HOW TO KEEP IT REAL ON INSTAGRAM

It’s something that would have sounded utterly outrageous only a few short years ago. And while there are arguments for why you shouldn’t build your business on rented land and how many people have gone about it the wrong way, it is possible to make a very comfortable living as an Instagram influencer. You partner with brands, you post pretty pictures, and you smile and filter your life all the way to the bank.

But are attitudes shifting? Have careful curation and photo editing gone too far, and online audiences are demanding a return to authenticity? And what does this mean for your budding career as an Instagram influencer?

Perfect Little Squares

A big part of Instagram’s initial appeal was that, through the use of filters, just about anyone can post a “pretty” picture on the Internet. Up until then, many people were hesitant to share their pictures, especially when placed next to the pictures posted by professional photographers. But filters changed that. More and more, people gained confidence in posting their perfect little squares. And in the moment.
This quickly led to what became known as the Instagram aesthetic. Lives that are perfectly curated, remarkably shiny, bursting at the seams with a manufactured positivity. Instagram was no longer the place for spontaneous, authentic posts. It was a place to share the absolute best moments, demonstrating to the world at large how you’re “living your best life.” And with that came an intense pressure to perform.
Keeping up with the Joneses is hard enough. Keeping up with the perfectly curated life the Joneses post on Instagram is downright impossible.

Fake News for the ‘Gram

The rise of this so-called Instagram aesthetic with its perfect little squares has also sparked a whole new industry. In addition to individual influencers seeking out graffiti walls and buying props and backdrops just so they can achieve a certain look in the photos they share (fake news!), businesses have sprung up specifically for the purpose of taking photos for posting on Instagram.

In Toronto, for instance, there’s a place where you can pay to take a picture on a fake private jet. There’s also a fake gold vault, a fake nostalgic movie rental shop, a fake cherry blossom canopy, and even an emerald castle at the end of a yellow brick road.

But that private jet exhibit has been getting the most attention, because it is used specifically to show off the glitz and glamor of a high-end lifestyle for people who don’t actually live such a life at all. To this end, users on Instagram are constantly questioning what’s real and what’s not. Is this the uncanny valley?

The Real Slim Shady

While the super shiny, extra perfect little squares are still a thing on Instagram, a response has been quietly (and not so quietly) brewing in the background for other Instagrammers. Running completely counter to the extra shiny false positivity, this new cohort is seeking to share a more authentic representation of their lives in all of its messy glory.

Maybe it’s about their perfect imperfections, and perhaps the candid portrayal is still a bit of a lie, but it does appear more authentic, more real, less filtered.

These new influencers are abandoning the Instagram look, going back to the #nofilter days when you could actually put the “insta” in Instagram (though most of their posts are probably still latergrams). This is real life… sort of. Shared on the Internet for fun and profit… whether it involves a walk in the woods or sharing the house that Internet marketing bought.

PROCESS, TRUST AND MAKING MONEY ONLINE

You know how they say that common sense isn’t all that common? And neither are common knowledge or common courtesy? As much as we would like to sum up the world in some sort of universal truth that can be broadly applied to every circumstance and every situation, that simply is not the case. Wouldn’t it be so easy if we could find those few guiding words to direct us through all our difficult times?

I had this thought the other day as it pertains to running a successful business. While I am most familiar with the context of freelance writing and professional blogging, this observation is worth considering no matter how you choose to make your living. And it comes from combining two common sayings in somewhat uncommon way.

Trust the Process

Especially when it comes to any sort of creative endeavor, one of the more common pieces of advice that you’ll hear is that you should trust the process. You likely won’t achieve great success in the beginning, because few people rarely do, but if you put in the hours and really dedicate yourself to your craft, you’ll naturally improve your skills. Success will come.

Practice makes perfect, right? When I first got started with freelance writing and blogging at a professional level, I was remarkably prolific. At one point, I was writing over 20 news stories a day, every day, for a technology website. I also blogged daily on my own site, and juggled responsibilities with other clients.

