beaumont

By Steve Pavlina Last Thursday I turned the subject of the article The Medium vs. the Message into a 20-minute speech, which I delivered to one of my Toastmasters clubs. At the beginning of the speech, I had everyone in the audience create a fake business card with their name and their current career listed on it. Then at the end of the speech, I had them do it again, and of course the results were different because people were thinking differently about their careers. Its easy to fall into the trap of seeing our jobs as a container within which we work. Maybe you think to yourself, Im an employee of company X. But seeing your job as something contained within you is far more empowering. So instead you think, Company X is one of my outlets for self-expression. Instead of you holding a position with a company, you see that company as holding a position within you. Its as if youve hired the company as you would a contractor to perform a service for you, and the service they provide is one of helping you express your value to others. Why is it that top professional speakers get paid over $10,000 for a 45-minute keynote (and this doesnt even include product sales)? How is it these speakers are able to charge so much? Partly the reason is that those top speakers understand the value they provide. Their value lies in their ability to change the way people think in a very short period of time, sometimes permanently. Ive attended many presentations where the speaker was able to permanently change my thinking in less than an hour. Just one idea presented in the right way can provide enough value to make the whole cost of a seminar worthwhile. Theres far more demand for speakers who can effect this kind of change than their is supply, so the pay rates remain high. A speakers value is ultimately about what gets transferred to the audience. What is the actual impact? Similarly, your value (in terms of your career) is based on what you have to give to others that will benefit them in some way. It doesnt matter what degrees you have or what your job title is. Your value is all about what you can give. What is the actual impact of what you do? When you become consciously aware of the value you provide through your work, you can focus yourself more deliberately on increasing that value. For example, a professional speaker can increase his/her value by developing the ability to impact more people, more profoundly, more lastingly, and in less time. A computer programmer can increase his/her value by developing the ability to devise faster, better, and cheaper solutions to challenging technical problems. A professional blogger can increase his/her value by developing the ability to provide more impactful content, more frequently, in less time, and for larger audiences. This is really just common sense, but so often people lose sight of their value and get caught up managing minutia. At the end of the line, your value must be received by a human being, or you havent provided any value at all. Which human beings benefit most from the value you provide through your work, and how can you increase your service to them? Copyright Steve Pavlina Steve Pavlina Personal Development for Smart People http://www.stevepavlina.com http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog) http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles) Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Pavlina http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Is-Your-Value?&id=99156 cash loan same day instant approval personal loans no credit check auto laons tampa cash loans

By Peter Finch International marriages are becoming more than standard in the last few years. People often prefer to search and find the perfect match abroad in Ukraine, but what happens after the marriage? After 1991 Ukraine become a separate country and the Ukrainian people opened their souls to the west. For many years they had been stuck to the communist regimes and fake promises and all of a sudden they became ready to explore the forbidden lands of America, Australia, Germany and other western countries. Ukrainian culture is following the well established standards of Europe but at the same time is slightly different. The country was part of the huge Soviet Union but managed to preserve its own rituals, traditions and language. People love their country but not in a nationalistic manner. The Ukrainian wife is good mother. She was educated not only in chemistry, physics and literature, but also in understanding and tradition. These things are not taught in school; they come in the genes and are transferred from mother to daughter. Unlike the west where wives follow their career and later they think about family, for most Ukrainian ladies, family always occupies the first place. It stands before anything else and after the woman signs the marriage papers she becomes fully engaged with the family. A Ukrainian wife will drop her career to have children. These ladies love kids and make impossible things for them. They are ready to sacrifice everything in the name of their family and babies. Most western women prefer to postpone the birth of their first child to the moment when they are sure that their career will not suffer. This is untypical for the Ukrainians. They will never hire a babysitter to look after their child and educate it. Their understanding of love and parenthood is exactly the quality time they spend with the