Written by: Meghan Patiño , 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. These past couple of months, I have worked with clients to declare and fulfill on new relationships, business opportunities, career shifts, and being their own boss. Before the bold declaration, there is a universal hesitation. I recognize it within myself and my clients. Clients shine in their possibility and somewhere that glimmer fades with thoughts of “What if I fail?” or “What if what I do doesn’t work?” There’s an imaginary cliff we edge ourselves up to, look down when it comes to taking action, and decide it’s safer to stay where we are rather than leap toward the other side. Any transformed future is a leap. So how do we fulfill new possibilities in our businesses, relationships, and personal lives when we really do not know if our leap will be successful? How do we hold onto our goals with both steadfastness and flexibility, because not every leap will have us landing on our toes? Most people, most of the time related to achieving their goals as external validation of who they are. Within this story, if you fail, then you are a failure (one of the fallacies of white supremacy culture is that there is no grace for mistakes, for learning, or for our humanity). Often, we aren’t aware of how much we place our legitimacy in the results. We establish a brittle relationship to our goals, that leaves us bankrupt. We’re either hell-bent on achieving the results at all costs to ourselves, our loved ones, or anyone we consider “other;” or resigned to the probable future that nothing will change (a good way to not have to be vulnerable). But there is a way to generate breakthroughs and results without placing your value in external validation. It looks like relating to your goals from your highest commitments. A high commitment relates to your core values and is an organic part of who you are. You may have a commitment to start a business, but from a higher viewpoint, you may see that essential to who you are is being a creator or builder. Declaring goals from this place gives access to bold leaps, confidence amidst rocky waters, and the ability to adjust our stride when needed. This is the sweet spot to return to as we take necessary action toward manifesting results. Get curious about what your higher commitments are and search for how your goals are already embedded within these commitments. By doing this, you heed to the wisdom of the Sufi proverb that says: “Blessed are the flexible, for they never get bent out of shape.” Taking aligned action from your highest commitments allows for both steadfastness and flexibility that’s needed on the journey of manifesting your visions, projects, and goals. Want to learn more from Meghan? Follow her on Facebook and Linkedi n . You can also visit her website to get in touch. Meghan Patiño, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Meghan Patiño is a leader in coaching women to trust themselves as they create a positive impact in the world of organizational leadership, business, and community change. Her clients are entrepreneurs, leaders in tech companies, non-profit executives, public servant managers & parents transitioning to work. All her work is dedicated to the journey of belonging to yourself and to boldly revealing the essence of who you are as you lead your life. Inclusion, self-compassion, anti-racism, and integrity are values she leads by. She utilized her Master in Social Work from St. Louis University to design and implement leadership programs for over 10 years before graduating from Accomplishment Coaching, where she was trained in over 200 tools and distinctions to use with individuals and groups to create deep, sustainable shifts. She lives in Seattle with her partner and three kids and is always up for embracing the chaos, beauty, and adventure of life.

Written by: Leandre Larouche, 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. We all have a message or knowledge we can share in a book, but we often overthink the process. Most growth-minded people want to write and publish a book before they die. There’s sound logic behind the proposition: Individuals committed to their personal development read voraciously and accomplish amazing things. It’s only natural they would want to give back by imparting their knowledge in a book. The problem, though, is the dreadful writing process. Before you can proceed to publish your book, you need to have a publishable manuscript. For many people, putting thoughts together coherently into a book is intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be that hard. There are only three things to write a successful nonfiction book. An Audience—Or a Community Anyone who knows anything about writing will tell you that you need a target audience. But what does this mean concretely? The best way to think about it is to think of your audience as a community you are having dinner with. Every community is bound by interests, pains, desires, and problems. The mistake most people make when writing is trying to talk to more than one community at once. You can’t attend two dinner parties at once without breaking the laws of physics. Likewise, you can’t write for more than one community without breaking the laws of writing. Once you know which community you want to have dinner with, you need to figure out what conversation the community is having. Sure, you can start a new conversation, but you are less likely to pique your audience's interest. A safe bet is to enter the conversation that’s already happening. Concept—Or a Good Idea Well Packaged What makes a book memorable isn’t the content so much as how the content is packaged. How you package your content is your “concept.” Think of bestselling books like Robert Kyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad . Kyosaki’s book is memorable because it shows a clear image. To find a concept that suits your ideas, you need to think conceptually. Relate your ideas to stories, objects, shapes, colors, etc. Think of a concept as the overarching theme to the metaphorical dinner party. As a matter of fact, the idea of a “dinner party” to talk about writing is a concept. By thinking about your ideas from a more conceptual level, you can find ways of expressing your thoughts that stick to your audience. A book concept is not simply what we see on the cover page. It’s also what we find inside. Make sure you are congruent with your concept at every level of your book. There are two common mistakes an aspiring author can make. The first mistake is to write content that does not live up to a promising book concept. The second mistake is to write none-to-second content for a poor book concept. While the former disappoints readers, the latter kills sales. Questions—The Right Place to Start Writing can be difficult because we try to find all the answers before getting started. If we don’t have the answers we’re looking for, we feel stuck and unable to make progress. But being the author of the book doesn’t mean you need to have all the answers right away. You are on a journey just as your reader is. It makes sense to start with questions. If you think about it, you can turn any sentence into a question. Furthermore, you can turn every argument into a question. For example, I could turn this article into the following question: “What are the three things you need to write a successful nonfiction book?” In fact, that’s how I began writing this article. I asked myself a question readers might have, and I answered it. If you start with questions, you’ll never run out of things to write about. Of course, your book must end at some point, so you can’t write to no end. Early in the writing process, you need to figure out the one big question you seek to answer and which smaller questions contribute to it. Get the right questions in the right order, and you will never worry about writer’s block again. The Fun Can Start Once you have your audience, your concept, and your questions, you are ready to write your book. With these three elements, you are unlikely to ever meet writer’s block because everything is laid out in front of you. Moreover, you won’t feel as much pressure and confusion because you’re not trying to find the answers without precise questions while writing. The reality is that writing isn’t difficult in and of itself. Most people have the same ability to write, thanks to their executive functions. (These are different mental skills required to perform such a task). However, for many people, the writing process triggers negative emotions (through the limbic system). These negative emotions restrain our ability to focus and to perform a writing task effectively. To beat the negative emotions, you need to outline its elements, namely, your audience, your concept, and your questions. From there, whether you complete the book is a matter of habits and accountability. Still, you have one less obstacle in your way. You can finally start writing your book without the overwhelm. Want to learn more from Leandre? Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit his website. Leandre Larouche, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Leandre Larouche is an author, speaker, and writing consultant based in Toronto, Canada. He is the author of Hétérochrome (2017) and three upcoming nonfiction books, Write a Book That Matters, Architecture of Grammar, and The End of Nonsense, all of which are scheduled to come out in 2021. Though he grew up in French in Saguenay, Québec, Leandre has been writing in English for the better part of the last decade. He studied English literature and professional writing at Concordia University, where he also worked as a writing assistant and developed a unique writing methodology. Léandre Larouche was a 2019-2020 Fulbright fellow at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. Upon coming back to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, he founded Trivium Writing Inc., a consulting agency that helps thinkers get their wisdom out in a book through innovative writing frameworks.

