Flow Experience - A Key To Happiness

What is flow experience?

Flow experience is a concept defined by Csikszentmihalyi to describe those moments when you are completely and collectively absorbed in an activity. As such, everything else is forgotten. You have total concentration and nothing else matters. You are no longer aware of what is going on around you. The rest of the world is forgotten.

When you are in a flow experience, your focus is so complete that you forget about sleeping and eating. You are not even aware of yourself; you are immersed in the activity you are engaged in.

Sincemore, since you are so engrossed in the activity, your experience of time changes. You are so absorbed that the past and future are forgotten. Time absolutely flies by, although you are not aware of this at the time. It is only when you come out of the activity that you notice how much time has passed.

You can have a flow experience with any activity that is mindful and requires you to actively participate in it. As such, good conversation, reading a novel, playing sport, working on your hobby, letter writing, gardening, even cleaning the house are examples where you can experience flow. Passive activities such as watching television and sport are not conducive to a flow experience. You will probably know when you have had a flow experience as you will get that feel-good buzz afterwards of having engaged in something engrossing.

Whilst you are engaged in your activity, you will feel completely in control and are not worried about success or failure. The activity fees effortless but engaging. To the objective observer the activity may look risky and demanding (for example, surfing), but not to you, the participant.

We all possess the ability to engage in flow experiences and the more we have, the happier we are.

Why is it important?

• Flow enables you to focus and have total control and concentration during a particular experience.
• Understanding flow enables you to focus your attention at will, rather than waiting for something to come and grab your attention.
• Your skills are being used at their very best - you are giving your all.
• It can help you achieve your goals, since you are free from intrusive thoughts and events.
• It will enhance your well-being and happiness.
• Understanding flow can help you understand why you are procrastinating on a particular issue. Have a look at the conditions needed for a flow experience and reflect on them in terms of the task you are struggling to stay.

The three conditions to a flow experience

Csikszentmihalyi stipulates three conditions that must be met in order to have a flow experience:

1. Your chosen activity should have a clearly defined set of goals. This will help you focus your energy and give you direction.
2. You want a good balance between your perceived skills and perceived challenges. The important point here is 'perceived' rather than actual. It is a mind-state. If you believe your skills far surpass the challenge, you will become bored as it will be too easy for you. Whereas, if you perceive the challenge as being too hard for you, you will become frustrated.
3. Feedback is essential. It will enable you to modify your actions if necessary, to keep you in the flow. The feedback can be negative as well as positive. It can enable you to move on and progress (providing you have the skills to do so).
How to have more flow experiences Flow can occur with any activity, provided it is mindful. What is important is how the activity is carried out. Take a look at the following tips to help you towards engaging in regular flow experiences:

• Avoid multi-tasking. Trying to do two (or more) things at once is no way to achieve flow. It is not possible to give your all to two tasks at the same time. This will reduce your enjoyment and quite possibly the outcome may be compromised. Try to cut down on multi-tasking even for the most everyday chores.
• Try not to check your email every five minutes if you are working on a computer. Choose a time to read it and give it your full attention.
• Limit your distractions. Is there anything in your environment that is preventing you from achieving flow? Temperature, noise, layout, objects, other people, level of light can make a difference.
• Determine your goals and break them down into achievable chunks. Make sure these chunks are adequately challenging to keep your interest.
• Try new activities and develop new skills. The more your skills develop, the more pleasure you will receive. You may experience boredom or frustration early on. So take care to monitor your progress to check the activity is interesting enough and within your capability. Modify your goals if you need to.
• To keep experiencing flow with a particular activity you will need to increase the challenge - one that you believe you can meet. As your skills develop, the activity can become boring as it no longer requires as much attention. A new challenge will not only up your interest but enhance your expertise.
• How is your job? You spend a great chunk of your life in work, so you really want to obtain as many flow experiences as possible. If you are feeling bored, is there anything you can do to make it more challenging?
• Try to obtain regular feedback on what you are doing. It could be from yourself or another person.
• Avoid mindless activities which you do not actively get involved in - for example, watching television.

Read more

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991) Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience.

What It Takes to Be a Computer Freelance Professional

Who is a computer freelance professional

Being a computer freelancer means that you are doing computer work independently, and not punching a time clock for any one business. You may have several clients that you are working with from a remote location that they work from. They may only work part time for each client, but they regularly keep in touch with the ones that they work with on a continuously basis. Sometimes they may only work for a client one time to write a program or to fix a problem and never hear from the again. They can work fulltime remotely or travel to different offices for the customer, but they are not on the employee payroll.

How to get started

First thing that you will want to do is to write down all your skills and see which ones are in demand. Do some research online and find the one that are paying the most and which skills do not have a lot of competition. Once you figure out your marketable skills you will have to start putting the word out, either with your friends, or online and with ads to get jobs that will pay you.

Where to find work

There are several great websites online that you can register your skills and get matched with clients, they may have you sign a contract, and you will be able to telecommute. The more skills that you have the more in demand you will be, and the easier you will be able to get signed on with a client. You can also advertise your skills on places like Craigslist, and place ads online. You basically are a small business owner.

What you need

You will need good selling skills, because you will be selling yourself to the client, and you also need top notched computer skills. You will need to keep these skills up to date with the ever changing technology. You need to make sure that you are always on top of your game.

To start out as a computer freelance professional, you may start out part time while working your fulltime job until you get your reputation built up. Once you get a good reputation and people start referring you, you may find that you have more work than you can handle. This can be a very lucrative business and you will find that you may enjoy being your own boss and working with the many different clients.

5 Basic Skills For Driving Lessons

These are 5 very basic skills that everyone owns and when used help hugely on your driving lessons. Although some pupils may be better at using these skills than others, everyone is capable of using them, and how well you use these skills will depend on how quickly you learn.

1. Listening skills - This is the first one, and as said earlier everyone owns the ability to listen, but how well you use this skill will depend on how quickly you pick up learning how to drive. Been a better listener helps as you can listen to what your driving instructor is saying and implemented this into your driving. You may think you do this, though the more consciously you think about doing this the more you will do it and your driving will improve.


2. Communication Skills - It's not always about listening on your driving lessons, you have to communicate with your instructor and let them know what you are having difficulty with and they will explain further. Communication is vital and if you waste the time with your instructor by not communicating it it will take you longer to pass your driving test.


3. Planning skills - everyone can plan, some just are better at it than others. Planning and scanning is a vital part of driving, but the skill improves as you go on. You can improve this process and learn quicker by continuing to do hazard perception tests even after passing your theory test! As crazy as it sounds, these tests improve your planning and it's vital for you to be planning ahead on your driving lessons.


4. Hand-eye co-regulation skills - You do not need to be a table top tennis champion to be able to drive, however it does take some hand-eye co-ordination skills. You need to look at the road and tell the rest of your body what to do based on the situation ahead. There are the odd pups which struggle with this, but with practice they ever get it, to most however it is second nature and it makes your driving lessons a lot easier.


5. Organization skills - You do not need to hire a personal assistant if you have not gotten great organizational skills as it does not take much organization, even for an unorganized person. However there is a degree of organizational skills involved as far as booking your driving theory test and instructor is concerned.

These are the 5 basic skills which you have to hone in on to make your driving lessons successful. Be more conscious about the above skills and your driving tuition will go a lot smoother.

Fill Your Wallet! How to Earn Money Both Online and Offline

As more and more people fill up the world, it sees more and more difficult to fill up your wallet. There will always be someone better than you who will get the job that you like. There will always be someone better than you who will get the promotion that you have long strived for. Sad as it may sound, there will always be someone better than you who will get what you want - but this should not stop you from earning money.

Thanks to technology, you actually have many opportunities to earn money, both online and offline. All you need to do is to know where such opportunities are, and what you can offer in terms of finances and skills in order to meet certain requirements. Whether you are after a part-time or a full-time job, you can use the power of the Internet to find you work that will fill your wallet up, so that you can let go of all the other excuses of fate and circumstance in order to earn you the money that you need.

