Solidground Success | From the Web

April 9, 2021in From the Web by

4 Steps to Starting Your Brand-New Podcast

By Alex Schnee

Once you have decided to start your podcast, you might feel overwhelmed about how you are going to record it, edit it, and get the word out there. While it can be an amazing experience creating a podcast, it can also mean that you need to have the right strategy and tools in order to do so. Otherwise, you might have difficulty gaining the listenership that you want.

Here are four steps to help you get started with your podcast and get the word out there.

1. Choose your niche

While you might have a number of passions and want to be able to cover a number of different topics on your show, it’s often better to have just one or two things you plan on covering. Not only can this help you build a targeted listenership, but it can also help you potentially attract a number of sponsors that can help to fund your podcast. This is one of the most important things you can do in order to find the right audience for your show.

2. Come up with episode ideas

It’s often a good idea to come up with some topics for your episodes before you press the record button. While you might not need to plan out years in advance, it can be helpful so you find yourself accountable to create episodes, as well as be consistent in what information you are sharing with your listeners. You can always change these ideas in the future if your podcast ends up going in a different direction, but it can be helpful to have some episodes planned out in advance so you can plan to promote your podcast accordingly.

3. Get your equipment

Now that you know what your podcast is going to be about, it’s time to invest in making it a success. This means looking into purchasing a microphone, a pair of headphones, and the best podcasting software. While you don’t need to spend a ton of money in order to make your podcast sound great, you should at least have these items in order to make it seem produced. If you would like, you can also record an intro and outro to add some consistency to your show, as well.

4. Book your guests

While you can simply record a podcast without any guests, it can be difficult to gain traction building an audience without having other perspectives and people promoting your show. You might want to contact people who are within your niche and who can provide value to your audience. Guests can also add some flavor to your podcast as well as offer additional channels for promotion. You might want to have a software that allows you to book your guests in advance.

In summary

Starting a new podcast can be extremely exciting, and by having a plan going into it, you’re more likely to get the results that you want. This can lead to a lucrative career or just an awesome side project that you love.

The post 4 Steps to Starting Your Brand-New Podcast appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Author: Editor

April 9, 2021in From the Web by

Grilling Advice for Healthy Eating

Do you want to start eating healthier? Then make some changes and enjoy great grilled foods! Grilled foods are delicious and healthier in comparison to others, but only if prepared in a certain way. Follow cooking advice if you are a beginner and take things slowly. No one becomes a great cook overnight, so be prepared to make some mistakes before reaching perfection. Healthy eating is what many people strive for, but not all follow it rigorously. For best results, check some Delicious Recipes, experiment a little in the kitchen, and prepare something amazing. If you are looking to change some eating habits, check out the following grilling advice for healthy eating.

Tips to Follow for Healthy Grilling

Choose a good piece of meat. Avoid standard pieces of meat that contain high fats, and go for healthier choices. Some suggestions include fish, skinless chicken meat, chicken breasts, ground poultry, and others. Red meats should be avoided, although many people enjoy grilling such type of meat the most. Having a slice of red meat occasionally is fine, but remember that such meat has higher levels of saturated fats. If you still want to grill beef or pork, opt for smaller round cuts.

Choose healthy side dishes. Many people buy what they can find in stores and use those as side dishes. However, most pre-packaged side dishes contain saturated fats, sugars, sodium, and other unwanted ingredients that are not healthy. Always go with home-prepared side dishes. Use fresh veggies, add some color to the meat, combine different things — you have plenty of options! Inspire yourself by going online and find some great side dish recipes that you can use.

Prepare a delicious marinade. There are a variety of spices and fresh herbs that you can use for making a marinade. There are plenty of marinade recipes online, so prepare something that matches your taste. Marinades improve the flavor of the meat, without adding too much salt. Any type of meat will taste lovely if it is marinated and left for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Use healthy meat portions. Sometimes meat looks so delicious and amazing that you want to eat as many pieces as possible. However, that is not healthy and you should not put a burden on your stomach. Never go over six ounces of meat per person, because it will make you feel heavy. Do not forget that you will also consume some vegetables and side dishes, so consuming a lot of meat will lead to bloating.

Use wholegrain bread and buns. If you plan to prepare burgers or hotdogs, wholegrain bread and buns are an ideal combination to use. They have a great texture and provide good flavor. They also contain fiber, which is important for stomach health.

These were some tips for you to consider when planning a grilling party. They will help you prepare the most delicious foods and your guests will certainly be satisfied. Implement the grilling advice and enjoy healthy eating.

The post Grilling Advice for Healthy Eating appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Author: Editor

April 9, 2021in From the Web by

SMTP Relay: What It Is & All That You Need to Know

Sending transactional emails in bulk as newsletters is commonplace among companies. But doing it without compromising the delivery of emails with conventional methods can be tricky. So, most companies are switching over to new approaches such as SMTP relay to address this problem.

Read on to know about SMTP Relay in detail and the advantages when used with email marketing platforms.

What Is SMTP Relay?

In technical terms, SMTP Relay is a service for the delivery of multiple emails through a 3rd party provider. It is primarily useful for sending huge volumes of emails in batches that need password resets or delivery confirmations.

The working of the SMTP relay depends on the successful connection between the SMTP port and the TCP connection. When both the components connect to a network, emails start moving to respective email addresses.

SMTP relay is nothing else but the server through which emails pass before reaching the desired destinations.

Each SMTP server has its address; whether it is Gmail or any other provider, all email providers comply with this rule.

Components of SMTP

SMTP primarily consists of the following two components:

User Agent (UA)
Mail Transfer Agent (MTA)

Both these components perform their defined roles to ensure the smooth movement of emails to the desired destination.

Following creating a message, the UA component prepares it for its movement to an email address. On the other hand, the MTA component moves the email message from the sender’s email address to the recipient’s email address.

