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The Educational Value Of Board Games

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Board games have been a source of entertainment for centuries, engaging players of all ages in various challenges. Beyond their entertainment value, board games also offer significant educational benefits. They foster cognitive development, enhance critical thinking, and promote social skills. Among these games, chess stands out as a potent educational tool.

Cognitive Development

Board games are excellent for cognitive development, especially in children. They often require players to memorize rules, recall past moves, and plan future strategies, all of which engage and strengthen the brain. Games like “Memory” and “Scrabble” are designed to boost memory and language skills. Memory games improve a player’s ability to recognize patterns and recall details, while word games expand vocabulary and spelling abilities.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

Many board games are built around the concept of strategy, requiring players to think critically and solve problems. Games such as “Risk” and “Catan” challenge players to think several steps ahead, weighing the potential outcomes of different actions. This kind of strategic thinking is invaluable in real-world situations, where planning and foresight are essential.

Chess, one of the oldest and most revered board games, is a prime example of a game that fosters critical thinking. Each move in chess must be carefully considered, as it affects not only the current state of the game but also future possibilities. Players must anticipate their opponent’s moves and develop a flexible strategy to adapt to the changing board. This level of deep thinking and analysis can significantly enhance cognitive abilities and improve decision-making skills.

Social Skills and Teamwork

Board games are inherently social activities that often require players to interact, communicate, and collaborate. Games like “Pandemic” and “Ticket to Ride” require players to work together toward a common goal, promoting teamwork and cooperation. These interactions help players develop important social skills such as communication, negotiation, and empathy.

Playing board games also teaches players how to handle winning and losing gracefully. The competitive nature of these games often leads to a range of emotions, and players learn to manage these feelings healthily. This emotional regulation is a crucial skill that extends far beyond the gaming table.

Educational Benefits of Chess

Chess, in particular, has been extensively studied for its educational benefits. It is not just a game of kings and queens but also a powerful tool for developing a range of cognitive and social skills. Schools around the world have integrated chess into their curricula, recognizing its potential to enhance student learning.

  1. Improving Concentration and Focus: Chess requires intense concentration and focus. Players must pay attention to every move and anticipate their opponent’s strategies. This sustained focus can translate to better concentration in academic settings, improving students’ ability to stay on task and absorb information.
  2. Enhancing Memory: Chess players must remember a vast array of moves, strategies, and counter-strategies. This constant exercise of memory can lead to improved recall and retention of information, benefiting students in subjects that require memorization, such as history and science.
  3. Developing Critical Thinking: Chess is often referred to as the “game of kings” because it involves strategic thinking, planning, and foresight. Players learn to think multiple steps ahead, evaluate different scenarios, and make decisions based on logic and reasoning. These skills are directly applicable to problem-solving in academic and real-world situations.
  4. Encouraging Patience and Discipline: Chess is a game of patience and discipline. Players must wait for the right moment to execute their strategies and avoid impulsive moves. This patience and discipline can help students approach their studies and other tasks with a more measured and thoughtful mindset.
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Lifelong Learning and Enjoyment

Board games are not just for children; they offer educational benefits for adults as well. Games that involve complex strategies and deep thinking can help keep the adult brain sharp and engaged. Additionally, the social aspect of board games provides a fun and interactive way for adults to connect with others and develop their social skills.

For families, playing board games together can create bonding opportunities and promote a love of learning. Parents can use games as a tool to teach valuable life skills, from basic math and reading to more complex strategic thinking.

There You Go

Board games are more than just a source of entertainment. They are powerful educational tools that can enhance cognitive development, critical thinking, and social skills. Chess, in particular, stands out for its ability to improve concentration, memory, and strategic thinking. Whether played by children or adults, board games offer a unique and enjoyable way to learn and grow, making them an invaluable addition to any educational toolkit.

Friends, what are your favorite games to play? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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The Many Benefits of Arts and Crafts for Children

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Encouraging creativity and self-expression from a young age can provide children with skills that will
serve them throughout their lives. Arts and crafts provide a perfect outlet for developing key abilities
and bringing joy and satisfaction through hands-on activities. There are abundant reasons why
parents and teachers should foster participation in arts and crafts during childhood.

