Written by: Limba Veselinovikj, 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. Energy and social media algorithms. How are they connected, you wonder? They actually are very connected, and they work the same way. We all know that if you want to succeed in something, a dream, a goal, business, career, family, or anything else, you need to focus your energy. We have all heard the saying made popular since last century from the author Napoleon Hill to nowadays Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, and others that wherever focus goes, energy flows. Whatever you put your mind to focus on, you put your energy and take massive action. It starts to grow. This is how you create momentum. Well, it is the same way how algorithms work on any of the social media platforms. They all work on focus and energy. When you actively focus on one social media platform, and you start to engage in groups, you write meaningful comments, you like other people’s comments, you go live on video, you create content about your brand, either a blog or an inspirational thought, a question or anything really, you will notice that your views, likes, and followers will increase automatically. This, of course, will bring you more audience and will help your visibility, and also help your business grow if you leverage it the right way. When the algorithm sees engagement on your profile or post, it shows it to more people. Linkedin’s algorithm, for example, shows your posts to only a few people on your network, and if your posts have a lot of engagement in the first 1-2 hours, it shows it to more people. This means that the more comments, likes, shares you have, the more people will actually see your post. If you create content constantly, your profile will be shown and recommended to other people on LinkedIn. The same goes with Facebook, Facebook groups, or Instagram. Knowing this, I encourage you to first focus your energy on one (maximum two) social media platforms, and you put all your energy there (this is to get visibility and business organically) The more you engage, leave meaningful comments on people’s posts (especially people who have a big following or a lot of engagement on their post). You automatically get visibility by many people seeing your comment. The algorithm is actually working for you, not against you. It is always harder at the beginning, so do not get discouraged but keep going and be consistent. This is the key. Want to grow your visibility and your business using social media? Let’s start: Chose a suitable platform for your according to where your ideal client spends time on? Which platforms do they use frequently? What age group are they? Start to produce content daily. Answer and like every comment you get on your post. Leave meaningful comments and like posts on other people’s profiles. Be engaging, friendly, and present every single day. I am creating an interesting challenge on how to grow your business through social media step by step, so follow me to be among the first to join and experience massive results. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Limba! Limba Veselinovikj, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Limba is an Internationally Certified Business and Career Coach that helps leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, consultants, and coaches to build, grow, and scale their career or business. She uses various methods and techniques to help her clients see what is possible and be the best they can. She comes from a strong HR background for over 14 years, trainer and founder of the HrConsultico brand, and she is also the President of the Coaching Support Group in Skopje.

Written by: Claire Johnson, 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 today’s modern world, it is very common for people to say that they feel stressed out, either by someone, something or through managing multiple responsibilities. So, what is stress? It can be defined as anything that causes a physical, emotional, or physiological response which places strain on a person. Various situations or life experiences could cause someone to feel stressed, and everyone will respond differently. Triggers to stress can range from an unexpected change, undertaking something new, something that makes us feel threatened, or generally feeling like we out of control with a situation. Small amounts of stress over a short period of time can be a useful motivator when working to a tight deadline or in response to an increased workload. It should be expected to experience an amount of stress when striving to achieve success. Whilst stress is difficult to avoid altogether, it is important to learn how to manage your stress levels to maintain optimum health, focus, and productivity long term. Our ability to cope with stress varies and can depend on our previous life experience, personality, social or financial circumstances. The first signs of stress include feeling anxious, being irritable, experiencing headaches, and a mind racing with many thoughts. This can cause sleep problems, loss of appetite, and poor concentration. Your immune system can be weakened, and you may also experience digestive issues and reoccurring colds. This can affect your productivity, ability to function at your best and may result in an absence from work. From a physiological perspective, when your stress response is triggered from a physiological perspective, your body is flooded with cortisol and adrenaline, the natural stress hormones designed to put your body into action. It’s the classic fight or flight response. Your heart will beat quicker, blood pressure rises, and your breath quickens. The impact of experiencing this repeatedly over a prolonged period of time can lead to bigger health problems. If you are striving for success or pushing through a busy period, there are ways you can manage stress to maintain your health, so you can continue to be productive and achieve your goals. The first step is to take the time to calm the body down, find something that is relaxing, and allows the body to switch into the parasympathetic nervous system, in effect putting the brakes on to stress. At the end of your working day, set aside time for yourself to quiet the mind and process the events of the day. This could be reading a book, doing some meditation or breathing exercises, or a short switch off in front of the TV. Generally, try to avoid additional screen time when you are winding down. Never underestimate the power of a hot bath too! During the day, try to take breaks to walk outside, grab some fresh air and reoxygenate the body. Avoid eating at your desk so you can slow down, take time for lunch, and let it digest properly, ensuring you do not experience indigestion and maximize your nutrient absorption. As a rule, look to reduce your alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine intake as these will increase the feelings of anxiety associated with feeling stressed. Highly processed fast foods or foods full of sugar will further negatively impact your overall health and ability to handle the effects of stress on the body. The key to maintaining a high work output level is to focus on creating a healthy lifestyle that supports the stress you put your body under to achieve the goals you are working towards. Creating an overall healthier lifestyle combines regular exercise with the right eating habits plus regular sleeping patterns. You will find you can release frustrations easier, focus on a positive growth mindset more frequently, and have longevity in your chosen career pursuit. Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram. You can also visit my website. Read more from Claire! Claire Johnson, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Claire is an expert mindset, nutrition, and training coach for women, author, TV presenter, expert speaker, and female empowerment mentor. Claire is the CEO of The Naked Warrior, which delivers 3 winning online coaching programs and Founder of The Naked Warrior Tribe online female empowerment community plus the author of two books — The Winning Formula: Discover the Secrets to Unleash Your Alpha Female and The Winning Physique: How to Get the Competitive Edge on Stage.

