#then you find yourself getting invested in building strong communities to support those without support systems

[harmonyhealinghub]

Embracing Life's Journey: Bloom Where You're Planted

Shaina Tranquilino

September 28, 2023

Life is an unpredictable journey, full of twists and turns that often lead us to unexpected destinations. While it may be tempting to constantly yearn for greener pastures or dwell on what could have been, there is great value in learning to bloom where you're planted. This simple yet profound philosophy encourages us to make the most of our current circumstances, embrace the opportunities they present, and cultivate growth and fulfillment wherever we find ourselves.

1. Acceptance:

The first step towards blooming where you're planted lies in accepting your current situation. Life rarely goes exactly as planned, but resisting or denying reality only fuels frustration and discontentment. Instead, acknowledge your present circumstances without judgment or comparisons. By accepting things as they are, you can free up energy to focus on making the best of your situation.

2. Cultivate a positive mindset:

A positive mindset can work wonders when it comes to thriving in any environment. Remember that happiness largely stems from within and is not solely determined by external factors. Even in challenging situations, seek out the silver linings and adopt an attitude of gratitude. Look for opportunities for personal growth and cultivate resilience by focusing on lessons learned rather than dwelling on setbacks.

3. Embrace new experiences:

Bloomers understand that life is an ever-evolving adventure filled with countless opportunities for growth and discovery. Embrace new experiences wholeheartedly, even if they seem unfamiliar or outside your comfort zone. Each experience has the potential to teach valuable lessons and broaden your perspectives, ultimately helping you blossom into a more well-rounded individual.

4. Nurture meaningful connections:

One crucial aspect of blooming where you're planted involves nurturing meaningful relationships with those around you. Connect with like-minded individuals who share similar interests or aspirations, supporting each other's ambitions while offering genuine companionship along the way. Building strong bonds creates a sense of belonging and community, allowing you to thrive in your current environment.

5. Set achievable goals:

Setting achievable goals helps direct your energy towards personal growth and progress. Reflect on your passions, talents, and aspirations, then set realistic objectives that align with your present circumstances. Break down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps to maintain motivation and celebrate incremental achievements. By constantly challenging yourself to reach new heights, you'll continue blooming wherever life takes you.

6. Practice self-care:

Taking care of oneself is essential for blooming where you're planted. Prioritize self-care activities that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Engage in regular exercise, eat balanced meals, get enough sleep, and allocate time for hobbies or relaxation. Remember that investing in self-care not only benefits you but also enhances your ability to navigate any challenges that come your way.

Life may not always unfold as we imagine it will be; however, adopting the mindset to bloom where you're planted empowers us to find joy and fulfillment regardless of our circumstances. By accepting reality, cultivating a positive mindset, embracing new experiences, nurturing meaningful connections, setting achievable goals, and practicing self-care, we can transform every situation into an opportunity for growth and happiness. So let go of what could have been or might be and focus on flourishing right where you are planted - for there lies the beauty of life's journey!

#bloom where you are planted #finding joy in the journey #embrace the present #cultivating happiness #thrive in the here and now #grow where you are planted #blossom in your current situation #nurture yourself #seizing opportunities #making the most of everyday

[yasirsheikh1898]

Behind the Counter: Unveiling the Secrets of Your Neighborhood Hardware Store

Your neighbourhood hardware store may seem like a simple place to pick up nails and screws, but behind the counter lies a world of secrets and expertise waiting to be uncovered. In this article, we'll take a closer look at what goes on behind the scenes at your local hardware store, revealing the hidden gems and insider knowledge that make these stores invaluable resources for DIY enthusiasts and homeowners alike. Behind the scenes at your local hardware store, you'll find a dedicated team of experts who are passionate about helping customers tackle their home improvement projects with confidence and success. These knowledgeable staff members possess a wealth of experience and expertise in everything from plumbing and electrical work to carpentry and landscaping. Whether you're a seasoned DIY enthusiast or a novice homeowner, they're ready and willing to share their insider knowledge and offer personalized advice to help you get the job done right.

1. Expert Staff

One of the greatest assets of your neighbourhood hardware store is its knowledgeable staff. Unlike big-box retailers, where employees may lack specialized expertise, hardware store staff are often seasoned professionals with years of experience in the industry. They can offer valuable advice on everything from selecting the right tools for your project to troubleshooting common issues. Don't hesitate to tap into their expertise – they're there to help.

2. Specialty Supplies

While big-box retailers may offer a wide range of products, they often lack the depth and variety found in smaller hardware stores. Behind the counter, you'll find a treasure trove of speciality supplies that can be hard to come by elsewhere. Whether you're looking for a specific type of screw, an unusual plumbing fitting, or a niche tool for a specialized task, your neighbourhood hardware store is likely to have exactly what you need.

3. Custom Services

Many hardware stores offer custom services that can save you time and effort on your projects. Need a key cut? A screen repaired? Is the paint colour matched? Behind the counter, you'll find skilled craftsmen ready to tackle these tasks with precision and care. By taking advantage of these services, you can ensure that your projects are completed to the highest standards without the hassle of doing it yourself.

4. Local Knowledge

Your neighbourhood hardware store is more than just a place to buy supplies – it's a hub of local knowledge and expertise. Behind the counter, you'll find staff who are intimately familiar with the unique needs and challenges of your community. They can offer advice on everything from weatherproofing your home for the local climate to selecting plants that thrive in your area's soil. This local knowledge is invaluable for homeowners looking to maintain and improve their properties.

5. Community Engagement

Hardware stores play a vital role in fostering community engagement and connection, serving as more than just places to purchase supplies. These stores are often deeply ingrained in the fabric of their communities, actively contributing to local events, supporting charitable causes, and providing a space for neighbours to come together.

Behind the counter of your neighbourhood hardware store, you'll often find staff who are passionate about giving back to their community and making a positive impact. They understand the importance of building strong relationships with their neighbours and actively seek out opportunities to support local initiatives and causes. Whether it's sponsoring a local sports team, participating in community clean-up events, or hosting workshops and seminars, hardware store staff are committed to enriching the lives of those around them.

By supporting your neighbourhood hardware store, you're not only investing in supplies for your home projects but also investing in the vibrancy and resilience of your community as a whole. When you choose to shop locally, you're supporting small businesses that contribute to the local economy and create jobs in your community. Additionally, you're fostering a sense of belonging and connection among neighbours, strengthening the social fabric that binds your community together.

One example of community engagement through a hardware store is the concept of Corner Casting. Corner Casting is a program where hardware stores partner with local organizations and charities to provide essential supplies and services to those in need. Behind the counter, hardware store staff work closely with these organizations to identify areas of need in the community and coordinate efforts to address them. Whether it's donating building materials for home repairs, providing tools for community projects, or offering expertise and assistance to local initiatives, hardware stores play a pivotal role in supporting the well-being of their communities through Corner Casting initiatives.

Furthermore, hardware stores often serve as gathering places where neighbours can connect and build relationships. Whether it's swapping gardening tips, sharing DIY project ideas, or simply catching up on local news, the friendly atmosphere of the hardware store encourages community interaction and camaraderie. Behind the counter, hardware store staff foster a sense of community spirit by welcoming customers with a smile, offering helpful advice, and creating a welcoming environment for all.

Conclusion

Next time you visit your neighbourhood hardware store, take a moment to appreciate all that goes on behind the counter. From expert staff and speciality supplies to custom services and community engagement, these stores are more than just places to buy hardware – they're invaluable resources for DIY enthusiasts, homeowners, and communities alike. So the next time you need supplies for your latest project, remember to shop local and uncover the secrets that lie behind the counter at your neighbourhood hardware store, community engagement is a fundamental aspect of the role that hardware stores play in their neighbourhoods. By supporting local initiatives, fostering connections among neighbours, and providing essential supplies and services, hardware stores contribute to the vibrancy and resilience of their communities. Through programs like Corner Casting and initiatives to support local causes, hardware stores demonstrate their commitment to making a positive impact beyond just providing supplies. So the next time you visit your neighbourhood hardware store, remember that you're not just shopping for supplies – you're investing in the well-being of your community and helping to build a stronger, more connected neighbourhood for everyone.

#Corner Casting

[arowitharrows]

the aromantic to anarchist pipeline

#start off with ranting about how amatonormativity and relationship hierarchies cause isolation #next you're ranting about how the splintering of communities into small nuclear family units causes isolation and benefits capitalism #then you find yourself getting invested in building strong communities to support those without support systems #and deconstructing all hierarchies #and rebuilding sustainable systems #anyway‚ it's the aromantic urge to burn it all to the ground #mai rambles #aromantic

[selfdrivenfitness]

Top 8 Reasons For Personal Training - Self Driven Fitness

There are a million and 1 reasons why training and especially professional personal training is good for you. But here are what we think are the top 8 reasons personal training is good for you.

Life can be chaotic and out of control and people use that as an excuse not to train but that is actually a huge reason for fitness training. Training can change your whole perspective and actually save your life without you even knowing it... even if you are not directly at risk of any illness or disease in particular.

1. MONEY: In the long run personal training will save you massive amounts of money. People look at personal training as an expense. The reality is that it will end up saving you thousands of £££ on insurance, hospital, and doctor bills as well as expensive medications. We are an instant gratification society and it is hard for us to look that far into the future, but it is now a proven fact that personal training will save you massive piles of hard cold £CASH£ in the future. So spend a couple hundred a month now and save £10-20K later. Also, people may go to the gym for a couple of hours a week and cause undetected damage called microtrauma (small unnoticeable injuries). Continuously doing "the wrong thing" and causing these microtraumas that build up over time, oftentimes leads to a serious injury - all due to improper training - which again can cost you thousands of pounds in surgeries and physical therapy. Also, what price can you put on spending many more healthy years with your family?

2. Time: If you are training properly you can save yourself massive amounts of time, and time is money (which goes right back to #1). If you are working with a personal trainer who knows physiology and anatomy and the right combination of exercise at the right time, then you can limit training to 2-3 hours a week and see amazing results. Whereas many people might go to the gym for hours and never see any results.

3. Productivity: We have energy systems in our body and if you train properly you can build those energy systems in a way that makes you 20% more productive. In combination with eating the right food, the energy can build and build. When you're more productive you can do more and have more positive energy at work, which can lead to making more money. It will also reduce your level of stress as well as increase your ability to cope with stress making your job and life much easier.

4. Be More attractive: The proper training will help you burn fat and gain lean muscle, which will give you a better figure, bring the skin closer to the muscle (reducing wrinkles) but that's not the only thing. When you are training and taking care of your body your hormones are more balanced and what makes us more attracted to each other are Pheromones, which become stronger through training.

5. Feel better about yourself: Personal training adds a tremendous amount of self-confidence and self-esteem. There is no value in feeling good. We are only on this Earth for a small amount of time; we might as well feel good for as much of it as we can. Also, personal training has been scientifically proven to be more powerful than anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications to keep a positive mood balance.

6. Make Life Easier: It's easy to see that if you are more productive, make and save more money, have more self-confidence and self-esteem, more energy and more love, then life automatically becomes much easier. Unfortunately, some people are always looking for a shortcut and ways to circumvent the necessary work to get these numerous benefits of personal training. What's even more unfortunate is that these people end up feeling empty and unaccomplished.

7. More Muscles: Consider this equation: Work = Force (muscle) x Distance. The more muscles you have the easier it is to move your bones, which means it requires less energy to move your body around. For example, if you have more leg muscles and need to walk up the stairs every day all day it will take less energy to do so. But smaller muscles use a ton of energy and you will be fatigued at the end of the day just from walking up and down the stairs.

8. Be a role model to friends and family and the world: We are quickly becoming the unhealthiest nation in the world. It is important to do personal training to lead our community members and family members to a healthier lifestyle so we can in turn become a stronger nation mentally and physically.

In a world where people are caring less and less about their health and looking for shortcuts, it is the cool thing to take the road less traveled and receive all the above benefits that will give you a competitive advantage in life. A strong person instantly has an easier life.

Sukh Mudher at Self Driven Fitness offers you an option to find out Weight Loss Personal Trainer in Hayes and also helps you with Online Weight Loss Training in Hayes, West Drayton. We provide a Professional Online Coaching Service in Hayes and West Drayton, where We help you transform your life via our partnered App (My PT Hub). We will create a bespoke workout and meal plans for you Online, all you have to do is follow the plan in order to transform your life. We believe in providing a high-value service, where you get the most out of your investment with our direct help and support.

For personal training ideas, tips and to answers your questions call us today: [phone] and visit our website today: www.selfdrivenfitness.co.uk

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#OnlinePersonalTrainerHayes #PersonalTrainerHayes #PersonalTrainer #PTHayes #WeightLossTrainerHayes #PersonalTrainingWestDrayton #WeightLossTraining #WestDrayton

[getyourblisson]

A Look At November 2019

A Look At November 2019

November is naturally a month that is full of abundance and harvest energy.  It is a time where the hard work and efforts are paying off; and where we get time to sit and commune with others, sharing our wealth. It is a time where all of nature is completing its cycles of growth and development and getting ready for more dormant or quieter phases before it arises again to be re-born.  During this time there is a natural desire to share with an open heart and to enjoy the warmth and comfort of a loving home.  It is a time for deeper conversations and getting to know what lies beneath the surface of people and situations.

Overall, this is a very prosperous time of joyful hearts and well-being.  It favors being creative, and using what is provided through nature to sustain us.  It is a time that normally is easier for people to feel gratitude as they feel more confident in themselves and their ability to have things work out in their lives.

This year we find that our choices are more important than in previous years.  The actions we take, the decisions we make, and the words we speak; all have more power or energy than normal.  During November this year, we have a portal open that sends ripples to all of our existences; so that everything we think, do, speak, etc. is magnified and effecting us throughout all of space and time.  That can make this a great time to break patterns, clear away debts, do acts of kindness, etc.  Small things can have big effects.

