A guide to a more fulfilling life, according to Matthieu Ricard.

Matthieu Ricard has been called the world’s happiest person.

This isn't an award given out based on votes on a reality TV show, or to the influencer who gets the most likes on a social media post. This title was awarded to Ricard based on a twelve-year brain study on meditation and compassion led by a neuroscientist from the University of Wisconsin, Richard Davidson.

His skull was linked up to 256 sensors and scans showed that when Ricard was meditating on compassion, his brain produced a level of gamma waves — those linked to consciousness, attention, learning, and memory — ‘never reported before in the neuroscience literature’, according to Davidson. …

That has nothing to do with Christmas!

When is the next writing challenge?

Are you going to run another competition?

Guys — we need another challenge. Now!

Due to popular demand, the team at Inspired Writer are excited to announce our third writing challenge for 2020. The Christmas Writing Challenge that has nothing to do with Christmas!

The first two challenges were a lot of fun, and we received great feedback so we thought we would run one more to finish off 2020 on a high.

This Creative Non Fiction writing challenge is a great way to test yourself, engage with fellow writers, build your writing brand and WIN PRIZES. …

I never wanted to be a year.

When I was given the job of being Gregory 2021 AD, the burden was already huge. I come from a long family of successful years. My Grandpa was Gregory 2000. The New Millennium. Everyone thought the world would end, but Pa proved them wrong.

To be frank, I never really wanted to be a year. I was pressured into the family business. I was happy to be a long weekend — maybe Thanksgiving or, at a stretch, the month of May. But a whole year? That is so much pressure. 365 days of non-stop focus.

I wasn’t prepared for the shit show I would inherit. I mean, having to follow my big brother, Gregory 2020? C’mon. Everyone expects me to be the best year ever. A vaccine. A new president. …

These are wars you don't learn about in school but should!

In school, we study the major wars. There are hundreds of books dedicated to them. They are made into movies, and stories of triumph and tragedy abound. Many articles have been written on World Wars and Civil Wars. But what of the lesser-known wars that abound in history?

I thought it would be worthwhile to look at the more amusing side of war and delve into nine of the most bizarre wars in history. From fighting over pastries to a chimpanzee civil war, this is a more light-hearted look at the serious issue of war.

1. United Kingdom vs. Zanzibar — the Shortest War

When a war doesn't last as long as a Netflix episode, then it’s short. That was the case in the war between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar that started (and ended) on 27 August 1896 and only lasted 40 minutes. …

A platform looking for new writers and creators

At first glance, it seems too good to be true: an offer to writers to receive a monthly retainer plus incentives based on views and referrals.

Is this a pyramid scheme? No. It’s News Break, an aggressive tech company with millions to spend to build on accessing great content. And this provides writers with an opportunity to expand onto yet another platform.

There is a lot of discussion from writers around News Break, so let’s have a look at this platform, how best to use it, and a marketing strategy that I am implementing.

What is News Break?

US News Break was founded by Chinese media veteran Jeff Zheng, who used to work for Yahoo in Beijing, China. It is a news aggregator that is bringing a successful model across East Asia to the US market. It is owned by IDG Capital and generates revenue through advertising, sponsored content, and local classified ads. …

A twenty-minute interview with Peter Shankman that provided a lifetime’s worth of lessons

My hand was hurting. For twenty minutes, I hadn't put my pen down.

As a writer, I try to use pen and paper as much as possible when I write, so it wasn't due to lack of practice. But talking and listening (well just listening) to Peter Shankman I was struggling to keep up. He was giving up pieces of advice that I needed to remember. And to share.

Shankman is a five-time best selling author, entrepreneur and in-demand keynote speaker. The New York Times called him a “a rockstar who knows everything about social media and then some.”

It is rare to get an audience with a man like Shankman. I was working on a virtual conference, and we wanted to get him to be a keynote speaker. The challenge we had was instead of being able to offer his usual $10,000 minimum fee; our budget was exactly zero. …

From bedtime story to self-development

Tell me a bedtime story.

My son made this request, hoping it would delay sleep for a few more minutes. I knew he was trying to pull one over on me, but I was happy to indulge him. Many of the stories were entertaining for him but boring for me until I started reading him some of Aesops Fables.

I’m sure you’ve heard of him, Aesop was one of the greatest storytellers of all time. He was a fabulous fabulist whose legendary stories have lived on for over 2500 years.

Aesop lived in Greece from 620–564 BCE, and his fables have been passed down by Greek and Latin authors over time, interpreted and adapted. And now it’s the turn of an Aussie author to interpret them and offer some actionable points based on that. …

Running your own business is not all it’s cracked up to be

Director. CEO. Co-founder. Entrepreneur.

My LinkedIn profile looked damn impressive. My business was doing well. I had staff in offices across a few countries, which made it a global business. But I was exhausted. Seven years of living my dream — running my own company — had taken its toll.

We read stories on Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, hugely successful entrepreneurs and dream of a life (and a bank account) like theirs. After seven years, I was not remotely close to achieving that dream and ready to pack it in. Social Media is #fakenews. …