Financial Independence in 3 Easy Steps:

1. Figure out how much money you are taking home and subtract the amount you are spending.
2. Be sure to keep all that surplus money at work, by paying down high interest debt first and then investing the rest.
3. Once the total value of all your investments reaches 25-30 times your annual spending, paid work is now entirely at your discretion. For life.”

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The Paradox of Choice

 

Remember, you are amazing…

If you need management or business solutions help, please visit: https://dlaofficial.wordpress.com/business/

Please share and spread the word! I have several coupons for you on my Instagram page!

Thank you,

DLA

Let’s connect!

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Happy Anniversary To Me on WordPress

Hello Everyone,

Happy Anniversary to me on this platform. Thank you everyone for reading and showing support for all these years.

A lot of don’t take time to celebrate our milestones and I am one of them. But it is a rewarding feeling and accomplishments should be celebrated!

Please take the time to check out my Style and Fashion items on Instagram @dlaofficial_

 

Remember, you are amazing…

If you need management or business solutions help, please visit: https://dlaofficial.wordpress.com/business/

Please share and spread the word! I have several coupons for you on my Instagram page!

Thank you,

DLA

Let’s connect!

Instagram: Dlaofficial_ (HI! 🙂 CLICK ON ME)

BeBee

Medium

Twitter @DilyPie

Toronto tonight and Christmas Wish List

Hello World,

First of all, this is my first time using the WordPress app, hence I am typing completely from my phone. The reason I am doing this is because it’s 1:13 am which means I have a lot on my mind but my body is not willing to reach out to my laptop. So I downloaded the app because I am in the mood to share.

I just wanted to appreciate the beauty of Toronto in this holiday season. The lights, the decorations and most of importantly the happy people. I love this season. Even under this cold, cold winter the raining snow feels warms my heart. Everything feels bright, happy and positive.

We forget and look past all our problems and spend the joyous time with our family and close ones. The warm kind gesture of gift giving and receiving are great ways to share delight.

What will I receive this Christmas? Hmm I have worked very hard this year so I know I am on Santa’s “nice” list. So I am hoping Santa drops a Pandora ring as stocking stuffer!

Since I am typing from my phone, I am not quite sure about the placement of this picture. But what do you think? I have new rose gold obssession with Pandora now. I think they make gift giving spectacular.

Aside from that, let’s not forget our warm hot chocolates from Tim Hortons. What would we do without Tims in cold winter days? Always at every side walk corner to save us getting cold.

I also want to appreciate all the charities and fundraiser trying to raise money for the homeless and children around this holiday season. They need warm clothing, toys and hugs and I have a lot of respect people who are working towards that goal. I share the same passion and would like to incorporate a project around helping the ones in need.

Thank you for reading my random thoughts. Please share your thoughts with me and stay connected,

DLA

Let’s connect!

Instagram: Dlaofficial_

BeBee

Medium

Twitter @DilyPie

Wedding Anxiety

Hello World,

I don’t have the wedding Jitters just yet but I hear that’s one common trend of anxiety a couple face during their wedding. Ironic how a perfect wedding is not guaranteed but wedding anxiety is! It’s normal to get anxious since it’s a milestone in your life. However, the wedding anxieties takes small issue and enlarges the problems into madness. The couple start to question the relationship, they go into panic mode with organization of the planning and they also start magnifying every little thing. The worst is when the couple starts believing they are with the wrong partner. All of a sudden, you ask yourself was saying, “Yes” a mistake? But what if I told you all this is normal?!

It’s Normal…

Don’t turn into bridezilla! Reality check, they ALL call you that behind your back when you are a new bride. It’s normal to feel anxious! Accept it! You need to accept that your one day will be great no matter what. You will still end up with your partner you have been dating for a good while and the best of it all after the big day you wake up beside them for the rest of your life. Now I know, what you are thinking! That is exactly the problem! What if you don’t want to wake up beside them the rest of your life? There is a sudden commitment issue. The proposal happened too soon and you didn’t get time to think. After all these years but right before the wedding you start noticing their minor details of leaving their socks in the living room, leaving a bunch of dishes in the sink, and snoring at night! Can you take that for the rest of your life? Are they the one? That’s called wedding jitters aka Cold Feet! You were just fine weeks before they engagement but now you want to run out that door.

