Accomplishment As Artwork

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation and innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialization.

Complex problems, once identified, slip into the unconscious mind: the mind works on them at various cognitive levels.

Unconscious cognitive activity can be enhanced in many ways, for example, through engagement in rest and unrelated activities.

When solutions are arrived at subconsciously and transferred to the conscious mind, that is called insight, aha! Or eureka!

Thus, it is possible to increase the probability of insight, aha! Or eureka! We may not be able to tell when an idea will occur, what it will be and what form it may take, but we can increase the probability of it occurring.

This distinction between the conscious and subconscious mind is often, incorrectly, referred to as a “gap.” Further, it is made intangible and “mysterious” by proponents such as Deepak Chopra, who say, “…it is a contact point between our mind and the quantum field of all possibilities.” Confusion such as this is to be avoided.

Learn more…

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Kal Bishop, MBA

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Download the MBA research, learn about this topic at http://www.creativity-management.com/

Ok so you need to get a youth bunk bed, wooden bunk bed or some other kind of bed item or accessory, lets imagine for a minute you have chosen the bed store from which to purchase from and your finger is just about to press the buy icon, did you contemplate asking this bed merchant for a discount? The answer is probably no.

Previously before people were able to get access to things like loft bed with trundles and other great bed products with the help of the web you would visit your closest bedding supplier, choose a product that was being sold at a discount and hand over the cash. I personally am one of those people who would pick out something like a double bed frame or another good bedding merchandise with the full intention of bargaining with the store owner in order to get a modest price discount.

Requesting cost reduction whilst you are acquiring a bed or related item might sound all very nice when a customer is actually visiting a bed store but surely this won’t be applicable to purchasing items via internet based bedding vendors and such like? well this is not so because you are about to find out about the art of haggling for a bargain bed via the internet. So for example say you have visited a number of bed portals and are aware of the rough cost of the item or the bedding accessory you wish to acquire [ again lets suppose you are needing a double bunk bed kit ], now make a note of all the smaller bed internet stores, what you are hunting for is a bed or bedding supplier that clearly not one of the well known vendors or corporations. As soon as you have your list of the smaller bed specialists you are prepared to do virtual battle in order to get a knock down bed purchase.

The main thing to be aware of is that nearly all the small bed portals will be more likely to deal with you because they will probably be more eager to obtain a sale and maybe your future custom. Now lets pretend you need a twin size bed frame or king size bed mattress, to be quite honest the details of the bed or goods you are looking for, simply pick about 7 of the smaller bed websites you have discovered and email them the details of the best priced item you are interested in ordering, simply ask all the vendors, might they possibly be able to offer you some type of discount in order to compete with the other prices, explain to these folk that you would really prefer to do business with a family oriented bed business instead of a large uncaring chain.

If you are willing to put in a little extra time when buying a bed then hopefully the chances are your extra work will be well worthwhile and the bargains you are given will be well worth both your trouble and work.

Hazel Prechtel writes for
Fox beds which is a
premier source of information about Beds. For more
information, go to: http://foxbeds.com

We all use tools in our work, and all of these tools need to be re-energized in some way over time. They need to be polished, sharpened, refurbished. They need new spark plugs or a tune up. Some times they even need new batteries.

We take these maintenance tasks seriously because we know that when the batteries are fully charged we get the full potential out of electrical devices and when the machinery has been maintained it lasts longer and works more economically.

Doesn’t it make sense then to do some regularly scheduled maintenance on our brain - a tool far more valuable than the rest?

It happens to all of us. We get in ruts, we build routines and we develop habits, and in doing so we often don’t use our brain the way we could. It is one of our most valuable and precious resources and it is time to re-energize it.

Here then are eight ways you can re-energize, re-invigorate and do some ongoing maintenance for your brain.

1. Ask Why? Our brains are wired to be curious. As we grow up and “mature” many of us stifle or deny our natural curiosity. Let yourself be curious! Wonder to yourself about why things are happening. Ask someone in the know. The best way to exercise our curiosity is by asking “Why?” Make it a new habit to ask “why?” at least 10 times a day. Your brain will be happier and you will be amazed at how many opportunities and solutions will show up in your life and work.

2. Laugh. Scientists tell us that laughter is good for our health; that it releases endorphins and other positively powerful chemicals into our system. We don’t really need scientists to tell us that it feels good to laugh. Laughing helps us reduce stress and break old patterns too. So laughter can be like a “quick-charge” for our brain’s batteries. Laugh more, and laugh harder.

