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Kind Teen Makes Cute Pet Bowties to Help Shelter Dogs Find Homes

September 6, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

One kind teen decided to help shelter dogs find forever homes in a very unique way. Darius Brown, a 14-year-old student from Newark, New Jersey, runs his own business making handmade bowties for shelter dogs. The animal lover and founder of Beaux & Paws discovered that the bow ties helped shelter dogs get adopted three times faster.

Darius’ business combines two of his greatest passions in life: bowties and animals. The teen started creating fashionable doggy accessories back in 2015 at just eight years old. As an animal advocate, he hoped this would help dogs get adopted more often – and it did!

“I just love it when they’re wearing one of my bow ties,” Brown told NBC’s Rehema Ellis on Weekend TODAY.

Meet A Kind Teen Who Helps Promote Adoption, One Dog At A Time

Darius donates the bowties to rescue organizations all over the country. He creates a wide variety of neckwear, from striped bowties to polka-dotted ones and more. Darius loves seeing posts on social media of the bowtie-wearing dogs getting adopted, and it inspires him to keep going.

The kind teen featured one of the adopted dogs on his Instagram. “The beautiful Harley here was adopted after sporting my Spring Blossom bow tie,” the caption said. The post also urged his audience to consider adopting or fostering a pet to help them find a permanent home.

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A post shared by Sir Darius Brown (@sirdariusbrown)

Darius says that he’s lost count of how many bowties he’s made, but estimates it’s over 1,000 so far. The eighth-grader got the business idea after seeing the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in the summer of 2017.

“I would always see on television and wonder, ‘How come there were all these people getting help, but not any animals or dogs being helped?'” he says.

Following the news, the kind teen heard that some displaced dogs had been transferred to the ASPCA in New York City. While visiting the adoption center, Darius learned that hundreds of dogs get euthanized at some shelters because of overcrowding. As a huge dog lover, hearing this broke his heart.

This inspired his mission to help save animals’ lives by donating his handmade bowties to animal shelters. He hoped this would help the animals get adopted faster. After all, who can resist a dog wearing a bowtie?!

Making Bowties Doesn’t Just Benefit The Dogs – It Helps Darius As Well.

Darius never imagined that his desire to help shelter dogs would turn into such a big mission. His efforts have gotten the attention of rescue organizations across the country. He even received a signed letter from former President Barack Obama praising him for his work!

Making the bowties helps the kind teen as well. At two years old, Darius got diagnosed with delays in speech, comprehension, and fine motor skills. Due to the developmental delays, he had trouble using his hands for everyday tasks such as tying his shoes. His family wanted to encourage his development but struggled with ways to help him.

At age 8, however, Darius had a breakthrough while his sister Dazhai was attending cosmetology school. In her classes, she had to make hair ribbons for little girls. One day, she and her mom got the idea to have Darius help prep the ribbons, cut them, and sew fabric together. Their brilliant idea worked because Darius seemed to catch on very quickly!

While the sewing aspect was difficult for him initially, he stuck with it because he wanted to help his sister. The kind teen gives Dazhai all the credit for helping him learn how to sew, which kickstarted his own business.

“When she learned how to sew it was because of our grandmother,” he said. “And then our grandmother passed away. So I felt as though when my sister had to teach me how to sew, it was like that family passing down the line thing.”

After mastering sewing, Darius began creating his own bowties to wear. When he went out in public, people often asked where they could buy one. So, he decided to start the bowtie company Beaux & Paws to create the neckwear for people and their pets.

Darius Continues On His Mission To Help Dogs Find Happy Forever Homes

The kind teen’s desire to help shelter dogs have better lives ignited a fire within him. However, he never realized how far this passion would take him. Now, he’s partnered with large dog organizations like Wagmor Pets Dog Rescue and Soi Dog Foundation.

He recently fashioned a red polka-dotted bowtie for Nontongo, a three-legged dog rescued by Wagmor. The sweet dog had been transported to California all the way from Thailand after being hit by a car. We haven’t heard if he’s been adopted, but hopefully, the adorable bowtie did the trick!

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A post shared by Sir Darius Brown (@sirdariusbrown)

Darius has donated thousands of handmade bowties to shelters and rescue agencies across the US and the UK. In 2019, the kind teen even created the “Paw-some mission,” which aims to ship bowties and visit animal shelters in all 50 states. Upon visiting the shelters, Darius will personally deliver bowties and help with adoption events.

He also uses his social media platform to post about adoptable pets wearing his bowties. His mission is to save lives, one bowtie at a time. By the looks of it, he’s doing an amazing job, and his family couldn’t be prouder of him.

Final Thoughts About The Kind New Jersey Teen Who Makes Bowties to Help Dogs

Darius, a kind teen from Newark, New Jersey, made it his life mission to help shelter dogs find loving homes. After seeing how many dogs got displaced by hurricanes in the summer of 2017, Darius figured out a way to help. He started creating cute bowties to help shelter dogs become more adoptable. It seems to work, considering the dogs get adopted three times faster!

