20 Nerdy Valentine's Day Gifts for That Special Someone

20 Nerdy Valentine's Day Gifts for That Special Someone



Rather than defaulting to a box of chocolates, come up with something creative! Check out these useful gifts that are sure to impress! 

Some of them are nerdy indeed. Which is cool!

5 Foods To Ditch If You Struggle With Anxiety or Depression - Wisdom Pills

5 Foods To Ditch If You Struggle With Anxiety or Depression - Wisdom Pills



5 Foods To Ditch If You Struggle With Anxiety or Depression





When a bad day makes you feel like tearing your hair out, many of us head to the refrigerator for a strong dose of comfort food.  However, you may be about to sink your teeth into a treat that will leave you feeling even more stressed out and miserable than before! Whether it’s a slice of apple pie or a scoop of your favourite ice cream, everything in moderation can feed your sense of well being, but too much of a good thing can have long term effects on your mental health. Here are some foods to avoid when you’re feeling down and healthy substitutes that are satisfying without the guilt.



1) Processed Foods

Got a hankering for a hot dog? Research from The British Journal of Psychiatry found that a steady diet of processed and fatty foods such as hot dogs, sausage, and deli meats increases the risk for depression. In the study, people who mainly ate fried food, processed meat, high-fat dairy products, and sweetened desserts had a 58 percent higher risk of depression than those who ate “whole” foods such as fish and vegetables.



However, there’s no need to pass over your craving for protein.  Try a turkey sandwich on fresh whole grain bread with a dab of low fat mayo. This anxiety-busting lunch is packed with tryptophan, an amino acid believed to combat stress because it helps the brain produce serotonin – your brain’s feel good chemical. Tryptophan can also be found in chicken, bananas, peanut butter, oats, cheese, soy, and nuts.



2) Candy

Candy is as bad for your mental state as it is for your waistline. You’ll initially get a surge of energy as the sugar is absorbed into your bloodstream BUT you’ll crash just as fast as your body increases insulin production to deal with the sweetness. The end result? You’ll end up feeling low and tired for far longer than you felt good for. Opt instead for some yummy Greek yoghurt with fresh blueberries which have been linked to sharper cognition — cheese, nuts and beans. These foods contain higher levels of norepinephrine and dopamine which have been proven to increase mental alertness. They also provide sustainable energy that prevents mood swings.



However, if you can’t resist the craving for chocolate, choose dark chocolate. There’s a chemical reason behind it called anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and depression. Chocolate is even being referred to as “the new anti-anxiety drug.” One study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology also revealed that those drinking an antioxidant-rich chocolate drink equal to about 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily, felt calmer than those who did not.



3) Caffeinated Drinks

Tea, coffee, cocoa and energy drinks are definite no-no’s when the stress is on. Although they give you a temporary boost, they also contain neuro-stimulators like caffeine which is proven to heighten stress and even cause insomnia.



A study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center shows that your morning coffee has effects on the body that persist until bedtime and amplifies stress consistently throughout the day. These results show for the first time that the effects of caffeine last considerably longer than originally thought and that caffeine exaggerates stress in people who consume it every day.



“The effects of coffee drinking are long-lasting and exaggerate the stress response both in terms of the body’s physiological response in blood pressure elevations and stress hormone levels, but it also magnifies a person’s perception of stress,” said James D. Lane, Ph.D., associate research professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke and lead author of the study.





If you’re craving the comfort of a hot drink, try relaxing with an herbal tea. Chamomile, peppermint and lemon balm teas are all soothing and delicious options. Valerian root is also well known for its sedative properties and is often taken to promote good sleep. However, it can also ease tension.



4) Alcohol

What can be more relaxing than a glass of Chardonnay? Turns out your favourite vino may in fact be stressing you out. Alcohol stimulates the release of cortisol, according to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The study found that heavy drinkers and those who had recently increased their drinking had higher levels of the stress hormone. Alcohol can also cause dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration include nausea, fatigue and muscle weakness, all of which can lead to becoming anxious.



Instead of an alcoholic beverage choose a virgin mocktail made with fruit juice or a refreshing glass of water with a twist of lime or lemon. Get creative by adding slices of cucumber or frozen berries to your drinks. There are also many non-alcoholic wines and beers on the market.



5) Potato Chips

They may pack a satisfying crunch, but potato chips are also packed with simple carbs and nasty trans fats. A study at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that a diet high in trans fats leads to weight gain—specifically around the middle, where it’s most dangerous to your health. All carbohydrates prompt the brain to make more serotonin. For a steady supply of this feel-good chemical, it’s best to eat complex carbs, which take longer to digest.