Written by: Daniel Mangena, 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. Get there with minimum deliverables. Today I’m speaking on The Success Strategy of Baby Steps. What does this mean in practical terms? What can we actually do to implement such a strategy? Read on, and find out! Hi, I’m Daniel Mangena, best-selling author, podcast host, Wall St Journal Master of Success, and much more! I hope all is well with you and that you’re all stepping into your abundance with ease and grace. Should you be facing resistance in your endeavors, I want to give you something today to empower you to keep moving forward! One of the most powerful messages I give to my clients is that of micro-shifting and minimum deliverables. I’ve written on the subject before, but I wanted to expand on it today to reinforce your belief in your ability to realize your dreams. I suppose that I should preface this by talking about the context and why I created the process of micro-shifting in the first place. Many of my clients, or people who write to me, have the same story. They keep starting on new ventures, only to find themselves worn down over time. Pretty soon, they’re backed into an energetic cul-de-sac, feeling overwhelmed, and inevitably, they quit. What often accompanies said propensity to quit is a load of excuses, blaming unfairness; "It’s the wrong time for the industry." "I just don’t have the spare time to start a new venture." "The kids leave me so tired at the end of the day," etc. This is the conscious, dishonest rationalization of an emotionally led, subconscious decision. I know that sounds harsh, but stick with me. What’s really going on is that you have your end goal and nothing else! Let’s say that it’s a clearly defined and specific one for argument's sake (though probably not nearly enough). But that’s all you’ve got! Even if you have some supporting milestone goals, you can get your first client, make your first million, and so forth, but they’re still too much of a leap from where you are now. You’ve never known success like that! You don’t know how it feels, and more importantly: who you’d be if your dreams became your lived experience. Your subconscious knows this, and it’s not at all comfortable with the idea of such a sea change in your life. All it knows is that, thus far, who you are and where you’re at has resulted in your survival. That’ll do nicely. That’s its job, after all: to keep you alive. So when you start making inroads into your new life, before too long, you’re no doubt plagued with thoughts of the improbability of it all. How unlikely you really are to succeed. That at some point, you’re going to have to 'cut the cord' and sail out there solo, without a safety net (or at least, that’s how it feels). The kids, wife, dog, mortgage, they all come first, right? You can’t jeopardize their wellbeing or their future! Before you can say 'business account,' you’ve self-sabotaged with procrastination, imposter syndrome, and excuses. It’s a pattern that, if you’re aware of it, you’ll find throughout the rest of your life. It’s perfectly natural, and it’s a function of our prehistoric lizard brains in conflict with our evolved, rational minds. Your subconscious works at light speed, using emotional energy as its guiding programming. This is so that your basic functioning and avoidance of physical danger happens without hesitation. Touch a hot plate, and your hand is on the other side of the room before you’ve realized that it even hurt! You can not compete with that level of processing! You just can’t. With that said, how can we work with our subconscious so that it supports us in creating change rather than against us? There are lots of things that need to happen, but the first place to start is: The success strategy of baby steps! So recently, I had a new client come to me, with pretty much the same story as I’ve outlined above. I’m not singling him out. As I say: we’ve all got that story in us somewhere. He just couldn’t get his business ideas off the ground, citing all of the overwhelming, insurmountable problems that came his way whenever he tried. I asked him, “What’s your minimum deliverable, right now with the resources already at your disposal that will take you in the direction of your main goal?” He struggled for an answer, so I gave him one, go get a journal. That’s it. Just walk to the stationery store (or go on Amazon COVID-19) and procure yourself a journal in which you can log your day-to-day experiences. That is the task (baby-step/minimum-deliverable) number one! He probably thought me mad, but that’s all I wanted him to do. I didn’t expand on that. I just told him to do it and then celebrate it as a job well done. In fact: celebrate it as though you just made your end goal a reality. Go nuts! Jump around, dance, scream and shout — whatever you would physically do in that situation. Then observe the emotional and energetic response. The plan thereafter, by the way, was for him to keep the journal by his bed and achieve a minimum deliverable of journaling every night before he went to sleep. This has utility beyond simple record keeping, but more on that another time. The point is that all he was doing, every day, was delivering the minimum that he needed, with the resources available to him at the time. In buying the journal, he had resourced himself to do the next step; but he was still working within his zone of 'easily achievable.' You see, the subconscious is lightning quick, but its speed is also its weakness. Because it has to make decisions for you so quickly, it can’t waste time assessing the meritocratic weight of any given situation. It doesn’t care that buying a journal was stupidly easy for you. If you celebrate with the same emotional payoff as though you had just closed your first client or made a million dollars, it will log that experience as a positive one. This will, in turn, begin to bolster your belief system around what is possible for you. This is how the success strategy of baby steps works, by edging out your belief system. I suppose you might refer to it as your 'comfort zone,' although I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. This ever-expanding 'edge' is reinforced by the fact that you are; Never doing anything that shocks your system and overwhelms you with anxiety about the outcome. Constantly drip-feeding it with more supporting evidence so that contraction is impossible. Doing this also has a compounding effect. Having awoken your subconscious to the new notion that you have it within your remit to deliver successfully, your subconscious will begin looking out for new baby steps that you can take. You will have introduced a narrative that says, if you set out to do something, you do it! And not only that, but you do it easily. This has the power to give you exponential growth because every step is a baby step (or so your mind thinks). Much sooner than you think — you will have eradicated the limiting mindset and self-sabotaging behaviors that have dogged you in the past. Remember: There is no insignificant step if taken in the direction of a consciously chosen outcome. The energetic momentum and reinforced belief system that comes from using the success strategy of baby steps are far more likely to succeed. Not only that: but it is far more likely to succeed quicker than trying to make some heroic leap into the unknown. We can’t create abundance from a space of lack, which is what we do when we try to jump into something we don’t know. Invest your life savings (for example) in a tech start-up, and you’ll probably have a nervous breakdown. Buy a buck’s worth of Tesla stock, though, and you’ll probably think nothing of it. What’s your minimum deliverable? What can you go out and achieve for yourself, right now, with what you already have? That’s all for today. That’s my minimum-deliverable, delivered. Thank you, Brainz Magazine, for having me, and thank you dear reader, for reading this article! I trust that it has helped you. Till next time! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Daniel! Daniel Mangena, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dan Mangena is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public speaker. Recently named in the Wall St Journal as a "Master of Success," he is completely self-made and has spent decades perfecting his world-class coaching methodology. His books, podcasts, events & retreats continue to help captains-of-industry, and private individuals alike live an abundant, joyful, purpose-driven life. He offers many unique and effective free tools via his website.

