Two Post-Pandemic Businesses You Can Start Today

October 9, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Catia Mondlane

The current pandemic has opened up the entry way for new and extended business openings as purchasers adjust to post-COVID life. The effect of COVID-19, especially on the business world, couldn't have been anticipated yet has been an amazing learning experience—particularly for trying business people. Social distancing and remote work have constrained customary in-person businesses like eateries, physical retail and event organizers to get innovative with arrangements and stay relevant, while additionally opening a universe of opportunities s for entrepreneurs to meet shoppers' new and developing needs.

Losing Your Job or Income Can Be Hugely Crippling

October 9, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Paula Quinsee

So many people’s jobs have been impacted financially by the pandemic either by having to take salary cuts, being made redundant due to the financial impact on business, or sadly business having to close down because they just couldn’t find a way to keep their doors open anymore.

You Are What You Say You Are

October 9, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Ndlovu-Tapula

I lovingly challenge you to randomly ask people how they are doing. I bet you the majority will be complaining! I used to have a habit of replying “Eish, I am trying” until someone asked,” When are you ever good or well?” I was stunned, I was good and well most days, but I often felt the need to not say it and opted for this mediocre which served my mental wellbeing in no way. Because I was saying it , I ended up feeling it. I was going about my days barely making it, surviving, trying.

5 Steps to Create an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy

October 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho

There are over 3.5 billion people online and the current marketing reality is that digital is impossible to rule out. No growing business can afford to walk around in the dark without a clear plan to follow and expect to generate successful results. A digital strategy provides the framework your company needs to make the best decisions for strategy development and implementation.

How to become the Chief Energy Officer of your life

October 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

“Memory with no emotional charge is wisdom”

— Rich Litvin

As we are rounding the corner of 2021, it is important to make time to press pause. Really stop, reflect and course correct to ensure you are not steam rolling into 2022 on autopilot. When you open up Waze or Google Maps, there are two basic requirements before you can begin the trip - a starting point and a desired end destination. Equally, you need to assess where you are at now in your life and where you want to go. Do not bring the emotional baggage of 2021 into the new year but rather learn from it and make sure you are charged and ready to tackle 2022 with a fresh perspective.

Your joyful purpose

October 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Angelique Adcock & Dr Alison Hofer

Did you ever ask yourself: “How did I get here?” or, “What am I doing with my life?” Some days it can feel like you work and love with all you have, and yet life can throw your efforts back in your face. And that can really hurt. And it can set you back. Sometimes, then, we have to dig deep to rediscover our purpose and our joy. Rediscovering what makes you joyful, and what enriches your life with purpose, can reinvigorate you. It can restart your engine and help you rev your way out of an emotional ditch.

My traumas made me better

October 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

I recently read an excellent book, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It’s about what happens to our brains and bodies as a result of trauma and how to treat it. Even events that seem fairly tame or punishments that parents deem reasonable, can be experienced as a traumatic event by a child. We are changed by these events. Not only in the way we think and behave, but we experience physiological changes. Van der Kolk writes, “trauma produces actual physiological changes, including a recalibration of the brain’s alarm system, an increase in stress hormone activity, and alternations in the system that filters relevant information from irrelevant.”

Do You Have a Right to Renew Your Lease Agreement?

September 26, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nicola Mullineux

The following clause (with minor variations) is often found in lease agreements:- "The Tenant shall have the right to renew this Agreement for a period of 1 (one) year on the same terms and conditions, save that the rental shall be agreed to in writing between the Parties.” A clause of this nature seems to provide the tenant with a right to renew the lease agreement, however, the latter part of the clause unequivocally indicates that the tenant has a right to renew on condition that the rental amount is agreed upon, in essence, an agreement to agree.

5 Surprising Things You Should Have In Your “when I die” Folder

September 26, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Claire Keet & Sinal Govender

Having your legal life stuff organised and safely stored is more than being on top of your admin for “just in case”. It’s an empowered way of living your best life, knowing that if things go south for you, your loved ones won’t be left behind with an administrative nightmare on their hands. Things like your will, living will, insurance policies and a copy of your ID are the more obvious things to include in a life.file of all your important documents. A thorough life.file should have a few other things you may not have thought of...

