Category: Lifestyle

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Five Travel Basics

travel basics

Next time you plan to embark on a journey make sure to observe these travel basics. Every travel is a project and so there must be adequate planning and preparations. Hence, if you want your travel project to be successful, all travel protocols and documentation must be fully observed. For international travelers procurement of necessary traveling documents like a valid international passport with required visas(which should be valid for at least six months from the start of the trip), health book (with a record of immunization), traveling insurance, flight ticket, etc, is very important.

However, whether you are traveling by air, road, rail, or sea, or whether you are on an international or local trip, you must duly observe these five travel basics.

Make Inquiries

Before you travel make sure you inquire extensively about your trip. Gather as much information as you can because the success of your travel depends very much on the information at your disposal. You should endeavor to get both front-end and back-end information. Inquire about the financial implications of such travel. Get to know about the currency, the exchange rate, the mode of transportation, etc. Information about the culture and language of the people is a plus. And if possible get a travel guide handbook.

Book your ticket on time

It is required whether by air, rail, or road to get your travel tickets ahead of time. It is better to get your tickets a couple of weeks or days ahead. Avoid the unnecessary stress and hassles of late booking. You can as well book from the convenience of your home or office and pay with your credit/debit card from the online portals of most operators.
I will advise you go for a return ticket to save some cash. You can also get a fair deal with the operators as most operators usually give discounts for every return ticket, and for every ticket purchased ahead of time. Next time try booking ahead of time as this will give you enough time to prepare and rest ahead of the journey.

Road to Nowhere

Pack your Luggage neatly

Do not pack your luggage in a hurry. Make out time say a day before your travel to pack your baggage. If possible draft a list of items you intend to travel with and pack them neatly in a sizable box or case. Avoid the temptation of packing the items you don’t need of. This will be useless as it will weary you. You must remember to pack important items like your medication if any, your credit card, your travel ticket, little cash, few pieces of clothing – depending on the duration of your travel. Also, you must not forget to pack relevant documents, contact details of your host, and any other thing that will make you stranded.

Monitor your Food Intake

Prior to travel, it is very important to watch what you eat or drink. To a large extent the comfort you enjoy on each travel depends on what you eat or drink. Avoid certain vegetables, meals, and juices. And where it is advisable you don’t take water to avoid ice as these might upset your stomach. For instance, this stomach upset might lead to purging. And this might rub off the comfort and excitement of the travel. I recommend you eat at least half an hour before you travel. However, if you must eat in the course of the trip as some operators usually serve food and drinks on board. So, eat only what will not make you feel nausea and start vomiting on board. So be wise.

Keep your Contact Details

Make sure you get the valid address or functional phone number of your host, or where you are going. And make sure you confirm the authenticity of such contact before embarking on such travel. This is to avoid becoming stranded when you arrive at your destination. Make sure you inform your friends, family, associates, or hotel to pick you up immediately on arrival. This stage if not well managed will degenerate into a horrible and sour experience. Or how would you feel in a strange land without any contact to define your next move?

Certainly, you will feel frustrated, stranded, marooned, and disappointed and wish you never embarked on such futile travel. You might even have issues with immigration officials. Moreover, if you are unfortunate you might be put on the next available flight back to where you are coming from. So, next time you travel make sure you follow these five travel basics, and experience pleasure, and comfort. Have a safe and pleasant travel.

Imagine, believe, and dare to succeed.

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Knowledge: Master Key to Greatness

knowledge

In this very post, we shall look at a very powerful lifeline to success. This lifeline is none other than knowledge. Knowledge is a master key that unlocks greatness. For the discerning mind, every circumstance we find ourselves in is a golden opportunity to learn new rudiments of life. There are lots of things one can learn about life to enforce your conquest over challenges of adversity. Hence, the acquisition of knowledge is very crucial to firmly assert your authority in any field of endeavor.

Knowledge Empowers

In the words of Francis Bacon, (1561-1626), ‘knowledge is power. Knowledge empowers greatness. Whether spiritual, financial, academic, or mental empowerment knowledge is the key. Hence, the power you need to rise above your challenges and succeed in life lies in what you know. It is embedded in knowledge. Knowledge opens you up to the secrets of successful living. You must go for knowledge. And to acquire this knowledge you must be ready to learn. The channels of learning are inexhaustible. We shall examine a few of them.

Knowledge through Mentorship

Mentorship empowers you for problem-solving, and also to handle challenges as they come. Knowledge acquired by mentorship is a highly specialized one and so is superior. It dispels ignorance. So when it comes to mentorship academic background or records amounts to little. Rather, what matters most is your passion and willingness to learn.

