Written by: Kamil Shah, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Challenging situations can be notoriously difficult for anyone going through it, especially for the first time. The current COVID-19 pandemic is definitely one of the ‘firsts’ seen in recent history, affecting almost all facets of the lives of the global population. As more and more people are affected, the after-effects are yet to be seen. As such, the current situation at the time of writing can be seen as a big ‘blur’. We are in the thick of it, yet unable to be certain of what lies ahead. This period of confusion can have many implications, more so on one’s mental health. It can easily lead to the feeling of being overwhelmed by it all. The inability to control the situation can make one anxious, which in turn can lead to frustration, anger and inevitably feeling victimized by the situation. The question then is: ‘How can one navigate through the current situation and thrive?’ . One of the key answers is to develop Mental Resilience. So, what is Mental Resilience, and why is it important? In order to answer these questions, we’ll need to understand what ‘Resilience’ means in the first instance. It is defined as the ‘ the ability of people or things to recover quickly after something unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc.’ (Oxford Dictionary). In the wider context of cultures and civilizations, Resilience refers to the ability of that culture or civilization to survive, adapt & grow when faced with adversity or crisis. Essentially it means the ability to ‘bounce back’ quickly from challenging situations and to thrive. Thus, having ‘Mental Resilience’ refers to the capacity to mentally cope with crisis & quickly recover oneself to the ‘pre-crisis’ status. It is also the ability to protect oneself from the negative effects of stressors. Examples of situations where Mental Resilience is useful include dealing with personal crises such as financial challenges, job loss, or even personal loss or grievances. The benefits of having Mental Resilience include the ability to: Shift one’s perspective from focusing on the negatives of the situation to a more positive outlook Develop and strengthen one’s self-esteem Promote personal development and growth Provide strategies in dealing with similar challenging situations Help manage risks and open the opportunity to try new things Provide a pathway to a happier life As we know , life will throw us ‘curveballs’ from time to time. The question is, are we prepared and ready to hit them? The good news is that the ability to develop Mental Resilience can be learned, nurtured and strengthened by everyone. However, it requires an awareness, understanding and application of certain components in order to become mentally strong and unstoppable! Read on to find out the 5 ways to develop Mental Resilience. Step 1: Give Gratitude As the saying goes, ‘Gratitude is the Best Attitude’ . Being grateful sits at the very foundation of Mental Resilience and can be seen as a ‘cure-all’ for emotional and even physical well being. Saying ‘Thank you’ to whatever life has thrown at you elevates your mindset and sets you on a path of recovery. As mentioned previously, if left unchecked, challenging situations can easily lead a person towards being a victim of a situation. Shifting our thinking from the negative to the positive allows the beginnings of the development of Mental Resilience. Having Gratitude as a base or ‘Ground Zero’ allows us to be open to new possibilities that can help with being ‘stuck’ in a situation. Practicing gratitude also helps improve our self-esteem and build confidence; again, a trait which begins the journey out of being a ‘victim’ towards a ‘victor’. Feeling good about oneself and the prospect of a brighter future also has ripple effects on our physical well-being , which then ultimately strengthens our mental well-being . ‘Gratitude was a major contributor to resilience following the terrorist attacks on September 11’ - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2003) Practices such as meditation, practicing mindfulness, daily journaling, simple acts of kindness as well as expressing yourself all contribute towards developing self-care and sets us up for the following components to developing Mental Resilience. 'Gratitude meditation can reliably increase feelings of gratitude’ - Online Training in Specific Meditation Practices Improves Gratitude, Well-Being, Self-Compassion, and Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Among Health Professionals (2016) Step 2: Develop Your Belief Complementing Gratitude as a foundation for Mental Resilience is Belief. Finding out the ‘WHY’ is important. Asking the tough questions like ‘Why do I need to get back on my feet?’ , ‘Who am I doing it for?’ or ‘Why is it important?’ gives you your own set of fundamental answers which later will provide you the drive to move forward with. At the same time, looking at thoughts that may be holding you back can help you uncover your ‘Dis-Beliefs’. Understanding what they are in turn will help you begin to build your self-confidence, by assessing what you’re good at, what you think you might not be good at, and ways you think you can improve on different aspects of your life. This then can help reinforce your own self-belief . As the saying goes, ‘ It’s hard for others to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself’ . Having self-belief gives you back the ownership and control over how you react to situations. Believing that everything will be better, that you know you can make it through the ‘sticky patch’ and that you have it in you to make it work begins the process of strengthening your mind. Spiritual belief can also help reinforce self-belief through practices such as prayers, meditations, affirmations, ceremonies or even rituals. This provides an outward connection from the internal to the external. Together all the above contribute to consolidating a positive outlook on things. As mentioned, changing our mindset by seeing challenges as opportunities for learning, sharing experiences and removing negative elements in our lives can help us focus our positive thinking process further. ‘Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.’ - Henry Ford Step 3: Start To Strategize Observe the situation objectively and begin to re-orientate our perspective towards solutions rather than dwelling on the problems. Finding solutions or ‘ways forward’ requires us to strategize. Fundamental to developing strategies is to be resourceful . That is to use any available resources we have to hand, rather than focus on the lack of resources. Starting off with leveraging the skills that you already have to hand helps you build momentum. At the same time, it may require us to be humble enough to accept that we may need to ‘re-tool’ . For example, it may require us to learn new skills that are more adaptable to the current economic climate. At the same time, seeking help when needed is not a sign of weakness but one of strength. So, recognize that family, friends and even professionals can provide some assistance. Another major component of strategizing your way is to plan ahead . Start working up your next move to get back on track and on your feet again. Setting goals has many benefits in acting as a guidance mechanism for our lives and can be a major contributor to its success. Another simple yet effective way of strategizing is to observe how other people have done it. Yes! Learn from others . Someone else has likely gone through a similar situation. Observing how they’ve managed to overcome the challenges could give clues to overcoming your own ones. Finally, it will likely be some of the strategies you adopt may not work. Nothing wrong there. It’s part of the process. You haven’t failed, you’ve only figured out another way in which it didn’t work. That’s part of the process. The key thing is to keep trying until you find one that works for you. ‘Research has established a strong connection between goal-setting and success’ - Matthews, 2015 Step 4: Nurture Your Attitude Developing the right attitude will significantly increase your Mental Resilience. It’s time to develop new habits , and by this I mean positive ones. Removing unproductive and even negative ones will help you sustain only habits which are aligned and beneficial in reaching your goals. At the same time, energizing yourself will provide the strength to get through the challenges. This can be split between physical energy (exercise and healthy eating) and mental energy (learning, surrounding yourself with positivity and avoiding negative situations and people). We also need to understand the value of resting in order to recharge the body and mind. Maintaining our focus is sometimes challenging as we can get distracted with many things. Having a laser-sharp focus on the important and significant things allows us to identify and eliminate those which may hamper our progress. Another key element is to develop a ‘never-say-die’ attitude in becoming tenacious . Use setbacks you encounter as your incentive to move further forward and understand that you will get through the challenges. At the same time, enhance and nurture your curiosity . Developing a thirst for curiosity by being open to ideas, new ways of working and connecting with like-minded people gives you the opportunity to collaborate and share experiences. Finally, one element which can propel you forward is to guard your self-talk. What we say to yourself matters more than what others say. Remind yourself daily of your innate ability to achieve your goals and that you can achieve them by ‘sticking to the plan’. When setbacks occur, say ‘This is a minor setback and I will get myself back on track.’ Also strengthen your thoughts by simple, yet profound thoughts like ‘I can do it’. At the same time, also look at the flip side of not taking positive action. The possibility of being in the same situation a week, month or year from now should be a good enough reason to take action to change your Life! ‘I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work’ - Thomas Edison Step 5: Action You’ve come this far in being aware of your situation, developed a strong belief, strategizing your path and developed a great attitude to strengthen your resolve. All that’s left is to take action ! ‘Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.’ - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Taking immediate action gives you the power to start the ball rolling towards your goals. The time of thinking and strategizing is done and it’s the time to start executing and ‘walk the walk’. It may be daunting as you might still be questioning yourself if it’s the right thing to do. Everyone is different. Tackle small items first to get quick wins that can build momentum, or do the more challenging ones if you’re more confident. Whatever it is, start now! Once you’re up and running, take the time to check your progress at intervals. Getting feedback is an excellent way to track your growth. What went well and what can be improved? Are the strategies making progress? Make a note and assess. Also, don't forget to celebrate your wins, however small they may be! The final stage is to re-calibrate your approach if fine-tuning is required. Revisit your strategies and start to finetune them if needed. Remember, a 1-degree shift in a ship's course may not show much improvement in the short term, but it will get you to a different destination in the long run! Once you're done, repeat the process again through execution. ‘Don't wait. The time will never be just right.’ - Napoleon Hill Bringing it all together In essence, developing Mental Resilience can help improve our Life by making us more resilient as individuals to challenges and changes that may happen. The 5 Key Steps to creating a Mentally Resilient mind and are: Developing a sense of Gratitude as a foundation Strengthen your Self-Belief because if you don’t believe in yourself, it’s difficult for others to believe in you Create an action plan through concise Strategies Develop a set of Attitudes to brave through challenging situations Take immediate Action of your plan! For more details follow me on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and visit my website and Podcast . You can download my free E-book here! Read more from Kamil: 6 Reasons Why Now is THE Best Time to Set Your Goals 6 Ways to Peaceful Parenting in Challenging Times Kamil Shah, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Coming from a professional background in design, Kamil previously practiced in both the Education & Corporate Sectors. One life-changing event in his 20s saw Kamil's life plummet from having a progressing career in design, to living on $2 a day virtually overnight. This painful experience has taught him valuable lessons in Life, which he has used advantageously in regaining his feet and ultimately achieving Personal and Professional Success. He now shares his experience and knowledge in helping others achieve their own success through bringing on their own Personal Genius.

Written by: Hoda Elsobky, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. A reflection pop up into my mind since the very first day of the Lockdown. The COVID-19 and me: Everybody should ruminate with that. How was I before and after the hit of the Coronavirus? Am I the same person, or in other words, will I ever be the same person again. We have been sitting at home significant time, and never in our age will we have this chance again, yes a chance! Moreover, never will we be given this opportunity again. People have been four times more active at home than ever. They have been studying, earning Certificates, working from home, exercising, trying new recipes. They have been meditating, contemplating, reading books, watching documentaries, watching movies. Most importantly, People have sat with their families more than any other time, people have called their parents, who are distanced from them more than any other time. We have been messaging friends, interacting with them, we have used all available technology just to be there and to connect with one another. Above all, most elderly were enthusiastic to catch up with the new technology and means of communication, in order to stay connected with their children and grandchildren through zoom meetings, and other virtual platforms. Same exactly we all did to be up to date with remote work requirements, from digital transformation and online Market to presence in the new virtual world, simply we all updated our technical skills; and yes, the Virus proved to be a tough teacher, and we learnt the hard way! Who said Social Distancing? Who said “Social Distancing”, was wrong. It is only physical distance, we connected with each other like no other time. I would say, it was a social approach, a social closeness and an overall sense of Connection , Compassion and Empathy . We are wired to be social, and it is Scientifically proven that our connections with other people are instrumental to our happiness. Research links social connections to Happiness, and social isolation to Pain. Very happy people tend to have rich and satisfying relationships and they spend little time alone, versus the average level of Happy people. This also has to do with the level and quality of connections with other people. Brene-Brown once stated that: ”Connection is why we are here, it is what gives us meaning and Purpose in life” . A milestone study at Harvard University followed 268 men for their entire lives, to assess why some of them turned to be happier than others. It uncovered evidence that success in relationships was strongly tied to Mental, Physical and Economic well-being. The bottom line is that we are social human being, and our tendency towards connections and friendships activates the Oxytocin level ( The Happiness Hormone) in our bodies and counterattacks stress. To sum it up, the virus has defined a more humane world, we learnt that to be safe, other people should be safe. It has given us the vigorous Alert of how to take care of our mental, physical and emotional health, and to consider that as our number one priority and furthermore to take it seriously! We learnt how to stay hydrated, how to eat well, how to have efficient night sleep, how to exercise, how to work hard on eliminating stress and leading a healthy lifestyle, to enhance and increase our immunity system; and all this was done from the comfort of our home. To learn more about Hoda and Happiness follow her on Facebook , Instagram and visit her website . You can buy her book "Dare to happy" here ! Read more about Hoda: Meet Hoda Elsobky - The Happiness-Guru Gives Tips on How to Become Happy Hoda Elsobky, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Hoda was born in Cairo, Egypt. Graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majored in Economics and minor in Business Administration. Later, She received her MBA in Marketing. Her greatest interest lies in the fields of philosophy and positive psychology, with a focus on self help and wellness. Above all, she is passionated about happiness as a way of living! She have worked in multinational IT companies in Egypt, like IBM and Oracle, in sales, marketing and business development capacity, from 1994 till 2005. At that point she flew with her husband to live in Vienna for three years and then to Dubai. There she discovered her passion for writing.

