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Introduction

No. It's a word that only has one syllable and two letters, yet it can be one of the most difficult words to say. Since we were little, we are taught that saying no is a negative thing that hurts people and causes us to miss out on new opportunities. With this in mind, it's no wonder that our society feels uncomfortable telling people no.

Saying no is not a bad thing though, and learning when to say it will allow you to take back control of your life. To learn how to say no, read on.

Reclaiming Your Right To Say No

Though it may sound odd, you have every right to say no whenever you want. You have absolutely no obligation to do things that make you feel stressed or unsafe. For this reason, it is important to reclaim your right to say no so that you can take back control over your life.

Whenever you reclaim your right to say no, you should expect to experience a number of great benefits. Here are some things that might happen when you learn to say no:

Decrease stress Decrease burnout Less resentment
Enjoy your life more
Enjoy your relationships more Increase energy
Increase productivity

Since saying no can lead to any of these benefits, it is imperative to reclaim your right. Get rid of the notion that saying no is harmful or hurtful to yourself and others. Instead, rewrite the narrative so that saying no is a valid response in any situation that you feel stressed or disrespected.

Why Can’t I Say No?

If we have a right to say no and it leads to a number of great benefits, then why is it so difficult to say no? The answer is very simple. As humans, we often put other people's needs above our own. We do this because we want to reassure the people around us and make them feel comfortable and appreciated.

Obviously, the desire to make someone feel appreciated and safe is a good desire to have. The issue is when making someone feel appreciated and safe makes you feel unappreciated and in harm's way. So, it is important to learn how to discern between the two scenarios.

How To Decide To Say No

The best way to discern between these scenarios is learning when and how to say no. Obviously, there are instances when you may not feel like doing something but you absolutely need to. For example, you may not feel like doing laundry, but you need to do your laundry so you can have clean clothes and be healthy and presentable. With that being said, there are many instances when you ought to say no.

How To Decide To Say No

So, you have found yourself in a situation where you are unsure if you should say yes or no. Here are some guidelines to help you think about whether or not to say no to a request:

1. Don’t respond immediately

If you are unsure if you have the time, energy, or resources to fulfill a request, do not respond right away. The worst thing you can do is say yes immediately, but then realize that you're incapable of fulfilling the task. Instead of responding immediately, ask if you can get back to them by the end of the day. Most scenarios will not be time-sensitive. So, you have time to reflect on whether or not you truly have the time and energy to take on this new task.

2. Think about your motivations

While you are considering whether or not to take on another project, think about your motivations. Would you say yes to the project purely out of obligation? Or do you truly want to take on the task? If you are only saying yes out of a sense of obligation, then you should probably say no.

3. Assess your schedule

If you want to take on the task, you then need to assess your schedule and truly take a hard look at whether or not you have enough time to commit to the project. When you're looking at your schedule, look at other work projects, family projects, and self-care time. You do not want to feel overworked or stretched thin by taking on another project.

If you found that your schedule is open for another project and you are excited about this task, then say yes. There is no reason why you should not take on another event or project. If your schedule is overbooked though, you should say no to the project even if it is one that excites you.

How To Say No

Assume that you have found yourself in a scenario in which you have to tell someone no. To many people, this can be extremely confusing and anxiety-inducing, but it does not have to be. Instead, you have the right to say no without guilt or anxiety.

Whenever you are telling someone no, make sure that you are kind and respectful. You do not want to come across like you are angry at the person or that you do not care about the situation or project. It is imperative that you are respectful and kind throughout the entire conversation.

At the same time, you must be assertive. You have nothing to feel guilty for. So, you do not need to be hesitant, resistant, or apologize for saying no. Stand firm in your response to show that you cannot be coaxed into taking on the project.

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The ability to influence people using social and communication skills is something that many people want to do. A good influencer is able to use their skills in one on one, group and one to many scenarios (webinars for example) to get them to take the action that they want them to. The action could be the decision to purchase something, buy in to a philosophy, do something collectively and so on. When you know how to influence your audience you can get them to agree with your message and your point of view. This is extremely powerful and in this special report we reveal X powerful influencer techniques you can use.

Some people are very skeptical and will need more convincing of your point of view than others will. Back in ancient Greece, Aristotle developed the concept of “ethos” as an essential element of influence and persuasion.

To be a good influencer you need credibility. Your audience needs to perceive that you are an expert in your chosen field. Even when you manage to do this it will still not be enough for some people.

So it is always a good idea to use authoritative sources to back up your argument. When you provide data and statistics in presentations then reveal sources. Always go for the most credible sources that you can such as government, top brands that people will know, well known experts in your field and so on.

If your audience sees that a credible source supports your claim then they are far more likely to believe you than if you just make the claim yourself. This is a tried and tested influencer method that works really well and is fairly easy to implement.

This is a great influencer tactic as often people will feel that they will not be able to do what you are claiming because they have never had any luck before etc. A lot of people believe that only the wealthy and successful can become more wealthy and successful. You can challenge this thinking with the concept of the abundance mentality.

Abundance mentality is a belief that anyone can tap into abundance. The belief is that anyone can manifest abundance and that it is their mindset that is holding them back from doing this. This is a powerful tool that challenges the commonly held belief that resources such as money are scarce.

Business leaders use the abundance mentality technique with employees to convince them that even though there is a lot of competition in their niche that there are always opportunities available for new business. It is a powerful influencer technique that has worked for a long time.

There are always going to be objections to any case that you put forward as an influencer. If you are trying to sell a product or service then people will come up with all sorts of reasons why they should not invest their money with you. The best way to tackle this problem is to anticipate the objections that are likely to come up and tackle them in the open.

Experienced sales people and copywriters use this tactic all of the time. They think about what their potential customer is most likely to object to about their proposal and then they answer these objections in a positive way that is likely to convince the prospect that the objection is invalid.

You can usually predict the most common objections to a proposal or message pretty easily and with some creative thought come up with some good counters. Sometimes an objection is going to come out of left field and if this happens you need to stay calm and focused and tackle it in the best way that you can.

