It is important to design solar power panels that are not just environment friendly but also integrated in the environment, global warming firendly, and this could truly help a faster spreading of the technology. Especially considering that the overall cost is going down, allowing great efficiency and energy savings. Nowadays, engineers and designers are truly doing a marvelous job in making solar power panels, giving a true opportunity to a further adoption of solar energy from people that should not be concerned any longer about ruining the style of their homes.
A good thing is to fully understand what is behind solar power panels and the alternative energy that they are capable of producing, as well as the cleaner air that they will contribute to generate. Solar power panels are starting to be used in many places and many homeowners are becoming aware of them. Not as much as changing things around for good, but at least to the point of getting things moving, aiming to a complete implementation in our cities in the near future. We are all becoming used to find solar power panels in our neighborhoods, where they can be on the top of a traffic control device, or giving energy to a street garbage disposal system.
Though the Property Index service is really a pretty young enterprise, they were founded only in March 2007, they have quickly proven their mettle. On closer look, they’re a extremely unostentatious enterprise exclusively focused on helping essentially anyone who is meaning to rent land across the globe. Their avowal is to offer you assistance to hit upon dead-on what you desire swiftly and without pain.
Real property is available for the asking all over the world these days, one of the choicest areas being property you can purchase in Portugal. It should be easy as falling off a log to determine the glorious properties you can purchase in Portugal, one reason for selecting realty here being a combination of the houses and apartments you can purchase and the chance of being able to live right amid this spirited and dynamic populace. This is one of the truly favored property markets these days, and considering the overall attractiveness and weather surrounding you all the time, how could you ever go wrong. Real property in Portugal is steeped in history, this geographical region has been and is still home to a fair number of civilizations.
Review one of the world’s greatest selections of properties in Portugal here!
Only 25 or 30 years ago there was a mere dribble of English looking for properties in Portugal. Just ask about anyone who has relocated to Portugal and they will tell you the same thing. Lots of people would will call it a trend and others will call it a close to a fixation! Buyers keen on relocating to this region range from yuppies keen on a life perspective to older patrons who want to relax and enjoy themselves. Note, though, that you may have to wrestle with a few bugbears when attempting to purchase properties abroad — you’ll have to cope with dozens of procedures be it when strategising, calling in or purchasing. If you only miss a single minute procedure this could generate large bugbears and, preeminently, loss of money.
As is to be anticipated with this favored area, properties could well be rather high priced in this region and that is merely owing to the high market pressure. Regardless of this property buyers definitely are pretty spoilt in terms of choice in a region so determined by beaming environment and setting. It presently has everything any of us might want, and lots more.
There will be a lot of people unhappy about what I am going to reveal in this article. However, I think it is time somebody spoke out about what is happening on this wonderful medium we have come to know as the internet. What I am talking about are the “sharp” practices engaged in by people offering all sorts of dubious marketing plans.
Confusion, deception, hype and downright dishonesty abound on the world wide web (www). I should know. Like tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of people before me - I’ve been caught. And it is highly probable that so many more will continue to be caught in the future unless something is done to stop it.
The www is the new frontier for those who seek to make money from inexperienced people. It’s quick, it’s easy and it is so impersonal. Specifically, I am talking about the selling of high priced junk information (often referred to as “reports”) to unsuspecting customers.
It’s almost the perfect robbery.
Newbie website owners beware! There are hundreds of con-artists and specious operators lurking out there in cyber space. They are just waiting to pull you into their clutches.
How do they do it?
OK. What is the one thing that every new website owner has to have? Answer - traffic. Pure and simple. If you don’t have traffic, you might as well not even have a website - unless, of course, you just enjoy looking at it yourself.
Your quest for traffic demands that you seek knowledge from those who profess to have it. And that is the root of the problem. It seems that every second website seems to be selling information on how to improve your website. With so many experts, who do you trust?
Oh you can read the sales “blurb” (yeah, I know, my site has “blurb” too. All websites use it) and be wooed by all the so-called “facts” but who is offering the information and does it really work? How do you separate credible information from useless junk? There certainly is plenty of junk out there.
