#71: Establishing Credibility + Entrepreneurship Qualities

Welcome back!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT’S ALREADY JUNE?!? We’re almost halfway through 2024 already. I can’t wrap my mind around it!

(Cue obvious transition)

Speaking of the mind, June is awareness month for two different mental health initiatives: PTSD Awareness, and Men’s Mental Health Awareness.

We at OTF are big on mental health care, whether you fall into one of the above categories or not. Of course you need a healthy mind to be productive, but it’s so much more than that: we want you to be happy, to live a high quality of life, and so we share as much content as we can to help you reach or maintain that goal.

But for this first issue of June, we’ve taken it further - as you scroll, you’ll see how we’ve tried to tie each section back to positive mental health (if it wasn’t explicitly about that to begin with).

Summer’s a great time to focus on physical fitness. Get outside, go for walks or runs, be more active…but don’t forget about what’s going on between your ears.

Let’s get to it.

Kicking Off June With…

Elevating Your Brand 🤝 

• Elite Phrases to Establish Credibility in Cool Communicator

Fattening The Wallet 💰️ 

• Making Sense Cents of Financial Trauma

Boosting Your Productivity 📈 

• Hustle Hub: Are You Built For Entrepreneurship?
  

• Expert Advice For Taking Care of Your 🧠
  

• 9 Necessities for Strong Mental Health in Food For Thought 

Expert Advice 🤝 

What is Liminal?

• An X account that aims to help “grow our minds to create great results; we just need the motivation to keep going.” They’re currently sitting at almost 89K followers.

Who is Anna Vatuone?

• She is a Substacker, podcaster, and the creator of Personal Brand Accelerator. Here’s her website.

Making Cents 💰️ 

Understanding Financial Trauma and It’s Impact on Mental Health

Short and Sweet: Financial trauma typically arises from experiences of severe financial stress that can leave lasting impacts on an individual's mental and emotional well-being.

If you feel like you are going through financial trauma - addressing it head on can lead to healthier financial behaviors and improved mental health.

Why It Matters: Because financial trauma can affect anyone and often goes unrecognized.

It impacts mental health and can create a cycle of stress and poor financial decisions. Understanding and addressing it is key to breaking this cycle and fostering financial health and mental wellness.

Breaking Down Financial Trauma:

• Origins of Financial Trauma: Often rooted in past experiences such as growing up with not much money, a sudden loss of income, or accumulating unmanageable debt.

• Symptoms and Signs: Anxiety about finances, extreme saving or spending behaviors, and a constant sense of insecurity about money in general.

• Long-Term Effects: It can lead to strained relationships, reduced quality of life, and indecision of financial decision-making.

What You Can Do to Address Financial Trauma Right Away:

• 1) Seek Professional Help: Don’t think of this as some wu-wu-gu-ru type of suggestion. Think of it as therapy for both mental and financial health. Financial advisors and therapists can provide support and strategies to manage financial trauma so it doesn’t feel like you’re going through it alone.

• 2) Financial Literacy and Planning: Educate yourself about financial management and make sense cents of it. We like to think we provide you with content that will help you build wealth. However, it ultimately boils down to an individual to learn and plan for themselves.

• 3) Join Support Groups or Communities: Participate in online communities or with people IRL that focus on financial wellness and mental health. Sharing experiences and hearing how others cope with similar issues can provide new strategies and reduce feelings of isolation.

Hustle Hub 📈 

• YOUR SUCCESS: This BBC article analyzes what makes a successful entrepreneur. Do you have what it takes?

• THEIR SUCCESS: Check out how this guy turned a college side-hustle into a $200-million cookie business.

• YOUR SUCCESS: Here are the Associated Press’s 40 best side hustles for June 2024.

Cool Communicator 💯 

4 POWERFUL PHRASES TO ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY 🗣

This communication tip comes to us from a former CIA agent, and I’d like to start by saying that OTF takes anything the CIA says as gospel. Not because we believe they’re always honest; because we’re pretty sure they’re listening / reading and want to remain on their good side 🤣

In all seriousness, if there’s one thing the intelligence community would know about, it’s establishing credibility.

Getting people to trust you is a prerequisite for getting information or action from them. You can’t persuade someone who doesn’t trust you.

TL;DR Takeaways:

• These phrases helped the author “become a better speaker and problem solver, turn conflict into cooperation, and lead to more successful collaborations and outcomes.” They can work for you, too!
  

• “What information do you need?” - Instead of guessing what someone wants or needs, just ask. It saves time, and it shows that you actually care. Even if they don’t know, it “sets all parties up for a more productive conversation.”
  

• “Is there anyone else who needs to be part of this discussion?” - Great question to ask at the beginning of any meeting or conversation. You want to make sure that every decision-maker is present before wasting time and energy. It also ensures that all relevant perspectives are included.
  

• “Who disagrees?” - Speaking of perspectives, we all have different ones. This question, most effective somewhere in the middle of a meeting, “allows you to deal with [disagreements] before it’s too late.” It can also “make the final strategy better, because it gives everyone a chance to have their say.”
  

• “I don’t know, but I will find out and come back to you” - The author states, “This is one of the most powerful and underutilized sentences you can use in stressful environments.” Who wouldn’t want that sort of weapon in their arsenal? It’s honest; it gives you an out when a question stumps you (instead of trying to stammer through some BS evasion tactic, which can destroy credibility); and it presents as caring, humble, and willing to go the extra mile.

O.T.F O.F.T

ONE FINAL THOUGHT

Since one of June’s themes is about mental health awareness, we felt like this was an appropriate Cool Communicator because a lot of stress and anxiety come from social struggles and misunderstandings. And a lot of that can result from a lack of trust.

If you can use these phrases to establish credibility and make higher-stakes interactions more productive and enjoyable, you will feel a weight lift off your shoulders.

Food For Thought 🧠

Before You Go

We hope you enjoyed this edition of OTF. Next week, we’ll be back with a June 2 Do, what’s trending in The Search Bar, a special Content for Your Commute, and more!

See you then!

You are now On The Fly and In The Know