Best Types Of Facebook Content

 

What Are The Best Types Of Facebook Content?

The correct answer to this question will always be “whatever your audience wants” but that would mean that this article would be very short so we will give you some useful pointers here. The type of content that you post on Facebook will certainly affect your engagement rates and the traffic that you get from the platform.

• Your Facebook Page

Before we get into the different types of content that get the best results let’s talk about your Facebook Page. You need to make this as attractive as possible to your audience and this means that your cover photo needs to be good and so does your intro and the other components.

Pay careful attention to your cover photo. If this is of poor quality or looks like a 5-year-old created it then this will certainly put users off. Nobody is going to look at any of your content if your Facebook Page sucks.

• High-Quality Image

Facebook is a very visual medium. Users want to see good images that inform and entertain them. Don’t just get a lot of stock photos and use these. Take photographs of yourself and other people in your business.

Images with captions on them are good for getting clicks through to your website. You do not need to be a Photoshop genius to create striking captions for your images. You can use free online tools such as Canva.com to add good looking captions for free.

Try to use images that are related to your niche. If you own a restaurant, for example, post images of your best dishes and the décor of your establishment. Take pictures of your kitchen and the people that work in it.

Get busy with your camera and take as many interesting photographs as you can. People share a lot of photographs on Facebook so you need to do the same. Humorous images work well as do pictures of beauty.

• Use Native Video

Did you know that each day on Facebook users views over 8 billion videos? This shouldn’t surprise you as the video is really popular these days with sites like YouTube.com keeping people informed and entertained all of the time.

It is natural for you to create videos about your business and upload them to YouTube because it is the largest video platform. But if you just add links to YouTube videos in your Facebook posts you will miss out on a lot of potential views.

We recommend that you create videos just for Facebook and upload these natively to the platform. Facebook will always give native videos a higher priority than links to external video platforms.

Facebook users like native videos as well as they do not have to leave the social network to view them. Create square style videos especially for your Facebook posts. There are several online tools that will help you to do this. As most people use mobile devices to log in to Facebook, square videos just look a lot better in their news feeds.

• Short Posts are better

Make your Facebook posts as short as you can. Facebook users do not want to read a 1,000-word post. Provide some interesting facts about the long post on your website and let the user click through if they want to read more.

Written by Yola Bastos

Co-Founder

Women Flix

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 ). 

Avoid These Facebook Mistakes

Avoid These Facebook Mistakes

If you want to drive the maximum amount of free traffic from Facebook then you need to avoid the mistakes that a lot of other marketers make. A lot of people have a tendency to just jump right in where Facebook is concerned and end up with no results or even having their accounts closed.

• Facebook is not an Advertising Platform

You cannot just set up a Facebook Page and then start advertising your offers. This will be seen as spam and your account could be closed very fast. Facebook is a social network so you need to follow the rules to get the best results.

Your first job is to connect with your audience. Provide value in your posts and offer some things for free. Getting your audience to know, like and trust you is the most important thing. It is OK to make some promotional posts but don’t do this all of the time. Facebook users will quickly lose interest in you if you are all about self-promotion.

People use Facebook to connect with their friends and family and have fun. They do not tend to use the platform to buy stuff. So you need to use the gentle art of persuasion to get them into your sales funnel. Provide them with value first and then tell them about what you have to offer.

• Don’t Use Clickbait

Facebook is clamping down hard on clickbait posts. A few years ago you could use clickbait to get lots of views to your posts but not anymore. A clickbait post is one that deliberately misleads the user and often has a high degree of sensationalism associated with it.

How would you feel if you read a post title that said something like “the real secret to making money online” and then you clicked through to the website only to find that it didn’t reveal the secret at all or expected you to pay for this information? You wouldn’t feel good about this would you, so don’t try these kinds of tactics on your audience.

Provide your users with helpful titles and descriptions in your posts so that they can make their mind up if they want to click through or not. Your audience will appreciate you doing this and so will Facebook. Avoid using misleading, exaggerated or sensational headlines. People will stop reading your posts if you do this.

Facebook doesn’t like users leaving its platform but it knows that this is inevitable. If a user clicks on your link and then comes straight back to Facebook then they will assume that something was wrong with the information that you provided on your website.

By telling your audience what to expect when they click through to your site it is more likely that they will spend more time there. Facebook sees this as a good thing and will reward you with greater reach for your posts.

