Written by: Bandana Jain, 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. There are silver linings to these overcast times. The natural world is being given a breather. Tangible examples can be seen across the universe of how nature has rejuvenated itself over the past few months. Agreed, we will take a bit of time to restart our travel ventures. Till then, it won't harm to plan our future escapes and discover places that have received a natural makeover, thanks to the pandemic times. Canton de Vaud, The Lake Geneva region, Switzerland, is one such picturesque location famed for its pristine valleys and snow-covered Alps. Amidst this vast beauty lies some extreme sports for those seeking the ultimate adrenaline rush. Here are the 6 must-try activities. Rafting Are you seeking a thrill? Time to face the turbulent waters of the rapids of the Rhone River. Get ready to paddle and defy the most intense waves while marveling at the beautiful scenery. Rafting is a thrilling way to get friends together and enjoy a day outside. It also makes for a perfect experience for families with children who enjoy being active. Paragliding Experience the unforgettable and fly like a bird over glorious landscape and terrain with a breathtaking paragliding experience. Enjoy tandem paragliding over Lake Geneva and the Vaud Riviera between Montreaux and Villeneuve and be dazzled by the beautiful and varied landscape including the castle of Chillon, it was here that the first world championships of aerobatic paragliding Red Bull vertigo took place. Skiing Experience your first skiing experience at Montreux Riviera Ski School Carte Blanche offers the most personalized skiing experience that exists in Switzerland. The entire experience is arranged, from transport to equipment, to restaurant bookings. The ski instructor is the mountain concierge who takes care of all the details of the skiing holiday. With the exceptional concept of the Carte Blanche service, one has to only choose the resort for the stay and clarify his or her skiing objectives, while all other logistics are taken care of by the professional instructors. Sailing Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) is the largest body of water in both Switzerland and France and is the ideal place for sailing enthusiasts. Not only does it have dramatically pleasing sceneries, but it has some of the cleanest waters in the world. The B’Ol D’Or Mirabeaud is an annual yachting event that takes place in June. Charter a yacht and visit one of the lakes many ports; Port des Eaux-Vives, Porte de Bouveret, Port des Mouettes, Port de Rives and Port de Vidy. Hiking For experienced hikers or beginners, the Vaudois Alps are a walker’s paradise. Grab your backpack and a bottle of water and off you go! With mountain peaks, glaciers, mountain lakes, rivers, and waterfalls providing stunning scenery and charming places to stop for refreshment, fondue or raclette, hiking is an adventure for people of all ages. Some of the best hiking trails are Les Diablerets-Creux de Champ, Le Tour des Muverains, les Chaux-La Verneyre, and the more challenging, Col du Marchairuz. Hot Air Balloon Up, up, and away! The Swiss hot air balloon capital- Chateau-d’Oex in the Vaudois Alps plays host to hundreds of hot air balloons each January, and it was from here in 1999 that the Breitling Orbiter set off for the first tour of the world in a hot air balloon. Many different take-off locations are available with a variety of choices such as Adventure flights, Discovery flights and Gourmet flights. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website! Read more from Bandana Jain Singing for well-being! 3 Things Fast-Growing Businesses do Right Bandana Jain, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Bandana Jain is a Dubai based lifestyle and travel journalist for the past two decades. She’s also a passionate lifestyle blogger, photographer and loves pursuing modelling as a hobby. One of the aspects of her journalistic life that she thoroughly enjoys is rubbing shoulders with Bollywood celebrities. Having said this, her community journalist status ensures that she loves interacting with people from different strata of the society. She loves the limelight on stage sometimes as an anchor, whilst on other occasions as a public speaker. When she is not pursuing any of the above, you can find her shopping in Dubai’s famous malls or chilling by the beach with her favorite cup of tea. Travel is her passion, creativity her morale booster and enriching conversations are enough to give her the necessary thrust in life.

Written by: Juliette Stapleton, 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. Do you shy away from doing live video for your marketing, because you absolutely hate looking back on your videos? Perhaps you hate the way your voice sounds? The way you look? Your inner critic picks on every imperfection, a hair strand sticking out, the face looks too swollen, the eyes look too tired, your accent is too annoying... It is important to understand that everyone feels that way, to an extend. Even the pros. Why We Hate How We Look & Sound On Video At the start, seeing and hearing yourself is a fresh experience for you. And like with anything new, unusual or unfamiliar, our brain's first reaction is to reject it. You experience really negative emotions; you want it to stop, it almost physically hurts you... This is natural, your comfort zone is being pushed. But it does not mean that you truly look or sound so dreadful. Every person in your world is exposed to your looks and the sound of your voice. So if that reaction was actually reflecting a general fact, don't you think people around you would stick fingers in their ears when you try to speak, or would always avoid looking at you - so they do not have to hurt their eyes? I mean, this is an exaggeration, but this is exactly how badly you are exaggerating the issue with your looks and voice in your own mind. Understanding why you feel like this is the first and the most important step to creating a transformation. It is not actually the look or the sound. What makes you freak out is just being unfamiliar with watching yourself and hearing yourself from a third person's perspective! So start getting to know yourself, getting familiar and extending our comfort zone to include being OK with yourself. "Now it is the time for you to practice that unconditional love." The only way we can get comfortable with anything is by repetition. Do more videos and watch back every one of them - without criticizing. Instead exercise conscious self-acceptance and self-love. Every time a critical thought surfaces, just acknowledge it -your brain is getting uncomfortable. Then gently set it aside and let it pass through you. Focus on falling in love with who you are and how everyone in the world sees you. And loves you! This is how your mother sees you. This is how your children see you. And they love you unconditionally. Now it is the time for you to practice that unconditional love. At the same time you are improving your chances to attract amazing clients into your business since video is the fastest way to connect and convert. It happens at the real simple but magical level - as they experience your beautiful human energy. Finding Your Style When you are a little more comfortable with the idea of doing video, the next step is choosing how to show up. Here is where so many people get stuck. They are not sure what way they "should" be showing up to attract their ideal clients, often resulting in doing nothing at all. I truly believe that we should always show up at our best! Make the effort. But you also need to make sure you are not putting yourself in an uncomfortable environment, just because you may think it looks more "professional". Do their looks matter to us? Or is it what they "feel like" to follow; what they say; how we connect to their stories, opinions, experiences? There has to be a balance between how our audience expects us to show up. For example, if you target corporate clients the way you dress and look will be different from if you are targeting moms who work from home. Try to find the way YOU feel at your most comfortable and confident - the effort you would make to FEEL great about yourself! It will also energize you as well as help you feel more "protected" because you are not trying to achieve a look that is "polished" if you are normally much more casual, or a look that is too "laid back" and "natural" if you like putting makeup on to let your dog out. You must stay true to who you are! It may also determine who you target. Consider this - if you feel uncomfortable about the way you are presenting yourself, but this is how other experts in this niche are expected to present themselves - maybe this audience is not really aligned with who you are? This was the thought that helped me stop pushing myself to target corporate clients. That environment always makes me feel uncomfortable. It is simple “incorrect” for who I am, and going against this fact only makes me resent what I do, no matter what the fees are. It just does not feel right for me. Talking about finding your own style for video, personally, I love looking well. Makeup, hair, nice cute clothes, statement earrings. But I am in no way one of those super polished women, who spend hours and thousands on how they look. For my livestreams, I need to look chic, but not too rigid, not too "perfect" because it is just not who I am. Neither I am someone who would livestream from their bedroom or having a coffee in their PJ's. Because if I had a visitor in my home, I would go and change before having a coffee with them, and they are not welcome to my bedroom either. Stay true to who you are when you are feeling good about yourself and you just found the way you should be showing up. Live Video Is Not A TV Program Stay away from trying to "present" on your live videos. This is not a teleseminar OR a TV-channel. Since we were little kids, we are used to seeing super polished and professional-looking presenters on the telly. They usually educate, inform or entertain. Most of them have had professional media training behind them too. There is a team of makeup and hair stylists on each program, making them look stunning and ready to touch them up between the takes. This creates a kind of pressure to think this is the way we too should be on our live videos. It is a subconscious assumption. It is based on what we are so used seeing. But it is also a limiting belief. The younger generation does not suffer from this issue. They grew up watching