If you’d like to help with his mission, visit his website. You can either make a donation or buy bowties for you or your pets!

How John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success Can Help You Be Happy

September 5, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

The Pyramid of Success is the creation of John Wooden, a legendary and renowned former basketball coach for the University of California, Los Angeles. The prolific man was a ten-time National Collegiate Athletic Association national championship winner, once doing so seven years in a row – three years longer than any other team in the league.

Suffice to say that John Wooden was a highly revered coach and has made a lasting legacy in sports history. It’s likely, then, that all that success was only possible due to years of accumulated wisdom. To coach his team, he redefined the ordinary meaning of success and taught them a new ideology via his Pyramid of Success.

The Pyramid of Success is a set of philosophical building blocks meant to help you succeed in life. This pyramid features fifteen rectangular “blocks” arranged in five tiers. Each block is held together by the Mortar. Ten additional triangular “blocks” give the pyramid the support it needs to stand proudly.

Initially, Wooden didn’t create the pyramid specifically for basketball, but he applied this philosophy of the pyramid to his coaching. This significantly changed the game for the UCLA Bruins, and, as it turns out, the idea can be applied to most different parts of life, too. This man’s brilliant work has laid the groundwork for his current success. Here’s how John Wooden’s pyramid of success can help you be happy.

1. John Wooden Redefined Success

John Wooden’s first foray into the beginnings of the pyramid involved changing the so-called “Definition of Success,” and it’s something we can all learn to do. Most people define successful ventures by a simple metric: did you win or lose? Did you fail, or did you not fail?

These binary concepts are simple to comprehend, but they ultimately don’t serve much of a purpose and can cause you to fall stagnant. After all, the real world is hardly ever cut and dry! John Wooden taught his players this when he was a coach. Instead of focusing on winning or losing, he focused on preparation and how the game is played.

It’s all about fundamental, profound, personal, or team improvement on a level beyond the superficial. In other words, working on internal factors molds you into the best you can be, and that is what success can be defined as. (And, naturally, more common definitions of success are easier to achieve with those improvements.)

So redefine success in your head. Instead of making it about apparent failure or obvious wins, make it about your personal goals and the ways you improve as you work toward them. But what sorts of improvements should you make? Well, that’s all in the pyramid itself!

2. The Cornerstones Of The Pyramid

Cornerstones are important features upon which structures are built, and as such, the Pyramid of Success cannot exist without its cornerstones. The two cornerstones of the pyramid are industriousness and enthusiasm, which are crucial to your happiness.

Industriousness can best be defined, simply put, at hard work. As cliche as it is, the fact remains that you cannot achieve incredible personal or external growth without working hard. A vast majority of success stories involve people who simply worked harder than those around them, and there’s no replacement for industriousness when it comes to success.

Meanwhile, enthusiasm is the fuel for the fire of industriousness. While you can certainly work hard and find success that way, it’s easy to burn out and become exhausted when you do fire up that work with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is a passion for your career. This can be born from:

Putting your heart into the things you set out to achieve
Seeking inspiration from those around you and those you look up to
Envisioning your goals and vowing to strive toward them
Allowing inspiration, motivation, and commitment to power you

It’s straightforward to be industrious and find success, but without enthusiasm, this may not be enough to make you 100% happy truly.

3. The Foundation Of John Wooden’s Pyramid

Aside from the two cornerstones of John Wooden’s pyramid, there are three additional blocks. These blocks form the pyramid’s foundation. Their details and how they can help your happiness are as follows:

· Friendship

People overlook the value of social relationships in everyday life, even though studies show that social interaction is significant for mental and physical wellbeing. Surrounding yourself with positive people and good friends who uplift you can help you get further in life, thanks to your healthy support circle. Wooden outlines two additional qualities crucial for friendship: camaraderie and respect. With these two qualities, you’ll become a better team player, a better leader, and a better friend.

· Loyalty

To achieve higher goals in life, you need loyalty – to those you work with, those who lead you, and those who follow you. It’s in the foundational layer and is the central piece for a good reason. Everyone wants to be a part of a team where you know everyone is loyal and has each other’s best interests at heart. Trust in a respectful, fair, dignified, and well-intentioned system is paramount to happiness and satisfaction when working with others or forming your own friend circles.

· Cooperation

Great minds are not in isolation. They are the ones that share information, ideas, and opinions. In teams, they share responsibilities, give credit where it is due, and perform tasks as they should. When you’re able to cooperate with other people, only then can you find success. Without it, you lack support, other perspectives, and valuable learning moments.