That’s a lot of practice. And it is through that practice that I was not only able to hone my craft, but also to develop a more streamlined process for writing the articles and blog post. I kept at it. I trusted the process. Today, I do much the same thing with my weekly vlog. I put in the hours of learning how to plan, shoot and edit a video with a fast turnaround.

If you keep doing the right thing, if you endure and persevere, success will come. Pablo Picasso didn’t get “discovered” right away, but he got to the point where he could demand obscene amounts of money for a scribble on a restaurant napkin. Because he trusted the process.

The Best Process Is…

But here’s a different thought on the concept of process. During his interview and Tesla factory tour with YouTuber Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee, Elon Musk said something in passing that really struck me, even though he’s hardly the first person to have said it. When asked about reducing costs and increasing efficiency at the Tesla factory, Musk said:

“The best process is no process.”

There is this one section in the Tesla assembly line where one of the automated robots picks up the car being made, rotates, and places the partially-built car onto another platform. This step really bothered Musk, because it seemed like such an unnecessary waste of time. If he could eliminate that part of the process, the assembly line would be more efficient. And costs would be reduced too.

And the same is certainly true when it comes to content creation on the Internet too. The fewer steps that go into your process, the more efficient you can be. This can be able generating ideas, drafting posts, editing the content, or sharing it on the social media. If you can take fewer steps — like if you can automate sharing to social media — you can make more content, more quickly.

Trust Nothing?

If you’re supposed to “trust the process” and “the best process is no process,” what conclusion can we draw? Doesn’t that mean that we should trust nothing? I’m not so sure, but it is a thought that has crossed my mind on several occasions since it occurred to me to combine these two tidbits of “common knowledge” or “common advice.”

But you know what? Success is decidedly a rather uncommon thing. So, maybe we should stop focusing on these little nuggets of wisdom and start working toward developing paths and solutions of our own. Strike it out on your own, take risks, be unafraid to experiment (and fail), and there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

STAY PRODUCTIVE WHEN YOU WORK FROM HOME

Working from home presents some unique challenges, especially if this is your first time doing it. You’ve got to learn how to work from home from your dining room table, make sure you’re not distracted by your spouse’s conference call, and let the kids know that you’re not to be disturbed as you work. Sitting at the dining room table while you’re on your laptop means you’re working, not surfing the web.

As  a member of a remote company that’s been doing it for nearly a decade, we know what it takes to be successful while working from home. Our employees use cloud apps to write and repurpose blog posts, access our WordPress blogs and sites through secure web browsers, and manage their own work schedules.

If you’ve suddenly found yourself with a ton of time on your hands and want to work on your side hustle, keep reading. Your side hustle may now become your full-time gig, so it’s time to level up your work from home habits.

Here’s my advice to all bloggers, side hustlers, site owners, and anyone else looking to be more productive while working from home. 

1. Embrace the Chaos

Stop trying to mirror your previous work schedule; it just won’t work. Embrace that things are different and forgive yourself if you’re not productive right away. — for the first couple of days. After that, it’s time to buckle down and establish some new routines. Train your brain to separate work “you” and home “you” so you can be productive at this challenging time. Your company needs you to be firing on all cylinders while the world goes off-kilter for a bit.

2. Create a Protected Workspace

Many regular remote workers already have a designated workspace in their homes, whether it’s a spare bedroom they use as their office or an office area in the family room. Newly-remote workers should try to do the same. It can be tempting to set up on the couch with your laptop, but that’s not very conducive to work.

Instead, designate a table or area in a room as your “office,” if you can. Advise your family that one part of the dining room is now your office and that all meals will be eaten at the kitchen table or breakfast bar. This area is now off-limits to everyone but you. Tell them that when you’re seated there, you’re not to be disturbed. You’re working, not just surfing the web.

3. Set a Schedule

Setting a proper work schedule will be one of the hardest things to do at the beginning, but once you understand how you work and what goes well with your situation, let your family know.

Some of my employees are currently working an on/off schedule as they juggle child care and their spouses’ schedules. For example, one person works for two hours while their spouse watches the kids, then they trade. When the kids nap in the afternoon, both of them are on their laptops.

