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Promoting self growth in 4 sure real ways

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self growth; man standing on stack of books

We are humans and there are times in our lives when we need a push to restore our self growth. How often do we celebrate our birthdays and still struggle with that little voice in our heads; that keeps telling us we have not grown a bit since last year?

self growth; man standing on stack of books

I am not talking about the physical growth like height and weight, let’s stretch this deeper and wonder if we are letting self-doubt crush every bit of esteem we might have about ourselves. By now you do not need a reminder to tell you that you are great and you are powerful beyond your imagination.

How to promote self growth

There are ways to improve your self-growth; ways that have been working for me since I realised I can make lemonade from all the lemons life throws my way. They can help you too.

Self-Meditation

Not to sound cliché but there is a lot you need to learn about yourself. You can only learn this if you spend a bit of time with yourself. I do not mean ‘’by yourself’’, I mean ‘’with yourself’’. Do you know you can understand yourself a lot more even when you spend time with other people? These moments are when we figure out what is unique about us, why humans are so different and why these differences don’t mean we cannot coexist with each other. When you spend time with yourself, you truly understand who you are as an individual and the things you need to avoid.

Get Rid Of Toxic Energy

This brings me to my next point; getting rid of negative energy. Millennials call it vibe these days which I agree with because I would not want to stay around people or situations that kill my vibe, people that always discourage me and view me as inferior. No matter how close a person is to you or how rooted you are in that situation, you need to let go of their negativity. Do not let anyone bring you down emotionally. By surrounding yourself with people that uplift you and make you a better version of yourself, you are many steps closer to building a strong self-esteem.

Do Not Compare Your Progress on Social Media

Social media is great, it is fantastic. Yet at the same time it has found a way of leaving people depressed because everyone wants to live lavish lifestyles without acknowledging the rough process it took for those we are comparing ourselves with online. You need to trust your growth and really sit down and figure out why other people’s lives bother you that much. It adds nothing to you and it only slows down your own hard work, focus on yourself and not them.

Develop a Sense of Humor

Finally, one thing I have learnt over the years is not taking everything too seriously by developing a sense of humor for me especially during difficult times. Tell yourself you will be alright and try again, find a hobby that you are passionate about and try again. That is the thing about life – you can always try again.

Conclusion of self growth

Make an habit to look on the positive side of your life. Learn as much as possible and be open to corrections. Here at lifesaddle, we want to be able to live life to its fullest. Growing as much as we can will help us maximize our potentials in life. Lastly, lets be open minded, especially, to corrections. Nobody is all knowing. Criticism is good, either good or bad. It gives us room to improve when see it from the positive side. While growing, remember to always plan for the later days of your life.

7 Simple ways to start eating healthier

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woman eating healthier meals

Now that you have make decision to start eating healthier this year; First things, make it a duty or a rewarding assignment to cut down on junks and eat more of vegetables. That doesn’t make true the misconception that eating healthy means eating only tasteless, bland foods. You just have to know how to mix things up the right way and take various kinds of food.

woman eating healthier meals

All the years you’ve been pushing away practicing a healthy diet was probably because of this misconception. Perhaps because you think it’s too complicated and difficult. You would start reaping the benefits of eating healthier foods if you change that mindset this year. Here are simple, uncomplicated ways you can start doing that:

How to start eating healthier

Always pick non-processed foods over processed

Non-processed foods are more nutritious than processed foods because of the many essential nutrients in them like fiber, protein, healthy fats, minerals and vitamin. So go for vegetables, whole grains, and fruits instead of instant ramen and frozen pizza which contain empty calories. Make it a fruit and snack combo and include vegetables in your lunch and dinner.

Keep healthy food always available

When you’re hungry, you’re likely to grab any food available—healthy or not; this is why you should always make sure there are healthy foods in your fridge, cupboard, etc. When healthy foods like dried berries, almonds, whole grains, fruits, fish are always within arm’s reach on your work desk, on the counter, in your fridge, etc. you’re less likely to consume more of unhealthy foods.

Abstain from sugary drinks

Choose infused water or unsweetened beverages over packaged juice or soda. Taking a lot of sugary drinks puts you at high risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Besides that, sugary beverages can also bring about anxiety, premature aging, and liver damage.

