The Importance of Personal Hygiene for Healthy Living

A lot of people overlook the importance of personal hygiene which can be a huge mistake. You see, we interact with different organisms on a daily basis, exposing us to a wide range of infectious or communicable diseases.

In 2016, 3 infectious diseases have been included in the top ten causes of death worldwide They are diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory diseases, and tuberculosis.

Failure to look after yourself and your hygiene can increase your risk of developing any of the conditions above.

To protect yourself, here are a few tips to stay healthy and prevent diseases:

Wash Hands and Keep Your Body Tidy

Whether you eat with a spoon or enjoy licking your fingers, it is important to bring clean hands to your plate. Fingers carry microbial germs from interaction with infected pets, people, and touching several other non-living things and substances.

Washing hands thoroughly for about a minute, especially before eating, can limit the transmission of harmful bacteria that cause infectious diseases. After washing, use a clean and dry towel or a tissue to pat-dry the hands and remove excess water.

In the absence of soap and water, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can help you get rid of 99.9% germ by killing bacteria, fungi, and certain viruses. Extra care should be taken to wash hands after using public and shared utilities like elevators, public transport, parks, commercial shops, restrooms, etc.

Clean your hands and have your kids do the same before a snack or a meal, after using of the toilet, and playing with pets. Also, give your hands a good wash after an intentional or unintentional contact with someone suffering from cold or cough.

Apart from washing hands, bathing is also essential in maintaining complete physical hygiene. Indulge in extra care for your feet as they often come in contact with dust and germs. Wash them clean before entering the kitchen and before hitting the sack.

See Also: 13 Yoga Trends To Immerse Yourself In On Your Journey To Health & Happiness

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

The mouth is inhabited by 200 to 300 bacterial species. A few of these bacteria cause dental decays or periodontal diseases. According to a report by the WHO, 60% to 90% of school children and almost 100% adults worldwide suffer from dental cavities. Also, 15% to 20% of adults aged between 35 and 44 years have severe periodontal diseases.

Researchers and experts believe that gum diseases have the potential to cause heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, premature birth, and respiratory disease. Maintaining dental hygiene, thus, is important.

Remember to brush and floss regularly.

In addition, mouth wash can be used to rinse the mouth as it kills harmful bacteria. Don’t forget to clean your tongue every time you brush your teeth.

Cavity-causing bacteria can be passed on from parents to their kids through physical contact. Mothers with dental cavities must avoid sharing spoons with their kids as the bacteria gets passed on along with saliva.

Above all, following a healthy diet goes a long way in preventing dental infections. It is advisable for adults to keep away from tobacco and excessive alcohol. Children should be discouraged from consuming sugary and fizzy drinks.

A set of healthy teeth is great for a beautiful smile!

Cook in Clean Conditions

Cleaning the kitchen and the dining area can contribute to personal hygiene. Poor cleaning can cause bacteria to breed, eventually leading to the contamination of the food and the water.

You should clean your hands before cooking and the area where you’ll cook should be dry to avoid contamination. Precautions to keep hair from falling into the food must be taken as hair can be a source of potential microbiological infection. Coughing, sneezing, and smoking should be prohibited in the cooking area and one must wash one’s hands upon the completion of the aforementioned activities.

Dirty clothes tend to carry germs and should be replaced by clean and washed clothes or aprons ahead of cooking. It is preferable to keep nails short to avoid accumulation of dirt and germs below them.

One should strictly keep away from cooking if suffering from food poisoning. Pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites contaminate food, and those suffering from an illness must take adequate precautions to prevent the spreading of food-borne diseases.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases report declared in 2014 that around 48 million people in America suffer from food-borne illness every year, of which about 3,000 people succumb to the disease annually.

See Also: Taking ‘Smart Care’ of your health

Stay Safe During Travel

Even when on the road, it’s important to keep in mind the importance of personal hygiene.

When traveling, people must be careful of acquiring traveler’s diarrhea. Travelers can use bottled water and refrain from drinking tap water. Pasteurized milk and hot beverages can be consumed to stay healthy and consumption of uncooked/undercooked food and meat should be avoided whenever possible.

Carrying a sanitizer comes in handy when traveling to foreign places. Clean your clothes yourself or use the laundry service to sanitize them after visiting places of public interest.

Further, safeguard children with full-sleeved clothes and good footwear.

Conclusion

Being clean is the first step towards sustaining good health. Hygienic living conditions are important to control and prevent illnesses. An unhealthy environment not only disrupts one’s health, but also spreads illnesses among other people.

People carrying pathogens must be mindful of others’ health.. A healthy body comes from knowing the importance of personal hygiene and following healthy practices religiously.

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10 Ways to Ruin Your Health and Die Young

Keeping yourself healthy isn’t the easiest thing to do, particularly if you’ve lived a very unhealthy lifestyle all your life.

But hey, life’s for living, right?

So, if you want to be breathless whenever you walk upstairs or be constantly ill, read on. These 10 things below will guarantee you a short, miserable life.

Smoke like a chimney

If you’re a smoker, great!

You’re driving yourself to an early grave already. And if you’re not a smoker, why not get started now? Remember, you’ll not just be putting yourself at risk of lung cancer, but you’ll also be in danger of heart disease, stomach cancer, and even vision problems.

Smoking is a fast and easy way to ruin your health. 

Experiment with drugs

Tobacco and nicotine just not killing you fast enough?

Start “experimenting” with drugs. Kid yourself that you’re not a drug “user”, you’re just “trying new things”.

Depending on what illegal substances you’re poisoning yourself with, you could be at risk of imminent death. Psychiatric disorders, serious physical illnesses and, of course, addiction, all await you too. 

Binge-drink alcohol

One drug is easily and legally available– alcohol. Make sure you treat it lightly and irresponsibly, for maximum ill-health.

Get completely wasted on a regular basis and enjoy the immediate effects of vomiting, memory loss, hangover (which is a form of food poisoning) and brain-shrinkage (that’s what causes the headache). Long-term, you’re heading for serious liver damage, vision problems, and eventually early death.

Oh, and if you’re a bloke, add erectile dysfunction to that list. 

Eat fast food regularly

When you’re drunk, you’ll probably get the “munchies”. Swing by a fast food joint to fill your stomach with saturated fat. It’s great for clogging up your arteries and causing heart disease.

Fast food is designed to be scoffed in a hurry, so it has none of those tedious nutritional goodies that require actual chewing (like fiber and fruit and vegetables). It’s packed with calories and easy to eat a lot of- perfect for gaining weight. 

Avoid fruit and vegetables

And on that note of fruit and veggies, avoid them as much as possible.

Pull the lettuce and tomato out of that burger, drink coke not fresh fruit juice, and use the salad drawer in your fridge as a place to stash cans of beer. You’ll be increasing your risk of cancer, obesity, heart disease, and more.

Bonus points if you manage to give yourself scurvy. 

