₦airaland Forum

Nigerians got no chill!

PMB's anti-corruption "war" is not all embracing. Dropping the likes of Amaechi, Onu & Mama Taraba from his cabinet will be a good start

Not a good development.

OP. You're also spreading "the stupidity" by making this post (that doesn't mean you're stupid, though)

Pathetic to say the least

Hmmm. Men sure can't have it all their way

A good example of how the Western press twists facts to suit its purposes per time. Of course, they do that knowing that our political parties & their e-foot soldiers will take their opinions to town. Nigerians should know more than the Western press about Nigeria

Achieving your biggest goals doesn’t happen by accident.
Successful people think differently, act differently and ultimately distinguish themselves from unsuccessful people by taking a distinctive path toward their goals.

Successful people all have similar traits and similar patterns. The truth is that being successful is not far-fetched if you can learn what other successful people do. And no, it doesn’t have to be big acts of philanthropy or innovation. It can be small things, things you can do every day to reach your goals.

Here are 10 things successful people do daily:

1. They strive for consistency.
Successful people are focused on meeting their objectives and this is why they have a consistent schedule. According to Rameet Chawla, founder of Fueled, having a consistent schedule aids prioritization and allows you to keep the important tasks at the top of your list.

2. They set daily goals.
Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express, has a detailed plan for his day by writing down three things he wants to accomplish the next day. Successful people are clear about their goals and having a list to propel them to meeting these goals sets them apart.

3. They nurture the right relationships.
In his book Tribes, Seth Godin explains there are tribes everywhere hungry for connection, meaning and change. Successful people look for support and find people they can connect with intellectually. Find your tribe and collaborate, play off each other’s strengths and watch everyone grow10. Jim Rohn says you are the average of your five closest friends. Who are yours?

4. They display high emotional intelligence.
Emotionally intelligent people constantly look for ways to add value and contribute to their environment. They use their emotional awareness to think progressively and find answers to problems. This quality helps them to inspire others to be successful, too. According to Steve Jobs, “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it; they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”
5. They take action.
Successful people take action. Nothing is solved when you let the feeling of overwhelm set you back. Through actions you can attain results and discover a path toward your goals.

6. They practice positive self-talk.
When you use phrases like, Today is going to be a great day or I am successful, you boost your intellectual ability and improve your chances of attaining your goals for the day.

7. They stay healthy.
President Barack Obama exercises 45 minutes per day, six days a week. A healthy mind and body is the first step to success. Your body is a vehicle to everything you achieve. Such physical activity doesn’t only keep the body physically healthy; it also improves one’s mental state.

8. They meditate.
Meditation allows you to focus and be more productive. Oprah Winfrey speaks about the great benefits of meditation and how the results have included better relationships and being more creative.

9. They act on small improvements toward their major goals.
According to Henry Ford, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small pieces4.”Menu
SUCCESS
10 Little Things Successful People Do Differently
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Goal Setting
23.2K 354
10 Little Things Successful People Do Differently9
Achieving your biggest goals doesn’t happen by accident.
Casey Imafidon July 19, 2016
Successful people think differently, act differently and ultimately distinguish themselves from unsuccessful people by taking a distinctive path toward their goals.

Related: 4 Secrets of Insanely Successful People

Successful people all have similar traits and similar patterns. The truth is that being successful is not far-fetched if you can learn what other successful people do. And no, it doesn’t have to be big acts of philanthropy or innovation. It can be small things, things you can do every day to reach your goals.

Here are 10 things successful people do daily:

1. They strive for consistency.
Successful people are focused on meeting their objectives and this is why they have a consistent schedule. According to Rameet Chawla, founder of Fueled, having a consistent schedule aids prioritization and allows you to keep the important tasks at the top of your list.

2. They set daily goals.
Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American Express, has a detailed plan for his day by writing down three things he wants to accomplish the next day. Successful people are clear about their goals and having a list to propel them to meeting these goals sets them apart.

3. They nurture the right relationships.
In his book Tribes, Seth Godin explains there are tribes everywhere hungry for connection, meaning and change. Successful people look for support and find people they can connect with intellectually. Find your tribe and collaborate, play off each other’s strengths and watch everyone grow10. Jim Rohn says you are the average of your five closest friends. Who are yours?

4. They display high emotional intelligence.
Emotionally intelligent people constantly look for ways to add value and contribute to their environment. They use their emotional awareness to think progressively and find answers to problems. This quality helps them to inspire others to be successful, too. According to Steve Jobs, “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it; they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”2

Related: 18 Signs You Have High Emotional Intelligence

5. They take action.
Successful people take action. Nothing is solved when you let the feeling of overwhelm set you back. Through actions you can attain results and discover a path toward your goals.

