Costa Women Blogs

“When you hear a Tibetan singing bowl or a gong, you don’t just hear sound: you feel vibrations on a deep cellular level. Every bowl and gong is designed to resonate at a frequency corresponding with the body’s energy. And by sounding them on, or close to the body, we can bring the mind and body back into sync. That’s why singing bowls and gongs have been used for centuries to heal people with ailments ranging from anxiety, stress, depression and long-term illnesses. They also improvs all the greatness we have inside like creativity, happiness, love and gratitude, to only name a few. I’m a Peter Hess qualified sound massage practitioner and as an ex- singer, am passionate about the value of sound – for mind, body and soul. A trained massage therapist and mindfulness enthusiast, I also enjoy holding space for clients, so they feel nurtured and relaxed. DISCOUNT OFFERED by me as SoundAtaraxia to all registered Costa Women who fancy coming to a lovely cleansing/healing/energy boosting sound bath on May 4th in Fuengirola Sound Journey with SoundAtaraxia @Studio Bliss. We all need TLC sometimes and taking some lovely time out for ourselves. So let me know if you want to join :-p Special Costa Women price for that day: 15€ pp for sound bath instead of 18€ and 35€ for sound massage instead of 50€ www.andataraxia.euhttps://www.facebook.com/SoundAtaraxia/

LinkedIn is an effective lead generator for many businesses, yet many others haven’t realized its potential.   In fact, 80% of all B2B leads generated by social media come from LinkedIn.   With over a half billion professional users, LinkedIn is a goldmine of potential sales leads, but getting the process started can be a challenge. There are a few things you must understand if you want to utilize LinkedIn as a lead generation and sales tool.   To attract today’s buyer, it requires a shift in the sales dialogue from “What can I sell you?” to “How can I help you?”   Today your personal brand is more important than it’s ever been as people are looking to find out more about an individual before they do business with them.     Seven seconds is all you have to wow a potential client. Your social selling success is dependent on how your LinkedIn profile represents your personal brand.   With all of these challenges, there is still tremendous opportunity. You now have tools available to you to connect directly with your ideal prospects, with the click of a button.    And while everyone has been talking about social media for years, few talk about the power of LinkedIn. I believe many businesses ignore LinkedIn for two primary reasons:   1. It isn’t sexy. 2. It isn’t fun or exciting.   While LinkedIn may not be exciting, getting new clients and having a successful business certainly is!   There are five crucial steps that will turn LinkedIn into a highly predictable lead generator for you; I call this The LINK Method™.    In the infographic below I will share with you the five-step process, what you need to have in your profile to attract your ideal clients, trigger events that allow you to build relationships with your prospects on LinkedIn, how to leverage existing relationships, and much more.   Are you interested in discovering how to turn LinkedIn into a lead generation machine? Take a look at the Infographic below (right click to enlarge):        I believe that when you stop collecting connections and start building relationships, you increase trust, credibility and attract more clients. Thisis vital because effective social selling is all about building relationships and trust.   The beauty of LinkedIn is that it is a platform that was designed to help you find, connect and then build a relationship and trust with the exact group of people that comprise your target audience.    Yet people continue to make two very serious mistakes with LinkedIn and social selling.   Mistake #1: They rush to a sale right after connecting with a potential prospect. Mistake #2:They never move the conversation offline, or don’t know how to, as it’s offline that you convert a prospect to a client.   LinkedIn is the premier business platform for social selling and the tips shared in this infographicrepresent just a small portion of the blueprint laid out inmy brand-new book LinkedIn Unlocked:Unlock the Mystery of LinkedIn To Drive More Sales Through Social Selling.   In LinkedIn Unlocked you will learn a step-by-step system that will help you generate a steady stream of new leads, clients, and sales on LinkedIn in under 30minutes a day.    To celebrate the launch of LinkedIn Unlocked, there is also $221 in free bonuses, including a companion workbook with all of the exercises, worksheets and templates provided in the book. Click here now to learn more about LinkedIn Unlocked and the exclusive bonuses.   

Today I saw a social media post that said “Everything happens for a reason, I just wish I knew what the reason was”. Life throws us all a curveball from time to time.  It can be something simple, missing a train and being late for work – but if it snowballs to losing your job because you missed a big client presentation, that’s life changing. For most of us it’s the lack of control of outside circumstances.  However, even when everything is out of your control, you can still choose how you respond. Think about the big picture. Will this curveball matter in the long run? Probably not. It might slow you down a bit, but it’s probably not causing irreparable damage. But sometimes a major failure or a loss feels like someone has died. And, in a way, someone has. The person you would have been—if you had gotten that promotion, if you hadn’t lost your job, if your business had succeeded—will no longer come into being.  Take the time to mourn for the loss of that person you will not become. These times can be trying, but they can also be rewarding.  You might discover a talent you didn’t know you had or a business opportunity you take a second look at.   But without an open mind you could miss the opportunity. The stress, anxiety, financial hardship and perhaps some sleepless nights along the way are all temporary, in the same way that good times change so often, also applies to the bad times.  Acknowledge what’s happened and move on.  Can you fix the problem?  Is it a completely irreparable situation? What can you change about how you live that will lessen the impact? Find a best solution and take a few deep breaths. Feel your blood pressure dropping and know that your dream wasn’t what you thought it was.  When a change is looked at as a fresh opportunity and a chance to learn something new, it’s no longer quite as scary. I have gone through such a curveball and without going into it too deeply, it was my lack of attention to something that caused the curveball!  I was left in a situation that I saw no solution to.  But of course, there was a solution, but it takes time and effort. I found that I can stay cooler under pressure than ever thought possible. You might just impress yourself with how much you’re really able to handle when it’s thrown at you. But I’m grateful that the detour took me to the dream I’m living now. It wasn’t planned but then aren’t they the best journeys? Impromptu, leading your to discover new people and places. These are all awesome self-discoveries waiting to happen!  My old life would not look like this new life and for that I’m so grateful and happy.  I found a business that suited my circumstances and allowed me to grow into a better person.  Surely that has to be a positive thing? Eventually when it comes down to it, you just have to let it go.  That’s life. The truth is you can’t see the future. Would your life have been perfect if you had gotten the promotion or if you had married who you thought was your one true love? What looks like a hot mess at present could be a blessing in disguise. Breathe, meditate and take control again.  You’ll soon be back on track!

Settling In Smoothly in your new country: What & How    You found your way to the supermarket without taking unplanned detours. Finally, you begin to recognize my neighborhood and you can find your new house without navigation. Your mailbox has your name on it and it’s all starting to feel familiar.You’re on your way to feel like a local and wish to call this your new ‘’home’’.   Settling in another country, especially in the beginning, involves a series of stressful events, crisscrossed by occasional periods of calm. From minor, meaningless things to more profound and serious matters, settling in often includes the following: learning new ways of doingthings learning to do things you’ve never done be- fore stopping yourself from doing things you can no longerdo adjusting to a completely new bunch of people learning to live and work in a location where you speak a foreign language getting used to various new and unusual circumstances learning to live without all kinds of familiar routines After living abroad for many years, I can only see the positives and meaningful sides to the entire process of settling in. Looking back to my first move, I remember the stress I felt wasn’t so positive, to say the least. Not just the fear of the unknown, but also having to learn everything for the first time, from finding a house to learning the language to various registrations to get- ting to know the people. The process of settling in may feel fantastic on one day, and then anxiety creeps in the next. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions on a ride that lasts for awhile. Here is a list of suggestions from actual expat experiences from around the world to help you settle in more easily and successfully:   Things you can do with other people: o   Invite people over to your house o   Go to a movie, cafe, etc. o   Participate in a team sport or fitness class o   Work as a volunteer for a good cause o   Find a cycle, walking, or running group     Things you can do on your own: o   Read books, newspapers, or magazines o   Cook a meal o   Take a walk outside o   Meditate o   Go see a movie o   Write in your journal o   Go to a restaurant or café o   Go shopping o   Exercise or join a gym o   Take a ride by bike, car, or bus o   Watch people while sitting in a café or a park o   Study a new language   Things to remember during difficult moments: o   This too will pass o   I came here to experience a challenge o   I’ve been through worse than this o   It’s natural to feel down from time to time,nomatter where o   It’s not just me o   Things didn’t always go well back home either o   I have taken on a lot;It’s OK  to feel overwhelmed from time to time Patience Is aVirtue Settling in can be a stressful challenge;it takes time,effort, and patience, which for some of us is easier than others.    Be open, trusting, patient, and enjoy the unique experience. Have fun, listen, smile, embrace change and discover more about the world and yourself.   EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER.   If you have any questions, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you.             www.RachelSmets.com

