lauraopoku-blog

[lauraopoku-blog]

How I Learned To Be Thankful During The Hardest Time Of My Life

Did you know that the moment people wake up, the first thing they do is grab their phones? I'm guilty of this, as during busy weeks I find myself rushing in the morning to get ready, run out the door and make it work just on time. But did you know that a majority of people don't give thanks for everything they have?  If you have a roof over your head, at least one person in your life that cares about you, have clean drinking water and at least one meal a day, you aren't lucky - you're blessed. I've coached and spoke to millennials who have a laundry list of things they don't like - they hate their jobs, aren't satisfied with themselves  - mentally, emotionally or spiritually, and they don't like the relationships that they're in - but they've become so conditioned to see all the bad, when there is so much good underneath it all that we can't take for granted.

Being thankful for what we have is necessary to start the tone of transforming your life for the better. I asked a few of my closest friends and clients to write down a list of things they didn't like either about themselves or about their lives, and the list came down like a floodgate. But when I asked them what they were thankful for, they made it seem like it was the hardest thing they could do. And how scary is that that when it comes down to what we don't like, we can easily complain about it, but when it comes down to what we truly need to be thankful for, it comes as hard as learning a new language. This is exactly the reason why older generations look at the young people of today and can't understand how some of us have made it as far as we have. We've become too consumed of what's not going right, rather than what has been going right in our lives.

A few years ago I got into my first car accident and that truly opened my eyes to understand the power of positive thinking. While I was shocked, scared and upset, especially when I found out that my car insurance wouldn't cover the damages my thirteen-year-old car faced, rather than consistently worrying about how much this would cost me, I began to focus on looking at this experience as an eye-opener and truth be told, a blessing in disguise. I was thankful that only the front end of the driver side was damaged, but if I were going faster - who knew what could've happened to my life then?

During that time, I was shooked and it was one of the hardest moments of my life, but I had to react by giving thanks that nothing worse happened and I can manage what I just experienced. That moment shifted my thinking by being thankful for everything I had by saying thank you each morning and praying to God for everything I have and everything that I want to receive. 

Do you give thanks, or find yourself dwelling on the negatives?

xo,

Laura

[lauraopoku-blog]

A Tip About Believing In Yourself (Especially When No One Else Will!)

Have you ever told someone your dreams, aspirations or desires, to feel like they've been shot down because they don't see what you see?

Most people experience that same feeling, and because of that some people give up everything they do because of that. Believing in yourself is critical, especially if you're young, because after being in a school system for close to two decades of your life, you may have not had a single course that taught you the significance of believing in who you are and what you stand for. Think about what you love about you, what makes you different than anyone else, and what you will stand for.

So, what's the tip I can tell you about believing in yourself? Believing in yourself translates to not only being confident in yourself, but the person God has called you to be. You see, when you start to believe in yourself, so do others. Think about your fave singer or entertainer. Do they walk on stage with confidence, fierceness and energy (that gets the crowd excited) or do they come on stage looking tired or sloppy? If they believe in themselves, their craft and their gifts, they'd walk on stage with confidence!

Confidence is attractive to people like a magnet  because everyone will want to be around you because of your energy and want to understand what really makes you , and they'll be inspired to get to know  how you became the person that you are! So understand that believing in yourself can illuminate like a star.

How confident are you in believing in yourself, and the dope person that God has called you to be? Let's chat!

xo,

Laura

[lauraopoku-blog]

Three Steps To Eliminate Your Procrastination Woes!

Procrastination. “I’ll do it tomorrow…or another day.” This is the most common phrase used by almost every single person when it comes down to leaving things for “tomorrow.” In fact, I’m guilty of saying this at least a few times a week, and each time I say it to my dad, his clever response is “tomorrow never comes!” and the truth is, a large percentage of the time, tomorrow really doesn’t come.

We (and by we, I mean you and I) put off the important things that we need to do primarily because of two factors: We’re afraid of the overwhelming responsibility to complete the task (or tasks) and/or we just don’t believe in ourselves that we can do that particular task. It feels overbearing to even THINK about getting things done which leads to procrastination.