Your partner didn’t change, it’s just you over thinking. When all this goes through your mind, please do yourself a favor and take a breather! Stop thinking about the wedding for a bit and take your partner out on a nice date. Speak about anything but the wedding. Go out with your girlfriends and have a fun girl’s night out. Main key point is, leave it the thoughts and have fun!

Run…

Literally run! You have to fit into that wedding gown don’t you? Run, exercise and let the stress go out the door. I know you won’t have time because of all the planning and organizing but you have to make time to do a bit of pre-wedding workout. This will help you distract and relax your mind. Take a breather and go for long walks and do yoga! Don’t worry that dress would look great on you.

Use the Bridesmaids…

I know you can be the best bridezilla in the world by planning your perfect dream wedding, but another reality check, sorry, you can’t do it all alone! When someone offers a kind gesture, “Do you need me to do something?” That’s when you say, “Yes” for the second time! Wedding planning is doing a lot of things at once and involves a lot of coordination. No matter what you say, you can’t multitask with that wedding anxiety of yours. That’s the reason you leave it to people that really care about you. Trust, remember that word? They will not mess up your big day. I know you are worried something will get left behind if you are not looking over it but hey, this is when you are getting a chance to show your true Project management skills! Delegate your work!

Don’t DIY…

I know you millennials are eager to open up your Youtube and Pinterest and start your DIY cards and gifts, guest lists, stages, cupcakes, flowers, decorations and basically the whole wedding, but don’t do it! I know your wedding needs to look DIY trendy but you are creating more work for yourself and adding to your stress level at this time. There is a reason there is ETSY and other shops on Shopify that can easily give your wedding that DIY touch. Can you imagine sitting at 2:00 in the morning still playing with glitter and hand writing all of your 200 invitations? Nope, do not do it!

Why the Cold Feet…

You doubt that they will turn out to be a bad partner or you yourself will not be a good one. You may had divorces in your family, traumatic childhood, violence etc. that adds to your decision of quitting last minute. You feel history will repeat and those things may reoccur in your life either through you or through your partner. You will end up in the same position as your fears. Nope, negative! You will not because you will avoid that pattern. You know the issue and you will work against to protect a good successful relationship. Stop being negative and let the whole thing pan out and take its course.

It won’t be perfect…

I am sorry, I saved the bad news for the last. It won’t be perfect but you will love it. Somethings will go out of coordination, some people will be late, maybe the weather won’t cooperate or someone will make an embarrassing toast. But that’s not what the wedding is about! It’s not a show for everyone else, you don’t have to please everyone and make it a perfect wedding but it’s a celebration for yourself. I feel often people confuse what a wedding really means. A wedding is a celebration of two people starting a new beginning together. All the people attending are celebrating your happiness. It’s your day and you have full right to mess up and have fun! You are allowed! So sure, the mike didn’t work when the speeches were going on but that’s okayyyy!

Don’t forget my hand written invitation card for your wedding!

DLA

Let’s connect!

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BeBee

Medium

Twitter @DilyPie

WordPress

Importance of Customer Service

Hello World,

Have you ever received bad customer service and felt, No way, I am never going back there again?! I have and I am positive every person reading right now can relate to at least one instance of bad customer service. What do you do as a customer at this point; give them benefit of the doubt, stay quiet, never return or perhaps write a bad review? If you are any one like me, you do all latter three options! You remember the half-hearted service that was once provided and choose to go elsewhere with better service.

