Blogging About Your Entrepreneurial Success (Pt. 4) Building Your Future Now

Blogging About Your Entrepreneurial Success (Pt. 4) Building Your Future Now Being an entrepreneur takes guts! And thats the kind of attitude you need when approaching your blog. Readers need to sense your urgency and passion for what you do. You arent only writing about your experience as well as some small business tips, you are also opening up a world of confidence and possibility for your readers. As mentioned before, sometimes a potential entrepreneur loses confidence before even achieving their potentialit is because of a variety of reasons. One of the most important things is that you can provide a amazing outlet for other entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs to engage. You can even create a complimentary Facebook page/group and create some great engagement there not mention sharing your content! Be creative and strive for something that helps people move forward. Your blog can really make the ifference in peoples liveshey, and you never knowthat person that gleans knowledge and a confidence boost might be the next entrepreneurial wizard! Image: FirmBee

Planning A Summer Escape Heres Three Great Reads to Escape With!

Planning A Summer Escape Here’s Three Great Reads to Escape With! As the temperatures continue to rise and the days get longer, there’s nothing better than knowing the perfect summer escape is on the horizon. Without work, school or major priorities to attend to, your upcoming trip gives you the perfect excuse to get lost in a new book while in a faraway place. As you busy yourself with plans for your summer vacation and you start packing your bags, don’t forget to add these new thrilling novels to your carry-on bag. Get ready to run away to new places with these enticing books, perfect reads to escape with   for your summertime travels. Her Pretty Face  by Robyn Harding From bestselling author Robyn Harding comes a new story about two mothers who harbor dark secrets that will either tear them apart or bring them closer together. Frances Metcalfe is doing everything she can to provide a good life for her troublesome son and keep her sanity in the process. When he’s accepted into an exclusive school, she starts to believe it’s the fresh start they’ve been in desperate need of. Adjusting to the new school, Frances can’t help but feel left out of the well-off circle of mothers who run the school so when she meets equally down-to-earth mother, Kate, she begins to feel that everything’s turning around. But one of them is secretly a killer, living under a different name and hiding a past that she’s less than proud of. Can the women’s friendship survive such a dark secret in a school determined to unleash everyone’s past? The Completionist  by Siobhan Adcock The future of America looks pretty grim in this new dystopian thriller from Siobhan Adcock. With infertility rates rising every day, Fredericka knows that getting pregnant is a true blessing but when her sister goes missing, she finds herself unable to chase after the young Nurse Completionist. Assigning her brother to the case of finding their sister, he takes the opportunity to start his life anew and make his sisters proud. But as he gets deeper into the now dangerous world, he finds a dark underground community that leads him to the family’s father and a difficult past full of secrets that no one is prepared to deal with. If you find yourself missing Margaret Atwood’s  The Handmaid’s Tale, Adcock’s novel will give you the dystopian storyline you’re craving. She Was the Quiet One  by Michele Campbell Rose and Bel Enright may be twins but in reality, they’re polar opposites and when they are accepted to The Odell School in New England, their pre-existing rivalry becomes more dangerous than they ever thought. After one of the sisters is murdered, everyone becomes weary of what’s actually going on at the school and a few place their suspicions on an overzealous teacher at the school. As officials investigate the murder, it becomes clears that a school full of wealth and privilege has a lot more to hide than the mysterious death of one girl. This new thriller from the author of  It’s Always the Husband  will have you on the edge of your set from beginning to end as you analyze who the true killer is.

