Personal Development Mastery – Life & Work Balance - Ideal Lifestyle Article
Guest Author: Anna Aparicio
7 STEPS TO OVERCOMING BURNOUT AND ANGER
Being a woman in today’s society can be extremely fulfilling, but also challenging at the best of times. We know we should feel lucky and grateful after how far we’ve come in history. Yet, a lot of us may have taken on more that we can chew…
After working hard for years, many of us are find ourselves in unstable jobs, finding it hard to balance work and family, short of money, not having enough time for friends, traveling, or even ourselves. A lot of us are confused, sad, feeling stuck and frustrated; a perfect recipe for anger. Anger, when not dealt with can turn to depression, or worse.
So what can we do to avoid this?
1) EXPRESS YOURSELF: Sometimes we don’t feel like it’s ok to be angry towards our partner, our employer, our kids or friends. However, anger, when not externalized, can turn into depression and even manifest physically in the body in the form of diseases like cancer. Simply allowing yourself to talk about what it is that is bothering you can be liberating and can make you feel better straight away. A lot of us are embarrassed to talk because we are afraid we’ll cry and or make a fool of ourselves. However, sometimes that’s all you need, to just release those pent up feelings. When you’ve done so, you’ll have cleared up your mind and you’ll notice you think about things in a more useful way.
2) BREATHE! Brian Colbert, author of The Happiness Habit, says breathing is fundamental for optimum brain function and succeeding in life. It allows you to be present in the moment. Here’s an easy technique that will allow you to release tension straight away: take a deep breath while you count to 4 slowly. Pause. Hold your breath for 4 counts. Pause. Exhale slowly for 8 counts. By the time you reach 5, push the rest of the air out of your lungs. Repeat this process 10 times. Notice how much calmer you feel.
3) DISCOVER HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME BETTER: It’s not about working harder or longer, it’s about working smarter. By learning to plan, organize and prioritize, you can get more done with the time you have, and make sure you are spending our time on the things that matter. Many of my clients have discovered the tips and skills that have allowed them to live life on their terms and break free from stress, anger and depression.
4) LEARN TO DELEGATE AND SAY NO MORE OFTEN: A lot of us have what I call the “superwoman syndrome”. Because we are great at multi tasking, we think we can be everything to everyone and do everything ourselves. And it has to be done by us, because we are the only ones who can get it done perfectly. This is not realistic or useful, and can lead to more stress. Learning to let go and delegating the right task to the right person will free up time, and allow you to take a break and unwind.
When we say yes to extra work, we are saying no to all the other things we would like to be doing instead. It’s important to know when to say no. This can allow you to free up a massive amount of time and stress in an instant. By asserting yourself more often you will boost your self-esteem and feel better about yourself.
5) SCHEDULE SOME “ME” TIME: Time for yourself is not luxury time, it’s a necessity. It’s about ensuring you make time for some fun. It can be about the little things that make you happy: working out, reading your favorite book, or taking a bubble bath. It’s important to schedule some “me” time you can look forward to, if not every day, a few times a week. Wanting to do this is not enough, you need to schedule it in your diary and follow through with it.
6) EAT MORE HAPPY FOODS: With so many responsibilities, a lot of us often forget to eat, or do so badly. As a result our brain chemistry is compromised, which can result in stress, depression, and other health conditions. It’s vital to eat fresh unprocessed foods high in nutrients, such as vegetables, nuts, lean meats and fish, fruit… If you are always on the go, eating small portions every 2 hours or so can provide you with a constant flow of energy, which means you’ll get more done and feel better about things. Experts recommend we drink 1 liter of water for every four stone of weight, just for optimum day to day functioning.
7) PRIORITIZE EXERCISE: A lot of us put exercise last on our list of priorities. Even though we know it’s important, and we want to do it, we make a thousand excuses as to why we can’t do it. We are tired, cranky, we’ve had a lousy day at the office… so, and we skip the workouts. Then we feel even worse for having missed them. This is what happens when we expect certain things of ourselves and we don’t follow through with them. Research shows that quality is better than quantity. A fifteen minute intense interval workout will not only have you burning fat for hours, but also release the feel good hormones called Endorphins. Regular exercise, especially in the fresh air, will make you feel better about yourself, more relaxed, and generally happier.
About The Author: Anna Aparicio is Ireland’s Top female NLP/Hypnosis Coach. She is accredited and highly recommended by The Irish Institute of NLP.