First, join online groups and forums. Such places can allow you to not only voice your concerns, but find kindred souls who share the same problems as yours. You can also find more successful people and ask for their advice.

There are two main online groups and forums that you might want to join. First, join online groups and forums that cater to people with the same interests and skills as yours. For instance, if you are a writer, you might want to join online groups and forums that cater to writers in your genre, or to writing in general. In such groups, you will be able to hone your writing style, especially if workshops are involved. You will also be able to find writing jobs through connections in the online group and forum.

Another online group and forum type that you might want to join is any group catering to job seekers. Such groups will post job openings regularly, and you will be constantly updated on ways by which you can earn money. Just be sure that the members of such online groups and forums are reliable and reliable, or you might find yourself chasing a scam.

Second, know your skills and interests completely. Are you a writer, a graphic artist, a web designer, a clothing designer, or a researcher? What are you especially good at? What are your skills? What is your educational background? If you know yourself completely, there are two things that you can do with ease: you will know what jobs you will excel at, and you will know how else you can improve yourself.

With all this knowledge on hand, look for jobs online that will cater to your skills and interests. Moreover, join workshops or attend classes that can help you improve your skills: not only will you emerge from workshops and classes with better skills than before, you will have earned yourself friends and possible connections!

There are many more ways to earn money online. Do research on them, especially on affiliate programs that pay decisions for clicks of advertisements on your website. This can be good for residual income, and can help you earn more money while you have a day job, or a part-time job that pays your bills.

There are still many ways to earn money, and all you need to do is find the opportunity. Always keep an open mind, and be on the lookout for ways to earn money legally. If you can, invest your money in mutual funds or bonds, and save some in the bank for a rainy day. As you let your money pour in, and as you allow it to grow, you can soon find yourself living comfortably - even retiring early!

Math Activity For Fun And Learning

Math activity like drill and practice help a child gaining good mental number skills. Moreover, if the practice is done everyday through fun and games, children easily get familiar with numbers. Nowadays, we have a number of online math activities intended for children and the grown-ups alike. Teachers, parents and children have a number of games and number drill activities at hand. The online math exercises help a child practice computing skills, number and logic, geometric and money exchange skills. The number skill in a child grows along with daily shopping skills- how they can get an object in exchange of money.

In online math activity like Dinner Time, a child can practice and grow its skill in measuring time. We have task cards, through which a child prepares a meal for dinner in a fixed time frame. He or she is assigned a specific time frame in which the food item is to be prepared. This number game is played between a small group of children and a clock pattern is maintained in playing the game. Games like Body Parts help a child know how to measure length with the help of a string and mark them in a data sheet.

Want to make your child familiar with Perimeter and Area? Now you have online math activity to help your child. Your child can measure and co-relate between area and perimeter of a particular figure. In this game, a child uses specific design shapes and blocks. These blocks are used according to the instructions on a task card. The numbers are changed and so the area and perimeter of the given figures are also changed.
This game can be enjoyed more than two or three children in a small group. Not only solid blocks, we have number games in form of mold figures.

Play Dough is another mold figure game that children enjoy as a part of their online math activity. This game builds up number reflex in a small child easily. Through Play Dough, a child gathers number skills in measuring length, getting the volume of a particular object, area and perimeter of particular figures. Children use the playing dough to estimate and measure volume. An easy to follow task card is given to guide the children effectively. The child molds the dough to measure the lengths and areas of given figures and estimate the total circumference. The game is meant for classroom math activities and it can be played by one or more children.

Comparing Cylinders and Estimating Length are popular classroom math activity for children. Comparing Cylinders is played by children to estimate the surface area and determine the volume of given figures. Here students have to find the change in capacity of said containers made of the same size of papers. In Estimating Length, children have to find the length by calculating the units of measurement. Children can estimate the measuring units to use while measuring the given objects. The game is played in a group and children have to maintain an activity data sheet.

First Steps to Online Marketing

The first steps to work yourself through when you have decided to take the step towards online marketing there are a few things you need to think about.

-Why do I want to market online?

-What do I want to market online?

-What do I know about marketing online?

If the answer is "I don't know", today is your lucky day. I will share some of the steps that I have learnt about online marketing through endless testing and tweaking.

YOUR WHY

Why do you want to market online?

Is it to enhance your offline business?

Being able to make money without leaving your home?

or...

Online marketing is easier than marketing offline, because online marketing takes care of itself and makes you money on autopilot?

If it's the last answer you're in for a big surprise. There is no such thing as EASY or AUTOPILOT in online marketing. Well, sure it is but not in the way many think. Online marketing is simple but not easy. Which means, it takes a lot of work to set it up and you need to be constantly tweaking and testing to maximize your efficiency and profits. I hope I didn't scare you off now. Online marketing is lots of fun and you could make friends all over the world.

YOUR MARKET/NICHE

So where do one start when you figured out why?

A specific market. Your Niche. Simple as that.

So, what is a niche and where do I find my market?

Well, there are a lot of places to find that. First of all. You'll want to target a niche that is actually profitable. What you don't want is to market a niche where no one is ever buying anything or a niche that pays very low. You want a niche that is in trend so to speak. It is what everyone is talking about and what people are interested in learning, using and purchasing.

For example.

Learning online marketing is a big niche with loads of people who are looking for information about it everyday. To find a monetizable niche you will need to look at the trends.

Ever seen the basket ball through the water hose?

Anyway, the trends is what people are interested in and what people are buying.

What are people looking for?

What are their main concerns?

When it comes to online marketing these are the most important questions to find an answer to. So you'll need to do some research. Did I say some. I mean a lot. You could basically say that online MARKETing is all about MARKET research. If you know what you're market desires you know what to MARKET to them. If you want to stay ahead in the online marketing game. Keep a journal on your daily activities.

1 year from now, you will have loads and loads of information that you could use. By then your online marketing business will be a lot different and you will have a different view on this. By then you will probably have forgotten what is was like when you wanted to learn online marketing. Why not keep a journal on you questions and utilize it when you decide you need to teach a spouse, friend or a new team member about online marketing.

What was the questions you had back then?

Well, it's easy for you now. They are what you ask today. So keep them written down as research for a later project and take notes on your struggles, issues and short comings when learning online marketing. Now, this is just to get you started so you could use it in the future.

What about now? Now is when you have your problems. How do you solve them and get going with your online marketing business?

Here it is...

YOUR SKILLS

You have a set of certain skills, I'm sure.

Are these skills relevant to marketing and business?

If not, you might want to consider acquiring a set of those skills before throwing yourself into doing business. Whether online or offline. The first thing you should do is to assess your skill tree. A simple mind map could do the trick or just a list with what you know. Rank them on how experienced and good you are at a skill.

Circle the top 3 skills you are most proficient in. Are that very good? Great!

Are they at all profitable or monetizable. Meaning could they make you money (with a little fantasy and imagination) If not, pick the next skill. That's your main focus to begin with. Now, underline the 3 bottom skills that you're not very or, at all proficient in but still is in context with your top skills. Those are the skills that you should focus on learning. 1 should be online marketing.

Apply the same rule as with your top skills but with the little tweak, Are they useful and do they enhance your top 3?

NEXT STEP!

Now, you have some skills that you are good at and some that you are going to focus on learning. With time you will have 6 skills that you are very good at.

Go through this article again and apply the steps.

Why Are Computers A Necessity Now?

Computer systems now a days are everywhere. We can find that in places we can not see or would not expect to find them. This gadget are no longer specialized tools used only by scientists or engineers like before. They are not hidden behind sealed-walls under a climate-controlled environments anymore. They are a fact of life that companies can not live without and even individuals like us. It is a common thread that ties together our education, work, and home life. Thus, computer literacy becomes significant, with computers touching almost every facet of our lives. But why is it that computer literacy is very cruel?

