【推荐2】Balancing work and personal life is a challenge many people face in today’s fast-paced world. Achieving this balance can lead to a happier, more fulfilling life.    1     Here’s an exercise you can do to help find that balance.

First, on a piece of paper, write down “Work Responsibilities.”     2    List your current job responsibilities, projects you’re working on, and upcoming deadlines. Be as detailed as possible to have a clear picture of your workload.

Next, on a second sheet, write “Personal Goals and Activities.” Think about what you enjoy doing in your free time.     3    This could include hobbies, time with family and friends, or personal health goals. Remember, these activities are crucial for your well-being.

On a third sheet, label it “Time Management.” Here, draft a weekly schedule, allocating time for both work and personal activities.     4    This exercise will help you visualize how much time you spend on work versus personal life and where adjustments might be needed.

Lastly, reflect on the balance between your work and personal life.     5    Consider whether you need to delegate tasks at work or cut down on certain activities to make more time for personal pursuits. Remember, it’s about quality, not just quantity.

【推荐3】Good leadership skills are important, no matter what position you’re currently in. The following are several examples of tips you can use when increasing your leadership abilities:

Get inspired.     1     Determine what inspires you in the workplace and use that to fuel your leadership efforts and encourage others to take action.

Reward your employees. Good leaders don’t just critique (评判) employees or assign tasks, they also take note and reward employees for a job well done. When a team member achieves a goal or performs well, reward their good performance.     2    

    3     It can be hard to assign tasks if you don’t first trust your team. Learn how to trust and let go so that you’re better able to release certain responsibilities to others. Not only will this help build mutual trust between you and your employees, but it will also allow you to free up your own time to focus on things that matter.

Remain transparent.     4     Your team must be up-to-date on current circumstances to perform their best and focus on the most appropriate tasks to achieve their goals.

Find a leadership mentor (导师). There is likely someone in your company who holds a leadership position that you look up to. Consider asking this individual to be your mentor when it comes to developing your leadership skills.     5     Try to apply what you see that leader doing to your own work and ask for feedback regularly to ensure you’re making progress.

【推荐1】Alejandro Buxton’s candle business started with a headache. The 12-year-old’s mom suffers from allergies, and something in their house was causing her head to hurt. After going to the hospital, they discovered the cause of the headache: the candles. His mom had no choice but to get rid of the scented (有香味的) items.

However, he knew his mother really loved candles. To lift her spirits, he set up a lab in the family’s kitchen in the fall of 2019 and made a candle using only natural ingredients, such as soy and coconut waxes (蜡) and essential oils. Chemicals in her old candles were causing the headaches. He named his first product Jurassic Orange, which is similar to the fruit in color and smell. Jurassic Orange was a hit with his mom, whose headaches disappeared. But Alejandro wasn’t done experimenting. Within a few months, he had about six scents, including Chunky Sweaters and Cozy Socks, which smells like a fruit drink mixed with a pine forest.

In September 2020, he put his first collection of candles on Etsy, the online marketplace that specializes in handmade goods. He also sold candles at seasonal markets, such as the one in downtown D. C. where the vice president was shopping for holiday gifts last year. He recommended two candles to the vice president. She took some of his advice.

Jesse Benites, general manager of a big shopping mall, said the vice president’s visit “skyrocketed” Alejandro’s fame. A senior manager contacted Alejandro and invited him to rent one of the 12 retail carts at the mall. On September 1,2022, Smell of Love Candles opened on the second level of the shopping center. Alejandro is the mall’s youngest business owner. Inside the mall, Alejandro turned a large room into his production facility, where he and his staff make 600 to 700 candles a week. There were altogether 25 scents on the shelf. He continued to make new scents and wanted to see all his candles in every single household and love and joy come into the houses.

Alejandro’s candle business makes a good profit, but for him, the money he earned is not just for his own college fund but for local charities.

【推荐2】Tired of underpaid jobs and inconvenient hours, three entrepreneurial (富于企业家精神的) McLean teens decided to start their own company.

Their new company, TeenServ aims to solve teenage unemployment with a platform that matches students and community members who need short-term assistance with various tasks Through TeenServ, residents sign up to post jobs they need done. Teens signed up to work can choose to accept a job depending on their schedules and work preferences. Website users can pick up shifts wherever and whenever they want, making it convenient for hectic schedules.

A year ago, Jack Lannin, Quin Frew and Ben Jeannot worked as lifeguards at a local pool. Lanin told Tysons Reporter that they were upset when a pay change “almost cut their salary in half,” and they wanted to find another job but there were few options. Then they came up with the idea for TeenServ. “Aside from getting a real job, refereeing sports or yard work, there isn’t rally a good way to make money,” Lannin said, adding that even becoming a referee requires a significant sat-up cost for teens — around $70 — to pay for training and a uniform.

They started out by going door to door and asking community members if they would pay teens fair wages for short-term yard work. Soon enough,they began gathering opportunities. With help from an entrepreneurship class at McLean High School and feedback from teens, the students were able to turn their idea into a reality. So far, the website has employed more than 200 teens, according to Lannin. TeenServ pays students up to $18 per hour — well above Virginia’s minimum wage of $7.25.

The business is focused on mostly McLean for now, but TeenServ’s owners hope to expand around Fairfax County. That involves building up a base of teen workers before allowing residents to post jobs elsewhere in the county. After all, if residents need time-specific jobs done, they can’t be the ones waiting.

【推荐3】He came to Britain,16, with a handful of qualifications. ￡5 in pocket and a burning ambition. Thirty-five years later, Vijay, 51, and his brother. Bhikhu. own a drug company which does $234 million worth of business each year. Together they are worth ￡280 million and now they have been jointly named “Entrepreneur of the Year”.

It is an inspirational tale. Yet despite their wealth and this award, Vijay remains modest about their success. He praises his mother: “She is an incredible lady. She taught us hard work, honesty and we have based our lives on those qualities.”

In 1967,Vijay kissed his mother goodbye to London to make his fortune. “I had little more than my qualifications and $5,” says Vijay. “But to go with those, I had a huge ambition to make something of myself,” he recalls. Typically, Vijay looks on the bright side. “When you start from zero, things can’t get any worse. You have only one way to go. and that’s up - if there is a hunger in your stomach for success.” Vijny says. “My brother and I were determined to better ourselves and Britain was the land of opportunity.”

By 1982, he had owned six chemist’s shops, when Bhikhu, a then financial analyst, joined him, adding some “financial discipline” to his company. Vijay says: “I simply couldn’t have done it without him.” As he puts it, “Brought up under one roof, we understand one another from A to Z.”

Vijay is keen to continue repaying the country he has made his own. “We hope we are mode citizens and would like to remain so,” he says. “We are lucky enough to live in a country that never stands in our way.” His message for young people is to do the same: “Identify your aim, and do not let anything discourage you from achieving that goal.”