When You Feel Good, You are Nicer

Feeling Good

Beauty from the inside out; when you feel good, you are nicer. There’s a strong connection between inner well-being and outward expression. Here’s how feeling good can make you nicer:

  • Increased Patience: When we feel good, we tend to be more tolerant and understanding. We’re less likely to snap at others or get easily frustrated.

  • Greater Empathy: Feeling good allows us to connect with others on a deeper level. We’re more receptive to their feelings and experiences.

  • Positive Energy: Positive emotions are contagious! When you’re radiating happiness, it can brighten the day of those around you.

  • Helping Others: Feeling good can motivate you to help others. You might volunteer your time, donate to charity, or simply offer a helping hand to someone in need.

So, if you’re looking to be a nicer person, focus on ways to improve your inner well-being. Here are a few tips:

  • Practice self-care: Make time for activities that relax and rejuvenate you.
  • Spend time with loved ones: Strong social connections are essential for happiness.
  • Help others: Doing good for others is a great way to boost your mood.
  • Practice gratitude: Take some time each day to appreciate the good things in your life.

By taking care of yourself, you’ll be better equipped to spread kindness and positivity to the world around you.

Image: Canva Pro

The Beauty World is Evolving

beauty world evolving

The beauty world is undergoing a fascinating evolution. Here are some key trends that are shaping the industry:

Inclusivity and Diversity:

  • Celebrating all skin tones, hair types, and body shapes: Gone are the days of narrow beauty standards. Today’s beauty brands are embracing a wider range of models and promoting products for all types of beauty.
  • Focus on individuality: The emphasis is on enhancing your natural features rather than conforming to a specific look.

Sustainability and Clean Beauty:

  • Natural and organic ingredients: Consumers are increasingly interested in products with fewer chemicals and more sustainable practices.
  • Eco-conscious packaging: Brands are looking for ways to reduce waste and minimize their environmental impact.

Technology and Personalization:

  • Virtual consultations and try-on tools: Technology is allowing for more personalized beauty experiences, like virtually trying on makeup before you buy.
  • Customized products: Companies are offering products tailored to individual needs and preferences.

Wellness and Self-Care:

  • Beauty from within: There’s a growing focus on the connection between inner health and outer beauty. Products promote healthy skin, hair, and overall well-being.
  • Mental health awareness: The beauty industry is acknowledging the importance of mental well-being and promoting self-care practices.

These are just some of the ways the beauty world is changing. It’s becoming more inclusive, sustainable, personalized, and focused on overall well-being. It’s an exciting time to be a beauty enthusiast!

Image: Canva Pro

How to Take Calculated Risk to Achieve More and Become Successful

Take Calculated Risk to Achieve More

Risk is something we all have to face in our lives but appreciating its value and impact on our lives is not always easy.

I asked my social media friends on a survey whether they felt risk was a good thing and 100’s said yes and yet I know from my clients that this doesn’t equate to 100% of people taking every risky action they could to achieve more and live a life that fulfills them.

Take the client who needed a coaching session to get them to take the jump into self-employment. They knew in their heads that with over 20 years at the pinnacle of their career, they could do it. But they needed their coach to be the one that took the training wheels off and said “let’s do this!”

We don’t all take the risks we should in life. What makes a risk feel too big? What external impactors change our perception of risk and what’s the difference between good risk and bad? When should we be risk-averse? And how can we work out the difference and step up to take the risks that could change our lives (for the better)?

What is calculated risk?

Let me ask you:

“Would you cross a 3 lane road of fast moving traffic?” The answer is likely to be “no” right?

What about if I asked, “Would you cross 3 lanes of traffic at night?” Still a “No?”

What about if I said, “Would you cross 3 lanes of traffic that had a pedestrian crossing?”

Look how the risk changes. It is the same road with the same cars, but we’ve gone from a risk that we are unprepared to take to one that has an element of control and expected outcomes. That is what a calculated risk is.

