20 Things the Rich Do Every Day

So what do the rich do every day that the poor don’t do?

1. 70% of wealthy eat less than 300 junk food calories per day. 97% of poor people eat more than 300 junk food calories per day. 23% of wealthy gamble. 52% of poor people gamble.

2. 80% of wealthy are focused on accomplishing some single goal. Only 12% of the poor do this.

3. 76% of wealthy exercise aerobically four days a week. 23% of poor do this.

4. 63% of wealthy listen to audio books during commute to work vs. 5% of poor people.

5. 81% of wealthy maintain a to-do list vs. 19% of poor.

6. 63% of wealthy parents make their children read two or more non-fiction books a month vs. 3% of poor.

7. 70% of wealthy parents make their children volunteer 10 hours or more a month vs. 3% of poor.

8. 80% of wealthy make Happy Birthday calls vs. 11% of poor.

9. 67% of wealthy write down their goals vs. 17% of poor.

10. 88% of wealthy read 30 minutes or more each day for education or career reasons vs. 2% of poor.

11. 6% of wealthy say what’s on their mind vs. 69% of poor.

12. 79% of wealthy network five hours or more each month vs. 16% of poor.

13. 67% of wealthy watch one hour or less of TV every day vs. 23% of poor.

14. 6% of wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78% of poor.

15. 44% of wealthy wake up three hours before work starts vs. 3% of poor.

16. 74% of wealthy teach good daily success habits to their children vs. 1% of poor.

17. 84% of wealthy believe good habits create opportunity luck vs. 4% of poor.

18. 76% of wealthy believe bad habits create detrimental luck vs. 9% of poor.

19. 86% of wealthy believe in lifelong educational self-improvement vs. 5% of poor.

20. 86% of wealthy love to read vs. 26% of poor.

Ten tips to bring wealth and prosperity into your life

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What you see you create. Knowledge of feng shui was available for the well-established people at one point of time. Now, anyone can use it to get the best results. The term feng shui literally means wind and water in Chinese.

Creating more wealth in life is possible with the implementation of few valuable tips of feng shui. Though you are able to get the desired results, the greatness of each tip is that you don’t have to spend huge amounts of money.

Prepare a wealth board.

1. Assess the importance of wealth in your life with the creation of a comprehensive list. Check the ways in which you are going to spend money on a general basis. Organise your spending and earning priorities in a manner to obtain the desired results according to your expectations besides getting the best effects of feng shui.

2. Feng shui represents money in the form of water. If you have leaky pipes, faulty toilets, damaged showers, and improper sinks, then it is better to get all of them repaired because the more water overflows, the more money will be wasted.

3. Water fountains have to be properly set up in order to maintain the direction of flow into your home. This represents that you have the potential of earning more money. You will lose money in case the fountain direction is exactly opposite to your main entrance. Maintain clean water in the fountain always.

Your stove means wealth 1. According to feng shui, stove directly represents wealth. Ensure that the stove is in a working condition and is clear of dust and dirt. Using all the burners is necessary, which symbolically states that the wealth is being spread all over. Those stoves that are damaged or broken need to be set right immediately.

2. Include plants in your home as they are considered to be great Chi enhancers. This is why removing dead plants proves to be crucial. Watering plants regularly is essential. Your failure to do so will mean that the plants drying up and your money too.

3. Removing leaky batteries, and replacing expired tube lights and bulbs need to be done. Get the repairs done for all the articles that are not in working condition. You will be able to start earnings when all things are in place. Realise fire energy in this manner that helps in evoking acts.

4. Fixing broken items is very important. According to feng shui, you are broke in case if you find any articles that are broken. Replace the items or fix them in order get the best performance.

Articles that make you feel wealthy

1. Fill your fridge with all kinds of stuff. Ensure that the racks and containers are filled and not empty. Maintaining empty things in your vicinity means that your wallet too is empty. Have a wealthy feeling by working out on things.

