Tag: family

The Insights: What Will We Do After Corona? 21 Projected Changes…

To stand still is to be left behind

COVID_19 will incorporate changes throughout the USA and worldwide. Gone are the days of resistance to societal changes. There will be some who still resist but soon they will be dormant. To stand still is to be left behind.  But while we wait for the cure, a new vaccine and more, we practice safe measures, quarantines and more.  Here are a few basic gleanings that’s highly possible will become the norm for businesses and individuals:

  1. Some organizations may incorporate work-from-home for some positions as a new way of working.
  2. Some employees delighted for the break, may never return to work in a physical office structure. We call it exposure to work / life balance.
  3. Some businesses may never recoup and go under.
  4. Some businesses will expand or diversify. For example, a business that provides recruitment to hundreds of hotels has been placed on hold as the hospitality industry was forced to a halt. Meanwhile the healthcare industry booms in response to the pandemic. Same business but incorporating different industries. We call it diversification.
  5. Some Celebrities will fade while others will enormously gain.
  6. Smaller churches and religious leaders exposed to the expanse of online possibilities to minister to the sick and shut-in. No doubt they will venture out bench-marking those well known preachers. Competition rampant even among churches? Yikes!
  7. World-wide Entertainment. The exposure of Digital media to those who didn’t have a clue of its existence (living in the dark ages, I’d say). Online movie-goers will expand into mobile users accompanying their musical mix. Expansion, expansion, expansion.
  8. Some parents… now introduced to the ‘joys‘ of home-schooling, will decide to do so as a way of life. Better Control and safety they’ll say.
  9. Some parents may even start their own school.  Hmm …the exhilarated insight to new entrepreneurship!
  10. Lets not forget healthcare as more patients, workers, laissez faires will be more willing to use telemedicine!  Yep! no more resistance to the doctor-on-call.
  11. Research and Development (R&D) will speed up provided they have the investment/ financial funding.
  12. Record numbers of census sign-ups…never seen before?
  13. Real Estate will see increased number of interests from homeowners who will want a dedicated space to work at home. Four bedroom anyone?
  14. More will be willing to purchase their dream cars online. Oh the delights to test-drive and return later for a better ride
  15. Some barbers and hairdressers will lose business as clients will try to do their hair at home. Yep! Mistakes get better with time.
  16. Other Masters of hair-care will expand as they become more mobile or more flexible… trying this, that, or the other.
  17. Virtual meetings will soar as those who didn’t know become exposed and be bold enough to experience the joys of technology …the virtual enabler.
  18. E-commerce will soar making virtuality a normality for sure
  19. Oh and what of governments, policies, and politics? We’ll leave that for you to explore.
  20. Individualized self-discovery, and willingness to learn will explode, giving rise to
  21. The escalation in anything new as we innovate, innovate, innovate!

 

Tons more will rise but for now it’s your turn. Any changes you have noticed that you would like to add? Do share. We would love to hear!

Cheers!

What Happened To Friday?

Friyay! Yay! Every-day-a-Friday! Thank-God-it’s-Friday! All popular BC. Yep! Before Corona. The virus. Before the world became infected with the silence that’s so deafening. Questions prevail. What is Corona? How do we avoid? Will it ever leave? Panicked? Curious? Hopeful? Wash hands. Change clothes. Sanitize. Clean. Clean. Clean.

Remote Work

Now with remote work everyone is at home…but quarantined. Yikes! That’s not what we were thinking? Every-day-a-Friday meant being able to stay home, enjoy life, work when you want, go on vacations, long days at the beach soaking up the sun, time with friends and family… simply lounging around doing only what you want to do.

So what happened to Friday? For now its here everyday…though employers watch closely in the distance. Workers, co-workers, family feel more relaxed, yet hopefully more productive as work gets done in a more ‘soothing’ environment.

Tell it to Our Hearts

Tell it to our hearts. With kids at home away from school…maybe that’s not what we meant when we said every-day-a-Friday.

Hold strong. This too shall pass and our real Fridays will return. In the meantime, wash your hands. Keep safe.

Cheers!

