you can spend more time with your family members, even if it is on the road. A used car is a practical choice as it is less expensive than a new one. Just make sure that it is still fit enough for use for a long time and that the papers are all in order. Of course, if you are able to save up for a new car, then do so. The feeling of having to spend on a luxury item through your own hard work is always a priceless experience.

5. Experiences

As we work hard for our family and loved ones, we must not forget to enjoy life in the process. That is why we need to save up for experiences or allocate fun money in our monthly budget. This is a short-term savings plan that allows us to reward ourselves for our hard work. It is also an opportunity to enjoy time with the people who we are working hard for. This can be as simple as dinner with friends or loved ones, a road trip or a relaxing weekend getaway; or even a week-long vacation to rest and recharge. Making good memories with your favorite people is always a rewarding experience.

These are some of the things you can save up for; for both long-term and short-term goals. You can have other goals on your list too. The only requirement is that they will contribute to making your life better and your future brighter.

Feature Image: Original Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.

Sep

2022

3 Quick Tips to Managing Your Debt

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Not all debt is bad or hopeless. After all, some debts you have now are your investment for a better future. Of course, part of managing your debt is to track your expenses, budgeting your monthly income and boosting your savings and emergency fund. Whether you are struggling with a personal loan, a bank loan, or credit card debt; here are 3 quick tips that will help you manage your debt.

1. Know Your Numbers

Knowing the total amount of our debt can be an overwhelming experience. The huge amount can make it seem impossible to pay off. Add to that the added interest amount and you’re almost going to cry. However, knowing these numbers is helpful so you can break down your debt’s total amount. You should also figure out your payment due dates and late payment fees. This information is easily found on your credit card statement and your other loan documents. This way, you can plan how much to pay each month and when to pay so you don’t incur additional penalties and interest charges.

2. Be Consistent and On Time

Once you have made your debt payment plan, then stick to it. Pay your monthly dues on time and don’t miss out. Dedicate a portion of your income to debt repayment and be dedicated in paying it on or before the due date. It will be difficult at first so do what you need to do, even set an alarm, so you don’t forget the due date. Also, try to pay more than the amount due so you shave off more of your debt as you continue paying it off. This will become a good habit which will become less stressful as time goes on.

3. Pay It Faster

If you are struggling with several debts then you should plan on which one to pay off first. You may decide to pay the one with the smallest amount or the one with the biggest interest rate. The method you use will depend on how much you can pay each month. In turn, this will determine your priority on which to pay off first. This does not mean that you don’t pay off your other loans. Instead, it means that whatever extra money you have, you put it all to the debt that you want to pay off first. Once you’re done with the first one, then you do the same to the next one on your list.

With these tips, you should be able to plan and prioritize your monthly debt payments. You may miss your payment dues once or twice because life happens. But as along as you get back to your plan and adjust accordingly; then you will still be on the right track to being debt-free. This is one of the requirements to gaining financial wellness.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash.

Jul

2022

Your Mindset Affects the Direction of Your Life

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Your mindset affects the direction of your life. It determines your future. Your mental attitude and disposition will lead the way to either your success or failure in life.

Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset

A growth mindset is an underlying belief that you are in control of your destiny. Thus, the power to change things is in your hands. On the contrary, a fixed mindset just accepts what is given. It focuses on what you do not have.

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The hare was so sure that he would win that he slept during the race. The tortoise on the other hand, believed that if he worked hard, there is a chance that he could win the race. Despite the odds against him, he was not afraid of failure and tried his best to win the race. Do you remember who won in the end? Was it the tortoise or the hare?

Youtube video by Pinkfong

The hare and tortoise exemplified the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset respectively. Their mindsets ultimately determine their success and failure.

Carol Dweck, a psychologist and researcher at Stanford University, stated that the two mindsets lead to different behaviour and thus different results. In reacting to setbacks for example, a growth mindset sees failure as a way to improve while a fixed mindset will be discourage and ultimately give up.

