Entrepreneurship, Inspirational, Personal development, Uncategorized

Learnt Helplessness and the Nigerian State

In 1965, Martin Seligman and his colleagues were doing research on classical conditioning, or the process by which an animal or human associates one thing with another. In the case of Seligman’s experiment, he would ring a bell and then give a light shock to a dog. After a number of times, the dog reacted to the shock even before it happened: as soon as the dog heard the bell, he reacted as though he’d already been shocked.

But then something unexpected happened. Seligman put each dog into a large crate that was divided down the middle with a low fence. The dog could see and jump over the fence if necessary. The floor on one side of the fence was electrified, but not on the other side of the fence. Seligman put the dog on the electrified side and administered a light shock. He expected the dog to jump to the non-shocking side of the fence.

Instead, the dogs lay down. It was as though they’d learned from the first part of the experiment that there was nothing they could do to avoid the shocks, so they gave up in the second part of the experiment.

Seligman described their condition as learned helplessness, or not trying to get out of a negative situation because the past has taught you that you are helpless.

Inspirational, Personal development, Sales & Marketing

How to be Successful -Tyler Perry

Ok so I stumbled on this Inspiring Echos from Tyler Perry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URWw-DdbewA

I hope you are inspired

Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspirational, Personal development, Sales & Marketing

5 Ways Millionaires Approach Their Careers

Hey, it’s 3:43am in Nigeria and I am excited because I just stumbled on this great piece written by Ken Sundheim on the entrepreneur webpage and I just know you will love it! Enjoy this read:

In the majority of cases, it’s not luck that makes people money, nor is it who they know. Rather, the people who make the most money in their careers are the ones who display discipline, and who have a definitive sense of purpose and heavy duty resiliency.

The positive news is that even if you don’t possess these skills now, it is very possible to obtain them. The first step in doing so is to analyze how millionaires approach their careers and begin to alter your thought processes, practices and overall professional approach.

To get you started, here are five ways the highly successful approach their careers:

1. Maintain an Open Mind and Active Imagination – Effective job seekers and entrepreneurs understand that tolerance and maintaining an open mind are necessities for anyone seeking wealth and prosperity from their job. They are not afraid of new ideas and understand that closed minds do not inspire faith, courage or belief.

MOST ENTREPRENEURS DON’T PLAN TO FAIL, THEY FAIL TO PLAN

I periodically read research reports about business failures. I always find them interesting, although often they are depressing.

Such as what I recently read. Which was research from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. This research found that 70% to 80% of new businesses fail within their first year.

And while this was frustrating enough to read, the research further stated that half of those companies which do survive the first year will fail within the next four years.

Now, let’s turn to the cause of this failure. According to Dun & Bradstreet, the number one cause of this failure is lack of business planning.

What this essentially means is this: entrepreneurs and business owners don’t plan to fail; rather, they fail to plan (which causes them to fail).

In my view, there are two types of business plans. The first is the business plan you must create when you start your company. The purpose of this plan is to ensure you have fully thought through your venture.

What Do you Do?

We had just gone to say hi to a neighbor who just moved into our area in Lekki Lagos. My wife and I went to say hi and welcome them to the Area with a cute basked of home made cheese cakes. After the Initial pleasantries and settling down to some of the snacks and a couple of drinks. The man of the house an avid investment Banker in his Mid 40’s threw the question

“…So what do you do?”

I was sure I muffled some words about being a Business Plan Consultant cum Management Trainer and whatever else came out…before handling over my Business card as if to say “figure it out yourself”. So the first question my wife asked when we got back home was;

“What was that about?” Before giving me a low-down of how unsure and unconvincing my statements were. I know it could be confusing when you are multi talented and can do a lot of things. How do you communicate such without sounding like a jerk or a confused person?

Inspirational, Love, Uncategorized

How Not to Destroy Your Marriage: 8 Tips for Staying a Happy Couple

“All marriages are happy. It’s the living together afterward that causes all the trouble”. -Raymond Hull

So how do you make your marriage work? Or do you just blindly hope it’ll take care of itself?

Think of a hot, successful date with someone you’re attracted to. You have fun, great conversation and more sexual chemistry than a warehouse full of pheromones. You don’t have to “work at” the date because it’s self sustaining. It runs as smoothly as the gliding hand of a classical guitar maestro and you can’t wait for another rendition.

But marriage, or any long term relationship; well that’s a whole other caboodle.

If we’re not careful, marriage can deteriorate into little more than a torturous assault course; littered with routine boredoms, frustrations and resentments. Couple all that with external pressures and sometimes marriage feels not worth the effort. But there are major benefits to being hitched or committed, other than just a beneficial tax regime.

