11 Versions of “Average Joe” From Other Countries

Average Joe, Joe Schmo, John Doe. He’s bland and average. Faceless, but not nameless. Every country needs a way to talk about just “some guy.” Here’s what 11 countries call that typical guy, who might have no specific qualities, but is still “one of our own.”

1. GERMANY: OTTO NORMALVERBRAUCHER

Literally, Otto “normal consumer."

2. CHINA: ZHANG SAN, LI SI

This translates to “Three Zhang, Four Li”—a reference to some of the most popular Chinese surnames.

3. DENMARK: MORTEN MENIGMAND

"Morton Everyman."

4. AUSTRALIA: FRED NURK

Sounds pretty normal to me.

5. RUSSIA: VASYA PUPKIN

With a name like that, it’s hard not to be a typical schmo.

6. FINLAND: MATTI MEIKÄLÄINEN

Meikäläinen looks like a typical Finnish surname, but it also means “one of us.”

7. SWEDEN: MEDELSVENSSON

Just your average Svensson.

8. FRANCE: MONSIEUR TOUT-LE-MONDE

“Mr. Everyone.” Also goes by Jean Dupont.

9. UK/NEW ZEALAND: JOE BLOGGS

Still an average Joe (but can also be a Fred).

10. ITALY: MARIO ROSSI

In Italy they just use a common name.

11. LATIN AMERICA: JUAN PÉREZ

The same is true in various Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America.

A version of this article was originally published on Mental Floss as "11 Versions of  'Average Joe' From Other Countries." Read more from Mental Floss.

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Why Do People Use Scare Quotes?

The practice of using punctuation to indicate verbatim speech seems to have had its origins in the diple, a caret-like ancient Greek marking used to call attention to part of a text. By the late 15th century, the diple had been replaced by a pair of inverted commas placed in the left margins to indicate quotations, and by end of the 18th century the inverted commas were being used to open and close quoted material.

Single and double quotes battled it out for a time, with double quotes emerging as the norm by the 19th century for quoted speech and single quotes for reported speech within a quote. Quote marks were also used for the titles of articles and other short works.

By the 20th century, editorial conventions for quoting were stable and quotation marks had been extended to new uses, such as signaling technical terms, identifying cited words, and to mean “so-called” (this last, a favorite of Henry James).

It’s easy to imagine how such new uses emerged. Quotes for technical terms signal to the reader that the author is introducing a concept unfamiliar to the reader. The quotes say, “I am calling something this.” The writer usually omits the quotes after the first mention (where, hopefully, the term is defined, even if just by context).

Quotes for technical terms are one form of noting unfamiliar usage. Another is citing a word as a word—the philosopher’s “use-mention distinction,” as in “‘Amy’ has three letters.” The function is citation, so quotes are again a natural convention. This use of quotes seems to have originated, or at least been popularized by W. V. O. Quine’s 1940 book “Mathematical Logic” (insofar as a book on mathematical logic can popularize anything). The practice of using quote marks around unfamiliar terms or word used as words has been somewhat supplanted by italicization, in part because software has democratized font choice.

Scare quotes are used when writers wish to distance themselves from the words they use. They are the written equivalent of the gestural air quotes. Such quotes are a typographical shudder or sneer, and “shudder quotes” and “sneer quotes” are alternate terms for them, and more descriptive as well. When used to introduce a term that a writer would normally avoid, the quotes can be a type of shudder: “The ‘gig’ economy has arrived in full-force.” Or at least that’s what people call it.

When used to introduce a characterization a writer disagrees with, the quotes sneer: “Management hired several 'consultants' to develop the new business plan.” Several so-called consultants. Sometimes the difference is tough to discern, as when...

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'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'?

Last week, when I was writing about whether you should use italics or quotation marks for internal dialogue, I was reminded that people sometimes aren’t sure how to spell the word. Is it D-I-A-L-O-G-U-E  or simply D-I-A-L-O-G? I see both, and I even had a writer alternate between the two in a recent draft I was editing. I had to fix that! 

'Dialog' and 'Dialogue' in British English

'Dialog' and 'Dialogue' in American English

The shorter spelling started spiking in the early 1980s, especially in American English, and in many cases it’s used when people are writing about computers—for example, when people are writing about a dialog box where you input text. That’s often spelled D-I-A-L-O-G.

It seems that the computing use—the shorter spelling—again, especially in American English, has started drifting over into the older “those two people are talking” meaning. 

Nevertheless, the AP Stylebook recommends the longer “dialogue” spelling even when you are writing about a dialog box. 

The Chicago Manual of Style doesn’t specifically recommend one spelling over the other, and it uses the longer spelling throughout its own book, but in an FAQ entry says that the shorter spelling is fine when you’re writing about a dialog box. 

Use 'dialogue' for a conversation and 'dialog' for a digital text-entry box.

I favor Chicago’s approach in this case, so my recommendation is to use the longer spelling when you are writing about conversations in a novel or play and use the shorter spelling in the phrase “dialog box” since that is what seems to be common in the computer industry.

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10 DIY Face Scrubs and Masks

Amazing scrubs

1. Chocolate-honey scrub

Who doesn’t want to cover themselves in chocolate? Here’s your opportunity with this hydrating, revitalizing scrub.

• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl, making sure to break up any lumps in the cocoa powder. Apply this luscious mixture to your skin, rubbing in a circular motion. Leave for 5 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Divine! (Leftover scrub can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.)

2. Apricot–sea salt scrub

Here’s a great scrub for smoothing out rough spots on elbows, hands, feet, or wherever you need a little extra help.

• ¼ cup sea salt
• 2 tablespoons apricot kernel oil
• 5 drops apricot essential oil

Mix together all of the ingredients, then rub onto the skin. Rinse with warm water.

3. Light sugar scrub

Dry, itchy skin bothering you? Try this super-moisturizing light scrub.

• 3 tablespoons baby oil
• 2 tablespoons yogurt
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar

Mix together the ingredients, making sure to break up any lumps in the brown sugar. Massage immediately into skin, as the sugar will begin to dissolve. Rinse with warm water.

4. Minty morning wake-up

This invigorating scrub is great for those sleepy mornings when it’s almost impossible to drag yourself out of bed. For best results, make it the night before and store in the refrigerator until morning.

• 1 cup rice
• 6-ounce container plain yogurt
• 5 sprigs mint
• 3 drops peppermint essential oil

In a food processor, add the rice and pulse until ground. Transfer the contents to a bowl. Then process the yogurt and mint together and add to the ground rice. Add the essential oil, stir well, and refrigerate. Then, during your morning shower, rub the mixture into your skin. You’ll feel it working!

SEE ALSO: Who Knew's 18 Natural Remedies to Get Rid of Acne and Pimples 

5. Ginger face and body polish

For beach-ready skin, try this body polish. Ginger will help stimulate the skin, salt and sugar will rub away dead skin cells, and the combination of coconut and olive oils will provide deep hydration.

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup raw...

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6 Negotiating Tactics Based on Psychological Science

Have you ever bought a used car and bargained for the price? Negotiated a salary? Tried to agree on a curfew with your teenager?

I must confess that, in practice, I am a terrible negotiator. I’d rather just pay $80 more for an old bookshelf on Craiglist than respond to the ad for a similar one listed for "$60 or best offer." For me, this is probably due to a lack of practice and a dose of social anxiety.

Negotiations can't be avoided—they exist in our personal relationships, professional advancements, financial marketplaces, and political structures.

And I’m not alone. Many people shy away from negotiating because they fear backlash, feel embarrassed, or just lack confidence in their ability to do it. But negotiations can't be avoided—they exist in our personal relationships, professional advancements, financial marketplaces, and political structures. (Just ask the members of Congress trying to reach an agreement with the opposite party on an economic stimulus bill!)

