self development Archives

In self development May 20, 2019 By Women of Rubies

CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE HONORED WITH DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS AT GEORGETOWN COLLEGE

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie served as a speaker and honorary degree recipient for the 2019 Georgetown College Commencement ceremonies this weekend, on May 18.

After speaking at the commencement ceremony, Chimamanda received the doctor of humane letters, honoris causa degree.

She also holds the same degree from Johns Hopkins, Haverford College, the University of Edinburgh, and Amherst College.

Georgetown College Dean, Chris Celenza, says:

“We are so proud to have Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie join us for the 2019 College Commencement. Her fiction and non-fiction works have spoken to countless people about the value, the power, and the meaningfulness of differences. In doing so, she has taught us all about the full dimensions of humanity.”

See more photos from the event below.

Photo Credit: @chimamanda_adichie

Credit: Bella Naija

In self development May 20, 2019 By Women of Rubies

NIGERIAN WOMAN, OLUWATOBI AL-BAKARE BECOMES 2ND LIEUTENANT OF THE US ARMY

Nigerian woman identified as Oluwatobi Al-Bakare has become a Second Lieutenant of the United States Army. The woman was commissioned on Thursday, May 16.

Her success story was shared on Twitter by her husband, Olatunde Bakare. Olatunde Bakare had taken to Twitter to celebrate his beautiful wife for her accomplishment at the United States Army.

The husband shared photos of his wife dressed in her official army uniform as she gets commissioned at the student center ballroom A in Bowie State University in George’s County, Maryland. The woman was celebrated by her husband who showed her off on social media.

The spring 2019 commissioning ceremony had taken place around 1:00pm. Bakare celebrated his wife and congratulated her in his tweet.

He said: “My amazing wife @TobyAlmaroof will be commissioning today as a Second Lieutenant of the United States Army. Couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments. Congratulations baby girl.”

The woman is also a hijab wearing army officer.

Source: Oluwatobi Saudat Almaroof-Bakare

In self development May 20, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

YEWANDE JINADU: THESE 9 TIPS WILL HELP YOU GET YOUR WORK WEEK STARTED WITH A BANG!

The ability to work effectively with others on a task involves learning to listen well, respecting the opinions of others, communicating effectively and embracing each other’s strength to accomplish a goal.

So you just got a new job and you’re wondering what to do to be successful on the job? This article seeks to address necessary skills you would need to be successful on a job regardless of the level of your role.

Ability to handle pressure

If you work in a fast paced environment, you’re most likely to work under extreme pressure. This means having to deal with constraints out of your control. Unexpected events or problems are bound to come up in the workplace, you should learn how to work well in these circumstances, so you don’t panic or lose sight of the job.

Collaboration/Team work

Most workplace environment involves relating to different kinds of people. The ability to work effectively with others on a task involves learning to listen well, respecting the opinions of others, communicating effectively and embracing each other’s strength to accomplish a goal.

Self-Management/Motivation

The ability to manage yourself to accomplish the required task is important for success on the role. No manager would like to manage someone that would need frequent hand holding. You need to take the initiative and be accountable for every success or failure. In a workplace where most employees are dissatisfied for various reasons which tend to affect productivity, self-motivation is an important skill to develop which gives you the strength to perform exceptionally.

Flexibility

The workplace is constantly changing and only people who are flexible enough to the changes will thrive. You have to be willing and able to adapt in order to meet individual and business needs.

Ability to accept criticism

Nobody is totally perfect, so there would be instances were colleagues and bosses would be direct with you and tell you as it is. Some may be emotionally intelligent to make it constructive while some may not be. Learn to take corrections and avoid justifying or making excuses. Learn from the mistakes and move on. Don’t weep over spilled milk.

Emotional intelligence

Fundamental aspects of emotional intelligence include empathy, self-awareness, social skills, self-regulation and motivation. Being emotionally intelligent helps you to understand your emotions, manage your emotions as well as manage other emotions.

