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Cars and construction? Not so much. By CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Cars and construction? Not so much. By CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Key Takeaways Versatile Craft: Macrame is an adaptable craft with endless creative possibilities, from wall hangings to plant hangers, suitable for both beginners and experienced crafters. Unique Products: Offering personalized and unique macrame designs, like jewelry and coasters, can help attract customers and elevate your artisan business. Essential Tools: High-quality tools and materials, including cotton cord and measuring tape, are crucial for achieving precise craftsmanship and maintaining product quality. Advanced Techniques: Learning advanced knots, such as the Double Half Hitch or Josephine Knot, allows for the creation of intricate patterns, making your products stand out in the market. Seasonal Themes: Incorporating seasonal macrame ideas, such as holiday decorations or outdoor decor, can diversify your product offerings and appeal to a broader audience. Sustainable Practices: Using eco-friendly materials in your macrame projects not only aligns with sustainable practices but also attracts eco-conscious consumers looking for handcrafted goods. Macrame is making a vibrant comeback, and it’s no wonder why. This versatile craft allows you to create stunning pieces that add a personal touch to your home. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a curious beginner, there’s something magical about knotting cords together to form beautiful designs. From wall hangings to plant hangers, macrame offers endless possibilities for creativity. You can transform any space with unique textures and patterns that reflect your style. Ready to dive into the world of macrame? Let’s explore some inspiring ideas that will spark your imagination and elevate your decor. Creative Macrame Ideas for Beginners Explore various creative macrame ideas that enhance your handmade product offerings. Macrame projects not only add a unique touch to your artisan business but also attract customers with their handcrafted appeal. Simple Projects to Get Started Macrame Plant Hangers: Create stylish plant hangers to display indoor plants. Use cotton cord for a clean look. Offering personalized designs can help your brand stand out in the artisan market. Wall Hangings: Craft intricate wall hangings for home decor. Utilize various knotting techniques to showcase your craftsmanship. Incorporate custom colors for bespoke items, appealing to eco-conscious buyers. Macrame Keychains: Produce small-scale keychains as unique accessories. These handmade goods make great promotional giveaways at craft fairs, increasing brand visibility. Coasters and Table Mats: Design coasters or table mats for a practical touch. These handmade items cater to the sustainable business market, focusing on eco-friendly materials. Macrame Jewelry: Experiment with macrame techniques to create unique jewelry pieces. Custom designs can attract DIY enthusiasts looking for artisan goods. Essential Tools and Materials Macrame Cord: Source high-quality cotton or jute cord for durability. Select eco-friendly options to align with upcycled products. Scissors: Invest in sharp scissors for clean cuts. Quality tools ensure precise craftsmanship in your handmade items. Measuring Tape: Use a measuring tape for accurate project dimensions. This tool helps maintain product quality and consistency. Macrame Board: A macrame board aids in organizing and holding your cords in place. This essential tool streamlines the crafting process. Beads and Accessories: Incorporate beads for added flair in your creations. These handmade accessories can elevate your product design and attract a niche market. Embrace these creative macrame ideas to enrich your small business and connect with local artisans and customers seeking artisan, handcrafted products. Advanced Macrame Ideas Explore advanced macrame techniques to enhance your handmade offerings. Incorporate intricate designs into your craft to attract customers seeking unique, handcrafted items. Unique Patterns and Techniques Utilize intricate knots to elevate your macrame creations. The Double Half Hitch Knot is essential for crafting complex shapes and waves, greatly enhancing your product design capabilities. The Josephine Knot, known for its elegance, adds a sophisticated touch to your wall hangings and accessories. Vertical and Horizontal Clove Hitch knots are perfect for maintaining structured lines in geometric patterns, appealing to clients who appreciate modern aesthetics. These techniques allow you to produce unique items that stand out in the artisan market, making your handcrafted goods truly one-of-a-kind. Combining Macrame with Other Crafts Mix macrame with other crafts to create innovative products that cater to diverse tastes. Incorporate macrame techniques into handmade home decor, blending natural fibers with wood or metal for a rustic feel. Experiment with weaving macrame elements into handmade clothing or accessories, offering clients bespoke items that showcase your craftsmanship. Pair macrame with DIY projects, such as incorporating it into handmade jewelry or crafting upcycled products, appealing to eco-conscious consumers. These combinations not only diversify your product line but also enhance your branding, ensuring your small business remains competitive in the craft industry. Macrame Home Decor Ideas Macrame home decor adds a unique, handcrafted touch to your living space. Explore these creative ideas to elevate your home and showcase your commitment to quality craftsmanship. Wall Hangings and Plant Hangers Crafting macrame wall hangings creates a stunning focal point in any room. You can customize designs to match your decor theme, offering customers personalized gifts that stand out. Plant hangers crafted from macrame not only display greenery beautifully but also align with eco-friendly and sustainable business practices. Using organic materials in your work enhances your commitment to craftsmanship while attracting eco-conscious consumers. Consider showcasing these unique items at artisan markets or craft fairs to gain visibility for your small business. Table Decor and Accessories Incorporating macrame in table decor enhances the inviting atmosphere of your home. Use macrame table runners or coasters to add texture and character to your dining setting. These handmade products can serve as bespoke items that elevate casual dining or special occasions. Additionally, you can create macrame napkin rings or centerpieces, offering small batch, handcrafted goods that appeal to niche markets. Promoting such creative business ideas can help you establish your niche in the competitive craft industry, drawing in customers who appreciate quality and unique designs. Seasonal Macrame Ideas Explore creative macrame ideas that fit seasonal themes and elevate your handmade products. These projects can enhance your small business offerings and attract customers at craft fairs or online marketplaces like Etsy. Holiday Decorations Create stunning macrame candy cane ornaments. Use wire to shape yarn into the classic candy cane curve, making unique items that stand out as personalized gifts. Make boho macrame ornaments such as charming gnomes, minimalist rings, festive Christmas trees, and textured semi-circles. These handcrafted designs require basic knots, making them ideal for artisan workshops and beginner crafters. Design a macrame Christmas tree wall hanging. This beginner-friendly project includes detailed instructions and a knot guide, helping you produce custom designs that resonate with eco-conscious consumers. Craft macrame Christmas wreaths in various sizes. Full-sized wreaths and mini wreath ornaments offer versatility and appeal to niche markets seeking unique holiday decor. Summer and Outdoor Themes Create macrame plant hangers to showcase greenery outdoors. Incorporating vibrant colors and intricate knots elevates your handmade home decor and captures attention at artisan markets. Design macrame sun catchers to reflect light and add a touch of whimsy to gardens or patios. These bespoke items promote sustainable business practices by using eco-friendly materials. Make macrame outdoor pillows or furniture covers. Focus on durability and weather resistance to attract customers looking for artisanal outdoor decor. Craft macrame picnic blankets, combining fiber arts with functionality. These handmade textiles can enhance summer gatherings, making them desirable products for your small-scale production line. Conclusion Embracing macrame opens up a world of creativity and personalization for your home decor and handmade products. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artisan you can find joy in crafting unique pieces that reflect your style. The versatility of macrame allows you to explore various projects from wall hangings to seasonal decorations that can enhance your living space and attract customers. By incorporating quality materials and innovative designs you can create stunning items that stand out in the market. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different knots and combine macrame with other crafts to expand your offerings. Dive into this timeless art form and let your creativity flourish. Frequently Asked Questions What is macrame and why is it popular again? Macrame is a crafting technique that involves knotting cords to create decorative items. Its resurgence in popularity is due to its versatility and the appealing, personal touch it adds to home decor. Many people enjoy crafting their own designs, making it accessible for both beginners and seasoned crafters. What are some beginner-friendly macrame projects? Beginners can start with simple macrame projects like plant hangers, keychains, coasters, and wall hangings. These projects introduce basic knotting techniques and help develop skills while allowing crafters to create beautiful and functional items. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3bkmiILVB0 How can macrame enhance home decor? Macrame brings a unique, handmade quality to home decor. Items like wall hangings and plant hangers can serve as stunning focal points, adding texture and style to any space. Customizable options also make them great for personalized gifts. What tools are essential for macrame crafting? Essential tools for macrame include high-quality cords, scissors, measuring tape, macrame boards, and beads. Investing in good materials ensures better craftsmanship and enhances the overall aesthetic of the finished projects. What advanced techniques can I use in macrame? For advanced macrame, focus on intricate knots like the Double Half Hitch, Josephine Knot, and Clove Hitch. These techniques can elevate your designs and attract customers looking for unique, handcrafted items. How can I incorporate macrame into other crafts? Combining macrame with other materials such as wood or metal can diversify your product line. Integrating macrame into clothing and accessories also opens up new design possibilities, enhancing your brand’s appeal. What seasonal macrame projects can I try? Seasonal macrame projects include holiday ornaments, wreaths, and themed decor for various occasions. For summer, consider outdoor items like plant hangers and picnic blankets, focusing on durability and functionality to attract niche markets. How can macrame benefit my small business? Embracing macrame can enhance your handmade product offerings and appeal to customers seeking unique items. Creating a range of customizable products can help differentiate your business and connect with local artisans and consumers. Image Via Envato This article, "Inspiring Macrame Ideas to Transform Your Home Decor and Boost Your Creativity" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

