Vulnerability: Your key to smashing goals this year
[bctt tweet=”To be Vulnerable means to be open to all of life’s experiences ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Ours is a generation of people striving to make their lives look perfect all the time. We post pictures, we update our statuses, we buy new things with the idea that maybe if it looks perfect enough, it will start to feel perfect. We don’t know how to handle feelings of uncertainty, unworthiness, loss, heartbreak; so we post more pictures and look even more perfect…sounds familiar right? Our inability to accept the messiness of life, the ‘imperfection in ourselves’ and the fact that sometimes we’re all just little kids trying to make friends on the playground has affected our quality of life and our ability to truly engage with each other. The average 20-something- year- old knows exactly how much money they want to earn, by what age they should be married, how many kids they intend to have, where those kids will go to school…all this with a flat tummy, gorgeous skin and long natural hair! It’s a lot on any one’s plate and has made life this series of ‘check-list moments’. It’s no wonder new year’s resolutions have been given a bad rap over the years, it stopped being about ‘the magic of new beginnings, the chance to hit the refresh button and start all over again’, and instead started being about self-reprimand, self-hate, and comparison to others. In her brilliant book, “Daring Greatly”, Brene’ Brown explores how striving to achieve your goals requires an openness to being vulnerable. The ability to stand up and say, “January hit me hard, I wasn’t prepared for some of the things life threw at me, I missed the mark and now, I must start afresh”, can affect your quality of life and ability to truly engage with other people. Our generation is afraid of vulnerability, and for good reason, we’ve all been told we are too much of something to achieve something bigger than ourselves; too short, too fat, too loud, too broke, etc, and as a result, more and more people are afraid to even try, and those that do, are afraid to try at things that really matter- those big hairy audacious goals. According to Brene’, “Only when we’re brave enough to explore the darkness, will we be closer to the infinite power of our light”. To be Vulnerable means to be open to all of life’s experiences from a place of worthiness and self-love, not self-hate. [bctt tweet=”You are enough!” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Vulnerability is: Starting over after that first business failed. Speaking up about your relationships so that every abuse you experienced is never repeated. Asking for more money, time, attention…if it is what will fulfill your needs. Saying no to anyone who crosses the boundaries set in your relationship. Committing to going to the gym after having fallen off your ideal weight. Asking for help. Presenting your product to the world and getting no response. Having faith. Saying ‘yes’ to love after a major heartbreak. Admitting you do not know what to do, and then looking for the answer. Letting go of some people because your business cannot afford it. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is about acknowledging discomfort and then using it in a positive way to enhance your life experience. A few keys to enhancing your ability to manage vulnerability and therefore better able to live a wholehearted life are; 1. Be open Sometimes the goals you want to achieve won’t be achieved in the exact path you expected, but it will always be worth it. You have to keep your heart and mind open to new ideas, a new career, new employers etc when it’s required. 2. Dare to show up No matter how uncomfortable, unqualified or unprepared you might think you are, always show up. Your current life isn’t a dress rehearsal for your next life! If it’s important to you, you must show up. 3. Set and respect your boundaries Set boundaries for your time, space and relationships, and after you’ve set your boundaries, respect them. Your goals this year are yours to achieve. Vulnerability is being able to let other people know when they have crossed boundaries that you never intended to be crossed. 4. Wholehearted living According to Brene’ Brown, wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. Too many people don’t think they are worthy of love, attention, support, promotion etc. This lack of self-love manifests itself in a myriad of ways that lead to people sabotaging the great things in their lives. As you go about the business of achieving your goals this year, you must believe that you are worthy of all you are striving for. You are enough. You are enough. You are enough. For the times when being vulnerable seems like the hardest thing to do, turn to the immortal words of Theodore Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. Who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause. Who at best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…” Got an article you’d like to share with us? 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Vaida Odongo: You can start a business anytime with the right mindset
Contrary to what many people and businesses might think, investing in your brand online is not just about spending money on the brand. Instead, it’s about building an entity that will resonate with your customers and keep them coming back again and again—even when there’s no deal or promotion to entice them. Who is Vaida? Vaida Odongo is a young woman living in Nairobi who’s passionate about empowering women and leveraging on technology for sustainable development. She studied Gender and development studies while in university but came to love marketing after a short stint working as a trainer in the Google Digify Bytes Program that was being implemented by Livity Africa, a youth-focused nonprofit based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Vaida loves seeing businesses grow and coming up with strategies to solve various business challenges. “You might be having a challenge with selling a product online, what I do is that I sit down and look at all the possible solutions that might help solve the problem then we choose one that works. I love the adrenaline rush that comes with brainstorming”. “I have always been interested in empowering women. When I was younger, my dream was to work in an NGO that would enable me directly work with women. I hadn’t figured out yet what exactly I wanted to do when I actually landed the job, but I knew things would become clearer with time. [bctt tweet=”When you empower a woman, you empower the society – @vaida_odongo” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Fast forward almost ten years later, I have found myself working with women though not in an NGO. I now help women brand and market their products and services online. I am very passionate about helping women grow and sustain their businesses because I believe that when you empower a woman, you empower the society.” Why Digital Marketing? “The world is increasingly going digital. With more than half the population using online platforms such as social media, companies