Written by: Laura Lee Harrison, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. This is a once in a life-time situation. It is unprecedented and the world is changing fast. As humans we have been taught to live a life where we rely on our money to come from sources like a job. A person tells us what we are worth and how much of our time every day we will trade for that money. With the age of Millennials, the shift of working online started to pick up popularity. The paradigm of working on trading time for money has changed drastically. As an entrepreneur you trade your knowledge and skill for money. You save time and in turn potentially work more, however you have more control over your time and how you space out your day. That’s usually the goal anyways. So, I ask this question: Whether you are already an entrepreneur, or you are just looking to see if it’s the right decision for you, are you currently Waiting or Creating? Creation is a beautiful thing to experience. Alignment and flow happen, and your projects take off. You don’t even have to be creating for the sole purpose of earning money. Maybe you are indulging in passions and hobbies. Waiting, on the other hand, is stagnant energy. It just sits there, nothing happens. You are waiting for someone else in the world to say you can work again. Or, maybe you are an essential worker and you are waiting for the pandemic to end so you can take a break from stress. But if you are an entrepreneur and you are waiting, you are literally killing your business. What are you waiting for? For someone else to say you can? Well, here it is - You can! "Your journey isn’t about you." The fact is, you may not be able to charge $10 000 a month per coaching client right now, though some do. That is okay. That doesn’t mean you stop and wait until you can. That means you get innovative. You choose to grow. Maybe you learn new skills that you can then apply to your fees after these uncertain times. You can create recurring revenue in so many ways and all this information is at your fingertips. Hello Google! You can give value to the world and create an online presence, so people know you, see you and trust you. Once you have trust, then you can ask for the clients to work with you. Your journey isn’t about you. It is about what you provide to your potential clients - What do they need? And frankly if you aren’t sharing your light, voice, knowledge and journey with the world, you are robbing everyone of your great value. The more you give, the more you get back, and that is not selfish. So, add the value and show up for your audience. Show them, that even though hard times are upon us you can still grow. Show them there is another way to live life, beyond waiting. Go inspire and empower people to get off the couch and stop binge-watching Netflix. No judgment, the best of us do it. But what do you do if you aren’t surrounded by people that are creators? You join groups of people that think like you or that you want to think like. Find groups of people that inspire you! We are the sum of the five people we surround ourselves with, so look around and see who you are surrounded by and change it if you don’t like it. Then learn and grow from the ones you do want to be around. You can get a job anytime, anywhere. If you want one, you will find one. You can also start a new business anytime: Turnkey businesses like Network Marketing or a business that evolved right from your own mind, from a hobby you love to do or a random idea. It isn’t easy, but it is doable, and you have the power to create instead of wait. So, have you been taking advantage of this unprecedented time? Or have you been waiting for someone to tell you that you can resume life, a life you were probably unhappy with anyways? I personally chose to create! I hope you have too. Join my Facebook community , follow me on Instagram and visit my Linktree and website for more information! Laura Lee Harrison, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Laura Lee Harrison is a Confidence & Beauty Strategist who works with professional women to help them deliver their message on stage or on camera effortlessly, by assisting them with their beauty regimens, so they feel beautiful as they are with their unique features. She also guides business owners to their first 6 figures in business with her business partner and their Social Media Agency, Media Exclusive. The agency and scheduling platform help entrepreneurs to show up and scale business with ease and consistency. As a sole parent, multi-business owner and International Best-Selling Co-Author, Laura Lee has had to overcome many obstacles in her life and within her own mindset to get where she is today. Daily she uses her story to inspire and empower entrepreneurs globally, showing them no matter their circumstance in life they can achieve their goals, if they choose to never give up on themselves.

Written by: Georgie Maroudas, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. What is love really? Is it that warm fuzzy feeling we feel inside when we are around the people we love? Is it joy and happiness being expressed? Or is it present in all of those amazing experiences we’ve had in life that we will never forget? Love is energy. And this energy of love can be felt and expressed in an endless amount of ways. We can feel that energy exchange of love through our relationships (with others and with ourselves), we can find it in an inanimate object that has been cherished and adored by its owner. Love is present in trees, healings, notebooks, animals, children, crystals, our loved ones and the list goes on! It really can be found in anything and anyone. So if this energy of love is present in all people and in all things, why don’t we experience it in every moment of every single day? Most of the time when we look at something like a tree, we just look at it and place a label on it and move on. We think that’s a tree and that’s the end of it. We don’t think about the fact that tree is very much alive and full of love, knowledge and wisdom. So our perception of that tree then creates our feelings and experience of it. And if our perception is limited, then our experience of it will also be very limited. Not only do we do we create this type of thinking with things such as trees but we also do it with people! We might meet someone for the first time and label them as mean, and that’s all we see and experience from them. We can even label ourselves and continue to think things like: “everyone is smarter than me”, “I’m unlovable”, “I don’t know how to do this”, “I can’t manifest” and as you continue to think these thoughts you continue to manifest and experience these perceptions in your day to day life. So what has this got to do with love? Everything that we have observed and learned through our childhood, combined with our own life experiences have created our current belief systems about love and how we experience it. It is our beliefs about love and what it means to us that can create that resistance to love, especially if love has a negative meaning to us. The meaning we have given love has skewed our experience and perception of love. So when love is skewed so are our receptors and the energy we emit to the universe. The energy we emit, has a direct impact on what we then call into our life; including people, experiences, the type of success, the type of opportunities that come your way, how much love we allow ourselves to receive and they ways in which we receive it. And as I mentioned earlier love can be found in anything and anyone, so when we block love we not only block ourselves from receiving love from one person but we also block ourselves from receiving love from everything within the universe. How do we change our resistance to love? Awareness is the key to change. You can’t change what you don’t know! So the first step to take is identifying what love means to you! Here are some questions you can ask yourself that will help you to identify what love means to you. When you were little how did the prominent people in your life express love? - How did they express love to you? - How did they express love to their partner? - How did they express love to their parents? What does love mean to you? And who taught you this meaning of love? - The person who taught you this meaning of love, what was their childhood like? - How did their parents express love to them? - What did they observe as a child that made them create this meaning? In which ways do you resist/block love in your life? Why? - How has blocking love, affected your life and your relationships? - How would your life be different if you allowed all love into your life? - What are your fears about love? My resistance to love is teaching me? What have I learned from blocking love? - E.g. maybe blocking love has taught you to feel safe. And so you push away love to continue to feel safe. So it’s about learning and understanding that you can feel safe even with love. Then list all the times you have felt safe and loved at the same time! You have the ability to create change Now that you have a deeper understanding of what meaning you had given love in the past and how it was created, as well as how you have blocked love in the past you can begin to make adjustments in your life to allow for more love. Be kind to yourself during this process of change. These past programs have been running for many many years, so allow yourself the time you need to make the proper adjustments. This new level of awareness you have gained by simply answering the questions above will allow you to notice when you begin to block or resist love in your life. Each time you notice this resistance this new level of awareness you have gained by simply answering the questions above will allow you to notice when you begin to block or resist love in your life. Each time you notice this resistance it is an opportunity for you to choose to respond differently in the present moment! The more you act and think in these news ways, the more automatic it will become, and soon love will be your new habit! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website for more info! Georgie Maroudas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Georgie Maroudas, founder of www.georgiemaroudas.com is a certified ThetaHealer Practitioner and Instructor. Using the Theta Brainwave, Georgie helps men and women release any fears, limiting beliefs, self-sabotaging behaviors and/or trauma that are limiting and no longer serving them. She is a big believer that our inner world of thoughts, beliefs and emotions create every aspect of our outer world and is passionate about helping and empowering every human being. Her mission is to empower individuals by teaching them the skills and abilities they need to be able to release what is no longer serving them, so that they can create a life they love!