2. Remove clutters that block free flow of energy. Stagnant situations arise because of the clutters. With the process of de-cluttering, you can have a fresh leash of life all again. Clearing the rubble will help you in maintaining a perfect life. Be in a financially sound state.

A neat home is where money has its immense effects. This is the reason why luxury homes are seen with a lot of cleanliness and perfect maintenance. Imagine those homes that are enabled with poor living standards. Comparing both of them will help you realise the best sources of living for you.

3. Make use of those things that make you feel wealthy. This kind of approach helps you in increasing your income earning opportunities. Stay away from those things that make you feel cheap or invaluable. Include those things that represent entirety.

10 Tips to Improve Your Sales Performance

10 Tips to Improve Your Sales Performance

JOHN H. DEAN

The sales profession moves faster than ever today. In the blink of an eye, new competitors emerge, products similar to yours are released, and before you know it, it's a race to the bottom.

No matter what industry you're in, what worked well a few years ago isn't good enough today. This is no time for trial and error or order taking; this is a time to sell. Here are some basic steps you can take to improve your sales performance, reduce your cost of selling, and ensure your survival.

1. Clarify your mission.

Begin by understanding your business niche. What do you do best? Who needs what you do? How do you best approach these prospects? How much are they willing to pay? If these questions are not answered easily, campaign at the top for clarity and vision.

2. Break the mission into specific goals.

Write down the activity goals (calls per day, proposals per month, referrals per call, etc.) that you can control. Set results goals (sales per month, amount per sale, profit per sale, etc.) to measure your progress, and track them closely. Increase your activity and measure the results. Goals focus your attention and energize your action.

3. Sell to customer needs.

Always assume your prospects will buy only what they need. How can you convince them of that need? Emphasize the features of your product or service that reduce costs and solve problems for the customer. Sometimes you can reposition your wares. For example, you sold wool uniforms for their look and feel; now stress wool's durability and lasting value. Be creative in your sales and marketing.

4. Create and maintain favorable attention.

Effective marketing, referrals, strong sales skills, and strategic questions are the keys to creating favorable attention. Diligent follow-through and above-and-beyond customer service are the keys to maintaining it.


5. Sell on purpose.

Know both what to do and why you're doing it at every step along the way. Who are you targeting and why? What are you going to tell them and why? What are you going to ask them and why? What is your proposal going to look like and why? When are you going to ask for the order? If you don't feel sure of yourself at every step of the selling process, get some training or guidance.

6. Ask, listen, and act.

Better than any others, these three words summarize success in sales. Your questions must be creative, planned, relevant, and direct. Your listening skills must be highly developed. You must respond and take action that proves that you listened to the customer and want the sale.

7. Take the responsibility but not the credit.

Realize that you are the team leader. The company looks to you for direction and supports your effort. To build a strong support team willing to go the extra mile when you need it, give your team the credit for everything that goes right, and take the blame when it goes wrong.

8. Work on the basics.

Even the best of the best have room for improvement. Make a decision to improve your weaknesses, and set goals to force yourself to do the things you don't like to do. Be more creative in your prospecting, fact finding, and presentation skills. Imagine the perfect salesperson and compare yourself to the ideal.

9. Develop your attitude.

Your attitude is controllable. Conquer your fears. Change the beliefs that limit your success. Your thought habits control your commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, resilience, happiness, and confidence. Be aware of them, decide which ones are unproductive, and then make a commitment to change. With time and effort, you can become the person you want to be.

10. Maximize your time.

Focus on your goals. Test every activity for its importance and urgency. Create an ideal schedule, and test your actual time use against it daily. Remember, just one hour a day used more productively adds up to more than six extra weeks of productive time a year.

5 Ways To Increase Your Annual Income

5 Ways To Increase Your Annual Income- WWW.HAPPY4ALL.ORG

Invest in Enriching Your Life and Increasing Your Income

Increasing your annual income has many benefits- mainly, ability to afford a quality lifestyle for you and your family, and also the ability to manage unexpected money requirements.