Time management

This is an important skill to have, especially when there are numerous tasks within a limited time frame. One thing that has helped me is having a To-Do list. This helps me ensure that I am deliberate in all my activities. Google Calendar is a lifesaver, but most people think it’s too much stress to use it.

Every morning, I write down my tasks, set a timeline for myself, fix some on my calendar, leave some allowance for distractions and stick with it.

Also, learn to say no to things. Learn to prioritize; and most importantly, avoid unnecessary distractions that eat into your time.

Problem solving

Problems will definitely arise in the workplace and you were employed to solve a problem if not, you won’t be hired. For me, a star employee is someone that sees a solution in every problem. Have the mindset that nothing is impossible and work towards it. If you’re the kind of person that always goes back to their boss for issues when they arise, you may have a problem. Go with possible solutions and steps you have taken to address an issue.

Source: Bellanaija

In self development May 19, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

“DON’T EVER THINK THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE MORE INTELLIGENT OR BETTER THAN YOU ”- MO ABUDU

On a recent Instagram post, Mo Abudu shared tips on how we can overcome our fears and start achieving successes. Above all, the need to believe we are as important like the important people we look up to.

Read her note here

….. I have said it time and time again, IF YOUR DREAMS DO NOT SCARE YOU, THEN THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT BIG ENOUGH!!! Please be rest assured that FEAR is part of the process.

Often times fear is caused by a lack of preparation. Overcoming fear is about being prepared and mapping out your plan. This leads me to the most popular reason you all gave for not achieving your dreams–PROCRASTINATION!!!

I strongly believe FEAR AND PROCRASTINATION work hand in hand. Once you map out your plan and start to work your plan – taking it in baby steps or big leaps and jumps depending on how you approach things, you will start to see progress. This is where PROCRASTINATION ends!!! As I always say, “IF YOU CAN THINK IT – YOU CAN DO IT”.

The challenge is how many of us are moving beyond “thinking” – we have to get up and “Do It”. Please do not be fooled by thinking the most successful people in this world are more intelligent than you or better than you – the secret is that they get up and “do” everyday! Never giving up! Never getting tired! Never taking no for an answer. This is the key to success. So please start drawing up those plans now and start doing!#MoAbudu

In self development September 1, 2020 By Women of Rubies

ESTHER IJEWERE : DON’T BE ASHAMED TO SEEK HELP WHEN YOU ARE DEPRESSED

At exactly 10:42pm on 8th of March 2017, I wrote “Heaven I need a Hug” on my wall , perhaps I needed a hug considering the fact that I have several back logs and I was stressed at the time, but beyond that I wanted to see how people will respond , I wasn’t disappointed with the number of e-hugs I received within thirty minutes BUT two friends had to slide to my inbox and asked me to put down the post, one said it showed too much emotions and the other said “you are too strong to be perceived like a weak woman Esther , bring it down its not good for your brand”. Wetin concern personal brand with emotions ogini?

This is exactly the reason why people suffer and die in silence , imagine if all the people who committed suicide recently put up a post similar to mine just to let people know they need help and get such response from their friends?

Please let’s allow people express themselves on social media the way and manner they like, as a matter of fact I want to encourage anyone who is down, depressed or about to give it all up , put up a post and let’s know what you are going through , sometimes the closet people to us are our biggest problem and you cant tell your problem to a problem, it’s fine to seek help on Facebook or any other social media platform or other direct means.

Feel free to write messages such as :

“I am Depressed”
“I need help”
“I need to talk to someone ”
“Please help”
“I need a therapist”
“I need a counsellor ”
Etc etc etc

Just express yourself however you feel and I am sure someone out there will reach out to you. I am positive we have good people who truly care in Nigeria, all you need to reach them is to SPEAK UP!