3. Remember. Get out an old photo album or high school yearbook. Your brain is a memory machine, so give it a chance to work! Spend time with your memories. Let your mind reflect on them and your mind will repay you in positive emotions and new connections from the memories to help you with your current tasks and challenges.

4. Do a puzzle. Some of us like jigsaw puzzles, some crossword puzzles, some logic puzzles - it really doesn’t matter kind you choose to do. Doing puzzles in your free time is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in good working condition. Do the puzzle for fun, but do it knowing you are exercising your brain.

5. Play. Take time to play. Make time to play. Play cards. Play video games. Play board games. Play Ring Around the Rosie. Play tug of war. It doesn’t matter what you play. Just play! It is good for your spirit and good for your brain. It gives your brain a chance to think strategically, and keeps it working.

6. Learn something new. This one might seem obvious. Yes, we capitalize on our brain’s great potential when we put it to work learning new things. You may have a specific topic for work or leisure that you want to learn more about. That’s great. Go learn it. If you don’t have a subject in mind right now, try learning a new word each day. There is a strong correlation between working vocabulary and intelligence. When we have new words in our vocabulary, our minds can think in new ways with greater nuances between ideas. Put your mind to work learning. It is one of the best ways to re-energize your brain.

7. Write to be read. I am a big proponent of writing in a journal to capture ideas and thoughts. There is certainly great value in writing for yourself. I continue to find that my brain is greatly stimulated by writing to be read. Writing this article (and at least one per week) is one example and writing in my blog is another example. There are several situations and audiences for which I write each week. There are many benefits to me in doing this. The greatest isn’t visibility or marketing; the greatest is what it does to expand my brain’s capacity. Find ways to write to be read - in your church newsletter, by writing things for your kids to read, by capturing the stories of your childhood (see number 3 above), starting your own blog or whatever - just write to be read.

8. Exercise. We all know that exercise is important for your physical health. Our brain is a part of that body, so increasing our blood flow brings more oxygen to the brain - oxygen that is the fuel for that beautiful brain. When I exercise I get fresh ideas. When I exercise I feel better physically and mentally. Just add “improving my brain” to the list of great reasons to exercise.

This is a short but powerful list. I encourage you to apply at least one of these approaches starting today. Look at your to do list and your calendar. Put it on your list in ink.

Your brain will thank you in the form of new ideas, greater stamina, more passion for your tasks and in so many more ways.

Kevin Eikenberry is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on “Unleashing Your Potential” go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Creating a job search cover letter doesn’t need to be a laborious process. Effective cover letters are short, skimmable and easy to read (a good rule of thumb no matter WHERE your cover letter is going) - three to four paragraphs tops.

If you are answering an ad, address the requirements in the ad and speak to how your experience relates to each. If you are sending the letter cold, make sure your letter reflects some research on the company, how your background relates, and why you have an interest in that company.

But instead, what generally happens is this. Bob is looking for a job. He looks through the paper, finds a bunch of ads that sound interesting, and circles them all with red pen. Then he sweats out the cover letter, personalizes each address, attaches his resume, mails them out, and congratulates himself on a job well done.

Then nothing happens. He wonders why. He shrugs his shoulders and starts all over again. On the other hand, Bob could take control of his career and set out to find his perfect job.

First, he gives some careful thought to his previous jobs: which ones he’s liked and why, which ones he hasn’t liked and why, where did he excel - or not, and why he left each one, what his supervisors were like, what his job description was in each place. That begins to give him a clue about what motivates him, who he is, under what circumstances he functions productively, and what he’s looking for in his next job.

Then he begins to look for companies that fit this profile - whether they have ads in the paper or not. Not all companies advertise their openings. Frequently openings are still in the contemplative stages, such as an expansion or confidential replacement. Then he sits down to write his cover letters.Two would suffice, with a bit of personalization in each: one for companies actively advertising their openings, and one for companies that he’s researched which sound appealing to him.

In the first paragraph, Bob says why he’s writing to that particular company. Instead of “I am writing because I saw your ad,” he writes, “I am responding to your ad because…..”. For the letters he’s sending cold: “I am sending you a copy of my resume because in researching companies that I feel I could be of benefit to….” (as opposed to “…companies I think I’d like to work for…”) Emphasis goes on the benefit to the company. Not the benefit to you.