Why do we need to spend time and energy studying books, enrolling to computer crash course, and becoming "computer literate?" Technically, to be "literate" means to have knowledge of that subject, wherein you understand its basic terms and concepts. We are not born with such knowledge and abilities, but it is hard to imagine living without computer skills today. Considering the fact that Computers are an essential part of business today, whether you are an auto mechanic or a surgeon, a journalist or a pilot. Like cars, that take us to work everyday, we also rely on computers more with each passing year. If there are still who do not use computers regularly, chances are great that you will soon.

But who will be the one to benefit from computer literacy? First, is the increased employability. Here, the basic computer knowledge along with specific job skills are mainly considered by the employers because a person would be more trainable in and adaptable to the computerized work environment. Next, is greater earnings potential, wherein, as you increase your computer skills, you become more valuable worker, especially if focused on high-tech skills like programming, software / network administration, hardware maintenance and many more. However, it does not follow that you must be a computer expert to increase your earnings. Skills that involve application of the computer to specific tasks are highly valued. Another benefit is that, it has a greater access to resources. Always bear in mind that computers are incredible learning tools, especially when you have access to data on CD-ROMs or the Internet. PC can be used to access vast knowledge bases on almost any topic, search archives of information dating back decades, even take online courses for credit.

You will also have a greater control of your assets, by using the power of the Internet and even a little knowledge only of computers, you can manage your personal finances and indulge your interests in ways that were not possible back years ago. Here, you can control of every dollar you earn through online banking and investing. Online shopping as also another benefit that makes it easier to buy something without tiring yourself & spending so much time going to stores with yourself. There are also new technologies that enable you to monitor your entire household via PC - to set your air conditioner or alarm clock, start your coffee maker or sprinklers, and even activate your alarm system. With this range of growth of computer technologies, we can not deny that we now live in an information society - where information is considered to be an extremely valuable community. The key players in this information-based economy are those who control important information, or those who simply know how to access and uses it. Computer knowledge and skills you can build with that literacy are vital to success in this society, not just in our working lives, but in the ways we learn, manage our finances, and improve our standard of living.

Although there are still many professions that do not rely on computers, they are becoming fewer all the time. Remember that computers do not need to take the form of PC, so there is a good chance that your career path will bring you in contact with some type of computer because many of the tools in today's' workplace are computer technology. That's why it is very important to have a basic understanding of computer technology. No matter what your career choice is, you can benefit from a knowledge of computer hardware and software, and how these components function together. Even your job does not require you to work directly with a computer, this knowledge may help you to envision new ways of using computers in your work, that would result in a more productive work environment. This can also lead you to career advancement opportunities. But still, if you think that this case is overstated, that computers are not being used that much, you should consider that computers are popping up in places & professions that my seem unintentionally.

Finding Happiness - The Benefits of Volunteering

A lot of people seem not to be happy with their lives because of their work. Working people as well as students seldom have time to unwind which is why most studies show that people who are too busy are definitely stressed all the time. The thing is, there are a lot of ways for people to be able to unwind. One of which is consider volunteering. This does not only help people to help their chosen charities or chosen organizations to volunteer for, but it also helps a lot of people find happiness in doing simple things. Below are some of the benefits of volunteering:

• The first benefit that you would get when you consider volunteering is the fact that you would get to meet new people. By meeting new people you would learn new things. You would get to meet people that have the same interests like yours so you would surely be able to find someone that you can relate to.















• Aside from meeting new friends, volunteering can also help you improve the community that you are helping. This is good especially if you live within the community. You are helping other people who are part of the community in terms of improving their lives.















• You also get to improve your health. If you volunteer helping some organizations, you would no longer feel stressed since you would have time to unwind. In some studies, it is said that people who volunteer are more likely to improve their mood and they find some sort of joy in the things that they do. Since volunteering requires a lot of work, you no longer have to work out in fitness centers in order for you to stay fit and healthy at all times.















• Volunteering is also a great way for people to find their chosen careers. By volunteering, you get to improve your skills and you would also find time to pick your chosen career based on the recent experiences that you have learned by reason of volunteering.















• You also get to improve your skills since you would be able to practice these skills when helping out a community or organization.

These are the things that you need to know about the benefits of volunteering. Make sure that you try volunteering since this can definitely provide you with happiness which is important in our daily lives. With these things, you would no longer feel bored during your free time and you also get to combat stress all the time.

Money and the Laws of Value

One summer day a hen was on the look out for food on a farmyard. As she scratched at the straw on the ground, she unwrapped a diamond jewel. The hen suspect that the jewel might be valuable because of the way it glittered in the sun.

This object is probably worth a lot, the hen thought to herself, but I will trade a bushel of this diamond for a single bushel of corn. (One bushel of diamond is worth about 20 million tons of corn)

What is true for the hen is also true for human beings. People can not use money better than their level of appreciation of its power. If you are primarily a consumer you will only be familiar with the consumption power of money - what money can buy. An investor is very familiar with the reproducible power of money - How money can multiply. A business man is familiar with the production power of money - How money change forms into valuable products and services. Money has no power in itself to change your financial personality; it however has the power to magnify your financial nature.

Money as a Store of Energy

Money is a store of economic energy. Without the awareness, acquisition, organization, and perfection of these internal values ​​in any man, wealth creation in a sustainable manner is impossible. Poor resulting from lack of cash or tangible assets is temporary and easily curable; however, poverty resulting from lack of discovery or awareness of these internal sources of wealth is permanent and can not be cured by the acquisition or possession of money or tangible assets . Attempting to cure malaria by the use of pain relieving tablets is at best a temporary solution. Unfortunately, most people looking for money usually neglect and disrespect their internal primary source of wealth. According to Mark Victor Hansen "You do not have wealth, you are your wealth" ! The earlier you come to the full realization of this universal principle, the quicker you will be on your journey to financial success.

External sources of values ​​are those invisible assets outside a person that is reliably fixed and is accessible to every man equally. These include: Time, Problems, and Relationships. Everyman has equal access to these three variables; and they are unavoidable raw materials for the creation of every form of tangible wealth.

Money Creation Process

Three variables therefore determine the quantity of money a person can legally create over a given period of time: The number of internal sources of wealth discovered and properly harnessed; Amount of external sources of values ​​efficiently utilized; and how much of the outputs of the combination of those variables that is successfully delivered to those who need them in exchange for money. For instance, the income that an employee will extremely earn will be determined by how much of his talents, passions, and skills he is able to discover, improve, and convert to expertise. Combined with how well he is able to manage the time, opportunities, and relationships available in his work to generate and deliver the expected results consistently over a period of time.

Laws of Value

Since we now understand that, value is the source of money; and that money can not exist alone without corresponding value; understanding the principles and laws of value will enable us create and sustain money in a legal and enduring manner.

# 1 - Law of Value Flow

" In every human relationship or interaction value is always flowing but money may not"

Since value is an invisible carrier of money, you may be gaining or losing money without you being consciously aware of it. Every time you come in contact with or spend some time with people, you will either increase or decrease your cumulative value if or not money exchanged hands during such interaction. That means if you are in a high paying job, but spend a lot of time with people with poverty mind set or low expectation individuals; your net cumulative value will gradually reduce to reflect your dominant mind set. This will naturally reduce your productivity on your job resulting in stagnation or ultimate downsizing! Conversely, if every time you have a meeting with a prospect he comes out feeling he has added more value than he has during the interaction; he'll seek more opportunities to receive such values, on a more frequent basis - which means the consummation of a business relationship and the signing of contract!

On a daily or weekly basis, if your interaction or association is more with those who drain value from you without offering equivalent or more value in return, you will eventually become money poor.

# 2 - Law of Multiple State of Value

"Value like water has three states, as long as value keeps flowing, under the right circumstance and conditions, it will freeze to tangible money"

Many people get discouraged when they begin to offer value and they do not immediately receive the money equivalent of such values. Such frustration often leads to compromise, mediocrity in service delivery, untimely resignation, and quitting from entrepreneurial venture. But, think about it this way, it takes time for water to become ice in a deep freezer even under the consistent application of electrical power. Even when you are delivering value consistently, it takes some time for the value to be appreciated and recognized for its money worth by other people.

