Quintessentially is a private members’ club with a 24-hour global concierge service, and part of the world’s leading luxury lifestyle group. With offices in almost every major destination and thousands of suppliers worldwide, Quintessentially can hand you the virtual keys to any city. Quintessentially is your passport to the very best that life has to offer. Whether it be travel, music, art, food, drink, hotels, clubs, spas, restaurants or – most particularly – service, it’s committed to the notion that quality matters. No matter where you are in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; Quintessentially is there to help with all your needs, however extraordinary or difficult they may be.

Quintessentially can not only solve some of your most pressing practical problems (where to find presents in a hurry, a good nanny, the best gym in town) and save you money, it can also help you make the most of your precious time. From front row seats at fashion shows to spur-of-the-moment chartered yachts, impossible-to-book theatre tickets, dinner reservations, film premieres, charity galas and VIP after-parties… You name it; Quintessentially can almost certainly sort it.

Quintessentially and Magnificent Magazine have teamed up this month to bring you reviews of some of the hottest and newest, high-end hangouts in some of the world’s most exciting cities.

CAIRO

ALMAZ

If Egypt was personified, reflected within the confines of four walls, it might look a lot like ALMAZ. Dark wooden mashrabeya details, stained glass windows,  tiles that are the colour of sand, and the iconic star of Stella on the back of  the chairs, it’s a formula that is both nostalgic and current at the same time. Take a seat on the blue velvet couches, trendy cocktail in hand, and take a pick of the wide variety of Middle Eastern cuisine. ALMAZ sets the mood with music that ranges from chill lounge to Arabic hits both old and new, easy listening at its best. With its trendy and young crowd, it is definitely the place to see and enjoy its authentically Egyptian ambience.

CAIRO

THE TERREACE

The new kid on the block is The Terrace. Launched on December 10^th 2010 at Designopolis, this venue is the talk of town on everybody’s lips, and social butterflies couldn’t have been happier. This venue oozes elegance and trendiness at the same time, where one can eat an impressive meal and hang out – or simply enjoy a simple coffee and book in the outside lounge in the sunshine. Boasting a café, restaurant and bar all together, it is no secret that people are flocking every weekend to enjoy a proper full breakfast, a hearty lunch or a ritzy dinner with music in the background. If you’re in the mood to get out of the hustle and bustle of Cairo, head to The Terrace and enjoy a scrumptious cocktail with friends around and decent beats in the background. There’s also plenty of fun for kids as well with art projects and activities galore so parents don’t feel the need to be 100% Mom and Dad during their days off! That isn’t all … The Terrance has a huge line up of more surprises, more entertainment yet to come.

CAIRO

JAZZ BAR AT THE KEMPINSKI NILE

Want to be taken back in time with a hint of a modern day touch to your day? The Jazz Bar at the Kempinski might do the trick for you. Found on the tenth floor along with other highly-recommended restaurants, this venue is one of the best places to go to if you’re in need of a good dose of some drink and live entertainment. The interior is well thought of, with deep leather seats and dim lighting to get you into that perfect Jazzy mood. This bar prides itself on over 50 cocktails to indulge in. Its sleek sophistication and calm ambiance is a good choice during the weekdays where it’s less crowded than the weekends where you’ll find it jam-packed with socialites and a live DJ.

LONDON

Wyld –  The Nightclub concept at W London – Leicester Square

Named after Sir John Wyld, a Victorian entrepreneur who specialised in outrageous large-scale entertainment projects, Wyld is set to bring the wow factor back to central London’s hotel bar scene. The music and drinks policy are inspired by Rock ‘N’ Roll London; taking the Rock N Roll decadence theme to a stunning conclusion, Amsterdam designers Concrete have created a haven for London’s night owls. With a ruby glow emanating throughout the bar and an oversized mirror ball rotating in the ceiling, guests are sure to experience endless adventure and unforgettable nights. Taking inspiration from the sounds of Soho’s musical heritage, Wyld will feature a diverse and eclectic playlist of music by London’s best DJs and producers. Guests will be enchanted by the mix of Denmark Street’s jazz, blues and punk rhythms; the eighties cool of Wardour Street’s iconic ‘The Wag’ and the famous rock acts of Nirvana and David Bowie who took to the stage at the famous ‘Astoria’. Patrons will have the option of the most varied selection of irresistible cocktails, modern classics and all other spirits and classic aperitifs.

LONDON

Club Bond

The infamous nightclub located in the heart of London’s West End hosts some of the capitals most well-known and entertaining parties catering to an elite clientele of members and guests.  Open only on a Friday and Saturday night the Miami style super-chic venue boasts not only an incredibly sleek design, but is also installed with cutting-edge lighting, projections on all walls and bar technology second to none in London.  With its pioneering design and spectacular music, Club Bond is the ultimate London nightlife experience, revered for its elegance and ambience by members and patrons.  To experience Bond and a night like no other, all Quintessentially members and guests can receive free entry before Midnight.

BEIRUT

GAUCHO Beirut

Bringing the best in Argentine food and with the sophisticated glamour of Buenos Aires, one of London’s finest enterprises, Gaucho, opens its flagship International restaurant in Beirut. Its decadent décor is bound to impress, while the venue’s friendly front-of-house team helps yield the perfect dining ambience. Catering for up to 120 people, Gaucho is located at Phoenix Tower in Minet El Hosn and is just a few minutes from the city’s business and banking district and a short walk from the ever lively “Down Town”. It serves a distinctive menu, featuring the award-winning Argentine Ceviches – ‘the new sushi’, traditional Empanadas and renowned steak cuts from the finest free-range Argentine Aberdeen Angus Beef. Considered the best beef in the world, the steak cuts are cooked in the traditional Argentine way. They are cut to order, flash-grilled and turned only once to seal the juices and enhance the flavor, providing greater caramelization. Gaucho is a restaurant concept that does lunch, afternoon, pre-dinner drinks, dinner and events; a concept that is quite unique to Beirut and further enriches its culinary offerings. With seafront views, the mix of cowhide leather, mirror panels and statement sparkling chandeliers combine to make an impressive dining space matched with a sophisticated ambience. For a more intimate affair, the glamorous Private Dining Room, which seats 12 diners, creates an exclusive private party setting.