There appears to be an increasing number of self-styled gurus professing to know exactly how to drive that precious traffic right through your site. In fact, if you believe everything they promise, you will need to install a set of traffic lights on your site just to control the massive flow. (Or so they would have you believe!)
Your quest for knowledge can very quickly send your credit card into debt hyper-drive, or, I should say, hyper-dive! Just enter your details and zap - here it comes. It’s the answer to all your www dreams. (You wish!)
Let’s examine some of the things you need to be vigilant about:
The information you pay for might be:
- - widely known among experienced net users - but not by you. If you want to pay for this information it might just be worth it to “fast-track” your education. In other words, you will be paying for fairly basic information but you will learn something from it. In that respect, the information can be good because you can learn from the experience of others. Many “special reports” and “secrets revealed” fall into this category. However, some clearly do not. (PS: What type of credit card do you have?)
- - available FREE all over the www. All you have to do is look. “Seek and ye shall find”. If you are lazy and you need to be spoon fed then there are any number of hunters out there who will line you up in their sights. The information is probably current and will work but why pay for it when it is so abundantly available at zero cost? (PS: What is your credit card number?)
- - “old hat” information. The internet moves at such speed that what worked several years ago or even several months ago now doesn’t work at all. This type of information is totally useless and should be avoided. Often this ancient information will even contain broken hyperlinks. Now that’s a real turn off. It says so much about the quality of the information being provided. In reality, this type of information is just a collection of worthless old junk, like a shoe with a hole in its sole. (PS: When does your credit card expire?)
- - a precursor to spending even more money. This little technique will whet your appetite just enough to entice you to spend lots more money. Some “wealth creation” seminar presenters use this technique. It’s just bait for the “real” information which, of course, is far more expensive. “Caveat emptor” - let the buyer beware! (PS: What are the three ID numbers on the back of that credit card of yours?)
- - Steering you to other sites offering “fixits.” This is something like point 4 above, except the information provider suggests you go to a third party (a “friend” - more on this in Part 2) to purchase more programs or more specific information. Often these recommended sites can offer expensive or time consuming programs. (PS: Now, just press submit.)
- - credible and/or valuable. This is information of the best kind. Usually it will contain “cutting edge” ideas that are currently working on the www. However, your ability to source this information from the many traps above will range from difficult to almost impossible.
The biggest trick used by con-artist “gurus” is their ability to “dress up” the information they are offering to make it look like something new or different. It’s a bit like the old pyramid selling schemes that do the rounds with monotonous regularity (or the letter offering you millions of dollars from Nigeria just for giving them your bank details! Can you imagine anybody doing that? Well, plenty do!) Plenty buy the “dress-ups” too. Same old information, different name.
Another thing you need to be aware of is the amount of “fluff” or packing that surrounds the real subject matter. Often there can be several pages on the main idea and several dozen pages of near useless information to make it appear bigger.
I recently purchased a report of just 19 pages. It contained just one dubious idea that could have been presented adequately on about half an A4 sized page. The rest of it was pure packing and completely useless twaddle. The cost? I hate to admit it - $39.95 US. Ouch!
I have even heard of some training manuals on offer claiming that they contain five hundred pages (plus) of “cutting edge” information. You would think that represents a lot of information. It was certainly advertised as a “definitive” web-building and traffic steering “master” tutorial. I later learned (from another source) that the pages are only printed on about one-third of the available space and that the font size would be very beneficial for extremely sight impaired readers. That makes it a very expensive tutorial. I’m pleased to say that I didn’t buy that one.
You need to be wary of these things.
Part 2 of this article contains further hints which will enable you to detect whether an offer of increased website traffic will be worthy of purchase or not.
If you enjoyed Part 1, don’t miss Part 2.
Part 1 and Part 2 of this article are covered by copyright. However, both parts may be freely used providing there are no changes whatsoever to the content and the following resource box remains intact.
PS: If you think this information might help a friend from falling prey to these dubious practices you can send them a copy of this article (or any related parts) or direct them to the website URL above. Let’s get the word out and put a stop to this.
About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.”
