ALPHABET OF HAPPINESS

A
ACCEPT others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.

B
BREAK away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.

C
CREATE a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.

D
DECIDE that you'll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.

E
EXPLORE and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you'll learn more about yourself.

F
FORGIVE and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.

G
GROW. Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.

H
HOPE for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.

I
IGNORE the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.

J
JOURNEY to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you'll grow.

K
KNOW that no matter how bad things seem, they'll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.

L
LOVE. Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there's room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there's room for endless happiness.

M
MANAGE your time and your expenses wisely, and you'll suffer less stress and worry. Then you'll be able to focus on the important things in life.

N
NOTICE. Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.

O
OPEN your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there's still much to be thankful for.

P
PLAY. Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.

Q
QUESTION. Ask many questions, because you're here to learn.

R
RELAX. Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.

S
SHARE your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.

T
TRY. Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You'll be amazed by what you can accomplish.

U
USE your gifts to your best ability. Talent that's wasted has no value. Talent that's used will bring unexpected rewards.

V
VALUE the friends and family members who've supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.

W
WORK hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.

X
X-RAY. Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you'll see the goodness and beauty within.

Y
YIELD to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you'll find success at the end of the road.

Z
ZOOM to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.

What It Means To Be An Entrepreneur

I love being called an entrepreneur and it is not that I have created any big business that is employing thousand of people. It is only that I love to think, be innovative, creative and go on a wild goose for something that is there and has always been there but I do not see or have not bothered to to see. Some people entertain the myth that they are entrepreneurs but do not really understand what being an entrepreneur is about.
So for me to call myself a real entrepreneur I had to believe in these simple principles:

I do not choose to be a common man.

It is my right to be uncommon, if I can.

I seek opportunity, not security

I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humble and dulled by having the state look after me.

I want to take a calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole; I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, to enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say:"This,with my God's help,I have done".

The World's Most Famous Entrepreneurs on Entrepreneurship

"When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure." - Mary Kay Ash

"An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he'll quickly learn how to chew it. - Roy Ash

"Business opportunities are like buses, there's always another one coming." - Richard Branson

"The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer." - Nolan Bushnell

"Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or a different service. It is capable of being presented as a discipline, capable of being learned, capable of being practiced. Entrepreneurs need to search purposefully for the sources of innovation, the changes and their symptoms that indicate opportunities for successful innovation. And they need to know and to apply the principles of successful innovation." - Peter F. Drucker, "The Father of Modern Management"

"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it." - Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies

"Entrepreneurs are risk takers, willing to roll the dice with their money or reputation on the line in support of an idea or enterprise. They willingly assume responsibility for the success or failure of a venture and are answerable for all its facets." - Victor Kiam

"If it really was a no-brainer to make it on your own in business there'd be millions of no-brained, harebrained, and otherwise dubiously brained individuals quitting their day jobs and hanging out their own shingles. Nobody would be left to round out the workforce and execute the business plan." - Bill Rancic,

"Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not financial science; it's about trading: buying and selling." - Anita Roddick

Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make." - Donald Trump

"I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!" - Madam C.J. Walker

PROJECT WORK IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Project work especially during the final year is one of the most important issues that a lot more students have to deal with. Some of the students who are lucky or unlucky to come across hardworking lecturers and teachers tend to face a lot of challenges when managing project work. It is understandable that the pressure of the modern world makes it sometimes difficult to meet the needs of the modern student who is almost always distracted by new forms of technology and so on. In the end, it does not make them productive considering the huge amount of options that are available to them.

This sad phenomenon has unfortunately contributed to a lot more students not being innovative enough to identify challenges that could have been studied during this process to come out with better solutions for making the lives of human kind better.

Project work period should have been a time when students get the chance to learn about the realities of the world out there in order to link it with the theories from the lecture halls. Unfortunately, most students do not take it serious and do not put the needed effort in making good use of the opportunity available to them.

Most of the products and services that have made the most impact on the world came out as a result of the attention that were given to researching into these topics and ideas that developed into useful products and services that we are all enjoying now. They came out to become big projects and business opportunities for people who had better eye and could see beyond the surface.

No wonder most organizations are complaining about the fact that most graduates come out of their institutions with less practical knowledge than needed to absorb them into industry with little stress. Students should accept the fact that experience cannot be acquired by just reading books and watching other people. It will take even more than just a few actions to translate what we learn from the classrooms and lecture theaters into practicable and meaningful things that we can make livelihood out of. As young people, we think that we deserve and should be given more to play around with. On the other hand, we also have to give more so as to be gievn more.

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching? ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

I had the opportunity of teaching English in the lower class of a senior high school and whiles teaching, I realized that some of the students lacked reading skills which made my work more difficult for me. I then decided to write a simple sentence that contained the word “NOTHING” on the board for one of the girls to read so that could help her. I had earlier on identified that she did not even know how to write her own name well.

