Use the WWW to Make Money

The Internet has opened innumerable opportunities for people, thanks to the growing popularity and success of online jobs. There was a time when making money online appeared to be an unbelievable affair. Today, the scenario is completely different. Do an online search for money making opportunities on the World Wide Web, and you would be bombarded with hundreds of thousands of results in the fraction of a second. Right from data entry jobs to affiliate programs, or even clicking ads, the Internet seems to abound in jobs for everyone- student, homemaker, self-employed and even the elderly.

But then there is another side of this beautiful picture. Spamming has become a global affair. Every now and then, you would come across someone being spammed. Agreed, there are genuine online jobs too. However, you may have lost hundreds of dollars by the time you come across a genuine job. Bet-rich-overnight schemes continue to lure everyone, though most of us know deep inside that such promises are based on unrealistic aspects.

The question remains- how to make money online without being spammed? Online jobs can simplify your life. With an online job, you can say goodbye to debt and financial worries. You can spend more time with your loved ones. Most importantly, you can work from anywhere, and still make a full time income online. However, the income source should be reliable and residual, and not a one-time opportunity to make a few bucks.

A genuine online job that can teach you how to make money online should be more of a step-by-step system that should allow anyone, regardless of their age or location, to make a decent income, month after month, consistently. Some of the popular money making opportunities online involve writing, editing, transcribing, and other affiliate programs. While some companies offer regular writing jobs, and pay on a per-article or per project basis, many others allow you to earn through the income generated through PPC.

Your aim should be learning and mastering a proven system that teaches you how to make money online. Do not spend hundreds of dollars into buying schemes and systems that promise you a six-figure income. Learn to tell a genuine job from a bogus one. You may come across moneymaking websites that show pictures of lavish bungalows, luxurious cars and bundles of money. Remember, there is no way you would be a millionaire doing an online job overnight. A genuine job would help you increase your income gradually. If you want to learn how to make money online, you need to be vigilant. Keep an eye on the latest developments on the Internet. Read about freelancing jobs, and subscribe to blogs that send regular updates about online jobs.

Life Success Learning to Create Positive Habitual Behavior & Overcoming Negativity

The first and sometimes most important success habit that must be formed is one of positive thinking. Dwell on the positive exit that's desired and avoid thinking about anything that's not wanted. Nothing will ensure failure faster than the very thought that the failure will occur. People say that it's absolutely normal for negativity to creep into our thoughts. Be that as it may, any negative thought has to be banished immediately and replaced with a positive one. This simple, yet effective technique, practiced regularly can help you move towards success like nothing else.

Forget about the past, it's gone and there's no going back. Regardless of what's happened before, today is a new day. Holding onto the past ensures that you'll stay right where you are in life. Letting go of past failures allows you to see the potential for future success and to move towards it. Realize that any past failures, real or imagined, were purely lessons that you thought to this moment in time. Appreciate the education you received and bravely move towards success with the knowledge you've gained.

Overcome the desire to put things off until another time. For most people that procrastinate, another time never comes. Things pile up over time and there's no way to catch up, adding to frustrations and even more procrastination. Whether it's taking out the trash or calling a client, get to it right away. Only by getting straight to work and finishing tasks can success really be accomplished. Practice this non-procrastinating lifestyle and you'll soon find not only that things are being accomplished, but that you have time left at the end of the day too.

Another important aspect of success is the ability to manage time. It can be very easy to lose track of time and difficult to get back on track. Keep track of everything you do during an average day and how much time it took to do it. Go through an entire week of this. Now evaluate and see what should be adjusted or eliminated for optimal time management. Continue to develop a schedule that allows maximum time for every activity. Include all your business and personal time in this and you'll soon find a workable and even profitable schedule for yourself.

Develop the confidence to go forth and conquer. Knowing a thing can be done and believing you can do it are two entirely different things. It's vital to your success and the success of all of your endeavors that you are confident in your self. Confidence shows through everything you do and it affects your ultimate success more than you think. Carry yourself importantly, speak with authority, be secure with yourself and walk tall. Believe in yourself and your ideas and present them with passion. Do these things and others will recognize your confidence and want to be associated with you.

Success is not a matter of predestination, it depends upon the will of the seeker. With the will to succeed, it's possible to do anything you desire. It really is as simple as that, despite the general tendency to believe otherwise. Over and over again, success stories appear that portrait down and out individuals that executed their own free will to rise above. Exert your will over the situations in your life, change them to suit you and your goals and success will follow.

What is success? Is it money, power, health or spirituality? Success means different things to different people. For some, success can only be seen in the form of financial gain and power. For others, success means a happy, healthy family with only the basics of life. Regardless of how it's defined, success is possible with the proper application of some basic habits and the development of key character traits.

Interview With a Network Marketing Master

Christopher Terry. By day, stocks trader. By night, network marketing genius. Because of his second "night" job, Terry will be resigning from his primary day job. The really amazing part of that is he will have done this within 5 short months of joining his network marketing company.

Within the network marketing company itself, Terry is a leader and a mentor. He does not abandon his downline members. He keeps us informed of company events and policies on an almost daily basis. He lets us know he is here to support us; as long as we are willing to do the work, he will do anything within his power to help us succeed. He is a network marketer's dream upline sponsor.

How did he do it? What is his secret? I sat down with him to find out and share with you his ideas for success.

Denise: Thank you for granting me this interview, Chris.

Christopher: Thank you, Denise!

D: How long have you been working at your career as a stocks trader?

C: I have been a Stock and Futures trader since the mid 1990's. I owned a construction business prior to that. I wanted to be able work and make money from home. Although I started trading in 1995, it was not until 1998 when I was able to walk away from my construction business and trade full time.

D: How successful were you at doing that?

C: I have done very well. I find it fascinating that I can create wealth from home. I love the fact that a person can take a relatively small amount of money and create a growing stream of income; however, it's all based on your own efforts. For example, in my business if I don't trade, I do not earn income. Also, trading takes years of dedication, time and effort to become successful; in other words, there is no such thing as an overnight success.

D: I understand you became a leader and motivational speaker in your industry. Share with me how you rose to that level.

C: I was actually in Amway for several years in the 1990s. I was fortunate to hit levels of success here in the United States in that company. I then went overseas as Amway opened up new markets, which gave me the opportunity to have an international business. I owe my "positive thinking" to that network marketing experience, since the leaders in Amway always recommended we read positive thinking books and listen to positive thinking tapes. At the time many considered it "brain washing." Today it is called "Laws of Attraction." So, l was into positive thinking and Laws of Attraction before it was a cool thing to do. That time period in my life gave me the foundation to grow both mentally and financially. I started a business outside of Amway, and then I went into the trading business.

D: What qualities do you see within you that helped you achieve success in your trading career?

C: I would have to say vision and foresight. I look at the future of what things can be, not as they are, and then I take action. I have always taken action, I am not afraid of whether that action turns out right or wrong. The worst thing to do is to have an idea and a plan but never actually do anything to put that plan into action. It is better to do something and fail than to never have done anything at all. I have always had a drive for success once I realized I have the power and the ability to become whomever and whatever I want. There is a four-letter word to success, and its spelled W-O-R-K; the reality is anything worthwhile takes work, trading and network marketing included!

D: Do you think those same qualities helped you build your network marketing business?

C: Those, and also reading positive thinking books and books on success, as well as overcoming my fear to speak to people. I was very shy growing up, so I learned to say "Hi" and start a conversation, to truly become interested in other people and what they had to say. I also am not afraid to work; if I had to dig ditches for a living, I would be the best ditch digger I could possibly be. I believe once you get your mindset right and you learn to ask the right questions, the game is 90% won, and success will be yours.

D: Tell me how you got involved in network marketing.

C: Interesting story! I was dating a girl and she was bragging about how her boss was making $5,000 a month in some business and that I should talk to him, so I did. He signed me up, and then my girlfriend, the very one who told me to speak to him, wanted me to quit because it was Amway! I told my sponsor that I had some problems and I had to quit. He told me, "Get rid of the problems." So, I broke up with my girlfriend and built Amway, and as you already know, I became very successful in that business!