family. Soon you will discover that cooking is more a kind of art than just a process of preparing the food. The local cuisine is rich and tasty. The most usual products are meat (especially pork), vegetables and fruit. Widely used are also mushrooms, berries, and herbs. Your Ukraine wife will prepare huge amounts of food and you should not be surprised. Part of the understanding of food is to be much. This has its roots in the old times years ago when the shortage of all products was normal in the Soviet Union. People live poorly and when they wanted to show that they have special respect to someone, they prepared food and invited him for a supper or dinner. To them the full table actually is sign for hospitality and conscientiousness. These two values play a big role in modern families. Young couples are expected regularly to invite their parents to pay them a visit. During these visits the dining room becomes a lavish festival of cuisine and traditional drinks. A Ukrainian wife usually prepares special bread. They have their own names for it, starting with Korovai (round bread usually baked for weddings or other similar events, decorated with birds or other baked figures), also Babka (Easter bread, usually sweet). According to the tradition the bread is something sacred and man should eat a lot of it in order to be strong and a good husband. So guys who are on a low GI diet, take note! Don’t get scammed. Check out our reviews of all of the top ukrainian dating agencies at Ukraine Dating Review. Looking for a ukraine bride or ukraine dating? Visit us now. You will be spoilt for choice. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Finch http://EzineArticles.com/?Ukrainian-Wife—Love-and-Understanding&id=518247 cash untin payday impact financial payday loan private lender personal loans personal student loans for bad credit

By Debra Lynn Dadd I recently received a question from one of my readers about the safety of drinking water from clear plastic water bottles. These bottles, made from Lexan polycarbonate resin (a plastic polymer), are widely used for single-serving sales to one-gallon of water in stores and home-delivery bottles. Theee bottles appear to be safe because they do not impart any taste or odor to the water. Lexan polycarbonate is also used to make compact discs and DVDs, bulletproof windows, mobile phones, and computers. The water delivery company sent my reader a notice saying that their Lexan polycarbonate bottles are perfectly safe to use. They suggested their customers visit a website that was designed to portray this plastic in a positive light. But, actually, a toxic chemical is lurking in these bottles that does end up in the water you drink. Lexan used to be used to make baby bottles, but these are no longer sold. Hmmmmm… STAY AWAY FROM BPA In 1998, Dr. Patricia Hunt of Case Western University in Ohio discovered that one of the components of Lexan polycarbonate resin–bisphenol-A (BPA)–can leach into water from water bottles. BPA is a potent hormone disruptor. It can impair the reproductive organs and have adverse effects on breast tissue and prostate development. Who do we believe? The water delivery company or Dr. Hunt? I’m inclined to go with Dr. Hunt. I went to a website maintained by the authors of Our Stolen Future: How We Are Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence and Survival, who are continuously searching the scientific literature for information on endochrine disruptors. The Our Stolen Future (http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/bisp page on bisphenol-a henola/bpauses.htm#recentimportant) gives a whole page of links to scientific studies that show that BPA damages the endocrine system in a variety of ways. BPA can leach from water bottles when exposed to heat and cleaning agents, but detectable levels of BPA can also leach into water from bottles just sitting at room temperature, according to a 2003 study conducted by the University of Missouri published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY Is there is a level of BPA that may be acceptable? To answer that question we have to ask: acceptable to who? A healthy male? A woman? A child? The elderly? And how would you know how much leaching has occurred in the water? It could easily vary from day to day depending on how long the water had been in the bottle, whether or not the sun was shining on the bottle in the delivery truck, and a variety of other factors. I’m concerned enough about the possible danger of BPA that I am no longer purchasing bottled water in plastic bottles. Health concerns aside, plastic is also not good for the environment. Americans use about 10 million tons of plastic every year, but recycle only about two percent of it. A plastic milk jug takes about one million years to biodegrade. And, getting back to health concerns, the manufacture of plastics produces toxic wastes that return to us indirectly through polluted air, water, and soil. But we also have to use common sense and choose the greatest benefit at any given time. If your choice was to drink spring water in the polycarbonate bottle or drink tap water or drink no water at all on a hot summer day, I would say drink the purer spring water in the polycarbonate bottle. Once in a while, a single exposure will not do much harm. But you don’t want to be using water contained in a Lexan polycarbonate resin bottle as your everyday source of water supply, or drink from