Written by: Marisa Thomas, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Explore how the brain functions, creating subconscious limitations and a simple 5-step strategy to optimize your mental energy. It is natural, human nature, to want to function at our best each day! Therefore, in pursuit of that goal, we must first explore the energy forces that help us attain optimal performance. My research suggests concentrating on five energy forces that impact how we function. We will explore one of those today, but first let's list the five. Five engines to fuel your energy forces Mental Physical Social Cultural Environmental I refer to these energy forces as your “Quinjet”! A “Quinjet” is an aircraft powered by five engines. It was first introduced to us by Marvel in 1969, but I think many Marvel movie fans may be familiar with it from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The five engines of the Quinjet require equal force to perform at peak optimization. Although this craft's exterior is impressive, it will receive modifications from time to time to adapt to changing needs, advance its impact or expand its reach of capabilities. Likewise, the engines may get fuelled differently over time, but at its core, those five engines possess the power to be extraordinary. So, when you think of yourself as limited to specific possibilities and outcomes, ask yourself if you're optimizing your “Quinjet”? When people observe your Quinjet functioning at its best, they see something spectacular. They study how you maneuver obstacles, navigate your terrain, and gracefully glide through inspiring and stressful situations. You are strong. Sometimes you will take hits, and the dents will show, but you recover fast. They see you adapt to your environment with modifications that grow your capabilities. They feel a strong presence, especially when you are at rest. They wonder at the mechanics of how you operate with such stealth, resilience, and determination. Each observer will conclude. They will choose a truth that is befitting from the angel and perspective from their standing. They will interpret your impact, value, and worth based on what they see and how often they engage, but do they know what’s fueling your engines? For today’s article, I want to focus on the most potent engine fueling your quinjet. Think of this energy force as the nucleus from which all others are connected. The central force from which all other energy connects is your mental force! This energy force is all about mental agility, the power of our mind, and how we think both subconsciously and consciously. How our thoughts manifest and how we behave, feel and act. The brain is a magnificent and complex organ. It partners with the spinal cord and forms our central nervous system. The brain is our command center. It’s the control system, working like a super advanced computer with sophisticated AI (Artificial Intelligence) and RPA (Robotic Processing Automation) technology fully built into the body's ecosystem. It works to regulate our temperature, feelings, emotions, and breathing. It processes our thoughts and data inputs, organizing and categorizing them, and purging and storing information and memories. It drives our movements, vision, and hearing, and then it takes all of this and figures out how to operate the 400 billion bits of data your brain faces at any given moment. It happens mainly as a result of learned behaviors over time, eventually becoming behaviors and characteristics that are your natural state. You operate under automatic pilot for most of these second-nature activities and forms of thinking. As a child, the act of crawling and walking is a mammoth task. It’s a pattern of trial and error, it’s the discovery of the order of physical placement, and practice builds strength and stability. It feels, looks, and is awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes painful. You endure bumps and bruises, but eventually, you can stand for long periods. You take steps with the aid of the edges of the sofa. You take that all-important first step with no support. You may have succeeded at the second step had the “big” people around you not jumped and screamed at you. For a minute, you’re a little taken aback, not sure what to make of the abrupt interruption to your staring moment, and then you realize it was “your staring moment” that got the big people all excited, and now you're excited and laughing. As much as you want to repeat the action of that standing and stepping forward, your senses are overwhelmed. You don’t know how to organize yourself, you want to stand, but the exciting feeling is consuming part of your energy, it feels funny to stand and much more unsafe than before, so you laugh, and whoa, the laugh monopolizes all the energy, and you’re back on your bum again. Each day you keep trying to recreate the moment, and it happens again, this time with you taking a few more steps and so on. As adults, we barely have to think about what it takes to stand up and walk. We don’t consciously think about it at all. Your subconscious RPA system takes over, leaving your conscious thoughts and actions lagging by about 7 seconds. Even then, a high percentage of those actions fail to register your conscious thought. They have become a habit. Have you ever driven somewhere and scared yourself because you don’t remember the journey? Do you just know you arrived safely? That’s your subconscious taking charge. It is also how biases form. We gravitate to the familiar, acting without thinking in given situations through autopilot. The brain registers a piece of stimuli (visual, auditory, emotional, etc..), instantaneously seeking to connect with past similar situations and will jump the mind or action to the conclusions most commonly reached in similar cases. The brain, in its subconscious state, does not distinguish between the real and the perceived. If the subconscious mind detects a rising heart rate and a burst of adrenaline, it will automatically connect to a sense of danger cultivated from past experiences. Suppose we don’t take the time to tune into these instinctive behaviors and analyze our cause-and-effect habits in that case. In that case, we can cause ourselves to miss opportunities, unintentionally insult someone, make counterproductive decisions, and negatively impact the ability of others to realize their potential. These actions can be counter to our conscious intentions. We just don’t know if it’s happening. Therefore, it’s important that we tune into how our mind works for us or against us to optimize our mental power force. As you can most likely tell, I’m a big fan of Marvel superheroes. So let’s use an example from a series closely tied to the concept of your energy forces, powering your “Quinjet.” In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, agent Elena Yo-Yo Rodriguez is attacked by a bird-like creature called a Shrike. The trauma of the event that almost killed Yo-Yo rendered her powerless. Initially, the team sought to investigate the disappearance of her powers through scientificinvestigation. They suspected the creature had poisoned Yo-Yo. Agent Simmons worked to find an antidote, but with no success. In the meantime, danger continued to find the team; it would be down to Yo-Yo and her speedster powers to save the day. With increasing pressure and anxiety forming, the team decided that maybe agent Daisy Johnson’s diviner mother, Jiayling, might be able to help. With the help of Jiayling and agent May, Yo-Yo connected the trauma of the Shrikeattack with an early childhood memory of her uncle's murder. Yo-Yo recollects how at ten years of age, she used her superspeed powers to save a necklace from being stolen. It had deep sentimental value to her, although tensions rose when the intruders saw the necklace was missing. Ultimately her actions caused her uncle’s death. The trauma of her childhood memory was triggered by the trauma from the attack of the Shrike. Her subconscious resurfaces the earlier trauma and connects the two events through the similarity of the feelings. As a result, her subconscious suppressed Yo-Yo’s powers at the memory of how using them resulted in a negative outcome all those years ago. Digging deep into her memory bank provided her the clarity to explore how to overcome that mental block. Prompted by May’s reassurance that she would “Bounce Back,” Yo-Yo had an aha moment that helped her reframe her mindset and ultimately regain her powers, just in time to save the day. This storyline demonstrates just how powerful our thoughts can be in influencing our feelings and ultimately impacting our actions. In addition, it touches on a few key concepts: 1. There is connection between deep subconscious thought and physical ability. A forgotten/suppressed memory, often associated with deep trauma, can resurface years later when a similar traumatic event occurs. In those situations, our brains work to process that information and send messages through the central nervous system that can render us physically unable to do things we would ordinarily have been able to achieve. While this is an extreme example, you can experience a similar correlation to how emotion can surface some sort of trigger, which can affect your physical performance. For example, athletes who have suffered a setback or an injury that previously knocked them off course can do so again, even when they are at peak fitness. It tends to happen when something triggers the memory, and the emotion associated with that past event resurfaces. 