Friday, 24 November 2017
Investopedia/Daniel Kurt: 7 Unusual Ways Businesses Can Borrow Money
7 Unusual Ways Businesses Can Borrow Money By Daniel Kurt | Updated November 23, 2017 — 10:00 AM EST
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Commercial banks have long been the go-to source for business owners who need an infusion of cash. But they may not be an option for everyone, especially if you need money fast or don’t meet their underwriting standards.
Fortunately, there are a lot of alternative sources out there, some of which have only emerged over the past several years. The catch: Some offer much more favorable terms than others. That’s why it’s important to understand how these unconventional lenders operate before making a decision.
1. Peer-to-Peer Lending
When it comes to business financing, one of the newer kids on the block is peer-to-peer lending. Sites like Funding Circle and Lending Club act as an intermediary between investors (who supply the funds) and borrowers. (See The 7 Best Peer-to-Peer Lending Websites (LC).)
One of the upsides is quick access to capital. Some sites promise loan decisions in as little as 24 hours. So it’s an appealing option if you need some extra cash fast.
As with traditional lenders, your credit score plays a big part in getting a favorable rate. Funding Circle rates can be as low as 4.99% per year, although some sites can go as high as 40% for those with less-than-stellar credit. Often, they’ll tack on a loan origination fee as well.
Most peer-to-peer sites cater to borrowers with credit scores north of 600 – and sometimes higher – so you may have to pursue other options if your credit history has major blemishes.
2. Factoring
Another way to get cash in a hurry: selling your accounts receivable to a financial institution, or factor. Companies often use factors to help manage cash flow and slow-paying customers. The factor advances a portion of the accounts receivable – typically 75% to 80% of an invoice – and holds the remainder as a reserve. The higher the quality of the accounts, the more you’ll be able to borrow.
Let’s say you’re an auto-parts maker and agree to sell a $100,000 invoice owed to you by RevUp Auto Supply. The factor may decide to discount the invoice by 4%, keeping the $4,000 as its fee. It advances $75,000 to your business and keeps the remaining $21,000 in reserve. Once RevUp pays the invoice in full, the factor forwards that $21,000 to you.
The glaring downside to factors is their high cost. That said, they’re an appealing option if you operate in an industry where there’s a long lag time in collecting on receivables.
3. SBA Microloans
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers a number of loan programs designed to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. One of the easiest to access is the Microloan program, which offers loans up to $50,000 for small businesses and qualified childcare centers. Business owners can use these microloans, made available through nonprofit community-based organizations, to increase their working capital as well as buy inventory, supplies and machinery. Often, these lenders provide more than funding – they also offer consultative services designed to help your business succeed. In fact, some borrowers have to undergo training before their application is even considered.
According to the SBA, interest rates are generally between 8% and 13%. To find a microlender in your area, contact your SBA district office. (For related reading, see Expanding Your Small Business with an SBA Loan.)
4. Crowdfunding
Small business owners have long turned to family and friends when other lending sources seemed out of reach. With the arrival of crowdfunding websites in recent years, drawing on your personal connections is perhaps easier than ever.
Among the more popular crowdfunding sites are Kickstarter and Indiegogo. You provide information about your funding needs and solicit people you know to make pledges.
To be sure, some businesses are a better fit for this type of social lending than others. Kickstarter, for example, specializes in helping creative professionals with their projects. Conversely, many of Indiegogo’s users are technology firms trying to get a new product off the ground.
Some of these sites work on an “all or nothing” basis – if you don’t hit your fundraising target, you don’t get any of the pledged money. But the bigger your network, and the more creative advertising you do, the better your chances of making it work. (For more, see Top 3 Crowdfunding Platforms of 2017.)
5. Private Lenders
In the wake of the financial crisis nearly a decade ago, so-called private credit firms have emerged as major competitors to commercial banks. Thanks to double-digit annual growth, the private credit industry is on track to reach roughly $1 trillion in assets under management by the year 2020, according to a recent report by the Alternative Credit Council, or ACC.
Unlike some of the other sources mentioned here, these firms tend to specialize in bigger loans, usually in the $25 million to $100 million range. The ACC touts more flexible terms and quick loan approvals as a couple of the key reasons that this form of lending has grown in popularity among small and medium-sized businesses.
There are some drawbacks, however. The borrowing costs are often higher than more traditional sources, and it’s not uncommon for lenders to charge prepayment penalties when you try to repay the loan early.
6. Customer Lenders
A little over a decade ago, some farmers began using community-supported agricultural loans, or CSAs, to finance their operations. Customers would provide cash before the planting season and receive produce at discounted prices when the harvest arrived.
Soon, that model spread to the retail industry, with local food markets borrowing from their shoppers. For example, in exchange for cash, customers at a specialty grocer in Boston received a set discount on food items throughout the year. It not only made sense financially, but helped sustain a local business that customers felt was important to the community.
Unfortunately, this may not be a viable option for every business. But for organizations that have a strong connection with the people they serve, it’s a clever, outside-the-box solution to a financial shortfall.
7. Home-Equity Loans
For some borrowers who have trouble qualifying for a business loan, the obvious alternative is to get a personal loan. One of the more common ways to do that is by borrowing against the collateral in your home and injecting the money into your company. (See Home-Equity Loans: What You Need to Know.)
Because these are secured loans, you can take out a line of credit at remarkably low rates if you have a good credit score and sufficient equity in your home. But there are some serious risks, too. Should you default on the loan, you’re putting your home in jeopardy. That’s a proposition some business owners aren’t willing to stomach.
The Bottom Line
When traditional business loans aren’t an option, it might be time to look at an alternative lending source that can supply the capital you need. Just make sure you know what you’re getting into before you sign on the dotted line.
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Investopedia/Reuters: "Fake Data", a Relative of "Fake News", Is Threat to Economic Stability, ECB Says
"Fake Data", a Relative of "Fake News", Is Threat to Economic Stability, ECB Says Partner Content
By Reuters | November 24, 2017 — 6:10 AM EST
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"Fake data" is as much of a threat to economic and financial stability as "fake news" is to politics, a leading European central banker said on Friday.
European Central Bank board member Benoit Coeure said there was a growing prevalence of poor quality data which risks fuelling economic manias and panics.
Since skewed public perceptions can even alter the course of monetary policy, the ECB is increasingly relying on large scale analysis of news to gauge whether its message is correctly received, he said.
But that carries what he described as a "monkey in the mirror" risk - a reference to a behavioural experiment in which it is unclear whether an animal recognises itself in the mirror or thinks it is a different animal.
"Just as there are concerns about 'fake news' dominating social media, there is a risk of 'fake', or at least poor quality, statistics driving out better quality ones in public discourse," Coeure said in Paris.
"Actions by economic agents could become less anchored to actual activity and more prone to manias and panics, with obvious implications for economic and financial stability," he added.
Recovering from the biggest recession in decades, the ECB has relied on a plethora of unconventional and still not fully understood tools to kick start growth, boost employment and raise inflation.
Central banks also talk more since they rely on tools poorly understood by the public, so they also increasingly employ sophisticated computer technology to study whether their message reaches the right destination.
But such feedback could also be misleading.
"We may one day be tempted to draft our monetary policy statements and speeches in the light of how they will be comprehended and interpreted by artificial intelligence algorithms," Coeure said, adding that the consequences of such a mechanism has yet to be understood. (Reporting by Balazs Koranyi Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
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Medium.com/Benjamin P, Hardy: 30 Behaviors That Will Make You Unstoppable
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Nov 22
Unstoppable
30 Behaviors That Will Make You Unstoppable
A lot of people are good at what they do. Some are even elite. A select few are completely unstoppable.
Those who are unstoppable are in their own world. They don’t compete with anyone but themselves. You never know what they will do — only that you will be forced to respond. Even though they don’t compete with you, they make you compete with them.
Are you unstoppable? By the end of this blog you will be.
Let’s get started:
1. Don’t think — know and act.
“Don’t think. You already know what you have to do, and you know how to do it. What’s stopping you?” — Tim Grover
Rather than analyzing and thinking, act. Attuned to your senses, and with complete trust in yourself, do what you instinctively feel you should. As Oprah has said, “Every right decision I have ever made has come from my gut. Every wrong decision I’ve made was the result of me not listening to the greater voice of myself.”
The moment you start thinking, you’ve already lost. Thinking swiftly pulls you out of the zone.
2. Always be prepared so you have the freedom to act on instinct.
“Just as the yin-yang symbol possesses a kernel of light in the dark, and of dark in the light, creative leaps are grounded in a technical foundation.” — Josh Waitzkin
Become a master of your craft. While everyone else is relaxing, you’re practicing and perfecting. Learn the left-brained rules in and out so your right brain can have limitless freedom to break the rules and create.
With enhanced consciousness, time will slow down for you. You’ll see things in several more frames than others. While they’re trying to react to the situation, you’ll be able to manipulate and tweak the situation to your liking.
3. Don’t be motivated by money or anything external.
Having nice things is, well, nice. But for you, it’s never been about the money,prestige or anything else outside of you. Take these things away and nothing changes for you. You’re still going to be pushing your personal limits and giving it your all. Give these things to you and they won’t destroy you like they do most people.
4. Never be satisfied.
“The drive to close the gap between near-perfect and perfect is the difference between great and unstoppable.” — Tim Grover
Even after you achieve a goal, you’re not content. For you, it’s not even about the goal. It’s about the climb to see how far you can push yourself.
Does this make you ungrateful? Absolutely not. You’re entirely humbled and grateful for everything in your life. Which is why you will never get complacent or lazy.
To quote Jim Rohn, “The way to enjoy life best is to wrap up one goal and start right on the next one. Don’t linger too long at the table of success, the only way to enjoy another meal is to get hungry.”
5. Always be in control.
Unlike most people, who are dependent on substances or other external factors, you are in control of what you put in your body, how you spend your time and how long you stay in the zone.
Act based on instinct, not impulse. Just because you could doesn’t mean you do. And when you do, it’s because you want to, not because you have to.
6. Be true to yourself.
Although 70 percent of US employees hate their jobs and only one in three Americans report being happy, relentless and unstoppable people purge everything from their life they hate.
Have the self-respect and confidence to live life on your terms. When something isn’t right in your life, change it. Immediately.
7. Never let off the pressure.
“Pressure can bust pipes, but it also can make diamonds.” — Robert Horry
Most people can handle pressure in small doses. But when left to their own devices, they let off the pressure and relax.
Not you. You never take the pressure off yourself. Instead, you continuously turn-up the pressure. It’s what keeps you alert and active.
8. Don’t be afraid of the consequences of failure.
Most people stay close to the ground, where it’s safe. If they fall, it won’t hurt that bad. But when you choose to fly high, the fall may kill you. And you’re OK with that. To you, there is no ceiling and there is no floor. It’s all in your head. If something goes wrong — if you “fail” — you adjust and keep going.
9. Don’t compete with others. Make them compete with you.
Most people are competing with other people. They continuously check-in to see what others in their space (their “competition”) are doing. As a result, they mimic and copy what’s “working.”
Conversely, you’ve left all competition behind. Competing with others makes absolutely zero sense to you. It pulls you from your authentic zone. So you zone out all the external noise and instead zone in to your internal pressure to produce.
10. Never stop learning.
Ordinary people seek entertainment. Extraordinary people seek education and learning. When you want to become the best at what you do, you never stop learning. You never stop improving and honing your skills and knowledge.
Your unparalleled preparation is what gives you power. No one else is willing to pay the price you’ve paid.
