If you want to be happy tomorrow you need to begin working at it today. Some people spend their lives waiting for happiness to arrive on its own and it never comes. Others work hard at creating wealth but still aren’t happy, discovering that money only brings a whole different set of problems. Happiness is a state of mind and not the size of your bank account. Happiness is emotional and not physical. Each individual needs to work at creating their own happiness.

I like how Richard Bach, the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, put it when he said, “If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, I guess you do have a problem.”

To find happiness you first have to understand where happiness comes from. Memories are to the mind what a mirror is to the eyes – a reflection. The mirror reflects the physical while our memories reflect the emotional. When you look in the mirror it reflects what you look like; when you look in your mind it reflects who you are. One big difference between the two is that you can change what you see in the mirror but you can’t change the memories reflected in your mind.

We tend to spend a lot of time trying to improve what we see in the mirror, but little or no effort trying to improve our thoughts. Every action creates a memory. Do you really think that the person who is bitter and angry today was happy and cheerful yesterday? If a person says or does something which angers or upsets us, we can either add to the painful memory with our own negative actions or we can replace them with positive actions and create positive memories.

If you want to be happy tomorrow you must choose carefully what you do today, because today’s actions will be reflected in tomorrow’s memories and you can not make them go away. Everything you do today will be in tomorrow’s reflection. The next time a person angers you, instead of lashing out, try imagining that you are holding up a mirror that bounces the reflection back at him, knowing that his actions or words are a reflection of him and not of you.

We all want to like what we see in the mirror. To be truly happy we also have to like what we see reflected in our minds. What the mirror reflects is not nearly as powerful as what the mind reflects, for it reflects our words and actions.

What will your reflections be filled with? Will your reflections/memories be filled with goodness and joy or with bitterness and anger? What have you done today that will bring you happiness tomorrow?

Gary Mosher is co-author of the award-winning ‘Buddha in the Boardroom’, the business book that shows you how to excel in today’s chaotic and stressful workplace environment, available from Bodhi Tree Publishing, LLC at www.bodhitreepublishing.com

Visit Gary’s blog to see what the judges had to say at www.buddhaintheboardroom.blogspot.com

Recently an experiment was done in writing catchy titles for an online article submission website. One-hundred articles were written which started out with the title; “Read This Article if…” The experiment was to see what type of people read articles online and also to do a trial close on the reader. Commanding them to read the article if they were this thing or the other.

An expert author “Fred” asked if he should write articles with this title if he specializes in background checks for employees and driving records. This is a very good question indeed. Here are some of my thoughts on this great question. In theory Fred might consider these facts:

The practice of titling informational articles starting with “Read This Article if…” is not preferable for search engine ranking because the words “Read” and “Article” are not key word rich. Most search engines do not count “this” or “if” so actually for search engine use, this is not preferable and chances are your current articles are fine the way they are and probably better. Additionally if you wrote an article and titled it; Read This Article if You Would Like to Lose Weight. You also have non-key rich words such as “would,” “like” and “You” before the words which you need to help in search engine ranking; “Lose + Weight.”

This experiment was performed due to a theory I had that when people were searching, they might run across my article and it says to them; “Read Me” and then they would click on it. It does seem to work a little, not significantly, but it does work. These articles out perform other articles, but do not out perform more strategic key word rich titles with main subject coming in the first two or three words in the article.

The title in this experiment is selling something; “a click.” But it is not helping those who are looking to buy or searching a specific thing, because it will get rapidly buried in the search engines you see? There has been success in this experimental campaign with the articles, which are on people’s minds already when they run across the article. For instance the articles, which have worked best are; Read this if…you want to be skinny, you want to be wealthy? etc?

Fred with his specialty might try a few articles such as; “Read This Article if You Want the Best Employees” or “Read this Article to Be Sure Your Company Has Safe Drivers.” But I would only do it if Fred is going to write many articles. What could be better is to title his articles this way; “Employee Background Check; read this article to learn how” or “Employee Driving Records; read this article if you want to know the truth.”

Try these types of titles first. If you are an online writer you may Email me if you need more ideas. You will do fine, luckily you have chosen EzineArticles to post your articles and this means you already have a head start. Try to write one to two article a day until January 1, 2006 and see how well you do. Work on “key word” rich titles that grab the reader, writing titles is a skill, even newspapers are careful to have people who can write those catchy titles so people buy the newspapers in the news paper racks. Think on this.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon – understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

The Hero’s Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.

Easy Treatments

By following the path of the Hero’s Journey, the screenwriter can easily construct a step-outline and a treatment (a treatment is an expanded step-outline).