2. Fear and doubt can hinder achieving our goals. We saw in this example how outcomes could be impacted when we function from a position of fear and doubt, regardless of how much we may desire a successful outcome. 3. There is power in conscious, constructive thought. Note I didn’t say positive thinking. Yo-Yo’s situation is an excellent demonstration of how Carl Bene guides us to think about the difference between positive thinking v.s. conscious, constructive thought. In this situation, Yo-Yo demonstrated a positive mindset, visualizing herself using her special powers to defeat the enemy and win the day. She is optimistic, she has used this skill with similar success multiple times before. She knows she can do it. Yet, despite her constantly pushing to bounce back, she fails time and time again. Now frustration sets in. Anxiety rises as time runs out, the fear of failure is genuine, and the feelings of self-doubt and disappointment mount. Even then, she is not aware of the inner turmoil that is the cause but instead looks for external answers. It’s not her; it’s something else. She’s been poisoned. Having ruled out any external possibility, Yo-Yo finally looks inward and is supported and guided by Jiayling and agent May, shifting her mindset to embrace the inner demons and consciously reframe her thinking to move towards her desired goal. However, the goal didn’t change. Positive thought alone was not enough. Developing conscious, constructive thinking was needed to blend positive visualization with a better, more targeted action plan. 4. Asking for and accepting help is critical. Without the guidance, encouragement, and expertise of many, but particularly agents May and Jiayling, Yo-Yo would have remained stuck and taken longer to recover. Maybe she would have given up at some point and never recovered, settling for less than she is capable of. Scientists have long proclaimed a strong connection between mind and body. In other words, what we are thinking influences how we feel, and how we think and feel affects the way we act and how others act towards us. In his book “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” Dr. Joe Dispenza says, “How you’re thinking and feeling have created your state of being and environment.” Dr. Dispenza expertly fuses science and spirituality together with grounded studies in neuroscience, quantum physics, biology, genetics, and brain chemistry to scientifically ground how, as human beings, we create a “Quantum loop.”This loop is a string of learned behaviors, built over time and within our environment, that wire us to function unconsciously inspecific ways. His notion is that if “we” control the thoughts and feelings that have formed our unconscious characteristics and behaviors, then “we” can also break those habits; develop new habits to create different outcomes. Let’s frame this in an example: When we are nervous or worried, our brains transmit messages to parts of our bodies in preparation to fight and protect. Chemicals are released, and we can feel nauseous and light-headed. Our stomachs can ache, and we feel weak. These reactions and behaviors have been built over years of conditioning from personal experience or the things we heard from our parents and others as we grew up: “Don’t walk on that wall; you’ll fall off and hurt yourself.” Therefore phrases like this stick with us, and when we fall, our bodies now expect pain, and our mind starts to worry. Equally, when faced with the metaphorical wall to traverse to get to a new exciting destination, our mind is already conditioned to be on guard. We expect we might fall, visualize the worst, and work to protect ourselves from pain and embarrassment. So, at that precise moment when we need strength, our mind wants to tap into learned behavior of how to make the body react when we worry. But, we also know that we can feed the mind with positive energy and thoughts. In other words, we can change our state of being from a position of weakness to one of strength. How often have we had that moment when fear strikes us when we least want it to appear? It usually occurs when the stakes are high. At a pivotal moment in an interview for that dream job; as you are about to take the stage at a conference; as you are about to make that important presentation that will launch a lifelong ambition, or even walking into a doctor’s office to open up and ask for help. When we choose to take back control, we do things like: Take a few deep breaths and quiet your mind. We relinquish the negative thoughts of “Delete that program” Lift our posture and stand strong, ready to open up to what’s ahead Speak to ourselves with positive words: “I can...”, “I will…”, “I am... ” redirecting our energy to positive outcomes Visualize the successful outcome. With your clear intention set, you move forward through that now wide-open, inviting Door Before this can be effective, you need to become grounded in who you are beneath the surface. You will need to allow vulnerabilities to surface. Invite and embrace the discomfort, accept inevitable failure points as learning opportunities, as a necessary means to create something great. My study of the connection between the mind and performance was what inspired me to develop the DoorS methodology. I encourage practicing this with my coaching clients and have a guided practice that anyone can use to practice the DoorS methodology through meditation. If you visit my website, you will find access to the 15 mins guided meditation. You will notice the sound of doors opening in the background occasionally. At the point of transmitting your intentions into the universe, the sound of an aircraft can be heard. These are intentional. The connections will become more evident as you explore the DoorS methodology more deeply, but for now, I want to provide you with a high-level introduction to this five step process. Five steps to optimize your day with increased mental agility I created the DoorS methodology to create a state of being that is influenced by a set of intentions we create in our minds. How we think has a powerful impact on the choices we make, the paths we walk, the emotions we feel, and the opportunities we find or accept. I call these opportunities “our Doors.” The DoorS methodology is a sequence of five simple phases that we can use to shift our frame of mind at the moment, in our daily/weekly routines, or with long-term aspirations. No matter what your intention is, whether requiring immediate impact or as a means to guide your state of being for the long term, this guided meditation is a powerful tool to manifest sustainable success. Whatever that means to you. Firstly I know you’re wondering why the letters for D and S are capitalized and the other three phases start with lowercase letters. There’s a good reason for that. Firstly let me outline each of the five steps of this methodology: D - Disconnect (find mental space and quiet the mind) O - offload (relinquish the thoughts that are no longer serving you) O - open (expand your thinking toward new opportunities) R - redirect (point your thoughts toward optimizing new goals) S - Set an Intention (visualize succeeding at new destinations of success) While all five steps are essential, your most significant gains will be mastering the ability to Disconnect and Set an Intention. Without fully being able to disconnect, the following steps will be hindered by the distraction of other thoughts, tasks of the day, or issues of the moment. So by the time you reach that moment of setting your intention, the message can become challenging to decipher amongst the noise that surrounds it. When you transmit that Set Intention out into the universe, you want that message to be crystal clear, with no room for error or open for interpretation. With that clarity, you operate with intention, and opportunities gravitate toward you. Some techniques of mindfulness complement this practice. Mindfulness is more about being present. At the same time, the DoorS methodology is geared toward disconnecting from the present, transporting yourself to an alternate dimension through visualization, and creating the doors that will lead you to a new and exciting future reality. Using guided meditation is just one approach and tool to practice the DoorS methodology. You will refine this practice over time, and when you get there, you will learn techniques to draw on set intentions you have created within moments and without the need to be in a complete state of meditation. Are you interested in better optimizing your mental energy force? Then, visit my website and let's connect! Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Marisa! Marisa Thomas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Marisa Thomas is a talent amplifier, forward-leaning visionary, and strategic business leader. She is the Founder of DoorSeffect LLC and describes herself as a “constructive optimist,” striving to continually lift, adapt and evolve the way business leaders think and approach their people and business growth. She is charting a new course to bring a deeper sense of relatability and connection between business outcomes, technology, customer needs, and the “Human-force.” Her mission is to ‒ Transform the thinking; Evolve the person; Arrive!

