Health – Page 2 – Global Man

Green Entrepreneurship – A path towards a more eco friendly future

 

Bjørn Wik is the CEO and founder of the Eco Friendly Water Brand, Pure Blue of Norway. Bjørn recently signed a contract with the Non-Profit organisation WATER is LIFE,which secures safe drinking water for children in need all over the world. This partnership is a match made in heaven Bjørn says. Now they can help saving the planet and children’s lives.He is truly passionate about environmental concerns and is clear about our obligation to save our planet, the oceans and the animals from the terrible plastic pollution. His biggest motivation is to succeed with something that has the potential to change the world. His slogan is: “Be the change! Change starts with YOU!”

What can you tell us about your childhood and upbringing? How it has influenced you?

My childhood was pretty normal. I was a shy little boy who behaved well most of the time. My parents taught me how to behave and respect both people and the nature. I did sports like most others. Swimming, skiing, and after 16 I started Taekwon-do which changed my life. Taekwon-do taught me to believe in myself, to work hard, to have discipline and respect. It also gave me self confidence and dedication. These gifts rewarded me with a gold medal in the world championships in the year 2000.

What I learned from Taekwon-do I have always brought with me into the jobs I´ve had. If you believe in something and you believe in yourself, then anything is possible!

Being an entrepreneur, how much would you think is due to nature, your genes, and how much is it instinct and nurture?

I think it is different from entrepreneur to entrepreneur but in my case it is definitely about instinct. I am very impulsive and dedicated to things I believe in. In the four years this journey has last so far I have met lots of obstacles and disappointments, but my dedication for the nature and environment keeps me fighting. Being an entrepreneur is something I don’t recommend if you don’t have enough passion for your idea.

What drew you to become involved with environment?

A few years ago I started to notice all the plastic-related problems in the world being posted on social media and it made me sad and angry. Then four years ago I got introduced to the idea of an eco friendly bottled water product and I immediately saw the potential of what this product can do. It has the potential to replace the plastic bottle, which will have a huge impact on nature. Only 9% of the plastic in the world gets recycled and a big part of that is plastic bottles. This is game-changing and something I believe can make a difference.

More and more cities and countries are banning single use plastics and cities and airports like San Fransisco has also started to ban plastic bottles with still water. This shows that we are moving in the right direction and I am confident that in a few years the plastic bottle will be obsolete and unavailable in the market.

My biggest motivation is that this is the way I can make a difference. I finally found my purpose in life. This is my mission! Being one of the first who are taking the steps towards a more eco friendly future. My sincere hope is that we will motivate others to do the same. We can’t save the planet alone….

Your say that ‘’change starts from you”. In your own words, how would you define the nowadays situation of the world and what do you wish changed for better?

We all see that the world has some major challenges with the environment. There is no question about it. It is about temperature rising, it is about the oceans having more nano plastic than we have stars in the sky, it is about fish and birds dying from eating plastic when they think it is food for them. There is no question about it! The world has a BIG challenge. The larger responsibility goes to the politicians and the UN but we all can make small changes for the better. Choose the eco friendly product instead of the non eco friendly. Change your habits. Use a reusable bag instead of buying plastic bags every time. Recycle every little plastic piece you use. Change your habits! Every little move you do for the nature will make you feel better! And it helps….Then you will be part of the change…

How is green entrepreneurship different or related to traditional profit-based businesses?

Being on the road promoting this eco friendly product has taught me one thing. Most of the big supermarket chains are very hard to deal with. They get paid from the big traditional producers to promote their products and give them a good location in the stores. This makes it very hard for new thinking, small companies with new eco friendly products to get through to the consumers. On the other hand, the importers, the distributors and hotel managers I have spoken to absolutely love this new eco friendly product. The consumers loves it so we will succeed in making it available for the consumers. It is all about availability. The consumers can’t choose it if it’s not in the stores.

The challenge is that money talks….We need distributors, hotels, and retail who are willing to make a change…so that’s what we do. We find the partners who believe in the product and the cause and we work hard together.

So, I believe that in green entrepreneurship we need to think different, use different channels than the traditional profit-based businesses.

What is your overall philosophy for leading an organisation?

Our organisation is still small and the philosophy is quite easy. I listen more than I speak, try to find the right persons for every position in the company, and I partner up with people and organisations whose knowledge and network I don’t have.