The Hero’s Journey consists of 17 major stages (excluding the Afterlife Act) and more than 188 micro stages. A solid paragraph (or two) for each major stage and you’ve climbed the mountain.

The basic outline to follow is:

Call to Adventure. Introducing the hero’s status, capabilities, nature, ordinary world, inner challenge, outer challenge, romantic challenge, the antagonism and more.

Refusal of the Call. On many levels the call is refused, including the interdictor, doves and hawks, punishments and more.

Supernatural Aid. A mentor is sought to provide advice, guidance, direction, magical gifts and more.

First Threshold. Has many functions including No Return, meeting of allies, a shape shifter, back-stories and more.

Physical Separation. Also known as the Belly of the Whale. Includes resistances, obstacles, encouragements and conscious decision towards the transformation.

Transformation. Also known as The Road of Trials. Transformation can include growing, learning, maturing or similar.

The Ideal and Seizing the Sword. Also known as the Meeting with the Goddess. The hero encounters an ideal that results in him seeking and seizing a Sword.

Rebirth through Death and Reward. Also known as The Woman as Temptress. The hero is tempted (often, but not necessarily, by a female) into the depths where he undergoes a near death experience.

Atonement with the Father . Confronting limitations.
Apotheosis . Attaining illumination and insight.

Ultimate Boon . Achieving the Reward. Includes synergy, leadership and reward.

Refusal of the Return. Can include escape with the boon, refusal to release something valuable, refusal to confront the antagonism and other variations.

Magic Flight. Escape with the boon, pursuit, obstacles to the escape, change, recognition, the curse of the wizened one .

Rescue from Without. Various forms of force and temptations or time pressures persuade the hero to return – resistance, obstacles, impossibility, final antagonism, encouragement are some processes that mark this stage.

Crossing the Return Threshold. Unusual confidence, a dangerous place, the magnitude of the task, increased intensity, assistance from sponsors and initial weakness of the hero are some elements that mark this stage.

Master of the Two Worlds. A final antagonism, a hand-to-hand battle, multiple catharses, and a final deception are some of the elements that mark this stage.

Freedom to Live. Physical expressions of joy, togetherness, celebration, and ascendance to the throne are some elements that mark this stage.

Afterlife Act. In many stories, the journey may not end there. The hero has an Afterlife of variations: as a ruler, through his children, his marriage to a high priestess, his rebirth after a physical death, his mentoring of new heroes, his fall, his exile, his burial, his legend, his rediscovery by future Gods and more.

The detailed, complete deconstruction and the Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at http://managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://managing-creativity.com/

In order to increase sales and help your business succeed, you need to put your name in the minds of customers. You need to create a relationship with them so that the next time they need products or services like yours, you’re the first one they think of. These ideas sound simple, of course, but they may be easier to talk about than to implement.

So how do you create the customer relations that everyone talks so much about? Well, there are a number of ways, including giving great customer service, offering customers a good value, and building a fun, down-to-earth, or warm and fuzzy image.

There is another way, however, to solidify your image as a customer-friendly business that you may not be thinking of. Like the other methods, it’s not very difficult, but it does involve one four-letter “F” word: FREE.

Giving away free stuff, even if it’s just your advice, shows people that you’re willing to help them out– that you’re more of a friend than someone vying for their business. Free information your customers can use, free samples of your product, or vouchers for food or travel can make great incentives that help your customers remember you.

For example, a New York Burrito near my office recently started giving away “Burrito Bucks.” These green, almost dollar-sized coupons are good for one dollar off any purchase. Right now, one of these is sitting on my desk, right in front of me where I can see it. It serves as a reminder that New York Burrito is willing to give ME a freebie, and as a result, the next time I forget to pack a lunch that’s exactly where I’m going to go. If NYB can get me to spend five dollars in there, giving me a buck off will have been worth it. This is especially true since I’ll probably go back more than once, even without the discount.

Giving away free stuff is a great way to drum up immediate business, plus make a lasting impression that will bring results for a long time to come.

Impressions. Clicks. Visitors. Sales.

Webmasters all over the Internet want to increase and even explode their web site traffic. It’s a never-ending quest.

And while it is sometimes hard to keep up with all the latest marketing techniques, there is one secret to traffic growth which consistently ranks among the hottest techniques.

Content is king. Are you still not sure about that? Consider for a moment:

• Getting a site ranked higher in search engines usually requires good, original content.

• Great content attracts more advertisers.

• Good content will improve earnings from Google AdSense.

• A site will have more incoming links as web sites, newsletters and blogs link to good content.