Written by: Laurie Levin, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I certainly understood the concept "use it or lose it" as it applies to brain cells and muscles. I’ve come to understand—quite painfully so, that the same holds true for our bones. Use ‘em or lose ‘em. Our bones are vitally important in our daily lives and longevity. We couldn’t move without them. They protect our organs from injury and store minerals that our bones and body require. Osteoporosis is the most common form of bone disease. As a result of osteoporosis, bones become weak and brittle; either due to the body not making enough bone or losing too much bone. When this happens, bones are much more likely to break. In 2017-2018, almost 20% (19.6%) of women and 4.4% of men over the age of 50 had osteoporosis. For those of us who have smaller frames and a low Body Mass Index, particularly women 50 and older, we haven’t had enough weight bearing down on our bones with each step taken over the years, as do people who carry more weight. Over time bones can thin without even noticing it until we begin to experience back pain, very painful muscle spasms, and less mobilization. Others of larger frames and weight certainly can get osteoporosis too. Calcium-draining activities are oftentimes why. Fortunately, there is good news! “Bones are living tissue which has their own blood vessels and are made of various cells, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. This structure enables them to grow, transform and repair themselves throughout life.” (International Osteoporosis Foundation) I’ve been a Coach supporting clients to optimal health for twenty years. As a Certified Coach and HeartMath® Certified Coach, my expertise lies in the areas of nutrition, stress/anxiety reduction, and reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. Two years ago, I was quite surprised to learn that my bones were as thin as they are. In fact, I had a couple of compression fractures. While I would have liked to have learned more about bone health from courses and books rather than pain and sleepless nights, I am thankful to be learning it now because the sooner the better when it comes to bone health. We can repair and strengthen our bones over time without taking medications that can do more harm than good. So, first things first. Let’s eliminate calcium-draining activities: High salt and sugar intake including soft drinks Smoking Alcohol Caffeine Meat and dairy consumption Antacids Unmanaged emotions and stress Sedentary lifestyle Not doing enough weight-bearing exercise Not getting enough sunshine Next, put in the good stuff: Sunshine Weight-bearing exercise More plant-based calcium sources such as broccoli, kale, collards, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, beans, prunes, figs, nuts and seeds, soy, almond butter Stress-reduction tools like the HeartMath® techniques You might have noticed, that dairy is on the calcium-draining list. That’s because cow’s milk is not a good source of bio-available calcium and it comes at a high cost—high calories, high acidity, saturated fat, and no fiber, a strong link to breast cancer, and obesity (The China Study by T. Colin Campbell). Stick with plant-based sources of calcium for strong bones, a healthy heart, weight, and an immune system. Ongoing learning is also very important to support bone health over time. We can all fall back into routines that include bone-draining activities or lose sight of the bone-building activities we need to stick with for the rest of our lives. Here are three resources to get you started: Dr. Klaper: Maintaining Bone Health and Preventing Osteoporosis Dr. Pam Popper: Diet, Calcium And Bone Health Dr. Pam Popper and Dr. Klaper: How Do We Prevent Osteoporosis Do I wish I could go back about two decades to implement more bone-building activities? Absolutely! What’s most important is to take action now, wherever you are in your health journey. Our bones need as much attention as other aspects of our health and well-being. One of the most exciting things I’ve learned to reverse osteoporosis, the one that gives me great hope, is wearing a weighted vest for two hours each day and walking with it three times per week with hand weights. Research suggests we can reverse osteoporosis as we wear the vest, eliminate calcium-draining activities, and put the good stuff in. Take care of yourself—take care of your bones. That kind of support we cannot do without. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Laurie! Laurie Levin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Laurie Levin is an author (Call Me A Woman: On Our Way to Equality and Peace) and Transformation Coach. She specializes in optimal nutrition, healthy weight loss, and the leading HeartMath® stress reduction techniques. She has been a featured speaker on each of these topics. Laurie has an MBA, is a Certified Coach, and HeartMath® Certified Coach, supporting clients globally to achieve their health and well-being goals. Her new book, Call Me A Woman: On Our Way to Equality and Peace, provides real-life experiences, global studies, and insights, and the 7 Habits of Equality that will reshape the world into one where all children have equal opportunities, from the beginning to the end of their lives. Healthy, Happy, Equal: It takes all 3 to thrive!

Written by: Omu Obilor, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. One of the keys to running a successful business is to communicate with your team and employees in a way that they understand your company’s visions and meet its goals and objectives. You need to motivate them and make sure they pay attention and listen by creating a clear and genuine connection in team meetings. It’s hard to keep your employees checking on their phones constantly when you’ve toiled day and night for your presentation. Keeping that in mind, here are the three ways how you can grab attention and make it stay in team meetings. 1. Talk to them Ask your team why they should join the meeting and listen to you. How do they think the meeting would benefit them with new skills and information? You can ask them about what they want to learn or discuss before the meeting via a mail survey. Some of your team members won’t reply to these surveys and would be reluctant to attend them. And it’s good because these are your target audience. You can get personal with them and tell them a story as to how you got ahead in your career and how your story can help them solve their problem. Narrate them how they can learn from your failures and connect with the audience with your personal touch. 2. Make their mind boggle A too easy or too difficult topic for the meeting is too boring. Know your audience and their level of expertise. The meetings should be such that it makes your audience triggered with curiosity and knowledge. The topic must trigger their thinking skills. A too-easy topic doesn’t require any thinking. And a too difficult topic can turn off people. It is boring if you’re the only one speaking about something. So make sure you ask your audience’s insights and ask them questions. 3. Include breaks Include breaks in your lengthy meetings. Let your team refresh themselves with a cup of coffee or walk around for a bit. Coffee increases attention and keeps everyone warm. Make sure you include a 5-10 min break after every 45 minutes of a meeting session. Breaks help everyone to focus better for the next session. Visit Omu's website to learn more! Read more from Omu! Omu Obilor, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Omu is an International Coach, Speaker, Trainer, and Thought Leader. Her mantra is “Living my best life," this she achieves by living Intentionally. Her mission in life is to empower others to live their best life, curating the life they want for themselves. As a founding member of the John Maxwell Team, she has mastered intentional living in personal and professional life. She performs the role of Executive Director and National Trainer in Business Network International (BNI), which empowered her to master training networking. Omu has, over the years, poured out her all into the lives of her clients. Walking them through the various transitions in life and mentoring them through the transformation. She is driven by her passion for helping individuals realize that it is possible to live the life they dream of. Extremely passionate about Transformation in people, she works tirelessly to see this through. Her approach is designed to increase awareness and accountability to increase morale and determine values. She runs a mentor mind group for women looking to grow in their personal and professional lives. She also runs masterminds monthly, amongst others.

Written by: Brad Bizjack, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. You’ve been lied to by hustle culture. Working harder and longer hours isn’t going to make you successful. If it was, then anyone who put in the effort would be thriving. Instead, the constant need to be on and always be doing something productive with your time leads to the worst kind of burnout. The kind that makes you start to believe that you should be farther along than you are right now. Or that success just isn’t for you. I say all this not to discredit hard work because it is a necessary component of success. I say this to stress the importance of knowing that hard work alone won’t get you where you want to go. The better “hustle” that won’t leave you burnout by noon (despite that third cup of coffee you consumed) is to work in alignment with your best energies. Your hunger. Your drive. Your passion. Imagine success as a three-pin combination lock. One column represents your energetic and emotional state, your hunger. The next represents the stories you tell yourself—e.g., that you should be further along than you are right now, or conversely, accepting where you are and taking responsibility for your journey moving forward—in other words, what drives you. The last column represents the work and strategy you’re doing to bring your passion to life. If one number is out of alignment, the lock won’t open. If all of them are in sync? That’s where you’ll find the true keys to success. If you find that looking through life with this lens is easier said than done, or you can’t figure out how to get yourself in alignment to make success come faster and easier, use my free 60-second quiz, What’s Your Unique Success Archetype. This quiz will help you identify how you view life and success and help you understand what actions and beliefs are limiting you and helping you, so you can finally know how to move forward! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Brad! Brad Bizjack, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Brad Bizjack is a personal development expert, mindset strategist, coach, inspirational speaker, and podcast host with over 9 years of coaching experience. He's coached over 10,000 people in the area of personal development and human potential. His mission is to help people maximize their life, master their mindsets, and elevate their relationships and career to the next level and beyond! Brad is happily married to his beautiful wife, Janiece. They reside in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago and have a little girl named Lillian and a dog named Oliver.