D: Were you familiar with network marketing before that?

C: No, I was not.

D: What were your thoughts and, perhaps, preconceived notions, about network marketing in general, prior to joining your first network marketing company?

C: I had no idea what it was, all I knew was I had to bring people in the business with me, sell some products and I would get rich. Unfortunately, though, it does not work that way!

D: Could you elaborate on that idea? Most of us are brought into this industry with that same notion, and we all eventually experience the same rude awakening that you just described, that it is not as easy as they make it sound. So please, for the people reading this who are not yet in network marketing and are considering it, as well as for those who have started and perhaps are failing, explain what you mean.

C: Well, of course you do not just get in and get rich, this is the most common misconception about network marketing. There are people who enter the business and think everybody they know will get in with them. Then there are people who come in saying they have this "one guy that if he gets in, he will make us all rich, he knows everybody!" and it is the furthest thing from the truth. This business is a numbers game. To be successful, you must expose people to the business every single day, to be consistently meeting new people and telling others about our dynamic opportunity. The more people you come in contact with, the more likely you will find people who want to become a part of your team and earn an income with you. This is true from day one; even though you may have a list of 100 or 500 people that you know, you still want to always be in the creative mode and working what I like to call the ABC's - Always Be Contacting. You do not know where the next million dollar earner will come from.

The hardest thing for me is I cannot take the feelings inside my heart and mind that motivate me and give them to someone else, although I wish I could. The truth is, everybody has to find their own will, desire, and hunger to succeed; without them, they will end up like the rest, having some success, but not truly creating wealth. We all know or have heard the hard, cold fact that 98% of the people in this great country are broke and do not have a backup plan; if they lose their job or business, they will be 90-120 days away from poverty. People can blame it on the government, but the responsibility ultimately falls on each one of us. We should be proactive when we do not actually need to be and start our own home based businesses, which will get us out of that 98% and into the 2% income earners.

One final thought on this topic: I think the reason most people fail in the network marketing industry is that they treat it like a job and not like their own business. When you act as if it is just another job, you do the least amount of work possible for whatever pay you can get. These people want to work very few hours and get rich right away. Unfortunately, this does not happen in network marketing. Those who invest their time and effort into growing the business, even if there is no income at first, can see the vision of the future. At the beginning they will work 20 hours a day for zero pay, because they see that putting in 20 hours will pay the equivalent of 2,000 hours' worth of work one day, and eventually zero hours will pay 10,000 hours. Fortunately, in our business the compensation for our work is amazing, but if you do not expand with people, you will not take advantage of the true income potential of network marketing.

D: Thorough and well said. I would like to add that when you said one should always be in the creative mode, in addition to working the ABC's, I think the creativity part should apply to marketing your business. Be creative in your marketing efforts. Think outside of the box and create many different marketing campaigns. Utilize technology and the internet. The more you put yourself out there, the more you achieve exactly what you are saying, Chris, which is maximum exposure of the business to as many people as possible so you can increase your odds of signing up significant numbers new members into your downline. I do this on a daily basis myself, and I also make it a point to talk to people every day to make new contacts, as you have recommended.

Getting back to my questions, what were your first thoughts when you were introduced to the specific business we are in together?

C: I was actively looking for an online business to get into. I was not looking for network marketing/multi-level marketing, I was searching for an online business that was cutting edge and in which I could earn a residual income. When I saw this business it was in a cutting edge industry, doing business in 170 countries, it offered a strong income opportunity without having to sponsor people, yet by sponsoring people, it offered the ability to create wealth and long term residual income. They say to be successful you need a product that people want, need and can afford, that will be used over and over and is desired in the market place. I found it!

D: As we already know, this is not the only network marketing business you have ever been involved in. Were there any others besides Amway and ours?

C: I looked at a few others along the way, but I did not join any.

D: Why not?

C: Well, I am a high income earner in the trading world, both as a trader and an educator. I have been doing this for 17 years, and nothing really struck me as good enough for me to give it my full attention. I have seen MANY companies, products and services. When I saw the opportunity in the industry you and I are in together, I saw an industry that was young, dynamic, and that people loved. It has a place in the market because it meets people's desires to find a bargain and/or make a deal. Also, it is VERY profitable, so I wanted to be a part of it. I got in first, and then I learned about it as I grew with it. I have not looked back. I have built an incredible team that's growing in leaps and bounds. You are a part of that team, Denise, an amazing student and downline member.

D: Thank you, Chris! How do the other network marketing companies you've analyzed compare to the one you and I are in together?

C: They cannot compare.

D: Besides what you have already stated about our company when you actually found it, what made you think that this was the company to join?

C: I have no products to carry around, no juices or vitamins to purchase or sell, I did not have to sneak up on my family and friends, and I do not have to sell expensive products that I can buy in the store cheaper. We get paid to advertise. Period.

D: Now, I would like to share with our reading audience your own personal tips for network marketing success. Please tell me, what works for you?

C: Relationships are everything; your network is your net worth. I am always in the creative process and always opening doors to new people, saying hello and breaking the ice to get a conversation going. In network marketing, our job is to leverage time and money; without people on your team it becomes impossible. I would suggest genuinely becoming interested in others, going to events, whether it is a show or a business event, or any gathering where good quality people who you may want to work with will attend. I also suggest speaking to people who you would not normally speak to and might even make you feel a little uncomfortable; those are often your best prospects. We tend to feel heroic because we got the number of the drive-through window guy at Mc Donalds; meanwhile, we get false impressions of success when we see somebody dressed in a nice suit and tie and just assume they are already successful, so we say nothing to them because we think they've got it all already and don't need a change in their lives. Both of these people may be your best prospect, or your worst, but you will never know unless you open up the door and say something to break the ice. With the "successful business man" (or so we assume) who we are often afraid to approach, you can start with something as simple as, "Hey, nice tie, where did you get it?" Then see where the conversation leads.

D: Is there anything that you've done that didn't work so well?

C: Yes. As I've mentioned before, it takes years to become an "overnight success." I have made, will make, and will continue to make mistakes. It is okay to fail; the more you fail the closer you will get to winning. Becoming immune to failing is the key to success. You may wonder why I say this. Well, if you have somebody who is not used to failing and thinks failing is bad, then when he/she hears "No" enough times, it damages his/her confidence, and that person is afraid to keep trying. However, if you are not afraid to fail, you will not let those "No's" stop you. Instead, you will become more motivated to find the people who will say "YES" to your opportunity or presentation. Become a failure to become a success. This goes for ANY business!

D: What is the ONE business building idea you can share that you think is the MAIN reason you are where you are today, about to retire from trading, and about to embark on some major journeys in life, both literally and figuratively?

C: First, let me clarify something very important. The word "retire" is loosely used in the network marketing industry. I have been trading for 17 years and it is time for me to take a break. Do I think I will stay out of it for long period of time? No, it has always has been and will always be a passion of mine. I have built my name and reputation as a trader and educator, so I will most definitely return to the industry; however, I welcome a break in the action right now.

I love to help and give to others, so this is my current mission. There is nothing better than creating a profit in network marketing and helping others create wealth in the same fashion. Then, bringing my profession back into the mix, profiting on those profits as a trader too is a home run! However, I really do have the freedom to either work or not work; that is how large the income that I have created in our network marketing business is already. The MAIN reason I am where I am today is I will do whatever it takes; I will work 100 hours in a 24 hour day until I make it. As I said earlier, the main ingredient for me is that four-letter curse word, W O R K... and I have a LOW "IQ" ("I QUIT") level!

D: Lastly, you are extremely jazzed about the network marketing company we are in together. What are the defining qualities of this company that makes it so good? Based on that, what should people look for in their own network marketing company or when deciding to actually join one?

