Horácio

Tema: Riqueza
A riqueza pode servir ou governar o seu possuidor

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Sá Carneiro, Francisco

Tema: Direito
Pouco importa às pessoas saber que têm os direitos reconhecidos em princípio, se o exercício deles lhes é negado na prática.

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Vieira, António

Tema: Conformismo
Como o que há basta para a ambição dos presentes, não querem aventurar nada com a esperança, porque possuem o que nunca esperaram

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Herder, Johann

Tema: Carácter
Não há coisa que demonstre de maneira mais decisiva o carácter de um homem ou de uma nação, do que a maneira como são tratadas as mulheres

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Cury, Augusto

Tema: Mente
Temos a possibilidade de ficar à superfície ou de penetrar as camadas mais profundas da nossa mente. Dedico este livro a todos os que se arriscam a deixar a superfície e procuram conhecer os mecanismos de formação do Eu saudável e inteligente. Sem conhecer e desenvolver tais mecanismos, temos grandes possibilidades de sermos imaturos, ainda que portadores de indubitável cultura; miseráveis, ainda que tenhamos grandes somas de dinheiro; frágeis, ainda que investidos de poder.

via @notiun

Eckhart, Meister

Se te amas a ti mesmo, ama os outros do mesmo modo. Enquanto amares uma única pessoa menos do que a ti mesmo, não te conseguirás amar a ti mesmo

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Sand, George

Há cem mil maneiras de perder o amor de uma mulher, e a única que não se previu é, precisamente, a que se realiza

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Bonaparte, Napoleão

Cada hora de tempo perdido na juventude é um embrião de infelicidade no futuro

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Stendhal

Descrever a felicidade é diminuí-la

@notiun

9 Simple Ways To Stay Calm In Highly Charged Situations

Let’s face it: we all sometimes find ourselves in situations where we feel like our patience is on its last thread. We blow a fuse and our anger boils over, making us want to damn-anything-to-hell that gets in our way. But losing it can really bring all sorts of problems for you, including ruining your career and damaging your relationships.

So, it’s vitally important that you learn to calm yourself down in highly charged situation before you lose it and aggravate the situation. Say, for example, someone dangerously cuts you off on the freeway. You don’t have to let sudden bursts of anger control you. There are ways to calm down and get through it with your sanity intact. Contrary to what you might think, anger is not an uncontrollable force that takes over us. It is a manageable emotion.

Here are some ways that can help you stay calm in highly charged situations, and avoid overreaction.

1. Pause and take deep breaths.

The first thing you need to do when you find yourself in a situation that ruffles your feathers is to take a deep breath. Don’t act in a rush, as you will almost certainly regret it. Just close your eyes and count to 10 to get a grip on your adrenaline rush, and then take deep breaths to calm down.

Carlos Coto, a psychologist at Pick the Brain suggests you try the 4×4 breathing technique where you breathe in for four seconds, hold the breath for four seconds and exhale the breath slowly for four seconds. Repeat this breathing technique until you feel calm enough to react.

2. Step back and ask yourself some simple questions.

Never react when you are really agitated. You are a pot of boiling water, and need to step back and ask yourself some question to assess the situation. Is the upsetting situation something you can control? Did you misunderstand the thing that’s setting you off? Does the issue really matter that much? How do I look and behave while I’m angry? Is my face red? Am I waving my hands around wildly? Would I want to work with someone like that? Probably not. Thoughtful questions help you go to the intellectual part of your brain that protects you from overreaction. Questions work wonders for most people.

3. Declare that you want to be productive and calm, and focus on that.

You cannot fully control other people’s behavior, but you can only control your own reactions. The sooner you realize that, the faster you can handle emotionally charged situations. The realization (and acceptance) that you can only truly control your own behavior and not other people’s actions can take the emotion out of the situation and allow you to proceed with a greater degree of control. Think about the things you want to do in the next hour or next few days, and declare you want to focus on those things instead of the situation that’s fueling your fire. Your thoughts will drift from anger to those things that make you more productive and joyful.

4. Label your emotional state in just a word or two.

Another trick to stay calm and overcome a rush of negative emotion is to get in touch with the emotion and label it in one word or two. Different brain studies show that labeling negative emotions reduces their impact. Trying to suppress a negative emotional doesn’t work and can backfire on you, says Kevin Ochsner a professor of psychology at Columbia University. You might look fine outwardly, Ochsner says, but inwardly your limbic system is just as aroused as without suppression, and in some cases, even more aroused.