Never walk when you can drive

Getting exercise will diminish your risk of some of those health disasters you’re working up to. Never take an unnecessary step. Spend ten minutes driving round the car park to get a spot as near to the store as possible.

Always take the lift, not the stairs. Go out of your way to avoid letting any exercise creep into your life. You’ll end up obese, at greater risk of catching illnesses, and probably depressed, too. 

Have a fat waist

Measure your waist: if it’s under 32 inches (female) or 37 inches (male), then head back to the fast food joint and make sure you drive there. You’ve got a lot of work to do.

Stuffing in extra food without burning any off is an easy way to gain weight. If you’re feeling too full to eat more, add in a binge drinking session for some empty alcohol and sugar calories. 

Refuse to visit your doctor

To make sure that the health problems you’ve developed go undiagnosed and untreated for as long as possible, never visit your doctor when worrying symptoms arise. The longer you leave it before getting advice and treatment, the more likely you are to develop something so serious that it kills you. 

Sleep is for tortoises

One overlooked facet of ill health is getting as little sleep as possible. Make sure you go to bed too late, ideally after a binge-drinking session to ensure you sleep badly and wake up feeling awful.

Stagger around in a zombie-like daze of exhaustion. You’ll be all the more encouraged to scoff refined sugar and fatty snacks to artificially boost your energy levels. 

Make life stressful

Finally, taking all the above ill health measures should make you feel stressed, miserable, and in despair about your life. Make sure you’re overworked, under appreciated, and on the verge of snapping at any given moment.

Stress helps you to store extra weight on your waist. It puts you at risk of ulcers, depression and a nervous breakdown.

What ill health tips do you have for ensuring a short, miserable, uncomfortable life? Are you going to change them? You know, if you are into resolutions, the time is almost here!

See Also: 7 Unhealthy Behaviors That Affect Your Mental Health

Written by Ali Hale who runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university.

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What to Do When There Are Too Many Things to Get Done

You know that feeling of having way too many things to do. When you don’t feel like starting to work on them any time soon and just the thought of all the tasks, projects, housework, school assignments, or else, is overwhelming you.

Most of us do know how this situation looks like.

And those who don’t are either the most organized people in the world or have some secret strategies for doing a lot of work in no time and not feeling stressed.

Or have just followed some or all of the simple tips I’m offering you here that may put your to-do list in order and make things manageable.

Eliminate some of the tasks

Not everything you think you need to do is actually necessary.

The 80/20 rule plays a huge role here. Understand that only 20% of what you usually do gives you the main result. The other part just doesn’t help you improve your life in any way. So, ditch it.

Figure out which tasks actually help you live better, help others, let you develop good habits, are good for your performance at work or university and focus on them.

Be absolutely objective when you choose the ones that will stay on your list.

Some tasks may just make you feel comfortable as you’ve always been doing them, but there also may be no improvement in any way.

3 MIT’s

One of the greatest and most simple productivity tips is to decide which your 3 most essential tasks are and start working on them first thing in the morning.

Get up early

And even if you don’t start getting things done right after you wake up, you’ll still have a kick start of your day. You’ll have more energy, more time, and you will feel more productive.

Plan your day the night before

This will save you some time and help you decide what to get rid of and what to do first.

Just do it

We often think about what we have to do way too much. Which also means that we worry we won’t have enough time, we fear we may fail to complete all the tasks, and start making excuses as to why we can do it later.

But the only solution is to stop analyzing things and just take a random task and work on it for at least 15 minutes.

That will get you in the flow and will make your mind realize it’s not that hard. It’s the beginning that scares us, not the actual work.

Feel motivated

Boost your motivation by a quick workout, by imagining how great you’ll feel once you’ve completed your work, how proud of yourself you’re going to be.

Even start planning what you’ll do in your free time after that and realize it’s better to start now so that you can finish earlier. Have something to look forward to – going out with friends, a quiet movie night at home, etc.

Have a purpose

You can’t get something done if you don’t really believe in it, if you don’t find it meaningful or think it’s worth it.

So, ditch all the things that you don’t find a purpose in and focus on the rest. It will give you a great energy boost once you know you’re doing something meaningful.

Be in the present

Now is the time to start working on your tasks and to actually do something that will make your future a bit easier or more pleasant.

Try to let go of the past – with the mistakes you’ve done and the times you’ve failed, with all the regrets and bad memories, and the future – with its worries, doubts, you trying to guess what will happen next and whether you’ll be happy about it.

Leave everything else behind and just be in the present moment. It’s where the magic happens. It’s the only place you can be productive and get stuff done.

Focus

It’s only you and the task. Nothing else exists.

Eliminate all distractions so that you can be completely present.

Conclusion

These 9 simple things are what you need to try so that you can become better at completing all you have to do.

You’ll see that things get easier once you learn how to be mindful of the process, eliminate the unnecessary, and find meaning in what you do.

What else can you add? Share your techniques for getting things done in the comments below.

See Also: 20 Simple Tips to Increase Your Productivity When You Work From Home

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5 Things Your Hair Can Tell About Your Overall Health

Your hair is not only your crowning glory. More importantly, it reflects your overall health. There are signs and symptoms of certain illnesses, deficiencies, and other medical conditions that manifest visibly through your hair. Remember that just like your skin, your hair, being an outer covering, is maintained by the nutrients absorbed in the body.

Learn how the state of your hair and health are related:

Dullness

The most immediate remedy for hair dullness is salon treatment, believing that the problem is only skin deep. Unfortunately, it does not necessarily hold true at all times.

Experts say that hair dullness and brittleness are possible signs of a lack of phosphorus, selenium, sulfur, and protein – the very same elements that make up your bones and teeth. If your gums and teeth show signs of bleeding and brittleness as well, along with your hair breakage, then drink supplements, consume more fruits, and load up on omega-3 fatty acids.

Better yet, seek medical attention as the problem could be worse. Cushing’s disease, for example, is accompanied by hair brittleness. Other medical conditions which you need to watch out for includes hypertension, chronic and unclassified back pain, and insomnia.

Dandruff

Are you itching to death because of dandruff?

It’s high time you looked into the matter seriously. Not only are flakes considered eye sores that taint your image to the public and hurt your confidence, but they also cause you unnecessary problems.

For one, excessive itching leads to scalp irritation. When left untreated or when the itching behavior is left uncontrolled, it can lead to infection.

The underlying causes of dandruff also tell several important health insights. Dandruff can be due to harsh chemicals contained in certain hair products that may very well be carcinogenic.

Listen to how your scalp feels and stop using the product immediately. Embarking on a diet and consequently depriving yourself of carbohydrates and essential fats and other nutrients also result in dandruff problems.

On top of buying specialized shampoos to treat the problem, you need to check your nutritional intake. Load up on healthy meals and snacks.

