Human Interaction – Yemi Sholotan

HALF THE RACE STILL TO GO

July 1, 2018August 1, 2018 by Yemi Sholotan, posted in Human Interaction

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A lot of us are usually not ready for the second half of the year, but ready or not, it’s here! And I’m excited to welcome you to it. If this was the year you wanted to get more done by June than you have, it’s not too late! There’s still time to make 2018 your best year yet, you just need to take note of certain elements that could serve as catalysts even at this time of the year for your goals and aspirations.

It’s just half the race that is gone, we still have the other half to go, quitting or giving up halfway isn’t going to make you feel good, losing momentum with which you started also does no good for the purpose for which you embarked on the race in the first place. This second half gives you the opportunity to step back, evaluate your year so far with your goals and objectives (never mind the new year’s resolutions which likely didn’t last until February …), take action to get back on track if necessary.

Personally, second half is also a great opportunity for me to do some hard thinking over my finances, my businesses and other aspects of my life that I may want to improve.

For example, at the beginning of this year, it was one of my goals to do the physical launching of “Diamond in the Dust”- a non-profit organization that I created before the end of the first half of the year. The vision of the organization is to engage, develop and empower anyone in their mid-life stage looking forward to engaging for a higher purpose, and who seeks greater fulfillment in life (We did the soft launch on social media in the first quater of the year). While the goal sounds great, there are certain factors that would align my goal to its actualization: my health is one of those factors, it’s in fact a major one because there’s little one can do without sound health, also, if you remember in one of my past posts, I had mentioned that I was back in the University classroom as a student after many years for a third degree, the first half of the year happened to be my final semester to complete the degree.

So, in order to get my goals actualized, I needed to PRIORITIZE, which brought my health to the fore front. Thank God, after a few visits to the doctor’s office, I feel much better and refreshed to get more work done on my goal: the non-profit will be launched in this second half of this year. I have also completed my degree in Organizational Leadership & Supervision last Spring, so the pressure of assignment deadlines is off (at least for now until I start my PH.D)

Life happens as we strive to achieve our goals, and when those challenges come, don’t allow yourself to be discouraged, PRIORITIZE, EVALUATE and GET BACK ON TRACK. It’s important for you to know that it’s your journey, your dream, your goal, and you are not in competition with anyone, RUN YOUR OWN RACE, STAY IN YOUR LANE.

If you need some encouragement or a nudge to help you pursue your goals and dreams, send me an email at yemisholotan@havilahconcepts.com or simply share your story here and I’ll be glad to be a part of your journey in whatever way I’m able to, even if it’s only to cheer you on.

Don’t give up in the middle of the race, there’s the other half still to go!

HAPPY NEW MONTH OF JULY 2018!

You are awesome!

mum_sig

Yemi Sholotan

Gratitude brings Happiness!…and Finding Purpose!

November 25, 2016November 23, 2017 by Yemi Sholotan, posted in Be Inspired, Human Interaction, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

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There are times when we feel that showing gratitude or simply saying “thank you” may be somewhat forced and does not make a difference. How often, for example, have we told someone: “Well, you could say thank you!” Their retort being: “Okay. Thank you! I’ve said it. Now does that make you happy?”

Well yes actually, I would say it does. It sure makes a person happy when they receive a thank you or clearly feel appreciated for a certain deed, and vice versa.

What happens to the other person when you thank them? Thank them for what you may ask?

How about a thank you for just being your friend, for loving you, for being a good parent or child, for being a good teacher, nurse, nanny, assistant, employee, pastor, mentor, encourager, or volunteer and so the list goes on.

You can create a well of happiness in the life of another person with your words. You can make somebody’s day and you can make a person feel relevant in the grand scheme of things. By showing gratitude, you can build up someone else’s self-esteem and you can provide encouragement. That is unquantifiable!

Furthermore, you receive more when you show gratitude.

We teach our children the three magic words of sorry, please and thank you, and many kids learn early on the benefits of using some of them! As soon as a child can utter the word ‘thank you,’ he or she knows that a lot of thank yous can lead to more goodies. They often say it until you acknowledge that you’ve heard them. I know mine did that when they were youngerJ. Kids find it easy to exercise gratitude when something makes them happy. They don’t forget and, in seeking your approval, are quick to show appreciation.

Another illustration of this came when many years ago, whilst on a business trip to New York I visited with a close friend and spent three nights in her home. Every night the family gave their devotions, and each of the two children was asked to pray. The younger of the two, who was four years old at the time, after thanking God for daddy, mummy, his sister and his nanny, would always thank God for McDonalds! I found it funny the first night, but after hearing him consistently go through his prayer of thanksgiving on the second and third nights, never leaving out McDonald’s, I was curious and asked his mum to explain. She told me that on the days she worked long hours and came home too tired to cook, McDonald’s was always their default and affordable dinner.

