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Showing posts from November, 2021

Aura Meditation App Review: Thousands of Guided Meditations at Your Fingertips

With more than 5 million users, Aura has become one of the best meditation apps available. The award-winning Aura app features the largest subscription library of mindfulness meditations, sleep stories, life coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy, and hypnosis sessions. It also features relaxing music and sounds. Aura calls itself the all-in-one app for mental wellness . Upon review, Aura stands as one of the best meditation apps available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. National media has noticed Aura too, with the popular app being featured on many best-of lists.  But is Aura worth the $59.99 subscription cost? And do meditation apps even work? Let’s dig in.  Are meditation apps worth it? Major studies have documented the positive impact of meditation on overall well-being and even general health. In fact, the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges recently published an overview titled “ Meditation and Mental Wellness .” The article makes clear that medi

Do These 3 Things to Get Everything You Want

When most people envision real estate agents, they see a successful person with a healthy salary. But sometimes, that image doesn’t align with reality. In Tyler Whitman’s case, he made $20,000-$30,000 per year listing apartment rentals in New York City. That was in 2006, right before the Great Recession. You would never guess then that 12 years later, Whitman would earn $1.6 million with his real estate team and join the cast of Million Dollar Listing New York . In this episode of Brilliant Thoughts , Whitman chats with SUCCESS People Editor Tristan Ahumada about overcoming adversity. It took Whitman more than 10 years to reach an enviable level of success. That means entrepreneurs, employees and everyone in between can learn something from his perseverance.  If you’re feeling stuck in last place right now, don’t give up. Do these three things instead. 1. When you have nothing to lose, take a risk. Whitman initially earned $500 from each real estate deal he made in New York. His

Entrepreneur Lindsay Teague Moreno on Finding Fulfillment and Building Lasting Habits

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Ever feel like you’re just trying to get through the day? You wake up, you work, you take care of the kids, you go to sleep, and you repeat it all again the next day? And the next, and the next… Lindsay Teague Moreno was 30 when she realized she wasn’t happy, citing career-related ennui and the demands of raising three kids. “I was one of those people that was just ‘living-to-survive’ kind of thing,” she says. And then suddenly, her mother passed away. She believed there was a better way to live this life, one that would allow her to feel fulfilled in all the parts of her life—not just one or two, and now, not someday.  Today, Teague Moreno is a successful serial entrepreneur and the author of Wake Up: The Powerful Guide to Changing Your Mind About What It Means to Really Live . In her Achievers Exclusive interview , she talks about the six key areas of her life in which she believed she could, and we all can, find fulfillment: Business or work Financial stability  Health Re

The Riches Are in the Micro-Niches: How to Grow Your Business by Narrowing Your Focus

This week on the SUCCESS Line I talk to Jake, an entrepreneur and coach I have watched with admiration for years.  For the last five years, Jake has been building a business that has experienced remarkable growth. However, he feels as though he is hitting his head against the ceiling in terms of scaling. He wants to grow and reach more people, but he has no idea how.  As entrepreneurs, we can get so caught up in the day to day of working in our business that we don’t take a step out to work on it. If you, like Jake, want to take your business to the next level, you have to step out and give yourself the quiet space to ask questions and re-evaluate your strategies.  When we first start out, we live in the entrepreneurial mindset. We are shaking hands and kissing babies and doing anything and everything to get our business started. However, the entrepreneurial mindset will only take you so far, and if you don’t change course, you will hit a ceiling just like Jake. We need to switc

Face the Spreadsheets: Lisa Gilmore on Learning to Love the Financial Side of Her Creative Business

If you could talk about the creative side of your business forever but get tongue-tied when faced with profit and loss statements (P&Ls), you’re not alone—and you’re not doomed. Lisa Gilmore founded her interior design business Lisa Gilmore Design 10 years ago, when she was just 25. Her love of hot pink walls and tropical themes took off in the era of magnolia and minimalism. But behind the scenes, she’d dropped the ball with her finances.  After nearly losing everything, Lisa rebuilt the business on steadier financial foundations, and she’s now making $2.25 million in annual revenue. “Now I look forward to doing business and finances, which is crazy!” she says. On this episode of SUCCESS Stories , Lisa talks to SUCCESS’s Madison Pieper about the Sara Blakely advice she’ll remember forever, how she helps her friends with their personal finances, and her internal struggle over letting go of #GirlBoss. Fill the gaps in your business knowledge with talented people. No one is go