Also prioritize your psychological wellness. Stress may also be the cause of dandruff.
Interestingly, it was likewise found that dandruff is linked to immunodeficiency and gastrointestinal problems.

The occurrence of yellow dandruff, for instance, is associated with the skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis that cannot be treated by a hair salon treatment but with a doctor-prescribed treatment.

Premature Greying of Hair

Certain genes dictate a person’s melanocyte production throughout the different ages in life. This is perfectly understandable and reasonable. However, be alarmed when the greying process occurs prematurely, particularly when you have ruled out the genetic factor.

It could then likely be due to chronic stress, fatigue or poor diet. Experts believe that undergoing fad diets may deprive the body of a significant amount of protein (or other hair nutrients) that affect melanin production.

So, while you can always find creative ways to hide the grey hair strands, what with today’s advanced hair coloring and coating techniques, the best solution to premature greying is to tackle its root nutritional cause.

Hair Fall

Every day, an average person loses about 100 to 150 hair strands daily. Certain natural circumstances can affect hair strength, like aging and pregnancy. In this case, you simply have to go through such natural changes and reinforce your hair’s health by improving nutritional intake.

The danger happens when more strands are lost. It can be due to immune system and/or endocrine system problems. Diabetes or chronic stress is even linked to serious hair fall.

One rudimentary method to check if your hair fall is normal or not is to finger comb your hair from roots to tips.

• One to 2 lost strands meant your hair is in excellent condition
• 3 to 5 strands signify good condition
• More strands lost meant something’s wrong

To avoid hasty or false conclusions, talk to your physician.

Heavy Oiliness

Like the greying of hair, how oily your hair gets is also a function of genes and lifestyle choices. Heavily greasy hair may be caused by unhealthy diet.

Your sebaceous glands can malfunction, especially when you take too much unhealthy fats, sweets, coffee, and alcohol. Likewise, hormonal and liver problems also underlie oily hair concerns. Again, seek medical help if you think the greasiness is beyond normal.

Your hair tells a story; it reflects beauty and health altogether. As you witnessed how hair problems can turn to serious health problems, be wise enough to seek professional advice.

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How to Give Someone A Gift They’ll Love

There is no better way to show that you love and care for your loved one than by sending them gifts. A well-thought-out present will cement your relationship with a loved one, friend or any other person you are gifting.

However, there is an art to gifting than simply sending the most expensive item you can afford. Thoughtful, handmade gifts could be more meaningful than random, expensive ones.

Below are some tips for choosing the right gift for a loved one.

Gifting is a Choice, Not a Requirement

Do not feel pressured to gift people just because it’s the holidays or a special day. Gifting is all about cementing the relationship you have with a person. You may know a person but that does not mean you should gift him or her during the holidays or a special occasion.

For example, if you know the members of the local softball team, you are not obligated to gift every one of them. In such a case, sending a simple heartfelt holiday card for the whole team would serve the same purpose as a gift.

Before spending money on a present, think of the relationship you have with the person you want to gift. Is the person a relative, friend or workmate and are you close to him or her?

Just knowing someone is not a good enough reason to buy him or her a gift.

Think of the Recipient

One of the common mistakes most people make when gifting is sending items that they feel the recipient should have. Choosing a gift for someone based on your needs or what you’d prefer is not the right way to go. Instead, think of the recipient to find out what kind of gift would be best for him or her.

For example, if your workmates love reading novels, you can gift them a subscription to a book exchange club. In this case, gifting your workmates a Netflix subscription just because you feel they need to relax and enjoy movies like you do would not be thoughtful.

Your loved ones can provide telltale signs of the kind of gifts that would be best for them. Simply think about what they love doing or consider what they’ve been conversing about recently. For instance, if your children have been wanting to go camping, you can gift them a sleeping bag or a tent.

The best gifts to give are those that would complement the recipients’ lifestyle or help them to achieve their goals.

It’s Not a Gifting Competition

Gifting should not be a tit-for-tat contest. You should not gift a person simply because they sent you a gift. On the same note, you should not try to get a present that is similar in form or value to the one you have received.

Gifting is all about appreciating a person. This doesn’t mean going for the most expensive present you can afford. Sometimes, a handmade gift would mean much more to a person than an expensive gift that does not align with their values.

For example, imagine buying a vegetarian friend a $200 fur jacket! While the gift may be fashionable and expensive, the fact that the person is against killing animals for their products would make the present useless and inconsiderate.

Do not feel pressured to give a gift that you cannot afford simply because you were given an expensive one.

Make it Easy to Exchange Gifts

Sometimes, you may have a great gift but it may not perfectly match what your loved one needs. For example, you may buy a sweater that is a little bit too large for your loved one. Should the person stay with the sweater, even if it doesn’t fit them, just because you bought it?

The best gifts to buy are those which the person you are gifting can start using or enjoying right away. If you have bought a gift at a store, make it easier for your loved one to return it for exchanges.

To do this, simply include the gift receipt in the package. Just make sure that the store where you bought the gift allows exchanges.

Choose the Perfect Gift for Your Loved One

Regardless of why you’ve bought a gift, be thoughtful with what you offer. The best gifts to offer are those that would cement the bond of friendship between you and the person you are gifting.

Before choosing a gift, think of the person that you would be gifting. What does the person like? Would the gift add value to his or her life?

Finally, remember that the best gifts are those that make a person know and feel that you care for them. For more gift ideas, check out this article on shopping for gifts in any budget!

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6 Essential Steps to Regain Your Self-Worth

Your self-worth is a sum of internal and external factors that surround you. Internal factors revolve around your self- perception while external factors constitute of how other people look at you.

Your self-worth determines who you are and how you interact with the outside environment. It reflects in each and every day of your life.

In light of this, here are six ways on how to regain self-worth.

Acceptance

Each and everyone of us is unique. We all come in different shades of color and different sizes. For you to improve your self-worth, accept yourself in the way that you were created with all your flaws.

Never wish that you were someone else. You may be forced to hate yourself and be led onto the slippery slope of plastic surgery. It is definitely not worth it.

Have some alone time

Taking time away from others will help you discover yourself. You might find yourself interested in activities that you never knew you liked. This, in turn, boosts your morale and your confidence that you can achieve anything that you put your mind into.

Stay clear of negative energy

Any individual or environment that is toxic to you should be avoided. It is better to stay clear of friends who put you down or a place that reminds you of horrible memories.

Give yourself peace of mind to improve your mental state. This way, you will be able to see yourself positively.

Seek help if necessary

It is not wise to keep things bottled up inside. Swallow your pride and speak up in order to find amicable solutions. Sharing your problems does not make you seem weak. A problem shared is a problem half solved.

As a matter of fact, you will be surprised by the number of people whose problems are way worse than yours!

Get out of your comfort zone

Try something new- a new hairstyle perhaps, a different outfit or that dating app you ignore. If you are shy, try making friends.

These changes have the potential to make you see things differently. You might even perceive yourself differently and become more accommodating. That definitely is a self-image boost.