For example, as a student if you are not good in Math, a fixed mindset will just accept that Math skills are an inborn talent. It is either you are good at it or you are not. A growth mindset believes that the brain can be developed. Thus, even though you are not a Math person, you will try your best to develop your skills. As a result, persons with a growth mindset are more likely to maximise their potential.

A growth mindset is an integral part of a success of an individual.

Scarcity Mindset vs Abundance Mindset

Stephen Covey, in his best-selling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, defined scarcity mindset as a belief that there is simply not enough for everyone. People with scarcity mindset “see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else.“

One indicator that you have a scarcity mindset is if you are sad or jealous if a co-worker gets a pay raise and you did not. It is like a feeling that somebody else got the raise and there is nothing left for you.

If you spend the whole of your pay cheque as soon as you receive it to buy stuffs you don’t even need or to spend it on partying, travelling or any kind of entertainment even though you don’t have enough money is another example of a scarcity mindset. Moreso, if you justify your spending, saying that “if I will not enjoy my life now when I am still young, I will never have a chance later on.” This kind of mindset focuses on short term decisions.

An abundance mindset on the other hand focuses on the long-term. It is a deeper understanding that not having something now does not necessarily mean that you won’t have it in the future. As Steven Covey said, “it is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making.

With an abundance mindset, instead of spending all your earnings now, you would rather invest first and spend later on.

Poverty Mindset vs Millionaire Mindset

A fixed mindset and scarcity mindset are both indicators of a poverty mindset. In the same way, a person who has a millionaire mindset has a growth and abundance mindset.

Your mindset is very important. Your future is dependent on what mindset you have right now. It is crucial in ordinary times, mores when you are faced with challenges. Having the proper mindset especially during a crisis will greatly influence the direction of your life.

What kind of mindset do you have right now? If you want to have a better life, your first step is to change your mindset.

First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 12.28.2018

Feauture Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Jun

2022

Choose the Things That Feel Good

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Have you ever had to choose between the things that feel good and those that are right? Have you experienced having to feel bad for doing something you didn’t want over something you’d rather be doing? These are quite normal dilemmas for us as adults. Sometimes, we have to do what needs to be done instead of what we truly want to do. However, everything should be in moderation. Sometimes we want to have fun too. Sometimes we need to indulge ourselves in what we truly want to do.

The things that make us feel good are the things that we’d rather be doing but we don’t always have the time for them. They are seldom in our priority list because there are always more important things to do first. We also don’t really prioritize them because we feel that we are selfish and we don’t want to feel guilty about it. So this is the challenge: prioritize choosing the things that feel good.

Self-Acceptance

The first step to this challenge is to accept that you have things that you want to do and that they are important too. These may be the things that you used to do as a child. People around you might consider your activity as doing nothing or being lazy. It doesn’t matter; accept that this is what you want and you want to make time to indulge in it. Recognize where you are in your journey and that you have personal needs and wants that you have to attend to. Right now, this is part of who you are and it helps you shape who you want to be.

Choose Yourself First

We are always obliged to look after other people’s needs of us first, sometimes to the detriment of our own needs. We have been taught to be kind, compassionate and not selfish. But if being unselfish is becoming a burden, then you are not honoring your own needs. You cannot pour from an empty cup. So be sure to make time to choose yourself over others too, especially when you know you really need to recharge and you’d rather just sleep at home. Sometimes saying yes to yourself, means saying no to others. Learn to set boundaries.

Feel Good to Attract More Good

One of the important things we learn about the Law of Attraction is that your feelings are a major part of your reality. You attract what you feel. So if you already don’t feel good about going to a party; then learn to say no and take your rest instead. Trust your intuition or gut instinct more than the urging of your friends. They might feel bad about it for a while but if they are really good friends, they will understand. You won’t only feel good when you get enough sleep; you also save yourself from extra expense and maybe some regret.

If I’m not saying ‘Hell Yeah!’ to something, then I say no.
– Derek Sivers

If you’re friends tell you that you missed out on all the fun; don’t give in to the FOMO. There will be a better opportunity waiting. Just trust in the process. Don’t forget to try something new from time to time. It is how you learn and grow. But be sure to listen to your gut and sometimes, if not most of the time, choose the things that feel good.