So, if you feel terrible, give that feeling a name. Describe that emotion. Pissed off? Frustrated? Sad? Label that negative emotion you’re feeling in just a word or two and see it diminish just like that.

5. Let go of any unhelpful thoughts you may have.

This includes thoughts of revenge and thoughts such as “It’s not fair,” or “People like that should be locked up.” Such thoughts don’t help. They only make your anger worse. Let those thoughts go and you’ll find it easier to calm down and move on. Also, avoid using words like always (for example, “You always do that), never (for example, “You never listen to me.”), and should or shouldn’t (for example, you should know better than that.) Those words aggravate the situation. Instead, focus on thinking about positive things you could be doing that make you truly productive and joyful.

6. Write down the experience in a journal.

If you’re still upset about a situation even after you’ve tried letting it go, try writing it down in a journal. Nagging thoughts have a tendency to linger and flare up into fits of anger later at the slightest provocation. Writing down your emotions has a calming effect because it brings clarity and allows you to process complex issues and come up with solutions. It also tells your brain it can stop obsessing over the issue because the issue’s now recorded in a permanent place.

7. Tell someone about it.

One of the things that makes us lose our cool and burst into anger is that we get stuck inside our own heads with our own thoughts. If you have a friend with you in a highly charged situation, tell them what you’re feeling. If you don’t have someone with you, call a friend and tell them about it. Talking to someone and letting it all off your chest can leave you feeling calmer. If, however, you are constantly feeling frustrated and angry no matter what you try, and your temper causes you problems at work or in your relationship, consider talking to a professional. A psychotherapist, for example, can look at trends in your behavior and suggest solutions.

8. Burn off some of that pent up rage with exercise.

No matter how well we try to keep a lid on it, anger bursts may still make occasional appearances. When they do, another great way to manage it and get back to being calm is to switch gears and exercise. Do pushups or situps, go for a run, or just hit the gym to blow off steam. Exercising burns off pent up rage, lifts your mood, and helps you feel healthier and happier. You can also try taking a nap if you’re terribly upset. Sleeping has a calming, rejuvenating effect on the entire body and mind.

9. Go outside and reconnect with nature.

A final trick to keep calm in highly charged situations is to just step outside and get some air and sun. Take a few minutes to walk in a natural setting with trees. Watch the birds fly in the blue sky and feel the wind blow against your hair. Reconnect with nature. Fresh air can help you calm down and remind you that we create most of the stress we feel in our minds. Studies actually show that spending time in green spaces with trees reduces stress, relieves mentally fatigue and alleviates feelings of depression. Even if you only go to a nearby park on your lunch break, do it to strengthen your bond with nature. Nature’s replenishing effect is fairly instantaneous.

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5 Tips I’ve Learned About Being A Successful Freelancer

For much of the past year, I’ve spent my time juggling multiple professional balls as a teacher, tutor, and freelancer. When I left graduate school in 2014, I had only mildly entertained the idea of freelance work, usually on days when my dissertation resembled an unmanageable toddler and I would have to step away from my desk and seriously consider my alternative options. During my job search, I stumbled across a page created by the Chronicle of Higher Education called “The Alt Academic” and realized that my struggles were hardly unique. Many of my fellow academics, meeting with frustration and failure in the search for employment, were desperately seeking ways to earn an income beyond hunting in the sofa cushions for spare change.

In a job market increasingly saturated with graduate degree holders, job seekers have been trying to find innovative ways to market their skills, and freelancing,with its DIY flexibility, lends itself well to such creative endeavors. According to Robert Guthrie:

“Independent contractors have always been a big part of the U.S economy, but the rise of modern corporations led to a decline in the number of farmers, shop owners, and craftsmen, with salaried, full-time employment becoming the norm. The 21st century, however, has brought with it the ability for employers to connect with employees as never before, new remote technologies, and social change, all of which are driving more Americans to freelance and contract work. Current estimates suggest that 53 million Americans are involved in some sort of freelance work.”

