'Reboot' Your Brain and Refresh Your Focus in 15 Minutes or Less

'Reboot' Your Brain and Refresh Your Focus in 15 Minutes or Less

Stephanie Vozza

Ever wish you could hit the reset button on your brain

the way you do when you reboot your computer?

Marissa Vicario, a New York-based certified health and wellness coach,

says it's not only possible; it should be a regular part of your day.

"As an entrepreneur, it's important to take care of yourself," she says. "If you aren't at your best,

the people you serve and the people who work for you can't be at their best either."

Vicario suggests building specific moments into your day to step away and clear your mind.

Here are five quick things you can do to refresh your focus:

1. Take a walk outside.
When you sit still, your body systems are at rest, says Vicario. Moving your body helps wake up

your mitochondria, the part of your cells that generate energy. She says taking a brisk walk

several times per week can make your mitochondria double in size, which helps the body produce more energy. The combination of fresh air and exercise also stimulates blood flow 

to the brain so you can re-gain clarity and focus.

"If you're stuck on a problem or are having difficulty thinking creatively, getting up

and walking around can give you a completely different perspective," says Vicario.

And if you can't get outside for a walk, do a lap or two around the office

or even stretch at your desk. Just moving your body helps.

2. Drink a glass of water.
Most Americans are chronically dehydrated, says Vicario,

and studies show dehydration can slow down brain function.

"If you find you're lacking focus, taking a break for a glass of water

can perk you up just like watering a plant," she says.

Vicario suggests drinking in ounces half your body weight each day.

For example, a 120-pound woman should have 60 ounces of water a day, 

or about eight 8-ounce glasses. If the taste bores you, add mint leaves or slices of lemon, 

orange, lime or cucumbers.

3. Breathe in or diffuse lemon essential oil.
Keep a small bottle of lemon essential oil at your desk, suggests Vicario,

and inhale it from the bottle or add a drop to a cotton ball. This will naturally refocus your mind.

"Citrus or spicy scents stimulate the nervous system and reenergize you," says Vicario.

Eucalyptus and rosemary can also have a similar effect.

4. Eat something healthy.
A healthy snack can stabilize blood sugar, stave off hunger pangs and assist

with healthy brain function. Vicario suggests keeping trail mix, nuts, seeds and dried fruit

in your desk. Other healthy snacks include a piece of whole grain toast with avocado, 

celery sticks and nut butter. "The snack should have protein and carbohydrates, 

which will help balance your blood sugar," she says. 

Foods that are high in sugar will cause a quick spike and drop in your blood sugar. 

This will create a cycle of feeling energized and then tired,

which is draining over the course of the day.

5. Take a nap.
When you're your own boss, a quick nap is something you can schedule into your day.

A 20-minute nap provides significant benefits for improved alertness and performance,

according to the National Sleep Foundation. While research shows that it can refresh the mind

and boost creativity, you shouldn't let yourself snooze longer.

"If you sleep longer than 20 minutes, you'll wake up groggy," says Vicario.

"If you are constantly needing a nap, though, it's time to get more sleep at night."

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229351

Turbo Charged Reading: Read fast>>>Remember all>>>Years later

Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com  

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

The Business of Conservation

Yellow archangel.

The Business of Conservation

Leila Janah

What do you see when you think of a conservationist?

Most people think of a hippie in hemp clothing and a picket sign. 

That's old school. The new conservation is all about incentives. Conservation today understands behavioral economics and uses ideas from the business world to save the environment.

I discussed this live today on Facebook (you can tune in every weekday at 9am PT here),

and shared some cool new environmental business models.

We’ve long thought of conservation as something to do with the money we make from business--that we should first make a lot of money, then donate it to charity. 

What we really should be doing Is questioning the business model that led us to the problem we’re trying to fix with philanthropy. Traditional business (maximize profit at the expense of community, environment, or workers) tends to perpetuate those problems, 

and a charity-only model isn’t sustainable.

I'm especially excited about conservation incentives.