Know your limits

As much as we hate to admit it, we people have our limitations. There are certain things that we cannot do no matter how hard we try. If you are not able to fulfill certain tasks, do not despair and sink into depression.

Just know what you can accomplish and try your level best. Knowing that you have given it your all towards a certain situation gives you self-gratification and a morale boost.

See Also: Self Reflection Questions for When You Need A Moment of Clarity

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7 Hacks I Learned From James Bond

Not everybody can be a globetrotting super-spy who saves the world every few years. In fact, almost nobody can. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t view James Bond as a role model.

No, we’re not talking about the rampant murder and womanizing. We’re talking about the little things he does every day to keep himself alive and at peak performance.

I mean, come on. If his tricks and practices can help him succeed under the pressures that surround 007 himself, think of what they could do for the life of a regular person. Living like James Bond can be so great.

Here are seven life hacks you can learn from the master spy himself:

Only Follow the Rules That Suit You

Despite being part of a paramilitary government organization and a rigidly defined hierarchy, James Bond isn’t afraid to disobey regulations and orders if they run contrary to his duty or mission. He’s not a rebel for its own sake, but the only rules he follows absolutely are loyalty to his people and success in his mission.

When you act as though the rules don’t apply to you, it’s surprising how often the people around you will adjust their expectations so that you’re right. Follow the rules of loyalty, of personal ethics, and of the laws in your locality. But, be also willing to bend or outright break anything else that stands in your way.

Show Compassion

Almost every Bond movie features a supposed ally who betrays James at a critical moment. Over half of those traitors are at the end of his gun by the end of the movie, but does James seek revenge?

Usually, no.

In most cases, he lets the traitor live — because he understands that revenge is a bad motivation and an even worse goal. He is fully aware that every decision is part of a larger situation, and that the people who go against him are usually choosing the lesser of many evils.

Be like James. In life, people are going to hurt you, but almost none of them mean it personally. They’re just on their own journey doing their best. Reach out to help them if you can or just ignore them if you can’t quite take the high road.

Bring the Right Equipment

No Bond adventure would be complete without some kind of high-tech gadget like a laser-shooting watch, souped-up combat sports car or listening device the size of a grain of sand. Gadgets are one of the standout features of the franchise that have made it so popular for over 50 years.

You’re not going to have access to that level of technology (unless you have both an AmEx Platinum card and ample stock in Amazon or Apple). However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in your equipment.

Most things in your life you can get cheap at the dollar store, thrift store or from some discount online shop. But for the essentials, you should splurge. Buy the best you can afford when it comes to the tools of your profession, the safety and comfort of your home, the food you put in your body, and at least one high-quality set of clothes.

Ask for Help

Although he’s usually alone in the field, James Bond goes out with a full briefing and an equipment package fully managed by other members of his team. He relies on local contacts for information and protection and reaches out to MI6 when he’s in over his head.

If the world’s greatest secret agent doesn’t hesitate to ask for help, why should you?

Whether that help is emotional, logistical or financial, reach out to the people who love you and to your colleagues at work when you need to. Delegate tasks other people can do better. Hire a personal assistant to do the chores that don’t feed you. Let your most trusted friends know when you’re hurting.

The more hands that carry your load, the easier your life will be.

Fake It ‘Til You Make It

Despite all of his training, intelligence, and support, James still finds himself in a situation for which he is totally unprepared. But does he flinch from it? Never.

James smiles and walks right into the situation, allowing his confidence to carry the day until he finds the right opportunity to apply his competence. That’s exactly what you should do.

The next time you find yourself not knowing what to do, just take one step at a time. Keep moving forward until you run into a situation where you have an epiphany and finally know what to do. You’ll be surprised how often this method works.

“Keep Calm and Carry On”

You’ve seen the t-shirts and posters. Even though they’re not Bond-branded merchandise, they might as well be.

James Bond is never rattled, even when strung up in a death trap from which there seems to be no escape. And it’s that refusal to panic that gets him out of the trap every time.

Emotions are natural — even strong negative emotions like anger, fear, and anxiety. But they have no place in your decision-making process or in how you treat the people around you.

Take a page from James. When emotions start to get the best of you, let them in, and then send them back out. Breathe deeply, go for a walk or sing a song that makes you smile.

Once your head is clear, go back to the situation and address it with a calm, composed, and steady mind.

Never Miss an Opportunity

James Bond wins the day by seeing thin opportunities for success and then following them to the next opportunity until he comes out of the situation on top. Your life isn’t a harrowing adventure beset by supervillains, superpowers, and high-powered firearms.

But that doesn’t mean it lacks opportunities for success and adventure. The next time you spot one, simply take it. See where it leads and find out where you can go from there.

Combining that with the other tools on this list is how many of the world’s most successful people got where they are now. There’s no reason you can’t do the same.

Final Thoughts

The other thing to keep in mind about James Bond is something you rarely see on screen: training. There’s an old adage in special operations that goes “The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in the field.”

Between movies, the actor playing Bond goes through countless hours of practice, application, training, and instruction. He screws up thousands of times in private so he can succeed every time when he’s on assignment.

Apply this to the hacks in this article and to everything else you want to do in your life. The more you sweat in practice and the more repetitions you make in the things you want, the more you will succeed.

Have you picked up any lessons from James Bond?

Mark Smith is a freelance writer and motivational speaker. He writes for various websites on topics related to professional and personal development. He resides in Pennsylvania.

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Making the Best of Your Social Media Profile

When it comes to promoting yourself or your business, our online image is becoming incredibly important. This includes both our brand and personal
online profile.

Our online presence represents our largest social field. When crafting an online profile, it’s
important to remember that those who view us only interact with a snapshot of our personality. If we’re not cautious about how we approach our profiles, the wrong impression can be made very easily.

Part of the problem is that we often don’t allow our online image to evolve. We don’t update our credentials or qualifications. We present outdated information or even a photograph that is ten years out of date.

In order to ensure that people we are potentially going to do business with have a good
understanding of who we are, we should get into some useful habits when presenting ourselves online. Here are several ways in which this can be achieved.

Strategize

Whether we are looking for a job, starting our own business or simply wanting to get noticed for whatever reason, it’s important to set out some achievable goals. Thinking carefully about what we want to achieve with our profile enables us to use it proactively.

It’s important, then, to strategize. Many of us balk at the idea of utilizing acronyms. However, in this case, the SMART principle becomes really useful. If you are not yet familiar with the idea, it stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Orientated.

Think about what it is you want to achieve, how you will gauge its success, whether it is within your grasp and when you would like it to achieve it. Applying these criteria to each and every point of your strategy will break down your goals into more manageable tasks.

Are you using the right profile image?

The first thing that most people online will engage with will be your profile picture or any photos on your timeline. Your profile picture acts as a brand identifier. With that, you need to be sure that you are using the right image.

