Category: Lifestyle

{It’s easy to call yourself a thought leader but, like astronauts, you can’t give yourself titles like that. Thought leaders are of course industry experts and gurus in their field, but they’re also gifted as dispensing advice and using their stature to make profits for any company they’re connected with. They’re the go-to resource in the industry and the greats ones are known to the masses (think Bill Gates and Steve Jobs).}

A thought leader doesn’t happen overnight–it usually takes several years of experience, skill building and networking. However, there are a few signs that you might be a thought leader in the making. If you find yourself exhibiting several of these symptoms, it might be in your best interest to focus on what makes a great thought leader and start blazing down that path. After all, “guru” and “though leader” certainly have nice rings to them.

{{1. You have an active social media following on your business pages.}}

If you’re active on LinkedIn or have a thriving professional Facebook or Twitter account, that’s a must for thought leaders and you’re already on the right track. Start advancing even more by contributing guest blogs to reputable online outlets, participating more in LinkedIn discussions, and generally fostering your social media professional life.

{{2. You’re constantly improving your business skillsets.
}}

You attend all the best conferences, are always seeking out new learning opportunities that relate to your industry, and believe that there’s no such thing as “enough”. This is a sign that you’re truly passionate about your work and your personal growth, both of which are pillars for thought leadership. This means it’s a joy and a journey for you, not a job and a chore.

{{3. You’re great at networking and speaking engagements.}}

These two skills are both an innate talent and a learned skill–if you’re not a natural, don’t worry. There are many ways to get better, including classes or groups like Toastmasters. Practice makes perfect, so get out there and find avenues for networking and speaking to groups. The more you do it, the better you’ll be.

{{4. Googling yourself turns up positive results.}}

Don’t be embarrassed, go ahead–Google yourself. It’s what other people are doing including potential new employers, partners or clients. Set up a Google Alert for your name, and make sure to have any negative mentions removed or “buried” under more relevant and positive notes. For example, you might have an ancient MySpace account full of spring break photos you’ve forgotten about or an angsty teen tirade on a review site that slipped your mind. Make sure you know where your online reputation stands.

{{5. You’re truly passionate about your work.}}

Thought leaders are never passive about their work or think of it as “just a job”. They become thought leaders because they truly care about what they do–if you don’t, it’s time to reassess what you want. If you’re happy enough in a career that’s not a perfect match and don’t want to be a thought leader, that’s fine. However, if you want more, it’s never too late to try a new path or job.

Is thought leadership in your future? Only time will tell–and a few signs that you don’t want to ignore.

INC.COM

{Nowadays a number of men who have sex with house maids are constantly growing and most of the days we hear women argue about it. }

May be you are among those who have ever asked why husbands sleep with maids and your question went without an answer.

IGIHE has got several responses from several people who have tried to respond to our question to which we were asking “Why husbands are sleeping with maids?”

The First comment that we got is that “Lack of cares and affection from their spouse are major causes. But in human nature, males are easy to be attracted by any smart lady.” Does the answer satisfy you?

Another comment goes on saying “As usual, when you want to expose yourself, you try to make new innovation. This is related to maids who always try to be smart for getting someone to cone them. That’s why husbands fall in love with them.”

Some also said many maids give husbands more care than their wives do. However marriage counselors say domestic workers are becoming so powerful that many marriages and relationships are threatened.

They said cases of men sleeping with their helpers are on the rise, and one in five cases of infidelity they dealt with in the past year has involved a helper.

These women are often younger, stylish, enlightened, single and struggling with financial issues, and many of the men they sleep with are doing well financially.

It is also said this is made worse by television and other media that sexualizes women in subservient and submissive positions.

Another thing that makes domestic workers attractive is that the excitement of the forbidden fruit can be erotic and edgy.

What is happening? Are our men threatened by empowered women?

Not at all, says Zuko Mathyila, a male activist based in Cape Town. Mathyila said the biggest reason men are playing hanky panky with the maid is emotional dissatisfaction.

He says studies by marriage counsellor Gary Neuman show that 48% of men rated emotional dissatisfaction as the primary reason they cheat.

He says men are emotionally driven beings who want their wives to show them that they’re appreciated.

Professional women have become so masculine, distant and aggressive that they’ve become a turn off to men, he said.

Many women use their salary and position at work to transform themselves from the beautiful feminine woman they are into becoming more masculine at home. This makes feminine and submissive maids at home very attractive to men.