It Feels Dark and Scary!

September 26, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nontobeko Mbuyane

This week I had heart to heart conversation with my younger daughter. Such conversations are usually deep and it’s from them that I get to ascertain so many things about her such as her feelings, how she perceives things and a whole lot that is going on in our lives. So, we had to engage since she will be going back to school where she stays. During our talk she mentioned how the world feels so dark and scary, she feels that generally the world is broken, we are broken and we all need healing.

Cheerleading in Business

September 26, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Tatenda Rungisa

A Cheerleader is someone who gives you confidence by reinforcing all the things that you seek to achieve, have achieved, and that you are good at. A cheerleader is someone who holds your hand from the beginning till the very end of the game, whether you have won or lost; they see you at the lowest point and are still able to cheer you on!

Maximize Present Circumstances And See What is Possible Today

September 18, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Mbalenhle Ndaba

The statement that the grass is greener on the other side is a nice line, but it fails to define what is over on the other side once we get there. Those greener pastures may not be as we thought, especially when we no longer have the tools of perspective or experience, we have on the previous side. So, we end up in a new thing with old and new baggage, and a whole host of new challenges we are experiencing, most of which are exactly like the ones we left on the original side.

Self Knowledge. Embracing the new.

September 18, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Elizandra dos Santos

From a busy life to a new way of living with a lot of calm, we are invited daily to embrace the new. This new is so uncertain that it makes us stop to reflect and rethink issues that before were not considered a priority due to the excess of work and the hectic life we led. And now what to do with this excess of time if before we complained about not having it?

How to Discover Your Unique Abilities. Dare to be different!

September 18, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Thuli Zikalala

Discovering your unique abilities is one of the most liberating experiences. It never feels like hard work and exciting opportunities of making a positive impact in society keep unfolding. Through self-awareness and introspection of who I am as a person first; l am able to apply the same intrinsic truths across every area of my life – including my career.

Digital fatigue. The real culprit: Zoom

September 18, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Liz Creates

The majority of the world is sitting at home. No more cubicles. We can’t check in physically with colleagues. Now we are glued to screens in the comfort of our own homes. Our boundaries between work and home have disappeared somewhat. Enter: digital fatigue, a state of dis-ease many of us have experienced over the last year during Covid-19. Is digital fatigue the latest buzz-phrase, or is it a real illness shared by the collective currently?

Digital Marketing Tips for Professional Services

September 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho

Most companies that provide professional services typically do one of two things. They think that social media or any form of digital marketing offers no results and therefore do not embrace it; or attempt to, but are extremely inconsistent and in turn see less than optimal results.

How to Get Money Savvy – Tip 5: Understanding What You Value

September 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Kathryn Main

The first time I ever did a value exercise I was 38 years old. It was an interesting experience because I had no idea what I valued in life or in my financial life. My top value at the time was family. What was scary was I was not living up to my core value in any way, shape, or form.

How Creatives Can Turn Any Negotiations Into Collaborations

September 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Robyn Keet

As a big-hearted Creative, I would run from negotiations. It’s made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable. To avoid this feeling I would take what was offered to me as “fair” instead of facing the throw-down that negotiations can bring. All I want to do was to create and deliver great work. Sound familiar?

Are Your Beliefs Serving You?

September 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

My area of expertise is stress management. However, I don’t focus on the typical lifestyle interventions that many others focus on: deep breathing, exercise and meditation. These certainly work and I incorporate them into my own life as part of my stress management strategies, but this is only part of the picture.

Surfing the Emotional Waves

September 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Ashika Pillay

Have you ever surfed at the seaside or perhaps watched people surf? One minute an incredible high, and then diving down into a blinding low. The ups and the downs. The high highs and low lows. Living and working in the world right now, feels that way. Riding the waves of uncertainty where we see the glimmer of hope and then plunge back into not knowing and fear. How can we manage these waves? Is it even possible?

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