Author: Lauren Kinghorn

Visionary Digital Entrepreneur ► Mompreneur | Content Creator | Affiliate Marketer | Social Media Influencer.
Your Shero's Journey

Your Shero’s Journey | Mini Workshop

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Your Shero’s Journey

Would you like a little taste of transformation coaching?

When I start working with a new coaching client, I love to kick off with the Hero’s Journey.

Because it’s a fabulous way for someone to…

  • See themselves as a SHERO on their own story
  • Identify which Shero’s Journey they are on right now
  • See how far they have come
  • See which steps to take next

Mapping out the Hero’s Journey together also gives me a chance to get to know your hopes, dreams, desires, trials and tribulations, to see where I may be of help in your journey of transformation.

Just for you, just fun, I’m running mini-workshops, where we work through the 12 Stages of The Hero’s Journey.

Our first mini-workshop was on Tuesday, 11th April and 6 amazing Sheroes joined in the fun.   I’ll post some clips from the call soon.

A few ladies in our Mindful Metamorphosis community were keen to attend but missed the event, so here are the details of our second Your Shero’s Journey Mini Workshop.

Your Shero’s Journey Mini Workshop

Where are YOU on Your Hero's Journey

Your Shero’s Journey is about recognizing your own greatness in a fun, light way.

Join us for YOUR SHERO’S JOURNEY

When:  Thursday, 4th May 2023

Time: 8:30am SA 🇸🇸 | 7:30am UK 🇬🇧 

Duration: 60 – 90 Minutes

What:  Group Video Mini Workshop

Where: On Zoom 

Price:  Only $7 per person (R 125) 

Book Now for Your Shero’s Journey

Book Now in Rands via YOCO’s Secure Payment Link (R125)

Or in Dollars via PayPal ($7) 

Once you’ve made the payment, please register below so that I can send you the Zoom link.


Can’t wait to see you there!!!  

And if you cannot make it on the day, for any reason, I’ll send you the replay.

What is the Hero’s Journey? 

What is the Hero's Journey?

At the centre of every movie or story is a hero.

Usually, this hero isn’t a superhero endowed with superhuman powers, but an ordinary person who has risen to the occasion or faced their demons when the going got tough.

Even superheroes start out as a regular guy or girl. Think about the nerdy Clark Kent who becomes Superman, or his cousin, Kara Kent, who becomes Supergirl.

Even the greatest Supershero of all time, Wonder Woman, adopted the secret identity of nurse, Diana Prince in DC Comic books.

Not only do most stories follow the tale of a hero’s journey but that journey tends to follow a similar

path.  This same journey narrative has been used over and over and over again for as long as we have been telling stories.

Think of the timid Frodo Baggins who saves the world in The Lord of The Rings.

Or Santiago, the Andalusian shepherd boy with big dreams of finding gold as told in The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.

These stories prove that the greatest act of courage is taking the journey into yourself.

The Hero’s Journey – Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell is famous for identifying the 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey in the history of storytelling and mythology and exploring the psychology behind why we are so intrigued by these stories.

The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey are used in movies and literature because the human mind finds a story that follows this process irresistible.

  • We simply can’t turn away from our hero.
  • We want to know what happens to them.
  • We want to see them succeed.

Stories and myths help point to something beyond what humans can understand with their rational thoughts.

They point to the source of the meaning of life.

So, whether the hero embarks on an intentional quest or is propelled into an unintentional journey, it becomes a serendipitous adventure.

The stories might be about the slaying of dragons or overcoming overwhelming odds, yet all hero myths are actually about the transformation of the consciousness of the hero.

The death of the old self and the birth of the new.

The moral objective of every tale is pushing beyond the perceived limits and dedicating themselves to a greater cause.

When an ordinary person does extraordinary things, it gives us hope.

It tells us that maybe, just maybe we can do it too.

How does the Hero’s Journey Relate to Me?

How does the Hero's Journey Relate to Me

The truth is, each one of us is the hero (or shero) in our own life’s journey.

Related:   Midlife Awakening

These stories draw us in because we can relate to them.

The books we read or movies we watch bear witness to the dream we hold in our hearts.

We relate to the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey because we see our journey, our destiny.

Each of us sees a little part of ourselves in every unsuspecting (s)hero.  We relate to:

  • Their feelings of dissatisfaction.  
  • The dream for a better life.
  • The fears we face stepping into the unknown.
  • The frustrations of the struggles.
  • The glory of victory.

In this workshop, we will answer as many questions as we can to:

  • gain insight into your own shero’s journey
  • determine where you are right now, and
  • gain clarity on the steps you still need to take to complete your journey.

By looking at your own life and your current situation through the lens of the Hero’s Journey, you can see yourself more objectively.

You might be able to see what is happening more clearly including where the story is leading.

The beautiful thing about exploring your own shero’s journey is to you get to be the playwright or screenwriter.

You get to write the script.  

BECOME the SHERO of Your Story

YOU are the SHERO of your Story

Are you ready to see yourself as the SHERO of your story?

If you haven’t registered already, here are those details again.

Your Shero’s Journey Registration Details

Step 1: Pick a Payment Option

Pay in Rands via YOCO’s Secure Payment Link (R125)

Pay in Dollars via PayPal ($7) 

Step 2: Register Below to Get the Zoom Link and Handout



Can’t wait to see you there!

250 Questions to Ask Yourself

250 Quality Questions to Ask Yourself

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For decades, I’ve been fascinated by the life-altering effect of asking yourself empowering questions. 99% of people spend most of their waking day asking themselves the wrong questions.

Questions like:

  • Why did I say that?
  • Why did he do that?
  • Why did that have to happen?
  • What’s the world coming to?

None of these questions inspires great answers.  They usually serve to make us feel worse about a situation rather than better.

When you start asking yourself quality questions, you start getting quality answers.    When you ask empowering questions, you start feeling empowered.  And when you ask inspiring questions you start living an inspired life.

But what are these questions? I wondered about this exact question for years.

So I started making a list of empowering questions – the kind of questions that inspire better answers.

Questions that made me feel happier, more empowered, more joyful and more enlightened.

It turned out to be a very long list…

250 Questions to Ask Yourself

I’ve broken the list of questions up into sections so you can pick and choose which questions to use depending on how you want to feel or what you want to shift.

20 Questions to Ask Yourself to Raise Your Vibration

20 Questions to Ask Yourself to Raise Your Vibration

Pictures by Lee van Huyssteen of Belle Lumière Foto

  1. What is Your Highest vision for me? (c/o The Mindful Movement)
  2. What would the best version of me do now?
  3. How can I be of greater service to the world?
  4. What am I really here to do?
  5. How can I feel better now?
  6. Do I want to change the situation or do I want to feel better now?
  7. What can I do in the next 5 minutes to feel better now?
  8. Can I give myself permission to feel good before I get what I want?
  9. What if I just chose to feel better right now?
  10. How am I (insert word of your choice), right here, right now?  e.g. How am I happy? How am I abundant? How am I supported?  (the opposite of whatever you were feeling)
  11. How can I take the path of least resistance?  (c/o Abraham-Hicks)
  12. What does the world need from me today that I can readily and easily give? (c/o Mandy Morris)
  13. Is this fun?
  14. What lights me up?
  15. Will choosing THIS move me closer to my dream life?
  16. Will choosing THIS move me closer to who I am becoming?
  17. What would the person I’m becoming do now?
  18. What would my future self thank me for?
  19. What can I do that’s good for me (fun), good for others, and for the greater good?
  20. What can I let go of right now?

12 Questions to Ask Yourself in the Morning

Questions to Ask Yourself in The Morning

Examine the first thoughts that pop into your head when you wake up in the morning. If any negative thoughts come up, think of the opposite (what you’d like to be thinking instead) and pose it as a question.

Here are some ideas for you.

