Monthly Archives: June 2021

What You Do Matters – Achieve Success with Integrity

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By African American Books Writer Denise Turney

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Achieve success with integrity and enjoy a good night’s sleep. Living with integrity also keeps you in high regard. Yet, operating with integrity won’t always gain you a fast track to success. Why? It’s easier to take shortcuts, especially when you feel like you’re in a tight spot.

Facing Integrity Temptations

In fact, if you’ve ever cheated on a test, you’ve experienced how easy it can be to operate on the other side of integrity. Also, some ways you may have sidestepped integrity include speeding through a red light or lying about not making a mistake on a work project. Your heart and intentions may have been good. But risks associated with operating with integrity in these instances may have seemed too high.

And, that’s the rub. There are times when you may find yourself facing hard choices. During these instances, it may seem easier and more advantageous to forego integrity. Doing so could yield short term benefits. However, over the long term, not operating with integrity could cost you.

For example, if you don’t operate with integrity in business, you could face lawsuits and employee turnover. Of course, your brand reputation could also be permanently damaged. Yet, the same voice inside your head that tempted you to take the shortcuts, may also convince you that you won’t pay for your poor choices.

Achieve Success with Integrity in the Arts

In fact, that voice may exclaim that you won’t get caught. You’ll never be found out. Television shows like American Greed and Luther have pulled in good ratings as viewers watch one person after another who thought he’d never be found out – get caught.

And, as it regards television, the arts is a prime area where the temptation to sidestep operating with integrity can be a problem. Years ago, an aspiring actress might unwillingly shortcut her way onto a major film through a powerful studio executive. Fortunately, that may be changing.

Examples Missing Integrity

But there are hidden ways to sidestep integrity and ethics in the arts and business. And these hidden actions could derail your career. Among examples of not operating with integrity and ethics in the arts and business, there’s:

  • Asserting that you graduated from a college or university you only attended for one semester
  • Paying for book reviews to be posted at books sites when you know the people posting the reviews haven’t read your books
  • Posting negative comments and negative reviews on competitor products, websites and social media accounts in the hopes of boosting your product rankings
  • Stating that you love a product that you haven’t used once

Writing headlines that confuse readers about the topic of an article in order to drive website traffic is another way to sidestep integrity. It’s almost as if you’re competing in a sport and are willing to do anything to win. Yet, if you’ve ever been on the short end of the lack of integrity, you know how painful the experience can be.

Get Clear About What You Want

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Also, if you’ve signed a bad contract, you know what it feels like to get burned by someone who sidestepped integrity. So, how can you achieve success with integrity in a world where taking unethical shortcuts is, at times, praised?

To begin, get clear about what you truly want. For example, as your primary goal, do you want to write a compelling novel with engaging characters that share universal truths? Or, do you want to sell 100,000 copies of a book in a record number of days?

Operating with Integrity

Your primary goal may impact whether or not you achieve success with integrity. So, get clear about what you most want. Other ways to achieve success with integrity are to:

  • Set clear boundaries for how you will operate in business and in the arts. Companies do this by developing policies.
  • Stick with telling the truth. In fact, setting a boundary of truth can prevent you from engaging in behavior that you’ll later be tempted to lie about to avoid penalty.
  • Talk through grey areas with trustworthy partners, family or friends.
  • Accept reality. Avoid stepping into the world of illusion and convincing yourself that doing wrong will, somehow, pay off.
  • Put yourself on the other end of the deal. For example, how would you feel or think if someone undercut you on a film, book or business contract?

Also, think long term. Consider what would happen should something you say or do not only be discovered, but gain local, regional or national exposure. After all, you’re building a reputation. Whether you want to or not, you are building your personal brand which is strengthened when you achieve success with integrity.

Achieve Success with Integrity – How Do You Want to be Perceived

Do you want to be known as someone’s who transparent and honest? Or do you want to spend long hours and years building a remarkable career only to watch that same career disintegrate because choices you made years ago caught up to you?

This raises another point. To achieve success with integrity, put your best effort into your work. In other words, respect your audience. Respect your customers. Approach them as the intelligent people that they are. For example, if you’re a novelist, avoid writing “down” to book readers.

