How to Start Your Own Self-Help Magazine to Inspire People

Since the past few years, self-help magazines have garnered a lot of popularity. These magazines talk about topics that help improve the lives of the readers. Readers connect to such magazines and find it very inspiring to come across topics that talk about self-development.

The self-help genre is extremely vast and it covers topics relating to happiness, living and wellness. With the fast-paced age, it has become absolutely necessary to talk about problems that people might be facing in their everyday lives.

These types of magazines encourage people to live a better life. If you are good with words and want to help people everywhere, then you should consider writing a self-help magazine. You do not need to be a professional writer to publish your very own magazine. All you need to have is the ability and confidence to help people with your words.

If you are confused about where to start or how to start, here are some tips that are sure to help. These tips won’t just help you publish your own self-help magazine but will also tell you how to create and print a magazine that people will actually want to buy. Take a look!

5 Tips for Writing a Self-Help Magazine:

1. Be Yourself

Writing a self-help book does not require any professional skills or qualifications. Most popular self-help books are written based on personal life experiences or experiences of what other people have gone through.

If you plan on starting your own self-help magazine, then write on topics that you know about or have experienced. Having a deep understanding of a certain topic or problem will allow you to give valuable feedback. At the same time, you will also sound confident about the things that you say. Be real and talk about experiences you are aware of to inspire the people who read your magazine.

2. Connect With Your Readers

One of the most important aspects to keep in mind while working on your magazine is to connect with your readers. Think about what the reader might be looking for – are you providing all the right and true answers to their questions?

You have to ensure that the reader is satisfied with your suggestions with every story. Having a pre-hand knowledge of the topic will help you connect to your readers easily.

“Each contact with a human being is so rare, so precious, one should preserve it.” – Anais Nin

3. Speak to the Reader

Rather than writing about how much you know, write in a way that feels like you are talking to your readers. Speaking directly to your readers will allow people reading your magazine to form a connection with your words and what you have to say. If you are having trouble writing the content, imagine talking to a friend over a cup of coffee and just start writing.

4. Be Motivational yet Practical

The entire purpose of a self-help magazine is to motivate the people who are reading it. Make sure to add a lot of motivational elements that will encourage the reader to do better or to face their problems confidently.

A lot of self-help books completely lack the motivational element. So, while writing, focus on whether or not your words will help someone. On the other hand, while motivation is the key, it is important to be practical as well.

5. Keep it Simple

Most magazines make their readers go through a bunch of pages reading the same re-written content before they actually find any answers or solutions. Don’t do that!

Filling up the pages of your magazine with long and boring content is something you must avoid at all costs. Keep your content direct and simple to help readers find what they came looking for easily.

The above five tips will help you start writing your own self-help magazine. Now, we’ll talk about a few tips which will help you when it comes to magazine printing.

5 Tips for Printing Your Self-Help Magazine:

1. The Right Cover

The front cover is the first thing that they will look at when they come across your magazine. The cover that you pick has to fit the niche as well as catch the eye of the reader. Even with amazing content inside, readers will fail to notice your magazine if the cover fails to impress them. Keep in mind that your cover image does not have to be loud or gaudy. Even a simple and elegant cover can grab a person’s interest. A good magazine cover contains:

• An attractive heading
• A bold subheading that explains the niche or purpose of your magazine
• Various sub-headings along with suitable pictures that give an overview of what stories your magazine will offer.

2. Functional Content Pages

Before you print your magazine, make sure that you have sorted out the content pages. The content pages are what keep your magazine intact. In short, the content pages of your magazine should be functional and easy to understand. A reader should be able to distinguish between various sections and articles just by looking at it. Do not end up stuffing too much content on a single page and make sure that the pages are easy on the eyes.

3. Choose the Apt Fonts

Content plays a major role in your magazine, which is why it is essential to make sure that it is readable. Make sure that you choose a font that is easy to decipher. Additionally, you can also make use of two different font styles for the heading and the body of your content. The headline can consist of a stylish and bold font. However, choose a simple yet elegant font for the body of your content.

“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein

4. Maintain Uniformity

After you have chosen the format, font and design of your magazine – maintain it throughout. If you try to change format on every page, your magazine loses uniformity and will lack identity. Mixing too many elements will also take the attention away from the content, which is something you will want to avoid in a self-help magazine. Maintain a single style throughout your magazine.

5. Find the Right Printing Company

This is the final, yet the most crucial step before your magazine printing. The right printing company will make sure that your magazine turns out just the way you had imagined. There are a lot of online magazine printers that offer low-cost magazine printing while maintaining quality at the same time.

A reliable printing company will ensure that you save a lot of time and money along with having a timely delivery. Do not compromise on the quality of work that you were expecting. An efficient printing company will ensure that your needs are met.

What was your favorite take-away from this article on how to start your own self-help magazine? Let us know your thoughts below!

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-to-start-your-own-self-help-magazine-to-inspire-people/

9 Ways to Help You Think Like an Entrepreneur

Going by popular opinion, being an entrepreneur seems a lot more thrilling than the typical 9-to-5 job. No bosses anymore, no pressure of completing the work in a rush, and no limited paycheck. Sure, an entrepreneur doesn’t have to go through the daily grind. However, there is so much more to the life of an entrepreneur.

Being an entrepreneur is like treading on thin ice. The moment you decide to be one, 9-to-5 will almost turn to 24×7. Your consumers will become your new bosses, and the size of your pay check will differ from month to month. If you still want to venture into it with the resolve to work hard and the willingness to innovate, you can join the club.

Now, to make your journey a little smooth, here’s presenting some pertinent ways to think like an entrepreneur:

1. Pinning your hopes in one place takes you on the road to disaster

To think like an accomplished entrepreneur, you must know that these professionals would never place all of his/her hopes in one place. Too much dependence on luck could be detrimental to the business that you are working on.

In reality, you must always be prepared for things that might never go as planned. There’s no point in being dejected about the way things are unfolding. Instead, you have to be willing to go with the flow and simply accept things as they come.

2. Treat your decision making skill like a superpower

You must be familiar with the iconic dialogue from the movie Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Well, it’s the same with entrepreneurship.

As an entrepreneur, you’ll be the person to make decisions and be quick at it. Now, over-analysing things can take up a lot of time, and you may miss out on many opportunities along the way. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take time to decide, or shouldn’t ask experienced people for advice. When required, you must act quickly. Make more space for big decisions, and do away with the small ones.

3. Wear your confidence like an armour

This is one of the most significant aspects of developing an entrepreneurial mindset. You should have self-confidence in abundance and immense faith in your abilities. If you keep doubting and second-guessing every decision, then you will never be able to take risks.

An entrepreneur is aware of the fact that he/she is the captain of their ship. The moment he/she starts to flounder or display any signs of weakness and insecurity, the workers and investors are bound to lose faith in him/her. This is something that is harmful to any business.

“Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.” – Wendy Wasserstein

4. Never let failures get to your head (or heart)

Failures and struggles are as inevitable as the sunrise and sunset. The value of your success increases tenfold if you have gone through an insurmountable struggle.

A skilled entrepreneur always thinks in a way that they’re both willing to accept failure and success with open arms. They would never let failures bring them to heel, and at the same time won’t bask too long in the glory of successes.

If you develop such an attitude to your work and develop a positive way of thinking, then there’s no stopping you from making it big as an entrepreneur.

5. Taking calculated risks comes with the territory

An entrepreneur has to be well-versed with taking calculated risks. You should be happy when things go as planned and should gracefully accept when things don’t exactly go the way you want.

Ultimately, to thrive and prosper in today’s business landscape, it’s vital to take risks. Make sure you take risks after doing your homework. This is exactly how successful entrepreneurs think and make decisions. Make sure once you’ve made a decision, you stand by it. After all, there is no point in constantly thinking if you have done the best for your business.