All I want is to be left alone in my average home But why do I always feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone, and I always feel like somebody’s watching me And I have no privacy Are these the lyrics to the 1984 hit Somebody’s Watching Me or complaints from a remote worker who’s The post Overcoming time tracking resistance: The power of a mindset shift appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

Fifteen age-based client milestones for advisors to note. By Philipp Hecker The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management Go PRO for members-only access to more Rory Henry. View the full article

Fifteen age-based client milestones for advisors to note. By Philipp Hecker The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management Go PRO for members-only access to more Rory Henry. View the full article

Philippines sends forces to Sandy Cay in response to latest Chinese moves in Spratly IslandsView the full article

Downing Street fears Starmer will lose support to Farage but imitating him will alienate other groups it needs on sideView the full article

Key Takeaways Embrace Passion and Purpose: Align your business goals with your core values to foster motivation and customer loyalty.Identify Your Niche: Conduct thorough market research to find gaps you can fill, ensuring a unique business model that attracts your target audience.Develop Essential Skills: Focus on business management, communication, time management, and financial literacy to navigate challenges effectively.Build a Support Network: Connect with mentors, advisors, and entrepreneurial communities for guidance, resource sharing, and collaboration opportunities.Overcome Self-Doubt: Use a clear business plan and positive self-talk, along with a supportive network, to build confidence in decision-making.Manage Stress and Burnout: Implement time management strategies, practice mindfulness, and maintain a healthy work-life balance to optimize productivity. Stepping into the world of entrepreneurship can feel like navigating a maze without a map. You’ve got big dreams and ideas, but the path to success is often filled with twists and turns. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your approach, understanding how to find your way is crucial. Embracing your journey as a new entrepreneur means learning to trust your instincts while also seeking guidance. You’ll face challenges that test your resolve, but with the right strategies and mindset, you can carve out your niche. Let’s explore the essential steps to help you thrive in this exciting yet daunting landscape. Understanding The Journey Of A New Entrepreneur Navigating entrepreneurship combines passion with strategic planning. You encounter challenges, but with determination and resourcefulness, you can find your way. The Importance Of Passion And Purpose Passion fuels your entrepreneurial journey. It drives creativity and resilience when facing obstacles. Knowing your purpose aligns your business goals with your values, enhancing motivation. You’ll attract customers with similar beliefs, fostering loyalty. When you embrace your passion, you create a compelling brand story that resonates with your target audience. Identifying Your Niche Identifying your niche is crucial for your small business success. Conduct thorough market research to understand the needs of your target audience. Analyze competitors to find gaps in the market you can fill. Consider your strengths and expertise to shape your unique business model. A well-defined niche guides your marketing strategy and customer acquisition efforts, ensuring better alignment with your brand and increasing profitability. Essential Skills For New Entrepreneurs Developing essential skills is crucial for small business success. As you navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship, focus on the following key areas. Business Management Skills Strong business management skills enhance your ability to lead a startup effectively. You’ll need leadership skills to inspire your team and strategic thinking for long-term planning. Budget management and business acumen play critical roles in controlling resources and ensuring sustained growth. Familiarity with various business models can guide you in establishing an effective legal structure, whether it’s an LLC, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Communication and Listening Effective communication is vital in building relationships and maintaining a positive work environment. Master both written and non-verbal communication to foster trust with your target audience and stakeholders. Utilize active listening during customer interactions to gather feedback, resolve conflicts, and support informed decision-making. Good stress management and emotion control ensure clear communication even in challenging situations. Time Management Strategies Implementing time management strategies allows you to prioritize tasks effectively. Use tools like to-do lists and scheduling apps to organize your daily responsibilities. Set specific business goals with deadlines to enhance productivity and keep your startup on track. Emphasizing efficiency can improve customer acquisition efforts as you focus on essential marketing strategies. Financial Literacy Basics A solid grasp of financial literacy forms the backbone of business sustainability. Understand cash flow, budgeting, and expenses for better financial management. Knowing how to read financial statements helps you track profitability and decide on funding options, whether through loans, angel investors, or crowdfunding. Stay informed about taxes, accounting, and the implications associated with various business structures to ensure compliance and optimize growth. Developing these skills will empower you to overcome entrepreneurial challenges and position your small business for success in a competitive market. Building A Support Network Building a robust support network enhances your journey as a new entrepreneur. This network provides emotional support, resource sharing, and diverse perspectives, critical for overcoming challenges. Finding Mentors And Advisors Finding mentors and advisors accelerates your growth in entrepreneurship. Seek individuals with expertise in areas like finance, marketing, or legal structure. A mentor can guide you through creating a business plan, securing funding options, and navigating regulatory requirements. Consider reaching out to local business incubators or organizations that connect entrepreneurs with seasoned professionals. Engage in networking events or seminars to build these important relationships. Joining Entrepreneurial Communities Joining entrepreneurial communities fosters collaboration and mentorship. Participate in local Chamber of Commerce or industry-specific associations to connect with peers. Leverage platforms like Meetup or LinkedIn to find groups focused on small business development and innovation. These communities often share valuable insights on topics such as customer acquisition, sales strategies, and market research. Engaging with fellow entrepreneurs can lead to potential partnerships and collaborations that boost your venture’s growth strategy. Overcoming Common Challenges Navigating the entrepreneurial journey involves confronting various challenges. Addressing these obstacles early sets the foundation for long-term success. Dealing With Self-Doubt You may experience self-doubt as a new entrepreneur, especially when making critical decisions. Having a clear business plan improves confidence in your choices, whether those choices are about funding options or market research. Surrounding yourself with a strong support network, including mentors and business coaches, can provide guidance and reassurance. Engaging in positive self-talk and celebrating small victories also helps to diminish self-doubt. Managing Stress And Burnout Managing stress is crucial for maintaining productivity in a startup. Identifying triggers can help you take proactive steps to minimize stress. You can implement time management strategies to prioritize tasks effectively, ensuring you don’t overwhelm yourself with responsibilities. Practicing mindfulness and taking regular breaks can significantly reduce burnout. Additionally, delegating tasks to team members fosters a collaborative environment and lessens your workload. Establishing a healthy work-life balance also promotes overall well-being, enhancing your ability to grow your small business. Conclusion Embracing the entrepreneurial journey is both exciting and challenging. By trusting your instincts and seeking guidance when needed, you can navigate the complexities of starting a business. Remember to combine your passion with strategic planning to align your goals with your values. Building essential skills and a robust support network will empower you to tackle obstacles head-on. Stay proactive in managing your time and finances while fostering relationships within your community. As you move forward, keep in mind that every challenge is an opportunity for growth. With determination and the right mindset, you’ll find your way to success in the entrepreneurial landscape. Frequently Asked Questions What are the biggest challenges faced by entrepreneurs? Entrepreneurs often encounter challenges such as self-doubt, stress management, and market competition. Navigating these obstacles requires strong business acumen, resilience, and effective time management. Building a supportive network is also crucial for overcoming these hurdles. Why is a clear business plan important for new entrepreneurs? A clear business plan boosts confidence in decision-making, helps define goals, and guides strategic planning. It also serves as a roadmap to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship, ensuring alignment between business objectives and personal values. How can entrepreneurs identify their niche in the market? Entrepreneurs can identify their niche by conducting thorough market research and competitor analysis. Understanding customer needs and gaps in the market will help entrepreneurs develop targeted marketing strategies and enhance profitability. What key skills should new entrepreneurs develop? New entrepreneurs should focus on developing essential skills such as strong leadership, strategic thinking, effective communication, and budget management. Additionally, mastering time management and financial literacy is vital for sustaining a successful business. How important is a support network for entrepreneurs? A robust support network is crucial for entrepreneurs, providing emotional support, resource sharing, and diverse perspectives. Mentorship and engagement in entrepreneurial communities can accelerate growth and foster valuable relationships. What strategies can help manage stress as an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurs can manage stress by identifying triggers, practicing mindfulness, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Implementing effective time management strategies and delegating tasks can also reduce workload and prevent burnout. How can passion contribute to entrepreneurial success? Passion fuels creativity and resilience, driving entrepreneurs to overcome challenges. When combined with strategic planning and a clear purpose, passion helps align business goals with personal values, ultimately leading to greater success. Image Via Envato This article, "Finding Your Way as a New Entrepreneur: Strategies for Success in a Complex Journey" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Embrace Passion and Purpose: Align your business goals with your core values to foster motivation and customer loyalty.Identify Your Niche: Conduct thorough market research to find gaps you can fill, ensuring a unique business model that attracts your target audience.Develop Essential Skills: Focus on business management, communication, time management, and financial literacy to navigate challenges effectively.Build a Support Network: Connect with mentors, advisors, and entrepreneurial communities for guidance, resource sharing, and collaboration opportunities.Overcome Self-Doubt: Use a clear business plan and positive self-talk, along with a supportive network, to build confidence in decision-making.Manage Stress and Burnout: Implement time management strategies, practice mindfulness, and maintain a healthy work-life balance to optimize productivity. Stepping into the world of entrepreneurship can feel like navigating a maze without a map. You’ve got big dreams and ideas, but the path to success is often filled with twists and turns. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your approach, understanding how to find your way is crucial. Embracing your journey as a new entrepreneur means learning to trust your instincts while also seeking guidance. You’ll face challenges that test your resolve, but with the right strategies and mindset, you can carve out your niche. Let’s explore the essential steps to help you thrive in this exciting yet daunting landscape. Understanding The Journey Of A New Entrepreneur Navigating entrepreneurship combines passion with strategic planning. You encounter challenges, but with determination and resourcefulness, you can find your way. The Importance Of Passion And Purpose Passion fuels your entrepreneurial journey. It drives creativity and resilience when facing obstacles. Knowing your purpose aligns your business goals with your values, enhancing motivation. You’ll attract customers with similar beliefs, fostering loyalty. When you embrace your passion, you create a compelling brand story that resonates with your target audience. Identifying Your Niche Identifying your niche is crucial for your small business success. Conduct thorough market research to understand the needs of your target audience. Analyze competitors to find gaps in the market you can fill. Consider your strengths and expertise to shape your unique business model. A well-defined niche guides your marketing strategy and customer acquisition efforts, ensuring better alignment with your brand and increasing profitability. Essential Skills For New Entrepreneurs Developing essential skills is crucial for small business success. As you navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship, focus on the following key areas. Business Management Skills Strong business management skills enhance your ability to lead a startup effectively. You’ll need leadership skills to inspire your team and strategic thinking for long-term planning. Budget management and business acumen play critical roles in controlling resources and ensuring sustained growth. Familiarity with various business models can guide you in establishing an effective legal structure, whether it’s an LLC, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Communication and Listening Effective communication is vital in building relationships and maintaining a positive work environment. Master both written and non-verbal communication to foster trust with your target audience and stakeholders. Utilize active listening during customer interactions to gather feedback, resolve conflicts, and support informed decision-making. Good stress management and emotion control ensure clear communication even in challenging situations. Time Management Strategies Implementing time management strategies allows you to prioritize tasks effectively. Use tools like to-do lists and scheduling apps to organize your daily responsibilities. Set specific business goals with deadlines to enhance productivity and keep your startup on track. Emphasizing efficiency can improve customer acquisition efforts as you focus on essential marketing strategies. Financial Literacy Basics A solid grasp of financial literacy forms the backbone of business sustainability. Understand cash flow, budgeting, and expenses for better financial management. Knowing how to read financial statements helps you track profitability and decide on funding options, whether through loans, angel investors, or crowdfunding. Stay informed about taxes, accounting, and the implications associated with various business structures to ensure compliance and optimize growth. Developing these skills will empower you to overcome entrepreneurial challenges and position your small business for success in a competitive market. Building A Support Network Building a robust support network enhances your journey as a new entrepreneur. This network provides emotional support, resource sharing, and diverse perspectives, critical for overcoming challenges. Finding Mentors And Advisors Finding mentors and advisors accelerates your growth in entrepreneurship. Seek individuals with expertise in areas like finance, marketing, or legal structure. A mentor can guide you through creating a business plan, securing funding options, and navigating regulatory requirements. Consider reaching out to local business incubators or organizations that connect entrepreneurs with seasoned professionals. Engage in networking events or seminars to build these important relationships. Joining Entrepreneurial Communities Joining entrepreneurial communities fosters collaboration and mentorship. Participate in local Chamber of Commerce or industry-specific associations to connect with peers. Leverage platforms like Meetup or LinkedIn to find groups focused on small business development and innovation. These communities often share valuable insights on topics such as customer acquisition, sales strategies, and market research. Engaging with fellow entrepreneurs can lead to potential partnerships and collaborations that boost your venture’s growth strategy. Overcoming Common Challenges Navigating the entrepreneurial journey involves confronting various challenges. Addressing these obstacles early sets the foundation for long-term success. Dealing With Self-Doubt You may experience self-doubt as a new entrepreneur, especially when making critical decisions. Having a clear business plan improves confidence in your choices, whether those choices are about funding options or market research. Surrounding yourself with a strong support network, including mentors and business coaches, can provide guidance and reassurance. Engaging in positive self-talk and celebrating small victories also helps to diminish self-doubt. Managing Stress And Burnout Managing stress is crucial for maintaining productivity in a startup. Identifying triggers can help you take proactive steps to minimize stress. You can implement time management strategies to prioritize tasks effectively, ensuring you don’t overwhelm yourself with responsibilities. Practicing mindfulness and taking regular breaks can significantly reduce burnout. Additionally, delegating tasks to team members fosters a collaborative environment and lessens your workload. Establishing a healthy work-life balance also promotes overall well-being, enhancing your ability to grow your small business. Conclusion Embracing the entrepreneurial journey is both exciting and challenging. By trusting your instincts and seeking guidance when needed, you can navigate the complexities of starting a business. Remember to combine your passion with strategic planning to align your goals with your values. Building essential skills and a robust support network will empower you to tackle obstacles head-on. Stay proactive in managing your time and finances while fostering relationships within your community. As you move forward, keep in mind that every challenge is an opportunity for growth. With determination and the right mindset, you’ll find your way to success in the entrepreneurial landscape. Frequently Asked Questions What are the biggest challenges faced by entrepreneurs? Entrepreneurs often encounter challenges such as self-doubt, stress management, and market competition. Navigating these obstacles requires strong business acumen, resilience, and effective time management. Building a supportive network is also crucial for overcoming these hurdles. Why is a clear business plan important for new entrepreneurs? A clear business plan boosts confidence in decision-making, helps define goals, and guides strategic planning. It also serves as a roadmap to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship, ensuring alignment between business objectives and personal values. How can entrepreneurs identify their niche in the market? Entrepreneurs can identify their niche by conducting thorough market research and competitor analysis. Understanding customer needs and gaps in the market will help entrepreneurs develop targeted marketing strategies and enhance profitability. What key skills should new entrepreneurs develop? New entrepreneurs should focus on developing essential skills such as strong leadership, strategic thinking, effective communication, and budget management. Additionally, mastering time management and financial literacy is vital for sustaining a successful business. How important is a support network for entrepreneurs? A robust support network is crucial for entrepreneurs, providing emotional support, resource sharing, and diverse perspectives. Mentorship and engagement in entrepreneurial communities can accelerate growth and foster valuable relationships. What strategies can help manage stress as an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurs can manage stress by identifying triggers, practicing mindfulness, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Implementing effective time management strategies and delegating tasks can also reduce workload and prevent burnout. How can passion contribute to entrepreneurial success? Passion fuels creativity and resilience, driving entrepreneurs to overcome challenges. When combined with strategic planning and a clear purpose, passion helps align business goals with personal values, ultimately leading to greater success. Image Via Envato This article, "Finding Your Way as a New Entrepreneur: Strategies for Success in a Complex Journey" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In my Friday video, I mentioned some more volatility heating up on Friday morning and I promised to cover it if I see more signs of that update. Well, many of the other tools noticed volatility around April 25th, this past Friday, in addition to the 22nd and 23rd volatility we covered earlier last week.View the full article

