3 Tips to Becoming a Successful Step Parent

Being a step parent can be more difficult than being a biological parent. When you are a child's biological parent, there is no doubt the level of authority you have over your child. You know it, and your child knows it. But a step parent's role is often more of a gray area. There is a delicate balance between authority and friendship that will ultimately be different in every home, but if you keep these step parenting tips in mind, the road to your new parent-child relationship will be a lot smoother.

1. You are a friend, not a parent. You have heard the saying time and time again from biological parents: "I'm your parent, not your friend." For biological parents, this is fine. However, unless you become a child's stepparent when he/she is very young, this mentality will only be met with hostility and rebellion. This goes double for teenagers. If you try to become the "new dad" or "new mom," a teenager will go out of his/her way to show you how very NOT a real parent you are. Unless you want to enter a power struggle, it's best to start out as friends first.

2. Offer small gifts of friendship. Yes, these should be tangible at first, but do not get carried away; your stepchild will see right through you. This does not mean you must buy your step daughter a pony if she wants one. Think "small but meaningful." Is your stepchild stressed out about an upcoming test? Give him your lucky rabbit's foot from when you were a kid, or take your teenage daughter to Starbucks to celebrate when the test is over.

3. Be available, but not overbearing. This is probably the most important tip, but it can be hard to find the delicate balance between building a relationship with your stepchild and crowding him/her. Ask how her day was, but accept "fine" as a response. Again, this is especially important with teenagers. At this age, kids are much more interested in talking to friends than parents, and you should not take it personally. Show an interest, and then give your stepchild space to open up to you when he/she is ready. Ask your stepchild to tell you about the concert or slumber party last week. Offer to teach your stepchild something: sports, cooking, homework help, etc. If he doesn't accept your help right away, that's ok. Let him know that the offer still stands whenever he changes his mind. He will come around eventually, and he will appreciate that you gave him his space.

Follow these tips in your daily interactions with your stepchildren, and they will likely respect you and begin opening up to you soon. If you force yourself into your stepchild's life and try to take over as the "new dad" or "new mom," you will have the double duty of first repairing the relationship, then building a positive one.

What Can A Herbal Wonder Drug Do For Your Heart

All of us know garlic which is most often used as a seasoning or a condiment. You either like it or hate it when you see it on or smell it from your food. Garlic, whether raw or cooked, is famous for its strong characteristic odor. But, are you aware that garlic can be used medically besides its culinary purposes. In fact, garlic has long been considered as a herbal "Wonder Drug".

When crushed or finely chopped, garlic yields allicin, a powerful antibiotic and anti-fungal compound (phytoncide). It also contains ajoene, allicin, enzymes, vitamin B, minerals, and flavonoids.

Ajoene, an unsaturated disulfide, is formed from the bonding of three allicin molecules. The strong odor and flavor of garlic comes from Allicin. After a garlic clove is crushed or finely chopped, the release of allicin occurs. When allicin is dissolved in various solvents including edible oils, ajoene is formed. Ajoene can also be found in garlic extract. Ajoene is most stable and most abundant in macerate of garlic (chopped garlic in edible oil).

Scientists have recently found ajoene has antithrombotic (anti-clotting) properties, which helps prevent platelets in the blood from forming blood clots. These properties can potentially reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in humans.

There are at least 12 well designed studies published around the world that confirm that garlic in several forms can reduce cholesterol. The largest study so far was conducted in Germany where 261 patients from 30 general practices were given either garlic powder tablets or a placebo. After a 12 week treatment period, mean serum cholesterol levels dropped by 12% and triglycerides dropped by 17% in the garlic treated group compared to the placebo group.

Scientists found that allicin blocks the enzymes by reacting with one of their important components known as sulfhydryl (SH) groups, or thiols, which are also crucial components of some enzymes that participate in the synthesis of cholesterol. By reacting with and modifying the sulfhydryl groups in those enzymes, allicin may prevent the production of artery clogging cholesterol. This could provide a possible explanation for how garlic lowers the levels of harmful cholesterol.