6. They practice positive self-talk.
When you use phrases like, Today is going to be a great day or I am successful, you boost your intellectual ability and improve your chances of attaining your goals for the day.

7. They stay healthy.
President Barack Obama exercises 45 minutes per day, six days a week. A healthy mind and body is the first step to success. Your body is a vehicle to everything you achieve. Such physical activity doesn’t only keep the body physically healthy; it also improves one’s mental state.

8. They meditate.
Meditation allows you to focus and be more productive. Oprah Winfrey speaks about the great benefits of meditation and how the results have included better relationships and being more creative.

9. They act on small improvements toward their major goals.
According to Henry Ford, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small pieces.” Successful people apply the domino effect toward their ambitions by making small and continuous improvements every day.

10. They wake up early.
From Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, to Jeffrey Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, waking up early seems to be the tradition of successful people. So much can be done within those wee hours of the day that is much harder to accomplish when distractions, meetings and environmental noise are added.

In the end, it takes consistent practice to be successful. Success doesn’t happen by accident, but because you have committed yourself to certain activities, that will help you reach your goals. Successful people apply the domino effect toward their ambitions by making small and continuous improvements every day.
#copied

He is right in the assessment of the Presidential aides. However, where are the clean & competent candidates to replace them?

Thanks for this piece. Enriching

Is work-life balance a real thing once you become truly successful? While it’s certainly the case that there are times and seasons for working ridiculously long hours, studies show that after a certain point, productivity drops off significantly. Employee output falls off a cliff after 55 hours a week – in fact, someone working 70 hours a week has the same production as someone working 55 over the long term.

Additionally, studies show that as we grow more tired, our emotional intelligence and decision-making abilities plummet. For this reason, truly successful people know how to balance their work and their daily life. Here are four ways that successful people find that elusive work-life balance - and you can too:

1. They know what they want out of work and life.
One thing all successful people are good at is setting goals. Those who balance work and life well realize that they need to set goals in both their career and their personal lives. This helps them to be very clear on what they want, so they can say “yes” and “no” to the appropriate projects and tasks.

Of course, it isn’t enough to just have goals. You need the activities you’re undertaking daily in both your work and home lives to move you towards those general goals. Ask yourself the following questions to see if your own goal-setting initiatives measure up:

Have I identified the work and home projects critical to my success, both in the short-term and the long-term?

Have I developed a way to capture my work and home goals so that I can keep them at the front of my mind?

Have I set smaller “milestone” goals for both work and home initiatives that’ll help me advance towards the larger goals I’ve set for myself?

Have I shared my goals with the people around me who can support me?

Successful people don’t achieve their goals alone. A key component of balance is being on the same page as those around you so they know what to expect from you and vice versa. Talk with your partner and other important people in your home life to set goals and expectations about your day-to-day relationships. Work with your boss or your employees to set clear parameters around your career goals and success metrics. When you know what you want in both areas, you’ll be able to avoid distractions.


2. They take care of issues at home.
In a study shared by NPR of 122 men and women, researchers found that subjects were more stressed when they were at home than when they were at work. People who are successful don’t let their work become a haven from a difficult home life. Instead, they balance work and life by finding effective strategies to deal with the stressors that come from each one.

Stress at work is different than home-related stress. In some ways, the pressure to perform is higher, and the risks if you fail more dire. In other ways, however, you have an emotional attachment to outcomes at home that you simply don’t have at work. Further, you can’t simply quit your daily life like you can a job. Learning to manage your emotional reactions at home, and working through ongoing conflicts, are keys to success.

3. They take their vacation time.
At the end of 2014, unused vacation days were at a 40-year high. This isn’t good news for employees or companies. Some people are afraid of the workload they’ll come back to, viewing vacation time as a luxury they simply can’t afford. And it’s certainly true that, in some cases, taking vacation creates far more work than simply plugging along (at least in the short term).

However, there are very important benefits that come with taking vacation time. Studies show that vacation time is important for productivity and also helps the economy to grow. Successful people know that chronic stress without a break makes them more irritable, less able to sleep soundly and more likely to be depressed and anxious. They take their vacation time as an essential part of their work-life balance.

Take a second now to plan your next vacation day. It could be a week spent somewhere exotic, or it could be a simple day trip to a nearby town. Whatever the case may be, and whatever you can afford to get away with, put it on the calendar now and commit to taking this time for yourself.