While my training in the Humanities admittedly didn’t give me a particularly sound head for business, I decided that, armed with my skill set, I could learn the rest as I went along. Here are five tips I’ve learned that anyone considering taking the plunge into freelance work should consider.

1. Know your skill set

Before you do anything else, sit down and make a list of your skills and abilities; more often than not, you can lift this information directly from your resume or Curriculum Vitae. When I began branching out into freelancing, I first made a list of my skills and spent time thinking about how I could market my writing, teaching, and research background in a wider field. The simple truth is that you can’t start selling your stuff if you haven’t got a clue what you have to offer.

2. Conduct interviews

As an academic, my impulse response to this new venture was to gather information, because when in doubt, I conduct research. In this case, I spoke with colleagues who had gone the same route, as well as several friends who’ve been working successfully as freelancers for a number of years. Find someone in your chosen field who can sit down with you and discuss the nuances of self-employment, from setting up a website, to marketing, to book-keeping. You’ll never realize just how many questions you have until someone gives you the opportunity to start asking them.

3. Know what you’re worth

If you’re going to sell your skills, you need to know what they’re worth. When I decided to venture into freelance writing and editing, I spent time researching current market rates and trends with the help of sites like the Editorial Freelancers Association and the National Writers Union. Finding out the market rate for your talent is important, not only to ensure that you’re giving clients a fair price, but also to ensure that you don’t short-change yourself. Your work and your time are billable, and let’s face it, you have to earn a living. Under-selling yourself does you no favors both in terms of your self-confidence and the size of your bank account.

4. Pro Bono= no-no

I should preface this with the statement that I in no way turn up my nose at volunteer work. Giving your time and your talent to good causes that you believe in is personally rewarding and professionally important as well, because service to the community is an admirable character trait in a world where everyone is increasingly self-absorbed.

However, as I mentioned above, your time and talent are valuable, and your off-the-clock time cannot all be spent doing on-the-clock work. Find a cause that can use and appreciate your talents. If you’re an artist, and your church needs someone to design the posters for the fall carnival, certainly volunteer your time, but never overextend yourself to such an extent that other areas of your life, including the work you’re paid to do, begin to suffer.

5. Set boundaries

Yes, you have skills; yes, people pay you for those skills, but no one owns you. The freelancer/client relationship doesn’t resemble Karl Marx’s proverbial capitalistic vampire that sucks the labor out of you. Many freelancers have unpredictable schedules. There might come a Saturday night when your friends are out on the town while you’re sitting at home in yoga pants and a Hello Kitty T-shirt, rushing to finish a last-minute project that just came up. (I’m currently editing this article after a full day of grading and teaching, wishing I could pour myself a glass of wine and catch the new episode of the latest incarnation of The Muppets on ABC, but I digress.)

That said, you deserve to set boundaries and carve out certain times that you devote to certain projects, and abide by the self-imposed rule never to work outside those constraints. This is easier said than done because of the often unpredictable nature of freelance work, but it’s a practice that, when implemented as a rule of thumb, lends itself to creating a healthy work-life balance.

Featured photo credit: Laptop, Woman, coffee via pixabay.com

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You’ll Be Shocked By This Social Experiment: How Girls Easily Trust Strangers On Social Media

https://www.youtube.com/embed/c4sHoDW8QU4

Teenagers love being on social media. They use their phones and Facebook to contact their friends; they take pictures and send them via Instagram or SnapChat; they figure out what to buy by taking photos and sending to their friends. Unfortunately, they also are easily lured through social media by sexual predators, child trafficking rings and thieves.

In this video, Coby Persin conducted an experiment to see how easily he could convince teen-age girls to come meet him when all they did was speak to him in chat rooms on social networking sites.

He talked with the parents before conducting this experiment. The parents were willing to participate in the video. First, he created a fake profile. Second, he contacted the three girls and chatted with them for a few days. Third, he suggested they meet in a place offline. The first girl wanted to meet in a park and said she had to wait until her father was asleep before she could leave. She thought Coby was 15. The second girl invited the person she thought was another teen-ager over her house while her father was gone. The third one was willing to get inside a van driven the by stranger. Her parents pretended to be criminals that wanted to attack her and capture her. She was terrified. In every case, the parents thought they had discussed the issue with their daughters before this experiment. They all were generally surprised on the actions of their children.

