Newsletter For The Month of November
By Cheval John
I had a unexpected hiatus which I did not plan at all.
So I have been way behind in putting out the monthly newsletter.
I am very sorry for everything.
I am also thinking of participating in the National Nonfiction Writing Month in which I had written my second book from this event.
Here are the articles for this month:
3 Observations About Compassion From the Dalai Lama That Could Change Your Approach to Entrepreneurship-Ai Addyson Zhang, Contributor to Entrepreneur
Brand Safety Is Not the Place to Cut Corners in Your Marketing Budget-Katherine Hays, Contributor to Entrepreneur
How to Successfully Transition From Passion to Passion in Business-Kelsey Humphreys, Contributor to Entrepreneur
Embracing Growth
By Cheval John
This has been a year of transition.
I had no idea that I would be working at a lodging company and learning the travel industry from the ground up.
In that time frame, I realized I needed to get back to exercising because I wanted to be here for a very long time.
I had the opportunity to learn from the best of the best in the travel industry and also learn how to become a better manager of my finances.
I also did not expect to take a long hiatus from my business because I was adjusting to being an employee again.
I am very appreciative of the lessons learned from this work experience and also managing my time better.
At the time of this post, I am back in Huntsville, Texas just for a day to see the growth of Sam Houston State University and cover the Bearkat Volleyball team’s matchup tonight.
What is really impressive is half of their season’s matchup have been televised live nationally on ESPN+ this year.
So it is safe to say small to medium sized businesses and even the smaller sports organizations are on a level playing field with the larger corporations.
I am getting back to the flow of blogging again.
So please bare with me and thank you for everything.
The Importance of Taking Breaks
By Cheval John
At times, I had wondered why many people who did podcasts or blogs took breaks from their work.
In my mind, I thought consistency was key because in the technology world we have to keep up with the newest trends.
Then I saw why it is important to take breaks and let my audience know ahead of time
I did not plan to take a hiatus from blogging and podcasting because I love these mediums.
But I had to get away from these tech mediums in order to get myself out of a rut and re-discover why I was blogging and podcasting in the first place.
So this show is short and I hope I explain myself very clearly
The New Game of Monolopy (Social Media Style)
By Cheval John
The game of monopoly have been very popular for many years.
The purpose was to own as many property as you can in order to have leverage over the other competitors.
Though it takes a while to play, it can bring out the competitive spirit of others.
Why bring up this game when we are in the digital age you might ask?
This game has similarities to where are in time.
The majority of the world have smartphones to where they have the power to choose what they can do with it.
They can watch netflix of their favorite television shows, take selfies of themselves having a good time with their friends, or record milestone moments in their lives.
Add on social media accounts and they can create the lives they want.
That is why you see many have youtube channels that have allowed them to have a loyal audience to the the point they become “famous”
It is the same with other social media accounts like instagram.
And many are trying to build a following as fast as they can so they can lure brands to work with them.
This explosive growth of the so-called “influencer marketing” is the catalyst of why many are trying to build a following as fast as they can.
For instagram alone, it is more than a billion dollar industry.
And if you are an instagram influencer, you got it made.
You might believe you can have access to events free and even think you can have free drinks at a pub.
You think the world will know about you because you are an “influencer”
The only problem is that many do not.
Ana Delia, who is a fitness professional basically sum it up in this post
So for the majority who think they are all that because they are influencers, sorry to break the news, you are only known in your space.
As Ana Delia also said in this same post, “Stay Grounded.”
It’s All Right To Be Selfish
By Cheval John
I had expected to go to another level this year because of the wins I accomplished the previous year:
Speaking at two social media conferences (social media day lima in ohio and social media day houston)
Working as a volunteer at the social media command center during super bowl 51
Getting interviewed on some live streaming shows.
I was hoping the business was going to take off because of these wins.
That was not the case.
It seemed like I was going backwards.
I ended up working full time again as an employee at a lodging company because it was the right thing to do and my business depended on it.
From that, I realized that I was not getting any younger and I needed to watch out more for myself.
So I started exercising again since in more than a decade and hired an online personal trainer by the name of Monique Kabel to get me on the right track.
The interesting part is Ms. Kabel is based in Canada.
I found out about Ms. Kabel through Instagram because she was posting uplifting messages on her account.
She competed in the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion (WBFF) Competitions and knew a lot about getting ready to compete against others in the fitness industry.
She was not like half of those who would post their photos with a link to a product or service most of the time because of their influence.
Or try to sell to people when they connect with them.
She basically shared inspiration to those who needed it and also show a lot of her workout routines on instagram stories.
So I decided she was the one to be my personal trainer and it was the best decision.
She uses the Trainerize app to put together personalized workout routines that fit me.
This was the best alternative to going to the gym because of my work schedule.
At the same time, I learned a lot from my employers because they started from the ground up in the hotel industry.
Their example of how to be fiscally responsible to the point that I have become more disciplined in how to spend money.
This also helped me to keep Ms. Kabel as my personal trainer too.
It seemed like I have neglected my business (producing content here via blog post and podcast) due to this transition back to full time employment.
I realized that I needed to be selfish and take care of me first in order to be more creative and take care of the business.
Looking back on it, this year was not a setback at all because of the valuable lessons I learned from this experience which I will share with you now:
You Must Take Care Of Your Health
I can’t emphasize this enough.
Do not fall for the so-called hustle culture of working non-stop until you get results.
Being smart with how much food you consume and the amount of time you exercise can play a part in whether your business will succeed or not.
Also, get enough sleep because you can’t be creative if you are tired all the time.
Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People
They will always lift you up when you least expect and will never bring you down just to feel good about themselves.
Focus On The Process
When you aim for the results, you lose track on enjoying the journey and end up producing crappy content.
The true social media influencers (fitness included) focused on providing value to their audience and appreciated the journey to that success.
They were the ones that helped me to make it through this transitional year which will launch me to the next level in my life in 2019.
To conclude, here are some of the people you should follow on instagram if you want to start the new year right
Mindy Harley
David Marshall
Elizabeth Marshall
Lesley Maxwell
Ainsley Rodriguez
Michelle MacDonald
Joan MacDonald
Ryall Graber
Abbie Liu
Jenn Hermann
Jessika Phillips
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