Written by: Tau Rebecca Mikkelsen, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. For many people, the corona time is a negative and challenging time full of isolation, anxiety and abandoned plans. But for me, it's also an exciting time—a time of opportunity. When doors close somewhere, it awakens a curiosity in me. What new doors can I open? I need to find new ways to be with people. I have to find new ways in my business. It is not to trivialize the corona. Many people are deeply affected and people are dying. I have great respect for their grief and frustration. At the same time, I would also like to invite you to look at the possibilities of this different time. Because it has given many of us a temporary respite, a free space with room for reflection. An opportunity to note: Am I living the life I want? Does the life I live make me happy? Is there room for what I want in my life? Do I have the freedom I want? The health, the relationships, the job and the economy? If you had a magic wand ... I work professionally to help people look at these issues. Many people can not answer the question, "What does your dream life look like? What kind of life would you love to live?" Our way of life doesn't give us the opportunity and space to notice and ask ourselves that question. We are so used to life being something that lives us rather than the opposite and pulls us in whatever direction that allows us to get through the day. I always ask my clients: If you thought anything was possible. If you had a magic wand, all the money in the world and knew that you would succeed with everything you do. What kind of life would you love to live? What does your dream life look like? And the answer is ALWAYS that their lives would look different than it does now. You can do what you want But why don't we live the life we would love to live? How hard can it be? It's actually really hard. Because we don't believe that it is possible. We have learned that it is our external circumstances that determine our possibilities. I can't work with what I really love, because I don't have the education. I can't travel the world with my family, because I don't have the money. I can't find a girlfriend, because I live in a small town. We are stuck in our beliefs about ourselves and the world, and we are guided by some learned patterns that tell us what we can and cannot do. And as Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." And if you notice, there is a huge energy and drive in that statement. It makes a difference whether I think I can, or I think I can't. Think like an elite athlete This is well known in elite sports. Here you work very consciously with the mental power that lies in an authentic belief that I CAN. All athletes are in sublime shape, so where the real competition is really going on is in the mindset. The vision about the victory. She who has visualized herself running across the finishing line as number one, she who has received the audience's storming applause in her imagination and has felt the victory in her body before the start. She is the one winning. And she knows that if she has the slightest doubt, the slightest "if only I can", then she has lost. Get out of your comfortzone Pippi Longstocking says: "I have not done this before, I should definitely be able to do this." And Pippi has probably failed a couple of times with that attitude. But it is also the reason why she has succeeded in doing a lot of things that she didn't have any guarantees would succeed before doing them. Still, most of us want a guarantee that things will turn out well before we do them. We want to know in advance that we will succeed. That we can. We would prefer that there is a fire in the fireplace before we feed it with wood. We want the success, the money-flow before we start the business. But it doesn't really work that way. If we want a guarantee that what we do works, we can only do what we have already done before. The things that we know. And then we have to stay in our comfort zone and repeat what we usually do. But this is not where the new things are created. A wise person once said: "Some people live 90 years. Others live one year 90 times". And to be honest, many of us do the last thing. We stay in our comfort zone and repeat the life we know. Even though that zone is not necessarily the most comfortable. But at least we know it. And our brain tells us it's important to stay in that safety Goodbye to the fear, brain "That is why we must begin to explore and discover ourselves." After all, our brain continues to operate like our primordial brain. It is still encoded in the same way as when we used to live in caves thousands of years ago, and its purpose was to keep us alive. Literally: Will I be eaten by a tiger, or am I safe. And everything we haven't done before our brain reacts to as a potential "tiger". If we become aware that this is actually what is happening, then we can begin to take control, instead of letting our fear brain dominate. As we live in our modern world, it is rarely a matter of life or death when we want to move outside of our comfort zone. Once we begin to open up to the new, we will also face other obstacles within ourselves. Because as human beings, we tend to sabotage ourselves all the time. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to growing and move ourselves from where we are to where we want to be. That is why we must begin to explore and discover ourselves. It's not just us who are going to make our lives and dreams grow. Creating our dream life also requires us to be ready to grow as human beings. And it is an inner process that requires curiosity, love, courage and determination. Welcome to your dream life When I work with my clients, I introduce them to a mindset and tools that give them insight and the power to achieve the life they dream of. They learn to focus on WHAT they want. And WHY they want it. They learn how to discover where they are sabotaging themselves. How their learned patterns and believes prevent them from going in the direction of their dreams. And instead of damaging themselves, they learn how to become their own best support on the journey towards their dream life. With self-insight and the right tools, we can all accelerate our dreams. It feels like a catapult that creates flow and opportunities and leads us to where we feel most alive So what do you dream about? Howard Thurman, who was Martin Luther King's mentor, once said these wise and inspiring words: "Don't ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive." So try this: Close your eyes for a moment. Take a deep breath and imagine what your life looks like when you do what makes you feel most happy, energetic and alive. What makes you feel free, abundant and in love with your life. Mmm, can you feel it? It's a great place to be. Welcome to your dream life. Go do it! For more information visit my website and join my Facebook community! Tau Rebecca Mikkelsen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tau Rebecca Mikkelsen is a certified holistic life and business coach. With her vision driven approach to life and business, she helps entrepreneurs grow their full potential business. This is what she says about herself and her work: "I am an expert in following my heart. I love my coaching business and I practice what I preach. In order to grow a successful business, you have to be willing to grow yourself. Exploring and expanding every single day. This creates flow, coherence, happiness and abundance in all areas of your life. This is my own personal experience and this is what I see happening in all of my clients' lives."