Written by: Samantha Touchais, 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 did something crazy last night. Well, for me, it felt crazy, and I entered the experience with my skeptical brain fully locked on. I was invited to try a past life regression therapy session. I was hypnotized and sent on a journey back to another time when my soul had been in another body. Strange right? I went into it thinking that I would stay open-minded and see what came up and that I should not be disappointed if I didn’t see anything. I treated it as an adventure – an opportunity to travel somewhere, which I can’t do right now due to Covid. I didn’t even know if I believed in past lives! I found myself in a city that I immediately identified as London as I could see St Paul’s Cathedral in the distance. I was hiding from someone and could see myself behind a wall, waiting. At first, I didn’t know what I was waiting for, and I felt apprehensive. The therapist asked me to move the scene forward, and I was able to step out from the wall and into the sunlight, where I found myself playing chase with a young boy. I was a child, and I could see the clothing I was wearing and could feel my hair was in plaits which were bouncing around my shoulders as I ran. The therapist asked me my name and the name of the boy I was with. I was able to give him those names relatively easily, which surprised me. As I moved through that life, I faced some scary moments. I can see how these events could affect my life now. But for many scenes of that life, I felt a strong sense of being alone. I saw myself with family members at times, but there was a feeling that I had to fend for myself a lot in that life and that it toughened me up. One of the final scenes I saw was the moment that life ended. It was truly incredible, and the feelings of total peace, love, and joy that came up for me were amazing! I saw my soul leave my body and was able to look down and see my old lady self lying in the bed that I had just died in. I saw the room very clearly, and the one person who was with me. I was taken to an in-between place that I didn’t want to leave when the time came. I was greeted by three people, only one of which I could see clearly. The therapist said these were my spirit guides. I felt like old friends surrounded me. The therapist asked them questions we had agreed on before the session started, and I heard (‘felt’ might be a better word) the answers clearly. So why am I sharing this story with you? I was tempted to keep it to myself, but then the lessons from this session came up for me again this morning, and I realized that I do not need to do things alone and that it is okay to share. So here I am, feeling like I am baring my soul. But it feels right. I have, of course, asked myself if this was all my imagination (and as a writer, I have a great imagination!), but I don’t think so. I do not really know what to think, but it somehow feels real. How does this relate to the world of business and my life as a Business and Mindset coach? At first, I couldn’t see the connection, but the messages that came to me during the session were about the fact that it is okay to ask for help. I don’t need to do things alone. I pondered this after the session and then decided to meditate and see what came up. And the resounding message that I have not been able to shake is that my life purpose is to be a leader and beacon for others. The message could not have come at a better time, as I have been feeling my energy dip lately, particularly as schools are closed in France, where I live, and I am back to homeschooling again while running my coaching business. Not easy to juggle. And so, if there is anything that I have taken from last night’s experience, it is to remember that I can be the leader I see myself as being and that the necessary quality of a leader is courage. Courage to show up for people time and time again. Courage to show up on social media to share my learnings, feelings, and experiences with my audience. Courage to continue to help others as a business coach and the courage to say what I feel without fear of retribution or judgment. It is in these moments that we are often able to help others the most. I am so grateful for all the amazing messages I have received from those who have seen my social media posts and have felt their life changed because of them. And the wonderful clients I have the privilege of working with. Many people have contacted me to say that they love to read my posts and appreciate my wisdom (their words, not mine!). And so I am going to continue showing up and sharing and being the leader I always knew I could be. You can find Samantha on her website , wellbeingseries , Facebook , Instagram , and Linke dIn ! Read more from Samant ha ! Samantha Touchais, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Samantha Touchais is a Business and Mindset Coach helping women create a safe and secure path to launching their dream business by providing them with the support and tools to make it a success. She has over 20 years of marketing and strategy experience working for large international companies worldwide. Her love of how the mind works and how to create the right mindset for success led her into coaching. She lives and breathes marketing and mindset and loves sharing her learnings with others. Author of four books and the creator of the Well Being Series (a collection of apps and books that provide meditations and affirmations for well-being based on the latest neuro-science), she loves exploring Europe, where she has been for the last 14 years but misses the beaches of her native Australia.

Written by: Dilys Brighty-Schmidt, 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. How to tap into your inner wisdom for well-being and the ability to understand what your truth is! Meanings: Pearl: Pearl - Spiritual meaning: Pearls represent wisdom gained through experience. Wisdom: The quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgment. Experience and good judgment in our lives, therefore, accounts for a great deal, as does knowledge of how we deal with those experiences and the judgments we make from that knowledge. Perhaps, we do not always make the best outcome for ourselves all of the time, but hopefully, we put those negative experiences into our book of wisdom, so that if we were once again confronted with a judgment-call on a similar situation, we have the knowledge to create a different outcome? One that would not degrade our integrity or our belief in self! So how can we create our “Pearls of Wisdom,” even at an early age, so that we are not on a continuous repeat of behaviors and habits that we know do not serve us well? How do we push past the feeling of being stuck in a holding pattern, even when our “inner wisdom” knows the answer, but we refuse to acknowledge what we know to be true, staying in our comfort zone of repeating the same behavior over and over again? This is not wisdom, but a repeat behavior that ultimately brings no positive outcome in the long term. Of course, there are myriads of examples of repeat behaviors and habits that only make us “stuck” in a position that can be frustrating and stressful. So, how do we tap into our “Pearls of Wisdom” to create the best outcome in any situation that helps us in being healthy, wise, and knowledgeable about what we want for ourselves? Does that sound selfish? Not at all, in fact, tapping into your “Pearls of Wisdom” not only helps create the life you want, but it also helps family, friends and colleagues know you better and respect your boundaries. In effect, showing up for yourself! One of the best ways to initiate your wisdom is to trust yourself. The truth is we are our own best experts when it comes to our own life. If we fall into the trap of doubting ourselves and not trust our own wisdom, it can create more stress, deplete our energy both mentally and physically, and undermine our own well-being. Asking yourself, which activities or people give you energy, versus depleting your energy? Or, perhaps knowing which movement feels good for your body, and understanding when you have reached your limit, when it’s time to rest, and how to release stress. It can take time to tap into that emotional intelligence, especially if we are swayed in our decisions by others, no matter how well-meaning. Making the right decisions for yourself and letting those feelings flourish need to be nourished and attended to. Allowing your wisdom to flourish is very important! The messages may seem subtle in the beginning, but over time they will grow substantially, making it difficult to miss them. Taking the time out of your day to relax and un-busy your mind is very important. When we are relaxed and our minds quiet, our genius emerges, as well as our loving intelligence. In essence, we make better decisions. Success is 75% of who we are being (our authentic selves.) Creating your own space to relax your mind and body, taking the stress away from your day. Remember - your story reflects your biology. Fear or stress, when it is chronically felt and experienced, slows metabolism, increases depression, and influences our own well-being. Simply said - your biography, or your story creates your biology. Ask yourself, “what is the story you identify with?” Is it an empowering story, or a wounded story, one of self-doubt and fear? Relaxing and refreshing your mind allows you to let go of self-judgment, the inner critic, and repeat behaviors. So how can you start to help yourself understand and implement your “Pearls of Wisdom?” The questions below are to help you understand where you are at this moment: What negative thoughts hold you back from your life, or from loving yourself? What is one area of your life where you would like to create something new? What do you need to let go in order to create that something new? What do you need to forgive in order to fully let go, so that you claim your power? What new perspective can you have about yourself or your life that will give you the freedom to grow? What new attitude can you adopt that supports your best life? Just by answering the above questions helps you understand your own “Pearls of Wisdom,” where you are at this moment, and the areas in your life which need change, more nourishment and more commitment. Helping you grow and achieve, using your best judgment calls and wisdom. Remember, you are your own best expert and transformation begins with you! I hope this article resonates with some of you, and you take away some empowering ideas of tapping into your own “Pearls of Wisdom?” I look forward to hearing about your own experiences and how you have helped yourself tap into listening and trusting in yourself to make good decisions that have enhanced your life. Thank you for reading. Dilys Brighty-Schmidt Transformational Health and Life Coach Follow me on Instagram, Linkedin and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dilys! Dilys Brighty-Schmidt, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Dilys Brighty-Schmidt is a Transformational Health and Life Coach, who is dedicated to helping women 50+ and beyond achieve success in their health, fitness and life situations, that need change, more commitment and nourishment. Her coaching also includes programs in Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Health, two major health problems that increase with age. Through her previous work as a diet consultant for over six years, with a brand diet company in the USA, she realized how difficult it was for many clients to sustain their weight loss or reach their goals. Health and Life Coaching has given her that much-needed knowledge to help her clients understand that lifestyle changes, as well as habits and behavior changes, are instrumental in their success. Her mantra is “Transformation Begins With You”