Most of the world's leading successful people have gone through times when the values ​​they offered were not immediately rewarded with money. Zig Ziglar in his autobiography stated that his first 3,000 speeches were given for free. Anthony Robbins - the restructured author and personal achievement expert said that "in his first six months as motivational speaker, all his statements were given free, and he had an average of 5 speaking engagement every day".

# 3 - Law of Value Exchange

"Value must be greater than or equal to price"

Think about the last time you paid $ 20 for your transportation fare. Was it because you liked the driver of the vehicle? Or because you believed that trekking the same distance will have more adverse effect on your health and finance. Human Beings are naturally selfish. They will not willingly give out an amount of money unless they have convinced them that the product or service will deliver to them more value than the price they want to pay for it.

Marketing is there an honorable service of helping people enjoy more value than the price they pay for the product or service that solves a particular problem in their life or business. A marketer is not a money taker; he is a value giver and a solution provider. Many technically sound people shy away from marketing their products with zeal because of psychological guilt fueled by ignorance of the law of value exchange. Not selling your product denies someone from enjoying the benefits it offers and slows down the growth of the nation's economy.

How Can Instructional Technology Make Teaching and Learning More Effective in the Schools?

In the past few years of research on instructional technology has been resolved in a clear vision of how technology can affect teaching and learning. Today, almost every school in the United States of America uses technology as a part of teaching and learning and with each state having its own customized technology program. In most of those schools, teachers use the technology through integrated activities that are a part of their daily school curriculum. For instance, instructional technology creates an active environment in which students not only inquire, but also define problems of interest to them. Such an activity would integrate the subjects of technology, social studies, math, science, and language arts with the opportunity to create student-centered activity. Most educational technology experts agree, however, that technology should be integrated, not as a separate subject or as a once-in-a-while project, but as a tool to promote and extend student learning on a daily basis.

Today, classroom teachers may lack personal experience with technology and present an additional challenge. In order to incorporate technology-based activities and projects into their curriculum, those teachers first must find the time to learn to use the tools and understand the terminology necessary for participation in projects or activities. They must have the ability to employ technology to improve student learning as well as to further personal professional development.

Instructional technology empowers students by improving skills and concepts through multiple representations and enhanced visualization. Its benefits include increased accuracy and speed in data collection and graphing, real-time visualization, the ability to collect and analyze large volumes of data and collaboration of data collection and interpretation, and more varied presentation of results. Technology also engages students in higher-order thinking, builds strong problem-solving skills, and develops deep understanding of concepts and procedures when used appropriately.

Technology should play a critical role in academic content standards and their successful implementation. Expectations reflecting the appropriate use of technology should be woven into the standards, benchmarks and grade-level indicators. For example, the standards should include expectations for students to compute fluently using paper and pencil, technology-supported and mental methods and to use graphing calculators or computers to graph and analyze mathematical relationships. These expectations should be intended to support a curriculum rich in the use of technology rather than limit the use of technology to specific skills or grade levels. Technology makes subjects accessible to all students, including those with special needs. Options for assisting students to maximize their strengths and progress in a standards-based curriculum are expanded through the use of technology-based support and interventions. For example, specialized technologies enhance opportunities for students with physical challenges to develop and demonstrate mathematics concepts and skills. Technology influences how we work, how we play and how we live our lives. The influence technology in the classroom should have on math and science teachers' efforts to provide every student with "the opportunity and resources to develop the language skills that they need to pursue life's goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of society," can not be overestimated.

Technology provides teachers with the instructional technology tools that need to operate more efficiently and to be more responsive to the individual needs of their students. Selecting appropriate technology tools give teachers an opportunity to build students' conceptual knowledge and connect their learning to problem found in the world. The technology tools such as Inspiration® technology, Starry Night, A WebQuest and Portaportal allow students to employ a variety of strategies such as inquiry, problem-solving, creative thinking, visual imagery, critical thinking, and hands-on activity.

Benefits of the use of these technology tools include increased accuracy and speed in data collection and graphing, real-time visualization, interactive modeling of invisible science processes and structures, the ability to collect and analyze large volumes of data, collaboration for data collection and interpretation , and more varied presentations of results.

Technology integration strategies for content instructions. Beginning in kindergarten and extending through grade 12, various technologies can be made a part of everyday teaching and learning, where, for example, the use of meter sticks, hand lenses, temperature probes and computers becomes a seamless part of what teachers and students are learning and doing. Contents teachers should use technology in ways that enable students to conduct inquiries and engage in collaborative activities. In traditional or teacher-centered approaches, computer technology is used more for drill, practice and mastery of basic skills.

The instructional strategies employed in such classrooms are teacher centered because of the way they supplement teacher-controlled activities and because the software used to provide the drill and practice is teacher selected and teacher assigned. The relevancy of technology in the lives of young learners and the capacity of technology to enhance teachers 'efficiency are helping to raise students' achievement in new and exciting ways.

As students move through grade levels, they can engage in increasingly sophisticated hands-on, inquiry-based, personally relevant activities where they investigate, research, measure, compile and analyze information to reach conclusions, solve problems, make predictions and / or seek alternatives . They can explain how science often advances with the introduction of new technologies and how solving technological problems often results in new scientific knowledge. They should describe how new technologies often extend the current levels of scientific understanding and introduce new areas of research. They should explain why basic concepts and principles of science and technology should be a part of active debate about the economics, policies, policies and ethics of various science-related and technology-related challenges.

Students need grade-level appropriate classroom experiences, enabling them to learn and to be able to do science in an active, inquiry-based fashion where technological tools, resources, methods and processes are readily available and extensively used. As students integrate technology into learning about and doing science, emphasis should be placed on how to think through problems and projects, not just what to think.

Technological tools and resources may range from hand lenses and pendulums, to electronic balances and up-to-date online computers (with software), to methods and processes for planning and doing a project. Students can learn by observing, designing, communicating, calculating, researching, building, testing, assessing risks and benefits, and modifying structures, devices and processes - while applying their developing knowledge of science and technology.
Most students in the schools, at all age levels, may have some expertise in the use of technology, however K-12 they should recognize that science and technology are interconnected and that using technology involves assessment of the benefits, risks and costs. Students should build scientific and technological knowledge, as well as the skill required to design and construct devices. In addition, they should develop the processes to solve problems and understand that problems may be solved in several ways.

Rapid developments in the design and uses of technology, particularly in electronic tools, will change how students learn. For example, graphing calculators and computer-based tools provide powerful mechanisms for communicating, applying, and learning mathematics in the workplace, in everyday tasks, and in school mathematics. Technology, such as calculators and computers, help students learn mathematics and support effective mathematics teaching. Rather than replacing the learning of basic concepts and skills, technology can connect skills and procedures to deeper mathematical understanding. For example, geometry software allows experimentation with families of geometric objects, and graphing utilities facilitation learning about the characteristics of classes of functions.

Learning and applying mathematics requires students to become adept in using a variety of techniques and tools for computing, measuring, analyzing data and solving problems. Computers, calculators, physical models, and measuring devices are examples of the wide variety of technologies, or tools, used to teach, learn, and do mathematics. These tools complement, rather than replace, more traditional ways of doing mathematics, such as using symbols and hand-drawn diagrams.

Technology, used appropriately, helps students learn mathematics. Electronic tools, such as spreadsheets and dynamic geometry software, extend the range of problems and develop understanding of key mathematical relationships. A strong foundation in number and operation concepts and skills is required to use calculators effectively as a tool for solving problems involving computations. Appropriate uses of those and other technologies in the mathematics classroom enhance learning, support effective instruction, and affect the levels of emphasis and ways certain mathematics concepts and skills are learned. For instance, graphing calculators allow students to quickly and easily produce multiple graphs for a set of data, determine appropriate methods to display and interpret the data, and test conjectures about the impact of changes in the data.

Technology is a tool for learning and doing mathematics rather than an end in itself. As with any instructional tool or aid, it is only effective when used well. Teachers must make critical decisions about when and how to use technology to focus instruction on learning mathematics.

