Life (and Nutrition)

Another thought provoking video (Below) regarding the frailty of life. You might be wondering why I am discussing the matter of nutrition on this blog. Well. it is simply that in my own way I try to view life holistically and find that anything that affects the power of thought is not only of interest but is potentially critical (if ignored).

The outstanding comment from the talk that stuck in my mind was that the type of nutrition regarded as appropriate for a balanced healthy lifestyle is what your grandmother would have recommended, 

i.e. one with a minimal amount of processed food (containing additives). 

Little wonder that obesity rates are so high when 'junk food' is so readily available and cheap.

My dear wife, a superb cook herself, has long since bemoaned the demise of cooking in schools and that children are not having any experience of how to provide for themselves given basic ingredients. At the age of 70 I am convinced that her cooking has played a major role in my personal health/fitness/condition. Every day I walk anything from a minimum of two to eight miles. I cycle 2/3 times per week and I still enjoy a pint or two with my friends. 

However, enough about me, the main message from this talk is that it is the damage to the cerebral function which is the most 'depressing' outcome of poor nutrition. On the plus side, the economic savings achieved by providing nutritional 'boosters' are very persuasive in comparison to more conventional expensive psychological therapies. Thus there are strong arguments for the adoption of policies which promote the importance of nutrition earlier in the 'cycle of life' so that young children grow into adults who are more self sufficient in terms of providing for themselves.

The link to online marketing (which I took up as an antidote to boredom) is largely down to my examination of aspects of lifestyles which encourage making decisions to extend the human potential. I find the subject fascinating and eye-opening as I research various elements of human activity which are fundamental to well-being, both physical and mental. The process of growing old is inexorable but it can be affected positively if the issues which have a detrimental effect on 'survival' (without being too dramatic) are firstly identified and secondly acted upon. 

I hope to develop this argument over the coming few weeks/months/years and I would welcome any thoughts/experiences that you might have and wish to share.

To your health and prosperity

regards

Ray

What makes a good life?

The video below discusses the important part that relationships play in our pursuit of happiness. Having an achievable goal is a key part of this also. To have a shared objective, one that all participants have a stake in, gives a sense of purpose ultimately leading to a worthwhile achievement. As you get older it is critical that meaningful activities are built into your lifestyle which enable you to continue to grow. It has been said to me that if you believe you are going to live until you are 135 you will plan accordingly with optimism and even if you don't make it, the principle of having a sense of purpose is established, the result of which will be to make the best use of what time you have left. There are lots of opportunities to do things which are both mentally stimulating and potentially lucrative if you are prepared to try. All it takes is a bit of initiative and a willingness 'to give it a go', in the right hands the risk can be managed within safe limits and as the man said 'no pain, no gain', Its all in the mind...You are never too old!

What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | Ro...

The 4 Best Habits of Rich People | Brian Tracy

Its not about you!

There's nothing more irritating than to be lectured by a zealot who thinks his/her way of doing things is the only way. I can assure you that that is not the main premise of this blog. I am doing this for my own purposes and the exercise of putting my experience in the form of a newsletter is a challenge, something different to occupy my mind. Should it be of any assistance to anyone else then that pleases me but I do not propose myself as campaigner or a 'disciple' of any kind, the very thought bugs me. I am embarking on a new venture simply because I needed something to stretch me. Following a relatively successful career in education and a short period of time playing golf (badly) I realised I was vegetating and needed something to stimulate the grey matter. Thus I did some research and found something I thought had the potential to do what I was looking for. The ability to work from home was a big attraction, indeed, as I began to discover, the 'business' can be done from anywhere (e.g. you often see marketing material showing bronzed young men/women with their laptops on their beach towel.) Though possible, I am content to be writing this whilst on a short break 'house minding' for my in-laws, anywhere, as it happens, there is an internet connection is a workable environment. That appeals to me. The subject of the 'business' is 'Social Media', something I confess I knew little about (I should explain that although my main criteria in terms of involvement in a new venture was cerebral there is a good opportunity of making some money as well). Indeed I suspect, like most people of my generation, I was of the opinion that elements such as Twitter and Facebook were simple teenage fads. winging trivia across the atmosphere without much substance. How wrong I was, using either/both of them for business purposes is a totally different proposition and I am learning to do so in the belief that I will soon be able to generate a reasonable level of income from a home based business which is giving me plenty of food for thought. It is not easy. There is much to learn and key to it all is persistence. There have been times when I questioned my involvement but I am encouraged by the level of support I receive and my confidence and level of expertise is growing exponentially. The Internet is a vast arena of opportunity and there are a myriad of ways one can benefit from participating. It can be a frightening thing and the consequences of making a mistake can be daunting, however it is like most things in life, how did you learn to drive a car? by going to someone who has done it before; listening to their advice; accepting their support/encouragement; practising their proposals; passing the test of your capability and then continuing to learn as different situations present themselves. I am following a similar path in terms of the business of Social Media Marketing. It is fascinating, challenging and potentially lucrative. All it needs is positivity and the desire to make the most of your capabilities. I now have a blog of my own, I am regularly posting on  Facebook and Twitter with a long list of 'followers' and just three months ago I didn't have a clue. I have targets and I am attempting to shake off 50 years of bad habits which affect the way I look at the 'new order' of things. I want my independence back! 