“What attracts men to women is women’s femininity. This is the same way women find masculinity attractive in men.”

Some women don’t have time to attend to their husband needs.

“Some women only attend to their own needs and leave the maid to attend to their husband’s needs. The helper makes their bed, washes his pants and even cooks and serves the husband’s food. Human beings by nature love a person who is close to them.”

Some women are impolite to their husbands and this forces them to look for comfort elsewhere.

“This is apparent in marriages where the woman feels she is financially better off than the husband and that he is not more deserving. This frustrates husbands, who feel women must be submissive to them. The result is that the husband looks for an easy, submissive alternative around them for sex, and in this case, housemaids,” says Mathyila.

He says men want to get away from today’s over-empowered and aggressive women, such as their wives and bosses, and be with more regular, easy-going women with whom they can relax and not have to try so hard. Maids are the perfect candidates.

Studies done by leading marriage researcher John Gottman show that cheating might not be a symptom of a bad marriage or relationship.

Gottman says most people cheat because of opportunity, accounting for 80% of affairs.

Maphanga says women should take on a more nurturing role in terms of cooking and cleaning for their husbands, instead of leaving these tasks to the maids.

“To solve this, women can instruct and manage maids in such a way that the maids are seen as assisting them in their nurturing roles.

“The couple can agree to treat the maid as the employee of the wife so that subsequently, even though tasks are carried out by the maid, the instructions and intentions come from the wife, thereby, strengthening the couple’s relationship.”

{Meet Lyzabeth Lopez, Pro Level International Fitness Model, creator of the Hourglass Workout and the woman with one of the best butts on the planet. These workouts — which can be done at the gym or at home — will give your sexiest, roundest booty ever.}

{{Heel Raises}}

Heel raises are excellent for developing a rounder butt. You can use ankle weights or resistance bands to maintain tension for better muscle growth in the glutes and hamstrings.

1. Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Drive the heel of one foot straight up towards the ceiling, maintaining a 90-degree angle at the knee. At the top of the movement, take a second to flex the glute muscles as you exhale.

2. Inhale as you slowly bring the knee back down, crossing it over the opposite knee.

Tip: For a more intense workout, do 1 to 2 minutes on one leg, then continue with another 1 to 2 minutes on the same leg, but this time extending your leg straight out. Once this 2 to 4 minute set is complete, switch legs.

{{Jump Squats}}

Jump squats are great for gaining strength and burning fat.

1. To start, slowly lower yourself into a squat making sure your knees don’t pass your toes. This is called the safe-squat position.

2. Next, spring up into a straight jump and land in the same safe-squat position. Repeat this movement continuously for 30 seconds.

{{
Single Leg Bridges}}

Leg bridges are great for your booty and build sexy VS model legs.

1. Lie on your back with one foot flat on the ground and one leg straight up in the air.

2. Exhale as you place your weight into the heel of the foot on the ground and drive your glutes up aiming to make your body straight from shoulder to knee. At the top of the movement, flex your glutes and inhale as you slowly return to start position. Repeat this for 20 repetitions per leg, pulsing at the top for 10 seconds at the end of each set.

Images: Getty; Courtesy of Lyzabeth Lopez

Agencies

By Kelly Mallory

{Whether you’re single, dating, or married, when your friend shares the news about her engagement, it should be a reason to celebrate, not criticize.}

Despite the excitement for your newly-engaged friend, sometimes things might slip out of your mouth that may come from a place of jealousy that you wish you could take back. To help you avoid any awkward and potentially hurtful conversations with your friend, Kelly Mallory talked to etiquette expert Lizzie Post, co-author of Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette 6th edition, about the top five things you should never say.

1. {{“That isn’t the ring you wanted!”}}

Many women have a “dream” engagement ring, which usually details a certain shape, size and cut. If her S.O. picked out the ring, he must have put time and thought into the ring, along with a hefty paycheck.

“It might not be what she was expecting or what you talked about, but it’s still a sentimental and special piece of jewelry, so you need to be respectful of that,” Post says. Now’s the time to focus on the fact that she got engaged, not the fact that the ring isn’t what she told you she wanted.”

2. {{“He should have said/done [blank] when he proposed.”}}

A proposal memory will stay with someone for a lifetime, and it can never be repeated. “Clearly your friend is happy about it, so it’s inappropriate to judge or criticize an experience that’s one of the most important ones in her life,” Post explains.