She uses Neuro-linguistic Programming, Hypnosis and other psychology tools to develop profound and lasting changes in all areas of your life.
As a former fitness trainer and nutrition expert, she specialises in: weight loss, fitness goals achievement, eliminating cravings and overeating, anti-aging, and boosting confidence and motivation.
Anna has featured on RTE’s The Afternoon Show as The Confidence Coach, and has been published in various Irish lifestyle publications.
Now you can claim her free report WHY YOU’LL NEVER GET WHAT YOU WANT UNLESS YOU DO THIS at http://www.delite.ie
10 Tips for Setting Up a Home Business
By · Comments10 Tips for Setting Up a Home Business By James Adams
You might like the idea of working at home: you get to set your own schedule, be your own boss, and reap the rewards for all the hard work you do. Home businesses rarely turn into a life of ease, and the challenges of building a successful enterprise often stymie even the best intentions. To help get off to a good start, here are 10 tips for setting up a home business.
- Make a list of important needs: You probably need a desk and a computer, but also figure out the work surfaces you need as well as storage space. Think about all the tasks that your work will involve, including meeting with clients and make sure you have it all covered. As you plan, make sure you have enough space reserved to accommodate your business activity.
- Separate business and personal resources: From bank accounts to computers to furniture, you need to have things for your business kept separate from your personal things. This is important for psychological and organizational purposes as well as for taxes. Be sure to review tax requirements with a professional before you get started.
- Live a disciplined life: As a new home business owner, you depend on yourself to support yourself. You must work a regular schedule and have the discipline to get things done because if you don’t, no one will be there to take up the slack.
- Find alternatives for meetings: If you have cramped quarters, you may not want to have your client come over to meet with you in your kitchen. Find a conference room you can rent or make it a policy to meet at client sites.
- Keep records: Mostly for tax purposes, you need to have a record of everything you do. This will save you a lot of money on taxes and back you up if you get audited. Also, you need to have a record of everything you have done in your business in case legal or ethical questions arise.
- Have a business plan: When starting a business you need to have a formal business plan to keep you focused on your mission.
- Save some money: You need to realize that work comes and goes at uneven and unpredictable times, so you need to have some cash on hand to keep you and your family on an even keel. Also, self employment taxes are killers, so be sure not to spend everything you earn from your business.
- Avoid the small time, shoestring operation look and feel: Keep people from scoping out your residence by renting a post office box for your mail. Use Google Voice or other free telephony software to get a separate business phone number. No matter what kind of car you have, keep it clean, especially when calling on clients and potential customers.
- Join business organizations: The Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have a lot of clout in local and state governments, so be sure to join up and attend their meetings and social gatherings. You’ll get to meet your competitors as well as a host of potential customers.
- Learn to say no: As a small business, you will be tempted to take any work that comes your way. Set standards for yourself and respectfully decline opportunities that promise to cost too much.
Use these 10 tips for setting up a home business to get headed in the right direction with your new endeavor. Take your time, plan carefully, and enjoy the ride.
James Adams is a self-starter with an interest in business. He is currently working as blogger and analyst for a specialist ink cartridge supplier where he reports on tech news, analyses newly released hardware such as the CLT-K4092S and posts about design and marketing on their blog.
Internet Marketing Business Start-up Guide
By · Comments
Best Business Mindset: Home Based Success – Internet Marketing Business Start-Up Guide
I remember myself anticipating to having my first website ready when I first started, as if when I would have it ready, my business would become internationally known in a blink of an eye! Being Enthusiastic is essential… Another thing that is essential though, is to try to keep your feet on the ground. Becoming known on the internet it’s a Step By Step process that you have to go through very carefully and with consistency. The more focused and consistent you are from the instant you start, the sooner you will achieve your business goals, by accordingly following your business plan! Most of All: Do Not Panic!!
Take a Step at a Time from the Following.
Establishing Your Target Market
This is probably the most important thing you can do when getting your business started. You have to do your research on Who Your Customers Are before you get into any type of marketing and advertising. Especially with Pay Per Click advertising e.g., on Google Adwords you have to know what are the right keywords for your business in order to attract the right people to you, that will ask exactly for what you have to offer. Marketing to the wrong set of keywords will KILL your business, produce a substandard leads. On the other hand, marketing to the right set of keywords or the right target market will EXPLODE your business.