6. Always stay updated with relevant information

Like every successful entrepreneur, you too have to be acquainted with the latest advancements in your field. In order to gather sufficient knowledge, you have to keep your eyes and ears open to what’s happening around you. It’s only when you’re clued in to what’s going on in the world around you, that you’ll be able to collect relevant information.

This, in turn, will help you to get ahead in life. Isolating or cutting yourself off from the rest of the world will only create a roadblock in your way to success and prevent you from moving forward.

7. Ignorance isn’t a bliss when it comes to good advice

Connecting with people in your field allows you to develop the thought process of an entrepreneur. You must interact with the industry experts and influential figures in your line of work because they’ll help you sway your thought process in the right direction.

If you are ignorant towards good advice that people offer, then you are likely to end up making mistakes. In the fiercely competitive world of business, finding a mentor to guide you in your journey to success is absolutely invaluable.

“If you cannot see where you are going, ask someone who has been there before.” – J Loren Norris

8. Your qualifications will always be useful

Having the right qualifications will propel you to think like an entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur involves hardships and turbulence, and the journey won’t always be smooth. You must be ready to counter any and every obstacle that is thrown your way.

An entrepreneur is someone who has a flair for thinking. That’s how they come up with solutions to problems that present themselves all of a sudden. Having appropriate training and qualifications can help you with your problem-solving skills.

For instance, if you want to set up an industry specific company, you must have the right training and qualifications to understand the nuances of the business.

9. Positivity will take you forward

In order to help an organization move forward, an entrepreneur knows that it is essential to stay positive at all times. If he/she gives in to negativity, then it won’t be long before the employees fall prey to the negative feelings.

Accomplished entrepreneurs are smart enough to ensure that the negative vibes do not affect the workflow. It’s no secret that when you maintain a positive outlook, you will also motivate your subordinates to work efficiently.

These are some ideas you can implement in your daily life to think like an entrepreneur. While entrepreneurship may come across as thrilling, there is a lot of hard work that goes into it. However, be assured that if you put your heart and soul into it, success will never evade you.

Which one of the 9 ways to help you think like an entrepreneur resonated most with you? Let us know your thoughts below!

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https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/9-ways-to-help-you-think-like-an-entrepreneur/

4 Reasons You Should Develop a Daily Writing Practice

Lots of people want to make a living writing, but most have no idea what it takes to actually be successful at it. The idea of being an award winning blogger, novelist or journalist is attractive because it holds a certain mystique. Sitting in a cafe or on a beach in some far flung country sounds exotic and sexy, which is why so many aspiring writers are out there trying their luck at making a living through creative writing.

But being good enough to actually be able to make a living through writing is a challenge. It takes regular practice and continuous focus, as well as a fair amount of good luck, to reach a level where you can comfortably support yourself through writing.

With all that being said, there are a lot of reasons to start a writing on a regular basis. Even if you aren’t able to make a living with writing right away, developing the ability to clearly communicate through writing is a rare attribute which should be cultivated.

In fact, there is evidence to suggest that people with above average written communication skills regularly earn higher salaries and are more likely to report higher levels of life satisfaction and overall happiness.

So how do you get started? One of the best ways to get better at writing is to develop a daily writing practice.

Here are four reasons to start a daily writing practice:

1. It teaches you to let go of the idea of perfection

For many people, the hardest part about starting to write is the idea that everything has to be perfect. Throw that idea away and learn to be comfortable “writing for the trash can.” This means that you should write without the intention of showing anyone else what you’re writing.

Sure, you may want to show your writing to someone eventually, but at least in the initial daily writing practice you shouldn’t worry about getting anything perfect on the first attempt. That’s what editing is for.

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

2. It drives your creative engine

Writing on a daily basis means you will be constantly looking for inspiration in your daily life.

Whether you decide to write about an experience you had at the store earlier in the day, a memory you had about something that happened years ago, or a lesson that you think would be important to write down to remember later, creating a regular writing practice will teach you to keep an eye out for these pieces of creative inspiration. No matter what you decide to write, you’ll be tapping into and engaging your creative engine, which will feed into different parts of your life as well.

3. It builds your ability to persevere through difficulty

Writing is not always a bundle of laughs. In fact, sometimes writing can be hell. It can be like pulling teeth trying to get the next words out and onto the page. It can be awful, frustrating, and heartbreaking.

There’s also some good news which should inspire you to carry through the tough stretches. Often times, the best writing comes after you’ve fought long and hard to get through a rough patch. This practice of daily writing can teach you a lot about grit and perseverance, and it will help you in both your writing career and your personal life.

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot

4. It helps you develop a style and a strong personal voice

Your personal writing style is influenced by a multitude of factors. You may be inspired by the books you’ve read, the people you’ve spent time with, and the music you listen to, but you also have your own unique style which can’t be copied.

The more that you write, the more you are able to develop your own personal, unique style which goes beyond the influences you engage with on a daily basis.

Developing a daily writing practice that is based on writing as quickly as possible is a bit like interval training for the writing muscle. Interval training works because it pushes you to write quickly and actively for a short burst of time, followed by a period of lower intensity writing.

Next time you think about improving your writing, consider adopting a daily writing practice which forces you to write anywhere from between 200 to 750 words a day.

Do you like to write? Share your thoughts on why you do or don’t below!

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/4-reasons-you-should-develop-a-daily-writing-practice/

10 Productivity and Business Hacks for Early Stage Entrepreneurs

1Entrepreneurs’ work style is crazy, yet full of passion. Can you guess their success formula? Hard work? Dedication? Passion? Yes, all cumulatively, but smart entrepreneurs work with better productivity. It’s the way to their success.

Growing as an entrepreneur, especially after you have been used to a steady pay, company-paid health insurance, and a retirement savings program can be a bit scary. And you would not do a commitment to this if you don’t have a strong passion for your product, service and for being out on your own, as well as a willingness to take risks. You still have so much to comprehend about business operations, but if you’re engaged, fair enough for now.

To help you sidestep some of the common pitfalls, here are ten productivity tips for new entrepreneurs:

1. Cultivate Your Business Strategy

Before you launched, you put together at least an informal business plan. You set goals for where you wanted to be at certain benchmark points, and you listed the things to be done to get there. Now that you are a few months or more into your launch, it’s time to revisit that plan. You have a better “feel” for things, and you may need to modify. You should also think about formalizing the document so that when the time comes, you have something to show would-be investors.

2. Financial End of the Business

Initially, things go smoothly. You have a record of all of your start-up costs (these till be tax-deductible), and you are keeping a record of all of your monthly expenses – production costs, marketing, supplies, etc. You are also tracking all of your sales and the gross income from those. If you are still doing this by hand, stop. Get a basic accounting software package, and get all of this streamlined. You won’t need anything fancy and complex, but you probably will in the future. Most of them automatically prepare your tax returns too – a huge time saver.

3. Marketing

In the early phase, marketing acts as one of the most vibrant segments of your business activities. Initially, you barely have industry connections. You may not have direct contracts. You immediately need initial business and referrals. You need to get your voice out there, and build relationships.

If you have not formed a comprehensive marketing maneuvering, you need one now. Is your website full of authoritative, informative pages? Are you embracing customer reviews and referrals? What about PPC and display advertising? Does it have a place on the annual budget? Are your physical stores (if you have) getting enough foot traffic? Hope you’ve gone through maps listing and optimization.

“Everyone can tell you the risk. An entrepreneur can see the reward.” – Robert Kiyosaki

4. Legal Reflections

You of course have your business registered with local, state, and federal entities. But there are other legal considerations as well. Depending upon your product or service, do you need liability insurance and statements of indemnification; if your business involves contracts with clients, are they clean, clear and tight? You need an attorney to cover all the bases, so don’t scrimp on finding and using a good one.

5. Time Management

This can become a big issue and really hurt productivity if you are not very careful. Working on your own, especially with a home office, means that your hours are flexible, of course, but they cannot be “loose.” And you cannot hop from one activity to the next and back again, taking any interruptions as they come along.

