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What is the most valuable use of your time, right now? Whatever
it is, work on THAT. Your ability to discipline yourself to work
on those few tasks that can make the greatest difference in your
life is the key quality that makes everything else possible for
you.

Imagine that you are going to receive a $100,000 bonus at the
end of the month if you can work on your highest priority items
every minute of every day. How would you change your behavior
and what would you do differently?

You must continually ask yourself, “What activities in my life
can I cut back on, delegate, or discontinue to free up more time
for my most important activities?”

Your most valuable asset in life is your earning ability. Your
ability to work, to produce, to earn money in our competitive
economy by applying your brain and ability to your world enables
you to generate tens of thousands of dollars each year.

If you want to increase your standard of living, you must
increase your earning ability through a systematic and
deliberate process of learning and practicing new skills and
abilities.

What will you absolutely, positively have to be excellent at
doing three to five years from now for you to continue enjoying
your current or an even higher standard of living?

Regular planning assures that you spend more time on activities
of higher value. This increases your effectiveness and your
efficiency in everything you do. Perhaps the most important rule
of all is for you to “Think on paper!”

Impose a sense of order on your life by making a detailed list
of every single thing you have to do for the foreseeable future.

Analyze your list carefully and set clear priorities on the
items before you begin. Never give in to the temptation to clear
up small things first.

Discipline yourself to work only on those activities that have
the most significant impact and influence on your life. Get them
done quickly and well. Once you develop this habit of planning
and prioritizing, your stress level will decline, your
productivity will increase, and your career will take off.

“I have found that one of the most effective means of helping
people achieve a *successful* personality is to… give them a
graphic picture of what the successful personality looks like.”
–Maxwell Maltz, Psycho-Cybernetics (1960).

As you continue to “Think on paper”, you increase the ability to
*see yourself* in the new improved way. It is simply a
re-enforcement to strengthen whatever areas of your life you
want to get better at.

Most people want to have more abundance in family time,
financial security, spiritual peace and a general freedom to
just do what comes most natural.

Your journey to succeed is hard work and fruitful work for sure.

Don’t sell yourself short and limit your true potential.

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”
– Dr. Robert Schuller

Well … here is your chance to convert all this *stuff* into
reality.

Start Thinking on Paper!

Try a Website for Free, no money involved—Read this Article
first before starting your website! 2004-09-01

Have you browsed the internet and wondered about if operating a
website is for you?

Do you have limited funds and wish you had enough money to start
an online business?

Do you have the time to learn about creating a website that
costs absolutely no money?

Do you have time?

For most, time is the most precious commodity that we possess.
As an employee, manager, or owner of a business, a person is
paid according to what is accomplished during that time the
person is actively working. And, when most people are pressed
for time, they may find it hard to imagine starting a business
with what little time they do have. Over and over, week in and
week out you manage your time based on the pursuit of money used
to pay for your and possibly other people’s existence; this is
the drive to provide for one’s family. Everywhere you look on
the internet, the marketing experts keep feeding people with the
practically get-rich-overnight website business programs.

‘I’ll turn your website into a money-making machine within 3
months’

‘Get listed #1 in search engine directories, Guaranteed!’

‘You will learn never before heard of tricks for unlimited
traffic to your site!’

These are just a few mock examples of headlines that I have seen
while promoting my websites on the internet. I have found that
most of these offers always cost you money to find out the FREE
SECRETS that will make your website the best on the net.

DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF SIGNING CONTRACTS BEFORE YOU READ
or RESEARCH WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING.

I read where one expert tells you to NEVER accept to be an
affiliate of another company unless you are paid at least 25% of
the sales; then, I see the same expert pitching an add for an
affiliate program that pays the expert only 10% of the sales.
This contradictory fact makes me weary of doing business with or
buying something from an expert that contradicts some of the
FREE SECRETS the website is selling for $199, Guaranteed! If you
take the TIME to read through ALL information provided by
websites, you can discover the little secret without paying them
for anything, remember it’s free.