Why Are You Doing What Youre Doing

Why Are You Doing What Youre Doing Sometimes, life gets really hectic and we don’t take the time to stand back and just question on why we do what we do. I recently read, for a second time, Simon Sinek’s great book “Start with Why” and I would highly recommend it to all of you. In the book, Simon says that is not the “what” that motivates us to jump out of bed in the mornings, it is the “why”. It is not the “what” that drives us to give great service and become expert in our field, it is the “why”. I also read an article recently written by Richard Branson who said that an entrepreneur’s drive is not about making money, but about making a difference in people’s lives. He believes that those driven by money will not be around for the long haul. I have spent some time recently asking my clients why they do what they do and while it is far from exhaustive research, it is interesting to note that those who were crystal clear about their “why”, have businesses that are more evolved â€" and are significantly more profitable! The financial benefits are an outcome of that clarity. This led me to start thinking about businesses that, in my view, lost sight of their why, and what the consequences have been, and my list is as follows: Banking industry: Obvious candidate for this list, but there is no doubt that they lost complete sight of their original why and profit became their only focus. Will they learn? I don’t know! Lehmans: Set out to provide great service to their clients and then went like the banks. Again, their “why” got lost. IBM: They were the Apple of their day, but lost sight of the fact that their original why was to make business more efficient. Their “why” became their “what”  to build big computers! Nokia: They started out to make communication easy, but their “what” â€" we make mobile phones â€" became their reason for being. They controlled the market and lost it! Railroads: Brilliant invention to make getting from one place to another so fast, but then became fixated on trains and railroads and not on their customers. Many large insurance direct sales forces: Huge in the 70s and 80s, but their focus shifted away from serving their clients to how much commission they could earn that year and the organizations cultivated that shift with the incentives given. There are loads of other examples â€" and many not quite so dramatic â€" but losing sight of your “why” is destined to put you, at best, in the “average” band of businesses. Not where you want to be, or where I want you to be. So, how does having a clear “why” help your business? As I said earlier, it tells you why you get out of bed in the morning to go and do something of value, but it does more than that. Your “why” also does the following: It provides you with your guiding principles as to what you do and how you do it. It informs your clients of your reason for being. It determines your behavior â€" what you do and how you do it. It is reflected in your values. It determines the sort of clients you will deal with â€" they will share in your why. It determines the sort of people you hire and represent you and your business. When I start talking about this, many people ask me why I do what I do, and my why is very simple, and important to me.   My passion is to help my clients to win in their businesses and in their lives â€" which is why I branded my podcast Winning at Business and Life. This clarity helps me every day, and drives me to give as much as I can to support my clients. Having a clear “why” gives you a context for everything you do in your business, and your life. What is your “why”? Love to hear. RELATED: How to Answer ‘Why Do You Want This Job?’ in an Interview

7 Ways To Take The Headache Out Of Hitting The Gym Before Work - Classy Career Girl