There are, of course, many different ways to approach your profile picture. If the brand you want to represent is of one who enjoys fine beers and whiskeys, then a glass in hand is appropriate. However, if you’re looking to be hired for an accountancy job, then that image can be quite detrimental.

In addition, you should recognize that employers or potential clients may find some quite embarrassing photos of you. Try to untag or take down any unwanted pictures.

Link all social media profiles

Over the past fifteen years, social media platforms have grown exponentially. Whilst this has allowed greater choice for those looking to create a substantial online presence, it has also meant that you may have to widen your search for a potential audience.

It may be tempting to concentrate on one platform, such as Twitter or Facebook. However, once you’ve got a handle on your personal brand, you should seek to automate and link all of your social media together. This way, you can promote yourself or your website across many platforms all at once.

Thankfully, each platform recognizes the users need to share posts across different
platforms and most of the time, you’ll find automation tools to share your content.

Make sure your links work

Websites and content change all of the time. If you are in the habit of updating your website regularly, you should check if the links you’ve provided on your social media platforms continue to work.

There’s nothing more unprofessional-looking than trying to click through to a site that no longer works. Potential customers or employers you may have might well think that you are no longer interested in sharing your website.

A habit of updating and maintaining links will mean that your social media remains relevant.

Tell a story

The internet is becoming more user-content driven — with the likes of Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook Live taking the web space. To gain people’s attention, it’s important to start looking for ways to engage on a more personal level.

There’s no better way to do this than to form a narrative around your online profile.

“People instinctively like to see a narrative, whether it’s a rags-to-riches story, an incredible
journey or even a fall from grace,” says Alyssa J Scott, author at Researchpapersuk and Last Minute Writing. “Take a good hard look at your resume and think about what your personal story is. Whatever you come up with should be persuasive but still authentic — don’t assume people can’t see if you’re faking it!”

Add a call to action

This applies to all online profiles, not just businesses looking for a sale. Calls to action are more often applied to sales funnels, but they can equally apply to someone looking for an audience for their ideas, those seeking employment or those looking to connect with like-minded people.

Every post you make and every part of your bio should have an end goal in mind. It’s useful to keep your social media strategy handy, so you can see each and every goal you wish to achieve at every step. Your calls to action should be led by your SMART objectives.

Showcase your best content

Let’s be honest for a minute — not all of the content you put out is going to be your best. Of course, it’s something we all want to achieve. But in many cases, whether it’s because we’re pushed for time or we lack the motivation for whatever reason, our output can be simply mediocre.

This said, as much as you may look back at some of your content or posts and frown, there is always some that you feel deeply proud. This is the stuff that you should put front and center.

Despite how many feel about the sometimes toxic nature of social media interactions, most
people genuinely want to see your best work. By putting your best content on your landing page or in constant rotation on your social media, you are setting a benchmark for yourself, as well presenting the best you have to give.

Create engaging copy but don’t overload the text

Many decry the internet as a destroyer of social etiquette. They fear that smartphones have taken the place of face to face interaction and that traditional methods of engaging with the world around us are rapidly breaking down. In actual fact, much of the internet is still text-based. This means that people are reading at a much higher grade than they were perhaps twenty years ago.

“The fear that the people are changing how they interact with their environment is a legitimate one,” writes Jennifer B Wilkins, author at Draftbeyond and Writinity, “However, the more things change, the more they stay the same. George Orwell, one of the previous centuries greatest writers, advised us to cut out pointless prose. He may as well have been talking about internet content.”

Add media

We’ve become accustomed to using our online profiles as an avatar for our real-world persona.

Most of us who have watched social media evolve from chat rooms and personal pages like
Myspace tend to allow our profiles to remain two dimensional and text heavy. But those who have grown up in the digital age recognize that simple texts and a profile picture are static and frankly, uninteresting.

In order to keep up with this trend towards a more tactile, visual style you should be open to the use of video content or podcasting. The younger generation, having taken Insta-famous bloggers as role models, are adept at presenting to a camera or talking on any given subject via streaming service. It takes a little practice, but once you’ve taken the first daunting steps into the diverse range of interactive media available, you will no doubt start reaping the rewards.

Add keywords to your profile for SEO

Of course, all the best media content in the world is likely not to get very far without a carefully crafted SEO strategy. In the early days of viral content, bloggers and vloggers could hitch a ride on trending hashtags or load up their keyword terms and tags. However, search engines and social media platforms have sought to regulate the uses and abuses of keywords.

It may seem like a lot of work at first, but once you’ve grasped the underlying ideas of SEO, it can become relatively straightforward. The trick is to keep up to date on your industry, skills or chosen subject and continue to research and update your search terms. With many online resources on SEO available, it’s getting easier and easier to grasp this crucial aspect of modern digital engagement.

See Also: 9 Easy Ways To Use Social Media SEO

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The Magic Lamp in Real Life

Have you ever had someone you don’t want to talk to…talk to you? When it happens, it rarely makes you over ten thousand dollars?

Well, that’s what happened to me. An uninvited conversation left me with one realization that is simultaneously a money maker, a happiness amplifier, and a life enlarger.

Let me share it with you.

I’m sitting at the metro and this man walks in. He starts walking towards me. Please don’t sit next to me, please don’t sit next to me, please don’t sit next to me.

Sure enough, right next to me he sits.

And just as he sits, I pull out my iPad and resume the Aladdin movie. Ah! I have avoided the uninvited conversation or have I?

He leans over “Is that Aladdin?”. “Yes. Apparently, it is”.

“I could give you the magic lamp” he grins. Is he flirting with me or is he trying to scam me?

“You know, every billionaire, every millionaire, these guys use it all the time. It really exists, but you don’t know it”, he continues.

At this point, man, I have to admit that I am intrigued. Call me a sucker if you must, but I’m high in openness. So, I utter what comes out as a rhyme: “Old man, tell me. What are you trying to sell me?”

That is all he needs.

“Tell me, boy, why the genie grants your wishes,” he asks.

“Because he’s the genie?”

“No! The genie grants your wishes because he has two things.”

He looks at me expectantly and I am as lost on the point as you are right now.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, and he responds with what finally makes sense. “The genie grants wishes because he has firstly, the ability to grant your wish, and second, the willingness to grant your wish”.

Okay, that makes sense.

He continues “You see, boy, there are humans who have the ability and willingness to help you with your causes or wishes or whatever”.

When you think about it, he is right.

Bill Gates has the ability to buy me a Maserati but his willingness to do so is definitely zero. And my dad’s willingness to buy me a Maserati can be a whopping nine hundred percent, but his ability to do so is near zero.

In either case, I’m not getting a Maserati because I can’t find the person who has the combination of willingness and ability.

So, I ask the old man, this obvious question:

“I get it, but how will I find the person who has the willingness and the ability to grant my wish?”

He replies “Ask”.

Are you kidding me?