Common Occurrence

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, these social networking sites are dangerous for teens, and the practice is common. Even with media attention on the dangers of social networking, the FBI receives hundreds of complaints per year about children who have been victims of criminal incidents on social networks. These incidents include but are not limited to:

• Adults posing as children who are about the same age as the victim who later travel to abuse the child; and
• Adults posing as children who convince the child to expose themselves and/or perform sexual acts over webcam and later extort the child to perform additional acts.

According to an Internet safety pamphlet recently published by NCMEC, a survey of 12- to 17-year-olds revealed that 38 percent had posted self-created content, such as photos, videos, artwork or stories. Another survey of 10- to 17-year-olds revealed 46 percent admit to having given out their personal information to someone they did not know. The likelihood that kids will give out personal information over the Internet increases with age, with 56 percent of 16- to 17-year-olds most likely sharing personal information.

Because of the social aspect of these sites, they often ask users to post a profile. The profiles contain information, such as their age, gender, hobbies and interests. While these profiles help kids connect and share common interests, individuals who want to victimize kids can use those online profiles to search for potential victims. Kids sometimes compete to see who has the greatest number of contacts and will add new people to their lists even if they do not know them in real life.

What Can Parents Do?

Discuss these ideas with your children:

• Only “friend” and connect to people online that you know personally and delete those you do not know personally;
• Set social media security settings so that only confirmed friends and connections can see what you are posting;
• Never take a picture of yourself or write anything by text, e-mail, or social media that you would not want everyone in the world to see;
• Immediately delete and never forward a picture of anyone doing something sexual;
• Choose screen names and usernames that are appropriate;
• Never post publicly or give anyone your phone number, e-mail address, or home address unless you know them personally;
• Be aware that anyone you meet online may not be who they say they are; and
• Immediately tell a parent or trusted adult if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation online, even if you are afraid that things have already gone too far.
• Make sure your children don’t say they are older than they are just to get a Facebook page. Although Facebook has a rule that only those who are 13 and older can have accounts, the children get around that by making themselves older and Facebook never checks even when parents complain.

Find other tips for how to talk to kids about online predators, limits for what to reveal online, cyberbullying, and other Internet safety topics here:

• Interactive age-appropriate Internet safety games and tips for 3rd-8th graders, created by the FBI;
• Video workshop by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and
• Short videos about cyberbullying, created by middle and high school students.
• Share Coby’s video with other parents https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4sHoDW8QU4
• Get software designed to monitor what your children are doing on their phones and on social media.
• Block certain sites that could be the most problematic.

Featured photo credit: How Girls Easily Trust Strangers On Social Media via google.com

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5 Hacks for Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination is something that affects all of us at some point or another. For some of us, procrastination hits us when we are trying to complete our biggest, most important projects. For others, it impacts all areas of our lives.

Whatever your relationship with procrastination, the good news is that there are steps you can take to overcome it.

Here are five hacks you can start using today to trade procrastination for productivity:

1. Figure out what’s behind the procrastination (and therefore, understand how to overcome it)

Although procrastination might seem like a mysterious phenomenon, usually there’s a good reason for it. Some of the most common causes of procrastination are fear, self-doubt and a perfectionist mindset.

If we fear judgement from other people, or if we fear the changes that might come as a result of success, we’re likely to delay getting started. Equally, if we approach a task or project with the mindset that it either has to go exactly as planned or it’s a failure, that kind of pressure is likely to lead to procrastination and avoidance.

If you’re struggling to understand your procrastination, take some time to reflect and ask yourself, “What’s the payoff for staying stuck? How am I actually trying to help or protect myself?” With a better understanding of what’s behind your procrastination, you can take steps to build support structures and accountability that will help you take action— whatever your fears, doubts, or worries.

This hack is important, but make sure this kind of introspection doesn’t become a method of procrastination in itself!

Pairing this step with one of the following hacks will help you turn internal understanding into external action.

2. Set a timer for 5 minutes and start

One of the hardest parts of any project or task is getting started. Most of us find that, once we’re past that first hurdle, the rest is smooth sailing. You can overcome this hurdle by giving yourself permission to work on the object of your procrastination for just five minutes.

Agree with yourself that you’ll focus on that particular task—and that task only—for the next five minutes. If you want to stop at the end of the five minutes, you’re allowed to. If you want to continue, that’s allowed too. Be careful not to “should” yourself into continuing after the timer goes off. Tomorrow, you can try another five minutes and see how you feel then.

