Copyright 2005 Think Healthy

We get over-stressed now and then. It’s a natural response under certain conditions. We need to be concern when our stress is getting out of hand and interfering with our lifestyle. What problems can too much stress cause?

High Blood Pressure Colds and the Flu Allergies Diabetes Damage Relationships General Bad Health

The list goes on….

Getting over the stress is what we want to strive for. How can we go about this? Taking the natural approach is probably the best way to start. Here are a few ideas to begin with.

Exercise: It may be difficult to begin an exercise program but once you start it will become easier. Exercise helps to blow off steam and gets rid of excess stress. So you benefit by reducing your tension and obtaining a workout as well. Of course talk to your physician before beginning an exercise program.

Relax: Yes it is hard to relax when you are stressing. Try taking in a deep breath slowly. Now as you breathe out picture all the stress leaving you. You may find that doing relaxation techniques on a regular basic when you aren’t stressed out to be beneficial.

Learn relaxation techniques such as: Meditation Yoga EFT Z-Point Bio-Feedback Listening to some soothing music. Prayer Asking for Assistance Joining a Support Network

Look into what causes your stress: You may not know what is inducing you stress. Try to understand where the source is coming from if possible. Once you understand what is causing your stress you can try to modify these problem areas. If you can’t, can you substantially reduce them? Maybe you can look at these stressors in a different way.

Have a Positive Attitude: Always look on the bright side of things. Don’t think about what may go wrong. Take positive steps to improve yourself, your business and your spirit. Work on your ambitions. Find methods to enhance your routine activities. At the end of the day understand that you have done all you can to maintain a healthy lookout on life. Now you can relax and enjoy the remainder of the evening either by yourself or with family and friends.

Nutrition: A healthy diet with the proper nutrition is one key to balancing you physical, mental and emotional health. Frozen TV dinners or Big Macs are not good choices. You need to consume as much unprocessed food as possible. Try to eat as much organic products as possible to eliminate pesticides from your diet. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, raw if possible, and some fruit. Drink plenty of clean water to keep those brain neurons communicating.

Get Enough Rest: Getting enough sleep at night is crucial to keeping stress at bay. Try to relax the best you can in the evening. Exercise early so that you aren’t all wound up. If you watch a movie ensure it’s not too violent are exciting. It may be better to watch a comedy, read something soothing or listen to soft pleasant music.

If your stress is so severe and you can’t seem to find relief regardless of what you try then you may desire to request professional help.

So there you have six ideas that will help you reduce stress and enjoy life more. Don’t delay. Start on these recommendations right away. Don’t stop there. Keep looking for new ways to manage your stress and genuinely enjoy life once more.

Media relations can be difficult, but also rewarding. And the lessons we learn from working with newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online publications should increase the effectiveness of all our communication initiatives.

That’s because dealing with the media parallels our dealings with other stakeholders. In media relations, the competition to be heard and get a response intensifies. As the old saying about New York goes, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!” So, if you can get the media to pick up your ’story,’ you should be able to get other stakeholders to do the same.

To get media attention for your story, you’ll need to make it appealing to reporters and editors. One way to do that is to ensure it includes at least one of the four characteristics that make a story attractive to magazines, newspapers, radio, television, and online publications.

These characteristics come out of a chapter on media relations in my book, A Manager’s Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results. In turn, that was based on 10 years I spent working as a radio news writer and announcer, and subsequent freelance contributions to print and electronic media.

While the details vary from medium to medium, reporters will look for these characteristics in your news release or article: widespread interest, something new, something dramatic, or timeliness.

Widespread interest refers to the degree of relevance for readers, listeners, or viewers. And, that’s specific to the audience of individual outlets. For example, a subject may be relevant to listeners at a youth-oriented radio station, but not an adult-oriented station.

Something new refers to unique or previously unknown information, as in conventional news stories. It may also be a new perspective on existing information (which is what most columnists and commentators create).

