The Perfect Guide to Show How Colors Influence Your Audience

Have you ever thought about how different colors affect your mood? No? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people don’t know about this, but the colors you see all around you in the brands of various small and medium-sized businesses are not there by chance.

Colors can greatly affect the way we feel and behave, and many people have been using them, from interior designers to digital marketers, in order to produce certain wanted effects for brands.

Let’s take, as an example, the color palette in the McDonald’s logo:

Red and yellow, as everyone knows. These colors have not been chosen by chance. Teams of marketers and researchers worked on this to come up with the best colors for the brand. This is all because both red and yellow are warm colors, and they are both associated with stimulation and activity. More importantly, red is a color that increases your heart rate, which actually jumpstarts your appetite (yes, believe it or not), and yellow is a color that’s usually associated with warm happy days, but it’s also easy to spot in daylight and at night, which is why it’s so easy to see a McDonald’s sign.

This means that, in logo design, for example, one of the most important steps designers take is choosing the perfect color or color palette. But, how do colors really influence our mood? Keep on reading to understand the psychology behind colors!

Colors Make Us Feel A Certain Way

Have you ever walked into a blue room and felt completely relaxed? Or into a red room and instantly felt a bit anxious? That’s because these colors play on our perception of the world, our heart rate, and our feelings and emotions. Just like words, colors are a strong and powerful communication tool that can be used for many purposes, from influencing someone’s moods and decisions to give you physiological reactions.

The Psychological Effect Of Colors

Colors are so powerful that they have real effects on our minds and bodies. From raising your blood pressure to making you feel content or enthusiastic, there is nothing colors can’t do. The question here, though, is why? And how?

Sure, color perception can be subjective, we all have preferences, but some colors affect us all the same, and there is nothing we can do about it. Notice how people wearing red suddenly look more attractive? Yes, that’s just one example of the effects of the color red on our brains.

Different colors evoke different emotions in the color spectrum. In the graphic below, the top area reflects warm color where red and orange tones echo warmth and optimism. For example: Red-orange logos in the below example exude friendliness, cheerfulness, and passion.

On the other end of the color spectrum in logo design, we have cool colors, the ones on the blue-purple side. Colors such as green, blue, and purple are part of cool and they tend to convey a feeling of calm, mother nature, and sophistication.

Tips On How To Use Color To Influence Buying Behavior

Now that we’ve talked about different colors and the influence they have on people; let’s talk about how you can use this color psychology to influence buying behavior of their target audience:

Use Red to Create a Sense of Urgency

Red is a color that excites the senses, raises appetite, heart rate and blood pressure and creates a sense of urgency. This is the reason why brands use red frequently in clearance sales, fast food restaurants, etc.

You can use red if you’re just starting out and announcing your new store’s opening; when you’re hosting a sale or if you’re a restaurant that wants to entice your hungry customers.

Use Green to Focus on Healing and Relaxation

As mentioned above, green creates harmony, relaxation and tranquility in people; therefore, if you’re a brand which focuses on healing, relaxation and tranquility, use green. An example here would be of Starbucks—even though they’re the coffee connoisseurs, instead of using red to encourage appetite, their logo features a mermaid in rich green color which evokes a sense of relaxation, warmth and calmness, which is what they want their customers to feel as they take a coffee break in their store during a hectic workday.

Therefore, if you’re a brand that wants their customers to have a relaxing shopping experience in your store, bringing a little foliage inside the room can make a huge difference.

Use Blue to Build Trust and Inspire Calm

If you’re a brand that wants to evoke trust and reliance in their customers, go for blue. Even having the walls of your store painted blue, or your website in hues of blue will benefit you. 

Moreover, since blue promotes productivity, having your designers, creators, writers or other employees working in a blue room will help in boosting their productivity. 

Use Yellow and Orange for Drawing in Impulsive Buyers

Just like red, yellow and orange are also used for encouraging shoppers to buy from your store.

Yellow is also used in many fashion stores to evoke a sense of cheerfulness and optimism, hence, attracting customers.

Use Purple for promoting Lavish Beauty Brands 

If you’re a beauty brand that targets women of all ages, different hues of purple will be beneficial for you. Moreover, luxury brands can also benefit from this color as it creates a sense of power and luxury.

Purple—especially in pastel—is associated with nostalgia. Therefore, if your brand is bringing in designs or concepts from the past, you can use purple in pastel to evoke nostalgia in your customers.

Use Black to showcase Authority, Power and Luxury

Black—just like purple—is also used for showcasing power and luxury.

Therefore, if yours is a statement brand, use of black in your logo or other marketing elements with plenty of negative space will resonate with your brand and evoke feelings of authority and class.

Use White to Be Creative and Convey Originality

Do you own a yoga or design studio? Then white is the color for you!

White is pure, clean and safe. Therefore, someone which showcases all these elements should use this color in their marketing elements. Moreover, if your business or the company you work for focuses on creativity, design, etc. using white can boost creativity as it is perceived as a clean and unaltered state.

Color psychology is one of the most interesting ones around, and it certainly explains a lot of our behavior. So, keep this in mind next time you’re hosting a sale or launching a new product because colors are an important factor that influences your audience’s buying behavior.

Have you ever given thought to how brands use colors to influence your behavior? Share your thoughts with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-perfect-guide-to-show-how-colors-influence-your-audience/

9 Traits You Need to Attract High-Paying Freelance Clients

One of the most common questions I get from freelancers is “how do I get high paying clients?”.  A freelancer recently told me, “You know what, I’m doing great, but I want to work for projects that pay thousands and not just a few hundred bucks.” 

If this sounds just like you, keep reading, because we will cover nine traits that you need to attract high-paying clients.

1. Be Attentive and Responsive 

This might seem obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a multi-thousand-dollar project that I’m hiring for, and I’ll go two or three days without a response from the freelancer. I start to wonder how much they want this job. I recently had a freelancer who yawned at me and didn’t show any interest in what I was saying. That freelancer gave me an awful impression.  

When you apply for a job, make sure that you respond to your prospect’s messages within 24 hours. During the interview, show the client how much you like learning about the project. If you need to take a coffee to perk you up before the meeting, by all means, do it. Show your client that you are interested in taking the job. Reply to their messages quickly and pay attention to what they are saying.  

2. Great Reviews 

If you have positive reviews from your past clients, it will really improve your game. What people say about you can influence a prospect’s decision whether to hire you or not. A single bad review might be enough to turn-off a high paying client. To get positive feedback, do your very best in every project, no matter how big or small the payment is. 

3. Excellent Reputation 

Building an excellent reputation is very important if you want to score bigger projects. Many clients do background checks. If they Google your name and all they see are pictures of you smoking pot, that can create a bad image of you. I mention that because I recently Googled a freelancer I was about to hire and found something similar.  If you want to make your money freelancing, you have to keep a professional reputation online. 

