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Whether you’re a beginner to short mat bowls or already an experienced player, the single most important decision you will ever make is in relation to what type of bowls you should play with. However, with shops and online stores offering a range of different shapes, sizes and weights etc, the task of selecting a set that is right for you can be a tricky one.

In today’s image-obsessed world, there are probably a few people who would simply plump for the snazzy orange set with the green stripes running down the side (believe it or not, these do exist!). Now that’s all fine and dandy if you want to make a statement and stand out from the crowd. But aside from the fact that everyone will know it’s you who sent that terrible bowl that was 5 yards short of the jack, it’s not a good idea to base your decision on looks alone.

If you’re really serious about improving your short mat bowls game, there are a few key points you should consider when selecting your bowls. The first thing to think about is the weight of the bowl. Obviously you want to be able to hold it comfortably in your hand first and foremost, but you also need to be able to “feel the weight.” Bearing in mind that adding that all important extra yard might take just an extra ounce of strength in your delivery, you really want to be able to “feel” the bowl to be able to make the necessary adjustment. It’s always a good idea to have a practice with a friend or team mate’s bowls, trying out different weights to get an idea of what is right for you.

Once you think you’ve found the right sort of weight that suits you, the next step is deciding on the size. Now, in days gone by if you decided for instance, that a 2lb 12oz bowl felt like a good weight, you were pretty much stuck with the size that that particular weight came in.

However, thanks to the wonders of high density and low density bowls, we can now choose a set which is either smaller or larger than the standard density size. This means that if you like the “feel” of a 2lb 12oz bowl, but (like me) you have fairly small hands, you could opt for a 2lb 12oz “high density” bowl; which will be the same size as a standard 2lb 10oz but with all the weight of a 2lb 12oz one!

Equally, if you have giant sized hands but maybe have the strength of a new born lamb (!) then you might want to go with a low density bowl; a larger bowl but in a lighter weight.

The final important factor to take into account when selecting your short mat bowls is the strength of the bias. This is the clever part of your bowl which makes the bowl turn (or peg) as it begins to slow down. As a general rule, a bowl which is made for crown green bowls has a standard bias, whereas bowls manufactured specifically for indoor bowls or short mat bowling tend to have a stronger bias, resulting in a greater effect when the bowl turns.

Under the official rules of short mat bowling, you aren’t restricted to the type of bowl you can use which means you can play with crown green, flat green, indoor or short mat bowls. Therefore, the decision is again down to personal preference; whether you feel more comfortable playing with a bowl which turns more (an indoor or short mat bowl) or a weaker biased crown green bowl.

As somebody who plays crown green bowls as well as short mat, I use my crown green woods for both. However, I tend to play lead in a team of three during short mat games, which means there are never too many other bowls for me to bowl around when I send mine. For somebody who plays second or more particularly, third as skip, I would recommend playing with indoor/short mat bowls as the stronger bias is of great benefit when you are trying to negotiate the minefield of bowls that usually exist towards the conclusion of an end.

There you have it then. As long as you keep the above factors in mind you can’t go far wrong; so you’re free to go and get that fancy set of orange and green bowls you’ve had your eye on all this time!

Matt Clarke is a Web Designer who enjoys many hobbies and interests including bowls, where he has played in short mat bowls and crown green bowling leagues and competitions for a number of years.

He posts regularly about short mat bowls on his blog at http://www.shortmatbowls.net/.
For more information about playing short mat bowls visit http://www.shortmatbowls.net/indoor-bowls-for-short-mat-bowling/.

Lawn tractors are typically small tractors meant for farm work up to 2 acres. There are various attachments to the tractor, which can reduce you manual work. This will help you making use of your available time effectively in maintaining your garden in trim condition. Typically, (up to a maximum of 7 to 10 HP), these tractors come with a ZTR (zero-turning- radius) feature, which is very useful for working on a small field.

Versatily on Lawn Tractors

Garden tractors are versatile pieces of equipment. It can do a slew of jobs as mowing, tilling, lawn rolling, lamppost hole digging, and many other jobs. These jobs are possible through power take off spindle. This makes lawn tractors as the gardener’s best friend.

Buying a Tractor for Your Garden

Buying a lawn tractor is like buying a car. The value of car may be less but a range of optional accessories increases it. Therefore, consider the tractor you are buying very carefully. You may purchase the accessories at one time, as you go along using your lawn tractor. It is recommended that you try the tractor at the showroom and get an idea about the time required in attaching and detaching the accessories. Test-drive the tractor and try to get a feel of getting in and out of tractor.

Basic Cost of Garden Tractors

The cost of small size lawn tractor starts at $900 and goes on until $6000. The basic model available just under $900 is Bolen 762F76, and the John Deere Spin-Steer SST-16 is available for $3300. Poulan Pro PK185H42ST sells at about $1400. This is just the cost of tractor alone without accessories. Accessories cost a ton with canopy starting at $110 and grass collection bag costing $300, small and large carts costing $110 to $220, can make it a costly proposition. If you are going to use your tractor just for lawn mowing, and you have a small farm of ½ to 1 acre, you can have a look at the stand behind lawnmower costing $350 instead of going for lawn tractor.

Using Lawn Tractors Safely

The lawn tractors have a low center of gravity, and hence there is a low possibility of toppling and the accidents with lawn tractor are low. All the same, following precautions are useful while driving a lawn tractor.

• Do not ride at high speeds, especially up a hill. A small stone can throw you out of track and injure you.
• While dismounting make sure that the engine is off and the attachments are all touching ground, wherever possible.

The writer Andrew Caxton publish very often new articles to an online magazine specialized in lawn mowers and tractors [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com] . Andrew helps people to find the best solutions, and most affordable gardening tools, including mowers and lawn tractors [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/lawn-tractors.html] for different types of gardens.

1. What is Public Speaking Fear?

And what are its causes?

­­Public Speaking Fear can be paralyzing… Standing in front of a crowd… You probably know the feeling. You can work weeks, learn the materials, prepare the presentation. You try to ignore the anxiety. And then it’s the moment… You go to the stand… Your throat is dry, you begin to stutter… Your brain feels empty.

What is happening to you? This frustrating phenomenon is called Public Speaking Fear.

You are not the only one to suffer from this fear, or phobia. In fact, According to recent studies, about 40 percent of the population, were found to have a serious fear of public speaking. Almost everyone has some degree of fear regarding public speaking.

Whether it is in front of 10 people or a full auditorium, the fear of public speaking seems to affect nearly everyone at one point or another. Even the most professional public speakers can become nervous before an important speech.

This impacts of this anxiety vary from just ‘not being your best’ during the speech,,to not being able to even begin the speech, and in some cases even suffering from horrors and general feeling of incompetence.

Symptoms of this fear might be:

• Rapid heartbeats
• Shaky hands
• Shortness of breath
• Blank mind
• Feel of freezing
• Sweaty hands
• Dizziness

Although you might hear and read about various reasons and factor that cause and affect Public Speaking Fear, I will divide the causes of this “fear” into 2 categories: Historically-based and Experience-based.

1.1 Historically-based factors

Imagine human beings in past times, when we used to live in small tribes. Those times encoded in us all kinds of fears, that helped humans survive. A human tribe would include between 30-100 members, usually with a single (male) leader. This leader was vital for the survival of the tribe and used to be the authority. Now imagine that one simple member of the tribe would arrange a speech in front of the tribe. The leader of the tribe would see this as an attempt to gain authority over the tribe. A common penalty for that could be death.

Public speaking used to be extremely dangerous in the past.

This historical reason is considered according to researches as the main reason why we are so afraid of public speaking.

There is a branch of psychology called “Evolutional Psychology”, which discusses matters like this. The most important thing that you should remember is that a major cause for your fear is irrational. You can’t explain it with the terms of our world. Only imagining the world as it was 10,000 years ago carries the real answer.

1.2 Experience-based factors

Now, in addition to the psychological reasons that cause this fear of public speaking, there are of course also factors from you own life that create it.

The way we use language in our life is called “conversation”, because when we speak, we do it with someone else. Our neurological system is so used to having conversations, that we just don’t pay attention to all the internal processes that happen when we’re speaking. Because it’s done automatically, we can focus our whole attention on the conversation itself.

Now, every new and unknown activity that we try to do, will seem intimidating, just because we are not experienced enough. We don’t know how to use our voice. We don’t know how to look at the people, how to stand, how to move our hands. We are even not used to the specific language patterns that we need to use during speech – and there is a different way to use language during a speech.

Another aspect of experience-based causes is a fear, caused by our past experiences. An embarrassing or painful experience while speaking to a group in the past can also create a fear.

So, let’s summarize so far. Public Speaking fear is this negative feeling that causes us not to be at our best during public speaking. It might even prevent us from making the speech at first place. We’ve discussed 2 main reasons for this fear. The first is based on our past as human beings, and that is the reason why we are sometimes so terrified about public speaking. The second reason is based on our own experiences of the world, that also create fears and beliefs.

1.3 Rational and irrational fears

Before moving on to dealing with public speaking fear, we need to understand how to view our fear.

Rational fears are fears that we can explain rationally, and the fear is of something that could cause real harm (physically or emotionally).

In general, examples of rational fears include:

• Dangerous people (a person holding a knife, murderer etc.)
• Dangerous situations (fire, earthquake, floods etc.)
• Dangerous activities (Skiing, walking on a rope etc.)

Now, we can see that fear of some activities is considered rational, because it consists of real danger. Some fears are good to have. The fear itself is something positive, it helps us survive.

Irrational fears, on the other side, are fears that don’t help us survive, but on the contrary, prevent us of being our best.

For example, if we were bitten by a dog once, we might get the fear of dogs for our whole life. If someone frightened us during a dark night, we might get a fear of darkness.

As you can see, our mechanism of fear in not perfect, and we need to do some work to deal with our fears.

Rational fears should be kept and maybe even encouraged. Irrational fears, instead of preventing harm, in many cases can cause us harm. It’s normal to try and overcome irrational fears.

1.4 Is fear of Public Speaking rational or not?

Can public speaking harm you? As we said above, in past times, public speaking could definitely cause you harm. It used to be extremely rational to be afraid. Because this fear was rational for hundreds of thousands of years, it was delivered to us during what we call “Evolutional Psychology”.

Is Public Speaking fear today is still rational? Well, I could give you some hypothetical examples when public speaking could cause harm. If you speak in front of a hostile crowd, it might cause you emotional fear. If you’re a gangster and you try to speak in front of your gang members, you might event have physical harm.

