HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 3

HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 3

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd -  October 2009

This is my last blog post for the year as I close the office until the 14th January 2019.  I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperour New Year.  Travel safely and I'll see you all in the New Year.

Please note that that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.

So following on from last time – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction.  They are (but not limited to).

“Employees are entitled to a disciplinary hearing even where they are accused of being on an unprotected (illegal) strike.”

For me this is just logical – I mean how can you discipline anyone for anything without a proper disciplinary hearing.  The whole deal about this however is that as the employer, you have to prove that the strike was unprotected (which usually is not very difficult at all) and then you have to ensure that the staff member was actually on strike and not on ‘sick’ leave or even ‘annual’ leave.

During the apartheid era, this was often used as an excuse to ‘get rid’ of staff that you no longer wanted around.  Nowadays the rule of “innocent until proven guilty” applies.

In fact whilst I am on the subject of disciplinary hearings – remember this.  If your employee is caught say, stealing and you have them arrested, or they are arrested and end up going to jail.  That’s not the end of the story – you still have to go through the motions of having a disciplinary (in abstentia), where they need to be found ‘guilty’ and then dismissed.  This would also apply to someone who has gone AWOL (absent without leave) and who never ever comes back to work.

The reason for this is, if you don’t hold a disciplinary, find them guilty, and summarily dismiss them, the reality of the situation is that you could be forced to re-employ (and pay all the back pay) when they are released from jail and want to come back to work or they suddenly remember that they have to come back to work after being AWOL. 

So, go through the motions, I know it is a pain in the rear end, but it certainly is less than the pain that you will feel if you don’t follow the correct procedures and then they come back and demand their jobs back.

Next time we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.

 Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Blogging 101 – Where Else to look for Ideas – Part 6

Blogging 101 – Where Else to look for Ideas – Part 6

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Last time we looked at the opportunities around Television, being Angry or Upset and Victory and Defeat, for inspiration or ideas for articles of interest that pertain to your particular passion.  Today we will have a look at a few more.

Year
Share the lessons that you have learnt during the course of the past year and maybe some of what you consider to be your greatest achievements.

In terms of ‘lessons learnt’, if you have had to learn the lesson the hard way, I am sure that there are many individuals out there who would really appreciate not having to go through the angst and  anxiety themselves.

When you share your achievements it might be a good idea to take your readers on the journey as you experienced it as there may be someone who is on a similar journey who will be motivated and inspired by your achievements.

Everyday Activities
For me the ‘everyday activities’ are about the routine things that I have tasked myself to do every day, like for example the writing of my blog. It might be a good idea to explain ‘why’ you have chosen to perform these tasks on a daily basis and how you feel once the task has been completed.  Again for me, writing is extremely important as it is part of the ‘creative’ side of me.  If I don’t write something every day, then I am not ‘balanced’ and that causes its own set of complications. So once my blog for the day is written I feel that I have released my creative energy for the day and that brings about a sense of peace and well-being – clearly a great way to start the day.

Hiatus
Believe me when I tell you that you can literally write something to death!  I know I did.  When I first started on my ‘blogging’ journey, all I wrote about was “The Power of Networking” – 170 odd blogs on Networking later, I found myself procrastinating every time I had to write another article and realized that I was all blogged out on the subject.  So I stopped writing about Networking and found something else to write about.  Am I still passionate about Networking – of course I am, but I can find no more to write on the subject and it is still all there for anyone to read.

Also, sometimes the creative juices are just not there – don’t force it, give yourself a break for the day or several days for that matter – you can always come back to it and re-kindle your passion for writing.

Remember though, if you do not enjoy what you are doing, then what is the point!  Always have fun!

Next time we will have a look at some more ideas to keep those blogs flowing. Until then “Happy Writing” and don’t forget to have fun!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - Be Prepared to Continue Learning

Networking 101 - Be Prepared to Continue Learning

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

I might be a natural Networker and a natural connector, but I am far from being an expert.  I am sure to learn something at every meeting that I attend and I take something away with me from every encounter.  I understand that in order for me to continue moving forward I have to continue learning – I have to keep striving to grow to get better.

