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High School Teacher explains how this capsule did everything for her and Measuring Progress And Success Also, Perfect Loss without the Gym

Writing good content for a blog, whether corporate, personal, or otherwise can be incredibly challenging.

Creating content and presenting it in a thoughtful and engaging manner, consistently, is a skill that can take some years to build up. And you never really get there - it's a continuous practice that you can always improve on.

However. Measuring and tracking the success of your blog analytically isn't nearly as difficult. In fact if you are tracking the proper gym items surrounding your blog you will be able to gauge your success and momentum allowing you to alter your strategy if need be or push harder the direction you're going.

create a holistic dashboard using as many metrics as make senseThe analytics you choose to pay attention to surrounding your blog will be largely driven by the goals you have in place for this piece of your website. If you haven't defined your goals yet - I'd suggest starting there.

That said you can derive valuable information from most all of them about how your content is received, what effect it is having on the traffic to your site, etc even if it isn't directly tied to a KPI you have set.

Given that - I would encourage you to create a holistic dashboard using as many metrics as make sense for your business. From here you can build out your regular reporting if necessary. You'll need to be sure and frame the measurement of all of the metrics you are pulling with the amount and regularity of content you are creating. Everything else, or most everything else will be in direct relation to this so it HAS to be considered. Beyond that here are some more suggestions to look at.

Visits and Visitors This is a fairly broad metric but can give you a very good idea if your content is reaching anyone and if they're reading it and going to the gym

An important note here is that visits and visitors are different. For example, one "visitor" can have multiple "visits" to your blog. It is important to understand the definition of this metric in your particular tool set as I've seen several that refer to them in unique terms.

Keeping in mind that your actual blog is not the only place readers can consume your content of course. More on that in a few bullets.

Engagement Measuring engagement can be kind of tricky on a blog. Depending of course how you define it.

I measure engagement separately from sharing while I know others who lump them all in to one category. For my purposes I measure engagement with teacher by the number of comments and 'Likes' on each post. I use a separate 'Share' button for Facebook which is why I personally like to include the 'Like' in engagement. It's a vote or a 'Hey - I liked this' so it goes in the engagement category.

There is no prime ratio for this. It's a way of measuring yourself, against - well, yourself. Not every post will warrant comments. Nor should you expect it. There's also no "ideal" number of comments. This is simply a way of encouraging yourself to create increasingly engaging content and being able to track your progress. It can also give you a really good idea of whether or not your readers are enjoying the content you're publishing.

Sharing Closely tied to engagement is that of sharing. A reader doesn't have to be engaged to share and they don't have to share (as used here) to be engaged. But quite often they are very closely related.

Sharing analytics are just what they sound like. And depending on what tool you're using for this you'll have different availability of metrics. ShareThis for example provides some pretty decent metrics available. (Take a look at the availability of the tool you're looking at before implementing. It's very difficult if not impossible to gather this data retroactively.)

Are users sharing your content via email, IM, Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, (and on and on)? If you find your readers are very actively engaged on your blog but not sharing as often as you would like consider taking a look at on-page optimization possibilities. Take a look at your blog and make sure your sharing buttons are easy to find and use. Beyond that try different placements to see if that changes up the results. For example, perhaps moving them from the top to the bottom will have a positive benefit in this way.

RSS Subscribers Don't forget that on your actual blog is not the only place your readers may be consuming your content. Be sure to track and measure how your users are interacting with your content through RSS by using something like Feedburner or whatever your site will allow.

As I mentioned previously this is tied in quite closely with Visits/Visitors. I put it here however, because if your numbers are not what you would like them to be you can try optimization efforts similar to those you might use in optimizing for sharing. Users generally subscribe to your RSS via a RSS button so you'll need to test on what gets the highest conversion among your visitors.

Path Analysis Sure your readers can find your content on social sites or via RSS. But can they find you from other pages on your website?