Nevertheless, it is believed that garlic does have side effects. Due to its strong nature, raw garlic should not be eaten in large quantity as it could produce problems, for example irritation of or even damage to the digestive tract. Also, there are a few people who are allergic to garlic. Symptoms of garlic allergy include skin rash, temperature and headaches. Also, garlic could potentially disrupt anti-coagulants, so it is best avoided before surgery.

Collecting Antique Dolls - A Beginner's Guide

Antique dolls are officially classed as those that were created before 1930. There are a huge range of vintage dolls available to collectors, created from bisque, china, papier mache, wood and wax. Some collectors prefer to focus on just one type of material whereas others like to collect dolls from a particular period of time or just collect them all!

For collectors just starting out, or on a budget, specimens in poorer condition can be a great way to start your collection and restoring them can be rewarding. Antique dolls that come with their original clothes are rare and can reach high prices. Unclothed dolls will be cheaper and if you're handy with a sewing machine you can easily make new clothes that are sympathetic to the original time period. Restoring vintage dolls is a hobby in itself and replacing body parts or purchasing original clothing can be expensive.

If you're buying dolls as a collectible item for their value, try to find examples in good condition without surface cracks and imperfections and with their original clothes if possible. Less rare dolls can be found in good condition for a reasonable price.

Antique dolls can be bought from specialty doll dealers, auctions and on the internet. eBay is a very common way to buy dolls and antiques of all kinds these days, however be sure to buy from a reputable seller and be aware that imperfections can easily be disguised in photos and are not always described fully by less-reputable sellers.

A great way to display your collection is placed in a doll's pram. Antique prams for dolls are also available for sale and are a great collector's item in their own right.

Winter Olympics Only Days Away

Now that SuperBowl 44 is history, the hype and enthusiasm of the sports world turns it's attention to the Olympic winter games which will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia starting this Friday. Hosting country Canada, looks like they will be making a strong showing and will be competing under the catch phrase, "own the podium". No doubt with contenders such as Clara Hughes competing in long track speed skating, Steve Podborski in the downhill and Jessie Vetter who was named Sportswoman of the Year for her successes in hockey, they stand a good chance of being on the medal stand.

While we are considering potential winners, we can not forget about the perennial powerhouses of the winter games, Germany, Norway and Russia. These three countries will be certain to make a statement of their own through the efforts of such gifted athletes as Kati Wilhelm, Magdalena Neuner, Emil Hegle Svendsen, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is considered by many to be one of the very best in the hockey world.

Team USA will not be content to simmer on the back burner. They have 31 returning former medalists and another 84 participants who have already had the experience of competing in at least one Olympic. The U.S. team finished 2nd in the last winter Olympics which was held in Torino, Italy in 2006 and 3rd in the winter Olympics of 2002 held in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are hoping to do at least as well in these Olympics by riding on the talents of such athletes as Lindsey Vonn, Shari Davis, Shaun White and Apolo Ohno.

Is a T1 Dedicated Line Right For Your Business?

Is your business considering an upgrade to a T1 line? If so, there are a couple of factors to consider before replacing your DSL connection.

Most businesses consider reliability as the single most important factor when deciding what kind of network connection to purchase. If this applies to your business as well, then definitely replace your DSL connection with a T1 line. While DSL is easy to install and affordable for businesses, it isn't set up to handle commercial applications or large numbers of users. However, a T1 line is geared for larger applications and users.

Reliability of a business's network is key to quickly responding to customer's and employee's needs. Customers utilizing your connection to access your company's databases, server or internet depend on it to be reliable. Employees using the company's e-mail and internet server also depend on a reliable network to get their work done. Reliability and timeliness are key factors in driving your business to success. A business cannot afford to risk employees' productivity levels or the loss of customers due to sub-par network connections. A company needs to think beyond "saving money" on their network connection if it can't support it's staff and customers. If a DSL connection isn't making the grade, then a business needs to seriously consider upgrading to a T1 line.