C: Well, it seems lately I am sleeping no more than 3 hours per night! The energy of the team, of the company, and of the industry has taken the world by storm, and this keeps me "jazzed" as you say! I believe I had already mentioned earlier the reasons why I like our company, because there are no products to lug around and there is no trying to sell to friends and family a product or service they do not want. I have been approached by other network marketing companies that involve selling legal insurance, utility companies, juice companies, vitamin companies, weight loss companies, you name it! I have found that ours is so simple; our work is to advertise and it takes no more than two minutes per day. I am from the Amway world. I got my PhD in network marketing. In my opinion, the most ideal situation is the one that does not require a person to sponsor people to become successful, yet offers the opportunity to earn larger income because you do sponsor, train, and motivate others, and once you help them earn income, you earn additional bonuses. I come from a world where, when you help enough people get what you want, you in turn will get what you want. Everybody has their own version of what is best for them. Some may like a particular industry. My advice? Do your due diligence, figure out what you are passionate about, and run with it. That's all.

I want to thank Mr. Terry for taking the time to answer these questions so thoughtfully and thoroughly.

On a side note, Christopher Terry is one of the most benevolent and philanthropic men I've ever met, and he does it without creating great publicity or accolades for his generosity. He believes very strongly in the idea that "it is in giving that you shall receive." I am honored to know him and very glad we have gone into business together.

So there you have it. Christopher Terry's story and his tips for helping you create success in your own network marketing company. If you want have any questions or want to learn more, please email me at denise@bettermlmsuccess.com.

Are You Unconsciously Sabotaging Your Own Success and Happiness?

Resistance to Change

Although nature has gifted humans with the ability to adapt and to change, more times than not, we resist using that ability. Routines are comfortable and require little conscious thought. If we constantly have in one way, we constantly get the same results and responses. And that may be the problem.

Playing the Blame Game

Too often live by rote allows us to play the game game rather than taking responsibility for our own forward motion. "I did not get the big promotion because the boss does not like me," takes the place of better job performance. "I am not dating anyone because no one thinks I am interesting," is an excuse not to socialize or to engage in activities that would lead to new connections.

Refusing to Take Responsibility

The blame game offers false comfort. Blaming someone else is easier than admitting you are not giving 100% at work or making an effort to meet and interact with new people. These are repetitive, self-defeating messages lodged in your subconscious mind playing like a broken record. The longer that record plays, the more damaging it is to your life's goals.

Low Self-Confidence

Negative self-talk, even at the subconscious level, does terrific damage to your self-confidence. You do not need other people to tell you that you do not have talent or that you are not interesting. You are doing a perfectly good job of that yourself! Consequently, you may start surrounding yourself with people who actively support your low self-confidence, which will only make the situation worse.

Surrounding Yourself with Negative People

There is a school of thinking that refers to negative people as emotional vampires. You say, "I am never going to get ahead," and they say, "you are right," and may add a dollop of "you know the people at work are just out to get you" as an added extra. Playing the blame game and allowing others to feed our low self-confidence easily leads to self-destructive paranoia in all aspects of your relationships - business and personal.

You Can Take Control

You can break this vicious cycle. The subconscious mind is a powerful "computer." It can be programed and reprogrammed at will. You do it thousands of times a day. Some of the most powerful tools at your disposal to take charge of what is going on inside your own mind are professionally engineered subliminal message recordings.

Recorded at a frequency too low for the human ear to comprehend, auditory subliminal messages penetrate the sponge of the subconscious mind, sending positive affirmations and suggestions to replace the negative self-talk sabotaging your relationships and goals. Unlike hypnosis, where active attention is required, subliminal recordings can be used in a variety of settings with no effort needed on your part. Generally results are seen in a matter of days.

With our modern understanding of the workings of the human mind and the role of stimuli in guiding our behavior, there is no reason to allow "bad" outdated "programs" to thwart our desire for a fuller, more abundant life. Humans are capable of learning in a wide variety of ways, including at the subconscious level. Complex thought patterns are already at work there, but they may be working against you rather than for you.

Strange Money Habits of Billionaires

I observed in general the world's top billionaire made their massive fortunes through multiple streams of income. Their secret to financial success is simple enough to replicate: find and turn on as many money taps as you can manage and soon you will be swimming in an entire lake of cash.

In this article, I will reveal a few strange money habits some of these super-rich folks have.

Interestingly, including having multiple income streams, a few of them actually opt for a life of frugality instead of flashy extravagance. In all likelihood, they need not worry about their monthly bottom-line anymore but unbelievably, they still take pains to spend carefully. Believe it or not, here's proof using a few examples:

1) Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad drives a 15-year-old Volvo, flies economy, avoids expensive suits and eat simply at lower-tier restaurants.

2) Investor Warren Buffet (world's richest man 2007) lives in the same house he bought for just US $ 31k nearly 50 years ago instead of building a grandiose mansion with sprawling grounds.

3) British billionaire John Caudwell cycle more than 23 kilometers (14 miles) to work everyday to save cash (probably a few petrol dollars) and stay fit. He even cuts his own hair to save time and that extra few pounds!

4) Indian billionaire Azim Premji , owner of technology giant Wipro, serves food on paper plates in a lunch reception honoring his son's wedding!

I do not blame you if you have problems believing how incredibly frugal these billionaires are. If you're already self-sufficient in cash, try and experience for yourself some of their cash-saving habits. It's a little nutty but it's fun!

Otherwise, if you're hard on cash, why not learn from their cash-making habits instead. That is, through multiple streams of income.

Are Your Managers Ready for Generation Y Employees?

Generation Y or the "Internet Generation" will dramatically change every aspect of your business in the next five years!

Change will be constant, rapid and revolutionary. Want proof?

First, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is putting all of their 1,500 courses on the Internet. MIT believes that the "disclosure of knowledge and information can open new doors to the powerful benefits of education for humanity around the world." That means students, educators and self-learners will be able to audit these courses when and where they want.

Second, Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman, has a blog to communicate directly with his customers. It is an invaluable way to get important information out to the market. It is also a vehicle for timely and accurate feedback. Other GM executives are setting up blogs to talk directly to and get information from their employees. By comparison, Microsoft has over 1,500 customer and employee blogs.

Third, YouTube is an Internet overnight success story. It allows people to upload and share videos over the Internet. To date they have 100 million videos on their site and receive another 65,000 per day. The company was founded in February 2005, and was never profitable. Yet, Google understands the potential of their technology and purchased the company nineteen months later for $ 1.65 billion.

While Gen X employees understand Internet, multitasking and instant communications, Generation Y members excels at use of these three tools, and they will use them to transform business. They will challenge every aspect of the workplace.

How do the different generational employees look managers?

B oomers: The boss is not always right, but the boss is always the boss. I will put in long hours to get ahead. If necessary, I will do so at the expense of my family.

Generation X: The boss is not always right, but I'm not going to be here very long. I watched my parent's jobs being downsized or outsourced so I do not have the same loyalty to a company they did. I'm not married to the company; I value my life outside of work.

Generation Y: The boss is not always right, but are they open to new ways to do business? Events like 9/11 and the Columbine High School shooting have taught us that life can be fleeting. The Internet as exposed us to new ways of approaching life and work. I want to flexibility, to be valued for my ideas and my work and I want time off to volunteer.

They are called Generation Y, as in "why," because they are constantly questioning the status quo. They are almost as large as the Boomer generation and are over 65% larger than the Generation X group. In the next twenty-five years 80 million Boomers will be retiring. As the Boomers retire, the Gen X employees will become the Gen Y's managers. However, because of their sheer size Generation Y will be the overwhelming influence in the workplace for the next fifty years.

Generation Y fully embraces technology. Today's twenty-year-old college graduate was only five years old when the Internet was developed in 1992. They have always had the world at their finger tips. They grow up with instant messaging, text messaging, cell phones, iPods, PDAs, MySpace, YouTube, multitasking and blogging. They think, and act, in terms of instant communications. While Gen X employees understand and used these vehicles, Generation Y is totally immersed in them.