Good choices, instead, include whole-grain breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals, including good old-fashioned oatmeal. Complex carbs can also help you feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels. If you’re craving some crunch, a tasty vegetable salad is also a healthy option. Dark leafy greens like spinach are rich in folate, which helps your body produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine. Try ingredients like kale, acai berries, cheese, sliced eggs, and avocado to liven up a ho-hum salad.



According to research published in the Nutrition Journal, those who ate half an avocado with their standard lunch reported being 40 percent less hungry three hours after their meal, and 28 percent less hungry at the five-hour mark compared to those who did not eat avocado for lunch. The study also found that avocados appear helpful for regulating blood sugar levels. This combination of satiety and blood-sugar regulation can help keep your mood steady, even in times of stress.



Of course, no one is saying that the odd slab of chocolate cake or a pizza night is out of the question, but limit the indulging to once a week. Diet plays an enormous role in how we feel both physically and emotionally, so feed the machine with healthy, delicious foods that nurture your body and soul.

Seven Reasons Why Seasonal Marketing Sells Products – Headofbusiness.com

Seven Reasons Why Seasonal Marketing Sells Products – Headofbusiness.com

SEVEN REASONS WHY SEASONAL MARKETING SELLS PRODUCTS

The celebration of Thanksgiving is approaching and later on will come Christmas, then New Year’s, Saint Valentines Day and so on…

Now, what is so special about each celebration? They all increase the selling of products. There are many reasons why you should consider seasonal marketing to promote your products, including the seven which are listed below:

1. People tend to buy more products during seasonal celebrations than the rest of the year.

2. People are determined to purchase products, so it is easier to persuade them to purchase a product you offer (assuming of course you are doing it the right way).

3. Most purchases concern gifts to others, therefore quality is what matters while price is less significant.

4. The time of celebration is limited and specific. Therefore people cannot leave for tomorrow what they need to buy for the celebration. They must act in a timely manner. This urgency is a huge advantage to marketers trying to sell products.

One other motivating factor for buyers is that seasonal products are limited and something they have in-mind may not be available in the stores at a different time.

5. People connect seasonal celebrations with their childhood. That makes them more emotional and as you might already know emotion is the key factor that makes people buy a product.

6. It is not always necessary to offer a celebration related product to increase your sales. Even a valued Internet product like software or e-books can be a valued gift.

7. Marketers do not have to invent new or never before used methods to create interest in seasonal products. The old traditional marketing techniques are effective and can still be applied. People want to buy because of the “celebration”. In fact, many people may not see their purchase as buying at all, but as an act of making someone (including themselves) more happy.

Naturally, seasonal marketing may use different strategies to promote products. Instead of offering a product discount try the following:

– Offer a portion of the price of your product to charities and make people feel they contribute to this charity themselves.

– Try a special offer like “purchase one product and get the other at half price” or “purchase one product and get another free to offer as a gift”.

These types of special offers can very easily increase your sales volume.

So, do not hesitate. Start promoting your products (or affiliate products) now. And don’t forget, once a celebration ends, there are many others right around the corner. People are always looking for reasons to purchase gifts for others or for themselves.

http://headofbusiness.com/?p=1780

3 Huge Industries Facing Death Because They Won't Embrace Radical Ideas | Inc.com

3 Huge Industries Facing Death Because They Won't Embrace Radical Ideas | Inc.com

The sad truth is, a vast majority of people within organizations choose to clip paychecks. Their threshold to push against the system and fight for what's right is often diminished by their need for self-preservation. 

The music industry was one of the worst offenders in the late '90s--its focus on protecting its assets rather than distributing them led to Spotify and Apple's dominance in the category.

Paying lip service to the concept of disruption is not enough. You have to demand breakthrough thinking, rather than foster safe innovation. 

Every industry needs to shift from protecting its existing business to rethinking, reimagining and refocusing its efforts on the future of its business. 

Few legacy companies are able to operate with one foot in today and one foot in tomorrow. Meanwhile, some demand it of themselves and their company. Just look at Mark Fields from Ford in his presentation at this year's CES. He's pushing his organization to lead the automotive industry by converging Ford's expertise with many of the advancements being made across mobility, connectivity, and other areas of exciting exploration.

Here are three industries that have been resisting innovation--and are running out of time.