This hack works because many people find they get into the groove and want to continue beyond the five minutes. Even if you don’t, however, that’s fine. Even five minutes each day will amount to significant progress in the long-term.

3. Focus on how good it will feel when you’re done

I ask a lot of my clients to do a specific visualisation exercise. The first part involves creating a detailed picture of how their lives will be if they take a specific course of action we’ve been discussing. The second part involves creating a detailed picture of how their lives will be if they don’t take that course of action. For each picture, I ask them to think about how they’ll feel, and how taking or not taking action will affect other areas of their lives too.

If you’d like a dose of intrinsic motivation, you can do a similar exercise yourself. Imagine you’re looking at your life a year from now. Create the two pictures above, allowing yourself to feel the feelings associated with taking action (such as satisfaction, fulfillment, accomplishment, excitement, and confidence) and then the feelings associated with not taking action (such as disappointment, fatigue, dread, and negative self-judgement).

Now, you know the consequences of your action (or inaction) and you have a choice which reality you choose to create.

4. Find a way to make the task fun

With any big project, there will be tasks or actions that just aren’t fun or interesting. These can stall otherwise speedy progress and lead to a period of avoidance and procrastination.

If you’re in this situation now, you can help yourself by finding ways to make a particular task more interesting. Put on some good music, take your computer to a coffee shop and work there, or invite friends to take part with you. The fun-making method you choose will depend on the task at hand, but there will be a way to turn your procrastination into passion.

5. Set up public accountability

Public accountability is one of the most effective ways of overcoming procrastination. It’s effective for a simple reason: we don’t like to look bad in front of other people. Public accountability doesn’t even have to be that public to be helpful. Just being accountable to one person is often enough to kick us into gear.

To make the most out of public accountability, enlist the help of a coach, a friend or a dedicated accountability buddy. Tell them exactly what action you’re going to take and when you’re going to do it.

Featured photo credit: Britt Selvitelle via flickr.com

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10 Reasons Why Being Intelligent Is Problematic (And Even A Curse)

Being intelligent has a lot of pluses. Not only can you do your homework in a hurry, but you are able to hold your own in abstract conversations. Although there are a lot of bonuses, there are some serious challenges.

When you are carrying a big brain, you have got to learn at least a few ways to navigate these very real problems:

1. People fail to understand your awesome jokes

Your brain moves fast and you are chock full of obscure knowledge. As you crack a truly hilarious joke, you realize halfway through that your beloved friends are not going to know what the heck you are talking about. By the time you have explained all the background they need to get the joke, its probably not funny to anyone anymore.

Ah, such wasted effort.

2. Your work is NEVER finished

You’ve always got a ton of brain power milling about. As a result, you are constantly noting things to fix, things to learn about and ways to constantly utilize every moment you have.

Unfortunately, this often leads to massive piles of stress and a failure to ever actually rest.

3. Happiness becomes elusive

Related to number two, you struggle to feel okay about the massive piles of things to do. Since work is never finished, you can never feel content. Similarly, when you are so involved in something positive that happiness may naturally arise, your brain returns to the multitude of other things you really should be worried about.

And thus, happiness escapes before it was even present.

4. Social awkwardness is commonplace

Brain power doesn’t necessarily make every day small talk any easier. Between obscure references, a lack of ability to relate to normal stuff like sports and fashion, and a tendency to say smart things which few people understand, you are rocking the awkward turtle moments.

5. Being wrong is NOT an option

Should the horrible event occur where you happen to get something wrong, every single person that witnessed it will clearly remember the event. They are also likely to remind you of it. You will do everything you can to rationalize the mistake and downplay it. But when you are right most of the time, it’s always memorable to get it wrong once.

6. You struggle to cut yourself some slack

Intelligent people hold themselves to high standards, whether they want to or not. After all, you’ve got all these brain cells ready and able to solve any and every problem you might have. How could it possibly be that you don’t perform to your highest capacity every time?

Of course, this isn’t reasonable, but its really hard to keep some perspective as a highly intelligent person.

