Modern Furniture: A Staging Must!

When it comes to selling your property, there is no doubt about it, you need to appeal to the masses. This means that your 15 year old living room set won't cut it. There are, however some simple solutions that can help you modernize the look of your home, without necessarily breaking the bank. For instance, if you were planning on updating your furniture once you've moved into your new house, it may be wise to do so right away and move the furniture once your house is sold. Certain items such as chairs and sofas can be re-upholstered to give them a fresh new look. You can also invest in inexpensive accessories that will attract the buyer's attention to a more modern decor while preventing your old comfy couch from becoming an eyesore.

As a first step, you will need to determine which furnishing items you will be keeping once you are in the new house and which ones you will be replacing. It is crucial that this step be taken immediately as it will go a long way in helping you sell your home. It is wise and even recommended that the furniture you are planning on replacing after you move, be replaced immediately. It's time to go shopping! Yes it may be a hassle to buy it all now and then move it once the house is sold but remember that if buyers are not making offers because the house doesn't appeal to then, you may never be buying all this furniture, whereas buyers will be more likely to make an offer on a house they see themselves living in. Although they will not be buying your furniture, it is the overall look of the house that has to speak to the buyer. You need to guide their imagination and show them how nice it can be.

Although you are planning to move, you may not be planning on purchasing new furniture. After all, why throw away such good comfortable furniture that has already been broken into. There is also a simple solution for that. Slip covers for sofas, love seats and armchairs are a fantastic and inexpensive way to breathe new life into your dated living room set. For the bedrooms, whenever possible remove any headboards with a dated took and use fresh modern linen to dress your beds. Set the dining table with modern plates and a bright centerpiece to attract attention away from the older table. Re-upholster chairs for a fresh modern look. If your rooms are over flowing with furniture, it will be important to get some of it out of the house and arrange to store it until your house is sold.

Last but not least, you can use decorative items and accessories to attract the buyer's attention and tone down the dated look. Bright, bold and contrasting colors tend to attract the eye. The buyer will be focused on the colorful item and will probably be less likely to notice the dated decor. The most important accessories you can modernize are your window coverings. They are a dead giveaway and no matter how expensive and chic they are, if they are from another time, it will be a turnoff to the modern buyer. Other examples of using accessories to deter attention can be a contrasting colored throw placed on an older couch, which will catch the buyer's eye. The same is true for an old dresser. You can easily invest in a colorful, modern vase to offset the age of the dresser. Adding art to your walls will also have the same effect. The idea is to tone down the older furniture by enhancing it with modern accessories.

In the end, you do not have to buy or rent new furniture to stage your house. You simply need to give buyers what they are looking for and if that is a modern look and feel, there are ways of doing it without spending thousands on furniture you don't necessarily like. If you are going to be changing your furniture, by all means, buy it and stage your house with it. It will go a long way. If this purchase is not part of your plan or your budget, you can use re-upholstering as an effective alternative to bring your old items into the twenty first century. alternately, you can also use modern decorative accessories to give your buyers the impression of a modernized look. The options are plenty and the more modern the look, the more likely you are to sell quickly.

Podcasting and How to Make It Real Easy for You

Podcasting is one of the newest waves of online media. It's use mainly for communication as well as for Internet promotion. Podcasting has also evolved that you can hear it not only in your PC or laptop but also in your mobile phone.

Learning how to podcast doesn't have to be too complicated. You can begin with these ideas:

Set up your equipment. Others would create their own mini studio, complete with software and other equipment. You can do that, but if you don't have a budget, you simply need a dependable headset with a microphone. You can choose one that can reduce outside noise to its minimum level. You also need to have a computer that has a great speed.

Find a quiet spot. You don't want your podcast to pick up unnecessary background noise, such as crying babies, honking cars, and music-blasting radios, and a whole lot more. Thus, you need to look for a place where you can never be bothered by them. You can also pick the best time to do the podcast. For example, if you have children, the most ideal time is when they are already in school.

Know what you're going to say. If you have a niche, you should find a topic that is related to your chosen industry or specialization. For instance, if you're an interior designer, your podcast may be about how to decorate a home during the summer or how to create throw pillows without spending a lot of money.

Should you create a script? Yes, it's important you do so for a number of reasons. First, people expect your podcast to last for only a few minutes, the longest perhaps an hour. Anything longer than that and your listeners would start to get real bored. They are also busy individuals.

Second, you want to get rid of dead air, which drags the podcasts or makes you less authoritative. A script can also be edited to make your monologue more engaging and pleasant to hear.

Try it. Since you're new to podcast, you may want to have a dry run first before officially recording your first audio. This is to test your equipment, to practice your speaking voice (perhaps it needs modulation), hear how you sound to listeners, and get initial feedback.