Why Marketers Use SMTP Relay

In email marketing campaigns, most marketers strive to achieve the objective of sending as many emails as possible to potential business prospects. Sending individual emails for this purpose can be tedious and inconvenient.

SMTP relay is a handy option to break the monotony of this repetitive task; it enables marketers to send emails to many potential customers at once. This way, it ensures high deliverability.

Besides deliverability, marketers look for ways to overcome cost-related challenges. They strive to devise a method run email marketing campaigns within a fixed budget. SMTP relay helps marketers achieve this objective even if they have a tight budget.

In a nutshell, marketers use SMTP relay to attain three goals. These include achieving high deliverability, sending emails in large batches, and sending emails within a fixed budget.

SMTP+ Email Marketing Platform: A Winning Business Combo

When SMTP works in conjunction with an email marketing platform, it makes for a winning combination in many ways. Both these aspects add up to form a winning business combo in the following ways:

Go beyond sending limits

Email marketers need to send emails to potential business prospects in bulk. Any limit to the number of emails they send can impose constraints on their email marketing campaigns. SMTP relay removes this constraint by sending emails beyond the normal limit.

It proves to be useful for companies that wish to meet targeted goals within a shorter duration. The best part about it is SMTP relay allows companies to do so without increasing the operational costs.

Send emails from multiple IPs

Marketers and companies linked with email marketing campaigns prefer to use multiple IPs to prevent the exchange of traffic. It proves to be useful, especially when the exchange of traffic happens via the same gateway.

Another factor that encourages companies to use multiple IPs is spam filters. Email service providers implement them to enhance the user experience of users.

Sometimes such filters auto-identify marketing emails and mark them as spam. Also, users have the option to do the same on their own. Either way, spam filters put the email addresses of marketers at the risk of being blacklisted.

If a marketer sends emails from a single IP, blacklisting it can hijack their email campaign. An SMTP relay server prevents such a situation by enabling marketers to send emails from multiple IPs.

Protect sender reputation

An SMTP relay service blocks the movement of spam emails from its server. This way, it protects the reputation of a marketer with an outbound spam filter.

The outbound spam filter also helps web hosts bypass the common issues resulting from a compromised IP.

Personalize emails & target relevant segments

The parameters of a successful email marketing campaign have changed in the last few years. At present, email hygiene is an important consideration that governs the success of such campaigns.

SMTP relay cuts down marketers’ workload by filtering the list of potential customers among email subscribers from time to time. It cleans up those subscribers who are inactive and keeps the list warm.

This way, it maximizes the chances of conversion in an email marketing campaign. Apart from ensuring the delivery of emails to interested and active business prospects, it also enhances email sending habits.

Analyze & improve your campaigns

The success of a campaign depends on persistent efforts and planning according to current market trends. Without these imperatives, an email marketing campaign can go haywire.

Performance assessment is a must for a marketer to keep their campaign on track; the more it happens, the better.

For marketers’ benefit, an SMTP relay service simplifies the task of monitoring the performance of their campaign. It helps them find out the existing issues, if any, based on which they can fine-tune their strategy for better outcomes.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, SMTP relay is a boon to marketers and companies that deal with email marketing campaigns. It gives a clear advantage to both in the above ways, thereby playing a vital role in an email marketing campaign’s success.

The post SMTP Relay: What It Is & All That You Need to Know appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Author: Editor

April 9, 2021in From the Web by

50 Single Mom Quotes On Staying Strong And Loving

Being a mom is not easy. Being a single mom is even more challenging. Having children means you are on the job 24/7. Even while you are sleeping, you are still ready to wake at the slightest peep because that is what moms do.

Moms, especially single moms, need more people cheering them on. Your love and care matter to your kids. You are their superhero. I think single moms are superheroes, too.

The quotes below are words of encouragement for all of the single moms out there. Keep up the great work! Your hard work will pay off. Someday, they will be grown up and living on their own. Your job will never truly be done as a mom, but you can pat yourself on the back today and every day for doing mom duty day in and day out.

Here are 50 single mom quotes to encourage all the single moms out there.

