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In a departure from what you might expect from an article forum, we would like to offer the opportunity for you to take a more interactive approach to learning the basics of The Skills. Anyone can try these exercises either in their personal or professional encounters, or both, and better yet, no one need know that they are participants in your learning!

Rather than simply tell you what you should be looking for in these exercises, we think it would be more fun for all involved if we held back a little and let you experience for yourself the most important building block of The Skills.

Modern presentation theory espouses a conversational approach to presenting, because that’s the way to maximize both comfort and trust between you and the audience. The conversational approach, a modern refinement of the humanist style first made popular in western cultures by president John F. Kennedy, is quite a bit different from the oratory style that most people associate with earlier great speakers such as Winston Churchill.

The foundation of the conversational approach is proper eye-contact, and the nature of that eye-contact is quite unlike the way 99% of presenters practice. In fact, once you know what to look for, you will discover that what first differentiates those who have The Skills from those who don’t is the way they engage their audiences with their eyes. Make no mistake, proper eye-contact is only one component of The Skills, but when you understand exactly how you must look at your audience to be a great speaker, the other components tend to fall into place.

When you nail down these (surprisingly straightforward) eye contact techniques, you can deliver to a group of 500 without ever feeling more anxiety than you would when discussing your job to friends around a lunch table. Most people find that hard to believe until they’ve actually received training in The Skills, but when you get it, it’s rather powerful stuff!

These exercises sound simple enough, but they do require a bit of vigilance on your part to have the desired effect. You must practice them at every opportunity for a week or so. At the end of that time you will know what you need to know to move on to the next level of acquiring The Skills, but only if you make a conscious effort to do what the exercises ask you to do every day.

Exercises:

1. Observe others’ eye contact. In every situation in which you interact with others, watch their eyes. Observe how long they maintain eye contact while they are speaking to you. Watch how they maintain eye contact while speaking to others. As often as you can, count the number of seconds they maintain continuous eye contact before switching to a new target and note this, preferably in a log of some sort.

2. In situations where someone is speaking to a group, again count the number of seconds the speaker maintains eye contact with each individual. Determine what the average amount of time is.

3. Be conscious of your own eye contact. When speaking with someone, do you stay focused on them? Do you look up, away, or down while speaking? Or do you maintain eye contact the entire time you are speaking with someone? How often do you move away from eye contact and then return? Do you look at other people for the same amount of time when talking to one as when you are talking to many?

If you’ve vigilant in your observations, you’ll probably be very surprised at the amount of time people hold continuous eye-contact when speaking. And yet it is this amount of time that sets the tone for what makes average speakers average and great ones great.

J. Douglas Jefferys brings twenty-five years of corporate training experience to his role as a principal of PublicSpeakingSkills.com [http://www.publicspeakingskills.com]. His firm changes presenters lives forever with their unique apporach to training presentation design and delivery skills. Discover how to design and deliver presentations that audiences actually listen to by visiting their website now. For a quick and entertaining video of Mr. Jefferys’ unique style and approach, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whTwjG4ZIJg

A recent article spurred my reoccurring thoughts about the growth of what I think of as environmental diseases. As a Green Consultant trainer, I have often spoken of the rise of immune related illnesses that parallel our country’s increased use and fondness for chemical laced and petroleum derivative products. This report only added to my belief that we are cleaner and more sanitized, but we are also weakened by the products we use in our homes and offices. An AP medical report says,

“In 2007, approximately 3 million children under the age of 18 were reported to have had a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months, compared to slightly more than 2.3 million children (3.3 percent) in 1997, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

This same report says food allergies are up by 18%, but similar trends are being seen in asthma. Asthma cases have more than doubled since 1980, and that is more than a population issue. Some report that we are “too clean” and “too sanitized” to allow fetal and early childhood immunities to develop. Realize that the non-affected people are eating the same food, breathing the same air, and living in similar situations. So, why them and not me? Most of us are IMMUNE to these irritants and can tolerate repeated exposure without much more than minor discomfort. Others are not, and it seems that this is not just a sanitation or medical issue. I feel that we are continually wearing away our immune system, and it is not merely a dietary replacement or vitamin issue.

Every American, and even third-world citizens, live in a ” Toxic Soup ” when it comes down to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). This invisible contamination may be like a fish tank that has gone too long between changes. The water is still wet, but it is filled with build ups of toxic substances that will eventually sicken and kill the fish. Every person knows that a healthy aquarium is a careful balance of ingredients and removal of toxins. Our atmosphere is air, and it too can be filled with some pretty incredible stuff. Did you know that formaldehyde is common in many construction material and furniture, and that it outgasses for months into the air we breath? The smell of bleach, fresh paint, new carpet, and new furniture are nasty fumes called volatile organic compounds (VOC) that have proven acute and chronic health affects?

Into this same Toxic Soup, you must add the air fresheners, cleaning products, window cleaners, toilet sprays, detergents, sanitizers, and polishes that are frankly filled with multi-syllabic named chemicals that are potential health hazards. You will also find cigarette ash, arsenic, lead, dust mite feces and scales, pollen, pet dander, and dust particles of all types. We also anoint ourselves with cologne, perfumes, deodorant, cosmetics, hair spray, and body lotions that leave a trail of pleasant scents. We use bleach and ammonia products that are frankly dangerous products, and we sprinkle carpet deodorizer throughout house.