You need your audience to trust you if you want to be a good influencer. Knowing that you are an open and honest person yourself is not enough. You need to develop that perception with your audience.

Credibility is everything with influence. If you do not come across as credible to your audience then you will influence nobody. A big part of your credibility is your honesty. People will not want to listen to your message if they believe that you are dishonest.

When you are presenting your message to your audience tell them that you are always open and honest. Admit that you don’t have all of the answers (nobody does) and that sometimes you are asked questions that you don’t know the answer to. Do everything that you can to increase the perception that you are honest.

If you are trying to influence your audience to take a single recommendation on board then this is a lot more difficult than letting them have a choice of options. This works very well because it makes the audience believe that they are in control and will choose the right option for them.

People always like to have a choice but be careful with this tactic. Too many choices can overwhelm your audience and paralyze them into taking no action. Keep the number of choices limited but make sure that there is more than one.

In sales, it has been proven that offering different packages or service levels leads to higher conversions. You have probably seen the bronze, silver and gold package technique before and the reason for this is that it works. By giving people a choice you are help them to make the decision themselves.

You are going to read that credibility is the king pin of influence throughout this report and when you make commitments to your audience and keep them then your reputation will improve with them.

Any commitment that you make you must follow through on. It doesn’t matter how small or large the commitment is. If you fail to deliver on the commitments that you make then your reputation is going to take a nose dive.

Never avoid making commitments. If someone asks you to make a commitment that you know you cannot deliver on then tell them up front and the reason for this. Avoid the temptation to agree to a commitment that you will have to bluff your way out of later. The more commitments you make and deliver on, the more power you will have as an influencer.

We are not suggesting here that you do not change your presentation in light of recent updates and new ideas. But if you make too many changes then this can be perceived as a weakness. Nobody is going to want to listen to an influencer that is continuously changing their mind about things.

People are always looking for predictability and certainty. Predictability is essential for businesses as they want to invest their resources in activities that will provide them with the highest returns.

If you need to make a change to your approach then make sure that it is in line with your previous presentations. A total change of direction will confuse your audience and they will begin to doubt you. Be consistent in the way that you deliver your message as well.

It is always a good idea to use examples in your presentations. No matter how simple you think your concepts are there is likely to be someone that just doesn’t get it. Never assume that everyone knows what you are talking about. If you have a large audience then someone that is unsure of your message is unlikely to raise their hand due to embarrassment.

Even if people fully understand your message, examples are a good way to confirm this to them. Find good examples that people can relate to and add these to your presentation. Make them as simple and easy to understand as you can so that everyone will get it.

You should be able to find good examples to use in your presentations no matter what concepts you are trying to get across. It may take you a while to find them but it will be worth it in the end. All of the top influencers use examples in their presentations because it is very effective.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that just because everyone understands your message that they are going to take the action that you want. Let’s look at an example. You are hosting a webinar with a large audience and you ask them to confirm that they understand the concepts you are presenting.

Most of them say that they do but this does not mean that they are going to buy your product or service. You need a compliance action to persuade them to do that. If 500 people on your webinar tell you that they understand, expect a lot less to follow through and make a purchase even when you use other persuasion tactics for this.

For some of your audience it will not be the right time for them to purchase. Others will want more information or proof to make a buying decision. You need to follow up with your audience after your presentation to convert more of them.

Nobody is going to want to give up their precious time listening to an influencer that they don’t like.

Being liked by your audience is critical to getting your message across and you need to take steps to like your audience so that they will like you in return.

When someone asks a question in a webinar, mention them by name and thank them for asking the question. If you are in a one to one situation then find out as much as you can about your prospect and talk about the things that they like. You can use mirroring and matching techniques as well to improve your chances of them liking you.

People that religiously follow influencers do so because they believe in their credibility and they like them. If they know that another person has a lot of credibility but they don’t like them then they are far less likely to listen to what they have to say.

A lot of influencers are good at talking but not so good at listening. If this is you then you need to work on your listening skills. It is essential that you listen to your audience and respond to them in the appropriate way. Do not jump in because you second guess what they are saying to you. This is rude and people hate being cut off.

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Introduction

Have you ever imagined why your workdays spiral out of control? Do you plan your day sometimes and notice that you are distracted within just a few hours? Do you find yourself procrastinating or find it difficult to concentrate on your tasks? Does that sound like what usually happens to you?

Now, imagine yourself at the end of the day, breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that you've accomplished everything you need to. Again, how will you feel knowing that you are on top of all your activities while executing them effectively? Of course, you will probably sleep well at night with your mind at rest.

May I inform you that you can be more productive, and effective in executing whatever task you set out to do, rather than being tired behind your office desk with piles of unfinished projects? May I also inform you that there are several ways in which you can improve your productivity and effectiveness on tasks? Yes, it is possible, and that is the reason this book is compiled.

For two reasons, many people are not as productive as they wish, or think. The first reason is that the default setting or our mind is in a scattered state, and we are reactive about it, instead of being proactive. The second reason is that many bad habits interfere with our productivity. These two reasons are what keep drawing people back from their goals and prevent them from being productive.

Further, the importance of being productive can't be ignored, both in our personal and professional lives. If you run a business or are responsible for a team, you will want to ensure that everything goes according to plan without ignoring your productivity level. This is because your level of productivity is what will determine your level of success.

As we go through life, a lot of factors will inevitably want to contribute to why we can't be productive. However, if you are aware of how to tackle these factors, you can easily shield yourself from them, and become more effective and organized in your tasks.

Now the question: how can we become more productive and regain control? Please understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, as only a systematic approach will work. However, it starts with putting our minds in order and substituting some reactive habits with good ones.

Do you want to know how to put your scattered mind in order and be able to focus better? Do you want to learn how to substitute those habits that keep you from being productive for the ones that will increase your productivity? Then this book will be offering you approaches that are geared towards that effect. And if you think you were productive, but not anymore, this book is also for you.

Read on and take charge of your mind.

