4 Free Business Productivity Apps To Help You Grow Your Small Business

Managing a business is easier said than done. When you run your own business, you need to give it all your time and attention. It’s a job that is both demanding and fulfilling.

Eventually, you’ll want to turn it into a business that can run without you. This, unfortunately, is the harder part.

The first obstacle you need to anticipate is manpower. For small businesses and start-up companies, it is usually the owner that does most of the work. To help you out, here are the top business productivity apps you can rely on for help.

1. TMetric

tmetric

This is a time tracking app that can help you manage projects and your team at the same time. It can track your team’s work activities which you can view in a simple timeline mode.

If you have remote employees or you’re not in the office most of the time, you can use this app to check on your team’s productivity. As the project leader, you’ll be able to view what sites your members visited or what apps they’ve used in a specific period of time.

Tmetric is completely free and can be integrated with other tools like Trello, Basecamp, Jira, Asana, and RedMine. Compared with other time tracking apps, this one is very user-friendly and does not require training to understand.

It’s a simple click-and-go app with powerful features at no cost.

See Also: Top 7 Ways to Improve Your Productivity 

2. MailChimp

mailchimp

For a business to grow, its mailing list should grow as well. It’s a great way to continuously generate leads and sales.

MailChimp is an easy and professional way to send emails to your subscribers. Its intuitive interface allows even the most non-techy users to make it work.

For small businesses, the free version is a good starting point. You can send up to 12,000 emails a month to a mailing list of up to 2,000 contacts.

MailChimp has a huge directory of integration. Popular platforms include WordPress, Shopify, and Magento.

3. Wave

waveapps

This app is pretty straightforward. It’s a free accounting software that covers invoicing, payroll, bills, and other factors that involve money. It’s specifically tailored for small businesses.

Wave gives business owners an easy and efficient way to manage books. If you want to handle accounting work yourself but don’t want to spend money for more advanced apps, this is a great solution.

You can securely link your banking accounts, send unlimited invoices, and pay as many bills as you want. It is a Canadian-based company with over 2.5 million users.

You can securely link your banking accounts, send unlimited invoices, and pay as many bills as you want. It is a Canadian-based company with over 2.5 million users.

4. Tasytt

tasytt-app

Welcoming a new team member can take a lot of work, particularly when it comes to orientation and training. This is a common experience and issue for most small businesses.

As a solution, you can try a tiny but powerful app called Tasytt. It streamlines your company’s training process so you know who’s reading what and for how long.

See Also: 8 Top Marketing Tips for Small Businesses 

In addition to onboarding new team members, it’s  a great tool for training existing team members without having to set up individual meetings, too. By creating ‘flows’, which are basically tasks made into a smaller set of activities, you can easily track your team’s progress and productivity.

This is clearly one of the best business productivity apps you’ve got to try.

 

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10 Essential Things You Should Do Before 30

It has been a while since I celebrated my 30th birthday.

Looking back, I had a lot of big and small dreams- from backpacking in Europe to making the most delicious cinnamon rolls. I believe I should or could have done all of them while I was still young so that I can be happier and richer.

Unfortunately, I can’t turn back time. No one can.

If you are in your 20’s, stop hesitating. Now is the perfect time to go beyond your 9-5 routine and take a shot at anything you want to be or need to do. Here are 10 things you should do before 30.

1. Write a book

I used to dream of publishing my own book before I turn 18. This got delayed and it is yet to be fulfilled.

I’m not expecting to become the new Veronica Roth. However, I’m still hoping I can leave a part of me behind, even if it’s in the form of science fiction. Being able to inspire someone as a writer would be amazing.

See Also: How To Find Great Ideas For Writing A Story 

2. Save regularly

save-regularly

One of my biggest regrets is not saving early or starting it as soon as I started working.

I realized that if I plan to live a happy and comfortable life by the time I reach 30 or even 100 years old, I should have enough money for my needs. I probably need to save at least $700,000 before I retire.

I may be about 10 years late to do that, but there’s still a chance to catch up. You should, too.

3. Quit eating chips

This is one terrible habit I really should have stopped in my 20’s. I can stay away from burgers and fries but my love for chips is one of those addictions that simply refuse to fade away.

If I had gotten used to eating healthy daily meals a decade ago, such as green smoothies, vegetables and protein, I probably would not be struggling with acne right now.

