Author

Chipo

Motivational

Getting started with goal-setting

by Chipo
written by Chipo

We have heard all the tips and tricks about setting our goals and how we must see them through. Many motivation speeches have been laid out about setting goals. But, do we agree that setting goals and following them through all the way to achieving them are different things?

It is easy to come up with a list of things we want to achieve, but not so easy to go through with them. As we go on, we will realise that most of them tend to be unachievable, leaving us with tones of unfinished business on our to-do-lists. There are easy steps that may help cure this issue. Below are a few things to consider when setting your goals. You may take them all, or what seems to work for you.

How important is your goal?

It is easy to keep up with things we feel are useful or important to us. When a goal or task see to be unimportant, it is easily brushed off or left to be done at another time. Meaning, it can be easily buried under procrastination. But is you set clear goals and have some level of importance attached to it, it becomes easy and motivating to keep it going.

Are you emotionally attached to your goal?

Emotional attachment also helps you determine the importance of what you want to achieve. You can start by asking yourself questions like, how will achieving this goal make you feel? It is easy for people to work on things that are mean to bring them happiness or boost their confidence with time. Take for example when someone is on their weight-loss journey. They manage to work-out their way to ideal weight because they have emotional attachment to their program.

Is it meant to change or improve your life?

It is natural to always want to change one or all aspects of your life. Change is the one goal we are almost all chasing. Setting your goals with a positive change in mind gives you something to look forward to. When a specific goal is meant to bring some development, it tends to bring excitement that drives and motivates you.

Is your goal reasonable and achievable?

We often shoot ourselves in the foot by setting unreasonable goals that are almost impossible to achieve. A reasonable goal is one that you know you are capable of doing. You cannot set a goal of buying a car when you are financially incapacitated. Examples of reasonable goals span from finishing a project you are already working on or starting a project and you know you have the resources and knowledge needed to work on it.

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Career

The good thing about co-working spaces

by Chipo
written by Chipo

Co-working spaces are the new norm and they are booming across the globe. Entrepreneurs and creatives altogether now prefer co-working spaces, also known as hub spaces instead of acquiring an office for their business. They are favouring these setups for the convenience they provide as they are supposed to be cost effective in the long run.

You can find hubs that offer spaces to let for the day, week, month or even night. Anything that suits your terms and standards of work. There are also spaces for workshops, meetings, office desks, and even storage spaces for your equipment.

Co-working spaces are cost effective. You only use and pay rent for an office/desk when you need it. The very purpose of a co-working space is to provide start-ups with the benefit of only paying for the space they need. You could be in need of a conference area for a day, or a plug-and-play area for your writing or design tools, or you could be a solo-preneur planning to build your team over time. For some entrepreneurs, they will only need a pick and drop location for their client orders. Nothing can work better than a hub space for this kind of setup.

It helps in making good networks and helps in getting new clients. Exchanging ideas and skills is the integral part of the freelancing culture. Knowing fellow creatives and what they do can also help you easily find collaborators on bigger projects where one needs help. In a co-working space you will also have the opportunity to work alongside other entrepreneurs who will sharpen your skills. One can even have the opportunity to sign new clients within the hub space for the services you provide.

Working in a hub helps to ensure that work-life and home life is balanced. We live in a fast paced world. It becomes difficult to find the correct balance between work and home life balance. This is especially in relation to those who work from home. It is easy to set up a home office, but even more difficult to set boundaries for office hours and family time.

Productivity and creativity is increased when you rent in a co-working space. Working amongst peers and colleagues makes the workload easier. Working from a hub space brings in a spirit of collaboration. When working from home, it is easy for things to get stale as you are set in your ways. In a co-working space you are given the freedom to explore your creativity with the resources availed to you. It perfects the balance between working from home and working with others.

It may even allow you to pick additional skills you would not have acquired on your own. The benefits of interacting with others are endless. You get a chance to learn from them and learn with them. With co-working spaces, you get the chance to interact with people from other specialities and professions and this will expand your ability to think outside the box. A hub space is a pool of all kinds of start-ups that will benefit you in upskilling and trying new things.

With more people finding work in a digital space, the need for work life balance and separate office space from home has become popular. Some digital nomads find it difficult to work in a home office and a co-working space for freelancers and entrepreneurs can help solve this problem.

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Health & FitnessMotivationalRelationshipsSelf Development

Is your cup full, before you pour into others?

by Chipo
written by Chipo

Growing up we used to have a clap-back for the boys who would tout at us. “Usuzithande waqeda yini usuzothanda mina?”, meaning “have you loved yourself enough before you decided to love me?”. Back then, it was just us telling the boys to “buzz off!”. But, as we grew older and looking back at it now, we realise there was more meaning to it than we realised. This was not just a simple question, and it raises so many questions and meaning into it. Do you love yourself enough to know you can love someone else? Do you care for yourself enough to know you have enough care for others? Before you pour into others, is your cup full?

Time and again, life lessons have proven to us that you cannot give what you do not have, nor act upon something, when your energy is depleted. The same applies to personal relationships. Building a healthy relationship requires you to be healthy yourself in the first place. You cannot take care of others, while you also need care for yourself. The phrase “you cannot pour from an empty cup” has a lot to do with self care. If anything, it should be the first rule when it comes to building and maintaining relationships. Take care of yourself first, before you can take care of others. The same goes in love. You cannot love others when you do not love yourself.

When you are depleted you cannot offer our best selves to the world. You have to be mindful of our own needs and ensure that you are taking care of ourselves first. This means taking time for self-care, getting enough rest and eating a healthy diet. It also means taking time for the things you enjoy, such as spending time with friends and family or engaging in hobbies.

It is also important to recognise when you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed. This can be a sign that you are in need of some self-care and it is important to take the time to focus on your own needs. When things get overwhelming and you cannot seem to catch up with your own self, take a break from what demands the most of you. Disconnect from the hustle and bustle of life, and catch your breath. This will help you reset and restore your personal energy. It does not have to cost you so much.

The most important to remember is that you cannot give what you do not have. Unless you refill what has been depleted, you cannot continue giving. You cannot pour from an empty cup. You have to make sure to take care of yourself so that you can give your best to the world. Besides, how will you know how to love and care for others, when you do not know how to do it to yourself? Unless, if you are toxic.

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