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett

4. Social Media Posts 

Be careful with what you post on your social media accounts. Remember that if you have a public account on social media, everyone can see all your posts. Your social media pages can help you “brand” your expertise. 

If you post irrelevant items, it will not give clients an idea of what you can bring to the table. Make sure that you use social media pages to your advantage by showing to your prospects your expertise, portfolio, and reviews of your past projects. Create a different account for your professional profile, and keep all your post related to your work. 

5. Respect Your Rate 

No matter how badly you need a job, don’t sound desperate. If you charge $200 an hour and a high paying client comes to you and says, “Will you work for $50 an hour?” Some freelancers would say, “Yes, sir. I just want a job sir. Please give it to me sir.” Stop! Don’t beg for it. 

If you respect your rate, people around you are going to respect you too. Learn how to negotiate your price, or even better show your value so you don’t have to negotiate. If somebody’s asking you to lower your rate to make room for their budget, there are ways to negotiate around that. 

6. Stop Selling Yourself 

During an interview, many freelancers get on the phone and start talking about themselves and how great they are. It’s a natural instinct to sell yourself right away. But what you really need to do is to listen to your prospects, let them say things that they need you to know. 

Process the information your prospect gave you and give them ideas on how your expertise can solve their problems. A phone call is not a billboard for you, even though they’re going to ask you questions, and it’s okay to answer them and show your expertise. It’s the best time for you to understand what the project entails. It’s not just about them qualifying you, but you should be qualifying them as well. 

7. Know the Scope of Work 

Understand what the work entails. This way, you will know precisely how to execute the job, what your timetable is, what information you need, and how many revisions it takes. 

Write down the job description, not just on the phone, but before the actual work begins. Doing that will help you attract high-paying clients. New clients who are inexperienced in hiring freelancers don’t generally have a clear scope of work or don’t communicate it. Those that understand what it takes to hire somebody, whether freelance or on salary, will clearly communicate the scope of work. 

8. Be Confident 

Be confident not only in yourself but knowing that you can complete the task. Confidence is probably the number one factor that can help you get great work. It’s not everything you say or know, but nonverbal communication also shows if you’re confident or not. Many body actions such as shoulders up, back straight, and chin up, tell others that you are a confident person. 

Many politicians have mastered the art of confident speaking. When they say something, even if they don’t know what they are saying, people still believe them. You don’t have to be a politician; you just need to believe more in yourself and learn the right gestures. 

“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.” – Venus Williams

9. Show that You Can Manage Up 

Managing up means that you have the right skill set to make your boss’ job easier. If you can show that you don’t need additional communication to do the job right the first time, it means that you’re managing up. 

For instance, if your prospect asks you to send him your portfolio, send relevant collections only, and don’t ask what type of portfolio he is looking for. Anticipate what they are asking for. If he asks you what time is right for you to meet online, answer him with something like, “I am mostly online between 8:00 to 5:00, CST, Mondays-Friday. If you’re available tomorrow, that’s great. Let me know what time.” Getting your message across without the need to go back and forth makes communication more efficient. It also tells your client that you are managing up well and gives him a good impression of how you work. 

It’s not easy to get a high-paying client. Don’t expect that you can get one on your first year in freelancing, but I have seen it happen before. Remember that you need to build a good reputation first before you can catch a big fish. But if you will follow the tips above, you may be able to climb the ladder faster than the rest.  

Are you a freelancer? Which one of the above traits resonates most with you? Share your thoughts below!

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/9-traits-you-need-to-attract-high-paying-freelance-clients/

33 Motivational Quotes by Famous People That Will Unleash Your Creative Genius

Sometimes everyone needs a little inspiration. Whether you are a writer starting an Instagram blog, an artist working on an exhibition or a self-made entrepreneur, there will be times that you feel stuck. It is important to overcome this block and keep working on your project. These quotes will remind you what creativity is about and motivate you to reach for more.

1. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm”. – Winston Churchill

2. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”.  – Thomas A. Edison

3. “Victory is not always winning the battle…but rising every time you fall.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

4. “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents”. –  Bob Ross

5. “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt”. – Sylvia Plath

6. “Replace fear with curiosity”. – Steven Spielberg

7. “We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down”. – Kurt Vonnegut

8. “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.”– Salvador Dali

9. “Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.” – George Bernard Shaw

10. “The courageous do not lie down and accept defeat. Instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.” – Queen Elizabeth II

11. “If you’re going through hell keep going.” – Winston Churchill

12. “The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.” – Henry Ford

13. “To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

14. “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” – Mary Lou Cook

15. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

16. “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson

17. “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”– Vincent van Gogh

18. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

19. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”- Mark Twain

20. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison

21. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun

22. “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”  – Pablo Picasso

23. “Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.”– Bruce Garrabrandt

24. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have.”  Maya Angelou

25. “I don’t need time. What I need is a deadline.”-  Duke Ellington

26. “There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”  – Aristotle

27. “Every artist was first an amateur”. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

28. “Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”– Pablo Picasso

29. “The creative adult is the child who survived.” – Ursula LeGuin

30. “Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”– Ray Bradbury

31. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

32. “Rational thoughts never drive people’s creativity the way emotions do.”-  Neil deGrasse Tyson

33. “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” – Carl Jung

These quotes are an inspiration to stay productive and creative in any sphere. Find your passion and work on it as much as possible. Do not be afraid to fail and rise again. Embrace the fact that there is no perfection, but it is always great to aim for it. 

from
https://addicted2success.com/quotes/33-motivational-quotes-by-famous-people-that-will-unleash-your-creative-genius/

7 Things You Can Do to Enhance Your Entrepreneurial Mindset

Your success as an entrepreneur doesn’t only rely on your ability to deal with numbers and finances. Even though your skill may pave the way for numerous opportunities, capitalizing on those chances is an entirely different thing. With all the complexities that can arise, your performance as a business owner will heavily depend on your mental fitness.

Developing an entrepreneurial mindset is just as important as improving your skillset. A person with a strong mind will know when to take risks, can think of solutions outside the box, and has the strength to embrace uncertainty. Luckily, this mindset can be developed with time and effort.

Here are some things you can do to enhance your mental fitness.

1. Set a time for daily reflection

In Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he states the importance of beginning with an end in mind. As an entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need to have is a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Other than serving as your road map, the milestones you’ve set serves as a reminder of why you’re enduring the challenges you’re currently facing.

With this in mind, it’s essential to set a few minutes of your day dedicated to you and your thoughts. Constant reflection will allow you to see things clearly to make decisions based on the big picture. Setting sticky notes on your workstation, listening to inspirational speeches, and putting motivational wallpapers on your phone can also help.