Develops Motor Skills

Arts and crafts help children build dexterity and strength in their hands and fingers—key
components of motor skill development. As young kids manipulate objects like scissors, paint
brushes, glue sticks, crayons, and more, they gain precision in small muscle groups. The motions
involved in cutting, tracing, folding, squeezing, and other craft motions improve hand-eye
coordination too. Over time, engaging in arts and crafts translates to competence with tasks like
writing, dressing, sports, and computer use.

Enhances Creativity

Crafting lets kids flex their imagination and creative thinking skills. They can dream up their
ideas or put new spins on existing concepts. There’s no limit to what they can invent through art
and exploring different mediums gives them a canvas to produce original works. It’s not about rigid
instructions but seeing where their ingenuity takes them. Nurturing inherent innovation from
toddlerhood helps cement cognitive flexibility that aids in problem-solving and adaptability later on.

Teaches Planning and Patience

To bring an arts and craft vision to life requires forethought and dedication. Children learn how to
plan out steps, gather materials, and set up their workspace. Complex projects also necessitate
sticking with tasks even when frustration arises before achieving the desired result. Kids who
regularly engage in arts and crafts cultivate patience and coping mechanisms for pushing through
challenges to fully realize an end goal. These psychological tools pay dividends when applied to
tough situations in and out of school.

Fosters Self-Esteem

When children have the freedom to design projects aligned with their budding interests and
personalities, they gain confidence and pride. Seeing ideas manifest into completed art boosts self-
assurance and validates creative potential. Displaying finished products allows them to receive
praise and positive reactions from others. Young kids who regularly participate in arts and crafts
tend to have higher self-esteem regarding their skills and individuality. Their mentality embraces
that they have distinctive talents rather than comparing themselves to peers.

Promotes Emotional Growth

Self-expression plays a tremendous role in emotional health and regulation from the toddler years
onward. Arts and crafts give children constructive ways to recognize, process, and communicate their feelings.

Emotions like happiness, sadness, frustration, hope, and love can all translate into
colors, shapes, textures, and compositions. Exploring different facets internally helps kids better
relate to themselves and have clarity when conveying experiences. As language and literacy skills
progress, written elements expand means for articulating emotions too through journals, poems,
captions, and stories.

Encourages Out-of-the-Box Thinking

Arts and crafts nurture the ability to move past conventional ideas to stretch possibilities outside the
box. Activities centered on invention steer children to develop novel uses for everyday items
and see ordinary things in extraordinary ways. Building, painting, or crafting without fixed guidelines
compels tapping into unbridled imagination. Divergent thinking widens perspectives, sparking
deeper insight and awakening entrepreneurial problem-solving abilities. Kids carry these mental
skills for generating unconventional concepts into their studies, relationships, career paths, and
unknown future obstacles requiring “light bulb” moments.

Supplies can be found easily online from sites like The Bead Traders and Amazon or local craft stores
like Michael’s and Joann Fabrics. With affordable materials on hand, kids can explore endless arts
and crafts endeavors from beading to painting, leatherwork to candle making, scrapbooking, model
building, and everything in between!

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4 Essentials For A Start-Up To Consider

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It’s been claimed that starting a business is the most difficult thing to undertake. Taking a business from the startup phase to the expansion phase is even more difficult. New difficulties will arise as your firm expands, but careful planning and decisive action will help you overcome these roadblocks and build a prosperous company. In this article, we’ll go over some of the fundamentals for expanding your business. Read on to find out how to advance your company.

Investing In The Right Team 

 To grow, a company must first invest in the proper people. It’s important to build a team with the knowledge and experience to drive the firm forward. Although it may be costly to hire top personnel, it is well worth it in the long run. Having a competent team on hand to guide your company’s expansion is crucial, but so is fostering an environment that rewards and promotes original thought and fresh approaches to problems.