It is also important for me to read more motivational business books.  I have to engage more with people who are like minded.  Now that may sound like I am stating the obvious, but you would be absolutely amazed at the number of people who don’t seem to have the drive, let alone the energy to move forward.

I need to keep my promises and in so doing strengthen my credibility.

I have to remember who I am, where I am, where I have come from and where I want to get to.

I have to nurture and try to understand all of my business relationships and one of the ways that I can do this is to continually add value and substance to the relationship.

I have to remember that although it is a service that I offer as apposed to a product – that in order for my business to flourish and be successful, I have to be the best salesperson in the company.

I have to understand that there will be times when I lose, but that in losing I will grow as an individual.  I cannot lose too much though so I must only be willing to put out what I am comfortable with, to learn the lesson.

Not only must I learn, but I also need to teach.  I need to teach people the lessons that I have learnt – to be successful and in the teaching, I am also connecting with people.  Without people there can be no communication and communication is very important not only to my business but also to every micro enterprise or small business out there.

I have to understand that the first thought or perception isn’t always the best – that I can be creative and think outside of the box and in the words of the popular ad ‘throw the box away.”

I have to understand that if I don’t see synergy with someone the first time I look, I need to look harder and longer – it is in there somewhere.

I need to remember that I do not have any competition in my business but rather I have more opportunity for collaboration.

As a closing thought I also need to remember that opportunities are never ‘lost’ they just go to someone else who is perhaps more suited and that it is in the ‘letting go’ of the opportunity, that I open myself up to receive yet more opportunities that are best suited to me.

This is why I network.  Why do you network?

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or https://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Business Tips - It's a Sign of the Times

Business Tips – It’s a Sign of the Times

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

As Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, we all need to look for new opportunities – if the 2008 ‘so called’ recession did not teach you this and if you are still in business, then I am really surprised.  We all need to find the ‘edge’ over our competitors.  We all need to do things differently.  We all need to ‘think out of the box’ (well those who still live in a box need to – that’s for sure).  We all need to look at doing things differently or finding new ways in which to ‘work it’.

I have, for several years now been using my blog as a marketing tool and quite honestly it has worked fantastically for me.  Early in 2009 I started using Twitter – just playing around with it, ‘tweeting’ and having fun – it was, quite frankly addictive!  I had to limit the amount of time that I sat playing on it.  It opened up a huge new world for me.  I found interesting articles that I would never have even dreamed of ‘googling’ for and it put me in touch with people that I would never have ordinarily met.  It actually made me look at life in an altogether different way – a great way.  Slowly, but surely I have started building relationships with these people – virtual relationships.  Will I even meet them in person, who knows!  What I do know though is that there are some of them that I follow religiously because I enjoy the type of information that they hook me into.  I like the way that they think and I also like the way that they share.

I have also been on facebook for a number of years now – I never looked at it other than in an absolutely ‘social’ type of way and it has been great to catch up with friends, all over the world that I had lost contact with.  What’s also great is that thanks to my web designer Meryl Rosenberg of Pixel Magic, I now also have my own ‘page’ on Facebook, which means that I can set up events, such as my workshops and as a result of that I now also have connected with other people all over the world.  Complete strangers, who I interact with on a daily basis.

Now here’s the thing, I have started using both Twitter and Facebook to link to my website and thereby to my blog articles and the response has been absolutely fantastic.  On Twitter, the number of people who want to follow me has increased quite dramatically – clearly there are people out there that want to read or hear what I have to say.  The number of hits to my website has increased, more than tripling and in the space of 5 months I had more visitors to my website than I have had from the day that the website was launched to the end of September 2008.  How absolutely cool is that? 

The average time spent, by visitors, at the moment is around 5 ½ minutes and I am told that that is really good and it is because my website is so ‘content rich’.  Apart from that, I got my first ‘twitter’ client in January 2010 and that makes the whole deal the sweeter!