An example is my partner WATER is LIFE. They are an amazing non-profit organisation who secures safe drinking water for needy children in 46 countries. They save children every day.

I love what they are doing and they love what I am doing, so we are supporting each other. You can say we are a perfect match. I feel so lucky and blessed meeting and partnering up with these guys. They really are amazing and I want to encourage all the readers to check their website www.waterislife.com and support their mission. 1800 children under the age of 5 die every day from polluted water, so you understand the importance of their mission.

What words of wisdom would you give to our readers, either already successful or aspiring to succeed?

“Follow your heart”. It is a tough job to succeed as an entrepreneur so it has to be meaningful for you.

Where is your company heading to in the next 5 years?

Our goal is that within the next 5 years, Pure Blue of Norway will be in all the continents and easy to find for the consumers that want to make a difference. Pure Blue of Norway will be well known among the consumers. Not only for being eco friendly and supporting WATER is LIFE, but also for the quality of our Norwegian mountain water which tastes amazing.

Also, we are always looking for partners who can contribute, so if any of the readers feel the same as we do, that we need to change, and they have the right network or distribution, then please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

Skip Archimedes – ‘How positive psychology is influencing wellness coaching’

By Fati Gorezi

Skip Archimedes is a ‘Transformational Coach’ and internationally acclaimed Speaker and Author, dedicating his life to helping people overcome the physical, financial, personal, nutritional, emotional and spiritual problems in their lives to become the best they can be. His mission is to bring back energy, positivity, achievement, health and vitality into the lives of those who have lost that focus along the way. He says that we should all be living healthy, vibrant, fulfilled lives up to and beyond the age of 100 and improving all the way.

What are a few of your success stories regarding your journey as an entrepreneur?

The first one I remember clearly like it was yesterday, was an idea I came up with at school and came very close to being expelled. I had a very simple idea of selling 50 numbers from 1 to 50 for £1 each totalling £50. I would then draw 3 numbers after I had sold all 50 numbers and the 1st prize was £15, 2nd prize was £10 and 3rd Prize was £5 and I would keep £20. Without knowing any of this was wrong I ran this for many months and everyone including myself loved it. Even though I was totally innocent I was introducing gambling to the school. When the teachers found out I got called in to see the Head of the school and I was told I was going to be expelled from school for the behaviour of encouraging people to gamble. It was only when my step-dad spoke up saying that I had showed great signs of an entrepeneur by not lying to anyone and actually generating an income through initiative. They spoke for some time and it was agreed that if I stopped my little lottery then I wouldn’t get kicked out of school. This hooked me into making things happen and spotting and creating opportunities.

After being told I would never walk again, I learnt from Bruce Lee about activating the Mind, Body and Spirit and getting in tune with universal energy. When anyone does this, the most phenomenal things start to happen in their lives simply because all resistance is gone and flow states emerge. I went back to gymnastics and won the English ‘Sports Acrobatics’ championships. I then got approached by an agent who said I had a very commercial look and would be great for doing acrobatics in TV commercials, pop videos and for live shows etc. I soon landed my first TV commercial and got paid £10,000 for a single day of filming which I loved because I had never earned that amount of money in that short time before and this was over 20 years ago. What I soon realised was that I started getting creative with ideas for things that I could do in shows and for filming that no one else had thought of. I spoke to the clients to find out what they were looking for and then I started making suggestions whilst on set for ideas that I thought would add more value. The response was amazing and soon I started to be the ‘go to’ guy for bringing acrobatics into different environments and I ended up working with incredible companies like ‘The Royal Opera House’, ‘X-factor’, many TV commercials and pop videos, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, ‘The Royal Albert Hall’ and artists/bands that would fill stadiums. Basically, I would come up with ideas for adding a flavour of acrobatics into the mix. This was before ‘Cirque Du Soleil’ became popular – so basically I was in the right place at the time with the right talent and creative ideas and I loved it because each contract was a different adventure. And, as far as the business side went, I could literally charge what I liked because no-one else was doing what I was doing – so for a short period I had an open market which was great.