Bioaccumlation refers to the compounding affect of all these ingredients that are like layers of paint on an old house. It doesn’t make the house better, it just covers up the obvious flaws. Biomagnification means that some ingredients actually heighten the impact of other ingredients already floating around. In the end, we are like the fish trapped in a toxic tank of bad water. Breathing is one of the first indicators that something is wrong, headaches will follow, and then comes a failing of health with illness and lethargy. These are symptoms that there is something wrong. Years ago when bowling alleys allowed smoking, I would get a splitting headache after thirty minutes in these places. After I left, so did the headache. Could it have been the air? Have you ever driven behind a diesel bus blowing black smoke at you as your travel behind it? Many people get that same kind of acute headache that passes when they get back into fresh air.

Therefore, I have a theory that is supported by a good body of science which I cannot quote but clearly says that food allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivity, ADD, ADHD, and other diseases like cancer and auto immune disease are hitting us more often because we have weakened immune systems. Our immune system is not weak from fighting the normal stuff out there, but the artificial stuff that hits it 24/7 and all year long. Though a theory, I feel strongly convinced that we are using chemical and petroleum-based products to such an extreme that it is killing us … or at least setting us up for the kill.

This may sound very “retro,” but there is a need to return to our grandmother’s way of cleaning. It may not have been as sanitary or beautifully-scented as your store-bought products, but it produced a healthier and more robust generation than now. Don’t be enticed by the commercial that brag about being “New and Improved.” These products have been improved by adding yet another chemical that will likely further harm your family. Take some lesson from Naturally Green Clean author, and discover that anyone can clean their home using just a few commonly available ingredients. Better yet, you will save a ton of money while your family enjoys a respite from the toxic soup for a while.

Giving your family the gift of health is not a call to a higher level of cleaning, but a lower level of toxins that we all purchase at exorbitant prices. Does it amaze you that people pay huge prices to buy cigarettes that are sure to kill them? In yet another fool’s errand, isn’t it strange that we that we are such addicts to cleaning products that smell pleasant but are poisoning us too. If what you are using promises to blind, scar, sicken, or kill you if your ingest it; why on earth are you bringing it home to be spread throughout your home? Cleaning is not a technically difficult task. It does not require scrubbing bubbles, foaming action, or a 99.9% germ killing action. Natural and organic products are just as effective at cleaning, killing germs, and dissolving grease. Pick up a books and learn how to give your family the fundamental gift of life by making the air they breathe safe. Your reward will be in the hardship and suffer that you will never see in life of the people you love.

Michael Richmond is the director of the Green Clean Institute, and highly recommends the book Naturally Green Clean that explains how to clean your home naturally.

We are all guilty to some extent of eating for reasons other than because we are hungry. We eat because we are stressed, angry, annoyed, stressed again, partying, and just to fit in.

Probably the worst culprit is stress. Most of us suffer from relatively high levels of chronic stress from work, kids, partner, or the universe in general. Through evolution our bodies have been conditioned to respond to stress: they trigger the familiar fight or flight response. This response releases chemicals which lead to fat storage.

With stress, the body produces more cortisol. Your appetite increases, and most likely your craving for high calorie sweets and fats. More calorie intake leads to more fat storage, which in turn could lead to insulin resistance. The body can in the short term relieve stress from high fat/sugary foods. Unfortunately, for chronic stress, these high fat/sugary foods will lead to weight gain. Obesity leads to higher insulin resistance, and Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance increases the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Keeping your stress levels down should help to keep your weight down as well. Here are a few tips to reduce your stress levels.

• Adequate sleep.

  During sleep your body produces the feel good hormones - serotonin and dopamine. These feel good factors help to reduce your stress. See what happens when a baby is stressed - it cries itself to sleep. Another thing is if your body is not getting enough serotonin, it craves for sugary foods which also provide a quick, but short lived burst of serotonin.

• Exercise.

  High activity aerobic exercise which leaves you breathless also produces levels of serotonin. This is not to say that active people have no stress - just that its normally kept at more manageable levels. Remember that all exercise is good in that you increase your calorie usage. So if you can’t do aerobic exercise just walk around - even just standing is better than sitting. Recently, I watched a programme on the TV channel Five which suggested that you could even lose weight chewing gum.

• Outdoors.

  Daylight causes the body to produce some feel good factors as well. Ever noticed that if you spend days scooped up in rooms with artificial light you begin to feel the blues? As much as you can enjoy the outdoor scenery, while passively reducing your stress levels. Stay out of too much sun though - cancer is definitely something to avoid. Incidentally, there are artificial lights which are said to provide the full spectrum (or nearly) of the natural daylight. If so, they should be able to boost your feel good hormones as well. If you are always scooped up inside, you might to find out more about them. Personally, I have yet to try them.

• Touch and be touched.

  We all know that babies love being touched and cuddled. Seek out positive interactions with other people. Evidence suggests that this produces the social bonding hormone oxytocin, decreases blood pressure and lowers the effects of stress. This leads you being able to control your appetite better.Research also suggests that women benefit from a simple hug (they produce more oxytocin) - it helps to lower their stress levels. So if you are a woman, get loads of hugs from people you care about. If you are a man, don’t begrudge the lady a hug.

• Sex.

  Sex has a number of benefits, one of which is you get a physical workout. Research has also shown that sex, more so with a long term-partner, produces endorphins, oxytocin, and other feel-good hormones.

• Music. Music does wonders at relieving stress. There is no music type that equally effective for everyone. Just sit down and listen to the music of your choice, the music you are comfortable with.

The author is the webmaster of katsande.com. You can find more tips and interesting stuff in the blogs section.

When you read a quotation from some enlightened author, you’re getting right down into their best material. There’s no need to sift through hours of pages in order to find the best stuff; the best stuff is in the quote!