Create A Solid Strategy 

If you’re a startup with big plans for expansion, you need a solid business strategy. Your business plan should detail the aims and objectives of your organisation, as well as the means through which they will be attained. Along with pitch decks and business plans, you’ll need financial estimates to show investors how much money they can make from your firm. You can use this data to improve your chances of being approved for a loan or grant from a financial institution.

Use All The Tools Available

Expanding enterprises can greatly benefit from the use of technology. Many previously labour-intensive tasks can now be automated with the help of current technologies like cloud computing and smartphone apps, freeing up employees for more imaginative work. Moreover, several solutions offer superior support and control over data, letting you glean insights from client behaviour and patterns to guide your future actions.

In addition, think about spending money on marketing automation software or other digital marketing tools; these programmes help simplify processes like content distribution, email campaign management, and customer connection building. Using these methods, you can increase the number of people you market to while spending less time and energy doing so. You should have a look at how to get funding for a startup.

Make Sure You Take Care Of Your Clients 

Providing first-rate support to existing customers is crucial to expanding to new markets. Because if they aren’t pleased with what you provide, your consumers won’t come back, and your business will suffer. To that end, make sure your staff has received adequate training in areas like handling client enquiries and complaints in a timely manner. You could also think about spending money on automated solutions like chatbots and virtual assistants to help you swiftly and efficiently respond to your client’s information needs.

In sum, expanding operations is a thrilling yet complex endeavour that need for thoughtful preparation. Businesses have the best chance of succeeding while expanding their operations if they follow the aforementioned procedures and invest in skilled workers, cutting-edge technology, and customer service efforts.

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Achieving Your Health and Fitness Goals Before Spring Comes Around: 13 Unmissable Tips

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Becoming healthier and fitter are among the most common New Year’s resolutions in the US and worldwide, with millions of people sharing the same goals. However, keeping up with these goals during the winter months is all but easy! After all, with outside temperatures being so low, it’s a lot easier to cozy up on the sofa and skip the gym again. 

Nonetheless, the warmer days of spring are just around the corner! And, there is no better time to start getting ready for the good season ahead. With the tips below, you can start looking after your fitness and health to achieve your goals before the end of winter. Let’s get started!

Take a Hard Look at Your Current Health Status and Lifestyle

To understand what to do to improve your health and fitness, it is important to take a good, honest look at your current health status and lifestyle. 

Evaluate your daily habits and overall health – anything from regular exercise to nutrition, sleep pattern, and stress levels – so you can identify areas that may require improvement. Consult with your healthcare provider if you need more professional help and get the right advice for improving your current condition.

Keep Up With the Necessary Health Checkups

Take the time to go for necessary health checkups such as your annual physicals, blood tests, and any other visits suggested by your doctor. This is essential in keeping track of changes in your body’s overall well-being and helps you stay ahead of any potential illnesses later on. 

Such routine exams can help diagnose issues quickly if they arise, allowing you proper care before the situation progresses further and complications begin to arise.

Make an Appointment With Your Dentist and Optician

Make an appointment with your Dentist and optician to ensure you’re up-to-date with necessary health checkups. Regular dental cleanings can prevent cavities, while exams by opticians help keep eyesight clear of any conditions that may impact mobility or quality of life. 

An eye exam will also identify risk factors for other illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. On the other hand, a clean and healthy smile can have an extremely positive impact on your mental and physical well-being!

Make Sure You Are Getting Enough Sleep Each Night

Making sure you get enough sleep each night is essential for your overall health. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality, uninterrupted rest to boost your energy levels and reduce stress. Avoid screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime – for example, you can try winding down with some calming music or reading instead.

Additionally, make sure to start building a consistent bedtime routine and try to go to bed at the same time each night. 

Start Incorporating Meditation Into Your Life

If you are looking to reduce stress levels and become more aware of the world around you, take some time each day to meditate and practice mindfulness. 

Focus on connecting with your inner self and calming your thoughts. Develop strategies like deep breathing, body scanning, and progressive muscle relaxation to support your mental health. If your goal is to improve your mental health, stress levels, and reactions to problems and situations, you can use this practice as a sanctuary of peace for yourself!