vloggers on YouTube and if it comes to TV, a lot of reality shows, like Kardashians and Big Brother. We call it "user to user" content -created by ordinary (not professional) people for other ordinary people (viewers and followers). This kind of content has a different purpose. From their camera to the screen on your personal device, live video is a much more “one-to-one”, intimate experience, focused on creating a connection. Not impressing, not meeting expectations. You set your own tone and then those who love your "vibe" will stay and those who don't are free to go. Just look at some bigger influencers that you follow on Social Media, they may have really great photos, even some that look like selfies (there are so many apps for our phones that can achieve almost professional feel) but look at the live videos they do on their phones. Do they always look like they do on photos? A lot of them are shockingly different from their photo/branding content. Especially when we follow someone who is no longer in their twenties or thirties. "Their looks are the last thing that matters to me, it is their unique personal energy that I am attracted so much more." Do their looks matter to us? Or is it what they "feel like" to follow; what they say; how we connect to their stories, opinions, experiences? What I've noticed, in my own experiences that the bigger influencers that I follow on social media are often very casual looking on their live videos. But I never really think to myself that they look dreadful and stop watching. Their looks are the last thing that matters to me, it is their unique personal energy that I am attracted so much more. Looking perfect is really irrelevant in how we connect to each other even based on visuals. It is about imperfections, quirks, accents, non-verbal communication elements, and most of all their personality that does the trick! They show up and share, without holding back, their call to action doesn't stop, they don't look awkward. They do not get hooked up on how they look, even when they do not think they look 100%. They just get it done! And so should you! Because the more you get fixated on how you hate the way you look or sound, the more you deny those who need you to help them transform their lives or businesses with your help or your products from seeing you, getting to know, like and trust you, and the biggest of all - from WORKING with you! So when it comes to live video, those demons are truly are just 'in your head' and with small steps every day, you can overcome your inner self-critic and start focusing on serving the world with your superpowers and creating a difference in the lives of many around you. While completely elevating the quality of your own. Is that a good enough reason to persevere? To me, it is what has been helping me move through all insecurities and resistances and created what several years ago, I would dismiss as an unrealistic dream. And if you need help with embracing live video for your marketing, reach out and let me guide you through this powerful and self-empowering journey. Find out more about Juliette's VISIBILITY THAT SELLS coaching at her website! Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter Read more from Juliette: Why Now is The Best Time to Focus on Your Personal Brand Juliette Stapleton, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Juliette Stapleton is a Visibility That Sells strategist, host of the Show Up! Stand Out! podcast, and a thought-leader on a mission to help experts, coaches, and service providers build an online presence that positions them as the authority in their niche. Juliette has helped thousands of students and clients from more than 30 countries reach millions and make millions with EASE. She is known for her V.A.L.U.E. visibility system, a simple, but powerful strategy based on showing up with integrity and creating a ripple effect of influence through personal connection and thought-leadership. Juliette has been featured in Forbes and several major business and marketing podcasts, like 365Driven, Rising Tide, iHeart Radio, and Confident Live. She is an active contributor to world-leading online publications, such as Influencive and Addicted2Success, Thrive Global, and many more. Find out more about the VISIBILITY THAT SELLS at: https://juliettestapleton.com/

Written by: Amber Dietz, 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. You know that little voice that keeps calling to you? You know the one, it gets loud when you get that 5 minutes of alone time in the shower, before bed, or on a morning walk that is telling you to pursue something over and over again? It’s that gut feeling, and that notion to do something like move to a new city, leave the job, start writing again. That is the fire in our soul that gives us direction on what we should do, yet we so often push that voice deep down because we are so busy in our day to day lives that we don’t even give it a chance to speak up. Maybe that voice is telling you to write that book, start that blog, live your life as a painter, travel the world for a living. Whatever direction it is giving you, we tend to ignore it, but its telling you the exact steps becoming successful with your soul on fire. I remember being in my cubicle, day after day, & year after year always looking out the window knowing there had to be more to life then simply dreading the weeks, being on survival mode and it always feeling like Groundhog Day. My soul kept calling to me that I was meant for more, but I kept pushing it away because of all the limiting beliefs that I could actually do something else in the world than the 9-5 I dreaded. There was always the opposing voice that said, “I don’t have the time,’’ ‘‘I don’t have the education’’, ‘’I need to wait until the kids are older to follow my passion’’ and on and on. That voice became louder and I finally chose to listen to it. I took the leap even though I didn’t know how I do what it was telling me to. Following that voice led me to travel the world, and then becoming an entrepreneur and helping others do the same. I figured out my soul always wanted me to chase my dreams and then show others that it is possible for them too.Once I aligned with that fire in my soul and kept following its guidance, the success happened effortlessly. “Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion” -Oprah Winfrey In our digital age, it is easy to get consumed with what seems to be working for everyone else that is bringing them success and copy that. But, you will quickly realize that it is not going to bring you the same success if it is not your passion. You must listen to that voice, find your zone of genius and let the success come your way easily. Here are 3 steps to being a wildly successful entrepreneur: Figure out what your genius zone is – This can be the hardest step because we are so close to our genius zone, we don’t even realize what comes naturally to us yet is exactly what someone else needs. Not to mention, since we tend to ignore that voice that is guiding us, our passions get lost from around age 10. Find out what your genius zone is by grabbing a pen and paper and brain dump all the things you love to do. This includes the things you did when you were young that you have not done for 20 years. Then, write down all the things that family, friends, & coworkers ask you about all time. Think about if you had to speak on stage about one topic you love, what would that be? What hobbies and activities light you up when you are doing them? Make this page messy as needed, just get it all out of your head and soul. Next, circle what stands out and overlaps. The things that you love the most by what you get asked about the most. Riches are in the Niches – Whether this is the first-time hearing this or the millionth, it has never been so true. When you know what you like to do and then narrow this down, this is where the magic happens. If you found your zone of genius to be about helping others with health, you will want to get more specific. Will it be on low carb diets? Keto? For Moms only? The more narrowed down you can get, the better. Don’t think that narrowing down will narrow your audience, it will do quite the opposite. Once you have it narrowed down such as, a Heath Coach teaching the Keto Diet to busy 9-5’ers, you are going to see your tribe of people show up. The sweet spot - This will come easy when you are aligned with what your soul is telling you to do, plus what others need. Once you have figured out what you would love to do most on this earth, and then have narrowed it down to be specific, the last is to understand those you will serve. Although your soul is light up with excitement to pursue your passion, you cannot simply decide that it’s exactly what everyone else wants. Get to really know the person you want to serve and what they need from your expertise. Get to know their lingo, their desires, pains and pleasures. Write all of this down and know your ideal client very specifically. You can then road map with exactly what they are asking for, with your expertise and that is exactly the sweet spot to success. Once you have your genius zone, your narrowed down niche, and know how to serve your audience, the universe aligns, and this is where success flows easily as an entrepreneur. Whether you are just starting out by following your passion, are currently down the road of entrepreneurship, or have been doing it for 10 years, ask yourself if what you are doing is setting your soul on fire and if it’s anything less, start back at step one. Now that you are listening to that voice, that burning desire on your soul, you can live beautifully untamed and build a business doing it. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram and visit my website Amber Dietz, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amber is a business & marketing strategist that helps the soul-preneur build a business, a brand, and their Instagram to become their own digital CEO. She has built a trusted business with authenticity sharing her insights, growth, and scalable business tactics with her followers and teaches her clients to do the same. Living beautifully untamed and building a business doing it is the name of the game for Amber. From a single mom to what seemed only to be a dream, to now helping others around the world take their passion from their soul and build a scalable business doing it, is what lights her up. She is an iced coffee enthusiast, she sees the world in bright colors, and will build you a road map of success so that your soul is set on fire.