Written by: Pin Cher, 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. Many people experience a "quarter-life crisis." Luckily, it can be a motivation to make a positive switch to reinvigorate your career. I was at the end of my 20s and beginning of my 30s. Everything in my life seemed upside down. I was having a “ good and successful” career on paper, but my corporate job was no longer exciting me, my tasks were mundane and I was drained at the end of the day. That’s what happened to me. There was actually nothing wrong with my dream of wanting to work in a big corporation and climbing up the corporate ladder. I had a strong academic background and I assumed making lots of money and having a cool, exciting job would automatically lead to happiness. It never occurred to me that happiness comes from the work you do, the people you surround yourself with and most importantly, how you feel about yourself. The problem was I didn’t enjoy the actual work, nor did I like the management and I didn’t like the person I had become. I started asking myself, do I really have the success that I thought I would have? Am I actually creating an impact on the world? Am I happy? The point is, if you’re consumed by questioning the direction of your career, relationships, and overall life purpose—don’t worry. It’s actually more normal than not. A quarter-life crisis is a period of intense soul searching and stress occurring in your mid 20s to early 30s. The typical sufferer is “highly driven and smart, but struggling because they feel they’re not achieving their potential or feeling they’re falling behind,” says Nathan Gehlert, Ph.D., a Washington D.C. psychologist. A quarter-life crisis comes about when you’re faced with the reality that your life is not what you thought it was going to be. It’s an emotional crisis of identity and self-confidence. You’re faced with the feeling that maybe you’re not being true to who you are, but you’re not quite sure who you’re supposed to be, either. If you’re going through a quarter-life crisis, you know it all too well. But no need to panic. While it may feel stressful and overwhelming in the moment, a crisis is the perfect time to re-evaluate your life and start making better choices. According to The Guardian, the quarter-life crisis affects 86% of millennials, who report being bogged down by insecurities, disappointments, loneliness, and depression. Millennials, it’s less of a question of if you will experience a quarter-life crisis than it is a question of when. So I did some soul searching, and I set out on a quest that taught me quite a few things about myself personally and professionally. Frequently in a state of self-reflection, I asked myself the following questions that I think will be valuable for you. 5 QUESTIONS THAT WILL GET YOU OUT OF A CAREER SLUMP (AND QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS) 1. What Makes You Happy? What Doesn't? People, places, things. I made lists and described why and how they made me happy, and why I was so blessed to have them in my life. The expressions of gratitude were extremely beneficial and important . I realized I was in a much better position than I realized. Likewise, I questioned why I did the things in my life that were not contributing to my happiness and well-being, and removed them immediately. 2. What Are You Really Good At? What Do You Have A Natural Talent For? I love to help people, train and mentor them. So what are you good at? What do you like to do as a hobby? Have you ever considered trying it as a vocation, or can skills from another venture help you grow in your current role? Write it all down—even the so-called "silly" stuff. 3. How Can You Actually Earn Income From Your Talent? See above and connect the dots. Freelance work is becoming more and more in demand, and there are tons of ways you can market your skills to make some side cash—maybe eventually turning it into your full-time job. Pro bono work is also an excellent way to gain additional experience until you're comfortable asking for what you're worth—and can help you earn recommendations in the meantime. 4. What Are Your Biggest Dream(s)? No boundaries. Have you ever dreamed about winning the lottery, and exactly what you'd do with the 20—no—50 million dollar prize? Use the same approach with your personal and professional goals. The catch? With effort and motivation, this one can actually come true. The key is to pick your biggest goal and put an action plan into place to make it happen. 5. What's Stopping You From Achieving It? This step requires a lot of ownership. You will have to face any fears you might have about failing and recognize that it takes a lot of accountability. Any goal, no matter how large and looming, can be divided into smaller, doable tasks that set you on the path to achieving success. HOW THESE QUESTIONS ACTUALLY HELP YOU? These questions were my road map for digging myself out of the dark and out of confusion I had fallen into during my mid-career crisis. The questions were relatively simple, and sometimes that's the interesting thing about these slumps or perceived setbacks. Sometimes life is just waiting for us to open our eyes and realize things for ourselves—we just need to use our common sense. Focusing on yourself and taking the time to consider what you really want will cause you to take the positive actions needed to change your life. I quit a toxic job that was making me miserable, I ‘ve signed up for a business mentor to continue my education, and most of all, founded my own company that I absolutely love—and I'm nowhere near finished. I set new goals regularly and have no intention of slowing down. Needless to say, I'm expecting (hoping) to be better prepared for when 45 rolls around. Not everyone fits into a perfectly square box. In fact, some of the most interesting people don't. Don't worry if you don't fit the "norm," be it your age or your career path. Focus on what makes you truly happy—and work backwards to forge your path to fulfillment. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Pin! Pin Cher, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Pin Cher is a personal development & career coach and comes from a diverse and international background. Her passion lies in working and coaching with corporate professionals and high performers to achieve even greater success. She helps them unlock their professional and personal potential and create an intentional, meaningful life that lights them up. In the past, Pin herself felt stuck and lost in her career direction. This painful experience has taught her valuable lessons and insights, and now shares her experience & knowledge in helping others achieve their own success and unlocking their hidden genius. Pin's coaching is a powerful combination of head and heart, reflection and action and her goal is to help others find their North Star to lead a life with more meaning and purpose. She brings to her clients' experience and expertise gained from multiple global careers in different industries and working with top-tier global firms. Pin is a certified coach with the Jay Shetty Certification School and holds a B.S degree in International Management & Business Chinese and an MBA from the National University of Taiwan.