4. Stick to a hobby

I was 18 years old at that time. I saw how my Sunday fellowship teacher played the guitar and it gave me the urge to learn it and so I tried.

After one month. I gave it up after realizing that it was not that easy to pick up even for someone who already knows how to play the piano. It is one of the stupidest decisions I have ever made and I still feel regretful about it.

5. Be active on social media platforms

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are good places to express who you are and connect with other people. Reaching out to people you don’t really know should be one of the things you should do before 30 since it helps make your circle broader.

The more people you connect with, the more you get to enjoy the world even without leaving your place. Aside from that, talking to a stranger also allows you to tell your stories freely.

6. Find a best friend

best-friends

I am an introvert and I truly believe I can be happy without having lots of friends or going to lots of parties. In fact, finding two to three people who I am comfortable being with can be enough.

Finding a best friend is not an overnight search and friendship can’t be built in a day. It’s more about creating memories and sharing moments that will stand the test of time.

7. Have a signature dish

For those of you who are passionate about cooking and follows cooking shows, you must know how important it is for chefs to have a signature dish. As a gourmet lover but not so much a cook, this should definitely be on top of the things you should do before 30

Personally, it would definitely be nice if I could make a garlic shrimp pasta or bake a chocolate chiffon cake whenever my family or friends come over.

8. Travel to a foreign country alone

Unfortunately, the farthest I went by myself was to Hong Kong and the only thing I did there was to shop at the IFC mall. The trip was short and I was back in Taipei the next day.

Despite this, I still felt like I was able to conquer the world on my own. From successfully booking plane tickets to chatting to Chinese staff with one or two Cantonese words, I really felt empowered.

9. Get a license

yoga-instructor

I am not talking about getting a driver’s license. It can be anything from a bartending license to that of a yoga teacher.

One good example is my sister’s friend.  She became an ESL teacher when things did not work out for her in the cosmetic industry. She is actually enjoying it right now, particularly due to her opportunities to travel abroad.

10. Learn a new language

Whatever your reason or purpose is, learning a new language should be one of the things you should do before 30. Japanese culture, especially manga and anime, has been a big part of my childhood and youth.

I once considered changing my name to Robin and dressing like Emily the Strange after becoming obsessed with an animated series. If only I took the opportunity to learn Japanese in high school, I would not need subtitles or use a dictionary whenever I want to understand something.

See Also: 5 Effective Techniques To Learn A Language Faster 

It is never too late to start anything. But, let’s be honest.

There are some things that are better accomplished early, preferably before you turn 30. Achieving them early means you’ll have more time and energy to do more things.

 

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Unlearn the pain. Learn to forgive.

I wish they could teach kids at school how to forgive. Forgiveness may not be a skill to grade a student for, yet it is a better predictor of the quality of individual’s life than all the A+s combined.

Yes, forgiveness is absolutely crucial if you want to live a life of fulfillment. Without forgiveness you just can’t give your true potential to the world…

forgiveWhy? Because most of your energy will be drained while reminiscing the past and even worse, making up some bitter thoughts about revenge. You will not be able to focus on your life, you will not express your creative potential and you just will not be able to be happy, unless you learn to forgive and let go of the hurt in your heart. As a Chinese proverb goes,

“The one who pursues revenge should dig two graves.”

I do not think anyone will be happy by the end of their life to realize that they have been chained by the wounds, anger and pain throughout their life. It will be just too late to break the chains. Believe me the moment you forgive “the unforgiven”, life will look, taste, feel and even smell differently, much better and much lighter.

The popular expression “It is easier said than done” definitely applies to forgiveness. Forgiveness will take time, it will take efforts, but the results will be rewarding. The most important thing is that you are sincerely willing to forgive.

Remember none of us is born with some supernatural ability to forgive. You may think that such historical figures, as Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King were somehow blessed with divine characteristics of unconditional love and forgiveness. They were not. They just made a choice between living a life of captivity and liberating themselves from the chains of bitterness. They chose liberation. Mandela was one of them:

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

All these heroes of humanity have put tons of efforts to cultivate forgiveness in the garden of their hearts. So can you!