4. The Personal Trait Body Of The Pyramid

The next level of the Pyramid of Success contains four personality traits. You must grow these traits to promote a successful life filled with happiness. The traits are as follows:

· Self-Control

Research has long indicated that those with better self-control are happier, but why? As it turns out, you must face temptation and formidable, difficult hurdles to stay on track toward goals. The only way to stick to them and feel the power of your accomplishments is through willpower and self-control.

· Alertness

What John Wooden refers to as “alertness” is often used similarly to describe modern concepts of mindfulness. Essentially, alertness on the pyramid refers to staying aware and involved in the world around you. This allows you to acquire knowledge from all situations in your environment that may have otherwise gone overlooked. It also allows you to prepare for what’s coming next. It’s crucial to avoid tunnel vision. Anyway, studies show that mindfulness makes you happy!

· Initiative

Taking the initiative is central to taking further steps in your life. As Wooden says, those who fail to act perform the biggest failure of all. It logically tracks, too – you cannot progress without deciding that you will progress and taking the necessary steps.

· Intentness

John Wooden’s terms can easily define Intentness: determination, persistence, tenaciousness, and unwillingness to back down when obstacles arise.

5. The External Trait Body Of The Pyramid

You know about the internal traits you must have to climb the Pyramid of Success. Now, we reach the central row of the pyramid, which contains three external traits that form the crucial next steps on the climb to success. These traits are as follows:

· Condition

John Wooden stated that his players on his team had to be in peak physical, mental, and moral condition for the most success. While you may not be a young basketball athlete, you must build up your condition to perform your tasks to their fullest. Stay healthy, take care of yourself, and align with your values, and you’ll be in the proper condition to propel yourself forward.

· Skill

Skill is the central block of the pyramid of success. This is where substance really must come in. It’s not enough to only “try” – you have to hone your craft, learn, make mistakes, and earn mastery in your field. This is what will bring you to the top.

· Team Spirit (Something John Wooden Knew Well!)

Team spirit involves selflessness and the ability to, when necessary, make sacrifices for the greater good – whether that good is on a large scale or just for your team. Of course, this is nuance, and unnecessary or excessive sacrifice is unhealthy. However, the point is that you must aim to make things bigger than yourself great, not just yourself.

6. The Vertex Of The John Wooden Pyramid Of Success

The vertex of the pyramid is what lies at the very top, the pinnacle of the Pyramid of Success and the goal that we all wish to reach. It promises not just success but happiness and fulfillment if all other blocks on the pyramid have been fulfilled. John Wooden outlines the vertex blocks as follows:

· Poise

Wooden uniquely describes poise. He says it means being entirely yourself and staying true to your beliefs and principles, acting in alignment with them. In other words, don’t get thrown off or rattled by others’ pressure. This difficult-to-master skill is a big key to happiness.

· Confidence

Hand-in-hand with poise is confidence: well-founded self-belief that doesn’t fall into arrogance, a knowledge that you’ve prepared yourself well, and an internal faith in your abilities and those you’re working with.

· Competitive Greatness

This is the very top of the Pyramid of Success. It means enjoying the healthy competition and fostering a love for the battle. Even if you’re not a sports player going against an opposing team, it means enjoying a challenge and stepping up to the plate. This is how you keep yourself moving and growing to achieve greatness and happiness on a deeper level.

Final Thoughts On How To Be Happy With John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success

John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success is one of his many legacies, a testament to his wisdom and expertise as a coach, leader, and human being. Apply his lessons to your everyday life, and you’ll find a deeper, more meaningful kind of success that makes you genuinely happy.

Gastroenterologist Explains the Best Smoothie Recipe For Gut Health

September 5, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

If you want the best smoothie of your life that will improve gut health, we have the recipe for you! Today, many people enjoy smoothies as a convenient, delicious way to obtain nutrients. They make a perfect on-the-go snack, quick breakfast, or even a healthy dessert at night. Plus, you can choose from thousands of different recipes with the fruits and vegetables of your choosing–or a classic green smoothie. What’s not to love?!

However, according to your tastebuds, the best smoothie may not always have the most significant health benefits. For instance, many smoothies at restaurants have added sugar or other sweeteners that lower the nutritional value. Even if you make them at home, they can still spike your blood sugar by adding too many fruits.

Luckily, a gastroenterologist explains how to make the best smoothie that balances healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Read on if you’d like to make this tasty smoothie yourself!

How to Make the Best Smoothie to Improve Gut Health

Ingredients For the Best Smoothie

*Note: If ever unsure about any ingredients, always consult first with your doctor regarding any personal health matter you may deal with.