4. Get “Dressed” For Work

Another tip to help you be productive is to get dressed for work. For those used to business attire, that means putting on a dress shirt and tie. For others, just putting on a pair of jeans or slacks and a fresh t-shirt is enough. Getting changed into “work” clothes is a psychological sign to your brain that it’s work time. Just like your morning commute was a way of getting into “work mode,” changing clothes does the same thing. Wear whatever you need to get you in that mode and go with it.

5. Use the Status Features of Chat Software

Another simple way to ensure you stay connected when working remotely is to use the status features of your chat software. Slack, Skype, and Facebook Messenger let you update your status to show if you’re free, at lunch, busy, and more. Because you’ll be online more, your friends and family may be more tempted to initiate contact to chat and talk. But you’re working, so make sure they know you’re not free at that time.

6. Use the Time to Learn Something New

Now is the perfect time to learn something new related to your blog or side hustle business. Maybe you’ve wanted to learn more about CSS so you could style your WordPress blog more to your liking. Or you’ve wanted to understand how landing pages could boost sales of your eCommerce site.

No matter what it is, designate some time in your day to learn something new. You’ll feel more productive about the time you spend reading or watching YouTube while you improve your blog and increase your skills.

Final Thoughts

Working remotely doesn’t mean you have to give up your side hustle. In these challenging times, there are still many ways you can stay busy and productive with your personal blog or eCommerce site. You want to stay productive during this time, but it’s okay if you really struggle with it. You’re not the only one!

Use these tips to help establish a productive work routine and forgive yourself if it takes a while to sort it out. Work looks different today than it did a few weeks ago. I hope these tips help you stay productive. Good luck, and stay healthy!

5 BEST WAYS TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

You no longer need to pore over thousands of pages of dry academic text to learn a new language. Today, we have access to far more efficient and affordable means — right at our fingertips.

Whether you’re keen on picking up a new language for fun, for travel, or for new opportunities, this list of tips will have you well on your way to conversing in a new tongue.

Set goals

The first step to achieving anything is to set clear, attainable goals. In this case, say you want to learn German. You have to lay down some specific milestones — such as learning 30 basic German words in your first week. Then set another goal for the following week.

Grab a study buddy

Accountability is a key factor here. Research has shown that spacing out learning is more effective than random elongated sessions (30 minutes a day for a week is better than 3–4 hours of studying in one day). However, there are some days when you just don’t feel like learning, which is fine … until one day becomes two, and two becomes ten.

It’s times like these when having a study buddy around is helpful. The joint commitment keeps both of you on track and provides a support system. The best part is, your study buddy can be anywhere in the world! Check out an online forum dedicated to language learning where you can find plenty of potential partners on the same skill level as you.

Mingle with native speakers

Similar to using online forums to find a study buddy, you can converse with native speakers online. Better yet, find out if there’s a meetup in your area or an active community of native speakers. Put your learning to practice and use the opportunity to listen to how native speakers phrase their words and sentences. First-hand learning is always high reward. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; it’s all part of the learning process.

Read, watch, and play

Admittedly, conversing with someone in person can take a while. So, in the meantime, turn to media. If you’re learning Spanish, watch a Spanish language TV shows with the subtitles on. Listen to a podcast in said language, or even pick up a few children’s books. These tales will feature basic language, perfect for new learners.

Arm yourself with the right apps

Carry your learning with you by downloading any one of the many language teaching apps available. Duolingo, Babbel, and FluentU are three popular options. Make use of translation services like Google Translate as well for easy sourcing of specific words.

IN THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, CONSIDER THIS

Wellness is not just how you feel, it's how you interact with the world.

We are dealing with something unprecedented; but that also means we have a HISTORIC opportunity to lead and grow.
So, I'm continuing to do all I can to remind people that, during this growing pandemic, these THREE things below are so important. Please read and share. 

