Students Of Success

Do you remember what it was like when the three year old was
screaming bloody murder, the TV was blaring Barney songs at
levels that could break glass, and you were hanging by your last
thread of sanity? (Parents of teenagers say the same thing
happens in their household now, except it is another cartoon
character called “50 Cent”)

When the levels of stress got so bad, we would declare that it
was quiet time. For fifteen or twenty minutes, Barney was
switched off, we moved to our inside voices, and we played
quietly with books and toys. There was a brief respite from the
noise and confusion, and for a moment everything was good,
peaceful. It made a difference in our day. We even looked
forward to the next quiet time.

Consider incorporating quiet time into your stressful day at the
office. Life there doesn’t have to be chaotic and bustling with
activity. You can take control of your day by declaring quiet
time at work. Here are some suggestions that are actually
practiced by people who know stress all too well:

Turn off all electronic goods for 15-20 minutes- You will not
miss your emails, people will call back, and you will feel
better having the break from electronic pressures.

Get out of the office for 15-20 minutes; take a brisk walk
without a cell phone or iPod- A little exercise is always good
for you. The mental benefits will far outweigh the physical.

Sit comfortably, close your eyes and breathe deeply for 15
minutes- Deep breathing helps relieve all kinds of stress,
reduces blood pressure, and is great for relaxation. A relaxed
body can calm a racing mind.

Carry a book that has nothing to do with job or career with you
to work. Take quiet time and enjoy some fiction (or cartoons)-
Japanese businessmen are notorious for carrying around manga
(cartoon books). One of the reasons that the Japanese work day
is so long is that they spend time managing the stress of the
day.

Take your lunch to a park or a quiet place away from colleagues
and co-workers–enjoy the quiet- Eat lunch with your colleagues,
and work never ends. If you are in need of a break, spend
lunchtime alone. You will be more ready to tackle the afternoon,
your head will be clearer, and you might just eat healthier.

Remember how great it was when the three year old collapsed for
a nap after instituting quiet time? Here is a last suggestion
for quiet time at the office:

Set an alarm (you may be surprised that you can fall off to
sleep easier than you expected).

Online education is becoming increasingly popular because it allows people who may not ordinarily have the opportunity to get qualifications, to do so. Those of us who work do not have the time to commit to full time education and with bills to pay, and family to look after it becomes even more difficult to fit evening courses into an already full schedule. However, an online education means you can study at your own pace and time while still earning a reputable and useful qualification.

Regardless of the area you want to study you will be able to find an online college or university that offers the qualification you are looking for. Start by looking around your local area because even online education may sometimes require personal tutoring or exams and these can’t always be done on the Internet.

Once you know the course you want to study and you have applied, it’s time to start working. An online education demands a greater level of commitment and you should make sure that you always offer the commitment that is required. You will have to do all your work off your own back in order to earn the qualification you want, but this means you should have a greater sense of satisfaction when completed.

Those who study through an online education facility have, in years gone by, struggled to receive the full acclamation for their efforts. However, reports show that executive and higher paid jobs invariably go to those with a degree or similar qualifications and employees now recognize the level of commitment and need for pro activity that is required to complete and online education course. You too could take advantage of this recognition while still retaining your current job. In fact, you could use your newfound qualification to get the promotion or pay rise that you feel you deserve.

Dana Goldberg is the editor of Inno Online Education. Find distance education courses, certificates, and degrees that match your needs and interests.

IT’S STILL A “JUNGLE” OUT THERE
… Or How US Beef-Industry Feeding Practices Are a Source of Concern

If you think about farmers raising cattle, you probably conjure up something like this happy cow scene: Mellow heifers quietly grazing on the lush grass of the rolling countryside, lazily swishing their tails at pesky bugs. New-born and young calves getting nourishment from the milk in their mothers’ teats. For us here at Grinning Planet, such images make us reminisce about our days in the Mu Alpha Mu fraternity, when we’d hang out at the Dairy Queen every Friday after class singing all the great milk-drinking songs.

