Have you heard? Your Company’s Best Bet to Grow is TEAMWORK!

By: Pamela De Vera

John C. Maxwell, a priest, originally used the now-famous phrase "teamwork makes the dream work" in his book of the same name in 2002. Even though the quotation seems stale, it is still applicable in the workplace today as it was 18 years ago. The exact passage from Maxwell's book is as follows: “Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.” 

Probably one of the most crucial elements for success is teamwork. Putting together a group of individuals who can provide the desired results is difficult, but without it, your goal will remain unattainable. Working together as a team involves more than just completing something. It's the capacity to engage with others, support them in realizing their full potential, and advance common objectives. In addition, one of the most sought-after abilities by employers in their workforce is teamwork. It is extremely important at work because it helps coworkers build trust in one another. Workplace happiness and productivity both rise with effective teamwork. It expands chances for training and growth while fostering a sense of community inside the workplace. 

Benefits of teamwork in the workplace

Working together has endless advantages. When individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives work together to complete a task, there are tremendous benefits. Let's go over some of the benefits of teamwork! 

1. Boosted creativity & innovation

When people with different perspectives come together in a group then brainstorms, innovative ideas can ascend to the top. However, this is only possible when the team is amenable to dialogue and cooperation. Only when there is enough trust amongst team members can they ask "dumb" questions, put forth novel ideas, and take constructive criticism can the most innovative solutions be developed. 

2. Happier and productive team members

According to the research conducted by Atlassian, more than 1,000 team members from various industries were surveyed, and the results showed that when open communication, respect for one another, and honest criticism were valued, team members were 80% more likely to report higher emotional well-being. Having happy employees also benefits the business. Employee happiness may increase productivity by up to 20%, according to research from the University of Warwick in England. 

3. Idea generation

Working on a project together will increase the team's passion, sparking the flow of new ideas and enhancing collective and individual knowledge. There is no substitute for the creativity and ideas that can come from team conversations or brainstorming. Working as a team also makes your efforts apparent and noticeable.

4. Less burnout

According to a study by Gallup research, 23% in over 7,500 full-time workers report feeling burned out at work frequently or constantly. Another 44% claim they have these feelings occasionally. The solution? sharing the workload. Ben Wigert, chief researcher for Gallup's workplace management practice, notes that team members frequently comprehend the demands and pressures of completing tasks even better than supervisors, which enables them to assist one another emotionally. The research also revealed that knowing your employer has your back helps prevent burnout. 

5. Boosts morale & motivation

Each individual in the group has something special to contribute, and doing so makes you feel cherished and significant. It strengthens your morale and inspires you to work harder both as an individual and a team member when you make a contribution to the team’s success 

Teamwork can have its share of problems, just like how individuals can also experience these. When done correctly and with the right leadership, collaboration can yield outcomes that individual effort cannot. When the team is encouraged to fully participate, play to their strengths, and work as a unit in a cooperative manner, they will develop loyalty to one another and achieve great success while performing at their peak. This optimistic outlook is what makes the dream work.

The act of being responsible for one's own happiness, well-being, and confidence.

By: Riel Fajardo

The process of building your self-confidence or self-esteem usually doesn't happen naturally. There is a tendency for people to find it difficult to achieve self-compassion and self-confidence. By definition, self-esteem – noun; “confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect.” (Oxford Dictionary). In essence, it is how you feel and think about yourself on a conscious and unconscious level. It is often said that people with high self-esteem feel confident and ready to take on the world, while those with low self-esteem always find it difficult to navigate relationships, their sense of self-worth, expressing themselves and navigating life in general. According to Dr. Jan Roberts, LCSW from her psychological standpoint, having low esteem typically reflects those hidden thought and beliefs that people might have about themselves.

According to his studies here are the most common reason why people have low self-confidence:

• Expectation from parents as growing up
• Social pressure
• Relationships, with family and friends
• Negative experiences from the past 

Often, we hold on to negative memories, thoughts, and words of those around us. It becomes a filter of how we see everything as a result of those messages becoming embedded into our thinking patterns. But according to Dr. Roberts, having a low self-esteem is not a natural state of being.

HOW TO GROW CONFIDENCE
Boosting self-esteem and being more confident can be achieved in numerous ways. Identify the problem/cause

- You must get to know yourself to discover what makes you feel less confident, and you must change those patterns. In order to create new perceptions of the world around you, it is necessary to understand how low self-esteem is developed as a result of internalized messages and cognitive processing. 

Create small goals

- Confidence can be built by setting small, attainable goals. For example, observing situations in your life that reflect poor self-esteem is a great first goal. Then, once you realize that pattern, you can take action to alter it, such as stopping self-deprecation or even complementing yourself in the mirror. In the end, these small changes will contribute to a bigger change.

Learn to love yourself more

- Self-criticism is common among people. When you are relearning harmful thoughts in your mind, remember to be gentle with yourself. Do not be hard on yourself and shame yourself for your experiences. Accept yourself and work toward positive change instead.

Practice self-love

- Having healthy habits, such as eating nutritional meals, exercising regularly, sleeping well, trying new and different activities, and taking care of your mental health, is important. In this way, you'll be able to learn more about yourself, what interests you, and how to accept your shortcomings and faults.