Invest in the Services of a Personal Trainer

Investing in the services of a personal trainer is an excellent way to become healthier and get back in shape before spring. A professional can help you set attainable goals, create a custom workout program tailored to your needs and provide guidance on proper technique and form that can help prevent injury. 

Create a More Active Daily Routine

Making an effort to create a more active and dynamic lifestyle for yourself is critical to improving your overall health. If you are unsure how to start, consider incorporating regular exercise at least 3 days a week – this could include taking up new sports or activities such as yoga, pilates, or swimming. 

Additionally, if you are looking for effortless ways to boost your step count, you should consider switching to public transport and cycling for your daily commute. 

Take On New Sports, Hobbies, and Activities

Taking on new sports, hobbies, and activities is a great way to boost your overall mental and physical well-being – and, it can also improve your cognitive skills and self-confidence!

Join a local basketball team, start salsa lessons, or try sailing – exploring different pastimes will not only keep your mind away from stress but also helps you create a more active routine.

Rethink Your Diet – And Consult a Nutritionist!

Eating healthy and balanced meals is essential for staying fit and healthy. And, generally, you should focus your diet on highly nutritious, natural, and unprocessed foods, such as vegetables, fruit, legumes, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. 

However, every person has unique needs, goals, and requirements. Because of this, you should not think twice about partnering with a professional nutritionist. A nutritionist can provide you with advice and guidance on how to create a meal plan that fits your dietary needs and goals while providing support throughout your journey toward better health. 

Spend Some Time Each Day Looking After Your Physical Appearance

Ensuring you look and feel your best is a key part of maintaining good health in the long term. Be sure to dedicate some time each day to caring for yourself: go for a run or take up yoga, pamper yourself with beautifying treatments, and make sure to get plenty of sleep! These small changes can boost your self-image and help you regain your confidence. 

Spend More Time Outdoors

According to a study published in Nature magazine, all you need to feel healthier, happier, more satisfied, and more energized is to spend around 120 minutes in nature every week. Although you might not have direct access to the great outdoors, you should consider the benefits of visiting a local park or taking on a sport that encourages you to spend more time outdoors. 

Tackle High Levels of Stress

Stress can be difficult to manage, but lowering your stress levels is key to achieving overall better help, reducing inflammation, and feeling better in your own body. If you are unsure how to tackle high-stress levels, consider taking some time out each day to relax, speaking with supportive friends or family members, and working with a mental health professional

Maintain Your Social Connections and Healthy

When possible, engage in face-to-face or virtual conversations as they’re more meaningful than just sending a text message. Schedule regular phone calls and errands outdoors of the house to foster relationships that strengthen your mental health. And finally, try reaching out to old acquaintances – it’s never too late for rekindling an old friendship!

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How To Help Your Kids Discover Their Passions

Everyone is born with a special skill, interest, or passion. While your little one may be too young to understand or appreciate what they’re good or passionate about, it’s your responsibility as the parent or guardian to help them discover and explore them. This way, your child will be able to channel their energy into activities they’re naturally good at. Why is this so important? Some research has shown that regardless of the interest involved, a child is more likely to do well in academics and other areas of their lives they’re passionate about. 

Encouraging them to work on their passions can positively impact their cognitive skills, which will reflect on their academics. Also, the earlier a child learns to identify their passions and explore what they’re naturally good at, the easier it becomes to carve a career path they would enjoy. So, do you wonder if your kids have any talent or are passionate about something? Here are a few creative ways to help them discover and explore 

Foster their natural talents

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As mentioned earlier, everyone is born with a talent or unique ability. However, you might not be able to tell until your child is a little older. But once you notice your little one is a natural at something, it’s important to help them nurture those innate gifts. Talents need to be supported, improved, and celebrated. Even if your little one shows no passion for their natural talent, you’ll be able to observe how effortlessly they connect to other interests. This can guide them towards their passion. 

While fostering their natural talent, you should also be engaged in activities surrounding their talents. You don’t have to be good at what they do, but find fun ways to show that they can share their talents with you. For example, if your child loves music or enjoys playing instruments, try creating a fun music band with them. Of course, your singing may be terrible and your playing skills embarrassing, but your interest is all they’ll need to feel supported. You can even throw in a couple of music puns as jokes behind the dinner table to put a smile on your child’s face and make them excited to talk about it with you. 