BEIRUT

Pure White

It’s been five successful years for White, the club famous for its cool vibes but the party isn’t stopping. After heavy demand, White moves into a new home in summer 2011, becoming Pure White. Pure White will be a cocktail for the senses: aural, visual, culinary. Expect an atmosphere that’s seriously fun but still White at the core including everything we love about this upbeat place: the no-holding back when it comes to entertainment and big-name performers along with the intimate rapport Pure White builds with every guest. At heart, Pure White will be all about fun, escapism and creating that unique feeling for one special night. A night at Pure White, and magic happens…

HONG KONG

JaaBar

JaaBar is one of Hong Kong’s newest haunts for those in the know. Off the well-beaten drinker’s path of Wyndham Street and Lan Kwai Fong, JaaBar deals in a certain kind of unpretentious exclusivity – the kind of place where friends come to hang out but you have to know the right people to get in. Opened by three friends with the initials J, A and A, JaaBar serves great cocktails among plush surroundings. Though the venue is petite, the saying goes that good things come in small packages. Don’t let the exterior fool you – hidden down a small, dark and rather dingy alleyway, JaaBar is definitely a diamond in the rough.

HONG KONG

Lily & BLOOM

Lily & BLOOM draw their inspiration from the physical streetscapes and downtown street life that emerged in great cities near the turn of the 20^th century. This is a new duplex space which BUZZ CONCEPTS in Hong Kong partnered with AvroKO, a New York-headquartered design and concept firm. Lily is one of the most popular names in New York City at the end of the 1890’s that offers on a mostly-forgotten but still-sexy classic cocktail menu from mojito-like South-side to obscure Tiki-favorites Donga Punch. BLOOM is an eclectic, comforting American brasserie offering everything from oyster shooters to ceviches and seafood platters with abalone and geoduck.

JOHANNESBURG

BUDDHA TA

Buddha Ta is the top new and happening spot in Johannesburg. It is an upmarket, sophisticated venue that caters for an upper-class clientele offering speciality cocktails and tapas-style food platters. It consists of large four bars, general lounge areas and two large mezzanine levels – with functionality to be used as VIP areas or for corporate functions. Buddha Ta is truly exceptional exemplified in its double-volume ceilings, lush reds, golds and browns and a large Buddha centrepiece overlooking the main lounge. The décor and fittings make it a perfect place to meet, relax, have fun and embrace the spirit of Buddha! Be Awakened!

JOHANNESBURG

CAFÉ CULTURE

Café Culture is a new Bistro Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge, located in Fourways, Johannesburg. Café Culture offers a very relaxed yet contemporary vibe where people can just chill, enjoy a sundowner or have a sumptuous homely meal. Speciality meals are pork and merlot pie, fillet with gorgonzola, caramelised onions on baguette & tempura hake and rosemary potato wedges, amazing Salads and sinful Desserts. In the evening it is best described as a house party away from home, which is characterised by fun and a good party with close friends.

BUENOS AIRES

TÔ

After two successful years in Argentina, the Frapanese cuisine restaurant opens Tô Mio Hotel Recoleta in Buenos Aires. Keeping the excellence that characterizes Tô, presenting a perfect fusion between two of the best cuisines worldwide, with the highlight of Japanese atmosphere and French charm combined. With a renewed and unified menu in both places which expresses the perfect spirit of Tô, Toufic Reda, the creator, will delight exclusive diners with original creations using the best raw materials found in Argentina and beyond, such as Beluga caviar, foie gras or Kobe beef. Its unique selection of sushi includes rolls such as Le Dragon au feu, roll of shrimp tempura, avocado and cream cheese wrapped in salmon with sweet and sour sauce, the most requested of the menu. Recoleta Tô also offers delicate bakery to accompany afternoon tea. At sunset, becomes a unique meeting place to enjoy good music and the best international cocktails by Santiago Urquhart. For lovers of the good life, Tô Recoleta offers an ideal place to make a fine cocktail or a drink with delicious full “tapeo” at their leisure, as it is open throughout the night.
Ensuring the success of this second opening, Reda Toufic partnered with another great young professional gastronome of Argentina, Roberto Garcia Moritan, managing partner of Astrid & Gastón Buenos Aires, betting on this new project to continue its important contribution to the cuisine of the world.

BUENOS AIRES

THE FOOD FACTORY

“In the heart of Palermo, The Food Factory by Tomas Kalika, goes for a new concept in what Argentina’s restaurants offer. With a rebellious spirit, invites the most discerning palates to enjoy the exquisite flavors and “aromas” on the menu. The restaurant has modern and eclectic decoration, and a central kitchen surrounded made of glass for everyone to see! The idea, is to show the kitchen “backstage”. Tomas Kalika, was brought up as a chef under the guidance of experts, such as Eyal Shany and Jacques Divellec; and today, is very proud to open up his own kitchen to Buenos Aires market where he states clear his “Leit Motiv”: Changing the rules.The menu is divided in 5 sections: Small &Cold/Hot & Cold; more than 50 option of mini-dishes for your delight!

Illnesses hit people in no time without regards to their differences or similarities. When a serious illness becomes a reality in somebody’s life, only two choices are there; either to hold up or to give up on survival. The question is why to give up when you can fight back? Why to think that you are not for it? And why to ignore the fact that others, who might have less chances of survival, have managed to rule out illnesses from taking over their lives. Unfortunately, some people might think that these are nothing but mere theoretical beliefs that don’t match the reality to our world. However, real-life experiences have managed to prove that serious illnesses can be beaten by means of strong will and persistence.

keeping the psychological balance is the secret key to recovery:

It has been confirmed that patients with similar diagnosis who receive the same kind of treatment are believed to have different chances of survival according to their psychological strength. Accordingly, being psychologically sane tones up the patient’s ability of resisting illness and reinforces his chances of recovery.

Scientifically speaking, although the physical treatment of is a must, it’s believed that the psychological status contributes a great deal to recovery since it helps strengthen the immunity system to fight illness back.

With distress comes relief:

Stories of serious illnesses survivors give tangible experiences and serve as true examples of inspiration and hope to others… such stories are meant to focus on the way those people have managed to cope with the changes they’ve had in their lives and how they have become much stronger and more appreciating to every breath they take after their recovery..

