Self Improvement Articles - Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make - Amazines.com Article Search Engine

Self Improvement Articles - Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make - Amazines.com Article Search Engine
Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

There are no guarantees.

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads: · Get as many information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

· Identify and create options. What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

· Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.

· Trust yourself and make that decision.

Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

Dennis Hampton is a Social Media Consultant who specializes in teaching Business Owners and Internet Marketers how to leverage the Internet and Social Media sites to increase their sales and build a larger list to market to. For more information on how to market your business online please visit his blog at: "A Business Made Easy"

A Clue to Success

"Big Al" . . . A Clue To Success Tom Schreiter Joe Distributor had a professional recruiter for a sponsor named Big Al. When Big Al called Joe to see how Saturday went, he already knew what Joe would report. He said, "Joe, I know you were eager to do well, and I know that insecure feeling that creeps over all of us when we recruit. I think after that experience you may be willing to listen to my advice on how to cure that problem permanently." Joe’s spirits immediately lifted as he hurried to Big Al’s house to learn the secret solution to his recruiting problem. When Joe arrived, Big Al said, "One lesson is worth 10,000 words. Most distributors get good advice but never realize the value or put it to use. I am not going to tell you the magic solution to your recruiting problem. You’ll learn that for yourself. What I’d like you to do now is make a few phone calls and set some recruiting appointments for Tuesday night. Don’t worry about who you set the appointments with, since I’ll go with you and I will do all the talking. You’ll just tag along and watch, okay? Just say to your friends, ‘Are you interested in some extra money? I want you to meet this guy, Big Al. Let’s get together at your house Tuesday night for 20 minutes. You’ll just love to meet this guy.’" Joe felt this was not too hard. After all, he didn’t have to do anything but set an appointment. The whole presentation would be done by Big Al. Joe could just sit back, let his friends blast away with all kinds of questions and objections, and watch Big Al handle them and make them distributors. Big Al pointed to the telephone and said, "Why not make a call or two now?" Joe was motivated. In just 20 minutes he had set up four appointments for Tuesday night. And handling questions on the phone was a breeze since Joe’s attitude was super-positive. When asked, "What’s it all about?" Joe would reply, "I just want you to meet Big Al, he’s got a lot of ideas on making money and you’ll think he’s a pretty neat guy." Big Al turned to Joe and said, "Go home and relax. We’ll meet at your house on Tuesday night at 5:30. You have already accomplished more in 20 minutes than most distributors do in a week."

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Article provided with the permission of: Sponsoring Magic – Big All Tells All, How To Create A Recruiting Explosion, Turbo MLM, How To Build Leaders For Fun & Profit, Super Prospecting, 26 Instant Marketing Ideas To Build Your Network Marketing Business, The Breakfast Club Tom Schreiter is one of the most respected voices in network marketing. With over thirty years of experience in the industry, Tom has built a reputation as an expert trainer and author of the “Big Al” series. He is an active network marketing leader, business owner, trainer, and also writes the Fortune Now Leadership Newsletter. Know as “Big Al” by his friends and the tens of thousands of network marketers across the country and around the world who he has trained, encouraged, and inspired.  Big Al travels to over 150 countries a year for speaking engagements and just for fun. His has a background was in engineering, however was introduced to the network marketing industry over 30 years were he found his passion.  Big Al has climbed to top of several MLM companies over the years and is currently the Chairman of Vitacorp International, the company he co-founded in 2002. He has authored 5 books about Network Marketing; Sponsoring Magic – Big All Tells All, How To Create A Recruiting Explosion, Turbo MLM, How To Build Leaders For Fun & Profit, Super Prospecting, 26 Instant Marketing Ideas To Build Your Network Marketing Business, and The Breakfast Club and continues to produce informative training materials for his the Big Al series. Tom’s website FortuneNow.com offers workshops and training materials that teach you how to make your network marketing business a success.  And, will give you the opportunity to subscribe to “Big Al’s Recruiting Newsletter”.