Here are five practical ways to increase your annual income.

#1: Invest in Yourself – Add Value to Your Self Worth

Investing in yourself will give you disproportionately high return on investment- both for the amount of money invested and the time you spent.

DIY Tips to Invest in Yourself

• Leverage the power of learning. Add a new skill, learn a new language, or try something that’s been on your bucket list.
• Set aside time on a daily or weekly basis to read informative blogs, articles or books.
• Attend a workshop, webinar or training to stay updated on the latest trends.
• Explore your creative side to exercise untapped areas of your mind. This will open up different doors of perception- personally and professionally.

Invest time in taking a sabbatical – Retrospect, introspect and regain your focus

How Does This Increase My Annual Income?

Better skills, greater knowledge and wider perception, all lead to a higher level of opportunities.

#2: Invest Smart – Monetarily not Momentarily

Talking about increasing income is incomplete without considering the actual monetary aspect of investing smart.

DIY Tips to Increase Your Future Annual Income

• Start early-as early as you possibly can
• Invest for the long term
• Make the right investment choices- for long term goals (more than 5 years), invest in equities and short term (less than 5 years), invest in debt instruments.

How Does This Increase My Annual Income?

Increase your profits by investing wisely. Instill a long term perspective to evade myopic results from a short-sighted plan.

#3: Invest in a Long Term Career Path – Map Your Progression Professionally

Mapping your professional interests can help you strategically build your career path.

DIY Tips to Chart Your Career Path

• Do a SWOT analysis on your professional traits. Determine your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In this way you can identify the best opportunities that can help you progress with purpose.
• Inculcate a long term vision. Do not let short term challenges come in the way of building your potential in the future.

How Does This Increase My Annual Income?

Being at the right place, at the right time with the right capabilities, tactically improves your career prospects.

#4: Invest in Rewarding Risks – Zone Out of Your Comfort Zone

Taking risks can snap you out of your comfort zone.

DIY Tips to Zone Out of Your Comfort Zone

• Take a chance to challenge yourself. Push your limits beyond the monotony of mediocre tasks. It is a bitter truth that machines will replace you eventually.
• Focus on work that allows you to build your capabilities, even if it means making a drastic change.

How Does This Increase My Annual Income?

Stepping out of your bubble automatically unlocks new possibilities

#5:  Invest in Health – Focus on Your Physical, Mental and Social Well Being

The real wealth is in the health and well being of your body, mind and social interaction. While the increase in disposable income may translate to a higher standard of living, it could also lead to increasing health issues.

DIY Tips to Enrich Your Wealth in Health

• Physical Health
  • Exercise. If not for the physical benefits, it also helps in reducing your healthcare bills.
  • Eat healthy. A home cooked meal is not only healthier but also lighter on the pocket.
• Mental Health – Many occupational lifestyle diseases are creeping into urban population. Maintain a good work-life balance to avoid mental problems such as depression, hypertension and neurological issues.
• Social Well Being – Whether you admit it or not, who you interact with socially and your lifestyle have a big impact on your personality. The social environment you choose to be influenced by will affect the way you think and the decisions you make. Choose wisely.

How Does This Increase My Annual Income?

You become the environment you live in. Make it clean, green and lean on the body, mind and wallet.

We” is for selling. ”You” is for buying

The key to mastering any kind of sales - a big sales principle - is switching statements about you – how great you are and what you do, to statements about them – how great they are, and how they will produce more and profit more from ownership of your product or service.

Here’s the Secret: Take the word “we” and delete it. Delete it from your slides, your literature, and ESPECIALLY from your sales presentation. You can use “I” but you can’t use “we.”

Here’s the Power: When you stop using “we,” you have to substitute it for the word “you” or “they” and say things in terms of the customer. How they win, how they benefit, how they produce, how they profit , how they will be served, and how they have piece of mind.

