Content Fountain

Standards have changed. In the past, we started receiving the first broadcasted images in out homes. As the TV set became increasingly common, the marvel of the achievement was enough to distract from any lacking in image quality.There has, over the years been a smooth evolution to better and better systems. And now, just when you thought that televisions couldnt get any better, HDTV has raised the bar again. Gone are the days when you could be happy with washed-out colors and a low resolution. Now you want a clearer picture and sharper colors, and you want it all for an affordable price.

HDTV is the pinnacle of TV technology.Throw out your old set top box! HDTV provides a supreme image. Picture it this way, watching a standard TV is like viewing the world through a dirty windowpane. With HDTV, there is no window. The images on the television screen are as close to lifelike as you can get, that is, without actually getting off the couch and watching real-life images. An HDTV can accomplish this feat with its high resolution; a million pixels, often more, combine to create a brilliant picture that will wow any viewer.

But whats the cost? Fortunately, prices are falling every year. Five years ago, most people were priced out of the HDTV market.

However, you need to be aware of a few facts. A new HDTV is the whole equation.First, you will need a high-definition cable or satellite box. This sends the HD channels to your television; without one, you can only watch standard programming. Second, you will need high-def channels. Your cable or satellite provider offers a line-up of HD channels, though the number of available HD channels is nowhere close the number of available standard channels. Third, you will need an HD show or movie. Not all shows broadcast on an HD station are necessarily high-definition; news programs are often broadcast in standard-definition, as are most daytime programs. If you are watching a standard-def show, you may see a black bar on either side of the screen. Also, since you are watching a standard-def show on a high-def screen, the picture will not be nearly as clear or as sharp as with an HD program. Only when you have all three elements – an HD box, channel and show – can you experience television like never before.

Visit Futaratty if you are looking for an LCD TV or any other television accessories.

LCD, which generally stands for Liquid Crystal Displays, is a sort of telly screen which has in recent times become dreadfully trendy. LCD screens lately are repeatedly found in PC displays. Similar kinds of in-style TVs would take account of plasma.

For a significant period of time tubed tellies were substantial less costly than any form of Liquid Crystal Display or Plasma. Customers trusted and felt secure with them and they knew exactly where they stood with them and of course the understandable reason was because they were exceptionally cheap. Now it is a completely different story as tubed TVs have been put on halt and instead been substituted by bargain TVs in the model of Plasma & LCD’s, what had some time ago been extremely dear are nowadays extremely discounted & outstanding worth for the cash.

Its nowadays feasible to get high-definition tellies at an extremely inexpensive retail price. This is the most recent kind of product with regards to televisions. Hi-definition products have let an innumerable number of children to enjoy its crystal clear image & sound. High Definition has taken over analog broadcasting & switched it with an all digital system. To view full Hi-Def you need a source of Hi-definition TV signals, a tuner to receive & breakdown those signals and a high performance image screen that can duplicate the superb detail & vibrant colours of Hi-definition TV pictures. You might also need to acquire a television that is HD ready, it is feasible at the moment to obtain a low costing digital flat screen whether it is an LCD or Plasma that will be capable to aid you to accomplish this.

With a digital TV you are likely to receive a notably better image and technical class. Thus you can now look at anything within the comfort of your own living room. Search the Digital Direct website for superb savings on cheap digital flat screen TV’s.

You developed mechanisms of accommodations, rebellion, and mimicry to survive growing up in your family. Let’s look first at accommodation.

ACCOMMODATION–AND SUCCESS

Do you know people who can’t enjoy any success they have in their career? Does it not make any sense to you when you see them unable to bask in the light of their achievements? It may make sense if you understood their family life growing up. Here is one example: a parent who lived through the children’s accomplishments, and needed for them to be perfect in everything they did. And so, good grades were never good enough. What would a 90 percent on a test ensure? Endless criticism, a clutching of the chest in disbelief, and bitter complains.

And what would the child’s response be to all of this? The belief that if she weren’t perfect, she’d ruin her parents’ life. What behaviors would it cause in such children? They’d become driven, feeling that no matter how much they achieved, it was never enough. Where would that lead? To the inability to enjoy any achievement, to never be able to relax, have fun, and do any activity for the pleasure of it because to do so would make them feel guilty. Unconsciously, they assume that their parent will feel devastated if they’re not always seeking to achieve more. And more and more.