The second factor when considering an upgrade from a DSL connection to a T1 line is cost. Because the monthly cost of a T1 line can be several times more than a DSL connection, residential customers shouldn't consider a T1 line unless they can write off the expensive on their taxes. What most people don't understand is a DSL connection, when not oversubscribed, can be as fast as a T1 at 1.5Mbps. SDSL (Synchronous DSL) is a business class DSL connection, therefore ranked higher in priority than residential DSL. SDSL isn't oversubscribed to the extent that residential DSL is, resulting in fewer bandwidth restrictions.

In summary, if price is your guiding factor then sign up for DSL, but if reliability is crucial to your business, then purchase a dedicated T1 line.

Your Family Tree - What to Do When You Hit an Ancestor Brick Wall

You will definitely hit one - that brick wall in an ancestor line. We all do, and they are sometimes extremely frustrating. For the beginner in genealogy searches, it can be very disheartening to be stopped at the greatgrandparent level and not be able to get further. Here are several tips to help you have more success and find your way around that brick wall.

Hopefully you have your pedigree chart in front of you - remember this is your guide in your research. Go to the LAST person BEFORE this brick wall ancestor, and taking a piece of paper, start to write out everything you know about this person, all life events, residences, experiences, military, religious affiliation, everything you can possibly find.

On another paper, write out the details of any brothers and sisters of this last person as well, with their life events and residences, as well. Siblings have information on their documents about their parents, and one of them may have the detail(s) you need to fill in your brick wall ancestor.

Keep those papers in front of you and start to speculate about your unknown or poorly-detailed brick wall ancestor. You are going to ask yourself as many questions as you possibly can about this person.

Can you see if children were born in different places? Were some in England, others in Upper Canada? When did that possible immigration take place? What's your best guess? If the eldest child seems to have been born in 1849, perhaps they got married from 1845-1849. Can you find any records about that marriage? Did a widowed ancestor live with a married child? When that widowed ancestor died, the adult child likely filled out their death registration, and MAY have heard details of their parents and/or birth place. Check it out. Did your ancestor own land? - can you find the land records? Did they make a will? Were they members of the local church? How can you find out what records that church may have? What information might organizations or societies of the times have about your missing ancestor? Is there a city/town directory?

Women tend to have few documents or records about them as individuals aside from the basics of birth, marriage, death. They may have been baptised - check those records if they are available. Burials, cemetery listings, and obituaries may have further information to check out. But remember, that as wives, they may also be mentioned in church records, histories of early settlements, pension applications, on land records and more. You are looking for any clue that will help you find a more detailed record.

Always remember to check with any first or second cousins and other extended family members. One cousin may have a story about his father's greatgrandfather which will help you. A grand-uncle may have his grandmother's diary and letters to the old country, to a relative. You may find wonderful treasure if you just ask.

Go back to the siblings of the last person before your brick wall ancestor. Now start looking for any life event documents where the name of the common parent may be on it. Marriage and death documents may list parents' names, including maiden names of mothers (a gold mine!), as well as parents' place of birth. The place of birth may only be a country, or may be a specific place or village. By going back down your chart one step to the last person known, then sideways to siblings, then back up through siblings' documents looking for your ancestor, you may finally be able to find the missing names or information. Roll up your sleeves, and start digging for any clues you can find. Remember to take note of names and naming patterns, as that may also help you speculate about your missing ancestor's possible name.

It is very rewarding to finally find the missing information on your ancestor and break through that brick wall! It may take tedious digging as you go through page after page, document after document, but the reward - priceless! Celebrate your wins!

Enjoy your searches for your ancestors, and remember to ask others for help. By joining your local genealogical society, you will find others who will be pleased to point you in another direction, or make suggestions which may help you search more effectively.

"I Am a Rebel" Stop Smoking EFT Reframe

Every now and then, I have this delightful experience with a smoker on the way to becoming a non-smoker. I call it the "I am a Rebel" stop-smoking EFT reframe. It is delightful because I literally see the face change from "I am a Rebel and determined to self-destruct" to "Confused" to "You tricked me and I fell for it" to "That was very funny" to "Did I really think like that?" and ending the most serene and empowered expression on the soon-to-be-non-smoker's face.