Author: Lucy Parks There are a million and one things that can go wrong in the average household. At any one moment, a long-overlooked imperfection or structural weakness can reach a tippingpoint. Anyone who has suffered that nightmare moment of hearing an almighty crash and realizing that something has fallen down or collapsed will sympathize. Have you ever walked into your kitchen to find your cupboards hanging off the walls and all your crockery smashed on the floor? No? Then you do not know true pain, my friend The following DIY tasks are among the most common that you are likely to face in your home. If you have children, then the chances of stuff getting damaged and broken increases. Children also accelerate general wear and year and, therefore, a home with children is likely to require more repairs and require them more often. How to Drill Properly Learning to use a drill properly will open up numerous new possibilities for your DIY work. Once you are confident drilling, you will be able to take on new tasks such as putting up shelves, hanging pictures, and you can even begin to think about building your own furniture! The best way of getting better at drilling is to find yourself a spare piece of wood or plasterboard that you can practice on. Pull the trigger gently at first so that you can gauge how sensitive it is. Experiment with the different drill bits to get an idea of what each does before you tackle a project. How to Turn the Water Off If you don’t know how to switch your water supply off, you won’t be able to undertake a number of vital tasks. For example, fixing a tap is a relatively common DIY task -and one that requires you to switch the water off. Every home has a pair of valves known as stopcocks. There is both an internal and an external stopcock, both of which control the flow of water into the home from your mains supply. You can learn more about this and other common plumbing tasks from theplumbinginfo.com. How to Fix a Dripping Tap A dripping tap is one of the most common plumbing issues in the average home. It might not seem like a serious issue, but every drop of water is costing you money! It all adds up over time, so fixing a leaking tap should be a priority. Fortunately, a leaking tap is an easy issue to resolve in most cases. This guide should help you. You shouldn’t need a plumber for this, and yet many people splash out on one anyway! When things do go wrong in the home, it has traditionally been the responsibility of men to apply their apparently innate knowledge of DIY to rescue you. But this is 2018, sister! Learning to do DIY is a genuinely empowering experience. It will add another layer of independence to your life and will give you yet another way of showing the rest of the world, what an amazing person you are.  

Inheritance Tax Allowances for Andalucia have increased with effect on the 1st of January 2018. This is the biggest tax reform made in Andalucia in the past 35 years whereby 95% of the inheritances will be tax exempt. Most expats coming to Andalucia to live their dream of retiring under the sunshine have the dilemma of buying a property in first place or rent as per the rates of Inheritance Tax. Another big decision at the very beginning which will be affected by inheritance tax is whether to live full time in Andalucia or just try to expend less than 183 days (including temporary absences) in Andalucia not to become Spanish tax residents automatically. When the beneficiary is “resident” in Andalucia, there is a personal responsibility on world-wide assets whereas a “non-resident” has a real responsibility and therefore the tax will be calculated on assets allocated or rights that can be exercised in Spain. Andalucia has been one of the worse places to die within Spain for a very long time. Statistics show it very well, over 15% of the inheritances processed in 2016 ended up being disclaimed by their rightful beneficiaries.    Who will be exempt from IHT in Andalucia? From January 2018, somebody who inherits less than one million euros will not be liable for Inheritance Tax in Andalucia as when the beneficiary belongs to either Group I or II. This is, the relationship between beneficiary and the deceased person was either spouse, children, grandchildren or ancestors. Bear in mind the one million euros is per beneficiary, not per inheritance. A very normal situation, is a couple living together for the past 20 years and not married. In this case, the surviving “spouse” will be allocated into Group IV (other family member and all third parties) and therefore cannot access the one million allowance and will be liable for full payment on inheritance tax. In order to be in Group II (children over 21, spouse and ancestors) couple has to be legally registered. Not always is a bad idea to get married when it goes down to save money in the future.   Do we need to continue taking into consideration pre-existing beneficiary´s wealth? Yes, we do. In order to get the exemption from the IHT payment, the beneficiary has to have a total pre-existing wealth of under one million euros. Until the 31st of December 2017, this figure was 402.678,11 euros. A simple example will be a father who passes away and leaves two-million euros inheritance to his two children, neither of them has to pay any IHT in Andalucia as long as each individual wealth does not exceed one million euros. Another example could be, a mother who passes away and leaves 1.000.001 euros to her sole child, the calculation for IHT in Andalucia will be only based on 1 euro.   Who will keep on paying IHT in Andalucia? Any beneficiary that fell into Group III and IV, brothers, nephews, uncles, cousins, other family members and all third parties will carry on paying the same inheritance tax in Andalucia as it has been up until now. Allowance of 7.993,46 euros will continue for beneficiaries of Group III. Another allowance of 95% has been introduced for brothers over 65 years-old who inherit main residency.   Will Gift Tax be affected? Andalucia has introduced a 99% Gift Tax exemption only when parents give money to their children or descendants under the age of 35 for buying their main residency in Andalucia. This allowance will be considered as well when children or descendants have a disability of more than 33%. Also will be considered a one million allowance when the gift is used to create a new company or to enlarge it, but only if the gift is between parents and children. There are certain conditions on this as well: the gift has to get registered in a Notary through a deed and the company has to continue the activity for over 5 years after the gift unless the person who has gifted pass away during this period.   Finally, the cliché Andalucia has had for the past 35 years of being the most expensive place where to die in Spain, has ben removed. For expatriates, the dilemma of becoming full time residents in Andalucia or not will disappear in most cases. Always make sure you talk to the experts to have the last update.   Lucy Melgarejo €uropean Financial Advisor +34 636 07 28 20 https://www.facebook.com/lucia.your.local.ifa/