This is why I’ve spent years reading books of quotations. Can you imagine the wisdom buzz a person can get from that? Sure, you often have to read boring quotes, but every little while you’ll run into a real good one! And when this happens, your mind is stretched, your eyes are opened, and it can become an amazing intellectual or spiritual experience. And then you start over, because it becomes addictive.

Here are ten motivational quotes based on the topics of aspiration and life that I have always loved. Take the time to dig through them and glean the great lessons that they hold.

1. When a young man sets out to learn something of his own free will, he marks himself out as an exceptional man. And he begins to rise in the world. -Herbert N. Casson

2. Life is a petty thing unless it is moved by the indomitable urge to extend its boundaries. Only in proportion as we are desirous of living do we really live. - Jose Ortega y Gasset

3. It is asked, how can the laboring man find time for self-culture? I answer that an earnest purpose finds time or makes it. It seizes on spare moments and turns fragments to golden account. A man who follows his calling with industry and spirit, and uses his earnings economically, will always have some portion of the day at command. And it is astonishing how fruitful of improvement a short season becomes when eagerly seized and faithfully used. It has often been observed, that those who have the most time at their disposal profit by it the least. A single hour a day, steadily given to the study of some interesting subject, brings unexpected accumulations of knowledge. -Channing

4. Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure. -Thomas Edison

5. I am suffocated and lost when I have not the bright feeling of progression. -Margaret Fuller

6. I know of no more encouraging fact than the ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. It is something to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so make a few objects beautiful. It is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look. This morally we can do. -Thoreau

7. What would be the use of immortality to a person who cannot use well a half hour? -Emerson

8. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain

9. If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. -Thoreau

10. 1) Sit quietly for a moment, and you realize how you have been foolishly running about.
2) Learn to keep your mouth shut, and you realize you have been talking too much.
3) Avoid getting involved in too many things, and you realize that you have been wasting your time in unnecessary things.
4) Close the door, and you realize that you have been mixed up with too many kinds of people.
5) Have few desires, and you realize why you have had so many ills.
6) Be human, and you realize that you have been too critical of others. -Chen Chiju (1588-1639)

If you liked these motivational quotes, make sure to sign up for the thought for the day at HappyPublishing.com. There’s a great new quotes page there on hardship quotes.

Public speaking is a curiosity; most people either love it… or are absolutely terrified of it.

Some people are physically ill just saying their name in front of a group… while others will wrestle you to the ground to rip a microphone from your hand.

Over the years I have done somewhere over three thousand presentations nationally and internationally (including corporate stuff, educational stuff, sporting teams, schools and fitness industry stuff).

And at least five of those talks were good.

Alright, three.

I get emails every day asking me how I got to do what I do and what advice I might have to offer the would-be public speaker.

So rather than re-writing the same reply nineteen thousand times over the next ten years, I thought I might make my life easier and formalise my thoughts on the matter with a post.

Okay, pens poised.
(or printers turned on).

Here we go… Public Speaking 101:

1. Decide what kind of speaker you want to be:

Find your public speaking niche; what are you good at?

What are you suited to?

What are you passionate about?

Who do you want your audience to be?

What is your key message; your mission?

Do you want to do it professionally?

Are you an educator… “Okay class, let’s take a look at the physiological benefits of progressive resistance training for the elderly”

Are you a motivator… “I’m not interested in your comfort or enjoyment, I’m interested in results… now stop whining, stop bleeding and get up off the floor!!”
(Mmm… maybe that’s a masochist!)

Are you an entertainer… “hey guys, a funny thing happened on the way here tonight… “

2. Have a U.S.P.

In business we want something which separates us from our competitors; we call this a Unique Selling Proposition. If you want a successful career as a speaker then you need to give people a reason to want to utilise your services. People always have options… so we want to be the best option (eventually)… or a better option at least.

3. Spend significant time writing, preparing and committing your presentations to memory.
You need to (1) have great content (fresh, interesting, challenging, stimulating, confronting, funny, relevant) and (2) you need to know your stuff inside-out.
The better you know your material, the more relaxed you will be in front of your group.

Looking at notes repeatedly while you speak… not cool.

4. Practice often.

In the car.

In front of the mirror.

To your dog, cat, rabbit… plants!

Recruit an audience… your family perhaps.

5. Get feedback.

When you do any presentation (even if it’s a dry run in front of friends or family) ask for constructive feedback. Don’t be precious and consciously work on your weaknesses.

6. Film your presentation.

Want some real perspective?… watch yourself on film.
The first time I saw myself on video (it was the 80’s) I was totally weirded out by all of my little public speaking idiosyncrasies and habits… I repeated myself, I spoke too fast, I spoke with my back to the audience (as I wrote on a board), I kept rolling up my sleeves in this kind of unconscious nervous little ritual thingy (embarrassing) and my finish was about as exciting and empowering as porridge.

I hated watching myself.

But what it did was let me see what everyone else sees.

Not a particularly comfortable process but a valuable one.

I instantly became a better presenter after that.

(I didn’t want to put anyone through that pain again).

7. Do freebies.

Every public speaker has done hundreds of freebies along the way.
You can only develop a skill… by practising that skill.
Reading about, talking about and thinking about public speaking doesn’t improve your actual skills…. public speaking improves your public speaking skills.

8. Be able to present on different topics… or at least variations of the same topic.

If you can speak (competently) on a broad range of subject matter, you are more likely to be in demand.

