The key to creating a magical life starts and ends with communication. The most powerful factor in person-to-person communication comes down to how you present yourself in the conversation, which is determined by your emotional state. The level of emotional intelligence you apply throughout the interaction and your mindset prior to entering the exchange are your key components to powerful communication.

The way to boost your communication power is to learn about emotional intelligence and being conscious of your emotional state before approaching a conversation. By doing this, you are presenting yourself as your most efficient communication tool which will help you create the results you desire.

This concept can be used for any purpose – parenting, vitality, relationships, and business. For me, I learned to hone these skills while building my first entrepreneurial venture. Once I recognized my own emotional intelligence, it became easier to judge what emotional state others were sitting in, which gave me the advantage in every business communication I had. This edge helped me to create a $170M business with very little industry experience.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is your conscious ability to connect to your emotional state and utilize it in your goal achievement. Once you grasp this concept and connect to it, the act of creation and communication becomes effortless. When you’re disconnected to your emotional state, things tend to be more of a struggle, your goals seem harder to obtain and you can’t seem to get ahead.

Why is it important to recognize emotional state?

Ever received a bad vibe from someone? Or heard someone else say it? That vibe you’re picking up is actually the other person’s emotional state. Most people think language is the primary factor in communication, but it’s actually the unspoken connection humans instinctively feel around each other. By being sympathetic to people’s vibration and identifying their emotional state, you have the advantage in every communication.

When someone is in a bad mood, do you ever find yourself becoming negative, defensive or hostile? These moods lower your emotional intelligence and bring you down. If you allow yourself to be dragged down into someone else’s negative state, you’ll find your ability to reason and think clearly are limited.

However, someone who is positive and upbeat, who doesn’t allow negative words, actions, or surroundings to get them down, they make you feel happy and empowered. They have the power to stand firm in their mindset and raise you up to their level of emotional intelligence by increasing your vibration to match theirs.

When you’re around people who are aligned with your positive mindset and vibration, this increases your ability to think laterally. Your higher reasoning and emotional state shifts, and as this happens, you can see more, do more, have more, and begin to create more in your life. When you’re around people who are winning, it’s easier for you to win. It’s that simple.

See Also: The Importance Of Emotional Intelligence For A Leader

How does emotional intelligence enhance your communication power?

If you train yourself to pick up on other people’s emotional state, it will be the biggest asset to your communication strategy you’ll ever possess. You’ll instantly be at an advantage, and will instinctively engage with people and opportunities that align with your end goal. You’ll be aware of those people who are time wasters which is a HUGE saving, especially if you are considering adding them to a team, or starting a relationship.

It’s unbelievable how trapped people are on one level of emotional intelligence. They perpetually believe they are victims of circumstances, that life is out of their control and are at the mercy of bad luck. People who are stuck in this emotional state create experiences and results that reinforce this view. It’s a cycle they enable and they will bring everyone around them down too.

When you relate this philosophy to the Law Of Attraction, if you’ve made the mental switch and engaged with your emotional intelligence, you have decided to start perceiving life from a winning angle.

So how does your emotional state influence the person you’re speaking to? If they’re open, and not stuck in a lower emotional state, you will see a rise in them instantly. They’ll be more engaged, positive and the vibration between you will continue to grow.

The most powerful component of communication is directly linked to your emotional intelligence, what emotional state you are in while in the conversation, and your ability to pick up on the emotional state of others. This is a lifehack power tool that can absolutely boost your results, your goals and your life.

See Also: 3 Simple Steps to Balance Your Emotional State

 

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Set work hours or a flexible schedule? Assigned projects or clients of your choice Representing an existing brand or creating your own voice?

These are just some of the many dilemmas faced by those who are tempted to take the leap into the entrepreneurial world and start chasing their dreams.

So how does being your own boss measure up to being someone else’s valued employee?

You choose your circle

Unlike your typical office where you will inevitably come across at least one annoying person you’d rather not work with, starting a business gives you the freedom to choose your associates.

From closest team members, clients, and all the way to your long-term business partners, you can surround yourself with like-minded individuals and those with whom you’ll enjoy collaborating.

Passion as your main drive

No matter what you do and where you work, you will strive towards finding a position that resonates with your inner values and purpose. However, few jobs (if any) can inspire the same level of personal involvement as your own invention.

Building your career around a concept that is close to your heart and based on passion can help your business soar in the entrepreneurial world. You will always have a reason to work for every new opportunity, push through the setbacks and rise back to the top, as nothing can fuel your drive for success as genuine passion.

See Also: 4 Key Ideas To Help Your Passion-fuelled Business Take Off Fast!

Make a difference

Although it might take a while before you can allow your business to contribute to a charity or a cause you believe in, one of the most rewarding aspects of building your own business is the ability to give back.

Once you have a stable structure and income in place, you can finally choose how to show support and appreciation to those who need it most.

An authentic voice

Whatever your chosen field is and regardless of how much competition you have, the market always has room for an innovator. If you truly have a genuine idea or you can give an old one a creative twist, you’ll easily find your target audience eagerly waiting for your launch.

In fact, kick-starting your own brain-child can lead to many more novelties in the course of your business development. A single idea can infuse your future endeavors with perseverance and lead to many more professional achievements.

