Latest news with #presence
Entrepreneur
23-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How to Use Your Smile as a Business Superpower
A smile costs nothing. But it changes everything. And it just might be your greatest asset. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You can fake a handshake. You can fake a pitch. You can't fake a real smile. I'm not talking about the "smile for the camera" look or the awkward half-smirk you throw your neighbor while grabbing the mail in a bathrobe. I'm talking about the real thing. The kind that stops people in their tracks. That makes strangers feel safe. That turns a no into a maybe. That makes people remember you. That smile? That's influence. That's currency. That's leadership. Smiling is free. But it's not cheap. You don't need a business degree or a black card to start shifting rooms. All you need is your face. Have you ever walked into a room where everyone looks like their dog died? It's heavy. The energy sinks. But one real smile? The whole place lifts. I've walked into million-dollar meetings with a $2 haircut and a $0 smile. And walked out with a signed deal. No gimmicks. Just presence. Just being human. A smile is proof you don't need to be loud to be powerful. Related: 7 Ways Body Language Speaks Louder Than Words Confidence is cool. Kindness is cooler. You want to stand out? Walk into a room with confidence and warmth. That combo? Unstoppable. People are drawn to energy. Not ego. A real smile says: "I'm here. I'm grounded. And I'm glad to be with you." Whether you're closing a deal or ordering an iced coffee, that smile tells the world you're someone who's not just in it to win. You're in it with people. That's rare. That's magnetic. You don't need to sell harder. You need to connect faster. A smile doesn't mean you're faking it Let me be real. Life's not all showings, steaks and smooth sailing. I've had days where everything blows up. Deals fall through. People walk away. Plans collapse. You know what gets me through it? Not fake optimism. Not denial. A smile. Because it reminds me: I'm still here. I'm still fighting. I'm still choosing joy. Smiling in the storm doesn't mean you're ignoring reality. It means you're bigger than it. A smile isn't a mask. It's a mindset. I built a business with hustle. And a smile. People ask me all the time, "Rogers, what's your secret sauce?" It's not fancy branding or paid ads. It's relationships. You can have the slickest brochure in Dallas, but if people don't feel you, you're toast. I built my business by being the guy who showed up with a handshake, a smile, and a ridiculous amount of energy. People don't hire agents. They hire humans. People don't follow brokers. They follow leaders. And leaders smile first. Trust starts with the look on your face. Not the title on your card. Smiles are contagious. Infect generously. You want to shift a room? Smile. You want to build culture? Smile. You want to lead without saying a word? Smile. Our brains are wired to mirror emotion. You smile, people smile back. That's not a Hallmark slogan. That's science. Start being the one who flips the switch. Who sets the tone. Who shows up with light when everyone else brought clouds. Your energy is either a gift or a drain. Choose wisely. It's better than kale. Seriously. You can spend hundreds on supplements, or you can smile more. It lowers stress. Boosts immunity. Drops your blood pressure. Lengthens your life. Even a fake smile can trick your brain into feeling better. I've tried all the anti-aging creams. Smiling works better. And it doesn't clog your pores. Want to feel better fast? Smile. Want to live longer? Smile more. Smile when it's hard You don't have to wait for the perfect day to crack a smile. Waiting for the storm to pass? Nope. Smile in the middle of it. It's not weakness. It's strength. I've had days where I lost the deal, the client, the plan. But I smiled anyway. My circumstances don't get to boss around my spirit. Smile through the mess. Through the stress. Through the unknown. Real smiles don't come from perfection. They come from perspective. Related: The Positive Effects of Smiling Practice it! Here's your homework: Smile at five strangers today. No agenda. No follow-up. Just a smile. Then look in the mirror. And smile at the person looking back. Yeah, it might feel dumb. Do it anyway. We spend so much time beating ourselves up. Scroll culture. Comparison traps. But a smile, even just for yourself, is a form of grace. Be kind to your face. You've survived a lot. Make it your legacy People won't remember your listings or titles or cars. They'll remember how you made them feel. They'll remember if you made them laugh. If you lighten the load. If you saw them. That's the impact I want to leave. For my family. For my team. For my city. We don't need more noise. We need more light. Let's be the ones who lead with that. Related: These 5 Body Language Secrets Could Put You on the Road to a Million Dollars Smile first. Always. You don't need a reason. You don't need permission. Smile because you can. Smile because it matters. Smile because it opens doors even when everything else is locked. It might not fix the problem. But it will change the energy. And if you see me out in Dallas, I'll be the one smiling first. Let's keep going.