Would you quit your job right now and set up in business on the street corner in an hour’s time? No of course not. However, would you quit with a plan of action in a set period of time? Possibly?

The thing about calculated risk is that humans have to deal with their perceptions or reality, their emotions, feelings, and even beliefs to be able to take on risk. And that is why you may see 100% of people saying “Take the risk”. However if questioned further, I could probably find at least one occasion where every single person should have taken the risk and they didn’t.

I’ve seen people turn down contracts, delay traveling, delay saying “yes” to marriage, delay quitting their job, and even delay having their hair chopped off because they’ve not been able to calculate the risk with an outcome that they deem will be satisfactory.

Is all risk calculated?

In a speaking engagement, I once re-enacted the moment when the hero of the film is hanging on for dear life to the side of a mountain. There are no hand places left going up. They can’t go down and there’s no way out, the baddies are shooting at them from every angle and you think “There is no way out of this!” and then miraculously they let go tumbling through the air, landing in a helicopter that flies into view being flown by the gorgeous incredibly clever side kick.

Risk is a bit like that.

The first time James Bond, Jack Reacher or Lara Croft let go and went in a new direction, they were probably experiencing massive levels of fear. However, by overriding that fear, they were able to create a new definition of what is possible. It’s not called mission impossible for nothing.

But how can we know it’s a good idea to jump and when it’s going to lead to impending doom?

Interestingly, children seem to be risk blind for a while. It is adults that stand behind them shouting “Don’t do that, you will fall and break your neck!” Do children stop doing stupid things? A and E departments would argue no.

But if we didn’t take on risk we’d never learn to walk. The first time you pulled yourself up onto your legs and stood there jumping up and down with a grin that said “Look what I can do” was sheer joy, not so much fun the next time you tried it and nearly removed your nose. Most parents will have a story of how their child made their hearts leap with absolute terror as they did something stupid, but risk needs us to test its limits or we will all be still sat in baby gyms unable to reach the cool toys.

The reason some people achieve great things is that they are prepared to test their risk limitations.

How to grow your risk tolerance to achieve more?

Here I’ve aimed to break down what you need to keep your eyes peeled for, how to fix what you find, and what you need to do so that you can calculate risk and achieve more with the following methods:

The RRIS method

R – Research everything you aim to achieve.

But also know when to stop researching and get on with it. The number of clients I’ve worked with who are so ready they could be the most intellectual person on the planet in their area of expertise.

It’s easy to get in the trap of “doing just a bit more research” to get you out of taking action. So do your research and use the other tips to help you to take action on your knowledge.

R – Rationalize your reality.

I often hear clients say things that once said back to them they can quickly (and often embarrassingly) see that it’s just not true. They’ve twisted reality to enable them to stay safe.

Question what you believe to be true and the results you perceive to be impossible to avoid. Do you have evidence to prove your reality or are your thoughts just enabling your comfort zone to stay the same size?

Comfort zones are like big thick duvets. Glorious in the middle of winter with the rain battering the windows and you are curled up safe and warm, but hideous in summer, when the same duvet can wrap itself around you becoming a sweaty trap for your legs to get caught in.

If you know that a comfort zone is twisting your reality, you can be like two versions of my clients:

  1. They like to get so far out of their comfort zone that they can’t see it anymore. They do big actions putting into action the right support to achieve them. Learn and move on.
  2. They would literally feel stuck in fear if you offered them option 1, therefore they like to do things in small tiny morsel-sized bites. If this is you, arrange to challenge your beliefs around anything in your life (not just related to the calculated risk to achieve more).

If you like structure, start the day in a way you wouldn’t. Get dressed before you brush your teeth, listen to a different radio station, and choose a different route to work.

Silly things that make you think about what you are doing can help you see that different is not bad. Different can be exciting, new, rewarding and so much else. And tiny steps can be right for some.

I – Ideas can reduce or inflame our capability for calculated risk.