“Hey, I am not going to ask around for favors, man. What if the person I ask doesn’t have the willingness or ability? It will be so awkward”.

“Look, boy. If I gave you five lamps and I said one of them has the genie in it. Would you refuse to rub them for the fear that the first one you rub could turn out empty?”

“Of course not. I will rub them all night and all day. One of them has the genie”.

“Same with humans”.

And it finally sunk in.

If you ask around long enough, the person with the right combination of willingness and ability will hear you. At that very moment, I knew that this was a million dollar lesson. I thought to myself, I wouldn’t mind giving him a thousand bucks for this.

At that very moment, as if he has read my mind, he says to me: “So, boy, do you have the willingness and the ability to spare me a hundred bucks?” And I looked at him in the eye and smiled a gentle smile. I took a deep breath and said “no”.

But you know what? I’m sure he got his hundred bucks from someone that day. And the lesson still stands: If you ask long enough, you will find someone who will help you. It will not be me, but you will find someone.

Helping Others Without Expecting Anything In Return

This was one year ago. And since then, I tested the idea. I read further on it. It is very thoroughly covered in The Aladdin Factor, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen [authors of Chicken Soup for The Soul]. I highly recommend reading it [or listening to it on tape] to get a better understanding of how to execute the idea.

I noticed that my hesitance to ask for help was only caused by my distorted view of people. I thought people were selfish. And to be honest, it was only because I was being selfish. My self-image was kind of forming a lens through which I looked at others.

So, it is very important to expand your own willingness to help others. Instead of making it a one-on-one exchange, just be willing to help anyone. It will make it easier to ask for help from anyone. Let the universe keep score.

Put the idea in practice and let me know how much value you get out of it. I got over ten thousand dollars in deals, over my previous performance, in three months of badly executing the idea.

Then, I stopped keeping score and started helping others without expecting anything in return. I will tell you, though, that it becomes exponentially more useful the better you get at executing it.

See Also: The Power of Volunteering

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Make A Profitable Impression: Know All About Designing Your Business

Looking to give your business a powerful, cost-effective advantage over the competition?

Your local professional interior designer can help.

Some people think professional interior design is a “luxury” only accessible to the rich and famous. People who can afford to live in elegant homes and decorate those homes with the very best high-end appointments.

But that’s a relatively small segment of the interior design industry.

Savvy entrepreneurs recognize that a talented interior design pro is a valuable asset to their business’ bottom line. They consider it as a key advantage they’d never want their business to do without.

That’s because a good commercial interior designer knows how to design and decorate spaces to support the client company’s primary objective — to make money.

Spaces that invite the right clientele into the business – and make those customers want to stay a while – often make for a significant commercial advantage over competitors.

From hotels and restaurants, banks and retail centers, theaters and lounges to spas and country clubs, smart businesses know the value of professional interior design.

Great Interior Design: Where Vision Meets Reality

Entrepreneurs are, by definition, people of vision. They have a picture of the brand image they want to project for their business. And a good interior designer knows how to design a space that brings their client’s picture into physical focus. They know how to make their dream of a prosperous enterprise closer to reality.

A young dentist, for instance, might want to project a professional image. He’s probably looking to have a dental office that’s inviting, soothing, and very much like most other dental offices. Such design will enable patients to find themselves in a surrounding that is comfortably familiar.

That sense of familiar comfort might go a long way in creating the right impression.

But another dentist – maybe a seasoned veteran who’s already spent an entire career in the “comfortably familiar” type of office – might want patients to instantly recognize that this is a different kind of dental practice. And nothing can accomplish that projection better than unique interior design.

A professional interior designer knows how to highlight the right design elements to project the brand image the client envisions. With their designs, they know how to attract and delight the clientele the entrepreneur most desires.

From colors, textures, furnishings, and décor, your designer should be able to make sure your space projects exactly the feeling you want… and that your customers and staff will love.

Where Style Meets Functionality

A professional interior designer provides a client firm with more than just a stylish, brand-consistent space.

Your company’s interior design pro has deep expertise in planning your firm’s space to maximize efficiency and functionality.

Attention to “traffic patterns”

Your designer will think through all the ways you and your staff (and customers) will use your space. A designer’s ability to plan the space can sometimes make or break the firm’s success.

Is everything located conveniently? Are steps saved (along with time and money)? Are bottlenecks eliminated and areas properly set up to handle the volume of foot traffic they’ll be expected to handle?

Hire a design pro and the answers to these questions will be “yes”.

Safety first

Every business is different but every business needs an interior workspace that’s up to the specific codes and standards of its particular industry. Your interior designer knows how to plan the space to maximize safety and security without sacrificing aesthetics and style.

Built to work right and to last

Business owners expect their interior designer to be highly involved with every phase of construction or remodeling, working with contractors and materials to ensure a successful, beautiful, functional end result.

Conclusion

A great design can take your business to the next level and provide the sort of advantages to your company your competitors can only imagine. When you’re ready to give your company a cost-effective edge in the marketplace, schedule a consultation with an interior design pro.

You might be surprised at how affordable — and powerful — this “luxury” could be for your firm.

See Also: 5 Office Design Hacks That Will Increase Employee’s Productivity

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20 Simple Tips to Increase Your Productivity When You Work From Home

So, you work from home.

Nothing wrong with that. You’re your own boss and you can set your working hours as you want. You can also make more money than from a classic job.

But even with these advantages, you still have a problem:

It’s hard for you to be productive. Why?

Because you don’t associate your home with a job. You associate it with comfort. Hence, you waste long hours doing nothing.

Are you tired of this?

If yes, I’ll give you 20 work-from-home tips that’ll help you be more productive:

Make your to-do list

You don’t want to overcomplicate this later. Put your clothes near the bed because you’ll need to dress up and cook your meals. When you go to a job, your food is ready and you eat at a maximum of 30 minutes.

But there’s no reason to waste more time when you’re at home.

These steps should be enough for most of your days. Depending on the situation, you could have other things you need to take care of.

Use the 1-3-5 list

How many tasks do you have on your to-do list?

Probably too many and they aren’t even organized. It’s just a long list with things you need to get done, right?

Well, I suggest a new approach.

On a single day, think that you can only finish 1 big thing, 3 small things, and 5 small things. Try to narrow down your list to only those items.

The big thing is your hardest task. It’s the one you avoid the most, like writing the first chapter for your book, talking over the phone with 3 clients or reaching out to 10 people that can promote your work.

Medium things are less important, but they still bring results. This can include changing the copy for your services, finding 5 potential clients or answering your emails.

Small things are details. You can do them but nothing will happen if you won’t.  It can include tasks like designing your website, reading for an hour about your industry or adding 3 people on your list for competitors.

Narrowing your day down to nine prioritized things and sticking to it is hard. But you’ll be more productive than if you’d use a list with 20 random tasks.