* Evan Ross – brain tumor survivor

Let’s start with a 25-year-old man named “Evan Ross “. Ross has been told by his doctor that his chances of surviving brain cancer are only 2 percent!! The moment he has heard this, Ross has realized that his life will get overhauled .However, he has chosen to haunt his chances of survival… later, Ross has followed a plan he has made himself. The plan is based on two axes of resistance; a physical and a psychological one .As for the physical resistance, Ross has decided to read much about his case .This , by its turn, has helped him adopt a new methodology to keep his body healthier. As a result, Ross has quitted the undesirable habits as smoking, followed a food diet, and worked out daily. At the same time , Ross has gone through hard times especially when he has been made to consider carrying out several brain surgeries for removing the tumor entirely, go through high doses of chemotherapy, and stay most of his time between at hospitals …and here, the role played by the second means of resistance is shown clearly. As a matter of fact, Ross has managed to strengthen his psychological status realizing that it has a great effect on his recovery process. Consequently, Ross has always tended to remind himself that this is a temporal experience from which he must learn to become stronger. Moreover, Ross has been able to keep his fear at bay and keep his mind clear by practising meditation regularly, having consultation from different specialists to help him get an accurate picture of his prognosis, and deepening his relation to his family , friends and people who care for him. Ross is now in remission and not a day goes by unless he remembers those precious lessons or feels a deep appreciation for his second chance at life. Verily, Evan comes next to many other cancer survivors who represent a great source of hope and inspiration to cancer patients allover the world. It’s worth mentioning that many of the celebrity cancer survivors have contributed greatly to the processes of early diagnosis and recovery of many people from cancer. For instance, the Australian pop singer, Kylie Minogue is known to have suffered an early-stage breast cancer at the age of 37. Kylie has managed to beat cancer by chemo and radiation treatments after a struggle of 18 month. It is said that Kylie’s story has caused lots of women to have early detection of cancer. also Robert De Niro, Colin Powell, Christina Applegate, Olivia Newton-John, Nelson Mandela and many other celebrities come in the endless list of celeb cancer survivors who have had their lives changed and have helped others change their lives for the better.

* Tom Whittaker- amputation survivor

Tom Whittaker has managed to create a world first by becoming the first disabled person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. In 1979, Whittaker’s right foot needed to be amputated after a car accident. However, Whittaker has decided to resist and never to let go of his dreams concerning reaching the Mount Everest. In fact, Whittaker’s life has realized that his life has changed forever and only he is capable of making this change to the better. Thus, he has trained a lot that his prosthetic foot became an advantage to climbing rather than a disadvantage. In 1998, on his third attempt, Whittaker has managed to bring his dream into reality by conquering Mount Everest. Whittaker’s current quest is to break a new world record by becoming the first amputee to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents. When reaching the Mount Everest, Whittaker has said “”When I say I climbed Everest what I really mean is … my team climbed Mount Everest.”

Thanks to science, great developments are being made each day in the field of prosthetics where artificial limbs are becoming increasingly similar to real limbs. Surprisingly, these limbs can itch, ache, and feel as if they are moving. What’s more astonishing is that such prosthetics can now be made to mimic the appearance of real hands, complete with freckles, veins, hair, fingerprints and even tattoos. So, it’s not only about being able to restore the function of the amputated limb but also about how to psychologically feel that you’re normal and sound as many other people.

* A magical potion to help create a positive change after having a serious illness:

- Accept the fact that illness has become a reality which you have to deal with.

- Make a plan to fight back relying on both physical and psychological resistance.

- Haunt hope wherever it is and never let nothing deter you from believing that you can beat this all.

- Most important, learn how to value each day you survive at present and consider that the future can never be taken for granted “ no one appreciates the life he has until he almost kisses the face of death “.

My words are stunned when trying to depict people like these. These people who have been able to survive against all odds by altering their lives for the better. These people who have managed to prove, not only to themselves, that illness is conquerable. These people who have precluded illnesses from seizing their lives, no matter how bad their illnesses have seemed to be. Such people have proven that one’s self is the real muse which can help him adjust with any changes in a positive manner … so, deep down you must realize that “ it is you who can make a change! “

After these days of glory we’ve witnessed in El-Tahrir Square, namely Liberation Square, it was very obvious that our country is pushed hard on the edge of a religious abyss between Muslims and Christians. Though all agreed what happened in Atfeih and Mokatam was a clear scheme to sow the seeds of split between us Egyptians with some religious nonsense, we cannot help but find ourselves in the middle of a dark era in our nation’s history. Clashes and collisions between us take place every now and then. Some are blaming and accusing the remains of the toppled regime which continuously tried to force a gap between Egyptian Muslims and Christians. Well, I agree, but not entirely though!

In the existence of illiteracy, unawareness, sterile education materials, poverty and unemployment; we can easily fall in such catastrophe. These incidents were not just a spur of the moment things. Those were accumulations of many years of lack of taking proactive and predictive actions to prevent what we’re going through right now. No remedies were created to improve education, healthcare or prosperity. No, they dried education materials at schools from what would give our kids that sense of loyalty and belonging to a religion and to a nation. Mediation was the only way to get yourself a job. Crimes committed seemed to have no one responsible for but those who are mentally disordered. Those problems are a result of the malfunctioning of systems, yet, the nation’s systems are based on people, and those people are bonded to us. It’s about time to make the change we are all eager for; changing ourselves.

Let me tell you a couple of stories to show who we really are, hear this. Back in college, I entered the office of my graduation-project professor saying: “Good evening, sir” The Christian professor looked at me strangely and replied “It’s called: Peace be upon you, Mahmoud, not good evening or good morning. We Egyptians; Muslims and Christians don’t have a place for such lousy stuff”!! Small thing, yet, means everything.

And back when I served in the army, while in the month of Ramadan, Mena my friend was having a service duty, with some of other comrades. The duty compelled them to stay in one place for a twelve consecutive hours without going anywhere. Mohamed, a friend who were not involved in that service remembered that Mena didn’t eat or drink for eight hours. Mena was so careful not to eat or drink in front of his two Muslim comrades. But Mohamed insisted to bring him some food to eat and some water to drink and waited until Mena was no longer hungry or thirsty. While Mena was showing respect to his Muslim friends, they made him eat and drink some respect in return. That’s the way it was and should be.

Let us see what religion says about that, both religions. The religion carried by Jesus PBUH never held anything but love and kindness to all human beings. Wasn’t he the one who said “If a brother of yours slaps you on a cheek, turn the other one to him”? Shame on anyone who offends or reaches a harmful hand to some one his only crime is to follow such great ethics and behavior.