Observe them in their solitude 

The things your child loves to do when they’re alone can be a good indicator of where their passion lies, especially with older kids. This can usually be seen when they are away from distractions such as gaming consoles, their phones, or watching TV. During such times, you may notice your child reading, writing, acting out imaginative scenes, playing a musical instrument, or coming up with a new invention. Therefore, you should consider leaving your child in periodic states of boredom without any of the above distractions and find out what interests they’ll gravitate towards to kill the boredom. Next, consider supporting them in doing activities related to those interests. For example, if you realize your child loves to read comic books or draw comic characters, challenge them to develop and draw a comic character of their own, and explain that character to you. Not only will this help them grow their interest, but you’ll also be helping them to explore something they’re passionate about. 

However, when doing so, it is important to try finding a way to observe your child subtly without appearing to be eavesdropping or spying on them. This would only make them uncomfortable and prevent them from opening up to you.

Avoid putting pressure on your child

As mentioned earlier, the fact that a child is talented at something does not mean they will develop a natural passion for it. So, avoid putting pressure on your kid to be passionate about something they aren’t. Also, do your best not to force your passions onto your child. More often than not, some parents force their kids to live the dreams they failed to live when they were younger. The truth is, doing that to your child would only make them unhappy in the long run.

It is important to allow your child to explore themselves to make their own decisions. You can only offer guidance along the way. Don’t let them feel pressured into doing what makes you happy. By pushing them to do things they have no interest in, you’ll only cause them to take a different path and suffer from the effects of such pressure. 

Celebrate different passions and diversity in your home

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If you have more than one child, you probably know how different each child can be. The last thing you want to do is make every child tow the same line in terms of interest and passion just to follow your footsteps. As indicated in the previous point, you don’t want to put pressure on any child to be or chase something they don’t want. One way you can avoid doing that is by celebrating diversity in your home and supporting different passions. Every child has a different personality. Each personality can and should contribute something different. For example, just because you love sports (and your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were accomplished sportspeople) does not mean all your children would or should be interested in sports. Rather, enjoy the varying tastes of your children and support each child equally. After all, variety, they say, is the spice of life. 

Encourage a love for sports

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Before you get it twisted, encouraging a love for sports is not the same as pushing your child to become a sports person. Plus, there are several ways a child can build a love for sports without actually playing them. For example, if your child loves to read or write, they may enjoy reading or writing about sports. Or, if your little one loves to take pictures, why not take them to a game to take some pictures? They could develop a passion for photography through this. But why sports? Sports offer numerous opportunities for children to develop their passion at a young age. Additionally, sports have been proven to be great brain food for kids, offering them numerous mental benefits. This can help make it easier for a child to identify things they’re passionate about. 

Engage them to partake in DIY activities 

DIY activities are excellent ways to help children explore their raw talents and creativity. Fun arts and crafts activities like painting, sculpturing, building little projects like Lego architecture, knitting, gardening, and so on can help foster a child’s natural interests. Of course, you cannot expect them to be good at these activities, but DIY projects can help children brew their creative juices and develop their critical thinking capabilities. Another great thing about this is that you spend quality time bonding with your little ones as you help them discover their talent. That will make you a massive influence in their lives. Once you help them identify DIY activities they love, you can find hobbies, clubs, classes, or resources to help them improve and learn more. 

Ask them questions and embrace their ideas

Asking your child for their perspective on different things can give you an idea of what interests them. It also helps the child to develop critical and creative thinking in the process. Encourage them to share their ideas on simple solutions at home, about movies, books, food, and even school work. If you don’t like their ideas, tell them positively or constructively to avoid discouraging them from sharing their ideas in the future. Doing this can help your child find new ways of solving things. The more you bounce ideas off each other, the more you guide your child towards the ideas they’re passionate about. For example, asking your child’s ideas for a new decor theme for your home can help them delve into designing talents they didn’t know they had. Since children have infinite imagination, you never know how embracing their ideas will spark a passion that could define a career for them. 

