Joya Martin Cousin | Bookworm | Business leader | Island woman

4 Tips for Online Personal Branding

February 20, 2015

Are you branding your passion? After years of being inundated by the “me, me, me” of social media, the term ‘personal branding’ has become little more than a hackneyed synonym for shameless self-promotion. Like my page… Endorse me… Follow my blog… Whether you like it or not, the fact that you’re reading this article means that you’ve probably already established a digital footprint. Social media is here to stay. It’s where we get our news. It’s where we do our searches. Social media has become something of a parallel universe. Your brand is already out there. Neglecting it, or pretending it doesn’t exist won’t do you any good. Instead, here are four tips for skillfully navigating the virtual landscape without …

5 Ways to Inspire Millennials at Work

February 13, 2015

Business leaders, entrepreneurs and other professionals often bemoan the apparent lack of commitment, loyalty and ambition present in Generation Y employees. Those 80s and 90s babies buck workplace convention. They talk back. They want to dress differently, are bored easily and come across as wanting life handed to them on a platter. Why is it that Millennials seem to want to frustrate us by constantly asking ‘Why?’ Isn’t this much the same way each new generation has been perceived by the one before it? How many lectures did you hear during childhood about how much ‘easier’ things are now? Didn’t your grandparents go on similar rants with your parents? Could it be that Millennials are unwittingly challenging us to …

10 Ways to Spot A Weak Finance Executive

September 25, 2013

My career in finance and accounting began in 1997 when I landed a job as an Audit Associate with Ernst & Young. In the years since, I’ve worked with three of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms, as well as Financial Controller and CFO in several industries before removing my accounting hat to take on the role of General Manager. The expectations of the role of the chief accountant, finance manager, financial controller, finance director and chief financial officer have evolved over the years. The accounting profession is no longer the realm of ‘bean counters’ in dark, dingy offices piled high with papers and over-flowing with adding machine tape. Today’s accounting professional is no longer just an administrator or cost cutter, …

How Usain Bolt–the Fastest Man Ever–is Just Like You and Me

September 13, 2013

Jamaican runner Usain “Lightning” Bolt is widely accepted as the fastest person ever. A commanding presence in athletics since he burst onto the world stage in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he is the first athlete to hold world record for both the men’s 100m and 200m events, as well as the 4 x 100m relay. The first man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, and an eight-time World champion, Usain Bolt has become the most loved, and most marketable track and field star on earth. Seven years ago, a 19-year-old Usain Bolt stepped out unto the track at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Four years earlier, in that same stadium before a jubilant crowd, Usain …

25 Powerful Quotes from the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher

April 9, 2013

Image courtesy WikiCommons A Fellow ENTJ Just this past January, in a discussion of the Myers Briggs (MBTI) personality types, I was reminded of the fact that, like me, Margaret Thatcher is an ENTJ. One of the rarer of the 16 personality types, ENTJ’s are said to make up 2% – 5% of the general population, but only 1% of women. ENTJ is also known as ‘The Executive’, ‘The Field Marshall’, or ‘The CEO’. ENTJs are described as being born leaders, visionaries and long-range planners with high levels of confidence, charisma and personal power. The dark side of the ENTJ personality is that they are perceived as being harsh, judgmental and impatient. ENTJ’s often come across …

5 Reasons Why You Need A Career Development Plan Now

April 5, 2013

Photo by David Niblack Do you have a career development plan? I am not talking about the bottom section of your last performance review. You’ve written a few vague goals outlining what you would like to achieve over the next year. We both know that those objectives hardly get remembered until it’s review time once again. Your company will not be invested in your career development if you don’t drive the process yourself. Here are five reasons why you need to craft your own career development plan and stick with it: 1. A career development plan will keep you from getting stuck in a rut The days of being promoted at work solely based on tenure are long gone. If …

10 Great Ways to Rise Above Office Politics and Be a Winner in the Workplace

March 25, 2013

“Mondays aren’t so bad, it’s your job that sucks.” -Anonymous graffiti artist It’s Monday again, groan… This is the exasperated refrain that can be heard around the world, in every language at the start of each new work week. In the photo of street graffiti above, we are cheekily chided: “Mondays aren’t so bad, it’s your job that sucks.” In a typical case of “it’s funny because it’s true”, the accusing words resonate with us. But are those irreverent words really true? Do the millions of people around the world who dread each Monday’s arrival really have jobs that suck? With all the drama, frenemies, nonsensical rules and un-stimulating environments many of us experience at work, maybe do have horrible …

