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We all want to be happy. But what is happiness? Is it the same for everyone? How do we know if we’re happy? And can anyone be happy all of the time? How can we find happiness? These questions come to mind when we speak of life happiness.

Our perception of life happiness is as individual as the way we perceive hot or cold. It’s sort of the same for all of us, yet it’s different too. No two people are exactly alike, so neither can our description of what makes a life happy be the same.

Webster’s Dictionary says happiness is: A state of well-being and contentment

An online dictionary says happiness is:

1. Characterized by good luck; fortunate

2. Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy

So, if we use these definitions, in order for us to say we are happy we would be fortunate, showing pleasure and feeling content. That makes sense. Most of the people that we think are happy usually show these characteristics, so lets use this definition and go from there.

Can I have life happiness if I don’t think I’m fortunate? Hmmm, that’s an interesting question isn’t it? Most people are happy when they feel fortunate or blessed by good luck, and most people who feel unfortunate or feel like they have lots of bad luck are unhappy. BUT, perception is everything.

A person can break their leg in a skiing accident (bad luck) and still be happy and smiling because they feel blessed and fortunate (probably because they didn’t break both legs!). They might be happy because they know that their leg will heal, and because they were having such fun skiing (up until they ran into the tree at 100 miles/hour!!)! Get the picture?

Or a person could have what most of us would call good fortune and still seem not to have life happiness. There is an art to happiness, and some of us know it and some of us don’t, but we all can learn.

Is life happiness the same for everyone? Probably not, even though the normal signs of happiness listed above in the dictionary definitions probably show up in every person who is happy. Different things make different people happy, so happiness and the pursuit of happiness cannot be the same.

For example: I am a quiet type of person who loves to work from home and socializes only once or twice a week. You may be a very gregarious person who works in an office full of people and lunches with a different person each day and goes to a party every Saturday evening.

We’re both happy, but our lifestyles are very different. Besides that, what you view as something that would produce happiness may not be a priority for me. Maybe it makes you happy to go on wonderful ski vacations twice a year. It might make me happy to go on wonderful vacations in my back yard and to squirrel my money away. Both situations are right, and we are both happy.

How do you know if you’re happy? The best way to tell if you are happy is to ask yourself how you are feeling. Really feeling. Do you feel at ease, relaxed and OK with how things are going on a pretty consistent basis? Then you’re probably happy. Feel your body. Is your body relaxed, does it feel calm? You’re probably happy.

Remember, happiness doesn’t come from anywhere but inside. If you are in tune with what is right for you, you will be happy. If you are trying to live someone else’s definition of authentic happiness, you probably won’t be.

Can anyone have authentic happiness all the time? Yes! Well, OK, if a terrible tragedy strikes, you probably won’t be happy at that time. But, you can work through the tragedy and the accompanying emotions knowing that life happiness can and will return when you’ve taken time to properly allow healing. Otherwise, yes. You can be happy all the time. Maybe not jumping up and down and laughing happy every moment, but peaceful content happy, certainly, and that’s equally valuable. Life’s small irritants come and go each and every day.

We have a choice whether we greet them with a calm smile or with an angry frown. Either is fine, but the calm smile will help you navigate life in a more happy state of being, and help you find happiness on a consistent basis. Remember, the art of happiness has a lot to do with perception.

Recent research shows what many of us have long suspected. Happiness, and the pursuit pg oy has more to do with an individual’s perception and what’s going on inside that person, than money, fame, or power. Even though those things may bring a feeling that is like happiness, it is attached to those things. Real happiness is much more attached to how a person perceives life. Luckily, if you are the type of person who has a “glass half empty” outlook on life, you can learn to have a “glass half full” attitude which will gain you happiness.

Winsome’s special topics include Personal Development, Setting goals, Life Happiness and self growth

For free e-books, tools and information about Life Happiness go to:

http://www.4lifeselfhelp.com

One of the most important things a steelhead angler needs to learn is the run timing of the rivers they fish. Some good ways to do this is watching for concentrations of other anglers, contacting local hatcheries for return information, reading fishing articles, and check several Websites for updated information on Steelhead returns. Also, successful steelhead angling depends primarily on river levels or flow rates, and water clarity water temperature does play a part also however I do not believe this is as important as water color. You can find this information on the USGS website for almost all rivers and this information is kept current as to flows and anticipated flows.

If you head out after a heavy rain, with a few exceptions you will be wasting your time. Clear water is good, green or slightly colored water is even better, so call someone if you can and find out how the rivers and fishing are; most of your locale tackle shops will be able to provide you some information.

Over the years I have learned that line size, hook size and weight affect the drift angle and your presentation of the bait which plays a big role in increasing the percentage of strikes. You could write a book about each one of these items but if you remember to decrease the size of each of the above mentioned items you will be on the right tract. I have learned that when drift fishing from a boat, different styles of boats react differently in the current, this has a direct affect on the way the angler is able to drift the bait along the bottom.