On the other angle, There’s this pact that our leader and teacher; prophet Muhammad PBUH had pledged to the Christians of Nagran’s deputation and to all Christians on earth. We insisted to mention it as it is, in Arabic, as no words can deliver or replace the real essence and deep meanings within the genuine Arabic language. The pact says:

“لنجرانَ وحاشيتها ، وسائر من ينتحلُ دينَ النـّصرانية فى أقطار الأرض: جوارُ اللهِ، وذمـَّة ُ مُحَمـَّدٍ رَسُولُ الله، على أموالهم، وأنفسهم، وملــَّـتهم، وغائبهم، وشاهدهم، وعشيرتهم، وبـيـَـعِهم، وكلِّ ماتحتَ أيديهم من قليلٍ أو كثير ٍ .. أنْ أحمىَ جانبَهم، وأذبَّ عنهم، وعن كنائسهم، وبيعهم، وبيوت صلواتهم، ومواضعَ الرُّهبان، ومواطنَ السُّياح .. وأنْ أحرُسَ دينهم وملـَّتهم أين كانوا بما أحفظ ُبهِ نفسى وخاصَّـتى وأهلَ الإسلام من مِلـَّـتى .. لأنى أعطيتـُهم عَهْدَ اللهِ على أنّ لهم ما للمُسِلمينَ، وعليهم ما على المُسلمين، وعلى المُسلِمينَ ما عليهم .. حتى يكونُوا للمُسلِمينَ شُرَكاءَ فيما لهم وفيما عليهم.” (من كتاب فقه الحضارة الإسلامية د.محمد عمارة/ مجموعة الوثائق السياسية للعهد النبوى والخلافة الراشدة)

The Prophet Muhammad PBUH wanted to build a Muslim-Christian relationship based on sharing and equality in citizenship rights and duties. Blending and merging were some of so many things he wanted for both. Peace, safety and justice were the pillars and foundation of this relation. A guarantee of that is taken from Allah and his prophet on Christians’ money, family, community and business whether big or small. It’s Muhammed’s pledge to defend their churches, monks and religion wherever they were, by the exact means he – Prophet Muhammad – would defend himself, his family and any Muslim. Muslims and Christians according to this pact shall have similar rights and duties so as to have them as equal partners. Anyone who breaks this pact or trims down some of Christians’ rights is nothing but a traitor to such teachings of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunna.

Eventually, it seems like both religions as well as our enlightened minds are all directing us to the way of unity. It’s just those who are stupid enough, racist enough, or evil enough who might think otherwise. It’s time to wake up, and really know our religion and know who our friends and enemies are. It’s time to take action, everyone. It’s time to wake up for the sake of this beautiful nation of ours.

People all around the world have been watching in wonder and witnessing in fascination the Egyptian people flow through the streets of Egypt. As they streamed in and out Tahrir Square demanding peacefully for their rights and asking for total reform, facing the forces that has imprisoned them thirty years in their own land. The most significant aspect of this revolution is that it was powered by the young, or as some used to call ‘The Facebook Generation”. Witnessing this unique and powerful movement of human will, we realized the frustration, the torment and suffering of those people while the world was watching, waiting but doing nothing.

None of us viewing that scene could know what resides in the hearts and minds of those people, nor expect what will follow. Will they succeed to achieve what they’re aiming for?! Those young people were echoing the dreams and desires of freedom, determination and humanity around the world. The struggle for a decent life was their dream. They suffered decades of failed democracy, massive poverty and corruption, continued repression of their rights and general lack of freedom. So if the streets of Egypt are to teach us something, these are some lessons that we need to learn:

Lesson no.1:

Believe in the Youth:

Those ambitious, passionate young people who roared for liberal rights and social equality, their scream for freedom this time was quite loud. Have you ever doubted the power of young people? If you did, what do you think now? The ability they had to change their future was enormous and the inspiration they gave us was genuine. They had gained our total respect with the peaceful protest they led. They made us believe that nothing is impossible.

Lesson no.2:

Social Network is the new tool to Freedom:

We used to believe that social networks are limited to status updates and posting photos of birthdays or weddings. Now we come to know that Facebook and Twitter are the new tools to mobilize people and organize events that may change the features of history for good. That is what exactly happened in this revolution. So, never underestimate an online article or post, or even an insignificant tweet or quote. Information spreads very quickly through such social networks especially when a country tries to impose a news black-out.

Lesson no.3:

The Stereotype has Changed:

The world has viewed us as being oppressed, lazy and close-minded. The people all around the world thought that we were helpless and vulnerable. They have seen us governed by dictators and rulers who claimed to know the true meaning of democracy. Well, we are proud to announce that they were wrong. We have changed the world’s view of all Arabs. We did even teach them some good lessons. One of them is never think that a dictator can suppress determined people for a long time. And those with excessive pride will fall from grace crushing their egos in one moment of clarity and challenge in front of the honest needs of citizens. The law-breaking rule -based on force, brutality and rough treatment- will sooner or later come to a sudden end!

Lesson no.4:

The Power of Unity:

Women and men, young and old, Christians and Muslims, rich and poor all have one goal, one aim, one target. It’s to set free, to feel safe and secured in their own country, simply to gain their rights back. No one at Tahrir square asked for the kind of religion you practice; or what job you do; or even how you came here, by car or on foot! They were all busy searching for liberty. One of the most unforgettable scenes during the revolution was when the call of prayer came and Muslims were protected by Christians who guarded them till they finished. How charming this scene was! It was a demonstration of harmony and unity between Muslims and Christians.

Lesson no. 5:

Determination and Patience is the Key to Success:

The demonstrators have suffered a lot through this uprising. Their confrontation with police forces, the blackout of the internet services, not to mention the camel and horse battle and the thousands of prisoners set free to frighten them. But the revolutionaries stood firm, courageous and determined. They have planted the seeds of liberty and waited in patience until they blossomed.

Lesson no. 6:

Patriotism and Devotion are finally showed up:

Egyptians are widely known for making history all along ages. They have been through many wars, lost some and won some, but this time was quite different! While everyone was busy in Tahrir Square protesting and struggling to reach their aim, chaos was at its peak. The police forces completely vanished from the streets of Cairo and the news of the thugs and run-away prisoners was widely spread. Everyone was concerned about their own safety and panic set in. There appeared the true essence of the Egyptian character, ordinary people created groups of night-watch shifts to protect their neighborhoods. Their only weapons were sticks, knives and batons. We were all so proud to see such young people in every street checking in with everyone and making sure that no weapons are involved. They sacrificed their lives to protect and guard their families, children and above all Egypt.

The lessons are many! We have already learned some but there are lots more to come. We are currently in a transitional phase with a burning question: What’s next? We need to benefit from our enthusiasm during the revolution and take it all along the way to the future. We need to establish democracy with a brand new constitution and comprehensive political change that will not only affect Egypt but also the rest of the Arab World. So, do your best be a good Egyptian citizen, and please promise me to: work harder, join the reform to develop your country, help as much as you can in all fields available, keep it clean, safe and stay active. And don’t forget that freedom is nothing but a chance to become better, and that our tree of liberty was hosed with the blood of martyrs. God bless their souls.