Key Takeaways Enhance Engagement: Facebook slideshows significantly improve audience engagement by leveraging dynamic visuals that capture attention more effectively than static posts.Showcase Content: Use slideshows to highlight products, user-generated content, or memorable experiences that align with your brand narrative, fostering community and trust.Simple Creation Process: Creating a Facebook slideshow is straightforward, requiring just a few steps—including selecting content, configuring video elements, and customizing with music and transitions.Optimal for Mobile: Ensure all visuals are optimized for mobile viewing, as a large portion of Facebook users access the platform on their smartphones.Effective Sharing Strategies: Maximize your slideshow’s reach by sharing it on timelines, relevant groups, and other social media platforms, alongside using hashtags to enhance discoverability.Monitor Analytics: Utilize social media analytics to evaluate the slideshow’s performance, helping you refine your content strategy based on audience engagement metrics. Creating a Facebook slideshow is a fantastic way to share memories, promote events, or showcase products. With its dynamic visuals and engaging format, a slideshow captures attention more effectively than a static post. Whether you’re a business owner looking to highlight your latest offerings or just want to share a fun family gathering, mastering this tool can elevate your social media presence. In just a few simple steps, you can transform your photos and videos into a captivating slideshow that resonates with your audience. You don’t need to be a tech whiz; Facebook’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to craft stunning slideshows that tell a story. Let’s dive into how you can create your own Facebook slideshow and make your posts stand out in the crowded social media landscape. Importance Of Facebook Slideshows Facebook slideshows significantly enhance your social media strategy. They allow you to showcase your products or services while engaging your audience through dynamic visuals. Slideshows provide a compelling storytelling format, which helps increase brand awareness among potential customers. You can leverage Facebook’s platforms to create memorable experiences for your followers. Slideshows highlight user-generated content, such as customer testimonials or product reviews, fostering community management and building trust. This approach improves your organic reach, making it easier for new customers to discover your brand. Additionally, you can integrate slideshows into your content calendar. Including them in your social media posts maximizes your engagement rate. By consistently posting slide shows, you amplify social media growth. Using slideshows improves your online presence and maintains brand consistency across different platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn. Incorporating slideshows into your social media campaigns not only boosts engagement but also provides valuable social media analytics. These insights let you monitor performance and adjust your marketing efforts. Ultimately, Facebook slideshows are a powerful tool for small businesses aiming to optimize their social media engagement. Steps To Create A Facebook Slideshow Creating a captivating Facebook slideshow can enhance your small business social media strategy by driving engagement and increasing brand awareness. Follow these steps to create an effective slideshow that showcases your content. Selecting Your Photos And Videos Choose Relevant Content: Select images and video content that align with your brand voice and storytelling strategy. High-quality visuals attract attention and improve your engagement rate. Diversify Visuals: Incorporate a mix of user-generated content, product photos, event highlights, and user feedback to foster community management. This variety keeps your audience engaged and encourages customer interaction. Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your selected photos and videos are optimized for mobile viewing. Since many users access Facebook on their phones, your slideshow should be visually appealing on smaller screens. Using Facebook’s Slideshow Feature Log In and Access Your Page: Open the Facebook app on your device or access your page on desktop. Log in using your account credentials. Initiate the Post: Click on the “Share a photo or video” option to start creating your slideshow. Select the Slideshow Option: Choose the “Slideshow” or “Create Slideshow” button from the available options. This feature simplifies slideshow creation and enhances your content marketing efforts. Configure Video Elements: Adjust the following video elements to suit your objectives: Aspect Ratio: Set the aspect ratio for your slideshow. Options include 1:1, 16:9, and 2:3, or let the first image decide the ratio. Image Duration: Determine how long each image will be displayed. Consider keeping it between 3-5 seconds for optimal viewer retention and engagement. Add Music or Text: Enhance your slideshow by incorporating background music or text overlays. This addition can boost storytelling and further engage your audience. By creating compelling Facebook slideshows, you can significantly improve your social media engagement and reach on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, driving organic growth for your small business. Customizing Your Slideshow Customizing your Facebook slideshow enhances its visual appeal and engagement, making it a more effective tool for small business social media strategies. Here are essential features to consider. Adding Music Adding music elevates your slideshow, creating an emotional connection with your audience. You can select tracks from Facebook’s music library or upload your own audio files. Choose music that aligns with your brand voice and complements your storytelling. Background music engages viewers and encourages social media interaction, potentially increasing your reach on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Choosing Slide Transitions Choosing slide transitions impacts how your slideshow flows. Facebook provides various transition effects, from fade-ins to slides. Consistent transitions enhance the overall aesthetic and maintain brand consistency. As you aim for higher social media engagement, subtle transitions help guide the viewer’s eye, retaining attention throughout the slideshow. Ensure the chosen transitions fit your content, facilitating a smooth viewing experience that boosts audience connection and completes your social media posts. Sharing Your Slideshow Once you’ve created your Facebook slideshow, sharing it effectively maximizes its impact on your small business social media presence. Here’s how to share your slideshow directly: Post on Your Timeline: After customizing your slideshow, tap the “Post” button to share it on your timeline. This increases visibility among your friends and followers on Facebook. Share in Groups: If you manage Facebook groups relevant to your brand, share your slideshow there. Engaging with niche audiences in Facebook groups increases your potential for organic reach and enhances community management. Boost with Paid Ads: Utilize Facebook ads to promote your slideshow. Paid social options allow you to target specific demographics, improving your brand awareness and engagement rate among potential customers. Cross-Platform Sharing: Share the slideshow on other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Tailor the post to fit each platform’s audience for better engagement. Use Hashtags: Include relevant hashtags when sharing on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Hashtags enhance content discoverability, aiding in audience targeting and expanding your reach. Encourage User-Generated Content: Invite your followers to create their own slideshows using your products or services. This promotes community interaction and adds authenticity to your brand narrative. Analyze Performance: After sharing, monitor the slideshow’s performance with social media analytics tools. Check metrics such as views, shares, and comments to assess the effectiveness of your content creation. Adjust Your Content Calendar: Based on analytics, adjust your content calendar. Learn which types of slideshow content resonate best with your audience and optimize future social media campaigns accordingly. By effectively sharing your slideshow, you enhance your social media strategy, drive engagement, and promote brand consistency across your online presence. Conclusion Creating a Facebook slideshow is a fantastic way to engage your audience and showcase your brand. With its user-friendly tools you can easily craft visually appealing content that tells your story. By incorporating high-quality images music and thoughtful transitions you’ll capture attention and foster emotional connections. Don’t forget to share your slideshow strategically across your social media channels to maximize reach. Analyzing performance metrics will help you refine your approach ensuring that each slideshow you create resonates with your audience. Embrace this powerful tool to elevate your social media strategy and watch your engagement soar. Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of creating a Facebook slideshow? Creating a Facebook slideshow allows you to share memories, promote events, and showcase products dynamically. It engages audiences more effectively than static posts, enhancing brand awareness and customer trust. Slideshows can highlight user-generated content and foster community interaction, making them a valuable tool for businesses. How can I create a Facebook slideshow? To create a Facebook slideshow, log into your account, start a new post, and choose the slideshow option. Select high-quality images and videos, optimize them for mobile, and configure settings like aspect ratio. You can enhance your slideshow with music and text overlays for better storytelling. Is technical skill required to create a slideshow? No, you don’t need technical skills to create a Facebook slideshow. Facebook’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to create captivating slideshows, regardless of experience. How can slideshows improve my social media strategy? Slideshows can significantly boost your social media strategy by increasing engagement rates and brand visibility. They allow for effective storytelling and showcasing of products, helping you connect with your audience and enhance your online presence. What music should I use in my slideshow? You can choose tracks from Facebook’s music library or upload your own. The music should align with your brand voice and enhance the emotional connection with your audience, improving viewer engagement. How can I share my slideshow for maximum impact? For maximum impact, post your slideshow on your timeline, share it in relevant Facebook groups, and consider using paid ads. Also, cross-promote on other platforms, use hashtags, and encourage user-generated content to boost interaction. What analytics can I track from my slideshow? You can monitor engagement metrics such as views, shares, and comments from your slideshow. Analyzing this data will help you understand performance and optimize future content strategies effectively. Image Via Envato This article, "Mastering How to Make a Facebook Slideshow to Boost Engagement and Share Memories" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Enhance