Thursday 31 March 2016

What I Learnt From The Creative Writing Class That Every Writer and Non-writer Needs To Know





The best way to communicate your ideas is through sharing it. That is exactly what most writers seek to achieve. You cannot deal fairly with any viable business unless you can communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively. The Creative Writing Class seeks to educate students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism on the relevance of being creative in sharing out information in the form of writing.

There are numerous workshops being run during the class periods. Most of these workshops build capacity and skills of students to enable them be better writers and communicators. In one of such workshops I deduced these few lessons I am about to share with you.

Social media presence

The need for social media in today's world cannot be overlooked. Brands and companies are widely using these platforms to build themselves. The interactive nature of a business or individual's social media platform is what gains them the winning urge. Apparently, most people are on social media and are unaware of the many great opportunities in it. For some, it is a waste of resources and time. With a look at the brighter side, you will be amazed at how your social media presence can make or mar your career or personal life. The main lesson here is that whether you are active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, and what have you; you must be able to use that to better brand yourself as an individual or a business through writings.

Best Career Path

Most people are unaware of the many career opportunities that writers are open up to. For most people, writers are mainly authors and journalists. That assumption is entirely wrong because in today's world where technology and internet are rampant, writers play a bigger role. We can now find varied career options for writers such as Playwright, Concept developer, Personal Assistants, Communications Expert or Personnel, Brand Ambassadors, Spoken Word Artists, Bloggers, Creative Directors, Editors, Script Writers, Social Media Manager, Website Developer and Manager,  just to mention but a few. In all of this, one amazing quality runs through and that is the ability to write and communicate well. However, if none of these options seem attractive to you, writing and communication may still come in handy at a point in your life so you cannot afford not to learn it.

Learning Wide and free

Learning in the contest of school is good. However, learning from other avenues is great. It is good to always have skills that you can rely on, especially in these times when finding a job is a huge task. A lot of people learning amazing things on the Internet while others observe daily situations and pick up lessons from there. Whichever way, one must always learn and build on areas where you have much interest in. For example singing, writing, acting, driving, learning a language, and cooking. The benefits of learning wide is that it opens you up for greater tasks ahead. If you refuse to learn today, the possibility of you becoming great is low. Learners are Winners. As part of your learning, you need to share what you have learnt with others. This form of sharing can best be done or expressed through writing, in the form of journals, drama, blog, music and the likes.

Starting Small

This may sound cliche but the truth of the matter is, you will have to start anyway. The thing about the Creative is that you will have to build enough followership who consistently see your works and begin to believe in you. By starting small, you will be building contacts and learning along the way. Like the growth process, you finally become mature and experienced in whichever field you decide to pursue. If you want to be the best photographer, you will need to start with the community and people closer to you. As time goes on, you can capture pictures at events and a lot more places. The same with writing, you need to post from less interesting to horrible stories in other to become a celebrated writer. That is how the journey to stardom begins.

Partnerships

One good thing about teamwork that I know is that it never disappoints. This is due to the fact that there are so many ideas on board that will actually attract excellence. One key lesson in the Creative Writing Class that I cannot miss to share is Partnering. With this, a group of people come together to champion a course which one person may not have been able to handle. For instance, a group of students can build on a concept which they can manage to bring into reality. The group may consist of the writer, the photographer, a publicist, a tech addict, and a marketer. This group can successfully manage a Blog or Website and better brand themselves as compared to one person doing all of those tasks by themselves.

I hope these few tips help to renew your mind and grant you better career ideas. What other lessons can you share with regards to Writing and Creativity? How has writing helped you in life and in your career?

Justica Anima
Adjeianima@gmail.com
Switstica.blogspot.com

Saturday 26 March 2016

Will You Marry A Sex Worker?



Recently,  I watched a movie which got me wondering.  In the movie, a desperate guy wanted to get a wife. He combed through everywhere in search of the bone-of-his-bones but to no avail. In the end,  he decided to confide in his pastor and friend. He fasted and prayed according to the leading of his pastor friend.
At the end of the fast, he met a young lady he wanted to propose to but found out that she was a sex worker. Well, it happened that it was God's chosen wife for him. He had to convince her to stop her immoral acts. Finally,  she did and they got married happily.