11. Success isn’t enough — it only increases the pressure.
For most people, becoming “successful” is enough. However, when you’re relentless, success only increases the pressure to do more. Immediately following the achievement of a goal, you’re focused on your next challenge.
12. Don’t get crushed by success.
“Success can become a catalyst for failure.” — Greg McKeown
Most people can’t handle success, authority or privilege. It destroys them. It makes them lazy. When they get what they want, they stop doing the very things that got them there. The external noise becomes too intense.
But for you, no external noise can push harder than your own internal pressure. It’s not about this achievement, but the one after, and the one after that. There is no destination. Only when you’re finished.
13. Completely own it when you screw up.
“Implementing extreme ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to any successful team.”―Jocko Willink
No blame. No deception or illusion. Just the cold hard truth. When you mess up, you own it. And as the leader, you own it when your team fails. Only with extreme ownership can you have complete freedom and control.
14. Let your work speak for itself.
“Well done, is well said.” — Anthony Liccione
Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work, distinguishes “deep work” from “shallow work.” Here’s the difference:
Deep work is:
Rare
High value
And non-replicable (i.e., not easy to copy/outsource)
Shallow work is:
Common
Low value
Replicable (i.e., anyone can do it)
Talking is shallow. Anyone can do it. It’s easily replicated. It’s low value.Conversely, deep work is rare. It’s done by people who are focused and working while everyone else is talking. Deep work is so good it can’t be ignored.
15. Always work on your mental strength.
“Mental resilience is arguably the most critical trait of a world-class performer, and it should be nurtured continuously. Left to my own devices, I am always looking for ways to become more and more psychologically impregnable. When uncomfortable, my instinct is not to avoid the discomfort but to become at peace with it. My instinct is always to seek out challenges as opposed to avoiding them.” — Josh Waitzkin
The better you can be under pressure, the further you’ll go than anyone else. Because they’ll crumble under pressure.
The best training you will ever do is mental training. Wherever your mind goes, your body follows. Wherever your thoughts go, your life follows.
16. Confidence is your greatest asset.
You’ve heard it before: Running a marathon is far more mental than physical. A person’s ability to run a marathon — or do anything hard — is more a reflection of their level of confidence than their actual ability.
Your confidence determines:
The size of challenges/goals you undertake
How likely you will achieve those goals
How well you bounce back from failures
If you’re not confident, you will never put yourself out there in the first place. When you’re confident, you don’t care how many times you fail, you’re going to succeed. And it doesn’t matter how stacked the odds seem against you.
17. Surround yourself with people who remind you of the future, not the past.
When you surround yourself with people who remind you of your past, you’ll have a hard time progressing. This is why we get stuck in certain roles, which we can’t break free from (e.g., the fat kid or shy girl).
Surrounding yourself with people who you want to be like allows you a fresh slate. You’re no longer defined by your past, only the future you are creating.
According to “the Pygmalion Effect,” the expectations of those around you in large measure determines how well you perform.
18. Let things go, but never forget.
The science is clear: forgiveness improves not only your emotional health, but also your physical health.
Being unstoppable requires carrying no unnecessary mental or emotional baggage. Consequently, you’ll need to immediately and completely forgive anyone who has wronged you. However, forgiveness doesn’t mean you forget. And it doesn’t mean you have to do further business with those who have wronged you.
19. Have clear goals.
“While a fixation on results is certainly unhealthy, short-term goals can be useful developmental tools if they are balanced within a nurturing long-term philosophy.” — Josh Waitzkin
According to loads of psychology research, the most motivating goals are clearly defined and time-bound.
Your goals can either be focused on your behaviors (e.g., I’m going to write 500 words per day) or on the outcomes you’re seeking (e.g., I’m going to get published on The New York Times by June 1, 2017).
For most people, behaviorally-focused goals are the better and more motivating option. But when you crave the results so much that the work is irrelevant, your aim should be directed straight at the outcomes you want. However, results-focused goals are better when short-term and grounded in your long-term vision and philosophy. When your why is strong enough, the how will take care of itself.
20. Respond immediately, rather than analyzing or stalling.
“He who hesitates is lost.” — Cato
Anticipation of an event is always more extreme than the event itself — both for positive and negative events.
Just do it. Train yourself to respond immediately when you feel you should do something. Stop questioning yourself. Don’t analyze it. Don’t question if it came from God or from yourself. Just act.
You’ll figure out what to do after you’ve taken action. Until you take action, it will all be hypothetical. But once you act, it becomes practical.
21. Choose simplicity over complication.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” — Albert Einstein
It’s easy to be complicated. Most of the research and jargon in academia and business is over-complicated.
Cutting to the core and hitting the truth is hard, because it’s simple. As Leonardo da Vinci has said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Very few people will give you the truth. When you ask them a question, it gets mighty complicated. “There are so many variables” or “It depends” they say.
T. S. Eliot said it best, “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?”
Wisdom is timeless and simple. Learn wisdom and choose it.
22. Never be jealous or envious of someone else’s accomplishments.
Being unstoppable means you genuinely want what’s best for everyone — even those you would consider your competitors. Jealousy and envy are the ego — which operates out of fear.
The reason you are happy for other people’s success is because their success has nothing to do with you.
You are in control of you. And you are different from every other person. There is no one who can do exactly what you can do. You have your own superpower with your own unique ability to contribute. And that’s what you’re going to do.
23. Take the shot every time.
“If I fail more than you, I win.” — Seth Godin
You miss every shot you don’t take. And most people don’t want to take the shot. Fear of failure paralyzes them.
The only way you can become unstoppable is if you stop thinking about it.Just take the shot. Don’t do it only when it’s convenient or when you feel ready. Just go and make whatever adjustments you need after the fact.
24. Don’t get caught up in the results of your success. Always remain focused on what got you those results: the work.
When you start doing noteworthy stuff, there are benefits that can become distractions. It can get easy to “ride the wave” of your previous work. Keep practicing. Perfect your craft. Never forget what got you here.
25. Think and act 10X.
“When 10X is your measuring stick, you immediately see how you can bypass what everyone else is doing.” — Dan Sullivan
Most people — even those you deem to be “world class” — are not operating at 10X. In truth, you could surpass anyone if you radically stretch your thinking and belief system.
Going 10X changes everything. As Dan Sullivan has said, “10X thinking automatically takes you ‘outside the box’ of your present obstacles and limitations.” It pulls you out of the problems most people are dealing with and opens you to an entirely new field of possibilities.
When you take your goal of earning $100,000 this year and change it to $1,000,000, you’re forced to operate at a different level. The logical and traditional approach doesn’t work with 10X. As Shane Snow, author of Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success, has said,“10X progress is built on bravery and creativity instead. Working smarter.”
The question is: Are you willing to go there? Not just entertain the thought for a second or two and then revert back to common thinking. No. Are you willing to sit with 10X thinking? Are you willing to question your own thought processes and open yourself to believing an entirely different set of possibilities?
Could you convince yourself to believe in your 10X potential? Are you willing to undertake goals that seems lunacy, to you and everyone else? Are you willing to take the mental leap, trusting “the universe will conspire to make it happen”?
10X thinking truly is hard to fathom until you experience. Once you experience it, you realize it not only possible, but even possibly conservative.Going from six figures to seven figures can happen within a few short years. If you think big enough, and are willing to act boldly and intelligently enough, it’s not that crazy.
All the tools are in place in our global world. And if their not, then build them.There’s plenty of people doing it. You have no excuse, only that you don’t really want it, and are thus not willing to pay the price.
26. Set goals that far exceed your current capabilities.
“You need to aim beyond what you are capable of. You need to develop a complete disregard for where your abilities end. If you think you’re unable to work for the best company in its sphere, make that your aim. If you think you’re unable to be on the cover of TIME magazine, make it your business to be there. Make your vision of where you want to be a reality. Nothing is impossible.” — Paul Arden
If your goals are logical, they won’t force you to create luck. Being unstoppable means your goals challenge you to be someone more than you currently are. As Jim Rohn has said, “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better.”
27. Make time for recovery and rejuvenation.
“Wherever you are, make sure you’re there.” — Dan Sullivan
When you focus on results, rather than being busy, you’re 100 percent on when you’re working and 100 percent off when you’re not. This not only allows you to be present in the moment, but it allows you the needed time to rest and recover.
Your ability to work at a high level is like fitness. If you never take a break between sets, you won’t be able to build strength, stamina and endurance. However, not all “rest” produces recovery. Certain things are more soothing than others.
Recovering from my work generally consists of writing in my journal, listening to music, spending time with my wife and kids, preparing and eating delicious food, or serving other people. These things rejuvenate me. They make my work possible, but also meaningful.
28. Start before you’re ready.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Chinese Proverb
Most people wait. They believe they can start after they have enough time, money, connections and credentials. They wait until they feel “secure.” Not people who are unstoppable.
Unstoppable people started last year. They started five years ago before they even knew what they were doing. They started before they had any money. They started before they had all the answers. They started when no one else believed in them. The only permission they needed was the voice inside them prompting them to move forward. And they moved.
29. If you need permission, you probably shouldn’t do it.
A mentor of mine is a highly successful real estate investor. Throughout his career, he’s had hundreds of people ask him if they should “go into real-estate.”
He tells every one of them the same thing: that they shouldn’t do it. In fact, he actually tries talking most of them out of it. And in most cases he succeeds.
Why would he do that? “Those who are going to succeed will do so regardless of what I say,” he told me.
I know so many people who chase whatever worked for other people. They never truly decide what they want to do, and end up jumping from one thing to the next — trying to strike quick gold. And repetitively, they stop digging just a few feet from the gold after resigning the spot is barren.
No one will ever give you permission to live your dreams.
30. Don’t make exceptions.
Zig Ziglar used to tell a story of traveling one day and not getting in bed until 4 a.m. An hour and a half later (5:30), his alarm went off. He said,“Every fiber of my being was telling me to stay in bed.” But he had made a commitment, so he got up anyway. Admittedly, he had a horrible day and wasn’t productive at all.
Yet, he says that decision changed his life. As he explains:
“Had I bowed to my human, physical, emotional and mental desire to sleep in, I would have made that exception. A week later, I might have made an exception if I only got four hours of sleep. A week later, maybe I only got seven hours of sleep. The exception so many times becomes the rule. Had I slept in, I would’ve faced that danger. Watch those exceptions!”
Hence, Zig was unstoppable.
Conclusion
“From this point, your strategy is to make everyone else get on your level, you’re not going down to theirs. You’re not competing with anyone else, ever again. They’re going to have to compete with you. From now on, the end result is all that matters.” — Tim Grover
When you’re unstoppable, you will make sure to get what you want. Everything you need to know is already within you. All you need to do is trust yourself and act.
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Nov 22
Unstoppable
30 Behaviors That Will Make You Unstoppable
A lot of people are good at what they do. Some are even elite. A select few are completely unstoppable.
Those who are unstoppable are in their own world. They don’t compete with anyone but themselves. You never know what they will do — only that you will be forced to respond. Even though they don’t compete with you, they make you compete with them.
Are you unstoppable? By the end of this blog you will be.
Let’s get started:
1. Don’t think — know and act.
“Don’t think. You already know what you have to do, and you know how to do it. What’s stopping you?” — Tim Grover
Rather than analyzing and thinking, act. Attuned to your senses, and with complete trust in yourself, do what you instinctively feel you should. As Oprah has said, “Every right decision I have ever made has come from my gut. Every wrong decision I’ve made was the result of me not listening to the greater voice of myself.”
The moment you start thinking, you’ve already lost. Thinking swiftly pulls you out of the zone.