However, in most cases, public speaking is completely harmless. There is no rational reason to be afraid of speaking in front of your class members; and what about presenting your new product in front of your clients?

Therefore, in today’s world, Public Speaking is completely irrational.

2. In short, How to overcome the fear?

In order to overcome the fear of public speaking, it’s vital to understand, remember, and believe, that the fear is irrational.

In this manual, we will discuss 2 approaches to overcoming the fear:

Subconscious- working on the processes that happen in our brain that we are not aware of, our belief system, etc. Those methods are meant to reduce or even completely abolish the fear.

Techniques- Specific techniques and methods to help you with public speaking, even if you still have the fear.

To tell the truth, if you just use techniques, get more experience, try to find the confidence and so – you will get better. You will desensitize your fear. However, every time, before a speech, you will still feel the fear. It will be weaker, but it will be always there.

Imagine that your mind is a computer. A very complicated one, but yet a computer. It runs so many programs that we just can’t count. Some of them are in our awareness – they are conscious processes. The rest, most of the processes, are out of our awareness – they are subconscious processes.

Now, when you go public speaking, there are 2 opposite processes in your head. The first one is positive, and tells you : “Go, give a speech”, and the second one is negative, it tells you “No, you cant”.

Working to eliminate the fear, can be done! It can be done using methods to eliminate fear. Because it’s a subconscious process (unless you consciously choose to be afraid…), it involves dealing with your subconscious mind.

In the next chapter, I’ll discuss the common methods. They include: Hypnosis, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic-Programming) and working on you belief system.

The other way, that will not eliminate the fear but will help you deal with it, is using learning techniques. It works on the positive side, I makes you better in public speaking, and therefore deal better with the fear. I will never eliminate the fear, but it will make it easier to do public speaking.

Personally, I recommend that you use it in addition to working on the subconscious side. Just learning the techniques will never make you speak at your best, and every speech will continue to be an effort.

3. Working on your subconscious mind

3.1 Using NLP Techniques

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a behavioral technology, a set of guiding principles, attitudes, and techniques about real-life behavior.

It allows you to change, adopt or eliminate behaviors, as you desire, and gives you the ability to choose your mental, emotional, and physical states of well-being.

I will not tell you here too much about NLP, because it’s a complete theory. Personally, I prefer NLP to work on subconscious processes, mainly because unlike other methods that I will discuss in the book, NLP can be learned and used by almost everyone. There is no need to understand psychology or medicine.

According to NLP, our mind is in some way like a computer. It has all kinds of programs running. Although many of them are unconscious (fear, for example), it teaches us methods to eliminate or at least weaken those processes, if we want to.

What are these processes? Our mind works with 3 senses (we actualy have 5, but only 3 of them are really important) – visual (eyes), auditory (ears), or kinesthetic (feelings). Every person primarily uses just one of the 3 during processes.

Some people are visual – they see the world through their eyes. Others are auditory, they mainly use their ears to hear voices. And other people are mainly kinesthetic, they understand the world through feelings.

For example, if you are a visual person, this means that you see the world mainly through your eyes. Therefore, there is a visual process (or processes) that create the fear of public speaking inside you.

Now, I’ll tell you a quick story about a friend of mine. He used to have a serious fear of public speaking. His hands would shake, his voice would change, his heart beat would skyrocket. When I tried to check with him what caused the fear, he told me that he would visualize himself giving a bad speech.

In those visual pictures, he saw people laughing at him, He saw himself standing without remembering what to say, etc. He couldn’t control those pictures. He couldn’t make them disappear.

What is happening? His mind is kind of “screening” a movie in his head. Do you remember a really scary movie that you saw? There were moments in that movie that you really felt afraid? Even though it was just a movie and you knew it was just a movie?

The same thing happened with my friend. What created the fear was the movie, the pictures. Our subconscious mind reacts the same way whether the movie is a reality or not.

Traditional psychology tries to find the “roots” of the fear. It tries to see what past effects created it. Instead, NLP provides an easy and short treatment. As we discussed in the first chapter, the reason might be even in our past as humans, so we can’t eliminate the root.

So, let’s see how we deal with our fear.

For visual people

If you’re a visual person, you probably have a movie running in your head. Try to understand what exact movie you see:

- is it black and white? Or do you see colors?

- is it smooth or not?

- is it going in slow motion, or quickly?

- do you see it in details?

- do you see it from a first position or third position?

Let’s go back to my friend’s example:

He used to see himself making a speech, and he saw people in the crowd laughing. he saw himself embarrassed…

Now, I asked him to sit silently in front of me, and we began understanding together what exactly he saw.

When he saw himself standing and giving a speech, it was from his own eyes, what we call “1st position”. He saw it black and white, and in great detail. He could see faces in the crowd; he could exactly understand what was happening.

When you see this movie running again and again in your head, your mind creates a great fear. Like a movie, even if you know it’s just a movie, it still creates the same effect.

A great basis in NLP is that you can’t fight your thought. You can’t just say: “No! I’m not afraid”. Your mind won’t accept it and you will continue seeing the movie.

However, what you can do is to make changes in the movie, add effects, even change angles. It might sound fantasy to you, but it’s possible.

So, what I did next is that I told him to change the movie into a 3rd position. I told him to see the movie as if he was standing near the scene, from the side.

That way, he was seeing himself there, and he saw the crowd. Now, I told him to make the movie a bit in a distance from him, As if he sees it on a television. I told him to begin moving the movie away from him, so that this “television” looks far away from him. Now, he saw himself somewhere in a great distance. He couldn’t see details anymore, because the picture was so far…

Do you understand what we did here? We can’t fight the movie, but we can do manipulations. Now, the movie was much less frightening. Almost like some pale thought…

The next time he was about to do a public speech, I told him this process again. After a few times, this movie didn’t disturb him anymore. The fear was almost gone.

When he now goes to speak, he can concentrate on the words, on the message. The fear is gone.

For visual people, NLP gives us a quick solution, and that is to make the visual process less dominant and less clear. Make it something in the distance that doesn’t bother you.

What if you are Auditory?

For auditory people

So, now that we understand how to deal with public speaking fear for visual people, you may ask the question – what if I’m an auditory person?

Well, for auditory people, we need to weaken the auditory process that creates the fear. What is that auditory process? It’s usually a sound or a voice. For example, you might be telling yourself: “No, I can’t do that…” or “Those people are going to laugh at me…”, or you might hear the people laughing, or shouting at you.

We can’t make the sound “smaller” as we did with the visual process, but we still can make it weaker. There are a few options. The one I will discuss here is making some differences in the voice: Instead of hearing it in its regular way, make it sound funny. Give it a childish voice, for example. I also like giving it a sex-flirting voice.

When you convert the voice to a different way, it doesn’t sound frightening anymore. On the contrary, you might find yourself laughing and smiling instead! Try this now, make a serious, frightening voice inside you, sound funny, childish or sexy.

How can you learn more of NLP

We only discussed some examples of using NLP to overcome fear. There are of course some more ways – for example, you can add effects to your internal movies, you can add background music and whatever you find useful in overcoming those internal processes that create your fear.

However, NLP can be used in many other ways and techniques to really improve you skills. You can become a better communicator, better lover, increase you income, be more efficient. It’s a set of techniques and methods to improve your life in general, and allow you to control your mind effectively.

If we are discussing Public Speaking, you can use NLP to make you message more clear, understood and acceptable by people.

NLP was created in the recent decades, and it’s still under development. I personally suggest that you find time to learn more of it. You can check our page to discover how we suggest to learn NLP.

3.2 Belief Systems

In many cases, our fear is caused by our belief system. Belief is stronger than knowledge, and our perception of the world is actually created according to our belief system.

Belief is usually something we can’t really prove. Belief in god is a good example, but almost all beliefs we have in life are not absolute.

There are certain beliefs that we can’t prove they are true or not. However, we CAN tell if they benefit us or not – or whether they help you achieve your goals.

When regarding Public Speaking Fear, there are a few a beliefs that might cause the fear. According to studies, the most common belief that directly causes the fear is the following:

Limiting Belief- “It is normal to have a fear or anxiety of Public Speaking”.

Think to yourself… Do you accept this? Do you believe that it’s normal, that it’s OK to have a fear of public speaking?

You probably do.

Why? Probably because of your own experience, because that is what society teaches.

However – are you sure it’s “Normal” to be afraid? Why? It’s just your belief. And that belief is actually causing the fear – because you kind of expect it.

It will be much more empowering to change this belief. Instead, you should understand that there is nothing “Normal” in public speaking fear. You know it’s an irrational fear. Nothing is Normal here.

Empowering Belief- “Public speaking makes me feel relaxed and energetic”.

Do you understand how changing your belief changes the way you respond and view life? Instead of believing that you are supposed to be afraid – you choose an empowering belief.

Is this empowering belief “True”? Many people around the world don’t have any fear of public speaking. Instead – they enjoy it. You can choose what to believe. I personally recommend you to choose the empowering one.

Here are some more beliefs that you should consider loosing:

“It’s good to be nervous”- What the hell? Why is that good? It’s good to be relaxed. That’s a totally limiting belief.

“Public Speaking is something you are born with, or not”- A terrible belief that unfortunately many people possess, not only regarding public speaking. Almost every skill can be learnt and improved. This belief only prevents you from improving. Nobody was born as a public speaker.

“Public speaking fear is something you can’t overcome”-I can give you so many live examples (including me) of people who successfully overcame public speaking fear.

“Your audience wants you to fail”- On the contrary, because most of the people are afraid to death of public speaking and many of them have tried it before, they will only appreciate your “courage” to stand and speak. People came to hear you – they want you to succeed.

A great way to succeed in life is by building an empowering belief system. The secret is understanding that you can CHOOSE what to believe. If this makes you feel interested, I suggest that you read my articles regarding belief systems.

3.3 Hypnosis

Hypnosis is considered a powerful tool to help with overcoming fears. It works directly with the subconscious mind, making the right “changes” to teach your mind not to be afraid.

Hypnosis can be done either with a therapist, or as it becomes common today, using an audio or a video that makes a similar job.

Hypnosis can be a good tool, but the problem that I have with Hypnosis is the fact that you don’t really know and can’t control over what the treatment is about.

Unlike NLP, you can’t do it alone and you can’t choose and decide what exact treatment to make.

On the other hand, you can feel free and not really care about learning and mastering technique. You just get the treatment, never care what it really does. If it works – you don’t have the fear anymore. For some people – this is the perfect solution.