Get rid of the tensed nerves. Even if you're simply recording your voice, you can't help it but feel a little bit tensed. Would I buckle? Would I have listeners? What would they say? Would I receive a lot of complaints or criticism?

You have to put aside all your worries, though, since they tend to show in your manner of speaking. To help calm yourself down, you can watch subliminal messages videos, which are actually affirmations. The panoramic sceneries, the soothing sounds, and, most of all, the hard-hitting messages about empowerment and confidence would give you a fresh and positive mind-set.

You can watch the videos at least a few days before the podcast, and you need to do so regularly. This way, your subconscious mind would really be able to pick up the messages.

The Government Can't Protect You and Bigger Government Can Do Even Less To Assist You

Indeed, I am so amazed that in the aftermath of Hurricane, Super Storm Sandy that left-leaning socialist thinking political pundits are using this horrible storm as a launching point to purport into the mass media that this is exactly why we need a big government. That is to say that we need enormous agencies and big government to help rebuild and save people from catastrophe. Well, personally, I'd say that is nonsense, in fact the reality is just the opposite. Let me explain.

There was a troubling piece in Government Executive News on November 1, 2012 titled; "GSA rushes supplies to Sandy response teams," by Charles S. Clark and you might want to look that article up and check out the picture attached.

Now then let me ask you all something; if the government can't even supply its own teams trying to help out, then how the hell is it supposed to help the people its suppose to serve? It can't, and just look at the accompanying picture. This is your government at work, they put in the dikes, drew up the flood plans, and engineered this potential failure, wake up the government cannot protect you, it cannot even supply itself to keep the people there it has sent in.

Look the truck terminals, ports, and many rail heads -- if not the tracks leading into the area which had the most damage -- are still out, and most will be for 3-5 days. Power is expected to be back in most areas by November 11, but the storm occurred on October 29-30. FEMA and first responders have hijacked most of the remaining bandwidth on the 3G and 4G wireless networks for their own uses. Thus, businesses cannot help themselves or get their services up and running.

So when left-leaning folks say that business and the free-market cannot move mountains to fix the damage or restore society and civilization, it's not that they can't, it's that they are not allowed too. Meanwhile, the government, the most bureaucratic organization on Earth comes in to take control to feed their own engine up and beyond the needs of the people, and then they will duly deliver to the people what "they deem" appropriate, not what the citizens or those in need, truly want or need.

When it comes to disasters in the US, the government doesn't do nearly as much as they claim they are doing, and on those rare occasions they do, it's usually through the help of businesses, or individuals which just happen to be amongst their ranks, who probably could have done much more through the free-market to help out. Look, I know for a fact what I'm talking about here. I've been amongst the private sector in times of chaos and calamity.

I can't tell you how many times the government stopped us from serving those who were truly in need, blocking off roads, or preventing passage, and even threatening arrest if I helped my fellow man. It's BS what goes on, just ask anyone in the know, and those who think otherwise, they don't know, they just spout off this big government BS, and demand that everyone else feed the bureaucracy with tax monies. I'm quite frankly tired of it.

Prayer of Protection From Selfishness

The prayer of the Psalmist to his LORD:

"Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain." ~Psalm 119:36 (NRSV)

In this day and age, or in any day, we may be blessed most of all in relinquishing our extraneous desires. When we become aware of our overburdening desire, that which is selfishly motivated, we will be blessed when we take courage to turn back to God by turning our hearts to the LORD'S decrees. In New Testament language these decrees - the ordinances, precepts, and commandments of God - God's Law - are love.

Love is the higher law.

When we pray a prayer for protection from selfishness, we pray for awareness of our motives, and for the courage to surrender willfully our selfishness to God. We pray, additionally, that we might come to repent in orders of love toward those close by us; our loved ones, our friends, our work colleagues, and those we fellowship with in our church settings.

THE PRAYER FOR PROTECTION FROM SELFISHNESS

Most gracious God and Father of all creation,

I bear witness of your glorious nature and unfathomable power for goodness. Nothing compares to you, O God. I come before you, as I do always, as a servant who has no right to do your work, apart from the right with which was bought for me by Jesus Christ my Lord. I am humbled in your Presence when I think of being apportioned work within your Kingdom; that you consider me worthy enough to join in your work. Your work is the biggest privilege of my life.

I confess before you, Almighty God, that I have this motivated self-interest and that I seem to be unable to live without selfishness when I'm without your Presence. I need you, for I need your protection against this foe: the extraneous desire. Without you in my life, my life would be pointless, and my selfishness would completely ruin me.

I thank you in advance for the things you are already doing in and through my life to expunge my encroaching sin. Whilst I am aware, I can give my selfishness to you. And as I act in selfishness, please LORD, remind me of my folly of short-sightedness.

I need you, Holy Spirit, to continually reveal the vanities of my desire. Draw me into your Word, LORD. Help me be honest regarding my poisonous desires. Help me to find ways of quelling my selfish desires. I ask for the peace that transcends understanding in order that the glory for having controlled these selfish desires runs to you, O God.

