A Musicians Guide to Booking Concerts and Gigs

A Musicians Guide to Booking Concerts and GigsA Musicians Guide to Booking Concerts and GigsPlaying live may be the most important thing a band can do, butbooking a gig can seem like an overwhelming process - especially when a band is making all of the booking themselves. If your band is unsigned, playing live is a great way to build up a loyal fan base, get some media attention and attract record label interest. For signed bands, gigs are the best way to build your audience while promoting your new releases. If youre in a cold sweat about how to book shows for your band, take a deep breath, relax and follow these steps and you will ayaly get your band on stage. How to Book Gigs for Your Band Lets abflug at the beginning. Before you even can think about booking a gig, there are a few things you will need to have in place. What You Need To begin, you are going to need promotional material to showcase your talent and music, including A demo or a finished CD, or a website on wh ich people can listen to your musicA press pack, including information about your band and clippings of any press coverage you may have had. You should also have an idea of when you want to play a show - approaching a venue or promoter and asking for a gig whenever doesnt send a message that you are a professional band looking for consistent work. Come up with a window of preferred dates, make sure everyone in the band has their calendar clear for those days and present your availability to the venue or promoter. Call Around and Network So, youve got the promo package and demo ready to go - now, who should you send it to? There are two ways you can go about booking a gig Book directly with the venue, in which case you as a band take on the costs and responsibilities of promoting the showBook with a promoter, who takes charge of promoting the show Sometimes, venues work with a specific promoter, and sometimes they dont. Give your venue of choice a call to find out how they do t hings. If you dont know any promoters, ask the venue for advice, or ask around to find out with whom other bands in your area work. If possible, get the names of a few different promoters and venue booking werbers and send them all promo packages - nothing wrong with people fighting to give you a chance to play, right? Tired of booking gigs for yourself? Try getting a manager or agent on board who can help you get the shows you want. Make a Deal A good deal is part of a good gig. You should prepare yourself, however, for the fact that many shows lose money. If youre just getting started and dont have much of a following yet, you should think of your gigs as promotional opportunities for your band rather than moneymaking opportunities. Your willingness to work with a promoter and/or venue to try and minimize the financial risk involved in a show will only help convince people to work with you. Your deal should detail how any income for the show will be divided and confirm inform ation about things like accommodation for the band, riders, backline, and soundchecks. If there is something youre unsure about or you dont think is fair, speak up well in advance of the show. Also, you may want to learn more about the following Door Split DealsBefore You Sign a Music Promoter ContractBacklineRiderShould I Pay to Play a Gig? Show Up and Play Well Now all you have to do is show up and play a good show. Be professional, treat the promoter and the people at the venue with respect, and if you cant handle yourself well if you drink all of the riders before going on stage, then dont overdo it. If you happen to have an off night, but you have treated people well, most promoters will want to work with you again. If youve given everyone working to put on the show a night of utter chaos and stress, well, you probably will not get a call back anytime soon. Make sure you take full advantage of the audience at the show and promote any releases, new websites, or any other new s the band may have. Encourage everyone who enjoyed your set to sign up for your mailing list, so you can let them know when youre playing again.

5 In-Demand Skills That Provide a Career Boost

5 In-Demand Skills That Provide a Career Boost5 In-Demand Skills That Provide a Career Boost8Here are five in-demand skills that provide a career boost1. Business Development SkillsAs Hannah Morgan writes about in a Career Sherpa article, business development skills are at the top of the list. Learn to develop your ability to pitch and talk about your ideas in the workplace.Every employee has internal customers, so learning how to improve how you work together and communicate will benefit you and your career. Pitching your idea to a kollektiv is all about sales and relationship building. You cant just shove your idea down the team members throats and expect them to buy into it, she writes.2. Data Analysis SkillsThough most often associated with accounting or marketing, being able to interpret and analyze data can help you in nearly any job.Think back over your previous jobs. Were there reports compiledor metrics shared? Your ability to understand and intrept this data for your partic ular role is an in-demand skill employers are looking for. Having knowledge of data software can put you ahead of the pack.3. Technical SkillsTechnical skills are necessary for any employee, but especially for remote workers who have to rely more on their own expertise and less on the IT department in the next cubicle.To give yourself a career boost, focus on bedrngnis only mastering your understanding of the basics, such as basic computer and Internet troubleshooting, but also the specific programs used in your role and company. Employers seek out employees who can hold their own in the technical world.4. Collaboration SkillsAnother skill that is doubly important for remote workers, collaboration skills involve your ability to work well with others. It can be easy to put your head down and work, especially if youre a remote worker.But employers want to know you can collaborate with your coworkers in a positive way. Some people are leaders and some are followers- focus less on what your positionis, and more on working well with others no matter what your role is.5. Process Improvement SkillsEmployers want to hire employees who will not only perform their job successfully, but also improve upon it. Process improvement skills involve analyzing your tasks and finding better, more efficient ways of completing them.Maybe you know of another method that will save time, or youve used a program at a previous job that can be implemented at your new company to save time and money. Helping improve processes will show you are involved in your job at more than just a surface level.Want to improve skills and gain experience?Explore Part-Time and Flexible Job OpportunitiesReaders, which of these five in-demand skills do you need to work on? Share with us below