Our success in these life domains is often more affected by our willingness and ability to negotiate than we’d like to think.

So, what bargaining tactics have you tried? Of course, there are some tried-and-true ones, like being willing to walk away or aiming high first so you can ultimately split the difference. But these strategies alone don't provide the sort of negotiating power necessary for navigating complex deals, emotional situations, or sustainable relationships.

For these, we turn to psychological science for some pointers.

1. Talk less, listen more, and empathize with the other side

Sometimes we think negotiating well means being able to talk your way through something, dazzling the other side with persuasive arguments and winning phrases. But as psychologists know, a much more powerful force in any interpersonal interaction is empathy.

And this is not just an academic psychology concept. Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator and author of Never Split the Difference, swears by empathy. In his book, he details how he would spend most of a hostage negotiation simply listening and asking open-ended questions so he could better understand the person he was dealing with.

Psychologists know that empathy is a powerful force in any interpersonal interaction.

Voss didn’t try to convince kidnappers to let hostages go with point-by-point arguments. Instead, he empathized with how scared they must have been feeling and how frustrating it was to have things go wrong. This empathy—making a personal connection to genuinely try to understand the other side—makes the conversation less of a fight. When that happens, the...

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Four Low-Maintenance Pets for Children

It's no secret—kids love animals, and nearly every kid wants a pet. But keeping pets is also a lot of work, and many parents have the not-unreasonable worry that most of that work is going to be passed off to them. As wonderful as keeping chickens may be, any parent who sets up a chicken coop in the backyard is going to end up sinking a lot of time into caring for the birds. And of course, there’s the classic example of the parent who somehow always gets stuck walking the dog their child swore they were going to take out twice every day.

Pet ownership is good for kids

Pet ownership has a myriad of benefits for kids of all ages. Most obviously, caring for a pet teaches children about responsibility and the importance of caring for others. Kids with pets learn firsthand lessons about empathy and respect, in addition to more challenging lessons about time management and the importance of following through on their obligations. Pet ownership and the unconditional love animals show toward their owners can also be a huge boost to a child's emotional health and self-esteem.

Fortunately, not every pet is as needy as a puppy or a flock of hens, and there are plenty of animal options out there for families that want to reap the benefits of pet ownership without taking on as much responsibility.

4 small animals that make excellent first pets for kids

Bearded Dragons

Reptiles, in general, aren’t a bad option for low-maintenance pets, and bearded dragons are one of the best starter reptiles out there.

Besides being adorable (not to mention having an evocative name that’s sure to get young Tolkien fans hooked) caring for beardies is significantly less complicated than for some of their flashier lizard brethren.

Of course, that doesn’t mean beardie owners can just buy a tank, set it, and forget it. Beardies need to be fed frequently—vegetables every day, and insects every other day. Their tanks should be cleaned on a weekly basis.

But these responsibilities are easily regimented—feeding time should always be in the morning, for example—which is great for kids who crave structure and routine. Beardies are also one of the few reptiles who give as good as they get in terms of demonstrable affection; they’re active during the day and love being handled by their owners as long as it’s done safely and hygienically.

Best of all,...

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What Is the Self-Employment Tax?

Working for yourself, either as a part-time side hustle or a full-time endeavor, can be very exciting and financially rewarding. But one downside to self-employment is that you're responsible for following special tax rules. Missing tax deadlines or paying the wrong amount can lead to expensive penalties.

Let's talk about what the self-employment or SE tax is and how it compares to payroll taxes for employees. You’ll learn who must pay the SE tax, how to pay it, and tips to stay compliant when you work for yourself.

What is the self-employment (SE) tax?

In addition to federal and applicable state income taxes, everyone must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. These two social programs provide you with retirement benefits, disability benefits, survivor benefits, and Medicare health insurance benefits.

Many people don’t realize that when you’re a W-2 employee, your employer must pick up the tab for a portion of your taxes. Thanks to the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), employers are generally required to withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes from your paycheck and match the tax amounts you owe.

In other words, your employer pays half of your Social Security and Medicare taxes, and you pay the remaining half. Employees pay 100% of federal and state income taxes, which also get withheld from your wages and sent to the government.

When you have your own business, you’re typically responsible for paying the full amount of income taxes, including 100% of your Social Security and Medicare taxes.

But when you have your own business, you’re typically responsible for paying the full amount of income taxes, including 100% of your Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Who must pay the self-employment tax?

All business owners with "pass-through" income must pay the SE tax. That typically includes every business entity except C corporations (or LLCs that elect to get taxed as a corporation).

When you have a C corp or get taxed as a corporation, you work as an employee of your business. You're required to withhold all employment taxes (federal, state, Social Security, and Medicare) from your salary or wages. Other business entities allow income to pass directly to the owner(s), so it gets included in their personal tax returns.

You must pay the SE tax no matter if you call yourself a solopreneur, independent contractor, or freelancer—even if you're already receiving Social Security or Medicare benefits.

You must pay the SE tax no matter if you...

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Does Elderberry Protect Against Colds and Flu?

Janelle writes: 

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of news about the immunological benefits of elderberry syrup or extract. Is there any scientific validity to this at all?

As we head into another cold and flu season—all while we're still in the midst of a global pandemic brought on by another highly contagious and deadly respiratory virus—there’s a lot of interest in immune boosting foods and supplements.

RELATED: Can You Boost Your Immunity with Nutrition?

Elderberry is not a new discovery. It’s been used in folk medicine for centuries and elderberry-based supplements have been on the market for decades. But for some reason, I’ve gotten a lot more questions about it recently.

Just because there’s a lot of talk about elderberry, however, doesn’t mean there’s a lot to say about it. In fact, despite its long history as both a medicinal food and supplement, there’s been very limited research.

Elderberry has been used in folk medicine for centuries and elderberry-based supplements have been on the market for decades.

Perhaps the most verifiable claim is that elderberries (like most berries) are a good source of antioxidants. But it’s not clear that increasing our intake of antioxidants (beyond what you’d get from a generally healthy diet) has any positive effect on our health.

The role of antioxidants

Antioxidants, as the name implies, prevent oxidation. Oxidation is the chemical process that causes iron to rust, cut apples to turn brown, and oils to become rancid. In the body, unchecked oxidation can damage cells, membranes, and even DNA. Fortunately, the antioxidants in foods, as well as those manufactured by our own cells, help to prevent oxidative damage.

We need antioxidants to be healthy. But flooding the body with antioxidants doesn’t seem to make us any healthier. In fact, there are some concerns that too many antioxidants may actually have negative effects.

We need antioxidants to be healthy. But flooding the body with antioxidants doesn’t seem to make us any healthier.

RELATED: Can You Get Too Many Antioxidants?

But beyond its antioxidant capacity, elderberry is also said to boost the immune system against respiratory ailments. It’s important to note that there is no research or data on how elderberry might affect infection rates or recovery from COVID-19.  But there is a small amount of research on colds and flu.

Does elderberry protect against colds and flu?

The most recent study was conducted on airline passengers in 2013. This was a...

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How to Acknowledge a Thank You Note

A listener once contacted me in response to my Smart Talk Success post, How to Accept a Compliment with Grace. Her question was a little different, but it was an important question. She wanted to know how to thank someone who has thanked you.

The short answer? You don’t. Many people have a problem with this. “Thank you for saying thank you for the thank you!” It can go on forever. But at least in American culture, you do not thank a thank you; you acknowledge. And there’s a difference.

If you receive a really nice thank you note, it’s especially hard to resist the temptation to thank that person back. So be creative in your acknowledgement instead.

