Hello buddies, I shared some things (five) we need to stop doing sometimes back and now we're back with another five we need to start doing.
Don't get tired already. Get that cold drink beside you and some cookies to enliven yourself as you read through.
Good to see you around.

1. ASK MORE QUESTIONS: According to Merriam Webster dictionary, QUESTION refers "a sentence, phrase or word that asks for information or is used to test someone's knowledge". Questions have been a way through which lots of discoveries were made and means through which people recognised their strengths and weaknesses. For the former, it was due to the fact that Archimedes wondered and questioned about why he became light on entering a bathtub which led to the formulation of his principle. For the later, a quite number of people have asked themselves questions like what do I want in life? Where do I want to be in few years time? What are my weaknesses amongst others which have helped reshaping their thoughts, direction and goals in life.


More pertinent is that questions can help you clear the air with someone or a situation. Many a time, a lot of things we think about someone or a situation is not likely to be correct. Asking few questions like "you said this, was that what you really meant?", "Agbomeji just did that, is that permissible for this gathering?" and the scenarios can continue. Such questions helps to neutralise ill feelings that perhaps we thought was but meant another thing. People are not scientific experiments, guessing about their personalities or actions can't be the best. I have been and experienced situations of this manner. People have had a wrong notions only to ask questions and get an entirely varying perspective.

Sometimes, people receives information about a directive or getting something done but are lost about the purpose of the message and wouldn't question the sender. This is an attitude we really need to improve on. In other cases, asking questions can expose one more to an area of knowledge that wasn't touched. For instance, questioning a lecturer, a discussant or an invited guest can drive s/he to even areas that where not related to the subject matter they treated. An individual can do more research on a subject matter simply by questioning some outlined principles.

So start asking more questions about yourself to become better, question people to ascertain their actions, question situations to clear grey areas, question to solve mystery and many more. Most importantly our questions should be reasonable.


2. BEING APPRECIATIVE: "thank you, you are well appreciated", "your efforts was well recognised", "great! You did fantastic Adunni" are few statements to show appreciation. Everyone loves to receive commendations even if it wasn't the peak reason they did something. But yet it is a means to show one's appreciation to someone and action. Even when people did less than expected, push to them some words of appreciation for the minute efforts they have put into your team, group, company before calling to their attention, deficiencies and areas they need to improve.

Leaders need to use this tool alot but however, it is important everyone does. Appreciation doesn't have to be materialistic at all times. Soft and kind words are good to go.


3. START ACKNOWLEDGING: A message reads "hey buddy, how you doing? Checked on you last night but met your absence. I however dropped the package with your sister. Catch ya later!" This messages does not inform the recipient to reply but however, it is only ideal for the receiver to reply the message acknowledging either received or not. This follows a principle I call "a REPLY and/or COMPLY" principle. This simply means on receiving an instruction or information depending on what the details entails, be it an instruction to carry out something, an information to relay to others and so on. We need to develop the act of acknowledging such which is quite easier these days since social media is a major means of reaching people unlike using N4 (depending on the nationality) to reply a text message that some of us are still being prudent with.

On the other hand, the sender also needs to confirm from the receiver to ensure a two way communication and ensure action the information.
So, start acknowledging an information, communicate a meeting you're to attend if you'd unavoidably run late or be absent.


4. FORGIVING NOT FORGETTING: A common saying goes "forgive and forget", well I beg to differ. Even when we have a cut and the pain fades off, it doesn't go away with the scare. It has become part of our identity even if we clothe them. In similar way, we quarrel and have misunderstanding with people but note I never said fight! Who still does that at this age? We should not wait for donkey years to reconcile about the matter and forgive another but not to forget it ever happened. For the truth is, most people reveal more about their friends, colleagues things they have observed overtime when they have misunderstanding. It should therefore be a point to note that one should reflect on whatever ill words said at that period.

Some at least will be quite true except with deception of believing others opinion about us matters not. So who is that on your offenders list, forgive them but don't forget what ever happened!


5. CHECKS AND BALANCES: stop thinking about accounting principles here. Well, it's just to help link matters together. We need to always review our goals, dreams and aspirations. Checking to see if we are in line, how far we've gone or if we have lost track of our dreams. That is why goals, visions are encouraged to be written for proper analysis. Also, we could have a mentor, a relative, a good friend that we relate what we intend doing or hope to achieve. This person will do the checks and balances by asking us at some periods in time how far so far on our dreams. This will sprout us if we had lost ourselves in the abyss of life, forgetting the dreams and goals we once had. So don't just plan, do regular checks and balances and see how well you are becoming.

https://balogunidowu./2018/09/28/five-things-we-we-need-to-start-doing/


BALOGUN IDOWU ISMAHEEL
(IndigenousGenius)
300L Medical student
LASUCOM