You need to block out chunks of time for your tasks, and stick to those as much as possible. If you decide that email correspondence will happen from 12-1 every day, then that’s when it happens. Let your answering machine get your calls if you are deep into a project. Mapping every day according to an agenda keeps you on-task and focused.

6. Team Meetings

This is offbeat “killer” for productivity. If you have a trio, meet on a regularly scheduled base. And keep those meetings brief and to the point. Have an agenda, reach what must be covered, and close it out.

7. Sales Meetings and Presentations

If you are an e-commerce B2C retailer business, then you will be involved in sales presentations to dormant customers, except those that are done online, through your marketing campaigns. If you do have sales appointments, however, go in with a practiced presentation that is short and to the point. Hark more than you talk, value questions, and don’t be pushy, no matter how desperate you are for an order confirmation. Endure “no” or “I’ll think about it” with a smile, and leave the opportunity open for future conversation

8. Fine Tune Your Networking

Whether your networking is all online or a combination of online and on-the-ground, join as many networking groups as possible. You’ll learn a lot from the veterans, you’ll make great contacts, and your brand will be spread just that much more.

9. Develop an Elevator Pitch

Write one, practice it until it comes out naturally, and you will be ready for any introduction or conversation that comes around to the question, “What do you do?” Your pitch should be 30-seconds long at most, should be creative and delivered with enthusiasm, and followed by the handing over of a business card. You’ll use this at weddings, parties, conferences, and at bars – any place where you will come into contact with strangers. There are a lot of online sites as resources for pitch creation – use them to craft a truly engaging one.

“Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.” – Peter Drucker

10. Guard Your Health

Operating your own business means crazy long hours, at least in the commencement, and it’s obvious to skip routines, exercise, a mode to missing meals or, worse, eating way too much fast food. You have to carry this in mind always: Who will run the business if you are sick or emotionally exhausted?

You shouldn’t do hectic work hours taking a toll on your health. Instead, you should aim for:

• Exercising daily at least thirty minutes
• Quit smoking
• Proper sleep
• Eating fruits and vegetables daily
• Avoid distracting useless data
• Disrupt unhealthy habits
• Learn the art of applying a proper work-life balance
• Take regular breaks
• Enjoy the moment

Some leaders try to do more than they should. Are you one of those? Do you like to delegate tasks and only keep an eye on the entire process? Or are you involved in every single activity happening out there? If so, what’s your productivity formula?

from
https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/10-productivity-and-business-hacks-for-early-stage-entrepreneurs/

Success Doesn’t Lead to Happiness. Here’s Why:

“If I work as hard as I can and become successful, then I will be happy.” That is the prevalent belief in our society these days. The classic equation adults tell us growing up, success = happiness. If you become successful, then you will be happy. It’s as if none of us deserve to be happy unless we are successful.

This false belief has led people to work years and years to reach “success” only for the sad reality to set in, success doesn’t equal happiness. This carrot and stick approach to happiness results in fleeting, scarce happiness. It adds pressure, stress, and negativity to all the aspects of our life. And in fact, striving for success first actually impedes success.

When I was building my first company, I always said, “I’ll be happy when…” I was pushing off happiness for the attainment of success. I didn’t think I was allowed to be happy. “Why would I be happy if I am not where I want to be?”

“For untold generations, we have been led to believe that happiness orbited around success. That if we work hard enough, we will be successful, and only if we are successful will we become happy. The opposite is true.” – Shawn Achor

This line of thinking eventually led to me burning out, and my business almost collapsing. It was at my lowest point that I started to question this belief. I started to search for another way, because what I was doing wasn’t sustainable. I was letting myself and my team down.

What I found surprised me, and forced me to change my beliefs. I found that the correct equation is the opposite. Happiness isn’t this “nice” thing to have AFTER you are successful. Science has actually proven that happiness precedes success; it fuels success!

In his best selling book, “The Happiness Advantage”, Psychologist & Harvard Professor Shawn Achor, showed through research and science how society’s formula for success is broken. His team found that when someone is happy, or in a positive state of mind, their intelligence rises, their creativity improves, and their business results increase as well!

Achor’s team found that sales teams were 37% better when positive, Doctors were 19% more accurate at diagnoses, and humans in general were 31% more productive!

Once I flipped the equation, and my mindset, I started to focus on my happiness in the now. I started to journal on things I was grateful for, I started to “play” more, I started to meditate and take care of myself.

Not only did this shift make me a lot happier (and healthier), it was the start of my business turning around. Using this mindset, I could face the difficult times with positivity and fortitude. I learned to be happy in the face of difficulty. And the result was me scaling my company to $6 million in 2 years.

“Happiness leads to success in nearly every domain, including work, health, friendship, sociability, creativity and energy.” – Shawn Achor

Mahatma Gandhi worked almost his entire life to free his people from oppression, first in South Africa then India. This was not easy and took decades to accomplish. He dedicated his entire life to the cause and was even incarcerated because of it. Even through this hardship, Gandhi was happy and fulfilled the entire time. In his autobiography, he even mentioned that if he did not accomplish this major goal, he would still be happy.

One could imagine how easy it would have been for him to be miserable and resentful during his journey. Instead, he was peaceful and happy. He maintained this positivity and eventually succeeded in his goal. He changed the course of the world and he used the correct equation to do it.

You can strive for success. You can work hard for success. Just don’t think that success will lead to happiness. There are a lot of depressed millionaires. Focus on being happy in the now. Be proud of where you are and who you are.

You can be happy now and still strive for more. Remember, this will actually make you more successful, it will make you perform better in all aspects of life and you will enjoy the ride so much more. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Go be happy.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/success-doesnt-lead-to-happiness-heres-why/

The Best Side Hustle You Can Start Today In Just 15 Minutes

The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Your Audience Engaged With Your Blog

According to HubSpot, 43% of all blog readers admit to skimming through blog posts. Although this is a disheartening number, what exactly is the cause for this lack of concentration? The answer lies in a very important buzzword – engagement. It’s not nearly enough to write SEO copy and use branded content to reach your target customer.

Every single bit of your content has to be engaging. It has to cause enjoyment and other pleasant emotions while people read it. If you’re struggling with engaging your audience, fear no more.

The guide below covers all the necessary steps towards engaging blog content:

1. Speak directly to them

Before you prepare to launch a campaign of branded content, it’s important to adjust your tone. Every follower of yours will register a more positive response if you speak “in familiarities” to them. To achieve this, you need to know your target audience and how they function.

For example, if your audience is made out of teenagers and young adults, you can use slang more freely. In case your followers are mainly mothers or older adults, you have to be more professional.

Older people strive for value, whereas youths tend to prioritize experiences. Look at your readers as future clients and observe them well. If you’re targeting younger, well-off individuals, don’t be afraid to get descriptive and use lavish expressions to evoke feelings. We live in an age where experiences are monetized and it’s essential that you describe your offer in detail.

This isn’t just meant for branded content. Even educational and informative blogs have to be shaped as advices to every individual. Write in second person and use concise, but developed thoughts and sentences. Mix brevity with effectiveness – that’s how to speak directly to your audience.

“What you do after you create your content is what truly counts.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

2. Keywords aren’t just for SEO

Do you know why the most popular songs are so popular? It’s because of their catchy rhythm, which allows the song to become an “earworm” and permanently stuck in the listeners’ brains.

Words are also music in their own right, which is why you need to change your view on the copy ASAP. Writing engaging blog posts is all about the right use of keywords. No, we don’t mean complying with all the demands of search engine algorithms to appear higher in search results.

Using keywords correctly is about placing them evenly around the text to evoke a feeling of repetitiveness. The reader must be constantly reminded about the point of the blog and why is that knowledge or information useful to him.

Nobody wants to read out of boredom. If you want to keep your audience engaged, you need to provide free value. To get a better effect on each and every reader, establish a consistent “rhythm” of keywords.

This includes concluding every other paragraph with the same longtail keyword. The frequency is enough to stay engraved in the minds of the readers.