  1. What am I grateful for today?
  2. What am I focusing on?
  3. How can I focus on the positive today?
  4. What makes me feel alive?
  5. How can I choose LOVE today?
  6. How can I choose FUN today?
  7. How can I choose PEACE today?
  8. How can I choose PROSPERITY today?
  9. How can I focus on GIVING today?
  10. How can I be in SERVICE today?
  11. How can I light up the world today?
  12. What makes me smile?

12 Questions to Ask Yourself to Feel Free

Questions to Ask Yourself to Feel Free

One of my favourite questions I’ve asked myself for years to make me feel free of things that may be going wrong in my life, especially the little every day bothers and frustrations, is this one:

Will this matter in 3 years? Or even a year?  (Will I even remember I felt this way?)

The important thing to understand about emotions and most everyday situations is that they are fleeting.  They come up and go and getting upset, anxious and worried about them is usually pointless.

The Work by Byron Katie

While that question helps for small things, it is incredibly freeing to also question hurts that have been plaguing you for years.

Many people carry anger and bitterness into their dotage about things that happened to them in their childhood and struggle to let their resentment go and forgive those who hurt them.

What they don’t realise is that it’s their own thoughts now that hurt them, not the person who did them wrong way back when.
When I first read Loving What Is and started practising The Work by Byron Katie, I was able to let go of deep hurts from my own childhood and feel a joy bubbling inside me that I hadn’t felt in years.

Now, questioning my stressful thoughts has become a way of life and I let hurts go very quickly – nip them in the bud before they can fester and take on a life of their own.

How to Start Doing The Work

First examine, what hurts. Think of any situation or event that has caused you suffering in your life.

What makes you feel stressed, frustrated, angry, hurt or disappointed?  Make a list.

For in-depth preparation before you do The Work, you can fill out Byron Katie’s Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet.  You can download the worksheet and find videos of Byron Katie herself doing The Work at https://thework.com/

Now, pick the thing on your list that bothers you the most and ask yourself the questions below.

For example, you might write choose something as painful as abuse in childhood.

Here’s a little video I created for one of my online courses where I explain how to do The Work on the phrase “He (or she) shouldn’t have abused me.”

Doing The Work

Here are the questions in The Work that set you free.  There are four main questions and a few more questions if you find you’re working with a thought that’s sticking, not shifting easily.

  1. Is it true?
  2. Can I absolutely be sure it’s true?
  3. How do I react when I think that thought? (What happens?)
  4. Who would I be without that thought?
  5. Is there any (stress-free or peaceful) reason to hold onto the thought?
  6. What’s the reality?
  7. Whose business am I in?
  8. Can I think of a reason to let go of the thought?

Turn the Thought Around

Once you’ve asked these questions, it’s time to turn your thoughts around.

So you take the thought you chose and turn the thought around, by changing up the sentence, looking at it from different angles.

Let’s take the example above, he shouldn’t have abused me.

One turnaround could be:  I shouldn’t have abused him.

Think of all the times over the years when you were abusive to the person who abused you.  How did you treat them?

Another turnaround could be:  I shouldn’t have abused me. 

Consider how many times you abused yourself by thinking about or talking about the abuse.  Was this the abuse itself or your thoughts and memories of the abuse inflicting pain on you again and again?

Think of how you treated yourself every time you thought of yourself as someone who had been abused.  Did you think less of yourself or more?

Please note, that this isn’t about apportioning blame to someone or making them wrong.  Nor is it about taking the blame or making yourself wrong.

It’s about questioning the thoughts in your life that have caused you stress, pain, suffering and conflict in your life and then letting all that go.  It’s about letting go of resentment and choosing the path of peace. This is a process that helps you forgive past hurts and move on, free of resentment.

Diva Creation Game by Nicki Shira Byrne

I learned the Diva Creation Game from an awesome life and business coach named Nicki Shira Byrne.

Nicki is also the coach who taught me how to love clients into being.

She’s a real-life Diva (Nicki is a Singer) who has coined the phrase “divatude“.

The Diva Creation game I picked up a while ago while doing one of Nicki’s challenges.  Here’s how it works.

Think of something that makes you feel uncomfortable or stressed.

Then, play the Diva Creation game by asking yourself these 3 simple questions.

  1. How am I creating this?  (in my thinking right now)
  2. What would I like to create? (usually the opposite of what you’re experiencing right now)
  3. Who can I be right now to create this? (embody the feeling)

200 Afformations

200 Afformations

Sometimes called Askfirmations, these are Affirmations asked as Questions.

Personally, I feel they work better than affirmations because asking a question prompts your brain to come up with an answer. Your brain is wired to answer questions.

Afformations are questions you can fire that help you realize how great your life really is.

I’ve made a long list of 200 affirmations and not all of them may ring true for you at first. That’s okay because as you keep saying them, they will start evoking more positive thoughts and as a result, you’ll see your life transform.

You can use this list of afformations any way you like.

You could read through all of them or just pick what you need for the day.

You could read through them out loud as a morning and evening rampage?

Pick one each day that resonates with you and journal or meditate on that one question.

Tap them in using the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), as I did in this video on how to clear money blocks using afformations.

21 Afformations to Call in a Wonderful Life

  1. How do my days get to be so filled with such joy and wonder?
  2. How is my life getting better and better every single day?
  3. Why do I love life so much these days?
  4. Why is every day filled with magic and miracles?
  5. Why does it feel so wonderful to be alive?
  6. How did I get to be so happy?
  7. Why does a perfect life come so easily for me?
  8. Why is life so good to me now?
  9. Why do I always feel so peaceful?
  10. Why do I always feel so joyful?
  11. Why does life feel so magical?
  12. Why is everything working out so well in my life?
  13. How did everything start slotting into place?
  14. Why do I have so many things to be grateful for?
  15. Why is my life so easy?
  16. How come things are so crystal clear to me now?
  17. Why does everything always go right for me?
  18. Why is it okay for me to be happy?
  19. Why am I so richly blessed in all areas of my life?
  20. Why am I worthy of an amazing life?
  21. Why is my life so wonderful?

13 Afformations on Feeling Awesome

  1. Why do I wake up every morning so full of joy?
  2. Why do I go to bed every night feeling so blessed?
  3. Why do I feel so alive?
  4. Why do I have so much energy?
  5. What makes me feel so safe?
  6. How do I get to enjoy such peace in my life?
  7. Why do I feel invincible these days?
  8. What makes me feel so protected?
  9. Why am I so calm?
  10. Why is it so easy for me to relax?
  11. Why do I feel so content?
  12. Why do I feel so loved?
  13. Why do I love being so healthy, wealthy, and happy?

32 Afformations on Self-Love

  1. Why do I feel so full of love?
  2. What makes me so lovable?
  3. Why do I love myself so much?
  4. Why do people say such nice things to me?
  5. Why are people so helpful wherever I go?
  6. Why do I feel so blessed wherever I go?
  7. What makes me unstoppable?
  8. Why do I love myself so much?
  9. How did I get to be so confident?
  10. Why do I take such good care of myself?
  11. How did I get to be so proud of who I am?
  12. How did I become so powerful and strong?
  13. Why is it so easy to know exactly who I am?
  14. How did I get to be so clear on who I am?
  15. Why do I feel so wonderful about who I am?
  16. Why is my vision so clear now?
  17. Why does everything make perfect sense to me now?
  18. How did I get to be such a great problem solver?
  19. How come I always have the best solutions?
  20. How did I get all this insight?
  21. Why can I always work out what to do?
  22. How did I find such perfect balance?
  23. Why is it so easy to have order in my life now?
  24. How did I get to enjoy such a clean, orderly environment?
  25. Why is my life so peaceful?
  26. How did learn to flow so wonderfully with life?
  27. How did I so easily and rapidly start mastering every aspect of my life?
  28. How did I get to live the life I always wanted to be living?
  29. Why do I feel so grateful for every little thing that comes my way?
  30. Why do I have so much to be thankful for?
  31. Why am I so thankful to be who I truly am?
  32. Why am I proud of myself?

