What's Simon Saying

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Have you ever noticed how much fun kids seem to have? Before the sometimes terrible teenage years, most kids seem to be having such a great time! Sure there can be some temper tantrums and of course, some children have harder upbringings than others, but if you compare the way kids generally live their lives to how adults do, there is such a stark contrast.

Too many adults take life way too seriously. Undoubtedly, there are responsibilities that kids don't have (bills, food to buy, mortgages or rent and more), but this shouldn't stop you being in love with your life. One of the questions I ask myself sometimes is what changes between our childhood days and adulthood so drastically to make so many of us become so serious? It's like grown-ups forgot how to have fun!

The Power of a Smile :)

Kids have so few inhibitions and aren't scared of making fools of themselves. They speak freely, laugh and smile more often, can have fun with even the most basic things like a ball or even their own imaginary friends, and feel free to create without the worry of being judged.

In fact, some studies have shown that while the average adult manages around 20 smiles per day, children manage as many as 400 smiles per day! It has also been shown that smiling more is extremely good for our health, even leading to longer, happier lives. People don't just smile because they are happy, they become happy when they smile :)

Live More Like a Kid Again

Of course as adults, we cannot go back to being kids, as there are certain responsibilities such as jobs, relationships and looking after our own kids that we need to maintain. Life as an adult can't be all just fun and games (sadly).

On the other hand, we can learn to look at life through the eyes of a kid again and stop taking ourselves so seriously. A large part of what stops many adults from doing many of the fun things that they want to do is the fear of being judged by others. We become so worried about what others think of us, that we stop enjoying ourselves.

The reality is though, that most people are so absorbed in their own life that whatever you're doing, however crazy/daft/stupid it might be will only register on their minds for a few moments at most. You can trip and fall in front of someone and they will have forgotten about it in minutes. Don't let this fear of failure or looking stupid stop you from having fun and living life to the full.

Follow Your Passions

So you want to go out skateboarding even as an adult? Just go and do it! You want to go dancing again? Go for it! You want to smile and laugh more and enjoy your life again? Then find the things that you are passionate about and pursue those. Connect (or reconnect) with the people that bring joy into your life and also learn to be able to self-amuse. See the funny side in life and learn to laugh at yourself.

Too often we are held back from doing what we want, say what we want, going where we want or trying something new because we are afraid of looking stupid. People stick to jobs they hate, hang around with people that bring them down, do the same boring things day in day out like spending hours watching mindless TV shows or reading the negative news headlines.

One Life, One Shot!

You've got one shot at life, so make it count, because the biggest failure in life isn't trying something but not succeeding, it's never trying anything at all. A major step to enjoying life more is to focus less on your issues, your worries, your inhibitions and all these other perceived problems which are mostly all in your mind anyway, and focus more on helping others.

The world is full of amazing people doing incredible things and what you will find with virtually all of them, is that they simply do not care what others think about them and don't waste any mental energy on worry. They are doing what they love, generally helping others along the way and having a hell of a lot of fun enjoying this ride that we call life!

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If you are living within the European Union and are thinking of starting your own business, or have recently done so, then this could be the perfect solution for you. There is an excellent initiative run by the EU called 'Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs' aimed at facilitating and encouraging entrepreneurship.

This is done by connecting those either starting a new business or who have recently started one, with established owners in order to create a mutual benefit for both from working together. Not only this, but it allows those starting out to work with an experienced business owner in another country within the EU, thus also creating an excellent cross cultural exchange and opportunity to live and work abroad, with all the added benefits that this can bring.

In essence this is similar to the concept of an internship, however there is one vital difference which makes it so much more useful and accessible to many more new entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, with many internships that are advertised, the training and experience provided may be good on paper for the potential interns, but they unfortunately remain prohibitive.

This is due to them being either unpaid, or only offering a very basic allowance such as a small amount of money for meals and transport. Because of this only those who have a stable financial background, such as family that are willing to support them during their internship are able to take advantage of many typical internships.

Start a new project! #beentrepreneur #beentrepreneurs #entrepreneurlife #entreprenaurship #businessgoals #business #success #erasmuslife #erasmus #erasmusforyoungentrepreneurs

A post shared by Erasmus 4 Young Entrepreneurs (@entrepreneurs_mobility) on Feb 17, 2017 at 2:11am PST

The 'Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs' program is very different from this because for a set period of time, the new business founder is provided with a generous allowance each month which with sensible budgeting is easily enough to cover rent, transport, food and bills. In essence this means the time spent with the established business owner will be covered financially for a set period of time by the European Union.

The new entrepreneur can then concentrate on improving their skills, assisting the business owner they have been assigned to and building their own business. By contrast, during a regular internship, the intern may also need to work another job and cannot spend as much time developing their skills or building their business.

Motivation Monday #motivate #motivationmonday #monday #motivation #sucess #startpositive #staruplife #businessgoals #beyourownboss #business #businessman #businesswoman #erasmuslife #erasmusforyoungentrepreneurs

A post shared by Erasmus 4 Young Entrepreneurs (@entrepreneurs_mobility) on Apr 3, 2017 at 2:38am PDT

The established business owner will also benefit substantially from this program as the idea is for a mutual exchange of skills. Rather than paying the new entrepreneur who goes to work with them; instead the idea is for both parties to learn from each other.

The established business owner can offer expertise gained through years of experience and the new business owner can provide new ideas and energy. Because of the funding provided by the program, money doesn't become an issue.

I am currently taking part in the 'Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs' program in Tenerife with Tenerife Magazine and its owner John Beckley. My goal during this scheme has been to continue to build upon my previous experience of working as a copywriter and social media manager within the field of travel and tourism.

During my time at Tenerife Magazine I am working as the writer and editor which has involved writing and editing articles, managing the TM social media accounts and publishing photos, videos and social updates. I have also been involved in networking and helping to expand the TM brand by connecting with new potential clients. TM is very much centred around fun, high energy and promoting all the amazing experiences that can be had within Tenerife.

Overall this has been an excellent experience so far that I would recommend to anyone who is looking to start their own business, or who has recently started one but is looking to gain new skills from someone with who has an established business and relevant skills.

The application process can take some time, however it is definitely worth it because if you can show how both you and your host can benefit from this process you will gain an incredible opportunity to expand your knowledge, skills and business potential. This experience has both inspired me and given me a huge amount of motivation for my future with Tenerife Magazine and with my own company!