Autonomy

If there’s a single predominant factor that seems to tip the scales for many solo entrepreneurs, it’s the financial self-reliance. Depending on a company or an employer to secure your future and constantly fretting over losing your job are not huge motivators in such a chaotic economy.

When your business is the foundation of your financial security, you have greater control over your income, pension plans, health insurance, and so much more. This also means more responsibilities, but with long-term benefits that go beyond financial gain.

Greater satisfaction

Once you have a taste of all the ups and downs of your business journey, nothing will measure up to the level of satisfaction you will feel for your accomplishments. Building a career on your terms while being your own leader creates a spirit that will help you outlast any challenges you come across.

On the other hand, inevitable failures will not be greeted with harsh criticism, judgment or losing your job, as you can always use them to change your tactics and improve your operation.

Self-development

Greater responsibilities of being your own boss come with numerous opportunities to broaden your business horizons. Networking events alone can account for a significant portion of your future alliances, while every conference or course you attend for the sake of improving your business is yet another way of growing your knowledge base.

As the market swiftly changes, you will need to adjust to the needs of your customers, which will often require going above and beyond your current abilities and stepping into the realm of the unknown before you can call yourself an expert in your field.

Flexible time

Never again will you have to hurry to the office to be there at eight or nine. Or punch the clock twice a day for as long as both you and your company shall live.

True, working under your own wing will often mean staying late and spending sleepless nights nose-deep in paperwork and contracts before you master the art of running a business. But the rewards of such efforts will always be greater than those of years of your life invested in someone else’s idea.

Even the sky is no longer the limit

Are you perhaps a fidgety person who cannot handle sitting for eight hours straight and sticking to a single type of work? While you have the freedom to dictate your daily work tempo, you can also choose where and how you conduct your business.

Brainstorm a proposal in a library, schedule a Skype call from a coffee place, make notes while on the plane to your family reunion, or lie comfortably in a bubble bath while negotiating your next meeting time via email.

Legacy

That lady with her cupcake business probably doesn’t seem as if she changed the direction of the world. Still, her contribution to the community must have helped that kid who needed a cupcake to feel better for losing a pet, or a mom of three whose day just got better after indulging her sweet tooth.

As small as your impact may seem from your standpoint, don’t underestimate the power to influence and improve other people’s lives one step at a time – even if it means making them a cup of coffee or offering them a previously-owned Agatha Christie novel.

You could, in fact, change the course of dozens of lives without ever knowing it, but as long as you stay true to your purpose, there will always be those who value and discover inspiration in your unique contribution.

See Also: 7 Power Habits of Great Leaders, Business Icons and Inspirational Achievers

 

The post 10 Reasons to Be Your Own Boss appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Not so long ago, UX Myths posted an article which demonstrates that people are not too fond of web content reading. In fact, they only read around 20% of all the articles and there’s no guarantee that they actually read everything.

So, it seems kind of unfair that you have to spend hours picking the right keywords, writing and polishing texts only to have readers simply scan through your article.

This, however, should not bother you. As long as you create worthy content and find your audience, you will have no trouble having people that will read your articles. Moreover, you will be able to easily sell this content and make money from it.

Sounds fantastic, don’t you think?

We can almost see you asking us how can you sell your writing for at least $100. And it’s a good thing because we do have an answer.

So, meet this complete guide to good web content writing.

Content is the king

The question of whether your content is read or only scanned through relies heavily on how good the content is. Of course, the style, lists, and visual aids are vital. But, unless your content is interesting and engaging, you will not draw your readers’ attention.

What makes for good content?

According to Kissmetrics, high-quality content is:

• original
• actionable
• accurate
• engaging
• though-provoking
• diverse
• easy to read

It might sound a bit overwhelming and you might be forced to spend long hours polishing and changing your text. Well, you don’t have to do that. All you need to do is spend some time learning how to create content that will grab readers’ attention.

Identify the audience

Each one of your articles needs to target the correct audience. It’s the secret of successful writing.

Once you start writing some general articles that talk about everything and at the same time about nothing in particular, you won’t be able to sell it.

People will only want to buy content that is likely to bring them traffic and, as a result, revenue. And for that, it has to speak to a specific audience on specific topics.

So, before you grab a pen or hit the keys, make sure to create a clear picture of who your audience is. Think of why they would be listening to you, what they expect to hear, what pain they have and what solutions you can offer.

Go over each one of these statements if you want to reach them with your message – and voila! – your content will easily be in demand!

Follow the latest trends

You wouldn’t want to be left behind. So, try your best to understand the latest trends these days. Know what people expect to see and what channels you can use to reach out to new people.

For instance, you need to remember that 34% of all online users only read their emails through mobile devices, states the Impact. The same applies to the blog posts on social networks.

Therefore, if you want more people to read your content, you need to optimize it for mobile devices. This means that paragraphs and sentences need to be shorter, the font should be bigger and the formatting eye-catching.

Moreover, keep in mind that more people read content via social media. Posts on Facebook should not be long, must have catchy headlines and contain many visual aids.

All in all, follow the latest trends for better results!

See Also: How To Avoid A Content Crisis When Your Deadline Is Looming

Use the right copywriting techniques

Another important thing when it comes to content writing is to use proper copywriting techniques that can bring your writing to a whole new level.