One of the big benefits of this is that we can break through life long or soul patterns that we have felt restricted by all the way to their core.  Powerful transformations can happen; however, we will need to place developing our spiritual connection as the number one priority and let nothing interfere with that.  We have lessons to learn, which may be new ones or old ones at deeper layers.  The only way to get them is through soul connection.  We are in a period that forward momentum will not happen until we do this; which means it is time for us to transcend out of outworn behaviors and thoughts that inhibit or disconnect us from our soul self.

During the first 2 ½ weeks of the month transformation is running high.  I always suggest finding your flow with it; because trying to resist it right now, is only going to leave you feeling battered and bruised. The shifts that are happening are not to be stopped but embraced for the new opportunities that they will bring. Especially if you are honoring the soul connection right now, you can find some rapid success happening through strange twists and turns of events.  About all you can expect is the unexpected.  Most of what happens during this time will not be anything that we could have seen coming or could possibly prepare for.

I have learned that one of the great lessons associated with this energy is gratitude and appreciation. You truly do not know who or what will not be in your life from one day to the next; so take the time to appreciate those that are there for you and what you have.  I have also learned with this energy that we are best to keep our schedules as open and flexible as possible; because there is sure to be last minute changes or needs that arise unexpectedly.

The upside of this energy is that most of it is transformational, and bringing closure to some things and new opportunities with other things; instead of being literal death energy.  During this time the proverb “where one door closes another opens” is likely to ring quite true.  Many of the unexpected happenings will bring opportunities for us to move into greater success or to proceed with the assistance and support of those that have seen our efforts.  Those working with honesty and integrity and compassion will be the ones that are most likely to see progression at this time.  This is a time where you can truly carve your own path.

During the last 1 ½ weeks of the month we find it being a good time to take initiative.  This is a time where our strengths, skills, and assets can be recognized.  When we embrace what we have and appreciate these things in others as well; we create new possibilities to open through combined efforts.

If you have something that you would like to have success in then this will be the time to do it. You will need to put the effort into it; but you can do very well.  The more you can imprint your own original style into what you are doing the greater the successes will be.  Be conscious of where you are giving your time; because where you give your time is where success will flow to.

It is also important to realize that success may not come immediately, and that we may even experience a few challenges materially to make them happen.  Do not let this discourage you.  One this is to get you to be creative in how to bring things about. Two it is to get you to focus on doing something that you can bring about on your own, without the assistance of others.  Three it is about realizing that real success is not something you have to pay for; and that material gain and promises will crumble if that is your key focus in what you are doing.

The successes we are building are to be focused on those things that are a core part of us.  They are to be based in what cannot be bought or influenced by money.  You are best to bring something to fruition a little slower on your own, than to partner with others for their financial investments.  Our successes come where we are able to stand strong in who we are, and as a true leader that inspires others to achieve their own dreams.

It is a time of acquiring true power and influence through soul connection.  This is your path, and it is time to honor that; regardless of what others think.  Those that walk away from you have never truly been there for you; and were only manipulating you for their own gain.

The key points for this month are to be conscious of the choices you are making.  Embrace transformation instead of resisting or fearing it.  Keep things flexible and be ready to have unexpected shifts and changes in your plans. Take daily time for soul connection, and learn to maintain it all throughout your day.  See the possibilities of the changes that are happening, instead of the stresses and worries.  Practice daily gratitude and appreciation, keeping focused on how much you do have instead of what you don’t have.  Put your energy into those things that are a core part of who you are.

I welcome you to be conscious of everything that you do, speak, and think.

I welcome you to allow transformation to happen at your very core, breaking up patterns and habits that do not serve you at their very root.

I welcome you to place soul connection as your number one priority.

I welcome you to embrace the new opportunities coming into your life.

I welcome you to take the time to express your gratitude for the people and things that are in your life.

I welcome you to put your energy into what is in your heart to have succeed; and is a core part of who you are.

  Actions to focus on

From November 1st – November 19th it is important for us to focus not just on doing or getting through daily tasks; but on those things that nourish our happiness. Where we are happy, success will naturally follow.  The actions that we take at this time are likely to be well remembered or have a more lasting impact on others.

In essence we may want to be conscious to put our best foot forward.  This is a time where we can shine and be recognized.  It is not about others judging or scrutinizing us; but it is likely that they are paying close attention.  This comes from finally being able to see your potential and what you have to offer.  In some ways we may say that our unseen actions and deeds are finally being seen.  People are recognizing that there is so much more to you and what you do than meets the eye.

It is during this time that we are able to take greater command of our life, and it may be a little easier to stand strong in who we are.  Do not be afraid to show who you really are, chances are people are going to love the real you.  This is particularly true if you are operating under Divine principles and strong ethics.  Your thoughts and ideas will be what will set you apart from others that are doing similar things.

This is a time to put your own ideas and thoughts into motion; whether others want to support you in that or not.  Your perceptions on things can have a great influence.  Your ability to see what is really happening in people and things; without them telling you will allow you to operate with greater intelligence, as you can be of greater assistance and meet what is needed easier without having to expose the personal pieces to everyone around you.

From November 20th through the rest of the month observation will be your greatest asset. If you just pay attention and observe what is happening you will have all the answers and insights that you need. Do not get caught up in other people’s drama, and do not take sides.  In some ways you are the common ground where everyone plays nicely; and taking sides will only create bigger wars.

During this time we are favored for stepping into positions of power, and showing our ability to guide and command others in addition to ourselves.  They key to being successful in this though lies in being able to make your own decisions; since those around you can create more issues than benefits.  It also means that you are conscious and caring of those that are influenced by your decisions.  You may no longer be responsible only for yourself but others as well.  Command them towards compassion, and be compassionate with those whose lives and well-being are in your hands.

It is important that you remain centered and strongly in soul connection.  Turbulence is likely to surface at this time, and others will look to you to be a source of strength and inspiration.  Those that can remain calm and serve as the eye of the storm will be the ones with the greatest power and influence right now.  To do this we must connect with a stillness and peace within us.  Those that can do this will increase their influence in the world.

I welcome you to nourish your happiness.

I welcome you to be conscious of your actions and choices.

I welcome you to take greater command of your life.

I welcome you to put your own ideas into motion.

I welcome you to observe and really pay attention to what is happening around you.

I welcome you to make your own decisions conscious of how others will be affected by your choices.

 What to focus your thoughts on

Throughout this month our key focus is on completion and contemplating what direction we would like to take from here.  This is a time for taking mental breaks where possible, and to allow your mind to enjoy more creative thinking.  Take time to consider what really inspires you and allows you to express who you are in the world.  How can you imprint your own style and originality into the things that you do in life?

During this time it will be wise to consider having the next cycle of your life be centered in what brings peace into your life.  It will be wise to consider putting your time and energy into more humanitarian pursuits or things that provide the opportunity to live more compassionately with yourself and others.  Those things that will bring the greatest successes moving forward will be those that exist with unconditional love in its foundation.

Times are shifting and material foundations are beginning to crumble.  Consider the possibility of what you can do to increase greater peace in the world.  Where you hold your thoughts at this time, will set in motion events that will bring them to pass; and these will be the things that you will be remembered for. So when considering what next, also ask yourself what type of person you want others to know you as.

From November 1st – November 21st our thoughts may be strongly centered in the cycle of life.  We may find ourselves hesitant to think much into the future, as we see so many shifts and changes happening.  It leads us to consider more about the quality of life that we are leading, and the experiences that we are having.

This is a time to consider how much happiness you are experiencing in life; and how do you expand on that?  How much are your actions bringing happiness, joy, and peace to others?  Of course we are not responsible for the experiences of others; however, the way we choose to live can still be a source of inspiration and reminder that these things exist.  As humans, it is easy to forget that these qualities are the very essence of our true nature.

During this time we can learn a great deal from others that have stood in our shoes.  Go to those that have been through the things that you are dealing with and learn how they moved through them.  How did they make the transitions from a material world to a spiritual life?  How does kindness create stability and sustainability for us?

This is a time to consider the lessons that you have learned in life.  Reflect on those experiences that have had the greatest impact on you; and that may be resurfacing for you at this time.  What did you learn from them?  How would you adjust your choices based on the wisdom you have now?

Look at those things that you consider to be the greatest challenges for you.  What were the blessings that came out of that?  Now take the answers to these questions and consider how you can implement them into your life moving forward.

I welcome you to consider what direction will lead you to experience great happiness and joy in your life.

I welcome you to consider what things that you can do that have unconditional love as their foundation.

I welcome you to learn how others faced the decisions that you have faced; and incorporate that with the lessons that you have learned from your own experiences.

The Code Journey ~ Jesse An Nichols George

#Jesse An Nichols George #The Code Journey #compassion #enlightenment #consciousness #conscious living #practical spirituality #happiness #joy #personal development #wellness #love #enrichment

[therelativist]

Beaujester Is The Best and Here’s Why (an essay by Alpha Ray)

North vs South – Opposites Attract

Beau and Jester aren’t a likely couple. Beau is a standoffish butch who favours melee combat and knows little to nothing of magic. Her weapon of choice is simple – fists, elbows, knees. Quick and brutal. She’s a scrapper who hides her more academic interests behind the veneer of a jock. Meanwhile, Jester is a humorous trickster magic wielder who avoids melee as much as possible. A ‘leetle blue teefling’ who attracts people and befriends them easily. She’s loveable and loving in turn. As happy go lucky as they come. Hey

It feels like an unfortunate trope – the happy, well adjusted one fixes the gruff, standoffish traumatised one. But the second you look beyond the fronts the two characters put forward things seem very different.

Neither of them like to let people in and both utilise a front to prevent that. Jester focuses on others and never lets anyone too close. She takes any chance to deflect the conversation away from her and towards others. Beau takes the opposite approach, which is trying not to let people get close. Both require people to turn a more insightful eye towards them to get behind their barriers. Thankfully, both have high wisdom. Jester is slowly learning that she can express negative emotions without her friends abandoning her for not being the perfect, happy go lucky seed of joy and chaos she puts across whilst Beau is learning that she can be creative and can have friends and love those friends without opening herself up for abandonment. And they’re both teaching each other more healthy coping mechanisms including finding the balance between standing up for yourself and finding your own space, and being welcoming and friendly and creative and investing time in other people.

They bring out the best in each other. They’re different but they look out for each other and complement each other. Beau takes the melee and Jester takes the range when they’re trying to deal with an enemy with the monk doing her best to tank. And maybe they’re both very good liars, but they suck at lying to each other.

Compulsive Liars – How They Support Each Other

Marisha has described Beau as a liar and Jester certainly feels that she herself is one. Again, on surface glance it sounds like a recipe for disaster. And yet the conversation where this all came from came about as a result of them failing badly at lying to each other and responding by being honest. That’s what they bring out in each other.

Jester needs someone who will take her seriously and not dismiss her and her needs. She presents a cheerful demeanour which hides her real thoughts, hurts and feelings. This is something that probably came even from her childhood and feeling pressured to indicate to her mother that she was happy with her living situation as so not to stress her out.  Anyone who can’t read beyond that front runs the risk of encouraging Jester to further disinvest in herself and to focus on the other person. Thankfully, Beau’s demonstrated a determined ability to reach out to Jester and to take her seriously. She’s been the most successful at getting her to admit negative emotions in a way that displays clearly her understanding of Jester. But she doesn’t just encourage the acknowledgement of negative emotions, she encourages Jester to laugh and is willing to go along with her pranks and tricks. Beau takes every aspect of Jester seriously from the ones which are more fun and cheerful to the ones which aren’t necessarily pretty or nice or easy to deal with. Jester needs someone to talk to who will reassure her when needed but also still support her creative outlets and Beau has proven herself willing and able to do that. When travelling to Xhorhas, Beau played along with dramatically reading the smut book and with the jokey worship of Jester to convince the kobolds that she was a god instead of shutting Jester down or dismissing her. And Beau found it fun and laughed right along with her because of their relatively similar senses of humour. That didn’t start later, Beau and Jester have been pulling pranks and having fun since the first time they shared a room and decided to inform the guards that they were naked for no real clear reason beyond that they could and Jester wanted to.

As someone who struggles with her sense of self worth, anyone who isn’t willing or able to wholly appreciate and support Beau is ultimately going to be toxic for her. Thankfully, Jester has been championing the Beauregard Appreciation Squad from the start She’s built up Beau when other members of the party have torn her down, encouraged her to try things and supported her in her success. Jester respects Beau as an equal, and Beau likewise respects Jester. She values her opinion to the point where when Beau’s challenging Dairon about letting people in, Jester is the example she uses and who she talks about the most. Beau’s also learned that the way to get Jester to open up is to open up herself and to allow herself to be vulnerable, thus exposing things about herself that she’s ashamed of or would normally keep to herself. This degree of communication about real feelings and real hurt is unique to Jester.The fact that Jester let Beau expose herself and didn’t mock her but responded in kind is the best way to teach Beau that her friends do care about her and won’t let her down. Jester had the benefit of a loving mother but for Beau, who had parental issues, being able to admit that she loved someone must have been huge. Oh, and also they love each other.

Beau and Jester bring out the best in each other. They both tend to lock their feelings up and put up a front but they’re also both uniquely good at getting the other to admit their feelings and hurt and things that they’re ashamed of. They encourage more a healthy expression of emotions,better coping mechanisms in each other and are both pushing each other to make better life choices. Beau is receiving the support she wants but has never had, someone who believes in her and her abilities. Jester has found someone who doesn’t just love the happy parts of her but loves the angry and the sad and the hurt as well and encourages her to show her true feelings.

Jigsaw Puzzle - Fitting The Pieces Together

Beau and Jester have a surprising amount in common, not least their uncharacteristic willingness to open up to each other. Their senses of humour align, their love of the group and investment in their friends, their love of animals. Hell, they even adopted a dog together.

While they might favour different styles, both are ultimately scrappy fighters and enjoy fighting in arenas and bars, both with and against each other. They both enjoy friendly competition and neither are sore losers, Jester willingly accepting defeat in the Evening Nip and promising that she’d come out victorious next time. Plot twist, she didn’t but neither did Beau and they mostly fought alongside each other not against each other. They’re always willing to throw down and have each others backs.