But the reality is, whatever we’re procrastinating about, we need to just get it done. But that’s easier said than done. So here’s my top three steps to eliminate your procrastination woes:

1. Write it down:

One of the benefits of actually writing things out (not on your Android or iPhone, but using a paper and pen – vintage, right?!), is it’s therapeutic and helps to relieve the stress that often set us back from doing what needs to get done. Write down the tasks that you need to complete and see what happens. Next label those items from one to whatever number you’ve made it to, and put it in sequence where one is the most important task, and the last number is the task that deserves the least amount of time. Quite often in our minds, our tasks seem more overwhelming because we’re over thinking what needs to get done. Once we start to write these things down, we start to understand that perhaps the laundry list of what we need to do is almost the same length of a recipe of how to make bomb tacos (which is a much shorter list!).

2. Breath & Ask God For Revelation: 

Quite often we drown ourselves in thinking that what we need to do is overwhelming, and trust me – I get it. However, it’s important that when we write down what we need to accomplish, we need to breath and ask God to reveal to you what you need to do. I’m not talking about the regular breaths we take day in and day out, but I’m talking about the deep breathes, that we so often reject to take because we feel so busy in our hectic lives that we cannot spare another moment for ourselves and God. Deep breathing not only helps to bring clarity and push you from procrastination, but connecting with God will help to release the tension that often comes when we think about how daunting it is to complete the tasks we need to. So inhale through your nose and count to five, then release! After that, spend some quiet time with God to lead you by the Spirit to see what could be happening. Sometimes these feelings are deep rooted issues that we must spend time uprooting and rebuilding by using the Word to affirm what   Do this for at least 5 minutes a day, or anytime you feel overwhelmed with what you need to do.

3. Perfection < Get It Done!:

I would be lying if I said I’m not a perfectionist at heart. I want everything to look, taste and feel good. But often in my midst of perfection, I realize that the minutes, hours, and days slip past me because I’m fixated on getting things perfect, rather than getting things done. And the root of that really came down to how much I believed in myself and what God can do with and for me! So my advice to you is understand that you need to get things done because there’s not enough hours in the day to be fixated on getting the perfect graphics, making sure each strand of your hair doesn’t look out of place because time will slip away faster than you could ever imagine!

Try these tips and see how far it helps you! Comment below to let you know what you do to combat procrastination!

xo,

Laura Opoku

[lauraopoku-blog]

3 Things That Are Keeping Millennials  Awake At Night (And Solutions!)

I’m sure there are nights where you just wish you can sleep right through it because you're too tired, but there may be days where you find yourself staying up all night paralyzed because you have one (or several) things on your mind! So what really are the top three things that keep millennials like you up at all hours of the night tossing and turning?:

1. Our MONEY: Let’s admit it, we live in a world where money makes everything go ’round. In order for us to even make an impact around us, we need money.  But a lot of millennials find themselves penny-pinching between paychecks, grants, or the minimal amount of savings that we have. This feeling is the absolute worse, considering the fact that sometimes it’s easier to avoid our financial ‘situation’ by not looking at our bank accounts, throwing out credit card statements before they’re even open and spending the last of our money on things we know we don’t need or shouldn’t be doing.

2. Our RELATIONSHIPS: This can be intimate, family or friend relationships. Sometimes replaying situations in our mind have us beating ourselves up because of our decisions, the things we said and the actions we failed to take, and that can get us feeling down and out in our relationships. At night when we’re alone in our thoughts, And in the midst of this, our emotions get invested into how we feel after the fact and how we wish we could turn back the hands of time (trust me, this has happened far too often to me).

3. Our CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD: With social justice issues, poverty, war and strive shown to us through all forms of media, it’s no surprise that we're losing sleep because we feel hopeless that our contributions simply just won’t amount to the change that we want to see in the world. Some millennials go even further to declare that their views and opinions simply won’t change anything, so they chose not to vote, or serve in their local community.