Customers are Core to any Business…

Customer service is often under-valued in many start-ups and businesses. A study by U.S. Small Business Administration claims 68% of customers leave because they are unhappy with the treatment they received. Most of us who own and operate businesses understand how valuable customer satisfaction actually is. A business failing to provide customer satisfaction is preventing itself from future growth and expansion. An unsatisfied customer reacts in various ways, they keep quiet and replace you with your competitor, complain, spread negative review and write a bad review on social media. All of which are terrible publicity of your business. For instance, it is shown 96% of these customers will remain silent and walk over to your fellow competitor for their specialties and each negative word of mouth will earn you 26 extra unhappy customers. This means you are losing revenue because it’s cheaper to retain customers then acquire new ones.

Happy customers…

I know your business is your baby, but your business not unique! Anyone who has a business has at least one competitor. Happy customer rule number 1 – Find a Point of Differentiation. For example, Apple fans are loyal because they value the quality of the product. Add value to your service and product such as quality or additional features which distinguishes the business from its competitor. This can be easily achieved by training customer service or the sales representatives to be more engaging with the client as they build a relationship. First impression is the last impression, the reps are the face of the company as they are the ones to interact with the client directly. Customer service reps should have in depth knowledge about the product. They should have the pleasant personality and guess what, being funny always works! Thorough training on communication and client relationship will help the reps become more confident and in turn this will build client’s trust.

Happy customer rule number 2 – focus on Retention. Do you want your customers to come back over and over? Treat your existing customers, offer them with promotions, discounts and credit. Blog your products, send them emails and newsletters. Tell them they are valued and show them how much you saved them at the end of the year by giving away freebies, promotions or discounts.

Happy customer rule number 3 –Word of mouth. This is an important one, some businesses run solely based on word of mouth to build brand awareness. Remember, 1 unsatisfied customer equals 26 unsatisfied customer just by word of mouth. As good customer service appeals to new customers, word of mouth will raise your network of clients. Grow your exposure, make sure your business has a Website, Facekbook page, Instagram, Snapchat, Tweeter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Youtube, Google+ and any other social media they can use to easily ask you a question.

Happy customer rule number 3 –Track your customer behavior/Track customer service performance. No don’t follow them home! To have a point of differentiation you have to stay one step ahead of your competitors. To do that you need feedback from your customers, this is called Benchmarking. Give your customers a little survey and a feedback to complete after a phone call or by email. Statistics show, 60% of customers don’t like phone calls and 75% prefer text or email. This will help you evaluate where your competitors are doing well and you need improvement.

Calculate the churn rate, in other words the turnover rate of your clients. To calculate churn rate: number of clients lost / number of clients in the beginning of the month = % percentage. This will help you determine your growth potential as a company and also tell you if you will get a return on your marketing cost.

Monitor your customer service team’s performance and provide them quality training. Many businesses make a mistake of treating their customer service team as a complete different department. The back end workers does not want to have anything to do with the front line. Let’s change our perspective, the whole company is in customer service. If you are providing a back end software upgrade for a customer’s product, you are providing customer service. Perhaps you are applying for a mortgage approval, then the mortgage broker sends the paper work to the banks Documentation department and the Credits department who are in line is serving you as a customer. Therefore, a smooth transition in process will give you a faster result and make you happy.

Good customer service reduces problems. So let’s make everyone a happy customer…

Thank you,

DLA

Addiction – Are you in denial?

Hello World,

Habit Vs. Addiction

 Do you think addiction is a choice or can people choose to be addicted? What causes addiction? How come some people are more prone to get addicted then others? Most smokers argue that they are not addicted and they can stop whenever if they choose to quit. However, if they do attempt quitting they would most likely fail. It takes more than just motivation and will power to quit something addictive. Habit is something you choose to do and can resign from whenever but having a cigarette daily is definitely not a habit.

Addiction is recognized as a chronic disease, same as cancer and heart diseases. You don’t choose to have cancer and or a kidney failure. Same with addiction, it chooses you! Sure the first smoke, the first few glasses of alcohol, the first game of poker and the first sniff of drug is all you, you made that choice and decision! Though, as you continue you start craving these things, not by choice, but because your body demands it. If you are addicted, you have a chemical imbalance in your brain which results in mental, physical and behavioral changes.