Help them with their homework

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Passions come in various forms through different avenues. Helping your child with homework can help them discover a less traditional passion. For many people chasing a passion means chasing dreams like a successful music career, sports, entrepreneurship, etc. But what if your child has a hidden talent in math, science, or literature? Or what if your child enjoys doing homework projects that allow them to think outside the box and be creative? Helping your child with homework can help you discover some of these potentials. You never know; your little one could have the next best seller sleeping inside of them. Helping them with a creative school project can also lead to your child finding an interest in scientific inventions. So, try showing more interest in your child’s homework beyond simply asking them if they’ve done it. Give them all the help they need. Not only will you be helping improve their academics, but you could also be helping them to discover a passion. 

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How to Create a Positive Workplace Culture

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As a business owner, your goal is likely to be driving your company towards success to enjoy increased output and bigger profits. However, making this happen is not always easy and is certainly not something you can do alone. To achieve a high degree of success and maintain it, your business needs to have a team of willing employees to help. Building a productive workforce of experienced staff will help your business achieve success both now and in the longer term. But, to have a team of employees that are as committed to the success of your business as you are, you need to foster a positive culture in the workplace. A positive culture is not something that can be created overnight. It takes time to create a workplace culture that supports a happy and productive team. Read on to learn more about the benefits of a positive workplace culture and how you can make it happen:

The Benefits of a Positive Workplace Culture

Are you thinking that developing a positive workplace culture sounds like a lot of effort and may not matter too much anyway? If so, take a look at the benefits your company can enjoy when you dedicate a little time to improving your workplace culture:

  • Reduced staff turnover
  • Increased employee engagement
  • Fewer sick days
  • Higher levels of productivity
  • Greater collaboration between employees
  • Improved customer service

When these benefits are combined, they put your business on the path to success, which makes fostering a positive workplace culture well worth the effort.

Building a Positive Workplace Culture

Now that you can see the benefits that a positive workplace culture can provide, here are some ways you can start to make it a reality:

Praise and Reward

No one likes to work without recognition for their efforts, so making a concerted effort to praise your staff when they perform well is essential. To create a positive workplace culture, your team needs to feel valued and know that their hard work is acknowledged. The more you praise and reward your employees for their efforts, the more likely they are to feel positive about their job and to want to continue working hard. Praising employees is an essential element of a positive work environment as it boosts morale and demonstrates to staff that they are valued members of the team. This creates a cycle of positivity and appreciation in the workplace that benefits everyone.

Ensuring that managers praise team members is vital, but the need for praise extends beyond management rewarding effort. Ensuring that team members praise each other is also crucial and positively impacts your entire workforce. Using peer to peer recognition tools, your team members will be equipped to show their appreciation to one another, which will enhance their working relationships and the work environment.

Encourage Breaks

Presenteeism is something that may sound positive but can actually have a negative impact on your business. Absenteeism is often seen as the enemy of a successful business and a drain on productivity. But while absenteeism is bad news for companies, the same is equally true of presenteeism. 

Presenteeism often exists in companies with an aggressively competitive culture. When employees feel they will miss out on promotions or other favorable benefits, they may be keen to spend more time at work, even when sick, to ensure they are visible in the office and their presence is noted by management. Skipping breaks and coming in when sick, and staying late are all seen as ways to get noticed ahead of colleagues when it is time for promotions and performance bonuses to be awarded. But, it is essential to note that spending lots of time in the office rarely helps productivity. Often, presenteeism harms productivity and impacts the entire workplace culture, as employees strive to outdo each other by becoming increasingly competitive. 

Pitting employees against each other can impact staff morale, but encouraging team members to leave on time each evening and take regular breaks has the opposite effect. When employees take breaks and maintain a healthy work/life balance, it improves their performance at work and makes the workspace a much happier place to be. Rather than reducing productivity, you should see it increase when presenteeism is discouraged, and breaks are viewed as an aid to productivity rather than an obstacle.