Find A Good Domain Name And Hosting Company
This is the second very important part of your business foundation. Having a good domain name that relates directly to your offering business opportunity and a hosting company that has reliable customer service daily 24/7, Live Support to make sure your website – blog is up and running effectively.
Domain Purchase Service Options:
For Domain Names I use netfirms.com
They also offer free privacy for your personal information on “Who Is” directory.To see the offers and the prices:
Hosting Service Companies:
I host my websites here, great LIVE costumer service 24/7 and cost effective, Unlimited Web Hosting and 99,9% Uptime guarantee:
Decide What Method You Will Use For Your Promotion Plan
Squeeze Pages or Branding Site? After you have established your target market, and set up a domain and a hosting account for your website, you will need to decide what type of Marketing Site you will use. Squeeze pages and branding sites are different, but both are necessary tools for the internet marketer. As with any other topic, you will get different opinions when it comes to Squeeze Pages or Branding sites. I use Branding Sites as I want people to get to know who I am and where I come from before starting any kind of partnership or business deal with them.
Difference between a Squeeze Page and a Branding Site (or BLOG)
A squeeze page is a mini sales page. Squeeze pages are also called opt in pages, splash pages, and landing pages. It’s the first and most important page that you will create and the place where your people will leave their name, email and number, in order to get more information about your Internet Marketing Business or Product – Services. Your squeeze page should have a smart eye-catching headline and invoke curiosity. The content of your squeeze page should address to solve a ‘problem’ or fill a ‘void’ of your customers.
Branding sites are designed to brand YOU. WordPress sites are great for branding. WordPress sites have a home page. The home page allows you to provide more information and detail than a squeeze page. As I mentioned earlier the branding site is meant to give your people information; lots of information about you, your product, and your services.
Lay out your branding site with a home page about your product and service. The “about me” tab should be all about you…your story, your background, and your truth.
It is a people’s Business and people will connect with you if they like you first and trust you later.
Pay Per Click Advertising
Getting Acquainted with the Forms and The Functionality of Pay per Click Advertising.
What is PPC?
Pay Per Click Marketing is the fastest way to drive traffic to your web site, period.
The three big pay per click sites that we recommend are as follows and they are in this order for a reason with Google being at the top.
- Google Adwords – http://adwords.google.com
- Yahoo Search – http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com
- MSN Ad center – http://adcenter.microsoft.com
Google is the main pay per click marketing search engine. There are other places that you can market on pay per click. The three major search engines are Google, Yahoo, and MSN, but Google controls most of the market.
How Does Pay Per Click Work?
Pay Per Click works by you selecting keywords that are related to your business, product, or service.
1. You choose keywords or key phrases
2. You bid on those keywords or key phrases to get them seen
3. Google determines which ads to show
Internet Business Guide
So how do you get your ads seen?
1. Write a great ad (great copywriting is a key factor in all marketing)
2. Bid the right amount
3. Make your ad relevant to your keywords as well as your website
Google Adwords Program has unlimited free informative tutorials on how to set up and start your PPC campaign. There you will have the choice to target your ads according to language, country, set your own preferred bids on your ads and keywords, and set specific days for your ads to run or pause them anytime you wish.
After you make your keywords research, when you will know what you are doing it won’t be that difficult to get your ads seen throughout the web. To many people rush to get their ads out on Google and do not do the proper research, or work with experienced marketers and coaches.
You can apply the strategies you use for Google to Yahoo and MSN. Google’s pay per click program is called Ad Words. There is a difference between “natural” searches – the search results that appear on the left-hand side of the search page and the “paid” search results that appear on the top and right-hand side.
Article Marketing Advertising
Article Marketing is probably one of our favorite and cost effective ways to market.
This method requires a process and time to get results and visibility. It’s a way in order for you and your business to become known on the web and consider you part of the Online Marketers Community. What happens when you do article marketing is that people pick up your articles for content on their sites, for content. It’s huge. Your content is spread around virally.
The way this works is you write an article, something of value. Be sure you check out our chapter on outsourcing on next paragraphs, because article writing is something you shouldn’t waste a lot of time on yourself if you don’t like to write, aren’t good at writing, you can outsource it to experts.
When you write and submit your articles, you are putting in your links on these articles, the articles that you produce. These are one-way back links to your site, so when people pick up your articles for content, the Google crawler picks up the links and your site goes up in ranking. That means more visibility for you, more traffic to your site and recognition.