12 Afformations for a Happy Marriage (or Relationship)

  1. Why is it easy for me to attract love and keep it?
  2. Why does my marriage work so well?
  3. What makes us perfect for each other?
  4. Why am I the best partner for him?
  5. Why is he the best partner for me?
  6. How did I choose such an awesome partner for me?
  7. Why am I so grateful for my spouse?
  8. How am I a thoughtful, appreciative partner?
  9. How am I being loving?
  10. How am I being caring and kind?
  11. Why am so loved?
  12. Why is my home such a happy place?

11 Afformations for Healthy Family Relationships

  1. Why do I have such a happy family life?
  2. How did I get to have such wonderful parents?
  3. Why am I so loved?
  4. What makes me such a caring daughter?
  5. What makes me such a beautiful sister?
  6. Why do I  have such a loving family?
  7. Why am I such an awesome mom?
  8. How did I become such a loving mom?
  9. Why am I such a great role model?
  10. Why is everything I do a blessing to all those around me?
  11. Why do my loved ones enjoy time with me?

15 Afformations for Loving Friendships

  1. Why do I draw so many wonderful people to me now?
  2. Why do people value and appreciate me?
  3. Why am I such a wonderful friend?
  4. Why do all my friends love me?
  5. How did I get to have the best friends?
  6. Why do I attract such interesting people into my life?
  7. Why do people find me so interesting?
  8. Why do I have so many friends?
  9. Why do people love to support me?
  10. How do I nurture such quality friendships?
  11. Why is it so easy to attract caring people into my life?
  12. Why do people love doing nice things for me?
  13. Why do I attract positive people?
  14. Why are all my relationships so positive?
  15. Why do I attract people who bring so much happiness into my life?

19 Afformations for Success in Business

  1. Why do I love the work I do?
  2. How do I get to do what I love?
  3. Why am I important to people?
  4. Why am I of great value to the world?
  5. Why do I always achieve everything I set out to achieve?
  6. Why do great opportunities keep coming my way?
  7. Why am I so good at creating wonderful opportunities?
  8. Why is it so easy to stay focused on what I’m doing now?
  9. Why is it easy to prioritize my most important tasks now?
  10. Why do my clients love to support me?
  11. Why do I always arrive at the perfect time?
  12. Why did that meeting go so well for me?
  13. Why do people value what I say?
  14. Why do I always know the right thing to say?
  15. Why am I always in the right place at the right time?
  16. Why am I such a magnet to success?
  17. Why am I making sales every day?
  18. Why do my ideal clients love working with me?
  19. Why am I making money in my sleep?

35 Afformations for Prosperity

How to Clear Money Blocks using Affirmations, Afformations and EFT

  1. How do I get to earn so much doing what I love?
  2. How does money come to me in expected and unexpected ways?
  3. How am I drawing money to me in every moment?
  4. Why do I deserve all this money?
  5. Why is it good for me to be wealthy?
  6. How does it benefit others for me to be wealthy?
  7. Why do I so easily attract everything I want now?
  8. How have I paved the way to money?
  9. How can I pave the way to more money?
  10. Why am I so lucky?
  11. How do I always get to be in the right place at the right time?
  12. How did I get to be so wealthy?
  13. Why am I so rich?
  14. Why am I a magnet for money?
  15. Why is my income rapidly increasing now?
  16. How did I get to be so abundant?
  17. Why does wealth come so easily to me?
  18. Why is it now so easy to manifest all I want?
  19. How did I get to be successful?
  20. Why is it so easy to have success?
  21. How is it that I never miss a trick?
  22. How do I rise up to conquer all challenges?
  23. Why do I always have plenty of money?
  24. Why is it easy for me to make money now?
  25. Why is my bank balance always growing?
  26. Why is my business such a huge success now?
  27. Why do such wonderful people love doing business with me?
  28. Why am I so good at managing my money?
  29. Why is it easy for me to save money now?
  30. Why am I so good at investing wisely?
  31. How does money flow so easily to me?
  32. What is the easiest way to make money?
  33. How is more money lining up for me right this minute?
  34. Why do I feel good about making money?
  35. How do I always have more than enough?

Related: What’s a Money Blueprint and Can You Change Yours?

27 Afformations for Vibrant Health

  1. Why is it so easy to be so healthy now?
  2. Why is perfect health so easy for me?
  3. How did I get to have such vibrant health?
  4. How did I find it so easy to change my lifestyle?
  5. Why am I so healthy now?
  6. Why is it easy now to feel so attractive and beautiful?
  7. Why am I so slim now?
  8. Why do I love my healthy lifestyle now?
  9. How did it get so easy to focus on self-care?
  10. Why do I love exercising now?
  11. Why am I so confident now?
  12. Why is it so easy for me to remember what I learn?
  13. Why is studying easy for me now?
  14. Why do I feel so fantastic now?
  15. Why do I sleep so well now?
  16. Why do I have so much energy?
  17. Why do I wake up every day feeling amazing?
  18. Why are all the meals I cook so delicious and nutritious?
  19. Why do I love my daily exercise routine?
  20. Why do I love my daily walk?
  21. Why am I such a great cook?
  22. Why am I so happy when I look at myself in the mirror?
  23. Why do I love the way I look?
  24. Why am I so physically healthy and strong?
  25. Why am I my ideal weight?
  26. Why am I so emotionally healthy?
  27. Why is it easy to express my feelings?

15 Afformations for a Divinely Guided Life

  1. Why is it so easy to follow my Divine Guidance?
  2. Why am I so filled with Divine healing light?
  3. What makes me feel like I’ve found heaven on earth?
  4. Why is the world filled with such awe-inspiring beauty and wonder?
  5. How did I get to be filled with so much light?
  6. How did I get to be a light in this world?
  7. How did it become so easy to light up consciousness as I do?
  8. How did I get to be filled with so much joy?
  9. Why did God choose me?
  10. How am I being loving?
  11. How am I being forgiving?
  12. Why is my life so peaceful?
  13. How did learn to flow so wonderfully with life?
  14. How is it that my life overflows with all the goodness life has to offer?
  15. Why am I so thankful for all this and so much more?

3 Life-Changing Questions to Ask Yourself

Life-Changing Questions to Ask Yourself

Try out these questions if you want to shift your perspective on how you live your life.

1.  If I were to die tomorrow, would I feel at peace knowing I had lived a full, happy, loving and meaningful life?  Or would I die with my song unsung?

Phrased as an Afformation:  How did I get to live such a full, happy, loving and meaningful life?

2. Do I make people feel wonderful about themselves?

Phrased as an Afformation:  How do I make people feel wonderful about themselves?

3. What would I like my loved ones to say at my funeral?  (What legacy would I like to leave?)

The 3 BIG Questions to Ask Yourself

For as long as we’ve been on this planet,  philosophers, sages and people of all races, religions and creeds have pondered the 3 big questions, each finding their own answers by going within.

How do you answer the big 3?

  1. Who am I?  Want a quick answer to this one?  Try the Who Am I Quiz  It’s fun, free, and easy to do and kicks up some interesting insights into your personality.
  2. Why am I here?  (What is my purpose?)
  3. What is the meaning of life?  (Why are we here?)

250 Questions to Ask Yourself

So there you have it, my list of 250 quality questions to ask yourself when you want to feel happy, inspired and empowered. 

What questions do you ask yourself on a daily basis?  And do you feel they uplift you or bring you down?

Update:  8th July 2022

Want to get daily inspiration based on these questions?  Join our community on Facebook, Mindful Metamorphosis.

Why Starting An Online Business Is A Good Investment

Why Starting An Online Business Is A Good Investment

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Why Starting An Online Business Is A Good Investment

If you’ve always wanted to start your own business but are too afraid to take a huge risk with the investment, then an online business model might interest you.