9. Study other speakers.

Next time you watch another (quality) public speaker, take a look at the process through the eyes of a student public speaker; you will learn a bunch.
Watch how they engage their audience, their timing, their use of (appropriate) humour, how they dress, how they incorporate their audio-visual stuff, how they start, how they conclude.

10. Create opportunities

“So Sam, tell me a bit about yourself…”

“Well I actually do a bit of public speaking in the health and fitness area…”

“Hey that’s fantastic… how would you like to talk to my team of fat sales execs?”

11. Join a public speaking organisation

There are some great organisations (like toastmasters) who get like-minded people together and help them develop their public speaking skills and careers.

12. Don’t be impatient.

If public speaking is something that you might want to do long term, don’t be impatient.
Spend adequate time learning, watching, researching, practising and developing before you rent your first ten thousand seat auditorium.
Be ambitious.
And realistic.
And patient.

13. Know your audience.

Research the company, organisation, group that you’re speaking to.
What kind of group are they?
Will there be thirty or three hundred in the audience?
Are they corporates, are they truck drivers, are they predominantly male or female, are they kids, are they students… have they been presented to before?
Talk to the organiser (the person who gave you the gig) and get some insight into your audience.

14. Use audio-visual aids when appropriate and relevant.

The occasional well-placed video or slide can be a valuable addition to a presentation and can provide you with a nice opportunity to re-group, collect your thoughts and take a look at your crowd.
This concept is not to be confused with the mindlessly-boring presenter who feels compelled to base his entire presentation around a series of slides, photographs, charts and statistical tables.
(all high-lighted with his laser pointer gizmo).

If I see you doing that, I’ll hurt you.

15. Don’t rush your material.

Don’t talk too fast, don’t try and present too much information and don’t have too many slides (if you are doing a power-point presentation). Not too long ago I sat in a presentation where the speaker had over forty slides for a forty minute presentation.
It was a disaster and it hurt my brain.

16. Have a great finish.

Leave them inspired, challenged, excited, curious and impressed.

There you have it; Craig’s mini-seminar on public speaking.
I hope you found it interesting and valuable.

Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is an Australian motivational speaker, qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world.

He can be heard weekly on Australian Radio SEN 1116 and GOLD FM and appears on Australian television on Network Ten’s 9AM.

Motivational Speaker - Craig Harper

Welcome to part 2 of “Understanding the Lingo”; this is the final part I promise. I’ve got about 4 more terms to explain and then you’re ready to speak basic Forex language. The ladies love it… well, not so much but play along. Let’s get into it.

The bid price is the market buying price; the rate at which the market is prepared to buy a specific currency pair in the Forex market. What this means is the trader can sell the base currency. Like in the quote GBP/USD 1.9622/15 the bid price would be 1.9622; this means you can sell 1 GBP for 1.9622 USD. Not too complex, really.

The ask price is basically the opposite of the bid price; it’s the rate at which the market is prepared to sell a specific currency in the Forex market. This means, you guessed it, the price at which you can buy the base currency! Sometimes this is also called the offer price. Since examples are always nice let’s say the quote is EUR/USD 1.5448/15, this means you can buy 1 EUR for 1.5448 USD.

Next up we have the spread; sounds tasty. Basically it’s the difference between the bid and ask price. Typically when verbally referring to this they ditch some digits; like the USD/JPY rate may be 108.05/108.09 they would ditch the first three digits and quote it as “05/09″. See man this stuff really isn’t hard to understand.

Cross currency is literally any pair that doesn’t involve the USD. These pairs typically have chaotic price behavior because the trader has basically initiated two USD trades. Huh? Hold on to your hat man, this is going to blow your mind. Say you initiated a buy of EUR/GBP. It’s equal to buying a EUR/USD pair and selling a GBP/USD.

For reviews of the top three Forex trading systems, including the formerly-private-now-public Forex Funnel, click here: http://forex-funnel.the-perfect-solution.com

It is hard work to become a millionaire. This is especially true if you do it the hard way by starting at zero. There are a few secrets about how to get there that you need to know.

The first big secret, although it is not that big of a secret, is that you are going to have to go out there and take some kind of jump to do it. I was tempted to say risk, but that is not quite the right term. Taking a job has risk. You never know exactly how long you are going to have that job and no job is safe.

Having a job alone is not going to cut it. There are those jobs that will get you there there, but they are doctors, lawyers who bill out at $250 per hour and commercial real estate brokers who do $10M deals. These people are the exceptions. The rest of us need another way.

We all know someone who has been laid off. I live in Houston and can remember when Enron went under. There were a lot of smart people who had nothing to do with the scandal there. There were programmers, office assistants, IT people, and accountants who thought they were on a good place. All of a sudden they saw their retirement accounts go to nothing and were looking for work. This was the big one that caught headlines. How many other cases where a series of circumstances dried up all the cash of a company that had been in business for 50 years? How many times was a new executive get hired that made some ill-calculated decisions that cost millions of dollars where the company responses eventually lead to a “reduction in force”?

You need a job, but never become comfortable with the idea that this is what is going to carry you over to a financial threshold. Even if you worked your life there and put in you maximum amount into your 401K, you are still not looking at millionaire status until many years down the road. What will be the value of a million dollars then? Relying on savings and 401K money also means you have to survive the inevitable market corrections. Nothing is more discouraging than to see eight years of savings vanish because of “irrational exuberance” in the stock market.

All that being the case, you need to take some type of action to ensure your own financial security. The big question becomes what should that jump be and can you actually do it? Eventually you need to put down the copies of the “how to get rich” books and spend your time putting the plan into action.