While all this was growing, I started to come up with my own stage show ideas and soon ended up owning and producing shows and sending these shows out on tours all across Europe. One that became very popular was an explosive and dynamic show that involved dancing, acrobatics, fire, stunts, great showmanship and this particular show was a male cast only and was produced for female audiences so we added the element of tease into the production which made it a very unique type of show. I had no clue that this was going to explode, driving audiences crazy all over Europe. I ended up with 16 guys working for me and we would do sell-out theatres with audiences from a few hundred to thousands of women at each event. No one before had produced such a show and we literally dominated the European market and had lots of copy cat groups pop up. But we were known as the industry leaders. It was a great way to see many countries, meet so many great people and I soon found that travelling was becoming one of my best teachers because I learnt that there are so many different belief systems and some serve and some don’t. I feel blessed to have had that chapter because not only did we have lots of fun with so many celebrations, there was millions of pounds made – which is always great.

Since then I invested some of the money I made and owned different businesses, but found that the ones I always did best in were the ones I had passion and drive for that served a specific need. The businesses that really make positive changes in peoples lives are the one’s where that sense of fulfilment really shows up because in my mind, success without fulfilment simply equals failure.

I have faced many challenges, as we all do, but learnt how to turn my challenges into my blessings. I got asked to share these techniques with others and before I knew it I started public speaking to share these life changing nuggets with more people. I then started running my own live events, workshops and retreats around the world. I could see that the processes and experiences I started taking people through were helping people to transform on so many levels. I had never experienced this before and I found it so humbling to be able to assist in improving the quality of people’s lives through these powerful teachings.

I care deeply about doing my part in helping to create a better world, plus I had a real hunger for serving at the highest levels. It became apparent very quickly that a lot people were, and still are, feeding their minds and bodies with things that are draining them of energy and having detrimental effects on them.

I also started to learn the truth about truly nourishing the body and mind – and found that we have drained essential minerals from our soils on a global level. For example, our fruits and vegetables only contain 5-20% of the nutritional value compared to 100 years ago. Natural food is simply a shuttle system to be able to get the nutrients in the food into your body. If the minerals are no longer in the soils then how do they get into our bodies? The answer is – they don’t! This quote got me doing my research: “You can trace every, disease, every sickness and every ailment to a mineral deficiency” – Dr Linus Pauling. This amazing gentleman is a 2 X Nobel Prize winner which, in itself, is pretty remarkable.  I didn’t find anyone who contested what he said and through my deep intensive research I soon realised that eating healthy wasn’t enough in todays world if you want to really get the most from your mind, body and life. I knew supplementation was needed, so I looked into that world and continued my research.

I couldn’t believe that all the supplements and superfoods I found weren’t at the standard I would be satisfied with putting into my own body. This, to me, was shocking because these were being sold as health products but were actually doing people more harm than good long term. I ended up starting my own line of ‘Superfoods’ and didn’t put in any bulking agents, fillers or sweeteners and only used the highest quality of ingredients – and also ‘no cheat’ farming techniques. If people knew what was going on behind closed doors and what the harmful effects are of so many supplements I think people would be seriously shocked because the industry isn’t regulated yet.

My strategy was to create the most effective superfoods available that would serve the human body and mind at the highest levels. I knew this would not satisfy a lot of people’s sweet palettes for taste and thus would potentially put off sales. Not a good plan for a business! However, I was looking at this from the angle of simply serving the human body and mind with superfoods and nutrients at higher levels than what was already available. I had to let people know that “It tastes so bad, that you know it’s good for you!”.

Ironically, serving at that level, people really starting noticing a difference in the way they looked and felt and then – as their taste buds started changing – they actually started liking the taste which was great. It’s funny that when you eat and drink things that don’t serve you, you get addicted to those things. And the things that are actually good for you don’t taste good. So many people are out of balance because of poor dietary choices and unfortunately for them, they are suffering for it.