ACCOMMODATION–AND RELATIONSHIPS

Does any people you know, friends perhaps, have trouble getting close to someone they’re strongly attracted to? Looked at from the outside in, it may not make a lot of sense, but looked at from the inside, it probably does. What if a friend had a parent who was extremely needy, who absolutely had to be in full possession of your friend’s love and attention? Your friend’s closeness to this parent was essential for the parent’s well-being, so much so that they he or she would resent your friend’s normal involvement with others. Sulking, acting depressed and moody when your friend was happy or close to anyone else (including teachers, grandparents, or friends) were well within the repertoire of this parent’s behavior whenever your friend was spending time with others. Finding fault with anyone your friend valued was another sign that the parent felt wounded by the child. What was the effect of all of this on your friend? An obligation to change his or her personality just to maintain a relationship to the parent: staying tied to the apron strings, complimenting the parent all the time, showing extra affection, spending less time with friends. All are possible coping mechanisms developed by your friend to accommodate this parent’s possessive need for him or her. “Loyalty” will become a high priority moral value in your friend’s mind and it will have a powerful influence throughout his or her life. And the effect of this particular accommodation on future relationships Will be detrimental at best, dysfunctional at worst. Your friend will either feel uncomfortable pursuing friends for fear of being disloyal to his parent, or he’ll worry that anyone he’s seriously involved with will require undue loyalty and devotion from him. This is how accommodation can start and it is also the start of some people’s self-defeating motivations. In the case study below, we’ll see how one man’s accommodation affected his ability to succeed in business and in relationships.

YOU’RE STUCK

Did you ever have a terribly painful blind date–one that, thankfully, only lasted a short time? Now think about your childhood situation. You’re stuck with your parents and siblings for years and years, no matter what. Now think of the accumulated resentment building up after years of accommodating behaviors that you know shifted you away from some of your normal qualities and goals. To relieve this resentment, you may have become an accommodator. Another route you could have taken was rebellion. What does that look like and how does it show up in your life? Let’s see.

Excerpted from Self-Help for Smarties: Secret Success Codes for Weight Loss, Love, Career and Parenting(http://www.penmarin.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Gootnick2&f rom=2) by Irwin Gootnick, M.D. (Penmarin Books http://www.penmarin.com, May 2006).

If you’re like most of us, you’re not on a budget that allows you to spend massive amounts of money on advertising for your Internet marketing campaign. With that in mind, let me show you a fairly simple two-step formula for profiting online with little or no investment.

How much does it cost you to write an informative Internet marketing article? The only cost is a little time, but essentially it’s free. The key is to write as many articles as possible, not just one or two.

After you’ve written a number of articles, go ahead and submit these to the top twenty article directories, as well as the top twenty ezine article directories. Be sure to follow their submission guidelines. I recommend you format your sentences at no more than 60 characters per line to meet the requirements of these different directories.

At the end of each of your articles you will include a resource box that entices your readers to click through to, not your website, but your free blog! Remember how I told you this method would be investment-free?

For a general idea of what a resource box looks like, take a look at mine at the end of this article. Offer readers a benefit for clicking through to your blog, and they most assuredly will.

You can create a blog in minutes by going to blogger.com. Then continue to do what you’ve been doing already; keep writing articles. Devote half of your time to writing articles for submission, and half of your time to creating quality content for your blog.

On the side of your blog, create links to the five to seven best products that offer affiliate programs that you are signed up for. Include them under a heading that is most appropriate for your topic.

Include “sleeper links” to merchant sites that you can earn affiliate commission from. Don’t create blog entries that are nothing more than product pitches. Make your blog entries informative, and tie in subtle endorsements to products that help to meet their needs.

For example, read the sentence a couple of paragraphs above where I told you that you could “create a blog in minutes by going to blogger.com”. Simple, isn’t it? As a general rule, don’t include affiliate links in more than 30-40% of your blog entries. If you do, your visitor will feel like you’re trying to constantly sell them.

Besides, if your blog entries are information-rich and informative, they will keep reading and eventually run into one or more of your affiliate links anyway! Chances are that they will likely click on one of your affiliate links located on the side of your blog page as well.