2. Always be prepared so you have the freedom to act on instinct.
“Just as the yin-yang symbol possesses a kernel of light in the dark, and of dark in the light, creative leaps are grounded in a technical foundation.” — Josh Waitzkin
Become a master of your craft. While everyone else is relaxing, you’re practicing and perfecting. Learn the left-brained rules in and out so your right brain can have limitless freedom to break the rules and create.
With enhanced consciousness, time will slow down for you. You’ll see things in several more frames than others. While they’re trying to react to the situation, you’ll be able to manipulate and tweak the situation to your liking.
3. Don’t be motivated by money or anything external.
Having nice things is, well, nice. But for you, it’s never been about the money,prestige or anything else outside of you. Take these things away and nothing changes for you. You’re still going to be pushing your personal limits and giving it your all. Give these things to you and they won’t destroy you like they do most people.
4. Never be satisfied.
“The drive to close the gap between near-perfect and perfect is the difference between great and unstoppable.” — Tim Grover
Even after you achieve a goal, you’re not content. For you, it’s not even about the goal. It’s about the climb to see how far you can push yourself.
Does this make you ungrateful? Absolutely not. You’re entirely humbled and grateful for everything in your life. Which is why you will never get complacent or lazy.
To quote Jim Rohn, “The way to enjoy life best is to wrap up one goal and start right on the next one. Don’t linger too long at the table of success, the only way to enjoy another meal is to get hungry.”
5. Always be in control.
Unlike most people, who are dependent on substances or other external factors, you are in control of what you put in your body, how you spend your time and how long you stay in the zone.
Act based on instinct, not impulse. Just because you could doesn’t mean you do. And when you do, it’s because you want to, not because you have to.
6. Be true to yourself.
Although 70 percent of US employees hate their jobs and only one in three Americans report being happy, relentless and unstoppable people purge everything from their life they hate.
Have the self-respect and confidence to live life on your terms. When something isn’t right in your life, change it. Immediately.
7. Never let off the pressure.
“Pressure can bust pipes, but it also can make diamonds.” — Robert Horry
Most people can handle pressure in small doses. But when left to their own devices, they let off the pressure and relax.
Not you. You never take the pressure off yourself. Instead, you continuously turn-up the pressure. It’s what keeps you alert and active.
8. Don’t be afraid of the consequences of failure.
Most people stay close to the ground, where it’s safe. If they fall, it won’t hurt that bad. But when you choose to fly high, the fall may kill you. And you’re OK with that. To you, there is no ceiling and there is no floor. It’s all in your head. If something goes wrong — if you “fail” — you adjust and keep going.
9. Don’t compete with others. Make them compete with you.
Most people are competing with other people. They continuously check-in to see what others in their space (their “competition”) are doing. As a result, they mimic and copy what’s “working.”
Conversely, you’ve left all competition behind. Competing with others makes absolutely zero sense to you. It pulls you from your authentic zone. So you zone out all the external noise and instead zone in to your internal pressure to produce.
10. Never stop learning.
Ordinary people seek entertainment. Extraordinary people seek education and learning. When you want to become the best at what you do, you never stop learning. You never stop improving and honing your skills and knowledge.
Your unparalleled preparation is what gives you power. No one else is willing to pay the price you’ve paid.
11. Success isn’t enough — it only increases the pressure.
For most people, becoming “successful” is enough. However, when you’re relentless, success only increases the pressure to do more. Immediately following the achievement of a goal, you’re focused on your next challenge.
12. Don’t get crushed by success.
“Success can become a catalyst for failure.” — Greg McKeown
Most people can’t handle success, authority or privilege. It destroys them. It makes them lazy. When they get what they want, they stop doing the very things that got them there. The external noise becomes too intense.
But for you, no external noise can push harder than your own internal pressure. It’s not about this achievement, but the one after, and the one after that. There is no destination. Only when you’re finished.
13. Completely own it when you screw up.
“Implementing extreme ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to any successful team.”―Jocko Willink
No blame. No deception or illusion. Just the cold hard truth. When you mess up, you own it. And as the leader, you own it when your team fails. Only with extreme ownership can you have complete freedom and control.
14. Let your work speak for itself.
“Well done, is well said.” — Anthony Liccione
Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work, distinguishes “deep work” from “shallow work.” Here’s the difference:
Deep work is:
Rare
High value
And non-replicable (i.e., not easy to copy/outsource)
Shallow work is:
Common
Low value
Replicable (i.e., anyone can do it)
Talking is shallow. Anyone can do it. It’s easily replicated. It’s low value.Conversely, deep work is rare. It’s done by people who are focused and working while everyone else is talking. Deep work is so good it can’t be ignored.
15. Always work on your mental strength.
“Mental resilience is arguably the most critical trait of a world-class performer, and it should be nurtured continuously. Left to my own devices, I am always looking for ways to become more and more psychologically impregnable. When uncomfortable, my instinct is not to avoid the discomfort but to become at peace with it. My instinct is always to seek out challenges as opposed to avoiding them.” — Josh Waitzkin
The better you can be under pressure, the further you’ll go than anyone else. Because they’ll crumble under pressure.
The best training you will ever do is mental training. Wherever your mind goes, your body follows. Wherever your thoughts go, your life follows.
16. Confidence is your greatest asset.
You’ve heard it before: Running a marathon is far more mental than physical. A person’s ability to run a marathon — or do anything hard — is more a reflection of their level of confidence than their actual ability.
Your confidence determines:
The size of challenges/goals you undertake
How likely you will achieve those goals
How well you bounce back from failures
If you’re not confident, you will never put yourself out there in the first place. When you’re confident, you don’t care how many times you fail, you’re going to succeed. And it doesn’t matter how stacked the odds seem against you.
17. Surround yourself with people who remind you of the future, not the past.
When you surround yourself with people who remind you of your past, you’ll have a hard time progressing. This is why we get stuck in certain roles, which we can’t break free from (e.g., the fat kid or shy girl).
Surrounding yourself with people who you want to be like allows you a fresh slate. You’re no longer defined by your past, only the future you are creating.
According to “the Pygmalion Effect,” the expectations of those around you in large measure determines how well you perform.
18. Let things go, but never forget.
The science is clear: forgiveness improves not only your emotional health, but also your physical health.
Being unstoppable requires carrying no unnecessary mental or emotional baggage. Consequently, you’ll need to immediately and completely forgive anyone who has wronged you. However, forgiveness doesn’t mean you forget. And it doesn’t mean you have to do further business with those who have wronged you.
19. Have clear goals.
“While a fixation on results is certainly unhealthy, short-term goals can be useful developmental tools if they are balanced within a nurturing long-term philosophy.” — Josh Waitzkin
According to loads of psychology research, the most motivating goals are clearly defined and time-bound.
Your goals can either be focused on your behaviors (e.g., I’m going to write 500 words per day) or on the outcomes you’re seeking (e.g., I’m going to get published on The New York Times by June 1, 2017).
For most people, behaviorally-focused goals are the better and more motivating option. But when you crave the results so much that the work is irrelevant, your aim should be directed straight at the outcomes you want. However, results-focused goals are better when short-term and grounded in your long-term vision and philosophy. When your why is strong enough, the how will take care of itself.
20. Respond immediately, rather than analyzing or stalling.
“He who hesitates is lost.” — Cato
Anticipation of an event is always more extreme than the event itself — both for positive and negative events.
Just do it. Train yourself to respond immediately when you feel you should do something. Stop questioning yourself. Don’t analyze it. Don’t question if it came from God or from yourself. Just act.
You’ll figure out what to do after you’ve taken action. Until you take action, it will all be hypothetical. But once you act, it becomes practical.
21. Choose simplicity over complication.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” — Albert Einstein
It’s easy to be complicated. Most of the research and jargon in academia and business is over-complicated.
Cutting to the core and hitting the truth is hard, because it’s simple. As Leonardo da Vinci has said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Very few people will give you the truth. When you ask them a question, it gets mighty complicated. “There are so many variables” or “It depends” they say.
T. S. Eliot said it best, “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?”
Wisdom is timeless and simple. Learn wisdom and choose it.
22. Never be jealous or envious of someone else’s accomplishments.
Being unstoppable means you genuinely want what’s best for everyone — even those you would consider your competitors. Jealousy and envy are the ego — which operates out of fear.
The reason you are happy for other people’s success is because their success has nothing to do with you.
You are in control of you. And you are different from every other person. There is no one who can do exactly what you can do. You have your own superpower with your own unique ability to contribute. And that’s what you’re going to do.
23. Take the shot every time.
“If I fail more than you, I win.” — Seth Godin
You miss every shot you don’t take. And most people don’t want to take the shot. Fear of failure paralyzes them.
The only way you can become unstoppable is if you stop thinking about it.Just take the shot. Don’t do it only when it’s convenient or when you feel ready. Just go and make whatever adjustments you need after the fact.
24. Don’t get caught up in the results of your success. Always remain focused on what got you those results: the work.
When you start doing noteworthy stuff, there are benefits that can become distractions. It can get easy to “ride the wave” of your previous work. Keep practicing. Perfect your craft. Never forget what got you here.
25. Think and act 10X.
“When 10X is your measuring stick, you immediately see how you can bypass what everyone else is doing.” — Dan Sullivan
Most people — even those you deem to be “world class” — are not operating at 10X. In truth, you could surpass anyone if you radically stretch your thinking and belief system.
Going 10X changes everything. As Dan Sullivan has said, “10X thinking automatically takes you ‘outside the box’ of your present obstacles and limitations.” It pulls you out of the problems most people are dealing with and opens you to an entirely new field of possibilities.
When you take your goal of earning $100,000 this year and change it to $1,000,000, you’re forced to operate at a different level. The logical and traditional approach doesn’t work with 10X. As Shane Snow, author of Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success, has said,“10X progress is built on bravery and creativity instead. Working smarter.”
The question is: Are you willing to go there? Not just entertain the thought for a second or two and then revert back to common thinking. No. Are you willing to sit with 10X thinking? Are you willing to question your own thought processes and open yourself to believing an entirely different set of possibilities?
Could you convince yourself to believe in your 10X potential? Are you willing to undertake goals that seems lunacy, to you and everyone else? Are you willing to take the mental leap, trusting “the universe will conspire to make it happen”?
10X thinking truly is hard to fathom until you experience. Once you experience it, you realize it not only possible, but even possibly conservative.Going from six figures to seven figures can happen within a few short years. If you think big enough, and are willing to act boldly and intelligently enough, it’s not that crazy.
All the tools are in place in our global world. And if their not, then build them.There’s plenty of people doing it. You have no excuse, only that you don’t really want it, and are thus not willing to pay the price.
26. Set goals that far exceed your current capabilities.
“You need to aim beyond what you are capable of. You need to develop a complete disregard for where your abilities end. If you think you’re unable to work for the best company in its sphere, make that your aim. If you think you’re unable to be on the cover of TIME magazine, make it your business to be there. Make your vision of where you want to be a reality. Nothing is impossible.” — Paul Arden
If your goals are logical, they won’t force you to create luck. Being unstoppable means your goals challenge you to be someone more than you currently are. As Jim Rohn has said, “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better.”
27. Make time for recovery and rejuvenation.
“Wherever you are, make sure you’re there.” — Dan Sullivan
When you focus on results, rather than being busy, you’re 100 percent on when you’re working and 100 percent off when you’re not. This not only allows you to be present in the moment, but it allows you the needed time to rest and recover.
Your ability to work at a high level is like fitness. If you never take a break between sets, you won’t be able to build strength, stamina and endurance. However, not all “rest” produces recovery. Certain things are more soothing than others.
Recovering from my work generally consists of writing in my journal, listening to music, spending time with my wife and kids, preparing and eating delicious food, or serving other people. These things rejuvenate me. They make my work possible, but also meaningful.