Engagement: Facebook slideshows significantly improve audience engagement by leveraging dynamic visuals that capture attention more effectively than static posts.Showcase Content: Use slideshows to highlight products, user-generated content, or memorable experiences that align with your brand narrative, fostering community and trust.Simple Creation Process: Creating a Facebook slideshow is straightforward, requiring just a few steps—including selecting content, configuring video elements, and customizing with music and transitions.Optimal for Mobile: Ensure all visuals are optimized for mobile viewing, as a large portion of Facebook users access the platform on their smartphones.Effective Sharing Strategies: Maximize your slideshow’s reach by sharing it on timelines, relevant groups, and other social media platforms, alongside using hashtags to enhance discoverability.Monitor Analytics: Utilize social media analytics to evaluate the slideshow’s performance, helping you refine your content strategy based on audience engagement metrics. Creating a Facebook slideshow is a fantastic way to share memories, promote events, or showcase products. With its dynamic visuals and engaging format, a slideshow captures attention more effectively than a static post. Whether you’re a business owner looking to highlight your latest offerings or just want to share a fun family gathering, mastering this tool can elevate your social media presence. In just a few simple steps, you can transform your photos and videos into a captivating slideshow that resonates with your audience. You don’t need to be a tech whiz; Facebook’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to craft stunning slideshows that tell a story. Let’s dive into how you can create your own Facebook slideshow and make your posts stand out in the crowded social media landscape. Importance Of Facebook Slideshows Facebook slideshows significantly enhance your social media strategy. They allow you to showcase your products or services while engaging your audience through dynamic visuals. Slideshows provide a compelling storytelling format, which helps increase brand awareness among potential customers. You can leverage Facebook’s platforms to create memorable experiences for your followers. Slideshows highlight user-generated content, such as customer testimonials or product reviews, fostering community management and building trust. This approach improves your organic reach, making it easier for new customers to discover your brand. Additionally, you can integrate slideshows into your content calendar. Including them in your social media posts maximizes your engagement rate. By consistently posting slide shows, you amplify social media growth. Using slideshows improves your online presence and maintains brand consistency across different platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn. Incorporating slideshows into your social media campaigns not only boosts engagement but also provides valuable social media analytics. These insights let you monitor performance and adjust your marketing efforts. Ultimately, Facebook slideshows are a powerful tool for small businesses aiming to optimize their social media engagement. Steps To Create A Facebook Slideshow Creating a captivating Facebook slideshow can enhance your small business social media strategy by driving engagement and increasing brand awareness. Follow these steps to create an effective slideshow that showcases your content. Selecting Your Photos And Videos Choose Relevant Content: Select images and video content that align with your brand voice and storytelling strategy. High-quality visuals attract attention and improve your engagement rate. Diversify Visuals: Incorporate a mix of user-generated content, product photos, event highlights, and user feedback to foster community management. This variety keeps your audience engaged and encourages customer interaction. Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your selected photos and videos are optimized for mobile viewing. Since many users access Facebook on their phones, your slideshow should be visually appealing on smaller screens. Using Facebook’s Slideshow Feature Log In and Access Your Page: Open the Facebook app on your device or access your page on desktop. Log in using your account credentials. Initiate the Post: Click on the “Share a photo or video” option to start creating your slideshow. Select the Slideshow Option: Choose the “Slideshow” or “Create Slideshow” button from the available options. This feature simplifies slideshow creation and enhances your content marketing efforts. Configure Video Elements: Adjust the following video elements to suit your objectives: Aspect Ratio: Set the aspect ratio for your slideshow. Options include 1:1, 16:9, and 2:3, or let the first image decide the ratio. Image Duration: Determine how long each image will be displayed. Consider keeping it between 3-5 seconds for optimal viewer retention and engagement. Add Music or Text: Enhance your slideshow by incorporating background music or text overlays. This addition can boost storytelling and further engage your audience. By creating compelling Facebook slideshows, you can significantly improve your social media engagement and reach on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, driving organic growth for your small business. Customizing Your Slideshow Customizing your Facebook slideshow enhances its visual appeal and engagement, making it a more effective tool for small business social media strategies. Here are essential features to consider. Adding Music Adding music elevates your slideshow, creating an emotional connection with your audience. You can select tracks from Facebook’s music library or upload your own audio files. Choose music that aligns with your brand voice and complements your storytelling. Background music engages viewers and encourages social media interaction, potentially increasing your reach on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Choosing Slide Transitions Choosing slide transitions impacts how your slideshow flows. Facebook provides various transition effects, from fade-ins to slides. Consistent transitions enhance the overall aesthetic and maintain brand consistency. As you aim for higher social media engagement, subtle transitions help guide the viewer’s eye, retaining attention throughout the slideshow. Ensure the chosen transitions fit your content, facilitating a smooth viewing experience that boosts audience connection and completes your social media posts. Sharing Your Slideshow Once you’ve created your Facebook slideshow, sharing it effectively maximizes its impact on your small business social media presence. Here’s how to share your slideshow directly: Post on Your Timeline: After customizing your slideshow, tap the “Post” button to share it on your timeline. This increases visibility among your friends and followers on Facebook. Share in Groups: If you manage Facebook groups relevant to your brand, share your slideshow there. Engaging with niche audiences in Facebook groups increases your potential for organic reach and enhances community management. Boost with Paid Ads: Utilize Facebook ads to promote your slideshow. Paid social options allow you to target specific demographics, improving your brand awareness and engagement rate among potential customers. Cross-Platform Sharing: Share the slideshow on other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Tailor the post to fit each platform’s audience for better engagement. Use Hashtags: Include relevant hashtags when sharing on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Hashtags enhance content discoverability, aiding in audience targeting and expanding your reach. Encourage User-Generated Content: Invite your followers to create their own slideshows using your products or services. This promotes community interaction and adds authenticity to your brand narrative. Analyze Performance: After sharing, monitor the slideshow’s performance with social media analytics tools. Check metrics such as views, shares, and comments to assess the effectiveness of your content creation. Adjust Your Content Calendar: Based on analytics, adjust your content calendar. Learn which types of slideshow content resonate best with your audience and optimize future social media campaigns accordingly. By effectively sharing your slideshow, you enhance your social media strategy, drive engagement, and promote brand consistency across your online presence. Conclusion Creating a Facebook slideshow is a fantastic way to engage your audience and showcase your brand. With its user-friendly tools you can easily craft visually appealing content that tells your story. By incorporating high-quality images music and thoughtful transitions you’ll capture attention and foster emotional connections. Don’t forget to share your slideshow strategically across your social media channels to maximize reach. Analyzing performance metrics will help you refine your approach ensuring that each slideshow you create resonates with your audience. Embrace this powerful tool to elevate your social media strategy and watch your engagement soar. Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of creating a Facebook slideshow? Creating a Facebook slideshow allows you to share memories, promote events, and showcase products dynamically. It engages audiences more effectively than static posts, enhancing brand awareness and customer trust. Slideshows can highlight user-generated content and foster community interaction, making them a valuable tool for businesses. How can I create a Facebook slideshow? To create a Facebook slideshow, log into your account, start a new post, and choose the slideshow option. Select high-quality images and videos, optimize them for mobile, and configure settings like aspect ratio. You can enhance your slideshow with music and text overlays for better storytelling. Is technical skill required to create a slideshow? No, you don’t need technical skills to create a Facebook slideshow. Facebook’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to create captivating slideshows, regardless of experience. How can slideshows improve my social media strategy? Slideshows can significantly boost your social media strategy by increasing engagement rates and brand visibility. They allow for effective storytelling and showcasing of products, helping you connect with your audience and enhance your online presence. What music should I use in my slideshow? You can choose tracks from Facebook’s music library or upload your own. The music should align with your brand voice and enhance the emotional connection with your audience, improving viewer engagement. How can I share my slideshow for maximum impact? For maximum impact, post your slideshow on your timeline, share it in relevant Facebook groups, and consider using paid ads. Also, cross-promote on other platforms, use hashtags, and encourage user-generated content to boost interaction. What analytics can I track from my slideshow? You can monitor engagement metrics such as views, shares, and comments from your slideshow. Analyzing this data will help you understand performance and optimize future content strategies effectively. Image Via Envato This article, "Mastering How to Make a Facebook Slideshow to Boost Engagement and Share Memories" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