Dr. Bulsiewicz recommends using bananas as the base of your smoothie, as they have a thick, creamy texture. If you can freeze the bananas beforehand, it will make for an even more luscious smoothie! A medium-sized banana contains about 3 grams of soluble and insoluble fibers. These fibers improve gut health, speed up digestion and promote regularity. However, since one banana packs about 14g of sugar, you may want to use half and save the rest.
Dark, leafy greens. You should also include some greens to balance the sugar from the bananas. Cruciferous vegetables such as arugula, broccoli sprouts, and cauliflower have tons of fiber and make a great addition to a smoothie. Arugula and broccoli sprouts, in particular, contain high amounts of sulforaphane. This sulfur-rich compound offers great antioxidants that may lower cancer risk and even improve glucose levels in Type 2 diabetes. However, if you’re not a fan of either vegetable, any leafy greens will make this the best smoothie.
Berries such as blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries have been called superfoods. They have vital nutrients such as soluble fiber, Vitamin C, manganese, Vitamin K1, copper, and folate. They’re also low on the glycemic index, meaning they won’t spike your blood sugar. Finally, berries provide ample antioxidants like anthocyanin and polyphenols, which lower oxidative stress. One study found that blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries have the highest antioxidant content of any fruit!
If you want the best smoothie, Will recommends adding flax, hemp, and chia seeds. They’re packed with soluble fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and plant-based protein, making this a well-rounded smoothie. Hemp seeds, in particular, offer relatively high amounts of protein. In fact, it adds up to around 25% of total calories. 2-3 tablespoons will provide about 11g of protein, similar to one serving of beef or lamb.
Milk of choice. Add plant-based or cow’s milk to top off the best smoothie you’ll ever have. Will prefers oat milk since it has a creamy texture and offers beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that may lower bad cholesterol. One study found that people who consumed 3.5 grams of beta-glucan daily for 5-6 weeks reduced their LDL cholesterol by 4%. You’d only have to drink about three cups of oat milk daily to achieve similar results.

Making This Nutritious Smoothie

So, now that you know about the plentiful health benefits, we’ll tell you how to make this delicious smoothie!

Put 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup arugula, and 1/2 cup of broccoli sprouts into a high-powered blender.
Next, add 1 cup of frozen blueberries, 1 tbsp. Of ground flaxseeds, 1 tbsp hemp seeds, and 1 tbsp chia seeds into the mixture.
Add 1-2 cups of oat milk or enough to cover the ingredients. You can always add some water if needed.
Then, blend the ingredients until thoroughly combined, pour into a glass, and enjoy! You can also add cacao nibs or shredded coconut on top for extra texture and nutrients.

Other Delicious Smoothie Recipes To Try

1. Banana, Ginger, Orange, and Strawberry Smoothie

When you think of smoothies, ginger might not come to mind as a typical ingredient to use. However, ginger can help lower inflammation and contribute to healthy gut bacteria. One study even found that it helps reduce belly fat, a bonus. The bananas, strawberries, and oranges mask the strong taste of the ginger, balancing it with sweetness. It’s a perfect combination to try and also requires only a few ingredients.

To make the smoothie, blend:

One frozen banana
Two cups of frozen strawberries
1 inch of peeled fresh ginger root
1/4 cup of orange juice

2. Matcha Fruit and Green Tea Smoothie

Chinese Zen Buddhist monks have been drinking matcha green tea for hundreds of years to improve their meditation. In addition to the mental calmness the tea induces, it can also help burn fat and boost energy without causing anxiety.

To make this green tea smoothie, blend:

Two teaspoons of matcha green tea powder
Two frozen bananas
Two large handfuls of spinach
One large frozen mango
One cup of plant-based milk (for additional creaminess, use oat or coconut milk)

Final Thoughts on The Best Smoothie Recipe For Your Gut

Everyone will have a different opinion on the best smoothie they have ever had. Some people enjoy peanut butter and chocolate, while others prefer green smoothies. However, the recipe above should appeal to even the pickiest smoothie consumers because it includes a little of everything.

You get the creaminess from the oat milk and frozen banana, the sweetness of berries, and the protein from chia and hemp seeds. Also, don’t forget about the antioxidants from all those leafy greens! All of those ingredients will ensure a healthy gut and happy taste buds as well.

If that doesn’t sound like the best smoothie to you, feel free to give the other recipes a shot! They would make a perfect green smoothie to provide you with energy for the day ahead.

17 Benefits of Following a More Structured Routine

September 5, 2022 by Deborah Tayloe

Everything in this world flows better with routine and structure. As your life ebbs and flows, a structured routine becomes very important. When you leave your day to time and chance and “wing” it, you’re causing more stress by not having a plan. If you commonly feel stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed, it’s all signs that you need to adjust your routine to maximize control of your life.

Seventeen Excellent Benefits of Following a Structured Routine

If you think routines are dull, rigid, and stifling, you only look at the negative aspects. It would help if you looked at the positive benefits of having a structured routine, like productivity, happiness, and fulfillment. Here are seventeen reasons why you need structure in your day.

1. A Structured Routine Helps To Eradicate Bad Habits

You know that routine helps you with good habits, but did you know it can also help you eliminate bad ones? Repetition is the key that eliminates your unpleasant behaviors, and it will, over time, replace them with good ones.