these bottles all day long, every day. There are other options. BETTER OPTIONS My best recommendation is to get a good water filter that is right for your water and filter your water at home. That way there is no questionable leaching at all. Even though this may be expensive, it is one of the best investments you can make in your health and will save thousands of dollars in medical expenses in the long run. For those of you who carry or purchase water in the small, single-serving Lexan polycarbonate bottles, you can purchase plastic-free refillable bottles in various sizes to suit your needs. They are lightweight and much more attractive than the disposable plastic bottles. It’s a good idea, particularly in the summertime, to carry clean water with you, as your body needs water throughout the day for good health. The Mayo Clinic suggests you divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water every day. So if you weigh 128 pounds, that would be 64 ounces or 8 8-ounce glasses of water per day. It’s better to carry your own clean water in a safe container than drink tap water or water in a plastic bottle. For sources of water filters and reusable plastic-free refillable bottles, visit http://www.debraslist.com/water/index.html. Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website to learn more about her new book Home Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products. http://www.dld123.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Lynn_Dadd http://EzineArticles.com/?Toxic-Plastic-Water-Bottles&id=27878 san antonio refinance car loan bad credit finf me a personal loan for bad credit fast cash payday loan payday loan centreville rd manssas va

By Natalie Aranda Among the many different wedding favors and bridal gifts that, you can choose from for your upcoming event, taking into account World’s Finest Chocolates, as a substitute for the traditional favor is an innovative idea that you must consider. There is an elegant Lindt Chocolates umbrella that easily could be transformed into the center of attention in a Wedding Favors table, and some Nestle chocolate miniatures are great instead of rice if you and your friends make original wedding crafts. Candies and chocolate wedding favors makes sweet the sweetest day of a bride, and the guests attending a wedding reception or wedding shower. In fact, there are brides that decide to have a chocolate-theme wedding and it is not strange to find the World’s Finest Chocolates as part of a sweet buffet or wedding reception table. Some Wedding Favors are actually available at convenience stores, but you can make your own chocolate favors with a little skill and a lot of imagination. Lindt Chocolates Truffles are perfect for manual arts works because it is a creamy chocolate, there is no risk of deterioration from the warm temperatures of the ceremony or reception day, as it already has a smooth consistency. For weddings and receptions, lace bags with a few Nestle chocolate golden coins make some of the most delicious Wedding Favors, making it hard to decide between keeping or eating this original detail, which has a shelf life of one year when it is properly stored at room temperature Choosing the right Wedding Favors depend on the wedding theme or the original idea coming from the bride. Favors can also be elegant or casual, matching with the invitations or decoration of either the ceremony or reception. When it comes to the World’s Finest Chocolates, browsing an online catalog is helpful to find which are the most suitable to be included as part of the Wedding favors, of those which are already for sale at retail and wholesale stores. Chocolate candy brands such as Nestle chocolate, Haribo, Ce De and Lindt Chocolates have a special variety of wedding favors and candy presents for the most important day of a woman’s life. In Greece, sugarcoated almonds are traditional wedding favors called “Koufeta*. Almonds in odd numbers are placed into little bags and then served to guests on a silver tray as a symbol of the indivisible for the newlyweds. In America, chocolate covered almonds can easily surpass this tasty tradition, while maintaining a good luck symbol. Whatever your traditions and the choice of the World’s Finest Chocolates, remember that Weddings Favors must be as special as the Wedding day itself. Natalie Aranda writes on home and family. Choosing the right Wedding Favors depend on the wedding theme or the original idea coming from the bride. Favors can also be elegant or casual, matching with the invitations or decoration of either the ceremony or reception. Chocolate candy brands such as Haribo, Nestle chocolate, Lindt Chocolates and Ce De have a special variety of wedding favors and candy presents for the most important day of a woman’s life. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Aranda http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Choose-Chocolate-Wedding-Favors&id=360649 personal unsecured loans capital one personal loans accredited bad credit personal loans unsecured medical loans