are now forced to look at how they can leverage these platforms. The social space is set to grow and there’s a need for training so that the teams which are set on marketing online have the capacity to do so”. What does your work involve? My work involves training women-led business and enterprises on branding online. This means creating a brand story that their online audience will be attracted to. I have been working on this for the last two years and I’m loving it every day. My pieces of training are conducted over a one to two-day period and tailor-made to fit a customer’s needs. [bctt tweet=” I love the adrenaline rush that comes with brainstorming – @vaida_odongo” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Whether you are in beauty, fashion, construction or advocacy, I have the right curriculum to help you amplify your online voice. I also help companies come up with strategies that will help amplify their voices online. I also offer mentorship sessions to my clients. Maybe along the road the strategy we picked might not work, I’ll come in again and we’ll come up with another one. I also offer refresher training to me customers for free. My aim is getting their businesses to grow so we do whatever it takes to make sure this happens. To empower more businesses to grow, I also offer pro bono services to customers who are just venturing into business and need some advice. I do this because at the beginning some people just need to know different ways they can market their products and services. When building your online brand, you need to: Make sure you understand your audience, their needs, and why they interact with you. Create an online persona that is fun and captivating at the same time. Be consistent. Make sure you post when you are supposed to. Take time to appreciate your customers e.g. through give away. Remember to have fun. Captivating your audience is trial and error. Have fun while at it. How do you manage your business? Being your own boss is a challenge because most of the time, you never know when to stop and take a break. I have learned to schedule myself so that I have enough time to catch my breath and relax. Also, I enjoy reading and watching animated movies and cartoons. I also love cooking and discovering how I can use different spices and herbs from all over the world in my food. What is your advice for young women who are looking to venture into Digital Marketing? My advice to young women out there is that you can start a business anytime and with the right mindset, you can take it to the next. Becoming a digital marketing expert requires you to do a lot of research to know what’s happening in the online space. Remember that deciding to be your own boss doesn’t mean lots of free time on your hands. You have to be willing work overtime because most of the time you will have to do everything on your own without a cheering squad. If you’d like to share a story with us at She Leads Africa, share your story us here.
4 steps to starting the new year afresh
Happy New Year Motherland Moguls! The SLA team is cheering you as you SLAY into 2018. With the New Year comes a new start. A chance for you to leave the struggles and obstacles of the previous year behind and start afresh. I have drawn out a list of action-packed steps we can all take to make the best out of 2018! Step 1: Assess your situation My first piece of advice would be to assess the situation you are in at the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018 before setting New Year resolutions. What went great? What didn’t go so well and what needed improvements? In doing so, you may realize exactly where you need improvements, or just how amazing you are at doing something. Either way, it will serve as the basis for improvement. Step 2: Shortlist the areas in which you would like to improve Once you have assessed the situation you can move on to your resolutions. Resolutions that are suited to you, instead of being generic ones. Throughout the process of setting these resolutions, remember that you do not have to set resolutions that begin on January 1st and end December 31st. See your resolutions as a way to better yourself, way beyond the limits of time. For instance, one of my resolutions is to gain more knowledge about cultures, economies, and politics. It is not a resolution I intend on giving up on as soon as the next year rolls by. Knowledge is continuous, just like every single one of our resolutions should be. [bctt tweet=”The internet and the technology available to us is vast, use it wisely and reap the benefits” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Step 3: Find out how you can better yourself Once you know where you would like to better yourself, brainstorm the ways in which you can kick-start your resolutions. My first step would be to consult books in all their forms. Visit bookstores, get audio books, magazines, online magazines (don’t forget your trusty SLA)… And then, there’s the internet. If you use the internet wisely, it can do a world of good. There is a YouTube tutorial on just about everything! Do you want to be more knowledgeable about table etiquette? Check out these tutorials. They will actually teach you everything from making a great first impression to the do’s and don’ts at a dinner table. If you want to get fit, popsugar fitness is the destination, you can start with that. Another resource would be smartphone apps. Many of them are free and work effectively. Are you looking to impress someone with your cooking skills…or just survive by feeding yourself? Watch what happens when you type ‘cooking books recipes free’ in your play store (team Android, what’s good?). The internet and the technology available to us is vast, use it wisely and reap the benefits. [bctt tweet=” Do not aim for perfection, but rather experiences in every step you take” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Step 4: Take the first step! So one thing we’re often afraid to do is take the first step. I try to remember that the first step is often the scariest and therefore the hardest, but once you’ve made that first move, the world is your oyster. For instance, I took my first solo travel for work in 2016. Believe it or not, I had never been anywhere alone, with no one I knew. I was scared out of my mind when my mother dropped me off at O.R Tambo International airport. I literally wondered how I was going to get from one place to the next in Bamako Mali, all on my own. But remember this: you have the capacity to do anything your heart desires and it is not the fear that lies within that has the ability to negate those capacities. [bctt tweet=”You have the capacity to do anything your heart desires” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] And an old age adage that will forever remain true, is that “if at first, you don’t succeed, try try again”. Do not aim for perfection, but rather experiences in every step you take. I really hope these steps will help you and contribute to an amazing 2018 for each and every one of you! And If you have made it this far and have enjoyed the read, until next time! Have a fabulous New Year!