Mentorship can be advanced as a relationship in which a person with a wealth of experience in a specialized field helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable individual. This is achieved through the impartation of specialized skills and knowledge, and a wealth of experience. The aim of mentorship is to discover and unlock potential. The products of the process are highly successful in their chosen fields.

It is ideal for the unveiling of talents. One key target of mentorship is the discovery, nurturing, and unveiling of talents. Mentorship helps in the fulfillment of dreams and aspirations. It is an outlet for the expression of latent potentials. It brings out the best in people and connects them to fame and stardom. Hence, mentorship is ideal for professional, and personal growth and development

Expand your Horizon

In any circumstance, you find yourself you must understand that you are not the first. And that you will never be the last. Many people have passed through the same challenges and they have overcome them in their own times. These are people I refer to as heroes of all time. They are people who against all the odds of life have left their indelible footprints in the sands of time. These are people you must follow and learn from. You must follow the footprints they have left behind as these footprints point to conquest in life. You must study and learn from their experiences. Learn the challenges they had to contain, in their own times of adversity and how they overcame such challenges.

This is the secret to success. There is a popular notion that says that behind every success story there is a secret. Endeavor to learn these success secrets and brace yourself up for conquest in life.

When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package – Jane Rogers.

You should not confine yourself to your own little world. Expand your horizon if you want to make any meaningful impact in life. Tap into the world of men and women who have succeeded in life before you. Note that the incentive you need to succeed in life is in their stories. Even though their experiences may differ from your own considering other factors, you must learn from them. Study them and learn from their errors and mistakes so that you will not make a shipwreck in life. Extract these conquest secrets and add to what you know. Fortify and expand your knowledge base. This is wisdom. Understand that it is this wisdom that will lead and direct you to greatness in life.

Source of Inspiration

Knowledge inspires a great deal. All my life, I find reading the biography of great men very fascinating. The success stories of these great men and women have served as a catalyst and adrenaline surge powering me in the quest for success. I have studied, analyzed, and understood the extraordinary attitude they exhibited in the face of challenges. These people did not surrender or give up on life when they were bombarded by the catatonic missiles of adversity. Even when they were hit by these missiles of life and fall, they stood up unruffled. They are gladiators who when life pushed them pushed back at life. They were not in any way overwhelmed by the circumstances of life but they fought back with everything at their disposal.

In addition, these great men and women on the boisterous sea of life did not make any shipwreck sailing against the tides of life but with extreme dexterity and mastery sailed to their safe haven. These people are very outstanding in their achievements in life and they deserve our accolades. In fact, they are role models that are worthy of emulation. Therefore you must tap into their stories, learn their secrets and apply them for your conquest in adversity.

Unending Knowledge

You must not stop learning if want to sustain your success and remain at the top. Another knowledge of life is that there is no limitation to the purposeful mind. These are people who the world did not give any chance of survival. They were neither born with a silver spoon, but they knew what they wanted out of life. They stood their ground and gave themselves a chance in the world. And through determination and dint of hard work they were able to carve a niche for themselves in life’s hall of fame.

Finally, every innovation, invention, or notable achievement in life is a product of knowledge. Knowledge unveils the mystery of life. It does not matter where you are in life right now, or your position on the ladder of success. You might even be in the very abyss of mediocrity but your knowledge determines the direction you will head to. This is what successful people do, in spite of their numerous challenges, they arm themselves with knowledge. Some of them came from a relatively poor and educationally backward backgrounds, but they understood the need to change their status quo. And they made efficient use of every opportunity that came their way through knowledge. You too can but you need to update and expand your knowledge base. Go for knowledge, it is the master key you need to unlock your world of possibilities.

Remember to always imagine, believe, and dare to succeed.

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The World in the Eyes of the Physically Challenged

physically challenged

Right from childhood, I have come across many physically challenged folks. One of them, my cousin was crippled on both legs right from birth. So I grew up knowing what it felt like to be physically challenged. Moreover, while in the university I had a roommate who unfortunately lost his right arm in an auto accident, and who even though he was right-handed had to live with the challenge of surviving with his left arm. This dude hated to be pitied and so with the support of his teeth he can do his laundry, iron his clothes, knot his ties, and dress up with his left arm.

More so, in the course of my job I have been opportune to deal with so many customers including the physically challenged and people with special needs – the aged, blind, deaf, dumb, etc. I have had to pass across notes, gesticulate with my hands, and use sign language in order to communicate with them. In all, these experiences with the physically challenged have made me understand that they have an eye through which they view the world. However, to understand this better we must first understand what worldview is all about.