My Husband Is Always Compare Me To Other Women - This Hurts Me - What Can I Do? Insights To Help

I recently heard from a wife who was being hurt by her husband's constant comparisons between her and other women. Sometimes, he compared her to her sisters, friends, coworkers, or acquaints. Other times, he compared her to complete strangers. She had been trying to ignore this for a while, but laately, it had been angering and grating on her so badly that it was very negatively affecting her marriage.

The wife said in part: "My husband compares me to everyone. And the comparisons are never favorable. I'm not as thin as my sister. A mom as our neighbor. I'm not as good a cook as his best friend's wife. I'm not as good as a lover as his old girlfriend. goes to open his mouth. At first, I used to ignore him, but this is starting to happen all of the time and become much more hurtful. with something equally as nasty. How would he like it if I compared him to other men? I would never do this because it would hurt his feelings and he's my husband. him on this, he says I'm too sensitive. It's gotten to a point where he will openly stare at other women right in front of me. uch longer I can take this. What do I do? "

After a little more clarification, it became apparent to me that the husband would make these comments and the wife would withdraw and give him the cold shoulder for a short period of time afterwards. Over time, she had learned that bringing this up would only make her husband accuse her of being over sensitive. And if she tried to snap back at him, then he would become angry and things would just get worse. So instead, she would say nothing and she would stew. This caused resentment and deteriorated their marriage. More and more, she was being avoiding spending time with her husband because of this and other problems. So this was something that I felt had to be addressed and could not be left in the hopes that it would just work itself out. In the following article, I'll offer some tips on understanding why a husband may regularly compare you to other women and how to best deal with it.

Why A Husband Might Compare His Wife To Other Women: The wife could not understand why her husband would be doing this. He did not act this way when they were dating. It was only within the past five years or so that he had begun this type of behavior. There are various reasons that a husband might act this way. Sometimes, this is their passive aggressive way of drawing your attention to something they wish was so. And, they may be saying it's about your parenting skills or your work ethic, but it is usually about something else completely.

Many men criticize you for reasons that have nothing whatsever to do with you. They are often trying to get your attention in the hopes that you will pay more attention to them or to things at home (as illegally that this sound sound.) So they will often hit you with very low blows in an attempt to push your buttons just to get a reaction.

Other times, a man will point out your perceived flaws because he is very aware of his own. Sometimes, a man's comparison of you is really driven by his own lack of self esteem or because of his own worries. Sometimes, when I speak with the men on the other side of this situation it's clear that they try to pull their wife down because they deserve her. They secretly worry that if she knew how special she really was, she would leave him so one way to make sure that this never happens is to point out her shortcomings. And sometimes men react to stress by being critical of who is most convenient.

I am not defending this behavior. I am just trying to let you know that if you are in this situation, you can be assured that these comparisons are not reflective on you. They are reflective of him and you have to decide if you want to change it, continue to live with it, or remove yourself from it. (My recommendation is to attempt to change it if you can.)

How To Handle It When Your Husband Always Compares You To Other Women: The wife in this situation did not want to walk away. She asserted that there were other redeeming qualities in her husband. But she did not want to continue to live this way either, nor did she deserve to. And each time her husband did this, it deteriorated her marriage even more. I know that she dared to confront this because it appeared to only make things worse, but ignoring it just ensures that it keeps happening.

I suggested that the next time her husband compared her to someone else, she should make a note of it and vow to bring it up at a time when things were calm. If you try to address it when you are hurting or angry, you run the risk it becoming even worse. So, when things are going well and you are calm, that is the time to address it.

I would suggest saying something to the effect of: "I need to discuss something with you that has been weighing on me. Yesterday, you compared me to (fill in the blank.) This was hurtful and unnecessary. Honestly, this happens a lot. this makes me feel like I'm not making you happy or that you wish I was different. I worry that over time, it will make me resentful. And I know that you do not mean to hurt me. So, from now on, when it happens again, I'm going to draw your attention to it and ask you what is really bothering you. "

This is just a suggestion. You can use the words that are most appropriate to your husband and your situation. But the point is to address it in a constructive way, to open the door for him to tell you what is really bothering him, and to let him know that in the future, you will address it each time it happens. This lets him know that he can no longer have a free pass to keep up the comparisons.

Sometimes, just approaching it when you are both calm can inspire open communication that allow you to get to the real root of the problem. Because the comparisons are often a good indicator that your husband is trying very hard to get your attention and this can sometimes indicate some issues in your marriage that should not be ignored.

Learning The Hard Way - Driving Lessons

Hayleigh, a teenager in Coalville, passed her theory test just one day after her seventeenth birthday. Talk about being driven! In the course of the few weeks that followed, she went on to take some structured driving lessons. Some were cheap, bought on deals that so often populate the web space. For the most part, the driving lessons were cheap, thanks to her shopping around for a deal here and voucher deals there. It gave her time to assess her needs and choose a driving instructor that was more akin to her driving style. Three weeks after passing the said theory test, Hayleigh was near ready to drive without supervision and all geared up for her practical driving test.

Just down the road from Hayleigh, another teenager, nineteen year old Brian was also taking driving lessons. Like Hayleigh, Brian also had his provisional driving license from the first week he turned seventeen. But unlike Hayleigh, Brian was nowhere near his neighbor's driving skills, let alone think of booking a driving test.

He only just about managed to pass his theory test on the third attempt. Feeling very despondent, Brian's driving course almost crashed into oblivion when he lost his part-time job and could not afford the expensive driving lessons he was taking from the very same instructor Hayleigh was learning from. So why is there a price discrepancy?

Driving schools, and their driving instructors tend to give cheaper price options to learner drivers who book driving lessons en-mass. Look at it like buying wholesale. As one can see, two teenagers, same opportunities, but Hayleigh came out trumps because she block booked driving lessons and tailor her lessons to mirror her lifestyle.

The other advantage Hayleigh had was her ability to practice driving on the private land. Hayleigh and her family lived on a large farm with room for farm machinery and a back garden most would die for. So she learn how to drive, for the most part, in her garden. She was not breaking any law. She need not even insure or tax the vehicle so long asshe did not drive on any public road. It sure gave her an unparalleled advantage.Understandably, she could drive better by the time she was seventeen. Her parents started her off by tutoring her and booking a theory test. An old banger was thrust in her face and she was skidding through the farm, learning to reverse, practicing clutch control, speeding up and changing gears to slow down and much more. The real carrot for Hayleigh, however, was the real and genuine promise of a brand new car if she were to pass her practical driving test first time.

Apart from that, Hayleigh longed for the freedom of stepping out of her front door and into her own car rather than walk half a mile to her front gate and another five hundred meters to the nearest bus stop. So please her weekend job, Hayleigh scheduled her driving tuition on fixed days, and generally at the same time. This made it easy to remember what she was doing weekly.

Above all else, she had set days when she started from home but finished at home. Other times, she started from workplace and ended the lesson at a friend's house. It was a rollercoaster three-week period, but everything was pre-planned and executed to the minest of details.

The best part for Hayleigh was that not one of her college work suffered. Hayleigh had the forethought to open up her diary and worked out a training schedule with her driving instructors.

As for Brian, who lived in an urban townhouse with limited parking on the near estate, this was all onerous work. His parents shared one car between them, which only the father tended to drive, mostly out of the necessity of driving a seven-mile return trip for work in rush hour traffic that took almost an eternity to complete. To make things even more complicated, Brian's parents had a big four-by-four that made it astronomically impossible to include the nineteen year old as a third driver.

So without the insurance, Brian had no practice vehicle. He had to rely solely on the driving instructor's car It was all too much. At this joke, it need to be stated also that Brian worked in a public house where his bosses never really managed to give him set-hour shift patterns. And to make matters worse, the rota for his working week tended to be ready with five-day notice.