As you get in the habit of operating with integrity, honest business decisions may become habit. You also might reduce the number of times you rationalize poor choices. Instead, you may simply accept that you made a mistake and focus on avoiding making the same mistake again.

Living with Integrity Takes Courage

This is why to achieve success with integrity you must have courage. It takes courage to stick with integrity and stay on a path that, although rewarding, may increase the time it takes you to hit success goals, like sales and revenue targets. And it takes courage to pass up an entertainment or business deal that would require you to lie, break a law or be unethical.

Over the long term, operating with integrity gifts you with a clear conscience. You can sleep good at night. And, you won’t have to live in fear that unethical deals you made will be exposed. In fact, you might enjoy a rewarding career absent regret.

Ways to Tap into More Creativity as an Artist and Employee

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By Books Writer Denise Turney

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Tap into more creativity and enjoy success. Creativity isn’t just for painters, novelists, architects, dancers, songwriters and musicians. In fact, to excel at work, relationships and in the arts, you need to be creative. After all, it’s creativity that’s the spark of innovation. If you’re starting a business, creativity will advantage you while you’re developing creative logo designs. It will also aid you while you’re looking for new ways to connect with new hires, dissatisfied customers and loyal supporters.

Make Time For Creativity

Advantages aside, it doesn’t always seem easy to tap into more creativity. Tight deadlines, family demands and social responsibilities can do more than chew up time. These tasks prove exhausting, threats to stillness and mindfulness. And, it’s stillness and mindfulness that can let creativity flow. Hence, a first step to tapping into more creativity is to watch how you map out your day.

If you’re serious about allowing creativity to flow, leave time open to simply sit and relax. That, or you can try walking in nature, floating in a swimming pool or meditating. Relaxing and practicing mindfulness help whether you want to tap into more creativity to create beautiful paintings, a business plan, music, a riveting novel or another tool to place in your art box.

Easy Ways To Become More Creative

Another effective way to tap into creativity is to engage in a hobby. For example, crafting a stage play may assist you with mastering workplace writing. Adding delicious color to an adult coloring book could open space in your mind for innovative ideas related to a work project to surface. Here are more ways to tap into greater creativity:

  • Write in a journal in the morning or before going to bed at night
  • Take an advanced English writing course if you’re seeking ways to sharpen your business or artistic writing
  • Enroll in an online music or arts class. For example, you could learn to play the guitar. Or you could take an online cooking class.
  • Sing a song while you shower or enjoy a bubble bath.
  • Meditate using a lava lamp or while using an online slow moving visual. For instance, you could meditate while looking at a circular online abstract painting that moves.
  • Pursue creative ideas when they surface, especially if the ideas don’t require a significant time or financial investment. Should creative ideas require a significant investment, consider researching the ideas before you act on them.
  • Enter a creative arts contest. Doing so could get you exposure. It could also increase your confidence in your creative abilities.

Additional Easy Ways to Become More Creative

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Check out these additional ways to tap into more creativity. Each of these actions is fairly easy to implement:

  • Join a creative discussion group. Participating in a creative group is an effective way to stay on track. It’s also a good way to generate more creative ideas. Successful businesses use this method to surface ideas for new business designs, products and services.
  • Exercise, especially outdoors in nature. Moving in nature has a remarkable way of generating creative ideas. Make sure you explore the outdoors in safe areas.
  • Drink plenty of fresh water and treat your body to a healthy diet of green, leafy vegetables and fruit. The healthier you are, the better you may feel. This alone can find you tapping into more creativity.
  • Do something creative every day. This could include doing something as simple as writing a relative or a friend a letter.
  • Revisit creative artwork or creative business designs you have already produced. It could prove to be the fuel needed to spur more creativity.
  • Enjoy other creative works, artwork produced by other people. See if it doesn’t inspire you.

Tap Into The Right Creative Ideas

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As with any goal, setting the right priorities is important. Because stress can block creativity, leaving time for mindfulness is key when it comes to creative artwork like developing an abstract painting and even creative logo design ideas for business. So, you’re going to have to map out your day so you have time to relax.