My friend Dale Lewis moved to Africa in the 1980s to stop elephant poaching. He soon realized

that local farmers were killing elephants because they needed the income to survive.

So he got them together, told them he'd pay them a premium price for their crops,

and started a brand to retail the finished products.

The farmers realized they'd make more money with Dale, so they stopped poaching.

Voila -- conservation incentives began. Dale created an organization called COMACO 

that organizes the farmers, 

and he retails premium products like jam and peanut butter under the brand 

“It’s Wild” that uses those peanuts to make peanut butter that is sold to consumers

at a premium price. The sales revenue is then used to pay the farmers more for their effort

and to expand the COMACO program.

I was inspired by Dale to form our new luxury skincare line, Laxmi. Our star ingredient, Nilotica,

is in danger due to land-clearing for cash crops. To help preserve the plant and the region,

we’re creating a market for premium Nilotica -- showing local women that they can earn more by sustainably harvesting ingredients than by clearing land for cash crops.  

(You can try out our product at bylaxmi.com and use the code earthday20

to recieve 20% off your order - today and this weekend only.)

What's cool about conservation incentives is that they appeal to people's actual, 

observed behavior, rather than asking them to be saints. 

This approach is realistic, and it works in the long run.

It also takes local needs into account -- conservation isn't just about keeping the earth beautiful.

It's about ensuring no one lives in poverty.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/business-conservation-leila-janah?trk=pulse-det-nav_art

Turbo Charged Reading: Read fast>>>Remember all>>>Years later

Contact M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

www.facebook.com/mreenhunt

www.pinterest.com/mreenhunt

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com    

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

TurboChargedReading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com      many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com     just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.” 

How to Change Your Poor Personal Reputation at Work

(White) daisy, (purple) ivy-leaved toadflax, yellow corydalis.

How to Change Your Poor Personal Reputation at Work

Doug and Polly White

Changing the way others see us is difficult -- very difficult.

Here’s why: People form opinions about us, fairly or unfairly. As an example,

say that others believe that you’re overly harsh or critical. Humans like to be right, right? 

Therefore, once an opinion is formed, we tend to look for evidence that supports our beliefs. Conversely, we ignore behavior that contradicts our thinking. 

This is particularly true when the thing that contradicts our perception of someone 

is the absence of a bad behavior -- a non-behavior.

We have worked with several mid- and senior-level executives to help them change

their colleagues' perceptions. In one case, an executive was known for being very direct.

He didn’t mince words when he saw a problem or something that could be improved.

His subordinates came to expect his criticisms

and were used to hearing him voice them in front of their coworkers.

So, he changed: The executive began seeing that his behavior was having a negative effect

on the groups he led. He found out, for example, that some of his direct reports

labeled his office “the gates of hell.” So, he started to watch what he said. This executive 

then actually managed to go for several days without as much as one critical word.

But he slipped. He criticized one of his direct reports in front of the entire team at a meeting –

and immediately regretted his behavior. Yet it was too late. He had said something harsh.

And that action reinforced others' perception of him.

The trouble with getting others to see and believe in a change in the offending person's behavior is that people are unlikely to think,
“That’s the first harsh thing I’ve heard the boss say in a few days.”
Instead, people are more likely to think,

“Yep, just what I thought, always negative.”

So, even though you, the offending person, may have improved, say, 95 percent,
that one slip will reinforce what people think; perceptions will remain unchanged.

This is why changing the way people see you is so difficult.

Still, changing how you're perceived is not impossible. The key is to get people to notice

your improved behavior, something that is unlikely to happen without some prompting word

or phrase from you. A technique that has worked well for us over the years is to ask for help

from the person whose opinion you want to change.

In the case of our executive-client,
we had him enlist the help of a couple of his key subordinates.

He did this by saying, “I have received feedback that I am too critical and I know it’s true.

I’m trying to be less negative, but changing is difficult. Would you be willing to help me?”

In our experience, this request usually gets a favorable response.

Generally, people ask, “What can I do to help?” This was the case with the executive.

He explained that he wanted his observers to pay close attention to his behavior

and note every time he said something that could be perceived as harsh.

