5 Things that Will Happen Without Goal Setting

When it comes to setting goals, you may wonder why it’s necessary. But here are just a few of the dire consequences that can come about from not picking a destination and reaching to get there.

 

1.    You’ll get lost. 

 

If you were a pirate looking for treasure, you won’t just start digging around willy-nilly for treasure. You’d probably get an ancient map with an x that marks the spot. The same is true for setting goals—if you don’t set goals, you’ll wander around aimlessly in every area of life, blowing around where the wind takes you—and sometimes that place is not so good.

 

2.    You’ll miss opportunities. 

 

When it comes to work and even life in general, people only seek out assistance from those who are motivated and moving somewhere. If you don’t set goals and complacently just “roll with it” all the time—whether professionally or personally—you’ll miss promotions, pay raises, and invitations you’d otherwise get if you had some goals you were working towards, such as finding a better job or dating that special someone.

 

3.    You’ll lose the power of attraction. 

 

It’s a hotly debated topic, but many people out there swear there’s something intangibly true about how the way we think and feel affects the world around us. Think good, and it will be good, an old adage goes. With goals, success will come your way. Without goals, you’re not really able to be sure what’s headed your direction. 

 

4.    You’ll feel empty inside. 

 

Steven Hawking, one of the greatest scientific minds in modern times, left behind many thoughts about the universe, but one that was applicable even to those who aren’t physicists was to find meaningful work. Goals give you a reason to get up in the morning and embrace the awesome gift that is life. Without goals, you might as well just roll over and go back to sleep—all day. 

 

5.    You won’t feel as good as you can about yourself. 

 

Sometimes people get plagued by doubts about themselves. It’s natural and human to wonder if we really are worth our place in the world. Of course, the answer is that each and every person has a unique piece in the puzzle, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. But in order to tap into that sense of self-worth, you need to set some goals and get working. You’ll feel great when you achieve them, and purposeful as you work towards them.

5 Reasons Setting Goals is Important in Every Area of Life

When it comes to most areas of life, people tend to float around and embrace the idea of whatever happens, happens. But here are 5 reasons why setting goals is important, no matter what you’re talking about, whether it’s work, play, or even relationships. 

 

1.    Goals keep you focused. 

 

Imagine a ship setting sail without a destination in mind—as it traveled wherever the winds take it, supplies would eventually run out, and the crew would probably have to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. 

 

Okay, so maybe a lack of goal setting won’t yield such dire results, but you certainly won’t get anywhere specific if you don’t have a plan. Whether you’re talking about work, hobbies, or relationships, setting a goal will keep you moving towards success and fulfillment, without veering off course.

 

2.    Goals help you make a plan of action. 

 

When you know how much you’ve accomplished, you can understand how much you need to achieve and pace yourself accordingly. 

 

For example, if you set a goal for yourself to save up a million dollars for retirement, you believe you’re two decades away from retiring, and have only saved up $500,000, you know you need to save around $2,100 per month. 

 

3.    Goals get you motivated. 

 

Without a goal in mind, you can always say it will happen tomorrow—whatever it is. Of course, once tomorrow arrives, there will be a tomorrow after that, and so on. 

 

Setting a goal with a timetable will force you into some accountability for your actions and force you to get up off the proverbial couch.

 

4.    Goals help you actualize your potential. 

 

Each and every one of us has incredible talents and abilities latently existing within, but very few people actually leverage those talents into something useful. 

 

Setting goals and working towards them is a great way to put your skills to work, while developing and sharpening your natural talents.

 

5.    Goals keep you committed. 

 

One of the biggest deterrents to success is that people just give up along the road. If you set a goal for yourself and stick to it, you can block out unhelpful distractions and resist falling into depression or self-pity when things don’t quite go your way. 

 

You know there’s an awesome view at the top of the mountain and you’re committed to seeing it, no matter how arduous the climb.

4 Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing What Goals to Pursue

If you’ve embraced the wonderful practice of setting goals for yourself, kudos to you—but a new challenge can often arise when we start picking too many goals. Here’s a way to sift through the stars and find which ones to reach for.