Written by: Sandra D´Angelo, 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. Communication is one of the main factors to either make or break any kind of relationship. In today´s article, I want to share a couple of tips with you. At first glance, these tips might seem obvious however they are commonly placed at the back of our minds. These tips will help you to elevate both your relationships at work and in life. Nowadays, we find ourselves going through trying times, most of us are in our home offices, neither able to travel freely nor socialize face to face. Luckily, today´s technology has made communicating with each other much easier. In just a couple of clicks, messages, Zoom calls… you can reach anyone who has an internet connection, no matter what part of the world they might be in. However, simple communication doesn’t mean an easy communication, does it? Especially with so many distractions all around. There´s just so much going on around you that it becomes impossible to focus on what the person in front of you is saying. Not being “all-in” with what´s being communicated to you can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, fights and can even damage relationships beyond repair. Building and maintaining great relationships requires, among other factors, time, respect, trust, understanding, dedication, and sharp focus. If you want to build long-lasting and strong relationships, you need to go “deeper” and show genuine interest in the people you interact with. You want to show them that you truly care by investing yourself and your time in them. Here is what can help you bring your relationships at work and life to the next level: Proper listening Today´s fast-paced world made this obvious communication skill become a rather rare one. People are way too distracted: by their own thoughts, by technology, by structuring responses before the other person stops talking, or by assuming what the other person might be thinking. There´s so much going on that very often, instead of “listening,” you are only “hearing” what the other person has been telling you. So, what´s the difference between “hearing” and “listening”? Simply put, hearing is a “shallow” mode of listening. It means to perceive sounds and being aware of them but not putting effort into interpreting the information. On the other hand, listening is perceiving sounds and making a conscious effort in processing them, making sense out of them, as well as interpreting and understanding the meaning behind them. If you want to listen on a deeper level, there’s more to it than only listening to the words which have been spoken. For example, you want to pay attention to the tone of the voice, volume, speed, you want to observe the silent breaks. As well as thinking about what’s not being said, like the body language of the person you are interacting with. There is certainly some work that has to be done whilst “only” listening. The good news is, that listening is a skill and as such can be learned and improved. The more you practice this particular skill, the better you will become at it. Be curious, be patient, offer people the space they need to open themselves up, and then truly listen. There´s so much you can learn. Asking questions When communicating with others, instead of giving advice, commenting, judging, or talking about yourself - spend more time focusing on the person that is in front of you. Make it about them, not you. Be genuinely curious about the person to who you speak to. Show your interest in them. You might be wondering: “but how am I going to know what to ask?”. The answer is quite simply by listening. If you truly listen with the intention to engage and understand, you will know exactly when to ask your question and what to ask. By asking questions, you help the other person think, you help them gain new perspectives, you challenge them, you make them be fully engaged. You also make them feel special, understood, respected, and appreciated. And by bringing up such feelings with people you engage with, your relationships will flourish. Don’t judge You never know what someone might be going through. Even if you do know, there´s always another part to their story. Just like not everyone can please you, you cannot please everyone. And that is perfectly fine. As long as you are being honest, kind and respectful. If a person doesn’t align with your values, goals, ways - they don’t need to be a part of your circle. You choose with whom you want to surround yourself with. Whomever you decide to surround yourself with has a strong impact on your life, so make sure to choose these people wisely. At work, there will surely be people with whom you don’t align with, but you need to work with them regardless. While you certainly don’t need to seek to make friends with everyone, you want to make sure to have a professional relationship and respect each other´s line of work. Set boundaries and make a clear distinction between private and professional relationships. When you notice that you went into a “judging mode,” pause for a second and challenge yourself to assess the person from an objective point of view. Don’t attach to your emotions nor take things that happen around you personally. Instead of seeking to see the negative in people, focus on searching for positives and lifting each other up. For more information, connect with me on LinkedIn and visit my website ! Read more from Sandra! Sandra D'Angelo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sandra D´Angelo is a Certified Life Coach & Trainer dedicated to coaching Business Professionals to manage their time more effectively and achieve outstanding results in their careers and privately. Through her specific coaching program, Sandra helps individuals to increase their focus, take effective action and create more success, by making themselves and their wellbeing a priority. Sandra holds an MBA in Communications & PR and has years of experience working in sales & consulting in Switzerland and Germany. Including building two successful business units from scratch. Before becoming self-employed, consulting & coaching have always been a part of Sandra´s professional life. Behind her is a strong track record of professionals from different backgrounds who she helped to explore their true potential and create the lives they want.