“We” is for selling. ”You” is for buying.

Mandate for Understanding: Go through your entire presentation and  record it. Listen to it actively – which means take notes. Count the amount of times you use the word “we.” Take out the “we,” and begin to make value statements instead of selling statements.

Here’s the reality in plain English:

1. The buyer, the prospect, and the customer expects you to have knowledge of their stuff, not just your stuff. To transfer that knowledge, the prospect needs to understand and agree with your ideas, feel your passion, feel your belief, and feel your sincerity beyond the hype of your sales pitch.

2. You have to know their industry, not just your product.

3. You have to know their business, not just your product.

4. You have to know what’s new and what’s next, not just your product.

5. You have to know the current trends, not just your product.

6. You have to know their marketing, not just your product.

7. You have to know their productivity, not just your product.

7.5 You have to know their profit, not just your product.

key to mastering any kind of sales - a big sales principle

The key to mastering any kind of sales - a big sales principle - is switching statements about you – how great you are and what you do, to statements about them – how great they are, and how they will produce more and profit more from ownership of your product or service.

Here’s the Secret: Take the word “we” and delete it. Delete it from your slides, your literature, and ESPECIALLY from your sales presentation. You can use “I” but you can’t use “we.”

Here’s the Power: When you stop using “we,” you have to substitute it for the word “you” or “they” and say things in terms of the customer. How they win, how they benefit, how they produce, how they profit , how they will be served, and how they have piece of mind.

“We” is for selling. ”You” is for buying.

Mandate for Understanding: Go through your entire presentation and  record it. Listen to it actively – which means take notes. Count the amount of times you use the word “we.” Take out the “we,” and begin to make value statements instead of selling statements.

Here’s the reality in plain English:

1. The buyer, the prospect, and the customer expects you to have knowledge of their stuff, not just your stuff. To transfer that knowledge, the prospect needs to understand and agree with your ideas, feel your passion, feel your belief, and feel your sincerity beyond the hype of your sales pitch.

2. You have to know their industry, not just your product.

3. You have to know their business, not just your product.

4. You have to know what’s new and what’s next, not just your product.

5. You have to know the current trends, not just your product.

6. You have to know their marketing, not just your product.

7. You have to know their productivity, not just your product.

7.5 You have to know their profit, not just your product.

Success in Sales

Success in Sales - www.v4all.org

This website is based on two truths : Sales success is self-determined : and sales success is based on four requirements.

Success in sales, as in life, is self determined. That is, it has more to do with what you do on a daily basis than any other factor. It is not our product that determines our success. For every product available, there is a successful sales person. It is not our territory that determines our success. We can take almost any territory, place in a new rep and often see a 10 to 20 percent increase in sales. Likewise, it is not our age, sex or even our experience that determines our sales success.

Success in sales is what you do and how well you do it. Let's look at the four requirements of a succesful sales strategy. They are considered requirements because each step is linked and as you master each one, you become more successful.

Desire:

Desire is the starting point for all sales success. If you do not have a strong will to get better...you won't. We all know of sales professionals who reach the top of their fields because of a burning desire. You can develop and fuel your desire daily. The strength of your desire is shown by the goals you set and the quality of service you give to others. You build your desire through goals.

Belief:

Many of us handicap ourselves as sales people due to underdeveloped belief. Without belief, we limit our growth, our experience, our sales and our income. Because we are told of all the things we think we can't do well, we start to think in terms of can't. Belief in oneself is developed one day at a time through a continuing process. Self-confidence is built by putting learning into action.

Self-Management:

We do pay the price of success. We pay it in advance. We pay it with our time. When we do not spend our time on higher priority items, then we are by default spending our time on lower priority ones. It is only through learning effective self-management we are able to improve.

People Skills:

Simply put, we cannot succeed on our own. Our success is directly related to the degree we effectively relate to others. Future columns will contain a variety of challenging and profitable ideas that will help you to sell more. Using these ideas will cause you to become more aware of what you do that works...and what you do that does not work. It will make you acutely aware of the truth...that your sales success is self-determined!