 

1.    Think about the biggest picture possible. 

 

Sit down for a little reflection, journaling, and exploration of who you are as a person and what matters to you. Try making a list of your ten most important values. Once you’ve done that, think about what you want more than anything else in life, and write that down. 

 

Keep it short, sweet, and to the point, in one sentence—no more. You’ll be amazed about how having clarity on the big picture will help you sort through your goals and find the ones that matter.

 

2.    Think about your budget and compromise accordingly. 

 

When it comes to goal setting, it’s important to think about the constraints you face and be realistic. If you’re holding down a nine-to-five gig within the median salary range, saving up a million dollars in one year is not feasible (probably). 

 

Drop that goal or put it aside for the future, and instead pick something more reasonable like saving up a few thousand dollars. Money is not the only factor; time and physical limitations are also important to consider…which brings us to our next point:

 

3.    Think about your health.

 

If you have a work-related goal—say, to hit six figures or something similar—and your  doctor has also told you that your health is in trouble, it may be time to set aside your money related goals and focus on your health. 

 

Perhaps taking a thirty minute walk every day is more important than squeezing in an extra few hours of work every week. If you don’t pick the former goal, the latter one might drive you to a point where neither goal can be reached.

 

4.    Remember those around you. 

 

If you’re in a situation where other people are dependent on you, say a family or colleagues, you may need to set aside some of your personal goals in favor of meeting their needs. 

 

For example, if you’re a parent of several kids and you want to get a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but your kids are struggling in school, you may want to set aside your drive to be Jackie Chan and spend some time each day helping them with their homework. 

How to Make Some Good Side Money with Content Marketing

One of the best ways you can leverage the financial power of content marketing is not actually in the act of crafting content to market something you offer. 

 

Rather, it’s all about content marketing a good or service offered by other people and then sitting back while readers click on affiliate links and Google Ads. 

 

That said, here are a few of the most lucrative topics to write about—and how much associated Google ads will pay you per user click in 2018.

 

Insurance: $57 CPC. Insurance is the statistically the most lucrative. Car insurance, homeowner’s insurance, business insurance…everybody needs insurance for something. 

 

Gas & Electricity: $54 CPC. This topic is strangely also a gold mine. You could write reviews of different suppliers, and helpful articles on how to save on your bills. 

 

Mortgages: $47 CPC. A home is the largest purchase most people will ever make, so banks and lenders are willing to spend some big bucks to beat out the competition. 

 

Attorneys: $47. There are plenty of ambulance-chasers out there today, and lawyers are coming out of the woodwork left and right. Capitalize on the legal craze by writing articles about topics like hiring a lawyer, small claims court, etc.

 

Loans: $44 CPC. Whether it’s to pay off credit cards, to buy a car, or go to school, lots of people need loans. Write articles about this topic and perhaps direct people toward their options.

 

Donations: $42 CPC. From starving kids in Africa to a local recreation centre, there are plenty of causes that need fundraising, and fundraisers shell out the bucks to advertise. Write articles about this topic, such as the power of giving.

 

Conference Call: $42 CPC. This is something that all businesses need, and if you know anything about business expenditures, you know that companies toss money around more frequently than private individuals. Review different systems and write articles about phone etiquette.

 

Degree: $40 CPC. Everybody (and their grandmother) is going back to school these days, and usually online. Capitalize on education and write some degree-related blogs. 

 

Credit: $38 CPC. Americans (and increasingly everyone else) love spending with plastic. Write reviews of the best cards, or articles on how to build credit.

 

Final word: The content marketing you’re doing for these businesses doesn’t have to be free. After you’ve built some traction on your site, you may as well start selling your content to the businesses you’re writing about… it will prove to be an additional source of revenue, and if their Google ads are any indicator, they’re willing to spend.

10 Ways to Make Social Media Posts that Get Engagement

Social Media is a great tool for content marketing, but there are some rules to the game. Check out these 10 suggestions for effective posting that gets engagement. 

 

1. Use a great visuals. The visual content is what will stop people from scrolling through the endless parade of their feed and checking out your post. If you don’t have an image directly related to your business, use some stock imagery from a free site like Pixabay or Unsplash.