1. The cable industry

The internet is your last stronghold into the home. All you have to do is look at what happened to the "Ma Bells" to see that the profits you've enjoyed, the ones connected to the pipes into our homes, are going to continue disappearing. Services like Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, and countless over-the-top content offerings are destroying your core business and at the same time, the cost for connectivity gets cheaper by the day. Rather than playing copycat and creating additional OTT offerings littered with intrusive and nonrelevant advertising, it's time to focus on building a new business. If you want to remain relevant, you're going to have to restructure how you operate, change what you offer, and rethink how you generate revenue. The days of charging $200 a month and up are coming to an end. And the triple bundle? No one's interested. 

2. The airline industry

Let's face it, the overall experience of flying today is awful. With the exception of JetBlue's Mint and Virgin's hip vibe, airlines companies have set a new bar even for snake oil salesmen. Charging for luggage and food, reducing legroom, asking people to pay more for specific locations in the same cabin class, and providing seats that recline less is only opening the door for newcomers to snatch away your business. Just as the rising cost of hotels gave rise to companies like Airbnb, the declining quality of airline travel is setting the perfect stage for outside disruption. And when it happens, they'll all be scrambling. JetBlue and Southwest disrupted pricing and service once. Who's going to be next to change the way travel happens all together? 

3. The hotel industry

The hotel business is enjoying some of its best years, but the tide will eventually turn. With the rise of platforms like Airbnb, which offers alternatives to hotels, and bargain shopping sites such as LastMinute.com, hotel pricing will continue to face downward pressure. When we travel on business, we find it significantly more economical and more enjoyable to choose a place from Airbnb. Whether to accommodate leisure travel or business travel, hotels are all trying to reinvent their experience to attract customers--but they're forgetting that what they also need to do is work just as hard to rethink their financial model.   

Lots of companies consider their direct competitors to be their main threat. What they really need to start doing is looking at the culture of consumer empowerment that's emerging as the force that will change the buy side of the equation. To save your company from certain failure, it's time to be disruptive--and that starts by encouraging your employees and teams to rethink the business you're in and the value you offer. 

Ten things to negotiate, aside from your intended salary

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/02/11/ten-bargaining-chips-to-use-in-your-job-offer-negotiation/#55e07abd5ad8

Ten 'Bargaining Chips' To Use In Your Job-Offer Negotiation

Liz Ryan

- I write about bringing life to work and bringing work to life. -

A lot of very talented people don’t realize that they have leverage in the job-offer process. By the time a department manager has decided to hire you, he or she has a stake in your arrival on the team. It would not be a trivial thing to cue up another candidate at that stage, after the entire hiring process has played out. By all means, if you like the job offer, I encourage you to take it! I don’t want you to negotiate just for the sake of negotiating.

At the same time, if the offer comes in low, it is important to say so. This is the exact moment when you have power in the tango between you and your next boss. If your boss were to say “Take the offer or leave it!” that would be a chilling sign. If the offer were quite low — say, more than ten percent off your target and what you know you are worth — I would hate for you to take the job. The statement or suggestion “Take it or leave it — you’re not the only fish in the sea” speaks volumes about the culture of the organization.

If they don’t show you the love now, when they’re trying to get you on board, don’t expect them to value you at any future point!

Your first step in negotiating a job offer is to ask for a higher salary. Sometimes your boss can sweeten your job offer to make it more appealing. Sometimes he or she can’t bridge the entire gap between the job offer amount and your target starting salary. Here are ten other good things, apart from a higher starting salary, that you can ask for in that case.

Often, these non-base-salary elements are easier for your department manager to approve than an increase in your starting pay level, because managers have different budgets for  different line items. Choose a few of these ‘bargaining chips’ and bring them into the conversation the next time you negotiate a job offer. You will learn a lot about your hiring manager’s personality, priorities and creativity as you and he or he brainstorm together!

Extra Vacation Time

If you can’t get the starting salary you want, you can negotiate for extra vacation time, which is virtually free to your employer.

Sign-on Bonus

A sign-on bonus is a bonus that you receive with your first paycheck. What’s fantastic about a sign-on bonus is that it’s separate from your salary, meaning that your department manager may be able to pull the dollars for your sign-on bonus from a different pool and give you the sign-on bonus without disrupting the company’s schedule of recommended starting salaries.

You’ll have the cash and your manager may be able to avoid having to push your request for an extra few thousand dollars through many layers of red tape.