Chapter 1: Tips to Manage Your Scattered Brain

It is advised that you do away with anything that will take away your attention off this section of the book because of the few questions that would be asked. Try as much as possible to answer them sincerely, and as best as you can:

Do you have something you have to do, but it remains undone because there is no external push or deadline attached to it?
Do you get distracted easily because everything in the world seems fascinating to you?
Do you have a low motivation to begin something you would like to achieve?
Do you usually veer off a task when you are at it?
Do you think you want to do millions of things at once?

May I inform you that you are a scattered brain if your answers to these questions are “yes”? Permit me to welcome you to the club. Surprised? You are not the only person in this circle of the scattered brain. There are thousands, and if not millions of such people out there.

While it might seem like a negative thing, understand that there is nothing wrong with not getting anything done, or being distracted often. You can fall into a stressful trap of avoidance, or even trying to cover up for lost times or something worse when it becomes constant.

But to help you out of this situation, I will be offering some effective tips below to help you deal with your scattered brain. These tips have proven effective for hundreds of people, and I believe they will also help you. However, ensure that you work with as many as you possibly can.

Recognize What You Have to do and Prioritize

In a lot of productivity books and articles, this advice is emphasized. One cannot overstate the importance of this idea. It is simple, clear, and equally very effective in helping you deal with your scattered brain.

You will never get the satisfaction of doing anything if you don't know what you want and stuff is just flying around in your head. You, therefore, have to make a list of everything that is on your mind. Ensure that you prioritize them accordingly. By so doing, you are telling your brain to stop bothering about the little things, and things that can wait, and focus on the most important things.

Break it down, and make it simple

Choose one to start with and break it down to the simplest form of action once you have your list and you can then determine your top two to three tasks. You shouldn't take more than 15 to 30 minutes to complete each step. Break it down further if it takes longer.

Understand that if you have a smaller task, it would be easier to get it done, and the more you would want to stick with it. What you are doing is telling your brain to stay with it for 15 minutes.

Start the task and take it slowly

You might be tempted to speed things up just to save time, but don't. What it only does to your brain is to make it drift to what is next on your table, instead of focusing on what you are doing now. The brain is designed to only focus on one thought at a time. You, therefore, have to only focus on what you have in front of you. Do things deliberately and slowly. Once you complete your tasks, you will feel better.

Break is important

It is not advisable to work nonstop for hours. You will only burn out your energy, which will make you lack the motivation to continue again. Take a break and do something fun after completing a 15-30 minutes’ task. You can read books, articles, or whatever you feel like doing. You can move, stretch, walk, or do something you like doing. All that matters is that you don't take much time. 5-10 minutes is okay to do whatever you want to do; then go back to what you have to do.

Take a longer break, an hour or so, once you complete 4 tasks. You are guilt-free and you can do other things.

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Introduction

No matter how organized we may be, time tends to slip away from us because life moves very fast. It's no surprise that many of us are always interested in shortcuts because we don't have much time to spend on learning a new skill. With all being made so good, these shortcuts do exist and we can learn whatever we want to learn faster by taking advantage of a few actionable strategies. For you to use new information more effectively and get to easily remember something, one skill you must continue to develop is learning.

Though you may have done it all your life and it may not be something that's totally new to you, you can always enjoy the opportunity of being successful every time you learn something new if you follow a systemic series of steps. And, you do have the ability to learn anything faster if you've already learned things like sports, how to cook, a new language, how to drive a car, or any other relative thing.

When you look at some of the skills you’ve learned before, you'll find out that you're not new to learning faster and if you have done it in the past (even though you may not be conscious of how quickly you were able to pick up the skill), you can always learn to do it again. We can now have a firm grasp of how to hold on to information with the knowledge we derive from how our brain works and how we learn — all thanks to neuroscience. In fact, we can now speed up our learning process by making the most out of time. Yes, time is precious and learning does take time, but we must always strive to learn and grow since it's a huge part of life to learn new things.

Today, there are proven ways you can start learning faster. If you're someone who has the intention of becoming the smartest person in the room by getting to know how to retain more and learn faster, this book does help you explore tips on how to become a fast and smart learner with no stress attached.

Chapter 1: Skill, Learning, and Acquisition

Popular author and motivational psychologist, Heidi Grant Halvorson, once said that we must always be getting smarter because being smart is not enough, and one of the keys to success is to be able to learn new skills in this fast-moving, competitive world. Truthfully, in today’s business environment, mastering new skills is a necessity and the words "fast-moving" and "competitive", which describe the nature of the world we live in today, emphasize the little time we have to get things done lest we become stale and shoved far behind.

There are some general rules you can follow, irrespective of the fact that the skill you want to learn and the person who you are will determine your learning technique. Whether you desire to learn how to analyze data, use social media better, or improve at public speaking, you can accomplish your learning goals and gain new insight on how to approach learning new skills when you understand the importance of learning new skills and explore a few tips to learn better and faster.

Why you Should Learn a Skill

Successful people stick to their promise of learning. Rather than vegging out in front of the television, they dedicate their spare time in the pursuit of learning and they stay committed to that. Do you even know that those who are best at learning new skills are those who consistently succeed? If you doubt this, just think of some of the world's most successful people. Without mincing words, learning a new skill is an amazing way to leverage your spare time in the upcoming year. You can enhance your knowledge base, expand your professional networks, and beef up your opportunities for career advancement when you stay committed to learning something new.

Why is it Difficult to Learn a Skill?

One of the beautiful things about difficulties is that they do help us to improve our ability to remember, comprehend, and learn because they facilitate encoding and retrieval of processes and this validates why difficulties are noted to be desirable. Speaking of why people find it difficult to learn a new skill, at times, it's actually a normal thing. It’s not pretty much a big deal because whenever you're embarking on a new thing, it's like setting out for an adventure. Of course, there will be some changes and new connections between neurons because a specific part of your brain is about to get rewired.

Sounds funny or clumsy? Well, it isn't. The simple science is that, when you make things more difficult and challenge yourself, you open yourself up to a new change that may shake you a bit. However, do you ever wonder why some people learn something today and in the next few hours they're blank? Have you ever tried to master something and you feel you're doing great at it until you have to do that thing and you realize that you're blank?

