The Most Important Question to Always Ask: Does it Help Me Achieve My Goals?

Why do so many people not get what they want out of life?

Why do so many people find themselves falling into jobs they don’t really want? Or living places that don’t make them happy? Or with lifestyles that they find stressful?

How does someone go from dreaming of being a rock star to being locked in an office to enter data onto a spreadsheet?

Well, there are many factors. But it usually starts by not clearly defining your goals or what you want. Because until you know exactly what it is you actually want, how can you possibly expect to get it?

That means it isn’t good enough to decide you want to be ‘rich’, you need to know what you want to do to become rich. What kind of work you enjoy, how many hours you’re willing to work etc.

Likewise, if you hope to become a rock star, then you might want to think about how you actually intend to make that happen. What does being a ‘rock star’ entail for you and how are you going to make it happen? What would you settle for?

And when you make all these decisions, you need to ensure that this is truly what you’re passionate about – that your intended goal is something that you enjoy thinking about, enjoy working on and can’t wait to make a reality.

• The Simple Way to Make Decisions

The reason this is all so important is that it will then allow you to make all your future decisions that much more easily. This is going to act like your barometer and your road map, to help you to get to the end destination that you want. 

Now, whenever you find yourself making a decision, the question to ask is: does it help you achieve your goals?

So for instance, if you’re umming and having over buying an expensive piece of equipment, then the simplest way to decide if it is a good idea or not is to ask if it will help you to accomplish your goals. Likewise, if you’re unsure about where to live, or whether you should take a particular job opportunity, ask whether the decision is going to take you nearer or further from your goals.

The problem with many people who aren’t quite sure what they want is that their objectives end up on a kind of back burner and that other things seem to start getting in the way.

But if you really want to achieve something amazing – if you have a dream business idea that you really want to make happen – then you need to make this your priority and you need to change the way you think about everything else.

And it shouldn’t feel like a sacrifice either. Because if you really love what you’re working toward then it will mean fully embracing the thing you really want to be doing anyway. You just need to find what that passion is…

Written by Yola Bastos
yolabastos@womenflix.org
https://linktr.ee/LifeCoachWomenFlix  
Women Flix, Supporting Women all the way to Success!  
Women Flix Limited, a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales (company no. 13047578 ). 

Why it’s Never too Late to be What You Always Wanted to Be

Many of us wanted to be amazing things when we were younger. Some of us wanted to be astronauts, some of us wanted to be rock stars and some of us wanted to be rock stars. Maybe you dreamed of owning your own business.

Then you reached your twenties and realized that achieving those dreams was harder than you thought and that you needed money faster. So you start working a regular job in the meantime. Then you reach 30 and have a spouse and kids. Then you reach 40 and realize you’re old and tired. And in short, you realize that you’re never going to be that thing you always wanted to be.

Dreams are for younger people, right?

• Why Dreams Get Easier, the Older You Get

This is certainly the stance taken by many people but in reality, the opposite should be true. As long as you hold on to those dreams, they actually often become more attainable the older you get.

Why? For starters, being older gives you more experience and means you’re going to have a better idea of how to go after what you want. Then there’s the fact that you’ll have had longer to accumulate useful assets. That includes money – you’ll have more funds to put behind you – but also other intangible and tangible assets such as property, contacts, a better CV etc.

And if you’re retired, or if your children have moved away from home, then you’ll have more time as well.

And if you combine all that with a savvy knowledge of how to leverage your age, there’s no reason that you can’t get things done even when you’re older.

• Some Examples…

Many people want to be actors for example but never get around to it when they’re younger. When you’re older, however, you have the option of applying to appear as an extra in films and to play bit parts. You have the time now to attend and the older you are, the more in-demand you’ll find you become for smaller roles. Build up a CV and who knows!

Or you could start a YouTube channel. Silver surfers make up a massive proportion of the web and there isn’t as much content there for them. You could make a fitness YouTube channel for over 50s for example and it would likely be a huge hit.