Check out your path analysis to find out. How are they getting to your blog posts from within your site? And once they get there you'll also want to look at where they're going. What is their exit path?

If they're hitting your blog and leaving then maybe you're not doing a good enough job "merchandising" your blog content. Consider highlighting top posts, or moving the category listing etc. Looking at the path analysis can also help you to determine what people are looking for. Use that insight to make it easier for them to find that information.

Bounce Rate There are a lot of intricacies around bounce rate. It's quite often used in promotions to measure their success.

Keep in mind that many things can influence bounce rate. For example if someone is entering your site on a particular search query that they quickly find the answer to they'll likely exit soon thereafter. If they're entering from a social sharing site like StumbleUpon or Reddit the bounce rate would likely be different. But that is generally quite individualized.

It is an important thing to look at in judging, on a blog specifically, how long people are spending ingesting your content and whether or not they're looking for more once they arrive.

Inbound Links While not necessarily a measurement of success (depending on who of course, you're talking to) it can be quite interesting and valuable to take a look at what conversations you are inspiring elsewhere on the web.

If someone is blogging about you, chances are likely they will link to your post that incited the conversation. Of course if link building is one of your goals for the blog (which would make very good sense) then this will be an even more important metric. You may approach your content slightly different at times as well because of it.

Is there more? There are many other specific metrics to look at in relation to your blog than I've listed here.

To find out what you should be measuring it's imperative to ask yourself "What story are we trying to tell here?".

You need to know what questions you want to answer first, or what story you're looking for. Then you can dig into the analytics and pick out the ones that help you answer these questions.

What is available to you in terms of data will be largely determined (and possibly constrained) by the analytics you're using on your site but most should cover the basics for sure. Look around for other tools that you can tack on if need be. Chances are likely that you're spending a great deal of time managing your blog and if you are unable to present your work with numbers and data within your company it will be as if it never happened.

"In God We Trust, All Others Bring Data."--Mark Lopez

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6 Simple Ways Eat Whatever, Whenever

High School teacher Explains how this formula did everything for her.

Whether you feel bad juju coming from someone else or lingering in a space, try one of these tactics to clear negative energy and call in more light.

freedom, let go, negative energy

From burning sage to spritzing salt water, these simple energy healing exercises will banish lingering negativity and attract positive change.

Every day we come into contact with energy that can greatly influence our mood and well-being.

Have you ever walked into a party that was bubbly with fun and excitement? You immediately felt at ease and got swept up in the revelry. Or have you ever found yourself at an unfortunate Mary Tyler Moore party? I call them that affectionately. On the TV show of the same name, Mary always threw these terrible parties. Her friends dragged themselves in and got into arguments with one another. No one had a good time. The energy of such an event feels dead, heavy, and forced.

Many years before I knew anything about energy, I spent the day in a hospital with a friend who was awaiting surgery. Each hour, the surgery was further delayed and, as she was unable to eat or drink, I didn’t eat or drink anything either. Finally, at the end of the day, they wheeled her down to the operating room. I was instructed by the nurses to check in on a lower-floor waiting room before I went to get a bite to eat. This way they could contact me if I was needed.

The waiting room was quite large, with a round nurses station in the center. As I entered the room, all of the color drained from my face and I felt my legs begin to buckle beneath me. The feelings of anxiety and pain in that room were completely overwhelming! I spun around immediately, grasped the doorway, and collapsed into a folding chair just outside of the room.

See also 6 Poses to Open Your Energy Channels & Boost Prana Flow

I knew what the problem was in an instant. For decades, beloved family members and friends had sat in that room, worried terribly about their loved ones who were in surgery. That anxiety had been building up for years—and I could feel it. I’m sure my experience was made more dramatic because I hadn’t eaten all day. But I will share that this is not a unique experience. I’ve felt similar energy in every hospital waiting room I’ve been in since. The only difference between me and the other people in those rooms is that I’m more conscious of it, so I’m able to feel what’s in the energy around us all. Hospitals just aren’t tuned in to the energy of emotion and how it needs to be cleared. If they were, they could become far healthier environments for patients and their families.