How Hobbies Can Help You Connect With Employers
Sometimes a hobby is more than a hobby Do you like long walks on the beach and kittens? Yes, of course, you do. But what does that have to do with getting a job? Sharing your interests on a resume is a way to build a connection and show off your personality. The tricky part is knowing what hobbies to put on your resume to give off a good impression and let the hiring manager know that you will be a good fit for their company. When to list hobbies on your resume? Listing hobbies on your resume is a much-contested matter. To some, a Hobbies and Interests section is a relic of the nineties — something generation X started doing to prove they aren’t just corporate drones, but actual people. Nowadays, many hiring managers hate it when employees waste valuable space on their resumes to talk about their love of books and socializing. But work culture is increasingly changing. Many companies are refocusing on personality-based hiring and finding employees that would be a good fit for their work culture. Adding a hobbies section might just do the trick! [bctt tweet=”Work culture is changing. Many companies are refocusing on personality-based hiring ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How to match the company’s work culture? Trying to figure out whether you should put a Hobbies and Interests section on your resume? First off, you need to understand the company’s work culture: Go to their website and have a look around. Read up on the company values and what perks they provide their employees with. What events they organize. Then, have a look at employee profiles to see if they mention hobbies. Next, check employee profiles on platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook. Employees are more likely to put some hobbies on a LinkedIn profile than elsewhere. Finish up with any general press to get a feel for how others perceive the company’s work culture. If you know who is responsible for hiring new talent, look them up, too. Interests are great way to break the ice and create rapport with the interviewer. What hobbies should you put on your resume? Let’s say you want to work for a professional wedding planner. You did your online research. You checked out the company site and browsed employee LinkedIn profiles. Perhaps you found out the company is looking for outgoing, playful, yet business-savvy employees with a basic understanding of social media. You noticed the recruitment page even points to some specific hobbies that their employees engage in, such as, say, dance, cooking, and mixology (all these evidence from their Instagram profiles!) How are you going to show those dream wedding planners that you’re playful yet business-savvy? That’s right. You add your hobbies that mirror the general vibe you’re getting from that company. Pro Tip: Don’t lie about your hobbies and interests. Assuming that adding them does the trick and you get a face-to-face with the recruiter, you’ll want to be able to leverage your hobbies and not stutter and stammer once you get asked about them. [bctt tweet=”Don’t lie about your hobbies and interests” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How to fit in hobbies on your Resume Once you’ve pinpointed a company’s work culture, there are a couple of ways you can flesh out your hobbies section. Leverage your hobbies to signal cultural fit: According to research on what employers look for on a resume, cultural fit comes in a close second right after work experience. And that makes perfect sense. According to this comprehensive study, good cultural fit makes for happier, more motivated employees who stay longer on the team. If you think using hobbies as evidence of your value as an employee this is what you should do: Choose a hobby that requires you to use a skill set that would compliment the skills you need for the position you are seeking. For example, if you’re applying for a creative job, go for a couple of creative hobbies. Want to become a journalist? Photography might come in handy. Another approach is to add hobbies that require the use of a skill set that the hiring manager may have a hard time finding in other candidates because of a skill gap in the market. Want to work for a travel agency and you happen to run a travel blog? Mention this hobby as proof of your interest as well as niche grasp of skills such as wordpress and basic HTML. Pro Tip: The hobbies section might be better for recent graduates rather than professionals with years of experience. Now, coming back to signaling cultural fit. Say you want to work for a travel agent specializing in crazy adventure vacations. Your love of whitewater rafting might just come in handy! Want to be a server at a restaurant and you have a knack for cooking? Go ahead and list that on your resume. It’s relevant, plus, who knows, the employer might need a competent backup for the kitchen, too! What hobbies should you avoid on your resume? Are there any hobbies you should not mention on your resume? Those include any hobbies that are of a religious, political, or sexual persuasion. You also might want to avoid hobbies that others might consider strange or awkward (taxidermy anyone?) Or, if they are too general to make sense — like reading books and watching movies. C’mon, it’s like saying you are special because you breathe air! Remember that the whole point of sharing your interests is a way for a hiring manager to get a fuller image of you, to connect with you. And, perhaps, to see what skill sets you have apart from those you developed in a work environment. Sometimes a Hobby Is