Impact Impression Blog

Thoughtful deliberation is an essential leadership quality that can help you make better decisions and produce better outcomes. However, it can also devolve into overthinking, which can be paralyzing. Here are three ways to avoid a thought spiral that can slow you down: Curb your perfectionism.  Perfectionism is one of the biggest blockers to swift decision-making, because it operates on faulty all-or-nothing thinking. To curb this tendency, ask yourself questions like: What’s one thing I could do today to bring me closer to my goal? Or what’s the next step based on the information I have right now? Pay attention to your intuition.  When it comes to difficult decisions, your gut reaction is often an important data point, particularly when time is short or when you don’t have all the information you need. Research shows that pairing intuition with analytical thinking helps you make better, faster, and more accurate decisions and gives you more confidence in your cho...

At this point last year, a young man was in my box, telling me his truth. He told me in summary that I was a hypocrite. That I do not do what I write. That he wished I were my writings.  What a way to start the year! I asked him why he felt that way, he said I refused to help him with his dreams. What was the dream? He had a proposal for a former Vice President. He wanted me to take it to him.  He had when living with me, heard me take a call from the person. He assumed that I was in the position to connect him. I asked the young man if he planned to return all the funding, from his exiting secondary school to completing his schooling till HND. The numerous school fees I paid. His rent in school, pocket money down to support during his NYSC. All the holidays he spent with me. The job he held now that paid him a stipend.  I asked if he were related to me. I had taken him in because of his father’s kindness to me. I told him I did not owe him. He had spent three...

1. Start Each Day With A Routine : A good sleep, good workout, good diet, meditation, is a good way to start the day. 2. Start With A List : It is always helpful to plan the day ahead or in advance. You should have a clear idea of how the next 24 hours should be spent. Making a 'To-Do List' is a good way to start. This way, you don't get carried away by every distraction of the new day. Your list, however, should be timed and within your means or power to achieve. 3. Apply The 80/20 Rule : Resist the temptation to clear up the small things first. Spend more time working in those few areas that can really make a difference in your life, and less time on lower value activities. 4. Learn Something New Every Day : Consistently doing mental work increases the brain's sharpness.

A couple employed by the state government both as teachers ran into stormy waters.  Their salaries were delayed. They had  three kids. The first at that point, was in his first year at the university. They purchased food on credit. They took soft loans. Salaries were not paid for over 8 months. The husband took a decision. He planned to sell their car. Rent was coming. He needed to pay rent, sort his son in university out. The hardship was much. He put the car for sale. He was offered ridiculous amounts for it. At a point he asked a potential buyer to pay. After deductions of current debts, he would have 10k left. This was 1992. Both he and his wife were unhappy. Life was miserable. The son in university told them not to sell the car. That he would defer his admission. That he wanted to purchase some grinding machines. He would use the car as a collateral. He did. He started with three. Leased two in the market and ran the one at home. With discipline, he bought mo...

  New Year Eve... The father was showing his daughter some files that contained the company documents and property deeds. He had to force her to pay attention... switched off the TV, and insisted she listened to his droning voice. Her countenance was dark. She didn't understand why her father had decided to bore the life out of her this morning. It was New year's Eve, for heaven's sake! But she pretended to listen while seething in anger. He knew she was pissed, but didn't care. She was his oldest child. And she has come of age - 18. She needs to know how things were run in the family. He felt a sense of urgency. He didn't know why...but he wanted to pass this to her...just in case. Fifteen minutes later, there was a bang on the gate. The dogs began to bark. James, his kid brother, went outside to check who it was, since the gateman and the other domestic staff have been given the week off. Five minutes later, James has not returned. And the dogs have stopp...

It is easy for things to start happening so fast that many people begin to lose sight of what is important. Yea, the year is ending and targets must be reached. That might be the sound of determination. But, if that determination is not balanced it may lead to burn out. You don’t want that to happen now. What should you do then? A couple of simple adjustments will save you a lot of stress: a. Choose your one thing. That particular thing that if you achieve it, other things will become easier or unnecessary your year will still feel complete b. Settle it with yourself that there is no competition with anyone else but your old self. This way, you are not prone to rate how well you have done by the standards of others but by your own standards. c. Seek out better ways of doing whatever you may have chosen to do. There is never a wrong time to do it better is a saying you would want to keep in mind. Post by Ajuwaya It's midweek and I wish you a blessed day. #Inspi...