Written by: Catherine Finger, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. The compelling question of whether to join the masses and jump off the cliff of commitment into the Great Resignation has been cropping up in coaching sessions quite a bit lately. I understand the allure—and I am a big fan of challenge and change in general, so my clients find a strong ally in me when grappling with this question. Today I offer you five questions and perspectives my clients and I consider when addressing the issue of whether it is time to resign—or reframe. 1. It’s never too late to quit. Do you have to quit today? Many work-related problems fade rather quickly. Give yourself time to manage the event that might be tempting you to cash it in. Dropping the mic and walking away can be tempting—but what’s the rush? You don’t need to decide whether you’re going to stay or walk away today. Give yourself the luxury of time and perspective. 2. Make sure your choice to leave is your choice to leave. Sometimes catastrophic work-related events color our vision, squeezing out all that is right and wonderful with our worlds at work until the only option we can see clearly is an exit sign. While there are certainly times when we may need to leave—sometimes our emotions run wild and prevent us from seeing our own distorted thinking. Is there a habit, practice, or initiative that you need to start or stop doing that could make a big difference in your world of work right now? Maybe personal growth in your current workplace is what your brain is trying to push you toward. And that ‘stay and grow’ door sits right next to that ‘exit sign’ in our minds. Make sure you don’t mistake the call to stay and grow in the glare of a pulsing exit sign. 3. Clarity is your friend. Walk yourself through the questions you would ask your best friend struggling with the ‘should I stay or should I go’ decision. What’s driving your desire to resign? Do you want to leave—or do you need to change something in your current setting right now? Do you need to go—or is there something that no longer serves you in the way you are seeing and experiencing yourself at work? 4. Is the grass really all that green on the other side of the proverbial fence? While there certainly are many benefits to embracing change professionally and personally, we often underestimate the impact of transitions. How will shifting into a new job impact you, your family, and your career? What if your shiny new job turns out to be a pit of vipers wrapped in a “grass is always greener” veneer? What is your game plan for addressing the unintended consequences of the challenges and changes that transitioning into a new job—or no job—brings? 5. What if you could be happy/happier/happy enough where you are? What would it take for you to become content with your current circumstances? What are the three best things about your current workplace—and how can you capitalize on them? What are the three worst things about staying in your current workplace—and how can you orchestrate improvements? Perhaps advocating for yourself financially and asking for additional compensation is in order. How can you contribute to your own personal and professional growth while remaining where you are for the time being? Perhaps joining or starting professional development opportunities could help you stay refreshed. Engaging in a life-affirming hobby can do wonders for your energy and perspective both on the job and at home. Another great way to expand connections and broaden your perspective while staying at the same job is to become actively engaged in professional organizations at the state, national, or international levels. You’ve got my permission to stay. What will it take to permit yourself to stay in your current role? Here’s to the courage to dig deeper, listen to the desires of your heart, and allow yourself time and space to reframe instead of joining the great resignation. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Catherine Finger, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Award-winning author Catherine Finger contributes to the well-being of others by offering executive, personal, and author coaching services. Throughout her career as a public-school leader, mentoring current and emerging leaders was one of her greatest joys. This experience, coupled with her passion to instill hope for leadership, love, and life led her to launch Loving the Leading, an executive coaching and consulting business in 2020. Her years of successful experience as an educational leader, board member, adjunct professor, award-winning author, law enforcement chaplain and community leader equip her with unique insights and deep intuition on both organizations and individuals. During her educational career

Written by: Karina Stephens, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. No doubt you’re familiar with a typical bell curve, which usually depicts three areas… the bulk of people fitting into the centre section (average), with a smaller number at either end. Our Consistency Bell Curve shows this same trend and explores the number of people in relation to their consistency. “Consistent action helps us attract what we want in our life.” - David R. Hamilton, Ph.D. – Author of ‘Why Woo Woo Works’ Let’s talk about the six categories from left to right … 1. Numb These people go through life ignorant and oblivious to the fact that consistency is required. They are never consistent either in what they do or how they do it and are unaware that consistency is the key requirement in behaviours. The only thing they are consistent about is NOT being consistent. We are not making judgements here. And as our mate, Glenn Capelli quotes, “Wherever there is judgment, let there be empathy.” But the world does include a lot of people who walk around numb from the neck up. They are typically focused on the past, and whinge, whine and complain about their lot in life but are not prepared to do anything to change it. They appear to be stuck in what they have created, and although they complain about it, they are either incapable or not motivated to change their circumstances, often unprepared to even try something different. A colleague of ours in the speaking profession refers to them (when they attend conference seminars) as the ‘cake-eating oxygen thieves’ … a tad harsh, but you get the point. If the marketing people were to create a slogan for these people using the nursery rhyme ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ it would most likely be… “Mary had a little lamb … it was dead from the neck up!’ We should add that sometimes there is hope for these people as their environment often heavily influences their behaviours. So, in some instances, usually, when they are in a different environment, a ‘light bulb moment’ can occur. The challenge is then to sustain the shift as they tend to easily regress into their ‘status quo world.’ Any investment of your time and energy into this group needs to be quickly assessed through the lens of, “Is this likely to be a sustained benefit or just a flash in the pan?” The next group on the Consistency Bell Curve typically… 2. Lose A slightly larger percentage always seems to lose, and life does not go well for them in many areas. They talk about a loser’s game, attract and manifest drama, and typically lose at the game of life. Generally, they have closed minds and are usually in denial. They sometimes are prepared to try different things, although seldom do they think through the consequences, so they rarely succeed long term. This group tends to be overly opinionated and have strong egos, almost coupling blind ignorance and arrogance. This is their weak point. They don’t take ownership and accountability, instead preferring to blame, rationalize, pass the buck and whinge about things, comparing themselves to others, generally saying how ‘lucky’ the other person is. They manifest and attract being in the wrong place at the wrong time, unaware that the quality of their thinking and mindset is, in fact, the problem. It is not that they are losers; the word LOSE is simply missing a couple of letters – a ‘C’ at the start, and a ‘D’ at the end, spelling CLOSED. They have a closed mind. The missing ‘C’ stands for CONSCIOUS. It is a hint that they need to be more conscious of their mindset and thoughts and the implications of what they are thinking and doing. The missing ‘D’ stands for DENIAL (although they will deny, they are in denial). Their strong opinions and ego constantly get them into trouble, although they are usually blissfully unaware of this. “Mary had a little lamb … it ended up an opinionated roast!” As a fellow speaking professional Amanda Gore says, their thinking doesn’t suck … it’s just missing the letter T. They are stuck. Their thinking and associated behaviours are stuck, and they won’t succeed consistently until they are more open. Investing time in these people on the change journey can be extremely challenging given that they are so opinionated and have a closed mindset – so usually, they don’t recognize either the need or opportunity to change and hence are not prepared to even consider it. As the late Dr. Wayne Dyer encouraged, they need to ‘sell their ego and buy curiosity.’ We recently heard Dean Hutton speak. He was the co-host of ‘The Curiosity Show’ on TV in the 70’s. These people should subscribe to his online show by the same name, which now has subscribers in over 30 countries around the world. Sigurd Olsen said, “Whilst we are all born with curiosity and wonder, and our early years are full of the adventure they bring, I know such inherent joys are often lost. I also know that being deep within us, their latent glow can be fanned to flame again by awareness and an open mind.” An open and curious mind reigniting the flame of curiosity and wonder is the key to moving beyond this group in the Consistency Bell Curve, so they can at least become… 3. Average Here we have the bulk of the population. There is a reason it is called AVERAGE! These people skim through on the surface of life, experiencing a ‘feast and famine’ cycle constantly. They are an ‘interested novice’ at best and largely inconsistent in their behaviours. They typically have the knowledge (or at least think they have, or pretend they have) but live in the gap between knowledge and doing. They fail to implement consistently. Let’s explore a passage from David R. Hamilton, PhD’s book ‘Why Woo Woo Works’. It summarises this group of people perfectly… “Sometimes, we don’t attract the things we want in life because we fail to maintain a consistent focus on them. We chop and change, going from wishing to achieve something to thinking it’s not possible, to wishing it again and then doubting ourselves once more, to eventually forgetting about it altogether, only to think about it again several years later and lament that we never achieved it.” This group is what we refer to as the ‘Teflon People’ – nothing sticks! They may attend programs and read books, but they generally fail to put their knowledge into action. Their focus is on both the past and the present, and yet they rarely consider the future. They often ‘fall into things’, including their environment and career. They are mostly reactive to life instead of proactively creating the future they want. This group generally has a foot planted in each bucket and, to paint a picture for you, that leaves their private parts in ‘no man’s land’! Bob Procter, a well-known speaker in the USA, says most people are tiptoeing through life waiting to die. He is describing this group. “Mary had a little lamb … it was made of Teflon and nothing stuck!” What a lost opportunity this group of the population represents! Imagine the effect on the planet if only we could positively influence 10% of this group to move to the next group on the Consistency Bell Curve to… 4. Win A much smaller proportion of the population seems to win. This is because their actions and associated behaviours are at least consciously consistent. They have had those moments where they have achieved above-average results and have put two and two together and worked out that consistency was the key to their results being achieved. The key is in their attitude. They have an open mind and tend to have a future orientation, focused on the NOW and the NEXT. They are present in the NOW, which, by the way, spelled backwards is WON! They learn from and build off the past—their experiences, their relationships, their studies, and their environment. In fact, the word WIN stands for ‘What’s Important Next?’ They have clear intentions and objectives, and this motivates them and drives their ambition. They know where they want to go and what they want to do in both the shorter and longer terms. They come to realise and live Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote: ‘The successful person is merely the average person focused.’ These people are also prepared to seek out guidance and feedback from others. And… they observe and learn from what others are doing or have done – especially things that have proven to be successful. This group takes action – they get things done, and their persistence in both managing their mindset and creating traction pays off. They are also realistic. They know what they can do (including how they can afford to do what they want to do) and get on and do it. This group is best summarised by the slogan, “Mary had a little lamb … with its attitude it was sure to win!” If this group could take their consistency in mindset and behaviours to the next level, they would arrive at… 5. Mastery An even smaller group progress to this level on the Consistency Bell Curve. They have practiced their mindset mastery for some time and are now at subconscious consistency. They no longer need to consciously remember to be consistent. It is subconscious now and comes to them naturally. Their positive behaviours are embedded and occur instinctively. Life still happens and yet, when the so-called ‘bad’ things happen, these people immediately represent the events through an opportunity filter. They know with certainty there is a silver lining to the event or circumstances, and deliberately look for it. And by looking for it, they usually find it and make positive things happen as a result of finding the ‘silver lining’. Their focus is on the ‘now’ and the ‘next’, however, they have a greater level of confidence, faith and intuitiveness that it will happen compared with the ‘WIN’ group. These people are present in the ‘now moment’ and thinking about what’s next. This group also seeks out (or attracts) others who are like-minded and work together in both identifying opportunities and acting on (or delivering) them. They adopt the adage that a problem shared is a problem halved or solved. They propose various ideas and goals to the Universe and allow room for their desires to turn up. “Mary had a little lamb … it made it look so easy.” With continued persistence, they will arrive at … 6. Artistry Limited to a few, this small band on the Consistency Bell Curve is consistent without being obsessed about it! It is effortless consistency coupled with a finely-honed ability to do all the right things from all the wrong places, even when the environment or conditions are against them. This is the world-class pianist doing an outdoor concert – the wind is blowing a gale, the rain is pouring and his or her fellow musician guitarist has failed to show. And yet he or she can adjust at a moment’s notice, hit every note with precision, and still take the crowd on a magical musical experience that lifts their spirits. It appears like artistry in action. They operate in a sublime space which makes them unique and noticeable. They are in flow. They take high ownership, accountability and responsibility for themselves and their mindset. You will see that these are the people who not only identify the actions required but consistently deliver on them – and to a high quality. You might have heard the adage, ‘If you want something done then give it to a busy person’. This group has an immense appetite to learn more, do more and deliver more whilst doing it effortlessly – and they mix and work with people who have a similar attitude and mindset. This group can be represented by… “Mary had a little lamb … its effortless mastery did show!” People often refer to these few as being the elite in their fields and as ‘a genius’. And yet, never forget what Professor Albert Einstein said about genius, ‘Genius is just simplicity done consistently.’ We take so much solace from this quote, and could we invite you to do likewise? Why is this one of my favourite quotes? Because Einstein points out that genius is within reach for all of us, given it is just the simple things done consistently. Dr. John F. Demartini shares a delightful nuance in his classic book, ‘How to Make a Hell of a Profit and Still Get to Heaven’… “To be a genius means listening to the voice of your soul, your inner being, and following its enlightened guidance.” People who play consistently in the ARTISTRY end of the Consistency Bell Curve have this trait; they have followed the promptings of their soul, using their innate skills and talents, coupled with the guts to act on the promptings of those quiet whisperings. Acclaimed artist Piet Mondrian said, “The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.” People in this group have dedicated thousands and thousands of hours to mastering their craft. From the eye of the person witnessing them in action, it appears like magic. And yet we love the quote, “Magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone would reasonably expect.” Some Final Thoughts and Suggestions Whilst the environment that a person operates in, or finds themselves in, can contribute to where they fit on the curve, the keys are their attitude and behaviours. People can move around the curve during their lifetime, progressing or regressing at different times. The challenge is to up-level the band which is your ‘centre of gravity.’ Where do you play most on the curve? What would be the positive implications if you could consciously move yourself along the curve and only regress occasionally? External influences, like family, friends, work or location, can all play a part to some extent in influencing where people fit on the curve. What has influenced you? Observing and learning from others is a good tool to use. The old adage that ‘Good people mix with and get along with good people’ might apply here. Call to Action: Make ‘bite-sized changes.’ Don’t try to move from one extreme (end of the curve) to the other end of the curve, either in one giant step or too quickly. Identify the change you want to make and how you want to achieve it. And then do it. The key is to retain your movement towards the right on the bell curve. Make this new position on the curve your centre of gravity, your new norm, and then continue to focus on opportunities to move along the curve. It's all about bite-sized chunks, which are easy to do. The added bonus is an increase in desire and motivation as you start to see the results. Reflection is a key component of any movement in behaviour. Whilst you always want to be moving forward, reflection is a useful tool to enable a ‘check-in’ regarding your progress and the next steps along the Consistency Bell Curve. And I use the word reflection deliberately. Reflection is not about looking back for too long. All you achieve is a sore neck! You also risk regressing and losing the change that has occurred. Finally, be practical (not too theoretical) in identifying and acting on any changes you want to achieve. Take action. Action ignites a shift that helps rewire your thinking. And when your thinking changes, miracles show up in a real and tangible way. Progress towards your goals and aspirations is maximised, even accelerated. A presupposition of the science of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is, ‘If it is possible for others, it is possible for you. It is just a question of how’. Making ‘mastery’ or ‘artistry’ your centre of gravity is possible for you, given others are already there. Those who know others are intelligent; those who know themselves are truly wise. Those who master others are strong; those who master themselves have true power. – Lao-Tzu Co-authored with Ian Stephens For more information on Enrich Training & Development, go to this link. For more information on Ian Stephens, go to this link. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Karina! Karina Stephens, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karina Stephens is an award-winning entrepreneur, author of The Pace of Grace, and creator of The Modern Day Alchemist Academy. She founded the award-winning enRich Retreat & Spa in 2012, winning the industry award for the best day spa in Australasia after only eight months. In her book, The Pace of Grace, Karina shares her personal story of completely healing from Adrenal Fatigue and guides readers on how to transform their energy in order to avoid being burnt out, stressed out, maxed out, and checked out. She is a transformational speaker and writer, sharing stories, philosophies, tools, and strategies on living life from an energetic perspective, focusing on frequency, vibration, and life force.