You’ll likewise have more time to write books and more time to pursue hobbies. And if you can’t become an astronaut (admittedly unlikely), then how about signing up for a Virgin Galactic flight? If you can’t be a football player, you could certainly maybe be a coach or join an older team.

And this post isn’t just for people in their 80s. It applies to those in their 40s too. Did you know that the average age for successful startup founders is 40? Did you know that you’re twice as likely to start a successful business at the age of 55 as you are at 20-34? 

Never give up. 

Written by Yola Bastos
yolabastos@womenflix.org
https://linktr.ee/yolatvbastos

Women Flix, Supporting Women all the way to Success!  
Women Flix Limited, a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales (company no. 13047578 ). 

Yes! You Really Can Launch That Dream Start-Up Business

 

They say that all of us have a book in us but it’s also true that all of us have an idea in us. Nearly everyone will have at some point had an idea for a business, for a product, for an app, or for a service. We all have ideas that we think could make money, maybe even have a positive impact on the world.

The problem is that we don’t have the know-how to make it happen or the time. Or money.

So, the question then, is how you take that chance and how you build a business even if you don’t just so happen to have a ton of experience, financial backing and all the right contacts. Let’s take a look at what you need to do…

• Start Now!

The first thing to do is to start your business right now. Too many of us mistakenly make the assumption that we need to quit our current jobs and then put all of our resources, time and effort into our businesses. It’s ‘all or nothing’ and there’s no way you can start a business half-heartedly…

Except that’s not true. In fact, there’s no reason that you can’t start your business in the evenings and weekends. Even if you just start a ‘shell’ of your business, it’s better to test that the idea has legs before you invest a lot of time and money into it. 

Start a website in the evenings, start buying and selling shirts in small quantities with a small budget. Just start now and only once you know you can earn a full-time salary do you need to consider quitting your current job.

• Bootstrap

Another reason a lot of people hold themselves back from starting a dream business is that they don’t have the funds that they believe they need. If you’re planning on selling a product you invented for example, then you will probably make the assumption that you need to invest in a large order (called the MOQ – Minimum Order Quantity) to start.

In fact, though, you can once again get by without doing that. One way around the problem is to start your business with two revenue streams, or maybe three. Find a way to start raising capital through your other services or products and then only once you’re making more money do you invest in R&D or large bulk orders.

For instance, you might sell a hand-made product and use that money to invest in manufacturing!

Otherwise, you can also get funding in a range of other ways. How about Kickstarter? This way you can generate funds from the web and not even need to give away any of your equity! Or how about a PayPal loan that won’t impact your credit score?

• Fail Fast

Another tip is to create an MVP – or Minimal Viable Product – and to start trying to make money from it as soon as possible. This is simply a way to test your business model before you invest too much in it. Don’t make the mistake of investing in an idea that you have no proof will work and don’t put off getting your business up and running. You can refine it once you’re live!

Written by Yola Bastos
yolabastos@womenflix.org
https://linktr.ee/yolatvbastos
Women Flix, Supporting Women all the way to Success!  
Women Flix Limited, a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales (company no. 13047578 ). 

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Almost all of us have this one common destructive daily habit, that is, to compare ourselves to others. We compare houses, jobs, phones, cars, relationships, money, and social position and so on. What this habit does is creates negativity within us and this may also reflect in our behaviour. So what should we do? How can we get rid of this habit of comparing? If this is what you are now thinking, then the three tips given below will surely prove to be of help.

1. Understand that you never will win if you do not stop comparing

Even if you keep repeating this in your mind, and realize this consciously, it will help. Despite whatever you do, how much efforts you put in, how hard you strive, there always has to be someone who is better than you or has more than you.

Of course, you may feel nice if you buy a new smartphone which is better than the one your colleague has. But pretty soon you will find someone who has a phone better than yours. So, understand that comparing is futile.