Bake with whole grain flour

You love snacks, but when you eat it, you feel guilty about not eating healthy. How about having to eat snacks freely without ever feeling guilty? Eating snacks that are baked with whole grain flour rather than all-purpose flour will make you feel that way. The bran and the germ present in whole grain flour makes it more nutritious and a better option

Eat nuts and seeds—plenty of them

Despite the small size of these foods, they are packed with a lot of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fat. They are a rich source of minerals lie zinc, magnesium, and calcium and also contain antioxidants. You can include seeds like flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, and chia in your baking recipe or just chew them rather than those sugary candy bars.

Do more of roasting than frying

Roasting your food is a healthier option compared to frying them. Roasting still gives your food that crispiness you want and your food is equally tasty and less oily. You can roast almost everything, ranging from vegetables to chicken fingers.

Increase your intake of probiotic foods

Probiotic foods like soft cheeses, yogurt, and apple cider vinegar keep the gut bacteria in your system healthy. The development of the immune system, digestion of food and extraction of food nutrients all depend on the gut bacteria.

Concluding eating healthier

What’s it going to be? A decisive mind to cut out junks totally or “I will die anyways?”. Although, vegetarians tends to live a boring life with their eating healthier style. Notwithstanding, its  highly rewarding. We all can not be vegetarians, but this article should encourage us to be eating healthier meals onward. Please do check this out to learn how to keep with eating healthier.

Self Focus – 3 sure ways to focus more on you

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self focus, self love

2018 is coming to an end and we are often met with backlash when we talk to people about self focus. Notwithstanding, it is not stopping me one bit. You know why? Because it is not about them, it is about me. Me!

self focus, self love

Now that we are clear about that, let us talk about you. It is time to talk about this. The need to please strangers is not a good colour on you. Seriously, you need to stop! One thing I have noticed is that these people are ultimately strangers who do not really know you, they do not walk in your shoes and they have no deep understanding of what is truly going on in your life. So why are you losing focus because of them? You see there is something wrong here?

Practicing self focus

I once read online that trying to please everyone is the ultimate recipe for failure and I agree. We all have expectations for ourselves – things we have decided to shift aside because of other expectations from our family, our friends, the society, or our peers. These expectations get to us that we often forget that ‘’hey, this is my life.’’ If you have realized this simple but true fact, then read on.

1. You Have To Let Go Of Worry

You need to let go of worry. And by worry I mean the intense and unnecessary headache of wondering what people will say. You need to forget about whether or not you are liked and do you. The truth is you cannot please everybody even if you are the sweetest person in the universe; you are always going to have haters. I do not know who made the rules but who cares? This is your life, you have to own it.

2. Embrace Self focus

Another point is to shed all pretense and be completely honest with yourself. By staying true to yourself, you eliminate the voices in your head telling you that you are not good enough. This is why it is important to preach self focus which has no hindrance against creating room for love in your heart. Because how can you love someone else if you do not love yourself?

You know yourself better than anybody else, you know your likes and dislikes, you know your strength and you know your weakness. Make a mental list of those little acts that you have picked up just so to impress a person or a clique, shed them away like an old skin because true love begins when you are honest with yourself.

3. Believe In Yourself

To end with, you need to take control of your abilities. You are a king and you are a queen. No matter how odd your talent is, there is a room for you. There are people whose talent broke the norms and created a room for themselves because of their originality. Even if it is an old idea, no one does it better than you. You are unique and your voice might be what this generation need to become a better place.

Final words

Honestly, you should be on the same page that this ways are quite achievable. Be consistent. Happiness is a big factor in becoming successful in all our endeavours. Happiness actually originate from self love. Hence, we need to focus more on ourselves in order to excel in life. Finally, practice self focus today, and repeat it tomorrow and every other tomorrow. Before you leave, have you read Entrepreneurs retirement planning in 3 easy stages? I hope you learn alot as it helps me too. Have a great life ahead.

Entrepreneurs retirement planning in 3 easy stages

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Entrepreneurs retirement planning

Entrepreneurs retirement planning might not ring any bell as much as it should. That is because, like myself, we tend not to work on the far end of our lives. Regardless of what stage of self-employment you may be in, your top priority should be how to make your investments last in retirement.

Entrepreneurs retirement planning

If you already have a retirement fund in place, then now is the right time to consider how to maximize it. One major way to do this is by using an income investing approach. When you collect cash flow from dividends, stocks and other types of investments, you can create a solid portfolio. It’s important to note that each stage of entrepreneurship comes wit different to do lists when it comes to Entrepreneurs retirement planning. So, here are a few tips that can help keep you on track of your Entrepreneurs retirement planning.