So if you or someone you care for would say that you smoke to rebel, here is one of my favorite reframes that you can be almost guaranteed to enjoy. It goes something like this.

Setup:

"Even though I smoke to rebel, I deeply love and accept myself"

Reminder, using one phrase per point, going round and round your favorite points:

"I'm a rebel, I smoke to rebel, nobody can tell me what to do, because I'm a rebel, and if they try, I will smoke in their face, Ha! That'll show them, because I'm a rebel, that's what I am, I love myself, I love the rebel in me, I accept myself, I accept the rebel in me, I'm a rebel, that's what I am, Oh yes I am, I will always be a rebel, as a matter of fact, you can depend on me to be a rebel, every day you can rely on me to rebel, the cigarette companies can rely on me to rebel, every day I rebel and do what they want me to do, because I'm a rebel, that's what I am, every day they can count on me to rebel, and do just what they want me to do, I rebel so much they're rubbing their hands with glee, Kerr-chingg! Yes, they can count on me to be a rebel, I will dutifully rebel every day and buy their cigarettes, I will do what they want and remain addicted, because I'm a rebel, that's what I am, they can rely on me to pay them money every day, 'Sucker!' - yes, they can always rely on me to comply, they can rely on me to rebel... Or maybe I can rebel against the cigarette companies, maybe. I'm a rebel, that's what I am, I can be relied on rebel, maybe, perhaps."

By this stage, we are usually both laughing so hard, I get tears in my eyes and we are just shaking with laughter! It works every time. And it is just such great fun! Who said stopping smoking had to be serious?!

6 Questions to Consider Before You Build That Screened-In Porch

If you are wanting to build a screened-in porch, there will be many things that you must consider. You can't just begin building without planning and knowing exactly what you are wanting to do. Here are 6 questions that you need to consider before you build the screened-in porch that you have been thinking about.

Question 1 - Is There Enough Room? Before you go any further, you need to determine if there is enough room to build the porch that you want to build. Do you have ultimate permission to build, such as being the owner of the property? If you are planning to put in a doorway, do you have the right of way to walk through the land that the exit would lead to?

Question 2 - Do You Have a Building Permit? In almost any civilized area of the world, any plans that you may have to alter the exterior appearance of your home will require you to purchase a building permit from the local government. Many people don't bother with this step, but it is legally required that the exterior plans of your home match the plans on government file before you can sell it. If you try to sell the home at some later point, or if someone should get injured on the addition, you will have to pay large fines if you didn't bother to get the proper permit when you were building.

Question 3 - Do You Have a Plan? Before you cut the first board, you should have every aspect of your screened-in porch planned out. This includes the length and width of the porch, the height and pitch of the ceiling, and where the door and stairs would ultimately be. Having every detail ready before you begin work will keep you from having to redo things later on.

Question 4 - Will Your Eaves Keep Out the Rain? You need to plan the roof to hang over the screened-in walls to a certain point. This will help keep the rain out when the weather turns bad. You are going to all this trouble to put a roof on the porch and screen it in so that you can use it in any weather situation, so you should take steps to make sure the rain won't ruin your plans by getting everything wet.

Question 5 - Will You Be Running Electricity To Your Porch? If you are wanting to make additions to your porch, such as lighting or a ceiling fan for air circulation, you will need to run electricity in proper ways. This means that you may need to hire an electrician, if you don't have the knowledge yourself. Be prepared to deal with this additional cost.

Question 6 - What Are Your Intentions? If you intend to turn your porch into a breezy family-style room, with plans to put couches and a television or other expensive items in it, will your porch be secure enough? You may want to rethink these ideas if you aren't prepared to make your porch as secure as your house would be.