“Being raised by a single mother, I learned to appreciate and value independent women.”—Kenny Conley
“As a single mum you’ll discover inner strengths and capabilities you never knew you had.”—Emma-Louise Smith
“One thing I know for sure – this motherhood thing is not for sissies.”—Jennifer Nettles
“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.”—Gail Tsukiyama
“And one day she discovered that she was fierce and strong, and full of fire and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.”—Mark Anthony
“She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn’t take them along.”—Margaret Culkin Banning
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”—Alice Walker
“Everyone has inside of her a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is.”—Anne Frank
“Doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for.”—Jennifer Lopez
“You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are.”—Melissa Etheridge
“Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing.”—Ricki Lake
“You don’t take a class; you’re thrown into motherhood and learn from experience.”—Jennie Finch
“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”—Oprah Winfrey
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”—Charlotte Brontë
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”—Nora Ephron
“When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier.”—Diane Von Furstenberg
“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”—Margaret Thatcher
“Women have discovered that they cannot rely on men’s chivalry to give them justice.”—Helen Keller
“Successful mothers are not the ones that have never struggled. They are the ones that never give up, despite the struggles.”—Sharon Jaynes
“Success, they taught me, is built on the foundation of courage, hard work, and individual responsibility. Despite what some would have us believe, success is not built on resentment and fears.”—Susana Martinez
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”—Maya Angelou
“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”—Ayn Rand
“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”—Rudyard Kipling
“The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because stuff worked out. They got that way because stuff went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days, but they handled it. Those women are my superheroes.”—Elizabeth Gilbert
“There will be so many times you feel like you failed. But in the eyes, ears, and mind of your child, you are a SUPER MOM.”—Stephanie Precourt
“Motherhood is the ultimate call to sacrifice.”—Wangechi Mutu
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”—Maya Angelou
“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.”—Princess Diana
“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.”—Jill Churchill
“There’s no doubt that motherhood is the best thing in my life. It’s all that really matters.”—Courtney Cox
“I realized when you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.”—Mitch Albom
“I have found being a mother has made me emotionally raw in many situations. Your heart is beating outside your body when you have a baby.”—Kate Beckinsale
“Single moms, you are a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, a maid, a cook, a referee, a heroine, a provider, a defender, a protector, a true Superwoman. Wear your cape proudly.”—Mandy Hale
“I’m not really single. I mean, I am, but I have a son. Being a single mother is different from being a single woman.”—Kate Hudson
“Being a single parent is twice the work, twice the stress, and twice the tears but also twice the hugs, twice the love, and twice the pride.”—Unknown
“For me, motherhood is learning about the strengths I didn’t know I had, and dealing with the fears I didn’t know existed.”—Halle Berry
“A single mom tries when things are hard. She never gives up. She believes in her family, even when things are tough. She knows that above all things… a mother’s love is more than enough.”—Denice Williams
“You do the best you can. Some days you feel really good about yourself and some days you don’t.”—Katie Holmes
“I would say to any single parent currently feeling the weight of stereotype or stigmatization that I am prouder of my years as a single mother than of any other part of my life.”—JK Rowling
“Just because I am a single mother doesn’t mean I cannot be a success.”—Yvonne Kaloki
“I didn’t plan on being a single mom, but you have to deal with the cards you are dealt the best way you can.”—Tichina Arnold
“Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.”—Garrison Keillor
“A single mom tries when things are hard. She never gives up. She believes in her family, even when things are tough. She knows that above all things, a mother’s love is more than enough.”—Deniece Williams
“Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials.”—Meryl Streep
“Having kids—the responsibility of rearing good, kind, ethical, responsible human beings—is the biggest job anyone can embark on.”—Maria Shriver
“Mother is a verb. It’s something you do. Not just who you are.”—Cheryl Lacey Donovan
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dates all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”—Agatha Christie
“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.”—Princess Diana
“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”—W.R. Wallace
“Being a mother is the greatest blessing and the hardest challenge in all of life.”—Dr. Magdalena Battles

Final Thoughts

Single moms are remarkable women. They are to be respected and honored for all that they do. If you know a single mom, then share this article with them. Tell them “you are doing a great job as a single mom.” They need our encouragement and support.

They may be parenting alone, but it is good to let them know that there are people in their life who care for them. We can all be there for the single moms out there. Even if it is just to say, “keep up the great work, you are an amazing woman!”

If you are a single mom, keep up the good work! You are amazing, and your kids are lucky to have you!

More Tips for Single Moms

15 Things You May Not Know About Single Moms
14 Helpful Tips for Single Parents: How to Stay Sane While Doing it All
15 Signs You Have The Coolest Single Mom In The World

Featured photo credit: Alexander Dummer via unsplash.com

The post 50 Single Mom Quotes On Staying Strong And Loving appeared first on Lifehack.

Author: Dr. Magdalena Battles

April 9, 2021in From the Web by

Why You Feel Lonely In Your Marriage And How To Deal With It

When you take the plunge, marry “the One”—your life partner—you might think you’re set for life, that you’ve married your best friend, right? “No more lonely nights” as the Paul McCartney song says. But sadly, that’s not necessarily so. Loneliness in marriage affects millions of couples around the globe. And this is where at least one partner, typically the woman, feels emotionally abandoned.

Marriage and loneliness don’t seem like two words that should go hand in hand. Yet, that’s often the case. Loneliness is real for many couples. At this point, you might be wondering why that’s the case—why you and/or your partner may be experiencing loneliness in your marriage—the marriage you imagined would be your safe haven.

Perhaps, the connection you once had has vanished or at least dimmed so much that it’s barely noticeable. Maybe, over the years, your communication has become openly argumentative and hostile. What started as constant little flare-ups, in time, evolved into major blow-ups. And to avoid those destructive interactions, you stop talking altogether.

Lack of emotional intimacy—which, in some cases, can lead to extra-marital affairs—is yet another reason why you might feel lonely in your marriage. Here’s a short video on preventing and surviving infidelity.

Also, you may feel unsupported by your spouse. During times of high duress, your partner may not show enough empathy for your feelings, compelling you to pull away and further cause a slow erosion of your emotional connection.

6 Reasons Why You Feel Lonely in Your Marriage

Let’s take a closer look at some of the variables that can cause loneliness to creep into a marriage.

1. Fear of Your Spouse

If unfortunately, you are married to someone who is emotionally and psychologically abusive, there’s no doubt that you are experiencing long bouts of loneliness. If you fear your spouse—their aggressive behavior and verbal beatings—you probably spend a great deal of time avoiding them or walking on eggshells to circumvent any type of conflict.

To further complicate matters, during the early years of your marriage, your partner may have isolated you from your family and/or friends, causing you to feel like you have no one to turn to.

If you want to read more on feeling lonely in an abusive relationship, check out the article The Loneliness of the Emotionally Abusive Relationship.^[1] This is a very serious cause of being lonely in marriage and one that needs to be addressed. Living in terror is no way to live.

2. Frenetic Schedules

You and your partner may be like ships crossing in the night. Perhaps, one of you comes home after the other one is asleep or leaves before the other one is awake. If so, chances are you’re not going to connect much. This can cause you to lose touch with one another—to cease sharing all the little daily happenings. Eventually, this creates a rip in the fabric of your relationship that feels too big to patch.

According to 5 Hacks for Making It Work When You Have Opposite Shifts As Your Spouse by Drew Hendricks, incompatible schedules “can wreak havoc on your relationship, but only if you let it. In every relationship compromises are necessary, and this might be a big one. However, don’t let it come down to comparing which job is more “important” or “stressful” because nobody’s going to win. Every job is important, stressful, and has pros and cons.”^[2]

When you prioritize your career and/or your children over your partner, the solidity of your relationship can become highly untenable. Of course, both careers and children need attention, but not at the risk of losing your marriage. There has to be a balance in all aspects of your life together.