In the second paragraph, Bob personalizes it. This is the paragraph (or two) that varies with each company or ad. Two or three sentences will do it if there’s one paragraph, or add another paragraph of about the same length. This part comes from the heart. Why are you writing this company? What’s it got to do with what you do and who you are? It needn’t be a long introspective story - but if there’s something specific in the ad or about the company that appeals to you, speak to it.(And if there isn’t, why are you writing them?)

The third paragraph winds everything up. And don’t forget to be pro-active. Give the person to whom you are writing about 10 days to receive the letter and contact you (which probably won’t happen because things usually don’t move that fast), and then follow up. State the date you will be doing so, and then DO IT on that date!

Don’t think you can get away with a generic cover letter. You can’t. They’re spotted at 100 steps, especially by recruiters and human resource people. And they don’t put you to the top of the pile.

Is all this a lot of trouble? Yes, it is. But that’s how you stay in control of your career: by going those extra steps. A personalized cover letter gets you remembered. Writing to the person by name gets you remembered. Saying you’ll follow up and then doing so on the date indicated, gets you remembered.

That gives you much better odds than ending up at the bottom of some pile on a desk. Because if you’re called in to interview, then YOU are part of YOUR deciding process. If you go generic, skip the salutation, and wait around, you blend into the woodwork. You won’t even have a chance to reject the company if they’ve already rejected you.

Judi Perkins has been a search consultant for 25 years in both the contingency and retained market, with a short stint in the temporary and local permanent placement markets. She has owned her own firm and successfully assisted numerous repeat clients in hiring all levels of management. She is a Career Expert and Forum Moderator with http://www.CareerCube.net To sign up for her newsletter and learn thousands of powerful concepts to find your perfect job go to http://www.findtheperfectjob.com

There are so many different types of meditation. How many? Who knows, but enough so that you can find the one that’s right for you. To get your search started, here are six types of meditation you can try.

1. Breath watching. Can meditating be as simple as paying attention to your breath for a few minutes? You bet. Relax in whatever position works best for you, close your eyes and start to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing through your nose gets your diaphragm involved and gets oxygen all the way to the bottom of your lungs. As your mind wanders, just re-focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nose. Just do this for several minutes, or longer as you get used to it.

2. An empty mind meditation. Meditating can create a kind of “awareness without object,” an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a “full lotus” or cross-legged position, and letting the mind go silent on its own. It can be difficult, particularly since any effort seems to just cause more business in the mind.

3. Walking meditations. This one gets the body involved. It can be outside or simply as a back and forth pacing in a room. Pay attention to the movement of your legs and breathing and body as you walk, and to the feeling of your feet contacting the ground. When your mind wanders, just keep bringing it back to the process of walking and breathing. Meditating outside in this way can be difficult because of the distractions. If you do it outside, find a quiet place with level ground.

4. Mindfulness meditation. A practice Buddhists call vipassana or insight meditation, mindfulness is the art of becoming deeply aware of what is here right now. You focus on what’s happening in and around you at this very moment, and become aware of all the thoughts and feelings that are taking your energy from moment to moment. You can start by watching your breath, and then move your attention to the thoughts going through your mind, the feelings in your body, and even the sounds and sights around you. The key is to watch without judging or analyzing.

5. Simple mantra meditation. Many people find it easier to keep their mind from wandering if they concentrate on something specific. A mantra can help. This is a word or phrase you repeat as you sit in meditation, and is chosen for you by an experienced master in some traditions. If you are working on this alone, you can use any word or phrase that works for you, and can choose to either repeat it aloud or in your head as you meditate.

6. Meditating on a concept. Some meditative practices involve contemplation of an idea or scenario. An example is the “meditation on impermanence,” in which you focus on the impermanent nature of all things, starting with your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In the Buddhist “meditation on the corpse,” you think about a body in the ground, as it slowly rots away and is fed on by worms. The technique is used to guide you to an understanding that your rationalizing mind might not bring you to.

There are many other meditations you can try, such as the “meditation on loving-kindness” or “object” meditation, and even meditating using brain wave entrainment products. Each type has its own advantages and effects. For this reason, you may find that at different times and for different purposes you want to use several different types of meditation.

Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can find a good mindfulness exercise and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com

Barking is a natural canine behavior, and is one of the main ways in which dogs communicate. Your dog barks for a variety of reasons. But sometimes dogs bark because they are bored or lonely. This type of barking tends to meet with some response (generally upset pet owners urging their pooch to stop), and unfortunately this type of behavior can easily become a habit.
Habitual or chronic barking presents many challenges for dog owners. Many communities have no-barking ordinances that may result in violations or fines. Also, barking dogs can create tension and hostility between neighbors rather quickly.