4. They outsource and delegate.
Fortunately, we all have tasks that we can outsource and delegate, both at work and at home. Successful people take full advantage of this, from sending out laundry to having an assistant sort their email. Consider the tasks that take a significant amount of your time. Can someone else do it more effectively? If so, hire or delegate that task right away.


The following are just a few of the things you could delegate at work and at home to help manage your stress and make your work-life balance more successful:

Work

Data entry

Paperwork

Administrative support

Email responses

Customer service responses

Marketing campaigns

Bookkeeping and accounting

Accounts payable and receivable

Collections

Projects that don’t require your specific expertise

Home

Grocery shopping

Meal preparation

House cleaning

Laundry and dry cleaning

Yard work (including lawn mowing and gardening)

Pool maintenance

Dog walking

Handyman repairs

Your daily commute

If you get creative, you’ll find that there are hundreds of ways to free up more time to commit to your work and home life goals. Of course, there is a cost associated with many of these ideas. Calling an Uber to drive you to and from work each day might not be financially feasible; that is, unless you’re using the time you’ve freed up from driving to take on work tasks that’ll earn you more money than what you’re spending.

Regardless of whether you outsource and delegate here and there or aim for a fully-optimized life, when you focus on the things you do best, you’ll not only be better able to balance your work and your life – you’ll enjoy both of them much more. In addition, outsourcing and delegating allow others to step into their own strengths and grow and develop on their own.

Creating a work-life balance can be difficult. It’s important to remember that a balance is never a 50/50 proposition. Sometimes your work will require more from you, and other times your personal life take center stage. The idea of balance comes from not becoming so focused on one or the other that you completely fall down. Successful people have discovered how to do this by setting clear goals and expectations, taking care of issues at home, taking the appropriate time off, and delegating or outsourcing where they can. As a result, they’re better prepared to avoid burnout and maintain their overall productivity.

Very good piece. Thanks OP

What is the one thing that stops many potential entrepreneurs from chasing their dreams?

Money.

Not everyone can secure a business loan -- or wants to put his or her personal assets on the line -- and the majority of startups never receive a dime from VCs.

Dreams die daily because of a lack of funds. I was recently speaking to a friend of mine who wants to open her own hair salon. She is great at what she does -- and with her experience I am certain she will be a very successful entrepreneur. So, what is stopping her? About $20,000.

She talked about bringing on an investor and I quickly shot that idea down. Within 10 minutes I laid out a plan to help her raise the $20,000 she would need to start her business. These are the steps I outlined for her, which can easily be applied to any business idea -- they are universal.

1. Identify what value you can bring to the table.

My friend, Sarah, is extremely talented. She knows hair. Her portfolio is massive and includes work on many high profile movies and modeling projects. We quickly identified what value she can bring: knowledge and expertise in the hair industry.

Sarah is accomplished in the industry and her biggest value is everything that she has learned along the way. Most entrepreneurs want to start a business in an industry they have success in, so chances are that your expertise and personal knowledge will always be your biggest asset.

2. Identify who you can provide this value to.

Once you establish what value you can provide you need to identify who is the ideal target to “sell” this value to. After a few minutes of brainstorming Sarah and I found a small niche that she could target: people that are about to enroll in hair and beauty school.

Within a few minutes I learned that the average cost to attend one of these schools in Sarah’s area was $17,000. Honestly, that’s a lot more than I expected. If someone was willing to spend that kind of money on hair and beauty school, surely they would be willing to spend a few hundred dollars to be fully prepared when class begins.

3. Determine how many sales you need.

Our magic number became $250. Even though the school cost was $17,000, the majority of students aren’t going to have a pile of disposable income to throw around. If someone was willing to spend money on formal education, they should be willing to spend a couple hundred dollars on prep.

In order to raise the $20,000 needed to start her own salon, Sarah would need to sell 80 of these packages. When you break your capital raise goal down like this it appears to be much more attainable.

What way sounds like an easier way to make $1 million:

Generate $1,000,000 worth of sales
Sell a $500 product or service to 2,000 customers
When you break it down, the goal becomes easier to digest and reachable.

4. Put together an attractive service or package.

High school students take the SAT or ACT in order to get into college and there are several pre-test courses and training that they purchase in order to go in fully prepared. So, why wouldn’t someone about to spend $17,000 on hair and beauty school want to go in fully prepared as well?

So, Sarah put together a weekend “crash course” program designed to help students prepare for school. She designed a two-day course that teaches some of the basics so the students don’t go into day-one blind. This prep will help her students start their hair and beauty education with a slight upper hand. The confidence boost it will provide alone justifies the cost.

Find a way to deliver exceptional value -- it will make the sale much easier.

