7 Strategies to Ignite Your Inner Fire

Unleash Your Inner Fire: Tactics for Mental Fortitude and Physical Power

When it comes to achieving peak performance—be it in the gym, at work, or in personal endeavors—the secret sauce is often a concoction of mental and physical strength. Think about it as a double-edged sword; one side sharpens the other. Here are the strategies that will stoke the flames of your inner fire and catapult you towards your goals.

Embrace the Grind

Tackling discomfort head-on can redefine your limits. Each burpee, each early morning workout—it gears you up for greater achievements. Embrace the grind, and you’ll find that resilience is a muscle, strengthened with every push and pull.

Visualize Victory

The power of the mind is often underestimated. By visualizing success—seeing yourself crossing that finish line whether literally or metaphorically—you set the stage for reality to follow suit. It’s like laying the tracks for a train of triumph.

Set Micro-Goals

Massive goals can feel like mountains. Instead, turn them into a series of hills by setting micro-goals. Each small victory builds momentum, propelling you forward with renewed vigor and steadfast determination.

Cultivate Consistency

Discipline isn’t built in a day—it’s a product of routine. Turn routines into habits, and you’ll find your resolve strengthening day by day. It’s not about the grand gestures, but the daily commitments that turn dreams into reality.

Harness the Power of Rest

Rest is where the magic happens—where muscles recover and minds reset. Prioritize sleep and recovery to unleash bursts of energy and mental clarity. You’re not just recharging; you’re gearing up for excellence.

Fuel with Purpose

What you put in your body fuels what you get out of it. Choose meals that pack a punch—both for the body and the brain. When your nutrition aligns with your mission, you’ll find energy reserves you didn’t know you had.

Embrace the Journey

Remember, success is a journey, not a destination. Celebrate each step forward, and learn from every stumble. This growth mindset transforms setbacks into stepping stones, fostering a resilience that powers you through life’s toughest challenges.

Every tactic here is a piece of the puzzle to master your mental and physical game. Engage these strategies with conviction, and watch as your inner fire blazes a trail towards your vision of success. It’s time to take the reins and unleash your true potential.

10 Moves to Energize Your Day and Mood

The Power of Daily Movement: 10 Ways to Boost Your Energy and Mood

Feeling sluggish or stuck in a mental rut? It’s time to gear up and power through with daily movement that can turn your day around. Embrace the benefits of physical activity—both for body and mind—and watch your energy and mood soar.

Walk It Out

Start your morning with a brisk 20-minute walk to ignite your metabolism and sharpen your mental clarity. The rhythmic pace of walking can clear mental fog, gearing you up for the challenges ahead.

Dance Like Nobody’s Watching

Let loose with a spontaneous dance session—your heart will thank you with a cardio boost, and your mood will lift like the crescendo of your favorite song.

Stretch for Success

Integrate a stretch routine into your mornings to increase flexibility and lighten muscle tension. It’s like oiling a machine—smooth movements, ready for action.

Deskercise

Break up your workday with desk-friendly exercises. Seated leg lifts or desk push-ups keep your circulation humming and your energy high.

Active Commuting

Swap wheels for heels—or pedals. Opt to bike or walk part of your commute, effortlessly blending exercise into your routine.

Midday Yoga

A quick yoga session can serve as a midday recharge, easing afternoon slumps and aligning body and mind in perfect harmony.

Evening Stroll

Take a post-dinner walk—a digestive aid and a tranquil wind-down, paving the way for a restful night.

Use the Stairs

Choose stairs over elevators. That climb hones your legs and adds a dynamic boost to your heart rate.

Household Chores Hustle

Turn chores into a workout. Vacuum with vigor or incorporate lunges into laundry duty—every move counts.

Play with Purpose

Engage in active play with children or pets—transforming fun moments into fitness gains.

Take the reins of your health—daily movement is more than a task, it’s a lifestyle. With each action, light up your energy and mood, and propel yourself forward with unstoppable zest.

‘Emilia Pérez’ Director Jacques Audiard Reveals He Has Not Spoken to Karla Sofía Gascón: “I Don’t Want To”

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Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard says he has not spoken to his film’s title character Karla Sofia Gascón following her controversial tweets and adds: “I just don’t understand why she’s continuing to harm us.”

Audiard told Deadline Hollywood in an interview that he has severed ties with the Oscar best actress nominee amid a growing controversy regarding offensive historic social media tweets and commentary that Gascón posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t want to,” Audiard insisted. Gascón — whose best actress Oscar prospects, and the wider awards season campaign for Emilia Pérez, appears in disarray this week — has continued to do the media rounds, which includes a tearful, hourlong interview with CNN en Español, and she has refused to take herself out of Oscar contention.

“She is in a self-destructive approach that I can’t interfere in, and I really don’t understand why she’s continuing. Why is she harming herself? Why? I don’t understand it, and what I don’t understand about this too is why she’s harming people who were very close to her,” Audiard questioned in the interview.

The Netflix film picked up 13 Oscar nominations including best actress (Gascón), best director (Audiard), best supporting actress (Zoe Saldaña) adapted screenplay, music (original score) makeup and hairstyling, cinematography and best picture. It also earned France a best international feature film nomination, making Emilia Pérez the most nominated film not in the English language at the Oscars.

“I’m thinking in this thing of how hurting others, of how she’s hurting the crew and all these people who worked so incredibly hard on this film. I’m thinking of myself, I’m thinking of Zoe [Saldaña] and Selena [Gomez],” Audiard continued.

The turmoil surrounding the Academy Awards campaign for Emilia Pérez led by Netflix follows Gascón becoming the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an Oscar in an acting category. “I’m not getting in touch with her because right now she needs space to reflect and take accountability for her actions,” Audiard said.

Gascón has declined multiple requests for further interviews by The Hollywood Reporter.

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ will ‘recapture the spirit and tone’ of the first movies in the franchise, says screenwriter David Koepp

Koepp told BI he was excited to “start over” and introduce new characters.

“A new era is born.” That’s the tagline for the upcoming “Jurassic World Rebirth.” It’s also the ethos for the film’s thematic reset.

Universal released the film’s first full trailer Wednesday, which introduces brand new characters in the saga and sets the stage for the multibillion-dollar franchise’s reset after the poorly reviewed “Jurassic World Dominion.”

The movie also marks the return of screenwriter David Koepp, who wrote the first two movies in the franchise created by Michael Crichton: the 1993 original “Jurassic Park” and its 1997 sequel “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” both directed by Steven Spielberg.

Koepp told Business Insider he was elated to revisit the beloved franchise and was eager to start from scratch after the conclusion of the second trilogy led by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

“The chance to start over in terms of tweaking the tone a little bit maybe, and bringing in all new characters, that was really exciting,” Koepp said.

He said the goal was “to recapture a spirit and tone” of the first two films in the franchise.

“Those first two movies were some of my favorite writing experiences ever,” Koepp said. “It’s just a great, fun sandbox to play in.”

“Rebirth” follows paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), covert operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), and team leader Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) on a dangerous mission to the research facility for the original Jurassic Park, where they must retrieve DNA from the three biggest dinosaurs — creatures that were “too dangerous” for the original park — for medical research.

Koepp worked to integrate his deep love and knowledge of Crichton’s books and the original franchise into the new movie, previously teasing that “Rebirth” would have a sequence from the original Crichton book he’d had to scrap from the original movies. There are also more explicit links to the first movie: Bailey told Vanity Fair that his character has a connection to Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant.

Koepp told BI that although “Rebirth” is an original story and is not based on the plots of any Crichton novel, he reread both of Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novels before writing and incorporated “a number of things” from them.

“There’s so many little treasures in it,” Koepp said of Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” books. “It’s 800 pages of great moments and great research and just really wonderful ideas.”

Though little else is known about the film so far, Koepp is enthusiastic about the end result. “I’m delighted about it,” he said. “I haven’t seen it yet, but I can’t wait.”

Blake Lively faces $7m lawsuit from publicist she claimed set ‘digital army’ on her

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Blake Lively is the subject of a new $7 million defamation lawsuit being brought against her by crisis publicist Jed Wallace, who the actor had previously claimed “weaponized a digital army” against her as part of a smear campaign.

Wallace is employed by the Texas-based crisis-management firm Street Relations, Inc.

Last December, Lively filed a bombshell complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni alleging sexual harassment.

In that filing, her lawyers claimed that Wallace was hired by Baldoni’s PR team to assist in an alleged smear campaign against Lively. It was claimed he “weaponized a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums.”

The following day, the New York Times published an investigation repeating those claims of a smear campaign. In January, Baldoni launched a legal action against the Times disputing those reports. He is also counter-suing Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleging that the couple have sought to destroy his reputation.

In the new lawsuit filed by Wallace, his lawyers claim that Lively’s legal team has “conceded that Lively has no facts supporting the allegations she made against Wallace and Street in the Precursor which ‘made headlines around the world’ as she now, apparently under the threat of sanctions from one of Plaintiffs’ attorneys, sought to ‘investigate the scope of Mr. Wallace’s conduct.’”

As part of her own legal action, Lively had requested a deposition from Wallace, a request which was later rescinded on Tuesday (February 4).

In a statement to The Independent regarding the lawsuit, Lively’s legal team said: “Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms Lively ‘into oblivion’ for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation.

“This is not just a publicity stunt — it is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department. While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court.”

Earlier this week, a New York judge threatened to move up Lively and Baldoni’s March 2026 trial date if their lawyers continued their war of words in the press.

Judge Lewis Liman said both sides have “given the public plenty to feast upon.”

Gisele Bündchen gives birth to first child with boyfriend Joaquim Valente

Gisele Bündchen has given birth to her third child, her first child with boyfriend Joaquim Valente.

It is unclear exactly when the supermodel gave birth, but TMZ reports that she is “super happy” and healthy.

The news of the 44-year-old model’s pregnancy became public in October of 2024 when she was 5 to 6 months along. Bündchen’s ex husband, Tom Brady, and their two children 12-year-old Vivian and 15-year-old Benjamin, were told they had a sibling on the way before the story broke.

Bündchen and Valente decided to wait until the baby’s birth to find out the baby’s sex, but that information hasn’t been announced yet, nor has a name.

After the pregnancy became public, a source close to the former Victoria Secret model told People that, though she “wanted to keep it private for as long as she could, doing so was starting to be a challenge.”

Valente, a jiu-jitsu instructor, was first linked to the model in November of 2022 after he went to Costa Rica with Bündchen and her children. The trip occurred weeks after she and Brady finalized their divorce.

Though the couple has kept their relationship private since they started dating in June of 2023, the source says the model is “excited to embrace this new chapter openly.”

Ozzy Osbourne to reunite with Black Sabbath one final time, how to buy tickets for the all-star concert

The ‘Back to the Beginning’ concert, featuring the original Black Sabbath members, will also include Metallica, Slayer and more

The music world received a pretty big shock today when it was announced that the four original members of Black Sabbath, the heavy metal pioneers who first formed in 1968, would be reuniting for one final show later this year. Ozzy Osbourne, the group’s singer who had previously announced his retirement from performing, dropped the reunion announcement today on Instagram. Osbourne has retreated from the stage in recent years as a result of a 2019 Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis, but in today’s news he stated that he would perform a solo set before being joined one last time by the rest of Sabbath’s original lineup of Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi at the Back To The Beginning Festival in Birmingham, England this summer.

The heavy metal festival will take place on July 5 and will feature an unbelievable lineup of talent, including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera and Anthrax, among others. Here’s what you need to know about how to score tickets to what will surely be a historic night celebrating some of rock and roll’s earliest pioneers.

The four original members of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, will reunite for the Back To The Beginning heavy metal festival on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

Artist presale tickets for Back To The Beginning, which will include Black Sabbath’s final show, go on sale on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. Priority from O2 presale tickets will be on sale Wednesday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m., LiveNation presale will go on sale Thursday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. and tickets for the general public will go on sale Friday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.co.uk and LiveNation.co.uk.

Sign up on Ticketmaster

Since tickets have not yet gone on sale, ticket prices for the Back To The Beginning Festival are not currently available.

Black Sabbath will headline the Back To The Beginning Festival, and Ozzy Osbourne is also scheduled to perform a solo set.. The bill also includes performances by Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, and Mastodon and special appearances from Smashing Pumpkins’ front man Billy Corgan, Disturbed’s David Draiman, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Duff McKagan, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Sammy Hagar, and Wolfgang Van Halen, son of Eddie van Halen. Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello will serve as the festival’s music director.

Harrison Ford is ‘still happy’ he made ‘Indiana Jones 5’ despite underwhelming box office

Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are seen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

It takes a lot to make Harrison Ford regret doing a project.

This is especially true when it comes to the classic “Indiana Jones” franchise, in which Ford starred as the titular character, including the franchise’s fifth installment, 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”

The movie grossed $60 million in the US and $70 million internationally, bringing the fifth and final installment of the storied franchise’s global box office to $130 million on its 3-day opening – decidedly lackluster numbers at the box office, especially considering the film cost nearly $300 million to make.

Ford shrugged it off this week, telling WSJ Magazine in a new interview published Wednesday simply, “S**t happens.”

“I was really the one who felt there was another story to tell,” he added. “When (Indy) had suffered the consequences of the life that he had to live, I wanted one more chance to pick him up and shake the dust off his ass and stick him out there, bereft of some of his vigor, to see what happened.”

At the end of the day, Ford said, “I’m still happy I made that movie.”

Ford first portrayed Jones in 1981’s “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and has reprised his role as the whip-cracking archeology professor-adventurer-hero in four sequels total since then. Along with his role of Han Solo in the “Star Wars” franchise, Indiana Jones is a character forever linked to the Hollywood leading man and one that helped launch his stellar career.

In June, Ford told CNN’s Chris Wallace in an interview that he wanted to give fans, and the character, an ending that felt conclusive.

“I wanted it to be character driven and I wanted it to confront the question of age straight on – not to hide my age, but to take advantage of it in the telling of the story,” Ford, now 82, said, adding he felt “very strongly” that they achieved that goal.

After playing the character for 40 years, Ford admitted that saying goodbye to Indy was the right move. “It’s time for me to grow up,” he joked.

On the big screen, the “Shrinking” star will next be seen in “Captain America: Brave New World” later this month.

Irv Gotti of Murder Inc. Records, who shaped Ashanti, Ja Rule’s careers, dies at 54

Murder Inc. artists Ja Rule and Ashanti ruled the Billboard Hot 100 with Gotti with songs like “Always on Time” (2001) and Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?” (2002).

The combination of Ashanti’s honey vocals and slick songwriting with Ja Rule’s gruff delivery was one of the resounding signatures of 2000s pop culture.

The label Murder Inc., founded in 1998 by Gotti and his brother, Chris Gotti, was part of Def Jam. Before that, starting in 1995, it was the name of a hip-hop supergroup whose members were Jay-Z, Ja Rule and DMX.

Gotti helped to launch the mainstream rap careers of all three New York MCs, who hailed from Brooklyn, Queens and Yonkers.

The mogul, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. in Queens, started as an A&R executive for Def Jam.

The Murder Inc. name came from Murder, Inc., the gangster group that was made up of Italian and Jewish gangsters in New York in the 1930s and ’40s. The mobsters put out hits, and Gotti wanted to do the same thing, only with his music.