 

2. Write good copy. While the picture gets them to stop, the words get them to click. Use good grammar, flawless spelling, and appropriate punctuation with adequate spacing. 

 

3. Don’t be self-centred. Don’t promote your business and products directly every time. Post about topics in your industry, or repost items from other people to build your credibility and engagement with a wider audience.

 

4. Use hashtags. For the majority of social media sites, your post might as well be invisible if you’re not using hashtags. Hashtags tell people what category your post falls into, and draws in more engagement from people checking out what’s new in that topic.

 

5. Be brief. Don’t make your posts too long, because readers will get weary and move on. Use synonyms for longer words and keep your sentences short. Remember that your audience is very distracted. 

 

6. Post at key times. This varies by social media type, but your post will get in front of a large audience. You can do a quick Google search to see what days and times are best for the social media platforms you’re using.

 

7. Involve the readers. Put engaging questions into your post that will elicit discussion and response. If people are building on the thread below you words, you know your post has been a  success. 

 

8. Be persistent. In today’s socially connected world, it’s not overkill to post, post, and post again. People may need to see something at least a dozen times before even clicking on it, so don’t be afraid to keep trying, and don’t give up.

 

9. Consider the pros and cons of auto-posting. You may think that auto-posting saves you time and energy, but an organic effort fuelled by the inspiration of the moment might yield better results. 

 

10. Remember the audience. Different social media platforms are geared towards different users, so while you might be fine throwing up pictures of your weekend on Instagram, that tactic could backfire on LinkedIn.

6 Steps to Making a Content Marketing Strategy that Will Boost Your Business

You may have heard that content is king in this digitally connected age. Here are 6 simple steps to get the ball rolling with some excellent content marketing in your business.

 

1. Define your goals. You can’t go anywhere without a goal. Set concrete goals for your marketing attempt, such as fortifying your connection with a particular audience or branching out to new ones. 

 

With all the analytic tools available today, you can easily be able to monitor your progress as you move along.

 

2. Define your audience. Who are you marketing your product or service to? If you don’t have a clear vision about this, you’ll be wasting your time and money trying to market to everyone—which is sort of like throwing pasta on the wall and hoping it sticks.

 

Instead, build a vision of your ideal crowd. Perhaps even make a storyboard about the “typical” person in this group to fill out your marketing attempts with genuine copy.  

 

3. Define your style. What exactly is your brand all about, and what’s the accompanying style that best matches with your message? 

 

If you bounce all over the place with your words and your appearance, you’re going to make your audience confused and lose potential customers. Solidify the details about your appearance—everything from colour schemes to fonts to content topics.

 

4. Learn from the past. Chances are, if you’ve been in business for a few years already, that you have some extant content out there already. 

 

Take a look at what did well, and what bombed, and try to figure out why. Build on your success, and stay away from failure as you move forward.

 

5. Assemble the team. If you’re a one-man band, that’s great, but once a business reaches a certain point, you’ll need multiple people on the team. 

 

One person could be blogging and incorporating SEO keywords, while another is interacting with the fan base on social media, and yet another is crafting and implementing Google ads. 

 

The more specialized each person can become, the more their expertise will increase the overall success of your business—but remember to keep everyone within a good loop of communication. 

 

6. Make a plan. Set up checkpoints, goals, and deadlines. Use analytic software to track clicks and see what parts of the strategy are working. 

 

Just like goals are crucial for creating a destination, a plan is crucial for getting to those goals.

6 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Is Not Working

Social media is supposed to be the definitive content marketing channel solution, right? But many business owners are discovering it’s easier said than done. Here are a few reasons your social media strategy is not working.

 

1. You’re not advertising. Yes, social media is free, whereas traditional advertising can cost lots of money. But even so, you have to realize that social media engagement with organic posting is inherently weak—people are overly bombarded by the items in their feed. With social media ads, you can target specific users and secure a noticeable spot in the feed, yielding more click-through action. 

 

2. You’re hacking too much. Despite the seductive words of internet gurus and content marketing professionals, there is no get-rich-quick solution to social media content marketing. Building a solid presence takes time, patience, and quality material. You can try all the backend hacks you want, but the social media venues have watchdogs to monitor that activity. If they deem it shady, it will reduce the health score of your profile, making it harder for you to market. 