He then met individually with them to get their feedback.

After several weeks of identifying only a limited number of times when the executive was harsh,

his observers began to accept that he had changed.
There was the added benefit that they began to spread the word to others within the organization. Over time, the executive was able to reduce the frequency of these feedback sessions.
And once he and others had accepted the new behaviors as normal,
he was able to phase-out the sessions altogether.

He was able to get people to notice a non-behavior.

One caution here: Don’t start this process unless you are serious about making a change.

If you ask for feedback but don’t make the necessary change,

you’ll only call attention to your bad behavior more. You’ll make the situation worse.

Changing the perception that others have of you is hard work, but, with persistence, it’s do-able.

The process we've outlined here is the best one we have found

for getting people to notice positive behavioral change.

That way, you can finally stop worrying that others are describing your office
as the "gates of hell."

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/273093?utm_campaign=zergnet_966451&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=zergnet.com

You can TCR software/engineering manuals for spontaneous recall – or pass that exam.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

www.facebook.com/mreenhunt

www.pinterest.com/mreenhunt

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com    

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com    many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com   just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

A New Business Model

A beautiful cornflower.

You can TCR music, poetry or self development material for internal knowing.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

www.facebook.com/mreenhunt

www.pinterest.com/mreenhunt

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com    

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com      many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com    just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

How entrepreneurs can succeed at work without blowing up their marriages

Yellow flag likes damp or marshy ground. So don't park your car there :).

How entrepreneurs can succeed at work without blowing up their marriages

5 Gifts for Building a Great Relationship with Your Spouse

Michael Hyatt

If I had a dollar for every time people asked my wife, Gail, how she lives with an entrepreneur,

I wouldn’t have to be one. Scratch that. I would probably figure out how to get more people

to ask the question. (Sorry, I can’t help myself!)

Being an entrepreneur is part of who I am. And that creates some interesting challenges

and opportunities in our marriage. If you are—or are married to—an entrepreneur,

corporate executive, ministry leader, or any other kind of driven,

“Type A” personality, you know what I mean.

Making Marriage Work

Gail and I approach marriage with a few basic assumptions:

Marriage attracts opposites;

Marriage takes work;

Marriage is a long-term project; and

Marriage works best when each party serves the other.

The attraction is the easy part, isn’t it? It’s those other words—work, project, serve—

where the challenges come in. But that’s also where we find the opportunities.

So how can we work through the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities?

Gail and I have had thirty-six years to work out the kinks.

What we’ve discovered is that it comes down to an exchange of gifts.

I’m not talking jewellery and surprise vacations.

There’s nothing wrong with those, but I’m talking about something far more valuable.

There are five gifts each partner can give to the other to help build a happy marriage.

5 Gifts from Spouses to Entrepreneurs

If you are married to an entrepreneur, you can help him or her (and yourself)

by giving these five gifts. Gail came up with this list. I would characterize these as gifts of support:

The gift of belief. There is a lot of risk in the entrepreneurial life.

I’m someone who struggles with fear and doubt, and it makes all the difference for Gail to say,

“You have what it takes”—especially when I lose sight of that myself.

The gift of appreciation. Facing all that risk can be taxing.

But when I see my sacrifices are appreciated, it lights my fire.

Gratitude from Gail motivates me like nothing else. It also makes me deeply grateful for her.

The gift of affirmation. The entrepreneurial lifestyle involves long hours,

sometimes away from home. It would be easy for Gail to go negative.

But by affirming what she loves about me—those things that attracted her in the first place—

it enables both of us to stay positive. And that means when we have to have tough conversations, we have the relational equity we need to grow, not crumble.

The gift of perspective. The intense focus of entrepreneurs enables massive creativity

and achievement, but it can come at the cost of perspective. I can easily think that everything

in my world rises or falls with the next project. Gail keeps the wide angle I sometimes lose.

The gift of commitment. Given the risk inherent to the entrepreneurial lifestyle,

some of the most important words we can hear are, “We’re in this together.”

I love hearing that from Gail.