Guaranteed first-year bonus and/or salary increase

You can negotiate for your first-year bonus to be guaranteed to you if you can’t reach the base salary number you’ve set as your target. I have included this element in many offer letters and gotten sharp candidates to feel comfortable accepting our job offer that way. This approach makes sense because if someone is taking a job with a $20K bonus potential, they are likely to ask “Can I really rely on getting that $20K?”

If the company is young or the bonus plan is untested, guaranteeing the first year’s  bonus can surmount that hurdle. The same process can work with your first-year salary increase, too. You can negotiate a guaranteed percentage increase at your first-year anniversary in lieu of a starting salary number that your hiring manager can’t reach right now.

Flexibility

If your lifestyle could benefit from flexibility in your schedule or the ability to work from home sometimes, keep in mind that you can negotiate for more flexibility while you are dancing the offer-letter tango with your hiring manager!

Professional Development

Professional development funding goes up and down with the economy and your employer’s fortunes, but you can negotiate to have a budgeted amount of professional development funding made available to you. You might get your manager to agree to send you to your industry’s most important conference or to send you to an executive training program that you wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise.

Like many of these ‘bargaining chips,’ your manager can potentially pull the professional development money from a different pool and account for it on a different line item than your base salary, and that can make all the difference in a stodgy corporate structure.

Tuition Reimbursement

At one time tuition-reimbursement funds flowed like water. I spoke with the Director of an Executive MBA program who told me that fifteen years ago, eighty percent of his university’s executive MBA students had their full tuition paid by their employers. Today, only twenty percent of the executive MBA candidates in his program are so lucky. The other eighty percent pay their hefty tuition bills on their own. You can try negotiating for tuition reimbursement, a wonderful benefit that will not only increase your knowledge base but grow your network and your mojo, too!

Performance Bonus Potential

If your starting salary offer is unexciting, think about negotiating for a performance bonus that will only be paid if you hit certain agreed-upon milestones after a time period like six months or a year. That should give your hiring manager confidence because he or she won’t be on the hook for that expense unless you do a terrific job. There’s no doubt about that happening!

Travel Perks

If you’re going to be traveling quite a bit in your new job, negotiate for travel perks like airport club membership and Business Class or First Class travel. Those little comforts are indescribably important when you’re hurried and harried and trying to get home or stuck in a crowded airport during a snowstorm.

Car Allowance

A car allowance is a monthly fee paid to you by your employer for the use of your private vehicle on company business. Your monthly car allowance should pay you more than the IRS mileage rate and make it easier for you to lease or buy a nicer car (if you’d earn more via the designated per-mile IRS allowance, take that instead!). If you will be visiting customer or vendor sites or carrying customers or vendors around in your car, research car-allowance rates in your area and add this perk to your “bargaining chip” list!  Since your car allowance may be taxable, make sure that the amount you agree upon is still a good deal for you after taxes.

Long-term Incentives

Last on our list, don’t forget long-term incentives  like a company contribution to your retirement plan, stock options or other long-term rewards. There are many forms of long-term compensation and if you are pursuing jobs at a Senior Manager or Director level or higher, you owe it to yourself to understanding them and to bring them into your negotiation conversation. The good thing about long-term incentives for your employer is that they tend to vest over time, so your employer won’t owe you unless you stick around for a number of years.

It’s a new day. We are all learning to advocate for ourselves. Make sure that any special arrangements you make with your hiring manager are confirmed in writing in your revised offer letter. Try some of these “bargaining chips” in your next job-offer negotiation and grow your muscles and mojo as you step into your new assignment!

50 rules for being a great leader

50 Rules for Being a Great Leader

Becoming a great leader isn’t something that happens overnight, but it can be achieved through discipline, hard work and a commitment to improvement through experience. Great leaders aren’t born, as some people suggest; instead, they are shaped over time. And, while what makes a “great” leader in one application doesn’t always apply to others, there are some general rules that all great leaders follow.

If becoming a great leader in your own business or organization is your goal, these 50 rules are a good place to start:

1. Listen to your team. Rule one. Always listen to what your team has to say, even if you don’t like it.

2. Communicate as efficiently as possible. Make your expectations and feelings clear, in the appropriate medium as often as possible.