There are many different ways you can run an online business, and there’s bound to be one that fits your needs and investment range.

Unlike with most business models, you can take much smaller risks with online models, and put in a much smaller investment – if you take the right opportunities.

Starting An Online Business Is A Good Investment

Image Credit:  Canva Pro

It’s much cheaper to set up and run

You don’t have to go all out and rent any properties for your online business to get some recognition, you can go ahead and set up shop in an already established online market.

Take Amazon, for example, everyone knows Amazon, and all of the shops Amazon owns are online stores.

You can use these sites to sell your products, and you’ll benefit from their popularity, meaning you don’t have to go above and beyond trying to direct traffic to your items. If you’re only trying to sell a small number of products, or not trying to reach a huge audience – this is a great option for you.

It’s worth knowing that when you sell items on these sites, you’re not making 100% of the profit, as it costs to run your store on an already established platform.

Sites like Etsy charge even more if the product you’re selling was found through an advertisement that was put up on another page.

Even if you have your own website set up, you’re still not going to be paying as much as you would if you needed your own property. You can have a site hosted nestify.io/woocommerce-hosting/, and there are a lot of services that will build your site for you if you’re not happy with the website-building services out there.

It requires less input

If you’re not yet ready to sell your life away to your own business, then an online business shines here. Once you’ve got things up and running, you don’t need to be giving your online store your full attention. If you were to be working on a shop floor – you would have to be active all of the time whenever a customer comes in, but that’s no longer the case with online shopping.

A lot of orders can be handled automatically, and depending on your business model, you may not even come into contact with the products that are being sold.

It’s a little less hands-on, which is a turnoff for many entrepreneurs, but you can continue to maintain your social life while trying to run your business at the same time. It’s not going to be idiot-proof, but there’s a lot more room for mistakes when you don’t have to interact with customers as often.

If you’re new to the idea of running a business, the online route may feel a lot more comfortable for you. There’s a lot less pressure on your end, and you have a lot less to manage in terms of assets related to your business.

Ever thought of owning an online business but never had the courage to take the plunge? Here's why starting an online business is a good investment.

Upskilling is cheap or free

You don’t have to know everything there is to know when you’re just starting out.  You can take it one baby step at a time.

And virtually everything you need to know you can learn on YouTube free of charge.  Sure, it might be a good idea to take some paid courses but there is so much free information out there too.

Once you’ve chosen a direction for your online business you can look into who’s out there doing what you’d like to be doing and model what they are doing.  Many top online business owners are more than happy to share their knowledge and their business has become teaching other online business owners how to succeed.

Everything you learn is an investment in yourself

As you equip yourself with knowledge and learn new skills, you’ll find you gain confidence and know-how in more ways than you can imagine.

These skills can also be used for all your future endeavors.

No learning is ever lost, especially when it comes to being an online entrepreneur.   Even if you don’t succeed at first, you gain valuable experience.

Over to You

Have you ever thought of starting an online business but lacked the courage to take the plunge?

We trust you feel more secure now that you know why starting an online business is a good investment.

How to Invest in the Stock Market | how to invest in the stock market

How to Invest in the Stock Market

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How to Invest in the Stock Market

Many people are interested in investing in the stock market but don’t know where to start. Investing your money can be a gratifying experience, but it is essential to understand the risks associated with every investment.

Here are five steps for investing wisely and managing risk effectively.

5 Tips for Successfully Managing Risk

5 Tips for Successfully Managing Risk

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1. Check Your Emotions at the Door

Emotions are a natural reaction to the stock market, but they can also lead to wrong investment decisions.

Before you invest in the stock market, take some time to calm down and think about your goals. Make sure that your emotions aren’t dictating your actions.

Your emotions will affect your investment decisions in the long run.

For example, if you are angry, it’s not a good idea to invest when your head isn’t in the game. When people are emotional, they often make unwise choices that will hurt their portfolio returns over time.

2. Picking Individual Stocks Is a Bad Idea

It’s important to remember that you are not picking stocks when you invest in the stock market – you are buying shares of companies.

This means that you should do your research before investing and choose companies with a good track record and will be around for the long run.

Don’t just buy a stock because someone told you it was a good investment – make sure you know what you are getting into. For example, SMSF Investing in cryptocurrency is a good option.

3. Plan Ahead for Panicky Times

A stock market is volatile, and it’s essential to be prepared for when things go wrong.

Have a plan in place, so you know what to do when the stock market takes a turn for the worse.

This could mean having a set amount of money you are willing to lose or knowing which stocks you want to sell if the market starts to tank.

By planning, you can avoid making rash decisions in panicked situations. You can follow the tips below to help you plan:

  • Think about what you want to accomplish with your stock market investments
  • Set an amount that you are willing to lose before investing in the stock market
  • Have a plan ready for when the needs take a turn for the worse

4. Avoid Trading Overactivity

You should avoid trading activity altogether when the market is volatile.

For example, as soon as there is a significant drop or increase in share prices, take some time out before deciding whether to buy or sell them off.

You should step back and think about things rationally rather than be forced to make snap decisions under pressure because this could lead you down an unprofitable path that can further compound existing losses even more severely.

5. Be prepared to take risk

The stock market can be a great place to invest your money and see healthy returns, but it’s important to remember that risk is always involved.

By following these five tips, you can successfully manage that risk and maximize your chances for stock market success.

If you’re still unsure about getting started in the stock market, consider working with a financial advisor who can help you create a personalized investment plan. With some careful planning and smart investing, you could be on your way to making some serious profits in no time.

Top 4 Tips for Hiring a Wrongful Death Lawyer | tips for hiring a lawyer

Top 4 Tips for Hiring a Wrongful Death Lawyer

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Losing a loved one is painful. Losing a loved one by someone else’s negligence is even worse. Families must now consider heavy burial costs and learn to carry on without their loved one’s support.

During moments like these, hiring a wrongful death lawyer is an option. Wrongful death lawyers can give justice and find financial compensation for grieving families.

What is a wrongful death law case?

Before finding a lawyer, one must understand what makes up a wrongful death law case.

A wrongful death occurs when a person’s negligence results in the death of another person. Common examples include car or pedestrian accidents, nursing home abuse, or medical malpractice.

In a wrongful death lawsuit, the family members of the deceased appoint an attorney, otherwise known as a “trustee.” The trustee would act on behalf of the deceased’s loved ones, or anyone affected by the person’s death.

Finding the best wrongful death lawyer with the experience you need is a must.

Top 4 Tips for Hiring a Wrongful Death Lawyer

Hiring a Wrongful Death Lawyer

Image Credit: Ekaterina Bolo at Pexels.com

Here are the top 4 tips for hiring a wrongful death lawyer.

1. Prioritize experience

In a wrongful death law case, chances are the defendant (the negligent party) will be a company or manufacturer. Organizations like these are often equipped with their own powerful legal team.

Look for a lawyer with an experienced track record. This may seem like a no-brainer, but a licensed lawyer with a credible record guarantees they are an equal competitor to the defendant’s legal team. Pay attention to how many cases they’ve covered and how many were wrongful death law cases. Were they successful?

Also, pay attention to your lawyer’s skills and connections. Not only must they know how to operate as legal advisers, but also as doctors or private investigators. If they have a reliable network of professionals, like doctors or detectives, even better!

Top 4 Tips for Hiring a Wrongful Death Lawyer | Wrongful Death Lawyer pin2. Ask Questions

When picking the right attorney, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions allow clients to discover their lawyer’s strengths, as well as uncover if their interests align with your own. Consider the following questions for the best results:

  • How often do you represent wrongful death cases?
  • How many wrongful deaths cases do you handle each year?
  • What is your track record in terms of settlements and verdicts?
  • How many years have you been serving in the area?