Baby Boomers changed the culture on civil rights, woman's rights, and gay rights. Their world was shaped by the Cold War. The members of Generation Y were born after the Civil Rights Act was passed (1964), the gay rights movement started (1969), the first woman sat on the US Supreme Court (1975), and the Berlin Wall came down (1990). The struggles many of us remember are accepted facts in their world. Generation Y individuals overlap diversity as an accepted norm and until recently knew nothing about war. Their world has always included diversity.

Each of us has memories of some recent tragic events: the Oklahoma bombing, the Columbine High school shooting, the World Trade Center bombing, and three wars-Iraq, Afghanistan and the War on Terror. If you were a thirteen to fifteen year old, how would these events shape your thoughts about the future? In a practical way These Generation Y's remain optimistic.

Generation Y members are group-oriented, confident, goal-oriented and civic-minded. They have a more worldly view than Generation X'ers. These new employees have been coddled by their parents. As children they received trophies for simply participating on a team. Parents told them were special and capable of doing anything. Their non-school activities were scheduled (eg, karate, soccer, etc.), and their parents were not afraid to call a teacher, coach or boy Scout leader if they did not think their child was being treated fairly.

Generation Y kids have been raised with instant communication, unrealistic feedback and rapid decision making as the norm. They believe they have the world in the palm of their hand. And, with their knowledge of today's technology they do.

So what can your managers do to get ready for Generation Y employees? Generation Y employees want to be heard and valued by their company when they start with your company. They place a high value on family and flexibility and will volunteer their time to cause them feel are important. They are fearless and not intimidated by titles or corporate organizational charts.

They love variety and are not afraid of change. If they think they have a good suggestion they will take ownership of the idea. And, they will not be afraid to take the idea up the corporate ladder to be heard.

Successful companies must find ways to harness the new employee's talents, integrate them into the company and turn ideas into a competitive advantage. Progressive companies understand that learning is a two-way street. Generation Y employees will revolutionize internal and external communications. Companies have a lot to teach the Gen Y's, but they have a lot to learn from them also. That will be difficult in rigid, highly structured companies.

Jack Welsh, former CEO of General Electric, stated that "... ebusiness knowledge is usually inversely proportional to age and rank." Hiring, challenging and retaining good employees have always been the hallmark of successful companies.

Successful companies today must develop a culture of learning, sharing and embracing change. They will employ two-way mentoring, blogging, new training platforms, and new ways of hiring and promoting people.

Training Generation Y employees will change. Boring, all-day seminars will become less frequent. Generation Y employees will text message their friends during those seminars. They need the information in the seminar, but companies will have the training available in different platforms and in smaller "bite-sized" portions. These training modules will be downloadable to an employees' Blackberry, iPod or computer. The employee will view the sessions at home, or on a plane or listen to them in the car driving to an appointment.

This is an exciting and dynamic time for business! Change will be constant, rapid and revolutionary.

Generation Y employees will change how we look at hiring, turnover, mentoring, performance reviews, employee orientation, retention issues, and how we communicate with our employees and customers. Are your managers ready for this new employee?

Questions for Discussion:

1. A new employee takes approximately six months to "learn the routes," and they will probably leave the company within four years. How will your managers take full advantage of the Generation Y employee's creative energies?

1. What systems within your company need to be reviewed to take advantage of these upcoming changes?

1. How can you dramatically change the way you communicate with your customers and your employees?

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.

The Keys of Life - How to be Happy

As a life coach for a number of years now, I have been exposed to the concepts and tools necessary for creating a happy life. This information is not just text book theory, it is real, and I am proud to say that I am making a difference in such a positive way that both my clients and my children will maintain a real advantage in their future.

So what are the messages I attend? What are the tools I employ? And what is the language I maintain for a healthy mind? There are many imaginative ideas one can institute within the household to create awareness, and these examples seem to work for us, not always immediately, but I feel certain they will play out in a positive way in the future. When one singles out each item individually, they may seem too simple to make a difference, however when combined with a full understanding of the technology they begin to make a lot more sense.

So why is it that human animals are so unhappy? Why do we hear that 1 in 4 Australians are clinically depressed? This article would be too long if I were to cover all the reasons, but I will attempt to address a number of them.

1. We compare upwards.

There are so many things around us that make our life "easier" and provide us with more leisure time: .... DVD players, washing machines, fancy cars, play stations etc .. As we have more leisure time, these materialistic things help us fill our days, they make us "look good" and possibly temporarily happy, and more importantly provide us with the things that someone else does not have.

So what happens to the people who do not have some or all of these items? Children want what others have and feel that these things will make them and their lives more interesting and fun. We all want things. We do not need them, we just want them. We want them because our friends appear happier, and we want to be a part of that. So we compare upwards and we look to what we do not have that create a par. It's this vacuum that gives us a feeling of not being complete and we think we are not able to be happy. How often do we compare downwards? How often do we stop and say, "I am so happy to be free and can play with my children at the park", "I am so happy that I am alive and have food on the table". "I am so happy to be healthy and am not in hospital recovering from cancer."

I am consistently reminding my children to not only appreciate what they have, but to create a list on a daily basis of all the things they appreciate. The appreciation list can be as simple as "I appreciate getting a call from my friend earlier today". We need to balance out our comparison mechanism. It is becoming so increasingly difficult with society becoming more affluent, and the media controlling what we are told to think. We really have to start working hard at this. We have to start playing the game of life, so that it starts to work in our favor because as I look around at the number of overweight, depressed people and the state of this planet, we are losing the battle.

What else do I do to make my children aware? For many years I have been telling my kids to mute the ads on television. The marketing people who create these advertisements are a lot smarter than we are. They cleverly use positive associations to sell their products with no regard for what or how it is effecting our comparison state. They use anchors and leverage us into softening our brains.

I have signs around the house and try to create a balance. Small posters that say things like "A week of need not want", "A month of NOW!", "Do not complain about it, change it or fix it", "A situation needs to be either deal with or accepted" "Why make it a problem? There are no problems in the NOW." These signs inspire discussion and subliminal alterations to my children's assessment of life.

2. We have an obscured concept of what success is.

Many people in the western world think that success is a house, car, money, and possessions. You do not have to look far at the statistics to discover that the financially wealthy are not necessarily happier than those with less financial means and are more challenged financially. Who was it that stated:
"Today, we have more experts but more problems, more medicine but less wellness.
Bottom line, happiness has little to do with money. It is our state of mind. I remember when I was in my teens thinking that if I had enough money just for my bus transport I would be so happy. Then I got older and all of a sudden, it was not enough, I wanted a car etc. You know what I mean. Look around you, see how much STUFF you have, is it made up of a NEED or a WANT. Do you remember how happy you were when you only had a few boxes in your life, no baggage. Then you start to fill it up with stuff. Did it make you happier? Ladies and Gentleman, this is not success. It is empty and lacks value. And it never ends. This path will continuously be fed by trying to get somewhere, and humans do not realize that there is nowhere to get. We are creating dreams about "some day, one day". When I finally get my BMW then I will go camping with my family. When I just get $ x, then I will start a family, When I finally drop 7kilo I will be happier with my weight. The time is NOW, right now. This moment. Do not wait, do it now. Go on that trip, get involved with needy children, do that thing you have always said you would like to do. Help the less privileged. Just remember if you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy. Success is finding YOUR OWN passion, discovering what you want to do with your life and going for it 200%. Not doing what others tell you. Start today. Learn about yourself, then create the most amazing possibilities for yourself.
Life is beautiful and the universe if perfect in every way. All you have to do is allow yourself see how beautiful things are, how wonderful you are, and start to become part of what is already perfect.