Professionals Share 21 Pro-Tips on How To Work Remotely…

Either you run the day or the day runs you.

In a public forum, renowned author Seth Godin asked professionals to share their approach to working remotely. Here are a excerpts of their responses I gleaned as they thunderously chimed in.

  1. Create a designated working space with everything in reach.
  2. Deep work in the morning. Lighter work in afternoon.
  3. Go outside at least once a day
  4. Divide time into 30 minute segments, making sure a task is attached to each. Regular short breaks, food.
  5. Stick to a schedule and treat self to a half hour sitcom during lunch. A good lunch keeps mindset light.
  6. I work from home but my husband doesn’t. Feel like my space is being invaded a little. I always stick to a routine and make sure I dress as though I’m leaving the house. That helps my mindset a lot.
  7. Shower and dress well. Focus on one (only one) major item to accomplish that day.
  8. Act as if you are in an office. Dress, voice and stature. Be even more engaged by email and on calls ideally video. Make presence felt virtually. Do brief turn-the-chair around update chats by messenger and quick zoom call.
  9. How can some (e.g. a dentist) work from home? In response to this question personally I say, plan, strategize future business and/or personal goals.
  10. Do breathing exercises and make sure environment working in isn’t distracting.
  11. Take one hour shift with partner to manage young kids home from school.
  12. Eat lunch with friends over video calls.
  13. Set up own schedule and share with friends to chat when not working
  14. Building a machine learning model.
  15. No prototype…no work meeting. Have a tangible artifact to collaborate on or review
  16. The one thing I appreciate is that I can work from home (and thinking of those who cannot).
  17. More focused… meaning work gets done earlier than disruptions in office (i.e. called to meetings, discussions etc). Then Netflix to end the day.
  18. This is a time to reflect, learn and innovate.
  19. Bought flowers this week. Brightens the view on a rainy day
  20. Made office space private and more organized. When door closed, no one bothers.
  21. Set a goal that you can meet each day that will help you feel accomplished at the end of the day. Oh… and talk to someone each day about something other than work. Social distancing does not mean social isolation.

Any missing that you would like to add? Do share. We would love to hear!

Cheers!

A Look Back On The Decade …

Wow what a decade! Amazing Achievements! Births, marriages, deaths, regrets. But that’s called life…right?

I’m a firm believer in looking back to forge ahead. In business we look back to assess our performance. Often it’s even mandated. Eons ago, I adopted the custom to apply the same principles to my own personal life. For that reason, as we approach the end of 2019, here are a few of my major points gleaned from the past decade.

Writings. Publishings.

Beyond beating the books I experienced a new phenomenon. A dream I never knew I had, but a dream that poof! became real! I published six books including an article in the JAABC Business Journal. My research on leadership and success paved the way to my journey. Success is a Phenomenon that has defied many. As I delved into the opportunity I had to explore a topic for my dissertation, I reflected on what I could research that would satisfy my desire to help others. And oops there it was!

I decided on leadership and success. Whether we like it or not, we all lead…if not others, we lead ourselves. I thought it fitting to use my research to publish books on Personal Development including Motivational Quotes for New Entrepreneurs; Success Strategies which tell how to gain success in your Career, from preparing your own public profiles through acing those nerve-racking interviews, as well as what to do when you land that new job. All are points of focus.

Suffice it to say, it’s not enough to focus only on the tangibles. Our inner prowess is essential to our spiritual well-being. I concretized my thoughts in book GreenLight comprised of inspirational short stories and exhortations to drive your inner self-talk.

Over the years, I also chose to satisfy followers’ passion and post daily motivational Quotes on Instagram. Documentary video created on the campus of Nova Southeastern University is available on Facebook for engagement. It depicts the discussion on immigrant leaders sharing their views on Success and how they achieved it.

Accomplishments

I was almost floored when I learnt from an alumni (who I had never met), about the recognition I had received on Nova Southeastern’s website. The journey became real. A selfless person as I have been told, imagine my surprise when I clicked the link and saw my face. Wow! Satisfaction indeed.