At the same time, it’s also not strong enough to make the blog post unreadable. This is the whole crux of keyword use. Make it natural and your audience will feel connected to every forthcoming paragraph in the point. Better understanding equals better engagement.

3. Get visual

The next step in this guide to engaging your blog readers involves something more than copy – visual aspects of your blog. It’s important to have variety in your content. It may look tidy to have a dedicated session for text posts, infographics and images, but this becomes monotonous very quickly.

Different content doesn’t have to be targeted to different groups. Instead, all your content forms have to be fused to create the ultimate reading experience.

Add infographics under a paragraph that contains a lot of statistics. Important information and things essential to your brand have to be in visual form. Simply by glancing at this section, readers will memorize everything that’s needed.

Providing them with this easily-memorable content prepares them for the next step in engagement. This involves carefully approaching the subject to develop more detail.

Writing a blog post has to be methodical. Most marketers believe that each post is a standalone marketing tool with its only goal to maximize short-term engagement. However, this is an outdated view on the utilitarian value of blog posts as marketing tools.

4. Write posts in series

Blogs can have multiple purposes. They can either be informative, clearly promotional or, in most cases, informative with promotion in mind. If you are selling a product or service, you would want to use the blog space in the best possible way.

This indicates that promotionally informative posts are the best type of blog post for you. Their effectiveness comes in a unique ability to form chains of information, stretched out through several different posts.

The more you elaborate on important things, the more your customers will learn. Knowledge to customers means they will be better prepared for different approaches in your next blog posts. Imagine a reader learning something valuable from your digital marketing blog and thinking “Hey, this isn’t so hard after all!” This feeling of accomplishment is exactly what will engage them. They’ve learned something and now they want more.

Here is your chance to give them what they want. Have your blog posts logically connected from time to time. Once your regular readers start immersing themselves in different topics, they will be more and more confident in their knowledge.

You will be seen as someone who provides valuable knowledge. This will lead to better engagement, more conversions and increased revenue.

“The currency of blogging is authenticity and trust.” – Jason Calacanis

5. “Sprinkle” posts with CTAs

Being informative, engaging and utilizing visual content are good blogging tactics. Unfortunately, good is not good enough for you. You can share all the information you want and support it with arguments and you still won’t get maximal engagement.

There is nothing that people love more than clear and explicit directions. Failing to instruct your readers, implicitly or otherwise, is a massive hit to your engagement rates. Use cleverly placed CTAs not as means to sell, but as means to engage. Selling is only an option if your customers are engaged. The cleverness of your wording and making a point is exactly what you need to engage readers and turn them into customers.

Calls to action have to be cleverly distributed so that you can reach your goal with just some coupe de gras. Place them at the end of important sections, in no more than five words. Audiences will be 300% more engaged due to this trick, according to QuickSprout.

This is a number that you simply cannot ignore. Use the imperative voice as a way of summing up – “If X customers acquired Y information, then Z can be achieved.”

Let them know that the action they’re required to take is closely connected to their recently acquired knowledge. This increases reader’s confidence and reminds them that they can do so much with what they read in your blog posts.

Keeping your audience engaged via blog posts is an easy process, with just a few steps. All you have to do is conduct enough research, be honest about your goals and be willing to execute. With these steps we’ve covered, you will see a surge in engagement rates across the board.

Do you have a blog or want to start one? Share your ideas below on how you’d keep your audience engaged or already keep them engaged!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-ultimate-guide-to-keeping-your-audience-engaged-with-your-blog/

4 Simple Ways to Stay Motivated as an Entrepreneur

Being an entrepreneur is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. You have to deal with challenges every step of the way and sometimes motivation is difficult to come by. This article is dedicated to entrepreneurs who’ve just started their journey and are looking for sustainable ways to stay motivated.

We mention the word “sustainable” because some forms of motivation are fleeting and will only fuel your drive for a short period of time. What you need is a lasting motivation that comes from inside, and we’re going to share with you a few tips on how you can achieve that.

The key to lasting entrepreneurial success is to achieve a balance between your business pursuits and your personal growth. You need to have an inner hunger and ambition that will sustain you throughout those long and challenging times in your business. However, most important of all, you must have the will to continue regardless of the obstacles. You must never give up and always keep moving.

Here are 4 simple way to stay motivated as an entrepreneur:

1. Make Time for Yourself

One of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face nowadays is the inability to find the “off” switch. Entrepreneurs work harder than most people and can spend all of their day in meetings, corresponding via email and text, while making sure the operation side of things is intact.

Unlike employees who go home to forget about work at the end of the workday, entrepreneurs tend to take work home. It’s so easy to continue responding to texts and emails and study documents well into the night, without realizing that working non-stop without sufficient rest is a recipe for disaster.

The only way to get it all done and maintain balance is to take regular breaks from it all. Set aside a few minutes each day so you can just be alone to reflect, whether it’s through exercising, meditation or taking a hot bath and reading a good book before bedtime. Also, don’t be shy to take a vacation, even if it’s for two weeks out of the year, just to recharge and recalibrate.

Taking short breaks like this will go a long way in fueling your inner drive and motivation while helping you to avoid burnout. Realize that the world won’t come to an end just because you’ve decided to take some time for yourself.

“How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward.” – Spanish Proverb

2. Find Inspirational Sources

Unless you’re Gary Vaynerchuk or Casey Neistat, there will be many moments where you feel utterly unmotivated. This is called “being in a funk” and the best way to overcome a funk is to find sources of inspiration to refuel you. This could mean subscribing to an online magazine or blog that inspires you, watching inspiring videos and listening to motivational podcasts. Try to find great online mentors who put out content that resonates with you.

3. Network with Like-Minded People

You know how entrepreneurs often refer to their businesses as their children? Well, it takes a lot of people to build a good business. It’s imperative that you start building a network of associates or hire a virtual assistant early on who will help you with the day-to-day as well as the strategic execution of your vision.

Of course, having a mentor is very important as well, because you can learn a lot from someone who’s been there and done it. The important thing is to create a support system of people who’re willing to lend an ear or offer valuable advice whenever you need it.

“You become like the five people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.” – Jim Rohn

4. Your Mission Should Be Bigger Than Just a Business

If there’s one thing that brings a business together it’s a clear vision and mission. Ideally, your mission and vision should encompass more than your immediate goals. It should be a far-reaching and inspiring goal that will be the driving force behind your business.

At the end of the day, your business vision should be larger than life and go beyond just making money. It should be about making a change in the broader community and making an impact in the world. Holding this vision will sustain your business through the hard times and it will make it so much easier to wake up and take action every day.

Remember that as an entrepreneur, you’re a trailblazer. You’re someone that’s choosing an unconventional path in order to make the world a better place. Whether that be through selling a product or service, it should be in service of a bigger vision and mission.

We know that staying motivated while going through the rigors of entrepreneurship can be tough. But as long as you keep your vision firm and remember your “why,” everything will be fine. Keep in mind the four tips we shared in this article as well, and use them to sustain you when you’re feeling low.

How do you stay motivated through challenging times? Share your thoughts and advice with us below!

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https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/4-simple-ways-to-stay-motivated-as-an-entrepreneur/

How to Implement an SEO Strategy Into Your Instagram Account

Today we are going to be setting up your Instagram profile for success by implementing social media SEO strategy and tactics. You will need two things to get started today: Your laptop or phone handy with your Instagram account and internet access.

Defining your goals

In order to achieve success, we must define the goals that you are working towards accomplishing. Here are three questions to help you define your objectives for your social media strategy:

• Are you trying to establish a brand? Or are you a brand?
• Are you trying to or do you currently sell products?
• Are you working towards becoming an influencer?

If you are establishing a brand, do you have a link to your website in the bio? Is your Instagram account shoppable if you are selling products? Becoming an influencer? Do you have a blog or a means of capturing leads from your account?