I have been down that road before, and it’s not just being depressed because life happened or stress, I was in my world, the over analysing and over thinking stage where you feel living isn’t worth it anymore, and I don’t pray to ever go there again, I was in self denial of my state of mind till a true friend who didn’t judge me asked that I seek help from a therapist . I am a survivor, no shame at all, and a proud Mental health advocate for She Writes Woman

If you need to talk to someone about your problems please reach out to the following people: Hauwa Ojeifo, Oyinkansola Alabi, Praise Fowowe , Laila St. Matthew-Daniel, Pamela Udoka.

I have a listening ear , I will give you a hug, give you my time and attention, walk you through the process but sadly I can’t offer you the professional help you need like the above mentioned persons. Please don’t die in silence , reach out, SPEAK UP and don’t let depression and suicide win.

Kindly add names of other therapist in the comment section ???.

Please seek help….

You are not alone…..

In self development May 17, 2019 By Women of Rubies

“SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN TERRIBLE” -SELENA GOMEZ

Selena Gomez is voicing her concern about the “terrible” effect that social media has had on her generation, and says she advocates taking breaks from the platforms.

Gomez who is the third most followed person on Instagram after soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and pop singer Ariana Grande, said during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival that she gets “scared” when she looks at the exposure of young girls and boys on those platforms.

“They’re not aware of the news or anything going on. It’s selfish I don’t wanna say selfish because it feels rude but it’s dangerous for sure. I think our world is going through a lot, obviously. But for my generation, specifically, social media has been terrible,” she said.

Asked what more she could do to improve the social media environment, given her large following, Gomez said it is “impossible” at this point to make it safe. She also said she tries to be conscious when posting on Instagram, to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on her fans.

“I’m very grateful I have the platform in any way, I can still share things I’m passionate about. I don’t do a lot of pointless pictures. I like to be intentional with it.” “I see these young girls, I’ll meet them and they’re just devastated dealing with bullying and not being able to have their own voice” she said.

Gomez also called on people to take breaks in social media use:

“It can be great in moments, but I would just be careful and allow yourself some time limits when you should use it and when not.”

Credit: LIB

In self development May 14, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

WHY BEING IGNORED AT WORK IS THE WORST, AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT

You are offered a nice job position, in a nice communication agency, well located. You feel great.This was supposed to be the biggest announcement of 2019 so far.

First day : everyone is smiling at you, welcoming, but you don’t know how to act, feeling everyone’s look upon you. 15 days later, you’re done. Nobody speaks to you.

My first (and peculiar) reaction : asking Google about that. Because that state of loneliness hit me so hard that something in my head told be to check on the internet if I could share this with other people. I found several psychological/kind of depressing articles, but didn’t find anything appropriate. These were just a bunch of people complaining without giving advices about it.

Being connected to a social circle has never been so important as far as Facebook, Twitter Instagram or Snapchat have (or at least one of them) taken over our lives. (Really ?). But Internet is another problem.

At work, indifference is the greatest contempt

People at work can be even more cruel and can really destroy you for no particular reason. When you’re highly implicated, work hard, do the best you can and all of a sudden you feel so bad because you see people gathering themselves to talk, make private jokes, working (or acting like working) closely together, trust me, it is normal to feel left behind.

Welcome to ostracism. A land where your imagination is tortured everyday. It is not about being sensitive, because sensitivity is different from one person to another. It is strictly about being ignored.

So how can you handle at work ?

Right now, your boss is not talking to you anymore, and you’re one of these scared “millenial” that thinks that work should be a place where you can express yourself, in a blossoming workspace, with some intricate and thrilling frameworks, imagining stories that matters. And you’re not doing any of these things. You’re not fitting to the work spirit of the company, and now, panic-stricken.

All social interactions with your coworkers are slowly going down, to the point of not even saying “hello/goodbye”. It’s going wrong for real. And this ostracism can lead to depression, because feeling useless and hopeless

1 — Stop complaining

Did I mention that I’m French ?
I think it is truly specific to my country. People are complaining every minute in advertising/digital agencies. About clients, about emails, about the amount of work, about the boss… This is clearly annoying. Their time spent complaining could be used doing real-work no ?