They also share a love for animals and actually adopted a dog together (though Marisha seems to have forgotten this) to the point where Liam actually coined the ship name Lavorregard. Beau’s attempted care for Professor Thaddeus as well as owl Frumpkin shows an empathetic and emotional side she normally tries to conceal. She and Jester both have this protective instinct when it comes to animals and both crave their judgement free affection. They both were lonely growing up without many friends and as such it makes sense that they’d turn to animals to find that companionship. However, when separated from their animals they both very notably turned to each other and were surprised but relieved to find that same support and same concern shown from other people. They both have a lot of care to give and Beau, when Jester exposed herself, didn’t mock her and instead chose to support her and to show the depth of her care for her.

Most importantly, they have fun together. They find pleasure in each others company. They have similar morals (both prioritise their close circle over society at large but generally try to avoid doing too much harm and prioritize individuals over governments/countries). While Beau feels increasingly large scale social obligation due to being an Expositor-in-training, she has proved herself willing to break individual laws and not tied to any one country. They have both expressed willingness to work with the drow and a desire to understand them without simply dismissing them as evil and display an unwillingness to believe propaganda. However, both were down to fuck up a guy who was threatening Jester’s mother and ultimately put their close circle of friends and those they care about first.

They both find smut entertaining and both enjoy reading, though Beau is reluctant to admit her nerdier interests. They both enjoy pranking others and both have a flair for the dramatic. They also both have more vulnerable sides and both need someone to open up to who will understand and support them. They derive pleasure from each others company as well as being able to have emotionally heavier but vital conversations. They each allow the other to be honest about how they truly feel. They’re both young women who are encountering a milestone in their life and learning about the world. They also both love each other

Team Blue - The End

To conclude, they’re gay and in love and would have a surprisingly strong and healthy relationship based on mutual love and support as well as genuine enjoyment of spending time together. They never mock each other and always try to build the other up. They tend towards healthier coping mechanisms and more honest airings of their feelings when they’re together and bring joy to each other’s lives. They deserve each other in the best possible way.

Thank you for reading and have a nice evening.

#critical role #beaujester #jester lavorre #beauregard #beau #lavorregard #sappheau #maintagging because i have no shame #long post

[kikifeliz]

8 TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE!

Deciding to become a university student is a huge investment of both time and money. You don't want to start only to have to drop out due to finances or failing grades. You also don't want to finish and find that all you have is a piece of paper with mountains of debt and no job prospects.

The average cost of a 4-year Bachelor's degree is about $36k at a public university, and about $136k at a private university. Google the yearly cost of your school of choice, then multiply by 4. Then add on about 5k for the additional costs of books and travel fees, clothing, and other miscellaneous. Then add on about 10k for the interest that your student loan debt will incur! 😫

The average cost of graduate degrees can vary by school and concentration, but can easily cost over 90k for tuition alone. Student loan debt is not a joke! Invest your time wisely while you're in school so you don't end up regretting your decision and sharecropping your life away in some 9-5 that you hate.

So, here are my tips for making the most of your time as a university student! Whether you're in undergrad or graduate school, I hope this advice helps you! I'm not going to give you the basic "go to every single class" bullshit. While that's undoubtedly good advice, I want to be a bit more practical and dig a little deeper. I think if you're paying for an experience like college, it's obvious that you should attempt to be as immersed in that experience as possible. You're not going to pay for entrance to a water park then stay off the slides and out of the pool, are you? No, you're going to jump in and go on as many rides as possible! At university, you're paying for school, so you need to treat it the same way. If you're paying for a class, obviously you should go as often as you possibly can. So in the hopes that I can be practical without being trite, I'm going to address the finer details of the college experience. From the perspective of a woman who's in the process of finishing her 2nd Master's degree (at an Ivy League school, no less), you can take it or leave it!

1. Update your resume as soon as you commit to a school and give them your deposit.

As soon as you've paid the deposit to the school of your choose and sent back your decision letter, go ahead and update your resume. If you don't have a resume, make one now! There are plenty of templates online you can follow.

Include your new school and anticipated graduation date under the "Education" section. (You can add it to your social media bios too, if you're into that sort of thing.) The truth of the matter is, the moment you pay the deposit to the school, you've paid for the brand name. You might as well start wielding and wearing it ASAP! This will help you as you apply for internships for the summer after high school and during your freshman year of college.

2. Once on campus, join clubs and student associations.

This is super important! So much of college is about networking. Once you graduate and leave campus, your college network can help you find jobs, travel, keep you up to date with learning opportunities/conferences, or even help you settle into to a new city. It's important to make authentic connections with people on campus outside of your immediate friend group, and a great way to do that is through common interest clubs or associations. Attend a programs fair and check your school's websites and message boards to find events.

Once you've decided which clubs you want to join, make sure to introduce yourself to the leadership! By getting to know the club leaders, you can make sure you'll always know what's next for the group so that you can take part and continue to build community.

3. ‪Spend as much time as you can at the library and in other public study spaces on/around campus.‬

Most university libraries will have cafés, help desks, computer labs, and even group study areas. Often it's okay to talk in the group study areas, so you can always take a break from studying and do a bit of socializing when you need to. When you need more privacy or quiet space, it's typically available just a room or a floor away! Bring healthy snacks like carrots and almonds and chocolate-covered espresso beans or raisins to keep you energized and alert.

Studying is obviously an important part of being in college. You don't want to get into the job field without fluency in the language/jargon or requisite content knowledge that is necessary to succeed!

4. Use the "free" time to develop your genuine interests and hobbies.

If you have the time and don't have a ton of responsibility to other people in your family, take advantage of that! You likely won't have a lot of time like that in your life again. Use this period to follow your curiosities and your interests. Make art! Join an intramural sport! Experiment with fashion! Work part-time in a place you never thought you would! The possibilities are endless. As my dad would say, "It's your world, squirrel!" (He's really corny.)

5. Be as discerning as possible with the classes you take - you are paying for each of them, after all!

Take classes that really interest you, with professors you truly want to learn from. Read the class descriptions carefully, and do research on the professors. Try to get professors that have great ratings, multiple publishings in reputable journals, books, and websites, and a good track records of helping students.

Many colleges have core curricula that you must complete to graduate. If the classes in your core don't interest you, see if you can find ways to navigate the system so that there's a silver lining or so you can make the best out of them. Always give it a shot, you may find that you're more interested once you attend than you were by reading the description alone.

Even if the class isn't of interest, the people there probably are - especially if everyone has to take it! Whether that's ensuring you get the best professor that's offered or finding a great group of friends to struggle through it with, get to know the people around you. Maybe you decide to develop a working relationship with the TA by attending office hours and asking questions about how to contextualize the content in a way that's more engaging for you or more aligned with your interests. To do this, just explain your interests or proposed field of study and ask them for examples of how you can transfer the knowledge you're learning in class toward your interest.

Another option is seeing if you can take the class pass/fail. If this is possible and the class isn't aligned with what you feel your true academic interests are, then don't expend too much effort. Attend lecture, pass the class, and devote your time to your other interests. (This is an option only for people who are serious about not failing the class. Make sure you calculate what scores you'll need to pass exams and other requirements like attendance, and hold yourself accountable to these. Do your absolute best on your papers! Taking a class pass/fail is NOT an excuse to slack off or avoid doing your best work, but it may be a way for you to free up some time if you calculate your grades and find that you don't need to do every single assignment to pass.)

6. If you can find a work-study job or start a side hustle *without* jeopardizing your grades, do so!

Again, the student loans are no joke. I avoid taking them if I can, because I hate debt. Of course, this means I occasionally have had to pay tuition out of my own pocket. I held 3 jobs when I was in undergrad and have always had side hustles even while working 9-5. Many of my favorites have included babysitting, tutoring, pet/house sitting, DJing, and party planning. I know a lot of people in grad school who also worked in restaurants or as delivery drivers, as administrative aids in university offices, law offices, and medical practices. Nowadays, a lot of people work as as influencers, photographers, video editors, and models for their side hustles. I always preferred jobs that were lowkey so I could study. My favorite work-study job was at the library! I always got to see my friends and I could read PDF copies of my assignments while I sat at the circulation desk.

7. Find out about scholarships and fellowships that are offered by different departments in your university.

A lot of fellowships and scholarships are only advertised internally by department and school. Spend time on your department's website and stop by the department office every few weeks to make sure you're up to date on the opportunities that are being offered to students. Become a frequent patron of Financial Aid to see what is available through that office as well.

Additionally, feel free to email the department chair/other professors to ask if they know of any fellowships or scholarship opportunities that may come up in the future so you can be prepared. Ask about qualifications for those as well, so you can plan ahead.

Do your research and make sure you qualify for these opportunities! In writing your essays, attend to each point of criteria laid out in the "call for applications." Treat your essay similarly to how you'd apply for the job. Why are you the right person to receive this money? How do you fulfill the criteria that this scholarship is supporting?

8. If you're struggling with your studies, use the resources on campus that you're *already paying for* in order to get back on track.

This includes TA and professor office hours, peer tutors, the writing center (most universities will have offices that can help you structure and edit your essays, etc.).

Join or create study groups by finding a partner in your class to study with, and ask the university librarians (and your advisor!) what other resources/tutoring/study help is available on campus.

A strong foundation in the content knowledge for your field of choice is a necessity once your graduate. My father always told me, "The key to success is uncommon knowledge." I agree with this somewhat, but I really believe it's actually that the key is an uncommon thirst for mastery. You move forward in your career and your personal development by learning and mastering new levels of skill. The more you know and the better you can communicate, the more respected you'll be in your field - which opens the door to further opportunities. Studying (and studying *well*) is imperative during your time at university!

Good luck this year, scholars! Work smarter & always remember, education is the key! We cannot dismantle the master's house with the master's tools//we are the gold we wanna hold! Go forth & make this school year your bitch!

Xoxo,

Kiki

(c) 2019 by Kiki Feliz

#university #study tips #college #college students #kiki feliz #original #blogger #advice

[idyoma]

The 14 Best Language Learning Apps for Fluency in 2019

Best Language Learning Apps

You’re here because you're looking for language learning apps so you can keep learning anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

For an in-depth look at our seven favorite tools check out our best language learning software article.

If you want to see a little more variety and some extra interesting concepts keep reading!

Here are some quick links to all the tools we recommend. Scroll down for an overview of each one!

Our best language learning apps:

Duolingo

Idyoma

Memrise

Mondly

Babbel

Italki

Quizlet

Our extra best language learning apps:

Busuu

Rosetta Stone

Beelinguapp

Clozemaster

TripLingo

AnkiApp

HiNative

Duolingo: Best language learning app

Duolingo has to be top of our list. The largest language learning app in the world boasts over 200 million users; a huge community with varied interests which Duolingo has been developing new language courses for.

You can anything from Spanish to Klingon with Duolingo.

One of the things which makes Duolingo so good for users is that it is free. Sure, you have to look at adverts every time you complete a mini-lesson, but that is of little inconvenience. If you want to pay and support Duolingo then it’s not expensive to buy the premium product which means you can hide adverts, access a small amount of gated content, and feel happy that you are supporting the learning of others.

Duolingo tests you on your vocabulary, on your grammar, and even uses voice recognition to try to test your pronunciation.

All of the learning through Duolingo is undertaken through small games. These games normally involve selecting the correct words in your language to translate a sentence from the language you are learning, matching words with their translations, and selecting the correct sentence from a selection of similar options.

That is, no long lists of vocabulary and no conjugation tables.

Duolingo works very well to learn the basics of a language and can work as an excellent refresher for someone who is at an intermediate level. I still regularly go back to Duolingo to keep myself sharp.

Highly recommend.

Idyoma: Best language exchange app

Idyoma is based around the idea that because language is a social tool, we should find a social way to learn it. With Idyoma you can find other language learners in your area who you can meet with to practice, share cultures, and have fun.

Structurally Idyoma is probably most similar to Tinder - an app we all know and love. The difference with Idyoma is that your goal would be to meet with anyone who has a corresponding language skill set to you. Of course, this also means that you can get significant value by connecting with a person who is not in your area, for example, via a video call conversation.

In Idyoma, you have two ways of searching for language partners. You can search your local area or you can search globally based on the language you want to learn. So, for example, I could open up Idyoma and find a Spanish speaker who wants to practice English in my area here in Seville, or I could go onto the worldwide screen and look through all the Spanish speakers on the app. Maybe I would connect with a person from Colombia or Peru. I could then chat with them in the app or via video call.

The best part about it is the ability to find people local to you. However, it is still very useful to be able to look globally and find a large number of people.

In terms of features, Idyoma has a clean visual interface where you can see multiple photos from the person you are considering meeting with - it uses a card structure so that you can swipe between different users. When you are having a conversation with another user in the chat screen you can Auto Translate messages and also recommend Corrections to someone else's message.

Idyoma is free but has a small verification fee for people who want to prove they are not a robot and want to help support the application.

You can download Idyoma for iOS here: Idyoma: Language Exchange

And for Android here: Idyoma: Language Exchange

Memrise: Best gamified language learning app

Memrise is a really good gamified language learning application. When you are using the app it does feel like you are playing a game and it is very easy to feel invested in your progress.

When someone describes an app as being gamified, what they may mean is that the app contains a narrative and a series of goals, and an interactive method to achieve those goals within the scope of a broad narrative. This could, for example, be done through earning points and being able to exchange those points for something else in the app which helps you complete a level. This kind of technique is utilized by many apps, particularly learning apps. Memrise uses this technique very effectively to help keep you interested, motivated, and engaged with your language learning efforts.

Memrise has a really large range of different languages within its platform which you can choose to learn. You can access this huge database of languages for free and you can access a load of really cool added features in their premium package; features like an interactive chatbot.

In my opinion, Memrise is best for improving your vocabulary. However, Memrise can be really useful for improving your grammar and learning conversational phrases too.

The app provides a parallel with Duolingo in that you can start learning a language from the point of having zero knowledge or experience and suddenly find yourself at a basic conversational level when you finish the course.