28. Start before you’re ready.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Chinese Proverb
Most people wait. They believe they can start after they have enough time, money, connections and credentials. They wait until they feel “secure.” Not people who are unstoppable.
Unstoppable people started last year. They started five years ago before they even knew what they were doing. They started before they had any money. They started before they had all the answers. They started when no one else believed in them. The only permission they needed was the voice inside them prompting them to move forward. And they moved.
29. If you need permission, you probably shouldn’t do it.
A mentor of mine is a highly successful real estate investor. Throughout his career, he’s had hundreds of people ask him if they should “go into real-estate.”
He tells every one of them the same thing: that they shouldn’t do it. In fact, he actually tries talking most of them out of it. And in most cases he succeeds.
Why would he do that? “Those who are going to succeed will do so regardless of what I say,” he told me.
I know so many people who chase whatever worked for other people. They never truly decide what they want to do, and end up jumping from one thing to the next — trying to strike quick gold. And repetitively, they stop digging just a few feet from the gold after resigning the spot is barren.
No one will ever give you permission to live your dreams.
30. Don’t make exceptions.
Zig Ziglar used to tell a story of traveling one day and not getting in bed until 4 a.m. An hour and a half later (5:30), his alarm went off. He said,“Every fiber of my being was telling me to stay in bed.” But he had made a commitment, so he got up anyway. Admittedly, he had a horrible day and wasn’t productive at all.
Yet, he says that decision changed his life. As he explains:
“Had I bowed to my human, physical, emotional and mental desire to sleep in, I would have made that exception. A week later, I might have made an exception if I only got four hours of sleep. A week later, maybe I only got seven hours of sleep. The exception so many times becomes the rule. Had I slept in, I would’ve faced that danger. Watch those exceptions!”
Hence, Zig was unstoppable.
Conclusion
“From this point, your strategy is to make everyone else get on your level, you’re not going down to theirs. You’re not competing with anyone else, ever again. They’re going to have to compete with you. From now on, the end result is all that matters.” — Tim Grover
When you’re unstoppable, you will make sure to get what you want. Everything you need to know is already within you. All you need to do is trust yourself and act.
Ready to Upgrade?
I’ve created a cheat sheet for putting yourself into a peak state, immediately. If you follow this daily, you’ll be able to proactively create the life you want.
Get the cheat sheet here!
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Husband & foster father of 3. PhD candidate in Motivation Psychology. Get my 2 free eBooks (on productivity & blogging strategy)@ https://benjaminhardy.com/
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Responses
SDG Knowledge Hub/Nathalie Risse: Young People Featured in Peacebuilding, Human Rights Initiatives
SDG Knowledge Hub
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Nathalie Risse, Ph.D.
Thematic Expert for 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Canada)
23 November 2017
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Young People Featured in Peacebuilding, Human Rights Initiatives
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
story highlights
UNA-Canada hosted the 'Youth as Peacebuilders Forum' on the sidelines of the 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial conference.
The UNGA's Third Committee, UN Environment, and the UN Country Team in Sudan also took action on engaging youth and highlighting the views and ideas of youth.
21 November 2017: The UN Association in Canada (UNA-Canada) recently hosted the ‘Youth as Peacebuilders Forum’ to invite youth from Canada and around the world to share innovative ideas and engage perspectives on current challenges. The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, UN Environment, and the UN Country Team in Sudan also took action on engaging youth and highlighting the views and ideas of youth.
The Youth as Peacebuilders Forum convened with the support of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, from 14-15 November 2017, on the sidelines of the 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial conference in Vancouver, Canada. It provided an opportunity to discuss Canadian policies regarding youth participation in peacebuilding, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (S/RES/2250) of December 2015 on Youth, Peace, and Security, and its five pillars for action on participation, protection, prevention, partnership, and disengagement and reintegration. The Forum followed a youth-led consultations that took place from 23 October-10 November 2017, on the contribution of youth to peacebuilding. Among the Ministerial conference’s achievements, Canada’s press release notes that 54 countries endorsed the Vancouver Principles on the prevention of the recruitment and use of child soldiers in peacekeeping operations.
On 17-18 November, more than 130 young Members of Parliament around the world attended the Fourth Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. The Conference, jointly organized by the Parliament of Canada and IPU addressed youth political participation, migration, social integration, and inclusive economic opportunities for all. UNGA President Miroslav Lajčák, speaking via video message, remarked that young people have, historically, “been shut out of the rooms and halls where decisions are made,” and it is time for those voices to be listened to. He noted that young migrants and refugees can be assets to their new communities, as sources of skills, labour and new ideas, but this can only happen if they are integrated and included. He also reported that 73 million of young people are unemployed, and said he will host an innovative youth event in May 2018 that will focus on education, employment, and prevention of radicalization.
On 17 November, the UNGA’s Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved a revised draft resolution on ‘Policies and Programmes Involving Youth’ (A/C.3/72/L.15/Rev.1). The resolution urges governments, in consultation with youth and other relevant stakeholders, to develop integrated, holistic and inclusive youth policies and programmes based on the World Programme of Action for Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to evaluate them regularly as part of the follow-up action on and implementation of the Programme of Action at all levels.
For the first time in 2017, UN Environment, together with Covestro, held the Young Champions of the Earth competition, to support the innovation of the world’s younger generation to find lasting environmental solutions. From 600 applications, six Young Champions from each region (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and West Asia) will be selected as winners. These will have the opportunity to receive US$15,000 seed funding, intensive training, and tailored mentorship to help them operationalize their environmental ideas. On 16 November, Adam Dixon from the UK was announced as one of the Champions for his hydroponic technology that supports the growth of plants using ten times less land and water than conventional horticulture. UN Environment will announced other winners throughout November.
Young Sudanese artists showcased original paintings and sculptures inspired by the SDGs.
In Sudan, the UN Country Team, in collaboration with the Rashid Diab Arts Center the and the College of Fine and Applied Arts of the Sudan University of Science and Technology, organized the ‘Youth Colour the Future’ art exhibition from 16-18 November. Featuring 50 young Sudanese artists, the exhibition showcased original paintings and sculptures inspired by the SDGs, based on briefings, photos, videos and stories provided by communications staff of 19 UN agencies, funds and programmes.
Youth will also feature in a number of upcoming discussions. Among them, the Fifth African Union (AU)-European Union (EU) Summit taking place from 29-30 November 2017, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, will focus on investing in youth for a sustainable future. Ahead of the Summit, UNICEF carried out an opinion survey of young people living in fragile settings in West and Central Africa, on the importance of education in times of conflict. Per the UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe, the survey’s outcome is expected to be relayed to the African and European leaders attending the Summit.
The 6th EU-Africa Business Forum (EABF) is scheduled for 27 November, in Abidjan, and will consider ‘Investing in Job Creation for Youth’ as its overarching theme. The Business Forum will look at the challenges and opportunities for investment in Africa along strategic priorities of the EU-Africa cooperation, including: renewable energy; agribusiness; infrastructure; and the digital economy. Female and youth entrepreneurship will be considered a cross-cutting theme in all discussions and will be subject to a specific thematic session with a strong focus on ensuring decent work and quality jobs for young people and women. [UNA-Canada Webpage on Youth as Peacebuilders] [University of British Columbia News on Youth as Peacebuilders Forum] [Canada Press Release on 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Conference] [UNGA Revised Draft Resolution on ‘Policies and Programmes Involving Youth’ (A/C.3/72/L.15/Rev.1)] [IPU Press release on Fourth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians] [UNGA President Remarks during the Fourth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians] [UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015)] [UN Sudan Press Release on ‘Youth Colour the Future’ Exhibition] [UNRIC Press Release on AU-EU Summit] [EU Webpage on 5th AU-EU Summit] [6th EABF Website]
SDGs
4. Quality Education5. Gender Equality16. Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Issues
Gender, Sustainable Development, Human Rights & Indigenous Peoples, Stakeholder Participation
Actors
UN Environment, UNICEF, EU, AU, Intergovernmental Organization, UN Intergovernmental Body, UN Programme, Agency or Fund
Actions
Meeting, Project
Regions
Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East, Northern America, Caribbean, Central Africa, North Africa, Western Asia
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SDG Knowledge Hub/Graciela Metternicht Annette Cowie: Kill Not the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg: Striving for Land Degradation Neutrality
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Graciela Metternicht
Annette Cowie
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23 November 2017
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Kill Not the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg: Striving for Land Degradation Neutrality
Photo by John Byrne | Sydney Harbour Bridge during a red dust storm
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Managed carefully, soils are a reusable resource, but in a scale of human lifetimes they cannot be considered as a renewable resource.
Land Degradation Neutrality is a new paradigm in environmental politics for avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation in an integrated way.
The response hierarchy of Avoid > Reduce > Reverse land degradation articulates the priorities in planning LDN interventions.
Soil health and productivity is declining worldwide at unprecedented rates. We are killing the goose that lays the golden egg; nearly 33% of the world’s arable land – our food basket – has been lost to erosion or pollution in the last 40 years1. Soil is a basic resource underpinning food production and functioning of all terrestrial ecosystems. Managed carefully, soils are a reusable resource, but in a scale of human lifetimes they cannot be considered as a renewable resource. Soil formation rates are estimated at 114 millimetres per 1000 years2 on average globally, though in places like New South Wales (Australia) it can be as low as 10 millimetres per 1000 years3.
Mismanagement of forest, farms, and rangelands in developing and developed countries causes widespread land degradation by erosion that removes the fertile topsoil, and practices that cause soil acidification or salinization. A changing climate is exacerbating land degradation processes. Extreme climatic events like the ‘Sydney’s red dawn’ of September 2009 saw an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of sediment lost off the Australian coast in a 3,000-kilometre-long dust plume, making it the largest loss of soil from the Australian continent ever reported.
Creeping desertification in China is swallowing thousands of square kilometres of productive soil every year, and millions of hectares of productive land are disappearing annually in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa where 80% of its economy is based on subsistence farming.
As societies around the world assess the damage already done to their soil resources4, the job of land rehabilitation and restoration is becoming serious business. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Executive Secretary, Monique Barbut, puts it simply, “the health and productivity of the ground that we stand on will influence the future prosperity and security of humankind”5.
While protecting soil quality must be the first priority, it is necessary to restore or rehabilitate land that has already been degraded, in order to avoid net loss of land resources.
Land Degradation Neutrality is a new paradigm in environmental politics for avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation in an integrated way, to attain the Rio+20 aspiration for a land degradation-neutral world. LDN is also fundamental for pursuing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 (Life on Land). To date, 110 countries – over half of all signatories to the UNCCD – have embarked on the process of establishing national targets on LDN. The “SDG target 15.3 requiring countries to become land degradation neutral by 2030 is a pragmatic pathway…provides a frame for creating a long-term vision to achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals.”6
The Scientific Conceptual Framework for LDN has been developed to provide a scientific approach to planning, implementing and monitoring LDN. The Science-Policy Interface of the UNCCD led the development of the conceptual framework, drawing in expertise from a diverse range of disciplines.
The framework focuses on the supporting processes required to deliver LDN, including biophysical and socio-economic aspects, and their interactions. Neutrality implies no net loss of the land-based natural capital relative to a reference state, or baseline. Planning for neutrality involves projecting the likely cumulative impacts of land use and land management decisions, then counterbalancing7 anticipated losses with measures to achieve equivalent gains.
The response hierarchy of Avoid > Reduce > Reverse land degradation creates a pathway to seamlessly integrate in land-restoration the actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to promote biodiversity.