Brothers,  what will make you consider marrying a sex worker? The reality however is that men never want to share their women with the exception of a few who would not mind (did I hear, never? ). Last year, I read an article a website posted on Facebook. It was about a fifty-something years old ex sex worker who shared her story of how she ended up in the act. She also shared her sad story of abuse and disrespect to her womanhood. Fortunately for her, she found love at the point when she thought it was the end of the road for her. They were married for twenty three years at the time of the publication.  She also shared how loving and caring her husband was, and how much he respected her despite her past.

In other settings,  this may seem okay. Let's come to Ghana, or perhaps Africa, where we hold strong moral and cultural values. A woman who cheats in a relationship can even fail to pass as a wife material. Talk less of a sex worker. Worst case, you may accept to marry her but the society will condemn you. The average Ghanaian man will even use that past as a reference point whenever there is a misunderstanding. Most men will chase after them because they are beautiful, available, and good in bed; are these not what you seek in a woman?

The pivot of this discussion is however not the role the woman plays as a sex worker. The issue is whether or not she fits into the category as a wife. Sometimes, such people have very good hearts and only need a little love and encouragement and a support system. Instead of pushing them away, I believe it's about time some men married them and showed them the way to liberation and compassion. You will be surprised at the level of loyalty some of these women carry. Some also have great ambitions that may have been shattered by their homes or society due to broken homes, irresponsible parenting, and poverty.

Society has a great role to play in bringing up female children. Women by their nature are very dependent on society for growth and development. The number of great women who succeed in life mostly have a solid support system either from the family, school, religious institutions, or society in general. It is about time we gave ear to the needs of women and girls. Parents should be more keen on the girl child. Organisations and Stakeholders should also pay attention to the needs of women and girl child development by intervening in areas where they fall short such as education, training and job creation.

As for men who abuse women, the least said about them the better. And to those who seek sexual favors from vulnerable women... Ayekoo!(Well done!) For all you know, you are the ones promoting sex workers in the world today. As I mentioned earlier, most of these women have good hearts and their behaviors may have been triggered by a horrible background, find out and be good towards them. Marry them if it demands you should.

I am not here to advocate that the act is a good one. However, I am here to question the status quo. Do Men marry sex workers? Will you allow your son or brother to marry one? Do you know someone who married a sex worker? What is your opinion on the subject matter? I for one believe that they are also humans deserving of love. Come to think of it, if you can patronize them why not commit anyway?

Justica Anima 
Adjeianima@gmail.com
Switstica.blogspot.com

Sunday 20 March 2016

5 Study Tips For The Everyday Student



Most students have difficulty studying and making good grades. Considering the many activities that go on around and in school, it is easy to lose focus on what is most important. Studies are a great way to make the grades while in school so it cannot be underestimated. Here are a few ways to guide you while pursuing studies in school.

Don't procrastinate

Having things to study and leaving them for another time can guarantee failure. It is important to focus on the little in order to get the big catch. Studying in bits on a regular means that you can accumulate much in a short while. Never wait until the last minute to grasp a whole learning material. That can cause excessive overload and confusion to your memory.

Keep a schedule

Planning what time periods you want to study is a good way to start. You will need specific time periods that you want to study a particular subject. Most refer to scheduling various times for various subjects as time table. In short, keep a time table to help you study at apportioned times.

Join Study Groups

For most people this is a good way to learn topics which were not well explained or understood in the classroom. The aim of study groups is to help students learn from each other. Not everyone  likes or enjoys study groups. However,  it helps in sharing knowledge and ideas on a subject matter. It also serves people with ideas and boosts students' confidence, as they are able to contribute better with friends than in the class.

Teach what you learn

The ability to teach colleagues and friends helps one to recollect learnt information. It is advisable not to keep to oneself what you learn but to share it with friends who may not understand that topic or subject. Teaching opens up new ideas for the one teaching.  It also serves as a good memorization process for every student who adopts it.