The Early Stages Entrepreneurs retirement planning

The early stage of self-employment can be the most overwhelming. This is even worse when you have left your traditional career in the workforce to start your own business. At this stage, retirement is the least on your priority list. However, there is no better time to start considering Entrepreneurs retirement planning.

Even if you cannot afford to put as much money as you used to, you should still make sure you make your contributions. Forgoing your savings altogether is really not a good idea. Instead, focus on saving what you can. Also, have money automatically withdrawn into your retirement account without flinching. This way, it makes it easier to not look back or reconsider depositing into your retirement fund if you’re doing it all by yourself. Again, it helps with the disciplining.

Consider stocks

This means investing in other businesses in your industry. This way your portfolio is diversified and you have assets. Think about an individual 401(k)plan. However, this option exists only If you have no employees. It is also the perfect account in the case where you hope your spouse contributes. In the case where you choose a Roth plan, you can also enjoy free withdrawals once you reach a certain age which is usually helpful when you’re self-employed.

Mid-Stage of Entrepreneurs retirement planning

If you’re in a stage where you have been an entrepreneur for more than 10-15 years, you may have a retirement fund working well already. However, a lot of American entrepreneurs still don’t have retirement accounts at this phase. If you find yourself in this position, consider these tips:

Think of an escape strategy

Are you planning on working forever? Do you hope to sell your business or you intend to pass it on to another family member? These are some of the things you need to consider when looking at retirement options. Indeed, you’ll want to make sure your business is running successfully even when you’re not there. So, in this case, you should be planning a deadline of when you want to stop working. In this instance, it’s best to start reviewing financial implications of your exit.

Review your assets

You should start to take note of your company’s assets and how they can be part of your retirement plan. If you have a lot of liquid assets or everything is tied up in the profits from your business, you should successfully be able to learn how you can turn these into a retirement account.

Max out your contribution limits

Savings are always important. So if there is a possibility of maximizing your retirement account now, then you should. Depending on the type of account you choose, your contribution limits will tell. However, you may need to look into investing some of these savings you’ve already accumulated into your retirement.

If you are married or in a trustworthy relationship, try to make them part of the contribution. This act will increase the result you had be getting as a solo contributor. Like we already know, 2 good heads are better that 1 great head.

Late Stage of Entrepreneurs retirement planning

The late stages can be a very scary one. If you intend to sell your business or pass it along to a family member or friend, the options may be very overwhelming. A lot of times, people think the profits they’ll make from selling their business will be enough throughout their retirement. However, this is not always the case. At this stage, you should have been in a position where you have reduced your personal debts and start calculating how much you’ll be needing for retirement. Consider the following steps:

Spread your investments

While it’s important to invest in your own company, it’s also very important to diversify your investments. That way, it gives your portfolio more overall strength and these liquid assets can turn into a retirement income for both you and the members of your family.

Investments opportunities are growing by the day, with the advent of tech companies offering loans via the internet without collateral. These companies are open to investors without minimum limit to what you can invest. ALAT by Wema bank would allow you invest ordinary One Thousand Naira and still let you earn about 10% annually. There are others like PiggyVest which even has higher interests rates on your investments and let you chose sectors you preferred to invest.

Give yourself time to sell your business

Selling your business does not just happen overnight. In fact, it may require a lot of work on your part. Also, do not wait until retirement before you start looking out for options. Also, increase the amount of money you’re saving towards retirement to 20 percent or more of your income. At this stage, a lot of financial pressures like putting your children through college or paying the mortgage are not an issue anymore.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can never over emphasize the importance of Entrepreneurs retirement planning. There are so many options to consider, however, it is important we do not mix them up, an early stage plan should not be schedule for late stage. Entrepreneurs retirement planning is the bed rock on which entrepreneurs will rest at the later days of our lives.

Perks of Living Alone For the First Time

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living alone perks

Living alone screams independence. It is one of the reasons why people love to live by themselves. Especially after they had been through excruciating roommate experience or they just wish to start a brand new experience in their early thirties after college. Whatever the reason is you deserve this new feeling of freedom and here is why.

living alone perks

Perks of Living alone

Goodbye Roommate

You own the apartment which means you control everything that is in it. Get that? You do not have to indulge a noisy roommate or an obscenely rude one. You can turn off the music when you feel it is too loud and you can turn it up to the highest volume. It is your house and you live by your rules. That alone should motivate you to want to live alone.