11 Tips for Brand New Senior Managers

March 19, 2013

You’ve finally gotten the promotion you’ve dreamed of. You’re finally in charge. Being the new corporate head, division chief or general manager will be harder than you could have imagined. Here are ten tips to help you negotiate this unknown territory and remain grounded, while achieving the results you can be proud of. 1. Check Your Ego at the Door You’ve gotten to where you are because you’re a superstar. You are brilliant. You worked harder than your colleagues and got promoted faster, too. Maybe you had passable technical skills, but excellent networking and people skills and brown-nosed your way to the top. None of that will help you now. It’s not about you any more. It’s no longer just …

49 Great Quotes from Zig Ziglar

December 2, 2012

The Human Exclamation Point “Today is a brand-new day. And it’s yours.” These are the words of the late Zig Ziglar, the American motivational speaker who died in late 2012, at the age of 86. Zig Ziglar was sometimes called “the human exclamation point”. He was always brimming with enthusiasm and positive energy as he led his revival-like “success conventions” until his retirement at age 84. Zig’s pithy maxims were delivered with a characteristic upbeat demeanor and Southern drawl which to some may seem over-simplified and perhaps even shallow. But there is a tremendous depth to his “can do” philosophy of positivity that continues to out -live the man himself. Zig Ziglar’s Life and Career Zig Ziglar was born in …

The Battle of The Bulge: Why Carbohydrates Matter

September 2, 2012

My Story In early 2003, I was in my late twenties. I gained six pounds as a result of the increased appetite that had accompanied a course of medication. At 140 pounds, I was heavier than I had ever been. While I was not officially overweight for my 5’6″ frame, I felt sluggish, had trouble fitting into my clothes and knew that I had to do something about it. Attempting to lose weight by counting calories, I tried the highly advertised Slim Fast Diet: “a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch and a sensible dinner”. I bought two cases of those cans of creamy shakes, and stuck to the diet strictly. Instead of losing weight, after two weeks I …

6 Easy Ways to Lower Your High Blood Pressure Now

August 6, 2012

A staff member walked into my office today and told me she had just come from spending an hour at the doctor’s office. She is a young, vivacious and attractive young woman who has high blood pressure (160/90) and now has to take two different types of medication. She is not alone. 99.95% of the modern population is at risk of developing high blood pressure, and one in three adults have the disease, but may not even know it. High blood pressure (HPB) occurs when the force with which the heart pumps blood through the blood vessels and around the body is too strong. Over time the high pressure of the blood causes overstretching of the arterial walls and tiny …

Today I’m Inspired by: Alice Herz-Sommer

April 15, 2012

The oldest living Holocaust survivor At 108 years old, Alice Herz-Sommer is both the world’s oldest Holocaust survivor and the world’s oldest concert pianist. She was eight years old when the Titanic sank, saw the start and end of the first world war, survived the atrocities of the Nazi prison camps, outlived her mother, husband and only son, and is a twenty-five year cancer survivor. Through unspeakable tragedy, Alice is still smiling, victorious over the anguish, pain and death that could have killed her shining spirit many decades ago. Alice is an incurable optimist. A life of privilege Alice Herz was born in Prague in November 1903, into a privileged secular Jewish family of five siblings. Her father, Friedrich, was …

14 Leadership Principles from Steve Jobs

March 26, 2012

© Richard Davies Like hundreds of thousands of Apple fans, I am fascinated by the incendiary brilliance of Steve Jobs and by the revolutionary products he created. I have no fewer than four Steve Jobs biographies in my library. I’ve read the unpleasant stories, and there are many: from Steve’s lack of basic hygiene in his youth, and his initial denial of paternity of his first daughter to the suggestion that he continually duped his long time partner, Steve Wozniak, the real brains behind Apple in its early days, but his luster remains. I am an admitted Steve Jobs junkie. Through his companies, Jobs transformed at least seven industries including animated movies, personal computing and music. I was delighted …

What Dreams Will Die with You?