Caution! Do not ever attempt to forgive someone if you have not taken time to forgive yourself for your own mistakes or failures. Please acknowledge that no human being is perfect (including you and me), we all have made mistakes, at some point in our lives we ourselves hurt someone else, whether consciously or unconsciously, and were to be forgiven. This understanding makes us feel more compassion for other people and recognize the human nature of their mistakes.

The more you grow on your humanity, by taking responsibility for your mistakes and by learning to say “I am sorry. I was wrong”, it becomes more and more natural for you to forgive others easily.

One person forgiving the other may at first sight be a trivial issue on the global scale. But it is not, in my opinion. It is vital for the well-being of the particular society and the world as a whole. People who were hurt in the past, and have not been able to let go of their pain and forgive, may grow into people who “enjoy” hurting others. Who knows, maybe the world history would not know Hitler if he was taught to forgive…?

If we want to live in a world where people love and care for each other, we first need to give out love ourselves, including to those who have mistreated us. Your willingness and determination to forgive a particular person is vital. However, be ready that the feeling of having been hurt may come to you occasionally, especially at times when you feel low.

Just keep on reminding yourself that forgiveness does not imply that you are weak, or that you do not respect yourself. Your choice to forgive means that you value yourself much enough to free yourself from the chains of bitterness and live the fulfilling life you truly deserve.

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How Millennials Measure Success At Work

Although many people think success can be measured by the amount of money you make or how big your house is, success is actually subjective. Millennials know this better than any other generation since their definition of a successful career is very different than others.

But how do you exactly measure the success of millennials at work? Here are some of the ways:

Balance

A lot of people consider millennials as lazy partly because of how they value work-life balance. For them, a person can only experience true success once he is able to excel at his job while maintaining a happy and healthy personal life.

Because of their preference for this balance, you’ll find most of them asking for the opportunity to work from home occasionally or to get a generous amount of paid time off. They also prefer sales, wholesale distributions or other positions that give them the ability to create a more flexible schedule.

See Also: 5 Lessons Every Millennial Needs to Learn About Success 

Personal Development

personal-development

Although millennials are interested in advancing their careers, they are actually more concerned with personal growth than professional development. This means that millennials will feel successful if they have the opportunity to learn or develop new skills.

If millennials stay in the same position for years without something to challenge them, they’ll feel unsuccessful since they are no longer learning from their work. For millennials, their job is not just about getting promoted or achieving a higher rank, but rather the journey and the lessons they learn along the way.

Respect

Most people think millennials are very confident and sure of themselves. In fact, their co-workers take their opinions and ideas seriously.

If you are responsible for managing a team of millennials at work, make sure you promote collaborative work and recognize team members whenever they reach new goals or come up with fantastic ideas. This recognition allows millennials to feel like they are contributing something valuable to the company.

They feel motivated and successful whenever they are encouraged to chime in with ideas or volunteer to take on additional responsibilities.

Job Satisfaction

job-satisfaction

To millennials, it’s not just about the number on their paychecks; the name of the person signing them counts, too.

Millennials want to work for an employer that gives back to the community and has a strong corporate culture. They also want employers that offer surprising and unique perks. They want to be a part of a team who’ll treat them more like family members than just co-workers.

See Also: Success Tips For The Youth Entrepreneurs

They don’t necessarily define success by their income or by their positions. For millennials at work, there are actually a lot more important things than fame and fortune.

 

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What Is Spirituality And What Does It Mean For You?

What is it actually to be spiritual? What does it mean? Is it the same as being religious? Let us take a stab at defining what spirituality is.

You know that ´something´ beyond the physical exists

When you are spiritual, you know that you are part of something much bigger than you. You have left the materialistic worldview behind, and you know that the world cannot be reduced to what you can see and touch. You know that ´something´ beyond the material exists. We can call that spirit, soul or higher self. You know that there is a guiding principle in the universe and that we are all one. You can call this guiding principle God or Source, but you do not subscribe to the old religious concept of an angry and judgemental God. Your God is a loving entity. You know that you must treat others the way you want to be treated yourself, and you know that this is not the only life you live.

spirituality-egoSpiritual science

The Danish visionary and mystic Martinus called his bulk of work, consisting of more than 9000 pages of spiritual wisdom, ´cosmology´ or spiritual science. Martinus´ work reveals the science of the spiritual dimension. He reveals the laws that govern the spiritual world, because obviously the spiritual world is governed by laws in the same way as the physical world is. We all know the law of gravity, which dictates that an object will fall to the ground, when it is no longer sustained. Just as there are laws for the physical world, there are laws for the spiritual world. Let us look at some of these laws:

The laws

The law of movement: this law decrees that there is no straight line in the universe. All matter moves according to this law, be it physical or spiritual matter (energy). What we see as a straight line, is actually a part of a circle, but the circle can be so huge that a part looks like a straight line. Movement is also transformation from one to state to another. Everything is changing constantly, everything is in movement and nothing is exactly the same as it was yesterday. This principle is important as a basis for the understanding of other spiritual laws.