If that sounds and feels good for you, you can check my review of available products (some of them are totally free).

4. External work – dealing with the fear effectively

In the previous chapter, discussed methods how to overcome and eliminate fear of public speaking.

Therefore, there is no use for this chapter, is there? Well, maybe there is…

• Even If you use the techniques we discussed (As I said, I recommend NLP), you might still have some public speaking fear.
• Many people can’t accept the fact that self-work can eliminate fear. I don’t agree, but I can honor their belief. If you believe that the way to make achievements is via hard work, then I accept that and will show you ways to practice in order to deal with the fear.

In this chapter, I will give you tips to quickly help you dealing with the fear. I will divide them into 2 categories: What to do before the speech; and what to do during the speech.

Remember – Practice makes Perfect. As you implement what I tell you here, you’ll improve, sometimes even rather rapidly. However – You Still Need Practice.

Unlike other guides, I will not give you a full list of tips. No one can’t use so many. Just the best ones.

4.1 What to do before the speech

You don’t have to be perfect

People are afraid of public speaking because they fear of mistakes during the speech. However, anxiety over mistakes only makes it more likely that mistakes will occur.

The best way to deal with mistakes is to accecpt the fact that youare not perfect, and mistakes are supposed to happen. Now, instead of being afraid, you can use mistakes to get feedback for future improvement.

Visualize the positive outcome

A good reason for which we are so anxious before the speech is because we visualize the speech, presuming that something terrible will happen. We may even do this subconsciously.

So, a good way to deal with our anxiety is to visualize the speech, this time in a positive way. Imagine the moments before the speech, how you feel secure and prepared. How you move slowly toward the podium. How you begin the speech. Try to hear your own words.

Visualizing will work on you internal fears and signal to your brain that everything is under control.

Put the past behind

Some people have speech anxiety because of past events. It could be even some humiliating event in the past. The way to deal with such incidents is the following:

If you can learn from it and improve – do it. If you can’t, just forget about it and focus on the future.

Use mistakes to learn and improve, not to increase your fears.

Practice your voice and tonality

Speaking involves using your voice. If you use your voice and practice it before the speech, you will be used to speaking and will feel more confident about how your voice sounds.

Don’t write a speech

One of the worst things you could do is to write a full speech. It will make you concentrated on the written words instead of on the speech.

Instead – only write highlights, know what your speech is about and what your main messages are.

This way, the page you are holding will only be a guidance, and you will be concentrated on the speech.

4.2 What to do during the speech

Remember to breath

Anxiety tightens the muscles in the chest and throat. With a restricted airway and without enough oxygen, your voice can come out as a squeak. Deep breathing, on the other hand, sends oxygen to the lungs and brain and expands the throat and chest, promoting relaxation. As you approach the platform, take a deep breath and relax. It will also improve your thinking processes. During the speech, whenever you feel anxious – remember to take a deep breath – It will immediately make you calmer.

Focus on friendly faces

During the speech, you might look at the crowd and see them as a large group of people. That may confuse you. Instead, focus on specific faces, you should prefer the friendly ones. This way your subconscious mind will feel as if you are having a conversation with a specific person. During the speech, move your eyes slowly and look at different people. It will also make the audience feel that you are talking with them instead of just giving a speech

Make Stops

Making a stop sounds something hard to do? You stop speaking, making a silent pause.

That is just great! It makes you look relaxed and confident, and gives you time to relax and remember exactly what you wanted to say.

Speak slowly

Speaking quickly and swallowing words is a mistake done by many speakers. It might be because you want to finish your words and have it all over fast. It might also be because you don’t want to be interrupted by the crowed if there is a pause. Your quick heart bit is also a factor.

Anyway – speaking rapidly just makes you more anxious and gives you less time to think. Just speak S-L-O-W-L-Y. Relax, give yourself the time.

5. What to do next?

In this article, I gave you the reasons and factors that cause your Public Speaking Anxiety. I showed you the options available to deal with it.

We discussed methods to eliminate or at least weaken the fear and anxiety that are created in our subconscious mind.

To eliminate fear, I personally suggest that you learn NLP. That is a set of techniques and skills to work on your mind and develop excellence. It also gives you control and full understanding of what you are doing (Unlike psychological treatment or hypnosis).

I gave you the basics of how to use NLP to eliminate your fears. To be really perfect and find many more techniques – I suggest that you learn and master NLP.

In addition, we discussed belief systems and hypnosis.

For those of us who prefer the “hard work”, I gave my tips on what to do before and during the speech to effectively deal with you anxiety.

If you want more guidance, I personally recommend you a book that was written by Benjamin van Spijck. It’s called “Overcoming the fear of public speaking”. It’s written as a 21-days tutorial and will guide you step-by-step to eliminate the fear.

I wish you all the best, hope that you find the way to get rid of this frustrating feeling of fear and anxiety forever.

If you liked my article, you can get it in PDF and read more on my website:

http://www.bebetterarticles.com/overcoming-fear-of-public-speaking/

Tom Slavoda.

With an apparently unending array of gear and gadgets, fly fishing seems to be a varied and interesting sport. Most of the available options could be confusing to anyone who is new to Fly fishing. Anyone with a flair for fishing should know the important accessories about it. The 10 common pieces concerning fly fishing gear include a reel, fly fishing rod, line, files, leader, waders, net, clippers, vest and sunglasses.

Fly fishing rod

This rod is one of the mandatory equipments for fly fishing. These rods are usually different when compared to regular and conventional fishing rods and are designed in unique manner. It would allow casting the fly and fly line. Rods today are often constructed using types of graphite compounds. Many of the rods are still structured from bamboo or fiberglass. The Fly rods are usually categorized based upon weights of line they are structured to be used with.

Reels

The Fly fishing reels essentially, are less significant than the rods. Unlike conventional fishing, along with fly fishing one does not reel in the fish. The Fly fishing methods involve stripping the line with free hand. Quite many fly fishing reels actually are of primitive designs and hence not so very expensive. Anglers commonly “palm” the reel for creating the drag, than relying upon internal drag mechanisms within the reel.

Line

The Fly fishing line has been specially designed for such style of fishing. Fly fishing line is considerably heavy compared to traditional fishing line. It is often tapered and designed for floating. Some lines are designed to sink, though. Some anglers attach backer line in between fly fishing line and reel so as to increase the line available.

Leader

The leader is a monofilament, clear line which attaches to the extreme end of fly fishing line. Additionally, the fly is tied to the leader at the end. This leader is further tapered down into a narrow diameter towards the forward end. Leader matches more with the traditional fishing line.

The Flies

They are available in huge assortments of designs and styles. The dry flies are designed so that they float up in the water, nymphs and wet flies are structured for submerging, and few other flies are made to partially submerge. Flies could also be implied as attractive or imitative. Imitative flies are deliberated to imitate or manifest like a specific insect. On the other hand, attractive flies are structured to attract the fists not looking towards any specific natural food source.

The Waders

Waders are optional when you fish in warm water. But a few anglers go fly fishing in cold water streams to find waders enormously essential. Some popular wader styles currently include waders with waterproof lining and neoprene waders. Neoprene waders work very well in the cold water stream and serve in keeping the angler warm. The waders having a waterproof lining prove to be convenient and breathable when one goes hiking flanking a stream.

Net

A net is essential equipment for fly fishing. As fly fishing is often done standing in the waters, it could be not very easy to hunt a fish without good nets. Nets always have a hook attached. This would help the net so that it could be hooked on the anglers’ vest or waders. A net is particularly important in cases when the angler is trying to catch and release fishing.

Fishing Vest

As fly fishing is always tried in the water, a fishing vest seems to be a near-essential equipment piece. Vests would allow you in keeping essential gear and tools handy and neat as and when you find its necessity.

Clippers

Clippers are quite useful for clipping the line when you change the flies. You would rarely notice any fly fisherman with no clippers in their pocket or vest.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are pieces of personal gear which you would never want to forget. They would keep the sun to not reach your eyes and also protect them from stray fishing hooks. Polarized and good quality sunglasses would also assist in a better vision while you are out near the stream. Most anglers would also append a sunscreen and a hat to the catalog of personal gear which is essential.

There are other pieces of gadgets and gear which are available for every fly fisherman. The above mentioned ten items are perhaps among the most essential ones required for a successful and fun outing.

Abhishek is an avid Fly Fishing enthusiast and he has got some great Fly Fishing Secrets up his sleeve! Download his FREE 93 Page Ebook, “How To Become A Fly Fishing Pro” from his website http://www.Fishing-Masters.com/95/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Lawyers face the same challenges any business does. In order to get new business they must market their services, i.e., advertise. And lawyers deal with the same marketing and advertising challenge every business does – how to beat the competition. Plus lawyers have to assume that any Internet or non-Internet marketing or advertising they do may well produce little or no results for the amount of time and money they spend — regardless of what an outside marketing or advertising advisor may say to the contrary.

Prior to the Internet the main non-Internet marketing option or advertising choice for any lawyer was to advertise in the yellow pages. To this day the print yellow pages contain plenty of colorful, one page display ads that feature lawyers offering their services, and lawyers pay a lot for these ads. How effective these ads are is anyone’s guess — it’s hard for your colored, one page display ad to stand out when you have 20 other lawyers doing the exact same thing! The yellow pages companies, however, continue to promote their marketing and advertising philosophy that “bigger is always better” and “everything we sell is an opportunity,” so they often present a lawyer with a non-Internet marketing and advertising solution that costs plenty but often produces little.

This line of thinking, along with the use of print yellow pages in general, has gone the way of the dinosaur at a very accelerated pace. The yellow pages in print form had their heyday for many decades, but the population now goes to the Internet for the information they seek, so most print directories are collecting dust. A lawyer who advertises in the print yellow pages may well get calls, but they’ll most likely be from vendors using the yellow pages as a cheap source of leads.

The major paid search providers (pay per click search engines) tend to offer lawyers Internet marketing and advertising solutions in a manner similar to the way the yellow pages do with their print directories. “Bigger is always better,” so rather than realistically discuss with a lawyer a pay per click Internet marketing and advertising campaign that makes financial sense and produces a decent ROI, the pay per click providers will tell the lawyer to go for as many top listing keywords (the most expensive) as their budget will permit and bid as high as they can. The lawyer may go broke in the process, but at least they’ll get exposure! Many lawyers get into pay per click as a quick way to get leads but quickly exit a month later after spending lots of money for Internet marketing and advertising results that produce nothing but expense.