Written by: Keith Blakemore-Noble, 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. I was having a chat with a friend the other day, and we got on to the topic of success and money. “People keep telling me I’m successful, but I don’t think I am,” complained my friend. Now, I certainly view them as successful - indeed, their success is part of what drives me to emulate their levels of success. I certainly see them as ahead of me in that respect. Yet here they were, feeling unsuccessful. So I started pointing out some of my friend's many successes, exploring their very impressive and considerable track record of success. At which point they dropped the killer line - “But I’ve not got much money. If I was successful, I’d have a lot more money by now.” Woah! How many of us can definitely relate to that? We keep being told we are successful, yet we don’t see the financial rewards just yet, so we assume we are not successful yet. Indeed, I am willing to bet that there are a great many of us who, at some point or other in life, have felt this so strongly that we have refused to accept that we are successful at all. We are generally conditioned to believe that success = money. And that, money = success. So, of course, if we don’t see money coming in, we assume this must mean we are not successful. Which is not only bad for our morale, it can (and often does) lead us to assume that we are going down the wrong path, and we turn our back on our success and completely abandon any chance of money starting to flow as a result! The reality is that it’s not success = money. Rather it is a success first, money later. Think about it for a moment. Imagine you are looking for a job. You look through the papers, the online job boards, visit company websites, etc., and find a job to apply for. Success! You found a job to apply for! Do you get paid at this point? No. Oh… You apply for the jobs you found, and one of them invites you for an interview. Success! Do you get paid now? No? Oh… You turn up for the interview, and do well and get through to the final round. Success! Money? Nope, not yet. Oh… The good news, you were successful every step of the way, and you get offered the job. Definite success! Money now? No? What?! Oh… You turn up on the morning of your first day. Success indeed, but still no money! Oh… Finally, it’s payday, having worked there for a few weeks (depending upon how often they pay their staff), working hard, establishing your worth. And finally, you get paid. Money at last! Does this mean you were not successful until payday? Absolutely not – you were successful every single step of the way. You can be sure, though, that if you’d decided, “No money so far, so I’m not successful, let’s give this up,” then you would have never got the job and never started receiving your salary. Success first, Money later. You have to demonstrate a consistent track record of growing successes in order to reach the point at which you become of sufficient interest to those who are prepared to pay. Whether that’s an employer or client, it’s the same thing. People will pay when they perceive it is worth it to them. And you prove your worth by consistently building up that sustained track record of success. It’s the dedication to one’s craft, the constantly growing and refining and honing one’s skills, increasing one’s experience, establishing a track record, all of which is a string of individual successes which ultimately combine to make your offering financially attractive to those who are prepared to pay. You can’t miss out on the steps, and every step is, whether we can see it at the time or not, taking us ever closer to the financial reward for our sustained success. So next time you are beating yourself up about not being successful because you don’t currently have money coming, remember that it is a success first, money later. The money will follow success once you have established a proven track record. Keep on being you. Keep on building that track record. And sure enough, the money will start to follow once others can see you and your consistent track record. Once you reach that tipping point, the money starts to flow, usually far more of it than you ever anticipated. Enjoy it! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Keith! Keith Blakemore-Noble, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Keith is an award-winning coach, international speaker, and best-selling author who helps people transform their deepest fears into their greatest strengths. Growing up, he loved the idea of being a performer, entertaining people, and wanted nothing more than to be an actor, magician, or hypnotist. Unfortunately, he was also painfully shy, finding it almost impossible to speak with strangers - this ruled out his ambitions and made it very hard to make friends or even connect with colleagues. So instead, he pursued a very successful 20+ year career in IT until he studied hypnosis and NLP to help him to conquer his own fears, which opened up the way for him to be all the things he dreamed of being. Since 2010 he has used these same skills and experiences to help over 5,000 people around the planet to conquer their own fears, quickly and permanently, earning him the title of UK’s 1 Fear Strategist. He has published several books, appeared on countless podcasts, written for many publications, and spoken on stages in Bali, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Tibet, United Kingdom, USA, and Vietnam, as well as speaking at numerous virtual events globally.

Written by: Jeff Altman, 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. “Being afraid limits what people try. Because of that, if you don’t try, you’re never going to succeed at something. Try and fail but don’t be afraid to try. —Vinod Khosla As I sat listening, Scott told me about the things he was evaluating and considering. He told me about four disparate options he was weighing and said, “I have to make a choice.” “What have you done to evaluate these options?” “Not a lot,” he said frankly. “Who told you that you have to make a decision now?” He ignored my question, telling me that he needed to make a decision. I persisted. “I don’t think you have enough information to make the decision you want to make. What don’t you know about these choices, and how can you find out more?” I continued. “By the way, why haven’t you done anything yet?” “I have, but I’m afraid of making the wrong choice.” Often, the systems we live in have trained us to operate within specific rules limiting our ability to fail and succeed. For example, many students believe that by the time they complete high school, they need to choose their major field of study for college/university. What should they do if they don’t know what their major should be? Should they commit to a university and spend $40,000 on their first year of tuition, room, and board with the hope that they’ll figure it out by their sophomore year? Should they pause upon completing high school before committing to the next step to evaluate their options? Many young lawyers in the United States don’t figure out that they don’t like being lawyers until they start practicing law. This is particularly upsetting because they have committed to repaying loans over $200,000 to complete college and law school . Even more painful than the need to repay the loans is the feeling of shame that most will talk about privately and have to have a conversation with their parents about leaving the law. “But why?” “You’d make a great lawyer.” “You’re only starting.” “You haven’t given it a fair chance!” I’m using the example of lawyers in the United States. It could just as easily be the example of becoming a software developer in India, a government job in Saudi Arabia, or social services or healthcare position in the United States. Why does this happen? The most common reason I have found is that they hopped onto a conveyor belt that carried them through the school system into a career that they believed would be perfect for them, only to discover that it wasn’t. For example, I grew up in New York and attended public schools, including a public university in New York. Early on, I learned a lesson from school that would serve me well for a few years in the workplace.” Be quiet Do what we tell you to do when we tell you to do it Regurgitate the answers to our questions when we ask a question or else. The “or else” was I wouldn’t get into a good college. Once in college, I was rarely given the opportunity to think for myself. College and its grading system taught me a few lessons: Be quiet Do what we tell you to do when we tell you to do it. Regurgitate the answers to our questions when we ask a question or else. The “or else” was I wouldn’t get a good job. As you can tell, I learned obedience and conformity and might have been a good factory worker circa the 1970s because that was what school prepared me for-- thinking like an industrial worker. It did not teach me how to learn about a potential career. It also did not teach me how to take a risk, let alone how to evaluate risks. Now, many years later, I’ve taken the lessons I learned from the workplace, mixed in quality lessons from working with men around the United States, helping them live purposeful lives, and then blended intuition and higher-level questioning. Now, I support both men and women being the people they want in their careers and lives. I’ve noticed that many people are miserable both in their work and in their lives. They’ve accepted mediocrity and lack passion. Every day is the same. They have become part of a “transformation.” That’s corporate-speak for homogenized, pasteurized, systematized, and otherwise being made machinelike. They wonder why every day looks the same and failed to recognize that the reason is that every day is pretty much the same. They are part of the zero-defect manufacturing culture and been converted into intelligent gear in a machine. If that sounds vaguely like you, I want to remind you that a lifetime is not a long time. We like to think of ourselves as being immortal, but life is a way of showing us how foolish we are to act as though that were true. How do you want to live between now and the inevitable conclusion of your life? Just because you don’t know how to do it differently doesn’t mean that you have to become resigned. That can’t be different. It can be. You just don’t know how yet. Start experimenting with different alternatives and, perhaps, hire a coach to help you. It may seem as though you can talk with your wife, husband, partner, close friend, or others about it. And you can. However, most people know how not to listen to those people. That’s because there is nothing on the line when you talk to one of them. You see, like hiring a consultant at work, hiring a coach to help you is one additional benefit— you’re paying for it and, thus, are compelled to act upon what you work on with them. If you are happy doing what you are doing, you should continue to do it. In doing so, put in the effort to continue to improve so that you develop greater mastery, particularly during this time where knowledge turns over every few years. However, if your life has already demonstrated ennui, boredom, dullness, and periodically asking yourself the question, “Is this all there is,” it’s time to change the equation to something else. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my website for more info! Jeff Altman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who helps people with their career including a job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading, resolving workplace related issues while being the person they want to be in life. He has written 9 books and guides to job search and hiring including "The Ultimate Job Interview Framework" and "The Right Answers to Tough Interview Questions." He is the host of No BS Job Search Advice Radio, the no.1 podcast in Apple Podcasts for job search with more than 2100 episodes, as well as JobSearchTV.com on YouTube, Amazon, Roku, Apple TV, and 90+ smart sets. Jeff works with clients worldwide and is a popular speaker.