How to Deal With Success Guilt

Unpacking guilt can be complex and time-consuming. It makes sense that we’d feel guilty for actions in the past before we knew better or when we were different people. Sometimes, though, we have guilt for something we haven’t done or things that should be positives in our lives, like earning more money or getting a promotion. Being successful comes with many benefits, but one downside is that many people feel guilty for achieving financial success when others haven’t.  Listen to this week’s episode of the rich & Regular podcast where we discuss unpacking success guilt, and read below for some ways to move through that guilt.  Understand your guilt. Knowing what kind of guilt you’re feeling is a good place to start. When you’ve done something to or against another person, guilt should act as your moral compass, letting you know your actions were wrong and you need to apologize or otherwise make amends. But often, instead of serving as a barometer of our actions, guilt gets clou

Career Seasons: Choosing a Role Based on the Lifestyle You Want

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I’d like to introduce the concept of Career Seasons to you — which will help you find a job that’s perfect for you in this season of your life . At different points in our lives, we want different kinds of jobs: Growth: When we prioritize learning and earning more — and we’re willing to put in the time Lifestyle: When we want to prioritize our time outside work, such as taking care of family Reinvention: When we want to completely reinvent ourselves, including the role and even industry we work in Without understanding your Career Season, how can you find a job that’s perfectly made for you? Here’s how we discovered this concept. Whenever I ask people what they want from a Dream Job , one of the most striking things about their answers is how DIFFERENT they are. Some examples I’ve received: “I’ve worked part-time for a couple of years whilst my family needed me. Now I’m going back to complete my Master’s and stepping back onto the career ladder full time .” “M

5 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Have in Common

Successful entrepreneurs have five things in common that ensure their growth. How do you measure up? Barbara Corcoran has met hundreds of entrepreneurs in her lifetime, and the best ones are always the same: They have a firm conviction about what they want to do in life. They don’t crumble when things get complicated. If a decision is impossibly tough, they force themselves to choose instead of staying stuck. Corcoran observed these winning traits as a judge on Shark Tank , a TV show that gives entrepreneurs real business opportunities. For 12 seasons, she has listened to countless pitches and ultimately decided whether or not to invest in up-and-coming businesses. In this episode of Brilliant Thoughts , Corcoran talks to SUCCESS People Editor Tristan Ahumada about what makes winning entrepreneurs so successful. Is it their collective mindset? Is it the habits they practice? According to Corcoran, it all stems from five key traits. 1. They are a tad arrogant, but in a good way.

How to Create a Budget: 6 Steps to Get You on the Path to Financial Security

The cost of building a life isn’t. We all know expenses exist, but the numbers keep adding up—rent, water, trash, electricity, cable, Internet, car insurance, renter’s insurance, gas, cell phone. It all feels a bit much. Managing money is intimidating, but it’s 100 percent doable—and it’s pretty darn necessary if you want to be in control of your dollars. Dive into a digital finance manager, excel sheets, worksheets and a homemade bill binder. According to a Gallup survey , only one in three Americans prepares a detailed household budget. There are tons of tools—online and other—to help you figure it all out. And if you’re not a recent grad but someone who just wants to get those dollar signs situated, a budget’s a budget—it doesn’t discriminate, and everyone should have one. Like Dave Ramsey , a personal finance expert, says: “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” So, here are tips to boss around your bank account, aka how to create a bud

Using Whatsapp on Your Website as a Marketing Weapon

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With over 2 billion users per month, WhatsApp is arguably the most famous and used instant messaging application globally. Consider that WhatsApp ranked 3rd in downloads of communication apps in the US, behind Facebook Messenger and video teleconferencing software. Let’s see together how to take advantage of the popularity and features of WhatsApp on your website and in building your online presence.   Some Information About WhatsApp WhatsApp is a free messaging application that allows you to make calls, send messages, photos, videos, voice notes, and attachments via the Internet using your phone number. A few numbers : – WhatsApp has more than 2 billion monthly users. – WhatsApp users send around 100 billion messages a day. – WhatsApp is used in over 180 countries and is statistically the most popular messaging application in all but 25 of these countries.   Installing Whatsapp on Your Website Whether you want to install WordPress WhatsApp or Wix Whatsapp , this tool can