To be able to produce these superfoods that are helping people every time they ingest them is something I’m super proud of. I could have sold out and used cheaper ingredients and cheat farming methods that so many brands use to simply earn more profit. However my motivation was in producing something that was of the highest quality available. I never wanted my name or face on the Superfoods but all the experts around me said that people don’t buy into brands today as much as they buy into people. It was said that I’m a living breathing version of someone who has daily demands and responsibilities at high levels. I’m doing business all over the world and travel all the time in and out of different time zones so I need to be on my game consistently. I’m running and working on so many projects and need to have constant clarity, focus and to take actions so that we continue to grow and serve more people. It didn’t make sense from a business point of view to have my name and face on these superfoods but it felt like the right thing to do – to be a living example that these superfoods serve those with a busy lifestyle. They want to be sure that their body and mind can still be nourished at the highest of levels on a daily basis.  For me these superfoods are the building blocks that help me to recover, detox, nourish, revive, recharge and energise so that I don’t just survive but I really thrive. And that’s what these do for others who use them too, which of course is a great thing.

Tell me a bit about your professional background?

I never had any formal training in business which I’ve found does have it’s advantages – because today things are moving so fast. I was lucky because I owned my own Companies so always had the mindset of serving at that level. All the responsibility ultimately ended up on me – so I would always have to figure things out to make things work. Of course I made lots of mistakes, and usually we learn the most when we know what doesn’t work, so we can learn to do what works. I’d like to think I’m a fast learner and learn from my mistakes. Its important to move on and to keep adding as much value as you can. I’ve found myself doing all sorts of tasks and jobs and as long as I bring a good vibe to the table I seem to find the needed solutions always presented themselves at the right times. I have been really fortunate to have had so many great CEO’s, Managers, Business owners and Celebrities that include movie stars, pop stars and one of the Dragons from the TV show ‘Dragons Den’. They all say that my teachings have had the most profound impacts on their lives which is always very nice and humbling to hear.

What inspires you in everyday life?

I now find that the simple things in life inspire me; like nourishing my mind and body with great nutrition, moving my body in fun ways, getting out in nature, meditating to help let go of what isn’t serving me and reconnecting to what will serve; creating and building great relationships and basically living what I teach. Plus, I enjoy working with teams on common visions. I’m sure you’ve heard this: “teamwork makes the dreamwork”. I love feeling those goose bumps all over my body and this is a sign for me that we are on the right path with something and I feel blessed because these always happen multiple times throughout each day. In short, for me its all about helping to raise consciousness and to bring about more awareness to people’s lives so that they can truly live their dreams.

‘’Living Forever Young ‘’? Is this possible?

A massive ‘YES’ jumps out of me to answer that. Firstly I’m living proof because, at 45 years old, I literally feel better today than I did in my 20’s. As well as teaching this amazing lifestyle to people all over the world, the person I’m most proud of is my mother. She was overweight, in and out of hospital with many operations, had high cholesterol, low blood pressure, arthritis, a cupboard full of pharmaceutical drugs and couldn’t walk from one side of the room to the other without being in serious pain. She came to one of my retreats and afterwards lost 28 pounds in body fat and started ‘Living Forever Young’ and continues to do so today. She only started when she was nearly 70 years old and has turned into someone who is hungry for life again. She is a living example that it’s never too late because she now does yoga most days, swims about 100 lengths when she swims, and is more active now than she was 10 years ago.

In the last few years my mum has travelled all over the world for different adventures which she never thought was possible at one point. To see those positive shifts in someone whom I care deeply about and having nothing but love and admiration for is one of the best gifts ever – because she has added another 30 years onto her life and she gets to enjoy the freedom we all deserve. Of course this works especially great for business people because we must learn how to override the stresses of the corporate world and be in a position to add great value BUT the first person we need to learn add value to is ourselves.

What is the formula to ‘Living Forever Young’?

Unfortunately it isn’t something I can write in a single paragraph because its combination of many elements working in harmony with each other but the formula is contained within my book ‘Living Forever Young’ and the secrets can only be uncovered when you actually apply to them to your daily life. This book is a game changer because nothing tastes as good as ‘Living Forever Young’ feels. You basically handle all forms of stress better and lock into a way of living where you thrive in every environment because your mind and body function better – and the side effects are more productivity whilst looking and feeling better, which we all need more of.

What is your greatest strength?

One thing that many people comment on is my everlasting energy. And we need energy for everything in our personal and business life, otherwise things can get on top of us and once the stress takes over (whether its physical, emotional, financial, mental or nutritional) it’s game over for thriving. Along with having this abundance of energy I’ve found that keeping a child-like (not childish) spirit, keeps me learning new things everyday. Some may say I should grow up, but children learn faster than most adults. They seem to naturally have more natural joy and wonder plus they have more energy. They speak more truth and they are now teaching the elders new things because of technology. It’s so important to be able to learn fast in todays society otherwise you can get left behind and by keeping some of the powerful traits that children have, I think it adds more strength and wonder to one’s life. Plus you dream bigger, and, as an adult, you then get to enjoy making those dreams come true.