I share this story for two important reasons. I want you to know that highly toxic energy can build up in many environments, including your own home. If you or anyone in your household has been sick, stressed, or depressed it’s even more important to clear. I hope you’ll be inspired to create a practice of clearing your own home regularly.

The second reason is so you will take steps to shield yourself energetically every day and reinforce that shield when entering places like hospitals, prisons, or even concert halls and bars. Wherever people congregate, there will be collective energy in that space. Often it contains energy you’d rather not be picking up on and feeling.

See also 12 Yin Yoga Poses to Awaken Dormant Energy and Recharge Your Practice

How to clear your energy Before clearing any space, clear your own energy. Just as you regularly cleanse your body, it’s important to cleanse the funky, gunky energy that’s in your field. Some of it will invariantly be yours from your own stress, illness, or painful emotions. Some will be what you’ve picked up from other people and places. Think of it as energy hygiene. I clear myself in the morning, between clients, and at the end of each day.

meditation, clear negative energy, visualization Learn how to visualize the release of negative energy.

Visualizing the release of negative energy Visualization can be done anywhere, anytime, even while sitting in a busy airport. If you think you’re not good visualizing, give it a try. Like anything, it gets easier with practice. Plus, you’re not just imagining, you are creating a real energetic shift that you will be able to feel in time.

If you are religious or spiritual, you can ask for divine help for this process. Here’s how:

Set an intention for releasing all your own negative energy and everything you’ve picked up on from others. I like to say: I am easily releasing all energy from myself and others that no longer serves me. I do this for my highest good. Imagine a small ball of brilliant, golden light in the center of your chest, expanding the light on each exhalation. Imagine breathing in and out through your chest, expanding the light on each exhalation. Spread the light throughout your entire body. See it in your head, torso, arms, and toes. Now expand it beyond your skin until the light is about an arm’s length out in all directions. Follow by shielding (see below). Yes, it’s that simple and it does work. When you do this regularly, you will find yourself calmer, more peaceful, less reactive, and more balanced.

See also 5 Practices Energy Healers Use to Clear Themselves

Use minerals to banish toxicity

Dissolve 1 cup sea salt and 1 cup baking soda in a warm tub and soak your toxicity away. If you don’t want to take a full bath, you can use this as a foot soak instead. Get an inexpensive container and fill it with hot water. Cut the quantities of sea salt and baking soda down to about ¼ cup of each. As an added bonus, it’s also good for your skin and very grounding.

Try this energy healing practice for clearing

1. Place the middle fingertips of both hands on the forehead, in between the eyebrows.

2. Trace them up the center of the forehead, across the top of the head (imagine the line if your hair were parted in the middle), and down the middle of the back of your head, until you reach where your neck connects to your shoulders. Then sweep each hand across each shoulder. Left hand sweeps across the left side of the shoulder; right hand sweeps across the right.

3. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth while doing this.

How to clear your space With all of the following exercises, set an intention for clearing. Going through the motions won’t create satisfying results if you’re not aligned with why you are doing it. Intention itself shifts energy.

Burn sage

Sage is a common herb that has been used to clear the energy of spaces for thousands of years. Clearing with sage is called smudging. Traditionally, the sage is dried, wrapped in bundles, then burned. The smoke is spread into every inch of area in a space, usually with a handheld fan, feather, or dried bird wing. I tend to warn others not to get hung up on purchasing special supplies. Space clearing is natural and most of what you need is already in your home. The sage itself can be purchased in spiritual stores, health food stores like Whole Foods, gardening centers, and even on Amazon.

Practice good safety by burning in a fireproof container and having water available for dowsing when finished.

1. Start by smudging yourself first. Using your hand, bring the smoke close to your body. Spread it across the body, over the head, under the arms, and then lift a foot, one at a time, and place it in the smoke. To do your back, blow into the burning bundle and then turn around in it.