As she stood up and looked at the board, she read the sentence one by one and as she got to the word “NOTHING”, she said “NO" "THING”. I turned to look at the board again just to be sure that I had read the same thing as she was reading to the class and I was shocked. Instead of “NOTHING” she pronounces it “NO" "THING”. I pronounced the word again for her to repeat after me and she kept saying the same thing. I got tired and had to stop.

This scenario reminds of how people have their own way of looking at issues and the things that happens around us. A simple NOTHING written on a board is pronounced "NO" "THING" by an SHS student who supposedly has gone through primary and Junior High School of the Ghanaian educational system. I do not blame the girl for seeing it that way but the environment in which she came from. This environment is not just her school but her family, friends, community and the educational system as a whole. All these factors affected her way of seeing, perceiving and looking at things.

It is this same environment that guides our thoughts and actions in our everyday life. After all is said and done, it is this same level of influence that informs our choice of words and actions. I can't imagine myself engaging in an aurguement with such a person who is clouded by their immediate environment and nothing else matters. Such is the situation happening all around us and we just enter into an arguement without considering other possibilities and options that could be available for us to consider. Life is good and all rosy but it will depend on your attitude to determine how you understand, percieve and interpret your life.

We awaken in others the same attitude of mind we hold toward them. ~Elbert Hubbard

WHAT IS IT ABOUT ENTREPRENEURSHIP THAT MAKES IT RELEVANT IN THESE TIMES

Entrepreneurship is a concept that is catching much attention especially in Ghana and Africa as a whole in recent times. Although the concept has been there and practiced all along in Ghana and Africa, the challenges of the world economic breakdown has directed a lot of people's attention to this phenomenon.

Entrepreneurship is about opportunity identification, innovation, creativity and passion coupled with effective action. All these characteristics helps differentiate real entrepreneurs from the ordinary person or businessman/woman. It is generally understanderable that entrepreneurs can be found in the so called ordinary persons. The little innovations, creativity, passion and above all effective actions they take in their own little corners is what makes them different from the rest.

Entrepreneurs are opportunity seekers and has a way of turning every situation into a good one for themselves and the people around them whiles making it sometimes difficult for those "status quo" people. This is what is commonly known as creative destruction. For entrepreneurs, nothing in life happens without a reason. They understand the underlining meaning is more important than what pertains on the surface. As the saying goes, "looks can be deceiving".

Entrepreneurs are creative. Creativity is something that everybody has. It is only unfortunate that we tend not to know how to use those creative talents for the right thing. Most people in this world are mostly found to use their creative abilities for hurting others and creating bad situations for other people. Creativity can be applied everywhere but it takes real entrepreneurs to notice that and use it for the good of mankind in term of creating businesses or socially assiting others.

Entrepreneurs are innovative in the extreme sense. Innovation is not all about those little changes here and there. There is more to innovation than that. When innovation happens, it comes with a whole package of innovating either the product or service as well as the delivery processes and if possible after the delivery. That is what makes it difficult for lazy people to just jump into the wagon with the aim of taking advantage of somebody else hardwork although a few people get the advnatage when they have right technology.

Entrepreneurs are passionate and they use that to support and push the creativity and innovative talents that they have to put their ideas into action. Everybody can dream and we all have our individual dreams that we nurture. Ask yourself, how many of the people you know tell you their dreams and make it happen? But real entrepreneurs do not just dream but prepares the way for the final bang. Passion enables entrepreneurs to overcome obstacles (both real and imagined) and to see the world as a place of finite potential. This passionate spirit in entrepreneurs loss at every occurrence and discovers the possibilities of what can be, what should and what will be. Entrepreneurs prove that passion is in force when the mind, body and spirit work together to create, develop and articulate or make manifest our feelings, ideas and most sacred values.

Entrepreneurship is relevant now because we need people who can think, re-think and out-think in whatever situation and make the situation better than it is. The thinking outside the box principle makes a lot more sense here. The challenges that faced the world during the world war 1 & 2 as well as the recessions in the 70s and late 90s were all dealt with by people who had to rethink the situation and come out with better solutions.

The problems are there and we are aware of all of them. What we need now is solutions that can make the life of human kind better than it is now. No idea is too small. Even if it is, it can be nurtured and cared for to grow into big ideas. After all, apart from the things that we met on earth, everything else was created by humans and we can even do more. I believe that it is one of the things the good book states that omnipotent one created us in his own image. If we had any idea what that really means, we will not be sitting around doing nothing and still had the audacity to complain about what others are doing.

Get up on your feet and join the entrepreneurship revolution because nobody will be waiting for you. Even if you think you can start a whole idea on your own, introduce a new idea to somebody who is also doing something and it can help make other peoples lives better.