The law of preservation of energy: energy cannot cease to exist. It cannot be dissolved or evaporate. And there is energy everywhere. What was once thought of as empty space is not empty at all. It is full of energy. Energy cannot be seen by the naked eye, but that does not mean that it does not exist. Thoughts are energy, according to Martinus. When we place electrodes on the head, we can measure thought activity, so it is clear that thoughts are a kind of measurable energy. Our own thoughts are identical to our life force, and the huge sea of energy that exists in empty space is also thoughts. Thoughts and consciousness are the same. We live in a conscious universe. A consciousness necessarily has to belong to somebody, as we cannot have consciousness without a living being. The huge and enormous living being whose thoughts permeate the universe is God.

The law of immortality. We are primarily spiritual beings and we eternally have a spiritual body. It is only occasionally that we have a physical body. Because our consciousness consists of energy and energy cannot cease to exist, we are eternal beings living in an eternal universe. Our consciousness, consisting of our ´I´ and thought sphere, cannot cease to exist. What we think of as death is no death at all; it is just an exchange of bodies. When our physical instrument has become useless due to old age or injury, then our consciousness will be carried by one of our several spiritual bodies. But we are exactly the same as we were before, only now lighter, as we no longer have the heavy, physical body. In our spirit body, we will enter the spiritual world on a wavelength that corresponds to the most developed part of our psyche. We stay there until it is again time for us to reincarnate and create a new physical body.

The law of reincarnation. Reincarnation is a fundamental principle and all life forms reincarnate, be they atoms, molecules, cells, organs, plants, animals, humans, planets, suns and galaxies. All these are living beings. It is through reincarnation that the breath of life is blown into the physical plane of existence.  We reincarnate on the physical plane to move on in our evolution. We cannot evolve on the spiritual plane, which is a plane of rest. Therefore, we come to the physical plane in a physical body to learn, experience and evolve. For each life we live, we add to our bulk of experience. We take all our accumulated knowledge with us into our next life. For each life we live, we become wiser, nobler and more moral.

The law of attraction. This law decrees that energies on similar wavelengths attract each other and that energies on dissimilar wavelengths repel each other. This law is absolutely fundamental to the workings of the universe. The heavenly bodies such as planets and suns (stars) are held in place by this law. It is this law that enables us to listen to radio, watch television, receive text messages, talk on a mobile phone and move about in cyber space. Also in our own lives, the law of attraction plays a major role. It is this law that has placed us in our relationships, our jobs, our family and our circle of acquaintances. We can actively make this law work for us, when we consciously decide to ´clean up´ our thought sphere and only focus on things we like and what we want to achieve in life. The law of attraction will bring those things to us, if we focus on them consistently. Our wishes will come true, in either this life or the next. This is decreed by the strongest law of the universe: the law of attraction.

The law of karma. When we send out an energy in the shape of an act, this energy will come back to us eventually. In this way we create our fate, because we reap as we sow. The law of karma decrees that what we do to others, we eventually do to ourselves. Everything we do to others will come back to our own life as fate. If you kill, you will be killed, if you lie, you will be lied to, if you steal, you will be stolen from, if you smile, you will be smiled at and if you love, you will be loved. The law of karma is regulated by the law of movement and the law of attraction. It cannot be recommended enough to only sow what you want to reap.

• The law of prayer. Even when we are sitting alone in our room, we are not alone. Nobody is ever alone. Each and every one of us has guardian angels, and they are around us on a constant basis. We have one ´head´ angel, who is our own personal guardian, and furthermore we have one or two lesser guardians, that can be called in when needed. Our smallest sigh is heard by our guardian angels, and they will always react. If we are in danger, they will come to our rescue, if it is our karma to be rescued. Our guardian angels will always procure the best help for us seen in the broader perspective. They will never interfere in our karma and will always act in our best interest in the long run. It is our guardian angels and other angels that act as God´s listening devices. They hear all our prayers and are always there to assist us. It is an extremely good idea to pray on a daily basis, as there is tremendous help in praying.