Many of us have experienced this at a point in time and one of the reasons why this happens is because the learning conditions we used were too easy and the simple thing we need to do to overcome this for our subsequent learning is to work on improving our learning by practicing smarter. Identify what works for you and stick to it. You may want to use effective methods such as spaced repetition (increasing your interval between the repetitions when you're first learning something), variation and complexity (checking if your performance can be affected by varying the weather, the rules, the distractions, the environment, the exercises, or other elements — basically, purposely challenging yourself to see your stance), or retrieval.

Before you ask anybody for help, try your best to remember that thing.

How Long Does It Take to Learn a Skill?

Most of us are haunted by the possibility of not doing something better and this thought often prevents us from getting engaged in something new. We have no choice but to quit and find something else to do just to get rid of that feeling of angst. However, one thing we often miss out on is that we don't know that we can benefit from huge increases in a skill when we give in a little persistence while we're experiencing the usual challenges during the early hours of trying something new.

In a very short period, you can experience dramatic improvements if you persist and practice intelligently. Picking up new skills extremely quickly is quite easy for the brain for it's optimized for such a task. Take note that the 10,000 hours of mastering a skill is nothing but an illusion because it takes only 20 hours to move from “knowing nothing to being pretty good”.

Types of Skill

Hard skills (also known as technical skills) and soft skills are the two major types of skills. For optimal performance and advancements in most jobs, both skills are necessary and it's recommended that you possess the two. Speaking of hard skills, these are the skills you gain through any life experience via training or technical knowledge. For example:

- You may be able to speak a new language fluently if you studied a foreign language.

- You may know how to use Microsoft Excel if you've taken an accounting class.

- You may know how to use a point-of-sale system if you’ve worked in food service or retail.

Some of the most in-demand hard skills include:

- Programming languages like Ruby, Java, Python, and Perl
- Storage systems and management
- Marketing campaign management
- User interface design
- Mobile development
- Data mining
- Statistical analysis
- SEO/SEM marketing
- Network security
- Adobe software suite
- Database management
- Bilingual or multilingual

On the other hand, if you're still searching for work, you'll find soft skills to be very essential for your career because they're the traits and personal habits that frame your interaction and work-relation with others and how you work.

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Introduction

Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Looking at this statement, one can deduce how important habits are and how they determine who we truly are. You may not be so conscious of it but your habits shape your life a lot. Habits create neurological cravings that make our brains cling to them and they're a very significant force.

Habits help us grow stronger in what we do and our performance level because they literally shape our everyday actions and they're a part of our lives. We all acquire different habits and habits do play an important role in our everyday living. It's possible to develop bad habits such as escapism, deceiving others, stealing, dishonesty, telling lies, procrastination, lethargy, drug addiction, alcoholism, and lots more. However, it's also possible to develop and foster good habits like meditation, regular exercise, reading, writing, and hard-working, amidst many others.

Habits are an undeniably powerful part of life and we all are creatures of habit. If you can just take a few minutes to ponder, you'll realize that the direct reflection of your daily habits has been very fervent in determining the state and quality of your life. Habit can hinder your progress in life and it can also help to propel you forward to greater success.

Habits help us form our years of repetitious behavior. The deep-seated habits etched into your mind play out in what you think, say, and do. It's not easy to get rid of bad habits because of the willpower and commitment it warrants. Understanding how significant habits are, this book helps you expand your knowledge of all the tangible things you should know about habits and it also explores ideas on how to get better at your habits to achieve greatness, good well-being, and all-round success.

Chapter 1: Habits - Meaning, Characteristics, and Role

Habit can be explained to be the evidence of the practice of one’s preferences. At times, we're motivated to do different activities by our habits, just as we're inspired to carry out several activities by our instincts. Habits are acquired by living organisms and they can be found in both man and animal.

Habits make us restless to have more taste of some past experience and one can as well say that habit is the second nature of man.

What Exactly is a Habit?

Habit can be simply explained to be a regularly repeated behavior. Speaking of the behavior, it could be a lifestyle, a routine, or an action. Whatever you do usually and constantly without thinking about it, most times, is a habit. Habits do help us undertake necessary activities like following the same routes every day, getting dressed for work, taking a shower, and brushing our teeth because they're behaviors and rituals that we carry out spontaneously. Our unconscious habits help us decide what to make for dinner, solve problems, or do other more complex tasks because they help in freeing up enabling resources for our brain. Habits can be the ones that are bad for us, the good ones or the ones that have been part of our lives forever that we don't even notice, such as teeth brushing and tying of shoelaces. We activate several habits every day and we all have habits.

Characteristics of Habit

There are four common characteristics of habits and they are uniformity, facility, interest, and independence of attention.

i. Uniformity

If you check your mode of walking, sleeping, talking, or how you do other activities, you'll realize that there's usually an underlying specific habit. This is simply because habits bring uniformity to our activities.

ii. Facility

Habit tends to help us facilitate our performance of an activity. Imagine you started learning to play the guitar. You'll realize that it will become easier for you once you've been able to form the habit, despite the pain you had experienced while learning.

iii. Interest

Interest is the primary core of habit. Let's still use the analogy of the guitar. Let's say the guitar training is a bit hard for you because you keep having sore fingers but as soon as you're able to find your proper grip on it and form that habit of the correct finger placement, you'll begin to find it more interesting to play the guitar.

iv. Independence of attention

There are several things that don't require any attention but we still do them due to our habits.

Why Habits Are Key to Our Health

Your chances of maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be increased or decreased by the habits you cultivate. Habits are very essential to our health. If you want to promote longevity and increase the quality of your life, it's very important that you practice good and helpful habits like exercising regularly and eating healthily. On the other hand, you can risk developing diabetes, obesity, or other chronic diseases when you cultivate bad habits like low activity levels, excessive fast-food consumption, and increased consumption of sugary soft drinks.