Among common methods every copywriter must know include:

• using keywords
• having one main idea per section
• adding lists and bullet points
• using sub-headings
• writing short paragraphs, sentences, and words
• inserting links to reliable sources

You will be surprised to see what results such an approach can bring! If you follow these recommendations, that 79% of users that do not read the whole article will be more likely to finish your whole piece. So, why not try it?

Find a good site to sell your articles

Thanks to the latest trends, more and more people are willing to work from home. Thus, new sites for freelancers emerge. All you need to do is to find the one that fits your expectations.

We have gathered a list of good sites where you can start your career as a freelancer.

Remember that it is good to have a good and persuasive portfolio at first so that when asked about your experience, you would be able to present good examples of your writing.

To create a portfolio, you might offer your articles to bloggers who can post them in the “Guest posts” section of their sites. You can also start your own blog on any topic you are good at or start writing good informative posts on your page on Facebook.

Good websites to check out

• CollegeHumor – It’s not hard to guess what this site is looking for from their writers. Should you have relevant content, don’t hesitate to offer it to them.
• Love To Know – It is a perfect resource for writers focusing on the financial topics, fashion, beauty, technology, and many other subjects.
• Freelance Writing Gigs – This site offers you a list of openings for writers you can check out as well as helpful tips for the beginners.
• iWriter.com – This site has fixed rates for the articles. The problem with this is that once your writing is rejected, you get no money.
• Upwork – This is a place where both freelancers and clients meet. You can find the job you will enjoy here in no time.
• Tuts+ – If you are an experienced writer, you can write for this website as well.

The list can go on and on. You absolutely have all the chances to enter the niche and make your first $100 in the nearest time. Just learn how to write well or polish your skills – and get paid for the amazing content you are crafting.

See Also: 21 Must-Read Tips To Write Better Web Content

The post A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Good Web Content That Can Sell For $100 appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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There is always something new in online marketing. There always seems to be a new way to promote businesses better.

So, here is something new as well.

This is going to boost your organic reach on Facebook and boost credibility. It will promote positive and direct customer service, gain immediate trust, and increase transparency among your fans.

You will get the top position at Facebook professional services.

So, what is our secret sauce?

It’s Facebook reviews, a new (or not so new), but very effective growth hacking tactic.

Recent studies have shown that 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Now, this is something that is just mind-blowing.

In the past, if you wanted to get an honest opinion about a product, you had to trust your salesperson. This practice, however, has proven unreliable on numerous occasions. So, you had to expand your trust circle and try to find a person who already bought that product to really know its quality.

This makes the hunt for a true recommendation in the offline world almost impossible or not that efficient. And now, since everything is available online, you don’t need to do that anymore.

Why? Well, guess where all your friends hang out and where you can check their opinion about a certain business?

That’s right, Facebook.

See Also: 4 Good Reasons For Marketing With Facebook

First, let’s get into consumer behavior and habits.

The data behind user recommendations and reviews

71% of people say that they trust Facebook reviews more than any other website. Business websites have 68% user trust while other online communities have 66% trust rating.

These data show that businesses need to focus on utilizing Facebook reviews as a primary tool for representing their trustworthiness. That’s right.

Facebook reviews, before Yelp and even Google.

Here are the reasons why:

• All of your friends are already on Facebook and you trust them the most.
• You can not delete a bad Facebook review so the reviews are relevant.
• There is an open and direct communication between the brand and the customer so you can see how a certain brand responds to questions, user demands, and even bad reviews.

So, use these things to your advantage.

Think about how much one happy customer can mean for your brand. Only one satisfied client can influence all of his friends and bring huge value to your business.

Furthermore, take a look at what is shown when a user opens a business on Facebook mobile. We used to see the likes of the page first.

But, they do not matter anymore. What matters now are the Facebook reviews.

In addition, here is another staggering fact.

According to a study, 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that has generated positive Facebook reviews. That is a huge number and it should leave you in no doubt whether or not you should activate and use Facebook reviews.

But, what about after your customer finds out about your business and makes a purchase?

Well, we hope you did make him/her satisfied since 66%of consumers will share their experience on Facebook. This includes their opinions, comments, and thoughts about how your brand interacted and helped them.

The customers will be your best advocates and promoters. There is no ad that will be better than this!

Activate Facebook reviews now

 

This is what you will need to do:

1. Open your Facebook page and navigate to the “Settings” section.
2. Click “Edit page”, find the Reviews tab and click “Add Tab”

That’s it! The Reviews tab will be visible on your Facebook Page and you can start accepting reviews from your Facebook fans.

Make sure your customers know that they can post a review on your Facebook page

Do not hide this option.

You’ll have to expose your company to the open Internet and accept the 5-star or 1-star review- no matter what.

So, tell your customers that they have the option. You want more reviews, just ask.

Believe me, satisfied customers will definitely respond and will write few nice words about your business. The dissatisfied are way quicker, though.

The best ways to promote this option is to add it on your website, alongside your social media buttons or, better, on your checkout or ‘thank you’ page.

If your business is offline, especially relevant are the reviews you will receive from customers that bought your product, went home, used it and came back to your Facebook page to post a review.

To make this process happen more smoothly, put some incentive for each purchase. Give your customers discounts for their next purchase or some incentives that will motivate them to happily write a review for you.