Actions to achieve LDN include sustainable land management (SLM) practices that avoid or reduce degradation, coupled with efforts to reverse degradation through restoration or rehabilitation of degraded land. The response hierarchy of Avoid > Reduce > Reverse land degradation articulates the priorities in planning LDN interventions. Crucially, the framework places the investment in the restoration or rehabilitation of degraded land on par with the use of natural resources for development. It creates a pathway to seamlessly integrate in land-restoration the actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to promote biodiversity.
The UNCCD Executive Secretary summarizes the significance of LDN in the context of sustainable development…. “[it] is particularly important because it is a very pragmatic and practical way to manage the trade-offs associated with land use. It is about conservation to a certain extent. But it is also about the management, production and consumption choices each of us makes. And it includes an important element of rehabilitation. Bringing back once productive resources. There are literally hundreds of millions of hectares of potential in this regard”8.
1 Pimentel D. and Burgess M. 2013. Soil Erosion threatensd food production. Agriculture, vo 3:443-463; http://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/A4-sustainable-model-intensive-agriculture-spread.pdf
2 Stockmann U, Minasny B & McBratney AB (2014). How fast does soil grow? Geoderma 216:48–61.
3 Australia SoE Report. Land chapter, pp; 82
4 see for example: http://www.pnas.org/content/114/36/9575.full.pdf; http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143622814002793;
5 http://www2.unccd.int/land-degradation-neutrality
6 http://sd.iisd.org/guest-articles/17-sdgs-but-is-there-a-priority-sdg-target/
7 Counterbalancing should occur only within individual land types, distinguished by land potential, to ensure “like for like” exchanges. Cowie et al (2017)
8 UNCCD COP13, Ordos, September 2017. Opening statement at the SLM Business Forum. http://www2.unccd.int/sites/default/files/relevant-links/2017-09/110917%20SLM%20buiness%20Forum_Formatted.pdf
SDGs
13. Climate Action15. Life on Land
Issues
Biodiversity, Conservation, Desertification & Land Degradation, Agriculture & Food Security, Land, Climate Change
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Stakeholders and Major Groups, Multilateral Environmental Agreement Body, UNCCD
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Africa, Asia, Southwest Pacific, Eastern Asia
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26 July 2016 | Elsa Tsioumani, LL.M, SDG Knowledge Hub
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Care2 Healthy Living/Becky Striepe: 6 Foods You Thought Were Unhealthy But Aren't
Care2 Healthy Living | 6 Foods You Thought Were Unhealthy But Aren't
6 Foods You Thought Were Unhealthy But Aren’t
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By: Becky Striepe
November 22, 2017
About Becky
Follow Becky at @glueandglitter
What makes food healthy or unhealthy? How do good foods get bad reputations? Sometimes, it’s because we prepare an otherwise healthy ingredient in unhealthy ways, and other times we vilify food based on shady, unfounded health claims. Here are some “bad” foods you can embrace once again!
What makes food healthy?
Before we get into a the list of surprisingly healthy foods, let’s talk about what makes a food “unhealthy.” There’s a lot of confusion around food and our health, because the processed food industry has such incredible lobbying power.
In fact, the 2017 the International Food Information Council Foundation’s annual Food and Health Survey found that most Americans receive conflicting information about healthy eating and that we let non-health factors, like price, influence our thinking about what is and isn’t healthy.
But what really makes food healthy or unhealthy?
Wow—is this a loaded question! There is a lot of conflicting information out there about what is and isn’t healthy. I dug through a lot of lists, and here are some qualities of healthy food that popped up on all of them:
It’s low in sodium.
It’s a good source of fiber.
If it contains fats, they’re healthy fats.
It’s low in added sugars.
It’s as unprocessed as possible.
Let’s use the list above as a jumping-off point when looking at the foods below.
Love This? Never Miss Another Story.
What makes food healthy?
Healthy Foods You Thought were Unhealthy
1. Potatoes
Potatoes are one of those foods that get the short shift with very little reason. A whole potato with the skin is a good source of fiber, potassium, iron, vitamin B6 and even calcium.
The problem with potatoes is in how we prepare them. Deep fried French fries, pools of butter and heaps of sour cream are what make potatoes unhealthy. So go ahead and embrace the potato!
2. Carbs
Oh, carbs. We blame them for everything! They’re the other reason that people vilify potatoes and many other foods on this list, but not all carbs are the same. Care2′s Diana Herrington explains, “Your brain, nervous system and muscles require about 60-65 percent carbohydrates to keep them nourished.”
Our bodies run on carbs. The trick is choosing good carbs—like whole grains and vegetables—rather than refined carbohydrates, like you’d find in doughnuts.
3. Fat
Fat is another macronutrient that get a bad rep, and food marketing takes a lot of the blame here. If we vilify all fats, then companies can market low-fat foods that are packed with added sugars and processed ingredients to replace the missing fat.
Like carbs, not all fats are the same. When you’re looking for healthy foods, go for options low in saturated and trans fats in favor of foods containing unsaturated fats.
4. Corn
Corn falls into the same category as potatoes: a healthy food that gets an unhealthy reputation because of the preparations. Sure, corn on the cob or a bucket of popcorn slathered in butter is unhealthy. But whole, organic corn on its own is a healthy whole grain that provides fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.
When you stop thinking of corn as a vegetable and recognize it as a whole grain, it’s much easier to eat it in a healthy way.
5. White Rice
White rice is one food that doesn’t hit all of the points on our list of parameters, but when you take a closer look, white rice isn’t so bad. Jordyn Cormier dove into whether brown rice is really healthier than white, and what she discovered was surprising.
Cormier says that brown rice does have more fiber and vitamins, but it also contains more anti-nutrients, which make it harder for your body to absorb the nutrition from your food. White rice is also easier to digest. She also points out that you’re not likely to eat a big bowl of white rice on its own. Chances are, you’re piling on fiber- and nutrient-rich veggies. If the white rice makes that healthy veggie stir fry more appealing, go for it.
6. Pasta
You’d think that pasta, especially conventional pasta, would be associated with weight gain, but last year a study found that it’s not necessarily associated with weight gain.
Like white rice, it’s all about what you pair with that pasta. In the study, pasta eaters were more likely to be eating a Mediterranean diet and eating in moderation overall. This study doesn’t mean that a bowl of fettucini alfredo is suddenly healthy, but it does give us reason to put pasta on a healthy food list, provided you’re pairing it with healthy foods, like veggies and beans.
Related at Care2:
Surprise! Potatoes are good for you.
Good vs. Bad Carbs
Is brown rice really healthier than white?
What makes food healthy or unhealthy? How do good foods get bad reputations? Here are some "bad" foods you can embrace once again!
Images via Thinkstock.
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61 comments
LF F
LF F10 minutes ago
I feel better when I do a semi-vegan diet. But if I eat some vegetables, they don't still w me. I need a little starch to fill that void like a potato. They always seem to coat the tummy so well. Potatoes w balsamic vinegar dressing on it......ahhhhhh
SEND
Jeramie D
Jeramie Dabout an hour ago
What about the arsenic in most rice?
SEND
Kate G
Kate G1 hours ago
good info
SEND
Linda L
Linda L2 hours ago
good
SEND
Wesley Struebing
Wesley Struebing2 hours ago
I agree with the "finding" herre, but first, carbs MUST be monitored very carefully if one is diabetic, and this list will most likely change again in about 6 months or so. Eat a balanced meal (those guidelines haven't changed), in moderation, and Bob's your uncle.
SEND
Mark T
Mark T2 hours ago
Every day is a school day, Ty.
SEND
Sharon B
Sharon B2 hours ago
Thank You!
SEND
Muff-Anne York-Haley
Muff-Anne York-Haley2 hours ago
I love all these things.
SEND
Jan N
Jan N2 hours ago
I eat all of these - no problem.
SEND
Lindsay K
Lindsay K2 hours ago
Thanks for sharing. I think everything in moderation is the best way.
SEND
view all 61 comments
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Thursday, 23 November 2017
Dangote Cement stirs industrial revolution in Africa with the commissioning of Mfila plant in the Republic of Congo
The new plant estimated at $300 million has potentials for about 1000 direct employment and thousands of several other indirect jobs
LAGOS, Nigeria, November 23, 2017/ -- Africa’s largest cement Company, Dangote Cement Plc (http://APO.af/mCqnZz) yesterday added fillip to the on-going efforts at economic emancipation of Africa when it formally opened its 1.5mtpa capacity cement plant in Mfila, Congo Brazzaville, amid ecstasy by the government and the indigenes of the Country.
The new plant estimated at $300 million has potentials for about 1000 direct employment and thousands of several other indirect jobs.
Undoubtedly the biggest plant in Congo, its President, Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso while inaugurating the plant said the investment was an industrial revolution, sort of, within the Economic Community of the Central African States (CEMAC), saying his country was happy to host the investment.
According to him, his government has observed the operations of Dangote cement in other African countries and it has helped buoy their economies by sparking off other allied industries expressing the hope that Congo situation would not be an exception.
The Congolese President described the coming on stream of the Dangote cement as timely and encouraging because it is starting operations at a time the total government revenues have plummeted by 31.3 percent and revenues from the oil sector have fallen 65.1 percent since 2015 due to a slide in global crude prices.
President Mohammadu Buhari who was represented at the event by a powerful delegation led by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his Cement Company for championing economic renaissance of Africa with the construction of cement plants across several African countries saying the sterling accomplishment makes the Dangote Cement brand, and indeed Aliko Dangote himself, worthy ambassadors of Nigeria.
President Buhari said his government has consistently supported and encouraged the Dangote Group (http://Dangote.com) in its quest to contribute its quota to the economic emancipation of the African continent, which is blessed with a plethora of natural resources. “I believe that it is only home-grown practical solutions that can address the myriad issues plaguing Africa today and one of such challenges that Africa has been grappling with for decades is the infrastructure deficit. I am confident that massive investments in cement production, which is a key driver of infrastructural development, will contribute in no small measure, to addressing this perennial problem.”
President Buhari recalled with satisfaction that local cement manufacturers such as Dangote Cement, Lafarge and BUA, have exploited one of the solid minerals, limestone which is a basic input for cement production and which Nigeria has in abundance, in different parts of the country to achieve self-sufficiency in local cement production in 2015, and is now a net exporter of the product.
“The backward integration policy of the Federal Government in the cement sector, which was launched in 2002, has contributed to this success story by successfully substituting imports with local production, we have saved over $2billion spent on cement importation into Nigeria, annually.
“We have also started using cement for road construction in the country due to its numerous advantages over the more common bituminous road. Again, in this area, Dangote Cement is leading the charge, through AG-Dangote, its joint venture with Andrade-Gutierrez, a construction giant in Brazil”, Nigeria’s President stated.
Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote in his address said his company was delighted to have completed the plant on schedule saying the addition of Dangote Cement’s 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum plant has more than doubled the total cement production capacity of Congo-Brazzaville, which now stands at 2.550 million metric tonnes per annum, far in excess of national demand.
“It is envisaged that this will contribute substantially to the availability and affordability of cement in the country and the Republic of the Congo will no longer need to depend on imports to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
“It is our hope that the inauguration of the plant will boost Congo’s economy, conserve foreign exchange that would otherwise have been spent on imports for the country, and create employment opportunities down the value chain.”, he stated.
Dangote commended the Congolese government noting that the bold economic reform measures put in place by President Denis Sassou Nguesso administration have been quite salutary. “The construction industry, which is a major sector of the economy, is a beneficiary of his policies, and has been receiving the attention of investors. We believe that our investment will contribute to Congo-Brazzaville’s current economic renaissance under the leadership of the President Nguesso.”