Hoda Elsobky is a happiness mentor and an author who has written the book " Dare to be happy ". Can you train to be happy? Is Hoda always happy? Brainz Magazine interviewed the queen of happiness. First of all, introduce yourself. Who is Hoda? - I was born in Cairo, Egypt, and graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. I majored in economics with a minor in business administration. Later, I received an MBA in marketing. My greatest interest lies in the fields of philosophy and positive- psychology, with a focus on self-help and wellness. Above all, I am passionate about happiness as a way of living! - I have worked in multinational IT companies in Egypt, like IBM and Oracle, in sales, marketing, and business development capacity, from 1994-2005. At that point, I flew with my husband to live in Vienna for three years and then to Dubai. There I discovered my passion for writing. Tell us a little bit about your book Dare To Be Happy? - My first book, " Dare To Be Happy ", was released in December 2018 in print format in the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East; and the e-book now has distribution from more than 70 online partners serving readers across the globe. - In my book, I provided complete guidance and tested tips to take the reader from a stage of puzzlement and confusion to a superior level of Eternal Happiness. It takes the reader on a journey from the various definitions of happiness across history to the most contemporary descriptions of it in our world today. It guides us on a journey through what I call " The Royal Phase of Happiness". - "Dare to be Happy is a profound resource. It helps us in a multi-dimensional way to formulate, understand and develop our human skills and reach a stage of complete contentment in life". Azza Elashmawy, Seceretary-General , National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, Egypt. - I believe that people may vary in their dreams and aspirations, but they all share one thing: They all want to be happy! I revealed my success strategies, which will help you to discover where true happiness lies and how it can last forever. Through the book, one will find the tools, steps, and actions you need to take to get all happiness and success that you deserve. It will help you go the extra mile, not only to be happy, but to stay happy! - Since the release of my book, my life has completely changed and wonders happened to me. I was featured in many well-known newspapers and magazines, 5 widely known TV channels interviewed me. "We are born happy, and then our happiness slops down" Do you consider yourself happy, and can you train to be happy? - Wherever I go, people keep on asking me this question. The truth is that I am a normal person at the end of the day, and my happiness meter is usually between 7-8/10. In my twenties, my happiness was definitely below that, and it was kind of unstable and inconsistent, especially by the age of 23. This goes well along with the concept of the "U-shaped" curve for happiness, discussed by Jonathan Rauch in his book " The Happiness Curve", where he explained why life gets better after 50, and how the U-shape concept works for us, as age versus happiness. - We are born happy, and then our happiness slops down as a U shape till age 44, which is the bottom of the U, then it starts getting up again through 50-60s and so on. Now, I just passed this bottom line of 44, and after I have written my book and got certified in The Science of Happiness, I can claim with full confidence that my happiness is now stable and more consistent. In addition, whenever I am faced with some sad events in life- as this is always the case, no one can be happy all the time, and no one can be sad all the time- I can now revert easily to my standard threshold of happiness. - This lead us to the question, can we train ourselves to be happy? Definitely yes. Our brains are wired to be optimistic , and we tend to think of ourselves as happier than other people. To overcome periods of depression and  low energy, I would like to build a strong foundation in your character, rather than short term fixes. Following are three of my best tips to help you build a base to becoming resilient in the face of devastating events or recurring depressions. If I feel depressed or low and quickly need to get positive energy. As an expert, what are your top 3 tips? The mindset: - It all starts in the mindset, and it comes with a decision if not a promise to yourself, to be happy. If you take this decision to be happy, you adjust your mindset to it, and you will notice a great shift in your perspectives toward life and toward life's events. You will start to see challenges as opportunities, and you will begin to see positives in the negatives. This whole process happens from within, and it has nothing to do with the world outside. Be Proactive: - Simply nothing happens until you do, I believe that life does not happen to you; you happen to life. Your goals and dreams will not be realized by just wishing for them, but by acting on them. Same for happiness, it should be well-deserved, and you should be worthy of it. Learn to Forgive and to let go: - Study after study of Forgiveness shows that forgiving others, which have caused you harm, systematically reduces personal distress and fosters Happiness. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor it means reconciling. Instead, it means changing your attitude toward the original hurt, so it does not continue to hurt you. As a matter of fact, there is a physiological impact to not forgiving like elevated heart rates and blood pressure. What does the future look like for you? What is your next goal? Are you writing a new book? - About my future plans and goals this year and specifically during the quarantine period, I found it to be an excellent opportunity to upgrade my technical skills and to make complete digital transformation of my work. Thereby, I executed my first training and workshop online (through Webinar). I launched my happiness club:"Hoda Elsobky's Happiness Club" to be an online platform for international Authors, whereby I discuss with them a chosen book of theirs, and discuss with them their secret formula to Happiness. - I also launched the #Monday Live, where I give audiences a glimpse of a specific topic that I consider important to self-development and growth. These, among many others. My plan now is to launch more online products and services by the end of this year. We look forward to reading your articles in the Magazine and give you the possibility to share your knowledge. What kind of content can our readers expect from you? - I am so happy to be joining the online Magazine Brainz, as an Executive Contributor and to be part of their exclusive articles about Business, Mindset, Innovation, Leadership and lifestyle. I will focus on Personal-Growth, as growth on all levels has always been one of my key values in life- and that is since I was 18 years old, and as I am a strong advocate of happiness as a way of living, I will contribute with all new studies, researches done on that perspective, I will provide readers with all my successful tips, strategies and tools to reach not only happiness, but true and eternal happiness. To learn more about Hoda and Happiness follow her on Facebook , Instagram and visit her website . You can buy "Dare to happy" here and stay tuned for her upcoming articles! 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: Bandana Jain, 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. As businesses settle into a new reality and make plans to refocus their businesses, growing pains are a real thing – we’ve all experienced them in our personal lives, and they also exist in the world of business. They are the temporary challenges a business faces when it enters a rapid growth period or major restructure phase. While they are a normal part of any expanding business, it’s essential to keep an eye on your business’s ‘pain threshold’, to ensure that the temporary challenges don’t become permanent ones. Businesses operate in continually changing environments. People, competition, markets, laws, and technology are continuously in flux. When change takes place in one area, it has a potential knock-on effect on all of the others. Businesses should aim for agile and aligned teams, sustainable growth that is supported by strong governance, and a clear, flexible strategy that confirms the feasibility of the business model and sets the stage for its growth and development. Increased revenue, optimized costs, maturity, and new opportunities are all synonymous with growth, but these are usually linked with new risks and trials, from both internal and external market forces. By planning ahead, you can navigate these challenges with relative