The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Career Discussions and Professional Development/Skills. Most career tracks are not straight lines and do involve some adversity and setbacks. Reaching your goal will ultimately require perseverance. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Reasons Not to Be Disheartened by Your Personal and Professional Setbacks.
Whether in our personal or our professional lives, setbacks and failures are an unwelcome but ever-present reality and inevitability.
While, of course, success can and should be pursued and achieved, it is seldom ever won without a significant dose of trouble and challenge along the way. But one of the things that most consistently separates high-achievers from the rest of us, is that high-achievers know not to be disheartened by their personal and professional setbacks.
Here are a few reasons not to be disheartened by yours.
Because failures and setbacks are an excellent opportunity for addressing a weak point and improving for the next round
First and foremost, failures and setbacks identify some kind of weak point or error in your plan, system, approach, attitude, or business model.
On the one hand, you could allow those setbacks to completely crush your confidence and convince you that the particular weak point in question is insurmountable – but how accurate is this sentiment actually likely to be? And more importantly, how does it help you to give up all hope?
A much better and more productive approach is, instead, to treat your failures and setbacks as excellent learning opportunities that show you the way to strengthen and improve yourself or your business, so that when it’s time for the “next round,” you will be in a much better position to meet and overcome your challenges.
If, for example, you ended up in a situation where clients of your business were indebted to you and were in no way holding up their end of the bargain and actually paying, that could be a great lesson to outsource some elements of your business going forward and to utilise the services of a collection agency.
The most capable businesses and people are generally that way because they have systematically identified and addressed many weak points along the way.
Because your destiny is largely shaped by how you respond to circumstances and occurrences
There are always going to be things in life that are out of your direct control, but that nonetheless significantly affect you or your circumstances or environment.
That’s true for everyone. But it doesn’t do any good to sit around feeling sorry for yourself and complaining about circumstances that you can’t do much about.
When all is said and done, your destiny is primarily going to be shaped by how you choose to respond to circumstances and occurrences. There are always more and less proactive and empowered ways of dealing with things. Your challenges, then, are an opportunity for you to show and develop your character.
Because all the best stories ultimately include an element of adversity
We are all the protagonists of our own stories, and life should be an exciting, fulfilling, and gripping tale for each and every one of us.
So, when was the last time you heard or read a great story that didn’t include any element of adversity whatsoever?
In all likelihood, it’s impossible to find a story that anyone cares about where nothing challenging ever happens, and where no failures or setbacks are encountered by the protagonist. As a human being, you need challenges in order to keep life interesting, and to keep you on your toes.
Of course, some challenges and setbacks are going to be absolutely tragic, and it might feel completely inappropriate to use the metaphor of a “plot device” to refer to them. The point remains, though, that you are the one with the ability to shape the course of your life – of your story – largely by how you respond to the challenges that confront you.
Instead of allowing your challenges to break you, meet them in as heroic a way as possible, and write a story that can uplift others.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and three key focuses are Athletics and Sports, General Education, Health and Wellness. Hobbies are critical to everyone’s health wellness both physically and mentally. They keep both our bodies and minds, youthful, stimulated and engaged. If you don’t currently have any hobbies, you should consider some for the new year. The following contributed post is entitled, Hobbies to Try in the New Year.
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Do you have time for hobbies? Most adults struggle to find the time to enjoy their hobbies around work, family life and other commitments. We go through life trying to fit everything in, struggling to make time for things that we love or even the people that we love. This is a shame. Having hobbies that you enjoy can improve your skills, boost your health and confidence, help you to find balance and peace and reduce stress. Hobbies can help you to make friends or improve existing relationships.
Unfortunately, however, when we fall out of practice, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. Sometimes, it’s easier to try new hobbies, instead of attempting to get back into old ones. Here are some new hobbies that you might enjoy in 2020.
Golf can be a great hobby. It’s an excellent way to get your steps in and enjoy a workout without hitting the gym. It can be a fantastic way to meet new people or spend quality time with your existing friends, and a good way to see some beautiful landscapes. Oh, and it can be good fun. If you’ve never played golf, look at Golf Drivers Reviews for help with what you need.
Fishing is another great way to see more beautiful scenery. If you fish, you’ll travel to different locations and really get out there in nature. One of the most significant advantages of fishing is that it’s stress-relieving. You’ll spend time away from work and family commitments. It’s a great chance to take a bit of a digital detox and enjoy time by yourself. Even if you fish with friends or other people, you’ll spend long periods sat quietly with your own thoughts. Think of it as meditation, with fish. Or not fish, as the case may sometimes be.
