Recondition Yourself for Success!

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Did you know?

70% of smokers say they would like to quit but can’t.

92% of people fail at their New Year’s resolution within the first month.

85% of drug and alcohol addicts relapse after recovery.

95% of people who lose weight fail to keep it off long term.

98% of people die without fulfilling their dreams. 

People want to progress; they want to be and feel better.

The problem is they have developed characteristic patterns of thinking and behavior; they focus on the same images and ideas, and they keep asking themselves the same questions. They do want a new result, but they continue to act in the same way.

You have inside the necessary resources to change anything in your life. It’s just that you have a series of associations that usually prevent you from utilizing your full potential. These associations have their pathways already linked in your nervous system, making you react to situations in a certain way, which, in most cases, has nothing to do with the event itself.

If you want to get new results in your life, knowing your outcome and getting some leverage will not be enough. You can be motivated to change, but if you keep doing the same things and repeating the wrong patterns, your life will not change; all you’re going to get is more pain and frustration.

You need to change your approach.

Remember the old record albums? Those discs (we called them LPs back then) can consistently reproduce the same sounds because of the groove in which the sound is encoded. But what would if happen if you picked the record, took a needle, and scratched it back and forth several times?

The pattern encoded in the groove will indeed be deeply interrupted, and the record will never play the same way again.

Likewise, interrupting your limiting patterns of behavior or emotions can change your life.

Just like Marianne Williamson said, “you must learn a new way to think before you can learn a new way to be.”  

Three things must be in place for you to make these changes and make them last. They are the three fundamental steps of Neuro-Associative Conditioning:

1.      Get leverage on yourself. You need to make a decision and acknowledge that:

  • Something MUST change.

  • You MUST change it.

  • You CAN change it.

2.      Interrupt your current pattern of association. You have to scratch the olf pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving by doing something weird, out of the ordinary in the way you talk or move your body (use ludicrous words instead of the harsh ones you say when you’re angry, for instance).

3.      Condition a new, empowering association. Install a new alternative, and work on its reinforcement until it’s conditioned. Like an out of tune piano, human behavior needs to be continuously reinforced until it becomes a habit. Piano tuners have to keep checking and adjusting the strings until they stay in tune –notice that we call the process ‘conditioning,’ which means that you’ll have to regularly check and reinforce the changes, so you don’t allow the option of getting back to the old way.

Always remember to link pleasure to your new alternative. Reward yourself emotionally each step of the way to accelerate the development of the new pattern.

Let’s continue this topic next week.
Until then, stay strong!

 

 

One of the core values we have as a company is to inspire and empower people in all aspects of their lives. Additionally, if you want to read about our Custom Software Solutions and Consulting Services, please visit www.isucorp.ca, or book a meeting to review your software project.

3 Tips For Creating A Green Office Space

Have you ever been in the situation where you’ve been undergoing renovation growing pains or you’re stuck in a decorating rut? This could occur in the comfort of your own home or in the office at work. Designing your own space can feel super overwhelming.

We've been focusing on how to make the office more welcoming, more inviting, and greener. Bringing some of mother nature’s vivid greenery into the workspace not only encapsulates everything we love about the great outdoors, but it promotes health and wellness, while offering a visually meditative effect to the workspace. In colour therapy, green is equivalent to ‘calm’.

Embrace Going Green

Companies in various industries are taking note on embracing indoor plant life, since research shows that it's leading to happier and healthier employees who are more productive. It’s an outstanding step in the overall health and wellbeing of employees.

At their Seattle headquarters, Amazon just unveiled 'The Spheres'; three glass dome greenhouses. The green space is intended for their employees to be in touch with nature throughout the workday. On a company page, Amazon states that plant-filled spaces "inspire imagination and even enhance brain function."

You need to know what is easy to maintain, so make sure to do some research. Take into consideration what will work for everyone at the office. During your plant selection process, consider these 3 factors when making a final decision:

Factor 1: Ease of Care

It’s essential to get plants for your office space that aren’t too needy or demanding to maintain. Try and aim for something that will thrive with a weekly watering routine, especially if you’re busy and don’t have much time.

Top 10 Easiest to Care for Indoor Plants, according to HGTV:

1.    Aloe

2.    Snake Plant

3.    Bromeliads

4.    Jade

5.    Pothos

6.    Kalanchoe

7.    Rubber Plant

8.    Dieffenbachia

9.    Philodendron

10.  Spider Plant

Factor 2: Allergies

You may want to avoid plants that trigger allergies for the sake of your coworkers. An allergic reaction occurs when a person’s immune system becomes hypersensitive to certain substances, so it was interesting to learn that certain houseplants can be the root cause of this. Allergic reactions range from sneezing to itchy and watery eyes.

Top 8 Worst Plants for Allergies, based on Bobvila.com:

1.    Chamomile

2.    Ficus

3.    Chrysanthemum

4.    Palm Tree

5.    African Violet

6.    Hyacinth

7.    Flowering Maple

8.    Gerbera Daisy

Factor 3: Avoid Toxicity

No, I’m not referring to eliminating toxic people from your life, but rather eliminate toxic plants from your workspace. It’s crucial that the plants you decide on aren’t poisonous in nature, especially if the office allows individuals to bring in dogs. Pets cannot be trusted around anything that looks tasty.