Written by: Linda Payton Thompson, 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. Listed are helpful tips to have in place before setting goals. 1. We must have a positive mindset. Let go of the old way and things that did not work. 2. You must believe that what you want or desire will come true. 3. There is a must to remove all negative thoughts, fears, doubts and toxic people. 4. Seeing it before it manifests. Visualize it. 5. It must be your goal and not someone else. Whatever works for one might not work for you. 6. Ask the number one question, Why do I want this? What is my motive? 7.Put a feeling behind the why, how will you feel when you get it? 8. Dream Big! 2020 is gone and never to return. We can revisit the disappointment and successes to see what is needed to do better or improve this year. Do not look at missed accomplishments as a failure. There is a time for everything. Goals are what we want to accomplish or desire. The plans are the action steps to take to make it happen. The thing that is needed to do between the waiting and the end results should be laser-focused . . When setting goals, we are reminded of the smart method. Goals are to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and Timely according to the S.M.A.R.T method. Specific means that goals are not broad or general but aim for a specific target or desire. example Goal - I will lose twenty pounds by April 2021 so that I can wear my beautiful bathing suit on vacation, and I will be so excited. I will reduce the sugar intake, snacks and work out at least two or three times a week. General Goal- I will lose weight this year. This goal has no specific purpose. Goals should be short in order to see small successes such as daily, monthly, six months, yearly and five years. Goals should be written down clearly. You must have a vision with goals and see it already happened. Let's do a visualization: Take a deep breath in and out. Let out the negative and breathe in the positive. Let go of any self-doubt and fear. I suggest you record this visualization and get in a quiet place and do it. Close your eyes, picture one thing that you desire, it can be love, peace, joy, more clients, a happy home, more finances, etc. See yourself with it now. Now think of why you want it and lastly think how you will feel when you see or get it. Is it a feel of joy, happiness? peace or excitement. Now open your eyes. Write down your feelings and if it is of gratitude, then be sure to write that down too. Goals written should pertain to Family, Business, Finances, Health and fitness, personal relationships, spirituality, fun time, career, just to name several. Each goal should be in a category by itself with separate action steps and plans. You can also put any barriers or challenges you might face that will be resolved. Remember to put your why and the emotion to feel when you get it. Goals should not be lumped together. example. I want more time with family, more clients, a vacation, and to lose weight this year. It is vital to have a trusted, reliable person as a check-in or accountability partner. This is someone who can contact you weekly or monthly to see your process. My friend Sylvia Chapman and Betty Benton are two who I check in with weekly to let them know how I am doing with my projects and my wellness. I treasure their input because I know they want me to stay focused and balanced. I also host a weekly ladies fellowship small for my church that we pray and check in on each other on zoom. This started prior to the Pandemic. When a goal is accomplished, you should always reward yourself with something special. Remember that when setting goals, we must see them , believe them , and declare them daily with affirmations. Remember to set goals that are tailor-made for your mission and purpose. The key to your success is celebrating others who have accomplished some of the things that you are trying to accomplish. There is no need to be envious or jealous of anyone. Speak positive things over your life and future, and the results will be remarkable. Goals are beneficial as a guide and road map to where you want to go. However, setting goals is not enough ; we have to TAKE ACTION! Write out your plans and resources to get you to your desired results. Goals keep us focused. Action steps are the road map to getting what you desire. I hope that you will apply some of the tips in this article if you are not already doing it and I hope that you did find one new thing to practice. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn or visit my website for more info! Linda Payton Thompson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Linda P Thompson empowers, inspires, and encourages women and individuals to live the best life possible by removing challenges and roadblocks which hinders in life. She is an Author Speaker, Certified Health and Life Coach. She was nominated in 2018 by her coworkers and awarded at her retirement luncheon, the Old North State Award from the North Carolina Governor's Office for her twenty-seven years of service for Public Health social work and community volunteerism. She continues to serve and spread messages of hope, positivity and wholeness through speaking using her two present books and her collaborative book with Women Speaker Association to launch February 2021. Her books are Jealousy or Envy: Is There A Killer in You? -Stop The War Within and Be Set Free. Her second book is Speak Positively and Expect The Victory -Words of Wisdom. She has years of experience serving moms, families, teenagers, domestic violence survivors, parenting groups and relationship development. Her Program is called Partner Of Positive Change.

Written by: Jenn Drakes, 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 got an idea. You took steps to implement that idea. And now you’re running a business of one or more people. You’re shouldering responsibilities to yourself, staff, family, and banker. Depending upon the type, size, and form of the business, that responsibility could also include suppliers, partners, lenders, and potential shareholders. Yes, you’ve got responsibilities. Money is flowing, and growth is seen, which justifies you working long hours to keep things that way. After all, if you’re following tradition, you’re in business to make money. We all are – aren’t we? So, the day starts, and before you know it, the day ends. Where has all the time gone? That is the usual question we pose when we look up and realize the sun has set and we’re still at our desk. More so, we probably have one or two more tasks to complete before we feel we can leave that desk. Many business owners and entrepreneurs will be able to relate to the above. Yet, the above is not necessarily a good situation. Sure, the business is making money, and it seems to have growth capability, but what is the foundation those things are occurring upon? Lots of water flowing against some shorelines creates floods. Money flowing into a business does not mean fertile circumstances for the longevity of that business. Working long hours is also an indicator of probable inefficiency at play. The strong foundation of a business starts with the creation of three team tiers. The first tier I call the Oversight Team. This team will have deep business knowledge and connections. The second tier I call the Vision Team, and the third tier I call the Execution Team. The Vision Team dreams life into the business. They are centered and contained by the other teams who support the business with structure, which includes strategy and tactics. These strategies and tactics give the business and the Vision Team discipline. They can continue to source inspiration, perculate ideas, explore opportunities, and innovate. The Execution Team knows how to get things done. They are hands-on tacticians, creative, and will have the specialized knowledge required to implement what is needed. Business school teachings formalize traditional approaches to running a company. Except that entrepreneurs who form ideas and run with those ideas to make money are not necessarily doing so with Harvard Business School in their back pocket. Perhaps some are, but I believe most are hustling, attending some webinars, or listening to podcasts and are winging it to start but have the amazing spirit of figuring it out along the way. Those who are persistent end up with a running business, having some level of cash flow, long working hours, and company responsibilities that do not afford them much “me time” or time to instill sustainable structures. More so, as long as the money flows, many do not or cannot stop to see that they are at risk. That means when unforeseen things arise, like a pandemic, the weak foundations come to light and, as we have seen, many crumble. Shows such as Shark Tank have built their popularity on the very entrepreneurs I’m writing about here. I champion that entrepreneurial spirit, except for the one reality within it. Family, money, lifestyle, and health are at risk. Money flowing does not mean that risk is managed. You must use the money flowing in to create the necessary sustainability. You must use the money flowing in to give you breathing room for more ideology. You must use the money flowing in to create more flow. In future articles, I will break down each team, but for now, it’s important to understand that the business owner usually fits best in the Vision Team. That team should be supplemented by others who support the original idea and can further expand