2. Seek out mentors

Getting multiple mentors is beneficial in a lot of ways. Since you have guiding figures that know the ins-and-outs of their industries, you’ll be able to tell if your ideas are feasible, see things from multiple perspectives, and gain insight from their experiences. When it comes to seeking them out, keep in mind that you don’t need to know them personally. Thanks to learning platforms such as video tutorials and online seminars, you can be coached by knowledgeable figures anytime and anywhere.

3. Read everyday

Aside from getting a mentor, setting aside a few minutes of your day to read is also an excellent way to expand your knowledge. Books, articles, and all kinds of blogs allow you to dissect the experiences of the experts that have published them. By learning from their mistakes and successes, you can gain insight and concrete examples of what you should do and avoid as an entrepreneur.

4. Put yourself in challenging situations

Mental growth is acquired by going through difficult situations. If you want to improve your mindset, the most effective way to do it is to seek out challenges. Other than attempting to exceed the service expectations of your clients, you can also improve your mindset by performing daily tasks that aren’t even related to your business.

Challenging yourself always allows you to develop soft skills and values that can be useful in your professional life. Something as simple as learning a new hobby can already pose a lot of mental benefits and provide avenues for growth.

5. Attend entrepreneurial events

In this day and age, networking has never been more critical. Attending entrepreneurial events is the easiest way to build genuine relationships with other business owners. If you’re visiting one soon, remember that your main goal shouldn’t be to pitch your business. Instead, you should take the time to build your professional network and acquire valuable insight from likeminded entrepreneurs. You may not require a partnership in the meantime, but having a decent number of connections across various industries will prove useful in the years to come.

6. Build a routine

With your busy schedule in mind, nothing is more precious than the time and energy you have. The best way to stay in control of both is to provide structure for every single day. You’ll need to develop discipline in both your professional and personal life. Other than controlling your financial tendencies by regularly monitoring your money flow, developing the right routine will significantly increase your day-to-day productivity. 

Effectively managing your hours will require you to know what your priorities are. By taking note of those, you can quickly point out distractions and spend your time on more important matters.

7. Teach others

Teaching others is a fulfilling and enriching experience for both parties. When you’re helping someone out with their business ventures, you’ll need to go back and reflect on the similar experiences you’ve had. You may now see past situations in a different light and acquire new perspectives you can apply to your business today. At the same time, being exposed to the ideas of the person you’re helping out can give you a big boost of inspiration when you feel like you’re plateauing.

Being an entrepreneur goes beyond your ability to manage your resources. With innovations in technology and the development of new practices constantly changing the dynamics of industries, being a successful entrepreneur now requires a certain degree of mental strength.

Doing the things mentioned above would allow you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset that can benefit you greatly in both your professional and personal life.

from
https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/7-things-you-can-do-to-enhance-your-entrepreneurial-mindset/

How to Engage Your Social Media Audience in 3 Easy Ways

There could not be a better time than today to advertise your business online, find clients from everywhere around the world, and grow your brand authority. With the help of social media, your brand, and your name, your products and services can literally be known by hundreds and thousands of people in seconds.

Growing an audience has become so easy, yet not many people know how to grow it the right way and bring about clients, sales, and much returned business. Social media is not a place to have a monologue with yourself and your business or to show off selfies and your beautiful lifestyle. Social media is a place to build deeper connections and have a proper dialogue with your audience.

Yes! Social media is the place to have dialogues and not monologues. It is actually more “social “ than you think. But how do you have a dialogue when you cannot see the other person, when you do not know them, and you have never met them before? You do it by connecting and engaging your audience in your content and social media posts.

Below I explain three simple ways you can engage your audience so that they can like and trust you and eventually buy from you and your business:

1. Be generally interested in your audience and in any new connections you make

Ask your audience questions very often. Ask their opinion about something, and when they answer, make sure you reply to them with a comment. I see so many people not taking the time to reply to their audience and that can leave a bitter taste in ones mouth. A consequence of this is that your audience go to someone else who cares more.

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie

2. Make sure you bring your audience with you in your content

When you share stories for instance, you can add simple questions in the text such as “Has this ever happened to you or have you ever felt like that?” When you share a particular expertise of yours you could ask: “Have you ever used this method before? Or what is your experience with this?”

3. Make them feel important

Make your audience feel important and ask them to help you brainstorm a new name for a product you are creating or to help you find a venue for an event you are thinking of organising. People love to help, and your audience will feel so happy to help you and be part of the decision you have taken.

Obviously, you shouldn’t ask an opinion on matters related to your expertise. For instance, if you are a style coach, you wouldn’t ask your audience which accessories will match a certain outfit. That is supposed to be your area of genius.

“Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.” – Dale Carnegie

By applying these simple steps, you will notice a rise in your engagement and consequently more awareness around your business and brand. Caring is sharing and when your audience sees that you care, they will share and stick around. 

How do you use social media to your advantage and create a loyal following? Share your thoughts and stories with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-to-engage-your-social-media-audience-in-3-easy-ways/

5 Reasons You Can Never Give Up on Yourself Even When Others Do

Life is full of setbacks. Sometimes, you’ll give your best effort and still fall flat on your face. This is especially true in the entrepreneurial world, where many new businesses fail to make a profit. You might find yourself in a situation where you can’t get any investors for your brand. Or maybe you didn’t understand current workplace trends and as a consequence, high turnover brought your business crashing down.

Of course, challenges and difficulties can come from your personal life as well. Whether you’re facing struggles with personal finances or your dating life, the problems that come your way can feel overwhelming at times. So what do you do during these discouraging moments? You pick yourself up. You don’t give up on yourself — even if others have proven happy to do so. There are plenty of good reasons to keep trying.

1. All Problems Have a Solution

Tony Robbins is quoted as saying “Leaders spend 5 percent of their time on the problem and 95 percent of their time on the solution.” Thomas Edison famously had over 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at creating the lightbulb before he finally achieved the workable solution.

Regardless of the problem you’re currently stuck on, the situation is not hopeless. Every problem you face — be it in your personal life or the business world — has a solution. 

Rather than dwelling on the problem itself, focus your energy on finding a solution. This not only fosters a more proactive mindset, but it will help you find the energy to keep going until you achieve the desired result.

2. Life Rewards Those Who Keep Trying

The road to success involves a lot of trial and error. The simple reality is that many of the most successful people in the world weren’t handed a great life on a silver platter. They were persistent and kept trying even when life got them down. 

J.K. Rowling was a jobless single parent when she wrote Harry Potter. Albert Einstein failed his university entrance exam prior to becoming a Nobel Prize winning physicist. Abraham Lincoln had several failed election campaigns before becoming one of the United States’ most influential presidents.