You can lower the risk of diseases such as cancer and diabetes, keep your blood sugars in range, and achieve proper weight with healthy habits. In fact, your health will be grateful to you if you exercise regularly, eat enough fresh foods, take plenty of fruits and vegetables with the healthy habits you maintain.

Why you Must Develop Good Habits

Many, at times, are still struggling to understand why it's important to develop good habits. Forming good habits is very necessary and here are five reasons why you should:

1. Habits are who you are. Habits ultimately become who you are because they grow to be a considerable part of your routine.

2. You can change your habits. This is one of the beautiful things about habits. If you know you have some bad habits, you can always step up to change them. Although your worst habits may be harder to stop and it could be quite challenging to break your old habits, with single and consistent steps and actions, you can successfully change your bad habits.

3. You can easily reach your goals with good habits. One of the things that draw most people back in life is bad habits. Do you still remember the saying that bad habits are like flat tires? Trust you do. Well, if you don't fix those flat tires, my dear, you'll remain where you are.

4. Habits set a foundation for life. You'll end up becoming a healthy person if you foster the act of eating vegetables often. You’ll end up becoming a joyful person if you cultivate the habit of joyfully greeting your family. The tone of your life is set by the habits you develop because these habits get to become you. Choose to develop good habits and you'll realize that you're setting yourself up to live happily and healthily.

5. Habits can replace motivation. There are usually some days when we can be low on motivation. During those days, we may find it difficult to do what we should do but at times, our habits tend to stand up for us and propel us to do what we need to do. Habits are what we do without having to think and because they get to become our second nature. There's this unconscious push they give us to get up and do what we must do.

Chapter 2: Habit Formation

Acquired normally consequential to learning and repetition, habit is an automatic response to a specific situation. It's a change of behavior with experience and it's a simple form of learning. Habit doesn't necessarily demand our conscious attention.

How We Form Habits

It takes about 18 to 254 days for someone to form a new habit. This is according to a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology in the year 2009. Before a new behavior can become automatic, it will take 66 days, on average. This is also in accordance with the study. The cue, the routine, and the reward work together for habit formation as the three main components. Habit loop is the process by which new habits form.

Starting with the first component, which is the cue, it could be a scent, an event, a feeling, a person, an object, or any other thing at all. The cue is whatever reminds you of the habit or prompts you to take an action. Simply put, the behavior you're about to develop is encouraged by a trigger which is the cue.

Next, we move on to the other component which is the routine. The specific routine that your brain has developed is what you'll start following whenever a cue triggers your habit. It's more like you're prompted to do something and then you started taking action to do it. Your habit includes what you do before and after the habitual behavior. This is to tell you that your habits are also connected to your other actions because habits aren’t just one action.

Now, moving to the last component, which is the third, whatever outcome you accomplish is the reward. Your reward may be feeling better emotionally with the habit and because of the satisfaction you derive from the reward, you'll have a higher tendency of constantly repeating the habit unconsciously.

Basis of Habit Formation

Physiological and psychological bases are the two terms that can be used to explain habit formation.

The physiological basis

It affirms that there's a pathway we get led to when there's a connection formed by a clear nervous signal prompted by several repetitions of an action. The connection gets strengthened when the response is elicited and a stimulus is repeated.

The psychological basis

This affirmation focuses on how individuals retain any learning process or experience. Habits are acquired dispositions and this is what the psychological theories explain. We form a habit with our ability to keep retaining and getting it strengthened. What are Examples of Habits?

There are series of examples of habits and several of them will definitely be explained in the course of this book. As earlier mentioned, some habits can be health-promoting and some may be harmful. If you buckle your seatbelt without thinking about it or pick up a pair of running shoes after getting home each day, that's a habit. There are some people who wake up and the first thing they do automatically is to reach for a cigarette — it's a habit too.

Why do Humans Have Habits?

Without having to ponder over what to do or waste time and energy, people can easily perform useful behaviors — all thanks to habits. Habits are efficient and we all are creatures of habit. Habits offer us the beautiful advantages of quick and efficient responses but they can be compromised when we let them get overridden by destructive habits such as consumption of unhealthy food or usage of addictive drugs.

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With the coronavirus pandemic in full swing you need to do everything that you can to boost your immune system so that you have the maximum protection. There are a number of ways that you can do this and one of the easiest is to change your diet so that you eat the right foods. In this special report we will show you the very best foods to eat to give your immune system a boost. We will also provide other tips to help you protect your immune system and the food and beverages that you need to avoid as well.

Changing your diet is never an easy thing to do but your immune system is vital to your health and wellbeing and to fight against deadly viruses such as COVID-19. So always bear this in mind when you are tempted to revert back to your old eating habits.

We recommend that you introduce these foods into your diet gradually. It is a good idea to replace foods that do not support your immune system with these super foods so that you help your immune system to grow stronger. So let’s get right into it shall we?

Before we reveal the 20 super foods that will boost your immune system there are some general guidelines that we want you to be aware of when it comes to your diet and consumption of foods and beverages.

Choose Whole Plant Based Foods

Your immune system is constantly fighting against different harmful pathogens. It is an incredible system that works to protect you 24/7. You can help your immune system by providing it with the right antioxidants and nutrients from the food that you eat to be even more efficient.

This is where whole plant foods come into play. The following are rich in antioxidants and nutrients that your immune system needs to fight against infections and diseases:

• Fruits
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Vegetables

All of these food groups contain antioxidants which assist in the reducing of inflammation in your body. The antioxidants fight off free radicals which are unstable compounds that will result in inflammation if there is enough of them built up in your body.

It is essential that you help your immune system fight against this inflammation because chronic inflammation can result in health conditions that you must avoid such as certain cancers, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

The other good news about whole plant foods is that they contain fiber which will feed your gut microbiome. This is a collection of healthy bacteria contained in your gut. When your gut microbiome is in good shape it will increase your immunity and keep out pathogens from getting into your digestive tract.