Dramatic interest: Does an unknown factor somehow grab readers’ or listeners’ imaginations and not let go? As I’m writing this, a strike by teachers dominates the headlines. And, we ask, “How long will the strike last?” and “Will students be able to complete their school years?” Two questions with inherent drama in them.

Our fourth category, timeliness, kicks in most often around major holidays and important events. Most obviously, stories about the Christmas spirit in December, articles about making and keeping resolutions in January, and gardening stories in spring. Many quick-moving media relations campaigns also connect with high-profile events.

Now, as you can imagine, stories often have overlapping characteristics, so for example, as the teachers’ strike goes on, we can expect articles about skipping the traditional spring break holiday so students can catch up. That directly brings in both drama and timeliness. Indirectly, it also increases widespread interest, because others will be affected if spring break is cancelled (think of resort employees, for example).

Here’s where the parallel with other communication comes in. If your other communication includes one or more, and preferably more of these characteristics, then it should be more effective. In fact, you might even start by asking yourself which characteristic you’ll try to include when you write your next memo.

In summary, by ensuring your story includes at least one of the four characteristics, your media relations initiative is off to a good start. In addition, you’ll improve your communication with other stakeholders.

About the Author

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott’s Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at:
http://www.communication-newsletter.com

Bernie Cornfeld was the founder of one of the earliest and most successful mutual fund companies. His famous question, one that he loved to ask investors was, “Do you sincerely want to be rich?”

It’s more than a nice question, or a clever one.

It’s what I call, a “perfect question”. PQ’s are exceedingly powerful, and it is worth all of the energy that you can muster to develop them.

They’re nothing less than super shortcuts to sales.

Usually, you’ll need an entire scaffold of questions in a sales presentation to support the following propositions:

(1) The client has a need;

(2) The need is important; and

(3) The client should choose you to fulfill it.

PQ’s tend to produce these three perceptions all at once.

Consider Cornfeld’s masterpiece: Do you sincerely want to be rich?

First, it asks if the person wants riches, the “sincerely” word probes how much, and the entire package encourages the listener to prove his eagerness, to say, “Heck, yes!” as in, the sooner the better!

This makes the salesperson’s job a lot easier. All he has to do is show the person how to get what he wants.

You’ve probably stumbled upon PQ’s without knowing it. Typically, a client who has heard one will stop in his tracks and say, while mulling it over, “That’s a good question!”

In future articles I’ll share more examples, some of which have worked beautifully for my clients, and for me.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman © 2006

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. A frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide, Gary’s programs are offered by UCLA Extension and by numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. Gary is headquartered in Glendale, California. He can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

The orange trees were rising higher and higher to seize their property. The birds were competing to reach the sky to grab the beautiful orange fruit hanging all alone in the sky. After struggling, they gave up assuming it was an unreachable magical orange. Their vision of orange was an illusion; it was not an orange but the ‘Sun’ which woke up from its deep sleep to awaken the sleepy souls. The rising of the sun was as if it was briskly declaring the world to admire its color, shape and beauty. If not, they would not even dare to glance at it. The Sun slowly started to spread its powerful rays all over the land. But there was a place where it was unable to indicate its mighty arrival with pride. It was a house wrapped in darkness with Peter lazily sleeping inside.

All of a sudden Peter heard some voices. He opened the windows but was flabbergasted to realize that he could feel the presence of some beings with life and voice but no form. His eyelids didn’t dare to close even for a second. From their conversation, he understood there were few voices exhibiting their greatness.

The first voice started its conversation thus–
“I am the transparent, shiny flowing liquid that quenches every being’s thirst. I am the Water who loves to see their passion for me. Their happiness suffices my thirst. I am ever flowing and do not get tired of my sojourn towards my beloved- the Ocean. I am always of use to all the species in the Universe. Can they expect life with out me? You may ask what I get in return. My nature is not to expect any Fruit of ‘Result.’”