Each profitable idea will be followed by a demanding activity for you to complete. Included with each idea will be a contract for you to commit to. These Self-Coaching Contracts are designed to help you act on each time-tested technique.

This information is not about knowing. It is about doing. Remember it's not what you know that makes you money...It's what you do with what you know!

Words that sell

It's true a picture is worth a thousand words, but a few carefully selected phrases can also paint an exciting portrait of your product or service, says the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA).

Many companies spend thousands of dollars on four-colour brochures only to lose the sale because they can't write a sales promotion or direct mail letter. Written correspondence is often the first impression your customer has of your company. Don't lose this opportunity to shine. To make that first contact count, CPSA offers the following tips:

Establish your objective for writing. There are many types of sales letters. You may want to send a direct mail piece that urges first-time customers to buy today. You may want to thank your existing customers by offering them a discount on your spring line. Perhaps your product needs a demonstration and you would like to set up an appointment. Each type of letter requires a different approach. Match the style and the tone of your language to the type of response you're looking for Grab your readers attention. A catchy headline and opening sentence are essential, especially in direct mail. Use exciting, engaging language that demands notice. Most important, demonstrate the benefits of buying your product or service: At ACME we understand that time is money, that's why we guarantee 24 hour service.

Use a call to action. The most important skill in sales is to know when to ask for the order. If you want your reader to respond then you have to explain what he or she has to do: Act now, call 1-800-123-4567 FREEwithin the next 10 days and you'll receive an extra 15% discount! Whatever your objective, make sure you clearly spell it out.

Accuracy is imperative. The most common mistakes in business correspondence occur in the address, the first thing the recipient notices. Make sure you have the correct spelling for each name on your list, their correct address including postal code, and if you're not sure whether a name is male or female, find out. The quickest way to turn-off Ms. Smith is to send her a letter addressed Mister.

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The Product

The very first rule about selling anything is you have to believe in what you are selling.

How many sales people do you meet and you know straight away that they don't believe in what they are selling because you can feel it when people are lying to you.

I have quite often got that feeling from used car sales people because they often know they are selling you something that you will be having trouble with later. Most of the time people sell cars because they are having trouble with them or they think they will start to have trouble with them soon.

People will know when you are genuine and will be able to feel your enthusiasm for the product.

Personally I would never ever sell something that I did not believe in.

So you are going to sell a product that you believe in.

Next thing you need to do is your research. Do your "homework".

Find out as much as you can about the product and the sort of people you will be selling the product to.

If you are selling to a select clientel then you will need to understand them and be able to talk to them in their "language" using their terminology.

If you are going to be selling to a wide range of people then you will have to become adept in being able to pick people and then speak to them in their language. Being able to communicate on all levels is the key....

When you communicate to a person at their level they feel comfortable with you and will relaxe and lower their resistance to sales people.

If you talk to a person and use a lot of technical terms that are over their heads they will think you are trying to make them feel stupid and will resist what you are saying and think that you are lying to them.

Therefore its important to keep things simple...learn how to translate anything complicated into more simple terms..if the situation lends itself you can have paper and pen and you can draw things and write things down to explain it to people using visuals will help someone understand something a bit more complicated.

Research doesn't stop with just your product. You will need also to research all of your competition. You will have to understand them and their product so you can compare your product to theirs and explain to a person why they should buy your product instead of the competitors.

If it was a retail situation, I would personally be a shopper in the other stores and find out what their key selling points are and come up with counter selling points.

Engaging the Customer

You must first make your customer feel comfortable with you.

This takes quite a bit of skill.