It's in Jesus' salvific name that I pray, AMEN.

***

Where would we be in life without love? We would be marooned; vanquished without purpose; completely devoid of hope. Everything that is selfish sets itself against love, but everything that is selfless promotes love.

When we pray for protection from selfishness, we pray for God's power to know his will and to love God and everyone else more.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

Vincent Van Gogh, the Tragic Story of a Brilliant Painter

Twelve years after his tragic suicide, Vincent's work was discovered by a Parisian art dealer. Until then, no one, except for those who knew him personally, had ever even heard the name. Today, large sums of money are exchanged for his work.

Vincent was born in the Dutch village of Zundert, in the south of the Netherlands. He studied theology and became a preacher in the Methodist Church. He also worked for several different art dealers in The Hague, London and Paris. Only in 1880 does he start painting, first traditional and very "Dutch", reflecting the Dutch rainy climate with many dark brown colors.

In 1886 Vincent moves to Paris, and two years later to Arles, on the Mediterranean, near Marseille. On the 20th of October of that year, Vincent's friend Gauguin joins him in Arles. Vincent's art becomes lighter in color, showing the Mediterranean sunlight in it.

Two months after Gauguin comes to Arles, Vincent has a schizophrenic episode and cuts a piece of his own ear off. The years following, Vincent starts to get very sick, and he eventually kills himself in 1890. His brother, Theo van Gogh, who had supported Vincent all of his life, dies seven months after Vincent, possibly from grief.

Van Gogh never sold a painting in his life. Today, his paintings are the most expensively sold in the world, and are admired around the globe in many museums and private collections. He also is celebrated as the forerunner of the expressionist movement.

Bitterness Can Make You Sick

I watched as the razor-sharp knife of the skilled surgeon performed the delicate, life-saving task of repairing an aneurism in the elderly man's stomach. I had a close-up view from a stool beside the operating table.

At that time several years ago, I shared an office building with this surgeon and his partners. He had finally said "yes" to my request to "let me watch one day." I knew it would be interesting, but I didn't know that I'd be blessed with a very graphic life lesson in that operating room. I'll spare you most of the very gory details. I had only been used to "verbal gore," not red stuff. Thank God there are those who are called to be surgeons--I'm not!

Anyway, back to the Operating Room. The task was to cut out the aneurism and replace it with a synthetic graft.The doctor had located the aneurism, had clamped off the arteries, and had begun to remove the crud (medical term, I'm sure) from the affected section of artery. I was amazed at the amount of stuff (another medical term) that he piled into the container. This HAD to be life threatening. The blood is the life flow of the body. If it can't flow where it's needed, the person can't live. At that moment, dressed in my surgery garb and totally grossed out, a powerful insight flashed into my spirit. This blockage is a lot like bitterness. Something negative happens in your life, and little by little, its poison accumulates, blocking the flow of life energy. Before my eyes was a living metaphor for BITTERNESS. Think through it with me.

CUMULATIVE CHOICES CREATE CUMULATIVE HARM.

That patient had made lifestyle choices that resulted in an accumulation of unhealthy material in the critical arteries that sustained his life.

The bitter person also makes choices--dwelling on the offense, mentally (or physically) performing little acts of revenge, refusing to forgive. The poison accumulates.

THE PROBLEM GROWS, AND ITS IMPACT SPREADS.

From a physical standpoint, the blood flow is critical. Block its flow to the heart or other vital organs and you have a catastrophic impact.

Each person has a similar flow of emotional and spiritual energy. The consequences of a blockage in these life-giving channels are just as tragic as an aneurism can be. The problem grows and its impact spreads.

Imagine that you released a drop of red food coloring into a beaker of water. At first you'd see a red dot. Soon you'd see pink water. Like the drop of food coloring, anger that is nurtured grows and deepens. It begins to affect every "system"--relationships, attitudes, motivation, and productivity.

DRAMATIC INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY TO SAVE A LIFE.

Thankfully, under the care of this experienced and competent surgeon, the patient got a chance to live an estimated 20 to 30 years longer. He would be freer to do the things that he enjoyed. Yes, there would be a painful period of recovery from this major surgery, but it was worth it.

You may or may not need professional help to release yourself from the bitterness you've harbored. Notice I said release YOURSELF, not release the other person(s). They are going on their merry way. (Of course, this can make you madder.)

I've had clients tell me, "If I forgive, that person will go scott-free." News flash! The other person(s) are already out there ppursuing their life interests. It's YOU who is suffering for holding onto bitterness. It you whose irritability and short fuse is robbing you of peace in relationships you value. It's you whose physical health is deteriorating because of anger. It's you whose sleep is disturbed and whose positive energy is sapped. It's you whose creativity is stifled and whose productivity is diminished.