2. Takes the Guesswork Out of Your Day

Following a routine takes away the task of planning. It eliminates the guesswork and allows you to stick to a schedule. For instance, if you know that you balance the checkbook on Wednesdays, you don’t have to guess what you will do. It will become a routine chore that’s like clockwork.

3. Free up Time With a Predetermined Schedule

Everyone wishes they had more time, as it’s their most precious asset. However, few people have tapped into the power to use routines to give them the needed time. You won’t need to waste energy on planning, preparation, and decision-making. Your schedule will be predetermined and dictate your day.

4. Provides a Logical and Predictable Sequence

When you have a routine, you’re providing both predictability and sequence. Interestingly, your life revolves around these things as you do your daily activities. Once you have a routine, you will experience a flow to your day and week like never before.

5. A Structured Routine Helps You Become More Proficient

Practice makes perfect, so the more you do a task, the better you will be. You’ve been brushing your teeth for decades and mastered the task. The longer you do something, the more proficient you become. So, once you get into a good routine, it will help you perfect the issues.

6. Forces You to Prioritize

A structured routine forces you to prioritize your day. For instance, if you want to lose weight, you must make meal prepping, weighing yourself, and counting calories a part of your day.

While it may be troublesome to do at first, eventually, it will become second nature to you. If you want to achieve anything in life, you must prioritize it. Once it becomes a priority, you learn to do it without much thought.

7. You Become More Efficient When You Follow a Structured Routine

There’s comfort in knowing precisely what you must do each day, so there are no big surprises. Of course, occasionally, life has a way of sneaking things in, but your efficiency will skyrocket when you have everything preplanned. There’s no reason to deliberate your workload or decide what to do and what to let go.

Planning equals being more efficient, and who doesn’t need a boost in their efficiency?

8. Facilitates Developing Good Habits

To build good habits in your life, you must master repetition. Finding a workout routine that gets you in your groove helps you develop good habits. Your brain responds to routine, and you can develop habits by doing the same task repeatedly.

For instance, you get up in the morning and brush your teeth without second thought. The reason is that this mundane task has become routine, and you automatically do it. You can do this with almost anything in your life.

9. Combats Procrastination

Everybody procrastinates at some point in their life. However, if you get into the groove of putting things off, it can cause some issues. Soon, the pile of things to do is more significant than what you’ve accomplished.

When you procrastinate, you waste time; a set routine will help you combat this folly. Who doesn’t need a few extra minutes or hours in their day?

10. Helps You Not to Spend Time and Effort on Frivolous Things

A routine is built to do the most challenging and important things; the rest of your day is a breeze. When you have the essential things completed upfront, you won’t forget or neglect these items. How much time do you waste on frivolous things because you don’t have your priorities in line?

Jim Taylor, Ph.D., considers himself a ‘timeist.’ It’s a term he made up as he loathes wasting time. He has learned as he’s aged that every second, minute, hour, and day counts as you age.

Younger folks don’t truly understand the value of time, but as you age, you also grow wiser. You learn that you waste so much of your time doing things of little value, but when you mature your mindset changes.

11. Encourages Self Confidence

When you think about a routine, the word confidence doesn’t come to mind. However, when you get the things done in a day that needs to be done, it gives you a little boost in your step.

A tremendous amount of satisfaction comes from getting your tasks accomplished. If your self-confidence has been a little down, you can boost it by simply getting into a better routine.

12. Lessens the Need for Determination and Willpower

You get out of bed and change your clothes each day. It doesn’t take a lot of willpower as it’s become something natural. When you have a routine, you will lessen the need for determination and resolve. You probably grab an outfit without too much thought. If you make other things part of your structured routine, then soon, you won’t give them a second thought either.

13. Eliminates a Lot of Stress

Life will never go as planned, no matter how hard you try. However, you must learn to accept the things you can control, and a routine helps you put those things in order. When you have structure and order, it eliminates stress. Instead of fretting about the tasks at hand, you can relax knowing you got it under control.

14. Gives You More Free Time

A schedule that arranges repetitive tasks essentially eliminates a lot of stress. It would be silly to scheduled or incorporate your entire life into a daily routine, but some organization helps. When you follow a schedule, it frees up time for other things. The more proficient you become at your tasks, the less time it takes you to accomplish them.

15. A Structured Routine Helps Build Momentum

When you hear the word momentum, you probably think about runners. They learn early on that the more momentum they build, the easier it is to complete a race. Going to the gym seems like a monumental task, but it soon becomes second nature when you make it part of your day.

Following a routine will boost your momentum and make it easier for you to persist and conquer.

16. Helps You Achieve Your Goals

No one achieves their goals all at once. However, you learn to accomplish things by doing things time and again. Look at some of the most famous sports athletes throughout history, and you will see that none started on top.

