It seems like there are literally a billion relationship books out on the market. But if there's one that I personally think every individual should own, it's a copy of Dr. Gary Chapman's best-selling read The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.
If you're not familiar with it, the gist is this—all of us desire love. However, the way that we need love to be expressed breaks down into five main categories: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, and Gifts.
According to Dr. Chapman, we each have a top two (for instance, mine are Words of Affirmation and Physical Touch). It is his opinion that the more we get loved in our individual language(s), the healthier our relationships will be. (If you're not sure what you or your significant other's love language is, you can take a quiz here.)
When it comes to how you can express your partner's love language on a consistent basis, I figured that one of the easiest ways to do that is by coming up with date ideas that center around it. Easier said than done, right?
I hear you. That's why I did some thinking and came up with a list that can take out some of the guesswork out of it all. That way, all you have to do is plan the date and take the credit for being thoughtful, romantic, and totally fluent in your partner's language of love. (You're welcome.)
Love Language: Words of Affirmation Date Ideas
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Someone who has the primary love language of words of affirmation is someone who needs love expressed to them through words. Compliments. Encouragement. Texts throughout the day. Hallmark cards. Handwritten letters (extra bonus points if you actually mail them!). Song lyrics and poetry. If it's loving and in written word form, they will feel totally adored.
Keep reading for some words of affirmation date ideas.
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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