So if you’re being ostracized, be strong, and simply face this fact as it is. Being down-to-earth is very useful when facing that kind of situation. It is important to visualise the situation to better go forward and being less stressful.

2 — Dig up your mind

Ok so, now that you have understood the situation, let the anger and worries go and stop trying to make clumsy conclusions or getting ahead of yourself, asking “but why is this happening, what did I do, did I made something wrong, maybe I’m not good enough…” In every overrated advertising agencies, people are mostly the same, so you will face this situation in every one of them. Just sayin’. I’ve been working in agencies for 4 years, and it’s been exactly the same, most of the people are faking work.

“Think outside the box, make things that change things” (and other posh mottos), they said. Agencies are mainly copy and paste. They are baking and re-baking ideas since 1980’s, but with higher prices, using the same Istock / Getty / Shutterstock/ Thinkstock image banks. Using the same reportings with so low Facebook interactions, not even asking themselves what people would like to see when interacting with brands. It is really funny since I’m writing this from my desk, in a nice advertising agency, observing people writing emails, sending Gif or tagging themselves on the last Tasty recipe on Facebook.

If you are feeling alone and like you’re in the spam box, it’s seriously no big deal. You have now time to think about yourself and step back at how different you are, simply by speaking your mind and asserting yourself .

3 — Just do something else with your free time

Now that you are barely transparent, you can do things far more interesting than nothing.
Meaning : “Great ! I’m out of this sham and mockery system.”
Read, take time for yourself, leave your phone, learn something you didn’t know. In a nutshell, be curious.

If you read this, you can now take a deep breath and play down the situation. And if you want more cool, follow me 🙂

By: Jennifer Capestan

In self development May 14, 2019 By Women of Rubies

RIHANNA TO BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN TO CREATE AN ORIGINAL FASHION BRAND AT LVMH, ALSO THE FIRST WOMAN OF COLOR AT THE TOP OF AN LVMH MAISON

LVMH and Rihanna’s fashion venture is finally materializing. Riri is set to present her first collection for the new label, which will be branded Fenty, later this month in Paris.

The label is called Fenty, after the singer’s full name – Robyn Rihanna Fenty, and will launch in Spring 2019.

Rihanna will become the first woman to create an original brand at LVMH, the first woman of color at the top of an LVMH Maison, and her line will be the first new house created by the group since Christian Lacroix in 1987. It joins such storied heritage brands as Dior, Givenchy, Celine and Fendi and positions Rihanna as a breakthrough designer on a number of levels.

The singer, who has 70 million followers on Instagram, is widely known for her bold fashion choices.

Fenty, which will produce clothing, shoes, and accessories, is the first new label under the LVMH brand since 1987. The label will join around 70 brands already in the LVMH group, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Givenchy.

In a statement, Rihanna said that she had been given a “unique opportunity to develop a fashion house in the luxury sector, with no artistic limits.”

She added: “I couldn’t imagine a better partner both creatively and business-wise, and I’m ready for the world to see what we have built together.”

The chairman and CEO of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, said Rihanna would be supported with a team and resources.

“EVERYBODY KNOWS RIHANNA AS A WONDERFUL SINGER, BUT THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP AT FENTY BEAUTY, I DISCOVERED A TRUE ENTREPRENEUR, A REAL CEO, AND A TERRIFIC LEADER,” HE SAID.

The singer’s cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty, reached nearly 500 million euros (£431 million) in sales by the end of 2018. The brand has been widely praised for its inclusivity.

Rihanna also launched her own Savage X Fenty lingerie line in 2018.

Credit: Fab Woman

In self development May 14, 2019 By Women of Rubies

19-YEAR-OLD NIGERIAN ARTIST MAKES HISTORY AT CYPRUS MUSEUM WITH HER LAGBAJA-INSPIRED PAINTING

19-year-old Nigerian medical student, Emediong Uduak Uko’s painting of music legend, ‘Lagbaja’ has become the first African work to be displayed at the Cyprus Modern Art Museum.

