By STELLA OBOMANU

Achieving success and staying productive is not necessarily about hard-to-follow programs. It is about self-care.#MotivationMonday: presents daily to-dos to get you started for a beautiful week.

It’s Monday morning at 8 a.m. Two Nigerian entrepreneurs are pitching their ventures to potential investors today. They both know that this is one of the most important days of their lives. This is the story of Cynthia and Cyril…

Cynthia was up until 4 a.m. putting the final touches on her pitch. In actual fact, she spent the entire weekend locked up in her house, preparing for the presentation. This morning, she woke up late and rushed putting together her most “investor-worthy” attire. She took a cup of coffee, grabbed her laptop, and ran out the door feeling hungry and tired. She arrived right on time but felt anxious and flustered about the events of the morning.

Cyril, on the other hand, went to sleep last night at 11 p.m., as he does most nights of the week. His presentation set for delivery since Friday afternoon, after five revisions thanks to feedback from his mentor and friends. He spent the weekend connecting with friends. This morning, he woke up at 6 a.m., had a glass of water, meditated for 15 minutes, and had a light breakfast. He put on the outfit he picked out the evening before, grabbed his bag, and walked out the door. He arrived 10 minutes early, feeling confident, calm, and eager to share his vision with potential investors.

I have two questions;

Which entrepreneur would you bet on?

And, which entrepreneur most closely resembles you?

Cynthia and Cyril are fictional characters but having observed the corporate world in Nigeria, I see a lot of Cynthias. They work 12-hour days, six or sometimes, seven days per week, and wonder why they are not getting the results they are searching for. The truth is, ‘results don’t come through hours spent. Great results often come by doing less and working smarter’. (I got that from quote from my smart friend Folarin)

This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak with my friend Jean, who resembles the character of Joe. A successful young woman going places and she shared with me some of her success recipes; “Every day I need physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance to tackle everything that comes my way,” Jean said. “Self-care is the secret to performing at the highest level.”

Here are the six simple rituals she uses to perform at her.......

MORE...>>>http://expressng.com/2015/07/motivationmonday-easy-steps-to-getting-the-best-out-of-your-day/

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