 

3. You’re not interacting. It’s called social media for a reason! Even monolithic mega-giants like Disney and Coca-Cola have social teams that interact with users making comments on their pages and forums. If you’re going to build brand loyalty on a social media platform, you have to interact with your followers by commenting on their posts and pictures, and responding to their comments and likes.

 

4. You’re not using data. There are plenty of programs out there that can help you mine user data, which can help you better refine your target audience. This type of software can help you understand who interacts with your brand, and what demographics are potentially most interested in what you have to offer. Without leveraging that info, you’re kind of just shooting in the dark.

 

5. You’re not making good content. From pictures to textual posts, what grabs attention on social media is good content. Learn about what will get eyes to stop and click on a link, and if you can’t figure it out, employ someone who can. 

 

6. You’re doing all the work. You heard it right… the best social media marketing comes about when other people market your product or service. Your brand ambassadors can collectively reach out to a wider audience who is already in love with their posts and appreciates their unique style. Moreover, someone else touting your product or service gives it a seal of approval you just can’t fake on your own.

5 Reasons No One is Reading Your Blog

So you’ve decided to start a blog. Whether it’s to spread a personal message, get readers to click on affiliate links, or make money from advertisers, blogging can be a rewarded digital sport. 

 

But if you’re like many bloggers, you’ve come to the frustrating realization that no one is reading your posts, and here’s why:

 

1. You’re not writing about something people find helpful. There are already a million blog posts out there on “different things to do in xyx place,” so—for example—if you’re writing a travel blog, you have to get more “niche” with it and provide some value. For example, “best places to find spicy food in Denver” is a much more specific post that carries some value for the readers who are putting that inquiry into Google.

 

2. You’re not opening doors. A big part of funnelling readers to your blog is about building a network of back-links, which are essentially hyperlinks to your site on other people’s blogs or websites. A good way to do this is just to network and do guest posts for people on their blogs, with the stipulation that you can put some links to your site on there.

 

3. You’re not building relationships. You need to have a contact button of form on your website, and harvest some emails. Alternatively, by blogging consistently and alerting social media connections of your new posts, you can draw some steady streams of traffic to your site. The overall idea is to get recurring readers. Not only will they increase your readership with their own eyes, but over time, if they like your content they’ll share it with others.

 

4. Your site doesn’t look good. If people hop on to your blog and find that it looks like the screen from Pac Man, they probably will bounce off the page in less than a minute—unless of course, your blog post is dedicated to Pac Man aficionados…then that would be cool. Your website needs to look professional, and the architecture needs to be clean and well designed (for mobile users as well).

 

5. You think you are Shakespeare. Don’t try to get to literary with your posting, unless of course you’re catering to a high-brow audience. Use shorter sentences, small paragraphs, and lots of pictures to punctuate your words, otherwise people will find your blog too exhausting to read. While SEO experts tout the benefits of long-form posts (over 2,000 words) you still have to balance that out with reader experience—and most readers can’t tolerate more than half that word count.   

Zumba: Still Keeping People Fit Years After Its Inception

There are many choices of exercise programs out there and some can be described as “more interesting” than others. Take Zumba, for example, a great program under the category of dance fitness that has been around for approximately 20 years. Zumba is trademarked and owned by a company called Zumba Fitness, LLC.  

 

This class-based exercise program was invented by accident by a Colombian man who was a dancer and choreographer, by the name of Alberto Perez. It is an aerobic exercise, meaning that it allows for increases in heart rate and blood pressure during exercise, helping to keep the heart healthy and free of heart disease. 

 

There are components of both dance and aerobics in this program. Many people use it for weight loss, healthy weight management, heart health, muscle toning and for overall fitness. It can be done by people young and old.

 

Popularity

 

Zumba is very popular, practiced by about 15 million people per week. There are 140,000 licensed and non-licensed sites for you to try Zumba. It is taught in over 185 countries so there is no good excuse not to try this fun and exciting form of exercise.  