Emediong is also the youngest artist and only African to have her work exhibited at the museum, which is the largest in the Mediterranean region.

The excited artist shared the news on her Instagram page @Emilyuko where she further revealed that her painting is now in the possession of Forbes-listed Cypriot businessman, Suat Günsel.

Emediong explained in her social media post that she dedicated her painting to the iconic faceless singer, Lagbaja because he inspired culture and created both war and peace with his passion.

She wrote, “I’m pleased to announce to the general public that my artwork is now a part of the vast collection of the Cyprus Modern Art Museum!

“This is the largest museum in the Mediterranean region. My work is now in the possession of the owner of my university- Forbes listed Cypriot Businessman, Suat Günsel.

“Apparently, I am the youngest and only African Art piece in the entire museum with works dating as far back as 1940. Somebody pinch me!

“More importantly, this painting is dedicated to none other than the legendary Nigerian musician and political activist himself, Lagbaja. @officiallagbaja.

“I decided if I’m going to put a timeless piece in the walls of a foreign land, it should be about the ones back home.

“Sir, if you’re reading this, know that you’ve inspired a culture. You’ve created both war & peace with your passion and creativity and that is everything I stand for. This is the least I could do to show appreciation.

“I’d like to thank God and his Spirit that makes things possible through me- He placed me here. The fact that my art value has gone up more than 10x by reason of this event is still mind-blowing.

“To all the curators and friends who kept this huge announcement on the down-low and pumped me with endless support, I love you,” she said.

Emediong is also a muralist and mixed-medium artist who runs a budding arts company called Asher’s Palette.

In self development May 14, 2019 By Women of Rubies

IT’S OFFICIAL! GRAMMY AWARD WINNING RAPPER, MISSY ELLIOT CAN NOW BE ADDRESSED AS DR MISSY ELLIOT!

Grammy Award-winning rapper, dancer, and record producer, Missy Elliott can now officially be called Dr. Elliot!

The pop star and icon was recognized on Friday, May 11, 2019, with an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.

She received the honorary doctorate alongside Justin Timberlake.

BOSTON, MA – MAY 11: Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake attend the Berklee College of Music 2019 Commencement ceremony at Agganis Arena at Boston University on May 11, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. More than 1,100 students graduated in all and receiving honorary degrees were Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake and Alex Lacamoire. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Berklee)

The pair was honored alongside award-winning Broadway performer and composer Alex Lacamoire – who was a former student of the institution, with all three receiving the Honorary Doctor’s Degree of Music for their “influences in music, and for their enduring global impact.”

Missy Elliot took to Instagram to share a video of her holding the framed diploma complete with graduation cap and gown.

“CREATE YOUR OWN LANE,” ELLIOTT SAID IN THE POST’S CAPTION. “SINCERELY DR. MISSY ELLIOT.”

View this post on Instagram

CREATE YOUR OWN LANE!!!! SINCERELY DR. MISSY ELLIOTT🙌🏾🙌🏾@BERKLEECOLLEGE👩🏾‍🎓 #VA #757

A POST SHARED BY MISSY ELLIOTT (@MISSYMISDEMEANORELLIOTT) ON MAY 11, 2019 AT 11:20AM PDT

“THERE WILL BE UPS AND DOWNS — PREPARE FOR THAT,” ELLIOTT SAID TO THE GRADUATING CLASS. “AS LONG AS YOU ARE BREATHING, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. DON’T FORGET THAT. YOU HAVE COME TOO FAR TO QUIT.”

Elliott, who was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1971 to a welder at Portsmouth’s naval shipyard, is the first female hip-hop artist to receive an honorary degree from the Berklee College of Music.

Elliott has sold more than 30 million albums during the course of her career.

Credit: fabwoman.ng

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