Will I stop using traditional methods of Networking – not at all, but what it does do is show me that ‘new’ is not always bad and even if I don’t really understand the technical aspects of what it is that I am doing, I need to move with the times.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Inspiration – What is Standing Between You and Your Goal

Inspiration – What is Standing Between You and Your Goal

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Jordan Belford says “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story that your keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”

Don’t confuse this with the little voice inside your head that you have a discussion with from time to time – this is your very own self telling you all sorts of stories to justify why you have not achieved that you have set out to do.

You know the stories that I am talking about . . .  it’s the one we’ve always used from time to time. You know the “my dog ate my homework” one or “the alarm did not go off!” one.

It’s the ones that we always use when we want to shift the blame for something that we have not done, onto someone else.

It’s the ones most politicians use when they refuse to take responsibility for not doing what they should have.

We all know that it is wrong, but we do it anyway.

So how about it folks -  how about we all stop mucking about and start taking charge of our own lives and in doing so, our own destinies.

How about we sit down and put pen to paper in the form of an action plan, that has not only the things that need to be done, but also the date by which by which it must be done.

How about we make a commitment to ourselves, for ourselves and then we actually keep it.

How about we change what we usually do (and that is to blame somebody else) and hold ourselves accountable for our own actions (or non-actions)!

How about we just get it done so that we can succeed and  achieve our goals.

How about we just get out of our own way and stop the bullshit stories and write a new story of how we achieved what we said we would.

How about that . . .

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 2

HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.

So following on from last time – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction.  They are (but not limited to).

Employees are entitled to refuse to do the work of colleagues who are on strike.

This, quite frankly is another favourite of mine and it honestly takes me back a few decades to my Corporate life, in the bank and the again in the retail sector.

Here are the stories:

During the late 70’s and early 80’s, I worked in one of the ‘lesser’ known banks in Cape Town.  Those of you who were around at the time, will remember that here in South Africa we were in the middle of the apartheid era and life certainly was very different to what it is now.

Strikes and protests, although not quite the order of the day yet, were still fairly frequent and of course very disruptive.  Imagine working in a job that is quite pressurized (I was a clerk in the foreign exchange department at the time and the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was in the throes of being built) and then having to take on a share of the work of the 5 or 6 employees who went on strike at every opportunity.

Working even longer than usual on a indefinite basis (who knew when the strike would end) doing work that was not mine and that I often did not even fully understand, often brought out huge resentment which would then be directed both at management, for putting me under this added pressure and for making me do work that was not mine and that I did not enjoy and my agitation was also directed at my striking colleagues, who by their striking actions, had put me in this position.

As you can imagine, inter office relationships deteriorated, both between colleagues and then also between management and employees and it actually resulted in many of the staff resigning (ironically, never the striking ones) and they were replaced by more staff who would also go on strike.  It was an absolute relief when I was offered another position in another ‘lesser’ known bank in Johannesburg.

The second story is about when I was in the wholesale retail sector in the early 90’s. The apartheid era was coming to a close, but it was during the time when strikes and protests were the order of the day.  I was, at the time a Senior Manager with around 50 employees working for me and more than half of these belonged to the unions and went on strike on a regular basis.

We were instructed to ‘share’ the work amongst the remaining staff and it pretty much also cause the same sort of problems that were caused in the previous story, but it gets worse.

You see, I still take pride in the work that I produce, irrespective of whether it is my work to produce or not, in the first place.  Unfortunately, that cannot be said about the rest of the general workforce out there and the result of that was that most of the work had to be re-done, which caused even more delays and producing even more hostility.

Clearly forcing employees to do the work of striking colleagues is not good for morale and it is not good for the business.

So how do we turn this around and make it work for us.  Well here’s the thing – when employees strike it’s a ‘no work, no pay’ kind of situation.  Doesn’t it then make sense to hire a bunch of temps or casuals to do the absolute necessary of what needs to be done.

Here’s the deal then – getting other people in also provides the employer with a unique opportunity to observe prospective future employees at work and also in unusual circumstances.  How cool is that?