2. Now bring the smoke into every area of your home including closets and cabinets.

3. At the end, open a window and allow the smoke to dissipate. Then put out the sage.

See also The Dark Side of Meditation: How to Avoid Getting Stuck with Pain From the Past

Spritz salt water

Get a spray bottle and fill it with distilled water and sea salt. Shake until the salt is dissolved and use as you would the sage. Understand that your space may get damp. You can add a few drops of cleansing essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, or sage.

Practice shielding

I am a giant sponge: Wherever I go, I soak up whatever is around me. When it comes to learning, this is an asset, as I absorb information from classes and books quite quickly and deeply. When it comes to the rest of my life, it’s a definite liability! When I did volunteer work in a prison, I would leave in a state of great sorrow and even, at times, physical pain. I concluded I was just too sensitive to remain volunteering there. I didn’t know how to shield myself then. Here’s how:

1. Imagine a large bubble around you, about an arm’s length from your body in all directions.

2. See this bubble as a solid wall or a filter that covers you completely. Ask this bubble (or shield) to act as a cell wall, using its intelligence to allow love and positive energy in. Ask that anything negative not be allowed in, to hit the shield, slide off, and get neutralized by the earth. (Another option is to imagine mirrors on the outside of the shield, so anything sent your way gets reflected back to the person who sent it. Frankly, I’d like less negative energy in the world and prefer my method above.)

3. Fill the bubble with golden light.

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Ways to Stimulate Personal Growth

Personal growth is the result of continual efforts to improve ourselves, intellectually, morally and physically. Freelancers who commit to personal growth tend to have better relationships with others and are generally happier. However, there is a caveat: personal growth tactics only lead to happiness when they work.

Unfortunately, it’s quite possible to spend a lot of time and money following self-help gurus, attending retreats, or being coached to little or no success. This is because there is no fast and easy path to personal transformations.

Still, this doesn’t mean you cannot jumpstart your personal growth today. Here are the seven ways to do that.

1.  Learn more all of the time

We know that education and economic status are closely related. People who are curious and well-informed generally earn more respect. They are regarded as more interesting and better conversationalists and they project more authority. Unfortunately, many people don’t pursue education because they think it’s unattainable for the lack of time or finance. This simply isn’t true as there are so many options available today. You can create your own educational path using the dozens of free educational courses available to you. There are open-source platforms that allow you to take college course online for free such as Coursera, Khan Academy and or even more institutionalized options like an online MBA. Locally, you can check out educational programs available through your library, chamber of commerce, community centers, even museums.

2. Volunteer your time

Obviously, the primary reason that you should volunteer is the good it does for others. Still, it opens up so many paths to personal growth. First, volunteering is an amazing way to learn new skills. What an employer may not have the time and patience to teach you, a volunteer coordinator would be happy to. Perhaps even more important is the spiritual and moral development that happens when you volunteer. Getting out of your own headspace and helping others creates perspective and helps you to develop a more compassionate world view. Finally, volunteering can have a measurable impact on your overall happiness. People who volunteered monthly were 7% more likely to be happy. The more they volunteered, the more that number increased.

3. Travel as much as you are able

It’s difficult to grow when you are constantly surrounded by the same people, same points of view, same belief systems and same traditions. There’s nothing there challenging your thought processes or even your senses. Traveling is a beautiful cure for all of this. Prioritize travel in whatever way that you can. If that means traveling abroad and experiencing new countries, that’s wonderful. If not, don’t dismiss the potential in traveling to new states, cities, even  neighborhoods. Traveling can positively impact your health, creativity and happiness.

4. Pursue something creative

Write stories, paint pictures, learn photography, download an app and start creating EDM, pick up a camera and start taking pictures, or try acting in a local theater production. There is no wrong path to creativity. Creative people are more self aware, better problem solvers and have more confidence. That is truly the definition of an evolved person.