7. You expect greatness, and experience depression with failure to deliver

Not only do you expect yourself to be great all the time, but when that doesn’t work out, you get super bummed. You’ve got all these great resources, its clearly just laziness or lack of effort that leads to sub-par performance. What a horrible person you must be.

At the end of the day, no one can be great all the time, but those with high intelligence struggle to appreciate this fact.

8. You have authority problems

Although you are clearly more intelligent than many, you find yourself in the same position as others of superior intelligence: At some time, you are in a subordinate position to individuals with less mental prowess. As a result, respect for authority becomes quite a challenge.

Its hard to respect your boss when you feel that you have the brain power to do a vastly superior job.

9.You struggle with your idenitity

If you describe yourself as intelligent, you are clearly an arrogant jerk. If you downplay your intelligence, you will find yourself hanging out with people who are terribly boring. You need to find some way to get both your sense of self and your fear of arrogance in check.

All without turning people off before you even try to be friends.

10. Boredom is overwhelming

Intelligent people like to stay mentally active. Inevitably, he or she will be asked to work on something which is just tedious. This can really drain an intelligent person. To keep an intelligent person motivated, boredom can’t be part of the equation.

Featured photo credit: Icarissimmi via pixabay.com

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How To Scale-Up Your Creative Business and Sell More — Using Ecommerce

Let me guess:

You’re looking to grow your business in leaps and bounds so you never have to work another day in your life, right?

That’s the case with many entrepreneurs. Whether you run a solo business or you work with a team, it’s always the dream to one day have the business make money without much personal effort from your part.

But you’ve probably realized that it’s not as easy as it seems.

Selling your creative service can be hard work, especially when you’re still trading time for money. You want to have more clients but you only have 24 hours in the day…so how do you build that business? You want to start creating your own products so you can tone down client work, but you don’t even have the time for product creation because of the clients you have now.

You’ve probably thought of quitting client work so you can start working on your business, but how will you pay the bills?

Too many questions, not enough answers.

Well, if you’re looking to scale your present creative business and use ecommerce to really grow that dream, I’ll show you six ways to do it.

But first, why would you want to scale and grow in the first place?

3 Reasons Why You Should Scale

1. You’ll be able to focus on core objectives.

You started that creative business because you had passion and there were things you wanted to achieve. There was a vision you saw that you decided to run with. If not, you wouldn’t have started.

When you have everything in place and revenue starts to come in without your full participation, you’ll be able to “sit your business down” and focus on those core objectives. As Sam Carpenter, author of Work The System said:

“If solid goals are established and the majority of time is spent manipulating systems toward those goals, great results will materialize naturally.”

2. You’ll save time.

Being able to generate revenue for your business without directly trading your time has benefits. If you previously spent most of your day on client work, you’ll be able to tone that down and replace those hours with other important activities.

3. Your quality of service will improve.

This won’t be because you’re investing more personal time in delivering those services. Instead, it’ll be due to the fact that you’ve been able to acquire specialized talent. After all, as the advertising legend, David Ogilvy advised:

“If you ever find a man who is better than you are — hire him. If necessary, pay him more than you pay yourself.”

That way, everyone stays happy.

How to Scale

So are you ready to scale? Here are the 6 steps you don’t want to ignore:

1. Think big, take action

Sounds cliché right? You’ve probably heard that phrase since you were 10. But guess what? It’s still important.

At this stage, most people daydream for a really long time. Yes, it’s cool to imagine yourself as the next Steve Jobs, but if you don’t do the “take action” part, you’ll only be Jobs in your head.

While thinking, it’s important for you to avoid unrealistic imaginations. Anything is possible, but be careful. You have to think in steps. If your present monthly revenue is barely $20,000, your thought process should be something along the lines of, “How can I make that 10X and what do I have to do to get there in the next 3-6 months?” Not, “In the next 3 months, I’ll work very hard, make $50M and get myself a condo”.

Really? Business growth is not magic.

2. Determine your value

If you sell services, what’s the way forward? Is it getting more clients or increasing your rates? And if you’re increasing your rates, how can you also increase the value so your clients are encouraged to pay higher?

Note that when you increase your rates, your inflow of clients will reduce and that’s completely okay. You don’t want to work with everyone — only those ideal clients that’ll help you achieve your business goals. As you start to increase the perceived value of your offering by boosting the price, remember to also increase the corresponding intrinsic value.

