Change Starts From Within

Hello and eku deede iwoyi o!

I love the Peanuts comic strip in which Lucy told Charlie Brown “ I would like to change the world” Charlie asks her “where would you start?” Lucy replied “I would start with you” Our attitude is a lot more like Lucy`s. We desire change for everyone other than ourselves. The truth is that any change that occurs in the world always begins with change within an individual. The good news is, once you dedicate yourself to growth and lifestyle of planned improvement from inside out, it becomes normal to you. You will notice when you are not making the progress that you expect. Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything as stated by a famous playwright. Again, change must happen within you before it can happen around you! With this mindset, your life, your association, and even your country will grow, develop and improve. We celebrate with those who were born in March, you and everyone are definitely Marching forward! Have a wonderful March everybody!

Olusegun Thompson,

YAJ President.

Change

Hello and eku deede iwoyi o!

I will like to talk about the change I mentioned briefly in the last post. As we are experiencing changes everywhere and in every area of life. Change is hard for everyone. A novelist once said that “the only person who likes change is a wet baby” Truly truly, change is one of the greatest attitude obstacles you`ll ever face. Whereas there is no progress without change. There could neither be a growth nor achievement without change. Now, this is practical, if you have a young growing girl and you live together closely, you will understand what I mean that that beautiful grown up you see or dated came with some pain. Yet we resist change. One of the reasons people resist change is because of personal loss. Or simply put selfishness. Take for an example, what runs through your mind when a coworker told you there is about to be a massive lay off. You will never think about how it will affect the economy. That is just human nature. It happens in politics, associations, and homes. Optimistic people will however more quickly see the good in most imminent changes. The truth is that there is a loss even in a positive change. Every beginning ends something. The interesting thing is that though people resisted at first, with a positive outcome they forget their first resistance. Your body will want to resist your workout initially but with your persistence and resilience, the outcome will be great. It is, however, our responsibility to work together for change when we need to support the change rather than watching without acting.

We celebrate with you if you were born in February. Wishing you and everyone a fabulous month!

Olusegun,

President,

YAJ.

New Year 2019.

Happy New Year everybody! Eku odun eku iyedun,odun ayo ni yio je fun gbogbo wa o. It amazes me how much “prep time” goes into New Year’s Eve that makes the week after the New Year a “slow one” at best. There are a few things to ponder, list, write about, and maybe even take action on as you head into the unknown of the New Year.

It’s unknown what will happen in THE world, but YOUR world is a lot more “knowable, definable, actionable and controllable.” And rather than me telling you what to do, let me share with you what I intend to do and you can make your own plan from there. I am going to continue to expand on these two words “achievement and improvement”. That is, achieving new goals and improving on the previous achievements (called Kaizen in Japanese). My suggestion for you of things to do in the New Year is to do something to keep you busy, productive, and inspired to achieve more this year than you did last year. It’s not just a goal and it’s not just a resolution; it’s your intention, your drive, your work ethic, and your consistency in everything you do that will create genuine achievement and possibly change in the various area of your life. Congratulations if you were born in January. Wishing you and everybody a joyful January!

Olusegun,

YAJ President.

Playtime & Happiness!

Eku ipalemo odun o! Wow, it`s December! Glad we made it so far! I can almost bet that your first impression about the word, Playtime is kids. Playtime is not only for children. It is important to your stress level and your happiness quotient. It is important that you should have at least one activity that you do regularly just for fun. Hobbies and other fun activities provide a fun way to sharpen skills, express your creativity, or just blow off steam. Also, when you get really engrossed in an activity you enjoy, you can experience a state of being known as flow, in which your brain is in a near-meditative state, which has benefits for your body, mind, and soul. Hobbies and fun activities can bring added joy and happiness to life. In fact, some people have even been able to turn their hobbies into careers at some point and end up with a lifestyle where their work is their play. Another benefit of fun is the lift in mood that it can bring. Beyond merely bringing positive feelings to your life, doing things that get you into a better mood can actually make you more resilient toward stress. Enjoying activities that are pure fun, known as pleasures, or activities that challenge you in just the right way, known as gratifications, can lead to an upward spiral. Playtime is important to you as an adult too! Finally, as it has been mentioned in all the posts so far especially this year, having fun with others such as your association can bring a sense of connection that strengthens relationships and builds social support. By bonding with others while having fun is good for you, and for those close to you. It's more than a frivolous pursuit; it's important for your overall wellbeing. If you are lacking in this area think about it and turn a new leaf from 2019. We celebrate with you if you were born in December! Wishing you and all a Divine December!