What products are available to help stop this behavior immediately?

You may consider using a Bark Control Aid to help eliminate excessive barking. Bark control aids are training tools designed specifically to address problem barking. There are several kinds of bark control aids available to dog owners today.

Citronella Spray Collars: The GentleSpray Collar is a newer type of battery-operated collar. Each time your dog barks, the unit releases a brisk citronella spray in front of your dog’s snout. Your dog hears it, sees it and smells it. He will very quickly learn that when he barks, the collar sprays!

Electronic Bark Control Collars: These battery-operated collars, such as the Inhibitor Anti-Bark Collar, use vibration probes to sense when your dog barks. When vibration is detected, the collar probes deliver a harmless electrical correction to your dog’s neck. These collars vary by the number of adjustable levels of correction intensity, battery type, and ease of use. These collars are effective because your dog associates his own behavior (barking) with the unpleasant correction, and will stop the behavior to avoid the correction.

Other Bark Control Aids: Sound-correction units use loud, high-pitched pulsating tones to distract and startle your dog when he barks. The sound is audible to people, but 3-5 times more bothersome to a dog’s sensitive ears. Automatic units such as the Bark Free emit the sound when the dog barks, then re-set themselves when the barking stops.

Mike Steele

http://www.dog.com

This is such a busy time of year, isn’t it? Whether it’s school or after-school commitments, social or philanthropic organizations that start meeting again after the summer, end of the year plans at work, or all of the above, fall activities are demanding! If you’re like me, you know you plan too much, but you still want to be efficient, accomplish everything, and do it well. There is no time in the schedule for running out of energy or getting sick, and “Collapse From Exhaustion” is not on the TO DO list. But your body will stop you if you don’t stop it first. How will you know if you are running on empty? The number one warning sign is fatigue.

Abnormal fatigue can be a sign from your body that you are overworking, overthinking, underresting, or undereating. (I don’t know if all those are words, but they should be.) A variety of illnesses and medical conditions can cause fatigue, including hormone disorders, depression, and pregnancy, so if you notice a dramatic or persistent change in your energy level, it’s wise to consult your physician. The good news is that if it’s your hectic agenda that’s leaving you drained, you can give yourself the best chance of staying well by looking at a few key areas - sleep, nutrition, hydration, and relaxation.

As with many beneficial life habits, these four staples of health do not have catchy slogans or expensive promotional campaigns. Bottled water brands and sleep number beds are starting to change that, but they’re based on the premise that you need a very extravagant bed or water purification system, rather than the idea that you need sleep and water to be healthy. (Common sense, you say? How long has it been since you got eight hours of sleep and drank two liters of water in the same day?) Most nutrition-related marketing promotes one food or food group over another, rather than the guiding principle that you faithful readers know by now: eating frequent, small amounts of a variety of foods.

On the other hand, I’m sure you’ve seen and heard multiple advertisements for energy bars, energy drinks, and energy boosting supplements, promising more energy if you eat or drink the magical concoction of chemicals. Remember what you learned in Nutrition 101: Your body can only make energy from three things: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. ONLY. Other nutrients help your body USE energy, including iron and B vitamins, but nothing you get in a pill can actually give you more energy than eating actual food. Caffeine, ginseng, guarana, ma huang, ephedra, and xenedrine are all stimulants that make your heart beat faster, so your brain gets more oxygen, so you FEEL like you have more energy…but it’s a trap. When the effects wear off, you will be more tired than you were before. If you use the chemicals again, you perpetuate the cycle, or in other words, you’re hooked!

Quick Tip: Real energy means calories. If a product contains 0 calories, it’s a fake.

The good news (yes, there’s more!) is that although no supplement can make up for poor habits, changing habits can eliminate the need for these potentially harmful chemicals in your body. Easier said than done, I agree. But start in one area, and experiment with a small change. If you see results, you will have proved to yourself that the change is worth it! In the coming weeks, we’ll look at each of the key areas, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and relaxation, with the goal of maintaining exceptional energy throughout your day.

