Safaa Nhairy

God it's been more than a month since I last posted on this blog. Time really flies. So much has happened since then. Some bad and most of it good. In a recent trip to London, I realised how much a particular communication skill is important. It is often overlooked as we live in a society that does encourage talkativeness and noise. You may have guessed which skill I am talking about... Yes it's listening skills. I remember growing up people telling my mom how quiet I was and how little I talked. They related that to shyness. I don't know what it was really - since later on I studied communication and taught it as well and kept on being the same. But when I was little, I knew that by talking I didn't learn much but by listening I was absorbing all what I was hearing, observing and even feeling.  In this recent trip to London, I realised that people are so absorbed by themselves and their lives that they truly don't have sufficient space in thei...

After my three birthday celebrations last week,  I ended up learning something wise that I’d like to share with you. First of all, what I see around me is people complaining about what others have done or not them for them. I have a girlfriend who always complains about how her husband does not bring gifts to her and spoil her. I have another friend who always expects something back when he offers help to someone…  The examples are countless, which leaves me thinking about what makes us ‘unhappy’. Usually when we’re unhappy, it conveys a feeling that what we expected didn’t happen. In other words, when we expect a gesture, a present, a feeling that we don’t t receive, we become unhappy. The question is why do we expect anything to begin with? I think we expect things because when we offer help, help or do a favor to someone, we do it with a premeditated goal (receive something back in the future). We rarely do something out of generosity, love, etc. Mothe...

Dans cette émission, je parle de mon expérience et des débuts de l'agence. Entre nous, on a censuré une partie où je faisais un coup de gueule aux banques marocaines. Normal, l'émission est sponsorisée par une banque... Dites-moi ce que vous en pensez. Votre avis m'intéresse. Safaa

Hakoo a célébré cette semaine son premier anniversaire. Hakoo est la première marque de cartes de vœux marocaines et qui proposent des cartes pour les anniversaires, mariage, naissance, diplôme, remerciements etc. Dans un langage humour ou classique, Hakoo puise dans la culture marocaine pour faire des cartes uniques et avec un cachet purement marocain. Hakoo compte aujourd’hui plusieurs dizaines de cartes de vœux et est présent dans plus de 50 points de vente dans tout le Royaume. Lorsque j’ai créé Hakoo avec l’aide de mon équipe, j’avais comme vision de faire des cartes de vœux l'outil de communication par excellence des marocains pour créer de la joie, de la bonne humeur et raviver les sentiments de leurs proches. Aujourd’hui, Hakoo est toujours à ses débuts mais est sur le bon chemin. Malgré les outils de communications plus modernes, les marocains commencent à voir l’importance de la carte et sa valeur. Lorsqu’on reçoit un texto, le sentiment n’est pas le mêm...

While we spend most our time in schools from age 6 to age 22 minimum, we don’t start understanding life until about mid-forties or early fifteen and sometimes never… Whoever invented schooling had a good idea however I am not sure we need so many years in the classroom. It is true that the learnings help shape our minds and brains and help us become who we are at the adult age. On the other hand, I am not certain this much information equip us with the right stuff to deal with the real life. As I graduated from university, I embraced life with full passion and the desire to conquer the world. Looking back I think I was beautifully naïve. Today with the university years way behind me, I cannot judge my success or failure based only on my academic and technical skills. While we invest so much time and money into acquiring degrees and skills, professional life is much more concerned with something else. Something that doesn’t necessarily require you to be the best, something s...

Here I am back from a mini vacation. As a read, I took Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins. Self-development books are great because they help you reboot your life in a matter of a few seconds, minutes, hours… What is interesting about the new phenomena of self-development and the Secret effect is that everyone now talks about gratitude and how important it is to be grateful for what you have before you ask for more or better. It is true that we spend our time looking for what we don’t have and we love comparing ourselves with others. Self-help books authors are right to suggest that one should implement gratitude exercises on a daily basis so s/he is aware of his/her given talents, resources and assets in life. It is a proven way that one will live happier and less miserable. To be honest, I didn’t need to read it from Tony or Ronda. Gratitude is something we are taught to ever since we are small children. After finishing a meal, you should say ‘hamdoullah’. Hamdoullah isn...

Holidays are usually the opportunity for me to do a little self-assessment on the projects I am conducting and their progress. As we are in the Eid Adha season, things are now quiet. Shops are already closed. People have left the cities to join their families. Nothing is happening in the business world... As I am thinking about the projects I am working, I am wondering why some have been unsuccessful. The word unsuccessful here is used in the way that people have not given me a response or haven't manifested any interest as of now. To me, I have been using all possible ways to convey the information and persuade them of the relevance and worth of the given project. They may also have asked for meetings or more information, But as of now no sign of hope... I wonder if when we people don't respond or don't give a definite answer I should consider this a failure. Should I hear the unspoken and read the unsaid? Strangely, I am one who doesn't give up until the person...

Sorry I am leaving blog.com for blogger.com It just seems that blog.com isn't for me. A lot of times my blog was not found when I typed the web address. I think blogger is more reliable. So here's my new blog address  http://safaanhairy.blogspot.com/  and sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. With Blogger, we should be able to communicate more easily through the different platforms :-) Speak to you soon!! 