You need Healthy Fats

This is another largely misunderstood area. Healthy fats are good for you. Do not subscribe to the belief that all fats are bad because they are not. Healthy fats are required by your immune system to boost its response to harmful pathogens by reducing the amount of inflammation in your body. An example of a healthy fat is olive oil. There have been studies that show the anti-inflammatory powers of olive oil and how it decreases the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Also the anti-inflammatory properties of healthy fats can help your immune system fight against viruses and harmful bacteria.

You need healthy fats such as omega 3 because they are very anti-inflammatory. If you have chronic inflammation then this will significantly reduce the effectiveness of your immune system.

Go for Fermented Foods

You should choose fermented foods in your diet because they have high levels of good bacteria called probiotics. These will populate your digestive tract and protect it. Examples of fermented foods are:

• Kefir
• Kimchi
• Natto
• Sauerkraut
• Yogurt

When you have a flourishing community of good gut bacteria it helps your immune system make the important distinction between healthy and normal cells and invader organisms that will cause you harm.

There was a study of 126 children conducted over 3 months where they drank fermented milk on a daily basis. The results showed that they experienced 20% less infectious childhood diseases. In another 28 day study with 152 participants that had rhinovirus, it was discovered that those who took a probiotic supplement, Bifidobacterium animalis, induced a stronger response from their immune system and experienced lower levels of virus symptoms.

Keep away from Foods with added Sugars

It is amazing the amount of food products available today that contain added sugars. There has been considerable research in this area which concluded that the consumption of foods that have added sugars or refined carbohydrates could contribute significantly to people becoming overweight and even obese.

If you are overweight or obese then this can reduce the effectiveness of your immune system. There was an observational study with around 1,000 participants where obese people were given the flu vaccine. These people were twice as likely to still contract the flu than people that were not obese and had been given the same vaccine.

When you reduce the amount of sugar that you consume you will help to reduce inflammation in your body and it will help you to lose excess weight as well. This will increase your resistance to chronic problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Both of these chronic diseases will weaken your immune system. So our advice is to limit your intake of sugar to less than 5% of your daily calorie intake. So if you are on a 2,000 calorie a day diet this would equate to limiting yourself to around 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Keep Hydrated

It is very important to your overall health that you keep hydrated. If you are dehydrated this can provide a number of complications that will reduce your immunity against diseases:

• Reduce your heart and kidney function
• Impair your focus
• Cause headaches
• Impair your digestive system
• Reduce your physical performance
• Cause mood swings

When you are hydrated your urine will be a pale yellow color. The best liquid for hydration is water as it does not contain any sugars, additives or calories. You can drink teas and juices for hydration but we recommend that take these without sugar.

The rule of thumb is to drink when you are thirsty and stop drinking when you are not thirsty. Your thirst will increase if you sweat due to exercise or being in a hot climate. As we get older we lose some of the urge to drink because the thirst signal weakens. So you need to drink water regularly even if you are not thirsty when you are older.

So now we have got that out of the way it is time to look at the 20 super foods that you need in your diet to boost your immune system.

Blueberries really are an immune system boosting super food. They are something that you can eat every day and are delicious so it should be easy for you to incorporate them into your diet. Why do blueberries work so well in boosting your immune system?

Well the answer is that they have excellent antioxidant properties. They contain anthocyanin which is a flavonoid that can really bolster your immune system. A study in 2016 concluded that flavonoids play a critical role in the defense of the respiratory tract.

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Introduction

Being on the keto diet can help you to lose weight. The keto diet forces your body to burn your fat cells instead of glucose. This can help to melt away fat quickly.

However, it can be hard to know what to eat on the diet, especially if you have a busy, active lifestyle. Fortunately, there are many different recipes that can be fixed in under 10 minutes.

Why Keto?

There are many different diet plans out there today. Many of those claims to help you lose weight fast. They will have you eating a lowfat diet that does not help you lose weight.

If you eat a low-fat diet with high carbs, your body is just feeding off of glucose from those high carbs. You are going to feel hungry more often and not be able to lose weight. The keto diet encourages you to eat healthy fats.

Along with a lot of protein, you avoid carbs that get burned out by your body.

The keto diet will cause your body to feed off of all your fat cells. If you are struggling to lose weight, consider trying these recipes and going on the keto diet today.

10 Simple Keto Recipes You Can Make In Under 10 Minutes Below are ten great recipes that should help you be able to fix ketofriendly meals and snacks that not only taste great but will also help you lose weight as well.

Many people have stated that they would love to go on the keto diet, but they do not know where to begin or how to start. Some people worry that they may not be able to adapt this diet to their schedule.

Fortunately, keto can be adapted to anybody's schedule. Keep reading for ten recipes you can fix quickly in under 10 minutes.

1. Salad in a Jar

If you want to make a quick and easy that you can make under 10 minutes, the salad in a jar is a perfect choice. All you will need is your salad ingredients and a jar.

You will want to make sure the stack the ingredients so that your dressing comes out on top and your lettuce does not wilt.

Ingredients

? 1/2 cup leafy greens
? 1 carrot
? 1 avocado
? 1 red bell peppers
? 1 tomato or cherry tomatoes
? 4 oz. of meat
? ¼ cup mayonnaise or olive oil

Grab your jar and add either olive oil or mayonnaise to the bottom of the jar. On top of that, you want to add your 4 ounces of meat. Meat choices could include chicken, beef, or smoked salmon. Then add either cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes.

Add in the red bell pepper and avocado. Add in 1 chopped or shredded carrot and then top with ½ cup of leafy greens.

Put the lid on the jar and placed it in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat. These are great to make up for the week to take to work and put in a bowl when you are ready.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can interchange the items. For example, if you do not want to do red peppers, you can always add in a different low-carb vegetable.

You can also interchange the meat and cheese. Just make sure that you are using only low-carb items when creating the salad.

If you eat high carbs, you run the risk of throwing your body out of ketosis.

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There is one thing that all of us have in common. We are all growing and changing, and constantly. And while this is a great thing and can be a very nice mark of wisdom, there are other things associated with growing older that can be a little bit difficult to face, and sometimes even scary. As we age, our bodies become less capable of healing at the same rate of speed and we don’t build muscle in quite the same way. We can become susceptible to diseases more easily, and over time we may find ourselves having more and more chronic aches and pains.