Small spinners, drifted yarn flies, and float-fished roe bags, or shrimp are deadly on most steelhead rivers, so are black or brown nymph imitations. Sometimes under the right conditions (I wish I could tell you what these conditions are but I never know when they prefer these) steelhead will go crazy for medium-sized spoons and/or spinners. You cast them quartering upstream, let them sink almost to the bottom, and start a slow retrieve when the current starts to swings it towards the bank.

During the later steelhead season fly fishers that are skilled at nymph fishing can do very well in many of the runs. You can fly fish with less knowledge about bugs as it is more about presentation with the steelhead the which fly you should be using. You should be ready for cold water fishing as the water temps can be in the mid 30 degree range but for those who enjoy this type of fishing it can be extremely satisfying. Try swinging streamers made of rabbit or marabou if a steelhead is out there they should produce a strike and for what ever reason they seem to hit this type of fly pretty hard.

Steelhead, Salmon and Trout Fishing has been a passion of mine since I was a young boy. Most of my free time was spent on lakes and streams here in the northwest, and I have picked up on some interesting facts about fishing for these species over the last 45 years. I would like to share them with you through articles and at my websites I hope you find them helpful and enjoyable. So please stop by check out some information or just stock up on your fishing gear. Hope to see you on the river!
RR Smith
http://www.steelhead-gear.com for all your fishing needs
http://steelhead-gear.com/wordpress Steelhead, Salmon and Trout Fishing blog

Manufacturing used to be as American as apple pie and baseball.

In business 1980s, this began to change. In order for large U.S. original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to remain competitive in price-sensitive global markets, they were forced to reduce their costs.

One initiative was the move to outsourcing to take advantage of lower labor rates. At first these foreign countries did not have the ability to fully service the needs of large OEMs. They didn’t have factories, so they built them — state-of-the-art factories using the latest in manufacturing and information technology.

They didn’t have the quality levels required, so they learned from us. Now, lower labor rates are not the only driver moving OEMs to low-cost regions. We are being beaten at our own game.

Global competition now is right on the doorstep of even the smallest U.S. companies, and many are not prepared for the challenge.

In my previous corporate position as a commodity manager in the sourcing group of a major U.S. OEM, my job was to manage suppliers and reduce commodity costs. Unfortunately, this usually was achieved by moving our supply base off-shore.

Other commodity managers I know at large OEMs don’t enjoy moving business out of our country, but often say they have no choice because of the resistance they get from U.S. manufacturers in implementing cost-saving changes and state of the art technology and processes.

The average cost savings produced by moving suppliers to foreign countries is about 40 percent. So, how do we compete?

To stay in the game we need to reduce this gap to between 20 percent and 30 percent to make the total landed cost of transition less appealing to our customers. U.S. manufacturing companies can be competitive with companies in lower-cost regions, but it’s going to require effort, passion and most importantly, changes in the way we are doing business. If you are still doing business the same way you did 20 or 30 years ago, your company is in extreme danger.

Is your company in fighting form? Here are four areas to evaluate within your own firm:

*Do you have a strategic supply chain process that includes formal contracts with your suppliers and continuous raw market, commodity spend, and inventory analysis? business Strike one!

*Do you have an automated enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology system that integrates activities from the production floor, purchasing, inventory control, product distribution and order tracking that drives the manufacturing flow? No? Strike two!

*Do you use lean manufacturing and Six Sigma-based processes on your production floor? No? Strike three!

*Have you developed a Global Footprint by either partnering with or building your own manufacturing facility in a Low Cost Region? No? You’re OUT!

Just as in baseball, three strikes and you’re out. If you are not currently adding or developing all four of these strategies, you are out of time. Speed and agility are the name of the game. While we are moving forward slowly — our competition is moving very quickly. The technologies exist that can make companies more effective and efficient, and our offshore competitors are using them. Why aren’t we?

I have been in factories in China, Hong Kong and Mexico, and I was impressed. The U.S. manufacturing industry typically has exhibited a reluctance to change (remember the auto industry?), and while the majority of company owners know the wolf is at their door, many are still using either a “wait-and-see” attitude or are in complete denial that they are in the ninth inning and there will be no overtime.

This resistance to change may be driven by denial, fear, time or money crunch, or just lack of education on how efficiently they could be performing using tools that are easily available today. But if improvements in the four crucial areas noted above are not made an immediate priority, I believe within a few short years the road of U.S. manufacturing will be lined with the carcasses of companies that began making changes too late.

Companies that are willing to rise to the challenge and embrace the changes required are being rewarded for their efforts. Depending on the level of efficiency a company currently is operating, most companies that implement these strategic processes will gain an immediate savings of at least 15 percent to 30 percent.

It will be enough to level the playing field and keep more business here at home.

U.S. manufacturers can sit in the dugout and hope outsourcing goes away, or we can do what Americans do best: Get back in the game. So, are YOU ready to play ball?

Joanne Rainey, C.P.M.

The Supply Chain Gal

Southwest Outsource Purchasing, LLC is dedicated to helping small to mid-sized companies improve their Supply Chain and Production Operations processes through Strategic Consulting and Program Management. We offer a partnership monthly retainer program that allows your company immediate access to consulting and project management services with highly skilled professionals in the industry for an affordable price. Let us help you stay in the game!

http://www.swpurchasing.com