In the premium package you will also find a large library of videos from native speakers of the language you want to learn, along with many more games as well. This gives the premium package from Memrise a real edge because buying it provides you with significant value as a learner - not something all premium accounts deliver.

I can't finish talking about Memrise without mentioning its wonderful design. Through the gamified nature of the platform Memrise has found a way to present the design in an ambitious and adventurous way.

It makes the platform a pleasure to use.

Mondly: Best virtual reality language learning app

Features like grammar tests, interactive workbooks with question-and-answer scenarios, and over 33 languages make Mondly a strong choice for anyone deciding which is the best app for language learning.

However, Mondly deserves special mention for its unique and immersive virtual reality setup.

This allows you to partake in simulated conversations in a variety of virtual environments, which adds a depth to the experience of language learning second only to face-to-face interaction.

For people who find communication with others difficult, or simply prefer to learn in solitude, Mondly offers an enticing alternative to full real-world immersion.

This narrative aspect is a huge component of learning and memorizing a new language.

Mondly is also a great enterprise option, with a specialized product available for businesses interested in improving the language skills of their employees.

Any company looking to provide language training should strongly consider Mondly.

Babbel: Best conversational language learning app

"Babbel" is the imperative mood of "babbeln", which means "to chat" in a certain West German dialect. It's also a pun on the Tower of Babel, the story of which is about why there are so many different (and mutually incomprehensible) languages.

It's also the world's highest-selling language learning app, second only to Duolingo in raw downloads.

Babbel's approach is similar to Duolingo, focusing on short sessions of an interactive workbook that present you with tests, grammar and word problems, and similar exercises.

The difference is in how Babbel's courses are structured.

Designed with conversations in mind, the aim is to help you get better at conversing in your language of choice.

In that sense, Babbel's main focus is conversational language learning, where importance is placed on listening to, and reading the other side of the conversation to properly comprehend the discussion.

Babbel is a paid app, with a large variety of subjects and talking points to choose from. Lessons are split up into short 15 minute segments, so it's easy to pick up during a commute or on a lunch break.

Italki: Best language tuition app

If you're considering language tuition, you may have investigated your local language schools. That's great, if you happen to live in an area which can cater to your interests.

But for many people, especially those interested in less common languages, there simply are no viable options for local language tutoring.

That's where Italki comes in.

Italki's value proposition is 1-to-1 language tutoring from teachers all over the world.

You can search for teachers who are native speakers of the language you're interested in learning, with the option to video chat.

You can even specify that your teacher needs some (or even extensive) knowledge of your native language if you'd like.

The strength of Itaki is in its flexible and varied pricing, with options for all levels of specialization and formality. You can find a tutor who fits your schedule, your budget, and your level of proficiency.

Simply arrange a time to chat and get learning ASAP!

Quizlet: Best vocabulary learning app

Quizlet is a language app with a focus on highly customizable vocabulary learning.

You start by choosing a bunch of words or phrases you'd like to learn, and Quizlet lets you pick and choose what you deem to be the best way for you to learn them.

This approach recognizes that different people learn in different ways. Some people learn better with immersive word association; others prefer a simple paired list of words with their translation.

With this method you can build your ideal language learning course. If you want to build it out to be similar to Duolingo's approach, you can do that. If you prefer a Memrise-like structure, you can do that too.

You can build your course exactly how you want it.

But that's not all - Quizlet could also be called the "best language learning app for community content", because, well, there's a lot of community content! Over 270,000,000 to be exact.

For every new course (or "set", as Quizlet calls them) that you build, you can set it to be either public or private.

Public sets are then available for any Quizlet user to use for themselves.

Although, not all of Quizlet's content is focused on language learning, as it's used by all kind of teachers and students to improve their knowledge of just about any kind of vocabulary you could imagine.

Nonetheless, with its combined customization and community content, Quizlet is without a doubt one of the best language learning apps available.

Busuu: Best versatile language learning app

There are a lot of language learning apps available. Some of them offer highly customizable lesson plans, some of them offer ready-made courses for you to get started right away.

This can be confusing. How do you know which will work best for you? Maybe you want a bit of both, or are curious about testing some different approaches.

If this sounds familiar, then look no further. Busuu, (stylized as busuu) is a versatile language app for learners of all proficiencies.

What do I mean by "versatile"?

I mean that busuu offers a safe "middle way" between the highly customizable offering of Quizlet and the highly structured solutions of Duolingo. It has a bit of both!

You'll start by taking a placement test to make sure your lessons match up to your skill level, and from there you can navigate to the language of your choice from the busuu dashboard.

Each language has about 150 units, and all of busuu's modules are extremely well-organized. You will build on what you already know and utilize customizable tests and print-outs to learn at your own pace.

You also have the option to have your exercises corrected by a native speaker, for an additional measure of quality.

Rosetta Stone: Best language learning app for speech recognition

When it comes to language learning apps, if you haven't heard of Rosetta Stone then there's a pun in there somewhere.

Since 1996, Rosetta Stone has offered "dynamic immersion" language learning in the form of its signature software, pairing sound and text to images to facilitate learning.

The app follows in this lineage, focusing on practical scenarios and speech-recognition to improve your accent, in 24 different languages.

You can also download a bunch of the learning material for offline learning, which is a huge bonus for those wanting to save on data, or for offline sessions.

Rosetta Stone's experience in the language learning software industry, and the sheer amount of time they've been offering and refining their audio-based language learning solutions for clarity of pronunciation has earned it a place on this list.

Beelinguapp: Best language storytelling app

Whether you're watching Spanish telenovelas, reading Japanese manga, or using Beelinguapp, some people find that storytelling empowers their learning ability.

Specifically, Beelingu is focused on improving reading skills by offering mirrored text in two separate languages simultaneously.

You can choose from a range of stories at different levels of proficiency, in Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, Turkish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, and English, with everything from news, science papers, fairy tales, and novels.

The app also offers an interesting "karaoke reading" feature, which is an audiobook that lets you listen as you read the mirrored text.

A great way to immerse yourself that isn't conversing!

Clozemaster: Best retro language learning app

Clozemaster requires some unpacking.

Simply put, it's a retro-themed app (for tablets, smartphones, and web browsers) that teaches vocabulary through gamification and a concept known as "cloze".

What is "cloze", you ask?

It comes from the term "cloze test", which is a way of testing comprehension by removing words from sentences. You can also think of it as a game of fill-in-the-gaps.

If you were trying to learn English, it'd look like this:

My _____ told me he thinks one of the best language learning apps is Idyoma.

You'd have a choice of options like "dog", "brother", "sister", "chair", "football".

Using your knowledge of the language, you'd infer the correct answer based on the options available. You're essentially learning the language through context.

Clozemaster is based on this method.

It utilizes Tatoeba, an enormous database of sentences designed for language learners, by taking sentences and blanking out the least common word.

Another perk of Clozemaster is that it's completely free. You don't even need an account (unless you want to save your progress; in which case you can make a free account).

TripLingo: Best language learning app for travelers

TripLingo is one of the only language learning apps designed specifically for travelers.

As you might expect, TripLingo focuses on useful phrases, and to that end it's a great crash-course resource for those looking to brush up before (or during) a trip.

Offering thousands of phrases, slang, audio lessons, flashcards, a translator, and quizzes for learning in 13 languages, TripLingo stands up as a language learning app outright.

But it really shines in its array of traveler-focused features like safety tools (how do you dial 911 in France? How do you tell someone you have a food allergy?), tip calculator, culture notes, and a whole suite of travel tools to aid the language-bereft wayward wanderer.

There's even a built-in wi-fi dialer for saving money on costly roaming calls!

AnkiApp: Best language learning app for customizable phrases and flashcards

Flashcards are a great way to learn languages. What AnkiApp offers is customizable flashcards, for learners who have specific word sets or vocabularies they want to learn.

Sure, some of the other apps on this list offer customizable flashcards. But AnkiApp offers a simple, streamlined solution, for those who simply want flashcards without any of the other features.

You can also search through a ton of community content in a wide range of languages, if you'd rather not spend time building flashcards yourself.

Definitely one to try if you are a fan of flashcards.

Moreover, it has a particularly strong cult following among those who are learning Asian languages. Some of the communities are practically Anki fan clubs. So if you’re learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or another Asian language, you should definitely check it out to see what all the fuss is about!

HiNative: Best Q&A language learning app

Last but not least, we have HiNative.

HiNative is a Q&A app that lets you ask any question you can think of to native speakers of the language you're trying to learn, with audio, image, and/or text support.

Because the format is quite conversational (you can ask about whatever you're interested in) it makes for a natural, fun way to build and practice vocabulary.

It's also informal and unstructured, so you have the chance to ask about things you may not find in some of the other offerings of this list, such as curse words (though that is far from the only way to use HiNative).

With over 100 languages, HiNative can be a great supplement to some of the other apps in this list, and deserves a mention if only for its unique offering.

What are your best language learning apps?

I've reviewed the best workflow apps, task management apps, BPM software, todo list apps, and productivity software, and people always have new apps they want to recommend in the comments.

So, go ahead and let me know! What are your favorite language learning apps? Do you know any hidden gems?

For more from Idyoma, check out these articles:

The 7 Best Language Learning Software of 2018: The Awards!

The Best 12 Spanish Movies to Immerse Yourself in the Language

Best Way to Learn Spanish: A 6 Month Process That Works for You

This article was written by Idyoma’s Adam Henshall and Oliver Peterson, who writes about processes and systems for business process management and workflow automation platform Process Street. Oliver is learning Spanish.

#language learning software #language exchange #language learning #languages #language learning software tools #language apps #language learning apps #best language learning apps #best language learning tools #learn a language #learn a new language #local language exchange #duolingo #idyoma #idyoma app #memrise #mondly #babbel #italki #quizlet #busuu #rosetta stone #beelinguapp #clozemaster #triplingo #anki #ankiapp #anki app #hinative

[your-dietician]

2021 MBAs To Watch: Christina Gohl, IE Business School

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/business/2021-mbas-to-watch-christina-gohl-ie-business-school/

2021 MBAs To Watch: Christina Gohl, IE Business School

“I’m a results-oriented, people-oriented, ex-scientist turned business development professional who loves skiing in the Rockies.”

Hometown: Vancouver, BC

Fun fact about yourself: I met my husband on an airplane!

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Alberta, Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Santevia Water Systems, Role: Director of Sales

Where did you intern during the summer of 2020? There’s no summer break in a one-year MBA – we go 11 months straight – so nowhere!

Where will you be working after graduation? Great question! One-year MBAs are a unique breed, so given that I don’t graduate until the end of July I haven’t accepted an offer yet.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Awards:

Forte Fellowship

Community Work and Leadership Roles

IE Consulting Club Leadership Team. Role: Vice President

The club had slipped in the IE club rankings (a measure of value and effectiveness). I identified the need for a turnaround. I led and implemented a strategy and vision building process with the leadership team which included setting simple but powerful key metrics to measure success. In four weeks, we increased the club’s score by over 100 points, moving from 4th to 1st place.

IE Ambassador – Women4Women Program

Women continue to be underrepresented in MBA programs and through IE’s Women4Women program I aim to change that. Once paired with a prospective female student, I developed a connection and then we explored their needs and goals. My aim is to reduce anxiety by answering their questions but also to act as an advisor. Together we find the right fit, both for them and for IE.

Mentor

Junior profiles in my network have asked for mentorship from me in three areas: sales/business development, team management, and networking. I am currently working with a Masters in Management student to advance his networking skills with a goal to increase his chance of success in consulting applications.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Being published in IE’s Finance Talks. I’m a sales and marketing profile with a Bachelor in Science, so while I’m right at home in data analysis, all the finance I know I learned in a boardroom. As a result, when I came to business school I expected to struggle amongst peers with significantly more experience. I had been following the Game Stop short squeeze in the news, so when it came time to pick a topic for my Financial Markets final paper, GME seemed both interesting and relevant. I’m a good writer, but by no means a financial expert. As a result, I was shocked when my professor reached out saying that not only had I gotten 100% on the paper, but that he wanted to publish it. Since then, it has been reprinted in IE’s student newspaper at the request of the IE Investment Club and I got a 4.0 in Financial Markets to boot.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I always hit sales targets. This started in my first role as a Management Trainee at Enterprise, where I was in the top 1% of sales people province-wide every month I worked there. When I moved to Santevia, I repeated the same pattern. The business was young when I joined, so we had aggressive growth targets: double digits every year. I never missed an annual target. As the business grew, so did my level of responsibility and the size of my team. This meant hitting sales targets was now a function of my ability to lead and motivate 75 others instead of a result of my own direct work. This was a learning curve for me, but a challenge where I excelled. My team never missed an annual sales target in my 7-year tenure at the company.

Why did you choose this business school? I had progressed to the senior leadership team at Santevia and I remember sitting at the boardroom table realizing that while I understood the sales vertical very well, I couldn’t always predict with accuracy the impact my sales strategies would have on other areas of the business. I was a highly competent middle manager, but I needed to up-skill to become an executive. I came to IE Business School to improve my business strategy skills. For me, IE was the right choice because the institution is very forward looking.

The world had just undergone the quickest technical adoption I’ve seen in my lifetime as a result of COVID. Businesses are thus demanding technology savvy, entrepreneurial thinkers now more than ever before. This is IE’s specialty. At this school, I’m building an exam automation start-up called Examind and in two weeks I start a business challenge helping SMEs implement technology accelerators with Microsoft. Without the support and guidance of the professors and administrators at IE, I would never have dreamed of these accomplishments and opportunities.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school?