All of these goals have different calls to action. Ponder what your goals are and how your account can serve you better. Action item: Implement one of the following onto your Instagram account that best suits your needs:

• Lead capture form or lead magnet
• Shoppable feed
• Website link

“Nothing BIG will happen in your life, until you build off of the many SMALL things” –  John Paul Aguiar

Implementing SEO on your Instagram account

Now that we have clearly defined goals, let’s see how we can incorporate a search engine optimisation strategy into your Instagram account. We will be focusing on your Biography, Username, developing keywords and Handle when implementing a social SEO strategy.

Let’s start within your bio. The biography in your Instagram account is a space where you want to tell your user what to expect when they follow you. Here are a few key points to consider when writing your biography:

1. What is your Instagram account about? Fashion, Marketing, Health or Fitness? Define your niche and stick to it.

2. Establish your authority! Do you have credentials? Perhaps experience? If so, incorporate it into your profile. Give users a reason to increase their trust in your recommendations.

3. Where are you located? This is great to note because other influencers and brands will want to collaborate with other users in the same geographic location. You will also find that when people develop a relationship with your online profile, users will feel more connected if you are in a similar geographic location.

4. How can you be reached? This is really important! I know so many business users that do not have their contact details on Instagram. If you want to make sales or close brand deals you need to provide a way for users to contact you. Either place your email address in the bio or switch to a business profile on IG so that users can contact you with the click of a button.

“Good content always has an objective; it’s created with intent. It therefore carries triggers to action.” – Ann Handley

Refining your Instagram Handle

Does your Instagram handle show who you are and what you are about? For instance, is it Vanessa123487 or is it StylistVanessa? Tell people exactly who you are and what you are about. Give them an immediate reason to follow you.

Social media SEO Tip: Instagram handles are searchable. What does that mean? If a user is looking for a stylist, if you have the keyword stylist in your username your profile will rank in the search engine when the word stylist is entered.

This also applies to your Instagram name. My personal profile name is Aerialist Vanessa. Why? Because I want to come up when people are searching for Aerialists or Aerial arts. Take a moment to think about how can you make your username come up in search rankings. What keywords are your target market using to find information on Instagram?

Notice how health and fitness leader Emily Skye has fit in her username? That is no coincidence! She is using SEO optimisation in her username.

Implementing keywords

Implement keywords into your profile whether it is in your name, profile or user handle. Bonus points if you can incorporate it into all three!

I hope you enjoyed our tips on how to incorporate a search engine optimization strategy into your Instagram account. Which one of the above tips is one that you’re going to start using?

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-to-implement-an-seo-strategy-into-your-instagram-account/

5 Steps to Financial Mindfulness

5Financial mindfulness might sound like some vague abstraction, but it’s really a simple concept. The idea is that when you increase your awareness of not just your spending habits but your thoughts and feelings about money itself, you can have a better relationship with your finances.

Achieving financial mindfulness isn’t linear. It’s a mix of both practical and emotional approaches — building up your financial health with tangible tips, but also decluttering your mind and building up your self-esteem. Essentially, by taking ownership of your actions and thoughts, you can achieve true financial mindfulness.

Here, you’ll find just a handful of tips to get you started on the path of financial mindfulness:

1. Look at your income objectively

We often look at our paychecks disapprovingly. Maybe we wish we had made more; maybe we’re cursing Uncle Sam for taking a bigger chunk than we expected. But when it comes to financial mindfulness, you can’t get caught up in the emotion of your paycheck. When you stop worrying about how much money you don’t have and start focusing on what you do have, you can have a clearer outlook and a better relationship with your financial situation overall.

“You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” – Dave Ramsey

2. Assess what you’ve been avoiding

Whether it’s that credit card bill, student loan or empty savings account, look at it, and I guarantee you’ll feel less stressed about it. How so? Well, whether it’s finances or a fight with your partner, problems seem to get bigger when you avoid acting. So, when it comes to your financial health, be mindful of the things you’ve been avoiding.

For example, maybe you’ve been afraid to look at your credit score because you missed a few payments and think it’s gone down. Today, many credit card companies offer a dashboard to access your credit score and interact with it so it feels less like an arbitrary number and more like something you can control.

Many times, you can even play with metrics to see how making changes to your habits or payments can affect your score. So, whether it’s your credit score or your savings account, by confronting what you’ve been afraid to know or deal with, you put the power to take control back in your own hands.

3. Build up your financial self-esteem

Setting large financial goals are like setting New Year’s resolutions — if they’re too big, you’re never going to get around to doing them. So, if you want to start saving money, start by making the effort to put away just 5% every month. While this might seem like a small amount, the mindful act of doing so is going to kick-start your goal and build up your self-esteem. Once that happens, you’ll be able to set bigger goals, too.

4. Clean house

Literally, clean your house. Make it a seasonal habit of going through your closet, your pantry and your home and taking an assessment of what you already have. When you can see all of your possessions, it’s easier to be mindful of what you actually need and helps eliminate frivolous spending.

“All money is a matter of belief.” – Adam Smith

5. Think before you swipe

A lot of experts will tell you to carry around cash so you can be more mindful of spending. But the fact of the matter is, that’s not always practical. What you can do however, is make a mental note every time you swipe. The action of being more conscious and less distracted while swiping can really help you feel more in control.

Think about it like this — you start buying $4 cappuccinos on your way to work while commuting with a coworker. For the first few swipes, it might seem like just a few bucks. But if you start taking the time to mentally check in while swiping, you’ll start to realize what that money can add up to in the long run.

Either that’s money you could be saving and allocating towards bills, or simply be putting to use on things you’d enjoy more. When you’re mindful, you have more choices.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/5-steps-to-financial-mindfulness/

How Video Games Made Me A Multi-Millionaire

5 Non-Negotiable Things Millionaires Do Every Day

No matter how busy you are, if you’re an entrepreneur, there are some things you should aim to do every single day. With that in mind, there are some habits that millionaires do on a daily basis that you can adopt in your days.

Below are 5 non-negotiables to include in your daily routine every single day:

1. Reviewing Your Goals

Every morning successful people review their goals to keep focused on what they are waking up for; so they can align their tasks for the day with their goals. Viewing your goals means that you have to write them down first so you’re clear on what you want to achieve.

Looking at them only once a week or once a month isn’t good enough because you will lose focus easily since there are many distractions in this day and age. Writing down your goals for the day and viewing them regularly is a good habit to form. When you’re going to set your schedule for the day and have your goals in front of you always ask yourself, “Will this task get me closer to my goals?” If not, then perhaps you shouldn’t be doing it at all.

“Review your goals twice every day in order to be focused on achieving them.” – Les Brown

2. Completing Your MIT First Thing

MIT stands for Most Important Task. This is the task that has the greatest impact on your bottom line and propels you dramatically closer to your goals. This can change throughout your life as your goals change or you and your business go through different stages of maturity.

There’s an important thing to note here, doing your MIT first thing after you wake up and after your morning routine is essential, as you never know what distractions could come up throughout the day. It also keeps you productive since after completing it you will feel fulfilled knowing that you have completed the most important task of the day.

In fact, in most cases, completing your MIT of the day in the morning means that you could do whatever you want for the rest of the day if you choose to do so.

3. Learning

Learning isn’t optional if you want to keep growing throughout your life. Surely, you wouldn’t want to stay in the same spot where you are right now for the next 10 years would you?

Learning is not about just reading books. In fact, many millionaires consume their knowledge through audiobooks on fast speed so they can consume more in less time and during a commute. It’s no wonder audiobooks have become more popular in recent years.

Nonetheless, this isn’t about audiobooks or physical books. It’s about not letting your hate for reading that most people have stop you from learning and growing. You can be creative about the way you consume your knowledge. Ideally you want to spend at least 60 minutes per day learning and growing your mind so you can enhance your skills and creativity to do different things.

4. Physical Wellbeing

If you want to be a high performance individual then you must take care of your body. The last thing we want is for your body to fail you when you most need it. Be careful about what you put into your body and make sure you are active throughout the day to keep your energy up.