This Is What Happens In Your Brain When You Try Something New

A few years ago, I saw a weakness in my outdoor skills that needed to be rectified: I had not camped alone. I knew I would eventually have to do that for a story, and I needed to be comfortable with it or I’d risk losing and/or blowing the assignment. The first time I camped alone was in Maine. It was four years ago, and yet I recall not only the book I was reading ( Robinson Crusoe ) but where I was in it, the howling wind lashing at my tent, even the color of the leaves when I woke up (vibrant golden yellow). As I climbed out, I felt alive, vibrant, ready to take on the world.  I thought I was simply learning a new skill . But there was so much more going on than that. “Research into brain health and longevity suggests that regular experience of novelty is essential to a long, happy life,” Brain World magazine writes. Especially in fitness, fads come and go—we kicked like mad for Tae Bo, set PRs like mad for CrossFit, and now we pedal like mad for Peloton. Next month something e

UFC’s Francis Ngannou’s Keys to Overcoming Obstacles and Visualizing Success

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Reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou’s rise to the top has been more than improbable.  As for how he was able to ascend from a destitute childhood working in a sand quarry in his native Cameroon to the top of the Mixed Martial Arts world, however, his answer is simple.  “When you get to the point where you’re not afraid of losing, that’s when you become a winner,” he says. Ngannou’s story is one of unrelenting determination in the face of almost unimaginable obstacles. In his Achievers Exclusive interview with Josh Ellis, he recalls the triumphs and tribulations of a life in pursuit of his dream of becoming a world-class fighter.  The key to his success, he says, was never losing sight of that goal. As a teenager, reflecting on schoolyard rivalries led him to realize that he was no less deserving than anyone else. A plan was put into action—one that would briefly lead to a precarious living situation on the streets of Paris. Eventually, though, he would be taken unde

Headspace Meditation App Review: Is It Right for You?

Mindful meditation provides medically proven health and wellness benefits. Yet, only 14% of US adults have even tried meditation . Fewer practice it regularly. So why don’t more people meditate frequently? The reasons vary. Some feel like they don’t have enough time for mindfulness, exercise or other healthy decisions. Others simply don’t know how to meditate properly and become frustrated in their attempts. This is where mindfulness and meditation apps such as Headspace play an important role in 2021. But are the best meditation apps worth the cost? Headspace does more than teach you the how and the why of healthy meditation. It also helps you build a regimen for your mind and body. Plus,it is simple to incorporate into your busy day. In fact, not only will you discover that you are putting your time to good use. You will likely find that your overall productivity increases . Is a Headspace subscription worth it? Headspace membership costs $69.99 annually. And it remains the

Moe Harkless Fights for Racial Equality Through Wine and Advocacy

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Moe Harkless NBA Veteran, Advocate & Philanthropist Los Angeles  Maurice “Moe” Harkless might play basketball for the Sacramento Kings, but his life extends far beyond the court. The 28-year-old forward is also a wine enthusiast and social justice advocate. He co-hosts the “ Wine Wednesday ” Instagram Live with fellow basketball players like Amar’e Stoudemire. He also partnered with The Prisoner Wine Company to raise money for the Equal Justice Initiative , a nonprofit committed to fighting wrongful conviction in the U.S. In 2020, he made headlines for paying the rent of 50 families in his hometown of Jamaica, Queens, in New York City.   My best personality trait is… that I’m compassionate. I give back to my community by… investing in youth by trying to help build leaders for the future . My biggest fear is… the safety and health of the people I love being compromised.  If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be… Malcolm X.  I’ve always wante

4 Things to Consider Before Working with a Virtual Financial Adviser

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many routine in-person interactions went virtual. Thousands of companies moved some (or all) of their business online, including financial advisers trying to stay connected with their investors. Though it presented some initial challenges, the shift to online meetings over Zoom or FaceTime enabled financial advisers and investors to grow accustomed to this new normal . One chief benefit of moving to a virtual wealth management model is convenience. It has allowed clients and advisers to meet more frequently, enabling the latter to be more responsive to individuals’ needs. Plus, financial services (e.g., in-person adviser meetings, digital solutions) are now more accessible as firms are less limited by geographic borders. Although virtual wealth management might have improved reach and availability, it hasn’t changed the wealth management strategies clients receive. Despite this fact, people still have plenty of questions about what going virtual means