According to Motivational Stories For You, Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players ever. One of his first issues was being told he was too short to play on a team, as he was only 5’9”. He knew if he couldn’t get on a team because of his height, he could wow them with his talent.

So, he practiced every single day to become great. Genetics took over, and Jordan grew to a whopping 6’3,” which was more than enough to land a team spot. He had to work hard even with height, as he wasn’t so good back in his rookie days.

However, once he landed a spot on the Chicago Bulls, he changed the basketball game, making it more popular than ever. Would he have ever accomplished all his goals without his perseverance? No, you will never achieve your dreams unless you push yourself.

17. A Structured Routine Saves You Money

Routines can save money too. This may sound a bit odd, but it can be cost-cutting. Take, for example, that you bake all the family’s bread for the week on Monday.

Rather than going to the store and buying a small five-pound bag of flour, you can save money by buying it in bulk. Since you know you’ll need it, you can stockpile it to make it more cost-effective. Routines can be very cost-efficient, especially when it prompts you to look ahead.

Final Thoughts on a Structured Routine

These seventeen benefits show you why a structured routine is so important. Remember, you don’t have to be too regimented as there should be times to do absolutely nothing. You can achieve all you want when you learn the power of structure, discipline, and routine.

15 Inspiring Quotes from Successful Entrepreneurs

September 5, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Entrepreneurship isn’t always easy, and sometimes you feel like giving up. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re stuck and not making progress. In those instances, inspiring quotes from successful entrepreneurs can help you keep going.

Entrepreneurship takes lots of work, and you won’t always see results daily. However, putting in the time and effort is still essential if you want to see long-term success in life.

As an entrepreneur, you don’t have a boss. You’re the business owner and your boss, and you must stay motivated to get anything done. It’ll be tempting to give in to being lazy sometimes, but these quotes can help you keep going.

Anytime you need inspiration, these inspiring quotes from successful business leaders can make all the difference. These quotes can motivate you to get through a hard time and work as a pick-me-up during uninspiring times.

Fifteen Inspiring Quotes from Successful Entrepreneurs

Every entrepreneur hits a rough patch where things don’t go as planned. There will be bad days and days when you feel like giving up or taking a nap instead of working. These quotes from successful entrepreneurs can offer the motivation needed to get back on track.

1. “If you really go all in, you go all in. Keep trying. If your original idea isn’t working, use what you’ve built to pivot into something else. Keep trying to find a solution to people’s problems.” – Jan Koum

When you decide to become an entrepreneur and set your goals, you’re all in. Don’t withhold your abilities because you must keep trying each day.

Your first idea might not work out, but that doesn’t mean your next one won’t. Don’t stop coming up with new ideas and plans. If you can find solutions to people’s problems, your entrepreneurship is successful.

2. “You really have to love every single bit of what you do. The moment that you do something that makes you feel queasy to your stomach, the company dies.” – Matt Mullenweg

Mullenweg explains that as an entrepreneur, you must love what you do. Otherwise, you won’t have any motivation or drive if you dread your plans each day. If you start to feel like you don’t want to do it anymore, it’ll stop working out.

3. “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett

This quote serves as a reminder that what you do today affects your future long-term. You must nurture your goals each day if you want them to thrive and grow for the future. If you remember this quote, you’ll remember to do the things you won’t see the results of immediately.

4. “When a business becomes successful seemingly overnight, no one knows about all the months and years you’ve invested, all the projects you’ve tried before that didn’t work.” – Niklas Zennstrom

Overnight success isn’t an accurate depiction of the experience. Successful businesses take years of time, energy, and investments. It also includes restarting when your plans don’t work out and using failures as building opportunities for a future project.

5. “Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant, and the success will naturally follow.” – Oprah Winfrey

There are many stepping stones along the way to success. Rather than focusing on success itself, work toward becoming significant instead. Positive results follow when people know who you are and trust your name.

6. “The person passionate about what he or she is doing will outwork and outlast the guy motivated solely by making money.” – Reid Hoffman

While making money is essential for paying bills and meeting needs, it’s not all your job should be about. As Hoffman explains, a passionate person will do better than the one chasing money. When you need motivation, use this quote as a reminder to focus on your passions, and the rest will fall into place.

7. “If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you’ll end up working for someone that does.” – Unknown

Don’t think that your dreams won’t work out because they’ll happen for someone. Rather than missing out on your opportunity, focus on your biggest goals. You can make it happen, or you’ll work for someone with the motivation and drive.

Those who focus and work hard toward their goals are the ones that will find success. You can be in charge of your life and income, or you’ll be an employee following orders.