The Instant Sales System Will Automatically Increase A Businesses Sales, Reduce their Advertising Costs, Build A Large List To Market To and Guarantee Our System

The Instant Sales System Will Automatically Increase A Businesses Sales, Reduce their Advertising Costs, Build A Large List To Market To and Guarantee Our System

Proper Education

"Proper Education" Tom Schreiter Let’s look at how many years of our lives we spend in school: Grade School 8 years High School 4 years College 4 years Total 16 years College can cost about $10,000 per year. Why do we go to college? To become successful. But in college we take English, Accounting, Business, Engineering, etc., all courses designed to make us good employees for someone else. We don’t take a single course in our true "Major" . . . Success. We spend 16 years of our lives and $40,000 (four years in college) and don’t take even one course in how to become a Success. Don’t you think it would be worthwhile to spend $100 and two days to attend a course and learn how to become a Success? The above story is useful in motivating a distributor to attend further self-improvement training. It also can be tailored to new prospects. (Mr. Prospect, you’ve spent 16 years and $40,000 to learn how to be a good employee. Won’t you invest $100 and two months to see if you can be as successful as your own boss?)

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Article provided with the permission of: Sponsoring Magic – Big All Tells All, How To Create A Recruiting Explosion, Turbo MLM, How To Build Leaders For Fun & Profit, Super Prospecting, 26 Instant Marketing Ideas To Build Your Network Marketing Business, The Breakfast Club Tom Schreiter is one of the most respected voices in network marketing. With over thirty years of experience in the industry, Tom has built a reputation as an expert trainer and author of the “Big Al” series. He is an active network marketing leader, business owner, trainer, and also writes the Fortune Now Leadership Newsletter. Know as “Big Al” by his friends and the tens of thousands of network marketers across the country and around the world who he has trained, encouraged, and inspired.  Big Al travels to over 150 countries a year for speaking engagements and just for fun. His has a background was in engineering, however was introduced to the network marketing industry over 30 years were he found his passion.  Big Al has climbed to top of several MLM companies over the years and is currently the Chairman of Vitacorp International, the company he co-founded in 2002. He has authored 5 books about Network Marketing; Sponsoring Magic – Big All Tells All, How To Create A Recruiting Explosion, Turbo MLM, How To Build Leaders For Fun & Profit, Super Prospecting, 26 Instant Marketing Ideas To Build Your Network Marketing Business, and The Breakfast Club and continues to produce informative training materials for his the Big Al series. Tom’s website FortuneNow.com offers workshops and training materials that teach you how to make your network marketing business a success.  And, will give you the opportunity to subscribe to “Big Al’s Recruiting Newsletter”.

Marketing Articles - Differences between Marketing and Advertising - Amazines.com Article Search Engine

Marketing Articles - Differences between Marketing and Advertising - Amazines.com Article Search Engine
Differences between Marketing and Advertising

Marketing and Advertising, although they sound similar but in reality they are not. Advertising is only a part of the bigger game called Marketing. Marketing encompasses complete conceptualization of a brand right from research to designing to advertising to sale. Advertising, on the other hand is a component of the marketing process which is nothing but conveying the message through variety of mediums to promote the product.

Advertising is one of the most important component of a marketing strategy and also the most expensive. Advertising constitutes sending the message across the public about your company, product or services. It also constitutes behind the scenes work like the process involving formation of various strategies and coming up with a right one to target the viewers. The strategy consists of planning things like placing ads, deciding what media to use, what time, frequency etc. The advertisements are generally placed via mediums like television, snail mail, newspapers, internet, emails, radio, magazines, mobile messaging, flyers, billboards etc. The most popular one is of course television although advertising on internet is becoming increasingly popular too.

Easiest way to differentiate advertising from marketing is to consider marketing as a cake and if you cut the cake, advertising as one of the pieces of that cake. The other pieces of cake are market research of the product, product designing, media planning, PR, product pricing, customer satisfaction, customer support, sales and many more. All these components or pieces of cake should work independently but collectively in achieving the bigger goal i.e. sell product and build company’s reputation in the market. Marketing is a marathon process involving many tasks that involve hours sometimes days of research. The research part of marketing takes the longest duration as it involves thoroughly understanding the behavior of people towards a product. Designing the product and developing advertising strategy is also a time consuming process. Only components that take less time are executing advertisements and sales. Marketing can also be perceived as a medium between consumers and the company.