Spirituality is not faith based

Spirituality is not based in faith as the religions are. You become spiritual when you have left the dogmatic religions behind, because they did not nourish your intellect. You become spiritual, when you can no longer believe, but have a need to know. Most people will become spiritual after a certain period of atheism, because they need to distance themselves from anything faith based, and have not yet discovered spirituality. Spirituality appeals to our intellect and makes us see a much bigger picture that the one offered by materialist science. With a spiritual outlook, you lose all fear of death and can start enjoying life in a completely new way.

The plan

There is a plan with our existence, but when you only adhere to the materialist science, you are never going to be told what that plan is. The materialistic science, which has brought us a sea of technical benefits, only operates with what can be seen, measured and weighed, so it will never be able to come up with a revelation of the plan. This plan lies behind the creation of the universe and is the raison d´être for our own existence. We are eternal beings on an equally eternal journey because we are all a tiny part of God. Right now, it is part of the plan for us to evolve into becoming all-loving, peaceful human beings who live to serve others. But the plan is much bigger than that and you can read about it in my books.

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How To Get Your First Customers: 4 Strategies That Actually Work

If you are new to your niche and relatively unknown to your market, knowing how to get your first customers can be a tough task. A lot of beginning businesses actually struggle with lead generation and acquiring customers.

In this post, I’ll give you the exact 4 strategies that I used to build up a content marketing company. I still use all of them today. Here’s the video version:

1. Know who you’re targeting

There are plenty of resources online when it comes to business ideas. You can just do a quick search and you’ll get thousands of ideas.

The most common and the easiest ones to start with are the following:

  • Web Design
  • App Development
  • Content Writing
  • Social Media
  • SEO or Pay Per Click Management
  • Whatever skills you have that can be monetized

Once you have a specific industry in mind, your next step is to determine your target customers. Try to be specific as possible when figuring out your market. The more specific you are, the easier and faster your search will be.

Try to look through job titles, company sizes as well as types to know your target group. You can also use their age, gender and habits as criteria.

See Also: 7 Ways to Get Leads For Your Business 

2. Start with your friends or co-workers

customer-friends

My first customers were actually my friends and people I’ve previously worked for. Since they knew me personally, it was easy for them to give me a chance. They were also a convenient choice for me since I already knew their contact numbers and types of businesses.

If you’re still learning how to get your first customers, you can start with this approach. It’ll be easier for you to reach out to them with quick emails or by inviting them out for lunch.

3. Ask your friends for referrals

Ask any professional colleagues or co-workers if they know anyone that matches your criteria. To make it easy for them to recommend, try to be as specific as possible.

For each person you reach out to, you can ask for at least 15 recommendations. This should be enough to help you land your first few clients.

See Also: 4 Tricks To Turn Your Buyers Into Loyal Customers 

4. Reach out to strangers

cold-email

Use this approach only when you’ve used the other three. You can start with LinkedIn and AngelList to create a list of companies that match your criteria.

Once you are able to find these companies, work on identifying who their founders are as well as their key people. If contact credentials do not show up, you can use a free tool called EmailHunter to generate the emails of all the people working there.

After acquiring their email, you can start reaching out to them using a cold email. Make sure to personalize your emails as much as possible.

Knowing how to get your first customer can be tricky, particularly if you’re not sure how to approach them. Since you are reaching out to strangers, it’ll be helpful if you can establish an immediate connection with them.

 

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How To Get Your First Customers: 4 Strategies That Actually Work

If you are new to your niche and relatively unknown to your market, knowing how to get your first customers can be a tough task. A lot of beginning businesses actually struggle with lead generation and acquiring customers.

In this post, I’ll give you the exact 4 strategies that I used to build up a content marketing company. I still use all of them today. Here’s the video version:

1. Know who you’re targeting

There are plenty of resources online when it comes to business ideas. You can just do a quick search and you’ll get thousands of ideas.