Before you do anything, somewhere in your head it was a thought. When you really appreciate this, you are able to see that before you take on any risk, you have to have the ideas behind it to achieve.

Ideas like this will be exciting, and life-changing, and will work and make my career. What phrases would you create to describe the result of your idea?

If you notice they are negative, where’s your evidence? Clients often tell me that I make them take risks. As a coach, that’s impossible. My job is to enable them to see what they really want and overcome their beliefs and obstacles towards going for it.

Once we are faced with the facts about our skills, past successes, and capabilities, we can’t help but ask “What is stopping you?” By doing this, you are creating a solid foundation to get great results because your ideas are positive and not made up of illogical untruths like “it won’t work”, “what if I fail”, “it’s not done like that”, “I will end up looking stupid”.

S – Success over scares

It is a calculated risk and therefore something that is worth investing in and going for when our level of fear is reduced and our belief about success is raised. Where do you stand on this scale?

Scared! vs Success!

Now add the following words to the above scale. Where would they sit?

  • Staying safe
  • Stuck
  • Self-esteem
  • Stopping myself

Can you start to see how there is a big gap between scared and success? And between the two there will always be elements of feeling safe or stuck and worrying about whether you can do it. The important thing to remember is that you will never completely bridge the gap between scared and successful. A little fear is really good for you.

I’ve never had a speaking engagement where I don’t feel a little nervous. 9 years ago that wasn’t nervousness that was absolute terror. And I once read “It’s not stage fright, it’s performance energy.”

What description would you like to use to describe your calculated risk? If you were to say it out loud, would it be a positive sentence or one that reduces you to fear? Your words and finding your place on the scared-to-success scale could define your likelihood of success.

The know-it kit

Taking the risk is scary, from the client who wanted to confront their boss of 10 years and make a suggestion that they knew flew in the opposite opinion of their boss, to the singer who is too scared to stand in front of an audience. The important thing is to remember that you are in control of the risks you take and a know-it kit can help.

Know the times you’ve been successful.

Lot’s of clients will tell me that their fear is overriding their beliefs about what can be achieved. At times like that it’s no good to think something different and expect it to magically make it seem easy.

Get the facts on your side. As much as your heart will fill your head with negativity, hanging on to the facts of what you’ve already done in life is something you can’t argue with.

Know the skills you have.

As above, when we take on a risk, we need to know we’ve got what we need to get the results we want.

Know that mistakes are good.

No exceptional rise to success didn’t have setbacks, no great inventions didn’t have failures (with many of those becoming inventions in their own right) knowing that mistakes are an opportunity to learn and good for the end results can ensure you take action even when the fear is raising its ugly head.

International Vocal Coach Gemma Milburne shared,

“I think many of the greatest singers are the most willing to take risks. You have to risk going out of tune, making mistakes, sounding awful, in order to get REALLY good at singing. As a vocal coach a lot of what I’m doing is helping singers to face that ‘mental’ risk that’s in a person’s head.”

Know the people you can trust.

When everything is in place, you’ve got the evidence, you’ve done your research, you are accountable, focused, and ready for action, sometimes just a chat with the right person can be all you need.

Who is in your Know It Kit? You can trust them to say what you need them to say. And not just “You will be great dear, go for it.” Having the right people there will challenge, empower, and ensure you’re ready in every capacity to make it happen.

Before a petrified public speaker has taken to the stage or a client has walked into a room to go for their big dream, I’m often the one they text as they walk in for that last-minute reminder that they’ve got this.

Know the way you have to feel.

And lastly, don’t forget that even with the right words from the right people, it is still down to you.

Sometimes cultural beliefs and feelings can slip into our mindset, other people in the same industry can tell us “It’s never been done like that” and it can knock our focus and derail our thoughts.

How do you need to feel to get the results you want? If I told a person from 200 years ago that they could fly anywhere on this planet on the same day, I’d likely have been locked up. Our beliefs change with time and experience. Do you want to be the person that creates the thoughts and beliefs of the future? Or wait for someone else to have taken the risk (and the glory!) and to leave you wishing “I wish I’d taken that risk”?