You play by the rules. Your list is confirmed opt-in. You have spent time writing a compelling message and an inspiring call to action. Your graphic designers have designed a stunning custom email.
You then send the email to your list but find that deliverability rates are lower than you planned. This is mostly because none of your recipients at a major Internet Service Provider (ISP) received your email. This is a disappointing outcome to say the least, and you decide to look into the matter further in order to avoid low email delivery rates in the future.
Why did this ISP block your emails? You learn that the ISP has blacklisted the IP address that you share with numerous other customers of your Email Service Provider (ESP). Another email marketing customer sharing your IP address sent out an email
blast and got too many spam complaints. As a result the ISP blacklisted the IP from which the email blast came. The problem is that this IP address is yours also.
Your email delivery rates were lower than normal because of the actions of someone else. This problem was caused by factors completely out of your control.
Problem and Solution
You may be surprised to learn that most ESP’s have a very small pool of IP addresses that nearly all of their customers share. Their large customers, however, do get a private IP address. Small businesses and non-profits typically have to share an IP or pay extra for a private one. Consider requesting a private IP address from your current ESP or even switching to an ESP that offers a private IP as a standard feature.
Alternatively, if your deliverability numbers are consistently high, it probably means that your ESP is already offering private IP addresses or they are doing a good job of managing relationships with the major ISP’s. If they offer mostly shared IP addresses, good delivery rates mean they are doing a good job of insuring CAN SPAM compliance in their customers and-when your shared IP address blacklisting happens-they are able to get it removed relatively quickly. This is where good relationships with the ISP’s is important.
What is an IP Address and Why Should I Care?
Every machine connected to the Internet has a unique number called an IP address. A good analogy would be cell phone numbers.
The big difference is that you do not share your cell phone number with a large group of people. You have a unique cell phone number through which people can reliably reach you and only you. They know it is you calling, and not some prank caller who happens to share your phone number.
With a shared IP address, you share your IP address with other customers of the ISP. With some ESP’s, each customer shares an IP address with thousands of other
customers.
When you send out an email campaign, your emails are stamped as coming from a specific IP address-similar to how caller ID shows who is calling you. It is kind of like “caller ID” for emails but you are lumped together with everyone else who shares your IP address.
The result of this situation is that ESP’s are fighting a constant battle to keep their pool of IP addresses in the good graces of the ISP’s, corporate networks, etc. While high
quality ESP’s make sure their customers are CAN SPAM compliant, recipients still can and will file spam complaints. If above a certain threshold of your recipients file spam complaints (it varies by the ISP or corporate network), the ISP or network administrator adds the IP address to a blacklist and block all email originating from that IP address.
It is worth mentioning again that the better ESP’s have relationships with the ISP’s and do a good job of keeping their IP addresses off the blacklists. If the IP address does get
blacklisted, they are usually fairly effective at getting the IP address removed from the blacklist. This process does not always go smoothly though.
The Next Step: Whitelisting Your IP Address
If you decide to get a private IP address, follow guidelines to avoid the spam filters, and stay CAN SPAM compliant, your deliverability rates should be excellent.
You could achieve even better deliverability by getting on the whitelists of the major ISP’s and even some corporate networks to which you send a lot of email. If you do this you will enter the realm of email senders the ISP’s trust to send permission-based
emails that will not annoy their customers.
A whitelist is a list of IP addresses that have proven to be used for permission-based email only. The ISP lets emails from that IP through and they are much less likely to be blocked by spam filters. To get your IP address on their whitelist you have to establish a track record through a couple of months of sending legitimate email. Once you have done that, you apply for whitelisting and the ISP adds you to their whitelist. Since
nobody else shares your IP address, nobody else can cause you to be removed from this whitelist or cause the ISP to add your IP to their blacklist.
How Specifically Do I Whitelist My IP Address?
To be whitelisted, you just have to establish a track record as a permission-based email marketer. This is essentially complying with the CAN SPAM regulations, meaning that you do things like include a valid From address, send to confirmed opt-in email lists, and provide your recipients a clear opt-out link; you do not do things like write deceptive subject lines or try to hide the intent of your emails. There is more to CAN SPAM and I
recommend doing a Google search and reading the summary of CAN SPAM. You can read it in a few minutes, and will help you make sure your email campaigns comply. The rules are simple.