One of the ways I’ve found to be helpful to keep your energy up throughout the day is to jump around, do some jumping jacks or some pushups whenever you are feeling a bit low on that energy.

Exercising 2 or 3 times a week is good, yet that’s not what we are talking about here. What I’m talking about here is just being active everyday, whether it’s a rest day or not. You can go out for a walk or do something light each day.

“Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

5. Viewing Your Finances

Yes, everyday have a look at your bank account. If it depresses you to look at then perhaps that’s something we need to work on, don’t you think? Not looking at them isn’t the solution, it’s just trying to pretend the problem is not there. The point of looking at your finances is similar to when you look at your goals, except with one slight difference.

When you look at your finances it’s not only to keep you focused on growing them, but also to keep track of how you’re doing financially and whether they’re getting better or worse over time.

You can act successful and pretend your business is doing fine but your finances never lie. By looking at your finances you’re giving yourself a reality check and you’ll be able to know if what you’re doing is working or not.

Remember to focus on your daily goals, complete your most important tasks, learn every day, take care of your wellbeing ,and review your finances to ensure you’re progressing every single day.

Which one of these 5 non-negotiable routines resonated with you the most and why? Let us know your thoughts below!

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/5-non-negotiable-things-millionaires-do-every-day/

10 Secrets to Success From Clickfunnels Top Affiliate Spencer Mecham

Are you looking to be an affiliate? You have to acquaint yourself with a couple of tips which guarantee great success. Affiliate marketing you will not get paid until some kinds of actions are taken by the readers.

Identified and explained hereunder are ten secrets for successful affiliate marketing which are proven to guarantee higher values to your readers and the likely maximization of success:

1. Aim at meeting the needs of your target market

Your reader is by far your best asset. When appropriately satisfied, the chances of them taking the necessary courses of actions are raised. For this to happen, you have to understand them inside and out. Do so by inquiring about their pain points, their tastes and preferences, and their expectations of your blog.

Yogita Aggarwal avers that promoting the wrong product is a sure path to failure. To mitigate this, you have to conduct thorough market research.

2. Maintain a fair degree of trustworthiness

Readers are generally smart, and they can easily spot an affiliate link when they come across one. You should not attempt to promote an irrelevant product or bombard them with too many adverts. They will just lose interest, leave and possibly never come back.

You should hence aim at building a pool of repeat visitors. They are the ones who are more likely to drive traffic to your site, place orders and refer others to your site. You can only build good relationships by marketing quality content.

As you do this, be sure to prioritize value addition by sharing only those products which you are confident of being relevant, valuable and sincerely helpful to your readers. Make it a point of disclosing any links or relationships you have with your vendors. This will go a long way in solidifying the trust.

3. Be passionate about what you are doing

It is essential to be passionate about what you are doing or attempting to do. It is almost impossible to succeed in what you do if you don’t truly love it. Avoid marketing only for the sake of money. It is only then that you will be able to generate new ideas and marketing perspectives which are crucial for the success in the field.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey

4. Approach the issue one step at a time

Do you desire to manage $5,000 in your first month? Hold on! You will first and foremost have to achieve $1 then $10 and eventually someday to $5,000+. This requires time. You will have to comprehend the psychology and behaviors of your client base first and foremost. After doing that, you will be able to build on that information for higher profit margins.

5. Be helpful

To maximize the possibility of eliciting positive responses from your readers, you have to go further than just letting them know of the existence of your products. Take some time to provide in-depth reviews of the products on sale. Highlight their features and offer brief explanations of just how beneficial they could be to the user.

Preferably, share a personal testimonial or case study in the affiliate link in your review. These build trust and verification which in turn enhance the experience of the visitors considerably. Higher sales will naturally follow after that.

6. Be an ambassador

Instead of promoting the products as a marketer, you are strongly advised to develop them as though they were your own. To do this:

• Review the products by laying particular emphasis on why you think they are better than their competitors.
• Produce tutorials showcasing their use or services.
• Put in place a landing page to enlighten your referrals rather than merely pointing them to your site.
• Recommend one product alongside why you prefer it. This will help undecided buyers make rational decisions.
• Enforce some bonuses for the high-value affiliates and joint ventures deals

The steps above will let your affiliates make their decisions from a more informed position. On the same note, they will enable you to gain added influence and authority for your own, not to mention deepening relationships between your provider and you.

“Trust is built with consistency.” – Lincoln Chafee

7. Uphold great transparency in your affiliate relationships

It is necessary that you uphold a significant degree of transparency in your affiliate relationships. Your readers will definitely appreciate your honesty and will gladly contribute to your earnings. They will often track any dishonesty readily. This will definitely scare them away from your site and drive them to the websites of your competitors.

To further stand out of the crowd, you might want to offer a bonus for any action taken from your site. This is extremely useful when in a field that is saturated with many other players.

8. Choose the various affiliate products keenly

Take some time to go through the list of various products that are available. In particular, match them with the expectations, tastes, and preferences of your target market. As you promote them, alter the ads every now and then, attempt different graphics and texts to find the most effective ones.

You will have to spend some time before arriving at the best formula possible. While at it, you will also realize the need to rotate or alter ads from time to time to captivate the attention of the audience well.

Generally speaking, digital ads are better options. They have higher conversion rates and generate higher commission rates. For maximum profits, consider promoting products that are highly priced and those that renew each month.

9. Work on a strong reputation within your niche

Affiliate marketing is generally more sophisticated and highly profitable. Rather than building one-page campaigns, focus on putting in place a sales funnel, assets, and other things which have a higher value. Identify the best niche and stick to it. These steps will not only earn the trust of your visitors but also develop stronger relationships with your advertisers.

10. Generate and post high-quality content

Your content marketing strategy should be your highest priority. The content serves as the foundation and the lifeblood upon which your site is hinged. Readers will only be interested in your site if it contains helpful and valuable content.

This being the case, you should aim at excellent furnishing contents and effective monetizing strategies which are proved to work out well. You will lose readers if you make the slightest attempt to compromise your content. That, of course, will lead to the forfeiture of the opportunity to make any money from your adverts like referral-based and cost-per-click.

All said and done, the quality of your content is the single most contributing factor of the credibility of your blog, website, or business. Hence it is in your best interest to invest heavily in it if you ever hope to make any meaningful success!

Which one of the above 10 secrets to success from Spencer Mecham resonated most with you? Let us know your thoughts below!

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/10-secrets-to-success-from-clickfunnels-top-affiliate-spencer-mecham/

Success Isn’t Rocket Science, but There Is a Simple Equation

People all around the world are looking for the secret to success. There are countless answers out there: personal connections, wealth, good luck, positive mindset, hard work, determination, passion, and on and on.

Some of those things might be true for some people, but I don’t think success comes from just any one variable. I also don’t think there is a single tangible answer that can be replicated by the masses. It seems that the more we look for one, the more questions we tend to find.

What is the secret to success? Is it enough to be passionate and hardworking? Is it enough to have a positive mindset? What steps can we take to become more successful?

Well, if you have been pondering questions like these, look no further. I believe success comes from, not one variable, but a combination of variables, an equation if you will. I’m not talking about anything too complicated or complex, like rocket science. This is an equation so simple it practically solves itself:

(Intrinsic Motivation + Action) x Momentum = Success

“I’m not a math whiz! What does this mean?” Don’t worry, as my high school algebra teacher could attest, this isn’t real math, but I can assure you that it works very well. Allow me to explain each variable.

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is your internal, innate reason for wanting to do something and it’s the vital first part of the formula for success. Without it, everything we try to do will most likely fail, but what is intrinsic motivation?

Let me ask you a question: what do you like to do in your free time? Do you volunteer because it feeds your soul to help others? Maybe you love doing puzzles because you love the feeling you get when you solve a problem? Do you go hiking because you love to connect with nature?

If no one were paying you, would you still volunteer, solve puzzles, or go hiking? Of course you would! You receive intrinsic rewards when you do those things, and therefore you have a strong, internal motivation to keep doing them.

