Startups

Inthe past year of doing this blog, I’d grown confident in my writing abilities. It wasn’t until I recently started as a content copywriter in an EduTech startup, that this perception was challenged big time.

The textbook definition of self empowerment is to derive strength to act, with the belief that you know what’s best for you. For me, self empowerment is being equipped with confidence, emotional capability and intellect to deliver value and impact. However a dark side to self empowerment exists and usually flies under the radar. Understanding this dark side is vital in maximising benefits of self empowerment and continual growth.

Podcasts are a great on-the-go auditory source of learning, perfect for those who dislike or struggle reading.

No one likes feeling vulnerable. Vulnerability is a sign of weakness and exposes ourselves to the world at the risk of being judged, rejected or condemned. Though vulnerability is linked to building strong connections and leadership, it is such a hard thing to do. To unlock the power of vulnerability requires a shift in our thinking that it is something we do towards something we are.

With implications on our most intimate relationships, the masks also inhibit us from obtaining our full potential.

While plenty of research explores the benefits of affirmations and mantras, how can we transition positive statements into thought-provoking action? Here’s a list of questions that I ask each day and why you should too.

While defiance may not cause extreme suffering today, why do we often want what we can’t have? Why is rebelling so appealing? What can we do to overcome this?

Communication is a basic human ability, however conveying concepts verbally and non verbally can become a challenging mind field due to people’s perceptions, conditioning and interpretation.

Experiences allow assessment of efficiency, performance and progress indicating whether anything that can be measured has been successful. Complementing my last post on warning signs in your career, how do you know if your efforts are moving in the right direction?

Push factors include the changing work environment and pull factors consist of uncovering your why and purpose. But how do you know you need to reinvent yourself? What are the calling signs for change?

Setting goals is a roadmap to change because it incapsulates the mindset and direction of where we want to be.

Purpose driven reinvention begins with 2 snapshots: a picture of where you are now and a snapshot of where you want to be.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) has been attributed as key to personal, organisational and leadership success.

Toxic habits are challenging and can lead to toxic relationships with others. Diagnosing our habits; the way we think, speak or treat ourself is difficult to do. Blinded by a lack of self-awareness, toxic habits can sabotage our reinvention progress and jeopardise success.

Training comes in many shapes and forms; short courses, on the job application, or being thrown in the deep end. Applying myself different training recently, I found short courses useful in filling gaps within existing knowledge.

Turning demotivation into motivation can be an eye-rolling bombardment of “stay positive”, “keep at it” and “work harder” messages that are seldom useful. If like me, you’ve felt a serious case of the “ceebs” from time to time (or constantly, it’s OK to admit), you’re probably keen to find motivation and keep it.

Connect the dots of any value, belief or situation in your life and it will trace back to your past. Even the smallest incidents can have lasting impacts whether we know it or not.

Tony’s message had me critically re-evaluate my life, choices and perspective. Some of these messages reinforced prior values and beliefs, and some were completely new.

“Business or science?” Was the question my 17 year old self was asked when I needed to make the big decision of what I was going to do with my life.

Superheroes are glorified. What makes them invincibly attractive? Their extraordinary ability to overcome odds and create salvation to those in need.

Wherever you are in life, we all go through ebbs and flows. Reinvention exacerbates these peaks and troughs adding further complexity.

Communication is confronting.

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we default to the level of our training.” — Archilochus

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it” — Alan Kay

“You are who you are and where you’re at because of what has gone into your mind.” — Zig Ziglar