7 Ways To Take The Headache Out Of Hitting The Gym Before Work Establishing a reliable fitness routine is a great way to get in shape and stay healthy. A morning workout at the gym before work gets the day going on a positive note and frees up the rest of your day after work. If you are not a morning person, dont worry! There are several easy ways to prepare for a morning gym visit that will get your blood racing and keep you feeling great all day. 7 Ways To Take The Headache Out Of Hitting The Gym Before Work 1. Be Proactive The Night Before Be prepared to wake up early. Set your alarm to go off in time to hit the gym. Depending on your commute, how long it takes you to get ready, and the length of your gym routine, you’ll need to get a few hours earlier than usual. Have your workout gear ready and packed in a gym bag, along with shower accessories, if you are going straight to work afterward. If you pack your lunch, have that ready to go too (with a cooler bag if needed). 2. Simple (But Effective) Ways To Get Yourself Out Of Your Morning Funk Waking up can be hard. If you’re really not a morning person, make sure to set multiple alarms and do something that will get you pumped. Some ways to get pumped include: Play motivational music as you get ready Splash your face with cold water Set your coffee machine to automatically brew so you can wake up to the smell of fresh ground Being prepared means getting to bed earlier so you can wake up ready to go. 3. Additional Tips That Make Getting To The Gym Smooth Sailing Fill the gas tank the night before to avoid an extra stop. Ignore phone calls and text messages until after the gym. Get there in time to snatch a prime parking spot so you can get in and get out quickly. [RELATED: 4 Ways to Fit More Exercise Into Your (Already Busy) Life] 4. Plan Your Workout Routine Before You Enter The Gym Before you even get to the gym, you should have some sort of idea how you are going to make the most of your morning workout. Have an intention in mind ahead of time. A good time to do this is the night before. Of course, you can see how you feel and tailor your workout accordingly, whether jogging the track, swimming some laps, or working muscles on the machines. You might be in the mood for a dance class or exercise group. Often times, your gym will have classes early enough that you can get these in. To make your before-work schedule efficient, have an idea of what you plan to do when you get to the gym. You dont want to waste time standing around waiting for a late jazz instructor or twiddle your thumbs in line for a treadmill. You’ll also want to have a backup plan in case your first choice doesnt work out. Change it up occasionally to work different muscle groups and to build overall body fitness that includes aerobic and muscle-building activities. 5. Check For Special Programs Some gyms offer seasonal discounts or seasonal competitions. Larger facilities provide access to classes, trainers, and therapists who can work with you on an individual basis to set up a plan for improved fitness. Holiday programs, members parties, and fun activities for everyone like a holiday event for the family are more ways to maximize your gym membership investment. Specialized equipment may be available to time your pace on the treadmill or elliptical machine, or to measure the distance that would be running if you were actually moving on firm ground. Some machines measure heart rate, too, to help you stay in your target area. If you have a set goal for each workout, it makes it much easier to stay focused. 6. Bring a Friend Your partner, sibling, parent, or coworker might be interested in joining the gym, especially with a two-for-one discount. In addition, sharing physical activities like spotting each other in the weight-lifting area or jogging together makes the exercise more enjoyable. People who work out with a friend often stick with it longer than those who exercise alone. If you workout with your significant other, you’ll get to reap the additional benefits of working out together. 7. Have Fun If you’re going to get up early and get a workout in, you might as well make the most of it. Clip on your iPod with your energizing playlist. Smile at everyone you meet; research shows that smiling improves your mood and helps others feel better, too. Socialize with the regulars, whether its the Silver Sneakers retirees or high school teens working out before school. Getting to know familiar faces will make you feel like part of the group. Hitting the gym before work might become the high point of your day! It gets your workout out of the way and gives you time to do whatever you want in the evening. Check out your gym’s full range of services, tackle your routine seriously and consistently, and celebrate the fantastic results that enhance physical fitness.