Find your tribe

- When it comes to finding your tribe, you need to be honest with yourself about the kinds of conversations, connections, and social interactions that nourish you. Look for people who share commonalities or possess the traits you aspire to adopt. It is people who eventually inspire you and can boost your self-confidence so you can face the world confidently.

Ultimately, some people have a natural sense of self-worth and confidence; other people have to build it and discover it on their own. In the end, what matters most is the way you view yourself and how you respond to outside perspectives that occasionally shake your confidence. Accepting and telling yourself that it is OK to make mistakes, to fail and not to judge yourself too harshly for being imperfect. Insecurities may still exist, but you should be aware of them and not let them control your life.

It’s Never Too Late

By: Pamela De Vera

Remember when you were just a kid and the adults would ask what you want to be when you grow up? One would say a Doctor to help the sick, a Chef to cook delicious foods, a Veterinarian to take care of sick animals, a Policeman to catch the bad guys, even a Superhero to save the world! It’s funny how at such a young age we are already capable of dreaming big and believe that we can be whoever we want to be. How as kids, we can be so sure about our future. It’s beautiful how at such a young age we are already convinced of the kind of life we are going to have in the course of time. Innocence is bliss indeed.

Fast forward to now, you have achieved your dream. The blood, sweat, and tears you have shed in your academic years have finally paid off and you have earned the profession you’ve always dreamed of having. Your parents are so proud of you and they would always boast about you to their peers. As a son/daughter, I think there is nothing more fulfilling than making your parents proud. Isn’t that one of the reasons why we want to become successful? It’s to make our loved ones proud of us? We are living up to the standards of the society. We are living the dream we once had as a kid. We are on the right track. Or at least that’s what we thought… 

Until one day you woke up and realized that you’re no longer happy with your job. There is this feeling of emptiness in your heart that eats away the motivation and drive to continue. For months or years, you tried to convince yourself that what you have now is what you’ve always wanted. It is what you will ever need and nothing more. And then it finally hits you that it is not. You’ve had enough of your routine of doing things half-heartedly. You question yourself what is the point in all of these when you are not happy? Cliche as it may seem but “things change”. What you wanted as a kid is no longer the same now that you are an adult. You just don’t want to admit it.

But for the sake of your peace and well-being, you want to do something about it. You want to be brave and adventurous and make a move. You're okay with the fact that you will have to start all over again. But on the other side, you are scared. You are scared of taking that leap of faith. The fear of failure is already taunting you. A part of you doesn’t want to gamble on the things you already have and worked hard for. Are you really willing to go back to square one? Isn't it too late to start now?

I believe there is no such thing as being late when it comes to making a change in your life. What is important is that when you feel like doing something that you know will feed your soul, you do something about it. You can be in your 30’s and pursue medicine, you can be in your 40’s and realize that you actually want to be a musician. You can be in your 50’s and decide to be a business owner. My point is, you can be whoever you want no matter how old you are simply because at the end of the day, it is all up to you. Don’t be afraid of failing or not making it. Because the moment you’ve decided to try, regardless whether you succeed or not, you already won. Trying is better than doing nothing at all. Just go for it and be as happy as you can be.

Passion in Life: Do You Know Yours?

By: Riel Fajardo

The fire that keeps on blazing and drives success is PASSION. Seeing it at first is difficult, it's cloudy and unclear, and many people don't know what their passion is until later in life. Your life's purpose is also determined by your passion. The goal is to give you a clearer picture or definition of how you plan to move forward. Without having passion, it will be difficult for you to overcome all the humps and bumps along your way towards success. Consider asking yourself "How do I find my passion?" and you may have a good chance of discovering it. Where do you begin your quest to find your true passion in life? Here are a few suggestions:

(1) Is there anything you enjoy doing already?

Are there any hobbies that you loved as a child that you never considered for a career? Whether you enjoy cooking, dancing, or singing, chances are you can make a living at it. You could have your own restaurant, write a cookbook, teach dance and singing lessons, or start a YouTube channel and share your artistic vision and earn from it. If you've already found something you love, you're ahead of the game. All you must do now is find out how to make it work for you.

(2) Think creatively… Get ideas!

In case you don't have an idea of how to find your passion right away, sit down with a piece of paper and begin to draft down some ideas. Find your people, those with relative skills you have, people you admire in your life, your parents, friends, your teacher, or a mentor. Ask them, and if possible, get some of their ideas on whether they’ve found their passion or not. The more ideas you find, the more likely you will discover your own passion in life.

(3) There is no harm on trying

When you've discovered your passion, don't be afraid to experiment, test out your idea, and manage it. Plan carefully and do it as a hobby at first to see if it's right for you or not. Then, set a few goals along the way and continue learning relevant skills that will benefit your passion.

(4) Never stop from trying

Don’t be afraid if you fail at first, never give up on yourself when things go wrong. Like Nelson Mandela once said, “It’s always seems impossible until it is done.” You should never consider quitting, you may discover after several months that the passion you discovered isn't working for you anymore. Give it another shot. You might find that you have more passions than one, so explore all the possibilities because giving up too soon is the sure way to failure. What makes the difference between failure and success is the passion you have for your vision, your drive, and all of your whys. These whys are also the core reasons why we pursue the desire we have. Do the things that you are most passionate about, and despite all the hardship you'll endure, you will end up successful. Successful on your own terms.

Let's create change and turn our lives from ordinary into extraordinary ones, and it will be our legacy.