Forbes
29-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Attention: The Real Currency Of Life, According To Naval Ravikant
Rarely can a three-hour podcast hold my attention. But Chris Williamson's conversation with Naval Ravikant did, in part because of the mic-dropping moment nestled near the end: 'The currency of life isn't money. It's not even time. It's attention.' AngelList Co-Founder and CEO Naval Ravikant I'm not sure there is a modern wisdom saying that better encapsulates the battle we all face in the frenetic information age in which we find ourselves. 'Money is important,' Naval explains, 'and let's you trade certain things for time, but it doesn't really buy you time.' He invites us to ask Warren Buffett or Michael Bloomberg if they can buy more time. (I'll be sure to send them a note.) And while access to good medical care is certainly a financial hurdle for many, the point is well taken: Even the richest person on their deathbed can't buy themselves another day of life. 'Time itself doesn't even mean that much,' Ravikant continues, 'because the time can be wasted because you're not really present for it. You're not really paying attention.' And that's where the killer question hits us right in the gut: I need look no further than yesterday to recall a moment where I found myself checking X and LinkedIn—while in the presence of my 19-month-old daughter, who resorted to irresistible adorableness to reclaim my attention. 'Hug?' she asked, reaching her little arms in my direction. 'Kiff?' (Her vernacular for kiss.) She offered instantaneous forgiveness, while I lamented the fact that I'd have to make this confession public, because the example is all too perfect for the point I'm making now: Unlike money, our time is a true zero-sum game. We can make more money in a myriad of ways, but each minute expires at the end of 60 seconds, regardless of the health of our cash flow or net worth statements. Time vs. Money vs. Attention How much of this most precious of currencies do we fritter away every day? Even those among us who may be inclined to wear our busyness as a badge of business honor. Perhaps especially us? Do the accolades, likes, and shares compensate for the misallocation of our attention? Don't get me wrong—I'm not telling you how to spend your attention. Sure, things like social media and video games might be easy targets for examples of misallocated musing, but the potentially life-changing insight illuminated here was first shared on social media, for goodness' sake. Furthermore, for more than a decade, my 19-year-old son has been able to spend quality hours of kinship with his cousin—700 miles away—every week, thanks to the advent of collaborative video games. The lesson isn't to eliminate, but to direct: choose the apps, the times, even the posts that reinforce your attention, not fracture it. Ravikant addresses another low-hanging fruit for judgementalism, the negative news. We can spend our attention on the news, Ravikant concedes. 'And if you want to, that's fine. There's no right or wrong here.' It's more about what you do with the attention we dedicate that makes the difference. 'Maybe you need to pick something in the news, learn about that problem, adopt that problem, and solve it,' for example. 'But be careful,' he concludes, 'because your attention is the only thing you have.' Lastly, I want to conclude with what this attention acknowledgment is not: It's not a rallying cry for glorifying the grind or a time-driven demand to maximize every moment with (apparent) productivity. Ravikant bursts a lot of hustle-culture bubbles when he says, 'Hard work is really overrated. How hard you work matters a lot less in the modern economy.' (Heresy!?) Elsewhere, he concludes that discipline is a poor substitute for genuine passion: 'Discipline is just you fighting with yourself to do something you don't want to do. So, I would say it's more important to find something that you want to do.' So, perhaps this is the conclusion, in the form of three questions:
Entrepreneur
24-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Stop Leading From Your Head — Try This Approach Instead
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. There's no shortage of leadership advice online. Scroll your feed and you'll find endless tips on optimizing your calendar, sharpening your pitch or making better decisions. After 38 years of building and funding growth companies, riding the waves of the capital markets, IPOs, crashes and reinventions, I've learned the real starting line isn't my calendar or pitch deck; it's my energy, the cadence of my breath and the weight of my feet on the floor. I didn't come to this realization in a moment of calm clarity or on a meditation cushion. It slammed in hard during one of the most chaotic times in my life, after the Great Recession wiped out nearly everything I had built. I wasn't just facing business losses; my balance sheet bled, real estate values flipped, but the real deficit was unraveling physically and emotionally. On the outside, I still wore the leader's mask, yet I was reactive and spent. Strategy couldn't reach that place; only presence could. That's when I discovered embodied leadership. Related: 5 Ways to Be Present With Your Startup, Not Pestered By It From surviving to leading with presence Embodied leadership is the practice of leading not just from intellect or strategy, but from the integration of mind, body and emotion. It is grounded in neuroscience and used in elite performance environments, including special-ops military and Fortune 500 boardrooms. At its core, it teaches leaders to feel what is happening inside before they act outside. At first, I was skeptical and dismissed it as woo-woo. Coming from the world of capital markets and hard metrics, the idea of breathing techniques and posture awareness felt too soft and intangible. But then I tested it when I began practicing it, three slow breaths before investor meetings and grounding myself before making a high-stakes call, I noticed something. I made better decisions. I communicated more clearly. My presence started speaking louder than my pitch. The science behind the shift This isn't just personal