Written by: Olenka Cullinan, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Let’s face it, we all woke up in a world where our lives and businesses have been uprooted overnight. Most of us were not prepared to go into a virtual existence for months on end (physically or financially), to start homeschooling, to lose the social connections, or employment. None of it was predictable, and this new reality has stirred a whole slew of emotions – sadness, anger, loss, frustration, disbelief and the biggest one of all – fear. Fear is a basic primitive human emotion, which arises from the threat of physical or psychological harm, whether it’s real or imagined. Traditionally, it’s considered to be a negative emotion. But what if everything we knew about fear is wrong? Consider this – fear is not a “bad” emotion – it’s designed in your body to alert you against unpleasant situations. It’s an alarm mechanism that reminds you to make a move at the first sign of danger. I know you can argue with me here, “But why do we freeze when we are scared?” You only stop when the scare is perceived from certain beliefs! That’s when you get stuck. Think of two very distinctly different scenarios: if you see a dog charging at you out of nowhere, you might freeze for a few seconds but then you will move, likely run or jump to the side. But if you are scared of making a sales call (something of a perceived danger), you will often sit in this paralyzed state for hours, days, and weeks, avoiding it all together. That is why I’m inviting you to consider that fear is a great brain response that is actually alerting you that you need to take action! Our current situation can trigger fears on a daily or sometimes hourly basis: the news you are watching, being bombarded on social media, your work or school situation - all of these are the alerting to pay attention. Moreover, one of the most powerful qualities of fear: it’s contagious. I’m sure you have noticed that on some days you wake up in a great mood, and then you open up the Internet and before you know it, you just bought into everyone else’s worries and concerns. That is the reality of today’s situation. Unless you carefully curate the intake of your information, you are guaranteed to be sucked into everyone else’s emotions. "But a better question is: what do we do to transform during this “new normal” as the “old normal” may never come back." Now that the epidemic is declining in some areas of the world while still expanding in the others, these fears are causing a divide among us. No one is exactly sure what the right or wrong ways to behave are, but as humans, we do one thing well – we know how to judge. I see people projecting their emotions and their fears on others. It’s causing breaks in relationships, disconnect in companies, and havoc in our societies. And all of us are waiting on the “normal” to come back. But a better question is: what do we do to transform during this “new normal” as the “old normal” may never come back. Our transformation starts and ends with our mindset. The mind carries the limitations, the beliefs, and the realities of our lives. There’s no other way around it. So while the world may be in financial and psychological darkness, your responsibility lies in changing how you are reacting and processing these circumstances. We are all dealing with our own version of “scary” right now, but some people are choosing to be the light, while others are choosing to hide behind the darkness. You can choose to transform your angst into liberation. And no, I’m not saying that it is easy, as it requires work. But it is possible, and it is going to create a level of growth for you that will elevate your lifestyle. You see, the most successful people take action when others are scared to. Times of change are times for opportunity. Training your brain to react differently to the difficult situation is no different than training your muscles in the gym to get a six-pack. Consistency and monitoring progress move you forward through challenges of life. You need to get consistent on your positive habits. When clients tell me that they want to reach a certain goal, I ask them to show me their rituals. These are non-negotiable routines that you implement in your day whether the world stops or moves. In my case, it’s journaling, visualization and mediation every morning, then reading and mediation every night. What positive rituals keep you moving forward in these circumstances? If you don’t have any, start with one. Taking charge of your thoughts is the next important step to controlling your reality. Most of your thoughts are rooted in your beliefs, as your beliefs are just thoughts that have been repeated by you or others to you over and over. Bringing awareness to your thinking is where you can change your whole outlook on life. You decide how alive you get to be daily. Only your thoughts or buying into someone else’s is what stops you. In this uncertain world, it is your responsibility to start turning your thoughts into statements of growth and hope. You may stumble at first, and you will certainly catch yourself reverting to the negatives, but it’s ok – just keep practicing and re-stating every negative thought into positive out loud, and you will see the change. I use this “game of opposites” exercise with my clients for 30 days, and the results they notice are remarkable. This world might be in limbo for a while still, but you get to decide if you are going to add light or darkness to it and to your life. Your goal is to come out of this situation by freeing yourself from fear dictated by external circumstances. It’s going to require you to be brave and to take bold actions. Your thoughts don’t have power. You have power. And I promise you already have what it takes inside of you to transform that fear into freedom. Join Olenkas Facebook Community , follow her on Instagram and visit her website for more info! Olenka Cullinan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Olenka Cullinan is a CEO of iStartFirst, Speaker, & Business Coach. She empowers women to up-Level their business and mindset via on-line Bootcamp, iStartFirst Women's Summit, and delivering keynotes and workshops for companies nationwide & globally. Olenka has developed a “Backbone of Success”™ method that helps female leaders to take action, get paid their worth and show up like a BOSS. Olenka’s work globally, combined with humor and personal experiences led to her recent appearances at TEDx (twice) and made her into one of the premier corporate consultants. She has worked with startups, corporate leaders and some of the top organizations across the world.

Written by: Jamie Dooley, Life and Business Coach Repurposing—a trendy new phrase taking the interior design world by storm—turning something old and forgotten, into something new, and even better than the original. It’s easy to visualize a piece of furniture being dusted off and treasured again, but what about a relationship? Conscious uncoupling is trending, but how do you love someone before the hurt has healed? I have learned that only Repurposed Love can heal that hurt. Like an old beat up buffet sitting in your basement with a mouse nest in the drawer, your relationship took a lot of abuse. You wouldn’t be divorced if it was a walk in the park, right Maybe that buffet has seen 4 different coats of paint. Each time you and your spouse were at your wits end, you agreed to try again by covering the old with a fresh new coat, but you were never able to fully strip it down to its base to see where the problem was. That is your connection with your ex. It’s just sitting there, in a corner of your heart and soul, wishing it was still important. Wishing it had a purpose. Whether it got there due to lack of use, purchase of a “newer model” or some other catastrophe you’d rather not discuss, you cannot seem to throw it away because it is a part of you. Your daughter helped you set the table with that real silver. Your child’s first visit to the ER was due to jumping off it to try out the new cape you made him. It held every birthday, anniversary, and holiday cake you ever made. And it was the one piece you could not decide on when you split. It meant a lot to both of you. It’s a reminder of the lost love, so neither of you could bear to get rid of it or use it in your new abode. It is homeless, sad, and forgotten, but still yearning to carry out the mission it was created for. Bring that old love out of the basement. Dust it off, and sand it down. Get to the base of what you are really upset about. Feel the disappointment instead of hiding it. Once you have it fully stripped down, you should be able to see a glimpse of its original beauty. You no longer need to hide how you once felt, or how you may still feel. You are part of each other, and are reminded of your unique bond each and every time you look at one of your remarkable children. I love my ex-husband like a brother. I am not in love with him, but I still care about him, his health and safety, and want to see him happy. For many years, he was the most important person in the world to me. I think about his safety, well-being and happiness now as often as I did then. I hope he has the life, and the woman, of his dreams because I was unable to give that to him. Why is that so weird? His happiness and success in life benefits my children greatly! So, I love my ex-husband. Do I wish I was still married to him? No. We grew apart, not together, but what we have is irrevocable, because we created a life together. Our children will always be only ours. No one will understand them, their idiosyncrasies, or the past events which made them who they are, like we will. No one will care as deeply or advocate their brilliance as frantically like the two of us. That bond is unbreakable. No one will know the road of hope, pain, and then loss we traveled on but us. I am not uncomfortable with him, because I am not trying to hide any buried emotion. I have no bitterness, resentment, or jealously left because I have a process for letting go of the past. I teach my clients to write what they are ready to let go of (relationships, fat, debt, guilt, shame, etc) and burn it. There is great power in ceremony! It’s like telling the Universe you are ready to move forward again. All of that thinking and analyzing is stealing joy from your future. People don’t have their peace taken from them, they give it away with their thoughts about a person. It doesn’t matter who did what when, it’s in the past. Let it freaking go. Whether you like it or not, when you have children together, your ex is still your partner. The definition of the relationship has changed, but you are still the parental unit, and therefore your children are looking to you to see how to act. They are watching you and your interactions with each other so much closer than you realize! How you treat each other is important, if not more important, than when you were married. Kids of any age sense tension. They also absorb it. If you cannot repurpose that love for you, can you do it for your kids? Love and bitterness cannot occupy the same space. The more we forgive, the more we are able to receive forgiveness. The more we love, the more we are able to receive love. Loving your ex is the quickest way to loving yourself again. Soften your heart and open yourself up to the possibility. Ask God to help you. You don’t have to wait for them to agree to this. Just start sending them love from afar. You will be amazed at the difference in energy next time you interact. Join Jamie's Facebook community and visit her website for more information! Jamie Dooley Jamie Dooley is a highly intuitive, heart-based life and business coach, who teaches the art of expansion through energy healing and writing. She is the CEO of The Expansion Group, a collaborative for female dreamers, doers, bosses, and entrepreneurs. Jamie is also the author of Self-Coaching Mastery , and a manifesto expert who teaches women how to embody their sexiest, healthiest, wealthiest selves and have fun in the process.