No Control…

Addiction is when we have no control over our mind and behavior due to a substance or a behavior. You can be an impulsive shopper, impulsive gambler, addicted to video games, food, sex, drugs, alcohol etc.  Addiction occurs to people to due to many reasons. Often it’s said that addiction is due to genetics, FALSE! It can happen to anyone! Usually the reasons are depression, sadness, loneliness, violence, sexual/mental abuse, trauma, influence and an environment surrounded by that substance. For example, if the environment you are in such as work, school or home has drugs in the background then you might be influenced in to using it.

Low Dopamine and Serotonin

Addiction is a coping method for depression. Dopamine is neurotransmitter which controls the reward and pleasure area of your brain. It also controls movement in our body, if we are low in dopamine then we are at risk of getting Parkinson’s disease. Serotonin is a chemical that helps balance your mood. Low Serotonin triggers depression. Low Serotonin also can makes us turn quite suicidal. 

Alcohol, smoking, gaming, gambling, drugs, shopping, and any impulsive behavior provides a short term high. People use these to get away from sadness and despair. They think that it’s giving them happiness and eliminating distress. However, they forget alcohol and drugs are anti-depressant. These substances will provide the short term pleasure of fogginess and they will make you forget for a slight period of time. But then it will all come back making you more depressed, asking for more substance to get rid of it once again.

Alcohol, drug, gambling, sex etc. increases your dopamine, so does eating chocolate and winning the lottery. But in addiction, your body becomes greedy and asks for more and more increase of dopamine. When you consume too much the body adapts and confuses your coping method and wants more of the increased pleasure.

Will Power…

Will power isn’t enough! Remember it’s a chronic disease. If you know someone who is addicted then the first step is making them admit they have an addiction. Most people are in denial because of the stigma that addiction has. They know it’s unhealthy but still continue because they can’t stop. The best way to help these people is by helping them admit they have a problem. Then finding a good rehab center. To recover from addiction, people need supervised medical monitoring. Getting Nicotine, won’t help, it’s just replacing cigarettes to increase your dopamine some other way.

Keep it Healthy!

Dla

 

 

 

Dissatisfaction – Good or Bad?

Hello World,

We all go through it! We go through dissatisfaction numerous times throughout the day. Monday mornings are the worst, right?! If we could get 5 more minutes in Bed! We are all dissatisfied of rolling out of our amazing, comfy, cozy, warm bed and head out for that dreadful work. At lunch, we feel dissatisfaction if the first bite of our food does not taste great. Let’s not even mention the rush hour when we are headed home from work, the weather traffic, the rush, let’s just say it takes a while to get home! Even when we are fast asleep at night, we can be dissatisfied with a discomforting position, we have to alter it right away to get back to our good night sleep. These are conditions we don’t pay a lot of attention to. But dissatisfaction arises in many ranges; the ones we tend to focus on more are larger dissatisfaction if life related to Health, Finance, Relationship and Work.

Chasing Happiness…

Why am I not satisfied? What will make me satisfied? Money, fame, success, goals, the end destination perhaps? The answer is No. You will not be satisfied no matter what height you reach. Yes, money will make you comfortable. The attention you receive from fame will give you a short term high. Reaching your success and goals will bring up the question of what is next?! This is a great question, we are never completely satisfied because we always want to grow and progress.

We are always chasing the, What’s Next? This gives us a greater cause of fulfillment. When things feel stagnant in your life, you are forced to make a change. We set keep setting targets one after the other to reach new altitudes and attain short term satisfactions in our life. Maybe you are stuck at a work where the pay is low, you are over qualified for the position and there is no room for creativity, hence no room for growth. The work environment and people are toxic. What should your next step be? Working towards a change of course!