While you will eventually want to get your own website, if you are on a shoestring budget, this is the best method that I am aware of for profiting without spending a dime, or selling your own product. By creating quality content on a regular basis, repeat visits are virtual guaranteed, and the more articles you submit, the higher your affiliate commission will be!

**Attn Ezine editors/Site owners** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed below. Feel free to substitute your referral link in place of ours in the resource box. Thanks!

Wanna learn how to generate thousands of highly targeted visitors, absolutely free? => http://www.iwantchoices.com

Aromatherapy is very therapeutic when it comes to healing
emotional and psychological conditions. This is because the
essential oils from plants contain all kinds of compounds,
phytoestrogens and phytochemicals that have the ability to
subtly alter brain chemistry for the better.

Given the stressful demands of today’s busy schedules,
anxiety is a very common problem. There are scores of
essential oils that can be used to combat this common
psychological complaint. To achieve the best results try to
buy high quality or organic oils as they contain the
highest concentration of compounds, phyto estrogens and
phyto-chemicals.

For anxiety you can try companioning a few drops of any of
these oils in a base carrier oil such as olive or almond
and applying them to your pulse points or temples. You can
also disperse the oils through the air using a diffuser or
candle oil warmer or add a few drops of the oil to eight
ounces of distilled water and mist your surroundings. You
can also shoot a mist straight up into the air and walk
through it so that the plant’s healing molecules cling to
your clothing, skin and hair. For acute anxiety, you can
try applying the oils to a hanky or Kleenex and sniffing
the aroma whenever you feel a panic attack setting in. The
best aromatherapy oils to use for anxiety are balsam fir,
bergamot, cedar wood, frankincense, lavender, jasmine,
neroli, rose and ylang ylang. Linden blossoms, in
particular are excellent to use to stop a full-blown
anxiety attack and geranium is the oil to use if menstrual
or menopausal issues cause the anxiety.

If you have been overworking (also a common problem in
this hectic society) and feel like you are on the verge of
burnout warming oils such as basil, bergamot, cinnamon,
clove, eucalyptus, ginger, lavender, orange, neroli (orange
blossom) and patchouli can help revitalize your senses and
raise your spirits. Essential lime oil is known as a brain
chiller and alleviates cases of obsessive thoughts or
racing mind.

Some essential oils have been known to be specifically
beneficial for depression. Balsam Fir, basil, cedar wood,
neroli and lavender have been known to level out mood
swings. Lemon, orange, peppermint and vanilla scented oils
help lift “brain fog” and put you in a cheerier mood.

If insomnia is keeping you up at night try misting your
bedding or diffusing any combination of the following
essential oils through your bedroom: chamomile, clary sage,
frankincense, lavender, neroli, rose or sandalwood.

Basil, clary sage or rose oils can also be used to aid
those who have suffered a sudden shock or who are
overwhelmed with unbearable grief. Apply one or a mixture
of these oils immediately to the pulse points to calm and
pacify the sorrowful individual.

Essential oils can also be used to help enhance your
mental performance. If you need to stay awake while driving
or be as sharp as possible while studying any oil from the
mint family (peppermint, spearmint) can help you burn the
candle from both ends.

*******
(c) 2005 Liz Santher – All Rights Reserved

Liz Santher is a aromatherapy enthusiast and freelance
author.

http://www.AromaTherapySecret.com
*******

The key to great exhibiting is marketing. But marketing is a very inexact science that leaves room for a multitude of errors to occur. The following are 10 of the most common marketing mistakes that exhibitors often make. Learn to avoid them and you will increase your chances for a successful tradeshow.

1. Have A Proper Exhibit Marketing Plan

Having both a strategic exhibit marketing and tactical plan of action is a critical starting point. In order to make tradeshows a powerful dimension your company’s overall marketing operation, there must be total alignment between the strategic marketing and your exhibit marketing plan. Tradeshows should not be a stand-alone venture. Know and understand exactly what you wish to achieve – increasing market share with existing users; introducing new products/services into existing markets or into new markets; or introducing new products/services into new markets. This is the nucleus on which to build.

2. Have A Well-Defined Promotional Plan

A significant part of your marketing includes promotion – pre-show, at-show and post-show. Most exhibitors fail to have a plan that encompasses all three areas. Budget is naturally going to play a major role in deciding what and how much promotional activity is possible. Developing a meaningful theme or message that ties into your strategic marketing plan will then help to guide promotional decisions. Know whom you want to target and then consider having different promotional programs aimed at the different groups you are interested in attracting. Include direct mail, broadcast faxes, advertising, PR, sponsorship, and the Internet as possible ways to reach your target audience.

