Editor’s Note

This being the Valentine’s month, let us talk about love. Do you love yourself? Let me begin asking with this straight question, as many of us do not understand the importance of self-love.If you don’t love yourself, it is going to be difficult to love others or receive their love.When people start loving themselves more every day, its wonderful how their lives change positively. Don’t agree? Try doing it.

Editor’s Note

Our cover article in this issue is an incredible story of forgiveness. Immaculée Ilibagiza was born and raised in a small village in Rwanda, Africa. She enjoyed a peaceful childhood with her loving parents and three brothers. It was while she was home from school on Easter break in 1994 that Immaculée's life was transformed forever. Immaculée was one of the keynote speakers at our Leadership event, LEAD 2017, which was held recently.Her story on how she used the power of forgiveness to fight her suffering is truly inspiring. Check out our cover story to know more.

Personal Excellence Advertisers: February 2017

Raise The Bar On Love: Let this Valentine’s month be the month we let love in

Every February, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I explore loving relationships. Many of us have faced challenges in relationships, and we struggle with how to create truly rewarding connections. We search for our soulmate, wrestle with friendships, and dread going home to see our relatives. At some point it dawns on us that “this cannot be the way I was born to live.” Then we get serious about creating relationships that work. If we are sincere, that will happen.

Establishing Goals For Yourself: Making your mind your own personal mentor

Many of the goals we make for ourselves, or our employees, are only partially met, and many are never met at all1In response to this, you can google “business goals and objectives” and get millions of ‘hits.’ These in turn will take you to excellent articles on how to create goals and objectives; including “Examples of Business Goals & Objectives2” and “How to Set BusinessGoals3” and “How to Write a Great Business Plan.4”

Your Relationships Reflect Your Success: Action steps to take

Your quality of life and overall success are reflected in your relationships and the counsel you seek. Think about it. You probably don’t want your children hanging around friends who don’t share your family values because of the potential negative influence in their lives. Does this concept hold true for adults, as well? Yes!

Making New Friends: Building relationships through communication

COMMUNICATION & RELATIONSHIPS: The two elements that let it all happen Boiled down, the main idea of the 7-Elements of Negotiation is that opposing parties are most likely to discover win-win solutions if they articulate their underlying INTERESTS, discuss a variety of OPTIONS, and talk about what unbiased STANDARDS will help them come to a fair agreement. Only then will they be equipped to make a joint COMMITMENT or independently pursue their ALTERNATIVES.

The 8 Communication Tips You NEED To Know: Your cheat sheet to successful communications

Memos, company meetings, video messages, and webinars are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ways you can communicate with your people. But don’t think these can be interchanged at whim. The right method depends on the message you are conveying, the people you’re hoping to connect with and more. To help hone your communication know-how, here are eight communication tips to start practicing today.

Are You Addicted To Stress?: 4 ways you might be creating your own anxiety at work

The causes and combinations vary, but the results of stress at work are the same. Prolonged stress generates high levels of cortisol, which over time can create negative physical effects in the body, such as fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, depression and a weakened immune system. Mentally, stress can also cause problems with concentration, brain fog,self-doubt, harsh self-judgment, and even a strain on personal relationships.

Need A Promotion?: Here is your go-to guide

Whether it’s a promotion you want, a raise, or both, popping the question requires skilled planning. You’ll need research, and perhaps reconnaissance. Such a delicate question demands an emphasis on timing and reading the body language of your target. You’ll need to have your defenses planned, just like you’re getting ready to defend a thesis. The better prepared you are, the more likely you are to get the answer you deserve.