Since then, I have coached many and helped doctoral candidates on their journey. Sharing how to publish their own research has been my joy. It’s also been a delight to have contributed to other authors realizing their own writing dream. Among them two famed figures including Reggae Music’s iconic founder, Pat Chin. Her book The Reggae Music Journey is set to be launched in 2020 memorializing her 40-year sojourn to the industry. Among labels she built are famed artists the likes of Sean Paul, Shaggy, Beres Hammond, and many others.

Recognition was also received from the South Florida Writers of Color for contribution to the community and organization.

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Community Service

It’s always a pleasure to lead the panel of judges at the annual 30 Under 30 Millennial leaders who are making distinct impact on leadership ventures across the United States and the Caribbean. Millennials are engaged in initiatives in film, engineering, educational development, farming, and more. The event is held annually by the Institute of Caribbean Studies in Washington DC. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Washington DC, hosts the event.

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Serving on the board of the Hospitality and Human Resource Association of Broward County, over the past few years has been meaningful. As I sought to identify talented keynote speakers for developmental offerings to HR industry leaders, it has fostered my own 20+ year growth in the profession.

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Giving thanks for partnership with Writers of Color, that paved the way to various  community centers and library presentations throughout South Florida. Stay tuned for continued signings and community presentations in 2020, especially through new book “Ditch it. Switch it“, to be launched early 2020. Other signings were held in New York and Washington DC. Listen out for book tour in the coming year.

On A Personal Note

As we all know, life happens. I lost my mom (one of society’s first female automobile mechanics) and my brother, a-day-apart. Then later I lost my sister due to the ravages of cancer. Nonetheless, I use their life’s journey as my motivation to climb to higher heights.

On a brighter note, I’ve experienced the delights of my daughter’s two lil ones during this decade. They’re now pushing me beyond my comfort zone with their quest for me to drive my YouTube presence (eyes rolled). One to never back down, I have accepted the challenge (though not for the reasons they assume ha ha).

As always the decade was filled with travels. My greatest personal memory was that shared with my girls when we visited New Orleans. Just leave it to my oldest who is a travel enthusiast with a thirst for new experiences. Tons of smiles as we went live at Essencefest with Queen Latifah and the cast of  ‘Girl’s Trip‘, which made the visit all the more fun. Oh and let me not forget my quick getaway weekend in Paris! Short but amazing time. Thanks girls!

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Paris

This proud mom also watched her younger daughter accept double degrees in Forensic Science and Criminal Justice, while the older one continues to climb the corporate ladder. Yes my girls are growing …though I wish they’d stay my lil girls forever (smile).

Finally, looking back on the past decade, the memories made, the difficulties and the goals tackled, I am truly thankful. I now look forward to the future and the Great expectations ahead. Can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Here’s to you and your family as we wish you health, peace, and the hope that all will be well in 2020, and beyond.

Happy New Year to you!

Cheers!

 

Keep Pushing…

Keep pushing

Steve Harvey was teaching his little grandson to ride a bike for the first time. He kept repeating the words “keep pushing“. As I watched the short clip that his wife Marjorie posted, I reflected on the lesson in that clip.

Life’s Challenging Quests

In life we need to keep pushing. Sometimes we don’t push hard enough and want to give up when the going gets tough or rough (whatever word you want to add to those grueling times). But then it’s at those very times that we need to keep pushing.

We achieve success one push at a time.

Cheers!

It’s Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas! 11 Songs That Inspire…

There’s nothing like the magic of Christmas! The songs bring cheer ushering the spirit of the season. Reflecting on 11 Songs that remind me of why I love this time of the year.

Success Strategies

It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas! The Holidays! Whatever you call it… to me its the most wonderful time of the year! People are kind, joyful, generous, smiling, pretty-all dressed up for those office parties, and family gatherings! There’s sumptuous food, Folly jolly chocolate delights, gifts and so much more! Yes, I know there’s always the Grinch but they’re just a few, so let’s not let them spoil it for us too.

Music of the Season

The season kicks off with holiday music… and today I would love to share them all!  Hey, I’m just kidding! I will just share 11 of my favs!