The second voice responded -
“I agree you are selfless. But am I not so being the vast Sky? I shadow every living and non-living thing below me. I stand as a sole witness to their merits and sins. I am the abode for the kingdom of Light. The Sun that brightens their day, the Moon that illumes their night, countless Stars and Planets bedeck me. The clouds which sprinkle their care in the form of rain take pride to hide in me. I am omnipresent and no being below can dare to hide from my view. Humanity can see but cannot feel me but yet with out me they cannot dare to live their lives. Still I do not expect any Fruit of Result.”

“I agree with you”, raised third voice.
“I am the very basis of every being. With out my gravitational force, they dare not stand erect. The plants, animals, birds, human beings and many other thousands of species live on me. How ever high they grow or fly, how ever long they sojourn, at last they have to land on me-the Earth. With out me, they cannot imagine life. Yet I do not expect any Fruit of Result.”

“My heat is life to the beings which die of cold”, said fourth voice. Even people in the ancient age realized my worth in preparing food and succeeded to produce me by striking two stones. I am the Fire and so do not discriminate between rich, poor, good and bad. Whatever form it is, it becomes ash when I hug it. I make production of energy and life on earth easy. Yet I do not expect any Fruit of Result.”

“What can I talk about myself who is the very life of every being? Can any one dare to breathe with out me? Can you describe your experience of happiness of my coolness? I am no more than the Air”, said fifth voice. “The moment you can’t find me, you are dead. Yet I do not expect any Fruit of Result.”

All the voices sounded alike thus-”it is only the Human being who expects returns for his every little help. He has no satisfaction; he desires more, helps little and expects more fruits of results unlike any being in the universe.
O humanity, dig the treasures of precious messages from our selfless lives and remain human. If not, we 5 elements of nature will teach you a hard-hitting lesson for your lives.”

This verbal blow revived Peter at once from his sleep and the truth that the whole conversation was merely a dream baffled as well as enlightened him. No wonder his mind snatched its essence- Elements of Nature are mighty, selfless and helpful; yet they do not expect.

“Nature is selfless and so is capable of destroying and generating Peace; man is selfish and so is capable of only destroying.” -Sharmila Sanka

I am Sharmila Sanka whose hobby is to write articles to enlighten my mind and that of others. I wrote hundreds of articles, short stories, inspiring quotations and poems.
My articles got published in the news paper - ‘Arkansas Democrat Gazette’ in ARKANSAS.

In my last article entitled, Maximizing The True Value Of Your Traffic (found at http://tinyurl.com/2cf84), you discovered the importance of generating positive responses from all your visitors.

The crux of this strategy resides in the concept known as website conversion, and how it can make you tons more p.rofits with much lesser work.

In essence, you can squeeze more value from the same traffic, simply by converting a higher percentage of visitors into paying customers… and the best way to do this is by increasing your conversion rate!

Now there’re really only two major factors affecting website conversion, they are 1. Website Mechanics, and 2. Power Copy.

Let’s look at each briefly:

1. Website Mechanics

This refers to the ‘mechanical’ aspects of your website.

For example, how fast it loads. Internet surfers are an impatient lot, and studies have found that if your site have not loaded within 8 seconds, you’ve lost them.

Another area of concern is how well you present your site to the visitor, does the design relate to the product? Consistency is an indisputable law of persuasion and you should harness it’s full potential on your site.

2. Power Copy

Entire encyclopedias have been written about copywriting and there’s only one reason why - it’s that important.

Web copywriting is not just an art. It’s a science, a paint-by-numbers formula that you can apply for massive profits online.

Copywriting, contrary to what many think, is more than words alone. It encompasses many factors that result in one simple objective - getting your visitors to take action!

It’s your entire offer and presentation COMBINED with the power of words, which makes the sale.

While increasing conversion rate can turn any money- losing site into a money-spitting one without more work or traffic…the real question is:

Are you doing it - or are you continuing to make these same mistakes over and over again?