8. “As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.” – Richard Branson

As an entrepreneur, you must know when something isn’t working. Your career and aspirations should be fun and bring joy, and if they don’t, it’s time to move on. If you have control over your business, you can successfully make the shift to find happiness in your career. Similarly, evaluating Manchester’s best commercial areas can help you identify thriving environments that align with your business objectives. Choosing the right location not only enhances your visibility and accessibility but also positions you strategically for growth and success.

9. “The power of positive thinking is the ability to generate a feeling of certainty in yourself when nothing in the environment supports you.” – Tony Robbins

When things get hard, you must remain confident. Push away negative thoughts and replace them with positivity and feelings of certainty. When you believe in yourself, it doesn’t matter if anyone or anything else does.

10. “Failure is awesome. Failure means you tried something. You tested it, and you learned some things. Failure gives you the tools to move forward.” – Leah Busque

You might get discouraged when something doesn’t work out, but remember this quote. Failure means you learned something. As a result, it allows you to move forward with more knowledge. So please don’t give up now because you are a little closer to success.

11. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

Past setbacks can leave you feeling like you can’t make your dreams happen. It’ll seem like each time you make progress, it’s followed by hardship and roadblocks. However, this quote reminds you that each setback is a learning opportunity.

You’ll develop a growth mindset by viewing these experiences as learning opportunities. As an entrepreneur, having a growth mindset is essential to continuing success. It expands your knowledge and helps you become more resilient.

12. “We think mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of the time we put in at work, instead of the quality of the time we put in.” – Arianna Huffington

You can do more work in less time if you enjoy what you do. Focusing on what you’re working on without becoming distracted or frustrated allows it to happen much quicker. Don’t be afraid to walk away and take a break sometimes because it’ll help you come back stronger than before.

13. “I didn’t have a business degree. I didn’t have experience to work in somebody else’s office, I never built or ran a department. So I was on this journey, and when the time came to make a decision, I was just going with my gut.” – Hamdi Ulukaya

Building a successful business requires learning along the way and trusting your decisions. Use what you have right now to work toward becoming a successful entrepreneur. For those looking to start their business, finding the best llc service in minnesota can be an important step in the right direction. Choosing a reliable LLC service ensures that your business is set up correctly and compliant with local regulations, giving you a strong foundation to build upon.

14. “I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” – C.J. Walker

No one else will hand success to you. You must get out there and chase your dreams, or you’ll miss out on opportunities.

Get out there and do what it takes to make the life you’ve always dreamed of. Sitting at home making excuses won’t help; it’ll only set you further behind. Because you are in charge of your life, it’s up to you to ensure success.

15. “Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.” – Richard Branson

Many people believe that more money means more success in life, but that’s not the authentic experience. So perhaps you should follow Branson’s advice and measure success based on happiness.

The most important thing in life is living a happy and fulfilling life. If you prioritize money, you force yourself to miss out on a meaningful experience. You can focus on joy and improving your well-being as long as you have everything you need.

Final Thoughts on Inspiring Quotes from Successful Entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, you’ll sometimes experience a lack of motivation, frustration, and other negative feelings. There will be times when you want to give up or put off important tasks. However, these quotes from successful entrepreneurs can give you the encouragement you need to continue.

Successful business leaders aren’t lucky; it doesn’t happen by accident. Of course, it takes dedication, hard work, and persistence. You must also believe in yourself and remember that you can do anything you want.

15 Habits of a Positive Relationship That Lasts

September 4, 2022 by Deborah Tayloe

It seems challenging for marriages or relationships to last “’til death do us part.” However, how do some couples stay together for decades, still hold hands, and act as giddy in love as a day one? A positive relationship doesn’t just happen, as it takes a great deal of work.

Beverly B. Palmer, Ph.D., is a psychologist who studies marriage. She advises other couples to put one another first, and since she’s been in a marriage for fifty years, she knows what she’s talking about. She states there is great importance in elevating your spouse above yourself.

Your partner must know you’re thinking of them. In her years of private practice, she’s met many couples in turmoil. Nonetheless, she stated that it’s always easy to see the ones who will work through it through their love and dedication to one another. So, what do these folks have that other people don’t?

Habits That Will Create a Positive Relationship

If you were to panel folks that have been together for many years, each would give you a different recipe for how they made it work. Consequently, here are some tried and true methods that will help you foster a positive relationship for life.

1. Honesty

Don’t lie to your partner, ever! Even when the truth is too hard to speak, don’t risk your relationship with a lie. If your partner finds out about your untruth, and they will, it will cause them to distrust you.

No matter how bad the scenario, if your partner truly loves you, you will find a way to resolve the issue. Lying is just compounding the problem, as no one wants to be married to someone dishonest.

2. Trust

Do you trust your partner with your life? You must believe in them above all else and have confidence in this person. You must have faith in them to tell you the truth and have your back whatever comes your way.

Trust is one of those foundational blocks of a relationship that can be devastating if missing.