Healthy marriage; healthy people

Being happily married bestows heaps of health benefits. You might be forgiven for thinking that if you’re married you don’t live longer it just seems like it but, no, a good marriage really can help you clock up more years (1) and married people are happier (2) even though they don’t always look it from the outside.

3 Things Start ups should avoid when talking to investors

People who advise entrepreneurs over a decent chunk of time tend to have the kind of world-weary perspective you’d expect from someone who has seen so many startups succeed or fail. They know what can scupper investment opportunities and turn off potential investors.

Wayne Barz manages entrepreneurial programs at Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, an economic development program to foster new companies and job growth. It runs an incubator for life science and technology companies called TechVentures. In a blog entry for its website this week, he called attention to three things startups should avoid when talking to investors.

Non-disclosure agreements It’s a rookie mistake that Barz says about 10 percent of the entrepreneurs he encounters make – asking Ben Franklin and other investors to sign a non disclosure agreement. “We do not sign NDAs at the very beginning of our relationship with you. In fact, it will be a fairly infrequent event for us to do so at any point. He adds that investors want to get a better understanding of the validity of a company’s technology, depending on what it is. Initial conversations focus on issues like where and how that concept fits, who the customers are that would use it and how the company would sell it to them.

Virtual teams Just because social networks like Google+, Skype and e-mail help people connect with each over great distances doesn’t mean it’s a good way to start a company. You need to have at least one room where you and your staff can meet. As Barz’s puts it: “A serious business has a founding team and that team is in a room together often. You can build a functional prototype, a beta site, or a proof-of-concept working from two or more garages or kitchen tables. But you cannot build a serious, scalable business from them.

Audacious claims like you have no competition Investors see right through this sort of boast and will make a mission of proving you wrong. As Barz points out:”Probably two-thirds of the founders I work with have uttered this to me, and it has been untrue every time.” Ouch. Investors want to know where their money is going so count on them to do some due diligence. If they’re unfamiliar with your sector chances are good they know people who are. And between the Internet and conversations, they’ll have their answers pretty quick.

Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspirational, Personal development, Sales & Marketing, Uncategorized

Ten Questions Still Baffling Scientists

Science has done a terrific job of answering some of the world’s most difficult questions, but certain mysteries still elude researchers. How does gravity work? Can your pet fish really predict an earthquake? Why do we yawn so much? Here’s what we don’t know and how close we are to figuring it out.

1. Why Do We Yawn?

Theories about why we yawn are as common as grumpy toddlers at nap time, but two explanations seem plausible after experimental tests. One is that yawns help cool the brain and optimize its performance. Psychologists at the State University of New York at Albany say it explains why we yawn when we’re drowsy: Like the fan in a computer, the yawn kicks in when our performance starts lagging.

But if yawns are our brains’ way of kick-starting their efficiency, why is yawning contagious? The brain-cooling camp suggests that it’s a way to maintain group vigilance and safety. When a member of a pack yawns, signaling that he is not functioning at his best, the whole group may need to yawn for a collective cognitive boost.

That’s not the only theory floating around, though. Another explanation contends that contagious yawning builds and maintains empathy between yawners. A sympathetic yawn signals an appreciation and understanding of someone else’s condition and subconsciously says, “Me too, buddy.” So which story is the accurate one? Scientists aren’t ready to declare a winner yet—they need a little time to sleep on it.
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Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspirational, Love, Personal development, Poems, Uncategorized

A note to the frustrated Dreamer- Tyler Perry

THIS IS FOR FRUSTRATED DREAMERS

I was driving in to work this morning and I started thinking about all the days I dreaded going to work. I was so sick of it… the job, my boss, the people I worked with, the traffic… I would wake up angry every morning. I didn’t want to deal with the crap of the job, but I was forced to go. I had been homeless, I was broke, living paycheck to hopefully the next paycheck. I couldn’t take a day off for fear I would get fired. I was just frustrated. I thought I hated my life and the job.

It was so aggravating because God had placed all these dreams and hopes in my soul and mind and I had no idea how they were going to come to pass. To have a dream of being something better and living better than the way I was at that moment and to not see a way of getting there felt like death to me. I thought, “Dear God, why would you give me so much hope and not make a way?” But what I learned through prayer was, with no path in front of you and no road map… this is where true faith begins. With faith I realized that I wasn’t frustrated with my life or the job, I was frustrated because I was a person who had dreams for myself, a person who had visions for my life and I wasn’t living it. Have you ever been there, where you felt so strongly that there was more to this life than what you see in front of you?

Interview Secrets Exposed!

interview-secrets-exposed If you are like me chances are you are a little tense when it comes to interviews. Whether with a new client for a new project, or a new Job entirely. I found this Wonderful document and I feel I should share with you.

I hope you’ll enjoy going through it in your leisure..

Just click to download!

Penexus Consulting