Then, when creative ideas surface, write the ideas down. That, or you can start developing the creative ideas straightaway. After a while, you may learn to quickly distinguish quality creative ideas from ideas that you may never develop. It’s this mental sharpness that can prevent you from spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on ideas that never work.

Respect Your Bank Account

This raises another key point. Just as lack of time can block the flow of creativity, so too can financial debt. And here’s an interesting pattern. You gain an artwork or creative business idea. Then, you start seeking out partners, creative artists and creative agencies to help bring your idea to life. Sounds simple. But, depending on the deals you cut with these people, you could dig a hole for yourself.

Creative agencies may promise excellent results at cost. Should these professionals deliver, your next move may be to share the creative work. This is when you might start working with marketing agencies. As good as it feels to imagine future success, marketing agencies aren’t cheap.

Should it take months, perhaps years, for your creative artwork, beautiful paintings or workplace creative designs to yield strong results, you could be thousands of dollars in the hole before your idea generates a growing income. So, while developing creative ideas, be smart. Respect your bank account.

Be Smart With Creative Ideas

As tempting as it may feel, don’t over spend to develop or market creative ideas. Also, read through creative contracts. Thoroughly review these contracts. After all, you don’t want to sell away your work or sign a contract that marries you to an agency for years. If you’re an employee, also be smart about turning creative ideas over to your employer.

Being smart adds so much to your creative ideas. Getting your novels copyrighted, filing for new product patents and trade marking creative logo designs are ways to be smart with your creativity. Another way is to maintain full control of your artwork and creative business designs. This way, you can reuse the designs in various formats without needing to ask permission.

Faith for Overcoming Tough Times

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By Books Author Denise Turney

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If navigating this world was only easy. What a wonder it would be if life in this world was always smooth, never bumpy, not once requiring unshakable faith. Actually, when you’re a kid, life can feel like a cool ride if your parents are loving, responsible and have strong child development skills. Then, years pass, and you get what you’ve been begging for. You get to grow up and become an adult. That’s when you need faith for overcoming tough times.

Set Yourself Up for a Good Life

Brace yourself, my friend. You may have just entered the space where you’ll have the types of experiences that grow into the case for faith. As you prepare to navigate these experiences, make smart decisions. A doctor once told me that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. For example, give yourself a solid chance to live in peace by choosing zero to low student loan debt. Also, get a wealth of experiences beneath your feet before you decide to marry or become a parent.

Travel. Explore. Live carefree and unhinged.

And pursue what calls your heart. For instance, if you’re passionate about painting, busy yourself working with a myriad of colors, inks and canvases. Love writing? Start penning your best novel. Don’t worry. You may have lots of time to get better as a writer, sharing remarkable stories with the world.

Overcoming Tough Times

My prayer is that you never have a hiccup along the way. But the world being what it is, that may be unlikely. In fact, if yours was a challenging or abusive childhood, you’ve already hit bumps, maybe even faced your share of mountains. One more setback, and you could consider tossing in the towel. Or you might ponder simply surviving, just getting from one day to the next.

Yet, if there’s a bit of kick in you, this choice could turn into regret. That’s why you’re encouraged to exercise faith. After all, overcoming tough times calls for fearless faith. To stir up your faith while overcoming tough times, remember why you started on your life’s path. Remember why you started painting. Or remember why you went into ministry, sales, medicine, science or education.

As hard as it may seem, see yourself doing what you love. Also, see yourself enjoying, actually enjoying, being successful while you’re doing what you love. Keep at it. You’ll see that ongoing life success really is the case for faith. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1 shares that, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (New International Version)

About Loving Life

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You may have also seen this shared as, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (New King James Version). Beyond Bible study on faith, there are the words and experiences of motivational speakers and instructors.

Motivational speakers and instructors teach that inner vision produces what we see out in the world. When experiences that you want keep showing up in your outer world, this is easy to digest. In fact, you might celebrate these seemingly “easy” successes.