3. Respect

Respect means different things to different people. However, it’s a general admiration for one another. You wouldn’t take the last piece of cake because your partner may want it. It’s about putting them above you and valuing them as human beings.

4. Unplugging From Social Media

When did you turn off all electronics and social media and just spend alone time with your partner? It doesn’t have to be romantic, just talking to them without the interruptions of email and television is a refreshing break. Make a habit of turning off all distractions and having alone time.

5. Take Care of One Another’s Needs

A relationship has emotional and physical needs, and you must care for both for your partner. If your partner is upset, you must hold and comfort them. Also, physical needs are just as much a part of living as breathing, so you must take care of these too.

If you ensure you meet your partner’s needs, they won’t have any reason to look elsewhere to be fulfilled.

6. Show Admiration and Appreciation

Do you thank your partner for making your coffee before work, or tell them how delicious dinner was tonight? Admire your partner when they do something good, and never let a day go by when you don’t tell them how much you appreciate them.

How will they know if you never tell them how much they mean to you? The last thing you want is someone else giving them the admiration they long to have for you.

7. Be Eager to Forgive

There will be many disagreements, arguments, and misunderstandings as you grow old together. However, be just as easy to forgive as you are to get angry. When you’re stubborn, moody, and only consider yourself, then you’re not doing anything to foster a positive relationship for the future.

8. Spend Time Together

Make time for one another. No matter how many hours you must work or how demanding your schedule is, you must fit each other into the day. There’s no reason why you should stop dating just because you’ve been together for ten years.

In fact, one of the ways to keep things new and fresh is to have dates and new adventures with one another. Sorry, going to the grocery store or laundromat together doesn’t count as a “date,” even if you get out of the house without the kids.

9. Spend Time Apart

Just as it’s essential to spend time together, it’s also necessary that you spend time apart. As the old saying goes, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” If you never get a break from one another, you’re just setting up reasons to be grumpy and nit-pick.

According to Rob Pascale and Lou Primavera, Ph.D., a healthy balance between time together and time apart is essential. Spending too much time together can suffocate, but too much time apart can cause doubts to slip in. So, it’s all about finding the right balance to keep things flowing.

10. Show Affection

There’s nothing sweeter than an elderly couple holding hands on a park bench. It’s a sign to those around them that they’ve stood the test of time and still love one another. The gentle peck on the cheek he gives to her, or the smile when he looks into her eyes shows that they’ve weathered life’s storms and did it together.

Ensure you show affection to your partner, even when you don’t like it. Affection can be a warm embrace, a kiss, or romance. However, this is an integral part of a relationship that shouldn’t be left out.

11. Dream and Set Goals Together

Remember the nights you would sit dreaming together about a life with one another? It’s something that a newly dating couple in love does. However, there’s nothing that says that you should ever stop dreaming.

Without a vision for the future, you will become stagnate. Sit down and have sessions where you dream and set goals, which will help solidify your future relationship.

12. Don’t Go To Bed Angry

You’ve probably heard often that you should never go to bed angry. Well, there’s sound reasoning behind that adage. First, you’re not promised tomorrow and don’t want to leave this world with unfinished business. Second, the longer you let a situation drag on, the more powerful it becomes.

Did you know that most arguments start over the silliest of things? Some couples haven’t spoken in days because one forgot to take out the trash or didn’t do the dishes. Is your relationship worth the pettiness? Get over the issue and move on.

13. Laugh Together

While marriage is about paying bills, working, caring for the children, and running the household, what would it be without laughter? Ask any parent who’s raised a child from birth to adulthood, and they will all tell you the same thing; they wish they worried less about the house and more about having fun with their family.

Kids grow so fast, and people age in the blink of an eye. Don’t let these precious moments to laugh and enjoy one another pass you.

14. Use Spontaneity

Sure, routines are good as they keep you on track. Consequently, your life can’t be all regimented. Make time for spontaneity and fun.

Being a free spirit occasionally is very liberating, and it helps you cope with your stressors. A last-minute getaway may be just what you need to spend time together, ease your stress, and build a positive relationship.

15. Don’t Throw in the Towel

Do you know why so many couples stay together for so long? They never quit, no matter how hard things get. Even if they have every reason to walk away, they stay and try to work things out.

So many people are eager to end a relationship when it hits a rough patch. Thankfully, many folks choose to stay and work on things. When you see a couple that’s been together for a long time, it doesn’t mean their relationship is perfect, but they refused to give up.

Final Thoughts on Creating a Positive Relationship That Lasts a Lifetime

Your relationship is what you make it. If you argue and fight with one another constantly, how can it be anything but harmful? Those people who work on their differences and don’t give up no matter what happens to change the dynamics of their union.

The determined couple will go to counseling, reconnect, and do whatever it takes to foster a positive relationship. Even when the whole world is against them, and they should give up, some folks think their relationship is worth fighting for. Do you have the relationship you want, or is there much work to do?

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