Instead of correcting the way her S.O. proposed, or what he said during the “Will you marry me?” speech, it’s important to see the inherent romantic quality in the proposal and engagement. Holding expectations for proposals and engagements hurts both your friend and the excitement of the engagement.

3.{{ “It’s about time!”}}

The issue with this phrase is insinuating that your friend is late to the party. “It’s making her feel like she should have done it a long time ago and it’s not special because they’ve been together for so long,” Post explains. Each relationship follows its own timeline, and unless your engaged friend asks for your opinion, you shouldn’t comment on the stage of the relationship.

The same etiquette holds true even if your friend gets engaged after a month of knowing her partner. While it may seem somewhat rash, an engagement isn’t the right time to criticize the development of a relationship.

4. {{“I’m so single.”}}

It can be difficult to have your friend’s relationship grow while you’re still without a boyfriend. But a friend’s engagement doesn’t call for a pity party.
“It’s not about you right now,” Post says emphatically. “It can be about you later.” Don’t say something like, ‘I totally thought I would get engaged first; I’m so happy for you, but sad for me.’” Your friend who’s donning the new bling deserves the spotlight instead of shifting the focus to you. Save the single rant for your other single friends.

5. {{“Are you sure you want to do this?”}}

Saying “yes” to a S.O.’s proposal is an important life decision that already requires a lot of discernment. Placing doubt in your friend’s mind by saying things like ,“Are you sure about this?” or “You sure you don’t want to reconsider?” disregards her opinion.

“Now is not the time to be questioning your friend’s motives or decisions,” Post says. “If you’re truly confused or concerned about the engagement, you can talk about it at a different time, but tread carefully.” Being a friend includes trusting your friend’s judgment and accepting her decision.

Huffington Post

{Restaurants use all sorts of gimmicks and deals to get customers through their doors.
}

But Bergeron’s restaurant in Port Allen, Louisiana has tried a completely different approach to entice diners.

The Cajun restaurant just blocks from the Mississippi River — which is famous for its fried catfish, smoked chicken wings and pork tasso — has a sign out the front proudly declaring: “Thank you for carrying your gun today. 10% discount”.

Owner Kevin Cox said he began offering the discount earlier this month as a way to thank the law enforcement officers that frequent his restaurant and as a way to make his premises safer.

“I keep hearing so much about people banning guns,” Mr Cox told local television station NBC33.

“Target’s banning guns, and these people are banning guns. Don’t they realise that that’s where people with guns are going to go? I want to take the opposite approach. How can I make my place safer?”

But soon other gun-carrying customers began asking for the discount too. And now Mr Cox offers them the same deal.

“I just need to see a weapon. I need you to be carrying a gun,” Mr Cox said.
“As long as everybody has a gun we’re all the same size.”

And he shouldn’t have too much trouble getting gun-toting customers through the door.

Louisiana is commonly referred to as a “gun loving state.”

The only necessary requirement for purchase of a firearm is a valid driver’s license, which can prove the buyer meets the federal age limits: 21 for handguns and 18 for shotguns or rifles.

{With all the drama filled distractions that enter our life everyday, it can be a challenge to stay positive, and focused all day long. Negativity is a true motivation and drive killer!

We all have our own “stuff” to deal with, and our daily drive can get lowered substantially when our peers bombard us with their problems as well.

Here are my personal steps to staying positive all day.}

{{1) Start early.}}

When I wake up, I drink my one coffee of the day (like the commercials it puts a smile on my face first thing!) while moving around.

{{2) Do not turn on the TV, check emails, or visit social media sites!}}

This will take some discipline. We have been trained to dive right into these things first thing, and all of them can deliver negative messages. It’s hard to stay positive when the first thing you take in is last nights shooting victims, car accidents, house fires, kidnappings, companies downsizing, and serial killers (did I mention I live in a Suburb of Cleveland).

{{3) Be active.}}

Exercising releases endorphins that create a positive feeling in your body, and leads to an energizing outlook on life. Breaking a sweat first thing really does clear your head, and your best ideas will come to you during this time! You do not have to go to the gym, and curl 100’s of pounds if that is not your thing. Three years ago my wife, and I started walking for 30 to 60 minutes, with smoothie in hand, at 6am every morning. After 30 days of this we were hooked, and graduated to more intense routines! Find what’s fun for you (cardio, weight lifting or running) and add it to your daily routine!