Before we begin, let’s destroy the myth called Entrepreneurship Gene. There is none. Entrepreneurship can be taught. While in the school of trial and errors, or knowing the facts by following proven principles, remember this, Action, not truth, will set you free as an Entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, you don’t see the world through your eyes, company’s perspective or gut feeling, no matter how exotic they are. You must see the world through your customers’ eyes. There’s no better pair of lenses than the customers’ eyes. It is called, entrepreneurial garment . We all know that customer is king and their kingship reign forever, as far as business is concerned. And to miss or discard the whims and desires of these royalties is like staging an orchestra in your living room without an audience – a total waste of time. Remember again, it is the customer and only the customer that determines how good and viable you products are. It doesn’t matter if you think your products are...

We live in a world that is ever evolving and increasingly seem beyond our control. Our livelihoods are at the control of globalised forces. The truth is that the problems that we face cannot be solved only by our individual actions. We need the continued effort of those in our circle and outside it to proffer solution and forge ahead. Most times, the natural response of people when they feel overwhelmed by the issues of life is to retreat into various forms of passivity. There is this belief that if we don’t try too much in life, if we limit our cycle of action, we can give ourselves the illusion of control. But an illusion is what it is – it is not real. Trying to keep up in a world that seems to be on fast-forward can be hard; but you can either be a follower of trend or become a trend to be followed. Things are much easier when you set the pace that when you have to run after frenzied developments – constantly catching you unawares. Information is a major recipe of...

ARGUMENT: A PROOF OF KNOWLEDGE? Arguments are connected beliefs or statements. How they are structured is very important. Cogent argument follows a particular structure, so it’s usually easy to tell if you are listening to one or not. The logical structure of an argument is pretty simple, but very powerful. We gather things that we know or things that we think might be true, about an issue. We then try and put these things together in a coherent way so that they may lead us to a conclusion. The things that we think might be true are called PREMISES. We list these in a way that makes sense. The conclusion is the end point of our reasoning – at least of that particular argument. But then, going through the premises to the conclusion is called INFERRING. Being able to recognise and produce good arguments is a matter of understanding how some ideas (premises) support other ideas (conclusion). An argument is valid if the form of the argument is such that if the premises ...

To be an effective thinker, you first have to think about thinking and develop the art of reasoning. Philosophy is the study of the foundations of pretty much everything. The search for knowledge is one of the defining characteristics of human beings. Sometimes, knowledge and belief are thought to mean the same. They are not. It is not enough to just have an opinion. To say you feel it deep in your gut does not make it knowledge. But after getting the true picture of things (with proof of course), you say, ‘I used to believe this...’ Notice that you never say, ‘I used to know...’ This means that knowing can be said to be superior to belief. Knowledge is very objective , while belief is very subjective. Doubt is absolutely important with knowledge because for example in science, doubt has a special place; any theory is always open to being doubted and tested. But with belief, it’s quite different. Your doubt of a person’s belief most times does not stop them from believing...

Alibaba is planning to open its first brick-and-mortar mall in April at its headquarters in Hangzhou, China, MarketWatch reports . “More Mall,” as it is reportedly called, will be five stories tall and offer products from brands on Alibaba’s Taobao platform and elsewhere. It will also feature retail technologies like virtual fitting rooms, high-tech makeup testing mirrors, and Alibaba’s tech-based grocery store. More Mall is another step in Alibaba’s plan to go after traditional retail. The company has invested as much as $8 billion in brick-and-mortar retail in the last two years, according to Forbes, with its current footprint including Hema, its grocery store chain, and Tao Cafe, its unstaffed convenience store. Hema stores allow shoppers to get additional product information by scanning a barcode and order items to be shipped from the store, while Tao Cafe offers customers the ability to pick their products and pay automatically upon their exit. These innovations could ...

When you’re trying to resolve a conflict with a colleague, the venue will have an effect on whether you both feel able to speak freely, express any emotions, and reach a resolution. Select a location where you’ll both be comfortable. Ideally, you want the conversation to happen face-to-face and in private. Maybe you’ll meet in a neutral conference room or at a nearby coffee shop . Or you might take a walk outside together for a change of scenery. Avoid choosing a place that gives you or your coworker an advantage. Inviting someone into your office puts you in a power position, for example, because it’s your space and you’re the one sitting behind a desk. And when choosing a conference room, think about who’s in the adjacent rooms. Sometimes walls are thinner than you think. [culled from: HBR] Chip.ng is Nigeria’s number one online Shopping mall that meet all your needs. We boast of providing products and services from well known brands, local and international at alw...

Technology has come to be part of our everyday lives. The environment has completely been changed, especially in the minds of youngsters. Our gadgets, especially our cellphones have become such essential tool, that it is only needful that we know not just how to use them, but also how to take care of them- for precautionary and longevity reasons.  So according Gadgets360's professional view, here are five(5) ways to take care of your cellphones 1. Don't let your phone overheat Heat is perhaps the worst enemy of lithium-ion batteries, the kind most smartphones use. You should take basic precautions like not keeping your phone on the dash board of the car where it will get a lot of direct sunlight. You should also avoid charging your phone while playing graphically intensive games, because that will also raise the temperature of the phone and harm the battery. The ideal charging temperature is between 20-30 degrees Celsius, according to a OnePlus product manager....