Each of these people could have given up. But they kept trying — and that determination ultimately allowed them to achieve success.

“Don’t quit. Never give up trying to build the world you can see, even if others can’t see it. Listen to your drum and your drum only. It’s the one that makes the sweetest sound.” – Simon Sinek

3. You Can Find Other Sources of Help

It can be extremely discouraging when others have written you off as a lost cause. But this doesn’t mean you’re completely on your own. 

As Robert Strzelecki, CEO of TenderHut, the fastest-growing international IT group in the world, explains, “Even after you’ve exhausted all the connections in your current network, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone out there who can help you. Whether it’s a support group to get through a personal struggle or a new business connection that will help you revive your startup, you just need to be willing to look outside your current circle and you’ll find others who can give you a boost.”

Professional networks or support groups can offer valuable insight from others facing similar problems to yours. Even online groups can provide much-needed support and advice. Sometimes, a fresh perspective from someone who isn’t as closely connected to you will provide the flash of insight you need to reach your goals. Better still, you might be able to provide similar help to someone else.

4. Not Giving Up Could Have a Huge Impact on Others

Not giving up on yourself won’t just make a difference in your own life — it could completely change things for others. Your big ideas could revolutionize an industry or help other people turn their lives around. You could even serve as an inspiration for others who learn from your success story and use it to get through their own dark times.

If you give up now, there’s no telling what the world could miss out on. Many people who have changed the world would never have made their impact if they’d chosen to give up after earlier failures. Staying true to your dreams could transform the world for the better — but only if you refuse to give up on yourself.

“Never, never, never give up.” – Winston Churchill

5. Your Past Does Not Dictate Your Future

If there’s one lesson to be learned from all this, it’s that your past never dictates your future. No matter how many times you have failed before, this is no guarantee that you can’t turn things around. The most meaningful successes in life are rarely easy. Every successful person was once a “wannabe.”

What made the difference was that these people learned to “fail forward.” They used past failures as learning experiences so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. As you stay focused on your goals and learn from your failures, you can use these valuable lessons to fine-tune your focus and propel you to future success.

Keep Going …

Sometimes, it may seem like the only thing keeping you going is positive self-talk … But no matter how hard things get or how much others refuse to believe in you, you control your own destiny.

Always remember that you are the one who chooses how you will move on and keep trying. By refusing to give up on yourself and continuing to put forth your best effort, success will eventually come.

Share with us a time where you were about to give up, but you didn’t. Did you end up getting what you wanted?

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/5-reasons-you-can-never-give-up-on-yourself-even-when-others-do/

8 Reasons Why Your Morning Routine is Not Working for You

Want to have more kickass days? Days where you slay your workload with little effort and meet problems with zen-like insight? Of course! If you are anything like me, you’ve tried (and will try) just about anything to increase your productivity and boost your success. That’s why you committed yourself to do a morning routine.

Inspired by your entrepreneurial superheroes and mentors, you penned an elaborate routine into your schedule. If Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, and Darren Hardy do them- they have to be good! Jim Kwik, a prominent entrepreneur and a thought leader on brain performance, not only practices morning routines, but promotes them. He says, “If you win the morning, you win the day.”

Without question, a solid morning practice can 10X your productivity. This boost is a natural byproduct of the clarity and focus you get from your morning routine stimulates. Obtaining these benefits requires two elements:

1. Building the perfect collection of activities that will jumpstart your day.
2. Doing these exercises daily, which is not an easy task for an overworked and overextended entrepreneur.

There is a good chance that you are not seeing the benefits of your morning routine. Or worse, you don’t have one anymore. 

Here are the top eight reasons your attempt to have a morning routine is not working, and a few practical suggestions on how to fix them:

1. You plagiarized

You wouldn’t dare steal, borrow, or repost the words of another and incorporate them on your blog and marketing material as your own words. Well, this is what you are doing when you use someone’s full blow-by-blow morning ritual without editing it or adding your flavor. When it comes to creating a morning routine, you CAN’T follow the same one as your entrepreneurial crush.

An authentic morning routine can’t be copied and pasted. Your morning pep session must work within your daily routine and blend with your emotional disposition. It has to motivate you. What drives you is unique.

Identify your specific morning needs. What energy do you want flowing into your day? What gets you fired up? Maybe meditation makes you too relaxed and takes off your creative edge. Equally, a cold plunge in the pool (which is what Mr. Tony Robbins does daily) may make you mad. Whatever you do, make it your own. Don’t take someone else’s prescribed medicine. What works for them could kill you.

2. Half-assing

It takes discipline, aka, mental energy, to practice your morning routine with dedication. If you start your morning with stress, worries, and split energy, it won’t be effective. You have to include an exercise in your morning system that can massacre these burdens.

In the book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow”, Nobel prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman calls this condition, “the lazy controller.” Kahneman suggests that “maintaining a coherent train of thought requires discipline.” Likewise, maintaining a cohesive morning routine requires discipline and dedicated energy. 

“My future starts when I wake up every morning.” – Miles Davis

3. You do it because you think you should

Doing something out of peer-pressure, or following the crowd is akin to going out on a date with someone you find repulsive because your 12-year-old sister thinks it’s a good idea. There are a lot of methods, techniques, and strategies you can use to achieve what you desire. To make sure you are on the right track, ask yourself these questions:

• Is it right for me?
• Is this the best way for me to achieve my desired outcome?
• Is there a more natural, direct path I can take that will give me the same or better results?

4. Neglecting Your Night Routine

There is so much hype about the morning routine that you may forget to close the loop of your day with an organized nighttime routine. Think about if you go to bed with a bunch of issues on your mind. How do you think your sleep is going to be? And if your sleep suffers, how easy do you think it will be to wake up with the energy you need to get the most out of your morning routine?

• Night routines will help you: 
• Review the productivity of your day
• Release the details of the day
• Prepare for a rejuvenating night of sleep
• Pre-pave the next day

Most importantly, a nightly ritual will prep you for your sacred morning routine.

5. It’s Boring

Set it and forget it is not the model here. You are not baking a roast or investing in your 401K. Your morning routine works better when it is fun and engaging. Shake it out. Make sure it is not stagnant. Make small changes like drinking an exotic tea mixture instead of your standard morning coffee. Your morning rituals should adjust to your needs.

6. You don’t budget it into your schedule

You are busy! All entrepreneurs are. If you don’t place this in your schedule, it is not going to happen with consistency. Add it to your calendar, and compress the time you commit to doing it. Instead of doing 30 minutes, do 15. Building a 5-min daily routine is better than a 30-min inconsistent one.