Read Wide

Reading helps to exercise the mind. It sharpens the memory and allows for easy comprehension of words and sentences. A person who reads more tends to be more ahead in class than his or her fellow students. Reading helps one to regain facts and information that may be hidden from the majority. I'm order to stay ahead of the pack, read as many books as possible.

 I hope this helps us in our bid to be 'Grade A' students. Learning or studying is a good practice irrespective of where we find ourselves. Can you share some of your helpful study tips?

Justica Anima 
Adjeianima@gmail.com
Switstica.blogspot.com 

Thursday 17 March 2016

Is Foreign Aid Good or Bad For Africa?: A Case Study of Economic Development of The Third World

According to Todaro(1992), Economic development is a multidimensional process involving the reorganization and reorientation of the entire economic and social systems. In addition to improvement in income and output; it typically involves radical changes in institutional, social, and administrative structures as well as in popular attitudes and in many cases even customs and beliefs.

Africa as a third world nation has the attribute of depending on more developed nations for support. The question however is whether or not these aids have benefited us with regards to the definition stated above; as developing areas of the economy, social structures, and even attitudes and customs of the nation.

To start with, we can say that Africa has benefited through the numerous infrastructural set ups we see in our cities today. For instance, the building of roads, schools,  hospitals, banks, and industries among others. It cannot be disputed however that these infrastructures render a level of output that go into developing other aspects of our economy.

The debate however lies in how negatively we use these aids and how the negative effects far outnumber the positive. For example, the rate of corruption has increased in African nations. The leaders end up using the greater part of the monies acquired on luxury to the detriment of our development. Most of these leaders are very clear about the goals for seeking these aids but are not able to bring them into fruition due to selfish gains and ambitions. Corrupt practices, embezzlement of funds, and using monies generated from international organizations like International Monetary fund for misplaced priorities is the cause of our many woes in Africa.

Furthermore, more areas of Africa remain impoverished and the sufferings of the larger population increases. In Ghana for instance, the Northern and rural areas have nothing to write home about when it comes to development and social interventions unlike the the few urban centers. Throwing good money to a bad government and a people with poor attitudes make their nation worse off. That is to say that the attitude of the people must change. Of what use will the aid from World Health Organisation be if the people still observe poor sanitation practises which can render them unhealthy  anyway?

Last of all, these aids seek to cripple and manipulate the people to do the will of their donors. An example is how Ghana and Uganda had their aids withdrawn due to the fact that they did not accept to legalised homosexuality. This is to inform us that so far as there is some level of influence from the donor country to use these aids for specific interests, Africa and therefore underdeveloped nations will continue to struggle for development.

Once there is over dependence on foreign aid,  we can forget about developing our total infrastructure, level of income and output, and to some extent our attitudes and beliefs as a continent.

Adjeianima@gmail.com

The Communication and Relationship Factor: Dealing with People

The learning process is an interesting journey to embark on.
When it comes to dealing with people, most of us find it quite difficult. Everyone seems to have their own egoistic nature that they will not allow to be bruised. However like in most games,  there are always winners and losers. Choosing to be a winner or loser in our relationships with people is a personal choice. I mostly hear people say play the fool and let the issues die. I beg to differ. We all have specific attitudes and behaviours that can make a relationship thrive which must not be overlooked.

Know your role

In dealing with people, it is advisable to know what you stand for in their life. If you are the leader, it is good to be firm. Mind you, you are trying to be liked and to be obeyed at the same time. Does that mean you must be a dictator in order to be obeyed? It is key to note that people will get offended no matter how we treat them. That is not to say that we must treat them anyhow anyway. If you know your role as a friend,  family, sister, aunt, teacher, in another person's life, you learn words and actions that can easily communicate to the person. Choose words that do not easily offend the person's personality. Applaud and rebuke, but in a way that resonates your exact sentiments to the person without them feeling offended.

Respect other's views

In as much as we all share different opinions in life, it is important to listen  and understand before we communicate. I find it very unapologetic when people refuse to listen and later give bad judgment of a situation. I bet this is not taught in most of our classrooms. However,  any good communication book will teach you the importance of listening and understanding before communicating . After listening, it helps you understand the angle from which the other party is coming from. This way, we are able to give a good if not better response. Never rubbish another person's view on a situation just because you disagree.