Make sure you sleep well

As a culture, we see sleep as a weakness. However, a lack of sleep is as harmful as being drunk.

You can’t be productive if you sleep for only 4 to 6 hours a night. You need to rest more in order to feel energized and motivated to tackle the day. Around 8 hours should be enough.

One more thing: You don’t find it weird to set an alarm to wake up, but you’ll probably find it “weird” to set a time to go to sleep. Get over it.

Start your day with a morning routine

The way you start a day it’s usually the same way you finish it.

Why would you wake up and scroll Instagram for 2 hours? You can use the same time to do something for yourself, like exercises, reading or meditation.

Every morning routine is different and you have to create one for your personal needs.

Once you do this, commit to it for 7 days. In time, it’ll become something natural and you’ll see the benefits.

Stay away from distractions

Your phone is the biggest problem as you’ll see calls and messages every 5 minutes.

Here’s my tip: Keep your phone in another room and turn it off. If you do this, you escape 90% of distractions.

How about your laptop? You need it for work.

Well, just turn off notifications and use software to limit your access on different websites. Log out from all your social media accounts and delete the email shortcut from the desktop. Otherwise, this will keep you busy.

Work from a clean desk

Forget everything you heard about making money in the bed.

You associate your bed with other activities, such as sleep or scrolling the internet for no reason.

Work from your desk and make sure it’s organized. The less clutter you have on your desk, the more you can focus.

You may also find it helpful to change your location. Try going to a different area instead of your home, like a coffee shop or the library for a total change in your mindset.

Start the day with your biggest, most important task

What if you have 2 big tasks? Handle the hardest first before going to the second. Do what matters most in the beginning and everything else will be easier.

Use the 60-60-30 system for work

Are you a workaholic?

If you work too much and don’t take any break, this will come with negative effects such as:

• Decision fatigue
• Lack of focus
• Damaged eyes

Take note that taking too many breaks can backfire, too. It makes it harder for you to focus.

That’s why I suggest you try the 60-60-30 time management technique.

According to this technique, you work for 50 minutes with full focus. Then, you take a quick 10-minute break. Repeat the process one more time. After that, take a 30-minute long break.

Prioritize your tasks

Your days will be filled with many tasks and that can make it hard for you to stay productive. So, find a way for you to sort your tasks.

Separate your tasks on a piece of paper in the following categories:

Urgent and Important: These are tasks that are critical to your career or life. You need to finish them right away in order to keep negative consequences from happening.

Important but not Urgent: These are tasks that you’re not required to do right away but you’ll need to accomplish them in the future.

Urgent but not Important: These are tasks that you can delegate to people who are skilled enough to accomplish them.

Not Important and not Urgent: These are the activities you should avoid at all costs. They are simply a complete waste of your time.

Don’t do multitasking

Most of us live our lives multitasking because we’re always in a hurry.

We talk on the phone while we driving. We listen to audio books while we’re at the gym. And we play videos while we write messages.

However, that’s not something productive. By multitasking, you’re actually wasting more time because:

• It’s less efficient, due to the need to switch gears for each new task, and then switch back again
• It’s more complicated and, thus, more prone to stress and errors
• It can give you headaches

Multitasking forces you to pay a mental price each time you interrupt one task and jump to another. In other words, you lose time and focus. From now on, pick one task and work on it until you finish. You can move to something else after that.

Create habits

You won’t be always motivated to work. It’d be better to create habits that can make your work easier. That way, you’ll follow through even when you’re no longer motivated.

It doesn’t matter what your profession is. You’ll do the same things every day. And to be consistent, you need new habits. If you count on your willpower, you’ll fail.

Give yourself deadlines

Deadlines directly impact how you spend your time. They force you to organize your tasks in order of priority so that you’re only working on objectives that move you closer to your most meaningful goals.

That’s why you need them.

If you don’t give yourself deadlines, you’ll act like you have all the time in the world. And you know that’s not true.

Use procrastination in your advantage

It’s almost impossible to never procrastinate. However, you can procrastinate on tasks that don’t move the needle, instead of the important work that needs to get done. For instance, instead of procrastinating on talking with your clients, try to procrastinate on designing your website. It’s a great trick to avoid things that waste your time and focus more on what really needs to get done.

Start to meditate

Most people consider meditation a waste of time. That’s actually not true.

Meditation can boost your productivity because:

• You’ll have a clear mind, without worries
• It’ll become much easier to focus and achieve flow

And you can start to meditate relatively easy. Choose a quiet place from your house and make sure there are no distractions around. Then, put yourself in a comfortable position and start breathing.

Every time your mind begins to shift its spotlight away from your breath and you get lost in thought, you simply bring your attention back to your breath. And then, you repeat this again and again until your meditation timer sounds.

You can start meditating 5 minutes/day. After a while, your focus, concentration, and attention span will improve, in addition to numerous other benefits.

Manage your energy

Do you ignore your health for work? Please don’t do this.

If you want to be productive, you need to be in shape. Sedentary life weakens your abilities. So, make sure you go to the gym. Exercise eliminates anxiety, boosts creativity, and clears the mind. It also releases endorphins for improved energy, helping you work more efficiently.

Keep notes

I truly believe you don’t need too many apps to be productive. But I really suggest you get one for notes.

You can use it for:

• Research
• Tracking progress
• Facebook ads ideas
• Blog posts you want to read
• Book lists

Keep your to-do list on a paper, though. Use virtual notes as an extension for your brain.

Improve your skills

When you work from home, you need multiple skills.

Besides time-management, you need to know about things like:

• Networking
• Marketing
• English
• Technical stuff
• Writing

And many others, based on your area of expertise.

The better your skills are, the more value people see in what you offer. So, improve them as they’ll help you stand out from the crowd.

Spend your time using 80/20 rule

Also known as the Pareto Principle, this rule suggests that 20% of your activities will bring 80% of your results.

In other words, two out of ten items, on any general to-do list, will turn out to be worth more than the other eight items put together.

Understanding this principle is essential to learning how to prioritize your days, weeks, and months.

The sad fact is most people know the principle, but they don’t do anything with it.

They procrastinate on the top 10% or 20% of items that are the most valuable and important. They busy themselves with the least important 80% that contributes very little to their success.

If you want to get results from your work, do the opposite.

Measure your progress

You’ll need to track your working activities before you start working on improvements.

Writing down anything that you’ve done that contributed (whether positively or negatively) to a project is an easy way to be more aware of your actions and change them for the better.

Small wins are also massive motivators. You just rarely recognize them because your mind reminds you just about what you’re not doing.

To stay committed to the work that matters most, you need to find ways to measure, track and feel good about the progress you make every single day.

See Also: How To Boost Productivity By 50% In A Week

Reward yourself

It doesn’t matter how much passion you have for your work because you’ll be bored after a while. The more time you spend working on something without getting anything, the harder it is to continue doing it.