Good, original articles are in constant demand. And quite simply, that is why writing articles for web sites remains one of the best marketing techniques around. By writing articles which webmasters and newsletter editors are hungry for, you are able to drive traffic to your own web site through an author’s resource box beneath the article.

In fact, writing articles has many benefits:

• As an author, your name will become widely known.

• You will establish yourself as an authority on the topic.

• You will increase traffic to your site when people click on your link in the author’s Resource Box.

• When your article is published on multiple web sites it increases the number of incoming links to your web site and helps you to achieve a higher Page Rank.

• You may be asked to give interviews, which will give you additional exposure.

• If you sell a product or service, you will increase your sales due to having more traffic.

Of course, if you can get paid for your articles and include a byline with a hyperlink that’s great. Another option is to let the articles be published for free, knowing that you are going to get some valuable traffic coming your way.

Here are some sites where you can submit your free articles for so that webmasters and editors will find them:

• ArticleStop.com
• EzineArticles.com
• IdeaMarketers.com
• GoArticles.com
• NetterWeb.com

Getting clicks and impressions is always a challenge. By harnessing the marketing power of articles, you can make a very rewarding impression.

Scott Adams is the author of Affiliate Adventure, a remarkable system for earning thousands in your spare time by writing small ads for affiliate programs. He regularly writes articles as a way to promote his web site: http://www.AffiliateAdventure.com

Finding a publisher can be very strenuous. In fact, it may even be harder than actually writing the book itself.

There are three things to remember when finding a publisher for your book:

1) These things take time, even Stephen King was not signed the first night. Be patient, book publishers are quite busy and may take a while to get back to you. Just keep positive, if your book is good a publisher will sign you.

2) Start big and work down. Submit your book to the largest publisher first, then work yourself downward. Chances are, if a large publisher signs you the more money you will see in return. However, don’t get too stressed when the first notice comes and says you are not signed, there are many other publishers who would love to see a new book come their way.

3) An easy way to get started yourself, if you do not wish to mess with publishers, is to find a publishing company who will do it for free without the advertising. A great place to start looking is at cafepress.com. They have a great selection of book styles and offer a great pricing for self publishing.

The most important thing to remember while looking for a publisher is to stay positive and keep trying. There are many publishers in this world and at least one is bound to sign you.

Gary R. Hess is a writer and owner of Love Poetry along with numerous articles, essays and poems found around the web.

You pick up the phone, the decision maker is on the line, countless letters and attempts have been made to get to this point, your great benefit line comes out, response; “not interested, click”.

Want to be able to “engage” customers with out creating resistance? Here are 2 vital elements everyone needs to be influential and persuasive.

Now it does not matter if we are using the phone, walking in cold or in a retail setting. We need to avoid adding any additional resistance in the other persons mind. There is this avoidance of “sales people” in 80% of our population including other sales people. This is mainly because of product pushing, “I don’t want to be sold something”.

Here is the key; do I understand what the other person really wants? Do I have an idea of how to talk in their “language”? Can I ask a question that will drop resistance and engage them in conversation?

It has been proven time and time again that shoving your product in front of someone will create resistance to you and your product. Review the first and second key from the last article (4 Keys to Selling), your customer buys the “results” of your product/service/idea because it fixes, fills or satisfies their perceived needs or wants. This means your product/service/idea is just a means to and end, not the main issue.

1. Our first action is to take the time and determine just what is it that our product/service/idea does for the other person. Determine what the real results are from using your product/service/idea. Here are some examples.

A business owner might be looking for more time, better productivity, reducing hassle in some area, freeing up capital for something else.

A young mother with 3 toddlers might be looking for best value, more time, better direction, safety, even just a listening ear.

A plant manager might be looking for ways to get better compliance, reduce down time and get his numbers up, keeping his boss off his back.

Think of your past and current customers, what is it your product/service/idea did for them? What did it reduce, take away, eliminate or create? Also keep in mind that people have a tendency to avoid loss more than obtain gain. This means if you can provide a better “today”, it generally has more power than a better “tomorrow”.

In a recent training program we worked with a real conflict situation a participant was involved with. We ended up with over 50 “what’s in it for the other party” points that could be used to engage the other party in a positive way! It took 5 minutes!

2. Second you want to “engage” your prospect or customer in a positive way. The best way is to develop questions that can “engage” rather than repel.

Before we start, we have to understand what results your product can potentially provide for your customer. Here are some examples.

Office equipment: Reduce work load, eliminate paper, eliminate errors, streamline process, reduce labor expense, free up time, create in-house opportunities, and eliminate daily frustrations.

Real Estate Agent: Eliminate wasted time, reduce the stress of selling/buying, assure legalities are covered, target the market, professional image, experienced input, negotiations services, and eliminate the hassles.