During these times, blessed faith doesn’t seem necessary. But, this is when seeming ease could make a future challenge that much harder. If you don’t practice daily awareness, you could start to believe that your successes are magical events. You could miss the link between your thoughts, beliefs and faith and what you see in your outer world.

Faith Building Tips

Then, when hard times show up, you may feel incapable of facing them. Therefore, to strengthen your thoughts into fearless faith while overcoming tough times:

  • See yourself living a rewarding life, enjoying your passions. Do this every day.
  • Practice awareness. Pay attention to your thought world and notice the link between your inner thoughts and the images your thoughts show you in the seemingly “outer” world.
  • Surround yourself with people who are living the life that you’re passionate about. Watching others achieve their goals, especially goals similar to yours, can pump up your unshakable faith.
  • Watch programs that support your passions, programs that strengthen fearless faith in you.
  • Listen to deep meditation tapes that inspire, motivate and encourage faith love hope.
  • Recognize inner guidance when it surfaces. And follow guidance from your Higher Self.

Also, take action that leads you closer to your goals. If you get into the habit of taking wise daily action, you can gain a momentum that could propel you through unimaginably tough times. This has happened to me at least twice. And, when I say unimaginably tough times, I’m talking gut wrenching struggles.

Strengthened Faith for Overcoming Tough Times

Here are more ways to strengthen fearless faith while overcoming tough times. Remember, it’s this type of faith that may become blessed faith, a belief in good that doesn’t call for years of struggle and suffering:

  • Each day, engage in at least three activities that you enjoy. For example, you could take a scented bubble bath every night, sip on your favorite herbal tea in the morning and take a relaxing midday walk.
  • Love reading books? Curl up with your favorite books two to three nights a week. Not only will you be entertained, but books that you read may offer insight into your current struggles. Additionally, books that you read, including fiction, might hold an answer to a question you’ve been pondering.
  • Dance in the morning, if only for 30 to 60 seconds. Do this even if you’re struggling to find a reason to get out of bed.
  • Spend time with loving family and friends. For instance, you could commit to visiting and calling family and friends once a week. Keep this commitment to avoid isolating yourself and feeling like it’s you against the entire world.
  • Continue to build good, loving relationships. Little beats good, trustworthy, loving friends when it comes to overcoming tough times.
  • Be patient with yourself. Even if you’ve lived with fearless faith before, it can take weeks, months or years to reach a blessed faith state. Once in a blessed faith state, trusting the Creator to help you see while in the light may become natural.

Getting to a Good Life

In other words, take care of yourself. Be kind to yourself. It may not be what you want to hear. But, you may have lots of chances to practice fearless faith. That’s another reason why it’s wise to start paying attention to the link between your inner thoughts (inner images) and the external thoughts (outer images that you see in the world). Also, take full responsibility for your life. This can help you to feel empowered, even if you’re facing hard experiences.

One last tip. Read stories of people who faced and overcame seemingly impossible challenges. Stay motivated, encouraged and inspired. See yourself enjoying what you want to experience. In fact, see and feel it as if it’s happening right now. Despite how hard things may appear, see yourself enjoying a good life. Practice fearless faith until you achieve a blessed faith state.

Psychology of Success: Staying Motivated Thru Failures

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By Books Author Denise Turney

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Psychology of success aligns personality, experience, core beliefs, critical thinking and self-awareness. If you want to experience quantum success, you’ll also need to commit to self-honesty. No more playing games, no more lying to yourself. You also have to take full responsibility for your decisions. Yes. It means you take full responsibility for your conscious and unconscious decisions.

Psychology of Success Honesty

To achieve and sustain success, you have to really get to know yourself. Another thing you have to do is face your fears. For example, you may feel fear when you think about aging, living alone, public speaking, being criticized on making a mistake in public.

In fact, Napoleon Hill, author of The Law of Success, Think and Grow Rich, How to Own Your Own Mind, The Magic Ladder of Success and The Science of Success, shared that our leading enemies (or fears) are fear of poverty, sickness, death, aging, criticism and loss of love.