It is possible. Let me know what you think, always interested.

You are never too old!! 

for your first 'driving lesson' try

http://tiny.cc/2y17ky

Design Your Dream Life Through Passive Income | Alex Szepietowski | TEDx...

The benefit of working from home

Enjoying a visit to the park with my Grandson in glorious May weather (flexibility is the key) 

to find out how

CLICK HERE

Importance of Customer Insights in Today's Marketing Strategies

Customer insights should be part and parcel of any marketing strategy. However, when it comes to developing new services and products or marketing these products and services not many businesses really try to understand their consumers.

A basic understanding of how a product would appeal to a specific demographic group is not enough. Businesses need to understand why consumers act a certain way, what is shaping their understandings and perceptions, and how they share information with each other.

In media discussions, this marketing strategy is grossly under-represented.

In how they choose to work with the brands and companies they support, today's consumers have changed radically. They process and receive information in new ways, have different cultural foundations and backgrounds, and want to network on a more personal level. Marketers and businesses won't be able to motivate leads to become customers or connect or engage with prospects if they do not search for consumer insights, or succeed to understand their past and present backgrounds.

To understand consumer's culture, businesses need to take an anthropological approach to marketing. Marketers can learn how to play into them, instead of trying to change behaviors and utilize the information to their advantage. Establishing an emotional and intellectual relationship is essential for brand building. Product developers, business planners, and marketers must take the cultural context into consideration to enable this. Culture is a combination of tribal, historical and mythological characterizations. It is more than just language. The marketer's ability to inspire action and achieve behavioral change will be more if there is a greater understanding of anthropological factors and cultural insights.

For a business to grow marketers should give options or a wide variety of services, products, styles and colours to their consumers who are fickle.

Have you ever wondered why certain products sell more while others languish in the shelves? To make any product or service desirable marketers should have consumer insights as well as do in-depth market research.

In the past decade or two, the make-up of the buying public has changed dramatically. Consumers now represent a complex mixture of Gen Xers, Baby Boomers, and Gen Yers. Each group has its own wants, specific needs, and desires. Businesses will never be able to promote them in a way that gains attention or develop products they want without gaining insights into these groups. There can be a wide diversity of characteristics even within these groups.

Why each group is different is something businesses need to understand culturally. While growing up what shaped their morals and values?

The new global economy is adding to the complex demographic puzzle. Now, consumers are spread all over the world and they can shop from anywhere if they have an Internet connection. An understanding of the consumer insights can shape buying patterns in various countries. An American and European consumer's desires and needs may vary. Within Europe, there will be variations. Businesses need to understand the differences within the various regions of each country. Before setting marketing plans in place marketers need to understand how each population relates to the products and services it uses.

Without studying the consumer response if products or services are brought to the market then those businesses might fail.

Consumer-centric marketing is the need of the hour. The world continues to evolve rapidly. Consumers' likes and dislikes are fast changing, and businesses need to understand this fact and act fast. This will be possible only if they perk up their consumer behaviour insights.

Analytics is powerful tools that can help organizations find eye-opening opportunities to improve sales, marketing, and customer service. Scalend is business intelligence software for big data to analyse business analytics easily. Explore 360 Customer Journey Insights to track and analyse data and helps to promote the business sales widely.

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