Schedules need to be discussed, both around work and children (if you have them), keeping in mind the importance of what’s at stake—your marriage!

3. Lack of Emotional Support

Things happen! Unfortunate situations show up at your doorstep when you least expect them. At that time, you expect your partner to be there for you—to support and lift you up when you’re down. If time and again you don’t feel emotionally supported, that can—and usually does—create distance and loneliness in the relationship.

For example, let’s say your 90-year-old father dies. You’re devastated because you were very close. But your partner doesn’t say much, and when they do, it’s, “Well, he lived a long life. He’s in a better place.” You don’t want to hear common clichés. You want to feel like you have an anchor in your time of grief.

If that emotional support has been missing from your marriage and your partner has failed to consistently exhibit much compassion or empathy, you can clearly see how that would impair the relationship and germinate seeds of loneliness in your marriage.

In the article What If There Is No Emotional Support In A Relationship? by Lori Jean Glass, she mentions that “in meaningful relationships, emotional support is offered from both individuals and brings them closer to each other. It also helps you establish a foundation for your future together. Additionally, the practice of offering emotional support provides a foundation for being able to resolve conflict kindly, see your partner from a place of reality, and attach securely to one another.”^[3]

4. No Sexual Intimacy

How often are you sexually intimate with your spouse? In marriages where one or both partners are lonely, rarely do the couples make love or take time to bond. Furthermore, the little displays of affection that may have occurred regularly when you first got together, such as a good morning kiss, a caress on the shoulder, a pinch on the behind, etc., may have disappeared altogether.

Those displays of affection may seem insignificant, but they’re not. They are the precursor to sexual intimacy. If you are experiencing none of those, then chances are that you may be feeling lonely.

“Simple moments of touch between spouses are invitations to remember the gift of a shared life. A kiss. A hug. A squeeze on the shoulder forces us to slow down, even for a few seconds. They allow us to notice and be noticed. These PDA moments both ground us and fuel us,” says Jenny Leboffe, in her article Public Displays of Affection are Good for your Marriage and Family.^[4]

5. Absence of Quality Time

If you and your spouse see each other 20 minutes a week in-between taking the kids to soccer and ballet and a grueling work schedule, loneliness rigor mortis can set in. Being absent is one of the ways in which couples lose touch with each other.

Why is quality time important? According to Jane Ohm, “it is because, no matter how much you know each other, with time, there will be something new to discover, including their changing interests, passion, aspirations and even friends or enemies. Effective communication and quality time together thus plays a major role in sustaining a relationship, preventing it from becoming boring.”^[5]

It’s not necessary to block out large chunks of time for each other, although that would be nice. But it is important that the time you share is meaningful. This allows you to stay actively tuned-in to each others’ lives. All the little things add up to the big stuff. They create a life!

6. Old Wounds That Never Healed

In some instances, rifts exist due to prior unhealed wounds that occurred early in the marriage.

I treat a couple who has been married for six years and currently experiencing this precise situation. Early on in their marriage, the young man’s mother meddled and intervened, upsetting the wife and causing a separation that went on for months. Finally, the mother-in-law apologized, and now things seem to be on the mend, but the old scars remain.

The young man feels stuck in the middle between his wife’s and mother’s relationship. He’s constantly feeling like he needs to take sides. This adds to his feelings of loneliness in the marriage because he doesn’t feel like he can talk to either his wife or mother about his emotions without stirring up a hornet’s nest.

Old wounds need to heal for partners to move forward in marriage. Past hurts need to be resolved and kept where they belong—in the past!

If you are married and feeling lonely and neglected, what can you do to make things better? There are myriad things you can start implementing immediately.

6 Things You Can Do to Avoid Feeling Lonely in Your Marriage

Loneliness doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Here are some things you can do to avoid feeling lonely in your marriage and make your relationship better.

1. Set Up Weekly Dates

A marriage in which couples do something fun with each other weekly doesn’t leave much room for feeling lonely in that marriage. The connection remains strong. They’re constantly updated on the carryings-on of each others’ lives, and they have something to look forward to every week.

According to the article 5 Less-Knowns Reasons Why Date Night is Important, “social scientists have found that women who spend at least one period of “couple time” a week with their spouse are as much as 7 times happier in their marriage.”^[6]

So, go and plan that date!

2. Talk, Talk, Talk!

One of the biggest problems in relationships where one or both of the parties feel lonely is lack of communication. The couple has stopped talking. They’re too busy living their individual and important lives and have neglected their relationship, thinking it’s going to tend to itself. Deep conversations are necessary to keep the relationship active and healthy.

According to Marni Feuerman:

“These deeper conversations are necessary to make the glue that holds you together and creates the intimacy people desire in their marriage. It’s critical that you talk about the highs and lows that have been sprinkled throughout your week. These topics may be from outside interactions with others or something specifically between you and your spouse.”^[7]

Talk to your partner. Talk about everything—your work, your expectations, your disappointments, your joy, your fears, your passions. Always strive to learn more about them.

3. Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

On Valentine’s Day 2018, my husband decided to take a trip down memory lane. He made a picnic basket, then took me to the park where we first met. There, we had lunch and reminisced. We also drove by our first apartment building, and a few other favorite spots we’d frequented. It was an amazing day. All the while we talked about all the fun things we used to do and how far we’d come in our relationship.

Taking a trip down memory lane is a great way to bring some spark back into your marriage as well as to eliminate any loneliness that might have wriggled in due to negligence. It’s a way of reconnecting—of feeling the love you initially experienced.

Note: If, for some reason, you can’t physically take that trip down memory lane, go through pictures or just talk about your favorite memories.