2. If at all, compare yourself only to yourself

Rather than comparing yourself with others, it will be better if you develop the habit of comparing yourself to your own self. Sit back and think how much you have progressed, how much you have grown, and how close you have reached towards your aims.

This habit will help develop kindness, appreciation, and gratitude towards yourself as you notice how much you have done, and all the hurdles you have crossed. So you will be feeling good about yourself without feeling less of others.

It will be a good idea to make this a habit, say by spending a few minutes every weekend to write down how much you have achieved, how closer you now are to your life goals, what you have learned, etc.

3. Learn to be kind

Perhaps you never might have even imagined so, but the way you behave with others also has an impact on how you think about yourself. If you have this habit of always criticizing and judging others, chances are bright you will also criticize and judge yourself often, even if unconsciously. So, try to help others and be kinder to them and you automatically will learn to be kinder to yourself.

Just try to focus on the positive things in life, the positives in others, and the positives within yourself. The more you start seeing just the good things in others and in yourself, you gradually will stop comparing, and lead a happier and more satisfying life.

Written by Yola Bastos
yolabastos@womenflix.org
https://linktr.ee/LifeCoachWomenFlix  

Women Flix, Supporting Women all the way to Success!  

Women Flix Limited, a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales (company no. 13047578 ). 

How To Find Your Calling In Life

Many people go around perplexed about their calling in life. Some might wonder what their calling in life has to do with anything. There is a good reason for people to think about their life calling. The reason is that most people need to feel a higher cause for their lives and existence. Most people have a spiritual side. They need to feel that they aren't born to just live through a series of experiences, just to die.

They need to feel that there are reasons why they experience the things that they do. They need to feel that they, or we can use the various experiences that we go through in life for a higher calling or good.

So, with all of this said, just how does one go about finding their calling in life? There are many ways to go about this task. For one thing, a person can set aside some time for contemplation and meditation. As a matter of fact, deep contemplation and meditation are necessary for this accomplishment. So find a nice quiet place that allows you to open up your mind. Think about the things that you have experienced so far in your life. Joyful or painful, those experiences have taught you something about people, and about yourself. Think about how you handled those situations. Did you learn how to handle the situation in a healthy way? Did you handle things in an unhealthy way? Do you know the difference? All of these questions and more can be clues to finding your calling in life.

Particularly for those who have lived lives full of pain and suffering, using those experiences to find your life purpose can be healing. If people thought that they were simply suffering in vain, then this could make a person feel that they have no worth, or that their lives don't matter. If they can share their sufferings, and how they overcame those sufferings, then they now have a life purpose. Their purpose could be uplifting others who have suffered the same fate. You could become a light of hope and aspiration to those who might feel that nobody understands what they are going through.

Another way to find your calling in life is to meditate and contemplate the things that make you happy, and that makes you feel joy. Wouldn't it be great to be able to use your energy, especially professionally doing the things that bring happiness and joy to others? Of course, it would! So take the time to calculate out how you can use your positive energy and light as the purpose of your life.

Finding your life purpose can take years, and sometimes it takes all of your life to look back, and realize what your purpose in life was. However, once you find it, you will find such a sense of fulfilment and peace that others who don't realize their life purpose will never have.

Written by Yola Bastos

yolabastos@womenflix.org

https://linktr.ee/LifeCoachWomenFlix  

Women Flix, Supporting Women all the way to Success!  

Women Flix Limited, a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales (company no. 13047578 ). 

5 Tips To Avoid Being Negative

Everyone does get negative at some point in his or her life. Whether it is at work or home negative situations happen almost all the time. It is rather unfortunate that we cannot avoid them and thus beg the question of how can we change these negative thoughts to positive ones. It is important to be positive in adverse situations, even though it might sound hard or rather impossible, it is very much possible to stay positive no matter the situation. Learning the power of positive thinking assists us to remain in a positive state of mind even in the midst of a tragedy. Additionally, knowing how to convert that negative energy into positive energy can lead to a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.