Simplified English - A Great Way of Elucidating the Language

Simplified English can really simplify complex content that is loaded with terms and jargon. Content that is full of technical terms is technical English writing. Usage of technical terms in a technical publication is pretty ordinary and it is directed only towards a particular audience that can understand the usage of technical English terms. Most of the audiences might not be well versed and therefore may not be able to understand some of the terms. Therefore, the use of technical English writing in your contents has to be restricted to the minimum or can be made simple with the help of Simplified Technical English. Not all audiences understand all the terms and so would have to search their meaning in the dictionary and then read further. This makes it a very cumbersome task. Most of the audiences will probably get annoyed and leave it half way without knowing the exact meaning and shift to some other content. Terminology management software offers the best synonyms for complex technical terms.

A person involved with technical documentation needs to be competent enough to communicate his message aptly to all types of audiences (technical and non technical). Non technical audiences can understand simple English and for their sake it is advisable to translate it from a complex to a simple format by the means of many existing software applications that facilitate technical translation. Shufra helps to implement international documentation standards such as ASD-STE100 and S1000D, which help to emphasize and add meaning for the technical jargon that is used. This in turn entirely avoids misinterpretation and misunderstanding from the audience side. A good technical writer should be aware of what the readers need to want to read. He should thus convey the correct content and meaning using the right words and style.

The writer should use simple words in his writings that are easy to comprehend for the reader. The audience should be able to understand what the document is all about. So it has to be precise and easy to comprehend for the reader. A writer can be very effective if he can understand the readers' requirements and background. It is essential that your technical writing according to AECMA, SE and STE (e.g. IETM, AMM, CMM) provides the accurate information that is being looked for by the reader. While trying to find the solution, the reader must feel about the writing that it is concise, simple and interesting. It has to make the reader get interested in the written topic.

There are many requirements for technical writing in industries such as aerospace, defense, aircraft, etc. With the development of science and technology it has become possible to introduce new technical products in the market manufactured by different companies. Therefore, it becomes necessary to find services of writers who can provide information on the usefulness of the newly launched product into the market. In this way, the different needs of different audiences can be met with. Their search for information on science and technology topics or products can be quicker if they get to read simple technical documents.

5 Tips For Winning at UNO

UNO is a great card game that involves using a specialized deck. There are some great ways to increase your chances of winning at it.

1. Save Your Draw Cards.

A lot of people like to put draw cards down early, and why wouldn't they it makes them appear to be in control, but once they use it, it is over. Now the two reasons I like to save draw 2 cards are.

a. When someone else uses a draw 2 card on you, you can put a draw 2 card on top of that and make the next person draw 4 instead of having to draw 2 cards.

b. When someone has UNO you want to have some draw cards to stop them from winning the game.

2. Save Wild Cards

The same thing goes for wild cards, don't use them unless you actually need to. Remember you can always put down a wild card, but you might not have another chance to put down your blue 4.

3. Make others with UNO draw

Even though it is a really good thing to save your draw cards for later you don't want others to win the game. When someone is about to win stop them by making them draw 2 cards or something.

4. Watch Other Players

If the color is blue and you have 2 blues 2 reds and a wild, but someone else keeps trying to change it to blue it is OK to use your wild and change it to red and play your red cards because that person will probably try to change it back to blue.

5. Be Creative and plan ahead

Be creative when planning. If someone two turns after you is on UNO and you know the person directly after you has a draw 2 try to put down a draw two yourself. That would make the next person put down their draw two and force the person with UNO to draw 4.

Referral Marketing - A Powerful Business Tool

Have you ever suggested to a friend that they should go see a movie or try out a new restaurant? Of course, we all have. But, what if the movie theater and the restaurant gave you a portion of their sales that resulted from your referral? Referral marketing is based on just that concept; letting others know about products and services that you have tried and endorse, but then paying you for your efforts to market their products.

Referral marketing can take many forms, from network marketing, where you are an active representative for a company and are paid based on the volume of sales that goes through your business, to what is commonly known as affiliate marketing, where you are driving potential clients to a product and then paid a percentage (sometimes as high as 75% of the sales price) of each sale. There are other examples, but these are the two that I've been involved with and are the most familiar.