Another way to look at this is to know your “why.” Your “why” is your deep-rooted reason for doing something. Simon Sinek talks about this a lot, and Tony Robbins says, “If you have a strong enough ‘why,’ you can do anything.” It’s a great concept, but there is another side to this coin.

Having a weak “why,” or no “why” at all, means that you have no intrinsic motivation to speak of. You’re practically a rocket ship with no rocket fuel. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a rocket get too far without fuel.

To achieve success in any endeavor, you must start with your intrinsic motivation – you must start with why. Why do you want to achieve success in your life?

“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them, just find a new way to stand.” – Oprah Winfrey

Action

Now that you know what motivates you and you have a strong “why,” you have to take action towards your dreams. Action is the second part of the formula for success because, without action, we wouldn’t get anywhere in life. We might have fuel in our tanks, but we still have to hit the launch button.

I see a lot of people who spend time learning, planning, learning some more, trying desperately to perfect their strategy before they start. But the reality is, you are going to discover the most valuable lessons along the way.

It is impossible to plan for every situation, so trying to do so only delays your success. Author Karen Lamb says, “A Year from Now You May Wish You Had Started Today” and that’s true. “Someday” is a common code for “never.”

Sure, jumping in without having everything figured out will cause you to run into the occasional obstacle or setback, but again, you can’t plan for every obstacle. If you have a strong enough “why,” you’ll overcome obstacles and press on.

So, whether you’re ready or not, you need to take action towards your goals to achieve success. The only way to achieve success is to start taking action and build momentum. What one thing can you do today to take action towards your goals?

Momentum

In my opinion, momentum is the most critical aspect in the formula for success and here’s why: Starting isn’t worth much if you keep quitting. Remember that rocket ship analogy from before? If not having a “why” is like not having any fuel, then starting and stopping is like using up all of your fuel only to land again immediately.

Building momentum, however, is like breaking free of the atmosphere and reaching space. Once there, the zero gravity keeps the rocket afloat, and the pilot only uses relatively small amounts of fuel to propel and steer the rocket through space.

I read an article from The Huffington Post and it said, “In 1967, Apollo mission to the moon, the Saturn V rocket’s needed over 500,000 gallons of fuel just to break free of the Earth’s atmosphere. The final stage of the trip only required 86,059 gallons of fuel. That means it took nearly 5.8 times as much effort to launch as it did to keep the momentum.”

So, the next time you think about quitting, remember how much energy and effort it took to get started in the beginning. Do you want to go through that again? Do you really want to waste that much energy when you could keep going?

Don’t quit! Instead, keep taking action towards your goals, day after day, month after month, and year after year. Doing this will help you create radical momentum in your life and in your goals.

“Momentum solves 80% of your problems.” – John C. Maxwell

So there you have it, the formula for success. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to do – land on the moon, lose weight, start a business, run a marathon, save a million dollars – you have to know why you want to achieve success. You have to have fuel in the tank.

Once you know what’s propelling you forward, you have to take action every day and never quit. This will allow you to build an unstoppable momentum that will carry you to the success you seek.

It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Success takes time. There are no shortcuts. There are no quick fixes. There are no overnight successes. To be successful, you have to intrinsic motivation for the long haul, and no matter what, you cannot quit taking action.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/success-isnt-rocket-science-but-there-is-a-simple-equation/

You Are The Problem With Your Business

The Power of Personal Reviews: How It Can Skyrocket Your Success in Life

Do you want to elevate your personal success? If so, do you know what the number one thing that’s keeping you away from that success? You could be doing everything right in terms of setting goals and going after them, and still not make progress if you’re not doing this.

The secret is personal reviews. As goal-getters, we’re conditioned to take action and work hard to make our goals happen. But if you’re not measuring the effectiveness of your actions, then the outcome may be no better than if you were running around in circles. In order to not be stuck in the same place, you have to be continuously adjusting your strategy.

The key is knowing exactly what to do differently in order to achieve your goals and accelerate your success. This is where personal reviews come in, because they answer the most important questions such as: What parts should you keep on doing? What parts should you do differently? What exactly happened last time that prevented you from reaching your goals? How can you get to your goals even faster the next time?. The victory path often isn’t linear, and reflecting on it will improve the process, which is the most important part for speeding up success.

According to Harvard Business Review, people were shown to be more productive and less burnout after thinking about and planning their day than those who didn’t. Studies cited in the same Harvard Business Review have also shown that employees in call centers who spent 15 minutes at the end of the day reflecting on the lessons learned performed 23% better after 10 days than those who did not reflect. If you work in an even more complex role, imagine the benefits you would gain from consistent reflections. Ready to take on your own review?

Here are the three parts of a personal review and how each part will help you achieve personal and professional success:

1. Get Clear On Where You Are to Make Better Decisions

It’s hard to get to your destination if you don’t know where you are right now. Luckily, personal reviews are similar to a GPS, where it can accurately pinpoint your place in life. By getting clear on your current situation, there are three main benefits that’ll contribute to your success.

One, it reaffirms your goals. As I often find working with clients doing their own personal sprints to success projects, goals can be easily forgotten without regular check-ins. Each personal review helps bring these goals to top of mind, and align all your actions so that each one will move the needle.

Two, it keeps you on track. Once you are clear on your goals, it’ll become much more obvious whether you are on your way to hit your target or if you have strayed off the path. This will help you focus more clearly, and save time from unnecessary distractions and course-corrections.

Three, it builds momentum. By regularly reviewing how things are going, you can celebrate the wins, and improve on areas that didn’t go well. After all, success comes from consistent action and making progress towards your goals.

“What you can measure, you can improve.”  – Peter Drucker

2. Discover the Roadblocks That Are Holding You Back

Now that you have a solid understanding of where you are at, it’s time to get down to the why. Why are you where you are currently, and how can you go even faster? The second part of personal reviews is where you’ll discover the golden nuggets of insights that you can use as your secret weapon.

Maybe you realized that you usually only get one or two important things done each day. Why is that? Is it because there are too many distractions? Or is it because your energy levels are low? And is there a filter you can set up to differentiate between what’s important and what’s not?

These are all incredible insights into the decision-making process and the factors that contribute to your success. If you stumbled, think about what parts you wouldn’t do again next time. If you achieved your goals, think about which parts you can repeat to succeed again. And as you collect more data points, the easier it’ll be to pinpoint how to 10x your productivity and results. And the more frequent you do reviews, the faster you’ll be able to progress. For example, if you conduct weekly reviews, you’ll be able to move four times as fast as someone who does monthly ones. Now, you can work smarter, instead of harder.

3. Fast Track Your Success Through Feedback Planning

Once you have the clear understanding of exactly where you are and what you need to do differently, you can use this feedback to make powerful changes to your plan. This is the last part of personal reviews – setting and prioritizing goals to accomplish by the next review.

These new goals will not be something that you’ve haphazardly put together, but rather it will be a combination of your insights and your vision of success. These reviews can be massively effective productivity tools and accountability structures that you can use to review the past and set in place the steps to take for the future.

For high potential professionals who do not conduct weekly reviews, one of the top reasons is that they either don’t understand the process, or can’t see the benefits. Now that you know how it works and the huge impact it can have, I invite you to take charge of your life, and face your goals and fears head-on.

“Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1,000 percent return on energy.” – Brian Tracy

After all, in order to stay a high performer and relevant, you must grow. And whether you want to become more focused, motivated or productive, personal reviews will carve out the path for you to get there and skyrocket your success.

How do you envision yourself accelerating through personal reviews? Leave a comment below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-power-of-personal-reviews-how-it-can-skyrocket-your-success-in-life/

3 Ways You Can Track Your Habits to Make Significant Improvements in Life

Do you feel sick and tired of all the generic advice on success out there? It’s always the same things. Read more, write more, believe in yourself, eat healthy, go to the gym, love your life and your wife. From time to time, all of the articles seemed like they were written by someone who has never experienced real life or any of the struggles they tend to write about.