Communicating that kind of commitment can get a couple through almost anything.

I’ve received all of these gifts in abundance from Gail. And I’m convinced I wouldn’t have

the resources I need without them. They are a huge part of my success—even my sanity.

But this is only half the picture.

5 Gifts from Entrepreneurs to Their Spouses

A great marriage requires investment from both parties. So how do entrepreneurs

achieve their dreams without sabotaging their marriage in the process? If you are the entrepreneur in your marriage, you can help your spouse (and yourself) by giving him or her these five gifts:

The gift of honor. Our spouses are more important than our work, whatever that work may be.

To give this gift, we esteem and value what our spouses esteem and value. We give priority

to their priorities, and use our words to praise and uplift, especially when our spouses are absent.

The gift of awareness. It’s easy in the hyper focus of hard-drivers to see themselves as the center

of the show. We’re not—no matter how much money we make. We need to be aware of

all the material and nonmaterial contributions our spouses make to our lives.

The gift of inclusion. Including our spouses in our businesses creates intimacy, builds trust,

and brings us together. Whether it’s just receiving input or counsel, or getting into the nitty-gritty details of the business, our marriages win if we keep our spouses in the loop.

The gift of commitment. We talked about this in the previous list.

But this is an essential gift for both spouses to give and receive.

It’s critical to make this commitment concrete and observable in our actions.

The gift of trust. Because the entrepreneurial life is risky, it’s easy to default to fear.

So many things can go wrong. To counter that, we can over-function and become workaholics.

That ends up taking, not giving. Instead, we can bless our spouse by realizing it doesn’t all hang on our solitary shoulders—something that goes back to developing an attitude of abundance.

Keeping the Trend Line up and to the Right

I said at the beginning that marriage is a life-long project. In business we talk about growth

as keeping the revenue trend moving up and to the right. It’s the same thing here.

I want my marriage to be constantly improving, always going to the next level.

If marriage involves opposites, it’s going to involve some friction. But what if instead of seeing friction in our marriages as a challenge, we saw it as an opportunity? I

nstead of striking the same note, we can make some beautiful harmonies.

Marriage involves opposites. That means either friction or some beautiful harmonies.

Tweet Quote

These simple but priceless gifts have seen us through more than three decades of marriage so far. We’ve never been perfect, but our marriage has never been better. Of course, this only scratches the surface. Gail and I have an in-depth, three-part conversation about these gifts and how they work in our marriage on my podcast. You can listen to the episodes here (part 1, part 2, and part 3).

We really believe it’s possible to accomplish our entrepreneurial dreams,

our leadership dreams, without blowing up our marriages.

Better than that, we can have great marriages if we’re proactive—and generous.

http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-marry-an-entrepreneur.html

You can pre-read all your course material for internal knowing.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

www.facebook.com/mreenhunt

www.pinterest.com/mreenhunt

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com    

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com       many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com      just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

8 Steps to Having Wildly Productive Mornings

Tesal reaching for the sky.

8 Steps to Having Wildly Productive Mornings

James Clear

You’ll wake up for about 25,000 mornings in your adult life, give or take a few.

According to a report from the World Health Organization, the average life expectancy in the

United States is 79 years old. Most people in wealthy nations are hovering around the 80–year mark. Women in Japan are the highest, with an average life expectancy of 86 years.

If we use these average life expectancy numbers and assume that your adult life starts

at 18 years old, then you’ve got about 68 years as an adult. (86 – 18 = 68)

Perhaps a little less on average. A little more if you’re lucky.

(68 years as an adult) x (365 days each year) = 24,820 days.

Once I realized this, I started thinking about how I could develop a better morning routine.

I still have a lot to learn, but here are some strategies that you can use to get the most 

out of your 25,000 mornings.

Here are eight strategies that I’ve found to be most effective for getting the most 

out of my morning:

1. Manage your energy, not your time.
If you take a moment to think about it, you’ll probably realize that you are better at

doing certain tasks at certain times. For example, my creative energy is highest in the morning,

so that’s when I do my writing each day.