For the new person starting out I suggest getting started with affiliate marketing first, as the start up costs are minimal and you can start with a single product, become proficient with marketing techniques and then expand your representation to multiple products (meaning multiple streams of income). Once you have established yourself in affiliate marketing and have steady income coming in, then take a serious look at getting involved in network marketing. With many affiliate programs, you will make a single sale to a customer, but with network marketing you are typically representing products that will be consumed and thus purchased on a regular basis, giving you a serious stream of residual income.

When getting started with affiliate marketing on the internet I suggest that you look at products such as E-Books, video or audio file programs. These are among the hottest products on the net because they can be instantly downloaded once the purchase has been made. Your customer can have the product immediately and put it to work to fix the problem they were looking have solved. These are also among the least returned products being sold over the internet, meaning you have a high likely hood that once a sale has been made you're going to get to spend that commission.

You will be the most successful when you become an affiliate for a product you have used and believe in personally. Remember our opening example of the movie and restaurant. You're most sincere recommendations will come for items you have faith in and it will show through in your marketing efforts.

Gold For Retirement - Gold In IRAs

Selecting the right form of investment in gold depends on your overall financial strategy. Individual retirement arrangements, more commonly known as individual retirement accounts (IRAs), are familiar investment vehicles. Not having to pay taxes on assets held within an IRA can significantly increase growth. Investing in gold through an IRA offers a hedge against inflation.

For the investor beginning to invest in precious metals, an obvious question is "Can I buy gold for retirement for an IRA?" And the answer is simple: yes. You can not only create a new IRA, you can also transfer contributions from another IRA or rollover a 401(k) to your new IRA.

New IRAs can only be funded with cash or cash equivalents, for example money market funds or treasury bills. The IRA then acquires the investment. Transfers and rollovers between existing IRAs and other retirement accounts can be of any asset class.

Generally, you can only rollover funds from your 401(k) after you've left the employer funding your 401(k). To be sure of the requirements, just contact your fund manager.

Kinds of IRAs for Precious Metal Investing

For the purposes of protecting individual wealth, the most relevant IRAs are the Traditional, the Roth and perhaps the SEP. All have rules for eligibility which include age, other pension plans and AGI (adjusted gross earnings on income tax).

Most people are familiar with the Traditional IRA established in 1974, and the Roth IRA, established in 1997. For these IRAs, as for all types, earnings on the investment are not taxed. Traditional IRA contributions may be tax deductible in the year of contribution; taxes are paid at the time of distribution. Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax contributions; no taxes are paid at the time of distribution.

The SEP IRA allows a small business or self-employed individual to set up a Traditional IRA instead of a pension fund. Ease of administration is one of the advantages.

The administration of all IRAs are handled by a custodian, whether bank, credit union, brokerage firm or any other financial services provider. Keep in mind a financial firm may service only certain kinds of investments.

Self-Directed IRAs

Self-Directed IRAs (SDIRAs) are designed for more complicated investments requiring increased attention and expertise on the part of the investor. Not every financial service provider handles these. Custodial responsibilities include keeping your IRA on the right side of IRS law. For this expertise and added attention, you will pay more.

IRAs for Physical Gold

Gold investments come in a large range of choices. Each choice has a specific advantage and disadvantage. All paper investments, i.e., paper representation of gold, such as mutual fund shares, ETFs, mining stocks, annuities, or futures can be used.

What is surprising is that even physical bullion can be used in an IRA. Not unexpectedly only a few companies actually provide this service. Only recently has the gold price climbed to historic highs generating a new wave of broad interest.

The IRS has rules regulating the form and purity of gold and other precious metals to be placed in an IRA. In addition, each financial service itself may have different requirements on the type of gold and the cash equivalent amount. Setting up a gold bullion IRA involves more work than a typical paper transaction. Typically, fees charged will be higher.

How's Your Self-Talk?

You know, what are you saying to yourself? There's always something going on in there. Do you make positive statements about yourself to yourself or are you beating yourself up with your own words?

