Archive for June, 2008
June 30, 2008 at 9:24 pm · Filed under Baker's Dozen
Despite society’s seeming obsession with competition and one-upmanship, the raw and sometimes hard-to-live-up-to truth is that our planet is a closed system - there is no actual “away” to throw things, no true “other” to be afraid of and no possible difference between the suffering of one and the suffering of all, even if that isn’t apparent at first glance.
As many spiritual and religious teachers instruct, we are all one with our brothers and sisters, and we are all brothers and sisters. Just as you can’t sanely or healthily cut off one finger to “leave more stuff” for the rest of the hand, neither can you pollute, exploit, undermine or hurt one part of earth, one population of people or one species of life without it eventually coming back to hurt us all.
In a closed system, we either all win or we all lose, as a group. A quick visualization of an ant farm or an aquarium in which one inhabitant or group of inhabitants is attempting to ruin or exploit the other inhabitants’ abode and life-support systems for their own benefit - and in the process rendering it unlivable or even dangerous - without affecting themselves points up the concreteness of this reality and the absurdity of behaving otherwise. But the truth is, we do this everyday and we do it with that same self-satisfied and smug attitude that reflects a similar complete state of denial of the absurdity of our actions.
No matter how big or open it seems, the earth is just one big ant farm and we are the ants. We destroy, endanger, exploit or otherwise screw up the “other side” at our peril - indeed our own peril is only just now becoming alarmingly clear to us in many ways with the advent of undeniable climate change, unsustainable lifestyles and unavoidable economic crises.
How are you willing to shift your attitude and behavior to encompass this understanding of a “one for all and all for one” existence? How does your current life reflect the reality of unity - and how does it deny it? As much as we might not care for it, change toward and acceptance of the need to embrace all life as sacred is coming, and none to soon in the opinion of many (and hopefully, none to late, either). It is quickly becoming apparent that we either all cross the finish line together or we all lose the race. Are you ready to open your arms to the world?
(c) Soni Pitts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.
She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.
June 27, 2008 at 11:13 pm · Filed under Publishing + More
Lately I’ve been noticing an odd trend amongst the freelance writers who contact us every week: rudeness.
First there was the writer who accepted a job found on our boards and forwarded the completed assignment to the employer with the words, “Project attached. Email me payment immediately.” No please, no thank you - in fact, no niceties at all.
Needless to say, the employer wasn’t impressed (I know because he forwarded the email to me, asking if all of our members were quite so blunt.) He told us that although the writing was of an acceptable standard, and was delivered on time, he wouldn’t be using that person again. His reason? He didn’t like her manners, simple as that.
Then there was the freelancer who provided us the wrong paypal address for her payment. We paid her, not realizing the address was wrong, and it wasn’t until a few days later, when she emailed us again, that we realized what had happened. No problem: We cancelled the first payment and immediately reissued it to the correct address, along with an email explaining what had happened.
In response, we received a tirade of abuse from the freelancer in question, who had received the paypal cancellation notification, and not bothered to read our explanatory email before she decided to get nasty and assume we hadn’t paid her. This piece of vitriol was almost instantly followed by a second missive saying “oops, I’ve just realized that you did pay me after all.”
While we were glad that she’d realized her mistake, we were rather less pleased to notice that she made no apology for her first, highly abusive email. Needless to say, this isn’t someone we’ll be recommending to any other employers in a hurry.
Then there was the person who sent an aggressive email in response to our automatic notification of a new project - a notification which, I hasten to add, she’d signed up to receive. “This is the second email I’ve received from you today!” she said, “For god’s sake, stop emailing me!”
Now, I dare say that all of these freelancers are superb, highly talented writers. Unfortunately, though, I won’t be recommending them to anyone, and if their behavior towards us is typical of their behavior towards other employers, I doubt anyone else will either.