In the next article, I'll share with you some "how-to's" on FORGIVING to RELEASE YOURSELF. Stay tuned!

Possible Causes For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpus is derived from the Greek word "karpos" which means wrist. Our wrist is supported by fibrous connected tissues. The space between these fibrous tissues and the wrist bone is the carpal tunnel and the median nerve passes through this tunnel and signals are passed from the brain to the wrist through this nerve. If swelling occurs at the fibrous tissues, it can irritate the median nerve and disrupt nerve communication which will result in numbness of the fingers, medically known as "carpal tunnel syndrome".

The main causes of carpal tunnel syndrome is split up into 2 groups namely the biological causes and the working causes. Although there are 2 groups of causes, it is not easy to determine the exact cause of carpal tunnel syndrome as there are no specific tests that can be conducted.

Biological causes

Biological causes such as inflammation can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Inflammation can occur either through injuries, existing medical problems or insufficient rest between intensive usage of the hand.

Working causes

Preliminary studies have shown that most of the causes are due to working causes. Repetitive usage of the wrist may increase the pressure acting on the median nerve and increasing the chances of getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Constant repeated motion such as swinging a tennis racquet or golf club as well as typing on the keyboard for long period of time may aggravate the condition.

Medical conditions

Some medical conditions may increase the risk of contracting CTS. Some examples of them are diabetes, arthritis, osteoarthritis, obesity and pregnancy. One of the complications of diabetes is CTS. Diabetic patients are prone to neuropathy and this can affect basic sensations. Patients who rely on kidney dialysis are also prone to contracting CTS. A damaged kidney will result in the build up of beta 2-microglobulin, a type of protein. This protein will increase the risk of getting CTS.

Genetics

Genetic factors may also increase the risk of CTS. If you have family members who have CTS, you are at a higher risk. CTS can run in the family.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, there is an increase in fluid retention and swelling. This will increase the pressure build up in the wrist bone and compress the median nerve, causing CTS.

Leading a healthy lifestyle will decrease the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Ensure that your work space is ergonomic and you do frequent stretches to relieve pressure off your hands.

Automatic Backlink Software: Directory Submission Tips for Link Building

An essential part of your search engine optimization strategy is to get quality backlinks to your site. Web directories are an excellent source of one way links. Submitting your website to directories is one of the easiest ways to build links and gain exposure online. Although this strategy isn't as effective as it was in the past, integrating directory submission into your marketing campaign is still worth it.

Webmasters can choose from a large number of free and paid directories. If you want to use free directories, select those that have stood the test of time. Submitting to directories that are not related to your niche guarantees that your site will not be found by potential customers. Before you start using this link building technique, make a list of web directories that are relevant to the content of your site. Search for blogs and websites that compile directory lists.

From a search engine's point of view, the best inbound links are organic ones. Search engines assign higher rankings to the pages that people naturally link to because they found the content interesting and informative. You can use free web directories to build organic links. After you compile a list of free directories, write the titles, keywords and descriptions that you will use for each submission. Your titles will become the anchor text for your link. Choose at least three different keywords and write one or two descriptions for your link. Don't use the same text every time - it doesn't look naturally.

Sign up for a new email account that you will use when submitting your site to web directories. Include your unique selling proposition and your call to action in your description. Check your site statistics regularly to see when you have been added to a directory. Choose the most appropriate category for your website and write a brief description that resembles the description style of other sites listed in your targeted category. This way you will increase your chances of getting approved.

When combined with automatic backlink software and social media optimization, directory submission can drive tons of traffic and backlinks to your website. Read the guidelines before filling in the submission form and keep track on where and when you submitted your website information. If your site contains promotional material, consider removing the ads for the time you will be submitting the site. Don't add the same website to the same directory more than once.

How to Find the Best Household Insurance Cover

If you are looking for house insurance, there are so many ways to go about it - direct to insurers, brokers or going online to view price comparison websites. So how do you whittle the choices down and decide which is the best household insurance cover for you?

We've put together a brief guide to help you through the minefield and give you the information needed to make an informed decision to get the best household insurance cover.

You need to work out exactly what your needs and requirements are so you can get the policy that is best for you, within your budget.

First of all you need to work out what amount of contents you need to insure. This should represent the full cost of replacing all of your home and outbuildings contents with brand new items. Go through your house, step by step and make a note of any high value items or rare items such as art work, antiques, jewellery and watches as these may need to be listed specifically on your insurance.

If you are looking to insure your buildings, then you need to work out the full cost to rebuild your home - this is not the same as the current market value of your property. If you are unsure of the amount, speak to your mortgage provide as they usually have this figure specified. If you don't have a mortgage in place, contact a surveyor who will be able to provide an accurate rebuild cost.