To avoid getting blocked, work through fears early, before fears go deep into the subconscious. Tips to work through fear include journaling, writing a letter to someone whose opinion you’ve inflated and walking in nature and allowing submerged thoughts to surface. Other ways to face and move beyond fears are to talk with a trusted friend about the fear and joining a safe support group to hear how others deal with fear.

Train Your Brain for Success

Additionally, you could limit the time you let yourself think about something you fear to 2 minutes a day, and no more than once a month. This single step reduces time you spend worrying. As you do this work, you might discover that you invented a goal to avoid facing a fear. For example, you might have a goal to be the top sales rep at your company because, deep down, you fear your father doesn’t think you measure up.

Accept what you discover, what surfaces as you get to know yourself. This acceptance is better than spending decades chasing a dream that never really was yours. Signs that a success goal is truly yours include feeling peace while taking actions related to your goal, living with increased energy and clear focus. Also, you might feel more curious about life in general, living with a sense of wonder.

After you get clear about what you want, start to train your brain for success. To train your brain for success, listen to deep meditation tapes and repeat positive affirmations, statements that stir deep emotion in you. Making a visual success map, hanging inspirational quotes in your home and writing letters to your future self (the self who has achieved the goal) are other ways to train your brain for success.

Stay Open

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Each night, see yourself, actually see and feel yourself, enjoying the experiences that you want. See yourself speaking with clients and prospects. And see yourself signing hundreds of books at cultural festivals and large book conferences. Visualize that you’re living in the house you want. To continue to advance, stay open. In fact, Psychology Today shares that being open to new experiences is another key in the psychology of success.

Self-discipline, sound money management and the right actions are other psychology of success keys. Track the results of your actions in a weekly or monthly spreadsheet. Seeing the results of your efforts could fuel you as you work to achieve success.

Navigating the Road of Success

Also, stay motivated, because despite how hard you work, there may be times when you fail. Reading inspirational quotes helps keep you going. If reading inspirational quotes doesn’t work, consider:

  • Revisit why you started pursuing your goals
  • Take a break – simply take a break for one to two weeks
  • Ask your Higher Self for guidance
  • Read an empowering book
  • Accept and acknowledge successes you have already achieved
  • Continue to train your brain for success
  • Appreciate your blessings – focus on the good in and around you
  • Visit family and friends – connect with people who make you feel loved, people who make you feel good

Love for Your Success Journey

Somewhere on your success journey, you’re going to have to empower yourself. After all, no one stays on top forever. In fact, if you pursue success long enough, you’ll see that success is never owned. That’s why it’s important to appreciate your blessings and connect with people who make you feel loved.

In fact, it’s these people who make success sweet. Little may be more rewarding than sharing success, especially hard-earned success, with those you love.

If you let these opportunities slip, by the time you realize success is never owned, what could have been your sweetest relationships may have been ruined because you were too busy or didn’t take the time to see that success without a circle of love isn’t really success, which brings up another point.

Stay Motivated

Your family and friends and the people your work helps may be your life’s real quantum success. Fill your life with loving relationships, achieve goals that align with your highest values, and, for you, quantum success may naturally unfold.

So, stay motivated. Train your brain for success. And make the psychology of success part of your life. Also, remember that success is never owned. Keep advancing. Count your blessings and appreciate the good that’s in your life right now. Even more, continue to nurture loving relationships. After all, love and appreciation are a huge part of any success.

Physical Fitness – How Busy Freelance Writers & Novelists Can Stay Healthy

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By African American Books Writer Denise Turney

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Busy freelance writers and novelists can stay healthy, even while juggling hectic schedules. Admittedly, it’s going to take focus and commitment, but it can be done. By focusing on good health, these creatives will have more energy to produce better writing.

Good Physical Health Challenges for Freelance Writers and Novelists

After all, good physical health leads to improved emotional and mental health. It’s also linked to better mental clarity, energy, motivation, inspiration and creativity. Additionally, writers might enjoy more patience and find themselves becoming better, more flexible, communicators.

Benefits aside, the path to maintaining good physical fitness can present challenges. Furthermore, challenges associated with maintaining good health may be numerous for writers. To begin, there is stress associated with meeting tight deadlines, nailing feature interviews and polishing work on short notice.