Speak with empathy

How does it feel when after telling someone your situation the person speaks to you with so much concern and love? That is exactly what empathy seeks to achieve. You are able to connect with someone's opinion, be in their shoes, and communicate well in relation to their very self. Once you begin to attack another without truly understanding them, you open yourself to disagreements.

Be soft and firm

The truth is that not all persons can handle being treated with persuasion, sometimes it is good to be firm for others to get the message. In the bid to be firm and frank, we also do not want to appear difficult, tough or controversial (some terms given to firm people). In this way, we can communicate firmness and softness in a way that resonates true concerns, with words that will not be misunderstood or misconstrued. Literally, what this means is let your yes be yes, and your no be no.

The focus of this is to try as much as possible not to step on so many toes while dealing with people in our everyday lives. Do share how best you communicate with people with us. The aim is to be able to win more friends and influence more people rather than more enemies or ill wishers.

Sunday 13 March 2016

Do Men Fear to Approach High Maintenance Women?

It recently struck me that most women are falling short of men in their lives.  This observation  is based on a little of my experience and experiences of other women in my life.  Now let's shift our focus first to who a high maintenance woman is.

She is one that has empowered herself to do more. She is a well groomed person who knows which colors and pieces to combine when it comes to clothing. She likes to look good and guess what? When you're with her you look good too. She is one who is confident, outspoken, and not easily intimidated. She is knowledgeable and holds a good conversation anytime anywhere. Sometimes, she may own her own company or be doing very well in her field of endeavor. As the name goes, she requires that she well taken care of in order to be maintained. In all, she is fun to be with.

My friends and I mostly talk about relationships among other interesting subject matters. And anytime we hold such conversations they never said anything good about men in general. That aside,  Esi, who is the most high maintenance amongst us revealed that men of our time like women who they can easily manipulate to do their will without questioning. All of us could not agree less. But the question was why is that?

That is not to say there are no men who like this category of women. But the question is how many do? Perhaps our men have a problem with confidence in themselves. Better still, it may be the issue of taking good care of these type of women. Alex my friend confirmed my thoughts when he told me that the way he sees me if I do not hurry and get married,  soon men will not approach me anymore. His reason for saying that was simple, because I know too much and that could scare the men away. Did that mean that men wanted stupid women?

That conversation left me thinking. Here I was, thinking that our men rather loved to be around women who could bring ideas on board. A week after conversing with Alex,  another guy came up with the same talk when my cousin jokingly called him her new boyfriend. You should have seen how he screamed. He mentioned that he cannot handle her as a girlfriend because he may not be able to make her happy. Asked why he said that? He confessed that women like her are hard to please because they put in a lot of energy in looking healthy and beautiful. I only shook my head in disbelief.

The fear of most women now is whether or not to look or feel good, or to pursue higher heights since the men are not forthcoming. I write this because of such women and also to the men out there. Sisters, it is a good thing to build yourself up. It is a good thing to always look your best. This should not be because you want to actually attract a man. Basically, it is to make you happy with or without a man. To the men, such women are really not difficult to please. You just have to be a full blown highly responsible man to match up to their needs as women. Not all of such women are spend rifts, disrespectful, impolite and promiscuous as most of you think. They are simply ladies who have learned to carry themselves with the respect in their society.

That brings us to the story about Priscilla. She used to be so much into fashion. Her fashion sense was 'wow'. Make up on point. Clothing on point. Bags and shoes on point. Accessories on point. Intelligence spectacular. She only had one issue and that was finding love. Someone then advised her to tone down her dressing and also not engage in so much intelligent conversations when talking to men. She obeyed and found love. She got married and her husband started following intelligent well groomed(high maintenance) young women.

Priscilla is currently divorced and living her life happily as a single. She had to learn the hard way that being herself would have been better. It could have won her the right person that matched her personality. So back to the question, do Ghanaian men fear to approach high maintenance women? Share your thoughts to help a woman unravel a mystery.

Justica Anima (all social networks)
Adjeianima@gmail.com

Tuesday 8 March 2016

Are Women the Weaker Sex?