The most common and the easiest ones to start with are the following:

  • Web Design
  • App Development
  • Content Writing
  • Social Media
  • SEO or Pay Per Click Management
  • Whatever skills you have that can be monetized

Once you have a specific industry in mind, your next step is to determine your target customers. Try to be specific as possible when figuring out your market. The more specific you are, the easier and faster your search will be.

Try to look through job titles, company sizes as well as types to know your target group. You can also use their age, gender and habits as criteria.

See Also: 7 Ways to Get Leads For Your Business 

2. Start with your friends or co-workers

customer-friends

My first customers were actually my friends and people I’ve previously worked for. Since they knew me personally, it was easy for them to give me a chance. They were also a convenient choice for me since I already knew their contact numbers and types of businesses.

If you’re still learning how to get your first customers, you can start with this approach. It’ll be easier for you to reach out to them with quick emails or by inviting them out for lunch.

3. Ask your friends for referrals

Ask any professional colleagues or co-workers if they know anyone that matches your criteria. To make it easy for them to recommend, try to be as specific as possible.

For each person you reach out to, you can ask for at least 15 recommendations. This should be enough to help you land your first few clients.

See Also: 4 Tricks To Turn Your Buyers Into Loyal Customers 

4. Reach out to strangers

cold-email

Use this approach only when you’ve used the other three. You can start with LinkedIn and AngelList to create a list of companies that match your criteria.

Once you are able to find these companies, work on identifying who their founders are as well as their key people. If contact credentials do not show up, you can use a free tool called EmailHunter to generate the emails of all the people working there.

After acquiring their email, you can start reaching out to them using a cold email. Make sure to personalize your emails as much as possible.

Knowing how to get your first customer can be tricky, particularly if you’re not sure how to approach them. Since you are reaching out to strangers, it’ll be helpful if you can establish an immediate connection with them.

 

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5 Things Highly Intuitive People Do Differently (and You Can Too)

We are all intuitive!

Let that sink in.

Every person has intuitive senses, thoughts, feelings and even premonitions.  Our intuition is a combination of senses that serve to positively guide us for our highest good.  Some people have a natural gift with being more sensitive and perceptive with their intuition and energy, but anyone can become highly intuitive with practice and faith.  It is something that can be more and more developed over time.

highly_intuitive2The more intuitive you become, the more peaceful your life will be.  Intuitive senses can help you make positive choices and decisions much more easily, they can help you avoid stress, avoid danger, and ultimately make your life easier and less complicated.  Being highly intuitive fosters self-care and self-reliance along with compassion and kindness.  There is truly no down side to developing your intuition and learning to trust your instincts unconditionally.

People who are naturally highly intuitive operate in a different way; they tend to lead with positivity, trust and faith instead of fear and doubt.  Highly intuitive people generally have a more developed sense of self, which supports the self-trust,needed in following your intuition.  Highly intuitive people are also faithful people; they have a sense of and belief in that which cannot be seen or traditionally proven (the metaphysical, spiritual or super natural); and they are not afraid of it.

If you have an interest in becoming more aligned with your intuition, and creating more peace in your life, there are some habits or practices you can cultivate to support those desires.  For highly intuitive people, these things might come more naturally; but truly anyone can foster them.  These practices support our highest good and will have benefits far beyond improving your intuition; they will generally improve all aspects of your life.

Here are 5 things highly intuitive people do differently (and you can too):

1.  Self-trust

Highly Intuitive people trust themselves.  This trust is not based on a complete absence of doubt, it’s comes from knowing that our instincts are based on more than what our minds can fathom.  Our intuitive instincts are based on a combination of energy sensitivity, our higher-self knowledge and our experiences.  Without trust (and faith), the intuitive instincts shut down and we tend to make fear-based decisions.  The best choices in our lives always stem from our intuition.  Developing unconditional trust in yourself is vital to increasing your intuition to higher levels.  Start by becoming more aware of how you question your judgment and discernment on a daily basis.  If you seek the counsel of several different people when making decisions, that is a sign your self-trust is lacking.  Instead, go within and use techniques like meditation to help you become more comfortable with your own counsel.  When in doubt, ask for a sign that helps you feel more confident about the intuitive feelings you are having (guardian angels in particular are great at giving us helpful signs).