The articles you submit should be relevant to the topic of your business. They should pertain to what you are doing and whatever business you are in. In this case your articles should pertain valuable content for your readers to go through concerning Home Business Industry Topics. These could be Internet Marketing Techniques, the advantages of running their own business from home, freedom of time, ‘How-To’ articles which are a very ‘HOT’ plate for the search engines and many more.
Make sure that your articles are around 300-500 words long. You want to be picked up as providing good content about your industry or business. You should have a bio attached to the article. BIO is the only place that you can ‘sell’. It’s the place for you to ‘TAKE’. This is where the link to your website or splash page will be located. The bio should be about you as the author. At the body of the article you only ‘GIVE’: Content of Value. The links in your Bio should come back to your website. Your Bio should include 2-3 sentences pertaining 1) Who you are and what you do, 2) Give them a reason to visit your site after reading your article and 3) A call to action, for them to do so.
Make room in your life to submit at least two articles per week; set aside a specific time or day to make it happen. You have lots of information you can write about in whatever industry you are in. You can do it manually, or you can purchase submission services through Article Submitter Pro (www.articlesubmitterpro.com) or Jet Submitter ( http://jetsubmitter.com/Article Submitter Pro). They have over 1300 places to submit your articles. It is time saving and accelerates the process of distribution and visibility.
Here Is A List of The Top Article Locations To Register & Create Free Account
- www.ezinearticles.com
- www.impactartcles.com
- www.isnare.com
- www.ideamarketers.com
- www.articlecity.com
- www.workathomearticles.net
- www.articlesfactory.com
- www.marketing-seek.com
- www.goarticles.com
- www.article-emporium.com
- www.article-directory.net
- www.published.com
- www.articleworld.com
- www.businessknowhow.com
- www.searchwarp.com
Video Marketing Activity
Run a Google search on a topic like ‘best home based business opportunities’. Most likely, in addition to articles and websites, there will be several videos that pop up in the search results. Imagine having a dynamic and powerful video that introduces your product, service, and company live with your voice on and researchers landing on your beautiful video instead of being sent to a single and ‘one of the thousands’ splash pages. Google is very attracted to videos and pick them up quickly. It will help your ranking. Video Marketing is a very powerful selling tool as well as the fastest free way to get those ads out there. Use it in order to stay ahead of the competition.
Your ultimate goal in marketing is to have your ads not only seen by as many potential customers as possible, but to be in front of as many of your targeted customers as possible.
The way you treat your Video Marketing campaign is the same with how you treat your PPC campaign and your article marketing campaign. You must focus on a specific ‘keyword-driven’ target market. At Step 1 I mentioned the importance of establishing a target market and a core group of keywords. The same keywords will be plugged into the videos when you submit them. Ultimately, everything comes up to your initial development of your target market and core keywords.
As in Article Marketing you can 1) submit your videos manually to limitless video directories for free like You Tube, Yahoo Videos, Google Videos, etc 2) Submit to as many as possible directories through Video Submitting Software that do massive distribution of your videos with a click of a button.
Free Video Submitting Software
http://www.tubemogul.com
Paid Video Submitting Software
http://www.trafficgeyser.com (Costs 99$/month)
Press Releases Marketing Method (Get Fast and High Ranking)
Another way of effective marketing of your website is to write and submit Press Releases. The information in your press release needs to be viable, newsworthy and high value content. Inside your press release, you should have one-way links that bring readers back to your site – your branding site or your squeeze page. The difference between the articles and the Press Releases is that in PR you can place your URL link in the ‘body’ of your content, once every 100 words.
Press releases are a great SEO tool that can quickly improve your ranking. There are a lot of sites looking to gather information to build the content on their websites, so if they pick up your press release, and inside your press release you have one-way links back to your site, the search engines will know and act accordingly by rewarding you with higher ranking.
This is a method that requires some time to build an online reputation. Give it some time and as long as you do this on a consistent basis, sending out once press releases per month with relevant, high value information, you’ll start seeing increased traffic to your site.
Again there is a free PR submission option and a paid one. Again it will be up to your budget flexibility.
Social Media Marketing
Millions of people everyday are viewing, updating, or connecting with others all over the world. These sites are very easy to get set up on, as all you have to do is sign up with your information and you are ready.
As of today the big three that I use consistently for internet marketing are Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Ecademy.com. There are hundreds more out there and this is a great way to let people know about whom you are what you do, as well as what your product or service is all about. Social Networking Sites are considered as the Hottest Market Place and reports have shown that people search and finally trust opportunities through viral tools, such as all these today’s Hot Marketing Trends.