insight. It is backed by research. A study published by Yale found that even short breathing interventions reduced anxiety and improved executive performance. Other research has shown that adopting an expansive posture for just two minutes can elevate testosterone, reduce cortisol and enhance confidence and clarity. In real-time leadership, this translates to sharper thinking under pressure, more grounded decision-making and improved team trust. For me, it also meant less burnout. I no longer lived in a constant state of mental overdrive. Related: This One Overlooked Habit Could Transform How You Lead, Connect and Grow Your Business What changed in my business Once I started leading from an embodied state, subtle shifts created powerful results. Investor meetings became more authentic and effective. My team responded more to how I showed up than to what I said. Conflict resolution became less reactive and more relational. I made fewer fear-based decisions and better strategic ones. One vivid example: During a tense discussion, I paused a boardroom conversation and took a few centering breaths. Just 30 seconds, but that short pause settled the energy in the room. What could have escalated into a heated debate shifted into a focused, solution-driven dialogue. Had I stayed on autopilot, that moment would've gone very differently. How entrepreneurs can use this now You don't need to become a breathwork or meditation expert to lead this way. If you're an entrepreneur dealing with uncertainty, team dynamics or nonstop decisions, this is for you. Try these simple shifts: Start with the body, not the spreadsheet: Before your next big decision, pause. Feel your breath. Relax your shoulders. Plant your feet on the ground. This five-second check-in can help you respond rather than react. Reframe stress as physical data: When you feel tension such as a tight jaw (a bygone for me), racing heart or clenched fists, don't ignore it. That is data. Your body is showing you what needs attention. Listening to them gives you clarity. Lead with grounded presence: Walk into the room with your breath low and posture strong. You'll speak less and land more. People respond to how you enter before you say a word. Integrate regular practices: Whether it is daily movement, breathwork or stillness, it's about doing it daily. It is not about perfection. It is about consistency. Why this matters more than ever In a world of constant disruption, information overload and AI-driven decisions, what sets leaders apart isn't just intelligence or innovation. It's presence. The ability to stay grounded is a competitive advantage. It helps you build resilient teams, navigate volatility and make authentic decisions. I've worked with dozens of CEOs through IPOs, pivots and exits. The ones who lead best aren't always the loudest or the boldest. They're the steadiest. They are the most embodied. These are the leaders who can stay steady in the storm and lead with clarity when the stakes are highest. Related: 4 Mindful Leadership Practices That Transformed My Management and Company Culture Leadership is not just what you say. It is how you show up. And how you show up begins in your body. If there is one thing I wish I had embraced earlier in my career, it is this: You don't need to have all the answers. But you do need to be present. And presence is something you practice, not a performance. Because at the end of the day, companies rise and fall on decisions. But great leadership? It lives in the presence.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
These are the most important pictures you'll ever take, and it's why I never put my camera down
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. There's a strange, quiet ache that comes with growing older. It creeps in softly, first in the absence of a familiar laugh at a family gathering, then in the gap on the end of a group photo where someone used to stand. Over the years, I've watched people I love slowly fade away. Some were taken too soon, while others passed away by the natural order of life. And through it all, I've come to realise that photography, for me, has never been about perfection or portfolios. It's about presence. It's about holding on. I carry a camera almost everywhere now. Not because I'm chasing a shot, but because I know too well that life doesn't warn you when it's about to change. One day, your dad's leaning back in a garden chair, telling an old story, and the next, that voice becomes memory. I've learned that the small, unplanned frames – the candid laugh, the tilt of a head, the light falling just right on a moment you didn't expect – can become your most precious possessions. They're not just photographs; they're echoes. There's something humbling about documenting your own life. About making a record, not of events, but of people. It's not glamorous or curated. It's not meant for likes or followers. It's about the truth of time passing, of relationships evolving, of capturing the essence of a person before the world changes again. When someone you love is no longer around, and you don't have a photo of them in that fleeting, forgotten moment, that's a hollow space nothing can fill. So now, at every family gathering, at every Sunday roast or quiet coffee, I make sure the camera comes out. Not in a way that intrudes or interrupts, but simply so that something remains. A glance, a smile, a hug. I photograph my child with their grandparents because I know, one day, those images will tell stories they're too young to understand now. And, one day, when I become part of the older generation, I hope they'll look back and see the love we shared frozen in silver and light. It's a bitter pill to swallow – that we will all, eventually, lose the people we can't imagine life without. But photographs offer something more than memory. They offer proof. Proof that we lived, that we laughed, that we loved. They let us hold onto moments that time tries to take. And when grief dulls the details, the images remain sharp. Photography, at its heart, isn't about cameras or technique. It's about people. It's about making peace with the fact that every frame might be a goodbye – and taking the shot anyway.
