8 Steps to Achieving Your Goals in 2016

There is much wisdom to be gleaned from 2015. Reflect back both where you thrived and where gaps in your systems undermined your growth. To grow your businesses in 2016, you must grow yourself. Think bigger, confident that you can always do better if you set active goals.

1. Set an intention to grow.

Never assume you or your business will automatically grow. Just because time goes by, it doesn’t mean you are getting better in time. You do not grow through the simple act living and doing your job. To expand yourself and the success of your career be purposeful and deliberate about growing. Seek a career or personal development coach and get advised on how to take your life and business to the next level. Be willing to stretch yourself and think about who it is you want to be and examine the ways to expand your success.

2. Create an expansion plan. 

Whenever you start something new, you never really know how you are going to accomplish what you want to accomplish. This is when confusion and doubt step in. Creating an expansion plan helps to ward off these two emotional predators. When you are clear in what you want, the world responds back to you with clarity and opportunity. Directions fall into place when you make your plan clear.

Plan your growth deliberately. It is up to you to decide where you need or want to grow. Choose what you want to learn and how you want to expand. Set your achievement pace and follow through at all cost. In 2016 become someone capable of accomplishing the big life and business goals you set. Write your goals down, make them real, repeat them out loud morning and night, stay on pace and go forward with an unwavering determination to take your business to the next level.

3. Now is the time.

In 2016 push fearful thoughts such as “It’s not the right time” to the side. When fear cows you into complacency and begin to talk you out of a great idea, step forward by doing what you intend to do, do it now and every single day. For authentic and measureable expansion to take place you must work for it with relentless fervor. Stay in front of the eight-ball. Act as quickly on things as you should. Do not allow your intentions or passions diminish with the passage of time. The longer you wait to do something what should be done now, the greater the odds are you will not do it.
Do it now, do not wait until you think you are “ready.” Ready never comes and you lose opportunities waiting to act.

4. Expect mistakes.

Every expansion plan has flaws. Expect to make mistakes along the way. Do not let your fear of making mistakes stop your desires for growth. To get the kind of expansion you are reaching for it will require discovering the flaws in your expansion plan. These flaws help you to know exactly what in your plan or in yourself needs fine tuning. These mishaps are your greatest gifts.
Push through any fears you have of messing up. Expect mistakes to be made every day. Get used to making them. Allow them to guide you in a more successful direction. Mistakes are a welcome sign that you are moving in the right direction. Learn to fail forward.

5. Enjoy the mystery.

Plans for expansion bring up insecurity. Any time you venture into the unfamiliar you may feel you need to have to have the perfect plan to start. This is a false belief that will hold you back from starting. Part of expanding is dealing with the unknown. Expansion doesn’t happen because you’ve developed the perfect plan.
You cannot perfectly plan the unknown. The best way to find your way is to start expanding and see where the journey takes you. It is like driving on an unfamiliar road in the dark. As you continue driving a little more of the road is revealed a bit at a time giving you the direction you need. To see more of the road you have to keep driving.

6. Stay motivated.

As you plan for personal and professional expansion it may feel overwhelming, not worth it or not possible. Do not allow feelings of overwhelm to decrease motivation. Procrastination is a poor coping skill. Goals cannot be reached if you allow your plans to be stifled. Just start.
Motivation is not something you have it is something you do. When you are actively engaged in expanding the potential of your business, motivation naturally builds upon itself in each successful step forward. You have to stick with things to see their benefit. Stick with your plan for one year. It is a process of gestation to birth. You will fall in love with the process as you see the gains you have made when you look back

7. Focus on your growth.

Make the decision to expand your business and do not let fear of failure or comparison dissuade you from implementing your plan. There are undoubtedly “better” and more successful businesses out there. There are stronger, more successful people. Instead of fearing comparison with these people, do all you can to spend time around them. Take inventory on what they did to succeed at the higher levels. True leaders are willing to share their experiences and ideas. Learn from the best how to create your best.
Getting out of your comfort zone is always a challenging and difficult transition, but always well worth it.