These questions, and more, help uncover strong candidates from others.

3. Analyze the Details

Each law firm charges their first consultation for free. Plaintiffs are open to share their law cases during their first consultation. Once you’ve discussed the details, make sure to ask for the lawyer’s opinion.

Pay attention to their response. What is their assessment of your case? What are the cases’ pros and cons, according to them? Would they plan to go to trial? What kind of financial settlement can they realistically expect? How long would they expect your case to take?

Realistically, because of their unpredictable nature, wrongful death lawsuits tend to take a long time. Beware of lawyers who promise a fixed timeline; these kinds of lawyers are often rookies. Experienced lawyers are likely to offer estimates from past experiences rather than fixed timelines.

4. Consider Reviews 

When in doubt, look for other people’s reviews. Reviews give a more rounded picture of how a lawyer operates. You can ask a lawyer for their references or read their reviews on websites like Facebook, Google, or FindLaw.

Look for any clients who shared a case similar to yours. What was their experience like? References always offer unbiased perspectives.

In conclusion

Look for a wrongful death lawyer with your best interest in mind. Good attorneys are experienced and can promise justice. These 4 tips will help you find a lawyer who can help win your case.

How To Fix Uneven Wooden Floors

How To Fix Your Uneven Wooden Floors

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Wooden floors are a popular choice for many homes, and when they are installed correctly, they can look fantastic and last for many years.  However, they can sometimes be uneven, especially if they were not installed correctly, and it can get frustrating when you have an uneven and creaking floor.

Worry not as you can easily fix this issue. It is not a highly skilled job, but you will require the correct tools, time, and patience.

Below is a summary of fixing your uneven wooden floors, making them feel like new again.

How To Fix Uneven Wooden Floors

How To Fix Your Uneven Wooden Floors
Image Source: Unsplash

An Uneven Subfloor Surface

When you have wooden flooring installed in your home and it is uneven, the most common culprit is the uneven subfloor surface. You will need to fix this surface to ensure it is smooth and level, which will get rid of your uneven floor.

To do this, you are going to have to take up your floor and depending on the type of wooden floor you have, you may need to purchase a new one.

If you have engineered flooring, there are many reliable providers of Melbourne engineered timber floors you can find.

Ripping Up Your Floor

The first part of the job will be to remove your existing wooden floor, and if you can reuse the floor, you may want to number the back of the floorboards as you take them up, so you know which order they go in when it comes to replacing them.

Take your time when removing the flooring to ensure you do not damage it and have the correct tools for the job. If the floorboards have an interlocking system, be careful not to break this, as breaking them can make the task of relaying them almost impossible.

Smooth Your Subfloor Surface

The next stage of the process can take some time, and you will need some patience to level your floor surface. Any peaks in the floor surface will need to be removed using a plainer, you could use something like sandpaper, but this will take a lot of time.

You will also need to fill any troughs you find on the floor surface to ensure that it is 100% level and flat. Most reputable DIY stores will have a self-levelling floor compound that you can buy to ensure your floor is flat and level.

Take your time when levelling your floor surface, and it can make relaying your wooden floors a much simpler task.

Relaying Your Wooden Floors

Relaying Your Wooden Floors
Image Source: Unsplash

Once your floors have been levelled and everything is flat, you can start relaying your wooden floors. Try and put each piece of wood back in its original location, which will make it a much easier process. Purchase wooden floor adhesive and start at one end of the room furthest away from the door, laying the floor as you move backwards. Ensure there is plenty of ventilation when using the floor adhesive, and do not rush the job.

With a bit of time and patience, you can relay your wooden flooring and have it looking fantastic again, without any creaking or dips to annoy you. If your DIY skills are not up to the job, it may be worth considering a new floor and have it professionally installed, which will be a much more cost-effective solution.

Related: 6 Affordable Bathroom Remodel Ideas

This post was published in partnership with Mediabuzzer.

How to Step Up and Stand Out Georgia Varjas Style

How to Step Up and Stand Out with Confidence, Courage and Creativity

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Georgia Varjas is the bestselling author of “The Rule Breakers Guide To Step Up & Stand Out” and “Rule It! How To Step Up & Stand Out”.

In our recent interview, she divulges how she developed her 3 C’s – Confidence, Courage and Creativity during her career in showbiz and how you can use them in your life.

How to Step Up and Stand Out Georgia-Varjas-Style

How to Step Up and Stand Out with Courage Confidence Creativity

Georgia:  I think my experiences in showbiz, but particularly in the music business gave me these three very powerful words, which I write about and speak about and are in my books:

  1. Confidence
  2. Courage
  3. Creativity 

I call them the three big C’s. 

Being in the music business, you had to be confident. You’re going to go up on stage and you’re going to play from your heart sometimes from memory, but mostly improvised. 

So you had to have confidence. You had to have courage and you had to be creative with it. 

And so there were very big lessons in life, not just doing my art, my music, but also communicating with people in show business in the music business. Cause it was tough as a woman.  It was very much part of my life to develop these wonderful three big C’s as my skills.

Lauren Kinghorn: Would you like to give us three tips that you would give a young fempreneur, woman entrepreneur, who is just starting out, how to step up and really shine.

Georgia Varjas:  I think one of the most important things is to recognize that we have two fabulous communication tools available our voice and our pen.

Georgia Varjas is the bestselling author of The Rule Breakers Guide To Step Up & Stand Out. In this interview, she gives 3 best tips on how to step up and stand out. #howto #stepup #standout #interview I encourage young women to develop that confidence, the courage and the creativity to use their voice and their pen to:

  • spread their message
  • their point of view
  • their expertise
  • their experience
  • their wisdom
  • their knowledge

Use these powerful tools and learn to redefine confidence for yourself.

Because for women, it is quite different, especially courage. Courage is not about Spider-Man and firemen. It’s about how we as women define our own type of bravery. It’s not about saving lives. It’s a very special thing. And I think women need to really redefine that.

Creativity, yes, we are very creative but we can also think creatively and that is a powerful message for young women.

I think the second tip I would offer is about decision-making. We’re not really taught or encouraged to make big decisions in our life. We make little ones like what we should wear and what we should drink and which road and bus to take.

But the big decisions in life, we often hesitate and turn to other people for expert advice. When we know if we tuned into ourselves and learned to make good decisions for ourselves, had more self-confidence, courage, and creativity, we would make better decisions and stronger decisions and recognize that we have the ability to do that.

And the third thing is very much about self-belief and self-love and bigging yourself up. 

Some cultures frown upon boasting and showing off when you’re talking about yourself, but self-love and self-belief are crucial.

Nature does it all the time, she shows her most beautiful colours. Why shouldn’t we?

And when you’re selling something, you’re going to sell it in its most beautiful and perfect condition. So why shouldn’t we be showing and sharing our talents and skills in the most positive way? 

So confidence, courage, creativity.

You can find the rest of this interview over on Fempreneurs Unite

And more below…

Lauren: What do you do for a living? 

Georgia: I am a Book Writing Coach

Lauren: What is your zone of genius?

Georgia: Helping my clients see their genius and the bigger picture.  My USP is I have experience in many genres.

Lauren: How did you come up with the idea?

Georgia: It was staring me in the face! 

I have been writing plays, poems, short stories, scripts for speakers MC’s and myself and of course, I have published 4 books and contributed to 6 anthologies.

Lauren: What has been the number one highlight of your career? 

Georgia:  So many. 

As a creative person, I have moved from writing and producing plays to spending many years as a professional saxophone player and as a  Spoken Word artist.

I loved the music business, I loved my Spoken Word career and now watching writers turn into satisfied and fulfilled authors is just as exhilarating for me.

Lauren: What has been the greatest challenge for you to overcome in your career?

Georgia:  The glass ceiling

&

Lauren: Do you have any daily rituals to maintain a work-life balance?

Georgia:  I can’t sit for too long. I have to get up and move my energy.