• Optimize your Website

You do not want Facebook users to click through to your site and then have to wait for ages for your pages to load. Your website needs to be as fast as possible so fix any loading speed problems.

As most Facebook users have mobile devices they will not be impressed if your website is not optimized for mobile. There are many ways that you can fix this and you need to test it on your phone or use an online emulator.

Written by Yola Bastos

Co-Founder

Women Flix

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 Facebook Marketing

• How To Optimize Your Facebook Page For Free Traffic

You may well have seen Facebook Pages created by some of the most famous brands. The reason that these brands have these pages is that they work for them. So why not create a Facebook Page for your business to get more traffic to your offers? Here are some tips to get the most out of your Facebook Page.

• What is your Goal with Facebook?

Why have you decided to use Facebook for marketing and the generation of free traffic? You need to be clear about what you want to achieve and then create a plan to increase your followers and your engagement levels. How will you convert your Facebook audience into loyal customers?

We recommend that you set your goals for Facebook marketing before you create your Facebook Page and your content plan. Too many marketers just approach this in a haphazard way and are then disappointed with the results.

• Pay Attention to your Profile

It is very easy to set up a new Facebook Page and a lot of businesses fail to make use of all of the real estate that they have available for promotion. One area that is often neglected is the “About” tab which a lot of people will want to read. Make sure that you add a good description of you and your business here.

Be sure to fill out all of the sections on your Facebook Page. Add an appealing cover image to your profile and write a compelling description. Always add links to your website from your Facebook Page.

Your cover image is really important. It needs to sum up your business and contain text that explains why users should follow your page. Don’t make the mistake of using a stock photo here as a lot of marketers do.

Take photos of yourself and other members of your business and include these in your cover photo. It is essential that you get users to know, like and trust you and seeing your face is a good start. Don’t be shy here.

• Use Tabs on your Facebook Page

You have customizable tabs available with your Facebook Page so use these to make things easier for your audience. Set up different tabs to organize all of your important content. For example, if you have a freebie or giveaway then you can add a tab for this so that users can go straight to this.

• Add Links to your Website

Take every opportunity that you can to add links to your website. The intro of your Facebook Page is something that most users will read, so provide benefits to them of following you and also link to your site here. Use a good call to action here. 

You can also add a link to your site in your About tab. Tell people that they can learn much more about you and your business by clicking the link. Be sure to add links to your site in the Personal Information and Biography sections of your Facebook Page as well.

Written by Yola Bastos

Co-Founder

Women Flix

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 ). 

The Inspiring Story of How Sylvester Stallone Went After His Dreams and What We All Can Learn From It

We all have goals and dreams that seem a little far fetched. Sometimes we hardly even admit them to ourselves, but then when we lie awake at night and we dream about the thing we always wanted to be. And we assume it can never happen…

Well, I am of the belief that you really can make anything happen as long as you have the determination and as long as you never give up. Sometimes it means working incredibly hard and sometimes it means taking the less obvious route to get what you want.

And to demonstrate, consider the case of Sylvester Stallone…

• How Stallone Landed His star-making Role, Despite Everything

If you’ve ever looked at someone highly successful and wished you could swap place with them, consider that they weren’t born that way – and that maybe they once thought the very same thing.

At the ripe age of 30, Sylvester Stallone had only $106 to his name and had been forced to sell his dog, Butkus. Those are some hard times.

Sly always wanted to be a film star but whenever he applied for roles, he would be turned down on the basis of his slurring voice and his heavy stature. He was considered only for roles like ‘thug 1’, never starring roles.

So Stallone stopped trying the same thing and instead turned to something else he was good at writing. Sly wrote the script for Rocky allegedly in a single night (though he returned to edit the draft many times) and submitted it to a producer after an audition that didn’t go that well.

The studios loved the story of the spunky underdog who came good and they offered him $300,000 to make the movie – roughly the equivalent of $1 million today! Remember: Sly has $106 in his accounts right now. But he turned them down and said he would only let them make the movie if he could star.

The studio was reluctant and offered more and more money. Eventually, they agreed to his terms but only on the proviso that he would take minimal pay and would have a tiny budget to work with on the movie. The rest, as they say, is history.

• What We Can Learn

The first thing we can learn from this is that it’s never too late to be what you always wanted to be. You might be jealous of other people right now but you’re probably on the right course – just stick with it!

The other lesson to take here is to stick to your guns – to know what you want and accept nothing less. Had Sly taken the $300,000, none of us would know his name today.