The fact is that freelance writing is a business, and it’s not just your writing you’re selling: it’s yourself. No matter how great a writer you are, if you’re rude to employers, or difficult to work with, you’ll find it very difficult to make a living from it. Above anything else, employers want writers they can work with. Professionals, who won’t react to a misunderstanding by lashing out in anger, who won’t just demand payment without at least checking that the work is satisfactory, who know how to say “please” and “thank you”, and when not to fire off an email that would be better left until the cold light of day.
As the actress Lillian Gish once said, “You can get through life with bad manners, but it’s easier with good manners.” It applies to freelance writing, just as much as to life itself. And if you don’t believe me, try cursing out the next editor who accepts your work, and see how far you get!
Amber McNaught is a freelance writer and editor and the owner of http://www.WritingWorld.org, an online agency for freelance writers, editors and proofreaders.
Amber is also a director of Hot Igloo Productions Ltd, offering press release writing and distribution, as well as website design.
June 26, 2008 at 10:02 pm · Filed under Baker's Dozen
Life Coach Advice
As an expert in self development, I can tell you that there isn’t a person I have met yet that isn’t successful. In fact, there isn’t a person who is not successful. Not only are you successful, but everyone you know and don’t know are successful as well. You question this? That is natural. After all, you may not feel all that successful and at the very least, you don’t consider most people you have known or seen successful.
Yet, I still insist that everyone is successful no matter who they are and what they are doing. That is, without question, a fact. The question is not whether or not a person is successful; rather what they are being successful at.
Remove the idea that success means that there is a positive outcome. Think more about success as the ability to follow through with behavior to produce any outcome. A definition of success is “to end up with the intended result.” Nothing is ever achieved, good or bad, without successful behavior.
The results in our lives (be they positive or negative) take time to realize. No one walks into a gym and gets in shape the same day. Getting in shape requires that you develop successful behavior towards the result of being in shape. First, the person makes a choice, either on a conscious or unconscious basis, which internalizes the decision to get in shape. Next, the person follows through with the behavior, works out, and eats correctly so that over time the result of being in shape is realized.
We consider the behavior of getting in shape and producing that result a success. Conversely, the same is true about negative results. It takes successful behavior to produce a negative outcome. Just as getting in shape takes time, an alcoholic does not become addicted the first time he or she has a drink. They internalize a decision either on a conscious or unconscious level and follow through with consistent behavior that successfully results in alcoholism.
Therefore, whether you are making money or not, either is a result of your successful behavior. If you are in shape or overweight, both are successes. Whether you have a good or a bad relationship, a job you like or not, A’s or F’s in school, everything is a result of the choices you are making and each is a success in that regard.
The importance of recognizing both your positive and negative results as successes means that you recognize that you do have the ability and power to produce results through successful behavior. What this also means is that you know how to be successful. The problem is not your inability to be successful, but rather the choices you make in what you decide to be successful towards.
This means that you do not need to learn how to be successful. You need to learn how to make different choices and then follow through with the successful behavior you already know. Interestingly enough this applies equally to negative and positive behavior. The most successful people you can think of in business, entertainment or other, often are not flourishing in other areas of their lives. One can have isolated success yet maintain a very unhappy or dissatisfied life.
I often challenge people to decide to mirror their positive successful behavior in all areas of their lives creating what I call a balanced successful life. You can achieve this through recognizing your successful behavior and working towards positive outcomes and self-development. The guidance of a proper self development program can work as a roadmap to the life you want to create.
I like to over simplify the idea of success and say that if you can put on a pair of shoes, then you are successful. In order to put on a pair of shoes a person has to first make a decision to do so, select the shoes they wish to put on then follow through with the behavior to put on the shoes. Once the shoes are on, that person has produced a success. The question now is what shoes are you successfully deciding to walk through your life in? The truth is you can wear any shoes you choose!
Life Coach Devlyn Steele is a passionate author in the field of self-improvement. He is striving to bring personal development to a new level of success with his new program =>http://www.Toolstolife.com To find out all about Devlyn Steele and his guided self development program, please go to: http://www.Lifecoachadvice.com
June 26, 2008 at 3:56 pm · Filed under The Warriors Art
Do you want to give your child everything in life you never had? Of course you do; you want to give your child all of the opportunities that you didn’t have. That’s what every responsible parent wants for his or her children. However, it’s hard to keep up with all the new and expensive toys available today.
Can you imagine giving your child a gift that has twelve valuable life skills and one more benefit - on top of those twelve skills? As you already know, it’s not the latest Ipod or Xbox, but your child will be very successful in life, as a result. You may have heard all this talk about life skills before, but the explanations were vague, so let’s make the explanations and results clear.
Life Skills are the self-improvement skills that we, as adults, need in order to be more successful in life; but children and adults can acquire them in a Karate class. Adults usually visit the self-improvement section of a library, bookstore, or shop on the Internet, to reprogram their minds for success. Sometimes, adults stay with a self-improvement program, and many times - they don’t.
For children in their formative years, Karate classes have a very positive impact, and shape their lives toward a path of continuous achievement. Children will stay with a self-improvement program, such as Karate, as long as they get transportation.
Positive Thinking
Within a typical Karate class, children learn to think about the next hurdle in life. The only hurdle to focus on is the lesson plan that their Karate instructor presents for the day. This could be as simple as learning, or reviewing, a few Karate techniques. Once this has been accomplished, any child can walk away from his or her Karate class with a very positive feeling of gratification.
It is this repetition of focusing, learning, solving, and accomplishing that contributes to the positive mind-set in all Karate practitioners of all ages. When a parent reinforces these same habits at home, the young Karate student learns that staying positive, in the face of adversity, will yield many benefits and solutions in life.
Stress Management
Children are no different than adults, and they are subjected to more everyday stress than we were as children. This is why the Karate studio is a haven for children and a place to leave stress behind and focus on simple tasks. For children, Karate class is quality time spent living in the moment, enjoying life right now, without worrying about the past or future.
Karate classes give kids a chance to jump, kick, punch, and shout at the appropriate times. Many times, I mention to the children at our facility, in North Providence, that they should take advantage of the times when they can shout.
Within the structure of a kids Karate class, there is a time to speak up, and a time to listen, in order to get the most out of each Karate lesson.
Through steady Karate practice, children learn to put stress aside and focus on getting the most out of life. They also learn that when stress comes their way, it’s time to work on solutions rather than become depressed about them. Young karate students accept stress for what it is, and rise to the opportunity to become successful in life.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Yoga: The Key to Self-Mastery http://www.kids-karate.com
June 24, 2008 at 9:42 pm · Filed under Marketing + Selling
Perhaps the most daunting challenge any budding exporter faces is to find buyers for his/her products. Selling in international market has never been simple - with diverse language, geographical distance, cultural difference and lack of market knowledge posing real challenge to any manufacturer/ exporter.
However, given right homework and planning, selling in overseas market today is easier, simpler and less expensive than it was a decade ago. There are many silver linings in the forms of positive Govt Policy, favourable international climate, less tariff and non-tariff barriers and above all easy and inexpensive access to an incredibly powerful and all-encompassing medium like Internet. Never before in the history of human civilization so many people from so vastly different places and societies freely interacted with each other as we witness today in Internet.
So, how do today’s exporters take advantage of this favourable business climate and become successful ? The answer lies in thoughtful planning, effective implementation and perseverance.
In fact, large number of exporters have used these advantages successfully as reflected in unprecedented export growth witnessed over last 10 years.
How To Find Buyers
To put it simply, there are only two ways you can find buyers of your products - either you find the buyer or buyer finds you. Your sales strategy must take into account both the factors and plan for effective use of both sources.
Some of the ways to locate buyers are :
- Searching directories, trade literature etc.
- Using buyer-seller meets organized by trade associations
- Conducting Market Research
- Employing Commercial Agent/ Representatives
- Subscribing to information services etc.
Some of the ways of attracting buyers are:
- Advertisement
- Promotion (e.g. direct mail)
- Trade Shows
- Web-sites
- Search Engine Marketing
etc.
How Important is the Internet in your Marketing Strategy ?
10 years ago - buying agents and trade shows were the two most popular avenues for selling in international markets. Participation in overseas trade shows was, and still is, prohibitively expensive for most small and medium exporters. Internet has not only made available new avenues for sellers, it has also drastically changed distribution pattern. Today, conventional distribution channel of seller to large importer to distributor to local stockiest to retailer is severely disrupted as small retailers from USA and Europe regularly visit foreign web-sites and order directly. This is a win-win situation as both buyer and seller stand to gain substantially by transacting directly without middlemen. It does add to business risks but profit margins also become very impressive by going direct.
In coming years, we shall see more and more buyers coming through the Internet route. To be successful - you should be able to make best use of this opportunity that was not available to your predecessors even 10 years back.
Amit worked in blue-chip Indian and MNCs for 15 years in various capacities like Research and Information Analysis, Market Development, MIS, R&D Information Systems etc. before starting his e-commerce venture in 1997. He writes regularly for Great Indian Bazaar - export import trade point & business directory serving exporters, importers, manufacturers, buyers and sellers since 1997 You may find more articles by Amit at FAIDA - Newsletter Articles on Export Import Trade Over Internet . Visit Amit’s Blog at http://ez-import-export.blogspot.com/
June 24, 2008 at 6:58 am · Filed under Best Relationship Resources
My wife torments me everyday because I had an affair. I wish that I hadn’t cheated on her, it was wrong and I feel so much grief and shame over it. I just wish she would quit rubbing my nose in it. I know that she hates me, otherwise, why else would she continue to torment me with my past? Why won’t she forgive me? What can I do?
It is quite normal for a wife to be angry, bitter, and resentful towards her husband after he had an affair, and it’s perfectly okay for her to get those feelings out of her system. Even if that means to scream, shout, and name call. All of these feelings and actions are all very normalfor a time.
But there comes a time when a repentant husband shouldn’t have to take the abuse anymore, and this is when he needs to detach! Detaching with love is a necessity to keep his psyche well balanced and healthy.
1. Detach with love
Even though a wife is unable to forgive today or tomorrow doesn’t mean that she will not eventually come around and decide that her behavior isn’t getting her anywhere with her husband, especially when she sees that he is not letting her moments of unkindness and cruelty get to him.
As hard as it may seem to do, a husband ought to try and forgive his wife for her inability to forgive him. The reason for this is so he can detach from her emotional outbursts properly. If a husband is holding in negative feelings towards his wife, detaching will be difficult to do. He will feel antagonism in his heart, which is not detaching but hanging on to her abusive words.
I am a faithful advocate on the necessity of detachment. But knowing “how” and “when” to detach takes discernment. Always detach with love. You do this by telling your wife that you love her but for your own spiritual well-being, you will not take the emotional abuse any longer. It is now time for you to get out of the house and go get a cup of coffee somewhere, go for a drive, take a walk, go see a friend, go to a movie, etc. If for some reason you can’t get out of the house, get some earplugs.
Be consistent in your efforts even if she starts in on you in the middle of the night. Your wife needs to see that YOU are not going to be bullied around any longer. Don’t scream or name call back at her but always remain calm with her. Tell her again that you are sorry that you had an affair and that you love her. Tell her when she is ready to TALK, not abuse, you will be there for her. Walk away and leave! Come back in an hour or two, and if she starts in on you again, leave again.
When detaching with love there are 5 things to remember:
1. Be consistent
2. Remain Calm (don’t fight back)
3. Tell her you are sorry again
4. Tell her you love her
5. Be ready to talk with her when she is ready to talk
By doing these things you will be detaching with love.
2. Always remain kind and considerate
I know it is difficult to be kind while she is ranting and raving and calling you all kinds of names but this IS what will finally get her to express herself properly. She NEEDS to see that her emotional outbursts against you do not intimidate you, and the name calling does not disturb you.
You aren’t going to take it. Your spirit is tired of the trespassing and can’t take the emotional and mental abuse anymore! Remember, you love her, you’re sorry as heck, and you have remained calm, and you are ready to talk when she is ready to talk?
3. Pray for her - let her know that you have prayed for her to forgive you and to stop disrespecting you. Stay faithful through your actions. Tell you wife every night before falling asleep that you were faithful to her. Let her hear these words from you consistently for a month, Just say, “I love you, today I was faithful.”
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” Mark 11:25
4. Keep your sense of judgment always on God
Having someone continually harass you, telling you what a lousy husband you are can wear down a guys self worth and make him feel miserable about himself. But it doesn’t have to be this way. By learning to detach with love and keeping yourself spiritually fit you can have complete clarity of mind to continue on with respect towards self and love towards those who are not so loving.
It is paramount that you continue in prayer by seeking God’s wisdom for your marriage, otherwise, you may become weak again and backslide, and I know that you don’t want that for your self.
“Blessed is the man who preserves under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him,” James 1:12
If you are carrying around negative feelings about yourself, remember that God has forgiven you and that you are a new person in Christ, equipped with the knowledge and wisdom to get past the trials and tribulations that are now embracing your life. Learn form your mistakes (sins) and grow out from those mistakes knowing that you are a worthy and respectable husband and person.
Someone said something unkind about me. Are my feelings hurt? Yes. Should they be? No. How do I overcome my hurt? By detaching myself. “Turning it off,” until I can figure out what lies behind it. If it is retaliation for an unkindness I did, let me correct my fault. If not, I have no responsibility in the matter. Should I ignore or challenge? No, I will let it go; least said, soonest mended. Nothing can hurt me unless I allow it to. When I am pained by anything that happens outside of myself, it is not that thing which hurts me, but the way I think and feel about it.(One Day At A Time In AL-ANON)
Be patient with your wife for a bit longer. Knowing how to detach is the first step in taking care of your self. Let your wife see she can trust the man she married. Your new attitude will reflect on to her and she will finally come out of her feelings and decide to forgive with the completeness of her heart.
A patient man has great understanding…Proverbs 14:29
Angie Lewis offers spiritual enlightenment tips for couples in marriage, and is the author of new release book JOURNEY ON THE ROADS LESS TRAVELED.
This unique book is about love, life, marriage, addiction, temptation, and understanding the power of spiritual awareness for your marriage. In her book, Angie reveals her own journey of overcoming addiction and battling with her negative emotions that she allowed to embrace her life and marriage.
To find out more about this new book click here, http://www.spiritual.journeybooks.4t.com/
ISBN 1413788904
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Angie Lewis counsels couples and writes a monthly newsletter where she reveals her secrets on how YOU can stay happily married for life!
Subscribe to get your FREE monthly newsletter so you can stay happily and forever married!
http://www.heavenministries.com/
June 23, 2008 at 6:52 pm · Filed under Shopping Parlor
Are you not absolutely sure which fruity lube to pick? The questions should be reviewed in this wonderful lube post.
Water Based Lubes are not simply for sex. Getting oiled up for one on one fun is one of the most common uses for fruity lubes, sexual oils and sex lotions. Using fruity lubricant during solo fun is safe, terrific and practical. One will want your dongs to slip and slide as significantly as possible.
If girls are looking for a sex lubricant which is safe to experiment with all sexy toys stick to a water-based lube, there are many tasty types out there like vanilla. And there are some that run like oil. Vibrators will send you wild.
Many current users will already know what lubricant is most perfect for them. But if you are using a water based lubricant for the first time Sex Bomb would love to recommend the following. It?s very best to begin off with a water-based sex lubricant. Water-based fruity lubes don?t stain and sexual lubricants are totally safe to experiment on all sex aids. If you yourself wish to have a fruity lubricant for mouth play Sex Bomb recommend you yourself get one of the sumptuous coffee flavoured ones. Anal lovers tend to go for heavier fruity lube because these lubes are slightly longer lasting. Remember, the more fruity lube you yourself use the more magnificent sex you yourself can have.