5. Hustle to get those sales (and startup capital).

When we broke down her startup capital needs and then created a plan to raise those funds we determined that Sarah needed to attract 80 students that would pay her $250 for her course. Four weekend courses with 20 students in each class would allow her to raise the $20,000 she needs to start her own salon in just a month.

No bank loans and no investors. No business debt and Sarah gets to keep 100% of her business. All it took was a few minutes and some creative brainstorming.

Lack of startup funds is the number one obstacle that prevents entrepreneurs from chasing their dreams -- but it doesn’t have to be.

20 Misused Words That Make Smart People Look Dumb
In this article, originally published on LinkedIn Pulse, Dr. Travis Bradberry shares 20 misused words that have a tendency to make even really smart people stumble. Learn them before they tempt you into looking bad.

We’re all tempted to use words we’re not too familiar with.


If this were the only problem, I wouldn’t have much to write about. That’s because we’re cautious with words we’re unsure of and, thus, they don’t create much of an issue for us.

It’s the words that we think we’re using correctly that wreak the most havoc.

We throw them around in meetings, emails and important documents (such as résumés and client reports), and they land like fingernails across a chalkboard on everyone who has to hear or read them.

We’re all guilty of this from time to time, myself included.

When I write, I hire an editor who is an expert in grammar to review my articles before I post them online. It’s bad enough to have a roomful of people witness your blunder and something else entirely to stumble in front of 100,000!

Point is, we can all benefit from opportunities to sharpen the saw and minimize our mistakes.

Often, it’s the words we perceive as being more “correct” or sophisticated that don’t really mean what we think they do. There are 20 such words that have the tendency to make even really smart people stumble.

Have a look to see which of these commonly confused words throw you off:

1. Accept vs. Except
These two words sound similar but have very different meanings. Accept means to receive something willingly: “His mom accepted his explanation” or “She accepted the gift graciously.” Except signifies exclusion: “I can attend every meeting except the one next week.”

To help you remember, note that both except and exclusion begin with ex.

2. Affect vs. Effect
To make these words even more confusing than they already are, both can be used as either a noun or a verb.

Let’s start with the verbs. Affect means to influence something or someone; effect means to accomplish something. “Your job was affected by the organizational restructuring” but “These changes will be effected on Monday.”

As a noun, an effect is the result of something: “The sunny weather had a huge effect on sales.” It’s almost always the right choice because the noun affect refers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychological circles: “The patient’s affect was flat.”

3. Lay vs. Lie
We’re all pretty clear on the lie that means an untruth. It’s the other usage that trips us up. Lie also means to recline: “Why don’t you lie down and rest?” Lay requires an object: “Lay the book on the table.” Lie is something you can do by yourself, but you need an object to lay.

It’s more confusing in the past tense. The past tense of lie is—you guessed it—lay: “I lay down for an hour last night.” And the past tense of lay is laid: “I laid the book on the table.”

4. Bring vs. Take
Bring and take both describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view. Somebody brings something to you, but you take it to somewhere else: “Bring me the mail, then take your shoes to your room.”

Just remember, if the movement is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.

5. Ironic vs. Coincidental
A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not ironic—it’s coincidental (and bad luck).

Ironic has several meanings, all of which include some type of reversal of what was expected. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but clearly means another. Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. O. Henry was a master of situational irony. In “The Gift of the Magi,” Jim sells his watch to buy combs for his wife’s hair, and she sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Each character sold something precious to buy a gift for the other, but those gifts were intended for what the other person sold. That is true irony.

If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s coincidental. If you drive up to the mountains to ski, and there was more snow back at your house, that’s ironic.

6. Imply vs. Infer
To imply means to suggest something without saying it outright. To infer means to draw a conclusion from what someone else implies. As a general rule, the speaker/writer implies, and the listener/reader infers.

7. Nauseous vs. Nauseated
Nauseous has been misused so often that the incorrect usage is accepted in some circles. Still, it’s important to note the difference. Nauseous means causing nausea; nauseated means experiencing nausea.

So, if your circle includes ultra-particular grammar sticklers, never say “I’m nauseous” unless you want them to be snickering behind your back.

8. Comprise vs. Compose
These are two of the most commonly misused words in the English language. Comprise means to include; compose means to make up.

It all comes down to parts versus the whole. When you use comprise, you put the whole first: “A soccer game comprises (includes) two halves.” When you use compose, you put the pieces first: “Fifty states compose (make up) the United States of America.”

9. Farther vs. Further
Farther refers to physical distance, while further describes the degree or extent of an action or situation. “I can’t run any farther,” but “I have nothing further to say.”