The Company Chairman pointed out that his organization received tremendous support and encouragement both from the government and the people of Congo-Brazzaville, right from the conceptualisation stage of our project, to its final completion, and commissioning.
In appreciation of the good gesture of the government and the people, Dangote disclosed that without waiting to stabilise production, the Cement company had already commenced CSR projects with the construction of a road with a length of 30km around Yamba, which would have cost the local government approximately 240 million CFA to execute.
He stated further “we have also disbursed scholarships for students and we are also building a school and renovating a hospital within our host communities. Apart from these, we have repaired a dilapidated bridge on a major highway at a cost of $300,000, to enable heavy duty vehicles to cross the bridge. As a policy, we also ensure that we give priority to qualified indigenes from our local host communities in our recruitment drive.”
Dangote told the gathering that Dangote Cement total production capacity across Africa at the end of May 2017, stood at 45.8 million metric tonnes per annum, making it one of the biggest cement producers on the continent adding that the aspiration is to rank among the top 10 cement producers in the world by 2020.
Dangote cement commissioned its cement plants in four African countries namely: Ethiopia, Zambia, Cameroun and Tanzania. The Congo-Brazzaville plant, which began operations in the third quarter of 2017, will be the fifth cement plant that would be inaugurated in the last two years.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Dangote Group.
View multimedia content
SOURCE
Dangote Group
LAGOS, Nigeria, November 23, 2017/ -- Africa’s largest cement Company, Dangote Cement Plc (http://APO.af/mCqnZz) yesterday added fillip to the on-going efforts at economic emancipation of Africa when it formally opened its 1.5mtpa capacity cement plant in Mfila, Congo Brazzaville, amid ecstasy by the government and the indigenes of the Country.
The new plant estimated at $300 million has potentials for about 1000 direct employment and thousands of several other indirect jobs.
Undoubtedly the biggest plant in Congo, its President, Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso while inaugurating the plant said the investment was an industrial revolution, sort of, within the Economic Community of the Central African States (CEMAC), saying his country was happy to host the investment.
According to him, his government has observed the operations of Dangote cement in other African countries and it has helped buoy their economies by sparking off other allied industries expressing the hope that Congo situation would not be an exception.
The Congolese President described the coming on stream of the Dangote cement as timely and encouraging because it is starting operations at a time the total government revenues have plummeted by 31.3 percent and revenues from the oil sector have fallen 65.1 percent since 2015 due to a slide in global crude prices.
President Mohammadu Buhari who was represented at the event by a powerful delegation led by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his Cement Company for championing economic renaissance of Africa with the construction of cement plants across several African countries saying the sterling accomplishment makes the Dangote Cement brand, and indeed Aliko Dangote himself, worthy ambassadors of Nigeria.
President Buhari said his government has consistently supported and encouraged the Dangote Group (http://Dangote.com) in its quest to contribute its quota to the economic emancipation of the African continent, which is blessed with a plethora of natural resources. “I believe that it is only home-grown practical solutions that can address the myriad issues plaguing Africa today and one of such challenges that Africa has been grappling with for decades is the infrastructure deficit. I am confident that massive investments in cement production, which is a key driver of infrastructural development, will contribute in no small measure, to addressing this perennial problem.”
President Buhari recalled with satisfaction that local cement manufacturers such as Dangote Cement, Lafarge and BUA, have exploited one of the solid minerals, limestone which is a basic input for cement production and which Nigeria has in abundance, in different parts of the country to achieve self-sufficiency in local cement production in 2015, and is now a net exporter of the product.
“The backward integration policy of the Federal Government in the cement sector, which was launched in 2002, has contributed to this success story by successfully substituting imports with local production, we have saved over $2billion spent on cement importation into Nigeria, annually.
“We have also started using cement for road construction in the country due to its numerous advantages over the more common bituminous road. Again, in this area, Dangote Cement is leading the charge, through AG-Dangote, its joint venture with Andrade-Gutierrez, a construction giant in Brazil”, Nigeria’s President stated.
Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote in his address said his company was delighted to have completed the plant on schedule saying the addition of Dangote Cement’s 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum plant has more than doubled the total cement production capacity of Congo-Brazzaville, which now stands at 2.550 million metric tonnes per annum, far in excess of national demand.
“It is envisaged that this will contribute substantially to the availability and affordability of cement in the country and the Republic of the Congo will no longer need to depend on imports to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
“It is our hope that the inauguration of the plant will boost Congo’s economy, conserve foreign exchange that would otherwise have been spent on imports for the country, and create employment opportunities down the value chain.”, he stated.
Dangote commended the Congolese government noting that the bold economic reform measures put in place by President Denis Sassou Nguesso administration have been quite salutary. “The construction industry, which is a major sector of the economy, is a beneficiary of his policies, and has been receiving the attention of investors. We believe that our investment will contribute to Congo-Brazzaville’s current economic renaissance under the leadership of the President Nguesso.”
The Company Chairman pointed out that his organization received tremendous support and encouragement both from the government and the people of Congo-Brazzaville, right from the conceptualisation stage of our project, to its final completion, and commissioning.
In appreciation of the good gesture of the government and the people, Dangote disclosed that without waiting to stabilise production, the Cement company had already commenced CSR projects with the construction of a road with a length of 30km around Yamba, which would have cost the local government approximately 240 million CFA to execute.
He stated further “we have also disbursed scholarships for students and we are also building a school and renovating a hospital within our host communities. Apart from these, we have repaired a dilapidated bridge on a major highway at a cost of $300,000, to enable heavy duty vehicles to cross the bridge. As a policy, we also ensure that we give priority to qualified indigenes from our local host communities in our recruitment drive.”
Dangote told the gathering that Dangote Cement total production capacity across Africa at the end of May 2017, stood at 45.8 million metric tonnes per annum, making it one of the biggest cement producers on the continent adding that the aspiration is to rank among the top 10 cement producers in the world by 2020.
Dangote cement commissioned its cement plants in four African countries namely: Ethiopia, Zambia, Cameroun and Tanzania. The Congo-Brazzaville plant, which began operations in the third quarter of 2017, will be the fifth cement plant that would be inaugurated in the last two years.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Dangote Group.
View multimedia content
SOURCE
Dangote Group
Recommended For Young Professionals Keen To stay Fit And Healthy - Hiking Up The Akyem Juaso Section Of The Atewa Mountain
There are many young professionals in Ghana whose well-paid jobs unfortunately make them sedentary for the most part of their working week - because they have to work out of their respective offices in buildings occupied by the companies that employ them.
Alas, being sedentary for extended periods is unhealthy. Consequently, the most health-conscious amongst that particular demographic, who live and work in urban Ghana, compensate and stay fit by going to their favourite gyms regularly.
However, for the well-off young professional who is the adventurous type who loves communing with nature, nothing beats hiking in the great outdoors - to destress and test his or her endurance: and thus be in a position to be able to gauge their actual fitness level that way.
As our contribution to raising awareness amongst our nation's talented younger generations, of the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles, this blog recommends a day's trip to Akyem Juaso - which is just five minutes by car off the Accra-Kumasi highway at Osino junction, as the crow flies.
There, they can hike to the top of that section of the Atewa Range upland evergreen rainforest: and get the opportunity to fill their lungs with some clean and fresh mountain air for a change - whiles exercising to the max to stay fit and healthy.
They will need to wear wellington boots, carry a raincoat in their backpacks (in case it rains), which will also be used for storing their empty mineral water bottles, etc., to avoid littering, and, above all, must be really fit - as the climb up that section of the Atewa Range upland evergreen rainforest is definitely not for the fainthearted.
Those who get to the top of the mountain will be rewarded with stunning views and see the difference between the land on which the forest still stands and the apocalyptic desolation that the Kibi Goldfields concession in Akyem Juaso and Saamang represents.
They will also see the egregious environmental damage caused once upon a time (during the Mahama-era) by Hagnela Mining Company and its assigns - huge abandoned mining pits - who did illegal mining on part of that private freehold 14-square mile upland evergreen rainforest property.
And, best of all, their presence will deter recalcitrant hunters, illegal loggers and galamsayers, as well as help the fringe-forest cocoa-farming community of Akyem Juaso to develop a local green sustainable economy.
Media professionals keen to stay fit and healthy are particularly welcome. Other young professionals interested in hiking up the Akyem Juaso section of the Atewa Range can call me (027 745 3109). I'd be happy to link them up with the local forest guards' committee who protect the land and know it well enough to take them up the mountain and down again, as guests of mine.
Alas, being sedentary for extended periods is unhealthy. Consequently, the most health-conscious amongst that particular demographic, who live and work in urban Ghana, compensate and stay fit by going to their favourite gyms regularly.
However, for the well-off young professional who is the adventurous type who loves communing with nature, nothing beats hiking in the great outdoors - to destress and test his or her endurance: and thus be in a position to be able to gauge their actual fitness level that way.
As our contribution to raising awareness amongst our nation's talented younger generations, of the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles, this blog recommends a day's trip to Akyem Juaso - which is just five minutes by car off the Accra-Kumasi highway at Osino junction, as the crow flies.
There, they can hike to the top of that section of the Atewa Range upland evergreen rainforest: and get the opportunity to fill their lungs with some clean and fresh mountain air for a change - whiles exercising to the max to stay fit and healthy.
They will need to wear wellington boots, carry a raincoat in their backpacks (in case it rains), which will also be used for storing their empty mineral water bottles, etc., to avoid littering, and, above all, must be really fit - as the climb up that section of the Atewa Range upland evergreen rainforest is definitely not for the fainthearted.
Those who get to the top of the mountain will be rewarded with stunning views and see the difference between the land on which the forest still stands and the apocalyptic desolation that the Kibi Goldfields concession in Akyem Juaso and Saamang represents.
They will also see the egregious environmental damage caused once upon a time (during the Mahama-era) by Hagnela Mining Company and its assigns - huge abandoned mining pits - who did illegal mining on part of that private freehold 14-square mile upland evergreen rainforest property.
And, best of all, their presence will deter recalcitrant hunters, illegal loggers and galamsayers, as well as help the fringe-forest cocoa-farming community of Akyem Juaso to develop a local green sustainable economy.
Media professionals keen to stay fit and healthy are particularly welcome. Other young professionals interested in hiking up the Akyem Juaso section of the Atewa Range can call me (027 745 3109). I'd be happy to link them up with the local forest guards' committee who protect the land and know it well enough to take them up the mountain and down again, as guests of mine.
Fast Company/Art Markman: Give More Than Just Thanks: The Psychological Upsides To Giving Back
Fast Company
11.22.17 the science of work
Give More Than Just Thanks: The Psychological Upsides To Giving Back
Gratitude is a powerful emotion we should all tap into more often, but the benefits of altruistic teamwork might have it beat.
Give More Than Just Thanks: The Psychological Upsides To Giving Back
[Photo: filadendron/Getty]
By Art Markman 4 minute Read
A couple friends of mine are on the verge of opening a bar in Austin. In the run-up, they wanted to make their new team of employees feel connected to each other and to the community they’ll be serving, so they all got together one recent Sunday morning to help clean up a local no-kill animal shelter. Sure, the bar could’ve launched with a happy hour special, then donated some of the proceeds to the shelter. That would’ve made an impact, too–just not quite the same kind.
advertisement
This time of year especially, we tend to hear a lot about how important gratitude is. Among other things, it’s a powerful motivator, not just of individuals but of teams. Some people make a habit of counting their blessings–including in the most literal sense, by keeping “gratitude journals,” for example, to reflect on what’s going right, to maintain a positive outlook, and to plan for the future. The period between Thanksgiving and the end of the year is also the season when organizations launch charitable drives and collect toys or canned goods to support those in need. These activities can all make people feel connected to their communities to encourage everyone to reflect on what they’re grateful for.