Be open and transparent

This is the best tip that I have. You will receive good and bad reviews. Everyone has them.

What matters the most is people seeing that you are caring and committed to giving the best customer support in the world. Keep in mind that this can be seen by everyone!

Imagine this scenario:

One customer gives you a 1-star rating for some reason. You respond, ask for more information and assist in making sure you fix the problem immediately.

What do you think is the ending of this scenario? Let me tell you.

The customer comes back, writes a new review or edits the 1 star one with a comment about the AMAZING help he received.

BOOM!

You might say that this is a bedtime story, but it’s not. It can be a wonderful, success story of your business. Just try it. It’s even better than someone giving you a 5-star rating right away.

If your customer is thinking about a product and he sees this, he will immediately know that he will be taken care of and that final doubt will be gone.

Do you need another tip for responding to a Facebook review?

You don’t have to respond from the Facebook page account. The company’s CEO can personally respond to the reviews. This gives an additional sense of stability, responsiveness and excellent customer support. Here is an example.

The Co-Founder responds with a “Thank You Card” to a customer review on the EmbedSocial official Facebook page. Cool, right?

Get better local SEO with Fаcebook reviews

If you think I am done explaining how rewarding Facebook reviews can be- well, I’m not. Here are 5 reasons why and how Facebook Reviews can greatly improve your SEO rating.

1. There is no marketing strategy for better SEO than consumer content! It will do wonders!
2. Customers provide an army of keywords, links, and titles that you actually need
3. Can’t find which long-tail keywords or specific phrases to use? Guess who knows? Your customers!
4. Reviews will boost your SMO (Social Media Optimization)
5. Negative reviews do NOT hurt your SEO rating. On the contrary, they can actually help!

See Also: The Future of SEO – Predictions and Premonitions That Will Dominate 2017

To sum up

Start using Facebook reviews today! It will help your customers, increase your Facebook reach, improve your SEO rank and, most importantly, improve your business!

The post The Facebook Organic Growth Tactic that Everybody Forgets appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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We have big dreams and we make bigger plans to fulfill them. But, as time passes, we tend to lose motivation and enthusiasm in working towards our dreams and passions. Eventually, we become more like a puppet who works from 9 to 5 just to make enough money for survival.

Does this sound like you? Are you simply existing and not living your life? Has life’s ups and downs taken away the spark from you?

It’s high-time to kick off the negativity and stress that have been controlling your life. It’s time to break the barriers, come out of the cocoon and win control over your life.

Pen down your discomforts and fears now

What is draining your motivation? Is it the next presentation that you have to deliver at work? Or the inability to get along with the others in the office?

Don’t let the fear of failure or anxiety of the future overpower you. Instead, face them with valor and courage.

However, before you can actually work on them, you’ll have to identify your fears.  You’ll have to write down your anxieties, challenges and setbacks in life on a piece of paper. Another way is to draw a circle and write your comforts inside it. Your fears and discomforts, meanwhile, should be outside the circle. This will help you realize your actual position at work.

Once you do this process, you will become aware of your shortcomings and weak points. You’ll be able to address them and minimize their effects in your life.

See Also: How To Overcome Negative Emotions Using 5 Writing Techniques

Begin with baby steps

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Similarly, the greatest things in the world have been accomplished with small steps. In essence, this means you don’t have to do everything at once. All you need to do is to take the baby step right now!

Take this, for example:

If you have been thinking of going to the gym, then just make the commitment to fulfill it by tonight or tomorrow morning. Don’t overburden yourself with the thought that you have to go to the gym for the next three months. If you have fallen in the habit of procrastinating things at work, then take a pledge to complete today’s work. Don’t make a week’s schedule and lower your enthusiasm.

Start afresh and start small. Once you start taking small steps, you will find your momentum building up and things will start falling into place gradually. Taking a little step towards your goal is the first sign of success. It will take away the fear, sense of insecurity and anxiety in you.

Re-visit your interests and passions

If you are too tired of working in the same pattern, then it’s time to kick off the boredom.

Remember the day you started working in your current organization?

There must have been something that made the job exciting for you. With the right approach, you’ll be able to restore that motivation.

It’s time to revisit your diary where you have written your interests and passions about your work. Identify those moments that made you feel excited the most about your job. And find what kept your energy high during those days.

For some people, playing with the code is fun. For others, a traveling job is all they want. Whatever your passion is, take a moment and find it.

The purpose of recognizing your passion is just to make you aware that life has a greater purpose than a particular event or job. You can still achieve your dreams or excel at workplace no matter what stage of life you are in.

Don’t rest until you are done

The key to making the most of your day is to work and work a little more till you are dead tired. Often, people waste a little bit too much of time in planning and then analyzing it.

In order to come out of your comfort zone and kill your fears, you just need to stretch a little beyond your capabilities and continue to work until you reach your 100%.

But, remember, don’t be dishonest with yourself. You are well-aware of your own capability and strengths and you can definitely do wonders. But, you will have to be true to yourself and keep pushing your limits.

Meditate to realize your real potential

“No great work has ever been produced except after a long interval of still and musing meditation- Walter Bagehot”

Meditation is the way to increase productivity at work, rekindle that lost enthusiasm and keep yourself motivated. You cannot win outer battles at work with an agitated mind. Thus, meditation is the secret recipe to keep yourself motivated and happy. It will help you channel your energy towards a positive direction and boost your confidence.