"Know thyself" is a statement that comes to mind. Know what it's going to take to get and keep you moving onward and upward.

You know one of the most telling things about Jesus was that he knew he had to keep himself motivated and ready at any instant to do miracles. He knew that his 'coach' might call on him at any given moment to pull the team out of the fire. He knew that he couldn't afford not to be up and ready mentally to take on and over come whatever challenge was laid out before him.

One of the ways he did this was by hearing himself talk positively about himself. Sometimes with all that goes on your own voice may be the only "friendly" voice you hear. This being the case you'd better make sure it's uplifting and not helping the other voices tear you down.

Never in a bragging way of course, but do you realize that in all of the statements Jesus made about himself he never once spoke in negative terms. Not once. He never even one time hinted that he might be out matched. Jesus's competition knew that they were facing a supremely confident opponent because he made sure of it. He was bold about it. He put it right out there for them to see and hear.

Jesus was E.F. Hutton before E.F. Hutton was. When he said, "I am..." people listened. It didn't matter what the situation Jesus never forgot who he was. And he never let anyone else forget it either.

At this point you may be thinking "Well sure it was easy for Jesus to be confident and positive. Look at who his coach was." Yes, look at who his coach was. (Hey wait a minute, Isn't his coach... your coach?)

One of my simple joys is listening to world class athletes talk about themselves. The Mohamed Ali's or Chris Everett's in their primes. These guys and girls know themselves. It doesn't come across to me as bragging when a Michael Jordan comes out and says after a tough game that he knows he had a pretty good game but he could have and should have played better. That's confidence.

That's knowing and holding yourself accountable to your own standards of performance. It always fascinates me how a champion athlete manages to remain positive in his self talk even after the scoreboard says he has just suffered his most crushing defeat. Or during the course of a game when the team is way down and nobody gives them any chance of coming back and winning the contest, and they do just that.

Why do you think that happens? Is it because they were lucky? Is it because the other team lets up or stops trying as hard? Both of these may be true to some extent but we all know that in order to receive the luck that's coming to us, we have to put ourselves in a position and state of mind to receive it.

As for the other team letting up, that's their problem. Part of being a true champion is finishing. The true champion athletes and people are better at the end of a tough match or day than they were at the beginning. They're finishers.

True champions, both athletes and every day citizens only know one pace. All out. You never see them "coasting" no matter what the score. They never let up in the midst of doing whatever it is that they do. Whether it be throwing a baseball or being a parent.

True champions are the people that the average person looks at and remarks "man, don't you ever let up". The answer? No.

Helen Keller put it this way "One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar." Have you ever felt that impulse?

Self-motivation starts and ends with what you say and believe about you, to you. You're either your own best friend or your own worst enemy and only you really know.

Which is it with you?

Have you ever taken the time to really think about all of the things you are? Your list of "I AM's." You should do that sometime, you might be surprised at how incredibly awesome you are.

Thanks for your time and attention. Make this the best and most productive week ever in your history. I AM.

Live some. Love some. Learn some. Everyday.

C...

Common Learning Disabilities

There are a lot of students who either have or develop different learning disabilities throughout their educational career. This could mean they have dealt with it since elementary or grade school, or they didn't have it until they went to college. Either way, it can still make getting an education difficult and can affect the grades they get. However, a lot of these disorders and disabilities are very common and although some may prove to be more of a challenge than others, they are still possible to work with and accommodate.

One of the most common types is attention deficit disorder, ADD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD. This condition normally affects the attention span of students and can make it difficult to concentrate during lectures, tests, and assignments. There are ways to treat this medically with a prescription from a doctor. However, many students find ways to work through their disorder without medication. Students with ADD or ADHD should take frequent breaks while studying or working on an assignment, and find a way to relieve built up stress or tension. Find a place where you can study in peace and won't be tempted or distracted easily. This may mean instead of studying in your room, study at the kitchen table, or go to the library. Talk to your teacher or school about if they have any policies to accommodate those with ADD or ADHD.

