Inspirational Quotations

You can’t write about people out of textbooks, and you can’t use jargon. You have to speak clearly and simply and purely in a language that a six-year-old child can understand; and yet have the meanings and the overtones of language, and the implications, that appeal to the highest intelligence.
—Katherine Anne Porter (American Writer)

There’s two kinds of coaches, them that’s fired and them that’s gonna be fired.
—Bum Phillips (American Football Coach)

People who devote their lives to studying something often come to believe that the object of their fascination is the key to understanding everything.
—Jonathan Haidt (American Social Psychologist)

Whatever we call reality, it is revealed to us only through the active construction in which we participate.
—Ilya Prigogine (Belgian Chemist)

You can spend a lifetime, and, if you’re honest with yourself, never once was your work perfect.
—Charlton Heston (American Actor)

How many hopes and fears, how many ardent wishes and anxious apprehensions are twisted together in the threads that connect the parent with the child!
—Samuel Griswold Goodrich (American Publisher)

Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed.
—Hunter S. Thompson (American Journalist)

Only in the last moment of human history has the delusion arisen that people can flourish apart from the rest of the living world.
—E. O. Wilson (American Sociobiologist)

Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
—Emmet Fox (American New Thought Leader)

Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.
—Jackie Joyner-Kersee (American Athlete)

To succeed in life in today’s world, you must have the will and tenacity to finish the job.
—Chin-Ning Chu (Chinese-American Business Consultant)

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.
—Leonard Nimoy (American Actor)

The behavior of an individual is determined not by his racial affiliation, but by the character of his ancestry and his cultural environment.
—Franz Boas (American Anthropologist)

To be free is not to be independent of any form, it is to be master of many forms.
—Sidney Lanier (American Poet)

The best thing that can come with success is the knowledge that it is nothing to long for.
—Liv Ullmann (Norwegian Actress)

Truth cannot be memorized. Truth has to be discovered now, from moment to moment. It is always fresh, always new, always there for the still, innocent mind that has experienced life without needing to hold on to what has gone before.
—Barry Long (Australian Spiritual Teacher)

The only questions that really matter are the ones you ask yourself.
—Ursula K. Le Guin (Science-fiction writer)

Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.
—Charles Mackay (Scottish Poet, Journalist)

He that spends more than he is worth spins a rope for his own neck.
—French Proverb

The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.
—Groucho Marx (American Actor)

Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been, and ever will be pursued, until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.
—James Madison (American Statesman, President)

Fear makes liars of us all.
—Carmen Maria Machado (American Author, Essayist)

If one asks for success and prepares for failure, he will get the situation he has prepared for.
—Florence Scovel Shinn (American Spiritual Writer)

Strong people are made by opposition like kites that go up against the wind.
—Frank Harris (Irish Writer)

Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.
—Margaret Sanger (American Social Reformer)

One can present people with opportunities. One cannot make them equal to them.
—Rosamond Lehmann (English Novelist)

The optimism of a healthy mind is indefatigable.
—Margery Allingham (British Author)

Irony is a great help in helping to penetrate fraudulent language.
—Paul Fussell (American Historian)

In worrying about the future, I despoil the present; in my escape, I leave a true freedom behind.
—Peter Matthiessen (American Naturalist, Novelist)

I think that the consciousness of passion makes you act very differently.
—Pedro Almodovar (Spanish Filmmaker)

The only people who like rules are people who lack imagination.
—Simon Sinek (American Motivational Author)

The debt of gratitude we owe our mother and father goes forward, not backward. What we owe our parents is the bill presented to us by our children.
—Nancy Friday (American Feminist Author)

In love as in sport, the amateur status must be strictly maintained.
—Robert Ranke Graves (British Writer)

Quality is a direct experience independent of and prior to intellectual abstractions.
—Robert M. Pirsig (American Writer)

The forces of things, the beings of the Universe, interpenetrate, divide and unite themselves according to eternal laws. But the laws of Nature are, to speak after the manner of men, Thoughts of God, in which all lives, that is to say, He is.
—Heinrich Zschokke (Swiss Writer, Reformer)

If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.
—Sheryl Sandberg (American Executive, Author)

Organization can never be a substitute for initiative and for judgment.
—Louis Brandeis (American Jurist)

Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!
—Mary Harris Jones (Mother Jones) (American Labor Activist)

A belief which does not spring from a conviction in the emotions is no belief at all.
—Evelyn Scott (American Novelist)

We keep going back, stronger, not weaker, because we will not allow rejection to beat us down. It will only strengthen our resolve. To be successful there is no other way.
—Earl G. Graves Sr. (American Entrepreneur, Publisher)