ease. Here are three things that successful businesses need to do well to remain sustainable and manage growth: Manage your finances In running a profitable and sustainable business today, it is a given that you need to spend money to make money. In a growing business, extra cash is crucial to keeping up with the increased demands placed on daily operations. For example, you might need to order more stock, hire additional staff, or buy new equipment. If you don’t keep a close eye on these overheads, they can spiral out of control, and place unnecessary strain on cash flow. A possible solution is to take out financing – like a working capital loan or Peer-to-Peer lending platforms – to cover immediate expenses. You’ll need to keep a tight handle on your spending though, as it is quite possible to be blindsided by fixed costs – some of which aren’t sometimes really fixed if analyzed properly. It’s important to know that banks and other financial institutions consider fast-growing small businesses risky ventures. Manage your finances well and honour your debt repayments. It will reflect positively on your record when you need additional financing. Taking out a loan is not your only option. You can also consider solutions such as negotiating better payment terms and discounts with suppliers, outsourcing, converting unused assets into cash, leasing assets instead of buying, and restructuring your debt. The main financial goal is always to maximize business value. Look beyond organic growth and find strategic partners who can help you achieve greater operational efficiency and maximise gains at scale. Manage your people and culture Having a culture that promotes collaboration, open communication, flexibility and engagement will helpkeep employees motivated, which, in turn, ensures a positive impact on their productivity and creativity. Culture, people, and environment are intricately linked and are vital to overcoming growing pains. As a business grows, change is inevitable. It is crucial to effectively manage this change because it will impact your employees, and they ultimately influence the success of your business. Teams need to be guided and supported through this change. Otherwise, they could feel overwhelmed and pressured, which may lead to internal friction and poor customer service. Planning for internal challenges is key to managing your people effectively. As part of this priority, give your people the opportunities to develop their skills, provide them with adequate training in line with business growth, and ensure your team has the best tools for the job. Setting strategic goals will help guide your management team in identifying high-potential individuals as well as likely skills gaps. Important notes on people: if you need to increase your workforce, make sure you prioritize culture first and skills second when hiring. While people can learn how to do a better job, they cannot be taught how to align with your value set and purpose. Making a bad hire often results in reduced job satisfaction across much of the business. Outsourcing to a consultant or a freelancer is often cheaper than hiring a full-time resource. Also considering modern tools like Robotic Process Automatic (RPA) help optimal utilization of human resources. It is especially applicable if you are unsure of what your future business needs are, or if you only require certain skills at specific times. Manage your processes and automate your business Many small businesses don’t immediately prioritise changing their systems and processes as they grow, which often results in inefficiencies and wasted money, time, and resources. For example, when you have a limited number of clients, manually sending invoices and following up on payments is manageable. However, when your client base grows, your accounting administration grows with it. Switching to cloud based accounting software allows you to send invoices on the fly, and automatically issue overdue invoice reminders while also giving you a real-time overview of finances. Having up-to- date access to finances means that you can respond to issues as they arise or even prevent them from occurring at all. As a growing business, you need to ensure that you have processes in place for every possible aspect of your business and automate these processes, wherever possible. In accounting, processes include using the right collection methods, outlining clear payment terms, and automating invoicing and quoting. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website Read more from Bandana Jain Singing for well-being! Bandana Jain, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Bandana Jain is a Dubai based lifestyle and travel journalist for the past two decades. She’s also a passionate lifestyle blogger, photographer and loves pursuing modelling as a hobby. One of the aspects of her journalistic life that she thoroughly enjoys is rubbing shoulders with Bollywood celebrities. Having said this, her community journalist status ensures that she loves interacting with people from different strata of the society. She loves the limelight on stage sometimes as an anchor, whilst on other occasions as a public speaker. When she is not pursuing any of the above, you can find her shopping in Dubai’s famous malls or chilling by the beach with her favorite cup of tea. Travel is her passion, creativity her morale booster and enriching conversations are enough to give her the necessary thrust in life.

Written by: Jamie Michelle, 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. There’s a lot of negative chatter in every one of our minds right now. Many of us have been overwhelmed with anxiety and stress since word of COVID-19 first broke out in February (or was it January? I can’t keep up). But let me ask you something. Was the onset of this pandemic really where all that anxiety started for you? Or is this maybe just the most recent thing you’ve tagged on to a never-ending list of worries that’s been tattooed on your brain for as long as you can remember? Whether we’re aware of it or not, our minds always find something to be anxious about. It’s just the way the human brain is wired – it’s wired for survival. The subconscious part of our brain is constantly on the lookout for threats, and anything that it doesn’t recognize, anything that is unfamiliar, is identified as a threat to our survival. When there’s anything new and unfamiliar in your life, your brain automatically tells your body that you’re in danger and you’re going to die. This is how anxiety is created in the human body. Your life isn’t really in danger (at least not most of the time), but it feels like it is. If you’ve ever had an anxiety or panic attack, you know very well that it actually does feel like you’re dying. We’ve become so accustomed to feeling anxious, stressed out, and overwhelmed that we don’t know anything different. If there’s not something legitimate to worry about, our minds will undoubtedly create something to worry about, even if it’s as insignificant as spilling a drop of coffee on your shirt. (We’ve all been there.) When anxiety is your primary emotion, it takes control over your entire life. This is what’s happened in America. Our society has normalized feeling anxious so much that it’s now accepted as the standard. Anytime we don’t feel it, we immediately think something’s gone terribly wrong, which creates more anxiety and stress. Do you see how it’s a vicious cycle? The human brain is a fascinatingly complex machine. I’m not here to explain how complex it is, but I am here to help you live a better life so you can feel less anxiety and fear, and more peace, happiness, and freedom. Yes, EVEN in times of a global crisis, and even in times of mandated self-isolation. Actually, if there’s one thing you could do that would help bring all of this to an end sooner, it would be to choose to feel more happiness, peace, and love. Notice I said choose to feel, because it actually is a choice. You decide how you’re going to feel each moment. We don’t think we have a choice, but in reality, every single moment is a new opportunity for us to choose differently. Our lives are the culmination of every single decision we’ve ever made. We think that it’s only the “big” decisions that impact our life, like where we go to school, who we marry, where we work, where we decide to live, etc. But those big decisions wouldn’t have been possible without every single teeny tiny choice we made in the simple moments. Sounds dramatic, but it’s true. For example, you chose to read this article, and each second that passes you’re choosing whether or not you’ll continue reading it or move on to something else. You’re also deciding whether or not you agree with what you’re reading, or if you’re willing to learn more about the