By Ebe Heng River dry fly fishing considered as the purest form of fly fishing inspired generations of writers, artists, poets and even philosophers to wax lyrical about its pleasures. The gist to river dry fly fishing lies in the rise. Here, the angler waits patiently for a rise to begin before he or she starts to fish. And the art comes in persuading a particular trout to take your artifical pattern among a host of natural flies. Rise forms vary widely from hour-to hour and river-to river. From the way a trout breaks the surface (a rise), an experienced angler can tell how and what the trout feeds. The classic rise is when a series of concentric rings fan out on the surface as the trout confidently engulfs the fly as it drifts past. Trouts do not rise vertically in the water, instead they drift back on the current to intercept the fly. The trout will then return to its station in the stream, usually inbetween weed beds on a shallow gravel run, under a bridge, overhanging tree or in a hatch pool, to wait for the next free meal. Other rises includes: Nebbing rise occurs when the trout pushes its nose right out of the water as heavy hatches of flies hover over its head. Splashy rise is a violent splashing which usually happens in the evening when the trout are after mayfly or caddis. Sipping rise happens when insects are trapped in the surface film and usually leaves a bubble behind. Sub-surface rise causes all the problems as the rtout seems to be rising to take a surface fly, bt it is really taking an emerging nymph. As it does so, it disturbs the water making it looks like a proper rise. Head and tail rise are usually seen in smooth stretches of water to nymphs trapped below the surface film where the whole fish appears. The challenge comes in first identifying the fly that the trout is taking, whether they are taking duns or spinners, or if they are nymping sub-surface. After selecting the correct fly, the next challenge comes in persuading the trout to take it. The observant dry-fly angler learns by experience to recognize the different types of rise that commonly make. This will help him to select the correct fly and present it in a manner that the feeding fish will accept. Once a correct imitation fly to match those that the trout are taking is selected, get a position downstream and cast at but not over the rising fish. Highlighted are the common rises, to net that ‘big one’, all you need is to match the correct fly to what the trout is looking for and cast your rod! Wishing you loads of catch! Are you looking forward to that one big catch? Ebenezer Heng has co-created the ultimate, informative and useful fly fishing directories for anyone seeking to know more about flyfishing. Read about the equipment, places and other trivias to net a prize catch! Check out=> http://www.flyfishinglovers.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ebe_Heng http://EzineArticles.com/?A-Simple-Way-To-Identify-and-Catch-The-Big-One-in-River!&id=16341 faxless payday loans no fax cash advance faxless cash personal payday loans bad credit direct persona loan lenders no middle man money now loan

By Christine Stoddard High school is the proverbial stepping stone from childhood to adulthood, often making it a confusing and, times an overwhelming, period. You’re bound to have questions about the next step in your life, but sometimes that most puzzling question is what to ask. Here are questions you should throw at your high school counselor the next time you wonder what you’ll do after high school graduation: 1.What upper-level classes are available at this school? Ask if your school offers Honors, Advanced, Gifted, Intensified, Advanced Placement (AP), and/or Internal Baccalaureate (IB) classes. Colleges love to see that you’ve taken a challenging course load. 2.What advanced classes do you think are appropriate for me? Most students should not take all upper-level classes every period of the day because they often amount to unmanageable amounts of homework and unneeded stress. You, your parents, and your counselor should decide what your strengths and weaknesses are to determine which advanced classes are right for you and which ones you should avoid. 3.What does the average student course load at this school look like? Remember, you want to stand out in the college admissions process, so try to take a course load that goes above and beyond what the average student at your school takes. If you attend a highly competitive high school, this may be very difficult, but after discussing the subject with your counselor, you and your parents should be able to lay-out a schedule that suits your academic needs. 4.How is my GPA calculated? Different schools have different methods of calculating grades; some use 4.0 scales, while others use 10.0 or even 12.0 scales; other schools don’t calculate grades at all. Find out if your school weights grades (i.e., giving extra quality points for taking upper-level classes). 5.What is my current GPA? What can I do to improve my GPA? If your high school operates on the traditional 4.0 scale, you should maintain a 3.0 GPA if you’re looking at less competitive colleges and at least a 3.5 GPA if you’re interested in top-tier colleges—but remember that grades aren’t everything. If you fall slightly short of a college or university’s accepted average GPA, great standardized test scores, outstanding extracurricular activities, and a stunning essay may be enough to get you accepted anyway. 6.Are most of the graduating seniors at this school college-bound? Where do many of them go to college? It’s to your advantage if most seniors at your school don’t go to college, but if you attend a highly competitive high school, you will have to work extra hard to get accepted by your top school. Finding out where most seniors at your school go to college will help you gauge your grades and standardized test scores, and help you determine if you’re a good candidate for the college most seniors at your school end up attending. 