The word worldview or outlook is derived from the German word Weltanschauung composed of two German words – welt meaning ‘world’ and ‘Aushauung’ meaning ‘view ‘ or ‘outlook’. The word is a concept that is fundamental to German philosophy and epistemology. It is a wide world perception, the framework of ideas and beliefs, or a set of global descriptions through which any individual or group or culture watches and interprets the world and interacts with it. It is worthy to note that our thinking, behavior, action, speech, decision-making, etc are all affected by our worldview. In other words, the mentality of a person or people is informed by the worldview of events and happenings around them. Hence, worldview is the prism through which we all view the world for a unique world experience and better cognitive orientation of the world around us.

The physically challenged individuals have a worldview. It is the eye through which they look at the world. And this worldview shapes their thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, etc. They see themselves as an integral part of the community. They believe they have something to contribute to humanity and so should be included in the scheme of things. In addition, they want to have a sense of belonging. Hence, anything short of this is seen as a threat to their worldview. We must integrate them into our society. 

 The Major challenge

The physical challenged face so many challenges. My encounter with Mr. Olamelekan Arogundade, chairman of SCIAN – Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria confirms this. According to him, an average physically challenged individual is discriminated against. They are not consulted on a variety of things even in decisions affecting them. Therefore, in their world view, they see the world as unfair and unjust to them. Hence, they tend to view life through a prism tainted with fear and distrust.

In my opinion, one of the ways we can help is by promoting inclusion and diversity. As we all know there is strength in diversity. So our effort should be more than doubled in supporting the campaign for all-inclusiveness. Every one of us must understand that we are agents of inclusion with the mandate of selflessness, equity, and fairness. We must not discriminate rather we must consider all irrespective of their status whether they are physically challenged or people with special needs. In all fairness and equity, we must make feel respected and belong. 

However, doing this requires a unique mindset. This mindset must be one that anchors on the belief that these people are also an integral part of the larger society. We must not discriminate against them. We must give them a sense of belonging by making them feel loved, respected, and valued. Doing this will require us to see the world through our own eyes.  Hence, to understand their worldview or the prism through which they view life; we must put ourselves in their position each time we make decisions that will affect them. We must exhibit a high level of selflessness by feeling the pulse of their pains, needs, desires, and aspirations.

Discrimination and Stigmatization of people with special needs in our societies are challenges we must overcome to succeed in the campaign for diversity and inclusion. Obviously, this whole thing begins with us. It is the responsibility of every one of us to promote inclusiveness whether in the workplace, schools, families, banks, hospitals, etc. We must always give special consideration to physically challenged persons and people with special needs. These people are not only part and parcel of the larger society but an integral part of it. They are just victims of circumstances. So, our responsibility is to help them to explore the world around them. And to get the best world experience.

However, to get this right we must work in conjunction with the physically challenged persons. It said that he that wears the shoe knows where it pinches. So we must consult them to know how we can help them explore the world around them. Be curious ask them questions and I assure you that you will get the right answers. They are willing if given the opportunity to contribute their own quota in solving societal problems as it affects them. So ask them to tell you what they need to make them feel belonged, are respected, and valued. Finally, next time you make a decision or take action consider the people with disabilities or special needs. You must see the world in the eyes of the physically challenged.

Imagine, believe, dare to succeed

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Rising Above Challenges: How to Overcome Challenges

rising above challenges

Many people are afraid of challenges and the fear of these challenges has denied them happiness and satisfaction in life. As far as fulfillment is concerned many are bruised and cast down and they find it difficult to rise because of the fear of challenges. This post is dedicated to allay your fears of challenges. Rising above challenges is the true test of real happiness and satisfaction. You should understand that your success lies in your ability to rise above challenges.

Challenges are not abnormal rather they are normal phenomena of life. And we encounter them every day in our pursuit of fulfillment. In fact, they are realities of life. And every circumstance of life has its own attendant challenges. They are tests that we must all pass to qualify for a life of fulfillment. Challenges test our strengths, skills, and abilities. However, many people in this test have been stampeded and trodden down because of their inability to overcome these challenges of life.

Rising Above Challenges: A top priority

Rising above challenges must be your utmost preoccupation if you dream of a successful life marked by happiness and satisfaction. You must take the bull by the horns and confront your challenges if you don’t want to be a victim of circumstance. Challenges come in the guise of stumbling blocks whereas they are actually stepping stones to a life of success and fulfillment.