You must apply the ‘90-10%’ Marketing Rule which means, that the 90% of your posts and interactions must be about you socializing, making connections, letting people know you first and only a 10% talking about your business. People don’t like to be sold. Be human and treat like you would like to be treated. It’s a People’s Business.
Outsourcing Resources
Every marketing method I mentioned so far, every tool that you are given to use can be outsourced. Evaluate the time that you can give to your business, filter the activities that are most compatible to your character and nature and outsource the rest! Web design building, hosting etc. You cannot outsource everything assuming that your budget is limited; you will have to learn how to do some of them, apply at least 2 of the previous mentioned methods for your business.
Outsourcing Sites Resources
- www.Elance.com
- www.Scriptlance.com
Take it Step By Step when growing your business and grow your outsourcing at a steady pace. You always have the control of all your marketing activities. You are the leader and the one that will lead you to Success!
Make sure you are on the right track and apply the knowledge you learn, every single piece of it day by day! And of course Enjoy the Ride 
Leadership Skills
LEADERSHIP
If your life’s purpose is close or similar to become someone that the word «Leader» would fairly represent then you should be very concentrated on where you need to focus on more… If you focus on how to get more people to follow you then you have to change your mind set. Your focus instead should be on How To grow yourself as a person, develop the success business mindset needed and ultimately become the one that others will follow as a result of the Law of Attraction. People are attracted to other people when they feel that they are important and have lot to offer, helpful and open hearts, smart and spiritual, experts in their field etc. This may sounds simple but it is really not. It’s a process and it takes time.
Some Things to Consider
First Step is to become a good follower.
None of the True Leaders became one alone with any previous influences. To become a Leader, the kind of person that others will be willing to follow, you have to go through a «school», educate yourself enough on your field of expertise and open your mind and horizons, stop looking at the shore and start looking at the ocean. You have to insert in your system the meaning of the word «Abundance». Think of Abundance every day many times, feel abundant, feel grateful, strong, winner, work your mind, visualize, improve, act!
Forget about Mediocrity
You must apply excellence in your work every day
You sure do not want to be a Leader of mediocrity because nobody respects mediocrity. You have to give the WHOLE you in to what you are doing, overcome yourself, you will need to have the practical applied knowledge and skills plus you have continually work hard and preserve your given passion. That already sounds inspiring isn’t it?
Forget about You and your personal gain from your Leadership . A true Leader is here to serve. You will be successful when you will give your followers what they want and what they really need. A Leader is a servant. Adds value to people’s life and to humanity. He is here to do good, change and improve lives. Let go of your ego like the water under the bridge, Let It Go…
Work on Building Positive Relationships With People.
People follow people that they feel related to somehow… People they like, respect, feel close to, admire and get along with. Influence is one of the keys to unlock your unlimited leadership possibilities, do not neglect your influential energy.
Put aside your sentimental state of mind and focus on Discipline to win the bad days.
As a leader you will face many storms and many challenges on your way. The tempting thought of giving up instead of focus more and fight in order to overcome the difficulties may knock your door as well. Remember; It’s this crucial time of your road that you will earn the Right To Lead! Because that is what Leaders do after all. «When the going gets tough, the tough get going». Be steady as a rock.
Share your Gifts, Powers and Secrets of Success with Others
As I mentioned earlier, a True Leader is a faithful servant. You have come to this life to help others live better more beautiful lives, overcome their limitations, free them, unleash their hidden endless possibilities and reach their true potentials! That is your purpose and the highest value of yours that is going to establish you as a Leader. You will not be forgotten even after you stop leading.
Leadership is like respect. It is earned not given by a natural law or by choice.
What does it take to earn the title of a Leader then?
Is it Experience? Education? Passion?
Yes, all the above but not only. Add the courage and the character; the proper mindset required that will make others drawn effortlessly to you. It will be a call of nature for them, they will have no other choice but to follow you as you will be a man or a woman of admiration, a role model.
Thank you,
Joanna Vaiou
Personal Development Mastery – Life & Work Balance - Ideal Lifestyle Article
Gust Author: Anna Aparicio
7 STEPS TO OVERCOMING BURNOUT AND ANGER
Being a woman in today’s society can be extremely fulfilling, but also challenging at the best of times. We know we should feel lucky and grateful after how far we’ve come in history. Yet, a lot of us may have taken on more that we can chew…
After working hard for years, many of us are find ourselves in unstable jobs, finding it hard to balance work and family, short of money, not having enough time for friends, traveling, or even ourselves. A lot of us are confused, sad, feeling stuck and frustrated; a perfect recipe for anger. Anger, when not dealt with can turn to depression, or worse.