While these things have become a commonly accepted aspect of aging, however, there are some aspects to this that are actually preventable, and there are ways that we can work to slow down the natural process of aging and prevent ourselves from going further down a slippery slope! All we need is the knowledge and the motivation to keep at it.

There is no perfect cure for reversing aging, but there are steps that we can take every day to address the issues that we are dealing with and change our habits so that we can maintain our health at its best form and prevent further problems from arising in the future. In the book Anti- Aging Hacks: Discover How to Stay Youthful, we will talk about several different techniques that can be applied to prevent aging and ways that we can live our healthiest and fullest lives, starting now! One of the most important aspects of anti-aging is making sure that we are taking care of our skin.

Our skin is one of the most visible elements of aging that there is, and if we aren’t taking care of it then it will speed up the appearance of aging exponentially. Our skin often reflects the condition of our health, and can be an accumulation of our habits, whether positive or negative.

If, for example, we find ourselves addicted to things like tanning and being out in the sun without wearing sunscreen, sure, there might be moments when our skin looks radiant during the summer, but over time, our skin will dry out and we will begin to see more and more wrinkles.

The UV rays from the sun can be very harmful and can even cause cancer if we aren’t careful.

While we may not like the appearance of wrinkles, the truth is that getting too much sun is dangerous and should be avoided. If you are able, wear clothing that protects your body from the sun and apply sunscreen generously during times that the sun is out and at its brightest. You could also avoid going out when it’s obvious that the sun is at its strongest, so for example, try not to go out during noon, when the sun is high and bright and could cause damage to the skin.

A lot of people will approach this book wondering what they can do to make themselves look younger and prevent any further signs of aging from running their course. And so, focusing on the skin and the way that it can become damaged is one of the most important things that you can do to help yourself embrace your youthful glow.

There are other elements to skin care that are important when it comes to anti-aging, and those are covered in Anti-Aging Hacks: Discover How to Stay Youthful. Going in depth about your skin care and how to ensure you are doing everything possible not to make your blemishes worse and prevent more from occurring is one incredibly effective way to help us to remain youthful and confident! Keeping ourselves healthy goes beyond our appearance, so even if you don’t think consciously about exposing yourself to the sunlight, it might do you some good to wear sunscreen just for your own protection.

Overall, our skin is what betrays our age the most and will reflect whether or not we are living a healthy lifestyle. If you want to look youthful, your skin care routine is the first place to start. Let Anti-Aging Hacks: Discover How to Stay Youthful show you how!

Every action that we take has a consequence, and that cannot be more clear than when we are talking about taking care of our bodies and our physical health. Everything we eat and drink has a consequence on our health. If we eat raw fruits and vegetables and we keep our diets rich with whole foods and healthy meals, and keep ourselves hydrated with water, then we are going to look vibrant and fantastic. We will shed weight more easily, we will have more energy, and we will be more motivated to stay active because our bodies feel good enough to keep up.

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The Zoom platform has grown in popularity over the last few years and for good reason. It provides individuals and businesses the tools that they need to conduct meetings over the Internet for collaboration, lead generation and customer acquisition, webinars and more.

If you want to use Zoom to grow your business, and you should, then it is essential that all of your Zoom meetings and webinars are engaging for your audiences. A lot of people get this wrong and end up losing their audience on Zoom calls.

The methods, tips and tricks in this powerful guide will show you how you can significantly improve your engagement levels when you are using Zoom. So be sure to read all of this short report and put these ideas into action.

This is where it all starts. The best Zoom events are always planned. Just turning up and “winging it” is not a good idea. You need to think about what you want to achieve from your Zoom event first. Do you want a higher level of commitment from your team? Do you want to sell potential customers on your latest product offering?

Your preparation for the Zoom event will go a lot more smoothly the more you understand your audience. If you are going to use the event to pitch your offer to potential customers then understand what problems they have and how your offer will solve these problems for them.

If you want to use your Zoom event to provide details of a new project to your team then think about the issues that they are likely to have and any roadblocks that they might identify. The more that you predict these things beforehand the better your Zoom event will go.

Have all of your resources setup before the event. If you are going to share your screen and use websites and applications for demonstrations etc then have all of these open before the meeting. Your audience do not want to see websites and applications loading up.

If you intend to share files then have these ready too in one place so that you can easily access them during the meeting. Nobody wants to see you fumbling around trying to find the relevant files on your computer.

When you are preparing slides for your Zoom event always think about interaction. Nobody wants to sit through a one hour Zoom event just listening to you reading from slides. Test for understanding and allow your audience to answer questions. Use examples and case studies to demonstrate concepts.

If you have not used Zoom before or not used it that much then we recommend that you setup and run a test event before you go for the real meeting. You may think that you are a great presenter and host but there is nothing like a recording of your performance to provide you with a reality check.

The other advantage of running test sessions is that you can familiarize yourself with the Zoom features and controls. Practice sharing your screen, using the whiteboard facility, using the annotation tools, adding a virtual background and so on. If you don’t do this it is unlikely to be “alright on the night”.

You will impress nobody if you have a poor quality webcam or microphone. If you are appearing grainy and blurry on video then your audience is going to switch off. The same goes for poor quality audio. If it is not clear what you are saying then you are going to lose people.

A lot of laptops have inferior built in webcams and microphones. As tempting as it may be to use these to save money, just don’t do it. You can get a high quality webcam for less than $100 and a good USB microphone for even less.

Then there is the subject of lighting. You need to ensure that your face is lit from the front. If you look like a shadow of yourself on camera then this will put a lot of people off. You can get fairly inexpensive ring lights from Amazon and elsewhere that will enhance your lighting.

Finally on the subject of equipment, use the fastest Internet connection that you can. If you have to contend with fairly low Internet bandwidth where you are then use an Ethernet connection rather than WiFi. There are losses associated with wireless connections that you don’t get with a wired connection.