Have you watched Friends’ episode last night? It was a thrill, that guy Chandler, at his wedding day with Monica, totally freaked out and just disappeared! Do you believe it? His friends couldn’t find a trace of him! Why did he do that?! Every time he has a nice going relationship with a fine spouse, he blows it up. What on earth is he doing?!

Well, he has a commitment phobia my friend! Yep! But don’t be judgmental; most of guys are commitment-phobic too. You may be one of them. Actually, recent researches declared that it’s not only men who have commitment phobia. The ladies have a quite good share of it.

It’s so important for those who have commitment issues to deal with such fear, in order to control it. Do not justify your fear of commitment by telling yourself stories like “it just didn’t felt like she is my soul mate” or “I’m just waiting for the romance of my life”. Well guess what! The romance doesn’t just knock on doors and get in. Wake up and realize that you are having a real problem here. A problem which you must realize the effect it has on you, leaving you with nothing but a couple of a broken hearts, and a serious hesitant personality. Let’s have a look on what you are doing when a typical commitment phobia hits you.

A Common Scenario:

First; you see some girl. You like her and she likes you back. You get to know her. She gets to know you. Then you both see it fits. You get engaged. Your friends are telling you, “You are a match made in heaven”. Oh, all the romance, tell me about it. Now, you are supposed to step up to prepare for the next level; getting married. And Boom, it hits you like a rocket in the head. The commitment phobia takes its toll on you. You start to freak out. Doubt your decisions. Ask yourself these so many perturbing questions: Am I going to get stuck with her for the rest of my life? I won’t be free anymore! Should I be tied up to one person only? Is she really the one? Would she be the one who makes me happy until the rest of my life? Probably you are now hearing the echo of these last words in your head “the rest of my life”. It’s like Satan has rented a room in your head and held a speaker phone yelling “The rest of your life fool, get out of there, what are you doing?”

Analyze this and that:

The key to understanding commitment phobia is recognizing that such behavior is rooted in fear. Fear of lost options; It’s just a one exclusive relationship from now on! Or fear of making poor decisions; is she really my dream girl and soul mate? Your mind interprets those decisions as permanent, opening the possibility of being caged or trapped forever with no means of escape Such fears can turn the wedding decision into a tremendous burden with severe consequences; breaking up and leaving your spouse in an untenable position with nothing but a broken heart. This leads us to the next ride.

Fear on the Fourth Gear:

Letting the fear of commitment controls your decisions means that you lose the chance of, mostly, a very stable romance relationship you could have had. Furthermore, you make fantasies of a perfect imaginary flawless spouse that you dream of and try to find. This even complicates things much more than they already are, and make it a mission impossible to find the right spouse to match your standards. Recent researches discovered that at some advanced stages in this phobia, you will even try to find spouses like you; commitment phobic. Oh dear God!!

Regain control of the wheel:

After hearing what’s been said, are you still determined to let that fear controls you? Let’s run over your anxiety. How about having a peek behind that great wall of commitment! Ask a happily married couple of your friends. No, just see their exchangeable smiles; this married friend wears this strange smile since he’s got married, right? That bright and shiny smile spread across his face. It’s the confidence he gains more than ever. It’s the settlement he always dreamed of. It’s the baby on the way or who he already had; this kid who just makes his day every single day. It’s like he never experienced happiness before. It is, and is only the love which comes after marriage. It is when both sides are overwhelmed with love. When commitment becomes the shield from bad weather. You can never replace commitment with honesty or sincerity or whatsoever. It is only commitment that gives live a hard evidence for trust and obligation. This is the solid ground where you can start building your life together.

At the end, I need you to remember. It’s a normal thing if you’re having some commitment issues. You’re not alone on this. You just need to work it up for your own sake first. It makes you a better person and a happier man. And no doubt you will eventually find the forever lasting love! As for myself, the writer, I know I will too, even though I happen to have some commitment issues, but shush, don’t tell anyone I told you so. It’s our little secret!

What will you type in Google search? You’ll be searching for a way of life to be more successful or just hunting for a means for you to become a loser?”….Life is just like a search engine and it’s only you who type words that control your path in it. It’s your choice to type the suitable words that can really make great difference in your life, and put in your mind that you’ll come across millions of pages and results. Being optimistic and searching for success is easy but taking the way to becoming a pessimistic, loser is not difficult either. Your destiny is just a click away. So click and tell me! Did you choose to gain more in this life or just to be a jerk and “PeSSimistic”.

“Yeah, you will have a baby who will grow up to be optimistic”.

There is nothing like that in life, in other words being optimistic or pessimistic is not a feature you’re born with. It is just a behavior learned -either through experience or people who tell us who we are. You might have an experience when you were young like falling in one Mathematics exam. And since then your depressed spirit was acting like a judge and put your mind in jail forbidding it to come again near this subject “Math”; which is for intelligent people only and not for dump people like you. Or maybe you gained this “optimistic” or “pessimistic” behavior from people around you. Phrases like: “You are good in languages… but you suck in Math”. Unconsciously, you feel that you are super in using languages and so your mind will be capable of being more creative especially in the language side. But as soon as your mind comes across any mathematic equation, it will just stop working and behave as a paralyzed dummy thing. Thus before you decide on whether to be “optimistic” or “pessimistic”, you should stay away from such “depressed spirit” that will cause you nothing but fall and don’t give in to the “judgment of others” who really know nothing about your mind or the potential you have.

People are two kinds dump computers and intelligent ones.

Just imagine that you have an intelligent PC! Is it capable of performing whatever task you want?! You know what?! What really matters are the applications installed. It’s your decision to install silly dump stuff or smart applications that can help you greatly to spend time effectively. The same happens with you. You are that PC and your spirit is just the kind of application you decide to install. In other words, if you are quite intelligent person and all of a sudden you feel like a dim-witted. Believe me your spirit will turn to the pessimistic side and treat you in such level. You will see nothing but “a gloomy and dull world” and will utter nothing but “I’m a loser, I’m just a jerk and failure”. You get it! It’s time to start believing in yourself and look at the optimistic side of life. And believe me if you have the most intelligent and the best PC ever with some silly and dump applications, then it’s just a worthless PC

Is the glass half empty or half full?

Whether you are optimist or pessimist, life will show you hard times and you will be faced with choices that will require a decision to be taken. You will experience these tough times every now and then throughout life. What really makes the difference is your attitude and how you will deal with any defeat. You have positive or negative expectations? The optimistic attitude will face any terrible fall with encouraging expectations. Means that he will get up, brush himself off and continue with his journey to success. Such fall will be nothing but a mere bump in the road. However, the pessimistic approach will be completely different and will deal with any setback as a disaster or a hindrance that makes achieving goals impossible. Any bad happening seems like the end of the World. This person will act like an ostrich, burying his head in the sand afraid of facing the challenges of life.

