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Have you ever found yourself on a Friday afternoon wondering where the week went? Staring at your goals (you do have goals written down, right?), frustrated that you didn’t make as much movement toward those goals as you hoped?

Do you ever feel like you spend all week in meetings or dealing with little problems that never result in the cash you need to come into your small business?

Do you ever feel like you don’t have time to market your small business?

There is a simple and obvious solution that I’ll bet you’re not doing.

Pick one day per week and refuse to schedule meetings or take phone calls on that day. Stay at home if you need to.

I like to do it on Monday. People have so many problem on Monday that work themselves out by Tuesday. But they treat them as emergencies on Monday.

Instead, lock yourself inside, and spend about an hour reviewing your goals and planning the next action each goal will require. Then spend the rest of the day actually DOING STUFF that will help you reach the goal.

You would be amazed at how much you can get done in one uninterrupted day.

This week, Jim and I wrote a new 70 page ebook in one day.

Most people could never dream of writing 70 pages of information. Especially not in a day.

But if you plan to be undisturbed, then hold yourself to it and actually do what you planned, you can move mountains.

Of course, the most important job you can have as a small business owner is small business marketer.

So I recommend you take a day off a week and spend it on nothing but marketing. You will be amazed by the results.

Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller are the authors of “The Ten Tall Tales Of Traditional Advertising That Cost You Tons” and their newest release, “The Small Business Owner’s Guide To The Galaxy: Jim & Travis’s Super-Stellar, Out Of This World, Step-By-Step Guide To Generating Leads, Attracting Customers and Making Sales.” Get FREE small business marketing tips, shortcuts and secrets - RIGHT NOW - at http://www.GravitationalMarketing.com

You’re the boss, and you have every reason to feel good about your organization.

You’ve built a great team.

You’ve put strong players in every spot.

You have clearly defined procedures for every part of the business.

You have incentive, safety recognition, and bonus programs.

But something doesn’t seem quite right.

Somehow, there seems to be a sense of unease. You can’t put your finger on it exactly, but you know it’s there. It’s what you wake up at 2 a.m. worrying about.

What are the symptoms?

Well, it’s not that precise. It’s the little things. Like, well, you spend too much time monitoring your workers - checking time sheets, correcting behavior problems, and dealing with attitude problems. People seem to be “doing their own thing” instead of being a part of a team.

Sound familiar?

It should, because getting optimal team performance is a common problem for business owners, from the largest corporation to the mom and pop business. Building a strong team provides the foundation for good performance, but that is only part of the process. As the manager, you need to encourage behaviors that create positive business results.

A powerful tool for encouraging these behaviors is the use of targeted positive reinforcement within a well defined performance management system. Much has been written about the use of positive reinforcement in recent years, but many managers and business owners still struggle with how to apply it appropriately. One reason many people do not get the results they hope for is a misunderstanding of how reinforcement strategies really work.

Much more than “pats on the back”, “atta-boys”, and “warm fuzzies”, the effective use of positive reinforcement strategies in a structured performance management system relies on knowledge of your business systems, understanding the effect of specific employee behaviors on business results, and precisely targeted behavioral reinforcements.

Creating a strong performance management system starts with understanding why people do what they do.

One model of explaining human behavior says that an individual’s behavior results from the consistent pairing of antecedents (situations or events just prior to our behaviors) and consequences (situations or events created by our behaviors).

For example, we enter a dark room and flip the light switch to “On”. We do this because we expect light to be the result. Darkness is the antecedent. Light is the consequence. If we enter a room and consistently get no light by flipping the switch, we resort to some other behavior (light a candle, carry a flashlight, etc).

While this sounds simple enough in the example, in practice, it is often more difficult when we apply it in the workplace.

The key is to identify the behaviors that produce the desired business results; then create consequences for employees that will reinforce those behaviors. Any consequence that encourages a behavior to repeat is a positive reinforcement.

But there is a subtlety that is very important. We can encourage behaviors, but we cannot enforce them. Many companies try to enforce appropriate behaviors rather than encourage them.

Enforcing requires a high degree of supervisory input and nets only minimal standard performance from employees, but encouraging requires minimal supervisory input once the system is in place, and it usually results in superior performance.

One way to achieve a consistent pairing of results (consequences) and behaviors is accomplished through a targeted improvement process much like the processes advocated by ISO, QS, and TQM management systems. The steps in this process are:

- Identify the behaviors that create the desired results

- Measure the results of the behaviors

- Provide feedback to employees

- Positively reinforce the effective behaviors

- Evaluate the choice of behaviors and measurements - iterate to improve selection

As business people, we should all know that human behavior drives business results. Our daily behaviors create the results that either help or hurt our businesses. Learning to encourage behaviors that grow the business can make the difference between success and failure.

Copyright 2005, Guy Harris

You may use this article for electronic distribution if you will include all contact information with live links back to the author. Notification of use is not required, but I would appreciate it. Please contact the author prior to use in printed media.

Guy Harris is the Chief Relationship Officer with Principle Driven Consulting. He helps entrepreneurs, business managers, and other organizational leaders build trust, reduce conflict, and improve team performance. Learn more at http://www.principledriven.com

Guy co-authored “The Behavior Bucks System TM” to help parents reduce stress and conflict with their children. Learn more about this book at http://www.behaviorbucks.com

If you want to start negotiations in a winning position, then you need to prepare like a tiger. That means you must pay attention to 7 crucial areas.

1. Check Whether You’re In A Negotiating Situation. A negotiating situation exists when you are in any communication or problem-solving situation with others that can work out to your advantage. If there is no advantage to you, then don’t negotiate; you’ll only lose. As Sun Tzu, the author of “The Art of War”, said hundreds of years ago, “Engage only when it is in the interests of the state; cease when it is to its detriment. Do not move unless there are advantages to be won.”

2. Clarify Your Aims. Your overriding aim in any negotiation is to achieve the objectives you and your constituents have set. There are other aims, such as getting a good deal and improving your relationship with the other side. But getting what you want is tops. Always keep this aim firmly in your sights and don’t stop until you get it.

3. Gather Information. Once you know you’re in a negotiating situation, you need to gather information about the other side’s offer and use it to refine your own. Many negotiations come unstuck simply because one side or the other doesn’t listen, or check, or take the time to clarify exactly what the other side are offering, or indeed what they themselves are offering. This means that throughout a negotiation you should do tons of listening, clarifying and checking. And when it comes your turn to put over your case, you should use every skill you can muster to make sure they understand.

4. Negotiate With Your Own Side. It is rare to go into a negotiation only representing yourself. Usually you negotiate as a representative of others, your constituents. Part of your preparation for negotiations has to be spent getting the best mandate from your constituents. Aim to get the support you need; the trust you need; the resources you need; the understanding you need; and the freedom you need.

5. Get A BATNA. A BATNA is your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement and is the only certain way to be successful in negotiations. By preparing for negotiations with one party by sounding out an alternative deal with another party, you get walkaway power. It means that, even if the alternative isn’t quite what you want, you are still prepared to go there, if need be.

6. Prepare The Setting. There are five questions to ask yourself when preparing the setting for a negotiation. They are: Who? (ie who is to take part and do what?); Where? (ie our place or theirs?); When? (ie what is the time scale?); Why? (ie what are we negotiating about?); and How? (ie how are we to present our case?).

7. Prepare Yourself Mentally. The right attitude towards negotiations is the principal difference between successful and unsuccessful negotiators. Getting into the right frame of mind before you begin should be part of your preparation plan.
* aim to be tough, business-like, alert and unyielding
* don’t feel you owe them anything - don’t be a bowl-beggar
* don’t put yourself above or below them
* stay relaxed and unhurried
* don’t reveal your feelings at any point.

There is no guarantee that good preparation will lead to success in negotiations. But the chances are that poor preparation will lead to failure. Don’t take that risk. Pull out all the stops to get a head start and you won’t regret it.

(c) Eric Garner, ManageTrainLearn.com.

If you enjoyed this article, why not sign up to our FREE 10-day Leadership Skills e-course? All you have to do is send a blank email to leadership@freeautobot.com and you’re under way. For lots of other FREE training resources, visit our website at ManageTrainLearn now.
Manage: to get it right! Train: to stay on top! Learn: to be a success!

Leadership can be a very challenging task. As leaders we don’t always get to choose who is on our team. In fact very often a leader inherits a team, of which most of the members have been there far longer than the leader, and may even know more about the work than the leader. Whatever the situation, one of the responsibilities of a leader is to motivate the team to all work together towards the common goal. This can be a daunting challenge. So often the team is comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics are also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. The leader, not only has work with this group of people, but also needs to achieve the results expected by their superiors.

Leaders can great benefit by being able to identify the types of personality characteristics of team members. By understanding the basic personality types, the leader can use individual strengths of members for the good of the team, as well as assign tasks that individual team member’s naturally excel in. A leader can also learn to communicate in a way that is motivating, by taking into account the needs, values and working preferences of different team members.

A good leader will see the greatest results by working and utilizing the strengths and working style characteristics of the personalities on the team. By correctly positioning the individual member strengths and compensating for weaknesses, the leader can bring the team into a productive balance and harmony.

A brief overview of the different values and working styles of the four main personality types demonstrates the importance of this knowledge being part of the successful leadership toolbox. The four types of personality will be described using the colours Gold, Blue, Green and Orange.

The strong Gold employee takes work and responsibility very seriously. Gold personalities want to contribute, be part of the team, and to be successful and productive. They respond well to recognition, rewards and incentives. However Gold team members need well defined responsibilities and structure, firm expectations and timelines as well as being reassured from authority that they are on the right track.

The strong Blue personality needs an open, social atmosphere to be able work well. Relationships are very important for them, and they need the freedom to be able to nurture relationships with coworkers, customers and employers.. Conflict and intense competition are painful for a strong Blue, but they will thrive in a positive, creative, service orientated atmosphere.

A strong Green personality is more noted for expertise rather than people skills. They are excellent working with facts, data, research and analytical projects. Greens shine in their ability for designing, understanding complex systems and strategy. Facts are of utmost importance for the Green, but they have a weakness for routine follow through and are somewhat insensitive in social interactions.

Orange team members are noticeable by their energy, skill and creativity. A key factor for an Orange is the freedom to be able to use their skills and abilities. If there is too much structure, or their boss is very authoritarian, the orange personality feels blocked and does not function well. Orange personalities like people and work well in a spirit of teamwork, competition and camaraderie. They are action orientated, though and become impatient with prolonged talking and detailed administrative tasks.

A leader, by knowing the colours of his team, can use this knowledge to blend the team members into a unified, well coordinated picture poised for success. By facilitating each team member to function in their areas of natural strength and motivating them by communicating in a way that inspires harmony and team work, the leader is well on the way to achieving extraordinary results.

Barbara White is the President of Beyond Better Development. As a speaker
and author, Barbara brings her passion and expertise in href="http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/seminars.html" rel="nofollow">leadership development to work with people to help them grow towards excellence in their personal and professional life.

For more href="http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/articles.html" rel="nofollow">leadership and teambuilding resources.

Owing a freight brokerage business can be very rewarding and profitable. But as a freight broker, you know that your business is very cash intensive. Your drivers depend on you to be paid on time. However, clients can take up to 60 days to pay for their loads.

So you end up caught in the middle. Caught between drivers that need cash now and clients that want to pay slowly. The math does not work. And unless you have a nice cash cushion in the bank, something has to give.

Trying to get a business loan won’t help. Banks only give business loans to companies that have a great history and solid track record. But what if your track record isn’t great or if you are a startup? What if you have no history but have a great future potential? If that is your situation, your financing will need to come from another source- a factoring company.

Factoring companies are experts at financing businesses with little past history but great future prospects. Basically, the factor eliminates the 30 to 60 days it takes to get your freight bills paid. With factoring, you get your freight bills paid in about 2 days. That gives you the cash you need to pay drivers and meet other business expenses.

Factoring is flexible and grows with your company. As opposed to having arbitrary limits like business loans or lines of credit, factoring limits are driven by your sales. The more you sell, the more financing you qualify for.

Here is how factoring works:

1. You submit a copy of your freight bills to the factoring company

2. The factor advances you between 90% to 98% of your freight bills (sometimes they hold a small reserve)

3. Your get immediate use of the funds. The factor waits to get paid.

4. If the factor held a reserve, the reserve is rebated as soon as your customer pays the freight bill

Factoring costs are driven by three variables: a) monthly financed volume, b) your customer credit worthiness and, c) how long the freight bill goes unpaid. As a rule of thumb, rates go between 1.6% to 3% per month, depending on these variables.

Factoring freight brokers is a specialty type of factoring and not all factoring companies offer it. However, those that do will help you succeed beyond your expectations.

About Commercial Capital LLC
Are you a freight broker or trucker? We can provide you with cost effective factoring financing through our freight broker factoring program. For a free quote, please call Marco Terry at (866) 730 1922.

Extraordinary Leaders are those who understand that in order for the
organization to grow and make the maximum impact that it can, the leadership
base in the organization must grow first and grow strong enough to hold the
growth. If this does not happen, the organization will either not grow or
will grow and then crumble because there is no solid foundation of
leadership. The effort to multiply leadership must be ongoing and
purposeful. Here are some ways to get your leadership base growing strong
and wide!

1. Get Current Titled Leaders Growing in the Right Direction. If you want to
increase the level and effectiveness of your leadership right now, then the
first thing you should do is start with those who already have a title of
leadership. You will find that many of the people you have as “leaders”
really aren’t leaders at all so you have your work cut out for you! Sit down
with your leadership team and let them know that you are going to be pushing
them to grow in the area of leadership. It is imperative that the titled
leaders get on board. If they don’t or won’t, then they have to go. No
effective organization can continue with dead weight in leadership positions

2. Establish a Plan of Action for Leadership Development. Once you have
decided to move forward with leadership development, you need a plan. I
would suggest a one-year plan of reading and activities. I am currently
taking a group of 17 people through a 12-month (one meeting per month) plan
of leadership development. Each person has to read the required book for the
month. Each person takes responsibility in a given area. Each person will
give a verbal presentation to the rest of the group on an aspect of
leadership. They are accountable to another person in the group for their
development. This is the plan of action. If you need help setting this up,
feel free to contact me and I can help.

3. Identify Untitled Leaders. You also want to identify the leaders you have
who may not necessarily have a title of leadership. Know this though, they
are leading! They are influencing the direction of your company or
organization. They are leading and influencing others. Find out who they are
and invite them into the official leadership process. How do you find these?
Here are a few ways: Notice at your meetings who the other people look to
for their opinion. That is the leader. Ask people who they think has
leadership potential. A few names will come up over and over. They are your
leaders. Ask people to tell you who has the most influence outside of the
titled leaders. Again, a few names will come up over and over. They are your
leaders. Now, get them on board with you!

4. Develop a Culture of Leadership. Call your leadership development group
something like “Emerging Leaders.” Get t-shirts made up. Have special events
for them. Get them involved. Honor their commitment and growth. Above all,
let it be known throughout the organization that you value leadership
development and you are willing to invest in people that way. Not only will
you invest in them, but you will honor them and make it fun too!

5. Enable Leadership Attempts: Let them Try, Let Them Fail. This is where
most groups fail. They will let people try, but they won’t let them fail.
Once they fail, they take responsibility away from them again. Leadership
development must be a long-term commitment and this means you will have to
put up with some short-term failures. As you do, the leaders you are
investing in will be growing and learning how to do it right in the long
run. Those are the people who will grow your organization for years.

6. Establish Mentoring: Watch Me Do, Do with Me, Do Alone, Teach Another.
Get the current leaders to teach the newer leaders. Have them take people
along to do their everyday activities. Invest time in them, developing the
relationship while they see how it is done. Then let them do some of the
work themselves while you are there. As that gets better, then it is time to
let them do it by themselves. Tell them you can’t make it that day but they
can go make the meeting without you. Once they have mastered the task, have
them turn around and mentor others. This way you are developing more and
more layers of competent, Extraordinary Leaders!

7. Show the Benefits: Both Individual and Corporate. The fact is that people
will do those things tat will bring them benefits and rewards so go all out
to show them what they will get from it as individuals and as a group. Show
them that leadership development will help them make more money, have better
relationships with co-workers and have better job satisfaction. Show them
that leadership development will show itself in all areas of their lives,
not just at work. Show them how the whole organization will grow, become
more efficient, accomplish the goals they have established and really make a
difference in the world around them. Show them the benefits and you will get
their hearts for leadership!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn
their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams.

To see Chris “live” at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on
the subject of Secrets of Influence go to
http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

When we first begin working toward a goal, we are filled with passion, fire and excitement. We feel invincible and we just know that we can accomplish whatever we desire. We take off running toward our goal, determined to make it happen, and we know we CAN make it happen.

Then we begin to encounter some obstacles. We may struggle through a few of them, but then we begin making excuses for not working on our goals. Perhaps we lose interest and get overwhelmed with daily activities. Before we know it, our goal has been placed on the “back burner” and we are no longer working toward it. Worse, maybe we no longer believe that we CAN make our dreams a reality. What happened? In my own experience, there are four key ingredients to making your dreams come true.

Why - What is your reason for wanting this particular goal? Let’s say your goal is to buy a house. Ask yourself why you want that. Your answer may be something along the lines of, “Because I want to own my own property rather than paying rent for the rest of my life.” Okay good. But why? What does it matter if you own your own property or pay rent? Your answer might now be, “Because I want to have the house paid off by the time I retire, so I don’t have to worry about paying rent or a mortgage payment on a fixed income.” Great! But why? What will that do for you? Keep asking yourself WHY, and writing down your answers until you get to the “meat” of your desire. Once you have a clear desire in mind . . .

Believe You Deserve It - many of us struggle with low self-esteem and at a core level, we don’t feel we deserve success and abundance. Guess what? If we don’t believe we deserve it, we will resist it when it arrives. We may do this unconsciously by sabotaging our own efforts, or we may outright refuse to even try. We must first understand and then truly believe that we DO deserve success and abundance. In addition, we must be willing to receive it. We’re so good at giving to others, but many of us won’t accept help or blessings for ourselves. We feel it is better to give than to receive, and in some ways it is. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t receive at all. Be willing to believe that you deserve to be successful and happy. Then be willing to accept that abundance when it arrives. Affirm aloud to the universe each day, “I joyfully accept all of the abundance and happiness the universe has for me, NOW.”

Step by Step - If your goal is to buy a house, you likely have alot of smaller goals that must be accomplished first. You will need to build up a savings for the downpayment. You may need to clean up your credit report and pay down existing debt. You will need to see if you qualify for a mortgage loan. Always keep your ultimate goal in mind, but focus on the smaller steps that will get you there first. If I wanted to drive to California, I’d have to pay attention to the route I need to take to get there, not just the destination. Write out a list of the smaller steps that will help you reach your goal, and then begin working on them one at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking only of that big, shining vision of the completed project.

No Matter What - Decide that you will do this, no matter what. No matter what obstacles come up, no matter if your desire and determination begin to fade. True success comes to those who just won’t give up. Make a promise to yourself that you will continue working toward your goals no matter what happens. Write this promise out and put it somewhere you will see it. Read it aloud to yourself every single day.

Keep reminding yourself that nothing will change unless you change it. Fuel your determination with positive thoughts and keep moving forward. If obstacles come up, find a way around them. If there is absolutely no way around a particular obstacle, switch your focus and begin working on another aspect of your goals. Many times obstacles will fade away if given enough time, or sometimes a solution presents itself when we least expect it. Let your determination glow hot and bright, and burn away all doubts and fears. Know that you can do it, and you will.

Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer who strives to motivate, uplift, and inspire you to make your dreams a reality. Visit her website, www.WingsForTheHeart.com for more positive thoughts to help you on your journey.

Everyday life can present us with opportunities to make us squirm. Countless numbers of tasks that we are juggling can cause dead lines to make that big swishing sound as they go flying by us. So, the next time you find yourself short on time and long on need, don’t take a long walk off a short pier. Try this instead.

That’s The Way The Ball Bounces!

Have you ever wondered why? Words! Yep, that’s it, those tiny little stinking no good for nothing, words that you don’t even remember saying; Maybe two months ago, maybe a year ago, maybe last week.

You might not want to hear this; but, words have a creative force inside them. They create whatever meaning they contain. They are like a seed planted in the ground. They will bring forth whatever they are.

You plant an apple seed you gonna get apples. And I don’t care how much you wish it was bananas; it ain’t gonna happen. Now, we all know this is true and no one with half a brain will argue with it.

A Backhanded Compliment!

But, isn’t it amazing how we go around saying junk like; “that’s just my dumb luck”, “I think I’m taking a cold”, “they’re not ever going to give me that raise”, etc. And then we are shocked beyond belief when life slaps us upside the head with a dead fish. We say, “Wha’d I do?

Ah…don’t even try to figure it out. It’s long gone now and the words have already done their damage. You see, most of the time, we don’t pay any attention to the words themselves and their repercussions.

But, try this on for size; you are actually creating your entire world with the words you speak. Proverbs tells us that, “life and death are in the power of the tongue”. So, don’t get mad at me, I didn’t say it, Proverbs is a lot older than I am. :>)

Bone Of Contention!

Another way you could say it is; success and failure are in the words we speak; poverty and prosperity are in the words we speak; health and sickness are in the words we speak. That’s not always a comforting thought, to think that we might have some responsibility for some of the junk we’ve produced.

Right now, ask yourself this question! “How do I feel emotionally at this moment”? Do you feel up? Do you feel down? Do you know why? The words you speak on a daily basis are the ignition switch directly to your emotions.

Your words are like a generator; your emotions are like a receiver. Every time you turn your generator on, you send signals to your receiver that will respond in kind. Send positive words, you’ll get a positive emotional response, send negative destructive words, you’ll get a negative response.

Just By Word Of Mouth!

You can make yourself sick with words; you can make yourself well with words. You can make yourself afraid of your own shadow with words. You can even kick a gift horse right in the mouth with your own words; I know I’ve done it.

If you need to make some drastic changes in your life, start paying attention to the words of your mouth. Many times in a difficult and challenging situation, your head will tell you; you’re sunk, it can’t be done, your goose is cooked, and all sorts of garbage.

The only reason your head says that is because you’ve said something sometime damaging with your mouth. Your head would not have known to say that to you if your mouth had not taught it to your head.

By retraining your mouth, you by default, retrain your head. Then your heart will begin to send up the words that you retrained it with. Your heart will say things like, “I’m more than a conqueror!” And, “no matter what happens, I win!”

Time For An About Face!

“Vegas, are you telling me that I can make things start going right in my life by getting rid of my foot-n-mouth disease?” Absolutely! In fact, it’s the surest way when you find yourself short on time and long on need.

You see, when your emotions receive words that heal and uplift, then you will feel energized and empowered. You will feel a stirring down in your belly that you’ll want to keep. And, the way you keep it is by putting a watch over your mouth.

Anyone who has never experienced what I’m talking about is truly living on the short end of the stick. You really have to experience the feelings that take place in your emotions to fully understand what this can do and what it’s all about.

Down On Your Luck?

I don’t care how beat down someone is or how bad their circumstances may be. By retraining your mouth you can experience emotions that you never thought you had, beginning in only three days.

But, don’t be one who makes excuses rather than taking control over your mouth. I will tell you this; it’s not easy to retrain your mouth. Not because it’s hard in and of itself. What makes it so hard is; people have a hard time believing that their mouth could cause them so much trouble.

So, they look for other solutions that seem to be more believable. Solutions that are hard and complicated. Like getting “even” when someone has wronged them.

Better To Forgive And Forget!

Well guess what? During the time they’re planning their vengeance; their mouth is talking about what they’ll do. And, all that garbage is being funneled down into their emotions to cause future problems.

And, even if they’re not verbalizing audibly what they’ll do, they’re meditating on it which is creating bad vibrations that are being sent to the emotions. And, the emotions can’t resist it because our emotions are just a receptacle.

Another thing you can do is; stop trying to know that every thing in your life is as it should be. Relax your mind, your emotions, and your body. It’s when we’re thinking of only our self that we face our greatest struggles.

Serious As A Heart Attack!

That’s when we see nothing but grief darkness and failure. No one, not even God can change you or your circumstances as long as you insist upon looking at and thinking of and worrying about yourself and your problems.

Your problems may be severe, but your mind will make them much worse than what they really are. And, then your emotions will make you feel like life is just a series of disappointments followed by death.

There is a part of human nature that seems to thrive on making us focus on “us”. Especially when we are focusing on the troubles and challenges we are facing. In fact, there is probably nothing our human nature would rather think about than “us”.

So Hungry I could eat a….

So, on the lighter side, let me leave you with this; if you feel that things are really bad right now; then try eating one live toad first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. I promise. :>)

Richard Vegas ©

About The Author

Richard Vegas is a popular recording artist and internet marketing professional. He invites you to subscribe to his FREE weekly ezine “Wing-Tips” Teaching The Success System That Never Fails, at: http://www.1-work-at-home-based-business-opportunities.com. You may also hear some of Richard’s free music at: http://www.richardvegas.com.

webmaster@1-work-at-home-based-business-opportunities.com

Socrates believed that knowledge and morality were one. In other words immoral behavior is due to a lack of knowledge or understanding. If you’re aware of all the facts of a matter — the real facts, not the assumed ones — you could expect to behave morally and rationally. To Socrates immoral behavior was caused by ignorance.

You can get a lot of mileage out of Socrates’ idea, whether you fully agree with it or not. Sometimes if you simply assemble all the facts in one place, that’s enough to give you clarity.

Bert at Open Loops made a post about reducing TV watching. If you feel that TV viewing might be hurting you, a good place to start is to get the facts. Find out exactly how much TV you’re watching and what you’re getting in return for that investment. When you see a whole month’s worth of your investment in one place, it’s easier to decide if your investment is a sound one.

Take a TV Fast

Go without watching TV for 30 days, and use this time to gather data on your viewing habits.

If you have a digital video recorder like TiVo, use your DVR to record all the shows you would have normally watched — not just the shows you intend to watch in advance, but your best guess as to all the shows you would have actually watched if you weren’t on the fast. If this project would max out your DVR’s hard drive, then you really ought to leave your cave on occasion.

At the end of the 30 days, review your recorded listings and see what you learn. Add up all the time you would have spent watching each TV show. Get clear on what value you could have expected from those shows and what else you might have done with your time. Most likely, you’ll realize that some shows aren’t worth your time. Their entertainment or educational value is too low for how much time they take to watch. Once you see this information in front of you, consciously decide what you’ll continue to watch and why.

In her book Brain Building in Just 12 Weeks, Marilyn vos Savant (the woman who holds the Guinness record for the highest IQ) suggests that TV reduces your capacity for rational thought. One reason is that TV oversimplifies reality. You’re presented with subjects in a matter of minutes where everything is nicely wrapped up at the end. Reality is reduced to labels like good or bad, funny or serious, smart or dumb. This harms clear thinking by conditioning you to expect that most problems have a simple, clear solution (and if not, then it will be an overly dramatic solution). But real people and events defy labels. Real life weaves a much richer tapestry than TV, and too much TV viewing can make it hard to see and appreciate that tapestry for what it is. TV skews your map of reality.

As you go through the fasting period, think about alternate ways to invest your TV time. If you weren’t watching TV, what else could you do? Be creative. What could you do for your health, relationships, family, work, education, etc?

Question why you watch all the TV you do. Is it simply a habit? Do you watch TV by default because you haven’t consciously allocated that time to anything else? If TV is your default filler behavior when you have nothing else to do, switch to a different default behavior like reading or talking to actual human beings or hobbies like music or drawing.

If you watch TV when you’re too tired to do anything else, then go to sleep or simply lie down. If you need to rest, then rest.

What would happen if you increased your TV viewing? If you’re getting such a good value out of it, then why not do even more of it?

Copyright © Steve Pavlina

Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)

Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.

A fleeting moment can change your life.

Christopher Reeves had everything going for him - fame, fortune and best of all a loving wife and son. Enjoying his favorite sport, he fell off his horse. In a split second, his whole life changed! He is not alone.

In a moment, all dreams can be quashed.

A young man, full of promise gets into an industrial accident. It left him physically disabled. With a young family and the first baby on the way, how does he feel?

There are those who take a severe stroke which leave them with physical disability and rob them of their mobility. They suffer the loss of their independence. Some endure the loss of speech for the rest of their lives. There goes most of their dreams. Life will never be the same.

Some suffer severe financial loss and see everything they worked for taken away from them and there is nothing they can do.

Think of the victims of the tsunami and Katrina. Many are making an effort to rebuild their lives - but will it ever be the same?

On the bright side of a winning moment - a big-time win from the lottery or gaming table spells a major change in one’s life. These winners go through a major change in their lives.

There is an upside. There are some lucky ones who find strength in their illness and disabilities, major financial setbacks, calamities and crimes of violence. Amid the dark hours and pain, they work their way to find a new meaning in their lives. With courage, perseverance and a strong spirit, they win their battles. They become pillars in their communities.

Christopher Reeves spent the rest of his years as a quadraplegic to champion the cause of spinal cord injury. His disability never stopped him.

An illness, an accident, natural calamities, financial loss, crime, violence and loss of a loved one, a winfall, an unexpected career change or opportunity are realities of our world.

Many of us think it will not happen to us, but it can. Live for today. No one knows what tomorrow brings.

Bonnie Moss writes to inspire her readers to reach to the depths of their heart and soul as they walk the path on Life’s journey.

Visit her website for more inspirational articles.
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