1. Adopt a Role Model Mindset.

You can be a role model in how you deal with this.
You can keep a positive attitude and remain calm, thoughtful, productive, compassionate, disciplined in your healthy habits, and faithful and energized in your march toward your dreams.
Or, you can pop 20 bottles of wine, stop seeking your goals, complain, watch every episode of every show ever, dive deeper into distraction, wade into the pool of pessimism, and check out from your day, your goals, your family, your team, and your purpose. Dang it!
Look, I understand the urge to chill and pause and wait things out.
People are scared and the number one way they react to that is to stop trying.
But in this community we take a different path!
We are leaders and influencers and high performers!
High performers prefer progress over pause; we remain committed to being our best; we use downtime to our advantage, knowing that THIS is the time to deepen relationships, build new skills, and inch forward when everyone else is trapped in fear.
We also realize that our loved ones and those we lead are SEEING our attitude right now. They are seeing and FEELING if we truly practice gratitude, compassion, faith, leadership.
THIS is our time to show up and demonstrate the remarkable strength, optimism, resilience, and purpose of the human spirit. 

2. Wellness is EVERYTHING Right Now.

Wellness isn't just "Am I not sick? Do I feel good?"
Wellness is how you show up in the world.
Are you centered, positive, thoughtful, caring, courageous and willing to face and improve reality?
Or... not?
Wellness is the ultimate tell, it's the center of character and compassion -- if I am well, I care for myself and I treat others with respect and kindness.
Wellness reveals if you run and hide.
Wellness reveals if you choose fear or readiness.
Wellness shows up in how you set boundaries, what habits you choose, how disciplined you are, how you speak to your loved ones, whether or not you can delay gratification, how much you achieve today, who you ultimately become.
Wellness is a SKILL.
An ART.
The absolute MUST master area of your life.

3. Skill Up NOW!

I fear that a LOT of people do *not* understand the imposing nature and duration of this crisis.
So they are spending more time browsing than in skill development and insight acquisition.
PLEASE... you gotta skill up right now.
A huge huge huge number of people are going to lose jobs, watch their investments dwindle, and get left behind in what is increasingly becoming a digital economy. I've been saying for months that this is the year the recession would land on us, and obviously that has been accelerated.
I don't know what your goals are for the future, but please start learning right now. Go get online courses. Research. Get books, mentors, new tools to win. Don't mess around right now. What you do now will set you up for the long, long, long road ahead.

SIX WAYS TO THRIVE IN TOUGH TIMES

Tough times can bring you to your knees. They can also raise you to new heights.

You can be stressed to the max on a bad day, yet, as long as life seems manageable, you don’t usually look for new strategies to get through it. The tendency is to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, grit your teeth and keep on going. During prolonged or sudden tough times, though, normal defence mechanisms are not enough to keep you from feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed.

It’s when events feel overwhelmingly beyond your control, that you either find new ways to cope or are pulled down by the undertow. Your usual defences are inadequate to protect from overwhelming long-term stress. Stress can build gradually beyond tolerance level, or a surprising turn of events like those recently reported in the news can create the kind of vulnerability that demands openness to change.

The soft inner core of your being feels exposed. This exposure opens a crack in the old armour through which an opportunity for renewed life can shine.

Here are six tips that can help you thrive in tough times.

Nourish Yourself – Let go of the bootstraps for a few moments, acknowledge your stress and be kind to yourself. What nourishes you -- inspirational reading, music, a cup of tea …? Are there people or places, a favorite chair or spot in nature that provide sustenance? Make nurturing yourself every day a priority.

Stay Present – Don’t project ahead. Take life one day, one moment at a time. Tough times are more manageable when you pay attention to making decisions and taking action on only the next step. Fearful preoccupation or worries about dire imagined future possibilities can leave you open to illness, accidents and errors in judgment that compound your problems. Scale down, simplify your activities and concentrate your precious energy supply on only what is critically important right now.

Accept Support - This can be difficult for people who prize self-sufficiency. Remember it is as virtuous to receive, as it is to give. Without the receiver, the giver has no way to share their abundant gifts. Don’t deprive your friends and family of the pleasure to help you when you need it. Shared burdens provide opportunities for enhanced closeness and appreciation for one another.

Trust Your Resilience - Chances are you have been through tough times before. What natural strengths did you rely upon in those situations? How did you make it through adolescence, childbirth, marriage, divorce, school, first job? What are your natural inner resources? Trust that you have what you need to see this tough time through.

