A-fakelife-blog - A-Fake Life

Methodist Churches Across US Are Publicly Rebelling Against Their Leadership’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Stance

How to Impress Anyone in 30 Seconds or Less

Few things in life will help you more than knowing how to make an immediate great impression. Make note of these impressive habits. Some experts estimate that 85 percent of your financial success comes not from your skills or knowledge but from your ability to connect with other people and engender their trust and respect.

Within seconds, everyone you meet forms an impression that largely determines whether they'll like, trust, and respect you.

Whether you're job-hunting or fundraising or leading an organization, making a good impression is absolutely critical. (No pressure, right?)

So whether you are looking to raise money for your company, or you are managing your team or leading your business, connecting to people and making a great impression is very important.

Here are some tips to help you win hearts and minds in 30 seconds:

Neutralize the fight-or-flight response. The first few seconds of a first encounter are driven by instinctive reactions. Each person makes unconscious immediate appraisals that center around how safe they feel. Be mindful of your immediate signals, and make sure they could never be perceived as threatening.

Respect boundaries. Be mindful of personal space and respect the boundaries of others. If in doubt, follow the other person's cues: if they lean in, you lean in; if they stand back, you do the same. Remember that concepts of appropriate personal space vary by culture.

Feed expectations. In business, first impressions are frequently colored by expectations. We expect people to live up to the image we have created in our minds from their reputation, phone calls, emails, or texts. We expect consistency with that general image -- and without it, we feel some degree of disappointment and confusion. It's not the time to surprise others with a new side of your personality.

Be mindful of body language. It accounts for more than half of what others respond to initially -- so it literally does speak louder than words. Hold yourself in a way that signals attention and an open heart, and keep a facial expression that combines authority with approachability and eye contact.

Stay positive. The language of the brain is pictures, sounds, feelings, and to a lesser extent, smells and tastes. It's much more difficult to translate negatives into brain-friendly imagery than positives. Work to develop a positive explanatory style.

Keep control of your attitude. The general energy you give off is one of the first unconscious things people respond to. If you're frazzled, project calm. If you're distracted and unenthusiastic, project positivity. (You'll not only make a better impression, but you can influence your own mood.)

Manage your moods. People are drawn to warmth, enthusiasm, and confidence more than anger, arrogance, and impatience. Whatever is going on around you, manage your responses to get the best response from others.

Synchronize. Make sure your words, your tone of voice, and your body language are all saying the same thing. Mixed messages put off others, but consistency gives you clarity and credibility.

Use sensory language. Activate people's senses, and mix up your imagery to make sure you hit their strength. Whenever possible, use descriptions of visual images, sounds, textures, motion, and feelings to add meaning to what you're saying.

Be curious, open-minded, and interested. If you can get the other person talking and keep them talking, odds are they'll be drawn to you. Be interested and open-minded; ask questions that spark their imagination and ignite conversation.

Dress for success. Find a personal style that represents who you are and the message you want to send about yourself. Look at your dress and appearance as packaging a product.

Have a personal statement. Have a personal statement prepared and memorized so you can tell others concisely and eloquently what you do, what it means to you, and why it makes a difference. Think of it not as a sales pitch but an engaging and artfully crafted mini-presentation.

Work through these points and you should have a great first impression all lined up.

One final tip as you get out there: Treat every connection you make as if it's the most important thing you've ever done. Because, frankly, you never know when it actually will be.

The lovers at the crossroads

A step by step process and PSD file of this will be available at my Patreon on february 1st!

hey my little brother just sent me this and I’m kinda crying 

www.instagram.com/rigelrigel

Indie Game Spotlight: Potionomics

There’s been some pretty great indie games brewing this year. This week’s Indie Game Spotlight, Potionomics, is one of ‘em. This RPG shop simulator lets you play as Sylvia, a young witch who must pay off an inherited debt by making and selling potions. Potionomics challenges players to survive the rigors of business ownership by mastering the art of crafting, reaching goals to upgrade their shop, and navigating relationships with customers, partners, and competitors…all while exploring a shifting, responsive market economy built around magic and monsters. Monsters? In this economy? You bet.

We spoke with a few of the people behind the game—Aryo Jati Darmawan (lead developer) and Jarann Pan (marketing, production, and sometimes art!)—to give all of you a little inside scoop on what may very well be your new favorite game come its release day.

What inspired the story and characters in Potionomics?

Jati: The primary inspiration for everything and anything in Potionomics comes from my experiences playing RPGs growing up. As much as I love them, fantasy RPGs (especially in the west) tend to feature the same types of heroes and premises over and over, which is an absolute shame because there are so many other interesting characters in these worlds. The barkeep of a thieves guild, the janitor who has to clean up the mess after a world-shattering ending scenario, the veterinarian for all the fantastical creatures…Wondering about their stories inspired me to make a game from a vendor’s point of view.

How did you choose the style for the game?

Jati: It was really just a by-product of the people around me. I went to Ringling College of Art and Design, which plopped me into an environment full of amazing animators. When I started bringing devs onto the team, most of them were friends I knew from Ringling, so I just played to their strengths!

I wish I could say that I had a game plan all along, but it was mostly serendipity.

Jarann: We’re extremely lucky to have so many talented people making Potionomics. Shout out to Hope Lee, our brilliant concept artist, who designed most of the art for the game! Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a social media presence, but her work is on display all over our Tumblr and website.

Are there any unique stories on how you created a certain character?

Jati: The dev team is in full agreement concerning what Owl’s avian self looks like, but we have a lot of competing ideas over what his human version would look like. Some of us are sure he’d be a devilish rogue in his 30s, others see him as a Merlin-like figure, age 80+. I don’t think there will be a consensus anytime soon.

Jarann: I designed the initial concept art and character idea for Luna, the game’s moth-girl marketing maven. Our goal when designing most of our characters is to try to make them feel like real and relatable people—so I gave her a lot of traits I related to. However, I got carried away, and at some point, I awkwardly realized that I’d accidentally made a self-insert character! Since then the character has moved away from my own personality, but my friends still tease me about it.

Are there any moments in the game inspired by a true story or an event in your life?

Jarann: I think Sylvia’s struggles are somewhat inspired by our own experiences coming out of college. She finally has her degree that she’s worked so hard to get and thinks everything will be a cakewalk after this. However, reality proves to be quite different!

What potion would be the best potion in real life?

Jati: A potion that makes me invulnerable to whatever tear-gas curse onions cast on you when you cut them.

Jarann: A Talk to Animals potion! I spend so much time trying to figure out what my dog is saying to me.

Need a potion to learn more? Look no further, we heard simply visiting @potionomicsgame will lead to a magical portal to learn more. Potionomics is still in development but will be available on PC!

Mikey’s having some A-time at Afterlife

via @extramadness

Charizard on bring your kids to work day