But these three problems that keep us awake at night don’t have to, especially if we declare that we won’t allow them to keep us up in Jesus’ name. You see, these three problems all have one underlying theme – we’re too busy over-thinking that we don’t serve a God that has the power to change these problems. Here’s some examples of easy solutions you can do (even starting today) to change your problems into powerful moments for you:

Tired of living paycheque to paycheque? First acknowledge your financial situation and declare that you will NOT live this way for the rest of your life because you have the ability to be wealthy by reading more books about finance/investing, meeting with a financial advisor or money coach, and learning about how to monetize the gifts you already have.

Scared of making a mistake in your relationship? Start to reaffirm who you in based on the Word of God and use scriptures to understand how to deal with strife, challenges and conflict! Trust me, there are a lot of scriptures that will teach you everything you need to know!

Afraid that you’re ‘voiceless’ in a busy world? That’s not true! God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb. He’s given you the uniqueness in your voice and He wants to use you as His mouthpiece to reach the nations!

The things that are holding you back from sleeping no longer have to! Reaffirm who you are and who you can be.

Xo, Laura

[lauraopoku-blog]

Why You’re YOUR Biggest Investment & HOW To Maximize Your Return!

Depending on the type of person you are (and the type of work you do), tax time is either the most dreaded time of the year, or this most exciting time considering the fact that you could “win” big! Some people will use their tax return money to pay back debt (whether that be credit card debt or student loans, etc), or to invest in them self (taking courses, etc), while others simply use the money to fund their ‘temporary wants’ – you know, the shopping sprees to keep up with the Kardashians. Now, don’t get me wrong – there’s no shame in buying things you want; and when you work hard for them, you deserve them! However, what you need to do is understand is that you are your BIGGEST investment, so to maximize your return on your life you must do the following:

1. Treat your life as if it truly was an investment – On a basic level, investments are money that you put aside to generate more profit (because that’s the whole point of investments). However, some investments (if not, all) give you as the investor the option to choose the risk level – low, medium, or high risk.

2. When you treat your life as an investment, always take HIGH risks – You see, in order to win big with investments (and with your life), you need to take HIGH risks!

For instance, if you’re thinking about changing your career, a HIGH risk person would strategize solutions to change their career by taking extra courses, reading more books/watching videos, and networking with others in the career field they would want. A MEDIUM risk person would make some moves towards learning about their career change, but may be too scared to proceed, and a LOW risk person would just continue to complain about their current situation without making any change at all.

3. With HIGH risks, there is the HIGH chance of failure, making mistakes and messing up –  But this is a part of life! You see, if we don’t take HIGH risks, we will never become all that we can be, and we’ll never be able to move towards the calling God has on our life. So what if you make a mistake? Your idea doesn’t work out? Or you feel like you’ve messed up?  That means your going the right way in the long run, and that doesn’t define you as a person! You’re not a failure, mistake or a mess up!

So, let’s chat! What type of risk taker are you in life? And what are you doing to become a HIGH risk taker with your life if you aren’t one yet?

[lauraopoku-blog]

A Tip About Believing In Yourself (Especially When No One Else Will!)

Have you ever told someone your dreams, aspirations or desires, to feel like they've been shot down because they don't see what you see? Most people experience that same feeling, and because of that, some people give up everything they do because of that. Believing in yourself is critical, especially if you're young, because after being in a school system for close to two decades of your life, you may have not had a single course that taught you the significance of believing in who you are and what you stand for. Think about what you love about you, what makes you different than anyone else, and what you will stand for.

So, what's the tip I can tell you about believing in yourself? Believing in yourself translates to not only being confident in yourself but the person God has called you to be. You see, when you start to believe in yourself, so do others. Think about your fave singer or entertainer. Do they walk on stage with confidence, fierceness, and energy (that gets the crowd excited) or do they come on stage looking tired or sloppy? If they believe in themselves, their craft and their gifts, they'd walk on stage with confidence!

Confidence is attractive to people like a magnet because everyone will want to be around you because of your energy and want to understand what really makes you, and they'll be inspired to get to know how you became the person that you are! So understand that believing in yourself can luminate like a star.

How confident are you in believing in yourself, and the dope person that God has called you to be? Let's chat!

xo, Laura

[lauraopoku-blog]

Why You Need To Live For You (And ONLY YOU!)