7.Do you think I am a good candidate for college? What can I do to improve my candidacy for college? Maybe your past scholastic performance indicates that college may not be the best option for you after high school, but if you work diligently this year to improve your grades, then you’re at least in the running for a junior or community college—and you can always transfer to a four-year college later on. 8.When should I take the SAT I and SAT IIs? Is this school a testing center? Ask your counselor everything you need to know about the SAT; while your score on the test is not the most important factor in determining your acceptance into a college, it is one of the most important factors, so you need to be prepared to take the test and do your best. 9.When can I take AP/IB tests? Does this school pay for them or must my family cover the cost of taking the exam? Most colleges expect you to take at least one AP/IB class before you graduate from high school if you school offers any, but the most important thing you can do when taking the class is registering for the test. Colleges often care more about your score on the test than your grade in the class, so study hard for the test. 10.Does this school have a dual-enrollment program with the local community college? When can I begin taking classes there? If possible, try taking a class at your local community college during the school day in lieu of a regular high school course, or after school, or over the summer—so long as you think you can handle the intensity of a college-level course. It’s a great to prove to colleges that you’re prepared for a challenge. 11.What scholarships are available for students like me? This is an essential question if you suspect your family will have even the slightest difficulty in paying for college—which is probably 98% of Americans. Don’t think that you can depend on government aid alone; your family probably doesn’t qualify for as much from Uncle Sam as you hope. Unless your annual family income is under $45, 000, your family will have to pay for something—unless you win some fabulous scholarships. So start doing your research early! 12.What careers do you think seem like a good fit for me? If you have any doubts about your vocational direction, this is a wise question to ask, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow your counselor’s advice. Remember, what your counselor says is only a suggestion. Ultimately, you can do whatever you want to do so long as you have the motivation. If it makes it easier, print these questions out and bring them to your counselor-and then don’t be afraid to ask away! After all, you have a right to know the answers! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Stoddard http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Questions-Should-I-Ask-My-High-School-Counselor?&id=418783 temecula private money loan faxless payday loans no fax cash advance faxless cash personal loans 5000 dollars guaranteed bad credit special education paycheck template

By Carl Mueller For recent graduates, getting your job search moving in a positive direction can be a difficult task. Most recruiters tend to only fill jobs that require candidates that have at least several years of work experience so you might not get much help from them. For entry level positions, you might be competing with not only other recent graduates but with people with a few years of experience as well who might also be suitable for the job. One of the best ways to get your job search moving positively is through networking. Sure, you could email your resume off to dozens or hundreds of companies like everyone else does but remember that it takes one tenth the time to delete your email as it did for you to write it. When hiring managers get bombarded with resumes they tend to delete them and treat them like spam. There are better ways to utilize your time to get in touch with people who can positively influence your job search: 1. Speak with friends, family members and others who you know and let them know you are looking for a job. One of them might know someone who can help you. 2. Make a list of companies you’d be interested to work for and call (on the phone, not through email) the manager of the particular area of interest and ask to meet with them for 20 minutes to learn more about their company and job. It could lead to something more. 3. Attend networking events, trade shows or conferences that relate to your industry or field or expertise where you are likely to meet people who can positively influence your job search. 4. Scour industry-specific Internet job websites for jobs. Also search specific company websites to see what jobs they have available. Remember that when it comes to entry level positions, companies tend to like to fill these positions on their own. Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter who wants to help you find your dream career. Free newsletter: Separate yourself from other job searchers by signing up for his free monthly newsletter: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com/dream-career-finder.html Free 5-day course: Sign up for The Effective Career Planner, Carls free 5-day course: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com/effective-career-planner.html Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your website but please dont change any of the content and ensure that you include the above bio that shows my website URLs. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_Mueller http://EzineArticles.com/?Recent-Graduates:-How-To-Get-Your-Job-Search-Moving&id=142954 3000 bad credit loan payday loans approved in the state of georgia private graduate school loan with bad credit and no-cosigner no hassle no fax no employment verification payday advances