It will always be a battle a day between those who want maximum change and those who want to maintain the status quo.
—Gerry Adams (Northern Irish Politician)

Desire nothing for yourself, which you do not desire for others.
—Baruch Spinoza (Dutch Philosopher)

One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home.
—Pam Brown (Australian Poet)

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.
—Tommy Lasorda (American Baseball Player, Coach)

Our great error is that we suppose mankind more honest than they are.
—Alexander Hamilton (American Statesman)

Great control of every motion and placement is a kind of self-care. It’s self-love in the best sense. I make a contract with the dancers (not literally, of course) to keep them alive and well and progressive—doing level best to see that they’re not injured. Dancing is not normal, that only a strong, knowledgeable body can protect against damage.
—Bella Lewitzky (American Choreographer)

It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.
—Claude M. Bristol (American Self-Help Author)

If the other person injures you, you may forget the injury; but if you injure him, you will always remember.
—Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese-born American Philosopher)

He who foresees calamities suffers them twice over.
—Beilby Porteus (Bishop of London)

What the public criticizes in you, cultivate. It is you.
—Jean Cocteau (French Poet, Artist)

Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.
—Laozi (Chinese Philosopher)

The best plan is to profit by the folly of others.
—Pliny the Elder (Roman Scholar)

In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two.
—Erich Fromm (German Social Philosopher)

As a means to success, determination has this advantage over talent—that it does not have to be recognized by others.
—Robert Brault

One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings.
—Diogenes Laertius (Greek Biographer)

In politics, people give you what they think you deserve and deny you what they think you want.
—Cecil Parkinson (British Politician)

It’s hard enough to write a good drama, it’s much harder to write a good comedy, and it’s hardest of all to write a drama with comedy. Which is what life is.
—Jack Lemmon (American Actor)

Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown. Through them we pass out into adventure and sunshine, to them, alas! we return.
—E. M. Forster (English Novelist)

It is no proof of a man’s understanding to be able to confirm whatever he pleases; but to be able to discern that what is true is true, and that what is false is false; this is the mark and character of intelligence.
—Emanuel Swedenborg (Swedish Mystic, Theologian, Scientist)

The worst men often give the best advice.
—Philip James Bailey (English Poet)

Success and failure are greatly overrated. But failure gives you a whole lot more to talk about.
—Hildegard Knef (German Actress, Singer)

It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (American Head of State)

Life is a corrupting process from the time a child learns to play his mother off against his father in the politics of when to go to bed; he who fears corruption fears life.
—Saul Alinsky (Community Organizer)

Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave.
—Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (Scottish Jurist, Politician)

Most people can’t think, most of the remainder won’t think, the small fraction who do think mostly can’t do it very well. The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self-delusion—in the long run, these are the only people who count.
—Robert A. Heinlein (American Science Fiction Writer)

I think it is fair to say that it is under a great deal of stress, and if I am asking for significant changes, it is because the world is going through significant changes.
—Mohamed ElBaradei (Egyptian Diplomat)

Let us follow our destiny, ebb and flow. Whatever may happen, we master fortune by accepting it.
—Virgil (Roman Poet)

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (Indian Hindu Political leader)

I finally realized that being grateful to my body was key to giving more love to myself.
—Oprah Winfrey (American TV Personality)

You can enjoy encouragement coming from outside, but you cannot need for it to come from outside.
—Vladimir K. Zworykin (American Physicist)

The law isn’t justice. It’s a very imperfect mechanism. If you press exactly the right buttons and are also lucky, justice may show up in the answer. A mechanism is all the law was ever intended to be.
—Raymond Chandler (American Novelist)

To know when to be generous and when to be firm—this is wisdom.
—Elbert Hubbard (American Writer)

The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that is the way to bet.
—Damon Runyon (American Writer, Journalist)

Nothing is so hard to understand as that there are human beings in this world besides one’s self and one’s own set.
—William Dean Howells (American Writer, Critic)

The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.
—Steven Weinberg (American Physicist)

Of course, the illusion of art is to make one believe that great literature is very close to life, but exactly the opposite is true. Life is amorphous, literature is formal.
—Francoise Sagan (French Novelist)

When we lack the will to see things as they really are, there is nothing so mystifying as the obvious.
—Irving Kristol (American Political Writer)

There are no failures—just experiences and your reactions to them.
—Tom Krause (Finnish Opera Singer)

Every advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue.
—Demosthenes (Greek Statesman, Orator)

The term digital artist is often associated with drawing, painting, or illustration done on a computer. Some concepts of this type of art are challenging but if you have already mastered the old ways, then it definitely won’t be too difficult for you to perfect the processes involved in using a procreate brush.

Before anything else, you must understand the concept of using a procreate brush for digital painting. This entails having your tablet pen act as high-quality paint covers where you can create beautiful artwork on your computer screen by moving it.

Professional artists use tablets or graphic tablets that are connected to their computers either through USB or wirelessly. They can do any type of painting or drawing on these devices without having to touch the keyboard at all. You must understand that it takes time before you can master the skill of using a Procreate brush pack just like mastering how to paint with a real brush.

I’m going to share a step-by-step guide in using a Procreate brush in digital painting. Digital Painting is not different from how artists work in real life except that you will be using your computer for this one.

1) Starting your painting

First, get your setting ready, make sure that you’re using the best Procreate brushes for your project, and set the correct brush size and the color you will be using. If you are a beginner, you can use a pencil brush in starting your painting. Make sure that the opacity is at 100% so that it will be easier for you to see what changes have been done to your work in just one stroke.

It is also important to set your canvas up in the right way. Use a large canvas size so that you can have more room to work on your piece. You can also use presets of different types of papers or backgrounds if you are not creative enough to come up with one yourself.

Creative Market

2) Adding text

If you are good at typography, then this part is easy for you. If you are a first-timer, then have someone else do the typing for you so that it won’t be too complicated. Just make sure that you have added some description to your painting so people will know exactly what is going on in the piece.

3) Shadows and lighting effects

Take time to study how shadows work in real life and you will understand it better. Just imagine that the object has a light source and this is where the shadows will be created on your painting. Make sure that your subject is not too bright or it will be difficult to show its shadow effects.

4) Painting process

You should already have an idea of how you want your painting to look like once you are done with the outlines. The painting process depends on your creativity so use it accordingly. You can either follow a step-by-step guide or you can just paint freely without any constraints, which is what most artists do anyway.

5) Fixing errors

Before submitting your work to other people, just double-check if any errors need to be corrected. This is the most difficult part of any digital artwork because you have to go back on your work and fix some parts which you thought were already perfect. You may also use a pixel brush Procreate or Creative Market provides. For other options, visit Creative Market’s website.

6) Adding Texture

Adding texture can give a piece of your work a real-life effect. You can find a Procreate watercolor brush online that you can use as a texture. You can also use a tree brush Procreate or Creative Market provides. Just make sure to add it with low opacity so that people will still focus on the original part of the painting and not on the added texture.

Creative Market

7) Adding vivid colors or gradation

Adding vivid colors or gradation is what will make your piece look much more interesting. If you are good with colors, feel free to experiment with which color combination works best for your painting.

8) Finalizing the piece

You need to save your final work as a JPG file of at least 300 dpi so that it will be easier for other people to see it. You should take time before uploading your work on the web so that you can check if there are any errors first and make sure that it is completely ready for public viewing.

Conclusion

Yes, it takes time before you can master how to use a Procreate brush and do digital painting. However, once you know the basic things about this skill then this will be much more interesting and fun to try. I hope that you will practice your skills as often as possible so that you can improve them along the way. I also hope that this Ultimate Newbie Guide in Using a Procreate Brush will be helpful for you. Do not be afraid to try it out yourself because once you do, I’m sure that you’ll find digital painting more fun than traditional artworks.

The perfect normal person is rare in our civilization.
—Karen Horney (German Psychoanalyst)

Envy depreciates the genius of the great Homer.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (Roman Poet)

It’s discouraging to make a mistake, but it’s humiliating when you find out you’re so unimportant that nobody noticed it.
—Chuck Daly (American Basketball Coach)

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
—William Arthur Ward (American Author)

The slum is the measure of civilization.
—Jacob Riis (Danish-born American Social Reformer)

You have to laugh and cry over and over again with someone before you feel comfortable.
—Joan Rivers (American Entertainer)

I am for anything in this world that keeps the problem of finding a substitute for war in people’s minds.
—Ida Tarbell (American Investigative Journalist)

People have to learn sometimes not only how much the heart, but how much the head, can bear.
—Maria Mitchell (American Astronomer)

Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves—and be free.
—Cesar Chavez (American Labor Leader)

But loneliness is as delusive a belief in the pertinence of the world as is love: in choosing to feel lonely, as in choosing to love, one carves a space next to oneself to be filled by others—a friend, a lover, a toy poodle, a violinist on the radio.
—Yiyun Li (Chinese-American Writer)

Familiarity is a magician that is cruel to beauty but kind to ugliness.
—Ouida (Maria Louise Rame) (English Novelist)

The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us an answer to this question?
—John Hersey (American Novelist, Journalist)

Here is a mental treatment guaranteed to cure every ill that flesh is heir to: sit for half an hour every night and mentally forgive everyone against whom you have any ill will or antipathy.
—Charles Fillmore (American New Thought Mystic)

No great art has ever been made without the artist having known danger.
—Rainer Maria Rilke (Austrian Poet)

The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.
—Roger Bannister (British Athlete, Neurologist)

There is a lot that goes into starting any kind of business, but this is especially true for online businesses. You already have so much to worry about, from digital storefront, to marketing, to finding suppliers, that you can easily let some things slip through the cracks. Or there may be things you do to get your business started that seem like a good idea in the moment, but actually turn out to be a mistake.

If you’ve already started a business online and have started to realize you made some big mistakes, you’re not entirely out of luck. By putting in some extra work, you can change a business niche and find new levels of profitability.

In this article, we’re going to examine some common mistakes that many business owners make when they first start up their online business. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about these mistakes and to avoid making the same ones.

1.) Delayed Launch

One of the most important aspects of starting a new business, online or otherwise, is timing. The excellent business opportunity that may have encouraged you to start your business in the first place may pass you by faster than you’d expect, and so delaying your launch can be a big mistake.

The fact is, the longer you take to get your business up and running, the longer it will take to start to make money. Many business owners may fall prey to this mistake because they want everything to be just right before they launch. In taking the time to make sure your business is perfect, you’re losing valuable time that could ruin your chances at being relevant on the market.

Long launch times can also increase the chances of your business being overshadowed by a competitor, one that otherwise may have started up after you. This means that all the business and customers they’ve gained could have been yours if you had moved a little quicker.

2.) Lack of Passion

Many business owners start their businesses only out of the motivation to make money without any kind of enthusiasm or attachment to the product they are selling. Starting a new business online takes huge levels of commitment and dedication, which may be hard to find for a product that you care nothing about.

In having no connection to the product you sell, you won’t have the same investment in it that will help you market it the best way possible. For business owners who really believe in their product and are passionate about it, they’ll find ways to market it and share that enthusiasm with their customers, influencing buyers to make a purchase when they otherwise may not have.

For example, think of entering a store where the manager looks bored and tired behind the counter, and doesn’t do anything to try and sell their own product. Would you be likely to make a purchase? It’s been proven that if the seller of a product displays confidence and passion about that product, potential customers are more likely to buy.

3.) Pushing for Fast Profits

When starting a business online, it can be easy to get caught up in the idea that you’ll be making profits in no time at all. However, as it is with any kind of business, making profits takes time.

Business owners who prioritize making a quick profit over every other aspect of their business may soon find themselves losing customers. It takes time to perfect your business, and similarly, it’s going to take some time to start to see profits.

4.) Lack of a Business Plan

Even though it may seem that opening a business online is a lot easier than opening a physical store somewhere, this doesn’t mean that business owners don’t still need to have a thorough business plan.

Those who go into their new business with no plan or direction make quickly find their business falling behind in key areas. A strong business plan should include the following points:

• Marketing Analysis

• Products and Services

• Status of Industry

• Financial Projections

• Production and QA strategies

If you don’t take the time to come up with a good outline of how your business is going to grow and be shaped over time, then you may quickly lose sight of who your company is. This is one mistake that can often cost business owners their whole business, so make sure to go into your new business with a solid plan!

5.) Having No Self Control

It can become intoxicating to be your own boss, as you can choose exactly when you work and when you don’t, and you decide how much of the profits get to come to your pocket. However, if a business owner lacks self-control, they can quickly spiral.

As your own boss, you need to know when to work and when to relax. Just because you can choose to relax and play instead of work doesn’t mean you should. Neglecting the day to day of your business can quickly put it in the hole.

Since you have no manager, you’ll need to learn to manage yourself. This includes managing productivity and making sure all the work that needs to get done is done before you relax and play. Unless you have other employees to delegate to, the majority of the work is your responsibility to complete.

Final Thoughts

It can be great to start your own business online, as it can give you the financial freedom to work from home, travel, or other things you’ve wanted to do for ages. However, there are many mistakes that new business owners make when starting their new online business. These should be avoided at all costs if you want your business to be successful.

We hope the information we’ve outlined above has helped you to know how to avoid common business mistakes that could affect your new online business. Thanks for reading!

Mean spirits under disappointment, like small beer in a thunderstorm, always turn sour.
—John Randolph (American Politician)

Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.
—Fred Astaire (American Dancer, Singer)

Many regulations primarily protect the past, prop up privilege or prevent sensible economic choices.
—Jerry Brown (American Politician)

Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young.
—Arthur Wing Pinero (English Playwright)

You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.
—Jeannette Rankin (American Politician)

A pure style in writing results from the rejection of everything superfluous.
—Suzanne Curchod (French-Swiss Salonist, Writer)

A writer is not a confectioner, a cosmetic dealer, or an entertainer. He is a man who has signed a contract with his conscious and his sense of duty.
—Anton Chekhov (Russian Short Story Writer)

The mind of man will never be able to contemplate the being, perfections, and providence of God without meeting with inexplicable difficulties.
—Joseph Priestley (English Clergyman, Scientist)

He who sees the truth, let him proclaim it, without asking who is for it or who is against it.
—Henry George (American Economist)

One of the advantages of defeat in life—maybe the main advantage—is that it provides an excuse for change. Defeat … invariably leads to new adventures.
—James Reston

You can’t escape history, or the needs and neuroses you’ve picked up like layers and layers of tartar on your teeth.
—Charles R. Johnson (American Author)

When you fall into a man’s conversation, the first thing you should consider is, whether he has a greater inclination to hear you, or that you should hear him.
—Richard Steele (Irish Writer, Journalist)

The only people who think children are carefree are the ones who’ve forgotten their own childhood.
—Orson Scott Card (American Author)

To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives.
—Howard Zinn (American Historian, Activist)

He who endures penance and hardships for another delights in that person’s company.
—Malik Muhammad Jayasi (Indian Poet)

Whether they’re just starting out or well established, all small businesses have to deal with payroll issues.

These include taxes and deductions, calculating wages and hours worked, determining the appropriate amount of sick pay and vacation time owed to an employee, and ensuring that employees are paid at least minimum wage for all work performed.

And let’s not forget about payroll errors such as rounding up instead of down when calculating overtime rates.

all these can lead to a lot of confusion, frustration, and even resentment among your staff members if you don’t handle them properly. Here are four ways to avoid common mistakes in managing your company’s payroll.

1. How to Get the Right Information from Your Employees

If your employees aren’t providing you with all the information you need to calculate their wages, you may be making mistakes.

The start of each year is an excellent time to sit down with your staff and review their employment terms so that there are no surprises later on when it’s time to do payroll.

If an employee has agreed to work part-time hours, they understand what this means and how their wages will be calculated. Also, get them to give you an updated copy of their resume or curriculum vitae (CV) so that you can review their educational background and work history with them.

2. How to Avoid Mistakes in Payroll Calculations

Having a vast knowledge of payment transactions for each employee is the first essential thing. This makes you hardly skip any pay.

A pay stub is a critical tool for this. The practice of sending employees their pay stubs electronically or uploading them to an intranet site where they can access them is becoming more popular than past methods of mailing the information.

Employees can seamlessly develop their pay stubs within seconds. With an online paystub generator, there are clear instructions on filling the form and downloading it before printing. Pay stubs capture information on not only payments but also taxes and other deductions. These documents are essential for a manager when preparing the payroll as every detail is accurate.

3. How to Keep Track of Hours Worked

Keeping track of the hours your employees put in each day is one of the most challenging tasks. Some companies use paper timesheets (even though they are out-of-date,) while others adopt electronic time clocks to help calculate hours worked.

Another way you can make this easier for yourself is by asking employees to fill out a timesheet each week, either in writing or via a spreadsheet. This can provide you with an accurate record of hours worked and ensure that employees are being paid appropriately for all time spent on the job.

4. The Importance of Tracking Time

Tracking time is one of the most hectic tasks for a manager. Some companies use paper timesheets (even though they are out-of-date,) while others adopt electronic time clocks to help calculate hours worked.

There are also many workforce solutions available today that can provide you with various ways to track your workers’ attendance throughout the day.

Tracking time through software enables companies to monitor not only employees’ work hours but also their commuting time (i.e., travel between job sites,) meal breaks, and even personal leave.

Keeping close track of your workers’ attendance can be invaluable for audits and inspections by the government or other agencies. For example, if an auditor comes in to review your payroll records, they will want to see evidence that employees are logging in and out of their system.

Conclusion

It’s fundamental to clearly understand how your employees want their earnings paid and what they expect from you as an employer.

It can be difficult, but the first step is preparing for it by getting all necessary information upfront so that there are no surprises later on when it comes time to calculate payroll. You may also find yourself spending minimal time figuring paychecks if you cut down on errors. Using tools such as pay stubs can be beneficial.