Time and time again I’ve heard it and I’ve seen it. Millennials are making safe, boring decisions in life based on what they are told, rather than what they really want to do because they aren’t living for themselves.

And maybe you’re one of those people too. In fact, that was me a mere three years ago. After graduating with Honours in college, I thought I wanted to go to law school (because I had people telling me that I would be good at it and I thought that was the only thing I could do with my  Criminal Justice degree) and if that didn’t work, I created a backup plan to do my Masters Degree as well, I wasn’t sure, but I just knew I had to do it.

After pulling myself out of doing the LSATs right before the test date, and rejecting going back to school (even though I really loved it), I got a job in the financial industry – and quit because to be honest, I was over it (for more reasons than one) and currently work for the local government.

I was living for my parents because they expected me to “get a good job, get married, yadda yadda yadda”.

I was living for my friends because they knew that I would be something great (in any way, shape or form).

And I was living for my “diluted expectations” – which really weren’t me because I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS LIVING FOR.

I had no dream. No passion. No “light at the end of the tunnel.”

Nadda. Zippo. Zeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrooooooooo.

But in the midst of me trying to understand what I thought I wanted, I realized that I wasn’t living for me and my ‘true authentic self’. Scary right?

It was the brink of depression for me when I started to really understand that I couldn’t live my life for others.

I was young, cute, ambitious (I can go on and on if you want me too…) and I knew I was destined for something greater.

So I started to read more. Focus on my personal development by investing in myself by taking different courses. And found God (technically, He found me!)

The whole nine yards.

And that’s when I was able to figure out that the one thing I loved about school was writing, mentoring and coaching.

*cues the light bulb turning on* I finally found my ‘it‘.

What makes me happy. What challenges me but keeps me centred and what I was born to do. Creating a coaching business to help young and ambitious people like YOU become empowered to figure out life, while making impactful changes day by day, and writing a book (AT THE SAME TIME) that focuses on how a millennial like you can up, get out and get something with their lives .

So my advice to you is do what it takes to get to a better space to understand that you must live for you and only you. Not anyone’s approval. Not anyone’s acceptance. God’s already accepted You! There’s nothing better than living for you in His eyes!

In my upcoming book, Motivation To Move, I talk about the steps you need to take in order to get to this space I was able to (along with thousands of other young adults who were able to find their purpose/dreams). You need to read this when it comes out. Sign up here to get the free downloadable copy when it’s released!  

Xo, Laura

[lauraopoku-blog]

The Truth On Why You Aren’t As Successful As YOU Thought You Were!

Truth hurts.

#itreallydoes! 

And perhaps that’s why you simply aren’t as successful as you want to be because you probably have written long winded lists of who you want to be, created vision boards of where you want to be in the next few months or years, but you still aren’t there.

And there are three common reasons why you just aren’t there….and trust and believe, there are solutions:

1. You chose to stop learning.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that education begins and ends in the “traditional” classroom setting where we regurgitate information through tests, essays, and finals. Now, I actually love school, but I’ve grown to understand that I’ve learned so much more from OUTSIDE the classroom than INSIDE of one. Yet some people don’t believe that, so they think after they take off their gowns and throw their caps in the air after graduation that learning for their own development stops there, and they cling onto the perception that they will be successful by trying to build partial connections with people that we don’t know when they can sense a fake from a mile away.

2.  You’re WAY too focused on your competition.

Competition is a golden part of life. As much as we try and avoid it, it creeps up in our everyday life. Perhaps it’s sibling rivalry, competing against a colleague for a promotion, or trying to win the love of the guy or girl you’ve been creeping on Insta who you know is single but you seen him taking to other girls.  Regardless, some of us are so fixated on our competition, rather than ourself because we are nervous that OUR opportunity may be taken away because of them. But if you were playing a sport, like basketball or soccer, you know the golden rule is GETTING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME. Why are you focused on what level your competition is at, when you need to be focused on what YOU need to do to showcase what makes you unique and different.