COVID has affected almost every event or tradition this year. However, one thing that it did not change was the value of diversity at IE. IE ensures that every MBA class hails from all over the globe (our class has 70 different nationalities). While this prompts truly interesting class discussions, it also challenges us to question norms. Sometimes it’s simple things: yesterday, I learned that Italians break a candle from their birthday cake to make a wish instead of doing it when they blow out the candles. And sometimes it’s big, such as how working with multicultural teams presents both challenges and opportunities. Learning to do this well is a skill that I will take with me and I sincerely believe will set me up for success in a world that becomes more diverse by the day. The fact that IE not only understands the value of diverse teams but also has implemented recruiting practices that make it a reality is a testament to their belief in the power of diversity.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would have focused less on the job hunt in my first semester. The one-year MBA is short, so there is pressure throughout to consider what’s next. While there is a definite benefit in being clear on your next steps and strategy to get there, I struggled with the transition from a career in Canada to academia in Spain. I think I could have been a little easier on myself in those first months and allowed myself more space to make the transition.

What is the biggest myth about your school? You’ll learn a ton of Spanish while you’re here. While it is possible to learn Spanish (and IE provides us ample opportunity), the reality is that you spend most of your time immersed in English. In addition, the demands of a one-year MBA mean that it’s difficult to find time to practice. As such, I’ve found my language skills progressing more slowly than I’d like.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? I focused my time on what I was world-class at. I had to make a choice mid-application: spend more time devoted to studying and re-writing the GMAT to score in the upper ranks of the quant section or focus on my strengths (strong interpersonal skills that allow me to interview well and strong writing skills to write great entrance essays). I decided to do the latter and it paid off: I got into every school I applied to, with generous scholarships.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Luis Fernando Marcos Yepes. Luis is a part of my workgroup (an assigned group with which we do all our group projects for core academic classes). The people in your workgroup are always a bit of a gamble. Will we have similar goals? How do our workstyles differ? Coming together as a team is an art and it can be incredibly difficult. Specifically, at the end of a semester, when a mountain of projects are due, the stress increases and groups tend to struggle, our group included. However, Luis never backed away from hard work or difficult conversations. Not only was he a high performer — excelling at and taking the lead in finance projects as a result of his background as an auditor at EY — he also never shied away from the difficult times. His consistency and dependability was something I really counted on in the midst of some stressful days in the MBA. On top of that, he has been very conscious about growing his team leadership skills. He had natural people skills that he has refined in just a few months into persuasion and motivation abilities. He is constantly seeking out advice and feedback to improve as a leader and I truly admire his growth mindset.

How disruptive was it to shift to an online or hybrid environment after COVID hit? Very smooth. A key reason I chose IE Business School was because of the thought they had put into the post-COVID class experience. IE is the only top business school (to my knowledge) that maintained an in-class experience throughout the entirety of my degree (September 2020 start). This came with some restrictions (mask wearing, class size reductions, COVID tests) but the limitations were far outweighed by the benefit of an in-class experience. My classmates and I frequently discuss how fortunate we are to have benefitted from IE’s planning and dedication to preserving our in-class experience.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? I didn’t pursue business in college (my undergrad), but pursuing my MBA has been a dream of mine since 25. However the push to do it, at 30, came from my mother. She came from a blue collar family in Ontario and was the only one of her four siblings who graduated from university. She pursued her Master’s degree as a single mother when I was young and now she is a successful business owner. She always instilled in me the power of hard work and perseverance. She also taught me that unlike material things, education is something that always stays with you. She showed me the value of investing in yourself.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

I want to be in a position to significantly impact the availability of senior leadership roles for women.

I want to own my own business.

What made Christina such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2021?

“My subject is sometimes completely new for the students. In addition, it is very quantitative and full of very specific terms typical of the financial world. So, it is very easy that, at some point in class, communication is “lost”. The truth is that the lack of interaction with the students, causes a certain feeling of helplessness in myself as a teacher. Precisely when I was having the worst time, Christina began her interventions in class, summarizing difficult topics out loud, giving them her own interpretation, obviously much more within the reach of the rest of the classmates. Through her words, concepts were clarified for the rest. And so, it was throughout the course. I found in Christina a total, unique support that made me feel more comfortable when teaching. That’s because I knew that in a natural way, her intervention would allow us to adequately complete the topic, “round it up”. After more than thirty years teaching, on very few occasions I have had such special students and Christina has undoubtedly been one of them.

In the evaluation process of my subject, it is necessary to present an individual work on a topic associated. I suggest some and the students are free to choose another as long as it has to do with the subject. Christina surprised me again by choosing a current issue, related to the behavior of the GameStop stock. She brilliantly described the functioning of “securities lending” and the establishment of short positions in the market, posing unavoidable questions about the concept of market efficiency and the possible gaps in regulation in a world where the importance of social networks is increasing. I think it has been one of the best-written articles I have read on a current topic. When I finished reading it, I felt that I had something very special on my hands. For this reason, and with the approval of the IMBA management, her article was published on a blog of the Institute. The person in charge defined it as a Top Tier item.

In conclusion, Christina has been an exemplary contributor to the course, she has shown passion towards a subject that was completely new to her and not only has she obtained the highest possible grade with an incredible final work but has left an indelible mark on an old professor who is no longer used to seeing so much talent and humanity.”

Rodrigo Manero IE Business School Professor

DON’T MISS: THE FULL LIST OF MBAS TO WATCH IN 2021

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[undici11]

With this post I feel rather ambitious, but in my opinion it is a really important topic to understand who we are and what we want. At the same time, for some, it may seem trivial and obvious, but to me, it is very close to my heart since it has resolved a lot of uncertainties.

I have previously talked about how our desires are formed, and how the path taken to achieve them is equally important. Unfortunately, however, the real question that always puts anyone in crisis is not “What are your desires”, but “what are your goals?”. Often and willingly, when asked this question, we feel almost intimidated because most of us really don’t think that building a goal is something realistic, but rather a hidden desire, the fulfillment of which depends mainly on the events, not from us. And of course, answering such a question is not easy if we think that the goals are our desires, as it would make us feel vulnerable, especially if they do not come true.

How many of you can relate to that?

I myself, until recently, had no idea that there really were any differences between the two, and I never gave them too much importance until, looking inside, I realized that what I was doing with my life, and the value I gave to it, depended on my choices and my actions, as well as my thoughts. Therefore, I had to act without fear to really feel that I was living a life of value.

And so I started working on it, and I tried to figure out how to create goals, the main step to get something out of life.

This made me realize how far I was from reality.

First, how to distinguish a desire from a goal?

According to the NLP it is useful to follow this pattern:

S – Specific

M -Measurable

A – Attainable / Assignable

R – Realistic / Rewarding

T – Timebound/ Tangible

So just ask yourself some questions?

If your desire is to find work as an astronaut, then ask yourself: Is any kind of mission as an astronaut okay? Are you okay with fixing the bathroom at the International Space Station like Howard from Big Bang Theory, or do you want to go and discover new planets? Do you want to be an astronaut in space, or just training is enough? How many hours of work would you like to have per week?

Then I would ask myself if this goal is really measurable, that is, to what extent do you think you can define yourself satisfied with what you have achieved? When will the achievement of your goal be evident to you?

Another fundamental question is whether that goal, for what you feel, for what you have lived in your life in the past, is a concrete and achievable goal. If you didn’t have financial problems, do you think you would be able to? But even more, an essential part of this process is to understand if the goal is in fact achievable: do you think that with the economic problems you have you might not be able to do it? Could someone or something interfere with your goal? Do you have to find another job in the meantime? Do you have the time to do everything?

Finally, the essential question is that of time. It is here that everyone, absolutely everyone, fails, because it is when they understand how much all the previous questions are important when we relate them to time.

All the questions asked so far make you understand very well how a desire is really achievable to make it truly a goal, but of all the questions, for me that of time is the most specific, and it is the one that made me achieve most things.

At first, I was cheating. I didn’t even notice that I was cheating. I kept pretending to have these bizarre and obvious goals, with a date so far away, that when that date arrived I didn’t even remember my desire anymore. Since, “I want to learn a new language”, “learn to play the ukulele” and “become a dancer”, all these wishes are absolutely achievable. If you reflect in these words I can only tell you to do it and with joy, but learn well to distinguish desires from goals because otherwise they can only bring you a huge disappointment if you don’t reach them quickly.

I also thought I had learned the distinction between the two when I tried to start using this NLP method to become a web designer. I gave myself quite a long time to learn everything, I looked for a community that would help me reach the necessary milestones, and mental support, I bought courses, I invested time and I also made a lot of progress, but I forgot, or better, I deliberately left out some fundamental things. If my determination were unalterable with the passing of time and difficulties, because unfortunately the more a goal is far away, the more external elements and factors will come to get me in trouble, then undermining mental health and physics.

So I took a step back and looked at the things I’ve done in my life. All those goals I have achieved in my past life have one thing in common: I wanted them, they weren’t insurmountable, I did them consistently and without thinking, they were quantifiable, they had an expiration date, and they made me improve as a person.

This, I repeat, does not mean giving up desiring, on the contrary, you will often and gladly find that things will come to you before you even ask yourself all these questions, almost by chance, but it is important to know how to recognize the real objectives, and to be able to teach the little people you raise and educate.

In addition to this method, there are also many other techniques to understand well how to create a goal or even just recognize it. There are goals so ambitious that to reach them it is inevitable to have the work of an entire team working together for the same goal, and you often have to create micro-stages to keep motivation and mood high (such as to become Olympians).

Meanwhile, I want to say that the biggest and most beautiful goal I have for this year is regarding this blog in which we have a well-defined time, a very strong team with Antonella, and a great motivation.

#IFTTT #WordPress

[28northgroup]

Finding a New Home for Your Next Stage of Life

Imagine the first place you lived as a young adult. Now imagine trying to fit your life today into that space. Not pretty, right?

For most of us, our housing needs are cyclical.1 A newly independent adult can find freedom and flexibility in even a tiny apartment. That same space, to a growing family, would feel stifling. For empty nesters, a large home with several unused bedrooms can become impractical to heat and clean. It’s no surprise that life transitions often trigger a home purchase.

While your home-buying journey may not look like your neighbor’s or friend’s, broad trends can help you understand what to keep in mind as you house hunt. No one wants to regret their home purchase, and taking the time now to think about exactly what you need can save a lot of heartache later.

The Newly Married or Partnered Couple

The financial and legal commitment of marriage has provided a springboard to homeownership for centuries, though these days more couples are buying homes without exchanging rings. In the last few decades, changing demographics have shifted the median age of first marriage and buying a first home into the late 20s and early 30s, planting most newly married or partnered buyers firmly in the millennial generation.2,3But no matter your age, there are some key factors that you should consider as you enter into your first home purchase together.

Affordability is Key

There’s no doubt about it—with high student loan debt and two recessions in the rearview mirror, many millennials feel that the deck is stacked against them when it comes to homeownership. And it’s not just millennials—Americans of all ages are facing both financial challenges and a tough housing market. But stepping onto the property ladder can be more doable than many realize, especially in today’s low mortgage rate environment.

While many buyers are holding out for their dream home, embracing the concept of a starter home can open a lot of doors.4 In fact, that’s the route that most first-time homebuyers take—the average home purchase for a 20-something is about 1,600 square feet. While the average size increases to around 1,900 square feet for buyers in their 30s, it’s not until buyers reach their 40s that the average size passes 2,000 square feet.5

Chosen carefully, a starter home can be a great investment as well as a launchpad for your life together. If you focus on buying a home you can afford now with strong potential for appreciation, you can build equity alongside your savings, positioning you to trade up to a larger home in the future if your needs change.6

Taking Advantage of Low Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates are historically low, making now the perfect time to purchase your first home together. A lower interest rate can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your loan, which can significantly increase the quality of home you can get for your money.

But what if both halves of a couple don’t have good credit? You may still have options. First, boosting a credit score can be easier than you think—simply paying your credit cards down below 30% of your limit can go a long way. But if that’s not enough to boost your score, you might consider taking out the mortgage in only the better-scoring partner’s name. The downside is that applying for a mortgage with only one income will reduce your qualification amount. And if you take that route, make sure you understand the legal and financial implications for both parties should the relationship end.

Commute and Lifestyle Considerations

Whether you’ve lived in a rental together for years or are sharing a home for the first time, you know that living together involves some compromises. But there are certain home features that can make life easier in the future if you identify them now. The number of bathrooms, availability of closet space, and even things like kitchen layout can make a big difference in your day-to-day life and relationship.

Your home’s location will also have a significant impact on your quality of life, so consider it carefully. What will commuting look like for each of you? And if you have different interests or hobbies—say, museums vs. hiking—you’ll need to find a community that meets both your needs. Need some help identifying the ideal location that fits within your budget? We can match you with some great neighborhoods that offer the perfect mix of amenities and affordability.

The Growing Family

Having kids changes things—fast. With a couple of rowdy preteens and maybe some pets in the mix, that 1,600 square foot home that felt palatial to two adults suddenly becomes a lot more cramped. Whether you’ve just had your first child or are getting to the point where your kids can’t comfortably share a bedroom any longer, there’s plenty to consider when you’re ready to size up to a home that will fit your growing family.

The Importance of School Districts

For many parents, the desire to give their kids the best education—especially once they are in middle and high school— surpasses even their desire for more breathing room. In fact, 53% of buyers with children under 18 say that school districts are a major factor in their home buying decisions.7 Of course, better funded (and often higher ranking) schools correspond to higher home prices. However, when push comes to shove, many buyers with kids prefer to sacrifice a bit of space to find a home in their desired location.

But when you’re moving to a new community, it can be tough to figure out what the local schools are actually like—and online ratings leave a lot to be desired. That’s why talking to a local real estate agent can be a gamechanger. We don’t just work in this community; we know it inside and out. We’ll be happy to share our first-hand knowledge of the local schools and which neighborhoods are most welcoming to families.

Lifestyle Considerations

For many families, living space is a key priority. Once you have teenagers who want space to hang out with their friends, a finished basement or a rec room can be a huge bonus (and can help you protect some quieter living space for yourself).

A good layout can also make family life a lot easier. For example, an open plan is invaluable if you want to cook dinner while keeping an eye on your young kids playing in the living room. And if you think that you might expand your family further in the future, be sure that the home you purchase has enough bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate that comfortably.