{{4) If you do not have a good positive peer to work out with listen to your favorite podcast.}}

Unlike the news, podcasts deliver killer content, and will help your ideas flow! I try to listen to 2 to 4 podcasts daily although taking on this much content can sometimes distract me from my projects. It’s still great to hear relatable interviews of struggle to triumph! These stories will keep you focused on your current goals, and why you want to achieve them!

{{5) Watch what you’re eating.}}

Stop filling your body with garbage and fast food! This will weigh you down, and you will spend more time thinking about how you feel like crap, then feeling motivated to take on the day! If you’re eating habits are horrible then start with green smoothies. If drinking your vegetables does not sound appealing to you, add a really ripe banana, and a scoop of protein this gives it a sweet flavor and a smooth texture. Your body will begin to crave this and you will give up the convenient fast food habit.

{{6) Be careful whose calls you take, texts you open, and emails you check during the day!}}

I have contractors that work for me that will call. Not to trouble shoot a situation, but to complain about LIFE! As positive, and motivated as I am, one negative call really can break my state. It’s no fun to try to clear that negativity out to regain your focus. I started giving people that do this the button! If they’re on a job site, and need troubleshooting, I’ll send them a text stating that “I’m in a meeting and can’t talk but what’s up?” If their really is a problem it can be solved by a short text without the 10 minutes of “poor me” talk.

If you are currently not doing these techniques Try them now, and practice these steps for 30 days! I guarantee they will improve your daily mental state. Worst case you can always go back to the old negative depressing routine if it doesn’t work for you!

Read more at http://under30ceo.com

Benigne Mugwaneza, Ni Nyampinga Brand Representative and Journalist, caught up with Ms. Christine Teta, Co- founder of iDebate Rwanda to discuss her career in agri-business and also her experience with debate.

She encourages young women to join debate clubs like iDebate since it helped her communication skills that she can now apply to both her personal and professional life.

More on the story Watch this Video

I feel incredibly lucky that I managed to jump on board the path of building a startup. Having hit upon a product that solved a key pain for many people, Buffer has grown rather fast. The team is now 25 people and we’ve just crossed $4M ARR.

When I reflect on how quickly things happened and what it has required of me, the first thing that comes to mind is Paul Graham‘s essay entitled How to Make Wealth. In particular, this part resonates with me:

“You can think of a startup as a way to compress your whole working life into a few years. Imagine the stress of working for the Post Office for fifty years. In a startup you compress all this stress into three or four years.”

There’s a lot to learn if you aspire to build a startup. I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey, and I can only recommend it to others. I can’t think of a better way to lead a fulfilling life. Here are 6 suggestions I have if you happen to be getting started along this road.

{{1. Experiment (lots)}}

“If you’re not already doing a side project, I’d recommend starting one. Although they can complicate your schedule and make life busier, they are one of the few consistent keys I’ve observed in almost anyone who has impressive accomplishments.” – Scott Young

I’ve mentioned previously that the Internet is littered with my past attempts to create a successful startup. Even before I knew I truly wanted to build a startup, I played around with countless side projects and they are spread across the web, too.

I think there is often a misconception that to be successful you need to focus and put all your eggs in one basket. That’s not how it happened for me. I tried a ton of different things, and I started Buffer on the side while working full-time as a freelance developer. The key is to focus once you have something that works, that gains traction and people love. Until then, I say experiment away.

{{2. Stay inspired}}

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

Looking back to the early days of my first startup attempt, I think something that kept me going was that I continually read books about startups and entrepreneurs and watched as many interviews of founders as I could find. In fact, I was especially humbled to be invited to share my story on Mixergy precisely because I have watched tens of interviews by Andrew Warner and they always inspired me to keep pushing forward.

It’s true that at some point you have to stop soaking up the motivation and actually get to work. However, I think a lot of people underestimate how powerful it can be to be take in the learnings of others. Especially in the early days when you might not necessarily be surrounded by others trying to do startups, I think staying inspired in this way can plant that spark inside to help you make it happen.

Related: 5 Simple Hacks to Make Your Content Way More Shareable

{{3. Travel the world and move
}}

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

Travel is something that I always thought would be fun, and I never imagined the impact it could have for me. From simply moving a hundred miles from my hometown of Sheffield to Birmingham in the UK, to then traveling several continents and living in San Francisco, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv, I’ve been extremely lucky to have experienced completely different cultures and meet great people.