Visualize Success - See yourself moving into a new chapter of life. How do you want to write that chapter? Creation begins in the imagination. If you can think it, you can create it. In order to be free to dream and hope for something new, you must let go of old visions, descriptions and limitations of the person you think you are or can become.

Forgive Past Errors - Forgive past hurts, and people who may have inflicted them, knowingly or unknowingly. This is not out of kindness to them, rather out of kindness to you. After all, you are the one carrying the burden of these hurts. Forgive yourself for mistakes or paths not taken. Release the burden of the past so you can travel lighter in the present.

 

In times of crisis and radical change, remember that living means growing. I have never seen anything in nature grow backward. So, as bad as you feel, and as much as you doubt it, if you are alive you are growing.

Growth is creative. So, take advantage of the opportunity in these tough times to re-create your life by nourishing yourself, staying present, accepting support, trusting your resilience, visioning possibilities and letting go of the past and perceived limitations.

Even though tough times are hard, they can also be the best times to explore ways to live more harmoniously with yourself and others.

- by Aila Accad

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE CHANGE EASY!

From personal experience and working with hundreds of
clients, I notice that change is hard. And, perhaps most
frustrating of all, too often old habits come back and
change rarely lasts. I think we can fix that!
Everyone seems to have some habit or behavior they want to
change. Maybe it's spending less, or weighing less, or using
time more productively, but too often people set a goal,
decide to "go for it" and try really hard. Sometimes they
change for a while, but in the end, they revert back to old
habits and they feel like a "failure." They get cynical and
discouraged. They even start making fun of "New Year's
Resolutions" and doubt that goal-setting programs will ever
work.
That's a shame. Fortunately, there is a way to be
successful--if you know the recipe!
Step 1: Acknowledge that change involves. . .change! Habits
die hard. The brain has tried-and-true neural pathways that
mostly serve us well and make life easier and efficient for
us. That's actually a very good thing! But when we try to
change our habits (neural pathways), the brain resists. Take
this normal resistance seriously, admit it exists, and use
powerful strategies to install new habits. If we don't do
this first step, in the end, old habits will return.
Step 2: Be PRECISE about the change you want. Generalities
and hopes to "do better" won't cut it. Decide exactly what
you want, what it will look like, and how you will measure
your progress. Skipping the few minutes it takes to do this
step carefully and thoroughly is a setup for failure. Be
precise! Define the exact change you want. Remember, clarity
is power!
Step 3: Lists the COSTS of not changing. What will it cost
you over a lifetime to continue your old habit? Will you die
younger? Will you be poorer or more frustrated or have less
integrity? Again, do not skip this step! There are reasons
(important, vital reasons) you want to change. Write them
down.
Step 4: List the ADVANTAGES of making the change you want.
How will you (and your loved ones) benefit from this change?
Will you be richer, stronger, live longer, be happier, or
healthier? Will you be more fulfilled? Will you have greater
integrity or achieve more in life? What are the real,
tangible benefits from making this change? List them all!
Step 5: DECIDE the change is worth it! Make the commitment.
Design systems and strategies for success. Think it through
and be very clear that this "new you" is going to happen,
and quickly! Being "interested" or hopeful, or wishing for
change is not enough. Assess the costs and advantages, then
decide.

Step 6: Be ACCOUNTABLE. Tell people about the change you
are making and ask them to monitor your progress. Use a
MasterMind. Ask family and loved ones to be your
cheerleaders. Report on your progress (and, if appropriate,
on your failures) and use your support team to cheer you on.
Get a coach! Fitness is easy if your best friend, a loved
one, or your team is waiting for you at the gym! Be
accountable!
Step 7: CHART your progress. Post your weight on the
refrigerator door. Post your monthly budget where the family
can see it. Use graphs and pictures to mark your progress
and get feedback from people who care about your success.
Step 8: CELEBRATE! Too many people skip or forget this key
step! As you hit your benchmarks or when you are convinced
the new habit is successfully installed, have a family
celebration! Mark your victories! Change is hard and when
you've achieved it, you deserve a BIG reward, a victory
celebration and a HAPPY DANCE! Do this. It will make
everything easier.
Change can be hard, but it's not all that hard. We change
and grow, we learn new things and become new people all the
time. When the change we desire is specific, the costs and
benefits are clear, and we have the support of people who
love us, change is almost easy. And definitely more fun! You
can do this! The key is to plan wisely, start today, and
stay the course.