Control over the Decor

Forget the limited space or the rent fees for a minute and focus on the word – design. Have you always wanted to decorate your own space to your taste but have never gotten a chance? Well, here is your chance! Whatever style you want to choose, it is yours to choose. You do not have to decorate your house with props you do not want, you get to paste your posters or hang your art or photos. You get to choose the color you want and you get to choose whether or not you want a TV or not. And if you are a guy who has always wanted your own man cave – this is your chance.

Your House, Your Rules

Another perk of living alone is that you have the access to the people who come in and out of your home. Living alone breeds maturity; it means you have the choice to be responsible about your lifestyle. You can wake up anytime you want and you can go to bed anytime you want. Or organize little soirée with your girls, or a party with few of your colleagues. You can also organize with friends from college without anyone getting pissed about the mess in the apartment. And if you want to have your partner over for the night, you do not need permission from anyone. You get to do things your way.

I really cannot emphasize the victory in owning the refrigerator, you are fully rest assure that everything inside it is yours; no roommate drinks your yogurt before you return. You can eat whatever you want. The kitchen is yours and once you clean it, it remains cleaned.

Responsibilities

I feel the extent of comfort you get to own for yourself the reason why people decide to live alone. Although we are talking about the perks of living alone here, there are factors you should put into consideration. Now, because you live alone you have to worry about the rent, getting the furniture you need and buying the groceries. But once you figure out your finances, you can handle all these. Welcome to the real world, it might suck but you will love it.

Becoming more creative in the new year

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becoming more creative in new year

When I say NEW YEAR, I mean the entire year – not just a few days into the beginning of the year and then you return back to your shell of creative block. It can be hard at times when you cannot get yourself to do those creative arts that get your spirits high and lightens up your day; there are days when you cannot phantom a particular reason why your mood is just so down. And if you are like me who feels like crap whenever I am not creating contents in a week; just because this is part of my source of livelihood and I need to work) you need a pick-me-up.

becoming more creative in new year

Do Not Overlook the Little Things

First of all, you need to be aware of everything around you; the little things that once provided you with inspiration and the big things that most of us solely consider as muse. Whatever it is, find it. You might not understand it but it is just human psychology; inspirations are there solely to get your spirit pumping, to increase the flow of your creative juice and to prepare you to take opportunities as soon as they come your way.

What I am saying is this; you can also bloom where you are planted, no matter how uneasy it may seem you can be inspired by your environment and create masterpieces. These days creators are searching for contents with originality, I am saying to you do not underestimate your locals; take a walk and observe and create something out of the ordinary.

Make Use of Your Alone Time, be creative

In addition, your alone time is your “golden time’’, do not joke with it. Especially for us creators, we do need our quiet time. Do you notice that your best work comes during those quiet moments when your mind is completely settled and your aloneness is suddenly solitude for being more creative? You need to cultivate the habit of spending time with yourself, meditate and transform your ideas into plans.

Make Valuable Friends

Do not underestimate the power of collaborations. Make friends within your niche who understands the same things you are going through. They are the people who share your plight, they are the people who you feel save sharing your curiosities with. This is because you know they will get you, and they are the ones you share the same passion and zeal with. Create days in the week when you can meet up with them; talking to them can often leave your inspired or earn you creative opportunities.

You Got To Work, be creative

Finally, hard work is a major recipe for success. I really cannot stress this enough. You need to put in the effort. In the coming year, do not be one of those people who merely fantasize about the results. And do not be among those that are not willing to create something. You are creator, prove it. Create. Work consistently and believe in yourself. It does not have to be a masterpiece at the first instant, even genius make mistakes. If it was that easy, anybody will be as successful as Mark Zuckerberg. In conclusion, be creative at all cost.

Becoming more creative

In conclusion, by now, most people know hard work pays. To more creative in the new year, put in the work. Do not overlook little things, they might be your bang. Your alone time is precious, find the treasure in it. Lastly, make valuable friends. Your clique will most likely determine the kind of doors you get to access in life.

People trying to avoid sugar make these 7 mistakes

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Yes, sugar is known as the popular diabetes agent, sperm count reducer and weakening agent of the body. But do you know that while you’re trying to avoid this “sugar”, there is more than avoidance to it? In fact, you may simply be getting some things wrong.

picture depicts someone that avoid sugar

You Go To the Usual Store

You are trying to avoid what? And you go where? Please, you’re not God. The human flesh tends to go back to its sin. Run away from that sinful sugar, and you shall be saved from the punishment of diabetes and low sperm count.

If you go to the usual store you regularly buy your sugary items at, there’s no way that sugar is going to get out of you. You tend to say “Whatever, it’s just this once”, and the regular “once” would turn into a lifetime. So, avoid that store, and go to another one where you just want to get the things that are REALLY IMPORTANT.

