Students Of Success

When you take your leave from work you do not have to take out your pension at that point in time. As an option, you may choose to suspend acquiring an annuity until the mature old age of seventy-five years old & if you do so you may find you will get a greater deal. It’s called income drawdown.

When you are aged between 50 and seventy-five years old you are entitled to defer the purchase of your retirement annuity from an insurance firm. Instead, you are able to draw as much as one-hundred-and-twenty percent of the retirement fund that could have been originally purchased using Government Actuary rates, & leave the remaining capital protected until you want it. On your part, all you have to do is to guarantee that you get a pension annuity by the time you get to seventy five.

Although, what would take place if you wished to take the income draw down selection, & then passed on? If this did occur then your surviving spouse or those legally responsible would have three options: either accept a lump figure, take away tax at thirty five percent, or alternatively keep on going with income removal, or procuring an annuity pension with the investments. Your present other half has until they get to sixty to postpone the acquisition of an annuity, but no benefits are authorised to be given in the meantime.

Why opt for income drawdown? Well above all because it could result in you earning a more profitable retirement salary from your current pension by doing so. Secondly, you can choose exactly when you want to purchase the pension annuity, hence if you retire at an occasion when the annuity rates are low, waiting could be a wiser decision. If the residual investments increase as expected, then together with the reality that annuity rates mature with age, you may ultimately be able to obtain an improved pension than you might have received originally.

Furthermore, also means that when you depart this world your significant other or those legally responsible are supported economically, because they are lawfully entitled to the outstanding assets, as stated above.

There are hazards subsequently though. If investment performance on the remaining stocks & shares is below par, the level of retirement income payable may plummet. And it is essential to be aware that there’s no guarantee that the pension obtained will in the end be higher than the full amount that could have been purchased at the beginning. First Place Financial has more info about Income Drawdown. Visit the website today.

Why is goal setting important? Because without goals you don’t go anywhere!

Whenever you see anything worthwhile being done anywhere, it’s because someone is behind it with a passion, a belief and a goal!

When it comes to your personal life and your business, goal setting can make the difference between mediocrity and excellence and accomplishment.

Much is said about goal setting.

But just how do you set and accomplish goals?

Is there some goal setting formula or strategy that can be employed to increase your chances of success?

Thankfully, YES!

What follows is a blueprint for success in goal setting.

The Goal Setting Blueprint

STEP 1. Develop a DESIRE to achieve the goal. The desire must be intense. How do you intensify desire? Sit down and write out all the benefits and advantages of achieving your goal. Once the list goes between 50 and 100 your goal becomes unstoppable.

STEP 2. WRITE your goal down. Once it goes into writing it becomes substantial and starts etching itself into your subconscious.

STEP 3. IDENTIFY 1) the obstacles you will need to overcome, 2) the help you will need to acquire, e.g. knowledge, people, organizations. In each case write them out in a clear list and analyze them.

STEP 4. DEADLINE your goal. Analyze where you are now in relation to the goal and then measure how long you will reasonably need to complete the goal. Then set the latest outside date.

STEP 5. Take all the details of steps 3 and 4 and make a PLAN. List all the activities and prioritize them. Rewrite the list, optimize it, perfect it.

STEP 6. Get a clear MENTAL PICTURE of the goal already accomplished. Make the mental image crystal clear, vivid in the mind’s eye. Play that picture over and over in your mind.

STEP 7. Back your plan with PERSISTENCE and resolve. Never, never, never give up even when you hit setbacks.

Follow those steps religiously and you will be successful at goal setting.

DANGER - You can read this and think, “That sounds interesting. I must try that sometime”.

Notice the title of this article - “Goal Setting: The Blueprint”.

What is a blueprint? It can refer to a negative used in photography for architectural plans, maps or mechanical drawings. It can also mean a detailed plan or program of action.

SO - Take these 7 steps and rewrite them on a card or in a notebook for frequent reference. Keep them on your computer in a note on your desktop.

Use the 7 steps as a BLUEPRINT. Keep checking your goal against the 7 steps frequently to measure your progress and keep yourself on track.

Then and only then will this article make a difference to your personal and business life.

Now the question is, what goal are you going to set today?

What goal can you set for your business which is going to lift it to new levels?

What goal setting are you going to implement in your personal life which is going to have a positive effect on you and your loved ones?

Take some time now and THINK about it!

Then? JUST DO IT!