For those who know what the target path is, it good for you. It is now time to start working. Others have a few ideas and probably more questions about the viability of our ideas than facts. For these people, the best course of action is to take the smallest and least risk components you can and start there.

A good example of low risk item to do - take you existing house, move out and lease it. This is more work and hours on your part, but it takes on less risk. Odds are if you bought a house, you have lived there for a couple of years. The market value is higher than what you paid and the note is at a lower amount than what you can get if you were to get a note for an investment property on the open market right now. Another way of saying all this, the cheapest way of buying a house is to get it for yourself.

Finding another house and packing up the kids stuff is no treat, but you now can now start building equity in two places and earning some cash on the side. When the market values go up, and they will, you gain twice as much as before. I have done this rotation several times and a significant piece of my wealth comes from this. Most people have a significant amount of their wealth tied up in their houses. Why not take advantage of that to its fullest.

One can only add additional rentals every few years. The in-between times are spent saving enough for the next down payment. In other words, there is time on your hands where you can do more. It is not just about doing one thing. To create wealth, we have to constantly look for new opportunities. If we get involved in something that becomes a full time effort, by all means we should focus all of our energy there. But for the new entrepreneur, some experimentation is most likely needed to find your true money making calling.

Take inventory about what you are truly gifted at. Do you mind going up to complete strangers in book stores and coffee shops and engaging them in meaningful conversations? If yes, you need to be in a multi-level-marketing business. I cannot do that and do not want to do that so I have to look elsewhere. I only found this out after failing at a multi-level-marketing. Do you have a specific interest in something and enjoy hunting down suppliers of that? If yes, then consider opening an online store or finding an online channel to sell through.

I have always been a big sports fan. I even went through a period where a friend and I traveled a few parts of the country to visit some of the baseball stadiums. I really enjoy learning about the park history and some of the nuanced statistics of the game. One of the businesses I got into was buying and selling baseball tickets. This lead to buying and selling tickets to other sporting and concert events. This very quickly became a lucrative business for me. I now hire other people to take care of certain aspects of the business. Not only am I making money from doing it, I turned it into another business by teaching people how to do it.

The ticket-selling business was not the first or only other business I had started. Many others flat out did not work or I lost interest. The fact I lost interest proved to me that it was a not a good choice to begin with. When I did have interest in the business, sometimes not matter how much interest you have, if there is not a market, you cannot do anything about it. Buying and selling tickets solved both of these for me.

For me it was buying and selling tickets, for someone else it could be hair care products of children’s toys. The point it is to find an interest you have and discover the ways to formulate a business plan around it.

Start small. Keep the risks to a minimum and most important of all do something.

Greg Cox is a classic entrepreneur. He has combined some education, street smarts and some hard work to build several successful companies. One of his companies is a ticket brokering company. He also teaches other how to be ticket brokers and provides them with the tools they need to succeed. Learn more about the business at http://www.MyTicketBiz.com

Niche Annihilation Method is yet another success story of digital products available from Clickbank with thousands of copies sold, but do you need your own copy and will this product set you on the road to internet millions?

When I brought Niche Annihilation method I thought I would be getting another ebook or digital product that was going to tell me how to make it as an affiliate. I was wrong. Niche Annihilation Method is about how to make it as a publisher. This means it is likely to appeal to a much small audience. Those who are serious enough to create their own digital product and market it online.

You get the normal ebook with lots of links. In review of the ebook I thought it was lacking in depth and did not provide enough information on the topics covered. Its only 49 pages long and there was a bug down loading it. I was disappointed at this stage and considered asking for a refund, but then I started to go through the videos. This is where the real product is. Rob Benwell takes you through every step in producing an online product, and I mean every step. You can watch video after video showing you how to do it all in 30 days, from idea selection, market selection, product creation, doing clickbank publishing, to article marketing, link building, sales copy and graphics and more. The fact is if you want to create your own Clickbank product and have no idea how - THIS is the product to buy. It will take you by the hand every step of the way. This is the meat of the niche annihilation method offering and it is worth the $47 he charges. In fact if you want to make serious money online, you’ve got to think about creating your own product to market and sell. Create an in demand product and you will have your own personal ATM.

Niche annihilation method comes with so many bonus products its going take me months to go through them all. Rob obviously knows his stuff as he gives you great links to free must have tools to help in your online adventure. Want to start making serious money online - niche annihilation method gives you the information to create your own online digital product income.

Niche Annihilation Method Reviewed - Want to learn more?

This article is the property of Alastair HARRIS and his immediately family. It may be freely republished over the internet but must include original links.

Alastair Harris is the chief editor of Article-gems Article Directory - living the online dream.

FINANCES: CREDIT CARDS AND LOANS

1. Create a budget and be realistic about all your incomings and outgoings. Make sure you know exactly what money you have and when you will have it. This will help you plan for events such as birthdays or holidays when you may need a little extra cash saved up.

2. Make sure you are getting the best possible interest rate for your savings, opening an online savings account could receive a higher interest rate than a regular current account.

3. Missing your credit card minimum payment dates will hit you with a big charge, so set up a direct debit payment to make sure you never miss the date by accident.

4. Lots of credit cards now offer cashback or points on your purchases or gift vouchers when you first sign up, so make sure you shop around before choosing your credit card. However don’t just choose a card because of a one off benefit, you have to look at the overall package.

5. Don’t be scared to transfer to another credit card with an interest free promotional period as lots of credit cards offer this now. However make sure you transfer to a different one before the promotional period is over as you could be charged with a higher interest rate once it has ended.