His acolytes are discovering that it’s not so much about any particular policy as having blind faith in the man himselfView the full article

Mark Carney and rival Pierre Poilievre’s seats border each other and reflect the broader choices facing votersView the full article

Veteran analyst’s comments come as voters prepare to go to the polls in England on ThursdayView the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. While national active housing inventory for sale at the end of March 2025 was still 20% below pre-pandemic March 2019 levels, on a year-over-year basis national active listings are up 29% between March 2024 and March 2025. This indicates that homebuyers have gained some leverage in many parts of the country over the past year. One of the biggest year-over-year increases is happening in California—where active inventory for sale is up 50% year-over-year. Despite the 50% year-over-year jump in active California housing inventory for sale—including both single-family homes and condos—California at the end of March 2025 still had 20% fewer homes for sale than it did in pre-pandemic March 2019. But more California housing markets are climbing out of that inventory deficit. And if the current trajectory holds, California could soon be out of its pandemic housing boom era inventory hole. Among California’s 36 major counties with at least 100,000 residents, nine have more active housing inventory for sale in March 2025 compared to pre-pandemic March 2019. The other 27 major California counties still have inventory below pre-pandemic March 2019 levels. In housing markets where active inventory for sale rises significantly, homebuyers are gaining leverage. In housing markets where active inventory for sale has shot up above pre-pandemic 2019 levels, homebuyers have gained considerable leverage relative to past years. Homebuyers in San Francisco (in particular San Francisco proper’s condo market) had a lot more leverage recently than homebuyers in, say, Orange County. View the full article

Rassemblement National chief says he would compete if court judgment blocks his mentorView the full article