BIG REASONS TO EMBRACE ONLINE VIDEOS

Better late than never, right? Maybe you feel like you may have already missed the train when it comes to online video, but that’s truly not the case. If you haven’t embraced video as part of your overall content strategy, though, you are missing out on a world of opportunity. Don’t be intimidated by the prospect, because there’s so much to be gained from embracing video in 2020. 

Here are five of the best reasons why you should get into video in a big way this year.

Foster the Human Connection

Long gone are the days when content could more or less stand on its own. I mean, it still can, but a much bigger part of the equation now has to do with nurturing the relationship you have with your readers and followers. Your content still needs substance and value, of course, but the fact of the matter is that your readers can consume all kinds of similar content from hundreds or thousands of other content creators.

What makes you unique is, well, you. Let that personality come shining through and demonstrate that you are indeed a real, three-dimensional, living, breathing human being. You are a real person with real depth and feelings and insights. It’s only when you do this that your readers can develop a sense of trust with you. 

Words can only go so far, and people have become increasingly skeptical of heavily edited photos. Video, especially in-the-moment and increasingly unedited and authentic video, really connects.

Captivate the Mobile Audience

The best place where you can see the biggest impact with online video is on mobile. When people sit down at their computers, they’re much more inclined to read an article or sift through other forms of content than when they are on their smartphones (and tablets). 

The latest stats reveal that mobile video consumption is growing by 100% every year. Whereas watching a video on a mobile device only made up about 14% of all online videos in 2013, that figure has skyrocketed to over 60% as of the second quarter of 2018. Nearly two-thirds of all online video is watched on a phone or tablet. You need to get in on that.

Make It Easy to Consume

This ties in to the previous point. Let’s be perfectly honest with one another here. People are lazy. Articles like these can be useful and I’m happy you’re here to read it. But, if we were to convert this text into a short YouTube video, there’s a good chance that you’d rather watch that, right? I know I would.

This is a big reason why video plays such a big role here on John Chow dot Com, as well as on countless other websites and across various social platforms for many a blogger, marketer and influencer alike. People want things to be easy, and watching a video is way easier than reading a chart, perusing an article or even listening to a podcast. 

Explore the Possibilities

True, YouTube is very much the elephant in the room here. That’s obvious enough. But what you’ll find is that even if you don’t want to put in the effort to carefully plan, script, shoot and edit a video for that platform, you can still take embrace video in 2020.

Keep it simple and spontaneous with Facebook Stories or Instagram Stories. Share slightly longer videos on IGTV, or throw something together to share with your followers on Twitter and Facebook. Do your demographics skew toward a younger, hipper generation? TikTok might be where you’ll find your biggest following.

Leverage The Search Advantage

You’ve likely heard this before and you’re probably going to hear it again, but it’s even more important in 2020 than ever before. From a search engine optimization (SEO) standpoint, video offers a HUGE advantage. Google LOVES video and you’ll find that relevant YouTube videos often appear right at the top of the search results.

This means that if you produce a high quality video on a topic and it ranks well in YouTube, it could also land on you on the first page of Google, above equally good written content on other websites. But even if it’s not on Google search itself, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. 

Many people search for topics on YouTube before they even search the rest of the web. Get in on that video action. 

Just Get Started

It’s a common misconception that you shouldn’t bother with online video unless you have the best possible equipment. Sure, better equipment can produce better-looking video with higher production value, but stellar content shot on mediocre equipment will always be better than mediocre content shot on stellar equipment.

You don’t need that expensive camera. You might find that a $200 vlogging setup is more than adequate. Realistically, the camera on your smartphone is probably already better than what you’d be able to get out of a point-and-shoot. If you’ve already spent upwards of $1000 on a phone (if not more), why not leverage it as a business tool beyond mobile games and silly selfies?

The point is you just need to get started with what you have. And it starts with embracing video right now. What are you going to shoot first?