Home Insurance Options

Once you have calculated the contents and buildings sum insured, you need to decide what level of cover you want. There are a number of options to consider:

· Accidental Damage - This provides additional cover for such accidental events that may occur in your property such as spilling red wine on a carpet. Accidental damage cover is usually an optional extension to a standard home insurance and may result in an additional charge on your insurance.

· Personal Belongings Cover - If you take items away from your home, such as jewellery and watches or gadgets, you can extend your insurance cover to include these items outside your home. This can either be on a general basis, usually if they are under £1500 in value or specifically listed on the policy if they are over that amount. Its important to check with the insurance provider as each policy varies. Again will incur an additional cost as this is an optional extension.

· Legal Expenses Cover - If you need legal assistance for circumstances such as an employment dispute or a contractual dispute with a retailer, this will cover you for legal costs. In today's ever increasing litigious society, this has become a useful cover with a relatively small cost attached.

· Excess - You have to pay the excess amount in the event of a claim. For example if you have a £250 excess and you make a claim for £750, the amount you will receive from the insurer is £500.

Insurers can often quote two types of excess - compulsory and voluntary - which are added together to provide a total excess make sure you are aware of the total excess payable. In addition check for individual excess against specific causes. For example escape of water excess has been recently increased by some insurers to £250.

Obtaining Quotes and Comparing the cover

Having done your homework and decided on the type and amount of cover you want, you now want to source the best policy to suit you. This is where you can go direct to an insurer, use a broker or go online to a price comparison site. Our recommendation is to speak to a specialist Independent Insurance Broker. Brokers are experts in the insurance market and will be able to advise you on the level of cover you require and talk you through any exclusions and warranties. A good broker will typically compare over 25 insurers and policies very much like a comparison website but with an expert eye.

If you decide to go direct to an insurer or use a comparison website, we recommend that you refer to the defaqto website. This site has a simple rating system and allows you to compare specific policies. We suggest you always to look for a 5 star rated policy.

So if you are looking for the best home insurance policy and want to speak to someone who can make sense of it all, please give us a call now on 01489 579808.

Find Love Through The Law of Attraction

I strongly believe that we can find love through the law of attraction. One's mind and thoughts are really powerful. By focusing on what we really want, we can actually bring them into our lives. Like everything else, we can surely bring love into our lives through the law of attraction. I can safely say this because, I found my man through the law of attraction.

I grew up on a farm in the countryside in Malaysia. By the age of fourteen, I knew that I wasn't going to marry a Malaysian Indian man. I found myself being attracted to Caucasians. This was something I couldn't even breathe out in my house as my parents were one of the strictest parents I had come across. There was no room for boyfriends or romance. It was made very clear that I would be a totally useless human being if I didn't excel in my education. Despite that, I saw myself with a Caucasian man in my dreams and this was done very discreetly for many years.

Almost 24 years later, my husband and I were having afternoon tea. He had brought home a nice blueberry muffin which was cut into half so that we could share it. A feeling of déjà vu swept through me. I had experienced this feeling many times before. I had had afternoon tea with my Caucasian husband many times before and we always had cakes. "Oh, my God, I had seen myself doing this in my dreams with my Caucasian man." This is something I had always wanted to do with my husband and I was doing exactly that now.

I realised then that I did find love through the law of attraction. I was now with the same man I had seen in my dreams for many years from the time I was a teenager.

I started visualizing from the age of 14. I met him only when I was 35. We were married when I was 38. After we got married, so many pieces of the jigsaw started filling the right places to form the picture I had seen many years ago. It was a very uncanny feeling. I was reliving an experience I had already visualised.

Why did I have to wait so long to meet him? Couldn't the law of attraction made us cross paths at least ten years earlier?

I could have met him earlier, if I hadn't succumbed to the negative thoughts which I allowed to overcome me numerous times. I dwelled on the fact that things weren't going right for me and wallowed in it for prolonged periods.

I asked myself why it was so difficult to find love. To love and to be loved were very basic needs. Yet it wasn't at all easy to achieve that. Can you identify with this? Do see nothing but bleakness when it comes this? I have come across so many people in this boat.

The law of attraction says that like attracts like. The more you fall prey to the thought that you haven't met anyone yet, the longer you will be alone.

When I eventually came out of the cloud I was sitting under and decided to enjoy all the opportunities that awaited me, the more men came my way.

To all singles out there, believe me when I say that you can find love through the law of attraction. You might not have had any signs of your man or woman coming anywhere close to you. Despite that, first believe with conviction that you'll meet this person. Next, visualise being with the person as often as you can.

I met my husband when I realised what the do's and don'ts of finding love through the law of attraction were. I remember how badly I wanted to share my life with someone special. I am sure many of you know the feeling. Wanting to be with someone special is a very basic need. If you have this need, you can attract this person into your life. It takes a little bit of work sometimes but it's definitely feasible.

If I could have done it, you could too.