Either I walk around the garden and snip a few plants, or do some stretches, lunges or downward dogs…dance a little and even do a household chore.

Lauren: Do you have a message you would like the world to hear?

Georgia:  Several! Our voice and our pen are our 2 most powerful tools of communication. Grab your confidence, courage and creativity and use them.

Lauren: Is there a book that has had huge significance or meaning in your life?

Georgia:  I re-read and dip into Danielle LaPorte White Hot Truth 

Because she is discerning and not judgemental, she has humour and experience and shares generously. She talks about the paradoxes of wisdom and I wrote about them a lot myself in my books. Use And instead of But.

She says…Don’t just get what you want, BE what you want.

I like that!

Lauren: What advice would you give someone just starting out as an entrepreneur? 

Georgia Varjas is the bestselling author of The Rule Breakers Guide To Step Up & Stand Out. In this interview, she gives 3 fab tips on how to step up and stand out.Georgia:  Keep learning and listening and turn all your mistakes into future fun stories.

Lauren: Is there anything you wish you knew when you started out as an entrepreneur?

Georgia: Not to be scared of tech stuff!!!

Lauren: What have you gained by becoming an entrepreneur?

Georgia:  I realise that the more I learn, the more I have to learn and that gives me the energy to grow.

And, I believe it is super important for women to be financially independent.

Lauren: Who has been enormously helpful to you? 

Georgia: My VA!

Honestly, all the amazing things she does behind the scenes for me!

I have always loved working in a team, so first credit goes to all team members paid and unpaid.

And people often come into your life just at the time you need more guidance or knowledge.

Lauren: Do you have mentors in business?

Georgia: With all the member groups and networking events online, I have been involved in I have come across some wonderful brainstorming sessions…these people, mostly women are my real mentors.

Lauren: Are there any courses or studies you feel have been essential to your success? 

Georgia:  Having first hand and recent experience as a writer and author has given me essential professional knowledge and wisdom for teaching and training new authors.

Also, the Women’s Writers Circle, which is a group program I run for women writing their first book.

It is absolutely inspirational to me, not just how they support each other but how they offer their best wisdom to each other too! 

Book a Virtual Seat on Georgia’s Women’s Writers Circle

Work with Georgia Varjas

Lauren:  If there was any way I could help you, what it would it be? 

Georgia:  I think you already are Lauren.

When we give generously and share our platforms with each other, you never know who is going to benefit from hearing or reading what you offer.

Lauren: Who is your target market? If I were to give you a referral, who would I be looking for? 

Georgia:  Women (or men)  with a message to share, with expertise, experience and wisdom that could really make a difference to someone else’s life.

And of course a few good stories.

How to Step Up and Stand Out – Working with Georgia Varjas

Georgia has two Coaching packages available for those who are ready to write their books.

    1. The Premium Package, a 12-week one-on-one book writing program
    2. The Women’s Writers Circle- an 8-week group program.

Visit Georgia’s Website

https://georgiavarjas.com/

Follow Georgia

Follow Georgia on LinkedIn

Follow Georgia on YouTube

If you’re ready to write your book, schedule a free book planning call with Georgia.

Schedule a Call with Georgia

Enjoyed this interview? 

Check out our previous featured digital entrepreneur, Elizabeth Batalla and Learn How to Level Up Fast

Inspirational Quotes Healthcare Workers

77 Inspirational Quotes for Healthcare Workers (with Slideshow)

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These 77 inspirational quotes for healthcare workers are dedicated to all healthcare workers, those brave souls who lay their own lives on the line every day for their patients.  (Scroll to the end for a slideshow presentation of all the quotes.)

I’m thinking of those who tend to our physical wellbeing as well as those who help us cope mentally and emotionally with the confusion, fear, anxiety, overwhelm, sadness and grief we are facing due to a pandemic of this magnitude.

These inspiring quotes are also a tribute to all those who work behind the scenes in the healthcare industry, ensuring that our systems work and our services are delivered on time and all those working for the greater good.

These motivational quotes are also for the thought leaders, spiritual leaders, politicians, authors, poets, actors, musicians, comedians, inspirational speakers and healers who help ease our fears and keep us positive during this crazy, awful, emotional period in history.

We salute you. We honour you. We thank you for your service to humanity.

Inspirational Quotes by HealthCare Workers

Inspirational Quotes by Healthcare Workers

Hippocrates

Greek Physician Famous for the Hippocratic Oath

Make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do no harm.

Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.

Marie Curie

Nobel Prize‑winning Chemist

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries.

Donald Berwick

Former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

I think health care is more about love than most other things. 

If there isn’t at the core of these two human beings who have agreed to be in a relationship where one is trying to help relieve the suffering of another, which is love, you can’t get to the right answer here.

William J. Mayo

Physician and one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic

The aim of medicine is to prevent disease and prolong life; the ideal of medicine is to eliminate the need of a physician.

Ewa Kopacz

Polish Prime Minister and Minister of Health 

I am a doctor— it’s a profession that may be considered a special mission, a devotion. It calls for involvement, respect, and willingness to help all other people.

Maxim Gorin

Founder of MGME Consulting and Co-Founder of LifeLine Ambulance

A great team isn’t defined only by its leader… a great team must have the ability to meet any challenge that comes it’s way. By collaborating, we can bounce ideas off one another and see what is most likely to make sense in the real world.

Abraham Verghese

Medical Doctor

In an emergency, what treatment is given by ear? Words of Comfort.

William Osler

Physician

It is much more important to know what sort of patient has a disease than what sort of disease a patient has.

Giorgio Baglivi

Armenio‑Italian Physician and Scientist

Let the young know they will never find a more interesting, more instructive book than the patient himself.

Danielle Ofri

Physician

The awe of discovering the human body. The honour of being trusted to give advice. The gratitude for helping someone through a difficult illness. These things never grow old. 

Rawsi Williams

Nurse and Attorney at Law

To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through – that is what it is to be a nurse.

Inspirational Quotes for Healthcare Workers

Inspirational Quotes for Healthcare Workers

Vivek Murthy

American Physician and Surgeon General

Our health care workers are the heroes of the Covid-19 response.

Stephen Ambrose

American historian

It would not be possible to praise nurses too highly.

George Michael

Singer-Songwriter

Nurses, doctors, teachers: these are the people who deserve the credit these days.

Sara Moss-Wolfe

Author

Nurses: one of the few blessings of being ill.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Bodybuilder, Actor and Politician

Teachers and nurses get the best seats in heaven.

Joseph Campbell

Author

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.

Inspirational Quotes Thought Leaders

Inspirational Quotes by Thought Leaders

Albert Einstein

Physicist

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

Marcel Proust

Illness is the most heeded of doctors: to goodness and wisdom we only make promises; pain we obey.

Margaret Mead

Anthropologist

Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world: Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.

Jeff Bezos

CEO Amazon

We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.

Helen Keller

Author and Disability Rights Activist

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

Maya Angelou

Author and Poet

They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Poet

The first wealth is health.

Lewis Carol

Author

One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.

Anne Frank

Author

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world.

Inspirational Quotes by Spiritual Leaders

Inspirational Quotes by Spiritual Leaders

Mother Teresa

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. 

I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.

Dalai Lama

In this beautiful interview, the 14th Dalai Lama expresses his gratitude to healthcare workers:

So, regarding this illness, noble doctors, nurses, are even willing to sacrifice their own life. I really appreciate. Wonderful.

Selfish, think just (about) yourself is narrow. Shortsighted. …So altruism is (the) ultimate source of happiness…Altruism, that really brings inner peace, inner strength.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Real compassion comes from seeing the suffering of others. You feel a sense of responsibility, and you want to do something for them.

There is one aspect to our experience of suffering that is of vital importance. When you are aware of your pain and suffering, it helps you to develop your capacity for empathy, the capacity that allows you to relate to other people’s feelings and suffering. This enhances your capacity for compassion towards others.