Now some of people can’t make that change very easily. Mostly because of lack of motivation. But I get it, you have responsibilities. You have a family to take care of and expenses. But you can start to work towards the change, even if it’s a small change. If you are dissatisfied with work, you can get education and coaching to upgrade your skillset to apply for better opportunities. Look for the, what is next? If you are dissatisfied with your appearance then let’s work on a meal plan and fix the diet. Let’s research a workout routine and start working for it.

But sometimes life is just a Beep! We just have unexpected life circumstances that unable us from pursuing our set targets, oh you know, good old family and health issues etc. That means it’s time to pick up a hobby you love, trust me this will help! If one part of your life is full of stress and you balance it out with something you love doing then this will assist the mind and body to release stress and toxins (so would exercise! Hint, Hint). Don’t let negativity build up.

Don’t be Pessimist…

Dissatisfaction is amazing, as it shows you where you don’t want to be and pushes you for growth. But what about the people who are constantly complaining and are doing nothing to change that? Yes, we all know one of those friends who’s constantly complain about what is missing in their life but they would never take a step to alter that situation. Why are they so pessimistic? Because, in today’s day and age we are taught to focus on tomorrow more than today. We are taught, to gain happiness we have to reach the destination and forget about the journey that leads up to it. We are taught unhealthy competition; jealousy over someone who is making more than you. We are taught materialism. Happiness equals to more money and things, more and more things, right?! Wrong! Happiness is not what is happening around you but what is happening inside you. You need to forecast the future but be mindful of the present. Being more aware at this very moment will help you gain a different optimistic perspective. You will learn to become more content with your life and at the same time have the motivation to pursue and push for your goals. Focus on the smaller things in life, you are not aware but those bring you the most happiness. Focus on the journey, it’s important.

Everyone has their own battles and you need to focus on yours. Do not compare yourself with others. Use others as examples of where you want to be and what you want to achieve. Learn from their mistakes and use them as a guide and a mentor. Don’t use them as an excuse to complain about what you lack in life. Complaining slows you down, you are not gaining anything by complaining but sympathy by complaining. Plus you should be authentic, you don’t have to wish to live another person’s “great” life, you can have your own great life and be satisfied.

Let’s utilize our dissatisfaction and not let it go to waste!

Thanks,

Dla

Self Doubt – JUST DO IT!

Hello World,

Past Experiences…

Self doubt stems from what we have learnt about ourselves in the past. What parents tried teaching us when we were growing up always plays a part in our lives one way or the other today. Parents want to be a guide for the best of our future however sometime that very guidance may inflict our present self doubt. As you were younger, you may have been told NOT to pursue to choose a certain path in the future because of the following; you can’t be a fire fighter or a cop that is too dangerous! You can’t pursue to become an artist or writer, you won’t make any money! Don’t waste your time on Medical school, you are just not smart enough!

“Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.” ~Cicero

Too dangerous, not enough money/security and you are just not good enough! These thoughts are manipulative. They come back when we are rejected from something we wanted to achieve. These negative thoughts even stop us from pursuing life goals we want to accomplish because we doubt being adequate. We always want to be a perfect fit, if we don’t fit then we are judged.

We think we are not good enough to live the life we dreamt. Many job seekers, doubt their capabilities and don’t apply to the position they are a perfect match for. Self-doubt prevents us from many opportunities that come our way. It’s always there holding us back. It tells you to live life in the social norm and as a mediocre. But this way of thinking is toxic. How do you know you are not good enough, if you don’t try?!

When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” ~Honore de Balzac

If you have been rejected, and are letting go of other prospects because you still feel that you aren’t adequate, STOP! Give yourself a bit of time and then assess why you are feeling self doubt. If you feel you are not good at a skill, then let’s put in work to attain that skill. You can’t pass opportunities just because you failed once or twice, remember positive affirmation; Risk – Is it Scarier taking a Risk or Not taking One? … If you are not good at something now, doesn’t mean you won’t get better at it in the future. A kid who is not good at math, doesn’t mean won’t be good later on in time if they have determination.