Some web hosting companies offer website programs that can run
from $99 up to $2500 or more in start-up costs, and then hit you
with the $20 to $30 a month hosting fees. In other words, if you
go into business based on your emotions and not all of the
facts, you could wind up spending a lot of money making the
marketing expert or hosting company a nice residual income. It
seems most of these sites are banking on the majority of its
customer base to fall by the wayside and quit, while the monthly
fees keep rolling in to the experts bank account because of the
contracts that were signed by webmaster dreamers. Granted most
of the dream is smoke being blown from advertising experts or
online ‘gurus;’ be very careful because like most experts say ‘I
am just an ordinary person like you and now I have the Time to
do what I want because my sites work even while I am not
working!’ Who can resist the urge to SIGN UP NOW because by next
year the person is independently wealthy! Nice Dream Isn’t It?
Don’t bite! Learn to take the time to read everything first and
it will teach you what is best for your own situation. Then if
you have the time and the money for it, by all means sign up but
never do it after only reading part or a little bit of a
website. READ IT ALL, it will save you time and money. Written
by eRix © 2004-08-26 Permission to Reproduce in Entirety.

Problems people have with internet business

The problems most have when creating and establishing their
presence on the world wide web are:

1. Thinking they can achieve high income with little or no
investment in a short time- Somehow this myth is still believed
even today. It is propagated by scam artist that tell you they
got X amount of dollars just by doing a simple thing in a couple
of weeks. AND for a price they will show you how to also. What
many of these actually do is sale the information, give you an
affiliate site, an E-book, a software program, or something of
that sort and advise you to do the same. Let’s face it, those
that do this are not serious. They are chasing a desire with no
foundation. ANY business requires investment of money and time,
and as your presence on the web is your website, then this
should be as professional as you can afford or have the ability
to create and/or edit. If you want to do it yourself, OK, but
expect to spend quite some time in the ‘learning curve’ mode of
trial and error.

2. Failure to have their very own domain- Many think a website
is a website is a website. They have one given to them by their
ISP and consider this as the platform to use for their business.
These are called ‘home pages’ and they do not know or refuse to
think that the fact that search engines will not accept them
applies to them. Homepages are used by internet surfers to find
and give information about other members of the ISP family they
have in common. They think that their homepage will be given
more attention by their ISP than those that pay for the
advertisements at the ISP landing site, or those from ‘General’
searches on the internet. As far as the internet considers them,
they do not exist anywhere except at the ISP server, which is
the truth.

3. Using their home PC location as their business site- This is
what the ‘hackers’, ad-ware and spammers are looking for in
order to do what they do. You should keep your home PC as far
away from this sort of problem as you can. The way to do this is
by getting your site ‘hosted’ and using your associated
‘web-mail’ as your ‘firewall’. Only use your personal e-mail
address for friends and relatives. Even still, there are
‘Trojans’ that will ping your home PC’s IP and attack you from
the web. You will need to put up a firewall, install a good
anti-virus program and anti-ad ware ( or spy ware ) program that
will screen any attempts to attack you to load upon your
starting your PC and monitoring as long as you are connected to
the web. The average time it takes to be attacked on the web is
about thirty seconds from the time you access it using any
browser.

Once they have corrected the above, many still fail due to their
lack of the investment of time. The internet has spoiled people
with it’s speed, the promise of instant returns, and it’s volume
of growth. It has also made people think they are invisible from
others by the use of ‘nicknames’ ,etc. People hide behind this
curtain and think they will be taken serious. IF you can not use
your ‘real’ name than who will take you or your business
serious? When was the last time you purchased something from
(not a real e-mail address) ‘beerbelly123@yahoo.com’?

On the average, it will take at least two years to show a
profit, if you really work at it and follow a business plan. Can
it happen earlier? Yes, but on very rare occasions ( the odds
are better winning the lottery ). Just getting your site listed
on the major engines takes weeks, months or longer, if they will
list it at all. People get discouraged and either give up or
blame the product or services they are offering INSTEAD of
themselves. They do not want to admit that an internet business
is NOT for them. They instead cry and moan and blame everyone
else for the lack of achievement. The sign of being an adult is
that you can admit to yourself and others that you fail, take
measures to correct the problem and move on. You have to know
what your abilities are or are not, don’t try to achieve your
internet goal by doing more than you really understand. You can
get into BIG trouble very easily by being over zealous and
letting your desire outweigh your common sense. This is why we
have plumbers, electricians, programmers and other various
occupations in life. You can not do it all yourself or think you
can do the same quality of work as someone with expertise in the
field. If you don’t know how to do something, ask for and get
sound advice from an expert in the field before you attempt it
yourself, or even if you should.