Challenges in this regard are difficulties and hiccups which we encounter in carrying out specific assignments or tasks. They have also frustrated the well-orchestrated efforts of many in the pursuit of success. Therefore, rising above challenges should be a top priority for anyone who dreams about success. On the other hand, many have confronted and overcome their challenges. As I said, earlier man is a creature of instinct – Instinctive by nature. And will instinctively fight for survival when in precarious situations. Hence by instinct, you are well enamored to confront and overcome your challenges.

Testimonials

Obviously, your success comes only when you challenge and rise above challenges. Stories abound of many who have found fulfillment in life after they overcame and rose above their challenges. And I would like to share the stories of two such highly fulfilled individuals. In fact, if they could rise above their challenges, then you are well disposed to rise above your own challenges.

At the peak of his football career, a young man was diagnosed with a serious heart defect. His life was threatened; his career was also threatened as well as his destiny. It seemed as if he had come to the dead end of his life and career. The circumstance was a barefaced definition of adversity, one that could ruin his life, career, and destiny. All his achievements were about to go down the drain at one single stroke of a challenge. But he persevered, fought back, and was able to rise above this major health challenge. He went through heart surgery which was very successful and he emerged a conqueror.

Today, we celebrate him as a legend of African football. His name is Nwankwo Kanu a.k.a Papilo, two times African footballer of the year and one of the most decorated African footballers of all time. Many of his exploits came after this adversity. This adversity also gave birth to a Foundation – the Kanu Heart Foundation which has assisted many with heart defects through surgery to correct the anomalies. A lot of people have benefited from the goodwill of this Foundation. This Foundation has put smiles on the faces of little children and young adults in Nigeria and other African countries that are majorly his targeted audience and spared many parents the agony of losing their children. You can see how Kanu rose above the challenge of major health crises, and positively he has impacted many lives.

Testimonial #2

The Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) is a leading non-profit and non-governmental organization galvanizing action against breast cancer in Nigeria. It was founded in 1997 by the first lady of Ondo state Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, who is a breast cancer survivor herself. Today BRECAN is increasingly improving the lives of many victims of breast cancer who would have succumbed to the disease due to ignorance and lack of support. But after her ordeal and survival, she launched a campaign against breast cancer in Nigeria. According to her “I could not keep quiet after I survived”.

She fought and survived the dreaded breast cancer and floated BRECAN to cater to victims of breast cancer. In other words, she rose above the health challenge and she is now impacting the lives of women with breast cancer. No matter how tough your challenge might seem it is possible for you to rise above it and add value to other people’s life. Understand that the big deal is not that you are faced with challenges, many have, and many to date are still passing through challenges. The big deal is how you can manage the realities of these challenges. The way you handle them will determine whether you will succeed and live a fulfilled life.

Manage your Challenges well

You must know that no matter how tough or difficult your challenge might be rising above challenges is possible. But it all depends on how well you manage the challenges. In other words, you can turn your challenge to your own advantage. Bear it in your mind that no matter how difficult or hopeless your challenge may seem you can still overcome it. The secret is your willpower, your determination. You must be willing, you must be determined, you must be resolute. Remember, where there is a will there is a way. So be willing, rise up and take advantage of your challenge. With your determination, you can get yourself up from the dust until you rise above your stubborn challenges.

What are those things that threaten your peace and happiness? You must stand your ground and defy them. The high point of fulfillment is asserting your success even in the midst of challenges. You must attack, demystify, or mesmerize your challenges. Challenges come in various forms and shades. And one remarkable feature of the challenge is that where one challenge ends another begins. But interestingly, the momentary response of many to challenges is that of despair and hopelessness. They are easily intimidated by challenges. They become afraid and want to avoid challenges with utmost carefulness. But the truth of the matter is that in life we are bound to encounter challenges. These challenges are not only temporary, we can also overcome them. And every challenge we overcome opens up a new vista of happiness and satisfaction.

Challenges Make you Stronger

that which does not kill you makes you stronger – Nietzsche

Don’t be afraid of challenges. It cannot kill you but can only make you stronger. No matter the toughness of your challenges you have all it takes to rise above them. As we already know, challenges test our abilities. Through challenges, we are able to discover new talents, while we are able to learn and perfect new skills. Hence, proper handling of challenges brings out the best in us.

Finally, rising above challenges means that you see beyond your present predicament. You can only see the silver lining in the cloud of success when you raise your sight above your present situation. Don’t be myopic in your view of problems, take your eyes off your problems rather look at your abilities. You can attest to the fact that challenges are not forever. For instance, a few months or years back you were grappling with intimidating challenges that seem to sink you but today they have fizzled out as they appeared. Don’t kill yourself because of your problems they are not worth it; rather be optimistic, hopeful, and patient as you do your best believing that you will soon overcome.

Imagine, believe, and dare to succeed.