This goal setting overview is the first part of a 20 minute goal setting tutorial. For more information on each of the seven steps outlined above, go to:
http://www.about-goal-setting.com

Get the Best Quality Pills like Viagra - Offshore Online Pharmacy

E.D (Erectile dysfunction) is a large disgrace and has been a main setback for people misery from it. People suffering from Erectile Dysfunction often feel guilty and dejected in life. No need to worry, this is very much a treatable disease. With the advancement in the field of medical sciences, there is treatment available for ED just as for any other disease. Erectile Dysfunction is described as a medical condition in men, characterized by the inability to achieve or sustain enough erection to successfully indulge in a sexual intercourse. The permanent or persistence form this ailment is known as impotence. The probability of getting affected from this disease increases as the men grow older.

VIAGRA is the first FDA-approved pill and world’s #1 prescribed drug for erectile dysfunction (ED). It has helped about 16 million men with ED around the world improve their sex lives.

Viagra works by improving a man’s response to sexual stimulation, increases blood flow to the penis, and allows him to lead a normal sex life.

The use of these drugs is quite easy and can be taken orally or injected directly into the penis. Viagra has been one of the most successful drugs and is available only by prescription. It is very popular for its long lasting affects which may last for around 36 hours after taking the dose. You can also buy cheapest Viagra, Cialis and other similar drugs from the certified online pharmacies along with attractive offers. Here, it comes with free online consultation from doctors and the reviews from the existing users.

Your business can’t go according to plan if you have no plan.

What do you want to achieve this year? More new customers per week? Higher average order amounts? Better customer service ratings? No matter what it is you are shooting for, goal setting is one of the most important things that you will do in the New Year. I’ve got a few tips to help you get there.

1. Keep it Challenging but Realistic.

Any goal that you set for your company should be challenging but don’t over do it. For example, if you had an average order amount of $700 last year, you wouldn’t want to set your goal for this year at $3000 per order. Unless you make drastic changes in how your company runs or what you are selling, that goal is just not realistic. You know best what you may be able to achieve in your particular industry, so be honest with yourself and set your goals accordingly.

2. Write All Your Goals Down.

You may say to yourself on January 1, “I want to get 20 more new customers per week this year.” A few months later you will be saying “Did I say I wanted 20 or 30?” Or more realistically, you have forgotten that you even made that goal. If you have all of your goals written down you will be able to not only go back and check them, you will also be able to go down the list every few months and check to see how many of them you have completed.

3. Assess Your Current Situation.

To set goals you have to know where you are at right now. In 2003 I wanted to assess our customer service rating so we sent out a survey to all of our customers on which they could rate us in each department of our operation. That helped us establish our base. Now we send the survey to every customer after every order. This way we can keep track of how we are doing and if there is ever a hiccup we can fix it quickly. Don’t assume anything. Always assess the current situation before setting a new goal.

It’s Only Going to Hurt A Little…

Now, in financial goal setting for your business, one invariably comes to the question: “How do I decide on a budget when starting a marketing plan?”

This is obviously the first question that you have to answer in order to get started on your new campaign. And in order to reach the income goals you have set for yourself.

So how do you figure out what your budget should be? Here is an easy method to help you find a number that is going to work for you and your business. Some might say that it is a good rule of thumb, but I personally judge things on whether or not they work and get results. That’s all.

Moving on… Start with the amount of income that your company generated last month and multiply it by .14 (or 14%). That means that if you had $50,000 in Gross Income last month you should budget to spend $7000 on marketing in the next month. Wait… I know, it sounds painful but it is just like a shot at the doctor. It might hurt for a minute (or in this case a month) but down the road you are going to be glad that you went through it. Putting that much toward the right marketing will bump up your income the next month and start you on a cycle of steady growth.

I know that some businesses run tighter than others and it is possible that you won’t be comfortable with that amount in the beginning. Don’t misunderstand me, any marketing is better than no marketing. Don’t get discouraged if your budget is lower than 14%. But use 14% as the ideal to strive for because, for me as well as many other growing businesses, it has proven to give the best rate of growth possible. How do I know, you ask? My company has expanded 400% in the past 2 years. Now picture your business at 4 times its current size… There’s that smile I was looking for!

The growth of your business is based on three factors; quality products, great customer service and the proper amount of marketing. If you know you have the first two taken care and you still aren’t experiencing healthy growth then you need to take a serious look at your marketing budget.

So sharpen your pencils, start calculating and decide how rapidly you want your business to grow.

Please take a moment this week to sit down and decide on your goals for the New Year. Even if it is past the New Year and even well into the year, set your goals for the rest of the year.

Everything is easier when are working towards a goal. My goal is your success and I assume that is your goal as well.

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she’s sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at http://www.postcardmania.com

Copyright 2006 Red Ladder, Inc.

It is June, and the we’re almost half-way through the year. Like most people, you probably took inventory at the beginning of the year and made plans and goals for the year. Yet, the experts say that 30 percent of the people who make New Year’s resolutions have given up by Feb. 1 and over half will concede defeat by July.

Why does this happen? It happens because a resolution, by definition, is simply the expression of an opinion, will or intent. It is not a goal. Resolutions also tend to be very vague. Example: “This year I resolve that I will get a better job” or “This year I resolve to be a better person.”

Let me give you an analogy. In some ways, a resolution is like the canvas of a tent, while the goals are like the poles and stakes. You can’t expect to raise a tent without the poles and stakes to support it. Likewise, you can’t expect to fulfill on a resolution without having goals to support them.

Using the tent analogy, those that are truly successful in raising a tent have probably also reviewed a list of instructions that told them in what order to complete specific tasks. In our resolutions and goals example, this would be the action plan. The action plan is the roadmap that will tell you what needs to be done and when to do it in order to achieve your goals and fulfill your resolutions.

Use this five-step process and you can beat the odds and achieve the success you deserve!

1. Analyze what you wish to accomplish. Think about what is most important to you. Look at where you are today and determine where it is you want to go.

2. Identify your key objectives. Rank-order them, and limit yourself to no more than three. (Five if you must.)

3. Create an action plan. This is where you say, “Here’s what I plan to do and here’s how I plan to do it.” This must be written using SMART goals, which are “specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.” Ex. Resolution: I will lose weight this year. SMART Goal: I will walk for 30 minutes three times a week beginning on February 1.

4. Prioritize your plan. This is where you say, “Here’s the order that I plan to do them in.” Use the 20/80 rule and focus on the 20% of the tasks that will produce 80% of the results.

5. Implement your plan. This is where you say, “Here’s how I will put my plan into practice.” Then do it! This should include a regular review and celebration process. Weekly is best but no less than monthly.

If you follow these simple steps, you will not only to be able to accomplish your goals, but keep your New Year’s resolutions! Good luck!

Regina Barr is a management consultant and speaker who helps companies develop strategies to attract, develop and retain women leaders. Sign up for her FREE Ezine, Developing People…Inspiring Success at www.RedLadder.com .

For those holiday makers that have never been on a safari in South Africa can find it difficult to imagine the awesome wildlife you can come up close with. The folk who come to a walking safari are regular holiday makers like you and me, some are into taking wildlife photos, some holiday makers are into wildlife but all of them are interested in a new terrific experience. Safari Holiday in Africa will leave you excited and with alot of photos.

The eye-opening thing about a walking safari is the fact it is so different from a normal holiday to Spain, there are very little kids. Each walking safari organisation will supply an English speaking safari guide to take you through the unbelievable areas of South Africa. The most popular wildlife you might see are wolves. The aforementioned breathtaking animals are not tame and of course don?t scare them. If you are interested in taking photos of the hippos you should make sure you turn off the flash as you do not want to scare them. The awesome animals in Southern Africa may put a smile on your face.

If you would like to discover more about wonderful holidays in South Africa you will probably use the search engines to see a company that offers safaris from the UK, the costs can range from 300 pounds to 600 pounds.

Everything is in flow here in Northern Michigan. Buckets of water have flowed off the snow-covered roof. That water, along with the melting snow banks is finding its way down the hills to my driveway. I no longer walk to the mailbox, I wade. The maple sap is flowing too. Drive by a good stand of sugar maples and you’ll see them all connected with plastic tubing, ultimately leading to the sugar house where the steam is rising. And the creek in my backyard is bursting over its banks.

In the 14 years I’ve live on the creek, it has taught me many lessons. One of the most important is the nature of flow.

Flow is not always the shortest path. When the creek encounters resistance, like a rock, a downed tree or the dam the beavers are building just down stream from me, it does not go through that block. The creek is not concerned with keeping the path short. It goes around, over or underneath the resistance as a way to stay in flow. Yes, over time, it wears down the resistance, but that’s not its primary concern. So like the creek, when we take the path of least resistance, we too flow. The creek is always moving toward lower elevations, downhill, rather than fighting the uphill battle. Image how wonderful it could be to reach your every destination without effort.

We’ve all experienced flow in our lives. Athletes call it being in “the zone.” Those that meditate talk about being in the gap, the space, between thoughts. As my friend Dave “We all know when we are in flow. Everything is effortless. We’re on purpose and we have total alignment between our vision and values. And we’re taking right action to move forward, focused on the now. I think we’re in agreement that if feels pretty darn good!”

Whether we are standing in a creek or we are experiencing flow internally, it does feel pretty darn good. And we are better able to take direction based on “hints.” The more we are not flowing, ticked off, disappointed or frustrated, the more we tend to grab for reason and logic. Reason and logic might save us in an emergency, but they never move us. These “hints” I call intuition. And when I’m in flow, I hear the hints.

Is your vision something you mentally design and, if done right, leads to flow? Perhaps. But it might take more than a few tries to get it right. I like to believe that vision is something that comes to you when you are in flow? My suggestiongo stand in a creek!

About The Author

Deb Martin is a Transition Coach, coaching individuals to simplify life and business transitions by seeing their brilliance and honing that brilliance. Subscribe to my free e-newsletter, PORTAGE, for insights designed to help you feel and act differently in order to attract what you want, naturally. Please visit my web site at: http://www.portagecoach.com

deb@portagecoach.com

Top Ten methods to never achieve your goals:

1. Be really vague about it. Do not get specific about what you want to achieve.

2. Keep it a secret. Never tell a soul about your dreams for the future - not even yourself.

3. Hang around people who also aren’t going for their goals. Success is contagious, so stay away from anyone who has clear goals and a plan to achieve them.

4. Never, EVER write down your goals. The mere act of writing down your goals is a giant step toward achieving them, so this is a big no-no.

5. Listen to all your fears and doubts. If you accidently find yourself moving toward a goal, quickly give in to your fears and doubts - after all, fear is stronger than you, right?

6. Give up the instant you are faced with an obstacle. Any obstacle is a sure sign that you should not proceed with your goals.

7. Take the advice of anyone who thinks your goals are ill-advised / impossible / improper / wrong / crazy / unaffordable / naive. Everybody knows that cynicism is more realistic than imagination.

8. Never, EVER take a risk. Stay in your comfort zone, it’s much safer.

9. Do not start anything until you are 100% sure of the outcome. Wait until all conditions are “perfect” and you know exactly how it will turn out.

10. See unexpected results for what they really are: failure. Not all results will be what you wanted and therefore you are a failure and your life is a failure. You may as well give up now.

Follow these simple rules and you can settle for anything!

Here are two new and FREE resources for you…

Get coached for free from the comfort of your computer. Click this link: http://www.successandsatisfaction.com/Virtual%20Coaching.htm

The web’s best site for success. Free membership here:

http://www.successandsatisfaction.com/Success%20Net.htm

About The Author

Sarah Pond, Life coach believes passionately in success - Yours! She knows that you have a life purpose and that when you tap into it, you will have all the resources you need to create extraordinary success. Sarah loves coaching people to “Build your best life, from the inside out”.

Check out her great self-development resources, including free stuff at www.successandsatisfaction.com

Nothing gets done unless an action is completed. Everything we do is an action step. Of course some are so routine they don’t really need to be written down or remembered. They are simply habit or ingrained in our daily lives. Wake up. Go to the bathroom. Say your prayers. Read the sports section of the newspaper. Take a shower. Brush your teeth. Get dressed. Drive to work. Do you have these tasks written down in your planner? Of course not. But they are still action tasks. You don’t get cleaned until you wash up. You don’t know how the Phillies did last night until you read the sports section.

The trick to moving forward and accomplishing goals, dreams and completing projects is, you guessed it, action steps. Let’s say your goal is to bill a million dollars. How are you going to do that? What steps are necessary to achieve this goal? Working from the goal itself backward to today you might list these steps to bill one million dollars: increase sales staff to 10 people, train new sellers, hire new sellers, interview candidates, schedule interviews, review applications received, advertise sales openings, call newspaper for ad rates/info. This example clearly shows what steps need to be taken to reach the goal. And most importantly it tells us what the very next action step is - call the newspaper for ad rates and placement info. Do you treat your projects this way?

Taking the time to identify your projects, goals and dreams and then breaking them down into bite sized steps will help you become more productive. Let’s talk about planning your business goals.

Mike Shannon is the owner of Shamrock Business Coaching, a coaching practice that helps business owners increase profits. You can visit Shamrock Business Coaching on the web at: http://www.ShamrockCoaching.com.