 

The Origin of Zumba

 

Zumba was created almost by accident by Alberto (Beto) Perez when he forgot to bring along his normal aerobics tape to an aerobics class he was teaching. He decided to improvise with music he found in his car—mostly non-traditional merengue and salsa music. He improvised his first class and soon had a large following in his home country of Colombia. He moved later to the United States in 2001, where he soon met and helped cofound the Zumba movement with two other men, Alberto Aghion and Alberto Perlman.  

 

The team soon sold their program to a company called Fitness Quest. Through Fitness Quest, the Zumba program became licensed and its appeal spread through things like home videos and a string of direct marketing campaigns.  

 

Dance Moves Incorporated into Zumba

 

A wide variety of dance moves in Zumba has been taken from some of the following dance styles:

 

• Soca
• Hip-hop
• Merengue
• Salsa
• Mambo
• Samba

 

Muscles Worked

 

The dance moves are incorporated into different aerobic moves like lunges and squats. 

Besides the obvious benefits of fat burning that comes from the fast-paced cardiovascular workout that leaves you breathless while also strengthening the heart, Zumba also works various muscles groups in the body.

 

Every single move aims to build strength and lean muscle in moves that are perfectly coordinated to blood pumping music. 

 

Muscle Groups Worked Include:

 

• Hamstrings
• Quadriceps
• Glutes
• And virtually all the large and small muscle groups of the body

 

Lunges And Footwork

 

Zumba incorporates body rolls and hip shakes, along with lunges and intricate footwork, all of which blend together perfectly to comprehensively work the core and lower body muscles. 

 

It is truly a total body aerobic workout. Good for weight loss and good for building lean muscle mass. You will likely see a six-pack peeking through on your core after a few classes.

 

Classes Today in Zumba

 

Instructors in Zumba are first licensed by Zumba Fitness, LLC, and then teach hour-long programs that incorporate both slow and fast rhythms, squats, lunges, and resistance training. The music mostly used is Latin dance, although there is some hip-hop and other musical styles incorporated into the dance routines. 

 

The dance routines keep people going almost nonstop for a fun and entertaining exercise style that rivals many other aerobics class routines. There is even a Zumba Gold program for the elderly that uses routines and styles of aerobics that are more appropriate for people with less vitality and flexibility.  

 

Other Types of Zumba Programs

 

• Another program derived from the original Zumba program is Zumba Step. This latest Zumba program is primarily titrated to work on the gluteal and leg muscles. 
• Zumba Toning is also offered, which utilizes toning sticks to help work out the abdominals, thighs and arms, in particular. Zumba Toning is a great program for people who want to sculpt lean and strong bodies. 
• Aqua Zumba is held in a pool and is easier on the joints when compared to other Zumba programs. 

 

How To Get Started With Zumba

 

After checking with your doctor to be sure this type of intensive training is appropriate for you, you can do Zumba in a number of ways. Gyms, community centers, and private fitness studios offer Zumba classes. These options mean you go to a live class that will include an instructor and members. Another option is to purchase a Zumba DVD and participate it in the privacy of your home. 

 

If you find it difficult to complete a full hour session don’t get discouraged, many work up to the full hour and see impressive body changes as their fitness level rises. 

Yoga Versus Pilates And Which Should You Choose?

While both yoga and Pilates take an integrated mind-body approach to fitness and well-being, their origins, approach to these objectives and methods differ greatly. 

 

The emergence of mind-body classes like Pi-Yo and Yogalates can make it difficult for people to distinguish between the two. Although the two can be pursued as complementary activities or integrated into one style, like Pi-Yo, they are not the same.

 

It can be beneficial to practice each independent of the other and which one you practice depends on what you want to achieve. 

 

Origins

 

Yoga

 

Yoga is a spiritual practice with a physical aspect. It evolved in India 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. Yogis, people who practice yoga, use breath work (pranayama), physical poses (asanas), meditation (dhyana) and personal practices to pursue the full integration of mind, body and spirit or samadhi. Samadhi refers to attaining the state of enlightenment, bliss, or union with the divine. 

Pilates

 

Pilates emerged in the late 1900s, introduced to the world by its namesake, Joseph Pilates. Pilates developed his method as part of his efforts to heal himself. He suffered from physical weaknesses, rheumatic fever, asthma, and rickets, during his childhood. 