3. You haven’t made sacrifices.

Let’s face it. MOST (if not ALL) people want to be successful, but not everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. They aren’t willing to get messy, lose sleep, pray and ask God for direction, or spend money on courses, training, networking events because they’re too focused on their immediate wants, like going out on the weekends with their friends to different parties, and endless amounts of hours on Netflix looking for the next series of shows to watch. If you aren’t willing to make sacrifices to help yourself and your development, you won’t be successful.

Point. Blank. Period.

So the solutions from these common reasons are as easy as you make them!

Don’t be consumed to think that learning is only something you can get from a classroom in college or university. There’s tons of free online schools, bloggers that provide free valuable content (like myself), free and paid courses that will help you with your various needs.

Get over the whole “I need to think about my competition because they’re going to swoop the opportunity under my feet” mindset. That will steer you away from what you want to accomplish.fe

Understand that along with God, you play a big role in your own success. There will be roadblocks, obstacles, challenges, tears and sweat, but you need to see the bigger picture. What would you life LOOK and FEEL like when you achieve the successful life you want and deserve?

Let me know in the comment box what you feel like is blocking you from success, or perhaps, what was blocking you from success if you were able to overcome it.

Xo, Laura

[lauraopoku-blog]

How To Really Make This Year YOURS

We’re already a month deep into the new year and depending on the type of person you are, you could either be:

a. Killing it with your goals (literally – like Serena Williams at the US Open winning game after game) b. Completely exhausted by just thinking about your goals since it just feels overwhelming.

But a new start doesn’t just start with the new year, so here’s three things you can do to really make your years yours, and win almost every match life throws at you (even when you feel like you’re not as prepared as you think you should be). 1. BE REAL: Whenever we start something new, there’s usually some things that hold us back. Without really considering it, sometimes the little voice in ourselves continues to tell us to stay where we’re at, even when God is ordering our steps towards a path of more, and other times, the enemy allows himself to plant thoughts that exalt itself against the Word of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). So be clear to check your thoughts whenever you’re challenged to step out of your norm and comfort. Be real with yourself and ask “what I am really feeling right now?” - it’s either going to align with the Word of God, or it’s not. And if it’s not, then we have to go to God and ask Him how can we rely on His promises to make it through with our goals. 2. GET SERIOUS: If you’re looking to really make some changes this year, consider getting serious about your life! Often times we’re serious about our jobs, boyfriends, family and friends drama and we’re not serious about who we are and who we’re called to be. This is a stage in your life that’s so important because it lays the foundation for your future. So start taking your life seriously. 3. TRUST GOD: One of the hardest things to do for many of us is to trust God wholeheartedly. We think that we can be our own god, so we’re one foot in and one foot out with our “trust” in God and we think that will please Him. Being a believer truly means believing what God has said, and continues to say to us! So spend time with God to uproot the issues you have with trust so He can really show you the power of His might in your new year!

So, what are your goals for this year, and what do you need the most from the three things mentioned above?

[lauraopoku-blog]

Three Important Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE Graduating School.

When I left school, I eager to start my new life from the school system I knew and eventually loved (I’m one of those people that didn’t like school when I was a kid, but rather when I was in my last two years at university) only to be faced with numerous amounts of rejection emails from jobs I applied for, wound up in situationships (I really shouldn’t have been) and had zerooooooo self-confidence.

Life was rough after graduation man.

But no one told me that.

When I went on the stage to accept my diploma to be greeted by the cheers of my loud African family and friends, I felt empowered to start a new chapter.

A chapter with no limitations, endless opportunities and success to match.

Three months after I graduated, I worked with an employment agency making more than minimum wage, but doing repetitive work that made my 8 hours shifts feel like they were 16 hours long.

Five months later, I found myself securing a ‘good job’ where I was making ‘good money’ but I found myself feeling overworked and underpaid and on top of that, doing something that brought me no passion, no joy, nothing.