Copyright 2004 Ewen Chia

About The Author

Ewen Chia is an expert information publisher and marketer with a fiery passion for creating unique quality content fellow internet marketers can benefit from. Visit his websites today:

http://WebsiteConversionSecrets.com

http://InstantMarketingSecrets.com

http://www.Marketing-Make-Money.com

When you approach a lender to ask for a loan, you can expect a certain formula. Mortgages are a particular type of loan - they usually involve larger amounts, are spread over a longer period, and are secured on your house. As is clear from looking at any of the financial pages at the weekend, there are thousands of different mortgages out there. However, you can use these general rules to get an idea of what to expect when you apply for one.

How much can I borrow?

Providing you have a regular salary and have been employed for a certain period of time - usually six months to a year - a lender is likely to offer from three and a half times your annual salary. This will be dependent on your providing a cash deposit - usually 5 or 10 percent of the total amount needed to buy your house. Certain professions, such as doctors, are sometimes offered more than this - up to five times their salary, but this depends on other factors too.

How much will my repayments be?

Again, this depends on many different factors. The interest rate will affect the amount you pay every month, as will the size of the deposit you can provide and how much you are borrowing. Some mortgages offer special rates for the first few years. In the current economic climate and as a very general rule, you can expect to pay between 0.5% and 0.75% of the total cost of your house every month. This means for a mortgage of £100,000 your repayments might be around £500 to £750 every month.

Can I change my mind?

While many mortgages have a ‘tie-in’ period, meaning that you are bound to keep your mortgage for a certain period, you will normally be able to change lenders or pay off your mortgage if you choose to. However, you may find you have to pay penalties. Generally speaking, it’s best to make sure you will be happy sticking with your mortgage for at least the next couple of years before you sign up.

When approaching a lender, be prepared to give them information about your finances and employment. They will usually want to see proof - for example, bank statements and wage slips to verify your income. They will also probably want to know about what financial commitments you already have, such as outstanding loans.

Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store and offer more information on personal loans and other loan topics available on site.

Visit today ==>http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk/

I was driving the other day and I looked over and saw someone riding a bike in a suit. I thought in my head that this was really interesting and wondering why someone would be riding a bike in a suit. They could be sitting in a comfortable car that is all cozy and easy to operate, but no, they were peddling away on their bike. I also noticed that they were in excellent physical shape. This really started to make me think about the way that I get to and from locations, why was I sitting in a car? I could get back and forth to wherever I need to go on a bike. I could take my health supplement Acceletrim before I go and peddle away. The fresh air would be blowing in my face and my legs would be getting a workout. This is the way to go, I could save on gas and also prevent some fumes from going into the air caused by the car. There is something that I have to watch out for when I ride a bike, and that is for other cars. The acceptance of bikes as an alternative to cars is becoming greater and this is such a wonderful thing. Biking is so healthy in so many ways. I do have to wear a helmet and it does mess the hair up, but that is the only trade off and it is not that big of a deal, with just a touch of water and mouse the hair can return to normal.

Usually, the interest rates of home improvement loans will depend on the equity of the property. But there are also other aspects considered before the lender decides on how much should be the interest rate. Here are some of them.

Many people shy away from making home improvements and expansions due to the high cost of construction materials and home décor. Up until the moment when the homeowner realizes that his home is just one step behind being categorized as dilapidated. This is the time when the homeowner should consider a secured home improvement loan. But prior to taking on such a loan, the first thing that the homeowner considers is the interest rate.

A General Guide

To get a general idea of how much the home improvement loan will cost, the homeowner should go to various local banks and building societies and ask about loan rates and APRs. Aside from this legwork, the homeowner may also check out a comparison of home improvement loans using the Internet. The interest rates of online lending companies are relatively fixed and shopping around and comparing interest rates is a prudent move in finding the ones that are affordable.