3. Talk less. Sometimes saying nothing is better than saying just anything.

4. Be an example. Be the type of person you want your team members to be.

5. Be passionate. If you aren’t passionate about your business, you’re in the wrong business.

6. Be consistent. Be consistent in your behaviors so your team knows what to expect from you.

7. Make firm decisions. Don’t leave things undecided for long, and don’t waver about a decision once you’ve made it.

8. Identify mentors and role models. Find people you can look up to and learn from, and follow them closely.

9. Interfere only when necessary. If you trust your team to do good work, don’t interfere unless absolutely necessary.

10. Know your limits. Don’t extend yourself beyond your means.

11. Know your strengths. If you’re good at resolving disputes, step in and resolve them as often as possible.

12. Know your weaknesses. If there’s something you’re not good at, admit it, and work on it.

13. Don’t make excuses. If you make a mistake, take ownership of it and don’t pass the blame to someone or something else.

14. Accept the unforeseen. You can’t control or predict everything.

15. Choose your partners carefully. Work only with people you can count on and trust.

16. Do good. Commit yourself to being a good person and giving back to the community when possible.

17. Meet new people all the time. Take every opportunity to expand your network and expose yourself to new experiences and perspectives.

18. Stay in touch with your emotions. Don’t be a robot -- let yourself feel.

19. Temper your reactions. Hold back your reactions until you have a moment to clarify your internal thoughts and feelings.

20. Have fun. Take the time to have fun with your team.

21. Research everything. Before making a decision, know the pros and cons -- do your homework.

22. Think everything through. Never exclusively trust your instincts or first reactions.

23. Choose your team carefully. Hire only those you can trust to get the job done (and to get along with others, as well).

24. Prioritize your team. Your team is everything. Give them whatever they need to succeed.

25. Be humble. Don’t get big-headed about your wealth, influence or position as a leader.

26. Forgive mistakes. Everyone makes them.

27. Forgive yourself. Don’t beat yourself up too much over anything. Move on.

28. Be rational. Make decisions logically.

29. Be reasonable. Listen to dissenting opinions, and be fair.

30. Make time for what’s important. There’s no such thing as “not having time” for what’s really important in your life. Make the time.

31. Constantly learn. Read as much as you can, and take classes whenever you have the opportunity.

32. Improve everything. Work on improving your approaches, your skills and your processes constantly.

33. Never give up. Don’t throw in the towel when a little extra persistence could put you over the edge.

34. Transform your methods when necessary. If something isn’t working, change your approach.

35. Cut your losses when necessary. If you’re fighting a losing battle, retreat and start again somewhere else (or in a new way).

36. Learn from your mistakes. Try not to make the same mistakes twice.

37. Ground everything with data. Back up all your decisions, opinions and thoughts with hard, objective facts and evidence.

38. Don’t ignore signs of stress. Stress is real and can interfere with your ability to lead. If it starts setting in at abnormal levels, take action to reduce or relieve it.

39. Give feedback. Let your team know what they’re doing well and what needs further improvement.

40. Trust, but verify. Trust your team to get things done, but always follow up to make sure the work is completed.

41. Be approachable. Let people know they can trust you, and open your door to anybody who needs it.

42. Treat everyone equally. Don’t play favorites; it breeds resentment and makes you appear immature as a leader.

43. Don’t pursue close personal relationships with the team. Be on friendly terms, but don’t try to be best friends with everybody. You’re a leader, first and foremost.

44. Get the team together. Use team-building exercises or other excuses to get your team members talking with one other and having fun together.

45. Return favors. If someone helps you, make it your responsibility to pay back the favor -- even if it’s years later.

46. Don’t burn bridges. Never cut a contact completely out of your life.

47. Stay in touch. If team members leave or change roles, stay in contact with them.

48. Don’t sacrifice your personal life. Your personal life is necessary to retain your own mental health. Never sacrifice it for the sake of leadership or professional responsibilities.

49. Enjoy leadership. Try not to stress too much about being a leader. Instead, enjoy all the benefits it offers.

50. Take advice with a grain of salt. Even with these 50 rules! Because nobody knows everything, and no one piece of advice applies to all situations.

Follow these rules, trust your instincts and continually strive for self-improvement. Eventually, through your experiences and your efforts, you’ll become the type of leader most people only aspire to be.

4 Lessons from Donald Trump

4 Lessons Every Entrepreneur Can Learn From Donald Trump

Politics aside, here are four lessons that every entrepreneur can learn from the controversial billionaire and his presidential run.

1. Winning is everything -- there are no 'participation' trophies in the real world.

2. Your product or service will never appeal to everyone.

3. Confidence is king.

4. You must establish your brand early in the game

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270603