6. Keep your credit history healthy- this will make it easier to transfer to different credit cards when you need to.

7. Don’t sign up to department store credit cards even if they do offer you 10% off your first purchase, they charge you a very high interest rate, high late payment charges and are too tempting to have in your wallet while you are out shopping!

8. Don’t get yourself into a mess with paying your mortgage. If you are struggling to pay your monthly payments, speak to your provider about taking a mortgage payment holiday which is better than simply defaulting on your payments.

9. If you have a little extra money, pay more on your credit cards or loans instead of spending it on a treat. If you can pay your debts off quicker, you will pay less interest.

10. If you have been stung in the past by large bank charges, try to reclaim them by writing to your bank. If you think your bank charges are significantly higher than other banks, think about transferring your account.

11. If you travel a lot, use a credit card which doesn’t charge you for using it abroad. Some credit cards charge 2.5% for using it in a foreign country, however there are some that do not charge this fee if you shop around.

12. If you are worried about your finances, get free help from your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau, they understand what troubles you may be facing and are trained to help you think of solutions.

13. Make sure you are claiming any benefits that you are entitled to such as Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit. The forms can take a while to fill out and it can be confusing about what you are entitled for but you can go to your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau to help with any queries.

SHOPPING

14. Do you shopping online, this will stop you having to pay for buses or parking and you are more likely to buy what you need when you are online.

15. Join Internet Cashback to earn cashback while you shop online and get access to discount codes which aren’t available in the shops. Earn cashback on a variety of products including your food shopping, clothes shopping, credit cards, insurances etc. Download the Cashback Detector and you will never miss out on cashback while shopping online again!

16. Don’t buy everything from the usual high street shops; use a price comparison website before you buy anything to make sure you are getting the best prices, which could point you to an online shop you have never heard of before with the cheapest products.

17. Try not to impulse shop! Don’t buy something as soon as you see it; give yourself time to think about it so you can see if you really need it. This will also give you chance to shop around for the best price.

18. When buying your groceries try the supermarket’s economy range. You’ll find most of it tastes the same but is half the price, so don’t be put off by the packaging. Supermarket economy ranges are also good for toiletries, medicines and cleaning products.

19. Have a spring clean and sell anything you don’t want or use anymore on Ebay- it is really quick and easy to sell on Ebay now.

20. Do your grocery shopping at night if you can, as supermarkets such as ASDA or Tesco often reduce the price of food like bread, milk or cakes at the end of the day to make sure they sell it.

21. Before you go shopping, make a list of what you need and then stick to it, if you don’t know what you need, you’ll be more likely to overspend.

22. Don’t buy your daily cup of coffee from expensive coffee shops because they are too expensive. A £2 cup of coffee every day will cost you approximately £60 over the whole month! Take a flask out instead!

23. Take a packed lunch to work instead of buying it everyday, it will work out much cheaper especially if you’ve managed to get your bread reduced for your sandwiches the night before.

24. Don’t buy ready made meals; they’re expensive and not very healthy. If you get yourself organised you can cook a meal from scratch in about 20 minutes. It’s healthier and much cheaper.

25. Only buy what you need to eat, buying too much food means it’ll go out of date fast and you lose money on it.

26. Use the leftovers from your evening meals for your lunch the next day, as long as you keep in the fridge it will still stay nice and means you won’t need to buy your dinner out.

27. Always look out for special offers, coupons and discounts. Bulk buy if there is a special offer on something you regularly use, for example a BOGOF on toothpaste however don’t just buy something because it is reduced!

28. Don’t feel you have to be the first person to get the latest products, for example a mobile phone could cost £300 when first launched but could drop to only £50 in the next year.

29. Plan your family and friend’s birthday and Christmas presents in advance by buying them during the sales. If you have enough storage, you could buy your Christmas presents for the following year in the January sales.

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE

30. Stop eating out at restaurants at evenings and weekends so often. It’s easy to get lazy and head out for dinner but you’ve got to remember that your meal will cost a lot more in a restaurant than it will cooking for yourself.

31. If you do eat out at a restaurant, try to skip the starter and only have two courses which will save you money without ruining your evening. Also, try to resist the coffee at the end of the meal, you can get one at home for much less.

32. Find a restaurant where you can take your own bottle of wine! These are quite common and will mean you are not paying restaurant prices for your drinks.

33. Take it in turns for you and your friends to throw a dinner party. This is much cheaper than going to a restaurant and is often more fun especially if you have themed evenings.

34. If you are going out for the evening, don’t go too early and have a few drinks before you leave. You will spend much less money but will still have fun!

35. If you have an expensive gym membership and do not use it then cancel it as it is a complete waste of money. Try walking instead or using your local leisure centre which will be much cheaper than a gym membership.

36. If you pay to go to a slimming club, consider starting your own with your family, friends and neighbours instead. You will still get the same motivation but will save on the weekly cost.

37. Don’t pay full price for cinema tickets as most cinemas offer cheap weekend or daytime prices, and if you know someone with an Orange mobile phone you can get 2-for-1 tickets on Wednesday’s with their Orange Wednesday promotion.

38. During summer holidays most council’s have free or cheap events for families and children to take part in, so make sure you hunt around to make the most of what is offered.

39. Libraries are a great place to take the children on a rainy day and are great for adults too as many now stock not only books but CDs , DVDs and magazines.

40. Share the cost of events with your family and friends, for example if you love football then buy a season ticket with your friends and take it in turns to go to the matches. This way you might miss out on some matches but that’s better than missing out on all of them.

41. Try and find a market research group in your area which will pay you very well for telling researches what you think of specific products or ideas. These are enjoyable to do and you are provided with refreshments while you are there.