Reading
Even those of us that were once keen readers often get out of the habit as busy adult life gets in the way. You might have started going to bed and scrolling through social media for an hour before going to sleep instead of reading.
But reading is better. Social media and screens keep you awake. Reading can help you to relax and unwind. It’s excellent escapism, a great way to keep your mind active and alert and a wonderful way to get away from the stresses of life. Try to read for at least a few minutes every day, taking back some time for yourself in the process.
Drawing or Painting
Having a creative hobby is great. It can help you to think more creatively in other areas of life, boosting your problem-solving skills. It can give you a new way to express yourself, and help you to unwind. It’s also good fun.
If you don’t feel particularly skilled when it comes to art, try adult coloring or scrapbooking instead of freehand painting or drawing. There’s a creative hobby out there for everyone, regardless of your skillset.
Swimming
If you are looking for a hobby that boosts your fitness without pushing you to your limits or getting sweaty, swimming might be a good choice. Swimming is easy on your joints but works your whole body. You can go with friends or alone, and there’s no pressure to be fast. Swimming is an active, yet restful hobby, that lets you go at your own pace.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is General Education. There are a lot of moving parts to the actual learning process. A major part is environment. Creating the optimal educational environment for students can be the key them excelling or faltering. The following contributed post is entitled, Creating the Perfect Educational Environment.
When you think about the classroom, everyone has pretty much the same image. There is the teacher’s desk, a whiteboard, coat hangers, and desks. All of these are important, but some might consider some more so than others.
There’s no such thing as a hierarchy of importance when it comes to education, though. Whether it’s kids venturing into academia for the first time or adults searching to improve their skills, everything matters as much as everything else. However, some things are often neglected or even downright ignored, but this is no way to create the perfect educational environment.
A Place to Sit and Think
An indisputable essential for the perfect classroom environment is having educational furniture that means students can sit and think in comfort. There are many ways to do this, from desks to tables to beanbags, but whatever it is, your students should be able to get on with their projects without discomfort.
Lousy posture can hinder productivity and affect concentration, while awkward seating arrangements make it near-impossible to fulfill potential. It’s a simple thing, but it’s also crucial to help create a positive school experience.
An Encouraging Atmosphere
You should also strive to create an encouraging atmosphere that celebrates achievements and helps pick people up when they’re down. Classrooms of the past may have chastised those for getting answers wrong, but this is something you must avoid.
From teachers to other students and parents or significant others, a culture of support is vital for ensuring everyone feels safe within the classroom, and once they get home. By creating this support network, you give everyone the chance to succeed and enjoy their time at the school.
A Willingness to Adapt
All teachers understand that sometimes things do not go to plan, so a willingness to adapt is an outstanding quality to have if you want to create the perfect educational environment. Things change, activities don’t go as planned, and all your preparation goes entirely out of the window.
It’s easy to panic when this occurs, but while you may be screaming on the inside, you’ve got to keep cool on the outside. Stay calm, and move onto the next thing if possible. It always helps to have a contingency plan just in case you encounter difficulties.
A Space Not For Learning
A space where students both old and young can embrace the creative side of education is another way to foster a superb environment. This allows them to take a break from the rigors of memorizing and critical thinking while still working on skills that are essential for real life.
You can make the space somewhere for musical instruments, painting, or even interpretive dance. It gives the students a chance to try something new and also prevents burnout from sitting down working throughout the day. Once they come back, you’ll find them more energized and ready to get back to learning.
The Perfect Place to Learn
Students should enjoy your lessons, so doing everything you can to make their time there as enjoyable as possible will only have positive effects and positive outcomes during their educational odyssey.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. A key focus is Professional Development and Skills. No matter what kind of organization you’re running, managing and operating your office space is key. Your office space can impact your employee’s productivity both positively and negatively. The following contributed post is entitled, How to Improve the Ambience of Your Office.
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Your office is more than just a space to get some work done. It’s an extension of your company and plays a direct role in how well your employees are able to work. As such, it’s in your interests to cultivate a positive working environment. Not only will it make going to work more enjoyable for you and your staff, but it’ll also help to boost productivity, and help to give your visitors a positive impression of your business, too. We take a look at a few tried and tested methods for doing this below.
The ambience of the office stems from you, the boss. When you walk into an office, you can normally tell pretty quickly whether it’s a happy office or not. Whichever it is, it’ll be because of the person in charge. If you want to create a positive environment, then you’ll need to bring the positivity. The best way to do this is to work on yourself and make sure that you’re a good boss. If you’re viewing your staff as people, not robots, then you’ll be on the right path.