Written by: Leslie Gaudet, 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. Have you ever felt like you aren’t enough or that you are not worthy or deserving of all the good things you have achieved in your life? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that we feel that way all of the time . Still, there are those moments, right, where you feel like you just don’t know if you actually deserve to be excited or happy for achieving a goal because maybe you felt that it was a fluke or that it was just a one-off and would never ever happen again. Maybe you’ve felt that way because you believe only the chosen few actually feel satisfied and confident that they achieve their goals and that they are worthy and deserving to celebrate their achievements. I’m bringing this up because I have been noticing a lot on social media of late that women are posting how they are being judged and criticized by other women. They are experiencing a lot of unkind comments being thrown their way. And on top of that, they are feeling like maybe they aren’t worthy or deserving of their successes in life. They stop feeling like they are enough. Now some of them go on to say that those comments won’t and don’t stop them and that what other people say about them doesn’t make it true. And of course, they are right about that because someone else’s opinion about you doesn’t mean that that is true about you. It just means that that is their opinion, and we all have one. But then there’s the other group of women who feel defeated and dejected because they are feeling a lack of support from other women, and they feel like giving up and start searching for the answers to their Why questions. Why are other women coming at me? Why are they not supporting me? Why are they judging or criticizing me and what I’m doing? Are we not in the age of women empowering women? I have often wondered about the answers to those questions myself because I have at times felt very alone and unsupported by women who were important to me and who no longer are in my life now because they chose a path that didn’t include me on it. That’s okay, though, and the reason comes down to one answer. Self-Love. This term means so much more to me today than it did the first time I heard it, and that’s because of where I am at in my life today and what I am doing with my life today. When I decided that I needed change in my life, I began my own Self-Love and Self-Growth Journey, and, truth be told, I’m still on this journey because it’s not a one and done, and you’re healed and never ever have to do inner reflection. It just means that I am so much stronger today than I was when I first began my journey almost 4 years ago, and I am proud of myself and extremely grateful for where I am at in my life today. I’m grateful for the people in my life (men and women) who are supporting me as I grow into the best version of myself. I seek to show up as that woman every day, and I will always seek to learn and grow and to always have that learn and grow mindset and do my inner reflective work on a daily basis. I never start my day until I have done my mindset work. It is a welcome staple to my daily self-love practice, and it sets my day up because it allows me to get into the frame of mind that I choose to show up as in my world. One of my earliest clients once said to me that she finally understood that Self-Love doesn’t start from the outside; it starts from within, and that was a wonderful aha moment to share with her because when she finally understood that, it freed her from looking for outside validation from others that she was enough or that she was worthy and deserving to live a life she loved. I’m proud of her because she realized that she was enough for her and that her opinion of her was the most important one of all. I like to tell my clients that we can either empower our inner villain who has no problem taking the lead and keeping us stuck from moving forward in our lives, or we can empower our inner hero who will uplift, support, and encourage us to lean into the uncomfortable spaces because she will be right there with us guiding us along our way and helping us to be confident in our decisions; allowing for us to have faith and trust that what we decide to do with our lives is meant for us and is our journey. Everyone has a journey, and we’re all different, and that’s an amazing thing because I believe that each and every human born to this world is meant to add value to this world and so seeking outside validation of our worth doesn’t serve us and doesn’t serve our purpose. What other people think is what they think. It’s their opinion, and they are entitled to their opinion. Just as we are entitled to our own. Does it make it right if we put a negative opinion on another human being maybe because we are projecting our insecurities? No, it doesn’t. Sometimes though, it’s much easier to face our day when we deflect our pain onto someone else because then we don’t have to deal with it ourselves. But truly, and I mean this to my very core. Self-Love is so important and the strongest tool that you will have in your toolbelt for when those moments show up in your life where you are doubting yourself; where someone has an opinion about you; and when you are not certain and are sitting in an uncomfortable space in your life where you’re trying to figure out next steps. Self-Love will allow you to empower your inner hero, and your inner hero doesn’t care about anyone else’s opinion except for yours. So, when you feel like others are coming at you from all sides and it doesn’t feel good, remember this. Everyone has an opinion, but it doesn’t mean that it has to be your truth. We all are on our own journey, and sometimes that can be a very scary place. You do You and let those who have something to say that isn’t always kind or uplifting or supportive keep on traveling the road they are traveling. Keep on showing up as your true authentic self and when you need validation that you are enough and that you are worthy and deserving, take a look in the mirror because the person staring back at you has your back and knows that you are enough. Let your Inner Hero be your guide because she is ready to walk with you if you let her. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Leslie ! Leslie Gaudet, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Leslie Gaudet is a Mindset and Emotional Awareness Coach for women. She helps her clients achieve self-awareness around their emotional triggers by shifting their mindset to make better decisions when they respond, allowing them to bring more balance, peace, and harmony into their lives. Almost 4 decades working as a Legal Assistant and Paralegal in the corporate world left her feeling emotionally and physically drained. That’s when she decided that she had to make some changes for her to live the life she loves. Those changes involved learning to love herself (without judgment or criticism). That mindset is the key to everything because our mindset influences our thoughts, and in turn, our thoughts dictate our words and actions. Thru her journey to self-love and self-acceptance, Leslie became certified as a Life Coach and attained further certifications in Group Coaching and Emotional Intelligence. She works closely with her clients, starting with mindset because that is the foundational piece to self-love and self-acceptance. She teaches her clients about triggers and how they affect us emotionally by helping her clients tune into, spot, and understand their own so that they can become more self-aware of their trigger moments and emotional responses. With proven tools and techniques and with her guidance, her clients tap into and discover their true potential to living their life and loving the life they are living. Leslie believes that you will transform your life when you Change Your Brain (the way you think).