Take some time to meditate for 15 to 20 minutes twice in a day and keep rolling and rocking.

See Also: Benefits Of Meditation: How You Can Change Your Life In 10 Minutes

Each of us has that positivity inside us which serves as the source of our great ideas and accomplishments in the world. All we need is to exert more effort in finding motivation so we can achieve our ultimate goals and passion in life.

The post Time to Break the Cocoon! 5 Great Tips For Finding Motivation appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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You might not believe in ‘the one’ or the idea that there is a perfect person out there destined to be yours. But, maybe you’ve been dating someone for a while now. You love them, enjoy their company and are wondering if they are the one you’ll commit to spending the rest of your life with.

How can you really be sure?

There are the loving feelings you have for them that can give you hints. You may even have thoughts that living without them would be unbearable. Those are both good starts. However, there has to be more than that to know that he or she is ‘the one’, right?

There are. And to help you figure it out, here are 6 tips on finding your soulmate.

You both feel lucky to be with each other

It’s a good sign when both of you think you hit the jackpot with your relationship. You feel like the luckiest person alive to have this person as yours and they feel the exact same way. You’re feeling blessed to have each other and you couldn’t be more grateful.

You have similar priorities and values

Opposites may attract, but if you have opposing life goals and values, the relationship will likely experience a lot of turmoil. On the other hand, if you and your partner share common priorities about family, children, work or even money, then you can know that you can build a future together.

It doesn’t matter what you do together

When you’re with someone you truly care about, even the mundane can be fun. Your time together doesn’t have to be filled with fun or fancy dates. You are just excited to be with the other person and spend time together. You care about the smallest details, like how her day went or what happened at work.

See Also: 7 Ways To Tell That You’ve Gone From Dating To A Relationship

Your friends and family see what you see

Your family members and friends see why you like this person so much and they like the idea as well. If you’re falling in love with a special person and have supportive friends and family, then they will encourage the relationship. Always be cautious if your friends and family aren’t tickled over the person you are dating.

You can have healthy conflict

Every relationship is bound to have its arguments and disagreements. It’s how you handle those arguments and disagreements that show how compatible you are.

Can the two of you respectfully disagree and work through conflict in a healthy, productive manner? Or do fights turn into screaming matches where everything escalates and there is never an end to it?

The two of you should feel like you can tackle anything together in a respectful, considerate and effective way.

You are truly yourself around them

In the early stages of a relationship, we put our best feet forward. But, as we get more comfortable and know someone more and more, our true selves come out. It might be for the better or for worse.

You shouldn’t feel like you have to hide your intellectual or silly side whenever you are with them. When your partner has seen the many facets of you and loves you anyway, it’s a good sign the relationship is a keeper.

Conclusion

Sometimes, you just know. Call it a feeling or a gut instinct, but we often can just tell when something is right. If all the above things are present in your relationship and you have the feeling, then congratulations! It looks like you’ve met your match.

This does not mean, however, that living happily ever after will come automatically. Relationships take work. Finding your soulmate takes effort. You have to be willing to put into and not just take from it.

When you appreciate each other, have similar values, enjoy just being together, navigate conflict in a healthy way and can be yourselves with each other, you are off to a good start. Having these things going for you gives you a good foundation to build from and increases your chances of having a successful relationship.

If you don’t have all of these characteristics, you don’t have to give up. Successful relationships are built, not born. Pick one or two to start working on improving and see what happens next.

See Also: 7 Best Secrets to Building Lasting Relationships

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In the dictionary, volunteering is an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial gain “to benefit another person, group or organization”.

Volunteering, in the form which we would understand, dates back to 1851. It’s the same creation date of the first YMCA in the United States. During the American civil war, educator Clara Barton and a team of volunteers started to provide clothing, food, and supplies for the sick and wounded servicemen. Barton then formed the American Red Cross in 1851 and began to mobilize volunteers for disaster relief, including supporting the victims of the Johnstown flood in 1889.

Today, volunteering is the backbone of many non-profit organizations across the US. Studies by Volunteering in America have shown that young Americans spent over 3.6 million hours for organizations or causes which they felt passionate about.

If you have never volunteered, you may not know what type of volunteering would be good for you or where you can start on your journey to becoming a volunteer.

There are thousands of potential opportunities that can allow you to share your skills and knowledge or learn something totally new. Volunteering posts vary from fundraising and administration, right through to building new schools or sinking wells overseas.

Now, you might wonder what good volunteering can bring you. It may surprise you that, apart from the feeling of being able to do something good for the wider community, there are a large number of benefits to carrying out volunteer work.

It makes you feel better

Research has shown that taking part in volunteering activities can make you feel better, both in body and mind!

A survey of over 3,000 adults by the UnitedHealth Group found that of those people who had volunteered, 76% said that volunteering made them feel better and 94% stated that volunteering improved their mood and self-esteem. It was found that people who volunteered were able to manage their stress more easily and feel a stronger connection to their community.

So, doing something good can do you some good!

“I love the voluntary work I do now and equally loved the voluntary work I did for the Stroke Association a few years ago. It gives me a purpose, and is good for my mental health.”, said Karla, a volunteer for a number of organizations.