Christian Relationship Help: Answers to Questions About Dealing With Alcoholism

This Christian relationship help gives you answers to questions about dealing with alcoholism. There are many dilemmas you deal with when someone you care about that drinks too much. Proverbs 20:1 says, "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (NIV). It is true that drinkers make many foolish choices that affect their lives and their loved ones lives negatively. The answers to most of these questions involve the principle of allowing the problem drinker to deal with the drinking and the problems it causes while you turn your focus onto living your own life and accepting the fact that you can't force someone else to change. The person has to want to change themselves.

Here are the questions and answers:

Should you take the car keys? When alcoholics drive under the influence of alcohol, they endanger themselves and others. So while no one wants an alcoholic driving when drinking, the question of whether or not you should take the keys is not so simple. If an alcoholic will surrender the keys peacefully, take them; but most alcoholics won't which puts you in the position of demanding or forcing and this can pull you right back into the insanity of trying to control the alcoholic and of arguing with a drunk person. You can only control whether you will allow yourself and your children to ride in the car and that answer is simply "No."

Should you buy their alcohol? Some people buy their alcoholics alcohol so they will drink at home rather than at bars. This is another attempt to control the drinking. A better approach is to take your hands off and let the alcoholic buy his/her own alcohol because you won't be contributing at all to the drinking. Giving the alcoholic money to buy alcohol or money to pay bills when they have spent it on booze is also enabling them.

Should you focus on getting them help? Many families have paid for expensive rehabilitation programs only to have the person drink again. Alcoholics Anonymous is the best program out there and has the benefit of being an ongoing support program. Some hospitals have inpatient detox centers and 30-day programs with after-care. Other programs are run by private organizations. The most important factor is the willingness of the drinker to stop drinking; the specific program matters less and a drinker often benefits from having to figure out how to get sober on his/her own.

Should you make excuses for their missed work, appointments, and events? The friends and loved ones around alcoholics worry about the consequences from their drinking, but the drinker appears not to worry. Well-meaning people begin to lie and make excuses for them. The truth is that this only allows them to continue to drink without having to face the consequences. This is called "enabling" and until it stops, they won't hit a bottom and have a reason to stop drinking.

Should you call them an alcoholic? It doesn't matter whether you call the person an alcoholic or not; the person has a drinking problem and you have a problem with the drinking. The only thing that matters is figuring out how you can live your life whether or not the person is willing to get help. It is okay to speak the truth and call it what it is, but don't get hung up on whether the person accepts it or whether they are a true alcoholic or not.

This Christian relationship help gives you answers to questions about dealing with alcoholism. God has established the law of reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7-8). Drinkers need to deal with their own problems. You need to figure out how to live your own life whether the drinker stops or not and you do this by ending enabling and trying to force change.

Adrian Peterson: One-Of-A-Kind Talent

We are beyond half way into the NFL season and there have been some surprises. One surprise that needs to be mentioned is the phenomenal season by Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. Honestly, to me, this is not a surprise. I grew up watching Adrian Peterson and he is a one-of-a-kind player in the NFL that is rare. He is works too hard and is too gifted to let any sort of injury plague him.

Regardless, what Adrian Peterson has done after blowing out his knee is remarkable. Almost every analyst out there thought Peterson would NEVER be the same type of player he was before. Many players have been scarred with devastating knee injuries and never ended up coming back the same. The fact that Adrian Peterson is back and healthy is amazing. What's even more amazing is that he did it in less than a year and is running harder than he ever has. You honestly have to be a super human to recover this quickly from an injury and to also run harder than he did when he was healthy! Remarkable!

I truly believe Adrian Peterson should be the league's most valuable player at the moment. Not only is he looking phenomenal, but the Minnesota Vikings are in playoff contention. This team would be lost without him, and perhaps win-less. Peterson has been running hard every game and every down. He is one of the few players in the league that runs hard EVERY play. He runs with a purpose which is why you always see him dragging guys with him when he is running.

Peterson is looking better than ever and he is doing it off an injury that has ended the careers of other NFL players. Last year, many thought Adrian Peterson was finished and we would never see the same ferocious runner we were used to. Peterson has worked harder than any one else, day in and day out, and he has showed us why he is the best running back in the NFL.

What Adrian Peterson is doing is phenomenal and rare. We probably will not see many runners like Peterson. He has been a true Viking since the team drafted him and has always made the team a threat. You can put 11 guys in the box and this guy will run over all of them. Keep an eye out on Adrian Peterson because this league will not see many AP's in the future.