That’s why you need rewards. For instance:

• Give yourself 5-minute breaks for every 30 minutes of deep work you do
• Allow yourself to go on a trip after you accomplished your online monthly goal
• Watch a TV show (guilt-free) after you finished a hard day of work

The reward can be anything you choose as long as you’re giving yourself something you genuinely enjoy.

Conclusion

A lot of people live the good life of making money from home. However, not everyone is successful.

If you want to do well working that way, you need to organize yourself and prioritize your tasks and goals.

I gave you some of my best work-from-home tips. Although you don’t need to implement them all at once, it’ll be great if you’d use at least one or two things from here.

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What Is The Best Way To Store Sushi Rolls?

Sushi is a great combination of healthy food ingredients. Apart from that it’s low in calories, it also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which can potentially keep your heart healthy. Those acids may lower blood cholesterol level and keep your heart’s normal rhythm.

Of course, moderate intake is the key.

Whether you’ll be having freshly prepared or frozen sushi rolls, you need to know how to keep them. That way, you won’t have to worry about bacteria getting into your food and making you sick.

Different Food Ingredients

Traditionally, sushi rolls were made from the freshly caught fish, crabs or shrimp wrapped in a salty, crispy, sweet and spicy seaweed wrap while the patron looked out over the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese culture is best known for its creative sushi rolls. The modern sushi versions has become very popular.

Sushi rolls can include a wide range of ingredients, but most have rice, vegetables and seafood. Because of the raw fish ingredients, the food should be consumed the same day, if possible. Fish goes bad quickly.

Most sushi rolls only last about 1 day. Thus, if you have any leftover sushi, you should be very careful in storing it. You cannot refreeze it – never refreeze fish or meat. The bacteria will only continue to grow once you thaw it out.

The other problem with sushi is the variety of ingredients. When dry and wet ingredients are stored together, they end up creating a soggy mess. It is similar to cereal in milk kept overnight. For these two reasons you must take the following precautions when storing day-old sushi.

Plastic Wrap and Airtight Container

The best way to store old sushi rolls is to ring out any excess water. Then, wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap. Seal it to prevent any air from reaching the food.

Finally, place the plastic wrapped sushi roll in an airtight container. The best type is the one you can “burp” to remove any air. Put the container in the refrigerator. The temperature should be just a little above freezing. You should eat the sushi roll within 24 hours to be safe.

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9 Useful Strategies to Dealing with Difficult People at Work

Ever encountered someone who frustrates you so much that you feel like you want to pull your hair, jump around the room, and just scream out loud?

You’re not alone.

Over the years, I’ve encountered my fair share of difficult people. They are the people who don’t turn their work in as promised, don’t show up for meetings, stick vehemently to their views and refuse to collaborate, and those who push back on work that they’re responsible for.

Even as I run my own business, I work on collaboration projects and there are times where there are difficulties in getting a consensus because everyone is so firm in their views.

Years ago, I used to get bothered and worked up over such situations. I’d think, “Why are these people being so difficult?”, “These people are so irresponsible!”, “Just my luck to work with them” or “I don’t ever want to work with these people again!”.

After a while, I learned that these people are everywhere. No matter where you go, you can never hide from them. Sure, it might be possible to avoid the 1st one or two difficult people, but how about the 3rd, 5th or 10th person you encounter?

Hiding isn’t a permanent solution. What’s more, in the context of work, it’s usually difficult to avoid or hide from someone, unless you quit from a job totally.

Well, I don’t know about you, but it’s not practical to quit every time someone has an opposing view or is being difficult.

So, rather than turn to some drastic decisions each time, why not equip yourself with the skills to deal with them?

Here are 9 tips which I’ve found to work in dealing with such people:

Be calm

Losing your temper and flaring out at the other person isn’t the best way to get him to collaborate with you. Unless you know that anger will trigger the person into action and you are consciously using it as a strategy to move him, it is better to assume a calm persona.

Someone who is calm is seen as being in control, centered, and more respectable.

Would you prefer to work with someone who is predominantly calm or someone who is always on edge?

When the person you are dealing with sees that you are calm despite whatever he is doing, you will start getting their attention.

See Also: 7 Tips for Handling Annoying Coworkers

Understand the person’s intentions

I’d like to believe that no one is difficult for the sake of being difficult. Even when it may seem that the person is just out to get you, there is always some underlying reason that is motivating him to act this way. Rarely is this motivation apparent. T

Try to identify the person’s trigger: What is making him act in this way? What is stopping him from cooperating with you? How can you help to meet his needs and resolve the situation?

Get some perspective from others

In all likelihood, your colleagues, managers, and friends must have experienced similar situations in some way or another. They will be able to see things from a different angle and offer a different take on the situation.

Seek them out, share your story, and listen to what they have to say. You might very well find some golden advice during the conversation.

Let the person know where you are coming from

One thing that has worked for me is to let the person know my intentions behind what I am doing. Sometimes, they are being resistant because they think that you are just being difficult with them.

Letting them in on the reason behind your actions and the full background of what is happening will enable them to empathize with your situation. This lets them get them on-board much easier.

Build a rapport

With all the computers, emails, and messaging systems, work sometimes turn into a mechanical process.

Re-instill the human touch by connecting with your colleagues on a personal level. Go out with them for lunches or dinners. Get to know them as people and not colleagues. Learn more about their hobbies, families, and lives. Foster strong connections. These will go a long way in your work.

Treat the person with respect

No one likes to be treated as if he is stupid, incapable or incompetent. If you are going to treat the person with disrespect, it’s not going to be surprising if he treats you the same way as well. As the golden rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Focus on what you can do

Sometimes, you may be put into hot soup by your difficult colleagues, such as not receiving a piece of work they promised to give or being wrongly held responsible for something you didn’t do.

Whatever it is, acknowledge that the situation has already occurred. Rather than harp on what you cannot change, focus on the actionable steps you can take to forward yourself in the situation.

Ignore

If you have already tried everything above and the person is still not being receptive, the best way might be to just ignore. After all, you have already done all that you can within your means.

Get on your daily tasks and interface with the person only where needed. Of course, this isn’t feasible in cases where the person plays a critical role in your work – which leads us to our last tip.

Escalate to a higher authority for resolution

When all else fails, escalate to your manager. This is considered the trump card and shouldn’t be used unless you’ve completely exhausted your means. Sometimes, the only way to get someone moving is through the top-down approach, especially in bureaucratic organizations.

Be careful not to exercise this option all the time as you wouldn’t want your manager to think that you are incapable of handling your own problems. I have done this several times in my previous job and I found it to be the most effective in moving people who just refuse to cooperate otherwise.

Try out these 9 tips for the difficult people you face at your workplace and see how they work out for you

Written by Celestine Chua. Celestine chose her passion over everything else when she left her high paying Fortune 100 career in 2008. Today, she enables thousands to achieve their goals and dreams through her popular personal development blog CelestineChua.com and her coaching.

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