This week’s challenge was actually something very challenging. I have recently read that to achieve what you want in life, you have to ‘create inconveniences’. When I first read this, I thought that was a crazy idea… In fact, creating an inconvenience is actually taking yourself out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to reach new goals and levels. It builds your character. It may seem like self-flagellation but the idea is that the more you do of something you dislike the easier it gets and the better you become as a person. The first ‘inconvenience’ I have tried and done this week was taking a cold shower. While at first, I just couldn’t even run the water on my feet now I have a little more courage and less anxiety when jumping in the shower. I can already notice, having done it 3 times now, that it is getting easier and more fun. I am focusing less and less on the cold water and putting more attention to enjoying the shower. The bonus is that I feel really good after...

Bonjour, bonjour. J'ai, très récemment, participé à un débat télévisé autour de l'auto-formation et les jeunes autodidactes, un sujet qui me passionne. L'émission Génération News a été diffusée sur Médi1 TV le dimanche 22 septembre 2013. Pour visualiser la vidéo, cliquez :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXifkzqWBh8 J'attends votre feedback sur les idées présentées et si l'autoformation est pour vous !!

Gosh, it’s only 2.45pm and I am already exhausted!! But I know, I am not the only one and have to keep on until 11pm/12am. WHY? Because I am a woman. Women are expected to be everywhere. At the office, earning some money, at the grocery shop, buying stuff for the house, at family reunions, solving problems, in the car, picking up the kids, at home, breastfeeding and baking… Being a woman is far from what Marylin Monroe portrays. Of course, there are women fully enjoying their femininity, time and keeping the nails shiny and polished but that’s not most of us. Most of us are just mad!!! We had hard time or maybe didn’t even have the choice to pick the life we want. Do we want to have a loving husband and a family? Or do we want a successful career? Or be a good housewife and mother? Or do a job we’re passionate about? Or earn personal money and have some savings? Or travel the world and explore new horizons. Well of course, we want it ALL. We are ready for no sacrifice. We jump...

Today 's discovery is an amazing recipe I read on the internet and didn't believe it until I have tried it : Flourless and sugarless pancakes. Needless to explain what benefits there are for a recipe such as this one... If you are into healthy lifestyle, this is for you... I am not sure I can call it a 'recipe' as it's a 2-ingredient recipe and really it couldn't be any simpler. Ready? You'll need, to make these amazing and tasty pancakes, 1 banana and 2 eggs!!!! You start by peeling off a ripe banana and then mush it with a fork. You then add to it the 2 eggs. Mix everything and get the pan ready with some oil. Pour some of the mix on the pan. Flip it when ready. And voilà!! Your pancakes are ready. Verdict : It was so good that no pancake was left. Why I love this recipe more : 1) It didn't have any sugar or flour 2) It takes 2 min to do and 3) no mess in the kitchen or loads of dishes required!!! Oh one thing, I actually sprinkled som...

As part of my back-to-school/back-to-work resolutions, I have decided to get a healthier lifestyle : better food and more exercise. The first I did on Monday (naturally and without upon reflexion) was ditching my car. I now use my feet to go to work (of course I don’t live too far from my workplace), do light shopping, go to the post office, pay my bills and meet people. Of course, I will use my car for when I need it. But today is actually the 5thday without using my 4-wheel engine. Surprisingly I feel lighter and free (I thought people bought cars to have more freedom). My morning, noon and evening walks is the best thing for me as I am certainly not a gym person and I have meant to go work out by the sea with a friend for ages but never got to do it. So, there I am, no car but have managed to be somehow active. The second thing I am working on is eating healthier. In a way, I am glad I don’t have house help (this won’t be for long). Because now I can make our meals and thin...

C’est la rentrée !!  Dur, dur après des vacances ensoleillées. Je profite de cette période pour ré-organiser mes idées. Voici quelques conseils que je suis et que je vais partager avec vous pour bien réussir sa reprise : FAITES UN TRAVAIL QUI VOUS PASSIONNE. Il serait malheureux de passer des journées entières dans un travail qui ne vous donne pas satisfaction. Certes, il y a des personnes qui n’ont pas le choix à cause de contraintes financières (On en parlera dans un prochain article) mais si vous avez des compétences et de l’expérience, ne gâchez pas votre vie à faire un métier ou à travailler dans un environnement qui ne vous plait pas. ORGANISEZ VOS JOURNEES A L’AVANCE. Trop de spontanéité ne vous mènera pas très loin. Un minimum d’organisation et de planification est nécessaire pour accomplir vos taches et atteindre vos objectifs.  Rendez-vous chez le dentiste, visite familiale, etc, ca se programme à l’avance. CONSACREZ-VOUS DU TEMPS. Souvent lorsque nous somme...

September to me is like January, a new year that begins. As the summer draws to an end, I look back at this year's goals and achievements. I also take a look at the obstacles, difficulties and what went wrong. So the last weeks of August, while people are sun-bathing (it doesn't mean I don't), I take time to reflect on my first 8 months of 2013. It looks like every year I have new challenges and every year I have new problems. But that is life, isn't it? I enjoy this process as it always helps me keep on track and update my personal and professional goals. I do have a lifetime, 5 year and short-terms goals list I did in a leadership program some years back. But I can see that some of my goals change as I get more experience and adapt to the 21 century latest technologies. Just on this note, I used to have 'create a magazine' as an objective but today creating a printed magazine is almost a suicide as people read less on paper and more on their smartphones...

Finally, I decided to create a new blog dedicated to inspiration and motivation. We all need it, don’t we? It seems like we are all on the same boat, needing encouragement, advice, tips and some reassurance. This blog is about how to keep being the best you are even during difficult times. It will be primarily from personal experience but I will also share any new learnings and knowledge. I hope you will find interesting things on this blog and that you too will be able to share with me your experience.