More money is being made on the internet today by selling items
on E-bay or other on-line ’stores’ than by associate websites.
Is there still a ‘niche’ for associate sites. YES, but these
type of programs take an even longer period of time to establish
‘downlines’, and the pay-outs normally come from the paid
associates you sign up or refer after a certain dollar amount
has been reached. The secret to associate programs is getting
sign ups and training them to do the same. Don’t worry about the
‘time wasters’ that always have an excuse for not doing things
themselves. There are no free rides and everyone must do their
part for all the achieve their goals with an associate program.
However, when done correctly, an associate program will produce
income with many making a good living doing so today. Find one
you like and stick with it and it will pay off for you. You will
still want your own website with a link to you associate
programs, never advertise your associate program directly. If
you do change programs, all the time and effort you have spent
is lost and you will have to start all over. Get your site
established and the content will take care of your programs.

Set up a budget and time-table. Stick to it and don’t put things
off. Once you get a schedule, then the couple hours in the am
and/or in the pm doing your promotions is all you need to do.
Spend other time doing research, getting training or advice on
what you want to achieve next. THE INTERNET IS ADDICTIVE.
Knowing when to get off is just as important as anything else.

Always remember: Never invest more than you can afford to do
without. Any business is a gamble and most that make it on the
internet have done so by many failures, overcoming them and
moving on, trying not to make the same mistakes over and over.
Example: I would love to have a Rolls Royce but can not afford
it. Instead I own a Chevorlet. I own three vehicles, with each
being paid off before I purchased another. It is better to own
than to rent ( the modern buzz word for renting is leasing ).
However there is a catch. The more of a down payment you make
the less your monthly payments are, so make as large a down as
you can afford but don’t borrow to do so.

Invest wisely, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on
programs or tools for your website and it’s promotions. What you
should look for are ‘packages’ of tools of various types, each
that will do certain things for you. Example: Use a good e-mail
program for your ‘newsletter’ such as ‘Infacta’ and not rely on
auto-responders to do all the work for you. Use ‘networked’
submitter programs instead of going from site to site submitting
your domain’s url. There are so many ways you can do things on
the internet and you have to determine which avenue you want to
use. As your income increases, roll over your profits into ‘
up-grading’ existing programs instead of getting new ones, until
you can afford more.

If people purchase a package of internet tools from me, I will
give them on-line, live training on them, if they so desire. Not
only did I spend the time to learn the programs myself, their
proper application and what to expect in return, by using them
and checking the results over a period of time ( as we often
expect more from something than it is designed to deliver ), I
also have taken a course called ‘train the trainer’ so I could
learn how to train others correctly. This course cost me money
and time to complete. It taught me methods and presentations.
The subject can change, just like your website and it’s content.

I am amazed at how many enter this training that do not know how
to ‘re-size’ a window on their PC, how to copy and paste, etc.
Every set of windows comes with a tutorial on how to do the
basic functions, or you can take classes. They just don’t want
to take the time to learn or practice enough to become able to
do what they need to do in order to do things correctly. They
are in way over their heads and are not really serious, instead
they are ‘time wasters’ for the other’s in the class.

In other words, do your homework, be prepared and the test will
be a snap. Don’t expect to get a one hundred on every test.
Maybe in your studies you put more emphasis on the wrong things
and the test asks for answers to questions you thought did not
pertain at the time. Learn from your mistake, re-study and
re-take the test. This works both ways however as a test result
also shows the teacher how well they have presented the
information how well the students understood the subject. A lot
of poor results means the wrong approach was used and the
students just aren’t getting the message correctly and will have
to be re-done.

DEFINITIONS:

WORK and PLAY. These are the two most important words on most of
our lives. The first makes the second possible but you should
devote time to both. Other than your family, they are what is
really important in life. Keep them both in proper prospective
at all times.

LIFESTYLE: This is how you live with what you have left over
after all the bills are paid. This is what you want to increase
by your work or you internet business.

Robert Nixon

With ugg boots originating from Australia with at least a
century of proof, you would expect this to have a simple answer.
It has. But why then is the buying public being tempted into
buying a US product largely manufactured in the Far East? Ugg,
Ug or Ugh boots have been a hit in Australia for as far back as
anyone can remember. They’ve warmed the feet of our drovers, our
World War I pilots, our shearers, our surfers and the general
Australian public. Enterprising Australian’s warmed to their
global value and have been exporting them at least as far back
as the 1960’s with this increasing in the 1970’s.

There is an increasing public misconception that there is only
one brand of ugg boot. This myth has been enlarged by the
volumes of misinformation being published on the Internet and
advertising bordering on being misleading.

As is common with any good idea, new businesses crop up and old
businesses are bought out by other businesses intent on making
an even bigger dollar. The ugg boot phenomenon is no different
with various US based companies seeing an opportunity in more
recent times. Such was the opportunity for one of these
companies that they have launched a worldwide marketing campaign
promoting the Australian ugg boot. However, just as the “cowboy
boot” is imbedded in US culture, the “ugg boot” is imbedded in
Australian culture. No amount of marketing can take that from
the Aussies who have used the term “ugg” and “ugg boots” (and
various spellings) in their generic form whilst selling them
both within and outside Australia for years. More than a century
of use validates this with one of the longest surviving
manufacturers hailing from the east coast of Australia with
their founding year being 1933.

The global spread of ugg boots gathered pace in the late 1960’s
when the surfing fraternity realised just how warm they were.
Surfers, by their very nature were itinerant, chasing the
world’s best waves, so along with their surfboards, they took
their humble Australian ugg boots. Such was the popularity of
ugg boots in surfing circles that manufacturers and retailers
advertised in major world surfing publications with zest. A look
through Yellow Page directories during those decades yields
dozens of manufacturers all selling uggs.

In Australian culture, there are several variations on the term
ranging from uggs, uggies, etc. through to ugz and uglys. Just
why they were called uggs has remained a bit of a mystery. There
are two main schools of thought;

1) ugg was derived from the term ugly because the original boots
were little more than two pieces of sheepskin stitched together
with a soft sole and weren’t exactly pretty, or

2) ugg is derived from the term “ugh” meaning a groan of shock
or horror. Either way, these definitions show just why the
general public either love ugg boots or hate them. Fashion
aside, most people who purchase ugg boots end up being addicted
to them forever because they perform one most important and
basic function mankind needs and that is to keep warm.

Based on history, we can say real ugg boots come from Australia,
are Australian made by different manufacturers and from genuine
sheepskin. Next time you wish to purchase genuine uggs then you
need to confirm they are in fact made in Australia. Importantly,
don’t let tags or business names fool you. Just ask where they
are made or read the fine print. Often the “Made in China”,
“Made in Macau” or “Made in somewhere other than Australia” tag
is hard to find! I wonder why?

Copyright © 2005 Michelle Jansen Website: Aussie Things
(http://www.aussiethings.com.au)

Time is running out and you haven’t found the right gift for
that special someone yet. Giving cash is completely out of the
question. What do you do?

First of all calm down. You cannot think in a paniced state of
mind. Second, sit down and pull out a pen and paper. This
article will walk you through the process of how to find the
right gift with less than a week.

There are three keys to finding the perfect gift. 1. A few days
to shop around 2. Plenty of gas 3. Good knowledge of what the
recipient wants

When choosing a gift remember that the rule of thumb is to give
them what they want. Avoid choosing a gift merely because you or
someone else wants them to have or use it. Have your recipients
taste in mind. Think of items that are compatible with that
person’s lifestyle.

Do your research. Take time to consult with their friends and
get advice not only on an item but its quality, brand name and
manufacturing. Your recipient like most of us is brand
sensitive. Therefore although the product falls in the category
of what is liked or needed remember to find out what brand the
recipient prefers. Simply ask a friend or relative not only what
they’d like but what brand they prefer.

Although when shopping for a gift it’s best to start early,
perhaps weeks or months before presentation, you can find the
right gift right under your nose. Pick up newspapers and
magazines articles to familiarize yourself with who’s selling
what and when. Take note of out-of-season items on sale. Make
good use of coupon books and vouchers. By in bulk if you plan on
giving the same item to several recipients. Consider how easy it
would be to gift-wrap the item. If that’s just not possible tie
a bow around it and put it in a flashy gift bag.

If time constraints prevent you from being able to shop around
consider ordering you item online and having it shipped
overnight. Print out the receipt, white out the cost. Copy the
receipt and tie it with a bow or place it in a greeting card. If
your item is large and you’re concerned about damage consider
giving a store issued gift card instead.

Store issued gift cards are not only time savers but they offer
the recipient the option to shop for the item they really want.
It is essential to know what stores your recipient likes to
shop. For that reason store specific gift cards may not be the
preferred gift for some. The simple solution is giving them a
prepaid debit gift card.

Mark Askew, founder of Prepaid-Gift-Card.Fima
rk.net, says, “Debit gift cards are gaining wide appeal for
those who want to please and save time and gas shopping for
friends and family. Debit gift cards allow the recipient to shop
for what they like where they like and when they like.”

The value range of Prepaid Debit Gift Cards is from $25 - $500,
while other card issuers allow amounts up to $2999. The card
comes with a special activation code and while some can be
redeemed for cash at ATM’s other cannot. If the full amount is
not spent by the expiration date the remaining balance is mailed
to the recipient or originator.

Debit card issuers now offer ways to personalize the card with
the individuals name embossed on the front face. Other companies
such as Home Grown Greeting Cards at GreetingCards.Fimark.n
et offer custom made greeting cards with the recipients name
on the front and a personal message printed inside. The greeting
card also has an extra page with a gift card insert pocket for
gift card insertion.

If time is of the essence and you have little opportunity to
discretely find out what it is your recipient really likes or
where they prefer to shop prepaid gifts cards are the best last
minute solution most recipients enjoy receiving.

With over 2 million real estate agents according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), becoming a successful real estate agent takes more than just a license and a knowledge of current laws and regulations.The first year drop out range estimated to be from 40% to 80% demonstrates that many real estate agents are not as successful as they could be and research suggests that 90% give up after 3 years. The following 7 tips may help you avoid becoming one of these statistics.

1. First and Foremost YOU are a business.
   Real estate agents work for a broker, but are independent, commissioned sales people. This means that you are a small business and must run your practice as a business. Again, remember you are a small business owner.
2. Embrace a Planning Attitude
   If you don’t have a plan, then you are on some else’s plan – usually the successful real estate agent’s. During the last 10 years, what I have learned as a performance improvement consultant or coach is that most people place more value in planning a trip to the grocery store or a vacation than planning their lives either professionally or personally.
3. Research Your Market Plan
   Since you, as the real estate agent, are responsible for your own expenses, do your research specific to your marketing plan within your strategic plan. Time spent in constructing your marketing plan is definitely well spent. NOTE: Remember a business plan usually is data driven, while a strategic plan identifies who does what by when.
4. Establish Sales Goals
   Using your strategic plan, establish sales goals. If you are new to this industry, it may take 6 months before the first sale. HINT: Use the W.H.Y. S.M.A.R.T. criteria for goal setting.
5. Create a Financial Budget
   Budgeting is critical given the up and down of this volatile market place. Your financial budget should plan for your marketing costs, any additional costs such as education and your forecasted income.
6. Make Managing Yourself a Priority
   Building a business is not easy. You must learn how to manage yourself especially in the area of time management, ongoing real estate training (continuing education units) and personal life balance. Real estate is said to be a 24/7 business much like any small business. However, it is important not to lose sight of your personal life including family, friends, physical health, etc.
7. Find a Mentor or a Real Estate Coach
   Going it alone is not easy. Take the time to find a mentor who can help you steer through some of the known obstacles and help you during the “peaks and valleys.” If you have the resources, you may wish to hire a real estate coach or an executive coach who specializes in small business help and sales.

Being an incredible sales person and entering the real estate market does not guarantee similar sales success. However, these 7 tips may help you avoid many of the pitfalls by not being one of the four real estate agents who quit within one year or one of the nine who give up after 3 years.

Leanne coaches individuals, small businesses and large organizations to double performance in warp time. As The Small Business Coach, Leanne shares the Secrets of Success and provides a free monthly newsletter. Please feel free to contact Leanne at 219.759.5601 or visit http://www.processspecialist.com/

If you truly don’t believe doubling your results is possible, read some case studies where individuals and businesses took the risk and experienced unheard of results.

One quick question,if you could secure one new client or breakthrough that one roadbloack, what would that mean to you? Then, take a risk and give a call at 219.759.5601 to experience incredible business results.

1. There IS an incredibly simple way to lower Lottery Odds.

2. The odds in, for example, a 6-49 lottery are 1-in-13,983,816.

3. Play all 49 lottery numbers – and you are GUARANTEED to have
one ball correct. And it only requires 9 games. Even the 59-ball
New York Lottery only requires 10 games.

4. Win just one ball guaranteed correct, your Lottery Odds have
now fallen from 1-in-13,983,816 to 1-in-1,712,304 – A reduction
of over TWELVE Million! And all this with a technique that takes
5 minutes and costs under $10.

5. The most probable lottery result has three odd lottery
numbers and three even lottery numbers (33.3% of the 13,983,816
combinations are of this type)

6. A lottery result with no consecutive numbers occurs just over
1-week-in-2 on average (50.5% of the 13,983,816 combinations are
of this type)

7. Your lottery results can be boosted using games with three
high lottery numbers and three low lottery numbers (33.3% of the
combinations are of this type)

8. The most probable lottery result will have no lottery numbers
from the previous week (43.6% of the 13,983,816 combinations) or
only two lottery numbers from the previous week (41.3% of the
13,983,816 combinations)

9. Constructing your games using these rules – and using all the
numbers in your lottery – is the simplest, easiest, quickest way
to improve your lottery results.

10. A 49-ball lottery has been used as an example – but the
concept applies to all lotteries, with just slight changes in
the percentages. In the Lottery, it’s true that anything is
possible – but some things are more probable than others!

During the holiday season, time is a prized commodity and the
preciousness of family is (hopefully) paramount in our minds.
How is it then that we get so carried away with things that are
not of lasting significance? I wonder too. Are you ready to make
a change? Let’s tackle this now and relax sweetly into the
holiday season while visions of sugarplums dance in our heads.

First, take some time now to discuss with your family what you
truly want out of the holiday season this year. Perhaps it is a
good time to introduce or reinforce the original meaning of
Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate). Maybe this is the
year your family breaks the cycle of overspending and chooses a
simpler holiday that involves more time with family and friends.

For instance, I know one family who chooses to give three gifts
to each child for Christmas representing the three wise men’s
gifts at the birth of Christ. The other giving that is done is
to those less fortunate. The focus in this family is on the
original meaning of Christmas - the celebration of the birth of
Christ and enjoying time with loved ones.

Another way to get more significance out of your holiday is to
create and enjoy some family traditions. Do your children look
forward to certain things each holiday? A few of my children’s
favorite holiday traditions include making a gingerbread house,
baking Christmas cookies, watching Christmas movies by the
fireplace and decorating our Christmas tree while drinking hot
chocolate and listening to our favorite Christmas CDs. Childhood
memories themselves are a precious gift to give our children.

Here are some ideas in case you are looking for some new
traditions to start:

* Go Christmas caroling with your friends or neighbors * Roast
chestnuts over an open fire

* Make Reindeer food (dry corn, glitter, bird seed) and have
your children scatter it on the lawn on Christmas Eve

* Make Christmas ornaments to keep or give as gifts * Attend
church service on Christmas Eve

* Have everyone put on their favorite PJs and drive through town
to view Christmas lights while singing (or listening to) your
favorite Christmas songs.

* Go to a Christmas play or to a live nativity scene.

In addition to family traditions, here are some other ideas of
holiday significance your family can try:

* Adopt a needy family or elderly person to brighten their
holidays.

* Take cookies to a nursing home and have your children sing
carols.

* Sponsor a child in another country for the holidays and beyond
at: http://www.compassion.com.

* Deliver homemade goodies with a smile to the homeless or those
less fortunate.

* Invite single neighbors or friends to holiday activities.

* Work in a soup kitchen feeding the hungry.

And for gift giving, celebrate less gifts and more substance
with these ideas:

* Give coupons for free childcare to a couple that could use
some time alone.

* Give “gift certificates” for a hot meal prepared by your
family. * Draw names instead of purchasing for everyone in your
extended family. * Give to a charity on behalf of a family
member. Check out: http://www.charitygiftcertificates.org/ and
http://www.justgive.org/.

* Help hungry families feed themselves at:
http://www.heifer.org/

* Make gifts with your children such as: - Frames, flowerpots,
art, self-portraits, family photos and more. Visit these sites
for ideas: http://familycrafts.about.com/ and
http://www.kaboose.com/

* Have a silly (White Elephant) gift exchange instead of buying
presents. Ask everyone to bring something from home that is no
longer wanted and needs a new home. (The sillier / funnier the
better.) When everyone gathers, draw numbers to see who picks a
gift first. Follow in order until everyone has a gift. The
person whose turn it is can choose to take a gift already opened
instead of choosing a wrapped gift. If so, the person whose gift
was taken gets to pick a new wrapped (or open) gift. Continue
until everyone has had a turn. Just remember whatever your
family chooses, choose to create lasting and warm memories that
you and your family will cherish for a lifetime. Our families
and our time together are precious!

Shop at a flea market in Oaxaca, Mexico. Trade with a vendor in
London, England. Or sport your wares to collectors in Geneva,
Switzerland. You can virtually do just that when you shop or
sell goods at an online auction site. You know those global
auction Web sites, the ones that allow you to bid on thousands
of items against millions of other competitors. Sure, they allow
you to expand your world and uncover cool knickknacks from
around the world. But these very same sites also open the door
to you getting ripped off by someone four thousand miles away.
More than 8 billion dollars were spent on auction sites in the
last three months of last year, but how many dollars were lost
along the way?

Aside from these global auction sites, there are the LOCAL
classified sites that are transforming the Web into the spot for
neighborhood shopping. These local classified sites offer
convenience, selection, and low prices that would expect to find
online, along with the safety and privacy of local shopping.
Best of all, you can feel good about buying from–and also
selling to–your neighbors.

Wheel and deal on collectibles, vintage clothing, sporting
goods, even real estate-all with people you know and trust in
the comfort and privacy of your living room or study. The
benefits of these local classified sites don’t stop with these
intangibles. They have concrete advantages, such as:

Spontaneous delivery. Package deliver in your neighborhood may
not be instantaneous, but you definitely won’t have to wait two
to six weeks if you buy something locally.

What shipping? You can agree to drop off or pick up the sale
item at one of your homes, or meet at a convenient
middle-of-the-road spot. You also won’t need to worry about
finding those shipping peanuts under your couch, your sheets,
and in your fridge two months later.

No frazzle. Tracking codes are supposed to help you locate your
packages in transit, but sometimes they can be more of a
headache-especially when they don’t help find your lost package.

A friendly face. Local classified sites let you meet the person
whom you’re doing business with. Of course, you control if,
when, and where this happens.

The test drive. Whether you’re dealing with a car, a mattress,
or a tennis racket, you can actually touch and try out your item
before you put down cold hard cash. For sellers with product as
promised, that makes closing the deal that much easier.

Simple switcheroos. Local shopping opens up the possibility of
refunds and exchanges if you and the person you’re doing
business agree.

More ample assortment than auctions. Imagine buying a
refrigerator or a couch at an auction site. Then imagine
receiving that package at your door! Not very realistic, right?
These sorts of purchases and sales, though, become a definite
possibility with local online classifieds.