Olusegun,

YAJ President.

Thanksgiving & Happiness.

It`s November everybody! Unbelievable!

We should be counting our blessings and giving thanks to the higher being, friends, and family who have helped us in one way or another through the year. Researchers at several institutions have come up with evidence that simply showing gratitude may be among the most powerful -- and underused -- forces in our lives. It can strengthen relationships, and make us happier and more satisfied with our lives. There is compelling evidence that expressing gratitude regularly can change a person's life. A scientist said that giving gratitude is an emotional reaction and a way of looking at the world. Giving thanks is a sustainable approach to life that can be freely chosen for oneself. It is choosing to focus on blessings rather than burdens, gifts rather than curses, and people report that it transforms their lives. It also strengthens our relationships. The scientist said, not only do we get the internal, personal benefits but also the external relational elements that are less likely to happen if the gratitude stays silent. Giving thanks is good for the giver, as well as for the receiver. This has been documented in friendships, associations, romantic partners and spouses. One study showed that the mere expression of thanks more than doubled the likelihood that helpers would provide assistance again. Bottom line everybody will be happy. So, don`t let us find gratitude so difficult to express! With all that said, thank you all for reading the posts so far and for all your comments. If you were born in November congratulations! November is the only month with No, which means No more one~ step~ forward and 2~ steps~ backward for you and all and we celebrate with you. Have a wonderful month!

Olusegun

President, YAJ.

Engagement and happiness.

 Hello everyone,Eku deede iwoyio!

It`s October again everybody and the beginning of festivals till the end of the year! While we know that the pursuit of happiness is a universal human trait that crosses nations, it is believed that different cultures may vary in the ways happiness is attained and fulfilled. There have been many debates and cultural studies regarding happiness. Happiness arises most from these well-being constructs: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Purpose, Accomplishment, Security (physical and financial) and Health. Let`s look at Engagement as almost all have been talked about in the previous posts.

Engagement here refers to a deep psychological connection i.e being interested, engaged, and absorbed to a particular activity, organization, or cause. Complete levels of engagement are known by psychologists as a state of flow, i.e. a state of single-minded immersion or an optimal state of concentration on an intrinsically motivating task. Awareness of time may fade when you are engaged and happy. Happiness is a constant work in progress as it goes through re-evaluation and never-ending negotiation and adjustments. We celebrate with you if you were born in October. Wishing you and everyone a fruitful October.

Olusegun

President, YAJ

Social Intelligence & Happiness

Hello everyone, eku deede iwoyi o

It`s September and glad we survived the hot and humid months depending on where you`re located.

While some people may seem to develop social intelligence without really trying, others have to work to develop it. Luckily, certain strategies can help a person build social skills. These tactics can help you develop social intelligence:

a.     Respect cultural differences.

b.     Practice active listening.

c.      Appreciate the important people in your life.

d.     Pay close attention to what (and who) is around you.

e.      Work on increasing your emotional intelligence.

Social intelligence isn’t easy to master—if it were, there wouldn’t ever be another awkward conversation at a party, friends, and families or anywhere. However, working toward a strong social intelligence can lead to a richer life, a happier life, or, at least an easier time making a few new friends and maintaining the old ones. Study of social situations and Pay attention to what people are doing well and mistakes you want to avoid. Afterward, think about what you want to do differently in the next social situation you enter. Get proactive about improving your skills and see how your community will be influenced by you.

We celebrate with you if you were born in September, we wish you and all a Successful September!

Olusegun

YAJ President