But none of these efforts are quite as powerful, in terms of the positive psychological outcomes they foster, as actually doing something together for the larger community. Giving thanks and giving money are great, but giving back–as a group–is even better.
The Wear And Tear Of Not-So-Social Workdays
As it’s often said, human beings are indeed a social species. Much of your brain is devoted to maintaining your social ties. No matter how introverted or occasionally antisocial you might be, you’re still innately motivated to cooperate with others, particularly with those you consider to be part of your team. When you work effectively with other people, it feels good, and those positive emotions are proof that your motivational system is achieving its goals–which in turn makes it easier to cooperate with those same team members again in the future.
Related: The Surprising Benefits Of Gratitude
Obviously, that virtuous circle can sometimes get buried or broken in a high-stress workplace. It’s not easy to feel this social connection with all of your colleagues all the time. So much of the daily grind involves dealing with problems that come up in the moment, which can make you feel like you’re at odds with or disconnected from your team.
Many people spend their days sitting at their desks alone as it is–communicating through email, Slack, or text rather than in person, and leaving little opportunity to feel as though they’re pulling together as a group. Even in a busy environment like a bar, colleagues might not get to interact much amid the chaos of a full house.
advertisement
Taking time to give back through collaborative volunteer work breaks the normal cycle of work. It gives team members a chance to reestablish their connections with each other without having to achieve a particular goal in their own workplace. And it can reinforce collegial relationships even after everyone returns to work, because they’ve contributed to a goal that’s actually meaningful. That’s far better than just going to some strange corporate retreat where you solve a pointless but difficult problem and leave without making any lasting impact.
Related: Why Volunteering Is The Single Most Overlooked Skill On Resumes
Why Purpose And Impact Matter
It’s been suggested in recent years that millennials are more motivated by “purpose” in the work they do than their older colleagues are. But there’s reason to doubt that one generation responds more to meaningful work than any other. Every group of employees will feel more connected to their workplace and to each other when they have a chance to do something purposeful together–whether as a result of their ordinary work tasks or as part of a separate volunteer effort.
Psychologists know that people are happiest at work when they see their work as a vocation that calls out to them, rather than just a job that they do. This sense is enhanced by working for an organization that you believe shares your values. By working together in the community, the entire organization is demonstrating that it wants to live its values in a way that feeds back to everybody, including those outside its own walls.
Finally, when everyone–from the leaders to the front-line employees–get out in the community and make an altruistic contribution, everyone is more likely to treat each other humanely inside the workplace. It can be easy for organizations to break into factions and unknowingly assume “us versus them” mentalities. Sometimes upper management and employees may feel like they’re barely from the same planet, or two departments can come to resent one another while squabbling over budget resources.
Joining together in a common cause is one of the fastest ways to break up those cliques and neutralize the ill will that they feed on. Make group volunteer work an ongoing part of your company culture, and these shared experiences become part of the lore of what it means to work at the organization. That can prove a much more powerful and long-lasting motivator than what you’d get from any self-reflection you can do–or donations you can make–on your own.
About the author
Art Markman, PhD is a professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director of the Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations. Art is the author of Smart Thinking and Habits of Leadership, Smart Change, and most recently, Brain Briefs, co-authored with his "Two Guys on Your Head" co-host Bob Duke, which focuses on how you can use the science of motivation to change your behavior at work and at home.
More
You Might Also Like:
The Ridiculously Simple, Scientific Way To Test For Narcissism
Greed Is Good, Trust Is Bad, And Other (Not So) Obvious Truths
What Lobbyists Can Teach You About Getting What You Want
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11.22.17 the science of work
Give More Than Just Thanks: The Psychological Upsides To Giving Back
Gratitude is a powerful emotion we should all tap into more often, but the benefits of altruistic teamwork might have it beat.
Give More Than Just Thanks: The Psychological Upsides To Giving Back
[Photo: filadendron/Getty]
By Art Markman 4 minute Read
A couple friends of mine are on the verge of opening a bar in Austin. In the run-up, they wanted to make their new team of employees feel connected to each other and to the community they’ll be serving, so they all got together one recent Sunday morning to help clean up a local no-kill animal shelter. Sure, the bar could’ve launched with a happy hour special, then donated some of the proceeds to the shelter. That would’ve made an impact, too–just not quite the same kind.
advertisement
This time of year especially, we tend to hear a lot about how important gratitude is. Among other things, it’s a powerful motivator, not just of individuals but of teams. Some people make a habit of counting their blessings–including in the most literal sense, by keeping “gratitude journals,” for example, to reflect on what’s going right, to maintain a positive outlook, and to plan for the future. The period between Thanksgiving and the end of the year is also the season when organizations launch charitable drives and collect toys or canned goods to support those in need. These activities can all make people feel connected to their communities to encourage everyone to reflect on what they’re grateful for.
But none of these efforts are quite as powerful, in terms of the positive psychological outcomes they foster, as actually doing something together for the larger community. Giving thanks and giving money are great, but giving back–as a group–is even better.
The Wear And Tear Of Not-So-Social Workdays
As it’s often said, human beings are indeed a social species. Much of your brain is devoted to maintaining your social ties. No matter how introverted or occasionally antisocial you might be, you’re still innately motivated to cooperate with others, particularly with those you consider to be part of your team. When you work effectively with other people, it feels good, and those positive emotions are proof that your motivational system is achieving its goals–which in turn makes it easier to cooperate with those same team members again in the future.
Related: The Surprising Benefits Of Gratitude
Obviously, that virtuous circle can sometimes get buried or broken in a high-stress workplace. It’s not easy to feel this social connection with all of your colleagues all the time. So much of the daily grind involves dealing with problems that come up in the moment, which can make you feel like you’re at odds with or disconnected from your team.
Many people spend their days sitting at their desks alone as it is–communicating through email, Slack, or text rather than in person, and leaving little opportunity to feel as though they’re pulling together as a group. Even in a busy environment like a bar, colleagues might not get to interact much amid the chaos of a full house.
advertisement
Taking time to give back through collaborative volunteer work breaks the normal cycle of work. It gives team members a chance to reestablish their connections with each other without having to achieve a particular goal in their own workplace. And it can reinforce collegial relationships even after everyone returns to work, because they’ve contributed to a goal that’s actually meaningful. That’s far better than just going to some strange corporate retreat where you solve a pointless but difficult problem and leave without making any lasting impact.
Related: Why Volunteering Is The Single Most Overlooked Skill On Resumes
Why Purpose And Impact Matter
It’s been suggested in recent years that millennials are more motivated by “purpose” in the work they do than their older colleagues are. But there’s reason to doubt that one generation responds more to meaningful work than any other. Every group of employees will feel more connected to their workplace and to each other when they have a chance to do something purposeful together–whether as a result of their ordinary work tasks or as part of a separate volunteer effort.
Psychologists know that people are happiest at work when they see their work as a vocation that calls out to them, rather than just a job that they do. This sense is enhanced by working for an organization that you believe shares your values. By working together in the community, the entire organization is demonstrating that it wants to live its values in a way that feeds back to everybody, including those outside its own walls.
Finally, when everyone–from the leaders to the front-line employees–get out in the community and make an altruistic contribution, everyone is more likely to treat each other humanely inside the workplace. It can be easy for organizations to break into factions and unknowingly assume “us versus them” mentalities. Sometimes upper management and employees may feel like they’re barely from the same planet, or two departments can come to resent one another while squabbling over budget resources.
Joining together in a common cause is one of the fastest ways to break up those cliques and neutralize the ill will that they feed on. Make group volunteer work an ongoing part of your company culture, and these shared experiences become part of the lore of what it means to work at the organization. That can prove a much more powerful and long-lasting motivator than what you’d get from any self-reflection you can do–or donations you can make–on your own.
About the author
Art Markman, PhD is a professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director of the Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations. Art is the author of Smart Thinking and Habits of Leadership, Smart Change, and most recently, Brain Briefs, co-authored with his "Two Guys on Your Head" co-host Bob Duke, which focuses on how you can use the science of motivation to change your behavior at work and at home.
More
You Might Also Like:
The Ridiculously Simple, Scientific Way To Test For Narcissism
Greed Is Good, Trust Is Bad, And Other (Not So) Obvious Truths
What Lobbyists Can Teach You About Getting What You Want
Leadership Daily Newsletter
Receive special Fast Company offers.
See All Newsletters
POWERED BY REVCONTENT
FROM AROUND THE WEB
17 Weirdest Couples You Won't Believe Actually Exist
Memebrity.com
He Lost It After This Doctor's Networth Broke the Internet
Bradofo.com
20 Gorgeous Red Carpet Photos That Will Make You Cry
Porumba
25 Hidden Anime Movies - That Everyone is Talking About (Must Read)
Porumba
Video
Trixie And Katya On Job Interviews, Taxes, And Dentistry
Ideas
Ideas
Food Banks’ Massive Plan To Move From Canned Goods To Fresh Produce
Ideas
This Giving Platform Lets Kids Donate To Other Kids
Ideas
Even If They’re Not Being Automated Yet, Every Job Is Being Digitized
Entertainment
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How Mother Teresa & Smart Career Advice Inspired “Novitiate” Director Maggie Betts
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Ecobank renews partnership with APO Group
New contract highlights APO’s reputation as the preferred supplier of news distribution solutions for Africa’s most influential brands and businesses
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, November 23, 2017/ -- APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading media relations consultancy for Africa and the Middle East, is delighted to announce a new contract with the biggest independent Pan-African banking group Ecobank (www.Ecobank.com).
The new deal will support Ecobank and Ecobank Foundation (http://EcobankFoundation.org) in optimizing the awareness of their activities across Africa which are: providing vital support to Global Fund malaria programs both through financial contributions and by catalyzing engagement from like-minded organizations; strengthening financial management capacity programs; offering innovative solutions to financial challenges: Ecobank advocates for the mission of its implementing partners by engaging the bank’s customers and employees in awareness campaigns on, for example, World AIDS Day, World Malaria Day and World TB Day.
The Ecobank Group has a presence in 36 African countries, and employs over 20,000 people in more than 1,200 offices. With a reputation for digital innovation, research and technology, Ecobank provides a full suite of financial services to businesses, governmental organisations and individuals. It has won awards for supporting small to medium-sized companies in African developing nations, and has been influential in bringing mobile banking to many African consumers for the first time.
Effective immediately, APO will be responsible for all Ecobank’s press release and corporate content distribution. As well as hosting all releases on their Africa Newsroom’s press office (http://APO.af/xsWXfZ), Ecobank will have access to APO’s Africa Wire®, the only dedicated newswire service in Africa, offering unparalleled reach into newsrooms and online portals across the continent. Ecobank will also benefit from APO’s extensive media relations expertise and comprehensive reporting.
“We are very happy to be renewing our collaboration with Ecobank,” said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO at APO Group. “We look forward to helping them enhance their reputation across Africa and beyond. This deal highlights the fact that many of the most influential companies in Africa are putting their trust in APO to get their stories to the audiences that matter.”
More information about Africa Wire®, the press release distribution service across Africa: www.APO-opa.com/Africawire.pdf
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.