It’s like getting advice from an alien. But nobody ever writes on the details of the struggle. Because they don’t know it. To be able to know and understand the struggle, you need to experience it. To live something day in and day out and experience it viscerally means to know something and have a grasp of it.

It is as Walt Whitman said it: “I do not ask the wounded person how he feels. . . . I myself become the wounded person.” I went through years of pain to learn how to build habits. I didn’t only read books about it (and yes, books are important), but I lived through it.

Because I know that theory and practice are the same in theory, but they are not the same in practice. I had to live it through to be able to give any advice on it.

I did go through the pain and created my habit building system. What I noticed during the process of building my habits was that it can be challenging to track them. Nobody was telling us how to do it, because that’s something you learn when you go through the process.

Here are the three different ways you can track your habits:

1. Task done

The way you track this type of habit is by marking if you did your task. By that, I mean “I am going to vacuum the room” and you mark it done/not done or 1/0 in your habit tracker. This way of tracking works the best when you don’t know how much time a task will take and you just track if you did or didn’t do the task.

I have the same for my writing habit. My daily habit is “Write 500 words.” So when I do the task, I immediately open my habit tracker and mark it done. I do this by writing in the tracker the number of words I wrote that day (I don’t count social media or texting or things like this- only writing as in pure writing).

This is one of the easiest ways you can track your habit. But if you have a tight schedule, a different way of tracking might be better and this is what I mean.

“It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.” – Benjamin Franklin

2. Time Allocated

Let’s say that you have only 30 minutes for yourself in the morning before the kids wake up. What you do in those 30 minutes counts and that is the second way of tracking your habits.

A great question to ask yourself is “How much time did I spend today on a certain habit?”

For example, let’s take the habit I’m developing of the writing 500 words daily. I try to make “write for 20 minutes” a daily habit. This way of tracking your habit works the best if you have a tight schedule or you run your life on “manager time,” as Paul Graham would say it.

I use this way of tracking for my daily walking habit where I “walk for 30 minutes” a day, trying to get my 10,000 steps a day count. From July 2018 up to March 2019, my average number of steps per day was 9429 and I did 2,178,120 steps. One kilometer is around 1,250 steps which means I walked 1,742 kilometers in 8 months which is the equivalent of walking from Miami, Florida, to Washington D.C.

There is one more way of tracking your habits, and this one is the best for tasks which are hard to accurately measure.

3. Did I do my best?

How do you measure your habit of being a great dad, husband, boyfriend, or friend? You can’t just say “Phone my girlfriend every day and talk to her for 15 minutes” and call it a day. It doesn’t work like that. You can talk to your girlfriend for 2 hours straight and it won’t make you a great boyfriend. Time isn’t the issue here. It’s how we use that time.

And that’s where the third way of tracking your habits comes into play. “Did I do my best to be an awesome boyfriend, husband, father, or friend today?” And you rank yourself from 1 to 10, 1 meaning that today, you were really lousy, and 10 meaning you were an amazing boyfriend, husband, father, or friend in the world.

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell

This makes a massive difference in the lives of not just you, but people around you. It’s what Brendon Burchard would call social habits. You can’t count love, but sure as hell can you count the effort for love.

You don’t have to pick just one way or another. You can combine these different ways of tracking your habits. And yes, even though some habits work better with a particular type of tracking, that doesn’t mean that you need to adapt to it.

Experiment and try and see which one works the best for you. Use all three tracking methods if you want to. Just remember to track your habits. Because the Walt Whitman quotes, which I modified a little bit, tells us “I don’t ask a successful person how he did it…. I myself become a successful person.”

How do you track your habits to make sure you’re on the path towards succeeding? Share your advice below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/3-ways-you-can-track-your-habits-to-make-significant-improvements-in-life/

5 Surprising Ways Your Posture Impacts Your Success

What makes some people successful while others flop, even with the same education, background, and job position? There is no one size fits all formula, but one thing that always stands out is a person’s posture and body language. The way in which you sit, stand, and even walk, tells people so much about you, and you don’t have to utter a word.

I’m a big movie buff, so if I reference a few scenes, you will understand why. Your posture not only tells people about you, but it can make you feel more powerful and confident in your own abilities. Wouldn’t you like to know what your posture is saying to others and how you can change it?

Here are 5 ways your posture impacts your success:

1. Posture is a Nonverbal Sign of Who You Are

Remember in Titanic, when Jack is waiting to have dinner with Rose. When he’s leaning against the staircase, what does his posture say to you? Gangster? Thief? Then Jack sees the distinguished (banker?) walk by. He’s impressed with his posture and manner of walking, which he tries to emulate.

This is a perfect example of the image you are projecting to others. What do you want your image to say to others? When you are in a business setting, you should always be aware of your posture, so you don’t end up leaning on the staircase like Jack.

2. Good Posture Empowers You

Your posture and other body language makes you feel more powerful and boosts confidence.  A study from Ohio State University found that those who sat up straight had more confidence in their own abilities and believed more strongly in positive statements they had written about themselves.

“A strong confident person can rule the room with knowledge, personal style, attitude and great posture.” – Cindy Ann Peterson

3. Your Posture is Vital to Your Health

Anyone who has spent time sitting in front of a computer screen will tell you that it can wreak havoc on your neck, back and shoulders. It’s true that our bodies were not designed to sit for the majority of the day, but when you add poor posture to the mix, you are asking for some serious pain.

You can only imagine what people will think if you take time off work because of back pain or neck pain. Of course, the alternative is to spend your time rubbing your neck, which won’t do much for your image or authority presence. Avoid these issues by practicing good posture!

4. Good Posture Helps You Perform Better

When your body is out of balance, that is to say, when you are hunched over that keyboard or your head is pushed forward when you are standing or walking, you can’t perform to your true potential. This is especially true if you end up with neck or back aches later on in your day because you are slouching. When you feel good, you look good, and you can perform like a champion!

5. Your Posture Affects How People See You

This should be fairly obvious to everyone. Have you ever seen a CEO slumped over their computer? Think of the movie Shawshank Redemption, when escaped prisoner Andy Dufresne sits in front of the bank executive to cash out his account. His posture screams confidence and authority in that scene. Imagine if he had been a quiet mouse, staring at his feet, with slumped over posture. Your posture can make a huge difference in how you are perceived.

“I listen better with earplugs in, so I can see what your body is really saying.” – Jarod Kintz

The Good Posture Problem

Whenever I counsel new employees, I always stress good posture and how important it is to every area of their lives. I see them sit up straight, pull back their shoulders, and sit back in their chair, only to find them slouched over their keyboard or phone a few minutes later.

Let’s face it, keeping good posture after years of neglect can seem like a lot of work and you’re right, it is. However, it only seems that way because we are unaccustomed to how it feels. We are also creatures of habit and slouching at your desk is probably a bad habit you learned many years ago. Habits were meant to be broken, friends, and it’s not as hard as you might think.

Tips for Practicing Good Posture

If you want to come across as Meryl Streep does in every scene where she is walking in The Devil Wears Prada (minus the arrogant attitude, of course), you should think about your posture every day.

You can try setting an alarm on a daily basis to check your posture at work or at home. Try to be mindful of the way you’re sitting, standing and sleeping, and avoid any unnatural positions. Ask friends and family to remind you to stop slouching, too!

Also, check your workstation and make sure nothing is triggering bad posture there. Is your computer screen at eye level? Is your chair comfortable? Make sure your office equipment isn’t negatively affecting your posture.

Finally, some people have great success with a yoga or Tai Chi class, which focus on building strength and flexibility in your postural muscles. If you’re interested, you might sign up to maximize your posture. Otherwise, you can also try a home morning posture routine with different stretches.

In the end, you have the power to change your posture! As your mother might say: sit up straight!

How do you practice having proper posture throughout your day? Share your thoughts below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/5-surprising-ways-your-posture-impacts-your-success/