Self-Care With Shaki

I've made quite a lot of career mistakes. I also quit a well-paying job since I did not feel fulfilled in it. Since then, I became so passionate about finding ways to build a fulfilling, well-paying, and happy career. Being a coach, I read and connect with so many top coaches and career development gurus; this has enlightened me with all the mistakes I need to eliminate when trying to build a strong career right from the scratch. 1. Not enough clarity When I first got into my corporate job it was like a labyrinth. I felt like I was lost inside a maze.   I was not clear on what I want and what am I supposed to do. I know that at the beginning of every career it would be like being left blindfolded in a dense forest with no choice of getting out. But let's say you are allowed to untie your blindfold and given an option to walk out of the forest. How will you get out from there? You will be able to escape from the forest full of thorns and thistles only and ...

Do you ever feel like you got nothing out of school or college? You might have taken various levels of examination and invested hours of learning but still do you think that much of what you learned was not useful in actual situations? Research confirms the fact that much of what we study does not actually transfer to the situations we need it. In one study, Psychologist Howard Gardner says that “students who receive honor grades in college-level physics courses are frequently unable to solve basic problems and questions encountered in a form slightly different from that on which they have been formally instructed and tested.” All these facts confirm that we get very little out of school or college academics. Why is that we are not able to build a skill out of what we study in schools and colleges for numerous years? Should we blame the structure of our schools and colleges? Maybe yes or maybe not.   But also our own learning efforts play a greater role in ...

Emotional intelligence(EI) is a term that is used to measure our ability to manage our own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Having a good EI indicates that you live a happy and stress-free life. EI can influence our personal and professional life's to a great extent. Having the ability to understand and manage our own emotions can be a great aid in accelerating success in every area of our life. Emotional intelligence Quotient (EQ) is as important or even more important than the Intelligent quotient (IQ). Unfortunately, we are only trained to improve our IQ but not our EQ. Of course, having a good IQ will help you land up in a good job and make a decent living. But, I am not sure if it will guarantee you a happy life. There are millionaires and billionaires out there with lavish money and zero happiness. Ultimately, we need happiness and peace over anything else. It is undeniable that one needs to have a good EQ to live a happy, peaceful, and contented life. ...

Often we talk about being productive and working hard. But, are we really productive? How do we know that we are being productive? It is crucial to know how to measure productivity in order to keep a track of our own work and to eliminate toxic productivity. The point of measuring productivity is to be able to make adjustments. Therefore, it should be easy to measure and timely enough to give us proper feedback. 1. Monitor time management A bad time management is the number one reason to kill productivity. The time you spend browsing the internet, scrolling on social media, and playing games are indications of lower productivity. Therefore it is good to track the time you use your phone. There are several apps that help you in monitoring the time you spend on your phone. The increase in the usage of the phone indicates a decrease in your productivity and vice versa. 2. Using rating scale This is also a very simple yet effective method to monitor your produc...

Negative thinking creates an unfair environment. It contributes to depression, anxiety, and other mental and physical health issues. Our thoughts are very subtle and unconscious most of the time yet it has an extreme power to control our whole life. Since our thoughts make and break us, it is important to understand and learn how to think in the right way to be happy and peaceful in life. Below are the 5 tips that you can inculcate to change your negative thought pattern: 1. Identifying your thinking pattern The first step to change your negative thinking is to identify your thinking pattern. For example, if you tend to view yourself as a total failure because of failing in one single interview then you are "overgeneralizing" yourself. Or, if you are someone who thinks that 'Success only lies in perfection. And the rest is considered as a failure' then you are thinking in terms of "black and white". In the same way, there are many t...

Sometimes we all get overwhelmed by the immense amount of things that we are said that we should be doing to live an ideal lifestyle. Right from waking up early in the morning, exercising regularly, reading more, eating right, meditating often, and whatnot. Living well may sound exhausting. Just thinking about a long to-do will itself drain your energy. Productivity guilt happens when you feel overwhelmed by all the things that you "should" be doing. However, you don’t do them.   But still, you have that nagging feeling like you are wasting your time. Sometimes, a lot of advice on how to live well seems like a burden. If living well is actually exhausting, what should you do now? Should you just ignore all the advice of the overachievers or should you beat yourself up for not being productive? First, you have to understand that you cannot do everything that you should do or even want to do. Unfortunately, we live in a world of finite time. Squeezing everythin...