While pay per click Internet marketing and advertising is the running favorite of Internet marketing advertisers worldwide, pay per click advertising for a lawyer is usually an extremely expensive proposition for what they get. How much a lawyer is willing to “pay for a lead” takes on a whole new meaning with pay per click. The cost per click for many lawyer related keywords, e.g., “personal injury lawyer,” “criminal defense lawyer,” can range from $5.00 to $70.00 per click depending on the market, and when the typical lawyer’s conversion rate (the number of clicks it takes to generate a lead) of one to two percent is factored in, the lawyer can find themselves paying upwards of $500.00 to $7,000.00 per lead, and a lead is not a client.

Part of the problem lawyers face when they work with pay per click (and this translates directly into poor conversion rates) is that (1) they spend little time creating their pay per click ads and (2) the ads direct traffic to the lawyer’s website. Any Internet marketing professional who knows something about pay per click knows you never send pay per click traffic to a website. Instead you create special pages, i.e., “landing pages” for pay per click traffic to be directed to. The landing pages perform the job of convincing traffic to do what the lawyer requires, which is normally to contact the lawyer via e-mail or by phone.

Legal Internet directories and portals offer the lawyer a potential Internet marketing and advertising option because of their popularity and enhanced Internet visibility. How effective a listing in a legal Internet directory or portal can be for a lawyer in terms of marketing, advertising and Internet exposure will depend upon the particular attributes of the legal Internet directory or portal in question. All things being equal, legal Internet directories or portals that charge a fee to be listed in them make more sense as an Internet marketing and advertising choice than similar sites that offer listings for free. The lawyer has to be particularly careful, however, when they consider advertising in legal Internet directories and portals that “look” like they offer a lot — and a price to go with it — but for whatever reasons simply do not produce enough leads for the amount of Internet marketing and advertising money the lawyer must spend.

Many legal Internet directories and portals exist that have a very strong Internet presence, and they are excellent resource centers for lawyers, but this does not automatically make them good places to advertise. With Internet legal portals especially it’s not how many lawyers the portal attracts but how many people the Internet legal portal attracts who are searching for legal services. People have paid thousands of dollars for advertising in Internet legal portals that have produced nothing in the way of Internet marketing and advertising results. A very wise idea for any lawyer who considers advertising in an Internet legal portal is to get some very accurate user demographics on what kind of specific traffic the Internet legal portal is actually attracting.

What is a lawyer supposed to do? Everywhere the lawyer looks, whether the marketing and advertising media is Internet or non-Internet, considerable financial risk is involved, and a guarantee that the lawyer will get good, solid results for the amount of money they spend is often hard to achieve.

Ultimately the best way for a lawyer to go with Internet marketing and advertising – the way that will ultimately get them the best long term results for the money they spend — is to focus on getting their website to rank high in organic search results. When all things are considered, people on the Internet who search for goods and services mainly search for websites to find their answers. They may look to legal Internet directories and portals, and if they don’t find what they want they may turn to pay per click listings as a last resort (only about 30% to 40% of users bother with pay per click) but ultimately people who search the Internet are looking for websites that provide them with the answers they seek.

If a lawyer is looking for an Internet marketing and advertising solution that doesn’t require being part of the pay per click crowd, the lawyer may want to look into pay per phone call programs. Pay per phone call is like pay per click, but the lawyer does not pay for a call unless they receive one. And the costs for pay per phone call are normally substantially less that what the lawyer will pay for a click in many cases. A smart lawyer may even want to consider getting involved with several pay per phone call providers with the idea that between the providers the lawyer will receive enough leads in the aggregate to make involvement with these programs worth it.

Many of the Internet marketing and advertising solutions that a lawyer chooses to look into must be tried on a case by case basis. Absolutely nothing can be assumed. A pay per click advertising campaign that works extremely well for the lawyer with one search provider might fail miserably with another.

One last thing that a lawyer should be aware of when it comes to the Internet and a website presence is that appearances really do count. Many people have been on the Internet for 10 years and have correspondingly seen websites of all types and styles. People are used to seeing professionally designed websites. The lawyer’s website should be too.

Michael Merten is an Internet marketing professional who consults with lawyers and legal finance companies. He specializes in getting legal websites to appear in first page search results on major search engines in record time. Mr. Merten can be reached at Minnesota Internet Marketing [http://www.minnesotainternetmarketing.com].

To me, education is not just the matter of financial livelihood and social status, but why education is needed? Whether the provided education is authentic, what the lacks or loopholes of education are and to the final stage: would education make the absorbers immortal? These are some of the questions and rhetoric that make me view education very differently from those of my peers and even my parents and lecturers.

Law and Politics are usually confused with one another and cannot be meticulously separated from each other; as we usually hear the Faculty of Law and Politics, Center for Political and Legal Tuition, Professor of Law and Politics, etc. These are the facts that initiate me an idea to bring the core difference between Law and Politics and put it on a public display. The core difference would help the student to deeper understand the subject matters.

Do you have such the wonder? If no, start to make yourself curious about the core difference between Law and Politics to initiate your mental vocation and if yes, this is an article to unveil you a unique difference between Law and Politics to make you deeply understand.

As a student of Law, newspaper columnist, expert author, media liaison officer, legal and political assistant, I have found one complete differences between Law and Politics. This difference is “the interpretation.”

Most students of Law and Politics do not know that the most important theme of their education is “the interpretation.” Why I dare to say this? Up to the present, we have billions of sources ranking from books and international media publication to the abstract sources, but these so-called information will not make us a true political analyst or lawyer.

What we are seeing on these sources is just “plain information”, so what are these information are. If information is just all about information, University is not needed, because most of these sources are available everywhere and even free. The things that we have not found on these sources are “the interpretation” or the path to interpretational secretes. Let’s now jump up to the very core of our article.

Legal interpretation must be “within”: in interpreting the law, the lawyer of any party or the conflicting parties themselves cannot interpret the law out of the law being enforced in the country where the trial is being heard. This may seem very vague and let us bring an example to clarify. If you commit or are accused of committing a crime in the country in which you are residing in, you or your lawyer are not entitled to interpret the law out of the laws being enforced in your residing country. To a stricter extent, the laws being used for interpretation must circumnavigate the crime that you did or are accused of committing. This case is different from “political interpretation.”

Law and Politics may be equally broad, but interpretation in politics is much broader than in legal one. Have you ever noticed that a political analyst for a university in America would use approach in political interpretation by drawing examples from any country, any sources and any celebrities in the world. Political interpretation (analysis) is not as “within” as in law.

Politics is much more flexible and so much softer than law. Other merits why politics allow much broader interpretation, because we even see a huge similarities between socialist and capitalist states (similar political application), but the laws in these two separate kinds of state are totally different. I know the last one sentence is too vague for you, but let’s start the legal and political interpretation.

Lay Vicheka is a translator for the most celebrated translation agency in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Pyramid Translation Co.Ltd.. He is now hoding other two professions: freelance writer for Search Newspaper; focusing on social issues and students’ issues and Media Liaison Officer for Asia’s first free on-line IELTS consultation website. Lay Vicheka is the expert author for ezine and prolific article contributor to other websites around the world such as articlecity, 365articles, spiderden, talesofasia, etc (Just google him). He is also a volunteer Cambodian-newspapers columnist (Rasmey Kampuchea and Kampuchea Thmey). Lay Vicheka has great experience in law and politics, as he used to be legal and English-language assistant to a Cambodian member of parliament, migration experience (home-based business) and in writing. He is also member of a New York-based research company. Posting address: 221H Street 93, Tuol Sangke quarter, Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tel: 855 11 268 445, vichekalay@yahoo.com

The economy is on the rise, and America is once again feeling confident in our nation. With the renewed confidence, spending is also on the rise. Supplies of all kinds of goods are dwindling down, and suppliers are restocking them. How does goods of all types get to the suppliers? You guessed it, the over the road truck and driver. One indication of a strong economy is how many tractor – trailers are moving freight up and down the roads. As of lately, that number is sharply on the rise. The tractor that pulls that load has to be in top operating condition at all times. Enter the diesel technician.

Diesel engine repair is more than a person and a tool box. These techs. are highly trained, and extremely knowledgeable in all the different systems found on a class 8 semi truck. Long gone are the days of a mechanic walking out to a truck with a hand tray of tools. Modern diesel engine repair technicians most often start a proper diagnosis with a lap top computer. Like a skilled surgeon in their field, the problem is quickly identified, and a repair is made correctly the first time. Experience plays a major role in this repair process, and a technician with years of experience is a good person to be friends with. This type of experience is highly sought after in the world of truck repair. Competition between businesses that employ these people is, not surprisingly, quite fierce. Because of the knowledge base a diesel engine repair technician is equipped with, they can usually write their own ticket as where in the country they wish to work.

Along with the knowledge a diesel technician has, their home away from home is the tool box they own. Not your standard tool box found in most home garages, this type of tool box is usually three to four times larger. With all the specialty tools required to diagnose problems, storage for these expensive items is very important. While the wage that a diesel engine repair technician receives is well above the minimum wage requirements, keep in mind that the tools used are also purchased by the technician. The investment made by a highly trained diesel engine repair technician will easily run into six figures. A good rule of thumb at a repair facility is that if one has to borrow a tool from someone else more than twice, it should be bought and put into personal inventory.

The down side to being a diesel engine repair technician is that it is hard on a body. Everything on a class 8 truck is big and heavy. Brake drums alone weigh in at close to one hundred pounds. Ask a gear man the weight of a 15.5 inch clutch. Then ask them where it goes. Lifting one of these monsters in a confined space certainly builds character, to say the least. Cylinder heads, pistons, crankshafts, intake and exhaust manifolds. All are on the larger scale and need to be wrestled around on a daily basis by the diesel engine repair technician. These people have brawn to go along with their brains.

Next time you see a tractor – trailer moving needed freight down the road for our nation, think of all the diesel engine repair technicians that keep them rolling. Everyone of these people in the trucking industry are viable partners, and we need all of them.

To consult with a top team of diesel engine repair experts, follow this link
http://diesel-docs.com/

Glenn is a go to work Dad looking to supplement his household income.

It is often observed that many people’s top ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather be lying in the casket at the funeral than giving the eulogy. Public speaking for people who suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety often becomes a major source of worry weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.

These speaking engagements do not necessarily have to be the traditional “on a podium” events but can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback. The fear of public speaking and panic attacks in this case centers on having an attack while speaking. The individual fears being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what he or she is saying. The person imagines fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure out the office window….