2. Understand Energy

Intuitive instincts are a reaction to energy.  People who are energy sensitive tend to have a more natural and stronger connection to these instincts, but they can be heightened even if you aren’t highly energy sensitive.  Understanding that everything is energy is important, because that is the subtle way our intuition communicates to us through our senses and feelings.  Lower vibrating energy, for instance, can result in a sense or feeling of being uncomfortable.  For example, when we are being lied to (lying is very low vibrating energy), we can usually sense it in some way; I feel discomfort in my Solar Plexus chakra or stomach area.  This is a reaction to the energy, it is our intuition communicating to help guide us.  Learning about your chakras, which are energy points in our bodies, is a great start to understanding more about energy and how our bodies react to it.

3. Accept the Unexplained

Our intuition is a guidance system, not an explanation system.  There will absolutely be times you cannot explain your gut feelings about a person, situation or decision.  Highly intuitive people are just fine with not knowing every reason for their psychic feelings.  In order to truly benefit from our intuitive instincts, we have to accept that some things are beyond explanation, or maybe just not for us to know at the present moment.  Getting comfortable with the unexplained opens you up to a more unlimited mindset and aligns you with the flowing, positive energy of abundance.  This is the habit of manifesting miracles; having this kind of faith will benefit your life in so many ways.

4. Follow Intuitive Guidance

Highly intuitive people listen to and follow their intuition on a consistent basis.  This is born of self-trust, but it is so because the times we have gone against our instincts have proven to lead us to unpleasant circumstances.  Following the path you know is right for you takes a lot of self-confidence, especially if it is not the popular opinion.  Strengthening your Solar Plexus chakra can help increase your confidence and support you in following your intuition more and more.  Our intuition is guiding with no other agenda than that which is for our highest and best good.  It brings us peace because we avoid stress when we listen to our true feelings, and in turn this makes our planet more peaceful (one person at a time).

5. Avoid Toxic Energy

Highly intuitive people are more sensitive to energy, they can feel it more.  Exposure to negative energy can literally drain or fatigue them or even make them sick.  The more intuitive your become, the less tolerant you become to negative energy; this is due to a heightened awareness to energy that creates more sensitivity.  Toxic energy simply doesn’t feel good and that is because of its lower vibration.  Negative behaviors, like violence or unkindness, ignite your intuition to warn you that something is not right.  Learning to avoid toxic energy heightens your intuition even more because it allows you to more easily maintain a higher vibration; which is necessary for these senses.  It also

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6 Simple Steps To Reduce Business Risk

Putting up your own business needs a lot of planning, particularly when it comes to strategies. Aside from having a reliable source of capital and an interesting product, you also need to know the basics of reducing business risk.

If you are a young entrepreneur who is yet to start a business, here are 6 things you can do to minimize the risk of business failure.

1. Identify the potential problem

identify-potential-problem

Before you put up your business, make sure to do some research first of its possible pros and cons. Do not focus solely on your potential earnings, but also concentrate on the factors that can prevent you from achieving your goals.

You can reach out to people with successful business ventures or talk to veteran businessmen to get an idea of the possible problems you could encounter along the way.

See Also: From Startup Idea to Successful Business: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Pursue That Venture

2. Know the regulations

It is very important that you’re aware of the rules and regulations that govern your business. This way, you can easily abide them and avoid any actions that can violate them.

Knowledge of the basic law can also help you protect yourself in case you get accused of illegal acts.

3. Secure a trusted reputation

In a world where information can easily get passed through social media and the internet, it is highly important that you maintain your business’ good reputation.

Before the launch of your business, try to utilize social media for promotion. Encourage a lot of potential customers and patrons by offering services and deals that are hard to resist. With a lot of competitors in the market, you need to  make your business stand out.

Having an established reputation can help ensure that you have steady and loyal customers. Make sure to avoid any circumstances that would give your business a negative image to the public. With the advent of social media, one negative post about your business can immensely hurt your reputation.

4. Get a trusted insurance

You have a lot of options when it comes to insurance companies. This makes it critical that you conduct research first before signing up with anyone. Make sure that you choose a company that can give you the most coverage and reasonable payment plan.

Insuring your business can give you security and peace of mind in the event that something negative happens. Take, for example, General Liability Insurance.

It provides protection in the event that you, your employees or your products have caused injury or property damage to a third party. Property Insurance, on the other hand, offers protection from fire, vandalism, smoke damage and theft.