Forbes
06-06-2025
- Forbes
5 Smart ChatGPT Prompts To Own The Room Without Even Trying
Some people enter a room and everyone turns to look at them. Others enter a room and no one notices. The difference is energy. You can't always explain why some people command attention. But you feel it. They are magnetic. Awe-inspiring. Something about the way they move and hold themselves makes you want to stare. Unless you figure out how to do this, every time you walk into a room you are effectively invisible. You'll forever watch others get seen as you get ignored. Opportunities will go their way, not yours. Make it stop. Change this now. These prompts will upgrade the way you hold a room and how people respond to you. Copy, paste and edit the square brackets in ChatGPT, and keep the same chat window open so the context carries through. First impressions happen fast. The moment you arrive through a door, people make judgments about your status, confidence and value. Most people don't give the subtle cues that command respect. They try to be louder when they should be refined. Your body language screams your status before you open your mouth. Getting this right means people listen when you talk. Getting it wrong means fighting for attention every time. "What are the social signals of someone who commands attention and respect? Give me 7 specific physical and verbal behaviors that magnetic people use to establish their presence in a room. For each behavior, explain its psychological impact on others and provide a practical method to incorporate it naturally. Focus on subtle, authentic signals rather than performative tactics. Using what you know about me from our conversations, predict the ones I most need to work on." The opening moments of any interaction set the tone. Mess them up and you'll work twice as hard to recover. The same principles apply online and offline. People decide whether you're worth their time almost instantly. Make those seconds count when you say good stuff and put their mind at ease. "What do magnetic people do especially well in the first 30 seconds of any conversation? Based on what you know about me, identify 5 specific behaviors or techniques that would help me make stronger initial connections. For each one, provide a brief example of how to execute it successfully, and explain why it works psychologically. Then create a 15-second conversation starter script I can adapt for professional settings." You might be pushing people away without realizing it. Small, unconscious behaviors can create distance faster than you think. That nervous laugh. The way you stand. How you fill silence. The deodorant you forgot to wear. These tiny signals add up to a big impression. Fix any issues and watch people lean in instead of checking out. You can't win the room if you're subtly telling everyone to leave. "What energy or body language repels people, even when the words are right? Give me 6 common behaviors that undermine social magnetism and why each one creates distance. Ask me if I could be guilty of any of them. Then suggest a specific replacement behavior for each one. Make these practical adjustments I could implement immediately." Boring conversations create forgettable impressions. Surface-level small talk gets you nowhere and leaves no mark. Talk about things people actually care about. Spark conversation by being real. Get someone talking about what lights them up and they'll associate that energy with you. Ask them different things to everyone else. "I'm going to [describe an event you're attending] with the goal of [state your goal for the event]. What 5 questions instantly get people talking about what matters most to them? Provide questions that go deeper than typical small talk. For each question, explain what makes it effective and when to use it. Then suggest a natural follow-up question that would deepen the conversation further." Smart professionals fumble socially all the time. They overthink. They try to impress with intelligence. They miss emotional cues while formulating perfect responses. Connecting is an exchange of energy where people feel better after talking to you. Your expertise means nothing if people find you exhausting. "What social mistakes do smart people make when they try too hard to connect? Based on what you know about my communication style, identify 3 specific errors I might be prone to making. For each mistake, provide a concrete example and a more effective alternative approach. Then create a simple mental checklist I can review before important social interactions to avoid these pitfalls." Social magnetism is a skill you can master like any other. You've come this far, now close the loop. Watch your reality change. Master the signals of respect, win the first 30 seconds, stop repelling people, ask better questions and don't try too hard. Your presence is a choice. Achieve even more once people start paying attention to you. Access all my best ChatGPT content prompts.