Our whole day can be chunked into tasks. And the depth of the day is dependent on the way we accomplish these tasks. If the tasks are not completed then your day might be dull, whereas when you get all the tasks done you might feel a sense of fulfillment. Therefore, accomplishing a task has great importance than you can imagine. Below are the five tips that can help you to accomplish any given task: 1. Prior planning Planning is required before you leap into the task and start working on it right away. Planning will give you an overview of the tasks and will also give an avenue to the flow of the task in hand. It will also indicate the resources needed for the task and the appropriate time that is required to complete the task. Prior planning is very essential before you take in any major task. 2. Set aside a particular time Everyone has their own "focus-time". That is, some people work efficiently at the early hours of the day whereas some are night ...

Communication is the key to elevate in every area of your life- be it a relationship, career or personal development. The way you communicate your message across has all the power to build a strong connection between you and the other individual/ group of people. Great communicators always aim at building meaningful relationships and trust among the individual or the group of audience they are speaking to. Especially, if you are in a business environment it is crucial to be an effective communicator. Below are some of the tips that can enhance your communication skills: 1. Connect emotionally People will always forget what you said and did, but they will never forget the way you made them feel. A good communicator should connect with their audience emotionally and individually. Do not strive hard to maintain a persona. Let that go. Be you, be human. Express what you feel, tell people what you care about. Communicate your stories with them, what inspired you, what y...

Introverts are people who love spending time alone, they also process information slowly and steadily and always require "alone" time to recharge themselves. Introverts usually get exhausted after too many social interactions, basically more than enough social interactions overwhelm and leave them worn out. Unfortunately, we live in an extroverted world where introverts are trying to fit in not realizing that they would be much happier if they let their feelings flow. It is okay to be introverted just like it is ok to be extroverted. Below are the five tips that can help any introvert thrive without trying to fit in. 1. Choose a job that suits you Career occupies a huge chunk of your life. Therefore, it is wise to choose a job that suits your character. It is hard to be a salesperson that goes door-to-door selling things when you are an introvert. Even in an office environment, it will be good if you keep your doors closed with minimal interactions. The mos...

A happy and healthy mind is the foundation for any happiness you experience in life. You may achieve success and reach heights that no one has ever reached but without a happy mind you will not even be able to savor the happiness of being successful. I am glad that nowadays the awareness of developing a healthy mind is getting the share it deserves. It is important to tame your mind so that it is always in a great receptive state. You need a happy and healthy mind to live your best life and enjoy even the tiniest bits of your wonderful life. Below are the 7 simple yet profound methods that can help you in achieving the happiest state of mind. 1. Gratitude Everything that you do in your life or strive to achieve in life has only one ultimate goal - happiness.   If you dig deep into every one of your goals or desire, you will find that the end outcome is something that gives you happiness. Nobody will work hard for something that results in a sad outcome. Eve...

Have you ever heard of someone who had reached heights by being mediocre? I guess, no. Everyone who has accomplished something in the world has given their fullest potential to the goal. Be   it Einstein, Da Vinci or Mozart, all of them achieved success in their respective fields only because they performed with their highest potential. Therefore, in order to achieve greatness in whatever work you do, you need to give your highest potential. Below are the 5 ways in which you can unveil your best potential: 1. Identify your potential It is imperative to know your potential before jumping in and trying to unleash your potential in random acts. Often you will exhibit your potential in things that you love. So, sit and brainstorm the things that you really enjoy and love doing. If you love and enjoy writing novels then it will make no sense in trying to achieve your fullest potential in medicine. Therefore, it is important to identify where your core potential lies and...

Emotions are something that rules us. All of us have been taken a toll on roller coaster ride because of our emotions. Sometimes, we have felt extremely enthusiastic and happy and some times we feel totally drained and sad. Our emotions are always jumping up and down rapidly. Emotions are the ones that build our personal and professional lifestyle. We as human beings, get easily influenced by the people around us. For example, say you are talking to someone. If that person responds in an angry tone, then you will also most likely to respond in a not good manner. On the flip side, if that person is so sweet and kind, you will mirror them by being sweet and kind. So, our emotions are hugely influenced by our surroundings and the environment we live in. Therefore, it is important to master your emotions so that you will not slip or be influenced by the behavior of others. You can always continue to be "you" if you are capable of mastering your emotions. Also, em...