This is a mistake that a lot of Zoom newbies make. They do not position the webcam or camera correctly and as a result they end up looking down or up into the camera. Neither of these provides a flattering look for you. Your audience does not want to see just the top of your head either.

The best camera position is where you look straight forward into it. So test this out to find the best position. You want your head to be in the top third of the screen. Avoid anything below this as you will be showing too much of the background.

Here is another classic mistake that newcomers to Zoom make. Instead of looking directly into the camera they look at their computer screen. If you do this then your head will be down and it will appear like you do not want to face your audience.

You have to see beyond your computer and camera here. Always bear in mind that when you look directly into the camera your audience will see you in the best light. You will appear to be focusing on them which they will really appreciate. Again practice this until you can do it automatically. Sometimes you will need to glance at your screen or your notes. This is OK, but make it a very short glance and then get straight back to looking into the camera. Even the best presenters need to look away from their audiences for short periods of time. Just don’t have prolonged periods where you are not looking directly at the camera.

This one may take a bit of practice for you but it will certainly be worth it. You are right to be serious about your business but if you approach your Zoom event with a serious face all of the time then your audience are not going to like that. People are naturally attracted to happy, smiling faces. So give this to them.

You can practice this in the mirror. When you have a smile on your face you will talk with a smile as well which is infectious. It is impossible to smile all of the time and there will be times when a more serious face is appropriate. But a general happy and smiley demeanor will do wonders for your Zoom engagement rates.

Something that you may like to try in your Zoom events is standing up when you are presenting. This can often help you to feel happier and more likely to smile rather than frown. You can use a standing desk to help with this. It may seem a bit weird standing up at first but it does work.

Nobody wants to see evidence of your cluttered life in a Zoom meeting. If the room that you intend to use for your events is full of stuff then get rid of it. You can use virtual backgrounds for a more professional experience.

If you want to use a natural background then check to see that there is nothing that will distract your audience. Large clocks and pictures in the background can divert attention so move these out of sight.

Do everything that you can to minimize distractions. Put your phone on silent. If you have messaging apps on your computer then disable the sound notifications. Little kids and pets are cute but they

can ruin a good Zoom event. Keep them out of the way when you are running your business event. Choose a room that is the quietest in your home or office. It will be distracting for your audience to hear noises outside such as traffic, people raising their voices in the street, workers digging up the road and so on.

Setup a one to one meeting with a friend or family member that you know will critique your background and environment and tell you the truth about how distracting it is. This is great feedback that will help you to make the necessary changes.

If you are having a Zoom call with friends or family then it doesn’t matter if you look like a slob. That “just got out of bed” look is not OK for your business Zoom events. Wear good looking clothes and be sure to groom yourself so that you look your best.

Forget the tatty t-shirt and the stuff that you normally wear when you are relaxing at home. Wear a nice shirt and a jacket – something that is appropriate for a business meeting. Put in the effort here and don’t give your audience the impression that you just couldn’t be bothered.

You need to be respectful of the time that your event is taking. There have been a number of studies in the area of human attention spans and they have concluded that people respond best to new information in 7 minute chunks. So you need to prepare your Zoom events with this in mind.

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Introduction

Webinars are a great way to deliver value, demonstrate your expertise in your niche and promote your offers. The conversion rates with webinars are far higher than they are with other forms of marketing such as email and paid advertising.

But if hardly anyone attends your webinar then it is a waste of time. Nobody is going to discover your webinar by accident so you need to do all that you can to promote it. The 30 ways in this powerful report are proven to work and will help you maximize your attendance numbers for every webinar that you run. Get the Basics Right First

Before you start to promote your webinar you need to get the basics right first. You need to get the timing right and create a persuasive landing page for your webinar.

Plan your Webinar and get the Timing Right

It is really important that you plan your webinar in advance. You need time to get everything ready and rehearse your webinar so that it will run smoothly on the day. Getting the timing right is essential for a successful webinar.

High Converting Landing Page

There is no point driving hordes of traffic to your webinar landing page if it does not do a good job of converting visitors into attendees. You need a n enticing title for your webinar and some key benefits that will make attending your webinar irresistible. Test your landing page to see how well it converts and edit where necessary.

Promote at least 2 Weeks in Advance

To get the maximum exposure for your webinar plan to start your promotion efforts at least 2 weeks prior to the event. You don’t want to start your promotion too early and you certainly don’t want to leave it too late.

Now let’s take a look at the 30 ways you can promote your webinar…

There is no better way to promote your webinar than to use email marketing. Surveys have shown that around 80% of webinar registrants originate from emails. If you have your own email list then use this to your advantage. You can leverage other people’s email lists by collaborating with them which we will cover later.

Research has shown that the ideal length for a webinar is between 45 minutes and an hour so plan your events around this and let potential registrants know the expected length of the webinar on your landing page.

If you feel that your webinar is going to much longer than this recommended time then you can split it into several webinars that cover important sections. Nobody wants to spend half a day on a webinar no matter how keen they are to learn what you will present.

Research has shown that the best days to run webinars are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. People usually have a lot of things to do on a Monday and Fridays and the weekend do not work well for obvious reasons.

There has been a lot of research into the best days to send out webinar invitations and the conclusion was that Tuesday or Wednesday were the best. You should experience the best open rates and conversions on these days. Again you need to avoid Mondays, Fridays and the weekends.

This is obvious but you need to remember to do it. You could add a "webinars" section on your site if you are planning to run several webinars. Use a method to notify visitors to your home page and all of your inner pages about your upcoming webinars.

Most people send and reply to a lot more emails than they realize. Adding a signature about your webinar to your email is a very easy thing to do. Don’t overcomplicate this. A one line signature with the major benefit of your webinar is ideal. Add a link to your webinar landing page from your signature.

If you use the WordPress platform for your website then you can use a widget to ensure that details of your webinar appear on every single page. Your home page is likely to be your most visited followed by your “About” page. With a site wide widget you can add a square banner to your sidebar so that visitors to any page on your site will see it..