5 Tips To Avoid Being Negative

I have come up with five ways of how you can avoid being negative and when you put this five key points in mind you will be cheerful and even see some light of positivity in any situation that you may encounter.

1. Stay around positive people.

Hanging out with positive people will certainly help you stay positive. You should avoid negative people because they will only rub off their negativity off on you. They will bring you down from trying to achieve positivity to be a cynical person once more.

2. Remind yourself what you are grateful for.

In negative situations, we tend to find ourselves thinking of the good things in our lives. You should voice those good thoughts and practice gratitude. Develop a culture of talking about the good things that happen to you other than focusing on the bad ones. Also, it is ideal to keep a journal of all the good things that you have done on a daily basis. By acknowledging what you are grateful and thankful for will help you nature a grateful heart and mind, even in adverse situations.

3. Own up to your mistakes.

If you mess up, take responsibility. If you do something good, reward yourself. Do not blame other people for things that are your fault. This only brings negative energy towards you by thinking about all the negative things about that situation. Instead, accept the situation as it is and move on with life.

4. Avoid drama in your life.

Drama is an unfortunate and nasty characteristic to have. Part of avoiding drama is preventing dramatic people. Avert the gossip at all cost. It will do you no good and only helps to spread negativity.

5. Be kind to people.

By being kind, you will not have time for negative thoughts. Do various acts of kindness every day. This will keep you in a happy spirit. Besides, karma will also pay you back handsomely for your kind deeds.

Conclusion.

Negativity is everywhere, heck even in weddings, days that are considered to be the happiest days in a person's life. You will most likely find some few negative people there. 

It is important to transform yourself into a positive thinker since you will end up living a happy and healthy life. So be positive, and life will be positive with you.

Written by Yola Bastos

Women Flix, Supporting women all the way to success.

https://linktr.ee/LifeCoachWomenFlix

How to Market on Social Media and Gain More Followers

 

Using social media to grow your business, generate leads, and build your brand may seem like a monumental task. However, there are specific things that you can do to increase your chances of success. Whether you are just getting started with marketing your business on social media or have been active on sites like Twitter and Facebook for years, but haven't achieved much success, here are some proven techniques to help you gain more followers.  

• Create a Plan

If you don’t take the time to plan your social media marketing strategy, you will never achieve success. Don’t make the mistake of blindly jumping into social media without a solid plan. Your plan should consist of mini-plans for each of the social media platforms that you plan to use.  

• Post Consistently

Sending out a single tweet in a day isn’t going to cut it. While certain platforms like Snapchat and Instagram don't move as fast as Twitter and Facebook, it still is essential to develop a posting schedule and stick to it. If you aren’t publishing new content on a regular basis, your business will quickly be forgotten. 

• Post More Images

Photos have been shown to be the most popular kind of content for engagement on social media. They continue to be the most shared kind of post on Facebook. It’s not a coincidence that both Pinterest and Instagram have been able to gain a ton of traction over the last several years. It’s never been easier to add images to your social media posts with a vast array of free and low-cost tools to help. 

• Interact with Your Audience

Interacting with your audience on your social media channels can be a game-changer. The entire purpose of social media is to engage and socialize with others. This means it is imperative for you to interact on a regular basis with your audience. Engaging with your audience means replying to other people's posts, retweeting, adding people to Twitter lists, liking posts, and adding @mentions to your posts. It is essential for you to switch from one-way communication to two-way communication if you want to build your audience.

With these social media marketing tips, you’ll be well on your way to establishing your brand and building an engaging and valuable audience across all your social media channels. Some of the largest brands have found success with these tactics, and they can work for your business too. 

Written by Yola Bastos

Women Flix, Supporting women all the way to success.

https://linktr.ee/LifeCoachWomenFlix

3 Ways to Build a Loyal YouTube Audience

Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has become a mainstream social media platform with more than 2 billion unique viewers flocking to the site every day. Once a small niche market, online video has quickly moved into the mainstream and become a regular part of our media consumption. With online video viewing surpassing some of the largest television ratings, it can be difficult for small businesses to stand out in the sea of content. Here are three ways that you can increase your discovery rate and build a loyal audience on YouTube. 