And Tesla should become a more normal companyView the full article

If you’ve followed Apple for any length of time, you’ve no doubt come across the notion that the company doesn’t rush into adopting cutting-edge technology; instead, it waits until it can do it right. “We don’t feel an impatience to be first,” CEO Tim Cook told Bloomberg in 2017. “Our thing is to be the best and to give the user something that really makes a difference in their lives.” But I’m starting to wonder if something else is going on. Sure, a lot of Apple’s Android competitors have sometimes been accused of throwing features at the wall. These days, though, I think their hardware is often just markedly better—and it hits the market earlier. There have certainly been times when Apple has waited and knocked it out of the park with its own implementation of a new component or product category. Touch ID was far faster and more reliable than any previous fingerprint reader. Apple Pay was a comprehensive use case for Near Field Communication that worked seamlessly compared with prior solutions. The Apple Watch might not have been perfect at launch, but it was (and is) light years ahead of other smartwatches. Other examples fall into a gray area. Take wireless charging. “Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated,” Apple senior VP Phil Schiller said in 2012. Five years later, the iPhone X and 8 launched with Qi charging that worked the exact same way, without any particular special sauce. Today, Apple has by far the most convenient setup with its MagSafe ecosystem, and it has set the bar for the new Qi2 standard. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was years behind on the basic functionality. More recently, there have been cases in which Apple is simply late. AI is an obvious example, but camera hardware is more pertinent. For many years, Apple could and did lay claim to having the best phone camera around. But it’s impossible to make that case today if you have any experience with the top Android phones on the market. Some of that comes down to software tuning, but hardware plays an equally big role. In fall 2023, Apple introduced its “tetraprism” camera to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, upping the focal length from 3x to 5x. Apple presented this as a new approach to lens design, and in some ways it is; it doesn’t have the characteristic rectangular shape of “periscope” telephoto lenses on other Android phones, although the principle is the same. But Apple couldn’t claim any major performance breakthrough, except over itself. Take the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, released at the start of that year; its 5x telephoto lens was paired with a bigger sensor, and the difference in clarity was stark. Apple had been rumored to be lining up suppliers for periscope telephoto cameras since 2020, and even had filed patents on the technology in 2016, but it doesn’t seem to have gained anything by waiting so long to bring the concept to market. Huawei and Oppo, meanwhile, were shipping impressive periscope cameras back in 2019. It was a similar situation with 48-megapixel image sensors, the main new feature on the iPhone 14 Pro camera in 2022. Again, it’s not clear what took Apple so long to introduce this—the first 48-megapixel sensors made their way to Android phones in early 2019, and they worked the exact same way by combining four pixels into one for better 12-megapixel shots. In recent years, the state of the art in Android phones has been 1-inch image sensors, the same size you’ll find in enthusiast compact cameras like Sony’s RX100 line. Once you’ve used one, it’s hard to go back; these phones take photos that just don’t look like they came from a phone. The technology is mature, but at least from the outside, Apple does not seem all that interested in keeping up. It’s possible that Apple’s scale makes it harder for the company to secure cutting-edge components in the quantities it requires for each launch. The first tetraprism lens was only available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max before making it to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro the following year, for example. Android OEMs ship so many more individual models that it’s easier for them to reserve high-end parts for certain flagships. I’ve been thinking about this dynamic lately when reading reports of Apple’s belated entry into folding phones, a category Samsung kicked off in 2019—albeit with some well-publicized hiccups. Last month Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to use technologies from a slimmer iPhone this year in a folding phone that could land “as early as 2026.” I’m not sure this checks out. According to Gurman, the 2025 “iPhone Air“ will be around 2 millimeters thinner than current models; the iPhone 16 Pro is 8.3 millimeters thick. The thinnest folding phone out there today is Oppo’s Find N5, which has a near-invisible crease in its display and is just 4.2 millimeters thick when unfolded. At this point, what could Apple really be learning by producing a phone closer in thickness to the iPhone 16 Pro? The Find N5 isn’t just impressive hardware—it’s a phone that makes you wonder how much thinner it could even be. Make it a fifth of a millimeter thicker, and I’m not sure it would still fit its USB-C port. (Gurman does note that Apple also plans to investigate the possibility of port-free iPhones.) But more to the point, the Find N5 is already on the market. At this point, I would not expect Apple’s first attempt at a folding phone to break new ground on a technical level. Six years on from the original Galaxy Fold, it seems unlikely that foldable hardware is going to get meaningfully better than what’s out there right now. Apple’s software is broadly excellent and its ecosystem is unparalleled, which is why I continue to buy iPhones myself. The Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch really are the best products available in their given categories, so I’ll always want a phone that works well with them. But something is going on with the iPhone. It’s simply no longer the case that Android companies can’t compete on hardware or design. If Apple ever wants to dazzle the world with mobile devices again—or at least hardware obsessives like me—the window may be closing. View the full article

Industry says administration’s levies on foreign vessels will harm US plans for ‘energy dominance’View the full article

What is “happiness”—and who gets to be happy? Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has measured and compared data from 167 countries. The United States currently ranks 24th, between the U.K. and Belize—its lowest position since the report was first issued. But the 2025 edition, released on March 20, the U.N.’s annual “International Day of Happiness,” starts off not with numbers, but with Shakespeare. “In this year’s issue, we focus on the impact of caring and sharing on people’s happiness,” the authors explain. “Like ‘mercy’ in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, caring is ‘twice-blessed’—it blesses those who give and those who receive.” Shakespeare’s plays offer many reflections on happiness itself. They are a record of how people in early modern England experienced and thought about joy and satisfaction, and they offer a complex look at just how happiness, like mercy, lives in relationships and the caring exchanges between people. Contrary to how we might think about happiness in our everyday lives, it is more than the surge of positive feelings after a great meal, or a workout, or even a great date. The experience of emotions is grounded in both the body and the mind, influenced by human physiology and culture in ways that change depending on time and place. What makes a person happy, therefore, depends on who that person is, as well as where and when they belong—or don’t belong. Happiness has a history. I study emotions and early modern literature, so I spend a lot of my time thinking about what Shakespeare has to say about what makes people happy, in his own time and in our own. And also, of course, what makes people unhappy. From fortune to joy Wikimedia Commons Happiness derives from the Old Norse word hap, which meant “fortune” or “luck,” as historians Phil Withington and Darrin McMahon explain. This earlier sense is found throughout Shakespeare’s works. Today, it survives in the modern word happenstance and the expression that something is a “happy accident.” But in modern English usage, “happy” as “fortunate” has been almost entirely replaced by a notion of happiness as “joy,” or the more long-term sense of life satisfaction called “well-being.” The term well-being, in fact, was introduced into English from the Italian benessere around the time of Shakespeare’s birth. The word and the concept of happiness were transforming during Shakespeare’s lifetime, and his use of the word in his plays mingles both senses: “fortunate” and “joyful.” That transitional ambiguity emphasizes happiness’s origins in ideas about luck and fate, and it reminds readers and playgoers that happiness is a contingent, fragile thing—something not just individuals but societies need to carefully cultivate and support. Othello For instance, early in Othello, the Venetian senator Brabantio describes his daughter Desdemona as “tender, fair, and happy / So opposite to marriage that she shunned / The wealthy, curled darlings of our nation.” Before she elopes with Othello she is “happy” in the sense of “fortunate,” due to her privileged position on the marriage market. Later in the same play, though, Othello reunites with his new wife in Cyprus and describes his feelings of joy using this same term: . . . If it were now to die, ’Twere now to be most happy, for I fear My soul hath her content so absolute That not another comfort like to this Succeeds in unknown fate. Desdemona responds, The heavens forbid But that our loves and comforts should increase Even as our days do grow! They both understand “happy” to mean not just lucky, but “content” and “comfortable,” a more modern understanding. But they also recognize that their comforts depend on “the heavens,” and that happiness is enabled by being fortunate. Othello is a tragedy, so in the end, the couple will not prove “happy” in either sense. The foreign general is tricked into believing his young wife has been unfaithful. He murders her, then takes his own life. The seeds of jealousy are planted and expertly exploited by Othello’s subordinate, Iago, who catalyzes the racial prejudice and misogyny underlying Venetian values to enact his sinister and cruel revenge. OthelloLos Angeles TimesWikimedia Commons Happy insiders and outsiders Othello sheds light on happiness’s history, but also on its politics. While happiness is often upheld as a common good, it is also dependent on cultural forces that make it harder for some individuals to experience. Shared cultural fantasies about happiness tend to create what theorist Sara Ahmed calls “affect aliens”: individuals who, by nature of who they are and how they are treated, experience a disconnect between what their culture conditions them to think should make them happy and their disappointment or exclusion from those positive feelings. Othello, for example, rightly worries that he is somehow foreign to the domestic happiness Desdemona describes, excluded from the joy of Venetian marriage. It turns out he is right. Because Othello is foreign and Black and Desdemona is Venetian and white, their marriage does not conform to their society’s expectations for happiness, and that makes them vulnerable to Iago’s deceit. Similarly, The Merchant of Venice examines the potential for happiness to include or exclude, to build or break communities. Take the quote about mercy that opens the World Happiness Report. The phrase appears in a famous courtroom scene, as Portia attempts to persuade a Jewish lender, Shylock, to take pity on Antonio, a Christian man who cannot pay his debts. In their contract, Shylock has stipulated that if Antonio defaults on the loan, the fee will be a “pound of flesh.” “The quality of mercy is not strained,” Portia lectures him; it is “twice-blessed,” benefiting both giver and receiver. It’s a powerful attempt to save Antonio’s life. But it is also hypocritical: Those cultural norms of caring and mercy seem to apply only to other Christians in the play, and not the Jewish people living alongside them in Venice. In that same scene, Shylock reminds his audience that Antonio and the other Venetians in the room have spit on him and called him a dog. He famously asks why Jewish Venetians are not treated as equal human beings: “If you prick us, do we not bleed?” Shakespeare’s plays repeatedly make the point that the unjust distribution of rights and care among various social groups—Christians and Jews, men and women, citizens and foreigners—challenges the happy effects of benevolence. Those social factors are sometimes overlooked in cultures like the U.S., where contemporary notions of happiness are marketed by wellness gurus, influencers and cosmetic companies. Shakespeare’s plays reveal both how happiness is built through communities of care and how it can be weaponized to destroy individuals and the fabric of the community. There are obvious victims of prejudice and abuse in Shakespeare’s plays, but he does not just emphasize their individual tragedies. Instead, the plays record how certain values that promote inequality poison relationships that could otherwise support happy networks of family and friends. The Merchant of VeniceWikimedia Commons Systems of support Pretty much all objective research points to the fact that long-term happiness depends on community, connections and social support: having systems in place to weather what life throws at us. And according to both the World Happiness Report and Shakespeare, contentment isn’t just about the actual support you receive but your expectations about people’s willingness to help you. Societies with high levels of trust, like Finland and the Netherlands, tend to be happier—and to have more evenly distributed levels of happiness in their populations. Shakespeare’s plays offer blueprints for trust in happy communities. They also offer warnings about the costs of cultural fantasies about happiness that make it more possible for some, but not for all. Cora Fox is an associate professor of English and health humanities at Arizona State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