I threw out my TV Heres what happened next

I threw out my TV Heres what happened nextI threw out my TV Heres what happened nextIt welches never supposed to go as far as it did. All I wanted welches to watch a little TV while eating my lunch. Next thing I knew, Id watched fur hurs of a bad reality show and dragged my fianc down with me. It was the last day of vacation before going back to work in the New Year. We spent half of it in bed watching a whole season of a show whose name I cant even remember now.The next morning we went on a walk (work-from-home-couple perks) and had the saatkorn conversation wed had 100 times before to keep or not to keep the television. We both enjoy watching TV but agreed there were other ways wed prefer to spend our time. Although, were the first to admit that flipping on the television at the end of a long day is very appealing.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe television had become a c rutch for us. Rainy days, lazy Sundays, and pretty much every day involved more television time than wed like to admit. A combination of guilt and a recent Marie Kondo Netflix binge session fueled us. We marched straight home and got rid of our television set. We have an electronic donation drop off in our apartment complex, so we had no excuse not to take action.Its been a month since that fateful day. Here are my thoughts on how ditching our television has affected our lives.The First DayI should start by telling you there were other reasons we wanted rid of our television. In short, it was an eyesore that was starting to break. The television was a hand-me-down that was very much appreciated when we first got it. Now it took 30 minutes to warm up the screen and was very large and bulky sitting on top of our dresser.I cannot tell you how good it felt to remove that giant television from our bedroom. Neither me nor my fianc believed in feng shui before, but we sure do now. We live in a 500 square foot, one-bedroom apartment. That television felt like a giant, dark presence looming over our bedroom. As soon as we removed it, the room felt lighter, brighter, and like there was better energy in the room.This feeling of lightness and elation helped carry us through the first day. We felt pretty confident about how much better our lives would be. We spent the evening cooking and cleaning and even made a late night gym run. But when we were exhausted and there was nothing left to do at 9pm, we realized we kind of missed the TV. We like watching a show or movie before bed together, but that night we had to settle for YouTube. Our high was beginning to drop, but we hoped the adjustment period would be short lived.The First WeekYouTube became a recurring theme over the next few days. Even though we had access to the same cable and movie services as before, we wanted to consume less content. Wed watch YouTube videos in 10-minute chunks, but werent watching two hours of Netflix like we would have before. We didnt want to say goodbye to streaming forever, but needed to break some bad habits.Even though it was an adjustment, the first week was pretty easy. We both had an extra pep in our step, and it was fun telling anyone whod listen that we got rid of our TV. We used this energy to finish up projects around the house, run errands after work, and go to the gym together more.Spending extra time cleaning every day was the first benefit of donating our television. When our place is clean we both find it easier to relax and enjoy ourselves, so that really was a great bonus. We also made it to bed a lot earlier now that we werent as tempted to watch just one more episode.The First MonthOut of sight, out of mind. Of course, when it came time to watch some of our favorite programs or pick out a movie, we missed having a TV. Our Sunday night Outlander viewing was not the same on a small laptop screen.Finding healthier ways to unwind at the end of the day w as important to me. Im happy to report that Ive been spending a lot more time at the gym. I find working out gives me the time and space to clear my thoughts - even more so than watching reruns of The Office ever did.I do have to admit that some things didnt change as much as Id liked them to have. One of the main changes I foresaw was spending more time reading. Im spending so much less time watching TV, but dont seem to be reaching for my bookshelf any more than usual. In my defense, I doubled my workload as a freelancer, went on vacation, and planned a huge chunk of our wedding that month. But it goes to show that you can only point a handglied at someone or something else for so long. Now that the television is gone, I cant blame it for distracting me anymore.Moving ForwardNeither my fianc nor I have any regrets about getting rid of our television. If one day we own a home with multiple rooms, we can keep one in our living room. But, I dont think Ill want one in the bedroom aga in. In the meantime, were still trying to decrease time spent online watching movies or shows. Ive also been cutting way back on phone time thanks to Apples new screen time features.I dont want to wake up one day and feel like I let life and time slip through my fingers. Some people are passionate about cinema or great television series, but we dont feel that way. Were both more fulfilled when we spend time outside, are active, and read. As were both happy with our current television-free lives, I dont think well have regrets anytime soon.This article originally appeared on The Everygirl.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