What is special about your lifestyle?

I simply live what I teach and that means everyday I get to do things I love and am passionate about. Every month I’m in pretty much in a different country and time zone so I get to see so many beautiful places around our amazing planet with amazing people which I’m very grateful for. Whilst on my travels and adventures I always make sure that I have lots of fun creating as many memorable and magic moments as possible whilst serving. There was a time when I never dreamed this was possible – but I’m living proof that this lifestyle works on so many levels.

How are the current innovations happening in positive psychology influencing wellness coaching?

Anything positive is always a good thing and there are many coaches all using different techniques to help their clients. I personally feel that if you’re going to take on responsibility to coach someone then you need to have a high level of understanding psychology in depth – otherwise you simply won’t be able to serve at levels that really help the client to breakthrough their challenges. Taking a holistic approach to the study of human strengths can only be a good thing because all the successful people I meet seem to create positivity and find strength from that.

In your opinion what is the mindset that new entrepreneurs require in order to actually succeed in a digital world?

I actually think that the mindset needs to direct all entrepreneurs so that they never sacrifice their own health for their wealth. In my seven week online programme called ‘Connect NOW’ (for Limitless Empowerment) I teach entrepreneurs how to activate themselves and to create the right balance so that the body, the mind and spirit can all function at higher levels which will help produce better results. You’ve heard the saying, “use it or lose it” and the same goes with your mind, your body and your spirit. So many people then take action but in the wrong direction which then does them more harm than good.

If you don’t use your mind, body and spirit correctly and consistently, they won’t function well and you may even risk things shutting down on yourself which could be disastrous for yourself and your loved ones. Through the seven week journey on ‘Connect NOW’ you simply use the activations for your mind-body-spirit and let the force of life start working through you. This plugs you into life where you have more balance, more alignment, more energy, more creative solutions and a lot more fun – even if, at present, you have a busy and stressful lifestyle. The reason this is essential is so that we spend time away from things that are digital to work on ourselves – so that when we do use technology we learn to use it efficiently and productively. This, I actually think, is something very important to address because technology is only going to keep evolving. But we, as humans, must unplug from the addictions that can cause the body, mind or spirit to suffer. Learn how to activate your body, learn how to properly activate your mind and learn how to open up – so that life, universal intelligence, source energy – call it what you will – can pulse through you at these high levels. Then you’ll want more and more because this is life at its best – and ‘Connect NOW’ assists in giving people this. This entire programme is actually digital but it does teach you how to go inside to find the answers you seek whilst helping you to create the body you’re proud of inside and out. The only thing that is with you from the day you’re born to the day you pass is your mind and body and this will teach you what most people never get to learn in their lifetime. The digital age is one that I think is serving humanity and business well in general, because ultimately it allows more truth to be shared. Ignorance isn’t bliss in today’s world so learn what you can from the digital world because it is great. But you must also learn how to unplug from it too.

I would like to gift a place on my ‘Connect NOW’ for Limitless Empowerment by sponsoring someone. Simply send me a private message on facebook explaining why I should gift you this seven week journey where your mind, your body and your spirit will be activated within you, so that you function as the best version of yourself. I look forward to seeing why I should select you for this life changing experience. You must be committed to your greatness and committed to serving yourself and others at higher levels. This will have so many positive impacts on your business because you will become a better leader. I believe we need more honest and authentic leaders in our world today and it would be my pleasure to assist you on that journey.

Do you have a favourite quote regarding business/entrepreneurialism that you would like to share with the readers?

“As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live” – Richard Branson.

 

Herman Chow – Helping Women Look and Feel Their Best

Herman Chow – Helping Women Look and Feel Their Best

 

By Gulia Lucci

Herman Chow was born and bred in Singapore, but now he lives in Amsterdam. He felt in love with photography about ten years ago and now he makes beautiful photos for social media. From the beginning of 2016 he started running his own portrait photography business

Your passion for photography seems to take up most of your time – how did you start your career?