3. Communication:

You do not have go go back many years to see how communication has changed. Think back to the days when you would walk along the street, take public transport and people would say "Gday" "Lovely day" etc. On face value it does not mean very much, but this is the game of life we ​​are not playing any more. We prefer to sit opposite a computer, answer emails, play computers games, swim in our pools at home, watch TV etc, left to communicate with our own "little voice". In fact with 50,000 thousand thoughts we have on a daily basis, it seems that we are spending more and more time "ALONE". Now that would be OK if our internal communication was open to new ideas, with a potential to create thought- provoking new concepts and important issues in life. However, the internal chatter is so limited, and has become so molded by our clever governments and advertising geniuses, that we do not have a chance. That's because we are only working from a position of what we know we know and what we know we do not know. It has left no room for all the things we do not know we do not know. We can only get access to those blind spots in our life if we have other people expose them. We can only get it by being present to our voices. We can only get it from others. If you were to engage in a conversation with that old lady on a bus, imagine what pearls of wisdom you may get from her. Or that gem from that person we chatted to while waiting at the checkout at the supermarket. We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet our neighbor. We have acquired outer space but not inner space. We need to get back to basics and start talking. We will all begin to discover that pretty much all people in the universe want the same things and generally think similar thoughts. We all want to be happy. 

I am continuously chatting to people, smiling as I walk past people, and I let my children see that, we discuss it continuously and make points of interest to what goes on. Continuing talking about the concepts of how people are trying to "look good and trying to avoid looking bad", and all about "life". Remember your children are not getting an education about "life" from school where they spend most of their days. Do not forget that you DID NOT GET ANY EDUCATION AT SCHOOL ABOUT LIFE. So get learning, get educated and start educating the children. It will help them with their health, relationships and conventional education.

I encourage you to consider that life is beautiful, and note that we have learned to make a living but not a life and we have added years to our lives, but not life to our years.

What I do:

Among other things, I provide face to face life coaching in Melbourne Australia. I am continuously making a difference in people's lives. I know that 5 minutes before I die I wont be thinking about the house or car I did or did not have, but I will be smiling at the thought of the numerous people whose lives have been effected positively by my input. It is the most rewarding life I could lead and I could ever pursue.

jonathan@lourie.org

Money Or Excuses - How You Doing?

What is difference between those who make money and those who do not. Its been stated by successful people with certainty and congruence, "People can make money or excuses but they can not make both."

This is the truth. All of us come to this world with choices in our financial life. We have the choice to keep moving forward with perseverance and responsibility for every step we take of the process, or just stop and let everything we did go undo or slow down. Well, I am sure you know what path to take for getting the results you want. Unfortunately, most people stop and never dig deep to their dreams.

Well, when people first strive to go for their dreams about making money, they quickly stop when the going gets tough, and they look for people who will agree with them, so they can stop - and they do. Unfortunately, they never reach the level they had in their dreams which was - work on the Internet from home. Think about it, making money or an excuse is a choice everyone has in life. Which legacy would be the best to leave your kids? We are leaving a legacy behind one way or another.

The Internet has open an awesome opportunity to most of the world. As far as financial means, we can earn money on the net. So I could not create an excuse good enough even if I wanted to. I had to put my head down and ignore the comments many people had for me, since I worked so hard and long without making money on the net.

Going back to that quote, I have found so much more truth on "money or excuses" statement. I mean is not that life? I have the tendency to get lazy and listen to the wrong people and I also feel like quitting. I realize the price successful people went through, and I make it a reminder in my own life, whenever I weakened to the common human level.

My question to you - How are you doing? Are you choosing the good life or are you settling for the common one? Have you ever notice that every time we encounter a difficult challenge, we look around for the wrong people, because we are not looking for strength or direction, but we are looking for sympathy. You need to ask this questions. You might find these questions a way to determine your journey.

Am I focusing on success or failure during my progress?

How am I thinking about my future as I follow my progress with the ups and downs?

Do I believe in the system that I am following or am I looking for a good excuse?

I have two ideas that can help you on your weak moments and stop you from derailing into excuses.

Focus on moving forward-lift your partners and update your goals and your system to reach them.

When you look back, just check your improvements and how else can you improve the past - all about improvement.

The people who succeed are the people who prevail, and make no excuses - because there is NONE !!!

Respectfully,

Efren Maldonado

BOTS Companion of a Modern Revenue Manager

Bots have become an important part of human life both, at the personal and professional front and their involvement is climbing new peaks with every passing day. They surround us in our daily life in the form of Artificial Intelligence, Search Engines, and Software. Part of it has also paved way for smarter and efficient revenue management for hotels fueling the debt that if humans should be irrevocably replaced with bots for this complex round the clock function. Although the practice may be at a nascent stage to draw concluding, it has certainly made a mark in the real of the hospitality industry and has become an indispensable part of any hotel revenue management.

Artificial Intelligence powered robots can analyze and synthesize large chunks of hotel data collected at various touch points in a fraction of seconds to present meaningful insights about the booking pattern, demand, guest behavior which is impossible to be grouped or processed by any amount of human workforce with the same efficiency as bots. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the Artificial Intelligence has sort of revolutionized the hospitality industry across the globe, enabling every business to improve on multiple fronts like hotel pricing, price optimization, revenue management, guest experience management, booking management, demand and even capacity optimization of properties.

Furthermore, these bots are also capable of analyzing trends and trace upcoming events in the town to estimate the rise in demand, providing enough room for revenue managers to tweak the pricing and availability instead of fire fighting the situation at the last minute.

Leading hotels have already started betting big on AI powered bots and poised to explore new ways to make bots a part of their business operations. One significant advantage bots have over humans is that they can work tirelessly 24X7 with the same precision. Hotel industry requires attention 24X7 and is one of the most dynamic industries with continuous fluctuations in trends, demand, and prices. That is where these robust machines have huge value to add to the revenue management realm. These invisible machines can not only quickly determine the best rates at a particular time for your property, (room rate optimization) but also advise the revenue managers on which segment to target and the kind of promotional offers to be run to maximize the revenue.

Another major area where hotels continue to hustle is direct bookings. Hotels have been continuously trying to improve booking numbers on their own website since OTA missions are touching skies, eating up a major revenue share of hotels. Hotels would be surprised to know that even in this area, bots can improve their game and help increase the number of bookings by a decent percentage. With advanced learning capabilities and rigorous analysis of visitor's purchasing behavior, AI powered bots can refine the visitor experience and personalize every visitor's journey to their needs and interests. This increments visitor engagement and reduces the cycle time of purchase leading to conversion on the hotel website itself.

This again brings us to the joke that wherever revenue managers can be gradually replaced by bots completely risking their roles and jobs in the industry altogether. The answer is obviously NO since these micro machines can only process and analyze only a set number of parameters in their decision and often neglect external market implications that may not be considered by such bots but are easily identifiable only by human revenue managers and this acumen is gained by experience.

Therefore, the ideal mix should be machine results mediated and supervised by human revenue managers. For eg, Pricing is one area which could have been automated with a reasonable amount of diligence and control of the revenue manager. Similarly, online reputation management can also be monitored with technology; however, a personalized approach will take you a long way. The key is to automate the processes that require minimum human intervention and involve human where necessary. This will help revenue managers to don more hats at the same time like exploring more avenues to maximize per guest audience and focus on other revenue increasing strategies.

Thus, witnessing the scenarios discussed above, we can conclude that the status of the bots is of a companion to revenue managers instead of a successor who will complement them at every step with razor fast information and analysis of the market and competition, enabling revenue managers to take informed decisions in no time and help them optimize revenues and drive the hotel towards new millions of success.

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.

Reasons to Choose Custom Boxes for Your Business

The most important factor that determinates the success of any business is your relationship with your customers. So, the more effort you put into satisficing your customers, the better your growth prospects will be. While the first thing that must have popped in your mind on reading the above lines is, beyond any doubt, the 'product,' there is another - often overlooked- factor, ie the way you deliver your products. Here are four reasons why you should consider packaging and delivering your products in custom boxes:

1. Solution to budgeting problems

As a matter of fact, your way of delivery not only affects your business-customer relationship but can also improve or deter your budget, since your profit and revenue graph; the reason being the freedom and ability to choose the appropriate, or to be more precise, the exact size of the box for each product. Think for yourself- suppose you sell five different kinds of products varying sizes and fragility, and ship them all in the same sized box, would not that cause you to put in more money into providing extra protective sheaths for the smaller, fragile ones to keep it in place and reduce the risk of any damage? However, if you use a custom box of appropriate size, you would use just the right amount of protective layering, like bubble wraps, thereby saving money in the process.