concepts presented on this page. When you’re done reading this article, you’ll make another choice, and then another, and then another… proving that our lives really are the culmination of every single choice we make. If you want a better life for yourself, all you have to do is choose it! But first, there’s one very important thing that you must decide. You need to decide whether or not you believe you deserve a better life. I’m about to drop a bomb on you that may be hard to accept at first, but please just hear me out. You are responsible for everything in your life. Every experience you’ve ever had, including your current situation & what’s around you… it’s all been created by you through your thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about yourself, about other people, about life, and about how the world works. "You decide what you’re going to accept in your life And what you absolutely will not tolerate." This is why I said earlier that the best thing you could ever do to help end this sooner is to choose to feel more happiness, peace, and love. The happiness, peace, love, and freedom, that you seek can only be found inside of you. Everything that you want… you already have. It’s inside of you right now in this very instant. It just needs to be acknowledged and chosen by you. Only you can do this for yourself, but to do so requires the belief that you are worthy of it. Even the slightest bit of self-doubt will lead to self-sabotage. Transforming your life starts with transforming your mind. You get to choose what things mean to you. You get to decide whether something is good, bad, or no big deal. You get to choose how you feel about everything, including yourself. You decide what you’re going to accept in your life and what you absolutely will not tolerate. You, you, you!!!! No one else has this power in your life except for YOU! Your best life begins with your willingness to change your mind and to choose to see the opportunities and the positives in everything. It doesn’t mean you deny the negatives, it just means that you are someone who really turns lemons into lemonade. You really don’t have to feel stressed out all the time – that’s just a big lie everyone’s been conditioned to believe. The moment you realize that your mental and emotional states are entirely up to you, you reclaim your power, which enables you to change the trajectory of your life. Even just choosing to see the positives in one situation can be life-altering. I’m not saying that you won’t ever face challenges again, but I am promising that you will be able to see the opportunities for your growth and success within those challenges instead of just seeing them as blocks and limits. Your superpower is in what you believe. Your beliefs shape your reality. If you don’t like your current reality, you’ve got to look at what you’re telling yourself. Create a new reality by identifying self-destructive or limiting beliefs that you have (trust me, there are a lot), and replacing them with limitless ones that will support you in your efforts of achieving your goals and making your dreams into a reality. I’m going to be really honest with you. This is a lot easier said than done. Changing beliefs (which are thoughts that live in the mind) challenges your subconscious survival brain – your ego, and the ego doesn’t go down without a fight. When faced with the ego’s opposition, a lot of people decide that letting go of their old limiting beliefs is too hard and give up. What they don’t realize is, had they just kept going for a little bit longer, they would have had the massive breakthrough they were working toward. "No one masters it right away, but no one ever regrets doing it." The darkest hour always comes right before the dawn. But it’s that all-too-familiar feeling of anxiety that comes in, overwhelms them, and takes them down. Remember, what the survival brain and the ego don’t know is immediately perceived as a threat. New beliefs are unfamiliar – they’re unknown – so the ego responds by initiating the stress response of anxiety and overwhelm to override your decision to transform… if you let it. It is a choice. To truly have sustainable transformation, bringing your awareness into the present is essential. This awareness is what permits you to notice and observe your thoughts and feelings, so when you feel the initial pang of anxiety, you can separate yourself from it. You’re able to identify what set off that response in your body. From this place, you approach your anxiety with curiosity, acceptance, and compassion, instead of the old default response of immediately identifying with it, fighting against it, and then shutting down altogether. This process takes a lot of commitment, patience, and discipline. No one masters it right away, but no one ever regrets doing it. The payoff of total freedom and peace is far greater than the temporary discomfort that comes with defeating your own ego. It’s important to understand that you are not your thoughts or your emotions. We can’t control what happens in the world, but we can control how we perceive what happens (or doesn’t happen). You are in control of you. Now that you know this, you’re presented with a choice. You can choose to see the many amazing opportunities that exist in this global turmoil, or you can decide this article is a bunch of bull and go back to living in a constant state of fear. Do yourself a favor and look at everything that’s on your never-ending list of worries branded on your brain. Is everything on there actually a legitimate threat to your survival? If they aren’t, may I lovingly suggest you remove them immediately, and let it all go indefinitely? Just doing that will make you feel about a million pounds lighter. Look, just because everyone else is in a massive state of fear and panic doesn’t mean that you should be experiencing extreme levels of panic. Get in touch with your beliefs. Rewrite the narrative. Be honest with yourself! What if this wasn’t so bad after all? What if this was actually your chance at completely recreating your life? What if, in this whole mess of COVID-19, was your key to everything you’ve ever wanted and hoped for? What if this pandemic is the launching pad of your limitless success? The only way to find out is to start looking for that key. What do you really want, and do you believe that you can have it? Nothing means anything except for the meaning that you give it. We can’t change the past, but we can change the future by looking at what’s happening right now from a new perspective. It’s entirely up to you. It is my sincere hope that from this moment on, you choose you . If something isn’t adding value to your life, it doesn’t deserve to be there. Now is your chance to take inventory of everything you’re giving your precious energy and attention to and take it away from the things that don’t give you any value in return. Your energy is your power. Protect it. Whether or not you choose to believe it, you are worthy of happiness, love, peace, joy, and freedom. It’s your birthright as a human to love and enjoy your life. That is Truth. That is who you are. Choose to accept this Truth and run with it. Every single second is a brand-new chance to change your mind. Open your eyes to what’s real. If you do choose to believe the Truth, you will be absolutely unstoppable. My purpose in this life is to help every human on Earth realize their innate worth and unlock their infinite power so they can live the life of their dreams. I’m telling you now that your dreams are yours for the taking… as long as you choose to believe that it’s really possible for you. So now you’re left with one more decision… …will you? Follow me on Instagram ,  Twitter , LinkedIn  and visit my website for more info! Jamie Michelle, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jamie Michelle is an award-winning Master Mindset Coach and Energy Expert that specializes in energy and performance for professional athletes. The coaching methods she employs are unconventional, yet extremely effective. Using a combination of spiritual work, energy healing, and her unmatched, award-winning mindset coaching, Jamie helps her clients become Intentional Champions so they can continually improve their athleticism and all areas of their lives. When she’s not working with private clients, Jamie's passionate about sharing her message with the world, and it is unquestionably one to pay attention to. Her obvious dedication to teaching others how to live happy, healthy, and abundant lives has led to her international recognition as a top leader in the coaching industry. Jamie Michelle is one of very few transformational coaches who visibly lives what she teaches and is quickly proving herself to be one of our generation’s greatest Spiritual Teachers.