Fun Fact: Optimists live longer!!

Yes, some researches prove that Optimists normally live longer and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. With their positive attitude records show a measurable increase in the body’s ability to fight off common colds, flu, and diseases that others seem to attract. It has been stated that an optimist will age better as well, as a result of having a good outlook on life in general. So it’s time to have a sanguine outlook and live your life in a more pleasurable way. And remember if you think that you can, you can; and if you think you can’t, you simply won’t.

Teach yourself to be optimistic

Are you one of those who always look at the dark side and never take even a glimpse at the bright side of life? Then it’s time to teach you how to be in a buoyant mood.

First: Trust your spirit

Gain self-confidence and trust your spirit and keep repeating “Spirit, I am intelligent and I have enough potential to overcome any difficulty and become more successful!!” Believe me your spirit will just obey and help you bear many challenges. It will show you another side of your true self which will make you surprised!!

Second: Stay away from pessimists.

Yes, if you have pessimist friends or colleagues, just stay away from them because they are just in despair and will affect you and your spirit by spreading negative pulses and radiations. Start gathering with happy people and learn from their experience. See for yourself how they help your spirit fly high and make you feel better about yourself.

Third: Don’t cry on spilt milk

Unfortunately many people keep their thinking focused towards what was and what has been. It’s like looking in the rear-view mirror of the car instead of training their minds to focus on the front windscreen to see where they are going.

Fourth: Read

Sometimes we need a push. Someone to encourage us. Even a word to make us feel better about ourselves. It’s in your hands! Start buying books about how to be positive and how to gain confidence to deal with any quandary. These kinds of books will be so supportive and help you face any complexity you might come across.

Start believing in yourself and in the power of positive thinking and you will see how your life will be more exciting and meaningful. Just put it in your mind that “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”, Helen Keller.

Getting fired is something every body hates and dreads. But hey, it happens to the best of us. Whether you are still a young rookie or a senior-manager grandpa who is about to retire, your pink slip knows how to reach you. You just don’t know when or how, or sometimes even why?!

As for the reasons

It could be anything. Starting from the occasional layoffs to save budget, passing by your inadequate performance at work – don’t blame me – ending with that your supervisor just didn’t like you. Anyway, you should be prepared.

As for the preparations

Rule number one: Always keep your résumé up to date. It’s a job itself to try to make a résumé while you’re actually looking for a job, so keep updating.

Rule number two: Network and socialize. Whether he is a coworker, or she is a senior executive you met in a seminar, or may be just a customer in a project or a regular sales process; start some nice conversation. Blend, mingle and chit chat. Be nice, you never know, those people may give you a sought-after working opportunity when you get discharged.

You are fired, now what?

First, please don’t get angry. Don’t pick up a fight or shower your boss with some bad language. If s/he is a nice person, s/he probably feels bad about letting you go as much you feel sorry for losing that job. And if they aren’t, at least save a good reference for yourself. When other employers consider hiring you, they would mostly ask your ex-boss as a reference about your work and attitude.

Try to find out why! If you’ve messed up anything, it’d be good to learn how to avoid falling into it again in the future. If it was a race issue or something personal, you may use your keys to leave a good mark of protestation on the glossy paint of your boss’s new ride. Hey! The guy just fired you. Don’t look at me like I’m the devil or something?!!

I should remind you to finalize any paperwork related to your pink slip.

Pick up your stuff ASAP and leave with peace. Don’t stop at every office telling about what happened. In fact, try to manage not to wander around while leaving and pick the shortest way to the exit. Leave a note with some good friend and he would spread the news for you. Everybody would understand.

The glass is half full

Anyone who had ever built an empire or changed the world was once in your shoes, and because of that, they were able to make it happen. If your former employer couldn’t match your talents with the job he had for you. Or if your skills and experiences were sinking in that place. Know that, there are lots of other employers who seek these very skills and talents, and literally would give you more money and grant you the big office with the view plus a secretary for them. “I failed in some courses in collage while watching my friend passes them. Now he works in Microsoft, and I own the company.” Bill Gates.

The whole thing could be a rebirth of you. I mean, was that job your dream career or specialty? You might have been working as an engineer, but what you really love and so talented at is cooking! Why not start a restaurant, or find one that needs and appreciates your talents? Probably they seduced you with the salary back then and you sold your dream just like that. You can still live that dream. It’s never too late.

Interviewing quick tips

Of course the upcoming employer would ask you about such discharge. So hear from me and keep your ears open. Three keeps; Keep it brief¹, keep it honest² and keep it moving³. “Well, my boss and I didn’t completely agree on the way quality versus production issue should be solved, but I have learned the lesson and would really love to execute what I have learnt here, if you give me that chance to prove myself.”

Also, prepare your answers before you make it to the interview. And most important, don’t appear angry about that discharge, and don’t insult your ex-boss. Let me rephrase that last part; do not insult your ex-boss in front of your probably future boss, if you catch my drift.

Always have faith in yourself, and remember; the best of us get fired every once in a while, and you’ve got to let what happened go. The world should be prepared for a new you.

Do you want to make your wedding stand out? Thought so.

In order to have a memorable wedding, you need to be more creative about your wedding planning and choices. There are many elements that you need to work on in order to have that special, unique, wedding everyone will be raving about. This is your day, so spoil yourself and go with your gut! Invite and explore unique ideas into your wedding.

The Wedding Theme

Having a wedding theme not only makes the event unique and memorable, it also helps in the planning and preparation. It makes things easier for you by helping you narrow down the choices on venues, wedding supplies, and everything you need for the wedding.

Weddings are best remembered for their uniqueness, so start out by picking a theme for your wedding that is new and different. Next step is to personalize it. You and your fiancé might share a common interest or a hobby which you can integrate into your wedding theme.

Just be sure to choose a theme that would best reflect you and your fiancé’s personal interests and personalities. Check these ideas:

- An imaginary wedding theme, for example you can imagine yourself in Hawaii and have the site constructed as if you are there. Have your wedding reception during the day, hang posters of the sea, play beach music, put sand and ask your guests to come wearing shorts and beach dresses or you can imagine your wedding in the winter time, you can have artificial snow flakes and have Christmas decorations, and add other special effects and music to get you and your guests in the mood.

-Most brides want to feel like a princess on this special occasion, so why not hold a fantasy or fairy tale wedding theme to turn that dream into a reality? Make a stunning entry by a riding a horse-drawn carriage. Turn the flower girls into dreamy fairies. You can decorate the place and make it look like a castle.