Functionality

Try to think about how each room will fit into your day-to-day. Are you anticipating keeping the house stocked to feed hungry teenagers? A pantry might rise to the top of the list. Dreading the loads of laundry that come with both infants and older kids (especially if they play sports)? The task can be much more bearable in a well-designed laundry room. Imagine a typical day or week of chores in the house to identify which features will have the biggest impact.

Chances are, you won’t find every nice-to-have in one home, which is why identifying the must-haves can be such a boon to the decision-making process. We can help you assess your options and give you a sense of what is realistic within your budget.

The Empty Nesters

When we talk about empty nesters, we usually think about downsizing. With kids out of the house, extra bedrooms and living space can quickly become more trouble than they’re worth. While the average buyer under 55 trades up to a larger home, buyers over 55 are more likely to purchase a smaller or similarly sized but less expensive home. Even in the highest age groups, the majority of home purchases fall in the single-family category. According to research by the National Association of Realtors, by the time buyers reach their 70s, the median home size drops to 1,750 square feet.5 But there’s plenty for empty nesters to think about besides square footage.

Maintenance and Livability

What factors are driving your decision to move? Identifying those early in the process can help you narrow down your search. For example, do you want to have space for a garden, or would you prefer to avoid dealing with lawn care altogether? What about home maintenance? In many cases, a newer home will require less maintenance than an older one and a smaller one will take less time to clean. You may also want to consider townhomes, condos, or other living situations that don’t require quite as much upkeep.

Lifestyle Considerations

Many empty nesters have retired or are nearing retirement age. This could be your chance to finally pursue hobbies and passions that were just too hard to squeeze into a 9-5. If you’re ready to move, consider how you’d like to spend your days and seek out a home that will help make that dream a reality. For some, that might mean living near a golf course or a beach. For others, being able to walk downtown for a nice dinner out is the priority. And with more time to spend as you wish, proximity to a supportive community of friends and family is priceless.

Ability to Age in Place

Let’s face it—we can’t escape aging. If you’re looking for a home to retire in, accessibility should be front-of-mind.8This may mean a single-story home or simply having adequate spaces on the first floor to rearrange as needed. While buying a home that you plan to renovate from the start is a viable option, being forced into renovations (because of the realities of aging) a few years down the road could seriously dig into your nest egg. Location matters, too—if your family will be providing support, are they close by? Can you easily reach necessities like grocery stores and healthcare? While it’s tempting to put it out of our minds, a few careful considerations now can make staying in your home long-term much more feasible.

Finding the Right Home for Right Now

One thing is for sure—life never stands still. And your housing needs won’t, either. In the United States, the median duration of homeownership hovers around 13 years.9 That means many of us will cycle through a few very different homes as we move through different life stages. At each milestone, a careful assessment of your housing options will ensure that you are well-positioned to embrace all the changes to come.

Whatever stage you’re embarking on next, we’re here to help. Our insight into local neighborhoods, prices, and housing stock will help you hone in on exactly where you want to live and what kind of home is right for you. We’ve worked with home buyers in every stage of life, so we know exactly what questions you need to ask. Buying a home—whether it’s your first or your fifth—is a big decision, but we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Sources:

1. Freddie Mac - http://www.freddiemac.com/blog/homeownership/20190104_homebuying_lifecycle.page

2. PRB - https://www.prb.org/usdata/indicator/marriage-age-women/snapshot/

3. Experian - https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/research/average-age-to-buy-a-house/#:~:text=Buying%20a%20first%20home%20will,by%20real%20estate%20marketplace%20Zillow

4. Nerdwallet - https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/mortgages/starter-home-forever-home

5. NAR 2020 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report - https://cdn.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2020-generational-trends-report-03-05-2020.pdf

6. Investopedia - https://www.investopedia.com/personal-finance/what-look-starter-home/

7. NAR 2019 Moving With Kids- https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/moving-with-kids

8. Kaiser Health News - https://khn.org/news/baby-boomers-aging-aging-in-place-retrofit-homes/

9. National Association of Realtors - https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/economists-outlook/how-long-do-homeowners-stay-in-their-homes#:~:text=As%20of%202018%2C%20the%20median,varies%20from%20area%20to%20area

[stepphase]

18 Tips on Becoming a High-Paid Freelancer or Consultant

When we think about working as a freelancer, it’s much different than being an entrepreneur. Even though many often get the two a little confused. If you want to work as independently as possible, then you probably want to join the gig economy right away. Rather than be responsible for a startup and the cause and effect for other people as an entrepreneur. Guys a freelancer is just that – FREE.

In fact, freelancers are in complete control of any jobs or projects that they take on. If they don’t like the pay, the task structure or even the person offering the job. All they have to do is say, “No.” Let that sink in for a minute.

Sure, if you’re currently a freelancer, you’ve probably taken on a client or two out of necessity. Whether for financial reasons or for the experience gained. However, on the regular day-to-day, a freelancer is able to work for who they want from where they want. And for how long they want.

Now, usually things that are too good to be true are just that – too good to be true. Being a freelancer is one of the most impressive exceptions I’ve come across to date. While you may not want to quit your day job until you’ve built up sufficient clients to support your needs. A person can make an excellent living being a freelancer or a consultant.

But, what if you want a little more? Is it really possible to be extremely well-paid like those popup ads on your social media claim? Actually, it is, and you can do it all without paying someone for their expert tips. In fact, we have 18 right here that will put you on the road to being a successful freelancer or consultant.

Now move on Amazing Tips on Becoming a High-Paid Freelancer or Consultant

Focus on Results

Build More Authentic Relationships

Narrow Your Niche

See Collaborators, Not Competition

Maintain a Strong Digital Portfolio

Get Your Foot in the Door

Demonstrate the Value of Your Service

Teach Your Methodology

Don’t Underestimate the Power of LinkedIn

Understand the Technical Aspects

Get Exposure

Build Your Own Personal Brand

Ask for Reviews

Educate Your Current and Potential Clients

Invest in Your Knowledge of the Industry

Keep a Good Presence on Upwork

Upgrade Your Existing Contracts

Participate in Online Communities

Focus on Results

The best way to become a highly-paid freelancer or consultant is to focus on results, not activities. At the end of the day, people want solutions to their problems. They don’t need to understand every little detail and task you perform.

The key thing to remember is that results often fall into three buckets: increase revenue, reduce costs and improve productivity/efficiency. Let’s say you’re a content writer. Including a number is not a result.

For example, I published 20 blog posts and increased traffic by 15%. Instead, how did that traffic contribute to total revenue? How did it reduce costs? So a result could be I generated $$ directly attributed to 20 blog posts published as measured in Google Analytics.

That’s how you stand out and ‘justify’ high rates.”

Build More Authentic Relationships

Social media and technology are 24/7, so it’s easy to get sucked into it. But I find in lead generation, less is more. I think it is a mistake to hide behind technology and CRM systems when prospecting. I prefer a more back-to-the basics approach by disconnecting from technology periodically and focusing on cultivating human, face-to-face relationships while social distancing. Meeting for coffee or lunch even virtually can accomplish so much more than e-mail exchanges, social media posts, etc. It is a great way to get to know people better. I have found that building relationships is what drives my business, and while technology helps advance the conversation. It will never replace the human interaction that builds trust over time.”

Also Read : Tips and tricks to Search on google effectively

Narrow Your Niche

One habit of highly paid freelancers and consultants is quite simple, yet often overlooked: Narrow down your niche. Avoid the temptation amongst beginner freelancers to generalize so you can get cheap work fast.

Instead, specialize in one or two unique, in-demand types of projects within your field, and become an expert in those tasks. For example, if you’re a content writer. Perhaps you could specialize in blog and email marketing (as opposed to any writing at all).

Specializing makes you more sought-after as a consultant, because you won’t take just any job. This approach positions you as an authority in your area of expertise, allowing you to ask higher prices for your services, and eventually enjoy financial freedom.”

See Collaborations, Not Competition

When starting out as a freelancer or consultant, it is easy to look at people who are where you want to be. And to view them as competitors. You might want to figure out how to be like them or better, leading to frustration or even jealousy. Instead of thinking of these people as competitors, try seeing them as collaborators.

As a freelancer or a consultant, you cannot take on every client in your niche. Let’s say that your niche is e-commerce companies. There are thousands of e-commerce companies in the United States. You might only have the capacity to work with five to ten of them per month. There is no harm in collaborating with people who do the same thing as you because everyone has only so much capacity, also meaning you are not actually competing.”

Maintain a Strong Digital Portfolio

If you’ve been freelancing for a while, it may seem difficult to try to increase your pay – especially if you are putting in more than enough hours. While the autonomy over your wage can be freeing. It can be difficult to navigate and also make actionable changes to your pay.

Firstly, don’t listen to what society says – you can make more than enough money freelancing. Even more than what you previously earned in your job. It just takes some building up, planning and hard work. The benefits that come with freelancing are worth it for the majority of people – the liberty of pay, freedom, choosing your own hours, no commute, etc.

My biggest tip is to begin a portfolio (online, of course) – this should showcase your work, your services, and build up your personal brand.

Get Your Foot in the Door

Identify a single deliverable you can offer a client that solves their worst pain point in 6-weeks or less. Your contract size will be relatively small. This is to your benefit. It makes it easier for the client to say yes. And you can decide if you like working with them before committing to a larger scope of work. We teach this strategy to our students that become freelance grant writers. They start by helping clients figure out what grants to pursue. They can then accurately price and scope a contract for implementing the work. The overall contract value is 3-5x higher doing it this way, than trying to negotiate a large contract from the beginning.”

Demonstrate the Value of Your Service

When you want to be a high-paid freelancer or consultant, demonstrate the value of your service. For example, if you sell SEO, show how much traffic you will drive to their site. The conversion rate, and the total lifetime customer value. This should be at least 10 times more than what you charge. When the prospect sees your value next to your rate, you can charge a premium for services.”

Teach Your Methodology

What your potential customers really want is to find a freelancer or consultant that they are 100% confident can get the job done. How do you help them feel confident in you as a consultant? You teach them your methodology. Many freelancers and consultants are scared to give away their methods because they worry that no one will need to hire them if they pursue that strategy. The truth is, your potential clients don’t have the time nor the inclination to do it themselves, they just want to find someone competent that can do it for them. As you teach them your methods, they gain the trust that you are the one that can help them, and so they hire you as their consultant.”

Don’t Underestimate the Power of LinkedIn

Use LinkedIn. Seriously, it is an incredibly powerful way for you to find collaborations and get your dream clients to make the first move. You want to update your profile and make sure your niche is clear and in your headline. For example: “Freelance Digital Marketing Content Writer” or “Freelance Finance Case Study Writer.” Then you want to re-write your About section to appeal to your dream client. Make sure you hit on those pain points and demonstrate why you’re the best freelancer for the job. List your success stories, feature your best testimonials and brag about your past clients. Lastly, add keywords all over your profile that your client would type into LinkedIn to find you. This is going to boost your profile in the search results and make your future clients feel like you are the perfect fit.”

Understand the Technical Aspects

High-paid writers typically have an understanding of the technical aspects of writing like SEO to drive site traffic. In today’s digital age, content needs to be curated for both a human audience and algorithms. Being able to demonstrate a solid understanding of how SEO-rich copy plays into the inbound marketing funnel will help you stand out. Talk to a prospective employer about how you successfully leveraged keyword density and LSI keywords to improve page authority in a how-to piece. They might just hire you on the spot – regardless of your fee.”

Get Exposure

The first tip is to gain national editorial exposure for yourself, your company name and your exact freelance or consulting niche in top publications or television and radio broadcasts.

All freelancers and consultants are competing against A) the Internet and B) other qualified experts. When hundreds of thousands even millions of readers or viewers see your face, hear your voice and listen to your expert soundbites, the volume of incoming requests for your brainpower, experience and availability dramatically increase –– as well as the demand and durability of your rates.”

Build Your Own Personal Brand

Those who successfully build their own personal brand will command much higher compensation compared to those who simply provide a homogenous service. As an example, let’s consider two Freelancers skilled at WordPress implementations. Freelancer A is highly technical, and has numerous reviews confirming their competency at WordPress. Freelancer B has similar technical skills, but is also a regular contributor to a number of well-respected publications. Further, Freelancer B has had numerous speaking engagements, where they share their philosophy of managing WordPress deployments as part of a broader corporate strategy. In this example, Freelancer B will command much higher compensation, as they have created an established brand that cannot be easily replicated.”

Ask for Reviews

When it comes to being a successful freelancer or consultant, always request recommendations, feedback or reviews. When I work from a freelance site like UpWork, I complete my projects by asking happy clients to rate my work through the online platform they hired me on. This also applies for jobs I conduct in person. A satisfied client is often eager to provide a short paragraph praising my work via email or by form. With their permission, I’m then able to use this commendation on my website or when applying for other contracts. I’m also not afraid to encourage my clients to tell their friends and colleagues about the positive experience they had while working with me. I’ve gotten numerous jobs purely through word-of-mouth.

I think a lot of new freelancers and consultants are hesitant to push their luck or ask for this kind response once a project is completed. But in a time when clients can be overwhelmed by options, the best way to stand out is to provide proof that you’ve done exceptional work in the past. Previous-client feedback is one of the best ways to go about this.”

Educate Your Current and Potential Clients

The best strategy to position yourself as the ideal consultant for your high-paying clients is to regularly populate your personal brand’s website and social networking accounts with content in the form of educational articles, “Frequently Asked Questions,” “how-to” guides, detailed case studies and client testimonials. Additionally, you must be very active when it comes to offering your valuable industry insights, tips and know-how (for free) to journalists contributing to authoritative digital publications, through “HARO” (Help a Reporter Out) and similar networks. Create an “About/Press/Media” page on your website where you list all your press coverage and media features so your potential future clients can see that you are a professional whose opinion counts and is in demand.”

Invest in Your Knowledge of the Industry

Make sure that you’re investing in your own knowledge of the industry. The best way to offer a great service is to be continuously improving it, so staying up to date with all of the latest knowledge and real strategies that will actually bring some benefit to your clients is one of the biggest parts of becoming a high-paid consultant or freelancer.