To qualify for whitelisting status, you have to have a good but not a perfect track record in terms of spam complaints. As all who do email marketing know, sending email to an opt-in list can still result in some spam complaints. People forget they opted in originally or they grow irritated with the emails and file a quick spam complaint rather than finding the opt-out link at the bottom of the email. The ISP’s recognize that there will always be some spam complaints with permission-based email marketing. However, as long as the complaints fall below a certain threshold, you can pass the criteria for whitelisting. The ISP’s know that real spammers receive a higher level of complaints than
permission-based email marketers.
Each major ISP maintains its own whitelist, so you will need to visit their respective websites and submit their forms. Your email ESP should be able to provide you links to the whitelist application forms for the major ISP’s and email address providers. They should also be able to provide you assistance, if needed.
For additional ISP’s and corporate whitelists, you will have to do a Web search or contact them directly for more information. It might be worth it to request whitelisting on selected corporate networks if a number of your list members have email addresses on
these corporate networks.
Watch Email Deliverability Like a Hawk
The important point to remember is that deliverability is key to email marketing success so watch your email deliverability like a hawk. If your ESP is not performing for you then find out why and remedy the situation quickly. Try to make changes using your current ESP first. If nothing changes, then it might be time to consider a change.
Neil Anuskiewicz is the Marketing Manager for EZ Publishing. The firm specializes in helping businesses harness the power of the Internet for marketing and to automate business processes. In addition to
custom web applications, EZ Publishing offers
web hosting, web design, and our StreamSend permission-based email marketing service.
Please email questions or comments to Neil at articles@ezpublishing.com.
There are several things you must do to set up your membership website. However, none is more important than selecting your topic. Why? Selecting the right topic will determine your success or failure. Choose an interesting topic, and your membership website is almost guaranteed success. Choose the wrong topic, however, and your site will fail miserably.
Need help choosing a topic for your membership website? Read on.
Membership Websites: Choose A Topic Centered Around YOUR Expertise
Everyone’s an expert these days. Where there used to be a lawyer on every block, there’s now an expert, sometimes two or three.
But what does that have to do with you?
Everything. Think about it. You’re an expert, too! Don’t believe me? Let’s just see. Say you’ve been interested in Hot Wheel cars, since you were a kid, and you know every fact about themwhere they were made, when each model was created and all about the founders, etc.
Would that not count as Hot Wheel Cars expertise? Yes, of course, it would. See my point?
Look at all areas of your lifeespecially your interests and hobbiesand discover where your expertise lies. Your hidden expertise may be found in your:
Career/Work
Hobbies
Interests
Culture
Religion
Community Service
Lifestyle
Consider the above, and you’ll discover just how valuableand profitableyour newfound expertise is.
Membership Websites: Choose A Topic You Like
Think about the last time you spent time doing something you really enjoyed. I’ll bet time just flew by.
Since you’ll be spending a considerable amount of time on your membership website, choose a topic you really enjoy. That way, it won’t feel like work.
There’s another reason for choosing a topic you really enjoyyou already have a potential member base!
Let’s say you’re a member of a Creole cooking club with 25 members, for instance. If you decided to start a Creole cooking membership website, you already have 25 potential members!
See how important it is to pick something you like?
Membership Websites: Choose A Topic That Has An Audience
The next thing you want to do is make sure that the topic has an audience. There’s no point in creating a membership website that no one will join.
How do you ensure that you have a membership website that people will join? First, select a topic that has broad appeal but can be narrowed down into a niche or subniche.
For example, instead of a computer website, focus your content on laptop computers. Or, instead of ladies’ fashions, select plus-size fashions for short women or vintage fashions.
Why?
The information on your membership website has to be so specialized that it’s worth paying for. Since there’s plenty of information on computers, why should someone pay you to access information they can easily get for free anywhere Internet?
Remember though, the more specialized the topic, the higher the membership fees, since the information will be really hard to find anywhere else, making it worth paying for.