Hire Pleasant Employees
Of course, while you can help to create a pleasant environment, it’s worth remembering that your staff is going to have a big role in the overall atmosphere, too. You might do all you can to push it in the right direction, but if you have staff members who are not interested in bringing the positivity, then you’ll run into trouble. So how do you get around this? By hiring pleasant employees. Talent and experience do count for a lot, but they’d have to be pretty special if they’re not going to bring a cheery attitude, too. When it comes to interviewing, consider their ‘pleasant factor’ before offering the job. It really will have an impact on how nice the office can be.
Tidy and Spacious
Of course, you could hire the nicest people in the world, but if the office is dark, dingy, and dirty, then it’s not going to be a pleasant atmosphere. The people are only one component of the ambience. So take a look at making your space more enjoyable to be in by making it spacious and clean. You can add more space by getting rid of any old documents and other belongings that you don’t need (you can throw them away, or put them into storage). To keep things clean and tidy, hire a company such as Southern Cross Cleaning. They’ll ensure that your space is neat and organized, without disturbing your staff or operations.
A Touch of Color
Finally, take a look at the decor of the office. There’s nothing wrong with the old, boring grey decor, but there’s not a whole lot right with it, either. You can liven things up by adding some color to proceedings, be it through the choice of paint for the walls, works of art, or by adding plants and flowers. It’ll help to make the space especially inspiring.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health and Wellness. Keeping our homes properly running is a job all in itself. With careers and in some instances having additional commitments and tasks can make managing a home a gargantuan task. The following contributed post is entitled, Managing A Busy Home And Helping You To Stay Sane.
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When it comes to the home, we can all feel a little overwhelmed and lose our minds with bills, tasks and keeping things running smoothly. However, no matter how hard you try, life can always be a busy and hectic. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to manage a busy home effectively.
When it comes to a busy home, it is understandable that the finances can get a little ignored over time. This is when you tend to let things leave your account, or just let a direct debit run its course without realising that you could be making a saving. This is when it is vital to ensure that you get regular checks such as energy deals and car insurance quotes to ensure that you are always paying the best possible price.
The food bill is one of those weekly or monthly expenses that we need to have, but we also have complete control over. As a mom, this job can often be down to us, so it’s important to ensure that you manage it right, rather than overspend. After all, every little saved can be put towards other things like vacations or days out. If you find that the food bill is getting a little out of control, then consider writing a list before you head to the shops. Changing the supermarket in which you shop in, or even consider batch cooking or meal planning as an alternative habit.
Create a cleaning schedule
Cleaning is one of the biggest pet hates of many people. No matter how hard you try, it can often feel like huge task each and every time you take it on. However, there is a solution to this dilemma, and it can help you manage the cleaning activities for your home, rather than feel drowned by them. Creating a cleaning schedule can help you keep on top of the chores in your home. From the things that need to be done daily such as cleaning surfaces or wiping down toilets, to weekly and monthly chores, it will help you keep accountable for what needs doing, and also help you manage it more consistently. It helps to spread the jobs out over the course of a week and a month which means that the tasks themselves shouldn’t feel too demanding on your day, and subsequently should free up more time for you as a mom.
Delegate chores
While on the subject of cleaning and managing your home this shouldn’t be something that is left solely to you, no wonder many of us can feel too overwhelmed by the task at hand. It’s important to delegate some jobs. Children as young as four can be accountable for their own bedrooms or make their beds. Older children can put their clothes away and even take on some of the general chores like vacuuming or dusting the furniture. You can ask your partner to take on some other chores like putting the bins out or doing some of the bigger tasks like cleaning windows or clearing out the gutters. There are plenty of jobs that can be shared amongst the family and this can really take some of the stress away from you, freeing up time to do other things that will ultimately be helpful towards you family and your home.
Let’s hope these tips help you to manage a busy home.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. Becoming an Event Planner can be a lucrative career choice. Event Planning is a world all its own with nuances and keys for success. There are several mistakes that novices make. Avoiding the mistakes can propel you far beyond your competition. The following contributed post is entitled, Mistakes Made By New Event Planners.
If you have recently become an event planner or this is a career you are thinking about, learn from the mistakes that others have made by avoiding the errors we discuss below.