3. Use Direct Mail Effectively

Direct mail is still one of the most popular promotional vehicles exhibitors use. From postcards to multi-piece mailings, attendees are deluged with invitations to visit booths. Many of the mailings come from show management’s lists and as a result, everyone gets everything. To target the people you want visit your booth, use your own list of customers and prospects–it’s the best one available. Design a piece that is totally benefit-oriented and makes an impact. Mail three pieces at regular intervals prior to the show, starting about four weeks out, to help ensure your invitation is seen. Wherever possible, use first-class mail. There’s nothing worse than a mailing that arrives after the show is over.

4. Give Visitors An Incentive To Visit Your Booth

Whatever promotional vehicles you use, make sure that you give visitors a reason to come and visit you. With a hall overflowing with fascinating products/services, combined with time constraints, people need an incentive to come and visit your booth. First and foremost their primary interest is in “what’s new!” They are eager to learn about the latest technologies, new applications, or anything that will help save them time and/or money. Even if you don’t have a new product/service to introduce, think about a new angle to promote your offerings.

5. Have Giveaways That Work

Tied into giving visitors an incentive to visit your booth is the opportunity to offer a premium item that will entice them. Your giveaway items should be designed to increase your memorability, communicate, motivate, promote or increase recognition of your company. Developing a dynamite giveaway takes thought and creativity. Consider what your target audience wants, what will help them do their job better, what they can’t get elsewhere, what is product/service related and educational. Think about having different gifts for different types of visitors. Use your website to make an offer for visitors to collect important information, such as an executive report, when they visit your booth. Giveaways should be used as a reward or token of appreciation for visitors participating in a demonstration, presentation or contest, or as a thank-you for qualifying information about specific needs etc.

6. Use Press Relations Effectively

Public relations is one of the most cost-effective and successful methods for generating large volumes of direct inquiries and sales. Before the show ask show management for a comprehensive media list, and find out which publications are planning a special show edition. Send out newsworthy press releases focusing on what’s new about your product/service, or highlighting a new application or market venture. Compile press kits for the press office that include information about industry trends, statistics, new technology or production information. Also include good product photos and key company contacts. Have staff members at the booth who are specifically assigned to interact with the media

7. Differentiate Your Products/Services

Too many exhibitors are happy to use the “me too” marketing approach. Examine their marketing plans and there’s an underlying sameness about them. With shows that attract hundreds of exhibitors, there are very few that seem to “stand out from the crowd.” Since memorability is an integral part of a visitors’ show experience, you should be looking at what makes you different and why a prospect should buy from you. This is of particular concern with generic products in your industry. Every aspect of your exhibit marketing plan, including your promotions, your booth and your people should be aimed at making an impact and creating curiosity.

8. Use The Booth As An Effective Marketing Tool

On the show floor your exhibit makes a strong statement about who your company is, what you do and how you do it. The purpose of your exhibit is to attract visitors so that you can achieve your marketing objectives. In addition to it being an open, welcoming and friendly space, there needs to be a focal point and a strong key message that communicates a significant benefit to your prospect. Opt for large graphics rather than reams of copy. Pictures paint a thousand words while very few exhibitors will take the time to read. Your presentations or demonstrations are a critical part of your exhibit marketing. Create an experience that allows visitors use as many of their senses as possible. This will help to enhance memorability.

9. Realize That Your People Are Your Marketing Team

Your people are your ambassadors. They represent everything your company stands for, so choose them well. Brief them beforehand and make sure that they know: why you are exhibiting; what you are exhibiting and what you expect from them. Exhibit staff training is essential for a unified and professional image. Make sure that they sell instead of tell; don’t try to do too much; understand visitor needs; don’t spend too much time; and know how to close the interaction with a commitment to follow-up.

Avoid overcrowding the booth with company representatives. Have strict rules regarding employees visiting the show and insist staffers not scheduled for booth duty stay away until their assigned time. Assign specific tasks for company executives working the show.