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Communicate Regularly

Open and honest communication is essential in a workplace environment. When there is little communication, employees often distrust what is happening in the organization and feel a sense of insecurity in their role. In contrast, keeping employees informed of what is happening in the company and how it is performing helps them to feel more engaged in the business. Employees are far more likely to take ownership of their role and try to perform it to the best of their abilities if feel that they are being dealt with openly and fairly. 

A positive workplace culture is not something that can be created and then ignored. To maintain a healthy and happy work environment, you need to keep on communicating. Requesting feedback from your team and acting on this will help you to understand your business from your employees’ perspective and gain a picture of how things can be improved. 

Enhance the Workspace

The physical work environment plays a crucial role in your workplace culture, so ensuring that this enhances a positive atmosphere in your office rather than harms it is essential. Providing your team with the equipment needed to perform their jobs well is critical. But, there is even more that you can do beyond this to enhance your workspace. Ensuring that you have plenty of natural light in your offices and a comfortable space for your team to take their breaks will also help nurture a positive workplace culture. Many of the world’s most successful companies go the extra mile to create a positive workspace for their employees. So, why not try it out and see the benefits that your new positive workplace culture brings to your business?

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5 Simple Ways to Become a More Generous Person in 2019

Please note, this post is sponsored by Diamond Bloggers. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

 

Matt Redhawk

There are very few people who are opposed to the idea of charity. As humans, we are hard-wired to help others and confront needs when we see them. Unfortunately, there are also very few people who are content with the level of generosity in their lives.

As most people I know wish they were able to give more. And while there are a number of reasons, often the best solution may be the simplest. So if you are looking for better ways to be more charitable in 2019 here are five ways to get started,

Matt Redhawk

5 Simple Ways to Become a More Generous Person

Consider the benefits of generosity. Generous people report being happier, healthier, and more satisfied with life than those who don’t give regularly. And one of the main reasons for this is that generosity produces an inner sense that we are capable of actively addressing the needs of those around us. Leading to a sense of personal responsibility in making our communities safer, healthier and more unified. While generosity is typically seen as non-self-serving, the personal benefits that can be derived from a life geared toward stewardship can benefit each of us in immeasurable ways. And is indeed one of the most important steps that we can take in getting started leading a more generous life.

Embrace gratitude. One way to ingratiate charity into your year is to adopt a personal attitude of gratitude at home. Which can start as simply as creating a list of what you are most appreciative of in your life which may show you ways that you can afford to give back to others in the reflection of your personal blessings at home? As the most important step you can take to become more generous is to spend more time thinking about what you already possess and less time thinking about what you don’t. Once you start intentionally thinking that way, you may be more apt to share your life with others.

Give first. When you receive your next paycheck, make your first expense an act of giving. Often times, we wait to see how much we have left over before we determine how much we can give. The problem with this formula is that most of the time after we start spending, nothing left over. This is coupled with the idea that the habit of spending all of it is too deeply ingrained in our lives. To counteract that cycle, give first. Every payday, write a check for $10 to your local homeless shelter. You just may be surprised how you won’t even miss it.

Fund a cause based on your passions. There are countless charities and causes that need your support. With many being in-line with your most compelling passions. No matter if your cause of choice is anchored to the environment, poverty, or religion, there is a way for you affordably give back. Spend time thinking of causes you care about and then commit to giving regularly to those charities. Perhaps as an automatic withdraw or contribution from your paycheck each cycle.

Intentionally decide to change your investments. Oh sure, a lot can be said for changing our spending habits. An equal measure can be stated for changing how we invest particularly in how we invest in businesses charity-minded firms that predicate their business plans towards charity. This allows investors to he intentionality that emerges in your life will help you discover the need for generosity. Such as Matt Redhawk whose firm has found success in multiple fields and allowed Parker the opportunity to give back. His priority is to help families to become self-sufficient and to take control of their own destinies.

Which shows that generosity rarely happens by chance. Instead, it is an intentional decision that we make in our lives. But it does not need to be as difficult as many people think. Sometimes, starting with the simple steps is the best step that we can take. So, friends, I’d like to ask you what simple steps have you incorporated into your life to foster generosity? Please leave your thoughts below.

Matt Redhawk

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