Yes indeed – too much time! I fell in love with photography about ten years ago. At that time, I had a 9 to 5 full-time office job. I actually started with landscape photography as a hobby. One year later, I was drawn to fashion photography. That’s how I began working with model agencies, makeup artists, designers, stylists and models on fashion photography.

Having a full-time office job seemed like a career for me. I have never thought of running a business, let alone portrait photography.

At the end of 2015, I began to realise that I could bring this beauty to “everyday women (no-models)” because I felt that the whole fashion industry is a little too fake. So, I fired my boss in December 2015 and started running my own portrait photography business from the beginning of 2016.

 Please describe your earlier years before your career started.

Well, I’m not sure how you define “career.” When I had my full-time office job working for an employer, I thought that was my “career”. I was not an ambitious person. As long as I have a secure job, that will be my “career”. To be honest, it was really boring working for someone else. But I persevered because of the monthly income.

What are the main challenges that you have had to face during your personal and professional growth?

By nature, I am an extremely quiet and an anti-social person. Maybe I was allergic to people. It’s not my style to socialise with people anyway, especially strangers.

Ever since starting my photography business though, I have had to come out of my comfort zone to meet people. I have to admit it was very tough. “What do I say to people?” I thought.

I’ve learned that in order to bring my business to the next level I need to meet and network with people. So, I started going to network events. It’s still rather daunting to me, but I am slowly feeling more comfortable when ‘talking’ to people. Also, there’s a lot of struggle in running a business. And I really mean “a lot”.

After all, I have no clue or experience in running a business. So, I watched videos, talks, from successful gurus and learned from them.

What advice would you give to women looking to pursue a career similar to yours?

Ask yourself if that is what you really love and then, if it is, be prepared for some hard work.

You seem to have merged your love of photography with high achievement in business. What advice would you give to those trying to find their passion?

My advice is to never be afraid to ask, ask, ask, including asking for help if needed. There will be times when you just want to give up. You must learn to persevere and not give up. If you think of giving up, ask yourself why you started this journey in the first place.

Through many years of working, which are your ‘’sweet memories’’, the most incredible pictures that you have ever taken? It is about a man portrait or a woman portrait?

There were two memorable incidents with a female customer.

*One of them lost her father before the photoshoot and had a difficult time in life. After her photoshoot, she told me that she has now gained her confidence back because of the entire experience. Now, she puts on make-up every time she walks out of her house.

* The second one was a lady who has lost about 54kg of weight. She wanted to feel beautiful again. So, she convinced herself to do a photoshoot. She was over the moon with her images. One week after her photoshoot, I received a surprise note from her husband, thanking me for making his wife look beautiful again.

How can people use their passion for photography to build a photography business? What advice would you give to them? The first step is passion, but what is next?

  1. The first important step is always to find your “why”. Why do you want to do this?
  2. Knowing your ‘why” will help you find your purpose, cause or belief that inspires you.
  3. Once you know your “why”, you will also be able to figure out how to achieve the goals that excite you. You will also find the courage to take the risks needed to get ahead and stay motivated

What are three things that women need to know about the photography business?

  1. Again, know your “why” (why do you want to go into the photography business?)
  2. It’s not just about taking photos with your camera. It’s important to educate your customer (the subject) how they pose and connect with you to get the best out of them in a photo shoot.
  3. Also, how do you want your customers to see you as a photographer?

How do you see the role of women in business, now and in the future?

The roles of women are changing every day. From being a house-wife to getting out of their shell to run a business. Women are becoming more independent nowadays.

What are your plans for the future?

Herman – I want to help every woman on this planet to feel more comfortable in their own skin, especially with their body image and to believe that they are beautiful.  I want to educate them that it is essential to ‘exist’ in photos, not just for themselves but also for their family and children. I want to be their “go-to” photographer when someone needs a portrait photoshoot.

I want to open a huge and beautiful photo studio so that my customers can have an awesome experience during their photo session. My studio will have several departments which includes a video section to record my marketing stuff, a kitchen area to serve healthy food, a make-up room for make-up, a wardrobe changing area, a few photoshoot areas with different backdrop setups and a walk-in gallery displaying my beautiful art pieces. That’s my dream.