By comparison, I block out my afternoons for interviews, phone calls, and emails.

I don’t need my creative energy to be high for those tasks, so that’s the best time for me

to get them done. And I tend to have my best workouts in the late afternoon or early evening,

so that’s when I head to the gym.

What type of energy do you have in the morning? What task is that energy best suited for?

2. Prepare the night before.
I don’t do this nearly as often as I should, but if you only do one thing each day

then spend a few minutes each night organizing your to–do list for tomorrow.

When I do it right, I’ll outline the article I’m going to write the next day

and develop a short list of the most important items for me to accomplish.

It takes 10 minutes that night and saves 3 hours the next day.

3. Don’t open email until noon.
Sounds simple. Nobody does it. It took me awhile to get over the urge to open my inbox,

but eventually I realized that everything can wait a few hours. 

Nobody is going to email you about a true emergency (a death in the family, etc.), 

so leave your email alone for the first few hoursof each day. 

Use the morning to do what’s important rather than responding to what is “urgent.”

4. Turn your phone off and leave it in another room.
Or on your colleagues desk. Or at the very least, put it somewhere that is out of sight.

This eliminates the urge to check text messages, Facebook, Twitter, and so on.

This simple strategy eliminates the likelihood of slipping into half–work 

where you waste time dividing your attention among meaningless tasks.

5. Work in a cool place.
Have you ever noticed how you feel groggy and sluggish in a hot room? Turning the temperature down or moving to a cooler place is an easy way to focus your mind and body.

(Hat tip to Michael Hyatt for this one.)

6. Sit up or stand up.
Your mind needs oxygen to work properly. Your lungs need to be able to expand and contract

to fill your body with oxygen. That sounds simple enough, but here’s the problem:

most people sit hunched over while staring at a screen and typing.

When you sit hunched over, your chest is in a collapsed position and your diaphragm is

pressing against the bottom of your lungs, which hinders your ability to breathe easily and deeply. Sit up straight or stand up and you’ll find that you can breathe easier and more fully.

As a result, your brain will get more oxygen and you’ll be able to concentrate better.

(Small tip: When sitting, I usually place a pillow in the small of my back.

This prevents my lower back from rounding, which keeps me more upright.)

7. Eat as a reward for working hard.
I practice intermittent fasting, which means that I eat my first meal around noon each day.

I’ve been doing this for almost two years. There are plenty of health benefits,

which I explained in great detail  here.

But health is just one piece of the puzzle. I also fast because it allows me to get more out of my day. Take a moment to think about how much time people spend each day thinking, planning,

and consuming food. By adopting intermittent fasting, I don’t waste an hour each morning

figuring out what to eat for breakfast, cooking it, and cleaning up.

Instead, I use my morning to work on things that are important to me.

Then, I eat good food and big meals as a reward for working hard.

8. Develop a “pre–game routine” to start your day.
My morning routine starts by pouring a cold glass of water. Some people kick off their day

with ten minutes of meditation. Similarly, you should have a sequence that starts your morning ritual. This tiny routine signals to your brain that it’s time to get into work mode or exercise mode

or whatever mode you need to be in to accomplish your task. Additionally, a pre–game routine helps you overcome a lack of motivation and get things done even when you don’t feel like it.

The Power of a Morning Routine

Just as it’s rare for anyone to experience overnight success, it’s also rare for our lives

o crumble to pieces in an instant. Most unproductive or unhealthy behaviors are the result of slow, gradual choices that add up to bad habits. 

A wasted morning here. An unproductive morning there.

The good news is that exceptional results are also the result of consistent daily choices.

Nowhere is this more true than with your morning routine.

The way you start your day is often the way that you finish it.

Take, for example, Jack LaLanne. He woke up each day at 4am and spent the first 90 minutes

lifting weights. Then, he went for a swim or a run for the next 30 minutes. 

For more than 60 years, he spent each morning doing this routine. 

In addition to being one of the most influential people in fitness in the last 100 years, 

LaLanne also lived to the ripe old age of 96.