Academically, Brian was suffering too. He placed that as a matter of priority over his driving lessons needs so quite often canceled driving lessons to do research and other school course work. When things came to a head, Brian stopped his driving Tuition completely for a period of four months before returning to one lesson every other week. Eventually, Brian had stopped completely for almost one year before returning yet again to continue his driving course after he graduated with his university grades.

Well, it was no surprise when Hayleigh passed, first time too. After all, she had racked up a substantial amount of driver training and enough support to keep her at it. Brian, unfortunately failed his driving test and felt very angry with the whole situation for a long while after.

So for anyone planning on taking driving lessons, it is obvious that apart from a deep pocket backed with moral support, it is worth considering pack deal driving lessons.

Do not go by way of Pay-As-You-Go. Instead, pay upfront for a given number of lessons, they tend to be cheaper any way.

Structure your driving lessons.

Choose a day, or a few days best suited around your existing lifestyle and be true to yourself. Make the schedule stick, and above all, stick with it. Flexibility is good, but not to breaking point. Most driving instructors will work around your needs. If not choose another one. Driving instructors hate late cancellations, So the clever driving instructors have built-in cancellation policies to protect their income. Ironically, learner drivers also benefit from this arrangement because they are more likely to gain the instructor's trust and commitment. It's a win-win situation.

Shop around fro best deals.

There are loads of offers on driving lesson and it takes a savvy mind to pick out what is best for your own individual need. However, just because it's cheap does not necessarily mean it's for you. Read the terms applied. If they do not meet your needs, look elsewhere.

Read the Highway Code

Learn quicker by reading and understanding The Highway Code. Some driving schools even give out the highway code for free, with hazard perception training thrown in. There are other free resources out there like video sharing websites.

Learn From Friends and Family.

Everyday teenagers tend to generally ignore the free driving lessons shoved down their throat by parents, friends and other relatives. It pays to watch other drivers, friends and family, (including bus drivers). Even when other people are driving dangerously, an astute teenager can easily learn how to drive safely by making judgment calls on other people's driving habits.

Preach What You Learn

Share your driving lesson experiences with everyone you know or meet. Write comments, tweet what you know, how you felt after your driving lesson and above all, practice what you are being taught. Do not re-invent the rules of driving. The benefit? You may get something wrong. Then you might get a chance to see other people's view on your knowledge. It's a continuous learning cycle.

Complete in Time

Do not embark on an ambiguous journey into driving. Starting with 8 driving lessons to test the water is a waste of your time and that of the instructor's. Be more realistic about the prices and how you can afford them. Then take the plunge; complete your driving lessons and you too could be a driver in no time.

Earn Extra Money to Travel - Make Your Money Online

You can earn extra money to travel if you have time to invest in building a business online. Many of us love to travel, be it to some exotic location with our spouse or companion, taking children to Disney Land, driving across the countryside, or simply getting away to enjoy nature. Traveling is good for the mind and body. It is a time to enjoy life and relax. It is a reward that we all deserve.

Travel, however, is often expensive, and because it is not always a necessary part of our day-to-day lives, it is most often considered a luxury. During difficult financial times, prudent people will often make do without luxuries. You may have to admit, reluctantly, that you are one of those prudent people.

There is no need to feel guilty about using existing funds for your travel plans. You can make money online in your spare time, and spend what you earn on your travels. There are many money making opportunities on the internet. Sometimes it is time to get excited about learning a new skill, and start working at home to build a business on the internet.

Setting up a business on the internet requires minimal setup costs, and offers an opportunity for maximum profits. Many online marketers have seen their revenue hold steady, even through certain financial times. In fact, online spending averaged to $ 3.4 billion in the third quarter of 2008 alone. Selling on the internet gives you access to 1.4 billion web surfers - all of them potential customers.

Making money online requires skills that you need to master. You need to find or create a product, market the product, and make the sale. Finding or creating a product and making the sale can be relatively simple; the largest challenge online entrepreneurs face is this seemingly simple act of marketing. It is primarily marketing knowledge that differentiates the big earners from those learning more modest incomes. Knowing how market effectively will send your profits soaring. Marketing skills combined with the low cost of setup and the wide reach of the internet can put you in a powerful elearning position.

If you start making money online with the goal of paying for the occasional traveling vacation, stay focused, and press forward at every opportunity, you may find that you are getting enough to do much more. Time invested in earning enough money online to travel may prove to be time well spent learning to make enough money online for all your financial needs.

Make Money Online - Starting Your Internet Business

Making money online by starting your own internet business is a big draw with economic conditions the way they are, many are trying to make extra or replace their income. Although the need and want are there, knowing where to start and what to market, gets many beginners very confused. Having a plan will help the confusion.

Time management is where many go wrong, they may have a regular job, or family to deal with and feel they just don't have time to start a business online. However having a plan with an effective system in place will allow even the beginner to run their business with less time.

Evaluate business opportunities When deciding what business you should set up, be sure they fit your needs and desires. Choose wisely, because by planning ahead you will be able to find many things that can be marketed by using the same type of system.

Choose one thing to market and learn the marketing techniques that it will take to make money online, by doing this before jumping to market a lot of different things at the same time, you will understand what it will take to make your business a success. Then you can take what techniques you know are successful and apply them to other markets.

By learning and improving your marketing skills, testing what works and fine tune it, you will be successful at starting your internet business. As an example: Many begin with affiliate marketing because it is easier to do, it can even be done without a web site or advertising budget.

However, as they learn an apply what the learn they soon realize that they can make more money online by having the proper tools in place, such as a domain name, web site and auto responder. These tools are used to build a list of potential buyers instead of sending them to someone else who will put them on their list and profit from you.

Another example is many start out writing articles to promote the products that they are selling because of budget restraints, but once they make enough they want to move on to pay per click or other ways to bring even more traffic, so take the time to learn and improve your skills and profit from them.

If you want to making money online by starting your own internet business, take action, make a plan so time can be managed, and you will have a system to follow. Evaluate business opportunities, and of course learn an improve as this needs to be done.

Time To Change Jobs? How Will I Know?

Almost everyone experiences times when his or her job, workplace environment, co-workers, or managers could be much better. But how long do you end negative surroundings before it's time to "test the waters" and see what other jobs might be better fit for you?

While the stigma of job-hopper is not what it used to be even a short time ago, it is still critical for you to demonstrate to a prospective new employee that you gained experience and new skills, in any job you have held. It is projected that Generation X will hold 10-15 jobs over their careers and Gen Y (or Millennials) as many as 25. Keep in mind these are projections based on limited historical data since the oldest Millennials are still under 30 years old and you typically change jobs more often in your early years in the work. But if the projection holds, it means Millennials will change jobs every two years.

The questions you should ask yourself are: Am I learning and progressing from a developmental standpoint towards my longer-term career goals? Is there an opportunity for upward movement, as a reward for hard work, or is my job stagnant? Do I have supportive managers and co-workers or is it a stressful environment impacting my personal life and health? Am I paid fairly for my position and what I contribute? If you are answering a negative response to one or more of these questions, then it might be time to check out what's going on in the job market.

Do not do anything impulsive. New jobs are still not that plentiful - so use your current job to fund your search. Make a change on your own timing. Use your personal email and cell phone, and do not tell anyone in your company. It does not matter how much you trust your co-workers, word will get out and it may take away your timeframe options.

Before you begin looking in earnest, you should do an assessment of your skills. A good start in this process is to update your resume (although you should always keep it current). What jobs are you really qualified for? Do you have the education and mastery of skills to progress up the ranks of another organization? If you determine the longer-term position you want requires a specific degree or more experience, you may want to stay put until you reach that new plateau. But it's always good to test the waters through your network to see how friends and colleagues jobs are going and what companies are hiring and for what positions.

Prior to making any decision, you need to include wherever you are "running away" from a job or moving forward in your career. If you have not given your "all" in a job, there is no reason to make a change and end up in the exact position only in a different company. If you decide to leave, leave on a good note - perhaps just after completing a project or mastering a new skill set. This will give you a good story to relay to a prospective employer - that you finish what you start and are ready for more challenge and responsibility.