4. It’s the Little Things…

When you think about doing something to improve your marriage to stop feeling lonely, you might imagine that it has to be some grand gesture. That is not the case. Consistently doing small little things for each other shows that you care for each other.

For instance, filling up their water bottle, setting out a cup of coffee for them, turning down the bed, making the bed, etc. are little things that show love. Those acts of service add up to big signs of love.

How can you feel lonely if you walk into your bedroom ready to make the bed and it’s already been made for you? I bet you’re not going to feel lonely. You’re going to smile and feel grateful for the nice gesture.

5. Show Understanding, Compassion, and Respect

In a marriage where each partner shows understanding, compassion, and respect, there is unity. When there is unity, how can loneliness exist in that marriage? It can’t.

If you treat each other with kindness and respect—are there for each other in every way—no one will feel unheard, which ultimately causes people to feel lonely.

Treat your spouse like you would treat your best friend. Spend time, and show love. Respect who they are as people. Do things to show you love them—regularly, not just on Valentine’s Day or their birthday. Every day is a good day to work on your marriage. And if you do, loneliness won’t be able to catch its breath.

6. Take Up a Hobby Together

If you and your partner spend time doing something you both love, there’s no way you will feel lonely.

To illustrate, work out together or find a hobby that you can both enjoy. It might be putting a big puzzle together, playing a board game, or maybe it’s taking long bike rides on the weekends, hiking a scenic trail, watching favorite movies or shows together, then talking about it, going for walks, and sharing the highlights of your day. These are all fun ways of tending to your marriage.

Final Thoughts

Your marriage doesn’t have to include loneliness. If there are problems that are causing the loneliness—except number 1, “Fear of Spouse”, which is quite serious and may require leaving the relationship—address those issues. Couple’s counseling can be a lifesaver, or you can start implementing the above-mentioned suggestions and notice how your marriage suddenly starts to thrive.

Remember, before anything can happen, you need to have a conversation with your spouse. They may not be aware that you’re feeling lonely in your marriage. Talk about it! Then, see what measures can be put into place to eliminate those feelings of isolation.

If you both love each other, and better yet, like each other, there will be a willingness to make things better. Then, all that’s left is putting in the work. And with that, you can make quite a fun adventure!

More Tips on How to Save Your Marriage

How to Fix a Broken Marriage And Save Your Relationship
Signs You’re in a Loveless Marriage (And How to Cope with It)
How to Save a Marriage That Is Falling Apart

Featured photo credit: Priscilla Du Preez via unsplash.com

Reference

[1]	^	Annie Kaszina: The Loneliness of the Emotionally Abusive Relationship
[2]	^	Inc.: 5 Hacks for Making It Work When You Have Opposite Shifts as Your Spouse
[3]	^	Pivot: What If There Is No Emotional Support In A Relationship?
[4]	^	Her View From Home: Public Displays of Affection are Good for your Marriage and Family
[5]	^	Home of Ohm: Importance of Scheduling Quality Time in a Relationship
[6]	^	The Couples Center: 5 Less-Known Reasons Why Date Night Is Important
[7]	^	Very Well Mind: Why Couples Should Be Talking About Their Feelings

The post Why You Feel Lonely In Your Marriage And How To Deal With It appeared first on Lifehack.

Author: Rossana Snee

April 9, 2021in From the Web by

What Is Mindfulness And How It Helps Your Mental Wellness

Mindfulness has become a popular buzzword in the health and wellness industry. However, few people truly understand what it is. My aim here is to teach you what mindfulness is and how it helps your mental wellness. By the end of this article, you will understand the meaning and benefits of mindfulness. Additionally, you will develop the ability to integrate mindfulness into your daily life.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is approximately 2500-years-old with deep roots in the Eastern world as a spiritual, ethical, and philosophical practice. These roots are intimately connected to the Buddhist practice of vipassana meditation.^[1]

Mindfulness continues to be practiced as a cultural and spiritual tradition in many parts of the world. For Buddhists, it offers an ethical and moral code of conduct. For many, mindfulness is more than a practice—it is a way of life.^[2]

However, mindfulness has evolved in the Western world and has become a non-religious practice for wellbeing. The evolution began around 1979 when Jon-Kabat Zinn developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).^[3] Since then, mindfulness has emerged in the health and wellness industry and continues to evolve.

It is important to recognize the distinctions between mindfulness as a clinical practice and mindfulness as a cultural practice. The focus of this article is on the clinical model of mindfulness developed in the West.

Many researchers have integrated aspects of Buddhism and mindfulness into clinical psychiatry and psychology. Buddhism has helped to inform many mental health theories and therapies. However, the ethical and moral codes of conduct that drive Buddhist practices are no longer integrated into the mindfulness practices most-often taught in the Western world.^[4] Therefore, Western mindfulness is often a non-spiritual practice for mental wellness.

Mindfulness aims to cultivate present moment awareness both within the body and the environment.^[5] However, awareness is only the first element. Non-judgmental acceptance of the present moment is essential for true mindfulness to occur. Thoughts and feelings are explored without an emphasis on right, wrong, past, or future.

The only necessary condition for mindfulness to occur is non-judgmental acceptance and awareness of the present moment. Mindfulness can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, and at any time. It does not need to be complex even though structured programs exist.

How Mindfulness Helps Your Mental Wellness

Along with MBSR, other models have been developed and adapted for use by clinical counselors, psychologists, and therapists. These include Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).^[6]

Structured models of mindfulness allow researchers to study its benefits. Research has uncovered an abundance of benefits including mental, physical, cognitive, and spiritual. The following is not a comprehensive list of all its benefits, but it will begin to uncover how mindfulness helps mental wellness.