Not mastering the world of online marketing
There is only one place to begin, and this is with online marketing. All event planners need to have a good online presence today. If you do not have any knowledge or experience in this, or you do not have the time to dedicate to marketing your services, hire a SEO company. They will be able to help you with everything from building an effective website to producing quality content and ensuring you have a good presence on social media.
Using fresh flowers all of the time
Virtually all events require flowers. Without them, it can be difficult to adorn a venue beautifully, or create the right ambience. With that being said, read on to discover more about artificial blooms and why they are a must for your business.
As briefly touched upon, all occasions, be it a wedding or a birthday party, require flowers. This is a must-have decoration. It can help to make a venue look show stopping while also creating the right mood, from excitement to romance. But, why should you look for cheap artificial flowers in particular? There are many different reasons, but mainly it comes down to the fact that fresh blooms are too much of a hassle and risk.
When dealing with fresh flowers, you will need to get them delivered on the day of the event to make sure their appearance does not deteriorate and they do not lose their beauty. This can be very risky for any business. What if they do not get delivered on time? If you take the opposite approach, i.e. you buy fresh flowers in advance, you run the risk of not using them at an event, and thus you are going to make a loss. With artificial flowers, you don’t have to worry about any of this, you can order them in advance for minimal hassle and you can use them again and again to make sure you get your money’s worth. Not only this, but artificial blooms make sure you can cater to the demands of all of your clients, as you are never restricted to what is in season.
Putting all of your eggs in one basket
Last but not least, it can be a very big deal for any event planner when they manage to secure a big client. However, you need to be mindful and make sure you do not put all of your eggs in one basket. What would happen if this client then decide to take their work elsewhere?
“The coaches at some of the other Yale Cup schools thought I had an unfair competitive advantage because of the intramural program I started at Hutch-Tech!”
The first principle of my blog is “Creating Ecosystems of Success”. I originally published this series on the Examiner back in 2014 and have subsequently began adding to it. As a teen I dreamt of being a basketball player just like a lot of kids – a dream for which one must have lots of ability, drive, and luck to achieve. My experience turned out to be quite the adventure, and I didn’t formally play basketball beyond high school. The lessons I learned there however, not all of them happy and pleasant, helped me as I progressed into adulthood and into my Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) career. As mentioned, when I began reposting this series, I’ve started working on an ambitious writing project chronicling my early basketball journey in Western New York.
If I’m able to get my project published, one of the things that will be special about it is that it’s a story involving real people. The project has required me to do multiple interviews. It has been both an interesting and fun experience. As noted by well-established authors like John U. Bacon, who has written numerous books on Michigan Football, some people are open to being interviewed and being characters in book projects, while others are reluctant. Some agree and then drop out of contact, while others are difficult to contact. As a writer I now understand why some names must be changed in the final story.
I consider my breakthrough interview to be that of Jason Rowe, which led to interviews with others, and I want to thank everyone who participated; some of whom I’ve never met personally. My interview with Jason was followed by an interview with Coach Pat Monti and then his star guards, Carlos Bradberry and Tim Winn. It’s been a fun ride with at least one more big interview on the way, so stay tuned.
One of the key figures in my story is Dr. Kenneth Leon Jones, who was the Head Coach of the Hutch-Tech Boys’ Basketball Team during my freshman, sophomore and junior years. Before he passed away at the end of 2018, Coach Jones told me that he was okay with being a character in my story. In my piece about his basketball camp, I discussed Coach Jones, what I learned from him and what he meant to me.
That was just my perspective though and I discovered many other points of view on Coach Jones in my research. I actually started learning of other peoples’ views of Coach Jones in my junior season where I hit some personal adversities. My struggles, in part, contributed to our team’s struggling and spiraling out of control that season. During my personal storm one classmate sought me out one day and told me that he disliked Coach Jones because he had ‘cut’ his brother years earlier. It was then that I realized that there were many backstories to Coach’s tenure at Hutch-Tech in addition to the successes he experienced my freshman year.
“Most of the time, when somebody is giving you orders and instructions, if you’re not emotionally ready – if you’ve got your mind on the wrong part, you’re not going to try as hard. You’re not going to be into it. You’re not going to absorb as much,” said a player I’ll call “Curtis” about Coach Jones in my interview with him. Curtis was the ‘engine’ that powered Coach Jones’ 1990-91 city and sectional championship team. He said a lot of powerful things during our interview, but this quote very much applies to the relationship between coaches and players, much which I experienced myself, or witnessed with teammates.