Written by: Aishwarya Gopalakrishnan, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you ever experienced this dilemma regarding a situation or multiple instances in your life where you are at crossroads between aligning your attitude towards being patient with it or just moving on to the next thing that’s “out there”? This could be anything from your career to your home, to your relationship to your business, etc. But have you ever caught yourself wondering, “How much more time should I wait to get what I want?” or “Should I really just move on? Should I change?” or “What am I doing wrong?” Or even “Life is too short to just keep waiting. Let me do something else instead” The past two years of my life have had multiple instances where I have questioned the above. Time and again, I questioned it. And it would frustrate me since, in some situations, you just cannot change, and in some situations, you just have to accept it for what it is. It is genuinely out of control. When I pondered over this dilemma further and combined it with some of my learnings through spirituality, I came to observe that oftentimes, it was not the action itself that I was impatient about. It is almost always the “outcome.” Hence, indirectly, I have been trying to dictate the outcome, and if the outcome is not what I “wanted” or “expected,” I will be frustrated with this forever. It drove me crazy because sometimes, life does not give you lemons to work with. It just stagnates and does not seem to be giving anything! It just stills down, and literally, everything seems to be on hold! That situation right there taught me some of the hardest lessons that I probably would have never come to learn otherwise. What are those? Let me share some of these in the list below: The first – Patience in a situation does not mean being patient to receive the outcome “you want.” It means being patient enough to observe and accept the wonderful things life is offering back at you. It means being patient about figuring out the beauty of the outcome that has happened, regardless of what you “expected,” rather than fixating on your expectation Life is too short does not mean you have to achieve “X” at a given time. We have all heard that life is not a race. But I want to emphasize another facet of this; Life is rich if you make your actions count. Hence, utilize the attitude of “Life is too short” for your actions rather than fixed outcomes. This empowers one to do more without being result driven. It is definitely about the journey & not the destination Have hopes but do not expect them. We have heard this one, this is an important one. Hope is that beautiful state of being in complete surrender to the universe. Hope considers that there can be more than one outcome; it considers that the outcome can be different than what you “fixed” in your mind. Expectation, on the other hand, comes from the need to control & dictate what the outcome should be. We all know that the ego loves that. This is a thin line to walk on since the universe will respond to gratitude rooted in surrender but not expectations that are rooted in fear. Prayer can be a powerful practice of asking the universe what you hope for. Action X does not Equal Outcome Y – This is one of the biggest lessons I have learned. Just because you want Y and in your own head you think doing X will get you, that does not mean you will. Everything is a 50% chance. Hence, the nicer way to live would probably be to ensure you enjoy doing the X without any thought to the outcome. Of course, the actions could be guided by your inner conscience, your heart, or even values & principles close to your heart, such as yogic principles. But that is an article for another day. To summarize, perform an action for action’s own sake. But be prepared for all possible outcomes. And, of course, hope for the very best! These lessons not only made my life better. But somehow, they have empowered me to enjoy life doing what I love rather than setting outcome goals that I used to. Now, I only set action goals that are more on “what to do” rather than “Y will happen if I do what I do.” This made me happier and helped solve my dilemma. Life is a journey, so I will probably add it to this list, but for now, if you too are in the same boat or situation, 😊 I hope this helps you too. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Aishwarya! Aishwarya Gopalakrishnan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Aishwarya is a blogger who is passionate about yoga, meditation, sustainability and spirituality. She is an avid yoga & mindfulness practitioner who is also certified in the two respectively. She believes in living a holistic lifestyle & strives to incorporate elements rooted in ancient principles such as ayurveda, yoga, mindfulness & living a sustainable lifestyle. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge through her blogs. She is currently working towards her passion project that is aimed at creating an atmosphere for seekers & yoga practitioners alike. She hopes to bring this to the community very soon. She is an MBA, with an engineering undergrad who is a management consultant by profession.

Written by: Brent Lowe, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. As a feedback tool, personal retrospectives work well, until they don't. The problem: ruinous empathy. Author Kim Scott coined the term as part of her Radical Candor feedback model. Ruinous empathy occurs at the intersection of two feedback behaviors. The first: a deep desire to maintain personal relationships and not “rock the boat.” The second: failing to say what needs to be said. The likelihood of ruinous empathy showing up in a personal retrospective is high. We have been programmed since childhood. If we don't have anything nice to say, we shouldn’t say anything at all. This is especially true when more than two people meet and social dynamics kick in. "I don't want to embarrass this person in front of others." "I'm concerned I'll hurt their feelings." "If I avoid saying hard things in their personal retrospective, they'll do the same for me." "I don't have the energy for a difficult conversation today." "Who am I to pass judgment?" For a business to survive and thrive, it requires feedback loops—information flowing through the team so the team can adapt. The best feedback loops occur when individuals notice and share patterns. For better or worse, specific actions influence a team’s results and need to be named. It's not a nice-to-have. It's critical. When we fail to say what needs to (or should) be said, everyone loses. Here are five tips for getting over the "avoidance" hurdle. Use one or more of these tips to have the healthiest, most productive personal retrospectives possible. Tip 1: Start the meeting with the right intention Consider using your own version of the following script at the beginning of each personal retrospective. "As we kick off this personal retrospective, let's commit to sharing our thoughts openly, honestly, respectfully and completely so we all learn and get better. I’m saying this first and foremost as a reminder to myself. Ready to do our best in caring about each other while also saying what needs to be said? Awesome! Let’s dive in." Tip 2: Set a challenge Stepping into difficult conversations is easier for some than it is for others. Consider challenging every participant to say–in a respectful, caring way–at least one thing that makes them a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it’s something they think will be difficult for others to hear. Maybe it’s exposing a personal vulnerability. Here’s a script to help you get started. “Let’s think of each of us as having one or two poker chips. The aim is for each of us to get rid of our chips before the conversation ends. To get rid of a chip, we need to say something challenging or uncomfortable–in a respectful way–with the desire of making our team function better.” Tip 3: Prepare to receive feedback Take a moment to remind everyone (yourself included) how to receive feedback. Being a good receiver starts with a willing mindset–an openness to personal discovery. Good receivers show gratitude for new information, even when they don’t agree with the feedback. They ask for what they need–more clarity, examples, or time to process. Lastly, they commit to thinking through the feedback and taking appropriate action. Tip 4: Make it safe We humans come wired to be tribal. If we feel our position or status in our tribe is at risk, we become fearful and defensive. When delivering tough messages, start by making the recipients feel safe... and do so without avoiding what needs to be said. Use phrases like: "I want to share an observation because I care about you / this team / our work together, and I hope it will be helpful." or "I valued your contributions on project ABC and see ways we can work better together next time." or "I want to see us all succeed together and have something to share–that's uncomfortable for me to say–in hopes that we can all benefit." Tip 5: Use a trained facilitator For personal retrospectives that are likely to include difficult conversations, consider asking for the support of a trained facilitator. Facilitators create a safe space for all involved while staying out of problem-solving mode. Building facilitation skills on your team is a worthwhile investment. Until those skills are adequately established, engaging outside practitioners is a good alternative. Tip 6: Take it offline Sometimes saying difficult things in a larger group is inappropriate or too hard. Immediately after the personal retro is over, speak with the person in question. "I have one more insight I'd like to share with you and didn't feel comfortable saying it in the larger group. Can I share it with you now?” Practice I've been through many personal retrospectives that were smooth, respectful, and helpful. That's the norm. And sometimes difficult topics need covering. Practice leaning into the discomfort with care, respect, and curiosity. See what you learn. Share this article before every personal retrospective. Use it as a helpful reminder for all involved. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Brent! Brent Lowe, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Brent is a leading performance coach helping founders show up as their best selves within thriving, purpose-driven teams. As the Scale Coach for Founder CEOs, Brent works with entrepreneurs and leaders who are growing the size and impact of their businesses to tackle local and global challenges. He is also the lead coach at BASE Associates, a premiere provider of support to early-stage businesses, and co-author of Lead Together: The bold, brave and intentional path to scaling your business. Brent's purpose is to accelerate positive progress in the world, one leader, one conversation, one aspiration at a time