By Bonnie P Carrier What exactly is fall? Being my favorite season, I decided to look it up and see how Mr. Webster defines it. Flipping to fall I found autumn, ok turning to that here is what it says, autumn, the season that comes between summer and winter. Well, thats pretty cut and dry and I think most of us already know that, so here is my interpretation. Autumn; cool days leading into brisk nights. Fresh picked apples, leaves ablaze with color, pumpkins, gourds, Halloween, Thanksgiving and a brand new opportunity to decorate your home. Im not sure about you, but one of the reasons I love the fall is that with the cooler temperatures, I seem to have a renewed energy level. Daily activities are suddenly not such an effort. Think about the things you can do with this newfound energy. Giving your home a good cleaning – after all who wants to do that when its 90 and the humidity level is so high it feels like it could rain inside your home – sorting through and discarding unwanted items in closets, drawers and cupboards. Admiring mother natures magnificent color show while taking walks with the family or a favorite four-legged fur baby. As mentioned above, this is also an opportunity for change in your homes dcor. Now Im not talking about a complete redo, just adding accessories that are fall related is all thats needed. Changing your window treatments from light summery fabrics and colors to something with a heavier texture and darker color is one quick way to warm up a room for fall. Add some warm throws over the back or arms of the furniture, change out the accent pillows to something with a fall print or warmer colors, even just one or two pillows can make a difference. Swap out summer flower arrangements for new ones that have a fall theme. Take a walk around your yard or in a neighborhood park or state forest and look for things to use, like unusual shaped twigs, pinecones, acorns and seedpods. Mixing these with store bought silk mums, preserved leaves or cat -o-nine tails in any type of container you may have will give a fall look to any surface. Hang a grapevine wreath adorned with colorful mums on your door, or how about using the wreath as a centerpiece. Lay it in the middle of any table and place a ceramic or even real pumpkin in the middle. Speaking of pumpkins, purchase a few – real or not – and spread them around your home both inside and out. Combine them with colorful gourds, apples, silk mums, leaves or berry vines in bowls or baskets for a festive look. Take a look around local discount and craft stores for artificial fruit. The advantage to these is once this season has passed they can be packed away until needed again next year, so this makes for a very economical and savvy investment. Scent is another indication of the fall season. Candles and potpourri in fall fragrances like pumpkin; spiced apple or cider will make walking into your home a wonderful experience. Below are a couple of favorites of mine. Potpourri – Natures Own Potpourri, located in Tennessee, I have used many different brands and this is by far the best. Some of my favorite scents are: Apple Tree, American Harvest & Country Retreat. Candles Village Candle Factory Store, located in Topsham Maine. Ive been burning candles for many years and these are my absolute favorite. As for the smell, well all I can say is yummmmm. Favorite scents consist of: Crisp Apple, Spiced Pumpkin, Mulled Cider & Gingerbread. How ever you decide to celebrate and decorate for fall, stay warm, get comfortable and settle in while you wait for the next season to visit. About The Author Bonnie P. Carrier is the creator of Savvy Home Decorating. She is the mother to two grown daughters and a very spoiled 4yr old Blue Merle Sheltie named Toby. Having been a homemaker for over 23yrs has provided years of experience in budget decorating and organization. Stop by Savvy Home Decorating – www.savvy-home-decorating.com – for ideas and tips on budget decorating: bonnie@savvy-home-decorating.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bonnie_P_Carrier http://EzineArticles.com/?Fall—A-New-Season—A-New-Decorating-Scheme&id=16571 rome georgia cash until payday cash advance check to self personal or business loan no teletraks loan brokers fast and simple apply online get answers in seconds