• Create Meaningful Content

YouTube audiences are fickle, and they are always just a single click away from jumping over to the next video. So, while the saying, “content is king,” still holds true, the key to getting your videos discovered is to create content that will add value to your target audience. It doesn’t matter which creative format you use, be it interviews, how-tos, news-focused, or a scripted web series, you need to make sure they give people a reason to view and share your videos. 

• Brand and Package Consistently

The most significant challenge that everyone faces on YouTube is getting viewers to come back after they've viewed the original video. Having a viral hit is nothing more than short-term success. To get people to go back to your channel, you have to give them a reason to. This is why branding and packaging are so crucial. Your brand serves as a navigation marker in the sea of online videos. Creating content with a strong point of view will help define your brand. This will also help you position yourself as an expert in your industry. 

The packaging of your video is the branding that is expressed around your content. 

For this, you can include graphic intros or end cards that display your URL or YouTube channel name. 

This helps to reinforce your brand, so people don’t have to guess what they are watching. 

• Optimize Your Video

When it comes to being found online, it’s all about SEO. The same rules that apply to making your website or blog discoverable, apply to your online videos. YouTube has become the second largest search platform, so when people go to YouTube, they are often searching for something specific. Optimize your videos by creating clever titles and descriptions with relevant keywords. This will help viewers find your content.

These three strategies are some of the best ways to develop and build your audience on YouTube. They have proven successful for reaching beyond the hype of creating viral videos and moving toward your business being able to build a consistent and genuine community.  

Written by Yola Bastos

Women Flix, Supporting women all the way to success.

https://linktr.ee/LifeCoachWomenFlix

5 Guaranteed Ways to Get More Fans on Facebook

  

Today, an estimated 40 million small businesses are using Facebook to promote their business and connect with their customers. Trying to attract new "likes" to your page can be a challenge, but one that is well worth the effort. 

One study found that the average value of a single Facebook fan is $174. While this number varies depending on your business and industry, capturing the loyalty of your target audience is essential. 

Here are five guaranteed ways to attract more visitors and garner more fans on Facebook.

1. Images

A regular part of your Facebook content strategy should revolve around images. Posting captivating and relevant pictures to your Facebook page is an excellent way for you to increase engagement with your audience. As your audience shares the photos that you post, you'll begin to see a boost in your reach, leading to more exposure and fans.

2. Produce Great Content

One of the quickest ways to lose fans is by posting less than stellar content. The most common reason people will, unlike a brand page, is because the business continues to post uninteresting content. Keep more of the fans that you've already gained by creating engaging content that adds value and meets the needs of your audience.

3. Hold a Contest

People love to win stuff. Holding a contest on your business Facebook page is still a great way to persuade people to like your page. It is essential to spread the word about the contest on your website as well as sending the information about it to your email list. If the contest is inventive enough, you'll be able to spread your reach even further and gain more fans. Just make sure that you make "liking" your page a requirement for your contest.  

4. Buy Them

Facebook has some of the most targeted advertising at your disposal. You can use Facebook advertisements to drive more people to your page with the hopes of converting them into fans. With this method, it is crucial that you have a compelling call to action on your page to turn these new fans into customers.

5. Cross-Promote 

A part of your overall social media strategy should include cross-promoting your content across multiple social media platforms. Drive some of your Twitter or YouTube followers over to your Facebook page by providing them with high-quality content and quality engagement on your Facebook fan page.

Just like with all your marketing efforts, it is going to take some time to build your fan base on Facebook. By creating great content and engaging with your audience you’ll turn your Facebook Fan page into a thriving community. 

Written by Yola Bastos

Women Flix, Supporting women all the way to success.

https://linktr.ee/LifeCoachWomenFlix