February 26, 2012

Dr. Howard Thurman A few weeks ago, I was driving home from work and listening on my iPhone, to a speech by the dynamic and inspiring, Les Brown. During this speech, I was captivated by a quote which he credited to Dr. Howard Thurman. Dr. Thurman was a remarkable man: an author, civil rights leader, educator, philosopher, scholar, theologian and mystic. Some say, that if there had not been a Howard Thurman, there would not have been a Martin Luther King Jr as we know him. Howard Thurman was born in segregated Florida in 1899, and raised by his once enslaved grandmother. He rose from his upbringing in the “dirty south” to graduate from Morehouse College as valedictorian in …

Three Reasons to Wake Up Early

February 11, 2012

I am a night owl by nature. I love to stay up late. I enjoy nighttime and have my most productive hours between 1am and 3am. In University and even early in my career, I could make miracles by staying up late. I would do last-minute cramming and finish off complex projects by pulling adrenaline-fueled all-nighters. But achieving this apex of productivity comes at a significant cost if you’re trying to hold down a day job. The downside would be the crash, the crankiness and other clear signs of sleep deprivation a few days later. Although I have had an 8am start for most of my working career, it was not until I switched to a job with a 7:30am …

12 Nasty Illnesses You Can Prevent or Cure by Drinking More Water

February 5, 2012

A healthy body is made up of about 75% water. Every cell, organ and system in our bodies depends on water to work. We all know we should drink about eight glasses of water per day. Instead, we continue chugging on coffee, juice and sodas, while our bodies strain to function properly. Here are some particularly nasty conditions made worse by not drinking enough water. 1. Headaches Dehydration is one of the most common causes of headaches in both adults and children. Our brains are up to 80% fluid and when we deprive our bodies of water, blood vessels narrow, and the supply of oxygen to the brain is cut off, sending off pain receptors in the lining of the …

10 Great Reasons to Start Walking Regularly

January 21, 2012

Inactivity is a silent killer. Using your leisure time to just sit around watching TV, surfing the Internet and playing video games can get you on the fast track to weight gain, obesity, and chronic disease. I recommend walking as a way to make moving your body a lifelong habit; it is easy, cheap and fun! Here are ten great reasons to take a walk: 1. Improve Your Mood Physical activity stimulates brain activity and causes your body to produce happy brain chemicals called endorphins. Just walking 20 minutes per day can help relieve stress, anxiety, and even mild depression. You will feel more peaceful and happy, and have improved self-esteem. 2. Boost Your Energy Walking can also improve your …

10 Little Things I’ve Learned as a Female Executive

August 7, 2011

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years, and continue to learn every day. 1. Work Hard There really is no substitute for hard work. The law of sowing and reaping and Newton’s third law hold true in nature, and are equally applicable to everyday life. Don’t expect to ever get more than you put in. Don’t expect to ever be paid more than you deserve. And if it happens, don’t expect it to last long. Compete only with yourself; strive every day to be better than you were the day before. 2. If You Don’t Ask, the Answer is Always “No” One of the main reasons some women succeed at landing the tough assignments and earning …

31 Essential Email Etiquette Tips

October 19, 2014

In today’s fast paced world, the information we need is often right at the touch of a smart phone button. The convenience of tapping or typing out quick emails and responses makes it tempting to hit send without giving much thought to what we have written. The tricky part is that unlike with personal messages, business emails blunders may have serious and far-reaching consequences. Our tone may be misinterpreted by the reader, we may inadvertently include confidential information, we may offend a reader from a different culture. Not taking the time to consistently deliver professionally drafted emails will invariably color our attitude to work as being inattentive, immature or sloppy. The standard of quality of our email correspondence forms as …

10 Ways to Stop Talking Too Much

November 1, 2013

Are You a Chatterbox? Do you know someone who talks too much? I’m sure you can think of an acquaintance or colleague who makes you want to head in the opposite direction as soon as you see them coming. Maybe you’re bringing to mind the aunt or uncle who starts off asking how you’re doing, but without even giving you a chance to respond, launches into the tedious details of the medical procedure they underwent six months ago. The person you’re thinking of may be a sweet, friendly and well-meaning magpie. Or he may be an extroverted windbag—always cracking jokes and full of gossipy tidbits. Guess what. The person you’re thinking of is you! To the irritation and dismay of …