it. Remember, the Vision Team births ideas and works with both the Oversight and Execution teams to bring the ideas to life. Studies reinforce that not having the right team is one of the top 3 reasons businesses close, especially startups. Traditional business teachings tell us when forming our teams to have an accountant, a lawyer, and a banker. On the internet, we see more added to the list like an insurance advisor. All the above is absolute, but there is yet another to add. Every business should seek out having an advocate, a coach/mentor as part of their core team. Now, these professionals have specialties, so finding the right one is no different from finding the right accountant, yet it must be done. Perhaps more than one is needed. Advocates/coaches/mentors like myself take an interest in what you do and how you do it, and we are truly able to accelerate your business. Why? Because unlike you, we don’t have the emotional ties, and we don’t have your responsibilities. So, we can forensically and objectively look at your intentions and correlate those with your operations to holistically see gaps and issues. We are experts at problem-solving, streamlining, and creating efficiencies. We are also experts at formulating strategies with associated tactics. Our reach is also such that we can make meaningful and impactful connections at critical trigger points, and we come armed with growth mindsets to advise, guide, and lead. More importantly, we save you money and time, and we do so by making you more money. For sure, the business is doing good when money is flowing in, but here is the thing, you did not go into business to do good business. You are doing the long hours, you are hustling, you are making the sacrifices to do big business, and big business means doing better. Doing better means having a sustainable team structure for longevity, and it means being able to weather big storms. It means working smarter, and it means nourishing the initial vision to become the holistic life-blood of the enterprise you build. Here is the even greater reality: you are not building a business, you are building a life. So, as a Life Advocate and Accelerator, I am fully qualified to advise and encourage you to stop thinking small, and go big. Follow me on Facebook , connect with me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jenn! Jenn Drakes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jenn is a mom, serial entrepreneur, and life advocate who hosts the podcast Arrays of Living . She is also creator and co-host of the Get Awesome show, author of the book Aladdin Carpets — change your perspective, change your life. In addition to Brainz Magazine, she is a Featured Author on Plumose.co for her poetry and stories and Contributing Author on Boss Ladies Mindset. Jenn is a hidden gem in a desert of gems, and her personality and presence forever change everyone who discovers her. Over the years in working with youths and young adults, she was crowned The Original Goddess to acknowledge the shared feeling that "Jenn is wise beyond her years. I find her to be almost an "old soul" type of spirit." Her voice and writings are powerful, impactful, and life-changing because they trigger thought and promote tantalizing, intelligent conversations. Today, she uses that wisdom to shatter glass ceilings and power up the purpose she believes everyone holds within. It is a belief that is foundationally based on all of us being born with a gift and a responsibility to use and share that gift to achieve sustainable happiness. Her mission is to improve how people feel about themselves and empower their sense of self-worth to achieve more personally and professionally than they imagined.

Written by: Naiyer Qureshi, 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. During these challenging times, it is important to have ways of calming our minds. You may already be meditating, going for a run, a session at the gym, walking, yoga, reading, listening to music, long chats with good friends (my favorite), and so on. I would like you to consider journaling as an addition to any of the above. There is something about the action of writing on a blank page that is soothing and very reflective when you have the courage to write without limits. Presidents, Prime Ministers, famous figures past and present have all journaled. "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train." — Oscar Wilde, Playwright. Brain scans show that many areas of the brain work in tandem during the act of writing, creating strong neural connections. Journaling activates introspection, and it is a means of: examining our beliefs and motivations processing our stress and emotions organizing our thoughts gaining perspective a way to plan and reflect on goals boost creativity bring unconscious thoughts to light to be worked on Numerous research has shown the brain benefits from handwriting. We learn better and faster by writing things down rather than typing. We access the left brain when we write, which is analytical and rational. Whilst your left brain is busy, your right brain is free to create, feel, and tune into intuition. When you write with an open mind and no limits, you remove mental blocks and use all of your brain to better understand yourself, others, and the world around you. The following are some of the benefits you can begin to experience when you start to journal throughout your day. Stress Relief Writing about anger, sadness, and other painful emotions helps to release the intensity of these feelings. You are rewiring your brain for calmness during painful moments. When we put our feelings into words, we reduce the amygdala's response, the ‘fight/flight’ region of the brain, and activate our prefrontal region, our logical part of the brain. This region will look at the memories associated with these emotions and decide which are relevant for you to recall. Your brain will help you process using emotional wisdom, intuition, and logical thinking to behave and respond to these emotions. Reduced Anxiety Studies have shown that expressive writing frees up cognitive resources that worrying takes up. Tasks take longer and are possibly not executed to a high standard due to using up finite energy to suppress your worries. Remember that your brain utilizes 20-30% of the body’s energy, most of which your pre-frontal cortex needs for executive function. Taking a few minutes to write down your thoughts and emotions will quickly get you in touch with your internal world, giving you perspective and clarity. Learning & Memory Journaling is an effective way to study and acquire new knowledge. The reason is that writing by hand stimulates a part of the brain called RAS, or the Reticular Activating System. The RAS prioritizes what requires your immediate focus and what needs to be filtered out. Writing activates your RAS to process knowledge into your memory. If you want to stimulate your child’s brain, ask them to write down the words they are learning rather than just reading them! Evidence also shows that we retain a lot more information into our brain when we handwrite notes rather than on our phones or laptops. Our motor cortex is stimulated at a deeper level. What is also evident in both adults and children is that taking notes does enhance memory. Helps You Sleep A good night’s sleep has numerous benefits for your brain. Research from Baylor University’s Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition laboratory shows the benefit of writing down that to-do list at bedtime. Electrical brain activity was monitored overnight by a group of University students. One half wrote down what they needed to remember to do the next day, and the other half wrote down tasks that they had completed in recent days. Those who wrote out a to-do list fell asleep faster than those who had journaled about completed tasks. In other words, get your lists out of your head and on to paper and go to sleep. Most people tend to journal before they sleep. "The habit of writing for my eyes is good practice. It loosens the ligaments." —Virginia Woolf. A few more nuggets! Regular journaling is a means to know yourself better. It will help you to understand what makes you feel happy and confident. You will also see patterns/triggers of stress, including the toxic people and situations that are the cause. Your emotional well-being is so important, and these insights are invaluable. Reading your journal will give you a progress report of successes and challenges faced and motivate you to continue pushing forward. The neural changes and the feel-good hormones associated with journaling will make it a habit that you look forward to. There is no right or wrong way to begin journaling. Write when it feels right for you. You could start with a daily gratitude note- jot down 5-10 things you are grateful for in your life and why. Practicing gratitude increases density in your pre-frontal cortex and releases dopamine and serotonin, making you feel good. Progress on to writing more. You will know what you wish to focus on, write instinctively, without thinking too much about the ‘should’ of your writing. There are no rules whether you decide to write one sentence every day or have a more structured approach, bullet points, or copious notes, whether you do it daily or intermittently. The challenge is to start! Make some time in your diary, add it to your calendar. Having a dedicated time and place along with a gorgeous journal will help to turn journaling into a beautiful and powerful habit of introspection. "Paper is to write things down that we need to remember. Our brains are used to think." — Albert Einstein. For more info, follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Naiyer! Naiyer Qureshi, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Naiyer Qureshi is a certified NeuroCoach based in London, the UK. Drawing on over 20 years in the retail sector, she works with ambitious entrepreneurs, busy professionals, and business leaders who value personal development, people who know they’re capable of achieving so much more and want to put strategies and structures in place to take their achievements to the next level. She studied and completed The Coaching Academy’s Coach Training Programme, the world’s leading training provider. Her study of Neuroscience Coaching and Leadership from the Optimind Institute underpins everything she does. Specialisms include Neuro Spirituality, Neuro Health, Neuro Relationships, and Neuro Entrepreneurship. Her early career as a pharmacy technician instilled in her the importance of taking a rigorous scientific approach, with close attention to detail, accuracy, and a results-based methodology.

