Give the Employees a Break

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” - Richard Branson

We've all heard of the atrocities going on in the Amazon warehouses. We also know that this is not an isolated issue. There are other companies that seem to think that they can do whatever they want with their employees.

If you treat your employees like automaton, they will eventually burn out or leave.
This issues hit close to home for me. There's a close relative of mine that was recently put on leave ... That person requested vacation on many occasions but the company failed to comply to the request. Saying things like "who would take care of your responsibility if you're away?" ... well who's taking care of things now that this person was forced out?

It's funny when you think about it. On one side, you have people saying that employees are disposable - that it would take a week to replace anyone ... and on the other, you can't give someone a break for more than a week because they are needed every day. So you can go without a person for a week, until you find a replacement, but you can't let that person on vacation for a week.

If the employee requests a vacation, it is the responsibility of the employer to make it happen and they should be moving heaven and earth to make it happen. Everybody deserves a break from time to time.

Blogging Tips: What I learned in 2018

It's been a while since I created a post about blogging tips. I'm a better blogger now. Some lessons I had to learn more than once while others are new. I hope the following tips will help you on your blogging journey.

• Have a backlog. This is particularly useful if blogging is your hobby. Life will get in the way. Be sure to have a few blogs written somewhere that you can use at a moment's notice.
• Keep track of the data. See what blogs post generated the most views, what didn’t, and figure out ways to improve those numbers.
• Figure out the “buzzwords”. For example, when you add “Free” anywhere in your post (where it make sense) it usually generates more views than blogs that don’t.
• Be mindful of current events. Talk about fitness the first month of the year. Make blog post about gifts suggestions around Christmas times. Talk about current worldly affairs that you feel would catch people’s attention the most (Facebook privacy, Trump, etc….)
• Be consistent. Do you want to write every day? Once a week? No matter what you decide, be sure to always follow through.
• Be mindful of social media. Include the standard social media share icons at the end of each post and make sure that your post is properly shown on those social media sites. Do the test yourself - you can't afford not to. (See here on how to get started)
• Reference yourself when it makes sense to do so. Did you previously talked about the subject? Include a link to your previous post. This will bring visibility to older content.
• Include a picture. This goes with the social media point. If you do not include a picture, as part of your post, it won't be shown properly on social media. Be sure that the picture doesn't have any copyrights. There are copyright free images available here.
• Be your best promoter. Be proud of what you've done. Share it with enthusiasm if you want other people to also be excited about it.

What have you learn on your blogging journey? What do you think of the above tips?

You're an Adult Now!

"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self."
-Aristotle

What does it mean to grow? To be an “adult”? When I was very young, I used to look up at adults and think to myself that they not only had all the answers but also could do anything. I saw adults as being the very embodiment of the human experience. What we should all aspire to be.
It was a clean, cut, thing. Overtime, you become and adult. You have all the answers and everybody thinks the same.

Obviously, my thinking eventually changed. I’ve seen adults of all shapes and size with all sorts of different thinking. Many of which I don’t aspire to be like because, while they often act a big game, they don’t particularly do anything that I consider meaningful or beneficial to our common experience that is life.

Now that I’ve been making my way into adulthood I realize that there are no cut out paths. There are many different ways to live life but ultimately there is one thing that adults have in common. They have a better understanding of what life is, who they are, and their roles in all of it.
Some will say that being an adult is about taking responsibility for your life. Working, paying bills, being responsible for what you do. There’s definitely some of that too.
We, as a society, like to put number next to the word “adult” but is there really a time when we magically transition from kid/teen and into adulthood? To say that we all become adults at 18 is kind of odd considering that we’re all different. Some will reach adulthood sooner than others. It’s a “are you ready to be an adult” type of question that you internally answer.

“Age is just a number for me! A person is as young as he feels.”
-Sunny Deal

The funny thing is that I don’t actually feel like an adult. I, for example, am just a big kid trapped in an aging body with a bit more responsibilities than I used to have. Sure, my daily reading has made me a better thinker but it doesn’t change the fact that I feel younger than what my body shows to the world. I still like many things that I used to as a kid.
It’s like after a while, my thinking stopped changing as much.

How about you, what does “being an adult” mean to you?

For Our Planet's Sake!

We know for a fact that plastic is killing our planet then why do we continue using plastic, that can't be recycled, in our products?

According to plasticoceans.org there's an estimated 8 million tons of plastic that makes their way into our oceans. Some of that are getting in fish and ultimately our food.

Let's think about that for a minute.

If you buy a bottle of water, the bottle is recyclable but not the cap. Why the heck not? How many caps makes their way into our oceans?
When you buy a box of chocolate, the box is made of cardboard but the chocolates are placed on a plastic surface, within the box, that is not recyclable. Why not?

While I understand that we won't rid ourselves entirely of plastic, we no longer can afford to make single use plastic that can't be recycled. Every new, and existing, products have to consider this and plan their next move accordingly.

We, as consumers, also need to be more mindful of this and do the necessary changes in our purchasing habits to support a healthier future for our planet. Things that we can do today:

• Stop using straws.
• Bring our own bags when we're shopping.
• Buy products that uses less single use plastic.
• Recycle what can be recycled.

Let's decrease that 8 million tons of plastic/year to 2-3 millions for 2019. What other ways can you think of that would help our planet?

Stick to your Fitness Goals!

I dread this time of the year because the gyms are jam-packed no matter what time you go in(and I go between 5-8am). Don't get me wrong, I love that people want to get back in shape - I just hate that most will give up on their goals by the end of the first month of their membership...

Stick to it!

It sometime takes years to get overweight. Then why are we expecting to be back in shape in just a few days? Give yourself at least 3 months to see any sorts of meaningful progress. Here are a few tips for you:

• It starts with a goal. The goal needs to be detailed. Make it realistic, set a deadline for it and remember to review the results weekly to determine progress and make the necessary adjustments to achieve it.
• Learn the difference between fat and muscle weight. Remember that muscle weight more than fat. Do research on BMI and be sure to include that in your calculation for weight lost/gains.
• The diet is everything.I said it before ... you can't outwork a bad diet. Sure, you will still get some results when you workout with a bad diet but not as much, or as fast, as you would with a diet that support your fitness goals.
• Give it your all! Working out is not just about lifting a set of weight 30 times and calling it a day. You're not just going in to put a check-mark on some worksheet checklist. You're working out because you have a goal. You're working out because you're tired of how things are today. You want change - prove it!
• Mix it up. On the bodybuilding scene, there's something called "muscle memory" which is basically your body being accustomed to the workout you're doing to the point where you're barely getting any results from them anymore. When you feel like you've plateaued, change your workout a bit. Add more weights, do different machines ... anything to surprise your body and force it to adjust. It will also keep you interested for longer.
• Join a class. The gym is a wonderful place to meet people with similar goals as you. You are more likely to stay on track when you have an entourage that is working towards the same thing as you. Join a class, get a fitness body. Be accountable to someone.
• It takes time. Be at peace with that. You will feel like you're dying for a bit and you won't see any results - but changes are happening. Give it time. It may of took you years to get in the shape that you got - you will not change that overnight.
• Learn about fitness. We are interested in the things that we know. Learn about fitness and all of it's intricacies to keep you engage. Read magazines/blog/books - checkout some online videos.
• Make it fun! To me, working out is a game. Can I lift more today than I did last week? Will I meet my buddy, Jerry, again at the gym?

Stick to it. Remember, you paid for that membership. Might as well use it to the fullest.