2. Customer magnets

Putting a little bit of thought into the packaging, itself, shows that you care, and it is a well-known fact in the business realm that what your customers feel matters. Think of it from the perspective of the receiver. Would not a good, unique packaging thrill you? Would not it heighten the excitation of getting your chosen product? Moreover, it creates a positive experience for your customers, especially for e-commerce businesses where physical interaction with customers is close to nil, which in turn increases the chance of being recommended. So, custom boxes can be used as an effective marketing technique to score more potential customers.

3. Unique Brand Identity

There are many businesses that are primarily known for their unique packaging boxes. For instance, Amazon or Origami Craft Box or John & Kira's. These boxes infuse a sense of passion and appeal to the customers by making the process of unboxing a little bit more rewarding. Secondly, it makes your business name and logo more identifiable. In fact, the more appealing your custom box's design is, more are the opportunities that your customers will keep it with them. Most people find it hard to toss out boxes that are too beautiful for trash. So, in a way, custom boxes help reflect and polish your brand identity.

Furthermore, if your custom boxes are also durable besides being eye-catchy, you can rest assured that your customers will keep them, and then you get the lifelong worth of continued advertising without any additional investment.

So, what's the wait for? Call in a meeting with your design and marketing team, and build your custom boxes to give your brand a new life.

Psychic Insights and Predictions for 2018

We are in for a challenging period with lots of planets in earth signs, a more sober time of consequential events. Closer to home, what if it turns out that people have a lot less voice, less money to spend, and less comfort in the United States? And that might be small potatoes compared to what's happening in Europe! Here's what we can do about it if there's tough times ahead, according to an early December vision:

What first appeared was a picture of Americans' nature and spirit in decline, and people choosing to turn away from the displaced around them, not wanting to encounter them or anyone much - not wanting to connect. Americans, traumatized by the barrage of fear-creating news, beliefs, and new realities coming at them, may choose to defend themselves from it by disconnecting, not letting it really register. However, other messages going back to 1989 show a steady development of grassroots activism. Maybe we will snap out of our trauma and all become activists!

Until then (and ever more), this is the most actionable response: "Be nice. Be nice to yourself, and especially if no-one else has done so - or we have not done so ourselves so far. as a policy. To be nice is to turn the other cheek, to not react to the past, but to choose to be a certain way in the world, to have a certain atmosphere of respect and security and civility around you, which you demonstrate and emanate by being nice. It will raise the vibration of your world, and extremely, at each level you experience the world. "

About grass roots and what the 99% can do in 5 minutes to influence their world: Grass roots are the densest, the strongest weave, and what is akin to that formidable placeholder is if every single person finds a way to communicate with government officials, just Google it, and let their will be known. That unrelenting activity will make representatives always know and feel the pressure of millions of people, creating a grassroots weave in the airwaves.

"Get to work!" is the saying for the year. For those seeking spiritual and professional success, here are words of wisdom from a 14th century Middle Eastern scholar: "Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it."

The atmosphere surges with energy to put knowledge into action this year - lots of itchy entrepreneurs and innovators! For everyone, a lot can happen and a lot can get done by taking responsibility for your life. Being quick to explore your options and in more areas of your life, will serve you well in 2018.

According to one of the psychic pictographs for the year, Americans may be testing one of Einstein's theories. He states: "All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development agreed the individual." As the have and have-nots in America continue to grow farther apart, we'll see a devalued and dispirited people become more of a colorless or muted mass.

Monster Winds in 2018: Raging winds become more frequent ... plus earthquakes. We live as if our well-being depends on our access to money and power. Nature appears to be teaching us differently. "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature", warned the popular ad campaign years ago. Uranus, planet of shocking upheavals, moves into an earth sign on May 15th for an eight year stay. This signifies that powerful and destabilizing earth changes continue to upend.

More about May 15th: Not only does Uranus change signs on that day, it's also new moon in Taurus, and Mars goes into Aquarius, all conspiring to create changes in how we deal with money (Taurus rules money and finances.) People seek new forms of contracts and exchange. Mars in Aquarius also portends an important year for technological developments and innovations. People are going to be bold, try new things, and change fundamental aspects society. Cultural mores change around beauty and romance, and societal standards associated with love and the arts are open to accepting new forms.

Personal guidance from the spirits about 2018 (channeled on 11/11/2017): These messages are not about the society we live in, but describe the raw energy of the year and how we can use it to manifest what we want.

"You've arrived on new ground. And look all around ... make sure you are with people you want to be with ... that's how the year begins, a radical sorting out of your private affairs.

Being one with Nature this year gives great pleasure. Even for people who have not much noticed Nature before. Something wakes up in people about their world, their environment, and how precious it is.

We're all here together for one reason: to be free, and to be able ... you name it when it comes to being able ... what do you want to do? Whatever it is, it will occur to you month by month as the year unfolds: whatever needs to receive to your love. Any part of you can now come forward to be integrated.

Strength! Resilience! Force Power! They're all energized in people this year. Make sure to shepherd your consciousness so this access to power become tools for your benefit and also for others. "

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.

Thank You Note Examples For Employment Reference Letters

Do you need a few well-written thank you note examples for a letter of reference? You do if someone has recently written, or will write one for you in the near future.

In fact, most every person will need one--at some point in time--from a current or former mentor, instructor, employer or supervisor.

These letters, if well-written, require painstaking effort. Certainly, the gracious soul who agrees to take on such a task deserves a heartfelt thank you.

Below, you'll find several thank you note examples that you can use to show your appreciation for an excellent letter of reference.

Thank you for writing such a glowing recommendation letter for me. I could not have asked for more favorable comments. Your letter paved the way for several interviews and a subsequent job offer three weeks later from _________________ Corporation, where I wanted most to work.

I appreciate the time that you invested in writing such a detailed letter. I know that it will have a significant impact on my life for years to come.

Sincerely,

Though I have not yet found a suitable position, I am confident that your excellent letter of reference will help me to secure it once I do. If I can ever return the favor, please do not hesitate to ask me.

Best regards,

I just wanted to let you know that I have recently landed a position with ___________________ Corporation. I want to tell you how grateful I am for your assistance in this process. Without your strong recommendation, it would have been much more difficult to get a foot in the door with such a great company. I hope you will join us for a little celebration dinner next Friday evening.

Thanks again, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Sincerely,

It was very thoughtful of you to write a letter of recommendation for me. I appreciate the thought and effort you put into it. Your words made a profound impact on the hiring manager, and helped to distinguish me from the other applicants.

Thank you for playing such a significant role in the success of my job search. If I can be of any assistance to you in the near future, please let me know.

Regards,

Quick Ways to Make Your Kid's Birthdays Happy and Special Like Never Before

When your child asks you when his birthday will come, you should know he is growing. The childhood is one of the most memorable days in one's life where there is no tension and no stress. Celebrating your kid's birthday becomes the prime priority when you get to plan everything from invitations to the decorations. The most important part would be ordering the kid's favourite cake from the renowned baker in the town. All these arrangements are done with the only hope that the child will feel elated and remember his birthday for the whole of the year. Here are some more ideas to make birthdays of your children special.

Thematic party

While a child grows, his aspirations grow too. He wishes to meet some utopian characters and live in a fantasy land as they are highly influenced by these concepts from story books. Hence party planners' advice parents to go for thematic party to make the child extra happy. Right from clothes to customized cakes till return gifts, every aspect of the party if themed well and executed becomes a huge success.

Cartoon man

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Ben 10 etc. are some cartoon characters that breathe life into children. Parents who can pay rent for people to can dress up like Mickey or Donald and entertain the kids, love to do that. For two to three hours these cartoon men will be around with children sing and dance with them in unison.