  1. All I want want for Christmas is you (Mariah Carey)
  2. It’s the most wonderful time of the year (Andy Williams)
  3. Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
  4. Feliz Navidad (Jose Feliciano)
  5. Mary did you know (Pentatonix)
  6. Silent Night…

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Even On A Team Dreams May Differ…

If I had planned my life, it never would have ended up like this. So maybe it’s kind of fun not to plan. Maybe it’s more fun just to see where life takes you. ~Joanna Gaines

In a relationship, dreams may differ. In a striving organization, dreams may differ. On a professional team, siblings growing up together…in all these scenarios, dreams may differ. Each person has his/her own goals and objectives which contributes positively to the end result. Negatively? Not so.

Let’s consider Marie and Alex, both managers who are working on a marketing project to achieve their department’s goal. Marie wants the project to succeed because she has her eyes on that coveted promotion. Alex wants to succeed because his family is growing and he’s hoping to get that mega increase to move into a bigger space to suit his family’s needs.

Goals Should Align

Goals should align though. How we get there may differ but they should align.

But as Joanna said … be open. Plan it but let it flow in whichever direction it chooses. You’ll get there if you don’t give up

Cheers!

11 Epic Christmas Movies…

Just love the holidays! Absolutely love the holidays! The air is different. The spirit of Christmas is evident. Family, laughter, fun, and cheer fills the atmosphere. Lights everywhere brightens the sky ushering the spirit of the season. Not to mention the gifts; the fun; the parties and so much more.

Movies

Though I write and it brings me joy, there’s nothing like a good movie. I’m not talking the hallmark type where we can predict the end. It’s always the ideal ending. I’m talking real entertainment. Fun times with the family. Here I share 11 epic holiday movies.

  1. A Christmas Story
  2. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
  3. Home Alone
  4. The Holiday
  5. Scrooged
  6. A Christmas Carol
  7. This Christmas
  8. Jingle All The Way
  9. Christmas With The Kranks
  10. The Family Stone
  11. Miracle on 34th Street
  12. Die Hard
  13. Elf

Curl up with popcorn, your favorite blanket, dog or your love and enjoy the delight of these unforgettable holiday movies.

From the list, how many have you seen? Any missing? Add your fav.

Cheers!

Get your copy of book GreenLight and start planning for your holiday gift list.

Cancer. My Sister’s Journey…

My sister’s Journey. We all know someone who has been affected. For me, it has personally been my grandma, my mom but most of all my little sister. Here I share her journey as a fighter. A leader extraordinaire. She never gave up and I hope her journey inspires someone who needs it.

Success Strategies

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She’ll have my head if she knows I’m writing this but some stories must be told.

That was how I started this story four years ago but don’t think it was ever published. It was the spring of 2003, after experiencing discomfort and a series of medical tests, the news was relayed to my sister. Not only did they find a lump in her breast but it was also malignant. Visits to Specialists left her with two options; remove the breast, or embark on a series of chemo treatment. The option of removal was an uncommon feat at the time, so after engaging family, friends and mountains of prayers, she made the decision to save the breast and embrace the chemo treatment.

Past The Worst

Over 10 years later and different rounds of chemo treatment combined with the usual side effects of hair loss, nervous system changes such as numbness…

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Life’s Simple Things…

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The simple things can be really powerful. ~John Taffer

Deprived. Deprived of sleep. Deprived of food, love, or the ability to satisfy life’s basic needs of shelter and more can create longings so deep, words can hardly describe. Suffering a lack of benefit that is considered important… that’s the meaning of deprived. I spent a week traveling by plane, train, bus, taxicabs, and on foot across our nation’s capital – Washington DC. Severe weather conditions created havoc causing flight cancellations, delays, hunger, and deprivation of simple necessities.

Positive Mental Attitude

Enter positive mental attitude. Delays provided the opportunity to read, people watch, and smile at life’s little things. Things that commonly get lost when things are going right.

I walked away being thankful for life’s setbacks…for though I don’t like it and at times get quite annoyed, deprivation can provide opportunities for resilience, creativity, and much more. Oh to bask in life’s simple things.

Cheers!