FASHION

42. Aim to build your wardrobe up with classic pieces that match. This way you will be able to interchange everything, so you won’t have to buy as many new pieces.

43. Go to the factory or clearance shops; they’re much cheaper and give you big brands at low prices and chances are, nobody will know where you bought them from!

44. Try to save your shopping trips until the sales are on. Although make sure you don’t buy things just because they are cheap if you don’t actually need them and take them back if they don’t fit as many shops do not open their fitting rooms during busy sale times.

45. Go to your local charity shop for cheap clothes! Remember, the majority of celebrities shop in charity stores because that’s where all the quirky stuff is so you will be in good company!

46. Don’t splash out on designer clothes for your children. Hand-me-downs and supermarket clothing ranges are a great way to dress your children cheaply and they probably won’t even notice the difference.

47. Learn how to sew and fix your clothes, not only will you be able to sew any holes or rips, you will also be able to customise your own clothes to make one off pieces.

48. Return clothes for a refund that you have bought and then realised you don’t like, don’t just let them sit in your wardrobe with the tags on.

49. Don’t avoid the cheaper shops such as Primark, they are great to stock up on your simple wardrobe necessities such as t-shirts and nightwear.

UTILITIES

50. Only buy home appliances that have been certified as energy efficient, they may cost more to start with but you’ll save more over time on running costs.

51. Replace your old light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs as they last longer and save you money.

52. Lower your heating thermostat. If there are rooms that you don’t use in your home then turn off the radiator and close the door. If you live in a 2 storey house, you can turn the thermostat down even further upstairs because heat rises. By turning your heating thermostat down 10-20 you will be surprised at how much energy you will save per year.

53. Install more insulation in your attic, replace old curtain liners with new insulating curtain liners and seal any draughts. If you have a big enough budget, install double or even triple glazed windows, these are very efficient means of insulating your home, saving you money on heating costs. They also boost the value of a property significantly.

54. Turn off the lights if you aren’t in the room and make sure everyone in your house does the same. There’s no point in being charged for light that you don’t use. Simple as that!

55. Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby as they still consume electricity. Turn them off at the wall and you could save up to 10% off your electricity bills. According to reports, the UK government is bringing in legislation that will make it compulsory for all new appliances to not have a standby mode because of the huge waste this brings.

56. You can save a lot of money on your water bills very easily, always shower rather than bathing and spend as little time in the shower as possible.

57. If you have a big home with few occupants you could halve your annual water bill by installing a water meter.

58. Turn your washing machine down to 40. Unless your clothes are heavily soiled a wash on 30-40 will still bring them out sparkling clean!

59. Don’t be lazy by sticking with your current utility company, shop around and make sure you are getting the best deal; you can use utility comparison sites to help you see which company will be best for you and use Internet Cashback to earn up to 37.50 pounds for switching utility companies.

TRAVEL

60. Book flights early and save money. While many of the budget airlines will fly to a regional airport, it may actually cost less to fly into an airport closer to a city center (if you are going on a city break) as you won’t have to pay for a taxi to your accommodation.

61. Budget airlines such as Ryanair are now charging per bag checked into the hold in an effort to speed up their turn around times. If you can, pack what you need (minus scissors, liquids etc) into your hold baggage. This also means you don’t have to wait round to pick up your baggage at arrivals.

62. Book hotels online rather than walking in unannounced and being hit with the typically higher walk-in rate.

63. Buy your car rental online rather than arranging for it when you arrive. Car rental is a competitive market and there are plenty of money-saving offers available.

64. If you are planning a journey by train or bus then book early, look for offers and do not travel in peak times. If you buy your ticket on the day of travelling it will be significantly more money than if you book in advance.

65. If you are on a long train or plane journey, buy your refreshments before you board as drinks and snacks are always over priced once you are travelling.

66. There are lots of websites which will send you free samples or money off coupons so find the best one and keep checking it for the samples you want to receive. Shampoo and body lotion samples are great to take on weekends away!

COMMUNICATIONS

67. If you don’t use your landline phone often then change to a pay as you go mobile phone, it is silly paying for line rental if you don’t use it.

68. If you don’t use your internet broadband often then cancel it and make use of free wireless internet in most restaurants, cafes and bars. You simply take your laptop and connect to their wireless for free (although it might cost you a cup of coffee!). You can go to your library and use their computers for free and even have access to their printers and photocopiers for a small cost.

69. If you are on a monthly mobile phone contract, think about going pay as you go instead. You will have much more control over what you spend, and you’ll be surprised at how many people will call you instead of you calling them!

70. Send an email instead of phoning or texting people. Most customer services departments will answer emails now if you have a problem with a service such as your utility bill which means you won’t have to ring their premium rate customer services phone number. You can also send your family and friends emails instead of calling them and even send birthday cards by email to save on postage.

71. There are lots of websites which let you send text messages to mobile phones for free so you won’t use up your credit texting while you can get online and use a messenger service such as MSN Live to talk to your family and friends over the internet for free.

72. Get a Freeview digital box and cancel your SKY or cable TV package. Freeview has lots of free channels and you can now watch the majority of TV programmes on the internet, so you won’t be missing out on your favourite shows.

AROUND THE HOUSE

73. If you have a spare room, advertise for a lodger. There are lots of people who just want a room during the week while they are at work, so you would still get your privacy at weekends. If you live on your own a lodger can provide you with great company and will help pay towards your bills.

74. Don’t be wasteful with products such as toothpaste, body lotion or foundation. When you can’t get anymore out of the tube, cut it open and you will be able to use the bits you couldn’t get to.