This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking because their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves of speaking in public are of course a problem for this group as well, but they are unfamiliar with that debilitating threat which is the panic attack, as they most likely have not experienced one before.

Public Speaking and Panic AttacksSo how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle public speaking? Stage one is accepting that all these bizarre and quite frankly unnerving sensations are not going to go away overnight. In fact, you are not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech/meeting, you are going to approach them in a new manner. What we need to do is build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time you will approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. It is said that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety before speaking, but they somehow use this nervousness to enhance their speech. I am going to show you exactly how to do this, although I know that right now if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks you may find it difficult to believe you can ever overcome it.

My first point is this and it is important. The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you will always finish your piece, even if at the outset it feels very uncomfortable to go on. You will not become incapacitated in any way.

The real breakthrough for if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks happens when you fully believe that you are not in danger and that the sensations will pass.

“I realize you (the anxiety) hold no threat over me.”

What keeps a panic attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear–the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and you feel you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed. As they were so unnerving and scary, it is your confidence that has been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand you are not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.

Defeating public speaking and panic attacks…

There is always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:

“I won’t be able to handle this in front of these people.”

That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wave like format. If, however, when you feel the initial anxiety and you react with confidence that this is not a threat to you, you will move out of the anxiety rapidly. Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it is okay to feel scared and feel the anxiety when speaking-that is fine; you are going to feel it and move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side. Because he or she is feeling very anxious, often before the talk has begun, that person may feel they have already let themselves down. Now, you can relax on that point. It is perfectly natural to feel the anxiety. Take for example the worst of the sensations you have ever experienced in this situation–be it general unease to loss of breath. You will have an initial automatic reaction that says:

“Danger-I’m going to have an episode of anxiety here and I really can’t afford that to happen.”

At this point most people react to that idea and confirm it must be true because of all of the unusual feelings they are experiencing. This is where your thinking can lead you down a train of thought that creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.

So let that initial “oh dear, not now” thought pass by, and follow it up immediately with the attitude of:

“There you are-I’ve been wondering when you would arrive. I’ve been expecting you to show up–by the way, I am not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you are creating–I am completely safe here.”

Public Speaking and Panic AttacksThe key to controlling your fear of public speaking and panic attacks is that instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you are moving out through it. Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech, so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation not down into your stomach. You push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully. In this way you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech where you come across more alive, energetic and in the present moment. When you notice the anxiety drop as it does when you willingly move into it. Fire a quick thought off when you get a momentary break (as I am sure you have between pieces), asking it for “more.” You want more of its intense feelings as you are interested in them and are absolutely not threatened by them.

It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it is not really. You’d be amazed how many different non-related thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence to what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now. This tactic will truly help you with fear of public speaking and panic attacks you have associated with them.

If your predominant fear of the speaking engagement is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I would suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some meetings/speeches allow for you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback etc. from the group.

If possible, you might want to prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements. This is not to say you have to ever use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest of moments can make the task seem less daunting. It my even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions are not always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort and can help alleviate fear of public speaking and panic attacks.

I hope you have found this public speaking and panic attacks page helpful. Please give it some careful consideration and you will realize it contains the truth.

http://www.panic-and-anxiety-attacks.com/public-speaking-and-panic-attacks.html

This article is copywritten material. Any requests for reprinting this article must be made to Joe Barry McDonagh

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:

http://www.panic-and-anxiety-attacks.com/

For those job seeking professionals that have been searching for a job for months or more, the whole job search process may seem a bit stale. Countless hours are often spent on job search websites and job search engines such as CareerBuilder.com, Dice.com, and Monster.com often resulting in minimal feedback. It is frustrating to go months without finding a job. Inevitability you begin to question career choices, your professional skills, experience, qualifications, or even your education. But you’re not alone. In times of high unemployment, a slow moving job market can create the appearance of a job search that becomes stagnated.

In this seven part series we will provide job search strategies and tips to revive your job hunt and reenergize your career confidence.

1) Part Time Job, a Temporary Job, or Volunteering

Seek out short term, part-time, or temporary work in your career field is a good way to get your foot in the door. Even if there does not seem to be any full time jobs opening any time soon, part time work and temp work is a way your employer can get to know you and your work ethic. If a job happens to open up or a new position is created, then you are at a higher advantage then others applicants who may be applying for that same job. You’ll have much more than a resume to show the company.

2) Work on your Personal Brand

If someone were to search for your name online, what, if anything would they see? In all likelihood, hiring you is a big investment to any company or organization. Especially in challenging economic times and an employer driven job market, companies are being more selective about their job applicants.

Take a few minuets and search for yourself online to determine what your digital footprint is. Do you share a name with someone that could create a career opportunity or a problem with your online image?

Use your personal brand to let the employer know your strengths, why they should hire you, and that you are a worthy candidate to investment in. If you remember, the personal brand is your life and professional skills as they appear online. You want your personal brand to be accurate and truthful, but you also want to it to make you look great to an employer. Your brand should reflect your overall qualifications, education, and indicate your career goals.

See what shows up in a Google search and a Yahoo search. Having a LinkedIn profile and profiles on other professional social networking sites can help to create a positive digital footprint. Your profile should be professional and consistent. Keep your information consistent with similar career goals and career objectives in each profile. Avoid blending social media and your online professional image. It is important to keep your private life PRIVATE. That is a mistake many people make with personal branding which may cost them being selected for that next job or opportunity.

3) Changing Careers or Branching Out to New Industries

Diversify you job search and branch out into new job markets you may not have considered in your previous job hunting strategies. Pick a career field, any career field and determine if your skills and qualifications would translate into new job opportunities.

That is not to say that you should just apply for the first job opening that presents itself. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true. Choose a career field that may benefit from your professional knowledge. Your best option is to look at a small geographic area and determine what employers are within this region. Examine what the area employer’s job positions and the job descriptions they are seeking and compare the qualifications to your resume. A midlife career change into a new industry can appear challenging but rewriting a career change resume and cover letter can quickly expand your employment options.

Examine your strengths. If you are not good with people, do not apply to personnel jobs. If you do not have an aptitude for math, do not apply for engineering or accounting jobs. Choose an industry or career field you know you can succeed in and focus your job search in that field. Perhaps you haven’t found a job yet because you are stretched across too many possible career paths. You may have missed an opportunity while you were wasting your time and applying to jobs that do not suit you. As a job search seems to drag on, it may seem tempting to try to apply for everything, but stay focused on your qualifications and job skills.

Be realistic about the types of jobs you are applying for. Most often when make a career transition into a new job market you will find yourself competing for more junior level positions then you would within your current career field. Changing careers may seem like a step backwards; yet showing potential future employers you are capable of taking on new challenges, have the foresight, and flexibility to expand your skill set across industries can become a strong asset.

4) Use Career Counseling and Career Advice Services

Get some help. If month after month has passed with no job offers or employment prospect you may need some help with your job hunt. You do not want to be put in a position where your financial obligations overtake you focusing on your job search.

Recent college graduates and college alumni can use their college’s career services department. Beyond employment listings and postings, many college career service departments offer interview preparation assistance, resume writing and career advice, and can assist you in choosing a career path. These services are often helpful when you are considering changing careers or at a career transition. Also, many companies seek out students from specific universities, colleges, and specific degree program or departments. A career advisor in the schools career services can connect you with these companies.

Beyond the college or university career services centers, look into what career placement services your local city or county provides. Contact your local chamber of commerce to begin your search for these types of local services. Many of these services are either free of charge or at a minimal fee to local residents.

Depending on your specific situation, consider hiring a professional career advisor or career counselor. A professional career counselor’s job is to help you figure out exactly what you want to do and advise you on how to maximize your resources and qualifications.

Before electing to get a career counselor, do some research on what services the career counseling service provides and what their recent candidate placement success rates are. This way, you will know what to expect as an end result. Will they help you find a career path, provide resume writing advice and interview preparation, placement services, and help you along the way? Do not be afraid to ask for help when the job search seems to be dragging on. Having a career advisor or an independent career service can help you revitalize your job hunt.

5) Is Your Resume Writing Reflective of your Career Objective

Refresh your resume and your professional image. If your job search appears stalled, take this time to review your resume and your overall professional image. This includes your cover letter, professional social media sites such as Linked-In, and your professional references.

If employers have already seen your resume and you have not received any responses back, then this might be your cue to give your resume a second look. Check your resume for spelling mistakes, typos, and poor grammar. Those are a definite turn-off to any potential employer.

Do you think your online resume would pass the 20 second test? Remember that 20 seconds is generally the amount of time an employer will spend looking over your resume. In that time frame, an employer will decide whether or not he or she will call you in for a job interview. If it has been a while since you have been called for any interviews, then this may indicate that your resume does not pass the 20 second test. Some resume writing changes may be necessary. Also, be sure that your resume is aesthetically pleasing and your resume qualifications, education, and experience properly flows together.

6) Using only Top Job Search Engines can Limit Your Career Options

Not all job search websites are created equal. Searching that next job opportunity using online job search engines can distribute your resume to many companies and employment centers. Although, not all job search websites are weighted the same for your professional career field or industry.

Major job websites like Moster.com and CareerBuilder.com are great choices to broadcast your resume skills and qualifications. However, your chances in getting noticed on these online job search sites are low. Thousands of career professionals and job seekers are posting and updating their resumes daily, and in a highly competitive job market, being too general with your career objectives may not result in you landing that job.

Take some time to research what are the best job search sites, specific to your industry or career objectives. If your career field is within the medical industry, look for those web sites that focus specifically on medical jobs or nursing jobs. Expand your career and look for part time job search opportunities to get into a company or organization.

Be focused and specific in your job search and make sure you are looking everywhere. Limiting yourself to just a few major job sites can be disastrous. Many of the jobs you are seeking may not be listed on the common and the most popular job search engines. So, try looking at lesser known job sites, and on industry specific ones. Check your local newspaper daily, especially on Sunday editions. Sometimes a job listing may be printed on only one day in the newspaper.

Keep checking your professional social networking sites and keep your eyes open for mentioning of possible job openings. You might be missing out on great opportunities by limiting your search to one place. If you are unemployed, be sure to tell everyone that you are looking. People talk and word will get around. Your friend’s cousin’s girlfriend may be in the Human Resources department in a company where they are hiring. You could be surprised where you find your next job. Whatever you do, do not stop looking until you find what you are looking for.