Written by: Jen Barnes, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I've been thinking a lot about boundaries lately. In my 22-plus years in the mental health space, I’ve learned that few of us are taught boundaries when we are young. Instead, we were told to “just get along” or “play nice,” which often means avoiding conflict at all costs. Since setting boundaries sometimes results in conflict, that means we learn to avoid setting them and just go along with the status quo because, let’s face it, even fewer of us have been taught how to handle conflict effectively. But this is a problem because eventually, anger and resentment build up. I mean, when someone is violating your boundaries (even if you didn’t set them), it’s understandable you would get angry and resentful towards them. The problem is this anger and resentment often comes out in hurtful ways, ways that damage relationships and that aren’t aligned with who and how you want to be in the world. So then why don’t people set boundaries more often? My observation is that most people don’t set boundaries because they are afraid of someone getting mad, expressing anger towards them, or negatively impacting the relationship. Sometimes it’s because you have a long history of trauma that gets triggered by other people’s anger and sometimes, it’s because you don’t know what to do when someone gets angry with you and it feels uncomfortable. The truth is when you set boundaries, sometimes people will get mad. And they will likely direct that anger towards you, especially people who have been benefitingfrom your lack of boundaries. The thing is, their anger is not about you. Let me say that again: Their anger is NOT about YOU. At that moment, they are focused primarily on their needs and wants. At that moment, they are not considering your needs, wants, and values. They are not necessarily “bad” people; sometimes, they may not be aware of how you are feeling. This is why you need to communicate your boundaries in the first place, preferably sooner rather than later, so you can do it kindly. So what if you do set boundaries and someone gets mad? Here are some things to try: Acknowledge and validate your own feelings inside yourself about their response To them, acknowledge that you notice they are feeling upset and validate their feelings (few people like not getting their way) If they are being nasty or aggressive in some way, let them know that their anger is understandable and okay with you, but that {describethe behavior specifically without generalization or name-calling} is not okay. If you are open to discussion on the boundary (i.e., possibly compromising), you could let them know you are happy to chat more about it when you are both in calmer head space. If you are not open to compromising or discussing the boundary further, you can let them know that while you understand they are feeling upset, this is what you are going to do/need right now. If they continue to fight with you, use the broken record approach. Let them know that you understand they are upset, and then restate your boundary. Do this over and over until they get it (sometimes over several conversations) or until you or they end the conversation about it. With kids and people who are used to getting their way with you, you may have to continue to repeat this boundary several times over a longer period until they see you mean it. This is especially true if you haven’t been communicating your boundaries in this relationship. You do not need to explain your boundary unless you want to. As a chronic over-explainer (I mean, if you’re a reader, you likely have realized this about me), I often remind myself that “no” is a complete sentence. When you start setting boundaries in line with your values, some people will stay, and others will leave; both are good things. Because what kind of relationship is it really if someone has been benefiting from your discomfort and who is unwilling to stay in the relationship unless it stays that way? There is always more to say about boundaries (especially boundaries in the workplace, which is a whole other topic), but for now, I’ll leave you with a favorite quote from Dr. Brene Brown. Her research demonstrates that the most compassionate people are also the most boundary-conscious people. "Very early on in my work, I had discovered that the most compassionate people I interviewed also have the most well-defined and well-respected boundaries. It surprised me at the time, but now I get it. They assume that other people are doing the best they can, but they also ask for what they need, and they don’t put up with a lot of crap. Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.” ‒ BreneBrown (emphasis mine) Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jen! Jen Barnes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jen Barnes is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Minneapolis, MN. She specializes in complex trauma, PTSD, stress, and grief. The daughter and sister of nurses, she has a passion for empowering nurses to build resilience. She has worked with nurses 1:1 hoping to expand her reaching to a broader audience. In 2021 she completed the Dare to Lead certificate program in order to more effectively address organizational challenges in healthcare. Most recently, she spoke at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses’s 2022 NTI conference on Building Resilience in Nursing.

Written by: Debbie Gill, Senior Level Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I was stuck; then, I fell hopelessly into a bottomless abyss. I was about to lose everything; my job, home, identity. I had nowhere to go, so I said a prayer and asked for help. Miracles do happen. I am one of them. As I was growing up, it was ingrained in me to never depend on a man, primarily for financial reasons. So I never did—until I remarried. The result was indeed one of the best gifts I have ever received in my life. At the time, though, I thought I was going to die. “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” ‒ Ralph Waldo Emerson Staring death in the face, I made a decision. It was only a thought, not an action, but the idea of creating a new life elicited a feeling of happiness and joy. What would it be like to live life differently, to be a different person? I began to read about changing your habits and beliefs. I started to reprogram my mind by taking words that were disempowering out of my vocabulary, like try, probably, deserve, and blame. I learned about the power of now and the power of intention. I meditated daily, bringing myself into the present moment and letting go of what I wanted, allowing and accepting what was. Slowly, I began to feel unlike ever before; I felt free and untethered. Suddenly, the realm of the energetic world was working instead of my physical world. Synchronicities, miracles, and manifestations began to occur. Sometimes, I admit, I didn’t know how they were happening, but I knew I was doing the work. “I allow the healing power in my body to manifest perfect health.” ‒ Louise Hay I took massive leaps of faith that resulted in absolute positives. I even woke up one morning and said I was done with all the pain and medication I had from a lightning strike years earlier. In two weeks, I had no pain and no withdrawal. Money dropped in my lap. I won it spontaneously and intuitively created a mini-fortune by selecting a specific stock that increased 5,900% in 10 years! After reflecting on why and how the healings and manifestations occurred in my life, I realized I was living totally in the present moment and creating. If you remember past grievances, you are living in the past. If those past feelings stay in you, you’ll use them in your future. You cannot heal or manifest anything unless you are in the present moment. Changing your life is work, but I know it is worth it. If it were easy, wouldn’t everyone live their dreams and have a life where everything is possible? To learn more about how you can transform your life, schedule your free 15-minute session with me now. It can be the first day of the rest of your life! Debbie Gill, Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Coach Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Debbie! Debbie Gill, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Debbie Gill is the founder of Go Within Spiritual Coaching and Go Within Yoga. She integrates her knowledge and experience as a spiritual coach and yoga teacher with the wisdom of Caroline Myss, a Medical Intuitive and five-time New York Times bestselling author, Anodea Judith, an expert on the Chakra System, somatic therapy, and yoga, and Lion Goodman, creator of the Clear Beliefs® Process. As a Certified Clear Beliefs® Coach, Debbie can assist you with clearing core beliefs that hold you back from becoming your true self and living your true purpose through the Clear Beliefs Process® (CBP). The CBP is a set of tools and techniques that frees you from past limitations so you can freely choose your beliefs and live an empowered and more fulfilling life. Debbie is the author of, Struck by Lightning: My Journey from the Shadow to the Light, where she chronicles her life’s struggles with her shadow aspects and addictions. The spiritual memoir reflects her emergence from the shadow caused by traumatic wounds to the light where truth brings awareness and healing. A grateful recovering alcoholic since June 6, 2000, she lives the 12-Steps of AA and practices its principles in her daily life and continues her study at CMED with Myss and Judith and Goodman.