Doesn’t matter if writers are knocking out web content writing jobs from home, remote freelance technical writing on the road or content marketing writing at an office. The temptation to keep plugging away in effort to get “caught up” or to “get ahead” with writing projects is stressful.

Stay Healthy Completing Online Writing Jobs From Home

I learned this lesson the hard way while I freelanced full-time during the Great Recession. As fast as I wrote, before I knew it, I had slipped into the habit of spending 12 to 16 hours a day zoning in on remote writing jobs. I mean, I didn’t take a day off. Instead, I worked long hours seven days a week. If you’re like me, you may not fully realize that you are actually working because you’re writing from home. Fact is, you’re working even if the television is on, or you’ve got the radio turned to your favorite station.

Also, not having to commute to work could deceive you into thinking that your work schedule is somehow easier than it would be if you drove into an office. Slip into these habits and before you know it, you might start to feel stressed. Even more, you might start to burn out. And, burn out can sneak up on you.

Fortunately, there are methods to steering clear of these challenges. For starters, set clear start and end times when you will focus on writing jobs. As an example, you might complete freelance writing projects from 8am until 5pm, Monday through Friday. Instead of working seven days a week, you might only write two to three hours on Saturday and none on Sunday or vice versa.

How About Superfoods, Probiotics and Health Products

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As a hidden gem, eating superfoods like green leafy vegetables, papaya and guava are other ways freelance writers and novelists can stay healthy. Probiotics (I love Kombucha beverages!) could support digestion, soothing writers’ stomachs as they make healthy food choices. This single choice could help writers avoid stomach pain or heartburn.

Here are more ways freelance writers and novelists can stay healthy, even with demanding schedules. To get the most out of these tips, consider adding three or more of the tips to your daily routine.

  • Eat a breakfast of green leafy vegetables, superfoods like fruit and/or eggs
  • Try healthy shakes for lunch
  • Drink plenty of water whether you’re looking to maintain your weight or seeking healthy living weight loss results
  • Practice safety when using physical fitness equipment
  • Get up from your computer or laptop once an hour. Doing so could relieve stress and promote healthy living weight loss

Check Out These Easy Ways Freelancers and Novelists Can Stay Healthy

  • At least once a day, get outdoors for a walk, run or swim (this is such a benefit!)
  • Connect with family and friends. Don’t fall into the trap of writing to the point that you isolate yourself.
  • Take a lunch break. During lunch break, enjoy healthy shakes, salads and other health products rich in vitamins and minerals.
  • Admit when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Again, step away. Take breaks.
  • Build vacation time into your schedule, and don’t work while you’re on vacation.
  • Stop thinking about work when your workday ends. Otherwise, you may never fully leave the job.
  • Ask for help when you feel you’d benefit from assistance.

Just as writing stellar novels, technical guides, e-books and marketing content takes effort, maintaining overall good mental and physical health as a freelance writer and novelist takes work too. Therefore, commit to making rest, healthy eating and clear boundaries part of your daily routine. In a few months, you may be very glad that you did.

Commitment to Good Health

Writing from home might look like light work, but it’s not. There are client intake meetings, email marketing campaigns, web page copy, blog articles, press releases and business e-books to tackle. And that’s just the start. Depending on your writing range, you might also write technical guides, annual reports, product descriptions and video, radio or television scripts.

Don’t fool yourself. Despite what you may think, you’re working hard. That’s why finding healthy snacks, taking effective joint supplements and adding a garlic supplement to your diet can be beneficial. Other choices you could make to support your mental, emotional and physical health include choosing healthy shakes over high calorie, low energy foods and beverages.

It’s not always easy. In fact, it may take focus, effort and commitment. But it’s worth it. Regular exercise, superfoods, a garlic supplement and other organic, non-GMO health products could help keep your cortisol levels down, preventing stiffness and joint pain.

The right food and exercise choices could also keep you from experiencing sugar highs and lows. The only downside may be around drinking lots of fresh water. Drink a lot of water and you might have to take more bathroom breaks. But, then again, those breaks could be just what you need to step away from writing projects long enough to avoid burn out.