Make Money and Love It

Someone once told me that play is work that we enjoy. I began to wonder why people do not play at work. There is a stigma that surrounds the word work. It is a necessary evil; it forces you to work for your weekend - the time you enjoy; it is just to be endured. But I do not believe it. Work can be fun, sure there will still be tough days, but there is nothing wrong with looking forward to going to work on Monday. Many things factor into whether you will enjoy your work: the people, the environment, and the work itself. These factors can keep you from enjoying work, but when used to your benefit, they can also help you find and retain enjoyment at your work.

What you excel in doing will affect if you enjoy the work you do. This is because individuals find satisfaction in accomplishes. I am a great goal-setter, planner and executor. I worked for a company where I severely got to use any of those skills. Instead, my time was focused on encouraging people to do things that did not want to do, which required skills in reading people, customizing messages to each individual person, and being a cheerleader; none of which are my strengths. Knowing this, each day I would try to improve how I talked to people and to influence them to smile at customers, and each day when my goals were not reached I went home feeling like a failure. Being in an environment where you can use your strengths allows you to go home with a sense of accomplishment. Spending your day toiling in areas where you struggle, leaves you feeling empty.

Many books have been written that will help you discover your strengths and weaknesses. Some go so deep as to help you find your undering motivators. These are fantastic resources which I recommend. For now, however, I want to focus on a quick analysis.

Think of your best day at work where you felt a sense of accomplishment. What happened? What activities were you doing? Did you land a tough deal? Did you overt a crisis? Did you create a successful plan? What attributes did that day's activities have? By boiling it down you will find the basics of what you enjoy doing.

What do people say you are good at? Does your boss ever refer co-workers to you for advice because you do something well? Do people seek you out as the expert in certain activities? What do you get recognized for? These are all great indicators of your strengths.

What do you find yourself doing when you do not have to? Are there activities at work or home you find yourself participating in even though you do not have (are not required) to? I am constantly creating plans and setting milestones for projects I do outside of life. My friend will sit down and pound out a book in a day. My husband will design and build things, not because it needs to be done, but because he enjoys the process. Figure out what you enjoy that can be translated to work.

Just knowing what you are good at is not enough, it is important to understand what you do not do well. What do you dread doing at work? Do you avoid paperwork like it is the plague? Do you make as few client calls as possible? What activities do you do that never seem to measure up to the status quo? My first internship I asked to cold call potential investors to see if they would be interested in speaking with a broker. After four hours of cold calling I went home crying. Each time I made a call that day, I would feel apprehension: afraid they would ask a question I would not have the answer to; afraid they would be rude to me; afraid I would get yelled at. Talking to strangers and trying to sell a product was not my strength.

After you know what you do not do well, there are two things to do: either manage those weaknesses or avoid situations that require them. To manage a weakness you need to leakage other skills to help you do that activity to the (level of the) status quo. Do not expect to ever make your weaknesses a strength. That same time you could use practicing and improving your current strengths and yield a much higher return on investment. Look at the activities you do not do well and see if there are ways for you to do that activity a little differently and still achieve it. Some things you can avoid absolutely. Is there someone at work whose strengths compliment your weaknesses? Maybe you can share the work. Do you have the authority to hire someone to take on the work you do not do well so you can focus on your strengths? In my business I am good at the organizational management piece where my partner is better at the sales piece (remember my cold-calling experience). I focus on directing the vision of our organization while he brings in the business. Would this work for you?

By understanding your strengths versus your weaknesses, you can begin shaping your job to fit you (or finding a different career). You will find you have much more satisfaction after spending your day being successful versus struggling through a workday by trying to rely on weaknesses. And go ahead, play at work.

Online Bill Pay and How It Works

Online bill pay is fast becoming a popular means of payment among people who want to practice good debt management skills, and save on both time and money in the process.

What exactly is online bill pay?

Generally, it is a payment method that lets an individual carry out payment instructions to creditors electronically through a computer program. This can actually get rid of errors, making it easier to manage debt. In addition, it is faster than mailing checks.

Online bill payment methods come in two basic categories: those being offered via a bank, and those offered via a service provider- like a credit card or phone company.

In general, online bill pay is designed to be fast and simple to use. Majority of major banking institutions, as well as businesses, provide this service without any charge. Individuals can choose to manually enter their payments every month, or arrange for an automatic withdrawal from their account. Automatic withdrawal allows them to set up their payments before their due date without worrying about giving manual instructions to make a monthly payment. The creditor will transfer funds straight from the bank, and enter these funds into their account with no action needed whatever.

Advantages of Choosing Online Bill Pay

The following information will help you consider the different advantages of using online bill pay:

Hassle-free

Individuals can save on time when using the online bill pay platform. Instead of writing out checks, wetting stamps and filing lots of papers, they can set up an online account to get rid of all these steps. It will also be easier and faster to manage their debt.

When they need to go over past bills, they do not have to waste time in looking for them - because all of their account information can be seen in one centralized location.

Cost Efficient

They can save on the stamping costs, which can add up. The average household gets 15 bills every month, which could amount to $ 70 a year in just postage costs.

They can avoid late payment fees that are incurred every time a payment is received after the due date. Missed payments could lead to the following:

• Increase in interest rates;
• Late payment charges and over limit fees.

When the payment is past due, their account could probably go to collection status.

Convenient

What is a more convenient solution to managing debt? Individuals could create their own automatic online bill account, so they can set up recurring payments that are to be regularly withdrawn from their account. This decreases the chance of late / lost payments, saving time in the process.

When they find out that one of their bills is due for payment on the next day, the best way to make sure that their payment will be posted on time is through online bill pay.

Car Repair Service

Car repair service is something that it's worth spending some time doing a little research about in order to find a  shop that's a good fit for you and your car. As with most services, it  pays in the long run to spend some time shopping around for a good, honest car repair shop.

Time spent finding the best Boulder auto repair facility for you and your car is an investment of time and effort that will give you peace of mind and could potentially lengthen the life of your car. It's something that you should only have to do once or at least not very often because once you find a good auto shop, you will become a long-time, loyal customer for many years to come

Perhaps one of the best indicators of a quality Boulder car shop is the word of mouth that gets around about it. In Boulder, word can spread quite easily via the student population at the University of Colorado, especially with all the social media avenues of communication that students use every day, including Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

So, in the context of social media at CU, a good repair shop can quickly have loyal customers who are willing to let others know about the best Boulder car repair service they have found in town because it just outshines all their previous experience with other shops in the past. Do some searches in Twitter or Facebook looking for students talking about their experience with local car shops.

Another place to find Boulder locals talking about local repair shops is on some directory type of websites that allow readers to write reviews. When you do a search in Google for Boulder car repairs, some websites you will find in the search engines will have customer reviews. You need to be a little careful here and not swallow everything you read whole.

Sometimes a review will smack of a competitor trying to bad mouth a decent repair shop. If most of the reviews are positive and plausible, one or two really negative reviews would not necessarily steer me completely away from a car repair shop, especially if the auto shop has been in business for several years.

Having said that, if I find numerous negative comments about the same Boulder repair shop on several sites by different people, that will get my attention and I will probably not consider trying that shop.

Another tip for selecting a good car repair shop in Boulder is to choose an auto shop where the technicians work on several different makes of cars-both foreign imports such as Volkwagen, Subaru, Toyota, Honda, Audi, Porsche as well as domestic cars such as Ford, Cadillac, GMC, etc. You will be able to tell by the Yellow Page ad or the shop's website. For example, the local shop called Bolder Auto has a website where they talk about what specific makes and models they like to work on.

When a mechanic has a variety of experience working on different makes and models, it gives him a much greater understanding and insight into how cars work (or don't work), not just for repairing a Toyota but Subaru, Honda, Audi, VW, Porsche--any brand.

It's always a good idea to ask the person you deal with at the local Boulder shop if the guys who will be working on your car have Automotive Service Excellence certifications which are also known as 'ASE certifications'. These ASE certifications are a good way to validate a mechanic's skills to work on any type of vehicle. These are national certifications and not specific to Boulder or Colorado only.