You can learn new skills

When you volunteer, you get the chance to undertake training, learn, and practice a number of new skills. Many of these are soft skills which are skills that you are unlikely to learn from any university. These include communication skills, teamwork and the ability to adapt to any situation.

Working with strangers on a project will help you build a set of skills and earn experiences that will be vital for every part of your life. You will have to create links and communicate, understand objectives and even resolve disputes.

Soft skills are difficult to represent on your resume. You can say you have excellent team building or communication skills, but you won’t be able to prove them on paper. By volunteering, you’ll be able to demonstrate how you gained and used these skills.

See Also: Importance Of Soft Skills: Why Grades Aren’t Enough

You can make new friends

This is one of the importance of volunteering.

In a world of online friendships or as you transition from high school to college, you can lose some real connections. Although it might help to read your friends’ status updates, it doesn’t compare to ‘face to face’ friendships!

Volunteering can help you build new friendships with people from all walks of life. You will be meeting in an environment you both support and care about and will be on a shared journey. The people you meet could become very close friends or even more.

You are more likely to socialize with your volunteering colleagues than people who don’t volunteer. The issue is that despite being more connected than ever, we lack real friendships.

Many people find that they have very few friends who they regularly see face-to-face. A report published by the American Sociological Review found that the average American only has two close friends. A quarter, on the other hand, states that they have no close friends at all. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to step out of your usual circle of friends and colleagues and meet new people.

It makes you more employable

A report by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that promotes volunteering, found that people who had spent time volunteering had a 27% better chance of finding a job than others who had never volunteered.

An individual who has taken the time and effort to become involved in a volunteer capacity demonstrates a natural work ethic, has a more developed set of soft skills and has gained or updated skills needed in the workplace. This is often referred to as ‘human capital’ which is defined as ‘the acquisition of “of all useful skills and knowledge…that is part of deliberate investment.” Schultz (1961). It is seen as an investment in skills and training which have a measurable economic payoff or return on investment.

Stewart Lucas is the CEO of a major mental health charity in the United Kingdom. He spent a year working for a community project in Manchester in the 1990’s. He said: “I do what I do because of volunteering. If I hadn’t done my year of volunteering in 1991-92, then I wouldn’t be in Manchester and I wouldn’t be the CEO of a leading charity. Most of my staff started as volunteers, and volunteers are the lifeblood of all our work. In fact, most, if not all, charity CEOs started as volunteers.”

Claire looked to find a role in education and found that volunteering offered the experience and contacts which enabled her to find a permanent job. “I volunteered in a school playgroup. This gave me great references, enabling me to get me a permanent job in a school.”

How can I go about volunteering?

There is a multitude of organizations and types of volunteering available both in the US and overseas. As a starting point, you may want to check the Reward Volunteers quiz. It can help you understand the sort of volunteering role that can suit your personality.

Volunteer roles are massively varied and reflect the wide range of not-for-profit organizations. The basic types include:

Formal – It’s generally a long-term volunteering which involves delivering services. This can include supporting care and activities in a care home, leading education session or acting as a volunteer driver.

Informal – This is a less defined form of volunteering. There may not be specific roles but there will be tasks that need to be undertaken when people have the time. These could include community volunteering, such as beach cleaning or volunteering for sporting activities.

Social action – These bring together people with common interests, such as environmental protection or political lobbying. They have a defined outcome for their activities.

The roles you can carry out are vast, from organizing charity events through supporting the charity administration and governance. You can either find a role where you have skills already or work with your organization to develop new skills.

It may be that you are very outgoing and will suit a role that involves public speaking, like fundraising or campaigning activities. If you are hands-on and practical, you could find roles in conservation, building and maintaining paths or clearing bushland.

In case you are a good listener, you may find the role of a counselor as the best fit for you. If you are sporty, you may want to look at coaching or supporting local sports teams or activities. This could include marshaling races or helping the safe running of sporting events.

Volunteering overseas

In case you want more volunteering opportunities, there are a large number of possible roles outside of the US. You should be aware that some projects will expose you to extreme poverty and you need to be ready to face such realities.

Remember, you will not be able to change everything by yourself. However, by volunteering, you can make a change by supporting people who truly need your help. As emotional and difficult as some placements can be, they can be equally rewarding.

You should be aware that there can be costs involved with volunteering overseas and this may come as a surprise. The organizations need to ensure that they have the funds available to support their cause. They need to make sure that they can provide food, accommodation and a support network for their volunteers.

The importance of volunteering

Volunteering is a two-way street. You will not just gain skills, experience, and friendships, but you will also be able to give something very precious- your time and energy.

Virtually, every single non-profit organization relies totally on volunteers to carry out their activities and they really make a difference. For example, The Samaritan volunteers give over 5.5 million hours of their time freely. This enables them to pick up the phone to callers and answer texts and emails from individuals who are desperate for advice. Callers contact the organization every 6 seconds day and night.

Volunteering doesn’t always have to involve life and death situations, but you’ll surely influence others’ lives.

In the words of Linda who has volunteered all her life, “It is truly a rewarding experience. Feeling you are making a difference. Giving without taking. Giving back if you have been given kindness. It is so important.”