13 painful life lessons Ive learned as a full-time writer

13 painful life lessons Ive learned as a full-time writer13 painful life lessons Ive learned as a full-time writer200,000+ written words, 1,000+ hours of blood, sweat and tears (many of ansicht hours spent staring at a blank screen the curse of writers block) and the painful birth of a self-published book.Too many sleepless nights to count, and waking up in the mornings, thinking, Why the hell am I leise doing this?Id like to think Im a pretty tough guy. Ive overcome my fair share of lifes difficult, painful adversities.But, notlagehing compares to this thing Im doing right now.This thing involves nothing mora than putting together a string of words, yet it can bring so much joy and pain all at the same time.This thing brings the best and worst out of any human being in the most grueling way possible.It teaches painful life lessons that cant be learned elsewhere.This thing is called writing, and here are the top 13 painful life lessons Ive learned since becoming a full-time writer.1 . Nobody cares about your goals and dreamsLets get real here for a second.Do you care about my goals and dreams?Do you care about my daily grind and hustle? (fun fact putting together this article took more than 15 hours of my time).Once youre done reading this article, youll probably visit another website and continue with your plans for the day.Youre not going to spend time today thinking about my personal struggles and aspirations.Dont worry I wont take it personally. I understand that you have your own aufgabes to solve and battles to fight on a daily basis.The truth is that nobody, not even your own family and close friends, care as much about your goals and dreams, as much as you do.With or without you, the world will carry on as normal.But, nowadays, most people live in the illusion - usually on social media - that their goals and dreams are special.And when they announce their new life goals - on fitness, health, writing, geschftliches miteinander and so on - they expect the world to press pause, take note and offer a helping hand.I used to be one of these people.I expected the world to erleichterung and applaud my efforts, but it didnt. And I welches pissed.That is, until I finally realized that my goals werent special, that I welchesnt entitled to anything and that I was truly on this journey alone.You were born alone. And you will also die alone, with all of your goals and dreams.2. There is no success without failureFailure and Success are two sides of the same coin. You cant have one without the other.So why are we taught the opposite? - that failure and success are separate entities.That failure should be avoided at all costs and success is the ultimate goal.Were quick to praise people once they achieve success, but quick to forget the trails of catastrophic failures they left behind.Dont believe me?Just google the background stories of successful people you admire and youll quickly notice that most of them were fantastic failures before ach ieving their major breakthroughs. (If youre deckenfries for ideas, try Author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling and Alibaba founder, Jack Ma).If you dare to pursue anything worthwhile, expect to fail Again and again.And again.But thats okay, because youll learn from these failures, improve and become better at what you do.Prior to creating mayooshin.com, I launched several online blogs, businesses, podcasts and video channels, all of which pretty much bombed.But, its the painful lessons learned from previous failures that have helped me to become a better writer and entrepreneur.3. The perfect time to departure is NOWThe best time to start was yesterday. The second best time to start is today.Perfectionism is a breeding ground for procrastination.The longer you wait for the perfect time to start exercising, write a book, launch a business, spend time with loved ones and so on, the higher the likelihood that you wont ever get started.You dont need the perfect conditions to get started. P lus, as Ive mentioned earlier, if you take consistent action, you will fail at some point, so theres no point delaying this.When I sat down to write my first book, perfectionism cost me several months of staring at a blank computer screen and never actually writing anything.That is, until I discovered the 2-minute rule from the book Getting Things Done (audiobook), which helped me to write and publish the book a month later.Moral of the story is this each day that passes by is another perfect opportunity to get started on your goals.So what are you waiting for?4. Experts dont know what works best for youThe funny thing about experts - many of whom I respect - is that they leistungspunkt their level of success to beliefs and ideas that have worked for them.But that doesnt necessarily mean that these beliefs or ideas will work for youI learned this the hard way, during my first year writing.I read, listened to and took action on advice given by popular expert writers, marketers and entrepreneurs online. Each one of these experts insisted on his or her way of thinking, as the best way to achieve a particular goal.After several months of confusion and mediocre results, I decided to focus on doing what worked best for me, and not necessarily what was the hottest trend out there.For example, I am most productive with my writing, whilst listening to music and in a fasted state.I also write for a wide audience with a common worldview of becoming better people, but not to a specific niche based on demographics.This isnt mainstream expert writing or business advice, but it works well for me.Listen to expert advice, but always experiment to find what works best for you.5. Amateurs starve. Professionals thriveThere are many differences between amateurs and professionals.Here are some of the key differencesAmateurs wait to feel inspired. Professionals stick to a schedule.Amateurs strive to achieve. Professionals strive to improve.Amateurs stall after failure. Professiona ls grow after failure.The common theme amongst these differences is consistency.Amateurs only show up when they feel like it and as a result, they lack consistency and starve.On the other hand, Professionals or Pros show up on a consistent basis, come rain or come shine and thrive.When I was an amateur writer, I only wrote when I was motivated. My results were sporadic, with no real progress in my writing abilities or readership.It was only when I made a decision to turn pro - to write and publish a new article every single week - that my readership took off.(Diagram shows readership growth over time. Note the points of steeper upward trend)There is no such thing as a starving artist, only starving amateurs and thriving professionals.6. Hard work doesnt pay off ( at least not in the way we think it should)Motivational speakers are a funny bunch ( Im including myself as one of them in this conversation).Were quick to tell people, you can do it, just like I did, if you just believ e in yourself and work hardI hate to be the killjoy here, but this isnt completely true. I mean, just look around.Some of the hardest working people on earth- the construction workers, miners, bus drivers, cleaners, waiters and waitresses and so on- are not the richest, most influential people in the world.Hard work by itself isnt enough to achieve success.There are several important factors that also come into play. behauptung include the right relationships, the right timing, a solid strategy and a bit of luck.I struggled to grow my readership for several months, despite putting in 20+ hours into each article published.Then I started to strategically plan my written content, build the right relationships and spread my work across various outlets. Thats when I experienced the rapid growth of my readership.Now, this isnt an excuse to avoid hard work and be a lazy couch potato.Its just a reminder that if youre working hard, but not getting the results you want, its probably because y oure missing one or more of the other important factors mentioned.7. Rest is the only productivity hack you needIm grinding when youre sleeping.These are some motivational words from the popular internet personality and entrepreneur, Gary Vaynerchuk.Its a fair reflection of the gogogo world we live in today that puts busyness or hustling on a pedestal, but rest as an activity for the lazy losers.And whilst I appreciate Gary Vees or any other successful entrepreneurs motivational speeches, I dont agree with any katechese that undermines the importance of rest or sleep.Countless research studies have shown the importance of quality sleep and rest for our well-being.Plus, according to insights into the daily routines of famous writers and artists from Daily Rituals (audiobook), creative geniuses - including the likes of Einstein, Beethoven, Tolstoy, Darwin and Dickens - credit rest and time away from their work to their creative breakthroughs.Not everyone is built to function well wi th little sleep or rest.Personally, after a few nights of getting less than 5 hours of sleep, I can barely think, talk or move properly.And so, Ive made peace with being one of the lazy losers who sleeps before midnight, whilst the hustlers and winners are burning the midnight oil.8. Straw houses are built on motivation. Castles are built on habitsMotivation is fleeting.Some days its there, some days its not.If you wait to feel motivated before taking action, your results will be sporadic because you wont be consistent enough.Just like a straw house that loses its roof and structure on a hurricane like windy day, everything youve built can easily fall apart when your lifes problems come knocking.Now, imagine a castle (think game of thrones schriftart of castle).A castle doesnt easily fall apart under bad weather, or a repeated siege from humans and machines.Castles endure some of the most extreme conditions.This is the power of habits.Once you build good habits, youll consistently t ake action and achieve consistent results, even when your life gets chaotic.After I built the habit of writing at least one article every week, it didnt matter whether I lacked motivation or experienced personal tragedy in my life, I published a new piece weekly because the habit had been built.If youre struggling with lack of motivation, focus on building habits first. The motivation will naturally follow.9. Work-life balance is a mythTheres an uncomfortable trade-off that exists, even though we often like to pretend that its not there.The more time you spend working, the less time you can spend on life stuff. And vice versa.We only have 24 hours in a day. And on average, we spend a quarter of that sleeping.So lets do the math.Assuming you spent 15 hours on your work or business today, how many hours would you have left in free time?The correct answer is 3 hours.3 hours isnt a realistic amount of time to attend social events, catch up with friends and family, and play your favorite songs on the guitar.I have had to significantly reduce time spent with my close friends and family, cut out some hobbies and turn down invites to important social gatherings, just so I could find more time to write.The truth is, you will have to make difficult (sometimes very cold) decisions about what youre willing to give up, to get what you want from life. Otherwise, life will make those choices for you.You cant eat your cake and have it. Choose one.10. Trust that nagging voice in your headTheres a tiny nagging voice in your head, that pops up every now and then.It prompts and nudges you to do something. Sometimes, to do something extremely uncomfortable. Sometimes, to avoid taking a particular action.Listen to that voice and dont ignore it.Were quick to listen to the voices and opinions of other people, but very slow to listen to our own nagging voice.Ignoring the nagging voice comes at the cost of making stupid decisions you may later regret, as Ive learned the hard way.That n agging voice, that gut feeling, is usually leading you in the right direction.Listen to it.11. If you try to please everyone, youll end up pleasing no oneYou can lie down on the floor for people to walk on top of you and theyll still complain that youre not flat enough.Theres a thin line between being a nice person and being a doormat.The more you let others control your life without establishing healthy boundaries, the more likely youll be pushed into doing something you dont want to do.In my early writing days, I was terrified of my work being criticized and ripped apart by trolls on the web.And so, to play it safe, I copied the writing style of other popular writers and stayed away from controversial topics.But, as the months went by, I noticed something strange. No matter how or what I wrote about, somebody would complain, criticize or hate on my writing.Plus, I didnt enjoy writing as much any longer. I grew tired of trying to be someone other than myself.Once I realized I could nt win either way, I stopped writing to please everyone and instead, wrote in my own true voice - my part casual, academic, motivational, sometimes contrarian voice.I still have to deal with my fair share of haters and critics, but thats the price you pay for authentic living. And its well worth it.12. Everything is an assumption until proven otherwiseWe make assumptions to make sense of the world around us - assumptions about money, health, relationships, people, business and so on.The problem is that assumptions can often lead to misleading conclusions that reduce the number of opportunities available to us.For example, I used to hold unto the assumption that my readers would prefer a more serious, academic tone of writing.After a few months of writing in a serious, academic tone (and not enjoying it in the process), I stumbled across the art of first principles thinking - a mental model process of questioning assumptions, used by great thinkers including Tesla, Feynman and Edi son.It was only after questioning my assumptions, that I had the freedom to experiment with new ways of writing i.e. casual tone with cartoon images.Some of my most popular, most shared articles have been written in this new way.Question your assumptions, and let the information guide your conclusions.13. The more you give. The more will be given to youTheres a scripture in the bible that captures this point well, Luke 638 Give, and it will be given to you.In life, work and business, the abundance or scarcity you experience is directly related to how much value you add to peoples lives.The more you help other people to solve their problems, the more they will in turn want to help you solve yours too.The problem is that the culture today is all about me.We want more and we want it nowYet, few live in abundance and few people give much to others, if anything at all. This isnt a coincidence.For me, my sole focus is giving as much as I can to help as many people as possible. I have fait h that my needs will be taken care of in the process without dwelling on them too much.Theres a peace of mind that comes from this faith.TakeawayAs painful as these life lessons have been, they have been invaluable towards my personal growth, and I hope the same for you too.At least, I hope Ive spared you the pain of learning these life lessons the hard way.If you know someone youd like to spare as well, share this article with them.Mayo Oshin writes atMayoOshin.com, where he shares practical self-improvement ideas and proven science for better health, productivity and creativity.To get practical ideas on how to stop procrastinating and build healthy habits, you can join his free weekly newsletterhere.A version of thisarticleoriginally appeared atmayooshin.comas 13 Painful Life Lessons Ive Learned as a Full-Time Writer.FootnotesFunctional and Economic Impact of Sleep Loss and Sleep-Related DisordersWriter image by Nicolas Fructus.Doormat image creator please get in touch.13 painful life lessons Ive learned as a full-time writer200,000+ written words, 1,000+ hours of blood, sweat and tears (many of these hours spent staring at a blank screen the curse of writers block) and the painful birth of a self-published book.Too many sleepless nights to count, and waking up in the mornings, thinking, Why the hell am I still doing this?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreId like to think Im a pretty tough guy. Ive overcome my fair share of lifes difficult, painful adversities.But, nothing compares to this thing Im doing right now.This thing involves nothing more than putting together a string of words, yet it can bring so much joy and pain all at the same time.This thing brings the best and worst out of any human being in the most grueling way possible.It teaches painful life lessons that cant be learned elsewhere.This thing is called writing, and here are the top 13 pa inful life lessons Ive learned since becoming a full-time writer.1. Nobody cares about your goals and dreamsLets get real here for a second.Do you care about my goals and dreams?Do you care about my daily grind and hustle? (fun fact putting together this article took more than 15 hours of my time).Once youre done reading this article, youll probably visit another website and continue with your plans for the day.Youre not going to spend time today thinking about my personal struggles and aspirations.Dont worry I wont take it personally. I understand that you have your own problems to solve and battles to fight on a daily basis.The truth is that nobody, not even your own family and close friends, care as much about your goals and dreams, as much as you do.With or without you, the world will carry on as normal.But, nowadays, most people live in the illusion - usually on social media - that their goals and dreams are special.And when they announce their new life goals - on fitness, h ealth, writing, business and so on - they expect the world to press pause, take note and offer a helping hand.I used to be one of these people.I expected the world to support and applaud my efforts, but it didnt. And I was pissed.That is, until I finally realized that my goals werent special, that I wasnt entitled to anything and that I was truly on this journey alone.You were born alone. And you will also die alone, with all of your goals and dreams.2. There is no success without failureFailure and Success are two sides of the same coin. You cant have one without the other.So why are we taught the opposite? - that failure and success are separate entities.That failure should be avoided at all costs and success is the ultimate goal.Were quick to praise people once they achieve success, but quick to forget the trails of catastrophic failures they left behind.Dont believe me?Just google the background stories of successful people you admire and youll quickly notice that most of them were fantastic failures before achieving their major breakthroughs. (If youre stuck for ideas, try Author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling and Alibaba founder, Jack Ma).If you dare to pursue anything worthwhile, expect to fail Again and again.And again.But thats okay, because youll learn from these failures, improve and become better at what you do.Prior to creating mayooshin.com, I launched several online blogs, businesses, podcasts and video channels, all of which pretty much bombed.But, its the painful lessons learned from previous failures that have helped me to become a better writer and entrepreneur.3. The perfect time to start is NOWThe best time to start was yesterday. The second best time to start is today.Perfectionism is a breeding ground for procrastination.The longer you wait for the perfect time to start exercising, write a book, launch a business, spend time with loved ones and so on, the higher the likelihood that you wont ever get started.You dont need the perfect con ditions to get started. Plus, as Ive mentioned earlier, if you take consistent action, you will fail at some point, so theres no point delaying this.When I sat down to write my first book, perfectionism cost me several months of staring at a blank computer screen and never actually writing anything.That is, until I discovered the 2-minute rule from the book Getting Things Done (audiobook), which helped me to write and publish the book a month later.Moral of the story is this each day that passes by is another perfect opportunity to get started on your goals.So what are you waiting for?4. Experts dont know what works best for youThe funny thing about experts - many of whom I respect - is that they credit their level of success to beliefs and ideas that have worked for them.But that doesnt necessarily mean that these beliefs or ideas will work for youI learned this the hard way, during my first year writing.I read, listened to and took action on advice given by popular expert writer s, marketers and entrepreneurs online. Each one of these experts insisted on his or her way of thinking, as the best way to achieve a particular goal.After several months of confusion and mediocre results, I decided to focus on doing what worked best for me, and not necessarily what was the hottest trend out there.For example, I am most productive with my writing, whilst listening to music and in a fasted state.I also write for a wide audience with a common worldview of becoming better people, but not to a specific niche based on demographics.This isnt mainstream expert writing or business advice, but it works well for me.Listen to expert advice, but always experiment to find what works best for you.5. Amateurs starve. Professionals thriveThere are many differences between amateurs and professionals.Here are some of the key differencesAmateurs wait to feel inspired. Professionals stick to a schedule.Amateurs strive to achieve. Professionals strive to improve.Amateurs stall after fai lure. Professionals grow after failure.The common theme amongst these differences is consistency.Amateurs only show up when they feel like it and as a result, they lack consistency and starve.On the other hand, Professionals or Pros show up on a consistent basis, come rain or come shine and thrive.When I was an amateur writer, I only wrote when I was motivated. My results were sporadic, with no real progress in my writing abilities or readership.It was only when I made a decision to turn pro - to write and publish a new article every single week - that my readership took off.(Diagram shows readership growth over time. Note the points of steeper upward trend)There is no such thing as a starving artist, only starving amateurs and thriving professionals.6. Hard work doesnt pay off ( at least not in the way we think it should)Motivational speakers are a funny bunch ( Im including myself as one of them in this conversation).Were quick to tell people, you can do it, just like I did, i f you just believe in yourself and work hardI hate to be the killjoy here, but this isnt completely true. I mean, just look around.Some of the hardest working people on earth- the construction workers, miners, bus drivers, cleaners, waiters and waitresses and so on- are not the richest, most influential people in the world.Hard work by itself isnt enough to achieve success.There are several important factors that also come into play. These include the right relationships, the right timing, a solid strategy and a bit of luck.I struggled to grow my readership for several months, despite putting in 20+ hours into each article published.Then I started to strategically plan my written content, build the right relationships and spread my work across various outlets. Thats when I experienced the rapid growth of my readership.Now, this isnt an excuse to avoid hard work and be a lazy couch potato.Its just a reminder that if youre working hard, but not getting the results you want, its probab ly because youre missing one or more of the other important factors mentioned.7. Rest is the only productivity hack you needIm grinding when youre sleeping.These are some motivational words from the popular internet personality and entrepreneur, Gary Vaynerchuk.Its a fair reflection of the gogogo world we live in today that puts busyness or hustling on a pedestal, but rest as an activity for the lazy losers.And whilst I appreciate Gary Vees or any other successful entrepreneurs motivational speeches, I dont agree with any message that undermines the importance of rest or sleep.Countless research studies have shown the importance of quality sleep and rest for our well-being.Plus, according to insights into the daily routines of famous writers and artists from Daily Rituals (audiobook), creative geniuses - including the likes of Einstein, Beethoven, Tolstoy, Darwin and Dickens - credit rest and time away from their work to their creative breakthroughs.Not everyone is built to functi on well with little sleep or rest.Personally, after a few nights of getting less than 5 hours of sleep, I can barely think, talk or move properly.And so, Ive made peace with being one of the lazy losers who sleeps before midnight, whilst the hustlers and winners are burning the midnight oil.8. Straw houses are built on motivation. Castles are built on habitsMotivation is fleeting.Some days its there, some days its not.If you wait to feel motivated before taking action, your results will be sporadic because you wont be consistent enough.Just like a straw house that loses its roof and structure on a hurricane like windy day, everything youve built can easily fall apart when your lifes problems come knocking.Now, imagine a castle (think game of thrones type of castle).A castle doesnt easily fall apart under bad weather, or a repeated siege from humans and machines.Castles endure some of the most extreme conditions.This is the power of habits.Once you build good habits, youll consistent ly take action and achieve consistent results, even when your life gets chaotic.After I built the habit of writing at least one article every week, it didnt matter whether I lacked motivation or experienced personal tragedy in my life, I published a new piece weekly because the habit had been built.If youre struggling with lack of motivation, focus on building habits first. The motivation will naturally follow.9. Work-life balance is a mythTheres an uncomfortable trade-off that exists, even though we often like to pretend that its not there.The more time you spend working, the less time you can spend on life stuff. And vice versa.We only have 24 hours in a day. And on average, we spend a quarter of that sleeping.So lets do the math.Assuming you spent 15 hours on your work or business today, how many hours would you have left in free time?The correct answer is 3 hours.3 hours isnt a realistic amount of time to attend social events, catch up with friends and family, and play your favo rite songs on the guitar.I have had to significantly reduce time spent with my close friends and family, cut out some hobbies and turn down invites to important social gatherings, just so I could find more time to write.The truth is, you will have to make difficult (sometimes very cold) decisions about what youre willing to give up, to get what you want from life. Otherwise, life will make those choices for you.You cant eat your cake and have it. Choose one.10. Trust that nagging voice in your headTheres a tiny nagging voice in your head, that pops up every now and then.It prompts and nudges you to do something. Sometimes, to do something extremely uncomfortable. Sometimes, to avoid taking a particular action.Listen to that voice and dont ignore it.Were quick to listen to the voices and opinions of other people, but very slow to listen to our own nagging voice.Ignoring the nagging voice comes at the cost of making stupid decisions you may later regret, as Ive learned the hard way.Th at nagging voice, that gut feeling, is usually leading you in the right direction.Listen to it.11. If you try to please everyone, youll end up pleasing no oneYou can lie down on the floor for people to walk on top of you and theyll still complain that youre not flat enough.Theres a thin line between being a nice person and being a doormat.The more you let others control your life without establishing healthy boundaries, the more likely youll be pushed into doing something you dont want to do.In my early writing days, I was terrified of my work being criticized and ripped apart by trolls on the web.And so, to play it safe, I copied the writing style of other popular writers and stayed away from controversial topics.But, as the months went by, I noticed something strange. No matter how or what I wrote about, somebody would complain, criticize or hate on my writing.Plus, I didnt enjoy writing as much any longer. I grew tired of trying to be someone other than myself.Once I realized I c ouldnt win either way, I stopped writing to please everyone and instead, wrote in my own true voice - my part casual, academic, motivational, sometimes contrarian voice.I still have to deal with my fair share of haters and critics, but thats the price you pay for authentic living. And its well worth it.12. Everything is an assumption until proven otherwiseWe make assumptions to make sense of the world around us - assumptions about money, health, relationships, people, business and so on.The problem is that assumptions can often lead to misleading conclusions that reduce the number of opportunities available to us.For example, I used to hold unto the assumption that my readers would prefer a more serious, academic tone of writing.After a few months of writing in a serious, academic tone (and not enjoying it in the process), I stumbled across the art of first principles thinking - a mental model process of questioning assumptions, used by great thinkers including Tesla, Feynman and Edison.It was only after questioning my assumptions, that I had the freedom to experiment with new ways of writing i.e. casual tone with cartoon images.Some of my most popular, most shared articles have been written in this new way.Question your assumptions, and let the information guide your conclusions.13. The more you give. The more will be given to youTheres a scripture in the bible that captures this point well, Luke 638 Give, and it will be given to you.In life, work and business, the abundance or scarcity you experience is directly related to how much value you add to peoples lives.The more you help other people to solve their problems, the more they will in turn want to help you solve yours too.The problem is that the culture today is all about me.We want more and we want it nowYet, few live in abundance and few people give much to others, if anything at all. This isnt a coincidence.For me, my sole focus is giving as much as I can to help as many people as possible. I have faith that my needs will be taken care of in the process without dwelling on them too much.Theres a peace of mind that comes from this faith.TakeawayAs painful as these life lessons have been, they have been invaluable towards my personal growth, and I hope the same for you too.At least, I hope Ive spared you the pain of learning these life lessons the hard way.If you know someone youd like to spare as well, share this article with them.Mayo Oshin writes atMayoOshin.com, where he shares practical self-improvement ideas and proven science for better health, productivity and creativity.To get practical ideas on how to stop procrastinating and build healthy habits, you can join his free weekly newsletterhere.A version of thisarticleoriginally appeared atmayooshin.comas 13 Painful Life Lessons Ive Learned as a Full-Time Writer.FootnotesFunctional and Economic Impact of Sleep Loss and Sleep-Related DisordersWriter image by Nicolas Fructus.Doormat image creator please get in touch.You mig ht also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Emotionally Destitute Get Rich

Emotionally Destitute Get Rich Emotionally Destitute Get Rich There have been plenty of different buzzwords to explain peoples ability to read someones shifts in moods or needs. Most recently, we call this emotional intelligence.No matter what the field of work is, everyone wants to work with people who are adept at interpreting the subtle and not-so-subtle emotional cues at work.When employers call back recruiters after a job interview with a potential candidate, it is often their interpretation of the candidates emotional intelligence that the recruiter hears about.In a curious study published in Psychological Science, evidence suggests what many working-class people have long suspected that people from wealthier backgrounds have lower emotional intelligence.A sample of more than 300 upper- and lower-class people was asked to interpret the emotions of people in photos and of strangers during mock job interviews. In both cases, those with more education, money and self-defined soc ial status were significantly less able to determine if a person was angry, happy, anxious or upset as their lower-class colleagues.The study begs the question if people from the alleged upper-class lack emotional intelligence in work settings, than why are they able to maintain their wealth, while working-class people often struggle to make ends meet? What other factors play into hiring practices? What wisdom can recruiters offer to illuminate this irony?

Unbiased Report Exposes the Unanswered Questions on Pre Med Resume

Unbiased Report Exposes the Unanswered Questions on Pre Med Resume There are several pre-med requirements necessary to get into med school. Its never too early to begin your healthcare school application Medical schools would like to know that youre an excellent student in addition to being passionate and enthusiastic about your health care career. Keep in mind that every medical school has its very own pre-med course requirements. A great sample medical resume objective will state what you wish to achieve to your medical resume. Also make certain you tailor the document to the job youre applying for. So to have the capability to put the acceptable data in an effective way, an individual must stick to a particular format of the work application. Picking out the proper format for a work job application has come to be the crucial areas of building an extremely effective resume. You need to reveal med schools that youre motivated to learn as much concerning the health field as possible and that you are going to be entering med school with a strong knowledge in a number of subjects. A health assistants principal responsibility is to supply patients with clinical and administrative aid. However you opted to begin your path to becoming a physician, a lot of the actions to graduating medical school are the exact same. The last sort of health assistant is somebody who has chosen to specialize in a particular area of medicine. If you wish to put in an application for a post of a health assistant then we can assist you in writing your resume. Are you planning to compose a resume for medical assistantwondering what makes an excellent ma resumehere are a few of the essential things which you should think about before you submit your resume. In case you genuinely arent qualified for the job, briefly explain as to the reasons you want to guarantee the work, and just what you will do in order to teach yourself and make your self familiarized with the skills required in order in order to fill out the work easily, not require a great absprache of training or guidance. So if youre looking to be given a job ( not just all types of job, but the job that you want), be certain to do things proper and learn to create a superb resume. In fact, theres not anything wrong with stating youre thinking of getting the job. Read the task announcement to work out whats essential for the job which youre attempting to get. If you are working to go to medical school, do your best not to let yourself be dishonest in an effort at that dream. In addition, if you know somebody whos in medical school or is a year above you, you can ask to have a peek at their resume to have a very good idea of the way to format your resume. What You Need to Do About Pre Med Resume Before Its Too Late Write a small blurb about yourself, stating why it is youre bound for a wonderful medical career, but dont include it on your resume. The ideal way to write up your resume i f youre doing it the summer before you are going to be submitting AMCAS is still do no wait to do it the evening before you would love to file your application. The important strengths on the first day of the resume are the places that Steve wants the reader to concentrate on since they review his experience. Knowing the fundamental steps of writing a good resume does not indicate you have to write alone. Getting excellent rec letters comes down to, once more, being at the peak of your class. Possessing a resume in high school is simply excellent sense. Becoming able to check at someones resume will provide you with the ability to remind yourself of activities you yourself have done. Becoming able to complete your resume with the ideal activities is another benefit to being at the very top of your class. The Basics of Pre Med Resume What most fresh graduates dont know is that the deficiency of specialist experience isnt a harte nuss at all especially if youre vying for an en try-level position. You are going to need substantial clinical experience before applying. Make sure you receive the info youre looking for. Various kinds of work in the food service industry require resumes with several of the very same skills. Job seekers deserve to locate decent content quickly. The Federal Resume can give you a prospect for the upcoming possible customer. Do you must write or update a resume to submit an application for work. Transportation jobs involve a lot of responsibility and your resume will want to reflect you can take care of that. By way of example, in CV, if youre applying for work in education, you can want to establish your coaching experience together with the CV. Your health care school personal statement is the very first personal statement of several. You also have to speak about past experience. Its possible to also incorporate any prior medical-related work experience you might have had, whether paid or voluntary.

How to Resign From Your Job (to take up a new post)

How to Resign From Your Job (to take up a new post) Whether you are a recruiter or candidate one of the most overlooked parts of the recruitment process is the process of resigning with one employer to take up post with the new employer. When the initial victorious fist clenching, celebratory hugs and the general excitement of landing the dream job has passed, the candidate/recruiter must now navigate the potentially rocky post offer road to arrive safely in the new job on the first day.This can be a nervous time for the agency recruiter who has just placed a candidate as they worry that the candidate may get cold feet, or be tempted by a counter-offer causing the placement to fall through. It can also be a tense time for the candidate who may be feeling apprehensive about the thought of approaching their boss to resign, having to work out the notice period which can sometimes be awkward, and/or e ntering a brave new world of employment elsewhere.So, I thought it would be useful to prepare a resignation guide for candidates, which can help candidates to more effectively handle the resignation process prior to taking up a new post elsewhere. This guide is also designed to be used by recruiters who can relay its contents to candidates they have placed to give them advice on how to handle their resignation.Written offer in placeThe golden rule for resigning to take up post in a new job is not to resign until you have a written job offer in your hand, which includes a start date and details the salary and all the pertinent benefits and perks. If possible, dont resign until you have a company signed employment contract. A verbal offer is not enough you want to be totally sure of commitment from the employer and that all the correct internal hiring approval procedures have been executed.TimingWhere possible, try and consider factors such as bonus payment, holidays owed, vesting sh are options as your entitlement to these benefits can be affected by the day on which you resign. For example, resigning a week later could mean that you have accrued enough service to be eligible for a bonus payment whereas a week earlier could mean you lose your entitlement. Check all the terms and conditions that relate to your benefits vary carefully.Breaking the nachrichtensendungYour current contract may stipulate the resignation process and that may be that you should provide the employer with the appropriate notice of resignation and do so in writing. In practice, it is courteous to arrange a meeting with your manager and verbally resign and then hand them a resignation letter then and there, or follow up afterwards.Honor your notice period, but try to negotiate a shorter one if you wishIt is vital that you honor your notice period and try not to be tempted to break it by your new employer. Most good employers will accept that if they want good employees they will have to wa it to the end of a notice period. However, there is nothing wrong with asking your manager if you can finish early, before the end of your notice period. Managers are often open to such a request, especially in sales, as the company may be less willing to disclose confidential information or company strategies with you as you may take them to your competitor.Be prepared for a counter-offerIf your current employer does not want you to leave then you may find that theyll offer you a higher salary to get you to stay. If this happens you may want to tell your new employer who may match the offer, exceed it or refuse to budge.Whatever happens you will have some thinking to do and a decision to make. For example, if your original reason for leaving was money orientated, and with your present company having addressed your money concerns you might then consider accepting the counter-offer.But, if your reason for leaving was not money orientated, then accepting a money based counter-offer ma y be unwise as once the initial excitement of the higher salary wears off you will be faced with the saatkorn problems which caused you to want to leave in the first place.Also, consider that if you resign and then return on a counter-offer the way that you are perceived by your boss and team members could change and you could be perceived as disloyal. Your manager could feel some animosity as he/she could feel that they had no option to make you a counter-offer which could effect the way they treat you.You should be aware that it is especially bad form to accept a counter-offer after you have formally accepted a post with a new employer. If you have signed a contract, then you will be in breach of contract with the new employer, but they probably wont pursue it. But, you will get a bad reputation with your agency and may burn your bridges with the employer who you may want to work with in the future.If you do receive a counter-offer, I urge you to consider these points, and jot dow n the pros and cons of leaving/staying and then discuss with someone whose opinion you value.If you do accept a counter offer make sure that it is in writing before you turn down your current offer of employment with the new employer.Build BridgesFinally, your current employer should be a source of referees and geschftliches miteinander connections for the future. So, approach your most trusted colleagues and managers and ask if they will act as a referee. Reach out and make LinkedIn connections with colleagues before you leave while you are still familiar with them.

Your phone is first-date kryptonite

Your phone is first-date kryptoniteYour phone is first-date kryptoniteLeave your cell phone games behind when you go on a first date.Texting or being distracted by your phone is by far the biggest turnoff for men (69%) and women (70%) alike out of anything you can do on a first date, according to poll results by YouGov.It even ranked far above the crime of using misleading photos in an online dating profile (52% for men and 43% for women.)A quarter of men said they would be completely fed up if their date took photos of their food or drink to deutsche post dhl to social media. Women were more forgiving only 15% minded a tabletop photoshoot.Other, lesser first-date offenses included chewing too loudly, hogging the conversation, being late, and not offering to pay or split the bill.After the date is over, keep in mind that if you do something with your phone to get rejected as a dating candidate, you will most likely be rejected via phone, ironically.One-third of Americans said that i f they werent interested in a second date and they felt the other side was, theyd shoot them a quick not interested, sorry text. Ooh, burn. Yet, 38% of people said theyd prefer a text over a phone call.A quarter said theyd call them to politely inform them they wouldnt be having another date. Awkward.And a choice 13% said their style was to just stop replying to the other persons calls or emails. (Also called ghosting.)For best results, turn off your phone until youre confirmed the status of your relationship and youreabsolutely aya that you two are boyfriend-girlfriend.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

5 things referees can teach us about being hated at work

5 things referees can teach us about being hated at work5 things referees can teach us about being hated at workImagine you are giving a presentation for work and everyone is waiting for you to screw up. Not only will millions of people all over the world see your mistakes, but millions mora on the internet can comment on them instantaneously. And angrily. And very, very colorfully.No pressure, right?Welcome to the world of referees.Referees, judges and umpires are tasked with enforcing the rules of a sport - frequently thwarting winning players or popular teams. If they do their jobs right, the audience barely notices the officials. However, if an official makes a glaring blunder in a crucial moment of an important game, that official can become the center of a storm of controversy.Like many, I am guilty of taking officials for granted and criticizing them if they make a call against my favorite sports team. They have one of the toughest jobs in entertainment and its not going to g et any easier now that professional sports leagues are trying to appeal to a more multinational and social media-savvy audience, attracting more eyeballs and stirring up even more emotion.Referees Are the Managers for an Entire SportThe structure of professional sports is not unlike the configuration of a conventional workplace. Professional athletes are (well-compensated) workers and coaches are their direct supervisors.Like referees, not all managers are universally adored. Their purpose is to reach a company goal and get the best out of their subordinates, not necessarily to make friends. Occasionally, an executive who has a tendency be unpopular can hire someone else better communicate unpopular business decisions. Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg wanted to continue as the companys innovative, likeable chairman- and maybe avoid his legacy of arrogant quotes - but he realized the company needed a firmer hand to maintain order so he added former Google executive Sheryl Sandberg as chief operating officer to keep things buttoned up.However most unpopular managers dont have the luxury to hire someone to face the criticism. This is where you can look to referees to learn how to handle conflict and a little resilience.1. Criticism rarely goes away, so get used to itSenior NFL official Walt Coleman was the head referee for the controversial Tuck Rule game in 2002 between the Patriots and Raiders in the AFC Divisional playoff. Colemans crew overturned a call during a crucial point in the contest and the Patriots ended up winning the game.Coleman says he still receives criticism from the decision. He adds, It doesnt go away. It still floats around and I still receive emails about it.2. Keep your cool, no matter how bad the other guy isOfficials are routinely scrutinized for how they call a game, but sometimes the pressure from the job can boil over and things can go too far.Thats when its useful to remember that your mistakes in judgment may be forgotten, but stories of a bad attitudue will follow you pretty much forever, so keep your cool.Former NBA referee Joey Crawford was patrolling the court for 35 years before he retired in 2016. He was prolific,having officiated 2,561 regular season games, 374 playoff games, and an impressive 50 NBA Finals games. However, Crawford might be more recognized as the guy who ejected NBA Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan for laughing at him from the bench. The two then engaged in an on-court verbal altercation, with Duncan claiming Crawford challenged him to a fight.Crawford was suspended for the incident and cites it as one of the biggest regrets of his career. He admits that to this day, the confrontation with the NBA legend still comes up from time to time. Crawford says he cant go anywhere without somebody asking me about Tim Duncan.3. Control your ego and dont flip out when youre questionedThe major sports leagues have implemented regulations that encourage officials to take more responsibility for their calls. Of cou rse, the replay systems mean referees are challenged about their knowledge all the time now, which means its even more important to control their egos. The NFL, MLB and NBA have all implemented replay systems to help ensure that the right calls are made in the flow of a game. In the NFL, head coaches can throw red challenge flags onto the field to immediately contest the previous play. Teams keep a close eye on game action and if they believe a referee missed a call or made the incorrect call, there is a system to in place so officials have to review the play again.The MLB is the last of the major sports to incorporate a replay system. During a game, each manager is allocated one challenge attempt. The MLB has long been less than enthusiastic about adapting any change so its a significant sign of the times that even a sport rooted in tradition like baseball wants to hold officials accountable.The NBA also has its own replay system that kicks in during the last two minutes of a game, when victory or defeat is often decided. The Association takes things further by releasing a Last Two Minute (L2M) report, a play-by-play account of what referees called in the last two minutes, to the public after certain games.4. Be prepared and know your job inside outIf you know youre going to be challenged, or face conflict, its best to prepare and come armed with facts. Theres a twofold benefit you pay better attention, and you wont be caught off-guard if someone challenges your knowledge.Some officials tried to prepare for the moment when they would be forced to make a game-changing call. Gerry Austin, who worked as an NFL referee from 1982-2007, would meet with his fellow officials before games and watch film of the two teams set to play.Contemplating the possible scenarios that might arise in a game helped to keep Austin focused on the goal. You want to create an even playing field and let the players decide the game, he said.5. Be charming and well-presentedLets be honest charm works. People are much more likely to be angry towards jerks than they are towards nice, interesting, colorful people. Good clothes and grooming really are like armor, too.Former NBA referee Steve Javie understood this. He took a rather unorthodox approach to deal with big games. Javie would get a distinct haircut in an attempt to deflect attention from the calls he would make. I figured if people, broadcasters and the like, noticed my hair, then theyd be less likely to notice my calls, in case I got anything wrong, he said. Remember Experience makes you tougherWhile most people would collapse under the weight of the dislike that referees face, they only get tougher with time. The more extreme situations you see, the less likely you are to sweat the small stuff.Despite the burden and scrutiny of the work, for the most part, officials enjoy their work. 24-year veteran NFL official Ed Hochuli embraces the pressure, describing the job as an adrenaline rush. Newly retired MLB ump ire John Hirschbeck always kept the prestige of the job in mind. Ive been very, very blessed. I really have, he insisted. Its just an honor. Its every minor-league umpires dream to become a major-league umpire. That kind of ease and gratitude can be a model for anyone who feels like theyre immersed in a lot of conflict. Referees still love their jobs despite the fact that a missed call in the Super Bowl can alters the outcome of the game can draw the ire of thousands of fans in attendance and live in infamy for all of history. If they can, you can too.

6 ways to master the art of the first impression

6 ways to master the art of the first impression6 ways to master the art of the first impressionAmy Cuddy, a psychologist at the Harvard Business School, has been studying first impressions for mora than a decade. She and her colleagues found that we make snap judgments about other people that answer two primary questionsCan I trust this person?Can I respect this persons capabilities?According to Cuddys research, 80% to 90% of a first impression is based on these two traits. Subconsciously, you and the people you meet are asking yourselves, Can I trust that this person has good intentions toward me? and Is this person capable?We often assume that competence is the fruchtwein important factor, and people have a tendency to play this up when they meet someone however, Cuddys research shows that trust is the most important factor. In order for your competence to matter, people must trust you first.If theres no trust, people actually perceive competence as a negative. As Cuddy said, A wa rm, trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after youve achieved trust does your strength become a gift rather than a threat.Since it only takes seconds for someone to decide if youre trustworthy and competent, and research shows that first impressions are very difficult to change, the pressure that comes with meeting new people is justifiably intense.If you try to project confidence but havent first established trust, your efforts will backfire. No one wants to end up respected but disliked. As Cuddy said, If someone youre trying to influence doesnt trust you, youre not going to get very far in fact, you might even elicit suspicion, because you come across as manipulative.Once you recognize the importance of trustworthiness over competence, you can take control of the first impressions you make. Here are some tips to help you make that happen the next time you meet someone new1. Let the person youre meeting speak firstLet them take the lead in the convers ation, and you can always ask good questions to help this along. Taking the floor right away shows dominance, and that wont help you build trust. Trust and warmth are created when people feel understood, and they need to be doing a lot of sharing for that to happen.2. Use positive body languageBecoming cognizant of your gestures, expressions, and tone of voice and making certain theyre positive will draw people to you like ants to a picnic. Using an enthusiastic tone, uncrossing your arms, maintaining eye contact, and leaning towards the speaker are all forms of positive body language, which can make all the difference.3. Put away your phoneIts impossible to build trust and monitor your phone at the same time. Nothing turns people off like a mid-conversation text glaubenszeugnis or even a quick glance at your phone. When you commit to a conversation, focus all your energy on the conversation. You will find that conversations are more enjoyable and effective when you immerse yourself in them.4. Make time for small talkIt might sound trivial, but research shows that starting meetings with just five minutes of small talk gets better results. Many trust builders, such as small talk, can seem a waste of time to people who dont understand their purpose.5. Practice active listeningActive listening means concentrating on what the other person is saying, rather than planning what youre going to say next. Asking insightful questions is a great way to illustrate that youre really paying attention. If youre not checking for understanding or asking a probing question, you shouldnt be talking. Not only does thinking about what youre going to say next take your attention away from the speaker, hijacking the conversation shows that you think you have something more important to say. This means that you shouldnt jump in with solutions to the speakers problems.Its human nature to want to help people, but what a lot of us dont realize is that when we jump in with advice or a sol ution, were shutting the other person down and destroying trust. Its essentially a more socially acceptable way of saying, Okay, Ive got it. You can stop now The effect is the same.6. Do your homeworkPeople love it when you know things about them that they didnt have to share. Not creepy stuff, but simple facts that you took the time to learn from their LinkedIn page or company website. While this may not work for chance encounters, its crucial when a first meeting is planned ahead of time, such as a job interview or a consultation with a potential client.Find out as much as you can about all the people youre meeting, their company, their companys primary challenges, and so on. This demonstrates competence and trustworthiness by highlighting your aktion and responsibility.Bringing it all togetherIts the little things that make a first impression a good one, and the importance of establishing trust cannot be overstated. Now if someone would just tell this to the politiciansTravis Bra dberry is the coauthor ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This article originally appeared onLinkedIn.6 ways to master the art of the first impressionAmy Cuddy, a psychologist at the Harvard Business School, has been studying first impressions for more than a decade. She and her colleagues found that we make snap judgments about other people that answer two primary questionsCan I trust this person?Can I respect this persons capabilities?According to Cuddys research, 80% to 90% of a first impression is based on these two traits. Subconsciously, you and the people you meet are asking yourselves, Can I trust that this person has good intentions toward me? and Is this person capable?We often assume that competence is the most important factor, and people have a tendency to play this up when they meet someone however, Cuddys research shows that trust is the most important factor. In order for your competence to matter, people must trust you first.If theres no tru st, people actually perceive competence as a negative. As Cuddy said, A warm, trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after youve achieved trust does your strength become a gift rather than a threat.Since it only takes seconds for someone to decide if youre trustworthy and competent, and research shows that first impressions are very difficult to change, the pressure that comes with meeting new people is justifiably intense.If you try to project confidence but havent first established trust, your efforts will backfire. No one wants to end up respected but disliked. As Cuddy said, If someone youre trying to influence doesnt trust you, youre not going to get very far in fact, you might even elicit suspicion, because you come across as manipulative.Once you recognize the importance of trustworthiness over competence, you can take control of the first impressions you make. Here are some tips to help you make that happen the next time you meet someone new1. Let the person youre meeting speak firstLet them take the lead in the conversation, and you can always ask good questions to help this along. Taking the floor right away shows dominance, and that wont help you build trust. Trust and warmth are created when people feel understood, and they need to be doing a lot of sharing for that to happen.2. Use positive body languageBecoming cognizant of your gestures, expressions, and tone of voice and making certain theyre positive will draw people to you like ants to a picnic. Using an enthusiastic tone, uncrossing your arms, maintaining eye contact, and leaning towards the speaker are all forms of positive body language, which can make all the difference.3. Put away your phoneIts impossible to build trust and monitor your phone at the same time. Nothing turns people off like a mid-conversation text message or even a quick glance at your phone. When you commit to a conversation, focus all your energy on the conversation. You will find that conver sations are more enjoyable and effective when you immerse yourself in them.4. Make time for small talkIt might sound trivial, but research shows that starting meetings with just five minutes of small talk gets better results. Many trust builders, such as small talk, can seem a waste of time to people who dont understand their purpose.5. Practice active listeningActive listening means concentrating on what the other person is saying, rather than planning what youre going to say next. Asking insightful questions is a great way to illustrate that youre really paying attention. If youre not checking for understanding or asking a probing question, you shouldnt be talking. Not only does thinking about what youre going to say next take your attention away from the speaker, hijacking the conversation shows that you think you have something more important to say. This means that you shouldnt jump in with solutions to the speakers problems.Its human nature to want to help people, but what a l ot of us dont realize is that when we jump in with advice or a solution, were shutting the other person down and destroying trust. Its essentially a more socially acceptable way of saying, Okay, Ive got it. You can stop now The effect is the same.6. Do your homeworkPeople love it when you know things about them that they didnt have to share. Not creepy stuff, but simple facts that you took the time to learn from their LinkedIn page or company website. While this may not work for chance encounters, its crucial when a first meeting is planned ahead of time, such as a job interview or a consultation with a potential client.Find out as much as you can about all the people youre meeting, their company, their companys primary challenges, and so on. This demonstrates competence and trustworthiness by highlighting your initiative and responsibility.Bringing it all togetherIts the little things that make a first impression a good one, and the importance of establishing trust cannot be overst ated. Now if someone would just tell this to the politiciansTravis Bradberry is the coauthor ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This article originally appeared onLinkedIn.