7) Revisit your Long Term Career Choices

What long term career planning steps have you considered throughout your professional career. Often times we can become comfortable and somewhat complacent within our chosen occupation after we have met certain education and experience requirements. However, over time we can loose our job security if our skills are not continually up to date or with economic shifts, technology innovations, or company restructuring.

If you find yourself in a position where there does not appear to be any jobs in your career field, they you may consider changing industries. Change can be good, but when you mention changing careers, often people confuse this with more schooling or education, significant changes in their schedule, or starting back at the beginning. While any change may require some retraining or new on the job knowledge, changing careers maybe easier then one would think.

Examine what parallel industries or other careers use your same talents. Seek out career counseling and take several career tests to help you determine what industries you maybe unaware of that use your qualifications. A career counselor can help you with this decision and provide you some inside knowledge on specific career fields. If you do not have a career counselor, then you may want think about who in your local area hire professionals with your skills and list all the things you loved about your old job. Then look for jobs that have those same qualities. You can also look at things you disliked about your old job, and look for jobs that do not have those qualities. Take a reputable personally or career test and consider jobs that work for your personality type.

The worst thing you can do is nothing, especially if you see major changes coming in your career field where your future employment could be effected. A proactive approach can open new doors and provide you with new career opportunities.

http://www.resumeadvantagepro.com – Resume Advantage Pro is produced and distributed by the Seneea Corporation, a product developer and publisher, specializing in transforming the online media experience in creating customer focused quality products and services for the Ecommerce consumer. Our resume writing workshop and job search guide, ResumeAdvantagePro.com teaches members the step by step method of drafting a resume for experienced professionals, recent college graduates, and new employees entering the workforce through an online video coaching program and workbook course.

Marketing software is sometimes viewed as a luxury, not a

necessity. While you can certainly accomplish marketing without

marketing software, marketing software lessens the time and

effort required for marketing and your marketing efforts will

generally be much more effective. There are various types of

marketing software, and numerous producers of marketing software.

Finding the right combination of marketing software for you is

the challenge.

The first step in preparing an effective marketing campaign is to

devise a solid marketing plan. When writing a marketing plan,

there are several things to consider. The main points are

defining your target market and identifying the characteristics

of that market, analyzing your competition, formulating your

unique selling proposition using a competitive advantage,

reviewing options for marketing mediums, preparing your marketing

budget, and setting milestones for your marketing campaign.

Marketing software, such as Marketing Plan Pro by Palo Alto, will

help you work through the details of these steps to create a

useful and powerful marketing plan.

If you intend to engage in email marketing via newsletters,

autoresponders, announcements, or mass email campaigns, you will

find that email marketing software is crucial. Of course, there

are online email marketing services such as gotcorp.com that

provide self-serve email marketing tools like Campaigner. Using

such tools for email marketing is an option, but there are

ongoing costs involved. If you choose to use email marketing

software instead, programs like Email Marketing Director and

Campaign Enterprise 9 by Arial are very good.

Good email marketing software enables you to personalize messages

and to manage your mailing lists through a database. A time

saving feature to look for in email marketing software is the

ability of the software to automatically process unsubscribe

requests. Most email marketing software packages have built-in

templates you can use to produce email newsletters, announcements

and marketing messages. Support for embedded images and

compatibility with web editing software programs may be of some

importance.

If you are really serious about email marketing, it is best to

get started with advanced email marketing software from the

beginning. Advanced email marketing software has features that

will enable you to personalize and track your email messages.

With tracking capabilities and built-in reporting functions, you

can determine the effectiveness of your email messages as well as

who is and who is not opening and responding to the messages.

These advanced email marketing software programs generally use

SQL, Oracle, or Access database technology. High quality email

marketing software also has automated features for managing email

lists. These automated, time-saving features usually include

handling unsubscribe requests and removing bounced or rejected

email addresses from the email lists.

Customized marketing software suites may be something to consider as well. With customized marketing software, you can often

integrate marketing into your sales and customer relationship

management (CRM) systems. Some features that are common to

customized marketing software include the ability to capture

leads, to forecast sales, to manage contacts, and to analyze data

that is collected through the integrated system. Project

management capabilities can even be merged with customized

marketing software.

So, the big question is, “Do I really need marketing software?”

Like I said before, many people view marketing software as a

luxury. However, marketing software makes the job of internet

marketing much easier, especially if it has automated features.

There are options to using marketing software. Online marketing

services are one of those options; however, unlike using

marketing software, marketing services generally have ongoing

fees that are charged monthly or per campaign. Using marketing

software you can devise and manage your own internet marketing

campaign which is a cost-effective solution to marketing online.

Copyright Christopher J. Enders. Are you at the end of your rope, fed up and confused by all the scrambled internet marketing advice you’re getting? Whether you are new to internet marketing, or a website owner who wants to make more money from your website, learn the proven strategies that will sky-rocket your internet business at http://BiznessTips.com

Buying cat furniture can be a confusing and perhaps exhausting experience. Nothing is more frustrating than to set up a beautiful cat tree only to have your cats completely ignore it! I’ve owned cats all my life, and in this article I’ll try to share some of my expertise and insight with you to help make your decision a bit easier.

There are a number of factors to consider in choosing a cat tree, condo, tower, playground or gym. Here, in no particular order, are some things you’ll want to keep in mind:

• Your cat’s habits and preferences
• Placement and space requirements
• Materials and construction
• Expandability
• Price

What does your cat want?

As a general rule, most cats share certain traits and habits like curiosity, a desire to hide out in a dark, enclosed space and a love of heights – but as every cat owner knows, each kitty is different!

The first thing I’d suggest is to spend a few days paying close attention to your cat’s habits. Where does he usually sleep, hang out or play? What kinds of things does she play with? When you pick her up, does she want to climb up on your shoulders? What kinds of places are you always battling to keep him out of? The answers to these questions should help you decide what kinds of features your cat will appreciate the most.

Features and the kitties who love them:

Kitty Condo: A cat who tends to choose a dark, quiet corner to sleep in will probably want a model with a kitty condo. The same could be said for cats who love to explore shopping bags, boxes, cupboards and other dark, secret places. If your household is one of those busy or hectic ones with kids playing and lots of folks coming and going, kitty might just love the peace and quiet that an enclosed cat condo brings.

Height: Some cats just need to be up high. Some kitties just like to be able to see everything, and some feel more secure up above the reach of the family dog or small children. If your cat is always trying to climb up on your shoulders when you pick her up, or likes to jump up on counters, you might consider getting the tallest cat tree, kitty gym or playground you can. A floor to ceiling tower can be a good solution, and they come in a variety of configurations – some are very simple and take up very little floor space, others can be quite elaborate. There are also a lot of free standing models over 6 feet tall that will satisfy your cat’s need to look down on us poor humans!

Secure Sleeping Spot: Our cat Lucy always sleeps leaned up against something (me, a chair cushion, or the raised lip on her favorite cat perch) – she needs the security of feeling something against her back for her to truly relax. If your cat is like Lucy, you’ll want to be sure that the cat tree or playground you choose has a place to sleep where she’ll feel secure. You might want a sleep tray with raised sides, a curved half moon shaped shelf or a kitty hammock.

Not So Secure Sleeping Spot: Our other cat, George, just sprawls out anywhere – if your cat is like him, he’ll be happy with an open shelf to nap on.

Observation Post: Pretty much every cat likes to keep an eye on things – it’s simply a survival instinct. Make sure the model you choose has a place where your cat will want to spend many hours of the day, whether it’s a flat shelf, kitty hammock, curved shelf or tray. In addition to the style of the observation post, consider the height off the floor and ease of access – especially if your cat is elderly or doesn’t get around as well as he used to.

Kitty Hammocks: We’ve found that most cats love a hammock, although timid cats may need some reassurance at first due to the extra ‘give’ they feel at first when they step on it. Once they get used to it, it may become a favorite ‘hang out’ (sorry – I couldn’t resist!). If your cat is unsure about the hammock at first, put it close to the floor for added peace of mind. As your cat gets used to it you can move it higher if you like.

Play Tubes: Playful cats like tubes or tunnels because they can charge right through them or lie in wait and pounce at unsuspecting passersby – animal or human!

Placement

Even if the cat furniture you choose has all the things your cat loves, if you put it in the wrong place he may completely ignore it. Think about where your cat spends time now – is she a ‘people cat’ who wants to be in the same room as the rest of the family? Is she more of a loner who seeks out quiet spots in unused parts of the house? Does he like to look out the window? (check for nose prints on the glass!)

Years ago we had a fabulous floor to ceiling cat tower with multiple shelves, a kitty condo – the works! The only trouble was that the one place in the house where we had space for it was a room that was hardly ever used. Since our cats like to be with us, they never used the tree, and we ended up donating it to the local humane society. Now we have a smaller cat tree that we keep in the family room where we spend much of our time, and the cats use it every day.

If you can place the tree next to a window there is a much higher likelihood that your cats will use it. A window that opens is best, especially for indoor kitties. The smells and sounds from outdoors will keep them entertained and engaged in the world around them.

Space

Here’s where you start thinking about your needs. How much space are you willing and able to devote to cat furniture, whether it’s a playground, kitty gym or cat tree? Be sure to look at all the dimensions – baseplate size, overall dimensions and height – and actually measure the space you have in mind to make sure it will fit. Many models are modular in design, so you don’t have to put it together exactly as it is pictured. This can give you a bit of flexibility if space is an issue. Look for the phrase ‘modular design’ – not all cat trees have this feature!

Materials and Construction

One of the main considerations here should be how stable and sturdy the cat furniture is. Cats will not use a wobbly or unstable tree. Look for broad bases and bottom heavy designs that will keep it from tipping when your cat jumps up on it.

Wood: Some cat furniture manufacturers use plywood, others use particle board – and they will all swear that the wood they use is the absolute best! The truth is that each has advantages and disadvantages.

Plywood is quite strong because it is made from thin layers of wood and each layer has the grain running in a different direction from the layer above and below. Since the visible surfaces are covered, the manufacturer can use a lower grade of plywood that will have knots showing and may be a bit rough to the touch. So you may have rough exposed wood on the inside roof of a condo or the underside of the baseplate – not really an issue for most folks, but a good thing to know ahead of time.

Particle board is made of small wood chips bonded together by a kind of glue. It is heavier than plywood, so it adds stability to a cat tree, and the surface is much smoother than plywood. It is more likely than plywood to break – sometimes corners will chip off – but under normal use this shouldn’t be a problem.

