You have arrived. Industry practitioners and friends and the community all recognize you as an expert in your field and you have plenty of accolades and awards and career stories to show for it. You are a success by anyone’s measure but you find yourself asking yourself over your morning coffee and newspaper that monumental question: What now? The good news is with continued dedication, effort, hard work and discipline you can go from success to even greater success and enjoy every step, stumble and skip along the way. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you come to terms with your very hard-earned and well-deserved success.
You didn’t succeed by burying your head in the sand; in all likelihood you are well-read and have kept up-to-date with industry literature and tomes. This is the time to ask yourself what books you have never had time to read, and to explore all the must-read lists whether related to your career or areas of interest outside of work. New books may open your eyes to opportunities and attitudes and skills and possibilities and realities that may greatly influence your career and life in a positive way. According to the Bayt.com ‘Happiness and Personal Fulfillment in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, August 2015, 41% of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region say that reading enriches them, both personally and professionally, with 27% of them preferring to spend their free time reading above all else.
Do you have a favorite charity yet? Whether it’s a friend or relative in need (after all charity begins at home) or the local orphans home or elderly home or hospital or research center or any other global or local charity of your choice, finding a charity you personally hold dear is a great way to spend these extra hours and/or any extra savings you would like to put to good use helping those most in need. Here are some charity programs by Bayt.com to inspire you.
When was the last time you bought a teddy bear or ball or Frisbee for all the nephews and nieces or friends’ kids? When was the last time you called and visited all your nearest and dearest and reminded them how much you care? According to the Bayt.com ‘Happiness and Personal Fulfillment in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, 20% of MENA professionals would like to spend free time with their family and loved ones. Your greatest treasure may well be the smile you can put on the face of your loved ones and the positive difference you can make in their lives, so stop postponing and reach out to the people that mean the most to you with a generous gesture today. Here’s how you can make a difference this year.
Many professionals reach the pinnacle of success only to find that they have had little time to nurture and develop real friendships along the way. Do not fret. It is never too late to make new friends and if you decide you need to start meeting soulmates, life has a way of sending soulmates your way with just a little bit of extra effort and creativity and commitment from your part. You can meet and interact with professional peers online on Bayt.com Specialties, or you can do meet new people physically at industry events, conferences, art exhibitions, workshops and alumni gatherings. Here are 10 steps to improve your personal relationships and wellness.
62% of professional respondents in the Bayt.com ‘Happiness and Personal Fulfillment in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll said that travelling greatly relaxes them and puts them in a better mood. Whether you have the travel bug in you or not, remember that you needn't necessarily go very far to get a complete change of perspective and a total mental pick-me-up. Sometimes just sitting on a new beach or mountain-top or bench just a little bit further from home at dawn or sunset is all you need to reinvigorate the senses. If you are an avid traveler, seeing new cultures and landscapes and meeting new people is a great way to regroup with yourself and appreciate the magic of the world even more and to develop an even greater gratitude and respect for all you already have. Here are seven ways it pays to take time off.
Almost 8 in 10 professionals in the MENA region say they read industry-related literature on a regular basis, as per the Bayt.com ‘Career Advancement in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, July 2011. Is there an article or book in you that is struggling to see the light of day? Now that you are comfortable with your skills and experience and expertise you may want to consider sharing it with others by publishing in journals or even writing your own blog or even book. Here are 12 career transformations that you can do in an hour or less.
Although 89.3% of MENA professionals believe that work-life balance is perfectly attainable, 43.3% say they do not have a good balance between their life and work, as revealed in the Bayt.com ‘Work-life Balance in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, September 2012. In the thick of career ladder climbing days it may have been tough to redecorate the home to your exact specifications or even to change that sloping mattress or re-pot the plants or replace that broken mirror or put a new cushion on the couch. A happy home is a great place to start if you want to nurture a happy lifestyle and now may be the time to take a look around and ask yourself what style of space and color schemes and decoration schemes and inclusions or exclusions can make you feel more comfortable and happier and more productive and relaxed in your living space. Here are six ways to improve your work-life balance this year.
Maybe you always wanted to drive a fast car even faster than the fastest person who drove it before you. Perhaps you have a mountain climb in you still or a channel swim or a cliff dive or a marathon. Are there recipes you never got around to making or portraits and landscapes you never got around to painting? Is there a hobby you always wanted to learn or a corner you always wanted to turn or a movie you always wanted to see but never got around to? Now may be the time to make that dream come true! Here are tips to help you find your passion in life.
Have you ever really stopped to smell the flowers? Do you know what differentiates a tuberose from a rose from a jasmine from a gardenia? Have you tasted a millefeuille or profiterole or doughnut (or other favorite desserts and dishes) in all their possible delicious gradients and textures and permutations from crusty to creamy to glazed to ultra-crisp? Have you felt mountain air on your nose and cheeks and white beach salt and sand and pebbles on your toes? Have you seen all the art pieces you read and heard about and really wanted to see whether online or the original in person at the gallery or museum? How many times have you been on a swing or slide or sled or skis? Well, maybe now is the time to explore or experiment with experiences you always wanted to try. According to the Bayt.com ‘Passion for Work in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, February 2016, 86.5% say their work has helped them discover who they are. Here are 10 daily habits to help you revitalize your life today.
According to the Bayt.com ‘Learning in the MENA Workplace’ poll, March 2015, 97% of MENA professionals are very dedicated to lifelong learning and 54% of them consider themselves to be at the top of their game when it comes to industry-related learning. Lifelong learning means it’s never too late to acquire new skills. Whether it’s a sport or a hobby or a language or a career-related technical skill, there are ample opportunities for the hungry mind to indulge in further exploration and learning whether through independent learning, guided online and offline courses or a combination of these. More and more professionals are making mid-career transitions to areas totally outside their previous domain and this is facilitated by the wealth of training and learning and testing resources readily available today, many online and for free. See Bayt.com Learning portal. Here’s how to know which skills you’re missing and then do something about it.
It’s never too late to drop habits that are counterproductive to you whether it’s sleeping too much or too little, eating too much or too little, living unhealthily, having little work-life balance; 33% of professional respondents in the Bayt.com ‘Happiness and Personal Fulfillment in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll say that having a better life-work balance would cause them to feel more fulfilled overall above everything else. Make a list of habits you'd like to change and put yourself a reasonable timeframe to achieve this goal, then record your progress in your calendar on a daily basis. Here are 12 ways to improve your productivity at work.
Are you a mentor or coach to someone who can use your experience and guidance to succeed? Can you help people you hold in esteem succeed through your networks and referrals and recommendations? Can you still invent that wonder cure or devise that miracle process or draft that perfect solution or plot that exact formula or compose that wonderful tune that can drastically improve others’ lives, wellness and happiness? 97% of respondents in the Bayt.com ‘Education and Innovation in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, February 2015, say it is important for them to be creative in their life; 84% feel they are living up to their potential to create and innovate. If you still have that wellspring of innovation and creativity in you that makes the world a better place, never stop the magic, you are one of the lifelong success stories who are instruments of positive change in this world. Here are 10 ways to promote innovation at your workplace.