One of the cool things about working on a project where you’re interviewing multiple people is that you get to hear multiple points of view. Amazingly, my interviews for The Engineers revealed that Coach Jones was multiple things to multiple people. While there was a group of us who held him in high reverence, appreciated his teachings and the mentoring he gave us, he had several detractors as well. Again, he was multiple things to multiple people. His detractors fell into three groups, some of which might surprise you.
The first group consisted of some of the other coaches in our league called the “Yale Cup”, which was the league for all the Buffalo Public Schools. For those readers unfamiliar with the Yale Cup in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it consisted of fourteen schools. Three schools that no longer exist today are: Buffalo Traditional, Kensington and Seneca Vocational High School.
The Yale Cup was a poorly funded league which lacked a Junior Varsity (JV) program at all its schools to properly prepare its players for Varsity competition. Coach Jones and the Buffalo News called this a “feeder system”. The result was a 14-team league where all of the teams were run differently, and where all the coaches had varying levels of experience and interest. This led to drastically different levels of coaching and attention to detail. Some of the Varsity coaches (Coach Jones included), ran an informal JV program for no extra pay simply because there was a need for it.
We also played in outdated and antiquated facilities. Many of the gyms in the Yale Cup league looked like antiquated factory storage rooms with peeling paint and old industrial smells. Most of our gyms had solid white backboards without ‘break away’ rims. Only a few of the courts, like those at Grover Cleveland and McKinley for example, had ‘regulation-size’ courts with the proper dimensions. Our old little gym at Hutch-Tech was more of a small box than anything. Someone I interviewed recently jokingly said that Performing Arts’ gym resembled a bit of a bowling alley.
“The coaches at the other schools thought I had an unfair competitive advantage because of the intramural program I started at Hutch-Tech,” Coach Jones said during one of our interviews. He shared a lot of things with me that I didn’t know as a teen and probably wouldn’t have understood. There were so many layers – so many things happening at once surrounding the Hutch-Tech Boys’ Basketball Team in plain sight and behind the scenes. The same is true for Coach Jones’ two immediate successors who I’ll keep anonymous at this time.
One of the hallmarks of Coach Jones’ tenure at Hutch-Tech was his intramural program. The program was for all the boys in the school so that everyone could get taste of competition and where a champion was crowned. More specifically, it allowed Coach Jones to scout the talent in each class. It wasn’t something he was doing for extra pay, but instead it was something for the students and for the school.
“Some of Jones’ players played angry,” a former player also from Coach Jones’ city and sectional championship team who I’ll call “Pep”, said jokingly. My interview with Pep might be my favorite of all of the interviews I’ve done simply because I could hear that he was having so much fun talking about his playing days. In any case, Coach Jones’ second group of detractors were surprisingly on some of his rosters.
Before getting to Hutch-Tech, the program looked like a utopia from the outside. My research though revealed that there were several conflicts and perpetually hurt feelings involving some of Coach Jones’ players. In some instances, there were personality conflicts. In other instances, there were players who felt they had to prove themselves repeatedly and in general felt unappreciated. Some players felt that they didn’t play enough, and others didn’t play at all though they were given roster spots.
The third group of detractors were outside of the team, but in the student body. The individual who stands out the most for this group is the classmate described above, but there were others. The reality in life is that there are winners and losers, and there usually isn’t enough of everything to go around. This particularly applies to a basketball team where a coach can realistically keep up to 18 players, while only being able to play 8-10 regularly.
In short, not every kid at my school who wanted a roster spot got one, and there are any number of reasons for that. I may write another teaser-piece just on the criteria Coach Jones presented on his ‘invite list’. That’s right, during his tenure, you couldn’t just come out for the basketball team, you had to be invited. This cut a lot of kids out of the picture from the start even before having a chance to show him they could dribble the ball, make baskets, play defense or even run one of his offenses.
Why does this all matter? Like the entire story, it was a sample of what was to come throughout the rest of my life in college and then in the adult world. For some of us who earned roster spots and submitted to his coaching, Coach was father figure, a mentor and a leader. Others on his teams felt like his whipping boys and even underappreciated. Other students didn’t feel like they were given a fair chance to play. Some didn’t like his fundamentals-based way of teaching the game. Some of the other coaches in our Yale Cup league thought he was cheating.
This is why interscholastic sports are good teachers going forward in life. Two of the things you learn about in addition to your sport, are people and leadership – neither of which are easy aspects to manage. As a leader, whether it’s a coach, a college professor, a clergyman or a supervisor, not everyone sees you the same way. Depending on our backgrounds, our values, our individual natures, and where our minds are in seasons of our lives, our experiences with that person will vary, and in many instances, vary greatly. It’s also true that because we may see a given person differently, our truths may be different.