If the tariff-triggered drop in your 401(k) balance has got you sobbing into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, you’re not alone. U.S. and global markets have yo-yoed in reaction to the current administration’s inexplicable tariff wars. And since this market downturn is a direct result of American foreign economic policy, we may not be able to just wait for a recovery in the next few months (or years). While there’s no promise of fiscal unicorns and rainbows at the other end of this, economic history may offer some guidance. The Smoot-Hawley Tariffs None of us has ever lived through a tariff-triggered market crash, which is part of the reason why we’re all chewing our fingernails. But just because this is a new worry for modern investors doesn’t mean our current situation is unprecedented. America has been through a tariff trade war before, thanks to the work of the improbably named Utah Senator Reed Smoot and Oregon Representative Willis Hawley—two men without a single first name between them. You may only remember the Smoot-Hawley tariffs of 1930 as part of the mind-numbing lecture Ferris Bueller missed on his day off, but this act raised import duties in an attempt to protect American farmers and businesses. Unfortunately, the Smoot-Hawley tariffs prompted retaliatory tariffs, which further entrenched the financial crisis known as the Great Depression. Here’s why the history with Messrs Smoot and Hawley is important: it gives us a precedent to look to. Any financial adviser worth their salt will tell you that past performance is no guarantee of future returns—but understanding how markets have reacted in the past can offer some perspective on how markets may react in the future. What’s different about this market volatility The current financial turbulence stems from the president’s tariffs rather than a market crash like the 2008 housing bubble collapse. That’s important because we know how to plan for the worst-case scenario of a market crash. While anything but fun, market crashes are relatively common and repeat on a somewhat predictable seven-to-ten-year pattern–followed by an average recovery time of 1.4 years. Since our current heartburn-inducing market ride stems from America’s global retaliatory trade war, we can’t necessarily count on the “natural” rebound that has occurred after every other destabilizing market event in recent memory. Any countries angry about America’s tariffs could make financial or policy changes that will continue to affect the U.S. market for years to come. There is simply no way of knowing what long-term effects there will be on our investments. Let tariff history be your guide Even though none of us can personally remember a tariff trade war, we can learn from the devastating effects of Smoot and Hawley teaming up, bleach and ammonia style, to impose massive tariffs. Looking back to see how other countries reacted to America’s isolationist financial and foreign policy in the 1930s and how the market responded to the subsequent tariffs being flung back and forth across borders like a game of hot potato, we can make plans and predictions based on the historical worst-case scenario. Specifically, Smoot and Hawley showed us that tariffs often lead to retaliatory tariffs, which can have a negative impact on the market. Even though there is no way of knowing what will happen, it’s probably a good idea for investors to buckle up for a bumpy ride. Best practices for surviving The President’s tariffs You can get to the other side of this economic nightmare if you keep a cool head and follow these strategies: Remember that the market will eventually recover For anyone who is 10 or more years out from retirement, you can feel confident that things will improve. Unless we’re in a “dogs and cats living together–mass hysteria!” type of extinction-level event, consider ignoring your 401(k) balance for a little while. Your investments will do better if you back slowly away from your portfolio and let the market recover. Forewarned is forearmed Just because the market will return to some semblance of normalcy without any effort on your part doesn’t mean you should do nothing. Now is the time to shore up your finances by paying off high-interest debt, setting aside money into an emergency fund, finding ways to lower your expenses, and starting some secondary income streams in case of job loss or involuntary retirement. All of these actions will help your finances whether we’re in for a long stretch of tariff-induced market nastiness or things are about to come up roses. Invest conservatively as you get closer to retirement Your asset allocation is supposed to get less risky as you approach retirement, since that will protect your principal in case of a market downturn at the wrong time. If you’re planning to retire in the next few years, you can make sure any new contributions you make to your retirement accounts are invested in low-risk-lower-return assets, like bonds, treasury funds, CDs, or other cash equivalents. While these investments aren’t going to grow like the market normally would, the market also may not grow like it normally would. Stashing your contributions into these kinds of investments will offer you more peace of mind that the money will be waiting for your retirement. You still have time for market recovery Once you’re no longer in the flush of youth, you may assume you don’t have the luxury of investing for the long-term. It’s not like a 60-year-old can afford to wait out the market like a 30-year-old can. Except, you can invest like you have decades ahead of you. Because you do! Even while you approach retirement and during your retirement, you will keep a portion of your portfolio invested for the long haul. When you retire, you don’t need all of your money right away. You’ll keep a significant chunk invested for a longer time horizon, which helps ensure that your money will last your entire life. How to respond if you’re already retired By far, retirees are the most vulnerable to a protracted market plunge. Going back to work or waiting out the market weirdness are generally off the table for retirees, so it can feel like there are no good choices. But that doesn’t mean retirees are helpless in the face of larger economic forces. As with current workers and near-retirees, retirees can make plans now for the worst-case scenario. This might include: Reducing expenses: This is easier said than done, considering the price of eggs and everything else, but start thinking about ways to downsize your costs. Selling items: If you have a lifetime’s worth of home goods, collectibles, or Precious Moments figurines sitting around, you may want to start selling some off. This could be a good way to increase your retirement income without having to take money from your investments. Considering a reverse mortgage: Since your home is likely your most valuable asset, a reverse mortgage could be a decent way to access cash from something other than your investments. Don’t panic—plan Panic is the leading cause of selling at the market’s low point. Instead of selling off your investments to staunch the flow of tariff-induced anxiety, make a plan instead. If you assume the market may be bumpy for the foreseeable future, how will that change your financial decisions? Making investment choices based on that assumption will serve you well no matter what happens. In the best-case scenario, things will recover sooner than expected and this will be a footnote in your investing career. But even in the worst-case scenario, planning for volatility will help you make more rational decisions—and protect you from making your paper losses real by getting out of the market. It may be a bit of a grim sounding win-win, but it’s a heck of a lot better than crying into a pint of Chunky Monkey. View the full article