"The more women know about business, money and finance, the greater freedom they will enjoy and the more likely they will be to discover their own power." - Robert T. Kiyosaki, International Bestseller of Rich Dad Poor Dad.

We often hear stories of women whose husbands left them for another. We also hear of women abuse in our societies, either physical or emotional. Most often, these women do not leave when these harsh conditions are meted out to them and so they are termed weak. Women have a weak physical outlook, are mostly soft-hearted, kind, and caring in nature. However, these qualities cannot be used to draw conclusions that women are weak.

Women contribution in world dominance cannot be overlooked. They play a key role in bringing humanity into existence through childbirth. Also, they act as good managers starting from the home. Women are also great with sales and marketing as they have tolerance and patience with every kind of customer they meet. They exude peace and promote profitability at the workplace.

Go to our schools today and analyse for yourselves. It is of no doubt that our girls are taking the top scores in the classroom. Girls exhibit diligence and smartness towards learning as compared to the boys. It is only saddening that along the line, these smart individuals are brainwashed with the idea that it is a man's world. Due to this, women grow up thinking various sectors in the job market are men's domain.

Going back to the olden days, women were those who began trade and business. When men went to hunt and farm, it was women who sold the proceeds in order to generate income for the family. As agriculture gradually made way for industrialisation, men adopted these skills of their women. It is not surprising that today men run businesses and politics to somehow the disadvantage of women.

In recent times, women are taking up managing businesses, attaining higher education, and running parliament and law firms alongside their male counterparts. In fact, they are doing so well in these areas. In view of this, celebrating women excellence should be encouraged in order to draw more of them into these areas. Women today are liberating themselves from the idea that they are the weaker ones, and that they cannot thrive in a man's world.

Truth is, the battle of whether or not women are the weaker sex lies not in muscles or physical strength. Rather, it lies in mental power, emotional strength, and general wellbeing of both sexes in all aspects of life. Societies which blend both men and women's strength are those that will thrive.

As we celebrate International Women's day, I take the opportunity to salute all the strong women rubbing shoulders with men in every dispensation. More and more women must join forces to bring their ideas on the table. Perhaps, women taking up governmental roles will help curb the many problems that the world is facing today. Let us help build a strong force as women and never be stopped in our tracks while pursuing the higher calling on our lives. Let us free ourselves from depending on our men so much that we lose sight of the many strengths that lie within us.

Are women really the weaker sex? What is your take on women's impact on society? How has a woman played key role in your development as an individual? Let's get interactive on these questions wherever we find ourselves. 

Justica Anima (on all on social media networks)
Email: switstica@gmail.com
Blog: switstica.blogspot.com

Sunday 6 March 2016

Tell me About 59 Years Old Ghana.

"Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of Africa" -Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President.

It is a good thing to be independent, if you ask me. It is not by mere coincidence that a country gains total control of its own affairs at an early stage. Well, for me independence means a lot more than just not being under the control of another nation. It is a life long journey with a million stories.

The problem about us as a people is that we refuse to free our minds just as I am about to do, yet we claim to be "bold to defend forever the cause of freedom and of rights". I will not hesitate to applaud our forefathers, especially the Big Six, for their great achievements and heroic acts towards building this nation. They did all they could to make sure we could man our own affairs. The baton has since been passed and here we are, 59 years and still counting.

The stench at the Makola market sings "happy birthday to you Ghana". The trotro mate greets you, "yeees! Front" literally scaring its occupants, and reminding you not to look back. The hawkers on our streets sell their wares to you, Ghana, by crying out, "yeees! Pure water, Yoghurt, Tampico, Fan Ice, P.K, Mentos, meat pieeee!". Traders run helter skelter with their wares in a bid to escape the wrath of A.M.A task force(Abaye). 59 years old Ghana wakes up not to alarm clocks but to the harsh beatings on the shoe maker's box and the cries of, "hwan na etwe3 ?", translated as, "whose turn is it to scrub?". 