7. Having an all or nothing attitude

If your business made $1,000, but your goal was to generate $10,000, would you give the $1,000 away? No, not if you are a smart entrepreneur. You would take the thousand dollars and invest it into reaching your $10,000 goal. You want to take the same approach with your morning routine. Five minutes is better than no minutes.

Sometimes the only thing holding you back from your 2-hour morning routine is that you only have 30 minutes. So, do 30 minutes. Do 15-mins. Do something. Honor your practice. Just like in your business, you may have to make adjustments and invest until you get the results you want.

“Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” – Daniel Handler

8. Punishing yourself if you miss it

If you spend the rest of your day beating yourself up for missing your morning routine, it’s counterproductive. That is counter-productive to the spirit of your morning sessions. Find a way to fill in the gap if another obligation preempts your morning routine. Make it up as early in the day as you can. Yes, it can be made up, schedule it for another part of the day.

Here is another benefit of having a night routine. It can become your scheduled second chance if you miss your morning routine. Knowing you have this failsafe takes the pressure off, and alleviates any self-loathing that would have clouded your day. Adjust and then get back in the saddle. You’ve tried your hand at morning routines. You’ve experienced some success, so you know it is worth it.

How you focus your morning energy can turbo-charge or suck the life out of the rest of your day. Reap the rewards of consciously setting the stage for your daily success. If you make these small adjustments, your success is guaranteed.

Do you have morning rituals? I am curious to hear what is working or not working for you? Can you identify why or why not? Do you have any personal suggestions you can share? 

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/8-reasons-why-your-morning-routine-is-not-working-for-you/

How Being a Giver Can Contribute to Your Own Success

It is easy to forget about giving when we are going about our lives. Many of us are just too busy to think about the importance of giving back. Finding a way to really help in your local community can have so many benefits, though. As well as improving the area in which you live and the great feeling that giving back can give you, taking the time to support your community can also contribute to your own success. 

Read on to find out why being a giver could have so many more benefits for you as well as for your community:

1. Meet New People

When you get involved with a good cause or social enterprise in your community, it is inevitable that you will meet new people. You will expand your social network and you will make new friends and be invited to so much in terms of social events. In essence, in return for the time that you spend within your local community, you will be rewarded with better friendships and more engaging social activities.

This can do wonders for your self-confidence and your interpersonal skills which can help you build success into your life. You will also have a greater network of people that you can approach for favors when times are hard, which can be essential when it comes down to building success.

2. Realise Your Potential

Learning how to help others in your community can give you such a boost that it can make you feel like you just want to keep going. Helping others and seeing the results of that help can give you an impetus to keep going and to keep wanting to do good so that you can enjoy the results of what you do.

You will find yourself wanting to learn new skills and find more ways to help so that you can enjoy the benefits of the good feeling that helping releases in you. It might be the start of a whole new career for you, or at least give you some new skills that you can take into the world of work that really improves your effectiveness and makes you more successful.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali

3. You Will Learn New Things

Helping out at local businesses that give back to the community or doing some work directly within the community will always teach you new things. Whether it’s about empathy for fellow humans in the world or actual skills, volunteering will only ever improve you as a person. 

Successful people always tend to realise that we are never perfect, there is always something that can be improved upon, no matter what stage we are at in life. You can improve yourself whilst also doing good within your local community, everybody wins.

4. Balance

The key to happiness in life is a balance. It’s about making sure you do things for yourself but also for others. Those who are egocentric tend to not be very happy people because the act of only thinking about yourself isn’t what we were created for.

We are meant to live in a community and so one can only find true happiness when we allow ourselves to truly contribute to the lives of others. Maintain the balance in your life by contributing some of your time to the betterment of others and the happiness that you create will help you be more successful in other areas of your life.

5. Responsibility

Responsibility is one of the senses that successful people have developed and nourished. They know that it takes personal responsibility to achieve what they have set out to do. These people do not rely on others to achieve their goals. Instead, they work for the achievement of the goals themselves. Otherwise, relying on others might lead to a let-down.

You can foster a sense of responsibility by volunteering in the local community. By giving to the community, you will come across people who are reliant on you for their survival, making your services an essential part of their well-being. There are many areas where you can assist those in need. You could assist with your financial resources, teaching new skills, or offering emotional support. You can aid people across various age groups.

Helping others gives you an understanding of why it is important to take responsibility for yourself and others. The skills you learn can be applied in your career and professional life along with helping you to possess everything you set out to achieve.

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. Motivate Others

People love to give back because it makes them feel good. If you introduce the idea of giving back to the community into your organisation, you will find that your employees will become more motivated and inspired. When it comes to making an organisation more successful, giving back to the community is key.

Supporting your community has so many benefits, both for you personally and for those around you. Make sure you find the time to really give something back so that you can become more successful and improve the lives of others.

What do you like to do to give back? Do you have a favorite organization to work with? Share it with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-being-a-giver-can-contribute-to-your-own-success/

5 Essential Tips for Investing in Your 20’s

Everyone desires to lead a good life. However, a lot of people aren’t taking the right steps that would eventually guarantee them the kind of lifestyle they desire. Consequently, dreaming of a good life becomes wishful thinking. You see, you could earn yourself a well-deserved rest in your early 50’s while others keep their noses to the grindstone just to eke out a living. It all boils down to making informed investment decisions. Are you in your twenties? If yes, the advice that you will find out from this piece could potentially change your life for good.

The minute you make the call to start investing in your 20’s, you are setting yourself up for the future. Being in your twenties, you can make all the difference. But the question now is, how do you know what or how to invest? Well, this guide will help you with that.

5 Investment Tips for 20-Somethings:

1. Draft a spending budget

You probably have a plum job and can afford expensive vacations in any tourist locations of your choice. Perhaps you don’t feel extravagant whenever you buy expensive clothes, smart devices, jewellery, and wearables. You keep living life in the fast lane because you firmly believe that your income is guaranteed.

Much as it’s good you give yourself a treat once in a while, you must understand that most spendthrifts lead a miserable life in the twilights of their lives. Therefore, you should learn to cut down on your spending and save for your tomorrow by making a budget. Separate your wants from your needs; get your priorities right.

“Do not save what is left after spending, spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffett

2. Invest in yourself

It’s often said that investing in oneself is the best form of investment. To underscore the importance of investing in oneself, financial advisor Matthew Jackson, quipped that the investment which you can control is the investment you must prioritize. The investment czar added that oneself remains that investment that you can control anytime any day. He also said that you should make an effort toward investing in your personal, professional and financial growth. Without mincing words, he couldn’t have put it better.

3. Invest right

Apart from investing in yourself, what else should you invest in? Well, it’s a tough question. Looking at trends, young people always venture into get-rich-quick investments, such as Ponzi schemes. They would argue that more risks often result in more return on investment (ROI).