Whether it was the Hutch-Tech Boys’ Basketball Team, my research lab in graduate school, or now within the government agency I work in everyday, there were always individuals charged with leading larger groups or teams. Some people within those teams possess different levels and proficiencies at their crafts. All possess different levels of emotional intelligence. Some are better communicators than others, and some are just better team players than others.
“If I could go back, I would be just as demanding, but more understanding,” Coach Jones said to me several times during our talks. He knew that he drove his players hard and demanded a lot from us. He also concluded that he could’ve been a little more understanding of each player and what they were going through as each of us came from different homes and had different life struggles in our teens.
“If you look at that team that almost made it to Glens Falls, Coach Jones let that team do a lot, but that was all earned. He said, ‘Hey, I’ll let you shoot a three-pointer or a long jump shot outside the offense because I know that we’re playing good enough defense that we’re going to get a possession back,” said a former teammate named “Chris” who played under Coach Jones for four years. Chris was a captain on our team in my sophomore year and a true leader. Some of Coach Jones’ critics thought he was too restrictive and controlling of his teams, particularly on offense.
“When I went to college, I played Division III at the Coast Guard Academy. I didn’t play Varsity, but instead played on the equivalent of our JV squad. We played against a bunch of junior colleges and prep schools. I’ll say that I was able to shoot the ball a lot more,” Chris said. “I look back though, and I think if we were able to play defense like we did in high school, we would’ve been able to keep up with a bunch of those teams. So, shooting the ball wasn’t always the best policy.”
I’ll probably write another teaser-piece just talking about the program Coach Jones created at Hutch-Tech, but for now I’ll just say that if done right, while it can be rewarding, coaching isn’t easy. You must not only have to know your sport and its evolving nuances, but you must also assemble a team of players, develop them and get them to buy into a common goal. That isn’t easy as coaches must also play psychologist, in addition to a quasi-parent in some instances, especially for kids who don’t have fathers or who come from tumultuous homes.
This piece isn’t unique to Coach Jones. He was my coach. If you read my interview with Jason Rowe, Jason stated that while his Coach, Joe Cardinal, was highly scrutinized, his players loved him. Ironically, even though Coach Cardinal was highly criticized, his Bulls coincidentally made deep runs in the post-season play most years. The same is true for Coach Pat Monti who led the LaSalle basketball dynasty. During his 10-year run of dominance leading the LaSalle Explorers, there were numerous critiques about him and his program from the outside. Talking to him and his players on the inside was completely different though.
The first picture used for this post is the schedule for the 1989-90 Hutch-Tech Boys’ Basketball Team. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pepsi-Cola of Western New York used to create cardboard schedules for the area high school teams in addition to hosting the Al Pastor Memorial Basketball Tournament for a select number of schools. It was Coach Jones’ second season at Hutch-Tech. I was an eighth grader looking to go into high school and was learning about Coach and his teams through my brother Amahl who was a sophomore that year and his Hutch-Tech yearbooks.
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The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health/Wellness. No matter what your purpose or mission is in life, one of the most key components in your life will be your health and fitness. If you’re healthy, you can accomplish most things. The following contributed post is entitled, 10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Health and Fitness.
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When it comes to improving our health and fitness levels, we usually think that we have to do things that are beyond boring: it’s all about eating salads, and spending your evenings in the gym, or whatever. In fact, this is not true. We can push ourselves to an improved state just by making subtle changes to our lifestyle. Below, we outline some of the most influential changes that you can make. Adopt them all (or as many as you can), and you’ll find that you’re on the path towards living a healthier, fitter life.
Before you can figure out how you’re going to reach the top of the mountain, you need to figure out where you are. In health terms, this means taking a look at your lifestyle and figuring out your positive and negative health points. We’re pretty busy these days, and that means that we rarely get time to sit down and review our lifestyles. It is worthwhile, however. You might find that you’re making a few fundamental errors which, if amended, would lead to much improved fitness levels. So ask yourself: are you living a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle?
Get Walking
It’s not something that is often discussed, but the way we live is a bit unusual. At least in terms of how all the other humans on earth have lived, that is. There has never been a point in human history when people have sat down as much as they do now. Some people spend the vast majority of their day off their feet. They’re in the car, or sitting behind a desk, or watching television on the couch. Make no mistake: this type of sedentary life will have a hugely detrimental impact on your health in the long run. Fortunately, it’s one of those things that can be remedied relatively easily. Get moving! You can incorporate more activity by making subtle changes to your life. For example, could you cycle to work, or park further away from the office so that you can walk a little? Can you take the stairs rather than the elevator? These things might seem inconsequential, but all tallied up, they can make a big difference.