The Basics of Pay-Per-Click Marketing

We are always trying to help auto body shops learn more about marketing on the Internet. The Internet is such an important part of the way we do business, both in how we look for purchases, but also in terms of our operations. Its one of the reasons we decided to put our auto estimating program on the Internet. We're beginning to see auto body shops move in that direction. The Internet is also a powerful place to market an auto repair shop. There are a number of different tools an auto shop can use to market online: search engine optimization, social media, email marketing, affiliate marketing, mobile marketing, video marketing, and other methods. One method that is highly effective with a quick turn-around, is Search Engine Marketing (also known as "pay per click advertising"). We've briefly talked about this before on our blogs in the past, but we'd like to dig deeper into this so collision repair shops can get up and running. This is the first article in a series of six articles to help auto body shops get a campaign activated.

Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is simple: a business puts has advertisement automatically appear on a search engine that's triggered by specified keywords that the business is relevant to. The business then pays the search engine a bid price if the advertisement is clicked on, which will then bring the web user to the website of the advertiser. So if a prospective consumer clicks on your ad and lands onto your internet site, then you must pay for that click, even if the user clicks away without reading or purchasing from the site. The most significant PPC advertising platform online at the moment, is Google AdWords. Click here to see what Google says about getting set up on their PPC program. With Google AdWords in particular, your advertisement will run when people type in certain key words or phrases into the Google search engine. It is then up to the user to click on your advertisement. This means that hundreds of people could see your advertisement, but if nobody clicks on it, then you do not have to pay. Other Pay Per Click advertising allows your advertisement to run under certain criteria. For example, on eBay you can have your advertisement run on the "automotive" section when someone searches for auto parts. Bing is another search engine that has a PPC campaign.

Setting up an account in order to start running PPC advertisement on Bing or Google is remarkably easy. They make it so that you sign up by following their simple instructions, and then when you get to the marketing campaign section you find that it is a exceptionally easy and intuitive interface. Google for example, gives you the simplest and automated options first, and then if you want to get a little more advanced, you can click to expand the menus. So you can create a quick PPC advertisement using the basic settings, or you can expand the menus and set costs per bids, locations and times the advertisement should run etc.

Paying for clicks is straightforward. If you want your advertisement to run every time somebody types in a keyword such as "auto body shop," then you can agree to pay $1.00 every time somebody clicks on your advertisement. You can then set a budget, such as $50 per day. That way your advertisement will run hundreds, maybe thousands of times that day, but if it is clicked on fifty times then your budget for the day is reached and your advertisement will not run for the rest of the day. If you set a daily budget, then it helps stop you from losing money if your advertisement gets lots of clicks but no sales. You can also set the advertisement to run in a specific geographic location so it doesn't run outside of your target area.

Bidding works by competing with other advertisers. To take the previous "auto body shop" keyword example, if you are paying $1.00 per click for that keyword and three other advertisers are doing the same, but they are bidding at $1.25, $1.50 and $2.00 per click, then their advertisement will appear above yours because they have bid higher. If there are lots of other advertisers with bigger bids, then it may be a long time before your advertisements are seen. Google however, tells you the average amount that other people are spending on each keyword, so you can judge how much to bid if you want to be seen.

When asked what network you want to market on, it seems wise to go with just the Search network. The display network will not work very well for your ROI, because it will drive up unnecessary clicks. When a Pay Per Click advertisement is activated via people typing in keywords, the biggest problem you have is finding the right keywords. Of course, the most important keyword an auto body shop will use will be "auto body shop" and all other related terms. Check this article on how to get some ideas for keywords. You can visit this article to brainstorm about other keywords to look at. You'll need make sure the advertisement points back to your website. The next article will focus on writing good advertisements. Stay tuned!

Steps Required For a New Product Launch

Digital products are an income stream for online businesses. Ebooks and how to reports help professional service entrepreneurs serve a larger audience. Helping individuals accomplish their goals with digital products increases brand awareness, expert status and income. Product launches have a specific process and this article explains why each step is important to complete.

Evaluation and testing is imperative for a product's success. Although a product in theory seems to serve a popular need, testing provides proof. Also, being clear on the target market the product serves will guide the marketing plan. Researching related products is valuable because it demonstrates how the new product is unique. Skipping these steps makes the launch vulnerable to failure and data is necessary to project a return on the investment.

The next step is to design the strategy. Mind mapping software helps develop a plan by categorizing each step. This provides a prompt visual of the work involved. Producing digital products generally calls for a website, graphics, formatting the product, optimized social media profiles and a copywriter. Categorizing each section helps you list the details. Two examples are website details and copywriter assignments. If you are creating a report that teaches graphic artists to use fireworks you can purchase a website domain such as fireworkstutorials.net. As these keywords are typed in the search engines, the website using those words will come up more often. Other website tasks include designing the site around the content. A copywriter is needed for sales page copy, blog posts and article marketing to build awareness about the upcoming product.

Hiring team members to perform the tasks follows designing the strategy. Listed tasks shows which team members are necessary for the launch. For example, it saves time hiring a graphic artist to create the graphics for the website, sales pages and affiliate program. It is better to hire a social media marketing specialist to optimize profiles, schedule social proof posts building awareness and interest for the product's release date. At this point, it is also important to select a project management tool to centrally manage all tasks and set completion due dates.