So what can we do to avoid this?
1) EXPRESS YOURSELF: Sometimes we don’t feel like it’s ok to be angry towards our partner, our employer, our kids or friends. However, anger, when not externalized, can turn into depression and even manifest physically in the body in the form of diseases like cancer. Simply allowing yourself to talk about what it is that is bothering you can be liberating and can make you feel better straight away. A lot of us are embarrassed to talk because we are afraid we’ll cry and or make a fool of ourselves. However, sometimes that’s all you need, to just release those pent up feelings. When you’ve done so, you’ll have cleared up your mind and you’ll notice you think about things in a more useful way.
2) BREATHE! Brian Colbert, author of The Happiness Habit, says breathing is fundamental for optimum brain function and succeeding in life. It allows you to be present in the moment. Here’s an easy technique that will allow you to release tension straight away: take a deep breath while you count to 4 slowly. Pause. Hold your breath for 4 counts. Pause. Exhale slowly for 8 counts. By the time you reach 5, push the rest of the air out of your lungs. Repeat this process 10 times. Notice how much calmer you feel.
3) DISCOVER HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME BETTER: It’s not about working harder or longer, it’s about working smarter. By learning to plan, organize and prioritize, you can get more done with the time you have, and make sure you are spending our time on the things that matter. Many of my clients have discovered the tips and skills that have allowed them to live life on their terms and break free from stress, anger and depression.
4) LEARN TO DELEGATE AND SAY NO MORE OFTEN: A lot of us have what I call the “superwoman syndrome”. Because we are great at multi tasking, we think we can be everything to everyone and do everything ourselves. And it has to be done by us, because we are the only ones who can get it done perfectly. This is not realistic or useful, and can lead to more stress. Learning to let go and delegating the right task to the right person will free up time, and allow you to take a break and unwind.
When we say yes to extra work, we are saying no to all the other things we would like to be doing instead. It’s important to know when to say no. This can allow you to free up a massive amount of time and stress in an instant. By asserting yourself more often you will boost your self-esteem and feel better about yourself.
5) SCHEDULE SOME “ME” TIME: Time for yourself is not luxury time, it’s a necessity. It’s about ensuring you make time for some fun. It can be about the little things that make you happy: working out, reading your favorite book, or taking a bubble bath. It’s important to schedule some “me” time you can look forward to, if not every day, a few times a week. Wanting to do this is not enough, you need to schedule it in your diary and follow through with it.
6) EAT MORE HAPPY FOODS: With so many responsibilities, a lot of us often forget to eat, or do so badly. As a result our brain chemistry is compromised, which can result in stress, depression, and other health conditions. It’s vital to eat fresh unprocessed foods high in nutrients, such as vegetables, nuts, lean meats and fish, fruit… If you are always on the go, eating small portions every 2 hours or so can provide you with a constant flow of energy, which means you’ll get more done and feel better about things. Experts recommend we drink 1 liter of water for every four stone of weight, just for optimum day to day functioning.
7) PRIORITIZE EXERCISE: A lot of us put exercise last on our list of priorities. Even though we know it’s important, and we want to do it, we make a thousand excuses as to why we can’t do it. We are tired, cranky, we’ve had a lousy day at the office… so, and we skip the workouts. Then we feel even worse for having missed them. This is what happens when we expect certain things of ourselves and we don’t follow through with them. Research shows that quality is better than quantity. A fifteen minute intense interval workout will not only have you burning fat for hours, but also release the feel good hormones called Endorphins. Regular exercise, especially in the fresh air, will make you feel better about yourself, more relaxed, and generally happier.
About The Author: Anna Aparicio is Ireland’s Top female NLP/Hypnosis Coach. She is accredited and highly recommended by The Irish Institute of NLP.
She uses Neuro-linguistic Programming, Hypnosis and other psychology tools to develop profound and lasting changes in all areas of your life.
As a former fitness trainer and nutrition expert, she specialises in: weight loss, fitness goals achievement, eliminating cravings and overeating, anti-aging, and boosting confidence and motivation.
Anna has featured on RTE’s The Afternoon Show as The Confidence Coach, and has been published in various Irish lifestyle publications.