Next week we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.

 Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Blogging 101 – Where Else to look for Ideas – Part 5

Blogging 101 – Where Else to look for Ideas – Part 5

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Last time we looked at the opportunities around Lateral Thinking and even the Wisdom of our Parents, for inspiration or ideas for articles of interest that pertain to your particular passion.  Today we will have a look at a few more.

Television
Now I know that there are many people out there who very seldom watch TV and whilst on some level I do understand their reasons, it is one of the ways that I relax and chill out.  Also, if I am really honest, there are several shows that I am particularly fond of (read absolutely hooked on).  The fact of the matter is that I learn from many of these shows, trying to figure out who the culprit is in all of the ‘who-dun-its’ and learning the life lessons on the fantasy and esoteric type ones and just pure enjoyment and predicting the winners on the reality ones.  Yip, it’s official – I love watching TV.  There I said it!

Actually I have used examples of what I watched and the lessons learned, in several of my blogs – two that come to mind immediately are when one of the contestants in a reality show dissed the opinion of one of the judges – that was a motivational piece on respect and the other was a woman who documented her every move (giving specifics like pictures and the name of the place that she was at and then the next place she was going to) on Facebook (I think it was  CSI or one of those profiling shows) – that was an early warning about the content we share online.

So very much like Celebrities, watching TV can spark an idea that you can link to your subject material to illustrate what you mean.

Anger or being Upset
Who would have thought that being upset about something that you have read/watched/listened to/seen (insert anything you like here) would produce some of the greatest articles that you have every written?  I know that there is nothing like a good rant to clear the air and for me writing it all down transfers the anger (or indeed sadness) from my mind onto the paper.  It is one of the ways that I have of ‘releasing’ the pain or the anger. Obviously, once you have calmed down, you need to edit it to ensure that you have all your ducks in a row and that you haven’t mentioned anyone’s name, or you could find yourself in trouble.  Again I have, on occasion used some of these writings to illustrate a point.  Two that come to mind immediately are the one I wrote on the unrealistic begging bowl type expectations of entrepreneurs or start-ups, especially around the issue of funding and the other was also about an unrealistic expectation of someone who expected everything to fall into her lap, or everything done for her, without her actually doing anything herself!  Both really got my blood boiling!

Victory or Defeat
This is one that I have used on many occasions and this year will be no exception.  A friend of mine said to me one evening during the course of the holidays, as we sat on her balcony sipping at an extremely cold beverage as we watched the sunset dip into the ocean “What were your highlights in the last year and what were your biggest regrets”?  I really had to think carefully about this and decided to split it into two separate camps – one being in my professional life and the other in my personal life.  In both instances there were huge lessons learnt, but it was only in the “looking back” that the lessons became clear and this only re-iterates my conviction that we need to ‘look back and see where we have come from and what we have achieved’ more often.

This is a theme that I have written about on more than one occasion and clearly something that I will be writing about again, during the course of the year.

Remember though, if you do not enjoy what you are doing, then what is the point!  Always have fun!

Next time we will have a look at some more ideas to keep those blogs flowing. Until then “Happy Writing” and don’t forget to have fun!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Networking 101 - Don’t Manipulate

Networking 101 - Don’t Manipulate

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:

“Don’t subtly manipulate relationships with exclusionary tactics.  This does you no favours in the long term.”

Wow!  Renate certainly doesn’t pull the punches, does she?  Quite frankly she shouldn’t.  As far as I am concerned manipulation of any sort, for any reason at any time, is not a good thing!

Come on folks, let’s be honest about this – we don’t like to be manipulated, well I certainly don’t, so why on earth would anyone else like to be manipulated?  Stands to reason, doesn’t it?

The other thing of course is that manipulation, like dishonestly always comes back to you and generally bites you on the rear end.  It destroys friendships and carefully built up relationships in a matter of moments.  It is a destructive force and in my opinion should be avoided at all costs.