5 Reasons Why You Shouldnt Try Too Hard to Stay Positive at Work CareerMetis.com

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Try Too Hard to Stay Positive at Work You smiled to all your co-workers.You kept your desk clean.evalYou tried your best to find again the excitement you had for your job, but something has changed.Maybe you changed. You’re not learning as much anymore and the magic of beginnings has faded away.But you don’t want to give up on your job just yet.So you keep smiling and being friendly to your co-workers to see if things can improve.But isn’t this strategy distracting yourself from a more important and difficult thing to do, like maybe… quitting? 1) Anger and frustration are powerful, they’re a fuel for changeMaybe you don’t really like your job, or maybe you’re at the point where you totally hate it.evalIf you can’t stand your job anymore to the point that you work on automatic mode, keep this in mind:First, you’re not alone, Gallup survey 2017says that 67% of people are not engaged at work, while 18% are actively disengaged at work, globally. This is bad.Second, even though you can technically go through life like this, you should consider other work alternatives. Just like everyone on this planet, you have a unique gift to give to the world and wasting your precious time in your current situation is not ideal.So instead of trying to stay positive at all cost and avoiding the core of the problem, a smarter move could be to use this energy of frustration to find a career that suits you better. You don’t have to wait until you feel terrible about your job to direct your dissatisfaction towards taking action to create a new life.Even a few hours a week to move your project forward will turn your negative energy into a productive and constructive activity.evalTo make the most of this energy, you will need an objective to aim at. Come up with an inspiring long term goal that will become your career compass. Maybe you already have a clear picture of what you want, or maybe not. Keep it fairly general, but make it inspiring.Something simple such as “I want a meaningful job that I can do remotely” or “I want to feel happy at work” can be enough.The frustration that you feel in your current job is powerful. Guided by an inspiring goal, you will be able to direct this energy towards exploring a new career or a new job search.2) Patience and grit will get you anywhereevalIf one person could embody patience and grit, it’s Nelson Mandela. He became an icon of inspiration for humanity by working through obstacles until he reached his dream. Being incarcerated in a small cell isn’t as bad as your office â€" although it can feel similar at times. But let Mandela’s storyinspires you: if you feel stuck and disengaged at work, know that some people were in a worst position than you and got out of itbrilliantly nonetheless.You may get hit by a storm of uncertainty and frustration, thinking about Monster, LinkedIn, the applications to fill… At that moment, going for that dream job doesn’t sound like a good idea anymore.Fortunately, times of uncertainty are onl y temporary.Moreover, if you ever decide to go through this storm, you will need energy, a solid motivation and one more thing: Your imagination.evalYour own brain can work wonders during these difficult times of transition. Just imagine exciting details around the future situation you would love to be in. If it’s drinking piña coladas in a pool, visualize it.If it’s traveling and working for a humanitarian association, picture it in your mind with vivid details.Feeling the excitement of your ideal lifestyle will ease your difficult moments at work and reinforce your patience.3) You are not stuckevalJobs play a major part in our lives, so the thought of changing this center element brings a lot of resistance.We are creatures of habits, and changes disrupting our daily lives are often seen like a threat and make us uncomfortable. We can get angry to defend our stability simply because of the attachment we have to it.Sure, certainty is one of our basic human needs, but guess what ? Uncertainty is too… we love to do new things we like.As starting a journey to find a new career or job has an unknown outcome, so it gets us polarized:Our need for certainty sees this as a scary move.Our need for uncertainty sees this as an exciting opportunity.The good news is that the more progress you will make towards your new career or job, the more exciting it will become and the less resistance you will feel.The hard part is to get started!4) It may be time to overcome your fearsAvoiding your feelings is not a long term solution. You spend too many hours at your job to make yourself miserable.Things change. You change. Your company, your boss changes. It’s ok to consider something else.Are you worried about losing your position or your experience? How much your experience is worth if you don’t plan to continue working in the same field anyway?Are you worried about losing your job security?In many cases job security is an illusion. Jobs used to be safe back then when e mployees spent their whole lives in the same company.Times have changed, automation is infiltrating every area and companies have no problems firing entire departments when they need to stay competitive.If you would like to check if the type of job you do is at risk of being automated, this websiteis a great resource. Just enter your job title and you’ll get an instant estimation.As being faithful to a company doesn’t make as much sense as it used to be, invest time to find something that fits you better. You will be more equipped to handle unexpected changes if they happen.This brings us to the final point…5 ) You too can discover your ideal careerTo identify a meaningful career that you would enjoy in the long term, you need to gather several elements:Let’s state the obvious first: Your specific skills need to fill a need in the market.Then, do you want to work remotely?Do you want a lifestyle that gives you the flexibility you’re longing for?Is there a type of atmospher e you love?What industries interest you?What audience do you feel comfortable serving?What type of impact in the world would fulfill you?What meaning would you like to get from your work?Meaning at work is underrated. This videois a short illustration of a podcast from Brendon Buchard that explains the importance of figuring out what gives meaning to our lives.Gathering these various elements into building a career is no small task, but it will lead to a unique combination that will fit you in many ways.Also, you’re never too old to go for your dreams. Midlife actually comes as an advantageto identify what you would love to do. As you age, you accumulate years of experience and consequently know more about yourself, what you like and dislike.This knowledge will allow you to be more precise and confident when setting up your next career choice.Final wordsIf you’re tired of punching clocks, know that there is a way to get out.Keep your frustration to motivate you to find a career that suits you better.Adding spices or sugar to something you don’t feel like eating can’t be a long term solution. You get bored at best, and become emotionally numb over time.To start, direct your energy towards an inspiring long term goal, even a general one. Follow it as your career compass. You will narrow it down later.Keep in mind that there are always people who started in a worst position than you are and who got out of it. It might take some time but you can do it too. Never doubt that a new life is possible.Imagine exciting details of your ideal future lifestyle to stimulate your daily life.You might feel stuck but you are not. Resistance to change is normal. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Get started and know that the more progress you make towards your new career, the more exciting it becomes and the easier it gets.You have fears and it’s normal. But most fears don’t even make sense, they are not serving you.Stop caring and do it anyway.Finding a career that r eally suits you can seem out of reach, but it’s possible. Thanks to internet, if the job you would love to have doesn’t exist, you can most probably create it.Using these directions, you will be able to open up a new world of possibilities in your professional life. Possibilities that you can choose.Break out of your routine and turn your daily life into a positive and exciting environment, starting today.