Now you can claim her free report WHY YOU’LL NEVER GET WHAT YOU WANT UNLESS YOU DO THIS at http://www.delite.ie
Enjoy a great article written by Margie Warrell
Self-Improvement - Personal Development Mastery
The Power of Optimism
Times are tough and many people are struggling to stay optimistic given the state of the economy, the insecurity of their jobs (if they have one), the size of their mortgage and the strain that puts on relationships at home. Maybe you are one of them or maybe you know someone else who is having it tough.
Just because we can find lots of reasons for feeling down and becoming a bona fide pessimist doesn’t mean that we should. The fact is, optimism creates opportunity and pessimism kills it. Expecting good things to happen will lead to taking actions that produce positive results. Expecting only more bad stuff to come your way will keep you from doing the very things that might have minimized or avoided just that!
The word “optimism” actually derives from the Latin word “optima,” meaning the best outcome or belief in the greatest good. As I said to Natasha on my interview on Let’s Talk Live, while some people are naturally more optimistic than others, ultimately we all get to wake up every day and choose whether we are going to be a glass half-full, or a glass half-empty person.
Below are 7 strategies for filling up your cup of optimism. My challenge to you is to try at least one of these and notice the difference it makes to your outlook and your life.
1. SET YOUR INTENTION
Before you step out of bed (and if you forget, before you leave your home) take one minute to set your intention for the day by coming up with one word that resonates with you about the attitude or spirit you want to bring to the day. Being intentional acts like a compass and helps you better focus your time and energy. For instance, if you’ve been looking for work but have found yourself stuck in a rut and procrastinating, you might choose to be proactive and set yourself a goal of making at least 5 calls/emails today to follow up on job leads and opportunities. The intention you choose will vary according to the challenges you are facing.
QUESTION: What is your intention for the rest of today? To be more assertive, organized, focused, tenacious, self-reliant, resourceful, determined, persistent or patient?
2. PERFORM AN ACT OF COURAGE
Often the very thing we need to improve our circumstances requires courage. That is, closing the gap between where you are now and where you would like to be in life will require stepping outside your comfort zone and doing something that scares you in some way. It could be picking up the phone to invite someone to dinner, attending an exercise class or having a conversation with your boss about an issue that’s been upsetting you. There is no better way to build self-confidence than doing something that stretches you as it teaches you that you are capable of more than you thought you were.
QUESTION: What would you do today if you had no fear of failing or looking foolish?
3. REFRAME A PROBLEM INTO AN OPPORTUNITY
You can’t solve your problems by complaining about them. But you can solve them (or if they are unsolvable, learn to accept them) by reframing them so that you can approach them from a new angle. To quote Einstein: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking at which they were created.”
Where pessimists see problems, optimists find opportunities. If you change the way you look at your problems, your problems change and transform into a rich array of opportunities to grow, learn and discover inner resources you never knew you had!
QUESTION: What opportunities does your most pressing problem offer you? (I promise you –they are bountiful!)
4. AVOID ENERGY DRAINERS
Optimism is contagious. So too is pessimism. If you are struggling to feel as positive as you would like, don’t spend your time hanging out with “emotional vampires” — those people who suck the life out of you with their complaints and commentary about everything that is wrong with the world (and the people in it). Choose your company wisely and limit the time you spend with people who don’t fill your cup of optimism and “can do” self-confidence.
QUESTION: Who do I need to spend less time with and who can I arrange to spend more time with?
5. CARRY YOURSELF LIKE AN OPTIMIST
If you change how you hold yourself physically, it will change how you feel emotionally. Scientists have actually proven that how you present and carry yourself on the outside has a huge impact on how you feel on the inside. Slump your shoulders, pout your bottom lip and look down to the ground and optimism (and opportunity) will elude you. But stand tall, chin up, smile and engage with people as though you were the outgoing, confident, optimistic and successful person you aspire to be, and you will attract all sorts of positive people and opportunities into your life. People will relate to you differently and you will gradually begin to feel differently (and more positive) yourself. Don’t feel like it? Do it anyway! The old saying “Fake it ’til you make it” is literally true.
Where pessimists see problems, optimists find opportunities. If you change the way you look at your problems, your problems change and transform into a rich array of opportunities to grow, learn and discover inner resources you never knew you had!
ACTION: Stand tall, smile and watch your reflection in the mirror as you move. What does how you carry yourself communicate?