Factors that Affect Interest Rates

Once the homeowner has settled on a lending company with favourable and affordable interest rates, the homeowner can still negotiate to lower the interest rate and the actual cost of the secured home improvement loan. The things that the homeowner can use as leverage are the factors that can affect the interest rates. These are the following:

• Credit history of the loan applicant - good credit standing means lower interest rates
• The current salary being received - above average salary allows a higher amount to be loaned
• The age of the applicant - younger applicants may allow longer payback period and lower interest rates
• The amount that the homeowner intends to borrow - higher loaned amount lead to higher rates
• Length of time that will take for the payback - longer payback period allow lower rates; can be as short as 2 years or as long as 25 years.
• The presence or absence of collateral also affects the cost of the loan - collateral also lowers the interest rates
• The type of loan application - whether the loan application is single or joint

Usual Rates

In the UK, the amount of loan that can be borrowed will also depend on the type of property. For example, a single family house may allow the homeowner to borrow an amount ranging between £25,000 and £75,000. Whatever is the loan amount that the homeowner decides to borrow, he must make sure that he will not borrow more than what is needed for the home improvement.

Once the loan application is approved, the homeowner has the option to have payment protection, in case there are situations that will make the homeowner unable to pay the remaining loan balance.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of UK Personal Secured Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.uk-personal-secured-loans.com website.

In the streets of Bogot, a child - named Simon* - wanders amidst the crowd. He is a lonely soul, lost in the multitude, forgotten by humanity, rejected by his society.

He looks like any other child. His eyes are full of dreams and hope. Yet, at the tender age of 10, he knows of hunger and distress. He knows of violence, terror and cold, but most of all . . . he knows of loneliness.

He is “nobody” to many, and only “someone” to himself. He has no parents to protect him. He has no home to shelter him. He has no place to belong.

As he walks down the busy streets, his hopeful eyes look for a place to sleep tonight. Will it be that corner? or Will it be that bench? Perhaps, it will be a lonely alley, as lonely as himself. He knows sooner or later he’ll find the right place, where he might sleep safely in company of his street friends. If he could only ignore the stomach cramps tearing his inside! What he found in the trash just wasn’t enough!

His little mind reminds him of his fellows in the streets. Six of them were lately found shot to death in a ditch. Will he end up like them or will he someday find that kind, caring hand that might save his life? If only there were someone to turn to, someone daring enough to care about children who, just like him, are innocent victims of human cruelty and pride. They are children their social system has forgotten, leaving them stranded to their own tragic fate . . .

“But, enough of this reality!” - he murmurs to himself. Another night has come. He gathers with other homeless kids who - like him - are children of the streets. They are the closest to a family he has ever had; the only human warmth he has ever known. They all share the same fears, the same dreams and pain. Rejection and neglect from those entrusted with their care brought them together and forced them to survive on their own. They try to keep warm and soothe their hunger pangs by sniffing toxic fumes from some type of imported glue. Every sniff kills a cell in their tender, yet still growing brain. Together, they will try to keep awake until exhaustion forces them to doze off.

They go to sleep praying, asking the night to shelter them from the big man and his gun. It is just all part of their struggle, their struggle to survive. For, although they are nobody to most, they are someone to themselves. They have nowhere to turn . . .

Soon exhaustion takes it toll. Simon lays his little body on the cold cemented pavement and promptly begins to dream. In his dreams he escapes to another world, a different reality where he no longer wanders lonely in the streets. He dreams of a hot homemade meal he shares with loving parents. They keep him safe and make him feel complete. A mother and a father who care! What would it be like to have them in his life? What would his life be like if he had people who care about him?

In the streets of Bogot a small child has died tonight. His friends called him Simon. While he was dreaming of loving parents and a safe home, the big man came. Hidden by the dark and with no hesitation, he took this little boy’s life with the cold metallic sound of his merciless firing gun. He threw the boy’s body into the nearest dumpster. Thus, reflecting how most people in his society perceive the life of little boys like him to be worth. He dreams no more. He no longer seeks that loving, caring hand reaching out for him; the only hope he had for a fair chance in life.

As we go to sleep tonight, another child will lie down on that same spot other homeless children before him had until they ended up with a bullet in their heart. This child will also dream the same old dreams they all shared. He will shelter that same hope; trying to forget his life’s daily nightmare.
In the streets of Bogot, a child will silently cry himself to sleep tonight wishing that people like you and me could bring hope into his life.