Here’s my investment advice: start small instead of endless planning and treat it like a normal business, not get-rich-quickly scheme. Investing in shares, bonds, and real estate is always a good idea after you get familiar with basic investment rules, which usually takes time, hence not a good fit for a 20-something investors.

Therefore If you’re looking for a profitable home-based online business, becoming Amazon affiliate is a great way to make money from home. That said, the rule of thumb here is that you should have a good grasp on whatever you want to invest in first. Beyond the good tidings of exponential rise and rallies, you should seek expert advice. Invest now, enjoy later.

4. Spend and save

As competition in the marketplace heightens, more and more companies are coming up with innovative ways of gaining a competitive edge over their rivals. One of such business models is that which rewards consumers with a fractional discount for purchases. This cashback program, as it is often styled, is common with e-commerce platforms. Yes, you should get the most from this scheme. Again, you don’t become stinking rich by spending flamboyantly.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin

5. Set a target

In addition to spending and saving, you should set a target. Unarguably, to stay miles ahead of your peers, you must set a target for yourself and spell out the steps for accomplishing it. Indeed, it’s okay to be ambitious. Nevertheless, if you don’t have well-articulated strategies for realizing such ambitions, you are living in cloud cuckoo land.

For instance, if you are an engineer, you must determine when you plan to be in college, the number of years that you wish to work with an establishment, and when you will establish your own company. More importantly, pursue your dreams with everything in you. Yes, you are just 20-something, so the world is your oyster.

In conclusion, in your twenties, you have the time and energy to pursue and achieve anything you set your mind to achieve. So, what are you waiting for? If you have goals without working toward reaching them, you may just be chasing shadows. Sure, it’s okay to explore and make some mistakes at your age. No doubt, mistakes offer great learning curves. Do not procrastinate because this is the right time! Lastly, when you do this, you’d be able to keep the wolf from the door when you are too old to even sign your own signature!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/5-essential-tips-for-investing-in-your-20s/

4 Ways to Ditch the Comparison Trap That’s Killing You

Ever heard of the popular words, ‘comparison is the thief of joy’? This phrase couldn’t be more accurate. Comparing yourself to others around you will not only kill your happiness, but also affect your career, confidence, and even self-esteem.

The comparison habit is not easy to detect by just looking at a person. However, lots of people struggle from it. It starts manifesting itself as soon as you begin making progress. You shift from focusing on yourself to looking at what others have achieved or are doing. And what was once new and great becomes difficult and unexciting. Comparison is a trap that many of us get into without knowing. But with these tips, you can overcome it.

What Is the Comparison Trap?

Desiring better things than you currently have is okay. However, when you want to have a better house, better shape, or a better job than one of your colleagues, family member, or colleague, then you’ve most likely fallen into the comparison trap. The comparison trap is when you are unhappy with what you have because it does not measure up to what other people around you have. The several types are:

• Talent. It happens when you compare your abilities to another person’s gifts. Therefore, you don’t notice your uniqueness and get disappointed when you can’t do what another person can do.
• Financial resources. This is where you start comparing yourself to others in terms of financial capabilities.
• Career comparison. Here you compare your success to someone who has been in the industry for more years and is, therefore, more successful. Or a person who has just started their career and has achieved more than you.
• Social influence. Involves comparing yourself to someone who has more friends, followers, or subscribers online.
• Personal stories or journeys. This is where you feel inferior to someone else because their personal or career story is more exciting or inspiring.

Comparison at work wastes your time, lowers your self-esteem, distracts you from what’s essential, and breeds resentment. Read on to know how to beat it.

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others and Become Self-Aware

The key to stopping self-destructive thoughts is to figure out where they stem from. When comparison feelings creep in, find out what triggers them. Do you feel this way when you see your acquaintances succeeding faster than you? Are these successes about careers, romantic life, or academic accomplishments? What is the cause of the problem exactly? While these questions may be hard or painful to ask yourself, knowing why you feel the way you do can help you to identify the right actions to beat the comparison trap.

1. Keep Yourself and Your Social Media in Check

Social media is one of the most popular uses of the internet. According to Pew Research, about 74% of Facebook users log on to the site daily, and 51% several times a day. Among young adults (18-29 years) on social media, 77% said they used Snapchat daily, and 76% used Instagram every day.

But social media is a culprit of comparison and envy because everyone shares the best parts of their lives. Few, if any, will share their hardships, struggles, disappointments, or painful aspects of their routine. So, you can easily get sucked into other peoples’ lavish lives and start feeling resentful because your life isn’t as eventful and luxurious as theirs.

If you are always feeling awful when you log in to your Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram, it’s time to switch up your feed. Unfriend or stop following people that make you feel inadequate to overcome social media comparison. Leave groups that contribute to your making comparisons. And change your advertisement setting so that you don’t get suggestions for things that make you feel under accomplished or unworthy. If you use it in the right way and limit your time on it, social media can contribute positively to your life.

2. Evaluate Current Individuality Against Your Past Self

When you constantly compare yourself to others, you will always feel like a failure. So, if you have to compare, the only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself. That’s right, if you want to know if you are doing great today, compare yourself to who you were yesterday. Think about where you are now and where you were a year, a month, or a week ago.

Measuring your accomplishments to those of others isn’t positive. The only person it’s fair to compare yourself with is yourself. Have you achieved what you wanted to six months ago? Are you an improved version of your five years ago self? When you stop comparing yourself to others, you’ll feel more content with your life.

3. Be Empathetic Towards Others

The person you envy also has struggles, setbacks, and insecurities. You just don’t see them. See, you know yourself inside out (strengths, weaknesses, everything), but when it comes to other people, you only see things on the surface. By practicing empathy, you feel and understand what another person feels from his or her point of view.

Empathy is an essential quality even at the workplace, with 96% of employers saying that it is a vital employee attribute. Remember, unless you are the other person’s confidant, you can’t judge his or her life by just your outward view. So, appreciate that everyone’s life is complicated and don’t compare yourself to others.

4. Set Rewards for Your Accomplishments

Comparing your life to others prevents you from feeling the happiness and pride of success. The comparison trap makes you feel like your accomplishments are less worthy than someone else’s. Encourage and motivate yourself by rewarding your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. Goals are achieved one step at a time. And rewarding your milestones can help keep you on the right course. In the end, what other people accomplish will not matter when your mind is fixed on a prize.

All that said, remember that gauging yourself with other people will always make you feel like you do not measure up. Create a clear vision of who and where you would like to be and set goals that will lead you there. Keep working towards your goals, and you will soon reach where you want to be.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/4-ways-to-ditch-the-comparison-trap-thats-killing-you/

10 Ways to Stay Ultra-Productive When You Work From Home

Have you ever heard this saying: “Don’t bring your work home.” But what if you work from home? Working from home is amazing, but it’s not as glamorous as people think. It’s not easy to focus when you’re on the couch and your cat throws up on your laptop or there’s noisy machinery work at your neighbor’s home. Are you wondering how to stay productive when you work from home and surrounded by distractions?