Working Up a Sweat
Of course, while building more activity into your lifestyle will be a good start, it might not dramatically improve your health and fitness levels. It’ll just put you on the right path. There is no substitute for working up a sweat — it will do wonders for your physical and mental health. And the beautiful part of this stage is that there are various ways that you can go about it. You can work out in the gym if you’re drawn that way, but you can also look at running, cycling, playing team sports, hiking in the outdoors. Whatever you’ll find the most enjoyable, essentially (this will ensure that you stick to your activity).
How to Eat Well
What we feed into our body is super important when it comes to our health and fitness. It is the foundation for our health, the building blocks. You can’t (or shouldn’t) expect to reach your peak state if you’re forever eating unhealthy foods, no matter how much exercise you’re doing. People tend to think that eating healthy meals is a time-consuming or laborious task. Not so! Indeed, there are plenty of easy to prepare, twenty minute meals that’ll put you on the path towards healthy eating. At a minimum, you should avoid those obviously unhealthy foods. That fast food burger might task good, but it’s a disaster for your body.
Cutting Down on Vices
We all like to have fun, but sometimes, the ways in which we have fun can have a negative impact on our health. Take, for example, how we socialize. We can end up drinking too many alcoholic drinks and smoking too many cigarettes. While these things are sometimes presented as normal, the truth is that they can both have a hugely negative impact on our health. So it’s worthwhile looking at cutting down, or stopping them altogether. Easier said than done, right? There are things you can do to make it easier. If you want to stop smoking, take a look at mtbakervapor.com, and transition to vaping instead. To moderate your alcohol intake, you can look at social activities that don’t involve alcohol. If you do have to spend time in a bar, then consider alternating your drinks from alcoholic to non-alcoholic options. You’ll barely notice that anything’s different at the time, but will feel the effect when it comes to your bank balance and how good you feel the next morning.
Into the Outdoors
We tend to think of ourselves as somehow apart from nature. It’s something that happens away from us, in other places. We’re civilized! As much as we want to deny the animal side of our existence, the fact is that it’s there, and always will be. We’ve come to understand in recent decades just how important it is to have nature time in our lives. Studies have shown that it can have a significant impact on our physical and mental health. If you can’t recall the last time you were surrounded by nothing but the great outdoors, look at making it part of your lifestyle. No matter where you live, there will surely be a beautiful spot near you that you can visit.
For too long, we’ve thought of our health only in terms of the physical. Our body is what’s important. You can see the thinking behind this idea, but there’s little wonder that it has been shown to be too limiting. There’s been an explosion in mental health conditions in recent years, and indeed, the problem is only projected to get worse. As such, it’s important that we’re taking the time to ensure we’re in a good mental space. You can do this by limiting the amount of stress in your life, and taking breaks when you feel overwhelmed. Meditation can also do wonders for your mental wellness, too.
Sleeping Well
It’s much harder to be at our healthy best if we’re tired. It might not feel like it, but you’ll be less likely to work out and prepare a healthy meal if you haven’t slept well. Long-term sleeping problems have also been associated with more serious health problems too. So if you’re not sleeping all that well, look at making some changes to your routine. If you improve your pre-sleeping routine to include less screen time and more relaxing activities such as reading and meditating, you’ll find that it’s much easier to reach the land of Nod.
Trips to the Doctor
It’s worth remembering that while you can influence your health in many ways, there are some areas in which you’ll need help. Take what’s happening under the hood, for instance. If you have an illness or genetic condition, then it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to manage your health and fitness all on your own. Take the time to find a doctor who knows what they’re talking about and that you trust, and work with them to find lifestyle adjustments that’ll push you in the right direction.
Setting Goals
Finally, look at setting goals for your health and fitness. It’s all too easy to get blown off course when life gets busy. Having a target will help to keep you on the right path, and will also cultivate discipline over time.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Three key focuses Business/Entrepreneurship, Career Discussions and Professional Development and Skills. No matter what kind of organization or business you’re in, respecting your employees is critical. Your employees are doing the work on the ground level and your operations can falter if they aren’t giving it their all. The following contributed post is entitled, Why You Should Always Respect Your Employees.