June 21, 2008 at 6:55 pm · Filed under Living With The Web
What’s the most important thing about your website? The fact that it’s YOURS! Everyone has their own unique personality, their own style. Your website is the perfect place to showcase that! As I said before, it needs what I call “SOUL”. Be creative, be honest, be YOU! Think about what you have to say to your prospects, what you have to offer, and then base your website around that vision.
There are also other tactics you can do to distinguish yourself from the other marketers on the web. While they may seem pretty common, it’s amazing how often they are overlooked.
Be Professional
Your website is a direct reflection of you and your business. Make sure it looks professional and that your prospect has complete contact info.
Have the Right Attitude
This is one of the most important aspects of establishing credibility on the web. Be very conscious of how you respond to readers questions or complaints. You must remember to project the right attitude to your prospects!
Be Courteous
Let your visitors know how much you appreciate them. Treat them with respect. Remember, please, thank you and you’re welcome go a long way!
Be Honest
Never lie or mislead your visitors. It will always eventually catch up with you. You have to earn your visitors trust to create long term relationships.
Always Overdeliver
When dealing with your customers, always go above and beyond the expected. Listen to your customers concerns and let them know that you hear them! Make a list of FAQ and put them on your site. Survey your visitors and find out what they want. Send them a free report or offer. Do everything you can to let them know they are appreciated!
Remember, always strive to be original, and to give the best that you can give! If you do that, everything else will eventually fall into place!
By: Anne Ahira
Editor The BEST Affiliate Newsletter
http://www.thebestaffiliate.com
June 21, 2008 at 4:28 pm · Filed under Great Health Tips
The universal phrase for having your hair fall out is alopecia. The very most complained type of hair loss is male pattern baldness and hits commonly a third of blokes and females. This kind of hair loss is frequently forever.
Permanent hair loss comes in a number of forms. Male pattern baldness might occur in the particularly early years of a males life, with hair loss beginning to happen as quickly as 19 years. The normal first signs can often include loss of hair follicles around the top part of the scalp and additionally at the hairline above the forehead. The result can often be partial or full hair loss.
Woman pattern baldness is very similar to male pattern baldness resulting in permanent hair follicle loss and baldness. This type of hair loss is traditionally developed after a female gives birth. The chemical imbalance generates hair loss although females do not regularly experience full loss of hair.
The last sort of permanent hair loss is through Cicatricial. This occurs when some inflammation in the scalp causes scaring and the hair follicles fall out permanently and never return. The person may lose hair folicles in random parts of the scalp, or even spread all over the scalp.
With forever hair loss the terrific solution for lots of females and males can be to get help from a hair studio in order to gain back confidence. For hair loss advice and treatments including laser visit Advanced Hair Studio.
June 20, 2008 at 9:18 pm · Filed under Stuff for Kids
Have you ever heard a parent say that the kids are out of control? Have you ever heard a teacher say she spends more time in the classroom babysitting that teaching? Have you ever heard a couple in a restaurant complain the children of another are behaving very poorly? Of course we have all heard such complaints and we know that this is part of growing up and part of the challenge of controlling the little tyrants.
As parents, we start right away by using different techniques to control our own children. We have cribs with cages, pacifiers to prevent crying, toys to keep little humans busy, Mobiles, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, Legos, Dolls, Tonka Toys and just walk down any Wal-Mart Toy section and tell us we have not come a long way since you were a kid.
Today it seems we have an increasing number of options, as now we have friends and family programs for teens and cell phones to keep track of them. We had pagers in the last decade. We have new technologies coming out now with 3G technologies which identify the location of the child. We have GPS units, Active RFID Tags, to find children, watches with ELTs, RFID and/or GPS. In our schools we have new technologies to track kids all the way from their house using such devices described above to the bus stop, once at the bus stop, on the bus and in schools.
We use fear to control our kids, such as threatening to spank them, forgo a treat or reprimand them with grounding. It seems we use all sorts of techniques to control these little monsters doesn’t it. Do you ever wonder how your government is starting to act just like you are with your kids? I see, and how does that make you feel? Think on it.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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