Benefits on Your Mental Health

Practicing mindfulness can have positive impacts on mental health. It has been positively associated with desirable traits, such as:

Autonomy
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Competence
Empathy
Optimism

Mindfulness helps to improve self-esteem, increase life satisfaction and enhance self-compassion. It is associated with pleasant emotions and mood. Overall, people who practice this appear to be happier and experience more joy in life. Not only does it increase happiness but it may also ward off negativity.

Mindfulness helps individuals to let go of negative thoughts and regulate emotions. For example, it may decrease fear, stress, worry, anger, and anxiety. It also helps to reduce rumination, which is a repetition of negative thoughts in the mind.

MBSR was originally designed to treat chronic pain. It has since evolved to include the treatment of anxiety and depression. Clinical studies have shown that MBSR is linked with:

Reduced chronic pain and improved quality of life
Decreased risk of relapse in depression
Reduced negative thinking in anxiety disorders
Prevention of major depressive disorders
Reducing substance-use frequency and cravings

However, more research is needed before these clinical studies can be generalized to the public. Nevertheless, there is promising evidence to suggest MBSR may be beneficial for mental health.^[7]

Benefits on Your Cognitive Health

Mindfulness has many important benefits for cognitive health as well. In a study of college students, mindfulness increased performance in attention and persistence. Another study found that individuals who practice it have increased cognitive flexibility. A brain scan found increased thickness in areas of the brain related to attention, interception, and sensory processing.^[8]

To explain this another way, practicing mindfulness can improve the ability to shift from one task to the next, increase attention span and increase awareness of bodily sensations and the environment. Therefore, it has the potential to literally change your brain for the better.

Harvard researchers are also interested in studies of the brain and mindfulness. One researcher studied how brain changes are sustained even when individuals are not engaged in mindfulness. Their research suggests that its benefits extend beyond the moments of mindfulness.^[9]

Another study found that the benefits of mindfulness training lasted up to five years. In this particular case, individuals participating in mindfulness activities showed increased attention-span. Mindfulness has also been shown to increase problem-solving and decrease mind wandering.^[10]

What Is Mindfulness Meditation?

Mindfulness can be practiced in many different ways. However, most practices include these elements:

An object to focus awareness on (breath, body, thoughts, sounds)
Awareness of the present moment
Openness to experience whatever comes up
Acceptance that the mind will wander
The intention to return awareness to the object of focus whenever the mind wanders

A practice that encompasses these elements is typically called mindfulness meditation. Most mindfulness meditations will be practiced between 5 to 50 minutes, per day.^[11]

There is truly no right or wrong way to practice mindfulness. Most mindfulness meditations are done seated with an object of focus related to the breath, body, thoughts, emotions, or sounds. However, daily activities such as walking or eating can be practiced as a form of mindfulness meditation, as long as the aforementioned elements are in place.

Four Mindfulness Meditations and Their Benefits

Not all forms of mindfulness are created equal. Each practice has unique goals, structure, and benefits. The following four mindfulness meditations are linked with improved mental wellness related to vitality, happiness, and attention.

The results come from a study designed to explore the benefits of these four practices. All of these stem from traditional Buddhist practices.^[12]

1. Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness is a form of meditation that focuses on sending love and compassion to others. It may begin with kindness for the self and extend outward towards close family and friends, communities, nations, and the world. Loving-kindness may even involve sending love and compassion towards enemies.

The study found that eight-weeks of loving-kindness meditation increased feelings of closeness to others. However, it did not reduce negative feelings towards enemies. Additionally, one week of loving-kindness mixed with compassion training increased the amount of positive feelings participants experienced.^[13]

2. Breathing Meditation

Breathing meditation is a practice where the focus remains on the breath. Whenever the mind begins to wander, the attention is brought back to the breath.

In many different mindfulness and yoga practices, specific breathing (pranayama) practices are taught. However, for beginners, simple diaphragmatic breathing that focuses on each inhale and exhale is sufficient.

The effects of breathing meditation relate to attention. Breathing meditation is linked to changes in the way information is processed. Buddhist monks who practiced breathing meditation were able to process a greater amount of information than monks who practiced compassion meditation.

3. Body Scan Meditation

A body scan is as simple as it sounds. Attention is brought to each part of the body. Participants can choose to start from the top of the head or the bottom of the feet. It can be helpful to imagine a warmth or a color spreading from one body part to the next as each part begins to relax.

When body scan and breathing are combined, there are many benefits. Interoceptive sensitivity is the mind’s ability to focus on bodily cues. It is strengthened by body scanning. Body scanning also helps with attention and focus.^[14]

4. Observing Thoughts Meditation

In observing thoughts meditation, the focus is on the thoughts. This is an opportunity to practice non-judgmental observation. It is also a practice of non-attachment.

Within the study, participants practiced structured observation of thoughts. First, they brought their attention to their thoughts and labeled them within several categories: past, present, future, self, or others. Then, they practiced observing their thoughts without an emotional reaction.^[15]

The benefits of this practice were robust. First, participants showed great improvement in the ability to observe their thoughts without judgment. Second, the practice greatly reduced rumination. As a result, participants had fewer emotional reactions to their thoughts and developed greater self-awareness around their thinking patterns.

In summary, there are many different ways to practice mindfulness meditation. The choice may be determined by the benefits each practice offers. For example, body scanning can increase bodily awareness. Thought-observation can increase self-awareness and decrease rumination. Regardless, every practice may increase positivity, energy, and focus.^[16]

Considerations Before You Begin Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness is still a relatively new concept in clinical research. Critics worry that its benefits have been overstated. There is also concern that the Western world has changed it into something most Buddhists would not recognize.^[17]

Mindfulness is a state of mind that builds self-awareness. As a result, it may force individuals to face difficult emotions, memories, and thoughts. In a study of long-term, intense mindfulness practices, 60% of participants reported at least one negative outcome. Some cases are related to depression, anxiety, and psychosis.^[18]

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to mental wellness. Mindfulness offering promising results but there are also risks involved. Working with a therapist may be a great way to start a mindfulness practice while monitoring for risk.