It is far better to lay all of your cards on the table, be transparent and have no hidden agenda’s.  Let’s face it, we all have a ‘what’s in it for me’ aspect to what we do and why we do it, let’s just be honest about it and move forward from there.  That way, when the chips are down we all know where we stand.

So for my part avoid manipulation of any kind.

For more information on Renate, please visit her website at http://www.drrenatevolpe.co.za

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Business Tips - Improving Your Business Website

Business Tips - Improving Your Business Website

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Before we go any further, and before all who know me fall about with laughter – I am a bit of (hell let’s be honest – a helleva) a technophobe.  So what I am putting down here is what I have found on the web (a little common sense and logic) and because, no matter what I tell you or write here, my web is looked after by Meryl of Pixelmagic (http://www.pixelmagic.co.za), so no matter how much I ‘break stuff’ she assures me she can fix it!  How cool is that?  Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  The bottom line of course, is that if you are going to try these things yourself, it’s a good idea for you to have a “Meryl” of your own, or I am quite happy to share mine with you.

Here goes!

It really does not matter if you use your website for fun, family connections (when your family is scattered to the four corners of the world, like mine is) or for Business purposes, the fact is that around 70% of Businesses have websites.  No wonder we are spoilt for choice!  The problem however is that the majority (some home made and even some that have been professionally done) are really crappy!

The reality is that even the really crappy ones are competing in the market and trying to sell their products  or services – how scary is that!

So – let’s have a look at what the internet says are the top 10 tips for improving your Business Website.

1. You have to have a plan!
As is most things in life, if you don’t have a plan, you have exactly . . . nothing!  Write it down – what is the purpose of your website, what do you hope to achieve.  Write down your goals, short term, medium term, long term and then brainstorm them – how are you going to achieve them.  What do you need to do in order to fulfill them.  Be realistic, we all have budgets.  Match your immediate goals to your wallet – you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve!

2. Measure.
Again – if you can’t measure it you have a problem.  How would you know if your website is being effective, or if you are just wasting your time, money and effort.  You need to measure, how many people visit your website, how many sales result from your website, how many connections are made out of your website?  Is enough traffic being driven to the website and how can you improve on these numbers?

3. Promote yourself?
I keep saying – if you don’t tell people who you are, how will they know?  So, use your website.  Keep your customers updated on what is happening in your life – actually they are interested.  Tell them about your successes, post your testimonials, tell them what plans are in the pipeline (they may want to partner up with you).  Now is not the time to hide your light under the bushel – let it shine out brightly!

4. Branding
Remember your brand will always be associated with you – so make sure that it is special! Your brand, logo and by line should be unique to you and your product or service. It has to stand out to the world and especially your target market.  Keep it simple though – complicated branding looks messy and cluttered on a website.

5. Content
You are the expert on what it is that you do – aren’t you?  So write down what it is that you do, give out tips or teasers.  Keep your content updated and interesting.  Like it or not, we are all looking for information (yes even in this world of information overload) – make sure your information is new, fresh and current – it will keep people coming to your site on a regular basis.

6. Navigation
This is one of my pet hates – getting myself lost on a website or having to ‘go back’ all of the time to get myself to the home page or where-ever it is that I want to go, is really just a pain in the rear end.  Let me tell you from experience – the easier it is for me to get around your site the longer I will stay and browse.  So keep it simple.

7. Sales
Statistics tell us that Product or Services sold over the internet increased by 100% between 2002 and 2005.  How fabulous is that?  This means that your website should make it easy for your clients to purchase what they want/need/desire online.

8. Database
Your database on your website should not only have all your business and personal contacts on it, but it should surpass anything that you may have in your ‘little black book’ or your customer base.  This is because as people visit your website, they should be encouraged to leave their contact details behind.  This gives you a huge opportunity to entice them to spend some money with you by sending out regular communications to them, in the form of newsletters, specials and useful tips and information.

9. Promotion
Make sure that everybody gets to know about your website.  Put the address on every single piece of literature that you have, your Business Cards, your Letter Heads, in the signature on your e-mail – everywhere!