See Also: 5 Reasons Why You Should Volunteer

The post The Power of Volunteering appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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As soon as you stop laughing with your significant other, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find yourself on the miserable road to relationship hell.

The person you were once so enamored with will start to take on the look of a hairless cat that’s been left out in the sun for too long. You’ll hear the cell block doors slam shut on your relationship as you look forward to a dim future with your crusty ball and chain.

And one day, you’ll gratefully fling your carcass into the earthy arms of an early grave.

Ok, we’ve taken a dark turn here. Let’s go back to the actual issue.

The real question is, how can you keep things fun and new? Let’s move on to the humorous portion of this article and explore a few ways to bring the laughter back to your relationship.

Why Laughter is Good for Your Relationship

In addition to the fun and happy moments that laughter provides, there are also some scientific reasons why humor is great for your relationship.

According to a study performed by the University of North Carolina, couples who laughed together reported better quality of relationship with feelings of closeness and support that stemmed from it.

Some of the findings include:

• While women laughed more often, men’s laughter was found to be more contagious.
• The female’s reciprocation of laughter had a positive effect on the men.
• The longer the laughter continued, the greater the men’s rating of satisfaction, commitment and passion toward their partners.

Laughter makes us feel better, both physically and emotionally. This is likely to make us nicer to our partners. When you laugh more often, you’ll typically become less defensive, more spontaneous and you’ll have less inhibitions. In other words, your interactions can become much more upbeat and positive. You’ll end up enjoying each other’s company to a greater extent.

So, how can you tap into the benefits of laughter and use them to improve and maintain the quality of your relationship? Check out these three relationship humor tips you can actually use.

 

Going Back to Your Early Years

What is your favorite childhood memory? Which places do you remember playing and laughing in when you were growing up?

If you know your partner well enough, it’s likely that you’ve heard about a few of their fond childhood memories. Taking the time to revisit the places or reenact the events together can be a fantastic way to tap into happy moments.

Sneaking off to the park and swinging together under the moonlight, watching an old treasured movie while you’re curled up together or dancing like nobody’s watching are just a few ways to bring back the magic of youth.

The Spontaneous Trick

Some of the best fun is often the result of spontaneous choices.

Breaking away from the old routine might not be easy, but it’s a great way to bring more fun into your relationship. Some things you may want to try include:

• Taking an unplanned trip
• Trying something new together
• Switching up the sexual routine
• Saying yes to unexpected opportunities

Whether you are laughing at the ridiculous positions you find yourself in while taking that yoga class for the first time or find yourselves lost in a small town with a suspicious looking clown on the side of the road, you’re guaranteed to create some interesting memories when you make an effort to be more spontaneous.

A Good Old Fashioned Gag

This tactic is powerful, but it’s often neglected.

Most of us can probably remember the last time we picked up some flowers or a thoughtful trinket for our partner. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice gesture. But, how often do you bring home a great gag gift?

Bringing the laughter back into your relationship will probably take less time than you think when you implement a few of these relationship humor tips. Give them a shot today and experience the joy that comes with a good belly laugh.  

Are there any other techniques that you’ve used to amp up the humor between you and your partner? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.

See Also: Five Traits Women Want In A Partner

The post 3 Ways To Inject More Humor Into Your Relationship appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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We are emotional creatures.

If you are a human being, you know how hard it is to keep tabs on how you are feeling. Whether it be jealousy, anger, depression or anxiety, we all go through a constant cycle of emotions throughout our lives.

But, what happens when we feel out of balance with our own emotions?

Sometimes, we can have such strong feelings that we tend to start acting differently from how we would normally act. We can begin to not feel like ourselves and take it out on our loved ones. This constant roller-coaster can get tiring, especially if you are in constant search of a peace of mind, like myself.

So, how can we practice emotional balance to achieve better mental state?

There are a few mental tips that I find especially handy anytime I fall into an emotional whirlwind. These are my top 3 that I believe are the most practical.

Be Aware of it

This may sound very vague at first, but I truly believe self-awareness is an insanely important aspect of life. Someone who truly vouches for this is Gary Vaynerchuk.

I completely agree with him on striving to know who you are. Knowing yourself, in this case, can mean knowing your emotional state or your emotional patterns. When you have the skill to stop whatever you are doing for one second and recognize what you are feeling, you are a step closer to finding peace.

Now, when I say finding peace, of course, I do not mean “feel-good” peace. This obviously would not be the case. If you are feeling irritable, recognizing you are feeling irritable won’t make you feel “good” or “better”.

The problem arises when you can’t directly identify the emotion you are feeling at the time because you’re not aware of it. When you become aware of it, you can then step back from the emotion in a way and watch it come and go.

This is an important first step in achieving emotional balance because being aware and kind to yourself for feeling the emotional turmoil sets the base for change.

Read about it

When feeling emotionally out of balance, try to be aware of what it is you are feeling and what might be the root of it. Once you have the slightest understanding, use your phone or a laptop to look up how you are feeling. Search for blog posts you have already read or brand new information you have not read before.

A good tip is to bookmark some of your favorite pages that really speak to you. Once you begin to read or re-read an explanation of what you are feeling and why you are feeling that way, you can begin to shift your perspective.

You can begin to be objective and continue to disassociate from the emotions you are feeling. In another way, reading can also take your mind off of getting so caught up in your emotions and allows a mental break in a way. This mental break, for me, is usually what I need to put a halt to the rapid tornado of thoughts. Use the Internet to your advantage.