Coverings: Carpet or fake fur? The debate rages! One thing everyone agrees on is that whatever covering you choose make sure it is not a closed loop carpet or other covering that can catch a claw. I’m sure you’ve seen a cat stretch out and get a claw caught in a bedspread or sofa cushion – in a relaxed setting the cat is usually able to extricate himself, although he may leave a snag in the fabric! Imagine your cat at top speed romping up and down his kitty playground – if the playground is covered in non cut pile carpet (like Berber) and he catches a claw it can cause a serious injury.

Carpet is soft and inviting, but since one of the purposes of cat furniture is to give your kitties a place to sharpen their claws, some folks think carpeted cat furniture just encourages or even trains your cat to sharpen his claws on the carpet on your floor. Personally, I’ve never had that problem, but I know some folks have. If you do choose carpet, make sure it is cut-pile carpet to prevent possible injury from a caught claw. Carpet is secured with staples, which have the potential to stick up and scratch fingers or paws, but well made cat furniture does not usually have this problem.

Fake fur isn’t quite as cushy as carpet, but as long as it is secured with non-toxic glue, there is no possibility of injury from an errant staple. Some manufacturers do staple the fake fur, however, and it is much harder to bury a staple in fake fur than in carpet – if you choose fake fur, make sure that it is glued, not stapled. Like the carpet vs fake fur debate, the staples vs nontoxic glue debate is a heated one. I am of the opinion that as long as the glue is nontoxic and the staples are applied properly glue is best for fake fur and staples are best for carpet. It’s a matter of personal preference as to whether you choose carpet or fur. One nice thing about fake fur is that it is washable – often times models with hammocks are covered in fake fur – check to make sure that the hammock covers zip off so you can throw them in the washing machine.

Sisal Rope: Most experts agree that sisal rope provides an ideal surface for your cat to sharpen her claws. It’s durable, yet it doesn’t ‘catch’ claws the way non cut pile carpet can. Most cats love the feel of it under their paws and will instinctively start scratching when they feel it under foot. All of our cat furniture features sisal rope, some on all poles, some in combination with carpet.

Curved Features: Any curved surface on a cat tree is made of thick cardboard tubes – they are used in construction as molds for making round concrete pillars among other things. They are quite sturdy and should last a long time, but be aware that they are cardboard and will be the weakest part of your kitty gym – especially if they ever get wet. Look for designs that offer extra support to a curved feature – two attachment points is better than one!

Expandability and Flexibility

If you’re anything like me, you get bored with your environment and need to rearrange the furniture now and then. Cats get bored too, and so many of the models we offer are of a modular design which allows you to put them together in more than one way and to add or swap out features later. If this is important to you, be sure to look for the phrase ‘modular design’ – not all models have this feature!

Price and Other Human Concerns

Cat furniture can seem expensive, but it truly is an investment in your cat’s health and happiness. A cat who has a place to burn off energy and take a safe nap is less likely to develop destructive habits like scratching your furniture or relieving himself outside the litterbox. Indoor cats especially need some extra stimulation to keep them from getting bored.

Of course, you are the one who has to decide how much to spend on your cats, but in cat furniture you really do get what you pay for. If your budget is small, you are better off getting a smaller model than a large cheap model. Cheap cat furniture is likely to suffer from poor quality materials and workmanship which will shorten its life. Also, it will probably be wobbly and therefore less appealing to your cats so they may not use it at all. You may get lucky, but in my experience cheap cat furniture is a waste of money.

Aesthetically speaking, your cat couldn’t care less what the cat tree looks like, cats are much more concerned with function, so please yourself in the aesthetics department! And as far as color is concerned, cats’ eyes are optimized for hunting in low light – they don’t really see color. So choose a color that works for you, one that matches your decor or a neutral color that will blend in even if you change your decorating scheme. Some cat owners choose colors to match their cat’s fur so the cat hair won’t show as much, others like a very different color to inspire them to keep the cat tree vacuumed – color is purely a personal decision and will not affect your cat’s enjoyment one way or the other!

I hope I’ve been able to help you sort out some of the maze of decisions that need to be made in choosing the right cat tree for your kitty and for you. Hopefully I haven’t just added to the confusion!

Laura Miller
Tick-n-Thistle Furniture and Fine Art Your one stop shop for cat trees, playgrounds and kitty condos, as well as furniture for kids, grown ups and pets. http://www.ticknthistle.com

A new car sounds lovely doesn’t it? Imagine the purr of the new engine and the looks you will get as you drive down the road in the latest model of your chosen car. However, we also know that the new model of today will be the old superseded model in the not too distant future and that the value of the car will go down very quickly.

So with this in mind we really need to be careful when considering whether or not to buy a new car.

Before rushing off to the car yard, you should grab out a large sheet of paper and write up the top “Do I really need to buy a new vehicle?” Then let the brain cells take a journey and come up with all of the reasons that you can to justify going out and getting a new car. Underneath this, write down all of the reasons to justify why you shouldn’t go out and buy a new car.

Here are some ideas to get you started and some common reasons that people write down:

1. Reasons to buy a new car

Car too small / big

• Starting a family and need more room
• Can’t fit in all of my gear
• Can’t transport all of the kids and their friends around
• It is just us now so we don’t need such a large car
• We are going away so we need more leg room and storage capacity

No air conditioning

• It is just so hot each summer we bake in our car

No air bags

• The car has never been fitted with air bags

Lacking accessories (stereo / cd player / gps)

• We need to have a cd player
• Some new vehicles have an in built GPS so we need one too
• The stereo is broken so we need to replace the car

Costing too much money to run

• I am always spending money on this car
• The car always seems to be at my mechanic

Need to look good at work

• My car is a status symbol of my wealth
• My boss would look down on me if I didn’t drive a new car
• Having a new car will portray a message to my clients that I am very successful

Too old

• My car is x years old so it needs to be replaced
• I have had this car x years so it is time for an upgrade to a new model
• This model is old, I need the newer model

Petrol guzzler

• I am always putting fuel into this car
• I checked my credit card statement and boy my car is thirsty
• I used to put in $x of fuel a week and now I am putting in $y

Running too fast / slow

• I can’t keep up with every one else on the road
• My foot is almost flat to the floor and yet we hardly seem to be moving
• If I don’t sell this I am going to do damage to someone as it just zips off so fast I can’t keep in control

Want security of a new vehicle warranty

• I do a lot of travel for work and I want peace of mind if something was to happen
• If the car is under a warranty I won’t have to spend any money on it

No longer road worthy

• The mechanic said the car isn’t road worthy
• I don’t think the car would pass a road worthy test

Want to keep up with the Jones

• My friend has just purchased one of these new cars so I want one
• The neighbours have just purchased a new car so we should also buy one

I have been offered a good trade in

• The new car sales man has offered me a good trade in
• I want to trade now whilst I can get good value for my current car

I want a diesel vehicle

• I want to change from petrol to diesel as I heard it is more fuel efficient

I need a ute / 4wd / sedan

• I want to change from a sedan to a ute
• I need to trade the ute for a 4wd
• I need a 4wd for my upcoming holiday
• I need a ute so I can shift houses

2. Reasons not to buy a new car

Can’t afford it

• The repayments will be too high
• It is a lot of money for me to spend on a car
• The loan will take me 7 years+ to pay back

Don’t really need a new car

• I am being silly, I don’t really need a new car
• There are other things I need ahead of getting a new car

Old car is going well

• My old car works just fine
• I can always get from A to B so what else do I need

Too expensive

• Although it is new, I feel it is still very expensive
• There is a big gap between 2nd hand cars of 2-3 years to the price on these new cars

Will drop in value too quickly

• I have heard as soon as you drive a new car out of the show room they drop significantly in value
• 2nd hand cars seem like a much better alternative, I have seen they are much lower in value

Expensive on-road costs and stamp duties

• When I buy a new car I will have to incur extra fees such as on-road costs and stamp duties. Aren’t these costs in the thousands?

Insurance will increase

• When I get a new car, I know my insurance premium will increase significantly

Young family

• I don’t know if my kids will look after a new car or treat it well; they are always banging the car doors into things
• I know that kids are kids and it is hard to keep a car nice with them around

Have better things to spend my money on

• I do have a lot of other important items on my wish list; a new fridge, high school fees, reduce mortgage, etc

Work may provide a vehicle

• Work may offer me a car as part of my package at my next salary review

3. Then you need to carefully look at both lists and to analyse all of the reasons you have written down

• How important is the reason you wrote down?
• Look through your list and decide which reasons you have written down contain something that is a must have – this might be for safety reasons or security
• Be careful here and very honest with yourself with what you consider to be absolutely critical
• Look through your list and decide which items you have written down is a nice to have but something that you could do without – this might be a gadget or feature of the car that isn’t absolutely critical
• Take the time to rank each item from 1 to 10 in level of importance
• Look through your list of reasons not to buy a new car. How strong and valid are these reasons?
• It is important that you spend a decent amount of time doing this exercise and that you are somewhere nice and quiet where you can really think about yourself very carefully. This exercise could save you thousands of dollars!

4. As part of your analysis you should now spend time looking for alternatives. Start with the items that are of highest importance to you.

Car too small / big

• Consider hiring a trailer
• Consider hiring a car for the holidays
• Clean out your car and see what space you then have

No air conditioning

• Check out the cost to have this fitted to your current car

No air bags

• Check out the cost to have this fitted to your current car

Lacking accessories (stereo / cd player / gps)

• How much will it cost to have one fitted
• Can you use a portable cd player / stereo
• How much is a portable GPS
• Can you make do with the radio

Costing too much money to run

• Work out how much your car has actually cost you over 12 mths
• Seek a professional opinion on the vehicle from your mechanic or local automobile club
• Look carefully at how you treat your vehicle. Are you causing some of this cost?
• What about your driving habits? Is this the cause of costing you money? Ie heavy braking or is your foot too heavy on the accelerator

Need to look good at work

• You can still look good in a later model vehicle
• Talk to your boss about being provided with a company car when you need to entertain clients
• Talk to your boss about hiring cars / taxis when you need to entertain clients or travel
• It seems pointless trying to look wealthy by owning a new vehicle if it is causing you financial grief and hardship. You will not be successful in your career if you spend all day worrying about how to pay your bills
• Consider that a new car may put some clients off – your services may appear too expensive or that you don’t value money as you spend it on unnecessary items that decrease in value

Too old

• How old is too old? There are some decent vehicles on the road that are 7-10 years old that are still running perfectly
• Who states that there is a set time frame that you need to replace your vehicle
• What will the newer model provide you with that your current car doesn’t provide you with

Petrol guzzler

• Look at how much running around you are doing and whether or not you can seek alternatives such as car pooling, doing multiple tasks whilst out
• Has your car been serviced recently? You might have a problem with your car that is easy to fix that is causing the extra fuel consumption
• Consider how much the price of fuel has risen recently. Is this the real reason your petrol has increased
• How much of the fuel bill on the credit card contains other items such as food and drink that you bought at the petrol station?