“Prayers up for the man who started everything!!!!” Vita shared on Instagram Wednesday night, remembering Gotti.

Ja Rule’s 2001 release “Pain is Love,” another No. 1 album that Gotti produced, introduced the No. 1 Jennifer Lopez song “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” and “Always on Time” with Ashanti, marking the beginning of Ja Rule-Ashanti chart domination. The Gotti-produced single “Livin’ it Up,” featuring Case, also hit No. 6.

Gotti lent his touch to the No. 1 Jennifer Lopez song “Ain’t it Funny (Murder Remix)” (2002), featuring Ja Rule and co-written by Ashanti, Gotti and Rule.

As Billboard reports, in 2003, Murder Inc. headquarters was raided by federal authorities who claimed the label was linked to drug lord Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. Gotti and his brother were found not guilty of conspiracy to launder money and money laundering.

An anonymous woman sued Gotti for alleged rape and sexual assault in 2024, claiming he abused her from 2020 to 2022, during a relationship. Gotti denied the claims.

Irv Gotti, Music Executive Behind Ja Rule and Ashanti and Founder of Murder Inc., Dies at 54

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Irv Gotti, the producer and music industry mogul who launched the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti, died at the age of 54, according to the Hollywood Reporter and sources close to the situation. A cause of death has not been confirmed.

Throughout his career, Gotti (born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr.) was a mastermind executive and record producer who shaped the sound of mainstream music at the turn of the century. With his Murder Inc. label, he dominated radio and charts by bridging the divide between pop and rap, serving as a marketing guru and, at the time, one of hip-hop’s most influential figures. Beyond his success as an executive, he also produced countless classic records including Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule’s “I’m Real (Murder Remix),” Ja Rule’s “Always on Time” featuring Ashanti, and Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?”

A Queens, NY native, Gotti got his start in the music industry as a DJ and producer with early credits on Jay-Z’s “Can I Get A…” and Foxy Brown’s “Hot Spot.” He served as executive producer on DMX’s groundbreaking 1998 debut album “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” and the soundtrack for the 1998 film “Belly,” prompting music executive Lyor Cohen to give him his own label under the Def Jam umbrella.

Following his tenure as A&R at Def Jam, Gotti founded Murder Inc. with his brother Chris Gotti in 1998 and released Ja Rule’s debut album “Venni Vetti Vecci” the following June. That album became a massive smash for both Ja Rule and Gotti, who executive produced the album and helmed every song on the project.

Murder Inc. swiftly emerged as a turn-of-the-millennium answer to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records, with Gotti appearing in music videos and popping up on records. In Oct. 2000, Ja Rule released “Rule 3:36” with Gotti returning as executive producer for the project and acting producer for nearly the entire album. The project ushered in a mainstream renaissance for Gotti, who signed Ashanti the following year and released her eponymous chart-topping debut in 2002. He then took a victory lap with “Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.,” a compilation record showcasing artists from the label including Charli Baltimore, Vita and Cadillac Tah.

Murder Inc.’s vice grip on mainstream music slipped after federal agents raided its offices on suspicion of drug money laundering in Jan. 2003, and took a reputational hit after Ja Rule engaged in a career-bruising beef with 50 Cent. Gotti rebranded the label as The Inc. in Dec. 2003, releasing albums from Lloyd and Ashanti in the years that followed.

Yet, after signing to Universal Motown in 2006, Gotti’s label struggled as artists started leaving the imprint. In Sept. 2013, he rebranded The Inc. as Visionary, and four years later revived Murder Inc. in a partnership with 300 Entertainment. In June 2022, he shared a video on Instagram claiming that he signed a $300 million deal with brand management company Iconoclast to sell them 50 percent of his Murder Inc. masters.

Last year, Gotti suffered a minor stroke related to his years-long struggle with diabetes. During an appearance on Drink Champs, he described how diabetes “starts deteriorating your body” and said that he used insulin from “time to time,” but noted that he did not have his diabetes under control.