8. Expect challenge.

Expansion is just that. It is stretching, bursting, hurting, growing and accelerating. Never get into the idea your expansion plans should be easier than they are. Expect them to be arduous. Success doesn’t come easily or quickly. Climbing to the top has to be intentional. It doesn’t just happen. You have to create your own luck and opportunities.

Written by Sherrie Campbell

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China creates law prohibiting domestic violence

After a decades-long push, China has finally enacted its first nationwide law prohibiting domestic violence.

The ground-breaking legislation covers both married and co-habiting couples and those living in foster families. It comes into force March 1, ot was reported.

It also defines domestic violence for the first time, and includes pyschological abuse as well as physical violence.

Iraqi forces push ISIS out of government compound

Iraqi forces have retaken control of a government compound long held by ISIS in Ramadi, an important gain that could signal ISIS' imminent exit from the key city.

Following days of fighting as ISIS militants fought to defend the compound, the resistance ended, and Iraqi forces found that the ISIS fighters had withdrawn, Col. Mohammed Ibrahim , a spokesman for Iraq's Joint Operations Command reports.

"The government compound is under our full control," Ibrahim said. "This does not mean we have entered the compound. It means it is fully surrounded and fully under our control."

Australian train derails with gallons of acid onboard

Australian authorities have declared an emergency after a train derailed with tens of thousands of gallons of sulfuric acid on board.The freight train was carrying roughly 200,000 liters (53,000 gallons) of the highly corrosive acid when it came off the tracks monday morning in a remote area of northern Queensland..

4 soldiers among 24 dead in massive storm

A mammoth storm system engulfing much of the country has claimed 24 lives, including four soldiers in Missouri. And it's not over yet.

The rash of severe weather has spawned deadly tornadoes in Texas, intense flooding in the Midwest and blizzard conditions in New Mexico.

"The storm system will gradually pull away by Tuesday, but flooding and treacherous travel could (linger) into midweek according to reports
Intense rain and flooding are expected across much of the state Monday, along with snow and freezing rain in the northern part of Missouri.

The Hypocrisy Called Biafra

I have always been reluctant to get involved in the issue of modern day Biafra partly in order not to stoke the flames of an already burning fire and also in order not to contribute to an environment that makes reconciliation more difficult. However, I always knew that history often does not afford one the opportunity to be neutral in circumstances like this. In a way, a desire for neutrality can be described as tantamount to playing the trumpet while the fire rages.