Running too fast / slow

• Has your car been serviced recently? You might have a problem with your car that is easy to fix that is causing this to happen

Want security of a new vehicle warranty

• Understand what is offered under the warranty
• Consider having road side assistance from your local automobile club in case of break down
• Keep your vehicle regularly serviced
• Travel with a mobile phone so you can call for help in the case of an emergency

No longer road worthy

• Get a couple of opinions on the road worthy status of your vehicle from a mechanic or your local automobile club
• Establish how much it will cost to get the vehicle road worthy
• Seek a professional’s opinion on this matter

Want to keep up with the Jones

• Why why why, do you need to keep up with what someone else is doing?
• Be an individual and live your own life and not those of others

I have been offered a good trade in

• A trick / marketing strategy for selling new cars is to lure people in by offering a high trade in
• You either get a high trade in or low purchase price – it generally doesn’t happen that you get both
• Is the salesman playing around with figures? They sometimes up the price of the trade in and lower the discount on the new car OR they sometimes lower the price on the new car and lower the price on the trade in
• If you waited a year or two before swapping vehicles, what do you think you might get as a trade in then

I want a diesel vehicle

• How much will it cost to get diesel fitted to your current car
• Are there any government rebates in relation to diesel fitouts

I need a ute / 4wd / sedan

• Can you hire the ute / 4wd / sedan for the particular period of use if it is only short term / one off
• Can you borrow a friend’s ute / 4wd / sedan
• Is it worth paying a tradesperson to do your job to negate this requirement

Detective Heather Wood is Managing Director and writer for Money Detective Pty Ltd.

Money Detective can help you with all of your money troubles. From our website full of factual information and articles, to our one on one personal money coaching, Money Detective can help you with all aspects of money management. Sign up for our Newsletter today and get yourself 6 free Money Clues http://www.moneydetective.com.au.

To discover more ways you can save money and get in control of your finances, visit our Saving Money Tips section of our website http://moneydetective.com.au/budget-and-savings-tips.

© Money Detective Pty Ltd 2009

If you are like me you live and breathe fashion. You are constantly inspired with so many new designs racing through your mind, so many you can’t seem to get them all down quick enough at the pace they arrive. You constantly dream of the day your fashions will be on the fashion runway with the lights beaming brightly overhead, the cameras flashing everywhere and the audience being completely mesmerized by your incredible designs. You can’t stop thinking of the day you will open a magazine or watch the Oscars and see a famous celebrity in one of your breathtaking designs. Your book shelf is stocked with fashion books and magazines, and you absolutely can’t resist visiting textile stores to view all the latest fabrics, decorative beads, rhinestones and trims.

It’s this ever present dream of being a successful fashion designer that has you work day and night on your designs in most cases for many years without pay and working a job to pay the pills which is brutal torture, when all you can think about is living and working in fashion.

Famous fashion designers come from all walks of life there is no one system to follow that will have you become the next famous fashion designer. Some have graduated from elite fashion schools and some have never attended fashion school. Some have undertaken a fashion internship with a fashion house and others have made their own designs in their basement. The only elements all these fashion designers have in common is they had an intense passion for fashion, were able to design fashions highly sought after and connected with someone who gave them the opportunity to break into the fashion industry. It is essential in becoming a successful fashion designer you get you and your designs out there as much as possible, as how will anyone know about your fashions if they can’t see them?

In getting your fashions out there here are a few things you can do:

1. We are not usually good at everything some of us are great at designing clothes but lack the sewing and pattern making skills. It is here you can partner with someone who shares your passion for fashion and has the skills you lack. It is in the bringing together of different skills you can create a real product that can be showcased.

2. In having a fashion line of 14 outfits you can apply to your local fashion week. In the USA: New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco all have fashion weeks. These fashion weeks attract many editors, journalists and local socialites who will see your fashions and potentially give you the exposure you need to get known.

3. Many city night clubs hold fashion shows, find out what night clubs hold fashion shows and contact them as to how you can be apart of an up and coming show.

4. Locate fashion boutiques that cater to the fashions you design, first make a trip to the stores to look around, if you can see your clothes fitting in well with the store, find out who the owner is and ask if they would be willing to have some of your fashions offered for sale in their store. You will be amazed at how many store owners are willing to work with you. I walked around San Francisco in the Nob Hill district and had my fashions placed after visiting and discussing my product with four boutiques. In having your fashions displayed you will receive valuable insights as to whether or not your designs are in demand and if you need to change your designs to increase sales. It will also give you free exposure to the public. When your fashions do sell you can present this to investors who are more than willing to invest in your line, when you prove the existence of a strong demand for your fashions.

If you are struggling to create your fashions due to the lack of capital, connections or all the skills required, you can visit: http://www.cluehut.com where it’s free to create a profile stating what you need and who you are hoping to connect with in achieving your fashion dream. You can also browse and connect with others who like you have created a profile offering opportunities where together you can become a great success in the fashion business.

Here’s to your success of becoming a great fashion success!Clue Hut allows you to sign-up for free, create a profile, search profiles and network with others who share the same goal. By bringing together people who share the same passion but can offer a different set of skills, Clue Hut empowers people to achieve their life-long goals at a much faster pace with more certainty. http://www.cluehut.com

Having to replace an air pump is inconvenient, but tolerable. Replacing a muffler or alternator is more costly and thus, more frustrating. But it’s still bearable. Your car’s engine, on the other hand, is among the few assemblies (your transmission is the other one) where a failure can crush your budget.

Your engine will not last forever, of course. Depending on how hard you drive it and the number of miles you put on it, you can expect it to last between 100,000 miles and twice that amount. If you keep your vehicle long enough, it will eventually develop major problems.

Below, we’ll explore the decision to fix the assembly versus having it replaced. We’ll explain why uncovering the root causes of a given problem is a critical piece to making this decision. Lastly, we’ll describe the key differences between a brand new engine and a remanufactured unit.

Deciding Whether To Repair The Assembly

Suppose your vehicle is eight or nine years old and you’ve driven it extremely hard over those years. As a result, your engine has finally failed. The first question to ask is whether you should keep your car, or retire it and buy a new one. A lot depends on its age, value, and overall condition.

For example, if your car has a market value of $2,500, spending over $1,000 to have your engine repaired (or replaced) may make little sense. But if your vehicle has retained its value and other major components (e.g. transmission) remain in good shape, spending the money might be worthwhile.

Let’s suppose you have decided to keep your car. Now, the question becomes whether you should have the failing engine repaired or replaced. Your decision will largely hinge on its condition and the number of miles on it.

For example, if the assembly has 130,000 miles, a history of valve or piston problems, and a chronic misfire, repairing it will be costly. The mechanic might need to perform extensive work on the cylinders. He may need to align the engine block and replace the valves.

Also, with an overhaul, the entire assembly must be dismantled. The individual pieces are disassembled, so the mechanic can check for blemishes, fissures, or other structural problems. The components that are in good condition are then cleaned. The ones that are in poor condition are replaced. Once the parts have either been cleaned or replaced, the assembly is put back together.

This is painstaking work. An engine overhaul requires an enormous amount of time and effort. This is the reason a lot of mechanics will strongly suggest having the engine replaced.

Differences Between New And Remanufactured Engines

You can buy a used assembly from a junkyard, but doing so may be dangerous. There’s no way to be certain whether there are problems hidden from view, especially with engines that have a lot of miles. Even if you find a used assembly with low miles and a limited warranty, it will usually be a less-than-ideal option. The price will be consistent with a remanufactured unit, which will have been brought up to OEM standards. At that point, you’re better off investing in the latter.

A new engine is exactly how it sounds. Every individual piece is new. The valves, pistons, engine block, connecting rods, and other parts have never been used.

A remanufactured unit is nearly as good (and far less expensive). Remans are used assemblies that have been dismantled, closely examined, and carefully cleaned. Most of the pieces that wear over time (e.g. timing belt, gaskets, etc.) are replaced. Then, the assembly is rebuilt and tested to ensure it meets OEM standards.

Which option is best? If your budget is limited, a remanufactured engine that has been brought up to OEM specifications is an ideal solution. It will get your car back on the road without the high cost associated with a new assembly.

When looking for used auto parts and used engines consider the leader in parts, Everdrive.com

You’ll find a lot of options when it comes to childcare training programs. Search online and you’ll already find a lot of programs to help you be among these experts in the field. Just choose the best ones for you and gain your needed expertise to work with kids.

However, you may be asking about the things to look for in finding these programs. There are several things to check and help you find the appropriate programs for your needs like the following.

State-approved programs

Above your preferences, you must check this as one of your top priorities in choosing a childcare training program. State-approved programs that met the standards of the state in terms of childcare. They met the right curriculum and the required number of hours needed by every future childcare expert. Taking these programs is also essential since they are also required for certification; people will not be allowed to take certification exams unless this standard is met. Fortunately, you’ll immediately know the programs that pass these standards by checking them online. Schools would indicate them on their webpage. Check the state’s website as well as focused on this field so you’ll know these programs.

Language offered

Although English is a common language spoken by people, some are comfortable taking childcare training classes using their native language. Many of these programs are offered in Spanish and other languages so it will be perfect for people who know these languages. These programs are also helpful for people who would like to work on childcare centers focused on minority groups or other members of the society. Certain organizations are found focused on providing childcare for children of these groups so it’s also a good program to take.

Support desk

Some people would like to know more about these training programs. Some schools have a childcare training support desk that will help students know more about these programs while they can also provide support for students. Many students may be unable to continue with the program so they can help them be back on track and complete the course. They just need to contact this support desk and get assistance if they need so.

In conclusion, there are many programs are available for every student who would like to focus on these studies. It’s just essential to know about these criteria to find the appropriate one for students and start a career in this field.

Childcare Training Info Center has everything you need to make your life easier as you begin your career as a childcare professional. The site features state specific training requirements for early childhood education and a step-by-step overview of a typical hiring process, potential employers and interviews to help you get hired. And it also provide a complete range of accredited childcare courses and childcare workers.