When someone sends you a thank you note in the mail, it is a simple but important act of courtesy (though, unfortunately, it's rarely done anymore). You smile, and next time you see the person, you can say, “I got your lovely note! I’m glad you liked ________" (the gift, etc.).This is an acknowledgement. If someone emails a thank you for something you did for him, a simple, “Glad I could help!” is sufficient acknowledgement. If you receive a thank you and a gift card from a boss for a job well done, again, acknowledge the gift—perhaps with, “I am glad I was able to provide valuable input on the project.” But it’s an incentive, a reward for a job well done. Do not send a thank-you in return.

SEE ALSO: Modern Mentor's How to Self-Promote at Work Without Feeling Icky

If you receive a really nice thank you note, it’s especially hard to resist the temptation to thank that person back. So be creative in your acknowledgement instead. Recently I had guests stay in my home for two nights. They were a family of five whom I had never met before. I had met the husband one time over 20 years ago, as he is the cousin of my late husband. Anyway, a few weeks after their visit, they sent me a wonderful, handmade thank-you card. The image on the front was really nice—a signed painting by their youngest son (10 years old). I decided to keep the picture, so I cut it down to just the painting. I then put the painting up on my gallery; I keep a string with clips on the wall in my office for pictures that I like or pictures that my kids draw.  I took a picture of the image on the gallery and sent the picture as a text message to the people the family that sent the note.  It wasn't a "thank-you" for the thank-you. It was an acknowledgement that I appreciated the extra effort of the handmade thank you....

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Grammar Quirks: Sara Larson on Daylight Saving Time

Grammar Girl: What’s your favorite word and why?

Sara Larson: I love so many words, it’s impossible to choose only one! One of my favorites is "susurration." I adore the way it sounds, and the meaning is just as lovely: whispering, murmuring, or rustling.

GG: What’s a word you dislike (either because it’s overused or misused) and why?

SL: I can’t stand it when people say “supposably” instead of "supposedly." It’s like nails on a chalkboard. It’s even worse when it’s a friend or family, because then I have to decide if it’s more important to avoid embarrassing them or saving myself from cringing every time they use it.

GG: What word will you always misspell?

SL: "Infinitesimally." I rarely ever get it right on the first try—and I don’t know why. I’ve used it enough, you’d think I should be able to spell it right by now!

GG: What word (or semblance of a word) would you like to see added to the dictionary? Why?

SL: I’m not sure about adding a word, but I would sure love to remove the words “daylight saving time”—as in: please, please NEVER AGAIN MAKE US CHANGE OUR CLOCKS so that this phrase has no meaning from hence forth and forever! Ahem. Sorry, I get ornery about losing sleep and the sun setting at 5 p.m. in the winter. I would much rather wake up and get to watch the sunrise sometime after I’m up than have it be pitch black before dinner.

GG: Any grammar pet peeves we should know about?

SL: I can’t stand it when people use the wrong “your” and “you’re”… ooooh, that drives me crazy! It’s such an easy one to figure out. If my phone ever autocorrects it to the wrong one and I don’t catch it before I send it (after getting very upset at autocorrect—something that happens more often than you might think), you can guarantee I will be sending another text with the correct one!

GG: To what extent does grammar play a role in character development and voice?

SL:  It can play a huge part. As authors creating characters, we must consider where our characters grew up, what kind of education they had, what their personalities are, and more. All of those factors...

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Grammar Quirks: Shannon Price on 'Livid' and 'Smirk'

Grammar Girl: What’s your favorite word and why?

Shannon Price: "Livid." I love words that sound like what they mean. The hard stop at the end makes it feel menacing, no matter how hard you try to overpower it with a cheery tone.

GG: What’s a word you dislike (either because it’s overused or misused) and why?

SP: I could do without “smirk.” It’s one of those words that immediately takes me out of a book because I feel it’s almost never needed. It has a strong home in YA (the age group I write for), and it can be used expertly, but I’ve seen it a bit too much now. That said, I’m sure if I could Control+F in my first book, I’d find a smirk to two. It’s only started to really bother me more recently.

GG: What word will you always misspell?

SP: "Presence." There is always an extra “c” somewhere, or a missing “s,” or a surprise “s.” or all of the above. I never get it right on the first try.

I love words that sound like what they mean.

GG: What word (or semblance of a word) would you like to see added to the dictionary? Why?

SP: I would love for there to be a word that captures the particular feeling of two people locking eyes as they realize the same thing at the same moment—like that jolt of elation when you and your best friend react to an inside joke that no one else understands. Even my attempt to describe it is wordy, but I think most people would get what I’m referring to. We need a word for that!

GG: Any grammar pet peeves we should know about?

SP: I am a stickler for the Oxford comma. A few years ago, I was looking for a phone case with a particular saying on it, and all the cheaper options had the phrase without the comma. I ended up spending the extra $10 because the nicer version had the comma—worth the money to not be bothered by it every time I picked up my phone.

GG: To what extent does grammar play a role in character development and voice?

SP: Oh, I love this question! Grammar can help convey a character’s mood without having to rely on facial expressions. Using short, staccato sentences in dialogue, for example, can show that a character is frustrated or upset without having to describe anything about how the character looks.

Grammar can also help convey characters’ relationships with each other. For instance, if one...

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'Walking Is a Superfood'—An Interview with Katy Bowman

The Nutritious Movement website says:

Around the globe, people are waking up to how many of our ailments and illnesses can be attributed to our deeply sedentary habits. People have been told to move more and move better to resolve their pain or decrease their risk for certain ailments, but they’re not sure where to start.

And that is where people like my guest, biomechanist and author Katy Bowman, come in. Katy is an internationally recognized biomechanist, author, and science communicator with both the skill and passion for reintroducing movement into people’s everyday lives. With her bestselling books, an award-winning podcast, and her online classes, she reaches hundreds of thousands of people every month. She has been featured on TV shows like NBC’s TODAY show and in publications such as Prevention and Good Housekeeping.

Katy has recently teamed up with Jill Miller, fascia expert and the co-founder of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide, to create a comprehensive “whole body” program that breaks down the act of walking into its components. By tackling each one, separately, their aim is to help improve your gait, gain distance and make every step count for whole-body health and longevity.

The program is aptly called Walking Well: A Stepwise Approach to an Everyday Movement. I just completed the entire 14-segment, six-hour course, and I can say firsthand that Walking Well is for everybody ... and every body. Luckily, during this time of social distancing, I was able to work on my walk in the comfort of my own home and move through the course at my own pace.

"Nutritious" movement

Before I get into the interview, Katy, who recently celebrated her 44th birthday by walking 440 miles (no, not all at once), has been quoted as saying “Walking is a superfood.” I asked Katy what she means by that.

Walking is a superfood.

Katy: I think of walking as a superfood because it really does utilize most of the parts of your body. It's not only a...

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How We Know a Supermassive Black Hole Lurks in the Center of Our Galaxy

We live in a fairly massive galaxy called the Milky Way. Galaxies are collections of stars, gas, and dust. Our Sun, while very special to us, is just one of ~200 billion stars that make up our galaxy’s stellar collection. It’s a bit challenging to get a sense of what the Milky Way looks like. Why? Because we're sitting inside it. (Imagine trying to take a picture of your house from inside your bedroom.)

Our Sun, while very special to us, is just one of ~200 billion stars that make up our galaxy’s stellar collection.

But we think our galaxy is shaped like a disk or frisbee with what we call a "bulge of extra material" at the center. And lurking in the center of that bulge is what we believe to be a supermassive black hole.

What is a black hole?

A black hole is something so compact, so dense that not even light, the fastest-traveling thing we know of, can escape the pull of its gravity. Technically, anything can be a black hole as long as you compress it enough. That means you, your couch, and even your apartment would all become black holes if we squeezed them down small enough.

You, your couch, and even your apartment would all become black holes if we squeezed them down small enough.