It’s really important that you feel good. Because this feeling good is what goes out into the Universe and starts to attract more of itself to you.
– Joe Vitale

Feature Image: Original Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash.

Jun

2022

5 Advantages of Traveling Solo

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Have you traveled solo? Traveling on a road trip with companions is always more fun. However, not all of your travel buddies might be available to travel with you all the time; so why not consider traveling solo? Traveling solo may seem boring but it can actually be a fun trip. You can enjoy it as much as when you’re traveling with somebody else.

Try traveling solo at least once in your life and get to enjoy some of its advantages:

1. A Sense of Absolute Freedom

When traveling alone you’ll relish a sense of absolute freedom even more. You won’t have to fit in with any one else’s agenda for the day. You’ll get to do the things you really want to do without being pressured by your peers or having to consider somebody else’s travel preferences.

2. Take Your Own Sweet Time

Traveling solo means you can spend your time the way you want. Want to spend the whole afternoon getting lost in a museum? Want to walk on foot to take pictures of the great architecture? You can indulge in what you truly want without having to cut your time short. Just immerse yourself in what you enjoy doing the most. Focus on the things that make you feel like your travel will be worth it.

**Green Goo**
Empower Change + Redefine Natural Body Care

3. Enhance Your Self Reliance

Going on a trip alone also means that you need to plan things carefully before hand. So if you’re not the type to research, you’ll have to develop the skill in order to plan your trip. During the trip, you will also learn how to ask questions on your own and ask help from total strangers when you need it. Traveling by yourself will not only help you increase your research and social skills, it will also help you build your self-confidence in the process. Be sure to observe proper etiquette when traveling to avoid any awkward situations.

4. Expand Your Network of Friends

Usually, when we travel with a group or a friend, we tend to stick with the group or with our friend. When you travel alone, you will naturally get to interact with many new people, some of which might end up as your travel companions for the duration of your trip and maybe even friends who will want to travel with you in the future. You can actually expand your network of friends when you travel alone. How many love stories were born out of meeting each other while traveling on their own?

5. Really Getting to Unplug

Traveling alone means you’re not tied to your phone to chat with your travel buddies on where they are at the moment and where you will meet next. Since you are by yourself, you can put your mobile device and other gadgets away whenever you want to and just enjoy the present moment without worrying about other people’s whereabouts.

Got more ideas on the fun you can have when traveling solo? Do share them with us.

Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.05.16.
Feature Image: Original Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash.

Jun

2022

Your Network is Your Net Worth

Reading Time: 3 minutes

What makes a good life? Whether you dream of success, health, wealth or happiness; the answer remains the same. It all boils down to your relationships to the people around you. As Jim Rohn said “Your network is your net worth”.

So, ask yourself. Who are the people around you? Did you know that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with? Who you hang out with highly influences your future. Do you spend time with positive and successful individuals? Or do you spend more time with toxic people who have nothing to do but complain all day?

Be careful with the people whom you surround yourself with. They have the power to dramatically change your life – whether it be for the better or for the worse.

Porter Gale, an internationally renowned public speaker and former VP for marketing wrote a book entitled Your Network is your Net Worth: Unlock the Hidden Power of Connections for Wealth, Success and Happiness in the Digital Age. The book is about the importance of building a strong network in your life to help you in your journey towards your goals. For her, it is not just about connecting with people but rather it is about making powerful and meaningful connections.

There used to be six degrees of separation among people on planet earth. But according to a study done by a French mobile carrier; in this digital age, this degree of separation is now just lowered to three. Everyone can be connected to everyone by just three degrees by linking people with their interests. This means the probability of meeting anyone on this planet is now higher than ever. So, the real question now is who do you want to meet? What kind of people do you think can help you towards your journey to success?

Here are some insights from the book:

Here are some key points from the author:

1. Remove Barriers

Reflect on yourself and ask what’s holding you back from making connections?

