The Enterprise Challenge

The Enterprise Challenge is an annual competition that provides mentoring, training and funding for entre-preneurial students who want to pursue an idea. The competition is organised by I3center Enterprise centre at the University of Greenwich. This year, they receive over 90 applications and only 20 business ideas qualified for the semi-finals. Then just ten ideas became finalists to compete for a different range of prizes. One of them is the best engineer in the business prize, which I won on 28th March, 2019.

It was and still is a fantastic experience. I had to move out of my comfort zone; it made me discover a lot about myself and the most importantly about my close friends. It is the first time to work closely with my friends. We formed a great team along with the four strangers who believed in me and joined my team. Together - and only together – we achieved a big success of Engineers in business prize by the Enterprise centre at UoG. Through the competition, I learned, worked hard, enjoyed and pushed my limits. I am so grateful and feel so blessed.

Amira Eltokhy

Egypt

Thought for the week ...

10 Keys to Happier Living - Resilience

''Difficulties are a part of life.

We all have them -

and sometimes we create them!''

''A happy life doesn't mean one that is completely free of difficulties. Stress, pain, loss, trauma - tough times are part of life. So being better equipped to face and deal with these is important, even essential, for happier living.''

Difficulties, bereavement, challenges, disappointments, threats, etc are all an inevitable part of life and often cannot be predicted. We all vary in how naturally resilient we are, but we can all seek to grow in this area.

Resilience is the ability and the process by which we re-discover a place of balance. I often ask new students to consider not just how they will survive their time at university, but how they will thrive. What and who will they turn to when the going gets tough, as it inevitably will. Where and how will they find that place of inner strength that will carry them through.

Blessed are the flexible,

for they shall not be broken!

Resilience is a bit like a Swiss army knife, it is made up of a number of tools or facets which we can make use of in different ways, at different times.
1. The use of active coping mechanisms  -  those things that will help adjust your perspective on the situation. One of my own coping mechanisms is writing things down, writing lists, keeping a journal in which I can express my thoughts and frustrations. 
2. Thinking resiliently  -  stepping back and thinking the problem through logically in order to bring your emotions and your perspective in line with reality. Purely ruminating on the problem itself only leads to catastrophising, when a problem is magnified and consequently out of proportion with the truth.
3. Using optimism and humour  -  the ability to sustain hope in the midst of difficulty, the calm in the eye of the storm, the silver lining. Laughter has the power to decrease stress, boost the immune system and relieve physical tension. When was the last time you laughed out and so hard it made your belly hurt?!
4. Nurturing life-giving relationships  -  we all need reliable, faithful friends around us. Those we can turn to for support when the going gets tough. Resilience does not mean the ability to cope alone.
5. Physical well-being  -  as discussed in point two of our '10 Keys' it is important that we eat well, sleep well and exercise often. If your work is office based, understand the value of leaving your desk, even for ten minutes, to walk outside and get some fresh air.
6. Values, purpose and meaning  -  a strong moral compass, a sense of purpose and clearly defined values are all important features of resilience.
7. Developing strengths  -  understanding how we are made, what makes YOU uniquely YOU, is key. Strengthening our strengths and identifying our weakness are positive steps in improving our levels of resilience.
8.  Life-long learning  -  the on-going process of learning, of openness to new challenges and the development of new skills will improve our self-esteem, our confidence and our ability to approach problems creatively.  

All of the above provide positive ingredients for a resilient life; but, like making a scrumptious cake or a tasty curry there may be some need for a little experimenting.

Quotes taken from '10 Keys to Happier Living' by Vanessa King

10 Keys to Happier Living - Direction

Goals are ''The stepping stones from where we are today to our hopes for the future.''

Psychologist Rick Snyder describes hope as ''a positive motivational state'' made up of three elements:
* our goals ... What we want to achieve
* our psychological energy ... the driving force behind hope
* our pathways ... how we go about fulfilling our goals

Hope and optimism are two different things. Optimism is about a positivity, an expectancy that things will turn out well. Hope goes beyond this, as hope encompasses our thoughts and beliefs regarding how we will achieve our goals.

So, ask yourself ...
1. What goals am I working towards at this momentum?
2. What goals are important to me and why? 
3. What goals am I feeling most excited about?
4. What are some of the obstacles that might stand in my way?

''Goals connect our present

to our future."

Goals give us direction and purpose. They give us a sense of control over our lives. Goals help us to structure our time both in the short and the long term. Goals boost our confidence and give us something to look forward to and aim for.

Goals, or tasks, that are external, those thrust on us by others, ie. family, uni, work, may not all feel good to us. However, those we freely choose, those we find interesting have a more positive impact on our well-being.

Your strengths, interests, abilities and values will all influence your goals setting.  You may find that writing your goals down will help to reinforce them in your mind.
* Be specific, yet flexible.
* Understand the why behind your desires to pursue certain goals.
* Identify but don't be overwhelmed by obstacles.
* Know that big isn't always better, there is power in taking baby steps.
* Hang out with the right people - those who will important source of encouragement and moral support.

Quotes taken from '10 Keys to Happier Living' by Vanessa King

10 Keys to Happier Living - Trying Out

"Love learning, Love life"

"Being curious, creative, open to trying out new things and getting absorbed in hobbies and passion helps us to keep our brain in shape, find fulfillment and get more out of life and ourselves."

Often, when we think about what makes us happy, we think about short-term stuff like a scumptious meal, having more money to buy or do something we want, maybe two weeks in the sun!!  But true happiness is about a much much deeper, more meaningful sense of fulfillment.

"As humans, we have an inbuilt desire to learn, develop, be creative and grow that can continue throughout life. And this desire can truly help us to flourish. Learning is not only about acquiring formal qualifications, but more about what interests and excites us. It is about approaching our lives and what we do day to day with curiosity and a spirit of exploration, being open to trying new things - whether using our heads, bodies or hands - or all three. And being absorbed in hobbies, projects, passions and taking on new challenges can be a rich and important source of well-being and happiness."

"Our brain is like a muscle and, as with our physical strength, it can be a question of 'use it or lose it'."

Does your mindset limit your ability to be creative - to approach new challenges and experiences positively?

Never say never!

Never say can't!

"Given that there are always things in our lives that we wouldn't naturally be drawn towards doing, having interests that we choose to pursue and learn outside the workplace is an important source of well-being and part of a flourishing life."

Quotes taken from '10 Keys to Happier Living' by Vanessa King

Thought for the week ...

On a personal note ...

I've just had a few days away, at an annual Christian conference called Spring Harvest.  It was a fabulously, marvellously, wonderful time of physical, emotional and spiritual renewal.

This year's theme was entitled 'UNLIMITED' and was all about prayer. The Bible study teacher for the week, Pete Grieg, was excellent. I appreciated not only his wisdom on the topic of prayer but also his humility and vulnerability.

Here are just a few snippets of what I learned about prayer ...
1. Keep it simple  -  learned to pray about the small things continually, and not just the big things occasionally.
2. Keep it real  -  be honest with God in the place of prayer, be real about your pain and your disappointments.

This photo has absolutely nothing
to do with prayer  ...  I'm simply
enjoying a hot air machine

3. Keep it up  -  be persistent in the place of prayer. 
Matthew 7 encourages us to 'Ask, Seek and Knock', this is all in the present continuous tense, not just a one off act.

Pause  -  acknowledge the presence of God
Rejoice  -  give thanks, count your blessings (for they are many)
Ask  -  to pray in the name of Jesus is to pray in line with his character and his purposes
Yield  -  truly surrender yourself to God

NOW is the moment for prayer and participation!!