The Earth, which is just shy of 8,000 miles across, would be a black hole if we compressed it to 1.8 centimeters across —about the size of a penny. To turn the Sun into a black hole, it would have to be compressed down to about 6 km. That’s an incredible amount of mass shoved into a space that's only a little more than half of that charity 10k race I ran pre-pandemic, which took only an hour to finish. 

Who discovered black holes?

In the 1700s, a man named John Michell theorized there could be dark stars, or stars so dense that even light could not escape them. Michell is described as a philosopher and a clergyman. The American Physical Society notes that he was "so far ahead of his scientific contemporaries that his ideas languished in obscurity until they were re-invented more than a century later.”

Now, haven’t we all felt like that at some point? No one seems to appreciate how brilliant my ideas are—I’m ahead of my time! 

How are black holes formed?

We now understand fairly well how some of these dark stars form: through the collapse of massive stars nearing the ends of their lives. A star that’s more than 20-30 times the mass of our Sun will spend tens of millions of years battling the crushing weight of its gravity, mostly by converting mass into energy through fusion. But eventually, gravity wins and the...

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Can Your Craft Become Your Livelihood? A Conversation with Grant Ginder

That creative thing you love—writing, painting, designing, composing—that’s what you do for pleasure. To relax, unwind, escape. Many of us hold a belief that the thing we love to do and the thing we get paid to do can’t be one and the same. Unless, of course, you’re Lizzo or Stephen King. But

But what if that assumption is wrong? What if there's a way to add a small revenue stream, or even make a full-time career, out of the creative thing you love?

Becoming a creative begins with creating.

I sat down with novelist Grant Ginder (author of The People We Hate at the Wedding and Honestly, We Meant Well) who boldly shares his advice on how he turned his writing hobby into a profession and how he believes you can follow his lead down any artistic path you choose.

What makes someone an artist?

When I asked Grant what makes someone an artist, he chuckled before confessing that even as a published author, he struggles to claim the title out loud.

"I think … so much of it is just a matter of taking ownership. [We tend to believe] you're not allowed to call yourself a painter unless you've sold paintings. But a painter is someone who paints. ...I spend a lot of my day writing, and so I'm a writer. Getting anyone else to take you seriously is to take yourself seriously. And part of taking yourself seriously is calling yourself what you are."

Addressing the mindset of art as a hobby or creative pursuit only

Many of us carry a creative wish or talent inside of us. And yet so many believe that our art—the creating—is the thing we must do after the “real job” is done. Being creative happens separately from being a professional.

"My parents... encouraged me to follow those [writing] ambitions. And if I would've told them after I graduated college ‘I'm going to go be a writer’... they would have [said] ‘Maybe you won't be doing that.’

"When my first book came out, my parents had a celebration for me and my dad was giving a speech. He said ‘Grant said he was going to write a book and we didn't believe it!'"

Then, after Grant’s second book was published, his parents (supportively) expressed the same surprise.

"It was a mixed message. It’s not just your parents [sending you this message]—I think you have pressures from all sides; from school, from media, from just looking at the world around you. It’s...

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How to Increase Your LinkedIn Following by 150% in 90 Days or Less

Like many people, I used LinkedIn to store a resume and occasionally search for a new job. After a layoff earlier this year—before the pandemic madness—I started to notice people were focused on building their LinkedIn following through content. On their feeds, they described their daily learnings and challenges in building a business, marketing, creating content, and more.

My LinkedIn following has grown from 800 or so in early July 2020 to 2,000 now as I write this article in mid- October 2020.

A lightbulb went off, and I decided to create content daily to build my brand and draw attention to my consulting business. Some of the practices I'll describe here are theoretical and based on observations I've made over time. Some are more practical, tactical things you can repeat daily.

As a side effect of consistent content creation, my following has grown from 800 or so in early July 2020 to 2,000 as I write this article in mid-October 2020.

Here's how I grew my Linkedin followers by 150% in 90 days through a combination of content creation and community building.

Making LinkedIn work for you

There are a few things to consider when committing to LinkedIn content creation and community building:

• Consistency is a best practice
• Give away what you know
• Be a conversation starter, not a megaphone 
• Connect with the right people
• Avoid building an echo chamber

Consistency is the best practice

When it comes to creating content on LinkedIn, consistency is critical.

Consistency looks different for each person. It's up to you to find a pattern that works and then stick to it. 

... Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Money-Saving Hacks to Implement Now

Redo your monthly budget (and stick to it)

You can do plenty of things to improve your budget, and it's not all about pain and suffering, as many would have you believe. Everyone has a few things they overspend on. The challenge lies in identifying those particular items and weeding them out. A good place to begin is with restaurant spending, grocery bills, and impulse buying. A wise general philosophy is to assign a destination for every dollar you earn and place that category on your budget. Try cutting restaurant expenditures in half, reducing impulse buys at convenience stores, and shopping for groceries just once each week to regulate what goes toward food items.

Refinance your education debt

If you have any education debt still hanging around after all these years, refinancing student loans through a private lender is a way to lessen your monthly expenses. Not only can you get a longer repayment period, but have the chance to snag a favorable interest rate. But the clincher for money-saving enthusiasts is that your monthly payments can instantly go way down. That means extra cash for whatever you want. Use the excess to fatten savings or IRA accounts, or pay off high-interest credit card debt.

Install a programmable thermostat

For less than $20, it's possible to chop at least three percent off your utility bills and perhaps much more than that. 

Programmable thermostats are easy to install. You don't need special tools or advanced skills. Be sensible about summer and winter settings and you'll see a difference in your electric bill almost immediately, especially during the hottest months of the year. Don't forget to program the device to go into low-use mode while you're away for long weekends or longer vacations.

...

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Why Do We Say 'Trick or Treat'?

Do you ever stop and wonder why we say the things that we do?

With Halloween fast approaching that means its time to bust out one of my favorite movies—"Hocus Pocus"! When I was growing up, we had a tradition of going trick-or-treating (nearly always in the cold—often in the snow—because: Utah) and would come home to a huge pot of delicious hamburger soup, fresh hot apple cider made from scratch, and "Hocus Pocus" to watch while we devoured our candy.

An iconic scene from that movie is when the witches are talking about how All Hallow’s Eve has changed—why there are now bags full of candy being grasped by children in costumes running amok. One of the Sanderson sisters named Sarah (yes, she was my favorite) starts sing-songing “Amok, amok, amok!” until her sister hits her in the stomach. Ah, classic. I’m laughing even now.

But when—and how—did it change? When did the Halloween we’re familiar with, with “trick-or-treating” and children running around in costumes, come to be?

The actual meaning behind it all was a bit muddy and confusing and slightly alarming.

Most sources claim it started with Samhain, a tradition from the Celts of ancient Britain when they believed the world of the gods they worshipped became visible to mortals for a night, and that those gods and other ghosts were capable of tormenting and playing tricks on the living. The living would often build massive bonfires and even don masks or costumes to appear like the demons they feared were among them, in hopes that they would be overlooked and not taken by the evil creatures. Fast-forward a few hundred years and Christianity declared a new(ish) holiday—All Saint’s day—be moved to November 1, which required a precursor holiday: All Hallow’s Eve on October 31. Right when Samhain occurred! And before the Celts knew it (all right, all right, a few centuries later), Samhain and All Hallow’s Eve became one and the same. A strange night when some dressed up as saints and some as ghosts or demons, and some people begged for food, and others took part in tricks and unholy revelry, and the actual meaning behind it all was a bit muddy and confusing and slightly alarming. The Reformation led by the Protestants largely did away with the whole thing, but some small communities continued to celebrate and some immigrants (largely the Irish) brought their traditions with them to the United States.

The Halloween we recognize today didn’t really evolve until the early 1900s, when the first documented usage of the words “trick and treat” were recorded in relation to this holiday night:

...

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6 Spooky Halloween Activities for when Trick or Treat is Canceled

It's late October—spooky season is officially in full gear! Normally, this is a time to plan costumes (from funny to frightening), decorate our windows and porches, and ready ourselves to walk the neighborhood in search of goodies as we call out "Trick or treat!"

But who knew that the scariest thing about Halloween this year would be 2020 itself? Many cities and towns have canceled trick-or-treat festivities. And even if they haven't, you may have decided to keep your child safely at home and socially distanced. 

The CDC stresses that although we all love Halloween activities, in some cases they can increase the risk of getting (or spreading) coronavirus or the flu. See the CDC's trick or treat safety guide for more helpful advice.

But no matter what 2020 throws at us, Halloween itself sure isn't canceled! There are plenty of ways for parents and families to stay safe and make their own fun, not to mention some great memories, this year.

1. Have a virtual Halloween party

Okay, I know … you've probably had enough of Zoom and other meeting platforms, already. Not only are many of us on Zoom multiple times each week as we work remotely, but our kids are also in endless online gatherings for school. 

But hosting a virtual Halloween event is a way to use meeting platforms for fun instead of duty or drudgery. So, pick a date and time, and then invite your child's friends to join an online event that will feature things like hangout time, spooky stories, and, of course, fun party games.

Here's a video with some awesome ideas to help you get started.

... Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Why Do Dogs Run in Their Sleep?

Dogs are prone to peculiar behaviors, from digging in their beds to resting a paw on your arm. These quirks even extend to when they’re sleeping, as dogs are liable to move and twitch their legs as though they were dreaming about running. Is that really what’s happening?

In very young puppies, “running” might actually be simple muscle twitching, a common trait in developing canine bodies. But if your dog is getting older and still moves its legs, it’s very possible it’s reacting to a dream in which it’s running toward something. While we can’t know for certain whether dogs dream, we do know they experience both REM and slow-wave sleep, with REM being a deeper stage of sleep where, at least in humans, dreams occur. Because dogs spend less time in REM than humans—roughly 10 percent of their total time sleeping, as opposed to a human’s 25 percent—they usually sleep more, which is why your pet might be conked out throughout the day and night.

While we can’t know for certain whether dogs dream, we do know they experience both REM and slow-wave sleep.

In REM sleep, dogs may react to their dreams by moving their legs, whimpering, or even barking. These responses are more typical if dogs remain in REM sleep, which means they’re not constantly being aroused by commotion from visitors, kids, or other pets in the house.

RELATED: Ghosts in Your Bedroom? It's Probably Sleep Paralysis

Some pet owners see muscle jerking or spasms and get concerned the dog might be experiencing a seizure. But seizures can happen with the dog awake or asleep and are often accompanied by open eyes. If your dog simply twitches while napping, chances are he’s just dreaming about a stick, a Frisbee, or a good time with his owner.

This article originally published on Mental Floss as "Why Do Dogs Run in Their Sleep?" Read more from Mental Floss.

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How to Prepare Your House for Winter

With cold weather approaching, it’s time to take a couple days and get your home ready for the winter weather. To help you get started, here is a checklist with some of the most important tasks to get your house ready for the snow and cold.

Check for Leaks

In the winter, you want to make sure your home is a fortress. You don’t want any of your precious heat escaping, and you don’t want any of the winter weather getting in. To help you figure out your home’s leaky spots, you can hire a professional to do an energy audit on your home. This is a great option if you don’t have the time, or the desire to climb on your roof.

Windows: Swap out your screen windows for storm windows. During that process, check around your windows to make sure they are well sealed. To help identify small gaps, carefully hold a lit match or lighter a couple inches from the frame of the window. Move the flame around, always making sure it’s a safe distance from surfaces and fabrics, and watch for the flame to “dance.” If the flame moves, there is air movement in that spot. Use caulk to seal around the frame, or use a plastic window insulation kit to cover an entire window.

Heavy curtains will help keep more heat from escaping through your windows.

Doors: Replace your screen doors with storm doors. Again, check the seals during that process. If you can see any light around your doors, you have a significant gap for warm air to escape. Even if you can’t see any light, you still want to check the rubbery weather stripping around the door. If it’s brittle or cracking, it’s not doing its job. Installing a new weather stripping kit from a hardware store is a quick fix to make sure your doors are sealed.

Ducts: As time goes by, seals on duct work can come loose. Check your duct work to make sure your ducts aren’t letting any heat out into your attic, which can cause snow to melt and refreeze as ice dams on your roof.

Roof: Before winter arrives is a great time to check your roof for the season. Climb up (or at least get on a high ladder) and examine the shingles. Replace any that are missing or broken.

SEE ALSO: Who Knew's How to Prepare Your House for Winter

Make Sure Your Heating Systems Work

Furnace: Before it gets too cold, have your heating system checked...

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Should You Become a Parent? Let Emotions Be Your Guide

A while ago, a listener wrote in to ask a very existential question. She said:

I’m struggling with trying to decide whether to have kids or not. How do you make a decision like that?

On a personal note, right when she was asking this question, I was about to have my first child. This was coming at the end of about ten years of indecision—late-night back-and-forths with myself, ever-growing pros versus cons lists, moments of clarity immediately clouded by doubt …

So many thoughts and questions swirled through my mind. Would I be a good parent? Would having a child change my relationship with my partner? Would I miss out on a profound life experience if I didn’t have a child? And what might I miss out on if I did become a parent? Is it ethical to bring a child into the world to add another carbon footprint to the earth? Would my kid even like me? What if my hypothetical child doesn’t even want to be born? Will I regret my decision? Will my partner regret our decision?

This indecision reached such a fever pitch in my late 20s that I went to therapy specifically to ask the same question my listener asked: Should I have kids? How do I make a decision like that?

7 steps to help you decide whether or not to have a child

Whether or not to procreate is a monumental decision. It used to be taken for granted, especially for women, that one major marker of life success was to get married and have kids. Nowadays, it’s becoming increasingly common for people to be childfree by choice, both because we have less societal pressure to follow the traditional life trajectory, and because we (especially women) have much more autonomy and choice when it comes to other ways to lead fulfilling lives.

The question of whether to have kids is particularly difficult to make because the stakes are so high.

But sometimes having more choice can be paralyzing, because, with each additional option, we stand to miss out on more. (By the way, this is also part of why online dating is so stressful—with so many fish in the sea, committing to one means missing out on so many more). And the question of whether to have kids is particularly difficult to make because the stakes are so high. There is no return policy and the commitment is lifelong. But at the same time, the option to commit isn't open for very long, either, especially for women.

Thankfully, we can apply to this conundrum the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy—a type of psychotherapy developed by psychologist Steven Hayes that focuses on working with your emotions...

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How to Nail Your Character Creation in 6 Steps

Let’s say you’ve finally got some time to yourself. Now you’re choosing between two books for your next read:

• The first recounts a throne succession with a standard murder mystery plot. 
• The second stars a young, hesitant prince who struggles to know whether he should avenge the murder of his father by killing his uncle.  

Which would intrigue you more?

Both share a core concept. But “Hamlet" also gives you a protagonist who’s juggling a complex set of practical and psychological conflicts: someone whose personal journey has grabbed people for centuries. 

If you get your character creation right, your character, too, can help your book become a genre classic. Here are six steps to show you how to achieve a fully realized, memorable character. 

1. Determine the character’s goals

To build a character who’s worth telling a story about, you need to first establish two things: your character’s current goal, and the motivations to reach that goal. 

A character’s goal is simple: it’s the specific and actionable thing that a character wants over the course of your story. This is what will drive your plot forward as your character takes actions to fulfill their goal. 

A character’s motivations, meanwhile, infuse the goal with meaning. If you’re struggling to nail down these motivations, ask yourself the ‘W’ questions that will help spell out your ‘in order to.’ Why, for instance, does your character want what they want? What are they willing to risk to achieve their goal? Where will they end up if they can’t achieve their goal? 

When you put it all together, this is what it’ll look like in action: 

• Luke Skywalker’s goal is to defeat the Galactic Empire ... in order to end the Galactic Civil War and restore democracy to the world.
• Frodo’s goal is to bring the One Ring to Mount Doom ... in order to defeat Sauron and ensure the safety of his beloved Shire.
• Hamlet’s goal is to kill his uncle ... in order to avenge his murdered father and show himself capable of decisive action.

2. Don’t forget the character’s external and internal conflict

If Frodo strolled to Mount Doom, dropped the ring in the lava, and made it back in time for second breakfast, you probably wouldn’t have much of a story to read, right? To avoid this fate, you need obstacles that will make the character unforgettable as they battle them. 

You’ll find two broad...

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Formatting Internal Dialogue: Quotation Marks or Italics?

The hardest part about deciding how to format this internal dialogue is that there is no definitive answer. It’s a style choice, and you will find different credible websites that make different recommendations, sometimes in very strong tones. 

One site will clearly state that you should use quotation marks, and the next will adamantly state that you should never use quotation marks. One will recommend italics, and another will recommend against italics. It’s enough to make you have some internal dialogue of your own. I will make a few points, but the best advice is to take it all with a grain of salt, and if you have an editor or agent, see what they prefer.

Italics for Internal Dialogue

When I look through the published books that I’ve read recently, I regularly see italics being used for a character’s thoughts, so it’s certainly done, and it’s certainly a common style.

Quotation Marks for Internal Dialogue

After reading a bunch of sources and their recommendations, I come down on the side that says you shouldn’t use quotation marks for a character’s thoughts. Quotation marks denote speech, and using them for internal dialogue could confuse your readers.

Internal Dialogue Without Formatting

Finally, in many cases, you don’t need any special formatting. For example, when you’re writing in third person, the narrator can tell the reader what characters are thinking. Here is an example of something like that:

Squiggly reminded himself that he had wanted to go on this nightmare of a fishing trip.

Aardvark could have told me we’d have to climb boulders, Squiggly thought, wondering whether Aardvark had withheld that information on purpose.

The same style can work in first person too:

Hurry up, I thought, shifting my bag and wishing the train would come.

Some writers would italicize “Hurry up” in that sentence, and although it would be fine, it’s also not necessary. Many of the books on my e-reader would have that italicized, but it’s...

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How to Get Rid of 7 Common Lawn Pests

Cute or not, you likely don't appreciate stray animals hanging out in your yard. Make the most common lawn pests go away with these simple DIY techniques.

1. Deer

The deer in your neighborhood seem to think you planted a garden just for them! To ensure that you actually get to eat the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor, hang some dryer sheets around your garden. The smell will keep the deer away.

2. Gophers

If your yard is infested with gophers (or you’ve seen Caddyshack) you know how hard it can be to get rid of them. Luckily, an old remedy from your grandmother can help: castor oil. Instead of drinking it, pour it into a spray bottle until it is one-third full, then add water until the bottle is full. Shake vigorously to mix, then spray over your lawn and in areas where the gophers hang out. If you find any gopher holes, saturate an old rag with the castor oil and stuff it into the hole. Gophers hate the smell and will stay away.

3. Moles

Moles are pretty cute, until they’re wreaking havoc on your yard. Use this all-natural solution to get rid of them: Just soak some old rags in olive oil, then stuff them in all the holes you can find. Moles hate the smell and will stay away.

SEE ALSO: Who Knew's How to Get Squirrels Out of Your Yard

4. Moths

Moths and grubs can be a big problem with garden plants like corn, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and other crops. To keep them from munching on your plants, make a molasses spray. In a spray bottle combine four cups of water, one tablespoon of molasses, and one teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Spray this mixture all over the leaves of your plants weekly.

5. Crickets

Who knew crickets hate orange peels? Blend together the peels of several oranges with enough water to get your blender moving. Place in the refrigerator for a day, then spread the paste where you often see crickets or around the foundation of your home.

6. Rabbits

If rabbits eat your garden year after year, try planting plants that repel them. These include amaryllis, bleeding hearts, daylilies, English ivy, ferns, forget-me-nots, foxglove, impatiens, and pachysandra. Rabbits also hate certain trees, such as cedar, magnolia, maple, oak, pine, and spruce.

RELATED:...

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Got Cash? What to Do with Extra Money

I received a great email from Magen L., who says:

I no longer have any retirement savings because I cashed it all out to pay my debt. We also sold our home and moved into an apartment just as the pandemic was hitting. With the sale of our house, the fact that my husband is working overtime, and the stimulus money, we've saved nearly $10,000 and should have more by the end of the year. My primary question is, what should we do with it?

Right now, I have our extra money in a low-interest bank savings [account], and I'm considering moving it to a high-yield savings [account] as our emergency fund. Is that a good idea? For additional money we save, I intend to use it as a down payment on a new house. However, should I be investing in Roth IRAs instead? What is the best option?

Another question comes from Bianca G., who says:

I have zero credit card debt, but I have a car loan and a student loan. I will be receiving a large amount of money sometime next year. If my fiancé and I want to buy a home, is it better to pay off my car first and then my student loan, or should I just pay down a big portion of my student loan?

Thanks Megan and Bianca for your questions. I'll answer them and give you a three-step plan to prioritize your extra money and make your finances more secure. No matter if you're a good saver or you get a cash windfall from a tax refund, an inheritance, or the sale of a home, extra money should never be squandered.

What to do with extra cash

Maybe you're like Magen and have extra cash that could be working harder for you, but you're not sure what to do with it. You may even be paralyzed and do nothing because you have a deep-seated fear of making a big mistake with your cash.

In some cases, having your money sit idle is precisely the right financial move. But it depends on whether or not you've accomplished three fundamental financial goals, which we'll cover.

To know the right way to manage extra cash, you need to step back and take a holistic view of your entire financial life.

To know the right way to manage extra cash, you need to step back and take a holistic view of your entire financial life. Consider what you're doing right and where you're vulnerable.

Try using a three-pronged approach that I call the PIP plan, which stands for:

1. Prepare for the unexpected
2. Invest for the future
3. Pay off high-interest debt

Let's examine each one to understand how to use the PIP (prepare, invest, and pay off) approach for your situation.

How to prepare for the unexpected

The first fundamental goal you should...

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Why Exercise Can Cause Weight Gain

A listener named Marcia sent an email asking about weight loss and exercise. This is what she asked:

I've been doing resistance training and some cardio for a couple of months now and I've noticed that I've been gaining weight, mainly around my belly. Do you have any way to explain this?

Why yes, Marcia, I do have a few different ways to explain what kind of things might cause you to gain weight even if you’re exercising. And of course, I won't leave you hanging. I will also tell you what you can do to avoid this issue.

Exercise isn’t for weight loss

I don’t know where the idea first came from but I do know that the majority of people I have met and coached in my life hold this idea that the most important factor in losing weight is exercise. Well, despite how ingrained this belief may be, it is not true. Here's one important reason why: The extra calories you burn when you exercise only account for a small portion of your total energy expenditure. In fact, there are three main components to your overall energy expenditure:

1. basal metabolic rate (the energy your body uses to stay alive) makes up 60 to 80 percent of your energy expediture,

2. the energy used to break down and metabolize food makes up about 10 percent,

3. the energy used to make your body move makes up 10 to 30 percent.

While the food you eat accounts for 100% of the energy you bring into your body, the exercise and movement you do only uses up about 10 to 30% of it. So, exercising away your food intake would take some real heroic efforts. Decreasing your food intake (while exercising for the other wonderful benefits exercise bestows) would be much more effective.

While the food you eat accounts for 100% of the energy you bring into your body, the exercise and movement you do only uses up about 10 to 30% of it.

Before we move on, I want to make sure you know that I'm not suggesting you leave exercise out of your healthy weight loss regimen—I'm just tempering your expectations. Although exercise alone isn't an effective way to lose weight, it's been shown to be great for maintaining weight. The vast majority of your weight loss should be focused on, and will come from, the changes you make to your relationship with food.

This is exactly why the Weighless Program, which I co-founded with Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel, includes both movement and dietary interventions but spends much more time focusing on what, when...

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Creative Talents Languishing at Your Job? Be an Intrapreneur

You know how you’ve always dreamed of building, creating, or inventing that thing? Or sharing your big idea with the world? Or maybe you just dream of finding ways to infuse bits of creativity into your work.

And you know how you also love the sense of security and community you get from having a full-time job? Or how you like going to work without having to figure out how to build a business?

And you know how those two voices are like the angel and devil sitting on your shoulders, whispering furiously into your ears?

If any of this resonates, then let's teach those seemingly competing voices to compromise. The answer they're both seeking is something called "intrapreneurship." It offers a beautiful blend of the comfort of full-time employment with the excitement of building, creating, and innovating.

Companies need big ideas. So if you’re committed to finding and delivering on them, and you want to stick with an established company, then get ready to be a superstar.

So let’s talk about what intrapreneurship is, why you may want to consider it, and the steps you can take to proudly wear the “I’m an intrapreneur” T-shirt.

What is intrapreneurship?

The MIT Sloan School of Management describes intrapreneurship as “acting like an entrepreneur within an established company.”

While entrepreneurs build new businesses on their own, intrapreneurs develop new programs, products, services, innovations, and policies within an existing organization.

Both use many of the same skills—creativity, agility, leadership, and persistence.

Sloan professor Michael Cusumano says:

[Intrapreneurs are] not building something entirely from scratch, nor are they risking their own money. They’re creating something that hasn’t been done before or done quite the same way.

So basically it’s behaving like an entrepreneur but in the confines and safety of an established company.

Why should you consider Intrapreneurship?

In short, being an intrapreneur may benefit you in two ways:

1. It can lead to personal fulfillment
2. It makes you a valuable asset at work

You might consider intrapreneurship if you feel you have untapped talents or passions that you could use to make an impact at work. It can be a way to highlight your creativity, or assume a leadership role, or establish credibility amidst the safety and security of your current job ... without making a career change.

Further, when you show members of leadership that you have an...

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Phobias and Fears—Can You Literally Be Scared to Death?

What is the weirdest thing you're scared of?

I’ve mentioned before that I have a very illogical fear of giant squid. Maybe it’s the sharp-toothed suckers on the ends of their tentacles or the fact that their eyes are the size of frisbees (!!), but more likely it’s about the scale of their ocean habitat. So it’s less about teuthiphobia (fear of squid) or ommetaphobia (fear of eyes) and more about thalassophobia (fear of the vast emptiness of the sea). More than 80% of the ocean is unexplored, a fact that is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Giant squid lurk so far below the surface that they were only first observed in their natural habitat in 2012. Most of our knowledge of them comes from after their deaths when their carcasses float to the surface. Creepy. 

I’m not the only one afraid of something that will most likely never harm me in my life.

I’m not the only one afraid of something that will most likely never harm me in my life. (Note, I said “most likely” because you never know—we’re not entirely sure where giant squid like to lurk!) I have a friend who has coulrophobia (a fear of clowns) and another with ophidiophobia (a fear of snakes). (Okay, that second friend is me again.) I’m also pretty sure my husband suffers from nomophobia (a fear of being without your phone).

It’s hard to imagine feeling any lutraphobia (a fear of otters) or turophobia (a fear of cheese). But if a phobia has a name, it means someone at some point needed to identify that phobia, even if not clinically.

What is the definition of a phobia?

Phobias are also irrational by definition. According to the American Psychological Association, a phobia is:

... a persistent and irrational fear of a specific situation, object, or activity which is consequently either strenuously avoided or endured with marked distress.

Our most common phobias are things like spiders, snakes, storms, heights, needles, social situations, or being alone. Women have long been observed to show a higher prevalence of phobias than men. 

How is a phobia...

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The Essential Skills You Need to Advance Your Career in a Post-COVID World

Let’s face it. Some things will never go back to “normal.” Organizations everywhere are rethinking and resetting the skills and characteristics they are looking for in the new, virtual, post-COVID world. That means reskilling, upskilling, or a career transition might be just what you need.

Join Us for a LIVE QA with Eva Sage-Gavin, Senior Managing Director of Global Talent & Organization/Human Potential at Accenture, and Kaye Foster, Senior Advisor and Executive Coach for the Boston Consulting Group and moderated by Emmy-award-winning President & Founder of Global Mentor Network, Thuy Vu.

This webinar will discuss:

• How can you stay connected despite social distancing
• How do you stand out when everyone is just a face on a screen?
• What new skills are employers looking for in this virtual world?

This webinar is presented in partnership with ReBoot Accel, an organization dedicated to helping women return to work after a career pause. Through their many free resources, weekly workshops, job board, and optional individual coaching, they help women become current, connected and confident to resume careers. Learn more at Rebootaccel.com. 

Register today to save your spot: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2316026946792/WN_wo0_aHk2RbWn3RBJPDca4w

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Is Soy Good (or Bad) for You?

Soy is one of those foods that seems to have an equal number of equally ardent proponents and detractors. Proponents tout soy as helping to prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, and hot flashes. Detractors claim that soy can bring on early puberty, feminize men, damage your thyroid, and prevent nutrient absorption. 

Today, we'll take a look at the claims on both sides of the soy debate, as well as questions about the healthiest types of soy and recommended intakes. 

What makes soy special? 

Soybeans are a member of the legume family. All legumes are good sources of plant-based protein, as well as fiber. But soybeans have some unique qualities that elevate them above other beans. Unlike most plant-based protein sources, soy is a complete protein, containing all nine of the essential amino acids. Soybeans are also particularly rich in isoflavones, compounds with a variety of biological effects. Many of the health claims for soy are centered on these isoflavones. 

Many of the health claims for soy are centered on isoflavones.

Another thing that sets soy apart from other beans is the following FDA-approved health claim:

Diets that include 25 grams of soy protein a day (and are also low in fat and cholesterol) may reduce the risk of heart disease.

However, this claim has recently come under scrutiny.

RELATED: Soymilk vs Cow's Milk

Does soy prevent heart disease?

The FDA approved the heart health claim for soy in 1999, citing significant scientific agreement on the issue. However, in 2017, the FDA announced that they had reevaluated the research on soy and heart disease and did not find it as convincing as it originally appeared. As a result, a proposal to revoke this health claim was introduced, pending a period of public comment. The debate over the science continues and a final ruling on the health claim has not yet been reached but is expected in early 2021.

Keep in mind that the heart health claim for soy also stipulates that your diet be low in fat and cholesterol.

For the soy foods industry, the heart health claim is a valuable marketing tool that confers a sort of health halo over all soy foods. But the real impact of soy food consumption on heart disease risk in Western countries is questionable. For one thing, few Westerners are consuming anywhere near the amount of soy protein that some (but not all) studies found to be preventive.   

In general, it’ll take you about four servings of whole soy foods like soymilk, tofu, or edamame to get to 25 grams of protein. With a...

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8 Things to Do During Your Last Month of Pregnancy

After enduring a five-year struggle with infertility, I was in total awe of my body when I finally got pregnant. Although I endured six months of morning sickness (which lasted all day long) once I got to the finish line and was well into my last trimester, I felt amazing. I was excited to prepare for my baby's grand arrival.

Of course, there were difficult stretches when I was physically uncomfortable and exhausted. I was also an emotional wreck, wondering how I would manage to have a brand new baby along with my adopted 12-month-old. But with each subsequent baby, I got wiser and learned to go with the flow.

The last month of pregnancy can be a special time for both you and your partner. It's also a terrific time to get your home and your emotional mindset in order.  Here are eight smart tips to help you coast through the last weeks of pregnancy.

1. Embrace the power nap

Getting physically comfy during the last month of pregnancy is a challenge. Between your bulging belly, the need to frequently urinate, and the overall fatigue, it's not easy to cozy up in bed and grab a decent night's sleep. Every mom-to-be will navigate her sleep routine to the best of her ability.

Research shows that a 20- to 60-minute nap can not only boost your mood and revive your energy, but it can also improve your reaction time and reasoning skills.

Even if you're not catching eight sound hours of Z's during your last month of pregnancy, take advantage of other opportunities throughout your day to relax your body. I was (and still am) a big fan of power naps. Research shows that a 20- to 60-minute nap can not only boost your mood and revive your energy, but it can also improve your reaction time and reasoning skills.

Drift off for this small snippet of time and rest your weary pregnant body—power naps are great for moms-to-be. They'll also be a valuable tool once your baby arrives and you adjust to those newborn-induced sleepless nights. "Sleep when your baby sleeps" is advice every new mom should take to heart!

RELATED: 6 Ways to Cope With Newborn Exhaustion

Another smart option to get yourself into a peaceful state is practicing guided meditation. There are dozens of apps available. My daughter, now a new mom, and her friends love Expectful, an app created for pregnant women, new moms, and women just embarking on their fertility journeys....

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Ghosts in Your Bedroom?—It's Probably Sleep Paralysis

You wake up out of a hazy sleep and you can’t move your body—you’re completely paralyzed! You also have this oppressive feeling in your chest, as if something heavy is sitting on it, and an eerie sense that someone's in the room with you. Your heart pounds, and everything spirals, becoming more and more unreal as you scream silently inside.

Is this a great horror movie scene, or something more sinister?

What is sleep paralysis?

Different cultures have explained this frightening experience in various ways. In Brazilian folklore, a crone with long fingernails lurks on roofs and tramples on sleepers’ chests. In Japanese mythology, vengeful spirits come to suffocate their enemies while they sleep. For Canadian Eskimos, it’s the spells of shamans that paralyze the sleeper while giving them hallucinations. In contemporary American culture, sleep paralysis has taken on the mythology of alien abductions—sleepers wake up unable to move, seeing or feeling the presence of aliens in the room while experiencing zapping sensations and a feeling of suffocation. 

But it turns out all of these symptoms describe sleep paralysis, a sleep disorder (or symptom of a sleep disorder) that temporarily alters a person’s mobility, perception, thinking, and emotional state during the transition between sleeping and waking.

Sleep paralysis is a surprisingly common experience—almost 8% of the general population has experienced it at least once. But if you’re a student or someone with a psychological diagnosis, your chances of experiencing it go up to almost 1 in 3.

But rest assured, sleep paralysis is usually harmless, especially if it only happens rarely. But why does it happen at all, when should you worry about it, and how can you prevent sleep paralysis?

Why does sleep paralysis happen?

The “paralysis” part of sleep paralysis actually happens every night when you sleep, even though you're usually not aware of it. That’s because of a special type of sleep called rapid eye movement or REM sleep.

During REM, your brain is very active—the electrical signals from the brain look almost like the signals it has when you’re awake.

REM sleep is often referred to as a stage of sleep that takes up 20-25% of your typical night. It occurrs in a few chunks, mostly during the second half of the night. During REM, your brain is very active—the electrical signals from the brain look almost like the signals it has when you’re awake. This is also when most dreaming happens, along with a lot of emotional processing that the brain does behind the scenes.

But, importantly, your body is immobilized during REM. Other than the eyes moving around a lot (hence...

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Why Journalists Spell ‘Lead’ like ‘Lede’

Newspaper journalists have no time to waste.

They have to get quotes from motor-mouthed politicians and deal with looming deadlines. They have to get the story quickly—and correctly. 

That has been the industry mantra for more than a century—long before the internet turned the daily news cycle into a 24/7 centrifuge of information.

Since journalists are working in such a fast-paced environment, it makes sense that over the decades they’ve incorporated shortcuts into their lexicon. They’ve also adopted odd spellings, and although those quirks may befuddle outsiders, they help keep things clear for people with different jobs at a newspaper.  

Each paper has its own nomenclature, but some terms are standard throughout the industry.

‘Lead’ versus ‘lede’

For example, the first paragraph of a news story is the “lead”—BUT—the people working the typesetting machines used metal letters made of lead. Same spelling (L-E-A-D), but a different pronunciation and, of course, a different meaning altogether.

So for clarity, the first paragraph of a news story is the “lede.” That’s spelled L-E-D-E.  It looks funny to outsiders, but that strange spelling, originally used to head off ambiguities, is common among “ink-stained wretches”—also known as journalists.

There are, of course, different kinds of ledes. 

A “hard-news lede” will deliver information about something that just happened:

Two dozen wildfires consumed 16,000 California acres Wednesday, driving thousands from their homes. 

An “anecdotal lede” would take a more-focused approach, often adding a human element to the issue at hand:

Olga Kincaid raced out of her Mariposa home with her four-year-old daughter on her right hip and their beagle tucked under her left arm, heading for her minivan.

In the rear-view mirror, she watched the flaming structure collapse. Meanwhile, her husband, Dennis, was 20 miles east, battling a second blaze as a member of Ladder Company 15.

The Kincaids’ ranch was one of more than 1,500 California homes leveled by dozens of raging wildfires on Wednesday. 

This approach sets aside the abstract notion of wildfires and instead highlights the human drama of those affected. 

Nut graf

That last paragraph is the “nut graf”—short for “nutshell paragraph”—in which a reporter or columnist delivers the crux of the reporting. It’s often placed a...

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Video: Make Walking More Fun and Challenging

It's WalkTober! That means that it is time to once again celebrate that underappreciated mode of exercise and transportation known as walking.

And why not? As my favorite biomechanist, Katy Bowman likes to say "Walking is a superfood!" Sure, it isn't going to make you super muscular, amazingly strong, or blazingly fast, but it will do one amazing thing—keep you healthy and mobile! 

As I said in my article, Don't Dismiss Walking, this movement superfood bestows many beneficial changes on our bodies. Here are just a few:

• Healthy adults who walk briskly experience lower resting blood pressure and postprandial triglycerides.
• Kids who walk to school are fitter overall than peers who do not.
• Walking improves longevity.
• Older healthy adults who walk briskly live longer than those who don’t.
• Regular walking improves working memory.
• Walking programs even improve cognitive ability in Alzheimer’s patients.

The day I shot this video, my homework from the "Walking Well" program was to challenge my ankles by walking on terrain that is not flat and level ground. To show you what I mean, I brought you along on part of my off-road walking adventure.

The online course called "Walking Well: A Stepwise Approach to an Everyday Movement" has really been expanding my walking ideas and abilities. Even if you don't enroll, I still encourage you to follow my example and get off the sidewalks and challenge all of your walking parts!

As Katy Bowman also says:

Every geometry (shape) your body assumes creates a different load. Adding hills (both up and down) as well as slopes that challenge your ankles (think of the ankle’s experience walking the sloping shore of a beach) uses your body—and creates loads—in ways not available in the flat-flat-flat settings most of us are used to.

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