Blogs by RAYMA Team

“All the world’s a stage.”

William Shakespeare’s words have never been more true. With social media and technology, all the world really IS a stage.

But how do you share your message and let your voice be heard when you’re paralyzed with stage fright?

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a business owner that was stuck in stage fright. Face to face in a personal conversation she had powerful words and was filled with passion. But once the camera turned on for a LIVE video, or a microphone was in her hand in a small room of people, she froze with a deer-in-headlights look on her face.

In the world of social media, the fear of public speaking and stage fright is real. And the only way to get over it, is to confront it.

I used to be terrified to speak in front of people. TERRIFIED! I had no problem singing in front of large audiences but the idea of speaking had be tongue tied beyond belief. I was scared of sounding stupid. So here’s what I did...

Have you ever found yourself saying yes to something and eventually (or immediately) regretted that you didn't say no? 

As a recovering people-pleaser I understand this urge to always say yes because you don't want to disappoint anyone. But eventually saying yes when I should have said no led to overwhelm and burnout. 

Sometimes the hardest time to say no is when the opportunity is a good one, but not great for you. 

Maybe you've been asked to do something you are great at or passionate about. Or, it's a request from someone you've always wanted to work with. Or, maybe saying yes will open up new opportunities. But in all reality no matter how good the opportunity is, it simply doesn't fit into your current schedule and priorities. 

Here's a script for how to say no when you want to say yes. 

Years ago we started giving our clients a script for how to say no when they wanted to say yes. Sometimes you just simply don't know what to...

Rest is one of the most important things you can do to take care of your physical, emotional, and mental health. And the practice least utilized by most people!  Why? Maybe it's because they believe a myth about rest, and it is sabotaging their efforts without them even realizing it. Let's talk through a couple common myths about rest so you can identify them and break the cycle of not getting enough rest. 

Myth #1- I Will Get Less Done 

Hands up if you believe you will get less done if you schedule time to rest and relax? So many people do! But, research proves you will get MORE done if you make rest a priority. Here's some interesting statistics about performance, rest, and relaxation from a Huffington Post article, Relax! You'll Be More Productive.

• In a study of nearly 400 employees researchers found that sleeping too little (less than 6 hours a night) was one of the best predictors of burn-out.
•  A Harvard study...

If I were a betting woman, I would say you have felt increased levels of stress in the last 30 days. How do I know? Because most of us have. From job stress to financial strain you are probably feeling the pressure of increased stress! While stress is a part of the human condition, you don’t have to let it run amok until you are forced to deal with dire consequences. You can learn how to recognize the common symptoms of stress and then manage it.

Turns out our jobs are the largest source of our stress.

I bet you are not surprised by that at all! Check out these statistics from The American Institute of Stress. Yep stress is so high, and the consequences so great, we need a whole institute to study it! 

• US businesses lose up to $300 billion yearly as a result of workplace stress.
• Stress causes around one million workers to miss work every day.
• Only 43% of US employees think their employers care about their work-life balance.
• Depression leads to $51 billion in costs due to...

By: Mandy B. Anderson

If I told you that "you are a brand," what would you think?

Chances are you would look at me cross-eyed and be tempted to argue with me. We typically think of brands as big entities like Target, or Old Navy, or Nike. The average human being does not go around seeing themselves as a brand. It's just not a normal perception!

But what if we DID start to see ourselves that way? Would it change how we show up each day? Would it change what we post on social media? Could it be that by simply thinking of ourselves as a brand, we could connect the missing dots in our lives in new ways that finally help us get to where we want to go?

I think so.

I fully believe that you are a brand. As an employee. As an entrepreneur. As a person. You are a unique human being with experiences and skills that nobody else has!

I know, it sounds...a bit sleazy to think about creating an image for marketing purposes, right? It's okay if you think that way right now - I totally get it!...

By: Mandy B. Anderson

You influence people every day, and the problem with that is you probably don't even realize it.

Becoming an Influencer doesn't mean you have to have a massive audience. It means you understand what you bring to the table, and you're intentional in sharing it. But when you don't know that you already influence people every day, you squander the opportunity to make an impact. Over the next few moments, I want to share with you three ways that you already impact people without realizing it every day.

1. You influence people by how you treat them.

Did you smile at someone today or say thank you to a stranger that held the door open? If so, you influenced them to have a better day. On the other hand, if you were rude and cranky, you possibly influenced them to have a negative day too.

Your attitude and how you treat people you know, as well as people you don't know, is one of the most simple ways you influence people. Keep that in mind when you're in real...

by, Raychel Perman 

Procrastinating is strange, isn’t it? We actively avoid the things that will bring us more clarity, happiness, and success in our lives and businesses. And instead focus on the tasks that make us feel busy but are not as important to complete.  

Why do we do that? It only creates more confusion and overwhelm! Thankfully, there are some things you can do to stop procrastinating immediately. Yes, immediately! But, first let’s talk about why people procrastinate.

It turns out understanding your WHY is key to stopping the procrastination cycle. Procrastination is complex and different people procrastinate for different reasons. According to an article called, Why People Procrastinate: The Psychology and Causes of Procrastination, we need self-control and motivation to help us get a project done. However, we also have all kinds of factors that demotivate and hinder us. When what hinders and demotivates us outweighs our self-control...

By: Mandy B. Anderson

My heart is heavy with the weight of what is happening in the world around me right now. Rather than try to write an amazing blog post with the right amount of words and keywords and catchy phrases that will help the Google find it, I want to speak from the heart. So here goes...

A few days ago in my community a well-known Wellness Coach and Fitness Trainer made a video that went viral. It went viral for all the wrong reasons. Over the course of three days it had over 80,000 views, 1,000 plus comments, and more shares than I could count before the person that screenshot the video and shared it finally took it down.

In this video she fat-shamed a manager of a food-coop claiming that she can’t do her job because she is obese. At the root of her accusations was outrage at the fact that a friend of hers just lost the job that this new manager was taking over.

I watched the video.

I was not surprised at the bold opinions of this leader because I’ve known...