Talk about it

You might have heard this a thousand times, but this is one of the best ways to get a sense of closure. I used to always bottle up how I was feeling when I felt emotionally distraught or out of balance. Most of the time, I kept the mindset of “I’ll fix it myself”. I never wanted to come off or be seen a certain way by those close to me.

But, the more I accepted myself for who I was, the more comfortable I became to share my emotions with the people closest to me. I believe this is such an important part of balancing your emotional state.

When you talk about it, you are owning what you are feeling in a sense. You own who you are and how you are feeling and this makes you feel okay with what you are going through. It represents you making peace with the part of you that tends to get emotionally distraught from time to time. This also makes you feel not so alienated and different for the way you are feeling.

Listening to some advice your loved ones can give you might not directly help, but it assures you that you have people that care enough to be there for you in the first place. This reassurance of a support system can give you the courage to do your best in dealing with how you are feeling.

See Also: 5 Steps To Release Bottled Emotions And Live Happier

Conclusion

After completing one or all of these steps to the best of your ability, you should notice your emotional state slowly tilting back to equilibrium. Once this happens, I usually feel like more of myself again. I feel like I can finally think clearly.

Trying to think yourself out of an emotionally imbalanced state usually does not help and can actually lead to further turmoil.

That being said, all we can do is be as practical as possible with ourselves and our emotions. Understanding that we are imperfect beings and are not alone can go a long way. Emotions are what make us unique and human, so I guess we should try to be grateful for even the worst of them.

The post 3 Simple Steps to Balance Your Emotional State appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Despite all the disastrous relationships we’ve experienced and witnessed in our lives, there’s always a couple that restores your faith in love and lasting relationships.

As a young person, you may not value stability. However, as you grow older and when you’re in the later stages of life, your spouse can be the core of your support system. Numerous studies have revealed that having a happy relationship with a spouse leads to improved health and can prevent loneliness among seniors.

Nail these tips on how to make lasting relationships and you’ll be headed in the right direction!

Share core values and interests

Opposites do attract, but it is better if your relationship has core values and interests you both share. It is important that you have a similar outlook on life.

Sharing core values means you can agree on the major aspects of life. A good example is the number of children you want and how you wish to raise them.

It can also help if you have similar personalities and that you come from the same background. Not having any common ground with your significant other makes it difficult to get enthusiastic about what interests him. Whether you admit it or not, it’s always nice if you have a partner that can get excited about the stuff you’re interested in.

Place importance on physical attraction

Yes, what’s on the inside matters more. But, physicality and attraction play a huge role in keeping couples together, too.

A relationship is highly unlikely to develop if there was no physical attraction in the first place. Of course, it shouldn’t be the basis of the relationship, but it is vital in keeping your partner hooked and invested in the relationship.

This doesn’t mean you have to look like Hollywood celebs, but keep your weight and appearance in check. Remember, physical attraction is a key component of maintaining intimacy with your partner. Make sure you’re doing what it takes to keep them interested in you.

Communicate

Communication is essential for the health of all relationships. It is, however, that much more integral in your relationship with your spouse.

Ideally, you should be spending the majority of your day with your spouse. Your partner should be the one you turn to in times of peril. If you aren’t able to relay your concerns with them, then expect problems to arise in the relationship.

The inability to trust your spouse with your problems and concerns is sure to place a wedge between the both of you. If your communication line is ineffective, you’ll come to resent each other as the distance between you grows.

Compromise

You can’t have it your way all the time. There are going to be countless occasions where one of you will have to bend in order to accommodate the other.

It’s not right for one partner to be the one making all the sacrifices. Actually, you shouldn’t think of compromises as sacrifices at all, as much as you can think of compromise as a negotiation.

You shouldn’t feel like you’re giving something up. Instead, think of it as adjusting a little for the sake of your relationship. Negotiate with your partner until you reach an agreement that seems fair to both individuals.

Have the conversation only when you’re ready to talk without getting overly emotional and impulsive. Try and come up with solutions that the both of you are somewhat content with. Forcing a compromise at a time where you’re feeling resistant to one another will only worsen the situation.

Make an effort to enjoy your partner’s interests

There are activities, movies and music that your partner is passionate about which don’t interest you at all. Despite that, you should still consider giving it a genuine chance. Your partner will surely appreciate your effort in trying it for his sake. The more you can enjoy together, the better it is for your relationship.

See Also: 7 Ways To Inject Romance Into Your Relationship 

Constantly challenge yourself

Making new memories together will always strengthen your relationship. Doing the same activities over and over again can make things mundane.

Keep things fresh, make it a point to go to new places, meet different types people and try new activities together. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is important for personal growth and to keep your relationship exciting, too.

Don’t go to bed angry

The is probably the best relationship advice ever.

The idea of resolving issues as soon as possible is the easiest way of preventing the buildup of anger and feelings of resentment. Do yourselves a favor and resolve your conflicts before you go to sleep. You’ll save yourself a night of restlessness and, most importantly, you’ll wake up without the burden of a fight.

See Also: 7 Ways to Make Your Angry Wife Happy

The post 7 Best Secrets To Building Lasting Relationships appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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