School children sing in chorus, "...Feel our hearts with true humi-li-ty, make us cheerlish, fearest, honestly..." With what meaning can the average Ghanaian school child attach to its National Anthem? Something we claim to have taught them in our schools. The minimum wage a worker takes is 120 Ghana cedis. Will you take that amount at 59 years old? After having to work for 30 days or more and this could be your take home salary. What will you buy with it? In a sudden speed, transportation fares have taken a full fly and citizens pay silently in pain out of their meagre salaries and income.

Ask me about 59 years and I will only assume it is a time for rest and a time void of stress. A time when your money works for you and your children cater for your needs.  The children you took time to bring up, and not shirk your responsibilities from. A period of enjoying the fruits of your labour. But no! The only fruits to be enjoyed here is that of freedom to move about freely and say anything freely. Yes! freedom like the madman roaming aimlessly in the streets, graduates lying lazily in their beds and of "dead goats living"  unconcerned lives.

Is that all there is to say about Ghana? Oh! Lest I forget. We are enjoying less than 3% of proceeds from our mining sector and importing tilapia when we are surrounded by sea and rivers everywhere. We almost import everything and export chocolate wrapped in paper and foil since the day of Tetteh Quarshie's discovery of the cocoa seeds. Is this the Liberation our father of Independence was referring to?

And to think that Yaa Asantewaa may have left some of her courage in Ghanaian "queens", women of our time are rather "queens" of America. Buying the hair, eyelashes, hips, lips, nails, and waists of the western world. Call it globalisation and Yaa Asantewaa will sneeze in her grave. Ashamed of their "kpenkpeshi"(kinky) sun-silk hair. And even more so, afraid to rise up and proclaim, "Where are the brave men of yesterday? If you men will not fight, we the women will". Women of our time cannot even boast of independence from their men amidst all the feminism advocacy.

59 years old Ghana has a lot to boast of, yet a lot more to achieve. We have too many literates in this nation to be hungry and poor. Our thinking caps must not fail us. Our universities are part of the best in Africa.  We have all the natural resources and the able bodied men that the world can boast of. We have one of the best airports in Africa. And our streets are void of attacks by armed men. We can do more. Yes we can!

If the saying that "life begins at 40" is true, then that can be said about us. Five decades and on, we are still and remarkably the Gateway to Africa. Our nation is blessed and so are its inhabitants. Let's pick up hoes and cutlasses. Let's dig deeper and deeper. Let's mine our remaining minerals and hide it away from the thieves. For in some years to come, we may need a treasure to hold on to and to pass on to the next generation. Let us go back and rewrite the story of Africa for in so doing we shall possess our birthright as Ghanaians. Let us not yet sell it for a box of pizza when our delicious banku and okro stew lie in wait.

Long live Osagyefo's Ghana. Best regards to the great men and women of old and present who sweat it out for the nation. Your efforts will remain in the records of workmanship and sacrifice. Now back to the issue, tell me about 59 years old Ghana because stories of old are best told by the grey-haired.

switstica@gmail.com

Thursday 3 March 2016

A Child From My Country: Realities of the Ghanaian Child

In the country where I come from, everything is either taken too seriously or as a joke. I do not know from which angle this piece of writing will be tackled from. I lie on my bed at 11.40, thinking to myself what would have become of me if I was born in a different setting or location or country. Whenever you go through the the hall of fame for greatness, it is mostly ascribed to the older folks from where I come from. A few youngsters are able to make name for themselves, but even with that their names soon vanish into thin air. Children are not mostly accorded that big regard as compared to older people (maybe for a short while,fine).

I recall a time with my mom when I was in primary school. I told her I wanted to publish a book. She just looked at me and smiled, confirming her disbelief. There I was seated, so young and full of ideas but immediately discouraged by my own mother. Many people think when you are young, your place is in school or playing with the other kids. Nothing more, nothing less. Yes, this is the country where I am from. A place where a child does not talk back when adults are talking. Neither does a child suggest things to their parents. They are considered too young, lacking of wisdom and expertise.

For this and many other reasons, a child who does well is highly overrated and over hyped. Making it look like children's achievements are a big deal. Meanwhile children from other diaspora are given all the needed support and so their achievements do not seem so much overwhelming. They build tech devices, learn many languages, play mega musical instruments, program softwares, build robots and solve difficult and challenging problems. And what do children in my country do? Watch television, play video games, eat Indomie, sleep...