Magic show

Children love to live in the magic world of genies and fairies. So to make the party sound more extravagant, you can invite expert magicians who are specialized in children tricks. You can create a smoky atmosphere using dry ice and introduce the magician as soccer from the sky and create hues and cries of happiness from the kids.

Custom bakes

It is nothing wrong if you make your child's favourite cake in your kitchen and add minimalistic decoration to that sweet and yummy piece. But as kids attend different parties where they see personalised birthday cakes, their wish might just be different. Hence consult an expert baker and get the cake model that your child wishes for as his birthday present.

Field trips

While some parents plan a quiet birthday at their home or a nearby community house, some think of field trips where they go to a picnic place or a children park where they cut the cake and play games. Such plans work well if you invite the other children's caretaker as well for managing safety all the way till return back to home.

While many parents decorate the house and call their kid's friends home for a quick house party, there are few who prefer to celebrate the child's birthday at exotic locations. Howsoever be the preparations, your ultimate goal is to make their children happy and merry for the entire day with a wholehearted wish that their child remains healthy safe and secured forever!

Recognizing Navigational Tools For the Future of Education

I have to laugh when I think of the times I watched the television program, "Flash Gordon," as he putted through outer space in his make-believe space ship, talking on his make-believe wireless radio, and dressed in his make-believe space suit. Well, I'm not laughing anymore. Today we have shuttled astronauts into outer space, have men living in a Space Station, have space suites that take your temperature and gauge your heart rate, and wireless communication devices that send pictures to Planet Earth. Far fetched from reality? Not anymore. As we speak, the future is starring us in the face, waiting to see how we will promote her in the next 5-10 years.

How did science-fiction become reality over the past 50 years? Let's consider one aspect of innovation: the learning environment - post secondary education. Why post secondary education, you may ask? As post secondary education population increases, programs to accommodate students will develop into curriculum that affords students the freedom to create and design systems they toy with on a daily basis. Are there risks involved in this adaptation process? There are risks involved when change occurs, and leadership should be aware of how to diplomatically confront the risk areas that could slow down progress. Some of the risks that could be encountered due to change are:

o Systems risks

o Subsystem risks

o People

o Financial/economic risks

o Societal/Cultural risks

If communication between systems, subsystems, people, and cultures within the organizational environment has established a strong communication system, risks factors will be at a minimum as long as the creative teams are honest and upfront about their reservations to change.

Let's look into the future through 'futureoculers' and see how the universe of learning can be brought into the present. I want to introduce to you five (5) key trends that I believe affect the current learning environment, can create change, and renovate the perspective of learners and educators for students of the future. These trends could be the key in creating a new perspective in post secondary education for an institution. The key trends are:

o Competitive classroom learning environments - campus on-site/online/distant

o Increase in technological tools

o Teaching/learning environments-more hands on

o Global expansion capability-internal and external

o Student input in the creative learning process

Navigational Systems

Before the five (5) key trends are defined, there needs to be an acknowledgement of how the trends will be supported and regulated through a changing environment. According to de Kluyver, and Pearce, II, having the right systems and processes/subsystems enhances organizational effectiveness and facilitates coping with change. Misaligned systems and processes can be a powerful drag on an organization's ability to adapt. Therefore, check what effect, if any, current systems and processes are likely to have on a company's ability to implement a particular strategy is well advised. Support systems such as a company's planning, budgeting, accounting, information and reward and incentive systems can be critical to successful strategy implementation. Although they do not by themselves define a sustainable competitive advantage, superior support systems help a company adapt more quickly and effectively to changing requirements. A well-designed planning system ensures that planning is an orderly process, gets the right amount of attention by the right executives, and has a balanced external and internal focus. Budgeting and accounting systems are valuable in providing accurate historical data, setting benchmarks and targets, and defining measures of performance. A state-of-the-art information system supports all other corporate systems, and it facilitates analysis as well as internal and external communications. Finally, a properly designed reward and incentive system is key to creating energy through motivation and commitment. A process (or subsystem) is a systematic way of doing things. Processes can be formal or informal; they define organization roles and relationships, and they can facilitate or obstruct change. Some processes or subsystems look beyond immediate issues of implementation to an explicit focus on developing a stronger capacity for adapting to change. Processes/subsystems aimed at creating a learning organization and at fostering continuous improvement are good examples. As an example, processes or subsystems are functional and maintain the operation of the system; the system may be Student Services and the subsystem may be the Financial Aid office or Admissions. Subsystems can be more in depth in relation to office operations, which involves employee positions and their culture; financial advisors, academic advisors, guidance counselors. These operations are functions performed on the human level and could have a positive or negative impact in the development of key trends. If employees are valued and rewarded for their dedication and service, the outcome will be responsible, committed employees for the success of their subsystem.

The Navigator

Every navigator needs a map, a plan, a driver to give direction to for a successful trip. In this case, the driver is several elements:

o Service integrity, reputation

o Affordability with an open door concept

Hughes and Beatty relate drivers as Strategic drivers; those relatively few determinants of sustainable competitive advantage for a particular organization in a particular industry or competitive environment (also called factors of competitive success, key success factors, key value propositions). The reason for identifying a relatively small number of strategic drivers for an organization is primarily to ensure that people become focused about what pattern of inherently limited investments will give the greatest strategic leverage and competitive advantage. Drivers can change over time, or the relative emphasis on those drivers can change, as an organization satisfies its key driver. In the case of post secondary education, drivers help measure success rates in the area of course completion ratio, student retention, and transfer acceptance into a university and/or the successful employment of students. Because change is so rampant in education, it is wise for leadership to anticipate change and develop a spirit of foresight to keep up with global trends.

Drivers can help identify the integrity of internal and external functions of systems and subsystems, as mentioned previously, by identifying entity types that feed the drivers' success. They are:

o Clientele Industry - external Market - feeder high schools, cultural and socio-economic demographic and geographic populations

- Competitors - local and online educational systems

- Nature of Industry - promote a learning community

- Governmental influences - licensed curriculum programs supported by local, state, and federal funds

- Economic and social influences - job market, employers, outreach programs

o College Planning and Environment - internal

- Capacity - Open door environment

- Products and services - high demand curriculum programs that meet, local, state, and federal high demand employment needs

- Market position - Promote on and off-campus activities that attract clientele

- Customers - traditional and non-traditional credit and non-credit students

- Systems, processes, and structures - trained staff and state-of-the art technical systems

- Leadership - integrity-driven, compassionate leadership teams

- Organizational culture - promote on-campus activities promoting a proactive environment for students

According to Hughes and Beatty, these functions can assimilate into the Vision, Mission, and Values statements to define the key strategic drivers for developing successful environments.

Navigating Towards a Destination

With the recognition of systems, subsystems, and drivers, we can see our destination in the distance and their value in building a foundation to support the five key trends. The five (5) key trends will help define strategic thinking in a global perspective; the understanding of futuristic thinking that encompasses: risk taking, imagination, creativity, communication among leadership, and a perspective of how the future can fit into today's agenda. The five (5) key trends are:

1. Competitive Classroom Learning Environments - campus on-site/online/distant

One of the major attractions in education today is to accommodate a student at every level: academically, financially, and socially. These three environments are the mainstream of why one school is selected over another school. Today there is a change in tide. Students who once competed for seats in post secondary schools are becoming a valued asset as post secondary schools compete between each other for students. High schools are no longer the only feeder into colleges. Today, students are coming from home schools, career schools, charter schools, high risk schools, private schools, religious schools, work environments, and ATB tested environments. So, how can the educational system attract students and keep them motivated in an interactive learning environment they can grow in? Wacker and Taylor writes that the story of every great enterprise begins with the delivery of a promise, and every product a great enterprise makes is nothing but an artifact of the truth of that promise. So what great enterprise can be created to attract new students? By creating learning/teaching environments, post secondary schools can prepare students to meet the demands of everyday life and their life in the community. Schools can consider incorporating a learning model to enable professors and/or community leaders/entrepreneurs to team teach in the classroom/online environment. Team Teaching will contribute valuable views into the learning environment, as well as, give students the working community's real-time perspective. In an excerpt from "The University at the Millennium: The Glion Declaration" (1998) quoted by Frank H.T. Rhodes, President Emeritus of Cornell University, for the Louisiana State Board of Regents report, Dr. Rhodes wrote that universities are learning communities, created and supported because of the need of students to learn, the benefit to scholars of intellectual community, and the importance to society of new knowledge, educated leaders, informed citizens, expert professional skills and training, and individual certification and accreditation. Those functions remain distinctive, essential contributions to society; they form the basis of an unwritten social compact, by which, in exchange for the effective and responsible provision of those services, the public supports the university, contributes to its finance, accepts its professional judgment and scholarly certification, and grants it a unique degree of institutional autonomy and scholarly freedom. To experience education is learning, to exercise knowledge is freedom, and to combine them is wisdom.