Although most homeless children worldwide do not suffer the same fate, they too have to face many dangers trying to survive in the streets. You can make the difference in a homeless child’s life now, especially Tsunami orphans in Asia, by making him/her a “someone” in your life. Get in touch with your local community action centers, the red cross or, homeless shelters and “adopt” a child, officially or figuratively. Don’t just give money! Get involved in that child’s life, mentor him or her, let the child know through your loving care and concern that he or she is a “somebody” to many. Don’t just “remember” these children for the holidays; they need our tender-loving care year around. No child in the world should be all alone to face life. Children are our world’s greatest treasure and hope.

*Simon is a factual-based fictional child inspired by a 1991 World Vision documentary about the fate of homeless children in Bogota, Colombia, at the time. The children’s plight deeply moved me and led me to write this piece I now share with you.

Copyright 1991 - 2005 Barbara Hidalgo aka SoulfulWriter. All rights reserved.
Barbara is an essayist, poet, editor and publisher with a background in broadcast journalism. She is dedicated to writing thought-provoking pieces and assisting new authors with their craft. Visit Soulful Writers’ Publications for more of hers and other authors’ work under “Connections.”

Cisco certification candidates are introduced to BGP at the CCNP level, but the reaction to its introduction always reminds me of something I see often as the CCNA level.

Whenever I teach distance-vector protocols in my Ultimate CCNA Boot Camp or Fast Track classes, I make sure my students understand the many rules of distance-vector routing thoroughly. After that, we move on to OSPF and link-state routing.

And what do I tell my students before we move on to OSPF and link-state? “Take all that great stuff you just learned about distance-vector routing and put it aside, because none of it applies here!”

That’s about the time I get astonished looks and a few things thrown at me.

What’s this got to do with BGP? Well, when you start studying BGP, you have to put a lot of preconceptions aside. It sounds like just another routing protocol, like RIP or OSPF, but it’s not.

So… before we start studying BGP and looking at some of its many features, let’s take a look at what BGP is and what it’s not.

What BGP Does And Who Uses It

If you’re in a position where you’re used to seeing or working with routing protocols such as EIGRP and OSPF, you’re probably now working with BGP. BGP is not a protocol you’re going to configure at the office LAN. BGP is used to connect autonomous systems, which are very large “collections” of networks. (Those of you who have studied IGRP and EIGRP are familiar with the concepts of an AS.)

As opposed to routing protocols such as EIGRP and OSPF, BGP is an exterior routing protocol. BGP is not used to find a specific network instead, it’s used to find the AS where that given network can be found.

A good way to look at it is that networks are contained in Autonomous Systems BGP helps you find the AS where a given network is found. Routing protocols such as OSPF and EIGRP take it from there.

BGP Terminology

You’ll be happy to know that BGP has a terminology all its own. Well, you might not be happy about it, but it does! I’m not going to throw a bunch of terms at you right now, since these terms are better introduced to you when you can see what they do. Having said that, here are a couple of basic BGP terms that will help you make the transition from IGPs to BGP.

aggregation - This is just the BGP term for summarization. You’re familiar with route summarization from your CCNA studies, and if not, it’s time for a review from my Ultimate CCNA Study Guide. I told you you’d be using those skills for a long time!

IGP - Interior Gateway Protocol. These are routing protocols that run within an Autonomous System, such as OSPF and EIGRP.

EGP - Exterior Gateway Protocol. Remember from your CCNA studies that EIGRP routes are indicated by the letter “D” in your routing table? Ever wonder why? EGP, that’s why. Run show ip route and take a look at the routing table key. EGP was BGP’s predecessor, and is still in the routing table. EGP was there before EIGRP, so that’s why “E” in the routing table doesn’t indicate an EIGRP route.

We’ll be adding to this list a great deal in the next few weeks.

Now that you’ve got a grasp on the differences between BGP and the IGPs you’ve been working with up to this point, it’s time to start looking at some basic BGP concepts and configurations. Look for Part II of this BGP tutorial over the next few days!

To your success,

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.
For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!