Find the perfect balance and don’t micro-niche yourself out of members. Though you want to create a niche site, you don’t want it to be so obscure that you only get two paying membersyour mom and a friend.
The goal is to generate income, so keep it broad enough to attract people and niched enough to get subscribers.
Since choosing a topic for your membership website is one of the most important decisions you will make, take your time, evaluate your interests and do some research. Once your research is done and you have your hot topic, then you can start building your Membership Website or use a professional to help you. Some company offer very low costs for their services and monthly cost for hosting. So get started now and reach financial freedom!
Want more information on membership websites? You can receive a FREE mini course by email with more helpful information. Just to http://memberstar.net.
Ron Ruiz is a product developer, marketer and newsletter publisher. He has extensive experience in all aspects of starting and running a membership/subscription/coaching website. His own membership website http://www.businessfastlane.com has been operating for several years and has members from over 26 countries. He has also developed his own all in one membership software system called Memberstar which makes it easy to set up and run a members only site. http://memberstar.net
Are humans so special and divine as depicted in religious doctrine? Or are humans and their brains built to function and reason similar to that of all higher order mammals and animals? The question itself is not new, indeed it has been discussed by philosophers throughout time. Even in our present period many seem to enjoy the subject, especially as we try to figure out exactly how the human mind works and thus relate that with the inner workings and reasoning abilities of animals.
Recently in an online think tank this subject came up and was explored by a couple of members. It was reasoned that perhaps the conclusions we reach from a scientific perspective are our own worst enemy in finding the reality to the answers we seek. One think tank member stated: “Under the circumstances, when the topic of human, animal reasoning comes up, I noticed a great deal of people show limitations to literary boundaries during there arguments. What I mean is, if we “as humans” create a linguistic determination and classification of an item, we often find ourselves modeling our arguments and figures by this definition. for example: We eat, sleep and breath, therefore we are animals. (very simplified)”
I totally agree with your comments. For example:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Negotiating-on-Common-Ground&id=73083
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-All-the-Debate-on-Lift-and-the-Principles-of-Flight&id=70230
Now then for a human mind to really work to its best ability it must go past the “brainwashing” of education and forced learning. This in my opinion is because humans too readily accept these “limitations of literary boundaries” or definitional arguments. Some others say that without them we could not think beyond, as we would be scattered in thought and too random to stay focused. Yet, if all things are inter-connected and since humans have large brains and can keep track of it, then why not encircle an issue rather than confining thought into a box. Thus the comments about thinking outside the box or definitional confines which are defined by others and too easily accepted by minds willing to be confined, as if you accept to think in the box as a “follower” you have indeed made a choice, albeit a bad one. If this is your comment you are correct as humans do that way too often and fail to often see the forest for the trees. And the think tanker takes this one step further and asks the question in this next statement; “. . .our own literary definitions often bind or restrict our reasoning abilities when evaluating abstract problems.”
In fact this maybe our biggest hang up to finding the answers we seek in this realm; well that along with the religious enculturation, which is force-fed into our society, which is also keeping us from considering such things. What do you think about this issue or do you dare? If so, consider this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Taking kids on vacation can be a challenge. The trip to and from your destination can be a trial in itself, and once you get to where you’re going, how are you going to keep your kids occupied at the motel?
Indian Head Resort in Lincoln, New Hampshire, goes way beyond pool access. They’ve got an entire program designed for kids, with special programmed activities and kids’ shows; in addition, kids can enjoy using the facilities with their parents which include heated pools indoors and out, a game room, seasonal nature trails, and time on the tennis courts. The resort also has a private lake where skating, fishing, and paddleboating are available to entertain participants.
Want to explore the area with your kids? Santa’s Village, Six Gun City (a park with a western theme), Clark’s Trading Post, and Whale’s Tale Waterpark are just a few attractions within an easy drive of Indian Head Resort. In the winter, the entire family can take part in all sorts of sports and other activities, including alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and snowmobiling. In the summer, horseback riding and mountain bike trails are popular attraction at nearby Cannon and Loon mountains.
Menus Designed for Kids
Kids can be picky eaters, and can be very insistent on having access to their own favorite foods. Aware of the importance kids put on food, the resort has developed a special kids’ menu, with child-sized portions and standard kids’ fare like cheeseburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and, of course, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. (The resort does manage to slip in some salads and other veggies!) That way the grown-ups can enjoy selections from their own, more sophisticated menu, while the kids can chow down on their own more simple fare. The resort also offers a simplified breakfast menu for kids.
In Business Since 1917
Indian Head Resort began operation as a campground back in 1917; over a period of time the owners added some cottages, and then expanded to where now they offer a hundred spacious rooms (some with whirlpool baths), TV with HBO access, saunas, an exercise room, and spectacular views from every window. Located in the White Mountains, one of the most dramatically beautiful regions of New Hampshire, it can provide a relaxing retreat or a base camp for active exploration of the surrounding area. The Kids Deal program is seasonal, running from late June through August each year, and offers special family rates.
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics. She expresses her opinions periodically on her blog, http://beyondagendas.blogspot.com. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
In my view gaming laptops have lost their once sustained niche status. I can think back to when they were not so widespread. They were pretty much like a low qty manufacturing plant. Didn’t sell a huge amount but made a lot of cash on each one. Certainly I could confidently say everybody desired one though. They were like the highest grade of what could be done with notebook technology. The best laptop computers about. They would create tons of buzz but I doubt loads of buyers would go out and buy laptop computers at high prices. Well known manufacturers have recently released their own gaming laptops so its all changing as we speak.
I guess they could class it as a high grade portable and make a lot of money on these especially with their mass production techniques. This would be an excellent way to produce sizable profits for them. Additionally they can use their gigantic marketing spend to persuade the public further into spending their cash or getting out the credit cards to buy laptop computers like these ones. Had I been a smaller retailer I would definitely be thinking of ways to react to this type of competition. Really what I see happening here is that the multinational manufacturers dropping prices in the beginning to get rid of the competition from smaller system builders. Well known companies can use their brand names to simply win prospects over.
To my astonishment the mass produced gaming laptop computers are as good or even better than the best laptop computers at present. This should give some hope to the local competition. Choosing the spec is a process all us enthusiasts enjoy. Educated in the technology, these kinds of people are really clued up on what details to look for. In my opinion I reckon people care more about the speed rather than design.
This will be rather beneficial from the purchasers standpoint. In the end, the prices will be dropped even further causing the latest technology to be a choice that we can afford. Do not forget that’s just my opinion on the current situation. Mobile technology is always evolving and the new systems should usually be high priced when it just comes out. We will find out what we can anticipate from the gaming notebook sectors large players.
Will you agree with me if I tell you that, the key to financial success is to live within your means? This is an old belief that modern day income earners have completely forgotten. This is because it is now extremely easy to get into financial trouble. Credit card, store cards and other loans are easy to acquire. However, you will agree with me when I say that they are very hard to pay, you may end up living a paycheck-to-paycheck kind of life if you will not fix the situation immediately.
Consolidation debt may save your sinking credit standing. However, you need to be careful if you need a consolidation debt. Many debt consolidation companies may offer their services when you need a consolidation debt. This may be helpful but it is more advisable if you try to make a realistic personal assessment of your financial condition before deciding on acquiring a consolidation debt.
First, you need to consider the ultimate reason why you think a consolidation debt may be your only way out. Does interest rate burden you that even you pay your dues; your obligation remains that same. If this is so, then may be a consolidation debt can be your best bet. If you need to reduce your monthly payments to only one in order to avoid sacrificing other debtors in favor of another, then this may also be a reason for acquiring consolidation debt. Additionally, proper handling of a consolidation debt may speed up repair of your credit standing. This may be a very good benefit you will get from acquiring a consolidation debt.