2. Teaching/learning environments-more hands on

As post secondary educators relinquish hands-on-chalk-board teaching styles and establish group teaching models, students will develop a greater understanding of the theme of the class environment as well as the professor in developing an understanding of the class cultures' stance in learning. Educators are discovering that inclusive learning styles are revamping the teaching model and becoming a positive influence in retention, better grades, camaraderie among students, and a greater respect for the professor. As professors learn to develop relationships with students, interaction will transpire, lecturing will be condensed into a time frame and interactive learning between students and professor will enhance the classroom environment.

3. Global expansion capability-internal and external

Students are surrounded by virtual global environments or are impacted by global elements: the clothes they wear are made overseas, the games they play on their electronic toys are created overseas, the war games they play are created to identify with global war games, etc. The only draw back to this scenario is a truly global learning experience. What they are seeing is not what they are getting; a real time global experience. James Morrison writes that in order to meet unprecedented demand for access, colleges and universities need to expand their use of IT tools via online learning, which will enable them to teach more students without building more classrooms. Moreover, in order for professors to prepare their pupils for success in the global economy, they need to ensure that students can access, analyze, process, and communicate information; use information technology tools; work with people from different cultural backgrounds; and engage in continuous, self-directed learning. Christopher Hayter writes that post secondary schools need to be 'Globally Focused' for the 21st century that includes a global marketplace and be internationally focused. This means ensuring that skills needed to compete in a global marketplace are taught and that the mastery of such skills by students is internationally benchmarked. It may also mean a new emphasis on learning languages and understanding other cultures and the business practices of other countries.

More and more businesses are expanding into the global marketplace, opening corporate offices in foreign countries and hiring and training employees from those countries. Are our college graduates being trained to assimilate into cultures and work side-by-side with employees who may not be able to relate to them? Developing curriculums accommodating social and cultural entities will propel a student into higher realms of learning and create change in the individual student as well as support their career for their future.

4. Student input in the creative learning process

Professors are the gatekeepers in education. However, as Baby Boomer Professors begin to exit the educational workforce and head down the path of retirement, younger generation professors will take their place bringing with them innovative teaching methods that can expand the learning process. Are post secondary educators equipped to prepare for the onslaught of younger generation educators needed to be trained for this mega shift in the workforce? Most important, will those professors caught between Boomers and Xer's be willing to adapt to change in the education industry to accommodate incoming generations? I believe younger generations will impact even the technological industry and challenge change that will equip them for their future. Previous generation students slowly adapted to technological advances. The good news is change can occur, and educators can utilize life experiences from students familiar with technology tools and create fascinating learning environments.

5. Increase in Technological tools

In an Executive Summary written for the National Governors Association in a report called "Innovation America - A Compact for Post Secondary Education," the report reads that while post secondary education in the United States has already achieved key successes in the innovation economy, the public post secondary education system overall risks falling behind its counterparts in many other nations around the world-places where there have been massive efforts to link post secondary education to the specific innovation needs of industries and regions. According to this report, American post secondary education is losing ground in the race to produce innovative and imaginative realms in education. Can this trend be counteracted? With the cooperation of post secondary educational institutions within each community, leadership can create co-op learning environments that can be supported through e-learning and online teaching that can provide virtual reality technology to enhance real-time learning environments. Through Business Development operations currently established in post secondary institutions, a shared technology program can be created that will afford students access to ongoing virtual business environment settings and prepare students with knowledge and insight into a specific industry. As students prepare to transfer, graduate, or seek employment after completing a certification program, virtual experience in the job market can help a student assimilate education and work experience to their advantage. This concept could challenge Human Resource departments to create new mandates in accepting virtual-experienced college graduates as they enter the workforce.

Reaching the Destination

As Flash Gordan lands his Spacecraft on unclaimed territory, you imagine yourself slowly turning the handle to the spaceship with your spaceship gloves, opening the door with explosive anticipation. Your heart racing, sweat running down your brow, and your eyes at half mask waiting to see a new world; a world filled with beauty and potential when suddenly, the television shuts off and your Mom is standing in front of you telling you to get up and go clean your room and stop daydreaming! Ah, Mom, you say to yourself, you just destroyed my imaginary planet! Oh, by the way, did I mention that this was you as a child growing up and using your imagination?

Now that I've created a visual world of potential for you can you see the power within to see the future from the present and help others visualize the potential benefits of change in their lives and the lives of others in an organization? T. Irene Sanders states that thinking in pictures helps us link our intuitive sense of events in the world with our intellectual understanding. Now, more than ever, we need to integrate the techniques of imagination and the skill of intuition with our analytic competencies to help us see and understand the complexities that vex us daily. Visualization is the key to insight and foresight-and the next revolution in strategic thinking and planning.

Can you SEE the systems, subsystems, drivers, and the five (5) trends with a visual perspective in a post secondary educational environment? This is the nature of Strategic Thinking, which can or is taking place in your organization; a cognitive process required for the collection, interpretation, generation, and evaluation of information and ideas that shape an organization's sustainable competitive advantage. The need to stay abreast of progress, technology, and global opportunities will be the change in drivers that will validate the creative elements needed to stay attuned in a global perspective. The author's intention of introducing Flash Gordan into the paper was to create a visual image and demonstrate imagination fulfillment to a present day reality. Is there anything out there that cannot be done if it is fine tuned and prepared for a service of excellence? What are the risks involved by not exercising strategic thinking in the elements mentioned in this article?

Education is not about the present it's about the future. The five (5) trends are only a beginning adventure into an unknown space. Do you remember when you were in college and wished things were done differently, be more exciting, more adventurous? Consider the age groups becoming proficient in technology. Will post secondary educators be prepared to teach/instruct future students? Educators must invite strategic thinking into the system and take the risks needed to build post secondary education back into the global futuristic race of achievement. In an article written by Arthur Hauptman entitled "Strategies for Improving Student Success in Post secondary Education" (07), he concluded his report listing four elements:

1. While there is a growing rhetorical commitment to student success, the reality is that policies often do not mirror the rhetoric. Whether intentional or not, policies in many states are at best benign and often antithetical to improving student success.

2. Policy focus in most states has been to lower tuitions or the provision of student financial aid. This ignores the importance of ensuring adequate supply of seats to accommodate all students as well as providing a proper set of incentives that encourage institutions to recruit, enroll, and graduate the students who are most at-risk.

3. Some progress has been made in developing contemporary practices that have great potential for providing the right incentives in place of redress this traditional imbalance. But much more needs to be done in this regard.

4. Efforts to create incentives for students to be better prepared and for institutions to enroll and graduate more at-risk students have the potential for greatly improving rates of retention and degree completion.

Can the five trends be a stepping stone in rebuilding or strengthening the weakest link in the system? The evidence of deficiency is public, and that's a good start. Educators have the choice to rebuild and prepare for the advancement of our future; our students. I encourage you to take the five (5) trends and see how they can accommodate your institute of higher learning.