The irony of the current agitations Biafra and the arguments in support of it is that the first time the Biafrans tried to secede from Nigeria in 1960s in pursuit of their right to self-determination the clearest evidence provided in support of their recognition of every people’s right to self-determination was the invasion of minority then Midwestern, western and parts of current delta region of Nigeria. These ethnic groups were not a party to the decision to secede nor could they be described as culturally or historically Igbo. But they were invaded anyway and an Igbo man, Dr. Albert Okonkwo, was appointed governor of the predominantly non-Igbo Midwestern Region.
I have always believed and continue to believe that a people that cannot be protected by an existing governmental structure have a right to self-determination. How this self-determination is carried out depends on the nature, context and circumstances of the threat to the people. I believe that the Hausas/Fulanis and later the Igbos had a right to self-determination in the window between January 1966 and July 1967 for reasons that are obvious and need not be regurgitated here.
I grew up with a lot of respect for the late Odimegwu Ojukwu and I still do. At the very least, I admired him for his brilliance and oratory. However, this admiration has not obscured my willingness and ability to examine whether Biafra was fully prepared for the war which he launched against Nigeria in 1967.  Yakubu Gowon’s May 5, 1967 decision to create twelve states out of the existing regions in Nigeria and undoubtedly a covert attempt to weaken Ojukwu’s power and support base and Odimegwu Ojukwu’s fear of replacement as governor and consequent decision to declare the republic of Biafra and invariably war on Nigeria on May 30, 1967 have been viewed by some as an act of self-preservation dressed in the garb of Igbo nationalism.  As much as I admired Odimeguw Ojukwu and supported his arguments for self-determination as I will support that of any other ethnic group, empirical evidence shows that he was not tactically and logically prepared for a war he had a reasonable basis for believing he could win. His army’s invasion of the minorities put a lie to his claimed understanding of the right to self-determination.
The evidence from the first Biafra/Nigeria war tells us that a Biafra Republic will not be content with having only Igbo citizens. Its invasion of Midwest and Western regions and attempts to subjugate the minorities of the Niger Delta by force undercuts the self-determination argument. Despite this, I am not prepared to argue against the right of Biafra advocates to self-determination. However, they must not expect Nigeria and Nigerians to submit to unreasonable demands. Since they believe that the current structure of the country is oppressive to them, an argument which may not be completely wrong as far as each and every group is concerned depending on their views of oppression, and the progenitor of Biafra, Odimegwu Ojukwu once said that “since oppression is maintained by force, it is only possible to remove that oppression by a counterforce” those who support and desire Biafra must be ready and prepared to fight to overthrow the system they view as oppressive by force. Those on the other side have an obligation to resist and crush any insurrection. I see the arguments from both sides but I also recognize the right of Nigeria to resist Biafra’s threat of secession. No one but the totality of Nigerians have a right to balkanize the country. Whoever must do so must be prepared to use force and do so successfully or face the consequences. After all “a revolution is not a dinner party.”
Before the idea of Biafra can gain traction and sympathy with other non-Igbo Nigerians, the pro Biafra Nigerians have a lot to do in explaining to other Nigerians why the Igbos in their earlier quest for the realization of Biafra, attempted to swallow up other minorities like those in the then Midwest and current Niger Delta and why they should be trusted not to attempt the same again. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander!

Written by Ilesanmi Omabomi
 

Nigerian Clinic where residents have access to one bed

 This is Ipokia Local Government Clinic in Iropo, Ogun State,Nigeria where 10,000 residents have access to just one hospital bed

You want to know why we keep shouting and yelling against the system, look not far. Pray, tell me how children and mothers will not die from avoidable illnesses in this death-trap of a clinic. We need to embarrass all the politicians from this area including the governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun, their senators, house of assembly representatives, pastors, imams, Obas must be embarrassed. We need to help the poor people of this community. We do not need you to pray for them, we do not need you to pity them, we do not need you to thank God that you are not the one living under such dire condition, we need you to add your voice to the call for better governance for these helpless Nigerians.

How to find your soul mate in 2016

Most of us begun this year with the expectation of either finding our soulmate or getting eternally married to the one we most love. But someway somehow, our romantic hopes got dashed may be due to specific reasons best unknown to us.

Well, we cannot risk losing such a chance again as a new year is just about beginning so that to be that successful in finding that soulmate in the year 2016, we may want to go through these carefully laid out steps.

1. Enter Into A Serious Soul-Searching Exercise

One thing we often fail to acknowledge as single men and women is the fact that there remain specific traits and characteristics which drives our potential lover away. Maybe it could be our rudeness, lose-tongue syndrome, bad temper, pessimism or even sheer lack of personal hygiene. Whatever be the case, it remains imperative that we find out our shortfalls and tackle them if indeed we are after that special person.

2. Extend A Smile

Most relationship experts say that the best way(s) at which persons get to find their future significant other is mainly through the magic of smiles. Trust me, no one would ever love to be with a frowned distraught face as psychologists even tell us that one’s life is bound to shorten should (s)he often be meeting morose faces. Just start with a warm smile, greet everyone as possible and let the world feel your sweet aura.

3. Give Out A Helping Hand

For those of us blessed to have grandparents still living in love together, we may share one similar story our grannies use to tell us – the story which shows how they (our grannies) fell for each other just because of the help one extended to the other unknowingly.