In the days when only what we now call traditional commerce existed, you’d go down to a shop or market, look at the items available, choose what you needed, and pay. With ecommerce, this process has been reduced to a few clicks. While many still prefer traditional commerce, online retail is becoming more and more popular, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Major Differences Traditional commerce focuses on the exchange of products and services. It involves carrying out an exchange of information or commercial transactions online. With ecommerce, transactions are processed automatically, while traditional commercial transactions are processed manually. You can buy and sell goods at any time in ecommerce. In traditional commerce, this is only possible during business hours. Inspecting Items Before Purchase One distinct downside of ecommerce is that the buyer can’t inspect items physically prior to purchase. If you don’t like the item, you need to go through the process of returning it and asking for a refund. Not all online retailers make this simple or even possible. You can physically inspect an item in traditional commerce, but what you see displayed in the store isn’t always what you’ll get from storage. There can be some similarities between the two in this case. Sellers and buyers interact directly in traditio Reach In ecommerce, the business can have worldwide reach. In traditional commerce, it is limited to a specific geographical area. Traditional commerce organizations might have to rely on go-betweens for information because there is no fixed platform for information exchange. The online channel is the universal platform in ecommerce. This makes ecommerce businesses less reliant on people for information. Specifics of Building an Ecommerce Site On the subject of platforms, there are specifics to those used to build an ecommerce website. Here are a few key features to look for. Ease of Use Consider how much time you’re willing to spend to learn your way around the ecommerce platform. Choose a straightforward platform if you’re not particularly tech-savvy. Your platform of choice should allow you to create a beautiful website without stressing you out. Analytics The platform should have inbuilt analytics to track the most important performance metrics. You need to track sales conversion rates, average order value, churn rate, customer lifetime value, etc. The platform should integrate with a third-party analytics tool if it doesn’t have these tracking options. Payment Processing The best ecommerce platforms offer multiple payment options to make buyers more likely to go through with their purchases and reduce friction during checkout. Ideally, your platform should accept popular methods, like Stripe and PayPal. Mobile-optimized There were more than 173 million mobile buyers in June 2021 in the US, according to data from eMarketer. Your site needs to be mobile-friendly as this number is only expected to increase in the future. Shoppers should be able to browse the site easily and buy products from their devices. Support Even the simplest ecommerce platform will require support eventually. You need it to be fast and accessible when that time comes. Support options should include email, live chat, phone, and ideally, a forum or another self-help option. SEO-friendly When someone searches for the products or services you offer, the online store should come up in the search results. You need an SEO-friendly ecommerce platform. Choose one that allows you to publish customer reviews, use your own domain, and add content – not just product descriptions but also a blog. This will help generate traffic organically. Apps and Integrations Apps and integrations are important if you want to make sure the platform integrates with inventory management, accounting, email marketing, and any other tools you already use. Other Differences Between Traditional Commerce and Ecommerce Ecommerce is focused on demand, while traditional commerce is concerned with supply. A linear business relationship characterizes traditional commerce. In ecommerce, the relationship is horizontal due to direct command. Traditional commerce features mass marketing due to standardization. Ecommerce is customizable, which results in one-to-one marketing. A final and obvious difference lies in the payment method. In ecommerce, you can only pay electronically, while in traditional, you can still pay cash.

Written by: Stephanie J Ford, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. In the real estate industry, the rumor is that only 20% of the real estate professionals actually work and make money, while the other 80% are trying to figure it out. According to Wikipedia, this is known as the Pareto Principle. I have been in the real estate business for 19 years, and I feel that this is the truth and not a rumor. People become a part of the real estate industry and think that the business will instantly flow because now they have a title and have started a new real estate career. This is furthest from the truth. The 20% that actually make money in this industry work hard to get to where they are and where they want to be. You can argue that people are born that way. However, I believe that work ethic can be taught. The biggest obstacles to any business or career is time, money, knowledge and resources. The real estate industry is no different. One of the misconceptions with a real estate career or business is thinking that time availability is plentiful. Therefore you mistakenly take your free time, wasting time where you should be making the most of it to generate more income or improvements to your business. It is easy to sell one house and make a huge profit. I remember when I was heavy in sales and running all over the place, a realtor in my office made a commission of $80,000. Can you imagine making $80,000 at one time? Wow, that’s a lot of money! Most people will feel as though they don’t have to work for the rest of the year because they have everything covered financially. Let's call this group of workers the 80% group. This is not true for the 20% group of workers because they know that money runs low really quick if you don’t keep pushing ahead. The realtor that made the $80,000 commission decided to purchase a new car, take an extended vacation and spend as much money as possible. Well, in three months, he was broke and asked a friend to help pay his light bill. Now, if he were in the 20% group, then he would have kept working to put more money back for a rainy day. Rainy days do come and they can't be avoided. One of the main differences between the 20% worker and the 80% worker is that the 20% worker is never satisfied with being mediocre. They always strive for more. How do you become a 20% worker? First, you set goals. Your goal setting should always include what you want to accomplish from your business/career. Most people fail at things because this very first and crucial step is never set and put in writing. If I were to ask you your goals for your business and you couldn't tell me without stammering or looking puzzled, then you need to go back to the drawing board. Your goals should include the present, the future and the very far future. I asked a potential client where he could see himself in five years, and his response was, I'll tell you tomorrow so I can put it on paper. Well, that let me know that he was part of the 80% group of workers and that he needed to continue to work a nine to five J-O-B. Second, you will need to find a funding source so you can execute your goals. Most goals never move from the paper because people have a lack of resources, aka money. Several times I hear I would do this if I had the money. Well, if you don't have it, then go get it. Will this mean that you have may have to work a little longer before your plan is executed? Yes, but so what. The more you work to gain resources then the closer you will come to execute your plans. I was talking to someone recently that lost their job. Now initially, they didn't seek employment because they figured that they would play the stock market day trading. While I do believe that day trading can be a lucrative business, I don't believe that it should be your only source of income. This especially is true if you are unemployed and you are already robbing Peter to pay Paul. A good business person should always have multiple sources of income in case one goes south. Never be too proud to ask for help or turn down employment because it's not your cup of tea. You can always seek funding from private lenders, a bank, or a friend to accomplish your goals. Third-get rid of distractions. This is huge. Distractions come in all shapes and sizes. Television, the telephone and frivolous things can be major distractions. I haven't ever been a big fan of watching television because I felt that I could better spend time doing something else. I’m not saying that I never watch television. Let's just say that I have a lot of working television breaks. If I am at home at night or on the weekend, you will always see me with my laptop open, working on something while I glimpse at the television. While I do have my favorite shows that I will put the computer down to watch but I won't sit for hours and binge-watch anything. The second type of major distraction is the telephone. The telephone will have you standing in one place, wiping that same spot on the counter for thirty minutes and often an hour or so. Telephone conversations often are a waste of time. Have you ever gotten that phone call from someone telling you about a show that you can really care nothing about? I get those all the time. Or maybe you have gotten that phone call where the person talks nonstop and you don't get two words in. Whew! I feel like after those conversations that I need to take a nap just to rejuvenate myself. One of my biggest pet peeves is for someone to call me during working hours just to talk about nothing. Well, I politely tell then that I have to go finish my job and I'll catch up with them later. Fourth execute your goals. If you did everything that I told you in the first three steps then this should come like a piece of cake. In executing your goals set aside time. It's so easy to say that you ran out of time but you have to make time for what you want. If it’s not important enough to you then you will not be willing to make the time for it. It’s true when people say the early bird gets the worm. When I wake up earlier, I get so much more accomplished than if I woke up late. Time is very precious and it’s the one thing that you can't get back. Last but not least if you don't accomplish what you set out to do dust off yourself and try again. Remember it's a marathon not a race. I have been self-employed for nineteen years and I have operated in the 20% worker group even when I worked for corporate America. The benefits financially and mentally have given me a peace of mind that I could never have by being in the 80% worker group. The tips and advice from a coaching program such as She-Vestor Coaching will help you get to the 20% work group, stay there, pay off debt and set your family up for generational wealth. The long-term benefits outweigh the cost. Stephanie J Ford aka She-Vestor Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, or visit my website for more info! Stephanie J Ford, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Stephanie Ford, a real estate veteran has mastered the art of real estate through real estate investing, coaching and construction. A college marriage left her in $60,000 in debt. Her only way to rebuild herself was through a career as a realtor. Years later she obtained her Real Estate Brokers license, homebuilders license and started a career as a real estate investor. Stephanie talks about her experiences in her book, “She-Vestor: Building My Real Estate Empire.” Stephanie never lets anything hinder her from obtaining what she wants and she excels in whatever she puts her mind to. Her motto is “There are not any failures in life, just opportunities to improve yourself before the next journey.”