But back to the dreamy visions of cow country. It seems there is a nightmarish underbelly here, and much of the nightmare centers on animal feed.

While it’s true that cows typically spend the first year or two of their lives grazing on pasture, there are two ugly facts about how “agribusiness” in the US feeds cows:

A baby cow does not typically feed from its mother’s teat, but rather is fed a bottled formula mix that contains (among other things) the blood of cows that have previously been slaughtered. Eww!

Once a maturing cow leaves the pasture for the feed lots, it is typically given a feed mix that contains slaughterhouse waste—parts from cows, pigs, and chickens that have been ground up, rendered, and mixed with grain or other feed stocks. Double eww!

Basically, those in the ranching and feedlot industries have turned cows—which are purely vegetarian by design—into meat-eaters, and to some extent, unwitting cannibals. Most people have a visceral negative reaction to the concept of cannibalism, even when it occurs naturally in a species. But in this case, the cows’ cannibalism is 100% at man’s insistence. Profit and pricing pressures are behind it—slaughterhouse waste is a cheap source of food for the grower’s operations.

Maybe you think serving up cow’s blood to calves and rendered slaughterhouse waste to feedlot cattle are shady, fringe practices. But such feedings are standard in the beef industry, and completely within current regulations. The beef industry has aggressively tried to quell any discussion of the issue, and they generally get full support from the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

Though “recycling” of animal slaughter waste may seem somewhat appealing from a waste-disposal perspective, the barbarity of these practices is enough to make one cringe. But there is an even worse problem with these methods. In the next Eco-Logical, we’ll talk about how Mad Cow Disease relates to these feeding practices, and we’ll offer some suggestions for finding beef that is free of freakish feeds.

Want more… See part II
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2003/judge-is-nuts/environmental-issue-24.htm

For jokes, cartoons, and more great environmental information, visit http://www.grinningplanet.com .

Copyright © 2003 by GrinningPlanet.com
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. Must be published complete with no changes. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

About the Author

Mark is a writer, financial analyst, web developer, environmentalist, and, as necessary, chef and janitor. Grinning Planet is an expression of Mark’s enthusiasm for all things humorous and green, as well as a psychotic desire to work himself half-to-death. Hobbies include health foods, music, getting frustrated over politics, and occasionally lecturing the TV set on how uncreative it is.

A number of notable Texas traffic and driving laws meant to improve safety on the roads and drivers education cognisance go into effect on Sep 1.

Motor vehicle operators under the age of Operators will now have a harder time getting traffic tickets elminated from their automobile operators. SB 1005 provides that if a driver younger than 25 years of age commits a traffic offense classified as a moving violation, the judge must demand the driver to complete a classroom based or online defensive driving course. In addition, if the driver holds a provisional driver license - in other words, is under 25 years of age - they must submit to a Texas DPS road test in addition to taking an offline or online defensive driving course. Failure by the driver to meet this requirement will result in a final conviction for that traffic offense.

Proof of insurance will be enforced through the new Texas law SB 1670. This law requires the Department of Insurance, in conjunction with Texas Dept. of Transportation and other authorities, to establish a verification program for vehicle insurance in order to try and trim down the amount of uninsured drivers.

SB 1257 prohibits use of wireless communications hardware (including cellular phones) for the first six months after teenagers get their driver licenses. The bill also disallows passenger bus motor vehicle operators carrying minors from using wireless communications devices, except in emergencies or when the bus is stopped. Use of wireless equipment has become omnipresent and is under suspicion of causing accidents.

Many of the items covered by these laws are discussed in the available Texas defensive driving courses offered up online and in classroom settings. Prices may vary for operators safety courses but the lower limit they can be by law in the state of Texas is $25.

About the Author

Cindy Cashman operates Official Defensive Driving where traffic tickets can be eliminated through a defensive driving online course. Go to http://www.OfficialDefensiveDriving.com to Save the time, money and hassle of attending classroom based defensive driving classes.

“Don’t Sell the Steak, Sell the Sizzle.”

Have you heard of this phrase before? It has been widely regarded as “principle number one of salesmanship” as far back as 1936.

What does this phrase mean? Selling the sizzle means making it possible for the prospect to salivate for your product or “steak”. If you are really selling the sizzle to the steak, you will be connecting with your prospect with his/her sense of smell, sight and sound. He or she will be catching the whiff of the steak cooking on the barbeque pit, see the steak oozing in juice and hear the sizzle on the pit!

This concept makes perfect sense if you want to experience fantastic sales. So if you are an internet marketer, how do you write your online ad copy or sales letter such that you can connect with your prospects’ senses? Here is a “buffet” of 10 tips on how you can sell the sizzle:

1. Let your enthusiasm show.

Be enthusiastic and positive in your sales copy. People are attracted to a sales letter that is upbeat and captivating.

2. Show your expert status.

Spell out to your prospects about how their problems can be solved through your expert advice. You should offer great value and make the customer feel that he is well taken care of, in your charge

3. Your attitude determines your altitude.

Have a good attitude by encouraging feedback and questions and answering your emails as quickly as you can. People generally want to know how much you care before they start doing business with you.

4. Have A Killer Headline.

Use killer headlines to tease and to attract your prospect to read your entire sales copy. An example of a great headline “How I made a $15,886 mistake” as it creates curiosity about the story that you are about to reveal.

5. Use the Power of Bullets.

Your sales copy should not just be a laundry list of features. Use as many bulleted points as you can to show the long list of benefits that your prospect can derive by buying your product or service.

6. Use the “feel, felt, found” method.

Handle objections with this method. It works! First, show empathy on how your prospect feels. Then, say how you or your other customers felt the same way. And then, how you or your customers found the answer to their problems by buying your product or service.

7. A picture speaks a thousand words.

Use images that help your prospect visualize about what you are selling. Sell the sizzle! A simple example to illustrate this point is to create stunning covers for your information product. The cover of my newsletter “Mapping You to Success” viewed at http://www.e-BizMap.com certainly looks yummy and easy to digest!

8. Testimonials sell!

Get testimonials from credible sources. Wouldn’t a prospect feel more tempted if your product or service is also used by some top names or gurus?

9. Go big on bonuses.

Use bonuses that have high perceived value. Value is created when the bonus is relevant to the needs of the prospect. To create the impression of high perceived value, spend some time explaining and telling your prospects what each bonus is, its worth and the “succulent” benefits they can derive.

10. Give a lifetime guarantee.

Give a guarantee that lasts forever! Make your offer as risk free as possible.

Now how do you beat the “buffet” of tips given above? Perfect your recipe for writing great copy and see your sales sizzle to the top!

Evelyn Lim publishes a free newsletter on article marketing and other online business tips. She also aims to teach small business owners skills to analyse and acquire multiple sources of online income. To subscribe to her newsletter, please visit http://www.e-BizMap.com.

Almost everyone in business knows the balancing act between the weekly work schedule and business development time is almost as challenging as walking on a tight rope. I suggest breaking your work week into focus days to work in your business and buffer days to work on your business. For many people, there is a strong desire to skip preparation and just tackle everything on the to “do list” at once. As an alternative to this method, I told the following story at the workshop to create a model for scheduling your time to be more productive in your workweek.

This past summer, the city in which I work started a major reconstruction project on Main Street where my office is located. The project called for new lighting, the addition of traffic islands with green space, new pavement and attractive new sidewalks.

I watched the sidewalk construction crew as I traveled to and from my office. Like many crews, I saw three workers hard at work, two workers leaning on shovels and a supervisor who spent a good part of the day on a cell phone. That picture is familiar to all of us.

Old sidewalks were marked for demolition and ripped from their resting places in precision attacks by a tracked excavator and tossed into a waiting ten-wheeler for transport to the landfill. Physical labor at removing the sidewalks was kept minimal while the machines did the work with little effort.

Crews took their time spreading gravel,leveling, and building forms for the concrete for the new sidewalks. They moved forward with the task, but had ample time to check the forms for elevation and size, have coffee and conduct business on cell phones. There was time to tell jokes and stories and retie slackened bootlaces.

The workers’ attitudes changed dramatically on the days that the concrete trucks arrived early in the morning when it was time to pour concrete. The whirr of the concrete mixer and the rattle of aggregate were sounds that signaled the crew for a focus day.

Pouring concrete meant no time for jokes, coffee or a cell phone call from home. It’s an all focused business day. There was constant movement with shovels and floats, quick decisions and sweat on the brow. All mental and physical energy is directed towards the job at hand. It’s not time to call it a day until the last concrete truck is long gone and the last finishing trowel is hosed clean.

If you can set up three days of your workweeks so that you are “pouring concrete”, you’ll enjoy your best year ever. Plan, prepare and focus. It’s not a new formula but one that many resist trying. Every day can’t be a pouring concrete day, but if you schedule three days a week to have your concrete pouring attitude in place, you will become amazingly productive. Try it and let me know how it works for you.

Doug Emerson is a business trainer, consultant and coach who helps clients earn more profit in less time using 8 key stragegies. He writes a free weekly electronic newsletter called Getting to the Point. Free subscription at homepage on website http://www.douglasemerson.com

For women searching for breast enhancement solutions, there are
generally about three options. The most popular breast
enhancement options include: 1. Plastic Surgery 2. Breast
Enhancement Pills and 3. Padded Under Garmets. Each of these
breast enhancement options have strengths and weakenesses.
Following is brief overview of the top three breast enhancement
options.

1. Plastic Surgery/Breast Augmentation: Breast Augmentation
involves surgically placing implants, mostly silicone, behind
each breast in order to increase volume and improve shape.
Breast Augmentation can be performed at any age after the
breasts are developed. Breast augmentation is the fastest way to
achieve breast enhancement, however, nearly 64% of women regret
having breast augmentation surgery. Common complaints include
burning, heaviness, scarring, unnatural feel, leaking, pain. The
high cost also is prohibitive.

2. Breast Enhancement Pills: Breast Enahancement Pills are a
tricky bunch. Many companies are just plain selling crap, that
simply doesn’t work. The most common complaints include weight
gain with no actual increase in bust size. Breast enhancement
pills can work, but studies show in concert with other methods.

3. Padded Undergarmets/Filler Cups: The old standbys. Padded
bras and filler cups are good for an instant fix and gererally
works great under clothing. You can also put them on and take
them off at your will. The problems are that you do have to take
them off , you can’t wear them in a bathing suit and you don’t
get the permanent change that you really want.

There is however a third and very effective option. Studies have
shown that breast massage coupled with the proper herbal
supplement can increase breast size without the negative side
effects of bad herbal breast enhancement pills.

Breast enhancement is a very personal choice. It is also a very
universal desire of millions of women. Nearly all women want the
nice, firm breast of their youth. There are very few options
that will provide that. Cost and safety are two main barriers
preventing many women from getting what they want. Breast
enhancement options must be looked into very seriously and very
carefully. However, they do exist for the determine woman.

No matter who you are or what you do, a proper fitting back pack is a must have. There are hundreds of different styles of backpacks today. You can buy a day pack, travel pack or baby backpack. If you need packs for your children, you can buy a school backpack. Busy professional? No worries. Why not try laptop backpacks, computer backpacks or notebook backpacks. You can even buy skateboard backpacks and picnic backpacks thanks to the wide range of styles available.

A back pack is only as good as it’s fit however. You may have the right pack but the wrong fit. This is a recipe for disaster! Why do you need to fit your pack? An ill fitting pack can result in short term and long term back pain and injury. Who is most at risk? Children! Did you know that 40 million children will wear back packs every year? Many of those put too much in the pack or sling a pack over one shoulder. Those are definite no nos!

Tips For Proper Fit
After you buy your back pack, you should make sure it fits properly. Here are some tips to help you establish a good fit:

Buy a pack with wide, padded shoulder straps. The thinner the straps, the less comfortable. You are more likely to wear a pack incorrectly if it is not comfortable.

Make sure the straps are long enough. You may need a pack with extra length if you are very tall.

Never put more weight in a pack than you can comfortably carry. You should carry roughly 15 percent of your weight or less in a pack. Any more and your posture will change to accommodate the weight load. This can result in back strain and injury.

Position your pack low on your back. You should never wear your pack too high. This can increase shoulder and neck pain.

Adjust the hip belt correctly. Your pack should rest right above your hip bones. For smaller packs, the hipbelt serves as a bounce reducer. It helps keep the pack comfortably in place. For larger packs, the hip belt also helps distribute the weight load more evenly.

Use both straps to carry your pack. This is a must especially for children, who have a tendency to fling their pack over one shoulder. Using just one strap increases the amount of back pain and discomfort you are likely to experience.

Typically if you are able to stand up straight and comfortably when using your pack, you have a good fit.

How To “Pack” Your Sack
Most people mistakenly believe they should place the heaviest objects they need to carry in the bottom of their backpack. This is not the case. You need to try to distribute weight throughout your pack. Most heavy items do best toward the middle of your pack, closest to your back. If you place too many heavy objects toward the top or outside of your pack, your posture will shift to accommodate the added burden. Don’t forget to secure the hipbelt to help distribute the weight of your pack more evenly.

When packing your sack, always place your “must have” items toward the top of your satchel (provided they aren’t too heavy). This will add much convenience to your life. You don’t want to grab a quick snack or sip of water only to find your water bottle buried under a day’s supply of socks, towels and underwear. Convenience is key.

If you have a lot of bulky items to carry like a pot or pan, be sure to pad them well. You can wrap them in your clothes so they don’t stick out and irritate your back while carrying them.

Don’t forget to put any products that might leak, like lotions or gels, in small zip lock bags. Nothing is worse than a day of hiking only to find your lotion spilled all over your change of clothes!

Remember, a back pack is the number one multi-purpose carry all. Even if you are a business executive you’ll find a sack much more comfortable than a traditional suitcase, especially when fitted properly.

About The Author:
Antigone Arthur is a successful freelance writer with 10 years of professional experience providing consumers with informative articles on such topics as backpacks, Dana design backpacks, and discount backpacking equipment.

Every gadget that comes along these days can’t be without the latest technology buzzword, Wi-Fi. For those who don’t know, this allows a device to connect to other compatible devices without the traditional mess of wires by using a radio connection. Nintendo’s hand held console, the Nintendo DS, is no exception to this.

And why have they done this? So you can play Nintendo DS games online for free. There are a number of Nintendo DS online games available including Mario Kart that let you pit you gaming skills against other DS gamers all over the world.

On its own the Nintendo DS has a wireless range of only 30-100 feet so you can only play with other gamers who are close by. But in November 2005 Nintendo launched a service called Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection that lets you connect to other DS’s over the Internet. Not only that, but this service is free!

How can you connect to this free service? Well, you can do this using one of several different methods. First off, Nintendo have set up a network of wireless hotspots in public places such as cafes, libraries and they have arranged a deal with McDonalds to set up hotspots in some of their restaurants.

You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home to access Wi-Fi Connection. If you have access to a wireless router you can you can set up your Nintendo DS to connect to other gamers online. There is room on your Nintendo DS to configure and store up to 3 of these connections.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a wireless router. You can still play Nintendo DS games online with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection if your PC has a broadband connection. All you need is Nintendo’s USB Connector. This plugs into your one of your PC’s USB sockets and doesn’t even require you to set up the connection like a wireless router does.

With an ever growing list of online games your Nintendo DS has become the gateway to a whole new gaming experience you can share with others all across the world.

Thomas Heaney is the webmaster of Nintendo DS Gamer and has been playing video and computer games in one form or another since he got his first computer, a ZX Spectrum back in 1984.