Here are 10 ways to make working from home more productive:

1. Start Working in the Early Morning

When you’re working from home, start working immediately as soon as you wake up. It might sound old school, but it’s effective, trust me! In the morning, you wake up with a fresh mind (and positive energy) and you can get a lot done in the early hours. Don’t believe me?

See what Josh Davis, author of Two Awesome Hours, says: “People who get up early in the morning are hitting it out of the park, doing things we struggle with at other times of the day. Morning offers several benefits that can’t be found at other times of the day.”

2. Select a Dedicated Workspace

Just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean you can’t have a dedicated workspace or office. Create a calming and inspiring home office ambiance. A dedicated workspace can help you get into the right mindset and prevent you from distractions. 

If you feel more creative in the morning, spend this time on the tough part of your work such as brainstorming ideas while working from your dedicated workspace. In the afternoon, you can sit on your couch and take calls or check your emails.

3. Don’t Just Stay at Home (Get out of the house)

Got bored looking at walls? Change the scenery. Grab your laptop and head over to the corner coffee shop or library (Wifi enabled spaces). Sit with actual human beings. Sometimes chatter and white noises help you work better than utter silence. It will lead you to the flow of new ideas and more productivity. So, get out of the house now!

4. Schedule a Distraction Break for You

You schedule your tasks, meetings, and calls in the calendar, right? There’s one more thing that you MUST schedule: Distraction Breaks. Schedule clear breaks in advance. Set the time when you’ll use the phone or social media. Set the time for lunch. Set the time for a nap. Go for a short walk. These breaks will recharge you. 

“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” – Michelle Obama

5. Interact With Family Members or Other Humans

The biggest advantage of working from home is you get more time to spend with your family members and kids. Take a break from your work and play with your kids or talk to your family. Or if you know someone who works from home, invite him/her over coffee, go outside, and interact. Talking to a real human keeps you sane.

6. Keep Your Favorite Music On In the Background

I spent almost one full year working from home as a freelance writer. One of my secrets I’d love to uncover for being more productive at home is to keep your favorite music running in the background at a low volume, and I swear, you’ll get tasks done quickly. 

According to Daniel Levitin (neuroscientist and the author), “music can make repetitive tasks more pleasurable and increase your concentration on the task.”

7. Track Your Every Hour

If you’re new to working from home, you must track how you’re spending every hour of your day. Self-tracking will help you to decide when you’re most productive (and when least). And where you’re wasting your precious time.

8. Do Stretches and Meditation 10 Minutes a Day

Drinking enough water and stretches can get the blood flowing in your body and improve your mood. Don’t do long sittings in a chair. Take a break after every hour. Dedicate 10 minutes to meditate. It will improve your focus and reduce the chances of being distracted.

9. Set Specific Work Hours

If your home is your permanent office, then set specific work hours. The beauty of working from home is you can choose flexible working hours for yourself. Let’s say if you feel more productive in the morning and not in the late evening, then you can set your work hours from 7am to 3pm. Don’t forget to share your work schedule with your colleagues or boss.

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” – Charles Buxton

10. Set Your Schedule for Next Day Before Sleeping

Make a nighttime routine. Spend 15 minutes and create a list of tasks that you’re going to do the next day. Pick an important task that you’ll do first the next morning. This habit will set a tone for the next day.

Have you ever or do you currently work from home? Do/Did you like it? Share your stories and thoughts with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/10-ways-to-stay-ultra-productive-when-you-work-from-home/

The Art of Enlightened Listening: How Mastering the Other Side of the Story Sharing Coin Can Make You a Better Person

I’m a storyteller. I’m on this earth to heal the world with stories, whether through the ones I write and tell or the ones I help other people write and tell. We are story-making and story-telling machines. In fact, science has shown that we’re wired for stories, and we need stories to survive. It’s how we create meaning in the world.

Honestly, though, I prefer “story sharing” over “storytelling.” Storytelling implies a one-way transmission with a passive receiver on the other end. Story sharing requires connection. It says: I want to tell you about my experience. I want to be understood and seen. To share a story—a piece of ourselves and our lives—requires vulnerability. (I envision the sharer standing before the listener, arms outreached, offering a gift.)

As listeners, we can unwittingly trample on that vulnerability and send messages that are detrimental to the sharer’s spirit and to any possible meaningful connection with that person. The greatest gift we can give ourselves and others is to get quiet, listen, and create a space for something new.

This notion of quiet listening is not novel, yet it is difficult to master, as the lack of story listening skills shows up in many ways, such as interrupting, interjecting, and parallel conversing.

1. Interrupting

As kids, we were taught to view interrupting as socially rude, so most of us understand why cutting someone off in conversation is not appropriate. Interrupting oftentimes arises from a sense of entitlement. For example, studies have shown that women are interrupted more than men (and usually by men). 

Granted, there are times when interrupting can be beneficial, however, in the realm of story sharing, doing so truncates the beneficial energetic flow that occurs between two people when they’re involved in a story sharing endeavor. 

How it’s received: Our perception is better, and the story sharer is unimportant.

2. Interjecting

Interjecting comes in the form of advice giving or providing a positive spin, and many people believe they’re doing a good deed by offering solutions or helping the other person “look on the bright side.”

How it’s received: We want to be in a power position or we’re imposing toxic positivity, and either way, the person feels cut off, silenced, and diminished.

3. Parallel Conversing

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an offender of this one. In the moment, I’m listening, enjoying the other person’s story. Then, it reminds me of a story from my life, which compels me to share it right on the heels of theirs. What feels like an attempt to show likeness diminishes the sharer’s experience and makes it about me. I cringe when I catch myself doing this.

How it’s received: We’re one-upping, and it overshadows and negates the sharer.

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” – Dalai Lama

What to do instead

The first step to improving our story listening behaviors is to acknowledge our communication habits. Step back, and take an observer’s view of your behavior during conversations. If you notice yourself interrupting, interjecting, or parallel conversing, ask yourself the following questions.

Interrupters: Am I concerned that I might forget my thought or idea, that the conversation will move forward and I’ll miss my opportunity? Am I attempting to prove them wrong? Do I feel a sense of entitlement? Am I attempting to let the sharer know we’re of the same mind, that they’re not alone?

Whether you’re in a meeting or having a conversation with a friend or family member, you can always circle back later in an email, a phone call, or a follow-up conversation.