For example if you were working in shop that sold beds and you had signs saying not to lay on the bed and made the environment uncomfortable then you would find it hard to make the customer feel comfortable. I would find something about the person that I could relate to and talk to them about it. It might be through observation, like noting a persons dress, aftershave or something that you like, if they have children then you should try to relate to the children as well as this will make a person feel more relaxed if you are comfortable with their children. You might be able to find something by asking questions about certain things. Once you have found something in common and you have talked briefly about it to the person/people you will find they will be more relaxed with you. Understand that the more relaxed a person is the easier it will be to sell them something.

Then you can talk more about the product that you are selling and you will also have a better idea about the best level to communicate to the person on.

The Close

I would have my invoice book handy and would be writing down the products that the person is interested in and making suggestions of other products that would compliment the ones that they are interested in.Of course, before one can close a deal, one needs a merchant account that is responsive to your business. Businesses can have different requirements when is comes to a pay solution.If you need assistance in securing a merchant sales account, then go through a specialist broker.EMerchant Brokers are one such firm.

Once you have a list you can add it up and give them a price (never your best) watch their reaction. If they are happy with the price then you would simply say "Do you want to pay for that with cash or credit card". If you have followed the other steps you will find it will all flow naturally and the customer will just go along with you. If they insist on shopping around then you would naturally understand that. You would give them a card with your name and number on it and write the products that they have suggested on the card. (Don't write the prices) Tell them to go and shop around but to come back to you before they made the purchase. Say to them bring me back some quotes and I will do my best to do better.

They naturally want to buy from you because they "like" you. When they do come back with other quotes all you can do is your best to better them. If there is no possible way that you can do better than another company's price, just tell them.Next: See how to use Network marketing to advantage.

key to mastering any kind of sales - a big sales principle

The key to mastering any kind of sales - a big sales principle - is switching statements about you – how great you are and what you do, to statements about them – how great they are, and how they will produce more and profit more from ownership of your product or service.

Here’s the Secret: Take the word “we” and delete it. Delete it from your slides, your literature, and ESPECIALLY from your sales presentation. You can use “I” but you can’t use “we.”

Here’s the Power: When you stop using “we,” you have to substitute it for the word “you” or “they” and say things in terms of the customer. How they win, how they benefit, how they produce, how they profit , how they will be served, and how they have piece of mind.

“We” is for selling. ”You” is for buying.

Mandate for Understanding: Go through your entire presentation and  record it. Listen to it actively – which means take notes. Count the amount of times you use the word “we.” Take out the “we,” and begin to make value statements instead of selling statements.

Here’s the reality in plain English:

1. The buyer, the prospect, and the customer expects you to have knowledge of their stuff, not just your stuff. To transfer that knowledge, the prospect needs to understand and agree with your ideas, feel your passion, feel your belief, and feel your sincerity beyond the hype of your sales pitch.

2. You have to know their industry, not just your product.

3. You have to know their business, not just your product.

4. You have to know what’s new and what’s next, not just your product.

5. You have to know the current trends, not just your product.

6. You have to know their marketing, not just your product.

7. You have to know their productivity, not just your product.

7.5 You have to know their profit, not just your product.

Yours 

www.v4all.org 

9790044225 

10 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

YOU KNOW YOU NEED A GOOD “PERSONAL BRAND”. BUT HOW EXACTLY DO YOU GET ONE? WE’LL TELL YOU 10 DIFFERENT WAYS.
People have always had “personal brands”—everyone who knows of famous women like Amelia Earhart, Gloria Steinem, or Mother Theresa can describe who they are, what they valued, and their life’s mission. Although the concept is not new, the term “personal brand” has become a buzzword only recently.

So what is it, exactly?

Your personal brand is how people see you; how they’d describe you—similar to how people describe famous people or companies. It is the set of values and characteristics that describe who you are and guide your choices—in work and in life.

Your personal brand is what makes you, you.

Being aware of, and ultimately in control of, your personal brand is an essential component of building a successful career. It’s essentially a guiding statement that can help you make personal and professional decisions. A solid personal brand helps people understand who you are, what you offer, what you value, and the quality of work they can expect from you.

It is essentially your reputation.