As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all beings.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.

Reverend Edward Everett Hale

Author, Historian and Clergyman

I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

Never bear more than one trouble at a time. Some people bear three kinds – all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have.

Marianne Williamson

Author –  Excerpt from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. 

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ 

Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God. 

Your playing small does not serve the world. 

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

 We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. 

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Vietnamese Buddhist Monk

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom.

There is no way to happiness – happiness is the way.

Inspirational Quotes by World Leaders


Inspirational Quotes by World Leaders

Theodore Roosevelt

American President

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.

Mahatma Gandhi

Indian Lawyer and Politician

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others.

Where there is love there is life.

In a gentle way, you can shake the world.

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.

Nelson Mandela

South African President

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

Inspirational Quotes by Comedians

Inspirational Quotes by Comedians

I’ll close this post off with some humour because I’ve found that when I’m not feeling my best laughter truly heals.

Related: How to Stay Positive During the Pandemic

Enjoy these wise words by Hunter Doherty Adams, better known as Patch Adams.  You may remember the wonderful movie in his name, where Patch Adams was played by the late great Robin Williams.

Hunter Doherty “Patch” Adams 

Physician, Comedian, Social Activist and Author

You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome.

Remember laughing? Laughter enhances the blood flow to the body’s extremities and improves cardiovascular function.

Laughter boosts the immune system and helps the body fight off disease, cancer cells as well as viral, bacterial and other infections.

Laughter releases endorphins and other natural mood-elevating and pain-killing chemicals, improves the transfer of oxygen and nutrients to internal organs.

Please live a healthy life – medicine is an imperfect science.

Oh, and as a parting shot, here’s a final quote by Patch Adams that seems fitting right now – this one goes out to anyone waiting in a long queue to have their vaccination.

Waiting in line is a great opportunity to meet people, daydream, or play.

Inspirational Quotes – Healthcare Workers from Lauren Kinghorn

Small Business Logo Design

Why Small Business Logo Design is Essential For Your Brand

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Small business logo design plays an integral part in brand recognition. In this post, we explore why it is so important to design a logo that is memorable and effective brand recognition.

Why Small Business Logo Design is Essential For Your Brand

But before we delve deeper into this topic, if you need some ideas on logo design, check out this comprehensive guide to modern logos now.

Why Must Your Business Have a Logo

Why Must Your Business Have a Logo?

A thoughtfully designed logo helps to build trust and get visitors to your site to stick around.

In addition, it tells them who you are, what your line of business is, and in what way it can benefit them. It is an excellent way of communicating with clients who have no prior experience or knowledge about your business, that you do splendid work.

A logo that does not look professional will only pose the question in people’s minds of how well you will be able to deliver your services or products. It is so easy for a potential client to hit the back button or choose another company merely because they look more legit. Visitors make instant judgements, and a poorly designed logo will only make them leave.

That is why it is worth spending some time on cultivating a strong logo that stands out, is memorable, and that creates a positive association with your brand. Logos have a strong symbolic association that connects to people’s emotions and memories.

In this post, we explore why small business logo design is essential to memorable and effective brand recognition as well as how to create a strong logo.How Can You Create a Strong Logo?

A small business logo design must encompass a clear and easily interpreted message. It must immediately connect with your target audience.

As far as a logo is concerned, the rule is to keep it simple, so that it works well across various media platforms, and is efficient at any given size.

Small brands, unlike larger corporations, do not have the advantage of years of brand recognition which people associate with their business, nor an extensive marketing budget to help consumers understand what their business is about and what it does.

That is why you must think outside the box and create a logo that clearly communicates who your brand is and what you do, instantaneously.

From concept to completion, there is a lot to think about when you design a business logo.

However, the three most essential components of an excellent small business logo are:

  • simple colours
  • excellent typography, and a
  • compelling visual element.

Select Colours Cleverly

The colour of your business logo will control how it is perceived and ultimately has the power to drive buying decisions. Colour gives meaning and triggers emotions. And when you use it persistently across all marketing campaigns, it can boost brand recognition by up to 80 %.

Picking your logo colours will depend on your target market and industry. You will notice that some industries usually stick with specific colours. For instance, financial institutions typically utilize blue since it communicates dependability and security. Brands use blue to instil feelings of trust in their services and products.

Select Typography That Signifies Your Business Values

The choice of typefaces and how you arrange them is equally important as the use of imagery, colour, or graphics when you create a small business logo.

Why? This is because people generally interpret the way that a word looks usually with what the word actually states to regulate how they feel.

Choose An Iconic Visual Element

Even though 72% of the top brand names are made up of acronyms or words, those names generate a picture in a person’s mind, using typography.

You can do the same by using graphic elements, icons, and symbols. Visual elements add interest, and they make a logo notable. It must grab the awareness of the customer for ten seconds in order for them to memorize it and generate an opinion about it.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this post about why small business design is essential for your brand and that you will take some of them on board when you design a memorable logo for your small business. Design is important for brand recognition and creating a good one can reap immense benefits for your business.

Related: Best Software for Small Businesses Online

Level Up Your Life Fast with Elizabeth Batalla

How to Level Up Your Life Fast with Elizabeth Batalla

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Learn How to Level Up Your Life Fast with Elizabeth Batalla

Elizabeth Batalla founded The Institute for Achievement and Excellence.

Elizabeth has distilled her 30 years of experience in corporate management and training into her flagship online program, “Achieving Professional Excellence”.

The Institute for Achievement and Excellence

Course Details and GIVEAWAY

Find out more in our interview below or go to the full podcast on Fempreneurs Unite.

Level up Your Life and Be Unstoppable

Lauren:  In your own words, what do you do for a living?

Elizabeth: I help women to be unstoppable so they can achieve success and fulfilment in their professional and personal life.

Lauren: If you wear many hats in business, which of these do you love most, which takes most of your time and which brings in the most income?

Elizabeth: 

  • Love most: creating amazing content to help inform, instruct and inspire all who access it.
  • Most time: YouTube videos due to the animated content  – current animation technology is great but it still has a long way to go.
  • Most income: It is word of mouth – i.e. personal references.

Elizabeth Batalla – Zone of Genius

Lauren: What is your zone of genius?

Elizabeth: Helping others recognise how attainable achieving their dream(s) actually is, providing practical steps to accomplish it and adding a splash of motivation so they realise living the life they want is not something reserved for the select few.

Lauren:  Do you feel you are operating in your zone of genius in your business?

Elizabeth: Absolutely! It is the reason why I created The Institute for Achievement and Excellence. 

After 30 years in the corporate world and mentoring many along the way, I decided to package my formula for success in a form that is easily accessible to someone with internet access.

Learn how to level up your life fast with Elizabeth Batalla, founder of The Institute for Achievement and Excellence. Giveaway details inside.Elizabeth the Entrepreneur

Lauren: When did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth:   May 2020 – during the early stage of the global pandemic. 

I instinctively felt that the world would not be the same and judging from a couple of months prior to May 2020 – that the fallout would be intense and there would be many who would benefit from what I had stored in my head.

Lauren: Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: To do what I love full-time – help women to be unstoppable through easily accessible, high-quality masterclasses that can completely change their lives and ripple out to the lives of their loved ones.

Lauren: Is this your first entrepreneurial pursuit?

Elizabeth: No. I have tried other ventures but with the intention of doing it part-time. The Institute for Achievement and Excellence is the only venture I have dedicated myself to fully.

Lauren: What prompted you to start your own business?

Elizabeth: I was always interested in the possibility of being an entrepreneur but attempted it more as a hobby. I believe the pandemic was a turning point for many… I am one such statistic. I felt a shift in my priorities – from supporting women part-time as an element of my job description to empowering women full time as my burning passion.

Lauren: How did you come up with the idea?