10. Follow-Up Promptly

The key to your tradeshow success is wrapped up in the lead-management process. The best time to plan for follow-up is before the show. Show leads often take second place to other management activities that occur after being out of the office for several days. The longer leads are left unattended, the colder and more mediocre they become. It is to your advantage to develop an organized, systematic approach to follow-up. Establish a lead handling system, set time lines for follow-up, use a computerized database for tracking, make sales representatives accountable for leads given to them, and then measure your results.

About The Author

Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

info@thetradeshowcoach.com

There have been several ads promoting books and reports on this
subject, or included as part of the contents in several mail
order books stating:

“SAVE UP TO 17% ON ALL YOUR ADVERTISING”

It’s legitimate, practical and effective, but like so many other
promises, there are pros and cons involved. The pros are fairly
obvious. By setting up your own advertising agency and placing
your advertising under your agency name, most magazines will
allow you the standard 15% agency commission plus and extra 2%
cash discount. If your annual ad budget is $5,000 this amounts to
a saving of $850 a year, which is a considerable piece of change.

The negative side to this operation involves the initial cost of
establishing your new agency, which isn’t very difficult, but it
might be considered time-consuming. To initiate an agency you
will have to have a name for it other than your regular business
name. Example: If your company name is Nationwide Electronics and
your name is John Smith, you could call your agency John Smith
Advertising or The J.S. Advertising Agency, The agency address
will have to be different than your company’s, but this can be
resolved by renting a post office box for the ad agency and using your
home or office address for the other. Next you will have to open
a separate checking account under the agency name because all
advertising payments will be issued thru your agency, and you
will probably be required to register your agency with your
County Clerk as a new business.

Once these details have been taken care of, you’re ready to begin
placing ads. You’ll have to have insertion order forms printed
with your agency name and address, and a separate form must be
prepared for each ad in each publication. When your advertising
schedule involves only a few publications, this will not be a
problem, but if you expand into 50 to 100 different magazines, it
can really cut into your time. Of course, if business gets large
enough, you can always hire a secretary to take care of that
chore.

Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer

This article may be reproduced freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.

Are you content with your advertising budget?
Schedule a coaching session with Frugal Solutions Expert, DeAnna Spencer.
She will design an affordable online advertising plan for you.
Contact her by sending an email to deanna.spencer(at)gmail.com
Visit this small business resource for more information.

When Shaquille O’Neal arrived in Miami from the L.A
Lakers, he had a message for the championship-hungry White Hot
fans Am gonna bring the Championship to Miami, I promise.
Frankly in as much as I love and trust Shaq, I thought that was
too much of a promise. But Shaquille had a vision and he
believed in the possibility of achieving that vision. This
vision and other principles outlined below constitute the
success secrets of the 2006 NBA Champions, the Miami
Heat

1.Vision

You see everyone needs a vision in life. Whatever you
wish to attain in your life, create a picture of that as if it
had already happened. As Arnold Schwarzenegger puts it
what you do is to create a vision of who you want to be, and
then live into that picture, as if it were already true

2. Team Work

Miami Heat’s victory is a team victory. Their triumph is the
result of team work. Yes, team work! You
might take that as given but it is common for people to be in a
team and yet there is no team work in that team. Team
work is the golden key to success when working with
others. I guess you remember Shaq’s troubles with Kobe in L.A.
yet when the Big Man arrived in Miami, he called Dwayne
Wade (Flash) and talked to him about the need for
them to co-operate and avoid undue tension and it did really
work. At the end of the day Miami Heat won, Shaquille
O’Neal won, Dwayne Wade won…that’s the miracle of
creative co-operation. It leads to multiple victories if
conducted with the spirit of harmony and a positive mental
attitude. Star (and senior) players like Alonzo
Mourning and Antoine Walker had to take the back seat
and allow young Dwayne (and Shaq) to take the leadership on the
court. This called for sacrifice and at the end of the day
Alonzo, Walker and Payton all got their due reward
when the long illusive ring finally adorned their fingers.

3. Perseverance

Perseverance was another key, in fact it was the bed rock
of the Heat’s success. The perseverance of this
team was epitomised by the never-say-die attitude of
Dwayne Wade. In Dwayne Wade’s Lesson in Perseverance

I wrote about how
Flash was hospitalized on the very day of this match,
being sick with flu. Sports Illustrated reported that Wade spent

“half-time and the first three minutes of the second half
tethered to an IV”.

