How to keep your inner child and laugh more
Happy New Year Everyone. Wishing you a healthy and amazing 2021! By now, we’ve all probably written our new year’s resolutions with renewed effort, energy and discipline to ensure we achieve all our goals. Goals such as; (a) losing weight; (b) getting healthy; (c) finding a job or a new job; (d) possibly relocating; (e) meeting the one (*wink wink*), travelling and so on, are usually top of our lists. While all these plans are great and will generally contribute to our mental wellbeing during the year, we should all aim to maintain the child within us. Now, what does this mean? “We should try to laugh more and be happy.” There is a common myth that children laugh about 300 times a day and adults laugh about 20 times a day. While these numbers may not be accurate, the message is clear. As we grow older, we tend to laugh less and take life too seriously. This is mostly because our responsibilities and goals increase, and we are always looking to achieve more in different aspects of our lives. We can, however, try to laugh more while carrying our burdens and hoping for what is to come. “So how can we laugh more?” Well, here are some of my tips: Be grateful – Take a moment each day to remember all the things we are grateful for. This exercise helps us to remember everything in our lives that is going well, and what we should be grateful for. It also gives us renewed hope and strength that at the end of the day, everything will fall into place. Watch a funny movie – Funny movies make us laugh, even when we are in the worst of moods. When someone shows us a funny scene or says something hilarious, no matter how much you try to hesitate, you find yourself laughing. Solo dance parties – Now this is one of my favorites. I love listening to happy music, and dancing alone in my room, car, or the park. Anywhere you feel safe, just dance, let it all out and be happy. Talk to people who make you feel safe and happy – We all have that one family member or friend that always leaves us in a better mood every time after we talk to them. Speak to people like these more. Exercise – It’s scientifically proven that exercising releases endorphins, which are known as “happy hormones”. These happy hormones interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain and triggers a positive feeling all over your body. Learn to let things go – Now this is something that I still struggle with but have personally seen the benefits of by taking baby steps. As we go through life, a lot of things will most likely not go our way. When this happens, we should learn to accept it and move on. Stay hopeful – Believe that what you want, or need will happen. Have faith that God has answered your prayers and act like it. This programs our brains to believe we have already received all our heart’s desires and in turn, makes us happy. At the end of the day, we all have one life, so let us try to enjoy it and never let go of our inner child.
Self-Care Tips For a New Entrepreneur –Don’t Let The Internet Rush You
Before now, the term ‘self-care’ used to be reserved for ‘me time’. A period to relax, rejuvenate and basically just pamper yourself usually as a reward for an excellent work or just after a hectic week in Lagos. But now, the definition of self-care has expanded to other dimensions to encompass not only the physical but every other aspect most especially your mental well-being. As a new entrepreneur, you would be doing yourself a great disservice if you are not actively looking after your mental health. No matter how seemingly glamorized entrepreneurship has become in recent times, it doesn’t change the fact that it is hard and tedious. Even though you would spend a lot of your time questioning your decision, it can be incredibly rewarding. But how do you get to that point? How do you ensure that you are in the best state of mind to produce excellent work? What are some of the things you can do sharpen your focus, increase your productivity levels whilst blocking out any distractions and preserving your mental health? [bctt tweet=”[bctt tweet=”Just because everyone is doing something or going a particular route doesn’t mean it is right for you” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]” Don’t let the internet rush you Like every other quotable quote, you have probably seen this quote littered all over social media specifically on Instagram. It’s one of those quotes that has deeply resonated with me. With social media, it is even harder. Left, right and center, someone is raising some attractive funds and the next thing is a fancy office space with a view which for you, is still in a 2-3 year plan. Or someone is getting recognized on a distinguished list or is being flown on an all-expense paid trip to speak at an event. Calm down! Take it easy. Don’t raise your blood pressure for something that would still come eventually. Face your work! Don’t compare yourself See one of the worst things you can do to yourself as an emerging entrepreneur is making comparisons. It can literally crush you. No matter how much is in the media, you cannot adequately know a person’s journey. You have absolutely no idea what they have gone through to get to where they are. Don’t play yourself by comparing your journey to theirs. Don’t rush yourself Just because everyone is doing something or going a particular route doesn’t mean it is right for you. If it doesn’t align with your business goals, no matter how attractive it is, stays away from it. It is what exactly it is. It’s a distraction. Prioritize One of the key skills you need to learn as a new entrepreneur is time management. It is literally what spikes or kills your productivity levels. Effective time management can be as simple as creating and sticking to a daily to-do list. As an entrepreneur, it can be very overwhelming to do everything but listen, as much as you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to, let’s face it; you can’t do EVERYTHING. Pick one hustle and maybe one side hustle at a time and stick to it. Mind Your Business Last but not the least, in the age of information overload and over-sharing, guard your heart and mind your business. Celebrate the small victories and the silent achievements. Your time will come.