Written by: Katarzyna Terlecka, 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. The last three years of my professional life are a constant stepping out of my comfort zone. I left my successful legal career after over twenty years. I spent a significant portion of my savings educating myself and gaining knowledge from the best teachers worldwide in the area new to me. I set up my coaching business from scratch, with zero clients at the beginning. Yes, it was scary! My brain gave me lots of ideas about how “well” it may all end for me. When I now look at each of these steps that took me out of my comfort zone, I am 100% sure that each of them was right, and each moved me closer towards my authentic self and my true calling. And yet, despite all that, I had doubts recently again! I nearly listened to my fears when an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone came! I write this all to let you know that you are not alone. I guess, no matter how many times you take a quantum leap in your life or business when a next opportunity shows up, your brain will still try to stop you. What to do? Below I summarize what helps my clients and me to make decisions that take out of the comfort zone. Tune into yourself. First of all, give yourself as much time as you need, even if we talk about weeks or months. You will know when it is the right moment. If the clarity is not coming, sit in a quiet space, take few deep breaths and imagine yourself taking this next big step. Observe your body and its reaction. Does it feel tight and even frozen, or maybe it is expanded and light? Your body will give you the best guidance. Talk about it out loud. Your body is your best advisor, and you don’t need to ask for advice. Sometimes, however, it is good to hear yourself talking about this next big thing. Try it; maybe that is your way. Talk to somebody and observe (i) how it makes you feel when you describe how your life will look if you step out of your comfort zone and (ii) how it makes you feel if you decide to stay where you are. Ensure that you talk to the right person! A person who will listen and hold the space for you. Check what limiting belief is holding you back. If none of the above seems to give you clarity, consider what limiting belief is holding you back. What kind of story you keep telling yourself subconsciously and believe in it so strongly that the fear is taking over? Maybe you think that: “I am not good enough to handle the new position,” “I don’t have enough knowledge to be that expert,” ‘it is not possible to earn money without hard and long-term sacrifice,” etc. Whatever comes in, write it down and observe how you feel about it. Keep writing as long as you need. Don’t judge the content, don’t check the grammar. Just let all that emotional baggage to come out of you. Write down how will your life look like. Finally, sit down and write in your journal in detail, “how will my life look like if I step out of my comfort zone.” Observe what is happening with you when you write this, how do you feel, what emotions are coming up. Subsequently, write, “how will my life look like if I stay where I am.” Again, observe and note what is going on with you. The answer will finally arrive! The above tools helped my clients and me enormously. Check how they work for you. You may want to pick just one of them that resonates most with you. That is fine. Or maybe you want to try them all. That is also ok. Do whatever feels right for you – you are your best guide and teacher, and you know what is best for you! Good luck! Work with Katarzyna! If you are struggling with your current situation, feel like you finally need to step out of your comfort zone and connect with your inner power to make this quantum leap in your life, Katarzyna is a coach for you! Get in touch with her also if you look for more connection with your intuition and inner wisdom in your private and professional life. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Katarzyna! Katarzyna Terlecka, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Katarzyna Terlecka is an Authentic Empowerment Coach for professional women. As a former attorney with over twenty years of experience in mergers and acquisitions and working with the top leaders around the world negotiating complex international transactions, she is able to unite highly practical systems with an intuitive energy approach to inspire and empower women in their personal development. Applying active listening, intuitive, energy, and coaching skills, paired with her knowledge of the corporate world and the woman’s role in it, she leads women to discover their unique inner power, activate their intuition and confidence, and express the depth of their feminine wisdom.

Written by: Kamladevi Sharma, 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. More often than expected, leaders have approached me to ask, “How do you do it? How can you be so positive and focused? How are you unaffected by people’s attitudes, especially when they are trying to attack you?” The truth is, leadership is a challenging experience, and it can be very lonely dealing with it. This version of myself was not always alive. There were times when I used to feel the competitive energy of co-workers, and I felt trapped by it because they were hiding behind a smile. There were times when an employee’s ‘not knowing better’ used to upset my flow and focus for hours, and times when I felt like giving up because people and processes were not aligning with my vision and desires as fast as the situation needed them to. These were all times I was building my resilience and confidence unknowingly. The moment I got conscious of what upsets my inner balance, the easier it got to deal with them- saving my own time and energy and making me super creative and productive. There were icebreaking moments where I chose to challenge my inner resistance to experience a different outcome, and this is what I now advise leaders to do: 1. Celebrate other’s wins as if they were your own. When others win, celebrate- including those who are competing with you! Competition is healthy for creativity and innovation. Competition which brings out jealousy, insecurity, and ill feelings within you is unhealthy for you, not your competitor. If you feel the ‘feels,’ challenge yourself to say or do something positive for that person. The more you challenge yourself in this way, the easier it will become for you to stay focused on your achievements and opportunities for growth. Getting caught up on “who is better than who” consumes time and energy that can be directed to innovating or creating solutions that will benefit you, your team, and your company altogether. Plus, the more you celebrate other’s wins, the faster you dissolve insecurity and subconsciously train yourself to feel and be confident in what you are doing and where you are headed in your life. 2. Praise your team as people praise you. It’s easy to lose yourself in the recognition, and praise others give you as you continue to be successful as a leader. Even if it was your amazing just-in-time idea that brought home the prize, be humble and recognize the effort of your team. A leader who alienates his team in such situations distances himself from those persons and actually makes it harder to maintain their cooperation for the next team project. So when you feel other’s praises are inflating your ego and you want to get carried away in those spotlight moments, remember those who helped to make you shine and praise them too. It’ll improve your team’s communication, motivation, and productivity. 