3. Cut costs down

Since you’re scaling up, aren’t you supposed to be incurring more costs? On the contrary, what you have to do at this step is to get rid of unnecessary costs. You’re probably spending money on unnecessary software and services that you don’t need.

For example, if you use email marketing software like Aweber to communicate with your email list, perhaps paying the yearly plan (instead of monthly) would serve you better. That’ll save you a few dollars.

Using this example, look at other areas of your business where you have expenses and critically answer these two questions:

• Can my business do without this and still work?
• How can I spend less on this and still get the same result?

4. Determine your budget and capital

Without a budget, you’ll either spend more than you should or less than required. While cutting down on costs ensures that you don’t keep creating unnecessary expenses as you grow, having a growth budget ensures you increase expenses on the right things.

Your capital depends on how much you need to grow at this point. Will you be building a team? How many people do you need and how much will you pay them? Laying these figures out would give you a financial goal to work towards, especially when you’re not generating much revenue yet.

You’ll also want to incorporate a “Peace of Mind Policy” into your growth budget. This policy provides security for your life and business by ensuring you make stable and consistent investments that’ll prevent you from unnecessary expenses in future.

One good example of this is getting insurance, in case of any catastrophes. You can shop around for the cheapest insurance rates that’ll give you some peace of mind.

5. Get the best tools, hire the best minds

It’s going to be harder to manage contingencies when you grow, especially if you don’t get the groundwork right. If managing an arrogant team member is hard work, how would managing four with the same attitude be?

If you’re looking to outsource business tasks, ensure you outsource the right ones. Depending on your business needs, you’d want to outsource some of those tasks to the best talent using sites like Upwork or Freelancer.

If you’re looking to equip your website to be able to sell your creative products, then perhaps you should consider hiring a developer to install some premium plugins, or use simple landing page solutions like Spaces or Big Cartel — which are specifically built for creative people like you.

6. Scale!

How? By bringing all your plans and actions from steps one to five together. Now that you’re clear on your figures, you’ve gotten the best tools and hired the best minds, it’s your duty to kick off the whole process. However, without the right systems and documentation in place, you’ll find yourself working more unproductive hours.

That’s it! You’ve successfully taken the first step by reading this article. Your next step is to start from Step 1 and start laying those concrete plans down on paper. It’s not enough for you to get revved up by this and do nothing. The benefits of scaling are endless. And even though the process may take several months, you won’t have a taste of those benefits unless you take action.

So go get started!

Featured photo credit: Giuseppe Milo via flickr.com

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How Rich People and Ordinary People View the World Differently

Being rich is sometimes nothing more than a mindset. Many people may find it difficult to accept the points stated below, but the truth remains that rich people tend to see the world in a different light from the way ordinary people see it. It is important to consider the mentality behind such thoughts, since becoming rich isn’t such a bad idea.

This is how rich people and ordinary people view the world differently:

Rich people are positive about the world around them while ordinary people blame the world for their problems

Rich people are used to taking charge of the world around them. They know that there are a lot of wrongs and ills that already exist, but they don’t dwell on those. In fact they work hard to fix the aspects that they can fix and act responsibly for what happens to them.

Ordinary people offer excuses and use the word “if” a lot. They tend to point fingers at this or that for the wrongs in their lives. They think that they have been wronged all along and try to play the victim every now and then.

Rich people believe that poverty is the root of all evil while ordinary people believe money is the root of all evil

Rich people know that poverty can cause a man so much pain. They know that if poverty was eradicated or not in the picture, humanity would make more progress. Money is not evil to them. Rather, they see it as a means to an end in gaining all that they want in life. Money may not guarantee happiness, but it can make life easier and more comfortable to live in.

Ordinary people think that money is the root of all evil and that rich people are dishonest and greedy. They do not see money for what it is — an avenue to attain more freedom. Rather they see it as a cause to the many headaches man is suffering. They will simply advise contentment and simplicity because they feel that wealth comes at so high a price.

Rich people believe in taking action while ordinary people wait for everything to take place with chance

Rich people believe you need to attract opportunities by working hard and taking action. They do not believe in gambles and chances or playing the lottery to become more prosperous. They would rather go out there and solve problems or add value to the world around them. There is no point in waiting for God, government or certain institutions to offer them a lucky hand for them to become more prosperous.