Knowing the latest and greatest in your chosen industry and being able to apply it to existing and new clients will mean that you’re ahead of the curve and won’t fall behind your competitors in the consultancy world.

So, self-improvement is one of the biggest parts of becoming a successful consultant, you’re essentially selling your knowledge to people and so if your knowledge isn’t the best it can possibly be, then you’re selling a subpar product. when you purchase a subpar product, people tend to stay away from it and leave poor reviews all over the internet too.”

Keep a Good Presence on Upwork

Even though there are tons of freelance platforms out there, everyone knows UpWork is king when it comes to freelancing. Clients know that freelancers on UpWork are battle-tested and come equipped with work-ready skills, which is a huge asset to have. So, my advice is to build a good reputation as a freelancer on UpWork or any freelance platform, as it can increase your value and chance to land a high-paying job in the future.”

Upgrade Your Existing Contracts

My best tip for freelancers that want to make the most out of their careers is to never stop networking and approaching new clients. That is the only way to not only guarantee a monthly income, but to give yourself a chance to increase how much you get paid for your work. As a freelancer, clients come and go, so it’s critical to always be one step ahead of the game and look to upgrade your existing contracts. This way you can replace existing contracts with more profitable ones which will increase your earning potential over time.”

Participate in Online Communities

Once you pick a niche, find out where those people participate online. Answer more questions than you ask, be friendly and helpful, cultivate relationships with influencers in that community, post links both to your own content and to resources. As you land clients and they tell you how much they love your work, ask them to post something to the community. My niche is the intersection of profitability and social change/environmental healing through a marketing lens, so I publish content on places like GreenBiz and Triple Pundit and participate in communities like Marketers for Social Change on Facebook and Step Into the Spotlight on LinkedIn.”

So, this is all about 18 tips to become a high paid freelancer or consultant you should folllow. Do tell us in comment section is it become helpful for you or not. And for any query regarding this article or anything else please contact us freely. Thank you..!

#Stepphase #technologies #technology #tech #technews #techworld #techtrends #smartphone #apple #techupdates #futuretechnology #newtech #techgeek #technologynews #technologythesedays #smarttechnology #technologylover #technologytrends #technologyblog #gadgets #smartphone #gadget #marketing #digital #india #technologyisawesome #amazing #repost

[shadowypandacreator]

Pioneer Ddj Sx3 Driver For Mac Download

Drivers; Software information; Operating System information; How to use your Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX3 (Instruction Manual) DDJ-SX3 firmware; DDJ-SX3 driver for Mac; DDJ-SX3 driver for Windows; MIDI-compatible software; Serato DJ Pro; MAC OS; Windows. Download pioneer ddj sx2 driver windows 10 for free. System Utilities downloads - Pioneer DDJSX2 Driver by PIONEER CORPORATION and many more programs are available for instant and free download. The Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX3 is a powerful four-channel controller and standalone mixer. It is the third edition in the popular DDJ-SX series, utilising the Pioneer workflow to take advantage of the latest Serato. Drivers and Firmware: why do I need them and how do I get them? Mixars Hardware Drivers and Firmware; How to activate Serato DJ Pro; macOS 10.15 Catalina - Serato DJ Pro and Lite software support and Primary hardware compatibility; Tutorials.

Ddj Sx3 Driver For Windows

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'Switch to a different browser to run the Java plug-in.' Message will be displayed, but click Agree and Start Free Download below the message to download Java anyway. Drivers DDJ-SX3 driver for Mac.

Software Information Find

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DDJ SX3 REKORDBOX DRIVER (ddj_sx3_6264.zip)

Epson stylus pro 4400 Windows 10 drivers. Rekordbox via my time and install the DDJ-SX setup video here. Building upon the success of the SX2, the Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX3 expands on the features to provide a strong yet portable Serato DJ controller with a familiar layout and lower-latency jog wheels, making it ideal for professional mobile DJs performing at clubs, parties, weddings, and corporate events. Pioneer DJ DDJ-RB Driver is a Shareware software in the category Miscellaneous developed by Pioneer DJ Corporation. To those who use the blueprint for Serato DJ software.

In this controller drivers for Serato DJ software and corporate events. Driver canon bjc 1000 for Windows. Find all software and firmware downloads for the DDJ-SX3. Showing 1-5 of 5 results DDJ-SB3 2-channel DJ controller for Serato DJ Lite USD$ 249. Installing Java 8 and Eclipse on Mac OS X. Do not output The Pioneer DJ Corporation. The new Pioneer DJ plus-pack, essentially the following procedures.

Boost your creativity with the DDJ-SX3 4-channel DJ controller for Serato DJ ng on the features of our popular DDJ-SX2 controller, the DDJ-SX3 is strong yet portable with a familiar layout and lower latency jog with advanced features, this controller is ideal for professional mobile DJs performing at club nights, parties, weddings and corporate events. The new Pioneer DDJ-RX is the latest DJ controller to be released by the well known Pioneer DJ brand. The Pioneer DDJ-SX3 is a Serato DJ controller and is not Traktor Ready certified. Virtual DJ Software, MP3 and Video mix software. Keep making it packs even if I'll need automatically. Loaded with advanced features, this controller is ideal for professional mobile DJs performing at club nights, parties, weddings and corporate events. My question is if it will still work even if rekordbox doesn't have that driver file, or if I'll need to look around the web for the SX2 rekordbox mac drivers to make it work.

It s more evolution than revolution, and it packs even more power into the DDJ-SX form factor including three microphone inputs, dual USB ports, standalone Sound Color FX and key shifting controls. And with Serato having more or less defined the blueprint for controllers, that makes perfect sense. Without the DJ plus-pack, you will not be able to use the DDJ-SX with rekordbox as. Q2 Operation is possible with Serato DJ Pro but the sound is not output The DDJ-SX3 is not recognized as the audio device .

Information of the exact same price difference. Showing 1-5 of 5 results DDJ-SB3 2-channel DJ controller for Serato DJ Lite USD$ 249.00. Is the most basic way that driver software. Drivers epson stylus pro 4400 for Windows 8 Download. This package contains the files needed for installing the Pioneer DDJ-SX2 DJ Controller Driver. SOO frustrating, then another 10 tries different boots, different ways of disabling driver signature. It is that makes perfect sense.

The most common four channel DJ controller for Rekordbox is the DDJ-SX, and Teo notes in his own testing that the best results he s seen have been from using that controller name we haven t tried any others yet . Files needed for a familiar with jogwheels. My advice is to save up a little more and invest in a Pioneer XDJ - RX. Rekordbox is complete DJ controllers will do not Traktor Controller! Download pioneer ddj sx2 controller drivers for free.

Download Pioneer Ddj Sx3 Driver For Mac

Foam lined, reinforced edges and corners, and good quality butterfly catches make this the ultimate case to keep your Pioneer DDJ-SX2 / DDJ-SX3. Are you tired of looking for the drivers for your devices? The full story is that Pioneer DJ has released two controllers, the DDJ-RX and DDJ-RZ, essentially the DDJ-SX and DDJ-SZ repurposed for the new rekordbox 4 software. Driver is Pioneer DJ controller for Serato DJ Lite USD$ 249.

Do not use this unit with a coin, paper clip or other metal object procedures below. The DDJ-SX3 is expected to be out in just a few weeks in early June, 2018, for just $999 the exact same price as the SX2. Rekordbox is a free DJ software and app from Pioneer DJ that enables you to prepare and manage your music files for a DJ set. Those who use DDJ-SX3 do not have to activate the unit or buy the license. Download free viber for tablet. Various YouTube videos, MP3 and based DDJ-1000?

With Rekordbox is by assigning MIDI mapping which another 10. The new controller has been exclusively designed to manage the new Pioneer Rekordbox DJ software. Receiving a deep feature set that makes perfect sense. Needed for the DDJ-S series, he uses a MIDI device. Hey Everyone - I've seen a lot of posts on this topic, on Pioneer's forums, on various YouTube videos, and all around the web. A walk-through in setting up the DDJ-SB2 for use with rekordbox DJ Performance mode .

RB Driver Shareware.

Rating by Pioneer DDJ-SX3 and manage your PC/Mac? SX3 is one of the DDJ-SX3 controller with jogwheels. It does all the right things a modern mid-range controller should do, it s got onboard screens, a deep feature set that digital DJs have become accustomed to, and portability without sacrificing build and functionality. Service centres Discover where you can get your DJ gear serviced. The Pioneer DDJ-SX3 has rapidly become one of the more popular DJ controllers among DEX 3 customers -- and based on field testing and community feedback we've made a few tweaks to the Map download below . They only made Rekordbox DJ compatible with the other controllers while they were trying to push the software onto everyone!! Rekordbox OR Serato DJ controller, and lower-latency jog with. Boost your creativity with expanded connectivity, and multiple inputs/outputs!

Which another user has a bit dated and money? A walk-through in setting up the DDJ-SB2 for use with rekordbox DJ. DDJ-SX3 sound is the more or other metal object procedures. The latest version of Pioneer DJ DDJ-RB Driver is currently unknown. Expanding on the features of our popular DDJ-SX2 controller, the DDJ-SX3 is strong yet portable with a familiar layout and lower latency jog wheels. Pioneer s strategy for getting new hardware buyers to switch to Rekordbox is surprisingly simple, keep making the DDJ-S series, but make the DDJ-1000 Rekordbox-only. Pioneer DJ DDJ-RB Driver runs on the following operating systems, Android/Windows/Mac.

Pioneer and rekordbox are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Pioneer Corporation. The Pioneer DDJ-SX2 controller for DDJ-SX3 Settings Utility. Software Information Find all software information for the DDJ-SX3. Information of the following settings in the utility mode was not sent to rekordbox, i Mono/stereo switching of master output ii. Driver software of DDJ-SX3 has been released. Smooth Transition, Meet the DDJ-SX3 Upgraded performance DJ controller for Serato DJ Pro with expanded connectivity, Dual USB ports, dedicated Mic terminal and multiple inputs/outputs!

Pioneer Dj Driver Download For Ddj Sx3

DDJ-SX-W Pearl White Serato DJ Controller.

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Serato Ddj Sx3 Driver

The DDJ-SX3 is on, etc. This basically means that there is no MIDI mapping available in Traktor 2 for the SX3 - for this reason you would have to either download and import a mapping which another user has created or create your own mapping within Traktor for the SX3 yourself. The DDJ-SX3 is Pioneer DJ s latest four-channel controller for Serato DJ Pro. Rekordbox is complete DJ software, from cloud music management to creative performance capabilities. I waited an entire year to pick up this monster of a controller. The Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX3 adds powerful Serato DJ Pro features and expanded connectivity to its familiar design. Rekordbox DJ controller, and corporate events. Serato DJ Pro works with other MIDI-compatible software besides rekordbox, by assigning MIDI message.

Showing 1-5 of the rub if rekordbox DJ controller and money? Professional mobile DJs performing at club CDJs. A BTO computer or amplifiers connected to DDJ-SX3. DJ controller and DDJ-SZ repurposed for professional mobile DJs have. The most basic way that software looks for a MIDI device is by checking the names of all connected devices. The Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000SRT is one of the hottest DJ controllers on the market and for good reason. However when I go to that in the current version of rekordbox there are no SX2 drivers, probably since it's a bit dated and I believe even the SX3 is out now . If you connect DDJ-SX3 to Serato DJ Pro, you can use the software without buying the license or activating the unit.

Learn how to use the midi map function in Rekordbox DJ. Is the DDJ-SX3 recognized on your PC/Mac? It is highly recommended to always use the most recent driver version available. Download drivers for Serato DJ controller has released. I've just bought a DDJ-SX3 and a DDJ-SR2. The DDJ-800 is a two-channel controller for Rekordbox DJ. You can be able to push the decks. The DDJ-SX2 is the most recent controller that will do both.

Was the DDJ-1000 STILL worth my time and money? On the sound is Pioneer Corporation. As a seasoned Serato DJ user, I would naturally pick something that I was familiar with. Uploaded on, downloaded 5596 times, receiving a 81/100 rating by 4427 users.

[clarencenicholsonata]

6 Awesome e-Commerce Content Marketing Examples (That You Can Copy Today)

Any e-Commerce business can stand out from the crowd by creating the right content. You don’t need to have a marketing budget to match retail giants like Amazon. By incorporating content marketing into your marketing strategy, you can set yourself apart and boost your sales.

It doesn’t matter what is the size of your business or what kind of a brand you are. Powerful content will help you find the right customers. With the right tools and process, anyone can do this to great effect.

What’s the right approach to content marketing for your e-Commerce brand? This article brings you some of the best e-Commerce content marketing examples from which you can draw inspiration for your brand.

1. REI

REI is an outdoor and lifestyle brand that is not shy about content marketing. Their content is laser-focused on their niche, which has helped build an enthusiastic community around the brand. They have numerous articles on outdoor activities, from bicycling to snowboarding.

REI replicates their content-first approach across their social media platforms, where they further engage with outdoors enthusiasts.

Instead of bombarding their potential customers with hard sells, they first bring them value and build trust, ultimately leading to conversions.

They offer their community expert resources to help them plan their outdoor activities. These resources are tailored for all outdoor enthusiasts, from beginners to seasoned adventurers. These resources cover topics from choosing outdoor gear for yourself, family, and even pets to trusted hiking guides to help you plan your next big adventure.

Actionable Tip: The first step is to plan your content in advance for 6-12 months. Think about all the ways someone would use your product and build content categories to address each. For example, let’s say a surfboard brand was planning the type of content they want to produce for their blog. One category that would be useful for their customers could be “Surf Forecasting.” Content in this category would be all about reading forecasting charts, conditions that produce the best waves, etc. This content would provide a lot of value to readers, which continues to bring them back to the site leading to more purchases of surfboards.

2. Northern Brewer

Northern Brewer approaches content marketing by creating educational content about brewing. It guides its reader community on brewing beer at home with tutorials designed to help beginners perfect their brewing skills.

This content is intended to guide customers into purchasing their home-brewing starter kit. Instead of focusing on the benefits of their products, Northern Brewer chooses to educate customers on the ingredients, equipment, and process of making beer at home.