However, this obstacle would not stop the young dynamic star
from doing his best; he was described as dehydrated earlier that
day but whilst I (and some match commentators) were wondering
whether Wade would be effective in the game or even play to the
end, he was WHITE HOT with energy and he
persevered to the very end including a spectacular
scoring of “10 points in less than 9 minutes”.

The Miami Heat further demonstrated another lesson in
perseverance when they rose from a demoralizing 2-0 defeat in
the first games of the final series and rose above the odds to
claim the championship.

4. Faith

The biggest success lesson I learnt in the 2006 NBA
Finals came from Heat Coach Pat Riley. When the wise
coach was interviewed on ESPN on the eve of game 6, he was asked
what would be his strategy for game 7 if he lost 6. “am not
thinking about game 7″ was his reply. Further pressed for
comments on his strategy if he lost the sixth game, Pat Riley
was still cool and confident. “I packed only one shirt, one suit
and one tie”. I could not believe my ears but his insistence
showed me that the great motivator did pack only one set
of clothing when he travelled to Dallas for game six. Then I
said to myself “Pat Riley and the Miami Heat will win
this championship on game 6!”

You see faith is the corner stone to enduring
success in any field. Faith in God, faith in your God-given
talents, and faith in your team mates.

You now have the success ingredients of the Miami
Heat. Go ahead and implement them in your life NOW, whatever
your calling. You will certainly celebrate your own
Championship victory very soon.

When the recent Games of the XXVIII Olympiad came to a close in Athens, two events stood out in my mind as perfect examples of the importance of time management:

1. Teenage swimmer Michael Phelps, America’s most-celebrated Olympic athlete, matched Mark Spitz’s record of four individual gold medals with a stirring comeback in the 100m butterfly. Phelps pulled off an incredible feat in the final 50 meters, making up a half-body length to nip teammate and world-record holder Ian Crocker by four-hundredths of a second.

2. In the men’s 100m track and field final, the United States took first, third and fourth. The time separating Justin Gatlin’s gold medal performance from teammate Shawn Crawford’s fourth place finish was again four-hundredths of a second. That means after running more than the length of a football field, four men crossed the finish line separated by less time than you can start and stop a stopwatch.

Fortunately, most small business owners don’t have to overcome such narrow time margins to achieve success in their endeavors. The key for you is to get the most out of your entire working day. Once you identify your Genius Time – those high-impact activities that lead to your peak performance and bring the biggest return to your franchise business – your Olympic challenge becomes disciplining yourself to focus on it regularly. To do this, you must become a gold medalist at delegation.

Success Handler Action: After you finish reading this e-newsletter, spend some time thinking about things you do in your small business that could be given to others with a few minutes of instruction. These are “Delegation Tasks” that may require you to go over the “how to” with a person the first few times, yet could easily transition to someone else’s responsibility on a regular and ongoing basis. Here are some questions to help you get started:

~ What things did you do today that someone else could have handled?

~ Where are you spending time that your instincts tell you someone else should be doing?

~ Why do the ’smaller’ things keep getting in the way of accomplishing your ‘bigger’ goals?

~ When you are away for awhile, which employees ‘get things done’?

~ Who in your small business best accepts new challenges?

Eliminating Delegation Tasks does not necessarily require increasing your payroll. It can be as simple as choosing a few of the less-important things you do frequently (our clients often mention answering the phone, making bank deposits, copying and filing), and transferring them to an existing employee.

The second step to maximizing your Genius Time is to identify your “I Wish Tasks.” These are the two or three things you wish someone else would do, and they may take an hour or more of guidance on your part to get this person up to speed (invoicing and writing thank you notes are two examples that come up during our coaching sessions). When you think about how much money your time is worth per hour, it probably makes sense to off-load these to someone else.

Success Handler Action: If you don’t have people on staff to handle Delegation and I Wish Tasks, it won’t cost a fortune to have someone take them over for you. Here are five places to look for the right person to give you four or five hours each week at less than $10 per hour:

1. Friends and neighbors who left the workforce to become stay-at-home parents

2. Family members who could use some extra money

3. Full-time college students looking to create work experience for their resumé

4. Seniors who retired from successful business careers

5. The best volunteers in your local elementary school’s parent-teacher organization

Olympians train for years for the chance to have their moments of glory. Whether legends like Jesse Owens or those who finish out of medal contention and fade from the spotlight, each takes on the enormous challenge of the Olympic motto – Swifter, Higher, Stronger.