If your inner voice is giving you a negative message, look at what it stems from.

2. Use your Passion to Start Connecting

Connecting and meeting people is easy. It happens every now and then. However, establishing a deeper and more meaningful connection is a challenge. More so, if you are an introvert. Join an interest group. And start attending events about your passion. Connecting with people with the same interest is so easy because you will have a lot of things to talk about. In addition, through your passion, you are connecting to the world using your authentic self. Start by identifying 3 of your passions.

3. Identify your Tonality

According to Porter Gale, one important question to ask yourself is “How do you want to be seen in the world?” It is about creating your own personal brand. What persona do you want to project? In marketing, it is similar to market positioning. What are your interests? What topics are you knowledgeable and comfortable talking about? In short, tonality is all about how you want to present yourself to the world.

4. Have A Producer Mindset

Are you a producer or a consumer? Producers are the creators while consumers are those who buy the products. While both are equally important, it is advisable to be in a producer mindset. A producer mindset asks “what value am I bringing to the table?” It is all about helping others. It is focusing on the “we” instead of the “me”.

Helping others, that must be one ingredient to success.

5. Respect Others

To build a deeper and more meaningful network, it is also necessary to learn to respect others. Respect everyone regardless of age, sex, gender, profession or income.

Your Network is Your Net Worth

Learn to connect and value relationships with the right people. Focus also on helping others. And they will help find your way to success.

A great society comes from strong bonds.
– Porter Gale

If you will be given a chance to sit and have a real conversation with any person in the planet in the bench above, who would you choose? And why?

So, what are you waiting for? That person is just three degrees separated from you. Good luck!

Jun

2022

Dreams of A Better Future

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Do your dreams reflect that of a better future? Not just for you, for everyone around you; even for the world. The dreams that you vaguely recall upon waking up are not what we mean here. We mean the dreams that you have consciously; the ones that you created in your own magic shop, which you constantly visualize; those that you’ve listed on your bucket list. Your dreams can be a preview to your future. It all depends on how you will work to turn them into reality.

No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.
– Lupita Nyong’O

We sometimes hesitate to craft new dreams or pursue our childhood dreams because of failures and the fear of failing again. Our negative experiences in the past has made us fearful. We may have felt guilty for disappointing our parent’s expectations, our bosses, our colleagues and friends, even complete strangers. The next time, we failed keeping a promise to an important person in our life; we disappointed someone. As negative experiences like this piled up; so did our fears of dreaming. This does not mean we should stop dreaming or pursuing our dreams. Let us be driven by our passion instead of our fears.

If you have a heartbeat, there’s still time for your dreams.
– Sean Stephenson

There is no correct time to start working on your dream or to give up on them. It is all up to you. What you dream about is all up to you. You can shape your future any way you want it to be. Each one of us is a creator with different skills. Unleash your own genius and continue working on your dreams. Take the risk and try something new. You will never know what you are capable of if you don’t try different things. It is usually through this journey that you stumble upon your life purpose. Remember that it is never too late to dream again or to pick up on your dreams. As long as you are alive; you can choose to move forward.

If your dreams don’t scare you they are too small.
– Richard Branson

Have you ever heard the advise to “dream big”? What does that actually mean? How do you know that your dreams are big enough? One of the ways to know if your dreams are big enough is if they scare you. It is scary to pursue them because they may seem impossible to achieve. You may feel foolish because you will be taking too big of a risk. You cannot control all the things that can help you succeed. However, you can prepare for them. Challenges are always part of the journey to success. All you need to do is to keep showing up to work on your dream, one small step at a time.

A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.
– J.R.R. Tolkien

Don’t be intimated by what others have already achieved. Just keep working on that one single dream that you truly want to come true. You never know how much it can change your life or how it will benefit other people in the long run. Stay focused and you will wake up one day with your dream already a reality. It may not put you in the history books but it will surely put you in the hearts of the people who got involved with you in the journey. Then, when you have achieved your dream; you can dream again – a bigger dream maybe. Keep on dreaming and working on your dreams.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash.