Posted by admin on October 16th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps, Hall Of Websters, The Marketing Way
Today is the last day of my regular office life. I recently found out about a program that uses referrals to make commissions on everyday products. My friend has started an at home business using affiliate marketing programs, and it is working out for her just perfectly. I am so happy to have found this opportunity, for I was getting very tired of the same old routine at work. I can not wait to get working on this new opportunity. The best part is, I get to be home with my family, while saving money on gas at the same time.
Many of my friends have asked me what I do for a living, and I suspect that they are jealous. I can not say that I blame them, for I have a pretty good situation. I work at something dealing with affiliate marketing programs. This basically mean that I get people to purchase services or products from websites, then receive payment for that referral. It is really all about getting people to buy the products that they already need through the vendors that I control. It is such a simple program, and I think that any of my friends could handle it with little effort.
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Posted by admin on August 28th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
It has recently been announced that VCR’s are obsolete and several electrical chain stores have said that they will no longer stock them. This seemed to happen very suddenly, there is usually a build up to this sort of announcement and we are accustomed to things being gradually phased out. Not this time though, the news just burst upon us and people who have not yet become comfortable with DVD technology are in a panic.
It seemed to me that the VCR had not been around for very long. I could understand this sudden rush on the part of the stores to remove it from their shelves if it was a failed experiment but the VCR has been a monster success. I suppose this is just an example of how the rush towards obsolescence and replacement with new inventions has speeded up.
I don’t have a problem with using a DVD recorder and the discs certainly take up much less storage space than the big old video tapes. It just made me feel suddenly old. No, not quite that, more as if I should be feeling older than I do. Don’t get me wrong, I am not all that ancient (baby boomer if you would care to know), but I have a problem with getting old. The problem is that I never feel any older and the face I see in the mirror sometimes takes me by surprise because in my mind I am still about nineteen. My children are no doubt thankful that my youth remains in my head and is not reflected in my wardrobe or social habits.
When I was a child, the VCR was still waiting around for someone to come along and invent it. Suddenly, it has been invented, been scaled down to a quarter of its original size and is now well on the way to disappearing altogether. The meteoric career of the VCR started me thinking about how many other things which we take for granted did not exist or were too expensive to be owned by the average person when I was a child.
Other generations have experienced massive events and social change. Nothing I have lived through can compare to the two World Wars. There was the invention of the National Health Service, the discovery of penicillin, the industrial revolution, the first aircraft, nylon. If you want to go back further there was the invention of the wheel and discovering how to make fire but I feel as if my generation must have seen a larger number of changes (great and small) than any previous one.
So much has happened within my lifespan: scientific inventions, historical events and cultural changes. Some, like space travel and the internet, are momentous. Some, like motorways, are part blessing and part curse. Some, like the cell phone and everyone owning a fridge, we don’t even notice as being progress because nobody thinks about it. I doubt many people spend time reflecting upon the fact that, a few years ago, the cell phone was the size and weight of a house-brick and needed a long aerial.
The internet has made possible all the mad scientist dreams which inspired the writing of many shelves of fiction. We are now quite blasé about the fact that we can chat to and see a friend through our PC even though that friend is many miles away. It is not very many years since that idea would raise a smile when it appeared in a sci-fi movie because it was too incredible to seem even remotely possible. This became reality without anyone taking much notice, just science continually evolving and now its evolution is so fast that nobody tries to keep up, we all just take it for granted.
Just thinking about domestic things that did not exist in my childhood, I can list the microwave oven, VCR, DVD, PC, CD’s, washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge, freezer, television, central heating, dishwasher, double glazing, vacuum cleaner, cell phone, washing up liquid, fabric softener, plastic carrier bags, fast food (apart from fish and chips), paper tissues, soft toilet paper, duvets.
If any of the above things existed during my childhood, I knew nothing of them because they would have been too expensive for my family to afford. Eventually we owned a vacuum cleaner (the television came much later). When I was about ten years old, my mother would take me and my brother on a journey involving two buses to visit an aunt who owned a TV set. We would silently marvel at the black and white images which were available for just a few hours each day and there was no bickering over which channel to watch: there was only one.
There was no pre-packaged meat, butter, cheese, biscuits, rice, dried fruit. Come to think of it, there were no supermarkets. I loved waiting in line with my mother and watching the grocery shop assistants cutting slabs of butter from a huge block and patting them into shape with wooden paddles. Raisins and currants for the weekly baking session would be scooped from bulging hessian sacks and carefully tipped into the weighing pan. Biscuits were selected from big square tins and placed carefully into paper bags (any breakages would have to be sold off cheaply).
All these things gradually changed. Electrical goods became cheaper, supermarkets were invented and hygienic packaging arrived. The time when shopkeepers were treated with respect was past. Power shifted from the shopkeeper to the customer and we became the new breed of customer: we became Consumers. The VCR is our latest victim, I wonder what we will consume next.
This is one of a series of articles
published by the author, Elaine Currie, BA(Hons)
at http://www.huntingvenus.com
The author’s monthly newsletter is available free
from mailto:networkerhvm@ReportsNetwork.com
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Posted by admin on August 27th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
Algarve Properties
www.sellandbuydirect.com
You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Algarve Properties in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.
Algarve properties in general enjoy still the attentions of many overseas buyers. The areas where foreigners prefer to buy are mostly in the more well known parts of the Algarve. Apartments are still in demand, but the trend undoubtedly is going towards the villa market.
The dream of owning a villa abroad is alive as never before. Blue sky, the beach and the outdoor lifestyle are the magic which makes people think about buying a property. On top of everything else it is or can be a sound investment. A recent study has shown that property in Portugal and Algarve properties in particular are likely to increase in price over the next 10 years by some 390%.
Prices for Algarve properties do vary a great deal depending on the location and area. My personal view but shared by many is that most properties are overpriced. It is more important than ever to find the right property at the best price. For foreigners to know where the best areas are to buy is not easy and they have to rely on their agent if they have one. But remember, that every agent will and can only show you the properties in his portfolio and it is quite natural that he would like to convince you that the area in which he has his properties for sale is the next best thing since sliced bread.
Most of this information comes straight from the Algarve Properties pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you’ll know what they know.
I do not question the professional attitude of most agents, but is it not natural no matter which agent it is that he will only with great reluctance let you go to another agent in another area to look for properties?
You do not have to spend huge amounts of money if you are looking to buy a villa. In my opinion you need to spend some time with someone who knows the area and who can show you the different locations before you should even look at properties,
There are some excellent villas on the market for sale which will cost you around 280,000 to 300,000 Euros most of these properties are for sale by owners and not listed with an agent. The owners like to sell more and more direct, since the agents fees would either increase the price by about 5% or the owners would have to pay the agent 5% from the selling price. Whichever way you look at it the property owner will be better of in his opinion by not using an agent, and that is exactly the advantage and benefit to the buyer.
If you like more information on market trends, property prices in specific areas or whatever your question may be, feel free to contact us. You can also visit our web site www.sellandbuydirect.com
When word gets around about your command of Algarve Properties facts, others who need to know about Algarve Properties will start to actively seek your advice.
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Posted by admin on August 25th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
A Consultant could be an expert about absolutely anything.
Calling yourself a “consultant” demands further clarification. A consultant who… What specific problems do you handle? And who needs what you know? Everyone? (Never true) Businesses selling to seniors? (A precisely defined niche) Success depends on how clearly you can define yourself and what you offer. How easily can potential clients understand it?
You provide clients more than your expert knowledge and problem-solving skills. Your delivery style (tricks) are every bit as valuable as your knowledge base. We all relate to some businesses (personally and professionally) more effectively than to others. Great match-ups require something akin to a mating call to help a consultant find and connect with ideal clients.
Every consultant is unique in important ways. Your challenge is to express those significant intangibles so they set you apart from others using the same job title. Do clients understand what you can do for them? How you’re different from the competition? Why they’d prefer you?
Article Marketing is Your Ideal Stage
Whether you’re selling a service, speaking or training, nothing persuades like offering a sample. Writing articles that highlight your style and expertise does that for you. A meaty, 600 to 800 word article is long enough to deliver a tangible taste.
Once it’s widely posted, the message can be read by thousands. Some readers will search for what else you’ve said, or click over to your website. Writing repeated in-depth articles further establishes your niche, point of view, and expertise. They’re building your name recognition and readership in short order.
Your stock-in-trade is information, so packaging it into articles makes you a content creator. The Internet voraciously demands a steady diet of new material. Websites, ezines (and now blogs) efficiently deliver ideas to targeted readers. But sad to say, too many articles consist of rehashed, low-grade material. Stand out with fresh, professional-quality information. Being a cut above builds respect and trust a must for doing business down the road.
Local Search can Further Define Your Market
Unlike a plumber or day care center, most consultants needn’t be confined to the local arena. Your Internet exposure connects you to a national or global audience, if that’s your goal. But if your target market is closer to home, articles still help to position you.
Recent research by The Kelsey Group show that 70% use the Internet to make local buying decisions. And nowadays, 36% of search engine queries request local search results. That means the person includes a geographic term in their search engine query. For example, a query with: “employee benefit consultant” + Denver only lists the small pool of appropriate Denver providers.
Every consultant needs to make sure their information appears in local search queries, http://www.yellowpagesage.com/localsearch.html. The trend toward local search is growing quickly. Businesses can easily be left outwhich makes them unfindable by online searchers. Who can afford to miss 70% of their client base? Having your own website isn’t necessary but still helpful for a variety of reasons.
Potential Clients will Check You Out Online
Surveys reveal that over half of respondents consider search engines a better source of buying information than Yellow Pages, newspapers or magazines. When someone enters your name or company into Google (in quotes), what comes up?
It helps if your name is unusual. If not, follow up with “search within results” for a qualifier term (like your specialty, “employee benefits”) to find your cites.
In just a few moments, searchers get a picture of your professional standing and scope of recognition. They’re likely to be swayed by what they see. Who mentions you, and what are they saying? What kinds of links come to your website? If you’ve been publishing articles, they’ll also show up enhancing your credibility and incoming links.
In my own case, a Google search for my name showed about 100 cites before I started article promotions. Now that’s well over 3,000. So many cites boosted my website traffic and Page Rank as well.
If you haven’t gone “ego surfing” on Google for mentions of your name, you should. Because the public will. Make sure there’s plenty of stuff for them to find that does you proud.
Copyright 2005 Off the Page
Dr. Lynella Grant Consultant and Author - Promote yourself, business, website, or book with online articles http://www.promotewitharticles.com Free how-to. Or let me write and submit your articles online for you. No learning curves (719) 395-9450
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Posted by admin on August 22nd, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
Cheap viagra enables many men with erectile dysfunction (ED) to respond to sexual stimulation. Experts believe impotence affects between 10 and 15 million american men.
In 1985, the national ambulatory medical care survey counted 525,000 doctor-office visits for erectile dysfunction. Impotence usually has a physical cause such as disease, injury or drug side effects. Any disorder that impairs blood flow in the penis has the potential to cause impotence.
Incidence rises with age about 5 percent of men at the age of 40 and between 15 and 25 percent of men at the age of 65 experience impotence. However, it is not an inevitable part of aging.
Cheap viagra is a FDA-approved oral prescription medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men. In major clinical trials in the general ED population, cheap viagra improved the quality of erections for a majority of men. A lot of guys who took viagra were satisfied the first time they tried it. It’s for the guy who needs a little help once in a while and the guy who needs more frequent help.
Impotence is treatable in all age groups and awareness of this fact has been growing. More men have been seeking help from cheap viagra online and returning to near-normal sexual activity because of improved, successful treatments for impotence.
For more info, resources and to order cheap viagra online click here: http://www.cheapgenericviagra.biz
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Posted by admin on August 21st, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
Without tracking, your online advertising is just a shot in the dark. Many new and seasoned marketing individuals spend significant dollars on banner advertisements, ezine ads, and other online media, but do not know which ads have brought them the greatest success.
The following is a list of online advertising methods that you may or may not be using. It is important to track all of your online advertisement. This is the only way to determine which method works best for you and where you should spend your hard earned dollars.
Site links Articles Ezine advertisement Banner ads Signatures Tag Forum postings Email marketing promotions FFA postings Free Classified listings Paid Classified listings Surveys Auto responder Pay-per-click listing Reciprocal link
How do you track your advertising? There are basically two ways of tracking your advertising; sign up for a service or purchase ad tracking software to install on your server.:
A service such as ezTrackZ http://www.eztrackz.com will manage all aspects of your tracking on their servers. This is a web-based tool that will allow you to quickly create your tracking links and report your results in real-time. Other examples of service based ad tracking are Hypertracker http://www.hypertracker and Roibot’s Ad tracker http://www.roibot.com/r.cgi?R16915. Cost varies from $17 per month to $67 per year depending on which service you choose.
You can also purchase software such as AdTrackZ http://www.adtrackz.com to manage your own tracking. Software like AdTrackZ must be installed and managed on your server and is available for a one-time cost.
Which ever method you choose, start now and stop wasting valuable time and dollars on unsuccessful advertising.
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Posted by admin on August 19th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
Though traditional marketing methods cannot be ignored, having a website is a very effective gateway to getting new business. Not just that, you can maximise sales to existing customers with your website by making it easier for them to do business with you. Now, this sounds really rosy…you put up a website; you become a millionaire. Though that is not such a far away possibility, a lot comes in between the two.
Once you put up a website, it is important to market it right and generate tremendous traffic inwards before you can start converting your leads into cash cows. Now, you would ideally want everyone and their cousin to check out your website, right? Isn’t that what we mean by ‘tremendous traffic’? Think again. No matter how great products or services you sell, you will not start making a profit until you have the relevant people hitting the right buttons on the website. By relevant, we mean people who fall within your targeted segment and who are most likely to buy your products and services. Hard as it may sound, traffic generation should be a top priority for a home business owner. Here are some effective ways to market your website online and not have to pray for fortune to fund them:
- Register with ‘Affiliate Programs’: Undoubtedly a great way to market your website would be to get your affiliates to do it for you. An affiliate program is a revenue sharing program where an affiliate website receives a portion of income for driving traffic, sales or leads to your website. Most affiliates use a pay-per-sale model and by far get you the most focused traffic than other methods.
- Email Promotions: Email is god’s gift to the home-based businesses. You can use email to get in touch and keep in touch with existing customers and prospects. Initially, target your existing customers. If you run a weekly newsletter, use the subscribers’ email database for your email promotions. One of the easiest ways to encourage visitors to keep coming back to your site is to offer value. Get the word out on discounts on purchases from the website, e-coupons and other attractive promotional offers. Try to resist the temptation of buying email addresses from web companies, for 2 reasons. One is that not all the people on that list may necessarily be part of your target audience. Second, and more important, you could be seen as a “Spammer”! That would not only not give you much sales; it will also spoil your company’s reputation.
- Search Engine Optimization: Free search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN are ‘the’ places people go to when they are looking for information. Make sure that your website gets in the top 10 of these websites’ result pages. This is a sure shot way to attract quality traffic to your website. Take a four -pronged approach to do this:
- Submit your site’s URL to these and other free search engines and online directories (www.goto.com, www.altavista.com, www.morpheus.com)
- Optimize your website so that it can be easily indexed by search engines. You can also use website optimization and SEO placement agencies for this purpose. (www.proboostgold.com, www.addpro.com)
- Make your website’s content rich in keywords and pay special attention to keyword placement
- Finally, create a content rich site, which actually gives useful information to the customer
- Reciprocal Links: Reciprocal link is a hyperlink you place on your web page with the understanding that the linked web page will do the same for your website. The obvious choice for a partner here is a website that is related to your business but not in direct competition. For instance, if you sell contact lenses, choose websites that sell eyeglasses or related products like cleaning solutions. Another good choice would be websites that give out clinical information on contact lens usage. Reciprocals are a cost-free and effective way of attracting focused traffic to your website.
- Give away free content: A major online golf publishing company offers visitors syndicated articles on golf and related products. The people who use this syndicated content not just get free content from a credible source, but also visit the company’s other websites. Anything ‘free’ induces happiness; and when it is free content, it gives you delighted customers who keep coming back for more. By offering them free content in the form of articles, information for use in their newsletters, product reviews etc. you are doing them a favor as well as giving more exposure to your website.
- Get Interactive: Get your customers talking, to you and to each other. Offer advice columns, message boards, and articles relevant to your product and to the industry. Archive these into a separate section where visitors can browse to look for specific information. A good idea would be to include an ” email article to a friend” button with these articles. This way your visitors will do some marketing for you. If you offer a newsletter, contests, a ‘tip of the day’ or other fun stuff, include a ” tell a friend” click box with these. People love to share fun stuff with friends. When you see the number of jokes forwarded to you in your email, you’ll believe us.
- Be seen & heard: Build an online identity by networking. Participate in newsgroups, discussion forums and message boards. Starting a Blog is also an idea that is picking up currency. This will allow you to develop a relationship with potential customers and allow them to identify you as a recognizable name. Tools like these will also help you determine, to an extent, what your target segment really needs.
For a home business owner not having a website is a little like Robinhood without his bow and arrow. But for a business to have a website without much traffic is like Robinhood with no one to shoot at!
Still the idea is to not just have “everybody” clicking in to your website, but a chunk of the target audience who really need the product you are selling. It is better to have a sizeable number of focused potential customers clicking on your website than to have a whole lot of curious ones who just stumbled on. It is from the potential customers that your conversions will come. Finally, it is bet to use a combination of all the tactics listed above. Put a “tell a friend” button on the newsletters, or include your top keywords in the free content you give away. Think out of the box to use these tactics for traffic maximisation to your advantage.
Also see:
http://www.bytestart.co.uk/content/22/22_1/poor-web-page-design-will.shtml
http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol18/limitedbudget.htm
http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol4/hardknock3.htm
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Posted by admin on August 16th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
If you’re writing advertisements for your business follow these 23 principles to ensure you get maximum return for your advertising dollar.
These 23 advertising ‘rules’ are based on direct response advertising principles from books like ‘Tested Advertising Methods’ by John Caples and ‘Scientific Advertising’ by Claude Hopkins.
1. Have you clearly researched and defined your ideal target market?
2. Have you written your advertisement directed solely to your ‘ideal target market’?
3. Is the marketing piece being placed/sent/posted where your ideal target market will easily see it?
4. Have you calculated how many sales you need to make to make a profit on this advertisement?
5. Have you considered any other ways that you can reach your target market that may be more cost effective for you?
6. Have you made an offer that’s easy for your reader to understand, and irrisistable for them to refuse?
7. Does your headline ’sing out’ your ‘ideal target market’ so that they know, that your advertisement is written especially for them?
8. Does your headline ‘grab’ your ideal target market’s attention and excite them?
9. Does your headline offer or describe to your target market a major benefit that’s important to them?
10. Have you written your advertisement so that your headline is approximately 5 sizes larger than the body copy font size?
11. Does the body copy of your advertisement naturally continue on from what the headline suggests/says?
12. Through out the body copy, have you continued on with the benefits suggested in your headline, and described more benefits to your target market of using/owning your product/service?
13. Have you focused your writing on what your product/service will do for your target market, rather than just mentioning how good your business is?
14. Have you used ’sub-headings’ above some paragraphs to allow ’skim readers’ to get the main thrust of your advertisement, just by reading the sub-headings?
15. If you have included a picture of a person, is the person (or people) positioned so that their shoulders are facing into the body of the advertisement?
16. Have you included a picture that shows the reader what the benefit(s) of buying and using your product/service will be?
17. Have you taken the ‘buying risk’ away from your ideal target market by letting people know that they are safe to buy from you by either including a guarantee and/or using testimonials?
18. Have you used specifics like 5, 7 and 11 in your copy, rather than using generalizations like large, limited or top quality?
19. Have specifically asked your ideal target market to call, buy, or in some way take action to contact you in a hurry?
20. Have you included your contact details on your advertisement so it’s clear and easy for readers to contact you, or take action effortlessly?
21. Have you communicated with your staff so that they know when, why and how the advertisement is being published?
22. Have you trained your staff so that they know how to handle incoming calls, e-mails and shoppers when they contact/visit your business?
23. Have you communicated with your staff on how they are to record the results of the advertisement so you can track whether it’s profitable or not?
The above 23 points are pretty comprehensive, and will help you make your advertisements comply with sound direct response advertising principles.
By following them, you can ensure you’ll be closer to creating profitable advertisements for your small business growth.
Casey Gollan, The Business Growth Specialist, the specialist who grows $1 Million p.a. small businesses into $2 to $5 Million p.a. businesses over a 2 to 3 year period. To learn more about Casey’s Business Growth Program, visit his site and sign up for ‘The 23 Secrets of Business Growth’ 2 hour audio program for FREE.
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Posted by admin on August 13th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
Are You Too Stressed?
Is your stomach all tied up in knots? Do you have trouble concentrating
or remembering things? Do you have trouble falling asleep, or do you
sleep too much? You can handle a certain amount of stress, but when
you get overloaded with stress, it lowers your ability to function. That is
when you need stress relief - and you need it fast. These 12 stress
busters will show you how you can reduce stress, and some of them
work in an instant.
Stress actually takes the joy out of life. It saps your energy. In its
extreme, stress can immobilize you. Stress also aggravates physical
illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, back pain,
and many others.
If you are stressed at home, it also affects your work. If you are stressed
at work, it affects your relationships with your family. You aren’t much fun
to be with when you’re all stressed out. Instead, you can be grumpy,
irritable, angry, impatient, distracted, jumpy, and impulsive. This in turn
makes other people tense and uncomfortable.
Stress is caused by the anxiety that comes from fear, and many of these
fears are caused by your unrealistic expectations. To alleviate the stress
you need to determine whether your expectations are creating peace of
mind or causing anxiety.
For example, if you expect life to be without problems, expect that
relatives will get along just because they’re related, or expect that your
work will always be perfect, you’re being unrealistic, and
you’re creating your own stress. Try having only one expectation - be
yourself, do the best you know how, and accept your limitations.
If you are still experiencing stress after you have evaluated and
changed your expectations, try these stress busters.
A Dozen Stress Busters:
1. Look for humor in the situation. You can pretend you are making a TV
sitcom. You can
imagine difficult people as very small, wearing diapers, or clothing from
a different era. In your imagination you can make them very skinny or
short and fat.
2. Create a safe haven in your mind by thinking of a place in your life
where you were happiest. Take a couple of minutes to visualize yourself
in that happy place. When you are ready to return to reality you will have
calmed down, and you will be able to think more rationally.
3. Choose a cassette tape of music that has a calming effect on you.
Keep it with you so you can use it at a moment’s notice.
4. Start your day on a positive. Listen to motivational audio tapes every
morning. Then, several times a day take a few minutes to read
inspirational books, poems, and quotes.
5. Call a friend. Sometimes just getting things off your chest can relieve
your anxiety. It is also helpful to join a support group for people with
similar problems.
6. Focus on your major goal and do something to move it forward. You
will feel a sense of accomplishment, and your stressful situation will
occupy a smaller place in your life.
7. Do something that is fun. Having fun is how we recharge our battery. If
stress has drained our energy, it is important to schedule activities that
are fun for you so that you can recharge.
8. Spend time with nature. Take a walk in the park. Look at the trees
swaying in the breeze. Watch the squirrels chase each other from tree
to tree. Nature has its own way of putting things into perspective. Just by
realizing that there is an innate intelligence in all living things can help
you to let go and let nature do its part. If you are a religious person,
turning to God can help you be at peace with any situation.
9. Change what you can control in the situation and accept the rest. For
example, your stress may involve other people. You may have tried to
talk about a stressful situation with the other people involved, but
nothing has
changed. One thing you can control is how you respond to what others
are doing. Study your situation and change one aspect of your own
response to a more peaceful response.
10. Susan Jeffers, in her book, “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway,” says
that you should ask yourself. “What is the worst thing that can happen,
and could you handle it?” Just knowing that you can handle the worst
possibility will lower your stress.
11. Create a peaceful corner at home where you can have quiet time.
Decorate it with your favorite pictures, stuff that make you feel good, and
fresh flowers.
12. Do something physical. Either do some exercise, play a sport, or
clean out your closets, weed your garden, rake the leaves, wash the
windows, etc. When you do anything physical it reduces stress.
If none of the above works, get help from a professional who can give
you expert guidance.
In short, stress is created in your mind by your own fears. A more
peaceful mind will lead to a more peaceful perception of your situation,
and the result will be lower stress. Just by changing the way you think,
you can lower
your stress even if nothing else changes.