This is no coincidence. What you do each morning is an indicator of how you approach

your entire day. It’s the choices that we repeatedly make that determine the life we live,

the health we enjoy, and the work we create.

You’ve got 25,000 mornings. What will you do with each one?

A version of this article previously appeared on JamesClear.com. For useful ideas on improving your mental and physical performance, join his free weekly newsletter.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230240

You can TCR software and engineering manuals for spontaneous recall – or pass that exam.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

www.facebook.com/mreenhunt

www.pinterest.com/mreenhunt

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com    

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

468 Faster-eft. Public Speaking fear isn't really about speaking publicly!

 

 Frosted sycamore leaf.

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com  

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

The brand formerly known as "Prince": what the rock icon teaches us about branding and legacy

The brand formerly known as "Prince": 

what the rock icon teaches us about branding and legacy

Yesterday, the world said “good bye” to an innovator.  Born Prince Rogers Nelson, the singer, songwriter, and style icon made a mark on the world of music and fashion.

In 1993, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, something Prince called

a “love symbol.”  At the time he was reportedly fed up with his record label, was trying to get out of his contract, and wanted to make a break from the past (according to an interview with Larry King

in 1999).  So, he reached out to graphic designer Mitch Monson, with Trollback and Company

in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, to design a symbol that represented the artist – androgynous, edgy, and whimsical. 

So, as we reflect on the man and his career, what can Prince teach us about branding:

1. The brand does not belong to the company.
    It belongs to those with a relationship to the brand.

To reproduce the love symbol in print required a special font (which the label had to send out

on floppy discs to editors and journalists).  And in the end, most didn’t even try. 

The media started referring to him as “the artist formerly known as Prince,” a moniker that stuck.  This became his brand, even after he started using his name again for stage performances

and albums.  Even fans, who might have been puzzled by the change, found ways to refer to him.  This is a lesson for marketers who think they can control their brand.  The brand is truly owned by those who interact with the company, its employees, it’s products, and in the end,

build both a logical and emotional connection. 

The best we can do as leaders and brand managers is to influence how people perceive the brand

by putting ourselves in their shoes and advocating for what they need.

2. There is power in color

The artist solidified his relationship with the iconic purple shade with his very popular “Purple Rain” album and movie.  In memorials all over the world this week, the color purple has been featured prominently.  It reminds me that in the world of marketing, which is now dominated by data analysis and ROI discussions, that there are some basics that can’t be ignored and one is the power of color.  McDonald’s red and orange, Coca-Cola’s red, IKEA’s blue and yellow, Facebook blue,

Amazon’s orange smile (smirk?), John Deere green, Crown Royal’s velvet purple, and many other brand color associations are very strong and help propel the brand’s expansion into new markets and offerings.   Most people don’t have a signature color, but when we think of branding,

having a distinctive color way is part of what the leading brands and artists rely on to communicate what they want their brand to stand for.  Purple was perfect for Prince’s brand,

as it speaks to royalty, creativity, and the spiritual.  A few years ago, Fast Company published

an exceptional article about the impact of color on brand that is worth reading.

3. Brand building involves risk

It is said that his record sales after the name change fell precipitously, but he secured his place

as an eccentric and passionate artist who was forging his own path.  Other leading brands

have reinvented themselves over the years, to emerge stronger and more engaged with their users, but that isn’t without pain in the process. 

I think of what Netflix did with their DVD customers when they moved the brand to streaming

and rebranded it’s DVD service as “Qwikster” (a brand they have since shuttered. 

 We can all think of other rebranding, packaging design, or logo design blunders. 

But those who live through the transition (and don’t change for change sake), can reap rewards.

And perhaps the most important thing that Prince taught us about branding this week, is that brands are a legacy.  They have value.  They spark emotion.  They are celebrated and mourned. 

And, no matter what tragedy strikes, they live on.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brand-formerly-known-prince-what-rock-icon-teaches-us-jennifer-davis?trk=pulse-det-nav_art

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

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Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com    

All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.

TurboChargedReading uses these skills significantly faster

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com      many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com     just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”