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Essential Rules for Success in Life

Rule #1: Show Up

Show up and be seen! You’re going to get knocked down, you’re going to have hard days. Despite adversity, show up 100% ever single day.

Rule #2: Cultivate Authenticity

It is a practice, and you have to practice it every day.

Rule #3: Set Boundaries

We let people get away with things that we know are not okay and then we get resentful. When in reality, we should have such great boundaries that never happens.

“Daring to set boundaries is having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.” – Brene Brown

Rule #4: Actively Practice Gratitude

Not just an attitude of gratitude, but actually having a plan in place to practice gratitude. Set an alarm to remind you to write down three things you’re grateful for.

Rule #5: Let go of Perfectionism

Perfectionism is not healthy striving for excellence, it’s actually a cognitive process that says “If I can look perfect, act perfect, be perfect, I can minimize shame, blame and judgment.” It’s the ultimate fear that the world will see a person for who they really are and they won’t measure up.

Rule #6: Explore Your Emotions

Emotions get the first crack at anything that happens to us. Recognize your emotions in a moment and get curious about them.

Rule #7: Build Shame Resilience

We act out when we are in shame. Recognize shame and what triggers it. Practice critical awareness.

“Unlike guilt, which is the fear of doing something wrong. Shame is the feeling of being something wrong.” – Marilyn J Sorenson

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Secret Habits of Successful People

If you want to be successful, you’ll need to be willing to make a few changes.

Face it: if you had the recipe for success, your life would play out like an award-winning film.

In order to become successful across every spectrum of life, you’ll need to implement some of these habits of highly successful individuals.

What Are The Habits Of A Successful Person?

Success is an individual pursuit because everyone defines success in a different way.

But there are a few surefire habits that can help you reach your goals, no matter what they are.

Here are 7 habits of successful people you need to adopt:

1. Be purpose-oriented

A purpose gives direction to life. Without it, you end up living by somebody else’s standards, or just follow the crowd and never live up to your full potential.

But, hey! You’re an individual.

What’s more, you have powers within you waiting to be unlocked. Any vision you create in your mind’s eye today can be the life you live. To get there, though, you should have a clearly defined purpose — one that you follow day after day.

If you haven’t done this yet, now is the time. In fact, you’ll need to be purpose-oriented in order to be able to develop all the other habits of successful people.

Describe your life purpose, include details about every aspect of your life. Be sure you want these things and aren’t just doing what others expect you to do.

2. Do what successful people do first thing in the morning

How you begin your day is crucial.

If you fill your morning with successful habits, you’ll see progress every single day.

To begin, wake up a bit earlier than you have to. This can improve your whole day if you also dedicate this extra time to some healthy, productive and positive behaviors.

One of the main habits of successful people is having a powerful morning routine. They plan their mornings the night before, then wake up with determination, ready to kick-start another great day that will get them closer to their goals.

What they do at that time, however, is equally important.

They first make their beds and welcome the day with a few positive affirmations. Some include their daily workout now, as they don’t usually find time for it later on in the day. Plus, they eat a healthy breakfast to keep them energetic until the evening.

It ‘s also important to set some time aside for your spiritual and mental well-being. The health benefits of meditation are tremendous.

Then, perhaps read from an inspirational book to feed your mind with positive thoughts. Make sure you breathe deeply, too— just let go of any tension before you continue with your day.

3. Embrace failure and try again every time

To change your habits, you’ll need to change your mindset.

Something you’ll need to accept early on (in order to form the habits of successful people), is that failure is not just part of the process, it’s a stepping stone. You need it to form the mental patterns of a winner and continue trying until you finally reach all your goals.

Most people avoid trying new things, as there’s always a chance of failure.

However, that’s exactly why they don’t make any changes and continue living the same life that makes them miserable. Instead— know that failure is powerful and that you can benefit from it.

Learn from it every time you make a mistake. Analyze exactly why that happened. Then, make a plan on what to do next time to perform better.