If you look at every stressful situation and ask yourself, “What can I do
that will create peace of mind instead of stress?” you will start replacing
the stress in your life with serenity and happiness.
Are you Happy at work?
The author of this article, Harriet Meyerson, founder of The Confidence
Center, has a special gift for you.
Take the F.r.e.e. Employee Morale assessment, and learn how you can
help your company raise Employee Morale in 7 key areas. Also, sign up
for the - Employee Morale and Confidence Tips - newsletter. Both are
F.r.e.e
on her web at http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com
At The Confidence Center we work with companies who want to raise
employee morale and confidence - on a shoestring budget. We offer
seminars, telephone seminars, books, eBooks and many more
resources.
* Editors, you have permission to reprint this article in its entirety
(including this sentence) in your newsletter, or post this article on your
web with a live link please. Copyright Harriet Meyerson.
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Posted by admin on August 9th, 2008 — Posted in Biz Opps
When I was 21 I suffered a slipped disc in my lower back. I couldn’t sit down during the acute phase, only lie or stand, though standing itself was uncomfortable at the time. Once the acute phase had passed (with rest, although acupuncture and shiatsu are great), I had the fortune to meet some yoga teachers and I started going to their classes. I started out with Oki yoga, which is a Japanese form of yoga, and very good for healing the body.
I was given a series of correcting and strengthening exercises designed to improve my back and specific to the meridians that were in need of attention in my particular case. Oki yoga has postures classified on how they affect the meridians, which are like energetic pathways within our body. And that was the one thing that helped restore my back completely, to a state that was actually better than it was before I injured myself. When you are suffering an acute injury though, yoga really shouldn’t be attempted until that stage has passed.
That introduction to yoga ignited a deep love of it through which I began to see the more subtle health benefits it brought to my life. Yoga can help with a wide spectrum of physical issues and injuries, but it is also an excellent alternative to the gym for those that find the repetition and distraction of it not to their taste. It is great for toning up your body, whilst gaining flexibility.
Yoga has a reputation for flexibility, and deservedly so. But it can also develop strength. Developing strength is particularly important for women. Women tend to be more flexible than men, but not as strong, unless they have been involved in fitness regularly. But unlike many traditional forms of exercise, yoga also strengthens the inner muscles and organs in our bodies. It makes a great preparation for childbirth!
Yoga also develops discipline. This comes in making the time on a regular basis to either go to classes, or practice yoga in your living room, or in the morning sun in the garden. But there is a more subtle level of discipline. It starts with bringing your mind to focus on your breathing, and then feeling the effects of a posture on your body. This conscious exploration is quite a different experience of fitness than usually seen at the gym - where loud music, televisions and other external stimuli fight for your attention. You won’t see people with headphones on, or reading a magazine, whilst doing yoga.
This conscious exploration establishes a relationship with your body, and its importance cannot be overstated. So often, parts of us are frozen, or numb in some ways. This can express physically as pain, coldness, or stiffness. Energetically, it is as though despite trying to concentrate on an area, we just cannot feel connected to it.
In a more subtle way, when we feel the points of resistance within our body as we do a pose - when we breathe into that stiffness, and sometimes pain, we develop a resilience and mental fortitude. Yoga does, of course, help with concentration. But that process of releasing and going beyond the point of physical limitation is not limited to the body. It develops a quiet confidence and knowledge about one’s own capacity that is not held back by the boundaries we may have falsely believed about ourselves before. With a yoga practice, we can get back in touch with what yogi’s call our dharma, our purpose in life. And we find in ourselves, by virtue of our growing strength, the courage to follow that path.
And finally, a quote from a yoga teacher from Sydney, Australia, Eileen Hall, printed in the Australian Yoga Life magazine:
“Yoga is not about relaxation, it’s not about losing weight, it’s not about learning meditation. It’s about discovering the divine being within ourselves.”
References: Yoga Journal, November 2005
Australian Yoga Life, Nov 2005 - Mar 2006
If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of yoga, click here. The article talks about the psychological, physiological, and biochemical benefits a regular yoga practice can bring. Rebecca Prescott runs the website Yoga To Health.
http://www.yogatohealth.com
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