75. Re-use old ice-cream tubs or take away packaging, you can use them for freezing food or taking your packed lunch into work.

76. If you have a pet, don’t go out buying expensive bedding from the pet shop, recycle the waste paper from your office or buy your own shredding machine at home and shred up your old newspapers.

77. Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need, filling it up full wastes energy and takes longer to boil so you’ll have to wait longer for your drink!

78. When you use your washing machine, make sure it’s full every time, if you just have a few items to wash then hand wash them in the sink.

79. Instead of drying your clothes in the tumble dryer, hang them outside or in rainy weather hang them over a clotheshorse. This will also keep your clothes nicer for longer as tumble dryers tend to shrink your clothes!

80. Learn how to make your own cleaning products which are as effective as the products you buy in the shop and you can often use the ingredients you already have in your kitchen cupboards.

81. Grow your own fruit and vegetables in your garden or rent an allotment, especially if you give the vegetables to your pets. Seeds cost virtually nothing compared to the actual products themselves.

MOTORING

82. Downsizing your car could save you 100s of pounds each year in both fuel and road tax so if you are just making journeys to and from work you should seriously consider getting a smaller, more efficient car.

83. Don’t renew your car insurance without shopping around first. Use a price comparison site and you could save £100s every year by changing to a cheaper provider.

For a price comparison service go to CompareTheMarket.com.

84. If you travel to work on your own, try and start a car pool with colleagues who live in your area, not only will this save in petrol costs, it will also keep your car miles low.

85. Don’t jump in your car for all journeys, if you can, walk or cycle and you will save money and get fitter.

86. Start a school run with other parents in your area if you drive your children to school or consider walking them there instead if it is in a walking distance.

87. Don’t drive too fast, the RAC claim most car engines run far more efficiently at 60-70 miles an hour, compared to 80 mph or over.

88. Check your tyre pressure regularly; if your tyres are under inflated by 20% then you’ll use 10% more fuel.

89. Don’t pay to get your car cleaned as it is a waste of money, set aside 30 minutes each week to wash it yourself.

MISC

90. Instead of buying a daily paper, read the news online. Most newspapers have regularly updated websites which have all the news stories for free which could save you approximately 15 pounds per month.

91. If you smoke, try to stop or cut down. The NHS has lots of free services to help you do this and it will save you £100s each year.

92. Monitor how much alcohol you drink. If you are having a few glasses everyday, try to cut back and only have it for special occasions.

93. Don’t spend money you don’t have on gambling sites, especially ones online. It is easy to lose track on how much money you are spending and more often than not, you will lose this money. Try premium bonds instead if you want to try your luck as this way you will not lose your money.

94. It may be cheaper for you to pay for your prescriptions in advance with a pre-payment certificate if you pay for more than five prescription items in four months or 14 items in 12 months.

95. Buy generic medicines when you can, a 16 pack of Anadin costs approximately 2.99 pounds however a Sainsbury branded pack will only cost approximately 33p.

96. Cut and colour your own hair, or get your friends to help you. There are lots of great DIY colour kits out there to give you a new look for under 5 pounds and a pair of clippers won’t set you back much. Be careful though!

97. Pretend it’s your birthday on a night out and you might get a free birthday cake or glass of Champaign.

98. Don’t lose all of your loose pennies, save them up in a jar and at the end of the year you will be surprised at how much money you have collected.

99. Make saving money fun! Saving money doesn’t have to make you miserable! You can still see your friends, buy yourself treats and go on holiday; you just have the added advantage of feeling proud of your finances instead of hiding away from them!

The author of this article is a keen blogger regarding cashback deals for retailers’ such as for ASDA and affiliate marketing programmes.

Okay, not really. Article marketing is more than alive and well. But let me tell you something, video is slowly becoming the king of online marketing. You won’t find one top marketing name who isn’t using video in some way to promote his products. And as technology gets better and better, the number of people using video is going to increase dramatically, just like the number of people now on broadband as compared to years ago. In this article, I’m going to explain why video has become so big, why you should use it and some tips to get really good at it.

Why it’s become big is simple. The technology is here and people love to watch things. If you think I’m kidding, just head on over to Alexa and take a look at what the number two site is on the Internet. That’s right, it’s YouTube. The only site bigger is Google, who happens to own YouTube. I wonder why? Maybe Google knows something that we don’t. Point is, video is huge. You can go to YouTube and look up just about anything at all and you’ll find it. I have been amazed at some of the stuff I’ve found there.

Okay, why should you use it? Well, referring back to number one, the bigness of video, you’d be a fool not to. You’re going to probably get just as many people watching your videos as reading your articles, if not more. Yes, there is a large segment of the population that prefers to read. However, there are a number of people who HATE reading but love watching things. By NOT using video in your promotions, you are leaving out that segment of the population. It’s really that simple.

As for tips, if you’re on a shoestring budget, you can do this cheaply. Download Open Office, which is free, and use the slide creation software (similar to Powerpoint) to create a slideshow. Then, download Camstudio, which is also free, to create your video. If you can swing the cost, get yourself a camcorder and spring for Camtasia, which is the black tie of video creation software programs. It’s not that expensive and it can do some amazing things.

In my signature is a review of a product that will teach you some great video creation techniques.

Video is here to stay…Use it!

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to find out how to create killer videos like my friend Kevin Riley and rake in a 6 figure income like he and I do? Check out my review of his dynamite product at my blog at http://stevenwagenheim.blogspot.com/2008/06/kevin-rileys-recipe-for-success.html