American novelist F Scott Fitzgerald wrote: “You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.”
I can’t remember when my love for writing began, but I do remember that, as a little girl, I wrote because I wanted to share my creative stories with my siblings and cousins.
When I grew older, I wrote business columns to reflect on and share my experiences as an entrepreneur.
In fact, it is my love for writing that inspired me to pursue a degree in communication and eventually become a communications adviser.
Through my career, I grew to appreciate the power of words to build great brands, but also how the wrong words could bring down the most prominent organisations.
However, what I have come to appreciate the most is how writing made me a better entrepreneur.
Years ago, one of my writer acquaintances asked me to join her in a month-long journaling challenge.
The aim of the exercise was to use writing as a form to process our thoughts at the end of a day and ultimately feel more uplifted by the end of the month.
In the first few days of the challenge, I simply reflected on my day and how I felt about certain incidents.
But as the days passed, I used my journaling to process my day at work, analyse what went wrong and how I could improve different skills.
Writing about what happened on a certain day allowed me to look at matters, and especially how I run my business, from a fresh perspective.
Once I wrote about my thoughts, I was able to see where my shortcomings were, what I did well and where I needed to improve my service offerings and managerial skills.
By the end of the month, I felt uplifted and had valuable insights into my business and myself that I probably wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t engaged in the exercise.
After that, I decided to incorporate business journaling into my daily routine.
Every evening, I dedicated 15 to 20 minutes to jot down what happened at work. I would highlight things I was proud of and things that needed improvement or revisions.
Step by step, I was able to tweak my behaviour as an entrepreneur and adjust my business performance.
Looking back, writing not only provided me with an avenue to vent and go to bed with a lighter mind, but it also helped me make better decisions, especially when I felt at loss.
Science backs this. A study published in the journal of Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes found that people who wrote about a decision they had to take ended up making better decisions than those who didn’t.
As entrepreneurs, we know how important a business plan is, but what I found to be equally important is to work on your plan and business development every day through writing.
Putting down your goals in writing and highlighting your flaws will help you reach your goals faster.
The next time you feel stuck at work, undecisive about the next step or in need of a fresh perspective, grab a pen and paper and write away.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications adviser based in Abu Dhabi.
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Blue%20Beetle
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')
Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')
Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