Written by: Brenda Johnston, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. So you have a “side-hustle” and you want to build it into a sustainable business so you can leave your corporate day job. I’ve been there and done that! I can tell you that growing your side-hustle into a successful business that allows you to say good-bye to your corporate job is an awesome feeling. I get a lot of questions from people with this same intention, but they find themselves struggling to make it happen. The truth is, a lot of side-hustles never turn into anything more because many people don’t have the mindset or the strategies to make it happen. Here are four reasons why growing your side-hustle may feel like a struggle: You’re in it for the wrong reasons These days it’s fairly easy to start a business with little to no money, especially in the Coaching or the MLM world. This makes the idea of the entrepreneur lifestyle even more appealing for many people who want to escape their corporate day job. The challenge is , if you want your business to grow and be successful, it needs to solve a problem, it needs to be scalable and you need to actually like what you are doing. That last point might seem logical but I’ve spoken to a LOT of people with the mindset that the single most important goal is to make enough money to leave their corporate job. They tell me that they started their side-hustle because they thought it would make them happy, it would be fun, and wouldn’t it be great to be able to work from anywhere and still make money? Not truly enjoying what you are doing or believing in what you are selling will cause your subconscious mind to create reasons for it not to work. You’ll find yourself self-sabotaging more often than not because your mind is telling you that you’re not in alignment with what you are trying to do. You don’t have a strategy If you really want to build a business that is a replacement for a corporate job, you need to have a strategy. How long will it take to replace your corporate income? How many clients do you need to have, how many can you actually take on while you still have your fulltime job? I highly recommend hiring a good business consultant/coach to help you navigate this. There are many coaches out there who make it seem like there is an easy, one-size-fits-all template or solution to taking your side-hustle and turning it into a thriving six or seven-figure business “just like that”. I recommend you do your research and invest in a business coach that understands your business as well as YOU as a person. And trust me , I know that investing in yourself and your business can seem overwhelming, especially if it’s not actually making much money. Hiring the right coach can sustainably accelerate your growth so you can create a business that takes you where you want to do something you love. You’re not nourishing your mindset "As important as strategies and systems are, your mindset should be an integral part of your business growth strategy." Building your side-hustle means you are going to be working after hours and finding pockets of time to get things done. In some cases it can feel like you are actually working two fulltime jobs instead of one. Being serious about success means you need also to be serious about taking care of your mindset as well as your physical health. Getting a good night’s sleep and moving your body is great, but having a healthy mindset is key. This starts by creating a business mindset, it means setting designated hours for when you are working and when you are not. It also includes setting boundaries for when clients can reach you and when they can expect a reply. Not doing this can leave you feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and burnt out and maybe hating your side-hustle. You don’t have gratitude for your fulltime job No matter how much you might despise your day job, you need to have gratitude for that job. I’m telling you, even though it’s a lot of work to have two jobs, it’s a lot less stressful to build a side-hustle when you are not worried about how you are going to pay your bills. You also need to change your perspective, look at that job as a stepping stone to being able to do something you’re passionate about. It will make going in every day a lot less painful and you never know, you may realize there are some skills you can transfer into your own business. If growing your side-hustle is something you are passionate about, I highly encourage you to go for it. Take some time to think about why you are doing it, what impact you want to make in the lives of others, and start taking steps towards your goal. This doesn’t have to be a race, it took me 10 years to get serious about building my side-hustle. But when I got serious, changed my mindset, and created a strategy, it only took a year to make my great escape and I have never looked back! Let’s get social, connect with me on Instagram , visit my website or check out The Limitless Life Podcast . Read more from Brenda Johnston: 3 Tips to Help You Shift From Worry to Wealth Brenda Johnston, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine After being chained to the same corporate job for close to 14 years and living with debt for most of her adult life, Brenda decided it was time to stop playing small. She changed her relationship with money and success (and more importantly herself) to turn her passion into profit. Within 7 months of leaving her corporate job, she had built a successful 6-figure business. As a High-Performance Mindset Coach, and the host of The Limitless Life podcast Brenda helps other driven Women tap into the power of their subconscious minds so they can access their full manifesting potential. She does this by helping transform limiting beliefs and fears that are creating patterns of self-sabotage so they can create an abundance mindset and go from worry to wealth.