I’ll Always Come Back to You

November 1, 2013

KING OBSTINATE – I’LL ALWAYS COME BACK TO YOU! And at an early age in the cane field I start to sing I’m from a family of 13, and you know that’s a lot of mouths So I decided to go away to help Papa out But I’ll always come back to you, I’ll always come back to you And if I can’t come back I’ll cry to nyam funghi, I’ll die I’ll always come back to you, I’ll always come back to you And if I can’t come back I’ll cry to be at Brother B, I’ll die Antigua and Barbuda, you know we’ve had some trying times So in order to survive I had to sing the Calypso …

How to be a Winner: 10 Attitude-Adjusting Commitments to Make to Yourself

October 18, 2013

The Comfort of Mediocrity Growing up, I struggled with low self-esteem. Sometimes I would get ‘A’s at school, but because of my poor self-image, I would often get ‘C’s and occasionally ‘F’s. I was bright and talented, but I was not confident enough to apply myself to my studies or to sports or to art. I was inconsistent – at everything. I had a desire for success, but I wanted to do well without actually trying. I was mortified of daring to really study. What if I tried my best and then failed? Even worse, I was scared of putting in the effort, and actually succeeding. That would mean I would have to continue working hard to keep it up. …

Viral Video Resignation One-Upped by Former Employer

October 2, 2013

Marina Shifrin was a disgruntled 25-year old animator at the graphic company Next Media Animation in Thailand. After two years of working there, she decided to say “I quit” – via YouTube. Her epic video resignation has gone viral with over 8 million views in the first five days, and counting. She dances through most of the video to Kanye West’s ‘Gone’ and vents her feelings through on screen text. She dances interpretively around her office complex on desks, bathroom stalls and recording cubicles at 4:30 in the morning. “I work for an awesome company that makes news videos. I have put my entire life into this job, but my boss only cares about quantity, how fast we write and …

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s Epic Goodbye

September 28, 2013

Microsoft CEO, 57-year old Steve Ballmer, was visibly emotional as he said goodbye to the 13,000 employees of the company that made him a billionaire. The 6’5″ hulk of man screeched “you work for the greatest company in the world” to roaring applause and screams of “we love you”, from the audience. Appointed in 2000, Ballmer had held the post of CEO for the last 13 years, but he had worked for Microsoft for a total of 33 years. Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft on June 11, 1980, after graduating from Harvard University in 1977 with a degree in applied mathematics and economics. Hired by Bill Gates, he became Microsoft’s 30th employee and its first business manager. Ballmer has long been …

10 Great Reasons to be Kind

September 22, 2013

Did you know that the fastest way to get over feeling sick, tired, sorry for yourself is to do something for someone else? Kindness pays off in ways we cannot begin to imagine – it blesses both the giver and the receiver. And sometimes it creates the kind of boomerang effect that you don’t know where will end. Here are ten great reasons to be kind: 1. Kindness feels good We all carry around the weight of daily life. Taking care of our families, work obligations, money management challenges and health concerns can leave us feeling drained. Taking a moment to do something nice for someone else can give us a quick emotional lift that packs a powerful feel-good punch.…

Our Deepest Fear

September 16, 2013

The lines below written by Marianne Williamson in her book, A Return to Love, published in 1996. The verse has also been incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela, as having been included in his inaugural address. Over the years, these words have inspired millions. These words have been inspiring me since I first came across them in 1999. They powerfully speak to the fact that many of us live our lives not so much afraid of failure, but afraid of achieving our true potential. We feel comfortable ‘flying below the radar’, so as not to attract attention and possibly criticism, rather than spreading our wings and seeing how far we can fly. I hope they challenge you to always shine …

[Audio] You and Me and Usain Bolt

September 14, 2013

Jamaican runner Usain “Lightning” Bolt is widely accepted as the fastest person ever. But before Usain Bolt became the most loved track and field star on earth, there was a time when he almost quit. Usain relates what it was like being booed off the track on his home turf in his new book, ‘Faster than Lightning: My Autobiography‘ [release date: November 5, 2013]. Here’s an audio version of my earlier blog post ‘You and Me and Usain Bolt‘. About Joya MartinI am an award-winning business leader and experienced accounting professional living in the gorgeous Caribbean. I'm inspired by books, photography, art, beauty, nature, freedom, learning and love. My passion is continuous learning, growth and …

What Are You Grateful For Today?