“I changed my mind.”

These are four of the most powerful words in the English
language. They can prevent you from being manipulated into an
undesirable outcome and launch you on the road to personal and
spiritual growth. Depriving yourself of the freedom to change
your mind will lock you into a rigid mindset that can hamper
your successes and your development.

Early in life you may have been led to believe it’s not good to
change your mind. There are numerous words with negative
connotations associated with those who do change their minds:
fickle, indecisive, hesitant, unsure, wavering, erratic or
wishy-washy. You’d much prefer to be known as steadfast,
decisive, confident and sure.

Skilled manipulators use this near-universal conditioning
against you every day. For example, how many times has a
salesman asked you, “Are you in a position to make a decision
today?” Once you agree to this proposition, you’ll feel pressure
to “make a decision today,” and buy the product, even if you
have reservations. After all, if you don’t buy, you’d be
indecisive.

But this is not what changing your mind is all about. Changing
your mind means that after thinking about the subject or after
gathering more complete information, you came to a different
conclusion - a better and more informed decision. This is not
being indecisive. It’s being logical, prudent and wise.

What would happen if you weren’t allowed to change your mind?
You’d be forced to believe the sun revolves around the earth.
Your evolution on every level depends on your ability to
assimilate new information and “change your mind” as to what it
means and how it applies.

Psychologists call the unease you feel when you hold two
conflicting opinions cognitive dissonance. The theory is that
you will be unwilling to simultaneously hold two apparently
contradictory beliefs in your mind and will attempt to modify
one or the other to minimize the dissonance or conflict.

If you told the salesman that “you would be in a position to
make a decision today,” and yet, you feel you need more time to
gather additional information and think it through, you are
experiencing dissonance. The skilled salesman will use your
cognitive dissonance to push you to a buying decision today! If
he lets you think it over, you may not make the purchase or may
buy from someone else. Ever buy a new car after talking to only
one dealer?

Imagine what would happen with instances of more deep-seated
beliefs. You think so-and-so is the best candidate, the finest
restaurant or the fastest car. To complicate matters, also
imagine that you are on record as publicly stating that
so-and-so is the best candidate, the finest restaurant or the
fastest car. You have invested your “credibility” in this
belief. What happens when new evidence comes along that
contradicts this deep-seated belief? You immediately discount it.

Not only do you have the dissonance associated with trying to
hold two contradictory beliefs in your mind simultaneously, but,
even worse, if you accept the new idea, that might mean the
first one was WRONG and you’ve lost your invested credibility!

How would most people handle the situation? Most people don’t
like being wrong, so they would either ignore the new idea or,
even worse, come up with all sorts of counter arguments as to
why it’s wrong. In extreme cases, they may outright lie to
others and to themselves, just to avoid the cognitive
dissonance. To an independent observer, this appears totally
irrational. To a student of human behavior, it is understandable.

As mystics, we’re after the truth. So if it turns out the second
idea is more accurate, serves us better, or is otherwise
superior to the first, we owe it to ourselves and to others to
accept it, at least until a better idea comes along. We may be
forced to utter three words that are even more powerful than “I
changed my mind”:

“I was wrong.”

Being able to admit a mistake is a sign of humility, which is a
prized mystic virtue. It does not mean you’re a doormat or that
you are subservient to somebody else. Changing your mind after
gathering more complete information and thoroughly thinking
things through is a sign of being logical, thorough, thoughtful
and wise. Your prime allegiance is to the truth, regardless of
where it originates.

There is tremendous freedom in uttering these powerful words.
Your cognitive dissonance vanishes. You don’t have to expend any
energy defending the idea of “being right.” You are free to
pursue the truth without baggage.

Once you get into the habit of allowing yourself to say “I
changed my mind” and “I was wrong,” you will experience newfound
freedom. You will have taken 7 powerful steps towards the mystic
virtue of wisdom. You will have also added the foundation of
another mystic virtue: detachment. We will discuss more mystic
virtues in future newsletters.