Now there are many more and I suggest you create at least 20 for your product. Here is a hint, list the facts about your product, then all the benefits related to that fact and then ask, “What are the results to my customer/other party because of these benefits”.

Let’s now apply these to questions that “engage” our customers. We want to use “open” type questions that get people talking. If we don not have them talking we have only partial engagement. Open questions use what, why, how in their structure.
“Mr. Jones, what effect would a reduced work load have on your staff?”
“If you could eliminate both paper and errors in your current procedures, what would happen for you?”
“Just suppose the frustrations you face on a daily basis were gone, how would it change things for you?”

Now put yourself in the customer’s shoes, how would you react to the previous questions versus this?
“We sell copiers and office machines of the highest quality with excellent service, when could we meet to determine your needs?”

How many words are in this question that create resistance or could be rejected by the customer? Compare that to the three questions above, which ones “engage” and which question repels.

Now if your customer is a “D-I”* type you usually can ask for appointments or get quickly to the point. If you have an “S-C”* type they may want more info which you can give in the form of a quick example of another application you have done, not a litany of your products facts and benefits.

This has proven to be a much more viable way to engage customers and people in general than talking about your “stuff”. People are concerned about their issues and problems, not your product or you. Engage them by asking about what a “result” might do to their concerns and issues. You will find them much more open and willing to talk.

One of our participants in the Internet Technologies asked only one of these type questions and 20 minutes later closed on a million dollar deal! Just one question! The customer did all the talking and sold themselves. The power of engagement!

For more on building these skills and thinking patterns, check out the Influence and Persuasion Program and Reverse Engineered Sales at our web site www.hgoergerassoc.com
* DISC Behavior Patterns, ask us about how this can help you sell, manage and engage people.

Questions or comments:
Contact Harlan at Harlan@itstartswithyou.net cell phone 701-799-1972.

Harlan Goerger has been in the training, sales, management and self development field for over 25 years. Currently he is president of H. Goerger & Associates.
www.hgoergerassoc.com

As you may have understood by now, a membership in a Paid Survey Online Site is a great opportunity for e.g. stay-at-home parents, students, people with certain needs, retirees or anyone working from home, and you can do it from anywhere since everything is handled through the Internet! It doesn’t matter if “home” is a beautiful beach house or a cabin in the woods or an apartment in a city, this opportunity is available to anyone with an Internet connection. You also don’t have to live in the U.S, if you have a PayPal account or can cash a dollar check, you’re in business. Getting Consumer Ratings Free Paid Surveys is simple. They use this information to make their products better and ultimately make more profit, read on more about Consumer Ratings Free Paid Surveys. You can gather vital info about which places pay top dollar and which places are useless. Also see Gettin Paid For Surveys. They also help you avoid the bad companies or scam artists that lurk on the web and will waste your time.

There is no pressure put upon you, you do not have to have advanced or technical computer skills and there is no website for you to maintain. When you get paid for surveys you do not have to worry about overhead fees, inventory or products and you carry no financial risk, which are great perks for working from home. Read on to find out more about Consumer Ratings Free Paid Surveys. They always pay you not the other way around. Find out more about Consumer Ratings Free Paid Surveys and Gettin Paid For Surveys. Find out contact information.
Join for Free now at http://www.Top-PaidSurveys.org

I am talking about forums which are tried and true way to gather link after link to some of the most amazing places that have surveys to take at your leisure. More about Consumer Ratings Free Paid Surveys and Gettin Paid For Surveys at our website. Get all the info on Consumer Ratings Free Paid Surveys from our homepage. You may have heard someone talk about this from time to time – how to earn money taking online surveys. Get paid survey network list absolutely FREE from our website! Absolutely no charge for joining the industry’s TOP 7 paying survey networks from www.top-paidsurveys.org

Apply To Take Surveys (and Get Paid!)
AND to View 100% of Survey Results of Your Choice From EVERY Industry!

From personal experience, each of these consumer survey networks contains thousands of high paying multinational companies, ready to pay you $10-$300 for every survey done! Absolutely FREE to join.
Good Luck!

Work addiction is very common in our society today, yet it is not one that is not highly recognised.

An interesting article in the March edition of The Success Report published by Success Technologies stated:

“Of all the addictions receiving attention today (including alcohol, drugs, gambling and food) work addiction is perhaps the least recognised and possibly the most dangerous.

This is because a work addiction is a compulsion that is rewarded and reinforced by society. In particular, it’s rewarded by corporations that encourage overwork as the norm. The lure of work is increasing as innovative, flexible companies use and reward fewer people to get more accomplished.