6. LIGHTEN UP
Why is it that comedians tend to live very long lives? It’s because they have become so masterful at finding the humor in even the most unfunny situations. While it’s not always easy to see the lighter side of things, it’s always helpful. Humor is a highly effective antidote to almost every ailment, anxiety or adversity! Watching a funny movie and spending time with a really funny friend is literally medicinal!
QUESTION: If you were taking a lighthearted approach to your challenges, what would the joke be?
7. EXERCISE
If you are one of those people who never exercises, then I’m sorry, I know you hate to hear it again and again but EXERCISE IS VERY GOOD FOR YOU. Not only is it great for you physically, but it’s a very potent drug for making you feel better psychologically. As your heart starts pumping, your body releases endorphins into your system which not only burn off stress but also allow you to view your life and challenges through a more empowering and optimistic lens. Seriously, what’s not to like about exercise? (Besides doing it?)
ACTIVITY: Get outdoors and go for a brisk 20 minute walk (or run) and note how much better you feel afterward (my only condition on that is please don’t do it in sweltering hot weather like we have in Virginia today!)
Please try one of these strategies today and let me know how it helps! As an optimist, I am sure it will!
About the Author:
Margie Warrell is a bestselling author, certified life coach and expert on living with greater clarity, confidence and courage. Get your FREE one-page pinup of the 12 Everyday Acts of Courage to help you live a bigger, bolder and more rewarding life!
10 Essential WordPress Plugins To Jumpstart Your New Blog
By Jo · Comments (3)Essential WordPress Plugins for New WP Blogs
1. All-In-One-SEO Pack
All-In-One-SEO plugin is the ultimate plugin for your new WordPress Blog if you wish to apply a powerful SEO strategy in order start ranking for your keywords. Easy to use and very effective if used right.
2. Akismet
This plugin is the first you will have to activate on your blog to automatically prevent spammers from attacking your blog. The Akismet plugin automatically filters them for you. Spam was never my favorite thing and I am guessing that most of you feel exactly the same.
3. Remote Database Backup
If you dont back up your work online you are exposed to several dangers. Backing up data is essential and one of the things that people don’t keep in mind until a bad thing happens to their blog like crash or a hacker’s attack. At any given time you will be able to back up your site’s database and remain safe.
4. MaxBlogPress Ping Optimizer
Pinging content is something like spreading the word that you have updated your blog with new content automatically to multiple online locations automatically that search for new content. When you update or edit your blog, you automatically send a ping to let them know that your blog has been updated and that the changes need to be indexed. To avoid being banned from ping services though, be sure that you are not overdoing it like too often. The MaxBlogPress Ping Optimizer plugin helps preventing this from happening to you.
5. Sexy Bookmarks
This is a cool sharing and syndication plugin that allows your readers your readers to submit your articles to numerous bookmarking sites across the Web. A must have plug-in, one of the best in the era of social media. Share and enjoy icons as well as share the wealth icons make your content and blog even sexier.
6. SEO Smart Links
What this plugin does is that it allows you to automatically link keywords and phrases in your posts and comments with corresponding posts, pages, categories and tags on your blog. In addition, you have the ability to set up your keywords along with their own matching URLs. A must have plugin if you want to get the most out of the SEO benefit for your blog.
7. Frame Buster
If you want to get your images to rank on the multiple search engines you should soon upload the Frame Buster plugin on your WordPress blog. This plugin will prevent any attempt for your site to load in a frame.
8. Google Sitemap Generator
Google Sitemap Generator allows you to create a sitemap as simple as in a mouse click and that is to help your new blog’s pages to be indexed as soon as possible. You definitely need this plugin.
9. WP Backlinks
The WP Backlinks plugin gives you the ability to control and verify the backlinks to your blog and that is definitely something you want to know. This plugin allows you to track the all links going back to your blog. You want the largest amount of backlinks to your blog but you also want them to be relevant with your theme and have authority and quality. You don’t want your URL hanging out in “bad neighborhoods”.
10. CommentLuv
With this plugin your visitors comment on your post, while they add a Do-Follow link to their own blog. This is encouraging for them to leave a comment and in combination with the spam control that WordPress interface and Akismet offers, you can get some nice quality and informative blog comments. Webmasters search on the web especially for that sites that use this plugin so they can be rewarded with a good backlink to their site from a quality blog like yours
.
I hope you enjoyed the post and the advice and now that you have, go ahead and add all these basic tools and start conquering the internet world.