In the past, your reputation may have been familiar only to those you actually know, such as friends, family members, and colleagues. But the Internet has made everybody’s reputation that much more accessible.Wondering how to be proactive about building your personal brand? These tips are a great place to start: 

1. DEFINE YOUR BRAND

Take out a piece of paper and write down the words and values that people would use to describe you. Be honest and choose words that are positive and authentic to who you are.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has said (in one of my all-time favorite quotes): “We think sometimes we’re only drawn to the good, but we’re actually drawn to the authentic. We like people who are real more than those who hide their true selves under layers of artificial niceties.”  

I believe that you can only be happy when you are accepted for being who you really are. So, as you consider your personal brand, strive to be the best possible version of yourself, but don’t try to be someone you’re not.

2. HAVE A SPECIALTY

Specializing in a skill that is relevant to your field—and being vocal about that!—will help you stand out in the crowd. Companies call this a point of differentiation—consider how your brand (in this case, you) is different from everyone else “on the market”. Why should people choose you over everyone else?

If you can’t think of a skill that’s your specialty, then learn one. This usually means that you have to learn on your own, but that’s easier than ever before—take classes, read industry specific publications, add a passion project, and volunteer for projects that will help you develop your niche. My specialty is blogging and freelance writing and I primarily got my current job because they needed someone who could create and execute blog strategies for clients.

Everyone hopes to be indispensable at work and having a specialty is an excellent way to provide extra value!

3. WRITE YOUR BIO

Write a short bio—or update the one you have!—so you have it ready. A professional bio is a necessity for freelance writing gigs, networking events, speaking on panels, and keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date.

Your bio might include your education, work experience, any published writing or press hits, awards you’ve received, volunteer work, and possibly even some of your personal interests.

(I personally love it when people add something quirky at the end of their bio!)

Just make sure to tailor your bio to your audience!

4. CREATE A BLOG OR PERSONAL WEBSITE

When I started my blog, I never imagined that anyone other than my closest friends and family would read it. I certainly never imagined that my blog might help me get hired for new jobs—and yet, that’s exactly what happened.

Blogging is a great, and often free, way to showcase your creativity and non-academic writing. Even if you don’t yet have your dream job, you can write about your dream industry—whether it’s fashion or the environment.

Although many people find blogging to be fun, it can also take a lot of time. If you aren’t interested in blogging, you can still create a personal website, using your name as the domain name, and highlight your skills and experience there.

5. USE LINKEDIN

LinkedIn is yet another Internet home where you can promote your academic or career changes and achievements. It is, essentially, your digital, public resume.

Speaker and strategist, Kelly Hoey, has said: “If you don’t brag about your career and your achievements, who is going to do it? You need to own your expertise and you need to put it out there. If you don’t own your accomplishments, someone else will. It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”

LinkedIn allows you to put your accomplishments out there for the world (and future employers, partners, and connections) to see. Also, if you set up a LinkedIn profile, it will be one of the first things that people see when they search for you online, so it’s another easy way to exercise control over your digital persona.

6. BUILD YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Whether you’re shy or outgoing, it’s important to be able to communicate well—particularly about yourself—as you build your brand.

I recommend taking public speaking courses, writing courses, and simply practicing regularly. Learn how to tell your story. One way to do this is to practice both a personal and a professional “pitch.”

Before networking events, I always prepare a quick summary of my personal and professional interests and experiences. It is really helpful to be able to quickly and concisely explain what you do, why it is important to you, and your extracurricular interests.

7. PARTICIPATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is a perfect—and free!—platform for positively promoting your brand. You can share articles, blog posts, and work-related achievements.

You might also follow people in your industry and jump into relevant conversations by using trending hashtags or those that are most popular in your industry.

Just make sure that everything you post on social media is a good representation of your brand. I follow what I call the “The New York Times Test”: If I wouldn’t want it to end up on The New York Times, I don’t post it.