But many companies often make mistake of confusing advertising with marketing. They try to ape big companies like Coke and Pepsi in advertising but they simply ignore the work that goes behind that. The classical example of this is, take the case of logo for instance. Many business owners are so hysterical about the logo of their company in their advertisements that they think that it will simply bring in the sales. But what makes a logo works is none other than the reputation of the company and the logo must have a feeling to it and should truly reflect company’s values. One should also remember that these companies spend fortunes on advertising which a new start up business can’t. Rather than spending unnecessary money on branding your product one should invest money and time in communicating to the consumers that they can address their expectations. After building reputation and growing to a big size company one can think of these lavish ideas. Educating the consumers also helps as it will give them an understanding that you know what you do and are best at doing that.

Smart marketers are aggressive in approach rather than passive. They provoke reader’s minds by prompting them to do something rather than just making them knowledgeable of the product. Smart marketers also bring home the names, addresses and contact numbers of people who are really interested in hiring your company by employing aggressive marketing. Thus having a good marketing campaign speaks a lot about the company and their products and advertising gives that finishing touch to the hard work done by the marketing people in selling a product.

Dennis Hampton is a Social Media Consultant who specializes in teaching Business Owners and Internet Marketers how to leverage the Internet and Social Media sites to increase their sales and build a larger list to market to. For more information on how to market your business online please visit his blog at: "A Business Made Easy"

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Self Improvement Articles - The Game of Life Start your own coaching: 7 days program - Amazines.com Article Search Engine

Self Improvement Articles - The Game of Life Start your own coaching: 7 days program - Amazines.com Article Search Engine
"The Game of Life" Start your own coaching: 7 days program

Have you ever been a coach to a neighborhood team? I know how it feels the first time I've coached a team of seven-year-old soccer kids and how much they can really test my patience, not to mention sanity as they run around kicking the ball like ants to a huge, white crumb. It feels strange at first, having to be stared at by a bunch of kids who they will know that I'm not the one in the field. Sounds wrong in a sense, right? But what is the dead about coaching?

Coaching is all about being a, well, 'coach' in the corporate world of handlers, front-liners and even a couple of benchwarmers biding their time to be given a chance to perform. I know how that feels when I go back to my regular day job. Some players are just MVP material, and some of them are just to support the MVP's so why bother sticking around? It sounds ironic when they say 'there is no I in team', but even the underachievers can be sore losers as well.

These are steps that can be done within the day, and no matter what, it takes determination to be a coach.

1. There is a WHOLE lot of talk these days about Corporate Team Building. There are many, many options: vacation packages, rope courses, on-going office games, ice-breakers, etc. Management can also purchase videos, books, and seminar packages to assist them in building up their organization into a team worthy of belonging. A little later I will give you some ideas of where you can go for information on these team-building tools.

2. The truth about motivation is waiting to be grasped! It is ripe and ready for you to put into action today. Don't settle for mind-numbing gibberish. Get practical in 3 small ways to begin looking forward to your alarm clock sounding off each morning before you huddle with the team.

3. Experience is the best thing despite of what course you graduated in. There is something about being a people person who knows how to stir the energetic side of one individual, and more so when you mix it up with an entire team.

4. To question a person by his or her performance is sometimes required, but never question their knowledge or their intelligence. Sadly, I have seen a few mistakes from past coaches who never seem to understand what a player has to go through to get the job right. It will lead to further aggravation and maybe even hostility. If you want the job done right, then go do it yourself. You'll see how it is to be at the receiving end and it will help your set a much better course for improvement.

5. Sending a player to the bench is probably the worse experience a coach has to go through, especially if your player is the top performer. In dealing with this kind of person, see to it that he spills his guts voluntarily. Egotism in a performer tends to make them lose their focus on even the smallest mistakes, then you can catch him or her red handed. Be firm, but understanding about it.

6. Don't allow your position to blind you from what you are supposed to do. Even coaches are human enough to think that they are far more superior, but only by rank. Even if you have been in their shoes when you were their age, it's better to dole out a piece of wisdom in order for them to realize that this will be for their own benefit.

7. Lastly, you should learn to trust yourself and your team. Decisions and performance are primarily your goals, and there are many of them to see if they could perform the task much more efficiently. So before you think about sending one member to the bench, have a good chat with him or her and see if they have any problems. If it's too personal, then just encourage them to do their best and it also helps to give them a good, encouraging slap on the back.