You Don’t Have a Budget

Whenever you go to the supermarket or a mall, you know you never really intended to buy sugary items, BUT you said “let me take this extra cash, just in case I start drooling on candies”. It’s a no-no. You should write down your shopping list and exclude sugary items if you really want to avoid sugar. Also, have it in mind that you need to save some money, so buying a sugary item just causes more harm than good, so why venture into it?

You’re Not Reducing Sugar, You’re Killing It

There is a purpose for the term ‘blood sugar’ or ‘insulin’ or any other related ‘sugar’ enzymes or regulators in the body, so why eliminate sugar? You should not eliminate sugar totally from your blood. Low blood sugar levels have killed some people in the past and that is due to decreased energy. Sugar is known to make people hyperactive some times, yet it weakens some others.

The only way you can eat your cake and have it is to regulate your sugar. Measure it in the right proportions and balance it with less sugary items. You could even have a pattern—have sugar in one day, the next, no sugar, and the cycle continues. It could work, try it out!

Do You Even Know The Amount Of Sugar In Your Blood?

You need to be sure you don’t have so much sugar in your blood before you begin to avoid sugar. When you consume so much sugar, there is a chance that something like exercise or a particular activity is burning the sugar down. Though, the fact remains that you need to test your blood sugar level to be sure of the amount of sugar you have in your blood, and your doctor could assist with directing you on the particular food to eat or avoid.

Your doctor could suggest wheat meal, oats, corn foods, and other protein-rich substances. Also, s/he would suggest substances that flush sugar out of your system, and improve your metabolism. Food substances that contain wheat do this to the body.

You Don’t Read The List Of Ingredients

You know there are other names for sugar, right? Glucose, Sucrose, Galactose and others are kinds of sugars. The ingredient does not have to say ‘sugar’ before you should avoid it. All those ingredients mentioned are also included in some products. Also be sure to check products with tags ‘NO SUGAR ADDED’—you never can tell.

Getting more of what you want in life for sure

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We can’t all be satisfied, true. Still, there are some things you’ll really need to consider before giving up on having what you want.

getting what you want

Getting what you want

Although the level of contentment determine how happy we are. Notwithstanding, getting more of what you want in life will make you a happier person. These are some of the things that increase the chances of getting what you want in life.

Don’t Keep All Your Eggs in A Basket

So, you want to ace that test? Then you’ll just have to get various other materials on different other platforms. You cannot have all your course work in a single source, like your textbook. Why don’t you download course materials online, back up those materials on the cloud or drive, and just in case anything might happen to your laptop or phone, you can always borrow someone else’s laptop or phone to retrieve your files and use them?

You surely don’t want an F on that test, do you? The same goes for the working class people—you should ensure that your work is kept safe in order not to lose your job. This could be very dangerous and tricky. Ensure your soft copy documents are spread in different files for easy reference and submission before the deadline.

Don’t See Trouble and ‘Manage’ It

When you want something and it seems dangerous, don’t try ‘managing’ it. This is because you might just not be looking in the right direction. Keep moving until you get exactly what you’re looking for. For example, you need a serious relationship, but this girl keeps coming around because she’d gain something from you—why don’t you just tell her you’re not comfortable with it? You can’t just say “Oh, she’s the only one who’s around me. Let me ask her out” N-O! Keep looking; you might just find your Princess Charming.

Stay Patient

There are many opportunities in the world. Staying patient doesn’t however mean that you should sit back, watch, stay lazy, and expect miracles. You should make an effort to make things happen, but you should not just jump into things without thinking. That’s one mistake many people make. It is important that you analyze every decision you want to take before going into it. This is what patience requires.  If you are not patient, you might just get tired of trying, and that is something you would not want.

Don’t Be Covetous

“Hey! She drives a Benz!” So what? Who even cares about that except her and the people she is going to give rides to. You are not entitled to be like anybody else. Even if you have a so-called ‘role-model’, you do not need to have what that person has. It is uncalled for.

When you look around you, you see the things that you have achieved. Why look at someone else, and try to have what they have. Many times, some people get their so-called property from unreliable and illegal sources. Is that what you want to do? If you keep chasing these things, you might end up losing what you actually have, or getting into a lot of trouble. You might even lose your dignity and self-worth if you begin to chase castles someone else has built up in your head.

Last note

Lastly, you might want to read this piece on psychology behind happiness by ResearchFeatures.

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