In a world so cramped with lots of struggles and competition, it is safe to assert that it is only those who manage to stay fit and sane that survive; hence, the epiphany - The survival of the fittest. Fitness does not just mean muscles and weights. It also means skills, practicable skills. If you are not productive, you fade out. It's that simple. While acquiring formal education in school, we were given the similitude of survival skills to which is expected we apply in real world, which in turn will deliver at least our basic needs - food, shelter and clothing. It worked then. But now you need more than school grades to actually get even the basic need. The basic skills learnt in traditional  schools today is no longer enough. Hence, the Bow and Brain strategy. The education, which is hoped to have inculcated a skill, is your Bow, i.e., your weapon. This is what conventional education gives you. But specialized education gives you a renewed creative mind, which is ter...

Since this administration got into power, the most recurring word in Nigeria's economic industry is recession. Many did not even know that this word exist until they were plunged into it. However, this ugliness is here among us and is threatening to cohabit with us for much longer than is necessary or required. Hardship is bad - when viewed from an angle. But if viewed from other angles, it can be a tool of greatness. Many successful people in the world today have credited their success to a one time hardship, or deficiency, which prompted them into doing the extraordinary. Of course if everything were rosy, some of the great inventions in the world today wouldn't have been thought of, let alone brought to being. Napoleon Hill, in his address said, "There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is  definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants and a burning desire to achieve it." To live above this evil called recession, you must be...

As social beings, verbal interaction is one of the ways we communicate our feelings and ideas.. In fact, one of the celebrated feature of a human specie is when his speech ability is birthed (which usually manifests after 2 years of his existence). Of course, ability to interact goes a long way to determine your maturity and sanity. After learning to talk, the next skill to imbibe is to know when to talk or keep quiet. But what if there's a conversation that needs to be made which its thought frightens the life out of you? What do you do? Have you been putting off an important but difficult conversation? Perhaps you just can’t bring yourself to share some negative feedback with a peer. Or maybe you’re hesitant to admit to something you did wrong.  Unfortunately,  postponing a potentially awkward conversation usually only makes it worse. In the majority of situations, you should have the difficult conversation as quickly as possible. The only way to do this is to pr...

The way we pay is changing dramatically. People are beginning to use their smartphones for every kind of formal and informal transaction — to shop at stores ( www.chip.ng ), buy songs online, and even split their rent... Nearly half of consumers prefer using digital apps to make payments. Roughly 47% of consumers stated that they preferred digital means for performing transactions, while cash came in slightly lower, at 45%. This difference will likely become more profound as consumers increasingly move away from using cash. In fact, half of survey respondents reported that they carry cash less than half of the time, and when they do, they often don't use it — 46% of consumers reported using cash fewer than eight days a month.  And these habits don't vary much by demographic segment. Although millennials are embracing the use of digital payments more than any other age group — 49% of millennials prefer digital payments to cash — they aren't the only ones; 44% of G...

If everyone were to get what they deserved, what would you get? Most people seek and pray to get what they need or want, but how many sincerely ask for what they deserve? Yet, though you forget to ask for it, or pray for it, in this life, most times you get what you deserve and not what you want or need.   The difference between those who excel and those who don’t is simple.  Some say that the successful know something that the unsuccessful don’t. Another set assert that it is in the application of what is known that counts, not just in the knowing. Both are correct. A most cherished mentor once said that many suffer unduly on this planet because they do not know (or fail to apply) the laws that govern the planet. There are laws here - laws that function with or without your knowledge or approval. For example, your ignorance of the existence of the law of gravity does not stop whatever that you throw up to come crashing down. Therefore, it is needful that you know...

The failures of the past generation are the opportunity of the present. In this planet, almost nothing is fixed or absolute (except principles and laws). The earth is a dynamic sphere – always changing and evolving. What worked in the past is now seen as archaic and most importantly, what didn’t work in those years now bear a herald of possibilities. Things that used to be considered science fiction are now our reality. We live in a world of so many possibilities. In the past, the place of birth and who gave you life determines how far you go in life – your placement and your voice. However, things have changed. You can be anything you desire – it doesn’t matter what colour you are or where you are from. What matters is what you desire and your willingness to pay the price – to become. There are so many books out there, and even articles all over the internet that tells or teaches you how to birth your desires or dreams (because until those desires are birthed to take tan...