I guess there's all there is to it. Being a corporate drone myself, I know how important it is for a company to be successful, and we're all part of that success. Coaches are there not to make your work a little difficult just because you have either an attitude problem or not much a performer, but they're the guides who will help you perform as hard as you can possibly can. You'll do them proud one of these days, as well as you.

Dennis Hampton is a Social Media Consultant who specializes in teaching Business Owners and Internet Marketers how to leverage the Internet and Social Media sites to increase their sales and build a larger list to market to. For more information on how to market your business online please visit his blog at: "A Business Made Easy"

Self Improvement Articles - SELF IMPROVEMENT AND SUCCESS - Amazines.com Article Search Engine

Self Improvement Articles - SELF IMPROVEMENT AND SUCCESS - Amazines.com Article Search Engine
SELF IMPROVEMENT AND SUCCESS

Everything that happens to us happens in purpose. And sometimes, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past heartaches, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and success.

I remember watching Patch Adams – its my favorite movie, actually. Its one great film that will help you improve yourself. Hunter “patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts – he decided to seek for medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward. His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of people. Sick people in that matter. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realized he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still want to become the a doctor. He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and success. He didn’t only improved himself, but also the life of the people around him and the quality of life. Did he succeed? Needless to say, he became the best damn doctor his country has ever known.

So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? Where do we start? Take these tips, friends… *Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept YOU?

*When you see hunks and models on TV, think more on self improvement, not self pitying. Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.

*When people feel so down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.

*The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a science quiz. There’s always a next time. Make rooms for self improvement.

*Take things one at a time. You don’t expect black sheep’s to be goody-two-shoes in just a snap of a finger. Self improvement is a one day at a time process.

*Self improvement results to inner stability, personality development and dig this …. SUCCESS. It comes from self confidence, self appreciation and self esteem.

* Set meaningful and achievable goals. Self improvement doesn’t turn you to be the exact replica of Cameron Diaz or Ralph Fiennes. It hopes and aims to result to an improved and better YOU.

*Little things mean BIG to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.

*When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is. The world is a place where people of different values and attitude hang out. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, she would most likely decline an invitation for self improvement.

We should always remember that there’s no such thing as ‘over night success’. Its always a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have now, realizing that those are just one of the things you once wished for. A very nice quote says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, officemates, neighbors… they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self improvement, we increase our chances to head to the road of success.

Dennis Hampton is a Social Media Consultant who specializes in teaching Business Owners and Internet Marketers how to leverage the Internet and Social Media sites to increase their sales and build a larger list to market to. For more information on how to market your business online please visit his blog at: "A Business Made Easy"

Today's Top Stories in Tech, Mobile & Social Media

Today's Top Stories in Tech, Mobile & Social Media

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on five particular stories of interest today.

AT&T Adds 5 Android Smartphones

AT&T has unveiled five Android smartphones, bringing its total Android lineup to 19.

BlackBerry Outages Continue

Users continue to report BlackBerry outages across Europe, the Middle East and Africa after almost a full day of downtime Monday.

Facebook Launches iPad App

After months of speculations and multiple leaks, Facebook has finally launched an official iPad app. The company is also making its apps platform more mobile-friendly.

Google+ Traffic Slows After Public Launch

Traffic to Google+ spiked 1,200% in the first few days following its public launch Sept. 20, but has since declined 60%, according to a report from a data analytics company.

Groupon Deal Counter Intentionally Misrepresents Total Purchases

Groupon’s deal counter will no longer accurately reflect the total number of Groupons customers have bought for each deal, the company said in a statement Monday.

Further News

• Despite higher revenues, Spotify lost $42 million last year, up from $26 million in 2009.
• Twitter has settled a lawsuit that gives the company rights over the “tweet” trademark.
• The #OccupyWallStreet protests continue to grow both on the web and in U.S. urban communities.
• Netflix’s stock continued to decline Monday after the company announced it would not be rolling out a separately branded DVD service.
• Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the company will honor the memory Steve Jobs with an employee event on Wednesday, Oct. 19.
• AT&T is working on an app that will allow users to toggle between personal and work mode on their Android smartphones and tablets.
• Atari is bringing Dungeons & Dragons, the original table-top role-playing game, to Facebook.
• In an effort to elevate transparency in the newsroom, UK newspaper The Guardian is making its schedule of upcoming stories available to the public in a two-week experiment.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, DNY59