While these examples show how showing gratitude can sometimes provide you with an assurance that more will be given, some of us were not brought up to attach too much importance to words such as ‘thank you’, or even to use them at all. But we are never too old to learn! So, if needs be, let’s learn to show gratitude, say thank you to those who’ve earned it and who deserve it.

What showing gratitude can do for you?

Showing gratitude can open up a whole new level of positivity within you. You will definitely be a happier individual. As you spend time showing gratitude toward others, you develop a grateful mindset that ultimately creates for you a more positive approach to life. In essence, it’s a whole new life of purposeful living.

It can trigger clarity of purpose as you impact other people’s lives, perhaps eventually leading you to finding your purpose in life. It is human nature to want to seek happiness in life, and so exercising gratitude and finding genuine purpose can unlock a well of happiness for you. Show gratitude in every way you can and see how events can turn in your favor.

I hope you go on day-by-day living a life of gratitude. I await your testimonials!

Thanks for stopping by, and encouraging me as I walk my journey of life. You are an essential part of why I’m inspired to dream big, and walk in my purpose. thank-you-blog-post-5 gratitude-happiness-2

Back to school… Don’t neglect the emotional prep!

August 14, 2016September 12, 2016 by Yemi Sholotan, posted in Human Interaction, Lifestyle, Parenting

back-to-school-pictures-images-photos-9UbBpL-clipart In a week or two, schools in the United States will open their doors for the 2016/17 school year. Parents and guardians are busy getting their kids ready to go back to school, and the stores are full of shoppers buying school uniforms (according to each school’s dress code), school bags, lunch bags, school supplies and so on and so forth. I have three children of my own that I’m also getting ready to go back to their respective schools: one will be a sophomore in college, one a sophomore in a new high school (because a new school has just been built in our school district which she is now zoned to), and the third continues in middle school as a 7^th grader.

For some years, I’ve always made sure to deal specifically with getting my children ready emotionally and psychologically for their going back to school. I strongly believe that to succeed in getting the children off to a good start, a parent or guardian has to help prepare the minds and the psyche of their children for them to be able to cope with whatever situation may await them as they begin a new school year. True, we don’t know what specific situations or issues may arise, but you’ll be surprised to know that kids worry about many of the same things, like: whether they’re going to like their new school, whether they’ll make friends, whether their teachers will be nice, whether they’ll be able to match up to your expectations as a parent or guardian…. These are the big issues that need your serious attention before school starts. While buying the school supplies is important, the ‘EMOTIONAL DEVISING’, as I call it, which means emotionally preparing your child so that they have the tools to cope with whatever eventuality they might face, is essential and should not be neglected.

As I mentioned earlier, my children are at different stages of their schooling and so, my ‘emotional devising’ for each is in relation to the stage they are in: for example, my college sophomore will be having a roommate for the first time this year in his dorm room (he had a room to himself in freshman year), so living with a roommate that is not a sibling is going to be a new experience/challenge for him. Also, my high-school sophomore who is about to change schools is worried about not seeing some of the friends she had worked so hard to make at her old school anymore, and thinks she won’t find good friends like them in her new school. Lastly, my 7^th grader is thinking about new strategies that he can adopt in order for him to make a successful run for president of the student government this year (he lost the election for secretary of the student government last year).

While your child’s specific concerns may be different from that of mine, kids can find themselves dealing with a host of different issues as they return to school after their long summer vacation. These can vary widely and may include a fear of bullying, self-esteem issues, academic anxiety etc.

So how does one go about handling all of this? Some years ago, I put together a strategy, a modus operandi as it were, to tackle these issues: First, I’ll take my kids to do their back-to-school shopping, and second, I’ll go out with each of them in turn. They get to pick where we go for our day out. Whilst hanging out, at an appropriate juncture I’ll steer the conversation such that it revolves around the following points, strongly encouraging a constructive two-way discussion:

*Talk about the last school year, what they liked and what they didn’t.

*Ask what their fears/expectations are for the new school year.

*Emphasize throughout the discussion time that you’ll be there for them to listen if they ever have any concerns, or if they have anything (anything at all) to talk about, whether it’s school-related or not.

Importantly, please always let your child know that they are enough all by themselves, and that they don’t have to please their peers in order to be ‘cool’. Doing what is right sometimes may not seem cool to their friends, but their being able to stand up for what is right and be confident in who they are is the coolest.

In short, back-to-school prep should be more than just shopping. Considering the things that go on in the schools today, and with the competitive pressure placed on our kids and the pressure from their peers to ‘fit in’, it is imperative that we place a greater emphasis on ‘emotional devising’.

By the way, I too will go back to school soon to continue with my college studies, and so I guess I’ll have to have “the emotional talk” with myself as well!

That said, I wish every student and all parents a great, productive and fulfilling school year.

Sincerely yours 🙂 mum_sig