A lot has been written about gratitude over the past two decades and how we ought to be feeling it. There is advice for journaling and a plethora of purchasing options for gratitude notebooks and diaries. And research has consistently pointed to the health and relationship benefits of the fairly simple and cost-effective practice of cultivating gratitude. Yet, Americans are living in a very stressful time, worried about their financial situation and the current political upheaval. How then do we practice gratitude during such times? I am a social psychologist who runs the Positive Emotion and Social Behavior Lab at Gonzaga University. I teach courses focused on resilience and human flourishing. I have researched and taught about gratitude for 18 years. At the best of times, awareness of the positive may require more effort than noticing the negative, let alone in times of heightened distress. There are, however, two simple ways to work on this. Gratitude doesn’t always come easily Generally, negative information captures attention more readily than the positive. This disparity is so potent that it’s called the negativity bias. Researchers argue that this is an evolutionary adaptation: Being vigilant for life’s harms was essential for survival. Yet, this means that noticing the kindnesses of others or the beauty the world has to offer may go unnoticed or forgotten by the end of the day. That is to our detriment. Gratitude is experienced as a positive emotion. It results from noticing that others—including friends and family certainly, but also strangers, a higher power or the planet—have provided assistance or given something of value such as friendship or financial support. By definition, gratitude is focused on others’ care or on entities outside of oneself. It is not about one’s own accomplishments or luck. When we feel gratitude toward something or someone, it can increase well-being and happiness and relationship satisfaction, as well as lower depression. Thus, it may assist in counteracting the negativity bias by helping us find and remember the good that others are doing for us every day—the good that we may lose sight of in the best of times, let alone in times when Americans are deeply stressed. How to practice gratitude Research has shown that some people are naturally more grateful than others. But it’s also clear that gratitude can be cultivated through practice. People can improve their ability to notice and feel this positive emotion. One way to do this is to try a gratitude journal. Or, if the idea of journaling is daunting or annoying, perhaps call it a daily list instead. If you have given this a try and dislike it, skip to the second method below. Gratitude lists are designed to create a habit in which you scan your day looking for the positive outcomes that others have brought into your life, no matter how small. Writing down several experiences each day that went well because of others may make these positive events more visible to you and more memorable by the end of the day—thus, boosting gratitude and its accompanying benefits. While the negative news—“The stock market is down again!” “How are tariffs going to affect my financial security?”—is clearly drawing attention, a gratitude list is meant to help highlight the positive so that it doesn’t go overlooked. The negative doesn’t need help gaining attention, but the positive might. A second method for practicing gratitude is expressing that gratitude to others. This can look like writing a letter of gratitude and delivering it to someone who has made a positive impact in your life. When my students do this exercise, it often results in touching interactions. For instance, my college students often write to high school mentors, and those adults are regularly moved to tears to learn of the positive impact they had. Expressing gratitude in work settings can boost employees’ sense of social worth. In a world that may currently feel bleak, a letter of gratitude may not only help the writer recognize the good of others but also let others know that they are making a beautiful difference in the world. Monica Y. Bartlett is a professor of psychology at Gonzaga University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Greg Walton, PhD, is the co-director of the Dweck-Walton Lab and a professor of psychology at Stanford University. Dr. Walton’s research is supported by many foundations, including Character Lab, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. He has been covered in major media outlets including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Times. What’s the big idea? Stanford psychologist Greg Walton reveals how small psychological shifts—known as wise interventions—can create profound change in our lives. Through vivid storytelling and cutting-edge research, he shows how simple reframes can build trust, strengthen relationships, and unlock potential. From a teacher’s encouraging words to a brief moment of self-reflection before conflict, these subtle shifts can shape our futures in powerful ways. Ordinary Magic is a compelling guide to harnessing everyday moments for extraordinary impact. Below, Greg shares five key insights from his new book, Ordinary Magic: The Science of How We Can Achieve Big Change with Small Acts. Listen to the audio version—read by Greg himself—in the Next Big Idea App. 1. Little things can make a big difference. Ordinary Magic is about change, and how to create it. Sometimes, problems in our lives can seem fixed, like there’s nothing you could do to make things better. Persistent struggles in school. Conflict in a relationship. Self-doubt. But we don’t just have to wish things were better. It starts with noticing our little thoughts and feelings—what I call surfacing—and then creating the right space to address them. Say you’re married. It’s a happy marriage, but you and your partner have a persistent conflict. Will you have the right space to think through your conflict? One study found that seven minutes answering three reflection questions every four months for a year made conflict less distressing for couples, and helped stabilize marriages. Twenty-one minutes to save a marriage. Or say you’re a teacher. You work hard for your students, giving them feedback so they can improve. But many of your students don’t take up that opportunity. Why? Another study found that just 17 words increased the rate at which 7th graders took up their teacher’s feedback to improve their work for a higher grade—and increased their trust in teachers over the rest of the school year. Change like this can feel magical. But this—this is ordinary magic. These solutions require no special degree. They’re the kind of thing all of us can learn from, and put to work in our own lives. Everyone can be an ordinary magician. And all of us benefit from ordinary magicians around us. What this magic requires is a deeper understanding of ourselves—understanding the icky questions that pop up as we travel through life. And learning how, individually and together, we can answer these questions well. 2. Big problems can start small. A little thought, a shadow of doubt. Often, it starts with a question. But then things spiral out of control. Suppose you wonder, “Does my partner disrespect me?” Left to their devices, questions like this drive us down. If you think a fight means your partner doesn’t love you, then you might hold back and be less forgiving next time. If they’re late, again, you might feel confirmed in their lack of respect. Then you withdraw or lash out. That undermines a relationship. “Left to their devices, questions like this drive us down.” Or say you’re the first in your family to go to college. You wonder, “Do people like me belong in college?” Then you’re excluded from a social outing. A professor says something unkind. You think, “Maybe it’s true—maybe people like me don’t belong here.” You stop going to office hours, stop asking questions in class, skip that welcome event for a student group. Fast-forward and, six months later, you don’t have close friends on campus. No mentor to guide your growth. You’re thinking about dropping out. Negative questions make us spiral down. They make themselves true. Then, they put our relationships, our achievements, and our health at risk. 3. Change starts when we understand the questions we face, or another person faces. Let me share an example: When our kids were little, we took them to and from a campus daycare by bike. So, at the end of a long day, we’d bike home, the kids on tiny 12-inch wheels. Sometimes, they’d stop two blocks from home and 20 minutes past dinner time. They’d sit on the curb and wail, “I’m tired!” I thought of research by my good friend Veronika Job. Veronika showed that sometimes people take little cues of tiredness as a reason to stop, to pull back from their efforts, even on things they care about. It’s like we have range anxiety—you feel you’re running out when you work hard on something, long before you reach any actual limit. Then you hold back, even on something you care about. So, I decided to reframe the meaning of feeling tired to them. I took to saying, “It’s when you’re tired and you keep going that you get stronger.” It didn’t always work. But I think it helped. A little later, our daughter Lucy was trying to bike up a steep and winding path on our way home. We’d taken to bringing chalk to mark how far she’d gotten. One time, Lucy not only beat her previous record but crushed it. As Oliver and I whooped and cheered, Lucy said, “You know how I did it? When I wanted to stop, I kept going.” Isn’t that lovely? In that story, I offered Lucy a new way to think about her efforts—that tiredness need not be a reason to stop. That she could keep going. That tiredness might even be an opportunity—to get stronger. It freed Lucy to succeed. She used that way of thinking to achieve her goal. As I write in the book, “Thinking is for becoming.” This kind of change is quiet, not loud. But it frees us to spiral up. A small initial insight, a small change in direction, can lead us to vast new lands. 4. The icky questions we ask are reasonable, but they aren’t necessarily true. The questions come from the context we’re in. Of course, the first-gen college student wonders if people like her belong in college. Her family literally hasn’t belonged in college before. That reasonableness is important. First, it means you’re not alone. When you’re asking a question like Do I belong?, Can I do it?, or Am I inadequate? there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re not irrational or disordered or weird. You’re normal. You’re responding to the world as it is. But even as that question is reasonable, it needn’t be true. It’s answers you’re looking for. Because questions like these are reasonable, we can learn to predict when people will ask them. When we see these questions clearly, we can learn to address them with grace and dignity, which can transform our lives. “That’s an hour to change a life.” In one study, my colleagues and I developed a 60-minute session early in college to help new students address the question, “Do people like me belong in college?” Students of color are often underrepresented in college, and sometimes, they’re represented as less able and less deserving. So, that question is most pressing for them. The exercise we developed shared stories from older students, who showed that almost everyone worries at first if they belong in college. Students reflected on their belonging worries, why they’re normal, and how they can improve with time. That improved African American students’ achievement through the next three years of college. A decade later, they reported being more satisfied in their lives, more successful in their careers, and taking on more leadership roles in their communities. That’s an hour to change a life. That didn’t happen because students just remembered that experience. At the end of college, students couldn’t even remember it clearly. And they didn’t credit any of their success to it. Instead, addressing a persistent question about belonging—a reasonable question that comes from the history of exclusion in education—freed students to build friendships and mentor relationships, and those supports that helped them succeed. 5. This is work we do together. The most toxic questions are about who you are and who you can become. In the most difficult circumstances, when people look at you and all they see is something horrible, there must be space to tell your own story, a chance to tell that story in a way that other people can hear, a way to make that story real together. For more than a decade, I’ve worked with leaders in the Oakland Unified School District to support students returning to school from juvenile detention. This circumstance poses terrible questions to both students and teachers. These students have been told, more or less unambiguously, that they do not belong here and are not wanted here. And it’s easy for teachers to wonder, “Will this student care? Will they try? Or will they just cause trouble?” “The most toxic questions are about who you are and who you can become.” So, we created a platform for young people, a way for them to introduce themselves to an educator of their choice—to share their values in school, such as being a good role model for a younger sibling, their goals, and the challenges they face. We find that young people use this platform to express, essentially, “I’m a good kid, and I want to succeed, but I need help. Can you help me?” Then, we present this information to the educator the child selected. We emphasize that all kids need support from adults. This child has chosen you. Here’s what they would like you to know about them. Please help. And then we say, Thank you for your work. We find this letter opens the hearts of educators to justice-involved youth. It helps them see that this is a kid—a kid who wants to succeed. They respond with support. In a first trial, this approach reduced the rate of student recidivism to juvenile detention by 40 percentage points, from 69 percent to 29 percent, in the following school term. It’s the most powerful way I know to remedy mistrust in school. This is the change we need to help us achieve what we want to achieve, to do what we want to do, and to become who we want to be. It’s a way to help other people in their journeys, too. In the process, we can make our society a little healthier, a little more together, and a little kinder. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission. 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