- A Culture Wedding theme is also a new idea. Choose whatever cultural theme is closest to your heart (Japanese, Indian, etc…). If you are fond of Asian culture, you can have an Asian themed wedding, with the country’s traditional clothes, food, music and so on.

-A holiday wedding theme, you can hold your wedding on Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s, April fool’s or any other holiday that you like.

The Wedding Gown

White is beautiful of course but don’t be afraid to play things up a little bit. You can always accessorize it with embellishments to make it glamorous. Try using silver or gold colors along with white. Incorporate laces, chiffons, light silks, satins, pearls, crystals and breezy silhouettes. But again, have the courage to do something different and have fun with it.

The Bridesmaids

Here’s an idea: you can have your bridesmaids wear cocktail dresses instead of floor length gowns. While most brides choose cooler colors like teal or pink for the brides’ maids, you can go for fuchsia or bright green dresses. They will make your wedding more vibrant and lively.

Flowers and bouquets
Try this little twist: add beads, crystals or pearls, into your bouquets. Use flowers that are in season. Dare to change, step outside the flower box, that’s what will make your wedding unique and memorable. Choose orange, yellow and blue instead of the typical white and red roses. Add sparkle to your bouquet by wrapping the stems in ribbon embellished with crystals. Again make sure your choices align well with your theme.

Centerpieces

Flowers always make a great centerpiece right? Be creative and spice it up with non-floral embellishments like accessories that your guests may enjoy to take home after the wedding. Another way you can use a non-floral embellishment for your wedding is by adding pinecones, feathers. Surround the centerpieces with candles. Another idea, Love fruit but want something new? Think small baskets of creatively cut fresh fruit such as strawberries, kiwis, mangos or melon and speaking of melon, have your florist use hollowed-out watermelons as a centerpiece container for a casual look that’s fun and seasonal ( if your wedding is in the summer).

The Wedding Cake

Forget the traditional 3 story white cake for God’s sake, it’s been here forever. What’s hot now? Think fresh strawberries and whipped cream filling for a strawberry shortcake-style wedding cake, sounds yummy huh? Or a citrus-infused filling like Key lime, lemon, or orange vanilla butter cream cake. According to your theme, you can choose a custom made cake, for example if you choose a beach theme wedding you can order a mermaid or dolphin shaped cake.

Beyond the cake, consider serving other desserts. A big-hit idea (if the weather is hot): Serve ice cream with delicious flavors at the end of the ceremony — the perfect late-night snack for your guests. Caramel apples are a great treat for your guests too. Have them packaged individually and tied off with a ribbon that matches your colors so guests can grab the treat on their way out without getting caramel on their nice clothes. Chocolate is always a favorite treat, so consider chocolates in the shapes of flowers or stars or whatever goes with your theme. Display them in individual boxes at each place setting or on trays near the dessert table.

The Food and the Beverages

Having different recipes and dishes from all over the world is creative and fun. Have a section for Chinese food for example, one for Italian (for pizza and pasta lovers), one for Indian (spicy), one for Mexican and one for your country’s local kitchen. This way you are sure to satisfy everyone’s taste buds and people get to try different kinds of foods from different countries.

As far as the beverages, if you are holding your wedding in the winter time, consider renting a cappuccino machine with different kinds of cappuccino flavors and hot cocoa, your guests will love the variety and will stay warm, while if it is summer time, have a fresh fruit juice stand where your guests can go and order their fresh fruit juice or cocktail.

The Invitation

Depending on your wedding theme, you can get totally creative here. Forget the beige invitation card. If you are having a valentine’s wedding theme, you can use bright red paper and the font color of the wording could be golden. Add hearts and flowers. You can also have a picture of the two of you incorporated into the invitation card. Make a small corsage for each wedding invitation and attach it to it for a beautiful effect.

The wedding favors

These are the little gifts that you give to your guests to keep as a memory of the occasion. Make sure it’s something that is going to last, that’s why candy isn’t a very smart idea. A little photo frame with the picture of the both of you and your initials engraved on it all with a little thank you note would be something nice and memorable.

The Guest book

This is the book where your guests who attended your wedding sign their names and write a little something for you. Personalize it and put your initials on the cover and on every page. Customization is a great way to make your wedding truly memorable. Have a photo frame filled with fun images of the two of you together to visually share your personal story with your guests. This will be a perfect way to decorate your guest book table.

Ok, so some of the ideas above could be quite expensive. You don’t necessarily have to do everything mentioned above, you can pick and choose according to what you can afford and even create your own ideas that fit you and your budget.

Apples of Z Heart

Brand New Responsibility

A mature to be

By Lobna Khairy

Back in August, 2009 I was at the AUC studying the principles of voice coaching and TV presenting. Back then radio hosting and writing were my ultimate goals; they were the dream that forced me out of bed each morning and had me cursing every sunset that came by. On the very last session, the instructor- as promised- sat us all down to give her final feedback and honest advice. We were anxiously fetching for flattery and kind remarks to complement all the hard work we’ve put to ace our challenges. Being the sincere self she’s known to be, Dr. Maha tried her best to deliver her thoughts without embarrassing or de-motivating anyone.

I was expecting her comments to be limited to voice tones, facial expressions and body language when she surprised us all with her graver remarks. She was addressing characteristics that affected the way we talked, acted and reacted. She told me that I, for some odd reason, come off as the shy girl. She told Hossam, that he needs to lighten up his seriousness. She told Heba that she doesn’t need to smile because she already has a friendly face. And then she turned to Nancy; her voice changed, she was now speaking as a mother rather than an instructor. Throughout the course, she kept on telling her that she would be an excellent TV presenter for kids, which drove Nancy crazy because she wanted to be taken seriously, yet, no matter how hard she tried she always came off childish and funny. It was then that Dr. Maha uttered a word that I never thought could affect someone that much. Maturity! Her advice for Nancy was to work a lot, to read a lot, to gain as much experience as she can to become more mature!

At that very moment, maturity was more of a sign to me than just a random remark. That was- and shockingly still is- exactly what I’m missing. I had just turned 22; I was two and a half months pregnant; I was keeping it a secret from almost everyone and I was living in denial! The pregnancy news hit me by storm; it was as if betraying my own dream; a brick wall that I cannot destroy nor cross over. And I kept saying I’m not ready to be a mother; I don’t have what it takes to be a good mother. And it’s true! I was not patient; I was not, by any means, into kids; and I had too much on my plate at that time to simply shut off or make room for what’s about to come. But the truth is I was scared, terrified actually to raise another human being while I, myself, am not done growing up.

It is such a huge transition being married with a kid; before when I was about to go to college, I never felt it was that big of a difference because I still lived with my parents, I still had to study, I still panicked during finals and I still had to wake up at 7:00am! Yet, only one factor was changed and I was never overwhelmed or horrified. But with marriage you become responsible for everything, starting with managing the house all the way to safety and cleaning, that of course and the fact that for the first time in my life I was living with a boy!

Exactly one month after coming home from what I can only call a luxurious honeymoon I found out I was pregnant, and my life started to shatter right in front of me. No more published articles, no more radio shows let alone the possibility of a TV show- because who would want to hire a bloating mum to be- and definitely no more clubs and long late-night dinners with super cool friends who have nothing to worry about. Back then, I thought of those nine months as eternity as if I would always be nothing but a pregnant blob. I just couldn’t see a life for me after having a baby and I kept on waking every night to the same nightmare of being an ugly, boring, fat, 40-year old housewife who has wasted her life doing absolutely nothing.

I was totally alone in this pregnancy; I had to rely on books, internet, my mum’s narration of her tales with what seemed to be a sillier version of me and other mums, that I can tell you now since my son is about to complete his twelfth month were lying straight to my face with the whole “motherhood is a blessing” story. Allow me to tell you what motherhood really is; it’s being on call 24/7, never having a fixed schedule; it’s to live your life day by day, when plans almost never fall into action. Motherhood means giving up on your wishes to meet your baby’s fierce demands. It’s not sleeping at night for weeks and in my case probably for another year. It’s to put your personal life on hold until your baby sleeps and when he does you spend it hoping his nap would last for at least an hour. It’s a constant sense of guilt and question whether you’re doing everything you can to provide a happy healthy home. It’s playing calm and patient when all you want to do is scream and run away. It’s never having a quite time let alone a quality time. Motherhood knows none of an “I,” it’s always he, she or they. That is the ugly truth about motherhood, in some ways it is truly a blessing but most of the time it’s none stop work.

I learnt that the hard way and still to this day I wonder how every woman went through it and survived. I wonder how they get everything done without falling apart and yes I envy those who are still single and not looking. I envy their ability to sleep late on weekends and have a fun night out whenever they want. I’m still waiting for me to adapt, to mature and suck it up. I have a long road ahead of me and a lot of barriers I have to cross. But I can tell you this for now, being a mum is a huge life changing experience even if I’m, at the time being, still struggling, I know deep down that one day I’d wake up a new, improved and hopefully a more mature me.

Have you been feeling like it’s time for a big change lately? Do you get the sense that your career is not the right fit for you? If you’re feeling frustrated, unchallenged and unfulfilled in your work, the time might be right for you to make a major change. Profound changes, both personal and professional, can happen between your twenties and your thirties. In that time you may discover and develop new talents and interest. The list of life changes that happen in this time frame is long, and when you have just finished college, you can’t possibly predict how all of those changes will impact your career related values and needs after 8 to 10 years.

When you get older, you may feel more comfortable and confident with your own preferences. You may have discovered a sense of self and a sense of confidence that you didn’t have when you were younger. As a result, you may be ready to make career choices that you didn’t have the courage to make. You may be ready to take on a challenging career that you didn’t have the confidence to pursue when you were younger.

Changing professions, however, is not something to do without some serious thought and consideration. Whether you want to return to work, get your dream job, achieve a better work-life balance or simply need the challenge, this career decision making advice will help you think through your midlife career change. It’s important to take a serious look at the many possibilities and outcomes before you jump into a new career or field. Consider these 10 tips as you make a transition from your present career to your next. Let’s get started…

1. Be sure of your reasons.

Just because you’re unhappy in your current job isn’t a strong enough reason to make a total career break. Carefully analyze whether it is your actual career you dislike or whether your employer, supervisor, coworkers or office situation is the problem.

2. Find out what field would you like to work in.

So now you have to know what you are interested in. Science, medicine, government, accounting, media…. There are so many choices it can be overwhelming. Take your time to think it over to make sure you make the right choice this time.

3. Do your research.

Be sure to examine all possibilities before attempting a career jump. Talk to people in your network; read career and job profiles; meet with a career management professional. The more information with which you arm yourself beforehand, the more successful you will be. Learn about the industry. Get a feel for the field that interests you. Read industry journals, attend conferences, and talk to people in the profession about what they do. Learn whether your target industry has growth potential. Trade magazines and organizations have created web sites that offer searchable databases where job openings in many specific industries are listed. Start looking at these sites on a regular basis.

4. Know the requirements.
You need to know what qualifications are required for the field that interests you and also consider if you are willing to do what it takes. Entering a new industry might mean you need a certification or a license. Make sure you are willing to take these steps. Examine your qualifications. Do you have the necessary experience and education to be considered a qualified candidate in your desired career field? If not, you need to find a way to bridge the credentials gap. This might mean making your goal more long-term while you go back to school or receive additional training.

5. Have a clear plan.

The smartest move that you can make is to carefully map out an effective career-change strategy. This should include a detailed action plan that takes into consideration finances, research, education, and training. Keep in mind that a successful career change can take several months or longer to accomplish, so patience is key my friend.

6. Focus on your talents and strengths.
The No. 1 key is to build a career on your strengths. Consider your natural talents or abilities, or those things that come easily to you. Do you find it easy to persuade others? Do you have a passion for working with numbers? Do you communicate better through the written word than you do in person? Think of your personal traits and use them to steer you in the right direction.

7. Highlight your transferable skills.
When switching careers, you must pinpoint and highlight your transferable skills. These are the talents and experiences that can be used in many different careers and are not those things that are industry-specific. For example, if you have managerial experience, this is something that is useful in any industry. The same goes for communications savvy, computer know-how, writing proficiency and event planning. Some experience may seem to be industry-specific at first, but can be turned into a transferable skill. Just make sure you portray your background in a way that is attractive to any hiring manager.

8. Update your job search skills & develop your network.

It is especially important to polish up your job-hunting skills and techniques before you get out there and start networking. Make sure you are using your time and resources as effectively as possible. Begin improving your professional friendships early and tend them regularly. Professional organizations and job industry trade associations are a good place to start. Many of them hold networking events and job fairs.

9. It’s time to pay your dues.

Don’t expect to begin at the same level of seniority in your new career that you held in your old one. It will take time to move up the ranks, but if you find a new career that you absolutely love, it will be worth it. You will be doing something that you love, so it is ok to start at a junior position and work your way up.

10. Keep your head up.

Don’t be discouraged if you face many set backs or if things do not go the way you had planned. Keep trying and give it your best and soon you will score your dream job. When you believe in yourself, everything is possible.