No tax tests. You open a can of worms buying and selling across
national and international borders when it comes to taxes. Who
owes what? And whom? Local commerce simplifies the whole issue,
if taxes are applicable at all.

A step ahead of scams. Knowing whom you do business with,
face-to-face transactions, simpler lines of communication-these
qualities of local classified sites all reduce your risk of
getting with shysters and scam artists.

A stronger community. Shopping around your hometown not only
gives you a warm, cuddly sense of community. It also provides
the practical economic support that keeps communities and
businesses vibrant and healthy.

So there you have it. There are no losers when it comes to
online classified sites that allow you to do your shopping
locally. Buyers and sellers enjoy an old-fashioned sense of
community, while enjoying the high-tech benefits of convenience,
safety, and comfort that come with Web shopping. Let those
auction risk takers have their Oaxaca, London, and Geneva.
You’ve got your Houston, Texas

Have you ever heard someone say – sometimes for years – “I’ve
always wanted to be a school teacher,” or “I want to have my own
business some day”?

This is a very different statement than the person who says, “I
intend to have this new business up and running within one
year.”

If you haven’t heard that last sort of statement much, it’s
because it usually doesn’t come out in casual conversation,
where vague dreams are bandied about. It tends to show up in
actions, such as a business plan, a spreadsheet, contracting
with a coach, making an appointment with an intellectual
property attorney, or selling an asset to build capital to
endure some lean months.

There’s a crucial difference between “willing to do something”
and “wanting to do something.” Of course it reminds us of the
term “willpower,” which means you are managing yourself toward
an outcome. Your “will” is what you use when you are putting
pressure on yourself to accomplish something and directing your
behavior, with focus.

It’s also when you don’t want to do something, i.e., we talk
about dieting taking will power. Willing to do something
requires a thought-process and then a chain of action-events. In
Emotional Intelligence, we call the thought process that
precedes this determined action “Intentionality.” Now let’s take
a look at the difference between “willing to” and “wanting to.”

DEFINITIONS

Willing to - Used to express determination, insistence,
persistence, or willfulness (I have made up my mind to go and go
I will); used to express inevitability. Shows Intentionality.
Used to express a command, exhortation, or injunction, or
commitment to act in a certain way to make something happen.

Wanting to - To desire something, to have a strong inclination
toward it, to wish for something. Implies no action or intent.

COMPARISONS

You’re determined to what it takes vs. You may not take any
action at all

You make it happen vs. You hope it will happen

You expect it to happen and will participate in making it happen
vs. You wish it will but do nothing about it

EXAMPLE

Nels went after the promotion at work. He was determined to make
it happen, and used his Intentionality. He made sure others knew
of his contributions. He worked hard on his emotional
intelligence. He did the necessary politicking, and he thought
continually of what else he could do to make it happen. He
consulted with his EQ coach for guidance. He made it his goal
for an entire year to make this happen. He took extra training,
and enrolled in a night college course that fleshed out his
curriculum vitae. It is small wonder he was given the promotion,
and a bonus.

Eduardo wanted the promotion at work and figured that his work
and good record would be obvious to those who would be making
the promotion. Aside from that, he didn’t know what else he
could do but wait and see. He had a good record, got along well
enough, and had been there a long time. Even though he’d never
been given a promotion, he hoped this would be the time, that
time would be on his side, and he did nothing out of the
ordinary to make it happen. He mentioned to his wife he’d like
to get the promotion, and she gave him some ideas, but he
ignored them. He mentioned it to a friend, who suggested he hire
a coach. Eduardo ignored this good advice. He just kept hoping
it would happen, as year after year went by. It became a case of
“wishful thinking.”

KEY POINT

“There is a big difference in wanting to and willing to.” ~ Bear
Bryant, Coach, University of Alabama, Roll Tide!

BENEFITS

Willing something to happen means you are using the Emotional
Intelligence competency of Intentionality. You mean what you say
and you say what you mean, and you do what it takes to bring
about the results.

RELATED DISTINCTIONS

Doing vs. Trying Focus vs. Vagueness Steering vs. Drifting
Swimming vs. Treading Water