Never Assume

Are you sure that the way you perceive the world is the way it really is? Are you willing to change the norm in order to succeed?
Making assumptions is what we all do in many areas of our lives. An assumption is 'something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof. In other words, it is belief without proof'.
Your assumptions can influence your attitude and behaviour with serious consequences and so ultimately influence your future. So many people assume having more money will solve their money problems but without knowing how to make money, make it grow and learning how to invest it wisely as parts of the answer. Having more money is not the answer but financial literacy is the answer. There is a wise saying that says "often our actions and assumptions continue long after the reasons for them has passed." That is why picking things and doing them because others have always done and continue to do them that way is never a good idea. Stephen Covey once said "We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be." However our attitudes and behaviours grow out of these assumptions and that is why it is necessary to ask the question 'why?' and when you find out, you will see that your answers will be assumptions and at the very least excuses.
The importance of being free of assumptions is in order to succeed. An intelligent individual has the capacity to free himself from the web of social pressures in which the rest of us are caught. He is capable of questioning the assumptions that the rest of us accept.
In conclusion, always challenge the norm and seek bout the answer for yourself. Follow no one blindly, do nothing without first seeking to understand why. Always keep an open mind, importantly believe in yourself and the fact that you are different and what you think matters more than what the society says. Lastly "your assumptions are the dust on your windows facing the world, wipe them off every once in a while or the light won't come in."

Flourish

Aanu Owolabi alias Flourish is a 400 level student of the department of Biochemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. She is a passionate believer in people's capacity to improve their lives and helps them to do so.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Do you know that there is a direct link between an individual's happiness and a specific genetic condition? Have you ever asked yourself what determines how you often feel about life?
More likely than not, you may not have found the answer to those questions. There is quote that says "our lives are a reflection of the decisions we make and that goes a long way in defining our own lives and perspective towards life." The decisions we take and make will determine the quality of life we live and that gives us a definition of our own lives each day. Another question is: do you know your feelings are in connection with our individual happiness?
This question seems to be giving hint to the answer to the first question and the answer to it is 'yes'. Our feelings are in connection with our individual happiness and this also is associated with a specific genetic condition.
Shortly before proceeding further, I will define happiness according to some people who have the understanding the connection and the links of the answer above. According to Aristotle, "happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." According to psychologists, happiness comes down to the number of positive and negative moments that we experience. These two definitions give a clearer picture about how an individual's happiness is associated with the way he/she feels.
Recently it has been discovered by a group of researchers led by Barbara L. Fredickson, a distinguished professor of Psychology in the college of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina that there is a biological influence of two forms of happiness through the human genome. Moreover philosophers have long distinguished tow basic forms of well being-
The Eudaimonic wellbeing- the type of happiness associated with having a deep sense of purpose and meaning in life'.
The Hedonic wellbeing- the type of happiness associated with individual's pleasurable experience.
These varying biological effects of other hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing use a gene expression profile known as Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA). The CTRA is a shift associated with an increase of inflammation and a decrease in antiviral activities with the genes, showing us that:
•High levels of eudaimonic well being brings low levels of inflammatory gene expression and exhibited a strong expression of antiviral and antibody genes.
•High levels of hedonic wellbeing brings high inflammation and low antiviral antibody expression.
The importance of knowing this is to tell us that doing good and feeling good have very different effects most importantly on the human genome, even though they generate similar levels of positive emotions.
In conclusion, always make sure you are adding meaning to yourself and the society. The more meaning that you add to yourself the more meaning you can give to your society. On a final note, you do not only profit the society by doing this but yourself inclusively.

Flourish 

Aanu Owolabi alias Flourish is a 400 level student of the department of Biochemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. She is a passionate believer in people's capacity to improve their lives and helps them to do so.

Habits for Successful Living

A habit is a pattern of behaviour that has become largely unconscious as a result of its consistency in occurrence. It is created in order to solve the brain's problem of having to re-learn doing the usual and mundane every time. According to Stephen R. Covey, author of the bestselling book '7 habits of Highly Effective People', he defined a habit has an intersection of knowledge, skill and desire. Knowledge refers to the awareness of behaviour, skill is acting out that behaviour and desire is the emotional display of the need to carry out the behaviour. In other words, a habit is composed of cognitive, behavioural and affective parts. For instance is the habit of listening to another when in a conversation, a person has to first become aware of the need to listen to other people more often and share his opinion less often, then he has to learn the skill of listening and finally there needs to be the motivation to do so. Habits are learned over a period of time, and they are also unlearned over a period of time. Habits are unconsciously learned but consciously unlearned. To change a bad habit a person has to replace it with a good one. The process may be herculean but it is possible to become a better person by working hard at winnowing out the bad habits and planting good ones. Just like it may take a long while for the Chinese Bamboo tree to sprout, it also may take time for a good habit to be developed but when it does it produces far outstanding results than can ever be imagined. But like most things, all habits start from somewhere. Habits for successful living have to first begin small, and then be nurtured daily and consistently. One may be tempted to get discouraged and eventually throw in the towel, but it is only the victorious in life that are celebrated, not the loser that gave in a few yards from the breast tape that will declare him a winner.
What are the habits for successful living?
•Living with a sense of purpose and direction.
•Constantly depending upon the help of God.
•Being a keen listener.
•Exercising daily and eating balanced meals.
•Reading soul enriching books, listening to audio programs/messages, attending seminars and conferences.
•Having a study schedule and sticking with it.
•Being concerned about the welfare of friends and associates e.g classmates, colleagues at work, church members etc.
•Apologizing when you are wrong.
•Strong belief in your dreams and goals and the pursuit of them.
•Finding what your skills, gifts, talents and interests are and developing them.
•A sense of humour in everything.
•Starting your day early.
•Feeling good every day, no matter what may happen.
•Taking ten minutes of solitude alone each day to reflect.
•Giving to others in need.
•Speaking positive words of affirmation to yourself.
•Staying in touch with family and friends at home.
•Keeping a pen and a pad handy everywhere.
•Saying only the good or nothing at all about others in their absence.
•Being yourself!
•Learning to use the word 'No'.
•Gaining new experiences by trying out something new every day.
•Meditating on the Holy Scriptures.
•Starting a conversation.
•Being flexible with set goals by adjusting them from time to time as reality dawns.

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