Fast Company

Self-affirmations may feel corny and strained, but these four statements can help remind you how prepared you really are.

Self-affirmations may feel corny and strained, but these four statements can help remind you how prepared you really are.

You’re hours away from that big presentation you’re scheduled to give, and you’re feeling anxious. Jittery. Your palms are already sweaty. The familiar recommendation to just take a deep breath may not quite cut it—and might actually hurt your delivery. So what can you do instead?

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Getting defensive when someone criticizes your work shows that you care, but it can block forward progress. Do this instead.

Getting defensive when someone criticizes your work shows that you care, but it can block forward progress. Do this instead.

Whatever your profession, chances are your ego gets in the way sometimes. I’ve led design firms and coached creative professionals on how to bargain for better pay. And I’ve repeatedly seen people’s egos swing from one extreme to the next—getting inflated in one moment and deflated in another.

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This week’s top stories may help you earn a raise no matter where you work, and might even make you consider a move to the weed sector.

This week’s top stories may help you earn a raise no matter where you work, and might even make you consider a move to the weed sector.

This week’s top stories may help remote workers earn their due, give you an insider’s look at the marijuana startup scene, and help you stick to your points when you’ve only got a few minutes for your next presentation.

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You can get even, or you can take the high road—where the outlook’s much better for your health and career.

You can get even, or you can take the high road—where the outlook’s much better for your health and career.

Depending on how you see it, there’s more than just death and taxes on the short list of things life throws at pretty much everybody. There’s also unfairness (which cynics might even see as the umbrella term for both death and taxes), as many a parent has informed a 5-year-old who’s too young to know what taxes are but has no trouble grasping what’s not fair.

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At first, these Buffer dads planned to take only a week off when their kids were born. Here’s what they learned by spending more time away.

At first, these Buffer dads planned to take only a week off when their kids were born. Here’s what they learned by spending more time away.

Around the world, fathers are increasingly being offered the same or similar leave as mothers (though in the U.S., it is typically unpaid time). In many cases, tech is leading the way. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently took two of the four months of paid leave Facebook allows.

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Is there a way to tackle discoloration and wrinkles without harsh chemicals? This beauty brand thinks so.

Is there a way to tackle discoloration and wrinkles without harsh chemicals? This beauty brand thinks so.

Two years ago, April Gargiulo founded the beauty brand Vintner’s Daughter because she couldn’t find an all-natural skincare product that kept her troubled skin under control.

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The Olympic organization, multinationals, and fans will likely be targets for cybercriminals, experts say.

The Olympic organization, multinationals, and fans will likely be targets for cybercriminals, experts say.

This month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro aren’t just a showcase of the greatest athletes from around the globe: They’re already a target for the world’s online criminals, experts warn.

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How you sound is more important than what you say when delivering bad news, according to science.

No one likes bad news—neither the giver nor the receiver—but there is a way to make it a little easier on everyone involved. While words matter, your tone has a bigger influence on the way the information is received, according to a new study from Saarland University in Germany.

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Copa90 head James Kirkham on why the MLS All-Star Game’s fresh approach is an example for the rest of the soccer world.

Last week in San Jose, the great and the good of brands who activate in U.S. soccer gathered in the name of a single game. At the 2016 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, from ESPN to Adidas, brands, broadcasters, and Major League Soccer clubs mixed together for a week to celebrate the continued rise of soccer in America.

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Athletes who have been forced to flee their country—including a swimmer from Syria and a marathoner from Ethiopia—are being given a special place in this year’s games.

In August 2015, 18-year-old Yusra Mardini and her sister Sarah fled the war in Syria, spending a month traveling to reach safety in Germany. When their tiny, overcrowded boat from Turkey broke down before it reached the shore in Greece, the girls jumped into the water and helped guide it to safety, swimming three and a half hours to help save the others onboard. This month—exactly a year later—Mardini will swim in the Olympics, as a member of the first-ever refugee Olympic team.

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