Written by: Sarah Jones, 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 is nothing more demoralizing, demotivating, and—let’s face it—downright depressing than feeling like you’ve outgrown your job. Perhaps it’s simply that the honeymoon period has ended, or it’s a quiet, dull period, or maybe you’re just burnt out. Some jobs can be improved upon with a solid break, some diplomatic communication, and a bit of initiative. But sometimes, it truly is just time to make a change. A career switch can be intimidating, and as painful as a bad breakup, but it can also be an immense opportunity for growth. Countless celebrities have garnered success with a swift career change. Just look at ex-carpenter Harrison Ford, or Brad Pitt, who drove a limo and could sometimes be found dressed as a giant chicken outside El Pollo Loco. And long ago, a bouncer called Francis at a specific Buenos Aires nightclub would have called you crazy if you’d told him that he’d one day be the Pope of the Catholic Church. A career change can take you places you never even imagined. The truth is, you won’t know until you make that leap. But before attempting such a big life change, it’s wise to know exactly how you feel about your current job—whether improvements are possible, or whether it’s simply time to move on. So, how can you be sure it’s the right time for a change? 1. Your body is no longer co-operating If you fee l consistently run down and fatigued, this may be your body calling out for change. Stress can cause headaches, frequent colds, and infections. You might even suffer from insomnia or heaviness in the limbs. While these symptoms aren’t specifically associated with an unhappy career, they are signs that something needs to change. 2. The psychological spiral Ennui can get the best of all of us, especially in a repetitive job. That feeling of resignation can spiral into a depressive state, and suddenly you’re dreading going to work, heavily depending on coping mechanisms to get through the day, and no longer enjoying your regular passions and hobbies. If you’re plagued by a vague feeling of boredom, apathy, and listlessness for months on end—it’s time for a career switch. 3. A crushed self-esteem A surefire sign that you need a change is a sudden lack of confidence in your skills, expertise, and decision making. You may feel insecure about your role, or sense your colleagues and supervisors no longer trust you. Whether it’s true, or simply a projection, we need to know that we are valued for doing our best work. No one can succeed with their self-esteem in the gutter. Everyone deserves a supportive working environment, where our skills are validated, and we can feel we are making a difference. 4. You’re not quite yourself these days An unhappy career makes it difficult to focus, affecting your job performance no matter how hard you try. Signs of discontent can manifest as a need to complain all the time, arguing with your boss or coworkers, crying in the bathroom, bringing work-related stress home, or just a general resentment towards your workplace. Not only are these behaviors affecting the work, but they have a negative impact on your loved ones, your colleagues, and, most importantly, on yourself. Life is too short to spend your days bitter, lost, burnt out, and under duress. If you can barely recognize yourself anymore, do yourself (and everyone else) a favor by broadening your horizons and trying something new. 5. Your values are not aligned to your workplace In a perfect world, our principles wouldn’t get in the way of our careers. Alas, we are human, with a sense of integrity and deeply ingrained values. Disillusionment with the ethics and culture of your workplace or organization can have a painful impact on your sense of self and overall wellbeing. Many of us have to believe in what we’re doing to do it well. We need a sense of purpose and meaning to stay motivated. So, if you’ve found yourself hating the system, it’s wise to move on so you can find an environment that aligns with your principles. 6. You see no future for yourself in your current career Do you sense your career isn’t going anywhere? Is there a lack of potential for upward mobility in your workplace? A dead-end job can be incredibly discouraging and demotivating. We need to know our investments will pay off. If there’s no room to move up, it’s time to move on. 7. You’re still reading this article. Well, the bad news is you hate your job. The good news is now you know! And now you can do something about it. There’s a world of possibility out there, with a wide range of work cultures and potential for growth and exploration. Your dream career is out there, waiting to be discovered. If you want to help to improve your virtual influence and gravitas, contact me at sarah@sarah-j.com or visit www.sarah-j.com to book a free call! Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram ! Read more from Sarah! Sarah Jones, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sarah Jones - Published author, speaker, accredited personal & executive coach helps motivated, ambitious professionals & executives improve their career, find a new career, and help teams accelerate success & performance. Due to significant early challenges in her own life, Sarah has always been tenacious, entrepreneurial & unafraid to speak her mind. At times being the only woman in the boardroom amongst international corporations in her early 30s, she is a beacon of strength for leaders and individuals. In Sarah’s former career, she was a leader in corporate affairs but founded Sarah-J Coaching to help individuals & leaders become their personal best in life and their careers. She is dubbed the phrase 'regroup, reboot, and reinvent' - a three-step change process - having helped to pull out individuals from the trenches & into their own spotlight through her transformative and action-based coaching approach. Her book ‘From Vulnerable to Invincible’ helps readers identify how to step into their challenges, reframe & learn, to launch themselves to success. She also regularly contributes to the media such as BBC, The Guardian & Sky. She regularly speaks and has delivered empowering talks for Pearson Business School and Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Written by: Mikaela Contreras , 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. Did you know what you wanted to do when you were 18? Did you know what your core values were when you were 18? Did you know what motivated you at 18? Did you have enough life experience to make the best career decision for you at 18? Most of us would answer “no” to all of these. But the fact is, most of us are no more than 18-20 when we are expected to make decisions about our career. No matter if you are going straight into the workforce or choosing a university degree, you are making a decision or indecision that will affect your career for the foreseeable future. Our decision process is also often influenced by external circumstances. It might be influenced by convenience or chance, by pressure from your family or your friends. Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise that many of us are re-evaluating our career decisions after a decade of running around in a job that we’re no longer passionate about. You might be feeling that your life energy is slowly draining away for each morning that you have to log on to your work laptop. You might be feeling so bored that you wish that you could be anywhere, literally anywhere but in that meeting room. You might be feeling like a failure because you think that you should be further ahead in your career, but you just can’t find the energy and motivation to go the extra mile. So you are entertaining the idea of making a change. But how? And what? And where? Perhaps you have been working on your CV and are throwing it in all directions, hoping that it might stick somewhere. Perhaps you have started an online course to try something else. Perhaps you are scrolling through jobs on LinkedIn on your morning commute. But most of us are going about a career change the wrong way. How can you start looking for new opportunities if you are unclear about your values and vision? The first step has to be this. It’s what I call, look inwards. Look inwards is the first and crucial step when entertaining a career shift. Make the time and put in the effort of exploring your own core values and believes. What do you stand for? What are your deepest desires? What is truly important to you? Clarify what you love doing and what actually motivates you. Here are some ways you can explore this: Think of a day when you came home excited about your achievements for the day – what did you do? What got you so excited? Who were you with? Write it down! What is it about your current career that is so soul-sucking? Is it the environment? The people? The tasks themselves? The industry? Clarify what it is you don’t like about your current situation. And then do the opposite. What do you actually like about where you are? Do you like the industry but not the people? Do you like the people but not your tasks? I’m sure there is something that you would like to keep. Who are you career-jealous of? Jealousy is a great indication of what you want. Use it as a direction! What do you get energy from? As an extrovert, I get energy from spending time with people. I’m most productive and happy when I have people around me. When I have to sit alone for a long period of time, my energy levels decline, and my motivation wavers. Explore what is true to you. What is your motivator? Is it chasing a bonus? Is it helping others? Is it regular recognition? Is it short deadlines? Recognize what drives you. It will play an important role in your next move. Once you are clear about your internal desires, values, and motivators, the next important step is to look long-term. Look long-term is essential if you want to make the right decisions. Before you run into the next thing, ask yourself how this will fit into your long-term vision. How will you know that you have made the right decision if you don’t know where you’re going? Ask yourself what you want to be remembered for and how you can make your imprint on the world – big or small. Use your dream as a guiding star to set your intentions at the moment. Before you jump ship, clarify which destination you’re trying to get to. Once you know what you want and where you want to go, it’s time for the third step, look to your present. An important part of attracting the right opportunities is to show up in a way that makes you appealing. This is very hard to do when you are over-worked, de-motivated, worried and anxious, uninspired, and want to crawl into bed with a bucket of ice cream. Therefore, creating more joy in your current situation is an undervalued step that greatly impacts how you show up in the world. Here are a few things you can do: Write down everything that is bothering you on post-it notes. Then sort them into 3 piles (Can Control, Can Influence, Cannot influence). Now throw away the pile that says “Cannot influence” and stop wasting energy on it. Look at your two other piles and start making plans for how you can influence these to create a better situation for you. This will help you put your energy in the right place. You know the saying, “you cannot control what happens to you but how you react to it.” Well, it’s true, so how can you shift your perspective in difficult situations? Try taking on a positive outlook even if it’s hard. A way to do this is to write down everything you are grateful for every morning before heading to work. Spend more time in “flow state.” You know you’re in a flow start when you’re so captivated by a task that time and space disappear. “The happiest people are not the ones who achieve the most. They are the ones who spend more time in a state of flow”. Create good habits. Sounds easy and obvious, but sometimes we need a reminder. I used to rush into work on a cramped tube sniffing someone’s armpit, arriving at the office grumpy, annoyed, and sweaty. Instead, I started to walk to work through Hyde Park, and even if it took more than double my commuting time and it rained most mornings, I showed up to work energized, happy, and more pleasant. It set the tone for my whole day! Now when you have clarified your desires and dreams and created a more joyful present, it’s finally time to look outwards. This is where you can start looking at opportunities and options aligned with your first 2 steps. This is normally the first and only step people rush into when they are unhappy with their current career, but I claim that you are not ready to pursue this step until you completed the first 3. The job market has changed a lot in recent years. Just uploading a CV and cross your fingers is rarely enough these days. Here are some tips on additional actions that you can take to improve your chances: If you are happy with your company but not your tasks, the first thing you can do is to explore options where you are. There are multiple benefits to this. People know you, so they are more likely to give you a chance even if you don’t have the exact experience they are looking for. You already know the process, procedures, and the industry so that you can pick up a new role easier. And you know that you are aligned with the company values already. Therefore, exploring projects, internal roles, and other teams in your current company can be your best shot if you want to do something new. Research! You should know what kind of companies and industries you are interested in by now (if you completed the first steps). Stay updated about news, follow key people in the industry and connect with relevant people on LinkedIn. This will make you stand out from other candidates once a role comes up since you can show your interest and awareness of their company/industry. Build your personal brand on LinkedIn. It’s not as scary as it sounds. There is a flood of free information on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile. By spending a few minutes, a few days a week on the platform, engaging with relevant people’s and businesses’ content, you will already be on their mind when an opportunity arrives. It doesn’t have to take much of your time! Ask your friends and friends’ friends to refer you if they work in places you are interested in. Most of us hesitate to ask for help, but most of us are more than happy to give it. The benefit of this is that your friends can describe you in a way that a CV never will. By following this 4 step process, you are increasing your chances of finding a career filled with joy and purpose, and you will learn and grow on the way! Developing your career takes patience and commitment. Rome was not built in a day as they say, and that is true about your career as well. It will require discipline and dedication from you. If you deeply desire a career change but don’t know where to start and how to go about it and need some accountability, then a career coach is your best strategy. If you are interested in learning more about what it is and how it works, please feel free to connect with me and I can explain further. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Mikaela Contreras, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mikaela is a career development and leadership coach who works with women who are living the international life. Mikaela is Swedish, has lived and worked in 5 countries herself and is currently based in Abu Dhabi. She is using her 10 years of experience in Talent Acquisition and Talent Development to help women in international environments to explore their true vision, purpose and desires and to overcome any internal and external blockers to pursue them. Her mission is simple: For every woman to feel purpose and joy in her professional life!