Being respectful of your employees is vital if you are to maintain a cohesive team that buys into your business vision in order to help your startup thrive. Without a team with high morale, you may walk into the office every morning to view a sea of yawning faces and twiddling thumbs. You need to ensure that your staff are happy, positive and that there is a purposeful buzz in the office. As an employer, it is up to you to facilitate this. Mutual respect between boss and employee is crucial. Take a look at how you can foster a productive working relationship with your employees.
Training
It’s important that you invest in your team. By putting up some money and helping them improve their professional skill set, you are showing them how much you value them. Conduct professional development meetings with each staff member and construct a career plan. This may mean that they eventually leave your company to move to pastures new. This is natural. However, while they are your employee you can ensure that they are skilled up and apply this knowledge to your company. This means that you have the best staff working for you. Being valued means that your staff will feel more committed to your business vision because they will care more about your venture.
Environment
As a boss, you need to create a great environment in which to work. You may find that your newly leased office is a little drab, the beige carpet tiles are uninspiring and the walls are scuffed. In this sort of environment, your employees will lack the motivation to work. Whip out the white paint, get some local artwork on the walls, and add a splash of greenery to your workplace. This brings the outside in and can lift the mood of your team. Get rid of the old school desktop booths and swap these for collaborative meeting pods. Banish the tower computers, and allow your team to enjoy the luxury of neoprene sleeves for a swanky new set of high powered laptops. Giving your staff the equipment and tools to be productive as well as the environment in which to thrive will benefit the reputation of your business.
Communicate
Don’t be one of those elusive employers who is never seen in the office. Get out on the metaphorical shop floor and converse with your staff. Have a weekly briefing every Monday to discuss goals for the week and to allow your team to air their views. Ask their opinions on issues and act on great ideas. Send out a Friday email every week to celebrate successes and to namecheck those individuals who have gone the extra mile. This positive praise shows your team that you value them. Use a reward system of extra days off and meals out to incentivize your team.
Making the transition from employee to employer is tough. However, by following this guide, you can ensure that you get the most out of your team by fostering an environment of mutual respect. If you do ever experience any problems associated with any of your employees, remember there is help out there. Professionals like The Law Office of David H. Rosenberg can offer advice on further actions!
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Two key focuses are Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. Not all jobs have the safety of working in an office setting with carpets, computers and cubicles. Some jobs require getting dirty and some degree of potential hazard. In the latter set of jobs, it’s important to think about your safety at all times. The following contributed post is entitled, Staying Safe When You Have A Dangerous Job.
No one likes the idea of being hurt when they are doing their job. Governments, businesses, and individuals have all been working for a very long time to ensure that workplaces are safe and secure, though this is something which some jobs make almost impossible. Unfortunately, some people simply don’t have the luxury of doing something safe each day. Whether you work as an industrial diver or as a security guard, though, you can always take steps to make sure that you’re not putting yourself at unnecessary risk. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the steps which can be taken to make even the most dangerous jobs a little safer.
Following Policies
While a lot of the rules which you have to follow when you’re working may seem a little over the top, they are always there for a reason. Safety gear will protect your body from accidents, while policies which dictate how people are allowed to move around in dangerous environments will help to prevent them from happening in the first place, and this makes these rules well worth following. Of course, after a few years on the job, it will be easy to become complacent, and you may find that your employers have lost track of the policies they need to follow. In this case, researching the rules for yourself will be a good idea.
Working Together
Many of the world’s most dangerous jobs often end up being done by people on their own. This may not always increase the risk of an accident, but there are some roles which simply shouldn’t be done by people who are left to themselves. Truck driving is a great example of this, with a lot of accidents occurring when people are forced to drive for a long time without a proper chance to rest. Team truck driving jobs are considered much safer, as you will have someone with you as you drive, and this means that you won’t have to be focused for the whole journey.
Being Attentive
It’s not always easy for industries to put the right rules in place for their employees. While some companies manage to keep their teams safe, others will miss out on crucial areas, and this can often leave big gaps. Being attentive will give you the chance to spot these areas, and a little bit of creativity and initiative will help you to come up with ideas to make them safer. For example, if you have to work on wet floors all the time, it would make sense for your employer to provide you with shoes which are good for this environment. They can’t fire you for asking for this, with a lot of employers valuing this sort of input from their teams.
Keeping yourself safe should always be your priority when you’re at work. It doesn’t matter if you get your job done if you get hurt in the process, and the vast majority of employers will want to keep their team as safe as possible. To make this work, though, you have to keep your eyes open.