Ordinary people believe in chance and luck or taking a gamble on almost everything that will come their way. They are would-be patrons of get-rich-quick schemes and the lottery. Rather than go out there to improve their chances, they will sit and wait for “almighty” factors to determine their destinies.

Rich people do not see formal education as a direct path to prosperity while ordinary people see a formal education as all you need to become wealthy

Rich people know that you need more than a formal education to succeed in life. Actually, many top performers and rich people had to work hard, persevere and acquire specific knowledge along the way to become what they are. Rich people do not see the world from a linear angle, but rather from a diversified angle of making prosperity from diverse means. It really is not about the means, after all, but the end.

Ordinary people are stuck with the thought that you can only become somebody and rich after you have attained a degree or gone through a prestigious institution of knowledge. However, this thought only keeps them prisoners of mediocrity and staying on the average line.

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Scientists Explain Why Some People Are Left-Handed

One tenth of the human population is left-handed, with some countries having more left-handed people than others. Less-developed countries appear to have a more even mix of left- and right-handed people, whereas advanced countries such as Japan have less than one tenth of their population as left-handed. But why are some people left-handed? Is it all to do with the country you are born in? Is it genetics, nature or nurture? Which things about lefties are myths and which are facts?

Can Left-Handedness Be Predicted?

Some say left-handedness can be predicted by the position of the child in the womb, but there are many times when this prediction model breaks down. In fact, the predictive model used is only marginally better than guessing, which suggests the position in the womb is only a possible indicator or stimulating factor and is not actually a predominant factor in what makes a person left- or right-handed.

Is It Genetic?

Just like the position in the womb, there are some people that make convincing arguments that show genetics may be an influencer, but it is not a determining factor or a reliably predictive factor (just like the position in the womb). This has been proven by the fact that identical twins with identical DNA may be right- or left-handed. Even with triplets, there may be one or two that are left-handed and the other one or two that are right handed — which throws out most arguments that being left-handed is genetic.

There are some that say the left- or right-handedness of your parents is an influencing factor, with two right-handed parents only having left-handed children 10% of the time. However, if two right-handed parents give up their baby at birth and hand it off to a left-handed couple, then the child is only 10% likely to be right-handed, which proves genetics has nothing to do with it.

People Used To Be Left- And Right-Handed In Equal Portions

We appear to have had left-handed people for generations. In fact, there is a varied amount of evidence that suggests that left-handed people have been around for over 500,000 years — but that is not really the issue. What is the issue is that these days, being left-handed is a negative thing, but in the past it was normal. Furthermore, before being right-handed was considered ideal, people were an even mix of right- and left-handed.

Swords And The Left-Hand Side Of The Road

Back in the days when horses were a main mode of transportation, people traveled on the left side of a road. That meant that when people passed them on horses, they would be on their right hand side. It becomes common practice to fight with your sword in your right hand because that is where the most likely attack would come from. People learned to hold their shield with their left hand and their sword with their right hand so that they may fight as they pass each other. People also saluted with their right hand for a similar reason, because it helped to expose their face (if they were wearing head amour), and showed that their right hand was free of weapons. Children were encouraged to be right-handed so that they may hold their sword with their right hand.

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

When people became more advanced and learn to write on paper, they discovered that writing with their right hand was easier than writing with their left. Writing with their left hand would cover what was being written and would smudge the ink on the page. Ergo, children were encouraged to be right-handed so that they may learn more easily and write without hindrance.

The Mouse Is In The House

Even computers are built for right-handed people. It is common for the mouse to be on the right side of the keyboard and for the index finger of the right hand to click the left mouse button as opposed to the middle finger of the left hand. Keyboards are also set up with number pads on the right instead of the left, which favors right-handed people once again.

Children Copy Their Parents

The idea that many children must be born right-handed is a myth. The reason so many children become right-handed is that they watch their parents and copy them. They see their parents doing things whilst predominantly using their right hand and so they copy them. For example, if a child picks up a spoon with the same hand as his or her parent, then the child may copy the finger placement on the spoon. This cannot be done if the child picks up the spoon with the other hand because the position of the fingers and the palm of the hand would be all wrong and the child would struggle to copy the parent. 

So, next time you are left wondering why a child seems to prefer the left or right hand, try taking a look at the adults around them.

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