By Connie Bowen Its been nine years now since I retired from my full-time career of court reporting. Id been a reporter for 23 years and was trying to find just the right part-time job for my interests and abilities. In my search, I had taken a part-time job for a veterinary clinic working in the kennel area because I dearly love animals. After five months, however, this proved to be too strenuous a job for me. I loved caring for the animals, but most of my time was spent cleaning the kennels and bedding, and washing and disinfecting food bowls and floors. On Sundays I was alone all morning sometimes with 25 dogs and 5 cats to care for and not all the animals were friendly and happy to be there. In fact, most of them wanted to go home so badly, the barking never stopped. Id spend time reading their information sheets aloud and telling them how many big sleeps it would be before they got to go home. I was so exhausted from standing on the cement all day, I finally decided to try something else I felt I would be more physically suited to. I answered ads galore and visited scores of employment agencies, all to no avail. I was confused as to which direction to take next so I attended a drop-in support group for job seekers and listened attentively to each persons story. As it got closer to my turn to speak, I felt my emotions beginning to well up inside me. I was becoming bitter about the whole process of interview/interviewee. I had tried dressing for success and felt my left toe going numb in my too-tight heels, the air being squeezed out of my lungs in my fashionable leather belt and my ear lobes stinging with pain from my upscale earrings. My son had commented to me as he saw me going to one more job interview, Mom, if you dont like wearing those clothes, why do you do it? I had to admit, I had no good answer for him. I have to look good for my job interview was all I could manage to mumble. In the support group, when it came time for me to speak, I almost broke out in tears of frustration. I railed against the 8:00 to 5:00 time card mentality of the companies I had applied to work for. The facilitator ended my monologue with, Why do you want to work for anybody else? It sounds like you want to work for yourself. Ahhhh, the clarity of those words was like putting a piece of duct tape over my mouth. I was suddenly speechless. He had said it all for me. What Color Is Your Parachute? was a book that a job counselor had recommended that I read. She said I was unfocused as to exactly what I wanted in a new career direction. I found a copy of the book at the library and devoured every page and did every exercise hoping to uncover my hidden interests and unknown skills. Time and again after each exercise I came up with the exact same three passions: art, animals and metaphysics. With one exercise, I was to imagine which group of people I would gravitate toward at any party. I picked the artistic/intuitives. Every magazine that came to my house covered one or all of those subjects, and every bookmark on my computer was from a website that specialized in one of those areas. Now that I had my most favorite passions in mind, what was I to do with them? Deep in the recesses of my mind, I knew that I loved to draw and paint animals, but how could I turn that into a career? Would anyone want a portrait of their companion animal? What would I charge and how would I begin? I attended a dog show and a dog walking fundraiser and put in my booth a painting of my Australian Shepherds along with samples of other paintings I had completed for friends and family. One by one the orders started to trickle in. I learned how to write html and loaded a page on ebay offering my services as an animal portrait artist. Everywhere I went I used affirmations to bolster my courage and send a message out to the universe. I am working full-time as an animal portrait artist, I repeated. Prosperity flows easily to me as I share my gifts with the world. Sure enough, orders from my ebay page started to come to me. I was shipping completed portraits all over the country and up into Canada! Now, as we step into present day, the feedback from my clients is enormously satisfying. I have that fulfilled feeling in my heart that Id always wanted in my work. Metaphysics also looms large in my experience of painting portraits. One time recently I was working on a portrait for a friend I met through ebay. The portrait was of a German shepherd that had passed over the Rainbow Bridge. He looked almost exactly like my long-haired German shepherd that had died years ago. This German shepherd was named Wolf and his one ear was relaxed and tipped over just like my shepherd’s one ear. The resemblance was uncanny! As I was attempting to paint Wolf’s portrait, I was having so much trouble. I literally worked 2 hours on just the layout and then ended up painting out what I had started and beginning again! This had never happened before. I felt I was having an emotional block because of the resemblance. I said a quick prayer for help and continued on. I was moving my little magnifying glass over the picture and zeroing in on one of his eyes. Just then, his eye GLEAMED at me, with a light that radiated from the picture! I froze. I felt chills run up and down my spine. It was then that I saw it ~ a tiny, hairline scratch on the photo that was reflecting the light back to me and bringing his eye to life! From then on I realized that I had all the help I needed. I felt his energy with me with each stroke of my brush. I continue to this day to feel each animals energy as I paint. I sometimes run my hand back and forth over the photo. Ive felt the festive personality of a cocker spaniel, or the quiet pulled-in nature of an aging poodle. When I feel a blockage and I cant seem to get the animals likeness just right, I say a prayer and hear words of encouragement come to me and Im guided as to what and how next to apply the paint. My love and devotion to animals and to portray them as the faces of love that they truly are has led me in a new direction of happiness, fulfillment and peace. To all who are searching as I have done: its all there inside you ~ just reach in, reach out and know that you are loved!!! This article may be re-published freely as long as the following resource box is included at the end of the article and as long as you link to the URL mentioned in the resource box: Pet Portrait Artist and Professional Illustrator Connie Bowen creates stunning pet portrait paintings on canvas from photos. Specializing in capturing the spiritual nature of dogs, cats, horses and other animals in a realistic fashion with impressionistic backgrounds as seen on Oregon Public Broadcastings TV show, Art Beat. Over 200 pet portraits completed and counting! Visit http://www.conniebowen.com to view exquisite samples. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Bowen http://EzineArticles.com/?Career-Change—Do-I-Dare-Do-What-I-Love-For-A-Living?&id=159553 san antonio bad credit used car loan can you recieve federal loan money for college in your fith year can i hold an employees paycheck until they return company property online commercial loan database

By Bill Guerra This is a question that many new investors ask themselves I have asked myself this many times also. This of course must be answered individually, however below are some things to consider prior to taking that much desired step as an investor. My first year I used my job earnings to put money back in building my business. Prudent investors do not open a business without a cash flow coming in regularly, or 3-6 months reserves. Disclaimer: Steve Cook did, but most of us may not be the next Steve Cook of investing, shucks anyway! For the rest of us, this article may be of help. How do we know what a prudent reserve is? We have not run this type of business before, thus, costs are unknown! Well some of these expenses are: Car signs, gasoline, business cards, newspaper and Nifty Nickel ads, more gas, tires, lunches networking with investors, earnest monies, computers, printers, did I mention gas, desks, paper, ink, lock boxes, small tools, more ads, high speed cable, stamps, investor club fees, course fees, boot camp fees, copies, and bandit signs. Keeping the full time job helps pay for these unseen and unknown expenses for awhile. That is only the first year of business, starting the second year new expenses rear there ugly head. CPA, Attorney fees, bigger printers, the second computer so you can take your laptop to with you and comp properties on the spot, and if one crashes you are still functional. Now the long term investor will purchase computer programs, Microsoft Small Business package with Outlook Express, Excel, and Word these will make your business efficient thus saving your most precious commodity- your time. Virus protection is a must theres fifty bucks. No one can do what you do as good as you and thats find the deals. So better equipment and programs will help free you up to do what you do best. You say wait a minute, I am no computer guru neither was I thats why I contract one! Once you have computers you have computer problems! Another unseen but real expense. This is long term thinking. Hiring out services in the second year is a must for time management, but you can because now you are making money investing and have a job to pay for expenses. This exponentially increases your business success. It may help to, every 4 months cut one day out a week at a time from your job. Now I am making good money so its time tell the boss take that job and shove it” maybe, maybe not, February and March can be very slow months, but the bills continue to come in like clockwork. Then there are the expenses that being new you occur simply because you dont know any better and buy stuff you dont need or find out you can get it cheaper else where! Yes that was the voice of experience talking. LOL! Health insurance is an expense that is a must, no one expects a hospital visit but it can ruin your finances, so the long term investor will calculate that in your monthly expenses. Credit is always a excellent investment in our business. To keep good credit monthly bills must be paid on time. Which will not occur waiting for a deal to close that you did not expect to have liens on it, or a lien put on it even after you checked title, or any other hidden problems that we are not aware of, why because again you are a new investor. A year or two in the business will uncover a lot of these hidden expenses. Hopefully this has given you some ideals as to if its time to go full time or not. I have gotten conservative over the years; I have felt the pain of poor decision making, not fun. So now if I must err I will err on the side of safety. I have seen guys blow in and out of this business because they tried to go full time too quick. Its okay to still work until it is ridiculous to continue, oh and in case youre wonderingI still work two days a week, as of March 2004. Update: I have been a full time investor since January 2005 Bill Guerra (Bill in Vegas) is a full time real estate investor in Las Vegas. He has bird-dogged, wholesaled, rehabbed, and partnered on 110 houses in the past 26 months. He was a registered nurse until and went full time two years after he started in real estate investing. http://www.WillBuyAnyHouse.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Guerra http://EzineArticles.com/?Should-I-Quit-My-Day-Job?&id=174538 instant cash 4 newbies complaints lenders for autofinancing bad credit sba loan pay day max