View multimedia content
Media contact:
Aïssatou Diallo | bdm@APO-opa.org | +41 22 534 96 97
About APO Group:
Founded in 2007, APO Group (www.APO-opa.com) is a leading media relations' consulting firm in Africa and Middle East. We assist private and public organizations in sharpening their reputation and increasing their brand equity in target countries. As trusted partner, our role is to leverage the power of media and build bespoke strategies that enable organizations to produce a real and measurable impact in Africa and the Middle East and outside the regional frontiers. The trust and recognition that have been granted to APO Group by global & multinational companies, governments, as well as NGOs impels the company to continuously enhance its value proposition within Africa & Middle East to better cater its clients ‘needs. Amongst our prestigious clients: Facebook, Dangote Group, GE, Uber, Microsoft, Nokia, Mara Group, PwC, DHL, Marriott Group, Sage, Ecobank, Iflix, Jumia, Samsung, Total, Merck, Société Générale, L'Oréal, Oracle, Philips, Barclays, MoneyGram, Ernst & Young, Orange ... Since November 2017, APO Group is the Official Partner of Rugby Africa.
Headquarter: Lausanne, Switzerland | Offices in Senegal, Dubai and Hong Kong
SOURCE
APO Group
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, November 23, 2017/ -- APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading media relations consultancy for Africa and the Middle East, is delighted to announce a new contract with the biggest independent Pan-African banking group Ecobank (www.Ecobank.com).
The new deal will support Ecobank and Ecobank Foundation (http://EcobankFoundation.org) in optimizing the awareness of their activities across Africa which are: providing vital support to Global Fund malaria programs both through financial contributions and by catalyzing engagement from like-minded organizations; strengthening financial management capacity programs; offering innovative solutions to financial challenges: Ecobank advocates for the mission of its implementing partners by engaging the bank’s customers and employees in awareness campaigns on, for example, World AIDS Day, World Malaria Day and World TB Day.
The Ecobank Group has a presence in 36 African countries, and employs over 20,000 people in more than 1,200 offices. With a reputation for digital innovation, research and technology, Ecobank provides a full suite of financial services to businesses, governmental organisations and individuals. It has won awards for supporting small to medium-sized companies in African developing nations, and has been influential in bringing mobile banking to many African consumers for the first time.
Effective immediately, APO will be responsible for all Ecobank’s press release and corporate content distribution. As well as hosting all releases on their Africa Newsroom’s press office (http://APO.af/xsWXfZ), Ecobank will have access to APO’s Africa Wire®, the only dedicated newswire service in Africa, offering unparalleled reach into newsrooms and online portals across the continent. Ecobank will also benefit from APO’s extensive media relations expertise and comprehensive reporting.
“We are very happy to be renewing our collaboration with Ecobank,” said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO at APO Group. “We look forward to helping them enhance their reputation across Africa and beyond. This deal highlights the fact that many of the most influential companies in Africa are putting their trust in APO to get their stories to the audiences that matter.”
More information about Africa Wire®, the press release distribution service across Africa: www.APO-opa.com/Africawire.pdf
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group.
View multimedia content
Media contact:
Aïssatou Diallo | bdm@APO-opa.org | +41 22 534 96 97
About APO Group:
Founded in 2007, APO Group (www.APO-opa.com) is a leading media relations' consulting firm in Africa and Middle East. We assist private and public organizations in sharpening their reputation and increasing their brand equity in target countries. As trusted partner, our role is to leverage the power of media and build bespoke strategies that enable organizations to produce a real and measurable impact in Africa and the Middle East and outside the regional frontiers. The trust and recognition that have been granted to APO Group by global & multinational companies, governments, as well as NGOs impels the company to continuously enhance its value proposition within Africa & Middle East to better cater its clients ‘needs. Amongst our prestigious clients: Facebook, Dangote Group, GE, Uber, Microsoft, Nokia, Mara Group, PwC, DHL, Marriott Group, Sage, Ecobank, Iflix, Jumia, Samsung, Total, Merck, Société Générale, L'Oréal, Oracle, Philips, Barclays, MoneyGram, Ernst & Young, Orange ... Since November 2017, APO Group is the Official Partner of Rugby Africa.
Headquarter: Lausanne, Switzerland | Offices in Senegal, Dubai and Hong Kong
SOURCE
APO Group
Nikkei Asian Review/Mayuko Tani: Singapore widens crossborder tie-ups in fintech
Nikkei Asian Review
November 23, 2017 3:00 pm JST
Singapore widens crossborder tie-ups in fintech
World biggest fintech event attended by record 30,000 participants
MAYUKO TANI, Nikkei staff writer
A startup booth at Singapore's Fintech Festival draws interest.
SINGAPORE -- Singapore is expanding international cooperation, even with rivals, in financial technology as it strives to maintain its position as a leading financial hub in Asia. As Asia's financial centers compete to be the most advanced fintech hub, Singapore knows that building international infrastructure is fundamental to winning the race.
In the latest tie-up, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced it would work with Bank of Thailand to link up Singapore's five-month-old peer-to-peer money transfer service, dubbed PayNow, with a similar one in Thailand. On PayNow, account-holders at any of seven participating banks in Singapore can transfer money simply by entering the recipient's mobile number or national identity number. Once that link is established, cross-border money transfers between the two countries will be much easier, and most likely, cheaper. With Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Singapore regulator has plans to use blockchain to digitize trade financing by 2019.
MAS is also partnering with Bank of Canada to use blockchain in cross-border interbank payments. Singapore has been working on blockchain domestically so that banks can settle interbank transactions directly, without going through the central bank. There are 10 participating banks including DBS Group Holdings, Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank.
To Singapore, nurturing the fintech industry is crucial. The financial services industry is one of the core revenue sources for the nation, with the "finance and insurance" sector earning 13.1% of gross domestic product in 2016. The Singapore government in October last year set a target to create 1,000 fintech jobs annually, on top of 3,000 jobs to be created in the financial industry over the next three years. Its effort is already showing some success. More than 400 fintech companies have been established in the country so far, and over 30 multinational companies, such as banks, payment and technology companies, including Visa and PayPal, having set up fintech innovation centers locally too.
"Other than giving away generous grants, regulators here are really willing to help startups to work with the banks," Julia Markiewicz, chief revenue officer of Silent Eight, a Singapore-based startup said to Nikkei Asian Review. The company, which offers artificial intelligence-powered customer due-diligence solutions, was set up by Polish founders in 2014 in Singapore. Silent Eight chose Singapore because of government support and its open business culture.
Nurturing environment
Indeed, MAS has shown strong determination to grow its fintech industry. "If Singapore is to maintain its position as one of the top financial centers in the world, it must embrace fintech by maximizing its benefits, minimizing risks," said Ravi Menon, managing director of MAS, on Nov. 13 during his opening speech for the second Fintech Festival held in Singapore.
"There are a number of jurisdictions that are interested in being perceived [as fintech hub]", but "Singapore is leading the pack" in the region, said Adrian Lawrence, partner at international law firm Baker McKenzie. "What stood out ... is how entrepreneurial the regulator here is, and they are creating interest."
However, competition among financial centers is heating up. "China is fast emerging [as a major fintech market]," said Ian Pollari, co-head, global fintech at consultancy firm KPMG. "But China is always a market of itself. In terms of established financial centers in Asia Pacific, Singapore and Sydney are competing ... doing a lot of things necessary to ensure [they] succeed."
Australian Securities Exchange is evaluating a blockchain-based system to replace the existing clearing and settlement system for its equity market. The ambitious project will put ASX in pole position in digital technology among global exchanges. Australia also has a pool of indigenous startup companies. In "The Fintech 100" innovative companies list compiled by KPMG, 10 Australian fintech players made it, while Singapore only managed to get two in.
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November 23, 2017 3:00 pm JST
Singapore widens crossborder tie-ups in fintech
World biggest fintech event attended by record 30,000 participants
MAYUKO TANI, Nikkei staff writer
A startup booth at Singapore's Fintech Festival draws interest.
SINGAPORE -- Singapore is expanding international cooperation, even with rivals, in financial technology as it strives to maintain its position as a leading financial hub in Asia. As Asia's financial centers compete to be the most advanced fintech hub, Singapore knows that building international infrastructure is fundamental to winning the race.
In the latest tie-up, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced it would work with Bank of Thailand to link up Singapore's five-month-old peer-to-peer money transfer service, dubbed PayNow, with a similar one in Thailand. On PayNow, account-holders at any of seven participating banks in Singapore can transfer money simply by entering the recipient's mobile number or national identity number. Once that link is established, cross-border money transfers between the two countries will be much easier, and most likely, cheaper. With Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Singapore regulator has plans to use blockchain to digitize trade financing by 2019.
MAS is also partnering with Bank of Canada to use blockchain in cross-border interbank payments. Singapore has been working on blockchain domestically so that banks can settle interbank transactions directly, without going through the central bank. There are 10 participating banks including DBS Group Holdings, Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank.
To Singapore, nurturing the fintech industry is crucial. The financial services industry is one of the core revenue sources for the nation, with the "finance and insurance" sector earning 13.1% of gross domestic product in 2016. The Singapore government in October last year set a target to create 1,000 fintech jobs annually, on top of 3,000 jobs to be created in the financial industry over the next three years. Its effort is already showing some success. More than 400 fintech companies have been established in the country so far, and over 30 multinational companies, such as banks, payment and technology companies, including Visa and PayPal, having set up fintech innovation centers locally too.
"Other than giving away generous grants, regulators here are really willing to help startups to work with the banks," Julia Markiewicz, chief revenue officer of Silent Eight, a Singapore-based startup said to Nikkei Asian Review. The company, which offers artificial intelligence-powered customer due-diligence solutions, was set up by Polish founders in 2014 in Singapore. Silent Eight chose Singapore because of government support and its open business culture.
Nurturing environment
Indeed, MAS has shown strong determination to grow its fintech industry. "If Singapore is to maintain its position as one of the top financial centers in the world, it must embrace fintech by maximizing its benefits, minimizing risks," said Ravi Menon, managing director of MAS, on Nov. 13 during his opening speech for the second Fintech Festival held in Singapore.
"There are a number of jurisdictions that are interested in being perceived [as fintech hub]", but "Singapore is leading the pack" in the region, said Adrian Lawrence, partner at international law firm Baker McKenzie. "What stood out ... is how entrepreneurial the regulator here is, and they are creating interest."
However, competition among financial centers is heating up. "China is fast emerging [as a major fintech market]," said Ian Pollari, co-head, global fintech at consultancy firm KPMG. "But China is always a market of itself. In terms of established financial centers in Asia Pacific, Singapore and Sydney are competing ... doing a lot of things necessary to ensure [they] succeed."
Australian Securities Exchange is evaluating a blockchain-based system to replace the existing clearing and settlement system for its equity market. The ambitious project will put ASX in pole position in digital technology among global exchanges. Australia also has a pool of indigenous startup companies. In "The Fintech 100" innovative companies list compiled by KPMG, 10 Australian fintech players made it, while Singapore only managed to get two in.
1
2
Next >
Last >>
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ Mail Save
Related companies
DBS Group Holdings Ltd.
Related stories
How Singapore is going from trade hub to innovation hub
Singapore widens crossborder tie-ups in fintech
Interview: AXA sees Singapore as 'perfect testing platform' for fintech
Get Insights on Asia In Your Inbox
Register
About newsletters
More in Companies
China's largest developer readies to enter Thailand
Ayala Land's 2018 capital spending could hit record 100 billion pesos
Indian companies return to profit post GST, outlook improves
You might also like
Nobel winner's marketing magic pries open Japanese wallets Nobel winner's marketing magic pries open Japanese wallets
Apple's struggles continue in China as Huawei retains crown Apple's struggles continue in China as Huawei retains crown
Cash in trash turning up all around Japan Cash in trash turning up all around Japan
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