Help comes in different ways; could be proffering advice to a disturbed mind, paying the fare for someone, engaging in communal labour or even taking someone out for dinner. It’s amazing to know how someone could be watching whiles you embark on such charitable duties…and who knows, it may end up being that special someone you always wished to have.

4. Stay Focused

Telling a single person to stay focus often has been mistaken to mean focusing on the chances of finding that special someone, unfortunately not. When we say stay focused, we mean staying glued to your dream and aspirations.

It may surprise us to know that humans are not engineered to fall in love with an idle-minded person. In fact, most ladies would say they are more attracted to hard working dudes why because they sense an aura of responsibility around them.

Focus on your job, commit yourself to get higher grades in college, do the best you can to stay on top and trust me… the attraction to that future soulmate would be more than a magnet’s!

Written by Eniola Edun

Reasons Why New Year's Resolutions Never Work.

How many years have you started out with the best intentions only to find that less than 60 days into the New Year you've already broken your New Year's resolutions? Moreover, rather than focusing on what's working, you tend to be really hard on yourself and end up throwing out any small bit of progress with the overwhelming sensation that you're not likely to reach your goal. Sound familiar? Here's how to break this pattern and come up with lasting change you will stick with--not just this year, but every year thereafter.
First of all, here's what NOT to do: 

1. Don't should all over yourself. I covered this at length in a previous article, but to recap it's important to understand the reasons why you MUST change. From a behavior to an emotion to a belief, creating lasting change is about getting out of the "should" model which rarely delivers the results you want and instead deeply reflecting on why the change is a MUST.
2. Don't set vague or highly unrealistic goals. Resolutions around things like "I'd like more money" or "I should lose some weight" are vague and unmeasurable. It's impossible to know when you've reached these goals, so you end up ignoring them altogether. Instead, be specific "I want to lose 5 pounds a month until I reach my ideal weight.
3. Don't wait until the end of the year to measure your progress. Even if you've crafted a realistic resolution, you need at least weekly (ideally daily) measurements that ensure you're tracking toward your larger 12 month (annual) goal.

For Lasting Change, Do This Instead:

1. Write out the story of your legendary year as if it were a move script. My coach,Chad Cooper, taught me this one. If your life were a movie, would people be falling asleep through it or on the edge of their seats? You are the director in your own life. If you want more excitement, more adventure, more romance, you simply need to start by imagining the outcome you want to experience this year. The more detail you give it, the more emotionally invested you'll be to ensuring and living the outcome you want to make happen.
2. Ask yourself, "Why Do I Really Want This?" It's simply not enough to have a plan of what you want to do with your life--even for this next year. In order to make it happen, you need to really understand why this is a MUST for you (not a "should"). What will these changes in your life bring? Why do you want this change in the first place? And then think about the massive action you need to take in order to achieve what is now a MUST for you. Asking these questions have the side benefit of increasing your productivity up to 200 percent.
3. Get a coach or at the very least, and accountability partner. Who's going to help you achieve the goals you've set out for yourself? You know what happens when you get busy, so who is going to force you to stop, reflect and measure your progress? Even if you're one of the few people with the skills and discipline to do this yourself, a coach and/or an accountability partner will schedule regular meetings (usually twice a month) to ensure you're making the progress you set out to accomplish. And, if not, to help ensure you make the small changes necessary to ensure the outcomes you seek.

It's time to focus on the outcome you want to see this year. Start by writing your legendary story as if it were a movie script. Then spend some time thinking why you really want this new life. What will life be like when you accomplish these goals and changes? And last, but not least, who (besides yourself) will hold you accountable to the outcomes you really want to achieve?
If you're serious about the changes you want to make in your life, take this approach. Not only will it work, but you'll find you never want to go back to the days of annual measurement of highly unrealistic goals that you "should" do, but know deep down that you never will. Achievers envision entirely new possibilities, get deep with the reasons this new reality is a MUST for them, and find someone they trust to hold themselves accountable. I'd wish you luck, but you don't need luck when you do these three things instead. After all, it's grot(not gri nd) that makes the difference and determine your success.

Written by Bill Carmody