 

In his efforts to cure himself, he studied Eastern and Western forms of exercise, Greek and Roman exercise practices like wrestling, gymnastics and calisthenics as well as yoga.

 

How Yoga and Pilates Differ

 

In general, Western yoga practitioners are most familiar with the physical postures of yoga. Yoga postures, asanas, are only one component of an extensive system of philosophy, spiritual practices, and science. 

 

The poses are intended to build strength in the body and encourage mental focus. The asanas develop and strengthen every part of the body, joints, muscles, organs, glands, bones, and metabolism. 

 

During yoga, the breathing is deep and continuous linked to each movement and asana throughout the practice. Yoga’s extensive and currently exponential growth in popularity in Europe, the United States, and Canada supports the development of a broad range of yoga asana styles, including the more popular styles:

 

• Ashtanga
• Vinyasa
• Anusara
• Hot Yoga
• Yoga Therapy
• Restorative
• Chair Yoga
• Bikram 

 

How Pilates Differs

 

Pilates differs from yoga in several ways. Both yoga and Pilates focus on integrating the mind and body, but Pilates does not include any spiritual pursuits. It does generally increase practitioners’ sense of well-being, but this is not its primary purpose. 

 

Pilates also takes a less organic approach to movement. All Pilates exercises extend from the body’s core, also called the powerhouse. The powerhouse spans the center of the body from the pelvic floor to the top of the shoulders. 

 

Pilate’s practitioners focus on stabilizing the powerhouse and allowing other limbs to move freely to guide the body through the Pilates regimen of movements. Pilates also incorporates the use of exercise machines to offer support and take muscles through their full range of motion with optimal levels of extension and contraction. 

 

During Pilates, the breath is coordinated with the execution of each exercise. The primary focus of each move in Pilates is perfect execution, versus repetition of any particular move.

 

The Mindfulness Element Of Yoga

Overall, yoga offers more than 60 different health benefits for mind, body, and soul. It reaches into every aspect on one’s life and goes way beyond fitness and physical achievement. 

 

For example, the mindfulness approach taught in yoga that is not a part of Pilates helps one to improve many elements of life, including weight loss where getting in touch with the true needs of the body, such as hunger helps to reduce incidence of emotional eating or eating for any other reason but hunger. 

 

The mindfulness aspect of yoga can be viewed as “life skills” training. In addition, this training can help deter many emotional and mental health problems, and the associated physical manifestations that result from them.

 

Mindfulness during yoga brings calm and peace to your mind, body, and life. Through the process, you become more in touch with how you really feel, and that includes symptoms of stress. Such a heightened state of awareness allows you to better manage the triggers and affects that stress can have, thereby allowing you to avoid its serious health complications.

Many scientific studies have demonstrated the practice of mindfulness to have impressive and wide reaching benefits, including:

 

• Greater sense of well-being
• Stress and anxiety reduction
• Better mood
• Reducing risks for depression
• Better immunity
• Better social relationships
• Improved cognition, memory and focus
• Improved awareness of oneself
• Improved ability to make decisions
• Improved sleep
• Reduction in chronic pain
• Lower blood pressure and reduction in risk for heart disease
• More enjoyment of life in general
• Overall improvement in quality of life

 

Why Choose?

 

While yoga and Pilates provide similar benefits, a strong and toned body, endurance and a sense of well-being, their end goals differ. 

 

• Pilates focuses on strengthening and rehabilitating the body for optimal physical health; the mind or will is employed to achieve this goal. 

• Yoga's physical postures and breath exercises strengthen the body and discipline the mind in preparation for meditation and spiritual evolution. 

In short, Pilates is outwardly focused and yoga is inwardly focused.

 

Making the choice between doing Pilates and practicing yoga comes down to one of intentions. If the intention is simply to form a strong and balanced body, Pilates will serve. 

 

If the intention is to achieve a strong and balanced physical body while gaining mental and spiritual benefits, pursue yoga. 

 

If both outcomes seem like something you would like to experience, try them both and see which one you find most accessible and beneficial. It just may turn out that you are not willing to let either one go.