But the challenges I faced in the few months after I left school helped shape the three most important things I wish I knew after graduation that I talked about on Snapchat not too long ago

1. Lose your entitlement issues -  It’s common that new or recent grads feel as though they know it all – but when you study a specialized program for more than two years, what could you expect? However, some employers find it hard to work with (and even complain about) millennials/gen-y because some of us feel above others because of our education. And to be honest, I used to be one of them (how sad). But in order to make moves in your career, you need to let your ‘I-went-to-the-top-school-for-four-years-studying-this,why-am-I-getting-paid-x-amount-even though-I-have-no-work-experience’ die. Accept responsibilities that are a part of your roles, and take the initiative if you found a way to simplify any systems that are being used, or provide assistance to a team member or supervisor when needed!

2. Get UNCOMFORTABLE with being comfortable – Yes, you read that right! I wrote a whooooollleee blog post about this because I can simply write a book about this specific topic! When I graduated from school, I felt uncomfortable asking for what I needed, for what I deserved and for what I longed for because I felt like I couldn’t muster the courage to just ask – until I realized that I was letting opportunities go, so I decided and declared that I would be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

3. Nothing is linear – Ever since we were children, we were conditioned to believe that once we become ‘big people’ aka. adults, that after school, we’d get a great job, get married and have kids (you know, the ‘first comes love, then comes marriage rhyme’ on the order of operations for life). But let’s be honest – some young adults are getting married, but choosing not to have children, while others are getting married but don’t know what type of careers they want. UNDERSTAND that life will throw curveballs right in your face. You need to learn that perfection in your life is something that won’t happen. You will make mistakes, feel defeated and rejected – but you can’t stop. You’re greater than that.

So let’s chat! What are some things you wish you knew before you graduated from school?

Your partner in success,

 Laura.

[lauraopoku-blog]

Broken or Abundant? Your Goals and Your Mindset!

It’s very easy to get distracted, sidetracked and completely destroyed by the goals you set and not accomplishing them, but one thing we often forget is where our mindset is when we’re setting these goals.

If no one told you this, I will.  You need to consider your mindset when you’re setting goals to get what you want ’cause if you’re mind isn’t there first, you’re just creating laundry lists that will never get accomplished .

 Let’s start by taking a moment to understand the two common categories mindset falls into:

The broken or scarcity mindset revolves around a person concerned and worried about the lack of things (whether that be material, wealth, opportunities). It’s primarily the mindset that many young adults are nurtured into, where we feel as though there’s not enough for everyone, we criticize those around us especially through social media, blame others for our mistakes or choices, and fear change. Essentially, this is the mindset that is driven around negativity.

 On the other hand, the abundant mindset resolves around a person who is not concerned and worried about the “lack of…”. but rather appreciative of the things that they currently have, and the steps that need to be taken to accomplish their goals. This person continuously focuses on learning and growth, thinks positive thoughts, shares knowledge and feels like there’s more than enough for everyone and wants everyone to succeed.  The person with the broken mindset will think and say “I will always be poor!”, while the person with the abundance mindset will think and say “I have enough today and I declare I will have more to share tomorrow”. 

You see, the broken mindset is just that – broken. It focuses on the pain, the hurt, the “I will never be __________ because of _______________” and those elements revolve around our self-limiting beliefs of what we subscribe to, and what we believe will be our truth.  So if you found yourself nodding and relating to the broken mindset rather the abundance one, here’s a few strategies you can actually implement starting today on how to change your mindset:  1. Keep a gratitude journal – I recently bought one at my local bookstore, but you could get any journal as well to keep track of your thoughts. I’d suggest everyday (perhaps in the morning when your mind is hopefully refreshed and renewed), write down at least 10 things you’re grateful for – and if it’s something that’s consistent on a daily basis, jot down why it was so important to you today.  2. Assess your thoughts – As weird as this sounds, take a moment to think about your thoughts. Is what you’re thinking about based on your self-limiting beliefs? If it is, think about what it will feel like when you accomplish the goal(s) you set for yourself.  3. Declare and Affirm IT! – You read that right! When you declare what you know is something you deserve to receive and affirm it daily, you are training your subconscious mind to understand how powerful you are and how you can obtain this.

So, where’s your head at? And what are you doing today to get to a better abundant mindset?

Let’s chat!

Laura, xo.

[lauraopoku-blog]

Why You Aren’t As Successful As YOU Thought You Were.