And finally, don’t always take the most obvious route to the top. If you’re not having any luck going the obvious way, then come up with a new strategy and get creative! There is more than one way to every destination. 

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 People End Up With Boring Jobs

 

Sad though it surely is, most of us do not end up in the jobs that we dreamed of when we were younger. In fact, most of us won’t end up with jobs that are even close to being as exciting or as inspiring as the ones we used to tell people we wanted when we were five or six.

When we were young and we believed anything could happen, we wanted to be astronauts, rock stars, the owners of huge international businesses, action heroes, superheroes…

So the question then becomes: why are so many of us stuck working in offices? Why are so many of us entering data into spreadsheets? Why is it so common for us to work late hours in jobs we hate? Why does ‘success’ mean more responsibility but no more job satisfaction?

How did this happen?

• The Unfortunate Story

The answer varies from person to person but unfortunately, there are a few consistent elements that seem to hold true across the board. Many of us will go through essentially the same story that will lead us to the same end destination. 

It starts early when we’re at school and we’re forced to start specializing and choosing. Which course at school is most likely to help you to become a bestselling author? Or a pop star? Hmm. We end up biding our time by doing something that we enjoyed at school – history or geography maybe.

Then we go to college and we study that course for a year or three, only to find ourselves back at home living with our parents and without a job when we leave. If we want to get back our independence, then we’re going to need to take on a job just to pay the bills. 

So we start working for our friend’s Dad’s company. Or we work in a supermarket. Or maybe an estate agent.

Then we get a few promotions and we find ourselves climbing the ranks – actually, we’re on an okay salary.

And it’s just as well too – because our responsibilities are beginning to increase as we find ourselves with partners, maybe wanting to buy a house, maybe with children.

And before you know it, you’re ‘area manager’, or you’re ‘director of logistics’, or you’re an estate agent.

They’re not bad jobs but they sure aren’t exciting and they sure don’t fill you with impassioned excitement. But you have kids on the way and you really need the money: now is not the time to do something foolish like starting your own business, or changing jobs, or taking out a loan. And nor do you have the time in the evening to do the things you want to do…

• It Doesn’t Have to End This Way

But here’s the good news: the story isn’t over yet. You can still be the things you’ve always dreamed of being. In fact, with more money behind, more experience and more contacts, it’s more likely than ever. All it is going to take is for you to acknowledge just how important it is to you and to decide that you’re not going to settle for the way things turned out.

There’s still time…

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 ). 

Some ‘Impossible Goals’ and How to Make Them Happen

 

Many of us have goals and dreams that sound impossible and that other people will perhaps tell us can’t be done. Sometimes, those goals are so preposterous that we don’t tell anyone at all – and in some cases, we’ll hardly even admit those goals to ourselves!

For example, if you have always dreamed of being a film star, then there’s a good chance that on some level you don’t think it’s going to happen and so you won’t actually pursue it with the vigour that you should pursue it.

Likewise, if you always dreamed of being an astronaut, then you probably know it can’t be done and so won’t even try.

Except that this is entirely the wrong attitude. Rather, you should be working toward your goals but simply taking a different approach to making them possible. Because anything is truly possible, as long as you know how to think outside the box…

To demonstrate this, let’s take a look at some highly unlikely goals and see how you could really go about making them happen…

• Recording Artist

Want to be a pop star or a guitarist? Then how about starting your own music channel on YouTube? Perform your songs and build a following and then you could eventually start charging for your full albums through Band Camp and similar sites. It’s probably only a matter of time until someone offers to give you a recording contract once you have the numbers behind you!

• Bestselling Author

These days you don’t need to find a big publisher to become a bestselling author. Of course, that is one route to the top but another option is just to write your own book and publish it yourself.

This is possible today thanks to sites like Lulu. Lulu is a website that allows you to use ‘POD’ publishing, which in turn stands for ‘Print On Demand’. This means that you can create a book and only pay for the printing costs each time someone orders one of them. That means that you don’t have to order a huge number of books and then try to sell them – instead, you can simply start selling right away and you’ll just lose a fraction of the cover price each time you do. That also means you’re not splitting your profits with a publisher!

Of course, the downside is that you’ll have to do all of your own marketing and editing. But if you can do that, then you’re good to go!

• Astronaut

Always wanted to visit space? Then one way you can do that is to sign up for Virgin Galactic. That will give you a chance to visit space, without needing any training!