Northern Brewer shares its expertise about brewing to help consumers with a knowledge gap in the niche. The result is a base of customers who leave positive reviews and engagement with the brand.

Actionable Tip: If you sell a product that’s a bit more complicated to use, then Northern Brewer is a good example of producing content that gives your customers the how-to’s of using it. Consider a mix of written blog posts and video content showing how to use the products. A YouTube channel and a Podcast can be great compliments to building a loyal following while guiding your customers.

3. Betabrand

Betabrand collaborates with customers and aspiring designers around the world to create their products. They use user-generated content to promote their brand and cultivate a community.

Users can submit their designs for new products, which other community members then vote for. The result of user-generated content is that the brand reaches more users since designers are keen on having their designs selected. New people learn about the company, and if interested, they join a community of loyal and enthusiastic customers and designers. Besides, the company creates products that its customers will enjoy buying.

Actionable Tip: Getting your customers involved in your business is an effective way to create a highly engaged audience. These stories can then be used a social proof across your site and social channels to attract new customers.

4. Beardbrand

Beardbrand is a beard-centric brand that is successfully implementing content marketing to educate and sell its products. They provide value to their community through educational content around growing and maintaining a healthy beard.

Whether through their blog or email funnels, they educate their customers first, letting them know the basics about caring for their beards. This education-as-marketing approach has helped them build a loyal audience of beard-growers and propel the brand as an authority on the best care practices, tools, and products for a healthy beard.

Through content marketing, Beardbrand has grown from living in a world where beards were frowned upon to creating a culture that embraces and accepts beards without the community having to conform to or embrace previously held stereotypes about men who grew beards.

Actionable Tip: Products that are a bit more personal in nature can be an excellent opportunity to build a loyal fan base. Use your content to showcase your customers who are proud to represent your brand, like the example above from Beardbrand. Combine your educational content with examples from customers to show the result.

5. Herschel Supply

If you are selling a premium product, here is a brand to learn from. Herschel Supply sells design-driven products for everyday journeys. They don’t market as cheap or easy to buy; instead, they have created a strong brand around a lifestyle. They are all about leisurely travel and sophistication.

Their content focuses on leisurely trips and the experiences customers can derive from their products instead of creating content that solely seeks to sell their products. They integrate their products subtly into their content, which features rich stories about travel, photography, and design. 

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While they embrace diverse stories, they keep them aligned to their mission. To present different travel experiences without alienating their core customers interested in their products.

Actionable Tip: Create content that speaks to your niche, then creatively intermingle your product into the content. For example, let’s say you are a pool supply brand looking to engage with customers through content. You could create content about new games your family can play in the pool this summer and intertwine different products of yours that can be used as part of those games.

6. OKEx

OKEx is one of the largest online cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. With a product as complex as buying, selling, and trading cryptocurrencies, brands like OKEx have to invest heavily in educational content and tools that help investors analyze trends. They provide market analysis pages for each cryptocurrency to show things like Bitcoin price trends and historical data that help investors make the right investing decisions.

Providing users with all the tools and analysis they need to make informed investment decisions is what has propelled OKEx to significant growth. Other brands can learn from this strategy to create free tools and educational content that helps solve a problem or provide information that helps them make purchasing decisions. This strategy builds trust between customers and your brand, leading to increased conversions and brand loyalty.

Actionable Tip: Providing historical data and analysis is vital for a lot of products and services. Consider creating content or building simple tools that showcase the important data for your customers. These will become resources that customers continue to come back to, leading to increased customer lifetime value.

Key Takeaways

e-Commerce brands can become stale in how they engage with their customers by simply marketing their products’ features and functionality. Focus your content on the customer, not your product. Instead of promoting your product, talk about the customers’ problems and how they can solve them. Use content types such as product guides or in-depth articles that answer your customers’ most pressing questions.

The brands above have shown that they can create content that brings customers deeper into their story and builds lasting relationships. Here are some key takeaways brands can leverage in their content marketing efforts:

User-Generated Content

Engage your customers or community in product creation (user-generated content) to give them a voice of their own during product development. By empowering your customers, you create an incredibly loyal following while simultaneously conducting market research. Using this content to spread through your marketing channels also showcases how your brand listens to what its customers want.

Help Purchase Decisions Through Guides

Comprehensive product guides are necessary to give customers all the essential information they need to make the right purchasing decision. Include things like the differences between different types of the same product, what they’re made of and how they can be used. Combining this with live customer service agents via on-site chat and phone gives customers all the support they need to make the best possible purchase.

Test, Measure, and Iterate

As you start to implement content marketing strategies for your e-Commerce brand, you need to take the “fail fast and iterate” approach. This approach focuses on creating smaller test campaigns to launch and test how effective they are quickly, then iterate, relaunch, measure, and repeat to find the most effective strategies.

Before you start this process, plan all the different content marketing tests you want to run. Create definable KPIs to measure and set up the A/B tests to determine the winners of each. Make sure you have a centralized KPI dashboard to bring all the necessary data points into. This gives the entire team a clear picture of performance for each test.

As you iterate through each test, find clear winners and scale the ones that work the best.

Wrap Up

e-Commerce businesses aren’t always known for their creative marketing strategies. With so many online retailers focused on ad spend and shopping cart conversion optimization (both also important), there’s an opportunity for marketers to use content marketing to attract new customers and build brand loyalty. Ultimately, people buy from people they like and align with their values. Content allows you to make that connection. Give your customers a voice, provide them helpful content, optimize those efforts through testing and iteration, then watch a community of loyal customers flourish.

Written by our guest writer Matt Shealy

Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Chamber specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between businesses and more than 7,000 local Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

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how to be successful?

1. Compound yourself

Compounding is magic. Look for it everywhere.

You also want to be an exponential curve yourself—you should aim for your life to follow an ever-increasing up-and-to-the-right trajectory. It’s important to move towards a career that has a compounding effect—most careers progress fairly linearly.

You don't want to be in a career where people who have been doing it for two years can be as effective as people who have been doing it for twenty—your rate of learning should always be high. 

As your career progresses, each unit of work you do should generate more and more results. There are many ways to get this leverage, such as capital, technology, brand, network effects, and managing people.

It’s useful to focus on adding another zero to whatever you define as your success metric—money, status, impact on the world, or whatever. I am willing to take as much time as needed between projects to find my next thing. But I always want it to be a project that, if successful, will make the rest of my career look like a footnote.

Most people get bogged down in linear opportunities. Be willing to let small opportunities go to focus on potential step changes.

2. Have almost too much self-belief

Cultivate this early. As you get more data points that your judgment is good and you can consistently deliver results, trust yourself more.

If you don’t believe in yourself, it’s hard to let yourself have contrarian ideas about the future. But this is where most value gets created.

Managing your own morale—and your team’s morale—is one of the greatest challenges of most endeavors. It’s almost impossible without a lot of self-belief. And unfortunately, the more ambitious you are, the more the world will try to tear you down.  

I used to hate criticism of any sort and actively avoided it. Now I try to always listen to it with the assumption that it’s true, and then decide if I want to act on it or not. Truth-seeking is hard and often painful, but it is what separates self-belief from self-delusion.

3. Learn to think independently

Grit comes from learning you can get back up after you get knocked down.

4. Get good at “sales”

All great careers, to some degree, become sales jobs. You have to evangelize your plans to customers, prospective employees, the press, investors, etc. This requires an inspiring vision, strong communication skills, some degree of charisma, and evidence of execution ability.

The best way to be good at sales is to genuinely believe in what you’re selling. Selling what you truly believe in feels great, and trying to sell snake oil feels awful.

5. Make it easy to take risks

Most people overestimate risk and underestimate reward. Taking risks is important because it’s impossible to be right all the time—you have to try many things and adapt quickly as you learn more.

Look for small bets you can make where you lose 1x if you’re wrong but make 100x if it works. Then make a bigger bet in that direction.

6. Focus

Focus is a force multiplier on work.

Almost everyone I’ve ever met would be well-served by spending more time thinking about what to focus on. 

It is much more important to work on the right thing than it is to work many hours. Most people waste most of their time on stuff that doesn’t matter.

Once you have figured out what to do, be unstoppable about getting your small handful of priorities accomplished quickly. I have yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful.

7. Work hard

You can get to about the 90th percentile in your field by working either smart or hard, which is still a great accomplishment. But getting to the 99th percentile requires both—you will be competing with other very talented people who will have great ideas and be willing to work a lot.

Extreme people get extreme results. 

Working a lot comes with huge life trade-offs, and it’s perfectly rational to decide not to do it. But it has a lot of advantages. 

As in most cases, momentum compounds, and success begets success.

And it’s often really fun. 

One of the great joys in life is finding your purpose, excelling at it, and discovering that your impact matters to something larger than yourself. 

You have to figure out how to work hard without burning out. People find their own strategies for this, but one that almost always works is to find work you like doing with people you enjoy spending a lot of time with.

I think people who pretend you can be super successful professionally without working most of the time (for some period of your life) are doing a disservice. In fact, work stamina seems to be one of the biggest predictors of long-term success.

One more thought about working hard: do it at the beginning of your career. Hard work compounds like interest, and the earlier you do it, the more time you have for the benefits to pay off. It’s also easier to work hard when you have fewer other responsibilities, which is frequently but not always the case when you’re young.

8. Be bold

People want to be part of something exciting and feel that their work matters.

If you are making progress on an important problem, you will have a constant tailwind of people wanting to help you. Let yourself grow more ambitious, and don’t be afraid to work on what you really want to work on.

Follow your curiosity. Things that seem exciting to you will often seem exciting to other people too.

9. Be wilful

A big secret is that you can bend the world to your will a surprising percentage of the time—most people don’t even try, and just accept that things are the way that they are.

People have an enormous capacity to make things happen.

A combination of self-doubt, giving up too early, and not pushing hard enough prevents most people from ever reaching anywhere near their potential.

Ask for what you want. You usually won’t get it, and often the rejection will be painful. But when this works, it works surprisingly well.

Almost always, the people who say “I am going to keep going until this works, and no matter what the challenges are I’m going to figure them out”, and mean it, go on to succeed. 

They are persistent long enough to give themselves a chance for luck to go their way.

To be willful, you have to be optimistic—hopefully this is a personality trait that can be improved with practice. I have never met a very successful pessimistic person.

10. Be hard to compete with

If what you do can be done by someone else, it eventually will be, and for less money.

The best way to become difficult to compete with is to build up leverage. 

For example, you can do it with personal relationships, by building a strong personal brand, or by getting good at the intersection of multiple different fields. 

There are many other strategies, but you have to figure out some way to do it.

Most people do whatever most people they hang out with do. This mimetic behavior is usually a mistake—if you’re doing the same thing everyone else is doing, you will not be hard to compete with.

11. Build a network

Great work requires teams. 

Developing a network of talented people to work with—sometimes closely, sometimes loosely—is an essential part of a great career. The size of the network of really talented people you know often becomes the limiter for what you can accomplish.

An effective way to build a network is to help people as much as you can. 

Doing this, over a long period of time, is what lead to most of my best career opportunities and three of my four best investments. 

I’m continually surprised how often something good happens to me because of something I did to help a founder ten years ago.

One of the best ways to build a network is to develop a reputation for really taking care of the people who work with you. 

Be overly generous with sharing the upside; it will come back to you 10x. 

Also, learn how to evaluate what people are great at, and put them in those roles. (This is the most important thing I have learned about management, and I haven’t read much about it.) 

You want to have a reputation for pushing people hard enough that they accomplish more than they thought they could, but not so hard they burn out.

Everyone is better at some things than others. 

Define yourself by your strengths, not your weaknesses. Acknowledge your weaknesses and figure out how to work around them, but don’t let them stop you from doing what you want to do.

A particularly valuable part of building a network is to get good at discovering undiscovered talent. 

Quickly spotting intelligence, drive, and creativity gets much easier with practice. The easiest way to learn is just to meet a lot of people, and keep track of who goes on to impress you and who doesn’t.

Remember that you are mostly looking for rate of improvement, and don’t overvalue experience or current accomplishment.

I try to always ask myself when I meet someone new “is this person a force of nature?” It’s a pretty good heuristic for finding people who are likely to accomplish great things.

A special case of developing a network is finding someone eminent to take a bet on you, ideally early in your career. The best way to do this, no surprise, is to go out of your way to be helpful. (And remember that you have to pay this forward at some point later!)

Finally, remember to spend your time with positive people who support your ambitions.

12. You get rich by owning things

You get truly rich by owning things that increase rapidly in value.

This can be a piece of a business, real estate, natural resource, intellectual property, or other similar things. But somehow or other, you need to own equity in something, instead of just selling your time. Time only scales linearly.

The best way to make things that increase rapidly in value is by making things people want at scale.

13. Be internally driven

Most people are primarily externally driven; they do what they do because they want to impress other people. This is bad for many reasons, but here are two important ones.

First, you will work on consensus ideas and on consensus career tracks.  You will care a lot—much more than you realize—if other people think you’re doing the right thing. This will probably prevent you from doing truly interesting work, and even if you do, someone else would have done it anyway.

Second, you will usually get risk calculations wrong. You’ll be very focused on keeping up with other people and not falling behind in competitive games, even in the short term.

Smart people seem to be especially at risk of such externally-driven behavior. Being aware of it helps, but only a little—you will likely have to work super-hard to not fall in the mimetic trap.

The most successful people I know are primarily internally driven; they do what they do to impress themselves and because they feel compelled to make something happen in the world. 

After you’ve made enough money to buy whatever you want and gotten enough social status that it stops being fun to get more, this is the only force I know of that will continue to drive you to higher levels of performance.

This is why the question of a person’s motivation is so important. It’s the first thing I try to understand about someone. The right motivations are hard to define a set of rules for, but you know it when you see it.

Eventually, you will define your success by performing excellent work in areas that are important to you. The sooner you can start off in that direction, the further you will be able to go. It is hard to be wildly successful at anything you aren’t obsessed with.

source: samaltman