What you tell yourself is important! If you tell yourself that you won’t make it then you won’t! I believe you, because that’s what you believe. You are setting yourself for failure just by that negativity. But if you think positive, and say, okay well I failed this time but I will learn and get better then that will change things. You are as good as what you believe, so let’s get working!

The Judgemental losers…

They don’t exist in a large number! Yes, they are a few of these judgemental losers who would look at you and say, hmm why are you doing what you are doing! These people are only saying that since they can’t get themselves to pursue their own dreams and they have a lot of time on their hand. Stop worrying about these people! Most people don’t care! They have their own lives to worry about, their own dreams, aspiration, career goals and stress. They are more worried about how to start their day, that month end deadline at work, coming home and cooking dinner and spending time with their loved ones.

Set an example for these people, if they are judging, let them do it! Prove them wrong! You will be more appreciated for trying and trying then to sit back and live the same boring life as everyone else.

How to over come Self -Doubt…

1. Fix your mindset – You got rejected? So is he, and so is she…we all have. But we don’t give up!
2. Positive affirmation – You Are MORE than good enough!
3. When you are feeling self doubt, unwind a bit! Give yourself time to relax and enjoy some quality time. This will give you some to get your thoughts aligned again.
4. Evaluate why you are feeling self doubt – why do you feel you are not good enough and what can you do to become good?
5. Write it down! Where is your Journal? Write down, why you are feeling self doubt and the positives steps you will be taking.
6. Read Motivational articles – You need motivation and their are plenty of people who felt and been where you are. Read how they over came self doubt.
7. You don’t have to do it alone! Find family and friends to talk about your self doubts. Most of the time we over evaluate and exaggerate the situation in our mind. Our loved ones can bring things back to perspective for us. Don’t worry, they will not judge you!

Remember, you are amazing…

Thank you,

DLA

 

Expectations in Relationships

Hello World,

We have all done it…

Why do we expect a great deal from our loved ones? Why do we expect them to just know what to do or say what we want we want to hear? And what if the roles were reversed? Maybe you always expect a birthday present from your parents. Maybe you expect your romantic partner to read your mind all the time. Maybe you expect your best friend to not be late or make you wait for an event. Yes, we have all done it. We all expected and became upset when our expectations were not met. But is if fair? We are missing a point when we put the “expectation” strain our loved ones.

Goal oriented expectations…

Expectations are good for goals and for us. If we are working towards achieving our goals we should always forecast for the outcome we expect. This will help us create plan A, B, and C to tackle any sort of obstacles we may come across; Adaptability – Your Biggest Competitive Advantage.  Having goal oriented expectations is a tool to prevent failure. For example, I know I am expected to complete a 30 minute abs workout every day to achieve the expected body type I want to achieve. If I fail to work out every day then my expectations are not met.

But when that expectation is on someone else…

You are putting in effort to achieve an expected result, is different from when you expect someone else to fulfil your goals. Having expectations on others  behavior is unfair. We forget that! We are good old emotional human beings after all. We are close to our friend, family and loved ones. We take their love for granted and think, hmm they love me so they must know me so well, therefore I expect them to know exactly what I am expecting from them! High expectations on your loved ones is another word for selfish and toxic. We completely forget that they have emotional and physical limitations. They have their own thinking and perceptions, they might not see a situation as eye to eye.

Some people just like taking and not giving. We are selfish because we expect our loved ones to not expect the same in return. We expect from them but become cold when they expect from us. Perhaps it’s because when the roles are reversed we have limitations too!

Roles Reversed…

Do you want to be dependant on your spouse 80% and expect them to fulfill your share of goals? While you put in 20% in the relationship. That is a pretty unhealthy relationship. First off, you are placing strain on your partner. Second, you are giving away your independence, (never become dependant on anyone!). Third, you telling me that you lack self-esteem and you need someone else to help carry your share of work.

A good relationship is when the partners are working on goals in parallel. They share feedback and are constantly motivating each other but they let each other keep their own identity. They let each other work on their own goals and success. And when the two bring their knowledge, and success together they become a complete power couple! These two are unstoppable!

Until next time…

Dla