Now of course there is the chance that it will never happen, and it’s a lot of money too – you might just have to start saving. But the point is that as soon as you start working toward the goal you always dreamed of, life becomes a whole lot more exciting!

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 ). 

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 Holding Grudges And Start Forgiving People

Figuring out how to pardon someone who really wronged you is not an easy thing. Most time we imagine that we are over it and have forgiven them but in most cases, we usually hold a grudge against them. However, holding resentment only hurts you more. You only end up stressing yourself over it which cannot only cause psychological problems but also more serious health problems. It is therefore essential to learn the act of forgiveness and to avoid grudges.

Acknowledge the cause of the grudge.

To start with, try to find out the root cause of your grudge. You can only try to find a solution after you are aware of the problem. At times you may come to realize that you were just overreacting and holding a grudge over such a petty thing. Once you have seen the main problem you can then settle on a decision to push ahead from that point. 

Consider the positive side. 

Everything in life has its positive and negative side. Instead of getting angry other the whole issue, try and take it as an invaluable lesson to you. Take in an important lesson or leave with a superior understanding that can assist you to let go of the issue and not despise the one who wronged you.

Put yourself into their shoes. 

At times we may be quick at judging people when they do something bad to us but try fitting yourself into their shoes and you may get a better understanding of why they had to do what they did. This doesn't legitimize their actions; however, it will assist you to comprehend it. The better you understand their intentions, the easier you will find it to forgive them.

Share your thoughts with the other party.. 

A grudge could be as a result of just a small misunderstanding or by confronting the issue the wrong way. Without being biased clarify your feelings on the issue. At that point, choose if this is something you will chip away at in your own heart or by reaching the other individual to come up with a solution. Wait until you have calmed down and then confront the other party in a calm and non-judgmental way. You may choose to solve it among yourselves or try involving a third party. But regardless of the approach, this will help you to get rid of the tension built up in you allowing you to feel more relaxed.

Finally, forgive them.

Obviously, forgiveness does not imply that you will forget the whole incidence. It only means that you have accepted your disparities and acknowledged that we are all human who is prone to error. Forgiveness isn’t easy but it is worth it. It allows you to get rid of that burden off your heart, therefore, giving you peace.

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 ). 

Why You Should Look At Mistakes as Lessons Instead of Regrets

“I wish I had put more effort in my classes, by now I would have risen many ranks higher. If only I could turn back time and avoided the mistakes that made my business go under. It’s because of not taking her seriously that she left and now is in the arms of another man.” These are but some examples of regrets that some of us are having now. Yes, you aren’t at the position you would have wished to be at. Yes, you are nearing 40 years and you still haven’t found your footing. But this doesn’t mean you have to keep beating up yourself for past failures and mistakes. And as Richard Branson once said, “You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and by falling over”.

Robert Kiyosaki’s famous quote “Don’t waste a good mistake, learn from it” is aimed at encouraging people to not live on regrets but rather learn from their mistakes. These sentiments are supported by Albert Einstein who said that if you have never made a mistake then you have never tried something new. I mean, if you didn’t fail, how would you know you were ill-prepared? Or if you did get that job, how would you know that your skills are a bit behind?

The way you view a mistake will determine how fast you dust yourself and move on. The mistake is a doorway to learning about yourself better. Theory and practical are totally different, and by making mistakes you are able to know how knowledgeable you are and how far you can go. This helps you prepare yourself better just as Napoleon Hill said “every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit’.

Accepting you made a mistake and moving on is better than analyzing and re-analyzing your situation. Living on regret is the same as insanity which Albert Einstein defined as doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting different outcomes. The truth is that if you are wise you can never repeat the same mistake again. Would you continue driving while drunk after getting involved in a fatal accident? Would you run your business hands-off after winding up because you over depended on an incompetent person? Of course not!

“If you live for long, you'll make mistakes. However, if you understand and learn from the mistakes, you'll be a better individual. It's how you handle hardships, not how it has affected you. The key thing is never to give up, and never quit.” - Bill Clinton. From this quote by the former US president, we see that no one is immune to mistakes. The difference between the wise and the ordinary person is that the former accepts and learns from it while the latter will be absorbed in it and live in regret. This is well brought out through this popular quote by Winston Churchill, one of the founding fathers of the US “All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes”. Mistakes should be viewed like stepping stones and an eye-opener and not a barrier to success or happiness.

Yes, you are living a life of regret. You are knee-deep in debt, your partner has issued you divorce papers, you just flanked your finals, your business is getting liquidated, or you are losing your home. However, nothing stays forever. Even the strongest storm eventually passes just like daylight eventually shines in the darkest of nights. Wipe your tears, dust yourself up, get up and face life. “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” - Oscar Wilde

And as I conclude, I would like to encourage you to press on and always fix your eyes on the goal. Remember, Bill Gates, the world’s richest man said: “it's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure”.

Written by Yola Bastos
yolabastos@womenflix.org
https://linktr.ee/yolatvbastos  
Women Flix, Supporting Women all the way to Success!  
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How To Overcome Feeling Depressed

In the normal course of our life, we come across a lot of things, most of which affect our emotions either positively or negatively. Among such things are our lifestyles, the people we associate with, our personal achievements and objectives, the weather conditions, our state of mind among others. Luckily, most of these factors are within our control which means that you can always manipulate them to work to your advantage. The last thing you want is to let this emotion get the better part of you. Depression is one of those emotions that need to be handled with a lot of care as it does not only affect the state of your health but in the extreme case can lead to death. 

This article will take you through some important tips on how you can overcome depression.

Work on your lifestyle: Available research indicates that one of the major causes of depression today is our way of life; that is our eating regime, exercises, the way we associate with people, the way we live at our homes among others. Health experts recommend that you eat a healthy diet and pair it with some regular workouts if you want to help manage your mood swings. Some diets are known to cause a lot of anxiety to different types of people which mean that the earlier you know about such foods, the higher your chances of managing such situations. On the other hand, workouts are known to keep your mind and your body engaged which reduces the chances of you thinking about your personal issues that may be causing the depression.

Get some rest: Usually, after a busy day or activity, there is a high chance that your mind or the body will be exhausted which may result in depression if you fail to get some rest. Most people especially the parents have a lot in the plate be it taking care of their family, doing the normal chores among other activities that the would wish to do before they can get some rest. In the long run, such activities cause dizziness and fatigue as you are forcing your mind to handle more than it is supposed to. Most physicians recommend that you at least sleep for six hours a day to give your mind enough time to get enough rest.

Finally, there is time for everything, do not let your work issues affect your family life. Most people make the mistake of dragging their personal issues to their work which ends causing more problems and making the situations even worse. It is therefore highly recommended that you draw a line to everything, leave your work issues at your office and have fun with your family. Try as much as possible to remain relaxed without worrying about tomorrow or how your days has been.

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 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 Stay Positive In Stressful Situations

Sometimes nothing seems to turn out the way you had planned, no matter how hard you attempt. Regardless of where the stress is stemming from, it is essential to equip yourself with resources to rise above the negativity and stay positive. Maintaining a positive attitude can help alleviate stress and assist in accomplishing your objectives. When you feel like you have hit a dead end, and start to sense any negativity, stop! Here are a few tips on how to remain positive even when you are in challenging situations.

Count your blessings

Regardless of how rough things are, if you think about it, you have lots of things to be grateful for. Whether it’s having a job when a lot of people are jobless, having a supportive family, or simply being in a good health. By revisiting everything you have in your life, you can’t hold on to the negativities. You will feel confident, proud and positive. There are countless things in your life that you can be thankful for.

Reward yourself

When you achieve something, regardless of how little it is, pat yourself in the back for the job well done. The list of ways that you can reward yourself is endless. You can reward yourself with new opportunities to explore something new or to learn something new. You can even take your friends out for coffee. A positive attitude can hardly arise if you don’t even feel great about yourself.

Exercise regularly 

Another great way to manage stress and remain positive is by exercising on a regular basis. If you don't exercise, try to find something that you enjoy doing such as swimming, biking, playing golf, playing tennis, or going for a walk. Breathing exercise can also help alleviate stress. Breathing has been proven to help manage stress and can help a lot in countless situations.

Take time out

If all you think about is work, you can easily be overwhelmed by stress. Be sure to give yourself time off and read a book, listen to music or do whatever it is that you find relaxing. You can also go out with your family and friends. This will help you remain focused and positive when you are at your work station. You will ultimately thank yourself for it.

There you have it! How to always stay positive in a challenging environment. While you will not alleviate stress overnight, following these simple steps will help you develop and maintain a good attitude about your family, your work and your 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 ).