Elizabeth:  After 30 years in corporate education and mentoring many along the way, there was an unmistakable trend in the type of questions, concerns, desires, guidance needed etc.

Of course, there is an overlap with some of the elements but for the most part, they can be categorised into 9 life areas.

The flagship program – Achieving Professional Excellence – addresses these elements.

Who Elizabeth Serves

Lauren: Who did you have in mind when you started your business? Who do you serve?

Elizabeth: Who I have in mind: Women! Women of all beautiful shapes, colours and sizes.

Although we have come a long way, women still do not enjoy equal opportunities in their professional and personal circles. A woman may not always have control over her situation but she has control over how she shows up in the situation. 

The woman I have in mind is someone who is keen to be the best that she can be, knows that investing in herself never ends and takes control of the outcomes in her life despite the challenges of inequality she faces.

Who I serve:  Predominantly women from 25 to 50 who want to achieve success in their personal and professional growth, want a holistic approach to the process and have minimal time to accomplish it.

Career Highlights and Challenges

Lauren: What has been the number one highlight of your career?

Elizabeth:  The wonderful feedback from women who have completed the masterclass and are now experiencing a life they thought was only possible for others not for them.

Lauren: What has been the greatest challenge for you to overcome in your career?

Elizabeth: Successfully navigating the world of male-dominated companies as a female…

Lauren: All things considered do you feel it was a good decision to become an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth:  Absolutely! I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Daily Work Schedule and Rituals

Lauren: Where do you work most days?

Elizabeth:  I work from home because I like feeling comfortable and having access to all I need when I am working.

Lauren: How many days per week do you work on average?

Elizabeth:  Every day except on Sundays (from noontime, onwards). I step away from technology completely.

Lauren: How many hours do you estimate you work per day on average?

Elizabeth:  At the moment – 10 hours 😉

Lauren: Do you have any daily rituals to maintain a work-life balance?

Elizabeth:  Absolutely! I follow what I teach. I strive for balance. I have rituals in the morning, mid-day and night. I ensure that by the end of each week, I have given adequate time to all 9 of my life areas.

Passion, Vision and Message

Lauren: Do you feel you are living your passion?

Elizabeth: Yes… and sharing it with the world!

Lauren: Do you feel you have already created your best work?

Elizabeth:  I have… and more of my best is yet to come! 

Lauren: If you were to die tomorrow, would you be at peace knowing you had lived a full, happy and meaningful life? Or would you feel you were dying with your song unsung?

Elizabeth:    I am singing my song as we speak.

Lauren: Wonderful!  Do you have a message you would like the world to hear?

Elizabeth: Regardless of your starting point, your dreams are possible to achieve so never, ever give up on them.

Elizabeth Batalla – Advice for New Entrepreneurs

Lauren: What advice would you give someone just starting out as an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth:   The number one piece of advice is: 

Don’t wait for the ideal time to start what you need to do to get where you want to go!

There is never a perfect time to take action so let go of the notion that today is not the ‘right’ day. The biggest obstacle is simply getting started. 

Start where you are, use what you have and do the best you can… but JUST GET STARTED.

Lauren: Is there anything you wish you knew when you started out as an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: My attributes of dedication, resilience and patience will be tested – CONSTANTLY.

They are required to maintain the momentum, recover from disappointments and control expectations because sustaining success as an entrepreneur is a race for the marathon runner, not the sprinter.

Related: Top Ways to Empower Women in Business

Lauren: What have you missed out on by becoming an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: The luxury of working 9-5.

The day of an entrepreneur starts earlier, ends later and spills over into the weekends.

Lauren: What have you gained by becoming an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: Patience, resilience and establishing clear boundaries.

Lauren: Do you feel you chose an easy path or a difficult one?

Elizabeth: Definitely a more challenging one. Being an entrepreneur is no easy feat. The highs/lows, successes/failures, mastery/madness – it makes living quite a rollercoaster of a ride.

Hopes, Plans and Fears

Lauren: What are your hopes and plans for this year?

Elizabeth: To help as many women as I can to achieve their professional and personal transformation goals via my masterclasses.

Lauren: What are your fears?

Elizabeth: What I am doing now! It takes a great degree of courage to step off the cliff of your comfort zone, so you can soar to the heights you are destined to reach.  

Tools of the Trade and Mentors

Lauren: Which tools of the trade have been enormously helpful for you?

Elizabeth: Online courses to bridge my knowledge gap. I invest in courses to learn the basics, how to do things correctly from the start, tricks of the trade etc. A lot can be learned from courses at a very reasonable price.

It is time, effort and money-saving. In this way, when I pay for coaches I get more value because the time I have with them is used more for strategic advice rather than basic guidance.

Lauren:  Who has been enormously helpful to you? Do you have mentors in business?

Elizabeth: 

Helpful: Everyone I come into contact with has value because that is how I choose to see others. As a result, I continue to receive help all the time (and I make sure to pay it forward).

Mentor: Not any one person as it depends on my point of focus or gap I am trying to close at the time. 

If you told me a couple of years ago that I would invest in special software and binge-watch how to create animated videos for my youtube channel, I would have thought that maybe you had one too many glasses of Champagne (or whichever drink makes you happy).

Lauren: Are there any courses or studies you feel have been essential to your success?

Elizabeth: Yes – a more in-depth understanding of the various social media and search engine platforms – it’s a challenge to keep on top of changing algorithms and regulations.

Lauren: Is there a book, song or movie that has had huge significance or meaning in your life?

Elizabeth:
There are many so I will share the one that started it for me. I like its simplicity – of the message, of the implementation and of the result. 

It is called:

The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn. (orig. pub. 1925)
Another honourable mention is: Who Moved My Cheese by Spenser Johnson (orig. pub. 1998)

Spreading the Word

Lauren: If there was any way I could help you, what it would it be?

Elizabeth: To help me spread the word that there IS a proven formula available for achieving success and fulfilment in one’s professional and professional life.

Lauren: Who is your target market? If I were to give you a referral, who would I be looking for?

Elizabeth: Women 25-40, at the operational – mid-management level in their companies or in-between jobs, eager to improve personally and professionally and want to level up their lives (in a holistic way) – fast.

Learn How to Level Up Your Life Fast with Elizabeth Batalla

Elizabeth BatallaGIVEAWAY

Elizabeth is very kindly giving away free lifetime unlimited access to her signature course, Achieving Professional Excellence to one lucky member of Fempreneurs Unite.

The program sells for $599.99 (plus charges) so it’s a VERY GENEROUS gift.

And it’s worth far more to you when you apply what is taught in the program because that’s how you will learn how to level up fast and be unstoppable.

If you’d like to be considered for this wonderful prize, make sure you’re a member of Fempreneurs Unite on LinkedIn (it’s free to join).  And leave a comment below this post or our podcast post saying why Elizabeth and her panel should pick you for the award.

She is looking for someone who is ready to level up in their professional and personal life yet may not be able to afford to invest in herself at this stage.

The closing date for the giveaway will be midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 24th August and we will announce the winner on Wednesday 25th August.

Post Update – 25 August 2021

Announcement – We have a Winner!

Our warmest congratulations to Elize Swanepoel, the winner of our Giveaway.  Elize left an amazing comment on our post on Fempreneurs Unite.

Elize is super excited to get started on Elizabeth’s course, Achieving Professional Excellence.   Thanks so much, Liz for so kindly offering this generous prize.

 

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Visit The Institute for Achievement and Excellence

I’m doing this program myself, so I’ll be publishing a full review as soon as I’m finished.  In the meantime, have a look at all course details here: https://courses.achievementandexcellence.com/

Remember that the signature course is a combination of every course Elizabeth has created.

Connect with Elizabeth

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Affiliate Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link in this post, please assume I have an affiliate relationship with the company providing the product or service that you purchase, and that I’ll be compensated in some small way at no extra cost to you.