Vacation

I’ll be away for the rest of the year. I’ m going away on a much needed vacation. I’ll be back next month. I’ll try and check in once a while to post the odd article. Till then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance.

Periodic Medical Check – Up

Our periodic medical check up within the organization I work for is here again. So for the next few weeks, I’ll be traipsing up and down to the hospital. So what should I expect from this routine check up? How does it affect my current job role and wellness at work?  I had earlier scheduled myself for a personal routine check up in June, but due to the heavy and crazy workloads, I never got round to it. So I ask myself if it’s worth waiting for the company, or simply going ahead to the hospital I registered with, under the health insurance scheme for a personal check up. Definitely not. I pay an annual premium of N120,000 ($1,000) for the health insurance scheme. It will be a financial waste not to utilize this sum for the purpose it’s meant for. As we grow older, it’s mandatory to take our health more seriously to avert and detect problems in their earliest stage and keep us on the good road to health. If you have been thinking of going for a medical check up and are not too sure about it’s benefits, here are a few:

• It facilitates primary prevention.
• Identifies risk factors for common chronic diseases.
• Detect diseases that have no apparent symptoms.
• Paves an avenue for your doctor to counsel you on healthy behavior.
• Update your clinical data at the hospital.

 As for me, I’ll be taking two days off from work starting from tomorrow to attend to my health needs.

How To Sabotage your Career

We’re all so scared of hearing the dreaded words “you’re fired” which can be for varied reasons ranging from fraud to non-performance on the job. Sometimes, it could be our fault because we have not done the following:

• If you don’t have a personal life plan and adhere to it irrespective of what’s happening in your workplace, you may have yourself to blame. Successful people have a clear life plan. Without a life plan, we’re inevitable leaving our success in the hands of others who may or may not have the time to look after our successes.
• If someone is capable of producing a greater return and you’re not updating your current set of skills, you’re at risk of being replaced.
• We’re all familiar with performance reviews and the consequence of performing below expected job standards. Sooner than you know, you’ll be shown the way out.
• If all you do at the office is sit behind your desk and respond to all the mails pouring in via e-mail, you’ve got another think coming. Communicating in person is imperative for today’s success seekers.
• Unless you’re Beyonce, don’t give the impression that you’re irreplaceable. As soon as you convince yourself that you can do it all and know it all, your diva will start to fall.
• Don’t assume you know all the answers. Successful people are always on the drive to learn new ideas and approaches in order to be more relevant in their careers.
• Learn to give credit when you need to. Never make the mistake of taking all the credit to the detriment of your colleagues.
• Promote and sell your ideas constantly through case studies, initiatives that you’ve implemented successfully.
• When you’re at a roadblock and can’t seem to get your creative juices flowing, don’t be afraid to seek the advice of a trusted and respected colleague or friend.