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You Shouldn’t Buy Anything To Drastically Improve Your Life: Here’s Why.

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Feeling low? Think a new purchase is the answer to drastically improve your life? Buying something has never been the answer for me.

What you need to drastically improve your life is freeYou don’t need to buy a damn thing. Purchasing is good for the economy, but it’s not what you need.

Getting to the realization that you have to drastically improve your life has likely come from one of the following:

  • You’ve failed
  • You’re in a dark place
  • You may have experienced a tragedy like the loss of a family member

None of these challenges can be fixed with a few fifty dollar bills that have a dead presidents face on it. Sorry.

Drastic change starts with you. The way out of a difficult place is found through working on yourself via free resources that you have available to you.

Here are some recommendations to drastically improve your life that are free:


1. Spend time with your family

Family puts things in perspective. They won’t be there forever and neither will you.

Spending time with family helps you see what’s important and that’s a crucial first step to drastically changing your life. What’s important for most of us?

  • Family
  • Our health
  • How we think about ourselves

Again, knowing what’s important is free. It’s a conversation with yourself and it won’t be charged by the hour like a lawyer.

When you know what’s important, you can prioritize what you need to do to drastically change your life while keeping these important factors front and center.


2. Go to a park that’s far away

A clear head is a must for drastically changing your life, not a new Gucci Watch.

Parks are a place to sit and contemplate life. Being out in nature and away from artificial light, polluted indoor air, your computer/iPad/phone is an environment where clear thinking can take place.

Clear thoughts need nature to help bring them out. Choose a park that’s far away. Go to one that has a view or a mountain or a beautiful lake. These are the places where the life-changing thoughts happen.

I drastically changed my life a few years ago when I was out walking through a park and listening to an audio tape. It was the combination of clear skies, clean air, nature, some wise words from a man named Tony coming out of my earphones and pure silence that helped me have that one thought that would drastically change my life.

That one thought was this:

What if everything you thought about life was wrong and you could actually do whatever you put your mind to? What if nothing was impossible?”

All of this came from parks and nature. Try it.


3. Take a week off

This tip is free assuming you use annual leave or sick leave. If you have to use some of your savings money, then that’s okay.

“I spent one part of my career working for seven years straight with not a single holiday”

I was always stuck in the daily grind and I couldn’t see beyond it. I too thought I had to work harder so I could buy that one thing that would drastically change my life. None of the purchases this lifestyle gave me changed my life or anyone else’s.

Taking a week off and creating space is where you can do more of that delicious, chocolate coated thinking I spoke about earlier. It’s thinking, reflection and nothingness that brings about all the drastic change.

If I were to give you one hack it would be this:

Do whatever creates the perfect environment for thinking to occur

A week off will definitely be one of the ingredients. Some hot showers, reading, meditation and yoga could all be used as tools during this week to cultivate crystal clear thoughts.

Being out of the madness is how you find your way through it.

Transformational change can only follow clear thinking.


4. Write down what you’ve achieved in the last 12 months

Also free and a way to cultivate change.

It can feel at times like you’re a complete failure and you’ve achieved nothing. That’s until you book an appointment with yourself and write down what you’ve achieved. I wrote down what I’d achieved in the form of a list of fears I’d overcome.

In a two year period, I had more than 100 examples of fears I’d overcame.

I thought at the time I’d achieved nothing and that’s because my million-year-old brain had flat out forgotten all the good stuffIt was by writing down what I’d achieved through crushing fears that I was reunited with my inner strength and my ability to make difficult decisions.

When you look back, you’ve done some awesome things. Take the time to do this exercise and remember that. Once you know what you can do, you can then have the strength to make drastic changes in your life and turn things around.


5. Make friends with one new person

Making friends is free although it can be uncomfortable. Drastically changing your life is uncomfortable too so starting the process by making one new friend is a good omen.

Making a new friend usually involves putting yourself in a different environment. Attend a public speaking event, go to work drinks, attend a business event or go to a sporting event.

Every friendship I’ve ever had has started out by me saying hello and smilingNew friends allow you to hear different stories, witness different cultures and hear new ideas or beliefs.

When I drastically changed my life I made one new friend at an event I attended. We were both sitting next to each other at a seminar and I started out by saying “What do you do for work?”

At the time we were both working in banking, so our friendship quickly grew. He became a coach for me during a very difficult time of uncertainty and radical change. I’d ring him up once a week and talk to him about what I was facing into. He’d do the same with me.

It was only a few minutes a week and the friendship came about over the course of about 60 minutes. Not complicated, it cost nothing and it happened quickly.

This one new friend challenged me to overcome one fear: walking on fire.

Being burned as a kid made me scared to touch anything hot. We both faced this fear together one night and overcame it. This one night became the catalyst for everything that happened later.

Adding one new friend can drastically improve your life.


Final Thought.

Change or radical shifts do not need money.

Thinking you need money to solve every problem in your life is what’s holding you back. Don’t let money stop you from making drastic changes.

All change begins with you and that’s free.

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Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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