Developing your Genius Time won’t occur overnight. You’ll find yourself drifting off course and allowing Delegation and I Wish Tasks to interrupt your productivity. The goal – your gold medal – is to commit to changing how you approach your role in your small business. Delegate those things that aren’t of Olympic importance, and spend your time focusing on the areas that give you the best shot at celebrating victory.

Copyright © 2004 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he’s been there – as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

Copyright 2006 Billy Williams

There are lots of people who aspire to become profitable traders in today’s market environment. Many people who come to trade stocks, options, and other securities are attracted to the potential of making a lot of money but, often, aren’t aware of what it takes to be able to make money consistently, position yourself to make windfall profits, and all the while doing this while protecting your account from excessive and/or unnecessary losses.

The good news is that there is a wealth of resources to help you but the bad news is that often a beginning trader doesn’t know where to start. It is the focus of this article to give you direction on what areas to focus your efforts into in order to improve and trade successfully.

The first step is to focus on is learning the language of the industry. Learn what a stop limit order is or what a “handle” means and how they relate to your trading. If you run into a term that you don’t understand, just “google” it, then study the meaning. It is extremely hard for you to know what an article is saying or a veteran trader is talking about if you don’t know the basic terms of stock orders, option definitions, or how the futures market works if you ever hope to trade them.

The second step is to learn is how to read price action. Price action is basically the language of a stock or a given market. It tells you what the stock or market has done and is likely to do again. Know how to read trends on a chart. Is the stock in a long term bullish trend? Are oil prices in an intermediate bear market? Is there evidence of a possible trend change in oil futures from an intermediate bear market to a long term bull market? Learn how to read price action and it will make you rich.

The third step to successful trading is learning how to control your risk. Almost every successful trader that has survived long term and made money long term knows how to control his risk to the markets. I personally know a professional hedge fund manager that was short the German mark when the Berlin Wall came down but survived to make record returns on his funds that year. The same trader was long the Dow futures when the 9-11 terrorist attacks happened and went on to beat the returns on the S&P 500 that year. I was personally long a lot of oil and refinery stocks when Hurricane Rita hit Texas but I still made money as those stocks plummeted because I know how to manage my trades. Learn how to assess and control risk and you will increase your odds in becoming a master trader.

The fourth step is having an “edge” when you trade. An edge in trading is anything that gives you an advantage in trading. The more edges you can have, the better chances you have to make outstanding profits. An edge can be superior chart reading skills, successful stock selection, money management, etc. I know of a very famous and successful stock trader that use the 3 edges I just wrote to take an $11,000 stock account and made $48,000,000 in 23 months! He has been interviewed in almost all major financial publications and has set a world record in the greatest returns in the briefest time category. Study the great traders and you will get a glimpse of the edges they use to become trading legends.

The fifth step is having mental discipline and emotional balance. Most of trading is mental. You can give two traders the same exact trading system for stocks, futures, or options but, invariably, they will end up with different results. Why? There mental and emotional states may not support them in being successful with system they were given. One trader may experience nervousness and anxiety which causes him to exit his trades to early, hesitate in taking entry signals, or taking profits too early and missing the big moves. The other trader may have the discipline and control to take each trade as it comes with no other focus other than to follow the system as it should knowing that the losses he may experience are just part of the game and that he will make his greatest profits over time using this system. In my opinion, learn how to use your mental discipline and emotional control to support you in becoming a successful trader and not work against you.

These five steps that have been outlined will go a long way in helping you become more skillful and profitable. In time, you may want to come back and begin with the “basics” of this lesson to keep your focus and help you stay on the path of being the best trader that you can be.

Good trading.

Mr. Williams is a businessman and veteran of Desert Storm who has been trading stocks, options, and futures for almost 15 years. He attended the University of Texas Pan American and studied finance and has extensive training in systemic trading and technical analysis along with the insight that comes from suffering the highs and lows from trading for many years. He trades professionally and has published several articles on stock picking and trading options as well as operate an educational website with the goal of helping aspiring traders as well as experienced traders achieve their goals in the stock market. www.stockoptionsystem.com