Written by: Katrina Valente, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertis Within all my treatments/sessions I use the Altarah Bio colour therapy products (which I am an Ambassador for) to let me know how my client is feeling and how I can truly hone in on the exact thing they need to work on in that moment...Let me explain. Colour is everywhere, in our homes, the clothes we choose to wear, the car we drive, the paint that we choose to put on our walls in our homes, the flowers that we plant in our gardens...literally everywhere we look. It is something we take so much for granted. But there is actually an underlying reason as to why you choose certain colours. Colour actually balances us, yes, the subconscious mind chooses colour according to our mood. Let's look at that for a moment. The chakras of our body are the energy centers that run down the middle of our body on our spinal column and are invisible. They are connected to the various organs within the body and also correlate to certain emotions and thought patterns. The chakras are responsible for disturbing the life energy, also known as Qi or Prana. They are also specific colours for specific charkas, so let's go through what exactly they are and their meaning. The 7 Chakras The Crown center; Top of head. This is the center of Spirituality, our connection to God, and all that is our connection to our Ancestors and it brings balance to our lives. Third Eye Chakra; Center of the forehead. This taps into your intuition, it helps get clarity of mind, and is a colour that helps you focus when meditating. Throat Chakra; The center of expression, speaking up for what you believe and the center of peace and calm. Heart Chakra; there are two centers here the masculine and the feminine energy. The masculine is about standing in your power, recovering your sacred space, oxygenating your body and setting your boundaries, the center of giving love. The feminine is about receiving, loving and nurturing yourself and being kind to you, giving back to yourself. Solar plexus; Middle of the rib cage and center of the body. This is the center of emotions, good and bad, and it is about happiness and joy. Naval Chakra; Just below the belly button. Tap into your Gut instinct, creativity and feminine energy center. It's about letting go and giving birth to life. Holding on here is also something that needs to be brought into balance. Base chakra; Bottom of spine. This is abundance, prosperity, energy. It is your connection to your home life, career and how you make money. It gets you up in the morning. Sexual power colour. Now, these are the 7 basic chakras that most people know. Altearah Bio took it further and went into the in-between chakras. So here they are; Turquoise is between the throat and the heart chakra; It is about tranquility, speaking your truth from the heart center and being your true authentic self. Saying how you feel. Green is between the heart and solar plexus chakra; it is the center of letting go, crossing the bridge from the old to the new and finding the freshness in life, Spring time, rebirth. Gold is between the solar plexus and naval chakra; Spleen. It is the inner wisdom, self confidence, being your true authentic self and great for major change in your life such as divorce or menopause. Royal Purple Chakra; Feet. Grounding, being in the present moment, not thinking about the past not worrying about the future but being fully present NOW. White has all the colours within it and is great when you want to feel pure and clean, gives you purity and clarity of mind. It deflects the dark. Silver; regeneration, detoxification and rejuvenation. It is a calming colour, a reset. Used when you have had a shock. So now you know why you choose the colours you do, it is such a subconscious decision, but it really helps to balance your energy field to assist you in all areas of your life. Altearah Bio Products These are Organic perfumes, oils and serums that work to balance the emotions. Each colour is a combination of essential oils that makes up the vibration of the chakra itself, and there are 14 colours. Inhalation of the perfume makes you feel instantly at ease as the subconscious chooses what colour you need. I do a test where you pick 4 colours. The first is your connection to what you need right now. The second is your block, what you lack in. The third is the support to open the block, and the fourth is where you want to be in the not so distant future. IE. Pink, blue, green and yellow - Pink - what you need right now is love, love for yourself, you need to love and nurture you right now. You may be feeling lonely in love. Blue - You are blocked in expressing yourself to the world, you probably are also not finding peace and calm. Green - what will help you unblock blue is if you let go, cross that bridge from the old to the new and find the freshness in life. Yellow - where you want to be in the not so distant future is in happiness and joy for life. It is an amazing modality and allows me to be more specific in treating my client as I get to know exactly how they are feeling the that moment. So the next time you choose a colour you will be more informed as to why. It's a fascinating topic. I work online with my coaching and healing work if you do not reside in Dubai. 40 min free discovery call for all my readers. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram or visit my website and join my newsletter for the latest updates and offers. Enjoy living in colour. Blessings Katrina Read more from Katrina: Inner Peace Outer Beauty - Meet Katrina Valente 11 Tips on How to Stay Healthy During The Covid-19 Crisis Katrina Valente, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Katrina Valente has been in the Beauty Industry for the past 25 years as a Holistic Anti-aging Expert as well as a Celebrity Facialist.  She has traveled the world treating the rich and famous as a Visiting Practitioner with resorts like Six Senses, Anantara and Aman worldwide She is now more interested in educating people with her wealth of knowledge in Beauty and Wellness on how to look good from the inside out...Inner Peace Outer Beauty is her motto. She has now evolved to be a Trusted Holistic Transformational & Wellness Expert.

Written by: Nicole Gaither, Partner at Parlatore Law Group As a small business owner, you know that it is important to protect your business’s assets. That’s why you took the time to form the LLC, C Corp, or other formal business entity. One of the most valuable assets in your business is its intellectual property. Many business owners spend hours selecting the perfect name and logo for their business. And for many businesses, it would be a serious backstep if another company started doing business under the same name or logo. It would be especially devastating if you had no way to stop another company from doing so. You’ve read and heard that you should trademark (or the more correct, “register your trademark”). But you probably have not been told why you should register your trademark. Here are the primary benefits of registering your trademark with the USPTO. Automatic Rights: Common Law Trademarks Most people aren’t aware that trademark rights start the minute you use a trademark “in commerce” – that is, the first time you put your business name, logo, slogan, product name, podcast name, course name, etc. in front of the public. These automatic rights are known as common law trademark rights, which means that your trademark rights are established through your use of the mark and not by any specific rule or statute. Common law trademark rights have been developed by case law (court decisions) and are governed by state law. The best thing about common law trademark rights is that the rights are automatic. You do not need to register your trademark to establish these rights. As soon as you use your mark in commerce, you own the trademark and the common law rights associated with it, including the right to stop others from using your trademark… subject to the limits that I’m about to point out. Now for the bad news. There are certain limits to your common law trademark rights. Your common law trademark rights are limited to the specific area where you use your trademark. So if you are a small business in Texas, then you cannot restrict the use of your trademark in California (or any other state other than Texas). But if a California company with the same name and logo (with similar products or services) tried to sell to customers in Texas, then you could sue to enforce your common law trademark rights in Texas. However, that same California business has the right to use the same name and logo to sell its products or services in California and you. can’t. stop. them. It becomes an even bigger problem for small businesses that market their goods or services online, since they are pretty much broadcasting their trademark to the global market. There is no bright-line rule on whether your common law trademark rights go beyond the state where your business is located. Generally (and this is with a caveat), your common law trademark rights are only in those locations where you actually do business – for example, the locations where you can prove use of your mark by showing actual sales to customers or clients. If you were to sue the California business for using your trademark, you must prove that you have sales in California; otherwise, the California business might have more rights than you to the trademark. It’s because of these limitations (and not to mention the uncertainty) that it is recommended that you register your trademarks at the federal level. Registering your trademark with the USPTO Filing a federal trademark registration application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) gives you a lot of benefits at an affordable price. One of the most important advantages to federal trademark registration is the amount of protection you have for your mark. Once your trademark is registered with the USPTO, you have the exclusive right to use your trademark all over the country. It’s like the federal government building a fence and a nice moat around your business so that you can stop other businesses in the US from getting close. You get this exclusive right to exclude others from using your trademarks anywhere in the US regardless of where you advertise and promote your business and where you actually use your trademark – as long as you market your products and services across state lines (interstate commerce). Other benefits include: (1) the right to sue for trademark infringement in federal court; (2) the ability to recover monetary damages, lost profits, attorney fees, and costs that result from the infringement; and (3) the right to use the ® symbol, which puts the world on notice that your trademark is federally registered and may deter others from using your trademark. And having a federally registered trademark provides evidence of trademark ownership and use, which will help your claim against another company trying to use your mark. Many small business owners say that they are not going to bother with registering their trademarks because they are concerned with the costs. It’s definitely a valid concern, but the good thing about registration is that it is affordable. The fee to file a trademark application online with the USPTO ranges between $225 - $275/per class. Registering your trademark upfront can save you thousands of dollars in re-branding expenses, damages, lost profits, legal fees, and court costs if you are required to defend your trademark rights or sue a competitor for using your trademarks in the future. The long and short of it? Registering your trademarks with the USPTO will cost you a few hundred dollars (and just a few more if you use an attorney) but may save you thousands and thousands of dollars down the road. It’s a very simple step that you can take to protect your company’s valuable assets. Nicole Gaither Nicole Gaither is a Partner with Parlatore Law Group and practices in the fields of copyright and trademark prosecution, in addition to tax law. She has demonstrated experience in prosecuting domestic trademark and copyright applications, providing brand protection through trademark monitoring, reviews of refusals, responses to refusals and assessing potential marks for use and availability. Ms. Gaither has a wealth of experience representing the interests of her clients as they work to build and financially protect their businesses. She can assist in creating a unique trademark that meets the requirements to be registrable, advise on how to establish its use in commerce, and facilitate the registration process.