Face your fear and take risks

Looking back to myself years ago, Mrs. Nervous Wreck lacking in confidence…

She looked up at the chandelier that was taller than her house and tried to focus her thoughts. No amount of “thinking positive” was working and she just wanted her spleen to burst so she could end up in the hospital safely away from this extravagant room and all these people. How could she ever have thought it would be a clever idea to speak to a room full of her peers?

Less than 5 months prior to this moment, she’d stood in front of just 25 business owners and faffed, and fumbled through her words, feeling like a complete fake wishing to never see any of these people ever again. Heck, even a career in a local fast-food place would be better! She’d made a memorable impression but for all the wrong reasons and one of the audience had taken great delight in reminding her of her epic fail, so what had driven her to do it again?

That was me but for some reason, I’d decided to take the risk and speak on another stage in front of more people.

In many ways, I was hardly recognizable from 9 years ago to today when I’m described as “one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard” and “changed my life in one hour.” Clearly, my ability and attitude to speak to an audience changed but what else?

It was how I faced my fear and how I grew my risk tolerance to achieve more.

By taking my advice on how to take calculated risks, you will gradually find yourself becoming braver and embracing more opportunities. You’ve got this!

Source: lifehack.org ~ By: Mandie Holgate ~ Image: Canva Pro

Why Authenticity In Marketing Matters Now More Than Ever

For brands — just as for celebrities, politicians and anyone else in the media spotlight — scandals, PR mishaps, and social media slip-ups are nearly impossible to keep off the connected consumer’s radar. As a result, brands no longer have an option other than representing themselves honestly and transparently. Authenticity is crucial to continued loyalty from fickle audiences.

This poses a challenge for marketers: They must navigate the latest and greatest means of meeting the customer where they are and ensure the messages they put out are both genuine and in alignment with their brand principles. Of course, the irony here is that marketing, by nature, isn’t really authentic. It’s an all-out arms race as brands compete to showcase their products and services in the most attractive, clever, and appealing light possible while simultaneously downgrading their competitors and sweeping any negative commentary under the rug.

Those who have embraced authenticity and transparency (Dove, Airbnb) find consumers will do the marketing for them. Those who have fought it (Uber, Pepsi) continue to struggle to regain footing with an audience who will watch their every move, waiting to pounce when the first signs of negativity arise.

As someone who has worked with Fortune 500 brands to achieve better omnichannel customer experiences, I’ve seen how inauthenticity can negatively influence customer perception — and how brands that are customer-first always come out on top. Here are a few ways to infuse authenticity into your marketing and branding efforts:

1. Remember that honesty is (still) the best policy.

Why is communication — with the public and employees — the crux of any organization? It’s because humans are emotionally driven and crave the security of knowing there is an underlying foundation of mutual respect, honesty, and trust between them and the establishments they associate with.

For so long, brands have valued traits like “clever,” “funny” and “witty” over traits like “honest,” “trustworthy” and even “vulnerable.” These qualities aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but brands must exhibit the latter three or consumers won’t care about the former. This means listening to feedback or criticism and responding accordingly. A brand that is “above” humility will ultimately be resented. Audiences naturally shudder in response to falsity.

In today’s social media-driven world, news spreads fast. It’s all too easy to let the message get out of control without being able to effectively shut it down on your terms. So, invite your audience to be a part of the ride, changes and turmoil to humanize your brand. Don’t be afraid to tell customers that you’re working on improving a defective product or launching a new product that may not be fully baked. When customers feel like they were clued in, they will be more forgiving of any hiccups or inconveniences they experience along the way.