Final Thoughts

Mindfulness is a powerful practice that has deep roots in Buddhism. It is a practice of present-moment awareness, acceptance of the present moment, and non-judgment of thoughts, emotions, or circumstances.

It has many benefits that may increase mental wellness. However, there are also some risks to consider. Overall, you should consider your unique profile before beginning a practice or consider working with a therapist at the start.

More About Practicing Mindfulness

5 Best Guided Morning Mediations for Energy and Motivation
17 Types of Meditation (Techniques and Basics) to Practice Mindfulness
7 Simple Ways To Improve Your Mental Wellness

Featured photo credit: Simon Migaj via unsplash.com

Reference

[1]	^	NCBI: A Perspective on the Similarities and Differences Between Mindfulness and Relaxation
[2]	^	Sage Journals: Mindfulness in Cultural Context
[3]	^	Greater Good Magazine: What is Mindfulness?
[4]	^	Sage Journals: Mindfulness in Cultural Context
[5]	^	Greater Good Magazine: The State of Mindfulness Science
[6]	^	NCBI: Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies
[7]	^	NCBI: Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology
[8]	^	NCBI: Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies
[9]	^	The Harvard Gazette: When Science Meets Mindfulness
[10]	^	Greater Good Magazine: The State of Mindfulness Science
[11]	^	NCBI: A Perspective on the Similarities and Differences Between Mindfulness and Relaxation
[12]	^	ResearchGate: Phenomenological Fingerprints of Four Meditations: Differential State Changes in Affect, Mind-Wandering, Meta-Cognition, and Interoception Before and After Daily Practice Across Nine Months of Training
[13]	^	ResearchGate: Phenomenological Fingerprints of Four Meditations: Differential State Changes in Affect, Mind-Wandering, Meta-Cognition, and Interoception Before and After Daily Practice Across Nine Months of Training
[14]	^	ResearchGate: Phenomenological Fingerprints of Four Meditations: Differential State Changes in Affect, Mind-Wandering, Meta-Cognition, and Interoception Before and After Daily Practice Across Nine Months of Training
[15]	^	ResearchGate: Phenomenological Fingerprints of Four Meditations: Differential State Changes in Affect, Mind-Wandering, Meta-Cognition, and Interoception Before and After Daily Practice Across Nine Months of Training
[16]	^	Greater Good Magazine: How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation
[17]	^	NCBI: Has the Science of Mindfulness Lost Its Mind?
[18]	^	NCBI: Has the Science of Mindfulness Lost Its Mind?

The post What Is Mindfulness And How It Helps Your Mental Wellness appeared first on Lifehack.

Author: Olivia Schnur

April 8, 2021in From the Web by

Effective Facility Tour for a Home-Based Business? Yes, It Can Be Done!

A tour of a production facility isn’t something a home-based business might typically consider, but it can be done with effective communication.

Many marketers consider tours of their facilities to be an excellent way to build brand equity and engagement among their customers. By seeing, hearing, and touching the brand at its source, people gain a real sense of intimacy with it that often endures, and translates into purchase, and repeat purchase. And plant tours for other types of groups can be beneficial for any number of other reasons. A tour can be part of the orientation and/or training process for new hires; a means of building engagement with potential business partners; inspection tours, etc.

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in an indefinite hiatus in plant tour programs for many firms. Minimum social distancing requirements of six feet between participants would make the often challenging logistics of herding a tour group from station to station almost impossible. But with the pandemic’s horizon potentially coming into view those tours will return. For firms that may consider offering a tour for the first time, now is the time to begin planning its development.

Tours by home-based businesses

The odds are that, as a home-based business, the idea of a tour of your “facility” has never crossed your mind. (You’d have to clean the bathroom on a daily basis!) But of course we’re not really referring to your home-based office; in addition to their offices many such businesses have production facilities, either owned by the business itself or through contractual arrangements. For example, of America’s 601,000 manufacturing businesses in 2012, 157,000, or 26%, were home-based.

There’s more than a little work involved in developing and initiating a program of plant tours, starting with the determination that production logistics allow for a tour that can safely accommodate visitors. Among the many tasks involved, a marketing agency may be hired to identify the most interesting aspects of the production process as well as the company history, and turn this into an entertaining and informative script. Outgoing and charismatic tour guides must be recruited and hired to deliver that script with just the right amount of flair. But in a manufacturing environment noise from machinery and equipment is often loud and uninterrupted, and if touring customers, employees, or business partners can’t hear the guide clearly, much of the entertainment and informational value — not to mention the potential for brand-building and increased sales — will be lost.

Headset communication systems

There is likely no better way to defeat the challenges of ambient noise in a production facility than to equip tour guides and tour participants with two-way communication systems: transceivers and receivers that enable electronic communication along with headsets that buffer environmental sounds. Such systems also allow greater physical distance between participants, since communication is carried by a signal and not by voice. This may be particularly relevant going forward, since some learned tendency toward social distancing behavior may prevail among people even as social distancing requirements fade away; some people may have developed a permanent sense of greater personal space. A tour group with each member separated by four, five, or six feet will be at no communication disadvantage when all are equipped with two-way systems.

Message clarity is critical

Some of America’s most iconic companies are known for their outstanding plant tours, including Celestial Seasonings, Harley-Davidson, and Jelly Belly. A typical home-based business may see this standard as being out of their reach, but what these examples do show is the importance smart marketers place on building brands by engaging their customers right at the point of production. But clarity of message is critical — clarity in developing and scripting the message, and clarity in its delivery. The former requires talented writers. The latter requires clear audio communication, and the best option to ensure this may well be to connect everyone involved with two-way tour guide systems.