Business Intelligence – or simply BI – help businesses make data-driven decisions based on a well informed and reliable source of information. Removing the gutfeel and replacing it with facts, so to speak. In broad terms BI consist of: Mining the data – extracting the original data from its source. Analysis – identifying and grouping data. Reporting – accessing and formatting data, often turning it in to meaningful visual reports. The goal: Leaving you with the perspective required to make the decision at hand By combining accurate data mining and strict validation of data combined from multiple sources, the company can use their favorite tools and get visualized data, thus helping them make better and more qualified decisions. BI can combine both historical data and near real time data, and even put information in different automated reports. This feature allows user to subscribe for relevant reports and only see the information they are looking for. Example a store manager who wants to see how his business is performing and not have to deal with numbers from other divisions of the same company. The very same end user could however easily choose to compare his store with not only previous quarters, but other stores on the parameters he finds interesting. In general, the reporting services can be set up by request and adjusted internally in the organization due to easy tools for extracting data. When investigating the opportunities of Business Intelligence, it is normal practice to involve a BI consultant who can help you find a scalable and high performing solution. Especially when your company is looking for a solution that allows self-service, the right setup is crucial. Nowadays, more organizations are looking for self-service opportunities that makes it possible to extract helpful data in matters of seconds. This requires a fast and accurate analytics platform that empowers end users by visualizing data and allowing the users to easily share results with colleagues. One thing is for sure! In the future, the norm will be that businesses are using data in a smarter way then at the moments. Working smarter is the goal, not working harder.

Written by: Anastasia Schmalz and Tomer Arwas Did you see this coming? It is almost impossible to predict when exactly a financial crisis will hit. Yet, there is one thing for sure, there will always be a next crisis. Just as summer is followed by autumn, and winter is followed by spring, the economy goes through cycles. Sometimes those cycles are mild and other times, they are quite significant. Every crisis is different from the previous one in its causes and effects. The Dot-com bubble in the late 90’s led to a crisis at the beginning of this century - caused by the rise of the internet. The Subprime mortgage crisis in 2007 triggered to the last financial crisis - which was the result of a new way to give out loans. I bet, you didn't expect the outbreak of a pandemic when making your plans for 2020? The point is that every crisis is caused by something new. This makes all crises have something in common: they are unpredictable. You will probably agree with me on this. As you cannot predict when the next financial crisis will hit and how it will play out, you should always be ready. Do you want to know how to improve your money matters during this pandemic? Here are 4 tips to make your personal finances crisis proof. Stash up 3 months worth of salary We cannot anticipate which industries will be hit the most in the next financial crisis. In the current crisis, some industries are flourishing while others are barely keeping their heads above water. This means that you cannot be sure if you will keep your job in the next financial crisis or if your business will survive. I advice my clients to keep 3 months worth of their salary saved up and accessible. That is keeping it in a savings account that is liquid and where it is not invested on your behalf. This is your emergency fund, and it should only be used if absolutely necessary. The goal is that this money will be readily available for you if disaster hits. Your savings will allow you to always have a financial cushion to get through a crisis with the least possible impact on your lifestyle. If saving doesn’t come easily to you, here are some ideas on how to increase your savings. You can set an automated transfer to your savings account right after you receive your salary. Use a service that rounds up your payments, and sends the difference that is rounded up to your savings account. Know where to cut costs Nobody likes to downgrade, sure. However, when a financial crisis hits, you need to be prepared to eliminate expenses where you feel the least impact on your lifestyle. To evaluate which expenses you can cut without major impact on your quality of life, take a look at your monthly recurring expenses. Note down expenses you could do without. For instance, these may include certain subscriptions or expensive coffees. You could also prioritize items on the list so you know which costs you will cut first. Have this list of cost cutting ideas ready for when a financial crisis hits. This is your Plan B expense plan. Being mentally prepared to reduce costs during a crisis will allow you to take action quicker and will soften the blow. Keep in mind that this is a temporary measure that you will take to get through the crisis until things will brighten up again. Create multiple sources of income Most people are dependent on one single source of income - their job. While this might seem logic, there is one major problem of having only one income stream. In the current crisis, we see that unemployment is rising tremendously, meaning that you might not be able to rely on your job alone to support you. Instead, aim to create multiple sources of income. Having money making side-hustles that generate income allow you to get through a financial crisis with less impact. Side income streams can be returns from investments in real estate or the stock market, but also from other sources such as a blog or a course. When choosing the best side-hustles for you, the first thing I work on with my clients is to look at their superpowers (skills, knowledge, experiences, and interests) as well as their resources (time and money). The key is to focus on automating your income from those side-hustles. Essentially, you want to be earning your income passively with the least amount of work. Once you have a couple of sources of income that generate you money passively, you are recession proof. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket You probably heard this phrase a million times before. The reason is because it’s true. To make your personal finances crisis proof, you need to diversify your portfolio. Whether it is investments in the stock market or a side-hustle, it is always better to spread your bets widely across industries. There are losers and winners in every crisis. By diversifying you make an attempt to increase your chances of balancing your losses. In simple worlds, you want to be invested in industries that will be flourishing to avoid any major losses during a financial crisis. As we cannot tell in advance which ones these will be, the best you can do is to spread your time and money investments across multiple industries. Use the ups to prepare for the lows Things don’t always go as planned. We have seen that now with Covid-19 more than ever before. To make your personal finances crisis proof, you need to always be prepared for the next crisis. The key is to optimise your savings and spending habits, and diversify your income over multiple sources and industries. Every crisis is preceded by a period of economic growth and overall prosperity. That’s why it often seems unimaginable that a next crisis can be on its way. Following the 4 tips in this article, you can leverage the economical ups to prepare for the next downs. Being prepared is the key to bouncing back up much faster. Discover how to do what you love while feeling financially safe through Anastasia and Tomer’s 6- step Freedom Framework. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and visit their blog for more info. Anastasia Schmalz and Tomer Arwas Anastasia Schmalz and Tomer Arwas are life design and personal finance strategists, and the creators of the blog GenerationNomads.com. After becoming financially free under 30, they left their cushy jobs to travel the world for 18 months without working or touching their savings. Their 6-Step Freedom Framework is used to teach millennials how to design and reach their dream lifestyle through financial freedom. Sign up for instant access to the FREE 9-5 Escape Plan training.