Dyslexia is more common than some people think. Dyslexia is a condition that results in lower reading levels and sometimes lower writing levels. The condition is a result of the way the brain's processes and translates written words and languages. People who suffer from this disorder can't simply cure themselves of it, but can reduce its affects through tutoring and taking remedial classes. Students may need to take extra time on tests, quizzes, and certain assignments. You can check with your college's student disability office for more information about different accommodations and options you have.

Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD, can prove to be quite difficult, but not impossible to work with. People with this disorder find they have troubles processing one or more of the five senses. The information that is picked up by a certain sensory process like hearing may be processed in a way that doesn't make sense to the brain which causes confusion and stress. It is still possible to work around this condition. You can talk to your doctor about how to treat, help, or reduce the issues that may be associated with this disorder. Schools and colleges are supposed to offer aid to students with learning disabilities so they can still get an education.

There are a lot of different types of learning disorders and disabilities. However, many people who suffer from them have found away to either work with or around the problem so they can get an education and a degree. There are so many different ways that people learn and process information, which is why there are different ways to study, take notes, and even attend classes. Some students choose to attend traditional classes and colleges so they can either get more help with their disabilities or because it is the best way for them to learn. Others opt to take their classes online because they can spend more time on their assignments. Everyone can get an education, no matter what disorder or condition they may have.

The Coming of Age of Video Conferencing

The art of meetings has come a long way. It started with two people standing face-to-face to talk. It progressed to people from different place sitting down together in a boardroom to people in different places talking on a conference call at the same time. The pinnacle - so far - is taking those people in different places in a conference call, and adding video through their computers so they can both see and hear each other.

What if you are already using conference calls to save money? Why would you want to add video as well? On a conference call, you can hear the tones and inflections of your participants and gauge their demeanor, mood, and attitude. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is live video worth? You could be able to see the subtle expression changes in your participants and see what they really think. You could look them in the eye and know they will get the job done.

Another reason to do video conferences is to deal with a naughty human behavior trait almost everyone has: multi-tasking. When someone is talking on a conference call, the temptation is almost too great not to check your email, finish that memo, or look at your schedule for the day. We are probably all guilty of this at one time or another, but the tell-tale signs are there. We suddenly hear our name spoken on the conference call and are jerked away from an email and we say, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? What was the question?"

While multi-tasking is an excellent skill to have, there is a time and a place for it. On a video conference, you can't be looking away for long periods of time, or under your desk fixing those pesky wires. You - and your participants - are held accountable by video to stay in the moment and at the meeting. Studies have shown that video conferences extend participants attention span and allow much less distractions. This means that your meetings will be much more productive.

And let's not deny it, having people from all around the world looking and talking to one another is just plain cool!

Once you've decided to take the next step to video conferencing, what equipment will you need? Of course there isn't just one solution for every company. You'll have to look at what kind of video conferences best serve your company's needs.

The top of the line, full body or life-size from the chest up video conference experience fits nicely into the old saying, "You get what you pay for." You will have the most realistic picture, no choppy pictures, no hang-ups and it will cost many thousands of dollars. Setups like these require dedicated T-1 lines, special equipment and monitors on ALL sides of the conference, and they cannot be moved.

Let's look at other, more feasible options. If the quality and clearness of the view is your primary concern, you may want to consider a digital video camera. This would also be a good choice if you want to have an entire board room in your shots. These cameras are the more expensive choice, but electronics prices get more and more reasonable each day. Look for one that has USB or firewire outputs -- faster than USB - and of course, can connect with online applications.

The final option for video conferencing is the webcam. Webcams are inexpensive - up to $200, but average is $30 - and easy to use. In fact, many laptops are being made with a webcam built-in. Your ideal webcam has 640x480 resolution, 30 Frames Per Second, and uses CCD technology. All of these specs will be listed on the side of the box. Webcams may be your ideal solution as their picture quality is good, they are inexpensive, and are easily transportable.

Video conferencing is not new, but the level of quality, expense, and ease of use are now such that it makes good sense to add it to your business arsenal.