Another tip for finding a good Boulder car repair service is to start looking before you actually need one. Then you won't have to settle for just trusting that the repair work will be done correctly because you have no choice.To start, find a local shop that's running a special for an oil change or some simple service you need and make an appointment. See what  kind of experience you have and go from there.

There are lots of Boulder car repair shops to choose from, so narrowing your choice before you actually take your car to the shop will require a little time applying the tips above to find the shop that best fits your need in the local Boulder community.

A Birthday Is More Than Balloons - Involving the Kids to Be a Part of the Birthday Decor Prep

Well, it's your kid's birthday and s / he has turned a year older but you do not just want them to turn older but also wiser by the years.

There are many ways your kid can take DIY things at hand and contribute to her / his birthday celebrations. After all, it's not an out and out surprise for them. Oh come on, they are expecting things already. So, why not plan the jubilee with them and make it a learning experience for your ward.

Five steps to include the birthday kid in her / his hatch day festivals:

1. Let the kids hone their artistic skills and design the invitation cards for their birthday ceremony. This way they will be involved in a crucial step before hosting the gala ie to invite the guests with creative hand-made cards.

2. Let them revise their art and craft lessons and contribute in the decoration of the hall with innovative crafting skills. Quilling is a hit these days, why not exercise it with your kid and do your own decor. There are so many tutorials on Quilling craft ideas available on online platforms like YouTube and Pinterest. Your kid and you can later boast about it too.

3. We all know that the market is flooded with a variety of candles of different shapes and sizes, spotted ones too. But nothing beats the proud moment when your kid molds her / his own candles. You get these waxes in many stores and also molders to give various shapes. So, why not give your kid this opportunity to make their own illuminators and they can further personal the experience by writing one's name on them by using glitters. This will not only validate that the candles are your kid's own creation but will also give them the special birthday vibes when your child sees her / his name inscribed on the candles.

4. Involve them in the cake-making process. Yes, this can be their first step to the kitchen where they can get a hands-on experience of baking, using the microwave and garnishing as well. So, let's prepare your young ones to be the next promising contantant of Masterchef Junior.

5. And finally for the return gifts, if you are looking for simpler options, well you sure have introduced them to the kitchen already, so how about incorporating them in preparation some flavoured hand-made chocolates packed in mini paper bags. Or few of those molded candles can be kicked away and with guests' names inscribed with glitter on them, they will make for perfect return gifts. There are so many other ways your child can plunge into making innovative return gifts for friends, if your kid's birthday falls in the current month or say the upcoming December, it is The Time to introduce him / her to sewing classes, maybe hand gloves for the tiny guests or better let's start with simpler things like woolen caps. Or let them try clay pottery and make interesting things. There are so many DIY pottery toys available in stores.

With these many ideas and suggestions on mind, we are sure you are already planning for a unique and special birthday bash for your baby. This will ensure that your family will not just enjoy the party time and post birthday time of opening the gifts but the pre-birthday preparations will be equally a time well spent. Have a gala time!

Learn and Earn With Affiliate Marketing

Do not Be A Statistic; Learn And Earn Your Way To Success

Having invested four years or more of hard work in a degree, it is imperative that you maintain your skills and have work experience recorded on your resume. Use your marketing skills and earn money at the same time. Affiliate marketing will provide you with the opportunity to learn and earn.

I had been unemployed for a few months; every recruitment agency within a 20 mile radius had been bombarded with e-mails, phone calls and of course, had been provided with several copies of my CV. Never before have I been unemployed for such an extended period of time, and I have an extensive experience in my chosen field. The financial climate gives employers the upper-hand; This is an ideal opportunity for employers to choose the most experienced candidates, leaving those with less than perfect CV's at the back of the queue. I can only imagine what it must be like to be a student or graduate just out of university. I decided to trawl the internet for any home-based opportunities to earn some money, as my savings were being sapped, and my resources depleted. I spent a good week researching; affiliate marketing was the one opportunity that appeared to be legitimate. In the process, I had fallen foul to three scams; I did not lose a fortune, but any amount is too much when lost to a scam.

Affiliate marketing is the most lucrative online opportunity. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and you will not become a millionaire overnight; it requires hard work, dedication and motivation, but it is the ideal opportunity for those who might be unemployed, or anyone looking to top up their incoming, to tap into what is fast becoming, a booming industry.

Currently, there is no specific affiliate marketing degree or diploma, although this is likely to change with time. In simple terms, it is where a customer searches online for specific products and is directed by the affiliate to the required product via a link. The user clicks on the link and is driven direct to purchase the product or service on the seller (merchant) site. The seller pays the affiliate commission as a percentage of the total sales value and this can be anything from 15-75%. The affiliate must have the knowledge and know-how to find the right products for the right customers at the right time. Advertisers prefer to have their products marketed in this way because advertising costs only become effective when a sale takes place.

The golden rule of affiliate marketing is finding niche markets. A niche market is defined as a specific targeted product that satisfies the consumers requirements. It is highly specialized and requires much fine-tuning. Research is imperative; finding the right keywords will lead you to the right customers and products for that customer. It is possible to market a product in two ways; either by choosing a consumer and providing the product that consumer wants, or by providing a product and finding consumers to purchase that product. The affiliate finds the niche market, shows the product to sell, then chooses a marketing technique and then builds a campaign leading to action. It is possible to earn money online within any industry but the key is to provide the right product to the right person at the right time and for the right reason. Initially, you should promote a product, service or topic that you know something about, or at least, are interested in. You are more more likely to succeed if you are passionate about your subject; what graduate is not passionate about their subject?

You will benefit from joining an affiliate program initially; An affiliate marketing training program is the easiest and quickest way to lead you to success. There are hundreds of programs, and I have researched them all. Joining is usually free, and a reputable program should provide you with all the expert training, resources, research tools, market information, mentoring and support to ensure your success. The program should be able to turn marketers into sales machines, keep you ahead of the game and make you a force to contend with. Be aware of programs that expect you to pay considerable amounts to find out about what they offer. You would not pay a company to interview you; this information should be free. You will need to pay a membership fee for joining; this the norm, but in return your offer should include all the training and resources you need to start your business.

You will need products to promote, so will need to join an affiliate network. The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you do not need to invest in products to sell; you simply market and sell products already offered by merchants. Networks such as ClickBank, LinkShare and CJ.com are reputable networks. There are many networks to choose from; choose those offering a good rate of commission and confirmed payment method. These networks offer thousands of digital products but you will need to learn quickly how to master these networks and achieve the best possible sales potential.

You are far more likely to succeed in maximizing your potential through the use of your own website. Your website will provide you with an identity wherey you can market your products in your own style. You will also be able to target your products to specific markets and update your product offer when applicable. Your marketing efforts will be automated and therefore your earnings potential will be continuous. Websites can be built using free web development programs and do not need to cost the earth.

There are many marketing strategies you are able to use to promote your products; the affiliate program will train you to master these techniques. There are free marketing techniques and paid-for ones. Article marketing is a free marketing technique to get traffic to your email marketing campaign. By writing short articles and submitting them for distribution in the market you will achieve credibility. You will need to write unique, relevant quality content and also unique content. Every article contains a resource box and by-line, including the author's contact details. Writing good articles can achieve valuable backlinks to your site.

Other strategies include Pay-Per-Click, wherey you use advertising mediums such as Google AdWords to promote your offer. E-mail marketing will quickly build you opt-in mailing lists which are great for targeting specific products to customers at specified times, and you can utilize autoresponders to manage your e-mail campaigns. Search Engine Optimization is key to driving traffic to your website and achieving high page ranking with Google, Yahoo and MSN can bring huge amounts of traffic to your products.

Joining a program has other advantages; it will enable you to earn from the outset if you choose one offering promotion incentives; promote the program you have joined, and you are able to earn from day one. Take advantage of your skills and marketing capabilies; learn and earn to put that much-needed experience on your CV. I wish you the best of luck!