Written by: Caroline Murphy , 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. Whilst owning your own business can be many things, exhilarating, profitable, exhausting, repetitive, it is never boring. However, many business owners can feel that whilst they may love the work they produce, running a business can be hard, and very often, it can feel like the business is running them. So, what can a business owner do to have more control in their business? So many business owners start in business because they are good at creating something or they are highly skilled in their career working for someone else. But this does not mean that they will naturally be good at running a business involving this creativity or skill. There are many skills and processes in business that must be learned for the business to survive. So, here are some things you can do to change how you run your business so that it is working for you and not the other way around. Remember: These are three tips, not an exhaustive list. 1) What is YOUR Version of Success? You need to define YOUR version of success, and the keyword here is YOUR. Not your spouse or partner, not your parents, siblings, friends, social media, or the man on the street. It’s YOUR version. What does the successful version of your business look like to you? Do you sell your product locally, nationally, or internationally? Do you have lots of employees or just a few or just you? Do you only want to work a couple of days a week, or are you happy to work more? This is the fun part where you get to imagine, dream, and vision your future. This work is vital, though, because how do you start and go on a journey if you do not know where you want to go? How will you make any business decision if you cannot consider? How will it impact your end goal? You do not need to know every step of how to get to your version of success at this stage, that work will follow, but you do need to know where you want to go. 2) Do, Review, Plan, and Repeat There comes a time when the dreaming and visioning have to stop (for now anyway), and the doing has to start. You can only achieve your success by actually doing. Once you have done a task, a sale, or an event, you need to review it. Here it is important to make sure that you have your metrics done. For example, how many social media followers did you have before the task, and how many do you have now? What was your customer feedback, where are your opportunities for improvement? Then you plan how to do it better the next time. Very rarely, if ever, does a business get it 100% correct in the beginning, and experience is truly a great teacher. It is a continuous process of doing it, reviewing it, planning how to do it better, and doing it again until you get it so right that your customer experience is consistently great, your product or service is consistently brilliant, and you are being paid consistently at a price you are very happy with. Only by doing will you know what works for your business. We can all be afraid of the unknown and afraid to put that part of ourselves and business out there to the real world if people don’t like it or it doesn’t work or sell. Or worst of all, failure! But imagine what a dis-service you might be doing to the world, your local community, your customer if your business did not exist? What experiences, service products, memories people wouldn’t have if you were not in business. So, unless you actually get out of your comfort zone and keep doing, reviewing, planning, doing, reviewing, planning, then how will you ever achieve that version of your success and create a business that works for both you and your customers. It may not be easy but stick with it, and it will be worth it. If you need more inspiration to keep trying and doing, check out Oprah Winfrey's story or Walt Disney or Tomas Eddison. And remember the quote, “What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?” – Erin Hanson 3) Know Your Figures, Know Your Figures. This is such an important aspect of running a business, and yet many business owners shy away from it or leave it to the accountant to deal with. This is usually because it may not be something that comes very naturally to business owners, but it is a skill that they must become more comfortable with. You may be excellent at producing a product or providing a service, but not how to produce a set of accounts. But don’t worry, whilst you don’t need to be a financial wizard, you do need to know the basics, and you do need to have an understanding of where your business is now, today. Going to your accountant with invoices and receipts for last year’s trading won’t help you know where your business is today. That information is historic. So, what should you do? Be aware of your business’s costs. The cost of absolutely everything, not just the obvious like premises, raw material, packaging, employees’ wages, but also the hidden and sometimes forgotten costs like utilities, insurance, delivery costs, profits, and your wages. So many small business owners forget to include their wages as part of their business costs. It is vital that you get paid, as probably one of the main reasons you went into business was to be better off financially. Other important habits to develop are regularly checking your actual prices against your costs, your actual sales figures against your predicted ones, keeping an eye on cash flow, and having processes for collecting money and paying suppliers. Knowing your figures and your financial status will have a much stronger foundation for building your business and its future. There will be no nasty surprises, and you will feel more in control and more confident. These are only 3 tips to help you be more in control of your business, and there are many more, but this is a good place to start. If you want to learn more, I am running a FREE workshop on Thursday 15th April 2021 at 1 pm to help business owners think more like a REAL BOSS and have their version of success. For more info, follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn ! Caroline Murphy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Caroline, is a straight talking and practical Business Mentor & Coach. Through running her own Award Winning Business she now helps other Business Owners to define what their version of Success looks like and helps them to develop a Roadmap to get there. She is a true Champion of all her clients and believes that we can all live the life of our dreams!! Contact her today to see how she can help you live your dream life.

Written by: Rita Hurry, 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. Dealing with everyday stress Stress is on the increase around the globe. Instead of decreasing every year, it increases as more and more people struggle with staying on top of routine things in life. If you are struggling right now, it is important not only to recognize it early but to get proactive in dealing with it head-on. How do you do this? Simply meditate. Now you are probably thinking, “but I don’t have time for meditation,” and yes, maybe this is the case, but this attitude is what has led you to being stressed right now. You cannot neglect your health. Stress is the number one factor of all severe and terminal illnesses. Each minute that you stay stressed, you are increasing the stress hormone Cortisol in the body. Too much of this hormone will weaken the immune system and your ability to fight off any infections you may encounter. This is why it is important to bring your stress levels down and focus on building a healthy body and mind system so you can stay productive both at work and in play. Make Meditation your ‘go-to’ remedy for stress. So now you know why it is important to keep stress levels down. It’s time to make time in your diary for meditation. Once you begin the journey and begin a regular routine, it becomes easier and easier to continue and reap the benefits it brings. You don’t have to dedicate hours to meditation. If you do a minimum of 10 minutes each day, you will still feel and reap the benefits it brings. One of the beautiful things about meditation is that every time you do it, for any length of time, you will feel the after-effects in your life. It creates a shift, not only in various situations in your life but also in dealing with things. You will notice that you can think more clearly and feel more in control of everyday situations that once knocked you down. You will also notice that your relationships with others will change, and therefore those people and those things that used to stress you out before no longer do. I could go on for ages on the benefits of meditation resulting from a regular practice, but that would be a pretty lengthy read! But I want you to know that meditation has to become one of your daily routines to be a healthier, happier, and more productive person in life. Make it a part of your day like cleaning your teeth or taking a shower. Allow it to become a part of who you are, and you will be able to manage stress much more effectively and decrease the possibility of a fatal illness. Now isn’t that worth implementing a regular meditation practice for? Visit me on my Facebook, Instagram, Podcast, and Website! Read more from Rita! Rita Hurry, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rita's mission is to help individuals in the Creative Arts, Media, Music, and Film Industry, believe in their dreams and never give up on making them come true. Making the impossible - I'm Possible. She began Life Coaching in 2003 and has never looked back since. She is a great believer in Personal Development and Mindfulness work, whether it is practically or spiritually. Rita is a Subject Matter Expert in Law of Attraction & Flow Coaching, Mindfulness & Meditation, Business, and Nirvana Fitness and Energy Healing. She was awarded Best Law Of Attraction Coach in 2015. She has coached many clients across different professions. For example, CEOs and Entrepreneurs; Casting Agents; Actors; Singers; Musicians; Authors; Artists; DJs; and so many more across the globe and nationwide, including those working in the education industry. She currently is the co-founder of RIME Entertainment and co-hosts and co-produces an online Interview Show called RIME Entertainment Showcase, where she and her co-host interview people from all over the globe who have overcome hurdles in life and are now fulfilling and living their dream.