3. Recognize other’s cynical remarks and address them. The office is one of the most diverse places to be in. Some persons are cultured to negativity without delivering any meaningful results, and this can be an uncomfortable experience for a leader to address without being accused of discrimination. It is critical in these experiences that you recognize your value and speak about them. If you are focused on solutions and problem-solving, communicate that. Be so confident in who you are and what you are about that intolerable behaviors are known by those around you. Not in a disempowering disengaging way, but as simple as, “Let’s talk about what we can do differently to improve our results rather than criticize, judge, or mock what we are doing.” 4. Communicate your imperfections. It takes a great deal of courage to admit that you made a mistake or you were wrong, or you are weak in a specific area as a leader. However, being vulnerable actually helps to improve your connection with your team. It reflects your authenticity, humility, and ability to engage in real humane conversations with your team. So lead by communicating your imperfections to keep them real in the office and inspire others to keep striving for success. To note, though, if you feel incompetent as a leader by sharing your weaknesses, then you have to address your low self-worth in that capacity. The inner challenges of a leader can be overwhelming and uncomfortable to deal with. Still, once you make it your goal to lead authentically and focus on growth opportunities, you will have the impact and influence you need to align people and processes. Follow Kamladevi on Facebook and her webs ite . Read more from Kamladevi! Kamladevi Sharma, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kamladevi Sharma is an international speaker on work-life balance, a certified professional life coach, and a qualified business consultant. She helps entrepreneurs and people in management globally, including you, to eliminate burnout and achieve balance in their personal and professional lives. Her dedication to achieving clarity, alignment, and results for her clients ensures that they can thrive and feel more fulfilled and successful in their lives, careers, and/or businesses. Additionally, her expertise in mindset and personal development strategy has benefitted over 4000 professionals globally in personal growth. Over 250 businesses have jumped start a momentum for success in her signature momentum training at Revive, and she has been featured on several podcasts on Spotify, Apple, and Google. A known feature in magazines locally and internationally, Kamladevi holds an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Bradford, Bachelors in Social Psychology, Social Research, and Business, and certificates in Professional Life Coaching and Counselling. Prior to co-founding Revive, she was in upper management positions in Guyana and lectured at several tertiary institutions.

Written by: Dr. Denise L. Morrison, 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 happens when we’ve finally gathered up the courage to change our lives for the better and then something gets in our way, slows us down, or ruins our chances for success? How does that happen to us repeatedly ? Let’s say that you’ve just decided to start on a new meal plan or workout program, and you have all this renewed enthusiasm and motivation! We’ve all experienced the rush from that initial burst of motivation: you set out for a few days with incredible energy and success until …. There’s a conflict in your schedule. You miss out on a few hours of sleep, or someone at work/home tempts you with one of the no-no items on your meal plan! You may find that your brain automatically finds something else that you deem way more important than your new goals. Oh noo! Or, perhaps you want to fit in, and you forgo your self-care needs and indulge in whatever food that Aunt Sally or your hubby bought especially for you? Have you used this one, “I’ve been good lately, so I deserve a little extra,” and you completely fall back into the old self-destructive patterns? Before you know it, your brain quickly reverts to its old ways. Your very efficient and well-programmed habits kick right back in and then you are thinking. Nooo! I am sabotaging myself! Like a zombie, I walked to the fridge… I’ve seen this time and again with my clients. They tell me that they’ve got an internal battle going on inside their mind, and the message doesn’t get to their body to take action. When this happens, those automatic, old, unconscious, well-programmed habits are primed and send you right back to square one! Then, you find that you are repeating those old mind tricks of: Punishing yourself with negative self-talk or stories. Shaming yourself. Falling off track and back into the habits of binge eating, overeating, or depriving yourself. Giving up completely because you feel like a failure. Being so hard on yourself! How many times have you gone through that cycle?? This Coach can’t even count on her two hands, so I know what it feels like to struggle day in and day out with my own dang self! So, what do you do when you feel stuck in this cycle? With an attitude of loving curiosity, start by recognizing your patterns of “starting,” sabotaging, and falling off the wagon. Allow yourself to sense, feel and experience any and all of your emotions around this pattern and free-write in your journal about them, or call a friend or schedule a chat with me. Ask yourself, what are you willing to release and let go of those struggles so that you can move forwards with your new plans, goals, behaviors, and habits? Thank yourself for taking the time to stop and listen in to your intuitive wisdom that KNOWS exactly what you need to do to succeed. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my website for more info! Read more from Denise ! Dr. Denise L. Morrison, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Denise Morrison is the CEO of Intuitively Unique Coaching, her Holistic Brand of Health/Life Coaching. She struggled for decades to overcome traumatic experiences from her own past. She compensated for her lack of confidence with degrees and professional success. She numbed her pain with addictive eating and self-abusive behaviors. And when she finally turned to the right teachers and coaches, she learned that change does not need to take decades. Change can actually be instantaneous. And change can be lasting. After working for many years in healthcare, Denise felt a pull and a passion for working with people on a deeper and more transformational level. Her academic mind was drawn to the evidence-based nutrition and exercise practices, but she was also compelled by the more mystical therapies emerging from neuroscience and quantum healing. Denise sought out the best training in health and wellness, life coaching, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to have access to the most powerful tools to help others change their lives for the better.