And finally

10. Overloading your website
It is said that often ‘less is more’ – keep everything short, simple and to the point.  Don’t waffle on and on about something.  Say what you have to and then move forward.

Now – let’s have a look at an additional 3 tips as recommended by Meryl.  Meryl says:

a. Know what you want your website to do for you
Yes, generate more income, but how?  Do you want to be talking about your past successes and showing testimonials from other clients?  Do you want your site pointed towards getting the visitor to contact you?

b. Know what you want your website to ‘feel’ like
The ‘feel’ of a website selling kids’ toys is going to be very different from one selling financial services to big corporates.  Draw up a list of 20 or so emotive words that describe the tone of your site: fun, funky, young, colourful or corporate, serious trustworthy etc.

c. Copywrite
Also, asking your designer to get you a good copywriter is a very valuable option.  Copywriters ensure that Search Engines love reading your site as much as humans do, as well as getting the feel you’ve chosen to carry across into the words!

Oh, and a – don’t have a look at my website just yet – Meryl and I will be doing some changes right now!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Inspiration – Unfulfilled Potential

Inspiration – Unfulfilled Potential

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Pope John XXIII said “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.  Concern yourself not with what you have tried and failed, but what it is that is still possible for you to do.”

What I write about is so often exactly what it is that I have to hear myself!

In my opinion we are really far too hard on ourselves.  We actually just need to give ourselves a break from ourselves!

We live in a world that is fearful.  Certainly here in South Africa we hide in houses and dwellings that are barricaded from the rest of the population.  Homes with metal bars in front of windows and doors that are situated behind huge walls topped by electric fences or razor wire, guarded by patrolling guards and their trained dogs.

Is it any wonder then that we live in a state of fear in our minds as well.  Fear of not being good enough, or brave enough or clever enough or pretty enough or thin enough.  Fear of failure and even success!  Fear! Fear! Fear!

One of my guru’s Dr. John Demartini says that fear is something that we worry about that will only (perhaps) happen in our future and of course the reality of that is that it may never happen.  Yet many of us live in this state of fear, waiting and waiting and predicting all sorts of stuff -  that may never happen.

Isn’t it time that we changed our mind-sets and instead of looking at and living with the fear, that we consciously and deliberately turn our thoughts to what we can do or better yet, what we would like to do, given the opportunity?

Let’s take that particular thought even further and think of ways that we could even “create” that opportunity.  Let’s consciously and deliberately thing of  one , just one little thing that we could do differently or even one new thing that we could do, every day, that would bring us closer to creating the opportunity that would allow us to do something that we love to do and in so doing, we would change the course of our lives or even make a difference in someone else’s life.  Do that one thing every day, for 21 days (to ensure that it becomes a habit) and then find one more thing  . . .  and repeat the exercise.  Before we know it we will no longer be taking just ‘one step at a time’ but running full speed towards our goals, towards reaching our full potential.

Frustrations are a part of our daily lives and there is probably no hard and fast rule to get past them.  What we can control however, is how we choose to deal with them.  Getting upset and angry at the situation achieves nothing.  So again it’s about our mindset and the choices we make.  How about we choose to react in a positive way and we will make life that much easier for ourselves.

Without failure there is no success!  That is the reality of our lives and the fact remains that we all fail on a daily basis.  It’s the green robot that turns to red just before you get to it or the appointment that you are five minutes late for.  Failure is an integral part of our lives and we need to accept that and deal with it and get over it!

Understanding how to deal with that failure and using the lessons contained in that failure in order to improve or fix or leverage off it, is the only way to succeed somewhere down the line!  If you don’t learn from that failure all that will happen is that you will continue to do the same thing over and over again whilst expecting a different result! Like that is going to happen!

The more that you are challenged by life and the more you overcome these challenges, the more you will grow as a person.

Personal growth and the rewards that that brings, for me is the most self-satisfying experience that I can have.  Those “Ah-Ha” moments, to coin an Oprah phrase, are more precious than gold or silver and will last with me for my lifetime!

Find your purpose, find your joy.  Make the right choice and do whatever it is that needs to be done.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za