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 expertise. Hello May! Can you believe it's May already? More than a third into the year and what have we really done? 2020 held such promise. We were definitely not prepared for what has transpired. But I like to see the silver lining in every challenge so let's see what we can do. It can't be all doom and gloom! A virus like no other COVID-19 has definitely taken over our lives. For most of us it has come as such a shock. The old way of life has gone forever I'm afraid and it's time for us to adapt to the new normal. We are spiritual beings having a human experience and we were definitely not made to stay indoors without sunlight or exercise. Being around our loved ones 24/7 might have presented some challenges for us. It has given us time to stop, re-evaluate our lives and go within. Time For Change As I said in every challenge there is a silver lining so what has been the upshot of this unique time, unprecedented actually. Here are some things you may like to contemplate; It has given us time for self-reflection We now have more time with our family's. It has allowed more time for meditation and stillness. It has allowed time for us to really think about what is important to us. Total re-evaluation on all levels. It has certainly made us appreciate the simple things in life, like walking in the park, going out for our groceries, walking outside without a mask on. It has given us more time to read that book we never get around to reading, or that research we wanted to follow up on but never had the time. The list might go on...One thing I do believe is this...We all had an 'Ask' for this to happen...What was yours? Miracles Abound My ASK was that I wanted to work from home, online. That's exactly what happened to me. There are many people now who are confused, don't know what to do, worried about money (of course). So my Miracle Method helps to re-align your energy field in order to find the answers to move ahead with ease and grace. I don't even need to see you OR be on a zoom call with you. All I need to know is what you want to clear and I go ahead and work my magic. Even in one session you can feel 100% better, no joke. I do a specific chart for Finances and for the COVID 19 to strengthen your immune system. I have had tremendous feedback especially when I have treated the older generation. I also offer a life assessment reading through Tarot and Angel cards to help you define your next move to a brighter future. It helps clear your head and align you with the task at hand. Also online. Staying Healthy Now Some things you can do to ensure you and your family's safety and optimum health: Take Extra Vitamin supplements. Vit C, Vit D, Zinc and Magnesium are essential at this time. (Boost Immune system). Meditate, keep a high vibe. Keep a journal, write in it daily about the life you wish to create, write it in the NOW ie. I am, I have. Exercise is a must to keep the body strong and the immune system intact. Run up and down the stairs if you have to! Get into a 'new' routine it really helps you fight the boredom (if you are still home). Clean out your cupboards, re-vamp your home. It is such a fantastic way to shift energy. It makes you feel happy and instantly lighter. (I changed around my living room, I loved it!). Use sage, sandalwood, frankincense or Oud to clean out your home of negative energies, just smoke it through every area of the house and open doors and windows as you go allowing the energy to leave the space. Have a salt bath, or scrub. Salt gets rid of negative energy and makes you feel instantly better. 1-3x week. Pray for guidance, they always answer your requests ALWAYS. This is an excellent time to go on a detox, juice fast or water fast. We are at home not moving around too much so the body will have time to detoxify easily. (Seek Doctors advice first if you have any medical conditions). Moving Forward We are most certainly moving into a new way of being and doing, no question. It will help if we don't fight the changes but just accept and go with the flow. I believe we are stepping into a better world of peace, love and abundance, once the dust has settled. All we can do is remain as positive as possible and keep the light in our hearts. The worst thing we can do is buy into the fear-mongering. Don't watch so much media and don't believe everything you read or hear about this pandemic, go into your heart and feel what is right for you. Fear stops us from seeing the light and there is light at the end of this tunnel - that much I do know. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram or visit my website and join my newsletter for the latest updates and offers. I am here to serve in love and light for a better world. Blessings to you, the best is yet to come. Read more from Katrina: Inner Peace Outer Beauty - Meet Katrina Valente 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: Annie Lindmark, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Black swan events, events that are extraordinary and unexpected at the point in time they occur, such as economic recessions or pandemics, often change large parts of societies, economies and businesses, altering the course of history. With Covid-19, we are already seeing shifts in how people, consumers and businesses behave throughout almost every sector, and we can expect it in one way or another to change all parts of our lives going forward. Some of the changes are direct and short term and will probably reverse once the crisis is over. However, some of the changes will persist and create a long-term disruption that will shape our lives and businesses for decades to come. These conditions imply an urgent need for new solutions. During the last couple of weeks there have been many, if not hundreds, innovation challenges, competitions and hackathons published online in order to find those new solutions. All around the world organizations and governments are asking the public to help come up with new ideas of how we can meet the many effects that the crisis have and will have on our lives, communities and businesses. The popularity of methods like innovation competitions and challenges is often increasing in times of trouble and as governments and organizations are seeking novel ways to solve problems and create value. Innovation challenges are based on a very simple idea. The organizer identifies a problem, announce the challenge and offer a reward to the one who finds the best solution. Open innovation can be seen as an umbrella word for these types of innovation methods and is often described as “the use of purposive inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation, and expand the markets for external use of innovation, respectively.” (Henry Chesbrough, 2003). Basically open innovation is based on the belief that knowledgeable and creative individuals outside your organization can contribute towards strategic goals and help you find new ways to achieve them. The use of open innovation and innovation competitions in order to innovate, is nothing new. As far back as 1714, the British government offered a prize for the person who could come up with the accurate measurement of longitude. And throughout history, innovation competition has spurred people around the world to go together and solve complex problems, often under time pressure. Today, many multiple large companies like LEGO and NOKIA, and organizations like NASA, are continuously using innovation competitions as part of their business strategy and model. It can therefore be seen as a proven method to support and accelerate change in the world. What makes this method so powerful and important then? First, it is a good way to accelerate the development towards ambitious goals and highlight a topic by giving many people a reason to prioritize solving the challenge. Since these methods often imply time constraints as well as a clear purpose, it is an effective way to produce useful results and market ready products quickly. Secondly, it is about talents and skills. As Bill Joy once said, “No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else”, and by using methods like innovation challenges you can access talent that you otherwise would not, and have them address your specific challenge. Thirdly, and most importantly according to me, it is about getting better innovations through the power of diversity. New perspectives give new ideas; therefore, diversity is one of the main reasons why innovation competitions are so great and important. Especially in times of a crisis where new ideas are crucial, we don’t have time to miss out on good ideas and new perspectives. Diversity and inclusion are essential to challenge us to look at problems differently and consider a wider range of solutions and impacts that we might not otherwise have seen. So how to best apply open innovation in your organization or context? Here are four things you should consider before getting started: Set a purpose and goals that can be measured Start off by asking yourself what the purpose and problem are that you want help solving. Is it company specific, sector specific or even larger? And can it be accelerated and developed through a competition? Continue then to set the main objectives for the activity, that will decide both your target group and desired outcomes for the challenges. Is your goal to get lots of new ideas and get the conversation going or is it to get actual new prototypes and products in place that can be launched tomorrow? Then find a way to measure and assess if the goal has been achieved after the activity. Collaboration is key Open innovation methods is about opening up and looking beyond your regular ways of doing things. Therefore, setting up an innovation challenge together with others could be a good idea. Look for other actors who would be willing to support, or that have similar challenges and want to team up. Uniting several organizations behind the initiative, helps spreading the word, organising the activity and taking the winning solutions forward after the competition. Communicate and get others engaged Effective communication is key to inspire people to join your initiative. Communicate clearly why people should contribute their time, energy and ideas to tackle the challenge you present. Think through how to motivate innovators to participate. For example, you may have a strong purpose and possibility for great impact to emphasizes, or an attractive reward such as a prize or publicity. Give feedback and take ideas further Last but not least, make sure you have the possibility to give feedback to the ideas you receive. Feedback is a crucial element of any innovation challenge. Participants should feel that they are being heard, that their time matters and that their contributions are appreciated and could have an impact. Make sure to set a plan for what the next steps should be after the challenge is over and the winners have been selected. Annie Lindmark, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Annie Lindmark is working with innovation and funding of innovative projects within companies and research. She has received the title “Innovator of the year” at Universum Excellence Award and is often a keynote speaker and a panelist on topics as Open innovation, Social innovation, Emerging technologies and Entrepreneurship. She is a Steering Committee Member for Hack for Sweden; a government mission raised to increase the awareness and use of open data. She is also the founder of the female network W.Empowerment that aims to promote self-leadership and entrepreneurship and she supports many other initiatives that aims to encourage more women in to entrepreneurship.