Top 10 Toxic Plants for Pets, according to Pet Poison Helpline: 

1.    Autumn Crocus

2.    Azalea

3.    Cyclamen

4.    Kalanchoe

5.    Lilies

6.    Oleander

7.    Dieffenbachia

8.    Daffodils

9.    Palm

10.  Tulips & Hyacinths

Cool Facts About Office Plants

o   Plants can reduce stress and sick days according to research. This goes hand-in-hand with brightening up the office environment.

o   According to a study at Chiba University in Japan, indoor plants can improve mood to help you turn that frown upside down. They are also known to calm anxiety and lower blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol levels.

o   As claimed by NASA, plants can remove up to 87% of air toxins in 24 hours, absorb carbon dioxide and emit fresh oxygen.

o   According to the Organization for Responsible Business, office plants minimize noise levels. “One plant for every three people is enough to see a profound effect, significantly reducing noise in the office”.

o   Plants reduced dirt and dust in the air by up to 20 percent in a study at Washington State University, since they can absorb airborne pollutants. This helps humidify office air to fit our human comfort zone by providing an indoor humidity level of 30-60 percent humidity.

o   Plant specialist Margaret Burchett reported that plants are known to reduce anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion. According to her studies, plants can also reduce the physical symptoms of stress by 50%.

 

According to this Business Insider article, houseplant sales have nearly doubled over the past three years, as of April of 2019, with millennials being the forefront of reviving the indoor plant market. There’s also cool office garden gadgets and apps that you can purchase to take your plant game to a whole other level!

Are you interested in developing or learning more about such apps? Get in contact with us today!

 
 

Top 5 Payment Gateways

Even without COVID-19 and the spread of bacteria, cash has almost become nonexistent in today’s world, let alone with the spread of the virus and the need for more and more contactless payments. This opens up a new world, a new business opportunity you could take advantage of. 

When you’re creating an app for instance, if you’re charging for a product or service you need to take into consideration how that payment will be processed. Obviously, a cash payment would not necessarily be possible in a situation such as this. This is why a payment gateway must be integrated into online payments and transactions.

Whether you are running a delivery service, an ecommerce service, or any online service that requires a payment gateway, consider the following options: 

Best Payment Gateways in Canada

1. Square 

This was the first ‘external’ and portable debit/credit machine that processes payments through one’s smartphone. The greatest advantage being: no extra fee for the equipment. 

The fees for this mobile POS system are: 2.75% for every swipe transaction and 2.9% for online transactions. If you’re a merchant who does not have a processing history, Square is great for you as it does not have any statement or monthly fees. 

Besides the mobile POS solution, Square offers billing features, online orders, stored cards, analytical data processing, third-party integrations and of course: a payment option with API for those looking to develop within. 

2. Stripe 

This is by far the most popular payment gateway in North America. It offers a wide range of developer tools and resources for online merchants. It’s also a good idea to pay attention to what your competitors are using, if it’s working for them it will most likely work well for you and vice versa. 

Who’s using Stripe? 

  • Under Armour

  • Blue Apron

  • TaskRabbit

  • Lyft

Stripe allows online businesses to give solutions for split-up payment options, in-app payments, and various tools to integrate great features for customers.

There is no annual or starting fee, the only charge is 2.9% for every transaction. 

3. Moneris 

This is definitely Canada’s largest payment gateway provider. The greatest advantage of Moneris is their high-end security and response-rate for any questions or concerns. If you’re a small business, this is the payment gateway for you! 

Even RBC and BMO use Moneris for their daily tasks. Not only accessible for online payments, Moneris also offers features like inventory management and sales tracking to keep your business thriving. 

The fees for this payment gateway are: 2.75% for credit cards and a monthly fee of $19.95. 

4. PayPal

PayPal has and still to some extent continues to be one of the leading eCommerce payment platforms for a wide range of businesses. Small businesses particularly are the largest users of this platform, as PayPal offers standard and easy solutions. They also provide a great security system so that card numbers are not exposed externally. 

The standard fees are: 2.9% for each transaction. There is also a pro version for credit cards, in which the fee is an additional $35. 

5. Elavon

Started off in the US, it has grown into one of the largest worldwide payment gateways. Many businesses who use Elavon tend to save lots of money and are able to quickly collect upon payments in comparison to other payment solutions. 

Elavon accepts every single card globally and offers a cashback program. The fees are: $270 one-time fee, $10 monthly fee and 2.6-3.5% on each transaction depending on the card type. 

Which is Best for Your Business?

There are many things to take into consideration when integrating a payment gateway into your service: fees, security, size of business, etc. Here at ISU Corp we can offer you expert advice and even recommend ways in which to integrate a payment gateway in a safe and secure way.

Contact us today for more information.