Truth hurts.

Seriously, it does.

And perhaps that’s why you simply aren’t as successful as you want to be because you might have written long winded lists of who you want to be, created vision/inspirational boards of where you want to be in the next few months or years, but you still aren’t there.

And there’s three common reasons why you just aren’t there….and trust and believe, there are solutions:

1. You stopped learning.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that education begins and ends in the “traditional” classroom setting where we regurgitate information through tests, essays, and finals. Now, I actually love school, but I’ve grown to understand that I’ve learned so much more from OUTSIDE the classroom than INSIDE of one. Yet some people don’t believe that, so they think after they take off their gowns and throw their caps in the air after graduation that learning for their own development stops there, and they cling onto the perception that they will be successful by trying to build partial connections with people that we don’t know when they can sense a fake from a mile away.

2.  You’re WAY too focused on your competition. 

Competition is a golden part of life. As much as we try and avoid it, it creeps up in our everyday life. Perhaps it’s sibling rivalry, competing against a colleague for a promotion, or trying to win the love of the guy or girl you’ve been creeping on Insta who you know is single but you seen him talking to other girls.  Regardless, some of us are so fixated on our competition, rather than yourself because we are nervous that OUR opportunity may be taken away because of them. But if you were playing a sport, like  basketball or soccer, you know the golden rule is GETTING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME. Why have you focused on what level your competition is at when you need to be focused on what YOU need to do to showcase what makes you unique and different.

3. You haven’t made sacrifices. 

Let’s face it. MOST (if not ALL) people want success, but not everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. They aren’t willing to get messy. Lose sleep. Spend money on courses, training, networking events because they’re too focused on their immediate wants, like going out each and every weekend with their friends to different parties, and spending endless hours on Netflix looking for the next series of shows to watch. If you aren’t willing to make sacrifices to help yourself and your development, you won’t be successful.

Point. Blank. Period.

So the solutions from these common reasons are as easy as you make them!

Don’t be consumed to think that learning is only something you can get from a classroom in college or university. There’s tons of free online schools, bloggers that provide free valuable content (like myself), free and paid courses that will help you with your various needs.

Get over the whole “I need to think about my competition because they’re going to swoop the opportunity under my feet” mindset. That will steer you away from what you want to accomplish.

Understand that you are the ultimate driver of your success. There will be roadblocks, obstacles, challenges, tears and sweat, but you need to see the bigger picture. What would you life LOOK and FEEL like when you achieve the successful like you want and deserve?

Let me know in the comment box what you feel like is blocking you from success, or perhaps, what was blocking you from success if you were able to overcome it.

[lauraopoku-blog]

You SHOULDN’T Be Comfortable In Your Comfort Zone!

You hear it time and time again – the “comfort zone” excuse. The “I don’t want to do ______________ because that’s way out of my comfort zone.” The “I’ve never done this before, but I don’t feel comfortable with doing this.” The excuses that relate to our “comfort zone” are endless, but we all seem to resort to it when we’re faced with situations that simply make us feel – uncomfortable. And who really wants to feel uncomfortable?

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO. 

You see, successful people are willing to do whatever it takes to get out of the zone that no longer pushes them towards greatness. And they don’t see the comfort zone as comfortable, but rather “the complacent zone” because it doesn’t challenge them. So here’s three reasons why YOU shouldn’t be comfortable in your comfort zone.

You WANT to be successful – Let’s face it – everyone wants to be successful in their life, and how we define success truly is subjective. Despite the definition being subjective to each one of us, success is usually described as a point of happiness, whether that be marked by financial success, lasting relationships or a better career.

You HAVE the potential to go further than you ever have – Why stop with that you’re doing knowing deep down that you are settling? It’s like going to the gym with the goal to lose weight, you lose 10 lbs (yay!) and you find yourself hitting a plateau because you’re doing the same routine over and over again, when you know you have the potential to go further with your goal by changing your actions.

You DESERVE more in life – Why would you think that you don’t deserve more than what you have, especially if you bust you ass  day in and day out doing something you don’t like?!

Let’s chat! What are you doing each day to get out of your comfort zone?