Written by: Dusya Lyubovskaya, 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 2018 I started doing lives on social media, offering group reiki via remote. Every Monday evening, I would do live reiki for people who had ailments. After a couple of months and before I started my small business, this woman reached out to me after watching a few of my lives. She lives in the state of New York and is in her 50’s and has had migraines since she was 15 years old. She has been on various painkillers. However, she was tired of taking pills and wanted to try an alternative. Although I sent her Reiki in a group setting, she felt the healing immediately! This woman told me later that she went to her neurologist to get answers. However, her specialist couldn't explain what happened except that there was an unexpected improvement in her brain. After the second Reiki I performed for her remotely, she needed less mediation, if any at all. After a few weeks, I learned that she had trauma growing up from mental and emotional abuse. Later as a young woman, she got married, and the emotional and mental abuse continued from her then-husband. She was married for 25 years and did not know how to escape the marriage until she found strength thanks to a friend. The continued abuse manifested in chronic migraines. I was not unfamiliar with this phenomenon , if you will, because I grew up with chronic mobility and other issues that doctors could not understand. I remember that when I was 8 years old, for instance, I had the strangest difficulties climbing stairs. My late mother noticed this because it was quite unusual, especially for an otherwise healthy child like myself. My mother wanted to take me to the doctor to investigate. Unfortunately, my father was against this idea for reasons only he understood. A few years later, I had another issue that was not normal for an 11-year-old. Finally, my father agreed to take me to a doctor! I have to admit. I was incredibly fortunate to have this time a doctor who went beyond medical textbooks and basically told my parents that I could sense and understand the chaos around me despite my young age. That caused my issues which resulted in PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Unfortunately, not much could be done because my father was a narcist, and I never thought for a second if he could somehow have caused my health problem or even help me by controlling his outbursts /abusive behavior. Because of this particular memory, I realized that whenever a person reached out to me for help with a chronic health issue, their health practitioner could not help them or knew what was causing the problem. I learned to ask my clients to share about their current struggles and or their upbringing. Depending on how long the person has had the chronic issue, for me, it was an instant “aha” moment, and I knew what needed to be done. The amazing part about reiki is that it is universal and is basically loving healing from the Universe. After helping this woman get rid of her migraine, I started having more people reach out to me whether they realized that their chronic health issues were trauma-related or not. Follow me on Facebook , YouTube Channel , or visit my website for more info! Dusya Lyubovskaya, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dusya Lyubovskaya is a leader of ancient holistic modalities. After growing up with an abusive father, her trauma caused her to develop health issues that doctors could clear diagnose. Although Dusya has been passionate about science since her youth, she went into the medical field because she had to be the breadwinner at an early age but never gave up her dream of going into science. During her work taking care of patients, she realized there was more than western medicine could offer. However, she felt she was running into walls. Dusya took care of both of her parents, who died from terminal cancer, and knew that she could at least ease their suffering with the holistic modalities she learned about growing up. After her mother’s passing in 2014, she discovered meditation and Reiki, and a brand new world opened to her full of opportunities! She got trained in reiki, and after a year, she was encouraged by many clients to get paid because she appeared to be very talented. She would perform energy healing on and off on the side, and in 2018 with additional training, became a holistic life as her clients around the world greatly appreciated her positive energy and experience. Dusya has also evolved in her medical career and started speaking for health care agencies as well as government agencies seeking her advice and expertise. Dusya discovered that many chronic health issues in her clients were caused by trauma so she used her western medicine knowing combined with ancient healing modalities and has been very successful. Meanwhile, Dusya has expanded to helping entrepreneurs who struggle to make more than 5k by helping them increase their money mindset and helping them get unstuck by helping them with inner child soul retrieval and helping them reconnect with their inner child as every issue we face as adults is affected by what we learned as children.

Written by: Karen Mc Dermott, 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. I get asked a lot, ‘How do you make it happen?’ Which often makes me stop and reflect in that moment and smile. I seem to have a secret formula that everyone is fascinated by. No matter what your personal circumstances are, no matter what your financial means are, once you have a positive, actionable mindset behind you and a true belief in what you are pursuing, you WILL make headway when you start the ball in motion. I write quite often in my Facebook community about the principles which I pursue in every endeavor. But the key essence of every achievement I have made happen is that I have a positive mindset and no fear when it comes to making decisions aligned with the intentions I set. Intentions are powerful because they help you see clearly what you want to achieve. And just like when you notice something in life, you see more of that, it is the same with intentions. When you set that goal, you will immediately start to have inspired thoughts aligned with that goal and see external opportunities aligned with that intention. It's as if a radar switches on in your mind that focuses on anything related to what you set your mind to. AHA moments come from this focus. But here is where the real super fuel comes into play when wanting to make something happen. It is, you Knowing. Many people do not realize that they have a natural-born ability to Know. It is a primal instinct that we are born with, but we disconnect with the ability to connect directly with it as we grow up because many people are taught to go outside for the answers. I 100% believe that if we have the courage to go inside for the answer and outside for the support to make our goals happen, we will have a higher and faster success rate. It ensures that we do not steer off track and when we can move forward in this unwavering confidence. We need to reconnect with our natural-born ability to know, especially when it comes to pursuing intentions. It is important to embrace a growth mindset when it comes to challenges. It will mean that success is inevitable! Many people stop when the going gets tough, but when you shift your perspective towards challenges to a more positive growth mindset where challenges are embraced as opportunities to grow a little more into the person you need to be to receive the intention you set so that when you get there to that place of achieving the goal that it feels like the very next step, so natural and certain. Sometimes people become so fixated on the goal and do not understand that the journey to receiving it is just as, if not more, important than the achievement itself. And a positive perspective towards the journey is the difference between living an enjoyable and more successful life and not. I have touched on two of my principles here, Intention and Knowing. Without this insightful focus and confidence to pursue my growing intentions, I would probably be stagnant and left feeling unfulfilled. And to me, one of the saddest things for someone to get to the end of their life and realize that they have so much unfulfilled potential that they did not pursue, and by that time, it is too late. As I said earlier, it does not matter what your circumstance or financial means are at any time or even what age you are when you have a passion-filled purpose; anything is possible. When I started out, I was a mum of 4 who could only commit to investing $50 a week to build my business, and my intention was to build it into a million-dollar publishing press. I thought that it would take me 25 years, but I wanted to build a legacy. It is now 8 years later; I am a hands-on mum of 6, and I achieved my goal last year. But do you think I stopped there?! No, I have set new intentions, but I still have the same success formula, one that will serve many endeavors and one that I will share far and wide to benefit others on their success journey. To conclude, I would like to offer one little golden nugget of advice. No matter what goals you pursue, ensure that you align them with your core values because when you do, success is so much sweeter, and you will feel like the journey was worth it. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Karen! Karen Mc Dermott, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karen Mc Dermott is an award-winning publisher, multi-genre author, and TEDx Speaker. Karen realized her passion for the story after an epiphany led her to write her first novel in only 30 days. Karen has built a publishing empire and is the publisher for many well-known, best-selling authors and aspiring authors alike. She is a regular Forbes writer, and her signature book series is the Alchemy of Life Magic series. Karen is a passionate teacher and runs her publishing academy, Everything Publishing Academy, which recently won an innovation award. Her motto in life is 'When time and circumstance align, magic happens.'