Written by: Maria-Paz Hornisch, 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. If you want to use Social Media for your business, it is essential to develop a Social Media marketing strategy before writing posts and sending them through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms. This Social Media marketing strategy will significantly depend on the goal or set of goals your company wants to achieve, and basically why you want to use social media to accomplish them. A Social Media Marketing Strategy can aim to accomplish the following four different goals: 1. Establish the business as an authority: Use Social Media to achieve this by sharing what your company stands for, what its mission is, and what its opinion and advice are on industry topics. Additionally, share testimonials from people who rave about your products and services to showcase the results that people can achieve. It will show social proof for your business and position it as an expert in its field. Another way to establish a business as an authority is to grow its social media following. The number of followers an account has, combined with the level of engagement on the account, is viewed by others as social proof. Remember, though, that buying fake followers to increase numbers won’t help the authority of your business because the account will be lacking real engagement, and people can tell when an account has fake followers. Lastly, use Social Media as a channel to provide excellent, engaging content that is relevant to your target audience 2. Build brand awareness and customer loyalty: Building brand awareness is vital in today’s marketplace. Given the fact potential customers have so many options to choose from out there, you want them to think of your company and your products and services. The easiest way to build brand awareness is through Social Media, because you are meeting the audience where they are hanging out, and you have the opportunity to get in front of them multiple times on multiple platforms. With Social Media, a company, no matter how small, is planted out there right next to its biggest competitors and in front of the eyes of an ever-scrolling audience. Social Media allows you to communicate your company’s brand in a positive and authentic way, which will attract your ideal customer. Once a potential client is aware of your brand and has most likely started to engage with social content being published by your business, it’s time to build customer loyalty. Social Media is a crucial driver for word of mouth and one of the most potent ways to connect with your audience: studies show that 71% of consumers who have had a good Social Media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. This could be through sharing it on Social Media or tagging others on posts published by your company or simply talking about your company over coffee with their friend. Remember, word of mouth referrals is another type of marketing channel. The best way to maintain customer loyalty is to provide above and beyond customer service through responsive and friendly engagement on social media. This could be through responding to comments or direct messages. 3. Drive leads (which eventually turn into sales): Social Media is all about starting conversations with your audience and then leading them somewhere. It is great for that first touch-point with a potential customer, but at the end of the day, you want your audience’s emails. Having their name and contact info on an email list is so important because these are the people that are considered leads. They’ve decided that they want to hear more from your business and learn more about what your business can do for them. Social Media plays such an essential role in terms of getting someone hooked onto a brand or company. The goal should be to drive that hooked audience to a free or paid offer to continue the conversation through other marketing channels and not just on social media. 4. Compliment other marketing channels: As mentioned in the previous point, Social Media marketing complements other marketing channels your business may have, such as email marketing. For example, email marketing requires you to gather a person’s contact info through a form. To complement this marketing channel, you would use social media posts to drive traffic to the opt-in form page. Using social media to complement other marketing efforts is a quick and effortless way to get in front of a target audience to provide them with smooth, digestible content and to ask them to take action. Are you interested in creating a Social Media marketing strategy for your business? Download my workbook “4 Simple Steps to Create your Social Media Marketing Strategy” here or on my website. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or visit my website. Maria-Paz Hornisch, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Maria-Paz Hornisch is the Digital Marketing Strategist behind The Digital Madl, dedicated to helping ambitious mompreneurs with branding and digital marketing strategies to create a rock-solid presence online and skyrocket sales. Maria-Paz is a bachelor in Business Administration and holds an MBA in Luxury Business from ISC Paris École de Commerce. For twelve years, she developed her career in Chile, France, and Germany, working for a Spanish multinational commercial bank and two German luxury and fashion e-commerce companies. Originally from Santiago de Chile, she now lives in Munich, Germany.

Written by: Maggie Perotin, 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. With COVID-19 pandemic pushing most of the world to quarantine and social distancing, now we have more time than ever to be with ourselves, to think. Some find it annoying. For some, it's a trying time on mental well-being. Conversely, what if this was the best opportunity to create a habit that puts you in a group together with the world's most successful people? 4 T's: Take Time To Think I call this habit 4 T's: Take Time to Think. It's nothing more than spending some time alone, letting your mind wander without feeding it anything other than maybe a beautiful view of nature (when you can). Did you know that Bill Gates, founder and former CEO of Microsoft, would go off-grid twice a year for what he called a "Think Week" (1)? He would spend that time entirely alone, disconnected, reading, writing, and thinking. Such week was his planned time to think creatively, and many of his most genius ideas, including Internet Explorer, were born during the thinking time. Furthermore, if you're a parent like me, you've seen this phenomenon emerge with your kids. When my kids have free playtime, they can up with the most fascinating ideas! Some of which are amazing to watch, and some not so great to clean after. The thing is, we as adults need to allow ourselves to do the same! It's especially important when you are running a business. In the current ever-changing times, as the CEO, owner, leader, you need to be able to pivot fast and be creative, not only to keep up with the current times but stay ahead of them. Creativity and Business? Now you're probably thinking, but Maggie, the creativity it's the arts, not business. Let me then use Mary Lou Cook's definition (2): "Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." Don't you love it? I think this definition captures the essence of creativity and shows that it's all around us propelling innovation. If you think about it, innovation i.e., the ability to continually reinvent your business, is key to staying competitive in the market. That's why for you, the leader of your business, nurturing creativity should be one of the top priorities. And in case you think you don't have the talent to do it, the research shows that creativity, as we defined it here, has nothing to do with genes. As Dr. Robert Epstein (3), an American psychologist, professor, author, says: "There's not really any evidence that one person is inherently more creative than another." What's known, though, is that stress and fast pace of our daily lives kill your creative thinking abilities. In other words, days filled with stuff to do from dusk to dawn leave no room for your mind to wander and be free so that it has time to come up with new ideas. That's why now, in the middle of the COVID-pandemic, one of the exceptional opportunities we have to benefit from is a slower pace of life for most. It's additional time we have that we can now take and turn into a habit of allowing ourselves to think. Whether it's just by sitting down in your garden chair, on the couch, or in the shower, if you let your mind be, it will surprise you with a plethora of ideas you can use to grow your business. "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking." ― Friedrich Nietzsche The best way, though, to nurture your creative mind is by spending time in nature. Its not only Bill Gates who's an example of that. As a matter of fact, David Strayer (3), a neuroscientist from Utah, through his research on the psychological and cognitive effects of the outdoors, has found that time spent in nature enhances higher-order thinking, restores attention, and boosts creativity. In his 2012 study, Strayer found that backpackers were two times better at creative problem solving after they had spent four days out on the trail. All in all, all of us are creative human beings. What differs is how we express it. Some of us are great artists, some inspiring athletes or organizational leaders, and some brilliant entrepreneurs. What we all have in common is that we need time to think without the need to do something specific. We need it as kids, and we need it as adults. So tell me, do you already practice this? If you don't, then my call to action for you is to try it. Starting this week, block some time in your calendar and just do it. It's easy to remember mantra 4 T's: "Take Time To Think." And take a journal and pen with you to write down any great ideas you come up with during this time. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website! Maggie Perotin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Maggie Perotin is a business and leadership coach, helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses without the overwhelm so they can live the life they want. Through her DREAM-PLAN-DO coaching model, she helps her clients reach their potential and get results while maintaining balance in life. Maggie has over 13 years of coaching and leadership experience in the corporate world in various domains. She holds a Masters Degree in International Relations, Facility Management Administration designation, and currently pursuing an Executive MBA at Jack Welch Management Institute. Maggie uses all her knowledge and experience to help entrepreneurs be strategic and creative in building a successful business and brand that attract their ideal clients. She is passionate about spending quality time with her blended family with four kids in the Canadian nature, traveling, self-development, and healthy cuisine of the world. References: 1. Wall Street Journal Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111196625830690477 2. Mary Cook. https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/peace-activist-mary-lou-cook-dies-at/article_1f223a64-a66a-5e7c-aeea-0cc10e6cc182.html 3. Dr. Robert Epstein. https://drrobertepstein.com/ 4. David Strayer. https://psych.utah.edu/people/faculty/strayer-david.php