Completing the foundation is the first phase. When the above actions are finished, it's time to set due dates, set up the pre-launch campaign for list building and set the launch date. Each team member will complete tasks according to the due dates listed and then marketing can start. Make sure to test each part of the sign up, purchase and customer service process for purchasers to have a good experience. During the launch it is beneficial that a team member monitors and tracks the process for a post-launch review. Using the data collected, an informed decision can be made to re-launch the product.

When hiring a team, it is important to work with knowledgeable professionals to be advised properly and to support a successful launch.

How Do You Set Consulting Fees?

One of the most frequent questions I receive from those who are trying to start or grow their own consulting business is: "How and what do you charge clients for your consulting services?"

The ways of billing clients are numerous. There are hourly rates, by-the-job fixed rates, contingency or performance arrangements, flat fee plus expenses, daily fee plus expenses, and many other methods of charging for your consulting services. Which one is best?

Let us consider some ways of billing for your time.

1. Hourly or Daily Rate

Many consultants charge by the hour or day. To establish an hourly or daily rate, they try to calculate the number of billable hours in a year. Many hours will be spent marketing and in administrative and other functions, so this time is not chargeable to the client. As well, vacation time, holidays, sick days, and so on, can not be directly billed to the client.

Consultants, like other businesses, must charge enough to cover their overhead expenses and also earn a profit. If a consultant wants to earn twenty-five dollars per hour of working time, he (or she) might have to charge one hundred dollars per hour to the client. This assumes one half billable hours and fifty percent overhead and profit.

Your hourly or daily rate may be limited by what your competition charges, especially if you have not positioned yourself as different from them.

2. Fixed or Flat Rate

Some consultants charge by the job or a flat rate. For example, a tax consultant might charge three hundred dollars to prepare a tax return for you and your spouse, including an unaudited income statement for your business from information supplied by you. If the consultant takes only one hour to do this, he grosses three hundred dollars per hour. If, though, the tax consultant miscalculates the time required, he could take twenty hours to complete the job and make only fifteen dollars per hour.

Of course, consultants can also make a profit on the labour of their employees or subcontractors.

Many consultants claim to make more on a flat rate than on a hourly basis. Advantages include being able to give a quote to the client up front and less disputes on price (as the total bill was agreed upon in advance).

To protect yourself on flat rate assignments, always limit the scope of your engagement to something that you can calculate easily.

For example, if you are asked to give a quote for setting up a website for a business, you might break this project into smaller assignments.

First, you could give a quote for preliminary research and recommendations. Estimate the time required to meet with the client, learn about his business and goals, develop strategies and a budget, and prepare recommendations on how to proceed. Then, give the client a quote (perhaps in the form of a one page letter agreement or proposal). Upon acceptance of the offer by the client in writing, you may proceed with this phase of the project.

Some consultants collect one-half of their fee up front and half upon assignment completion for each phase of the consulting project.

If the client doesn`t like your recommendations, at least you get paid for the work you did. Perhaps you can charge him to prepare alternative suggestions.

If your website project was not broken into smaller steps or assignments, you could find that you spent way more time on the project than anticipated.

Also, you might not find out until you present your bill for the whole project that your client won`t pay, either because he is not satisfied with the results or because he is unable or unwilling to pay.

Breaking down a project into smaller assignments helps you estimate more accurately and limits your financial exposure.

3. Contingency or Performance Arrangements

Sometimes clients will ask you to become their partner. If you do, you are no longer an objective consultant.

What if your client asks you to do management consulting for twenty-five percent of the net profits? Will there even be any profit by the time he writes off his car, home office, entertainment, travel, wages to self and family members, and other expenses?

On the other hand, if you are a marketing consultant that is absolutely certain that you can increase a client`s sales, you may feel confident charging a fee based on the increased sales volume of the client. Are you sure your client will co-operate with you in the attaining of this goal?

Some consultants charge a flat rate plus a percentage of ownership or profits for their services.

Fees based on contingency or performance arrangements are risky. Most consultants are better off charging a fair price for their services and leaving the risk of the client`s business to the client.

4. Value Based Fees

Sometimes consultants can justify fees based on their value to the client. For example, if you save a client one million dollars in taxes, your fee may be higher than normal to reflect the value of the services rendered.

You might pay an accountant or lawyer a fee of fifteen hundred dollars based on time for certain tax related services. What would you be willing to pay to legally save an extra million dollars in taxes? Ten thousand dollars, one hundred thousand dollars, or more?

Can you apply this information to your own consulting practice? Is there some particularly valuable service that you can render that would justify premium rates?

However and whatever you charge, be sure that your fee is a good value for your client and also compensates you fairly.

For further Information and resources about consulting, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/consulting.html