If you can substitute “more” or “additional,” use further.

10. Fewer vs. Less
Use fewer when you’re referring to separate items that can be counted; use less when referring to a whole: “You have fewer dollars, but less money.”

English grammar can be tricky, and a lot of times the words that sound right are actually wrong.

With words such as those listed above, you just have to memorize the rules so that when you are about to use them, you’ll catch yourself in the act and know for certain that you’ve said or written the correct one.

What other words do you or people you know have trouble with?

First thing is to make up your mind that you're never wilfully walking out of the marriage. With that in place, I believe the rest could be navigated. Keep it in mind that it all happened ever before you met.

How many of the tribes has she lived among? I reckon Ijaw girls are more endowed butt-wise.

todayboy:
They want to share Nigeria money to northern farmers

When CBN start giving loan

Buhari is a failure

Why do people like you engage in self embarrassment? You're the type politicians find very easy to deceive cos you don't take time to objectively look at & analyse issues.

Corps member jumps out of speeding bus
September 12, 2016





Jude Owuamanam,Jos

The passengers of a luxury bus en route to Jos in Plateau State from Aba, Abia State, were thrown into confusion on Saturday after a corps members who was one of the passengers jumped out of the speeding bus.

He was, however, lucky to have escaped with broken limbs.

The corps member, identified as Pam, was reportedly being escorted by another corps member from Aba to his home after he allegedy developed a strange illness in the village where he was currently undergoing the compulsory one year service in Ebonyi State.



Eyewitness said the corps member developed the illness and within in a week, it became worse, prompting the authorities to send him home to seek proper medical attention.

It was gathered that at a point after Fadan Karshi, along the Jos-Abuja Road, he suddenly overpowered his escort and jumped out through one of the windows in the bus.

The eyewitness, who identified himself simply as George, told our correspondent that the two corps members entered the bus at 9th Mile on the Markudi-Enugu Road on Friday.

He said, “At a point during the journey, Pam started disturbing everybody. He became loud, unruly and uncontrollable.

“As we approached the area after Fadan Karshi, Pam suddenly jumped out of the window. The driver stopped and we all rushed to see if he was alive. He was lucky to have sustained fractures on his legs and arms; but it was very serious.”

Pam was said to have been handed over to his wailing relatives on arrival in Jos.

Copyright PUNCH

Student confesses to cheating in WASSCE, withdraws from UNILORIN
September 12, 2016




Success Nwogu, Ilorin

Authorities of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State on Sunday said that they had accepted the voluntary withdrawal of a student, Jephtaph Abolarin, from the institution.

Abolarin, a 300-Level Sociology student, had written to the university confessing to cheating during his West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

Abolarin, who claimed he had become a ‘born again’ Christian, said continuing his university education, using an unmerited certificate was unjust and immoral.



He wrote the letter to the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Sidiqat Ijaiya, on August 5, 2016.

According to him, he wanted to withdraw from the school because he got his WASSCE through examination malpractice.

Reacting to the letter on Sunday, the university Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, confirmed the withdrawal of the student.

Akogun, who noted that the Senate of the university had accepted the withdrawal letter, added that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, commended Abolarin for his repentance and sincerity.

The VC, Akogun added, wished Abolarin well in his future endeavour.

Part of Abolarin’s letter to the DVC read, “Just as a house that was built on a faulty foundation will surely collapse, it is also certain that a career that is built on a faulty foundation will definitely collapse. All through my secondary school days, I was just a church ‘goer’, without genuine salvation and the fear of God. As a result, I got my WASSCE result through examination malpractice.

“By the grace of God, now, I have encountered the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which called for repentance and restitution.

“Sir, with deep conviction, I have realised that there is no point building my academic career on a faulty foundation; since the WASSCE result I got through malpractice is the basis in which my admission into this university was anchored.

“Therefore, I have decided to withdraw from the university and start all over again.”

Copyright PUNCH.

Very impressive works. One wonders if he would have fulfilled (part of) his potentials if he had grown up in Nigeria. Nigerians are exceptional. We need only to create the enabling environment

Very informative piece. Good effort

In my travels, I have noticed that most "guests houses" write "lodging & accommodation available" among other things on their signposts. This makes me ask if there is any difference between the 2 words. My dictionary has them as synonyms. Or is this another "Nigerianisation" of the English language? Those who know better should clarify, please.

Stranger than fiction! Anointing does not equal good character.

Nigeria is going through a hard time. We pray for a quick turnaround

You will regret it if you sleep with him just for the purpose of getting a revenge on your ex.

Any link to the story?