Yet work addiction should not be confused with hard work; So how can you tell if you’re just working hard or have crossed the line into work addiction?

When work begins to hurt, you’re addicted, say specialists. But how can you spot the work addict among your colleagues? According to Workaholics Anonymous, these characteristics are common to compulsive over-workers:

The Characteristics of Work Addicts

They are usually in a hurry

They have a strong need to control

They expect perfection of themselves and others around them

They have difficulty in relationships

They forget birthdays and anniversaries

They are unable to relax and have fun

They are impatient and irritable

They suffer from physical problems usually brought on because of stress, poor eating habits and lack of exercise such as headaches, fatigue, indigestion, allergies, stomach upset, ulcers, chest pain, shortness of breath, nervous tics and dizziness

Addicted workers often try to do several things at once. They eat breakfast while balancing figures, return phone calls while typing on the computer, or read the business and trade papers while going over meeting notes. Work addicts also feel indispensable and are consequently unable to delegate.

Yet as bad as work addiction can get, there is hope for the work addict:

Steps toward personal recovery

Take a time management course.

Reorganise your life so that work becomes proportionate to family, friends and self. Switch your focus to relaxation, exercise, nutrition and spiritual development.

Slow your work pace and also learn to eat, talk, walk and drive slower.

Learn to relax through massage or relaxation exercises.

Work in moderation and keep regular hours.

Set boundaries between work and personal life.

Strengthen family ties through shared activities and rituals.

Renew old acquaintances and join social clubs that don’t include co-workers.

Learn to live in the present, truly listen to others and as trite as it may sound stop and smell the roses.

www.success.net.au

The Final Word

Work should be enjoyable and satisfying, not just a means to earn a living. However, when it gets to the point where it affects your health and you find you have little time for your personal life, then it’s time to take action and do something about it. If you are serious about moving forward much quicker than you would on your own, call us on (03) 9532 5497 to see how personal coaching will dramatically enhance your life.

Whatever you do, do something now! Take that first step

About The Author

Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life. www.office-organiser.com.au, lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

Okay, all you scholars of Jewish history, the Rabbi has a question for you. What does it mean to be a hero? In the famous Hanukkah story, which we all know and love; the story of Judah Maccabbee and his family who fought and defeated the Syrian-Greeks and rededicated the Temple; the tiny little cruise of oil which was only supposed to last for one day but lasted for eight days; the piercing story of Hannah and her sons who died rather than profane the Holy Name of God; in that famous story, who was the hero? Who exhibited the most courage?

Well, you could say that all of them were heroes, and to a degree you would be right. Judah and his brothers showed physical bravery against the raw physical power of the opposing armies. They fought well, they were brave and we remember them with affection and with pride. It is perhaps no accident that when we Jews, be it in the State of Israel or the Diaspora, schedule Olympic-type events, they are almost always called the Maccabi Games or the Maccabiah. We venerate the efforts shown by the Maccabees, and we honor them in this moving way.

Hannah and her sons were also heroes-the sons refused to renounce their religion and they were willing to die as martyrs in order to sanctify the Holy name of God, and Hannah stood and watched as each one was killed.. She could have told them to give in to the Romans, but she did not. Our Tradition is filled with examples of those who chose to die as Jews rather than to live as apostates. The Ten Rabbis who were executed by the Romans and those brave souls who died on Masada remind us always of the need to protect our Jewish identity, no matter what.

But my own personal choice for the Hero of Hanukkah is the priest who lit the menorah in the Temple KNOWING that there was only enough oil for one day. He knew this oil had to last for eight days, because that is how many days earlier Temple Dedications had lasted. He knew he did not have enough oil, and he lit anyway. How could he do this? He had faith that somehow, in a way that even he did not know at that time, somehow a miracle would happen and there would be enough oil. The easiest thing for him to have done would be not to light the menorah, and probably no one would have criticized him. But he did not take the easy way out. He had faith, he lit the menorah, and the miracle happened.
Miracles happen to those who invite them to happen. In the time of the Maccabees, and in our own time as well. Happy Hanukkah!

Dr. Mel Glazer is a Grief Recovery Specialist working in private practice with grievers all across America. You can visit his website at http://www.yourgriefmatters.com. Dr. Glazer has served as a Rabbi, Author, and Speaker for over thirty years, and he is recognized as a pioneer in the art of using our life-losses to help us learn life-lessons. We only uncover what is truly important about ourselves by how we respond to the losses in our lives, and so each loss becomes our cherished teacher.
He is widely published, and his upcoming book, And God Created Hope: How Our Favorite Bible Stories Lead Us From Mourning To Morning will be published in 2006.