Author: Rick Farrell, President, Plant-Tours.com

Rick is North America’s foremost expert in improving manufacturing group communication, education, training and group hospitality processes. He has over 40 years of group hospitality experience, most recently serving as President of Plant-Tours.com for the last 18 years. He has provided consulting services with the majority of Fortune 500 industrial corporations improving group communication dynamics of all types in manufacturing environments. Plant-Tours.com manufactures the most reliable, easy to use, highest quality headset communication systems for the manufacturing, industrial and institution markets.

The post Effective Facility Tour for a Home-Based Business? Yes, It Can Be Done! appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Author: Editor

April 8, 2021in From the Web by

How CRM Software Will Help You to Scale Your Business

CRM software can be deployed in a variety of ways that will help you to scale your business (and simultaneously increase your market share of consumer activity).

See here for more details on CRM software, or keep reading to discover some of the main ways in which you can grow your business using a suite of CRM technologies.

Find & attract the right customers

CRM software stores valuable marketing data and presents your teams with an easy-to-access dashboard of information. Basing your marketing decisions on data means that your resources are used in the most efficient ways possible. For example, where CRM technologies capture customer details such as email addresses, you have a direct line of communication with your core consumer base.

Gaining feedback from your customers over your products and services can help you to understand which demographics are interacting with your business in expected ways, and also which demographics present a surprise in how they relate to your brand.

Using this information, you can direct your marketing teams to exploit the most direct marketing channels to promote your goods or services to the most relevant audiences.

Build lasting and meaningful relationships (that drive loyalty)

CRM software offers businesses many opportunities to interact with customers. For example, using some simple features of the software, a company can quickly and easily set up an automated email response. Whenever a customer takes the time to contact your brand, the reply is instant, informing the customer that you value them taking time to make contact, and a response will be sent from the relevant team ASAP.

Customers that feel supported and valued are far more likely to continue their patronage, whereas customers who feel underappreciated are likely to take their buying power and check out the competition. But retaining customers should not be seen as a never increasing line of sales. Far from it. Customers who stay loyal to your brand are likely to continue to give feedback and spread the word over your exemplary efforts. All of which feeds into scaling your business.

Accurate marketing can increase revenue and pass on savings to the customer

Your marketing costs are a necessary overhead. Without marketing, your business would not fully understand factors such as key demographics. So how can CRM increase your revenue and help you to pass on the savings to your customers?

This takes a little lateral thinking, but where CRM technologies are in place, your marketing strategies become streamlined. Where your marketing strategies become streamlined, your lead generation and sales conversion statistics start to experience growth. With greater revenue and less money spent on futile marketing strategies, you have fewer overheads to cover and more money to spend.

All of this means that you will be in a better position to pass on the savings to your customers. And as we know, if there is one thing guaranteed to turn heads and contribute towards scaling your business, it’s cheaper prices at the point of sale. That’s why CRM can be a more valuable tool in business growth than you may have imagined.

The post How CRM Software Will Help You to Scale Your Business appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Author: Editor

April 8, 2021in From the Web by

Top Benefits of Sending Handwritten Letters to Your Customers

Sending a handwritten letter to your customers is a good way to set your business apart from the competition and to connect to your customers in a more personal manner. Text messages, phone calls, and emails are how most companies connect with their customers, but don’t underestimate the power of a handwritten letter for establishing improved customer loyalty. Let’s explore what writing a handwritten letter can do for your business.

1. Improve Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Improving word-of-mouth marketing is the primary benefit of sending a handwritten letter to your customers. People love to share or discuss handwritten letters they receive with family and friends, especially since receiving handwritten notes or letters is rare. Sending a handwritten letter to express gratitude comes across as heartfelt, and you can count on your customers sharing it with the people they know.

2. Build and Strengthen Relationships

A handwritten letter doesn’t require a lot of time to create. You can do it affordably and quickly, and the powerful connection it builds can cement new relationships, both professional and personal. Emails and text messages are impersonal, and they have about as much value as the time it takes to create them. A handwritten letter, on the other hand, shows you care. Thus, if you’re trying to form a positive relationship with your customers and boost their loyalty, there’s no substitute for the power of paper and pen.

3. Increase Sales

In addition to helping you build and strengthen strong customer relationships, a handwritten letter can also boost your company’s sales when you use them for special promotions. You can present special offers as a token to your best customers. For instance, with your handwritten thank-you letter, you could include a 50% discount or a generous gift card to your business. This can be a very effective marketing strategy, as it drives repeat customers to your website or store. As a result, you can end up with increased sales that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

4. Stand Out from the Competition

While an email is simple and economical to generate, it’s commonplace and doesn’t set you apart from the competition. Sending a handwritten note or letter, however, is the perfect way to stand out from the crowd. Your customers may not remember who sent any of the hundreds of emails they received today, but they’ll surely remember the thoughtful, handwritten letter that you sent.

5. Make Customers Feel Special

Not only do customers want to be appreciated, but they also want to feel special. Sending a handwritten letter to your customers will do much more than just give them a special surprise. By adding your customer’s details and a personal touch to a letter, you can spur your customers to feel warm, positive emotions, and motivate them to associate these positive feelings with your company. As a result, your customers will feel good about your business, and they’re more likely to do business with you in the future.

While handwritten letters take a little more time, your effort will reap several benefits. It’s a tool worth using for the success of your business.

The post Top Benefits of Sending Handwritten Letters to Your Customers appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Author: Editor

April 8, 2021in From the Web by

Losing Motivation? 3 Steps to Drive Your Motivation Engine

Losing motivation and looking for ways to superboost your motivation?

Don’t miss this episode of the Lifehack Show where I’ll share with you the 3 steps to building and driving your motivation engine so you can always stay motivated. You’ll not lose your motivation again no matter how tough the going gets with this motivation engine!

The post Losing Motivation? 3 Steps to Drive Your Motivation Engine appeared first on Lifehack.

Author: Jade Nyx