If you need an energy makeover, why not keep an energy log? On 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days write down the following: What time it is each time you eat (you don’t have to write down WHAT you eat); what time it is when you go to sleep and when you wake up; what beverages you drink throughout the day; any relaxing activities you did that day; and a description of your energy (highs or lows) throughout the day. In two weeks we’ll meet back and see what your results mean and where to improve! To be continued…

Jessica Setnick is a registered dietitian in Dallas, Texas who travels the world spreading nutrition wisdom. As an accomplished speaker and writer, Jessica’s passion is promoting a positive relationship with food and eating as a key component of a healthy and happy life. Find out more or contact Jessica to speak at your event by visiting her website at www.understandingnutrition.com.
© 2004 Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to www.understandingnutrition.com.

The main purpose behind your ebusiness is making money and one
of the best and easiest ways to get started making money online
is by becoming an affiliate.

Affiliate programs are great for internet newcomers because
there isn’t much of a learning curve and you don’t need to have
your own support system built in to start earning. Someone else
does the hard work of creating and delivering the product as
well as offering support. All you have to do is offer the
product to your site’s visitors. In fact, most good affiliate
programs also offer you a wealth of sales material so you don’t
even need to do much selling. Some affiliate programs also offer
some valuable content for your site which is an extra bonus.

Your job as an affiliate is really to serve as a middle man
bringing people and products together. If you have done a good
job identifying your ebusiness niche and then providing good
content in that subject area then naturally your visitors will
be interested in products that you promote within that same
niche.

Basically, affiliate marketing is STILL the simplest, fastest
and least expensive way to start an online business. You don’t
have to develop a product, stock inventory, deal with orders,
shipping and/or customer complaints.

The best part of affiliate sales is that once you have the sales
material set up on your web site or blog it can work for you
24/7, while you are asleep or on vacation! You don’t need to do
anything except cash the check when it comes in the mail.

The challenging part of affiliate marketing is finding the right
programs and products to join. Obviously you must shop around
and always keep your eyes open for new opportunities but
probably the easiest way is to join an affiliate directory, such
as ClickBank, where you have access to thousands of affiliate
programs.

Joining an affiliate program and promoting it is like having
your own personal cash machine. Are you ready to plug it in?

Affiliate programs aren’t the only way to make easy money off
your web site and/or blog. Another easy way to profit is through
offering pay-per-click advertising on your site.

Every time a visitor clicks on an ad you earn money and
sometimes those clicks are worth more than a dollar so you can
see how your traffic can quickly turn a good profit for you.

All you need to do is plug in these profit machines and then
wait for the earnings to roll in.

I guess I’m what you’d call “accidentally semi-successful”. When
I started my website 3 years ago I knew absolutely nothing -
still don’t, but I’ve gotten very good at faking it. I’d like to
take credit, claim that I’m savvy about Internet Marketing,
write a nice fat ebook on the subject to sell for $97, but the
fact is I’m not sure how it’s happened.

Here are a few things I’ve begun to suspect to be true…

It’s easy to be #1 on Google if you can’t remember that you’ve
already written what you wanted to say in your content so you
repeat yourself, inadvertently ending up with extensively rich
keyword densities.

Search engine robots love to crawl your ever-updating site
because you just can’t make up your mind if you want the menu on
the top or on the left.

You couldn’t sell water to a dying man in the desert so you give
everything away - visitors love you for it and keep coming back
for more.

If your writing stinks, don’t worry. People pop in for the free
stuff, look around a bit, then click on those pay-per-click ads
to get out of there in a hurry!

Stereotypes and the stigma associated with tattoos prevented women from feeling confident with a tattoo up until even a decade ago. A common belief was that only ‘criminals, whores and homosexuals’ got tattoos is being challenged. This is further fueled by popularity of all things 1950’s and the popularity of retro vixens such as the Suicide Girls.

Women are generally more style conscious than men so are more decerning about what tattoo they want and where on their body they want it. Men usually just quickly pick out a tattoo on the spur of the moment, choose a spot on their body and thats it. Traditionally it has usually been males who got tattoos. Now the balance seems to be swinging back the other way. It now appears that as many females are getting tattoos as males.

According to many tattoo artists - women are also much better than men when getting tattooed and dealing with pain. Men like to think they are tough can withstand the pain. But when the needle hits their skin a lot of guys pass out in the chair. Women, on the other hand anticipate the pain and have a higher tolerance.

So what are the most popular female tattoos? It seems anything floral, tribal designs, lower back tattoos, roses, old school designs and Japanese and Eastern style tattoos designs. Every year demand for a particular tattoo design changes but there will always be certain tattoo styles that are being requested.

Looking for tattoo designs? Visit Tao of Tattoos for more ideas.

Subscribe for FREE to ‘Kinky Ink’ ezine for the kookiest tattoo pictures of the month.