September 14, 2013

Did you take a moment to be grateful today? Gratitude consists of being fully aware of your current circumstances with all its worrying details, both big and small, and being able to recognize the good. “In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer In our modern daily lives, it is easy to take for granted the gifts we have been given by the many thousands of people who have gone before us. It is mind-boggling to try to fathom the effort that has gone into giving us the lives we enjoy simply by virtue of having been born …

The Power of Giving

September 14, 2013

This powerfully moving video will have you in tears. It is an advertisement from True Move H, Thailand’s third largest mobile telecommunications provider, and subsidiary of the True Corporation communications conglomerate. I hope it will inspire you always to “give without expectation of return”. You never know how far your gifts will go. You never know how the good you do will return to you. About Joya MartinI am an award-winning business leader and experienced accounting professional living in the gorgeous Caribbean. I'm inspired by books, photography, art, beauty, nature, freedom, learning and love. My passion is continuous learning, growth and improvement. I believe in people. Here you will find the tools, tips and motivation you need to help …

31 Dragon-Slaying Quotes from ‘Do the Work’ by Steven Pressfield

September 12, 2013

I have just finished reading the book ‘Do the Work‘ by Trinidadian-born author, Steven Pressfield. This short, powerful read, written in the no-nonsense style of a manifesto, is designed to prepare you to face the dragons that stand in the way of you accomplishing your highest goals. What are these dragons? They are the ones we all face when we attempt to do something we believe in. Among them are fear, self-sabotage, procrastination and self-doubt. They say “present, please” every time we attempt to pursue any important objective—from conquering addiction, to learning how to play a music instrument, to getting over an ex or preparing for a marathon. Whenever we decide to abandon the status quo to become …

You Don’t Have a Job, You Have an Opportunity

September 11, 2013

The tradition of having a job is over. If you work at a desk, if your work involves access to the Internet, you don’t have a job, you have an opportunity. So says creative thinker, entrepreneur and successful author, Seth Godin. In the video below, he encourages us to try new things. He challenges us to start being curious again, to ‘poke the box’. What’s the worse that could happen? The easiest time in the history of the world to start a business is now. Try. We should each take responsibility for viewing our lives as a series of opportunities to try new things and create new projects. Failing is okay. Just don’t stop trying. If you’re not failing, it …

See Beauty in the World

September 10, 2013

Today’s powerful affirmation: “I accept responsibility for seeing beauty in my world.” There is beauty all around us, if we will but choose to see it. It is easy to wake up on a Tuesday morning, still feeling tired from the weekend, and grumpy from Monday, rush to the shower, rush to get the kids ready, perhaps guzzle down a cup of coffee, and maybe even spill it, all without taking the time to recognize anything beautiful in your world. Did you stop to notice that your husband winked at you while saying goodbye? Did you notice how cute your daughter looked with her oatmeal smeared face and a twinkle in her eye? Did you notice the brand new hibiscus …

3 Things To Do Before Picking A Fight

April 11, 2013

© 3RiiN at deviantART.com Fight or Flight – Silence or Violence When someone disappoints us, it isn’t always easy to stop and figure out what went wrong. We are far more likely to jump to conclusions, blame the other person, then either silently fume or angrily drag them over the coals. This is the beginning of conflict. To many of us, every possible confrontation has only two options: fight or flight. Although we know better, many of us are often too afraid to speak up. We choose to sweep the issue under the carpet to avoid the threat of being embarrassed. We may resort to dropping subtle hits, changing the subject or becoming withdrawn. We default to silence rather …

Miracle in a Bottle

April 11, 2013

Iron, Anemia and the Cardiovascular System When we breathe in, oxygen enters the lungs and is absorbed into the blood stream. The heart pumps this oxygenated blood to the muscles and all the tissues in the body via the arteries. The waste byproduct carbon dioxide is then produced and absorbed back into the blood. This de-oxygenated blood is pumped back to the heart via the veins then on to the lungs to be re-oxygenated. The lungs get rid of this carbon dioxide as we breathe out. This whole process happens seamlessly with every breath we take. It is incredibly efficient, taking only 60 seconds to get oxygen to the trillions of cells in your body. Hemoglobin is the iron-laden protein …

Page 1 of 5

1 2 3 … 5 »

Follow

Follow Joya Martin Cousin

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers