Almost anything we do online requires us to have some kind of log-in credentials or some type of password for gatekeeping purposes. Even newsletters and grocery apps require passwords. 

Not all accounts are created equal. Some are just throwaway accounts that you used to sign up once to get that free item or a discount code and some accounts contain very sensitive information that you would guard with your life. You don’t use the same password for both these kinds of accounts, do you? If you use only one password for all your accounts – PLEASE DON’T. In the immortal words of the Spice Girls “stop right now!” It’s a very, very bad idea to reuse passwords let alone use 1 password for ALL your online accounts. 

People are still terrible at passwords

The bad news, it’s 2023 and people are still using terrible passwords like “1234” or “password”. I’m not saying that’s you. I’m sure you’ve mastered the art of the strong password by now. A strong password, as I’m sure you know, has a combination of these:

• Upper case
• Lower case
• Numbers
• Special characters

You deserve a safe digital life

Aside from good password management, here are some simple ways to secure your digital life:

1. Use different passwords – you already know that it is a big no-no to reuse passwords. Use a different password for every account you create, otherwise, if one account is breached, other accounts could easily be compromised. 
2. Use MFA – MFA means Multi factor Authentication. This security feature adds another layer of protection (like a token or a mobile phone app) in addition to your username and password.
3. Use advanced authentication methods – aside from MFA, other advanced authentication methods include: biometric verification (like thumbprint verification or Windows Hello facial recognition). For next level security, you can use a Yubikey.
4. Secure your mobile phone – you may have strong security protocols in place but if your mobile phone is not secure, that could be a point of failure. So, secure your mobile phone with extra strong passwords, MFA, and advanced authentication (fingerprint or facial recognition).
5. Avoid storing passwords – avoid storing passwords either digitally or on paper. Use a password manager like the ones mentioned in the previous article or if you’re just looking for basic features, use your browser password management features. The convenience of using password managers is that you only have to remember one password, the one that lets you access your password vault. If you haven’t used a password manager before, you can watch an overview of how it works here. (Not advertising this service but it’s the one I’m using.) 

Stolen or weak passwords are still the most common reason for data breaches, so it’s a must to pay attention to the passwords you keep and create and make sure they are strong and secure.

What are your tried and tested security tips? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

I have signed up yet again for another account which requires me to create new login credentials. As usual, it will ask for a unique username and password. Gone are the days when you would just write down your password in a password tracking booklet. By now, you (and I) probably have a gazillion accounts, all of which require passwords that are at least 8 characters long. To manage these passwords, I now use an online password manager. 

I had no problems with my password manager until the most recent LastPass security breach. The company has yet to provide information on how many password vaults have been compromised and how many users were affected by the breach. This incident has left me (and a lot of people) thinking: is it time to ditch this password manager, and if so, what are the alternatives?

Lastpass, along with others like these listed below are cloud based password management solutions that help end users manage their ever growing password lists online by storing their online passwords in an encrypted format. Here are some other examples of password management tools:

• Keeper Enterprise Password Management
• ManageEngine Password Manager Pro
• Specops Software Password Management Tools
• Dell Password Manager
• 1Password Business
• Hitachi ID Bravura Pass
• Zoho Vault
• SailPoint Password Management
• 1Password
• Bitwarden
• Dashlane
• KeePassXC
• NordPass
• Keeper
• Password Safe

Most of the solutions listed above have enterprise grade security. However, that feature does not come cheap. Some of these tools are quite expensive. It got me thinking: is my password manager safe from a breach, are there other options aside from password managers? 

Browser love

I could use the browser based password managers in the meantime, for basic password management. Most web browsers have a basic level password manager. (You will notice this password management feature when Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox asks you if you’d like to save a password. Yes, it’s that basic.) This is a rudimentary solution but at least it’s better than having to re-use your passwords – or worse, use “1234” or “password” as your password (The top 2 most commonly used passwords used – if you’re guilty of doing this, stop.)

Google has a new and improved password manager built into Chrome that’s slightly better than the rest, but it’s still not as full-featured, or widely supported as a dedicated password manager like those listed above. Apple’s Keychain Access also works nicely and integrates well with Apple’s Safari web browser. The main problem is that if you have any non-Apple devices, you won’t be able to sync your passwords to them, since Apple doesn’t make apps for other platforms. 

Passkeys and whatnots

I could use Passkeys. Passkeys are generated cryptographic keys managed by your device. They’re generated as key pairs instead of passwords, so there’s nothing to remember. However, Passkeys are managed by your device, namely Apple, Google, and Microsoft. That is a single point of failure – and historically bound to happen.

Choices, choices, choices. I think I’ll stick to my password manager for now (for the curious, it’s Zoho Vault). It not only helps me track passwords but generates strong passwords for me to use as well as other helpful features. I won’t leave anything up to chance though, and should make it a point to use best security practices for all my accounts. I’ll share 5 best practice tips with you next time.

Do you use a password manager? Are you happy with the password manager you use? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

We’re in year 3 of the pandemic, and even as things seem to be returning to normal, there is always the threat of another storm brewing ahead (a new outbreak that could light the surge of another variant). During the past few years, we’ve all felt some form of loss as a result of the pandemic: the loss of livelihood, the painful loss of a loved one, and the loss of the “normal” way of life. 

While a lot of us have moved on in our own little way, there is just enough ambiguous loss for us to be feeling grief once in a while. What even is ambiguous loss? It is “a loss that occurs without a significant likelihood of reaching emotional closure or a clear understanding. This kind of loss leaves a person searching for answers, and thus complicates and delays the process of grieving, and often results in unresolved grief.”

For us, we’ve had to move on from the losses of the past few years in order to feel some semblance of being back to normalcy and be able to feel like we’re in the “old normal” again. But without closure, sometimes grief seeps in. 

We all know the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. However, grief doesn’t really follow a linear order. And it can be triggered by even the little things, a scent, a photo, a memory…

Sometimes, we cycle through the stages and sometimes we skip and jump right through them. Being able to cope looks different for everybody and it also takes time. And that’s ok, not everyone has the same timeline or the same journey. The important thing is to keep working towards acceptance.

There are a few other things that you can do as you work your way through grief and loss, here are some of them:

Honor the loss – acknowledge the person, the event, the experience, or the thing you are grieving over. Some of us like to power through making efforts to forget the memories. Rather than avoiding the memory of the loss, honor it by participating in rituals, ceremonies, etc. This is why the lockdown was rather hard on those who were grieving. It took away the ability of people to gather and participate in funerals, wakes, and cultural ceremonies that honor the life and death of lost loved ones. 

Express your emotions – it begins with identifying your triggers and knowing how to cope when they come. Stop avoiding or denying the loss. You won’t be able to wish it away or prevent it from ever happening. What’s done is done. The only thing left is to get to the point of acceptance and start healing.  

Ask for help – don’t let pride get in the way. When you need it, and you are going to need it eventually, ask for help. It could be from a friend, a close relative, a  support group, a therapist, or a counselor. And when others need it – be there to support them through their grief. 

Have you started on your healing journey? How are you doing so far? Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

We often think of fun as the opposite of work. In fact, we think of fun as a pleasant distraction from work. However, fun has many real life benefits which include better mental health, healthier body, and, won’t you know it, success!

Have you heard of the Happiness Paradox? The Happiness Paradox states that “when people try hard to be happy — when they make feeling happy a goal — their well-being tends to suffer for it.” So, if deliberating chasing after happiness makes a person miserable instead, what should the person do? Why turn to fun, of course!

Unlike happiness, fun is not a subjective condition that results from correctly aligned circumstances (e.g. when I get the job, when I have more time, when I earn more money, etc.). Fun is something that you can engage in anywhere and at any time.

Fun and play is linked with less fatigue, less burnout, a boost in empathy and EQ, accelerated learning. More engagement, and creativity. Studies also show that people who have more fun live an average of eight years longer than their more serious counterparts. Do you want to reap all of these benefits? Well here are some tips to attract more fun into your life:

1. Be easy to laugh
Some people wear seriousness like a badge of honor. They would know a joke if it hit them in the face. Don’t be that poker faced person. Be easy to laugh. How? Find more things to laugh about. Look for funny things and more moments to laugh. The more you find those fun moments, the easier it gets to find more. Bonus point: the easier you are to laugh, the more attractive you are to other people and to more moments of fun. It’s a win-win cycle!

2. Instead of “Yes but”, say “Yes and…”
This is an improv tip that gets used a lot in comedy and creativity training. What it is: it’s greeting new ideas with positivity (‘YES”) and generating new ideas of your own (“AND”). Why it works: it works because you don’t shoot an idea down on the onset, and instead accept, affirm and build on it. It opens you up to creativity and encourages possibilities.

3. Send out the signals
Each signal is unique to everyone. The simple act of a smile, making a point to look up from your phone and act like you’re noticing the world for the first time, a “silver lining” line (“good time to practice for the marathon” [while you’re in a traffic jam]), or a simple happy dance can signal that you’re up for some fun. Not only do you send out signals to whomever you’re with that you’re off to banter or do something less mundane and more playful you also send a signal out to the universe to send you more opportunities to have a laugh.

With these tips, you’ll be a fun magnet in no time. What are your fun attracting tips? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

New year, new you – isn’t that how the saying goes? Why do we make new year’s resolutions? Why this particular date? New Year’s day is a universal reset point for almost everyone in the world. Hear that – universal! That means it can stand true anywhere you are in the world. 

Sure, you can start your keto diet or your masterclasses on some random date, say Aug 18, 2023. But for a lot of us, the new year brings in a clean slate and everyone can start anew. It’s like a reset button that comes every year! So instead of picking some random date to start their newest endeavor, the consensus is to do it on a new year’s day, the first day of the first month – there’s no better starting point.

Why do we set new year’s resolutions anyway? And why is keeping them important to our wellbeing? Here are 3 reasons:

1. Aspiration

Setting New Year’s resolutions helps you create the person you aspire to be. This means there will be a lot of self reflection involved in creating your resolutions. We take stock of our lives and carefully look for areas where we want to improve and – to use an often quoted mantra – be a better version of yourself. For example, if your New Year’s resolution is to become smarter – then a goal of reading 1 book a month makes practical sense.

2. Stability

New Year’s resolutions can become the kick off point for guiding your decisions and helping you focus. For example, if you vow to lose 10 pounds by March – then this goal can guide you to make healthier food choices or to exercise more. Your goals can also help you focus on what matters to you. For example, if your goal is to read more, then it makes more sense to spend your down time picking up a book and diving into it instead of browsing through Netflix for another binge-worthy series that could take up your time during the weekends.

3. Drive

New Year’s resolutions can help you with motivation. How many of us have said to ourselves that we were going to reduce our carbs intake but then found ourselves binge-ing on mac n cheese in front of the TV? Raise your hand. I’m right there with you. Setting goals for yourself for the new year not only helps you with what you aspire to be and helps create a clear path for living your life this year, it also helps drive you to reach your goals. For example, if you’re dead-set on saving for international travel – then impulse buys and unnecessary spending will have to take a back seat. 

See, New Year’s resolutions don’t deserve the flack they’re getting. Jump on the bandwagon and make that list if you haven’t already. Vow to be healthier, happier and more successful this year. Share your resolutions with us in the comments (only if you want to). Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp