Author: anwaryusef

Anwar Y. Dunbar is a Regulatory Scientist. Being a naturally curious person, he is also a student of all things. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor’s Degree in General Biology from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). Prior to starting the Big Words Blog Site, Anwar published and contributed to numerous research articles in competitive scientific journals reporting on his research from graduate school and postdoctoral years. After falling in love with writing, he contributed to the now defunct Examiner.com, and the Edvocate where he regularly wrote about: Education-related stories/topics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Financial Literacy; as well as conducted interviews with notable individuals such as actor and author Hill Harper. Having many influences, one of his most notable heroes is author, intellectual and speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, author of books including Outliers and David and Goliath. Anwar has his hands in many, many activities. In addition to writing, Anwar actively mentors youth, works to spread awareness of STEM careers, serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the David M. Brown Arlington Planetarium, serves as Treasurer for the JCSU Washington, DC Alumni Chapter, and is active in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Ministry at the Alfred Street Baptist Church. He also tutors in the subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. Along with his multi-talented older brother Amahl Dunbar (designer of the Big Words logos, inventor and a plethora of other things), Anwar is a “Fanboy” and really enjoys Science-Fiction and Superhero movies including but not restricted to Captain America Civil War, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Prometheus. He is a proud native of Buffalo, NY.

How Businesses Can Transform Their Marketing Strategies For The Better

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“If you want to make it in the modern business world, it’s all about marketing. You can’t expect your business to grow if you don’t market, so finding marketing schemes and campaigns are essential to keep your company afloat.”

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Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Arguably the most important part of your business is its marketing. In theory, effective marketing will lead to more sales. Your marketing formula may need to evolve over time. The following contributed post is entitled, How Businesses Can Transform Their Marketing Strategies For The Better.

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If you want to make it in the modern business world, it’s all about marketing. You can’t expect your business to grow if you don’t market, so finding marketing schemes and campaigns are essential to keep your company afloat.

There are many forms of marketing. You have traditional methods such as newspaper ads and TV spots. You have passive marketing, where you trust people to see your ads around town to build interest. You also have new marketing models: digital marketing, which is what the majority of businesses rely on now.

However, not everyone has gotten on board. There are some businesses and industries that neglect to market their business effectively. This itself could be a cause for lack of growth, so it might be time you start looking at better ways to spread awareness of your business.

Small Businesses

Often, small businesses cannot afford to engage in comprehensive marketing strategies to get the word out. But as a small business, they don’t need to yet.

Instead, they need to find a way to compete with similar businesses in their area, but with a lack of funds, they can’t make witty ad campaigns or sass customers on social media. Instead, perhaps its better to go back to traditional methods.

Local areas love businesses that engage with the community, so showing that your company cares about the goings-on in and around the town or city will put you in the good books. It could shift their loyalty from faceless multi-nationals to someone who knows their names and says hello every time they step into the store.

While money might be tight for your business, there are a lot of ways in which you can spend what limited budget you do have, wisely. Take a look at what’s popular in marketing right now, like videos for example. Having a video production company to create show-stopping content can be a great investment for your small business.

Healthcare Industry

Healthcare is something that everybody needs in their life. Whether it’s routine checkups or ongoing prescriptions, healthcare is a basic human need. It might be because of this, though, that the healthcare industry is not as forward-thinking than other sectors when it comes to marketing. There are some improvements, such as justifying how much marketing ROI to budget and plan for according to a patient lifetime value calculator, but outreach needs to innovate.

However, that’s not the case. There are different levels of healthcare, and they demand different approaches. Mental health marketing will differ from dental marketing, and vice versa, so it’s finding out how to best target your potential customers.

With a big focus on social media’s negative influence, mental health campaigns can be found on Instagram. In contrast, a dental marketing strategy could be used at the supermarket (where you buy dental supplies). This targets both patients where they are most likely to see it, which sounds like a win.

Marketing Firms

Who markets to the other marketers? It’s a strange one, as you’d expect many marketing firms would undertake their own marketing duties. However, with client campaigns to focus on, this isn’t always so easy.

The problem is that marketers can recognize when they’re being duped. Instead of following the same old routines, it’s better to look at new, more subtle ways to market your marketing firm. We’ve seen it through content marketing, and this has worked moderately well. But there could still be a better way.

Spreading Awareness

You cannot expect growth and recognition if you neglect to embrace the potential options to help you better market your product or business. Even if you stagnate, the world will continue to evolve, so follow it as best you can.

Carefully Extending A University Premises

Two of the focuses of my blog are Business/Entrepreneurship and General Education. Higher Education is big business in the United States. One of the biggest concerns of institutions of higher learning is expansion of their campuses. The following contributed post is entitled, Carefully Extending A University Premises.

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As a university faculty, the extreme increase in students applying to follow a course suggests a need for expansion. This can be an exciting prospect. That being said, carefully extending a university premises is often a multi-faceted project that can take some time, and may leave you feeling as though this process is extremely complex. Additionally, students are often fickle and can drop out for any time, or may even transfer to another institution should they feel their needs aren’t being met. This can be the case even if launching a range of excellent and prestigious degrees.

In order to best pursue this extension and to better manage your construction efforts, a careful plan needs to be in the works long before you begin. Additionally, ensuring that the least amount of harmful influence on your daily operation is considered can help you avoid alienating students, and prospective candidates alike. Additionally, a university budget can be a tight thing, meaning that cost-effective managing this process requires a little more forethought. With our advice, you are certain to carry this process out to the best of your ability:

Alternate Lecture Theatres

Finding alternate lecture theatures for your students can be an important first step. After all, it can be hard to lecture and study when large construction efforts are taking place. Additionally, consider the routes to said lecture halls. It might be that you need to subsidise extra coach or train fares to reach a different part of the city, or maybe you need to rent out an entirely new building for six months of the year. It is possible, but you have to manage people and resources carefully.

Reliable Construction Firms

Reliable construction firms, such as Stosius are known for their extremely accurate planning and impressive execution. When you can rely on a service to keep you on schedule, to stay thoroughly communicative of their needs and remain two steps ahead at all times, you can ensure that the practical planning of your own approach can be effectively considered, and this may save you and your faculty a great deal of stress. Additionally, being advised as to the best safety implements and usual requirements will help you curate that former plan of action.

Telegraphing In Advance

If your construction efforts mean that half of your science block is going to be out of action for that year, then it could be that telegraphing this in advance is essential. Students may not withdraw their applications as you may vital alternate arrangements, but letting them know about said work rather than lying in the brochure or somehow deflecting them away from said plans during the tour can be an honest and ethical way of going about things. Financial subsidies, additional investments and potentially the means to rework non-essential course practicalities can enable you to move through this time with care and attention. This makes a difference.

With this advice, you are certain to carefully extend your university premises well.

Beating Confidence Troubles When You’re The Boss

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Three key focuses are Business/Entrepreneurship, Career Discussions and Professional Development and Skills. There are many ways to be the boss whether you’ve started your own business or you’re working in an organization. Being the boss can be a daunting task for many people but there are keys to mastering it. The following contributed post is entitled, Beating Confidence Troubles When You’re The Boss.

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Do you own your own business? Maybe you’re a manager at a branch owned by someone else? Either way, there’s a good chance you feel unsure of yourself from time to time. You’ve got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, and a lot of power in your hands, and it can be hard to manage the both of them at once!

Which is why it’s key to remember that being the boss doesn’t automatically mean you feel confident enough to be one! You’re allowed to doubt yourself, and feel awkward about the decisions you make; you’re only human, after all. But because of that, we’ve listed a few tips for you below, to make sure you start feeling a bit more secure in your role. You’re doing a lot of hard work, and you deserve to have the confidence to show for it.

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There’s Advice Out There

And it’s more accessible than you may realise! After all, we have the internet to thank for instant connectivity, and that means you can go in search of a business leadership podcast with little to no trouble at all.

When you’re a burgeoning business leader, in search of information that’s going to put the pep back in your step, listening to the words of corporate founders and various self made people might just be the key.

And advice for someone like you exists in quite a few forms. You might want to make it your mission to soak up as many different types of medium as you can find, just to be sure you’re getting as much influence and advice as possible. You never know where you’re going to find the one piece of advice that’ll change your life, but we do have a good place for you to start!

Manage Your Expectations

Of course, you’re going to need to manage your expectations. You’re going to need to stay down to earth with what you’re thinking of achieving, or what projects you know you’re going to be able to take on. It’s very unlikely that you’re going to be able to turn around an organisation in the next 3 to 6 months, so don’t put that kind of stress on your shoulders from the get go.

Instead, aim a little lower, for something you know you can achieve. Bringing more skills into the business? Check. Cutting down costs? Check. And on and on the list can go, creating a very workable step by step guide for you to follow. Now doesn’t that sound easier?

Focus Your Network

And finally, be sure to focus your network on people like you. Try to reach out and connect with fellow managers, or first time entrepreneurs, to remind yourself you’re not alone. Use sites like LinkedIn to make a search like this easier. It might be a small point, but it’s a very important one to remember!

As the boss, you don’t have to keep second guessing yourself. You can learn confidence!

Tips To Boost Your Office Appeal

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the keys to running a successful business or operation is optimizing your office space. The following contributed post is entitled, Tips To Boost Your Office Appeal.

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An office is a space that needs to promote and encourage work productivity. It’s somewhere that your staff are coming into and working in for several hours a day and where your clients come in to do business. Here are some tips to boost your office appeal for the benefit of your business.

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Use The Right Lighting

The lighting can really affect the appearance of the working environment. If you have harsh, white lighting, it’s likely to feel a little bit like a hospital and not at all like the welcoming atmosphere that it should have. So think about replacing the lighting to feel warmer and inviting. Natural light is also something to take advantage of, and that can help bring a lot more appeal to a space, regardless of how small it might be. Replace any windows with bigger ones and ideally go for floor to ceiling options that are going to let the light flood into the space.

Create More Open-Plan Spaces

Open-plan spaces can be a welcome feature in offices where there are a lot of workers. Keeping them in boxed areas can take a hit at employee productivity and how they feel about the overall space that they’re working in. If you can knock down a few walls or change the work desks to something more functional, then it’s definitely worth doing. Don’t forget though that there’s going to be some people who may not enjoy working in an open space so it’s good to have some private options in the form of offices. These can give certain employees the option to work in a quiet space when they need to.

Add A Bit Of Class To The Curb

Appearances are everything, and when it comes to your business, even the office curb needs to have some appeal. Look into commercial glass tinting that can give a little mystery to the outside of an office or business building. This glass tinting can also help with keeping these spaces cool and can protect your staff from harmful UV rays that might be penetrating through the glass and hitting staff directly.

Invest In Quality Furnishings

Quality is always going to better than something that’s more affordable. That shouldn’t always be the case, but if you want durable furniture and appliances that are likely to receive a lot of footfall, it’s good to invest in the very best. From the sofas that are available in your reception area to the work stations and electrical appliances that staff use on a daily basis. It all helps and goes towards boosting appeal.

Boosting office appeal is important, and something every business should be doing in order to show off their company. Look at the things that you can add to your space in order to make it a pleasant environment for your staff but also to make it a place that your clients will remember and enjoy coming back to. From quality furnishings to the lighting, everything matters to boosting your office appeal.

Five Stages Of Project Management

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Professional Development and Skills. No matter what kind of organization you’re in, a key skill to have is project management. The ability to effectively manage projects will assure that your operations continue to run smoothly it will likely assure that you’ll advance in your career. The following contributed post is entitled, Five Stages Of Project Management.

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When it comes to getting your project just right, there are a few phases that you will need to be aware of. Project management isn’t just about managing people – it is about all of the details too. You use tools, skills, people, and techniques in your specialty to bring the project to life.

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Here are the five stages of project management.

Initiation

The start of the project can often be messy, but the goals will now be defined at a broad level. There will be a lot of research to decide if the project is actually possible. There will be some feasibility testing done here too.

All of the critical decisions makers like stakeholders and board members will do their own due diligence to decide if the project will go ahead too. If everything seems to be okay, then there will be a project initiation document drawn up that will outline the purpose and requirements.

Project Planning

Many project managers find this to be an enjoyable stage. Developing a roadmap for critical players to follow. There are a few options that project managers will consider the best goal setting methods. SMART and CLEAR. Here is a breakdown:

SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely
CLEAR – Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable

The full scope of the project is now clear. The roles and responsibilities are noted, and everyone will not be accountable for their parts. The scope statement, Work Breakdown Schedule, Milestones, TimeLine, Communication Plan, Risk Management Plan will all need to be written up.

Execution

The deliverables are now developed and completed. These will be a lot happening in this phase, many meetings, status updates, performance updates. There are a lot of moving parts in this phase. Here are a few:

Develop a team: if you need to hire in contractors here is where you will do it. Depending on the project, you’ll need designers, government contractors like Salt3, extra assistants, and other skilled workers.

● Resources being assigned
● Execute the project management plans
● Procurement if required
● Tracking
● Status meetings
● Continuous updates of the project status

The execution phase and the performance phases will begin to overlap.

Performance

This will have been running for a short while by now, and it is time to take note of the progression and the performance. This phase will have a heavy focus on the KPIs that were outlined in the first stages. There are several ways to check on project performance, here are a few:

● Quality deliverables
● Project Performance
● Effort and Cost tracking
● Project Objectives

There may be some minor (or major) adjustments to the schedules, and some movement of the resources were required to keep things on track.

Closure

This phase is pretty much what it says on the tin. Contractors who have been hired will now be terminated. The key players in completion will be recognised and celebrated in most cases. There will be an evaluation about what went well, what didn’t, and where there is room for improvement for further projects. A project manager will now also create a plan for the company to follow, a final budget and final report too.

The 4 Pillars Behind Your Confidence To Grow

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Staring a business is not easy and it’s important to grow your confidence as proceed. The are a couple of key pieces to growing your confidence in the business arenas. The following contributed post is entitled, The 4 Pillars Behind Your Confidence To Grow.

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For many professionals, starting a company is the first reaction to the dullness of an everyday job that didn’t offer them room for growth. New entrepreneurs approach their journey with enthusiasm and the dream of a better tomorrow. Finally, a brand new satisfying career is in reach!
However, there is a big difference between launching a company and being able to grow a steady and profitable business. More often than not, your business idea is no guarantee that you’ll be able to turn the company into your dream career. You need to build the foundations of your growth from Day One. Indeed, a lack of personal development and opportunities encourages people to embrace an independent career. However, if you fail to create a base to support your ambition, you are unlikely to find any entrepreneurial satisfaction.

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#1. Planning is the indispensable compass

First of all, as evident as it might sound, too many enthusiastic business owners fall after the first hurdle because they fail to plan. Your business idea, however brilliant you think it is, is not enough to launch a company. You need a business plan to guide you through the journey. Your business plan connects the dots between your idea and your audience, making sure that you understand how to set up your processes and budget to achieve your goals. It’s a data-based document that highlights how to navigate your business in your current market and with your budget.

#2. Knowing that not everyone is a friend

Nowadays, you can’t expect to grow a company without relying on digital technology. Indeed, your online presence is indispensable to stand out in a crowded market. However, you have to consider building cyber resilience to protect your business from cyber threats. Indeed, your data and processes are too precious to risk exposing them to hackers, corrupted networks, and other digital issues that could ruin your activities.

#3. Understanding how to make friends

While the digital world can be threatening, it doesn’t mean that your business will thrive in isolation. On the contrary, you need to make networking a priority. Networking events are essential to meet like-minded business owners and suppliers. Not only could you build helpful and mutually beneficial relationships, but you can also find inspiration for future projects, for instance. Additionally, supportive contacts can also help you to get noticed in new niches and audience groups, as they can introduce your brand to potential clients and partners. While it can be tricky to learn how to network – and it’s not a natural environment for many professionals –, it can be a significant difference to your survival on the market.

#4. Knowing what the audience wants

The market is continually growing and changing. As a result, you need to keep up with the changes to tackle new trends as they appear. Indeed, what your audience wanted yesterday may not be the same today. Conducting regular market research is essential to gain a better understanding of your customers and identify potential new customers.

Giving your business room for growth is a delicate art to master. Indeed, you need to develop an understanding of threats and opportunities around your company. Whether you work with a business plan designed to maximize your strengths or you protect your company against cyber risks, the pillars of growth are all about strategic thinking.

How You Can Level Up in Life and Career in 2020

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. Everyone wants to advance in their career at some point. Depending upon the sector you’re in, there may be some specialized steps that you must take while there are some universal steps as well. The following contributed post is entitled, How You Can Level Up in Life and Career in 2020.

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As we move towards the end of the year, now is a good time to start reflecting. To consider where you’re at currently with your life and career, and where you want to go in the year ahead. Rather than waiting until new years eve and scribbling some meaningless resolutions, have a think now and really consider where you want your path to lead. In some cases you can start planning now so that when 2020 rolls around you’re ready to get stuck right in. Here are some examples of how you can level up next year.

Take on some further education
One of the best ways any of us can level up in life is by taking on more education. These days you don’t even need to quit your day job and go back to university full time, there are courses in every subject imaginable that can be studied from home and in a flexible way. Further education could help you to reach the next rung of the career ladder or secure a better job, or it could help you change careers if you want to do something completely different and not have to start right from the bottom. It could help you be a more clued up business owner, preventing silly mistakes being made. Education can just be good for your own satisfaction, as humans we’re curious creatures and often at our happiest when we’re learning new things. Once we finish our formal education in our teens we tend to get into a rut of working and stop expanding our minds. But this doesn’t have to be the case, have a think about what you’d like to study and find an establishment that offers the course. With lots of courses you may be able to start right away, but others will have September and January enrollment dates like traditional universities and colleges. That’s why it’s worth thinking about it now, as if you want to get started in January

Travel for (or while) you work
Travel is never a waste of time or money, it expands your mind, allowing you to make memories to last a lifetime and makes your existence feel worthwhile and interesting. But if you’re at a stage of your life where you want or need to focus on your career, it can be tricky to balance the two. So how about travelling for work, or even working while you travel? It allows you to see new places in the world and get all of the benefits of travelling for leisure, but with another dimension to it. Travel for your work can help you to build new connections and liaise with companies from different countries. Set up some meetings before you go, and use it as an opportunity to speak to potential clients face to face. Travel while you work can motivate and inspire you, if for example you create content in any capacity then doing so in new environments is going to spur on all kinds of new ideas. Don’t just overlook travel as something that’s purely a leisure activity, working alongside this can genuinely help you to level up in life, as well as in your career.

Level up your business
If you’re currently running a home based business, maybe you could consider speaking to a commercial realtor moving into a new office space? From there you could start hiring your own staff members, and growing your venture to improve your profits. If you’re already running a medium sized business, consider how you could level it up. Could you open new departments, could you invest in new software or could you start selling globally to allow your business to take that next step? Consider where your business stands currently and where it can go, make plans for growth and work out what kinds of steps you’ll need to take to get there. From there you can do what you need to do to ensure you’re moving forward and not remaining stagnant. If you’re still stuck in the rat race and have been considering starting your own business venture, then levelling up could be as simple as taking the first steps to getting this done. Look into securing funding, run market research on your idea and find good stockists and suppliers that you could work with. There’s a lot to be done in the early stages and the first part can actually be the most difficult. So once you’ve done that it will hopefully be plain sailing from there. Whatever stage you’re currently at with your business, consider how you will reach the next one.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone
As the saying goes, a comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there. Staying well within the confines of your comfort zone simply won’t allow you to level up- if it scares you then it’s worth doing! Maybe you’ve always dreamed of becoming a better speaker- taking a public speaking course and getting up there and giving it a go could be so satisfying even though tackling your fear head on can be scary. One way to push yourself out of your comfort zone is to highlight areas where you feel weaker in life or career and then start building skills to fill in the gaps. It might involve making mistakes, it might involve getting things wrong and feeling nervous or awkward but these are all signs that you’re trying something new and will improve over time.

Have you considered what changes you’ll be making next year to put you on the right path to reaching your goals?

7 Things To Consider When Looking For An Insurance Policy

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Financial Literacy/Money. A key component of one’s financial health is insurance. In fact for many people, insurance is a vehicle for building wealth. As with anything money-related, there several factors to consider. The following contributed post is entitled, 7 Things To Consider When Looking For An Insurance Policy.

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Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

If you’re looking for a new insurance policy and don’t know where to start then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you’re looking to insure your car or you want to insure the belongings in your house, you need to be sure you’re doing as much research as possible when it comes to taking out a new policy. From setting yourself a budget to reading the terms and conditions, the more you do the better. With that in mind, here are 7 things to consider when looking for an insurance policy:

What Are You Insuring?

One of the first things you need to think about when it comes to looking for an insurance policy is what you’re actually going to be insuring. Whether you’re looking for travel insurance or you want to insure your new laptop, you need to know exactly what it is your policy is going to be covering. This means not only thinking about what you’re insuring on a whole but also thinking about the specifics. Do you want to cover accidental damage? Are you travelling long term? How old is the item you’re insuring? The more questions you ask the better.

Have You Done Your Research?

Another important thing to consider is whether or not you have done enough research. Insurance can be incredibly complicated and if you’re not doing your research properly, chances are you’re going to get caught out. From legitimate providers to the average cost per policy, the more clued up you are the better. For the ultimate guide to taking out insurance, you can visit this site here.

Have You Looked At Several Different Providers?

When it comes to choosing a provider, you need to ensure you have several different options to choose from. Whether you’re choosing a policy based on price or value for money, having a number of different options will make the process a lot easier.

If you’re struggling to find these options, you might want to consider using a price comparison site. Not only will they round up all of your choices in one handy report but they will also detail all the features of benefits of each policy side by side. For more information when it comes to using a price comparison site, you can visit this site here.

Do You Have A Budget?

Another important thing to consider is whether or not you have an overall budget. Although you can’t necessarily set the price of your insurance, you can choose your policy based on the amount you can afford to pay each month. In most cases, you may find that you pay a lower premium for less cover. For the best insurance rates, you can visit this site here.

Have You Read The Terms And Conditions?

Once you have chosen the policy you want to take out, it’s important you’re reading the terms and conditions. In order to get a clear idea of the cover you’re going to receive, the more in-depth reading you do the better. Whilst it may take some time to sit through everything, you need to be sure you’re choosing the right policy before you sign the paperwork.

If you’re unsure and find you have a lot of questions, you might want to consider picking up the phone and speaking to an expert. Not only will they be able to advise you of the best possible policy to take out but they will also be able to talk you through each and every one of the benefits you will receive. Again, it might take some time but it will definitely be worth it.

Do You Need To Speak To An Expert First?

Finally, you need to think about whether or not you need to speak to an expert first. Whilst you can speak to the insurance providers directly, they’re going to be working on commission and at the end of the day, a sale will be the most important thing to them. If you want an unbiased opinion, speaking to an expert might be a better option.

Whether this means speaking to someone online or visiting your local advice beaurea, the more information you have the better your decision will be.

Are you looking for a new insurance policy? What do you need to consider before you choose the right policy for you? Did we miss anything off the list? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

Online Resources And Why We Need Them

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Technology. So much of our lives today are lived online. While the digital world has made our lives easier, it’s created some other complexities and caveats as well. The following contributed post is entitled, Online Resources And Why We Need Them.

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Let’s face it most of our lives are played out online when it comes to communication and gathering information. We look at Google to answer any question, we watch YouTube for entertainment and education, and also listen to podcasts in the car whilst we are driving around. Even the music is streamed these days and is not actually owned or downloaded. But why is this important? And are we at an advantage because of it? We may think the answer to this is yes. But there are many scenarios where the answer to that is questionable. So why do we rely on the Internet so much?

Photo by Mia Baker on Unsplash

Ease
If you look at history, and the reasons that we have evolved in many ways, you will think that we have made fantastic strides in technology and other areas. But curiosity aside, one of the main reasons that we are advancing all the time, it’s because it’s so much easier. We now pick up the phone or laptop (same thing) and do a quick search online to find their answers. This is, of course, much faster than the way in which we found our information previously. Books written by professionals can now be searched online, the latest online course review and even news articles, are now commonplace online. The only problem with this is that generally speaking, the information on the Internet can be incorrect. And even though websites such as Wikipedia can be amended by anybody, there are plenty of people looking at sites to check accuracy. The trick to using the Internet successfully is defined more than one resource And make sure that you find references to back up the information.

Sociable
Humans are sociable, that’s a fact. We rely on each other to get ahead in life. We have friends and family and work colleagues that always help us along the way. We are team players, which means that the Internet opens a whole world of communication with us. The great thing about this is that we have a support network at the touch of a button. We can make new friends quickly. And we can ask for opinions whilst we’re sat on our sofa, and gain feedback within minutes. Of course, this is also the downside, because as quickly as we can access people that support us and speak to family and friends with ease. We can also find those less supportive people and those who are only looking to upset others.

Recording
There are many different social networking sites, photo sharing, and sites such as Pinterest, which we all love to use, we really enjoy record in our lives, and sharing that with other people again it’s because with sociable, and that’s a huge resource to us. We can also tie in our business endeavors with this, and use these as avenues of marketing as well, and many people do.

Whichever resources you use online, and for whatever purpose use them for, there is no denying that everybody is in the same boat. Where are using the Internet as a tool for day-to-day life, and it doesn’t look about to change any time soon.

How To Stay Healthy Into Old Age

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health and Wellness. One of the biggest challenges we will all have is growing old into old age. The argument can be made that its genetics. The other argument is that it’s lifestyle and environment. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Stay Healthy Into Old Age.

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“My mother always used to say ‘The older you get, the better you get, unless you’re a banana’” (Betty White)

Aging is something that affects us all and is something that we, unfortunately, cannot run away from. Of course, we are all getting older with every day that passes, but the aging process really starts to kick in as early as our 20’s, with signs of aging appearing in our skin, and the gradual loss of brain cells. By the age of 35, our muscles, bones, and some organs such as our lungs are showing signs of age, and when we hit our 40’s, our senses start to decline. That is a really sobering thought! It is important that we look after our bodies to keep them healthy and working well until we reach a great age. Obviously, there are simply some things that you can’t prevent, but you can take steps to reduce the impact, such as stem cell therapy for knees when they start to ache and slow the process down a little, and that is what we are going to look at in this article.

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Eat a healthy diet

One of the best things that you can do to keep yourself fit and healthy is to eat a healthy and balanced diet. It is thought that a Mediterranean influenced diet, rich in whole grains and nuts, heart-healthy fish, olive oil, and vibrant fresh vegetables and fruit is one of the healthiest diets that there are, keeping your heart healthy and blood pressure down. With 60% of both older men and women suffering from abnormal blood pressure, it is essential that you do what you can to reduce it. It also helps to keep your joints supple and working well.

Stay active

As you get older, exercise can often seem like the last thing that you want to do, particularly when everything starts aching a little more, and recovery from a workout takes a little longer. However, it is important to make time for it as often as possible – a recent study found that only 30 minutes of exercise a day reduces symptoms of arthritis by 47%, anxiety by 48%, dementia and Alzheimer’s by 50%, and diabetes by 58%. It also releases feel-good hormones such as endorphins, which lift your mood and make you feel happier. If an intense workout at the gym seems a little too much for you, a brisk walk in the sunshine or a few laps at the swimming pool are excellent forms of exercise and a little more gentle on the body. You can also incorporate more physical activity into your day to day life – taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the shops instead of driving, parking in a space further away from the grocery store and getting off the bus a stop earlier and spending an hour or two gardening or pottering around the house are all little things that can make a significant impact on your fitness levels.

Regular health check-ups

Many of us only visit the doctor when we notice that there is an issue, but quite often, this can be too late as the damage is already done. Make sure you visit your doctor at least once a year for an annual health exam to have your cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels and a physical check to keep an eye out for any problems that might be on the horizon, and at the first sign of anything not being quite right, get it checked. People of all ages should be aware of signs of cancer and diabetes, so educate yourself on the symptoms and get them checked if you are not sure. Not only should you be visiting your doctor regularly, but go to your dentist every six months to have a dental check and annual eyesight and hearing tests, as these can show signs of decline as you get older.

Elder proof your home

This one sounds a little patronizing but bare with us. Look around your home – the furniture with the sharp corners, perhaps the glass coffee table in the center of the room. There may be the odd wire trailing or a rug that you occasionally catch your foot on. It is not so bad when you are younger – if you do trip over, you are more likely to bounce back without too many injuries, but when you are older and perhaps a little clumsier, you are more prone to falls and when you do hurt yourself, it can be a lot more difficult to recover. Around a third of all people over 65 fall each year, and falls are the single largest cause of emergency hospital admissions amongst the elderly. Do not forget to check your smoke alarms and carbon dioxide monitors regularly as well.

Get plenty of sleep

Sleep is important for anyone of any age, but more so as you get older. It is recommended that you get around hours of sleep a night. Less than this puts you at a higher risk of depression, lack of attention span, clumsiness, memory problems, and various other issues. If you are struggling to drop off, speak to your doctor, but you can also practice good sleep hygiene: not watching TV or being on an electronic device too close to bedtime, a warm, milky drink, and a warm bath, and lavender pillow and bed sprays. Having a routine also helps – try to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.

Vitamin supplements and hydration

Like all of the points we have mentioned so far, this is pretty important for all ages but especially so as you get older. Older people frequently have deficiencies in Folate, vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and Calcium, all of which are essential for proper heart, bone, and general health. In an ideal world, we would get all the nutrients we need from our diet, but this can sometimes be challenging. Supplementing your healthy diet with a vitamin supplement is often a wise solution. In addition, with water making up over three-quarters of our body mass, keeping hydrated is very important. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, confusion, and a loss of appetite. Everyone’s needs are different, so talk to your doctor about the vitamin supplements that are right for you.

Train your brain

Whether it’s Sudoku or crosswords, brain-training games or puzzles, keeping your mind sharp plays a critical part in helping ward off memory loss as you get older. Although brain training games and the like aren’t a guaranteed panacea to memory loss, they are certainly worth doing.

Stay socially active

Remaining socially active is one of the most important things older people can do to keep healthy, both mentally and physically. It is harder as you get older, particularly once you hit retirement age and leave your job and do not have a reason to leave the house and see people every day. Being part of a community and doing things that you enjoy helps to give you meaning in your life. It helps you to avoid loneliness and isolation. Make it part of your routine to reach out to someone you know every day, whether that means popping to the shops with your neighbor, having a coffee with an old friend, or volunteering in a charity shop or as part of a local group.