I truly believe that if you choose to travel you’re immediately much more likely to succeed with whatever you are trying to do. Leaving what you know and stepping into uncertainty, you naturally become more open-minded and create new opportunities for yourself.

Interestingly, many have an attachment to their hometown and want to be there in order to help their town and others who live there. My belief is that you can do a lot more to help your hometown if you make the decision to leave. I’ve never once heard someone regretting their decision to travel
.{{
4. Choose your friends wisely}}

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

One of the most interesting side effects of moving and traveling a lot has been that in every new place I have settled in, I have had the chance to rethink every part of my life. I reflect on what kind of place I want to live, how close I want to be to all amenities, what routine I want to adopt and even who I want to hang out around.

The clear example of the power of adjusting your group of friends is that your friends probably aren’t all entrepreneurs. The thing with doing a startup is that it’s an unusual path and one where there are far more reasons it can go wrong than can go right. If you truly want to succeed, surrounding yourself with other optimists is one sure way to have much better odds. The cool thing is, these are really fun people to be around.

I strive every day to meet (and hire) more people I can learn from.

5.{{ Stay laser-focused on building something people want}}

“In nearly every failed startup, the real problem was that customers didn’t want the product.” – Paul Graham

It’s easy to get distracted when you begin your startup endeavors. You might take a look around and assume you need to incorporate, or raise funding, or countless other things that everyone seems to do.

In my experience, all that really matters is to try and find a real problem to solve. What it comes down to is whether you have hit product/market fit. If you have, you’ll know it, and you’ll start to get traction.

If what you’ve built isn’t working, keep experimenting with new ideas.

6. {{Be open and vocal}}

“If you have an apple, and I have an apple, and we swap, we each still only have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we swap, we each have two ideas.” – George Bernard Shaw

Before Buffer, I had a few previous startup ideas that weren’t too successful. One of the things that is easier to reflect on in hindsight is that luckily during that time I was Tweeting, blogging, going along to events and generally getting to know a lot of people.

When people ask me what my initial marketing was to get Buffer started, the truth I have to share is that my marketing consisted of sharing the idea with the 1,700 Twitter followers I had at the time. I attribute my previous openness to the fact that I had these followers to help me get Buffer started. As a result, I completely agree with Leah Bursque’s advice:

“Talk to every single person you meet about your idea. Talk until they tell you to shut up. Discover new questions and patterns so you can test and refine your idea. Then find more people to talk to.”

What advice would you give to an aspiring startup founder?

entrepreneur.com

{Rwanda’s Minister of Culture and Sport, Joseph Habineza has urged Kigali Fashion Designers to be creative and be ready to compete on international level.}

The Minister was on 5th Sept, 2014, speaking to the press conference in which organizers of Kigali Fashion Week released their achievements in the past years and their targets as well as their plans for this Year’s Fashion Week.

The press conference that was held at MINISPOC was attended by different media houses, fashion designers in Rwanda, partners and sponsors of Kigali Fashion House as well as Laurent Makuza and Minister Joseph Habineza Joe who was the guest of honor.

Throughout his speech, Habineza said Rwanda has been doing fashion in the past years but not on this level.

“I believe it’s a creative business where we have to be original and be ready to compete” He said

The Minister thanked the partners of Kigali fashion week adding that “I am looking forward to see how Kigali Fashion Week will be working.”

This is the Third times Kigali Fashion House organizing the Kigali Fashion Week.

KFH deals with fashion in Rwanda and the theme for the 2014 Fashion week is “Disability is not Inability”
The theme is in line with creating awareness among citizens to let them know that those who are disabled have also the power and capacity to play a role in the development of the country.

The week will be conducted in partnership with Faith and Light International which is a company that deals with people who have mental illness.

Kigali Fashion was also appointed in the common wealth fashion council in London as John Bunyeshuri said, the co founder and CEO of the House of Fashion Rwanda.

The mille de Collins hotel will play host to Kigali fashion week 2014.

The event is slated for 3rd to 8th Novembre 2014 and will showcase 3 international and 12 Rwandan designers. This event is braced to attract a global audience after the appointment of Kigali fashion week as a permanent board member of the common wealth fashion council in London.

The house of Fashion Rwanda’s mission is to establish an arts academy which will promote Rwandan culture and creativity through design and fashion as John Bunyeshuri emphasized.

So far ,Kigali Fashion House has sponsors like Nakumat,KLM,and also working hand in hand with the community of Kenyans living in Rwanda,The British high council among others.