2. Show ‘em what you know — and that you care.

If your marketing strategy lives and dies by the “spray and pray” approach, your audience will sniff out the generic undertones and dismiss you. With myriad data available to marketers, there’s no excuse not to attempt some form of personalization and targeting. Don’t get me wrong: Personalization is an overused term in the industry, but its potential impact in marketing is huge. However, use caution when defining personalization for your business and customers  — or risk trading authenticity for an ultra-creepy persona.

Consider the various stages consumers go through when researching and buying your product or service. Match their brand experiences to any customer data you have at your disposal. When you show them that you care about what they want, it not only boosts loyalty, but offers a human (read: authentic) element to the brand experience.

3. Stay true to the brand.

When brands are in a crunch to adapt and better connect with their audience, a “reinvention” is usually an avenue to boost sales or spur awareness. But reinventions often lead to brand experiences that stray far from the core values — and therefore alienate customers even more.

There are many ways to boost brand love and connect with consumers emotionally without sacrificing core brand values. Brands that operate one way offline but have a completely different online persona can come off as having a “multiple personality disorder” that sends audiences straight to the complaint boards. For example, don’t portray yourself as a luxury brand if your product is actually a value play. Stay in your lane, be the best in your sector, and know your customer and their expectations.

4. Be clear, direct, and calm.

Most brands will inevitably face at least one communications crisis. They’re unavoidable and unpredictable, and the worst mistake you can make is a knee-jerk reaction. Consider the United Airlines fiasco that continues to drum up social media chatter: Not only was the brand seemingly ill-prepared to handle the backlash from dragging a passenger off a flight, but it also didn’t stay on message. Within 24 hours, United released two varying statements, making its stance on the issue confusing, hypocritical, and difficult to understand. And the more it evolved, the harder United became to trust. That’s why it’s important to have a proactive strategy that ensures your message stays consistent while you communicate to all of your stakeholders.

In the long run, taking the time to build an authentic foundation and a community of brand ambassadors will help establish and maintain this authenticity, even through turmoil.

Source: forbes.com ~ By: Ashley Deibert ~ Image: pixabay.com

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Embracing the Seasons of Your Life

Seasons of Life

Life, like nature, goes through seasons. There are vibrant springs of new beginnings, scorching summers of passion and growth, mellow autumns of reflection, and introspective winters of rest and preparation. Each season of life has its gifts and challenges, and embracing them all is the key to living a fulfilling life.

Here are some tips for embracing each season of your life:

Spring: Finding Joy in the New Beginnings

    • Savor the Moment: Don’t take the good times for granted. Be truly present and appreciate the happiness and opportunities that come your way.
    • Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments, big or small.
    • Share the Sunshine: Spread the joy by sharing your happiness with loved ones and expressing gratitude.

Summer: Finding Strength in Passion and Growth

    • Embrace the Energy: Summer is a time of passion, growth, and productivity. Channel this energy into your goals and aspirations.
    • Build Your Network: Connect with new people, explore new interests, and step outside your comfort zone.
    • Nurture Relationships: Spend quality time with loved ones and strengthen your social bonds.

Fall: Finding Beauty in Reflection

    • Acceptance is Key: Life has its inevitable challenges. Resisting them will only prolong the struggle. Accept what you cannot control and focus on what you can.
    • Find Your Anchor: During tough times, lean on your support system – friends, family, or a therapist. Having a strong foundation will help you weather the storm.
    • Seek the Silver Lining: Look for the lessons and hidden strengths that difficult times can reveal.

Winter: Finding Peace in Rest and Preparation

    • Live in the Present: Don’t dwell on the past or worry excessively about the future. Focus on what you can control in the present moment.
    • Embrace Growth: Be open to new experiences and challenges. Every season offers the chance to learn and grow.
    • Practice Gratitude: No matter the season, find things to be grateful for. Gratitude fosters a positive outlook and helps you appreciate the good things in life.

By following these tips, you can approach each season of your life with a sense of acceptance, growth, and appreciation. Remember, just like the changing seasons, change is a natural part of life. Embrace the journey and find the beauty in every chapter.

Image: Canva Pro

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