Interjectors: Why do I feel the need to offer unsolicited advice? Do I assume that everyone experiences life as I do? Do I believe every person’s solution to every problem should resemble mine? Do I feel a sense of superiority over this person? Do I want this person to stop “venting” or “complaining?”

If the person asks for your advice, still resist. Providing advice, opinion, or insight changes the dynamic between us from an equal exchange to a hierarchical exchange wherein one person assumes a higher position. There is nothing wrong with this, but to work and feel best, it needs to be consensual. Instead, ask questions. A simple “I’m sorry that happened. What are you going to do?” can go a long way.

Parallel conversers: How do I want to connect with this person? Why am I not able to allow silence? Why am I not able to give them the spotlight? How will sharing my story enhance our interaction? Is there another way or time I can share my experience?

When someone shares a story with you, whether it’s a problem, a funny scenario, or an exciting experience, stop for a moment, and say, “That was a great story. Thanks for sharing it.” Or, “That sounds… (incredible, scary, exciting). What was that like for you?” Or, “I’m glad you made it through that,” “I’m happy you were able to…” After you’ve acknowledged their experience, you can say, “I had something similar happen to me once. Do you mind if I tell you that story?”

Understand that we’ve all had vastly different experiences—even when growing up in the same family, under the same roof—because we process life differently, depending on our internal chemistry, our wiring, and our age and developmental evolution at the time life-shaping events occurred. 

Turn the mirror onto yourself. Being a good story listener is oftentimes more challenging than being a good story sharer because to be a good story listener, we need to have a certain level of self-awareness and self-love.

When we possess these qualities, we can be at peace with being who and what we are in any given moment. In turn, we’re able to accept others in the same way without feeling the need to impose ourselves, assume a superior status, or control their experience. We can get quiet and listen.

To heal the world with stories, our careful and thoughtful handling of other people’s experiences is crucial. Stories are powerful tools to elicit human connection. 

The way we respond to the stories of others can profoundly impact the way they feel and move in the world, and it can do the same for us. When we make room for other people’s experiences, we create space for acceptance, love, and compassion. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, CEO, solopreneur, friend, sibling, or mentor, learning to simply be a witness to others’ story will help us evolve as individuals and as a species. 

As Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person. You can call it compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to empty his heart…” When we do this, we can transform the world.

Have you ever told a story and dealt with an interjector, interrupter, or parallel converser? If so, please share your experiences below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-art-of-enlightened-listening-how-mastering-the-other-side-of-the-story-sharing-coin-can-make-you-a-better-person/

7 Reasons Why Introverts Make The Best Sales People

There is a common misconception that introverts are shy loners who cannot excel in social situations—let alone thrive as an entrepreneur or salesperson. As an introvert, you may like to stay to yourself, you might become socially exhausted after events, or you have a small circle of friends. You’re also thoughtful, innovative, and your listening skills tend to be more developed than your extroverted counterparts.

So why do people think extroverts are the best salespeople? The first impression of sales is that you must be outspoken, charismatic, and have a ton of friends. Yes, these things can be helpful in the sales process. However, they are not the only attributes that deem a closed sale or a dynamic salesperson. I’m here to tell you that being an introvert is actually a sales superpower.

Here are seven reasons why introverts can make great salespeople:

1. You Are Observant

Only 7% of your communication is the words you say. The other 93% of your communication is body language. Being observant and responsive is one of the most important skills of a high level salesperson. 

Introverts tend to be more observant of body language, change in tone of voice, and other non-verbal cues, which are superpowers in sales. When you’re in a meeting with a potential client, this not only can help you understand your client better, but it can be the difference between winning or tanking a deal because you’re able to pivot as needed to serve the client and create a better buying experience.

2. You Have a Plan

While extroverts have a tendency to create a plan after they jump out of a plane, introverts typically create a concrete plan with a solid structure. This can make all of the difference in the sales process. 

A plan provides consistency and security to their prospective clients/customers. The best salespeople have a proven system they use every single time to close sales—not to be confused with a sales script.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

3. Listening is Your Middle Name

Selling is just as much listening as it is talking. As a salesperson, you need to understand the pain points, needs, and desires of your client. Introverts tend to excel at listening and can become adaptable to the needs of their customers. You can use this to your advantage in any part of the sales process.

4. You Value Deep Relationships

Introverts are not fond of having a list of acquaintances. Instead, they prefer to have deep relationships with other people. 

When you’re working a deal with a potential client, a genuine and deep relationship will take you further than a surface level connection. Sales is all about trust and relationships. As an introvert, you have a leg up because you naturally tend to create these relationships.

5. You Are a Realist

Extroverts have a tendency to lean into emotion during the sales process, without necessarily having the information about the results to back up what they’re saying. However, introverts will lean into the reality of outcomes/products which provides more concrete disclaimers prior to a customer’s purchase. 

This approach minimizes refunds and dissatisfied customers, which means not only can introverts sell more, but their percentage of repeat customers can be higher too because of the way they sell to their clients.

6. You are More Reserved

Extroverts tend to have big personalities and are not afraid to present themselves, while introverts are more conservative and quiet. New studies are showing that the outgoing, charming salesperson stereotype is actually starting to turn potential customers off. In fact, some people put their guard up when they approached by this type of salesperson. 

This new shift in how people react to salespeople can be an advantage for introverts. Your reserved personality may be exactly what helps you relate to your potential client because they feel like you’re having a conversation instead of trying to push an agenda.

7. You Prefer to Not Talk at All

Back in the day, extroverts were often seen as the most qualified salespeople because of cold-calling. To engage in cold-calling, you need to be energetic and have refined social skills. 

Today, most decision-makers are making it harder to get them on a phone call. We rely more on nurturing and communicating through email than ever before. This is where introverts can excel, even when they are not as social or talkative as extroverts.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw 

8. How to Sell as an Introvert

To be effective, be sure to do your research and be prepared. This will boost your confidence and allow you to spend less time thinking about what to say. Instead, you can simply converse with confidence.

Give yourself time to recharge. Networking events or back-to-back sales calls can be physically draining for introverts. Introverts tire easily from social activities, which can make it difficult to interact. Make space for alone time in your schedule, or try other traditional energizing methods, like coffee.

Lastly, don’t use being an introvert as an excuse to not try. There are many introverts who excel in business and entrepreneurship, like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and JK Rowling. The key is to understand yourself and develop your skills. 

As a whole, the value that introverts bring to the sales table is overlooked at best. Being introverted does not disqualify you from being an exceptional salesperson. In fact, you can rival and surpass your extroverted counterparts if you hone your skills and embrace yourself as an introvert. 

Are you an introvert? If so, how has that helped you be successful in specific areas of your life? Share your stories and thoughts with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/7-reasons-why-introverts-make-the-best-sales-people/