Tag Archives: culture

7 quick tips for travelling abroad

If it’s your first time jetting away, the concept of a holiday could be a daunting one. Don’t panic! Here are seven essential tips for you to make the most out of your travels and keep it as stress free as possible.

Keep an eye on your belongings

It goes without saying that you’ll need to be watching your luggage and personal belongings wherever you are. Check that your accommodation has a safe or an equivalent facility to keep your valuables protected when you aren’t using them. Be sure to not leave any bags or items anywhere as it’s probably not going to be easy to get them back, especially with issues of communication. Also, don’t be tempted to quickly leave your phone or tablet unattended in public – it’s one of the things you wouldn’t be covered for if it got stolen, as it could have easily been prevented!

Stay healthy

Although you shouldn’t be afraid to treat yourself on your travels, be aware of keeping a balanced diet that won’t throw you off track. Be sure to indulge in the local cuisine, but be mindful of not overdoing it! Fruit and vegetables shouldn’t be skipped, and nor should drinking water frequently. You’re going to want to stay hydrated, especially if your destination is an extremely hot one. Being healthy doesn’t stop there, either – bring some medication and necessary toiletries such as sun cream and insect repellent to stay feeling good on your holiday. Continue reading 7 quick tips for travelling abroad

8 priorities that shape your career decision

Backstory: My decision to leave L&T was reactive. While I evaluated it using some criteria, the move itself wasn’t planned. This framework is what I used when starting with Landmark in Dubai, and it also served my move to Babbel.

This is an overwhelming, topic but its important to get started! Here’s how to plan start planning your career:

  • Start with a slightly long-term vision. A 4-6 year horizon intertwining your personal & professional aspiration – fueling the purpose that’ll fuel your passion.
  • Broken down to define short-term milestones (next 2 years). Enhancing your toolkit: skills, business, tech acumen, or just leadership skills – towards mastery.
  • An action plan. E.g. Update your resume

Basing career decisions on intuition is a bad idea 👎🏼 Whether you’re kicking off search or accepting an offer, start with figuring what you’re optimizing for.

Basically kicking yourself out of your comfort zone! In this post, we’ll get started thinking what’s important to you. Everyone has needs. Being honest with yourself and prioritizing what’s important to you will not only help decide but also trade-off between opportunity cost and risk.

Its personal. But steering life is important. Its scary and exciting. Sound boarding this with a mentor is always a good idea.

The list below is how I look at choices – not necessarily in that order. You might need to tweak it for yourself – ⬇️ download or ➡️ view the spreadsheet online.

1. Opportunity & Toolkit

  • Enhances your toolkit?
  • Offers challenges, opportunities to learn?
  • Novelty*? A new domain / technology / vertical / market
  • Gives access to good mentors & a network?
  • Opens new avenues in the future**?
  • Offers better title***? Consider position in the organization hierarchy, competition
  • Offers a better role? Influence v/s Authority, Leadership
    * Novelty alone shouldn’t be a driver
    ** Don’t overrate future prospects when starting your career
    *** Opt for a rationalized, industry-wide title

2. Goals & PassionSource: runnersgoal.com

  • Makes best use of your passion?
  • Gets you a step closer to a future goal?
  • Aligns with personal interests – wealth, network, travel?
  • Gives a meaning, purpose to your life?

3. Risks

  • Leaving your comfort zone?
  • Chances of failing in the new role?
  • Relocating to a new country/city?
  • Could this be short-term? Changing jobs too often?
  • Employment contract? Notice period?
  • Is your gut sounding an alarm?
    * Answering No means low risk, high score
    ** Taking no action also has its own risk
Continue reading 8 priorities that shape your career decision