When you finally decide base on your personal assessment that really, consolidation debt is a good way to help take back your credit standing and credit worthiness, then you need to decide on the next issue. Do you want to negotiate for your consolidation debt or would you need a credit counselor? You may try to negotiate personally but this proves to be too tedious and that there may be technical terms you are not familiar to. Let us hope you do not fall prey to loan sharks that will apply unrealistically high interest rates on the consolidation debt you will acquire. It may be a good recommendation to get the services of a reputable and respectable lending institution to negotiate for your consolidation debt. There are benefits you may get from debt consolidation companies that you may not provide for yourself. Since, they are in the business of providing debt consolidation services, they may be able to negotiate better and may lessen your debt, lessen the interest rates and even lessen the late payment charges. This is going to be very beneficial. However, you need to be smart in choosing a debt consolidation company to represent you in your consolidation debt application. Because there are some who may take advantage of you. Get references and find resources that may help you in assessing the best lending institution to represent you.
Finally, a good recommendation for acquiring a consolidation debt is to get as many proposals as you can. From there, you assess which offers the most flexible terms. Consider the monthly payments you need to set aside. You may also need to consider the length of the payment terms and the charges of the debt consolidation company for the services in acquiring your consolidation debt. After all these get the most advantageous offer and start from there. Take back your life and your credit standing. Avoid headaches and sleepless nights due to bugging creditors. When you finally get a consolidation debt, pay diligently, this is the best way for you.
Lee Bennett
http://www.debt-helponline.info
Here’s a fun little experiment to start this column:
take a few seconds and look around you, noticing and focusing on everything you see that is blue. Just look around and notice everything that is blue.
Just work with me here.
Now close your eyes, and tell me every thing you noticed that is green.
Threw you a bit of a curve ball there, didn’t I? If you are like most folks, you were expecting me to ask you to name everything that was blue. Instead I asked for green, something different from that which you were focused on.
Now here’s an interesting fact from the world of race car driving. As I understand it, when new drivers are learning how to race, one of the very first things they are taught is what to focus on when they go into a spin. The natural tendency is to focus on the wall they are trying to avoid hitting, and they usually wind up hitting the wall. Instead they are taught to focus not on the wall, but to focus on where they want to go. In this way, they have a better chance of avoiding the wall and successfully getting out of the spin.
The incredible power of focus in our lives
Where we place our focus, the rest of our mind and emotions will follow. In the exercise, we learned that we only notice what we focus on. In the racing example, we learned that we tend to end up where we are focused.
“So how do we learn how to do this focus stuff?” you ask. One of the quickest ways to begin to strengthen your focus muscles is to practice the 5%/95% rule. That means to focus no more than 5% on what you don’t want and 95% on what you do want.
Focus 5% on what you fear 95 % on getting educated and skilled to face it
Did you know that we all have fears? Even those that appear to not fear anything. The trick is not to have no fear, but to work at becoming strong and skilled enough to face and conquer your fears.
Focus 5% on the problem 95% on the healthiest solution
Often it’s easy to get caught in the endless definition and re-definition of a problem. “What’s the problem?” is the wrong question. A better question would be “How many new and different solutions can we create?”
Remember, problems have solutions.
Focus 5% on the mistake 95 % on learning from it
A mistake is simply evidence that someone tried to accomplish something.
There’s a wonderful story about a new employee of a large corporation that makes a $10,000 mistake in his first week. Upon being called into the CEO’s office at the end of the day, he tells his boss that he realizes he has to fire him and that he is sorry for the mistake. To which the CEO replies, “Fire you? No way, I just spent $10,000 training you.” I bet he became a loyal and valuable employee.
Focus 5% on who to blame 95% on making sure to heal
Getting stuck in blame sets you up to “be - lame.” Focusing on healing allows you to move on with your life.
Focus 5% on the conflict 95% on the win-win-win resolution
Conflict, especially in families, does not always have to be a win - lose situation. In any conflict, each side has needs. The question is what kind of solution can be found that meets as many of each person’s needs as possible.
Focus 5% on what you must do 95% on enjoying the process of it
“I have to” - “I’ve got to” - “I wish I didn’t have to” are all phrases that focus on having to do things we don’t want to do. Better words that shift your focus would be “How can I get all this done and enjoy the process?” Or in the words of psychiatrist Sidney Freidman on M*A*S*H, “Ladies and gentleman, take my advice, pull down your pants, and slide on the ice.”
Finally, and probably most importantly…………….
Focus 5% on reading this 95% on applying it
Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.