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. In times of uncertainty, it might seem odd to some people to be talking about your wealth consciousness. However uncertain times are exactly when you should be thinking about this. Wealth consciousness is about having fulfillment in ALL areas of your life: Physically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s also about recognizing that you are worthy of having wealth no matter what the situation is. Having wealth consciousness requires having a healthy mindset. When things seem uncertain, it can be really easy to allow ourselves to slip into a scarcity mindset so in this article I’m going to share with you three ways to help ensure you’re nourishing your mindset. First, we need to take a look at what a Scarcity mindset actually means. A scarcity mindset comes from the belief that you don’t have enough of something. It can create all sorts of stress and fear, it narrows your focus to what you don’t have and clouds your ability to see opportunities. It tends to show up the most in your relationship with money and success and has a lot to do with your view of your self-worth. A wealth mindset, on the other hand, allows you to see possibilities no matter what is going on. When it comes to money it helps you make decisions and feel confident with the money you have, no matter how much or how little it is at any given time. "It’s about taking your power back so you can activate that inner wealth mindset. " Here are three tips to help you shift from worry to wealth: Get grounded. When you are “grounded” it means you are living in the present moment and not worried and focused on things you can’t control. Remember, you can only control YOU. When you are grounded, if something happens around you, it doesn't influence the way you as much because you have a greater sense of peace in your life. It helps to reduce stress and increases your emotional and mental health which are key for a healthy mindset. Some of my favorite ways to get grounded are; go outside and be with nature, do a guided meditation (visit my website for some of my free meditations in my resource library) or simply move your body by jumping or dancing around. Be intentional with your money, get to know it. It’s always a good idea to get to know your money, but especially in times when you may be facing a loss of income. Sit down and take a look at where the money is coming from and where it’s going out. Yes, this can be scary but not having a clear view of things is even scarier and can cause you to be reactive. Creating a better relationship with your money will help you make more empowered choices. The most important thing to remember is that you are going to do this with NO judgment. This is not about shaming yourself or comparing yourself to other people. It’s about taking your power back so you can activate that inner wealth mindset. Celebrate yourself. This may seem so simple, and yet it’s something that often gets overlooked. We are quick to beat ourselves up for feeling like we are not doing enough or feeling guilty if we perceive our circumstances are better than someone else during a time of crisis especially. Celebrating yourself is one of the fastest ways to shift into a wealth mindset. It brings us back to the present moment, it builds confidence, it empowers us to make positive choices, and most of all it reminds us to be grateful. Not sure how to start celebrating yourself? If you’re reading this article that means you woke up this morning and I’d say that’s a great celebration to start with. Let’s get social, connect with me on Instagram, visit my website or check out The Limitless Life Podcast 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: Tessa Hull If you don’t know who Joe Exotic is, you’re missing out on one of the most jaw-dropping, mind-blowing Netflix series available. Imagine meth, tigers, corruption and a decade long feud between a woman dressed in leopard print and flowers and a man with a mullet and an eyebrow piercing, throw in multiple husbands and a possible murder, and you’ve got yourself the lockdown binge-worthy series of Tiger King. You can thank me later. Along with learning the value of sardine oil, and how not to run a political campaign, there’s also some hidden lessons in the series. Read on for the top five lessons in money mindset from Tiger King. “People don’t come to see the tigers; they come to see me” - Joe Exotic Lesson One - Know your value. It’s important to know your value when it come to a positive money mindset. Simply put, if you don’t believe in yourself and believe you are worthy of money and abundance, then you are holding yourself back. Understanding your value will help with self-confidence, setting boundaries, charging for your product or services, and your self-worth overall when it comes to receiving and earning money. “That was definitely a champagne and brie evening” - Howard Baskin Lesson Two - Visualize your goals and enjoy your money Visualization is all powerful when it comes to achieving goals, including your financial goals. Take the time to think about how you will feel when you are living a life of abundance. Enjoy imagining what you will do with your money, and don’t hold back. Understanding that spending money is not a negative action helps you shake off the feelings of guilt. Enjoy a life of abundance, and occasionally “act as if” - enjoying a champagne and brie evening without worry will help you feel a positive response to money, and welcome more into your life. “There is a science to getting rich, and it is an exact science. The ownership of money and property comes from doing things in a certain way. Those who do things in a certain way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich.” - Carole Baskin Lesson Three - Look at your beliefs about money What you learn about money, especially in childhood, will greatly affect your mindset. While this quote from Carole loosely references the book “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D Wattles, it goes to show how beliefs about money shape your behaviors surrounding money also. If you were brought up in a family that always worked hard and struggled for money, you will feel like money is something you must always work hard for. If you were told as a child that “money doesn’t grow on trees” you are likely to be more cautious about money. On the flip side, if you were brought up with someone that spends recklessly, you may find yourself with poor money management skills - either spending recklessly also, or becoming overly frugal. Spending time on your “money story” will help you realize where your beliefs might hold you back. “I can give you your money back, or I can give you a rain check. Why don’t you come back at another day?” -Joe Exotic Lesson Four - Turn your attention away from the negative, and plan ahead In one of Joe’s most infamous moments, when one of his employees had an arm ripped off by a tiger, he demonstrates the ability to plan ahead, offering guests the opportunity to get a refund or return to the zoo another day. He also turns attention from the negative, immediately offering a solution. For you, consider how you approach problems. Do you look at roadblocks with a negative outlook, assuming the worst? Or do you aim to see solutions? By focusing on positives, and choosing to divert attention from your roadblocks to success, you are more likely to remain motivated and achieve your financial goals. "The more gratitude you show for the opportunities that show up in your life, the more you’ll start to notice them." "I don’t pay anybody to do animal care, because people will do that for free.” -Carole Baskin Lesson Five - Recognize abundance Abundance doesn’t just come in the form of hard cash. Your salary is an obvious source of income, but what other opportunities do you have for abundance in your life? Consider inheritances, winning contests, unexpected bonuses, refunds, people who can assist you for free or at low cost, sales on items you want, even an open parking space can be considered abundance. The more gratitude you show for the opportunities that show up in your life, the more you’ll start to notice them. “I’m never gonna financially recover from this” - Joe Exotic Bonus Lesson: Keep an eye out for scarcity mindset Your thoughts dictate your feelings. Holding a scarcity mindset in regard to money, means you are always more likely to experience scarcity in your life. The mind cannot separate what is true and what is thought, so be careful with the language you use surrounding money and opportunity in your life. Your subconscious stores your scarcity thoughts and draws upon them as true experience in future situations. Learn to re-frame scarcity thoughts with thoughts of abundance and watch how your life begins to transform! There’s plenty of approaches to adapting your money mindset, including using journalling, meditation, visualization and re-framing work. Once you begin to empower yourself to believe you are worth more and abundance will flow into your life, you will begin to see changes - money mindset doesn’t just help with money, but also with clarity surrounding goals. Take these lessons and start to work on your money mindset, and as a final lesson from Tiger King - don’t ever put your arm into a cage with live tigers. Tessa Hull, Guest Writer Tessa Hull is a certified Canfield Success Principles Trainer and Success Coach helping individuals with a mind full of ideas and habit of procrastinating shake their bad habits, get their thoughts and beliefs in order and create effective and individual plans to hit goals. After several years in managerial and training roles, including working alongside high end brands such as LVMH, she now runs her own Success Coaching business No Right Way Ltd. She is based in Sicily, mainly for the good weather and the cheese, but ventures back to her hometown of Manchester every now and again for a decent cup of tea. You can find out more here