Children grow by observation. Also, from a little experience with them, I have realised that the foundation a child grows on builds him or her for their future. Children raised up in a free learning environment tend to be more intelligent than the ones who are restricted. My country parents are quick to correction and discipline. They place children in a box where they cannot learn outside from. For instance, a child's curiosity for learning is easily killed by destroying their sense of questioning. A child who always asks questions is quickly discouraged by shutting them up anytime they question a particular situation. Better still, they are answered but not with the right answers.

What then are we teaching our children? What impact can our children have on society? How can we motivate children to do more for themselves? How do we grow a generation of future thinkers and nation builders using tools and recreational avenues that challenge their minds? How can we turn the idea of the child scrap collector to a viable business venture? Or the child who questions a lot? Or the girl child who knows how to dress her doll so well? Or the computer-game child's enthusiasm into computer programming? Ask a child today what he or she wants to do in future and they will mention some funny profession or nothing at all? Confused children, is this the future we are building for our nation?

The average child in my country today is solely dependent on their parents or guardian's direction and orders. What the child chooses as a profession is even chosen for the child. Why are we surprised that we now churn out graduates who are lost in their tracks? This is because we no more encourage initiatives from children, even if we do it is more structural as compared to the ones being run on our television stations. Our school system even make matters worse. Measuring the quality of a child by the marks scored is not the way forward. Rather encouraging each child according to their unique strength or weakness is.

Encourage a child to grow. Applaud a child by their little works. Let's allow them to play, learn, question and explore their world. Let's give them measures and discipline but not to the extent that it halts their learning process. The society must be child friendly amidst the disciplinary measures set while raising them up. Our nation's policies must be child friendly as well. Let's make growing up a haven for children not hell. 12.41am now, calculate how long it took me to put just this together. Perhaps I would have been better than this, who knows?

5 Things You Need To Focus on Your Writing


If you’re struggling to finish all of your writing projects, you’re not alone. I almost always get questions about how I focus long enough to actually accomplish all of the writing I need to get done. So for the sake of all our writing careers, I’m going to try to answer that in today’s post.

1. You Need Real Paper

Computers are incredible. They have made our lives so much easier, but I when it comes to focusing, paper is necessary.
When we write, our minds have a million thoughts running through them. How do I want to organize this chapter? What are my main points? Have I already introduced this character? I’ve found that real paper and pen gives me more power to answer all these questions and allows me to better focus on the writing when I do turn to my laptop.
Oh, and paper is important for doodling.

2. You Need Time

The best way to focus is to give yourself a lot of time. My favorite article about this is written by Cal Newport, which explains the concept of
Deep Work . There is a great benefit to taking two or three hours with zero distractions to get work done.
We focus best when we know we have an entire morning or afternoon to dive into a project. When you write, you delve into another world. You need an extended period of time to refresh yourself with where you left off and where you want to go.

3. You Need Deadlines

Deadlines and I have a serious love/hate relationship. Without them, I get nothing done, but with them, I’m often miserable. However, at the end of the day I need to pay rent and buy food, so deadlines it is.
Don’t just set deadlines for weeks and months in advance, set deadlines for what you will accomplish before lunch. You will focus better knowing exactly what you need to do before you get out of your chair.

4. You Need a Pattern

Before I established a pattern in my writing life I was lucky to roll out of bed before 10 am. I worked when I felt like it and didn’t accomplish a lot. But when I did finally establish a pattern, my whole writing life changed.
Establishing a pattern will help you write more consistently. There’s even research that proves famous writers’ sleeping habits lead to productivity and more focus. (I’m in.) Either way, we are creatures of habit and focus when we are consistent in our lives.

5. You Need a Place

You’re a creative, which means sitting in a cubicle will probably kill you. I wrote a post a while back about the importance of finding your place to write. Finding a place you know you can focus is the key to getting the writing done.
Focusing Takes Practice
Although I always picture myself typing away furiously, crafting word after word into beautiful sentences, it never looks like that. About sixty percent of my time is spent staring out windows, counting the clouds, and wondering if these books will write themselves.

Source: The Write Practice