8. BUILD YOUR NETWORK

In order to build and share your personal brand, you need to also be building your professional network—both in and out of the office. Networking isn’t just important when you are looking for a job. If I’ve learned anything from my career profile series, I’ve learned that you can consistently learn from other people’s career paths and insights at every stage of your career.

So take advantage of the opportunities in your city and your industry to meet new people. You never know how that new connection might be of service to you—or you to them—in the future!

9. SAY NO

Now that you have your personal brand in place, protect it. Say no to opportunities, projects, freelance work, or social media posts that are not aligned with your brand.

10. DO GOOD WORK & LIVE YOUR VALUES

Your work and actions speak volumes about your personal brand—and you, as an individual. You can say you hold certain values, but your actions, your experience, and your words have to embody them.

In my office, we have a 360 degree annual review, which means that both your manager and a selection of colleagues all contribute by answering a survey of questions. When I had my annual review, I got a lot of insight into my reputation at the company.

One thing that stuck out was that almost everyone said that I am passionate about both the company culture, client work, and my career. I’ve always thought that being passionate is part of my personal brand, and it became clear through my review that I actually embody that.
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17 Ways to Have a More Organized Life

17 Ways to Have a More Organized Life - www.v4all.org

Nothing is better than a home that’s easy to navigate with belongings that are even easier to find. Don’t forget about your office, too—there are plenty of ways to keep your space neat for the most productive of workdays. Check out all of our resolutions for systemization, and get to organizing!

1. Throw away extra things you don’t need.

We’ve got a useful list of things to get rid of for a de-cluttered space.

[Related: How to Have the Most Organized Year Ever]

2. Create a goal list.

Keep yourself on track with our rotating goal list DIY. You can easily change and update your goals with Post-its for an up-to-date board.

3. Organize your closet.

All it takes is three simple steps to get your closet in tip-top shape.

[Related: How I Survived a 6-Month Shopping Cleanse]

4. Specify a daily junk basket.

Putting a basket in your home where you can throw items that you would otherwise scatter all over the house is a great way to keep your home or office feeling clutter free.

5. Make assignment lists for everyone.

If you live with multiples people—be it kids, significant others, or roommates—make sure you create weekly assignment lists so that everyone can play their part in keeping your home orderly.

6. Craft a pegboard.

Our ombré geometric pegboard is a no-brainer that can be put together in an hour, tops. It’s a stylish way to keep small items in their place.

7. Install bars on bathroom doors.

Nobody likes damp towels lying all over the bathroom. Install some sleek bars on the back of your door so you have a place to hang towels without taking up space on your walls.

8. Place dividers in your drawers.

You can buy plastic dividers at stores like The Container Store, or you can even cut up old cardboard boxes to create sectioned-off spaces in your desk, kitchen, or bathroom.

9. Print out a free calendar.

One of the most obvious tasks that people always forget is to get a calendar for the New Year. Luckily, we have a list of free printable calendars you can get a hold of right now!

10. Make these mason jar organizers yourself.

Our adorable DIY mason jar organizers will keep your kitchen in order as well as looking cute.

11. Organize your pantry by food group.

You will be able to quickly grab whatever you need.

12. Paint your keys with nail polish.

Color-code your keys by painting them with nail polish so that you can easily tell which key goes to what.

13. Use ice cube trays as organizers.

Bet you never thought of this one—ice cube trays are ideal for organizing small items like earrings, sewing materials, or office supplies.

14. Upcycle a plastic bottle for a charging station.

This DIY for a charging station will keep your electronics in accessible places.

15. Use washi tape on your planner.

Color-code you life by utilizing washi tape. It will stand out better than highlighters.

16. Make an emergency drawer in your desk at work.

Setting aside a space where you can grab items for any possible disaster will put you at ease and leave you feeling prepared.

17. Create these fabric-covered bulletin boards.

You can place these DIY bulletin boards all over the house for easy access to papers, documents, and schedules.