See Also: What Do Insurance Brokers Do for You? 

5. Make sure that your company grows and thrives

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Although achieving success for a short period of time is great for the business, it’s more important to focus on how you can keep it running for a long time. No matter how big or small an achievement is, it can help if you can document it.

By documenting, you’ll be able to take note of both your business’ success stories and failures. Your notes will serve as lessons that can help you in reducing business risks and failures.

6. Keep outstanding loans and financing needs to a minimum

If your personal capital is not enough and applying for a loan is inevitable, make sure that you go with a company that has the least interest and the most manageable payment plan. You’ll have a hard time reaching your financial goals if most of your income will only go directly to your loan.

Before you borrow money from anyone, try to scout for the best loan company that you can get. It can also help if you can keep your business’ financing needs at its minimum.

If the expenses aren’t necessary, you may cut those from your budget. Learn to manage your resources very well so that your business’ income can be maximized and used to its full potential.

 

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5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Emotional Pain

When we are coping with emotional pain, past or present, or body is forced to endure a tidal wave of experiences. We lose our appetite, behave strangely, and definitely are not our usual cheery selves. It’s too bad, but it’s ok because it’s all par for the course and we all have to go through it. Sometimes when we see our tough friends soldier through something tragic we envy their strength and perseverance, but we do not see what is happening behind closed doors. We cannot pretend to be strong forever, and it is in the privacy of our homes where most people unwind and succumb to stresses.

Pain is something we cannot rush, it is something we have to deal with individually and personally. One coping mechanism to overcome emotional defeat is to try and use the critical part of our brain. Especially after it’s been a while, we start thinking quickly, over analyzing and trying to reason our way through things. We can’t do this though because our heart has no room for critical analysis!

7_valuable_life_lessons_the_pain_of_grief_can_teaches_us1. Take your time

After we’ve been dealing with stress for a long time, we get tired of it and wonder is this still happening? The truth is, yes. Some people take an extra long time to get over something, and it could be you and there is nothing wrong with that. People deal with break-ups and losses differently, but we are strong and are all survivors. After such a long time though, we try to rationalize our way through it, but it just makes us more stressed out because we cannot reason our way out.

That’s because we’re not supposed to. As my grandfather used to say, “take your time,” and I stand by that advice. When we are stressed out every day feels like a year, but luckily we have thousands of days to go through. Our brain needs to keep up with life while our heart lingers on. Let it linger on – it will heal itself when it’s the right time, but forcing it to happen by using your brain will only compound things.

2. There is no schedule for healing

Just like there is no rulebook for life, there also is no schedule allotment for times of healing and recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous has been a great resource to help people overcome drinking problems using a scheduled system, but we do not have the same luxury for emotional pain. We are all on our own schedule here, and we should respect that. If someone says, “oh, are you still on about that?” you have every right to be. We need our own time to heal, and are allowed to use it.

3. Do not try to rationalize your feelings

Feelings are not like the weather. They cannot be measured, treated or examined, really. They are personal and volatile. The feelings that you have are the same ones everyone else feels, but at different degrees. Some days we wake up tired, others energized. Sometimes we feel like we need to cry for no reason, or we cannot fall asleep because we are thinking so much. The point is, do not ask yourself why it is happening, you just have to go with it. If you start trying to rationalize it, you will just perpetrate a downward spiral of self loathing and over-analyzing. Save yourself the stress by just relaxing and let the feelings go when they’re ready to. You cannot control the unexplainable.

4.  The heart needs time to heal

Strong losses sometimes take years to overcome, and if it has to be that way, then that’s the way it has to be. It’s just important not to feel like you have to rush it. Some of my friends still talk about their girlfriends or boyfriends from years ago. It’s not because they still have crazy feelings about those old relationships, but those relationships continued to shape their lives and the course of their history for all the consecutive years after.

It’s not about hanging on to baggage, but about recognizing the lasting impact of decisions and consequences in life. No one lives through a perfect life without a few mishaps, and to some degree these experiences should be taken in stride. They should be expected in life, and perhaps the ramifications are worth considering. They allow us to reflect on our feelings in personal confidence, and help us to not do the same things again. Some heartbreaks are worth hanging on to – we can learn so much about ourselves.

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